Stiletto Palette

Blog Swap 2010

2010-12-21T01:27:00.000-08:00

Hello :) Today I have swapped blogs with Sarah, who is the author of this entry :) She's an extremely talented writer, so check out this entry she wrote for my blog today! While you're at her blog, check out the entry I wrote!

Blog Swap Topic: Action: What will you do next year that you’ve been putting off for too long?

There are a lot of things that I’ve been putting off, partially because I don’t feel that a college student can accomplish them, such as looking for a literary agent and revising my earlier stories and poems to be ready for publishing. However, the one thing that I know I will do next year that I’ve been forced to put off is graduate college.

I graduated from high school in 2005 and went straight to college, meaning I am a sixth year student. It’s been a bit of a bumpy road regarding my major: I entered college with plans to be an English teacher, my back-up plan to being a writer. But when I actually had to take the literature analysis classes, I discovered that it wasn’t a good fit. I had always been a bit intimidated when I imagined myself teaching high school English anyway, especially if a big athlete (in height and build) couldn’t see the point in reading a certain book. So I switched majors to focus on being an elementary teacher so my 2+ years of teacher preparation classes wouldn’t have been wasted. This proved to be an upgrade – until I started student teaching. As it turns out, I can’t handle too much stress. Not to mention that I’m not a quick thinker (a must for 4th grade) and my creativity only comes out in my writing; not very well in my lesson plans and teaching.

At first I was going to continue with teaching, but after a few weeks of thinking and talking to the Career Center, I decided to change my major again, this time to writing. My school calls it English: Writing Specialization. Basically, all the classes I take focus on writing. By the time I switched I was already halfway done: between my former English teaching major and Creative Writing minor, I had already finished a few required classes and enough Creative Writing classes. Good news for me: I only had to do one year of college instead of two.

One. More. Year. As much as I like school, these words did not excite me. I was tired of relying on my parents for money and ready to have a full-time job. Looking for summer work was hard since, as I’ve discovered, most places wanted employees that would be there for a long time, not a few months. Plus, homework, papers, and projects were getting annoying. I know it’s all useful, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy doing it. Some assignments felt tedious and useless.

My graduation ceremony will be June 11, 2011, at 9:30 in the morning. I actually kinda like this early time: it’ll be almost lunch time by the time we finish, so lunch out will be a must before making the 2 hour drive home. I just have to tough it out until then.

Good luck in 2011!

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! I love it!

2010-12-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again! No, I don't mean the holidays, I mean.... The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!

Also known as....
* I'm too fat and need to go on a diet (time of the year)
* Why are they so beautiful and skinny and I'm not (time of the year)
and...
* I really need a better job so I can afford to buy more beautiful things (time of the year)

We are all familiar with it - and maybe not all of you wish you were thinner, more beautiful, and richer (hahaha) but I am. But still, I would be front row at every (or almost every) fashion show if I could. This one is by far no exception. I watch it every year on CBS and every year I am wonderfully surprised at what they can come up with. It would be a dream to be a part of this. Can you imagine? The clothes, the wings, the makeup, the hair, the stage, the music! (Victoria's Secret, are you listening?)

Ready to come along for the ride? Awesome :)

It's Newwww Yorkkkk. I love how this starts, they are so good at building anticipation. I also love how they are doing the narration from the models' point of view. As viewers, we all love to see what goes on backstage, and they are giving us the in.

I, for one, am happy that Adriana Lima is the first model to come out. She has always been one of my favorites. This song is good too - Tough Love. I have never heard it before tonight.

So, the first theme is Tough Love. The corsets are amazing. Can I just say how much I love corsets? Yes, I know women in the 1800s despised them, but to me, they are so fashionable and do all the right things. I love all the pinks and reds in this theme as well. Makes me feel like it's Valentines Day :)

Oh, I love this part. They are talking about their favorite parts of working as a VS Angel and how they are all a family. They all seem so nice, I wonder if they really are.

Favorite quote so far : "When my boyfriend found out I got the Victoria's Secret show, the first thing he said was: 'Can I come?'" - Lily. hahahaha. Typical. Her laugh is so adorable. Very Angel-like :)

Props to Victoria's Secret for booking Katy Perry! She is beyond perfect for this show. I mean, this outfit is AMAZING. The train? omg. And I adore this song too. iTunes, here I come!

Baby, You're a Firework.

I love how Candace tells us how she views everything: the audience, the lights, the runway, that feeling you get. As someone who has been on stage, I know the feeling all too well and have to agree with her all the way. Whether you're singing, dancing, modeling, whatever, there's no greater feeling than your heart beating faster and faster the seconds before you walk out on stage and see all those eyes looking at you.

Oh, this girly gingham look is so cute! This song is perfect too. If I'm not mistaken, it is Jewel's "What You Are." Is that floral print too? I miss these cutesty-preppy prints. I love winter and Christmas and the holidays, but it's nice to have something to look forward to in the Spring :)

I will say this - One thing I love about this fashion show is how happy and cheery they are. Usually models don't smile but they are all about smiling and laughing on the runway; It's very refreshing.

The gymnasts? W-O-W. It also says a lot, I think, that despite how talented the men in the background are, you still focus on the models. I love the different sports they all portray... but I have mixed feelings about the soccer ball. Is having a rounded object on your body, anywhere, really sexy? The weightlifter though is a total win. GIRL POWER :)

You can't be an Angel without wings.

I love the wings as well. I think it's great that the models view getting their wings as a special occasion. It was so sweet when Chanel started crying. She got to walk first too, yay :) Another perfect song! Akon's "Angel" This entire song, I was thinking "Oh, please, Akon, don't hit the models!" I was so terrified he would knock one of them over or hit their wings! And I have to agree, she did have a gorgeous train.

She got that whole place glowing.

BEST.THEME.EVER - Wild Things.

You all should know by now that I am obsessed with animal print. I am beyond thrilled that it is in style because that means I get to see things like this on the runway! Zebra, Leopard, Peacock - it's all just so fabulous! The tribal dancers are awesome too. Very good introduction. I also like how they incorporated some of the culture into the show as well (the neck rings). Oh my! Those last wings are just extraordinary! I can't tell what animal that is, but way to go Victoria's Secret!

Katy Perry and her cute little Pink dog is so adorable. Ruff ruff! I guess that means it's PINK time! This has got to be the best girliest runway ever. And Rainbow wings? How cute :) I love all the shine and glitter in the outfits. It's good to know that trend isn't out considering how much I love it. The pjs with the butt cut out seriously made me laugh. "Kiss This" It sounds vulgar and yet they made it seem cute. Look! Chanel has bubble wings and a bubble gun! How fun!

The end is cutesy and fun but I have a question - where's the million dollar diamond bra?!?

That took a really long time, considering I had to watch the entire thing about three times (no complaints!) and then make all the GIFs. I hope you enjoyed my full review. Don't forget to subscribe :)

Ocean View Makeup Tutorial

2010-12-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about Wednesday's! I have officially declared Wednesday: Makeup Tutorial Day! I think by having a schedule, it will be a lot easier for me to update on a regular schedule. This tutorial is called Ocean View because of all the beautiful blues :) Scroll down past the photos for the video :) Don't forget to visit my youtube: Stiletto Palette and subscribe!

Holy Crap, where did November go?!?

2010-11-27T23:02:00.000-08:00

You know how everyone older than you tells you times goes by faster the older you are? When I heard that as a kid, I kinda thought everyone was (kind of) crazy. But now... I didn't think I was that old. It seems like I went to sleep in September and now it's almost December. I'm in my twenties. This isn't supposed to happen, is it? When I get to be fifty or sixty, is it going to be years instead of months? Like: Man, it's 2050 and it feels like it was just 2040. I'm not looking forward to that. I want to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. I don't even know if it was Peter Pan that said that. Hm. Oh well.

This is going to be an update entry, I think. I reallyyyy need to get on a blog schedule. I'm fairly certain I've said that before. No, but really. I.AM.GOING.TO.UPDATE.MORE.OFTEN. I swear ;) Still, I think you amazing readers deserve to know why I haven't been logging on lately.

1.) College. It's a sorry excuse, I'm aware. But college is like that annoying nosy neighbor of yours. You would rather never see them, never go to their house, and never do anything with them, but they have the most awesome stuff and are the only ones that will get your mail and feed your pets when you go out of town (to escape them) so you have to keep them around. College is the same way - I'd rather never go again, but as it is, I actually have dreams and goals that require an education. So, I must suffer through it and know that each day is one less day until I graduate. And really, the beginning of the semester is pretty good - most people (like myself) like new things. The first week of new classes is exciting. The middle of the semester starts to get boring but it's still okay. It's this time of the year - beginning in November, that it really starts to bug me - the end. AKA: The dark rain cloud hovering over my head filled with final projects, final exams, and final grades. As a matter of fact, I should be studying or working on something now. Oh well.

2.) My Room/Preparing for the Holidays. This is related, kind of. As you know, I have been redoing my room for a couple of months now. It is getting there... slowly but surely. But now that it's getting to the Holiday Season, it is now a problem. There's no way company can see my bedroom, or pretty much any other room in the house, until it looks like a Model Home from Parade of Homes. My room will look like that... just long enough for me to show you the finished product. Then, it's highly likely clothing will be thrown on the floor, cans will be on various surfaces, and well, you know.

3.) I started a new business (Yes another one). Businesses for me are like hobbies. If I like doing something and am good at it plus can make some money too, I will most likely start a business for it. If this business can help other people too? Even better! My newest business? Belle Web and Print Design. It's fairly self explanatory. I do Web Design, Blog Design, and Print Design. If you go back to 2009, I'm pretty sure I blogged about when I won First Place for a website I did and went on to Nationals. Okay, you probably aren't going to do that, so I'll look later :)

Anyways, that's that. I know I could've just said I was busy and been done with it, but honestly, I just wanted to make this an entire blog entry. ;)

PS- If I don't start updating on a more regular basis (like at least 1-2 days a week, you should definitely hassle me by leaving comments. Or on Twitter, if need be. :)

I dyed my hair!

2010-10-31T12:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I've been working hard on my room, which is coming along wonderfully! I can't wait for you to see it :)

I also decided to give my hair a little change (Apparently it's my theme this month) so during my latest shopping trip at Rite Aid, I picked up some Garnier Herbashine Hair Color (see below).

Now, I have dyed my hair before, several times in fact. Because of that, I have always known my favorite to be Herbal Essences. However, this was on sale and it wasn't a golden or ash color, so I thought I'd give it a try.

My before picture:

I know, it looks horrible. You can tell that I had highlights in my hair and they were turning red. I do not want red hair. I can pull off a lot of colors but there's something that just completely turns me off about red hair. Some people can pull it off. Congrats to you. I'm not one of them. My hair was also dull. I can't stand that mousy brown color it seems to want to be. It drives me insane. So, it was time for a change.

Step One: Remove the hair color steps from box

Step Two: Mix the two bottles and set aside the conditioner for later

Step Three: Apply to Hair.

By this point, I was very impressed with the scent and how my hair didn't itch at all. Usually, right after hair color is put on my hair and it's put in a clip, my head starts to itch and there isn't a thing I can do about it. The hair color said ten minutes, but I wanted it to be lighter since I didn't think the color on the box was much different than my original color. I ended up leaving it on for about twenty minutes.

Next, Head to the showers!

The fabulous smelling hair dye doubles as shampoo and after thoroughly cleaning it out of my hair, I applied the conditioner that came with it. Now, my hair is ultra silky smooth (after keeping the conditioner on for about three minutes). Before stepping out of the shower, I ran cool (almost cold) water all over my hair to make it shiny.

I was anxious to see the finished product so I blow dried my hair. The result?

I am fairly satisfied with the end result. I was hoping it would be a bit lighter but it is getting to be winter. Plus, the color usually lightens over the course of a few days and I have already started to notice it getting lighter. Sadly, in 28 shampoos, my color will go bye bye. Will I dye it again? Maybe not immediately. Will I use Garnier Herbashine again? It's likely.

36 Hours Later:

I was shocked that while brushing my hair, I could still smell the conditioner. Usually, I can't. I thought I was using a fantastic conditioner. I adore it, but after less than twelve hours, I can't smell it anymore. Weird. VERY impressed with this aspect of the product.

The Global Water Crisis - What can YOU do?

2010-10-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

The Problem:
We, in the United States, don't always think about water being a problem. Watching the news, we hear we can't water our lawns or take long showers and that is a problem for us. Most of us (I'm guilty of this too) even ignore these rules. We take long, hot baths to relax from our stressful days; We water our grass because we like it to be green; We buy a twenty four pack of bottled water, drink it, and then throw it away. We ignore these rules because we live in a country that is lucky enough to have water readily available. But what if we didn't?

Imagine this: You are with your family in your home in Africa. It is mid-afternoon and your three kids (10,6, and 1) are hungry. They start to complain but you have been ill and don't have very much energy. In order to feed them, you need water. There is no access to water where you live so your oldest girl (the six year old) would have to walk nearly four miles there to collect and four miles back. She must do this several times per day. She begins to cry because the last time she gathered water, her feet were bleeding when she came back home. The family only has what the young girl can bring back with her, which is very little. The entire family has to use this water for food, drink, and bathing. This water isn't from a well though; it is gathered from whichever source the small girl can find. It is polluted and dirty, and will likely make the family sick. As a matter of fact, a family living next to you had their four year old boy pass away last week. There was fecal matter in the water which caused him to obtain a parasite from the water; He lived 48 hours after that.

Still crying, your little girl leaves to gather some water. She is gone for hours and returns bent over, carrying nearly forty pounds of water on her back, and crying. By this point the ten year old boy and 1 year old girl are also crying. Removing the water from your daughter's back, you notice she has a broken bone, most likely caused from the pressure. She is unable to stand up straight and her feet are bleeding. There are no hospitals so there is little you can do. You prepare a small meal and manage to reduce a small amount of the crying. Your daughter is in severe pain though. You must use more of the water to clean her up and then put her to bed, rubbing her small back.

After getting all your children to sleep, you lie down and worry that tomorrow something horrible will happen to your family. What if you can't find food? With no water for miles, you can hardly grow anything. What if one of your children gets sick from the water? What would you do without them? What if there is no water tomorrow? You wish someone would help you, but day after day, no one comes.

Having felt bad all day, you are not surprised when a high fever comes over you and you begin vomiting. You wake the children up with the noise in the small place and they begin crying. You try to convince them you are going to be okay but they don't believe you. You are scared but you cannot let your children see that. You feel yourself growing weak and know you must have gotten something from the water. You confide in your oldest, the ten year old boy, and tell him he must take care of his two younger sisters. At 3am, you pass away, your three children laying next to you, now orphans.

If only there were clean water, this could have been prevented.

The Solution:
We are the solution. One person does have the ability to save the world. No matter how little or how much you can do, it makes a difference. An entire community can be saved for only $5000. Many people in the United States have a monthly credit card statement with that amount. That amount of money can save five hundred people's lives for twenty years. This money is used to build wells in communities. All that is required is money, time, and digging. They don't have resources. But we do. We can make a change.

Take Action:
You may say... "I can barely afford the things in my life." or "I can't make a difference; I'm only one person" or "I have to take care of myself, of my family" or "I don't have time." YES YOU CAN.

There are so many simple things you can do. For example, appreciate the water you have. Don't drink out of water bottles; Find a reusable one that you love. Don't run the water while you brush your teeth. Don't leave water running while you leave the room. Every little thing helps. Plus, these are completely free. As a matter of fact, doing these things will actually save you money. You like that, right?

Want to know something else you can do for free? Spread the Word! The more people that know about the problem, the closer we are to a solution. Share this post. Email it to your friends and family; post it on Facebook and Twitter. Do the same for the links below. It takes a minute and you're done.

Have a little more time? Do More.

Join MyWaterProject. Signing up takes less than thirty seconds and you will have the ability to: Educate, Engage, and Inspire others, Connect with others who are working with the cause, Track your personal impact, and earn points that you can redeem for t shirts and other prizes.

Help Me Reach My Goal:
I have started a Fundraising page so I can do something to help. Like a lot of others, I don't have a lot of money, but I want to do something. My goal is $1000. Did you know that $20 will help one person have enough water for the rest of their life? When I reach my goal of $1000, that means we will have helped 50 people. That is an average of ten families. Can you donate $1? $5? Every little bit helps. Click here to visit my Fundraising Page!

Actually, I started two fundraising pages. Every little bit helps, right? My goal for this page is also $1000. I will likely start an event to assist with this page. Click here to visit Do Your Part For Water.

When I meet each of my goals, I will have helped (with your help) ONE HUNDRED people.

I also recommend you start your own page. It only takes a second.

Show Your Support:
Facebook: The Thirst Project
Twitter: The Thirst Project
Facebook: Pure Water for the World
Facebook: Water
Twitter: Water
Join the Cause: charity: water
Join the Cause: The Nature Conservancy

It only takes a minute to show your support. Be sure to also tell your Facebook friends and Twitter followers about how they can help by sharing this blog entry.

This post is a part of Blog Action Day 2010. I am so proud to be a part of it.

So, my question is: What have you done to help the world today?

I'm participating in Blog Action Day 2010

2010-10-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I have some news I am very excited about. Each year, there is one day that bloggers all blog about one subject in order to raise awareness. This year the theme is water and I'm happy to say I will be doing a blog entry on Friday for the cause.

I encourage all fellow bloggers to write an entry as well. It doesn't have to be much, but just showing your support will help and you will feel great as well :)

Click here for more information on Blog Action Day

Additionally, please take a few seconds to sign the petition below.

The world thanks you.

Change.org|Start Petition

My Room Makeover Series - Part Three

2010-10-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

That's right people - time for part three! This room isn't actually mine, but we are giving it a face lift ;) The room is actually my brother's old bedroom but since he moved to the basement, we will be using this room as an Antique themed spare bedroom.

And here we go...

The room wasn't really used for anything before. You can probably tell. Stay tuned to how it looks after!

My Room Makeover Series - Part Two

2010-10-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Just a little warning, these photos are no where NEAR good quality. The after pictures will be, however. These just get the point across.

The first photo is the pink bedspread I was talking about. This series of photos only deals with the outside of items. The next part will deal with the inside of my closet, drawers, including my makeup organization. (Or rather, lack thereof for now.)

Yep, so that's my bedroom. I'm really excited to see how it will turn out.

Review of Ulta/CVS Makeup/Skin Care

2010-10-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

Thinking of buying one of the following items? Check this out first to see what I thought of them.
-Ulta-
* Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask
* Studio Basics 4 piece brush set

-CVS-
* Wet n Wild Mega Brilliance Lip Gloss
* Wet n Wild Liquid Liner
* Loreal High Intensity Pigment

Check out the video here:

Women's Razors

2010-10-04T01:33:00.000-07:00

For someone who hates shaving, I sure do have a lot of razors. Check out the video below for my review of which one was the best and worst.

Revlon Pink 1" Perfect Heat Ceramic Straightener

2010-10-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

Thinking of getting a hair straightener? Not sure what kind to get? Not sure what's worth the money? Check on my review of this Revlon Perfect Heat

Crest Whitestrips Classic

2010-10-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

I can not stand my teeth, at all. It could be my obsession with coffee... but anyways! I used these Crest Whitestrips Classic and here is my review. I haven't decided if I want to continue these on YouTube or simply text/images only so let me know what you think :)

My Room Makeover Series - Part One

2010-10-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

My bedroom has been bubblegum pink since as long as I can remember. I remember everything about my room years ago: My bedspread had a ton of flowers on it from yellow to pink to blue and so we feather dusted my room with light pink and light blue. That didn't last very long and so we decided to go over the feather dusting with the pink.

It has been years since I decided to get rid of the flowers but my room has remained the same color. After the flowers came a tropical theme. I was full on obsessed with this. I still am, but not in my bedroom. We'll get to that later. Anyways, thankfully, the sunset can have pink in it, so the walls still worked.

However, around two years ago, I decided I wanted to go with an animal print themed room instead. You are probably very familiar with animals and know that there are very few that are pink. As a matter of fact, I can think of one, a pink flamingo (my favorite animal, by the way.) That was more of the tropical theme though and I wanted zebra print, leopard print, etc. And, no, those aren't pink. I had to stay with the color of my walls though and happened to get lucky when I came across a black and white zebra print set with a pink border.

Over the coarse of the year that I had this set, I began to think that maybe it was a little too... teenage... for someone about to turn twenty one. So, back to Target I went. (Yes, I'm in love with Target. You've probably noticed.) Anyways, I found the perfect set. It was tan with black zebra print. It was only a comforter so I had to buy everything separate, but it was completely worth it. I went to four different Target's to find the matching shams and black bedskirt, but I still didn't have any sheets.

I ended up buying some at Kohl's. They were originally around $120 or something and super soft, so naturally, I thought they would last a long time and not pill. I was wrong. Does anyone know where I can find some good quality sheets? I'm beginning to think they don't exist.

Anyways, I've had this bedding, along with two matching rugs, dark brown curtains, and various room accessories for almost a year now. But, for some reason, I can't seem to rid my room completely of the tropical stuff. I have palm trees on my wall. There are sticky flowers that have been up since I was... eight? And needless to say, none of this matches my brown/black/tan theme.

This is entry one of the room makeover series and WILL be the longest one with words, I promise. I will be moving around furniture, painting the walls, redesigning a lot of the room, and also making some artwork to display in the room. I will also be including pictures for the redesign in the bedroom across from mine. I will also be completely reorganizing my room so everything will be perfect.

