HUGE Ulta and Walmart Haul: Beauty, Skincare, Haircare and More!

So on Monday Briam and I went to Ulta and Walmart and we picked out some birthday goodies for me! I bought some, he bought some, Ulta gave me a mascara... You know, the usual. Anyways, I filmed a haul video for you to watch down below because that's always more fun and entertaining, in my opinion! I hope you guys enjoy the video and let me know if you see any products that you've tried and let me know how they work!! P.S - If it's close to being your birthday, sign up at Ulta.com to receive a birthday coupon for awesome goodies! Nothing is better than free makeup!

Don't mind the iPhone pictures... It was the only available camera at the time! 

Real Housewives of Orange County: Showdown at the Hoedown

Because I'm such a huge Housewives fan, I decided to add a series, I guess you could call it, of posts about each episode I watch and my feelings about it. I don't watch all of the housewives, but I am quite fond of RHOC, RHONY, RHOBH, RHONJ, and RHOM. Sorry Atlanta. Nene was the only one worth watching on that show anyways... 

So moving on! On Monday, episode 6 of the RHOC aired and it was pretty drama filled. I didn't really expect for a majority of it to be at Heather's hoedown. And after last weeks drama filled ending over a stupid chair, come on ladies, it just flowed over into this episode. Beside New Jersey, I feel that the OC has some of the most outrageous drama. For real. Vicki and Tamara don't play. 

We start the episode with Heather discussing with her husband Terry the details of their hoedown party which then turns into a recount of the chair fight. I personally feel that Heather is over exaggerating the situation and I highly doubt that Shannon was yelling from the entire way from the bathroom to the table. You even see a clip of her walking calmly, but a bit concerned. But she wasn't yelling. Also, Shannon wasn't the one who kept going on and on about it, Heather was. Which is what prompted the comment from Shannon, "If it's so important to you..." Sometimes I feel as if Heather needs to paint herself in a positive light rather than admitting when she's wrong.

Photo from Eonline! via BravoTV.com

Moving right along, we see Vicki and her daughter Brianna having lunch together discussing Brianna eventually move to Oklahoma. Now I understand that the military is moving their family, which I totally support, but I personally would never want to live there. So I understand that point of Vicki's perspective. But what I wish that Vicki would see id that this is the perfect time for her to be able to have the life that she wants. She can date Brooks freely and openly, she can do whatever she wants and not have to worry about pissing off her family. She can still make trips to see them, so she's not exactly losing them. 

Pretty much from here on out was the hoedown. I really enjoyed the theme, especially on a pile of dirt, way to work it Heather! And Terry got his onion rings! How exciting. I really feel that Tamara is a very large instigator. First she starts out by giving advice to Lizzie about Vicki. Telling her to stand up to her and what not. I don't believe that what she was saying will be any help to Lizzie. If Vicki likes her great, if not, that's fine too. You don't to prove yourself to anyone. That's the advice Tamara should've given to Lizzie.

Photo from AOL.com

I still don't understand how Shannon and Vicki were so late. And no, Heather didn't say anything to Vicki because, well, Vicki's always late and I think Heather's used to it. Not that that's an excuse, but that seems to be how their friendship works. I think Shannon knew she was going to be late and didn't tell Heather, David, Shannon's husband, said, "I was ready at 12:30 like you told me to be." The party was at 12, Shannon definitely knew. I do agree with Heather, about the prior commitments, and how Shannon should've informed her that they were going to be late. Family comes first, that's always accepted and understood.

Photo from BravoTV.com 

And OMGoodness can we talk about David's comments to Heather when she was getting on the mechanical bull! Holy hell. Spread your legs! Ride it baby! What. Ew. Stop. Poor Shannon. First the tequila shot girl, now Heather. No wonder she needs to drink to love her husband... But really though, I'm so disappointed in Heather and I hope this come out in the future. Heather told the operator to turn it up and he did. SHe's also heard in the background saying yeah when asked, "Turned it way up?" And then she lies about it when Tamara gets hurt and has to leave to get her arm checked out! Bitch. Like who does that! Be honest. She's all about honest yet here she is lying about something that was an accident! And then there's a clear shot of her guilty face as Tamara and Eddie are leaving the hoedown. She knows what she did. Hopefully Tamara will find out too.

Photo from Eonline! via BravoTV.com

To see a full photo recap of the episode, click the link below. Also make sure to read the cast blogs, they're pretty amusing sometimes! 

