Healthy Dinner!

My fiance has been dieting going on four weeks now. He's been doing this 3 Day Diet that some say is from the American Heart Association some say it's not from there. Who really knows? Not me. Anyways, it's a very strict diet that you follow for 3 days and on the other 4 days, you're supposed to be able to eat whatever you want, as long as it's in moderation. Well, the diet kinda sucks. And sometimes he changes a few things. Tonight was supposed to be tuna with cauliflower, carrots, and melon. It's pretty awful. Since Wednesdays I don't work, I like to cook a nice dinner, but now Wednesdays are diet days and I'm not eating tuna. So, I made something really simple, yet really healthy for him. 

I made a mango and jalapeno salsa with sauteed chicken over mixed greens with sunflower kernels on top. The juices from the salsa eliminate the need for a dressing to keep it healthy. This was delicious even for me. I'll give you my salsa recipe and tell you how I did the chicken. He even said he would eat this for non-diet days! This would also be really good in a wrap for a quick lunch!

Mango Salsa:
2 mangos diced
4 tomatoes diced
1 small cucumber diced
2 small jalapenos (or less if you don't like spice and take the seeds out.)
1/2 large red onion diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
(Side note: I wanted to add some fresh cilantro but of course forgot it at the store)

Dice everything into small pieces and mix in a medium bowl. Let it set in the refrigerator while you cook your chicken.

Chicken:
I pounded out one large chicken breast until it was pretty thin, then chopped it up into small bite size pieces. I seasoned it with dried cilantro, salt, and pepper. Sautee it over medium-high heat in a pan with about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil until cooked through. The smaller your pieces the faster this will be. Maybe 10 minutes tops.

Put it all together! I put our mixed greens in a salad bowl on the bottom. Then put the salsa right on top of that, and after your chicken has cooled for about 5 minutes place on top of the salsa. I added sunflower kernels for a little crunch.

This was seriously the easiest dinner, the longest part is making the salsa, but this can be pre-made and kept in your fridge. Also, this salsa would be soo good with some chips! (On non-diet days of course!) :)

Hope you enjoyed my quick dinner recipe. Let me know in the comments if you have any other healthy dinner ideas that are super easy and fast to make!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional chef or a professional Nutritionist but in my humble opinion this is a really easy, and healthy dinner idea.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

5 must-have brushes

I am as guilty as the next person for having too many makeup brushes. I have doubles of some, and some that do basically the same thing as the other. But, I've narrowed this down to 5 brushes that everyone should own that can get your whole face done. **Disclaimer: These are for powder products used on the face, add a beauty sponge as the 6th item to use with all your cream products! ;) **

1. A big fluffy brush. You can use this for applying loose or pressed powder all over the face. Can also be used to apply bronzer or blush to your face and cheeks. 

2. A medium-sized tapered brush. Use this to apply setting powder under the eyes, or use it to apply highlighter to the cheekbones. You could also use it to contour the cheekbones or apply your blush.

3. Eyeshadow crease brush. This will be a fluffy brush used to blend eyeshadows into the crease for added definition. Use this to apply different shades to your eyes and blend them together.

4. A small, flat packing brush. The bristles on this brush will be a tighter together making it easy to pack color onto your lid. Also use this to add color to smaller areas. Like your upper and lower lash line to add a liner effect. Since it's denser you can smudge the colors effortlessly.

5. A small, angled liner brush. Use this to add a more defined liner to the lash lines. Since it's angled it will help you to be more detailed and get into smaller areas. You can also use it to fill in your eyebrows with powdered products. Bonus if it's synthetic bristles, you can use it for a cream eyeliner!

These are the 5 brushes I have picked to do double duty on your face. If I could only pick 5 brushes to use for the rest of time it would definitely be these.  Share down below if you have 5 brushes you can't live without! Also, shop Coastal Scents for affordable brushes and makeup!! I have many brushes from them, and also an eyeshadow palette, and 12 shade customized palette that I made. 

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Blowout at Home!

Getting a salon quality blowout at home is a lot easier than you will think! I will give you all of my professional secrets to get your best look.

The best style won't last without a good shampoo. When shampooing your hair wash it once then rinse, and then wash it a second time. This will really help to remove any excess buildup or oils on the hair and scalp. When conditioning you only want to place conditioner the ends of your hair. Pull your hair into a ponytail and only put the conditioner on what hangs down. When you rinse your hair you want to rinse in the coldest water you can possibly stand. This will close your hair cuticle down and will make your hair shiny and smooth. When buying a shampoo try to find one that is clear in color. This will be the most cleansing, anything that is creamy will have conditioning properties to it and if you have oily hair you don't need the extra moisture. 

I personally like to let my hair air dry about 50% before I blowdry. I like to use a heat protector on my hair and also a root lifter. Dry your hair with just the blow dryer until it is about 90% dry then go in with a round brush. This will make it a lot easier on your arms if you dry it without a brush most of the way. 

