Top 10 Favorite Beauty Items

Nothing Says Beauty and Glam Like Holly Golightly

Hey everybody out there in blog land. I wanted to post a blog about my top 10 favorite beauty items that I use. Out of the stash of products I have bought over the years, these are the ones that truly stand the test of time and that I will keep buying over and over again.

1. Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask-This mask is my fave because not only does it feel good going on but it clears my blackheads and reduces the appearance of my pores.

2. Clarisonic Facial Brush-This face brush may be costly but it is well worth the money. It removes dirt and makeup that you might not be able to remove with just your hands or a wash cloth alone.

3. Clinique Black Honey Barely There Lipstick-This lipstick is universally flattering. On me it has a nice berry color that isn't too light or too dark. In fact I wore it when I got married!

4. Ped Egg-This thing obliterates dry patches on my feet and leaves them feeling baby smooth.

5. Miracle Foot Repair-This foot cream is not only soothing to my feet, it also leaves them smooth as a baby's butt.

6. Neutrogena Sesame Oil-I love stepping out of the shower and using this oil on my skin. I remember my mom using it when I was younger and I would sneak a little for myself. It leaves my skin soft but not greasy looking.

7. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream-I love this stuff. I first got it in a mini manicure set from Barnes and Noble and I've been hooked. No signs of hangnails when I use it and the smell is heavenly.

8. IC Fantasia Smoothing Heat Protectant Serum-I always use this when I use direct heat on my hair (blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron). It leaves my hair with a little swing to it and I don't notice any heat damage which means it's doing it's job.

9. Pink Sugar Sensual Perfume-This perfume first came to my attention as a sample from a Sephora order. It has a sweet smell that is also grown up. I can wear it out on the town as well as any day appointment.

10. MAC Fix+-This spray does it all for me. It refreshes, moisturizes my face and sets my make up without making it run. It also comes in lavender scent but I'll stick with the original.

Well those are my favorites! Are there any beauty products that you can't do without?

Is Facebook and Twitter Relationship Killers? Or Do People Need To Re-evaluate Their Relationships?



This Pic Is Too Funny

 Hey everybody. If you follow me on twitter you will know that last week I said that I was going to do a blog posting that would blow your mind. Well here it is...

A week ago I was looking at my twitter timeline when I saw that on of my followers had broken up with her boyfriend (for the millionth time). Looking at his tweets I saw that basically there was alot of passive aggression on both of their parts complete with relationship status changes, flirting with followers and sub-tweeting. *If you want to know what sub-tweeting means, Google it!* One of the tweets she put was "do people in relationships need to have Twitter and Facebook"? I look at it like this. Before I met Lovey, I was in a long distance long term relationship. We started dating when I was in college and it transferred into long distance after I graduated. Well before Facebook and Twitter and even MySpace, there was Black Planet and Yahoo Messenger. Well the guy I was with was a fixture on both, as was I. Except he was talking and chatting with other women and I was not chatting with other guys (until I found out that he was and I started). The trust in our relationship was hardly there and it didn't help that I had cheated on him. He took me back and I remained faithful but you could tell that even though he said he had forgiven, he wasn't going to forget and that's where the problems lied with us. He didn't trust me and because I was afraid of the "payback" I didn't trust him. Therefore when MySpace became the big social thing and I saw comments from women calling him "baby" and saying that they missed him, I hit the roof. After eight years of lies and mistrust on both sides, we finally called it quits. Do I blame social media for the relationships demise? Hell no. It was both of us who ruined that relationship. I ruined it when I cheated a year in and he ruined it by continually punishing me for it (after he said he forgave me and all was forgotten).

Fast forward to me and Lovey's relationship. We were friends on MySpace but when we started dating we were not friends on Facebook. At first I was kind of insulted because I wanted to know what kind of guy doesn't want to be friends with his girl on Facebook. Well when Lovey explained his position, I understood but I still wanted to friend him. The way he saw it, he didn't want to be friends on Facebook and then some girl says something out the way and I'm ready to kick ass. However I posed to him, if we trust each other then what a girl says on a "wall" would not matter because I would trust that my man would tell that chick to fall back. He understood my position too but he didn't friend me until I was pregnant with Itty. The way he saw it, if he didn't do it, it would be messed up.

