Acid Wash Nails! Tutorial

Hey Everyone! I wanted to try Acid Washed nails for the first time. I've seen this look before and liked it but totally forgot about it until now. I like how it came out and its super easy!  As I was doing them I decided to do a step by step tutorial with picutres, and then I decided to record the last step since it's easier to show you then put into words. Here's how my nails came out, for the colors I used: Midnight Blue by Sinful Colors and French White by Wet n Wild.

Here is a little step by step tutorial with a short video to help you with the 3rd step. 

What you will need:
- Blue nail polish
- White nail polish
- Nail Polish Remover (preferably acetone)
- A bunch of Q-Tips
- Top Coat

  
Apply 2 coats of a blue polish then a top coat. Let them fully dry.

Once the blue polish is dry, apply a coat of white polish directly over the blue and again let fully dry!

**Watch the quick video I made below to see exactly how I do this**

Saturate a Q-tip in nail polish remover and start to rub the nail in a downwards motion using light pressure. Then add some top coat and your done!

  

Quick Video on How to get the Acid Wash Affect!

TIPS & TRICKS:

• You will probably need 2 Q-Tips a nail since your picking up a lot of white polish
• Make sure the Q-Tip is saturated in the nail polish remover. This will help it go by faster.  
• Don't rub too much in one spot because you don't want to pick up too much of the blue polish.
• Use light pressure when using the Q-Tip, or you can end up with a bumpy nail like I did.
• Be patient with this manicure, let the blue polish and white polish dry completely.
• Be careful that your Q-Tip doesn't get bits of cotton on your nails, that's why it's best to use a few Q-Tips each nail. 
• If your nails still feel tacky because of the 3 coats of nail polish, dip them in ice cold water before you go in with the Q-Tip. That should take any stickiness away.
• You don't have to use the standard blue and white colors, you can be creative and use any colors you want!

I hope you liked this tutorial! I had fun making it!  Let me know what you think :)

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Step by Step Water Marbling Tutorial & Video

Water Marbling is a fun creative way to use your nail polish, I'm not gonna lie though. I was very intimidated by the whole process at first. It actually took me a while to get the hang of it. Once you practice enough & get the technique down its very easy. If I can do it, believe me anyone can do it.

I have been so excited to do my first video tutorial and a little nervous too..lol. As well as the video I included a step by step tutorial in this post. You can watch the video first or read the tutorial first, it doesn't matter. Just make sure to read all the helpful hints I included at the bottom of this page :)

How to Create Winged/Cat Eyeliner

Beauty Tip of the Week

I don’t know if you guys noticed or not but last Wednesday I didn’t post a beauty tip of the week. I know, I felt bad but I wanted to make it up to you this week by posting something more than just a beauty tip. I’ve been meaning to do a step by step on how I do my winged eye liner. So I figured I would use this beauty tip post to do that. I really hope my instructions make sense. It’s a little hard to write out, that’s why I included pictures to hopefully help.

BLOW-DRYING BASICS: MY WAY

It took some trial and error to finally get a good  hair routine down for myself. I used different products, brushes & techniques before I knew what my hair needed when it came to blow drying. 
I've been meaning to post my hair care routine for a while now. I hope you guys enjoy it and maybe pick up a tip or two.
I know everyone's hair is different and I have straight/wavy thick hair. So even if you don't have my type of hair I hope you like it anyway.  I apologize for the length of this post but I wanted to let you know everything I did and used :)

REALLY EASY TRICK TO REMOVING GLITTER POLISH THAT WORKS!!

LOVE GLITTER POLISH?

ME TOO!

HAVE A HARD TIME REMOVING IT?

ME TOO!

WELL NOT ANYMORE THOUGH BC......

DIY: Pumpkin Facial Mask

After our few weeks of Indian summer ended and the cool temps we've had this week, I'm now in the fall mood. I came home the other day and noticed my mom had put a pumpkin in front of our house like she does every year. As soon as I saw the pumpkin it reminded of this pumpkin facial mask I tried last year. I immediately couldn't wait to post this for you guys. The ingredients in pumpkin will help all skin types, high in Vitamins A and Z and Zinc, this squash helps heal and protect the skin from free radicals, while gently dissolving dead skill cells. When you add egg and milk it helps bind the mask together, nourishing and lifting the skin.
I found these easy recipe to be very soothing and moisturizing and my skin had a healthy glow afterwards. Again, I would never share a recipe with you that I haven't tried on myself :) So after Halloween is over don't throw away your pumpkins!

Ingredients:

- 2 teaspoons of cooked pumpkin (you can also use canned pumpkin)
- 1 egg
- Splash of milk

Optional Ingredients:
  For Dry Skin- you can add a small amount of honey-  it will attract and keep moisture inside your skin where it belongs.
 For Oily Skin- mix in a splash of apple cider vinegar for an astringent effect.

Directions:

• Whisk together the pumpkin, egg and milk
• Add any optional ingredients and mix gently
• Apply to your face with either your fingers or an old makeup brush (avoiding the eyes)
• Relax, read, do chores or whatever you would like for the next 15-20 minutes
• Rinse thoroughly with warm water and apply your regular moisturizer

*Put an old shirt on that you don't mind getting ruined and put a towel on your counter or floor. If you drop some you don't want it to ruin your clothes or floor.

Let me know if you try this and how you liked it :) 

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Wednesday's Beauty Tip

Beauty Tip of the Week

JUST ADD SOME SUGAR!!

+

So you go to get out your favorite exfoliating scrub, start squeezing the bottle but then realize, oh yea, I forgot that I used the last of it the other day.  It’s happened to me, I have a bad habit of putting back empty bottles of face wash, shampoo, etc. It’s okay though, you still can get a decent exfoliating scrub by just adding a little bit of regular sugar to your everyday facial cleanser and there you go, you just made your own facial scrub.

Sugar produces glycolic acid, one of the natural alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliates the skin.  That’s why theirs so many natural homemade facials that includes sugar. Sometimes I’ll add a little sugar to my everyday facial wash just to give my skin a little extra care.

Gotta Love Sugar!!!

The DO’s & DON’T of Healthy Hair

If you feel like your hair could use some TLC lately, here’s some DO’s and DON’T on keeping your hair healthy

THE DO’S

DO switch your blow-dryer to a cooler setting once your hair is about 70% dry to reduce more heat damaging.

DO use a Deep Conditioning treatment at least once a week

DO use a thermal heat protectant spray before styling with heat.

DO look for a conditioner with Panthenol, Keratin or vitamins to add strengths and nutrients.

DO trim hair regularly to prevent split ends

DO wash your brushes/combs on regular basis with soap and water

THE DON’T’S

DON’T ring and squeeze your wet hair with a towel, just blot instead. Or better yet, try using paper towels.

DON’T use the highest heat setting on your flat-iron, use the lowest setting that will still straighten your hair.

DON’T use a brush on wet hair, that’s when it’s the most fragile. Use a wide tooth comb.

DON’T over due it with hair elastics, they can do a number on your strands. Try using bobby pins, headbands, barrettes; things that wont cause damage.

DON’T skimp on nutrients! Drink lots of water, eat whole grains and veggies.

DON’T over brush your hair.

How To: Nail Art-* Purple Rock Star *

Lately I’ve been experimenting with nail designs, after some practicing I’ve come up with a few designs that I think are cute and not too embarrassing for me to post on my blog. It’s really easier to do these designs than you would think, believe me if I can do it, you can do it.
You don’t have to use the same colors as I am, you can switch up the colors to make it your own style. These are just some tips for you guys, customize it however you like since it is your nail design..

Step 1: Apply 2 coats of China Glaze in Avalanche      

Step 2: Take black nail polish and create a French tip but on an angle. It helps if you start at the edge and pivot your finger as you are applying the color .
 

Step 3: Pour a small amount of white nail polish onto a piece of paper and with a tooth pick lightly dot onto the black area for a polka dot design look.    

Step 4: With the same white polish use a nail art brush or you can use something like the Nail Art Deco polishes (anything with a thin brush) and start at the outer edge and draw a few squiggly lines, using that pivot motion like you did in step 2, if it helps. The lines do not have to be perfect at all or in the same shape and place I used. Have fun with it.   

Step 5: Using a silver glitter nail polish (with a thin brush) draw a line where that gap between the black polish and the first white line is, then draw lines over and underneath each white stripe.




.

I am no where near a professional and I don’t claim to be, this is just me experimenting while  showing you guys how to create this design. If you guys like this and decide to try it out PLEASE leave me a comment or if you have some cool designs of your own I would love to see them!!  xoxo

Makeup Organization Ideas

     

 With my ever-growing makeup collection that seems to keep growing every time I turn around, I’ve noticed that my once neatly organized makeup table is becoming a little cluttered. Not only does that annoy me when I’m getting ready, because it takes me twice as long since I don’t know where everything is placed and if you just have your makeup thrown anywhere you could be helping your makeup deteriorate at a rapid rate.

Organizing your makeup products can actually be fun and it definitely doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. There’s a ton of fun DIY organization ideas, plus things you can use from your house. Look at it as a fun project on a rainy day or whenever you want. Before I share with you some of the ways I store my makeup, I want to fill you guys in on the proper storage to keep you from having to toss away your makeup any earlier than you have to.

*Keep it Dry: The introduction to moisture is the #1 reason your makeup goes bad, moisture and humidity will cause the composition in pressed powders, powdered blushes and powdered eye shadows to change, it usually will become soft and crumble. The same with your lipsticks, any kind of cover sticks, cream eye shadows and eyeliner. So don’t’ store these products in your bathroom bc of hot baths and showers that make the temperature change. You know when you take a shower and when you get out sometimes the mirror is all foggy, well that’s bc of the steam from your shower. Just imagine your makeup exposed to that. The best place to store cosmetics is in a bedroom that’s not connected to your bathroom or any storage area with the less humidity.

Ideally the best way to store your makeup is by separating them. lipsticks and lip liners in one, eye shadows by them selves, eyeliner with mascara, pressed powders with cover up sticks and foundations, blush can be stored by itself and of course makeup brushes by themselves.

A great organizer is one that’s intended for kitchen utensils. There perfect for organizing your different products and they can fit right in your draw. I haven’t tried this yet bc the drawers I have right now are too narrow. I use different sized baskets that I’ve either got at the dollar store or Wal-Mart.

Here’s a really cool idea to hold your makeup brushes, I forgot where I got this idea from but its genius and it only cost me a few dollars to make. All you need to do is go to a dollar store (or The Dollar Tree if you have one near you) and buy those clear jars (plastic or glass) either one will work. I have a small one for my skinner brushes and a medium-sized one for my bigger brushes. Then buy a bag of those crystal vase fillers, they come in all different colors and shapes so you can mix up the colors to make it pretty if you want. There only a dollar each, then fill the jar with the vase fillers leaving about an inch empty so the brushes stand up straight. Here’s a picture of one I made a few years ago, don’t mind my dirty brushes they need to be cleaned lol.

DIY MAKEUP BRUSH HOLDER

This one is a real space saver, if your like me and have a bunch of single eye shadow’s then you might like this. I first heard about this from YouTube Guru EnKore (if you watch YouTube videos and haven't heard of him yet, watch his channel you’ll love it). Instead of going out and buying the already made palettes to depot your shadows into, you can easily make your own palette out of an old CD case. You can get as creative as you want with it by adding labels to each eye shadow or printing out cool designs for the front of the CD, it's really up to you. lol. as you can see by the one I made, I wasn’t too creative, I basically rushed through it bc I was in a hurry but wanted to really try it out. Now that I have more single eye shadows that are taking up too much space again, I'm going to make a another one soon, but this time I’m going to take my time and be creative and have fun with it. The first time I watched the videos on how to depot your eye shadows and the video on how to make these I thought it might be a little tedious and time consuming. But it's totally not, and I made this about a year ago and thanks to crazy glue (which I recommend you using instead of magnet strips or any other kind of tape) these shadows haven’t moved at all. Even when I’ve brought them with me to travel. What you're going to need:

-old CD case

-single eye shadow’s

- knife or scissors

- flat iron

-crazy glue

*construction paper or labels to customize the palette (optional)

I wish it was easy for me to explain how to depot eye shadow but it's not so I posted a link for the video I watched on “How to Depot Eye Shadow” by MakeUpGlam1 and a link for EnKore’s “CD Eye Shadow Palette”. Both of these videos are really helpful and will provide you with all the info you need.. If you plan on trying this watch these quick videos first.  Let me know if you try it!!

MakeUpGlam1’s Depot tutorial: http://youtu.be/c1hESi2UcyA

EnKore’s How To CD Palette tutorial: http://youtu.be/124pKIQtEUc

DIY CD EYESHADOW PALETTE

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and please leave any comments on your thoughts on these ideas or storage ideas of your own. I love learning new ways to store my makeup.

xoxo

Turn up the Volume!

I always hear girls complaining that they want  more volume in there hair but don’t know how. Whether you have fine or thick hair, there are a lot of different tricks and ways to get volume in your hair. I’m going to list some of the ways to pump it up and I’ll also tell you how to achieve the look. Hope you guys enjoy  

1. SET YOUR HAIR: (This will help those with lifeless thin hair the most, but this will work on any hair type).
 Roller Sets aren’t just for grannies anymore . They use these on photo shoots, backstage at fashion events and on Victoria Secret Runaway shows. There are number of different ways you can go about doing this but this is the basic way.  First, find a volumizing product that you love (ask your hairstylist to recommend one for your hair type, make sure its weightless and not sticky, volumizers that are sticky will end up weighing your hair down in a few hours).  Start by blow drying your hair upside down and get the hair going upward and off your head (using your fingers to lift your hair away from the roots). Flip your head back over and blow dry in sections or as you normally would.
  While your hair is still warm, start by putting Velcro rollers in the top section and work your way down if you want. (Or you can only do the top sections). DON’T spray hair with hairspray before you wrap it around the roller, I learned the hard way because it makes it harder for the roller to come out and then it just looks like a hot mess. I always put the rollers straight down the part because that’s where I usually feel the hair is most flat. You can use those pins that usually are used with Velcro rollers or you can use bobby pins. (whatever works for you). The key to setting is to let it go from hot to cold while rolled up. Once your hair is wrapped up with the rollers, blast it with your blow dryer and then let it get cold. If your in a hurry you can use the cool button on your dryer to speed up the process. Use this time to do your makeup, get dressed, eat or whatever. Once you know the hair is cool, carefully unroll them (don’t ever pull them out) and style as usual. Then you can use some hairspray.
*Velcro rollers are you best bet for lasting lift. Put 2-3 rollers on top of your head for added lift or do the whole head for maximum fullness.

