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

Bring on the bling!

Big girls need big diamonds.
~ Elizabeth Taylor

Everyone wants to look their best when it's back to school time. I always feel like I need to go buy a whole new wardrobe. But lets be honest shall we? No one has that kind of money that day. So how can you add some spice to your look without breaking the bank? Accessories are the way to go! My go to place for accessories is Forever 21. Forever 21 has variety for many different styles and they are also super reasonably prices. So with out further ado, here are my top ten accessories for school from Forever 21!

1. High Waist Bow Belt $4.80
- This belt is not only super cute but also can make major changes to an outfit. Belting a flowy dress or adding it to a tank can change up the whole feel of an outfit and highlight your waist at the same time. Plus how cute it that bow!

2. Rose Duo Clip $2.50
- This hair clip would be super cute on top of a messy side bun. This simple clip adds a touch of whimsy to just a normal outfit. So girly and romantic. This will make you feel pretty when you wear it. Plus I think this specific color pink will go very well with all hair colors.

3. Braided Bead Necklace $8.80
- This necklace it sorta fascinating to me. I think I would want to play with it a while before I wear. Anyway.... I also think its very pretty. Its chunky enough to make a statement but short enough to be easy to wear. Because its not sparkly of voluminous, it can be worn with any type of look, dressed up or dressed down. I could see it with a pretty sundress or with a tank and shorts.

4. Upper Eastside Bracelet Set $5.80
- This is a pretty substantial bracelet and the size might irritate some people, but I think its the perfect piece if you need to dress an outfit up. Because it has pearls and its pretty elegantly put together it will draw the eye and make even simple outfits look well thought out and posh.

5. Peacock Glamour Earrings $5.80
- OK I know I know these are a bit gaudy. However my personal taste does tend to run a bit to the gaudy side. I can see these with a cool black shirt. I have a shirt with cut out on the shoulders and cowl neck that is just plain black that these would look ridiculous with. These will most definitely be making an appearance in my personal collection.

6. Damask Knuckle Ring $5.80
- I almost didn't put a ring on here because I don't really feel like a ring can change your whole outfit. However with this ring I will make an exception. When it starts to get chilly and long sleeves come back into our thoughts this ring will be perfect. A light sweater with long tight fitting sleeves will pretty much point straight to this ring. This is so pretty you might just stare at it all day.

7. Floral Tips Scarf $8.80
- This scarf is perfect for this time of year because it is sooo light weight. This is going to be a huge statement piece and add alot of color but not make your neck sweat. Which is good because neck sweat is soooooo not chic... seriously... it's not.

8. Denim fedora with Leatherette Trim $10.80
- I like the idea of a denim fedora because it isn't too dressy and you can wear it to school. I think this hat does look a little masculine so I would wear it with something ultra feminine wither a floral dress or blouse thats a little flouncy. I think this fedora would look good with a low side pony with quite a bit of texture to it.

9. Diamond Web Tights $5.80
- These tights may not work on everyone. It may be too big of a print for some shorter people but I felt like the print could work on most average height people. I like tights because it enables you to move alot of your dresses from summer into fall. Take any summer dress add a cardigan and a pair of tights and viola! a perfect fall outfit!

10. Rose Bouquet Earrings $4.80

- I like these because I feel like most people just wear studs everyday and these are studs just a little more elegant and blingy... its that's even a word. These have a little bit of a victorian feel which I really like.

 

Ok those are my top picks for back to school bling!!!

 

Love, Laughter and God's Blessing

Lauren

If the shoe fits...

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."
~ Marilyn Monroe

It's back to school time folk! My favorite part of going back to school is starting the year fresh with lots of new stuff! So the next few blogs are going to be over new must haves for school!

Today lets focus on back to school shoes!!!!! When I was younger I never really understood why one needed back to school shoes. Its not like slamming kicks can get you an A. But these days I have given up caring because any excuse to get new shoes is all right by me! This season there are some really cute inexpensive options. SO let's go shopping yall!

My shoe picks for back-to-school:

1) These floral oxfords are from Forever 21. Oxfords really came in this past season. I haven't really been into them that much because I feel like they are sorta manly and sorta like business man shoes. But with this ultra feminine pattern on them it sorta balances and I like them. alot.

2. Rainboots are extremely useful but they can be super cute too. This pair is from Target. I think the floral pattern is adorable. I know I'm all about the floral. But I really like this pair because the navy backdrop makes it able to translate from summer to fall and back to spring. 

 3. This pair of boots is from Charlotte Rouse. The riding boot trend has been going on for a while. However I think that the riding book is a classic look that doesnt go out of style and therefore is a staple not a trend. Try to look for a pair with a special detail that isnt too much. The bow detail on these is adorable without being over the top and clashing with your outfit!

 4. These beauties are from Dollhouse. I like these because they look like they should be high heels. One of the main things I miss now that I am in college is wearing heels to school. I feel like these are flats wishing they were heels. The t strap is cute cute cute. And I like gray in shoes because it can go with so many different colors in your outfit!

 5. Ok these are my splurge. They are a little more pricey because they are from Steve Madden. But these are soooooooo cute. Im a sucker for bows and these have bows AND rhine stones! Cream is a really good color to transition seasons and can even be worn in winter. They may be a splurge but they are sooo worth it!

Those are my top 5 picks for back to school shoes I did see one other pair that caught my eye... ;)

 Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren