Boo! (Happy Halloween to you & yours)

Or maybe should I say boo hiss! So here it is guys, I'm sick & have been for a little while now. It seems that this season has been plagued with this dang cold/flu thing that just won't go away and boys & girls I've got it. Damn damn damn!!! There are so many down sides to being ill. Not only am I a hot mess when I get sick (I look CRAZY), but I cancelled my Halloween plans with my bestie (Jbooty) last minute. I thought I might be able to pull through, but I was delusional to say the least. Not only did I cancel my plans with Jbooty, but I ended up leaving work early today because it was just getting worse. It is so hard to look cute and help people while on your feet all day. Especially when you hurt and feel crappy when you are still laying down in bed. Hopefully all this sleeping & NyQuil will help me buck up for work tomorrow. I can't keep opting out of life due to this dang cold!!

Although I was a hot mess & looked more like a crack head this weekend, Jbooty did come on by on Saturday so I could still try my best at perfecting her Halloween makeup. I did her makeup last year as well (I really think I am getting good at it). I drudged through it & managed not to blind my friend in a haze of illness. We had planned on making her an Anime girl thanks to MissJessicaHarlow on YouTube. She had one of the coolest makeup tutorials that just looked amazing (I really love her looks). Jbooty & I decided to do our best to recreate the look. The makeup came out great & although the most important person was missing from the night (me) she still had a great time with our other friends at the party. Side note: I was going to be Dora the explorer, but alas the illness kept me from getting "backpack" and I never ended up straightening my hair to complete the look for work either. Maybe next time. Heck  maybe I will have a costume party or something sometime soon-ish because I really felt left out. 


I am posting the pics below so you can see how it turned out. I am still figuring out this online blog/YouTube/twitter thing, so at the moment it will just be pics. But once I figure out how to make it a YouTube video with cute music & what not I will post it as well. I hope you enjoy the look. Follow me on twitter (@lilifoofoo) or YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/lilifoofoo) to see all my other goings on.

 I hope you have a happy & healthy Halloween!

  

  

Gotta stay young & tender!

So not only am I am amazing Avon chica (yup it's true) & your one stop shop for all Avon/mark products, but I also use the stuff! I recently ordered some stuff to help me take better care of myself. I am officially in my later 20's & have realized that I will not always look as great as I do now. Yes I am mixed (I am half black) and they do say "black don't crack", but the other half of the mixture does age like normal people do. So just to hedge all my bets (because I look a lot more like my Italian/white half) I have decided to kick up my beauty regiment up a notch.


My old routine was to just use: mark That's Deep Purifying Gel Cleanser as a face wash with mark Berry Grand Super Exfoliating Beads added to the gel cleanser exfoliate from time to time. I also used mark Shine Fighter Oil-Control Mask every once in a while (at least once a week) to cleanse my face & shrink my bigger than life pores. Well I decided that my normal routine wasn't enough. It was actually a trip to Sephora that ended with a hand full of skin care samples that made me realize that I needed more. I used a sample of some sort of expensive as hell eye serum/gel stuff that brightened my under eye circles, and I started using a wrinkle cream they gave me. Mind you I don't have wrinkles YET, but I would rather be overly prepared. Side note: I am also a bit chubbier than most & I think that helps with the lack of wrinkles, but I am losing weight and am a bit scared that if I keep up the good work in that area I might look old & skinny, instead of young and fluffy. Because of this fear, I stocked up on some new face stuff from Avon. 


Thanks to UPS I am using my new finds tonight for he first time. I got Solutions Plus+ Maximum Moisture Eye Cream, Solutions Plus+ Total Radiance Eye Gel, Solutions p.m. Ageless Results Night Cream, SKIN SO SOFT Soft & Relaxed Night Body Cream, NATURALS Lip Balm (peach), and last but not least 24K Gold Lip Gloss (Honey Gold). So I have added a few steps to the old routine & don't know if I shall see any new and amazing progress from just one night, but I am super stoked. I am using the gel eye cream for now & will use the max moisture eye cream once the weather gets a bit cooler down here in South Florida, or whenever I go up north during the colder months. I have also started using the ageless results night  cream, and I am loving how the Solutions line of Avon products are smooth and nice on my very sensitive/allergic to everything under the sun skin. I am also loving the light calming smell of the soft & relaxed night body cream. It is smooth & not too heavy. My skin is soft shiny and smells oh so lovely. I also used the 2 lip products I got before I went to work. I love anything peach and the honey gold lip gloss gave my lips a nice sheen all evening at work. I am not one to reapply over & over, so I liked that the look stayed put and I still looked "made up" until I washed my face when I got home. The color looks great against my olive/tan skin tone and will be my go to everyday lip color throughout the fall/holiday season. 


