Camping Trip pics from 7-16-10

I meant to post these last month but was busy and then forgot about them. So here they are, late!

Us riding the motorcycle on our way to a hiking trail

I took pics along the way

we're going too fast!

agh! we're gonna die! not...

the bike was sputtering so we stopped so Jason could work on it

my shadow...i look like i'm going to war or something

stopped at one trailhead

fixing my helmet head and not realizing he was taking pictures

warning!

Jason

us

this trail was too easy so he got the map out and realized we were on the wrong trail! so we took off right away to the correct trail.

just got on the right trail

this was a cool resting point. great view.

resting and drinking water

us

moi sitting near a long drop off

Jason posing for me

why do I look like a grumpy kid who doesn't want to be there? I was having a great time!

took an artsy fartsy pic

so he got one of me

he wanted to take pics but I was trying to reapply my spf lipstick. so i annoyingly made a fish face.

the scenery here was so gorgeous

don't get too close to the edge

stopped to rest a bit

part of the trail

more trail

I had just turned around to see what he was doing, "wait wha..." I took my hiking boots off to air out my feet.

i'm a dork

got back to the camp sight. me toes felt like vienna sausages

me and my honey bunny

he looks so tired

naughty boy with grabby hands

i look surprisingly great for not bathing in 2 days and just getting back from hiking for several hours...wow.

I was wearing Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder in Translucent Light and Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel liner (don't remember which one) and obviously filled in my brows. I have to or I look like an alien without brows! I was also wearing Avon ULTRA COLOR RICH Cool Bliss Lipstick SPF 15 in Nude on Ice.

i surprised him with the camera. looks like a scared little boy

Heh heh

That's all folks!

~BLIX

Orange and Purple look using Stars Makeup Haven

I didn't like this look at first but after going through the pictures, I decided I do. :-)
I'm not wearing jewelry! *gasp*

Flower is from http://hairflowers.net/

Eyes (all applied in this order):
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Detrivore Eye Primer (applied all around the eye, rubbing in gently with ring finger)

SMH - Flaming-O (applied to outer V, crease and upper lid with MAC 239 by patting/sweeping) 

SMH - Ultra Violet (applied to crease with MAC 239 by patting/sweeping)

SMH - Foxy (applied to outer lower lash line with MAC 228 by patting/sweeping)

SMH - Flaming-O (applied to inner half of lower lash line with MAC 228 by patting/sweeping)

SMH - Lady of the Lake (applied to inner half of upper lid with MAC 239 by patting/sweeping) 

SMH - Peachy Keen (applied to inner V with MAC 228 by patting/sweeping)

SMH - Bee's knees (applied under brow with MAC 217 by patting/sweeping)
Kryolan Aqua color Liner - black (applied wet with water, using MAC 210 on upper lash line and extending out)
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean (applied to water line with MAC 210)
NYX Candy Glitter liner in Hot Orange (lower lash line)

Ardell 111 lashes

Lips: mark. glow baby glow luxe lipgloss in chanceux

Face: Skin MD Shielding lotion

AL Viole' Foundation Powder in 2CL (applied with Jumbo buffer brush)

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder in Translucent Light (applied using AL flocked sponge by patting then blending) 

AL Illuminator Finishing Powder (applied with Jumbo Flat Top brush)
AL You're a Doll! Gothic Lolita Rouge in Corset (applied to cheeks with a small blush brush)

Workout for 8-5-10 Muscle Endurance

This workout I did by myself as Jason went rock climbing. But he got home in time to do core work with me. :-)
Details for the workout:


Muscle Endurance This high rep, total body conditioning workout not only increases functional fitness gains, but it promotes nicely shaped and defined muscles. You'll experience maximum muscular endurance gains along with strength gains as you challenge each of the major muscle groups through a wide variety of exercises. Do this workout one to three times per week and you'll soon enjoy the benefits of improved posture, increased bone density, and an overall healthy, happier you. Equipment needed: A step bench, barbell, various weighted dumbbells, and a medicine ball (we will use an 8 pound medicine ball)
Muscle Endurance Format: warm-up (6 min.), weight training (45 min.), Abs (9 1/2 min.), stretch (4 min.) Total = 64 1/2 min.

Preview for DVD:

For this workout I wasn't nearly as tired as I was for Bootcamp. I made sure I got extra sleep last night and ate better to make sure I had energy to really push myself. I forgot how many leg presses and glute raises are in this workout. Holy moly I'm sure my booty will be very sore tomorrow!
I also didn't need to chug as much water. You should sip water throughout a workout but you don't want to chug a whole lot as you can get sick and even vomit. Which is no fun. So I try to drink a tall glass of water, sipping it here and there until it's gone. It's important to keep your muscles hydrated and you will perform better.

So I want to talk a bit about different types of workout DVD's. I get a lot people asking me about what kind of workout they should try. Not all workouts are good for everyone. Some people workout to lose weight and get into shape, while others workout to maintain their shape/fitness, bulk up and build strength, stamina and endurance.

For the folks who are interested in getting into shape, a good starting point is a decent short workout that challenges you, makes you sweat and makes you feel like you really did something and shows results. There are quick workouts that cram a lot of hard exercises into a very short period of time. They are developed to shock your body and make you burn fat while toning muscle. Those DVD's are good for beginners and/or people who don't have that much time to work out.

Then there are long more strenuous workouts that are more time consuming and offer more quality of a workout for people who have the time to really effectively and efficiently workout their muscles for sculpting and building strength. These are good to move onto once you've gotten used to the short workouts. People who have been working out a really long time have a lot more endurance and stamina. So shorter workouts aren't for me because they aren't that challenging. However, I do them when I'm tired or not feeling well but know I still need to do something physical, and my regular evil workouts would be too draining at that particular time.

I'm not saying that one style is better than the other. I'm saying that one is better for some people depending on what your goals are and what your level is. So choose wisely.
If you're just starting out, short workouts that build up intensity over time are for you. Don't throw yourself into an insanely hard workout that feels impossible to do because you will set yourself up for failure. But if you're already quite active, then it's good to really challenge yourself and take it to the next level by working out longer and spending more quality time on each muscle group.

My goals? Well, like I have said before, I'm skinny I always have been so I'm not trying to lose weight at all. I don't even know what my weight is currently.
So I work on sculpting, building strength, stamina, endurance and flexibility. While my preferred workout is lifting weights (I love it because muscle builds sexy shapely curves), I try not too lift weights that are too heavy because I want to keep my feminine shape as my hubby complained that I was starting to look "manly". I don't want that!

Another thing is when you stay active in doing the same workouts regularly, you can plateau. That goes for beginners as well as intermediate/expert levels. Meaning your body gets used to the workout and it's no longer challenging. If something isn't challenging you, then it's time to move onto the next level. It's good to workout, but if what you're doing doesn't make you sweat or make you feel like you really worked, then it's not enough.

I hope that all makes sense in understanding what kind of workout is for you. I prefer the really hardcore, long workouts because those are the best challenge for my level. If you ever get to the point of feeling like you could have done more after a workout, like I said, it's time to move up to the next level and really challenge your body. That's what gets results.

Thanks for reading!

~BLIX

RANT update: Apparently hell froze over...

...because eBay went in her favor. Why? No clue. Here's their response:

I figured this would be the case. eBay doesn't give a crap about sellers. They cater to buyers all the time. Sellers aren't even allowed to leave neutral or negative feedback for buyers. Even if they are committing fraud. WTF? Not only did I give them all the emails, but my reporting her for harassing me and calling me names, did nothing. I bet she was just emailed a warning and that's the end of it.

Crazy lady also must be coming back to check up on me as she followed up on her feedback she left, "warning" my customers to run.

You can see it here:

Ha! How is it a red flag to be concerned about poor feedback? All eBay sellers are concerned about it and no one wants to have poor feedback, so naturally it's a concern. It's like she's trying to insinuate that I'm a bad seller because I don't want poor feedback. Huh? No, I want my buyers to be happy and I don't want poor feedback because it hurts my power seller rating. Duh. And if I was such a bad seller, I would not even be a power seller. But I am! So she's just making herself look as stupid as she probably is. Sorry, I'm not being nice about it anymore. She can suck my butt.

So the only thing I could think of to do in regards to her idiotic follow-up was to reply to to them through other comments around it so people can see she's psycho. She's totally crazy if she thinks she can run off my buyers with her tantrum. Again, she's still just pissed because I blocked her. Whatever.

You can see I accidentally hit enter before I was finished with one. Dang it! At least I can admit when I screw up and laugh at myself. I was just in a rush to post the replies. XD

Here's another of my replies below her negs:

She is seriously nutso. It took a lot of strength for me to not call her a 'brain dead ass clown' in the replies. That's my term for someone is clearly dumb and acts like an ass. Feel free to use it! :-D

Oh, and I harassed the crap outta some eBay customer support person on live chat. I have the transcript but didn't want to post it unless people were interested in reading their lame excuses for helping buyers commit fraud. Totally lame.

~BLIX

Warm Earthy Glitter look with Aromaleigh

I call this earthy because this seems more earthy in tone and it "feels" warm. If you know what I mean. :-D  Would probably be a good look for fall and Holidays.

I made the jewelry. :-)

The hairflower is from an etsy seller that is no longer active. :-(

Eyes (all applied in this order):
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Detrivore Eye Primer (applied all around the eye area except the main upper lid, rubbing in gently with ring finger)

AL - solange (applied to outer V and crease with MAC 239 by patting/sweeping)

AL - amarante (applied to lower lash line with MAC 228 by patting/sweeping) 

AL - waltz (applied to inner V with MAC 228 by patting/sweeping)

AL - glow (applied under brow with MAC 217 by patting/sweeping)
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (applied to upper lid to crease, rubbing in gently with ring finger)

AL - morgaine glitter (applied to upper lid to crease with MAC 239 by pressing the glitter on)

Kryolan Aqua color Liner - black (applied wet with water, using MAC 210 on upper lash line and extending out)
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Honey (water line)
Ardell 118 lashes

Lips: NYX Lip Liner Pencil in Burgundy

Avon ULTRA COLOR RICH 24k Gold lipstick in Golden Raisin

Face: Skin MD Shielding lotion

AL Viole' Foundation Powder in 2CL (applied with Jumbo buffer brush)

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder in Translucent Light (applied using AL flocked sponge by patting then blending) 

AL Luminesce Divine Mineral Finishing Powder in Angel (applied with Jumbo Flat Top brush)

AL You're a Doll! Gothic Lolita Rouge in Corset (applied to cheeks with a small blush brush)

Check out Aromaleigh!

Exercise for 8-4-10 Walking

On the days in between my hardcore workouts, I do minor exercising. This evening after dinner, my hubby and I went walking around the lakes near where we live (we can walk to them). It's roughly 3 miles and takes us about 45 minutes to complete. I try to walk quickly rather than just taking my sweet time. The more you move and the faster you move, the more efficient a workout is (for cardio). Unless of course it's something you shouldn't do too quickly like lifting weights because you don't want to use too much momentum by swinging and throwing your weights around. That's not good for you of course.
So walking was my exercise tonight. :-)

Tomorrow will be more intense. :-O

Soft Purple and Blue-Gray look with Hi-Fi Cosmetics

This look was not intentionally meant to be soft. The colours look more opaque and dark in the sample baggies than they appeared when I applied them. Which is OK because I should do soft looks from time to time. Just wasn't what I was expecting. I like it though. :-)
I think my lash glue is dying as lately I've had a hard time getting my lashes to stick when I never did before. I think I'll hit up Sally's Beauty Supply and grab some to see if that's what the problem is. I've really been wanting to try Revlon's new lash glue because it has that nifty applicator wand. Hopefully they have some.

