My Best of 2013 – New Year’s Eve

Yay for ending 2013 on a good note!  I have never felt more accomplished at the end of the year as I do now! So many good things happened in 2013!

I love it when bloggers do their “best of” posts. It’s cool to see other beauter’s go to products….beauters…is that a word?

Anyway, I decided to share my go to products of 2013. I hope you enjoy!

I’ve become some what of a lipstick junkie this past year.  I love how I can put on a winged eyeliner and a red lip and look fabulous and completely made up….yay for being lazy.  These are my top four of 2013.

<a href="http://www.milanicosmetics.com/p-153-color-statement-lipstick.aspx#!prettyPhotoMilani in Uptown Mauve-$5.49 – I absolutely love this berry colored lipstick. It was great for fall this year. It lasts all day and is super creamy.  Kudos to Milani for this one!

MAC Cosmetics – Lady Danger – $15.00 – I got this beauty for free! Thanks to the MAC recycling program!  This is my go to red! It is gorgeous, creamy and helps whiten my teeth! lol. This photo doesn’t even do this color justice…it is almost a borderline orangey color. It’s perfect.  This has to be my favorite favorite of 2013. Go buy it!

Rimmel’s Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss – I think I paid about $5 for this. This is the third lipstick I’ve bought from this collection. They truly are long lasting with great pigmentation.  They don’t smell gross either!

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral – $7.49 This has to be my favorite drugstore lipstick. I have about 4 from this collection and they are amazing!  This was my perfect summer color for 2013. Not only is the pigmentation great but it really moisturizes too. This is a winner winner chicken dinner for me!

The next thing on my list is the Naked Basics palette from Urban Decay – $27.00 I got this amazing piece of palette as a Christmas gift from my sister in law last year.  I have used the crap out of it. This is by far the best thing out of the Naked collection. It has all of the colors you need to create both a sultry sexy look or a sweet natural look on the fly.    This baby is with me at all times. If you don’t have this….you need it!  Buy it now!

Stila Make Me Blush Valentines Day Palette – $16.99 This is kind of a cheat. This is the valentines day blush Stila made a couple of years ago. I bought it when it originally came out but I dropped it and along with breaking it, it broke my heart.  This has been my favorite blush since then. I was so excited to find it on Ebay this year so I bought two!  If you can get your hands on it I recommend it 100%!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Genius Kit – $25.00 THIS….THIS STUFF IS AMAZING!  Kudos to Anastasia Beverly Hills! You have officially won me 100% over!  This year I really got into my bushy eyebrows!  I have struggled with my eyebrows for as long as I can remember. They grow way to fast and way to thick. I have finally found the best waxer and the best product to help me maintain them!  I’m excited to try their other products.  I think this is my favorite product of 2013.

I’ve used Voluminous mascara for as long as I can remember; however, I discovered The Rocket Mascara from Maybelline this year and it is AHHHHMAZZZINGGG!  It gives me the volume and length I need and holds my curl without clumping. I think it runs about $7 or so.  I pair it with my Tarte Eyelash Curler and I get the perfect eyelashes! This is by far the best curler I have ever used. I bought this special edition one at Ulta for $19 but the original is only $16. Completely worth it.  My lashes are ridiculously straight and ridiculously long and usually don’t like to cooperate with anything!

The next thing on my list is my Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation -$27 This is a given. I’ve used it for years and I will always love it! I also started using Mac Mineralized Concealer-$20 It really helps with my baggage and dark circles. It really brightens my face up when I use it.  It’s a keeper for me!

The next thing on my list goes with the previous items. It’s Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder and is about $5 or so. Once again, this is a given. I’ve used this for a while now! If you are oily then you will love this! It keeps me matte all day!

The final thing on my Best of 2013 post is Beyond the Zone Rock On Volumizing Powder.  $7.49 Although this isn’t a cosmetic item I thought it was important to add this to the best of list.  My hair is absolutely flat. I’ve never had any volume in it. This little magic wonder will do amazing things to my hair. You just sprinkle it in and tease with a comb or your finger and POOF lasting volume!  It’s my only way to get TEXAS sized hair. 😉

I can go on and on about products I love but these take the taco! What are some of your favorite products this year?