In my attempt to stay young and tender I will continue to find what does and doesn't work well for me. I plan on keeping myself up and in as best condition as possible. After all how will I catch a man looking like a hot mess? I will keep you all updated as to how these products are working for me over time and if they are worth running over to your computer & ordering from me straight away. Just in case you plan on ordering from me straight away anyway I will put my Avon website below.


Avon: http://lthomason.avonrepresentative.com/

My new style icon . . .

Okay . . . so I have a bestie who lives far far away (up north-ish). She has this friend who I have seen in many f'book pics over the years. Well after a recent Halloween party that they both attended, I decided that my bestie's friend might just become my new style icon. He is a very nice guy (I can tell by his pics) who has great every day style, but on very special occasions (if we are lucky) dresses up in drag. I have decided that his style & taste is so "on point" that he is officially "the point". I know you all may not be used to my slang, but please hang in there (it is a mix of D.C., New York, & South Florida slang all rolled up in one). Well back to the subject . . . So this guy is my new favorite person on f'book. I know this might sound weird, but I really think I could have found my fairy godmother. Well that is if he will have me & teach me all of his fabulous ways (via f'book cuz of the far far away factor). Anyhow, again my point is just that you never know who might come along in life and give you inspiration and pass along a little creativity. Be open to it and you too might be able to be fabulous one day! Enjoy and please have a safe & happy Halloween weekend!! 

It gets better . . . Joel Burns tells his story

Okay so I saw this on someone else's blog & I got crazy emotional. Like Lifetime movie type emotions. I hope you get the chance to watch this video & realize that it takes a lot to tell a personal story of struggle. Joel Burns not only takes time out to tell his story, but assures youth that it indeed does get better. After a young boy killed himself in his district Joel took time to remind everyone that no matter what schools need to be a safe place where children can feel safe to learn and grow.And that if things get bad, to call him personally to ask for help if needed. There are many resources out there to help when someone is being bullied, harassed, and feels all alone. This is just a quick video reminder that people do care and want to help and have been in similar places. No matter how bad things seem to get, things can ALWAYS get better!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4&feature=player_embedded

I'm alone & bored this weekend . . . (not really)

Okay so almost everyone in my life has packed up there stuff & left me all alone this weekend. That is not a problem really, I just think I got used to having people around all the time is all. I hope that my various friends who have gone to various locations for (you guessed it) their various reasons, have fun! I also hope that my father & sister have a great time up in the D.C. area on what is supposed to be a beautiful weekend. Dad has already called me from Georgetown to tell me how pretty it is up there & that he found the coolest spice shop next to where I used to work when I was in high school. He does kinda like to rub things in, but not in a mean way. He never ever adds "nanny nanny boo boo" to the end of any conversation when telling me how great & cool things are wherever he happens to be. Which I greatly appreciate. 


So when things get boring here & I am all alone with my kitties (yes I guess I am kinda a cat lady) I tend to try to keep myself busy with mindless crap. I take this time to read whatever book I am into, which isn't mindless. But then I end up playing in my makeup, doing laundry, cleaning the house (yeah right), and just playing around. I do take the time to shower with the door open, because my cats always wait outside the door worried that the water has finally won the war and gotten me for good. This way they can sit in the bathroom ready for any attacks or attempts to save me from the horrible water that I keep being trapped in. I appreciate their love, but it does get ridiculous when I take a bath. My kitty Grovesnor (my sister named him after the metro stop outside of D.C. near where we used to live) likes to sit right next to the tub & every once in a while kinda hop up half way & look at me like I'm nuts just sitting in it. He looks like he wants to warn me & yell "It's all around you, can't you see this! Get the hell out of that crazy shit!!", but then he just gives me little kitty kisses when I get out thankful that I survived. But I digress. I do use this opportunity to take this time to enjoy being alone, showering with the door open, and maybe even not getting dressed until it is absolutely necessary. After all the less clothes I use this weekend the less water I waste while doing laundry, which is better for the earth. So when you think about it, I am doing my part for our environment & being as green as possible. Maybe I should be alone more often (or . . . maybe not).


Anyhow, I just wanted to drop in and let you know that I am bored out of my mind and that my peeps have all abandoned me (this kinda rubs it in if they read this while they are away having fun without me). And now I shall drop a couple of pics that I took in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep, but after a lovely night out with friends. Enjoy! In fact I hope you all enjoy your weekends to the fullest while your at it!!

        

So umm. . . yeah

Sooo yeah. I totally busted out the new mixer (Sir Mix A Lot) to make the pumpkin cheesecake that I have been totally wanting to make & have been craving for days. So yeah umm... when your recipe says that the damn cheesecake needs to set up in the freaking fridge over night it totally isn't lying. DAMN THAT RECIPE!! Doesn't it know that not only have I been wanting this yummy cheesecake that I have planned on making for like 3 weeks now, but I am a big girl & don't like to wait overnight/24 hours for a piece. That is why I love fresh homemade cookies & always burn my tongue going after that fresh warm yummy cookie STAT. 


So when I thought that the cheesecake looked like it had set up enough (which it HAD NOT!!) I released it from the spring form pan. Can I again reiterate that it was a very bad BAD idea to do so! So after I did so it  smelled AMAZING & looked beautiful for a total of like maybe 15 seconds. After the great 15 seconds all my cheesecake dreams crashed and burned. My father came running into the kitchen as I yelled "NOOOOO" at the top of my lungs. It broke my heart. Maybe 1/2 of the cheesecake still kinda looks normal-ish while the other 1/2 kinda sank all around into mush. Mind you it still tasted DELISH, but was madd ugly! No amount of the cinnamon whipped cream I made could hide just how ugly it was. It hurt my heart a bit, but still I feel a tremendous amount of love for my very first foray into the world of cheesecakes. 


Maybe this is how a mother of an ugly child feels. Sad about the ugly, but nothing can shake the love you have for it. So with all that craziness, I still might take & upload a pic of just how much of a hot mess this turned out to be. But please don't be mad if I just chalk it up as my first strike out, and try again soon to erase all the bad memories. Maybe next time I will make the red velvet cheesecake from a recipe I just recently got. Lets wait & see.

Not much to blog about

Okay so I am still getting into this blogging thing. I kinda forget that people can't read my mind & that I actually need to sit & type this stuff out now and then. Sad thing is there is not much to report at the moment. Life has been kinda boring as of late. I have a few days off work from my retail job which can be nice I guess, but with the holidays coming up I could use as many hours as possible. But then again, who can't with the economic outlook we have these days? I have also not quite unpacked Sir Mix A Lot, but did find a forever home for him in my kitchen. Storage space in any kitchen is always a hard thing to find. I think I just might get up enough nerve to actually use my fancy mixer today & make this pumpkin cheesecake recipe that has been waiting nicely for me on my dining room table. If any of this baking gets done I will try my darnedest to remember to take any & all pics of the process to add to this fancy blog. Mind you that is if I remember & am not in some sort of baking trance or something, lol. Sometimes I get into a flow & nothing can stop me. Other times I am all talk & no action. So lets wait it out & see what today shapes up to be. I hope you all have a super duper day & thank you all for taking your time out to read this blog once in a while! Big ups to you!! 


~Ciao for now

Happy Columbus day!

I would like to take this time to thank all the spanish people for having a history filled with fabulous spiced food . . . without which Christopher Columbus might have kept his happy ass home. Thanks!!

October 11th is National Coming Out Day!

National Coming Out Day logo designed byKeith Haring

Whether you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or not, be proud of who you are and your support for LGBT equality this Coming Out Day! 

Show your support and spread a message of equality to your friends and family.

 It's the courage to come out as an active voice for LGBT equality that will result in real political and social change.

We can't do this alone, but together we can make a difference.

I'm STILL AWAKE . . . but at least I look cute!

