My Online Shopping Tips!

Have you found yourself somehow stuck with a bunch of random things you found in the sale section online that you don't like, and can't return? It's happened to a lot of us, me probably more than the normal human being. But, all those mistakes are why I'm able to write a post about how to shop like a pro online! These are my own rules I've found helpful and I hope you do as well!

1) I rarely buy anything fitted (Ex: 100% polyester, 100% rayon) online (only example I can think of that is an exception is "boyfriend" or loose fitting blouses, blazers, etc. although almost everything is better with at least a bit of stretch!). You are taking a shot in the dark if you think every garment is measured to the exact one fourth of an inch. Don't get me wrong, I use those size guides as a general idea, but I keep in mind the fabric blend. My favorite items from online are stretchy dresses, pants, skirts, etc. because they are a guaranteed fit, if you have an general idea of your measurements. A great guideline when shopping for dresses, tops, pants, skirts, whatever article of clothing will be very stretchy and comfy if its a jersey fabric or has at least 3 or 4% spandex or elastin and the rest of the fabric will be cotton or a cotton, polyester blend. I personally don't like rayon/nylon with spandex  because sometimes it can make the clothing feel rough and kind of stiff. 

2) Make sure you read the return policy for online orders! There are several websites out there with great return policies, some of them even cover your return shipping. 

3) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, always google the websites name and the word 'coupon,' 'coupon code,' or 'promo code.' The most popular site, my go to site for coupons, is retailmenot.com. Before you checkout, always search for a coupon code. You can also sometimes find them in blogs as well. They're worth a shot every time! 

4) Consider how much you spend on shipping. Speaking of shipping costs, most stores have a dollar amount to reach and then you'll get free shipping. Now, I don't condone over buying (some of us might know what that feels like... me, maybe I've bought a little too much before! Lol) but only put what you need in your cart and if it doesn't meet the required shipping, find out how much it costs to ship your order at that amount. Sometimes it's around $5. In some cases, like if I'm far away from the free shipping price, I'll pay to ship IF its reasonable AND it's not available anywhere else for a better overall price, including any tax. Add in any discount codes you find, as well. 

5) Keep an eye out for sales, especially near the end of a season (like right now, today, go! Lol). I have an email that is mostly devoted to websites I subscribe to. They keep you up to date on any sales, but be forewarned, you will have to sift through a bit of junk. Since I'm somewhat glued to my iPhone (I'm sure some of you can relate!) I check my email a few times a day and keep on top of deleting most emails that don't interest me. Here's emails you need to look out for: anything % off site wide, % off already reduced sale items, new markdowns, or any specials where the free deluxe sized gift is something you're truly interested in trying, make sure the needed dollar amount isn't a crazy number first (try not to fall for things you might think you want but end up getting thrown out a year later). 

6) Find ways to create an account (sometimes signing up for email is optional or you can unsubscribe just from the emails) and create a saved wish list or closet of items you are interested in or items that you find you are missing in your wardrobe. This way you can check up on things to see if they get marked down. Watch for markdowns in the early week. Look for sales and free shipping on any $ amount through the middle of the week. I feel during weekends, it can be hard to find good specials. 

7) READ REVIEWS! Almost all comments are worth reading. Good or bad. Don't let an initial low rating deter you from items you find you truly love, but read the review. If it is defective or cheap looking in person, you'd want to save yourself the hassle! However sometimes the review is just a personal opinion. I take those more lightly than good, solid review comments or anything greater than 4/5 stars that has more than 15 reviews I'd say (based on the popularity/availability of the product) is the way to go.

8) Do what you're doing right now! Read blogs, reviews, watch YouTube makeup favorites videos or just makeup tutorials. Most of the time they at least mention the product, if not link it below the video, for your easy access. You can see that product in action and the immediate results of the application. Take note of products 2 or more people mention positively. I think this is the future of cosmetic sales! We trust other people like us! Especially people you know aren't sponsored. There are a lot of amazing YouTube channels like that. It's a great resource for all things beauty and fashion!

I hope these tips help! I was going to link some of my favorite sites, but this blog is already a novel. Bravo if you've made it to the end, much thanks for your interest in this blog! 

Long Lasting, Melt Free Makeup

Hello there beautiful! 

So it's getting hotter here in Indianapolis, and I've been finding that if I don't carefully apply my makeup or use the wrong product, my makeup will melt off my face. Since I have been dealing with some breakouts, that does not appeal to me. 

This post will not only give tips for event makeup (party, date, wedding, etc) but also tips for hot days, because I've found several of my events lately have also been outdoors. 

Make sure you face is prepped. If it's been a little while since you washed your face in the morning, take some cleansing water or a light amount of a gentle face cleanser (one of my favorite things to do since I'm a little oily, I wash my face with a clay mask. It removes any excess dirt and oil, without stripping your skin or drying you out). Sometimes I'll do minimal makeup for daytime and then I make sure to gently, but thoroughly cleanse my skin. Because long lasting makeup is reliant upon a clean, healthy canvas. If your skin feels dehydrated or tight, use a moisturizer. 

Now, some people are inseparable from their foundation primers. Let me say, good foundation primers can do wonders for longevity and I almost always use one for long lasting makeup. I usually apply it where my skin is imperfect. If makeup fades a little (sometimes it looks better if it looks a bit worn in), only your imperfections will become more prominent. So I apply primer on my acne scars, blemishes, under my eyes and sometimes on my t-zone to help with oil. I find when I use a primer on imperfections, they are much easier to apply makeup on while still looking as natural as possible. 

Now time for foundation. I think everyone needs a long lasting foundation in their makeup collection. Revlon has one of the best for drugstore, Colorstay foundation. They have tons of shades and two different formulations, one for oily/combination and one for normal/dry. I, obviously, use the one for oily skin and I love it. No joke, it will last all day. I tend to sweat a lot on my upper lip and this will still not move! When applying long lasting foundations, apply it in very thin layers. If you need more coverage in some places, add another layer there, just make sure it dries and sets between layers. I also always apply it with my fingers. I find rubbing it into your skin, much like a lotion, it will be easier when you can see what it feels like as you rub it in. I usually take my foundation down my neck just a bit, as well, and make sure all edges are blended in. 

Now when it comes to concealer, I have tried sooooo many. I have found the holy grail. It's Vichy-Dermablend foundation. You can use the teeny tiniest amount, it's quite liquidy, but the smallest dot will completely cover even the darkest imperfection 100% and still looks like skin. No cake, it stays put SO well, I love it. It's a bit of an investment , but let me tell you, it will last forever. If you struggle with acne or spots on your face, you need this product!! Days where I have a breakout, I am not worried as much now because I know I can erase it! I apply this product with either a fine liner brush or a synthetic brush like this. I'll dab the product into the skin, sometimes I'll tap it with my finger to ensure it is completely meshed with the skin. 

One rule you do not want to live without: use a smaller setting brush to set the concealer (especially over spots but also under eye) and lightly pat a small amount of powder onto the area. You don't want to go crazy, rubbing a powder brush, messing up the beautiful concealer you just spent time on! Use the big powder brush for the rest of your face, I focus on the t-zone. Remember to keep using thin layers, you can always add a tiny bit more to where you need it. I keep my cheekbones powder free to promote glowing, luminous skin in that area. 

If your blush seems to fade away quite quickly (this happens to me sometimes), it's a great idea to use a cheek tint or a long lasting blush. Cream blush can also be great, just make sure to apply this before your powder, and only use a small layer of translucent powder. Take your time to ensure there are no harsh edges with your blush. If you need to, take a drop of foundation on the back of your hand, rub some on a foundation brush and lightly go over the edges. After you've blended and blended, one of my favorite things to do for a healthy, flushed glow is I add a little extra blush to the very center of my pink cheek. This won't create any edges and can really add another dimension to your blush. 

