I Bought All of the Things (Beauty Haul)

Well, everyone, it happened again.  I went a little cray recently while I was out shopping.  Oh, let’s be honest, I always go a little nuts for beauty products when I’m shopping.  I’ve had about two weeks to play with these products so I’ll be able to give you a little review.  Enough blabbering, on with the stuff! 

Minimal Makeup Tutorial

Well, hello there!  Do you ever have those days where you don't feel like wearing a ton of makeup but you still have to go outside and look like a normal person?  It happens to me more often than I would like to admit.  There are some days where I have to wake up before 6 AM, which is a good three hours before I'm at normal functioning capacity.  On the mornings where I find it particularly hard to leave my blanket burrito, this is my go-to makeup look.

Matte Lip Essentials

Hello, everyone!  It has been absolutely frigid where I'm from the past few weeks.  We've even managed to get some heavy snow which is very rare.  Something about the cold weather makes me want to bust out the matte lip products I own.  I love how it can make you look edgy or soft depending on the color.  The downside to matte lip products is that they can be pretty drying.  Even if you aren't wearing a matte formula, no one wants dry, flaking lips.  It's just not cute.  Here are my tips to help you rock that matte shade without drying out your lips!

Christmas Eve Tutorial

Well, hello there!  After what feels like eternity, we're finally at Christmas Eve!  I'm so excited about this holiday that I feel like the only proper way to express my excitement is to flail and make strange squeaking sounds.  I just love Christmas so much, guys.  Anyway, here is the look I'll be wearing this year with my party dress!

Color of the Season: Green

Hello, everyone!  Now that it is finally December I can start getting excited about the holiday season!  Last year I did a red color of the season post around this time.  I thought it was only fitting that we do the other color that seems to pop up all the time this month: green!  Here are a few of my favorite green items that will help get you in the holiday spirit.

Empties Part 3!

Well, hello everyone!  The satisfaction I get from finishing a product is a little silly.  It's a moment of pride; almost equivalent to finishing a Chipotle burrito in one sitting.  (Don't judge, that's a big deal for me.)  This week my little bag of empty products has been overflowing.  As soon as I ran out of my body butter, I knew it was time to photograph these babies so I can finally move on.  Unlike my last empties post, I did not run out of all of these at once.  They were all several weeks apart which I, along with my wallet, were extremely thankful for.  Since I have a lot of products to get through, I will keep their reviews brief.  As Mario would say: "Let's A-Go!"

Review: Sugarpill Eyeshadows

It all started by not being able to sleep.  I started to peruse the internet for new beauty brands to try, when I stumbled upon Sugarpill's website.  I have seen various YouTubers and Instagram gurus use these shadows in such versatile ways.  They seemed like a fun product, so I decided to give a few shades a whirl.

Purple with a Pop Tutorial

Well, hello there!  The past few days where I live have been so dreary.  It's cold, raining, gray, and all I want to do is stay at home. Unfortunately, life doesn't stop moving just because the weather is the antithesis of productivity.  

I have been gravitating towards matte eyeshadows recently, probably due to the dull weather.  However, I can never completely stay away from glitter and shimmery shadows.  Unlike most of my tutorials, this look wasn't planned.  I knew I wanted to pair mauve and rose gold, so I improvised until I got a look I liked.  If you want to know how to get this look, read on after the jump!

A Mask for Every Occassion

Well, hello there!  Since the Halloween season is officially over (brb, crying), I decided to give my skin a break.  Several of the Freaky Friday looks involved what seemed like more than a full face of makeup.  Although I properly cleansed every time I wore makeup, I still found my skin needed something extra.  These are the masks I tend to go for if my skin needs a little boost.

Freaky Friday: Poison Ivy

"If you are strong enough, you will survive.  That is the law of the jungle."

Hello, my lovely roses!  Welcome to the last Freaky Friday of the season.  I thought it was only fitting to end this series with my costume reveal for this year.  Batman is, by far, my favorite super hero.  I loved the show as a kid and even watched all the cheesy movies.  One of my favorite things about Batman is the villains.  They are interesting, complex, and a joy to watch torment the city of Gotham.

My favorite villain has to be Poison Ivy.  She has the logical mind of a scientist, making her a challenging opponent for Batman.  She uses her sex appeal in the most methodical way possible, poisoning people with kisses and pheromones from plants.  She's the siren you would gladly crash your ship for just to get a little closer.

Okay... so I have a little bit of a crush on her.  Can you blame me?!

For this look I decided to do my own interpretation.  I knew I didn't want to make my whole body green and definitely did not want to replicate her look from the unbelievably bad "Batman and Robin."  I wanted this look to be just like a rose: beautiful and sharp.  If you want to find out how I got this look, read on after the jump! 

Halloween Movies

Hello there, everyone!  To kick off my Halloween week, I thought I would go through some of my favorite Halloween movies.  Nothing gets me in the spooky spirit faster than a good spooky movie.  I have compiled a list of my top ten Halloween films: half of which are scary, half are not.  If you’re having a night in or need something to watch with your friends, read on to see what I’d recommend!

Freaky Friday: Amaterasu

"You spend all your life wishing you were special.  And then you find out you are..."

Well, hello everyone!  On this week's Freaky Friday, I decided to do one of my favorite graphic novel characters: Amaterasu!  Amaterasu is a character in The Wicked and the Divine series that is based off of the Japanese sun goddess.  I talked about the series in this post and it was hard for me to not talk about her the whole time.  I love her design and her hippie (yet not silly) personality.  I knew I had to take a stab at her 80s/David Bowie-esque vibe for this series.  So, for all my comic book and graphic novel friends, this look is dedicated to you!

Review: ipsy Glam Bag October 2015

Well, hello there!  At the end of last week I got a package I look forward to every month: my ipsy Glam Bag.  I talked about this beauty subscription service before and I am so happy I've continued the service.  It's a great way to be exposed to new products and brands no matter how familiar you are with makeup.  Read on to see what I got and what I think of the products this month!

Freaky Friday: Oh, Deer!

Hello, my deers!  Welcome to the next installment of Freaky Friday!  I was having a conversation with someone on Twitter a while back for looks I should put up for this series.  She suggested a cute animal and I thought it was a brilliant idea!  I have seen a lot of interpretations of this look, so I thought I would give it a go and add my own twist to it.  So, if you want to go on the cuter end of the spectrum for your costume this year, read on to find out how I achieved this look!

A Cozy Night In

Today I had my first cozy night in of the season.  Instead of socializing or studying I took some time to unwind.  I'll be honest, last Thursday and Friday were pretty stressful.  I had academic obligations piling up, my research project ran into more problems than I care to count, a family member is going through serious health issues, and my car was giving me grief.  I see now that all of this isn't so bad, but when all of it was happening at once it was pretty overwhelming.  I decided that I should give myself a night to recuperate.  

Freaky Friday: Luminous Mermaid

Well, hello there and welcome to Freaky Friday #2!  This week, I give you, the Luminous Mermaid!  Last week I had fun with the intense smokey look, but I was feeling pretty girly this week.  I wanted bright shadows, a lot of shimmer, and pearls all over mah face.  I really wanted to push myself as an artist, so I decided on a design that was more abstract and artistic.  The inspiration for this came from the amazing NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadows  I picked up and some very creative pinners on Pinterest.  So, if you want to inject a bit of summer into your costume, read on to see how I did this look!

Recent Obsession: Rebecca Minkoff Collin Camera Bag

Well, hello there!  You might be surprised to hear, but I have a new obsession that isn't Halloween related.  I promise I'm not ill, I'm just totally enamored with this purse from Rebecca Minkoff.  If you want to check out my last recent obsession post, click here!  Otherwise, keep reading to see what I think of this purse.

Freaky Friday: The Witch

Double, Double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

Well, hello there ladies and ghouls!  Happy first Friday of October!  Halloween is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.  I love seeing all the costumes, watching scary movies, and eating copious amounts of candy.  This year I decided to share my excitement for Halloween with all of you on this blog.  So, welcome to the first installment of Freaky Friday!

Every Friday this month, along with my regular posts, I will be posting a Halloween tutorial!  I'm incredibly excited and have been preparing these looks for weeks.  I'll also be posting hints on Twitter in case you want to chat with me and have a guess or two. ;D

This week, I thought we'd start off with a pretty classic look: The Witch.  This is for all my readers who need a look in a pinch.  Everything I'm wearing, including my makeup, I already had somewhere in my house.  Keep reading if you'd like to find out how I created this beWITCHing Halloween look!

(I'm sorry about the pun.  I had to.)

Autumn Arsenal

This week so far has finally felt like autumn on the east coast.  The weather is below 75⁰, leaves are starting to change colors, and the pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere.  The drop in temperature makes me want to switch out my bright summer makeup for the darker tones of autumn.  While rearranging my makeup bag, I noticed I was gravitating towards specific shades for my lip products.  The pinks and bright reds were replaced by dusty roses and plums that are irresistible this time of year.  Here is a list of the types of colors I'll be wearing this autumn.