Lifestyle Blogger Archives – Page 6 of 6

All Posts, Beauty, Dear Diary, Product Reviews

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip Review

January 29, 2016 Leave a Comment

I recently discovered the makeup company, Colour Pop, by doing a generic matte lipstick search on Google. The search led me to a few different videos, and I decided to watch Laura Lee’s NEW ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks FULL review + LIP SWATCHES. This gem of a video is how I discovered my now favorite line of matte lip colors. Why are they my favorite? They’re long lasting, there are SO many color options, and they’re CHEAP. In case you didn’t quite understand how important that last part is I’ll repeat it again: they’re CHEAP. Like, $6 each type cheap. I bought a beautiful matte lipstick pencil at Sephora last year while visiting “home” a.k.a. the surrounding Chicago suburbs and I paid $26 + tax for it -_-. This is not one of the most financially smart decisions I’ve made in my life and I’m okay to admit this now. In case you’re wondering…there is no lip color that is ever worth $30 dollars. I went temporarily insane and ~~cheap~~ frugal Brie is back to her senses.

Anyway the entire purpose of this post is to share what the lip colors I bought look like on my skin tone. It can be hard to judge lip colors when there is only one model to show you what it looks like and…well…she’s not Black lol. I’ve had a few people ask me what I think about the colors I picked and I personally love them. I had been searching for more earth tone/nude colors for my lips and I bought two of them through Colour Pop on my first order. Oh, and if you sign up with them you get a promo code for $5 off your first order so I pretty much bought three lipstcisk for the price of two. Say whaaaaat?!

Here are some not very well lit (my bad) pictures of the three colors I purchased. FYI- this was by no means done in a timely manner so if the lipstick has been applied unevenly pretend you don’t notice and just stare at the beautiful lip colors. Please and thank you in advance 😉

Limbo:

This is my favorite color hands down. I looove the dark brown color against my skin tone because it’s so bold. Even though my skin tone is a darker brown it still stands out on it’s own. I guess you can say I’m a pretty big fan :-).

Lax:

This is my second favorite color of the bunch. It’s the ideal fall color, but I wear dark colors like fall is year round so it won’t stop me from wearing this in the summer too LOL.

Chilly Chill:

This one is the perfect “nude” color I was searching for. It stands out just enough that you can tell I’m wearing lipstick, but blends enough that it’s not the first thing you notice when you see me. Operation nude lippie is complete!

What are some of your favorite makeup companies and matte lip colors? I’m willing to give them a try as long as they aren’t too rich for my blood ;-). Have a great evening!

Brie <3

[01.28.16]

All Posts, Music Favorites

Throwback (Music) Thursday

January 21, 2016 Leave a Comment

I didn’t realize Aaliyah and Sade share the same birthday until earlier this week. How I’ve never known this information before then I’m not sure, because Aaliyah and Sade, are two of my favorite artists. I’ve known for a while I wanted to share a throwback song for this Thursday’s blog post. Since their birthdays were less than a week ago it lined up perfectly for me to use one song from each of these ladies for timeless throwback music.

As a 90’s kid, Aaliyah was the definition of perfection so many girls like myself wanted to be. Her death is still one that hurts my heart all of these years later. Thankfully, as a musical artist, one thing that will remain forever is her music. On the other hand, I have always known who Sade was because my family listened to her music, but didn’t get into her music until I got older. I’ve heard the line “Sade makes music for grown folks” for many years, and it’s only since I have gotten older I understand what the adults meant. Sade makes music for people who are so deeply in love or have experienced deep love that it’s truly something a younger child wouldn’t grasp. In honor of their birthdays and throwback Thursday I will share my favorite song by each of these lovely ladies below.

P.S.- Apparently musical artists born on January 16th are drop dead GORGEOUS because…look at their faces!

Happy throwback Thursday, everyone! Enjoy the music and the rest of your evening.

Brie <3

[01.21.16]

All Posts, Dear Diary

16 Goals For 2016

January 3, 2016 Leave a Comment

Now that we’re in the year 2016 I wanted to make a list consisting of 16 goals to accomplish this year. I chose sixteen goals because who’s really going to write out two thousand and sixteen goals? Exactly. But in all seriousness I like to brainstorm things I would like to accomplish or improve, write them down, and hold myself accountable to these goals. I refuse to call them resolutions because goals that are taken seriously and strategically planned out tend to drive me more than the cliche new year resolutions ever will.

These are the sixteen goals I wish to accomplish in 2016:

1) Bi-Monthly Food Box

Now that I am getting into couponing I want to be able to bless others as well. I would like to put together a food box at the very least every other month to donate to a local family in need. It’s not major, but it’s a step in the right direction towards helping others beyond volunteer work in 2016.

2) Potty Train Jordyn

I’m pretty sure this is pretty understandable to those who have and don’t have children. However, we would like to talk about another child in 2017 (yes a whole year from now) but the conversation won’t even begin until Jordyn is fully potty trained.

3) Pay Off (A) Major Debt

As your average millennial buried in wonderful college loans, I would like to eliminate some, if not all, debt unrelated to my college loans. I’m aiming for financial freedom as soon as possible.

4) Visit 3 States BESIDES Illinois

My husband and I both are from the surrounding Chicago suburbs. Which means we always to IL for vacations to see family. However, in 2016 I want to explore and travel more than around/to IL.

5) Squat 150+ lbs

Because we all know strong is the new skinny. 2015 has shown us being fit and in shape is more important than being skinny. I plan to work on conditioning and strength this year.

6) More Base Activities

Now that pretty much all of my close friends have moved to new bases and states I need to find more friends. Haha j/k (sort of) I want to be more involved in base activities in general because I believe as a military community it’s important to be an important part of the community.

7) Visit 1 New Montana City

I’ve lived in Montana for almost 4 years and there are many large/popular cities I have never been to yet. Since we live here we need to take advantage of the places around us this year.

8) Visit The White House

We are planning another trip to Washington D.C. to see friends this year since we did not make it there last year. I want to reschedule a White House tour because this is the last year President Obama will be in office.

9) Spend <$100 On Grocery Trip

I’m officially one of those crazy coupon people trying to learn the ways of the couponing professionals. A major goal of mine is to spend less than $100 on a usual two week grocery shopping trip. I believe in me!

10) Take A Cooking Class

I’ve always wanted to take a cooking class. It has always looked like so much fun and would be a perfect date night idea. The husband and I have to make this happen this year.

11) Grow Blog Subscribers By 100+

I currently have 75 subscribers to my blog and would like to grow this list by at least 100 more this year. This is a huge challenge, but it’s one I am up for!

12) Do More Volunteer Work

As most of you know I am a (now level 1 certified) basketball coach for Special Olympics Montana. However, I would like to spend more of my down time helping others vs. doing things selfishly for myself. Selfless vs. selfish is the motto.

13) Eat Cleaner

This goes right back to fit being the new skinny. I want to eat cleaner for my health and my appearance. 70% of losing weight and getting in shape is what we put in our bodies so I need to do better this year.

14) Monetize Blog

I haven’t gotten a lot more serious about blogging. Writing is something I love to do and I would love to merge my passion with my purpose and create a job from it. Who doesn’t want to make money doing what they love?

15) Take A Dance Class

I’m not just talking about any dance class, I want to take a professional ballroom dance class. Learn to salsa, foxtrot, merengue, swing dance…anything!

16) Go To A Concert

Unfortunately living in Montana means we don’t have many diverse, main stream artists come here to perform. This year I would love to go to a popular artist’s concert even if it means traveling to a bordering state to do so. Especially if the artist is worth the hype.

You have officially read my goals (and reasoning) for 2016. I will try my hardest to accomplish all of them this year. What are your personal goals this year? Share in the comments below!

Brie <3

[01.03.16]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

Happy New Year!

January 2, 2016 Leave a Comment

Happy 2016 everybody! I hope you all brought in the New Year surrounded by love and people you want to bring closer to you in 2016. We spent the evening at dinner with family and bringing in the New Year, at our home, playing games and having tons of laughs. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the evening.

2015 had it’s ups and many downs (especially towards the end of the year). With losing multiple family members to various health issues, the end of 2015 took a toll on my loved ones and those closest to us. However, as always, we try our best to come back up swinging, because we know joy will come in the morning. In November of 2015 I decided to take a blogging hiatus because to put it simply: I needed a break. Not from blogging itself, but just a break to collect my thoughts and come up with ways to improve myself, which in turn, includes my blog.

