OOTD: My Sister's Sweet 16 (So Belated)

This is a very, very, very belated OOTD. I hadn't had any pictures of my outfit until just now. My friend took a while to have the pictures all nice and edited. I still thought I'd share this outfit with you guys because it's perfect for casual wear or a night out with the girls! Since it was my sister's Sweet 16 I thought I'd include the pictures we took together. Enjoy!

Dress: FreePeople

Belt: Off of another dress I got at Macy's

Shoes: TopShop

Here's a link to the make-up look I wore: Sea & Sand Look
xo

Mini M.A.C. Haul

I've been a bad, bad beauty addict. I spent the day in the city with my sister and her friend. I was hoping the Heavenly Creatures collection was out in stores but ... yeah, I'm not sure why I thought that. Either way I ended up in M.A.C. and started playing with the pink shadows and next thing you know I've got a mini haul!

Here's what I got:

M.A.C. Powerpoint Eye Pencil in So There Jade ($14.50)

I have been playing with this color for about a month or two now every time I walk into a M.A.C. store. (quick side note: not too fond of the way they display their eyeliners/lip liners; hardly anyone seems to notice them!) It's such a beautiful summery, teal/turquoise color. I couldn't not have it!

M.A.C. Eye Shadow Pan in Shroom ($11.00)

Shroom is the color that almost every M.A.C. fanatic has in their neutral stash. I didn't think I need another highlight color with having Urban Decay's Naked palette along with their 15th Anniversary palette. I swatched this color in the store and it's so pretty! It's not a stark white color and has a little pinky tinge to it which I loved!

M.A.C. Eyeshadow Pan in Pink Venus ($11.00)

 I don't have any pink eyeshadows. None, whatsoever. So right then, and there, I decided it was time for me to own one. I chose Pink Venus because it's the perfect shimmery/summery pink. Paired with Shroom and it looks so pretty and girly!

Hope you guys enjoyed this haul! I'm still lusting over a bunch of shadows from M.A.C. I know, bad, bad Jess. I'm supposed to be good and saving up for my trip to Boston quickly approaching (next week!) but I had to break for these two which I will no doubt be bringing along with me!

Is there anything you guys are lusting over right now? Let me know, I may start lusting after it, too! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

xo

DIY Make-up Brush Holders (by MissGlamorazzi)

When I got nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award one of my random facts was 'I love DIY projects, only I can never come up with any!'. This is still true! I thought I'd share a DIY I found on MissGlamorazzi's youtube channel. It's a DIY Make Up Brush Holder! When I saw these I was amazed I had never thought to do that! (Isn't that always the case? haha) She takes empty candle jars (in the video she also shows you how to remove wicks and excess wax) and turns them into glittery brush holders! Instead of putting the glitter on the outside of the candle jar, she coats the inside with it. I thought that was clever because I'd rather have glitter fall out inside of the jar than outside onto my shelves. Less of a clean-up basically! I took 3 diferent sized Slatkin & Co. Candles that were pretty much dead and gone to create my own! I really recommend you guys check this video out! It was really fun to do as a small weekend craft!

Above are how my candle jars came out! I was little scared at first because when I applied the glue and added the glitter, you could still see glue marks all over and I didn't know if that's what was supposed to happen and if it would dry clear. Patience really is a virtue because it dried clear! I think they look absolutely gorgeous! All my glitters are Martha Stewart brand which I'm sure you'll be able to find at your local craft store. The colors I chose were amethyst, bronze, and aquamarine crystal! Instead of using them as make up brush holders (since two of them are quite small for that) I decided to put my lip glosses in the amethyst colored one, my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in the bronze one, and all my lip, eyeliners, and mascaras in the aquamarine one! So glittery and so sparkly!

What do you guys think? Will you be trying it out this weekend?

xo

Chopped! (A Haircut Story)

"Your hair is so long. Are you going to cut it?" A question I often heard and would stare at the person in disbelief and go, "Wha? What are you talking about my hair is so short!"Ha, if only I had known what short hair really looked like. Recently I've been going back and forth on cutting my hair. I was getting particularly tired with my ginger hair (I'm naturally blonde). I still love gingers, but I think it makes my face look a but too red sometimes. That could just be a bunch of rubbish but it's what I thought. So yesterday I took to the scissors and cut my hair, not a trim, not an inch or two but a whopping 7 inches.

Hair Before

Hair Now

Sorry for the low quality photos, I couldn't get a good picture with my camera. I'm actually really excited about my new hair. It's so short and I haven't gotten it cut this short since I was perhaps in the 4th grade! I was scared it might make me look childish but I personally think it gives me some class ;) (well without the headband in, of course!). Hair is hair and mine grows back fast so I dediced ... well, YOLO, hahaha. I'm excited to find ways to style my short hair and even more excited for to see what it looks like curly! If I find any good styles I'll be sure to share them with you guys! I searched styles for short hair and couldn't really find any :/ Oh well, all the more fun to expirement with my hair.

