You guys already know I’m a big fan of Avon, having the opportunity to try out their best beauty products.  One thing I haven’t taken for a test drive in a long while is their eyeshadow, one of my favorite type of cosmetic. Today I had my chance, getting inspired by their True Color Eyeshadow Single in Midnight Sparkler.  When I looked on the back of the small compact I saw the word “ombre” at the end of the product description and knew instantly I wanted that effect on my eyes.  This color was the perfect place to start, a dark yet sparkly navy blue shade that has a soft finish.  I scooped up two lighter blue shadows to complete the look, starting off dark at the lash line and lightening it up by the time you reach the brow bone.  The Avon Super Shock Gel Eye Liner pencil in black was the perfect finish, giving a smooth, medium sized line along my upper lash line.  It’s really easy to use and I can already see myself wearing this alone, creating a great cat eye!  I also had a chance to use their lip crayon in Sweetly Pink.  While the color gave me a subtlepink tint I found it to be a little drying, so that one was a bit of a letdown.  Next time I’ll opt for a nude gloss.

Face

• Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer
• Mally Beauty Cancellation Conditioning Concealer*
• CoverGirl Press Powder in Tawny

Eyes

• With a pencil brush, I applied Midnight Sparkler* from the lash line to the middle of my eyelids.
• With my small, flat brush I applied the dark blue shadow from my CoverGirl Eye Enhancer’s Trio in Blazing Blues.  I started from the middle of the lid and blended out over the crease.
• From that same palette, I swept the lightest blue shade from the creases to just below my eyebrow arches.
• Once all the shadows were on, I used my finger to carefully blend everything in.
• I lined my upper lash lines with the Avon Gel Eye Liner Pencil* and coated my lashes with Avon’s Super Extend Infinite Mascara*.

Lips

Avon Ultra Color Lip Crayon in Sweetly Pink*

Hair

I’m rocking my usual wash and go, using Organix Moroccan Argan Crème Shampoo and Tresemme Naturals Curl Hydration conditioner.  I’m totally in love with both of these products and a review will be coming real soon.  To cut down on drying time, I blasted my hair with blow dryer, gently tugging at my curls to stretch them a little bit.  My hair is getting thicker and it’s taking more than a day to dry on it’s own.  When I go to bed with wet hair, my curls get all limp and lazy so my ConAir has been getting a lot more play these days!

*FTC Disclosure:  These products were received previously as free samples for review.

Cozy Sweaters

Ashley Stewart Oversized Collar Colorblock Sweater  / Madison Plus Select Alexis Sequin Sweater / Asos New Look Inspire Fluffy Boucle Sweater / Ashley Stewart Striped Batwing Sweater 

Holiday Ready Dresses

Madison Plus Select Cross Drape Dress  /Ashley Stewart Shimmering Lace Dress  /Asos Curve Little Mistress Embellished Waist Wrap Front Skater Dress  /Ashley Stewart Bead Embellished Dress 

Fierce Outerwear

Madison Plus Select Jessa Wool Jacket  / Madison Plus Select Adrienne Sequin Jacket  /Ashley Stewart Open Front Faux Leather Jacket  / ASOS CURVE Fit & Flare Coat

Being overweight has always been an issue for me.  When I was kid and preteen, I was really fit and trim but too dumb to realize it.  I hid my body behind a poor self esteem and really big clothes. When I hit high school my weight exploded, the trend continuing into college and way into my twenties.  At first I was in denial about how big I was, despite the fact I was teetering around 240.  I mean I always saw myself as a big girl even as a kid so I just accepted it, not changing my unhealthy lifestyle.  Once out of college and into my first post-grad job I realized I wasn’t happy with weight, especially when I started dating my now husband.  So I did a major crash diet (i.e South Beach), getting down to 185.  I looked great and I felt great, getting rid of long-term unhealthy habits like eating out almost every day of the week and drinking tons of soda.  It worked for awhile but didn’t last and my weight crept back up.  I joined the gym, going hard and strong for awhile but it didn’t last.  I tried South Beach again .  It didn’t stick.  Long story short, all the way up until my pregnancy almost two years ago I was still very much overweight.

What did it take for me to truly get serious about getting healthy again?  A major health scare.

About three days after I came home from the hospital with my baby girl I was rushed to the hospital. I retained so much water between the pregnancy and the emergency C-section, it was backing up into my lungs and I couldn’t breathe.  My blood pressure was also through the roof so I ended up staying in the hospital three more days before going home again.  That scary experience taught me not to take my health for granted.  It can go downhill in the blink of the eye.  But how in the world can I do that?  I just started working at home and I have a new baby. Fast forward to this past August and I realized what I had to do to make these healthy changes I wanted to make stick.

I had to change my way of thinking.

In the past, I thought I had to go all in, going from not exercising at all to exercising every single day for hours.  I felt like I had to cut out all of my favorite unhealthy foods cold turkey, eating nothing but salad and lean meat forever. Sure that works for a little while but then there’s going to be a day you can’t make it to the gym or you cave in and have pizza.  Then you feel like a total failure and you give up.  This time around I couldn’t afford to give up.  Not only did I have a little girl I have to be here for (and keep up with!) but to this day I’m still taking blood pressure meds that I want to get off of safely.

Now I’m extremely happy to say that I’m down almost 10 pounds and feel stronger than ever.  That’s because I took a different approach to health.  Like I do with blogging, I gave myself smaller, more achievable goals each week.  I found an awesome group of moms to work out with and when I started, my goal was just to show up at least once a week. When I did, I patted myself on the back. After that, I upped those worke out dates to twice a week.  Then my goal was to keep up with my work out crew (these ladies go hard! LOL) and once I had that down, I promised to work out at home at least once a week. That meant anything from the normal, hard core workouts to power walking my neighborhood for at least 30 minutes.  As for diet, I’m a big advocate of moderation.  If I want pizza one day, I make sure the rest of my meals are light and healthy. I also don’t eat out two days in a row or keep my favorite junk food in the house.

The key is to take baby steps. If you haven’t worked out in awhile, do little 10 or 15 minute exercises to start once or twice a week (my Fitness Board has a lot of great ideas!).  Get your sneakers on and take a 20 minute walk before or after work.  Focus on adding one or two healthy foods at a time instead of taking away all the bad ones.

After trying to get healthy unsuccessfully for so long, last week was the first week since August that I haven’t worked out at all, taking a break to get over a cold.  And you know what?  I’m ready to get back on it!

How are you getting healthy?

I really excited about this holiday because it will be the first time I take the princess trick or treating and her first Halloween party.  (I tell you, her social calendar is way more exciting than mine!)  So being the type-A person I am, I spent the last month trying to figure out our costumes, settling on a theme just a few weeks ago.  But if you’ve been procrastinating and or don’t want a spend a fortune on a quick and cute costume, no worries!  I got you covered.

What I Wore

Rosie the Riveter

The symbol of the can-do woman!  All you need to pull this off is a denim shirt, a pair of jeans, a red bandanna, and a fierce red lip.

Real Beauty

Stylish Red Riding Hood

The perfect excuse to wear (or to buy!) that cute little red cocktail dress!   Add a pair of black pumps, an inexpensive cape, and basket and you’re good to go.

Cable Car Couture

Morticia Adams

Any black outfit can work when pulling this costume off, as long as it’s sleek and form fitted.  Dark winged liner, voluminous lashes, and a bold red lipstick are all you need makeup wise. Grab a dark wig or (rock your own) to finish the costume off.  (bonus points for a white powdered face.

She Knows

A Minion

I love the movie Despicable Me, especially those cute little minions!  To be your own version of this character, you’ll need a bright yellow shirt, a pair jean overalls (or jeans with black suspenders), black gloves, and over-sized goggles. You could also throw in a yellow skull cap and black tights too! If you don’t have anything like this in your closet, your local thrift store is the perfect place to look.

Struts.co.uk

A Pageant Queen

Poofy dress, big hair, heavy on the makeup, tiara, and sash – super easy!  Hit up a thrift store for a fancy dress and an accessories store like Claire’s for a tiara.  A sash is real easy to make yourself.  Hair spray and gel can make your hair as big as you want it to and just go extra on the makeup.

Are you dressing up for Halloween? What is your costume?

Psst! You have until midnight tomorrow to enter the #PlusSizeGiveway.  Two lucky people will be walking away with a $250 Visa Gift Card each!

So how does this challenge work?  Every week they send out a piece of clothing to  create an outfit from with using the clothes and accessories from their site.  The winner get’s featured on their Polyvore page along with the rest of their fun and stylish sets.

This week’s item was the Following Dreams Sweater, a cute white and blue top combining stripes and polka dots in a fun and stylish way.   I’m a sucker for an awesome pair of flare jeans and you know I couldn’t resist a bold, pop of color, adding in a bold red scarf and lipstick.  I finished the look off with a pair of comfy looking, vintage pair of low flats and fun earrings.

What do you ladies think?  What would you wear with this sweater?