Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood11 Comments

Well, I am sorry that I have been missing around here the last few days. I ended up on the wrong side of an IV. I prefer to be the one starting the IV not the one getting one. Despite being an IV infusion nurse and giving shots and starting IV’s all day, when it comes to me getting stuck with needles I am a HUGE baby!

Unless I am getting paid to be there, I avoid the hospitals like the plague!!! So, I had to be pretty terrible to be willing to go to the ER. I will spare the details, but I started having unbelievable abdominal pain out of nowhere and ended up in the ER. Of course it is the week of Thanksgiving and I have a million things to do! Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!!!

Despite having no answers as to what caused such terrible pain, the ER doctors and nurses were great. I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband to take care of me, and a supportive family to help with my kids in the middle of the night. I am also thankful that I am feeling mostly better now and should be able to enjoy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

Make up

Hooded Eyes Makeup Do’s and Don’ts by Sona Gasparian

November 21, 2015November 21, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood1 Comment

I have slightly hooded eyes, I think it would actually be called a heavy fold. My eye shape is actually very similar to hers. Due to this I can’t just do any type of makeup look that I want. Certain strategies help to make a “hooded eye” look more open and awake.

I love Sona Gasparian‘s videos. If you have never watched her before I definitely recommend you check her out! This video about Hooded Eyes Makeup Do’s and Don’ts is such a great tutorial! What a huge difference in the way her eyes look!

Health/ Fitness

Essential Oils

November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Unless you have been living under a rock :-), (or maybe you don’t have a Facebook or Pinterest account), I am sure you have heard one thing or another about essential oils. I have been using essential oils for about 2 years now. Don’t stop reading, I am NOT a Youngliving or Doterra sales rep, and I am not going to try to get anyone to buy something from me. I just love using essential oils. There are so many natural benefits to using these oils! As you may know, I am an RN, I give modern medicine on a daily basis. I believe in modern medication, but I also believe that essential oils are beneficial as well.

You may have heard the term essential oils, but might still be wondering what are essential oils?Well if you were to google “what are essential oils?” the first answer you would get would be “a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic fragrance of the plant or other source from which it is extracted.” Basically that means an oil that comes from a plant or other natural source.

I like to get a lot of my oils from Plant Therapy, but I have also used some YoungLiving and Now oils. Some of my most favorite oils to use are Lemon, Peppermint, and Lavender oil. I like to combine the three of them for an allergy fighting trio. Pinterest has many different ideas on how you can use essential oils. (Click HERE to follow my Essential Oils board)

Generally, essential oils are either inhaled through the use of a diffuser or applied topically. I have a GreenAir SpaVapor diffuser that I bought on sale from Amazon for $25. Every night, I diffuse essential oils for respiratory relief in my daughter’s room, and I really feel as if this helps with her asthma.

If you are going to be applying your oil topically, you need to cut it with a carrier oil. A carrier oil is a vegetable oil such as coconut oil, olive oil, my favorite grapeseed oil. These oils can be used to dilute essential oils. A 2% essential oil dilution is generally considered safe for topical application of essential oils on adults. To make a 2% dilution add 12 drops of essential oil to each fl. ounce (30 ml) of carrier oil. (Usually 600 drops of essential oil equals 30ml or 1 fl. ounce, so 2% is 12 drops) Some oils are more potent than others, but a 2% dilution is the usual recommendation. I’ll be honest, sometimes when diluting my oils, if I am familiar with my body’s reaction to the oil, I put a lot more than 12 drops when I am diluting them. But if you are new or still getting used to essential oils, less is more until you know what works for you. Also, if I am mixing more than one oil together, I personally do 12 drops of each oil to one fl oz total. I don’t add an extra fl oz of carrier for each oil, some may, but I personally usually don’t.

If you choose to ingest essential oils, before doing so, be absolutely sure that they are food grade oils. Personally, I would never ingest any essential oils, but that is my choice due to research that I have done.

Check out Using Essential Oils Safely. Essential oils are awesome when used properly, but like a lot of things, can be toxic when overused or used improperly. Also, if you have a lot of questions, Youngliving’s website has a great Q&A section!

**There are no affiliate links in this post. This is all my own opinion. I am not getting paid for sharing any of this information!**

Beauty Subscription · Make up

Ipsy Glam Bag November 2015

November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood9 Comments

I can’t believe that another month has flown by and it is already time to receive another ipsy glam bag! If you don’t know what ipsy is you can check out my previous post all about it by clicking HERE

If you are thinking about trying out ipsy, here is my referral link https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=uqdkx

This month’s glam bag is a “universe of brilliant beauties.” This month in my glam bag I received…

Crown Brush Deluxe Pointed Crease Brush

Luxie Beauty Matte Eyeshadow Pan No. 290 Aubergine It is a beautiful eggplant color perfect for in the crease. Maybe I will use the Crown Brush to apply it.

Figs & Rouge Mattifying Emulsion & Pore Refiner

Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Mascara I have already used this a few times. I was pretty excited about getting it in my glam bag, but after using it, I am only meh about it. You know how some mascaras can get better after a little while, so I will keep using it and see if I like it more after a week or so.

ModelCo HIGHLIGHTING TRIO This highlighting trio is very smooth and creamy. I think that I will probably use it on my eyes instead.

Overall I am really pleased with this month’s glam bag. I prefer to get makeup instead of nail polish or skincare.

How about you? Did you get an ipsy’s glam bag? What did you get in yours? Were you happy with your samples? Do you get any other monthly subscription bags/boxes that are worth trying out? Let me know in the comments below.

If you don’t already subscribe and would like to try out ipsy you can use my referral link by clicking HERE! Also, if you are interested in seeing my other recent posts about ipsy click HERE

Beauty Subscription · Make up

Ipsy November Glam Bag Sneak Peak

November 3, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

I don’t know about you but patience is not a virtue that I have. So whenever I am offered a sneak peak by ipsy I am going to take it!

Here is a sneak peak of what every ipsy subscriber will be receiving in her Glam Bag this November. Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara! I love mascara, so I am excited to try out this one from Smashbox.If you don’t already know what ipsy is check out my post about it by clicking HERE

If you don’t already subscribe to ipsy but would like to, check it out for yourself using my referral link https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=uqdkx

Want to see what I have gotten in my most recent ipsy Glam Bags? Click HERE

Flab to FAB · Health/ Fitness

“How To Talk To Your Daughter About Her Body”

November 2, 2015November 3, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

The other day, my friend posted this on Facebook. Despite the fact that it is not original to her, I still thought that it was too good not to share.

If you have been around Looking Joli Good for any amount of time, you already know that I have my own body issues 🙂 While right now, my daughter is only 5 and absolutely confident in herself, before I know it she will be a “tween”(… and then a teenager!!!) I would LOVE it if she could grow up without any of her own body image issues. I hope that I can be the one to help her accomplish that!!!

While it doesn’t seem to still be an active website, this post originally appeared on hopeave.wordpress.com.

