Winter Snow and OOTD

It SNOWED!

I woke up this morning to a white fluffy blanket of snow.  I love snow if you couldn't tell.  I love how snow looks on the trees and the sound of it crunching under your boots.  It's like you have been transported to a magical wonderland.  I don't mind the cold as long as there is snow.

So last night one of my favorite movies came on.  Austin Powers International Man of Mystery.  This movie is hysterical.  In fact I love the first and second Austin Powers and I detest the 3rd one Goldmember.  He had to go and mess up a good thing.  I had a stressful day and I so needed to watch a funny movie.  I love when little things like that happen.  I'm glad He is watching out for me.  :-)

I tried the new hair mask last night.  I probably shouldn't have since I just used a different hair mask a couple of days ago but I was dying to see if it works.  It smells really good and it's really creamy but my hair still feels dry.  I mean my hair does feel better than it did but it could be way better.  I'm going to try it for a couple of weeks and see if my hair makes an improvement before I give up on it.  I'm debating getting some macadamia oil and putting it just on ends of my hair.  I have oily hair but only at the scalp and my ends are dry.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I will leave you with an outfit of the day.



Happy Thanksgiving!

Love Locks

A love lock is a padlock that sweethearts lock on a public bridge, fence, or gate.  The lovebirds inscribe their initials on the lock before locking it and tossing away the key.  The belief is the two lovers would be remain together unless one party found the key and unlocked the padlock. Usually the key is thrown into a river or lake so finding your key would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, literally. 

I had never heard of this or anyone doing this until recently.  Apparently this is done all over the world, one main place being Paris.  It's known for love so I would be very disappointed if it wasn't done there. 



Yep those are all love locks on that bridge. 



There are all kinds of different stories as to how the lock locks first came to be so it's safe to say no one really knows for sure.  Whoever came up with this idea bravo!  We definitely need more romance in the world today. 



If I ever get to venture to Paris, you can bet I will be taking my own love lock to add to the bridge.



*all images from Google

Eyeliner and Lip Lacquer

It has gotten really cold here.  It was 18 degrees this morning.  Let me just say that I do not like the cold unless it's snowing.  When it gets cold I just want to wear my fluffy pjs, curl up in a soft blanket, and read a good book. 

Back in reality I get to freeze my butt off going to work and once I get there that's where the real fun begins.  They either have the thermostat set at North Pole or Sahara.  Since I'm never sure what it's going to be set at I have to dress for both.  It's made for some interesting outfits.

Anyway back to the cold weather.  I hate getting out of bed in the mornings when it's cold.  Hate, hate, hate, hate it.  I was going to skip makeup today and sleep in a little longer until I remembered that I bought a new Urban Decay eyeliner in Mushroom.  I had to try it out I simply couldn't wait.  I really like it.  It's lasted all day and it went on really smoothly.  Its a little expensive for an eyeliner.  I usually get the Sephora waterproof eyeliners for $12 and they work great.  I have really oily skin and neither eyeliner smudges throughout the day and that's saying something.  For a little added help I do put a little eyelid primer under my eyes.  This helps the liner from running all over the place and any eyeshadow I put under my eyes stay put. 

There is something else I wanted to share with you guys.  A couple of weeks ago I picked up a lip lacquer by Rimmel called Show Off.


I got the color Out Of This World.  It is a pink shimmery shade.  The color is very pretty and I love the applicator.  It has a small hole in the applicator that allows more of the product to be absorbed so you don't have to re-dip.  Now it does have a scent but not a bad one and the scent goes away fairly quickly.  The product doesn't last very long on your lips, however, it does stain your lips a little so you will have some color left on your lips when the product is gone.  I find that after the product has worn off that my lips feel slightly dry and weird so I like to follow up with a lip gloss or balm. 

All in all this lip lacquer was only around $5 so it was a good deal.  I like the colors and plan on trying out a few more. Celestial is soft nude pink that looks really pretty.  That may be the next one I try. 

I hope you all have had a great Monday!

Mascara, Hair Mask, and Eyeshadow

I can't believe it's Sunday already.  The weekend just goes by way too fast.  Can't we just have a 3 day weekend?

I did some new eyeshadow looks this weekend and I wanted to share a really pretty one.



I really wish my iPhone took better pictures.  Anyway, I kept this look very light for daytime wear but I think it would be amazing to do a little darker version of this with a silver holiday dress. 



You can kinda see the colors a little better in this photo.  I used the Naked 2 palette to create this look.  I put a light amount of Verve all over my lid.  Next I took Pistol and put that in the crease and focused that on the outer corner of my eyes.  To finish it up I took a light amount of Blackout and focused that right on the outer corners of my eyes and pulled the leftover color into the crease. 

