Fashion Friday Sneak Peak...

Holy cow! It's sunny out today!!! In honor of the beautiful Friday we have I am going to give you guys a little sneak peak into what's coming out next month with mark.

First....

Lash All You Want Volumizing Mascara. Comes in black, black/brown, violet and wine. Um let me just say...FINALLY!!!! I have not been the biggest fan of mark.'s mascaras and now, finally, finally I am! I am totally and completely addicted to this mascara. Those of us who won the NYC trip were given a tube in black in our NYC goodie bags, and I have been using it ever since! Reminds me of Cover Girl Lash Blast.

Score this Deal...

You get a tube of Lash All You Want (in your choice of color) AND the new mark. eyelash curler!!! Eyelash curler comes with an extra pink pad to replace the one that's in there when it gets yucky. I have used my eyelash curler for a couple days, and it took some getting  used to but I really like it!

The...OMG...OMG...OMG...

EYE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!! Another mark. product I can add to my beauty bag! It's called Get Defensive and helps puffiness, and dark cirlces. And it has my favorite thing...SPF 15!!! Woot!!! We were also given this product in NYC and I really can tell a difference in the month that I've been using it. 

And.....

This really isn't a new product, BUT it will be a super sweet deal! You get the Flat Eyeliner Brush and your choice of shade in Keep It Going Eye Color. It's a gel based eye color and you can use it all over your lids as well as use it as eyeliner. Perf! for summer when you are hot and sticky!

Next item.....

Conceal.....For Real!!!! LOL, fun name, and this concealer means business. This long wearing concealer covers dark circles and imperfections, for up to 12 hours. For real. I have used mine a couple days now and really am impressed. I don't use mark. concealers because I didn't like the formulas/consistency of them, but this is on it's way to being a keeper!

Up next...

Jewelry!!! The Bead it to You cuff is sooooo cool! It gives the look of the stacked bracelets but it's all connected in one big cuff. So you don't have to worry about losing anything! It's super bendy and stretchy and fits on a lot of different sized wrists! They gave this to us in NYC and I love it and my mom has one now too!

The Rock Steady Earrings, are a MUST HAVE. These earrings are definitely a statement piece and can be worn with a t-shirt and jeans or with a fancy cocktail dress! And the crystals definitely give these earrings a vintage-y look!

Speaking of Vintage...

Tah-Dah!!!!! The Very Vintage Dress. Now I need to be honest here...I was not the least bit interested in this dress initially. I thought it wasn't really my style, and figured it wouldn't really flatter my shape. BUT....then I saw it in NYC and got to see one of our gorgeous NYC corporate gals in it and well...I totes changed my mind. Yup, had to have it. Why? Um well because it's made so well, the fabric is heavier than I thought it would be, the belt is detachable (and kinda looks like a butterfly) and it is more of an A-line than most mark. dresses. So I got mine the other day, and I feel so pretty in it! This dress can be worn with leggings or a cardi or with boots. Really you can dress it up or down!

And of course....

There is always the purse! Again, I wasn't overly pumped about this because brown is not my thing. BUT (again) I changed my mind once I saw it in NYC. It's so cute! And it looks like it cost hundreds of dollars. Faux leather and gold hardware, plus the tassels make this bag supes cute! I love all the pockets for organizing my stuff and it holds oh so much! Highly recommend this for work, play or whatever. But every girls needs a brown bag in her wardrobe. This will rock all the way through fall and winter too!

Finally...

mark.'s signature Lemon Sugar scent has been re-vamped and formulated into a body spray, body butter and a 3-in-1 cleanser, shampoo and bubble bath. I can't stop sniffing this stuff! Seriously a great treat for every gal!

Okay so there it is. All of these products will be available starting July 15th. HOWEVER, if you would like to get these products EARLY....or if you just can't wait until July.....you can order them now through moi! They aren't on my website so you will need to email me what you are interested in and I will place the order. 

Happy (sunny!!!) Friday!! 

Happy First Day of Summer!!!

It's summer!! Finally!!! Hooray for boating and sunshine and ice cream and picnics!!!

And hooray for fun summer flowers!

Some fun summer solstice facts:

• Today the summer solstice will occur at exactly 1:16 EST time
• Solstice comes from a combo of Latin words meaning "sun to stand still"
• Various celebrations of different religions include dancing, food, bonfires, and honoring different gods and goddesses
• Every year there is a celebration at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice; here's a link to last year's celebration: http://youtu.be/AtGqx11i0yM ( i know this isn't for everyone but I personally would love to attend one of these celebrations!!)

So one of my favorite things about summer is the food! 

This summer, I hope to be able to spend more time relaxing and partaking in some fun summer activities like boating and having a picnic. Although here in Minnesota it's not looking a whole lot like summer now, I can't wait to enjoy my second favorite season of the year!!

m.powering yourself

As a company, mark. strives to empower young women.

I would like to help empower you.

How? Well, I am looking for 10 women who are looking to change their life. Or at the very least get an awesome, awesome discount on the hottest beauty and fashion items around!

As you all know I signed up to sell mark almost a year ago (see the Bag that Started it All post) and I am so glad I did! When I first signed up all I wanted was the discount, but as I began to use more products and wear the fashion, more and more people asked me about mark.

What you may not know is that I do have some direct selling experience in another big name make-up company (which shall remain nameless), and my experience wasn't the best. There were so many quotas, inventory and pressure it just wasn't fun.

But mark. is the complete opposite of that! Seriously, when I first signed up my mentor (who is so totally AWESOME!) emailed me to ask what my interest level was; she doesn't want to bug me or waste her time telling me about stuff I could care less about. She has been so helpful and supportive of me and has never, ever, not even once, bugged me about sales/parties/inventory/recruiting/whatever.

So by now you might be kind of wondering why I would want to recruit 10 women. Well here it is...9 didn't seem like enough and 11 is weird. HA! This is a goal I want to achieve because mark. has changed my life and I want to share this wonderful opportunity with YOU!

Here's some questions you should ask yourself:

1. Do you like beauty/fashion/jewelry/skincare???
2. Do you want to earn a 30% discount on the products you already use and love??
3. Would you like the opportunity to make more money, and go on fabulous trips??
4. Do you want to meet new friends, and ahhhh-mazing women who have the same interests as you??

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I seriously encourage you to consider the opportunity. The ONLY cost associated with starting a mark. business is $20 for the starter kit.

Here's a link to our awesome new video that shows the new summer and fall trends coming your way (OMG the boots and the bags alone are to die for!!!)

http://youtu.be/tSGTC9j2zqQ

Maybe you don't want to take advantage of the opportunity, but that's totally OKAY :-) Really. BUT if you do or you know someone who does, there really is an awesome group of women ready to embrace you!! My team is so much fun, and we are so not competitive and catty with eachother. We really work together and share tips and tricks for getting the most out of your business; whether you just want to use the discount or you have your sights set on NYC!

To sign up, go to www.mymarkstore.com/mtrost. Go to become a rep and be sure to enter referral code 9690254! I am here to answer any questions you may have, and to help however I can :-)

For $20 here's what you get:

Seriously you have nothing to lose, and I promise you, you will not regret spending that $20!!!

Desert Island Beauty

What beauty items would you take if you were going to be stranded on an island???

This question always baffles me. Um....why would I want beauty items if I were going to be stranded? What about food? Water??? Sunscreen/books/phone/etc.?? What about other people, am I going to be there by myself totally??? Oh, and P.S. if I knew I was going to be "stranded" why would I go in the first place??

That being said I am always interested to read the responses of models, actresses and the like whenever I see this in a magazine or online. So in this post I am going to post my top 5 mark. desert island beauty items:

5. Get a Tint Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15:

I absolutely love, love, love this product!!! It really covers and balances out skin for being a tinted moisturizer. It's not greasy and it doesn't smell like SPF. And because it has SPF I love it even more.

4. mark. Juice Gems in Papaya and Honey Dew

I am so totally addicted to these! They hydrate my lips, and have a sheer, shimmery color to them. Also they taste fruity, so in the event that I don't have food on my deserted island I can lick my lips and pretend, ha!

3. mark. Fair Trade Change is Gonna Come Cleansing Body Exfoliator

So I raved about this product in the last post, but I love it! And if I'm stranded on a hot desert island I'm gonna need to get clean and exfoliate all that dead dry skin (gross, but I'm just trying to be realistic).

2. mark. Fair Trade Do the Right Thing Smoothing Body Lotion SPF 15

Again with the SPF! But seriously, it's important ;-) I just can't say enough about this lotion, it has no smell and it makes my skin so super-duper soft. And because I really really really really want to make sure I am covered with SPF this product for sure has to be in there!

1. mark. Jewel fragrance

Yet another product addiction! I love how this smells, like vanilla, carmelly goodness! Whenever you tell me I smell good and ask what I'm wearing this is it! In the event that there would be other people on the deserted island I at least want to be the one who smells good, if nothing else ;-)

Alright so there you have it! Share what your desert beauty items would be (they don't have to be mark.) and you could win a summer essentials prize pack just for sharing :-)

Spotlight On: Fair Trade Products

Meet my new obsession: mark.'s Fair Trade products. All of them. Seriously, this is kind of an unexpected obsession for me. I normally get hooked on the traditional beauty products like lip gloss, mascara or nail polish (and believe me I am hooked on plenty of those!). But these products have really blown me away! They range in price from $10 - $14. 

To quote the mark. site "By choosing this Fair Trade Certified product, you are directly supporting a better life for farming families through fair prices, direct trade, community development, and environmental stewardship. www.fairtradecertified.org"

So let's check out some of the awesome products:

Change is Gonna Come Cleansing Body Exfoliator 

This is something you can use everyday in the shower with a loofah. It is gentle, yet effective and really smooths out dry skin :-) This is a pretty new addition to the Fair Trade line and I seriously can't get enough of it!

The Big Fix 15-in-1 Balm

Um, seriously love this product. I have 3 of them going right now. One I use on my feet only, on the heels and ankles where I get dry spots. I have another one I use for the rest of my body ;-) And then I have one in my hair product drawer because this is AWESOME for taming those little baby hairs that pop up all over and it smooths down my bangs (you don't need a ton though so use sparingly on your hair). Oh and I guess I forgot I have one in my purse too for emergencies, so 4 total ;-)

Do the Right Thing Smoothing Body Lotion SPF 15

The first thing that sold me on this was the SPF. You all know how I love my SPF! I have been using this everyday for the last month or so and I just love how soft it makes my skin. I still use regular SPF on top of this because I don't use enough lotion on my body to be totally covered SPF-wise all day. 

Fresh Approach Hydrating Body Cleanser

This is the first cleanser I used from the Fair Trade line and it's awesome! It really cleanses and makes my skin super soft and it doesn't have any exfoliating beads in it like the Change is Gonna Come cleanser so it's nice to switch it up a little bit. 

I really love that all of these products are fragrance-free so they won't interfere with whatever perfume or body spray you might use! And I do feel good knowing I'm helping to support a good cause!

Check out the rest of the Fair Trade products at www.mymarkstore.com/mtrost

Birthdays....

Today is my baby girl Sasha's 4th birthday!!!! I cannot believe it's been 4 years already, holy cow time flies!

I had never had a dog before (growing up an Army brat we never had dogs because we moved around too much), but one day Tony came home and said he wanted to get another dog, and call it Sasha. He said he wanted a rottweiler like his last dog. Knowing absolutely nothing about dogs, let a lone dog breeds, all I knew is that his previous dog was big, with brown and black fur, and that she was adorable.

Once Tony contacted the breeder this was the picture they sent us of our Sasha:

O.M.G. I was totally in love with her already and July 28th could not get here fast enough (that's the day they brought her to our house). Seriously, is there anything more adorable than that sassy little face?!?!?!?!

So of course, I went out and started buying her toys and treats and all kinds of other puppy stuff, and Tony thought I had lost my mind, but he let me do it anyway.

