Method 2 My Madness

We bought our tickets for our summer vacation to San Francisco last night. Soooooo excited!! This will be my entire family's 1st time going to San Francisco. Can't wait to check out Japantown & Chinatown. If any of you beauties out there have any suggestions on places we need to definitely stop at I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

My allergies are whoopin' my a$$ today!! Bought Zyrtec yesterday, but still haven't taken any. I don't like taking medication unless I'm absolutely miserable. I'm pretty close to that point. I can't keep on having my boogers flowing out my nose like a broken faucet. Sorry TMI!! I'm just scared that Zyrtec will make me sleepy since it doesn't say on the container "non-drowsy." Clariten does NOT work for me anymore and I refuse to take Benadryl before going to sleep. I have this irrational fear that if I take any medicine that could possibly make me sleepy I may not wake up. My sister keeps reassuring me I'll be fine, but......eh I'll prolly take Zyrtec later.

Anyhow...on to what my point of doing this post is. I thought I'd share my beauty collection and how I've decided to organize it. My before pic of my makeup area is EMBARASSING to say the least. Not saying my makeup area now is the shizz or anything, but its much more CLEANER, organized, and functional. So here we go....

Yah this right here is a HOT mess!!

^^New & Improved pix of my makeup storage/organization above^^

These are a few of my palettes I've collected over time. Ranging from Tarte, SMH cosmetics, Kat Von D, UD, Too Faced, Sephora, Lorac, & INGLOT <3<3

Coastal Scents palettes

E.L.F. & some Jemma K, all bought from Target

NYX

WnW

My modest MAC collection :)

Randoms ranging from drug store, VS, Estee Lauder, Hard Candy, & Sephora

The white cubby storage with shelves and multiple storage containers I'm LOVING!! Bought it from Target on sale. Each cube used to be $6.99/ea, the day I bought them it was reduced to $4.99 each. Its called ITSO storage and can be purchased at Target or Amazon. The book shelf is from Walmart for only $15 and very easy to put together. I did it all by my lonesome :)

I didn't include my everyday face products in my makeup collection pix. Nor did I include my brush collection, cuz they're dirty right now :(

Just a little FYI my face product colors are:

[[MAC]] Studio Sculpt Concealer NC42

               Studio Sculpt Foundation SPF 15 NC42

               Studio Fix Powder C40

               MSF Medium Dark



Right now my go-to face routine is composed of Sephora:

               Perfecting Cover Foundation (oil free) 35 mat tan/bronze

               Perfecting Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 (oil free) 35 Tan/bronze--used on low fuss days

               Mattifying Foundation powder D32

I actually like my Sephora routine because it gives me the same or better coverage than my MAC routine and I don't feel a heavy amt of product on my face. I've already bought a backup of the Sephora mattifying powder.

I enjoy looking at other's makeup storage/organization ideas so hopefully ya'll feel that way about mine. I know its not big or out of this world spectacular, but its more functional for me compared to what I did have. I'm honestly not expecting to add much more to my makeup collection. I feel like I have more than enough already. But......of course get tempted all the time to try new products. Which of course turns into buying new products. **sigh** the life of a makeup addict/hoarder!!

TAGG: "Before I Knew Makeup"

This tagg is from the beautiful Wifezillahekela . I thought it would be fun to show some of my throwback pix.

Oh lawd!! These pix are at least 5-6yrs ago. Plz excuse the booby buttcrack in pic #2. Back in the day I was too scared to experiment with color and stuck to a neutral eye. And oh lawd my hair in pic #3!!! Yah..can we say hoodrat??? That was back in the day when dying my hair was a constant in my life. Bleach used to be my BFF. Obviously I NEVER got it right! I actually like the last pic...despite my powder was like 2-3 shades too light?!? LOL!! Liquid e/l has always been my go-to. Palladio's liquid e/l in black used to be my HG product. I used to line top & bottom lash line with my liquid liner. Bare Escentuals original foundation kit was all I knew. Any Maybelline waterproof mascara was always and still is my HG mascara. I didn't own blush till I was already in college. Always wore a lip liner a shade or 2 darker than my actual lipstick. I wish I had my freshman/sophomore yrs of high school pix. Then ya'll could see how I tried to pull off the raisin or mocha colored l/s. LOL! In a bad way...not GOOD!!

[[TODAY]]

Like I said with my 1st post, I'm no beauty expert or a makeup artist. But...I think my application techniques have evolved. I'm more adventurous and comfortable using color. I learned about blending and application techniques from watching QVC & HSN. LOL! From then on I've been experimenting and expanding my makeup collection. I'm so glad to have discovered/learn about primers & bases for eyeshadow. Makeup has become trial & error. I'm in LOVE with NYX and wet-and-wild!!! Addicted to beautylish & YouTube now. I'm not expecting to turn my makeup love into a career, but I am having fun experimenting.

Welcome back to the world of blogging

I used to blog nonstop back in the day. Xanga was my way of decompressing from everyday life. That was back when I wasn't a nurse yet and didn't yet have Zachy. So...lemme start off with introducing me, my life, and why I decided to blog again.

Hi, I'm Charlene. I strive each day to be the best me I can be. I'm a mommy first and foremost. Wife, daughter, sister, friend and nurse next. Everything I do or will do in life is based off the fact that I have 2 beautiful (yet bratty) kids. My kids are my motivation, inspiration, and dedication for life.


In case you can't tell I'm Filipino. Sorry to say I don't speak a lick of it. My mom and grandma figured living in America meant you had to speak English. The only time I heard tagalog was when my family was conversating b/w each other or with friends, or when they were yelling at my sister or me. For the most part I can understand when most people speak tagalog, but I still have a hard time. I consider myself pleasantly plump. Definitely NOT model size! But thats ok, I accept me for me. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to lose weight and plan to. Only to benefit my health in the long run. That struggle is a story on its own. So I'll talk about that another time.


I was born and raised in Dallas. Raised by the best mommy and grandma ever. What about my dad? Well....


My dad.....  I remember him being into fitness magazines and lifting weights, doing push ups, eating steak. But my memories of my dad are pretty vague. The reason being is that for most of my life he was sick. When I was in 3rd grade he was in a hit and run accident walking to work. He got hit by a truck crossing the street and was flung several feet. He sustained several injuries that caused him to be in ICU for several months. Some of his injuries included a head injury that forever made him a different man. I remember when he was done being in ICU and I was finally able to visit him at rehab. Then having him finally come home. During his hospital stay the doctors had to place a tracheostomy to help him breath. When he left rehab he no longer needed a trache but still had a stoma (hole). I remember my mom teaching me how to properly keep it clean. Mind you, I was 8/9 yrs old at the time. I wasn't traumatized by everything that happened, but just exposed to the hospital environment early on.


My dad got better and went back to work, but years later sustained another closed head injury from a fall at work. He had to receive a craniotomy to relieve pressure to his brain. In case any of you haven't experienced or been exposed to somebody with a closed head injury, they usually don't return the same person they were before the injury. He was even more short tempered, easily frustrated. I would get upset at him at times because he would get angry at my sister and I. I didn't realize at the time it was because of his history of head injuries. I don't remember my dad ever spanking us, but as a child having your parent get angry often for the smallest things does have an effect. The last time I remember him getting seriously sick was when my mom found blood in the kitchen. I remember seeing her, my grandma, and sister trying to figure out where the blood came from. My mom found my dad in his van with his head on the steering wheel and quickly rushed him to the hospital. I remember finding out my dad fell at home and suffered what could have been a small stroke. From then on, it wasn't my dad taking care of us. It became us taking care of him.


After that time he was able to walk on his own, but wasn't able to function as a normal adult. Eventually his health led him to needing assistance with everything. He eventually couldn't get out of bed on his own. Further leading to him needing us to feed him. His health deteriorated further to the point of my mother deciding he needed a feeding tube straight to his stomach to help him receive more nutrition. He eventually lost his memory and became disoriented to practically everything. We gave him medicine throughout the day. Fed him every meal. Changed him when he soiled himself. Our home was changed into a makeshift hospital/nursing home. This went on for at least 10yrs. My sister and I told my mom this way of taking care of him isn't how my dad would want to "survive." If he was well, he wouldn't see this way of existence as living. My mother finally decided after several years to make my dad a DNR (do not resuscitate), and have him be on hospice care. He eventually developed pneumonia. The hospice provided him comfort, we all surrounded him and gave him comfort, and he passed at home.


First hand helping care for my dad help lead me to decided to become a nurse. I thought, maybe I can do right by my dad by providing the care I gave him to other patients out there that don't have families to do the same.

My mama... my BEST FRIEND and confidant. I would do anything and everything for her. She did her best raising my sister and I with what she had. Yes, I do follow along the typical stereotype of being Filipina, a nurse, and having at least 1 other family member as a nurse. I model myself after the fact that I think my mom is the BEST NURSE in the world. Not only does she do the best with what she has when it comes to her family but she bends over backwards for her coworkers as well. She truly epitomises the vows, "...through sickness and health, till death do us part." She dedicated her life to care not only for complete strangers at work, but to also come home and take care of my dad. She brings me back to reality when I've had a bad day at work by saying things life, "...feel lucky that you not only have a job, but that at the end of your shift you don't stay lying in that hospital bed. You get to go home to your family at the end of the day." My mother....my hero. She's the best person I know.

Baby daddy.... LOL he's more than that. I've been with this man for almost 14yrs! Thats longer than the average marriage lasts nowadays. We have been through tonssssss of ups and downs, and I'm sure have so many more to go through. He's helped me become the woman I am today. He's hung in there with me through all the crap I still throw at him. He's my first and only love. Even through all these years I still get butterflies for this man. BEST COOK ever!! He's accepted me for me and helps me strive to be better everyday. He's the BEST DADDY ever!! He always puts his kids first before anything. We're complete opposites, but obviously 14yrs later..opposites attract.

Kimmy... this girl is my heart and soul and HEARTACHE! All in 1 cute skinny package. She's 10, so we're going through a bit of a little diva/drama queen phase right now. She definitely pushes my buttons, but of course I love her. She's a great kid! Smart, funny, creative. She LOVES Justin Bieber!! So far this school year she's made all A's. There are times when we bump heads, but I think that's because underneath it all we're very similar. My wish for her is to become a strong independent woman and to be successful in whatever she accomplishes in life.

Zachy... he's going through his terrible 2's/3's right now. We're struggling with potty training. This boy...WOW!! I can tell he's gonna be a little firecracker. He's very sporty. Rough and tough little boy. He has a short temper like his father and I (bad combo), but he can be so sweet and loving also. He LOVES to dance and sing. He follows his chi (Vietnamese for big sister) around and annoys her, but I know its all out of love. LOL! My wish for him is to be a true gentleman and success in whatever he chooses to be in life.


I just want my kids to never lose sight that you gotta do work to get what you want in life. Nobody is gonna hand anything to you. If you want it, you gotta earn it! Also to be thankful and grateful for what they have.


So...why did I decide I wanted to blog again? Ever since I first started bloggin it was always to connect. I'm not dedicating this blog purely to beauty blogging. Blogging is my way of expression. A way to connect with other people, hopefully on a common level. To step out of the everyday and just VENT. I'm no beauty expert and I'm not gonna try to be. Beauty product love is just one part of many parts of me. I definitely appreciate the art form of it. I love the way you can express how you feel by not only portraying it through emotion, but also by emphasizing it through the many colors and methods of makeup. I'm not trying to mask anything when I put makeup on. When I put my makeup on its a moment of relaxation. Many people (including my husband) see it as tedious and a waste of time. But its a time when I can have fun by emphasizing my emotions through makeup. A form of expression that doesn't have to just deal with an actual outburst of emotion.


So with all this being said...SORRY it was so long. But before I actually just post away I wanted to intro myself. Take it or leave it. Love it or hate it. I am me, and thats all I'm going to be.