Ohh girl... no you didnt.

YES I DID, I did just display gross looking skin for all to see! ha ha 

So I wanted to share with you guys something most girls probably wouldnt. 

My face WITHOUT makeup. 

This is my face, with no makeup what so ever! you can see my acne scar, the redness around my nose on my cheeks and my freckles. 

Now here is a picture with just tinted moisturizer and concealer on. I did use more concealer than usual because I was trying to achieve a very smooth finish. Normally I just shoot it under my eyes, around my nose and on my darker acne scars. 

So my point is. it doesnt take a ton of makeup to do this. You dont need massive amounts of foundation, layers and layers of concealer. You just need a light hand and good products. 

I used Urban Decay Tinted Moisturizer, Mehron tattoo concealer, and Makeup Forever HD Finishing Powder to set the makeup. 

Anyway, thats all I got for today. So til next time =0) 

P&L

Raquel

New Makeup and Makeup Update

HEY! HEY!!! 

Omgosh! I have to tell you guys about BH Cosmetics! 

Even though, I know Im probably late on the band wagon with this brand 

I finally got my 120 eyeshadow palette!! 

(Funny story how I finally got too... Waited 4 hrs for the ups truck, I left my moms when it didnt seem like it would show and 10 minutes later I get a call from my brother laughing and saying guess what! So I went back because I knew I wouldve been going crazy at home.)

Ok, back to the palette. This particular palette sells for $34.95 at regular price, but I got it on Black Friday for $17!! Thats 45% off! Thats 14 cents an eyeshadow!!

Its absolutely beautiful! Look at it!!! 

And these guys are true to color! The grey here at the bottom of the picture above fooled me! I thought it might be a little lighter and nope! He really was a dark grey.

And Ive decided to try a new look for the next 120 days! Each day I will post a picture on my facebook showcasing the color for the day. Lets see how that goes..

And in other news, I have a fun concept coming up and here is a ginormous clues...

ha ha. Yes thats right! 

I'm doing some picture tutorials on the X-Men characters.

Ive got a few ideas for some of the more popular ones but I cant wait to 

explore the world of Marvel and come up with some creative looks! 

Stay tuned! =0)

P&L, 

Raquel

Forget Monday its Manic Sunday!

So like every other mommy out there, my day starts early EVERY day. 

Max is definitely an early bird. 

God's little joke on Justin and I who love our sleep. 

But anyway, today I decided was the day I was going to go shopping for REAL!

(And yes I went looking like this! I dont care... ITS SUNDAY!!)

(Max and I before I left...)

Since moving we hadnt done a real grocery shopping trip and every other night we were eating out. Not good for my gut... 

So today armed with a wealth of sales knowledge (I looked at all the websites, looked through the coupon mags in the newspaper) I took off, Max stayed home with daddy which made the trips much faster. 

Now, I've never done this before and maybe some of you have, but I jotted down the meals I'm making for dinner for the whole week! I posted it on the fridge and told the guys that if they didnt want what was for dinner then they could go out and spend their own money. 

Stephen is always ok with it but of course Justin being the trouble maker made up his mind that he doesnt want two out of the 5 dinners right off the bat. ugh!!! 

Now, I have to share my experience at Ralphs today. Its only happened once before but it didnt really bother me as much as it did today. As I went to check out the cashier said thank you, bye to the customer in front of me she then asked how I was, I replied 'good thanks, how are you?' but she didnt respond. My voice can be low at times, so I figured she didnt hear me because of the beeping from the scanner. But then when she handed me my receipt she didnt say anything even though I thanked her and started talking to the customer behind me and when she came over to put my bag in the basket, I thanked her again and I think she mumbled thank you she then turned away to look at the other customer and continued talking to her. 

