The Definition of Beauty: Shoe styles

"I like Cinderella, I really do. She has a good work ethic. I appreciate a good, hard-working gal. And she likes shoes. The fairy tale is all about the shoe at the end, and I'm a big shoe girl."
~Amy Adams

When you are looking for a certain type of shoes sometimes just calling it a high-heel will not cut it. However there are so many different names for shoes that it can be pretty confusing. SO I did my research and here are some of those confusing terms defined!

Mule

A mule is a shoe that has no fastenings around the back, basically backless, and is usually closed-toe

Stiletto

Refers to a heel that is very thin and high. 

Pump (Court Shoes)

Typically a high-heeled slip on shoe.

Sling back

A shoes that is backless and has a strap that fastens at the back of the foot around the heel or ankle

Ankle strap

Similar to a sling back except the strap must cross around the front of the foot as well as the back.

Espadrille

Casual shoes usually made of canvas on top and typically with a sole that is flexible and looks to be made of rows of rope or think twine.

Wedge

Refers to a heel that does not have a separated heel but has a platform under all parts of the shoe

Platform

Refers to the wedge of material found under the toe or heel regions. Modern shoes use platforms under the toe to make the appearance of super high heels without creating too steep of an angle for your foot. 

Clog

These are historically made of wood but modern clogs can be made of anything. They are similar to a mule except that back has a slight lip and is not totally backless. There is a high-heel version without the lip but still maintains the basic shape. 

Kitten heel

Kitten heels are shoes with very short heels, typically about 1.5 inches high.

 Ballet flat

A ballet flat has little to no heel and exposes much of the instep and has a short vamp, which is the part where the toe is

 Mary Jane

 A closed toe shows that has a strap across the instep. It originally had low to no heel but more modern versions can have large heels.

T-strap

A shoes that has a two straps across the foot in a t shape. One starting at the toe region and coming up and the other going across the foot.

 

Whew there are lots of different types of shoes!!! I hope this can clear up some confusion!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren


pictures from here,
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The Definiton of Beauty: Colors

"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. "
~Marcus Aurelius

I am super excited about a new series I am starting called The Definition of Beauty. My goal is to make this series like a beauty and fashion encyclopedia. I will try to define lots of different aspects of beauty and fashion. The topic I am tackling today is colors! With pastels and neons being on trend right now I feel like we are all being exposed to new and different colors. Not sure what to call some of these new colors? Allow me to help

Chartreuse is a super hot color right now. It is a super bright neon yellowish green. I really like this color because it looks much better on many skin tones than a neon yellow would.

Magenta is a color that I feel like people are familiar with until they see the word on paper. For some reason the spelling seems to throw people off. Regardless it is a beautiful deep bright pink color.

Mauve is a hot color right now because it fits so nicely into the pastel trend. One caution on this color is that if it is not styled correctly it can look a little bit dated. Also be aware of your coloring because this color can wash people out BAD!

Lavender is a color that most people are familiar with. So why did I include it? Because most people confuse lavender, mauve, and lilac. Mauve is the light purple with gray in it, lavender has blue in it and lilac has pink in it.

Lilac is the last of the confused colors. I really really like lilac for this season because it is in the pastel trend but because it has so much pink it, it will bring out your tan, which is ideal!

Kelly Green and Hunter Green are both colors that are often just called green. This is kelly green and one of my absolute favorite colors to wear. It is both vibrant but somehow soft at the same time!

This is Hunter Green. See it is so pretty that is definitely needs its own name! This is not just 'green'.

Blush is a color that is really big in the wedding world right now. People are opting for the slightly pink hue instead of white or off white. Some people are opposed to wedding dresses that are not white.... I would not be one of those people.

Cerulean is pretty much the coolest name for a color ever. Just saying the word sounds pretty in your mouth. The color itself is absolutely beautiful. I love this color. It is not quite a neon but you could probably fake the trend with this color!

Ecru is a color that I feel like you never hear about unless it is in a movie when someone is being made fun of when they are debating between ecru, eggshell, and cream and what they are holding all looks exactly the same. HOWEVER ecru is a real color and it is distinct and honestly quite lovely.

Ok those are my definitions of colors! Be on the look out for my next Definition of Beauty post about show styles!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

My Nyx Lipstick Collection!

