Colored Smoky Eye: Makeup Tutorial

Well here is the promised tutorial! I actually did this a few weeks ago and am just getting to post it now! Things have been so busy over here. Please ignore my less than perfect eyebrows, OK?

So I chose purple for my colored smoky eye. I like how purple shadows look with blue eyes and I like these muted/neutral-esque purples shown below.

FIRST: You need some awesome eye shadow colors.
I used a palette by Bobbi Brown (find a similar one here)

SECOND: Find yourself a colored eyeliner that works well with your eye color. I used this one. And one in my Smashbox The Master Class Palette. (pictured above in midnight purple)

Here is a little look at how it all went down.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial. There will be plenty more in the coming weeks. They're so fun! xo

Coming up next week...
+Goat Milk Review
+ediaper Cakes giveaway!

P.S. The winner for the November Group Giveaway was announced. Congrats James!
And the winner for the Santa Paws 2 DVD/Blue Ray was Brittany B!

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

And, no, I'm not expecting #2 (I know that's what you were thinking, what with this blog name having the word "baby" in it and all).

I JUST BOOKED MY CONSULTATION FOR MAKEUP TRAINING!

Oh yes. It's next Saturday,  and I'm slightly  freaking out. I'm going to have to bring some wine with me and pound a bit right before the appointment so as not to seem like a complete lunatic. I think I have not been this excited since 1. my wedding day and 2. the moment I realized I was in real, actual labor.

Do you know what this means? 1. I start my classes soon--like classes, of doing makeup, and talking about makeup, and doing real things with makeup and...oh my gosh... and 2. Being a real, live, certified, makeup artist. Hoolly ccaarrraaapp. 3. Being this excited causes me to create numbered lists.

OK, enough freaking out. Here are some gorg photos so you can get an idea of what is flashing through my mind right now. Thank Pinterest for these beauts.

Now excuse me while I go squeal like a 16-year-old who just got her license.

P.S. If you didn't see the Shabby Apple giveaway, check it out here
P.P.S. Didn't enter the Inspired By Felicity giveaway yet? That baby is over here

Guest Post: Carly's DIY Cosmetics

So today we're going to learn how to make some DIY cosmetics. Are you excited? Because I am.  I kind of very much like to do that. Like the time I made my own salt scrub. 

Here's Carly with three awesome DIY cosmetic tutorials. 

*  *  *  *  *  *

DIY Cosmetics You Will Never Buy Again

Here's a fun fact for all you fashionistas out there: the average woman will spend over $13,000 on makeup in her lifetime. That's over $180 each year - and isn't that money better spent on something useful, like shoes?

Fortunately, you can make many beauty products at home using only items you have in your kitchen. Add a couple of specialty products you can easily snag at a natural foods store or online, and you'll be whipping up your own beauty remedies for far less money in no time. Here are a few easy recipes you can make today:

1. Easy DIY Makeup Removal Wipes. Have you seen how expensive makeup remover is? On the other hand, have you ever tried to take off waterproof mascara without it? They're a necessary evil, like Spanx. Make your own simply and easily by grabbing a plastic container, a roll of paper towels, a pair of scissors and some common kitchen ingredients. First, cut the roll of paper towels in half (you want to wind up with a short-looking roll of paper towels, not a tall, skinny horseshoe shape). Pop them in the plastic container, then dump 4 cups of distilled water, 2 tsp. of coconut oil and a squirt of two of your favorite face wash on top. Seal the container and use when you want to go au naturale.

2. Oil for Everything. Wondering how to improve your beauty regimen quickly and easily? Chances are, there's an oil for that! Vegetable oil and coconut oil make amazing - and simple - hair conditioners. Simply apply some to the ends of your hair after your shower and go! For a leave-in conditioner, apply your oil of choice to your scalp and massage. Comb through your locks and let it sit for a couple hours (just enough time for a mini-marathon of your favorite TV show!), then rinse.

Another excellent oil is tea tree oil - in fact, no beauty routine should be complete without it! Use a drop or two in your usual shampoo to clarify your hair and get rid of dandruff. Rub a drop onto any skin blemishes and watch them disappear like magic!

3. Fresh-Faced Scrub. Yogurt and honey are two amazing foods that you can use on your skin to feel fresh and look great. If you're battling a breakout, try crushing up a few uncoated aspirin, then add 2 tablespoons each of honey and yogurt. Apply to your skin, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse off. Combat dry skin by mixing a couple of tab\lespoons of cooked oatmeal with a tablespoon each of yogurt and honey. Let it cool a bit, though applying it to your face warm is heavenly.

Making beauty products at home is incredibly simple and can save you tons of money. Why not use things you already have around the home to create your own unique beauty blends? You can customize your favorite recipes to make something personalized for your particular needs - what big beauty company can promise that?

About the Author

Carly Lance is a blog coordinator for Personal Bankruptcy Canada, a company that helps “good people with bad debt. Frugal may be her middle name, but Carly does it with class – which is why she loves to write about saving money, to help others learn from her cheap (but classy!) ways.

Looks Lately

Sephora Collection lip stick / Buxom lip gloss / Korres lip gloss / Make Up For Ever lip gloss

Guys, you know those days when you just don't feel like sporting lots of color? I have them almost every other day. Don't leave your lips bare, it's not super cute. If you want to ditch the bright lips once in a while, these are my favorite nude glosses in the whole wide world. If I had to pick just one I think it would be #2 just because it's the most opaque and I'm a huge fan of opaque nude lips.

