Sunday, April 14, 2013

Natural Beauty

So the other day I was scrolling through, reading blogs, and I came across a rather interesting post. Makeup Demon put up a post (click here) where she put up a quote by Donatella Versace: "I don't even know what my natural color is. Natural? What is natural? I do not believe in totally natural beauty for women. For me, natural has something to do with vegetables."
Then began the discussion about natural beauty, and if you want to read her discussion do click the link above because she really goes into her thoughts on the matter quite well.
And for whatever reason, this discussion really struck a chord with me. I rarely see women who wear absolutely no makeup, it's almost sociably unacceptable for a woman to go out completely bare faced. It certainly isn't the norm, and you know that people do tend to pass judgement on those who choose not to wear makeup. For example, the last job I had was in a corporate office building as a receptionist. There was one girl in the office who didn't wear any makeup. I didn't think she looked bad, she had nice skin, naturally dark lashes, and her face was defined well so she didn't need any extra contouring. Yet still there were other people in the office who were baffled that she never wore makeup. They deemed it rather unprofessional. She was never like reprimanded or anything because it's really not a big deal, it was just the center of idle office gossip on quite a few occasions.
But really, what's the big deal? I don't wear makeup most days. If I need to run to the grocery store or the gas station I'll throw on some mascara and lip gloss and call it good. It's generally only when I'm going out with friends or something that I feel the need to wear full makeup. Or if I just feel like blogging.  But right now my days are generally spent at home with my daughter. So why bother with it?
My brain has been totally stuck on this topic since I read the post. Like, why do I feel the need to wear at least a little makeup just to run to the gas station? Why do I need makeup on to go to my mum's house? I mean, I highly doubt the gas station attendant gives a shit about how I look when I go in, and my mum knows what I look like without makeup. She's not even wearing makeup half the time I go over there on the weekend unless she just got back from church/work. I don't think I look bad without makeup, my skin is pretty balanced so it's not like I'm hiding breakouts most days. I do get some circles under my eyes as I'm sleep deprived most of the time, but even those aren't super dark.
And all these thoughts running around in my head got me wondering exactly how much better I look with makeup than without. How much does this stuff really enhance my appearance? I never really do comparison pictures, so tonight I figured it was about time I did. So tonight I took some pictures of myself wearing absolutely no makeup or hair products. Completely natural aside from the three bobby pins I used to pin my bangs back. Then I scrolled through some of my older photos and found one where I was doing a mostly natural look with full makeup and compared them. Obviously I look better with makeup, especially under the scrutiny from the flash on my camera. But honestly, I like the truly natural photos. They make me look more real and rather fresh in a way. It's just a really honest look, like there's nothing to hide here. It's just me. And I figured I'd share the comparison with you guys, see what your opinions on this are.



This is me. My lips are dry because I don't drink enough water and drink to much coffee. I have circles under my eyes because I'm exhausted because it's late and my daughter has been sick for the past couple of days leaving me rather exhausted. My eyelashes and eyebrows are undefined because I lost the genetic lottery and got my mum's coloring.



And this is the person I portray. My skin looks flawless and glowing, no real visible signs of age yet. My lips look full and healthy. My eyes look large and well defined and my brows look full and shapely. The wax in my hair keeps my curls springy and prevents any stray hairs from floating around and keeps frizziness at bay. I look fabulous, but it's not who I really am. 

Now don't get me wrong. I love makeup, and I love that with makeup I can change how others perceive me at a glance. How even when I feel like crap or run down, I can make myself look like absolutely nothing is wrong. It's rather empowering that by doing something so simple I can change the way people see me. It's really been a saving grace these past couple months.
I just think there's something to be said for a natural face. It's beautiful in its' own way. And it's real. I may love my makeup but I love my real face way more. It's who I am, and I think I'm pretty fucking awesome. 

However, doing this post and really seeing my skin under the harsh light really showed me how much I've been neglecting it recently. So I think I'm going to have to go out and get some decent skin products so I can help get my skin back in order. It used to look much better than it did today. And I'm going to start drinking more water because that really is the biggest contributor to healthy, radiant skin. The nicer weather will also help as I'll be outside more often, and for me, a healthy dose of sunlight drastically improves the overall look of my skin.