For bronzer, I prefer buying a powder a few shades darker than my natural color. Since I'm so pale, I prefer shades that are more cool, not orangy. 

A good setting spray can also help prolong your makeup and keep it looking beautiful. If you have oily skin, Urban Decay De-Slick is great one. I have achieved great results without a setting spray, but it is still on my list to try out!

Part 2 is coming soon! It will be about long lasting brows, eyeshadow, liner, mascara and lips! 

My Lip Care Routine

Hello lovelies!

I don't know about you but my lips get chapped or peel so often! This makes applying lipstick a difficult process. Because the one thing you need before you apply any shade of lipstick is soft, smooth lips in good condition. I hate it when I apply lipstick and it settles in the lines of my dry skin and it is not cute. at all. I find my lipstick looks great and wears so much more beautifully when my lips are conditioned. Here are some of my tips for the best feeling, best looking lips of your life!

First of all, I use pure vitamin E oil to help my lips heal from being damaged or dry or if they are peeling. This works wonders and is a much more natural way of moisturizing lips and truly healing them. You can usually find it in a dropper bottle, and it also works amazingly on any dried wound or scab or scar. I at least apply this on my lips every night and let it soak in for 10-20 minutes. 

With a little vitamin E oil still left on my lips, I layer the most amazing lip balm over it before I fall asleep. It's the Aveda lip saver. It has been the one and only lip balm I have used up completely TWICE and repurchased. It is a must have for me. I wake up the next morning and just a little bit of the balm will be left on my lips. I take my finger and gently rub my lips and the dead skin just easily peels right off and I am left with shockingly soft, smooth lips for the rest of the day!

Another tip for great lips is always remember to apply lip balm with an SPF when you're outside. Otherwise, the sun can quickly dry them up and you're left with rough, uneven lips or even worse, sunburned lips. 

Having well moisturizer lips helped lip pencils go on more creamy as well. I have found that lip pencils are a great way to prolong any lip color. A trick I like to do it I use a white eyeliner pencil that's very creamy and I put a thin layer of it on my lips as a liner. I do this mostly because I have pretty dark colored lips for how pale I am. It helps the true color of whatever lip product I use really show up. 

If you are in a situation where your lips are in bad condition and you have somewhere to go, try a lip scrub. Now, I don't like sugar or salt for scrubbing your lips, I find it too abrasive. A great DIY lip scrub is mixing coconut oil and coffee grounds. The grounds will gently but effectively slough off dry skin and the coconut oil is a great moisturizer. If you do not have coconut oil in your life, it is amazing! It does wonders as a hair mask. Check out my blog on healthy, multidimensional hair to see instructions for a coconut oil hair mask!

All About Eyelashes!

Hello beautiful! ❤

These are my secrets for how I achieved longer thicker lashes. I have in turn, have worn false lashes less often. Which, I feel like that has made my lashes thicker, not applying and removing falsies as much. 

Ok, so first off, I use Boots No. 7 lash serum every night. This has made a huge difference with the length and thickness of my lashes. I've also used L'oreals and it works well, not as well as Boots though. You can also splurge a little more and get Revitalash, I've heard absolutely amazing things about that brand. 

Another routine I have adopted into my evening face cleansing is the way in which I remove my eye makeup. I take oil-free makeup remover and two round cotton pads and soak the center of the pads, big enough to cover most of your eye. Lean your head back, place the cotton rounds on your eyelids and gently massage on your eye for 30-45 seconds. Also, gently press the cotton rounds into your lashes and around your eyeliner. When you remove the pads, most of your makeup and any falsies should be removed. To get every bit of makeup off, I flip the pads over and repeat. Remember, the skin around your eye is extremely sensitive and will wrinkle years earlier if you rub or stretch the skin. Really, I am for thorough, yet extremely gentle, cleansing on my face. You should treat your face very delicately and with care. Look into getting a cleansing lotion, as well. Soap is awful for your skin, stripping it of natural oils that help your skin keep looking healthy and glowing. 

Now let's talk about eyeliner. The closer you get your eyeliner to your lash line, the better. This step alone will help you lashes look thicker. Another great trick is to "tight line" your eyes, which is lining the upper waterline. This subtle step makes a big difference, especially when I'm doing a heavy liner look.

Now, when it comes to curling your lashes, the right eyelash curler can make all the difference. If you have very straight lashes and they lose their curl easily or are hard to curl, then you need to invest in a Shu Uemera or Kevin Aucoin eyelash curler. They are worth the $20 and will last you more than a decade, they are so well made. I get by pretty well with my Revlon one. But my lashes stay curled a long time.

When curling your lashes, start near the base of your lashes and pump, pressing down for about one second each pump. Inch your way to the end of your lashes. If you only press down on one place on your lashes, you'll get a weird clamped look.

Mascara, in my opinion should always be black. I know brown can be more natural but I'm a platinum blonde and think it can look perfectly fine to wear black mascara for even the most natural of looks. 

Start at the very base of your lashes, really move the brush back and forth, wiggling it as you swipe the length of your lashes. I love brushes with very hard bristles, I find them much easier to control and they tend to do a great job with lash separation. 

Right now, my routine for getting full on, thick, long lashes is I start out with Prestige My Biggest Blackest Lashes. This is such an amazing mascara. It has great color payoff and
still leaves my lashes feathery and plush feeling. I use this for two coats on top and one coat on the bottom. Then, I go in with Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara. I LOVE this mascara for a second or third coat. It leaves my lashes with zero clumps and the bristles are very rigid so it does a great job at going in and separating every little lash so my lashes look super thick.

Also, I get every mascara in waterproof. Eye makeup remover has come a long way and waterproof mascara comes off with ease. 

Hope these tips help!

No falsies!

All About Eyeliner!

Picture perfect eyeliner? Yes please!

When it has come to doing a bold lip or bold eyes, I've definitely been focusing on the eyes lately! And I've learned some great trips and tricks soooo here we go!

First off, I don't curl my eyelashes until my liner is done. This will ensure your lashes don't get in the view of your eye lid. If you have not yet invested in a makeup mirror, go get one! Right now! Mine is normal on one side and 7x magnified on the other. It cost me all of $15 I think. A small mirror to look down into is crucial for perfect liner. And, while applying the liner, your eyes stay down and don't transfer indestructible black liner onto your eyelids. 

I prefer liquid and gel liners. I feel like I have a lot more control using them. I use mainly an angled eyeliner brush but you can use a fine liner brush as well. There are also felt tip liner pens that are soooo easy to use. Revlon Colorstay is what I've used and I like it, and it will be mentioned again in the blog. 

Start small, you can always add more, it's much harder to take away. I always start in my inner corner, making a very thin line and I take this thin line across my lash line, get as close to the lashes as possible the entire length across. Gradually make the line thicker as you get to the outer corner. 

Now, you can either end here or you can flick it out. One trick I love doing is taking my light brown felt tip brow pen and drawing guide lines for my winged liner. This way I can look straight ahead in my big mirror and make sure the angles of the flicks are symmetric. If they're not, no biggie, it's so easy to remove this product and redraw the line. Once this is in place, just trace over it slowly and carefully with your liner. You cannot go too slow in this process, keep double checking straight ahead in the mirror to ensure symmetry. 

When I use my angled brush, I simply touch the length of the brush on the guide line. Now all that is left is connecting the tip of the flick with the rest of your liner. I usually pull the corner of my eyelid taute and slowly drag my brush from the tip to my original line. Just imagine your completing a triangle at the end of your eye. 

Now that the majority of the liner is done, I like to go back with my Revlon Colorstay felt liner pen and smooth out any imperfections, making sure the thickness of the eyeliner is the same for both eyes at the inner corner, the middle and the outer corner. Also, make sure all the space between your lash line and eye liner is completely filled in. 

When it comes to lining your bottom lashes, you can definitely do a thin line with your eyeliner. I prefer using a dark shadow and a pencil brush (any brush that comes to a fine tip will do) and defining my bottom lashes. Or, sometimes depending on the day, I'll just slap some mascara on those suckers and that's it. 

Honestly, this has been challenging to write a blog about! I will be making tutorials sometime in the near future. And a guide to picture perfect eyeliner will definitely be one of the first videos to record!

You Can Do: French tip Pedi!

If you told me I'd be doing my own French tip pedicures 5 years ago, I probably would have LOLed. I started taking a stab at them two years ago. I had some success, I remember struggling a lot and having to redo toes all the time. But, after finding the perfect tool, they are so much more easy to do, and do well!

First off, you will need the elf concealer brush. It is $1 at Target. Perfect.  Or a brush similar. I love this one because of the flatter tip and it's bristles are very dense, which makes it a breeze to control a French tip. 

I put down my favorite basecoat: Orly Bonder- Rubberized Basecoat. Once this dries, it has the perfect amount of stickiness to control the placement of my white tip. Take the brush and dip it slightly in white nail polish (I used the white polish from my Revlon Nail Art in Night & Degas). Take it and start to make short little vertical strokes on the end of your nail. You can either keep making little strokes across the nail, or you can hold the brush the same way and draw the thin guide line, horizontal to the nail bed. Don't expect it to look perfect at this point, you will need a second coat. 

If you happen to mess the line up on any given toe (it happens to me all the time!), take a second brush (any small dense brush will work), and dip it in nail polish remover and smooth out the line, correcting your mistake. You can also do this for any white polish that accidentally goes onto your skin. (Cutex and OPI make a polish remover pen that can be used for getting polish off skin as well)

For the second layer, I use my long thin brush that comes with my white nail polish. I love that Revlon made this tiny brush in their nail art sets. It's so easy to make lines or polka dots or hearts. In this case, I just smooth it over the line I already created. If you mess up at all, do the exact same step with the brush in polish remover. 

Now it's time for the topcoat! As already mentioned in this blog, I'm obsessed with Seche Vite. It's by far the shiniest topcoat I've ever used and it dries so quickly and rock hard! There's been plenty of times I thought I screwed up my mani or pedi by knocking my nail against something, and this topcoat is resilient so quickly!

By the way, I find my French tip pedis look way better when I have a tiny bit of toenail grown out. It also makes finishing the line on either side much easier. 

Check out my previous tutorial with all my nail polish tricks and tips. You can apply that blog to toenails as well! 

My Nail Polish Tips and Tricks!

So there is no doubt that I am addicted to nail polish. Now, I've always loved doing my nails but in the past oh, 3 months or so I really started learning and trying and experimenting. I have picked up so many helpful tips and found products that work better than I ever imagined! And, my self manicures explained in this blog don't chip or fade for FIVE days! That's right, 5! Considering my polish used to chip or fade off the end of my nail within 2 or 3 days (if I was lucky), I'm pretty pumped about these products and routines!

First of all, I try to never pay full price for nail polish. You can find a sale, somewhere, almost all the time. If you're on a site and spot a good nail polish selection, google that websites coupon codes. Sometimes you'll find nothing, but I find most of the time, I can find 10-20% off. Or websites like Ulta and drugstore.com have specials on nail polish, like buy 2 get 1 free, or I know drugstore.com has occasional 20% off of their beauty department. Even though no one likes meaningless emails, sign up for emails at some sites you find good nail polish and you will most likely get a coupon or an email about a sale within a few weeks.

Okay, now let's get down to business.

I will start off with nail prep. I make sure I take off every spot of my old nail polish. If there's still bits of it near the cuticle, I push my cuticles back and that process usually takes care of the leftover polish. Even if your nails are completely clean, always push back or remove your cuticles or buy a cuticle remover gel. This will ensure you get a very professional manicure and it will be so much easier to get a beautiful, even coat of polish that doesn't get stuck on your cuticles. The other prep steps are taking a buffing nail file and smoothing out the ridges on my nail bed. This will ensure that the polish adheres to your nail better, meaning less chips. I then wash my hands thoroughly and to get every bit of oil off of my nails, I quickly swipe just the nail bed with a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on it. This will also ensure the polish stays on longer.

Okay, finally onto base coat! Now, I used to be hooked with the OPI Ridge Filler. I liked it because it dried super fast, left your nail completely smooth, and it's a whitish color so it made my nail color much more vibrant, and helped lighter colors show up better. But, I recently found a gem. If you do your nails even semi regularly, this is well worth the money! It's the Orly Bonder- Rubberized Base Coat. I never dreamt of a base coat that works as well as this one. It's literally rubberized so it's hard to tell when it's completely dry so I tend to wait about 4 or 5 minutes. It drags the first coat of nail polish off the brush and onto your nail so beautifully and evenly. My first coats of polish never looked so even, so smooth, and so pigmented because it's so so easy to get the perfect thickness. This makes the second coat so easy and immediately looks very professional.

Now, when it comes to brands, I almost exclusively buy Essie, OPI, and recently Orly. I've tried China Glaze. It seems to chip sometimes within the first couple hours of being on my nail. Also, a pastel coral color (Peachy Keen) I got from China Glaze ended up drying much brighter than the original color, which disappointed me. I've found basically every other brand around the same price point or cheaper just aren't worth your money. They tend to chip and fade so much more easily. 

Here are some of my current favorite colors: Orly Frolic, Orly Cotton Candy, Orly Lollipop, Orly Mirror Mirror, Orly Artificial Sweetener, Essie Limo-scene, Essie Beyond Crazy (great ring finger only color, the sparkle covers all color underneath in one swipe), and China Glaze Re-fresh Mint (this is one China Glaze color I'm obsessed with).

For nail art, I've been loving the Revlon Nail Art Expressionist. The brush is super skinny so it's very easy to do polka dots or hearts (for hearts I just do a thick V shape). I also just tried out a trick that works like a dream. Take a piece of parchment paper and nail polish that you'd like to make shapes out of for your nails (I get the cute shaped paper punchers in the heart and star shape). Put down a good sized layer of the polish and wait for about 5 hours (it's takes a long time to dry for some reason). When I did this, I put down several patches of nail color so I just keep the piece or parchment paper in a place where it can lay flat, or you can cut the each patch out for an organized swatch layout. Most nail polishes will need a second coat to get a good even color. Wait another 5 hours (patience!) and all you have to do is punch out the shape of your choice. Now, once you punch it out, the parchment paper almost always separates from the polish shape. Now, the dried nail polish is very fragile, so handle carefully. I just wet my finger a bit and your fingertip can lift off the nail polish shape. I place it carefully on my nails soon after my second coat (I punch out the shape before I start my nails or after my first coat so it's ready when the step comes). The shape will stick right on your nail, so once it's on, it's on. After the second coat dries completely, it's time for topcoat!

Orly Mirror Mirror with China Glaze Re-fresh Mint star

I've used several topcoats until they were basically empty and never knew that there were fast drying, high shine topcoats that were actually fast drying and high shine! I've gotten good results with the OPI RapiDry TopCoat, until I heard about Seche-Vite topcoat. Oh my goodness, the Seche Vite one dries sooo quickly and gives me the best shine and 4-5 days of no chipping, very little to no fading at the tips. I will definitely be sticking with this amazing topcoat for a looong time. It really does work wonders. 

By the way, you will get more days out of your nail polish by cleaning your painted nails with soap and water the day after you paint them. This removers oil and allows you to apply a second coat of topcoat. This helps protect from the color fading off your nail tips. 

Orly Frolic, day 4

Let me know some of your favorite colors, or any tips or products you can't live without!