Exciting News + Thank You :)

I have some exciting news coming up in the next few days! It might not be until after Christmas because I'm going to be super busy up until then but I'm going to try my hardest to get it done before Christmas Eve. So keep a look out on my blog/facebook/twitter for this exciting news!

Also I wanted to thank all of you for so much love and support on my blog -- I haven't been doing this long but all of your wonderful comments, messages and kind words mean the world to me!!

How I Contour & Highlight

Contouring & highlighting is probably my favorite part of applying makeup; you can completely change the shape of your face to make it thinner and more defined. Blush and highlights add a touch of color and give a dewy look to your complexion, which is perfect for an evening out. In this post I will tell you the perfect way to contour & highlight along with my favorite products I use. 

CONTOUR

Contouring is the perfect way to give your face a better shape while adding a bronzer at the same time. When I contour (which is almost every day) I don't use a bronzer over my face - I don't feel the need.

The first thing you want to do when you contour is find the perfect brush that will fit under your cheekbones. My favorite brush is Sedona Lace's FB05 Dome Contour Brush.

Next find the bronzer you want to use. My favorite is Benefit's Hoola Bronzer. This bronzer looks lighter than a normal bronzer but trust me, it comes out just as dark!

The easiest way to apply cheek contour for beginners is to make a fishy face (by sucking your cheeks in!) This will show you where the hollows of your cheeks are and this is the section where you apply bronzer.

Dip your brush into the bronzer (remember to tap off the excess). Then start your brush where the top of your ear connects with your head and sweep the brush down through the hollow of your cheek (about half of your cheek). Keep sweeping your brush in this area until your desired color is reached. This will form a dark line that won't look very good at first but don't worry, you'll blend it in after you apply blush!

To add a little more contour to your face, sweep some of the product to your forehead temples and on your jawline.

To contour your nose I use the Smashbox Definer Brush 15 and draw a line with the contour on both sides of my nose (the line almost connects your eyebrow down to the end of your nose). I also apply a little bit of product to the tip of my nose in an upside down triangle shape. This will also give you harsh lines on your nose, so make sure to BLEND all the lines downward! (Contouring your nose gives your nose a skinnier effect).

BLUSH

I switch up my blushes daily. I have a whole drawer full and just pick whatever blush I feel like for the day. Also I ALWAYS use at least two different blushes. Using two blush colors gives you a more natural color to your cheeks.

The brush I use is Sedona Lace 850 Large Angled Contour Brush. It fits perfectly on your cheekbones.

Two of my favorite blushes to use  are Lola's blush in Sunrise and Wet 'N Wild's Heather Silk                     

                           

When most people apply blush, they put it on the apples of their cheeks. However, this can make your face look rounder and chubbier than it actually is. When I apply blush I put it right above my contour so it goes diagonally back near your hairline (if that makes sense). This effect complements your contour and makes your face more defined. 

IMPORTANT STEP: After I apply my blush I take a stippling brush or a flat-top brush and blend the blush and contour together so that there aren't any harsh lines.

HIGHLIGHT

Highlighting is a fast and simple way to give your face a glow without overdoing the amount of sparkle.

My all time favorite highlight for that perfect GLOW is Pop's Lush Blush in Rose Blossom. This is the perfect rose gold color that will complement fair or bronzed skin tones.

I usually just use my fingers to apply my highlight. I put it on my high cheekbones above where I put my blush, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupids bow (this makes your lips look fuller)!

Hope this post helped! It's kind of hard to explain my contouring routine without showing you, so if you have any questions let me know in the comments below!

Winter Weather Must-Haves

It's getting to be that time of year for snow angels and snow ball fights followed by cozying up near a fire with a mug of hot cocoa. But before the cozying, you need to take off your scarf, gloves, boots and jacket. Here are some of my winter weather must haves for those cold wintery days!

Jacket: North Face

Boots: Target

Hat: H&M

Scarf: H&M

Gloves: Target

Jacket: Lord & Taylor

Boots: Mango

Hat: Loft

Scarf: Michael Kors

Gloves: Michael Kors

Jacket: She Inside

Boots: Chinese Laundry

Hat: H&M

Scarf: Juicy Couture

Gloves: Vera Wang - Kohls

November Favorites :)

Happy December everyone! Yes, I'm going to say it....I can't believe it's December already!! So I figured I'd make my first monthly favorites blog :) Some of these products are ones I have recently purchased and some are products that I've had but just started loving again. So, without further ado...

La Mer Moisturizing Cream

I haven't been using this long but I have noticed such a change in my skin's hydration and an overall improvement of my complexion. I cannot say enough good things about this moisturizer! (It also has anti-aging benefits and reduces the appearance of pores as well!)

Rusk W8less Extra Strong Hold Hairspray

Since my hair is so thin, I have problems finding a good hairspray that won't weigh it down. This hairspray by Rusk is my all time favorite - it doesn't weigh hair down and doesn't leave that crunchy feeling all while holding your curls in place for hours!

Benefit's Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer

I'm in love with this eye primer. I hate primers that leave a greasy feel on your eyelids - this primer doesn't do that at all and it holds your eyeshadow in place all day!

L'Oreal True Match  Super Blendable Concealer

This concealer is perfect for highlighting and brightening your under eyes and down the bridge of your nose. I have mine in the color Fair/Light Neutral - it is MUCH lighter than my skin tone, but I really like the look of super light undereyes. I also blend this concealer with a damp Beauty Blender for a flawless look.

Neutrogena Shine Control Powder

This powder is perfect for setting your foundation and concealers without making it cakey and keeping you matte for hours. I keep one of these in my purse at all times for a quick touch up!

Elf Blush in Pink Passion

I've mentioned this blush before and for good reason. I've had this blush for a year or two now and I used to use it all the time until it kind of got pushed out of the way by newer blushes. I found this a few weeks ago in the back of my blush drawer and fell in love with it all over again. I wondered why I even stopped using it!

Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara

I bought this mascara years ago and I HATED it. I thought this mascara was just horrible and did absolutely nothing, but for some reason I just couldn't throw it away. I decided to try it out again and it is now my number one mascara. I loved the curved brush that helps curl your lashes and the formula isn't too wet or too dry. This is now one of the staple products in my mascara routine!

Tease from the Naked 2 Palette

My all time favorite crease color is Tease from the Naked 2 Palette. I'm not a huge fan of shimmery eyeshadows and this is the perfect taupe-y matte color for your crease. It can be used for an everyday look or you can build it up for a smokey nighttime look.

Paula Dorf Eye Color Glimmer in Silhouette & Eye Color in Mystic

I love these single eye shadows by Paula Dorf. The lighter shade (Silhouette) is perfect for a nighttime brow bone color. It isn't too shimmery but isn't completely matte either. I also like putting this on the inner corner of my eyelid to brighten it up. The darker color (Mystic) is great to make a dark smokey eye. I use this color in my crease and the outer-V on my eye lid for a perfect nighttime look.

Maybelline Color Sensation Lip Liner in Toast

This lip liner is the perfect lipliner for ANY lipstick you have. It's a great nude color but blends so perfectly with your lips that you can even use it with reds, pinks and purples! I like to bring this lip liner when I travel because it's the only lipliner I need to bring!

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Nude Nuances

I cannot get over how amazing this lipstick is - it is the perfect nude with a pink undertone. And let me just say, I wear this lipstick with anything and everything! However, this was from the Porcelain Collection, which I think was limited edition. It upsets me that I won't be able to find this again but apparently it's a great dupe for Mac's Hue!

Essie's Chinchilly Nailpolish

Gray is one of my favorite 'colors'. It goes great with almost everything and looks beautiful on your nails. Chinchilly by Essie is my favorite gray nail polish that I've found yet! Here is a picture of Chinchilly on my nails (with Essie's Set in Stones from the Luxe Effects Collection on my ring finger).

Bath & Body Works' Stress Relief Body Wash & Foam Bath in Eucalyptus Spearmint

If you want to feel squeaky clean and stress free try this body wash! I haven't yet used it as a foam bath but I'm sure I will when it gets cold this winter. The Eucalyptus Spearmint scent helps relax you and keeps you smelling fresh and clean all day! I have the lotion too that I like to use right after I use this body wash in the shower.

Bath & Body Works' Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Candy Cane Bliss

This is the perfect smelling hand soap for Christmas time. It keeps your hands smelling like candy canes for a while after you wash your hands. Plus it's antibacterial and foaming, which I absolutely love!

Let me know any of your November favorites in the comments below and if there's anything I should try!!

The Perfect Wintery Nude

It's always so difficult to find the perfect nude polish that fits your skin tone - some are too dark, some are too orange, some are too....well, you get the picture. I also feel that nude nail polishes will change based on the season. I needed to paint my nails a nude color and I found the perfect icy nude color for the cold winter months. Layering my polishes is something that I do frequently and that is how I found this color. 

I first took the nailpolish from Forever 21 called Taupe (which is only $2.80 by the way!) and put one coat on each nail.

Next I pained a thin coat of Essie's Tea and Crumpets over the polish and finished it off with a base coat (I use one by Revlon).

Putting these two colors together gives your nails a lighter nude with an icy shimmer that is perfect for winter. I also feel that this would look really good with a matte top coat (I'll have to give it a try next time!)

Short blog, I know, but I was just experimenting with my nail polishes and figured I'd share with you!

What are your favorite nude polishes??

Simple Skin Saving Tip!

Ever notice your skin start breaking out or your pores getting more clogged than usual? Try a simple fix and CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES! I can't stress this enough. I know plenty of girls that have NEVER washed their makeup brushes. Think about it - your face is very delicate and you don't want excess bacteria harming your face. Makeup brushes, if not washed regularly, can hold pools of bacteria. When you think about it, it's pretty gross that you're rubbing your face with those dirty things! Follow these simple steps to get clean brushes to save your beautiful face :)

Washing your brushes is quite simple. All you need is a mild shampoo and some water (I usually use a drug store shampoo I can find on sale -- I am currently using Aussie's Volume Shampoo). A shampoo is also good for brushes because you wash your hair with shampoo, brushes have hair...you get the picture!

All I do is put some shampoo and water into my hand and rub my brush in it, rinse it out, and repeat until the water runs clear (definitely not rocket science)!

IMPORTANT TIP: Hold your brushes downward. If you let water into the brush handle, it can loosen the glues holding the brush hairs into the brush, thus ruining your brush.

The ideal amount to wash your brushes is every week, but every two weeks will do too. Just don't forget to wash those babies!!!

Ho-Ho-Holiday time!

I'm back everyone! I'm so sorry for not writing in a while but I had a lot going on. So in light of the holidays I decided to write a fun blog about some of my favorite holiday 'things.' Some are beauty products, some are fashion, and some are random. Comment below of some of your favorite holiday products that I should try, as well!

I believe that the holidays is a time to wear glitter - it goes well with Christmas as well as new years! I love putting this NYX Crystal Glitter Liner on either my top or bottom lash line for an extra sparkle. My favorite is in the color Crystal Silk.

In the winter, my face gets very dry and dull. One product that really helps liven your face up is a good highlight. My favorite for winter is Lola's Treat'n'Glo Skin Perfecting Highlighter/Blush Duo (FYI: I don't use the blush -- just the highlight!) in Get Cheeky. I like this highlight because it is more of an ivory shade which works well with lighter skin (let's face it -- we get paler in the winter).

Another product that would be perfect for brightening up your face in the winter is L'Oreal's True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup. This foundation perfect to make your skin glow! (I wouldn't recommend this for oily skin though!!)

Whether your hair is damaged or not, it always looks a little duller in the winter. My favorite way to get shiny hair is to make a hair mask out of pure coconut oil! Just heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds, spread it on the ends of your hair (you can put it on the top of your head if you don't have oily hair) and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Wash it out and, there you go, beautiful shiny hair!

FUR FUR FUR! I love fur (mostly faux fur!) I think fur can make any outfit look glamorous while staying warm. Fur jackets for the winter are my favorite. This one is actually the exact one I have by Juicy Couture. I also love H&M's fur vests - they're so easy to style and are super inexpensive!

What girl doesn't love party dresses? Short, frilly, and girly! During the holiday season, you can get away with wearing all sorts of party dresses. I first saw this dress (from Forever 21) in stores a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love!

Another holiday favorite of mine, which probably isn't a surprise to you, is the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. Nothing hits the spot like a little warm chocolate and peppermint :)

And last, but certainly not least, I can't forget the Christmas movies! During this time of year I am constantly watching Christmas movies. Let me know your favorites in the comments!!