I'm really not one to celebrate my birthday. I really dislike my birthday because of past disappointments (I swear I am not bitter)... joys of being a December baby. I have TRIED to do things the last few years, but this year was probably the most successful.
NIGHT ONE
I went out of town for dinner on my actual birthday to a restaurant I have never been to (and coincidentally everyone who came to my dinner hadn't either), Boiling Crab in Sacramento.
Before I get into that experience, I want to express my appreciation to my friends who came. You gals rock! Only 3 outta of the 9 people actually live in Sacramento, so everyone had to drive out. <3
Dinner was AMAZING! Like I previously said, none of us has ever been there before. So of course we wanted to try everything. Before we knew it there were oysters, crawfish, shrimp, catfish, and crab coming to our table for consumption. The food didn't disappoint. It was also great seeing all of my friends dive into their food... cracking shells, taking off heads, making a mess and not caring. It was magical! My friends even immortalized the event by adding a memento on one of the poles in the restaurant! Afterwards my cousin (more like sister) and two of my friends continued the party at a small local bar, The Flame. We had some more drinks, some laughs. It was perfect...
I have my own hashtag!!
Birthday Makeup Night One:
I wanted to try something that I haven't before. Something over the top for the occasion. So I looked through some of my favorite vloggers on youtube for inspiration. I found this birthday look by Carli Bybel that she did for her birthday. I have similar colors to what she used so I decided to dive in a give it a go...
Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I think I did a pretty good job. I didn't have all the colors and products that she had, but I had enough to make it work. I don't think I have ever used so many products on my eyes, but I can't deny the results.
I always use primer on my eyes, but I made sure to cover my lids well, I am a fan of the Eyeshadow Helper from Lime Crime Cosmetics, but this time I used the new Eyeshadow Brightener. I figured I was going with such a glamours look, I wanted it to pop as much as possible. I mostly used eyeshadows that I have from Salty Cosmetics, but I also used Bare Minerals, City Color Cosmetics, NYX Cosmetics, and Make Up Forever. I used Morecni Black from Salty Cosmetics and the darkest color from the NYX Love in Rio Eye Shadow Palette in Escape with Rico in my crease. The inner corner of my lid I used Make Up Forever Artist Shadow in Yellow Ivory and combined Bare Minerals Peach Eye Color in Vanilla Sugar, and Salty Cosmetics Persian Goddess and Golden Spark (I LOVE THIS) on the rest of my lid. Golden Spark is what gave my the overall glittery glamorous look. I used City Color Cosmetics White Gold Shadow & Highlight Mousse in my tear duct and finished up my eyeshadow with a hint of Queen of Venus from Salty Cosmetics in my crease and lower lash line. My eyeliner is Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Push Up Liner, my eyebrows were filled in using Vanitymark Ultra- Brow Powder in Choco Noir and I finished my eyes with Iconic Lashes from House of Lashes. Like I said, I have never used so many products on my eyes. I used Bang Bang from Melt Cosmetics on my lips and on my cheeks I used Benefit Cosmetics Majorette (which is my new favorite blush!).
Tarot Card Reading:
My amazing friend +Amanda Perri gave me some awesome gifts, but included in that was the very unique gift of a Tarot Card reading for my birthday. First off, I didn't even know that she knew how to do this, but how cool is that? I have my very own Mademoiselle le Normand (truth be told I totally googled most famous tarot card reader and inserted it) at my disposal! I had her write the next part in her own words. I thought it would be easier for her to explain the process and my reading...
“I always start my readings with a few words of caution:
One, my cards can be very harsh. If something important
needs to be said. My cards will certainly say it no matter how much a
participant may not want to hear it. Sometimes if the participant is asking
about something specific, and there is something very important that they may
or may not be aware of, my cards will overwrite that question and talk about
the matter at hand.
Two, sometimes the things that come up can shock, scare, or really
hit the participant in the feels (I’m talking exactly where it hurts the
most). I always caution to take a moment
if they need it and to always remember to breathe.
Three, my readings don’t always make sense right away.
Sometimes they are spot on about a question or a current situation and then
sometimes they will go off on a tangent. I have found that even if the reading
doesn't make sense right away that something later down the road will come up
and will be just as predicted.
My last warning is more of a question of consent. My
readings can end up being extremely personal. I find that usually after a
reading I learn more about that person’s present, past, and future. Just after
one reading their relationships with others, the type of person they are, and
their hopes and dreams are all things can be revealed to me. I feel as though
getting a person’s permission to continue is the only way that I can feel
comfortable in giving them a tarot reading. After all of these warnings, if the
person is still willing to listen to what the cards have to say. Then I am
willing to try to answer their questions.
