Frivolous time waster

Before I had kiddos, I could literally sit for hours watching makeup videos on youtube.  Not that I necessarily learned anything from them or actually applied any of the techniques demonstrated by youtube "makeup gurus," but there's something strangely therapeutic about watching someone apply makeup.  Maybe it's sort of reminiscent of when I used to watch my mom put on her makeup as a child?  Who knows.  Here are a few that were on my radar:

Happy time wasting!

Still dreaming

To celebrate our two-year anniversary, we went to Bazaar at the SLS and I'm still dreaming of all the food we ate.  For the most part, we love us some hole in the wall food.  Think pho, carnitas, k-town bbq, etc.  But of course the occasional fancy meal is always nice if it's worth the price.  Bazaar for sure was.  Delish!  Especially enjoyed the foie gras sliders, philly cheese steak sandwiches, braised wagyu beef cheeks, pisto vegetable stew with a poached egg on top... heck... it was all good!

A happy and full mama ready to turn in for the night

On a separate note, who the heck came up with those torture devices they use in reformer pilates??  I'm literally disabled today.  

Happy anniversary sweets

And here we are with two little nuggets and two years behind us... love you.

Shape up or ship out

Today, I signed up for my first Pilates class ever.  I've taken the random yoga class here and there, but never frequently enough to reap any long lasting benefits.  I've also had memberships to a few gyms, but went about once or twice a year.  Once again, never frequently enough to reap any long lasting benefits.  So you get the point.  I'm pretty lazy when it comes to working out or doing anything other than walking to and from my car to wherever it is I need to be.

Not to boast or throw it in anyone's face, but I've been blessed/cursed with a pretty amazing metabolism.  It's a genetic thing.  So in other words, I've always envied those with lots of curves and shape because not many curves here.  I can probably eat my weight in food and not gain a pound.  In addition, I've always been sort of the sinewy/muscular type without having to really work for it, but things have changed up in here of late.  

Earlier this year, I gave birth to twins.  For two months prior to their birth, I was literally splayed out on a couch on bed rest, force-feeding myself loads and loads of protein and calories as per doctor's orders (all while my actual stomach was probably the size of 1/2 my fist with no room to expand), chugging protein shakes and ensure supplements.  Needless to say, it was probably the most miserable time in my life (that of course led to the most happy time in my life).

On to the aftermath.  Instead of gaining a ton of weight and having to deal with that, my main problem was/is atrophy.  I remember that moment of looking at myself in the mirror one day and not really recognizing my own body.  I literally had no muscle left in my legs, butt, abs... I looked and felt completely like a wilted weakling.

The nuggets are now 6 months old, and 6 months of lifting them, carrying them around, walking up and down the stairs in my condo and elsewhere have helped rebuild muscle in my arms and legs but the abs and rump are still sort of a crying shame.

So here we are.  My first Pilates class ever.  I hope it's something I enjoy at least a little so that there's even a glimmer of hope that I won't jump ship after the first class, because God knows, mama needs it.

Weekend update

How was your weekend?  I think one can safely assume our weekends are now fairly tame and sometimes boring but let me remind you, we have not one, but two 6 month olds in our tribe, so it looks like this is the way things will be for a while.

Two highlights from this weekend:  a) on Friday, I went to the International Gem & Jewelry Show with a few jewelry designer friends of mine to watch them do their thang.  It was definitely an experience being amidst all the hustle and bustle of people digging through boxes of sparkly things, watching the pros in action and seeing what inspires them to create what they do; AND b) finally had the chance to stop by Vivier and Bentley to check out all the beauties that have been calling to me for months.  Needless to say, I was not underwhelmed.  Of course I couldn't leave completely empty handed, but more on that soon...

my stripey nuggets.  G:  hee hee!

B:  whatchyu laughing at sis? G:   i can't remember now...

photo shoot over!  let's bounce!

how cute are these little things?

Xo,
JK

A nice end to the day

What better way to end a long day than to spend time goofing off with your little (in my case, one of my little) ones?  :)  Since I have two nuggets who are exactly the same age and on the exact same schedule, it's extra special when I have a chance to steal one of them away and spend some alone time with them.  This afternoon, it was little man's turn since he woke up from his nap before his sister did.  Sweet baby ...

Just one of those days

It's muggy out.

I'm out the door now to meet a jewelry making friend for coffee and cake and to run a few errands.  Definitely an unusually feminine look for me today but I figure, it's going to cool down for good pretty soon (hopefully) so might as well pull out the old dress.

Barely there

So this is a bit of a random post, but I personally love those "What's in Your Makeup Bag" type of blog posts, so I thought I'd share with you all a product I've been using for a few years now and consistently reach for.

First off, I guess I should admit that I used to be a makeup junkie.  Well, maybe it'd be more precise to say I was a makeup "buying" junkie.  You wouldn't have been able to tell from looking at me since I pretty much stick with a similar look on a day-to-day basis, but stepping foot into Sephora or MAC, I couldn't resist the hottest new thing out there or all the beautiful eyeshadows in vibrant shades of blues, greens, whatever, or all the foundations out there promising you that much coveted gleaming, dewy alabaster complexion.  Of course once I brought these things home, they'd inevitably sit in my makeup drawer for a few years and then get passed down to my mom, whether she wanted the stuff or not.

I recently accepted the fact that, although I like experimenting with different looks from time to time or getting gussied up for an evening out, I definitely sport a pretty basic natural daily look.  I don't like worrying about blending, evening out streaks, having to be super precise about anything.  My entire skincare / makeup routine takes ten minutes or less, and these days, even ten minutes is pushing it.

Ok, without much further ado, here it is:

I've never been a fan of the full coverage foundation look.  In fact, on myself at least, the more I pile onto my skin, the more my fine lines, pores, imperfections are accentuated, and as I get older (sob), it also makes you look older than you are.  

The Lancome Ageless Minerale with White Sapphire Complex mineral foundation is very finely milled and therefore, has a very natural appearance on the skin.  In terms of skin makeup, my main concerns are mitigating the greasy look of my moisturizer and lessening the hormonal redness around my nose, both of which this product does very well.  It also supposedly has some anti-aging properties but I'm not completely sold on that.  But I guess that's what your skincare routine is for.  

It's extremely easy to apply- I use a cheap flat top kabuki brush and sweep it across my face once and go over any areas of redness one more time for a little more coverage.  It doesn't require much blending, if at all, and leaves you with a dewy, natural finish (unlike some other mineral foundations out there).  Also, it comes in a pretty good range of shades (unlike some other mineral foundations out there) and I found my perfect match first try.  Do I sound like an infomercial or what?

Hope you guys found this helpful!  

Snapshots of the weekend

Hope everyone had a restful weekend!  Things were pretty busy up in here but overall, a really productive, fun-filled time with friends and loved ones.  A few highlights:

This is boring and hot mom

Happy week everyone!