dr.brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant

Hello, My Beauties! 

Today I have a lil piece of heaven to share with you all. The dr.brandt microdermabrasion skin exfoliant.

I got this sample tube and I could not wait to share it with you all, but with the move it got delayed. So lets get into this bad boy.

Key Ingredients:

Chamomile - calms, soothes and reduces irritation.

Aloe vera - healing emollient that soothes irritations and prevents scarring.

Aluminum oxide - pharmaceutical grade crystals that polish and remove dead skin cells.

Jojoba - easily absorbed vegetable oil that soothes and softens the skin.

Lactic acid - alpha hydroxy acid derived from milk gently sweeps away dead skin cells and softens skins texture

Dr. Brandt recommends: Dampen skin with warm water. Slowly and gently massage cream onto skin for 1-2 minutes avoiding the eye area. Rinse well, pat dry. Best if used 1-2 times per week allowing 3 days between applications. 

I do exfoliate often like almost everyday, BUT! its with a gentle exfoliant so its not that bad, I hope.

I have never microdermabrasion-ed myself so this method is new to me.

Anyhoo, I looked at the tube and thought what is this little tube going to do for me?

I applied a small dime sized amount to fingertips and immediately I got hit with this lovely lemon scent.

I began to apply it to my face and noticed a little goes a long way, It spread to nicely and smooth.

It has a gritty feeling to it, like a soft fine milled feeling that allows you to know this product will go deeper than any other product had before. 

Once I had it spread I couldn't just stop there, I brought out my ClariSonic Mia and used it for the recommended minute all over my face . 

Wow! It was so heavenly and felt so good. I can honestly say my face has never felt like that before.

My face felt clean and fresh and it looked brighter too. I just love that I felt like, Okay I know my face is clean now. 

This product claims to get your skin ready for your other products. This is true, I felt like it opened my face and ready to accept the goodness of my other skin care products.

I love this product! but the price tag Breaks my heart :( 

I do recommend you try this product at least once, so you can understand the love I feel for it.

I did get three uses our of the trial size, so a little goes a long way.

2012 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner - Best Scrub

dr. brandt microdermabrasion is a revolutionary formula designed to mimic the transformative brightening, smoothing effects of the popular in-office microdermabrasion treatment at home.enables better absorption of skincare products an at home alternative to professional, clinical treatments helps diminish the appearance of fine lines, acne marks, and skin discolorations.

This product retails for $78.00 for a 2oz. tube on drbrandtskincare.com

Have you tried an at home microdermabrasion product?

Have a great day, stay blessed :)

Sometimes holding on is harder.

Hello, My Beauties!

Well do I have an update and half for you! where do I begin, How do I begin? I guess I should start with the day before yesterday. I woke up and went running errands trying to figure out how I am going to keep a family of 4 clothed, fed and sheltered. 

BEAUTY SECRETS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Hello, Beautiful!

When I hear the word secret, the things that come to mind are friends and their dirty little secrets. I mean there has to be someone in this big world that knows that stupid thing you did with you know who long ago. Right? Thank heavens, I thought it was just me :) What if we couldn't trust that person? What if that person decided to spill the beans? How would I handle it? What would I do? The horror!!

Well, thankfully I am at the stage in my life where I just don't care who knows what anymore. I can tell you it's a very liberating feeling. So since we are on the subject of secrets I wanted to share some secrets that I have found around the net pertaining to beauty and makeup. Some of these are tricks of the trade and some just make you go, aha! 

How to get your Blog seen, a SEO Guide for Blogger

"SEO -- an acronym for Search Engine Optimization -- helps increase traffic to your blog and connect your content with the intended audience." - Source Google.

This is something every blogger wants and needs to know and today I am going to cover this much needed topic. How to get your blog seen. Let's start with

What's up With that Laurie girl?!

Welcome to That Laurie Girl. first off I want to explain why I changed my blog.

First of all, I didn't want to be just TheMakeupSquid. I know it was unique and all, but I really felt cornered and nobody puts baby in a corner. Right? (dirty dancing reference for all you youngins)

Truth is I want to blog about other things than just makeup and beauty. I found myself overwhelmed with doing a beauty, techy type and relationship blog. I had three blogs going!  I was going nuts, so I decided to combine all three.

This time I am using my real name in the title, even though I will always be Squiddy to some :)

My goal for this blog is to be about a lil of everything, I mean I am not just a makeup junkie.
I'm a mom, wife, woman, and all those other things, so I will blog about, what I want to blog about, when I want to blog about it. No matter what it's about it will fit in ThatLaurieGirl  Because I am not just about one thing, I am about a lot of things :) Whew! That felt great! I hope you stick around as I will be posting all kinds of stuff here and importing a lot of posts from my other blogs.  This message will be posted on all my other blogs, so please give a follow and help me spread the word, Thanks in advance!

Love you guys xoxo, ThatLaurieGirl.

Down in the dumps

Hello, My Beauties!

Today I wanted to share some personal stuff with you guys. I haven't been very active anywhere recently. I have just been so bummed out lately, I have gotten inspired but when it comes down to it. I cant get a word down or a video going. 

Week Round up! Things I blogged About.

Hello, My Beauties!

I can't Believe the week is up already! But I am glad its friday :) I have no special plans for the weekend, besides lounging in my pajamas and cuddling with my chunky monkey man, Alan my 3 year old. Today I wanted to share with you this weeks posts and speacial behind the scences stuff of TheMakeupSquid.com

Too Faced Bronzer Beach Bunny

Hello, My Beauties!

With summer quickly approaching I am getting ready for summer! Summer always means me wearing less foundation and going for a more sun kissed look. When I want to achieve a natural glowing from within look, I always reach for my Beach Bunny from Too Faced. I do not contour with this as it can be a bit to shimery for my taste as a contour shade, but as a all over color look, I love it especially for my skin tone.

Why I switched to CommentLuv

Hello, My Beauties!

I recently changed my commenting system on my blog again! I m always searching for new ways to make my blog user friendly and blogger helpful! Not only do I want you to visit my blog, but I want you to leave it feeling satisfied and like you accomplished something :) 

NYX LIP PENCIL - ORANGE

Hello, My Beauties!

I am back with another favorite of mine! I love nude lips, I always have and I always will. No matter what the trends are at the time, I always find myself going back to my nude lips. I feel they compliment me better than any actual color. But don't get me wrong, I always find a way to add some color or drama to my nudies! A color I often reach for during the summer is a bold orange, no matter what your eyes are doing and nude lip with a bold orange blended well will always speak louder than the brightest fuscia, to me anyways haha.

Wet N' Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner

Hello, My Beauties!

Today I just wanted to share a quick post with you all on a liner I recently purchased and immediately fell in love! I have never used a liquid liner before for a winged liner, I only used my liquid liners to blend in my falsies. I have been working with gel liners when it came to my wing and i decided it was time to step up my game, so i picked up some Wet N' Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner in black of course, they did have an electric blue but I know I am not ready for that just yet haha.

Wet N' Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner

I honestly thought this was a felt tip applicator, as I feel that would have been an easier transition for me from a gel liner, but when I got home and opened the bottle, I find out it is a felt tip that acts very much like a fine brush tip. Dont get me wrong, this didn't discourage me, but I know I have to be extra careful when using this product.

It goes on very wet, so there is room for error, but it dries matte which is a big plus for me, I love my mattes!

I also noticed that after I swatched my hand around 10 -15 minutes later, after it looked dry I swiped the swatch and it moved creating a smear. So I know I will have to set this with a black eye shadow. 

I did like that it did not flake or give me those snake scales I usually get from liquid liners. 

This is new to me, so I will see how it does, wish me luck!

How To Welcome Your Blog Readers

Hello, My Beauties!

Hope your having a great weekend. I have been at it again! I have made some changes to my blog and if you know me, you will know that I am going to tell you about them and how to do it yourself! Sharing is caring and I love you guys so why not! Today I want to share with the benefits of  welcoming your readers to your blog.

Twilash Eye lash Enhancer Review and Demo

Hello, My Beauties!

As you know I recieved this Product Courtesy of a up and coming company, the creators of Twilash! I filmed a short video of my initial reaction to the product, which I will embed down below, so that you can laugh at me haha :). The following day, I filmed my first time using the product and the results. 

Twilash is all in one product meant to replace your traditional eyelash curler, which can and actually does bend your lashes. This product uses the method of ribbon curling, rather than bending your lashes in a blunt force trauma way, it enhances their natural curve. Easy to use and it all in one! Curler, Mascara and Remover all in one contraption! So, lets get into the review!

Twilash Eye Lash enhancer Review and Demo

My initial reaction to Twilash!

For more information on this company and their product please visit Twilash.com

This product was sent to me for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

10 Tips For Great Summer Hair

Hello, My Beauties!

Its been so hot here and my hair is definitely feeling it. Today I wanted to share with you some tips for great summer hair, long, short, curly or straight these are tips that anyone can use to keep your hair healthy all summer long!

Whats in my Mail box!

Hello, My Beauties!

Lately I have been receiving quite a few packages from companies and brands. I have to speak the truth, I am having so much fun! I wake up and wait to attack the post man for my packages! haha, I think he is afraid of me now :) Anyhoo, I decided to start filming whats in my mail box videos on my YouTube channel, so you can see in initial reactions and unboxings of the products I receive.  I hope you enjoy and dont forget to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss a what's in my mail box video :)

WHATS IN MY MAIL BOX

This is  a  tutorial on the look I wore in this video.

Taking a break, some me time.

Hello, My Beauties!

I know I have been MIA from the blogging world for a while and to tell you the truth their has been no special reason other than I just plain needed a break. The crap has been hitting the fan and my wits were at an end. so I took a break, from posting and such. While on my little break I was noticing my skin was getting really flaky especially on my legs, so I went to Rite-Aid and picked up a few things. 

Blog, Comments, Views and Subscribers. Are they really that important?

Hello, My Beauties!

I am sitting here face unwashed with not an ounce of coffee, because I had to share something with you, that I feel is very important to us as bloggers. Comments! Yes we want our little nuggets of advice and our views read and and responded to, but are comments really that important to our blogs? Actually no they aren't. 

Blog, Comments, Views and Subscribers. Are they really that important?

They have no value to our blogs rank on any search engine ever, the only person they benefit in anyway is the person commenting, because they can leave a link behind if they choose to do so. What is important however is the view count or how many visits your blog gets. Think about this for a moment. How many websites are out there that get millions of views, but not a single comment?

For instance. lets look at Amazon.com Only after a purchase to you actually comment on this site if you choose to do so. Another big name site is Sephora.com, yes a lot of visits, but not as many comments.

Think about this for a second. The only people who are actually commenting on your blog post are other bloggers and they are just as busy as you are! Yes they are nice and they let me know that I am doing something right, but they aren't what I am going after. I want a high view count and subscribers.

A high view count and subscribers is what will help your blog grow more then anything else out there. 

That's where quality blog posts and helpful content come in. 

Always try to be helpful or give some type of advice in every post.
Review anything and everything within your niche.
Subscribe to other blogs, comment, etc. and if they are human they will return the favor.
Blogging is a very Karmic thing, what you give is what you receive.

So if you aren't bombarded with comments don't feel bad, look at your view count. 

Thats whats important here. And thats what gets your blog out there. The comments will come, right now just concentrate on people hearing or reading your content.

How to get inspired as a blogger.

Hello, My Beauties!

I have been blogging for a while now and even though I haven't been blogging for a whole year yet, I feel I have learned a lot, made new friends and many times have run out of things to blog about. I have reviewed pretty much anything worth a post in my personal collection and I don't receive products that often from PR companies, so I have a lot of space in between posts where things get kinda dry around here. Once again I was inspired with you in mind and wanted to share with you how I get inspired to write a post.

As a blogger I do visit my Google Analytics pretty often and watch my real time overview. this can get pretty boring as  there are dry spells when nothing happens. What I have found out though is that my most popular post are the ones geared toward helping my fellow bloggers.

How to get inspired as a blogger.

Blog Hopping

Many times I sit and stare at my screen and ask what the hell am I going to write about today. I look over my stash, my skincare routine and discover I have been there, done that. The main way I get inspired is to go blog hopping, I have been inspired by so many bloggers, most of my posts come from their inspirations. 

I never know where or how lighting will strike, its usually where I least expect it, but I thank God It happens hehe :)

Magazine Sites.

This is where you can find out what's happening, trending or just  plain going on in the world. This is where I get a lot of ideas from, not in a copy format, but more like a response to the article or my take on the matter.

These articles are great for composing lists of trending topics.

Blog Forums.

There are many sites where you can see what other bloggers are talking about and doing on their blogs. I can't lie, I just skim other these and never really get involved in the conversations, but they can be very inspiring. I do not reply to the conversations, because my blog post will become my reply.

I do have a blog that is dedicated to more posts like this Interwebschic.com

So if your in a rut and can't get a single word typed up, go get inspired :)

DON'T GIVE UP

Hello, My Beauties!

Today I want to touch on a subject that hits every one of us every so often, especially in the blogging community. Discouragement. It hits us when things don't go as planned, when we don't get visits,  comments or likes on our instagram photos. So today I want to tell you with a big loud voice, 

PR COMPANIES AND PRODUCT REVIEWS

Hello, my beauties!

Today I am a little ticked off. I recently received some products to try out for review and even though the product went well enough I guess. I am ticked off about the size or the amount of product. 

Don't get me wrong I love my samples, But I feel samples are more for clients and customers, not beauty bloggers.  Any beauty blogger will need at least a two weeks worth of product to give a good honest review.