From Head To Toe

Away We Happened: Episode 1!

2012-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Away We Happened is finally here! The very first episode of the project I have been working on with Wong Fu Productions and AT&T is finally up at AwayWeHappened.com. This has been a new adventure for me since this is the first time I've done any real acting (Does playing "Puck" in A Midsummer Night's Dream in high school theater count? lol.) and I am so anxious, nervous, and excited to share it with you!

To give a bit of insight into the concept of the project, here is the Trailer with the Wong Fu guys explaining how the series will work:

You guys watch the video, go to awaywehappened.com and submit your suggestions for what should happen in the next episode, and vote on which plot you like the most! Then our team is going to write, film, edit, and upload the next episode in just a few days. As of this moment, I have no second script in hand and have no idea what will happen next!!!

I know you are waiting to see episode 1 so... *drumroll*

Here it is!

My heart was racing so hard watching this video for the first time since it's as much of a surprise for me as it was for you. Still totally in disbelief and such an honor to be working with such talented and wonderful people.

Now I'm leaving Boulder today for a stop overnight in Vegas on my road trip, then onward to LA! I'll be looking forward to reading all of your comments as I make my way West. :D

Did you enjoy it?? What do you think should happen next?

Let me know down below and I'll see you guys very soon!

Sigma Paris Palette Tutorial & Vlog!

2012-05-21T12:06:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone! I am writing this blog entry in Boulder, CO which is the first stop on my roadtrip out to LA. The mountains are absolutely beautiful here and this little mini-vacation reminds me of my trip to Paris last year with Sigma Beauty.

As many of you know, the Paris Palette was just released which is so exciting because I had a hand in developing it. I shared more pictures and swatches in this post but now I can share with you a makeup tutorial and vlog video as well! Today's look is a "pop of teal" which is a mostly neutral look with a bright eyeshadow that is framed on the lid. It's actually a very fun and surprisingly wearable look for Spring and Summer so I hope you enjoy the tutorial!

Click below to see the Behind the Scenes and Tutorial as well as more photos!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in 60 Natural Beige
NARS Stick Concealer in Custard
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sigma Paris Palette
Wet 'n Wild Gel liner
Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in grey black
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Criss-cross lashes
Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait

ON ME:

Flannel shirt from Abercrombie
Gingham shirt is from H&M
Necklace from H&M
Cardigan from H&M
YSL Arty ring

Here are some photos of the final look. From the front you can see how the neutral color cups the teal on the lid. I have small creases here but this look also works for larger lids and also monolids as well, which I showed in the video. :)

Here you can see how the color is stacked and blended together where they meet. You can't see this as well in photos, but the bluish-green iridescence of Triomphe really looks gorgeous next to the teal.

One last smile! That, and this photo shows off my Arty ring. (Did anyone see it hidden in the new blog layout? ;)

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Maybe it will give some inspiration for summery makeup looks with one of my favorite things about the warmer weather: COLOR!

It's time for me to go hiking up a mountain now, but let me know in the comments:
Do you wear brighter/more colorful makeup during the Spring and Summer? Does your makeup routine change?

Disclaimer: Sigma Paris Palette provided by Sigma Beauty for review. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

Heart 2 Heart: Makeup

2012-05-14T17:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Bloggers With No Makeup Day! I'm aware that this tradition was probably a short-lived one for most, starting two years ago (see my previous Heart 2 Heart posts), but I've found that sticking with this day for the last 3 years has not only given me strength and encouragement, but also a greater hope that youtube and blogs can really make waves of positive impact. As much as I love makeup, I love encouraging women to love themselves even more.

The concept is that today, we share with the world our bare face. No eyeliner, concealer, mascara, foundation, lipstick, or whatever else it is that we hold dear to our makeup pouches. I've found that this annual "holiday" has made me grow as a person and there are few things that I've done as a blogger that have been as rewarding as being open about my imperfections.

Video and my makeup history below.

(please view the video first, if you have a moment)

Everyday, one of the hardest struggles we have as women is that we always compare ourselves to others and criticize those around us. It is often out of jealousy since who, more than ourselves, can see all of the areas in which we are failures? This is why we put on our high heels, curl our hair, and waltz out of the house with a shield of foundation and a sword of lipstick: to give us strength in a world that is heck-bent on beating our confidence and spirits down.

It's easy to take those weapons and use them to try and hide everything that is broken, but it often comes across as self-consciousness. How many of us have seen a girl with a foundation tan three shades darker (or lighter) than her skintone and thought, "Oh honey, no! You are too beautiful to be doing that to yourself!" I bet all that girl wants to hear is that no matter what shade her skin is, she IS beautiful and perfect the way God made her. Cliché, but so incredibly true.

Our dark circles, wrinkles, and acne scars aren't our enemy. Our minds are. All of our insecurities live there! Since nobody is perfect (which is a fact that is utterly undebatable) the possibilities of being insecure are endless unless we change our minds and hearts and simply learn to love ourselves just as we are. Trust me, if you can accept yourself on your worst days, it's so easy to celebrate in the days when your inner beauty shines so hard it can't help but overflow into your outer beauty so that everyone notices.

This revelation is the very reason I can bare to post videos online at all. I am not the supreme confidence master, I have just learned to love myself with all of my acne scars and oily hair and skinny, short, flat-chestedness. I don't actually like how I look without makeup, but I appreciate the fact that by me showing everything I am afraid of, it can give others the strength to be unafraid.

Lets take our confidence in our own hands and say we ARE beautiful because nobody can give that to us but ourselves and nobody can take that away.

Sigma Paris Palette: Info & Swatches

2012-05-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! Today I get to reveal a project that has been several months in the making, the Sigma Paris Palette! As you may remember, I took a trip to Paris last year with the brand (here and here) but it's taken until now to perfect and finalize all the elements of the project.

I, along with 6 other amazing gurus on Youtube (xteeener, MakeupByTiffanyD, macNC40, petrilude, xsparkage, and DulceCandy87), all got to contribute our feedback into nearly every aspect of the palette from the packaging to the brushes to the shades in the palette themselves. We each were assigned a Parisian monument and creatively developed our own shade of eyeshadow based on the location.

It's been insane trying to keep everything a secret since I wanted to wear it so many times and create tutorials for you, but at last, I get to share my pics of the actual product inspired by the City of Lights!

Inside you can see the large mirror, 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, highlighter, and 2 brushes included in the palette. This is quite a large palette and there is thickness to it which is unfortunate, but it accommodates the width of the brushes included.

Here's a better look at everything included. It's amazing how all the shades work together even though we each came up with our shades independently.

Lots of eye candy close ups and swatches after the jump!

Eiffel / Seine / Louvre / Orsay

Elysées / Notre Dame / Triomphe / Versailles

Rouge (blush) / Pêche (blush) / Lumiére (highlighter)

E40 Large Angled Contour Brush / E55 Eye Shading Brush

Eyeshadow Swatches
Eiffel / Seine / Louvre / Orsay / Elysées / Notre Dame / Triomphe / Versailles

Eiffel - Matte black with rainbow sparkles. Developed by Tiffany aka MakeupbyTiffanyD.
Seine - Satin navy blue. Developed collaboratively by all gurus.
Louve - Matte saturated teal. Developed by Josh aka Petrilude.
Orsay - Matte meduim green with gold flecks. Developed by Suzy aka MacNC40.
Elysées - Satin plummy brown. Developed by Dulce aka DulceCandy87.
Notre Dame - Metallic taupe. Developed by Christine aka xteeener.
Triomphe - Reddened brown with green duochrome. Developed by Jen aka frmheadtotoe (that's me!).
Versailles - White-gold with gold flecks. Developed by Leesha aka xsparkage.

