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Makeup does wonders, but it can only go so far. When I have a bad breakout, I have never been a fan of covering it up with loads of concealer. On me, it just makes it look worse. Which means clear skin is a priority for me.
I have to say, my skin has never been all that terrible. However, I have my serious issues with it from time to time. I get those awful, what I like to call “underground,” pimples that are very painful. Then it takes nearly a week and a half to clear up. I am incredibly nervous that my skin will not be clear come May.
A few months back I started to notice how perfectly clear my sister’s skin is. My sister has dealt with skin issues and so it was very obvious how incredible her skin looked. I asked her what the heck she did to make it so clear. She said she started using the acne 3 step program from Clinique.
{Isn’t she beautiful? And look how clear her skin is!}
Hold the phone…seriously?
Read more…
I’m sure you could consider me vain. I very much care about my appearance, and will take as many repeat photos as it takes for me to find an “acceptable” one. Oh, the joys of digital cameras.
Well I’m not really going to have that option at the wedding. I’ll be trusting our photographers and wedding guests completely. Hence, I need to make sure I look as good as possible. Obvs.
A few things I’m worried about:
1. Getting a cold sore. Not just fever blisters or canker sores…I’m talking full-blown, caused-by-genetic-herpes-simplex-virus-1, can-only-get-rid-of-it-with-prescription-meds type of cold sores.
I won’t go too in depth, but I tend to get these when I get stressed. Before my doctor recently informed me of the wonder that is Valtrex and how well it works for the kind of cold sores I get, I would be stuck with those suckers for weeks. It hurt, it looked like I had a fat lip, it was disgusting. Naturally, I started getting worried that one would show up around the wedding. The meds definitely help—I just take a few pills when I feel the cold sore first coming on—and it’s usually only bad for a day or so now (instead of two weeks). Still, no amount of lipstick or makeup can cover that baby up once it’s there. So, to all that is good and pretty in this world, please do not let this happen!!
Go Mets!
2. “Asian-flush” red face. I promise this isn’t racist—it’s seriously called the Asian-flush (or glow), even though I’m not remotely Asian (or am I??). It tends to happen when alcohol is consumed, which I definitely plan on doing at our wedding. Sometimes I’m fine—fill me up with some drinks and I look like any typical, tipsy normal person. But sometimes? Oh my gosh you guys…I get red. Combine that with the red hair and I look like a freaking tomato. The thing is, like I said, it just happens randomly. I get red or I don’t, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Some people have suggested taking Pepcid AC at least 20 minutes before I start drinking, but I’m a little wary. I can’t really do a test run for this because the flush is so unpredictable. Needless to say, tomato face = not attractive = bad pictures. Harumph.
Alternative Title #1: To Hell and Back Again
Alternative Title #2: #whitegirlproblems
Last week I realised I had a big first world problem. You see hive, I had been growing my hair out for two weeks in preparation for my first salon waxing experience. Previously limited to home waxing experiences, I had only had the courage to wax my arms and armpits. But I wanted silky smooth legs for the wedding (and so does Mr. FC) so I was planning to have someone wax them. You guys are also concerned about body hair on your big day too, right??
It seems most waxing brides seem to go on Tuesday or Wednesday before a Saturday wedding so that their “sensitive” areas have time to readjust. But I didn’t want to pay the usual exorbitant Swiss prices on Tuesday or chance flying all day on Wednesday with an unhappy hoohah, so I was planning on finding a nice affordable Columbus salon to wax at this Thursday. Maybe it would be cutting it a bit close, but I wasn’t even sure I really wanted to do those “sensitive” parts…
So what’s the problem FC?
And by things, I mean me.
I looked in the mirror today and what I saw looked like the product of a wild night between Bert, Hyde from That 70’s Show, and a billy goat.
OK, OK, so it wasn’t really that bad, but still. Something had to be done. I’m busy and too much of a pain weenie to sit down with a pair of tweezers, so while I was out running errands I had my face threaded.
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I do deeply apologize for the Spongebob reference in the title. I don’t even like that show. Truth be told I should have come up with a prettier title for this post, because it is about something that I think is really…well…beautiful.
Wedding fragrance.
A few years ago I was at a Mary Kay party with a friend who was engaged. The consultant gave her a tidbit of advice so amazing I knew I needed to tuck it away for future use. She said that sent is the sense most strongly tied to memory and emotion. As such, the bride should wear a fragrance on her wedding day that she has never worn before and then, forever after it will become her “wedding fragrance” and every time she (or more importantly the groom) gets a whiff of it they will be magically transported back to that beautiful day.
It did not take me long to realize this was, of course, totally true! For me, the smell of solvent, and rubber takes me back to my childhood in my dad’s bicycle shop, the smell of garlic bread and old books is my grandma’s house, and Victoria’s Secret Love Spell is totally the girls’ high school locker room.
I knew I wanted to find something that was different from my daily fragrance, which is Amazing Grace by Philosophy.
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| Image from Sephora |
A couple of years ago, I went to the eye doctor to pick out new frames. (Like the mole, I am blind without corrective lenses!) I ended up finding a unisex pair by Ted Baker: thick, brown, and rectangular. I loved them. I modeled them for the sales assistant, and she said, “Well, those certainly aren’t pretty. Are you sure you want them?” I did. I bought them immediately.
Not-pretty glasses, not-short hair
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Preface: This is a wordy post, but please hang in there with me if you can! I’m in no way offering any medical advice or promoting or advocating any weight-loss program. This is simply my experience.
I’ve been debating writing this post, but I want to be open and honest with my fellow bees.
It is no secret that I am a plus-sized gal. I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life. My weight gain really started my freshman year of high school. Having the freedom to buy whatever I wanted for lunch and the fact that I no longer played sports (I was a cheerleader, played volleyball and softball, and was a dancer in grade school) was a dangerous mix that resulted in way too many calories consumed and hardly any being burned.
I was still under 200 pounds when I started college, but each year more and more weight was added. I went to school full time, worked a part-time job, and left no time to take care of myself. My senior year, I lived in an apartment with three other girls. One of those girls, D, was super into eating healthy and exercising. We started working out together (Tae Bo!) and, soon enough, I had lost some weight and really toned up. I was so happy the day I could make it through the entire tape without stopping for a break!
There has been kind of an elephant in the room when it comes to my wedding planning. Most of the stuff is settled on, it just has to be executed. The bridal party has been properly attired, the reception hall will have its decor, the ceremony has its music. However, there is a huge, huge thing that I have yet to check off of my list. It’s such a huge thing that I feel like a failure of bride for even uttering these words.
Are you ready? I want to make sure that you can handle this before I expose the truth.
OK, hive. Here it goes:
Right now, I have five tattoos. My third was this simplistic beaut on my left wrist.
An infinity sign, you say? Well, yes. But look a bit closer (hi kitty!)…it’s really two S’s intertwined. I’ll give you a hint: both Mr. Foxy’s name and mine start with an S. Not exactly a coincidence.
Makeup on the big day is a given. And I’ve taken y’all’s concerns into mind and visited the MAC counter for a nice little consultation. But honestly, my real beauty concerns can’t be fixed with makeup.
First of all, I have constant bloodshot eyes. I won’t gross you out with pictures of my eyes, but I’m consistently asked if I’m getting enough sleep. After a visit to the eye doctor, I was given a prescription for an incredibly expensive eye drop. While I can’t afford the prescription right now, my remedy for the time being will be lots of glasses wearing, lots of sleep, and a supply of Visine for Contacts on the big day.
Image via Visine
What’s that, hive? You want to know my Swiss skincare secrets? Well, okaaay, but only because I love you.
I’m actually sort of a rookie at this whole “skincare routine” thang. (Yeah, I said “thang”…) Up until a few months ago, I had a pretty simple routine: Rinse my face with water in the morning, wash it briefly in the shower with face wash at night, and run some lotion over my face as I lotioned post-shower, using zit cream as needed (which was every day).
Then I started a new job. With lots of women. (Pretty women!) You know, the kind who wear stylish clothes, high heels, and makeup. Cue vanity insecurities!
I was getting along fine, starting to wear makeup much more often, when one of my colleagues commented over lunch that I needed to exfoliate. “Huh?” Yes, exfoliate. A second colleague agreed that I needed to exfoliate more, and suddenly I was very self-conscious about how I was taking care of my skin. Perhaps my lazy wash-and-lotion cycle wasn’t enough to combat all the makeup I was wearing lately.
Around this time, Mrs. Macarons mentioned the Clarisonic in a post, and after reading reviews on Weddingbee and skincare sites, I took the plunge and ordered the pro model. I decided that at the ripe age of 24, I had too many pimples for someone supposedly past puberty and that I needed to rethink my skincare regime. Now my skincare routine has developed into this lengthy ordeal over the past two months, and I’m still not sure if it’s worth all the extra effort.
Here’s the breakdown!
This post requires appropriate background music.
Anyone else remember this song? I’ve been obsessed with D4L for forever. It could be their ties to Atlanta. Or it could be memories of blasting them on my boom box in my car while driving waaaay too fast. (Yes, I had a battery-powered boom box in my car…my CD player got jacked and my hourly weekend job didn’t exactly afford a quick replacement.)
Side story aside, I’m tatted up. Very slightly, but I’m obsessed with my bits of ink. The first one I got was when I was 18. I was with a friend while he was getting his tattoo; my mom called to check in on me, and I told her what I was doing. She asked incredulously why I wasn’t getting a tattoo as well. With that bit of affirmation, I signed the paperwork and was quickly in the chair getting my very first tattoo. I had known for a while I wanted a non-explicit symbol of the trinity because, while I am open to all faiths and don’t define my own beliefs, my personal foundation is in the Christian faith. I know it’s super trendy and there are tons of folks around with something similar, but I really love this baby.
Personal Photo / Ignore the scratches between the back two stars…a roller coaster had just tried to eat my foot.
Go big or go home, right? We’re breaking out all the big guns to ready for the wedding celebrations.
![Pre-Wedding Pampering Schedule : wedding beauty dallas Kdk 09881 Thumb kdk_0988[1]](http://www-static.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/15/kdk-09881-thumb.jpg)
Personal photo of my very much used planner
When I first told my friend who is a Mary Kay consultant as well as my hairstylist about my engagement, they both launched into plans for the wedding. I’ve read enough posts around the hive to be aware that having a good plan in place ahead of time can save you a lot of hassle in the long run and avert a possible crisis.
So, hive, I will share with you what these two lovely ladies have told me in hopes that someone else (especially with my type of skin or hair) may benefit from their expertise.
Skincare: My skin type is combination. That means I have some areas that are normal, some that are dry, and some that are oily. I’ve been blessed in the skin department, people. I’ve never had any terrible outbreaks or bad acne, even in puberty. But choosing the right products that make my skin neither dry nor oily has been a delicate balancing act. I use a Dove bar on my face and skin because it has amazing moisturizers in it. I use Oil of Olay body lotion as well as Palmer’s Cocoa Butter. My skin stays smooth and healthy because of it. We also do a number of Mary Kay products that are targeted toward someone in my age range. There’s a long list of products I use, but I use them all every day for the most part, in addition to drinking lots of water.
Image: Oil of Olay lotion via Bzz Agent
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