My New Earrings

Greetings!

This week, I received a much anticipated package in the mail. My new earrings!

The flash is a little bright and my hair is all over the place, but there it is! After four years, I'm back to wearing gauges again

I've decided to go back to wearing gauges again. I've missed wearing them, and also my silver earrings are pretty seriously oxidized and need to be treated. Upon recommendation from a friend and a convenient ad on my Facebook feed, I bought these cute elephant head acrylic hangar gauges in size 4G from this site called Body Candy. It helped that they were on fire-sale, plus I got a 10% discount as part of a promo, so they came out under $12 for the pair. The last time I'd worn gauges, which was about four years ago, I was at a 4G, and since I knew the main body of my earring was a 6G, I would periodically thread them through my piercing holes to keep them large just in case I decided to go back to gauges.

This morning, when I put them on, I realized my ear piercing holes were a little tight. I managed to get the gauges mostly in, but it'll be a few weeks before I can get them fully on. I don't want to tear up my ears, so I'll take it easy with the insertion, even if it looks weird with my gauges kind of out.

Me, 2012, and the last time I wore gauges full time before life changes made it impossible for me to continue wearing them. These nines were size 4G, and I'd decided long ago this would be my limit for the foreseeable future.

It may surprise some of you to know that I engage in body modification. I've always had a fascination with gauged ears and decided early on that I wanted to have them done, but when I decided to do it, I settled on not letting my piercing hole be too big. Part of it was hiding what I was doing from my parents, who disapproved of body modification in any form (if the hole's not big, I could say my earrings stretched out my ears, which wasn't a total lie since my silver earrings were kind of heavy), but also, my research into gauged ears told me that if I got up to size 00, that was the point of no return because my piercing hole would be too big to heal naturally back to small. I wanted that small hole option available to me just in case I had to ditch my punky gauges in favor of conservative jewelry (unless you work in a place that specializes in hiring misfits and the otherwise unemployable, most employers get wound up about body jewelry).

As for my husband's opinion on my choice of jewelry, he was ambivalent of my decision to return to wearing gauges. I'd been wearing them when he first met me, so he couldn't gripe about me wanting to get them now after we had been together for a while. But, he agreed with me in that my holes shouldn't be too big, just in case. Being a pious Catholic, my husband isn't particularly keen on body modification (piercing, tattoos, etc), but his objections to body modification stem from issues with conformity and government surveillance as opposed to religious doctrine. He admits his rationale is outdated, but it was something his father instructed him from the time he was a child, and it stuck till this day.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

A Priestly Farewell

Happy Sunday, dear readers.

Today is Laetare Sunday, a day that marks the halfway point of Lent. Traditionally, the priests wear pink ("rose colored", as they like to emphasize) vestments on this day in celebration, and I in my zeal, did my makeup to match their vestments.

Laetare Sunday look. I like to match the priest's vestments whenever possible #Catholic #religion #makeup #beauty #eyeshadow #beautyfornoobs #itsnotpinkitsrose #laetaresunday #mylittleway

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Mar 6, 2016 at 3:01pm PST

But today was not all joyous. For the past few weeks that we've been going to our other church run by our faithful Carmelites, I noticed that my favorite priest's name had been removed from the bulletin listing of who was on staff. I knew he was sent to go teach budding priests up at the Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon, but it was supposed to be a temporary job. Today I learned from the homeboy padre that my favorite priest had basically been called to work there full time and was no longer serving our parish.

It may seem petty, but I was genuinely sad to learn this bit of news. He had been on staff since my hubby and I resumed attending our other church in 2013 and he usually led the evening last-call Mass of which we were regulars due to my job schedule at the time. I genuinely looked forward to Masses where he was the celebrant because of all the priests I've encountered here in this diocese, he was one of the few who had a strong, bonafide connection with the Holy Spirit. I knew this because there were times when I would be sitting in the pews with an issue on my mind, and voila! The homily related to the issue, even though I had not told anyone about it. His sermons were highly inspiring and there were a few lessons which I learned from him that I continue to utilize in my daily life. It would have been nice if there had been an announcement made regarding his future with our parish and a final Mass scheduled for the parish to say goodbye. It seems kinda dirty that things worked out this way.

My favorite Carmelite priest (in white), Fr. Thomas Koller. This was at his ordination anniversary Mass this past June.

My husband, on the other hand, was not surprised about my favorite priest's fate. He regarded our other church as being too dumb for a priest of his intellectual caliber, and that his gifts and talent were better served schooling monks in a monastery. I understood where he was coming from, and truthfully, there is a serious IQ gap between most of the parishioners and the priests. But as it were, one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to instruct the ignorant. If the priests won't do it, who will?

If you should somehow find your way to this corner of the internet, Fr. Thomas, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for your wonderful sermons and your pastoral care. You went above and beyond the call of duty to minister to us in the parish and share the intelligence and insight that the Holy Spirit has immensely blessed you with (and if you happened to consume hallucinogenic substances in the seminary to help you reach those insights, I'm totally cool with that. I'm no stranger to the beneficial uses of drugs, given the man I married). I will always keep your lessons about God not being an ATM, preparedness for Communion, and the nature of schadenfreude with me for as long as I live. I'm sorry that we were not able to say goodbye to you in person, but my husband and I wish you all the best on your new endeavor teaching the next generation of priests in the Benedictine Abbey. I'll miss you, but you will always be in our prayers. I hope that you become a saint one day. You've earned that title many times over.

Farewell, Fr. Thomas. God bless you.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

Sunday Glamour

Happy Sunday, dear readers!

Today was our week to go to the other church. We couldn't stay long afterward to mingle like we normally do because my hubby forgot his wallet and we had to get home ASAP.

As is my custom when I do makeup, I try and match the priest's vestments when the occasion calls for it. This being the season of Lent, I decided matching the priest's vestments was the thing to do. It's my little way of expressing devotion since I don't have the mental discipline to do much in the way of prayer (that remains a work in progress...). I had an idea for what I wanted to do for my Lent look, and the images below are what I came up with.

My Lent look, with purple and gold to match the priest's vestments. I don't like the way the lipstick came out in part because it was melted and soft, but I'm starting to figure out how this  contouring thing works #makeup #beauty #eyeshadow #beautyfornoobs #Catholic #religion #mylittleway

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Feb 21, 2016 at 1:54pm PST

Just closed my eyes so you can see my eyeshadow design better

Looking over the results, there are some definite changes I'd make for the next time I do this look. I'm definitely using my darker lipstick/lip liner combo. The pink glittery Sephora lipstick I used in this look was one I had for a while but never opened. When I did, I saw the heat had melted and deformed the wedge so the lipstick was softer than I anticipated. I also should probably narrow the gold spot on my lid and maybe add some darker colors to the outer corner of my eyes. I don't think I have good definition in my eyes with this look. I had the right idea with mixing the gold and purple, but it didn't come out exactly the way I wanted it to. Fortunately, I have the next few weeks of Lent to refine and improve on this look so that it's at least closer to what I have in mind.

It should also be noted that this "snowglobe" look is one I very seldom wear. I'm more of a classic dark outer corner and crease with a highlight inner corner of the eye, largely because my eyes are set kind of close together and the lack of highlight makes them look small.

One thing I am proud of is my contouring. Since I don't have a formal contouring set, I used my bronzer and blush to give my face some definition. I didn't have the time to try contouring my nose because we were running late for church, but next time I do full-face makeup I will attempt the nose contour. I have a wide Slavic nose, so contouring would help slim it down some.

And that was how I spent my Sunday morning.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

The Braid Binge

Greetings dear readers! How are you doing today?

While waiting for my husband to come home from work last night, I walked down into the Youtube wormhole of hair tutorials. I specifically was binge watching Afro hair tutorials concerning cornrows and Ghana braids, a modified form of cornrows where braiding hair extensions are gradually added in to create fuller braids. In the past, I've attempted to do cornrows on myself with little success, however this recent binge has given me the motivation to try attempting them again.

Me wearing Senegalese twists with yarn, 2014

Given the highly charged politics that characterize modern American race relations, why is a white woman like me walking into a potential minefield and running the risk of being tarred with the "cultural appropriation" brush for wearing a hairstyle more commonly seen among people of color? Well, for one, braids as a hairstyle have been around forever, existing in one form or another in cultures around the world. Also, more practically, it's beginning to get hot here in Arizona. A previous experiment in protective styling led to the discovery that when my hair is sectioned out in parts for twists and braids, I feel cooler because more of my scalp is exposed to the air and it allows the sweat to evaporate from my head faster. Finally, braids are conducive to deep conditioning because they hold the products in. I could use an extra conditioning boost.

My desire to attempt cornrows again also brings up a question which I have not been able to adequately answer. I'm familiar with Ghana braids and would like to try making them, but my question is whether yarn can be substituted for the braiding hair that's typically used. I'm also curious as to whether flat twists can be boosted with yarn like Ghana braids, but as twists. Despite searching all over Youtube for a tutorial utilizing yarn instead of braiding hair, I was unsuccessful. This is an experiment I'm looking forward to trying out. My results will look either amazing, acceptable, or atrocious. I may even make a video of it.

Hair goals. Pic found here

It should be noted that I very seldom wear my hair in any styles other than my ponytail. As cool as I think cornrows are, I rarely wear them because cultural appropriation accusations aside, they take forever to install and I don't feel that my hair is the right texture for the style. Caucasian hair, like mine, is smooth and straight so it's not optimal for holding together in a twist or braid without rubber bands. Also, cornrows by nature are a hairstyle that requires alot of pulling so it could result in hair loss. Given that my hair is naturally weak, I baby the hell out of it with lots of conditioning, no chemical dyes, no tight hairstyles, twice-weekly washes, no heat styling and minimal trims. It's paid off, and my hair is much stronger now. It's safe for me to change up my style for a little bit now.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

My Top Picks for Summer 2016: 4 Cheap Beauty Must-Haves

Happy Sunday, dear readers! I hope your favorite football teams have won their respective games (don't ask about my local Arizona Cardinals...)

For Day 14 of the 21 day blogging challenge, I'm prompted to bring out my forecasting skills. With my other vice being beauty, I figured I'd share some low budget must haves for beauties this upcoming summer!

Hot stuff for the summer. Pic found here

1. Coconut oil

I have previously written about this highly useful cosmetic (and culinary) item a number of times. Expect it to become more mainstream this summer, especially as a conditioner and moisturizer.

2. Toilet paper

This may come as a surprise, but toilet paper is actually a great makeup remover sheet. It's cheap, it's easily disposed of, and it's multipurpose (it's a great blotting paper and tissue, in addition to wiping your bottom). I use toilet paper and coconut oil to take my makeup off, and then just flush the used sheets down the toilet. Why bother spending money on expensive wipes or cotton pads when you have something just as good already in your bathroom!

3. DIY brushes

This was actually inspired by a video tutorial I stumbled across online somewhere (I can't remember if it was on Facebook or Buzzfeed). The products aren't expensive, and I think the results look better than the expensive MAC brushes.

4. Natural makeup

On a recent trip to Sephora, I came across bronzers from Too Faced being made with cocoa powder. As people, and millenials like myself, are becoming more and more aware of what products go in and on our bodies, expect more and more companies to start producing cosmetics with fewer chemical components and more natural ingredients.


What do you forsee becoming hot stuff this coming summer?

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

4 Reasons to Use Coconut Oil

Happy Tuesday, dear readers!

While the main focus of this blog is about life as an impoverished parent, there are other avenues I like to write about on here as well such as food and drink, religion, and beauty. Call it escapism, call it educating, call it whatever you want. My blog, my rules.

Day 8 of the 21 day blogging challenge asks to list reasons to do something. Since I need a break from writing about poverty and I'm sure you do too, here is an opportunity for me to do just that. Today, I will write about a cheap and effective beauty treatment that anyone can use, not just upper-middle class crunchy granola yuppies. This wonderful elixir is simply coconut oil, and lest you think I'm a wannabe crunchy granola yuppie, let me explain in four points my experience with using coconut oil and why you should try it too.

1. You can buy it with EBT

Unless your state puts some serious-to-the-point-of-mockery restrictions on purchasing certain food items with food stamps, coconut oil can be bought using your EBT allotment. Aside from its cosmetic uses, coconut oil is, after all, an oil used in cooking food. The best part is, the cheap stuff works just as well as the high-dollar NON GMO, ORGANIC, ULTRA VIRGIN, NATURALLY REFINED AND SERVED IN A BIODEGRADABLE JAR coconut oil. Skip the coconut oil moisturizer in the health and beauty section and head straight for the cooking oils aisle at the store. Even if you don't bother using it for cosmetic purposes, it is a cooking oil too.

Here we see the ghetto blogger in her natural environment, going on a beauty adventure

2. It's a fantastic hair conditioner.

This is my primary use of coconut oil and my big reason for even wanting to try it out in the first place. I had seen a number of homemade conditioner recipes calling for coconut oil, but I could not bring myself to try it because of the bourgeois stigma surrounding it. As a longtime lover of India and all things Indian, I was intrigued by an article I found detailing some common Indian beauty treatments and it was after reading that article that I figured I'd give the coconut oil conditioning treatment a try for a month and see if I saw any results. I am pleased to say that I have. Now, about two months later, I can definitely say there is a noticeable improvement in the quality and texture of my hair. It's definitely smoother, shinier, easier to comb, and there is much less breakage after I run my brush through it. My ends are less dry and frazzled too, though the conditioning won't save them from the yearly trim. All I do is on the morning of wash day, I section and grease up my hair with coconut oil from root to tip, making sure my ends are extra coated. Once I'm done, I gather the hair on top of my head and place my du-rag (conditioning cap) on. If my du-rag is in the wash, I will cut up some plastic grocery bags and use that instead. A knit cap goes over this whole ensemble, and off I go to do my normal day's activities. Later that night, after at least 8 hours post application, I wash it out as I normally would do. I do this twice a week, though if I were working, I would have to put the oil in before I go to bed and leave it in overnight, washing it out in the morning.

3. It's a great skin moisturizer.

This was a secondary byproduct from my use of coconut oil as a conditioner. I've always had oily skin, which was why I was reluctant to use any sort of moisturizer because with my face being acne prone as it were, I did not want to be afflicted with the dreaded "pizza face". But with a resurgent interest in beauty, cheap but effective skin care entered my radar. It also helped that winter came and made dry Arizona even drier. After about two months of using coconut oil as a bedtime facial moisturizer, my face is definitely more hydrated and it actually helped cut back production on the oil fields in my face! I had a bit of breakout at first, which I expected because I was starting a new beauty regimen, but it went away and my skin remains remarkably clear. The trick is to go lightly on the application of the oil

I went hiking right after church this past Sunday and while I'm still wearing my church makeup, you can see that my skin is clear

4. There are many uses for coconut oil

I alluded to its culinary uses when buying it, but the reality is that coconut oil can be put towards a wide range of uses. Cosmetic use aside, my daughter's pediatrician recommended using coconut oil to soothe sore nipples if the baby chomped on them while nursing, and my neighbor's daughter used some coconut oil on her baby's bottom when she ran out out of vaseline one time with no ill effect. I use my coconut oil as a makeup remover. A friend of mine also recommended using coconut oil as a personal lube, but I have yet to try that one out. Wikipedia lists some more uses for coconut oil as well.

Despite its many practical uses, do be aware that coconut oil is high in fat and should be limited in culinary use. This is why I primarily stick to using it cosmetically. Also of note, the plants which process coconut oil may also process other allergen-inducing products like tree nuts, so shop carefully.

You can use coconut oil too. Don't let bourgeois buttholes stigmatize something as practical as coconut oil.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

Why I'll Never Be an Unscrupulous Promoter

Greetings, dear readers!

Today is Day 3 of the 21 day blogging challenge. I must say, I'm starting to like this little pursuit.

As my blogging venture expands, I may have to occasionally promote products from time to time for marketing purposes. I used to think this was crass, but I've come to accept ads, product promotions and affiliate links as just another cost of doing business. After all, blogging can be a rather lucrative business. These kinds of promotion tactics are fine and dandy, except that alot of the time, the products being promoted are either impractical for my sort of low-income lifestyle, or too expensive for the tight, shoestring budget I keep.

Coconut oil, not just for hippies. Pic found here

Take for example, coconut oil. During my online adventures, I will occasionally come across a granola/yuppie blog promoting coconut oil and its various uses. Yes, it is a highly useful cosmetic agent and of significant culinary use, but am I going to take the trouble to promote an ORGANIC, NON-GMO, SUPER REFINED AND SERVED IN A BIODEGRADABLE JAR brand of coconut oil? Absolutely not. While it's nice that the coconut oil might have those things, it would also be quite pricey. Even if your local grocery store stocked such a brand, EBT/food stamp restrictions might not make it worth buying. Online retailers don't even accept food stamps, so that option is clean off the table too.

TL;DR: if I wouldn't buy or use such a product, I wouldn't push it on you.

Prior to resuming my blogging activities, I worked in a call center selling cable tv/internet/phone packages to customers of Verizon Communications. I hated the call center I worked in for various reasons, but I hated selling even more because being a good salesperson requires knowing how to lie to people. By nature, I am a terrible liar. It also didn't help that Verizon's services were centered in the northeastern part of the US and the East Coast, as well as parts of Texas, Florida, and California. Living in Arizona, we had no means of knowing what quality of service Verizon provided for the prices it was listing. I also famously avoid TV and phone service like the plague, relying solely on the internet for my means of entertainment and communication. As such, my sales weren't especially great and I was eventually moved to a different project, but the dark lessons I learned about the nature of sales stuck with me and I vowed to do a more honest job if I ever had to sell stuff again.

My policy of promotions also extends to services. As it stands right now, I have no subscriptions to any sort of streaming entertainment services like Netflix or Hulu, no extended product warranties, nothing like that. I do, however, make use of whatever free services I can find like Hangouts for VoIP and the various platforms offered by Google for use in communication and entertainment. Basically, if I can find a free alternative to a paid service, I will take that route. It's not a matter of being a cheapass, I legitimately can't afford anything else!

If I am going to promote anything, I will promote the things or services which I feel would legitimately improve your life. As much abuse as it has taken in the millenia since it was first formulated, I try and make it a point to hold to the Golden Rule when it comes to sales because nobody likes being lied to and nobody likes being pushed to buy something they can't afford or use.

What's something you vow never to do? Please share in the comments below.

Thank you for reading and please share, comment, and subscribe to my blog.

My 2016 Bucket List

Hello again, dear readers!

Today is Day 2 of the 21 day blogging challenge. I've never been much for bucket lists, but they do have uses as goal setters. Here are ten things I want to do before the end of 2016.

Not quite the same bucket list as you have, Homer. Pic found here

• Get pregnant. 
I want to give the baby a sibling and I plan to start trying after she turns 1. 12 months is a good age to start trying for a sibling, since the kids won't be too far apart in age and it will be easier for them to relate to each other.

• Figure out what wines I like. 
I'm primarily a beer drinker, but I've been wanting to venture into the wine side of alcohol consumption when I have the funds to do so. Wine was something I never bothered with before for reasons of class and income, but there are times when it is preferable to beer.

• Change the oil in the car by myself from beginning to end. 
Regardless of gender (though it's especially important for females), knowing how to do basic car maintenance is greatly empowering. Unscrupulous mechanics are less likely to take advantage of you if you can do the work yourself.

• Start a beauty vlog. 
Makeup and beauty are two big vices of mine because they are my confidence boosters and help make my impoverished life a bit more bearable. I also have been known to binge watch beauty tutorials on Youtube for days. I want to start my own beauty channel for women who are new to makeup, but can't afford the more expensive brands like MAC which are the staple of just about every beauty vlogger's cosmetic arsenal. If I can find an affordable video camera with good resolution, that would be a huge boon to any vlogging I do. Until then, I suppose I can duct tape my cellphone to the back of my computer and use it as a webcam. It's a ghetto solution, but it'll work for the time being.

• Get my travel papers updated.
If the Republicans win the elections this year, we may be taking a permanent vacation out of the US. My husband suffered terribly under the Bush regime, and he will not risk the wrath of whatever fascist asshole who faps to Ayn Rand and swallows the cum of certain Middle Eastern leaders gets the presidency.

• Take a trip into the mountains with my family.
I live in Arizona, which is renowned for its natural beauty. Here in Southern Arizona, there are no shortage of mountains and national parks with hiking trails within driving distance. It's not everyday that people get to live in such a naturally beautiful region. I really should take advantage of it more often.

• Work to expand my blog and any income I get from it.
This is a given. I'm still figuring out the whole blogging-for-money thing because I did it as a hobby for so long. This includes taking the time to learn all the technical jargon associated with marketing and maintaining a blog. Maybe one day, I'll be able to pay for a domain and migrate off of Blogspot for good. Or, I just might keep this account. Google and Blogspot have been good to me, and that's a big reason to stay.

• Take part in a conference.
This one has both a professional and a personal side. On the professional side, I would like to attend a conference for help in expanding my blog and making money from it. On the personal side, some of my interests like henna tattoos and makeup have conventions that I would like to attend just because the subject interests me. Of course, I would first have to be able to pay for the travel and lodging expenses, which is why I haven't gone to any conferences of any sort so far. Now if any of these conferences were to come here to my part of Arizona, I'd happily find a way to attend.

• Reconcile with some long-standing family feuds.
This is a bit of a long stretch, but it would be nice if I could reconcile some of the family feuds I got caught up in that threw my life into turmoil. Some progress has been made already, which is good. I want to take that progress further.

• Grow in faith, every way I can
Pope Francis has designated this year to be the Year of Mercy. I could use some mercy and become more charitable towards others in the name of my Catholic Faith. Our Carmelite other church and the Latin Mass church we attend can be sources of great help in this regard.

What's on your bucket list for this year?

To take part in Alana Le's 21 day blog challenge, click here.

Thank you for reading and please share, comment and subscribe to my blog

Picture of the Day

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't written for a few days. My husband, my daughter and I have all come down with colds! At Midnight Mass, we were seated next to a family with several small children, some of whom were coughing. Instinctively, I knew we were gonna catch whatever bug they had and sure enough, my hubby starts feeling funny right about the middle of Mass. Naturally, the cold spread from him to the baby and now me. Fortunately, this is only a mild cold, and we are already beginning to feel better. This is not the first time any of us have gotten sick from somebody at church.

Since we are all on the rebound, I chose to accompany my husband to his job training at the mall today. It was a short training, only about two hours or so. I walked around the mall a bit, hung out at Sephora and sampled various cosmetics. It was from that venture that today's picture is the star of. I'm really starting to expand my makeup field away from just eyeshadows and into other realms like foundation and lip products.

I love you @sephora! #makeup #beauty #lipstick #eyeshadow #swatch #nofilter

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Dec 30, 2015 at 1:44pm PST

Unfortunately, I did not walk around the entire mall. The baby became hungry and I wound up spending time in the woefully inadequate "nursing lounge". Sure it was private and kinda dark with a changing table and a rocking chair, but the room itself was small and cramped. The rocking chair had absolutely no padding whatsoever on it, so it was quite literally a pain in the ass to sit in. Oh well, this is the price us mothers pay for existing in a society that despises children. Perfectly normal behaviors like nursing must be banished elsewhere lest someone get the wrong idea about what a tit is REALLY for.

And that was how I spent my day.

The Visit

Happy Sunday, dear readers!

Since it was cold enough for me to have to break out my Lady Guadalupe sweatshirt, I decided that today's look would be inspired by that very garment. Unfortunately, I probably should have pulled the sweatshirt out of the closet before doing my makeup, as there was very little pink and much more blue/green. Oh well, I'll try again next time I wear it.

Sunday look to match my Lady Guadalupe sweatshirt. I'll try this in green/blue instead of pink next time. Side note-I like the look of a lined waterline, but it's a total pain in the ass to clean. #beauty #eyeshadow #makeup #beautyfornoobs #thingswedoforbeauty

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Dec 27, 2015 at 3:06pm PST

For some reason, this is the only picture I have of me in my Lady Guadalupe sweatshirt. This was from March for Life, January 2015

I must say, I've come to like the look of darker lipstick on myself. As fair as I am, it actually complements me quite well, and sometimes people mistake me for being either Mexican or Indian when I am wearing it. I was also complemented on my bold, full brows. While I don't mind drawing them on that way from time to time, I still hate them in real life. Chola/flapper brows all the way!

Of note, while I like the look of liquid liner and a filled in waterline, they are SUCH a pain in the ass to clean up! Coconut oil is a great makeup remover in addition to a moisturizer and conditioner, but I'm still washing black guck out of my eyes for days after lining my waterline and removing it! This is one big reason why I usually avoided lining my bottom lid for years and am reluctant to make a habit of it.

After church, we decided to go pay Robert a visit. It's the Christmas season, and as such, it was appropriate to visit a deceased friend's grave. Earlier in the week, we bought him a vigil candle and today we got his Black and Mild cigar in addition to a small shooter of cinnamon whiskey to leave at the grave.

Merry Christmas Robert

It was clear once we arrived that someone had been at Robert's grave recently. A small Christmas floral bouquet and an electronic shining tree were sitting in the small crater where his marker was. It had to have been either his family or our daughter's disgraced godfather who left those decorations there. It was nice to see that we weren't the only ones who came to visit Robert. We said a few prayers and spent a few minutes reminiscing about Robert. My husband vowed to come back on March 4th, Robert's birthday, with a Taddy Porter offering. It was Robert's favorite beer.

Some people may consider it superstitious to leave offerings for the deceased. I don't think that way. While I am suspicious of the nature of supernatural entities that might be found lurking in graveyards, even ones where the ground has been blessed, I do think the deceased souls appreciate it if you bring items they liked. It lets them know you're thinking of them. The only condition I would attach to this would be to faithfully say some prayers for the soul of the deceased during the visit and on a somewhat regular basis afterwards. If the deceased died in a state of Grace and is doing time in Purgatory, or even if they died suddenly without having received the Last Rites, they appreciate prayers and good works on their behalf far more than liquor, cigars, or candles.

Sleep in heavenly peace

And that was how I spent my Sunday.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you, dear readers.

It has been an exhausting 24 hours. Last night, in a change-up from our normal routine, we went to Midnight Mass at our Latin Mass church instead of our other church. I'm not entirely sure what inspired this change, but we first stopped by our family friend's to work on her computer and then we went to church. For the holiday, I went all-out doing full-face makeup and wearing my red and gold sari. My beauty tutorial binge watching paid off big time as my makeup would earn me complements all throughout the evening.

Christmas selfie, in my makeup and attire

Makeup in better detail. Not bad for my first time doing it

After we arrived in the parking lot and were walking towards the elevator, I noticed an uncomfortably familiar looking vehicle in the parking lot. It was a white Honda Accord that looked suspiciously like our daughter's disgraced godfather's "hellride" (after he bought that car, he stopped going to church and started working more to pay for the damn thing. Hence, the "hellride"). I couldn't see all the details because of where it was parked, but even though I hadn't seen the car in over two months, I was sure it was his.

Sure enough, we stepped into church and I saw him in the Confession line. Fortunately, my husband quickly ushered me to a seat in the front pew so as to prevent me from marching right up and putting my fist through his former friend's face. Later on, our daughter's disgraced godfather came up to say that he would not be staying for Midnight Mass. I stiffly wished him a Merry Christmas, even though it took everything I had to keep my hands folded placidly in my lap and not flying for his throat. My husband congratulated me on my show of restraint after his former friend left. I wanted a stiff drink, but would wait after Mass to get it.

Canon Bill placing Baby Jesus in the creche

Fortunately, Mass itself was a beautiful event. The choir was in good form and our daughter's godmother was in attendance, which made the occasion considerably better. Also a boon-the baby slept through the entire Mass, something she hadn't done since she was a newborn making her public debut to the church. We ended the night by watching the full moon and playing a video of "Silent Night" in German.

At our other church, the Christmas Day Mass was at 10AM, so we scrambled to get dressed and get there on time. We were late, unfortunately, but we were able to hear the sermon and see a few friends and favorite priests. I was relieved not to see our daughter's disgraced godfather anywhere near the premises. If he went at all, I assume it was to the Latin Mass church.

Baby's Christmas attire. Her Prebaka got her that outfit

Hubby at the Nativity scene at our other church

When we finally arrived home, it was time to change into more comfortable clothes and open presents. The baby got lots of presents from various friends and family members. Hubby and I got a few goodies too, but most of it was for the baby.

Christmas glamour, day two

Baby opens her first present!

She got a toy kitty! Vtech makes some damn good kids toys

Who needs toys when I can play with the box!

Our daughter's disgraced godfather took a good step towards reconciliation with this present for her. I'd been wanting to get her an Avengers article of clothing for a while. Superheroes aren't just for boys.

I got a selfie stick!

Close-up of the baby with my selfie stick

Someone enjoyed her first Christmas very much

And that was how I spent my Christmas. Good night everyone!

The Windfall

A merry Christmas Eve to you all!

The material joy of the season has come a few days early. While I'm not much of a consumer owing to my low income status, I was thrilled to discover some unused gift cards from Target and Walmart that were given to us as Christmas presents last year. When we moved from our old trailer into this new one, I tossed the gift cards in a box along with other odds and ends, put it in the closet, and forgot about it. I only rediscovered the cards recently after I was looking through boxes in the bedroom for some vintage ornaments to put on the tree. A quick check online confirmed that the gift cards not only were still valid, but had some money on them. We could finally get some Christmas presents for ourselves!

Behold, my newly upgraded makeup kit. I can now fulfill my grandmother's request that I put some effort into my appearance on Sundays and special occasions.

We did buy a few needed items with our gift cards, but I used what was left over to finally buy some long overdue cosmetic items and seriously upgrade my makeup game. I now have properly matched foundations (one a tinted moisturizer and the other a full-on liquid foundation for when more heavy-duty coverage is needed), concealer, bronzer, blush, lip products, and even a new set of face brushes! I will be doing reviews of the products in an upcoming post, but for now, I can sit back and enjoy the gifts from my unexpected windfall. With tonight being the Midnight Mass, what better opportunity do I have now to debut my new look.

Merry Christmas.

Picture of the Day

Happy Sunday everyone!

I FINALLY settled on my Advent look for this season!

Finally settled on my Advent look. Done using my favorite and highly versatile @sephora and @coastalscents palettes to match the priest's vestments #advent #purple #beauty #eyeshadow #makeup #Catholic #mylittleway

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Dec 20, 2015 at 1:00pm PST

Not bad for pulling something together in a 30-minute crunch before church. My favorite Sephora and Coastal Scents palettes worked their magic for me once more. I knew I wanted purple and black, since those colors are present on the priest's vestments. The gold spot, also a color used on the priest's vestments, was a spur of the moment decision that I thought worked well.

St. Therese of Lisieux conceptualized "the Little Way" as a means of attaining sanctity. Adherents of the Little Way use everyday actions and personal devotions as an offering and prayer to God. It's a very personal sort of spirituality and can be done by anyone of any background from the theologically uneducated like myself to the highest doctors and scholars of the Church. My use of makeup is my contribution to the Little Way. It's not always an easy path to stay on, but every little step helps.

Have a good week everyone!

My Makeover

Hello again, dear readers!

Today, I accompanied my husband to his job training at the mall. I walked around the mall with the baby for a few hours while my husband did his job. It was crowded, and I have no money, which made stopping by Sephora painful because that is my absolute favorite store in the mall.

However, despite the chaos of Christmas shopping, I finally got my long overdue free makeover! I was color matched for foundation at two different places (Sephora and Bare Minerals; I came out as fair in both places), and got some great advice for choosing blush (something in the mauve range), lip colors (same as blush), concealer, and bronzer colors (go for light browns/cinnamon colors). I got some free samples of foundation from Sephora, but it was Bare Minerals that did the actual makeover, as seen in the pictures below.

Nice, even tone with zits and blemishes covered

From the side. Good coverage and some defining blush

Close enough

Since I was mostly interested in foundation, I didn't get the full makeover. However, I'm generally pleased with the result even though the flash from my camera made me look like a cadaver. My skin is pretty clear, thanks to my minimalist regimen of twice-daily washes and nightly coconut oil moisturizing.

We wound up leaving an hour later than planned because the wrong schedule was communicated to the trainees. I didn't mind it since I took my time walking around the mall and seeing the Christmas displays, but my husband was mildly annoyed. Since we were all hungry, we stopped at Safeway on the way home so we could get some snacks. I'm currently in love with their bakery's cinnamon rolls.

And that was how I spent my day.

The Shearing

Good evening, dear readers.

Today was a big day for my husband. He got sheared like a sheep for his first day of work tomorrow.

After doing some measurements, my husband tied up his hair and I cut the tail off so that the barbers wouldn't throw it away. We plan on selling the hair and if no one buys it, we'll keep it as a trophy. It's too impressive to throw away.

The End

His severed ponytail

Now sporting a Rolling Stones-esque moptop, we did a quick search and found a local Mexican barber shop. We had a few errands to run, so we went there first to get my husband sheared.

The post-tail moptop. Half mullet-half shag, and it still looks good on him

Let the shearing begin

The barber shop was busy and a large TV hanging down from the ceiling had Maury's show on when we walked in. Fortunately, the wait was not long. The lone female barber on duty wound up getting my husband as her  customer. He described to her the Caesar cut he wanted and let her go to work. She did a decent job, even giving his eyebrows a small trim. Needless to say, there was a substantial pile of hair surrounding the chair by the time she was done. I made sure to catch the whole event on video. It was not a continuous video since I wound up running out of space on my memory card and had to switch over to my phone's memory so that I could finish filming. My hubby was surprised that I filmed his haircut, but I did it for posterity. I don't know how long it will be before my husband gets to grow his hair out again. Needless to say, the barber was quite impressed when my hubby showed her one of the recent hair pictures I took of him.

All done. No cameras please

You might think that I'm obsessing over my husband's hair. In a way, I sort of am. His long hair was an integral part of who he was. It belonged on him! It was distinctive, since men with waist-length hair are not a common sight and it was one of the ways people could recognize him. Physical appearance aside, the hair gave him character. It added to his image as an old bohemian, an autistic hippie who did his own thing and gave no fucks about flying in the face of social convention. Now shorn, he must blend in with the rest of the masses and cower before The Man to earn some money.

I don't know how long it will be, if ever, that my husband will be able to get hair as long as it was again. That's why I went all-out, for my child as much as for myself, photographing and videotaping his hair in its final moments. My daughter won't remember how long her daddy's hair was, and how she would pull on it to wake him up. She won't remember grabbing it when he'd give her a bath or chomping on it in play. If we have more children, they may not ever know of long-haired daddy in their lifetimes.

Good bye long hair. It was fun knowing you.

Goodbye Long Hair

Greetings and a happy Monday, dear readers!

Thanks be to God and St. Joseph, my husband has finally found a job! The inventory company in the bourgeois ghetto we visited last week hired my husband to work for them and he starts training on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, as a condition of hire, my husband must now cut his famously long hair. His long ponytail was one of the things that stood out about him when I first met him. In 2012, he had his friend, an ancient seminary school dropout, shave it off much to my chagrin. He told me it was because his living situation meant that he couldn't properly care for his hair and his ponytail had become a natty, gnarled, dreadlocked mess. Fortunately, it only took three years for his hair to grow back out and nearly reach his waist. He said when he was younger, it was much more thick, but it's still in remarkably good condition. We will definitely be selling it.

