Normally, I am that girl who doesn’t venture beyond the aisles of Target when buying make-up.  But last month my buddy Ingrid visited from California, and we decided to go to the MAC Cosmetics store in the Mall of America and get makeovers.

Let’s just say I left with my wallet a little bit a lot lighter.  After using the products, I wanted to review them for you here, in case any of you are considering making purchases there.

1. Holiday Brush Bags – I purchased this one since it had the foundation brush I wanted.  It also included a blush brush and three good brushes for eyes.  I am not impressed.  To be fair, my consultant warned me that the brush sets aren’t as high quality as the individually-sold brushes because they are machine-made, not hand-made.  But when I pay $49.50 for 5 brushes, I don’t expect them to shed 47 bristles onto my face every morning, which is exactly what the foundation brush does.  I end up having to use a different brush to get those bristles off my face.  I have a brush set I got at Target last year for $10, and those brushes are, in my opinion, far superior to the MAC ones.  They are softer (making application less harsh-looking) and have hardly shed a single bristle.  Save yourself $40 and buy these somewhere else, ladies!

2.  Fab-racadabra Bronze Face Kit – Another one of the holiday kits that I bought to try and save a little rather than buy three separate items (bronzer, blush and iridescent powder).  I’m pretty neutral on this one.  It gives my cheeks a nice glow, but I’m not sure it’s that much better than my previous Cover Girl blush.  I may change my tune in a couple weeks when my skin has taken on its usual “death” pallor for winter.  That bronzer could be a winner.

3.  Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Though, again, much more pricey than my normal Cover Girl pressed powder, this one is worth the money ($25).  I get a nice finish by dusting it over my makeup with a brush, and I’m not greasy (I’m prone to that in my T-zone) for hours.  Sometimes I don’t even have to reapply it all day!  It also works great when I don’t have time for anything but a little mascara.  It goes on more evenly than the Neutrogena mineral makeup I was using for those gotta-get-out-the-door-now mornings.

4. Paint Pot in Rubenesque – Far and away my favorite product purchased.   This glorious, shimmery little pot acts as a base for eyeshadow, but unlike another color they sell, Painterly, Rubenesque has enough color to it that it can actually function as eyeshadow if I don’t have time for anything else.  And the most amazing part–it lasts ALL. DAY. LONG.  No creasing, no smudging; this stuff stays put.  Even after an 8-hour day behind my camera, which usually has my eye makeup in ruins, I came out looking virtually the same as when I’d started that morning.  Worth every penny of $16.50.

5.  Eyeshadows – My consultant informed me that I would save money by getting a palette of these and inserting these little pots ($11 each), but that they contain the same amount of product as the individually-sold eyeshadows ($14.50 each).  I currently have three colors – one for filling in brows, one for my crease, and one for highlighting below the eyebrow.  I am still waiting for them to call me telling me they have re-stocked the fourth one (for my lid), and Rubenesque has been filling in as my main shadow.  MAC is known for their highly-pigmented products, meaning you have to use very, very little to get a saturated look.  I merely tap my brush on top of the makeup and it’s enough to begin application.  No smushing or swirling my brush to get enough on, which is nice (plus, it doesn’t leave layers of eyeshadow dust all over everything!).  These shadows also stay put (I’m sure partially due to the paint pot product) and will no doubt last me a long time.

6. Fluidline Eyeliner – Normally an eyeliner pencil will last me several years.  I just don’t wear enough to put much of a dent in it.  So when MAC girl put what looked like a thick black inchworm on my upper lashline, I wasn’t terribly excited.  However, I decided to give it another chance and had her switch it to a dark brown.  This looked much more natural on me.  After a couple of days, I got used to applying my liner with a brush rather than a pencil, and again, this takes very little product to make a huge impact.  It will probably not last me as long as a pencil, but it doesn’t smudge all over my face like pencil does, either.

There you have it–my experience with MAC.

I have continued to use my own cheaper mascara (Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof–love the stuff!  And pros use it.) and foundation (Cover Girl TruBlend), since I had just purchased new of them both and I didn’t particularly care for MAC’s version of either (my face was THICK with foundation; I looked fake).

What makeup do you use?  Have you ever gotten a counter/store makeover done?  Did you fall for it as hard as I did?  Have you stuck with any of the products?

This is the first time I’ve posted any pregnancy pictures anywhere this time around…I’ve gained about the same amount as I did with Anja, but I’m decidedly more rotund (as discussed earlier).  I’m 29 weeks along.  We don’t know what we’re having.  The pregnancy has been much the same as it was with her, just more water retention (lay off the carbs, said my midwife), more hip pain at night, and I’m carrying a little lower.  Could be a boy, could be a girl, and I can’t wait to meet him/her!

I’ve been really bad at updating this baby’s pregnancy journal.  I had so much more time when I was pregnant with Anja, though.  I was only working 4 days a week at my construction job, one at home, and I didn’t have a toddler to run after.  These past couple months I’ve been working 20 hours outside the home (plus about 3 hours per week of commute and picking up at daycare), 30-40 hours a week at home, plus watching Anja full time on the days I’m home.  Sleep has been lacking and stress has been plentiful—not the best conditions for growing a baby!

Speaking of which, this past Thursday was my last day at my construction job.  After many months of prayer and a unique opportunity, we have decided to take the plunge into having me home full time.  My photography business has pretty much supplanted my construction income, so it was either return to work full time when the baby arrives to be able to afford two kids in daycare or take this step of faith.  I’ll miss my co-workers, but they’ve invited me to visit anytime, and having me home with our kids is something Husband and I have wanted for our family since we got married.

Any prayers for my sanity are much appreciated!  Though it is wonderful to have 23 more hours in the week to be taking care of things at home, I don’t anticipate my photography workload slowing down much until close to Christmas (and the baby is due just a couple weeks later).  I think  I will savor my maternity leave this time SOOOO much more.  :)

This was the first year Anja went trick-or-treating, and she enjoyed herself immensely.  She loved her costume (a candy corn, in case you can’t figure it out), and has had it on several times prior to Halloween.

She would say “Trick or Treat” about 15 times before each person would get to the door, and then when they opened it, she had to be coaxed to say anything.  But as soon as they put something in her little bag, she would do a happy dance and say, “Thank you.  Happy Halloween!”  Fairly charming, if you ask me.

We just went up and down our street, but she had quite a haul when we got home.  That turned out to be a good thing, since we ran out of candy at our own door and actually had to give a piece of hers away!  Here she is with her bag, pleased to pieces.

And though Grandma has already seen this outfit, here’s a little shirt I got her at Old Navy.

Excuse the cheesy smile (grimace?).  That’s about all we get from her in front of a camera these days.  :)

My best friend from college is here visiting from California right now–what better sunshine than that?

Also, here’s a great article that really sums up my view on simplicity.  Doing something yourself (canning, quilting, building a bookshelf, etc.) is not necessarily “simpler.”  It can be cheaper, more fulfilling, better for you, and so on, but simple, by its definition, is “not complicated” or “easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.”  So, release yourself from the pressure to be “the perfect mom” or “the perfect husband” by allowing yourself to buy laundry detergent or preserves or hire out that painting job if you don’t have time.  I sure won’t hold it against you OR say that you don’t live the “simple lifestyle”!

Here’s some stuff I had in a draft for two weeks ago–oops!  That’s okay, it’s still relevant and good!

Antique Mommy’s 10 Commandments of Entertaining.  Read them, practice them.  Preaching to myself here.

The Nester is doing a series on “Dressing Your Nest,” and I really liked this post about defining the purpose of your home.  Makes the rest so much more simple, doesn’t it?

This video made me cry.  I can be quite emotionally volatile when pregnant, especially when it comes to babies.  Thank goodness the baby survived!

These were taken in late September…and now we’ve had snow several times.  So strange…

I entered them in Pioneer Woman’s Photography Assignment group today, and though I would throw them up here as well.  You know, some new content.  :)

Have any of you ever watched The Wiggles?  A sweet co-worker passed along a few DVDs to us a few months ago and we watched one of them with Anja this week.  Wow, that is some weird stuff.  It’s like the proverbial train wreck (so awful you can’t look away).  I can’t believe they’re the highest grossing entertainment group in all of Australia!

I think my cold has gone to my brain, because I have nothing better to offer than this pathetic observation.  Hoping the fluids and rest will do me good by tomorrow!

Gack!  September is a goner!  But it produced some lovely things, including this post by Beck.  She is, I think, and at risk of offending others whom I like so much, my favorite mommy blog.  Almost every post she puts together resonates with my mother heart, the dissonance between holding on and letting go.  Mothers never achieve that balance perfectly, do we?

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If (more like when) I decide to paint furniture, this is where I will go for reference.  Her dining set looks amazing!  Maybe I should’ve done that instead of order the new table and chairs.  Mmm…nope.

September has been one of the busiest months I remember having in my life.  In between taking care of the baby (2 yr old…still a baby?  Yes, yes she is.), I’ve been working quite a few 12-14 hour days.  Not my cup of tea.  Husband keeps trying to get me to take breaks, but it’s hard, knowing there’s no one else there to pick up the slack (self-employment is great, but has some down-sides).

This business God has given me (because truly, I never went looking for it; I really feel that He’s pushed me through one open door after another) has been blessed beyond what I could have imagined, and I owe it all to him.  That said, it has come with its stresses.

Other things I’ve been able to squeeze into September:

• A haircut (nothing exciting, just a much-needed trim)
• Bible study
• A MOPS meeting
• A visit to an apple orchard
• An overnight visit from an old friend and her baby girl
• A meal out with friends at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try
• A couple morning trips to the zoo with Anja, which she loved

Today I took the day off from processing photos and cleaned up the house and did some Autumn decorating.  I told Husband that even though cleaning is not really a break, it seemed like one, so that counts, right?

So far I’ve gained about the same amount of pregnancy weight as I did with Anja (which was more than I wanted to gain, but still in healthy range).  I can’t imagine the weight gain will slow down with my typical menu of hearty soups, yummy breads and fall baked goods coming up, followed by the holiday season.  Yikes!  But friends have reassured me that it is oh so cozy to have a big belly keeping you warm in January, unlike in August where you just wish you could remove it and get the swelling in your legs to go down…

October will likely be less busy with photo shoots (though I have four this coming weekend), but more busy with client orders.  Can’t promise I’ll be around a lot, but I’d love to hear what you’re up to this fall!