Find Me

Lots of changes in my world off line have led to changes online. 

I frequently share tips of my own and some of my favorite finds from across the industry on twitter.  Join me there @amariebeauty.

If you are looking for my tips and product revelations please come and read my weekly feature, American Beauty, on USALoveList.com.  Every Thursday I share some of the latest and greatest product finds paired with some useful information. 

I am going to bring some new posts on and continue Tip Off Tuesday right here on AmarieBeauty as well. 

What I Am Doing On USA Love List | Update

I joined USALoveList.com as the contributing Beauty Editor earlier this year.  I love it!  It is a great thing to be part of team.  We recently went to the Bloggy Boot Camp Conference in Philly and got to know each other better.  Our Fashion Editor had to dash off but the site Founder and I went on to enjoy the evening in the city after soaking up all that new perspective.

Brainstorming over cocktails at sunset in a high rise is my kind of night.  If you live in or visit Philly you won't be disappointed with the cocktail list at R2L.  Unencumbered was my favorite drink of the night and it was delicious.

Back to online affairs.
I am reviewing and researching new and old products in USA Love List's efforts to promote American made products for consumers who wish to support those companies.  We don't just promote something because it's made in the USA, we sift through the products and companies to showcase only the best of quality.

A few of my favorite things about contributing on USA Love List.
- The crossover between made in the USA items and eco friendly items, not all things have the two in common but many do.
- Learning of many small companies producing fantastic things that could easily be loved mainstream.
- Discovering even more about product labels (I am label reading obsessed, I like to know the who, why, what, when and where in the stuff I use) the country of origin and the whole manufacturing process in general. 

Guess what I can't find that I really want to feature, makeup brushes made in the US.  Any takers on helping me scout some out?

Q & A | Blogtorial Chatter

Q.  What do you love in the summertime?
A.  Vacations.  Near, far, day trips and longer stays.  Traveling is easier in the summer months.  Weather is rarely a problem, packing is light and school is out so scheduling is made simpler.

The best place to be is the beach by far!  

2011 Wildwood NJ | Olivia building sand castles

Crying, Teenage Mom, Decorating and Versatility.

My friend Courtney of  Courtney Cakes awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  Days later I received another award from College Girl.
On Amarie Beauty I typically don't talk much about my personal life.  I am working to build on online resource of realistic and workable tips as not only a lover of the Beauty Industry but someone with training and experience.  I don't want to clutter it up with all the craziness of my life.  I have a small attention span and random variety of interests, oh and staying on task is not my strong suit so I have to zero in a "subject" to get things accomplished on here.

Off line I am a major over sharer and these girls have prompted me to bring a piece of that online.  I love meeting new people, making connections and learning about who it is I am reading.  So without further ado the award asks for 7 random facts and here are mine...

1.  I am not a natural at being photographed, I usually look hysterical or mad like in the above, I am not mad or a huge snob like I look here.
2.  Clutter makes me crazy, it is borderline OCD, I have cried over messiness before.  I am happy to report that my grip on reality is currently tighter.
3.  Number 2 makes me live and love this decorating mantra.

Source: theclassywoman.blogspot.com via Angela on Pinterest

4.  I follow number 3 of the above mantra loosely.  I kill plants and pets are not my thing but I do have bamboo, a semi healthy palm and kids all over the house, kids definitely count as living things.
5.  I became a mother in 1997 when I was 16, today her father and I are married with 2 more daughters.
6.  I was obese at one point, it was closely related to heavy wine drinking, untreated hypo-thryodism and a general lazy lifestyle.  See the progress photos here.
7.  I actively repurpose and restyle things in an effort to reduce, reuse and  be creative.  I abandon projects that get too in depth due to my serious slim attention span.   It's a personal flaw and I claim it as my favorite.

You know those fun little questions on the first pages of your magazines, the Editorial Q and A's where staffers answer a different question providing some insight to their personality?  I love them and am going to start that here.  I have a few Q's lined up but would love some more so please ask away about anything.  This feature starts on Sunday. 

Thank you for reading and all your support. xoxo

My New Role Discovering Made in the USA Beauty Product's!

I am the new Beauty Editor for USA Love List.  I join the site's founder Sarah and Fashion Editor Jill.  Here is what USA Love List is all about.

• Telling you about the very best of Made in the USA products. 
• Making it easy for you to find them and recommend them to your friends. 
• Encouraging you to ask for them in stores and from the companies you want to do business with.

Rest assured this is not a radical approach to shopping or political crusade.

A word from the founder about what we are not about...
"We are not going to tell you to buy something you don't love, just because it is made in the USA. Likewise, we are not going to tell you you shouldn't buy something you want or need simply because it is made elsewhere. Sounds groovy enough, but to be honest, it can get sticky too. In this global market, sometimes it is hard to pin down where some things come from. Some products are assembled in the United States with parts made elsewhere. Many companies make some products in the United States but not all.  And often, it is very hard to find clear information on where something is made at all.  It is our simple intention to recognize companies for the efforts they take to support American workers and communities. We will research and contact and post information as we are able to gather it, hopefully saving you effort along the way. But if you have concerns or information to share about any product on this site please, by all means, contact us directly and we will thank you for it."

