Weekly Product Highlight

~Weekly Product Highlight~ Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge~

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

This sponge is amazing even for full coverage foundation. It hides blemishes much better than a brush giving a more natural skin like finish.  The flat side is really good for stippling foundation, allowing you to build up more coverage where you need it and get rid of excess foundation where you don’t. The pointy side is great for application of makeup under the eye area.  The sponge can also be used to blend in liquid highlighter and cream blushes.

While you can use it damp or dry, I suggest that you definitely use it damp!  When damp, it makes application easy and gives a flawless look.  To dampen it, hold under running water and squeeze it until it has almost doubled in size.  Once the desired size is reached squeeze it out extra hard to remove all the excess water.

Pros:
The price is great!  ($4-$6)Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge |lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
Very close dupe to the Beauty Blend
Give an even and flawless application
Soft and Easy to use
Works for any skin type
Easy to clean when used damp

Cons:
Although the sponge doesn’t seem to absorb too much makeup, I do find myself needing to use more foundation than when I apply foundation with just my fingers.
When used dry it is not as easy to clean

What does the Real Techniques Website have to say about theMiracle Complexion Sponge:
“Optimize your beauty routine with this 3-in-1 multi-functional sponge.

  • Rounded sides blend large areas of the face with a repeated dabbing or “stippling” motion.
  • Precision tip covers blemishes and imperfections.
  • Flat edge for the contours around the eyes and nose.

Its versatile design evenly blends makeup for a smooth, enhanced finish.
Made from polyurethane foam which is latex free.
For best results, replace the miracle complexion sponge every 1-3 months.”

 

Laura lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

 

Health/ Fitness

Do Detox Teas and Waters Really Work?

Detox |lookingjoligood.wordpress.comBesides a being lover of makeup and trying to look beautiful, I am also a Registered Nurse.  I love all the science behind health and wellness and how the body works.

Unless you have been living under a rock, or don’t ever go on social media, I am sure that you have heard about Detox Teas and Detox Waters.  Many of these products claim to flush fat and toxins from your body.

While this sounds like a great way to lose some extra weight, generally if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  And… in this case, it is too good to be true.  These drinks do not melt away the extra pounds.

While many of these detox waters include cucumbers, lemon and tea, which have a natural diuretic effect (A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.) you aren’t losing any actual body fat.  What you are losing is just a bit of excess water weight.  This water weight will return once you drink fluids or eat again.

Unfortunately, no detox tea or detox water or magic drink can flush out fat or toxinsDetox |lookingjoligood.wordpress.com from your system.
Do you know what can flush out the toxins your system?  Your kidneys, liver, skin (and even your lungs do a bit too.)  These organs are specifically designed to be constantly removing toxins from your body.  If you are a healthy person with properly functioning organs, you can not make them work better by drinking a detox drink.

(You know all those popular cleanses?  They can’t do it either.  Your healthy body is also designed to cleanse itself.)

Save your money and drink more regular plain old H2O.

Detox | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Drinking plenty of water provides many health benefits.  Some of these include, more energy and improved brain functions.  Drinking water before a meal can help you to lose weight due to having a feeling of fullness which in turn causes one to eats less.  Consistently drinking plenty of water will also help you to have regular bowl movement as well.

How much water should you drink a day?  Well, that depends on a lot of things.  Your height, weight and sex, how active you are as well as where you live.  The rule of thumb is to daily consume between 0.5-1 oz per pound you weigh.  For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, that would be between 65 to 130 ounces of water a day. (1.9 -3.8 Liters)

Healthy living Detox |lookingjoligood.wordpress.comClick HERE for an easy more specific hydration calculator.

So in the end, unfortunately, there is no quick fix to weight loss and health.  If you want to lose weight and be healthy there is no way around it, you have to eat right, exercise consistently, get enough sleep, decrease the stress in your life, and drink a lot of water.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Delicious Recipes

Garbanzo Beans

So for the most part, I have a major sweet tooth. A MAJOR sweet tooth! But sometimes I like salty things too. Today, I made roasted garbanzo beans. Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are an excellent source of essential nutrients, iron, folate, phosphorus, protein and dietary fiber (according to the USDA nutrient table).
Garbanzo beans are high in protein and low in fat. Just one hundred grams of mature boiled chickpeas contain 7.6 grams of dietary fiber and 8.9 grams of protein!  

All that being said, they were super easy to make and came out crispy, salty, and delicious!

Roasted Garbanzo Beans. Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are an excellent source of essential nutrients, iron, folate, phosphorus, protein and dietary fiber | lookingjoligood.woordpress.com

Ingredients

2 cans of garbanzo beans
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Pepper
Lawry’s seasoned salt (or Mrs. Dash or whatever your favorite spice mix combination)

Directions

Rinse the garbanzo beans and dry on a paper towel.
I don’t like the skins on the beans, so I skinned them all, (time consuming…yes, delicious also yes.)
Combine the seasonings and olive oil in a large bowl
Gently stir in garbanzo beans until evenly coated with olive oil mixture
Then place the garbanzos in a single layer on a cookie sheet
and bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees (or until desired crispiness is reached.)

I bet I could even make this into a sweet snack too by substituting the olive oil with melted butter and spices with sugar and cinnamon, (see what I mean, a major sweet tooth!)

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Fashion/Style

First Day of Fall 2015

I know, I know, I am in the minority when I say that I DON’T love fall!  It isn’t that I don’t enjoy a good pumpkin muffin, spice chai latte, or an apple cider donut.  I do, I love all those things.  I love the leaves changing color and the smell in the air during the fall.  What I don’t like about fall is that it means that winter is coming, and I HATE winter!
I must admit though that fall has some awesome fashion!  I love wearing sweaters and scarves and jeans and boots.  So maybe I do like fall…just a little bit.First Day of Fall 2015 | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

L K Bennett pink top
$250 – lkbennett.com

Ally Fashion white high waisted jeans
$25 – allyfashion.com

Mywalit blue purse
nordstromrack.com

Raymond Weil bracelet watch
bloomingdales.com

Plaid scarve
gojane.com

Rebecca Minkoff wool hat
rebeccaminkoff.com

Berry lipstick
sephora.com

image

Make up

Beauty YouTubers

I love to watch beauty videos on YouTube.  I am always looking for new YouTubers to watch.  If you have any good recommendations let me know! I have some of my own recommendations of people to follow.  Here are my top 3…

https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru/videos

Tati Westbrook | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru/videos

My absolute favorite YouTuber is Tati Westbrook of Glam Life Guru.  She is not only absolutely beautiful, but she also makes the most well made and professional make up videos.  If you don’t already follow her, you definitely need to check her out!  I have no idea how she doesn’t have over a million viewers!  Her videos are seriously amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/user/FancyThatwithCandice

FancyThatwithCandice | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/FancyThatwithCandice

You have got to check out Candice from Fancy That With Candice!  She is so cute and has the sweetest personality!  I love to watch her videos because she gets so excited over the smallest things.  Her videos are so well made and enjoyable to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Melmphs  And last, but definitely not least is

Melissa Autry | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/Melmphs

Melissa Autry of Melmphs!  Oh my goodness, she is so funny!!!  I seriously crack up at her videos.  She tells it like it is and gives great product reviews all while being entertaining and hilarious.  She is from Tennessee and her accent and personality are great!  You have got to watch her videos, you will be smiling the entire time!  “Are you ready for the weekend, Baby?” (watch her and you will know exactly what I mean by that 😉 )  Be sure to give me some of your favorites as well!

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Health/ Fitness

First Day Back to Work

Nurse | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comToday was my first day back to work at the hospital as a nurse.  I have greatly enjoyed being a stay at home mom over the last 8 years, but I am also excited about being back in the world of the employed.

There is just something about being with a group of like minded people that is exciting.  Plus, if you are a nurse or a nursing student, you know what the meal time conversation is like… revolting to some extremely interesting to others. 🙂 I am even looking forward to going back again tomorrow…we’ll see how long that lasts.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Flab to FAB · Health/ Fitness

Hi, My Name is Laura and I Am A Food Addict…

Some posts are easier to share than others…

Journey with me From Flab to FAB!

