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I just got back from a trip to sephora. I'm taking boudoir pics in the next 1-3 months so I wanted to get some nice makeup. A year & 1/2 ago I bought bare minerals. I like it, but I don't love it so I wanted something new. I don't like how the powder spills into the lid when I travel. Also, sometimes it gets a little cakey & makes my skin look older than it normally looks. My favorite part of bare minerals was using the warmth like blush, so I'll keep using that part of the set. I was hoping to find something that went on like a lotion so it would be really simple and also cover nicely when my skin is a little dry. First I tried the sephora brand tinted moisturizer. It was really easy to put on & had a nice feel and natural look. The coverage wasn't awesome, but might work nice for a daily makeup. I don't wear makeup on a daily basis, but I'm trying to find the right stuff that would make me want to wear it everyday. I also tried a sephora liquid foundation. The coverage was better, it looked natural and felt good. Next was the Lorac brand set. The first step is to exfoliate. I didn't do this step in the store. Then you put on a primer that smooths out your skin. It made my face feel so soft. After that you put on foundation. It covered so good I only needed a tiny amount. I loved the look & it felt great. I'm really picky about how makeup feels. They gave me samples to test all three out this week. i'll update my review after more time with the products. But, I'm pretty sure I'll be buying the Lorac line. I was very impressed by it. I also really liked that the makeup is in a sealed pump that would keep it fresh longer & not spill when I travel. Has anyone used Lorac? Did you like it?

there were really cool vines at gran cenote. that is where my pictures were taken. it really was beautiful. i agree it's best to not travel all the way to ik kil. it would take all day to get pictures there.

Amazing! I was keeping track of all the pictures I wanted to comment on & then I just got wrapped up in the slideshow & forgot most. He captured so many sweet moments, like the hand holding at your rehersal dinner. Love the fire pictures, the ones of the guests laughing during the ceremony...too many to name them all. Also, your wedding looks like it was wonderful and I love you wedding hair.

the roomba was a big hit. these are two of my favorite pics from christmas here is my brother showing off his picture on the family calendar. look at my grandma's face. this was right after when my grandma opened the roomba. i think my brother wanted a roomba

the software deal is for pro photographers only get lumapix. it's great!

yes, each page is a big jpg. like an 8x8 jpg if that is your book size

I have been thinking your wedding should be soon. I can't wait to hear about it!!! I hope it was perfect.

Barefoot Memories Photography Blog Coupon code here for free shipping from Mpix

Quote: Originally Posted by carly Oh share, please share Morgan!!! I had the full version of Lumapix on my old computers, but I bought a new one for home and got a new one at work and now I only have the free trial at home. So boooooooooo! if you bought the full version before ypu should still be able to use it on your new computer. they also say its for one computer but then say you can use it on your work computer. I think the main thing is to not give it to someone else & have two people loggin in at the same time. I just need to make sure this thing is open to share and see how it works. then I'll post it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Abbie oh man. when am i ever going to get time to do mine? i STILL havent bought the $40 version of lumapix that i meant to get forever ago. i reall want to use that to design mine, and then get nice professional looking photobooks. i did a couple of free oprah books, one of the BFW and one of the TTD, i still need to do the cabo wedding one, but these are all just not fantastic quality books. but they work great for sharing the pics with work friends and groups and not having to worry about bringing the expensive album around with us. hold off on buying llumapix. i might have a link to free album designing software. i am going to download it tonight & see if it's good. if so I'll share the link.

Quote: Originally Posted by ErinB Thanks ladies. I don't know why some things that seem so simple are so hard. And, I have a slight BDW addiction so anything wedding related has to be run past you guys first. After your input and some others, I think I will make a large book with everything for the parents. I know my mom wants one big album of everything. The resort pics are pro & pro quality. I figure if the parents are going to show people, they can show them the whole trip. I do wonder about my dad and his parents because they got there 3 days after us so they missed the beginning of the week activities...I guess that is where the major confusion lies. I will do a vacation book and a wedding book for us. The mini books will have the pictures of us with the BP member or family throughout the trip and then a few wedding photos. Maybe I should price all of this out first. That might make my decision for me! I had a similar decision to make. my dad didn't go on the trip to coba, but I went ahead & left those pictures in his book. he'd rather see pictures of his kids doing stuff than pictures of things he was around for. I was going to make different versions for everyone, but got burnt out and they all got the same.

