CONTOUR

I have this title in all caps because contouring is my new favorite thing to do while getting ready in the morning. I wasn't really interested in contouring until last year but I didn't really know what I was doing and I just used my bronzer at first. This summer I purchased my first contouring kit and of course it was the Anastasia Beverly Hills powder contour kit because I read a lot of blogs and tutorials and I heard it was the best and I was not wrong. Just a side note, when it comes to beauty products it important to study them as well as anything else you want to find information about. Many women, makeup artists, or just makeup connoisseurs have tried it all and they (for the most part) know what they are talking about so if you ever have any questions about makeup, look it up! Once I started contouring I fell in love with it because I love the way it adds dimension to my face! Just a warning though it does get addicting...

I have taken pictures of where you should apply the darker colors as well as the light colors and the highlight. Now it might look dramatic at first but then you blend it with a blender and then it looks natural! I love what it can do for my face, let me know what you guys think!

Every Woman's Staple Piece... Hair

I feel like I haven't touched on hair yet which is crazy because I think your hair style has a lot to do with your look, outfit, and overall confidence. Trust me, a bad hair day can throw you off of your day and I'm sure I am not alone. I am going to share with you guys some of my favorite hair trends!

Now I am mostly known for how big my hair can be especially when it is in one of my well-known "messy buns." I did gymnastics all my life and I have thick hair so that was one of the only combinations that worked. However, I became known for my hair and I have actually come to embrace my messy buns and I even get a lot of questions on how I do it. Now that is an extremely hard question to answer because it is different every time and it has the name for a reason, it is always super messy so I never know where to begin! However, I am going to try and show you all as well as a few other hairstyles that I love!

First is the half up half down messy bun. I used to wear my hair like this ALL the time my freshmen year of high school and I have no idea where I got it but I love it. This trend seemed to have come back this year and I have seen so many girls rocking this look. Here is the look:

Next are simple beach waves that you can do with your straightener. I only did a few pieces of my hair hair but you get the idea. It is so simple and quick! Here is how:

Lastly, is the famous messy bun!

Common Makeup Mistakes and Tricks

I have already discussed some of my favorite products with you all, but now I just want to share some of my favorite little makeup tricks to make your eyes pop! I think that the eyes are one of the most important things to get right and your makeup can either make your eyes look open and awake or the exact opposite.

The most important thing when it comes to your eyes is that you want to make them look bigger and this is usually where a lot of women go wrong. You always want to make sure that you highlight and darken the right areas. Curling your eyelashes will help your eyelashes raise and therefore help open up your eye. Secondly, white eyeliner is a must. A lot of women use a lot of black eyeliner on their bottom lid because lets be honest, thats what we all grew up learning. However, black makes the eye look smaller so it is actually better to use white eyeliner. Next I like to highlight the tear ducts of my eyes to give it a little shine and to make your eyes pop. I also like to highlight the brow bones just underneath the edge of my eyebrows to give it another pop. When applying eye shadow, make sure that you work your way up just below the brow line so that it lengthens your eye and gives them more depth. Lastly, it is important to know where to put your under eye concealer. A lot of people think that you are suppose to put it directly underneath your eyes but it is best to make triangles underneath so that it blends downward and focus the attention further down.

I did my makeup how it should be done on the right side of my face and the opposite on the left side of my face to show you guys the difference these tricks can make. I did not use any different lighting on either side of my face or edit any of the pictures. On the left side I didn't curl my eyelashes and just put mascara on them and I didn't put eyeliner on the top just the bottom. I put black eyeliner on my water line. I also only put concealer on my under eye bags at the very top instead of working my way down like I did on the opposite side. On the right side I curled my eyelashes and put mascara on them. I added a little line of liquid black eyeliner on the top. I put natural color eyeshadows working my way upward and blended. I used white eyeliner on my water line and I added a little highlighted eye shadow on my tear ducts and on my brow bone to give it that shine. Here is a picture of both eyes:

I just wanted to show you guys the difference in how makeup can either help or hurt your face. The look to the left is not bad, however there are a lot of things you can do to make your eyes look bigger and even pop so why not learn them! I hope these makeup tricks work for you as they have worked for me. It is important to figure out what works on you most of all because everyone is different and not everything looks/works the same for everybody! Let me know your thoughts!

Sammy Products are In!

I recently made a few purchases on sammydress.com which is one of the websites from China that I talked about in a previous post. Now I didn't pay extra for faster shipping because I had a while to wait and my order did take about a month to get here but the good news is that it did come the day before we left on vacation so I got really lucky and was able to wear some of my newest purchases! I go a swim suit and an outfit paired with a halter top and shorts for summer! The swimsuit was just $8 and the outfit was $12.

I just wanted to show you guys what these purchases actually look like on because a lot of the sites can be deceiving and they don't always turn out how you want them. However, mine turned out perfectly and that is mainly because I do my homework and make sure that I know what I am going to get. I am obsessed with the swimsuit I got and it fits perfectly! Here is picture of what it looks like on:

The outfit was a blue outfit with flare shorts and a matching halter top. I didn't particularly like the outfit together just because it is all the same color, but I love both of the separates and they go perfectly with so many other outfits! I wear the shorts and a different top just recently to Disneyland and I am so obsessed so here is picture:

And here is a picture of the top when I paired it with just a pair of my shorts at home:

SO OBSESSED and can't wait till it is warm enough to wear them here in Utah! I just wanted to show you guys how inexpensive these websites are and that they do have super cute stuff! The only thing is that you just have to look into it! I hope you guys enjoy :)

The Best Drug Store Moisturizer

One of the most important components of your beauty routine and skin management is moisturizing and I don't just mean any moisturizer. It is important to find a moisturizer that works well with your skin type and keeps your skin hydrated and breakout free. Recently, I was in the market for a new moisturizer because I ran out of my previous one and I just couldn't decide which one to get. I didn't want to spend a fortune on just moisturizer but I also didn't want something that was going to damage my skin. I read online about a few good drug store moisturizers and a product called Cerave was on the list. I saw it at Target when I was back home in Arizona and I was a little skeptical at first, but it was a little cheaper than the rest and I decided to go with it. It was about $11 so the price wasn't bad, but the quality is what I was most interested in.

This product is very light and I don't have to use a lot which is nice. I apply it to my entire face once I take all my makeup off at night before I go to bed. I have noticed that my skin feels so hydrated and really soft! I haven't had any major breakouts and I am really loving this product. This is just one woman's opinion, but if you are looking for a non-expensive drug store moisturizer that is good quality I definitely recommend it!

The Secret to that Everlasting Glow!

If most of you are like me, you love having that perfect bronze summer tan. Well for me, it is more of an obsession, however I hate having to wait all the way till summer to get started. Now I like to get a head start and today I am going to share with all of you my secret.

Before we get started I just want to talk a little bit about the power of a tan. I've mentioned this in a previous post, but in doing gymnastics all my life, that came with the honor of wearing a leotard in front of thousands of people. (I am just kidding when I say honor). I always wanted to tan in the tanning beds when I was in high school because I had some friends that did it and I just always wanted to be tan. My mom, on the other hand, would never let me. Finally when I turned 16 she gave in and let me go a few times when gymnastics season started. She said that she saw my confidence go up out there when I was tanner. I didn't notice a thing but I was just glad I wasn't so pasty anymore in that leotard. 

As i started to get older and compete in college I noticed that I was a lot more comfortable and confident when I was tan. I stopped going in the tanning beds because they obviously aren't good for you and I do not recommend them. I started doing something different. I have also seen a number of my teammates get spray tans but I feel like you are always taking the chance of getting too orange or too dark plus I cannot stand the smell of it. It also washes away in a few days anyway and that is not what I am looking for. I began to use tanning lotion. I use Jergens Natural Glow because I think that is one of the better brands and I would apply it to my entire body before bedtime. I didn't wear it every day, just a few days before meets usually or that week leading up to it. It works best if you build up so when you begin, make sure you apply it for a few days straight in order to start building that tan. After a while of using the lotion I felt daring and went for the Jergens Natural Glow Foam instead of the lotion. This is by far my favorite and it works the best! After using this I started to see more immediate results and a darker tan! They have also made these products better because they now have new scents so you don't have to smell bad. And they are under $10! Here are pictures of the products. I hope you give them a try and let me know about your results.

 

Salon Nails, but not for the Price!

If you ladies are like me, you love having your nails done. However for me, I am always caught in the middle of doing them myself and getting them done. Whenever I just paint them myself they always chip the next day and then eventually come off within a few days. Whenever I get them done, I get acrylics and they end up ruining my actual nails and they are just so expensive especially to keep up with.

Just a few side notes that have to do with acrylic nails. They look really good but essentially are not very good for the strength of your nails. If you have noticed when you try and take them off after you got them done at the salon, it is a slow, painful process. There are so many layers of acrylic and glue and such that when you take off the nail it is taking a lot of your nail with it which is why you probably notice your nails are very frail afterward. Between this and the cost I decided I needed to try something new. That is when I decided I was going to do my own artificial nails at home.

I went to Walmart and bought a 500 count nail set which was only $5 keep that in mind. It comes with the glue already inside, but if you want more or run out you can always buy more which is what I started to do. (Sometimes I even keep my tiny glue bottle in my purse in case a nail falls off or I just need some glue.) They come in different sizes as well. My nails are really small and I like shorter nails so I get the shortest nails, but there are long ones too.

All you do is glue on the nails starting from your pinky and ending with your thumbs. Make sure you put enough glue on the back of the nail and press and hold for a good minute so that the nail sticks on really good. I also bought an artificial nail clipper which is the clipper that they use at the salon. You don't have to buy this but I find that it is much easier to cut the nails with that then with a regular clipper. This is also very inexpensive and looks like this.

So my next step is just cutting the nails down and then filing them to where I want them. As I mentioned earlier, I like shorter nails so I cut them and file them till they are just a little longer than my finger. The nails come in a clear color so you get to paint them whichever way you want which is my favorite part! Another advantage is that since it is not your real nail and it is a little more lifted, then it is a lot easier to paint and I find that I don't make hardly as many messes as I do when I just paint my real nail. After I paint I just finish with a clear coat and is that simple and CHEAP. I took before pictures of just my regular nails, the clear filed down artificial nails, and then after they were painted. I have this weird obsession with all white nails especially in the summer. I think it makes me feel tan. ;) But you can paint them any way you want!

Your nails will look just like you came out of a salon! I often get asked if I got my nails done and I usually tell the truth and tell them I just did them myself, but you can say you got them done. They will never know! ;)

Makeup Steals

Hey guys so I know I have already talked about the clear mascara plus brown gel from E.L.F, but I decided to talk about all of my favorite products from them because they are in my opinion one of the best beauty brands and at the most affordable price. I used to think that the best products were the most expensive and that might still be the case for some things, but not all. I realized that there are a lot of really great makeup products out there that are very inexpensive. One of those brands is called E.L.F.

E.L.F stands for eyes lips face and they have blown up in the past year. They have expended the amount and the type of products that they sell and they are amazing and cheap! They sell them at Walmart and Target which is all I know of right now but they may start selling them other places as well. Here are a couple of my favorite must have products and I will also explain what they are for:

Elf High Definition Under Eye Setting Powder $3.00

I didn't realize I needed this product until I started to see what looked like wrinkles under my eyes because of the way my concealer would sit throughout the day. This under eye setting powder is perfect for setting your under eye before you apply concealer. It is my savior. All you do is pat some of the powder under your eyes and then apply concealer. It makes the rest of your makeup look beautiful, smooth, and even. You will see an amazing difference!



Elf Eyebrow Kit $3.00

Before I bought this eyebrow kit I was using eyeshadow to fill in my brows. This was fine because the color matched perfect, but I was running low and it was just time to start using something that was actually meant to put on your eyebrows. I fell in love with this eyebrow kit because it is easy to use and it is the perfect color! There are four different shades so just match your brow color and you are good to go. It is easy to use. I just follow my brow lines with the darker color and then fill in with the lighter color. That color looks light but when it goes on it is dark just like the other one and it blends very nicely.

Elf Facial Whip $1.00

When I first bought this facial whip I honestly had no idea what it was for it was just really cheap and it looked pretty. Little did I know that it would become one of my favorite products from E.L.F. This facial whip is just a highlighter and if you any of you are like me I'm obsessed with highlighter. Unlike other highlighters however, this one is liquid instead of dry so you have to use it sparingly. I usually just squeeze a tiny bit off the top and just rub it along my cheekbones. It works really well and looks beautiful. I feel like it makes me look more awake in the morning if I have it on.


Elf Matte Lip Color $3.00

Lastly, I want to tell you guys about this matte lip color. The only lipsticks or lip colors I like have to be matte which is why I love this product so much. It is the perfect lip color and the shape of it makes it so easy to apply. It is almost like a big lip liner which makes it easy to put on so that you don't make any messes. The colors are very vibrant and the finish is very matte.


These are just a few of my very products from E.L.F and at that price how can you beat it?! I hope that you give them a try and I would love to hear what you guys think!

Pearly Whites

Today's post is all about teeth whitener because who doesn't want a brighter smile? When it comes to teeth whiteners however, they usually call for a large sum of money or a trip to the dentist for the good stuff. Now as you know I like to go the cheapest route possible so I will show you what I've been using to whiten my teeth lately. Here is a video of what it looks like and how I use it.

I hope you will give this product a try. I love that it is a toothbrush and whitener all in one because it is so convenient and very quick! I like to apply it at night right before I go to bed and it literally takes about one minute for both top and bottom. The only thing I recommend is that you be patient and you continually use it every night if you want to see results. I wasn't sure if it was working until I began to make sure that I used it every night and then I started to see results! I hope that you guys give it a try and come to love it like I do!

Currently Craving: Lace-up booties

I wanted to share with you guys my latest craving because I just can't get enough! I recently cleaned out my closet and got rid of at least 10 pairs of shoes and a number of clothes. Let's be honest it was definitely overdue. I realized though that my shoe collection had dwindled and that I needed more summer sandals. I then began my search which is my favorite part! I remember my friend was wearing these shoes a while ago and they were so cute I could not stop staring. She told me she got them online at Forever 21 and that they were $34. Now I usually like to wait and find deals but I really needed shoes and I thought I would treat myself. Besides, this type of style of shoe is usually a lot more expensive so this price is a steal! I went on to the website and found the shoes she was talking about and more. I fell in love with two pairs of shoes and I just had to get them. I love booties for both winter and summer and I love the fact that I can wear them both at work and just for a casual day. These open toed booties are perfect for summer and they go well with any outfit! Both shoes come in black and brown so I got one of each. Here are the shoes:

 

Online Shopping that Won't Break the Bank

For all you shopaholics out there, you are going to want to pay attention to this post because this is for you. I myself am a bit of a shopaholic, however my bank account doesn't always support it. For me, it is all about the deals and I hate to brag but I am a pretty awesome bargain shopper. I often find a lot of clothing items under or around just $10! My conscious always feels better about buying something when it's that cheap and hopefully yours will too. Here are a few of my secrets.

Living in Cedar City there is not much to work with as far as shopping goes, however the addition of TJ Maxx has improved that rep. You can always find steals there. Even so, I have become a huge online shopper since I moved here and have learned the ins and outs of it as well. The sites that I am about to share with you all are sites that have insanely low prices and low shipping so that you are not killing yourself to afford that new dress. One thing I do have to say about these sites is that you MUST do your homework. A lot of these sites make cheaper versions of other clothing and accessories and so some of it may not look the same as it does on the website. However, customers upload pictures of themselves in the items so you can see what it looks like on the actual customer and they also leave reviews. They even give you exact measurements of the items and you can ask questions and they will respond. If the item you are looking to buy doesn't have good reviews and the picture looks completely different, then keep looking. Another tip to these websites is that the shipping time may be longer than expected. Sometimes they ship from different countries so you will need to plan ahead of time in order to get the item on time or you can just pay extra to get it expedited. It may actually be worth it since the products are so cheap :). I have made numerous orders from these websites and I have to say that as long as you do your research it is worth it. I am completely satisfied with my purchases and I continue to utilize them. Sammy Dress has an app that I actually prefer to use instead of the website and it is usually cheaper as well so you can give that a try if you would like. There are three websites and one app so here they are:

http://www.sammydress.com
http://www.trendsgal.com
http://www.shein.com
Wish app

I hope you find this post helpful and that you fall in love with online shopping again like I have. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will be happy to hopefully answer any questions. As I said before it doesn't feel as bad when you are not spending so much! Happy shopping!

The Perfect Lashes

I don't know if you ladies are like me, but I am always striving for the best mascara or the best way to  get my eyelashes to be the longest as possible. I am also a mascara lover so I am always throwing on an extra coat before I leave the door. When I do, however, this is when eyelashes get clumpy and you just end up looking worse than better. This wasn't until I discovered my secret weapon. This secret weapon looks like this:

It is called ELF duo wand of clear mascara and brow gel and it is a life saver! The best part about it is it was only $2! I love all of the ELF products and I'm thinking that I might even do a whole post on just ELF products because every body needs to know about them so that may be an upcoming post. I actually use the brow gel everyday as well because it's nice just to keep those hairs in place, however I will just be talking about the mascara side today. All you do is brush a little coat of that on your lashes before applying mascara and it gives them an even spread and makes sure they don't clump! I like to put it on before I curl my eyelashes but you can do it before or after curling as long as it is before your mascara. Here is a before and after picture of my eyelashes before anything and then after this process. I can definitely see a difference!

It's all About the Details

When it comes to fashion, no one person knows everything. It's all up to interpretation and confidence, I think. For me, it's the little things that can really put together an outfit or at least make it look like you know what you're doing. That can either be jewelry, scarves, shoes, headpieces, and etc. Sometimes I will use statement necklaces or sometimes a scarf to accent my outfits, however I don't wear jewelry very often and so I like to choose other details that stand out more. This weekend I used socks and a hat as my accessories. This past year I had become obsessed with over-the-knee socks either paired with boots, dresses, skirts, or even just to wear with a night gown or a long sweater around the house on comfy days! I now have high socks in light grey, tan, black, and dark grey. I actually get tons of compliments every time I wear them.

My boyfriend and I took pictures in the mountains this weekend so here are a couple pictures of my outfits. I had to think of a couple of outfits really quick because we were rushing out the door and I really wanted to use this hat for both of them because I absolutely love hats. I also don't really get to wear them very often because I am usually inside and I think they are more of an outdoor look; so I thought this was the perfect time. Hats add SO much to an outfit and I think they make you look more stylish. I wanted to use the socks as well because they add a little something to any outfit and you can't go wrong with black. The rest of the outfits fell together and these are the final results. As for the men, I love hats on guys as well and I always tell my boyfriend to wear that hat if we go out. It just adds a little something extra and makes him look like he has style (or is on vacation).



All in all, I don't think it takes much to spice up any outfit. Whenever I feel like my outfit is boring I just add a little accessory, whatever it might be, and it does the trick! Fashion is what you make it so mine as well have fun and be daring. Try something new or outside of the box and be confident about it. Most of all, be you.

Coconut Oil

I know we have probably all heard about this coconut oil craze that everybody has been talking about, but hey, you can never hear too much. This past year I was constantly hearing and reading about it and all of the wonders it has to offer, but I just wasn't sure if it was worth it or if it was something I needed. Mind you, that college budget doesn't give you much room for splurges. My roommate came up to me and told me about this teeth whitening trick called oil pulling using coconut oil and she said that we had to get it. We would be splitting it so I was on board. We purchased a jar of organic coconut oil (as seen in the picture) from the health food store here in Cedar City. This is when I realized that you could use coconut oil for almost anything. Here's a list of what I use it for, how, and the benefits:

• Hair treatments
• Oil pulling
• Chapstick
• Shaving cream
• Moisturizer
• Cooking

1. Hair treatments- Take a small handful of the oil and spread it around your unwashed hair. Try to cover as much as possible focusing more on the ends and put it in a bun. Wait about 30 minutes or an hour (depending on how long you have or just how long you want to wait). Then you can rinse it off in the shower using shampoo and conditioner. This helps keep hair healthy and I noticed that mine is shinier after doing this. 

2. Oil pulling- Take two fingers and get a scoop of the coconut oil (it should dissolve once in your hand from the warmth) and put it in your mouth. Swish it around and keep it in there for up to 20 minutes. It is a bit of a jaw workout and you feel like you want to spit it out but just keep doing it. After 20 minutes you can spit it out but try to avoid spitting it out in the sink so it won't clog. Oil pulling helps whiten teeth as well as making gums strong and helping with bad breath. 

3. Chapstick- Simply putting a little bit of coconut oil on your lips can act as a chapstick replacement. I noticed that my lips were so smooth and hydrated when I used it. 

4. Shaving cream- I had never had the smoothest legs until I used coconut oil instead of shaving cream or soap. All I do is grab a little handful and rub it all over my legs and shave. Now this might clog up your razor a little bit so just tap it out ever so often to clean it out and continue shaving. I noticed that my legs were seriously so soft and I feel like the shave lasts longer as well!

5. Moisturizer- I use coconut oil sometimes after I shower and just rub a little bit all over my arms and legs like a moisturizer. I feel like it keeps my body hydrated and it even gives off a little glow! 

6. Cooking- Instead of butter, Pam or other oils, you can use coconut oil for cooking. Just place a little spoonful on the pan as it starts to heat up and begin cooking! It is so easy and it is considered a super food and a "good fat" for you body when digested. Just make sure you are not allergic! 

There are many other uses for coconut oil and many more tricks, however these are just the tips and tricks that I like to use and what I think works. I hope this list is easy to follow and that it even gives you all the inspiration to try it! I do recommend that you find out whether or not you are allergic to it before trying it. 

Tips & Tricks

I feel like I have a lot of weird/ cool little tips that I use every day while I get ready and I wanted to create a blog to share some of those tips. I couldn't decide if I wanted to do fashion or beauty so I am going to do a little bit of both. I pretty much taught myself how to do my own makeup and hair and as for the rest, I try to create my own trends or do my best to mimic. I get a lot of ideas from Pinterest as well as trial and error so I will be sharing those triumphs with all of you. This blog will tailor to more of the college crowd as I am in college and do not have the kind of means as some of my inspirations. I am so excited to share some of these tips and tricks that I have up my sleeve!