2.Blow drying: you can achieve volume while blow drying your hair with a root lifter spray (or volumizer), a large round brush or you can even use a vent brush. My personal favorite root lifter is Suave Volumizing Root Boost Spray (this stuff works great and its only $3.99 at CVS). While you hair is about 80% dry, spray the roots of hair by parting in 1-2 inch sections and continue to mist evenly through roots and mid shaft. (The longer your hair the bigger the round brush should be). Take a manageable section and wrap the hair around your brush and slightly lift your hair & brush upwards and take your blow dryer and point the nozzle attachment to the brush. Direct the air flow down the hair shaft and begin to dry. As you begin to dry move the brush towards the ends of your hair. When you know that section is dry use the cold shot button on your dryer to set the shape. Continue with every section on the crown of your head (or however many sections you desire). You will notice a difference in volume from using a big barrel brush.
Using a Vent Brush: you can also achieve volume using a vent brush to direct the hair away from the scalp (pull it up and then forward with the brush) Or you can try tipping your head upside down to direct the hair away from the scalp.
3. Teasing and Backcombing:  Never tease your hair while its wet or even damp, make sure its completely dry. Start by separating a single strand about 1 inch wide. Its best to start with hair towards the top of your head and work your way down. Hold the strand up firmly with one hand and use a rat tail comb in the other hand and start about 5 inches away from your scalp. Lightly brush towards the scalp while still holding the hair in your other hand. The strength that you use should be firm enough to create tangles but not too vigorous so that your hair rips or your comb gets caught in your hair. (that’s how you know your teasing too hard). Repeat a few times then lightly spray the teased section and let it down gently. Using your fingers lightly grab the teased section without flattening it and put to the side while working on other sections. When you have finished teasing take a either your comb or a round soft bristle brush and lightly smooth over all the teased sections (without flattening them), just enough to cover any tiny hairs that might be sticking up. Then you can take your hand and lightly push the hair on one side of your head up and lightly spray with hairspray and repeat on the other side of your head. That will add extra volume.
4. Using Dry Shampoo: using dry shampoo on the days you don’t wash your hair can give you extra volume. You should look for a dry shampoo that says “volumizing” on the bottle. A really good one is John Frieda’s Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo. This is really good for renewing volume as your hair starts to go flat during the day. To create crown volume with this, start at the back and work from the bottom up. Spray 1 inch sections from underneath. Then you can either gently massage roots for extra volume or lightly tease.

DIY: Easy Homemade Facials you can do yourself

DIY Easy Homemade Facials

How fun is it to hang at home and pamper yourself with a homemade facial? I love it!  I like mixing up all these great recipes from things I can get from my kitchen. These ingredients are just as good or even better than some of the expensive facial scrubs we buy.  I wanted to put together a list of my favorite homemade recipes for you guys to try out. Let me know if you try any of these and what you thought


~Bananas, Sour Cream and Honey Facial~

Mash a half of a banana and add one tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of sour cream. Then mix together until all ingredients are mixed well. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes, then wipe off with a damp washcloth

~Simple Cornmeal~

Take two tablespoons of cornmeal and mix with enough water to make a thick paste. Gently apply to face and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Wash off with warm water


~Yogurt and Berries~

Combine a 1/2 of a cucumber, one tablespoon of plain yogurt, 2 strawberries and one teaspoon of honey in a food processor or a blender. Apply to face and let dry, then either use a washcloth to wipe off or rinse with water.

~Easy Avocado~

Mash a half of an avocado and apply to entire face. Let set for about 20 minutes then rinse off well with warm water.

~Apricot Cream~

Soak one cup of dried apricots into water until softened. Puree in a blender or food processor with two tablespoons of skim milk. Apply to face and let sit for about 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp washcloth, then rinse thoroughly.

~Cucumber Yogurt~

Puree a 1/2 peeled sliced cucumber in a blender or food processor and add one tablespoon of plain yogurt. Apply to face and let sit for 20 minutes then wash off with warm water.


Key Ingredients:

• -Plain yogurt- is effective at cleansing and disinfecting pores, preventing acne, moisturizing skin and revitalizing texture. Using an organic yogurt is your best bet because it also contains more active, live cultures, which improve yogurt's nutrient bioavailability.

• -Sour Cream- is like all fermented milk products, contains lactic acid, which is a key skin-enhancing ingredient, it helps the skin retain moisture and is a natural exfoliater. It also boots the production of collagen. Lactid acid is used in many beauty and skin care products.

• -Banana- is rich source of Potassium, antioxidants, Vitamin B and Pyridoxine (Vitamin- B6), also highly prescribed for healthy skin and to treat skin disorders like Psoriasis, eczema, dry skin and even myeloma

• -Honey a wonderful beauty product that has many health benefits including moisturizing, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflattation properties. Also good for treating acne.

• -Cornmeal- is an excellent exfoliant (especially when mixed with other products such as olive oil)

• -Strawberries are great for clearing up acne and preventing acne, its main skin pleasing ingredient is alpha-hydroxyl acid,  a great little substance that helps us slough off dead skin cells so that new, youthful skin is revealed.

• -Avocado- are rich in the oils A, D & E, which are wonderful for the completion and it wonderful for dry skin

• -Cucumber- has a wide range of advantages.on physical application as well as consumption. They are rich in fiber, water and Vitamin C and many other elements like magnesium, manganese, potassium etc., It also cleans your skin by acting as a deep pore cleanser while bringing out a radiant glow in your face

• -Apricot- is a light and gentle oil used in creams, lotions and other beauty products to balance, nourish and lubricate your skin

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DIY: How To Make Sea Salt Spray (To Get Beachy Waves)

This sea salt spray recipe is used to create that beachy wave look in your hair. It’s a great alternative to the ocean or the sea, it brings out the natural bend or wave in your hair. This will work on all hair types, however if you have poker straight hair or it's really fine, you’'ll just have to put a little more work into this by using some hairspray or a curling iron.  I love this because you only need a few items that you probably already have in your kitchen and if not you could purchase everything for really cheap!  



What you will need:

• A clean spray bottle that holds 8fl. oz. of water (you can find them at the dollar store)


• 8fl. oz. of distilled or filtered water.


• 1 teaspoon of Sea Salt (I like using the more finely grounded stuff because its easier and faster to mix. You can get a large container for $2 or $3)


• 1/2 teaspoon of Coconut scented conditioner (doesn’t have to be expensive, I used the Sauvé brand for a $1 at the dollar store. This is used to add the beachy scent and also to counteract the drying that the sea salt will cause. (if your hair is extra dry add a little more than a 1/2 teaspoon).


• A dab of hair gel (preferably unscented otherwise it will interfere with the coconut smell, try using a cheap brand bc the consistency is more runny and will mix better)

Optional Add Ins:

*Essential Oils: if you have dry or coarse hair this is a good option. It will help condition and add some shine. You can use whatever scent you want. Use 3-5 drops

•   Ylang Ylang is great for sensitive skin and problem scalps


•   Rosemary is great to help deepen the color of brunette’s hair and Chamomile brightens blonds


•   Tea Tree Oil is best if you have oiler hair, it wont make it oily or weigh it down

*Extra Sea Salt: you can add a little more if you have oily/thicker hair. The more salt you use the more it will dry out your hair, BUT the more you use the beachier your hair will look  and it will have more hold

*If your recipe doesn’t have enough sea salt, add 1/4 tsp. at a time until you reach the desired level. (Make sure to write down your changes so you will know how much to use if you want to make more)

How To:

1. Add the water into the bottle leaving about an inch of the bottle empty


2. Measure 1 teaspoon of sea salt and pour into the bottle. (Use 1 tsp. of sea salt for every 8fl. oz. of water)


3. Measure a 1/2 tsp. of coconut conditioner and add that in. Shake the bottle


4. Add a dab of the unscented hair gel and shake the bottle again (you want to make sure the conditioner and gel is mixed well)


5. Shake the bottle really well, make sure you don’t see any clumps of conditioner or gel. If you do warm up the bottle in the microwave for a few seconds.


6. Then add whatever essential oil you choose to use. Don’t add more than 5 drops to the mix. Then shake again.

How to style you hair with the spray overnight:

1. Start with freshly washed hair, detangle any knots gently with a wide tooth comb


2. Part you hair any way you like


3. Take a small section of your hair and spray generously with the sea salt spray, then twist that section of hair into a small bun and pin in place on top of your head.  You can use bobby pins or any clips that will work


4. Repeat until all sections of hair are done. *Choose thicker sections of hair on top to keep the waves loose*


5. Mist with more sea salt spray and sleep on it. If your hair is still damp in the morning take a blow dryer with a diffuser attached and move around your head until you feel its dry.


6. Then take out all the pinned sections and mist your hair with some more spray. Randomly twist some sections of hair with your fingers then flip your head, with your blow dryer and diffuser attached  and scrunch your hair while blow drying. (use the medium setting of your blow dryer)

*If you don’t want to wait overnight you can skip the small buns and either braid your hair into 3 sections (this will give you bigger waves). Or you can split your hair into 3 sections, (one in the back and two on each side of your head). Then twist each section (like you did if you were going to do this overnight) except the bun will obviously be bigger. (You can use a hair elastic to keep the bun in place) Mist hair with the spray again. You can either use a blow dryer to dry the buns/ braids or you can sit outside if it's really warm out. When you feel like its dry enough, take out the braids/ buns and flip head over and scrunch while using the blow-dryer.

*You can now play around with it to achieve your desired look; you can add some hairspray to give it more of a curly effect (don’t use too much, you don’t want it to look crunchy)

*If you have naturally straight hair that doesn’t curl easily, you can use a curling iron and wrap random pieces around the curling iron for a few seconds to give it extra waves/curls.

There you go, you should have nice beachy waves!

 You can choose your own way to style your hair, the options I gave you worked for me but I’m sure if you want you can find other ways of using the sea salt spray to get the effect you want. If you guys try this please let me know, I would love to hear how it turned out! Have a fab day beauties

Cat Eye/Winged Out Liner:

NICOLE RICHIE ROCKS THE CAT EYE

Ahh!! the famous winged out cat eye look. This is a look I’ve always admired, especially on Nicole Richie. I don’t know if it’s the fact that it looks really great on her eye shape or if it’s the style she does (it’s probably both). For you guys that have tried to achieve this look probably know its not the easiest to do, when your first beginning anyway. I know for me that was the case, I’ve bought so many different brands and types of liquid liner (that are now are all lonely piled up in my makeup draw). I would practice, practice AND practice this look determined to get it right.

 My problem was that one eye would look okay but then I could never get the other eye to look the same!!. I watched multiple tutorials on youtube, followed every magazines step by step articles, then after what seems like years of trying to get this down to a science I finally did it. (and both eyes even matched)!! Now I know exactly why I wasn’t doing it right. First you need to find the right liquid eyeliner (or it could be gel or pencil liner). I finally found my favorite liquid eyeliner, L'Oreal's Felt Tip liquid liner and it made the process so much easier. Then you have to make sure you have your chin up while looking in the mirror, this way you can make sure your getting the liner as close to the lash line as possible. While your doing that you can hold the skin of your upper lid taught, and dot the liner along the upper lash line. Then extend the line upward at the outer corner of your eye ( make sure you don’t make the line too high). Then where the top of that line is hold the liner and in a quick motion make a downward line in the style of “Nike sign” (or look at Nicole's eye and I might start to make sense lol). Then with the liner fill in the shape you just made. Remember when you first start dotting the liner along your upper lash line start thin and make the line thicker as you get to the outer 3rd part of your eye. (that will also help you make that “Nike” sign im trying to to explain). Then do the other eye being careful to make sure both eyes match( you don’t want one line higher on one side than the other). I've had to use several cotton swabs to try and make them look even. I'm happy to say (even though it literally took me a few years of practice) I'm pretty sure I’ve finally mastered the cat/winged eyeliner. There’s a really great tutorial on youtube by Eve Pearl on how to do this. She literally goes over each step while showing you at the same time. It really helped me. 

How To: Use Concealer To Cover Up Blemishes

I’ve realized you can drink as much water as you can a day, get the normal 8 hours of sleep and even eat really well , but we’re still going to have breakouts occasionally. It’s always my luck that my skin will breakout at the worst possible times (dates, weddings, proms) you know how it goes. I know that popping a pimple is not a good idea, but I’m sorry, there’s no way I can go out with a big whitehead on my face. There’s just something about whiteheads that grosses me out (obviously) so the last thing I want is someone to be staring at this grossness on my face. (maybe its just me or my insecurities) so I do end up popping them. Only if its necessary, I don’t try to pop a pimple unless it comes to the whitehead stage, (yuk) I don’t even like saying or typing the word “whitehead”..

Using the right tools, concealer and steps you can cover up that monster and go about your day!

(if you look closely you can tell that Megan Fox covers up her pimples and you can hardly tell)!

Covering a Blemish

1. After you’ve washed your face, apply an ice cube to the zit for a few minutes. Ice will help the redness and swelling go down. Also, try applying a little drop of Visine, it takes the red out of your eyes and does the same for your zit. *If it’s already been popped apply a salicylic acid medicine. I like Clean & Clear’s popped pimple relief gel pen.

2. Apply your foundation, powder or whatever your preference is. Always apply your foundation before covering up pimples, not the other way around.

3. Get your concealer out, cream concealers are the best for covering blemishes. I use Maybelline’s Dream Mouse Concealer. It should also match your skin perfectly, I’ve heard many times that you should choose a shade lighter. No, using a lighter shade just draws more attention to the blemish.

4. Put some concealer on your brush (pointy brushes work the best for this). Have you guys ever used the method stippling to apply your foundation? Well, this works really well for concealing too. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this method,” Stippling means to dab the product on rather than rubbing or stroking the product onto your skin”. I've found that stroking or rubbing the concealer on doesn’t give you the heavy coverage you want and it ends up rubbing off.

5. Now blend the outer edges of the concealer into your foundation. Don’t touch the zit, if you find that it looks cakey or thick just keep stippling it in.

6. Once you’ve done that take loose powder and a small fluffy brush and set the area with the powder gently. You don’t want to rub off the work you just did.

This wont cover up the actual bump, makeup only corrects the color, not texture. Chances are you’ll probably still see the bump but as long as it matches the rest of your face it will be so much less noticeable.

How To: Zebra Nails!

ZEBRA NAILS!

I’ve always loved different types of nail art and designs, ever since I was old enough to paint my own nails. It’s just fun to do plus it looks really cool. One of my favs is the zebra/animal print. I do this all the time, especially in the summer bc I like doing them on my toes too. Before the first time I tried it myself I didn’t know exactly how to go about it or what kind of nail polish to use. I was looking for a tutorial on YouTube and I found Kandee Johnson’s video on how to do zebra nails. She made it look so easy so I literally watched her do one of her nails as I was doing mine then I was able to do the rest of my nails in 5 minutes. So it's really that easy!

For those of you who don’t know who Kandee Johnson is, she’s a YouTube guru, professional makeup artist and extremely talented. Plus she’s one of my favorite guru’s. I’m going to post her video in this post for you guys to see. 

How To Use Makeup To Create The Illusion Of A New Nose:

Rhinoplasty is one of the top five most common plastic surgery procedures performed each year! Rhinoplasty is the technical term for a “nose job” and its considered  a major surgery because you will be put to sleep, and of course all the risks that are involved. including  anesthesia complications, bleeding troubles, infection and, in severe cases, death. (yikes)!  Unless you need this surgery for severe breathing problems, injuries or you really feel like you desperately need it done then maybe its worth it. However, for those of us who think our nose is either too long, too wide or whatever your reason is for wanting to change your nose, there's good news. Makeup can be an effective way to contour your nose. This isn’t something I do everyday while applying my makeup, its good for photo shoots or a special occasion or even a night out. It’s just a little tip I’ve learned that has helped me. I’ve always wished my nose was a little bit shorter and thinner. I hope you guys find this “how-to” helpful.  

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Contour Powder/Cream

They make products specifically for highlighting and contouring, you can purchase one of those if you’d like or you can easily use a foundation that’s 2 to 3 shades darker than your skin tone or a Matte brown eyeshadow will work just as good. (that’s what I use).

Make sure if your going to use an eyeshadow that there is no sparkle or glitter to it, it should be a Matte finish

Highlight

You can either use a highlighter that comes in a Contour and Highlight set or you can use white/nude eyeshadow or again a foundation 2 to 3 shades lighter than your skin tone.

Angled Brush

An angled brush is ideal for sculpting your nose. If you don’t have this exact same brush use one that is small so you have more control over where the product ends up.

Fluffy Blending Brush

After you contour your nose with the angled brush you need to blend it in so theirs no harsh lines. A fluffy brush will work or a blending sponge.

How to Slim a Wide Nose

step 1. Apply your foundation like you would usually. I would wait till your done with your entire face to start contouring, so that way you will be able to judge how it looks with your overall face.

step 2: Dip your angled brush into your contouring powder or eyeshadow and draw a line down each side of your nose. Keep it light. It’s easier to build more product than take it away. Check out my diagram above to get an idea of where to place your lines. ( lol…I know, they might now be the straightest lines but I tried, and at least the lines are where there supposed to)  

**Optional Contouring: Depending on your nose

*Option 1: If your nose is wide all the way up, carry the line to the bridge of your nose.

*Option 2:  If your nose is wider at the bottom, draw a small line outwards when you get to the bottom of your nostrils.

*Option 3: If the tip of your nose is really wide then draw a “down facing arrow” once you reach the tip

Step 3: Clean off your brush

Step 4: Dip your brush into your highlight/crème/eyeshadow color and draw a slender stripe down the center of your nose. (see my wonderful work of art above) really sorry about how bad this looks but im sure you get the idea anyway. Now I know why I always sucked in art class..lol

Step 5: Take a clean fluffy brush or makeup sponge and blend your lines (be careful not to blend your lines together though) Blend until you can’t see a line anymore; it should look natural. Obviously my diagram is just an example of where you should apply the lines. (even if there crooked lines, lol)

However, if you followed the instructions correctly you should notice a subtle change in your nose! Let me know if it worked for you or if you have any questions on my instructions.

xoxo Kelly

How To: Give Yourself The Perfect Manicure Step by Step

We all love pampering ourselves by getting a manicure at the salon. However we all know it can get a little expensive if your hitting the salon up weekly. If your looking to save some money, you can easily learn how to get a professional manicure by doing it yourself.

Things you will need:

*Acetone free nail polish remover

*Emery board/Nail file

*Nail buffer

*Cuticle trimmer

*Cuticle cream/oil

*Orange stick

*Hand lotion

*Base coat

*Top coat

*Your nail polish of choice

*Cotton balls

*Bowl of warm water

*Nail cutter (optional)

*Nail dryer (optional)

Preparing the Nails:  

1. Start off by getting rid of any traces of nail polish with your acetone free nail polish remover and cotton balls

2. (If needed) trim nails with a nail cutter to your desired length.

3. File nails with an emery board or nail file so that the edges are smooth. File towards the tip and only file in one direction. Never file to deeply onto the sides.

4. Soak your fingertips in a bowl of warm water to remove the nail residue from filing and to soften the cuticles. Leave in for 5 to 10 minutes then dry your hands with a towel.

5. Drop a trace of cuticle oil onto the base of each nail to loosen the cuticle. Then massage the nail base with lotion and use the orange stick to gently push back the cuticle of each nail until the dead skin loosens up. Use the cuticle trimmer to carefully trim away the dead skin around the nail.

6.  Buff your nails to file the ridges and to add shine. Again, only buff in one direction. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to get rid of any cuticle residue. Dry hands and apply your favorite hand lotion and massage your hands.

Polishing Nails:

1.  Apply a base coat to protect your nails from chemicals and help make your nail polish last longer. Do one stroke down the center of the nail then one on the right and one on the left.

2. Before applying polish rub the bottle between your palms for a few seconds to warm it up for easier application. Never shake the bottle, this will cause tiny bubbles. Paint the nail in three strokes – one down the center and two on the sides. Be careful not to paint the cuticle. Repeat with a second coat but make sure to let nails completely between coats.

3. Touch up the edges of your nails by wrapping a small piece of cotton around the orange stick and dipping it in nail polish remover.

4. Apply the top coat. Use one coat of polish for each nail. The top coat makes the color last longer and gives the nails a brilliant shine.

5. Dry your polished nails for at least 30 minutes. To speed up the drying time use a nail dryer spray. Spray 6 inches away from your nails.

Easy, right? Just make sure you have enough time dedicated for this and especially to let your nail polish dry completely. Nothing would suck more than going through all that just to chip your polish because you were in a hurry. Hope you guys liked!!! xoxo

**See updated post by clicking here!**

Summer Hair Trend: How to Get the Messy Side Braid

One of the hot summer trends this summer are the long messy side braids. It’s very easy to do and you can easily copy the look Audrina is wearing if you have long or medium hair. If your hair is on the shorter side you can always add extensions or those clip on pony tails, but don’t’ go overboard, remember you want it to look natural. Here’s how to copy the look:




1. You want some body so spray a dry shampoo onto roots while massaging your scalp.    This will give you the extra volume you want. If your still lacking volume slightly tease up near the hairline and on the sides. It’s okay if it doesn’t look perfect, its not supposed to.

2. Part your hair to the side and loosely gather hair and pull it all the way to the opposite side that you just made the part on.
Now begin braiding your hair, leave 2-3 inches of the hair at the end so the braid doesn’t look too skinny. 

3. Finish off with securing the braid with either a clear or black elastic or you can use a pretty ribbon.
If you have some large chunks of hair falling out (usually from shorter layers) secure them with a pin. But remember loose pieces can fall out and the braid isn’t supposed to look perfect. That’s the trick to getting this look.

DIY Lemon Facial Scrub

                    I am so into DIY beauty recipes. I love the idea of going into your kitchen and cooking up a facial scrub or hair mask for very little cost.    

                    

I plan on posting a lot of different DIY treatments for all sorts of things. I just want you guys to know I would never post a DIY recipe that I haven’t tried on myself. Please share any of your own DIY secrets and please comment. xOxO!

This is one of my favorite facial scrubs. I actually got the idea from Kandee Johnson, for you guys that aren’t familiar with her she’s a well known YouTube guru and a well known makeup artist. Check out her YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/kandeejohnson

WHY IS THIS SO EFFECTIVE?  This is great for removing dead skin. The lemon works with helping acne, blackheads, brown spots/discoloration from the sun. The sugar is a wonderful exfoliator while smoothing the skin. It makes your skin feel so soft afterwards and its almost like having a mini face peel because it sloughs off the top layer of your skin. Trust me, you guys will love it!!



THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

• One lemon or organic lemon juice (either one is fine, just try and make sure the lemon juice is organic. You want to avoid putting any chemicals or ingredients on your face) 
• 
  
• Granulated Sugar 
• 
  
• A few cotton balls or cotton pads

Step 1: You want to start off with clean skin (at least make sure you don’t have any makeup on). Splash your face with warm water to open the pores.

Step 2: If your using a lemon squeeze the juice out of the lemon into a small bowl or dish. If using the lemon juice take one of your cotton balls or pads and saturate it with the lemon juice. Then sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar onto your cotton ball (actually you can even use a washcloth if you prefer).

Step 3. Start scrubbing and buffing your face in circular motions. Try and concentrate on the areas that have the most problems like your T-Zone or any other areas that you feel need the most help. Keep buffing all around your face, make sure you get up where the hairline is (especially if you don’t wash your face everyday).

Step 4: Rinse your face off like you normally would, if you happen to get any in your mouth don’t worry it taste just like lemonade



-If your face feels like its stinging or it causes any irritation you can dilute the lemon juice with water.