A week of Instagram: Bills, Hot Rollers and Cows

Crazy about those little square pictures. 

I love Instagram. For those of you who are wondering what this little word I am talking about is let me give a quick run down.

1. Instagram is a photo sharing social media site. You use an app on your phone to do it.
2. You can post, follow, like and comment of photos
3. You can add color filters (think of photoshop) to your photos
4. It is awesome and I am going to start posting a little recap each week using Instagram photos.

This was supper last night. Grown-up nachos. My side contains veggies and the Boy sans veggies. Had to get my protein fix before my run. That's right I am still sticking to the running. 

Tuesday was bill day at the farm. We paid a feed bill, vet bill, crop insurance bill, lumber bill and more. Good thing we sold a heifer this weekend. 

Have you noticed the Christmas stuff out in Walmart! I was really tempted to buy these recipe magazines. Some one said there are less than 100 days until Christmas. Not sure how I feel about that!

What do you do on a Thursday night while waiting for the laundry to finish. Dig out your old hot rollers, of course. These are from my high school days, and I used to use them almost everyday. In the mornings I would go feed cattle, come back in, throw these in, and while they were setting do my make-up and have breakfast. They curl didn't hold too well this time. I think I need a setting spray. 

Of course the week wouldn't be complete without cows. These were a few of the heifers we watched sell in Illinois. I posted a video of a different lot selling for $25,000. Yes, $25,000 for a cow. 

If you are on Instagram let me know, and you can find me by searching for @crystalcattle

p.s. Anyone notice you can't search for Instagram people via Twitter now. Annoying. 

A week of Instagram: The Game of Life

I think we are due for another Crystal Cattle Instagram update. I got to travel a little bit the middle of February but this weekend will make the third weekend in a row that I am home. I have no idea when the last time was that happened, but it has been great. 

You've got to check out this Bed Head Thickening Spray called Superstar Queen for a Day. It is kind of like a mousse, except it sprays more like a hairspray. I used this stuff all the time in college and kind of forgot how much I like it. It give my fine hair great volume without weighing it down. Love it. 

My travel took me to San Antonio for a couple days so I made sure that I made a trip over to the Riverwalk. Here's a couple questions. How do they make their margaritas so darn good? And how can I grow an avocado tree in Iowa without a greenhouse. I am working a few ideas because I think I am getting addicted to avocados.

Look how big Parker the bull calf is getting. He has even started to eat some grain. It always amazes me how like calves are smart enough to discover things like grain. This weekend we gave his mom, Teardrop a hair cut. She looks like a whole new women! We have had a couple new calves so I'll be sure to post those pictures soon. 

The other night I surprised the Boy by bringing home the Game of Life. As a kid my family used to play it all the time, and he said him and his sister played it a ton. He beat me, but I figured being a Lawyer with an Executive Cape House and retiring with 1.5 million isn't too shabby!

Beauty: Stila Long Wear Lipstick

Over the past couple of  years I have developed a love for bright colored lipstick. The problem is lipstick doesn't stick to my lips. I can use primer, lipliner, all the trick and it just wears off. However, that is when I discovered two of my favorite long-wear lipsticks Stila Long Wear Lip Color, and Mac Pro Long Wear (we'll talk about that one another day).

This was a candid photo the Boy snapped of me at one of our cattle sales. We were just gooding around, but I love the picture. 

Reasons I love Stila Long Wear Lip Color:

1. Great color: Intriguing is my favorite. It is a bright bold hot pink. If you are wanting a neon pink go with Exhilarating. 

2. Staying Power: This lipstick lasts. All day. Through food, smooches, working on the cattle, you name it this stuff lasts. 

3. Non-drying: I also really like the matte finish of this lip color. However, it definitely isn't drying. 

Now the bad news... Stila discounted this lipstick! I thought I was going to cry when I couldn't track it down on Sephora anymore. However, this week after some searching I found that Beauty.com still has some in stock. 

What is your favorite long wear lipstick? Have you learned any tricks over the years to keep your make-up in place? 

Beauty: Miracle Worker Moisturizer

A couple weeks ago we had a good blog discussion about one of my favorite long wear lipsticks. On my Facebook page the question came up about moisturizers.

Quick story before I tell you about my new favorite.

Awhile back the Boy and I were having hectic night. I made a deal with him I would take care of supper if he could run to Walmart for me and pick up a few things before I headed out on another trip. Those things included a few groceries and an adventure into the beauty aisle to pick up some moisturizer for me. At the time I was using one of the Regenerist Olay moisturizers.

Upon arriving back from the store the Boy claimed I can't believe you use that stuff. I was curious as to why this was his reaction. "You use anti-aging stuff? Isn't that unfair to the ladies that need it. If you are already using this stuff at your age you won't ever age!"

This is how men think.

Now back to my new moisturizer of choice. This spring my old Olay standby wasn't working. I was having a combination of dry skin, redness and breakouts. It was time for a change. While I was in Ulta (Iowa's version of Sephora) I noticed the Philosophy Miracle Maker sample size in the checkout line. I figured that I would give it a shot since the reviews I had seen online were pretty positive. The results - I love it.

