..a few of my favorite things (part two)

Hello Loves!

As stated in my previous post regarding my favorite items, I would post a part TWO because I simply could not post them all in one post! Without further or do, I bring to you .... My Second List!

Urban Decay Naked Pallet

Everybody wants to look good NAKED! Far from a group of boring beige shadows, Naked Palette's long, lean, seductive case is packed with TWELVE gorgeous bronze-hued neutrals, and includes Urban Decay's pro-quality Good Karma Shadow Brush. "You can look great NAKED!" I love the shade names! delicate champagnes to dark, gritty gunmetal, with names like Dark horse, Virgin and Buck. Urban Decay also included a range of textures: everything from glitter to shimmer to matte.

This is a shadow palette EVERYONE can use, and a truly spectacular gift. Experiment with office-appropriate neutrals, summertime bronzy looks, or sultry smokiness. With such a diversity of neutral shades at your fingertips, there's more to neutral than meets the eye.

Tangle Free!



I have two of these a black and purple. I have natural hair so it's the best things I've found to detangle my hair without pulling out my hair at the same time!

I bought it from Sally's for $9.99 best deal ever!! Would highly recommend it! The only down fall is after a while the bristles do tend to bend, but that can also be to the thickness of my hair!






Beauty Blender Sponge

I cannot even begin to explain how amazing this little sponge is. It's so awesome & cute I could cuddle with it! (JUST KIDDING.. but it's great).

I've bought knock off versions at TJ MAXX & they even sell them at Wal Mart now too, but none of them come close to the real thang. Simply soak your BB in water, squeeze all excess water out & you're ready to go. Apply concealer & gently dab BB repeatedly over to blend.

Most sponges will absorb up all your make up resulting in uneven application. Because of the soft lightweight material & dampness of the BB sponge, makeup repels off the sponge & directly onto your skin.

 Concealer brushes can do the same as flat foundation brushes mentioned above (streaky lines.. ain't nobody got time for that).





Too Faced Brow Envy Kit

Hands down, one of my favorite products! I never worried about my eyebrows before, until seeing a beauty guru on YouTube talking about her eye brow kit, and so after a quick search under my favorite make up brand (too faced, duh) I came across this baby, and never looked back! It has every thing you need for the most uhMAYzing eye brows ever! to pluck those few over grown strands, to fill in the inner point, or what ever it is you may need- this kit has got you covered!! this complete kit is filled with all the essentials needed to shape, define, fill, and set brows. Includes tweezers, three stencils, angled brush and brow comb. With this kit you can customize color with two shades of brow powder and hold brows in place with the conditioning wax.


MAC Pigment

I would choose a MAC pigment over an eye shadow any day, any week, and any life time. These pigments are definitely one of the few things I can't live without. My very first pigment from MAC is Shimmer-Time and it's a really pretty peachy, white color. It works great as a highlight color, for the inner corners or for the eyelid if youre really going for a ore subtle natural look.

There is just so much product in the canister as well! It is definitely worth the money especially if you are very avid in using and perhaps, even just collecting makeup. And using it with water really makes the color pop-it really is an amazing, versatile product that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

As for using the pigment, it can get messy. What I usually do is I take off the little clear covering that covers the pigment and use my brush to pick up the pigment off of it instead of dipping my brush straight into the pigment. That way I have more control over how much product I use and it doesn't waste anything.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35

This is definitely one of my favorite creams. It feels amazing on my skin. I use it every day. The only negative I can think of is it's price.. kinda pricey for the budget I have. I usually spend more money on products I like Mascara or foundation.

A five-in-one set secret for achieving flawless skin on camera and beyond. This multitasking tinted cream formula with SPF 35 hydrates, primes, perfects, controls oil, and protects for flawless skin on set and beyond. Formulated with emollients and optical pearl pigments, this BB Cream gives skin a glowing, ethereal look and provides a hydrating veil for the complexion to maintain moisture on the surface of the skin. With its ultra-smoothing finish, it instantly re-texturizes to create a smooth canvas. Especially when worn under foundation, it enhances the wear of makeup for up to eight hours. Ideal even for oily complexions, this expert formula with UVA/UVB protection helps inhibit oil to prevent the complexion from getting shiny throughout the day without the typical chalky matte finish.


L'Oréal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner


My pros: It smells great! It leaves my hair nice and smooth, tangle free when I get out of the shower. My cons: It's a pretty small size, and I hate the dispenser... It's as if I have to squeeze the bottle with alllll my might to get a bit out..

I shower every single day, and wash my hair with shampoo, conditioner, and a few rinse products every day as well. I have a few Pantene weekly treatments I use too. This means my hair was on oil overload with producing because it had to compensate for the amount of stripping I was doing.

Therefore, within the first few days of using this product, my scalp wasn't aware of the new products I was using, and still use to producing the amount of oil it has been. So it took a few days to get used to to say the least...

However after about a week, I was so very pleased with the results. My hair felt amazing, looked amazing, and wasn't too soft/silky to the point where it didn't stay in the places I styled it in. With a bit of hair spray, and a few pumps of my Pantene Voluminous Pump, My volume lasted way into the evening from the morning shower I took the same day.

I highly recommend it-- just be patient and wait a full week before making your decision, and be sure to do the right application and make sure you are getting your Full head covered. Do not lather, as lathering is bad.


MAKE UP FOR EVER Sculpting Kit

i love these Sculpting Kits. These kits are comprised of two complimentary micronized powders that you can use to contour, sculpt and correct/change a face shape. In my opinion, contouring is an art unto itself, and there really are a limited amount of products out there that concentrate on this specific area of application.

I own all of the sculpting kits and i use them each and every day. You can create a very soft sculpted appearance or you can use these powders to create a more intense and deeply chiseled contour. These kits save me a good amount of time. Why? Because the powder is so finely milled, wonderfully pigmented and easy to blend. Even the heaviest handed individual would find it hard to apply too much of this product: It's so wonderfully lightweight and blend-able.

The only possible drawback, it's a bit pricey: $45. In my opinion, it's worth every penny. I have yet to come by a Make Up For Ever product that wasn't phenomenal.




Matte Long Lasting Lipsticks


Dupe of MAC Lipsticks? Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss $4.97 !!! I picked this up at CVS the other day after making Sam wait a half hour in the car for me on a "quick" makeup run. And I have to say, I am very impressed with this lipstick-- creamy & yet matte, stays on ALL DAY. No touch ups needed. I see myself purchasing the whole collection in the near future. Double snaps! to Rimmel & Kate Moss.





Thank you all for reading my posts! I truly appreciate it!

Be their voice; Child Abuse Awareness Month

One Person Can Make A DIFFERENCE.

i have always been active in spreading child abuse awareness. I have always considered it the absolute least any of us can do. I wanted to re-post this post, as I want to keep it at the forefront of all our minds especially during this holidays season of hope and faith. I want to inform you all on my take, my experience, how you can help, excruciating statistics, and some graphic images.

Warning: 100% chance this post will have you in tears. I am sorry to put a damper on things but talking about it is one way of combating it.


Children are innocent and precious, they are also small and defenseless. Adults have the responsibility to protect them, it is just a given responsibility you cannot say no to. But what happens when the adults in a child's life do not live up to their role? If the child is being abused or neglected, the consequences of not speaking up are extremely harmful, sometimes fatal. How can one live with that possibility on their mind?

Children are our future. Every single child deserves a good start in life. Prevention is a shared responsibility. All it takes is one more person to care, and all it takes for families to remain healthy is for people to take that ONE step! Ordinary people like YOU can change the world- because EVERY CHILD MATTERS. Being a parent is the toughest job on the planet; so try to offer your support to people who are raising children... when you see a stranger having a hard time with their child, do not look away-- smile and say, "I have been there too, it only gets easier." Because IT DOES!! Our communities are the web binding the families together, and to each other. Small steps can make a HUGE difference!

Adults need to speak up when witnessing or suspecting abuse is going on in the home of a child. Because children aren't going to do it themselves. Out of fear or misplaced loyalty to their abuser, a child often won't speak up at all- even when they're going through the most horrible pain imaginable.... why? well, they often don't speak up because they are afraid of losing the love of their abuser or the possibility of bringing more pain onto themselves.

there are many children who do try to 'run away' or get out, but are unsuccessful and only get themselves into even more pain to come...this ultimately leads them to not seeing a point in trying at all.

Of the numerous child abuse cases, about 72% involve *someone* who knew what was happening. In some of these cases, you will hear adults say "I didn't realize how bad it was" or even, "I didn't want to get involved." With every nightly news report telling of another child raped, killed or seriously injured by a person that was supposed to be responsible for them- how can anyone stay silent if they expect a child is being abused?



An abused child is damaged for life, abuse causes scars that will never go away. There are also many cases where an abused child turns into an abuser themselves once they become adults- which only serves to repeat the cycle- thus causing another generation of broken hearts and scarred minds.

It is inexcusable to allow it to continue if an adult knows of any abuse or neglect. A child may never be able to get over the fact that he or she was abused, they may carry the scars through a lifetime- but they will remember that someone cared enough to speak up and try to protect them. And, if you know of abuse and don't speak up- the possible fatal consequences to that child may be more than a conscience can handle.

While the saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is often repeated, it also takes a village to protect a child. If you notice a friend or family member is under a lot of stress or making bad choices and they're increasingly short-tempered with their child or not being as attentive to their child's needs as they should, say something.

If you know for a fact that someone you know is abusing their child, speak up!!!!!!!!!

call the proper authorities anonymously if you must. When it comes to a child's safety and well-being, even their life- don't be afraid to speak up or afraid to "get involved." Sometimes a child is saved from further abuse or neglect because someone chose to get involved, and they manage to go on and live normal, happy lives.

And then there are the children who have died needlessly, simply because someone was too afraid to get involved. Even if you happen to witness abuse while out running errands and it's a child you don't know- call the police, get a tag number and physical description of an adult- call Child Protective Services in your city

Here is some food for thought:

[ 1 ] Every day, about four children die in the U.S. because of abuse or neglect, most of them babies or toddlers.

[ 2 ] For every incident of child abuse or neglect that gets reported, it’s estimated that two others go unreported.-- think about it!

[ 3 ] A lot of people told me im an idiot for creating a petition on neglect. little do they fucken know, that neglect is by far the most common form of child abuse, accounting for more than 60% of all cases.


[ 4 ] Physical abuse accounts for between 15% and 20% of documented child abuse cases each year.


[ 5 ] 8 out of 10 sexual abusers are someone in the family or someone the child knows. You cannot trust ANYONE around your children, it's almost ALWAYS the one person you'd NEVER think would be possible.


[ 6 ] Of all prison inmates, 84% were abused as children. Same goes for drug and alcohol addicts and sex addicted female.

EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE WRONG ABOUT A CHILD ABUSE Situation, REPORT IT-- HAVE IT INVESTIGATED, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE!?

Do it for the children.

  

http://www.preventchildabuseillinois.org/

It's important that society no longer tolerates or turns a blind eye to abuse, if we don't protect the children, who will?

speak up, get up & do!


xox rica

green jello theory xx

i have been a writer my entire life. i try to consistently behave with as much class, style & humor in every situation, but as always we as human beings have a tendency to slip off the path we want.. regardless it is safe to assume that no matter where i go, no matter who i meet, i find inspiration in everything. the work place is no exception to this.

i observe what is around me at all times, because i think it's important to be weary and expect the worse while hoping for the best; i try to interpret the deeper meaning behind what I see. popular society tells us that most of us are fuck ups. losers, good-for-nothing sluts.. & because following what every one else thinks is the safe thing to do, many people blindly support this fact and immediately assume there is no deeper meaning to a girl who hasn't been able to hold a job lately. this is very wrong in many more ways than one.. but rather than getting into those reasons i have formulated something a bit more easier to interpret.