I love the Naked 2 palette.  The colors are really pigmented so you just barely have to tap your brush in the shadows.  They also blend really easily. 

I'm not wearing any mascara in the pictures above but I was in need of a new one.  I don't wear mascara every day so I find that they dry up on me very quickly and I don't get to use much product.  Because of this I don't want to spend very much on mascara but I still want a good one.  I stopped by Ulta and picked up this one.



I've heard that the L'Oreal Full Definition Voluminous Mascara is very good for the money.  I think this ran me about $8.  I tried it on as soon as I got home and it's a winner.  I have pretty thick long lashes so I just needed a mascara to define them.  So far so good. 

I also picked up a new hair mask.  I wanted to try a hair mask that had oil in it.



I picked up this one.  I've read on a few blogs that the Organix line has some really good products.  I don't think I've read a review about this hair mask so I'm going to hope that it works.  I feel like my hair is really dry at the ends and in need of a lot of moisture.  I'll try this hair mask out and let you guys know how I like it.

5 For Friday!

Time to link up with Lauren for High Five for Friday!

I know I say this every Friday, but I'm sooooo glad it's Friday.  I am a firm believer that the weekend should consist of more than 2 days.  Now that the week has past let's take a look back at the goings on.

1.  I was experimenting with my eye shadow this week and came up with this look.



I love it!  I love dramatic eyes.  If you are interested in finding out more about this look, you can go here.

2.  I got to watch one of my favorite TV series, Spartacus on Wednesday.  This series was played on Stars a few years ago.  It is very graphic so be warned if you decide to check it out.  I love history so movies and books based in ancient times are right up my alley. 

3.  My best friend stopped by for a visit yesterday.  She has been sick and we have both had a trying week so it was nice to be able to relax and have some girl time.  Everyone deserves a great friend that understands and uplifts you.  She has been my best friend for 11 years and is pretty much my sister so if you ever see me write anything about my sister you will know who I'm talking about.  :-)

4.  I got my crochet needles out this week.  I had some yarn left over from making a baby blanket a long time ago so I tried to crochet just to make sure I hadn't forgotten how.  Silly, I know but it has been at least 3 or 4 years since I made a doily so I was actually a little worried.  I'm thinking about making some scarfs for Christmas presents this year. We'll see.

5.  We got a new door!  The old door was custom built when the house was built so the opening and how it was built was odd.  It took a while Lowes a while to order the new door and make adjustments to it so it would fit.  The old door had seen better days so I'm really glad the door got put in before it gets really cold.



This isn't the door exactly, but it is very similar.


Have a great weekend!!

The Verve

Well hello there.  I hope your week is going great.  This week has not been one of my favorites so I will be very happy to see Friday roll around.

My son was not feeling well yesterday so I was home with him.  While he was in bed sleeping I decided to watch a long time favorite series of mine.  Spartacus.  I do like the original version, but I'm talking about the one that came on Stars a few years ago.  FYI this TV series, while true to Roman culture at that time, caused some controversy.  This series is very graphic...you have been warned.  I love the dimension of the characters, the storyline, and the politics.  I'm a history nut so stuff like this and Braveheart, Gladiator, 300, and Robin Hood (all of the movies even the Disney one) are right up my alley.

So anyway, I wanted to share a little eye shadow idea with the Naked 2 palette.  I absolutely love the color Verve and you can do so much with it. 


Sorry about the arrows

Verve looks great by itself, but I love to apply it over shadow.  After I apply whatever shadow I use that day I will take a small amount on either my finger or a brush and dab it right in the center of my eyes.  Verve has a light grayish shimmer, like a pearl finish if you will.  Putting that light shimmery shade on the center of your eyes will brighten your eyes and add another dimension to the look.

It's hard to explain but if you have the Naked 2 palette I suggest you try it. 

A Little Drama Please

Let's talk eye shadow.  I know I'm obsessed, but what a good obsession to have.  Lately I have been in a rut and honestly wearing makeup hasn't been a priority on my list.  This weekend I had some down time so I decided to play around with my eye shadow.



This first look I'm sure you will remember from my High Five for Friday post last week.  I am in love with the Maybelline Color Tattoo line.  The shadows are cheap and they stay on really well even without an eyelid primer. 



To get the look I did above I used the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald.  Contrary to the name it's not emerald at all...it's light green. When I first got the color I was highly disappointed so I stuck it in my makeup drawer to be forgotten about.  Fast forward to this past week.  I saw it in my makeup drawer and was determined to do something with it.

I have an Almay eye shadow palette for green eyes that has a dark sage green in it.  I put that color all over my lid and then followed on top with the edgy emerald.  I took the color Busted from my Naked 2 palette and dusted that over the outer corners of my eyes and slightly in the crease just to give it more depth. 

If you have a color that is lighter than you want, you can lay down a darker base and then layer the lighter color on top.  If I didn't have the dark sage color to use as my base I could have used a brown color or even a light gray. 

Now I have to share with you my dramatic look this weekend.  If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram then you have already seen this look.  If you don't follow me on Twitter or Instagram then you should.  ;-)



I cannot put in to words how much I love this.  I would wear this every day if I wouldn't get weird looks from people.  My fiancé has an awesome camera and he took some pictures of my eye shadow because my iPhone just doesn't do it justice.  I will try to get those pictures posted on here soon. 

To get this look I used the same shadow except I didn't use Busted to darken the look.  I wanted this look to be bright and bold.

I've found the easiest way to do dramatic looks like this is to first draw out exactly where you want the eye shadow to go.  I took the dark sage green and a small brush and made an outline of how far I wanted the eye shadow to wing out to on both the inner corner and outer corner of my eyes.  I then filled in that area with the dark sage green and then followed behind that with the edgy emerald. 

You can use an outline to do any eye shadow look really.  If you are doing a light shade, take a small liner brush and the shade you want to use and gently outline where you want the shadow to go.  This way you will be sure not to take the shadow up too far or out too far.

I hope you enjoyed my looks and I hope it inspired you to try some new colors or to do something bold with your eye shadow. 

Until next time.

H54F

It's time to link up with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday!

It seems like this week flew by.  I can't believe how close Christmas is.  Where has the year gone?

On to my five highlights of the week.

1.  I picked up this awesome nail polish. 



It is the perfect burgundy shade.  I love this deep red.  It also has staying power.  I've had this polish on for a few days and I only have 1 tiny chip.  You can find out more about this polish here.

2.  I've been experimenting with eye shadows.



 I've always been passionate about eye shadow.  You will rarely see me rocking a bright bold lip and I do mean rarely.  I love playing up my eyes.  I'd rather wear a smoky eye than a bold lip any day.  I plan on doing a blog post soon of some eye shadow experiments. 

3. 
  

 It's been really cold this week so I've really been enjoying wearing my boots.  I'm in love with those boots.  I've gotten compliments on them every time I wear them.  I could not be happier that I got them.  You can find out more info on the boots here.

4.  It's supposed to be pretty tomorrow so my sis and I are planning a hiking trip.  We both have cabin fever.  I miss summer already.  I do not enjoy the cold weather.  If it only snowed a couple of times a year and then it never got below 60 all year I'd be perfectly happy. 

5.  Danish.....Butter.....Cookies.  Need I say more? 

 

I have to get at least 3 tins of these every time they come out. 


Have a great weekend!

Nails and OOTD

I'm sorry I haven't updated you all on the events of the weekend.  I will have an upcoming blog post about the concert I went to. 

In the meantime I wanted to share my latest nail polish obsession. 



Wrapped In Rubies is my new favorite color.



It's the perfect burgundy for fall. 



I also wanted to share my outfit of the day.



Happy Tuesday!

Until next time!

High Five for Friday!

I couldn't be happier that it's Friday.  This week was a pretty sucky one so I'm not sorry to see it go.  Well it's that time again when I link up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F.

1. Last night my best friend and I went out to see a local band and have dinner.  We had an amazing time!  The band Wise Old River that played has been a long time favorite of mine.  Their songs are meaningful and honest backed by a unique voice.  Their song Chase The Night is one of my favorites.  We ate some BBQ chicken and had some rosemary and garlic mashed potatoes.  It was nice to have a night out.

2.  Before we went out to dinner I did my best friend's eye makeup.  I put pink on the lid, then I shaded it a bit with a dark brown.  It was beautiful on her. 

3. I am going to a concert tomorrow night.  You will have to read my blog on Sunday to find out what band I saw, etc.  I had to leave a cliffhanger.

4.  I love this outfit I wore yesterday.  You also get to meet my little Cricket. 



5.  Picked up the new book Hard Luck in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  My son loves this series and has been looking forward to it's release for a while now.  The look on his face when he got it was priceless.


Until next time

Whimsical Jewelry

I have been sickly for the past few days so I haven't been able to write on my blog.  I have honestly been too exhausted.  I'm starting to feel a little better so hopefully it will pass soon.

Now on to the important stuff.

Last summer I attended a local festival.  This festival is pretty much focused on homemade/handmade things.  I absolutely love going to festivals.  They always have great food (funnel cake)  and really unique things.  While we were browsing all the booths I spotted a booth that had paintings of Mona Lisa and a Greek Goddess but on these paintings a real necklace and earrings were added.  It added a different element seeing a necklace around Mona Lisa's neck.  I wish I had taken a picture and I could have sworn that I did but I can't find it on my phone.  Who knows?

Anyway, this lady makes the most romantic, whimsical jewelry. 



I instantly fell in love.  All the pieces are handmade and each one unique. I picked up the necklace in the picture above while I was there.  I also spotted a necklace and earring set that I wanted but I didn't get it.  I went home and thought about that necklace and I gave in.  I drove back to the festival the next day and bought it.



See why I had to have it?  It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.  I have a small frame so it's rare that I can find a necklace that falls exactly where I want it to.  Honestly the picture doesn't do it justice. 

Artist Lisa Schwartz makes all of the jewelry.  She makes necklaces, earrings, pins, hair clips, and some home décor.  All of her pieces are gorgeous and they come with a warranty.  I think her prices are really good considering the time, effort, and skill it takes to make this jewelry. 

This is the next set I'd like to have.



Isn't that beautiful?

If you like whimsical jewelry, you have to check out Icis Collection her website.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed. 

Until next time

Look for Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone!

Let me start off by saying I didn't have time this weekend to recreate my Cleopatra eye shadow look I did last week... I'm sorry.  I will try to do that this week and post it for you guys.  In the meantime I did a very cool everyday look with my Naked 2 palette.  I know, I know I'm obsessed with it.  I haven't strayed to any other eye shadows since I've gotten it.  There is just so much you can do with it.

For the look today I used the colors Chopper and Snakebite.


I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures

I used Chopper all over the lid and then used Snakebite in the crease.


The color is much darker in person

I highlighted my brow bone and the inner corner of my eyes with Bootycall.




I apologize for the horrible lighting in the pictures.  If you look closely, you can see my two little munchkins over my shoulder.  :-)

I hope you enjoyed my look today and you have a great rest of the weekend!


Until next time!

Nail Polish Rediscovery

I always have to have my nails painted.  I think my hands look funny if my nails are not painted.  Is that weird?

Anyway, I have been obsessed with Urban Decay's nail polish Addiction and have been painting my nails that color for a good solid month...maybe longer.  I usually paint my nails a different color every week.  I like to keep it interesting. 

Saturday is usually my nail painting day so today I was wanting to change it up.  I was looking through my nail polishes and I saw this pretty blue.



 Now, I have had this nail polish for a very long time....so long that they don't make the color anymore.  When I first bought this polish years ago it was really crappy.  The polish would never dry completely so you could peel it right off.  I absolutely loved the frosted blue color so I never threw it away.  I'm glad I didn't because I guess letting it sit for years.....yes years....it changed the formula somehow and now it works great.


The brand is Pure Ice and the color is called Frosted Hydrangea.  They are really cheap and you can get them at Wal-Mart or online.  I tired to find a similar color to link for you but I couldn't really find one.  Essie has some metallic blue polishes that would be very close I think.  It's hard to tell from just looking at the bottles on the internet.  I like to swatch the polishes just so I can get a good idea of the color and the consistency.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Until next time!

High Five For Friday

Holy crap!  It's November?!  How did that happen so fast?  I mean, wasn't it just the first of October?  I need to do some Christmas shopping ASAP.  I tell myself every year that I'm going to start my Christmas shopping in the spring and every year I scramble at the very last moment to get everything done. 

It's Friday!  Woohoo!  Finally!  I'm soooooo very glad it's Friday.  Time for the High Five for Friday. 

1.  Halloween!  I love Halloween.  I love getting dressed up.  My son made his costume this year.  He did an amazing job.  He got so many compliments and a ton of candy.

2.  I finally bought some boots!  I have worn them almost every day this week. 



For more info on the boots you can go to this post.

3.  I took Cody, my son, to his best friend's birthday party.  All the kids had awesome time and I believe he got everything he wanted for his birthday.  These kids are growing up way too fast. 

4.  I channeled some Cleopatra yesterday.  I did some awesome eye makeup using only my UD Naked 2 palette.  I forgot to take a picture of it, but I will recreate it this weekend and post a picture.

5.  The leaves on almost all the trees are changing colors.  Our burning bushes are beautiful this year.  I love the colors of fall. 





Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!


Until next time!