Let me know what you guys think! I'm in love with it! Yay for short beachy hair :D

xo

Arts & Candies Jewelry Review!

Before I begin the review of my recent purchase from Arts & Candies I thought I'd start off by telling you how I found out about her and her awesome jewelry! So Arts & Candies is run by a very lovely woman who creates handmade jewelry (i.e., necklaces, bracelets, rings, keychains and even phone cases!) from polymer clay. She creates chocolates, sweeties, and (the best!!!) LUSH Cosmetics products! I had seen her products circling the Lush-o-sphere on Tumblr and was in awe at the detail and how realistic the little charms looked! I was in a complete LUSH obsession so didn't jump to order it until a little later when the obsession subsided and I knew I would really want it! My friend Julia ordered from Arts & Candies to host a giveaway for her blog and when she showed me the pictures I just about died from awe (and utter jealousy!), caved and placed my order with Arts & Candies.

The picture above is of the keychain I ordered. She has an extensive list of all the LUSH products she can recreate for you. I decided to choose some of my favorites!  

My order came in a small box (completely unharmed which was great seeing as how it was sent from the UK). Inside, the keychain was wrapped in pretty pink bubble wrap, and taped with heart tape that I thought was just absolutely cute! To my surprise when I pulled out my keychain something else lied underneath it. She had sent me a Happy Blooming bath melt ring! I hadn't even ordered it! I thought that was absolutely generous of her to do and I love the little pouch it came in (esp. the small star glitters!). 

Happy Blooming Ring || How cute is this?!

I was so impressed with the impeccable attention to detail! The labels on the bottles of shower gel were matched to the T. The bath products were created with all their little fixins. Twilight had its stars and moons; Gingerbread House had its sprinkles and small cinnamon stick. Just look at the Dirty Shower Gel! That's crazy! I only wish I had this kind of talent!

To order a custom product from Arts & Candies you have to e-mail the woman directly. E-mailing her was completely pleasant. She kept me updated on my order and the status of when she was creating it. What I loved even more was the picture she sent me after she finished making it! I loved that! It made me that much more excited to receive it! The price for this £ 24.99 (this price includes the shipping!) which is about $38.75 in US dollars. I'm not going to lie, the price was a little steep but after getting my package I have no regrets. There was so much attention to detail and her customer service is amazing. She is prompt with e-mails and is nothing but sweet and pleasant to chat with!

I highly recommend you guys check her out! Everything really is one of a kind. If you're a Lushie, like an amazing limited edition bath bomb, you need this in your collection! You won't regret a cent and I now I will cherish this for a very long time!

Here's the link to her website: Arts & Candies Website

All the information you'll need is there as well as some wonderful creations she's made in the past to ooh & ahh, at!

What would you guys get on your Arts & Candies jewelry?

Thank you so much Arts & Candies! :D

xo

Random Ramblings | Indie Nail Polishes

Indie Nail Polishes are becoming quite the sensation in the land of nail polish lovers. For good reason too! Some of these polishes are absolutely breath taking! If you're not sure what Indie Polishes are they are nail polishes that arae made by smaller businesses that are usually sold through e-mail or facebook or etsy shops. A lot of the time these polishes are made holographic or jam packed with glitters of various shapes, sizes, and colors! These polishes are becoming such a hit that the producers of these polishes barely have time to keep up with their orders! 

I am very intrigued by a lot of these brands and hope to get my hands on a couple of different brands! Some of these polish creators are so creative and innovative. I'm a sucker for anything that is well made, and by hand! Especially if the quality is really good!

I think I first started noticing these indie brands when Leesha from xSparkage tweeted a picture of an awesome nail polish she got from Lynnderella. I slowly started searching up more Indie Brands and "Franken-makers" as they are sometimes called. 

I'm excited to be ordering some soon! Hopefully in the next month when the funds become available! Here are some of the brands I have my eye on! Definitely check these out!

Whimsical Ideas by Pam

Girly Bits

Lush Lacquer

Have any of you ever ordered from an Indie Polish brand? Who are some of your favorite makers? Are you thinking about getting any now? :)

xo

DIY: Cut & Color

Well actually it's color and then cut. Recently I got my yearly dance t-shirt that's always those typical oversized, fat sleeved shirts. We have a tradition at my dance school to always find a way to cut them up. This year I was not content with just cutting it up, I wanted to color it! So today I'm going to show you how I colored it with iDye!

Color

What you'll need:

• iDye packet in color of your choice. I'm using Turquoise!
• 1 cup of non-iodized salt
• Gloves
• Fabrics to be died
• Detergent

What you'll need to do:

1. First, fill your washer with very hot water! Enough so that all your fabric can freely swim around. My washer weighs the laundry before adding water so I had to do this step with a bucket, haha.
2. Second, plop the packet of dye (in it's plastic as well, it dissolves in water!) along with the cup of non-iodized salt. Put on your gloves (this will stain your skin!) and then swirl those around in the water together until the packet is completely dissolved.
3. Then, wet the fabrics you are coloring in a sink and then place them in the water.
4. Set your wash cycle time for 45 minutes. The instructions say to leave them in the wash cycle for 50 - 60 minutes but it all depends on how dark you want the color to be!  Let the washer complete the wash.
5. After the wash has ended, leave your freshly dyed fabrics in the washer and quick wash (about 30 minutes) with a mild detergent. I added some freshening beads to give my new shirt a nice scent!
6. Lastly, pull out your fabrics after the wash and hang up to dry! Or if you'd like just throw them in the drier for about 10 minutes!
7. Viola! You now have a freshly colored item of clothing!

This was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Had a few problems with figuring out how to use the wash but there was no muss and no fuss. The color didn't even dye my white washer!

Now for the Cut!

What you'll need:

• Fabric scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil

What you'll need to do:

1. Lay your shirt on a flat surface and then fold it in half, making sure everything is lined up (sleeve to sleeve, collar end to collar end). 

2. Draw a line across to how short you want the shirt to be. Mine ends up being just below my shorts waistline. 

3. Take your fabric scissors (I don't have any so I used kitchen shears haha) and cut across with the shirt still folded in half. If you want a super precise and straight cut, unfold the shirt and extend the line. Then, cut it like that. 

4. After you've cut the bottom off, just follow the sleeve line to cut those off.

5. This is the tricky part. Take your ruler and measure out how long you want the sleeves to be. For mine, I measured 3 inches from the end of the collar. Take the pencil and draw two small dots as a guideline. Next figure out how far down you want the, I guess sleeve holes?, to be. Draw two more guideline dots. Now cut from the top dot to the bottom one in a small arch. The picture above does a better job at explaining what I mean, so use that as a source. Sorry!

6. Keep cutting until you're satisfied with the how it looks. If you want, cut the collar off to create a more open neck, or even create a v-neck!

Finished product

That's how my shirt came out! I'm still figuring out how to take proper outfit pictures of my self so I couldn't really take a picture of this on me. This style creates a perfect work out shirt, biking shirt, or just an awesome summer-y shirt! Wear your favorite patterned bandeau underneath! Just so I didn't feel like I wasn't wasting most of my shirt, I used the extra scraps to rip three strips and create an awesome braided fabric bracelet!

I hope you ladies found this helpful or in anyway useful! My photos speak a lot more than my words do! Hope you try this out! I'd love to see pictures :) 

Also, link me to any DIY projects you've come up with. I'm on a DIY kick!

xo

Review: NYX Roll On Shimmer (Green)

Good morning, all! It is currently 8:30 in the morning and pouring like an angry ex-wife. I was supposed to leave about 5 minutes ago for work but as it stands I don't have a boat to paddle through the water and am terrified of getting electrocuted. My mother has graciously told me she would drive me to work which leaves me with an hour to wait! My television is out, but luckily the internet is working so I decided that I would find a product lying around somewhere in my room and review it for you all! Hooray!!!

_______________________________________________

Tada! Today's chosen product is NYX's Roll on Shimmer in the color Green. I got this at IMATS in NY but you can get it anywhere they sell NYX which I believe is Ulta! I probably should have photographed the applicator, but think of a roller perfume and you'll know what it looks like! I really am surprised but how much I love this. Now I didn't get it in the most practical color but I still love to use this as a pop (well more of a burst!) of color on my inner corners.

An amazing amount of product comes out when you roll it onto your skin or eye, so much so that I usually use a brush to apply this! It can be a bit messy if you apply it straight to your eye! The color comes out pigmented and super shimmery (the photo didn't catch that quite well). I used this for my Sea & Sand look for the inner corners to make the blue/green shadow really pop. I plan on getting this in two more colors, I love it that much! I'll probably get a white one and a brown-y nude just so I can wear it more often. 

I'm always impressed with the quality of NYX products. They don't put a huge whole in your wallet and you still get fantastic quality. 

What do you guys think of NYX products? What are some of your favorites?

xo

Lazy Sunday | Elvis Sandwich

The Elvis Sandwich

Merry Sunday everyone! It's one of those lazy sunday's that spreads throughout everyone. I'm reading through a lot of posts and everyone feels so exhausted to even blog. I'm glad it's not just me though. I didn't want to leave this blog empty-posted so I decided to share this sandwich with you all today! It's not my own personal creation it is that of the King. By that I mean Elvis Presley! This was the sandwich that he loved to eat which would explain his ever growing gut as he got older, haha. 

So to beat the Lazy Sunday I leave you with everything you need to create this out of the ordinary, yet extraordinary sandwich!

• 2 lightly toasted pieces of bread
• Honey or Maple Syrup
• Bananas
• Peanut Butter
• Bacon (MMM...)

Absolutely delicious! Let me know if you try this out and how you liked it!

xo

Versatile Blogger Award!

Happy shnappy Saturday everyone! Hope you're enjoying the lovely weather, or have some to enjoy! Don't know how long it will last but I plan to soak it all in! Anywho, I was lucky enough to be nominated by two amazing bloggers Amber at Beauty Guide 101 and Melissa at Miss Meliss: A Fashion and Beauty Blog for the Versatile Blogger Award! That was very sweet and I'd just like thank them both very much!

7 Random Facts About Me:

1. Like Amber, I put jalapenos and hot sauce on everything I can; soups, salads, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fries, etc. I have about four different kinds sitting in my fridge!
2. I really want a rag doll kitty cat that I can name Mr. Jelly Bean.
3. I love traveling. Anywhere at all that is new and exciting.
4. Cheese is my kryptonite.
5. I love DIY projects, only I can never come up with any!
6. My new favorite show obsession is Avatar & Korra. I wish I were a water bender, haha!
7. Seven is my favorite number!

Here's who I'm tagging!

1. Blog of a Cosmetics Junkie
2. Rose Petals
3. 12 Steps to Fabulous
4. Samantha's Secret
5. Polish Me Beautiful
6. Candy Cane Heart
7. Polish Pixelle

Summer Picks!

Here are my top beauty picks for this Summer!

1. NARS Laguna Bronzer: I'm new to the world of bronzer and don't see myself always wearing it. But what I find is that I do love wearing this on it's own just as a contour, without blush or highlighter. *gasp Beauty faux pax I know but I feel it looks more natural like that. Bronzer is just perfect for a sun kissed face!
2. NARS Orgasm Blush: Everyone has their favorite seasonal blush and Orgasm is mine! It's the perfect blend of pink, orange, and shimmer which I think are the top things I look for in a summer blush.
3. EOS Strawberry Sorbet LipBalm: No matter the season your lips always need to be moisturized and EOS Lip Balms are the best (and funnest) ones to just throw in your bag. They are also made in awesome summer flavors!
4. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: I find that wearing lipsticks in the summer time is just way to hard to keep up with reapplying it. I love the Lip Butters (in any color) to add moisture and color without feeling like you're wearing it at all!
5. Essie Turquoise & Caicos: If you're a lover of teal or turquoise you will LOVE this color. It's that perfect spring and summer color that's awesome for the day and the beach!
6. China Glaze Riveting: This polish is the color of the shimmering sun. That is the sole purpose of it being my summer pick. Sun? Summer? Anyone? Haha
7. Bath & Body Works Fine Mist Fragrance: Okay I'm about to go on a tangent with these Fragrance Mists. They are a wonderful blend of delicious scents and lightness to it that no one is walking passed you choking on it (too much?) There is a scent for everyone and the summer scents are impeccable! They also come with mini's that are perfect for travel!

I'd love to know, what are some of your must haves for the summer?

xo

Blog Hippity Hop!

Click the Blog Hop Box to find some amazing new blogs to follow and leave your blog for others to follow as well! :)

xo

My Favorite Shoes ATM!

My recent Top Shop haul made me think about these beauty's. I bought them about a month ago and have been wearing them non stop. They are called Sicily Taupe Wedges. That's more describing them than naming them to be honest, haha but they are gorgeous taupe shoes. I think most of the material used is suede, don't quote me on that though! 

Tall wedges have been in style for quite some time and I've always been so intrigued with them! I've always wanted to own a pair only I didn't have the confidence to match the sheer amazingness of these shoes!

They are about 6 inches tall and have a platform that makes them more bearable to wear. Surprisingly they are really comfortable. I know, I know you're looking at them and thinking ... no way. As comfortable as tall wedges, such as these, can get, this by far exceeds the comfort factor. They're soft on the inside and the tie up laces allow you to make the shoes fit more snug so that you're not falling out of them. 

Yes, I feel like a giant every time I wear them. I love them too much to care what people think of them when I walk down the street! I love the platform shoe, tall wedge trend. It's one I love seeing on others and hope to add more of these to my shoe collection!

What do you guys think about the high shoe trend? Do you have any favorites? Or is this just not your cup o' tea? 

xo

Top Shop Haul! +other randoms!

TOP SHOP IS HAVING A 50% OFF SELECTED ITEMS SALE. I was walking in the city, only thinking I needed my pens and fabric dye when all of a sudden I see HUUUUGE window covering signs announcing the sale. It's not even just a rack, it was practically half the first floor. Even better? It's online, too! IDK for how long but I would go right now and take a look! This sale is making everything decently priced for those of us in the US. Click here and here! 

I obviously couldn't leave without snagging something! So I browsed around and this is what I came out with along with my other random purchases from Muji and Pearl Paint!

TopShop:

• American Flag tank (on sale for $15)
• Blue panties with White Stars (on sale for $4)
• I'm calling this my Fourth of July OOTD, stay tuned ;)

Muji:

• 0.38 pens in teal and purple
• Blue highlighter
• these are for my 'Blog Ideas' journal so that it doesn't all stay the same color!

Pearl Paint:

• iDye for Natural Fabrics in Turquoise
• this is for a dance t-shirt that I got, which is also going to become a nifty DIY, stay tuned for that as well!

This is a very random grouping for a haul, but as my blog has been a tad screwey lately I wanted to put up a simple post! Anyone in the U.S. should def. go and check out the sale on TopShop! Everything is such a great deal for what you'd usually pay and don't forget that students get 10% off always! Let me know what you plan on getting! :D

xo

OOTD: Blue Velvet

Holy guacamole! I know it's technically the first day of summer but did it have to be so stinkin' hot?! It was so awful getting to and from work. I get dehydrated quite easily so this heat is not fun for me. I guess the good thing is that with the start of summer come summer outfits! Now mind you, I didn't think it would be scorching outside. I seem to forget what 100 degrees feels like!

Sorry for the really weird gaze and bulky camera. I'm still trying to figure out how you all take such awesome OOTD pictures. *sigh it's a learning process! So onto my outfit!

Top: Forever21
Skirt: American Apparel 

I am so infatuated with this skirt. I've had my eye on it since December of last year and now I finally have it and I do not kid when I say I attempt to wear it with everything! Today I paired the skirt with a navy blue striped collared shirt and tucked it in. The shirt is normally a bit mid-driff bearing but I wear the skirt high wasted so you can't tell. It's a really comfortable and a nice outfit to wear out during the day with a pair of flats or gladiator sandals. The velvet material of the skirt sort of made it a little too hot to handle in this heat, though.

Hope you enjoyed and aren't too uncomfortable in this heat! I promise I'll find a way to take better OOTD pictures!

xo

Review: China Glaze 'Capitol Colors' Riveting

When China Glaze first even announced that they were going to create nail polish based on The Hunger Games I fan-girled like no other. When they finally came out with the colors, I fan-girled some more! I loved all the colors and would have snatched them all if I could! The collection came out in March. I'm reviewing it because it's still available on most sites that sell China Glaze polish and also, I thought this was such a beautiful color to wear for the summer! The color I'm reviewing today is Riveting!

With Flash

Riveting is a bright orange color that reminds you of the orange in a flame. It also hase shimmers of orange, tangerine and gold which look gorgeous in the sunlight! I would say this polish needs two coats to get the full opacity like you see in the bottle. The formula was very easy to work with, the brush just glided on the nail

Without flash/Natural Sunlight

The reason I bought this color back in March was because I just knew it would be such a lovely summer color for a manicure and a pedicure! If you haven't got a lot of oranges in your collection, defintely try to snag this one!

xo

Faux Guru is now The Mod Mermaid!

Bon soir mon cheri! ( I forgot how to conjugate to more than one, sorry!)

I have changed my blog name from Faux Guru to The Mod Mermaid. This name change also comes with a new overall theme/color scheme for my blog. The posts are all staying the same, nothing else has changed but the name and the colors! I made a new header, I'd love for you all to check it out!

The reason behind this name change is that I felt like Faux Guru was a good name for a bit but every time I saw it I didn't feel a permanent connection to it. Of course, my new name has go to do with mermaids, what else? :) I hope you guys will continue to read on! The content will all be the same; I shall be my goofy-rambling-reviewing self!

With that, I'm off to bed! :)

xo

Current Favorite: Base Coat & Top Coat

Today's featured products are Revlon's ColorStay Base Coat and Top Coat! I had never been one to think too much about my base coats or top coats. I'd always buy those 2-in-1 base coat/top coat polish which always worked fine for me! Upon watching a video on YouTube I saw a blogger review these saying how she couldn't believe how long it had made her polish last! I didn't even bother looking for reviews and just decided "what the heck?" and they were on sale as well! 

I first tried these coats (I feel like I'm talking about jackets and parka's haha!) over my, then new, Deborah Lippmann polishes. Those manicures lasted me a week and a half with minor tip wear before I started to scrape them off my nails. I wasn't completely sure if that was the nail polish itself or these base and top coats. So I then decided to use these with a polish I was vaguely familiar with wear time! To my surprise the manicure lasted a really long time! I mean there was minor tip wear by the end of week 2 but that's still pretty amazing! The top coat also leaves your nails nicely glossed! I've often heard it being compared to the ever so cult favorite Seche Vite which I have never used myself. 

The last thing I have to say on this power nail duo is that I love how they make your nail color ... well, stay! Usually with all my other coats, by Day 3 the color on my nail would bubble up underneath (does that make sense?) which made it that much easier for me to pick at it and pull it off my nail. With the Revlon ColorStay Base Coat and Top Coat I find that I don't have to worry about repainting my nails because I have to, I repaint them because I want to! Which is the best kind of praise I can give to a base coat and top coat. I highly, highly, recommend you gals give it a chance! You have my 100% guarantee that you shan't be disappointed!

xo

Work Ramblings

Hello everyone! I'm at m work computer right now. My boss and superviser are away getting lunch whilst I'm stuck here in the office doing nothing. I just thought I'd do a little update, a sort of what's going on in right now post. I have a whole list of posts I want to start writing up for you guys! Hopefully I can get on that as soon as I get home tonight! My drafts are completely empty which is surprising!

Another random thought, I'm thinking of changing this blog's name. I really do love 'Faux Guru' but at some point I think I will tire of calling myself a fakie and I feel weird even associating myself as a guru because I'm just a blogger. I'm thinking of renaming it to something simple. You are all going to do mental face palms right now because I know I want it to have 'mermaid' in it, hahaha! I know, I know ;) But the problem with that is that a lot of the urls are already been taken and by blogs that have been inactive for some time. I'm trying to come up with someting really creative but am having a little trouble. If you guys have any suggestions please throw them my way! :) I hope I can revamp my whole blog quite soon with a new header, sub-headers, pages and the likes! I want it to look fun as well as polished and organized! #OCD

Besides all that my life has been pretty mundane. I'm just going to work, filing papers, and going home to sleep. I can't wait for July as I'll be traveling a lot and it's always fun to leave your home for a bit! I just need a change and next month will have me up and moving almost every day! How are you guys today? I hope you've all been well! I've been enjoying talking to you guys and discovering beautiful new blogs! You all honestly inspire me every day and I just want to end this post by thanking you for that!

Oh boy, boss is back with McDonalds! Until next time :)
xo

Sea & Sand Eyes

I wasn't exactly sure what to call this post. It was going to be an 'EOTD' (Eye of the Day) but it's already tomorrow and I could have just fibbed but eh :/ And I couldn't call this a tutorial cause I haven't taken step by step pictures to show you all. So I've just decided to name this look and make that the post so I can share it with you all as I am quite proud of it ;)

It was my younger sister's Sweet Sixteen party yesterday and we went out with her friends to the city in a limo!!! I had never gone in a limo before and I was just peeing my pants with excitement, for lack of a better metaphor! I used my new INGLOT palette that I showed in my haul video! My dress was a lacey white so I knew I wanted something brown and sandy but I also wanted to play with color! Every time I though of my dress I just pictured mint nails, make up and accessories. So I thought playing up the mint in the inner corner of my eye would be the best way to do it!

I really LOVED this look. Do any of you ever create a really awesome eye look and just marvel at what you've created? I'm super new to the world of applying make-up and mixing colors so this look made me feel like there was hope for me to really grow! I was told I looked like I had mermaid eyes, which made me swoon with happiness cause hello? MERMAIDS, haha! 

I'd love to read your feedback on this look so any at all would be appreciated! And if you'd really like I can write up or film a tutorial of this look because I am that proud of it! :)

I have an OOTD post coming up from my sister's party as well! I'm just waiting to get a hold of the picture from my friend's camera! I can't wait to show you guys the insane shoes! Also look out soon for a lipstick collection video. It's super goofy! :P 

Thank you so much for reading!

xo 

Review: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Top to Bottom: Romantic, Sweetheart, Honey

I feel as though there needs to be a drum roll playing at this moment. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains! Ah, finally! I've had this post sitting in my drafts for weeks! I've been looking for a proper way to present them and swatch them! These Just Bitten Kissable Stains are sold at drugstores such CVS, Rite, Target, etc, you know, the usual! They're akin to the Clinique Chubby Sticks but a ton cheaper!

Left to Right: Honey, Sweetheart, Romantic

They come in a range of colors and I picked up Honey, Sweetheart, and Romantic. The popular ones seem to be Honey, Sweetheart, and Rendezvous. I did pick the first two but an Orange/Coral stain was something I already have a TON of. I actually like these stains more than I thought I would! They apply evenly although not much color is dispersed in one swipe. It has a minty feeling to it which I don't really mind because it goes away in seconds! These stains actually stain! And they stay on for hours like you had just freshly applied it. I also like that you don't have to sharpen them because they twist up!

Left to Right: Honey, Sweetheart Romantic

There was a nice range of colors. I like when companies come out with a product and provide colors that everyone can enjoy! Honey is a brownish berry tone. It seems to just amplify everyone's natural lip color and give it a little more oomph, so to speak. I've been wearing this one a lot to work! Sweetheart is a pink-berry-light fuchsia (I know, I know, what?!) It's hard to describe because in the pencil it looks like a bubblegum pink and then when applied to the lips it's more of a fuchsia berry tone! The last one is Romantic, which I haven't seen too many people snatch up! It was the only one with multiples left on the display. Ketchup red is the only way I can describe this color. It reminds me a lot of M.A.C.'s Lady Bug lipstick but this one is more sheer.

Left to Right: Honey, Sweetheart Romantic

The stains apply nicely with no tugging and are surprisingly pigmented. They can be easily sheered out or layered to pack a color punch. A great plus is that they are also moisturizing which is great as my lips tend to be on the drier side.

All in all, I'm really impressed with these lip stains! I prefer them A LOT more to the Maybelline 10 hour stains. There's a lot of product for what you pay for and the color selection is brilliant for every kind of lipstick lover. I won't be picking up anymore colors as these are the three that I was most interested in but that shouldn't stop you guys from checking out the rest!

So what do you think? Will you be picking up some Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stains or have you got some already? 

xo

OOTD: Mall Outing

Yay for my first OOTD (Outfit of the Day)! Today I went to the mall with my sister to help her find some shoes for her Sweet16 party which is tomorrow! (Or by the time I manage to post this it'll be today!) Yikes! Talk about last minute shopping. I thought I would share what I wore with you all! It's a very summer casual outfit. 

- Top: Zara

- Bandeau (underneath): FreePeople

- Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch

- Wedges: Aldo Shoes

Unfortunately I have no idea what company I bought this ring from. I saw it at a booth at IMATS that were selling cute little hair trinkets and other accessories. I'm sure Forever21 may sell something similar to this :)

Every year during the holidays there's a holiday fair set up for about two months in Union Square. There was a celtic accessories store there and I'm really fascinated by Celtic designs so I dropped a dime on this little ring. It's sort of my 'staple' ring because I never leave my house without it! I'm not sure where you can get this either, but if I ever find out I'll edit the post and let you guys know!! 

I linked what I could manage to find online (which is everything but my rings!) I hope you guys enjoyed this! If any of you post OOTD's be sure to link me to them so I can check them out. I'm always looking for new sources of inspiration :)

xo

NOTD: Pastel Stripes/Heart

I was inspired by Beauty Guide 101's Nautical Nails pedicure! I commented saying that I could not wait to try it out because it was SO CUTE! I thought it was the perfect summer nail to wear. Instead of putting it on my toes I decided to translate it to my finger nails using more pastel colors (because I couldn't find any neon colors in my collection, which means I need to go shopping... haha!) Hope you enjoy!

• Revlon ColorStay Base Coat
• Wet N' Wild Wild Shine in 449C x2 coats (This color doesn't have an actual name but it's the white color I used. If any of you know of a super awesome white please let me know because I can't seem to find one!) 
• Essie's Turquoise & Caicos with a nail art brush to draw the lines across after the white has completely dried
• Art Deco's frosted pink nail art color to create the heart
• Wet N' Wild Wild Shine in 460D over every nail (Same thing, this color doesn't have a name but it's just a glitter tip coat with mini and super fine glitters!)
• Revlon ColorStay Top Coat

This was a super fun manicure to do and I got a lot of compliments on it! If I had a daughter I can imagine me just painting this all over her nails and toes. I don't know why I thought of that but, yeah! It takes a while because you have to wait for all the layers to completely dry but it's totally worth it in the end!

Happy Painting!

xo

Review: NYX Cream Blush in Glow

Today's featured product is NYX's cream blush in Glow. I bought it at IMATS NY back in April when I went nuts at the NYX booth. (I'm sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed and I had never seen NYX prodcuts!) Glow is a bubblegum pink blush. I can't remember how much I bought it for but it was a show price. You can buy it on ULTA.com for $6.99! 

I really didn't like this blush at first, I was still unsure about how to apply cream blushes because I absolutely hated applying it with my fingers. I can never manage to blend it out. I used it once, made myself look like a clown and then disowned it. I still have all my IMATS purchases in a small bag and feel bad that I never get a chance to use any of the products. So I came back to this blush just recently and I don't know what's happened but it's gone amazing.

Glow. It's properly named because it does leave you looking like your cheeks are glowing! I find that it's easier to apply this blush with a stippling brush. The stippling brush magically and lightly blends it in to your skin and it's just gorgeous. Now a thing to note, A LITTLE GOES A LOOONG WAY. I'm not joking! The swatch on the left is when I rubbed my finger in the pot for a second and then so much product came off! It took me a good minute to blend out the swatch on the right! This cream blush is super pigmented (which would explain why I looked like I clown when I applied with my fingers)and it lasted me throughout my entire work day and was just brilliant! Highly reccomend it and I can't wait to try some more!

Have you ever used a NYX cream blush? What are your thoughts on cream blushes in general? :)

xo

FOTD: Oh So Natural

June = Summer time. Looking outside my window every morning I think, huh? what? summer? I can't see it. It's been rainy and chilly for the past two days. In the morning before work I'm usually too tired to attempt colorful eye looks and when the weather looks dreary I can't seem to muster up anything BUT a natural look. 

I'm just going to list the products and how I used them below. It's a lot easier to get through without all my tangents, haha!

- Dr. Jart ++ BB Cream as a tinted moisturizer to clear up my redness

- Urban Decay Primer Potion all over the lids up to the brow

- Urban Decay Buck from the Naked Palette all over the lid and teensy bit into the crease

- Urban Decay Toasted from the Naked Palette into the crease and then blended out super lightly up towards the brow

- Urban Decay Virgin from the Naked Palette as a highlight underneath my brow and then in the inner corners

- M.A.C.'s Eye Khol in Prunella in the water liner and tightlining, as well.

- NARS Orgasm blush on the apples of my cheeks and then blended out towards my temples

- M.A.C.'s MSF Soft & Gentle on the cheek bones to add a little, somethin' somethin' ;)

- Revlon Just Kissable Stain in Honey all over mah smackers!

I really like this look. It was one that I've never done before and I like how it turned out! This may be my new 'go to natural' look when I don't feel like putting on gel/liquid eyeliner, but don't want to go out bare faced.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

xo

Ramblings of a Shopaholic

I have this nasty habit (okay, it's not nasty) of writing many posts for this blog at once and instead of spacing them out throughout the week I end up posting them all up at once. Which is great! For that one day that I'm posting but then I use up all the ideas in my inspiration tank which leaves me completely tapped dry for the rest of the week. So I decided to post this rambling of what went on in my mind today.

Shopping. What else do I ever think about? I'm not just saying this because it's a beauty blog; I'm saying this because half the time this is what's on my mind. What can I buy next? If I get off at this stop on the train I can walk here, buy this and then transfer here and on and on and on ... I'm going to Boston in 22 days (!!!) to visit my B.I.F. (Best Internet Friend) Julia and I'm trying so hard, SO VERY HARD to save up money for the trip for two reasons:

1. There are all these cute shops or what not in a town that I know I'll just be like OOOOOOH GIMME. I really want to have money for that so I can buy things I can't find anywhere else. Julia told me there's nothing really "chain" there (like chain restaurants, or shops). That just gets me all kinds of excited.
2. THERE'S AN ULTA BY HER HOUSE. AN ULTA. A U, L, T, A, ULTA. I'm sorry, but I've just never been in one and it is like beauty heaven. To quote my dear friend Hannah Montana (LOL) it's like you "Get the best of both worlds!" High end and drugstore combined in a singular building to make my life easier. I plan to perform many shopping sins there. Except stealing ... cause that would be bad. It would also make me a thief, and not a shopaholic, sooo yeah! /rambling over

I was in the city today with my boyfriend, Mihai (he thinks it's weird that I say 'boyfriend' IDK). And I knew I had to return my M.A.C. Lipglass in Pink Lemonade. I was going to take him to the train and then return it (it's not so much that I'm being a kind girlfriend, more so that I'm trying to get rid of him so I can browse and possibly purchase things in peace). ANYWAY, I didn't take him to the train but begged him to come in with me while I returned. My boyfriend, woops, I meant Mihai, has this knack of just killing my shopping mood. So he came inside with me to the Macy's, I returned it, got $15 (that I will without a doubt spend at ULTA) and left without anything else. Boyfriends. So useful sometimes, huh?

I really have no idea what I just said in the last few paragraphs. I didn't know what I wanted to start with, but I knew what I wanted to end with. I just needed a push to get to this point. It's sort of like writing papers for college. I know what I want to see and I know point ... I just don't know how to get there. (I think I've completely gone off point now)

FINAL POINT: I am now making mental shopping lists in my head for ULTA and LUSH. I intend to spend no more than $100 in total (LOL, who gives themselves this much to spend?!) If you'd like I'll gladly share those lists here with you guys when they're completed! :)

ALSO, I'd love to know if you guys have any suggestions for posts or even videos you'd like to see? I've written up a list and plan to get a lot done this Friday. Let me know in the comments, please! :)

And with that, goodnight all! 

xo