My Art

Its not very often I post on here because I'm always so caught up in Pinterest and Instagram. In the rare moments when I am not connected to the internet, I do try to make use of my other talents. One of those talents being art. I love to create! It's something that is a great stress-reliever for me, and trust me - I need that sometimes!

I post usually most or all of my art on my Instagram, which is (surprise, surprise) "bonjourbeaute". Because I have yet to post any of my art online aside from Instagram, I thought I'd share some here.

Enjoy!

I do a lot of artwork and am planning on selling unique, hand-painted mugs... in due time! This is just a little preview of it. Definitely check out my Instagram (bonjourbeaute).

Drugstore Dupes for Lancome Foundations

                                                                         




It's not hard to believe I'm makeup-obsessed due to the fact that I used to work for a cosmetics department (you'll be able to guess one of the brands soon) and am a freelance makeup artist, but my beauty habits started much before that. It's one of those things that just stick. But honestly, what girl doesn't enjoy makeup? With the exception of some, most girls take advantage of what cosmetics have to offer. But, what girl enjoys the price tag? Unless you have deep pockets, and even then, slim to none.

Of course, products with with a higher price point might be worth the paper, but is that always necessarily the case?
I've been exposed, if not purchased, tons of makeup and product. My current foundations are all Lancome, and if you are familiar with the brand then you might know most Lancome foundations are around $44.00 plus sales tax.



 Of all of my Lancome foundations, I was absolutely obsessed with one:

                                             

Photogenic Lumessence. It has one shade that seems to absolutely suit my skin tone, a great heavy coverage - leaving me with picture perfect skin, and stayed put throughout the day. But when I'm running low, I really don't want to shell out the $44 for it. So with that said, I'm on the lookout for a dupe. Have I found one yet? Close.
                                         
 Revlon Colorstay Foundation. It's amazing coverage, matte finish, and stays put. Although I will say it  does feel a bit heavy on the skin, but that doesn't mean it can't be blended out properly. This is my first choice for being picture perfect.

Quick tip: If you love Lancome, try out some L'Oreal products. Lancome is owned by L'Oreal and a plethora of their product lines (ranging from makeup to skincare) is eerily similar in ingredients. (Hint, hint - If you like Lancome serums but don't enjoy the high prices, now you know where to look.)


                                             
Now, another Lancome foundation I adore for lighter-coverage days is Teint Miracle. Its a medium-buildable coverage with a glowing-dewy finish that makes anyone's skin look refreshed. I don't feel like I need to explain any further why people love it! But do people love it enough to succumb to the $44 price tag? Some do. I, on the other hand, don't. When it comes to duping this foundation, it's a little bit harder, and I'm still looking for that close-to-perfect match, but I found something so cheap that I think it's a worthwhile replacement.

                                                              
The replacement I've come up with for Teint Miracle is only around $4, slashing $40 off the price tag. It's not an exact dupe, but it's pretty darn close. It is the Rimmel Clean Finish foundation. It comes in a decent shade range and leaves you with a dewy finish. This foundation is not perfect, but it is my everyday pick. It has light coverage, so a concealer is necessary. If applied with the fingers, it can look a little oily. I found that when applied with a flat-topped foundation brush, buffed into the skin, that it settled nicely. This foundation definite needs to be set with a powder, but not too much, or it will cake. I would recommend a primer, but that might oxidize this foundation. It's always worth trying because everyone's skin is different. Once set, this foundation looked like skin. I loved it! And for such a steal, I'd say it's worth it when you just need something to wear everyday.

If you are looking for the least amount of effort in your routine, I'd go with the Revlon Colorstay. It is heavy enough to cover most imperfections and leaves a flawless finish, but can leave the skin feeling a little heavy.
If you are feeling very frugal (like I was!) and want something with a light coverage, Rimmel Clean Finish will be fantastic for you.

