Don't get me wrong, THIS is how I really feel about makeup!

This afternoon I was going over my post from yesterday in my mind (please tell me I'm not the only one out there who does this), and it occurred to me that my last post makes me sound as though I am ANTI-MAKEUP. Record scratch!

Sometimes I wear makeup!

That is SOOOOOOO not the case. I am a huge believer in the POWER of makeup. Really!

I am NOT a huge believer in haters and shamers who try to tell women when they SHOULD wear it. Or that they are invisible if they don't. It's a stupid standard, men aren't generally subjected to it and they still earn way more money than we do.

HERE'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MAKEUP:
1. It's FUN.
2. It's CREATIVE.
3. It's POWERFUL

Yes, I actually think makeup can be used to give us an edge-when we want it to. "That's right, I showed up to this meeting, prepared to the hilt, and I STILL had time to treat you all to a kick-ass smokey eye. You're welcome."

I realized the power of makeup in my thirties, when I went from being a "behind-the-scenes" junior designer to being a "in-the-spotlight" designer, speaker and coach. I was never a big makeup-wearer and pretty much slid through the 80s and 90s on liquid eyeliner and occasional bright-red Wet 'N Wild lippy.

When I started to be more in the forefront of my life and business, I started to feel like it was time to either develop some actual makeup application skills or completely give it up altogether. My ratchet attempts at face painting were definitely NOT HELPING. It's hard to assert your authority in your field when your face is strictly from Amateursville.

Fortunately for me, makeup application is a learnable skill. And now that we have YOUTUBE? Jackpot! I have found the greatest products and techniques from some of my favorite Youtubers (a short list is below). It's even become fun for me to play around with makeup. Who knew?

The even better part is that people started taking me more seriously. Like, "Wow, if she can get her face and style together like this, maybe she can help me get myself together, too!" I also started to feel more confident about how I look, on and off-camera, because I knew I could deal with bad hair days or blemishes. I don't think men get the chance to feel that way very often.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I have to wear it all the time.

Sometimes I don't wear makeup!

I ONLY wear makeup when I feel like it. I certainly would never refrain from helping people or sharing valuable information on Periscope because I didn't have my "face" on.  I am getting pretty annoyed about these peri-trolls and their "Why are you even on Persicope without makeup?"

I've noticed that most of the men I follow on Periscope tend to look as if they spent as much time on their appearance as I do for my "Word of the Day" pre-workout scopes-only their version is to be unshaven, wearing a baseball cap to hide the bedhead. Know who gives them grief about it? NO ONE.  Of course they would never speak at a conference of appear on television looking like this. But they are sharing on Periscope on-the-fly, just like the rest of us, so WHO CARES if they need a shave? Not me! As long as they are giving me life-improving content, I'm good.

All I'm saying is, can we all just calm down about this? If you're on Periscope to see/chat up hot chicks in heavy makeup, there are literally thousands of other places you can do that. My scope is not one of them. The same goes for pretty much all other social media, too, as far as I'm concerned. Nobody gets to tell anybody what they have to say or how they have to look.

On the other hand, when I am made up and blinged out? You know I'm shooting as much video as I possibly can! Can't let that hard work go to waste!

I guess I'm just complicated that way.

I generally broadcast and post when the mood strikes (like now), and if that means my awesome, annual Fitbloggin selfie with Alan (@Sweating_It_Off) happens with a bare face, year after year...

There's a 3rd one of these somewhere...

so be it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you a makeup lover? Hater? Do you think people shouldn't be online unless they look their very, very best, no matter what they have to say?

Are you dying to find some beauty Youtubers to hook up your makeup game? Here are just a few of my faves:
NATHALIE
CAROL
LORI
MARY
PATTI
SWOOZIE
KATHY
SHARON

Lastly, do YOU have a favorite beauty vlogger? Give them some love in the comments!

Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NACHO MAMA'S BLOG!

Yes, three years ago this week, I set up my little card table here on the internet. Amazingly, you all showed up...many of you brought your own chairs. Some of you even brought snacks!

In just three years, because of all of you and this blog, I've:

-Been asked to write for MANY sites and companies I admire

-Joined the (award-winning!) cast of The Mommalogues

-Started a PODCAST.

-Lost 73 pounds and became a Weight Watchers leader

-Been cast in an EXERCISE VIDEO (what?) with RICHARD SIMMONS (no, really. WHAT???!!)

-Gotten to travel all over the country to MEET YOU at conferences like: Blogher, Hispanicize, The Latina Lifestyle Bloggers' Conference and, of course, FITBLOGGIN

-I was even named one of Latina Magazine's Top 10 Mommy Bloggers!

and much, much more. SO much more than I ever could have imagined that day when I jumped up off of my sofa (where I'd been sitting & watching a pumpkin pie recipe on the Food Network) to see if this URL was available.

It's been an enchanted experience so far, and I have all of you to thank for that. So THANK YOU.

And stay tuned-I have much, much more in store for you in 2014!!

Wishing you ALL love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

FITMOB!!! The Fitbloggin '13 Flash Mob

Yeah, this happened.

I have no idea why any of these people agreed to this. They are all total rockstars.

Me with Gwyn (@smileygwyn). My outfit? A loving tribute to Richard Simmons.

Even more to come on Fitbloggin-including a GIVEAWAY. So stay tuned!

Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

  

  

CRAFT: What Becomes a Legend Most? GLITTER!

Hello everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I wanted to share the craft I made last weekend with all of you, since you were all so very complimentary of the photos I posted on feisbuc and tuiter.

First of all-the AMAZING "Frida Calavera" painting in question was not painted by me (I wish!) but by my friend, the ludicrously talented and hilarious Cynthia Martinez of Fat Girl Escapades. I was touched beyond words when she gave it to me-you're the best, Cynthia!

Cynthia The GORGEOUS and Frida

TGIF! A little something for you 9 to 5ers...

OK, I miss the income, but there are SOOOO many things I don't miss about office life! I'd much rather relate to Dolly from my imagination than from personal experience. How about you?

Isn't she glorious? I LOVE HER! And how fabulous is she in that movie?

 

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYBODY!

 

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Nacho Mama's "Empanadas"

If you’re anything like me, this time of year brings a flood of childhood memories.  Many of them are food-related. The holidays meant a long drive from San Diego to Oxnard. And Oxnard? Meant La Central.

La Central was the bakery where both sides of the family would go for pan dulce (which, for some reason, we called pan mexicano). We’d always stop at La Central on our way home from church on Sundays. It’s still there, where it’s always been. I can still hear the rickety screen door that would always slam behind us-we were so distracted by the delicious smells that we always let it slam.  I can’t possibly conjure the intoxicating aroma of fresh pan dulce, but I can show you what we saw-and believe me, it looked almost as good as it smelled:

And by the way-La Central has the BEST glazed doughnuts in the whole world. Better than Krispy Kreme, better than Dean and Deluca,  better than in your dreams.

But my favorite thing to get at La Central was always the pumpkin empanadas. Because I, Nacho Mama, am a pumpkin whore. You may as well know.  And today my craving for pumpkin empanadas was all-consuming. I just had to do something about it. Even though my baking skills are rather, um, lacking. Oh, I can cook ropa vieja that’d inspire you to write a poem about me-but a cupcake? (cue ironic trombone here)

So? I improvised:

I had some leftover pumpkin from the pumpkin chili I made earlier this week (told you)  and some other stuff in the fridge I thought would be good. Here’s how it all shook out:

-2/3 cup pure pumpkin

-5 oz honey-vanilla greek yogurt (I used Voskos, from Fresh and Easy-my favorite!)

-1/2c light brown sugar

-1 tube light crescent-roll dough

I mixed the pumpkin, yogurt and sugar together. Then I rolled out the crescent dough, and put a spoonful of the pumpkin mixture in the middle of each triangle, sealed it and crimped it with a fork. Ok, they looked kind of weird:

But after baking in my pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, they looked awesome!

Not satisfied, I made a glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice, and then sprinkled them with EDIBLE GLITTER STARS. 

Yeah, you read right! Edible glitter. I thought I’d dreamt it, but I asked the Crafty Chica if it actually existed and she told me yes! I raced to my local cake supply place and bought some. You should know that I am also a glitter whore. As far as I’m concerned, there’s not a thing or person on earth that couldn’t use a little glitter. Glitter helps me think. But I digress, the point is: they were YUMMY. And they are now gone. Were they as good as La Central? No. But they were a delicious and distant second. Plus? They had glitter.

Wishing you love with extra cheese,

Nacho Mama