So, from the title you can already tell what this post is going to be about…  While I am not completely serious when I say that I am a food addict, I definitely have a love/hate relationship Eat to Live or Live to Eat |lookingjoligood.wordpress.comwith food.  I  love to eat, yet I hate the guilt that comes along with it.  It is a crazy cycle!

Some people are just naturally fit and thin, while others have to work really hard at it.  Some people are naturally built thicker and curvier.  Some people just naturally don’t like to eat a lot (what is their problem?! :-))  Other people love to eat!  Some people can eat whatever they want while others look at food and gain weight.

Growing up, I was always able to eat whatever I wanted and never gain weight.  Then I got married, and pregnant and then I hit my thirties.  While I am by no means unhealthy or overweight, I definitely have those few pesky pounds that I want to lose.

Just as much as I love to eat, I have always loved to exercise, but… unfortunately abs are made in the kitchen just as much as they are in the gym

healthy-food flab to FAB journey | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comI have tried to “diet” in the past and what ends up happening is that I get stressed out about everything that I eat and obsessed with all the things that I can’t eat.  Usually I end up super cranky and quit without seeing any results.

So, all this being said, I have recently started a healthy eating journey.  It is not always fun, and it doesn’t usually taste as good as ice cream, but it hasn’t been as hard as I thought.  I have been retraining my brain to think about food differently.  It is an everyday decision and it takes a lot of planning.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t still plan on posting awesome dessert recipes (or even eating awesome desserts), it just means that I have changed my way of thinking about dessert.

I plan to share some of my journey with all of you, and if you are interested, you can even join in and take the journey along with me!  Let me know what you think and if you have ever had similar struggles with food.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Fashion/Style

Last Weekend Of Summer Wear

Sun’s out guns out 🙂
It isn’t fall yet!  There is still a little bit of summer left so enjoy these last few days of warmth before the colder days come.
Weekend Wear

White tank
modcloth.com

Warehouse satchel
$74 – warehouse.co.uk

Valentino leather jewelry
$240 – stylebop.com

Urban Decay eyeshadow
urbandecay.com

Charlotte Tilbury lips makeup
bergdorfgoodman.com

Make up · Review · Weekly Product Highlight

~Weekly Product Highlight~ Highlighters~ Reserve Your Cabana~

Highlight on fleek?

Wet n Wild Color Icon Collection Bronzer SPF 15, Reserve Your Cabana

Highlight on Fleek? Reserve your Cabana | lookingjoligood.wordpress.comWhile personally I am not a super over the top highlight all over the face kind of gal, I know that “strobing” is very in right now.  Since highlighting is so popular there are so many different types and brands of highlighters to choose from.  I have tried a few different ones, some higher end and some drugstore ones. I have to say out of all of the ones that I have tried the $3.99 Reserve Your Cabana Bronzer highlighter from Wet N Wild is my absolute favorite.  It may be called a Bronzer, but don’t let that fool you this is definitely a highlighter and it is gorgeous.  It is such a beautiful shade with just the right amount of shimmer and glow. I don’t know what it is exactly about this highlighting bronzer, but it is absolutely stunning. I use it on my cheekbones, the inner corners of my eyes, on my brow bone, and sometimes on top of my cupid’s bow.  It just adds this beautiful glow to the skin without being an overly in your face highlight.  Whether you are on a tight budget or not, I highly recommend this highlighter, it is such a great product!

What does the Wet N Wild website have to say about this highlighter…

“Sunset tan! The grand daddy of the bronzer world! This big, hunky guy is the perfect man: he’s healthy for you (dermatologist-tested), not slimy (oil-free), has a great pedigree (winner of The Oprah Magazine O-Ward) and is so protective (from harmful UVB rays). Plus, he’ll always complement how you look!”

  • Dermatologist-tested
  • Oil-free
  • SPF Protection
  • Winner of The Oprah Magazine Spring Makeup O-Ward!