Start in small sections from the bottom to the top of your head. Unless you have bangs, then dry them first. Start with the base and use small sections that fit onto the brush. Make sure you are blowing down on the hair shaft this will help reduce frizz, blowing upwards on the hair shaft will open the cuticle up and make your hair look frizzier than normal. Keep working your way up. When doing the sides of your hair you want to use the brush and blow away from your face so give some movement to your blowout. When you're drying the top sections you want to blow dry them straight up to give added volume. 

When you are finished use the cool setting on your blow dryer to cool down your hair and set the look. You can tease the crown area and use a little hairspray to help it hold. This will add lots of volume. Finish your look with a little hair serum to keep the ends smooth and frizz free. 

Your second and third day look can be kept looking fresh by using dry shampoo to soak up any oils and add volume back into the hair. You can also use dry shampoo on your ends to give a little piecey texture to your look. 

If you have any tips or tricks to share with us comment down below. 

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

5 Makeup Must-Haves

If you were in a rush to pack and could only grab 5 makeup products what would yours be? I know exactly without a doubt what mine would be. They are my "I don't want to wear makeup, but I don't want to look like a troll" makeup items.

First, eyebrows. Always eyebrows. I never, ever leave the house without SOMETHING on my brows anymore. My go-to brow pencil is the ColourPop Brow Pencil in Bangin' Brunette. They are an affordable brand and have 8 shades to choose from and are $5 each! It's a very skinny pencil that helps make tiny hair like brow strokes. The only con to the pencil is it rolls up but it does not roll down. So don't roll up too much of the pencil at once, it's very thin and will break easily.

Concealer is the next. I like to keep one shade that is my skin color for days I don't want to wear a lot of makeup. I just need to cover my dark circles and also a pimple or two.

Powder is a necessity. I'm pretty oily so I have to powder my face. I like the Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless powder. It smooths the skin and keeps oils at bay.

I always wear bronzer. This will bring color to the face especially during the winter when we are all looking a little pale. Also, your bronzer can act as an eyeshadow. You can dust a little into your crease to add some definition to the eyes. Double duty products are good to have on hand.

Last product I would reach for is mascara. Even if it's just one light coat on the lashes it will open the eyes up so much. Without mascara I feel like a bald cat. I have pretty long lashes, but they are really light so I need the color and fullness.

So these are my 5 makeup products I will wear on any given day, in my opinion they are products you really shouldn't live without. Let me know in the comments down below if you have any products that you just can't live without! Double points if they are double duty products! ;)


Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Wear Bold Colors! 3 different ways!

Bold colors have been SO in this summer. It can be pretty frightening to put bright colors on the face, so I've come up with 3 simple ways to add some color to your makeup routine. All of these looks I have used with my Luminous Skin face and eye look, just altering a couple shadows to bring everything together. 

The first look I have for you is a bright, bold pink lipstick. This really can be any bold color that you like! I happen to love pinks! :) My face was completely done with my Luminous Skin routine and just added the Wet n' Wild Mega Last Liquid Color in Pocketful of Roses. A bronze lip, or even a red/orange color would also look good with this look. Honestly, you can throw on any lipstick that your little heart desires to dress up this simple face!

Next, with the same face you could add a bright lower lash line color. I used purple because it really enhances my eye color, and makes browns pop!

 First, add a black liner to your waterline. I like to use the gel pencil liners here because they glide on smoothly. Next, using ColourPops shadow in Lace I added it to the lower lash line as close to the water line as I could get. Use a flat definer brush to help blend the black and purple together. Then using a purple eyeshadow a little different than the first, place it on the outer portion of the lower lash line to add some definition. Again, use any color here you'd like! 

This look along with the bold lip I feel are the easiest way for beginners to step outside of their comfort zone. If you're like me and want to test the waters, and your skill, go for a jewel-toned wing liner! I love to wear a wing liner but it's still so hard for me to get just right. This ModelLaunder eye liner in Emerald Isle was so easy to use! It has a felt tip (almost marker like) that glides on so easy! And it also comes to a skinny end so it makes doing the detail work easier. 

So, I started off with the same Luminous Skin face and eye look. But the twist here is I added a little tiny bit of darker brown in the crease for definition. After you draw on the best wing of your life, you're going to add black liner to the water line and use a smudger to smoke it out. I also like to make sure the bottom liner meets up with wing. Just smudge a little black liner or black shadow in that little tiny corner.

If you have any ideas on adding pops of color to your look comment down below and let me know! I hope this helps you step outside of your comfort zone!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Luminous Skin

Glowy, Dewy, Luminous skin is all the rage right now. Everyone wants to look like they are glowing from within, without looking like an oil slick! Some of us can't wear luminous foundations because our natural oils say, "girl, no." I've put together some tips for a beautiful glowy look that will also help keep oils at bay.

