best Christmas ever

WHAT an amazing week. From the moment i laid my eyes on my husband casually laying on my bed, to the heart wrenching moment our hands left one another as he departed. It was a week filled with magic, and memories and confirmation that the type of love we have for one another is beyond any that we have ever known! What a true blessing.

OK, but i wont bore you all with the lovey dovey. But i will spend a moment or two letting you all know some of the differences between our cultures as seen and commented on by my hubby.

1.The clean air...and the fresh salty smell of being right beside the ocean (without having the pollution of a city nearby)

2. The fact that the beaches here (in port macquarie) are:
A. not covered in trash, infact you hardly see any.
B. Very underpopulated in the peak of tourist season.
By comparison alot of his knowledge of american beaches are to quote a phrase, "breathe and you smell the arse of the person next to you",  kind of populated!

3. We don't have the kind of poverty they do in the US, mostly good old governement assistance and also the fact that while the cost of living maybe higher. Every person has the opportunity to earn a good wage. A person here working in a supermarket would indeed be able to support his family. Not so much the case in the US.


4. People in Australia have a more carefree, positive demeanor.



5. The service industry SUCKS...one thing to be said for tips is people work for their money, in our country the meaning of service is rarely known unless you are paying top dollar for your meal. In the US no-one stands around at a bar waiting to order a drink at a restaurant or cafe. I think i am a huge huge fan of this. And look out port Mac if we decide to open anything competitive here!


6. Even in the towns that are coastal you will still pay top dollar for seafood....go figure?!


Overall my husband thinks he is an Australian at heart, and it took less than 6 days for him to fall in love with this country...warts and all. And this was a huge shock to me...as i am sure that your all aware ALL Americans think america is the only place that's got it all. And maybe to some degree they do. But you know what...i'd take alittle less that all for the peaceful and relaxed Aussie lifestyle any day. And i think He would too.

Sunburn, thongs (the kind you wear on your feet), and lazy summer dayz,
joanna xo 

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

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

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

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...



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...



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

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