Unfortunately, I am still looking for a perfect match to contest Lancome's Teint Idole Ultra. The new formulation looks almost like real skin. I am out to find that perfect match!

Until next time,

Bloggin'

I doubt there are any people who religiously follow my blog. Let alone, view it at all. But, I'm sorry that I haven't been posting. 

Maybe this is more like an apology to my actual blog.

I started off saying I would post ALL the time, which I have not been doing. 

I get on my computer and feel like I am at a loss for words, which sucks. I am going to make a list of topic ideas (I have a few brewing in my head) that I can continuously post about. 

I doubt I will post everyday, but I will try to post at least twice a week!

XO BONJOUR BEAUTE

My Guide to Being Unprepared

I am completely obsessed with clean skin. I feel like I am the Queen of spa days. Whenever I have a free day, you can find me whipping up some type of natural facial trying to perfect my skin. I love cleaning and pampering my skin as almost a daily ritual.

This is how I would look on a normal day.

Now when I wear makeup, I go all out... heavy coverage foundation, loads of eyeshadow, a crap-ton of mascara... and then I find myself sometimes in this predicament....
When I'm at a place and I end up staying there hours longer than expected and I have that urge to wash my face but have no makeup remover or cleanser with me.
(This happens to me far too much... Hence the reason I am making this a post)

I have become the Queen also the the unprepared. I feel like now that I have been so unprepared in so many situations that I have become an expert on it... so this is my guide.

These are great. Just great. Review will come later.

Something I have determined is an awesome (and painfully obvious) idea for making sure you have a clean face on the go and carrying travel makeup wipes. God only knows how many times I have been so grateful that I brought those suckers in my purse. If your skin is too sensitive for the wipes that come in the travel container (this has happened to me before), then look for the replacement pack for the wipes you use already. They come in a plastic pack that shouldn't be too bulky. If you have a feeling you'll need them, bring them. (At least that's what I think).

I have never used these but I hear they are all natural. Good for sensitive skin!

Now, you forget your makeup wipes... what now?
A lot of people forget you can use just mild facial cleanser to remove the majority of makeup, even your eye makeup. If you are at someone's house, ask if they use facial cleanser, and if it's MILD, you can use it on your eyes.
Please keep in mind this is for emergency face cleansing ONLY. I wouldn't recommend always using cleanser on your eyes.
A mild cleanser would be Cetaphil or Olay for Sensitive skin.





If there is no cleanser, or no wipes, either you might want to make a run to the store or ask if they have olive oil or coconut oil. You can use these as makeup remover and then if they have ANY soap you can clean off the residue. I recommend this is if there is NO other option. This way, you will have a clean face for that day/night and not have to worry about breaking out in painful zits or having itchy eyes. If you have any other suggestions, let me know in the comments!



Since I am the Queen of unpreparedness, I have come up with another rule.
If you suspect you will be at any place for a prolonged time, do NOT dress uncomfortably!
Now, that doesn't mean don't dress nicely. It's very possible to be comfortable and cute. My mantra is, "Everything has to feel like pajamas."
When I buy clothes, I have to be comfortable in them.
If I can't sleep in it, I won't wear it to some place where I will be
1. Moving around a lot
2. Sitting uncomfortably for a long time
3. Possibly staying over night.
4. Dancing uncontrollably.

(4 is an option I don't usually include)

I bought a maxi dress that could literally be a nightgown. It's not, but I wore it once to sleep and it was one of the best nights sleep I had ever had. It was so comfortable. (It also gave me a plus of waking up feeling like royalty, which I enjoy.)
I'm  not saying wear pajamas everywhere. I own a lot of beautiful and stylish uncomfortable clothes that I choose over my cute pajama-esque clothes. I just always dress with precaution.

And those are my words from my lessons learned!

Your Queen of the Unprepared,

Weight-loss "Plan"

If you are looking for the workout plan, scroll down!

