Our Journey for Baby Miano

I just wanted to write a quick blog post and let you all know that although I do a lot of beauty reviews (most requested by readers), my vision for my blog has always been to talk about whatever is going on in my life and what I love and share it with the world.  And the most important thing in my life, and my husband's, has been trying to get pregnant.  So going forward, I do plan on journaling our journey to making that dream come true.  I hope I do not lose any followers by doing so and in fact hope I gain some.  1 in every 10 couples have problems conceiving and I wish more people talked about it.  It took me a while to confide in people about the issues I was having and once I did it helped so much.  But support groups an forums can only do so much.  And while I know I have people in my circle, being able to write my feelings and my pain as raw as it can be sometimes helps, it has always helped.

The reason this is starting now is because my employer provided insurance plan (BCBS of Florida) never covered fertility treatment, only diagnostic.  And last year my gyne said that we would be a great candidate for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization).  We just found a plan through BCBS of Illinois that will cover fertility treatment (after meeting our large deductible) and will be starting the process in January.   Thank god for state mandated coverage.

Let me back up,  I was diagnosed with endometriosis before I was 20.  I was not worried about ever having children until I was married, so just went through the motions.  To date, I have had 5 surgeries for cysts, etc.....which has left me with a lot of scar tissue and I still have those cysts in my uterus. Those things have been making conception quite difficult.  I have been with my husband for about 9 years and we have been TTC for over 3.  Trying to conceive for over a year with no luck, gives you the medical diagnosis of infertility.  We go for our consult with Chicago IVF on December 9th and I am so anxious to get this started.  Although we have had all necessary testing done with my gyne, we will do them all over again so they are all up to date.  Then when all the results come back, we will meet with the doctor for a treatment plan.

On average, one round of IVF can cost $12,000 before medication and that can cost up to $5,000. Why don't we adopt??  Adoption can cost $10,000 to $25,000.  Without insurance, we never would have been able to even try.  And this plan will only cover 4 rounds annually. This is a huge investment, both financially and emotionally but it may be our only shot at ever having a child.  The good news is that at age 35, there is a 50% chance of pregnancy.

I am more nervous then I have ever been in my life.  I am scared of more failure and I am scared of success.  I am afraid of getting my hopes up and being excited and I am afraid of being too pessimistic.  I am a whirlwind of emotions and have been for the past 3 years.  It is an all consuming desire to become a mother and give my husband a child and my mother a grandchild.  It is always on my mind from the minute I wake up until I go to bed.  I yearn for what I was created to do and it is utterly taking every ounce of strength that I have to fight so hard for it.  But I will do whatever it takes, we will do whatever it takes.  And I hope that you follow us on this journey, get some information, provide insight and suggestions when you can and enjoy my ramblings.

Thank you and have a great day!! xo

Becca AfterGlow & Carli Bybel Palette Reviews

Here is the look I created using both the Carli Bybel eyeshadow palette and the Becca AfterGlow palette.  I wanted to glow while I was putting up the holiday decor!!

I wanted to get all the photos up first since the beauty of them each speak for themselves.  I can pretty much leave :)  The Becca afterglow palette comes with three highlighters and two mineral blushes.

From left to right, Moonstone, Rose Gold, Topaz, Wild Honey and Flowerchild.  I mean even those names are gorgeous!!  They are long lasting and of great quality, smooth as butter and the brush picks up so much so a little goes a long way.  My only complaint is I wish the pans of product were bigger. But for the price of $39.50, you get to try a bunch of best sellers.

The Carli Bybel palette is an amazing value at ONLY $12.50.  $12.50!!  Now I have only used a few BH Cosmetics brushes but have been pleased.  The eye shadow palettes also get rave reviews.  So this collaboration is a great match.  I love the matte shadows for the crease and outer v and the shimmer shades for my lid and inner tear duct.

Don't mind my hair, it's the weekend!! :) 

Both of these are great value for your money and would make great gifts for the holidays!!