Eyes (all applied in this order):
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Detrivore Eye Primer (applied all around the eye, rubbing in gently with ring finger)

Hi-Fi - Funky Music (applied to outer half of upper lid, crease and V blending inward on the crease with MAC 239)

Hi-Fi - Swimming Through the Ashes (applied to outer crease with MAC 217 by patting/sweeping along the crease)

Hi-Fi - Pixies (applied to inner half of upper lid with MAC 239 by patting/sweeping outward) 

Hi-Fi - Pixies (applied to lower lash line with MAC 228 by patting/ sweeping outward)

Simply Natural's - Angel (applied under brow with MAC 217 by patting/sweeping and inner tear duct area)

Kryolan Aqua color Liner - black (applied wet with water, using MAC 210 on upper lash line and extending out)

NYX Jumbo Pencil in white (applied to water line with MAC 210)
Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel liner in Hustle (it's sort of a lavender/silver colour and I applied to the lower lash line)
Cover Girl Volume Exact mascara in Very Black (lower lashes)

Ardell 111 lashes

Lips: My Stuff - some lipgloss I made (seriously it's way more sparkly IRL...probably too sparkly)

Face: Skin MD Shielding lotion

AL Viole' Foundation Powder in 2CL (applied with Jumbo buffer brush)

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder in Translucent Light (applied using AL flocked sponge by patting then blending)

AL Luminesce Divine Mineral Finishing Powder in Angel (applied with Jumbo Flat Top brush)
AL You're a Doll! Gothic Lolita Rouge in Corset (applied to cheeks with a small blush brush)

Check out Hi-Fi Cosmetics!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/hificosmetics

Some extra cuteness! These pics of me and my niece were taken by my sister-in-law, Lindsay. I forgot to add them in my 4th of July pics post.

I was trying to put makeup on, using the natural light from the window. Adalynn was totally into all my makeup which I didn't mind because she wasn't ruining anything. She would dump my makeup bag and then collect it piece by piece and put it back in the bag. But some pieces she did throw across the room.

She kept looking in the mirror at me and herself. So I kept saying, "I see you!" over and over and she would giggle.

Then I just let her have the mirror so she could look at herself. She would point at it and say, "girl".

I was just watching the cuteness!

No, I'm not making the kissy face! She started repeating what I was saying, "I see you!" whenever I would say it. But I think she was talking to herself in the mirror. So cute!

Here's a video of her. It's barely over a minute long so watch it! My fav part is when she puts her hands up to her mouth and starts laughing like she can't help herself. The lady you hear is her mommy, Lindsay.

Cheese! I ya you!

Workout for 8-3-10 BOOTCAMP!

So like I said, I wanted to start a workout diary on here for myself and to help motivate others. I just now finished the Bootcamp workout by Cathe. Here are the details for it:


Boot Camp Boot Camp......Hang on to your hats because there is literally not a minute to waste in this head to toe fitness workout. With every 60 seconds that tick by, you'll be jumping, pumping, pushing, and crunching your way to a fitter you. We won't promise any fancy military talk here, but we will promise a fancy military press ....did somebody say "terminators", yikes! Load up, lace up, and let's go! Equipment needed: a 14 inch tall bench, a barbell, various weighted dumbbells, and a medicine ball (we will use an 8 pound medicine ball) PreMix Combos: We've included 8 Premix Combos with this workout, including: 1) Cardio Only 2) Core Only 3) Kickbox Only 4) Upper Body Only 5) Lower Body Only 6) Lower and Upper Body Only 7) Cardio and Lower Body Only 8) Everything but core.
Boot Camp Format: warm-up (5 1/2 min.), eight cycles of cardio, lower body, upper body, core (51 min.), stretch (1 1/2 min.) Total = 58 min. 

Preview of video:

Honestly, I haven't done this one in a long while. It totally kicked my butt. I drank two tall glasses of water and was sweating like a pig! I can tell I would have done better if I slept better last night and if I ate more high energy food to prepare myself. However, I feel so much better doing it all the way through without quitting early. I got a second wind around the 5th cycle (there are 8 total) so that really helped me finish without feeling overly exhausted. My husband did it with me too and oh my he's whiney! He's a hardcore rock climber, mountain biker and hiker but when it comes to Cathe, his wuss gland gets all swollen and he calls her names during the workouts. Which is funny. But trust me, I have days where I also yell at the TV from the pain. But it's sooo worth it. :-)

Anyone else workout today or do anything active? Walking, dancing, cleaning house and yes, sex is exercise too! Anything that gets your heart rate up and burns calories is good for you and it all counts for something IMO.

~BLIX

RANT: I don't understand some people...

Warning. This is sort of long!

