Holiday Makeup without the Sparkle

Holiday Makeup without the Sparkle

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Makeup Tutorial

I enjoy a fun holiday look as much as the next person, but I'm not always in the mood to be sparkly and full of glitter. Ok, I'm never really in the mood for glitter, it's just not my thing.  So I decided to do a fun going out makeup look that would be suitable for the holidays or New Year's Eve as well.

And ignore the plaid... not a party look, but festive!

I hope you like it!

I used the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette to do this look. Here's how I did it:

1. A light neutral brown blended into the crease (Warmth)
2. A medium brown all over the lid to start darkening things (Mocha)
3. Mix a dark brown and black to pack over the lid (Noir and Java)
4. Pack until the desired darkness is achieved, I didn't want full black so I didn't go all out.
5. Blend the edges
6. Add a light color to the brown bone and inner corners (Transforming Pearl)
7. Use a black eyeliner to tightline and line the lids (Milani Liquid Eye in 01 Black)
8. Add lots of black mascara (Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes)

To finish off the look I did a light pink blush and neutral lip. What do you think would you wear this for a party?

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The Holiday Tag

The Holiday Tag

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Thoughts

1. Favorite Christmas movie? Song?
White Christmas is the best Christmas movie, if not the best movie ever! It has great songs, dance numbers, and oh the emotions. I love it, obviously.

My fave song is Where Are You Christmas? by Faith Hill and from The Grinch movie. It instantly gets me in the holiday mood.

2. Do you like to stay in your pj's or dress up for Christmas? 
For Christmas Eve dinner I dress up a bit in a Christmas sweater. For Christmas Day I don't do PJs but I do go super comfy... we're talking sweater/sweatshirt and leggings.

3. Where do you usually spend your holiday?
With my family at my Grandma's house and then my mom, brother, and I do our own Christmas usually a few days later where we can relax and enjoy each other's company without all the craziness.

4. Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer?
I always miss one... On Donner, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, on Comet, Cupid, ??, and Blitzen. Or maybe I made up a few, who knows.

5. What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?
Presents for my 18 month-old nephew! He should be an absolute blast this year :)

6. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Fake, it's so much easier without the cleanup.

7. Favorite Holiday food?
For Christmas Eve my aunt used to always make lasagna with meatballs and sausage. It was really good. This year I think we're trying another type of pasta though so I'm excited to see how that goes. Also, Christmas Day = Monkey Bread (look it up people it's scrumptious).

8. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?
Cookies! There is a type of cookie my family has made as long as I can remember. Apparently they're called Krisslings, but my family has always called them dog shit cookies (I know, not appetizing at all). But they're so good!

9. Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?
I'd like to think I'm pretty good. I enjoy adding ribbons and bows and making them look pretty.

10. Have you ever built a gingerbread house?
I think maybe when I was a kid, I don't really remember though. They just seemed like a lot of work for me and not that tasty by the time you could eat them. I much prefer sugar cookies.

11. Giving presents or receiving them?
Although I'm grateful for every gift I get, I really enjoy giving gifts. I like to put a lot of thought into buying presents for people that I think they'll like. The best part is when you get it really right and they're really excited about the gift.

12. Do you open your presents Christmas morning or evening? 
Christmas morning is for stocking stuffers and gifts with my mom, brother, aunt, uncle, grandma, and cousin. Then in the afternoon another aunt, uncle, and cousins come over with a few more gifts. Then we mostly play games for the rest of the day.

No matter what holiday you're celebrating, I wish you peace, joy, and love!

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The Skincare Tag

The Skincare Tag

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skincare

Shara Shara Honey Bomb - Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil - Nourish Organic Eye Cream - MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Scrub - Mitchell & Peach Face Oil - Yes To Grapefruit Moisturizer - Yes to Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub - Tea Tree Oil

Describe your routine in 5 words.
Not what it should be. Even though my skin has gotten better, I still am breaking out and have scarring so I'm still trying to find that product that will really help clear my skin. I'm thinking of trying a product with retinol next.

What's your skin type?
Combination/oily with acne scars and blemish-prone.... erg adult acne! And I'm also trying to do a little anti-aging as I'm getting older.

What is your favorite skincare product?
It might be a tie between The Body Shop's Camomile Oil Cleanser and the MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Scrub. The cleanser breaks through makeup like it's nothing with little effort and leaves the skin fresh and clean without striping it. The scrub is both a physical and chemical scrub; I leave it on for 5 minutes and then scrub and rinse it off. My skin feels baby soft, brighter, and clearer afterward.

Top Blemish Zapper
Tea Tree Oil and products that contain it! Love this stuff for painful new outbreaks, it dries them out pretty quickly.

Face Wipes... yay or nay?
Only when I'm traveling or at the gym. Otherwise I feel you're not truly cleaning your face and it seems wasteful to use all those wipes all the time.

Toner... yay or nay?
Yay! I didn't know if I was a true believer until I started having all this trouble with breakouts. Then I found toners really help even-out the my oil production, treat acne, and give me some non-oily moisture.

High end skincare or high end makeup?
I would say high-end skincare although I don't really own much of either. Budget friendly makeup and skincare for all!

What's the most universal skincare product you've tried?
One of the scrubs: MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Scrub or Yes To Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub. Everyone can use exfoliation in their life. Exfoliated skin = happy skin!

You're in a drugstore and you can only pick up one item, what would it be?
I'm going skincare... since that's the topic... and it would be Yes to Grapefruit or Tomato face scrub. This stuff is life... it keeps my skin soft and clear! Also a shout out for Burt's Bees chapstick, I could not survive without it.

Top Skincare Tips
#1 - Pay attention! It has taken me almost 30 years to figure out my skin and what it needs. Which is
       Slightly ridiculous.
#2 - Only try 1 new product at a time so you'll know who's the culprit if your skin reacts negatively.
#3 - Be kind to your skin, it's all you've got. When I used to get a pimple or now when my adult acne
       flared up, I would go at it like a bat outta hell! And I did so much more harm than good, my skin
       would get worse, dry, and oilier... just nuts. So when I slow down and go with more soothing
       calming products I have much better results
#4 - Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment. Try toners, physical and chemical scrubs, different
       cleansers, moisturizers, serums, etc... That's the best way to find what you really like! And
       don't forget #2.

My Current Routine

In the a.m. 
I keep it simple in the morning; wipe off the nighttime gunk with a toner-soaked cotton pad (Lush Tea Tree Water) and moisturizer with SPF (Yes To Grapefruit Day Moisturizer).

In the p.m.
Now here's where I get fancy! To cleanse at night I...

1. Remove my makeup with The Body Shop Camomile oil cleanser
2. Follow-up with a cleanser (currently I'm using The Body Shop Tea Tree Cleanser, but I'm not in love with it.
3. Use the Honey Bomb Ampoule as a serum (in the summer, this is what I use as a moisturizer as well)
4. Eye cream to keep those crows feet at bay (Nourish Organic Eye Cream)
5. Then as a moisturizer I use Mitchell and Peach face oil... I know crazy thought for oily skin! But it leaves my skin nourished, soft, glowy, and not at all oily :) 
6. If my skin has those new and painful blemishes, I'll use the tea tree oil at night. 

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Christmas Decor 2015

Christmas Decor 2015

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Home

A caveat: if you don't love Christmas lights, trees, and/or snowmen this post is not for you!

Whew it was a little late this year, and I was getting anxious but my Christmas decorations are officially up! The tree is up, the lights are lit, and the Christmasy candles are out... and I'm feelin' the season!

So here are some of the decorations around my house, take a look at the little Christmas wonderland I've created for myself-

First, out on my balcony is all festive with a tree, presents (there is so much glitter on these!), and lights!

Now for the inside... and yes more trees! This one is made from beads and lights made by my cousins' grandma, I love it :)

And the fun knick-knacky stuff...

Then my snowman themed bookshelf...

A Santa tray for all my coffee and hot cocoa needs...

And now for the tree!

 It's full of ornaments that that are choc full of memories! My Granny would give an ornament to my brother and I every year. Most of them have survived and are on my tree. There are also some from my mom, a few my parents purchased for their first Christmas, and more from my childhood.

Once of my favorite parts of decorating the tree is reminiscing about other Christmases, ornaments, and great holiday memories with my mom.

So there's a sneak peak into my Christmas decor, what's your favorite Christmas decoration?

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Cheap Simple DIY Haircare Miracle

Cheap Simple DIY Haircare Miracle

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DIY, hair styles

Hair... I love it and I hate it. But recently although my hair has felt mostly healthy I've been having some interesting issues with it:

• Tangles that just won't come out (I mean blow drying was a pain)
• Hair falling out, in slightly alarming quantities
• Flyaways
• And overall just a not-as-soft-as-I-wanted texture

I use conditioner (of course) and only wash my hair every other day and have always had pretty healthy hair. And I haven't had tangle issues since I was young. So I went to my best friend, Google, to figure out a way to deal with this.

There were lots of hair mask options, but let's be honest, I'm not gonna waste an avacado or banana on my hair. But then out of all the DIY masks, and oils, and other ideas came a little ray of hope... Apple Cider Vinegar.

I have heard of all the many health and body benefits of using Apple Cider Vinegar - Toner, blemish treatment, weight-loss supplement, etc.... so I had a bottle that I'd been holding onto for over a year that was waiting for its time to shine!

And shine it has...

I mix 1 part Bragg Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar to 2 parts water in a spray bottle (you can just eyeball this, it doesn't need to be exact.

Then in the shower I shake the bottle and spray from my ends to my roots. I get right in there, to the scalp. Massage a bit and add conditioner. Then rinse out as you usually would with your conditioner. 

You may not notice a difference at first. I really figured it was doing something when I went to brush my wet hair (I know, I know that's bad... but I'm gentle) and there were ZERO tangles, the brush just slid on through. 

After using this every wash for about 2 weeks now, I've definitely noticed less fallout, more shine, and of course softer hair!

Warning... your hair will smell of vinegar for a while! But with a nice smelling conditioner and detangling spray, the smell is usually gone by the time I blow dry (usually an hour after my shower).

This vinegar is well worth the $10 as it'll last you a long while and it will change your hair! Not to mention all the other fun uses you can test with it.

Do you have any hair or skincare secrets from the kitchen?

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