Do you already have these or are they on your wishlist??  Let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo

November 2015 Favorites

This is a long overdue post, about favorites that is.....But I haven't really fallen head over heels in a while.  Until this past month!  I have fallen in love with entirely too many things! Shhh, don't tell my husband (muah!).

First up is this NARS Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Cheek Palette.  This palette comes with 4 blushes, a highlight/contour duo and a bronzer.  Gorgeous packaging, long lasting color and beautiful shades anyone can wear.  Perfect staple for everyday use!!

Paloma contour duo, Laguna bronzer top row, Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster and Dolce Vita blushes bottom row

Courtesy of bubblymichelle.com

Laguna bronzer and Blasphemy blush

Next up is Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation.

My favorite blogger, Stephanie Lange, raves about Chanel foundation so I had to try it myself.  I love it.  It has beige undertones and since I am more neutral, those shades work more with my skin tone. This goes on very light and I find is best applied with a beauty blender to achieve light coverage and a second coat for medium to full coverage.  It does have a very perfumey smell but it did not irritate my skin or make me break out.  It has a hefty price tag but a little goes a long way!!

My next favorite this month is Estee Lauder Double Wear concealer.  To be honest, I can't believe it took me this long to try it.  I fell in love with Double Wear foundation last year and since I am always on the hunt for a heavy duty concealer for my dark under eye circles, this should have been a natural selection for me.  It goes on light but dries to full coverage.  It is offered in a range of shades and I chose light.  It does not crease on me and stays on all day until my makeup remover takes it off!

Next, I tried Benefit Gimme Brow in a Sephora sample pack.  Since my brows are so thin to begin with, I was always nervous to try this product.  Since I have gotten bangs this winter, I have been letting my brows grow (thank god for bangs!!) and this is literally the perfect product to brush my brows in to place and add some color and volume.  It is described as a brow volumizing fiber gel and it does just that and looks so natural!!

Another sample I got from Sephora is the Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara.  My short stubby lashes always need a lift (hee hee) and this does the trick!!  It adds nice length and blackens them perfectly with 2 coats.

And my last favorite from this month are my ear jackets from Asos  These are another rec from Stephanie Lange.  They are gorgeous.  I have gotten so many compliments on them and even bought my mother a pair!  Sadly, they are currently sold out since I started this post but hopefully they will stock again soon!

And there ya have it!  My November 2015 favorites.  There have been so many holiday releases as of late and I just recently won an amazing giveaway on Instagram so I will be doing a haul post along with some more reviews soon!  Hopefully I can provide some great gift ideas for you!

And it is also that time of year when the DIY crafts and gifts start so let me know if you have any special requests!!

If you have any favorites from this month or love any of my favorites, let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo

DIY Fall Candle Holders using fake (or real) leaves

Hey guys!!  I haven't done a DIY in awhile and I was in a crafting mood this weekend.  Plus I got these supplies last year but with the move, they got lost in all my craft supplies.  So needless to say, with the holiday season soon approaching, more and more DIY's will be coming!

This will be one of the easiest and prettiest crafts you will ever do!!

Get together the following:

• Type of glass (vase, jar, bowl)
• Mod Podge (I used matte finish but you can use shiny too)
• Leaves (fake will be the quickest as real you will need to dry out prior to using)
• Sponge
• Optional: Burlap, Twine, Ribbon

Take your sponge applicator and apply mod podge liberally to the glass.  Wait a few seconds until it gets tacky and then put your leaves on, one by one, and coat liberally with mod podge until the edges stick to the glass.  Keep turning your piece around and around, adding as many or as few leaves as you like.

Let dry at least an hour.

I popped a candle in right away to see how pretty it looked!!

I then added some twine and ribbon for the finishing touches!!

And there ya go! I placed them right on my dining room table as my centerpiece!  You can see the mod podge gives kind of a stained glass effect.  If you don't care for that, then be strategic with your placement of the mod podge so it only covers the leaves.

Easy Peasy!!

Have you done any modpodge crafts lately?  What are your favorite fall DIY's?  Let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo