Author Archives: The Vickylicious

Dust to Dustbin…? I Think Not.

Posted on by
2

Picture it: You’re making up your face and carrying on as you do every day. The routine is running on autopilot when, while applying your brow powder/eye shadow/powder blush/face powder/bronzer, you all of a sudden get a case of the Butterfingers. Your palette crashes to the floor/sink/tabletop and powder fragments are everywhere. You shriek or moan (depending on your personal style) and dejectedly gather up all the pieces and clean up the mess.

image

Don’t get angry and don’t throw it out! It can be saved! Rid yourself of the powder palette woes with this little trick:

*Add a few small drops of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) into your broken powder makeup compact or case

*Re-form the mud-like mixture by smoothing it out and pressing it flat with your finger or the bottom of a spoon. You will know what to do naturally because you’re smart like that.

*Let it dry for a few hours or even overnight for best results.

image

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that this experiment worked. When I tested out my shadow to make sure nothing about it had changed, I was truly impressed. Why alcohol as opposed to water, you ask? Because alcohol is a gas, the vapor causes it to evaporate quicker and leaves the substance more solid and without residue, chemically speaking. The water would work temporarily, but break apart again into even tinier particles. Also, water on a product that is being used on your face would cause germs and bacteria to multiply—that’s a big no-no. For this reason, do not attempt this with hydrogen peroxide either, as it turns to water when exposed to air. And no need to worry; because you are using such a small amount of alcohol, it’s safe to use on your face, even if you have sensitive skin. Remember, most cosmetics have various alcohol-based ingredients already, another reason that rubbing alcohol works so well.

So  the next time you order makeup in the mail and it comes to your doorstep shattered, or your compact breaks in your purse, you’ll know exactly what to do. BONUS: create your own shadow and blush colors by breaking them on purpose you can mix them together! Makeup is supposed to be fun, yes?

 I thank my lucky stars that I paid attention in chemistry class. 😛

Weekend Workout

Posted on by
Reply

Most Sunday mornings are reserved workout times for me and the bf to exercise together. We do weight training, which he is in charge of dictating. I start of with weighted squats and leg presses, then work all of our upper body muscles (all arm groups, back, chest).

image

Then we engage inthe second part of our workout,  core and kettlebell training, also known as my responsibility. This is comprised of all of the ab groups, lower back, some more arms and legs, and cardio. Here’s a quick video of a combined deadlift with a jump squat:

A mix of strength training and cardio keeps you lean, builds muscle, and increases stamina. As with all things, balance is key.

If you’d like to see more videos/workouts or would like more health & fitness posts, please let me know and I’ll be happy to oblige.

Love Does a Hoarder Make

Posted on by
6

As many people may know, I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect foundation that checks off all of my personal boxes (as stated in my intro post). I do not discriminate on whether it’s drugstore or high-end, $5.00 or $55.00; perfection comes in many forms and I will not miss out just because I’m not an equal opportunity employer. Therefore, I must try them all. All!

Certain brands are only good for a couple of products; just recently are we coming across lines that have winners in almost every category. One such drugstore brand is Revlon. Every line in their lips, eyes, and face categories are full of winners, so much so that Revlon is hands down one of the best drugstore brands (if not the best) in the US, with L’Oreal a close 2nd (in my humble opinion, of course). Even their once lackluster mascaras are improving in quality; their Grow Luscious line is pretty fantastic. I digress.

Until last year, Revlon’s ColorStay Liquid Makeup was my favorite drugstore foundation. I loved her for many reasons: At a great retail price, she has a vast shade range, lasts almost all day, has minimal transfer, and comes in different formulas that cater to various skin types. Not only does this foundation offer buildable coverage, she leaves a breathable, natural look and feel on the skin.  I cheated on my love briefly with Cover Girl’s new 3-in-1 Stay Fabulous Foundation (primer, foundation and concealer in one product) and thought a divorce might be in order because CG 3-in-1 is quite the saucy minx. I hadn’t been able to completely swear off of her, and I think Revlon caught wind of my dalliance. One sunny day this past May, I was fondling CG 3-in-1 in the makeup aisle when something in my periphery nabbed my full attention: RC was back and better than ever! She got a whole new look and formula, one I knew I had to try. I told CG I’d be back later because something came up and I had to run. On May 22nd, 2013 Revlon ColorStay Whipped Crème Makeup launched and changed my life. I picked up my tried-and-true shade (Toast #410) and ran home so we could spend some time alone. I undressed her and felt her silky smoothness on my skin. She was neither heavy nor cakey; she was just right in every way. Blendable, buildable, sleek and luxurious, RC looked good and felt even better. I was truly, madly, deeply in love with her all over again!

Then she stabbed me in the back. She knew what she was doing and had it all planned. Once RC had sunk her teeth into me–deeply–she discontinued my shade. Searching over hill and dale for one year to find her, I thought all hopes of reuniting were lost. Then yesterday happened.

image

On my way home from a bad day at work, I thought I’d cheer myself up by going to a place called Cosmetics Show, a discount beauty and tchotchke store. There wasn’t anything too impressive and it was actually kind of depressing in there, but a little voice in my head told me to press on. Thank the foundation gods that I did! There she was, Revlon ColorStay Whipped Crème Makeup #410 in all her splendor, jar upon jar of her just sitting there waiting for me to hold her in my arms. I stopped in my tracks, held my breath and tried to still my pounding heart. Sweat started trickling down the hollow of my back and my eyes glazed over. The little old sales lady asked me if I was alright in Spanish (because people always think I can speak Spanish) and grabbed my hand like only a caring abuelita could. I gathered myself and told her I was fine, but she interrupted me to let me know that everything Revlon was BOGO. I was floored. Trying to regain my composure for the second time, I cradled six glass jars and made for the cashier after proffering many thanks (in Spanish, natch). I practically skipped all the way home, my bad work day far behind me.

Needless to say, I’ll be going back to abuelita this weekend to buy out the entire inventory, regardless of my lack of storage space. Call me a hoarder all you want. I don’t care I don’t care I don’t care I don’t care!

I’m a hoarder with a purpose.

(And yes, I wore her today.)

True Love

Posted on by
Reply

Brazilian Keratin: Where have you been all my life? This treatment is my new love, one that will most likely last a lifetime. It takes only 15 minutes to flatiron my hair once dry and the results are salon quality, even with my untrained hand.

image

The entire process at the salon only took 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I was prepared for it to take 3 hours like everyone had warned me. First, they washed my hair and sat me under a dryer for a few minutes. Next, the stylist sprayed keratin on my hair in small sections to make sure every strand was saturated with it. Then she blew my hair dry with a round bristle brush. The final step was to flatiron my hair stick straight in order to seal in the keratin and flatten my curls into submission. I washed it out after the 72-hour required time period and am amazed with how my hair looks and feels! This was totally worth missing three workouts, even though I felt guilty at the time. Never before have my curls been so loose and soft. I thought they were pretty soft before, but now they are positively silky and smooth (boy, was I delusional). Take a look below to truly see the difference:

image

Before, my curls seemed more firmly in place like natural ringlets, chunky curls if you will. Mind you, I wasn’t using gel, mousse, or hairspray, only curly hair pudding. And you can see how short my haircut seems due to shrinkage.

And then voilà!

image

They have magically transformed into loose curls, almost waves, and I am still using the exact same hair pudding, Aunt Jackie’s. This pic (directly above) is of my hair the morning after the initial washout, un-styled (I gave it a side-part when it was still wet the previous night). I’ve never known what it was like to have frizz-free hair, no shrinkage, or concern about curl patterns being dependent on the weather. My hair has always changed from one moment to the next, subject to whatever atmosphere/air it absorbed. Today, it is super humid outside and I was sweating like crazy on my walk to work, worrying about how my hair would react the entire time. Wonder of wonders, when I got to the office and looked in the mirror I saw that my hair had totally kept its fabulosity! I can even run my fingers through my hair without destroying the curls or creating frizz and poof!

Seriously, who needs men when keratin, dark chocolate, peanut butter and working out exist in this world? Ok, ok. I exaggerate…a little…

Say Goodbye to My Little Friends

Posted on by
Reply

image

Yup, that’s right. After being on “Team Natural” for practically my entire life, I’m crossing over to the dark side today and getting a Brazilian keratin treatment. I have always loved the feeling and the look of straight hair whenever I decided to do some manual labor with the flat iron; straight hair always made me feel more put-together, polished, grownup, sleek, chic and sophisticated. My curls have always garnered comments like,  “Oh, you’re so cute!” “Your curls are aDORable!” Getting your [face] cheeks pinched at the not-so-tender age of 35 is not cute. I’m over it.

So here I go, off to take the plunge at the salon to have someone make me over into the adult people so often forget I am. I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, but now that it has arrived, I’m getting cold feet!

image

When my hair looks like it does above, I’m happy as a lark. However on most days, I look like Einstein with a jerry curl; not a good look. Yet going “all the way” has me feeling hesitant. A girl like me likes having options and variety!

Oh well, on with the adventure (because a girl like me loves those, too)…

Sneak Peek

Posted on by
Reply

image

Thanks to a massive Sephora haul, I will be doing a lot of reviews in the near future. I’m a skin junkie; flawlessly done foundation and concealer are my joys.

When it comes to makeup, I focus on skin, lashes and lips. Although I love eye looks, I have yet to find products that stay put on my lids; these greasy eyelids of mine have vanquished every waterproof, smudge-proof, budge-proof, longwear claim on the market (and yes, I’ve tried a slew of primers as well). I will never give up my quest, however,  because I long to wear a winged eyeliner look that doesn’t turn me into a sad panda within one hour. Until that blessed day comes, I will keep trying to perfect my “skin, lips and lashes” looks.

Never fear, readers; you will see all of my hits–and major misses–documented here for your entertainment.

I wonder which bottle of magic I will pull out of my goody box first!  Stay tuned 🙂

Paying for My Sins

Posted on by
Reply

All the birthday eating had me in the gym HARD this week, especially this weekend.  Today I did strength training and kettlebell training.

image

Since I didn’t have anyone to take pictures or videos of my workouts, I took a few random pictures of myself. I did a complete upper body workout to strengthen my biceps, triceps, deltoids, lats, etc., doing three sets of ten per exercise. After that, I did everything for my legs and lower body, again doing three sets of ten per muscle group. To finish up my workout, I moved on to kettlebells, core and abs. I always like to finish strong with an elevated heart rate in order to keep my body burning more calories throughout the day.

My health/fitness/weight loss journey is forever changing and evolving. Adding strength training AND kettlebells to my cardio regimen has changed my body composition and has truly helped me to understand my body better.

I am a body builder. I am a body transformer. This is a lifestyle for me, not a fad or a phase. When I find some old pictures of my old body, my “before,” I’ll explain my journey in further detail so you can see how far I’ve come, how much farther I have to go, and how I will never allow myself to be my “before” self again. This is the happiest my body has ever been, so I can only imagine how wonderful it will feel when I reach my goals.

Stay sweaty, peeps.

Options

Posted on by
Reply

Even though I live in “the city that never sleeps,” more often than not I choose to spend Friday night comfy and cozy on my couch or bed, catching up on tv, magazines (I do love my glossy rags), and snacking on anything I can get my hands on.

image

Tonight’s dilemma is truly stressing me–which bar of chocolate do I tear into first? What show do I choose to start my dvr marathon? Which fashion mag do I peruse? All of this pressure is going to make me reach for the chips instead (I hid them from the camera…).

I’ll work it off at the gym in the morning. Until then, munch munch munch!

Multitasking

Posted on by
2

As some of you may have seen on my Instagram page (Thevickylicious), I put up a little teaser pic up to show what little experiment took place in my bathroom tonight.

image

While deep conditioning my hair, I decided to try tinting my eyebrows during my wait. With a box of Bigen #59 (their most popular color) and my beat-up old Clinique free gift brow brush/lash comb, I hoped for the best.

image

After washing everything out 20 minutes later, the mirror told me my experiment wasn’t for naught. It worked, and I now have groomed-looking eyebrows! You can’t even see all of my new growth (a.k.a. procrastination and laziness).

image

Mission accomplished, my flat and round face now has added dimension…without makeup!  Now all I have to see is how long this effect lasts. Thanks, Bigen.

The Little Jar That Could

Posted on by
3

Hormonal? Stressed? Acneic? Say hello to my little friend! With a full belly and tired eyes from hours of tv watching and magazine/book reading, some nights I look in the mirror after washing my face to see, horror of horrors, a pimple (or two, or three, or several)! What to do, what to do?

Have no fear, sulfur ointment is here! I stumbled upon this little jar of wonder a few months ago while browsing my favorite amazon.com/marketplace at 2:00AM, my usual shopping time. Although it’s been around for years and people have been using sulfur to treat a multitude of skin and health/body issues, it never occurred to me to try it.  Thank the skin gods I did! I’m a believer, I tell you, a BELIEVER. I haven’t had any major breakouts since I’ve been using this, but if I see a bumpy road on the horizon I nip it before it even has a chance. This ointment has been a skin saver, a lifesaver even.

The icing on the cake? It’s cheap!

image

If you have problem skin, I suggest you look into this treatment. It might help you like it helped me. If not, have no fear; I’ll be posting other skin savers in the future.

Toodles!