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."
~Judy Garland

I started making the venture into lipstick about a year ago. I had tried to wear lipstick lots and lots of times but it scared me and I always felt like it looked so messy and uneven. Well after years of only wearing lip glosses and stains I gave it one more try. I am now addicted to lipstick. I wear it every single day. The key for me was finding the right colors. If you are not careful and you are buying drugstore lipsticks you can sometimes end up buying colors that are a little bit mature and don't follow the trends. I do acknowledge that some brands like Revlon have some really great colors, but for me I had to discover Nyx lipstick before I could truly appreciate the stuff. Nyx lipstick is very creamy and pigmented and the colors are fun and young. Also I can wear it all day long without it irritating my lips so if you have sensitive skin like me, you should be safe. Nyx lipstick is also super affordable it is about three dollars a tube!

I have several different colors so I thought I would just give you the run down of what I like and what I don't!

I'm going to list these in order of my favorites to my least favorites!

My ultimate favorite color is Watermelon. It is a very pretty orangey pink color. Watermelon is a misleading name because you expect it to be really dark and red. It has more gold and orange in the pink than it does red. It wears really nicely with some shine but not any glitter or shimmer.

My next favorite is called Paris. It is a dark pink that wishes it was a mauve, but it is too pink. This is a matte color so it wears very demurely. It is not a neutral color but it is mute enough to be an everyday color.

The next color is called Rose Bud. This is almost the color of my lips but has a pretty gold shine to it. Very pretty and very discreet. This would be a good neutral for people with yellow in their skin or with beige skin.

Jupiter is very similar to Rose Bud. It is the same natural lip color but it has blue undertones to it. It also has a good bit of silver shimmer in, not overwhelming but pretty sparkly.

I'm a little torn about the next color. This color is called Strawberry Milk and it is true to its name. It is a matter color that is highly pigmented. Straight up milky baby pink. I LOVE THIS COLOR. I have seen other people wear it and they look amazing. I look crazy when I have tried so far.This color is definitely better for people with pail skin, however I am not going to stop trying to wear it yet!

All of the lipsticks besides this one are just Nyx's run of the mill "lip smacking fun colors" lipstick. This one is from their Diamond Sparkle Lipstick line. The color is called Sparkling 24 Karat but I don't like that name. The color has some pink and brown it but mostly it just has sparkle. I fond this color a little bit hard to wear because it is sooooo sparkly. I do like it as a top coat on top of another color. 

The next color is called Iris. It is beige with some pink in it and some iridescence. I find this color very hard to wear. It is very very pale so I have to be careful to not let it wash me out. I can make it work with a pink gloss over it. 

I have a love hate relationship with next color just like strawberry milk. This color is called Gardenia and it is a bright deep pink. It is a very very deep magenta in the tube, but because it has some blue undertones when you put it on your lips it looks more like hot pink. I really want it to be the deep magenta I see in the tube but when it actually goes on my face it is a different color. I do like the color is applies as but I just want the other color. I feel like I have been duped.

The next color is called Nyx. I thought since it was named after the line it would be special. I bought it in the autumn when I was looking for an orangey pink.... Well this is just orange. Seriously this is just orange. I look ridiculous when I put this on and I have not successfully worn this color in public....yet.

My least favorite color that I have purchased is called Margarita. This is the most barbie bright pink ever. You would think this would make me love it.... no I do not. It applies this weird super bright iridescent color and it looks like Halloween makeup. It is just too bright. I admire anyone who can make this color work.

Ok that is my Nyx Lipstick collection! Go out and find your favorite!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

March showers bring April flowers...?

"Earth laughs in flowers."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

So I am really digging all the pastel colors that are in this season. I have blonde hair, brown eyes, and beige skin.... perfectly bland and also a perfect canvas for color. Pastels are fun because they are easier to mix together than more bold colors. In honor of the pastel colors popping up like daisies all over the place I did a manicure that played with the theme!

To get this look I used one coat of my ORLY color Snowcone. I really love that color because it has such good coverage and it is such a bright pretty color! I then did one coat with my favorite top coat by Beauty Secrets. I get this polish at Sally's Beauty Supply. It is my all time favorite and the only one I even bother to use these days. My favorite one is the blue one, which is formulated for fast drying, but all the different colors are awesome. I then used my Bundle Monster plate in the number BM12 and my Wet n Wild polish in French White Creme. I then finished it off with another coat of top coat making sure to concentrate it at the ends to seal the color in and prevent chipping! I love the effect I got.