I then start by asking the participant to think of a
question or a situation that they may want more answers for. While I shuffle
the deck I have the participant send that question mentally towards me. I don’t
ask them to say it aloud because it is not needed. I feel that when they keep
their questions to themselves that sometimes it can help validate the reading
for the participant. Sometimes a participant won’t have a question, like in
Jeani's case, that is when I will ask them to just send energy in my direction.
I stop shuffling my cards once I feel like they are just right. I then place my
cards on the table and ask the participant to cut the deck any way they’d like,
but they must use their left hand to do so. I typically do a very basic 5 card
spread. I can do a more in depth reading if the participant asks me to. In
Jeani's case I placed the cards in this order:
First Card- Represents the Past: 5 of Pentacles: For Jeani this card brought up that she has felt very down and out, lonely, and felt over extended. As though she was working on something that didn't really show off her talents and it was holding her back. It was also causing strain on her social life and was causing her to feel depressed and stretched thin. The card suggested that she was making a change, seeking comfort and spiritual guidance for something more.
Second Card- Represents the Present: 2 of Pentacles (reversed): For Jeani this card brought up the fact that she felt like she was juggling too many things at once and she was feeling overwhelmed by her many obligations. That maybe she bit off more than she could chew in her current situation. This card also represented that money coming to Jeani was possibly spent frivolously on things that were not helping her fix situation.
Third Card- Represents a hidden aspect of the Situation: 7 of Cups (reversed): This card for Jeani represented her emotional state with the situation. That she had been disillusioned about her situation and what is was doing to her. That she had been scattering her energies instead of focusing on what was important. The good thing, however, is that the card hinted that she was beginning to see why this was not good. The she seemed to be pretending that the situation didn't bother her and it wasn't helping fix the situation at all. Now, because she is starting to see this more clearly she will be able to help herself towards her goals.
Fourth Card- Represents Advice for the Participant: 9 of Cups: This card represents a change for the good in Jeani's life. It advises her to go towards what she desires most and that she must leave what she had behind in order to move forward to achieve her wish for her future.
Fifth Card- Represents a possible Outcome: 8 of Wands (reversed): As an outcome this card warns Jeani that making hasty decisions that will only cause her life to become even more scattered and make her feel like she is wasting her energy. This card represents the possibility of Jeani rushing herself to achieve her goal and if she does so it will only make her problems worse.”
NIGHT TWO
On the second night of my birthday weekend, I kept it local and stayed in Napa. I wanted to go to my favorite local bar that has a DJ on Saturday nights. I haven't been there in forever! I didn't want to have another night of a big dinner, just a night out of drinking and dancing with my friends. I did meet up with one of my friends earlier and we had appetizers and caught up in the bar of Eiko's and around 10 PM some of my favorite people showed up. Let me tell you, it was a blast! I danced like nobody was watching. I haven't had a night out like that in a while. I'm usually the responsible socially awkward one. I don't do well with lots of people... I'm too cautious I guess. Also I have resting bitch face which gives many people the wrong impression of me. When I go out I am usually taking in my surroundings, making sure that my friends aren't too wasted, that they have rides, aren't leaving the bar with someone shady. That's just who I am, I want to take care of my friends. On this night though, I let loose and it felt really good. I didn't end up taking any pictures, I was too busy dancing...
Birthday Makeup Night Two:
On this night, I wanted my look to be bold. I have previously done my makeup like this before, but I never actually wore it out. I got the idea from +Makeupshayla's instagram a while back. I bought the necessary products and did what I usually do... I played with my face, with no where to go. I did make a few changes to what I used...
Again, wanting my eyes to really pop, I started with the Eyeshadow Brightener from Lime Crime. The darker blue is Velocity from Sugarpill Cosmetics, I used my favorite black Morecni in my crease, and Sergio's Ojos from Salty Cosmetics on my inner eyelid and my lower lash line. I changed my eyeliner and used Kat Von D Tattoo Liner and my lashes are Bohemian Princess from House of Lashes. My lipstick is the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita also from Kat Von D. I didn't use as many products as before, but I think it was still fun and glamours. It stayed on really well too! I thought I was going to be a mess after dancing all night, but I got home and my eyes were still fabulous!
DAY THREE
I didn't do anything on the third night of my birthday weekend. I stayed home to recover, curled up in bed with a movie, but I did go to breakfast with my sister and my nieces. It was nice to have some family time with them and unwind.
That was my my weekend. Nothing EPIC (like my birthday attempt in 2012), but enough for me to start of the next 12 months of my life on a good note. It's going to be an interesting year. Not looking forward to my 30th though... Lord help me...
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