A Few of my Favorite Things || Makeup

I'm kinda obsessed with makeup. For real, you should see my stash. It's crazy.

When I was young (like 5) my grandmother would let my cousin and I play with her makeup. She taught us so much through the years and really instilled an interest in both my cousin and I. I was fortunate to be able to work in consmetics at Nordstrom through college and I learned so much about application, content, color, etc. So I thought it would be fun to show you a few of my favorite makeup products. There are, of course a whole bunch more but I thought I'd start with the basics. These are the things I use nearly every single day. Try em out. I think you'll like em.

NOTE: Since working towards being vegan I have (sadly) come to find that some of my favorite products are not (which isn't exactly surprising). I'm trying out vegan products here and there and would love any input on your vegan faves.

FACE || Lush Colour Supplement

Lush products are the very best and, to be completely honest, if they introduced a whole makeup line, I'd run out to buy it all this instant.  It's like magic in a little pot. It makes my face flawless. And, I swear on my sister's life, it made my face look BETTER when I took it off. It's all the fancy herbs and shit in it that are sitting on your skin all day. I get the light pink and light yellow (both only $13) and mix em for the right shade. They last surprisingly long (pretty sure I had my two little pots for 4-6 months). The only problem is that they do not provide many options for darker shades. Ya hear that Lush?? Get on it.

FACE || MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

I used to have a love hate relationship with Studiofix. If you've ever used it you probably know what I'm talking about. It made me look like a frikken doll (which is pretty much my goal in life), yet it really did a number on my skin. I don't really know what they put in that stuff but my poor face didn't like it. Nowadays, I generally only add powder to my routine before going out on the town or somethin like that. This stuff is great cause it's super light, yet buildable, with a nice matte finish. And my face doesn't react poorly to it. Must be all those fancy minerals ;)

COLOR || Nars Blush

Sex Appeal | Oasis | Deep Throat

Nars blush is pretty much the best thing ever. To be completely honest, I first bought their deep throat blush cause of the name. Yep, I'm that guy. Now I realize that the dirty names are just a plus (makes me smile every morning). This stuff is highly pigmented and blends beautifully. Another plus- as far as I can tell almost every shade looks fabulous on most skin tones.... weeeeiiiiirrrrdd. Don't know how they do it. AAND word on the streets (web?) is that the founder of Nars, Francios Nars, is even vegan. Killer. Their stuff, though expensive, is great.  

EYES || Revlon Color Stay Liquid Liner

I'm such a sucker for liquid eyeliner. I wear it pretty much every day and feel naked without it. I've tried my hand at many different kinds of liner and find that Revlon's Color Stay line is my favorite. It's really easy to apply and wears really well. No smudgies throughout the day. Also, for those of you who prefer a pencil liner, the Color Stay line makes a nice one. However, there is one con; There are limited colors. Which I guess isn't a problem for everyday wear but I'd love it if they had a teal or even a golden brown color. Also, while Revlon does not test their products on animals, their products are not necessarily vegan.

EYES || Kiehl's Marvelous Mineral Mascara 

I pretty much don't leave the house without mascara. As a daily contact wearer, I can be kinda picky about my mascaras. I've noticed some brands dry or irritate my eyes- no bueno. This mascara is awesome; it gives a natural look with good hold that doesn't stiffen your lashes. Unfortunately, as a subsidiary of L'oreal, Kiehl's is not vegan. Boo for that cause this shit is magical. If you have any suggestions for vegan mascara's that make my lashes look awesome and feel healthy, lemme know.

LIPS || Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm

I love this stuff cause it instantly pulls together a look. This stuff is cheap and you can get it pretty much everywhere. It makes my lips smooth and hydrated and gives a nice little bit of color to keep my grill lookin fresh.

LIPS || Revlon Matte Lipstick

For a heavier look, try Revlon's Matte Lipstick. Matte lipstick can be dangerous territory for some but let me make my case. It stays on all day yet isn't designed like some franken-lipstick to stay on for all of eternity. It'll stay put through a night out but will easily come off when the night comes to an end. They've got plenty of shades to tickle your fancy. Plus you can swipe on some gloss or chapstick to change and control the look. Apply lightly, blot, and add chapstick for more of a stain look. Apply, blot and /or powder, and touch up for a full coverage look.

What are your favorite makeup products? What can't you live without and why? 

Say whaaat?

Modcloth's having a sale.

Eep! Here's what I want.

If I had to choose one bag to describe me, I'd pick this one. It's so me.

 Perfect summer dress.

 This dress is the most lovely cut. Gorgeous.

LOVE
Check it out folks. What are you crushin on?

What I Wore

Howdy Friends. Here's another lil outfit I wore the other day. 

Taken by my bud Traci outside of Butter Toast Boutique.

Skirt: Vintage

Top: Plain ol wife beater

I remembered to take pictures of my rings this time!

 Necklace: Owlette. My friend Rebecca is launching her Etsy shop super soon. In the meantime, stay connected via Facebook.

Shoes: Thrifted

See more here.

I hope you're having a splendid weekend! If you're in town, come downtown for Art Detour. There's lots going on and sixth street has live music, lot's of booths filled with vintage and handmade, live mural painting, and big big sales! (Trunk sale at GROWop and Butter Toast with awesome vintage items for 3-5 dollars and 40-50% off winter items! Woot!)

Fashion Inspiration: Nasty Gal

I have a problem. I'm not good at shopping. Maybe I'm too picky...? Sometimes I find things and think, "Oh this would be cute... if you took off this and changed that." Sometimes nothing catches my eye at all .

The other day I decided to pop into a certain store. I tried on a bunch of stuff only to leave pissed off. All the stuff was cute and had the edge I was lookin for but the cut and style of most of their things just wouldn't work.... and I mean, on anyone (except, of course, cracked-out-skinny models and prepubescent teens). Grrr. Now my style is super vintage-y and girly- I just can't help it, I'm a sucker for ruffles- but I've been wanting to infuse it with a little more spunk. Get more edgy... be tough (P.S. I'm begining to think this might not ever work for me. I'm just too sweet and precious lol : ).

Anyways, I found these looks on Nasty Gal that I think are great. They've got vintage and new and mingle the two together in really lovely and fun ways.

 I'm suuuper into boho/hippie these days. Can't wait for the weather to warm up a little. I need this dress.

 

This is so adorable. Love the sleeves. And the assymetrical skirt. And that ring.

 Adorbs.

Perfect transition to Spring outfit.

Shooooooeeees!!!

 How cool would it be if I could wear leather hot pants? All. Day. Long.

Hahaha Notice that these really aren't even edgy at all- but I guess they are to me. I'm tryin to be a little less grandma and a little more funky. Any thoughts or suggestions? What's your favorite thing over at Nasty Gal?

Fashion Inspiration: Natasha Khan

Oh man, I love Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes).

1- She's totally rad.

2- I love her music.

3- She has the coolest makeup.

4- Her style is flowy and fun yet totally effortless. She probably rolls out of bed looking that cool.

5- I wish I had her bangs.

6- She's got a sweet face and looks like she'd be a nice friend.

7- This video's pretty neat.

B H L D N

Urban Outfitters debuted their new bridal line yesterday!
 (Valentines day = cuuuute!)

BHLDN has the most lovely things.

Following in the Urban Tradition, BHLDN is a little bit edgy and untraditional (like Urban Outfitters), a little bit feminine and retro (like Anthropologie), and a little bit bohemian (like Free People). Three Urban brands rolled into one?? Perfection.

 But I wouldn't expect anything less.

If you're big day is comin up, you seriously can't miss all the lovely-ness over at BHLDN.

I've never really been the type to hope and dream for my wedding or things like that. But I spent like, all day browsing and am in love with this new, fancy brand. They've got everything you might need- gowns, dresses, shoes, lingerie, jewelry.

These are all my most favorites- probably- it was hard to choose. Take a looksy. What do you love?

Only Kinda Embarassing

I have something to admit. It's only kinda embarassing. Buuuuuuuut,  I LOVE Nichole Richie.

She is hilarious and super stylish and has really gotten her shit together. I have to admit- I loved the Simple Life. Yeah, yeah it was a terrible premise- two rich bimbos going out into the real world, wreaking havok and seemingly disrespecting each and every person they ran into along the way. But Nichole Richie was the saving grace for that show. She was weird and hilarious and, even though her hair and outfits were tragic (even by early 2000 standards), I wanted to be her friend.

This poor quality video shows exactly what I mean.


Well, nowadays, she seems to be a fairly normal (by celebrity standards, at least) and super stylish lady. She began her accessories line, House of Harlow 1960 and has expanded over the years to a clothing line, Winter Kate. Check out some of the beautiful pieces from her Spring line.

 (I looooooove this one)

And watch this behind the scenes video from Nylon.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY WEEK

In my family, we do Birthdays up real good. My momma grew up with a sick mom and with a super busy farming father. Naturally, there wasn't a big to-do around their home when it came to birthdays. When my mom and dad began their own little family, my mom began making all of our birthdays super special. That means we often spend the whole week celebrating.

So this week is my birthday week and I'm pretty excited. We are having a family dinner tomorrow evening and a big party with all my most special buds on Saturday (the real Birthday day). Should be super fun! I really wanna make a vegan cake (to stick with my resolutions, which, P.S. I've been doing pretty good on! I need the UH-MAZING Rikki Cupcake to show me the ropes : ) Anyways, to celebrate this week, I'm getting my hair done! It always so exciting. I am looking for a change! What are your thoughts friends??

 Maybe a change of color?

 Cute bangs, huh?

 I love her hair. It's so big.

 Awe Jenny. So Cute.

This might be my favorite.

I don't know. Ya see, I never prepare and always end up with the same thing (Ok or I get super cheap in the moment and flake on any heafty plans, lol) . Help! It's a new year and I need some spunk!

10 Best Fally Things for You and Your Home

I love Fall and, to be honest, its really irritating that while everyone is enjoying cool temperatures, sweaters and cuddling up with someone special we are dealing with temperatures in the 90s. Can you believe it? For those of you who are soaking up the loveliness of Fall, here are my 10 favorite things for you and your home. And guess what? They were all found on Etsy (except one) so you can snatch em up. (P.S. Send me some pictures of leaves and things so I can pretend!).

Berets 

I reeeeally wanna be good at wearing hats. My friend Jasmine is the best at wearing hats. Maybe if I practice... : )


Vintage Collars

Fancy Lucky Vintage
I looove collars. (Remember my post about Peter Pan collars?) I got a lovely vintage crocheted collar on my summer vacation- I can't wait to wear it!


Yummy Smelling Candles

Greenbriar
It doesn't feel like fall without a yummy spicy candle burning.


Tea

The Loose Leaf
I am soooo glad I found this shop! I wanna try everything in it! I have been trying to get off caffeine and have really taking a liking to tea- I wanna be one of those wine folks who knows all the tastes and flavors... but with tea.


Saddle Shoes

Anna's Attic
I just got some pretty little saddle shoes over the summer. But check out these blue ones- adorable! (FYI- there are tons of good ones in 7-7.5 on Etsy. If you wear that size you should check it out!)


Knee Socks

Xenia Home
Sooo lovely.


Afghans

Bird in Hand
There's nothing like curling up in a cozy afghan with a cup of tea and reading a book.

Pumpkin-y Treats

Atomic LuLu

I wanna make or eat these NOW.

Ponchos

Apricot Baby Baby
Ponchos are perfect for fall-y months cause they are cozy and keep you warm but not too warm. If I had an extra $50 you better believe I'd snatch this little one up! I'm so in love!


Yarn

Sosae Caetano
Wouldn't you love to receive something handmade with this pretty hand spun yarn?