TLC's My Strange Addiction

I know I said I was going get back to the roots of my blog with today's post but this is way better... I'm watching TLC's My Strange Addiction with my roommate and this poor woman is addicted to makeup! I really wish it was posted on TLC.com because I would definitely show a picture of it here. The woman wore makeup 23 hours a day, only taking it off to shower. It says she spent $4,000 a year on products and had over 1000 items in her collection. 

I don't know about you... but does not sound as extreme as I would have hoped. Maybe its a sign I myself am on the road to a makeup addiction! Except for the fact that I wash my face and feel comfortable without my "face" on. The addicted woman was considering getting green eyeliner tattooed on her lids and again I thought to myself... whats wrong with that!?! A very close family friend of mine has had her eyeliner tattooed (in black) and it looks very natural. Here is the very lovely Diana!

Its not for me but I think the eyeliner tattoo thing can be a great option. Would any of you ever consider getting it? What about tattooed lipliner and eyebrows? 

Your Inked Friend,

Kelsey

Bloggy Makeover

For my loyal 4 followers this may come as a surprise but I am giving my blog a makeover. Yes it is well overdue. If you can recall back when I had the original green polka-dot, it was painfully obvious I was using a lame template that was offered on blogspot.com. Earlier this week I revamped it and made it pink with stripes but I went one more step beyond that tonight and created this here header...

I just downloaded Photoshop's free 30 day trial on my laptop for my Marketing Communications class this afternoon, which I used to create this image. Getting Photoshop was like getting a package of makeup in the mail, I had to test it out and play with it. Unfortunately, its pretty expensive to purchase. Even with the student discount I'm still looking at shelling out $199. I'm going to take full advantage of the next 30 days to play with the program. If you want to download the trial yourself, click here. 

And since the blog is coming up on its one year anniversary, why not give it a makeover now? 

I hope this inspires you to go back to your blog, resolution, or hobby that you once committed to and give it makeover. Putting a little extra elbow grease and love could be just the trick to making whatever goal a reality. (Shout out to my mother who lost 6.5 pounds since she started her New Years fitness resolution. Now that is the type of dedication that I'm talking about! Yay Ellen!) 

I'll be back with an extra special post tomorrow that gets back to the root of why this blog is here in the first place... to land me a gig in the beauty industry. 

Much Love,

Kelsey

Makeup Organization and Storage Solution

Organization is the key to life... and a kick ass makeup collection! I wanted to make this video for a long long long time and I re-recorded it at least twice as well. After watching several other beauty gurus shell out major $$ in the name of storage I wanted to share my picks for affordable organization that will grow with your collection.

The set of plastic drawers on wheels can be found at Target... in fact everything can be found at Target. I really like this set because it came with a combination of both small thin drawers and deep drawers. It cost $18 and you can also purchase additional sets of drawers to stack on top. Here is a link to order it online. 

The clear organizer on top was also from Target in the cosmetic department. It was $17. Here is the link for that. (actually, the link is of a less expensive bigger version. I wish I had seen it at the store)

The drawer dividers were from the kitchen section of Target and came in packs of 2 large, 2 medium, and 4 small sections. I ended up getting two sets at $9 each. I also really like that they lock together they don't slide around if the drawer is slightly bigger. Click here to purchase online. (I couldn't find the one I purchased online but its pretty close.)

Full Report on the Blind Date

So although this is a stretch to make this post beauty related I knew there may be one or two out there who wanted to know how this terrifying blind date went. It was everything I feared! No, worse! He showed up with another girl!

I'm kidding....

It was nothing like I feared. He was very charming and we stayed so long, the hostess had to kick us out (which was actually very rude considering we were only there from 8-10...). We went to this chocolate bar downtown DC called Coco Sala (I'll post a link to their website) and it was a chocolate lover's heaven. The cocktails were all chocolate themed and since I just turned 21 I ordered the "fetish" which was a chocolate strawberry drink. They have a fantastic desert menu and everything was delish! I would definitely suggest this place to anyone in DC looking to impress a girl.

http://www.cocosala.com/

Before going out I stumbled upon this makeup artist on YouTube and I am in love. Check out her video about a first date look. I am addicted to all of her videos and since she does work for Elle, Vogue, etc. the quality of the videos are fantastic.

Enjoy the superbowl today! (GO PACKERS!) I will be watching for the commercials.

Lets Talk About Date Night Makeup

As much as I love going out on dates... and trust me I do... I have to admit I always fear the worst. For example, in my head, my date is not going to show up tonight for the dinner reservations he made. Lets hope that does NOT happen! 

The point of this post is... what the heck type of makeup do you wear on a first date?!

Think about what your favorite feature about your face is. What type of date is it? Is it during the evening or afternoon? For the purposes of this post let me explain my situation. 

We are going out to dinner to a chocolate bar downtown. I did my research and checked out the place online and it has a very sophisticated atmosphere and its on the pricier side (read high heels are a must). This is our first date and I have never actually met him in person, its basically a blind date. 

So what do you want to wear to an event like this? Focus on the eyes.

