Haiti: Day One

On Friday, July 8th, my family drove me to the church to leave me off with my team and say their goodbyes. Upon arriving at the church however, we were told that my flight from Chicago to Newark had been canceled. My family left me in the hands of my team leaders and we all just prayed that if we went to the airport, we might be able to get a flight somehow. Luckily, once at the airport, we got another flight...only to have it pushed back by at least an hour. Finally, after a long time of eating dinner, playing games, and exploring the airport, we got on the plane. But wait! We had to sit and wait on the plane so they could fix the AC before take off. This took somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour.

The actual flight was just under two hours. This left us little time to sleep. And just because it was almost 3:00 A.M. and we were completely exhausted, we decided to take a break, right? Of course not. We got off of the plane and walked to a shuttle train, which took us to a shuttle bus, which took us to a hotel.

We got maybe a 2-3 hour nap, took a shower, and went where? Back to the airport! Thankfully, we got a plane from Newark to Port Au Prince, Haiti without any delay. There was no way we would get off that easy though. We made it to Haiti, but our bags sure hadn't. They were still in the U.S. All we could do was go to the home we would be staying in and hope that we could get our bags the next day.

The home we stayed at belongs to our partners, the Marquette's. They are amazing hosts and even better people who clearly display the love of Christ in just about everything they do. They are so kind as to offer up their house year-round to their partners. We may have had to brush our teeth with bottled water, and take showers with a bucket, but we were far from roughing it in this home. We each had our own bed, we ate food prepared by the Marquette's personal friend and cook, we always had access to purified water, and the Marquettes spoiled us in every way they could. Not to mention, there home is a beautiful place to stay.

Let's Get Out Of This Country

...Oh, did I mention that I just spent a week in Haiti?! I got to do children's ministry at an orphanage! Not only did I have a great time working with the kids, but I was lucky enough to do it on a gorgeous island. My team and I may have faced some awful snags along the way, but it was well worth it. Our hosts were amazing, and the children were absolutely precious.

I'm going to make a blog post for each day that I was there. That way, my sponsors, as well as my other friends and family, can see what I did with my team each day.

To see all of the pictures my team members and I took during our trip, click here.

Beauty With an Edge

Maybe the thought of animal testing has begun to tug at your heart strings, but you just aren't quite ready to ditch the contents of your make up bag. That is completely understandable. So many women put a great amount of time and money into finding the products that work just right for them. Because of this, I'm putting today's focus on a make up brand that makes it easy to transition into making more eco-friendly cosmetic purchases. If I had to choose, this brand would probably have to be my favorite. And it seems appropriate to blog about them now since they are celebrating fifteen years of "beauty with an edge." This brand is, (drum roll please), Urban Decay!

Urban Decay has a number of products that you can use to improve the appearance of your make up, as well as help it to stay put. No one likes their make up to crease, fade, or run, so stop it before it starts!
Above is Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This primer can be worn under eye make up or by itself. It is one of the most loved eyeshadow primers by consumers. It brightens the appearance of eyeshadow and keeps it looking as if it were just applied for hours. I love this product. It's smooth and creamy, making it simple to apply. It also drys clear so that it does not alter the color of your eyeshadow. Unfortunately for me, I have combination skin. Where is my skin the most oily? My eyelids of course. It's a shame since I love eyeshadow so much. It creases even when using this product. But don't worry! This is pretty rare, and I highly doubt you will have any problems unless you are also cursed with oily lids.
The next product is called, "Eyeshadow Primer Potion: Sin." This little beauty came out a while after the original primer potion. It's the same product as the original but it comes in a gorgeous copper color. Perfect for being layered with eyeshadow or standing on its own.
The third addition to the primer potion family is called, "Eden." Eden is a light, matte tawny color. A much better option for those of us with oily lids.
"Greed" is the latest primer potion. It is a lovely shimmery gold color. Just like the other other three, this primer can be layered or worn alone. It is sold exclusively at Sephora.
Many of us have a love/hate relationship with our make up. It looks beautiful when first applied, and then looks terrible by the end of the day. Well never fear, "All Nighter" is here! "All Nighter" is a make up setting spray. Just spray over face after applying make up and it will help to hold it in place for hours. It costs $29, and also comes in a travel size that only costs $9.
"De-Slick" is a make up setting spray for oily skin. It not only holds make up in place, but also helps to keep skin looking matte. "De-Slick" also costs $29.

