Tips and Tricks

God gave me a great body and it's my duty to take care of my physical temple.

Jean Claude Van Damme

I have been doing the primping thing for a long long time. I have found that I do a lot of different tricks that some people may not know of. These tips are not exactly original but I feel like a lot of time we take it for granted that everyone knows the same things we do, but I know from watching my friends we all do things differently. So basically here are the little things I do to primp and beautify that you may or may not know about.

One thing I always do is exfoliate my lips. It is super important because otherwise glosses and lipsticks don't go on smoothly and evenly.  Once a week I use a microdermabrasion lotion to exfoliate but everyday, especially in the morning as im getting ready, I use my toothbrush on my lips to exfoliate. Brushing over your lips with your toothbrush really helps to even out your lips without being super harsh and irritating. Its crucial, try it out!

Another thing I always do is to put a highlighter on my cupid's bow. First of all, is that not the cutest name ever for that little dip over your top lip? Play it up! Bringing attention to your cupid's bow will make your lips look fuller more dramatic. I use a regular facial highlighter for everyday but when I am going out and really want to play it up I use a gold eyeliner. It is perfect for the job.

Something else I do is to apply a small layer of vaseline before I spray my perfume on. The oil helps the perfume to stay on way longer. I am one of those people who wants to smell my own perfume, so the vaseline trick helps me to prevent having to apply over and over and over and over.... you get the picture.

Something that is also helpful is to put your deodorant on before you go to bed. This only works if you take your shower at night like me. However this trick completely gets rid of the white streak problem. The chemicals and all that still work so you don't have to worry. In fact putting it on that far in advance gives everything time to sink in so it may even work better.

Hopefully I gave you something new to try. Everyone stay on the lookout for new tips!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

Splurges

 Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.
~ Aristotle 

OK so I am all about being thrifty and I cannot always justify paying a ton of money for a product that I don't need. So to make myself feel better about not being able to have all the products that I want, I make a list and lust after them until I get over it.

My number one thing I am absolutely totally obsessed with it from Benefit. Its a lip and cheek stain called Benetint. I like the Posietint and the Benetint but not the Chachatint... it is just waaaay to orange for my taste. These are pretty pricey, around $30. 00. The one I absolutely would die for is the Posietint. It is the prettiest barbie pink color EVVERRRRR.

The second thing I want is the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. It just came out and it will cost you about $50. 00... So yea pretty pricey but you get lots of beautiful colors and a lip gloss and a nice quality brush... at least that's what I tell myself when I try to justify why I need it.

The third thing I want is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. This stuff is cool because it comes to you all separated like in the picture  and if you shake it up it wont work anymore! Seriously yall, fight the urge. If you can manage not to shake it, you stick a q-tip down to the bottom and dab the mud part on a blemish. This stuff is supposed to be great and will only set you back about $18. 00. However since I don't really break out I would just be buying this stuff to play with.

So now yall can drool all over these splurges with me!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Va Va Vaseline....?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye

 

~ Miss Piggy

All hail the vaseline! Ok I know kinda random. Vaseline used to make me think of like grandmas and moth balls and other stuff you use when your old. However after an unfortunate incident on Valentines last year where my lips peeled off, I have learned the greatness of what is 100% white petroleum jelly.

Vaseline has billions of uses but it has several that are beauty specific. I carry Vaseline around with AT ALL TIMES. There is literally a container in every room of my apartment. You might say I'm addicted. You too will be addicted after you read on and find out all the cool uses for Vaseline.

1) Lip balm. As I mentioned earlier I had a little reaction last year and the skin on my lips honestly peeled all the way off. It was not a good day. One of the things I learned when I went to the doctor was that the only thing you should really be putting on your lips is Vaseline. Apparently chapsticks and lipbalms, especially the ones that are medicated, have chemicals in them that can actually irritate your lips instead of making them better. Now does this mean that I no longer cute balms and glosses....HECK NO! I simply use Vaseline as a base and I know my lips will be fine.

2) Lash Growth. If you put Vaseline on your lashes before you go to bed each night they will seem longer and darker. I am not exactly sure why this is, but I speculate that is has something to do with keeping your eyelids protected and hydrated. For whatever reason, it works and it is waaaay cheaper than those potions you can buy in the stores.

3) Prevent blisters. Got a cute new pair of shoes but your dreading the blisters? Well kiss that worry goodbye! Just rub in thin layer of Vaseline on the spots you think will get blisters and the Vaseline will protect your feet from blisters. Seriously this is like a miracle.

4) Get rid of ugly feet. Before you go to bed, liberally lather on Vaseline to your feet and then throw some socks on. When you wake up in the morning your feet are smoother and softer and just better all around.