Eiffel / Seine

Louvre / Orsay

Elysées / Notre Dame

Triomphe (my shade!) / Versailles

Face Powders

Rouge (blush) / Pêche (blush) / Lumiére (highlighter)

The two blushes were a very, very collaborative effort to create 2 shades that would work with every skintone. There is a plummy shade and a peachy shade as well as a gorgeous highlighter which is one of my favorite parts of the entire palette.

The Sigma Paris Palette is available now from Sigma Beauty here for $59, but with code FRMHEADTOTOE you can receive $10 off making the palette $49. The two brushes included are the same quality as their full-sized professional brushes and are worth $23.

I already plan on posting a future tutorial using the palette as well as sharing more info about the inspiration for my color, which will be coming soon. I'm super excited to share this with you since it's kind of our baby and we have been working on in secret for so long! I hope you guys check out this limited edition palette while they last! :)

Disclaimer: Sigma Paris Palette provided by Sigma Beauty for review. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

April 2012 Beauty Favorites

2012-05-08T21:47:00.002-05:00

I'm very excited to say that it's time for another monthly favorites video! This past month, the weather has gone from mild to HOT so my favorites have adjusted to the change. I've been less interested in covering every last flaw up and turning more toward my skincare routine to give me a healthier canvas to work with. Because of this, I have a couple new skincare favorites and my new favorite warm-weather essentials to share with you!

Check them out below, as well as the announcement for my giveaway winner!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream
Mario Badescu Healing Cream
Stila Bronzing Powder in 01
Lash'em lashes in M6
Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Color in Lovechild
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Cleansing Oil Shampoo
Sam Edelman Gigi Sandals (Also in silver/Womens Gigi in Rose Gold, Saddle Leather, and cute patterns)

ON ME:

Dress is from H&M (similar for $15/similar/similar romper)
Earrings are from Hautelook (my invite)
Nail polish is OPI Breathe Life (my swatches here)

Congrats to lnm145 for winning my 250k subbies giveaway and thank you to everyone who entered!

I was super overwhelmed/delighted by the entries and your feedback really helped and encouraged me so much. I want to especially thank my blog readers since I had quite a few of you enter on the video, then ran out of space so you wrote more in the comments here. I can't tell you what that means to me and I really believe that my blog readers know me better than anyone online, so the meaningful comments here really touched my heart.

I'm going to have to apologize about not highlighting some of the products in the video this month for the blog, but there have been some personal things clouding my mind lately. I recorded the video a few days ago so truthfully, my heart is in a different place. My husband's grandfather, whom we are very close to, is in the final stage of battling cancer and we visited him in the hospital today. I don't mean to end on a terribly sad note since I don't usually like to send my personal burdens out on other people, but I know several of you have gone through the same thing so any prayers would be appreciated.

I'm sending my love and prayers out to those of you who have battled cancer, know someone who is battling cancer, or have lost someone to cancer. Life is too short, so remind your loved ones how much you love them.

xoxo

New Layouts!

2012-05-06T07:48:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! If you haven't noticed, I put up a new blog layout, twitter layout, and youtube layout!

I've literally pulled an all-nighter so I'm feeling a bit delirious, but I just wanted to give a HUGE thank you and "best patience" gold star to my awesome graphic designer Tommy of TombeeDesigns. We've been working on this layout for months and I am so, so excited to finally reveal it for you. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into it so I hope you like it too!

Here are few new features I want to highlight:

First of all, I have added a new "pages" function which will help you navigate through the blog. Namely, the "search" page is something I spent hours upon hours creating to make it easier for you to find exactly what topics you are looking for. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

In the header I have a "polaroid" that will send you to my most recent YouTube video.

Right below, I have a polaroid with a nice sticker telling you my most recent tweet.

At the top of the right hand bar, you have a list of all of my social media links (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feed, and BlogLovin) to make it easier for you to connect with me.

Finally, I've also upgraded the translation widget on my side bar to help my international viewers read with greater ease.

Since it's still a baby, there are bound to be hiccups and bugs so please let us know in the comments any oddities you find as you navigate through the new layout.

Again, please check out my new Twitter and Youtube layouts as well and let me know what you think. Feel free to lavish Tommy with as many compliments as possible for his mind-blowing illustrations and first-class coding skills! Tommy, thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart for being an incredibly talented and hard-working designer and most of all a truly great friend these last few months. You are my hero! Now, please get some sleep and I will too! Hahaha...

Jennifer Lawrence Inspired Prom Smoky Eye Tutorial

2012-05-02T19:39:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! It seems that prom season is already upon us. When I stayed in a hotel last week there was actually a prom going on that night in the banquet rooms and I'm not gonna lie, I get a big grin on my face every time I see high school kids getting dressed up for the dance.

Each year for prom, I try to do a makeup look that will work for many types of dresses since I know each prom will have a flurry of colors and styles that'll be popular. Last year's tutorial was a two-toned shadow with voluminous lashes, a look that I am still in love with now. To bring something different but still appropriate for every dress, I turned to this basic smoky eye using a blackened dark green shadow as the focal point.

Video tutorial, pics, and a look back at my own prom below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ Foundation in 40

NARS Stick Concealer in Custard

Tarte Smooth Operator Powder

Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Slide-on Pencil in Tropical Green

Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow in Loaded

Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow in Buck

Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow in Virgin

Wet 'n Wild Gel liner

Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in grey black

Shiseido Eyelash Curler

Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara

Darkness False Lashes in VXA

Stila Bronzing Powder in 01

NYX Powder Blush in Pinky

Holika Holika Heart Full Moisture Lipstick in Baby Beige

Lioele Blooming Gloss in Vanilla Pink

Sephora Blotting Papers

Duo Darktone Lash Glue

ON ME:

Silk Maxi dress via Hautelook (my invite)

Amrita Singh necklace

Lioele nailpolish

This look was loosely inspired by Jennifer Lawrence's red carpet smoky eye while she was promoting for The Hunger Games. Her soft smoky eye was rimmed in black all around and the edges were very blended out. Coupled with nude lips, the overall effect is sultry yet elegant.

To adapt the look for my eye shape, I took the liberty of choosing a dark green instead of the copper-black shadow Jennifer used and I also added my favorite signature winged liner.

Here you can see that the base shape of this smoky eye is a blended out oval. The cat-eye effect is from the liner, not the shadow. This oval technique is actually the easiest to adapt to any eye shape for a smoky eye.

Please tell me you girls will take lots of goofy pics like this for your prom too. ;p

As promised, I wanted to show you a photo I found the other day from my own prom! (LOL!) Kids, this was before we had digital cameras so forgive the scanned 35mm quality. I guess the dust and scratches make it more authentic and make me seem really, really old, right? Haha.

I remember feeling quite proud of my dress because I had sewn it from scratch. It was a strapless A-line dress with extra tulle sewn into the under-dress lining to give it more volume. The bodice even had boning! The over-dress had a split at the side and buttoned at the waist. I'm not sure I could make it again now, but I was definitely proud of the fact that nobody else would show up in the same dress as me. :)

Can you believe how much younger I looked then than I do now? I can see that my face matured a lot after high school and my eyebrows could be shaped better. LOL!

For those of you in high school I hope you have a fun, safe time at prom and take lots of pics!

To everyone else, lets give those prom-goers some good advice in the comments. I mentioned in my video that my best tip is to bring blotting sheets, lipstick, and lash glue in your purse. What's your best tip?

Week in Instagram and Giveaway Update!

2012-04-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! It's been a while since my last post because I've been super busy flying all around the US this last week. If you follow me on Twitter @frmheadtotoe, you may already know that I've been working on a webseries called Away We Happened with Wong Fu Productions and AT&T alongside my costar, Victor Kim (whom you may recognize from Quest Crew). I am so, so excited for it to go up later this month so I can share our hard work with all of you. :)

I can't go too into detail quite yet, but here's a little peek of my last couple of weeks through Instagram:

I absorbed Spring neons and went to the park with Cherry.
Recorded my next tutorial. Do you have a guess of what it may be?
Sang karaoke with Victor. We did a duet to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin because that's how all the cool kids roll.
Loved taking in the NYC skyline!!
Filmed with the Wong Fu guys. Here Victor is acting, Ted has the boom mic, Wes is behind the cam, and Phil is directing.
Caught the NASA space shuttle landing at JFK airport. You can see it piggy-back on top of the plane. Then we went onward to LA for more filming.
This guy was at the airport waiting to propose to his girlfriend who apparently loves elephants! Partly creepy but mostly really freaking cute!
Delicious macaroons to brighten the end of my short LA visit.

I'm heading back home from California tomorrow, but I just wanted to first of all thank everyone for entering my giveaway. I am really thrilled and overwhelmed by the positive response and wealth of feedback I've received from all of your comments and I hope it can help me improve my channel to make it even better for you!

Unfortunately it's come to my attention that there's been a spammer on Youtube who has been trying to mislead those who have entered my giveaway by posing as me through a fake account "frmheadtootoe". Please know that I do NOT have any second accounts and I would never have a secret giveaway for any reason without letting you know publicly. Please do not give them your information!!! I didn't even get a chance to choose the winner yet, although I promise I will soon after I get back home. I will announce the winner on my blog so until you hear, please beware of this fake account.

Otherwise, I hope you all are having a fantastic week! I'll be hard at work on my next tutorial which will be up very soon. Be safe and I hope you are all getting the good rest that I haven't been able to get yet. ;)

250K Youtube Subscribers Giveaway!

2012-04-17T21:55:00.002-05:00

Hey guys, today I just wanted to say THANK YOU a million times over for all of the love and support I've received throughout my blogging/youtubing adventure. I recently hit 250,000 subscribers on Youtube which feels like such a huge milestone! I know that compared to others, the number is nothing but I am the type who never assumes that people actually watch any of my videos so when they do and actually subscribe, it really means so much to me. Because of the positivity and strength you've given me, I wanted to give back with a giveaway of a few of my favorite things. :)

I know that many of my readers/subscribers are from all around the world so I wanted to include everyone. Because of this, the giveaway is open worldwide to all of my Youtube subscribers.

To enter the giveaway:
1. Subscribe to http://youtube.com/frmheadtotoe
2. Comment in the Youtube video comments (or below in the blog comments, and leave your Youtube screenname) and let me know what you love about watching Youtube videos and/or suggestions for improving my channel and blog
3. If you are under 18 make sure you have permission from your parents to enter
4. Smile. It's not a requirement but I hear it makes you happier. :)

The contest is open for 1 week and will end on Monday, April 23rd, 2012 at 11:59 PM. Winner must reply back with their address via Youtube messages within 1 week or a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you guys so much and good luck!

Sephora V.I.B. 15% Off Haul

2012-04-14T18:02:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! So a couple of weeks ago I was browsing the Sephora sale section, as ya do, and came across some lovely train cases that were on sale. I have been keeping my eyes open for a nice basic train case for a while so I decided to make an small order.

Little did I know that evil Sephora had planned a 15% off VIB coupon to be sent out only a week later! Needless to say, I decided to do a double order and wanted to share with all of you what I decided to purchase. (It may include some paper, plastic, and even a laser gun. Bwahahaha...)

Video, a full list of products, and what's on my nails below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Sephora Metro Train Case - Pink (also silver)
Sephora Metro Train Case - Midnight
PAPERSELF Deer & Butterfly Eyelashes
PAPERSELF Peacock Eyelashes (also gorgeous Peach Blossom & Under the Sea)
Silk'n Flash&Go Permanent Hair Removal Device
Sephora Collection Powder Jar with Sifter
Rock & Republic Contrived Pressed Blush in Foreplay (only X-Rated is left)
Rock & Republic Contrived Pressed Blush in Tease

ON ME:

Steve & Barry's Denim Jacket (similar/similar/similar)
Target Purple Gingham shirt (similar/similar/similar or try this J.Crew boy's version)
Delia's Ribbon & Chain Necklace (similar/similar/love the weave of this one)
Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Color in Lovechild
Nails are ombré painted (CND Indian Rhubarb, Revlon Mon Cherry, Revlon Plum Baby, Essie Chastity, Orly Kiss The Bride)

So firstly, I wanted to talk about the big splurge purchase that I used the 15% off coupon mainly for which is the Silk'n Flash&Go.

I want to do a longer review on this once I test it out for a couple months but here is a stock photo so you get an idea of what it looks like. It's a handheld HPL ("Home Pulsed Light" versus IPL or "Intense Pulsed Light" which is the professional treatment) device that comes with a light cartridge attached and one extra cartridge in the box for $299 at Sephora. It's pricey, but I noticed it was also selling at Nordstrom for $349 so all in all, not a bad deal with the extra 15% off code.

Again, I'll do a longer review when I get comfortable with the device and see if it actually works or not! So far, I've only used it once since treatments are spaced 2 weeks apart. Fingers crossed it's a cheaper alternative to professional hair removal!

I also wanted to show you my nails that you may have noticed in the video. It was really difficult to find exactly the right step in shades to do a perfect ombré manicure but I think it turned out pretty well. I stuck with creme finish polishes since shimmers can be distracting when you want a smooth gradient of color.

From L to R:

CND Indian Rhubarb / Revlon Mon Cherry / Revlon Plum Baby / Essie Chastity / Orly Kiss The Bride

I hope you enjoyed the haul! Let me know in the comments what you think about the ombré manicure trend, if you've tried any type of pulsed light hair removal, and PLEASE let me know which train case I should keep! Pink or black? Black or pink?

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Tangerine Tango Makeup Tutorial

2012-04-10T18:41:00.003-05:00

As many of you are probably already aware, the Pantone color of the year is a lovely reddened-orange color called "Tangerine Tango". I have personally been obsessed with this color for about the last year and a half but I wanted to share my peachy-orange tutorial inspired by this shade with you. It is a very intense, saturated orange which may be off-putting for some, but I promise it is much easier to wear than it looks!

I subdued the eyes, created contoured peachy cheeks for that bronzed glow everyone loves for Spring, and some statement lips to add some drama. To see the whole video tutorial and breakdown of the look, read on!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 140

Tarte Smooth Operator Powder

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Sleek Sunset Palette (similar shades here/here/here)

Maybelline Sunbaked Neutrals Palette

L'Oreal Infallible Shadow in Iced Latte

Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner (formerly Graffiti Eyeliner/similar/similar)

NYX Slide-on Pencil in Brown Perfection

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara

False Lashes (I layered 2 criss-cross lashes)

Urban Decay Urbanbrow in Brunette

Stila Bronzing Powder in 01

MAC Blush in Ripe Peach (Limited edition. Similar MAC blushes.)

NYX Mosaic Powder in 01 Highlighter

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

ON ME:

Forever 21 tee (similar/similar/similar)

Forever 21 orange blazer (similar/similar/similar)

Amrita Singh necklace (similar/similar/reversible)

Amrita Singh ring (similar/similar/similar/super cute stacked)

J. Crew watch strap bracelet (in orange)

Starfish Cuff from Hautelook (my invite)

Revlon Whimsical nail polish

I'm someone who loves to wear color but at the same time I want the look to be flattering so that it enhances my natural features. When I was growing up, my mom always told me to avoid orange and yellow because it would clash with my natural yellow undertones. It took a long time before I was brave enough to try it out anyway and fell in love!

My shading technique here is along the natural contour of my eye socket (not too winged) which works well for a natural, everyday look.

In the image below, you can see that although each peach/orange is a different shade, they all coordinate by being in the same color family. You can try this out with all pinks, purple/mauves, or bronzes as well!

I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and find the courage, as I did, to step outside your comfort zone to try a bright shade like Tangerine Tango this Spring and Summer, no matter what anyone has told you! It's vibrant and exudes the freshness of this season and is a great baby step into the wonders of colored makeup. :)

@frmheadtotoe on Instagram

2012-04-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that however you celebrate, you will keep happiness and blessings in your heart because this day is about the gifts that can't be bought with money or chocolate. :)

I'm spending today with my family but I just wanted to share a few recent pics from my Instagram. I know some of you are the nosy types (me as well, haha) so if you want a glimpse into my life you can follow me: @frmheadtotoe

This past week:

I got my hair trimmed and colored
Hung out with my favorite band, Family Force 5
Rocked out some sweet new accessories
Caught Cherry being insanely adorable
Saw Mars, Venus, and Jupiter (We downloaded the Night Sky app and you can see stars and planets just by pointing your phone at the sky! I thought they were planets, hubby thought it might be satellites. I won. :D) Stargazing puts awe in my heart knowing how big the world is and how small we are. SO pretty lately!

I'm thinking about doing weekly snapshot updates like this on my blog. Is that something you would like to see? Let me know in the comments. :)

Easy Loose Curls Tutorial

2012-04-07T15:22:00.001-05:00

If you've ever watched a Victoria's Secret commercial and wished you had the soft, wavy curls of the models but didn't know how to achieve that without looking *ahem* inappropriate, I wanted to show you an easy way to get those sexy, natural curls in about 10 minutes.

Today's tutorial is a very, very basic lesson on how I get loose, everyday curls that I frequently wear in my videos. There are many ways to curl hair including with a flat iron but I find that using a good old curling iron is the quickest and easiest method for me. Click on, dear readers, for the video!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Silk Elements Megasilk Heat Protection Spray

Babyliss Pro 1.5" Ceramic Curling Iron

J. Crew watch strap bracelet (similar)

Starfish cuff via Hautelook (my invite)

ON ME:

Forever 21 tee (similar/similar/similar)

Forever 21 orange blazer (similar/similar/similar)

Amrita Singh necklace (similar/similar/reversible)

Here's a look at the back of my head. For those wondering, yes I had my hair ombre dyed last year which has all but grown out at this point. (I just got my hair cut and colored a couple days ago but you guys will get to see that soon. Don't worry, it's not crazy or interesting at all.)

You can see that the curls fall like loose waves in the back and changing the direction the curls are going helps to give more fullness and volume to the hair. The resulting curls are bouncy and touchable.

Really, I think the most important part of obtaining loose curls is using a larger barrel curling iron. The one I used for this tutorial is the Babyliss Pro 1.5" ceramic curling iron but I also have a Jilbere 1.25" curling iron from Sally Beauty that I love just as much. How cute is this breast cancer one in pink? Wish that had been there when I bought mine!

I hope that my tips helped you to get those beautiful everyday curls you've been dreaming about! Let me know in the comments if you have any other hair curling tips to share, or if you have any requests for future hair tutorials. Have a great weekend!

How to Apply Blush & Highlighter

2012-04-02T16:40:00.004-05:00

One of my very favorite makeup items in all of existence is blush. Isn't it funny that we try so hard to cover up our rosy red cheeks when we become embarrassed, but then try to mimic that flush with makeup? I think there's something quite charming and attractive about a beautifully applied blush that can't be replaced by anything else in a makeup routine. Even with no other makeup on, it brings a liveliness to the face that I really adore.

There are plenty of techniques used to give us that effervescent, lit-from-within glow that we all seek but I've found one which is easy to master while helping to slim and contour the face at the same time...

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Sigma F40 Angled Contour Brush
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
Dior Diorskin Shimmer Powder in 002 Amber Diamond
NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter
Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush

ON ME:

Shirt is from Forever 21 last year (similar plain/PINK)
Tank top is from J. Crew (similar/similar)
Nail polish is Revlon Whimsical

I'm sure we've all seen the tacky, overdone pink cheeks of plenty 'o club-going collegiates, right? That is something that I personally try to avoid when applying blush. Makeup can be a lot like clothes and hairstyles in that you want the makeup to enhance you, not be the star of the show itself.

Coming from an artist's perspective, the key to a effortless blushed look is to understand the natural highlights and contours of the face and enhancing it. This way, your natural beauty shines through.

Here you can see the gradient of blush application from the highest concentration of color near my ear and softly coming forward to curve under the cheeks. Tarte's Exposed blush (swatch here) is the perfect pinkish touch-of-brown color on my NC30 skin to use as a hybrid blush/bronzer for my contoured blush technique.

Obviously, you can experiment with different blush shades to achieve this natural flush to match your own skintone as well. Paler skinned ladies might want to try pinks and mauves while I find tanned and deeper skinned women to generally look great with peaches and bronzes.

You can also see the sheen at the top of my cheeks from where I used my Diorskin Shimmer Powder which catches the light in a really flattering way. It's golden with very small shimmer particles that I can see being quite flattering on warmer skintones especially. Again, highlighters aren't about people seeing a disco ball on your face but instead giving others the impression that your skin is really radiant and healthy.

Another favorite highlighting product of mine is my NYX Mosaic Powder in Highlighter which is a product I've loved for years. You can see my first swatch of it in an old 2009 post here. There are no shimmers in it but it imparts a lovely iridescent glow without looking frosty or chalky. Obviously, at $8 (currently on sale at Ulta for under $5) it's a great choice for those who are budget-conscious as well.

I know that applying blush seems like it's a very basic concept, but I hope that my technique might help some of you to find your own perfect blush style. :)

Since I'm always down for finding a new favorite, let me know in the comments what your favorite blush and highlighter are!

March 2012 Beauty Favorites!

2012-03-30T19:55:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad it's almost April! This month has marked a clear change from Winter to Spring and some of my favorites have followed accordingly. For one, my skin has gone a little crazy (for reasons I talked more about in the video) but I've also transitioned some of my favorites into brighter, Spring-appropriate shades.

In the video I also talked a bit about my personalized Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette which I received on my trip to Urban Decay's Headquarters. I swatched each shade for you for those who wanted to see each color life-action style. What can I say, I only bring exciting things for you here at From Head To Toe. Haha.

Check out the video and products mentioned below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Silicone Pore Cleansing Pad
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream (new Lumi Touch Concealer)
NYX HD Eyeshadow Base (NYX potted eyeshadow base)
Elisha Coy Mineral Touch Velvet Blusher in 02 Sweet Orange
Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lipgloss in James and Colin
Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette (Virgin, Buck, Busted, X, Psychadelic Sister, and Loaded)
Revlon Whimsical Nailpolish

ON ME:

Shirt is from Forever 21 last year (similar plain/PINK)
Tank top is from J. Crew (similar/similar)
Nail polish is Revlon Whimsical

So some products I wanted to highlight from this month's video are (no surprise here) the Urban Decay eyeshadows that I chose to put in my palette.

Here I am giving my best "fighting" fist which contains all of my excitement. Yes.

The individual shadows come in this subway token-inspired pot.

The back shows the name of the shadow in the same color as the shadow itself, so it's easy to know which color it is. You can see the round seam of where you can push out the middle part to depot.

The shadow popped out!

And here are swatches of all the colors in my palette:

Loaded / Psychadelic Sister / X

Busted / Buck / Virgin

Also, just because it's funny, I wanted to add my favorite Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lipglosses in shades Colin and James. Colin (the firefighter on the left) is actually the boyfriend of famous fashion blogger Rumi of Fashion Toast!

Fun Fact: The names of the Pocket Rockets are actually the real names of the models featured on each cap. Another Fun Fact: If you tilt the holographic image, you get to see each guy in their undies. Teehee! ;)

Here are my swatches of the two shades. Colin is a nice tomato orange-red (which I have a sheer layer on in the video) while James is a gorgeous iridescent pink. The nice shimmer flash doesn't really show up on the lips but it does give a lovely pink flush which is perfect for everyday looks.

These can both be applied sheerly or thicker for more opacity but they aren't completely opaque. The formula is also super sticky which makes it generally longer-lasting but also hair-sticking if you are turned off by that. The biggest love it or hate it deal breaker is the smell. They straight up smell like cereal so if you don't mind that then definitely try it out! The scent thankfully doesn't last after application but it's something to note since it's so polarizing.

I'll definitely do a bigger post on all of the Pocket Rocket lipglosses that I own with lip swatches if you'd be interested. Let me know in the comments if that's something you'd like to see. :)

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this month's favorites! If you like my glowy face makeup here, I recorded a How to Apply Blush video which includes contoured blush and highlighting. I will try to edit and post that very soon for you guys so be sure to check back in!

My Trip to Urban Decay & Build Your Own Palette!

2012-03-28T07:12:00.000-05:00

Hey lovelies! Today I am SO excited to share with you a project that I've been keeping quiet for a while now. A couple of months ago I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Urban Decay for their Build Your Own Palette launch and I cannot even tell you... It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to be a part of as a blogger.

Urban Decay is relaunching their entire eyeshadow range with a brand new updated formula and some very thoughtfully-designed packaging as well. For this project, they invited myself along with Kandee Johnson, xsparkage, Temptalia, and Megan the beauty editor of Refinery29 to visit the notoriously rad Urban Decay headquarters in SoCal to each put together our own 6-pan palette!

The new shadow formula has a "pigment infusion" system in which the pigments have a new carrier agent that makes the shadows even butterier, more pigmented, and longer lasting. This updated formula was first launched in the Anniversary palette (no wonder I loved it so much) and is also in the Naked 2 palette but now you can buy them individually in a range of 68 shades!

UD recorded our process so I want to share my interview and my palette with you guys here:

An in-depth look at the shadows, palette, and behind the scenes after the jump!

Here you can see the center row has the full packaging with the subway token while the shades to either side are the "depotted" shadows popped out of the external case.

The Build Your Own Palette already comes with this creamy matte highlight shade, Walk of Shame, and retails for $18. Each individual shadow is $18 too so in this case you are basically getting the palette for free. It also has a synthetic eyeshadow brush and full-sized mirror. If you prefer taking a liner over a brush, the travel-sized 24/7 pencils also fit in the brush slot easily as well.

There were so many colors and shadow types to choose from, it was seriously difficult to decide what would make it into my palette!

Just a little behind-the-scenes peek, here were Leesha and Christine sitting across the table from me. :)

After millions of swatches, I cleaned off my arm and did "clean" swatches of my final choices. I combined my favorite shades that I could wear everyday and not get bored. Favorite "mini Naked" styled neutrals on top, and a golden melon-pink for brightening, purple for a pop of easy-to-wear color, and deep sexy green for an interesting smokey eye. You can actually buy my pre-built palette on Urban Decay's website here.

My little feature from Urban Decay's site!

Here are some pics with the lovely youtube/blog ladies who were also on the trip!

With the very gorgeous Leesha aka xsparkage.

With Kandee Johnson whom I got to meet for the very first time on this trip! She is the sweetest person ever and she's also very tall, skinny, and beautiful inside and out.

Christine of Temptalia, me, and Kandee. How bite-sized do I look? HAHA!

And here's a look at UD HQ. Very edgy, purple, sexy, and a dash of humor at every turn.

And did I mention puppies? Yeah, there were a few awesome dogs chilling there too like this cute little frenchie. What's up, little guy? :)

Hope you guys enjoyed coming along with me on my trip to Urban Decay! You guys know that UD is one of my favorite brands of all time so it was such an honor to be a part of this collaboration. Thank you so much to Urban Decay for letting my visit and of course, for my palette as well!

And thank you so much to YOU GUYS, my readers, who have loyally supported me from day one. It's because of you that experiences like this can come true. You don't know how much it means to me, not just that things like this can happen, but thinking about the process of what it took to get there. I don't forget it and I don't take it for granted. For your love and readership, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Disclaimer: Thank you so much to Urban Decay for flying us out and gifting the 6-Pan Build Your Own Palette! This post was not requested, required, nor sponsored and all opinions are 100% my own. :)

My Favorite Makeup Brushes! Part 2: Favorite Eye Brushes

2012-03-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

As a continuation of my last post about my Favorite Face Brushes, I wanted to also talk about a few of my favorite eye brushes as well. With so many shapes and sizes of eye brushes out there, it can be a little tricky to navigate which shapes, textures, and densities will be most handy in your beauty kit. You can use this as a good basic guideline to figure out what you are missing in your eye brush arsenal!

Here is a recap of some of my favorite eye brushes, starting with the necessary basics and moving onto the more advanced set.

Eyeshadow:

Sonia Kashuk Crease Shadow Brush

This is my very favorite crease brush in the whole wide world. I swear I recorded this brush but the video footage magically disappeared so I want to extol how beloved this brush is here. I found out about this from a makeup artist friend and have been hooked ever since. The perfect blending brush for those with small lid space! And it's from Target!

Sigma E55 Eye Shading Brush

This is your basic flat shading brush which you can use to pack color on the lid, twice even (one color per side)! It's not astounding in any way, but definitely a go-to necessity.

Sigma E30 Pencil Brush

Pencil brushes are an Asian girl's best friend. This little guy can help to define the tiny outer crease area that larger brushes make muddy and in a pinch, I can get away with using only this brush for an entire eye look. When looking at pencil brushes just make sure you get a dense one. Floppy brushes can't pack on color as well, which is an important factor for crease definition.

Now I wanted to move onto a few more advanced brushes that I love. The following brushes aren't necessary for the most basic of brush collections, but are definitely also in my daily go-to list. Having the best fitting tools always makes the job quicker and easier and makeup brushes are no exception! Check out my favorite "intermediate" brushes below!

Rock & Republic 201

This is a discontinued brush from Rock & Republic that is large, dense, and fluffy which is the perfect recipe for a great brow bone highlighter. I can use just one sweep of a light color under my eyebrows and it instantly brings extra light to my face. (If you have larger, deep-set lids it can also work to pack color onto the eyes as well, but on my flat lids a smaller brush works better.)

Coastal Scents Doefoot Brush (old)

I apologize for posting so many discontinued brushes in this list! When I first put it together I had no idea that companies had stopped offering some of these, but you'll have to take my word for it that you can find similar shapes from several companies. I have a few of these doefoot brushes and they are very soft and lovely for applying highlight colors as well. I find these to work better for highlight shades that are more pigmented since it will give a softer look than the dense R&R 201. This also works nicely for contouring/highlighting the sides of the nose and other areas of the face as well.

Sigma Performance Eyes Kit (E21 Smudge Brush)

I've always considered a small smudging brush to be absolutely a necessity for applying shadow to the lower lashline. Since my eyes are smaller, I don't want to apply too much in that area for fear of looking like I got a black eye instead of a sexy smoky one. This is one of the best precision smudgers I've come across and it's the little brother of the E20 Short Shader Brush which you can buy individually.

The E21 only comes in the Performance Eyes Kit which is unfortunate, but I highly recommend getting this kit if you have flatter lids or smaller creases and need thinner brushes to accommodate more intricate eye makeup application.

MakeUp Show 5E05

This brush is no longer carried from the place I got mine from, but I believe Make Up Show still produces them so if anyone knows where to get it, please let me know in the comments. It's another intricate brush that I adore for applying highlight shades into my inner eye corners. It's small, dense, and soft. Very nice.

Eyeliner:

Sigma E65 Small Angle Brush

Out of all the various types of eyeliner brushes that I've tried, the basic synthetic angled eyeliner brush is my favorite for applying gel liner like how I showed in the Perfect Winged Liner tutorial. I rotate them out every 2 years or so when they start to fray, but low end or high end, they all seem to work fine as long as they have a sharp, thin edge. Those on a tight budget should also try angled art brushes from the hobby store! They are made of the same synthetic fibers and work just as well for only $1-2.

Really quickly before I end my post, I did want to mention my favorite travel kit which is perfect for novices who don't have any brushes but want a quality, relatively affordable kit with all the basics. (7 brushes and container for $59. Compare that with the MAC 150.) It's also available in classic black, pink, and purple, but my favorite is the cute aqua color. I've tried a lot of travel sets but this one has the most of my go-to brushes in one cohe set.

I hope this helped those of you who are looking to fill out your makeup brush collection. A lot of brush use comes down to trial and error and seeing what works best for your face, eyes, and personal needs as well so it's not like any one person's favorites will work for everyone but sharing our favorites never hurts, right?

If you didn't see my video overview of all of my favorites, check out Part 1 here! Let me know what your favorites are in the comments below. :)

Disclaimer: Some of the products in this post were provided by their subsequent companies for blog consideration. All opinions are 100% honest. This post is not sponsored, just me sharing my favorite brushes. :)

My Favorite Makeup Brushes! Part 1: Face Brushes

2012-03-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

See how excited I look at sharing with you my favorite makeup brushes? SO HAPPY! I'm sure it's maybe sorta kinda possible somehow that you might know that I have an inordinate number of makeup brushes. When my female family members visit they literally leave with goody bags filled with makeup brushes and makeup because seriously, there is no reason for any sane human to need as many brushes as I have. Seriously.

Very bad for my hoarding tendencies. Very good for you as I've tested several brushes over the last decade or so and have come up with a few that I think are actually share-worthy and generally budget friendly as well. :)

I've categorized them into 2 basic categories: Face and Eyes. Check out the video and short reviews below.

ON ME:

Mint shirt and cardigan are from J. Crew

Necklace is from Stella & Dot

Bracelets are from Forever 21 & Hautelook

Earrings are these Wired Gems from HQCD

Nail polish is Revlon Whimsical

Now, to get on to the individual short brush reviews! For this post, I want to introduce to you my favorite face brushes.

Powder:

Sigma F30 Large Powder Brush

This is your typical big, fluffy, soft powder brush. It does shed a bit when you first get it but I find the shedding reduces after a couple washes. I'd advise not to skimp on the powder brush since cheaper brushes tend to be scratchy even if they look similar.

MakeUp Show H02

This is another powder brush favorite which is slightly smaller than the F30 and its bristles are thinner. It's very soft and luxurious on the face although it may be harder to get a hold of.

Blush/Bronzer/Highlight:

Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour Brush

The F40 is hands-down my favorite blush brush because it fits into the contours of my cheeks perfectly. I also like that the white bristles let me know when it needs another deep cleaning soon.

MakeUp Show 22B01

The place I got this brush from is no longer carrying it (sad) but this brush is wonderful for bronzer because it's quite dense and works great for contouring the face.

Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush

The F35 is a nice, smaller powder brush which is great for highlighting products since it's not too dense. You don't want to look too shimmery from overdoing highlighter. This is the perfect size to bring a soft glow to the tops of cheeks.

Concealer:

Sigmax P86 Precision Tapered Brush

This is a newish brush to my arsenal, but I can definitely see why people have been raving. When I first saw/touched it it was a big "ooh, ahh" moment since it's a baby version of the super luxe Sigmax brushes. Perfect for concealing redness and undereye circles, very soft, very dense. Love it.

Lip/Concealer:

Coastal Scents lip brush (old)

This is a generic and very inexpensive lip brush that I got years ago from Coastal Scents who no long carry it. What I love about this one is that for one, it's pink. Come on. No but really, although I'm admittedly not a huge lip brush user on myself (I do use them on clients), this small synthetic lip brush is actually the perfect tiny size for covering up one of my greatest skin concerns, post-acne hyperpigmentation. Obviously, it also works perfectly for precise lipstick and gloss application as well.