The last product I'll show you today is, "Dew Me" moisturizing make up setting spray. "Dew Me" gives the skin a dewy finish while keeping make up fresh. This product is sold for the same price as the other two.

These are only a small handful of the products Urban Decay has to offer. All this and they are cruelty free. What's more, they are P.E.T.A. approved, and they even have a vegan line of products! Yes, it is possible to own fabulous cosmetics while being environmentally conscious. The proof is in the results.

Makeover, Makeover

Ello loves! I have decided to make my next few entries about something that I am very passionate about-- environmentally friendly beauty products. As I'm sure many of you know, it can be a struggle to find things that make you feel great both inside and out. So many products that us make up junkies fall in love with turn out to be wasteful and horrible for the environment. And some even use animal testing! Ahh! Awful, right? Well never fear, I have some solutions to your problems. Believe it or not, not all make up brands and beauty companies are of the devil. There are some out there that make sure to hold true to moral values as well as produce quality items. So you can take a breath of relief and indulge a little (it wont hurt anyone!)

Now who's ready to hug a tree and look good doing it?

First up is a new high tech make up brush line from Samantha Chapman.



Sisters Samantha and Nicola Chapman are make up artists that I came across on youtube. I instantly fell in love with their work and have been following their posts online ever since.

I find their videos to be extremely helpful. And not only are these two talented, but they are also concerned about animal testing. It is because of this that Samantha made sure that her new line of brushes will be 100% cruelty free. That's right, all synthetic hair for the bristles.

Personally, I can't wait to try these brushes out!

Interested to find out more about these fabulous ladies? Check them out at their website or their youtube channel.

Procrastinating

So, it's been...what? Over a year now? Too much has happened to tell, so let's just pretend that I was good and loyal to my (few but dear) readers. Let us act as though I have not gone anywhere, and that my last post was really written sometime last week, rather then last year. I know that saying sorry will not make up for my being lazy...so, let's just ignore it for now.

(I will try to post about new events and just skip over most of what happened this past year. This is mainly because that is the easier option for me.)

Much more to come, and I mean it this time. If anyone has any suggestions or requests on what they would like to see me blog about--tell me! I want to hear from you guys. Because if I don't blog about anything that people want to read about, then there is really no point in me writing in the first place, is there?

Curiouser and Curiouser!

We may all be mad here, but at least one thing is making sense- the story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is finally getting the attention it deserves. In fact, many predict that it will be a big trend this year. Alice is going beyond books and films to fashion and makeup trends.

This excites me to no end!

My favorite makeup brand, Urban Decay is launching an eyeshadow palette that is Alice inspired. It will be sold both at Sephora stores as well as on UD's website, and is said to come out in a few weeks. But I was lucky enough to see it for myself! It is really nice, but costs around $52...

Urban Decay is not alone. OPI is coming out with a line of nail lacquer for the new Tim Burton film as well.

As for fashion, Alice inspired styles range from tee shirts at the mall to couture gowns on the runway.

Hottopic.com

drinkmealice.com.au

Elisabeth Hoff

This is only a glimse at what has come, and what is coming this year. I will add more if I get anymore updates.

Blog About It

I shall add a link to a wonderful yet strange vlog.
(It features the great Little Jimmy Urine of the band Mindless Self Indulgence, and his beautiful wife Chantal Claret of the band Morningwood.)

I felt this video would be the best way to break the ice now that I have chosen to start blogging for myself.

Now go forth and do the hand blog!