Caps... Gowns... And some last minute makeup!

I can't swear this post is 100% beauty related… but I will definitely add some pictures of my makeup and accessories!

WHAT A WEEKEND. I work for an early childhood education center, and this past weekend was our Pre-K Graduation / Moving up ceremony…. All I can say is wow. This ceremony has been my "child" for weeks… months now,  And the day of the event  I nearly missed it - ANNNND very nearly looked like complete garbage for it. I worked on last minute details until 6:30am the night before - or morning of. And spent the whole actual day, running around, finalizing and trying to direct those around me. By the time all 200 or so guests started arriving, at 5:30…. I had to excuse myself so I could shower and slap on some makeup and a dress!!! All my dreams of looking "perfect" and straightening my hair into a lovely do, flew right out the window!

BUT overall the event was amazing and although I was almost an hour late in the end - it all went over well. Here's  a few shots of what I rushed to do with myself:

Here's a look at my makeup... I used pretty much all new stuff from Too Faced (see me "haul" it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhEajzLG3v8)

And here I was trying to show off how nice my new bronzer looked topped off with a glowy coral blush, but since the lighting SUCKED, it's just a look at my earring

Sorry if this is creeptastic, but here are the shoes I wore (had to do flats)

And here's an extremely awkward self portrait/view of the dress, lol

Finally, here are my nails... my nails that chipped terribly that evening! I wore "paradise pink" from Milani & I love it.

And last but not least.... here's a picture of my dog Sunday night.... very happy I was finally home :)

Out with the old....

Two posts in one day... this is history in the making :)

Although I have many other things I can be doing on my computer right now (work related things I've been majorly procrastinating to do all evening) - I just needed to share. I just performed a nail polish over-haul... threw away about 14 bottles that I literally just had for the sake of having them. They were old, they didn't look the same as when I bought them and I CERTAINLY never wore them. But as any cosmetic "collector" (and I consider myself someone who is a shopaholic much more than a collector) it's hard to throw away your beauty products!!!!

I was walking around the dollar store this evening and a cute little pink bucket of sorts caught my eye and I thought I neeeeeeeded to store my polishes in it. I also knew they wouldn't all fit, so that was my inspiration. Now that it's over - I must say it feels just fabulous!

p.s. I agree it's a bit random.... but I think Milani might just be my next favorite brand of polish! Gorgeous colors and formulation - and a gorgeous price tag to match!

Bargain Beauty: A Surprising Find

One of my favorite things to do is wander around my local dollar stores beauty department. Although I love the products found exclusively behind the pretty glass displays at the department store... nothing is quite as exhilarating as a good value :). The dollar store I frequent has a wonderful range of cosmetics... from loreal to ELF and everything in between. They carry discontinued items as well as overstock, and I can literally spend hours combing through.

One of my most recent purchases, which looked quite uninteresting was a double sided eyeliner (truthfully I bought it because it came with a jumbo sharpener!!!) It's LA Colors brand, which I've never tried.... but the pigmentation of this pencil rivals my favorite Tarte pencil. It's creamy... the color is rich.... and it stays put on the waterline.... this is a stand out product!

The Black Side:

The Brown Side:

Both Smudged Out:

I don't believe this exact product is still available, but if it's any representation of how LA Colors is as a brand... run don't walk!

Battle of the nudes...

So I… Just like everyone else LOVE a nude Lip - it's a sexy look, it can be a sophisticated look, and it is definitely a classic look. It's every bit as "effortless" looking as a bare lip, BUT BETTER! That being said, I do believe there is a nude for everyone, you just have to find it… here are a few favorites from my collection.

(From Left to right: 1.Maybelline - Toasted Almond, 2.NYC - Cafe, 3.Revlon - Just Enough Buff, 4.NYX - Circe, 5.MAC - Freckletone)

And then the real test.... how do they look on the lips?

1. Toasted Almond

Super sheer and wearable, but just a bit frosty

2. Cafe

A nice "coffee infused" nude color

3. Just Enough Buff

One of my absolute favorites! Similar to my beloved "peachstock" that MAC cruelly took away

4. Circe

This is exactly what people mean when they talk about "concealer" lips.... it's not exactly wearable, but it's super opaque and creamy, and with the right application and/or gloss it works!

5. Freckletone

HOLY GRAIL MATERIAL... If you like nude, but not nuuuuuuude nuuuuuuude this is for you! It's super peachy and glossy so it's very easy to wear. This is one of my favorite lipsticks to date.

Now I must give honorable mention to all the pink based nudes out there, but that's another post all together :)

So many bracelets.... So little time!

Long time no posting! It's been a crazy few weeks, and I will leave it like that!!!

I used to do "makeup of the week" videos on my youtube channel, which I liked - but were frankly quite annoying to edit! So I figured I would start a series something like that on my blog. BUT since all I ever really blog about is makeup, I figured I would change it up a bit... I dress fairly simple... I do like color and the occasional unique / funky item - but where I really go crazy is accessories, and my accessory of choice is a bracelet - hands down! So without further ado... here are my "Bracelets of the week" :)

TUESDAY

This is a combination of 5 bracelets and one pearl necklace tripled.... I like this colorful combination!

It screams summer to me!

WEDNESDAY

That black/silver bracelet is an all time favorite because it looks like a stack of bracelets in one... I paired it with a simple silver Tiffany bracelet and a big silver cigar ring on the other hand....

THURSDAY

I love LOVE this  combination its a pink stoned stretch bracelet a medium width silver bangle and a big braided cuff with wood, silver and magenta beads (nice with a tan!) I got that cuff for 2 bucks at target by the way :)

FRIDAY

Monochromatic with a pop of color! Again my favorite black/silver "string bracelet" a set of 3 NOISY gunmetal bangles and a turquoise stretch bracelet.

Let's see what next week looks like.... I'm expecting a package ;)

An oldie but goodie...

Long time no blog . Okay, so this is going to be my very first "blog tutorial" I think the concept is a bit odd… but this look is so simple and turns out so pretty and eye-brightening… it's worth a shot.

So the look is based around one my very favorite eyeshadow palettes, it's from Prestige and it's called "Earthling" Take a look…. (perfection, except the rectangle shadow shape)

1. I start by putting this slightly pink toned champagne color all over the lid…. This color is pretty much an exact dupe for Stila's "Kitten".

2. Next I blend this sparkly gold - I mean GOLD shade into and above my crease.

3.This rich matte chocolate brown is perfect for the crease… I also smudge a bit under the lower lash line. I love that these colors are so blendable, because I love a smokey eye!

4. When I top this whole thing off with this GORGEOUS white-gold shade under the brow, the look pops. No joke…. This is my favorite highlight shade ever!

5. Now I apply some liquid liner on the top (of course)… a little black into the waterline (totally optional)…. And a couple coats of mascara (Maybelline - the falsies all the way)…. And this is how it turns out.



Blue on the eyes.... Tacky?

I was never one for blue cosmetics… even blue nail polish only recently crept into my collection. But this morning (after a long and quite relaxing - makeup free weekend) I woke up uninspired about what to do with my face! Golds… purples… silver - I do it ALLLLL the time, even green is overdone for me. So I dug around in my "eye drawer" and found some pretty blues.

I really love the way it came out, and even though there's a bit of my "signature smokiness" it still feels springy and fresh. Like crisp denim shorts :)

Sometimes a step outside the box is exactly what your Monday needs!