I'm not an advocate of dieting. Mainly because I know I don't have that kind of control. I love food too much.
And my love of food has brought me to this point... the point of weight gain!
In the past year I've gained a lot of obvious weight.
Now, I've never been a skinny girl. I've always had "thunder thighs", which is something that you could say was genetic.
I've always been a lazy girl too. It's not that I don't want to exercise , because I do want to. It's just that I never have motivation... but recently I feel like I've had many realizations about my life and I'm making changes.
Now that I have a bunch of free time on my hands, I will be able to work out everyday (or whenever I choose) and monitor my food choices (as well as blog).

My lover & I decided that we will do this together and do P90X. If you don't know what P90X is, I will tell you (or Wikipedia will tell you, because this was taken from there.)

P90X is a 90-day program that combines a variety of exercise techniques including strength training, cardio, yoga, plyometrics, and stretching. The program consists of a nutrition guide, fitness plan, calendar and series of DVD videos featuring Horton as instructor assisted by several male and female fitness models who demonstrate a variety of techniques. For workouts that requireweights, for example, one of the models demonstrates the exercise using elastic resistance bands. The models also demonstrate some moves at lower and/or higher levels of intensity. P90X provides a fitness test to determine if the program is suitable for an individual.

I pulled that from Wikipedia (as stated before) so you can click the links if you're interested in all that. Basically it's DVDs that are super intense for muscle training extreme weight loss. I watched a little bit of the plyometrics and it was really intense... too intense from me. I'm definitely modifying these workouts to be Paige-friendly.

In addition to doing modified Paige-friendly workouts, I've bought running shoes (motivational running shoes) and a sports wear (again, motivational sports wear) to get me going. Nothing like spending money to really get you off the couch, right?

So is my workout plan that I completely came up with myself:

I am going to be doing this until I feel like I am ready to take on P90X! Every morning I'm going to try to get out there and at least do the walking/jogging/sprinting part of my workout and then come home and do some of the others.

Also for nutrition, I've been drinking a lot of those Naked drinks and their competitor, Boathouse Farms. Boathouse Farms is cheaper, so I tend to buy it more. They are delish! A lot of servings of fruit all in one... I like it more than coffee (sometimes) to make me feel more awake and alert!

If you have any suggestions, comment below!

Hi Everyone!

Hello Everyone!

I'd like to say this isn't my first attempt at running a blog. In fact, this is my second go at it and I am hoping I don't fail miserably.
My old blog successfully gained 3 posts and remained untouched for months. I do not plan on following the same routine with Bonjour Beaute!

So why start over?
Well, I'd like to thank Pinterest for really getting me into a constant habit of "blogging", in a way. I am on there constantly, loving it! (Maybe too much, but oh well, a girl's gotta Pin.) And then Instagram. Two things I wasn't even sure I would like, but quickly became addicted to.

Speaking of both websites/social medias... If you would like to follow me on them, I will kindly share my usernames and I would appreciate and love you if you follow me.

 http://pinterest.com/bonjourbeaute/ 

 bonjourbeaute

Moving on, Social Media is my BFF. I love it - keeps me entertained because there is only so much Sims I can play. (Honestly, do any of you guys play the Sims? I love it but it either gets boring quick or the jingles give me a headache!) So, I thought, while I venture out into my Pinterest/Instagram outlets, why don't I try blogging. Hell, I try almost every product under the sun, formerly a cosmetics employee, why not?

And then Pinterest got me thinking... why don't I do a lifestyles blog too? Talk about my life, food, DIY, etc, etc! I mean, why not? 

A lot of bloggers I follow have children and are married, and I'm none of those things. Except for a proud mother of two cats who I love dearly. (Those of whom I will obviously post about all the time... go cats!) And a boyfriend who I adore. (And who knows, if he proposes then maybe this will become a wedding planning blog!) 

Anyway, after this super exciting intro about me, I hope I got you super pumped about reading my blog and following me on social medias and cats and all that good stuff!

So stay tuned & we will figure this out together, ok?