I hope you stick around for the ride, because it's going to be great. I hope to even inspire you in some way. Don't forget to follow me for updates :)

Who loves smoothies? Review + Coupon

2010-09-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Just about every single time I go to the mall, I can't resist stopping at Orange Julius. However, instead of getting ice cream (even though I want to), I decide to choose a smoothie instead. I will occasionally decide to get the Pina Colada Fruit Drink since it is cheaper but most of the time, I go with the Tropi-Colada Smoothie. It is made with frozen yogurt (a healthy alternative to ice cream) and frozen pineapples.

I'm not sure why I never try anything different, but like they say, once you find something you love, stick with it. To be honest, I don't even drink smoothies - not unless I go there. I always want to, I do. They're healthy, they have fruit in them, lots of vitamins, an all around winner. Perhaps more places should offer the appeal that the Orange Julius smoothies have.

There's one more aspect that Orange Julius offers. I haven't tried it yet because of the extra charge (and I'm not made of money, sadly) and that is a nutrition boost, which is extra vitamins and minerals. You can also add a banana (yum!)

I recently found a coupon for ANY 12 oz smoothie for $1.99. There is a link for that below. The different choices are:

Light Smoothies (made with splenda, low fat milk, and have less than 250 calories in 12 ounces): Tropical Sunlight, Berry-Pom Twilight, and Strawberry Delight

Premium Fruit Smoothies: Strawberry Xtreme, Tropical Tango, 3-Berry Blast, Strawberry Sensation, Mango Passion, Pomegranate and Berries, Peaches and Cream, Tropi-Colada, Raspberry Crush*, Berry Lemon Lively, Orange Swirl, Banana Chill, and Berry Banana Squeeze*.

* = Dairy Free

Link to the coupon: http://www.orangejulius.com/downloads/OJ_Coupon_whiteTea.pdf (expires October 15, 2010)

Dress like a Style Icon

2010-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Today's style icon is: Audrey Hepburn

“My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying the large sunglasses, and the little sleeveless dresses.”

DRESS:
Designer

(Aidan Mattox dress can be found at Saks 5th Avenue.)

or budget friendly:

(dress can be found at Forever 21)

PEARL NECKLACE:

Couture

or Classic

(First necklace is Chanel, second can be found at Zales.)

SUNGLASSES

Designer

(Emilio Pucci Sunglasses found at Nordstrom)

or Budget friendly

(Can be found at Express.)

So there are two looks inspired by Audrey Hepburn. Whether you have a designer budget or not, like she said, her look is attainable.

Are these interesting enough to read?

2010-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

So one topic of my ever-so-organized blog post idea list is to post a questions post. I looked around for a little while and could only find the usual, boring ones (ie: your name, your favorite color, your last drink, etc..) Then, tonight, I was reading the Mama Still Wears Gucci blog and noticed a series of entries she did and now I've decided to do them as well :) Enjoy!

Do you hate me because I'm beautiful?
Hating someone just because they are beautiful would be just as bad as loving someone because they are ugly. See, doesn't that sound just crazy?

Name something phonetically or used verbally that makes you cringe.
Hmm... I can't stand the word snitch. I've heard it so many times in such immature conversations that I would be perfectly satisfied to never hear it again. Ugh, I can't even look at it!

If you could do the nasty with one celeb, present company and professional fishermen excluded, who would it be? One male and one female please.
This question used to be hard but now it is quite easy. Ian Somerhalder. Can I just say AMEN? Yes. Okay. And, I'm not interested in anyone but him, so no women shall be listed. That's okay, right?

If you could change one thing about your body, specifically, what would it be?
I'm fairly sure most of society would answer this question "I want to be skinnier." However, I'm going to try not to do that, even if it is what I want. So I'll say... I wish my fingernails and toenails were normal sized like most everyone else's. Every time I get a manicure or pedicure, I get comments about them.

When you try on clothes in a dressing room do you ever wonder about someone watching?
Their loss. HAHA. Um, no, but I probably will now....

What is your drink of choice?
Alcoholic beverage? I assume so. I rarely drink but I enjoy a strawberry daiquiri every now and then.

Do you have any piercings or ink we haven't seen?
I don't think you've seen any piercings but either way, I only have my ears pierced. So uninteresting, I know. You know what though? I want a henna tattoo. Yes! But I don't know where... or what... more on that later, I suppose.

Bella inspired makeup look

2010-08-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the photos for the finished results:

Pick a name for my new business!

2010-08-17T15:40:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a web design/graphics business. I'm thinking the name will be Belle Web Design. What do you think?customer surveys

Want it, Need it, Gotta Have it!

2010-08-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Do you know how sometimes you see something and just think to yourself "I have to have this." Well, this happens to me pretty much on a daily basis. Since today is Friday the 13th and college starts back Monday, I wanted to end it with something cheery (kind of) - a wish list!

I love wish lists. It gives me something to look forward to buying and if I ever need inspiration to do something, I tell myself if I do ________ then I can get one item off my wish list. It works miracles, believe me!

Anyways, this is likely going to be an ongoing entry whenever I feel like updating it. By the way, I am going to try to be better about updating this blog in general. I need a schedule, or chart, or something. For all of you who keep blogs, what kind of tips do you have for me to keep me up to date? I would LOVE to hear your feedback/advice!

1. Things Remembered - 2 GB Gunmetal USB Pen - $45.00
What do I love about this item?
Well, for someone who thinks it's important to always have a pen on you, what better way of doing this than to have a pen that breaks apart and becomes a USB drive? I'm a college student and USB drives are so great to have because they hold a good amount of information and they are small. However, their size is also a flaw because I can't tell you how many I've lost. This pen... solves that. Oh, and also, you can personalize it.

2. Amazon Kindle WiFi - $189
What do I love about this item?
I have debated for months, maybe even years, whether or not I like reading digitally. I consider myself to be old fashioned in regards to books and think there's nothing greater than flipping through pages of a good novel. I also used to think that looking at a screen, such as on an E-Reader would give me headaches. However, I've been reading a lot on my cell phone and, well, no headaches! Now seeing the convenience of having e-books, especially now that libraries are jumping on board, I think it's time I jumped on board too. Also, if you check out an e-book from the library directly onto your reader, it automatically gets returned in 21 days, making it impossible to get late fees! yay!

The Perfect Packing List

2010-07-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I am leaving to go camping with my family in less than a week and decided to make a packing list, as I always do before a trip lasting more than one or two days. Since we have a camper, we have to put everything we use in there beforehand. However, this list does not have to only be for camping. It can be slightly modified (or maybe not modified at all, depending on where you're going) to suit staying in a condo, a cabin, or even moving into an apartment (obviously, this would require a bit of modification, such as furniture!)

General Items for kitchen area:
* Garbage can
* Garbage bags
* Dishwashing detergent/cloth
* Dish drawing rack
* Paper towels
* Cleaning supplies (for counters, floor)
* Tissues

Bathroom/Laundry Items:
* Clothing detergent (for a trip I recommend the $1 travel size container)
* Facial cleansing items
* Shampoo/Conditioner/hair products
* Blow dryer/curling iron/etc
* Body wash/gel
* Hand soap
* Towels/washcloths/hand towels
* Shower curtain
* Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Mouthwash/Floss
* Perfume/Cologne/Body sprays
* Shaving cream/gel/razor
* Deodorant
* Laundry bag/basket

Cooking Items:
* Pots/Pans
* Plastic ware (forks, spoons, knives, plates, bowls, cups)
* Cooking utensils (wooden spoon, hamburger flipper, etc..)
* Grill/Bbq + appropriate tools
* Coffee maker / Tea maker
* Firewood
* Lighter/Matches
* Skewers
* Food and Drinks (this may seem obvious but it helps to make a menu of what you plan to eat while there to make sure you bring all the necessary ingredients)
* Apron/oven mitts/pot holders
* Table cloth
* Can opener
* Cooler
* Ice (usually available on site, depending on where you're going)
* Can and Bottle coolers/koozie/cozies whatever you call them :)
* Non breakable wine/martini/your preferred drink glasses

For fun:
* Board games
* Life jackets
* Pool/hot tub essentials: bathing suit, sunscreen, aloe vera, goggles, towels, toys, hat, visor,
* Outdoor games: volleyball, racquetball, tennis, bocci ball, horseshoes, etc
* Camera/Videocamera/batteries/memory cards/ etc
* Hammock
* Books/Magazines/Movies/DVDs/Blurays
* Dvd player/Bluray player/CD player
* TV
* Antenna
* iPod/MP3 player

Outside/Misc. essentials:
* Tent
* Outdoor chairs
* Outdoor carpet
* Outdoor lights/lanterns
* Insect Repellent
* Swiss army knife
* Blanket
* Poncho/Umbrella/Rainboots
* Fire extinguisher
* Clothesline/pins

Bedroom/Clothing items:
* Bedding: Mattress, mattress pad, pillows, pillow covers, sheet set, comforter, blanket, extra pillows, etc.
* Undergarments
* Outfits (again, best to plan these out. Also, a tip, pack extra pairs of clothes. You never know when there will be a "just in case" scenario. Don't forget special outfits in addition to everyday ones for going out or just lounging around)
* Shoes/socks
* PJs (for some reason, I seem to always forget these)
* Accessories (Try to minimize the amount of accessories you pack, unless you're moving, of course. One purse and a couple of pieces of jewelry should work for a vacation.)

Items you may not think about but will need:
* Paper
* Pens/Pencils
* Cash/Credit
* Cell phone + charger
* Laptop + charger
* Camera charger
* Batteries (already on here, but just in case you forget, here they are again. They go fast, it's probably best they're listed twice.)
* Flashlight
* Flip flops for shower (no one likes foot fungus! ewww)
* First Aid kit (make sure to include poison ivy cream if you are going anywhere you MIGHT get it)
* Latex gloves
* Scissors/Glue
* Any medications you take + contraceptives
* Glasses/Contacts/Cleaning solutions
* Antacids
* Fan/Heater
* Driver's license/Travel confirmation documents/Itinerary
* Sunglasses
* Keys
* Brush/Comb

Ladies only:
* Tampons/Pads
* Travel cleansing wipes
* Travel sewing kit
* Makeup (again, I suggest you plan before you leave and then place the makeup in a cosmetic bag)

Tips:
* I read this and don't know how many people do it but I'd actually never thought of it. If you're engaged and going on vacation, leave your diamond engagement ring in a safe place back at home and wear a CZ. That way, just in case something happens to it, you will go home to find the real one safe.

* When packing clothes, roll them. Not only does this save space, it also prevents the clothes from becoming wrinkled.

* To avoid the confusion of where you put your socks, toothpaste, etc.. organize everything into separate bags. For example, the zebra duffel is for my clothing, the pink duffel holds my cosmetic bag, accessories (in a plastic baggie), and ladies products (in the blue zip up pouch) etc...

* Print this list out. As you decide which stuff goes in each bag, write it down and check it off once it's packed. This makes packing and unpacking MUCH easier because you are certain you packed something instead of just thinking you did.

* If you're taking a plane, be sure to read the weight and carry on instructions carefully. The last flight I took, my luggage couldn't weigh any more than fifty pounds and you could have one carry on plus a personal item (such as a handbag, laptop bag, etc...) Since there is a forty pound weight limit for your carry on, this is a good place to carry a lot of stuff, if you are comfortable doing so. It will save you a lot of money if you have that extra weight over fifty pounds.

* If you're taking a plane, I do not recommend a plain black baggage set. There are hundreds around and you will likely waste a good amount of time searching for your baggage. Instead, if possible, purchase a colored set to set yourself apart from other travelers. If you insist on your black luggage, try to make it your own by adding a ribbon or design to it.

* If you are going to be in a camper, as I am, skip the baggage and simply put all your stuff directly into it. This saves a step. It may seem obvious but I had to put it in here just in case :)

If I missed anything or you have any other tips you think I should add, let me know!

How to do a Professional looking Manicure at home

2010-06-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you can't afford to go out (or maybe don't have enough time) and get a professional manicure every week or every other week. I did research and gathered knowledge and tips for years and created my own manicure that looks and feels amazing. View the videos below. It is in three parts because I go into a good amount of detail as well as do each step with you.

How to French Braid your hair

2010-06-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

So I did a video on how to French braid hair and I attempted to take photos of what it looked like. Anyways, I promise a real blog post (other than about YouTube) is coming soon.

To view the video click here

Neutral Subtle Metallic Tutorial Photos

2010-06-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the before and after photos of this look:

Before Makeup (Only powder is used in this photo)

After makeup

View the video here:

Summer Bronze Day to Night Photos

2010-06-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the before and after photos from the Summer Bronze Day to Night makeup tutorial posted on my YouTube:

Before

Finished Day look

Day eyes

Finished night look

Night eye

Night eyes

Night lips
To view the tutorial, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSaXSiwPDhk

Also, here's my YouTube Channel, Stiletto Palette where you can find all my videos. Be sure to subscribe for instant updates :)

View the video here: