Christmas Lights and lazy makeup look

Every winter the Toledo Zoo has something call The Lights Before Christmas. Pretty much they decorate the zoo with over one million lights. Many people come to the zoo this time of year because it is quite beautiful. I didn't get very many pictures because the crowds were rather large when we went. On that note, I'd definitely recommend going earlier in December, rather than near Christmastime because it is much more fun when there are less people.

These are just a few examples, the whole zoo is decked out and there are also animal shapes done in lights and lights that blink along to music as well. If you're ever in the area you should check it out :]

Here's a simple look I did a few weeks ago. It's just some brown eyeshadows from my 88 palette, natural blush (also from a CS palette) and chapstick. It's hardly worth posting, but I figured I'd show you what I put on when I'm feeling lazy (which is often).

I think next post I might show you a few things I've bought recently (like the new Hello Kitty perfume) or maybe my New Years Eve makeup... hmmmm

Christmas Eve makeup

I know this is late, but I figured I would show you anyway :]

I spent Christmas Eve at Tom's grandma's house (on his father's side) as usual. I was going for a smokey silver eye to go with my outfit. I didn't get a full-body picture that night, but I wore an oversized grey/blue sweater belted with black leggings. Belted oversize sweaters with leggings have kind of become my "uniform" this winter. It's just to comfortable & easy and it looks put together.

I apologize for the lighting, I took these in my boyfriend's (poorly lit) bedroom right before we left. And well...it's wintertime in Ohio...it gets dark at like 5:00 :[ Colors are washed out and whatnot, but you get the idea of it, right? :]

I hope everyone is having fun and staying warm! I'm absolutely loving school this semester (so far)!

Life Update

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know it's late, but I've been busy getting ready for school (which started this week). I have quite a few pictures stored up so you can look forward to seeing some makeup, a lens review with a creepy look, and some uber short fringe.

So what happened to me in 2010? Well...

-I became a college sophomore

-I turned 19

-Took out my lip ring

-Found out the my dad had skin cancer

-Found out that Dad is healthy :D

-Tom's mom started & finished chemo and started radiation (she is also doing fantastic, cancer is completely gone, radiation is just a precaution)

-Tom and I celebrated our 4th year together

-I finally quit my job

-I had a ton of fun with my friends and family

Even with the low points, some of which were really horrible, I had a pretty good year. I hope 2011 will be better!

I'll leave you with one of my many 2010 makeup looks

I used Coastal Scents 88 palette on my eyes and Mac Viva Glam IV on my lips. It's simple, but it works for going to the mall :]

Hope everyone that has school enjoys their classes and has fun!

Product Rave and skincare routine

I don't know about you guys, but when I get breakouts (which is fairly rare, but when I do they are BAD!) I find it very hard to get the spots to go away in a timely fashion. The last time I had a major breakout (about two months ago) the blemishes were still there after three weeks. Three weeks! It was horrendous and I felt so self conscious. None of my usual "quick fixes" were working.

image from neutrogena.com

So while I was at Ulta I picked up the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel. I usually don't have much confidence when it comes to spot eliminators that sound like miracle products since my homemade remedies seem to suit my skin much better. I have to say though, this stuff is AMAZING. I showered in the evening and put this on my face before bed. In the morning I noticed a dramatic difference in my skin. I still had many spots, but they were much smaller and the tiniest ones were completely gone. At about the three day mark my skin was back to being clear.

Now I put this on any areas where I notice a blemish is about to surface...and it makes it go away! I love this stuff and it really worked for me. Hopefully one of you will have good luck with this product.

Since we're on the topic of skin I think I'll tell you about my current skincare routine. For those of you that have followed for a while you might already know my skin type and love of homemade face products because I used to talk about it all the time, but for all the newbies I'll recap. I think skincare is the most important part of any beauty routine. If your skin looks beautiful then you'll look gorgeous no matter what makeup you have on. My skin gets very dry in the winter months and this year it is worse than ever! My usual scrub of olive oil, sugar and honey is not enough anymore!

image from Sephora.com

First I start out in the shower by cleansing my face with Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. I use a little silicone cleansing pad from Sephora to make sure all the nasties are out of my pores. Then I use my homemade scrub of olive oil, honey, and sugar to do some more exfoliating and deep moisturizing. By the way I do not use a makeup remover, olive oil is quite good at removing waterproof mascara. When I get out of the shower I put on spot remover if I need to and let it set. Then I slather my neck and face with Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturizer. Then I take a rather large portion of Nivea cream (in the blue tin) and put it all over my face, but not my neck. This product is kind of...oily? and I don't like having a dewey neck. My skin sucks this stuff up like a sponge! It is the only moisturizer I have found that really hydrates my skin and doesn't give my dry patches in the morning. In the morning I usually put more Nivea cream on to get a nice base for my foundation.

Well...that was a rather long-winded post, sorry :P I hope it helps someone out!

I also have a new foundation routine coming up, as I've found products that let my dry skin achieve that perfect dewey look. I will take pictures on a day where I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn :]

1950s style fail

I tried to do two 1950s looks right after I got my hair cut. They were hard to do considering how short my bangs are, but for a first try I guess it's alright. As for makeup it was simple red lips and black liner.

I think you can see the loops better in this one

This is the first one. I tried to do pin curls with a fluffy side pony. I wish my inspiration for these looks had some before I cut my hair, trying to get those loops to stay put with my tiny fringe was impossible! It's quite a mess, but I still kind of like it :]

This is the second look. I haven't a clue what this is actually called, but it's just rolled up bangs. This one was even harder to do with short bangs. I don't think it suits me anyway.

I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but I will have an update on my life coming up soon. I hope everyone has been doing well!

Old-ish haul :P

Hey guys! Here's some stuff from a transdesign order that I haven't showed you guys :P I've since made and received another order but I didn't take any pictures T.T

A few OPIs, can you guess what they are?

The entire Orly FX collection. I got them for $5 each, but now on TD they're $10

Some China Glaze. Pool Party, Lubu Heels, and Atlantis

My first New York summers!

I hope everyone is having fun this october! I might be doing some Halloween looks if I find the time :]

I finally got a haircut!

Hi guys! Well, I have been putting off getting my hair cut for weeks and I finally got it done last week. You see, the stylist I usually go to, Liz, does not work at the salon anymore and I have not been able to track her down yet. So...I put off my haircut to the last minute. I'm always so nervous going to a new stylist! When I find a good one I stick with them. Anyways I made an appointment with a salon I don't usually go to.

The girl was nice and good at cutting hair, but I don't think I'll be going back to her. She was much too tame for me and she had her own vision for my hair and didn't really listen to what I wanted. I showed her pictures of what I wanted, one of them was even of me from right after Liz had done my hair! She saw this and still pretty much just started to give me long layers and long side-swept bangs, like everyone else has. I do like that look, but not really on me. I prefer having some short layers in my long hair and shorter angled bangs. I cut about 5 inches off my length and I wanted my layers and bangs to get even shorter too, something Liz and I had been talking about the last few times I got my hair done.

Shorter. I had to tell her that seriously 50 times. Each time she would take off about a millimeter of hair... I finally just let her finish my hair. It's not that I don't like the result, I do, but I don't love it and It's not what I pictured. Sorry for all the gabbing :P here's my hair...

Bangs

Length

Oh and I've another exciting bit of news. I went to my mac counter on thursday (for the Venomous Villains collection of course) and got the last bottle of Bad Fairy. I really like it and I'll do a post when I can get some good light :P

Did you guys pick anything up from the VV collection?