5) Lipstick stays off your teeth. If you are going on a date or something and you just put on fresh lipstick, put a very small amount of Vaseline on your front few teeth and it will keep you from getting those embarrassing lipstick smudges on your teeth. The Vaseline will eventually wear off and you cant taste it or anything so no worries.

6) Spot treatment for dryness. Whenever I have a blemish I use a spot acne treatment. My skin dries out really bad from the medication in the cream. I use Vaseline on the one spot to fix dryness quickly. I would recommend putting it on your entire face but as a spot treatment it works like a charm!

I expect a mad rush on Vaseline any second....

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

A ring... I don't mean on the phone.

Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles.  

~Sonja Henie

I was inspired for this post by a ring I got for Christmas. Today was the first day I got to wear it and I literally just stared at it all day long. I always feel like I am in a better mood when I have something sparkly on my finger! Here are some rings that I also think would put me in a good mood! 

Betsey Johnson Leopard Heart Ring, Macy's $35. 00

 Black Diamond Fashion Ring, Target $94. 99

 Scroll Ring with Pearl, James Avery $139. 00

 

Shimmering Scattered Rhinestone Ring, Forever 21  $5. 80

Va Va VA Vintage Ring, Claire's $9. 00

Hope yall liked my picks! Happy Monday!

Oh and here is the ring I wore today that inspired this post!

Love, Laughter And God's Blessings

Lauren

Wink Wink

"The eye is the jewel of the body"
~ Thoreau

This blog post will be dedicated to eyes! My eyes are my favorite feature and I love to play them up with dramatic fun makeup. I thought I would write about some new trends I have been loving and some tips that I use.


The first thing I want to talk about is something I am so excited about. I have sort of a Katy Perry obsession. Like a major obsession. I dont know why but something about her songs and the way she dresses are fun. And now I super jazzed because she has come out with a false lash line for ULTA. There are four different kinds that I have seen that range from natural to very dramatic, and they are all fabulous! They retail for 
$6. 99 and you know I am about to go and buy them all!!!!

Second is a product I also picked up at ULTA. I got this one off the clearance rack so I am not sure that they still carry it but I am sure there are dupes out there. The product is called Sparkle Lashes Lash Gloss in the color Silver Screen. Basically it is just like a glittery gel that you brush onto your lashed after mascara to give them some extra umph. I wasn't sure about this product at first. I was afraid that it was going to be glitter like the bonbons glitter we all wore in like 7th grade...yea. However it is surprisingly subtle. You can only really see the sparkle when you blink. It is obviously not day wear but it is a really fun product for the night time. The only down side to this product is the way you have to apply it. It has the twist dispenser at the bottom and the brush tip just like a lip gloss and I hate that kind of lip gloss applicator in general. I may be biased because it goes on fine I just wish it had a wand like mascara instead.

Another trend I am digging right now is the beige eye liner. I know that doesn't sound very exciting but trust me. Everyone knows that using a white liner on your bottom water line can make your eyes look much larger. It creates the illusion that the whites of your eyes continues further. However I personally think on some eye shapes where the water line is really visible you look like an alien, not ideal. SO beige eyeliner is the perfect solution because it works the same way as white liner on your water line but it is a little more subtle so you don't look crazy. The one below is by Tarte  in the color nude and retails for $18. 00

Other eye trends for the season, as reported by Harpers Bazaar are extreme winged cat eyes, silver and metallics on the crease, pop of color on the eyes and full bold brows. I am loving all of these trends except the brows. You most definitely need brows because they frame your face BUT they really full and thick brows and a little too haute couture for every day. In other words you are gonna look like a caveman. 

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,
Lauren

Eek a spot!

Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.
~Gwyneth Paltrow
 

So lately I have been on a skin kick. I find that for some reason I pick a certain feature and then go crazy primping it or cleaning it or grooming it or whatever else, and lately I have been all about the dermis. I have never really had bad break outs or acne but I do have some blackheads and my new mission has been to eliminate them completely. SO I have tried a few different things and I just thought I would review them for you.

The first is this Mario Badescu Silver Powder. I got mine at ULTA for about twelve dollars. The jar doesn't look that big but I not feel like it is going to last me forever and I have used it several times. The way it works, or at least the way I interpret the back of the jar, is you shake a little of the powder out and then use a wet cotton ball and apply to clean skin. It creates a masque type thing that has a pretty good consistency. The down side is that every time you breathe in or out white powder goes every where including up your nose. Once you know what to expect it really isn't that bad and if you are careful you wont make a mess. This stuff is also super super hard to get off your face. The bottle tells you to use a cotton ball soaked in astringent to get the powder off. That soooo does not work. I have to use face wash and lots of water to get it off. When you look at your skin it looks amazing right away. However this is mostly because the white powder gets in your pores and makes them lighter, it doesn't get rid of the blackheads. However however this stuff actually does work. My skin was waaaay smoother and softer right away, it dried me up so I had no excess oils on my t zone, and my blackheads are getting smaller. This is not the miracle product that some say but it does work and it is worth the purchase.

An even better tactic I found was to follow up the silver powder treatment with a Biore Pore Strip. Here is a little tip: I have tried the "ultra" strips and I have tried just the regular one and  I can not find any difference in them besides the price; don't waste your money. The silver powder opens up the pores and this helps the little strips work like a billion times better. 

Another new product I have been trying is the Mary Kay Even Complexion Essence. I think that this product is supposed to work on age spots but the bottle does say that it can work on other things. For me it helps get rid of old zit spots, like the little red place you get when a blemish is not completely healed yet. It also has just helped with general red patches. I have noticed that since using this product I have had to wear less base and concealer, so generally im pretty happy.

All of these things that I have been working on may not be visible changes to others because I usually just correct them with makeup. But I will say that its really nice not to have spend so much time covering things up with makeup and spending more time on the fun stuff like pigments. The key to good makeup is a good blank canvas to put it on. The way to get the best canvas is to have your skin be beautiful underneath!

The week is almost over! Keep pushing to the weekend!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

I like pink. So shoot me.

"I fell off my pink cloud with a thud"
~ Elizabeth Taylor


Today I started taking a class called Psychology of Women where we learn about how women are socialized into their gender roles and how this can cause oppression that must be overthrown.... at the moment I am pretty skeptical of this whole topic. However I decided to go into this with an open mind and try and get the most out of this that I can. My New Years resolution is to wear something pink every single day for a whole year, so I cant exactly dress to fit in to this class. So in light of all this I am going to compose a list of all things that should never be pink in honor of women's lib!!!!!

Things that should not ever be pink... ever.... its an abomination

1) Eyeliner. Seriously? Apparently this is trending right now. Why in the world would you ever want to put something on your eyes that looks like an eye infection....ew

2) Shoes laces. Unless you are four and you still wear osh kosh bgosh, you don't need to be rocking the pink laces. Leave those for the light up kicks.

3) School logos. I feel like a hypocrite typing this because I do own several things that have my college logo in pink on them. HOWEVER I did not buy them and I will not buy them because unless your school's colors are pink don't mess with the tradition.

4) French tips. The whole point of a french manicure is to look like a polished natural nail. YOUR NAILS DO NOT GROW IN PINK!

5) Animals. I know it may seem like a cute idea to have a pink poodle or whatever but your pets don't need to be subjected to those chemicals that can irritate them or make them sick... animals aren't pink for a reason.

OK those are literally the only things that I can think of that shouldn't be pink everything is fine in fushia, pretty in pink, ravishing in rise, magnificent in magenta... and so on and so forth.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren

21 Things I love from Forever 21

The only rule is don't be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in.
~Paris Hilton


I haven't posted in fooooorever, this I know, but i figured better late than never right? So as I was browsing through the new items on the Forever 21 website I figured I would do sort of a haul type thing and show yall 21 of my favorite things up there right now (21 things... see what I did there? haha). Im not gonna explain why I like everything because that would take forever, I just like all this stuff because it's pretty :)

 Braided rope and Serpentine Necklace $8.80

 Carved Roses Bracelet $6.80

 Carved Roses Necklace $3.80

 Double Flower Necklace $5.80

 Embellished Feather Hair Clip $6.80

 Filigree Drop Earrings $3.80

 Floppy Hat with Flower $12.80

Floral Bottle Necklace $4.80

 Floral Hinge Bracelet $7.80

Floral Pendant Necklace $5.80

 Hinge Opening Bracelet $4.80

 Lacquered Bow Studs $1.80

Leatherette Rosette Necklace $12.80

Love Drop Earrings $4.80

 Oval Cameo Ring $3.80

 Pearlescent Dainty Necklace $6.80

 Polka Dot Over the Knee Socks $2.80

Rhinestone Roses Necklace $7.80

 Rhinestone Teardrop Studs $3.80

 Rose Printed Stud Earrings $2.80

 Single Bow Bracelet $2.80

 Striped Reader Crew Socks $1.80

 Tiered Drop Earrings $5.80

 Tiered Geo Necklace $12.80

Two Tiered Bead Necklace $12.80




Ok Lovelies those are my wish list items at the moment!!!!!!!!!


More posts to come soon!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessing

Lauren