J. Rose Online

Outfits for Clearance Prices

2012-11-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

When going shopping, you can always find me in the clearance section. For the most part, I tend to always find something cute and usually pay between $5-$10 per item. When I started to gain weight, I really didn't want to spend too much money on clothes as I was hoping that one day I'd lose the weight. So most of the items I did buy were size Large and fit pretty tight.

Now that I've lost 31 pounds (as of today), a lot of the clothes I did purchase in the last couple of years are starting to fit a lot better. It's always fun shopping in your own closet and it definitely feels good when you look good in those clothes that used to fit so tightly. :)

Here are a few outfits that I shopped out of my closet of clearance items.

Top: blouse from Charlotte Russe, tank from Forever 21
Bottom: 2B Bebe skirt, clearanced at less than $10
Belt: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: J.Lo boots from Kohl's, clearanced at $11

Shop Boots from Kohl's here: Kohl's
Get 10% off your entire purchase! Use Promo Code: TENBLOG

Top: tank from Forever 21
Bottom: Skirt from Charlotte Russe, clearanced at $8
Necklace: Charlotte Russe
Shoes: Guess shoes from TJ Maxx, $30

Top: From Target, clearanced under $10
Bottom: size 5 skinny jeans from Charlotte Russe (went from sz3 to sz8 and now back to sz5)
Belt: from 2B Bebe, clearanced at $5

Top: tube top from Charlotte Russe, sz medium which once upon a time used to fit me, then didn't and now fits me again!
Bottom: 2B Bebe skirt, clearanced at less than $10
Tie: from Mr. Man's side of the closet

Top: Cardigan from Forever 21, tank from Forever 21
Bottom: actually a new item. skirt from Forever 21. these are size small, granted there's an elastic band in the back, but it's a size small and it fits me! *does a happy dance*
Necklace: from Forever 21

Top: tank from Charlotte Russe
Bottom: skirt from Charlotte Russe, clearanced at $8
Necklace: Forever 21

And these are some of the outfits I put together in the last week that I wore to work. Our dress code in the office is pretty casual so it allows me to dress as I please. I justify purchasing a lot of clothes in the past by making sure that most of the clothes I did buy were from the clearance section.

Most of the time, the clothes that are in the clearance section are out of season, but with the way California weather can be, it can be a good or bad thing. Right now, I'm anticipating the colder weather so I can start rocking my boots again. Boots I usually purchase from a small store at the Ontario Mills mall and I usually get them when they are clearanced at really low prices and just wait for the cooler weather.

But it's cold one week and we think that it's the start of the fall season, but weather changes again and it's in the mid 90s! With our weather, you just never know when to put away the summer clothes. It's like make up your mind already!

Do you shop clearance? If so, do you come out like me and find cute items?

Biotin: Does It Help?

2012-10-17T23:45:00.001-07:00

Do you take supplements? If so, which ones are you taking? Along with taking my daily dose of my thyroid medication, my doctor recommended me to take vitamin D as my levels were also showing low on my quarterly lab results.

I also added in Biotin (1000mcg) into my daily routine. For those familiar with the thyroid disorder, hypothyroidism, know that hair loss, dry skin and brittle nails are some of the symptoms that is caused.

I suffer from all of the symptoms I listed above. So I decided to try out Biotin to see if it would help alleviate any of those issues.

I started taking Biotin in July and took a 1000mcg tablet a day along with 1 vitamin D 5000iu pill and my armour thyroid meds all at the same time in the morning 30 minutes before I consumed any food or drink.

Hair: With the onset of hypothyroidism, I started losing hair by the bunches. Every morning when I took a shower or brushed my hair, a lot of breakage would happen. Trust me, Mr. Man was not too happy to see all that hair in the shower drain. But I do have very thick hair and a lot of it so that any thinning was not even noticeable. Of course, if you saw my shower drain or my hair brush, you'd definitely know I suffer from hair loss.

Once I started taking Biotin, it was after I had gone blonde on my hair so any growth would be noticeable as my hair is naturally black.

I would say that it took about a month for me to start noticing any changes and the changes I was able to see because I can see my roots grow out!

I dyed my hair in June and haven't touched up since. So you can see how much growth has happened.

L to R: my hair in June prior to dying it blonde and taking biotin, dyed my hair in June, you can see the full length of my hair by August and just 6 weeks after dying my hair blonde you can see that my roots have grown out at least an inch.

Looking at my roots now, I'd have to say my hair has grown about 3 1/2 inches since I dyed my hair in June. 4 months at about just above 3/4 of an inch growth a month. That's pretty quick if you ask me!

Nails: I have to admit I am a nail biter, I always have been since I was a kid. It's a hard habit to kick so what I do is get a full set of acrylics whenever I can and that seems to help some. Also my nail bed is a bit on the short side so when I don't have acrylics on, you can definitely see the damage my nail biting habit does. When I do manage to not bite my nails enough for them to grow out, they are weak and break so easily. It worsened with the onset of hypothryoidism.

Above is a picture taken today. I am in need of a fill, yes I know, but you can see how much my nails have grown. It's been 3 weeks and usually growth wouldn't be this much!

Skin: Another symptom I suffer from is dry skin. With the dry skin, came the itchiness, especially on my face. With the help of keeping myself hydrated by drinking 64+ ounces of water along with taking Biotin, I have definitely noticed that my skin is not as dry and doesn't itch as much. I hardly wear foundation on my face nowadays and for me that's ok because my skin isn't splotched with dry patches anymore.

I go to work with no makeup now without worrying about my skin looking dry. this pic is no makeup, no filters, taken with my iPhone 4

So for those suffering from hair growth, brittle nails or dry skin, I think Biotin may be of some help.

I will definitely keep this as part of my daily supplements!

J.Rose Online Disclaimer: The product reviewed/shown in this post was purchased by me. Above review is my honest opinion after using the product myself and was not influenced by the company in any way.

Curls with the HerStyler & OOTD

2012-10-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have been in the market for a new straightener and curling rod to add to my makeup/hair kit for my clients. I figured it would cost me at least $80+ for a decent one so I kept that in mind when looking around.

Over a month or so ago, I came across a deal on Groupon and there was a HerStyler hair kit that included a hair straightener, much like the one I originally did a review on here: HerStyler Colorful Seasons 5, a mini hair straightener and curling rod. Retail cost (that it stated on Groupon) is $300+. It was a deal for $59.99 for the whole set.

I just knew I had to jump on it. I've used HerStyler before and was impressed with it. And, boy, am I glad I did! Ever since I received it, I've been using it on my clients and just recently started using the curling rod on myself as it was so easy to use!

This morning I decided that I wanted to curl my hair for work. I started with my hair straightened which I had done the day before. I didn't use any product while curling my hair, but I did spray a bit of hairspray on my curls after I was done. I didn't brush out the curls either, just curled them a small section at a time and scrunched it a bit after putting hairspray on. Overall, it took me about 30 minutes to fully curl my whole head of hair.

As you can see, the curls came out amazing, in my opinion. It lasted all day. I think the curling rod is so much easier to use than a traditional curling iron and definitely easier to use than curling with a hair straightener.

*excuse the makeup-less face as I had to choose either to do my hair or my makeup this morning due to time constraints.

The curling rod itself only has an on and off switch, but does not have a temperature control. It heats up fairly quickly and the heat is hot enough. I have thick hair and a lot of it so the hotter heat is best for my hair to keep the curl.

If you should happen to come across this deal on Groupon or other deal sites, I say jump on it! Even if the deal didn't happen, I'd still shell out $80 on a curling rod because I needed one anyways and that's how much I was planning on spending. I just got lucky to have this deal pop up at the right time.

And since above picture doesn't show my full outfit, I think it's time I do an Outfit of the Day post.

Full Tilt high low dress from Tilly's, belt from 2B Bebe and shoes from Charlotte Russe. I purchased the belt awhile back on clearance at the 2B Bebe outlet store for $5 and the shoes (which by the way, totally matches the belt) was also purchased on clearance for $10 from Charlotte Russe. It was a last pair clearance and lucky me, the last pair was a size 7, my size!

Hope you gals and guys didn't miss me too much! I really am going to try and post more often as I truly do miss blogging!

Asked Mr. Man to help me to take a picture of my outfit and he just kept snapping away! Ha, the above pics are the ones that he just kept on taking! I know it's been awhile, but can you tell that I've lost a little weight? 10 more pounds to go to complete Project: 40 Pound Meltdown!

J.Rose Online Disclaimer: The product reviewed/shown in this post was purchased by me. Above review is my honest opinion after using the product myself and was not influenced by the company in any way.

Excuse the Picture-less Posts

2012-08-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

Site Update: It has been brought to my attention that some of my older entries do not have the pictures showing up.

I have moved over to a new webhost with the intentions of re-uploading my old pictures, but I haven't come around to it yet. As it turns out, my old webhost finally shut me down.

I will be re-uploading my old pictures some time in the next week so they should be all back up and running!

I do apologize for the inconvenience. Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

In the meanwhile, don't forget to check out my FB page :) http://facebook.com/jackiehartistrydotcom

Weight Loss with Hypothyroidism

2012-08-11T00:52:00.001-07:00

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown Update #4

Left: 155lbs taken 4/2010 Middle: 144lbs taken 3/2012 Right: 139lbs taken 7/2012

Left picture was actually taken in 2010 when Mr. Man and I were about to start our Husband/Wife Weight Loss Challenge. That didn't pan out so well, but I still have the pics we took on Day 1. I wasn't quite at my heaviest yet. I didn't take pics when I first started out back in October. Embarrassing as I know it probably was, I wish I did though.

Left: 167.9lbs Right: 139.8lbs

In today's Project: 40 Pound Meltdown update #4, I am actually going to talk about how I have been able to lose weight successfully. I am not too far from reaching my ultimate goal, but I've been asked by quite a few people on what my diet and exercise regimen has been like. So I decided to let them know and all of you out there who are wondering also know.

First off, if you are new to my blog or have just so happened to stumble upon this entry, I have been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). Here's a brief description on what hypothyroidism is all about.

Hypothyroidism: under active thyroid. The thyroid gland helps maintain a healthy metabolism (the process by which foods are transformed into basic elements to be utilized by the body for energy or growth) by producing and releasing iodine-containing hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). They help regulate the body's growth, metabolism, digestion, body temperature and heartbeat. Without medication or the proper treatment, the body cannot function properly, resulting in: poor growth; slow speech; lack of energy; weight gain; hair loss; dry, thick skin; and increased sensitivity to cold.

With that being said, my body was working against me even with my efforts at trying to work out when I first tried to lose weight back in 2010. I was always tired, exhausted, very fatigued and was pretty much starting to get depressed because I kept gaining weight.

I was prescribed Levoxyl when first diagnosed which supplements T4 hormone. After a year and a half on that, I finally went to see a specialist and it turns out that I needed both T4 and T3 so he prescribed me Armour Thyroid. When that happened, I was at my heaviest (167.9lbs) and borderline diabetic. My doctor told me I needed to start exercising more and change my diet and I did. But I still wasn't losing weight which frustrated me more. He finally increased my dosage of Armour Thyroid and that's when I started my weight loss journey back in October of 2011 and named it Project: 40 Pound Meltdown.

Here's a quick summary of what I did and how I did it to lose the 29lbs I've lost so far.

When first starting out, I had to change out my diet big time. I gave up Starbucks, white rice and cut down on a LOT on sweets. I added in fish, chicken and pork along with lots of veggies and greens. I substituted to wheat bread instead of white. I ate breakfast and snacked healthy throughout the day. I also cut out any other drinks and drank only water, at least 64oz a day. I also did drink green tea. (lots of bathroom trips throughout the day, lol.)

A typical day would be one egg on a piece of wheat toast for breakfast, lunch would be a salad (with very little ranch dressing) or a subway sandwich which most of the time was turkey on wheat with lettuce, spinach, green bell peppers, cucumbers and no cheese or mayo. For dinner, it would a medley of veggies and some tilapia fish or shrimp. Snacks wise, I kept a can of almonds at my desk to tide me through any hunger pangs I felt.

I started with logging all my meals and exercise calories into the app, myfitnesspal. I limited myself to a 1300 calorie diet. I went to the gym 5-6 times a week. I did about 30-45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill starting out with walking/jogging and logging 14-15 minute per mile. I also started out with an incline.

I did that for a good four months and dropped 20lbs. Then I hit a plateau and wasn't losing anything more! I ended up adding weight training to my exercise regimen, but started to gain a bit then lose a bit. So I was up and down with my weight loss at that point and got a bit frustrated. Then I did some research and decided to up my food intake. As it turns out, I should have been eating back my exercise calories as my body needed the extra intake for more energy. So I increased to 1500 calorie diet and ate up to 1700 on the days I did exercise. That proved successful as I started to lose again, not only pounds but inches in all the right places.

By the time it got my vow renewal ceremony in May 2012 I had dropped to 144lbs. A total of 24lbs lost. After the ceremony, I slowly stopped going to the gym and by June and July, I wasn't at the gym anymore due to a personal issue that happened and stress.

Even though I wasn't at the gym, I still managed to lose weight and ended up finally breaking into the 130s which is where I'm still currently at. Now I'm at a total of 29lbs lost. Seeing that motivated me to get back into the gym. And for the last couple of weeks, that's what I've been doing. Now on the treadmill, I am running 10-11 minutes per mile. A far cry from what I used to do. I have incorporated lots of ab work and alternate between upper body/arms and legs with weight training on the machines or free weights. I went from 34% body fat to 26% body fat. My ultimate goal is now between 125-128lbs with 17-18% body fat.

Cheat days: I did have my occasional cheat days. Sometimes more often than I should have. I also am such a sucker for cupcakes and ice cream so yes, I did eat those even though I'm supposed to be dieting. I figured I have already put a lot of patience and self discipline into my weight loss that I deserve it. I felt that if I deprived myself of it then I probably would go crazy. So in my opinion, yes even though you can do without all of the "good" stuff, you can still lose weight if you enjoy cheat days in moderation or every once in a great while. So I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that I never cheated on my diet. When I did, I just worked out harder!

It's taken me 10 months to lose close to 30lbs. It happened over time and a lot of frustrations and disappointments come to those who cannot be patient. For the most part, it probably took months, even years to gain weight, it sure as heck not going to happen overnight.

Imagine what my results would be if I didn't have a thyroid problem and I worked as hard as I did. I'd probably be at my ultimate goal by now. But alas, I usually have to work twice as hard as those without a thyroid problem to achieve results. Even with my thyroid condition, I am VERY PROUD of myself and the accomplishments I have encountered so far in my weight loss journey. Like I mentioned above, I am close to being at my ideal weight, but yet still so far. In time, I will get there. I do plan to give myself a time frame as to when I'll achieve my ultimate goal and I'm hoping that it will be by the end of this year. I have to learn to give myself extra time to reach my goal because of my thyroid condition so that way I don't get frustrated with myself.

Just a closer look and into how I did it. I didn't take diet pills or drink diet shakes. I did it by changing my eating habits and putting a lot of work in at the gym. I can honestly tell you that I feel so much better about my self image and I feel stronger.

On another note, when I first started I was insulin resistant so my doctor recommended Blood Sugar Support pills and I took that as a supplement along with Vitamin D 5000 IU. I am no longer taking Blood Sugar Support pills and I am no longer borderline diabetic.

As of now, my morning starts with my dose of Armour Thyroid, Vitamin D and I just started taking Biotin 1000mcg. Which by the way, I have already noticed a change in my nails since taking Biotin. Now just waiting to see what it does for my hair as I am prone to losing a LOT of hair on a daily basis because of my thyroid condition.

So take this entry as advice or motivation or even some kind of inspiration. I am always a big supporter to those that want to take control of their weight and health issues. I have had a lot of support and kind words thrown my way as I started to lose the weight. It really does help knowing that people are backing you up rather than hoping you will fail.

I hope the next time I post an update, it will be when I hit my ultimate goal. 29lbs down of the 40lbs total I want to lose..... I'm almost there!

And what is a blog post without a whole heck of a lot of pics!

using the weight bench machine thing we have in our backyard

Nike+Running app. I didn't start tracking all my runs until 4 months into my weight loss journey. This app is pretty awesome!

when I can't get to the gym, I work out in my backyard.

seasoned tilapia w/ zucchini, spinach & bok choy

typical subway sandwich I would get

Seasoned shrimp with mixed veggies

And here's my latest picture taken at my bridal gig last weekend. Loving the way my legs look, push hard!

to keep up to date on my weight loss journey, I do post a lot on Instagram and am on myfitnesspal

Instagram: jroseonline
myfitnesspal: jroseonline@gmail.com

Why I Became a Makeup Artist

2012-07-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Jackie H Artistry
Southern California Hair & Makeup Artist

Photography: Tom Shao

Photography: Jessica Luna Photography

If you've been a long time reader or you know what I've been up to nowadays, you'll know that last summer I decided to become a makeup artist. I've always had a love for makeup and with this beauty blog, which I started in February of 2008, it has deepened to an obsession. I was always into the latest collections, hauling here and there. Trying out new combos on my own self. Trying to figure out which skin care products are best for my skin and the list goes on and on.

Why did I start? Basically, it started out as an idea to create YouTube videos. Not just your ordinary, typical beauty guru videos. I was to team up with Digital Creative Studios and come up with beauty videos that were above and beyond the norm. But a part of me wasn't ready to do it yet. I didn't deem myself as an expert and didn't want to portray that I was by doing these videos. That and I hardly ever did videos prior to that and I was kind of shy, believe it or not!

Anyways, instead of going through with our YouTube idea, I decided to look into becoming a certified makeup artist. I enrolled at Cammua Makeup School in Upland and took it from there.

I learned the basics along with airbrush, basic hairstyling techniques, high fashion, glam and how to successfully market myself as a makeup artist. I am a mom of 3, a wife and office professional so I was happy at the fact that Cammua offered their courses on the weekends. I was able to get certified in a matter of about 3 weeks. I even booked my first fashion show and photoshoot just a little over a month after I completed my courses.

In the beginning, I was very nervous because I didn't know what others would think of my work. If they would even like it! But I kept at it because I knew that the more practice I got, the better I would eventually become. Aside from working my gigs, I enlisted the help of friends and family to help build my portfolio.

Photography: Jen Eto
Makeup by: Jackie H Artistry

Above photos were one of my first shoots I did with one of my classmates who took the same courses with me at Cammua. She was kind enough to help me start out. Here is the link to the original blog entry I did on her: http://www.jroseonline.com/2011/07/beauty-by-jrose-shimmer-green.html. I originally was going to go with Beauty by J.Rose, but after thinking about it for awhile, decided on Jackie H Artistry.

I ended up booking a couple of music videos, fashion shows, photoshoots and even got to showcase at the RAW Artists event held in Pomona, CA.

Dainty Hooligan Fashion Show
Produced by: VanIsh Media
Newport Beach, CA

Nawti by Olu Maintain
played on MTV Base

RAW Artists Makeup Artist Interview

Above videos are a few gigs I had the opportunity to work as a makeup artist on along with my RAW Artists interview.

I ended up taking a break for a bit and only took a few gigs here and there towards the end of last year and beginning of this year until I got contacted on working with a bride.

Since the bridal industry is something that I really wanted to get into, but didn't know just how to start, I decided to make that my next endeavor.

I started out with my own bridal hair & makeup for my 10 year Vow Renewal Ceremony that took place in Las Vegas this past May.

If you're interested in how I achieved my own bridal look: http://www.jroseonline.com/2012/06/fotd-my-bridal-look.html

After that, I knew bridal and special event services would be something I would love to focus on. Aside from a few jobs here and there, I turned to my friends and family once again to help me build my portfolio on "everyday people".

I've been extremely busy marketing myself in every way possible (most inexpensive way, too). I've collaborated with local photographers and even volunteered my time and makeup at charity events.

Being a makeup artist, we have the power to help a woman (or man) feel beautiful about themselves. When I'm working with clients, paid or not, I love helping them out with tips and tricks that they can apply to themselves. More often than not, most of my clients usually do not wear a lot of makeup on their own, even the models! So with me explaining what I'm doing helps them tremendously for those days they apply their own makeup.

And of course, with the finished look, it is always satisfying to hear their exclamation of gratitude. Sometimes, I like to wait until the end for them to look at themselves. It makes me feel good knowing that they love what they see.

By no means am I the best, but I am striving to improve my skills as time goes on. I just started dabbling with hairstyling and that to me has proven an obstacle, but as with anything, the more practice you get, the better you can become. And that's what I'm all about! I will keep on practicing to make sure I can be my very best.

So why did I become a makeup artist? During the last part of high school and by the time I was 20, I was very much into computers. So much so I decided to become a computer technician/network admin. I did go to school and became certified in both. But after school, I ended up working in computer retail sales and quickly learned that I was very good at it.

After 7 years of being in computer retail sales and even managing a couple of stores, unfortunately that company went out of business leaving me to decide what my next step was.

But before I can even decide on my next career path, I ended up pregnant with my 3rd child. So I took a break from the working world to concentrate on the pregnancy and the baby.

8 months after the baby was born, I started working again. I ended up in corporate sales for a computer case and power supply manufacturer. After working there for about a year and a half, I had an inter company transfer to their accounting department.

So as you can see, my career path has been all over the place! While I love my day job, it just wasn't as fulfilling as I thought it could be and that's why I took to the makeup artistry. So I am in accounting during the week and a makeup artist on the weekend. I do try to not saturate all my weekends with makeup gigs as I still have a family to tend to and spend time with.

But the little time I do have with my makeup gigs is enough for me. Eventually, makeup is what I want to do full time, but part time for now will suffice.

And that in a nutshell is why I decided to become a makeup artist!

And here is some of my work in chronological order.

Photoshoot with Cammua Makeup School
Photography: Mark Wangerin
Makeup by: Jackie H Artistry

Fuze It 2.0 Fashion Show
San Diego, CA
Makeup by: Jackie H Artistry
Hair by: Johanna Bautista

Model: Kalyn Hemphill
Photography: SAW Photographer
Makeup: Jackie H Artistry
Hair: Laura Prescott

Model: Caitlin Fowler
Photography: SAW Photographer
Makeup: Jackie H Artistry
Hair: Laura Prescott

Model: Amy Holbrook
Photography: Barry Druxman
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Music Video: Over the Hill by Suprah Navah
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Music Video: Nawti by Olu Maintain
Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

RAWartists.org presents Pulse
Pomona, CA
Makeup by: Jackie H Artistry

Model: Rebecca Ng
Photography: Tom Shao
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Dainty Hooligan Fashion Show
Newport Beach, CA
Makeup by: Jackie H Artistry
Hair by: Olga Loera

Photoshoot with Cammua Makeup School
Photography: Joe Michaels
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Model: Victory Leigh
Photography: Tom Shao
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Model: Sheree Bautista
Photography: Rex Vincent Photography
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Photography: Jessica Luna Photography
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Photography: Nightingale Oao
Hair & Makeup: Jackie H Artistry

Above is just some of my work that I've done over the course of the last year. I have been working with brides and wedding parties, but have not gotten all the pictures yet. My portfolio is always expanding as I continue to book more gigs. You can find a lot more of my work on my website and Facebook page.

"Inspiration comes from the world around you and the creativity from within. Take those and learn to make it your own."

Jackie Hanchana - Hair & Makeup Artist

Keep up to date with Jackie H Artistry
FB page: http://www.facebook.com/jackiehartistrydotcom
FB profile: http://www.facebook.com/jackiehartistry
Website: http://www.jackiehartistry.com
Booking Inquiries: jackiehartistry@gmail.com

Facebook Friday: TAJ's Sweet Treats

2012-06-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Facebook Friday: TAJ's Sweet Treats

Today's Facebook Friday page will make your mouth start watering from all the yummy goodness you see via the photos! My long time friend, Vangie, out in Las Vegas, NV, entices you with her sugary sweet temptations. From cakes to cake balls and pops to cupcakes and even cookies, this girl is always coming up with new flavors and creations to satisfy any sweet tooth!

I had the honor of having her make my wedding favors for my 10 year anniversary vow renewal celebration during our Vegas Wedding last month. She made red velvet Petit Fours that she decorated in my wedding colors and placed them in the boxes that I sent to her the week prior. Take a look for yourself! It's just too bad you can't taste them as they were so delicious!

Red Velvet Petit Fours

her latest creation: Neopolitan Cupcakes
from what I hear, they taste just like the ice cream!

So if you're out in the Vegas area, be sure to call her to create something special for your next event. Even if you're not, be sure to Like her page to see all that she comes up with. We all know we love looking at food pics!

TAJ's Sweet Treats
Las Vegas, NV
http://www.facebook.com/TajsSweetTreats

Facebook Friday will be a weekly post on Facebook pages I want to share with my readers and suggest you "Like". If you know of or own a Facebook page you'd like me to feature here, please send me an email jroseonline@gmail.com along with link, description and a few pictures.

FOTD: My Bridal Look

2012-06-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

On May 1, 2002, Mr. Man & I took the first step into forever by saying I Do! and 10 years later, on May 5, 2012, Mr. Man and I, along with 28 of our friends and family made the trip out to Las Vegas, NV. It was on that day, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary and solidified a decade of marriage by having a vow renewal ceremony.

This just wasn't a vow renewal ceremony for us, it was our actual wedding we never had when we first got married. You see, 10 years ago, we didn't deem it necessary for a big wedding celebration so we got married at good old city hall.

But because a decade to us is a milestone in our life, we decided to do it big by having a ceremony that to me felt just like a wedding. It was perfect!

And what better way than to be the bride I always secretly deep down inside wanted to be. I got the dress, the tiara and even the hair & makeup!

I debated on hiring a hair & makeup artist so that I can kick back and relax while getting my makeup done, but decided last minute to do my own hair & makeup. Because we went for a destination wedding, it just didn't fit in my budget and in the end, I'm glad I decided to do it myself.

To achieve my look, here are the products I used

Face:
Make Up For Ever HD primer
Make Up For Ever HD foundation in 173
Make Up For Ever HD translucent powder
Nars Illuminator in Copacabana to highlight under the eyes
Nars Orgasm & Nars Laguna on the cheeks
Make Up For Ever set spray to set my look

Eyes:
Nars Pro Prime to prime my eyelids
Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow pencil in 20E all over lid as a base
Urban Decay (Naked 2 Palette) Verve on inner lid
Urban Decay (Naked 2 Palette) YDK on outer lid and lower lashline
Urban Decay (Naked 2 Palette) Busted on outer V and just above natural crease
Urban Decay (Naked Palette) Virgin used as highlight
Make Up For Ever eyebrow corrector in dark brown to fill in brows
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner 2L on lower waterline
Inglot Matte Gel Liner 77
Red Cherry false eyelashes

Lips:
MAC lipliner in Oak
MAC lipglass in Chromaliving

Hair:
Curled my hair with the Conair 1 1/2 inch barrel curling iron and pulled half up and secured with bobby pins. Teased a small bump at the crown to accommodate the tiara.

Putting on the final touches before the limo came to pick us up from our hotel.

photo time in the bridal suite before the ceremony started

and here was my outfit of the day :) you can't see it in this pic, but I am wearing red shoes!

And this here is my bridal look for my vow renewal ceremony. I finally felt what it was like to walk down the aisle in a beautiful wedding gown. Even though everything about it all was very simple, it felt very magical and is a day I will never forget! Our next BIG celebration will be on our 25th anniversary.

This is just a sneak peek into what that day was. I will post up more pictures from that day so stay tuned!

Vow Renewal Video

2012-05-23T12:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know it's been awhile since I last blogged! Bad me!! I have so much to write about that's happened in the past month or so. I would definitely love to update you all with my Project: 40 Pound Meltdown progress, post up some new looks I did on others and of course, post up pictures from 10 Year Wedding Anniversary and Vow Renewal.

So for now, I'll leave you with a snippet of my Vow Renewal Ceremony I posted up on YouTube on my channel. I cut out the actual ceremony because if I didn't the video would be 16 minutes long! Anyways, enjoy.

Bridal Makeup & Hair done on me by me ;)

Photo Op: Mr. and Mrs.

2012-04-23T22:36:00.001-07:00

Photo Op: Mr. and Mrs.

"things in life happen for a reason and I'm glad life gave me a reason to love you"

even after a dozen years together and a decade of marriage, I can still look at him with loving eyes.

established January 27, 2000 and bound together forever May 1, 2002

In this photo: Mr. Man and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary next week and we decided an "engagement-like" photoshoot is in order. Thanks to Rex Vincent Photography for all the wonderful photos. I wanted to share with you all at least one of the pictures from our photoshoot.

Photo Op of the Day is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos that I have in my collection that I've taken in the past or present. It is just another way for my readers to take a look into my life and get to know who J.Rose is and what J.Rose is all about.

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown Update #3

2012-04-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

Left: July 2008 - Pre-Hypothyroidism ~135-140lbs
Middle: December 2010 - my heaviest ~165-167lbs
Right: March 2012 - after 6 months of dedicated diet & exercise - 144lbs

Finally an update on Project: 40 Pound Meltdown and a good one too! As of today, I am at 143lbs! I know it's been a couple of months since my last check-in, but here I am! When you know you are doing something to keep yourself healthy and fit, you can't help but feel so good inside and out.

I am still far from done, but as you can see I am well on my way!

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds
January 23, 2012: 148.8 pounds
Today, April 2, 2012: 143.6 pounds

I know it's only been 5 pounds since my last check-in, but I believe a lot has to do with the fact that I toned up and gained a bit of muscle. Also, as it turns out, my thyroid medication dosage was too much for me according to my last lab results. My doctor did tell me that my dosage is dependent upon my weight and I lost quite a bit since the last time I saw the doctor. I'm only assuming that my meds were working against me as I was stuck at 144-147 for a good month.

10 days after I started my new dosage that's when my weight dropped to 143.6 lbs. The lightest I have been since being pregnant in 2009. It's such a great feeling for me. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I thought I was doomed once I saw myself balloon up because of hypothyroidism. And even more depressed when at first the weight wouldn't come off.

Don't get me wrong, it took me a long time and a lot of hard work to get where I'm at. I have come to terms with the fact that I have to work twice as hard and twice as long as the typical person because I'm battling uphill against my under active thyroid. I'd like to think that I can be an inspiration to many of those on their own weight loss journey. It's a tough journey, but if I can do it then so can you! The only time you will be able to accomplish your goals is if you put time, effort and dedication into it. If you don't, then it won't work. If you get discouraged because you are impatient, it won't work.

So in this update I'm actually going to let you all know my routine and regimen. I have been posting up progress pics on my personal FB and on Instagram and Twitter so I've been getting quite a few questions wondering what I'm doing to get where I'm at.

the one thing I had to stick to was my diet. what helped me is using the myfitnesspal app.
my goal for food intake is roughly 1200-1300 but I am mostly logging about 1300-1400 so still not too bad, especially if I log exercise that day. Need support? Add me! jroseonline

It's always hard to limit your food intake. ALWAYS. It hasn't been easy these last 6 months, but diet is the biggest part to weight loss success. As you already know, I've given up white rice and Starbucks.... Ok ok, I didn't fully give it up, but have cut back tremendously. I do have the occasional bowl of white rice, but it's about once or twice a month and that's it. As for Starbucks, I've completely cut back so much on it. Up until last week, I actually didn't have any Starbucks drinks. Now when I do order Starbucks, I get a skinny.

I have been cutting out a lot of fast food. Hardly any burgers and fries. I save those for my cheat days and yes, I do have cheat days. Gotta indulge once in a while.

I do eat a lot of veggies and fruits. I incorporate a lot of fish and pork into my meals rather than beef. I also throw in some subway sandwiches here and there. Aside from that, when I'm lazy to cook, I keep cans of Reduced Sodium Progresso Chicken Noodle soup in my desk drawer at work.

Garden Salad topped with Grilled Tuna from The Habit.

homemade - lightly seasoned Shrimp and Vegetables

Now onto my workout regimen.... Can you believe that I usually am up at 5AM to get to the gym by 5:30AM? That is the only time I have to get my workout in. If I go after work, I will be waiting at least 20 minutes for a treadmill to open up. It's that busy at the gym I go to. So my only choice is to get up at the butt crack of dawn just so I can run on the treadmill.

For the first 4 months or so, I just ran/jogged/walked on the treadmill. I would run 1.5 miles then walk on the highest incline. I'd spend 35 minutes on the treadmill. Then as the days progressed, I started running at a faster speed and further to the point where my furthest run was 5 miles! Now I do at least 2.5 to 3 miles a day. For the last month, I started concentrating on the abs and doing lower back exercises since it would hurt my back when I would do crunches or sit ups. Now my back has been strengthened and I can actually do sit ups and crunches without my back being in pain. I also throw in the weight machines and concentrate on my inner thighs, legs and arms.

I spend about an hour and a half every morning at the gym, if time permits. It all depends on what time I drag myself out of bed. Since I do tend to go to sleep at 11PM or so sometimes I find myself fighting to get up. But when I do spend time at the gym in the morning, it gives me so much energy that I can take on the day. I used to get so sleepy mid morning, but not anymore.

As for pills, I take my 60mcg dosage of Armour Thyroid and 5000ui of Vitamin D right when I wake up. Go to the gym and when I come back, I take a Blood Sugar Support supplement at least 30 minutes before I eat breakfast. I also take a Blood Sugar Support supplement 30 minutes before I eat lunch.

every morning it's just me and the treadmill for 35 minutes!

i have never seen my legs this defined. must be all that running!

I started tracking my runs using the Nike+GPS app. I didn't track all my runs since I started because I couldn't find my arm band for a long time. Now that I have, I was so close to hitting the 100mile mark that I just decided to go and run 5 miles!

And when I'm too lazy to go to the gym, I got a set of weights and a bench at home to work out with.

And here is another progress pic. I am finally able to sport a 2 piece bikini again without feeling "fat". Looking at these pictures makes me glad that I took these before & after shots. You really see how much you've progressed. I highly suggest taking pics no matter how you feel about your body. Because once you see them, it gives you that extra push to get to your ultimate goal.
Left: 153lbs Right: 143lbs

I just purchased my wedding dress for my vow renewal ceremony that is scheduled for May 5th. The dress I bought actually fits me perfectly. Because I am on a tight budget and I purchased my dress last minute (I wanted to lose more weight before I actually bought my dress), it fits perfectly to my current size. So at this point in time, I am going to maintain my weight and just tone up. If I have a dramatic loss of weight then I might have to alter the dress which I don't want to do as I'm trying to keep everything under budget. So I'll continue what I'm doing and concentrate a lot more on toning up. Once the ceremony is all said and done with, then I'll get full force back into my regimen just so I can get to my goal weight of 125lbs and complete Project: 40 Pound Meltdown!

On my next post, I'll post up my adventure on planning my vow renewal and shopping for the perfect dress!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: Weight loss results may vary. What worked for me may not work for others especially those concerned with hypothyroidism. All I do know is that sticking to your diet and putting in the effort at working out will yield the best results.

Nessasary Makeup Gets Hitched!

2012-03-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Vanessa & Jon.

On Sunday, March 25th, I had the honor of attending Nessa (of Nessasary Makeup) and her now husband, Jon's wedding. It was such a beautiful ceremony. Just seeing her walk down the aisle in her gorgeous dress towards her then fiance as he anxiously waited for her.

Just as any ceremony you witness, you can feel the love and emotions in their words as they spoke their vows. Seeing Jon tear up and hearing him choke as he spoke words of promises to forever be by her side made you want to tear up right alongside him. We've seen their relationship grow as Nessa spoke about him on her blog. But to witness it in person is on a whole other level.

I've had the opportunity to hang out with Nessa on a few occasions in the past and it was always nothing but good times with her. She even took the time to come out to my baby shower for baby E back in 2009.

I headed out with Tia (Christiana) at about 2:30PM. Vanessa's invite says to be there at 4:30PM. The drive according to google maps told me that it would take me an hour and a half to get to Camarillo from my house. But because it was raining hard that Sunday, I wanted to leave early just in case there was traffic.

And indeed there was traffic and it rained really hard to the point where my visibility was compromised. But we made it just on time. As we were waiting for the ceremony to start, we snapped a few pics and just chit chatted.

Vanessa handmade most everything in her wedding, including the invitations, centerpieces and much much more. She is so creative! AND I bet she saved a ton of money by doing some of it on her own.

Here was my view from my seat.

And a close up. These were the best pictures I could get using my iPhone.

Look at these cute favor boxes. They were filled with Hershey Kisses candy.

Quick snapshot of Tia and I as we were waiting for the ceremony to start.

Had to get a pic with Nessa. Look at her dress! SO Gorgeous!! HAHA Love how Jon pops into the pic like that!

Photobooth Fun with Tia!

And just before we had to call it a night, Photobooth Fun with Nessa!

Nessa and Jon's wedding turned out so beautifully and I want to wish the new couple many many many years of blissful marriage. I'm so glad to have been a part of their day and I am truly happy for the both of them!

Fashion Show: Dainty Hooligan

2012-03-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

I love working fashion shows! They are always fun and the work is back to back to back. LOVE IT! Anyways, the good thing about my makeup school is that they tell us about gigs that come their way. Most of it is for trade work, but great opportunities for networking.

Last December, I had an opportunity to work with VanIsh Media and worked on the Dainty Hooligan Fashion Show at the X Nightclub in Newport Beach.

That Friday, I left work at 4:30 and made it just in time to start at 6PM. Once I got my makeup station set up, I started working right away. They wanted dramatic looks for those that are dressed in fancy evening wear and neutral looks for those in casual wear. The models I worked on were all wearing evening wear attire. Score for me! Up to this point, I was doing a lot of neutral beauty shots so this was a change in pace when I knew I got the chance to play with a little bit more color. I loved every minute of it.

They also had a team of hair stylists. And amazing ones at that. So I only had to do makeup. There were a total of about 12 models, but there were 4 makeup artists that night so I worked on 3 models plus the coordinator of the fashion show. She wanted neutral colors though. Which was totally fine with me, of course.

Mr. Man and a few of my friends drove all the way to Newport Beach to show me support. I love that my friends support my makeup artist endeavor. It means a lot to me especially when they come out. Anyways, once all the models were good and ready, I was able to sneak away to go hang out my hubby and my friends. Had a couple of cocktails, danced a bit and waited for the fashion show to start.

It was an awesome feeling being in the audience and watching the models strut their stuff. Also knowing that you helped to achieve the look that the designer and stylists were going for. I had a ton of fun as I usually do. So far I have to say fashion shows are always the most fun to work.

Anyways, I'll leave you with some pictures from that night. Products used that night: Make Up For Ever foundation, Inglot eyeshadows and blush, MAC lipsticks and gloss. Brushes used: Bdellium Tools.

This one has got to be my most favorite "in action" shot I have of me working. Look at the lashes on model, Caitlin!

Here's another "in action" shot of me putting on lashes on model, Elena. Lash application has become a breeze for me with all the practice I've had now.

And here's model, Timarie, face all made up getting her hair done by hairstylist, Olga. I did a smokey purple eye on her with Inglot eyeshadows.

Behind the Scenes shot of Timarie during her photoshoot.

Photoshoot
BOUTIQUE: Dainty Hooligan
PRODUCED BY: VanIsh Media
MODEL: Caitlin Wood
HAIR-STYLIST: Olga Loera with Team Indulge
MAKEUP ARTIST: Jackie Hanchana
PHOTOGRAPHER: Travis Ishida with Divulger Studios

Photoshoot
BOUTIQUE: Dainty Hooligan
PRODUCED BY: VanIsh Media
MODEL: Timarie Bryant
HAIR-STYLIST: Olga Loera with Team Indulge
MAKEUP ARTIST: Jackie Hanchana
PHOTOGRAPHER: Travis Ishida with Divulger Studios

Photoshoot
BOUTIQUE: Dainty Hooligan
PRODUCED BY: VanIsh Media
MODEL: Elena Harshaw
HAIR-STYLIST: Olga Loera with Team Indulge
MAKEUP ARTIST: Jackie Hanchana
PHOTOGRAPHER: Travis Ishida with Divulger Studios

On The Runway
BOUTIQUE: Dainty Hooligan
PRODUCED BY: VanIsh Media
MODEL: Timarie Bryant
HAIR-STYLIST: Olga Loera with Team Indulge
MAKEUP ARTIST: Jackie Hanchana
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kevin Gast with VanIsh Media

On The Runway
BOUTIQUE: Dainty Hooligan
PRODUCED BY: VanIsh Media
MODEL: Caitlin Wood
HAIR-STYLIST: Olga Loera with Team Indulge
MAKEUP ARTIST: Jackie Hanchana
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kevin Gast with VanIsh Media

Don't forget to stop by my Facebook page, click Like. I update there regularly! http://facebook.com/jackiehartistrydotcom

Credits
Makeup: Jackie H Artistry
Marketing & Media: VanIsh Marketing
Boutique: Dainty Hooligan
Hair: Olga Lorea

New Laptop Setup

2012-03-24T20:24:00.001-07:00

Got my laptop set up bedside. Now I can start blogging more.

If you've been a long time reader of my blog, you'll remember that I used to work for a computer retail store, PC Club. When I worked there, I was always up to date with the latest and greatest in computer technology. A lot of the parts I used to build the computers in my house were purchased from PC Club. So it's not a surprise that I owned one of their custom laptops, the Enpower ENP545 laptop.

It was a simple laptop that was used for internet surfing. I actually had given it to my mom to use as I didn't have a use for it since I had my desktop computer. Then a couple of years ago, Ethan had knocked over the table that the laptop was sitting on and it went crashing to the floor. The laptop that is, lol. Unfortunately, the fall had cracked the LCD screen.

Being that PC Club was already out of business when this happened, I didn't know where to look for a new screen. I ended up purchasing a new laptop from Staples for my mom. Laptops now are so inexpensive, it was the practical thing to do. So the ENP545 sat in the corner collecting dust for the last couple of years.

Just last week I started thinking about getting a laptop for myself because I wanted to start blogging more. One of the biggest reasons I slowed down on the blog is because I spend all day at work sitting at a desk. The last thing I wanted to do was sit at my desk at home. I just wanted to chill out in my room and watch TV. But most of the time when I'm chilling out, I'm surfing the net on my iPhone. And even though the iPhone can do so much, I still couldn't really get comfortable blogging from it.

So I started looking at laptops online just to get an idea on pricing nowadays. I was actually thinking of going to MAC and getting a MACBook Air. But I couldn't see myself switching to MAC and on top of that wasn't willing to shell out that much money. Then I started looking at the ultrabooks like the one below.

Then I started thinking about it. I'm doing my vow renewal in May, I don't think I'll be able to get me a new laptop anytime soon. I remembered I had a laptop that was sitting there collecting dust. So I pulled it out of hiding and cracked it open. Checked to see if there is a model number on the LCD screen and luckily there was! You see, finding things for a PC Club Enpower brand laptop is not as simple as searching for parts like a Dell or HP. Enpower laptops were custom made. Like I said, luckily I know how to fix laptops. I opened it up and found the model number of the LCD screen and looked it up on eBay.

And there it was for $65 plus shipping. Shoot, I'll take it! I ended up getting expedited shipping because I wanted it before the weekend. I ordered it on Wednesday and it arrived at my house on Friday. Got it installed that afternoon and installed Windows 7 later that night. And now here I am on Saturday, blogging from my "new" laptop.

So yup, expect more blog posts from me. I have no excuse now!

And while I'm on the subject of a comeback, I was checking my YouTube channel and just realized that my DIY Vanity Mirror video has 13k+ views. Kind of inspired me to start making YouTube videos. My first one will be another Vanity Mirror tutorial. I'm actually going to upgrade my vanity mirror and maybe add more lights. I'll actually do a tutorial. What do you think? Don't forget to subscribe! And I'll leave you with the video if you haven't seen it yet.
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Until Next Time (which will be real soon).

Photoshoot: Victory Leigh & Tom Shao

2012-03-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Model: Victory Leigh
Photo by: Tom Shao
Hair & Makeup by: Jackie Hanchana

I know it's been awhile since I last posted. I know I haven't been really posting up any of my work lately either. But here I am again, I just wanted to share one of my latest photoshoots. I had the opportunity to work with Tom Shao (whom I met from Model Mayhem) again.

He is local to me so when he asked me to do hair and makeup, I said sure! We met with aspiring model, Victory Leigh, at Tom's home. As soon as we got to his house, I quickly got to setting up.

Our first looks we did were simple beauty looks. I have to say I am expert on beauty looks! That's the majority of the looks I have been doing. For her beauty look, I used Make Up For Ever HD Foundation dusted with Make Up For Ever HD powder. On her eyes and cheeks I used Inglot Cosmetics and for her lips MAC Cosmetics.

Model: Victory Leigh
Photo by: Tom Shao
Hair & Makeup by: Jackie Hanchana

And for her next look, we decided to get a little edgy. I loved that she allowed me to do what I wanted. I was so used to beauty looks that I almost was at a loss! Haha, I think it came out ok. Definitely not the best I can do, but it was great practice for me.

You know what I love about being a makeup artist? I love all the people I get to meet and work with. So far I've had great experiences with the people I have met.

I really hope that I get to blog more often as I have so much to share. So hopefully this post will kick start my blogging days again.

Model: Victory Leigh on Model Mayhem http://www.modelmayhem.com/2378168
Photographer: Tom Shao on Model Mayhem http://www.modelmayhem.com/1747638
Hair and Makeup: Jackie H Artistry on Model Mayhem http://www.modelmayhem.com/2322506

Are you on Facebook? I update my Facebook page regularly. Go check it out and don't forget to click Like! http://www.facebook.com/jackiehartistrydotcom

Happy V-Day 2012

2012-02-14T23:10:00.001-08:00

Mr. Man and I didn't get to celebrate vday tonight because he's actually out on a business trip. He's been gone for the last 10 days and I really miss him! Anyways, we will be celebrating vday this weekend with friends on a group date to watch "The Vow".

I'm so excited to see it! I teared up just watching the preview! So in honor of vday, I'll post a flashback to our very first vday together - 2/14/2000. Just 18 days after we first met he already told me he loves me and has meant it ever since. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Target Find: Water Fountain

2012-02-13T10:24:00.001-08:00

Found this water fountain at my local Target in Diamond Bar, CA. I've been wanting to get one of these for the longest time. But didn't want to spend a lot on it.

So when I saw this in the clearance and saw that it was under $10, I knew I had to pick it up.

I ended up using it as decor on my end table in my living room. Yay for Target clearance! I always seem to find something in there.

Target Find is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos of good deals I found at Target store. Every time I go there, I always peruse the clearance aisles of every section and check out the $1 bins at the front of the store. I'll try to post up pictures of items I find within a day or so from when I found them so that you can check your local Target and see if they have the same deal.

Haul: Breaking Dawn Part 1 DVD

2012-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

Yay! I picked up my copy of Breaking Dawn Part 1 this morning. I was contemplating on just getting the Blu-Ray, but I ended up really wanting the special edition that included a flower from the set of the wedding. I also picked up the Blu-Ray copies of Twilight and New Moon. Now my Twilight DVD series is complete for now.

And last night, I met up with Joey (http://xjoeybean.blogspot.com/) and Lena (http://ladylonline.blogspot.com/) and L's friend, Kristy to catch the sneak peek of Breaking Dawn Part 2. I haven't seen L and Joey in years! It was so good seeing them and chit chatting while we waited 2 hours to watch a 5 minute video that included a recap of the past movies, cast interviews, behind the scenes for Part 2 and finally a little snippet of part of the new movie.

I felt a little robbed. I wanted to see more! I guess that's what a teaser is for, right?! Anyways, it didn't even feel like 2 hours that we were waiting because we were all engulfed in our convos. Good times.

They were going to start selling the DVDs at midnight and the preview ended at 11:10. We were all so tired from starting our days so early that we ended up calling it a night right after the preview was done. There was no way we wanted to wait another 50 minutes.

It was all good though because it was so much easier going to Target the next day to pick it up.

But seriously, I cannot wait until BD Part 2 comes out!

Did you pick up your copy already?

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown Update #2

2012-01-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to do another check in. As of today I am just about halfway to my goal. I actually want to lose a total of 42 lbs since my weigh-in in October (when I first started) I was at 167lbs.

As of today, I am 19 lbs lighter! I honestly didn't think I would have been able to do it. Especially with my thyroid problem, but now I know that it really does take a LOT of dedication. Now that I'm almost at 20 lbs lost there is no turning back now. Gotta keep it up.

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds
Today, January 23, 2012: 148.8 pounds

I did start taking progress pics when I was at 152 pounds and will continue to take more pics. That way I have some good before & after pictures when I do my final post.

The picture on this post is a before & after. I found the pic on the left on my iPhone and it shows when I was at my heaviest ever since I developed hypothyroidism. Left side was about 7 months ago at about 165-167 pounds. Right side was taken on Friday 1/20/12 at 149 pounds.

I have been adding a lot of people on My Fitness Pal. We can all use the support, join me!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/jroseonline

I hope that my weight loss journey will motivate and help others to start on their own journey. I thank all my supporters for cheering me on since I started. I'm not there yet, but I will get there!

Until next check in!

Not Your Bandwagon Fan

2012-01-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me definitely know that I am not no bandwagon fan! I may have not been a fan since the beginning of their time, but I have been a fan of the Los Angeles Clippers since 2006. I think that makes me a true fan, what do you think?

Before the NBA lockout ended and we got news of the new Clippers roster, I knew I definitely wanted to go to a few games this season. I haven't been to a Clippers game since before I got pregnant with baby E back in 2008. Time and money were an issue so we couldn't fit going to any games in the budget. Well we did go to a game, but that was a Lakers game and I got a sweet deal on VIP suite boxes and Mr. Man has never been to a Lakers game!