Fellow "fuck ups, losers, and sluts", get ready for a theory that would probably make a licensed psychologist roll his/her eyes...

the most inner layer of a person involves the morals, or the system of ethics which is unique to each person. Some girls can’t even get naked in front of their own boyfriend much less an entire crowd of strangers. I am thankful to be capable of both... sort of. not in the way you think.. there's been times when i've had to do photo shoots that made me wear little to nothing and i have no problem doing so in front of the entire group of people on the set. I just think in today's society, that is considered OK.

The next layer is the self esteem, which has to be strong in order to endure the pain inflicted by the outside world. it is hard, like an egg, but can be cracked if the correct pressure is applied. this is the reason people make bad decisions… their morals leak and they become hollow inside. they just stop caring...

On top of self esteem, there is the layer in which love, hate, and all of the emotions thrive. This is a very active area of someone’s mind, with many ups and downs and twists and turns. It is very honest, but gets filtered through the fourth layer......which is our invisible screen. This layer weeds out what is worth the trouble and what isn’t. The meaningless, stupid aspects of life are too big to slip through, like waiting longer than normal at a red light or overpaying at a restaurant. Sure they get your attention when they bounce off your defenses, but it’s nothing compared to the real issues in life. Getting married. A DWI. Receiving a thoughtful gift. These things slip right through the barrier and begin reeking havoc on your emotions to the point where they are purged in the form of tears, laughter, complete bullshit, etc.. Is there anyone out there who is truly honest with him or herself? Probably not. I make an attempt to be as true as possible, but I often find myself full of doubt. This doubt is something I never display on my most outer level, or how I present myself to the world.  This is also true for the most beautiful girls. They get so caught up with being hot that the slightest rejection from any person blows their screen into a thousand pieces. This leads to feelings of vulnerability that are very dangerous to the psyche.

To combat this, I picture the words of every person stuck in a big blob of green jello.yep, jello.

Compliments. Insults. Negativity. All of it is incapable of influencing my bottom layers and that is how I have survived this world for so long. I do not let it consume me. Of course I also push away most people who attempt to get close to me, but that is not entirely because of this green jello thing. Anger has been overwhelming my emotions lately and it’s about time I got rid of it. Crying doesn’t work. Neither does punching stuff or venting to a friend. I am able to weaken the emotion, however, by writing. When I am putting words together, nothing about the world is ugly. In fact, it is truly breathtaking.

I guess this is my way of saying I will never, ever stop writing. I can write about whatever I want whenever I want and the more people I piss off, the stronger I become.

Bring it on.

Reduce Hate (Start with yourself)

So I've been on Facebook quite a bit lately, and I've been seeing so many different friends of mine saying how much they hate themselves, their lives, their family... And while I am sure all of them have their own version of each reason, I pretty much summed it up to a few reasons why:

rejection. love. acceptance. hitting life's bottom.

(A) Rejection We all must face rejection in our lives. Rejection from members of the opposite sex, rejection over a promotion at work, rejection at a life that does not measure up to the big plans we once had. Rejection will come, but we must not let it consume us. I have learned in the past that when rejection comes, it is not the end of the world. Sure, there are times I am depressed for a little while and there is a lot of self-examination, but over time I learned that rejection is not the end, but the beginning of something else.. something so much more beautiful.

(B): Love and Acceptance It is human nature to want to feel the love and acceptance of others, but when it doesn't happen in our timetable, we often turn to ourselves as the source of our failure. When someone does not accept or show love to you, don't hate yourself for it. Rather, take time to consider the situation surrounding why you were not accepted or loved. In the end, you will realize (like I did) that not everyone is going to accept you and love you. If you stay true to who you are, sooner or later you will find the love and acceptance you are looking for.

(C): Hitting Rock Bottom Have you ever felt like you've hit bottom? I'm talking about those times when you say, "If I only had one break, I know I could get out of this situation I am in." I can't help but think of Eminem's song titled "Rock Bottom." At one time in my life, that song spoke to me clearer than I spoke to myself. I know I have had quite a few times like that in my life and it is not a nice feeling. Many times when we are at rock bottom, we become extremely depressed that can lead to self-pity and self-pity can cause us to say, "I hate myself" for not being able to get out of this... funk. That funk can lead us to a downward spiral of self destruction before we even realize it.

Most of the time when we hit rock bottom it is by circumstances of our own making. In our minds, we feel that since we are the one who caused the problem we should be the ones to get ourselves out of the problem. When things continue to spiral downward, we start to play the blame game which always leads to wrong conclusions about ourselves. In the end, we start to hate ourselves for allowing things to get this bad. When you hit bottom, don't hate yourself. Swallow your pride and seek help ...don't be in denial. Help should always be welcomes with a warm embrace.

Hold yourself accountable for what you did to get to this point.

I know my strengths and weaknesses, and GUESS WHAT? I am going to make more mistakes, but I can't let the mistakes get to me. I know it sounds simple and it will take work, but when you make a mistake, learn from it and move on.

The words "I hate myself" by themselves hold no power over us, but the problem starts when you begin to believe the words. There were times I hated who I was and wanted to change myself so I could be like everyone else. Then one day I realized that I am not like everyone else. I am me, so I set out to be me and I soon found that I really love who I am. I did not take the things that happened to me so personally anymore. I do not know if it will work for you, but isn't it worth a shot?

fall is in the air .. xx

Fall is my favorite season.

It's very similar to Spring, just instead of cold easing into warm, it's warm easing into cold. In most cases, Summer puts up a good fight at the end trying to stay longer throughout the days.. but Winter truly gets its revenge in Spring when we should be expecting warm sun and get sun but no warmth.. Springs lately have been so cold it is as if it goes from Winter to Summer. However, Fall is beautiful. It has such a beautiful transformation. The changing leave colors are amazing to see. Then by the time the snow hits, the trees are naked and it looks a whole lot cleaner, i think any way.

Pumpkin Flavored.. EVERYTHING !!

Is it really a surprise that when I say I love fall that that also means I love pumpkin spice anything? I also loveee cider mills.  You can go to cider mills to pick apples or pumpkins. Soon enough we can also head through corn mazes and haunted houses, and munch on caramel apples and donuts. :) To be honest, anything pumpkin makes me drool. Pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin cream cheese and bagels from Trader Joe's, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin Jamba juice smoothies, everything pumpkin is sooo delish!








Fall Colors

I love the colors of autumn, the smell of burning leaves that people make a bonfire of in their gardens, the crunchy sound the leaves make when you walk through them and when you get those beautiful Indian summer days at times in the autum

Farmer's Markets.

I LOVE famers markets! One went on last weekend in the town next to me, and I just love being able to take advantage of some fresh (and cheap) summer harvest fruits and vegetables. It's a great way to eat healthy, maybe grab some for home for a future dinner or salad, and not to mention it’s also a great way to support the local farm industry as well. 

Sonny Acres.

Yes it's mainly for children, but one of  my favorite things to do there is the haunted hay ride. It's best to go at night time, on a full moon w/cloudy skies to add to the suspense. i also loooove Halloween decor. i love glitter!. my pumpkins-- i pick the medium sized roundest ones & transform them into amazingly glittery masterpieces lol

Football Season !!

well, not for everyone but football is defff my favorite season so of course im going to plan a great event around it. ot has been so long since I have seen them at soldier field nut  must this season.

Apple Orchards!

I have never been to one in my life, but I am so excited to do so! just imagine . We had so much fun having competitions on who can get the most apples, we got apple cidar for soooo cheap, and drank hot chocolate like it's going out of style-- We took soo many pictures and I just am so excited to get them into my scrapbook.