So I have this buyer that is probably the most difficult buyer I've had in a long time. This "lady" bought 4 items and upon receiving them, one item was broken but said she was able to fix it. I apologized for the inconvenience and I asked her how it was broken because I need to know whether or not it is a quality supply issue or if it is something on my end that I need to fix. Regardless of which, I need to know this information so I can try to keep stuff like this from happening in the future. I asked and thanked her for her input.
What does she do? She turns around and opens a dispute with eBay saying that my items are poor quality, I offered her no compensation for the damaged item and that I'm protecting myself by blaming the problem on my supplier, so she wants "some sort of compensation". Um...that's not even true and how am I supposed to know the item is actually damaged without seeing it? Normally I would offer to fix it or replace the item if it is shipped to me so I can do that.  I honestly didn't know what else to offer her since she said she fixed it. I have never had a buyer open a dispute against me before and I've been selling on eBay for almost 8 years. So I was caught off guard.

After receiving the info about a dispute being opened against me, I sent her a message asking her why she opened a dispute when I was communicating and working with her, corrected her on what I said to her and asked what kind of compensation was she wanting. She said she's just protecting herself and compensation was up to me. I have no idea what she's protecting herself from and she never even bothered to tell me why she said something I never said. Anyway, I figured it would be best for her to return the now fixed item and I would refund her money. So that is what I submitted in the dispute.
She gets upset and said she never wanted to give the item back she just wanted some sort of compensation for it. Well honestly, I would like to see the item to know it's actually broken before I issue a refund.
She basically wants to keep the item and get a refund for it. I don't think so. I emailed her asking her that if she wanted to keep the item why didn't she just say so when I asked. Seems pretty easy. I got no response and she escalated the dispute to a case so that eBay can review it. I guess she's hoping it will go in her favor or something and who knows if it will or not?

Because she was being so strange, I blocked her. That totally pissed her off when she tried to bid on more items. But then again she said my items were poor quality so why was she trying to bid on more? Again, she was being strange. It's as though she likes my items but wants to be mean and difficult at the same time. I don't get it.

Here are our emails, read starting at the bottom, Click to enlarge if you need to:

another set, read starting at the bottom:

 another message from her once she realized I blocked her:

Shortly after that, she left me four negatives for all four items she won. You can see her feedback and my replies:

Shortly after that, she sent me this last message:

 

So I replied with:

What the hell? Am I crazy or something? It just seemed like she was playing games and being very wishy washy about communicating with me when all I wanted was to help her. Which is why I blocked her. With the insults and name calling, I reported her to eBay for harassment. I have no idea how that works or if anything will even happen to her.

I guess I'm stuck with negative retaliation feedback. Oh well.
I didn't bother hiding her ID because you can see it on my feedback page anyway. But I hid her first name from one message.

I'm not really looking for anyone to agree with me on this. You might think I dealt with her incorrectly. But after all, I'm not a huge money hungry business with lotsa CS training or anything. I'm just one person here and I try to treat other people as they deserve while being as fair as possible. I feel confused as to why some people just won't let you help them but they want to throw tantrums about whatever it is that they are unhappy about.

Rant over. :-)

Simple Neutral Glitter look with Aromaleigh

I wore this look yesterday.  Since this is a simple look, I didn't get any close up pics. You can always click to enlarge these if you feel you need a closer look though.

Flower is from http://hairflowers.net/
I made the necklace and others like it are available in my eBay store: Moon Maiden Jewelry

One like the one I'm wearing is available here: Cameo necklace

Eyes (all applied in this order):
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (applied all over upper eye area, rubbing in gently with ring finger)

AL - shakeitup glitter (applied to upper eye area using MAC 239 and pressing the glitter on)

Kryolan Aqua color Liner - black (applied wet with water, using MAC 210 on upper lash line and extending out)
Ardell 118

Lips: Avon ULTRA COLOR RICH Cool Bliss Lipstick SPF 15 in Nude on Ice (this stuff is awesome! smells like thin mint cookies and has a nice cooling sensation)

Face: Skin MD Shielding lotion

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder in Translucent Light (applied using AL flocked sponge by patting then blending)

AL You're a Doll! Gothic Lolita Rouge in Dolly (applied to cheeks with a small blush brush)

Check out Aromaleigh!