I know you are wondering what the point is. This point is this. It doesn't matter what kind of social media you are into. They don't ruin relationships. The people who are in them are the ones who ruin them. If there is no trust and tons of jealousy, then of course Facebook is going to exacerbate those problems because one party will see a status like as flirting and commenting as going too far. I'll say this, if you're going to be friend on Facebook or Twitter, set boundaries and expectations not only for the social network but for the relationship. If you see something that raises a red flag, discuss it without resorting to passive aggressive tactics and please don't publicize it on the same social network because then you are dragging everyone into it and you look like the jerk. Small things like what happens on Facebook and Twitter can't weaken a strong relationship. I want to use the following analogy: When I was about 14, my brother threw a bolt at our sliding glass door and it didn't shatter. However when he threw a pencil, it did shatter. The bolt weakened the glass, so the small tap of the pencil brought it crumbling down. The same can be said about a relationship. If it is hit with something hard and the relationship still stands, take care to fix the small cracks that have weakened it because something as petty and small (like the pencil) can break it completely. Until next time...

This Is For My Lovey



And Then He Kissed Me...

 Hey everybody out there. It's me again and I thought that I would do a blog about my husband. Well the idea came when one day last week he asked me if I still blogged sometimes. I said yeah and he said that he remembered when I blogged on MySpace about him. I remembered those blogs too because that's when I really expressed my deeply rooted love for him. Don't get me wrong, I still am deeply and over my heels in love with him. There's not a day that goes by when I don't want to touch him, kiss him, and tell him I love him. I still listen to songs and immediately think of him. I know he probably thinks that the songs I sing along to are annoying but he should also know that if I am singing the words and not just humming then I'm singing to him because that particular song is how I feel about him. In fact I can name three songs of the top of my head and they are all by Beyonce (which is surprising in and of itself because I'm not the biggest Beyonce fan): Countdown, Love On Top, and Party. All three of those songs have lyrics that are exactly how I feel about Lovey. So what to blog about Lovey...

Well maybe I should start at when we met. We met when I was still working at the women's prison here. I started first and then by the time I came back from basic training, Lovey had just started. I didn't notice him at first, but when I first talked to him, I thought he was a nice guy but I wasn't crushing on him or anything. Well little did I know that he was kind of crushing on me. Well one day that crush became known because he called me in the unit I was working in and gave me his number and asked me to call when I got off work. Me being the oblivious one that I am still didn't realize that he had an inkling of liking me and I thought he wanted to ask me about something having to do with another coworker. When I called, we talked for a few minutes and then we ended up talking about restaurants. When I said that I never ate at Red Lobster, he asked if I wanted to go. I said yeah why not and we set a night to go. When I hung up, I was like I think I just got asked out on a date. Well I went out with him to Red Lobster, where I found out that he interviewed with the NYPD and that he was 10 years older than me. Now looking at him I still can't believe that he will be 40 this year. Seriously, I've seen him with his shirt off. He's hot okay? After dinner, we sat in his truck and talked some more because neither one of us was ready to go home yet. During the conversation, where I learned that he played basketball in college (I'm a sucker for basketball players), he asked me the question that changed everything for us. He asked if he could kiss me. I didn't even think, I just said yes. That kiss was long, passionate, beautiful, and to this day I still think about it and it's been six years ago. When he kissed me, I heard music. From that moment on, I knew that he was special.

