Fitness update, Argan oil and Maracuja oil.

Happy Monday! The weather here in NYC has cooled down quite a bit over the past few weeks and I'm loving every minute of it. To celebrate an early autumn savor what's left of summer I scheduled a few days off from work so this is my last five day work week till the second week of September. Freaking sweet indeed. I started my fourth week of ChaLEAN Extreme today. My oh my how time flies! I'm due to "graduate" to the Push Phase next week but since these just arrived late last week I'm going to wait a week or two before starting the Push Phase. There are two "rest" days built into the program but instead of resting I like to switch things up with P90X2 Balance + Power, Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones or Extreme Shed & Shred or another round of ChaLEAN's Burn Intervals. There's a lot of debate out there regarding the benefit of "rest" days but I really don't feel like I need the break. I feel great. Physically and mentally. The fact that I've been eating really clean lately helps. Big time. I try and follow the 80/20 diet though an 85/15 or 90/10 ratio is what I strive for. Here's some fitness and nutritional motivation:

I received this deluxe size sample of Josie Maran's Argan Oil Light last week w/my Sephora order.

The bottle may look small (.16 fl. oz.) but a little oil goes a long way. As an added bonus you can refill the bottle as it's the perfect size for travel. I LOVE this stuff. It made my skin feel super soft and hydrated. I'm interested to see how much heavier Josie's Argan Oil is. As luck would have it Tarte's Friends & Family sale is on so I took advantage of the 30% discount and ordered the Pure Maracuja Oil and the Maracuja C-brighter Eye Treatment. Score! My plan is to use the Argan oil for a month and then switch to the Maracuja oil. That should give each product enough time to work its magic! Have you tried both oils? Do you prefer one over the other and if so, why?

Throwback Thursday & My Current Makeup Routine.

I can't believe August is already here! Autumn's right around the corner though you'd think it was in full swing walking through the stores these days. I'm ok with that. Really. I actually love it because Autumn's my favorite season. A post/posts to follow on that topic in the future but moving right along to tonight's post I wanted to show you guys one of my favorite pair of earrings from the past along with the products I've been reaching for pretty much every day when doing my makeup.

Remember these earrings? I do! Received my pair sometime in the early '90's when I was in (gasp!) high school. I remember these were sold in silver (white gold?) or yellow gold and you also had a choice of the hoop shape and stone colors. Mine are yellow gold, oval shaped and each hoop has a clear/pink/lavender crystal. Since I'm pretty careful handling/storing my jewelry these hoops have really stood the test of time considering how much I still wear them. I would looove to find a pair with a big round hoop and clear crystals...

If the day of the week ends in "day" it's pretty much a given that I'm running late for work. Good thing I only work Monday-Friday because the weekend really gives me time to play with my makeup and experiment w/new looks. I like to keep things simple on weekdays so I separate these products from the general population to save time. No guessing means no searching and digging.
Primer: Revlon Photoready gives me a nice smooth canvas for my foundation. I posted a pic on Twitter of the Benefit Stay Flawless primer I recently purchased but I had to put it on the back burner after I "discovered" the Photoready while sorting thru my makeup over the weekend.
Foundation: As you can see I'm STILL using the Giorgio Armani foundation (review here) which has around 2 or 3 uses left. Hallelujah.
Concealer: To cover blemishes and dark spots I use Maybelline's Super Stay 24 hr. Concealer in Medium Beige. The formula's great and even though the shade is a bit too dark for my NC25 skin it's not visible once you blend it out.
Powder: Almay's Nearly Naked Loose Powder in Light/Medium is the perfect shade for me. The price is right too!
Blush: Milani Baked Powder Blush in Luminoso or MAC's Extra Dimension Blush in Bareness. Luminoso is a gorgeous shimmery peachy coral and Bareness is a lovely nude with a sheen that just makes your skin glow. My Ecotools brush blends everything out like a dream.
Highlighter: My new Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminzer in Rose Gold Shimmer gives my skin some added glow.
Eyeshadow: MAC's Painterly Paint Pot (reviewed here) preps my lids for a swipe of Stila Kitten (frosty champagne) or Urban Decay Sin (frosty beige) or Urban Decay YDK (frosty bronze) or NYX Flamingo (plummy gold).
Brows: MAC's Beguile Brow Set fills in and sets in one shot. None of MAC's current shades match my brows perfectly so I settled and picked this one up though I won't be repurchasing it. The BEST shade for me was Mink (part of the Emmanuel Ungaro collection a few years ago) and I used up 2 tubes of it. I think I may actually have another backup tube in my stash. Fingers crossed!
Lips: I absolutely LOVE Revlon's lip butters. The shades, the formula, the price (especially when they're on BOGO)...a couple of swipes of Cotton Candy or Peach Parfait and Voila! Out the door I go!

T.F.I.(almost)F.!!!