How are you gonna rock the pastel trend!?!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren 

Pictures from here here and here 

Pin a rose on your nose!

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. "
~Audrey Hepburn

The next product I am going to review is Smith's Rosebud Salve.

I had heard some people talking about this salve so when I saw it in Sephora I knew it was a sign that I needed this product. It comes in a really old-timey tin that reminds me of something you would see in like an old western general store or something. It is pretty cute though. 

The little container tells you that this product has a multitude of uses: chapped lips and skin, diaper rash, blemishes, detergent burns and rough cuticles. The only thing I actually use it for is my lips (and what the heck is a detergent burn.....?!?). I think they put all of those uses on there so they can call it a salve. I guess that is fancier than just lip balm. However since it was originally formulated in 1892 maybe they know something I don't. 

Regardless of all that, this is a superb lip balm.I use it every night before I go to bed and when I wake up my lips are perfectly conditioned. It stays on for a long time and it feels so good. I have said about a billion times how picky I am about what I put on my lips because they are so sensitive, but this did not irritate my lips at all. On top of all that I am completely in love with the way it smells. It definitely smells like roses but it is a little sweeter and less flowery than most rose scents. It is not so in your face that you can walk around smelling the stuff on your lips all day. In the pot it has a nice pink color but on your lips it ends up colorless.

All in all a very very good lip balm. It will run you about seven dollars at Sephora. Cccheck it out.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

picture from here

I got pink chiffon on!!!!

"Beauty is truth - truth, beauty - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

~John Keats

Hi my name is Lauren and I am a Bath & Body Works addict.

. . . No but seriously I pretty much am. I have enough body spray to fill a kiddie pool. So of coarse when Bath & Body Works or BBW as the cool kids call it, put out their new Pink Chiffon scent, I knew that I must get my hands on it. 

Over Spring Break I was finally able to purchase some Pink Chiffon and I could not be more excited about it. The description BBW gives is "a light-as-air pairing of pink petals and vanilla chiffon icing". I really love this scent and that description is dead on. However they are not kidding when they say light-as-air. This scent is waaaaay lighter than what I am used to, but I love it so I am trying out this subtlety thing.

I actually ended up purchasing one of the sets in this scent. I almost always will buy sets just because they are always such a good deal. If I am going to buy a scent I think I will wear all year round I will buy the perfume instead of the body spray. My experience has been that the formulation of the perfume is just better and it stays on much longer. However BBW has just reformulated their body sprays to be more concentrated and stay longer so I may change my opinion when I try out the new formula. The full size bottle of perfume is around $40 but when it is in a set it is a slightly smaller bottle for a much more reasonable price.

The set I ended up buying it called the Mini Pink Chiffon gift set. It came with a perfume and a small body lotion. I really like the little lotions because they are the perfect size to put in my purse. I love the perfume and the lotion but I AODRE the packaging. The set came in the cutest little round box with polka dots all over it and a little pink bow on top. I now use the little box on my counter to hold my q-tips. All of the sets for Pink Chiffon were in the most adorable girly packaging.

If you are looking for a new sweet scent, check out Pink Chiffon!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Dare to Dream

"A person starts dying when they stop dreaming."
~Brian Williams

Another product in my spring break reviews is Maybelline's Dream Bouncy Blush. There has been so much hype about this blush. I read up a lot on this product when it first came out and I couldn't decide whether people as a whole hated it or loved it. The reviews ranged from best product ever to the worst product ever. This honestly just made me want to try it even more to see who was right.

The shade I purchased is called Pink Frosting. It is a really pretty pink color that I thought would be perfect for spring. The whole gimmick of the blush is the texture. When you touch it you can compress it and it bounces back. It reminds me of those stress reliever ball things that are balloons filled with flour. It is a really strange texture but the finish is very similar to a whipped blush or mousse blush. On the back Maybelline describes it by saying, "feels lightweight like a powder, yet melts into skin like a cream". I would say this is pretty accurate.