Anyways, I was trying to find tickets to the home opener and man, let me tell you, seats were so expensive! When I go to games, I'd rather not do nosebleeds. Honestly, I'd rather stay home and watch it on TV rather than sit in nosebleeds seats. Every Clippers game I've been to, I've always been in the 100 sections, except for those couple of times we were in the VIP suites and that one time we were in the 200 section during the playoffs in 2006.

Anyways, this past weekend, Mr. Man and I got the opportunity to sit 5 rows from the court. It was behind the basket, but it was ok. We got to go to a game! And let me tell you, it was so awesome! I forgot how the experience was. Seeing the players that close, I kept telling Mr. Man, "they look so real!" HAHA of course, they are real. If I were to ever meet any of them in person, I'd probably be speechless and just stare. I'm serious!

Like that one time in 2007, when we met Elton Brand and got my jersey signed by him. I didn't even know what to say!

March 2007 - getting my jersey signed by Elton Brand.

Anyways, back to the game at hand... We sat in section 107 Row F. After the game, I watched the replay and DVRd it.

We were just to the right of the base of the basket.

Here's the view from our seats.

Watching warmups.

DeAndre Jordan at the foul line.

I really hope to go to another game this season. When I look up prices for seats, they actually aren't that bad. But with my 10 year wedding anniversary coming up, I might not be able to go to another game quite yet. Who knows maybe the next game I go to is when they make the playoffs! That'll be nice! But let me tell you, I am so happy that the Clippers team finally have a chance at making playoffs again. This season has definitely been fun to watch so far and I can't wait to see more! Let's Go Clippers!!

NYE 2012

2012-01-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

How did you spend your New Year's Eve? Partied hard and got drunk? Stayed home and watched the ball drop on TV? Let me tell you how I spent my New Year's Eve.

I kept it simple with my FOTD. Just foundation, eyeliner and one of my fave MAC lipgloss, Electric Fuschia.

The day started with a bit of cleaning up, then I got ready for our Lunch Double Date & a 1/2 that Mr. Man and I had with BFF, Jacky, her BF, Brian and her daughter. We headed out to Santa Monica to a little place called Jack & Jill's Bakery & Cafe on Santa Monica Blvd.

Our lunch consisted of country fried steak, big spicy burrito, tuna salad and louisiana chicken w/ french fries (not pictured)

After lunch, we decided to hit up Santa Monica Pier and on the way there we ran into a lot of Wisconsin fans who were here to watch Wisconsins Badgers play in the Rose Bowl. They were having a pep rally and took up the whole parking lot. The team came in on buses and were escorted by a lot of motorcycle policemen. It was pretty fun to watch actually.

The first game.... The guys were itchin' to try to make a basket in the hoop, the prizes weren't that good! Needless to say, they both spent $5 each and made ZERO baskets. HAHA! so yeah they were pretty upset.

So we decided to play Roll A Ball since we felt it was easy enough and we all just played against each other. Even though Mr. Man won the game, my goddaughter was the real winner as she got to pick the prize and take it home!

And of course, before we headed home, had to take a pic with my BFF, Jacky. We have known each other 11 years. She was one of my first friends I made when I first moved to southern California. There were a few years where we just stopped talking to each other. Over what? I don't even know or remember. All I know is that I'm glad that we rekindled our friendship a year and a half ago and it's even stronger than it was before! Thank you, Facebook, for helping us reconnect :)

When we got home, I debated if I should mix myself any alcoholic beverages. I ended up saying, "what the heck, it's new year's eve, I'm at home so why not!" First drink of the night were kamikaze shots! Only 2 shots in and Mr. Man was already drunk asian red. HAHA!

And to end the night, Mr. Man, the boys and I watched the ball drop on TV and screamed, "Happy New Year!"

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown Update #1

2011-12-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

If you have been following me on Twitter or have added me on MyFitnessPal, you may have already been getting updates on my latest weight loss project. As the year is winding down, I put together some before and after pics. They are not quite progress pictures as I never really took the time to take any. But as I was looking at these pictures, I sort of see quite a difference. Do you?

Left side: Befores, Right Side: Afters

Anyways, as of right now here are my stats:

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
Today, December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds

So far a total of 15.4 pounds lost. After losing the initial 10 pounds I lost that first month, it was very difficult losing the last 5. Only because the holidays was upon us and I had quite a bit too many "cheat days". Now that the holidays are over, there are no more excuses. I plan to go hard at this. I have 27.5 pounds left to go to hit my goal weight. My goal is to lose that by the first week of May. Can I do it? I hope I can!

All I know is that I need to be really dedicated in the way I have been eating. No more of these multiple cheat days!

The one thing I did notice after losing these 15 pounds is that I can finally wear shorts when I go to the gym. When I first started working out, I would wear shorts to the gym. But in the middle of my work out, my thighs would start to chafe and it got pretty bad that I had to wear pants every time I would work out. I'm assuming that most of the weight I lost, aside from my face, was my thighs because I can now wear shorts and actually be comfortable!

So of course, my #1 new year's resolution is to lose 27 pounds. Here's to the new year, new goals and hopefully new accomplishments! Thank you for joining me in my latest journey, Project: 40 Pound Meltdown.

Do you have any weight loss tips to share with me? I am always open to new ways to help me lose the weight.

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown (Read my first story)
Need inspiration or support? Add me on MyFitnessPal.com: jroseonline@gmail.com

Happy Holidays 2011!

2011-12-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

In this photo: Some of my favorite ladies! Posin' at our annual holiday party. The theme was Red & Black - Dress to Impress!
L to R: Tia, Kat, Lupe, me (the hostess), Genny, Jacky, Erin & Jackie
love these gals!

Photo Taken: December 2011

Photo Op of the Day is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos that I have in my collection that I've taken in the past or present. It is just another way for my readers to take a look into my life and get to know who J.Rose is and what J.Rose is all about.

Photo Op: Growing Up Fast!

2011-12-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

In this photo: 12 years ago today, I was blessed with a very beautiful baby boy. When he was born, he forever changed my life for the better. And now he's growing up into a very handsome young man. I love you, my baby Alan! Happy 12th Birthday!

Photo Taken: Left: Spring 2011 school picture. Right top: January 2000, Alan was 2 weeks old. Right middle: December 2005, Alan's 6th birthday. Right bottom: December 2011

Photo Op of the Day is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos that I have in my collection that I've taken in the past or present. It is just another way for my readers to take a look into my life and get to know who J.Rose is and what J.Rose is all about.

Photo Op: Family Holiday Pictures

2011-12-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Photo Op: 2011 Family Holiday Pictures

In this photo: My Family Pictures for the Holidays. This is the first holiday family photo we've taken. We usually just take pictures in front of the tree in our pajamas on Christmas morning. I decided this year we need to send out holiday cards. So a photographer I know was kind enough to come over and take our pics. I think they came out lovely!

Photo Taken: December 2011 in my home.
Photography by: Tom Shao

Photo Op of the Day is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos that I have in my collection that I've taken in the past or present. It is just another way for my readers to take a look into my life and get to know who J.Rose is and what J.Rose is all about.