Friday, December 23, 2011

miracle at christmas

What an extraordinary week! It all started several days ago when i committed myself to the belief that somehow i was going to find away for my husband to come to Australia for Christmas.

Hubby and i only had one condition, it couldn't be a trip that we went into debt over. Seeing as this time of year is financially stressful and, not to mention the cost of flights on Christmas day, and the fact we had 3 days to come up with the money...things were looking impossible at best. None of the major contractors from my business were going to have paid their dues by the end of the month, and by this point all hope appeared to have faded.

But....i refused to let go of my faith, in fact i was so certain that god would find away i wanted my hubby to get things sorted his end. I researched flights and prayed my little heart out to god, thanking him for allowing me my husband, and reminding him of all the promises of his word. i was so moved and teary for what seemed like a 2 whole days. I was Ernest in my requests, sitting in praise and expectancy. Praying that god would put it into the heart of someone to give us that cash.

It was a day ago that i was busy sending an online gift to my husband, that i checked my bank account not really thinking. And BAM...there is was in bold 5 digit numbers the answer to my prayer, the miracle i had been seeking. The government had underpaid me for the year and as such owed me a lump sum of money (which i didn't know was going to happen)...this was more than enough to cover my husbands trip.

I was flooded with emotion, weeping and praising god. What a wonderful wonderful moment for us...i will never forget that moment my whole lifetime. God is so faithful, and for being prepared to make a fool of my flesh for god....he rewarded my faith in him.

Now i get to share something wonderful with my husband, his first trip to Australia...and our first Christmas together.



Be blessed, and thank god for the birth, death and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ.

Merry CHRISTmas, to you all...xoxo

Sunday, December 18, 2011

weddings

What a huge week its been. And it all came to a beautiful peak with the wedding of my best girl friend DIANA.
She met her beau on E-harmony (he's from England), and through loads of communication...fell in love.







I think its beautiful. They have a load of things in common, and are just so super happy. Its lovely to have second chances at love over 40. I must say i am a huge fan of E-harmony (obviously having met my man that way too)
and i am almost tempted to make my children date that way from the very beginning! Haha.

well not much else to say other than of course i did makeup, and i was bridesmaid!!!
the only bitter sweet part of the whole day was that my husband was not by my side. But not for too much longer...

joanna xo

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

december update

Gosh its mid December already, i don't know if its an age/generational/or a global thing... but time seems to be gaining momentum.

PERSONAL:
My kids are all off enjoying their holidays in various Australian states, and i am here in rainy NSW tying up loose ends. my best friend (apart from my husband) is getting married on Saturday and i am still preparing my speech. Of course speaking from the heart is best, but there are times when notes are necessary! I love that at the second half of her life she is getting another shot at happily ever after...we all deserve that, and i am so proud to be sharing in this beautiful moment with her...god bless E-harmony.

BEAUTY/MAKEUP:
It has been 2 weeks since my first KTP laser session, and my skin is definately less pigmented, less flushed naturally, and my pore size has been reduced. YAY...all after 1 treatment.  I am so looking forward to seeing the results of a few more.

My shipment of Eve pearl cosmetics arrived. I ordered; (after much research) the concealer palette, and the HD foundations, in light-medium and tan, the eyeliner pen, a blush trio and black eyelash glue (as i was out) and the skin primer with Astaxanthin, a natural sunscreen

      

These products have a huge reputation! And i was eager to find something that stood up to the challenge of being non-drying, non-oily, good for the skin, and high coverage. So far so good, but i will give you all an honest review in another week or so.

Totally happy with my online shoe purchases, and the sizing is perfect. Although i must say my purple suede platform stilettos are rather sky scraper...lets hope i don't have a runway moment down the isle!

well, off to enjoy the last of my days off till christmas...

be blessed,
laugh like your life depends on it...love like you haven't a moment more, and be kind to one another simply because being nice makes your heart glow.

joanna xo


Sunday, December 4, 2011

SHOES SHOES SHOES

OK, so i may seriously have an addiction!...i never used to be so passionate about shoes, but it seems things have changed. I thought i would share with you all my latest indulgences, (husband you can feel free to shut your eyes right about now....:):):) )

firstly in my defense; i left the shoes i would be wearing to my friends wedding (my patent nude pumps think Victoria Beckham), in my husbands closet...(darling you best be getting some serious use from my belongings!)...grins....and well seeing as nothing else worked i was "forced" (sighs, horrible life i assure you) to buy some more...and this time i opted for something more glam...

Lift Purple from Verali

purple suede platform pumps....mmmmm mmmmm....hahahah sorry the pic is super small, just the way it happened!

and well there was this other pair i had been eyeing off for about two weeks....on sale mind you....and they are the type of shoes u either LOVE or LOATHE..and i LOVE LOVE LOVE....

here they are...

Large Image View

very rocker indeed, i love that they combine leopard with studded spikes....uber cool!

well thats it for awhile, have to save those pingers now....:)

joanna xo

bights makeup tutorial

Hi guys, well here it is...a summer brights tutorial. Enjoy.

I used pigments from ben NYE. A black gel liner, and a matte pale pink lipstick from revlon, to which i dusted a frosty pink eyeshadow over the top.



I applied potion primer from urban decay over my entire lid



then i put a bright gold green liner over the lid of my eye



Next i swept bright yellow pigment into the inner corner of the lid and slightly under too.



Using the bright apple green pigment i placed it slightly overlapping the yellow and onto the remaining third of the lid.



Using a pencil brush i put a hot pink in the crease and to the outer V of the eye.



Blend well....



Using a bright blue pencil liner, and a similar pigment line the bottom of the eye, creating a straight line towards the nose.



Curl lashes, apply mascara then fake lashes and the black gel liner to upper lashes.





Line the waterline with blue pencil, and fill in the brows.



Using a matte candy pink lip shade, fill in the lips, and set with a frosty pink eye shadow dabbed over top.



And finished face...

  

Have a wonderful weekend,
joanna xo

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Obsessing over Neon

I dont know what it is about Neon that has me going gaga. But there is something to it.
Back in the 80's when i first experienced the trend i found the pastel neons to be my favorites, especially the purple and pink. But now i am crushing on almost any bright shade in any form i find.  So here is my neon wish list!

SHOES:


This color is just so yum!

 
modern green platform stillettos

   
wicked cool, 3D printer made sneaker


And how could i not fall head over heels in love with these zombie stompers...i wish i brought them when i first saw them in PMQ!

CLOTHES:




Just something fun



This Michael Kors number has actually made an appearance in my dreams lately.



loving this electric blue too, combined with a elegance of a cigarette dress and this is a win win for me.

MAKEUP:



Oh i want these nails super bad.







I am so inspired right now, a new tutorial is on the way.

Be blessed,
joanna xo

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

bits and bobs

I thought today i would give you a random post about stuff that's been happening lately.

USA
Many of you know i am moving to the US to be with my husband. Visa's are the hold up right now, but if all goes as expected then i will be leaving the country in Feb/march 2012. I will be leaving a hot and humid pool side summer - for a full blown snowy winters ending. HA, now that's going to be an interesting plane ride.

KIDS
they are all going away for the holidays to visit family out of state. Which will afford me time to catch up on leaving preparations, sale of business etc. But they have become my life so much more over the years and i miss them terribly when they are away more than a few days.

WEDDINGS
My best friend Diana is getting married to her e-harmony beau, on dec 17th. Of course i am bridesmaid, makeup artist, hair stylist and anything else that needs to happen on the day, and i cant wait! Its been so wonderful seeing my friend bloom over the past 2 years into this amazing, confident, full person! She is god filled, real, silly, funny, crazy and i just love her to bits! I'll do a whole post on some of the awesome things that have occurred in, and because of our friendship another time. But boy, we are very very blessed! And people cant help but notice it.

 


ME
finding it so hard not to indulge in super summer sales, i am loving the neon trend right now...and just want some acid colored clothes and accessories soooo bad!!!! But i am doing the self controlled thing well and saving my pingers.

Things i love about coastal Australian living? - being able to swim half of the year, beer, seafood bbq's, laughter and the casual relaxed nature of the average Australian. Koalas in your yard, snakes crossing the street (ok, so i don't really love this, but it fascinates me) MEDICARE...I think when you sum it all up, we have a wonderful life here. And many cultures agree.

Well, my freckles are beginning to appear raised after my laser, and in a few days they should fall off....how cool is that?! Not that i ever cared about my freckles, truth be told i kinda like them....but having a uniformed complexion is something i am definitely looking forward to.

My sister Rach has been visiting for the past 2 months and it has been really nice! She will be going back to Queensland mid December, and i will surely miss her.



My addictions right now are: edamame, sunbathing pool side, holosync technology, and reading self-help books (yes, that's what i do...and the bible counts as one too!)

Well thats enough randomness for one day, bless you all my friends

 enjoying sunshine the natural mood enhancer,
joanna xo

Monday, November 28, 2011

KTP laser theropy

Today was the day, i had my first treatment of the KTP laser. I have been medicare approved for a course of 6 treatments!

Here is how the day went:

1.Meet with the doctor to confirm medicare eligibility.
2.He signs forms
3.Cosmetic surgeon puts glasses on you, hands you a cold air blowing device (to assist with the burning you will feel)
4. She then puts a gel conductor on your skin, and gives you a sample of the laser on a less sensitive part of your face.
5. The surgeon uses the laser to get pinpoint accuracy on viens, pigmentation etc. She then runs the laser in continue lines across the areas of concerns including larger pores and pimples.
6. read care instructions, cover in sunscreen, pay the bill - head to medicare to claim your rebate instantly!

What does this all feel like?

Well to say it was pleasantly relaxing would be a downright lie! If you can imagine being slapped across your face with tiny rubber bands, or grazing a pin just below the surface of your skin you would be close to accurate. For the most part, a lot of foot wiggling was the only "noise" coming from me. And the worst part for me was around the corners of the nose...which was a little more like a pin AFTER it had been put into flame.

The whole procedure was over in less than 20mins. And aside from feeling a little sun-burnt, and the odd whiff of burnt skin. It was actually OK. Now about 2 hours later, my freckles are darker than normal as this is what happens, my skin feels almost totally fine, and i am beginning to show the signs of whats known as the "bubble wrap" effect. In which little bumps appear under the skin.

Recovery is about 5-7 days. And breaks between treatment course is 4-6 weeks. I am really excited about the results, i should see a 50% improvement after the first session alone. The longest part to treat will be my birthmark. But it will be gone after the full 6 sessions. The other huge bonus of treating the skin from the epidermis is the increased production of collagen. Which in turn tightens and gives the skin a more youthful appearance. No complaints here.

In between things get a little redder, and darker while the pigment falls away. Makeup can be used as normal to cover any symptoms.

Some pics of the day, enjoy.

DURING PROCEDURE:

    

2HOURS AFTER:

    


Hats and sunscreen...
Joanna xo

Saturday, November 26, 2011

corrective makeup



As you know by now i have issues with redness on my face. I thought that tonight as a follow on theme from my cosmetic enhancement segment, i would post some pictures of what i do to deal with this.

Firstly i want to say that i don't use a heap of makeup to mask the affects of my birthmark, and ruddy complexion. It is all about finding products that are liquid in their texture but highly pigmented. Also if you suffer redness you want to pick shades that are quite yellow based. And you will know yellow based colors when you find them!

For me my perfect correcting shade is L'Oreal true match in w4.
w = warm which have a golden base to them.
c = cool which have a pink undertone (don't even look here!) and
 n = neutral which is a blend and quite possibly another match for ruddy skins could be found in this shade range. But i cant stress enough the importance of finding a yellow based product - which will counteract the redness.

i particularly love these foundations for the range of shade choices, the watery consistency yet - medium to full coverage, they are totally build-able and extremely affordable.

i also use camo quad concealer palette in medium (which can be brought from www.coastalscents.com) for a mere $8.
 i place this over any spots, marks and in a triangle shape down the sides of my nose and up and out to the corner of the eye blending inside these perimeters. This product has a amazing texture and covers very, very well.

Here is a picture of half my face using only these products. Do bere in mind, i am not adverse to having flushed cheeks in the right places, so i simply conceal out the areas of redness that bother me, leaving the blush area, lightly covered for a natural glow.
                                        

So you see already without using any corrective makeup (which is usually much heavier and more pigmented than normal foundation) These products markedly improve the color of my skin.

I decided to complete the look by making up a whole side of my face to show you how much we can naturally enhance what we have via the medium of makeup.

                 

Be blessed my friends,

joanna xo

Friday, November 25, 2011

who says we have to grow old gracefully?



Before and After Photo

I was thinking today about that saying " grow old gracefully". How many of us with a choice to have a minor nip and tuck here and there wouldn't ponder this option as the years unfolded?  I think that statement seemed much more fitting in the yesteryear. With today's affordability and procedure diversities, anyone can afford to shave the years off or simply have their flaws removed. Most of these treatments are done over a lunch hour and less and less have need for recovery time. Once upon a time short of a face lift, there wasn't much else one could do.

I guess it just comes down to personal choice more than ever. I myself, don't have a problem with the general signs of aging (at my age) But ask me in another 5 yrs. This whole thinking was all triggered by a visit to a skin clinic. My best friend had a desire to treat her broken capillaries.

For years i have had a ruddy complexion and i have become a master at using makeup to cover this without making my face look like i am 15 and putting on my foundation with a shovel! However i don't feel comfortable with people seeing my skin sans makeup. And the least that i do, is put fake tan on my face in a bid to be makeup free over the swimming season. I also have a birthmark on my jaw which i once again cover pretty much daily.

After a chat to the surgeon, i was informed that with laser treatment (medicare rebated) due to the level at which my condition is, i could have my skin more uniformed in color, my pigmentation greatly reduced (bye bye freckles) my pores significantly decreased in size (every woman's dream) and my fine lines addressed all in the same procedure. To which my out of pocket expense would be minimal.

This was like music to my ears. I couldn't have dream't that one day something as amazing as the harnessing of energy into concentrated dots could do so many wonderful things! My days of needing to wear makeup many soon decline greatly, then i can simply enjoy wearing it instead. For years i have enjoyed transforming people with the medium of makeup from the person they see, to a more radiant and beautiful version of themselves. I finally feel that with this treatment, i am going to be the one looking in that mirror, with tears of joy.

Here is a brief summery of some of today's non surgical cosmetic procedures for your information, or amusement...i am neither advocating nor condoning, simply sharing information and my own thoughts.

be blessed,
joanna xo


Anti-wrinkle treatments

Muscle-relaxer injections can rejuvenate the appearance of the face. Designed to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles, muscle-relaxer injections are a
quick and effective solution.  


Arm lift / Brachioplasty

Brachioplasty or arm lift is a procedure that removes loose, sagging skin from the upper arms and is generally sought by patients who have experienced significant weight loss. 



Facial skin care

a variety of treatments for younger, more luminous looking skin, including laser skin resurfacing, FotoFacial™ IPL, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion,
and chemical peels



Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is an injection procedure that can greatly reduce and/or remove unsightly spider veins which develop on the face or legs



Cosmetic Injections

 dermal stimulators, and lip enhancement treatments.



Laser Hair Removal

This disables the follicle from growing hair, which means that over several treatments, there is a long-term reduction in the amount of hair in that area.





Ultherapy

Ultherapy® is a revolution in facial rejuvenation. Ultherapy® uses ultrasound energy, commonly used in medical imaging and physical therapy to achieve skin tightening in an
in-office treatment.




All information on these procedures was taken from http://www.silkwoodmedical.com.au/non_surgical.html


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

blurple

OK, so i am unsure how many of you remember the blue and purple ice blocks that were around in the 80's But i didnt just love the way they tasted (blackcurrent and lemonade) but the color combo was fantastic. So anyhow this makeup look reminded me of that childhood treat, and i thought it was fun to start getting into the colorful spring swing of things.

Face:
Lo'real True match foundation
Camo Quad concealer
M.U.F HD powder

Cheeks:
MAC pinch o peach blush
NYX taupe blush (to contour)

Lips:
revlon Matte lipstick in 011-stormy pink
NP set lip gloss in nude

Eyes:
Creative me #1 palette - turquoise/purple/deep purple/ocean blue
Too faced- Smokey eye Natural palette - satin sheets (inner corner highlight) & pink cheeks (to blend out top color)
Gel liner-black
Clarins- water resistant mascara in black

  


  

Have some fun taking inspiration from the exotic blooms of springtime!

joanna xo