I felt like I was being treated differently than everyone else. I called my sister after this happened and told her about it. Now, I did look a hot mess and I thought maybe that was it but I couldnt help but feel like it was because of the color of my skin. (just to clarify the cashier was caucasian as were the other customer in front and behind me) And though I cant say for sure that was why, I know I felt like that. At my sister's urging I called the manager and told him how I was treated. I didnt say what ethnicity I am but I did say that I felt like I was treated differently than the other customers. And mind you I was in no way shape or form rude to her, I answered her initial greeting kindly and politely and thanked her several times. 

Ive never really been bothered by things like this when they happen to me and when theyve happened when Im out with my dad or mom I speak up and always thought I would if it every happened to me. The manager apologized profusely and said he would have a talk with her. He said he's never had anything like this brought up about this particular cashier, but unfortunately for her she hurt my feelings enough for me to call and bring it to their attention. I know she wont stop me from going to that particular Ralphs but I know I'll never go down her aisle again. 

So, now that I've let all that out, I can move on with my day and tell you about Target! 

Their grocery department is amazing!!!! 

They have everything at least $.50 cheaper than the grocery stores and I was able to find everything except meats and poultry. 

So, I think I'll go there from now. 

I love it!! 

And finally I bought a traveling coffee mug! 

No more spending money on coffee and I'll be able to control what exactly is in it. 

Oh!! And tomorrow I'm going to kickboxing, ahhhh!!! 

I'll post something about that on Tuesday, so long as I can type. ha ha 

Anyway, 

Happy Sunday shopping and hopefully your Ralphs experience 

and my next one 

is better than todays. 

ha ha baby kisses. 

P&L

Raquel

Mamitis and Makeup

I have to admit I am so happy right now. 

My life is in a good place and my dreams are coming true. 

And to top it all off my nugget has mamitis. 

I LOVE it but I HATE it.

I love that all he wants is mama, but then hate to hear him cry when I leave or that I cant get a break!!!!! ha ha 

But who can not love this nugget!!!

he's sooooooooo cute! it drives me crazy! ha ha

Anywayzzzz...

At first what I thought was a hobby turned into a career choice and I am so excited to share that I'm going to makeup school next year. 

I finally picked a school and honestly I want to do this sooo bad. 

I never thought I would be so passionate about something and I truly enjoy doing it. 

But in the mean time, I'm still going to do my videos and show you guys what Ive discovered while doing my own makeup and messing around with different looks and applications.

So enjoy the first of many videos to come!! 

Love ya'll, 

Raquel =0)

 

ha ha, not a flattering still....

Im back!!

So, I have been out of it lately and I havent done ANY makeup. 

BUT now, Im back in full effect and I have a ton of makeup tutorials for everyone. 

Here are the inspirational pictures for some of the looks. 

Selena Gomez

Adele

Beyonce (Deja Vu days)

Wild'n'Chic ad for MUFE

Ive done many more too. So stay tuned... 

P&L

Raquel 

Baby Traveler....

AHHHHH!!! Look at my face!! It says it all...

Yes, thats me. I am going to Vegas and while I should be smiling from ear to ear like so...

I'm not. 

Why you might ask. 

Well because Im traveling with my two big ol' babies. 

My beautiful Maxwell, which I have to pack everything for. 

Right now, I'm going over my mental checklist and so far so good but I have to 

plan for the worst and the best. 

So pants/shorts, long sleeves/tanks, the whole shabam. 

And while Ive traveled with him before hes older now and 

gets irritated with his car seat so Im not to excited and 

I can definitely wait to hear the screaming to come. 

And now for my other baby, Justin. 

Omg, I swear there are times I want to leave him on the side of the road. 

But, at least this time we're joined by my mom and his brother 

so I will try my best to control myself when he throws a tantrum 

which I know he will with all this Vegas traffic these days. 

Anyway!

For you new mamas out there who havent traveled long distances yet with your munchkin here are a few tips. 

1. Make a check list and make sure to double check that you have everything on it. Before you leave the house (and I already know I'm gonna forget something)

2. Always pack more clothes than you think you might use. You'll end up using all of it. Trust me!

3. Take plenty of blankets, two maybe three because he/she will spit up all over one and you'll be stuck without another. 

4. Take a pillow! I tried resting my head on Max's carseat once and he kept kicking me so I was stuck sleeping against the door. Not cool!! 

5. SLEEP!! Dont drive!! Make dad do it. That's what he's there for.

So, there are my tips and feel free to add some more in the comments below. 

Safe Travels and happy driving/flying...

Love, 

Raquel =0)

P.S. ha ha I was having to much fun with photo booth.

That I was trying to fix my hair but it was out of control.  I gave up. lol

 

Makes me feel bit old when...

My niece tells my sister and I we're weird for singing this at the top of our lungs. 

ha ha, so inappropriate for a 9 year old. lol

::sigh:: and I remember the days when my sister, Crystal and Vanessa, MY bestie for 21 years, used to stand on top of our dresser in our best dresses and sang these songs in the dark with just a spot light. ah, the memories... 

I used to sing this song in my blue velvet dress with sparkles on the top.

Oh man, I can see myself standing up there all over again. 

Then this is the song that changed my world, I was obsessed after this...

I remember going to Vanessa's house and telling her and Laurie (god I wonder what happened to her??) about it. 

And little did I know I'd turn out to have the worse gaydar because the first love of my life was none other than Lance Bass, ha ha ha.

Ah, the memories.... lol 

Love, 

Raquel =0)

Share some of your memorable songs down below in the comments section.

Pictures are Memories frozen in time...

Return of the Liz

Circa 2007

Young Love

 Circa 2004

What the bird flipping????

Dec. 24, 2008

July Jager

July 4, 2008

Feelin' Vegas

Circa Sept. 2009

Back Massager

Jan 2010

HONEY!! 

Aug. 2009

City by the Bay

Spring 2007

It Began with him...

Dec. 31 2010

More coming soon...

Love, 

Raquel =0)

Time flies... and I'm getting OLD!!

My oh my! 

Today, I spent the afternoon with my cousin Armando and his family. 

I was doing his girlfriend's, Linda, makeup for her birthday and anniversary night. 

Linda and I were pregnant at the same time and had our babies within a week of one another. 

Beautiful baby, Melody, was born on Christmas Day and 

my silly monkey, Maxwell, was born on New Years Eve. 

Our little holiday babies are growing up so fast and its a little scary. 

Heres an early picture of them, Melody was 4 wks and Maxwell was 3 wks. 

Halloween Series... Mermaid/Witch look

Yesterday I decided to give my skin a break and used a face chart

to create a witch/mermaid look. 

 

I used a ton of different colors to create the look. But as you can tell I used a wide range of Blues and Greens with some browns for contouring.

For a Witch, change the eyebrows for a more dramatic look. 

For a Mermaid, add glitter to the eyelids and a shimmery lip gloss. 

I have convinced my sister to let me do this to her so stay tuned for those pictures. Hope this inspires some of you...

Mermaid fins and Witches brooms,

Raquel =0)

Halloweenies! ha ha

I love, love, LOVE Halloween and if you were to ask any of my friends I usually start planning my costume from (I dont know............) lets say March.
ha ha

99 Cent Store Haul (if there is such a thing, ha ha)

So I went to the 99 Cent Store with my little whiner today and boy oh boy did I find some goodies.

Enjoy the photos! =0)

How I store my makeup...

So for a long time I woud store my makeup in a basket or in the drawer of the bathroom. 

It was always all over the place .

Especially when I still lived at my parents, I lost two Carbon by MAC 

because of that and then some =0/

Anyway, about a month ago I went to Target and found this green container 

Guantanamera...

So this weekend we bid farewell (well for 10 months at least) to my beautiful cousin Gaby. 

 (My sister Jackie, Gaby and myself)

She leaves tonight for Cuba.

She was accepted into a medical program which is based there. 

( I love it my cousin is going to be a doctor!!) 

She is such an intelligent and beautiful old soul,

who cares for so many others before herself. 

I wish her nothing but the best of luck in her studies. 

Love you Gabers! =0)

Til next time, 

Raquel =0)

P.s. Here the nails and makeup I wore to the bbq...

The first picture of this post was taken just before we left the bbq. My nails were chipping and my eyeliner was half gone by then, thanks to my sister sharing a hilarious video. 

But I'll share that another day.. Night =0)

Makeup Friday!!!

So I thought of this great idea! ha ha

Every Friday I will post a makeover/just for fun/going out, etc post. 

You'll see before and after pictures 

and a little video from the lucky lady who gets her makeup done. 

Stay tuned!! =0) 

Breathe, Release and Breathe.

There are things that happen to you every once in a while that make you look at your life

and helps you re establish that...

You are so blessed to have such a wonderful life. 

I am so blessed to have been giving the opportunity to give life to this amazing little human being.

Annoying kids..

I know, what a harsh title, but!! I have a point. 

Today, I am taking care of my nephew. 

His name is Devon and he's 3 yrs old. 

Now this adorable 3 year old who is too cute for words... 

SEE!!!

Change is good...

So, I'm changing up my whole idea yet again 

(indecisiveness!! I dont even think thats a word) 

But anyway....

VS Obsession!!

Im totally rocking to the 80s tunes "obsession" playing in my head right now. ha ha

I am obsessed with the makeup, and just maybe because its Victoria's Secret it makes me feel sexy wearing it. ha ha. 

Anyway, Ive done two looks using VS eyeshadows as the Star of the Show!

SO,

I took a cue from my friend Vanessa, whose makeup I did for this picture, 

and somewhat recreated the look. 

She looks amazing by the way. 

Electric BLUE!

So  I decided to play with color this time around and choose to use this amazing navy blue from BEDHEAD...

Adriana Lima... Gorgeous!

Now I've seen so many Adriana Lima looks that it was hard to pick just one, soooo I decided to do several. This is the first of probably about 3 Adriana inspired looks.

Concealer Magic!

So I've always done my concealer pretty lightly and just quickly dabbed it under my eyes and scarcely around my face were I needed it. But recently I've been getting less sleep and I seem to always have dark circles under my eyes and have a tired ass look.

So when I stumbled across a video of Angela Levin (Jennifer Aniston's makeup artist) explaining her tricks to look young and rested, I geeked out and got super excited and tried it out.

And here were the results...

Jessica Alba Latina Magazine Cover

Intense Smoky Eye

So Ive done this look on myself a million times and I always get asked how I do it, so here it is....

My First Makeup Tutorial!! =)

Amber Lights

Check out the video, after the jump....

Inspired!

imgfave | share your visual inspiration (clipped to polyvore.com)

ModelMayhem.com - Mandamonium (clipped to polyvore.com)

& For The Love Of FASHION: If Willy Wonka had Eyeshadow (clipped to polyvore.com)

Style, fashion, beauty and makeup… (clipped to polyvore.com)

background, pink, girl (clipped to polyvore.com)

DIY Honey Recipe

The easiest recipe in the world for an all over body exfoliant..

Official Photo Shoot. 5/21/2011

I got a call from my girlfriend Xiomara saying her friend Pat needed a makeup artist. I jumped up and called him ASAP! After talking about the shoot, he said see you Saturday! It was an exhausting day because the shoot was 11 hrs but the people were amazing. Alfonso the producer was hilarious and I had so much fun talking to Elisa the stylist about our celebrity diva moments. ha ha. Pat is an amazing photographer and both models Julie and Carolyn were the sweetest girls. 

Here are some of the shots...

Photo shoot on 5/1/2011

Such a fun shoot. The whole crew was awesome and our 'models' were amazing. Take a look...

Makeup!

So I've been doing makeup a lot lately and after a 6 month hiatus (due to Max my son) I'm back, hustling and getting my foot in the door! So watch out world.