Curvyscaping: December Date Nights!

December 23, 2019 Kimberly Mcdowell

I love December! This is the only month that I have plans almost every weekend! Since we’re out and about I’ve decided to recruit the hubby to join me in some Date Night looks for the season.

The Meet-Up

Velvet Two piece - Rebdolls.com Shoes - Asos.com

The Chic Office Party

Silver Dress - Asos.com Shoes - Sam Edelman

Dinner and Dancing!

Blue Dress - Rebdolls.com Shoes - Sam Edelman

The Swanky Holiday Party

Green Sequin Dress - Asos.com Shoes- Amazon

Thank you George for indulging me and I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season! xoxo

Until next time,

-K

The Holidays & The Introverted Extrovert

December 2, 2019 Kimberly Mcdowell

It’s the holiday season! The season for giving, family, gratefulness, kindness, gatherings filled with love and bliss. Right? Well for an introverted extrovert like myself, you may want to add anxiety, stress and feelings of failure to that mix. Let me start by saying there is nothing I look forward to most than to see and be with my loved ones this time of year and I wouldn’t change it for the world. However, knowing my personality, I would be a fool to not be honest and come up with some coping mechanisms for what is bound to consume me.

Odd Bird

See, I’m a bit of an odd bird. A self-soother. My sister and I are five years apart so growing up I’ve become accustomed to entertaining myself at times while still getting a healthy dose of playtime with her, my other siblings, and the 8 million cousins we also have. So, to create balance, I would give 200% effort while together hoping that somehow this would justify granting myself some alone time to recuperate. Sounds pretty logical right? Yeah, I thought so too.

Reality Hits

Fast forward to marriage, kids, nieces, nephews, siblings, aging parents, aging grandparents, friends, family from afar, and all the Scott, Coffee, Watson, and McDowell branches of my family tree. The children keep multiplying and I don’t even know the names of them all. I just match them up according to familiar facial features (lolololol). If this sounds vaguely familiar to you, I’m here to let you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And this is a wonderful problem to have.

My Bright Idea

This is where the anxiety, stress and feelings of failure come in. It’s quite overwhelming trying to fit all of that into the last month and a half of the year. So, I’ve concluded that I should stop trying to cram a years-worth of love into a month. Spread it throughout the year. You don’t need December to tell you to spread cheer. I like cheer in February and March too. I figured if I made a good effort throughout the year, I wouldn’t feel like I’ve failed or disappointed someone if I missed them at the end of the year.

Give Me a Break

I’m sure I’m not the only one looking for ways to remedy the holiday guilt so join me and try really hard to reach out to those you love often but don’t forget to cut yourself a break. Don’t be so hard on yourself when you can’t accommodate everyone. There’s nothing I love more than a shady comment from someone who “loves” you saying they haven’t seen or heard from you…... Well petty, immature, defensive Kim still lives here, and she would say “I don’t see you blowing up my phone or beating down my door either!”

Seriously though, be patient and kind to each other and understand we all carry a great amount of life’s burdens. Be considerate in your expectations of others and enjoy your life. Not just the Holidays.

Until next time,

-K

Glow-Up 101: Skincare

November 18, 2019 Kimberly Mcdowell

I have a confession. I’m 43 years old and I could be one of the last people that DOES NOT have a skincare regimen. When I tell you I’m rough around the edges, I mean it. My routine consisted of using regular anti-bacterial dial soap that lays on the sink all day, followed by whatever body lotion I have at the moment. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself! And to add to it, I have frequently gone to bed with a face full of make-up. I’m sure you’re cringing by now so I decided to grow up and adopt some sort of a routine before my face decides to rebel.

The Basics

Alright, so before I jumped headfirst into buying stuff, I did a little research for the simplest steps to a thorough skincare routine and find out why we do them. I was pleasantly surprised because the steps were all steps that I am currently familiar with.

Step 1 – Cleanse – This helps rid your skin of all the oils, make-up, toxins and grime from the day.

Step 2 – Tone – This removes any debris left behind and helps neutralize the skin’s natural ph.

Step 3 – Exfoliate- Removes all the dead skin cells (doesn’t have to be done every day)

Step 4 – Serum – This step allows deep penetration of nutrients and is usually done at night.

Step 5 – Moisturize – Protects and adds the moisture back into your skin

Trial and Error

Once I got the steps down, I really wanted to see what was out there before I committed to any particular product. I gathered samples when I ordered things from Ulta and Sephora and I would frequent the aisles of TJ Maxx. They had a ton of different products and the prices were friendly. Use this time to see what type products and brands agree with your skin. I ended up tossing a few due to my skin’s reactions.

Honorable Mention

After looking at a few items I committed to two different moderately priced brands because they provided a “starter kit”. I loved this because it gave me a chance to use the whole line of products together before purchasing them individually.

Murad – Start Bright Here

This was highly effective especially for removing the dark spots, but it was a little too harsh for my skin. I began breaking out around my mouth with fine bumps on two separate occasions, so I stopped using this one immediately. I will say it really began lightening those spots so if your skin is a little less sensitive, you should give it a shot.

Mario Badescu - All is calm

I’m enjoying this group of products. I was shocked that the enzyme cleanser doesn’t create bubbles, so I have to constantly tell myself that my face is clean even without bubbles…. Lololol. I will say that even though there were only five different products, it felt like there were sooooo many steps. I’m a simple girl and really felt I needed to also look for something more realistic that I would be able stick to. The products here were all great though, especially the toner, face mist and night cream. My skin felt so nourished.

The Winner Is…

After testing out the various products and routines I’ve finally landed on one drugstore find. Cetaphil is great for sensitive combination skin like my own and the regimen is more manageable for my lifestyle and pockets. The cleanser makes bubbles and the moisturizer isn’t too greasy. I also picked up this Biore’ toner because I loved that part of the skincare process.

I will continue to indulge in the occasional face oil, mist and night cream but for a standard skincare program I think this three-step process will suit me just fine.

Thanks for listening and until next time,

Curvyscaping: Drama Queen

October 29, 2019 Kimberly Mcdowell

I wouldn’t say I’m a full blown Fashionista but I love a good dramatic outfit. Partly because the dramatic feature of the outfit is usually a figure flaw hiding treasure. There are so many ways they make an outfit more interesting. My favorites are ruching and knotting. So today’s post is dedicated to all my fellow Drama Queens! To add another layer of cheesiness for Halloween, I’ve played dress up in looks that are inspired by some of my favorite actresses.