My goal at USA Love List is to provide the readers and consumers with information and current trends about beauty products made in the USA.  At Amarie Beauty my goal is to continue to share tricks of the trade as an Esthetician.  That means more DIY routines, product information and how to's are coming.

Thank you for your support and I hope you take some time to peek at my new venture.  Today we are looking at some of the big names in beauty and some products they manufacture right here in the USA... check it out, it's easier to support American workers than you might think!

The Liebster Award. Receiving and Showing Support.

For a small blog working to grow it's readership and be a strong source of info a little recognition and support go a long way.  Courtney of CourtneyCakes nominated amariebeauty for the Liebster Award which is a great show of support and I thank her!

The Liebster award is for blogs with less than 200 followers.  There are so many blogs, big and small, the Liebster Award reminds the growing blog that everyone's information is big to someone, in some way on any giving day.

                         

Liebster in German means dearest, beloved, or favorite.

If you are awarded and choose to accept here is what to do next: 

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who awarded you.

3. Copy & paste the blog award on your blog.

4. Reveal your 5 blog picks.

5. Let them know you chose them by leaving a comment on their blog.

My choices for the Liebster Blog Award are....

Absolute mommy writes about motherhood and life's challenges in the most honest and relatable way.

 At Oh So Nifty she is creatively inspiring and thrifty.

 For Lauren and Lauren puts pieces together to make stylish affordable outfits.

Celebrating Life as an Army Wife shares an interesting outlook, I love her 101 in 1001 post.

One Woman's Walking Shoes has great vintage taste.

Thanks again to Courtney who's blog keeps it light and funny.  She also shares fun pictures.  I wrote about a billion posts in my head before I ever actually started amariebeauty and I am so glad I finally just went for it!

The Bathroom Drawer. More About Me

Here is how I store my makeup goods.

When I make new purchases I leave it out of the drawer for new product stalking pleasure, that is short lived.  My inner OCD takes over and I must organize it to its 'home'.  My daughters share my need to display stuff they love, not the inner OCD.  Truly I am a neat freak so this can make me slightly insane but then I remember that I raise them to be there own little person and I step off, to a point, I have to monitor the situation to keep it from becoming dirty hamster territory.  That brings me to this theory...

My room is not a mess.  Everything is just on display.  Like a museum.  -Unknown

A favorite of my fourteen year old and many other teenager I am sure.
I will take my organization please.

Beautification Habits

I feel that people can connect better to info if they know a little about the source.  The side story helps me to decide what company or whose blog is for me.  So with that being my tool for weeding through things I figure I will dish some of that out for anyone who bumps into my blog.
 
The premise here is the beauty scene so I am going to kick things off with some beautification habits of mine.

• I loathe other people doing my mani and pedi.  I am obsessive compulsive about the shape of my nails.
• I always raise one eyebrow much like the arch of The Joker when looking in the mirror.  My family finds this hysterical.
• I rarely use anything but a warm water steam to clean my face because my skin is so sensitive.  It stays red for an hour with typical cleansers. 
• I remove my eye makeup with eye cream.  Wipe on, massage in just a bit and remove with a damp cotton square. 

Growing up this was my ideal makeup vision.

Source: google.com via Angela on Pinterest

My current vision looks more like this.

Source: drewbarrymore.com via Angela on Pinterest

I actually love both at this point.

A 205 Pound Confession

I am losing my momentum.  It is driving me crazy, the just say no to sugar routine and the little baby portions of starchy carb goodness.  So this weekend I ordered exactly what I wanted with a big ole margarita while out with the husband.  It was fantastic.  Even more fantastic was that I no longer snarff down the huge restaurant portions so I had it for lunch too, sans the margarita.

So today I am going public over at adelynSTONE with this image of me at my very heaviest.  It also shows my progress point and where I am today.  I am 18 pounds away from my goal weight.

Never again.  It was so very uncomfortable and the fashion so limited!  So here is to sharing things I never thought I would and to keep on keepin' on.

State of Emergency

Well the shift of priorities for our household changed this week.  All craft projects are shelved and beauty regimens halted.

Our township is in a state of emergency due to flooding.  We are fortunate here in our home to be dry and have electricity.  We do not have running water.  We have two cases of bottled water to use for drinking, hand and dish washing.  Rain water was collected to flush toilets.  We have friends staying with us as they live in an evacuated area.

All roads in and out of our neighborhood are flooded over and closed.  The National Guard is working on getting drinkable water to the area.  The local emergency crews have some drinking water available for those who are in need.  The community has pulled together, a local produce distributor is giving fresh fruits and vegetables away, another family is grilling hot dogs and handing them out.  

So for now our creating is more Laura Ingalls Wilder esque.  Think of make shift dish washing, hand cleaning, and creative toilet flushing.  Not really my forte girlfriends.  I feel like I am earning Girl Scout badges over here, without the yummy thin mint cookies to make it worth while.  

This last tidbit of info, all though completely unimportant considering the state we are in, it is what a gal would expect from me.  It is my do not have running water, am stranded by nasty flood water and may lose power beauty kit...

• facial cleansing wipes
• hand sanitizer
• tinted moisturizer
• mascara
• lip gloss
• blush
• water
• matches
• candle

I also have larger quantities of the essentials, water, matches and candles in our kitchen, you know for the practical side of life.