Here are my lips wearing Buxom. They told me they were very happy about it:

I'm also loving nautical nails...

And little fish tails...

That's all for now, ladies. Enjoy the weekend!

Summer Makeup Must-Haves {according to me}

Hey guys! So there's still plenty of summer left--don't worry (I know you were). And since makeup on me is like butter on bread I thought I’d share a few of my favorite summer makeup products. My whole makeup routine changes in the summer for a few reasons:

1. I hate the feeling of sweating while wearing foundation (you do too; sweat, I mean. Admit it. Or maybe you just glisten?)
2. I am no longer pasty like I am in the winter so I need to switch up my colors anyway.
3. When there is frequent swimming going on things need to be kept quick and simple since makeup can be going on 2 or 3 times a day instead of just once, and I don’t know about you but I’m sure as heck not spending my entire day doing makeup (even though I love it).

After being a crazy makeup buyer for years and trying umpteen samples at Sephora I think it’s safe to say that I’m pretty qualified to make some recommendations (or maybe I'm not, but read on anyway!). My Summer Must-Haves are as follows:

+Lorac FACE selfTANtalizer: First off, when it comes to makeup products I’m usually all about being as natural as possible (which would usually mean nixing the self tanner, right?) But if we’re being smart about things (and we are) we look at it like this: Everyone wants a good tan. Truth. And there are two options: the real thing and not the real thing. Normally I choose the real/natural thing in any situation, but when it comes to the sun, I say fake it. If you bake yourself in the sun all day you’re extremely likely to have negative effects (premature aging, skin cancer, etc) and if you go with the fake stuff you’re much less likely to experiences negative effects from the chemicals it contains (unless you use it obsessively every single day, year round, and then, who knows, then you should probably ask someone who would know--not me). When it comes to self tanner it’s the lesser of two evils and I say slather it on (as long as you don’t look orange because nobody wants to be that girl).

+Tan Towels: One word, Awesome. No orange, no streaks, and it lasts for a full week (and I shower every day, promise). And it comes in two shades, score.  

{If you’re a chemical freak like I am and aren’t willing to make an exception for fake tanner, there’s an alternative. Nature’s Gate Happy Glow Lucky bronzing crème gives some seriously amazing results. The only difference between this and the two previous products is that it only lasts for one day.}

+Bronzer: What?? Bronzer on top of a fake tan? But yes! If you use just a touch of bronzer under your cheek bones it will give a slimming effect and will make your cheek bones more pronounced. On top of those cheek bones and directly under your brows, add a bit of Benefit High Beam highlighter and you’ll have that pregnancy glow without being pregnant (or if you are, congrats!)

+Finally, add a bit of mascara, some SPF (mineral, if you can!) lip balm and a light, neutral lip gloss (try these by Too Faced) and you’re ready to take on the heat while looking natural and flawless all at the same time.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading about some of my favorite summer makeup products! Go get your summer-ready makeover on. 

** All of these products can be purchased at Sephora (with the exception of Nature’s Gate Happy Glow Lucky, which I picked up at Whole Foods). 

Makeup Tutorial: Vintage Makeup

Need the perfect look for your newest vintage threads? This 50s inspired makeup tutorial is just what you've been looking for (oh, it isn't? well hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway).

There are 3 main things to remember about creating a vintage look:

1. Dark top eyeliner

2. Extend liner outward

3. Red lips

If you can pull of the fire engine red lipstick. I say do it. I was going to home depot after I snapped the pictures for this tutorial so I decided to go a bit less bold (smart move, I know). 

*bareMinerals matte foundation in light 
*LORAC blush in pink rose
*Too Faced eye shadow in pink cheeks
*combo of  Sephora brand high precision liquid liner in black and Bobbi Brown long wear gel liner in caviar ink
*Buxom Lash mascara in blackest black
*Bobbi Brown metallic lip color in ruby

helpful hints: keep your foundation matte and use a bit of neutral shadow. either beige tones or a bit of light gray. skip the lower eyeliner/mascara altogether or keep it light. the emphasis should be on the upper lash line and your lips. add a dusting of pink blush and you're good to go. 

hope you enjoyed the tutorial! let me know if you have any ideas/requests for future makeup posts!

Time for a GIVEAWAY!

So I decided I would have a giveaway in honor of some upcoming Makeup Tutorials. {!!!}<--this is you being excited.  I was thinking the other day about what my absolute favorite things are, and makeup is way up there on the list (pretty much right after the husband and the baby). So why don't I blog about it more? Who Knows! But it's about to change real soon.

What is the prize, you ask? a $25 gift card to my favorite store in the entire world...SEPHORA. I could spend hours in this place. It's so dangerous (dangerous for my bank account and Carter's future college fund that is, not dangerous in the sense that some foundation is going to jump off the shelves and even-skin-tone-you to death). And ordering online? Amahz. Just looking at the samples gets me in a tizzy.

Enter the giveaway, share it with friends, and come back for some makeup awesomeness. You will be pleased.

Giveaway ends 6/17 (Father's Day--don't forget to go pick up some grilling stuff or other manliness).

P.S. If you are unfamiliar with Rafflecopter, there is information HERE on how to enter, and information HERE on how to log in. Hope that helps! : ) Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway