Summertime Make-Up Updates

I've pretty much mastered the heat and humidity of Florida.  That being said, there were some dramatic changes I made in terms of my hair and make-up routine.  After 6 months of "enduring" the eternal summertime climate, my make-up bag has 180'ed.

Hair 

Toss: hairspray, smoothing serum
Buy: leave-in conditioner, sea salt spray

Give up on the notion that your hair is going to look polished and perfect.  Embrace the humidity!  Organix Sea Salt Spray gives really great textured waves, and it smells great too.  Also, pick up a light leave-in conditioner spray.  When the sun is beating down on your head all day, it can really dry out your tresses.

Lips

Toss: lipstick
Buy: gloss, stains, and lip crayons

Again, just give up.  No matter how meticulous you are with lining and prepping your pout, that lipstick is wearing off in no time.  I usually go for a natural lip, but if you really want some color, try Clinique's lip crayons.  Color is really easy to apply, and the stain never leaves your lips.  Plus, they're crayons; it's like adult coloring.

Eyes

Toss: all eyeliners, eyeshadows
Buy: waterproof mascara, Latisse

Although I haven't tried the cream eyeshadows or gel liners, most of these products are sweating right off...and turning you into a raccoon.  Even liquid eyeliner doesn't stay as it should.  Sometimes, I'll line the outer corners of my eyes with some dark brown eyeshadow, but mostly I just load on the mascara.  Make sure your mascara is waterproof, and find something that really elongates the lash.  Leave the thick, clumpy stuff at the store.  I haven't changed my mascara - Maybelline Lash Discovery - in 10 years.  Why change a good thing?  I've recently began using Latisse, and it is remarkable.  There is no need for the time and money wasted on eye make-up when you can change the length and thickness of your lashes naturally.

Face

Toss: foundation, pressed powder
Buy: tinted moisturizer, BB creams, CC creams

Your skin wants to breathe.  Girls who have full face paint at the beach look pathetic.  Quit working against your skin and the weather, and sacrifice a bit of coverage for a more natural, dewy look.  I use Clinque's BB Cream, and the coverage is better than I expected.  Most BB and CC creams have a good SPF, and eliminates the need for a moisturizer.  I've found that the appearance of my skin has improved after switching from foundation to BB cream for a couple of months.

Toss: powder blush
Buy: cream blush

Again, keep with the dewy look.  Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush is lightweight and sticks to your skin.  Do not fear creams!  You won't spend money on make-up brushes (one for foundation, one for blush, one for my dog's mid-morning snack), you'll save some room in your make-up bag, you won't have to wipe down the kitchen sink when you're done, the compact won't shatter and leave a pile of pink powder in your bag, creams look better on the surface of your skin, and the application is much quicker and easier!  It's a win-win!

A Glitter Guide?

Thanks, but I don't really need instructions on how to sparkle.  Ha ha ha...

If you're looking for home decor inspiration, I highly recommend The Glitter Guide.  It's chalk full of DIY ideas, homes of fabulous women, recipes, and much more.

I'm on an enormous home decor kick, as I'm aching to make our first home purchase.  I've been aching for almost 2 years now.  A couple of my favoriate online stops include West Elm and Zara Home.  And, some of my recommendations, to help you sparkle...



 Zara Home - Shanti Pillow

Zara Home - Punk Skull Flatware

Zara Home - Orna Throw

West Elm - Banded Glassware

Tinsel Trading - Glass Glitter Letters

Where is Daft Punk?

For a group that are so photographically elusive, I wish they wouldn't carry that notion forth with their music as well. I'm DYING for a new album.  I don't mind that you storm out of press conferences for someone asking a "stupid question," or your refusal to take pictures without your staple helmets/masks.  That's fine; keep your privacy.

But give me some goddamn music!

DAFT PUNK ALBUM DUE MARCH 2013?

Gorillaz (another one of my phantom faves) torture me in the same way...hiding behind cartoon characters, only releasing pure genius every blue moon.  But why?!

For any Gorillaz fans out there who are eager to see their faces...I've provided your means of doing so above.  Also, it's just a fantastic DVD.  For anyone who lives outside of London or NYC, this might be the closest you'll get to seeing them live.

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

I've finally figured it out; what I want to be when I "grow up."  Problem is, I already feel behind schedule.  While my other friends are continuing their education, and climbing the corporate ladder, I've been content with being in limbo, working my tush off for a boss who's awesome but for a company whose future is dubious.

Anyways, I've always known that I want to own my own business.  When little kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, little girls usually respond with, "ballerina" or "princess."  The more pragmatic ones will retort with "veterinarian" or "nurse."  These are probably the ones who were told that most ballerinas have eating disorders and princesses don't lose their virginity at Lollapalooza.  While I don't remember experiencing this question as a child, I do remember doodling in my coloring books, pretending I was a CEO.  That concept was probably foreign to me at the time.  Perhaps I thought I was doodling as an "rich boss lady."  I also remember getting really frustrated in high school, regarding the pressures to choose a degree, and in turn, a career path at the ripe young age of 16.  Don't schools realize that girls at that age have a hard time choosing a boyfriend and an outfit, let alone what they plan to do for 1/3 of their adult lives?

Good thing I was pragmatic as well.  I choose a degree that would have the best return on investment.  My choice says it all; I pursued a degree in business.  MIS (I knew computers would take over the world) and Marketing (the only way for artists to collect a paycheck in this society).  I never changed my major.  In turn, I had no problem finding a good-paying job, but I also have never experienced total enthrallment in the work that I do.  It's interesting work, and I perform my job well...but it's not my passion.  Plain and simple.

I digress.

While entrepreneurship entails too many risks for me to feel comfortable abandoning all other means of income, it is the only way that I can really fulfill my passion.  I want to be my own boss.  I want to make my own money.  I want to create and nurture a successful business.  What I like about it is that, not only do you have to be a self-starter, but you have to wear many hats to own a business; inventor, sociologist, finance whiz, manager, econometrician, salesperson...

I think I will own my own print shop.  A sort of tribute to the artsy-fartsy stuff you see on Etsy.  Here are a couple of my favorite shop owners:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jBunae?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/people/kelliercox

If there are any girls out there afraid to take the leap into owning their own business, Etsy is a great place to start.  I'll keep you posted when my "shop" is up and running. :)

A Lace Affair

Sounds so racy, doesn't it?  A lace affair?

Lace Affair has great quality, whimsical clothing.  I love me some lace, and this site certainly does the trick.  Some of the tops look like they belong in another era; like something I'd see on the set of Mad Men.

A few of my personal faves...

Source: laceaffair.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: laceaffair.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I have a hard time saving money.

Hair Extensions

I always laugh when I watch trash TV, and some girl is carrying on about her weave.  What I don't understand, however, is why EVERY GIRL ON EARTH is not using hair extensions.  This is coming from a girl who's had long hair for most of her adult life.

I love having long hair, but there are so many drawbacks...

• Salon services cost more
• Takes twice as long to color/blowdry/flat-iron
• Curls fall out faster
• Twice as much product needed - $$$
• Shedding on clothes and/or furniture is much more noticeable
• Damage

I can't emphasize that last one enough.  My ends are disgusting.  The split ends are visible.  Even my dog notices.  He likes me anyways.

I came across an extension tutorial that reminded me of how fantastic hair extensions are.  Luxy Hair Extensions are pretty reasonably priced as well.  I should have mentioned this from the beginning...clip-ins are the way to go.  Even with my long hair, I like wearing clip-ins if I'm too busy/lazy/drunk/____ to curl my hair.  They keep the curl, they look natural and healthy, and it's so easy.

There.  Making girls gorgeous, one blog post at a time.

Where Have I Heard that Song?

Do you ever listen to songs, and think, "haven't I heard this somewhere before?"  Music sampling.  I shouldn't EVEN start on this topic.  Give me a reason to go on a tyrade about the state of the music industry, and artists' responsibility to sampling a cultural context. 

Anyways, Who Sampled is a great site to solve your music deja vu qualms.  You can see which tracks were sampled to create your favorite song. 

And here I thought I was going to do some work this morning.  Ha!

Skincare All-Stars

I'm a huge makeup fan, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it...) I rarely wear it.  I work from home, I don't go out as often as I used to, and frankly, there's no reason to dress up in the glamorous city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

That being said, I'm spending the new few months really focusing on having great skin.  Below are a few of my favorite skincare products:

Neutrogena pink grapefruit face and body washes contain the highest concentration of salicylic acid, an ingredient that dries out zits and prevents future breakouts.  Also, it just smells yummy.

 Yes, I know.  Tanning so so unhealthy, and it expediates the aging process.  But when it's that time of the month, or you're experiencing stress-related breakouts, 10 minutes of tanning will work wonders for your skin.

Another shout-out to the AMAZING people and products at Uni K Wax.  I use this scrub all over my body to exfoliate skin and prevent ingrown hairs.  It's basically like a mixture of oil and sugar.  Uni K is known to use products with all natural ingredients...even their wax is made from tree sap. According to their website, this scrub contains rich safflower, hazelnut, sesame oils with jojoba seed oil, peach kernel oil and avocado oil. I don't even have to use lotion on my legs, when I use this stuff before shaving.

I'm not a huge fan of drugstore-level moisturizers.  I feel like there are not enough good ingredients in them to be applying them on my face.  However, this is a great one to put on before you apply make-up.  It's light-weight, it has SPF, and you won't see any dry patches of flakes...which is the worst case scenario when you use a lot of foundation.

I can't stress this enough!  Drink water!  It is amazing the contrast between when you are hydrated and dehydrated and how your skin reacts.  Water flushes all the toxins out of your system, and most importantly, keeps your skin soft and hydrated.

Makeup Tutorials

This girl has some great makeup tutorials...

This girl is gorge.  She looks like a thinner version of Kim Karsahian (thus, why I added a tutorial for one of Kim's favorite looks).  She has a really great skintone.

Stores You've Never Heard Of

When I went to college, you had two store choices to buy new clothes: JCPenney and Maurices.  Nothing's worse than showing up at an event where another girl is wearing the exact same thing as you.  Bound to happen.

It gets even worse with home decor, where you happen to own the same piece of "art" that your friend purchased from IKEA.  I need more options!

Wanelo is a website that spotlights a plethora of unique products, ranging from jewelry to furniture.  They have something for EVERYONE.  Also, Etsy seems to spot a lot of original products.  Shout out to Destiny Womack's works.  If you're in the mood to switch up the usual Express and Pier 1 purchases, I advise you to check out these sites.