Recap: Throwdown at the Hoedown

My Birthday at the Brevard Zoo!

Only becasue I have over 150+ pictures of my amazing day at the zoo, I decided it would be easier to make a picture vlog instead of making you scroll through all the pictures! I hope you guys like the pictures and don't forget to subscribe to my vlog channel! 

Check out the Brevard Zoo at http://www.brevardzoo.org

It was only $16/person for admission and it was totally worth it! If you're looking for a great and inexpensive day trip for a date or the family, this place is awesome! 

Tasty Tuesday: Agave Roasted Potatoes and Adobo Lemon Onions

The summer time is all about turning on the grill and making dinner happen outside! Last night we made a pork loin with these two delicious sides! We completely destroyed the potatoes and ate the entire package! So freaking good! And I can't even begin to tell you about the onions! It's a recipe that Briam's family uses all the time! Each time his dad grills, there are onions involved. So simple, 3 ingredients. But trust me, you'll never want to eat onions any other way again! It's the only way for me to eat an entire onion. For real. I go to town on the onions. I hope you guys had a great Memorial Day (my birthday!, this year anyway) and will try these recipes in the future! Enjoy! 

Motivational Monday: A Birthday Is A Chance To Reflect

So yesterday was my 24th birthday. Which is why I've been MIA for almost a week. Celebrations have been occurring!  But I'm back to reality. But that's also why this Motivational Monday is going up on a Tuesday. Silly me. But I wanted to talk about how I feel about birthdays today. 

Birthdays are the perfect chance to reflect on your past year. Kind of like a New Year in a way. Because to me, your birthday is your true new year. You can look back on you past year and see what you've accomplished and what you want to accomplish moving forward. Regardless of how your past year was, you need to accept it as a stepping stone. Maybe it was the worst year of your life thus far. Okay, so now take that motivation and kick ass this year. Maybe last year was the best year of your life. Time to beat that record and set the bar even higher for the best year ever. 

Either way, use what you've learned over the past year of your life and go forward into the future head on. Maybe you need to get more organized in order to kick ass, okay, so do that. Maybe you need to buy healthier groceries to kick ass, okay, so do that. Maybe you need to refresh your wardrobe to kick ass, okay, so do that. Whatever you need to do to go kick some ass this year, GO DO THAT! 

Maybe I'll share with you all how I'm getting my business together to make my year a kick ass one. So here's to me turning 24 and making the next year of my life. 

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet & Tangy Chicken Wings and Veggie Rice

It's always great when people teach you an amazing recipe! Paula Deen always says that you should try the original recipe first, and then tweak it to fit your own tastes the next time. And that's what I've done here! One of my first roommates in college taught me her version of this recipe and I've added some different elements to make it my own! The chicken wings were so tender and the sauce made them even better. I scarfed down the rice like I had never eaten before. and Briam cleaned his plate too! Let me know if you try these recipes, I wanna know what you think!

Motivational Monday: In Due Time

I'm not one that's known for having a great deal of patience. My best example, if my appointment anywhere is at 12:30, I expect to be seen at 12:30. I get so frustrated if I have to wait. I also seriously dislike waiting for Briam to finish getting ready if I'm already done. And then if we're walking out the door and he decides to do something...ugghhh. Come on now. 

But it's something I'm working on. It's a character flaw that I have and I honestly recognize it. But patience is something that we all need to have. Some people are born with this natural ability to endure so much. Some people like myself, are not. We have to work everyday on being patient and finding our center of calm. This is important in day to day life and when it comes to your future and accomplishing your dreams. 

My dad always told me that the last thing I should be in my life is a quitter. He would say, "Quitters don't win, they quit." And all through my childhood I was dead set on never quitting. I worked my ass off at everything I did. I was a dancer for 11 years, and by the time I was ready to graduate high school, I was competing in solo competitions on a national level. I applied to 4 universities, I got into all 4. Even had a full scholarship to the private college. But for some reason something turned off in my head. I lost my drive. I became a quitter. Sorry dad.

It's been 6 years that I've been out of high school. It's about damn time that I get my groove back! If you read my last Motivational Monday post then you know that I revamped my resolutions. Well, if we're being honest here, and I hope we can be honest, I haven't begun any of my resolutions. 

So I'm taking a personal pledge right now to find the patience within my self and begin working on my resolutions. And I know for a fact that each resolutions will surely take time. So if you're ready to revamp your resolutions and get whatever issue you have in order, then join me and we can do this together! There's no reason to do anything alone. 

TMI Tag - Too Much Information: VIDEO!

So I did the TMI Tag... And man, the faces I make during the video... that honestly makes it worth watching! It was pretty fun to do, really. It made me think about certain things and made me laugh throughout most of it! Below the video will be all of the questions I answered! By the way, I tag all of you to do the tag too! Even if you turn it into a blog post version! 

TMI Tag Questions:

1: What are you wearing?
2: Ever been in love?
3: Ever had a terrible breakup?
4: How tall are you?
5: How much do you weigh?
6: Any tattoos?
7: Any piercings?
8: OTP?
9: Favorite show?
10: Favorite bands?
11: Something you miss? .
12: Favorite song?
13: How old are you?
14: Zodiac sign?
15: Quality you look for in a partner?
16: Favorite Quote?
17: Favorite actor?
18: Favorite color?
19: Loud music or soft?
20: Where do you go when you’re sad?
21: How long does it take you to shower?
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
23: Ever been in a physical fight?
24: Turn on?
25: Turn off?
26: The reason I joined Youtube?
27: Fears?
28: Last thing that made you cry?
29: Last time you said you loved someone?
30: Meaning behind your YouTube Name?
31: Last book you read?
32: The book you’re currently reading?
33: Last show you watched?
34: Last person you talked to?
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
36: Favorite food?
37: Place you want to visit?
38: Last place you were?
39: Do you have a crush?
40: Last time you kissed someone?
41: Last time you were insulted?
42: Favorite flavor of sweet?
43: What instruments do you play??
44: Favorite piece of jewelery?
45: Last sport you played?
46: Last song you sang?
47: Favorite chat up line?
48: Have you ever used it?
49: Last time you hung out with anyone?
50: Who should answer these questions next?

What's In my Purse? VIDEO

Here's The bigger part of the makeup bag video! It's my whole darn purse!! My purse is form JustFab and I absolutely love it! It's actually quite spacious and can hold so much! A Mary Poppins bag indeed! 

Don't forget to subscribe to my vlog channel too! 

Get Ready With Me: College Graduation:VIDEO!

So even though my graduation was outside, and we got rained on, and sat through a 3 hour ceremony soaking wet, I am so proud of my accomplishment! I have come a long way from where I began and my degree means so much to me. My education is something no one will every be able to take away from me. 

Dusty Rose Gold Tutorial: VIDEO!

I love rose gold anything! Watches, chains, makeup! You name it, I love it! Which is why I was inspired to do this rose gold eye makeup tutorial! The main shadow I used was from Ulta called Rose Dusk, how perfect!! 

What's In My Makeup Bag: VIDEO!

I love seeing these types of videos! I wanna know what other people keep in their makeup bags! I'm so nosy. Oh well. It's all for fun and good natured! I love that my bag is washable because I'm notorious for getting makeup everywhere! 

My Flawless Foundation Routine: VIDEO!

My skin hates me, I swear. Maybe I need to drink more lemon water. Who knows. All I do know is that when my skin is acting all cray cray and I have somewhere important to go, I use my flawless foundation routine to ensure that no one sees my whacked out skin! What are your flawless secrets? 

My Top 10 Favorite Nail Polishes! VIDEO!

From Essie to Ulta, I have been loving a variety of low-end to high-end nail polishes currently! Check them out and tell me what you think! What are your favorite colors right now? 

Candice Swanepoel Inspired Tutorial: VIDEO!

I had so much fun creating this look! I was obsessed with her pink lips and decided I had to have them! It took me 3 lips products to get the color and shine in my tutorial! I hope you all like this video and the others that I'll be putting up today too! 

Tasty Tuesday: Grilled Sides and CHOCOLATE!!!

I have to admit, these recipes are partially inspired by my stepmom. She makes the best grilled carrots and her and my dad make the best grilling team! Even if it is just for the family on the front porch. And on top of that I was kinda of jealous that my cat didn't get me anything for Mother's Day and my stepmom got these delicious chocolate covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements. You would think my cat would know how to order a present online by now... 

So anyways, last night I was in the grilling mood... And by that I mean I wanted my food to be grilled so Briam had to cook! I'm not a woman of the grill.. or fire. But he loves it so it works out for both of us. We grilled carrots, potatoes, and a giant pork loin that cam in a package so there's no recipe for that because, well, I bought it already fancied up. And with grilling season finally showing up, these recipes are perfect for a hot spring/summer night!

Motivational Monday: Beating The Odds

Most of my life I heard more than my fair share of the following phrases: You can't do that. You're not smart enough for that. Why don't you try something else. Wouldn't this be easier for you? Are you really sure you should do that? 

For real? How do you even treat someone that way? Maybe that's why I have such a hard time with commitment. Or maybe I get too committed sometimes. I don't know. Indecisiveness though, on point. And if we're being honest here, I have fallen prey to those negative comments. I believed the horrible people who told me I would never amount to anything. And it's held me back from so many things. 

I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the late night ham sandwich or all of the negative comments acting as a peanut gallery in my dreams last night but I realized this morning that shits gotta change. Sorry for the naughty word but really though.

So today, May 12, 2014, I'm creating, starting, and will be documenting my goals for the rest of the year. I guess you could say that I'm "restarting" my New Year's resolutions. So let's take a look back and see if I've accomplished anything that I origannly planned to do this year. (Click this link to see my NYR post)

1. I've really tried to be a better person. That's kinda hard to document, but it's always noticeable when you're nicer to others. You tend to feel really good inside.

2. I am not fit. Nor am I healthy. So, gotta work on that one.

3. I GRADUATED COLLEGE! YAY. I accomplished something and I'm damn proud of it.

4. I am not financially stable yet and I have a butt load of loans coming in 6 months.... So gotta work on that too.

But I have some new ideas, goals if you will. So let's call redo and make with a new resolutions list!

So yeah. Let's do it. Share your mid-May resolutions and let's call redo for each other! 

Help me work on #2! 

Check out my Chloe+Isabel online boutique!

 And visit my other blog, Dreaming of Success, to learn more about the Empower Network!

Tasty Tuesday: Bacon Veggie Quiche

I am so proud of myself, guys! I made my very first quiche all on my own! It was so freaking good and briam and I devoured most of it! Had to save a small piece for my lunch today! I was so nervous to make a quiche becomes it is quite an intimidating dish. But it was so easy! The only thing was that it was a bit time consuming. Good thing I started early. Quiches are great because you can really put anything you want in it! All veggies, all meat, any veggie and meat mixture! So many combinations! I hope you guys enjoy this recipe and let me know if you try it or even make your own quiche! 

Check out my inspirational blog: Dreaming of Success

Motivational Monday: Graduation

So I graduated from college on Friday. Yep, I'm officially a college grad. I still can't wrap my head around it. It seems so unreal. I don't need to buy school supplies or textbooks anymore. I don't need to worry about tuition or other college fees. I do have a large sum of loans coming in 6 months but that's for another day. It's taken me 6 years and 5 majors later to accomplish this. And that's something that I want you to take away from this post. No matter how long something takes you, if you truly want it, go for it. 

Part of me felt defeated because I didn't graduate when most of my friends did, after the normal 4 year program. But most of my friends didn't change their major 5 times. I went through all of these: International Business, Biochemistry, Chemical Science, Hospitality, and Organizational Management. And that's what I ended with. Business. Business is probably one of the only subjects that I truly enjoy with all my heart. So now I have a B.A.S in Organizational Management. 

This post applies to many aspects of your life, not just education. Obviously I personally believe that education is very important, but everyone had their own opinions. But this can apply to your career, losing weight, your relationship, any home project, or any life project. 

I had my brief moment of feeling worthless, but that moved on quickly. I cried when I was on my way home with Briam after graduation. I looked down at my degree and just said "I worked so hard for this." And then proceeded to sob for the next 15 minutes until I was home and eating Chinese food. And then on Sunday I laid my head on Briam's chest and cried. All I could say was "I just don't know."

And I still don't know. What I do know though is that I'm going to figure out. 

So go forth, do what makes you, and do what's right for your life. 

Thirsty Thursday: Cinco de Mayo Drink Recipes!

What's a Cinco de Mayo party without some holiday appropriate drinks? For this Thirsty Thursday, I made not 1 but 2 drink recipes that are perfect for a Cinco de Mayo party and great for the rest of the summer! Especially the second recipe! Check out 'em out and get to bartending! 

You could always take the tequila out of each drink and make the virgin drinks for our underage friends and family! However your make these drinks enjoy and be safe!