So please, tell me your thoughts on this subject. How do you feel about going out 100% natural? Do you ever go out without makeup? And remember, I do prefer brute honesty people. If you think I'm totally diluted for liking the natural look, you don't have to hold back. I really, truly want to know how you guys feel about this business!!!! Also, if you have any recommendations for great skincare products let me know. I'm a big fan of the Clinique 3 Step System, but I'd like to try something new. Haven't had the whole 3 Step System in a while and I really miss it. The stuff I'm using right now is only so-so.  But, if you couldn't tell from the pictures, I'm totally burnt out and in desperate need of some shut eye. Til next time!



Friday, April 12, 2013

What I Love to Read

I figured since I was a bit harsh earlier this week that I should take some time to send mad love to the bloggers that I look forward to seeing every time I boot up my computer. If you don't see your blog here it doesn't mean I don't like your blog, I'm pretty sure my crazy post earlier this week made it pretty clear that if I'm following you I do in fact like what you have to say. These are just the blogs that I've been reading a lot lately, and I figured they deserved a shout out.








I hope you guys will stop by and check these ladies out, their blogs are really great. 

On an unrelated note, I was hoping that you guys could send some luck my way. I'm on a job hunt and I just applied at a place where I really want to work, and being that my work history isn't fabulous I could use all the luck or well wishing I can get. Thanks ladies!!

But I've got to make breakfast for the kiddo, so it's time to sign off. Til next time!




Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Weekly Makeup Tag - Black & Pink

As many of you know I'm involved in a weekly makeup tag hosted by the lovely Aqueela at Diary of a Makeup Geek. The theme this week was Black & Pink and everyone looks great! If you want to check out everyone's looks click *here* and make sure to show some love.
For my look I decided to go for a really sharp contrast by using a light pink with harsh black lines. Not trying to toot my own horn, but I think it's pretty bitchin. Hope you guys dig it.










Products Used: e.l.f. Essentials Eyelid Primer in Sheer; e.l.f. Essentials All Over Cover Stick in Apricot Beige; NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc; Sparkly Pink from the e.l.f. Little Black Beauty Book Cool Python Edition; Hot Pink from the e.l.f. Essentials Brightening Eye Color Quad in Punk Funk; Black and White matte eyeshadows from the Sephora Collection LE Color Daze Blockbuster makeup palette; Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black; Sephora Collection Full Action Extreme Effect Mascara in Black; e.l.f Natural Lash Set.

Next week's tag is going to be Blue & Pink and my brain is already racing on what awesomness I should attempt for that one. I'm getting really into playing with colors as of late, so it should be fun. But I hope you liked my entry for this week's tag and it would be really cool if you stopped by Aqeela's blog to see what everyone else did as well. There's some serious talent over there, so it's definitely worth stopping by. But it's going on midnight, so I gotta run. Til next time!


Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints

For Easter my friend Stefi sent me a goody basket chocked full of awesomeness from the UK, including 2 Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints. I had heard some pretty awesome things about these nail paints from various bloggers, and was really excited to give them a go. These sell for £3.99 each at BarryM.com.

Disclaimer: I received these products as a gift from a personal friend. No one is paying me or otherwise compensating me for my opinion; this is all me.

So without further ado, BarryM!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in GNP 11 - Dragon Fruit
This first color is GNP 11 Dragon Fruit. Dragon Fruit is a light pastel-ish pink color that I find very appropriate for spring. The formula for this line has a surprisingly nice consistency, it's not too thick, not too thin. And it smooths over the nails well, so it's very easy to apply. I've found that the Dragon Fruit is a touch thinner than the green polish I have, so to be truly opaque I need 3 coats of polish. But I also apply polish very thin so that it dries quickly as I have zero patience for waiting for my polish to dry between coats. And in this picture I applied only 2 coats of each polish, and even though the pink isn't totally opaque it's close enough for me. And there is no top coat on my nails in these pictures, so yeah this stuff is seriously hi-shine!! I love how glossy this polish is!

BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in GNP 12 - Green Berry
And the second color is in GNP 12 Green Berry. Now I have no clue where the people at BarryM came up with the name Green Berry, because this is more of a dark mint in my opinion, but regardless of the name this color is fucking AMAZING! Like seriously, I'm in total and complete love with this color as is my daughter. It's a great spring/summer color, and it's not like all my other polish colors. It's unique, and I love it. And the formula for this polish is a bit thicker and more pigmented than the Dragon Fruit, so 2 coats and it's opaque. But it's still very easy to apply and smooths over my nails without issue. And again it has that mad hi-shine that I love. No need for a top coat here!

So I would have to say that over all I LOVE these nail paints!! I would recommend them to anyone and I'm hoping to get a few more in the future. I have a friend going on a trip to the UK in a few months and this is so going on the list of stuff that I want her to pick up for me.
So have any of you tried these Gelly Nail Paints? What was your thought on them and what colors did you try? I'd love to hear back from ya ladies!! Til next time!


Monday, April 8, 2013

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer

So as many of you know I am a member of Influenster and they recently sent me their Sugar n' Spice VoxBox filled with some lovely goodies. I'm just now getting around to actually doing these reviews as I've been a very lazy blogger lately. And I'm going to start off with my full review of the Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture. This sells for $7.99 for a 6.5 oz can.

Disclaimer: I received these complimentary items from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.


Now according to the information given to me by Influenster "New Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture is a continuous spray lotion that moisturizes and absorbs in seconds, and leaves your skin feeling instantly soft - not sticky or greasy. Now you won't have to wait for your lotion to absorb before pulling on those skinny jeans!"
Now, to me, this description makes it sound like this lotion just sprays on and you're good to go. And that is so not true. You obviously have to rub the lotion in just like you would have to with any other lotion. It does absorb quickly after you rub it in though, which is pretty cool. I still think it's kind of lame that they feel the need to make it sound like some sort of magically absorbing lotion though; it's totally unnecessary.
This lotion is rather moisturizing, though it's not anything to write home to mom about. It's nice for my arms and legs and such, but for feet and elbows you'll want something better. Like one of Vaseline's regular lotions. I think that the lack of moisture is mostly due to the product needing to be thin in order to fit out the spray nozzle, and it's really not a big deal unless you have really dry elbows or feet.
There are only 2 things about this product that I'm really not fond of: the design of the bottle and the scent. The way that this bottle is designed makes it rather hard for me to maneuver while using. Maybe I'm weird or whatever, but I like to lotion one arm at a time, which means that there is lotion on my hands after I've finished one arm. And this bottle is super smooth. So yeah, it slips around like crazy. And it smells like old people. I know that sounds harsh, but it reminds me of the way a nursing home smells and that is NOT how I want to smell. On the plus side, the smell isn't very strong and it fades rather quickly.

I've been using this lotion for a couple of weeks now, and I'm still on the fence about how I feel about it. It's not a bad lotion, and I do like how quickly it absorbs. But I have dry skin and I need something that can keep my poor skin hydrated long term. Maybe I'll like this lotion more this summer after my skin has had time to recover from the winter.

So will I repurchase? Meh, probably not. I actually have a non gimicky Vaseline lotion with cocoa butter in it that I much prefer, so if I go out and get another Vaseline lotion it would probably be the one with cocoa butter that comes in a normal squeeze bottle.

Would I recommend this product? Maybe, it would really just depend on your skin and lifestyle needs. If you have normal skin and a lot of room mates, this would be great for you. It dries super fast so you won't have to stand around in the nude waiting for your lotion to set after a shower.

So have any of you tried this product? Or maybe tried this in a different formula? I'd love to know what you guys think of this one, because I just can't make my mind up on it. Til next time!

 

Let's Be Real

To My Readers,

I have been a bad blogger. I have sugar coated myself and altered my own writing style, and occasionally my content, simply to attract more readers and pageviews in hopes to get myself and my blog more "out there." And while my tactics may have worked a bit, growing my followers and such exponentially, they were low brow tactics and I'm rather ashamed to have taken part in them. So starting today, shit's getting real over here. I'm doing a massive overhaul on my blog, and the way I do things here are going to seriously change. The point of this post is to let you know what will be changing here and my reasons for changing said things. I hope none of you take this too personally, I'm not trying to attack anyone, but I'm so done with this fake ass bull shit. And yeah, this is how I talk in real life, so you might want to get used to it.

The first thing that a lot of you are going to notice is the change in my writing style. I'm not the sugar sweet politically correct person that I have been portraying for the past few months. I tend to be rather brutally honest and I do use harsh language on the regular. I was not raised in such a way that I am all love and hugs for everyone, and because so many bbloggers tend to be all about the love I've been throwing around a lot of x's and o's in an attempt to fit in. And let's be real, I'm 25 and most of my regular readers are in Europe, the fact that I care so much about what people think of me here is pretty pathetic, I mean it's not like if I piss you off you're going to come over to the US and kick my ass. Granted, there are some of you that read this blog that I do actually try and communicate with on the reg because I genuinely enjoy hearing from you, like Egle over at Makeup Demon (she's awesome, btw) and I'm not phony or anything with you guys, I really like you and your blogs. But I am going to be writing more like I speak, so you should expect less huggy-kissy Disney princess stuff, and more PG-13 content because seriously, if you're under 13 you shouldn't be sitting around reading makeup blogs you should be outside playing. I'm done censoring myself and if you don't like it, don't follow me.

Another thing that I've fallen into is blog hopping. I'm not saying that I hate blog hops, because I don't. I've found some awesome writers through the hops and I've gained some great followers from them. It's really a great way to promote yourself. However, I'm done with this follow me and I'll follow you bull shit. I don't want a bunch of fake followers that give no shits about what I'm writing, and I don't want to be following a bunch of people who write about things that I'm just not that interested in. It defeats the purpose of blogging for me. I have been doing this follow for a follow thing for a while, and now I have so much stuff in my feed that it's genuinely difficult for me to pick through and find posts that I actually want to read. So after I'm done with this post, I will be going through and unsubscribing to the blogs that don't really interest me. And if you are only following me because I'm following you, feel free to unsubscribe, I won't get all butt hurt over it. I know that it's my fault that my shit's all cluttered over here, I just got so excited when I started gaining mass followers that I didn't realize how counter productive my methods were for gaining said followers. So if you leave a comment and you want me to check out your blog, go ahead and leave your URL, I'll check it out and IF it's something that I'm interested in I'll follow. If it isn't my thing though, I'm not following. Sorry, but this shit is getting ridiculous.

And now for those of you who are still reading and not running to unsubscribe, this is who I am for real. I'm 25 years old, my real name is Danielle, and I hail from the USA. I'm a generally cynical bitch who spends most of my time hanging out with my family, blogging, and watching trashy tv while drinking coffee and chain smoking. I have very little direction in my life because I just don't see the point in most things and still have no idea what I want to do with my life. In effort to please my family and fit in with others in my age group I have thrown myself into many different things to "better myself." I have started and then dropped out of beauty school twice now because many members of my family think I should do something more with my life. This led to me starting and then dropping out of college 3 times. Yeah, I know, it's a sick sad existence. At this point in my life I am so confused as to what I want and what I have been pressured into liking by my family that I'm scared to do much of anything because either I will be miserable or my family will scorn me. This blog is the only thing that I have that is mine and mine alone, and even that I managed to sully with the expectations of others. And I just can't take it anymore. I'm done living for other people and doing things simply to please those around me, because if I don't start living for myself I'm going to lose my mind.  So this is who I am; I'm confused with myself, I have no real direction, and no follow through. The only things that I know for certain are that I love playing with makeup, I love performing and listening to music, I love creating things, I love my little family, and that I just want to be happy with my life.

To those of you who continue to follow my blog after this point, thanks for sticking around and I'm sorry for all the bull shit. I'm going to do my part to be real here, and when you leave a comment I encourage you to do the same. If you don't like what I have to say, tell me. This is my space on the web, and I appreciate and encourage complete and total honesty. Don't worry about hurting my feelings or being *gasp* a little offensive, I'm a big girl and I can take it. And just so you know, this is a beauty blog so most of what I write and share here will be beauty related, but I'm going to be including more non beauty related posts as well. So please, help me keep shit real here, because I am so over fake people, myself included. I'm quite interested to see who actually sticks around, and I can't wait to get more involved with those of you that do. Til next time!


Friday, April 5, 2013

Art Hop FOTD

Today I'm going to the April Art Hop with a few of my friends, and I'm really looking forward to it as I've never been before. My basic understanding is that Art Hop consists of art, free food and free booze with a bunch of hipsters scattered about. Very scene, haha.. But anyway.. Since I'm going out on the town I ended up getting dolled up, and I figured I would share my look with you guys. Fair warning, there are a lot of pictures in this post! Today was just so beautiful that I really wanted to get some pictures outside, but it was so sunny my eyes were all squinty in most of them so I had to take indoor pics as well. Hope you like it, and as always I will list the products used under the pictures.




Face Products Used: e.l.f. Essentials All Over Cover Stick in Apricot Beige; NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc; Pink blusher and silver illuminator from the Sephora Collection LE Color Daze Blockbuster makeup palette; e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream - only the bronzer.





Eye Products Used: e.l.f. Essentials Eyelid Primer in Sheer; shimmery light pink eyeshadow, shimmery green eyeshadow, and matte white eyeshadow from the Sephora Color Daze Blockbuster makeup palette; Sephora Collection Long Lasting 12 HR Wear Eyeliner in Glitter Black; Sephora Collection Full Action Extreme Effect Mascara in Black.

 

Lip Products Used: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in 15 - pearly violet; Collection 2000 Lock n Hold Lip Gloss in Body Pop 1.

Well, I hope you guys liked this look. I was going for a nice subtle wash of color that screamed spring and I think I captured that pretty well. And on an unrelated note, while I was outside I noticed that my magnolia tree has started budding!! I love my magnolias and I can't wait until they're in bloom and I'll probably have tons of pictures of them when they're ready, so be prepared. I really love flowers..
I did leave my eyebrows natural today, mostly because I forgot to do them while I was doing my eye makeup and was too lazy to pull my eye stuffs back out to finish up the look. But I think it worked for the look I was going for.
I hope you guys have a lovely day and get to enjoy this great spring weather if it's made it to your region. But I have to stop rambling because my friends are going to be here any minute to take me to Art Hop. Til next time!


Decadence, Your Name is Lush!

Tonight I had my first taste of Lush Cosmetics, and I've got to say I am beyond impressed. I received The Comforter in my Easter beauty swap, which is one of their bubble bars, and it is wonderful. This sells for $10.95 in the US, though I don't know where I can purchase this near me, I've never seen Lush products for sale. Lush describes this product as a "Comforting fruity blackcurrant bubbler" and it is truly divine.


It has a super cute design that reminds me of candy, and the scent isn't far from that. It really smells edible. It was almost a shame to have to break it up in the bath tub! But I did, and I was pretty thrilled with the results. It really did turn the water pink/purple with TONS of bubbles that smelled absolutely heavenly. I can honestly say that this was the best bath that I have ever taken. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket of candy scented bubbles.
And to top it all off, these products don't contain animal products of any kind! Totally vegan and totally luxurious.
So if you haven't yet, you should really get out and try one of these Lush products! They are totally fabulous and well worth the money you pay for them. Til next time!


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Easter Bunny Beauty Swap

Thanks to the lovely Angel from Angel was here! I got the opportunity to do my first international beauty swap. I was paired up with Steffi from the UK, and we set up an approximate price range and sent each other our requests. If you want to check out her blog and see what I got her, click *here*.
I wanted to get this post up sooner (like on Easter, lol) but I was seriously sick. This is just the initial unboxing as I haven't had time to properly try each product and do a full review. So this is what Stefi sent me!! (Extremely picture heavy!)

Totally gorgeous box!!!






Lush Candy Fluff Egg


Lush Comforter

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paints

MUA Lipsticks

Collection Lip Glosses

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black

Steffi sent me tons of awesomeness from the UK and I am so stoked to give them all a try!! The only thing I can really review right now is the candy. And it was really good. My daughter absolutely loved it. 

My little munchkin wolfing down the Cadbury Mini Eggs

So a big thanks from me and my little one to Steffi, you really made our Easter something special!! I hope all of you had a great Easter as well. And I'm thinking of hosting a beauty swap this summer, but I need to know how many people would be interested in doing it first. So if you're interested in doing a swap in the future, drop a comment below so I know as to whether or not there's enough interest to warrant a swap. Til next time!!


Monday, April 1, 2013

Sorry...

Okay, so I've been really absent over here for a while, and for that I am sorry. I've been swamped with stuff this past week, I'm dog sitting for my mum so my house has been totally hectic, and I've been visiting my grandma in the hospital and I caught some sort of bug from the hospital that has left me sick as a dog the past few days. So yeah, blogging hasn't been my top priority lately.
On the upside, my grandmother is doing great and is going home today!! Glad to see her doing better, the first time I went to see her she was pretty rough. But she's up and about again, so a big YAY for her!
And my mom's dog Sam is pretty awesome to have around, he makes my dog so happy. He's such a little sweetie!! Isn't he just too cute?!?!


I've got a few posts lined up for after I'm feeling a little bit better, but I feel awful at the moment so I'm out of here. Til next time!