Thank you for bearing with me.

As some of you may have noticed, The Messy Vanity has kind of been lacking in content. There have been no tutorials and just a few quick reviews and links. I would like to personally apologize for that and let you know that I am definitely doing my best to deliver what I can, when I can. From the beginning I said I would give you The Good, The Bad and the Brutally Honest. So here it goes.

I am a mother, a wife, a full time professional and most importantly, at this time, I am a daughter. I am a daughter who's mother really needs her. If you have been following The Messy Vanity since the beginning, you are aware of how it came to be. If you know that, then you know that my mother has been battling brain cancer for 3 years now. She has beaten most odds and I hope that she continues to show her strength.

I have learned so much in the past 3 years and I continue to learn everyday. Family is everything! It's more important than work, more important than friends and more important than blogging. I've also learned that your parents should never be taken for granted. I lie in bed every night thinking about what a terrible teenager I was and what an ungrateful brat I could be at times. I don't know how my parents didn't ship me off to military school. I've also learned that your parents take care of you just long enough for us to be able to take care of them. So now is my time. I have been trying to spend most every spare moment I have with my mother. I cherish every minute I have with her and its my job to do my best to make her life as easy as it can be. Its a personal struggle juggling work and home life when all I want to do is be at my parents' house helping them out in any way, shape or form. Sometimes just being there is what matters.

With that said, trying new products, creating tutorials, etc. has been put on the back burner. I will continue to deliver quality content, even if its just in the form of an inspirational beauty quote or quick look of the day. Gradually, I will find a way to manage it all and still keep my sanity. In the mean time, I want to THANK YOU all for continuing to comment and like my posts, share them with friends and stay tuned in to TMV. I am so grateful.

As Always, Thank you for stopping by The Messy Vanity,
Kat

Starry Night Nails

Maybelline Colorshow in Impeccable Greys on right with NYC Starry Silver Glitter on accent nail. 

Lanc-Oh-My-God!!!

This was given to me as a gift from a former supervisor of mine a little over a year ago. I swear by it. I'm almost out so I thought well maybe this can be a "splurge" product. I knew that being a Lancôme product it might be pricey so I decided I would pay nothing higher than $70 which still pains me but it would be well worth it. I began my search online and almost fell out of my chair when I discovered that the lowest price  I could find for this product was $112!! I love this stuff but I refuse to pay that much. 

Tell me. Would you pay that much or more for a product like this? 

Ponytail Headaches

Hello.

My Somewhat Diary of a Lash Bash!

Some of you who've been following The Messy Vanity on Facebook already know that Benefit Cosmetics and Ipsy have chosen me to host what they're calling, a "Lash Bash"! Which is basically a makeup party to promote a few of Benefits best products. This news is a BIG deal to me for the following reasons:

1. I never win anything and the fact that I was picked for this opportunity is "Totes Cray". For those who don't know what that means, it's TOTALLY CRAZY AND I COMPLETELY FREAKED WHEN I FOUND OUT BECAUSE I'M A MAKEUP OBSESSED NUTBAG! (OK I'm calm now.)

2. It gives me the chance to try Benefits' most popular mascara "They're Real". If it wasn't for this party and Ipsy, I honestly might never be able to afford to try these products on a regular basics (kids gotta eat). That's not saying I wouldn't splurge for myself every now and then but we all know I don't buy ANYTHING unless it's on sale for close to nothing. 

3. I get to share this amazing opportunity with 9 of my closest friends. I've chosen some of the most supportive and good hearted ladies I know and not only do they get to try out some super cool makeup products, but it gives me a chance to show them my appreciation and gratitude for their support and for pushing me to start The Messy Vanity although I really didn't know if I was "good enough" to do it. These ladies have been my rocks through so much in my life and I am so fortunate to know this incredible group of women. 

4. This "Lash Bash" will hopefully spread the word on the great products Benefit and Ipsy have and also hopefully get a couple of new followers for The Messy Vanity. ;)

5. Ummm hello... It's a makeup party!!!!

Anyway, shortly after receiving this awesome news, I started to freak! What do I do for games? What will we eat? PRIZES! You can't have games without prizes!! Oh crud, Decorations! Ahhhhhh!!! So much to do, so little time! 

About a week later, I received my hostess package. A box full of everything I need to be the "hostess with the mostess"! Opening the box was like opening the doors to heaven (aaaaaah).

(Pic cred:http://gospellightminutex.com found on Google images)

Ten of everything plus a full sized "They'reReal"  mascara as a hostess gift! Ok, now I'm excited! 

We're now 2 days away and I think I'm on the right track. I've got my games planned, goody bags ready (Provided by Benefit Cosmetics), I've gone to the exclusive Lash Bash hostess website to get decorative printouts and party ideas and most importantly, I've sent out my invites.

To cut down on cost, I've asked each of my guests to bring an appetizer. Who doesn't love a good potluck?

What's next? Prizes! I have got to go get my game prizes! 

Today is the big day and since I did absolutely nothing I had planned on doing yesterday, I need to get on my grind. I'm making my Easy Party Meatballs so I have to get those and I've still gotta get prizes and a few decorations. It is going to be a loooooong day. 

House is clean, prizes and decorations are bought. Finishing touches include stuffing gift bags, putting pink and black balloons outside and of course filling my house with some if my favorite scents from Scentsy. 

sugar cookie and baked apple pie

Party time! Everything is ready to go! 

Guests begin to arrive and I can finally breathe and I start to think to myself... " Why am I freaking out? I love being a hostess. I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. I have been chosen  to represent Benefit, a fabulous cosmetics company, and Ipsy, both of which I am a huge fan! 

Let the games begin! We started the night out with a game called What's in your Purse. This game was a great ice breaker. It's really kind of amazing the things women keep in their purse. It's no wonder why our purses are so heavy. We went on to have Blind Makeup Races in which 2 players had to race to apply a full face of makeup and create a smoky eye without using a mirror! Needless to say, WE WERE HYSTERICAL! A game of Beauty Charades was next. I must admit the clues were quite challenging. 

Clue Example:
"Breaking your heel while walking up a flight of stairs." & "Holding the dogs back while the pizza guy is at the door and you have lipstick on your nose."

After charades we played Two False and a Real which was really hard for me because my life us such an open book. I had a hard time stumping everyone. Finally, it was time for everyone to try the "They're Real" mascara that they all received in their gift bags. 

After a bit more noshing and a few group pics, the Lash Bash was over. Everyone had a great time and I am so grateful that I've gotten this opportunity. 

To see the full album of Lash Bash pics and videos, check out The Messy Vanity Facebook page! 

Thanks for stopping by The Messy Vanity,

Kat

My recipe for Easy Party Meatballs
Making amazing meatballs in just a few easy steps. 
•Any frozen meatballs
•bottle of barbecue sauce
•grape jelly
Crockpot

Combine bottle if barbecue sauce with 1 cup grape jelly. Pour over meatballs in crock pot. Stir to coat. Turn crockpot on low for 6 hours and ENJOY!

Natural Look created using only September's Ipsy bag