My Top 5 Favorite Mary Kay Products!

My love for Mary Kay products keeps growing. Last year, I took the leap to try it out and now my makeup and skin care products are slowly becoming dominantly Mary Kay. I personally was skeptical for awhile thinking that the quality just might not be there. Maybe the brand was outdated. Maybe it was just for the older ladies. Not for my twenty something self.

I keep proving myself wrong. And I am continually pleasantly surprised.

Here is a list of my top 5 favorite Mary Kay products so far!

5. True Dimensions Lipstick - Price: $18

If you are a lipstick girl like me, I would consider giving the True Dimensions Lipsticks a try. I bought two dark purple-like tones for Fall last year and just got three different pink shades for Spring/Summer. The pink shades came in a different kind of tube than my Fall tones. The tubes are not like anything I have seen! They are a funky cool style. The pigment is great and it actually has a nourishing feeling like Chapstick. It does the opposite of drying out my lips which is a big deal to me.

Photo by: Rachel Marshall 

Pictured: Pink Cherie - Wild About Pink - Sassy Fuchsia

4. Translucent Loose Powder - Price: $16

This was one of the first products I purchased from Mary Kay and it was love at first use. This is the very last thing I use when I do my makeup (until this week when I tried the finishing spray for the first time!) This is a white powder that blends on your face giving you a nice and complete finish. It helps to flow the highlighting/conturing/blush work together. I have oily skin and I love how this gives me more of a matte finish and helps with that oily shine. This is a great powder to use to freshen up your look mid-day or right before a night out when you are strapped for time.

Photo Credit: beautyfibible.com

3. Lash Intensity Mascara - Price: $18

The Intensity is real, ladies. *Insert hand palm emoji* Mary Kay JUST came out with the new Lash Intensity mascara and I've already used it! Let me tell you, it's drool worthy. Below are before and after photos from the first time I used it!

PS. I have two of these bad boys on hand for anyone that wants to buy and get it NOW.

2. TimeWise Night Solution Price: $32 | TimeWise Age-Fighting Moisturizer Price: $24

I grouped these two together because I love them together. These were also part of my very first Mary Kay order and I have re-ordered ever since. I don't think I can fully express how much I love the feeling of taking a hot shower at the end of the day and then using my night solution and moisturizer. Even if I can't fit in the shower, I always feel so refreshed after a long day when I wash my face and finish with those products. It feels like my skin is the soil of a plant and I am watering my skin when I apply the night solution and moisturizer. I can feel my skin soaking them up like the soil does with the water. Moisturizing is important and the sooner we start, the better!

Photo credit: Mary Kay

1. TimeWise Liquid Foundation Price: $22

I have always struggled with trying to find a foundation that I loved and wanted to continue to use. I decided to give the liquid foundation a try and was amazed at how well it worked for me. I have tried CoverGirl products that just didn't seem to cut it. They either didn't cover as well as I liked, wasn't the right shade, etc. I did use Mac for the Miss Kansas USA pageant. I did enjoy it for the pageant and on those glam nights out, but it felt too heavy and too much for every day use and work. The TimeWise Liquid Foundation has been a great fit for me. I can wear it casual and simple or make it glamorous for date night. I like that they have it in a "matte" form that helps with my oily complexion. There are so many shades to choose from and if one doesn't work for you, you can return it and get something different!

Photo credit: Mary Kay

Personal Mary Kay website: marykay.com/rachelnmsparkle

Band of Butterflies

Band of Butterflies

New butterflies moved in

and became cozy tenants in my tummy

living with no fear of leaving

any time soon.

They are camping out,

even thinking about building a house.

One said, “Let’s build this together,

we might be here forever.”

Bashful Butterfly lay down on her wings

and sighed, “I’ve never felt this way”

when Excited Butterfly swooped through

exclaiming, “I’ll be the one to decorate!”

Hopeless Romantic Butterfly was snuggled in bed

flipping through my memories like a magazine.

She helps me daydream about him…

   Suddenly, she receives a message from my eyes.

They are reporting the boy is coming closer to me.

Another message trickles down from my lips.

They tell her they were kissed

and my cheeks confirm they are getting warm.

My heart beats loudly to signal the butterflies’ cue.

Hopeless Romantic tosses the magazine of memories

in the air and yells, “HE IS KISSING HER!!!”

as she spreads out her wings to collect more moments.

Excitement Butterfly gasps, “YES!”

while all the butterflies gather together

and in harmony they sing out, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

The band of butterflies goes to work; fluttering their wings

and kissing my tummy with their light little pecks.

Credit

Your New Beauty Consultant

I was a preschool girl when I wore makeup for the first time.

I had my very first dance recital and it's recommended when you are on stage to wear makeup so you aren't washed out by the lights. I think my mom just put a little mascara on my little girl lashes, some blush on my cheeks, and lipstick for my smile that I still hadn't quite mastered at the age of 5.

It would become an annual thing. Every summer when my dance recital rolled around, I would get to wear makeup.

In middle school, I experimented with eyeliner.

By high school, I was using Covergirl and Maybelline and the other big name makeup brands you find at grocery stores and drugstores. I used it for years. I've gone through countless numbers of tubes of the what seems like a hundred different "Lash Blast" Covergirl mascaras. I actually have a tube in my current collection of makeup.

It seemed that people assumed that I was a makeup master with my girly nature, style people have claimed to think I have, and how I would wear my makeup. But in the last couple years, I would admit, I actually wasn't that makeup saavy. What was highlighter and how do you even use it? I didn't know.

When I was preparing to compete in Miss Kansas USA, I thought I needed to step up my makeup game. My drugstore makeup probably wasn't going to cut it under the stage lights and around what I knew would be glamorous girls that were using brands such as Mac and Nars and such.

I spent hours at the MAC makeup counter at the mall getting schooled in makeup and what would be best for me. And then spent way too much money (but hey, I fundraised for it!). I do love the Mac products I bought and I am still finishing them out (over a year later, they still are going!), but I knew I couldn't be totally loyal to that brand because it wasn't exactly the best every day makeup for me and I still think it's a tad too pricey for my bank account.

When I first started practicing with my Mac products before competing in Miss Kansas USA

In April of 2015, I was contacted by Emily Flett, a Mary Kay consultant, and I decided to do a one-on-one facial with her. I went again for a color appointment and she taught me how to highlight and contour and I found makeup that fit well for me and what I wanted. I even got a couple skin care products, which was a big step for me!

Skin care is something I was told about and read about when I was in high school and battling those teenage pimples. But during college and after, I didn't have those teenage pimples and I was completely okay with just using my Clean & Clear cleanser and calling it day. But now I am starting to enter the age of being told that I should be taking good care of my skin now and it will be good for me in the long run.

So I started moisturizing for the first time in my life and I am not going back. Call it a life changer.

In my first meeting with Emily, she immediately told me I should do Mary Kay and that I would be good at it. She knew about my experience starting BUILD Beauty and my Miss Kansas USA journey and the like. I told her no.

And then she asked me I don't even know how many more times and I continued to say no and sometimes a "Ehhhh...I'll thhhiiinnnkk about it."

Then finally I gave in. I said yes. Signed the contract. And here I am.

The more I have reflected, pondered, and processed this decision, I feel more confident and happy I agreed to do this. I am finally at a point in my life that I am starting to settle into the Big Girl World and I found myself starting to ask, "So, this is it?"

As I have been getting things prepared for my Mary Kay adventure, I found my passion and energy for women empowerment in a dusty corner of my heart. I have been so focused on getting myself grounded in the Big Girl World, that I have put aside my passions.

I have already been wiping off the dust excitedly and anxiously and I am starting to feel those same eager, scared, and ecstatic feelings I had when starting BUILD Beauty. I think about the lives of women that I can touch and impact through this endeavor.

What I like about the idea of being a Mary Kay Consultant is that I am selling and teaching more than one concept. 

I will be able to help women learn and find the right makeup products for them so they can feel confident in that big job interview, glam during girls night, beautiful at work, and sexy on those date nights with a cute boy.

Makeup I did myself for a wedding I was recently in. Almost every product used was Mary Kay!

On the other side of Mary Kay, I will be able to teach women about skin care and taking good care of their face. That way they can feel beautiful and confident in their own skin when they want to go makeup free. Recently I went completely makeup free for a week straight. I feel like my Mary Kay skin products have improved my skin.

From the week I went totally makeup free!

I've gotten to that point of thinking I am quite beautiful without the makeup too. I want women to feel that.

So what happens?

Do you want me to be your beauty consultant?
Here are just some of the endless possibilities.

Book a one-on-one consultation with me | Have a party with your BFFs | Virtual party | For my long distance friends, we can have a Skype date! | Coffee date | Email me rachelnmsparkle@marykay.com | Ask me to join my closed Facebook Group: Rachel Marshall - Beauty Community | Text me | Browse & Buy from my website marykay.com/rachelnmsparkle

I am excited to talk about beauty and more with you! To me, me being a Mary Kay Consultant is not just me selling products. It's me being there for you to teach, show, answer questions, offer advice about skin care, makeup, style, and beyond. It doesn't just stop at the products. There is more to confidence than just products. And I want to help you with that!

Can't wait to hear from you and I would be thrilled to be your beauty consultant!

Apartment Life: My Bathroom

The shower curtain. 

Out of all the things that I was buying and envisioning as I was putting together my room, closet, and bathroom, the damn shower curtain had me the most stressed out. Why?

I had searched websites and I had gone to multiple Targets and tried Bed Bath & Beyond thinking these stores would surely have something that would win me over. I knew that since I was already incorporating a lot of dark and neutral colors with my room and closet, I wanted my bathroom to be bright and colorful. They should have that, right?

No. Nothing. I couldn't find anything that made me happy inside and I wasn't in a mood to settle. And it was getting complicated trying to find other bathroom necessities when I didn't have the focal point to work from. I was soon in crunch time mode too.

Of course, I naturally fell in love with a company, DENY Designs, that happens to be on the higher price range for shower curtains. High enough to where I wasn't sure if I could justify paying that much for a shower curtain.

But I got lucky.

It just so happened to be 4th of July weekend when I was trying to make my final decision when they were having a sweet sale to celebrate the holiday. I still kept going back and forth, but it just seemed meant to be!

So I searched their website for hours on a couple different occasions that weekend because DENY's selection is that big and there are so many patterns that I loved. It was a tough decision. I also was worried about the quality of the shower curtain. The pictures on the site make it hard to visualize. I even looked up reviews and blogs to double make sure.

I finally pulled the plug, picked the pattern, used the sale, and soon my shower curtain was in just in time for the move!

I was also able to get the rest of my bathroom decor and loved that there were so many colors to pull from. I definitely achieved the vision I dreamed up. So let's get to the details!

Shower Curtain - DENY Design in "Some Hearts" pattern

Shower hooks - Target

Soap dispenser - Target

Toothbrush holder - Target

White and blue bathroom rugs - IKEA (Only $9.99 each! And they are super soft!)

Towels - Target

Trashcan - The Container Store

Drawer/sink organizers - The Container Store

Since I splurged on the shower curtain, I kept it simple and inexpensive on the rest of the necessities and decor.

I love my shower hooks! I think they add a little extra feminine feel to the bathroom. They even give off a cool glow in certain lighting.

If you haven't experienced The Container Store yet, you need to. Especially if you are a lover of organization, this place will give you some feels. It has all sorts of organization mechanisms for every place in your home. I picked up these organization blocks to put in my drawer so everything has its place and I am not fumbling through hair ties and other random things to find a bobby pin in a hurry!

I bought bigger blocks for under my sink to hold other little bathroom goodies from lady products, bubble bath, razors, lotions, etc. The Container Store also has dividers for these cubes. I have one that separates my miscellaneous things from my nail care products.

So far my bathroom has been turning into a Taylor Swift bathroom. I have my huge frame in which I switched the poster to the reverse side of her with a bunch of colorful balloons from her Speak Now World Tour. I recently purchased a photo from her 1989 World Tour and put it in a sparkly frame that was given to me by a BFF. It just seemed to fit well and I still needed something to go above my towel rack. I am thinking of somehow incorporating lyrics from her song "Clean," to go above the doorway!

That's a look at my bathroom and some backstory on how it came to be. I still think there is more to be added, but I love how it has come together so far! What cool features does your bathroom have?

Apartment Life: My Nook & Gallery Wall

This might be one of my favorite parts of my room.

Shortly before finding our apartment, I had come across this blog post on "But First, Coffee," which sparked my inspiration to create a corner in my new room that would be for writing, reading, and relaxing. 

I had a lot of fun finding different pieces that would be included in my gallery wall. I had never heard of the term "gallery wall," until I finally used Pinterest for what it actually exists for and stumbled upon this blog post, which stoked my creative sparks. 

I wanted a variety of things to be included on my wall. Things that would inspire me, make me smile, remind me of things, and be quirky and fabulous all the same. I was excited to find pieces from various places. I also wanted the frames to be different varieties. The black framed "Keep It Real" is actually glittery, but doesn't show well in the picture. The Sex & The City frame is a 3D acrylic frame. A cool effect that also ties in with my acrylic desk chair.

To hang them up, I first brainstormed by placing and sorting them on the ground as a way to start to get a vision going. I wanted a balance between colors and then it turned into different themes between the two walls, which was a nice added bonus. I pretty much free handed and eye balled when I hung everything up. It was nice to get messy and not so perfectly lined up. One of the cool aspects of gallery walls.

This wall reminds me to be myself, to keep it real, and also represents family and friendship, which I cherish dearly. And it might also remind me to be fabulous and funny too! (A great combo in my book)

• The toucan bird and "Don't quit your day dreams" quote - Hobby Lobby
• Keep It Real artwork - Shop Ban.do
• Sex & The City picture - Amazon
• Cats and Sprinkles artwork - Just Daydreaming (a small business from the UK!)

Can I tell you how much I love this chair?! I fell in love pretty easily. It was grey, which was in my color palette I wanted to work with and the studding gives it that extra dash of style that makes it me. I found it Nebraska Furniture Mart. The white pillow is probably the best pillow I have ever met in my life to date. It is super duper soft, plush, and a larger size for a throw pillow. The black pillow accents it very well with sequence and beading to give the whole look a touch of sparkle. Both pillows were from Pier 1. (The black one was on clearance for $9.95!) One thing that I have liked about the chair so far is that Anna and friends will sit in it when they visit me in my room. :) 

The wall containing "Don't Quit Your Day Dreams" also includes my picture from graduating college, our class picture from the re-chartering of Blue Key, my Blue Key certificate, as well as my I'm So Glam I Sweat Glitter decoration I got for a birthday present a couple years ago. This wall has a theme of chasing your dreams, but also remembering that it takes hard work. And you just might break a sweat doing it!

Needless to say, I am in love with my cozy little nook.

Apartment Life: My Desk

This girl no longer has to solely use Starbucks and her bed as an office, work station, writing area, blog spot, whatever else I do that involves needing space for my work and creativity!

Welcome to the first post in what will be the series that will focus on Anna and I's new space. It will be called Apartment Life and will conveniently be a label in my "Scattergories" section of my blog.

Now, let's get to talkin'.

When designing my room and figuring out what I wanted it to be, I had an itch to get a desk. I had realized that I never really owned my own desk. This past year living at home, I had taken a lot of trips to Starbucks, which slowly felt like my office when I was working on blog posts, writing articles, and job searching. When I was home, my bed also acted as an office with my Mac constantly on my lap and my pens on my night stand.

I knew I had to separate my work and creativity from where I am supposed to relax and sleep. 

Eventually you will see different areas of my room and apartment, but for now, I'll just mention things. In my mind, my color palette for my room would be black, white, grey, teal, while incorporating pops of color. The bulk of my furniture is black. And deep down, I just knew a white desk would be fabulous. 

I had seen desk chairs while at IKEA with Anna when we were shopping for other things. I originally had my eyes on a multicolor swivel chair, but the thing cost about double of the price of the desk. I couldn't do it. I was talking with my friend, Kelsie, who is passionate about this kind of stuff and also experiencing a move of her own. We both talked about the awesome clear acrylic chair we had both seen at IKEA. The more I looked at it and after testing it out, I knew it was the perfect match for my desk. 

Interesting tidbit: IKEA labels the clear chair as a dining chair. (Makes breaking that category fun.)

Now for the even better part: Decorating it!

Both desk and chair is from IKEA

I actually didn't have to buy very much for my desk. I used a lot of things that I already had. Pictured:

• I have my Ban.do agenda and Mac as the main focus. 
• Kleenex brand tissues in a blue chevron print. 
• The clock is an alarm clock I got while in college that is somehow still running on the same batteries since about Sophomore year! I found buried in a box while going through my things and packing for the move. I actually like it a lot on my desk! 
• The desk plaque with my name on it was from when I worked in the Office of the President at Emporia State University. 
• Glitter coaster came in a set from Bath & Body Works, which were a birthday gift from Anna!

• The pen holder I bought for my freshman year dorm when I had a dorm desk! 
• The trophy is "The Coco Chanel Award" I won while an Ambassador at ESU. It reminds me of my girly-girl-stylish side. ;) 
• The Pink Power Ranger is a toy I had when I was a little girl and obsessed. My dad found it in the basement while I was in college and I took it back to Emporia with me where I had it on my dresser. It graced my shelf while back home last year and has a new place on my desk! 
• Dress post-its are were from Target. 
• Confetti is from the Katy Perry concert last summer. 
• Fresh flowers from Trader Joe's. 
• Bright yellow letter sorter to organize receipts and mail from Target. 
• Polka dot notepad was part of a graduation gift from my aunt. 
• New "Girls Rule" notebook from Shop Ban.do. 

When looking for the right desk for me, I knew I wanted a lot of storage space because I just have a lot of stuff. I love these shelves and that there are two more shelves on the other side to put more books, magazines, and knickknacks in! 

I wanted to display a few of my favorite girl power books and magazines on the front shelves. The telephone was a gift from my aunt that actually can plug into my iPhone and works as a real phone! 

Here is a peek inside my drawer. I love that I can stash my Vera Bradley laptop sleeve in here when I am not using it to travel. I also appreciate how deep the desk is that I can have my big pack of colored paperclips in there. I also have my headphones, post its, and extension cords for my charger in there. 

You have no idea how excited I was to put all of this together and how anxious I have been to show my Glitter Readers! What do you think? Anyone going to give their desk a makeover? 

#RadicalSelfLoveJuly - Drawings & Rainbows

Oh, it's already a week into July? That's cool!

My Fourth look

This month, Gala Darling brought back her photo challenge for July called #RadicalSelfLoveJuly. I didn't even know who Gala Darling was last July, but boy I am sure glad I know her this July! It is also my first month-long photo challenge and so far, so good!

The first day had us draw a self portrait of ourselves. I was actually pretty happy with how mine turned out. I went through a small art phase when I was little. I wish I was a little bit better or maybe practiced more!

 


Feel free to hop in the challenge at any time! I have one hanging in my room and one in my cube so I am reminded often. It's also cool to see what people I don't even know have posted too. It's a great positive connection!

Today's photo was "Rainbow." I had visioned doing a Wizard of Oz theme early in the day, but it was quite weird how the day took a turn. I was driving home when huge storms hit Kansas City. I was going 40mph on the highway for awhile and had a couple scary moments which included the sirens going off when I was up the street from my house. I truly felt like Dorothy hurrying home when the tornado comes. So I knew for sure, Wizard of Oz had to be today's photo. Kansas, storms, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. It was too obvious not to ignore.

Took some time out of my Sunday evening last night to go to the lake with a friend I've known for years that's in town visiting from Chicago. I always like taking a break in nature especially when I am needing it the most. Sat on a little cliff and threw small rocks in the water. Something I don't do enough!

#NoFilter

Ending with story time:

So, I finally bought Sam Smith's album. I know I am fashionably super late to this party. The first couple nights, I was frustrated with myself because I had been missing out on this amazing-ness for so long. I have been obsessed. A couple nights I had to tell myself, you can listen one more time. The album will be there tomorrow. And today I hear he is going to be in St. Louis on July 30th. I really would love to go! Any Sam Smith fans?

STYLE

You got that James Dean, daydream look in your eye…

Okay.

We aren't talking Taylor Swift songs in this post.

It's actually going to be about STYLE. It's been on my mind a lot this year. I finally accepted the fact that people think I am a stylish person and instead of trying not to believe it, I decided to embrace it. Then the big girl job came up so I really had to up my fashion game with business clothes and wearing makeup almost every single day of the week. (A foreign concept to me)

But let me tell you, I'm having a blast. I had already been stretching my style during college, then even more with the progress I made with my workouts, then more with Miss Kansas USA, and now the corporate world.

I've been learning a lot from contouring to the fact that style isn't just about what you are wearing today. Style encompasses a lot of your life. Gala Darling takes style in a whole lot of directions in her blog post, Style Is The Way You Live Your Life.

Along the lines of her post, I have been trying hard not to break the bank as I am attempting to build a "big girl" wardrobe. I have finally built a good foundation of basics and have been challenging myself to use the same outfits, but accessorizing them to be very different looks (because I don't like looking the same way over and over). It's so. much. fun.

Here are a few examples:

Right - A top bun and bold dangly earrings for an edgy sleek look

Curls and a bold chunky necklace made the dress more feminine and girly - Left

#FunFact - My sister actually gave me this dress! I didn't even pick it out :)

Right - A braided bang, long string necklace, and black heels to tie in with the black waistband

The black blazer makes it even more polished and professional and ties in the waistband. So I played with white by connecting the dots (literally), the necklace, and heels. - Left 

From now on, I will try to incorporate STYLE into my future posts. I will also have an album "Look Book" on my Facebook page that will be my home base for all kinds of different looks of mine. This will be a place for anyone to browse my looks, get style inspiration, ask questions, and more!

To end this post, I would like to show how much of a contrast you can make with your looks and how cool it is that a person can be versatile with their style. What's your style? What looks do you typically like to pull off? Tell me!

Pretty & Feminine

Sleek & Chic

Bold & Edgy