Well, I guess until next year! 😉
I hope ya’ll have a safe New Year’s Eve! Love y’all and may 2014 be full of blessings for you and your family! -Moni ❤

I decided to add some photos of some of my favorite moments of 2013 down below. Enjoy!

Hillsong United Concert in Oklahoma City!

Women of Faith Operation Tamales!

Bluprint Marriages!

Family and friends!

…and the biggest blessing…worshipping with my church family.

Goodbye 2013, you were so good to me!

Abundantly Blessed Giveway Winner!

It has been such a blessing hosting this giveaway! Thank you all for your comments, shares and tags! The winner of the leggings from Abundantly Blessed is Brandi E! I will email you with more information! Thank you so much to everyone who participated! Make sure and add Abundantly Blessed as a friend on Facebook!   I hope you all have a very merry CHRISTMAS!

God bless you all,
-Moni

I’m sorry this just posted! I’ve been in the middle of nowhere…aka Dimmitt, TX…visiting my family!  🙂

Hillsong Live – Anchor (Acoustic)

I just felt like I needed to share this song today.  Ask yourself this…without hope who would we be?

-Moni ❤

“Anchor”

I have this hope
As an anchor for my soul
Through every storm
I will hold to You

With endless love
All my fear is swept away
In everything
I will trust in You

There is hope in the promise of the cross
You gave everything to save the world You love
And this hope is an anchor for my soul
Our God will stand
Unshakeable

Unchanging One
You who was and is to come
Your promise sure
You will not let go

Your Name is higher
Your Name is greater
All my hope is in You

Your word unfailing
Your promise unshaken
All my hope is in You

Abundantly Blessed Giveaway!

Abundantly Blessed Giveaway!.

Abundantly Blessed Giveaway!

I love, love, love shopping at local boutiques. There is just something about them that makes my shopping experience….umm…enjoyable.

Abundantly Blessed is that kind of store.  I was so impressed by their hospitality…even on Black Friday!   They had tons of people in and they had a long line but instead of rushing people in and out they were inviting their customers to be apart of a prayer chain. That’s pretty amazing to me.

I’ve recently become addicted to the leggings I bought on Black Friday! I was nervous to slide on the one size fits all leggings over my fluffy tail! One size fits all usually means one size fits small! However, when I put them on, they fit amazingly and the print didn’t stretch all crazy! (Haha…you know what I’m talking about ;)!)
They had an amazing sale on them so I bought a couple of pairs!

For December’s giveaway Abundantly Blessed graciously donated a pair of these cute leggings!  How great are they! There are 2 ways to enter to win.

1.) Comment on this blog post. (+1 entry)
2.) Post the picture below on instagram with the hashtag #iliftmyvoicegiveaway and follow and tag me @Mdozal. (+2 Entries)

I will close the contest and announce a winner on Christmas Eve! (U.S. only)

Abundantly Blessed is located at 2411 S. Western St in Amarillo, TX 79109. You can add them as a friend on Facebook here to look through some of their merchandise. They do take phone orders to ship out as well! 🙂 The phone number to call is (806) 242-5377. So stock up on some leggings!

Here are some of the items they have right now:

Good Luck and may God ABUNDANTLY BLESS you! 😉 – Moni ❤

December 2013 Ipsy Glambag

There are two times every month that I get extremely excited, when I go get my eyebrows waxed and when I get my Ipsy Glambag in the mail!

Ipsy is a $10 monthly subscription. They send you a customized glambag based on the quiz you take. It is the best $10 I spend each month!

These are the things I got in my December bag:

Pop Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio – The full palette is for sale for $24. So this is roughly an $8 dollar value. I am not a big POP fan. There is so much fallout with their shadows. I may give this to my niece for Christmas.

Be A Bombshell – The One Stick – Retail value $16. I have really started to love Be A Bombshell! I got one of their lip crayons last month and use it constantly. Apparently, this is an all over stick but I couldn’t see any other use for it other than lipstick. It’s a pretty red color with a little bit of glitz.

NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick – Retail value $4. I love anything NYX! Everything I’ve tried from them is absolutely amazing and this lipstick is no exception! This shade of red is exquisite! This is my favorite from this months bag.

Andrea Strip Lash – Retail value $3.99. I’m horrible at putting on eyelashes. My lashes are pretty long so I don’t use them often. I’ll probably save these for a special occasion!

Starriy Nail Polish – Retail value $12. I wasn’t sure if I liked this polish but it is beginning to grow on me. I think it’ll be great for New Year’s Eve!

…and finally…The Beauty Blender. This item wasn’t part of my glambag but was a reward from Ipsy’s point system. I had 1000 points to redeem and decided to spend it on the popular Beauty Blender. A big thanks to all the people who subscribed to Ipsy under my account!

This month’s glambag was great; however, it doesn’t beat last month’s bag! If you want to give Ipsy a try you can subscribe here! I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and a safe weekend! – Moni<3

My Top 5 Gifts for the Cosmetic Freak in Your Life!

About three years ago was when my love for makeup really developed. I mean, I’ve always loved makeup but until three years ago I really had no clue what I was missing out on. I put together this list because I know sometimes people don’t know all there is to know about every cosmetic brand out there like those makeup freaks like me do.  Well, this will help steer you in the right direction…or steer SOMEONE in the right direction! I hope you enjoy!

5. Rare Gem Limited Edition Picture Perfect™ Eyelash Curler by Tarte

This gem is $19.00. I once had this eyelash curler but I lost it!  😦 I bought it again at the end of November and fell in love all over again. My lashes are so long and STRAIGHT! It’s so sad. I struggle so hard to keep them curled. This curler works wonders!   It will surely satisfy anyone on your list!  The regular sparkle-less curler is only $16…but hey the rhinestones add that extra touch! 🙂 You can find this at Ulta or order online.

4. Black Market by Urban Decay

This beauty is on sale right now for $24 dollars on the UD website. It is regularly $36.  I have had these eyeliners before and I absolutely love them; however, I don’t own this set yet. They are so smooth and glide on so well!  I recommend these to anyone who doesn’t have a favorite eyeliner!  These colors are fantastic too! Any makeup lover on your list will appreciate this.

3. Glamorous Blush Palette by Bh Cosmetics

This awesome blush palette is only $10.95 right now! It would make a great stocking stuffer! I love anything from BH Cosmetics. They have great pigmentation and the packaging is always space efficient. This is one on my personal wish list this year!  🙂

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Catwalk Palette

This sultry palette is only $29. I have just recently become a fan of Anastasia Beverly Hills. I started with the Brow Genius Kit and now I just want all of their products! I’ve seen so many amazing tutorials with this palette. I would love to get this in my stocking and so would your daughter, sister, aunt or best friend!

1. Naked3 by Urban Decay (surprise, surprise!)

I am obsessed with all of UD’s Naked products. This phenomenon retails at $52. I have the first two palettes that I received as gifts and I use them daily and I think they are well worth the price! The best thing about this palette is that these are brand new, never before seen shades.  Both palettes prior have had some repeats from UD’s other palettes.  Naked3 has mattes, shimmers, darks and lights…it is amazing! I’ve tired to get my hands on this the past couple of days but have been unsuccessful. So if you find one some where snag it!!  Someone on your list will be very happy to get this!

Well, that’s it!  These are my top 5 gifts! I hope this helps when it comes to shopping for your loved ones! What products are you hoping to see in your stocking this year?

Be blessed – Moni ❤

The Season of Giving

It has been an amazing week so far and it’s only Wednesday! It was the idea of some of my co-workers to partner up with a local Spanish radio station here in Amarillo and host a toy drive to benefit the families we work with.  This took place this past Saturday, Sunday and Monday and I am absolutely floored by the response of Amarillo’s Hispanic community.

I was so blessed to see some of these families come and donate bags upon bags of brand new toys. I wasn’t sure I wanted to blog about it but I just had too.  I wanted to share some the special stories I heard while on location.

We had one mom bring all of her son’s birthday gifts. Harsh right? Lol that was my first thought but then she said that she told him if she could donate the 10 toys she knew he wouldn’t play with, she would buy him a toy he really wanted.  Of course he agreed and she brought us a huge bag full of brand new toys.  Not only is she helping our agency and the families out but she is showing her son the importance of giving things we really don’t need.  Although there was a definite reward for her son, maybe when he is a dad he will do the same thing with his kids and bless 10 more people!

We also had a the Army donate 32 pairs of pajamas for our families! What a blessing! Who wouldn’t love One Direction and Spiderman PJs!

A local horse track, Carril San Carlos, came and donated a couple of large remote control toys and some precious life-like baby dolls.

We had plenty of women go in and take their kids; however, I was amazed of the response of the men taking their families and explaining to them that these toys were going to bless someone.

Through these strangers acts of kindness God really spoke to me.  I realized that even something as small as donating a toy can bless so many more people than just those who receive the toy. I was absolutely blessed. I went home so emotional and amazed.  We always say we live in a horrible, cold world….but the fact is….there are still so many good people out there. People want to give…sometimes they just don’t know where their donations or time could be used. A big thanks to Viva Media and La Super Economica for helping us so much and giving their time!

I challenge you to look in your community to see if there are any shelters, non-profits or even just families that could use some help.  Some of the kids your child goes to school with may or may not have food to eat when they get home….they may or may not have heat….they may or may not have the warmth of love…ALL YEAR AROUND. You don’t have to do it by yourself! You can serve as a light for your community and just like fire that light will spread. You could get your place of employment to put together a small toy drive or maybe get food together.

My desire to be a light in my community has grown so much this year. It has filled me up so much more than any paycheck or materialistic thing could ever fill me. It’s a high! Who would like to get high with me!  Be blessed!  – Moni ❤

DIY Feathered Headband

Hi lovelies!  It has been a crazy busy couple of days. I spent all last week in Lubbock for training. By day 3 of waking up at 5:30, I was a zombie. On the final day we caught bad weather and had to come home early.

Along with training, our Bluprint class was preparing for our annual Bluprint banquet. This banquet is put together to fellowship, celebrate the past year and of course to celebrate the birth of Christ.

This years theme was the 1920s Gatsby.  The first thing I think of when I hear the 1920’s is prohibition and flapper dresses. I’m not going to lie, the first thing I said was, “ain’t no one putting this fluffy girl in a flapper dress!” Lol.

I decided to dress up in a black sparkly shirt, some black palazzo pants and gold and red accented jewelry. I still felt like something was missing though. I finally decided I needed some feathers in my life!

I decided to make this feathered headband to give my outfit that 1920’s pop!

(Yes I used my son as a model) 🙂

I got so many compliments on it! It was about 13 bucks to make with a lot of left over material. So I thought I would share how I made it. These are the supplies you need:

1 yard of black sequined elastic, a flower of your choice, black feathers, red feathers and a specialty feather, piece of black felt, scissors and hot glue gun. I bought all my supplies at Hobby Lobby.

I started by cutting a PERFECT circle the size of the back of the flower out of the felt.

Make sure it doesn’t exceed the size of the flower.  (Don’t glue it just yet!)

Measure the headband around you head and then tighten it a little so that it’s not too loose. Cut where you need to cut and then glue to the circle. The circle will go on the inside of the headband so be aware of how you glue it.  So it’ll be in between your head and the headband. 😉

Then just start gluing your feathers in the order you want! 🙂 I put my biggest feathers first then just worked the rest in.

This is what it looked like just before I added the flower.

The next thing I did was add my flower. My flower and a pin like this so instead of gluing it I just pinned it through the feathers, headband and the felt. I just felt it was more secure like that.

And it eliminated the bulge of excess glue.  Once it is pinned you are done! 🙂 It literally took me 10 minutes to make this cute headband. I think you can changed around the colors and minimize the feathers and you can make a cute casual headband.

Here are some more photos of our Bluprint Gatsby Banquet! (#BPGATSBY)

I hope ya’ll have an amazingly blessed week! – Moni ❤