Parting from London is such sweet sorrow

Tonight is our last night in London.  We have had such a lovely time while we have been visiting here.  The day of the wedding (yesterday) I was able to make it through the ceremony,  and then I became violently ill.  I spent the rest of the day in bed.  While unconscious my darling went to film what he could.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to film or photo the newly weds coming or going from the palace.  My sincerest apologies for not having detailed news of the day here to share with you.  I had truly hoped to.  Life threw me a curve ball, and it just didn't work out that way.

We are both looking forward to returning to our home and our own bed and regular routines.  I will post more for you there.

Leslie

Tomorrow is the Royal wedding!

Hello people I wanted to share a map image with you of the Royal parade route and where our hotel falls on the map.  On the map where it say "Goring Hotel" that is where Kate and her family will be staying the night and leaving from to go the the wedding.  Where our hotel is the street that crosses through the words Buckingham Palace.  Our street crosses through it from top to bottom and then hooks around towards where it says Parliament square. The street is called Buckingham Palace road.  Kate and her family may be passing by our hotel on the way to the ceremony, or they could be taking the road by Victoria station.  Although the hotel assures us she and her family will be coming down this road.  We are a short 5 minute walk to where the semi-circle at the back end of Buckingham Palace is.  That is the end of the parade route and the side of the Palace where William and Kate will be coming out for their first Royal greeting.  Mo and I intend to make our way there after watching the ceremony on the tv here in the hotel.  After we view the first public kiss as Husband and wife, we will attending a Royal wedding meal at the hotel.  The first meal that is served after a Royal wedding is called breakfast no matter what time of the day it is served.  Though our meal will be at 8 in the evening it is still called the Royal breakfast.  The meal is sampled on Royal weddings past.  There will be a poached salmon, Sole in mushroom compote, and duck.  Of course for dessert there is traditional Royal wedding cake and Campaign.  Being a vegetarian, I will probably stick with the salmon.  But it will be a total blast non the less.  The excitement is electric here in the heart of London.  We will do our best to photo and video as much as we possibly can.

Thank you for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.com  Please take a moment to become a follower by subscribing. 

Leslie

Barry M cosmetic swatches

I finally managed to get to a full sized Superdrug and get some Barry M products. A couple of dazzle dusts, liquid liner, lip gloss, and nail lacquer. I have swatched those you in this video. The dazzle dust seems more finally milled than other pigments. The color is very intense. I chose two colors that are light and in the video they seem more shimmery than bright. The lip gloss really went on well and lasted a long time without retouich. It also left a bit of lipstain so the color really had a strong payoff. I can't wait to try the nail polish. The colors I chose are so bright and cheery. They are definitely Spring colors. They make me happy just looking at them. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

London is Amazing

There is no way to put all the photos that have been taken on this blog alone.  We took a double decker bus tour and there are photos of everything from the tower of London, Parliament, and the Abby.  I even took a few of boots and of the sign of super drug.  I did manage to make it in to both stores.  Although they were not full sized stores.  They were inside of Victoria station where you catch the train and the tube.  I couldn't find the one cosmetic I was looking for Barry M. They are only sold in the larger super drug.  I'm hoping to stop into one during the next few days. 


During our bus tour we got off to take a boat tour, and then a walk to the the Abby.  On our way to hope back onto the double decker bus we ran into Peirs Morgan on the side walk.  He was filming a promotion to an evening show.  So, we snapped a photo, but didn't have the courage to ask for an autograph. It was awesome running into him.  More for us than him.

So, here are photos of the things I mentioned.

Tower Of London

parliament

The Abby

Piers Morgan

We are now in Loughton for two days.  I will post more about that tomorrow.

Leslie

Royal wedding week

We have arrived here in London. There is no doubt that a Royal wedding is about to occur. As we are staying in the Rubens at the palace, all you need to do is walk out the front door to see the parade baracades blocking the sidewalk access to the streets. Just a block away there are some rather large temporary buildings to house the reporters along the parade route. The stores all have memorabilia. Tea cups, photos, t-shirts, all with the photo taken at the time of engagement. Royal wedding fever is definitely in the air.

Here is a link to the hotel we are in:
http://www.rubenshotel.com/offers-and-gifts?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=rubens+at+the+palace&utm_content=null&utm_campaign=Palace&rw.cm=google,ppc,rubens+at+the+palace

The neighborhood is beautiful toward the palace end of the street.  The side away from the palace begins to get a bit more city with shops, pubs, and tourist type places.  There have been many double decker bus sightings.

And I am certain that this is the phone booth that Dr. Who uses, but Mo thinks it is an elevator.  (referred to as a lift here in London)

You can see that Mo is on his way UP the elevator.  Ha ha.

The area around the Palace has the beautiful stable called the Mew.  There are fountains with statuary all around.  Columns with the names of all the areas that England has colonies, and the Royal guard out front of the palace of course.  Today we will be taking a tour on the big brown bus, and there will be far more to share after today.  We haven't even hit the beauty shops and shopping yet.

Parade route down Buckingham Palace Rd

The guard

main Palace gate

Buckingham Palace (Royal residence)

Temporary building for reporters

Well, people, that is all I have for today.   I will write more as we go about our adventure.

Leslie

I'm crossing the pond

Wow people, I have such exciting news!  My husband is going away to London on business.  Since I am ill, his company didn't want me left behind so I get to go with him.  That is so cool right?  But that's now all.  While we are there a well known couple will be tying the knot!  Yes, that is right, we will be there while the royal shindig happens!  I'm pretty thrilled about it.  We get to stay at the Rubens at the Palace.  Which is right near Buckingham Palace, the Abby and the route the procession will be taking.  How blessed am I.  I don't want this to come across as a brag.  This is unlike anything that has ever happened to me.  It is so wonderful to get to do this.  Sharing with You all about it is going to be one of the most fun things too.  So, of course I had to tell you.  I will post as much and as often as possible while there.  Pictures, quick videos, and any tutorials on new things that I learn.  While there, I'll check out Boots, super drug and track down some Barry M products.  We will try to find Space.NK also.  There are many cosmetics shops in and around London.  I'm sure while my darling is at work I will explore as many as I can.

One of my favorite and the best London makeup artists is Richy Nickle of WSITN.  What style is to Nickle.  He has a video on youtube that shows the plethora of shops to check out.  It will be difficult to see as many as he shows.  I'll do my best to hit the most well known of them though.  Here is his video:




The trip, the shopping, the wedding. This is the trip of a lifetime. Sharing the details with you will be so great. Thanks for sharing in missditz-thebeautifullife.com. Take a moment to subscribe or share a comments.

Leslie

Buffalo exchange, and smashbox smoky eye kit

Hello People,
I hope all of you are well, and enjoying the lovely Spring weather that is starting to show around the world. I'd like to wish you all a happy Easter. The following is a video about the Buffalo exchange and the smoky eye kit offered to beauty insiders from Sephora. Take a moment to enjoy the information in the video. Thank you for stopping by. Take a second to subscribe or leave a comment. Also, If you wear retrofuturist lipstick, take a snap shot and send it to me to have posted on this site.

Leslie

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cirque du Soliel totem

Hello my people,
Once again I find myself writing about Cirque Du Soliel. Their new show totem is one you must see. I wish it would come to Dallas soon. My mom saw it in Denver, and said she has never seen anything like it. She couldn't take her eyes off the show, and she left completely entertained.

Totem

As you know, in addition to the talent and the acrobats, It is the unbelievable behind the scenes stuff that I love. The stage makeup, hats, masks, costumes, and beautiful wigs. I have a few photos from their site to share with you. I also have the link to their site if you would like to drop by and order tickets for a show coming to your town.
 http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/default.aspx

Unicycler

The website tell the story of Totem as a trip or journey through the evolution of man and other species.  All done through acrobatics and dance, as well as other amazing tricks and feats of amazing skill.

Masks

Hats

Don't you just find the makeup and all the props amazing?  If you have the chance to go see this show, you should go.  If I get a chance to go, I will go and tell you all about it.

Thanks for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.com

Leslie

You can do anything!

It is the end of a long week.  We all have bad days.  Maybe you have had a few more than usual lately.  Sometimes people make us feel ineffective.  We become afraid to try new things, or even go back to doing things we used to be good at but haven't done in a while.  Maybe you had a dream that you would try certain things and you haven't gotten around to it yet.  Well, I just watched this amazing video that will make you feel like you can conquer the world.  One of my favorite verses is "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.  Not to make you uncomfortable with bible verse.  That is just part of who I am.  To state it more simply, You can do anything if you just believe. 

Enjoy this video by the worlds wisest child.





I hope you enjoyed that. Now go out and do something new, or something you haven't done in a while. Then post to my blog and let me know how it went.

Leslie

I'm walking on sunshine-right into my retrofuturist

Hello my people,

In this crazy world with all sorts chaos swirling around us, I figure that everyone  needs a little consistency.  Routine is so important when things have gone crazy.  I used to watch Ally McBeal.  Her therapist told her that she needed to pick a theme song for her life, to help her through her hard time.  I have had a couple of theme songs that are uplifting to help me through bad days.  One is "Super good Feeling" By Bleach, and the other is "Walking on Sunshine" By Katrina and the waves".  If your wondering, it helps.  Having a theme song helps you shift your brain from soaking in sorrow to focusing on the best laid plans for your life.  Everything gets loud, you tap your feet, your body might even start moving.  Then before you know it you are singing, at the top of your lungs.  Even if your voice is awful, you start to feel good.


The other thing that I use to create consistency and improve my mood is makeup.  I've shared before that getting dressed and putting on makeup can help me to feel better.  If there isn't a grand amount of energy available to do even simple makeup anyone can muster the strength to put on a swipe of lipstick.  My favorite lipstick of all time is Lime Crime Retrofuturist.  Even with all the cancer tests, bad news, and surgeries happening right now, putting on a swipe of retrofuturist improves my appearance immediately.  Improving the way I look makes my outlook greater.  Imagine what would happen if I listened to one of my theme songs and wore my favorite lipstick!!  Things could get really crazy and I could knock the world off it's axis with all my foot tapping and smiling.

It sounds simplistic.  Sometimes the things that work the best really are the most simple.  In the above photo I am wearing my favorite Betsy Johnson baby-doll, covered by a Victoria secret wrap.  Smile by Lime Crime, and the lamb on my shoulder is a hot water bottle that has ice chips in it to reduce the swelling on my port site.  That is my look of the day.

As you go through your day, I pray you're walking on sunshine, and wearing your favorite things.

Thank you for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.

Leslie

Tomorrow I will be sleeping beauty

Well My people,
Tomorrow I go in and have a port to deliver chemo surgically placed, and I will have a core biopsy of my chest wall done at the same time. It will happen from 6 am till 3 when I am done recovering. Then the hospital will let me go home. I just wanted to let you all know that I will not be posting tomorrow. Most likely be unconscious most of the day. Maybe I can get them to place cucumbers on my eyes while I am sleeping and do a mudd mask. LOL! Then I could consider it a spa day. Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts.

Leslie

Flo Mo Gangstas-a video made yrs ago by some local high school kids in my town

Leslie

Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair. Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

Hair.  Who doesn't love a head of long beautiful hair on a woman?  Curly, straight, in a pony, it is all so very feminine.  Women love long hair and so do men.  Soon my long hair will fall out of my head and I will be needing a new head of long beautiful hair.  I'm choosing to make this a beautiful thing, and have fun with it.  Maybe even get more than one wig.  What do you guys think? 

There are many over the counter wigs to choose from. Kathy Ireland, Eva Gabor, La Vie, Norika, Wig Pro, are some of the brands that carry both synthetic and human hair.  I prefer human hair.  It will look and feel better to me.  Plus I'll be able to curl it, straighten it or style it any old way I would like. 

If you want to change the style of a synthetic wig it is a trickier.  It could actually melt since it is made from plastic derivative.  E-how has a set of simple instructions for caring for and styling a synthetic wig. 

Here is how you do it:

Take the synthetic hair (wig, weft, or loose) and dampen it with water. Make sure that the synthetic hair is fully damp/wet and no dry spots are present. You may also want to fill up a water bottle sprayer with water so that you can spray the synthetic hair while curling or straightening it.

Place the hair on a wig head, or anywhere that will make sure that the hair does not move

Take your curling or flat iron, on the lowest setting, and either curl or straighten the hair. Remember the hair must be wet. While curling or straightening the hair, if you find some parts dry, use the spray bottle to wet the hair again.

If straightening synthetic hair, be sure to go from the roots to the tips of the hair very slowly, ensuring it to be as straight as you need it. Pay close attention to the ends, you want to make sure the ends are straight and not frizzed.
If curling synthetic hair, take the curling iron and curl it as you would human hair. Let go of the curl, and hold the curl in your hand for 10 seconds, or clip the curl up.

You should now have newly styled synthetic hair. It is important to remember that synthetic hair contains memory, meaning it will not lose its curl or straight pattern after altering it.
 If you want to change the look of the hair, you will have to complete the process all over again.

Human hair wigs are fairly easy to care for.  Just as you would care for your own hair pretty much.

 

 

Here's how you do it:

If you wear a human hair wig, there's no need to skimp on style. Just style your human hair wig to upgrade your look or to give your natural hair a break from the rigors of daily styling products.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Human hair wig
• Wig cap
• Curling iron or hair rollers
• Wig comb or brush
• Wash your human hair wig gently. The gentler, the better. Put the wig on a wig stand.
• Comb the hair of the wig with a detangling comb. Don't comb the base of the wig or the mesh where the hair is attached.
  
• Roll the wig with hair rollers while it is still damp. You may use a spray bottle filled with diluted setting lotion or water to keep the hair moist as you work with the hair to style it. This will help the hair to adhere to the rollers and give a good curl to the ends of the hair.
  If you prefer to curl the wig with a curling iron, you may do so once it's dry. Curl each section of the wig with a curling iron. Skip to "Step 6."
  
• Dry the wig. Either let the hair air dry overnight or place the wig and wig stand under a hard hat dryer. Keep the setting of the dryer low. It will take 45 minutes to 2 hours for the wig to dry depending on the length and thickness of the hair on the wig.
  
• Take out the rollers once the wig is completely dry.
  
• Style the wig to your liking using gentle strokes with a comb or wig brush. Spray a light mist of hair spray or spritz to seal the curls and the style.
  
• Remove the wig from the wig stand and try your freshly styled human hair wig on to see how it looks. You may need to add a few finishing touches to personalize the style of the wig to fit your face.

 In my instance my oncologist will be giving me a medical prescription to go to a wig boutique and get a wig.  I'll be going to the same place that helps me with my prosthetic device.  It is a wonderful place in Plano Tx, called all about you wig boutique and cancer recovery salon.  They do amazing things there.  

Here is a menu of the salon services offered there.

All About You also offers a full-service salon, and with over 40 years of combined experience, our All About You team is qualified to assist you in all of your hair care needs. Our team includes five licensed cosmetologists who are educated, trained and certified to provide assistance in all areas of wig and hair care. Let our experts help you with your hair care and pamper you with other salon services including: Contemporary and up-to-date fashion hair cuts and styling, Fusion Bond human hair extensions performed by our certified stylist, Hair U Wear clip in extensions by Jessica Simpson, Up-do's, Waxing, Highlights and color treatment, Eyelash and eyebrow tinting, Ear piercing, and Make-up applications and consultations.

They also will help me to donate my own hair to locks of love when it begins to fall out.  That is for sure something I will be doing. 

If you should decide that you'd like to have fun with wigs, you should know that they come in a wide range of prices and styles, as well as colors.  There are human and synthetic hair extensions. You can also find partial wigs, and hair pieces.  You shouldn't have any difficulty finding fun ways to style and play dress up with your wigs. 

Have fun on your hair adventures. 

Thanks for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.com

Leslie

The status of my beautiful life

Well, here is the deal.  The breast cancer has spread to my lungs as we had thought, as well as to my pelvic bone, right arm bones, chest wall, and lymph nodes.  I will be having an mri for my brain, and surgery to install a port in my chest.  Tomorrow I have an appointment for a first consult with the radiologist to begin radiation on my bones.  We will start as soon as possible. This will relieve the bone pain over time.  This is stage iv as we thought, and it is more progressed than we had anticipated.  On paper this is pretty bad.  But I hold fast to this.  God tells me he knows that plans for my life and he has plans for my future.  I have visions of things 5 and even 10 years down the road, and he wouldn't place those hopes in me if he weren't going to fullfill them.  So, for all of you I pray peace.  Not sadness.  Because come good days or bad, I intend to live.  To live well, and try my best to stay on the narrow path.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes. 

Leslie

Create an incredible wink.

The eyes are the window to the soul.  Too true that!  You can smile with your eyes, and show your tears, sadness, loneliness.  It all shows in the eyes.  Not to mention that you can flirt with those lovely peepers. 


How do you get wink worthy eyes?  Eye drops help to keep your eyes sparkly if you tend to have dry eyes.  If you want to add a bit of extra whiteness to your whites, making the color stand out more, add a drop like collyre bleu eye drops.  The fluid has a blue tint to it.  This causes the whites of your eyes to appear whiter, making your eye color pop.

  Using a shimmery eye shadow will also make your eyes stand out. 

Using a single color can add so much drama.  Too many different shades can make the look seem muddy.  Thus drawing the in rather than causing it to stand out.

Filling in empty spaces in your brow line, and defining your brows with a soft pencil or a powder will create a nice frame for your eye.  There are several different kits to choose from.

The Anastasia kit is the one I use, and like the best.  The wax holds down your hairs and shapes the arch.  There are templates to help you decide on the best shape for your eye and you can change the template based on the look you are trying to achieve.  The kit also has a nice shimmery pink highlight to place directly under the brow bone further accenting it. 

The finishing touches are adding a clean line of eyeliner and showing off your fringe of eyelashes.  I tend to use a nice black liquid eyeliner more often than I use pencil.  When I do use pencil I add she laq over the top to hold it in place and prevent smudging. 

For long curly dark lashes, I curl them first then apply a coat of mascara.  If applying more than one coat, make sure to allow each coat to dry before the next application. 

Now you have completed the perfect shimmery eye look.  Now practice that wink, and go get some attention!

Please take a moment to subscribe to missditz-thebeautifullife.

Leslie

How to have a healthy makeup look while dealing with a long term illness

Hello people,

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone who is sending me hopeful messages and also letting me know they are praying.  Your thoughts and your prayers are gifts of gold to me.  The following article is about how to maintain your makeup and skin care during a long term illness.  Tips are how to look as healthy and beautiful as you can during such a time.

Tip one: water!  Water is highly important to all body functions.  If you have a long term illness of any sort, you will want to make sure you stay hydrated.  This is essential for healthy organ function as well as skin health, and cell energy.  Drinking lots of water also helps your to keep your mind focused and clear.  Dehydrated people tend to lack focus and feel run down.  .  You may not have an appetite during your illness, but you should drink the water.  You will be glad you did.

Tip two: skin!  Take better care of your skin during this time, by not using hot water on it.  Warm water will be more gentle to your skin.  After washing with warm water make sure you immediately moisturize.  Use a very good moisturizer.  Use it in the morning and at night.  Don't forget to use your sun screen.  This will make a huge difference in protecting your skin from sun damage.  This is something we should do all the time, even before diagnosed with an illness.  Hats are also a big benefit to keeping your skin healthy during sickness and in health.  The keys here are moisture and protection.

Tip three:  foundation!  The more heavy a foundation is applied the more it can tend to cake and bring out your wrinkles and laugh lines.  This can give the appearance of being older than you are and looking ragged and tired.  Use a light hand to apply a foundation that is less dark than usual.  Use one that gives you  more of a glow, and it will lend to the appearance of health.  having a good tinted moisturize can be of great benefit.  You are using a multitasking product that will save time and improve your skins healthy look.

Tip four: color correction!  Prior to doing your makeup, using a light color corrector or concealer, add dabbs to dark skin spots, under eye circles, and acne.  Gently blend this is with a concealer brush or a light tap of your pointer finger.  Benefit has erase paste or you could use derma-blend by kryolan.  Then apply a neutral color or clear face powder.  For this I'd actually suggest the HD powder by makeup forever.    

Tip five: keeping it real!  This is not a time that you want to try out that dark blue eyeshadow.  Or the blood red lipstick.  Keeping your color choices in a more neutral shade will keep people looking at you instead of you makeup.  Experimenting with different shades of color is fine as long as it is well blended.   


Tip six:  finishing touches!  Don't forget to use eyeliner and mascara.  Just use q-tips to correct splotches and smudges.  Those finishing touches make all the difference.  




Tip seven: hair!  Brush your hair.  If you want to give a more alert, awake energetic appearance, pull your hair back into a loose pony tail.  This makes your eyes look more open and brightens your face immediately.  


This isn't really a tip.  More an opinion really.  I have said it before and you will hear it again, "no matter how bad you feel if you fake it and put on makeup and get dressed nice it can totally make you fell better."  Trying these tips can help you feel a lot better and look great too.  All 7 of these tips together should take less than 10 minutes for all the makeup.  Remembering to drink water just takes a second. 


Thank you for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife,


Leslie