{Beauty Tuesday} Happy Holidays! Part 2

This week technically isn't really part of the holiday season as there are no actual holidays occurring. There are parties to be had nonetheless! Looking over this set of styles, I realize I must have been in the mood for something a little edgier than usual. For those who don't roll that way, it's all good! You're more than welcome to skip down to the wellness portion of today's post. For those who do, however, please don't be shy.

{GRAPHIC DESIGNER}

My fashion-oriented friends will likely recognize this look from Anna Sui's runway, invented by the illustrious Pat McGrath. As long as you keep your complexion clean and even, graphic liner is bold without being overdone. 

A matte eyeshadow primer is necessary when doing something so precise, so be sure you don't skip that step. Once the primer has set, fill in the entire lid with a turquoise pencil liner. Trace the liner out past the edge of your eyes to make a wing, then full it in with the same liner. Slightly dampen a fluffy eyeshadow brush and load it with cobalt blue shadow. Beginning in the center of the lid, press (not brush) the shadow directly atop the liner. Use an eyeliner brush dipped in shadow to draw a clean line around the edges and fill in any empty spaces. Using either the turquoise or cobalt shade, make a small dot in the center of the lower lid just below the lashline. Apply two coats of curling mascara to the upper lashes only, and either leave your lips bare or wear one layer of clear or light pink lip balm.

 

{METAL MOUTH}

Okay, I know a dark lip can be incredibly intimidating to pull off. This idea is not necessarily for the faint of heart or a Sunday brunch. But those with guts looking for intrigue should try it out.

Be sure your lips are free of any cracks or flakes; a strong lip color will magnify them in very unattractive ways. Use a lip brush to pick up equal parts clear lip gloss and gunmetal-hued eyeshadow and apply to lips. You'll need to repeat this plenty of times in order to fill in the entire lip. Be sure to get even depth throughout the surface of the lip, or you'll just end up looking like a zombie. Dust with a translucent powder, line eyes with an eyeliner brush dipped in black powder shadow, and finish with a coat of black mascara.

P.S. If you like the idea of a grey lip color, but don't think such a deep shade will work for you, kick it back a notch with a sparkly grey-toned gloss, like Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Perversion.

{DARK CHOCOLATE}

No, we are not channeling Kim Kardashian. But thanks for asking.

Pat an eye primer onto the entire lid, covering up to the browbone and below the lower lashline. Brush bright gold shadow into the inner corners and blend onto upper and lower lashlines. With a slightly dampened brush, pat medium-deep reddish brown shadow onto lids up to the crease, then dry your brush and blend the same shade into the crease and along the outer third of the lower lashline. Blend a dark, rich brown shadow directly into the crease and feather it outward with a dry fluffy brush, then dip an eyeliner brush into the same shadow and use it to line your upper lashes. Highlight along the browbone and give your eyelashes a hearty dose of mascara. Blend a matte bronzer into the hollows of your cheeks. On the lips I tapped on a tiny little dab of concealer and covered with a clear gloss.

This week, I've made a few healthy decisions. That's always empowering. If you're not busy tugging on that spandex bodysuit to do your daily Buns and Thighs of Steel, here are some quick ways to improve your everyday quality of life.

1. Go to the gym already! Just get up in the morning and do it. I find that taking a group fitness class is the easiest way to get a real workout and stay motivated. You are much more likely to give up or not push yourself if you exercise alone. If you feel self-conscious, ignore your classmates. It's likely they're one of two things: a) feeling the exact same way, in which case who gives a baby rat's bum? or b) actually there to focus on exercising, in which case they're not paying any attention to you anyway. And if someone is in the class just to smirk at those less capable, well, they shouldn't be there at all. Don't mind those folks.

2. Cut back on dining out. We all know that restaurant portions are often considerably larger than healthy portion sizes. When you do eat out, ask for a small box before you begin eating and stow half your meal so you aren't as tempted to clean your plate.

3. Try this: Sit on the floor with legs straight in front of you and parallel to the wall, one hip touching the wall. In one movement, swing your legs up so your heels rest on the wall, your knees are slightly bent, and you're lying on your back. Close your eyes and stay there for 5-10 minutes. When you (slowly) bring your legs back down and stand up, you'll feel more energized as well as relaxed.

4. Switch out ice cream for frozen yogurt. It's just as delicious and significantly better for you.

5. Make breakfast the most important meal of the day. This one is a little rough for me, but I can testify that I notice a dramatic difference in my eating habits throughout the day based on if, when, and what I eat for breakfast. First things first: rise at a reasonable time. Three o' clock in the afternoon is not reasonable. Eat within the first hour that you are awake, even if you go exercising to start your day (start with a clementine if you need to, but ingest something). Scrambled egg whites, whole wheat toast, a fruit smoothie, or a bowl of oatmeal (try Maple & Brown Sugar flavored packets of oatmeal rather than adding a cup of brown sugar to plain oatmeal) will do you a world of good. As always, remember to drink plenty of water from the beginning right down to the end of your day.

Happy weekending! 

{Thoughtful Thursday} Giving Thanks

While I boundlessly admire those who took the time to come up with a brand new item to be grateful for each day of the month leading up to this divine occasion, I admit to being less than pleased with my lack of the focus required to defeat such a task. However, my young life is positively replete with thank-worthy blessings that feign a desire for expression. So, since I've missed the past three weeks' worth of gratitude, I'll sum it all up for you in one pretty little package:

{one}

Oscar the Oreo Wilson; a.k.a. Oscar de la Renta/Baby Dog/Otis

{two}

moisturizing lip gloss

{three}

really, really big hugs

{four}

adorable great-grandparents

{five}

chance encounters with attractive strangers

{six}

the freedoms afforded me by the great nation in which I live

{seven}

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

{eight} & {nine}

my beautiful mother and handsome father for passing on the genes...?

{ten}

Brittnie Felix

{eleven}

a roof above my head and a pillow beneath it

{twelve}

the miracles of modern technology

{thirteen}

giant hair bows

{fourteen}

the ocean

{fifteen}

my hard-earned sense of humor

{sixteen}

obscure excuses to do weird things

{seventeen}

the ecstatic month of sparkling anticipation between Thanksgiving and Christmas

{eighteen}

legs to run, hands to hold, a mind to think, lips to kiss

{nineteen}

my darling cousins

{twenty}
my 4 grandmas, 4 grandpas, 2 mamas, 2 papas, 7 brothers, 5 sisters, 2 nephews, 2 nieces, and countless extended relatives (yes, we're a blended family)

{twenty-one}
b e a u t y

{twenty-two}
the good young men in dorm 304, for sharing their home and their friendship with me 5 out of 7 evenings a week

Remember, it's never a bad time to say thank you. This joyous holiday gives us a reason to do so without really going out of our own way, but make a conscious effort this approaching year to give thanks at all times. I've been told it takes seven occurrences of thanking someone to really get your point across, and so often we don't even do it once! This will undoubtedly be a challenge for me; I look forward to reporting the assuredly astounding results. Keep checking back in for updates as I work on my thanksgiving skills.

Happy Black Friday (and good luck)!

{Beauty Tuesday} Happy Holidays! Part 1

With the holiday season beginning this Thanksgiving, you'll be partying like it's 1999 for the next month and a half. Though there are perks to being a wallflower, it sure wouldn't hurt to turn a few heads. Here's the first installment in a delightful series of Holiday Beauty Tuesdays. Enjoy!

{STRYKER}

It's totally cool to stir up the pot with a little drama. But please, put the claws away and make three new friends instead. That will be one choice you can't regret.

Keep skin even and clear (abstain from blush for today), rub a light layer of balm into lips, and dab a flesh-toned eyeshadow primer on upper lids. Highlight the inner corner with a vanilla-hued shimmer and accentuate the crease with dark taupe shadow. Use black liquid eyeliner to line upper lids, starting with a thin line at the inner corners and thickening the line as you move toward the outer corner, then winging the tip out past your eyelid toward the tip of your ear. Follow with two generous coats of mascara. On the lips, begin with a coat of brown-red lipstick, blot, reapply the same shade, blot again, spot a brighter red shade in the center of lips, blot once more, then add a light layer of violet lipstick on the top.

{ONCE IN A BLUE MOON}

An evening event - especially if you're bringing a date - calls for a pair of smoldering eyes. Shady blue hues liven up a classic smoky eye; just don't wear a denim shirt for the actual affair. 

Begin with a slightly shimmery eyeshadow primer. Once the primer has set, apply a seafoam green to the entire lid just past the crease. Smudge the same shade onto the lower lash line. Apply a navy-hued shadow to the outer corner, blend into the crease, and wing out no further than the tip of your eyebrow. Highlight underneath the eyebrow and in the inner corner of the eye with a green- or yellow-tinted white shade, fill in the water line with a soft black pencil liner, and finish with mascara. 

 

{HIGHLIGHT OF THE EVENING}

For a low-key family dinner, all you need is a little glow to keep Granny from questioning your life decisions. 
 Use a highlighter or white shimmer eyeshadow all over the eyelid, along the bridge of the nose, above cheekbones, and mixed with a dab of petroleum jelly on lips. Dust a small amount of bronzer below cheekbones and along the jaw to show off your bone structure, and cover your complexion with a light layer of translucent powder. Finish the look with a modest stripe of black or brown pencil eyeliner and one coat of mascara.

 

{PINK LADY}

Adding a vibrant wash of sheer pink lets you be the life of the party without distracting too terribly much from your riveting conversations. 

Begin with a matte eyeshadow primer. Allow primer to set, then dust a lavender powder over the entire lid, ending just below the brow bone. Blend bright fuchsia into the crease and onto the lower lash line, dark violet on the outer corners, and baby pink into inner corners. Dampen the tip of an angled eyeliner brush, dip it into the fuchsia shade, and line upper and lower lashes. Top it off with mascara and a pinkish-peach lip gloss and you're good to go.

Now, if you're in my position, the bottomless array of mouthwatering delicacies looming ahead is an absolutely inevitable temptation. While I'll always be enlisted to assist in the cooking, I'll never be in charge of the entire menu and evil dishes are forever lurking, spying on my hips with gluttonous greed. My only defense is a little something we civil folks like to call self control. That is indeed a rough skill for me to maintain, but if I can do it, you most certainly can join me. So, let's work as a team here and lay down some guidelines.

1. Be grateful. Okay, this doesn't have a whole lot to do with how much you eat. But as you partake, spare a moment to reflect on the immense blessing it is to have what is set before you. So often we forget to truly give thanks on Thanksgiving - vow to yourself to go above and beyond this year!

2. Start with the basics. Small portions of many different dishes fill up your plate unbelievably fast. Make room for a generous helping of green salad and/or steamed vegetables, a palm-sized slab of white meat turkey, 1 tablespoon gravy,1/4 cup mashed potatoes, 2 tablespoons of stuffing, one roll, 2 teaspoons of cranberry jelly and butter, 1/4 cup candied yams or sweet potatoes, and, of course, a dollop of that weird Jell-O stocked full of carrots and celery and walnuts and probably bits of the kitchen sink, too.

3. Munch slooooowlyyyyy. Forget all the statistics and research that say this is a good habit. They're just going to make you feel guilty. The truth is that this act makes it so much easier to pace yourself and stop when you are full than when you're just shoveling the table down your throat. By taking it slow, you'll avoid feeling like a porker and instead keep your head above water. Remember to save room for dessert!

4. Take a breather. It's not only important to come up for air when dawdling under the mistletoe; one should always give his belly a plentiful rest between supper and dessert. Allow your body to start metabolizing before immediately overloading it with more treats.

5. Have courage to make the hard choices. I don't know about your family, but my relatives do not ever settle on just one pumpkin pie for dessert. Cookies. Apple pie. Ice cream. Cherry pie. Cupcakes. French silk pie. Diabetes. Banana cream pie. Et cetera. If you have a successful one-track mind, pick one item and glob on the whipped cream. If you prefer to mix and match your future hospital visits, serve yourself pieces of different tidbits so small they would make you look like one of those horrible food prudes if they were served individually. Seriously, nobody can relax around a person whose most capacious indulgence is a teaspoon of hummus. Again, eat your dessert with patience and let your tummy fill up on its own time.

6. Sleep! Really, it's okay! Whether the turkey makes you drowsy or not, getting a good night's sleep after a big meal lets your body recharge and replenish. You don't have to make any promises to me, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it's in your best interest to exercise the following day. One of my classmate's family traditions is to run a 5K the next morning! I'll just kick it off with a couple crunches. Or so.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{Beauty Tuesday} Nailed It

I shall never profess to be a hand model of any sort, but household craft supplies lent me a spark of creativity and I concocted this precious idea to shake up a boring old DIY manicure. Look at me, being innovative.

Start off with clean, filed-down nails. Apply one layer of base coat to each nail.

Paint on one coat of matte black or dark grey. Wait at least half an hour for it to dry (this is where outdated Disney movies come in handy) and then apply another coat of the same shade. I personally like to wait for a day so I know my nails are completely dry, but the incredibly impatient are welcome to just sit still for another half hour or so.

Find some cute little stickers in the junk drawer, preferably with an interesting edge. Flowers like these aren't too complex a pattern, so they're easy to use.

Lightly place the stickers over the [completely dry!] coat of black polish and press down the edges to prevent creating a lip with the next layer. Paint a neon, metallic, or pastel shade atop the whole nail, painting over the stickers as well. Allow this coat to dry completely, then use tweezers to slowly peel off the stickers.

Finish up with a layer of clear top coat and allow this layer to dry. Now, go show off your cool hands.

Most days I have a rough time deciding what to make for lunch. Therefore, many of those days I give up and forgo the daytime meal. This, my dears, is a poor choice. I would advise you to learn from my mistakes and act in the opposite manner. Eat lunch. If you're like me in that you suffer from midday apathy, here's a manageable sandwich that won't cost you $45 or any of that hard-earned muscle tone.

Stuff a halved, split pita or flat bread with the following:
2 slices thinly sliced roast beef, turkey, or chicken
A leaf of lettuce
A halved slice of provolone or swiss cheese
1/4 cup broccoli slaw
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 tablespoon reduced-fat ranch dressing

Pair with a handful of cracker chips and a tall glass of ice water, and don't forget to raise that perfectly manicured pinky.

Happy painting! 

{Soulful Sunday} Mumford & Sons

Is it wrong to be puzzled when you find out someone has actually never heard of Mumford & Sons? I hope not, because I was downright confounded upon such a discovery. As with my beloved Coldplay, there isn't a Mumford verse or refrain I can dismiss as mediocrity. The release of their latest album, Babel, was a long time coming and such a glorious occasion indeed. Truthfully, I will concede that though this music holds universal appeal in some aspect or another, not everyone is going to fall head over heels. However, I encourage you adamantly to give them a try! Listen to the words, too; these guys have stunning lyricism to spare.

Happy aspiring!

{Beauty Tuesday} Birds of a Feather

In lieu of a regular Beauty Tuesday, I thought it would be appropriate to detail the inner workings of my fancy schmancy Halloween costume (that's why this post is a little late). Several weeks ago I gaped at a pair of feathered eyelashes on display at work, quipped to a manager about how ridiculous they were and how impossible they would be to wear, walked by them often, allowed them to grow on me, aaand bought them a week later. Yes, I am easily swayed in some walks of life. Apart from my inner impulse-buyer instincts, I wanted to take on the challenge and make something great. Thus, I give you my rendition of a bird.

Start with an even, pale complexion. I mixed white cream eyeshadow in with my concealer and foundation to get as pale as possible while leaving out the potential for being mistaken as a ghost.

Dust turquoise blue shadow in the inner corners and halfway across the lid, extending the color through eyebrows and blending onto the forehead.

Cover the rest of the eyelid in lavender shadow.

Fill in the crease with a deep violet shade and wing out past the eyebrows.  Make sure to blend it a little so the line isn't too harsh.

Dip an eyeliner brush into darker hues of blue, indigo, and purple and draw lines directed outward from the center of the eyelid. Extend the lines through and past the eyebrow.

Take a slightly lighter shade of turquoise than the first you used and blend it down the sides of the nose to shape the bridge. Make subtle "nostrils" with a deeper blue shadow.

Use an angled face brush to apply a deep purple-brown blush just below the cheekbones and along the jawline.

Apply false eyelashes.
*Tip: Use a decent amount of eyelash adhesive and let it sit for about a minute before tacking with your finger and pressing onto the lash line. Use tweezers to make sure you get it in the right place.

Happy wingin' it!