Disney PR & Disney Cruise Line New Orleans
Every blog year, I always experience one BIG SURPRISE. I was contacted by Disney PR to attend a private cocktail party. They wouldn't tell us what is was about, but anything dealing with Disney is always a big deal. It turned out, they were promoting Disney Cruise Lines (docked at Port of New Orleans). It was such a fun experience. I'm happy to say, the first cruise is now SOLD OUT. This will be great business for Louisiana and especially the City of New Orleans. 
Sara Happ - The Lip Expert
My DREAM COLLABORATION came true in 2018. Everyone knows I love Sara Happ lip scrubs. Well this year, a PR Agency contacted and asked me if I would like to review some Sara Happ products. I was so happy to do so. I got to try some more of her lip scrubs and I fell in love with her NEW lip mask & lip primer. I've added them to my routine. 
Jason Momoa, Jennifer Lopez & The Terracotta Warriors
I've always wanted to go to Comic Con. When I found out Jason Momoa was going to be there, I made it my mission. He's so nice & fun! He even encouraged my mom to get in the picture. Very nice guy. He's coming back this year as well. So that's good if anyone missed him in 2018. Comic Con is really fun. If you've never been, you should really go. While I was in Cincinnati, I found out that there was going to be a Terracotta Army Exhibit (1,2,3). I've heard so much about the Terracotta Army. It was amazing to see them in person. There were also artifacts from that era. I really learned alot. I was so impressed, I did a three part series on the exhibit. Towards the end of the year, I was contacted to attend an advanced screening of Jennifer Lopez's movie Second Act. I love her movies. I looked at the trailer for Second Act and it was nice, but the movie was SO MUCH BETTER. I really enjoyed it and there were so many lessons in the movie. I'm so glad I was invited and she retweeted my tweet! It was fun and it showcased one my favorite boutique movie theatres The Prytania. 
Chicago, The Band & Waitress The Musical
I love going to concerts. I try to make at least one a year. You can see the ones I've attended under my Dream List. I've followed the group Chicago for some time. I even have their Greatest Hits. I couldn't miss the chance to see them while they were in New Orleans.They are an amazing group. I only knew them from the 80's but they span way back into the 60's. Very talented musicians. I also like broadway plays. I was interested in seeing the musical Waitress. It's about FOOD and LIFE! It was good and I purchased a cookbook that showcased a number of the pies showcased in the musical. I hope to do more baking in 2019. I encourage everyone to see their favorite band, musical artist and/or play. 
Harry & Meghan's Wedding
I'm officially a royal watcher. I've been one since Princess Diana. When she passed, I truly felt for William & Harry. It's awesome to see them all grown up. I love Meghan Markle. I love the community outreach she's doing. I love her fashion sense & style. I'm looking forward to her being a mother. It's been a long time since I've had a style crush, but I can relate to her style. I also love the story of her acting friend (orange). No designer wanted to give her a dress! So she put one together with the help of her stylist. And she knocked it out the park! She looked stunning. 
Pixi Beauty
I've been a Pixi Beauty Ambassador since 2016! I've got to try so much makeup and skincare from Pixi. I'm so happy because I never tried anything from them before. My favorites this year were the PixiGlow Cakes, Pixi Weylie Hoang collaboration and the Chloe Morello palette & lip icing. Pixi makes some wonderful products. 
Repechage Skincare
I've always seen Repechage skincare products, but never tried them. I purchased their Fusion Chocofina Chocolate Mask from QVC and LOVED IT! They saw my post and asked if I would like to try some of their other products. My mom loves their Berryfina Mask (is catered more to her skin type) and I've been using their moisturizer which looks & smells like marshmallow cream. It's very nice and great in the warmer months. Very nice for all skin types. 
Too Faced Cosmetics
Too Faced is a reoccurring favorite each year! They really knocked it out the park the end of this year. I love their Gingerbread Spice eyeshadow palette (which sold out). I'm in love with Hot Buttered Rum from their Sweet Smell of Christmas lipstick collection. Both the Sugar Cookie & Tickled Peach mini palettes, proved to be beautiful. The Tutti Frutti eyeshadow palette was different and fun! And how could you not love the bunny makeup bag. I love the cotton tail.
Becca Cosmetics
Who loves Becca x Chrissy Collections? I do! I remember reading a comment from someone on Trendmood's page asking who buys Becca x Chrissy. I do! For whatever reason, her makeup compliments me. You have to keep in mind, that when a collection comes out it might not be meant for you. It might not suit your taste or style. That's normal. There are so many DIFFERENT people in the world, and thank God there are numerous selections of makeup and makeup brands. Having so many things to choose from is just amazing to me! Growing up, all I had was Revlon, Maybelline, Covergirl, L'Oreal, Mary Kay and Avon. LOL Well, I loved her Endless Summer Glow Collection and Glow Kitchen Kit. I also loved Becca's Royal Highlighter. It's such a pretty highlighter.
Foundation
One of my 2018 goals was to try foundation. Some worked. Some didn't. The ones I was impressed with were NARS Natural Radiant Longwear and Face Atelier's Ultra Skin. Both are so beautiful. I also fell in love with Becca's Under Eye Brightening Corrector. If you have anything you want to hide under your eyes, this stuff is BRILLIANT. I use it all the time. It's amazing. 
Face Primers
Another goal was to try some new face primers. I stayed in the Smashbox family. I really love both their Primerizer (Spring/Summer) and Primer Oil (Winter and when I'm feeling really dry). They work really well. I had a sample of Hourglass primer and it is AMAZING! But I will have to get a full size of it before I can say for certain. 
Blush & Lipstick
My favorite type of makeup is lipstick and blush. I am LOVING Nudestix (and here)! I've been using it everyday. Their sticks can be used on the lips & cheeks. They look so natural and are very complimentary. I wasn't initially thrilled with Benefit's Gold Rush. I thought it was nice, but I used it over the Summer and it's a really nice color. I love Fall colors! I fell in love with Burt's Bees lipstick collection. I also fell in love with the Kylie x Jordyn and KKW lipstick collaborations. 
Makeup Collections
I always look forward to makeup collections. MAC always knocks it out the park. I loved the MAC Oh Sweetie lipstick collection. I love their MAC Shiny Pretty Things collection. A lot of people didn't like MAC's Jeremy Scott collection (well its performance), but I liked it. Especially the bronzer, blush & highlighter. I also like the lipsticks in the cassette. The shadows were hit & miss but the packaging made up for it. LOL As an 80's fanatic, I loved the packaging for JS. Even though I love Urban Decay's Naked Heat more, I am becoming more smitten with their Naked Cherry collection. And I ADORE the Tarte x Aspyn Ovard palette. Really beautiful colors and I love the blush. 
Contour Baby
Contouring was SUPER HOT several years ago! You don't hear about it anymore, but I love doing light contouring. I definitely see a difference when I contour my nose. My favorite palettes to use are Kat Von D's Shade Light and Too Faced's Cocoa Contour. I'm definitely incorporating contouring in my everyday makeup routine. 
Makeup That Has 9 Lives + Some
Oldies but goodies. These are some classics that I just tried this year, but have been out for AGES. They're that good. Kat Von D's Lolita is such a beautiful color. I love Urban Decay's All Nighter makeup setting spray and want to try some of their other makeup setting sprays. They have an assortment. I had sworn off of translucent powder, but Laura Mercier's is really good and doesn't leave me white. Loving everything NARS orgasm! It is such a beautiful color and I love this lipstick (already have the blush). I really enjoyed using MELT's Gunmetal Stack eyeshadow palette. The quality of their shadows are super. I also tried some MAC blushes & lipsticks! LOVE THEM! I will have to delve into MAC some more (besides their collections) because they have some great makeup.
Skin & Oral Care
Here's some skincare that impressed me. I have another favorite lip balm. I put it right up there with Fresh's Advanced Therapy. It's Drunk Elephant's Lippe Balm. So moisturizing and long lasting! Speaking of Fresh, I love their Advanced Lip Therapy Serum. I use it every morning before applying my lipstick or lip gloss. I love their Lip Caramel. This comes in other scents and I want the entire collection. I found another good lip scrub! It's called Frank Body Cherry. I can't get enough of The Body Shop's Banana Body Butter. I could use this all SUMMER LONG! I tried the Foreo Luna Play. I really have to purchase a Foreo, because it really cleansed my face better than with my washcloth. I tried the fancy schmancy Marvis Toothpaste! Invigorating and Refreshing! It will put your old toothpaste to shame. LOL The only thing, is that it doesn't have is fluoride. I love Fresh's Vitamin Nectar moisturizer. I need to purchase the full size. If you have dry skin, you might want to try Peter Thomas Roth's water quench cloud collection. I found it to be very good. 
Perfume
I'm not a big perfume wearer, but I wanted to add a little more to my collection. I fell in love with three: YSL Mon Paris, Carolina Herrera's Good Girl and Victor & Rolf's Bon Bon. They smell so good. 
Sweet Mentions
These didn't fall into a particular category, but I absolutely love them. Arctic Zero sent me their new LIGHT ice cream. I was skeptical at first but IT TASTES SO GOOD! Try it! I fell in love with these Willy Wonka inspired candles. This talented candle maker makes all kinds of candles. I received the cutest birthday card from my friend Jo of White Roses and Coffee Blog. She also sent me a red envelope. Thanks Jo! I collaborated with Crane & Canopy! They make beautiful bedding. While in Cincinnati I had the chance to visit Lolli & Pops candy store. They have classic and international candy. It's the cutest shop and so tempting. 
New Orleans Blog Posts
I enjoy working with Community Coffee every year. Their Sugar Dusted Beignet Coffee is so delicious. I love doing my annual Halloween in New Orleans posts. I love the creativity of New Orleanians (hell, I am one :P) This year, the Simpsons were featured in New Orleans and it showcased famous restaurants in New Orleans. Definitely check out my blog post. 
Lifestyle Changes
I subscribed to Shipt. It has really saved me from grocery shopping and lugging a lot of groceries. I pick up special items here and there, but this is an amazing service that will save you a lot of time AND save your body. LOL I subscribed to the US Postal Service Informed Delivery. It's an app that tells you DAILY what mail & packages you can expect THAT DAY! No more wondering. It's awesome. I connected my blog to Shopstyle Collective! Link products you discuss on your blog. When people click on the link you get a small percentage. It's not much, but you get something. 
Thank You To All My Sponsors and Collaborators for 2018
(2018) Disney PR Event - Disney Parks Social Influencer
Communications Team, PR Event Second Act Movie Advanced Screening,
Covergirl, Colgate, Marvis, Sara Happ, Pixi Beauty Ambassador, Mally
Cosmetics, Molton Brown, Sulwhasoo, Face Atelier, Laneige, Repechage, CO
Bigelow, Burt's Bees, Soap & Paper Factory, Korres Beauty, Hard
Candy Cosmetics, Take My Face Off, nyl Skincare, Crane & Canopy,
Community Coffee, Arctic Zero, Moon Elements, Tractenberg, Elyse Koenig,
Mediabuzzer, Click Intelligence, Wikibuy.