It just goes to show that just because a brush is labeled one thing doesn't mean it can't be used however best suits your needs individually. Just keep in mind that generally, synthetic brushes work well for liquids and cream products while natural bristles are great with powders. Rules, of course, can be broken but it's a good general rule of thumb.

Foundation:

Sigmax F84 Angled Top Brush

Ah, my beloved Sigmax brush. I already mentioned this in my Naughty & Nice 2011 video (while somehow managing to forget to include it in this video) and it's still as good as then. I love how this seamlessly buffs in liquid foundation to satiny perfection. I can forgive the long dry time of synthetic brushes for how soft and dense this is. Regular old flat foundation brushes really have nothing on the Sigmax brushes.

This brings us to the conclusion of the face brushes in my current favorite rotation. (Heaven knows it will probably change again in a few months anyway!) I hope this served not only as insight into a few good brushes but also into what different brushes can be used for.

I will continue on with my favorite Eye Brushes for my next post so stay tuned!

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty!

2012-03-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Lately there has been a tag that I've seen a lot of other beauty gurus doing that I thought was really cute. It's called the "7 Deadly Sins of Beauty" which are questions that relate to each of the 7 deadly sins, such as Greed, Sloth, Lust, and so on.

As much as we all try to be good about keeping those vices in check, come on, we are talking about beauty products here! Surely everyone has a few deadly sins hidden in their closet, am I right?

QUESTIONS!

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?
4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?
5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?
6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

ON ME:

H&M rose gold bow elastic (similar/similar)
J Crew shirt (mine is actually this color but on screen it looks like this/this)
Forever 21 yellow bracelet (similar with bow/similar in neon/Tory Burch)
Michael Kors Blair watch

Since I know I'll get questions about some of my favorite items I mentioned in the video, I wanted to make it easy for you to find them should you want to know more.

I have a full tutorial using Wet & Wild gel liner which you can see here: Perfect Winged Eyeliner.
I've previously mentioned the Clarisonic Mia brush in skincare posts. I have the pink but it also comes in lots of colors including Turquoise, Graphite, Garnet, Yellow, Sapphire, Lavender, Kelly Green, and even Zebra and Jaguar prints!
The most delicious smelling Lioele Blooming Glosses are still one of my favorite glosses of all time. I got mine from Pretty and Cute and you can find swatches here. If you use code klove10 at checkout you can receive 10% off Korean products including Lioele as well!
If you want to torture yourself, you can see how much I love Rock & Republic blushes in this past post. Seriously, they are amazing so don't click it. I've warned you. ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed the tag and I'd love to see any of your responses! If you decide to do a blog post yourself, feel free to leave a link in the comments or leave a video response here. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Easy Fishtail Braid - 2 Ways

2012-03-14T23:24:00.003-05:00

I don't know how the weather has been for everyone but in my neighborhood, the sun has been out and shining in full force! It seems that Spring has sprung early and in lieu of that, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Spring and Summer hairstyles: the fishtail braid.

Braids have been a huge trend for the last couple of years and I know it's going to be seen all over the place this year as well. I've been sporting the fishtail braid quite frequently lately since it's so easy to do yet looks very complicated as a finished product. Many people must've thought the same as well since I got so many requests for a tutorial after wearing this hairstyle in my Sister Tag video.

Since I'm not one to turn down a good request, here are 2 easy techniques to do this look yourself...

Check out the tutorial video below:

Although I'm sure it is much, much easier to understand by watching the video above, I also wanted to include a few photos for those of you new to the fishtail braiding process. This is the standard technique for how to fishtail braid your own hair.

Step 1. Section your hair into 2 parts

Step 2. Take a small strip from the back of the Right section

Step 3. Cross it over the front and combine with the Left section

Step 4. Now, take a small section from the back of Left section

Step 5. Cross over and combine with the Right section

Step 6. It should begin creating a cross braid pattern like this

Step 7. Continue steps 2-5 until you have a full braid

To finish the look, I loosened up some of the sections to make it look more messy-casual and added a rose gold bow hair tie to give the braid polish.

I also included a second (easier) technique for a softer fishtail braid in the video as well in case the traditional technique proves to be a little tricky. ;) You can check out my past posts on hair here if you'd like to see more tutorials as well.

I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial and if you try out this hairstyle then feel free to leave a pic of your look on my Facebook page. Let me know in the comments below what tutorial you'd like to see next!

St. Patrick's Day: Green Winged Eyeshadow Tutorial

2012-03-10T00:43:00.002-06:00

Hi guys! St. Patrick's Day is only a week away and the last few years I've been wanting to do a green St. Patty's Day tutorial. I've always said that green and purple are the easiest colors to introduce into your daily eyeshadow routine but somehow the day slipped by in the past. Not this year!

Since I already did a very vibrant look using green in my Turquatic Inspired Look, I decided to do something a little bit different. One of my favorite ways to wear eyeshadow lately has been to do a smudgey winged line so I thought I would translate that into a vibrant kelly green befitting the holiday.

See the video (with a cameo by Cherry, my chihuahua) and more photos below!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:
Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream
Tarte Smooth Operator Powder
NARS Stick Concealer in Custard
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Estee Lauder ShadowCreme in Precious Jade
Maybelline Sunbaked Neutrals palette
Sugarpill eyeshadow in Midori
Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
False lashes (I mixed 2 criss-cross types)
Lioele Auto-Eyebrow Pencil
MAC Spaced Out blush (similar Bobbi Brown/NYX/NARS)
Holika Holika Heartful Moisture Lipstick in Sweet Coral

ON ME:
T-shirt is from Forever 21 (similar/similar/similar)
Necklace is Kimora Lee Simmons x Hello Kitty (similar/similar/similar)

You can see here that although there is bold color used, this is a quite wearable look since the green doesn't go up high on the eyelid. I'm a perpetual sucker for winged eyeliner as well. After seeing Academy Awards red carpet pics, I'm convinced that winged eyeliner is a trend that is sticking around for a while.

With eyes closed you can see the strips of colors lightly blended from black to green to the golden-olive shimmer. Also, the wing of the shadow is a visual mirror image to the shape of my eyebrows. The juicy peach lips and cheeks balances the warmer tones of the golden lid.

One warning I will say though is to make sure you exfoliate your lips well before trying out milky orange shades! This lipstick (and other milky lipsticks I've tried in general) really brings out any dry flakes, wrinkles, and imperfections. Still, the final look is definitely worth it! I'm all about peach lips for Spring!

And one last winky photo for silly times. :)

Remember that you can translate this into any other bright shade you would like. I could see it being especially pretty in purple or turquoise, while navy blue would be a sexy twist for going out. If you try it out, please let me know or share it on the From Head To Toe Facebook page. :)

Let me know what other looks you'd like to see in the comments. Happy weekend!

Sister Tag!!

2012-03-06T20:08:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Today's post is another one taking a bit of a look into my life and introducing you my one and only sibling: my sister Linda! You may remember seeing her in my Cali visit posts here and here but this time she came home to visit my parents and me instead. :)

I know many of you have sisters and would probably relate to some of the answers we gave in the sister tag, so while she was visiting I had her sit down and do a video with me. Without further ado, please warmly welcome my unnie.

Video and tag questions, plus more pics of my sister after the jump!

Questions:
1. How old are you both?
2. Describe each other in one word?
3. Do people ever get you mixed up?
4. What is something that annoys you about one another?
5. What is it like being sister with a youtube "guru"?
6. Do you ever argue?
7. Whats the best thing about one another?
8. Ditch the dirt?
9. Fave inside joke?
10. Fave memory together?
11. Full sisters/half/step?
12. Guess each others fave singer?
13. Who takes longer to get ready
14. Heels or flats? 
15. Pants or dresses? 
16. Favorite animal? 
17. If your house was burning down, and your entire family was sure to be okay, what would you save and why?
18. Comedy, horror, or chick-flick?
19. Blackberry or iPhone? 
20. Favorite movie?
21. What is something weird that you eat?
22. Do you guys have anything matching?
23. What's your favorite TV show?

ON ME:

Old Navy sweater (similar/similar/similar)
OPI Gel Polish in Princess Rule!
H&M rose gold bow hair elastic (similar/similar)

ON MY SISTER:

Forever 21 off-shoulder shirt (similar)
Amrita Singh turquoise ring (similar/similar/similar)

A couple of funny things I wanted to mention about my sister and myself is that although we are 100% full-blooded sisters, we are actually quite different! Not only do we have different tastes and personality, but in terms of beauty, our skin, hair, and body chemistry are completely different as well. The birth control I left behind (mentioned as possibly TMI in my last video) was one that made her skin clear up completely and left me with a mess of cystic acne.

Also, check out this pic I took with her last year. She cut all her hair off to donate to Locks of Love!

In comparison, here is a pic we just took together about a month ago. I looooove her new bob. What do you guys think? ;)

One last one of her just because I think she looks so pretty here, by the photogenic shores of Laguna Beach.

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know both of us a little bit better! Through thick and thin, I feel very grateful to have my older sister to talk to, relate to, and yes, even force makeup upon. (Hehehe.)

Please feel free to do this tag as well, on youtube or blog and leave a link in the comments. Also let me know if you saw any other fun tags that you'd like to see in future posts as well!

February 2012 Beauty Favorites!

2012-03-02T23:33:00.001-06:00

Hey guys! March is upon us again and it's time to share my monthly favorites from the past 4 weeks. This month, I found a new favorite lip product and rediscovered a few older items that I used nearly everyday!

Check out the video and product list below...

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

Aquaphor ointment
Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum
Lioele Blooming Pop Cherry Tint
Wet & Wild Gel Liner
Sigma Mr. Bunny Synthetic Brush Set
Dora Addict Eyelash Glue
OPI Gel Polish in Princess Rule!

ON ME:

Forever 21 sweatshirt
Jami Rodriguez Fortune Cookie earrings via Hautelook invite
J.Crew watch strap (similar/similar)

So I mentioned this in the video a little bit but I am a really huge fan of the gradient lip using lip stains (like the Lioele one I talked about) which I've actually been doing for years (also here, here, here, here). I know it's because of influences from Korea that I think it's a completely ordinary look but I noticed youtube comments being totally put off by it.

What do you guys think? Is it a cute twist on your typical lip color or does it look like you are a vampire that just had a nice snack?

Also, I did want to talk a little more in-depth into my Gel polish'd nails. Here's how my nails are right now after 3 weeks:

You can compare that to when I first got it done here which I posted on Twitter.

Basically, gel polish is like a polish/acrylic hybrid which must be cured with a UV light. The amazing thing is that, as you can see here, the polish lasts and lasts without chipping or peeling for at least 2 weeks. I had mine done at a salon but I've heard of at-home kits that you can buy as well. Additionally, you can apply regular polish on top of gel polish if you get bored with the color with no ill effects since polish remover will only remove the regular polish on top.

I got mine done so that my peeling, thin nails could grow out a bit and I think it's worked splendidly for this. It's a little expensive (mine was around $25-$30) but I recommend it for the occasional nail-lift!

Hope you guys enjoyed reading/watching! Let me know in the comments if there's anything here you've tried as well, or if there are any products you'd like for me to try for the future. :)

Miss A "Touch" MV Makeup Tutorial

2012-02-27T22:02:00.001-06:00

One of the things I love most about doing Youtube is that I get to share a part of my past and culture with other people. Kpop is something I've loved since I was a little girl listening to 룰라 (I was as obsessed with 비밀은없어 as I was with Ace of Base's The Sign) while dancing in my living room, so I of course think it's so amazing that new Korean music is sent to me through e-mail, youtube, and twitter messages requesting tutorials for the latest songs.

Lately, I've had a flood of requests for Miss A's "Touch" and when I queued up the video, I immediately saw why...

Here is Miss A's video:

And here is my tutorial:

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:
Makeup Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ in 40
MAC Select Cover-up in NC30
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Slide-On Pencil in Gunmetal
Urban Decay Mariposa Palette (Gunmetal)
Wet n Wild Gel liner in black
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara
Nail art rhinestones
Tony Moly Tear Glitter Eye Powder
Josie Maran bronzer in Beach #1
NYX Round Lipstick in Circe
Urban Decay Super-Saturated lip color in Crush
Lioele Auto-Eyebrow Pencil

For reference, I took a few screencaps. As you can see, the feel of this video is very edgy and almost gothic with sharp winged eyeliner, crystals adorning the eyes, and babydoll stained lips.

For my version, I chose to do a monolid version using a charcoal grey wing and spidery lower lashes. The crystals right beneath the eyes add interest while the rest of the face is kept relatively plain to keep focus on the eyes and lips.

One of the biggest highlights of this look are the stained lips. This type of gradient lip is quite popular in Asia since it gives the appearance of a smaller, babydoll mouth.

Here you can see the straight line from the outer corner of the wing to the middle of my eyelid. This photo also shows the soft double wing on the lower lash line as well as the bronzer used to contour my nose and cheeks.

Overall, I feel like this is a sharp look for going out on the weekend. It's not your typical smokey eye and nude lip but it still gives the same sort of edgy feeling.

I hope you guys enjoyed watching and let me know in the comments what you'd like to see for future tutorials!

Hollywood & Pink Heels

2012-02-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

After doing the "Confessions of a Shoeaholic" tag video, I went back through my old photos trying to think of if I had ever posted an outfit with my beloved hot pink heels. It seems I haven't done a proper outfit post in so long that the neon beauties got left behind! It's a good thing I happened to take them to my trip to LA last year for IMATS along with my dear Kassia who makes photos magical.

The biggest key to wearing such a loud statement shoe is to go neutral for the rest of the look. Grey tube dresses and flowing blouses make for breezy, comfy summer outfits that are refreshed by the bright heel. If you look closely, you can also see some subtle complimentary color blocking going on.

blouse & dress shopAkira. purse Chanel. heels jgshoe. rings Forever 21, gift, and Etsy.

Seeing these photos again reminds me of how much I miss summer. I'm dying for neons and pastels to hurry and make a comeback. I also need to bring back some color into my hair again. Should I ombre again or try something new? Let me know in the comments!