Update

To those that have joined my contest, I'm sorry to say it's temporarily on hold. I have so much going on in my life right now, it's unreal. Just consider this contest extended for now.

Contest time and Q&A with Playboy model Hope Dworaczyk

I'm feeling it's time to throw another contest. I started college back up TODAY and know that I will be so consumed with school. As much as I'd love to keep up with you all and blog, I know that it'll be hard this semester, as I'm starting mechanical ventilation (in other words, learning how to put people on life support machines). My contest will be relatively easy. I'm not gonna ask you to do a makeup look and send it in or anything like that. I know many are starting college around this time and it's damn near impossible to get anyting done. Before we get to all the details, let me tell you a bit about Hope Dworaczyk. She is actually from my hometown and was a client of my mom's salon. Hope was a pageant queen back home and actually had her own spa and did permanent makeup. Then she blew up and became this amazing televison host and model! I'm so proud of Hope. I remember when she would come tan. She was always very respectful and never had a diva-like attitude. If you watch The Girls Next Door, there is NO way you could've missed hope, as she was one of the finalist for the anniversary playmate. She was Playboy's Miss April. I thought if would be fun to have a question and answer with miss Hope and get her to answer what her favorite products are. If you don't or didn't know of Hope, you will now. Enjoy the pics and read our little interview. Click on the pics to enlarge. I had to resize the last few, cause it kept cutting Hope out of the picture.

























And now for our question and answer segment =)

1. What is your favorite skincare product?
My favorite daily cleanser is made by Neutrogena. Estee Lauder Make-Up Remover is the best make-up remover I've ever used (and I've tried A LOT). Creme de la Mer night creme is expensive but lasts a long time. I always wear sunscreen during the day under make-up. I'm currently wearing Dormer 211 as a day creme.

2. What is your favorite lipstick/lipgloss?
I love Make-Up Forever's #404 with Mac lipglass in a pink over it. Also Smashbox "O-Gloss" is great too. It's clear and adjusts to your lip color.

3. What is your favorite fragrance?
Delices de Cartier and Flowerbomb by Victor & Wolf


4. What is your favorite makeup brand?
MAC although I have favorite things made by different brands.


5. If you had 5 minutes to get ready, which 3 makeup items would you grab?Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent in #2, Mascara, & Bronzer


6. What is a beauty tip/secret that you can share with my readers?Invest in quality make-up brushes. It makes all the difference. Also, on your next night out try a pair of lashes. When I where mine i suddenly feel like glamourous 60's icon Bridget Bardot.


Oh, and don't get stuck in a make-up rut. Try new things. If you're confident you can pull it off.


7. You've done very well for yourself. What is your advice for any reader out there that would like to do what you're doing?
Don't let anyone or anything get in the way of your dreams. Girls that includes boyfriends! Or obstacles like growing up in a small town like i did!


8. You've done Playboy, have your own fashion show, and graced catwalks. What's your next project?
I just created, pitched, and am now producing a reality show for the largest style house in L.A. It occupies a lot of time, but am excited about the project. When I have time I'm traveling doing appearances and other work you'll see soon. After I work on a project it sometimes doesn't air or be published for as much as a year after we wrap.


9. Who are your favorite fashion designers?
Dolce & Gabbana & Elizabeth and James

10. What's your favorite blush?
I love adding color to cheeks. Nars "Orgasm" blush is beautiful and works for anyone. It's my daily blush but I also have a range of pinks to peaches to darker shades from Mac that I love.


Here are the QUALIFICATIONS for the contest. You MUST follow all of the guidelines or you won't be qualified to win.

1. You MUST be a follower of my blog.
2. You MUST repost my contest on Twitter (if you have one) or on your blogspot and send me the link, so I know you did it.
3. You ABSOLUTELY must add Hope on Twitter or Myspace (If you have any of these networks and I WILL check).
4. Answer this question - What are 3 makeup items that you swear by.
5. Comment this post back and let me know you want to join the contest (and leave your email. This is important so I can contact you if you win!)

* I understand not everyone will have a Myspace or Twitter account but if you do, you will get an extra chance at winning. Just add me to Twitter and let me know you added Hope or comment me with your Myspace or Twitter screen name *

Hope's Twitter account and Myspace account are:

Hope's Myspace
Hope's Twitter

The prizes are still in the works. Expect Smashbox and MAC and other stuff =) Deadline to enter will be October 4th, my brother's birthday. Remember to follow all the rules accordingly. And don't be shy, add Hope and tell her hello! The prizes will be some of MY favorite things.

Mia singing

Is this not the cutest thing ever? Watch my niece sing You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. This is probably one of the SMARTEST little girls I know.


You belong w me by Taylor Swift

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner

If you have never used Benefit's Creaseless Cream eyeshadow/liner, I suggest you go buy one (or two)! I have been using these cream eyeshadows for almost a year now and looove them. Due to my busy school/clinical schedule, I could never post about them, but now I can! I think Benefit offers about 15 shades to choose from. I had 7 of them but sold one in my blog sale, cause it was similar to one of my MAC paintpots. Before Benefit's cream eyeshadow, I LOVED MAC's paintpots. After I tried Benefit's creaseless cream eyeshadow, I never went back to MAC. Sure, I still have some of my MAC paintpots, but I really don't use them as much. Mona and Maayari have raved about how much they love these cream eyeshadows, too, and now I understand why. Here are my pros and cons, as well as swatches.

Pros: Silky smooth texture, 15 different colors to choose from, lasts all day w/o smudging, cute glass container.

Cons: More expensive than MAC paintpots, less color options than MAC, Less product than MAC. I also noticed that most of the colors are shimmery/frosty and not really matte. Some people might not like that.

The colors that I have are Tattle Tale, Sippin' n Dippin', Gossip, Skinny Jeans, Busy Signal, and Strut. My favorite color is Tattle Tale. Because I'm at the hospital half of the week, I don't like to wear anything too SHOCKING. I feel like I need to be more natural, makeup wise. I usually only wear Tattle Tale and mascara and that's pretty much it. Below are my swatches and a description of each color.




Tattle Tale: I love this color. It reminds me of a buttercream color. It brightens up my eyes. I also use this color, believe it or not, to highlight the bridge of my nose and the apples of my cheek. This is the color I wear when I work at the hospital.




Sippin' n Dippin': This is another gorgeous color. It's more on the peachy side, although it has a little bit of a gold undertone to it.






Gossip: This color is like a plum color. It's not dark purple but not too light either. It's really in the middle and would be a good base for purple looks.




Skinny Jeans: I love this color when I do smokey eyes. This is like a silvery gray. It really emphasizes smokey eyes. I use this when I want a "subtle" smokey eye.




Busy Signal: This is a really pretty coppery/bronze color. It would be nice to do a summery, bronze look for the beach with this color. It reminds me of a shimmery, copper. I wouldn't really says it's chocolate. It's more bronze.




Strut: This is another favorite of mine. It's pretty similar to Skinny Jeans but has more oomph. It has more black tones and would be perfect for a dramatic smokey eye. This is like a gun metal gray and is darker than Skinny Jeans. If you want a good base for smokey eyes, I would suggest this color or Skinny Jeans.

If I haven't convinced you to go out and buy one, maybe these awards will convince you:

2008 Self Healthy Beauty Award - "best eye shadow"
2008 Star Beauty Awards - "best eye shadow"
2008 Real Simple: Beauty & the Best - Top 20 beauty buys "best eye shadow"

You can buy these eyeshadows from Benefit or also Sephora. If I were you, I'd order from Benefit, because not all 15 colors are offered on Sephora - only 10 are =(

Ooops

I forgot to tell you guys that AFTER you get off the detox, you have to ease back into eating "real" food. The first 2 days, you need to drink orange juice. Well, the book says to sip on orange juice. I think the book prefers freshly squeezed orange juice, but I could be wrong. The 3rd day you can drink broth or eat vegetable soup and there is a recipe provided in the book. Then the 4th day you can eat real food again. I think these steps are necessary, so your body won't be in shock. I mean, you are going 10 days w/o food. If you were to eat real food, coming off the detox, it could upset your stomach and cause cramps. I've read peoples' experiences of how they jumped into eating meat and they had cramps. So keep that in mind =)

K, can you give me your email? I was trying to reply to your comment but I couldn't get into your blog =)

Advice on The Master Cleanse Detox

So, as you know, I'm done with my detox! I messed up one day but got back on my feet. To anyone that wants to do this, I think you should read my experience first and read about my pros and cons and then decide if you REALLY want to do it. I will tell you that it's REALLY tough. To do this, you must be ready mentally. It's all in your head, really. Here is my list of pros and cons.