Fall Fashion 

another favorite of mine is deff the fashion this season. the sweater, vests, scarfs, boots, uggs, Oh my I can go on and on :)

Arent these booties to. die. for? They were on sale at this new shoe port on north avenue in villa park for only $39 !!! Since I bought 4 pairs of shoes, I got 25% off. This is legit my new favorite show store next to shoedazzle.com online ;-)

As much as I love bathing suits and shorts, it is nice to get back into cozy sweaters and scarves. It's so fun to see other fall outfit ideas to see what I can come up with out of my closet. I love the knee high boots, the scarves, and the purses. I love wearing sweater dresses and mittens; leopard print, plaid, patterns.. dark purples and reds, oranges and browns; penny loafers, camel coats, longer hemline.. All of it!




the boots, with tight pants, and long knit sweaters. I love adding layers. Big oversized purses, and long loose waves. IDEAL for fall. 

These two images are perfect examples of ideal fall wear


I also love collecting fall leaves, I store them in my big dictionary so they are flattened and then use them in an envelope to look at. i love baking fall desserts, brewing cider, raking leaves into big piles and jumping into them ;]

remembering memorial day < 3

Happy Memorial Day !!!!!!

I'm usually all fun and games, but I want to take a moment here to write about the true meaning of Memorial Day.

First, if any veteran, or current soldier is reading this, thank you VERY much for your service to our country. Thank you for putting yourself in the line of fire, for millions of Americans, so we all can have the freedoms we have.

To some, this weekend is nothing more than liquidation sales, BBQ's, and just another three day weekend. But do we really remember WHY we fly the flag out in the front yard? WHY we're even celebrating in the first place?

It's not really a happy holiday. It's to remember those who have died serving in the armed forces for OUR freedom. The men and women who have spent months away from their families to stay up for hours patrolling the jungles of Vietnam or streets of Baghdad, only to die in battle.

For what purpose? To keep us free.

We celebrate it to not mourn their death, but celebrate their life.

Take time this year to thank a Veteran. Or if you happen to see a memorial for a fallen soldier, pay some respects to it. They're the reason we're still the country we are.

steady on my grind

a true independent woman n.e.v.e.r stops. not for one second. she is steady on her grind.

i am all too familiar when it comes to being on my grind. i have always had to be. i work hard for the money i get, and for my possessions. I feel very blessed to have walked various different roads of life thus far. i have had the chance to work with & for some of the most amazing people, of all class and stature. i have gained so much experience that is very beneficial to me career wise as well as personally. Not to mention how great it feels to enjoy the feeling of success. 

Unfortunately there will be people around you who want you to fail. in fact, they will do every thing in their power to do so just to make sure you do not exceed them. i've dealt with it first hand. "how can someone else's success bring pain?" You have to keep moving though. you have made the decision to get on that road, put the keys in the ignition, and start the car and go. It is your foot on the accelerator. You determine how fast you want to go. The question is – how soon do you want to get there?

If you have something you want to do or somewhere you want to go then hit the gas, pedal to the  medal. just.... make sure you have extra gas in the tank. ;] Make sure you have your course plotted and planned and an alternate route in case there is trouble along the way. When you have done all that – smash on the accelerator.

It is the only way you are going to get where you want to go before everyone else.... with time to spare. i'm sure all my readers have been able to tell that im from chicago, with out having read my profile of course. the way i talk, act, write, and most of all the way i hustle all have ChiCaGo written all over it. lol

I most definitely think it takes a unique mindset. you have to plan while others are playing. you have to study while every one else is partying. you have to decide when every one else is delaying. you have to prepare when others are day dreaming. you must begin when every one else is procrastinating. you must be persistent when others are giving up. you must listen while others are speaking. you must save when others are wasting.

"if you had one shot; one opportunity to seize everything that you ever wanted; one moment--would you capture it or just let it slip?" 

there are times in life where you make a decision to move and make money moves or stay where you are and let the moment slip. The challenge to this scenario is that we don't usually see the opportunity until it has... well, passed. believe it or not, your brain is powerful enough to take in a lot of info if you teach is to filter out the negative!