My hubby's ancient passport photo from 1999. This is the only image I have of him wearing a Caesar cut.

I spent much of the previous evening looking up cheap barbers to take him to. He wants a Caesar cut, something he'd last worn about 15 years ago. It's a pretty easy haircut to do, since all the barber needs to do is run a razor over his head until the hair is mostly the same length all around and the top can be combed forward to make short bangs. Just like the kaiser himself!

Tomorrow is the big shear, so tonight, I post the last image of my husband with his long hair.

Goodbye, gorgeous mane. It will make a fantastic wig or hair extensions for someone.

I'm gonna miss his hair. The baby also lost one of her favorite ways to wake up daddy in the morning. Fortunately, my long locks will remain for the forseeable future. It's only right that in a household headed by an old hippie that at least one of us keeps long hair.

Gaudete!

Happy Sunday, dear readers. Hope your favorite football teams won their respective games.

It's Gaudete Sunday, which Catholics all around the world celebrate as the halfway point between the start of Advent and Christmas. On this day, priests wear pink (or "rose", as they're officially designated) vestments as a moment of joy in a season of penance. Gaudete actually means "joy", from the Latin word "gaudere"-"joyous", and this is meant to be an inspiration to help us get through to Christmas and the birth of Jesus.

While I'm admittedly not the most fashion-forward or conscious individual, I try and make it a point to coordinate my makeup to match the dominant colors of the religious holidays and observations I celebrate. It's my small way of proclaiming my devotion to the Catholic faith. Some may dress in a particular manner to proclaim their devotion, others may say special prayers, but I like using makeup.

My Gaudete Sunday look for 2015. Pink with some purple and black

Closeup of my blending detail. I really like the way this came out

I used my favorite Sephora palette and my Coastal Scents Go Palette in Cairo to get this look. I can legitimately thank those beauty tutorials I was binge watching a few weeks back since I feel they helped me improve my skills significantly. With practice, maybe I too will be an MUA and be able to do some beauty tutorials one day too.

Here's a bonus picture for your Sunday. Yesterday after Confession, we went to Walmart to go get some needed items. While cruising through the personal care aisle, I spotted this.

It may be a little hard to see, but these razor cartridges have "sold by eaches" printed on the sticker on the security casing

I'm pretty sure they meant to say "sold individually", but the illiterate printer entered that mostrosity instead.

This is why I will be homeschooling my children when they are old enough.

Have a good week everyone!

The Sneak Peek

Happy Monday everyone!

In what was a small screwup, my husband and I went to church tonight thinking today was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is a Holy Day of Obligation (meaning you HAVE to go to church on this day), only to find that we'd just missed the Vigil Mass and that the proper Mass for it was TOMORROW. Canon Bill's novitiate assistant had screwed up the dates and Mass times when he sent out the email announcements this week. I was especially bummed, since I had taken the time to pick out a special outfit and do my makeup just right for the event. All dressed up for nothing!

But in a way, it wasn't a total waste. I now know what I'll be wearing tomorrow and how long it will take me to do my makeup so that I can prepare myself in a more leisurely fashion. I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear blue or purple; blue being Mary's color and purple being in keeping with the season of Advent. Fortunately, a bit of digging in my closet solved that problem. I'm no stranger to wearing Indian attire and last year, I inherited a deep blue Kashmiri kaftan from an elderly parishioner's late wife who was a frequent traveler to India. For the Immaculate Conception, it would be my outfit of choice, paired with a pair of black tights and a white t-shirt underneath for warmth.

My blue Kashmiri kaftan with tights and undershirt. 

All those beauty tutorials I've been binge-watching for the past week or so have begun to pay off. My makeup is much more neat with less fallout and waste. I'm still not wearing foundation in part because my skin is pretty clear, but mostly because I'm still too lazy to bother putting it on. That will need to change once I have the funds to either buy some or get the supplies to make some. I got to break out my favorite Sephora palette, my handy Coastal Scents palettes, and kept my number of brushes used down to an impressive minimum to complete this look. Yaay for efficiency!

My eyeshadow, blue of course. Contrary to what modern trends dictate, I will always be a fan of blue eyeshadow

Closeup of my blended shadows, and poorly drawn eyebrow. A step up for the world's laziest MUA, but there's still a long way to go

Thus, my complete look for tomorrow.

Beauty Weekend Steal

It's the weekend!

My beauty tutorial binge-watching has got me itching to upgrade my makeup collection. I can stand to get some liquid foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, and even some eyeshadows. Brushes would be especially nice, given that some of my favorite eyeshadow brushes were jacked by my daughter's former godfather's prostitute girlfriend and I have yet to replace them cuz I don't have the funds to do so.

While looking around some various bookmarked makeup sites I have to see what weekend deals were going on, I saw the following bargain worth checking out:

The ELF Midnight Eye Kit

Get your exclusive midnight eye kit featuring our Day to Night 10 Piece Palette for just $6 (a $21 value!). Use code EYES on purchase of $25+. Offer Valid 12/3-12/7

It's a good deal. I've owned ELF cosmetics in my previous middle-class life, and they are a good budget brand. This would make a great Christmas present for yourself or someone you know.

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone! Stay beautiful.