Pros

- Gives you energy

- Promotes a healthier lifestyle

- Gets rid of toxins that have accumulated in your body

- Gives you clearer skin

- Helps you lose weight

- Gives some ppl a positive outlook on life


Cons

- Headaches occur

- No food can be eaten

- Pain may be felt in your joints, legs, and back.

- Using the Number 2 more than 3 times in a day

- Drinking the saline flush

- Drinking the lemonade WITH cayenne pepper

- Mood swings may occur

- Hunger pangs the first few days

- Some ppl complain of feeling weak/tired

*If you are underage, you shouldn't be doing this!*


So those are my pros and cons. In the process of doing this for 10 days, I lost 7 pounds. It's really not that big of a deal to me, cause I had gained 10 pounds in the program. I didn't do this detox to lose weight. I did it because I had read that over time, your waste accumulates in your intestines and that could lead to illness. When you have toxins in your body, that can lead to sickness. I wanted to rid myself of that because honestly, I can't afford to get sick. I no longer have insurance. I didn't want to take a chance and get sick. The thing is, I have anemia and that has contributed to my tiredness in the past. It's affected me a lot. I've passed out from it. I've fallen over because of it. I've even slept all day from it, too. It makes me really tired. I lose my balance with it sometimes and then I faint. I will tell you that while on this detox, I NEVER took my iron pills. I had so much energy on the detox and never felt that I needed my pills. Now that it's over, I will take my pills. But I just wanted to show you guys that this detox does make you feel good physically. I never expected to lose weight because honestly, I always heard that if you are little, you wouldn't lose much but if you were heavier, you would lose like 2 pounds a day. I didn't expect to lose anything, as I'm not fat or overweight. Losing the 7 pounds was just a bonus for me. It's really boosted my confidence, because I know that since I did the 10 days, I can do anything. I've been really active and have been running 2 1/2 miles a day. Now I want to focus on doing pilates, yoga, and going back to doing crunches. This has really opened up my eyes and really makes me want to take care of my body. No more eating greasy things. I mean, I will eat a burger every now and then but it won't be as often as I used to. I just wanted to tell you guys that you CAN do this. It really helps to have understanding people. I saw my mom on Monday and she told me, "Your dad is really proud of you. He says you are a lot like him. You have the will power to do what you want and you're very disciplined and focused. He says you take after him." Lol...my parents are so cute. It was really sweet to hear that, because it's not everyday my parents praise me. My mom told me she was proud of me, cause she knows she couldn't do the detox. I want to thank Jillian for sending me the book and answering all my questions. I also thank all of you guys for being supportive of me. If it weren't for you, I probably would've quit after day 1. So yes, it's possible to finish the 10 days. You just have to have dedication and will power.

Day 8, 9, and 10.

Sorry, guys! This will be a compilation of all 3 days since my internet was messed up! I'll let you know what I did each day.

DAY 8

- Woke up at 8:40 to take the dogs out

- Decided NOT to do the saline flush, as nothing was coming out anymore - just "water."

- Noticed some back pain as I was running my 2 1/2 miles.

- Didn't use the bathroom (Number 2) at all today.

- Didn't drink as much lemonade today for some reason. Only drank maybe 3 cups and drank water the rest of the day.


DAY 9

- Woke up earlier than the dogs and took them out.

- Went back to sleep until close to 11:00 pm.

- Went with Joey to eat lunch.

- Internet still isn't working =/

- Again, didn't do a saline flush.

- I did drink lemonade throughout the day.

- Still having some back pains but nothing serious.

- No bowel movement at all today.


DAY 10

- Decided to do the saline flush.

- Walked the dogs.

- Used the bathroom 3 times.

- Went with Joey to get something to eat.

- Cleaning out my guest room and putting away all my school notes - Took me about 2 hours!

- Ran my 2 1/2 miles.

- Still having a little bit of back pain. Just feels like it's sore.

- Joey is on the phone with tech support and they are saying they have NO recollection of telling him they'd replace our router! WTF?!?!

- I'm pissed and want to yank the phone out of Joey's hands and bitch at those ppl. They keep telling him to call back and when he does, our info will be updated.

- Nope, they haven't updated our info! Ahhhhhh.......

- It's late at night now. Some lady finally got our router working!

- Going to bed! All went well. Wasn't too hungry and don't have hunger pangs anymore. Haven't had them since day 3. Glad to be done with the detox =)