There will be drinks and chocolate involved so stay away from lipsticks and lip glosses that transfer. Instead go for a really soft brown smokey eye. Choosing a brown eye instead of black is more natural and also less intimidating. I would also suggest breaking out the false lashes. Here is my video about how to apply false lashes. Also, play up your bone structure with contour and highlight. The goal here is to look like you but a really gorgeous you. I will update with a couple photos of what I ended up doing. (And how the date went!)

Magazine Feature!

I'm excited to announce that I will be submitting a Valentines tutorial next week for an online magazine! I want to keep it hush hush until its done (leave you hanging) about what exactly I'm going to be doing but I will let you know that I will be having two guests in my video. It should be out mid February and trust me... this blog will be the first to get the link. 

Airbrushing Gone Wrong!

Over winter break I received my airbrush system and have been in love with it since. I use it most days on myself and have mastered the art of natural blush and full, even coverage on myself, my sister and my mother.

Now that I am back at school I have been using it on most of my friends. I discovered that I am not very good at guessing what color people are. I purchased several different shades of deep completion dinair makeup with the intention of using it on a few specific friends but my guesses were all wrong. I consistently guessed too dark for which foundation they should be. Then come to find out... I can't really even tell until they look in the mirror that I so drastically changed their entire skin color! I need help on this one. I think I am going to sign up for this airbrush seminar a makeup artist friend of mine suggested. There won't be any jobs if I keep messing up my colors.

Moral of this post... practice on anyone that will let you because you don't want to toot your horn too soon.

Airport Makeup: The Bare Essentials

As I write this I am on the bus to Milwaukee to fly back to Washington, DC for school (a week early I might add). We all know that airlines are insanely picky about their "under 3 oz." rule so I put together what I consider the essentials when flying. It is very natural and clean and uses minimal products that covers pimples and redness, provides a natural soft contour, and a glowing highlight.

1. Step 1: apply REVLON ColorStay Mineral Mousse foundation in Light Medium/Medium with fingers. This product covers nicely and has 20 SPF giving it a natural soft powder-esk finish. To conceal darkness or redness dab a second layer on problem area. This way you do not have to bring a concealer. 
2. Step 2: contour with MAC Beauty Powder in Her Own Devices. Using a Sigma F84 Angled Top Kabuki apply to the hollows of the cheeks and around the hairline. I like this product because it is light and with build-able color. Unlike using a contour color such as Blunt by MAC, the Beauty Powder can double as a blush.
3. Step 3: highlight with with MAC Special Reserve Highlight Powder  in Chez Chez Lame to the apples of the cheeks and under the eyebrow. 
4. Finish with your favorite gloss and mascara and your done!

Walgreens Stock Up!

Walgreens (and I'm assuming most other drug stores as well) is having their end of year cosmetic sale to get rid of the discontinued products. Although we are bidding a fond farewell to some favorites such as L'Oreal's HIP Kohl liners and #800 "In the Buff" lipstick, we are making space for new goodies to come. To moral of this post is to STOCK UP! Look for products with the orange price tag to indicate those products that will be discontinued. Here is my top 5 items to pick up before they disappear.

1. L'Oreal Paris Bare Natural Gentile Lip Conditioner in #810 Soft Honey: This product is a nude colored low shine gloss with a very soft feel. it is not sticky in the slightest and it certainly leaves the lips looking healthy and hydrated. Its a steal at $2.50
2. REVLON ColorStay Mineral Mousse foundation in Light Medium/Medium: This formula gives a soft matte finish. It also has a surprisingly significant amount of coverage. I have been breaking out pretty badly around my chin and it covers redness well. It almost leaves a silicone feel when you first apply it but it disappears within a few minutes. 
3. L'Oreal Endless Lipstick in #800 In the Buff: I like this color because it is a wonderful neutral brown nude with a matte finish. I'm not totally in love with the sent of this product, as it is very sweet and synthetic smelling. 
4. L'Oreal Endless Platinum Lipstick in #445 Crystalized Coral: Not only does this shimmery peachy coral have staying power, it also is neutral enough to complement bright eye makeup. I wore it out on New Years Eve with Urban Decay teal eye liner and it was a perfect fit under a shimmery peach LORAC Lip Polish.
5. Sally Hansen Diamond 12 Hr. Lip Treatment in Marquise: Marquise is a a bright pink gloss in the tube but applies more of a sparkly "your pink lips but better" color. It does not last the 12 hours that it claims (more like 3 hours) however it is a beautiful gloss. Beautiful color and beautiful price tag $1.44

I also picked up Crest 3D White Strips which were on sale $20, another steal. Overall Check out your local drug store and pick up the discontinued cosmetics. 

New Years Resolution

Yay 2011! 2010 was great but I'm very happy and looking forward to whats to come this year. I only have 2 resolutions this year and hopefully they are something you can put on your list as well.

1. Wash my face every night. My skin has been a mess lately and I'm sure the fact that half the time (Ok I'll be honest, more like 75% these days) I fall asleep with my makeup on. This year I am going to make a point to always wash my face. In fact, Let me do that as soon as I publish this post!
2. Read the labels on food better. Especially at restaurants I have been making generalizations about foods I assume are vegan. That is going to change this year. From now on I will be sure to ask the wait staff and read every label to ensure I am continuing to live a vegan lifestyle. 

I wish everyone a happy new year and perfect skin!