I was not blown away by this product. It is a fun concept and the color is pretty, but I generally don't like cream blushes.... and that is all this really is. The color is really pretty but it is really pigmented. I prefer blushes where you build up coverage because I feel like you have more control. The bouncy is part is honestly sort of irrelevant to me. I find myself agreeing with the class of people complaining about the hype. It may feel cool in the container but its not like it jumps up and down on your face or something. The color is nice and the finish is nice but I wont be repurchasing and I can't say that I recommend it. Not terrible but not great either. Perfectly ehhh.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Picture from here

Purple Shampoo!?!

"Beauty is a fragile gift." 
~ Ovid

 Purple Shampoo seems to be trending right now in several of the beauty blogs, so I thought I would try it out and see what all the fuss is about.


For those of you that do not know what purple shampoo is(which used to be me), basically it is a toning shampoo for light hair. It uses the color wheel logic to counteract brassiness.  So if you have gray hair or blonde hair that gets sort of a yellowish tint to either from chlorine or other products you use, this shampoo will take that away. Now I am a blonde and while I do not color my hair, I will use Sun-in from time to time to reinforce the highlights I get naturally in the summer. This means that I have pretty much like a million different colors of blonde in my hair, ranging from platinum to almost brown. I do notice a lot of brassiness in my hair especially when I am at school. I think the water at school might have something in it that boosts the brassiness. Now you can use just a regular clarifying shampoo to strip and product build up off your hair, and if you have darker hair this is a good option for you to get really clean shiny hair that is not weighed down. However since everywhere I looked I was hearing about purple shampoos I thought I would try it out.

The one that I bought is called Sterling Silver Toning Shampoo by AG Hair Cosmetics. Just as a caution this product is pricey. I bought the little bottle which is 8 ounces and it put me back $14.00 but the regular bottle is 33.8 ounces and $36.00. I did look and you can get is much cheaper on Amazon. There are several different varieties of purple shampoo, don't be scared if it says for gray hair or bleached hair; you can still use this type of shampoo if you have naturally blonde hair like me. What you are looking for in a purple shampoo is a really dark purple color, the darker the better, and for it to say it contains no coloring elements to further make your hair blonder. John Freida also makes a purple shampoo that is much more affordable but it is not as deep purple as the AG one and that is why I chose the one that I did.


I was super excited about this shampoo and I was not disappointed. Honestly though at first I was terrified of the dark purple color because I knew that the whole point was to leave some purple to counteract the yellow. I pretty much thought I would come out with lavender hair like Katy Perry, who I love, but I don't want purple hair, I want blonde, that's the whole point. Luckily I do not have Easter egg hair, a plus in my book. It smells great, sorta like coconut, and it lathers very well. It is a little drying which I knew is characteristic of this type of shampoo so I did compensate by leaving my conditioner in longer. I first noticed the effects when I took my hair out of my towel. My hair was in little tiny ringlets and I was horrified. I have curly hair that I straighten everyday and over time is has straightened out a lot. Since this shampoo has some clarifying properties it made my hair curl right back up. Not ideal but that is not the shampoo's fault, I blame it on my mother. After I blow-dried my hair all the curliness went away. My hair was very clean and more shiny than usual. I didn't really notice much difference after the first wash. But after about 3 washes I started to notice some difference in my color. The brassiness was definitely gone and there was a more distinct contrast between my natural highlights and low lights. All in all I am now OBSESSED with this shampoo. I don't use it everyday because it is so expensive, but I have noticed I can maintain it's effects with only using it twice a week.


If you are noticing any brassiness in your blonde I ABSOLUTELY recommend this product

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,
Lauren

picture from here

ooh Baby love my baby love

"I don't like standard beauty - there is no beauty without strangeness."

 ~Karl Lagerfeld

The next product I am going to review from my Spring Break Shopping Spree is the Baby Lips lip balm from Maybelline. I really do like this product, however it is not at all what I expected.

Here are some things you should know. First of all these lip balms are actually quite pigmented. When I saw these on another blog, the girl had bought the blue one which is actually clear. A fact I was unaware of. I of coarse bought the pink once called Pink Punch. The packaging is hot pink and so is the balm... and so is the tint it leaves on your lips. I had no idea it left a color so I put it on really thick without even thinking and without looking in a mirror. When I got home I was a little horrified at the bright pink smear all over my face. If what you want is a moisturizing lip balm like a chap-stick go for the clear one in the blue tube because this product does feel really nice on your lips. I actually really do like my pink because after playing with it, I was able to put the right amount on to have just a pretty wash of pink. I put a swatch below so you can see the color. It does actually show up a little darker on your lips.

All in all I do like this product. I don't know if I am going to repurchase it just because I am more of a gloss girl. However I wearing it today and it does stay in my purse!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Top picture from here

It might even be greased lightening!!!!!

Frenchy: Doody, how do I look?
Doody : Like a beautiful blonde pineapple! 

~ Grease

So over Spring Break I purchased several new products that I absolutely love. Over the next few blog posts I will be reviewing them!!!

The first product that I bought was the Clean and Clear Mattifying Moisturizer. I bought this product because I needed a moisturizer and I saw this one on sale and just thought what the hey!?! Um I swear this is like fate stepping in. This is one of my new favorite products. I have slightly oily skin that is concentrated in my T zone. It gets slightly worse when it starts to get hotter. If you have skin like me or even pretty oily skin this product is a must. After I use this product my face is not shiny at all, it's like it just zaps away all oiliness or shine. It is AMAZING! I have stopped using a foundation primer because this works just as well. My makeup stays on better through out the day and I need absolutely no touch ups. Life changing stuff here ladies and gentlemen.

There are some weird things I think I should talk about. For one it does leave a sort of whitish cast on your skin. It doesn't really bother me because I put it on under my foundation so I cant see it. Another weird thing is is dries really really fast. So the first time I put it on, I used the normal amount I used with other moisturizers and as I started trying to rub it in, it felt like I was pulling my face off because the product already dried. Now I use more and my facial skin stays intact.

So there are some weird things with the moisturizer but they are seriously overshadowed by the greatness of the product. I totally recommend it GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME!!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren


Picture from here

don't go chasing waterfalls

Only great minds can afford a simple style.

~Stendal

 

OK so my newest hairstyle that I have perfected is the waterfall braid. I love this hairstyle for so many reasons. First it is super easy and fast, yet it looks like it took a lot of effort. This is a good braid for me because while it pulls hair back from my face it still leaves me volume in front instead of pulling it all back. I have tried this braid with my hair curly, wavy, and straight and I like all the results. Also it really looks cute jazzing up a pony tail!

If you don't know to braid this way,  it actually is super simple. For more detailed step by step instructions look on YouTube, but I figured out how to work it just from written instructions. Basically it is just like french braiding. On the top side you pick up just like normal but on the bottom side you either drop half the section and continue braiding with the rest of the section or you drop the whole section and pick up a new section right behind it. There are two different ways of doing this braid and they do look slightly different. If you want a big braid I would drop the whole section because it needs more hair to fuel the braid. If you want a smaller daintier braid I would do the half section route. Also if you have really fine hair that will slip easily I would go for the half section braid because it is tighter and will probably stay in your hair better.

Try the braid, it looks amazing!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren 

Picture from here

soo NOT hot

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.
~Coco Chanel

I am one of those people who silently in my head evaluates the outfit of every single person who walks by. Sometimes my internal commentary is not so nice and sometime I really like someone's outfit. I have discovered during these little mind judging sessions that there are some things that girls wear that really really grate on my nerves. I am not sure what these poor girls are thinking but someone really needs to help them out.

Here are my top outfit pet peeves.

1. I can not stand it when a girl obviously spent time getting ready, doing her hair, make up and picking out an outfit, and then tops it off with tennis shoes, like cross trainers. Those are made for working out, not just everyday use. In fact wearing them all around on all terrains will actually damage your shoes and wear them out faster. Now I so understand that for different health reasons people do need to wear supportive shoes and that is fine, however I know not everyone I see doing this has a health reason. If you want a sporty comfortable shoe THEY MAKE THOSE and they are not your run of the mill athletic shoe. Athletic shoes are for athletic events. Last time I checked going to class is not an athletic event....

2. CROP TOPS ARE OUT PEOPLE!!!! Seriously like waaay out. If you are wearing a midriff baring shirt you better be going to the beach. It is entirely inappropriate to wear a shirt that shows your stomach to class. It is disrespectful to your professor and makes you look unprofessional. An extra two inches of material is not gonna smother you.

3. Brown and black. Yea yea yea I know people are thinking but on what not to wear they said it was fine. However if you actually listened they said, it was fine to have the colors in the same outfit. This is true think of leopard print. BUT you cannot wear a chocolate shirt with a charcoal pant. You look like dirt... who wants to look like dirt?....

4. Short shorts. These were incredibly popular at one time. Micro shorts and micro minis were literally everywhere. LOOK AROUND PEOPLE they are not popular anymore. Actually longer shorts with a little volume to them are what is popular at the moment. Even the celebs are wearing longer shorts. We don't need to see your but cheeks. These are also super inappropriate for class. Again the extra inch or two wont kill you.

5. Boots in the summer. Now I do not mean all boo ts cowboy boots and some riding boots are acceptable in in summer months. However if you are wearing a tank top and shorts and fur lined anything your gonna look weird. If it so hot that you need to wear as little clothing as possible why are you wearing boots made for cold temperatures. Why not just wear a parka yall.

6. Flip Flops. Now some flip flops are still totally fine. If your flops have a fabric strap or if they are pretty dressy your fine. But if you are trying to rock the kind we all wore in middle school with the foam and the rubber straps, you probably look like you are heading for a dorm shower. If you want the same feet free feeling try and of the gladiator sandals. You can get them for just as cheap but you wont make that annoying squeaky noise when you walk.

7. Backpacks and short skirts. Hello that breeze you feel on your but is actually a breeze on your but. The motion of your backpack when you walk makes your skirt rise up in the back. We can all see and you cant. So stop telling yourself its just wind going under your skirt or through it or whatever... it is literally your but hanging out in the wind. Try a over the shoulder bag for those days.

8. After you get off your bike please roll down your pant leg... that's really all I have to say about that.

9. Chipped nail polish is never cute, however I know how hard it can be to keep your nails from chipping during the day. However your TOENAILS should never ever be halfway chipped off. It looks disgusting and like you don't take care of your feet. Wear close toe shoes if you don't have time to fix it or just take the polish off. do something!

10. It is never cute to be wearing the same color all the way from your head to your toes. There is such a thing as too matchy matchy. You don't want to look like a member of the blue man group... unless you actually are a member.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Eye Spy...

"No eyes that have seen beauty ever lose their sight. "

~Jean Toome

So if you are alive and breathing you have probably heard the catch phrase for the latest trend "a pop of color". I feel like this phrase is haunting me. However seeing as how the other trend of the moment is color blocking and I would rather cut off my right hand than block colors, I am stuck with this pop of color idea.


Honestly the whole pop of color thing is very pretty. It keeps people from looking crazy by letting them have their bright color but in one special focal point. Its a pretty good idea. I have been experimenting with ways to incorporate this trend and a new favorite I have stumbled upon is in your eye liner. Fun colors of eye liner make your eyes cool to look at and also are a really fast way to get a new look and pull out your eyes.


Here are some does and dont of bright eyeliners and then some examples I think are beautiful


DO pick colors that are complimentary to your eye color
DONT wear anything from the pink or red family because it will look like an eye infection... not cute
DO try metallic liners or liners with shimmer
DONT use straight glitter liners for everyday. those are for clubs and cheer leading competitions.
DO use gel liners, liquid liners, or pencil liners
DO play down your eyeshadow colors when wearing a bright liner color

Love, Laughter, and God's Blessings
Lauren

Fear the Sponge

"I could announce one morning that the world was going to blow up in three hours and people would be calling in about my hair! "
~Katie Couric

My hair naturally has a lot of wave to and some serious ringlets in the front. It looks crazy unless I blow dry and style it. However all that hear styling is bad for my hair and it takes up a lot of time. So recently I have been branching out trying to find news ways to style my hair without heat and without a lot of time.

The first thing I tried was Velcro rollers first. This was a compromise because I did still have to blow dry my hair, I could cut out all the heat styling though. I bought these really big pink ones, thinking I would set my hair with bobby pins and then sleep on them. Wow yea baaaaad idea. The curlers were way to big and my head hurt all night long. I woke up and took out the curlers and my hair was this limp kinked up mess. Now I used these same curlers since them to put body on my crown when I am blow drying my hair and that works fabulously... sleeping on them and then expecting curls does not.

Next I tried a throw back to my childhood. When I was little my mother loved to put my hair in sponge rollers and sleep on them and it would make cute ringlets. SO I went out and tried to find some. I was very excited to find them in a wide variety of sizes. The ones I used to wear were small about half and inch but the ones I ended up purchasing were bigger about an inch. The also sell them in a bigger size, about one and half to two inches and I might try these next. The first time I attempted my sponge rollers was a DISASTER. I put them in wet hair just like I used to when I was little... well apparently I have much more hair now. The rollers in the back didnt try so the hair was the horrible damp limp stands and then the ones on top I apparently rolled to tight so the ends were a;; crazy and kinked and basically it looked a hot mess.

Stubborn as I am I tried this business again to much better results.  I blow dryed my hair first and then rolled bigger sections in the rollers, about an inch to two inch sections. I slept on them and when I woke up I did have pretty good uniform curls. However I did make an error. Really I should know better. When I put the rollers in I put them in horizontally so when he curls came down instead of pretty cascading curls that went away from my face I got these weird shaped corkscrew shaped curls that were just not cute. However the volume way amazing and the style stayed all day long without much hairspray.

Try, try, try again. I have every intention of mastering the sponge curlers and when I do I will post pictures and a tutorial. Lets all keep out fingers crossed that practice makes perfect!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren

Perfume Collection

"I judge people on how they smell, not how they look. "
~Jennifer Lopez

I am always fascinated by the different perfumes people have! I think it is so much fun to look at the pretty bottles and smell all the different ones. I know there are some people who wear one perfume all the time. I personally change my perfume everyday depending on my mood and what I am wearing and so on. SO I just thought I would give a quick rundown of my perfume collection!!!!!

 Paris Amour is from bath and body works. My sister actually gave me this one for Christmas and I like it a lot! This description for this one is white tulips and champagne. That is a weird description because I smell the floral but the champagne. It is a sweet smell but not overpowering and I really like it.

 Burberry Britt is my winter smell. Something about this just makes me feel the need to cuddle and wear mittens. This is the description from the Burberry Site:

• A delicate, fresh scent with sharp top notes of crisp green almond, icy pear and Italian lime
• Heart notes of sugared almonds and lush white peony add a soft sweetness
• The scent intensifies with the warmth of amber and mahogany

Uh so that's what it smells like...

 This is the smell I wore all the way through high school. I thought I was so sophisticated. I still really love this scent but I find myself reaching for things that are a little less floral than this. The description is A hint of citrus. A wealth of flowers. A mix of emotions. Our best-selling women's fragrance interplays fresh, vibrant notes—ruby red grapefruit, bergamot—with soft, sensual ones—Hawaiian wedding flower, spring mimosa. That is actually a pretty good description of how it actually smells It is very floral with a good bit of citrus. Very clean smelling.

 I wear Happy Heart way more that Happy these days. They smell very similar like maybe the same base notes or something but Happy Heart is mellowed out a little more with a sweet smell. It's Description is: With a heart of water hyacinth, brightened with Mandarin and blond woods. I don't really know what those things smell like but they make a good perfume.

 Fancy is the scent I wear the most. I couldn't find a very good description for it. It is floral but with more musk to it. It is still a very sweet smell but it is mellowed out by the musk. This is my all time favorite scent.

 Fancy Love is my summer smell. It is waaaaay sweeter than Fancy and they do not smell the same the way that Happy and Happy Heart do. This is very floral as well but the floral is bumped up by a sweet smell. It does not have the musk the way that Fancy does.

 The notes in Fantasy are: Red Lychee, Golden Quince, Kiwi, Cupcakes, White Chocolate, Orchid, Jasmine Petals, Must, Orris, and Sensual Woods.Apparently it is also in the oriental category. Basically this is a sweet spicy smell without the floral smell it. I like it a lot. I think it would a really great date smell.

The notes is this scent are: bergamot, Sicilian orange, raspberry, fig leaf, lily blossom, liquorice, strawberry, red fruits, Barbe-à-papa cotton candy, vanilla, candy and musk. Basically it smells exactly like cotton candy.... like exactly like cotton candy You will walk around all day smelling like a big pink edible treat. This appeals to me. The only down side is that this scent is relatively short lived so you have to apply multiple times. I would say this is a day scent but you could wear on a date... make sure your date never had some sort of trauma at the state fair first.

Ok those are all the perfumes in my collection! Hope you all enjoyed the tour!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,
Lauren