My Cruise 2014

This past July, I had the amazing experience of going to the Caribbean on a cruise. I went on the Carnival Splendor. It is a beautiful ship, and the staff were all incredible. I had so much fun, and I want to show you some of the many photographs taken on the trip.

Our ship while docked in port

The ship left out of New York City, which was nice because it is one of my favorite places in America. Embarkation is not the most fun part of the trip, as there is a lot of waiting, but it's totally worth it once you get on the ship. I'm sad that I did not get any photos of the ship's interior because it was absolutely amazing. I can't believe something like this floats! Leaving out of New York allowed us to leave from the harbor and pass the statue of liberty. I had never seen the statue in person and I was very excited to finally see it! We made sure to be on the correct side of the ship and it made for some great photos!

The Statue of Liberty

After leaving the harbor, we were out into open water! We left New York a little after 4:00 pm and did not arrive at our first port until 3:00 pm two days later. Almost three days at sea made me very happy to finally see land when we arrived in Puerto Rico. We went to Old San Juan, which is the more historic part of Puerto Rico, rather than the city of San Juan. My favorite part about Puerto Rico is the two forts on the shores of the island. I had the pleasure of going inside one of these forts. The forts themselves are beautiful, but so are the views that you get. I felt like I was able to see the entire island while on top of the fort. Only one complaint about Puerto Rico...it is SO hot. As we went in July, it was extremely sunny, and we had to jump in the pool once we got back to the ship.

Buildings on the shore

One of the forts in Old San Juan

The sign near the entrance of the fort

An area inside of the fort

Amazing view from the top of the fort

Flags flying from the top of the fort

Our next stop on  the trip was St. Thomas. It only took us one night to arrive on the island after leaving Puerto Rico. St. Thomas is an absolutely gorgeous island. The hills are lined with colorful houses and yachts line the docks. We planned a snorkeling excursion for the day. After finding our small group at the Fat Turtle Restaurant (yes that was the actual name), we boarded a sail boat, and headed out to a turtle cove. The boat ride was amazing because we got to see all the beaches and buildings that lined the bay. Our guides had some great information and they were so much fun to be around. It was probably my favorite boat ride, and my first on a sailboat! Once we arrived at the cove, we hopped in and went in search for some turtles! We were able to see not only three turtles, but also sting rays, tropical fish, squid, and a coral reef. This was my absolute favorite part of the trip. Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures while snorkeling because my camera is not waterproof. I had a waterproof one, but it is disposable, and I have yet to develop the photos. However, there were some great photos of the island from our boat ride!

Welcome sign near where our ship docked

Restaurant where we met our group and guides

Dock where the yachts parked

A waterfall on the shore

A building on the shore

Houses on the hillside

The final port of call was Grand Turk. My favorite part about the island is the gorgeous turquoise blue water. It is so clear and looked absolutely incredible. Here, we planned an excursion to go horseback riding on the beach and in the ocean. I was very excited about this as I love horseback riding, but don't get to do it very often. Grand Turk had a bit more poverty than St. Thomas did. The people live in small houses with sand lawns. On our car ride to the beach, we saw donkeys roaming around, and even a group of them on someone's porch! Dogs and horses also roam freely on the island. It's very small as it's only seven miles long and one and a half miles wide. Our horseback riding excursion was a great experience. I had the opportunity to ride in the ocean without a saddle which was very new to me. Previously, I had only been horseback riding with saddles and on trails. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the boat, and didn't get pictures during the ride, but there are some great pictures of the island.

Beach houses on the shore

A shipwreck on the shore

One of the many beaches on the island

One of the diving tour boats in the water

My favorite picture of the trip :)

On the final night, we were able watch the sunset from the deck. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The sun was bright red, and the clouds over it looked purple. In a matter of about fifteen minutes, the sun goes from up in the sky to sinking into the ocean. It appears to just disappear before our very eyes. I don't think photographs can capture how amazing this is, but they can try!

Also, there was a demonstration where I learned how to make towel animals. After learning, I couldn't stop making them. Once you get they hang of it, they are not difficult to make, you just need the right sized towels and practice! This is my first attempt at an elephant, and I used my sunglasses for eyes.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post about my vacation! It was an amazing experience and I'm so happy that I chose to go for my birthday. The food was great and I miss it quite a bit. I would love to go on another cruise very soon. Hopefully next year! :) I apologize that this post took a while to go up. I've been working on it all week, but did not have very much time as school is getting very busy. Keep on the lookout for a new blog post about my favorite fall lipsticks. I'm so happy that it's almost fall. It's my favorite season! Comment below what you love about fall and I'll talk to you soon! xo

Jordan Marie

August Ipsy Bag 2014

I have finally received my Ipsy Glam Bag, and over the weekend I was able to try out all the products! This bag was not my favorite as the products were fairly small and not very exciting for me. However, a few of the products that I received have been great and I use them more than I thought I would!

The bag itself is nice quality and I like how it is a different shape from most of the other bags I have received. It's shaped like a pencil case so I may end up using it in school to either carry my pens and pencils or beauty products. I was slightly disappointed with the bag, as it was pretty much flattened when I removed it from the package that it came in. I filled it with newspaper to attempt to get it back to the normal shape.

The theme of this month is Beauty Schooled. I think it's fitting because it's back to school season and it's also a great time to brush up on your makeup skills. Get it...brush up....because you use a brush to apply makeup...I'm so funny. :) Also, I'm not sure why the girl is about to apply mascara with glasses on but anyway, I think their theme is great and you can learn new things!

The item I was most excited about in my bag was Urban Decay's new mascara.I love Urban Decay and wanted to try the new Perversion mascara without buying a whole tube. This is the pamphlet the mascara came in. Inside, there was a comparison between Perversion mascara and a leading competitors done on their social media promoter. You could really see the difference in her lashes. The mascara is fantastic. I wore it out to dinner this past Saturday and I could see a huge difference in my lashes. It has a very large brush and a pretty wet formula. There were not very many clumps and I think that's a great quality for mascara to have. If you love high end mascara I would recommend Perversion. However, I'm a drugstore makeup girl at heart, and I'm in love with Covergirl.

I was slightly disappointed about the sample blush duo I received from Coastal Scents. I was not a huge fan of the colors and the sample is not big enough to decide if I like it or not. I have not really tried this yet because I honestly really do not like it. One color is too orange for my skin, and the other is pink with very chunky glitter. I was excited about this product originally because I normally like Coastal Scents, but I was not a fan of the Forever Blush sample I received due to the size and the colors.

Next, I received a lip balm which I first thought was very odd due to the name. It's called Mongongo Lip Balm from Jersey Shore Sun. I absolutely love this lip balm. It claims to smell like mandarin green orange ginger which is a lot to promise, but I just get a very sweet smelling citrus scent. The product is very moisturizing and I love using it throughout the day. 

I received an eyeliner from Lord & Berry which I was sort of disappointed about. This is the black SILK mini kajal kohl-liner pencil.  It is so small and I'm afraid that I may lose it. Although it's very small, I think it will be good for traveling. Also, I think it's a great formula. It's very creamy and great for smudging. 

Finally, I received a dry shampoo from Klorane. It contains oat milk and has a sort of oatmeal like scent to me, but that scent fades when you spray it into your hair. This dry shampoo made my hair feel extremely clean, however it did not give very much volume. Overall, I think this is a good product, but I do not often use dry shampoo, so it was not a great product for me.

Overall, this Glam Bag was not my favorite, but nonetheless, I hope that you enjoyed this blog post and I promise the bags aren't always like this. I love Ipsy as a service and if you would like to sign up for the Glam Bag service it is $10 a month and you can sign up on www.ipsy.com. It is definitely worth the money. 

I hope you are having a fantastic week! If you went back to school like me today, I hope you had a great first day, and if you are going back soon, good luck! Look forward to another blog post about my recent cruise very soon! 

Jordan Marie

   

Accutane: Update and My Favorite Products

As you may know if you read my blog post back in April, I am taking Claravis, a form of Accutane to hopefully get rid of my acne. I am very happy to let you know that it's working great! I only get the occasional pimple now, and it usually goes away the next day. I feel much more confident now, and I don't feel like I need to put makeup on to cover up my face. The only downside is some side effects. I recently went on vacation and had to try to stay out of the sun because I would get really bad sunburn if I didn't even though I was wearing sunscreen. Also, my skin has been really dry. These side effects are minor and they are totally worth dealing with if it means I may never have acne again. If you are taking Accutane, I have listed some great products below that have helped me survive the side effects. Some of these were recommended by my dermatologist, and others are products I have found on my own. Enjoy!

While on vacation, the salt water from the ocean and the sun really took a toll on my skin. I had patches of very dry skin. When I came back, my dermatologist recommended the CeraVe Mosturising Cream. It comes in a 16 ounce tub. This product is amazing. Within two applications, my skin was significantly better. It's an odorless, white lotion that blends into your skin really well. It doesn't leave my skin greasy at all. I will probably continue to use this even when I'm done with Accutane.

I always clean and moisturize my face in the morning and at night. I asked my dermatologist what he thought I should use. He recommended two CeraVe products. The first was their Hydrating Cleanser. It's for normal to dry skin and it's one of the best cleansers I have ever used. The second product is their Facial Mosturizing Lotion. This product comes in an AM and PM version. I use the night time one all the time because in my opinion it is better. The AM lotion includes sunscreen and makes my face look very greasy, while the PM lotion is more of a gel.

Finally, lip products are the most important for me. I get very dry and peeling lips while on Accutane. It's important for me to keep them healthy and moisturized. During the daytime, I love carrying my Baby Lips Dr. Rescue in the original kind, my Chapstick in candy cane (from Christmas, I can't let go of that holiday), and from Eucerin an Aquaphor Lip Repair. For overnight, I use Vaseline's Lip Therapy. This product is slightly to heavy in the daytime for my opinion. It's great overnight repair and my lips look great when I wake up in the morning. All of these products really help soothe the dryness of my lips and I would use them even if I was not on Accutane.

I hope that you liked this blog and that it helped you get an idea of my skincare products whether you are on Accutane or not. I know most of the products are CeraVe, but that is because they are an amazing brand with great products. Keep on the lookout for a blog about my August Ipsy bag and reviews of the products. I wanted to do it earlier, but as my Ipsy bag is very late and has not arrived yet, I sadly have to wait.I hope you are having a great week and if you are going back to school next week like me, good luck on your first day!

Jordan Marie

IMATS 2014

Hello! This is my extremely long overdue blog about my fist experience at IMATS. If you don't know what IMATS is, it's a makeup convention where there are competitions, shows, and my favorite part...discounted makeup! I went to New York IMATS in April of 2014 with a friend of mine. We had so much fun and bought so many amazing products, but I'll get to those later. 

IMATS sign when I first walked into the venue

Some tips if you're going to IMATS for the first time:

• Bring a Backpack- Taking a backpack with me was a great idea. I was able to carry everything I needed to have with me for the day, plus I was able to put some of the things that I purchased in it.
• Have a Plan- Before leaving for IMATS, my friend and I looked at the map of the venue and planned out what brand booths we wanted to visit. Even if you don't stick to this plan, you'll have a better idea of where you want to go.
• Don't Wear a Piece of Clothing That You Love- I wore one of my favorite dresses and by the end of the day, it was covered in eye shadow and other makeup products from swatching products and getting close to the sides of booths and other people.
• Bring Snacks- There is a lot of waiting at IMATS. You have to wait to get into the venue and at some booths you have to wait in lines to buy products. They do have a small cafe area, but I found it easier to bring my own snacks instead.
• Get There Early- You will have to wait in line to get into the venue, but if you don't get there early, brands could run out of products.
• Try New Brands- There are barely any lines at booths with brands that aren't too well known. It's the perfect place to try new brands because almost everything is discounted.

A man getting body paint for a competition.

While I was their I got to pick up some incredible products and great prices. Unfortunately I do not remember the exact prices because most vendors do not give receipts and I went so long ago. Most of the products were at least 75% off and some were even 50% off. Enjoy seeing what I found!

A photo of all the products I purchased at IMATS

 At IMATS, I was able to purchase some products from brands I love such as NYX and Lime Crime and also got to get items from new brands that I had never seen before. Please keep in mind, I am not bragging, just simply showing you what I got if you are interested. Also, I don't normally purchase this much makeup, but I saved up for the event and found many things that caught my eye. Below are pictures of what I got with descriptions and reviews!

Face Products:

The product to the left is NYX's Radiant Finishing Powder in the color 01. When I found this product at the NYX stand I decided to grab it because I heard that it was a great highlight. You can use this product all over the face, but I just use it on my check bones. It has a lot of shimmer and it's not colorful once you apply it. The palette in the middle is the Contour Effects palette from City Color.I haven't used this palette too much because the contour color is slightly too dark for me and the highlight is almost white with chunky glitter. I think it would be great if  you were a beginner in makeup though, as it has instructions on how to contour. Finally, to the right is a blush. I found this at a booth where I didn't recognize the brand, but I instantly fell in love with the color. This is a baked mineral blush from the brand Moulin Rouge in apricot swirl. This is the blush that I always reach for when getting ready for special occasions.

Brushes:

I feel bad because I cannot remember what booth I purchased these three brushes from. I love all three and use them all the time. I loved the brush on top because of the pink and gold. Also, this brush is so soft and it perfect for contouring . The next brush down is a blending brush. At first I didn't like using it because it shed everywhere, but I washed it once and it stopped shedding. The final brush I love using to apply cream eye shadows. It's really dense and it's perfect for summer since I wear cream eye shadows a lot.

Palettes:

I was surprised that I only purchased two eye shadow palettes. I thought I would end up with more. Both palettes include similar colors and have a very earthy feel. To the left is a palette from City Color that includes 12 shadows and 3 blushes. I haven't used this palette much. but I think I'll get some use out of it in the fall. The blushes are really shimmery and they are more like highlights in my opinion. On the right is a Dream Catcher Palette from NYX in golden horizons. The shadows are gorgeous and pigmented pretty well.

Lashes and Liner:

When I was at the NYX booth, I saw the eyeliner at the bottom of the photo. I had heard that it was good so I picked it up. It's the Two Timer Liner in jet black. I love how it has a kohl liner on one side and liquid on the other. I love this eyeliner for traveling because it saves a little space in your makeup bag. The lashes were a free gift from the Aldora booth. They are the H154 lashes. I'm saving them for a rainy day if I'm ever brave enough to try lashes.

Setting Spray and Spot Cleaners:

To the left is a setting spray that I purchased from City Color because I had never tried a product like this before. I can't compare it to anything because it is the first one that I've tried, but I really like it. The other two bottles are from Beauty So Clean. For Easter, they came out with Cake Pop and Chocolate scented spot cleaners. I use these to clean my eye shadow brushes. The chocolate one is my favorite and after I clean my brushes I get a major chocolate craving while doing my makeup!

Lipsticks:

I hadn't tried any products from Jesse's girl before so I decided to stop at their booth. Lipsticks were 3 for $10 and being a total lipstick junkie I had to get some. I picked up the colors Plum, Ruby Too, and Cruise Control (from left to right). These lipsticks are pigmented well and I'm glad I purchased them.

Before going to IMATS, I hoped NYX would have butter glosses because I really wanted to try them. I could not find any and the NYX booth was absolutely insane and full of people. I managed to find Butter Lipsticks instead. I grabbed the colors Fireball and Hot Tamale. They're both orange colors that I got because I didn't have anything like them. They're really moisturizing and I love them.

I saved my favorite for last! After I convinced my friend to stand in the massive Lime Crime line with me and we waited for about an hour and a half, I purchased two lipsticks. Unfortunately they didn't have 'Babette' which was the color I really wanted to get, but I loved these two colors as well. I got 'Geradium' and 'Retrofuturist'. These lipsticks are amazing quality. They're pigmented so well and they have good staying power. Also, they smell sort of like vanilla to me and I love vanilla so that makes them even better. A bit of a splurge, but totally worth it!

I hope that you have enjoyed my IMATS experience! If you made it through the whole post I applaud you because it ended up being extremely long. I loved going to IMATS and I will definitely be going again next year! 

Update!

Hello! I want to apologize for my lack of posting. I thought that I would have a million things to post and talk about, but I got busy with the end of school that I just didn't post anything. I've also made so major changes to this blog. I changed the name and the layout and design from what it originally was when it was created. I wanted to do a post about my experience at IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) for the first time, but I never sat down to do it. Although it is long overdue because I went in April, I would really enjoy doing a post about that. Also, I have not been keeping up with my Accutane updates! I am still taking it and I'm doing well! I will do a post about that soon that will include some products that have helped me along the way. I would also really like to do some product reviews and share pictures/tell about the cruise that I recently took. I'm hoping to expand this blog and post at least once a week. I look forward to sharing the blog ideas that I have!