I think mini books for wedding party, not all the guests. it would get expensive, & I don't know how much guests would look at it. in all my times as a bridesmaid & not getting a single picture of the wedding I wouldn't bother making a book for all the guests. you could always share your shutterfly link (or whereever you make the books) and if they want one, they can order one. I made shutterfly books for our parents & grandparents. Then there was that oprah special for free books so I made a copy for his sisters. I have a temporary book from shutterfly, but once I take the time to redesign it I'll order a much nicer & larger book for my copy. I didn't put the sexy TTD pics in the family book. I also designed it really fast, so i want to take my time now.

I agree with what everyone has said so far. Be bright & bold! I also LOVE the colors in Elizabeth's pictures. It would be harder to wear a bright pink gown twice, but I'd definitly rewear a bright pink short dress (like the one posted from forever 21). I'd much rather wear a BM dress with a bold color, but then I prefer saturated colors with my pale skin. I think it's better to focus on getting a nice dress that looks good & the girls feel good in more than something they can rewear. It's just like on 27 dresses. The bride always tells you that it can be reworn, but rarely do you actually wear it. Although, I did wear the BM dress from my last wedding on new years. It was a hot dress though.

I had a hard time deciding on this. I ended up making one book that had all of our pro pics. The last page had a collage of favorites from the week. That way the entire vacation was covered. This was just the copies I gave away to family. I still haven't made my final copy of the book. I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I do really want to include some of the non-pro pics. I think I'll put in two pages of collages at the end.

setting the date is the hardest part. I had to call elena repeatedly to set my date. i have no idea why they make it so hard to schedule. do a search for catalonia riviera maya & you will find a thread I started with all my info. I was really happy with the place. just keep calling elena. she is really busy, but for some reason scheduling is the worst part. be sure to make it really clear you are on doing symbolic so she knows she doesn't need to look at the judges schedule. I'd feel safe enough booking the trip without the date set as long as you can be flexible with your days. the saturday might be taken but you could do the friday, etc. While we were there 7 days, there was only one other wedding. they are really nice & will work so hard to make your wedding great, but like most hotel WCs you will not get a lot of information. BDW made it so I could plan without asking them a lot of questions. I have posted my pictures & video so you will be able to get tons of information.

I just found the website where tami got her replacement, but I see she already posted.

thanks for sharing. i have the episode tivoed, but haven't watched it yet. I'm forwarding this link to several friends who have made getting out of debt their 09 goal.

Quote: Originally Posted by cdc0427 Sorry, didn't read the entire thread, just jumped the gun and posted my question to you when I read your first comment Morgan. Morgan, have you actually sat down and did the numbers to see which method would cost you more money in the long run? yes, the debt snowball always cost more money. he even says that. the idea is that you get rewards along the way for paying the smallest bills first. but, there are other ways to set up rewards for paying off certain amounts of debt, yet still do it in a way that saves the most money.

Quote: Originally Posted by cdc0427 Morgan, I'm sorry but I'm not sure if I agree with you. I used to listen to Dave Ramsey all the time and although I don't follow him 100%, I think he gives great advice. What don't you like about some advice? i posted it two posts above this one. if you don't follow him 100% its probably great. I just wish he wasn't so insistant that everything he says is right. I don't agree with suze ormon all the time either, but I really like how she tells people that they are their own best personal advisor. I would rather he advise more instead of instruct as if his advice is always right. maybe i have too much animosity for dave ramsey.

JEAN CHATZKY.COM I like her too

Quote: Originally Posted by TAHOEJENI Morgan - can you explain a little bit more about what it is that you don't like about Dave Ramsey? My FI and I are Dave Ramsey junkies. There's a marker board on our fridge. In big black letters it states a few of his most said sayings Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later An emergency fund turns a crisis into an inconvenience Debt is dumb, cash is king. The paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of America. I'm 33 and contemplated bankruptcy about 5 years ago. I didn't and decided to get serious about debt. I moved into a less expensive studio apartment for two years and paid off debts. I wish I had found Dave back then as I would be debt free now. As is, 2009 I will pay the last $8000 off that lingers over my head and kick Sallie Mae out of the house 11 years early on a 15 year loan! I don't mean to drag my soapbox out (especially on a wedding forum) but getting out of debt is definitely a lifestyle change as is losing weight. Dave will tell you to SELL THE CAR right off the bat. How many people out there are making less than $30,000 and are driving $20.000 cars. Car debt alone eats up a bunch of your money. My FI and I bought a house this past April and we did a 15 year mortgage just like Dave recommends. I drive a 13 year old car with over 200,000 miles on it and it looks like crap but guess what, it's paid for! Dave suggests picking up a second job to help pay off debt. I didn't want to be locked into certain hours so I became a mystery shopper instead. I pick my schedule and it's the only time we go out to eat. This week we've got a Texas Roadhouse and Applebees scheduled. lol We religiously stick to a written budget. After it gets a little warmer, I plan to park the car and start riding my bike to work more consistently (20 mile round trip) and no, there's no bike trails here in Cincinnati. It's all roads. Whew - got a little long. My advice - get a gameplan and stick to it. Doesn't matter if it's Dave's, Suze's, or your own! Congrats on facing your debt. I'm really happy you found success with his program. I know a lot of people have & I do see how it can work. I started listening to his podcast last year to have advice for friends who wanted to know how to get out of debt. I had to stop listening because he bothered me so much. I don't like the way he talks down to callers & I disagree with many of his methods. I don't agree with his debt snowball of paying off the smallest bills first. I also don't agree with canceling all credit cards & not caring about having a non-existant fico score. even if I don't think the fico score is the best way to rank someone's ability to pay back credit, I think most people need to maintain a good fico anyway. I understand what he means about getting out of debt being like losing weight. But, I personally would not want a gimic like the debt snowball. It would take less money to pay off higher interest cards first not lower balances. To me this is like a diet having a quick 5 pound weight loss at the start to motivate someone. I agree with his overall goal. Mostly it's the debt snowball that I dislike. I don't think I'd have such an issue with him if he wasn't so insistant on that one method if anyone ever questions it. There are better methods to add in the psychological boost of the debt snowball without wasting money. I like his advice of selling the car & getting a beater. I'm not saying his plan will not work for someone. I really hope my post wasn't discouraging. I didn't think about someone who like's his plan reading it. If you follow the plan, you will get out of debt so it's not a bad plan.

Quote: Originally Posted by ErinB My big goal for the year is to put a big dent in the amount of debt we have. I want to only buy things that are absolutely necessary, stick to a budget, etc. I feel like we both have manageable debt that we can knock out in a year or two with some concentrated effort. So, I was wondering if anyone recommended a particular plan or book? I've heard a lot of good things about Dave Ramsey. A few years ago I had something from Suze Ormand but I wasn't really at a point where it could work for me. I'm also open to general tips. I do not like dave ramsey. i disagree with so much of his advice & do not like his personality. I agree with his statement that getting out of debt is like losing weight, but I think his approach is a fad diet. suze orman can be a little annoying, but she gives very sound advice. she has a book called something like "young fabulous & broke" that is about getting out of debt.

i got them for $3 shipped on vista print. I made a set with the old name & a set with the new name. they matched my wedding invitations. I am planning on making a new design soon and getting some more. when it's as cheap as vista print, you can get 2 sets. google for a coupon for free address labels.

Quote: Originally Posted by laycj18 OMG - my Mom wore this dress in one of her friend's wedding!!! After the wedding I used it as a dress up costume so I remember it well!! LOL that same dress? is this a picture of your mom? do you have pictures of you in the dress? did she have the umbrella too? do you still have the dress & if so can i borrow it? just kidding on that one. Quote: Originally Posted by Christinamaria22 all your stuff is great.... wish i could do all that....... where did you get your oot bags from I am on the hunt lol thanks, oriental trading. they were really light weight, durable & cheap.

also, i want to encourage everyone to take a before picture. as painful as it is, just do it. so many ladies said they regreted not having one last time. It was the biggest motivating factor for me. After I lost 8 pounds, I didn't really believe I had lost any inches until I looked at the picture. Without the before picture I would not have been as motivated as I was after seeing that it was working. When you see yourself everyday it's hard to see the changes you are making. I am SOOOOO thankful I did BL4 and got back to a weight I am happy with. I was just wearing baggy clothes & telling myself I didn't care if I was 10 pounds heavier than I had ever been. I think if I didn't make a change, I would have just kept gaining 5-10 pounds a year. Best of luck to everyone! A few motivational things from me: It's so much harder when you are starting. After sticking with it a few weeks you stop missing the junk you are not eating. You have more energy for workouts and you feel so great you wonder why you dreaded getting starting in the first place. Go BL5ers!!!!