Good news--I am officially back to blogging. To my loyal readers, I've missed you and writing about all things makeup. I have had a few busy months, and have decided to fill you in on seven major things that happened while I've been away from my blog:1. I got engaged in early October to T- an amazing man, and have been busy planning our wedding that will be next summer 2. I was maid of honor in October for my friend T, a childhood friend, here is a picture of me and the beautiful bride (I did her makeup)
3. I went to Dallas twice, both times eating at fun places, a couple of them I'd go to again are: Mi Cocina and The Porch4. Indulged in Sprinkles (the best cupcakes EVER, which makes it a major event!)5. I was maid of honor for another childhood friend, S, in November, here is a picture of me and the glamourous bride (I did her makeup too)
6. I purchased some awesome makeup- more to come in the next couple of weeks on what I found7. I did makeup for many fabulous return clients- Homecoming, weddings, and photo shoots....I have SUCH a fun job!Don't forget, I'm giving away a $15 Sephora giftcard once I have 50 followers, you must comment to be entered in the drawing!
I love trips to Ulta because it is such a one stop shop! On Saturday (thanks to a giftcard from a friend) I spent some time in Ulta finding great new products, and purchasing some old favorites to replace what has been used up. I stocked up on my favorite eye makeup remover (one for my kit and one for me), Neutrogena. I bought one of the fabulous Essie fall shades I recently blogged about...the color is a great rust called Very Structured. Of course the amount of nail polishing I do requires Nail polish remover. Then I was off to moisturizers since my Kiel's is about to run dry and I wanted a quick fix. I found myself in front of Aveeno, partially because I have another friend who I did makeup with in California who swears by it and because it was buy one get the second half off. So, for around 20 some dollars I got their positively radiant daily moisturizer (with SPF 15- a must!), and also smart essentials nighttime moisturizer. The daytime moisturizer is user friendly with a pump, goes on smooth and feels lightweight...it also has the faintest smell of sunscreen, which reminds me of the beach so I'm loving it. The nighttime moisturizer feels rich on my skin and I woke up still feeling moisturized, it has a light almost floral smell (I'm not a floral scent person and it doesn't bug me).I couldn't be happier with my new products and the fact that I found great deals, had a $3.50 off coupon and got a free pack of 200 cotton squares since I'm in their rewards program....thanks Ulta!!
I'm not only a fan of Nars because of their amazing color range, but also the fact that their colors are pigmented....that's right, when you put on their eyeshadow or blush you actually see the color without having to use a ton of product! They have great new colors for the fall including a new duo eyeshadow with plum and a dusty rose. Also check out their nail colors, or look for something similar at your local drug store...we are talking chocolate, plum, gray and taupe for fall....I LOVE it! The colors make me think of an argyle sweater, which is oh so fall!
How does Essie always draw me in with each new color collection?! I am adoring their new fall collection with colors that really represent fall....muted tones, a rust color, charcoal, and of course a deep dark plum. These colors are retro and fall at the same time, be sure to get one or find something similar at your local drug store!
Photo from www.enailsupply.com
Do you tend to wear the exact same eyeshadow everyday? If you answered yes then it's time to change it up...you can go out and get all new colors, or just change one color in your daily routine. For example, if you usually use a matte cream color as a highlight or base try something with a shimmer. If you usually use a light brown for your contour switch to a red brown or a brown with a sheen to it. While I don't recommend using all shimmer shadows unless you are in your teens, twenties or going to an event you can still mix in a little shimmer.
When it comes to great shadows that are pigmented and have a great sheen Stila is the answer. A few favorite colors of mine: go lightly, kitten, starlight, barefoot contessa, twig, poise, and coco.
If you don't want to buy an individual eyeshadow Stila offers lots of super cute pallates with great colors. An added bonus is that if you sign up for the newsletter on Stila's website you will get 20% off your next purchase....eyeshadows anyone??!
I realized today that I haven't shared with all of you my favorite tweezers....you've probably heard of Tweezerman products and that their tweezers are the best, well, it's true! I got hooked on this product when I first started doing makeup. They were a suggested product on my supplies list for makeup school and I figured they had to be great since my instructor and others at the school recommended them...after actually using them on my clients and on my own brows I saw how GREAT they are. These tweezers in many makeup artists' kits....which means they are a product for the pros, and one you can own and use everyday. Their most popular design is the slanted tweezer. I LOVE that there are so many designs and colors offered (why should tweezers be boring, right?!), and while you may think $25 is a lot for tweezers you can know that they will last. You can mail them in to be sharpened for FREE and they can be repaired for $5 (all of this info is on their fabulous website).
Whether you just need new tweezers, travel size tweezers or a brow kit Tweezerman is where you should look. You can easily find this product at Sephora, Ulta, or drug stores.
Quick tip: if you tweeze your own brows remember to step away from the mirror from time to time so you can look at yourself from afar, this will help you avoid ending up with super thin brows that need to be penciled in...and remember less is more, tweeze a few hairs at a time, don't overdo it.
It's hot outside so I want to give you a reason to shop...in an air conditioned place with makeup. I am going to do a giveaway of a gift card in the amount of $15 to the winner's choice of Ulta or Sephora. Here are the two components that will make the drawing happen....1. Spread the word about my blog to your friends. I will not do the drawing until I have 50 followers...I'm at 32 as of now, so I don't think I'm asking for too much :) 2. Comment on a blog post from today forward...only people who comment will be entered for the drawing.Once I reach 50 followers I will enter the names of people who commented into random.org (in the order they comment in) and I will let random.org select a winner. Then the winner will just have to let me know where they would like to shop within 48 hours of me announcing the winner, which means you will need to check my blog. Let's see how quickly I can give away a gift card!