We started hanging out off and on for the next few years, but we always talked and when I needed him, her was there for me as I was for him. However it was in 2009 when our dynamic really changed. In February I professed that I was seriously falling for him and I wanted to be with him for a long time. In May, things really got serious because that's when I found out that I was pregnant with Itty Bitty. What was so significant about me being pregnant was that a few years before he said that if we weren't seeing other people or married to anyone by the time I was 27 and he was 37, then we would have a baby. I thought he was joking at the time because I was already set on the fact that I didn't want kids, but here I was pregnant and I was 27 and he was 37. I was a bit wary about our relationship because I wanted him to know that even though I'm having his child, he's not obligated to lock things down i.e. getting married. However, when I said that, he made a face like why don't you think I wouldn't marry you. After having Itty, we were living together and we finally talked about getting married. At first we said Vegas, but then I wanted my family to see me get married so we picked a date that we both can remember 9/10/11 and we got married.

Fast forward five months from the day we tied the knot and we are still the same love sick kids we were back in his truck in 2006. When he kisses me I still hear music and we have our two beautiful girls. When I listen to Amy Winehouse I still smile because now all her music is about our relationship together. We've had ups and a few downs, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world. I like to think that before we settled down, I was a perpetual playgirl. Going out and going crazy, daring someone to tame me. Well I can say that now I've been tamed and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you Lovey and when I'm 70 and you're 80 I hope that the love we have for each other is still there along with your six pack LOL!!

Who? Who Doesn't Want to Wear The Ribbon? Me Because Susan G. Komen Pissed Me Off This Week



Bob and Cedric From Seinfeld (I Had To Do It)

 Hey everybody out there in blogoland (hehe cute huh?). As you can see from the title of the post I'm about to go in on The Susan G. Komen Foundation. Unless you were living under a rock this week, you have heard by now that earlier this week the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation announced it was cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. The funding was going towards breast cancer screening for Planned Parenthood's patients who normally consist of low income individuals and those who do not have insurance to pay for these screenings. When asked why funding was being cut SGK said that they had implemented new policies that prevent them from assisting any program that is under investigation. Yes Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Washington because the bozos up there want to make sure that federal money is not funding abortions which some Planned Parenthoods provide (more on that later). Well after that announcement was made, the world of social media was on fire. There hasn't been this much buzz since Beyonce rubbed her belly at the VMAs. Anyway the general consensus was that SGK's decision was politically motivated and nothing more because PP was the only organization this new rule affected. At first SGK said it wasn't political and that they were not backing down from their decision. Well apparently as Nino Brown put it in New Jack City: money talks and bullsh*t runs a marathon because SGK reversed their decision and announced that Planned Parenthood would continue to collect grant money from SGK as long as they were eligible to do so.

If you know me I have a lot of passions in life such as my family, my husband, cooking, shopping, the search for a delicious cocktail that doesn't taste like disinfectant (more on that later too) and politics. I know you're thinking how is Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood political Afton? Well I didn't think that I would be able to say Susan G. Komen and politics in the same breath until recently when everyone wants to think that when you walk into a Planned Parenthood the first thing they want to do is kill unborn babies. Let me start from the beginning...

Abortion is not pretty. It is not fun. It is not an easy decision to make. Don't ask me how I know but trust me on this. It is painful. It is a lonely isolating decision that will dog you the rest of your life. As for my position on it, I feel that it is every woman's right to make that choice for herself. It is not the government's right at all. The people who want to take that choice of whether to have a child is the same government that will turn it's back on you if you have said child and need help keeping your head above water. Planned Parenthood is there when that decision has to be made. Some PP would rather not perform abortions and rather give counseling on where to go as well as other options such as adoption. Some PP do perform abortions but it is done in a medical setting according to the laws of the state they are in. Like I said there are some people who want abortions made illegal and it is those people who are now in charge of Susan G. Komen. One of the directors of the charity once ran for governor under a pro-life agenda and she wants to sit with a straight face and say that the decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood is not political? Yeah right I'm sure. What these nuts don't know or they know and don't care because they have an axe to grind is that Planned Parenthood provides health services to low income individuals. Those services include contraception and reproductive health. If you have a UTI and need to see someone, Planned Parenthood is there. Need birth control but embarrassed to ask the family doctor who comes to your house for dinner, Planned Parenthood is there. Abortions only account for 3% of what Planned Parenthood does. 3 stinkin percent. So when funding is cut, it doesn't hurt the ones who want an abortion because abortion clinics are a dime a dozen. It hurts the 97% who want affordable reproductive health care and that sucks hard (no pun intended).

So what to do moving forward from Susan G. Komen's fiasco? Well it all comes down to what we need to do as a collective people. We need to educate our sons and daughters about all aspects of sexuality. No we don't need to pop in Debbie Does Dallas and ask them to take notes. We need to have a frank heart to heart discussion on the ins and outs of sex (I know I know). When I was growing up, if I ever had a question about sex, I knew I could go to my mom. Sex Ed only covers so much. It is up to us to tell our kids not only our expectations but what needs to be done. For myself I can say that even though my girls are only 2 and 4 weeks old, I already know what I'm going to say to them. I would rather they did wait until they are married to have a sexual relationship with someone, but I'm not stupid either. I'm sure that's how my mother felt about me and my brother. In a dream world that would be perfect, but we know that it's not the truth. I would tell them that I don't want them to be stupid when it comes to making choices about sex. They need to protect themselves. The pill isn't going to save you from a disease that can't be cured, so make the guy wear a condom. That not only protects you but it protects the both of you from having to make a decision regarding the life of a child you may not be ready to take care of. That's the sad irony of those who want to close down Planned Parenthood. They want to push that no sex before marriage is the way to go. Hey if it was working then sure, but it's not. So get your head out of your culo and talk to your kids.

In closing let me just say this. I'm glad that Susan G. Komen changed their minds. Am I still mad? A little bit. Will I still try to enter the Race for the Cure? Maybe. Will I still buy or eat something pink? Of course. But I'll do it with my eyes a little more open now. Well folks rant is over. I'm about to cook me a Red Barons and do some homework. Until next time...

New Year, New Baby, Same Shopping Addictions



Queen Bey (She's A New Mama Too But Without the Budget Constraints)

 Hey everybody. It's your girl once again. You may have noticed a change in not only my blog's address but the title of the blog as well. What happened was that I purchased the domain hotrdumommy.com. However due to me being in the hospital having Itty v. 2.0 I let the payment lapse and well I would have to pay five times what I paid to get it back. No way that was happening, so I just started a new blog. I will not be purchasing another domain again until I am sure that I will remember to pay for the renewal. So just remember that it is now hotrdumommy82.blogspot.com. I have been changing everything that has the old url because now when you go to hotrdumommy.com some ad to purchase the domain comes up instead. Anywhoo....

As the title says it is a new year and with this new year came a new baby for me. I gave birth to Camille Adele on January 6th and after almost 2 weeks of her being in the NICU, she is home with me, Lovey, and Itty and we could not be happier. I will be writing about her birth story in a later blog because up to when I started to be induced everything was the same as with Itty but then things changed.

As for my same shopping addictions, yes I believe I may have a problem. Well I won't say problem because bills get paid and the family is eating. However, I will say that I am a product junkie and it's not just hair. It's also makeup, shoes and purses. So far this year I have bought:

• Naked 2 palette
• Pink Sugar Sensual perfume
• Clarisonic Brush Heads
• UD Rollergirl palette
• UD Perversion 24/7 eyeliner
• UD Lip Junkie in Naked
• Hello Kitty Brown Bag from Baghaus.com
• Black Platform Pumps from Shoedazzle.com
• Red Purse from Shoedazzle.com
• MAC Viva Glam Nicki lipstick

Oh yeah. That's alot of haulin' baby. Well I feel I've earned it and I've also been buying the girls somethings too. I've also been responsible by putting money into my car so that we can get around as well as paying the essential bills that need to be paid. So like I said I have a small little addiction but as far as I can tell it's under control and besides I think that Lovey would step in if things got too out of control.

Well that's about it for now, but stick around because I will be continuing to blog about my everyday life. Feel free to suggest what I should blog about next time. I think I will do a blog on my hair journey so far (it's been over a year now), Camille's birth story, plus some FOTD and OOTD blogs just to see how those turn out. Until next time...