Squeeee

You may or may not know this, but I am a HUGE Tori Amos fan. I've listened to her since 1992, saw my first concert in 1996 and haven't missed a tour since then (except the year my father in law passed away because the ATL show was the day after he died.) Suffice it to say, I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to her. 

Last night was her show at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and it was amazing. Her voice was in peak form, sweet and smooth as honey. She performed selections from throughout her catalog; from Little Earthquakes to Night of Hunters and almost every album in between; with singles and B-sides wonderfully mixed in. And here's the "piece de resistance", she had a string quartet alongside her. So not only was the sound full and energetic, the strings took the intensity to a whole different level.

I have seen her solo, with an acoustic guitar accompanying her (aww I miss Steve Caton), a full band (hello, rock show!) and now in an almost orchestral setting. She never ceases to amaze me. Yes, I am a complete dork for her, but I'm okay with that!

You can see the setlist (if you're interested) here. And thank you Youtube for allowing me to relive some of the magical moments from last night :)

Okay, enough gushing over my long time girl crush... gotta go fold laundry!

It's just a jump to the left

My bff Deb is getting older... but don't tell her I said that! So for her birthday I took her to the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Plaza Theater in Atlanta. She was a virgin, and I hadn't been in years so this was the perfect opportunity to reveal to her the magic that is seeing it live! She's not typically a huge makeup wearer, so naturally I went to her house early to "help" her (not that she needs any help, she is a natural beauty, but you gotta look the part, right?!).

I went for a Magenta look. She's my favorite character in the show and couldn't wait to try my hand at her vampy, seductive eyes and those super glossy lips. I was so happy with how it turned out, and actually surprised myself with my false lash application (it was my first time).

Anyways, that was my weekend, what did you do???

Purple People Eater says whaaa??

I did this look for a Facebook group I'm in Never Too Much Sparkle. The fabulous Makeup Zombie hosts a makeup showcase on there. She chooses a theme and us ladies build a look around it. The most recent one was "Purple People Eater/ Monster Mash". I naturally chose the first since purple is my favorite color! Here's what I came up with (after a massive FAIL which I will keep to myself).

Here's a list of what I used

UDPP

NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk

My Beauty Addiction Karma and Bella

Pampered Xombie Funhouse glitter
Madd Style Nirvana
theBalm Labcoat from the Muppet Palette
my usual Clinique mascara (thanks Aunt Gail for the freebies!!)

Til next time ;)

Hi, my name is Melissa and...

I get stuck in the Dollar Tree! Today Lilly and I went to get some accessories for a slumber party she was going to. And as always, I scoped out the beauty section... big mistake! Here's some pics of what I got

N.Y.C. lip glosses are in Quick Sand, Magenta and Red Rock Canyon.
L'Oreal Crayon Grande are in Port, Be Mine and Crimson.
L'Oreal Wear Infinite in Ebony, Rich Plum and Lavender.

Of all my purchases, my favorites are the N.Y.C. glosses. These are my first products from this brand and I am actually quite impressed. They're nice and pigmented and and not too sticky feeling. I can see myself keeping these in my makeup bag for everyday use.

The eyeliners definitely have potential, they do go on smoothly. I'll have to try them out and see how they wear. I don't really get the feel of it being a "silky powder eyeliner", as it states but eh, maybe it is.

 And here's the bummer of the bunch. The lip crayon in Port. As you can see from the swatch it applies uneven and tries to goop up. The other two colors aren't as bad, but they all have a funky odor... like old, cheap crayons. I don't think I'll be using these often at all.

Overall, I think I found some good deals. So do you have the same problem? Get sucked into dollar stores and spend more than you need to?

Fall is here EOTD

So up until now, my blog has mainly been on life, spiritual matters and that sorta stuff. Today I'm gonna do my first strictly makeup post. This may or may not tickle your fancy, but if you know me, you know my fancy is quite tickled when it comes to anything pretty!

Here's a look I came up with to try to perk myself up after a too long stint of sinus infection. I know it's fall but that doesn't mean we have to tuck away the bright colors, right?! It also worked out that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month (pink) as well as Depression awareness month (green) and this look suits both :) Here's a pic I used for inspiration.

borrowed image

I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion and then applied NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to help the colors really pop. The colors I used were Psyche Mineral Suezo, Dawn Eyes Sunny Side Up, Shiro Thinking with Portals, Wheeeeeee! and Still Alive; Madd Style X-ray Spex and Ecto-Cooler, and Urban Decay Naked. A bit of Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy turned Still Alive and Ecto Cooler into a liner :)

So here's what I came up with, and yes I wore this out in public! You can still kinda see in my eyes that I'm not fully over this sinus thing, but dang it I was sick and tired of looking AND being sick and tired. Oh yeah, and excuse the clump in my bottom lashes, I fixed it before I went to the store LOL!

Well I can't say it made me physically feel any better, but getting myself all purdied up does wonders for my spirits. So what do you think? Like it, hate it, could really care less about my makeup obsession? Feel free to put in your $0.02, I can always use a little change!!

Procrastination

I have put off writing this post for several weeks but here goes.

The hub and mini-me went to Helen the first weekend of Oktoberfest. We had a great time and had great food. It's a little town in the North GA mountains that stylistically looks German. The buildings are all German-ish in their architecture and there are lots of little shops and even a mid size waterfall you can hike to. It's a little kitsch and touristy but that's okay with me, I'm a tourist LOL!

Here's some fun pics from our mini vacay

My delay in writing this post is due to the men that we saw later in the evening. Things were going fabulous for our family weekend away until I saw them. A small group of men toting Bibles, microphones and signs. The hatred they spewed put a real damper on my mood. I love Jesus and proudly proclaim Him as my Savior and I imagine these boneheads do as well. But the God they claim to love is the not the same one I serve. The God I love and talk to daily is a loving Father who forgives our mistakes so amazingly He actually forgets them. He sacrificed His Son to save these men who infuriated me as well the very people these guys were protesting against.

I hesitate to even post these pictures, because of the hateful message they were touting, but I feel it is important to defend my God and clear His name even though He doesn't need me to. If you know me, you know I talk... a lot... and have no problem with speaking my mind. However, I refrained from engaging these guys in any kind of debate because I knew my blood pressure was up and smoke was almost coming out of my ears as it was and to hear them twist the Word of God would have sent me over the edge.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe homosexuality is a sin, but it is no worse than the many hetero sins people commit every day. And does God still love me even when I sin? Emphatically YES!! Does God still love men and women who choose that lifestyle? Just as emphatically YES!! Does He want us all to turn from our sinful ways and towards Him? Without a doubt YES!! So here are the pictures I snapped from a safe distance without me having to punch someone in the junk (which is what I wanted to do).

You may not agree with me, but I think the Bible clearly states that Jesus loves all people and we are all sinners in His eyes. It is only through the blood of Jesus that we may approach the throne of grace and receive His mercies. As hard as it is for me to do, I pray that the men who made these signs, and possibly turned people off to God in the process, will eventually see His love for what it is. UNCONDITIONAL!

I REFUSE!!

Lately this song has been my anthem. As my friends and I embark on this adventure of Screaming Life Ministries, it would be easy to be overwhelmed. There is a lot that goes into producing a single benefit concert. Organizing volunteers, getting donations to be raffled, making signs and tshirts, not too mention setting up bank accounts, gaining 501c-3 status, creating bylaws. I could decide to take the easy way out and let someone else do this, but God has called me to participate in His great work. I absolutely do not take credit for anything good that comes out of this, it all belongs to God. My bff Debbie is also working super hard to get things moving, my husband Chris and our friend Chris (yeah try keeping that straight in an email) are all putting forth so much effort to make this thing a success. Not in the hopes of making money for ourselves, or turning it into a paying job; but so that we can affect our community in a positive way.

Again, I ask for your prayers because I know in the next week Satan will be attacking us from all directions. Whenever you are obedient and seeking God, that's when you're on Satan's radar. But I REFUSE to give up!! I REFUSE to be discouraged. I REFUSE to be selfish or cynical or deterred by outside forces. The God who lives inside me is bigger than anything this world can throw at me!!