The moisturizer feels heavy when it goes on, but absorbs extremely quickly and isn't oily. My skin feels great, and although I don't know if it is preventing age from creeping in it doesn't seem to hurt. I can definitely tell a difference when I'm traveling and forgot it at home.

I have now gone through two regular size (2 oz.) jars since my sample purchase. Although, it is a little more expensive initially it seems to last a lot longer that what was in the Olay container.

What is your favorite moisturizer? And where do you love to shop for your beauty products. Walking into a Sephora requires a lot of self control from me!

Beauty: The Best Detangling Hair Brush EVER

Recently, I tried out a new hair salon. The girl gave me a great cut, however the product she sent me home with has changed my life. Seriously.

This year my hair has gotten really long. And although I have fine hair it gets supper knotted up/tangled. I had tried to use a pick on as much as possible but somedays it felt like I was ripping chunks of hair out. I was telling the hairdresser about this problem and she said I need a "Wet Brush."

It is called the Wet Brush and seriously it may be the best beauty product I have bought this year. With only a couple passes it will untangle the biggest of knots in my hair. My hairdresser said she not only recommends it to long-haired ladies, but also to little girls. She said it is gentle enough that even little girls can get those awful tangles out of their hair. I believe her.

I have used it both when my hair is wet and dry and it works great both way. You can buy this brush through the Wet Brush website or I have found them at even a better price through Ulta.

Beauty: Nov/Dec Beauty Swap Link Up

Thank you to all the awesome ladies that participated in my first ever Beauty Swap and a special thanks for Jenny Dewey for helping me host it.

I know I had a blast watching all the tweets, Instagram photos and Facebook posts about the packages you were sending and receiving. By the looks of things we had some pretty generous ladies out there. I hope you are all enjoying your new products. 

My swapping partner was Sara Hewitt. Who knew that two random people could have so much in common. We are both farm girls who grew up with livestock, and are learning a lot more about crops. She is currently working on her master's at K-State so of course I had to send her a K-State Eat Beef license plate in addition to some beauty products! 

Now onto Sara's package for me. I love that Sara sent me a lot of products that I have been wanting to try but haven't gone out and bought for myself.

Nov/Dec Crystal Cattle Beauty Swap by crystalcattleblog featuring a waterproof eye liner

My favorite products from Sara were: 1. Victoria Secret Pink Body Spray. Not only is the scent great, but Sara was right knowing I would love the name - Wild at Heart. 2. EOS lip balm - this is by favorite my new favorite lip balm. I love the scent and it actually has kept my lips from getting chapped all through days in the mountains this Christmas and a pre-New Years cold. 3. Covergirl Lipstain - Sara and I had talked about me being more of a lipstick gal, but I love this lip stain. It is just enough color for the days I am running around the farm or town, and I also have been wearing it as a base and laying my lipstick over top of it. 4. Finally, I love this purple eyeliner from Urban Decay. Purple is a great eye color for me to wear and it glides on super easily. The color is very rich and pigmented. 

You can learn more about each of the products by clicking on the individual photos above. 

Crystal Cattle and Cowgirl Crush Beauty Swap

Hello all you pretty ladies. I know you have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of my second Beauty Swap. We had a blast on the first one (you can see all the links to the ladies that participated here). This time I am excited to have Courtney Nolz help me host round two. Courtney is a girl who loves agriculture as much as I do, but also owns her own boutique called Cowgirl Crush. I also love reading Courtney's Make-Up Monday blog posts.

So how does a Beauty Swap work? Once you have signed up we’ll pair you with another beauty loving blogger (or someone that enjoys Twitter or Instagram). You’ll have a little bit of time to get to know your new social media friend, and then you’ll send each other a gift of beauty products. Sign up for the Beauty Swap will take place January 15-21, 2014. We’ll send out the pairings by January 26. Get to know your partner and then be sure to get your package in the mail by February 4.

Once you have received you box feel free to link up and share your new beauty finds! You don't have to have a blog to participate, but we do ask that you have a social media way to communicate and join in on the fun. Use the hashtag #beautyswap on Twitter or Instagram. Below is a list of a few rules and guidelines. We ask that you try and stick to the rules as closely as possible.

1. Follow the Crystal Cattle Blog and the Cowgirl Crush and Crystal Cattle Facebook pages.
2. Email your partner within 72 hours of receiving your match. If you haven’t heard from your match after three days are up, let us know and we’ll pair you with someone else. 
3. Be sure to ask your partner questions about their likes and disklikes, skin tone, preferred colors, etc. or maybe they want to be surprised! 
4. Each box should contain a min. of $15 worth of product. Please include one full size item. You may also include samples of products with your one full size item. Don't forget Valentine's Day is around the corner so maybe you want to include a special treat.
5. Items must be new, unless you’ve discussed this with your partner. (Perhaps she loves purple nail polish and you have bottle you know you won’t use anymore.) 
6. Packages must be shipped by Feb. 4. If possible it is a good idea to get a tracking number incase something gets lost. 
7. Once you receive your package create a post revealing what you received and link up with the Crystal Cattle blog on February 21.

Click here to sign up! 

p.s. we have the right to exclude people from the Beauty Swap based on not following these guidelines in past Beauty Swaps. So don't leave your partner hanging!