It's that time again. Time I wish I was laying in my comfortable bed fast asleep. I have been awake for quite a while now. I was laying in bed awake trying to convince myself to somehow fall asleep when I gave up & came on over to the computer at around 4:15 ish this morning. I do have work tomorrow/today & need my beauty rest so I will be awake ,vibrant, and an all over amazing worker. But alas I will just have to be my normal over tired yet still somehow amazing self.


I will look super cute though thanks to my FABULOUS new haircut! I needed my bob hairstyle shaped up like no other, so my bestie & I made appointments at the Aveda Institute. We both wanted new looks for the fall & the Aveda Institute was the perfect place to go. I was able to get an AMAZING haircut for only $12. The costs are so great because the Aveda students are the ones doing all the work. They have instructors & master hairstylists following every step of the process so you don't ever have to worry about anything going wrong.  Ximena Perez (the girl who did my hair) did an AMAZINGLY FABULOUS job! She was so sweet and had great suggestions. She also has a great personal style & that always makes me feel better about the person cutting my hair & giving me style advice. Now I have the cutest, sharp, & sophisticated graduated bob haircut with a nice rounded bang. I will def be going back to her from now on!! I will post pics soon-ish (once I borrow my friend's camera because mine is a little bit under the weather at the moment). By going to the Aveda Institute you save money without sacrificing style. You come out looking like you had a $150-$300 haircut/ highlight/or color for between $12-$70 depending on what you are having done. If you  live in the South Florida area & you are interested in getting your hair done from the best most educated beauty students there are, just click below to make an appointment at the Aveda Institute. I highly recommend it in an economy like this one!

Aveda Institute South Florida: 1.877.AVEDA.FL


Ask to make an appointment with Ximena Perez!

Just a quick peekaboo at the new do . . . mind you it is after a long day at work. I think I like it (okay so I really love it) & think it will work perfectly for my halloween costume. I'm going to be Dora the Explorer. ♥

Avon calling. . .

Check out my Avon site for great fall makeup color palettes & holiday gift ideas!

http://lthomason.avonrepresentative.com/

A very important reason to wear purple!

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBT flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved.

Join this event and invite everyone on your friends list. Don't let their deaths be for nothing. Let it mean something, and let's do something to change this country for once.

Click here for numbers to call if you need help- GLBT National Help Center

Gay & Lesbian National Hotline: 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)

Gay & Transgender Hate Crime Hotline: 1-800-616-HATE

Center for the Prevention of School Violence: 1-800-299-6504

Yet another reason to wear purple. Please do your part & pass this along! Nobody deserves to get bullied and feel like there is no way out. If you or anyone you know is suffering abuse because of their sexuality there is help out there! 

Loving the new color trends this fall

I work in retail & we have been ready for the fall/holiday season since August really. But now that we are into October & the weather seems to have FINALLY cooled down some here in South Florida, I am officially in the mood for fall.

I am currently loving/coveting all shades plum. I ♥ ♥ ♥ the deep plum and purple jewel tones especially with the lovely olive to even slightly lighter greens. I think they are a perfect couple to add to any outfit, or makeup routine. I also know that they are both great colors to make brown or green eyes pop & look their very best! In fact I should be getting the BHcosmetics 120 Color Palette 2nd Edition (that's 120 shades of amazingly pigmented eyeshadows for only $29.95) in the mail today & plan on experimenting with some new shades of purple/plums for work this evening. I will look beautiful and match all our lovely seasonal colors displayed, lol. I have also been drawn to the same shades in nail polish along with mauves & nudes. In polish I have noticed a trend toward the more muted or creamy tones as opposed to the more richly pure pigmented pearly or metallic tones from the spring & summer. I am all aboard for this look. My toes will be so pretty in creamy pinks, nudes, mauves, and purples. Maybe I should go out and get some sun while the weather is in my favor. That way I can be a proper golden brown with the perfect fall colors to complement.


 I have also been on the fence with the right boot for me this season. I don't really do boots so often as I do live in South Florida & it rarely cools down enough. But I have decided that I need more of a life & have been trying to get out for girls night with the besties more often. I think my feet deserve a little attention & I could certainly use as much height as possible (I am 5'3" on a good day with big hair, lol). I can't decide on a couple of choices... The two boots on the top are from Lane Bryant & the three boots below are from Torrid.

I plan on making some fall fashion decisions in the very near future. After all it is payday & I think a trip to the mall is foreseeable (in just a couple of hours when it is open, lol). 

♥ Let me formally introduce my mixer ♥

Okay so about a week and a half ago I purchased something from work that will become the newest family member introduced to our home. He has been in the box for all this time waiting paitently to be opened, cleaned & placed in a special spot in the kitchen. I have left him  in the box because right after I brought him home I came down with a cold/flu thing and didn't want to taint him in any way.


This has always been a dream of mine since I was a young girl. I come from a blended family & have a big cooking background. My mother was Italian & my father is Black and born in the south. Both families come together in the kitchen & bond over food and great conversation. I always baked with my mother growing up (In fact it helped me when I was very young with my math skills). We made cookies and cakes galore. All with the use of a whisk and a puny little hand mixer. Both my mother & I had always dreamed of the day when we could afford to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer to make our baking life easier. Although I lost my mother almost 8 years ago, I know that she would be super duper proud of how  my kitchen & skills are growing. I feel as if she & my other Kitchen Ladies are blessing each meal and baked good that I make.  ♥ ♥ ♥
*Kitchen Ladies (pictures I keep in my kitchen of the female members of my family who are no longer with us in their kitchens)*


The big purchase I made if you hadn't already guessed, is the White KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. I know that this will become a big part of every holiday to come. Because it/he seemed like such a big deal I decided to name him. 


I would like to formally introduce you to my new mixer & family member. . . Sir Mix A Lot!

I love love love his name & know that he will fit right in around here. After all, I get down in the kitchen in all sorts of ways, lol. More pictures of him in his soon to be natural habitat with him at work will be added later.

okay so I lost his photo... my bad yo.

Okay so I kinda forgot, oops my bad.

I kinda forgot to share my other info with you.  Please feel free to follow me on twitter & on youtube both listed below.


www.twitter.com/lilifoofoo 


www.youtube.com/user/lilifoofoo 


Thanks a bunch & ciao for now!

this little piggy . . . stayed home.

Please follow my blog if you are interested in the life & times of this little piggy on her journey through food, fashion, family, friends, and hopefully someday love. Oh how that would be great. If the way into a man's heart is through his stomach, I am overly prepared to get down in the kitchen!


Okay so this is my first try at a blog. I have recently become what I like to think of  as a bit of a social media maven of sorts. I have had a myspace for years that I rarely look after, I am on facebook to reconnect with family & old friends across the globe, I have a youtube channel that I use t follow makeup and crocheting videos, and last but not least  I was introduced (forced into by a good friend) to twitter & have been tweeting on a regular basis. Now it seems more than proper that I try my hand at bogging.


I plan on using this space to rave & rant on my everyday goings. I will share my feelings on life, art, music, makeup & most of all FOOD. I think it is an exciting way to release my views out onto the world in a way that hopefully won't offend my family & friends. I mean how could they possibly be offended by something I plan on not sharing with them. Bwaa ha ha ha ha . . . (that was my evil laugh in case you missed it)
  
A little bit about me & why I am blogging. I am in my later 20's & not really content with every aspect of my life, but I try to make the best of it. I am a big food lover and a bit overweight. I like to refer to myself as large & in charge (makes me feel powerful),  or abundantly blessed, lol. That really has nothing to do with anything really other than the fact that I will refer myself as little piggy, and that I may end up writing about struggles with the idea of weight loss over the last cookie in the jar. 
  
Anyhow... back to subject. I have a lovely job that has me working around furniture & home goods of all sorts, to include every kitchen gadget and machine of my dreams. I try my darnedest to take home a paycheck over improving my home kitchen. I also live with my father, one of my best friends, & my 2 cats whom I love dearly (I swear I am not a "crazy cat lady"). But the most important thing about me is . . . that I have insomnia and tend to have hours & HOURS of free time every night/early morning with which I will most likely be blogging. I unfortunately go regularly without sleep for up to 48 hours at a time and totally ramble on like a madman. I am working on improving my sleep habits, but until that happens I will ramble on and on with this fancy new blog of mine about exactly what this little piggy is up to. 


At the moment I would love to have some roast beef, but alas this little piggy has none. I guess that means that I have to go to the market after all. Boo hiss! 


(Side note: I kinda like the pink type & think it goes well with the piggy theme of my blog. What do you think?)