From Head To Toe

3 MINUTE MAKEUP CHALLENGE!!

2013-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy hump day everyone! To get you out of your mid-week slump, I wanted to share a video I posted which is the best kind: short and slightly self-deprecating.

I was recently tagged by Lindy aka bubzbeauty on Youtube to do the 3 Minute Makeup Challenge which is exactly as it sounds. You must do an entire makeup look, as best you can, in only 3 minutes. Applying makeup in itself can be a challenge but to do an entire look in 3 minutes is prettttttttty crazy. I'm pretty much still sweating just thinking about it, but to your benefit it brings the lols. ;)

Check out the video below!

PRODUCTS USED:

Youngblood Mineral Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Tipsy

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Demolition

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Shiseido Eyelash Curler

Maybelline Color Whispers lipstick in Rose of Attraction

For those wondering, the nail polish I was wearing was Essie's Mint Candy Apple which I am currently obsessed with. :)

I don't want to give away too many spoilers about the results of the video for those blog readers who can't watch the video yet, but I am *itching* to redo this (in the safety and comfort of no-camera zone) just because I know now what to do to be the most baller 3-minute makeup applier ever.

That's how you learn from life, man. Stress, then CONFIDENCE!

Readers, have you tried a timed makeup challenge before? How many minutes is your quickest makeup routine? How long does it take for you to apply false lashes? Let me know in the comments below!

Manicure Monday: Sensationail Gold Glitter Gradient

2013-06-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I want to officially welcome back the return of Manicure Mondays. I took a little break from consistent manicures while I was on vacation in Korea because I didn't change my nails too much while I was gone. Instead, I tried out an at-home gel nail kit called Sensationail since gel nails last a purported 2 weeks. I knew it would be a solid pick for a long trip, saving nail polish space in my luggage for new colors to pick up while overseas. It was a win-win situation!

The Sensationail starter kit retailing $49.99 (which I can share with you in another blog post if you'd be interested) comes with a clear coat which serves as both top and base coat. I got the gold glitter polish separately since I wanted to do a natural and fuss-free look which wouldn't show nail growth as badly during my trip.

Here I used:
- 1 layer of base/top coat
- gold glitter on top 1/3
- gold glitter on top 1/6 (top half of the previous layer)
- sealed with 1 layer of base/top coat

The process takes curing with a provided LED lamp between each layer, but curing only takes about 30 seconds each time so it took about the same length as a regular manicure. Overall, I was very happy with the final look since it was natural enough to match everything I wore while also holding up very well to dragging heavy luggage everywhere. When nails grew out, I just clipped and filed the ends and the gold glitter still looked pretty at the tips! Definitely recommend this for future travelers!!!

Readers, have you ever tried at-home gel UV or LED kits? What did you think of the experience? Let me know in the comments!

Bridal Makeup Tutorial for Monolids & Small Creases

2013-06-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hey lovelies, I hope you guys are having an amazing June! One of my favorite things about June is that it's the anniversary month of my wedding, which reminded me that I wanted to create an updated Bridal Makeup Tutorial for you. Makeup is so important on your wedding day and every bride wants to look their best, so I compiled a complete tutorial with several tips & tricks to help your wedding makeup last and look flawless when you walk down the aisle!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 140

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ Foundation in 40

Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 7

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

Tarte Smooth Operator Powder

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Demolition

Urban Decay Naked Palette (individually Buck, Sin, Darkhorse, Virgin)

Wet n Wild CremeGel Liner

Rimmel Scandaleyes Pencil in Nude

Maybelline The Colossal Volume Cateyes Waterproof Mascara

Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Black

Winks #7 Crisscross Lashes

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blushing Bride

Sigma Duo Fibre F15 Brush (skunk brush)

Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Pencil in Illegal

Maybelline Color Whispers lipstick in Rose of Attraction

ON ME:

Bridal Minnie Ears from Disney World

Ann Taylor dress

On the surface this may just look like your typical "everyday" neutral makeup, but as with all special event makeup tutorials, the details and fine tuning are what will make it hold up all night. I recommend starting with a good base, which means a long-lasting foundation on top of a good primer like my current favorite Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.

If you are doing your own makeup, test out the foundation beforehand to make sure it will work with your skin and look nice in photos. Look for foundations with an SPF no higher than 15, or preferably none at all since sunscreens have the potential for flashback, meaning the white "ghost mask" effect you can get in flash photography. My top recommendations are both from Make Up For Ever: HD foundation for normal to dry skin and Mat Velvet+ for oily skin.

For the eyes, I stuck with a neutral brown palette using the Urban Decay Naked Palette which tends to be flattering on everyone. I recommend browns because it will always be classic no matter how many years later you look back at your photos, but you can definitely choose to use a color for your wedding as well. Just find a dark, medium, and shimmery shade to coordinate with the 3 main lid colors for this look to give that 3 dimensional effect on the eyelid.

Just as a little behind-the-scenes, I wanted to share this last fun picture. As I was gathering the accessories to put together this bridal look 5 whole years after my wedding date, I stumbled upon these Minnie Mouse ears that I got while I was in Disneyland for my honeymoon. When cropped just right, they wound up being the perfect veil for my video and pics, right? Kids at heart, forever! ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed the post and if you want to see more about my wedding and past bridal tutorials I've done, you can find those under the "bridal" and "wedding" labels on the search page.

Congrats on all of you new brides, brides-to-be, and forever brides! ;)

Let me know if you tried out this makeup look in the comments, and if you have any bridal makeup tips to share!

Meet & Greet Announcement: Mall of America!

2013-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share with you guys today that I'll be holding a Meet & Greet at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN on June 15, 2013 at the Sigma Beauty store. This will be the first US meetup that I've had and I must say, I do feel a bit of pride that it will be in the Midwest! It only seems appropriate that the meetup will be close to my roots. ^_^

Here are the details...