As you all know I enjoy watching the daytime talk show “The Real” during the week. The last few weeks, Tamar Braxton, who is one of the regular co-hosts had been out sick, and to keep things interesting the show had been inviting other celebrities to guest host the show with them. My favorite co-host by far this season was Tisha Campbell-Martin. Apparently the other viewers really enjoyed her as well, because she was invited back to guest host a second time only a few weeks later. I’ve been a Tisha Campbell-Martin fan since the “House Party” and “Martin” days, but she particularly brought insight to the girl chat discussion I think most women can benefit from. In my case, specifically: married-mothers. Tisha has been with her husband, Duane Martin, for twenty plus years, and this information was shared when Tisha was asked by the ladies at the table how she has managed to have a successful relationship. She stated they have a house rule her husband came up with called “You, Us, We” that has kept them going and successful. She broke it down for everyone to understand: the “you” is Tisha. She has to take care of herself first because as she stated “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, which means she can’t benefit her husband or her children without taking care of herself first. The “us” is Tisha and her husband Duane. If they aren’t taking care of their marriage it will fall apart and cause issues that trickle down to their children in the long run. They want their kids to see the best image of a successful marriage through themselves. The “we” is in regards to the children and the entire family. If Tisha is taking care of herself, and enjoying her marriage, she will then share the abundance of love and happiness she feels with her entire family. We are able to take better care of others when we are truly happy in all aspects of our lives.

I knew right away I was going to write a post about these “household rules” because I already understand how important they are (due to the lack of following this model) and I’ve only been married for close to three years. About a week prior to watching Tisha on The Real I had noticed how drained and run down I was beginning to feel. I was trying so hard to take care of everyone else and everything else in the house I was leaving myself last in the equation…it doesn’t work. So although I don’t care for resolutions I told myself I was going to actively do better in 2016. I wrote out a detailed guide of how I will do better each month by concentrating on a closer relationship with God, taking care of myself, my marriage, and my family, in that order. There will be a blog post to follow this weekend explaining the detailed changes, how I plan to implement them, and hold myself accountable.

2015 taught me to love my loved ones while they’re here, love myself as much as I love others, and find a way to bring my plans to life through organization and planning. I hope 2015 was great to you and your loved ones. I hope 2016 brings you all of the positive love and prosperity your heart can handle, and I pray you do His will above all else.

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

Brie <3

[01.01.16]

All Posts, Family Love

Merry Christmas 2015

December 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas everyone! We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas day here in the Jamieson household. We were even lucky enough to have my Mother-in-law here to celebrate this special day with all of us.

Christmas is my absolute favorite day of the year (followed closely by my birthday) so it’s safe to say I’m the cheesy, corny, overly excited person on Christmas day. I expect, starting on Christmas Eve, to play Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, cook Christmas-y foods, and spread Christmas cheer and love. Yesterday I hosted Christmas Eve dinner with our Montana “framily”. It was always a tradition with my immediate family to have a large Christmas Eve dinner so we could all relax and eat leftovers on Christmas Day. Last night we all ate plenty of food and shared even more laughs. It is always a great time to create more memories with the people closest to you.

This morning Jordyn woke up after 9:30 a.m. due to her running around with her friends the night before and staying up later than usual to mingle with our guests. However, once she was awake we got the party started! We facetimed my Mom, Grandma, and sisters in Chicago while Jordyn opened her gifts, and we all opened our gifts to/from each other. Although Jordyn loved all of her gifts, she particularly loved her kitchen set and shopping cart from Grandma Kim. Grandma Toni was awesome enough to put both of them together so little miss Jordyn could enjoy them right away. Yay for having two awesome Grandmas! 🙂

We have spent the rest of the day lounging around the house watching Jordyn and Ares play with their presents, the Bulls won, we called family members, and felt more than thankful to have so many loved ones to create awesome memories with. Oh, and of course eating plenty of leftovers!

The Jamieson family hopes all of you had a blessed Christmas day and an even more blessed Christmas night. Remember through all of the gifts and material things that will cross your path today what the day is actually about. If you didn’t get the chance to thank God for the birth of His son this morning, it’s not too late to do so now. There is simply no Christmas without CHRIST.

Merry Christmas family and friends!

Brie <3

[12.25.15]