“How to talk to your daughter about her body, step one: don’t talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works.
Don’t say anything if she’s lost weight. Don’t say anything if she’s gained weight.
If you think your daughter’s body looks amazing, don’t say that. Here are some things you can say instead:
“You look so healthy!” is a great one.
Or how about, “you’re looking so strong.”
“I can see how happy you are – you’re glowing.”
Better yet, compliment her on something that has nothing to do with her body.
Don’t comment on other women’s bodies either. Nope. Not a single comment, not a nice one or a mean one.
Teach her about kindness towards others, but also kindness towards yourself.
Don’t you dare talk about how much you hate your body in front of your daughter, or talk about your new diet. In fact, don’t go on a diet in front of your daughter. Buy healthy food. Cook healthy meals. But don’t say “I’m not eating carbs right now.” Your daughter should never think that carbs are evil, because shame over what you eat only leads to shame about yourself.
Encourage your daughter to run because it makes her feel less stressed. Encourage your daughter to climb mountains because there is nowhere better to explore your spirituality than the peak of the universe. Encourage your daughter to surf, or rock climb, or mountain bike because it scares her & that’s a good thing sometimes.
Help your daughter love soccer or rowing or hockey because sports make her a better leader & a more confident woman. Explain that no matter how old you get, you’ll never stop needing good teamwork. Never make her play a sport she isn’t absolutely in love with.
Prove to your daughter that women don’t need men to move their furniture.
Teach your daughter how to cook kale.
Teach your daughter how to bake chocolate cake made with six sticks of butter.
Pass on your own mom’s recipe for Christmas morning coffee cake. Pass on your love of being outside.
Maybe you & your daughter both have thick thighs or wide ribcages. It’s easy to hate these non-size zero body parts. Don’t. Tell your daughter that with her legs she can run a marathon if she wants to, & her ribcage is nothing but a carrying case for strong lungs. She can scream & she can sing & she can lift up the world, if she wants.
Remind your daughter that the best thing she can do with her body is to use it to mobilize her beautiful soul.”

(text in bold print added by me for effect)

Make up · Review · Weekly Product Highlight

Weekly Product Highlight ~ Lipgloss ~ Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss~

November 1, 2015November 1, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood6 Comments

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss

I am a lipgloss lover! I like my lips to be shiny, smooth, and slick but not sticky. That is exactly what these Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Glosses provide. The shadesPeony Sheen 270 and Mirrored Plum 240 both have a slight sparkle to them without being overly glittery. The Mirrored Plum 240 shade looks more purple in the tube, but on the lips it comes off as more of a lavender. While the two shades that I have featured here are actually limited edition (sorry, not sure if they are still available 😦 ) there are several other beautiful shades to choose from, 12 shades to be exact.

What does the Maybelline Website have to say about the Color Sensational Lip Gloss:

SOPHISTICATED shine
LUXURIOUS feel
12 captivating shades

Why You’ll Love It

Fall in love with color, all over again:
• Sophisticated color and shine from pure pigments
• Luxurious feel from nourishing honey nectar

• 12 captivating shades

For Best Results

Use the wand to apply lipgloss starting in the center of your upper lip. Work from the center to outer edges of your lips, following the contour of your mouth. Then glide across the entire bottom lip.

Flab to FAB · Health/ Fitness

Healthy Eating…It Is Not Easy!

October 31, 2015October 31, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

Continue along with me on my journey from Flab to Fab.

I am going to be honest… I have had a really hard time with eating right this week. Obviously making the transition from stay at home mom to working mom has been (and will be) a work in progress. I have been getting up early to exercise and always make my lunch the night before to bring into work. Since I have been using my crock pot to have dinner ready as soon as I get home from work, it has also been a lot easier to prevent myself from unnecessary after work snacking. If I plan out and control my meals, I have usually been successful. I know that I cannot be successful 100% of the time. I do want to be successful 100% of the time, but let’s be honest, it isn’t realistic. I have been letting myself have one or two “treats/cheats” a week, and for the most part I have been really good at sticking to my healthy eating plan.

So what is my problem this week?!
Halloween candy is my kryptonite. Who am I kidding, candy in general is my weakness. I love kitkats and twix, and reeses pieces and pb cups, oh and don’t forget about skittles…
While I haven’t purchased any Halloween candy myself, we have gone to a few different Halloween activities where my kids have gotten candy. They have been kind enough to share it with me.

As you may remember, I am a “food addict”. As with all addictions, it all starts with the first piece…if I can just resist that first piece…why can’t I just resist that first piece?! It really is all about that first piece! Once I have eaten one, it just tastes so good, and it leads to another and then another. See what I mean, addict. Then comes the feelings of regret and guilt…does that happen to you too? I seriously hate it!

So, what am I going to do about this?
Well, for now, I am going to forgive myself for messing up this week, and I am making a conscious decision to make the right food choices in the upcoming week.