Then finally after waiting for what seemed like pretty much forever, Miss Sasha Marie came home to our house:

In the span of about .03 seconds I went from someone who, frankly wasn't really that interested in dogs, to an all out-crazy dog lady, ha! Sasha was so good right from the start but man oh man did we ever have some attitude, hehe...

Anyway since then my life has totally been changed, a year after got got Sasha, we got Diesel Jack from a different breeder, but both Sasha and Diesel have the same dad so they are actually brother and sister.

I used to look at people who said dogs are their best friends and how they just loved the sloppy dog kisses they would get from their pets, and I would think those people clearly need to get out more and get a hobby. But now I am totally one hundred percent one of those people! I just couldn't imagine my life without my dogs. They are seriously my best buds ever :-)

So happy Birthday to my Sassy Princess Sasha! Momma and Daddy love you xoxo!

Summer's Top 11 Essentials

So I know everyone is putting out their top 10 lists for summer, but you know me, I have to be different!!! So here's my Top 11 Summer Essentials:

11. For summer I really like a light fragrance that isn't too strong, and it has to smell like the beach! Right now I am loving mark.'s Ibiza Sol fragrance mist $18 (how cool is that bottle?!?)

10. Summer Jewelry is key for me; something funky but light weight. I just love the Collected Treasures Necklace $18 and the It's a Stretch bracelet $16 in Seafoam

9. One more piece of jewelry for night time or for work. The new Color Cluster Ring $16, is so vintagey and I love the fun green color to match the necklace and bracelet set above

8. Now comes fashion!! Summer is hot, and all I want is to be comfy but look good, haha! The It's a Long Story Dress $34 is the perfect summer dress! Wear it with a blazer to work, remove the strap and it's a swim suit cover-up, wear it out to dinner with a jean jacket or light weight cardi, the possibilities are endless, make it your own!

7. Exfoliation is huge in summer, walking around barefoot, playing out side, etc. You want to get rid of that dead skin and be polished. I am loving (all the Fair Trade Products...really...) mark.'s Change is Gonna Come $12, it smells so good, and really exfoliates well in the shower (i use it every day)!

6. Summer zits. Ew. BUT...they happen. I have been using this new overnight spot treatment on a couple of little blemishes and I am amazed how fast and well it works. mark.'s Get Treatment Overnight Acne Fix $12

5. If you want to look like a bronzed Goddess, you NEED this product. Mark.'s Glowdacious is an all over face bronzer that comes in 3 shades, which is wonderful because being on the paler side bronzer usually makes me look like a dirty oompa-loompa, ha! And at only $12 it's a super awesome deal! And P.S. it's one of spokesperson Ashley Greene's fave products!

4. Get a Tint Tinted Moisturizer in the new Shimmer formula (will be available in late June)! This gives you the perfect glow without all the glittery-craziness. PLUS it has SPF 15 in it! It's $12 for this formula, and if you prefer the non-shimmer version it's $10

3. Juice Gems, how I love thee! I have at least 3 of these in 3 different colors going right now! They are so pretty and sheer and really moisturize my lips! And right now there is a set where you can get 3 Juice gems and a super adorable mini cosmetic bag for only $15!!

2. Sunglasses. Sunglasses. Sunglasses. Specifically the new mark. Aviators. The aviator style can be tricky but it is a style that can work for pretty much anyone if the shades are the right size/shape/etc. I swear I haven't seen these new shades look bad on anyone. In fact, most people I see them on look instantly glam! Only $14!

1. And finally my number one product for summer. SUNSCREEN!!! I don't care where you get it, it should be at the very least SPF 15 (30 is better) because ain't nuthin cute about some skin cancer ladies!!! Seriously I don't care how pale you are or aren't you NEED sunscreen, everyday whether it's cloudy or not! Here is my current favorite version (available at Target for under $6)

All of these products (except the Target sunscreen) are available at www.mymarkstore.com/mtrost Leave a comment here about your favorite summer must-have and I will sent you a summer sample pack!