If you have oily skin, or combination skin, you always want to prime your face first. This will help the foundation stick to your skin. If you have textured skin, or large pores, you want to use a pore filling primer to help smooth everything out.
I like to use my BB water foundation for my glowy looks. I suggest one light layer of it first on the skin, then on the back of your hand mix a little foundation with a liquid illuminator. Apply this  second layer to the cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. The places on your face you want to really pop out.
After I use my concealer on the under eyes I always set them, no matter if I want to be dewy or matte. Set with your powder anywhere you applied concealer to prevent it from creasing. Since concealers are usually thicker they tend to crease really easily.
Apply a cream or liquid highlighter to your cheekbones, nose, and cupids bow.
I like to also use a cream contour to bronze the face up.
If you have dry or normal skin you probably can

wear this without any powder products, but us lucky people with oily skin will probably want to set this makeup with powders.
I use the same types of powders as creams to set the different areas. So, on my cream highlight I use a powder highlight, and same with bronzer. Also, just sweep the cheeks with a little blush if you like.
I finished my look with a bronzed eye look, mascara, and a natural lip.

My look:
Face: NYX Pore FIller, Smashbox BB Water Foundation,Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator, Clinique Chubby in the Nude, Make Up Forever HD Powder, Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, City Color Highlight Trio,Wet n' Wild Color Icon blush
Eyes: Butter Bronzer in crease, ColourPop Lovely on lid, Smashbox Lights, Camera Flashes, Makeup Forever, Excessive Lash
Brow: ColourPop Bangin' Brunette Pencil
Lips: Clear Gloss with City Color Pink Highlight dusted on top.

Comment below any luminous products that you love! Let me know if this helps you! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss anything!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Get the most from your hairdresser

For those of you that don't know me in real life, I am a hairdresser. I work in a busy spa in a very small town. Over the years I've heard and seen it all. I have for you, some of the best tips to get the most from your hairdresser. We all know, if you don't have a good consultation on both ends, you won't come out loving what you've just spent your hard earned money on! 

I could probably write a book on this, but I will try to keep the points short and sweet. Also, most of these points are going to help you if trying a new stylist.

For haircuts, especially if you are going for a change, bring at least 2 pictures! Bring one that you love, and one that is similar that you don't love. This way you can explain why you like the 1st over the 2nd.

If you are trying a new stylist, go back to them at least  twice before you decide if you want to stay with them or try some place different. Unless of course, you just get an awful haircut. Letting him or her cut your hair twice will allow them to learn your hair and how it's going to behave. If you do hate it, let another stylist in the same salon fix it for you before you go running for the hills. 9 times out of 10 if you are a new client you will be put with the newest stylist, so by letting another stylist correct what it is you want, you will probably get a senior stylist.

If you are getting hair color to cover gray and sticking with your "natural" hair color, then let the stylist know if you like the tones in your hair. She can help you enhance your natural color by adding some warm or cool tones to it.

When you are completely changing your hair color by adding highlights or lowlights or whatever it is you like, always bring at least 3 reference pictures with you. Bring 2 that you love, and one that you don't for reference. This allows your stylist to see exactly what chocolate brown means to you!

Always, ALWAYS let your stylist finish your cut or color with a blow-dry. It allows you both to see how your finished look will turn out, and there won't be surprises at home. It allows your stylist to add any finishing touches to your haircut.

Are you having trouble getting the perfect length on your bangs? Ask your stylist to cut them last, so they have time to air dry a bit during your haircut. When our hair is wet is stretches a lot more than when it is dry. So cutting your bangs when they are mostly dry will show both of you a truer length.

Lastly, when you want to angle or layer your hair around your face, pick your favorite feature of your face. Love your lips? Ask your stylist to start your angles from the corner of your mouth to bring them out.

Have any tips yourself? Share them in the comments down below for the rest of us to read! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out! I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from now on!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Empty Containers

This is going to be a little different. I'm going to share with you products that I have completely used up. I feel like I can give you a complete review on the product after using it for so long. Also, I'll be letting you if I will be repurchasing any of these.

Wet n' Wild Setting Spray this retails for about $5 for 1.52 oz. This was actually the first setting spray I ever purchased! I loved it!! I found that it definitely helped my makeup stay on longer, I noticed the first day. I will repurchase this when I can find it in stock! I had to settle for a different spray when I ran out.

Sebastian Potion 9 Lite retails for $24 for 5.1 oz. This is a styling treatment, so it helps to hold your hair when blow-drying and curling, but also penetrates the hair cuticle to leave it soft and smooth. The Lite Potion is targeted for people with medium to fine texture. They have a regular version for more course textures. I will definitely repurchase, it holds up to all its claims!

Mica Cosmetics Cream Shadow in bronze is $14.95 for this little pot of shadow. I'm pretty sure I got this in my Ipsy GlamBag a few months ago, no more than 6 months, and it's already dried out. I only use it once. I don't think I'll be handing out the cash for this product. It was a nice product to receive in my bag, but it was a fail for me.

Chapstick Hydration Lock dual ended stick this retail for $2.68 from Wal-Mart. This was another Ipsy product sent to me. I didn't notice anything special about this. I feel like chapstick in the original tube is just as great, and I'll probably stick to them.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-minute peel is a quick peel/exfoliator. This was so easy to use and really got all the dead skin off your face leaving it so soft and smooth. You apply a thin layer, let it set for 30 seconds and then massage on the face for 2-3 minutes and you will feel the dead skin come off. