Monday, February 6, 2012

Wrinkles Away!

So...I have a confession to make. I am TERRIFIED of wrinkles!! The older I get, the more afraid I become of these lines that represent age, wear and tear, and how you treat your body.

Thank goodness for the great genes my mother blessed me with. Along with my genes, I am also adamant about how I take care of my skin. I have a skincare ritual, which I do sometimes change around, that keeps my skin younger looking and thankfully, the wrinkles away!!


My cleansing routine usually happens while I'm in the shower or at night before bed. I use my Lily B, Rose Hip Infused, Cleanse/FACIAL WASH almost every day. Sometimes I add the mark. exfoliating beads and other times when I am having a bad breakout, I use the Burts Bees Pore Refining Scrub because it is also an acne wash. I only use an exfoliate 2 to 3 times a week. Be careful when you use exfoliate and acne washes or scrubs because it can dry out your skin and also be very irritating. Once cleansing is complete, pat your face dry. Never rub or forcefully dry your face because it can cause premature aging and wrinkles!



During the winter months my skin becomes dry in some spots and then remains oily in other spots. I have found that the mark. Calm Yourself Hydrating Mask works great to hydrate the places on my face that need it and does not make the rest of my face any more oily. You just need a quarter size amount for your entire face. This mask is not sticky and does not dry or peel, so all you have to do is smooth on. Be careful not to get the mask in your eyes or mouth. Set your timer for 5 minutes. Your face should have a glow like look while the mask is applied, just like the above picture. After the timer ends, take a cleansing clothe and with lukewarm water rinse the areas on your face that you applied the mask and then pat your skin dry.


After my face is cleansed and I've washed away the mask, I like to spot treat any acne spots that I have or pretreat areas where I am prawn to have breakouts. My favorite acne product is called Zit Zapper and it is made by e.l.f. cosmetics (aka eyes lip face) and only cost $1.00. I know, right?! It is an awesome product and you can't beat a product that works this well that cost a dollar. Once the acne treatment dries, it's time to moisturize. I use a natural repair face cream put out my Oilatum. I first heard about this product while watching some of my favorite YouTube Beauty Guru's/Celebrity Makeup Artist sister duo, Sam and Nic Chapman, aka Pixiwoo. I did have to order this product from the UK, however, it was easy to find online and works so well. A little goes a long way with this face cream. I put about a dime size amount in the palm of my hand and then dot places all over my face and slowly spread the face cream all over. I make sure to apply more cream in areas of dryness and also areas where wrinkles are more common to appear. I massage the cream into my forehead and use my ring finger to lightly dab and rub the cream under and around my eyes. After I finish this, my face feels radiantly beautiful. You can see the end result in the above photos.



If I am going out for the day, I make sure to apply sunscreen. My favorite sunscreen comes from the same company as my favorite facial wash: Lily B SPF 30 Ultra Defense. This sunscreen also adds moisture to your face and I sometimes use it as a primer for my makeup.


I finish off my routine with my favorite lip balm, eos aka evolution of smooth. I have all 7 of the eos sphere shaped lip balms, including the special editions. This lip balm is a great moisturizer to put on right before bed because it last so long on your lips. I also use it as a lip primer while putting on my makeup! It works great both ways!!

So, at 29, I've managed to keep most wrinkles at bay, and am fighting a war against them daily. A few helpful hints that will help your skin retain its elasticity: drink lots of water daily, avoid cigarettes, and always wear sun screen. Your skin will only look as good as you treat it!

Zit Zapper and Lip Balm,
Amy



Products in this post:

Sunday, February 5, 2012

How I found mark.: mark. thru La Femme Plus

During the beginning when I contemplated doing a beauty blog, being involved with something that represented beauty had become a big deal to me.

It was not enough that I bought makeup, beauty products, fashionable clothes and accessories. I wanted to be a part of something that represented beauty for all the beautiful people out there.

Over the past year I have befriended and liked so many different types of products on Facebook. Then, like an epiphany, I saw a facebook page that seemed to have everything I was looking for. But this page seemed different. The lady who ran this page always had an answer to any question I asked. To me, she presented herself exactly the way I wanted to and what do you know...the product she represented was mark.



Her name was Kerri Augustine and after finding her mark. facebook page, I ordered items from her several times and always noticed posts about how I could get this fabulous deal: $100 worth of makeup for only $20+ tax. I would have no quota's or deadlines to meet and best of all, no hidden fees. I could sell as little or as much mark. as I wanted to. And if I didn't want to sell mark., I could use the lifetime discount to buy products for myself.


Finally, after reading Kerri's daily mark. post, I decided to take her up on that offer. I fell in love with mark. and all it's class, style, confidence, quality, and most of all, products!! Kerri showed me that not only would I get these awesome products, I would also have the honor to present mark. the same way that she did!


So, that is how I became a mark. representative. And this weekend I launched my mark. eboutique (http://abassett.mymarkstore.com/
and began my very own mark. facebook page:
mark. thru La Femme Plus



To honor my launch of becoming a mark. representative, my mark. eboutique and my mark. facebook rep. page, I decided to interview Kerri Augustine, the woman who inspired me to take on this new adventure in my life and how to hit the ground running!

This is Kerri Augustine and here's her mark. story:


When did you start representing/selling Mark.?
I signed up with mark January 2011 , not even knowing I was signing up to become a mark rep. I saw this amazing makeup kit and I had heard of mark through the grape vine before just never had tried it . So for $20 I was totally going to sign up and get this amazing $100 kit. Once I signed up I got a rep # ? I was a little worried because most companies require you monthly quotas and deadlines. I immediately started researching in the site, found out I had a FREE e-boutique , and an entire store where I got a discount. I was in complete heaven.

What's your favorite part of working with Mark.?
I love meeting all these amazing women. I have never had such inspiring and motivating women in my life. So I truly love that part of how many new friendships you make with all the other mark.girls.

What are some of the perks of being a Mark. Rep?
Mark has so many perks , they truly are a company for their Representative. When signing up for mark. you don't have to be in fear of additional charges, hidden fees, or spending x amt of money to get your business going. With mark you only pay $20.00 + tax and never a penny more. You will get a $100 starter kit to get you started ,you get a free e-boutique ready for you to set up immediately after you sign up, mark pays you weekly pending you have shoppers on your boutique , a lifetime discount of 30-35% off everything you buy , 30-35% profit/commissions off any one that makes a purchase from you , 100 free business cards {you just pay shipping $6.95} , there are no quotas to keep up with , no deadlines , and best of all no hidden fees.

Being in sales can be intimidating. How did you over come the initial intimidation?
It absolutely can be intimidating. I honestly didn't even think about my competition at the time when I started. I was so excited that I had found this amazing company , amazing makeup , and at affordable price. I couldn't wait to tell everyone I knew. Mark also makes it so easy for mark reps to sell . We are not limited to just emailing our customers, hanging flyer's, handing out business cards - we get to take full advantage of all the social networking sites. Mark is one of the only companies that allows it's reps to do so. By jumping right in I had booked my first open house party my first week in invited everyone I knew, and I also booked my first vendor show . By week 2 I was #1 seller for our team. When I saw that , it gave me all the confidence in the world and really ran with this and never looked back. I think my only advice if any is never be afraid of the word NO. every no will lead to a YES !!!!!

What made you want to be a Mark. mentor?
I have wanted to become a mentor from the first month I started. I knew I loved this company and I still remembering always bugging my mentor about how can I become a mentor. I am still in the MA (mentor assistant ) program building my team of reps , but hope one day I can make my way up to becoming a full blown mentor. That is truly my #1 goal with mark. The main reason I want to become a mentor is because have found myself just wanting more with this and that truly is the next step !

What is your favorite Mark. item?
My absolute favorite mark. item , that is a hard one. I have 2 that are equally my favorites. I love eye shadow and before finding mark I really never could find any I liked.
I love our touch n glow shimmer palette, and our on the dot metallic eye shadow palette. Both give you so many different options in 1 palette.

Lastly, What's the best advice you can give a new representative?
I try to inspire all my new mark girls coming in. You all have an amazing opportunity to be successful with this business. I always say jump right in , don't wait because the excitement may be gone later. Book a party , Create a facebook fan page, Create a Blog, do a vendor event , online party , the options are there. I think those who jump right in have the greater success. The great thing with mark is you can pick up and leave off at anytime and jump right back in where you left off.



Go check out my mark. eboutique and mark. facebook page! You can find a Valentine's special going on on my facebook page! And if you would like to become a mark. representative, feel free to ask me any questions and use referral number 13270643. Remember that "now is one of the most exciting moments for a new mark. Rep - the beginning. The hottest beauty & fashion trends are right at your fingertips, a world of networking awaits and your chance to start earning some serious cash is right around the corner."

Love and Makeup,
Amy <3

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ask me how!!


Stay tuned for an all about mark. blog extravaganza!!!
Love and Makeup,
Amy :-)

What do you all think?

Alright everyone...how do you like the Logo? When we have at least 100 subscribers, I may do tshirts!! How exciting.....I love it!!
'til we meet again, Amy

mY sEcOnD eNtRy FoR qUeEn Of HeArTs CoNtEsT


Here is my second look for the Queen of Hearts Contest I am entering. Reviews will be posted tomorrow of some great products and shops I believe you all will love!!
Until then.....Love and Makeup,
Amy

Sunday, January 29, 2012

My QuEeN oF hEaRtS mAkEuP cOnTeSt EnTrY

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!!! I've been a very busy lady!! I worked on this contest look and I am pleased with how it turned out! I would love to hear all of your feedback on it! I'll post the results of the contest as soon as I know who won. Look for a new post tomorrow! I have several reviews to post that I think you all will enjoy. Also, when I make it to 30 subscribers, I am going to have a giveaway with some great goodies!!! So please share with all your friends.

Queen of Hearts and Beauty Marks,
Amy <3<3<3

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

fLiP fLoPs AnD tAnKtOpS iN.........jAnUaRy?

As I heard the weather-man say the temperature this morning, I couldn't believe it was in the 70's...in Alabama...on January 25th. That's crazy, right? Wrong! As I opened my back door to test the temp outside, the warmth immediately took me to a place with palm trees, white, sandy beaches and a cool summer breeze. Of course the neighbors dog barking snapped me back to reality! I was super excited to be able to go to my closet and pick out a pink tank top and my favorite distressed denim knee jeans and paired this with a pair of cute flip flops.
So, enough about the weather! I want to let everyone know that I am working hard to bring you some great reviews and am asking you all to please leave a comment and let me know what kind of stuff you would like to see in my blog. Here's a quick review of my plus size brand choice of the day: Old Navy does not have many plus size clothing items in stores, but if you will visit them online, you will find an entire plus size line of clothes, underwear and accessories. The sizes are very accurate to your true size and I love the way Old Navy clothes fit to my body. My body type is long waisted with a lot of curves, so low rise is not for me. Luckily Old Navy carries many different shapes and lengths. Plus you can also purchase non-plus sized items too! And there's always some kind of sale going on online, so you should be able to catch a great deal!
I give this plus size brand 5 out of 5 stars!!! So, go check out www.oldnavy.com today!!

Love and Makeup,
Amy