Beauty By Crystal

Family Photo Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:09:00 +0000

Sorry for the huge gap in posts this month. It's been kind of a crazy month with a new huge announcement! We are having another BABY!! This hasn't been the easiest pregnancy though and I usually do my blogging after the kids go to bed. Since I've been extremely tired I've been using that precious time to get more sleep.

Well on to today's fashion post. I decided to share with you what my family and I wore for our family photos. The night before we did our family pictures I honestly had no idea what we were all going to wear. While on a last minute trip to Walmart to pick up some milk that night my daughter spotted her amazing yellow leopard print dress. She went crazy over it and had to have that dress with her in the cart the second she saw it. Since the dress was only $5! I HAD to get it for her... and that is where the family color theme was born. Yes I based all our clothes around the little yellow dress my 3 year old daughter fell in love with at Walmart. We added in red and blue for a bright happy color theme. I really liked how it turned out and I hope you enjoy it too.

My Girl: Dress & Leggings- Walmart $7 total. Shoes- Hand me downs. Flower Hair Clips- Handmade
My Boy: Shirt- Walmart $7. Jeans-The Children's Place $10
Me: Shirt- Ross $7. Skinny Jeans- Ross $15. Shoes- Gap $18. Red Statement Necklace- GroopDealz.com $6
My Man- Red Hurly Shirt $? Jeans- The Buckle (More money then most all my jeans combined) Shoes- Doc Martins $(Yet another pretty penny) LOL... My Husband spends A LOT of money on individual pieces of clothing but he only buys clothing like once or twice a year... I on the other hand do the opposite :)

I know these shoe pictures are done all the time, but I really liked how ours turned out.

I highly recommend taking chalk to your next family photo shoot. You can come up with some really fun pictures!

My girl and I doing our "Modelings"

We are cool guys :)

Thank you for looking I hope you enjoyed our little family photo shoot.

Valentine's Day Sale & Top 10 Valentine's Day Picks

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 19:27:00 +0000

Announcing Beauty By Crystal's Valentine's Day Sale! From now until Valentine's Day everything in the store is 10% off!

To help you look your sexiest on that big night out I have compiled a list of my top 10 picks.

1. What's hotter then sexy red lips? Here I am wearing Fantasy Makers- Geisha's Kiss this has become my go to Red Lipstick!

2. I am in LOVE with these Heart Hoop Earrings and they are available in two different sizes.

3. Nothing says a night out on the town like Glitter Eyeliner! Check out Fantasy Makers Glitter Eyeliner- Mystical.

4. Create the ultimate smokey eye and red lip combination with this Eye Shadow & Lip Gloss Quartet. Wet n Wild Coloricon- I Reign Supreme

5.Give your cheeks the perfect rosy shimmer with NYC Cheek Glow Blush- Chelsea Glow. This is a limited edition so you can't find it in stores anymore!

6. Don't want to do the work of matching your makeup items? Check out these perfectly coordinated Nail Polish, Lipstick, and Eye Shadow Kits! Here is The Color Workshop's Kit In Red.

7.Nothing says Valentine's like Pretty Pink Nails and Pro 10 knows how to do Pink Polish right! Here is Pro 10- Pink-A-Boo a great medium Pink. Check out all Pro 10's Pinks HERE.

8.Want to make your sexy red lips sparkle? Add some Wet n' Wild Mega Brilliance Lip Gloss- Blushing to create the perfect "Kiss Me" look!

9. CoverGirl Eyeshadow Pot in Pink Chiffon is perfect for any great day to night Valentine's look.

10. Finish off your perfect Valentine's look with one of these adorable Bohemian Heart Cocktail Rings.

Do you have big plans for that big night? I'd love to hear them.
Are you celebrating the upcoming holiday solo? Well make sure you treat yourself to something fabulous!

And remember no one ever has to love your more then you need to love yourself!

Zoya Spam Promotion Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:10:00 +0000

In light of Zoya's amazing annual New Year Promotion I decided to share all my manis that included Zoya colors that I have photographed .

If you don't know what's going on, right now until Sunday Zoya is giving away 3 free polishes and all you have to pay is shipping! Such a GREAT deal!! I actually got hooked on Zoya 3 years ago during the same promotion. The link to the promo information is HERE. Zoya is an amazing company all their products are vegan and one of the least toxic nail polish brands on the market. Which is great for me since my 3 year old daughter loves to have her nails painted. I love that I don't have to worry about putting something toxic and harmful on her.

Well let's get on with the show!

Zoya Kimmy

Zoya Nova

Zoya Nova w/ Flash on

Zoya Mimi

Zoya Yara

Zoya Perrie w/ NOPI Step to the Beat of My Heart

Zoya Cheryl W/ OPI DS Treasure

Zoya Charla Accent nail w/ China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy (Charla is the polish that got me hooked on Zoya)

Zoya Kelly w/ Finger paints Twisted

Zoya Dove w/ Icing Epic Winning

Zoya Robyn (Blue) w/ China Glaze Fuchsia Topped with Cover Girl Disco Dazzle

Here are the color I ordered! I'm so excited I can't wait to get them!

Aurora

Blaze

Kristen

What colors are you getting?

Julep Madison Swatch & Grace Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000

So after the holidays with all the glitter and crazy nail art I had going on, I was in desperate need of a pallet cleanser. For many people pallet cleansers are nudes but for me its really anything without glitter or shimmer. Since I had just received my Julep Maven box for January I decided I'd try one the colors I got. January's box was Escape & Unwind themed and contained one nude and one neon polish and a freaking awesome hand and cuticle stick. So of course I went for the "neon" color out of the two which was Madison.

Julep described Madison as an Electric Hot Pink Neon Creme. Though I would describe it as a Bright Coral Jelly. This color was a PAIN to photograph since it kept turning out red in all the photos. The bottle in the first photo is most color accurate. Madison doesn't have the classic matte finish that most neons have and it is most definitely a squishy jelly. I must say I did LOVE the color and it applied like a dream! I have problems with both jellys and neons being streaky and hard to apply. So I was a bit worried about how it would apply but it went on so smooth and evenly with a beautiful jelly finish.

When I saw this color in the bottle I thought it was a bright red color but to my surprise it was not. The best part about it is that for the past year I have been searching for a coral that matched my kindle case perfectly. I've purchased more corals than I'd like to admit trying to find the "perfect" one. Then while applying Madison, thinking it was going to be a simple red and having it turn out to be the coral I've been searching for over a year!!! I was ecstatic!!

Here are all the items that came in this month's box.

Hand & Cuticle Stick, Madison, Grace, Swatch Me Stickers, and 3 Neon hair ties.

If you don't know what the Julep Maven Boxes are I HIGHLY recommend you Check Them Out! To sweeten the deal you can use Promo Code MAVENINTRO to get your intro box for only a Penny! Oh and the cuticle oil that comes in the intro box is fabulous!

I have A LOT of nudes in my nail polish collection and I don't need hair ties with my short hair so great news for all of you! I will be giving Grace (A sheer pink nude) and the hair ties away! Enter below to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Best- All Glammed Up... for PROM!!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

First I just want thank you all for your patience during the last month. I have been so busy with my family that I took a break from the business. I only did my daily shipping and answered emails. As I have said before my family always comes first. Now that things have calmed down I'm ready to start working again!

Now on to today's Sunday Best... Okay I must point out I did not wear this to church today. This is actually what I wore to a PROM themed party some of my friends threw a couple weeks ago. I highly recommend that if you have never thrown an adult Prom... Do It!! We had a blast and having a built in date that's the love of your life is a major plus.

My hot hubby and I

I wore a long black sequence dress that I picked up from Forever 21 for only $35!!! I personally think this dress looks a lot more expensive! Then because I wanted to make it a bit more modest on top I added a nice black faux velvet bolero that I picked up from Stage on clearance for $12. Stage is like a TINY Khols that is found in small towns (I live in a VERY small town).

The Shoes I wore are and old staple in my closet that I COMPLETELY LOVE! They are perfect for formal events that I know I'll be dancing all night at. I love these cute strapy kitten heels with black rhinestones. Elegant, comfortable and you can boogie all night in them... does it get any better? I picked these shoes up a few years ago at Ross... I don't remember how much they cost.

Anytime I get to go all out with my makeup, I get super excited!! I love dramatic makeup and tons of glitter! So for my eyes I did a smoky eye with silver on the lids. I used my Elf Eyeshadow Pallet and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer to create this look. Then for the eyeliner I did a thick cat eye with Maybelline Gel Eyeliner (Which is one of my all time favorite products!). Then I did a thin line of glitter eyeliner over the black and as my husband said It really made my eyes sparkle. You can get this glitter liner and other colored glitter liners HERE in my Store. I kept my lips very natural since my eyes were so dramatic. All I wore on my lips was some concealer topped with chap stick. It was nice having simple lips, that way I didn't have to stress about them and I could eat all the snacks I wanted knowing they wouldn't smudge.

All my bling I got at Walmart for $5. I picked the Headband up a while ago on clearance at DownEast Basics for $1.60.

Here are my glitterlicious nails! I did the same thing on my toes too. They were so sparkly and blingy that the pictures don't even do them justice. For this look I did glitter nails using Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers Confetti in Glitz and YES it is available in my Store! To create this look I applied a coat of clear polish then I dipped my finger in the glitter and let is sit for about 5 mins then I topped them with one coat of Gleous and on coat of SV. It only took me about 10 mins and they turned out Ah-Mazing!!

This is my Beautiful Sister In Law! I also LOVED her dress! She wore it with some gray tights and amazing blue suede high heels. She took the heels off for this picture since she is already SO much taller then me. Lol don't mind our silly pose and my duck lips we were just having a little too much fun.

Well I hope you enjoyed my glammed up Sunday Best! What would you where if you got to go to Prom as an adult?

Check out these links for some more beautiful outfits.

5 Tips to Clearance Sale Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:02:00 +0000

Many of you who follow my Sunday Best posts may have noticed that I buy ALOT of my clothes on clearance. Yes I am a self proclaimed clearance queen! I have been shopping clearance racks for over 15 years now and I have turned it into an art form.

I grew up in a very poor family. We're talking welfare, food stamps, Ramen for dinner, Bradey Bunch 8 kids in one house kind of family. I was the second to youngest and my parents really didn't have the time or money to care if I was "in style". At the tender age of 12 years old I decided I loved fashion to much to keep wearing all the hand me down ugly thrift store clothes I had in my closet. So I took it upon myself to make my own money and buy all my own clothes. That is where my journey began and over the years I have perfected the art of thrifty shopping. So without further ado I bring to you my tip for shopping the clearance racks.

1. Know when to shop: When is the best time to shop the clearance racks? Well it's rather simple... when the seasons are changing. When the Fall/ Winter clothes start coming in the spring/summer clothes start hitting the clearance racks. Usually they start stocking for the next season a month or two before the following season starts. Fall clothes start hitting the racks around August and Spring clothes around February. Guess what though, I know a few secret times to shop when the sales are even deeper. Late October to early November is an amazing time to find extra discounted items. Stores are stocking up for the holidays so if there is anything left in the clearance section it's usually discounted ON TOP of the already low clearance prices. These clothes usually include the previous season's back to school items. You'll see signs that say 50% off clearance items... I picked up a super cute pair of palazo pants for $4 during one of those sales in early November! You can also find deep discounts just after the new years when stores start clearing out all the overstock from the holidays (Right Now!!). This is a great time to load up on accessories and beauty products that stores stocked up on for the holidays and now need to clear out.

2. Buy classics: As you may already know clearance items are the merchandise from the previous season that didn't sale and the stores need to get rid of. That means there are many items on the clearance racks that won't be in style after the season ends. So when shopping the clearance racks you want to avoid highly trendy items and instead look for classic items that will work in your closet for years to come. This way you can save money on the classics and splurge on next seasons hot trends. Here is a list of things to look for:
Neutral colors- Neutrals mix well with almost anything and transcend from season to season.
Classic patterns- Polk-a-dots, simple florals, stripes, and chevrons are some examples of prints that never really go out of style.
Classic shapes- Choose shapes that have always flattered your figure no matter what the current trends are. For me that is dresses with empire waists, shirts that flow away from my midsection, boot cut pants, and high waisted pencil skirts. Figure out what shapes work for you and keep an eye out for them.

Here is a list from Overstock.com of the Top 10 Must Have Women's Wardrobe Staples: Flattering Jeans, A Little Black Dress, Cardigans, Basic Tees, Fitted Blazers, Button-Down Shirts, Pencil Skirts, Black Pants, Trench Coat (I think this could also be a Pea Coat), and a Day Dress.

Keep all these things in mind while browsing the clearance racks and you'll be set.

3. Save Time: Have you ever walked into the "Sale" area of Forever 21 and then walked right back out because it was such a crazy mess that it gave you anxiety just looking at it? Many people think looking through over crowded clearance racks is too time consuming and stressful. Well guess what! I have found the perfect way to cut down time and anxiety while searching through those mounds of discounted clothes. One thing to remember is the sizes noted on the racks are usually never right. Clothes are always miss placed in the clearance section, so don't limit yourself to just the area that is your size.
Now here is what you do:
Walk up to a rack (I usually start with the one that is my size then work my way around.). Place your hand lightly over each item and walk around the rack. You don't have to look at each piece individually just graze over them. Then only if you see a fabric that speaks to you pull that piece out and look at the whole item. If you don't LOVE it in the first 10 seconds put it back. If you LOVE it check the tag to make sure it's in your size and price range. If so GREAT hang onto it to try on and keep going! If it's the wrong size hang on to it and keep an eye out for that same fabric because you might find it in your size somewhere else. There you have it! Only pull items that speak to you and avoid the rest! So simple right! Years ago I went through every piece of clothing in the clearance sections and it took hours now I'm in and out and onto the next store within minutes.

4. Know when to say "No!":
I used to have the worst problem with buying clothes just because they were on sale and then I'd never wear them. The bottom line is don't buy it if you don't love it!! Make sure you absolutely love it, try it on, think about what else you can wear it with, and how comfortable you are in it. Will you forget about it as soon as you leave the store or will you be thinking about it for days to come? If and only if you think you will get more then your money's worth out of it, buy it. A shirt for $3 isn't a good deal if it just sits in your closet with the tags still on.

5. Stay Ahead On Fashion Trends: Like I motioned earlier clearance items are items that are no longer in season. So in order to make sure you are picking up clearance items that won't be out of style in a month, you need to keep up on fashion trends. If you know what trends are coming in the next couple of seasons you can pick trendier items that will transition well from season to season. Here are a couple examples of how I made this work. At the end of last summer I found an amazing pair of light green skinnies for only $5! Since I knew that one of the fashion trends for next fall/winter would be pops of color I decided they would be a perfect item to transition into the next trend. I also recently picked up a beautiful Kenneth Cole light weight leather jacket only $20 originally $109! I decided this jacket would be perfect because Spring 2013 will include a lot of leather mixed with soft feminine fabrics (which I have tons of yippee!). So if you stay up on what fashion trends are coming in the following seasons you'll be able to pick
out clothes that wont just sit in your closet.

I hope these tips will help you get the most bang for your buck! If you have any further suggestions or comments please feel free to share.

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle & Orly Glitz & Glamour Holiday Mani

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Today's mani Monday was very loosely inspired by this look I saw on Pinterest. I love how the second color runs down the side of the nail. Isn't it beautiful and so well done... *Sigh* Someday I hope to have skills this good.

So I thought I would try a look like this in Christmas colors. I used China Glaze Emerald Sparkle as the main color. I am crazy about China Glaze Emerald Sparkle which is the green equivalent of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. It's completely amazing and beautiful! I used Orly Glitz & Glamour (which I am also crazy about) as the stripe down the side. I defiantly made the stripes to thick so it really looks nothing like the picture that inspired me.

I wore my nails like this for a day and kept feeling like they weren't complete and needed something else. So added the black stripe to separate the two colors and I really think it finished the look. I liked this mani but for some reason it kept feeling more like Green Bay Packers nail and not so much Christmas nails.

What do you think are they Football nails or Christmas nails?

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you stop by and check out some other manis over at these fun link ups.

Sunday Best- Mikarose & ShoeDazzle

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Today's Sunday Best features pieces from two of my favorite websites to shop. I'm a mom and I live in a small town so shopping at the mall isn't really a practical option for me most of the time. So I end up doing a lot of shopping online. Here is what I wore and where I got it.

Dress: Mikarose

I am crazy in love with Mikarose! They make beautiful modest fashion forward clothes.

Shoes: Shoedazzle

Shoedazzle is a membership based website where you get a showroom full of personalized recommendations from their stylists every month. Membership is free and the selection of shoes is amazing!

Here's my face! Haha I did some green eye shadow to go with my sexy green sued shoes.

I accessorized with my pearls. Wearing my pearls makes me happy!

AND this what I had on my nails!! Nfu Oh- 61 It's one of my all time favorite nail polishes. I just really wanted to show you guys because I will be doing something different for Mani Monday tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed today's look for more check out these fabulous link ups.

Sunday Best- Guest Post by The Mommydom Chronicles

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Hi All my lovely readers! Thanks for stopping by for today's Sunday Best. Unfortunately I stayed home sick today and with all the illness that has been going around my house this week I really didn't wear anything worth looking at... Unless you want to see me rocking yoga pants and my husbands old work shirts... No, you don't... Ok I didn't think so.

So my friend Dee from Mommydom Chronicles stepped up to the plate and wrote a guest post for you today. Please stop by her blog and say "Hi". Oh yeah and don't forget to enter my OPI Giveaway that's going on right now. ENTER HERE!

Now on to Dee's favorite outfit:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm really excited to be part of Sunday Best! My name is Dee and I blog at the Mommydom Chronicles (http://Mommydomchronicles.blogspot.com). I'm married and the mom of 1, with a dog, cat and a crazy life filled with faith and fun. I have a passion for fashion, cooking and crafts.

Do you have a particular outfit that you just love more than any other? One outfit that, no matter what your mood, if you put it on you just feel great?? For me it's my tweed skirt, with my boots. I look forward to the cooler weather just so I can wear it!

I live in South Dakota and we've had wacky weather this year. It's December and the temperatures are in the 50's. While I am grateful for the warmer temperatures to get ready for Christmas, it's looking less likely we will be dashing through the snow on the way to church!

In between warmer temperatures, we've had some bitterly cold days, including when we went to the Parade of Lights the day after Thanksgiving.

I picked up the tweed skirt at a consignment shop a few years ago. It was one of those once in a lifetime bargains that I'm so grateful for. The gray turtleneck I got at the end of last winter at Target. I've had my black cardigan for ages, and I probably wear it at least once a week. My Steve Madden boots I bought on clearance from Macy's before we moved from New Jersey in 2005. They are my go-to cold weather footwear.

My favorite part of this outfit are my grandmother's pearls. She was like a second mom to me, and when I wear them it's a connection to her. In fact I wore them on my wedding day.

Holiday Snow Polish & OPI Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:06:00 +0000

With December starting tomorrow I decided to get into the holiday spirit and did a nice snow topped Christmas mani. I have a dear friend who is also in love with nail polish and she rocks the snow topped manis most of December. So I decided I would give it a try.

For today's mani first I did three coats of my all time favorite red China Glaze Ruby Pumps. This color is stunning on its own! Ruby Pumps is a gorgeous red jelly that is dense with red glitter. It's absolutely stunning.... Ok I think you get the picture I LOVE this color.

After Ruby Pumps I added the white snow tips. For the tips I used a Styli-Style Xtreme Nail Art Dual Polish & Pen. This can be found in my Shop but has a VERY limited quantity. I really like the polish/pen combos because the polish is thick and opaque which make them perfect for nail art. To create this look I used the polish end of the lid.

Then I topped the whole look off with some SV. I really like how it turned out! What do you think?

Before we get to today's giveaway let us all please take a moment to morn the loss of my once beautifully long nails. This happened to me on Black Friday and it was a black day indeed.

Maybelline Downtown Brown (Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic.)

I'm not opposed to nubs it's just heart breaking when you're nails are at their ideal length and SNAP... Anyway onto happy and brighter things.
Today's Giveaway!!

I am giving away 2 OPI Nail polishes that are perfect for the holidays and year round! A $17 value!1 winner will receive a bottle of OPI Number One Nemesis from the discontinued Spiderman Collection and a bottle of OPI Bagota Blackberry. (Click on the nail polish names to see swatches of each color)

Enter here to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking Fabulous On Ordinary Days

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:58:00 +0000

Do your make-up brushes ever get a mind of their own? How about you hair straightener?
On occasion while getting ready for a completely ordinary day my make-up brushes get a mind of their own and I end up looking like I'm about to go to a red carpet event. I love to have fun with my make-up and I won't apologize for it because it's just so fun to play with.

Here are a few examples of glamours looks for not so glamorous days.

Here the glamour bug struck two of my friends and I... So what better to do then have a just for fun photo shoot.

This is my amazingly beautiful friend Amber Michelle. She is an Actress/ Freelance Make-up artist, she did all our makeup for this shoot. Amber is such a beautiful person inside and out! Love her!

Well thanks for checking out today's silly little post.

Sunday Best- Mommy Daughter Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:23:00 +0000

Today's Sunday Best features my lovely amazing daughter. When I asked my husband to take my pictures for this post my little Zoey got supper excited and asked if I would take pictures of her too. How could I say no to that! So I bring you today's Sunday Best Mommy Daughter Edition.

Here is my wonderful little Zoey! I Told her "Do your modelings!"... and this is the magic that happened. This is every picture I took in the exact order I took them. I LOVE HER!

Want to know what Zoey is wearing?

Everything she is wearing is from Walmart except the headband.

The Top and Leggings are both Garanimals and the lace skirt is from Walmart's Holiday Time Collection. Isn't that skirt cute!?! I want one in my size!!

The headband is from DownEast Basics... yes we share hair accessories.

Everything she has on was $5 or less.

I will forever tell my daughter that she is beautiful and encourage her to love who she is! You can read more about that Here.

Here we are both doing our Kissy faces:

Ok, Ok, Here is what I wore today:

Dress: Tiana B

I got this dress for $1.50!!!! I picked it up at a local thrift store in my small town the retail value is $50!

Boots: Bamboo Store: Shiek Shoes

Belt: Unknown Brand Store: Ross

Accessories:

Earrings: Target... I Freaking LOVE these Earring! What do you think?

Ring: Beauty by Crystal

I also had on a simple black bangle bracelet. I've had the bracelet so long I forget where it came from.

Now for the make-up:

Well I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Best! Feel free to let me know what you think, your comments mean the world to me.

Want to see more beautiful looks check out these other link ups:

<< All items were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 01:13:00 +0000

Announcing the Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale! Everything at Beauty by Crystal will be 10% off! The sale will start Thursday at Midnight and will run till Midnight on Monday.

To help with your shopping this weekend, here are my top 10 picks from Beauty by Crystal for this holiday season:

1. Wet n' Wild Color Icon Eye Shadow & Lip Gloss Quartet- I Reign Supreme: This eye shadow and lip quartet is perfect for all your holiday parties. The charcoal & silver eye shadow are amazing for smokey eyes. With two lip gloss shades that transition perfect from day to night.

2. Fantasy Makers Nail Polish & Lipstick Set- Classic Red: Because nothing is classier than red lips and nail, especially during the holidays!

3. Red Rhinestone Hoop Earrings: These fun earrings are perfect to create an edgy holiday look.

4. Naturistics Super Shine Nail Polish- Starlight: Is the perfect glitter top coat for any of your seasonal manicures.

5. The Color Workshop Make-Up Set Travel Kit- Plum: Perfectly coordinated nail polish, eye shadow and lipstick all in a convenient make-up bag. These kits are also available in 6 different colors!

6. Fantasy Makers Body & Hair Glitter Gel- Mysterious: It's just not the holidays without a whole bunch of glitter!!

7. Fantasy Makers Glitter Eyeliner- Hypnotic: This beautiful gold shimmer eyeliner is is absolutely gorgeous

and will brighten up any look. These fabulous glitter eyeliners are available in 4 different colors.

8. Sinful Color Nail Polish- Exotic Green: The green creme polish you've been looking for and it's perfect for nail art!

9. Fantasy Makers Self-Adhesive False Eyelashes- Tease: Stunning long black lashes... need I say more. Check out all the lashes available Here.

Now for the Grand Finale!!

10. Gold Chain Jade Bead Necklace & Earring Set: This beautiful set would make the perfect gift! Make sure you pick up two because you are going to want to keep one for yourself.

Are you planning on fighting the crowds this Black Friday? If so, what is it you just can't wait to get your hands on?

Have a wonderfully beautiful Thanksgiving!! Don't eat to much... nahhh eat till you can't move, it's much more fun that way!

Love,

Crystal

Mani Monday- Racing Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I've seen a few racing stripe styled manis on Pinterest so I thought I would give it a try. I wanted it to create a look that was perfect for fall with a touch of elegance. This was my first attempt at this look and even though it wasn't perfect I still really like it. Next time I try it I am going to go with thinner stripes.

For the base color I used OPI Road House Blues which is a deep purple/blue creme. This color is so in between purple and blue there is no way to describe it other than Blurple.

For the stripes I taped off both sides of the nail and painted down the middle of the nail with Pure Ice- Get Low. Get Low is one of Pure Ice's new colors, though I do think it looks almost exactly like the gold they released for Chinese new year last year. It is a beautiful orange gold foil and it covers very well. All the racing stripes are one coat of Get Low and you can't even see the base color through it at all.

What do you think? Do you like the racing stripes? Comment below and let me know. I absolutely LOVE hearing your feedback and great news... I took off the pesky word verification so no more ouchy eyes when trying to leave a comment.

I would love to see your mani Mondays too! So make sure you stop by Glitter and Gloss to link up and while you're there make sure you enter my GIVEAWAY!!

Sunday Best- Cowgirl Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:33:00 +0000

Whoo hoo I'm finally back with a Sunday Best! I missed the last couple of weeks because I missed church due to sick kids and I REALLY don't think anyone wanted to see what I was wearing (Sick days are PJ days).

Okay so maybe I'm not "Cowgirl" to everyone, but to me this outfit felt a bit country. I still haven't deiced whether I love or hate this outfit. I guess I just think it turned out okay. I do love all the pieces individually but I just can't decide if they flow well together. I did however get a couple compliments at church on it so I guess it wasn't all that bad. I'll tell you why I'm not completely in love with it. The skirt is a bit longer and with the boots on you can only see a tiny bit of the crazy adorable tights I had on. I also think the combination of the high boots and longer skirt made me look very short, and when you're only 5'2 the last thing you need is for clothes to make you look shorter. I'm also not a fan of how much volume is on top and bottom. Usually when I wear a shirt with a lot of volume on top I try to wear a tighter fitting bottom. I must have spaced that when I put on the flowy skirt. I guess other than that I was happy with the look, and I was running late for church so this got put together in about 5 mins.

Want to know what I'm wearing? Check it out:

White cap sleeve shirt: The Wonder Tee- DownEast Basics $10.99 The Wonder Tee is a HUGE staple in my closet, I think I own at least 15 of them in different colors. They are the ultimately perfect under shirt!

Crochet Lace Top: Ebay Seller- lenovo*dress from china $7.05

Polka Dot Skirt: Briggs New York- Ross $5.00 (Clearance Purchase)

Boots: Rampage- Stage $15.00 Stage is a tiny department store in my small town. Imagine Khols but WAY smaller. I got these boots as a Black Friday deal last year... I can't wait for their Black Friday Deals this year!

Here are all my accessories:

Necklace: Goodwill $1.98

Earrings: No Boundaries- Walmart $2.88

Ring: Beauty by Crystal

Bracelet: GroopDealz FREE! I just paid shipping of $3.95. If you don't know what GroopDealz is I highly recommend you check them out. Groopdealz is a fabulous website that has daily deals on awesome products from amazing boutiques.

Tights: DSW $2.00 (Clearance Purchase)

For my make-up I went for a nice natural look.

So what do you think? Was this look a Pass or Fail?
I love to read your comments!!

Want to see more fun looks? Check out these fabulous link ups:
<< All items were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Giveaway Hosted by Glitter & Gloss

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:51:00 +0000

GIVEAWAY

Hello Beauties! Make sure you stop by Glitter and Gloss and enter the amazing giveaway she is hosting for me.

You can win these beautiful products from Beauty by Crystal!

Enter Here: Glitter and Gloss: Sponsor Welcome & Giveaway: Beauty by Crystal

Did you think to pray.

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

This is a little story I just really wanted to share.

A few days ago I was having a really hard day. My heart felt heavy and angry. My children we're particularly rough that day and nothing seemed to be right. After a long struggle to get my children down for naps I turned my attention to the kitchen that needed cleaning. As I was scrubbing the counters and running through all my negative thoughts of that day a small tune began to play in the back of my mind. Frustrated, defeated and angry I began to hear the song playing in the back of my mind. Here is what slowly drifted to the forefront of thoughts...

Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?

Oh, how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

After realizing what my attitude was just moments before, I hit my knees. How thankful I am for prayer and that gentle reminder I got! After a little bit of time in prayer I felt my heart lifted and my entire day changed. My spirits were lifted and I became a better mother/person that day. So when life gets dark and dreary PLEASE Don't forget to pray.

No matter what denomination or faith you are if you believe there is someone to pray to, don't forget to pray.

Here are all the words to that wonderful song that changed my day and also an amazing rendition by the BYU's Men's Chorus.

Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?
- Refrain:
  Oh, how praying rests the weary!
  Prayer will change the night to day;
  So when life seems dark and dreary,
  Don’t forget to pray.
When you met with great temptation,
Did you think to pray?
By His dying love and merit,
Did you claim the Holy Spirit
As your guide and stay?
When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?
When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?

Mani Monday- Pure Ice Viva Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I am by no means a brand snob when it comes to nail polish. Some people swear by OPI or Essie or Zoya or China Glaze but the truth is, there are amazing polishes by many of the inexpensive brands too. I have some OPIs and Essies that chip within two days and others that last a week. I have some Zoyas or China Glazes that stain my nails from months. I have some .99 cent Wet n' Wilds that last 6 days and others that chip the next day. From many years of experience, as far as nail polish is concerned they're mainly color specific with how long they last and how bad they stain. That is why I love to shop ALL brands of nail polish and try to find the best colors those brands have to offer. (When it comes to base and top coats yes I am VERY picky and a total brand snob.)

Here is a little gem I found at Walmart a couple weeks ago for only $1.99!! I was scanning the cosmetic section for any new released colors and I found a HUGE display of new Pure Ice colors. I have sold many Pure Ice polishes in my store and I am very familiar with the brand. They had some really pretty new colors and I am so annoyed with myself for not taking a picture of the display for you. I picked up a few... ok a lot of the colors.

Direct Sunlight No Flash

Pure Ice- Viva Las Vegas is one of the colors I picked up. As far as nail polish is concerned I rarely lean toward nudes or neutral colors. This one really caught my eye though, there was something about it that was sophisticated without being boring.

Indirect Sunlight No Flash

Viva Las Vegas is a pale taupe color with light golden shimmer. On my olive skin it is a perfect neutral color and the golden shimmer gives it that something special. Now you know me... I can never have a mani without a little pop of glam so I added an accent nail with Maybelline Color Show Sequins- Lavender Sparks. Lavender Sparks has a clear base with tons of micro purple glitter, small round holo glitter and chunky purple hexagon glitter. It is AMAZINGLY glittery and has tons of coverage!!

To top off the amazingness of both these colors I wore this mani for OVER a WEEK!! In about 4 days it got a little bit of tip wear then it finally started chipping on the 6th day. The chipping was so minimal though that I wore it another 3 days!! Then it got pretty bad and I had to change it.

Do you like this color combo? Feel free to let me know what you think!

Want to see more fun manis? Check out the Mani Monday Link Up over at Glitter and Gloss.

5 Tips To Beautiful Self Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:36:00 +0000

It's been a while since I did a Be Beautiful post and I'm super excited about this one. Today I'm going to share some tips that personally helped me feel confident in who I am. Confidence is power and a women who is confident and loves herself can accomplish anything she puts her mind to.

As a young girl and teenager I always struggled with my confidence levels. At that time I thought it was because I wasn't pretty enough or because I didn't have enough friends or boys chasing me. I have come to realize it was truly because I never accepted myself for who I was. I was my worst critic and was always putting myself down. How can you ever feel confident when your inner voice is always pointing out your flaws. I hate that I ever felt this way and that to this day I still struggle with that stupid inner voice and lack of confidence. So here are my tips on how to combat all the negativity and rise up as a confident happy person.

1. Stay positive.

It's so much easier to feel good about yourself when you have a positive mindset. I know it sounds so simple but yet being positive can be so hard to achieve! Here is how I do it and I hope it can help you. When things are really getting you down and your feeling constant negative thoughts about yourself, STOP, breath and then mentally list of all the things you love about yourself. I've had days when getting ready for the day I just dwell on all the things I hate. My tummy is to big, my eyebrows are to bushy and on and on. When my thoughts head that direction I make a special effort to list all the things I love. I have also used this stay positive technique in other aspects of my life. When my kids are whining non stop and everything out of their mouths is negative, I stop them and make them start listing all of their favorite parts of the day. They always begin reluctantly but slowly they begin laughing and chatting about all the things that made them happy. The whole atmosphere in the home changes and we all feel better. So when you feel your negativity creeping in and hindering your self confidence stop it in its tracks and remind yourself of all that is wonderful about you.

2. Admit defeat.

So what do I mean by admitting defeat? I mean there are somethings about your looks or personality that will never change no matter how hard you try. Dwelling on these things will only make you unhappy and bring down your confidence. Here are a few things I have admitted defeat on; I will never ever have a nice flat stomach again (unless I want to shell out tons of money and get A LOT of surgery done), I have a scar on my eyebrow that is never going away, I'm not 19 anymore and I will never look 19 again, I'm very introverted, I have the worst short term memory and the list goes on and on but I'd rather not dwell on those things. Rather then letting these things get me down I simply admit them to myself and deal with them and move on. After bearing two beautiful children with my small body frame my stomach took a major beating. I wear my stretch marks under my cloths with pride and dress myself to mask and flatter the extra layer of skin and fat in my midsection. I lost 25lbs since having my last child and there isn't much I can do about my tummy area at this point. So I have admitted defeat and moved on. I hold my head high with confidence because there are somethings I just can't change and it's okay.

3. Stop comparing yourself to everyone!

I'll admit this one I still struggle with. With facebook, pintreset, instagram and all the other social media outlets that show women having the most fabulous and glamours lives its easy to start comparing yourself to them. You see their pictures always looking so beautiful while your sitting on the couch in you pj's eating skittles (ok maybe that is just me... but you get the point right?). Well guess what friends, you don't have to be fabulous everyday! Those women you are comparing yourself to are NOT REAL! They are a fantasy that you made up in your head. Everyone has struggles and weakness that you don't see. Yes there are many beautiful active women in the world but their lives aren't perfect and yours doesn't have to be either. If you want to look nice everyday and that makes you happy then by all means wake up early get yourself ready and live your day in confidence. BUT if you're like me and that kind of life style stresses you out then don't do it. Take a day for yourself when you decide not to do your hair or get dressed and live that day in confidence... you can always look good tomorrow. So I guess my point is, be yourself do what makes you happy and stop comparing yourself to the women that "has it all". You will never be confident with who you are when your constantly chasing what others are.

4. Follow the golden rule.

Treat others the way you want to be treated. How can someone be confident when they are unhappy with who they are as a person? Well they can't. They might have false self confidence but they will never have that aura of a truly happy confident person. When you engage yourself in kind works you are so filled with joy it spills out. After turning your focus outward to the people around you, you begin to careless about the caddie things in life.

5. When you look good you feel good.

Ok yes this is more superficial then all the others but you have to admit when you feel good about your appearance you walk a little taller. Now I'm not saying you have to be a super model everyday I'm just saying take care of yourself. Live a healthy lifestyle so you can be proud of your body even if it's not perfect. If you need a confidence boost for the day put on your favorite outfit, wear your favorite lipstick, or put on those heels that hurt your feet so bad but look so dang good. Loving the way you look can prepare you to show the world, you love who you are and you're not afraid to show it on the outside. Loving your appearance and taking pride in your appearance doesn't make you a bad person. Looking good so that you can feel better then other people is not the goal. This will only lead to self destruction. Embrace your beauty and enjoy who you are.

I hope these tips can help inspire you to live your life in confidence and love who you are!

Thank you for reading please feel free to share your thoughts on what makes you feel confident!

Mani Monday- Happy Halloween!!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Happy Halloween Week!!

I couldn't make up my mind on what design I wanted to do for my Halloween Mani. So I just did them all!
Here is what I used:
Thumb: Wet n' Wild Black Creme topped with Sally Hansen White Veil. White Veil is a very unique white glitter with chunky hexagon gold glitter.
Index Finger: China Glaze Sun Worshiper which is a super bright yellow orange neon. Then I added Wet n' Wild Black Creme Tips. For the dripping effect I put some black polish on a dotting tool and drug it down the nail.
Middle finger: Zoya Tanzy with Opi Black Shatter
Ring Finger: Wet n' Wild Black Creme with Zoya Tanzy Dots and Sally Hansen White Veil Glitter
Pinkie: China Glaze Sun Worshiper with Wet n' Wild Tangled In My Web... Black Glitter!! I LOVE Black Glitter!!

I'd love to hear what you think about this spookily crazy mani!
Want to see more amazing nails or share yours, check out the fabulous Mani Monday Link Up:

Sunday Best All Dressed Up In Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:57:00 +0000

I can't believe it has been a week already! Yikes sorry for the lack of posts but this week/month has been crazy! Well here is today's Sunday Best.

Today I wore a Maxi Dress with Kimono styled sleeves. I picked this little pretty up at Charlotte Russe on clearance for $7.00... OK I'll admit it. Yes I am the most amazing clearance shopper :) (I know you were thinking it)

I'm also loving that gold jewelry is back in style! I got this pink and gold bubble necklace from a facebook deal from www.lovelylolaboutique.com $10. The bangle bracelets and ring are from Forever 21 both clearance buys for 2.99 each.

And my favorite part of the whole outfit... THE SHOES!! Another fabulous find from Hautelook! Seriously I am addicted to Hautelook!

Thanks for checking out today's Sunday Best! Let me know what you think and make sure to check out all the other fabulous outfits at the Sunday Style Link up:

Sunday Best Elegant and Edgy

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:23:00 +0000

Sorry this Sunday Best is a day late. We had a crazy day yesterday and I was only home for a couple hours in the morning then we didn't get home till really late. We had a super fun day going to church and then hanging out with family. Now on to what I wore.

I wanted to go for an elegant edgy look. The beautiful purple I had in my hair a few weeks ago completely washed out and after redyeing it 2 times I decided to give up and had it dyed to a very dark blue black. I absolutely love the black I'm just a little sad my hair refused to be purple. Anyway my black hair has made me feel super edgy lately and I love embracing my dark side. About 9 years ago I went though a "punk" faze in my fashion life and it has been so fun having a feel of that edginess in my style lately.

I wore this long black maxi dress with from Ross (Have you noticed yet that I am obsessed with Ross).

I chose to wear minimal jewelry with this dress since it has such a beautiful pattern I didn't want to distract from it. So I wore some black earrings and a few bangle bracelets and that's it. Like a dork I took off my bracelets as soon as I got home from church and forgot to put them back on before I took these pics.

Here are the shoes I wore. These shoes are definitely in my top 10 favorite shoes! They are from Fergalicious by Fergie, I picked these bad boys up on clearance last year at Famous Footwear for $15!

AND Don't forget to stop by and enter my GIVEAWAY HERE!!

Agape Love Designs & Photography: Beauty By Crystal Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Hi Beauties!! Want to win this amazing beauty package from Beauty By Crystal ~ Ebay Store?! Come join my fabulous giveaway over at Agape Love Designs & Photography's blog.
Check it out:
Agape Love Designs & Photography: Beauty By Crystal Giveaway!: Happy Sunday friends!! Today I have a WONDERFUL giveaway for all your makeup and beauty lovers!! But before we get to that, lets get to...

Agent Dreamer: Sponsor Love: Beauty by Crystal

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:15:00 +0000

Want to know more about the person behind Beauty By Crystal? Check out my fun interview with Agent Dreamer!
Agent Dreamer: Sponsor Love: Beauty by Crystal

The New Do

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty By Crystal) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:30:00 +0000

OK you guys I have been dying to post this but I have been so super busy this week it took me a while.
So here it is:
I chopped all my hair off and dyed it purple! I LOVE IT!!!!!! This is the craziest shortest hairstyle I have ever had. My poor hubby is not a fan of the cut but at least he likes the color. He likes my classic A-Line Bob that I have been sporting off and on since I was 14.

The cut I did is called an asymmetrical a-line.... yeah that's a mouth full.

And in other juicy news I just got in another shipment of 1000 nail polishes! There are some BEAUTIFUL colors in this batch and I'll be hard at work over the next few weeks getting these all listed for you.

Well I can't wait to hear what you all think of my new crazy cut! I hope you are all having a beautiful day!