When:
Saturday, June 15th, 2013 from 1:00-3:00PM

Where:
Mall of America - Sigma Beauty - Level 2, West (W286)

What:
Come join me for a meet & greet with desserts, drinks, giveaways, and a store-wide 10% discount!

If you plan on attending, please RSVP by sending an e-mail to marketing@sigmabeauty.com or by going to this link.

I'm SUPER excited about this event since I know a lot of you midwest girls can't ever make it out to the coasts where a lot of meetups usually happen. I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person so let me know if you can make it!!!

May 2013 Beauty Favorites!

2013-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! May this year has absolutely flown by in a giant Korean whirlwind! One of the first things I did when I got back home was to record my May Favorites video which includes some of my go-to products while traveling abroad, as well as a couple of new-found loves. Check out the video below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream
Tarte Amazonian Clay in Blissful
Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Benefit Cha Cha Lip Tint
Etude House Dear My Jelly Lips-talk in Hot Pink
Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Diamond Dog
Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Stargazer

ON ME:

Face - Charmzone Charm In Cell BB Cream
Lips - Benefit Cha Cha Tint
Nails - Essie Mint Candy Apple
Tee - Forever 21

Of course when in Korea I couldn't skip out on using BB Cream, the product which found its popularity first within the country. Skin79 VIP Gold has been my favorite BB Cream for a long time and gave me a bit of extra coverage and brightness on days when I didn't want to wear a full face of foundation, so it easily made it onto my list of favorites this month.

I am also absolutely loving Benefit's Cha Cha Tint. I'll do a blog post talking more about my visit with Benefit Korea in Seoul, but suffice it to say that Cha Cha Tint is Korea's #1 best-selling Benefit product since its launch and I am totally enamored. I've enjoyed the original red Benetint for a long time but Cha Cha looks even better on yellow-undertoned skin like mine, plus it's very long lasting. LOVE!

I guess you could say coral/orange have been my colors of this month since I have 2 blushes and a lip color all in the same family. It just screams Spring to me!

I don't want to be too redundant but I also wanted to include this last picture since it shows more of my hair. Yes, I did re-color my hair this month at Atform Chosungah in Seoul's Chungdamdong district. I wanted to go darker, and no more ombre for me! I'll share more about that experience soon as well. It's definitely a May favorite, haha! :)

Hope you guys enjoyed your May and let me know in the comments what your favorites were this month!

Readers, what is your current go-to color? Any favorites you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments!

Fresh Makeup for Sick Days

2013-06-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It feels so good to finally be back at my own computer after taking such a long break to South Korea. Now that I'm back I finally have access to a few files that I accidentally left behind at home, so I wanted to share with you a helpful video that I actually posted on Youtube a couple weeks ago: Makeup for Sick Days.

When we are sick most of us tend to look the part, especially concerning the red or sallow look our skin gets, dark undereye circles and puffiness, and dull eyes. Unfortunately, it's still really important to abandon our duvet-caves and trudge back out into the real world looking convincingly healthy! This is why I came up with a tutorial with a few tips on how to look a bit brighter on those yucky days.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Skin 79 BB Cream
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Shade Medium
Benefit High Beam
Youngblood Mineral Foundation in Warm Beige
Hot Pink Meliesh Blush in #3
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Lorac Pro Palette
Loreal Infaliable Shadow in Iced Latte
Stila Kajal Pencil in Topaz
Eyeko Sinny Liquid Eyeliner in Navy Blue
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Energy

And you can find my little Rhino friend here!

I did want to note that I recorded this tutorial a couple of months ago, so I'm not currently sick but you can definitely see a bit of atypical undereye baggage in the pic below. This is real life, y'all! Makeup can be a wondrous thing!

Here you can see the navy eyeliner used which counteracts any yellowness the eyes may have, giving a subtle brightness to the face. Since the lids are so natural, the subtle pop of color doesn't look too distracting or overdone.

Here you can see the clean look to the skin. Bb cream & concealer where needed hides discolorations like redness around the nose and dark undereye circles while liquid highlighter brings a glow back into the skin. If you have one, a facial mist like Benefit Ultra-Radience Rehydrating Mist is a great way to restore hydration to the skin after the look is complete.

Obviously, there are different levels of sickness (some of which call for total bed rest and not going out and possibly infecting everyone else in the office, haha ;) so definitely break down parts of this tutorial into realistic steps to integrate into your own sick makeup routine. My bare-bones recommendations are liquid liner, undereye concealer, and a hydrating lip product like Aquaphor which can double as a healer of cracked, peeling noses as well.

I hope you guys are having an amazing Spring and I'll talk to you soon! Let me know in the comments what posts you are most looking forward to seeing. :)

Readers, what is your go-to makeup when sick? What is your biggest makeup concern? Any home remedies for kicking a cold? Let me know in the comments!

Korea Vlog Clips & Seoul Meetup Info!

2013-05-13T04:03:00.001-07:00

Hey lovelies! I just wanted to post a quick update to let you guys know that I am going to hold a Seoul, South Korea meetup for anyone who wants to come and meet me in person. This will actually be my first meetup ever (because I'm rather shy, but I think it will be a lot of fun!) so I'm super excited! If you are Korean and don't have good English speaking skills, don't worry because I understand Korean. :)

Seoul, South Korea Meetup Info:

Friday, 5/17/13 at 2 PM
Lets meet at the red & white sculpture in front of Seoul City Hall
Take the subway to the City Hall stop (lines 1 or 2) exit 5

Here's a Seoul subway map for reference. Take the royal blue or green lines. ^_~

I'm looking forward to meeting you on Friday! ^_^

April 2013 Beauty Favorites!

2013-05-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! I have a bit of wifi from my hotel room in Korea today so I wanted to do a quick update to share with you my April beauty favorites video that went up a few days ago. This month was filled with a few Spring trends that I'm loving including some highlighters that I am absolutely obsessed with and, of course, bright lipsticks! Check out my top picks this month below.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Maybelline Color Whispers lipstick in Rose of Attraction
Maybelline Vivids lipstick in Neon Red
Tarte Aqualillies lipgloss in Charmed
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium
Benefit Moonbeam
Chanel Illuminating Powder
Clinique Moisture Surge Intense
Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

ON ME:

Foundation - Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige 06
Eyes - Urban Decay Naked Palette
Lips - Maybelline Color Whispers lipstick in Rose of Attraction
Nails - Sensationail Gel Nails in Gold Glitter

As I mentioned in the video, I've been really enjoying the Tarte Maracuja concealer this month as it's one of the best non-creasing and non-drying concealers I've tried for undereyes. I have a crease that goes right from my inner corners under my "aegyo-sal" (undereye puffiness) and most concealers accentuate those crease lines to the point where it seems to look better without any concealer at all!

In terms of concealers, a huge thing to keep in mind is that you may need a very different concealer type for undereyes than for covering my hyperpigmentation. Undereye skin is very sensitive, so you want something hydrating enough that it won't cause a look of extra wrinkles. You may also need something slightly more orange or salmon-toned to counteract any blue or purple that may appear in undereye darkness (they are opposites on the color wheel and neutralize each other). This Tarte concealer is a bit orange on my skin so it blends to cover up my dark circles nicely plus it isn't too dry.

Definitely let me know if you've tried this concealer and your thoughts on it, or if you have another great undereye concealer recommendation!

Before I go, I wanted share a quick & easy lash application tutorial for Winks by Georgie false lashes that I did recently which you can watch on Youtube here. These lashes actually remind me of Asian false lashes in how they look and feel which I haven't found very often from American brands, so I wanted to let you know that they will be on sale on Hautelook starting May 6th at 11 AM EST for 48 hours. My personal favorite which looks very natural and not too long on shorter-lashed girls is #7 L'Amour. It's the one I used in the tutorial so if you like that look, it's my recommendation. :)

I hope you enjoyed my favorites! For those of you curious about my Korea travels you can take a peek into my life through following on Instagram @frmheadtotoe and Vine @frmheadtotoe which is how I've been sharing short video clips. I have been updating both of those, of course, through Twitter as well. I can't wait to pull together all my photos and videos after this trip and overload you with Korea! Hahaha!

Okay, time to get some rest for another long traveling day tomorrow so I'll talk to you guys again the next time I get a chance. Hugs from around the world!

Draw My Life!

2013-04-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! While you read this I will likely be sleeping or packing in preparation for my month-long trip to South Korea with my family. As you can well imagine, things have been insane here trying to get everything ready and pre-recording videos so that you guys won't be left alone while I take my vacay, so I unfortunately don't have a Mani Monday for this week. (Two of the tell-tale gauges of being super stressed or busy for me is not keeping up with wearing lots of rings and how nice my nails look, ha!)

The GOOD news is that I have a video that I wanted to share that is really quite personal and is more open than I've ever been in the 5+ years that I've shared my life online. I shed a lot of tears and it took a lot of bravery to put my Draw My Life video together but I have to say, I feel a strange sense of relief to talk about some of the ups and downs that I've been through. Nobody's life is perfect or easy but I hope that some of you out there can relate to my story. :) You can watch the video below.

My journey online has always been very personal to me even though I know I've been fairly private about a lot of the details of my family, my work life, and where I'm from. I even kept my blog a secret from my friends and family for years because it meant so much to me that I didn't want anyone to think I was doing it for the wrong reasons. For me it's always been about connecting to others and trying to help people feel a little more beautiful and a little less of the loneliness that I felt so often growing up. Never in a million years would I have been able to anticipate my life changing the way it has because of this beloved hobby or that even more than 3 people (my husband and parents) would ever read my blog or watch my videos.

I'm not saying my life is simple now, but more than ever before, I truly feel like I am doing what God made me to do. I went as far as I could go by just "trying hard" with stressful days and sleepless nights, doing what I felt like the world was telling me I should do and somehow, I realized that nothing on Earth is really safe or certain. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and follow where you are led in your heart, or always regret it.

I can't end this blog post without the most important thing I wanted to say, which is thank you. I'm seriously so awkward and weird and uncool and you guys have always been right next to me to say LET'S ALL BE IMPERFECT TOGETHER and it's completely awesome and mindblowing. Seriously, for every comment, for each e-mail, like, follow, share, favorite, bookmark, every outreach, and every supportive thing you've ever said to each other as a community of people growing stronger because you or I or he or she chose to reach out that day, THANK YOU.

Aw darn, I'm crying again. Happy tears. Here's to 5 more years and 5 more lives touching 5 more lives and 5 more after that.

xoxo

Aqualillies for Tarte Event

2013-04-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having an amazing week! I just wanted to share with you some pics from an event that I went to recently celebrating Tarte's 2013 Summer collection in collaboration with the Aqualillies, a gorgeous group of synchronized swimmers. This fun (and waterproof) launch has a very fresh theme of coral, mint, and gold infused into a face palette, lipstick, two gel liners, waterproof mascara, and my favorite loose setting powder.

These ladies definitely had the cutest retro-bombshell look going for them and their makeup was totally on-point, even from underneath the water. I can't even begin to tell you how graceful and exciting their performance was! Definitely an experience I will never forget. Thanks to my amazing photographer friend Kassia Phoy who took these jaw-dropping photos, I can let you all have a glimpse at the magic too! :)

The tables had a few goodies from the collection with a couple makeup artists on hand for application help. Here are the gel liners which came in black and a pretty teal blue. The eyeliner brush is included with each pot.

You guys know how much I love food so I can't forget to include the adorable bite-sized yummies that were catered for the party! These mini tacos on the left were brilliantly presented on limes and tasted so fresh while the mini lobster sliders on the right were mouth-watering and delicious. Seriously, if all food came in one-chomp servings, this world would be a much cuter and happier place!

They also had a colorful array of desserts which I made a point to try at least one of each. ;) My favorites were the key lime cheesecake pops on the far left.

After some mingling, we stepped outside to get a nice balcony view of the Aqualillies performance. Check out those pointed toes!

Again, I have to give so much credit to Kassia for her ability to capture the whimsy of the whole performance. We couldn't stop gushing the whole time over how beautiful and strong the girls were and how magical it seemed! The child-at-heart in me felt like I was transported into a fairytale where classic beauty, grace, and movement all came together for a few moments.

I had such an amazing time and can say for certain that I am now totally prepared to fully embrace Summer and everything the beauty world has to offer this season! I've got my teal sunnies! Bring on the coral lipstick!!!

Hope you enjoyed these photos and you can see more of Kassia's work here or KassiaPhoy.com for more eye candy and bookings. I also captured a couple snaps on Instagram and a video of the Aqualillies performance on Vine so if you have either of those apps, you can find me @frmheadtotoe! The limited edition Aqualillies for Tarte collection is now available at Sephora and Tarte Cosmetics.

Readers, are you excited for Summer collections to come out? What's your favorite Tarte product? Let me know in the comments!

Smokey Eye Prom Makeup Tutorial

2013-04-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I know it's nearing prom fever time for a lot of you or for high schoolers you may know, so I wanted to share a tutorial that will give a photogenic smokey eye that will match any dress. One of my personal favorite go-to smokey eyes tends to be the classic black/charcoal/silver look so I thought it would be suitable for this year's black-and-white trend. This look would also work for going out or any special events where you need your eyes to stand out.

Check out the video and additional photos below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Hourglass Mineral Primer
Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in Shade 140
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in Shade 7
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Shade Medium
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful
NYX Slide On Eye Liner Pencil in Silver
Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black
Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadow in Tiara
Lorac Pro Palette
Wet n Wild Creme Eyeliner in Black
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Tonymoly Tear Glitter Eye Powder in White
Lioele Auto Eyebrow
Urban Decay Glide-On Lip Pencil in Illegal
Too Face Le Creme Lipstick in Spice Spice Baby
MAC Dazzleglass Lip Gloss in Love Alert

The weather was super nice outside so we decided to take advantage of the setting sun and take a few outdoor photos! Since a lot of prom photos with dates are taken outside, I feel like this is a better representation of how the full face will look.

Here you can see the blending of the eyeshadow a bit better. The taupe around the edge of the black really helps to soften the transition from the smokey eyeshadow to the browbone, although the overall look still remains very grey-toned. I recommend this "blending" shade to be a matte shadow slightly darker than your skintone for the most seamless effect.

For darker smokey looks, I always go for a bolder brow to help frame the eyes. I also wait until after the shadow is done to fill in the brows because sometimes my brows will be too light if I do them with bare eyes. The key is finding the right balance which changes depending on how heavy the eye makeup is.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! If you'd like to see my previous prom tutorials and tips for prom night, you can find them under the Prom label here. Have tons of fun, take lots of pictures, and be safe! :)

Highschool readers, when is your prom? Those who have gone to prom in the past, what makeup did you wear on your prom night? Let me know in the comments!

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick Swatches & Target Haul

2013-04-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I recently went to Target to pick up some new Spring drugstore makeup releases which I've been so excited to try. I grabbed a few lipsticks, an eyeliner, and even a new mascara so check out my entire haul below including lip swatches of the new Maybelline Vivids lipsticks!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Shadow 55 Inked in Pink

Rimmel ScandalEyes Pencil in 005 Nude

Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes Waterproof Mascara

Maybelline Color Whispers lipstick in Rose of Attraction

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lipstick in Neon Red

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lipstick in Hot Plum

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash

ON ME:

lips - Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Neon Red

foundation - Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige 60

eyes - Urban Decay Naked Palette

necklace - ASOS

top - Victoria's Secret

Out of this whole haul, the stars of the show are obviously the Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids lipsticks which are creamy and extremely pigmented. Since these colors are so fun and dramatic, I wanted to swatch the three I picked up for you.

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Neon Red

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Hot Plum

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash

And because I always find full-face pics to be more helpful in seeing what a lipstick would actually look like on, here they are again in context.

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Neon Red

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Hot Plum

Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash

I'm positive my favorite shade of the three will be rotating soon, but I'm currently loving Neon Red while my husband's favorite is Fuchsia Flash. I did notice from swatching and from initial wear tests that both the pinker shades stain significantly, which can be either good or bad depending on your preference. It does make the color last longer but it doesn't look too great when lips dry out or peel. Those who have tried the other Vivids shades, let me know if this staining effect is consistent throughout the line! In all likelihood, I'll be back at Target scoping out more shades soon.

Readers, are you into the bright lip trend? Will you be picking up any of the Maybelline Vivids lipsticks? What is your favorite shade of bold lipstick to wear? Let me know in the comments!

Manicure Monday: Covergirl Lav-endure 145

2013-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Today's Manicure Monday is following with the Spring trend of pastel shades that I'm loving. Lavender is actually one of my favorite colors in general, not only just this season, because it's so feminine and delicate while not being as prissy as pink. I've always found it to be flattering on me for clothing as well but for nails it can be harder to find a warm enough shade to not neutralize my hands too much. Too dark or cool and my hands look dull. Thankfully, I think I've found the perfect warm lavender in Covergirl's Lav-endure!

I have to credit this gem to my bestie Kassia for purchasing this polish at Target on a whim. Ever since I first saw how lovely it looked on her, I became obsessed with it until I finally had the courage to ask if I could borrow the color as well! This bottle is hers but I've already gone and picked up a bottle for myself which I'll share in an upcoming drugstore haul. ;)

This shade is just the right paleness and warmth to actually brighten up my hands, giving them the clean, feminine look that I always wanted from a light purple polish. I applied over Seche Clear base coat and Covergirl Lav-endure was completely opaque in only 2 coats. After Seche Vite top coat was applied, the polish lasted very well without chipping for several days. Serious LOVE!!!

I may have to pick up more of these Covergirl polishes if the others are as wonderful as this one so let me know if you've tried any and if there are any must-haves I need to check out!

Readers, what is your favorite pastel polish color? Do you have a go-to lavender shade? Let me know in the comments!

Mila Kunis Inspired Day-to-Night Makeup

2013-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share with you a day-to-night makeup transformation which can really come in handy for those days when you want to go out after a long workday. Sometimes it's just not possible to start from scratch so I made 2 tutorials in 1 inspired by the gorgeous Mila Kunis. :)

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation
Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Movie Popcorn Eyeshadow #72 in shimmer (Sephora Collection)
Indian Summer Eyeshadow #79 in shimmer (Sephora Collection)
Lazy Afternoon Eyeshadow #65 in matte (Sephora Collection)
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Eyeliner in Perversion
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Benefit Blush in Coralista
Clinique Chubby Stick in Curvious Caramel
Rock the Runway Eyeshadow #51 in shimmer (Sephora Collection)
My Little Black Dress Eyeshadow #53 in shimmer (Sephora Collection)
Walking in the Sand Eyeshadow #74 in sparkle (Sephora Collection)
Too Faced Bronzer
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Nude Beach

I completely forgot to take photos in between my two looks so I unfortunately don't have any "final" photos of the daytime look (you can of course still see the final look in the video) but I did still want to share the final smokey eye look. Here is the photo of Mila from the Oz premier red carpet that inspired my tutorial!

And here is my final look! I obviously don't have the naturally sexy cat eyes that Mila does, but I applied a similar color scheme using a silvery-charcoal smokey eye with bold black eyeliner and dark brows with a bronze flush with nude lips. I even straightened my hair to better match the look. ;)

I hope this was helpful for those of you who want an evening look without having to redo an entire face. Let me know in the comments what celebrity look you'd like to see next!

Readers, have you ever needed to change your makeup from day-to-night? What's your best tip for refreshing makeup for the evening? Let me know in the comments!

March 2013 Beauty Favorites

2013-04-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's the beginning of April which means that it's time for another round-up of last month's favorite beauty products. Included this time are a couple of newly discovered face-enhancing base makeup products that I'm obsessed with and also a few reeeeaaally favorite nail products that you may remember from Manicure Mondays recently! Check it out below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Benefit High Beam

Stila Kajal Pencil in Topaz

Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Black

Nicole by OPI polish in Selena

Essie Where's My Chauffeur?

Essie Beyond Cozy

OPI Nail Envy Original Formula

ON ME:

top - Victoria's Secret PINK neon tee

necklace - My mom's vintage Avon zipper necklace (similar)

cross bracelets - Forever 21 and Hautelook (my invite)

nails - China Glaze Re-fresh Mint with CND Green Scene (my swatches)

foundation - Neutrogena Healthy Skin in Natural Beige

eyeshadow - LORAC Pro Palette

lips - Lioele Blooming Gloss in Flower Pink

Basically, out of this month I have 2 huge favorites which I plan on doing full reviews of on the blog soon: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Benefit High Beam.

The Hourglass primer is honestly the first foundation primer that I've seen a significant difference from when I wear it and when I don't. Maybe I just never found the right primer before that really worked with my particular skin balance, but this one I used without really expecting to be wowed. I didn't realize until using it and not using it on back to back days just how much longer it made my foundation last without the greasiness or weird patchiness that can happen at the end of the day! Very impressed!

Benefit High Beam is of course a crowd favorite but it actually took me gifting the product to one of my BFFs that I remembered just how amazing it can look. Highlighters are once again going to be a huge Spring and Summer favorite for me and since my skin is drier than it used to be, this type of liquid highlighter is totally up my alley! It just gives the perfect fresh and glowy look to the skin that can't be matched by powder highlighters.

Readers, what is your foundation primer? Do you like powder or liquid highlighters? Let me know in the comments!

Manicure Monday: China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint & CND Green Scene

2013-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Today's Manicure Monday is another Spring-appropriate pastel that I've been really into lately. Mint greens have been popular for the last couple of years and if anything, that trend has only been strengthened with Pantone choosing Emerald as its color of the year this year. Maybe it's because St. Patrick's Day wasn't too long ago, but I felt like a two-toned french tip using mint and emerald polishes would look great for the changing seasons. Enter China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint and CND Green Scene!

Re-Fresh Mint is a lovely pale, green-based mint that came out a couple years ago with China Glaze's Up and Away collection that had a bunch of awesome pastels. I'm a huge fan of pastel polishes and Re-Fresh Mint was definitely my favorite from the collection.

The darker green was a polish I bought from CND because I was looking for a true, straight-up kelly green to add to my collection and it just happens to be spot-on to Pantone Emerald. I'll have to do a full Mani Monday dedicated to it soon, but for now it serves as a simple nail art accent color.

You can easily do this type of nail art with any color as long as there is a darker and lighter shade in the same color family like lavender + purple or orange + red. Instead of swiping the brush from side to side, I actually recommend keeping the brush in the same direction as how you regularly paint your nails and just adding color to the tips by pulling the brush away in small strokes. This way, you get a bit more control of the polish.

After using Seche Clear as a base coat, I applied 2 coats of Re-Fresh Mint with Green Scene accents and Seche Vite top coat to seal everything and smooth out the french tip line. Overall it was an easy application with nice texture and opacity. I'm honestly not sure if Green Scene is the most flattering color on my skintone (it makes my hands look a bit redder) but I definitely love Re-Fresh Mints to bits and recommend it if you want a pale green to add to your pastel collection!

Readers, have you tried 2-toned french tips? Do you like green polishes? Let me know in the comments!

LORAC Pro Palette Review & Swatches

2013-03-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share a review of one of my most-used products lately, the LORAC Pro Palette. I first heard about this palette from several Youtube girls absolutely raving about it so you know I had to pick it up myself and see what all the fuss was about. Any palette that boasts a plethora of matte shades intrigues me so I knew I had to have it! Does it live up to the hype? Let's take a look!

This neutral eyeshadow palette has 16 total colors with the top half being matte and bottom half satin/shimmer shades. Each square shadow contains 0.02 oz of product and the palette itself is quite thin and travel-friendly while also including a mirror that is large enough to be usable. It also comes with a mini 0.17 oz eyeshadow primer. The color names are nice and straight-forward, simply being the color itself.

White / Cream / Taupe / Light Pink

Nude / Champagne / Gold / Light Bronze

Mauve / Sable / Espresso / Black

Pewter / Garnet / Deep Purple / Slate

Here are the swatches. As you can see, the left half includes mostly lighter shades and the right half has mostly darker and "colorful" shades including the reddish Garnet, Deep Purple, and Slate.

White / Cream / Taupe / Light Pink / Mauve / Sable / Espresso / Black

Nude / Champagne / Gold / Light Bronze / Pewter / Garnet / Deep Purple / Slate

I wanted to give you 2 different angles so you can really see the difference between the matte top shades and the shimmery shades below.

White / Cream / Taupe / Light Pink / Mauve / Sable / Espresso / Black

Nude / Champagne / Gold / Light Bronze / Pewter / Garnet / Deep Purple / Slate

As you can see, these shadows are quite pigmented and easy to work with. A couple of the matte shades are a bit chalky, but it's more like a finely-milled chalky than a fallout chalky like Wet & Wild shadows. I was worried that the micro-glitters in Champagne would also cause a lot of fallout but again, it doesn't seem to be an issue when I'm wearing it. The satiny shades are especially nice quality.

Overall, I've really been loving using this palette, especially Taupe, Sable, and Espresso for an all-matte neutral eye. I know it seems like a Naked dupe but I really tend to grab this palette for the mattes so if you love mattes you may want to consider this over Naked.

For comparison, the Urban Decay Naked Palette contains 12 x 0.05 oz shadows (.6 oz total) and a .13 oz Primer Potion and eyeshadow brush for $50 while LORAC Pro Palette contains 16 x 0.02 oz shadows (.32 oz total) and a .17 oz primer for $42. Value-wise, it's almost half the product amount in Urban Decay's Naked palettes so you are really paying more for the variety and convenience. Out of all neutral palettes it doesn't beat out my beloved Naked, but for those who love mattes and want more variety in one palette for a lower price the LORAC Pro Palette is a wonderful option for neutral-lovers out there!

Readers, what is your favorite neutral palette? Do you use mostly mattes or shimmery shadows? Let me know in the comments!

Manicure Monday: Nicole by OPI Selena

2013-03-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share my first Nicole by OPI polish in a classic pink. Some of you may know that Selena Gomez recently teamed up with the line to come out with her own set of polishes and this particular color happens to be her namesake. Like Selena herself, Selena is perky, girly, and undeniably cute!

After wearing quite a few masculine polishes in the last month, I really wanted to try something out that would be super low-maintenance and feminine to bring me out of the last stages of my cold. This pink caught my eye since it was bright but the peach tones and nearly-undetectable microshimmer create a very wearable Springtime shade.

Here I am wearing OPI Nail Envy as a base coat with 3 coats of Nicole by OPI Selena for full opacity. I also used my favorite top coat Seche Vite to seal everything in place. This combination has been incredibly impressive because I've already worn the polish for over a week and have had next to no chipping with minimal tip wear and only visible nail growth after all this time! The color isn't too harsh on my skintone so it's a great polish for busy girls who don't change their polish often and want a lacquer that "ages gracefully."

As popular as pinks are, I feel like it can be difficult to find a perfect pink that goes well with my skintone without falling back on a go-to magenta or pale ballet pink. Selena for me is a nice middle ground that is bright enough to feel like a change of pace but is still demure enough to be work-appropriate and go with any outfit. In a word: easy!

Readers, what is your go-to pink? What tones of pinks flatter your skintone? Let me know in the comments!

Disneyland & Giveaway Winner!

2013-03-20T15:14:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! You may have noticed that I've been MIA lately because I decided to give myself a full break for healing from my cold which was stubbornly not going away and also because I've recently had a couple of dear friends from my hometown visit. I wanted to share with you a few casual photos that my amazingly talented pro-photographer bestie Kassia took at Disneyland (you may remember her work from these posts including my wedding) and share with you the winner of my recent giveaway!

This is with a couple of my favorite ladies in the world, Hannah (center) and Kassia (right)! Hannah has also been a guest in a few of my blog posts and helpful model and contributor in videos including our huge BB Cream collective review. :)

Just being sillys because Disneyland is the happiest place in the world, right? ;)

Kassia will actually be in the LA area for the next couple of months so if you are in Southern California and need a couples/portrait/wedding photographer you can find her at http://www.kassiaphoy.com.

I also completely randomly ran into Mindy of Cutegirlshairstyles on Youtube whom I totally love and connected with from the first moment we met! If you aren't following her already, she is the master of intricate hair how-to's for her adorable daughters. I bow down to her hair-styling prowess! This is stolen from her Instagram Cutegirlshairstyles and you can follow me on Instagram as well at frmheadtotoe!

Moving on to updates, I wanted to share that the winner of my Valentine's giveaway with The Little Bra Company is *drumroll*

...ttakwalk19! The winner was chosen randomly but I was so touched by her response on a moment that made her feel loved that I truly feel the blessing of sharing this giveaway prize with her. ttakwalk19, please send me an e-mail so that I can get you in contact with TLBC and thank you so much for touching us with your moment of love! <3

That's about it for now but I hope you are having a wonderful first day of Spring! Let me know what reviews and posts you'd like to see next in the comments. :)

Manicure Monday: Essie Where's My Chauffeur? & Beyond Cozy

2013-03-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite manicures that I've done lately. In only 9 short days, the beginning of Spring will officially be here and it cannot get here quickly enough, am I right? I am absolutely excited and ready for Spring to happen so in lieu of the seasons changing, I am preparing myself from tips to toes in anticipation starting with my unofficial Spring color, Essie Where's My Chauffeur? accented with Beyond Cozy to give it a hint of trendy liveliness.

Ever since I first fell in love with Tiffany & Co-esque blue on the nails over four years ago, it's been one of my favorite shades to wear during the warmer months because it brings such a carefree personality to the hands. It can be a little challenging to find the right turquoise to play off your skintone without making it look dull (happens often with blues) but I must say I am loving this one!

Essie Where's My Chauffeur definitely leans darker than the more robin's egg China Glaze For Audrey. It actually reminds me of the color of a real turquoise stone and has a richness to it that is very flattering on my NC30 skintone. There's an underlying warmth to the shade that works well with yellow-undertone skin without making the color look too green. It was also nearly perfectly opaque in two coats and was quick to dry and easy to apply. Here I used OPI Nail Envy as a base coat with 3 coats of Where's My Chauffeur and OPI Top Coat to set it. I'm not too satisfied with OPI's top coat but I'll try to go more into that in a future post. ;)

For the ring finger I applied Essie's Beyond Cozy which I was in love with from the moment I laid my eyes on it. Worrying it could be your typical semi-opaque glitter topper, I applied it over the turquoise base but it's actually very dense and would've been wonderful in 2 coats on a bare nail as well. I'm very impressed with just how gorgeous and opaque it applies and can't wait to use it again! PERFECT accent nail polish with this color!

Readers, do you have a favorite Spring nail color? Do you like to paint an accent nail a different shade? Let me know in the comments!

Teen Vogue Feature!

2013-03-10T21:58:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Today I am absolutely honored and thrilled to share an interview on Teen Vogue featuring myself and my Youtube channel. I'm a huge fan of Teen Vogue (one of my favorite fashion magazines out there and totally relevant for college-plus) so I can't tell you how amazed I was to see this.

If you'd like to see the feature, click here or on the image below to read the article! Make sure you click on "view slideshow" at the bottom right corner of my picture to read the interview. :)

Thank you so much to Teen Vogue, Eden Iver for writing a beautiful, blush-inducing summary, and most of all to my dear, sweet, amazing readers who have supported my blogs and videos enough that a respected publication like Teen Vogue would take the time to notice someone like me. I don't deserve it (my gosh I make it sound like an Academy Award, but I'm still in shock!) but I really, really, really appreciate your loyalty and love. <3

Ok, I'm getting a little sappy cause it's that time of the month so I'll stop now. I love you guys more than you know so THANK YOU! *screen hugs*

February 2013 Beauty Favorites!

2013-03-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I wanted to update you with this past month's beauty favorites before it got too late! Don't mind me, I'm just recording my way through the sickness thing. I edited out any coughs for you so I shouldn't be contagious through the screen. ;)

Click through to the video down below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup - Natural Beige 60
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Chanel Le Vernis - 573 Accessoire (my review)
Clinique Chubby Stick Intense - Curviest Caramel
Lorac Pro Palette
Sephora Professionals - Pro Precision 59 Powder Brush

ON ME:

top - J Crew
eyes - Lorac Pro Palette
lips - Clinique Chubby Stick in Curviest Caramel
foundation - Neutrogena Healthy Skin in 60 Natural Beige
nails - Zoya Rica (my review)

Thank you guys so much for your patience, well-wishes & tips for getting better on Twitter! I am starting to feel more energized as a whole (can't wait for this cough to be gone completely!) so I hope to bring you guys lots of more reviews and tutorials soon. :)

In the meantime, let me know in the comments: What types of videos would you like to see this month? Any advice on kicking a cough in the butt for good?

Manicure Monday: Zoya Rica

2013-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello my lovelies! Today I wanted to paint a bit of sunshine back in my life because sadly I've been sick with some kind of coughy, congesty, fatiguing lameness that has kept me from being my usual productive self. You know what? Nails I can do even while sick! Nobody sees the bags under my eyes or reddened nose when it's just pics of my nails, and BOY does Zoya Rica lift my mood!

Rica is a polish I recently purchased from one of Zoya's promotions for "3 free polishes" where you just have to pay for shipping, which comes to around $12. $4 for each polish is definitely not a bad deal considering they are usually $8 each. Whenever these deals come around I find myself Googling swatches like a mad woman on a mission and Rica stood out from the crowd and called to me. I'm perfect for Spring! I'm like a tropical drink on the beach! I'm SPARKLY! I didn't need too much convincing. ;)

This color is a tangerine glass-flecked polish which has glowing pink-to-yellow effect depending on how the light hits it. In the shade it flattens and shows more of a true orange with orange microshimmer throughout, but in the sun or in bright lights the gold-glinting brightness really shines though. I loooove multi-dimensional polishes like this! Here I used Seche Clear base coat, 3 thin coats of Zoya Rica, and Seche Vite top coat.

Hopefully this happy shade will kick the sick out of my system this week along with lots of hot tea and rest, which I am going to do right now!

Readers, do you wear certain colors when you are sick? What is your go-to polish mood lifter? Let me know in the comments!

Urban Decay Smoked Palette Review & Swatches

2013-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you picture the ultimate sexy makeup look, what comes to mind? For me it's the quintessential, dramatically darkened eye smoked out to perfection. Smokey eyes are one of those key makeup looks that, in my opinion, every woman should learn how to perfect since it has the ability to bring attention and depth to the eyes like nothing else.

When Urban Decay came out with the Smoked Palette I knew I wanted to share the awesomeness with you like the fangirl of smokey eyes that I am. This is seriously some of the best that UD has to offer packed into one little palette. Let's take a closer look below!

The packaging is vinyl-zipped, similar to Urban Decay's Dangerous, Fun, and Feminine palettes, but is longer in width and comes with a miniature Primer Potion. Also included is a booklet that includes not only a tutorial for how to create a smokey eye, but 12 different smokey eyes which I am so happy about since it definitely has a couple that will easily cater to those with various eye shapes and crease types.

Inside, there is a full-sized mirror on the lid as well as a full-sized 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Perversion, which is among the blackest of black pencil eyeliners on the market. It also makes sense to include here since a great smokey eye starts with a great base and Perversion is actually a favorite of mine for this purpose.

Kinky / Freestyle / Mushroom / Backdoor / Blackout

Barlust / Rockstar / Evidence / Loaded / Asphalt

The stars of this palette are 10 eyeshadows in both neutrals and shades that can be used for a colored smokey eye. A couple of my all-time favorites are included in the spread including Loaded (gorgeous green that I included in my Build Your Own Palette) and Mushroom, a luscious taupe. Also included are your basic brown, purple, blue, and charcoal grey satin shades, as well as 4 matte shades to help contour and shape the rest of the eye.

Perversion 24/7 pencil

Kinky / Freestyle / Mushroom / Backdoor / Blackout / Barlust / Rockstar / Evidence / Loaded / Asphalt

Kinky / Freestyle / Mushroom / Backdoor / Blackout

Barlust / Rockstar / Evidence / Loaded / Asphalt

Overall, I am very satisfied with the palette's shade range for the purpose of what the palette was created for. The matte highlight shade will complement the dark shades nicely without distracting the eye with more shimmer. There is also a great matte taupey-charcoal and black to help deepen any smokey eye. The formula on both matte and satin shades is smooth and pigmented without any "glitter" shadows arbitrarily thrown in as a mass crowd-pleaser (and blogger disappointment).

The one slightly regretful thought I have is that Freestyle, being a matte nude shade which is slightly peachy on my skintone, will probably not get much use since the color is too close to my skin color. Obviously girls who are lighter or much deeper than my own complexion shouldn't have this same problem, but it's worth noting if you are medium-toned like I am. Otherwise the Smoked Palette is a really strong offering from Urban Decay and by far one of my favorite releases from them in the last year. You can pick up the Smoked Palette from Sephora, Ulta, beauty.com for $49.

Readers, are you interested in a "smokey eye" palette? What is your favorite color(s) to use for smokey eyes? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post contains product provided by the company's PR for consideration. For more information please see my review policy.

Manicure Monday: Chanel 573 Accessoire

2013-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Today I have another Chanel Le Vernis which I am desperately excited to share with you for two reasons. First, if you remember my last Le Vernis swatch, you may recall that it was the first Chanel polish I'd ever tried and I can safely say that after two I am officially obsessed. Second, I have been on the hunt for a vampy, deep burgundy creme-finish polish that is classic and yet low-maintenance and I think I've found it in Accessoire. Lets take a closer look at this decadent varnish below!

573 Accessoire is a dark chocolate burgundy color which seems to drip with old school class. It actually reminds me of vintage film stars with their black winged eyeliner, red lips, and pearl stud earrings. Can't you just imagine one of those actresses wearing this polish?

Ever since my move last year and subsequent accidental purge of my beloved vampy dark red creme, I've been on a hunt for a suitable replacement. It's one of those "bucket list" polishes that every woman needs in their nail wardrobe and I cannot tell you the sigh of relief I had after applying Accessoire for the first time. This shade is just what I hoped it to be!

Here I'm wearing a base of CND Stickey with 2 thin coats of Chanel Accessoire and 1 coat of Seche Vite. The biggest detail I noticed while applying was just how opaque and smoothly this polish applies. I could tell in the first coat that I wouldn't have to fuss with deciding how many coats I'd need as it was nearly completely opaque at one. The other awesome bonus is that it is also nicely self-leveling and glossy even before a top coat goes on. My nails here look super smooth but my natural nail beds are quite lumpy and for it to look this great with only two coats is impressive! I'm so happy to verify that the quality lives up to the brand name. The one tiny thing I wish they would change is that the width of the brush is quite small so it took double-dipping to cover each nail evenly. It's a small nuisance but worth noting if you are used to OPI's wide, flat brushes.

Accessoire, although seemingly a Fall shade, is actually part of Chanel's Spring 2013 collection and is also in their permanent line. I know $27 seems like a hefty price tag but if the rest of Chanel's polishes are up to par with these first two I've tried, call me hooked! I know exactly what polish line I'll be saving up my money for. ;)

Readers, do you have a "nail bucket list"? What is your favorite classic nail color? Let me know in the comments!