Eye Tattoo

Every year around this time I start playing with a beauty trend that is a little out there or a little different. Last year if you remember I was rocking feather extensions in my hair. This year I'm addicted to this "eye tattoo" made out of eyeliner. 

I was inspired to do these little dots from one of my favorite makeup artists Kandee Johnson who draws little dots to extend her eyebrows. Its kind of a nice way to add a little edge to your look. I personally love wear really girly accessories like flower earrings or link lipstick with these dots to have mix of hard/soft.

These dots were made with liquid eyeliner. I tried it with some of the felt tip pen liners that have come out recently with Bobbi Brown and Maybelline but I have to say I get the best dots with my old tried and true L'Oreal Paris liquid liner. It has a felt tip but the tip is flat rather than pointed. This makes applying "dots" effortless. 

Its funny because they really do look like tattoos when your done. I was at work (Macy's cosmetic department) and customers were coming up to my manager asking if I had gotten a tattoo on my face! One older woman even said "she had such a pretty face but why would you ever get a tattoo to ruin it." My manager just laughed and reassured her that it was not a tattoo but instead eyeliner. She seemed very relieved. 

What makeup trend have you been rocking lately? Is there something edgy that you have been wanted to try? The best part about makeup... It all comes off at the end of the day. Try something edgy today!

XOXO

Kelsey

Glitter Ombre Nail Tutorial

Glitter is one of those things that makes a girl smile. I especially have been drawn in, like a lightning bug to a flame, to some of the glitter nail polishes that have been on the market this season. What better way to have a little bling when you don't have a ring?

I saw an ombre nail look on one of my favorite bloggers and I was instantly in love. It is such a modern, fresh way to wear glitter without looking childish. I recreated the glitter ombre manicure using a baby pink base and a hot pink glitter.

Please don't mind the pink hair brush in the background!

For this look I used an OPI shade for the base. The glitter polish was from Material Girl (Madonna's daughter's line) in the shade Wild Flower. This look is super easy to recreate and requires no special skills or tools.

Step 1: Paint nails with a solid base color. I used two coats to get the baby pink to be as opaque as I wanted.
Step 2: Using the glitter polish, wipe off the majority of the brush and apply in downward sweeping motions to the top 1/2 of each nail.
Step 3: Using the glitter polish, load up the brush and apply a second thick coat to the top 1/4 of each nail.
Step 4: Finish with a top coat.

Check out the video tutorial:

The Things We Are Afraid Of

I feel like everyone knows someone who is afraid of something BIG like heights, or snakes (like my dad is) or creepy bugs. These are all legitimately gross and scary but sometimes I find myself being afraid of the smaller things. 

A couple of Saturdays ago I had dinner with a friend and afterwards I felt like seeing a "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" but my friend had to work. The movie theater was right there and a movie I wanted to see was about to start but for some reason I felt really embarrassed to be going to the movie alone. I was literally afraid to go see a movie by myself. I even pretend I was meeting someone by saving the seat next to me and texting during the previews. Of course no one in the theater was paying any attention to if I was there with someone or alone... it was all in my head... but knowing that didn't help at that moment. 

I really think life has a way of letting you know when you make the right decision (or the wrong one for that matter) because at the end of the movie, the movie theater gave us all free movie passes due to some disruptive customers that started a fight at the beginning of the movie. I just felt like it was fate's way of rewarding me for stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing something I was afraid of. 

I pass along the challenge to you today. Is there something small that your afraid of that is holding you back? Today is the perfect day to take a risk. Muster up an ounce of courage today, it might be all you need to concur a fear. 

XOXO

Kelsey

Combat Chapped Lips

Winter always seem to do a number on my lips. With all of the wind and cold weather, they end up chapped or pealing. Luckily I have found a 1-2 punch that helps to get rid of dry patches and keep lips soft supple and kissable (Smooch!)

The first step is to exfoliate your lips using a lip scrub. I like This sugar scrub by LUSH because if you get a little in your mouth, no worries, its just sugar! It also tastes like bubblegum! LUSH makes this in other flavors too. 

To use this just put a little on your finger and work it into your lips. Either wash or lick off! I like to use it right before I wash my face. You can also use white sugar from your kitchen and it will have the same effect.

After your lips are nice and soft finish with your favorite lip balm. I like this balm by Kiehl's because it comes in a tube (no need to get your fingers dirty) and it is a very soft formula so it absorbs into your lips well. Another great product is the lip balm in the white container by Dior. It is a thicker formula and gives a nice protective layer to the lips. I am currently out of that one :-(

And Ta-Da! Beautiful lips for the winter and all seasons. 

XOXO

Kelsey

High Heel Cookies

Besides playing with makeup all day, I also like to bake when I have the time. Winter break has alloted me ample time to get crafty in the kitchen. Today I made high heel sugar cookies!

Tomorrow I am attending an intimate tea party with a good friend of mine, Anna, who has been featured on the blog before. I'm bringing her an assortment of these shoes as a hostess gift. My favorite is the shoe with the edible pearls around the edges! 


I used the basic vegan sugar cookie recipe this time which I found to taste just like the real thing. Sweet but really just a simple dough to cut out shoes. 

• 2.5 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon organic vanilla, almond, coconut or lemon extract
• 6.5 oz. of vegan butter like earth balance or coconut oil. (I used a mixture of both)

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 


If you are looking for a shoe cookie cutter of your own, I found mine at Wal-Mart. It came in a pack of 3 with a crown and a castle all for $2.95. 


Can't wait to pass along these treats!
XOXO
Kelsey

Fashion Obsession: Scarves

I have always been slightly obsessed with all things lady-like. I even have a stack of articles I've clipped from the weekend style section of the Wall Street Journal about domestic loveliness and etiquette. For some reason, these things help me feel confident to walk into any situation and be able to make a good impression and conduct myself well. It has recently affected my reading list and wardrobe. 

When it comes to reading, my Kindle Fire is currently stocked with biographies of Audrey Hepburn and Emily Post.  As for fashion, I've been stocking up on scarves. Here are few of my favorites. 

This scarf is from H&M, one of my favorite places to pick up a "silk" scarf. H&M has a wide variety of prints, sizes, and weight. I especially like this one because it is so light weight, I can fold it several times over and wear it as a headband. 

This scarf is also from H&M and is the one I wear most often. With its muted color pallet it is wearable with most neutral outfits and pulls in the color of my purse. I usually wear this one like a bib with it looping in the front. 

I got this one and the one I am wearing in the first picture at a consignment shop in Madison, WI called re-threads. This one is label-less but the pink one I'm wearing is Escada and 100% Silk. They were each $10 and around the same price as the H&M finds. I think vintage stores are the perfect place to find scarves because they were popular long ago and you can find some great retro patterns for reasonable prices. 

There are also tons of different, modern ways to wear scarves. (Click here to see Michelle Phan's youtube video with 9 different ways to wear a silk scarf)They are the perfect way to add a pop of color to an outfit and an accessory that a woman of any age would love. Scarves are also great for traveling because you can change an outfit by switching out the scarf  helping to stretch a basic few items over the time you are on your trip (this is what I'm doing while at home for winter break!)

Enjoy wearing scarves this season! 

XOXO

Kelsey

Johnson and Johnson Job?! Not for Me

I am disappointed to write that I did not receive an offer to join the Neutrogena team at Johnson and Johnson after graduation. After waiting to hear back for two and half weeks the email finally came today that said sorry but no. 

One thing that helped lessen the blow was that at the same time I received an offer to join Ford as a marketing consultant. This would allow me to travel 4 days a week and meet with many interesting individuals. Although it is not where my passion lies in beauty, I am thankful that an opportunity has presented itself to me.

For those of you that have been discouraged or lost out on a job opportunity you really wanted remember that the company is looking for the individuals that will be best suited for the job that they are offering and you may have excelled better in another environment. Also, if you are interviewing with friends and classmates, as I did with many of my interviews, know that their success does not equal your failure and vice versa. Do not get angry with them for receiving an opportunity you wanted (although this can be difficult at first). Finally, its ok to be jealous. Jealousy shows us what we want and should be used to help motivate us. 

If I get to do nothing else today let me leave you with this:

"A smile is the perfect gift, personal and encouraging" 

I hope I was able to encourage you a little bit. Writing on the blog sometimes helps me to encourage myself. 

Wishing everyone the best success,

Kelsey 

Dining Room Items that Inspire Me

Ok ok so I know this blog is supposed to be about beauty products and finding a job in the beauty industry but lately I have been obsessing over my hypothetical kitchen. Being vegan I cook the majority of my own meals so having things in the kitchen that inspire me to try out new dishes is important to me. My current dorm kitchen is cramped to say the least and I swear I have lost half of the dishes I purchased sophomore year at Target so today I went out to buy some plates (and bowls and mugs) that will stay with me when I move into my new apartment next year... wherever that may be...

These plates are so pretty with their icy peacock blue finish and feather details around the edge. They were definitely a splurge but if you want to check them out you can HERE. They were designed by Rachel Bilson for Macy's and she has a few other patterns but none as clean and modern as this. 

While thinking about my future dining room I came across this photo posted by Kandee Johnson. 

This is the fashion designer Betsy Johnson's dining room. I think it is so girly, glamourous and fresh! I would love to have a decorator come in a help me recreate this look. Don't you think my knew plates would look perfect on this table?

Since coming to DC the cherry blossoms have come to be my favorite part of the spring. I saw this light fixture and fell in love. 

It even has little lights in the flower blossoms. Unfortunately, it is way out of my price range! I do love the whimsy of it though and when I am able to afford it and if it is still available, I am ordering it for myself. 

I hope you were inspired by something today whether it was a kitchen item or something totally different. Have a wonderful week! 

XOXO

Kelsey 

Feeling like Jenny from the Block Waiting for J&J

Don't be fooled by the offers that I got... I'm still I'm still Kelsey from the block!
I think I was channeling J-Lo this morning when I got dressed...

Although this look is sort of a departure from my usual pearls and such I am kind of feeling it. To me getting dressed up in totally random and different looks is part of the fun of experimentation.

But I digress...

The key info for this blog post is that today is the day I am supposed to hear back from Johnson and Johnson about my potential job offer with their beauty segment. I interviewed with them last week for their full time positions in beauty sales. In case you didn't know... here are some of the amazing brands that you probably have in your bathroom as we speak:

• Neutrogena
• Clean and Clear
• Aveeno
• Roc
• Johnson and Johnson Baby

I interviewed with three groups, Neutrogena Beauty Sales Strategy, eCommerce, and Consumer Products Beauty Sales Strategy. I'm really hoping I end up with an offer to join Neutrogena. They are located in LA (so I would be close to my sister!) and I would get to learn all about the skin care category.

Fun Fact Alert! Did you know that Neutrogena skin care makes 9X the revenue that Neutrogena cosmetics makes?

The moment I get a call I will post on the blog.

Gotta run to class... in my J-Lo gear of course...

XOXO
Kelsey

3 On-The-Go Makeup Essentials

There three items that I keep with me in my school tote at all times. I have gym class every morning so when I run to a real class directly after I want to have just a few items to touch up and help me look presentable. These three products are super east to apply without a mirror and can be found at the drug store so no need to worry if you loose it or it gets banged up with your stash of pens and pennies. 

1. A Good Mascara: This one is actually a free-be I got from L'Oreal but in general choose a mascara that volumizes because it will help define your lashes more and than a lengthening mascara. TIP: Choose one that has a traditional brush because they are easier to maneuver without a mirror than some of the more "innovative" brush shapes.

2. Under Eye Concealer: I love the Anti-Dark Circle eye roller from Garnier. It has caffeine in the formula to help reduce puffiness and is tinted to conceal. You can layer several coats of it without it looking cakey. The only downside with this product is that it only comes in one color so its not so good for the darker skin ladies.

3. Tinted Lip Balm: I am in love with this Nivea touch of shimmer lip balm. It adds a beautiful soft pink frost effect to the lips without looking overly done. Burt's Bees make a bigger range of tinted lip balms that are also pretty great.

These 3 products are the only things you need to freshen up quickly if your running late or if your ending a workout. All super accessible and all super easy to use. No brushes required!

And I'm back to paying attention to class. We are talking about weather men and how they don't actually point at real maps haha. Who knew!?

XOXO,
Kelsey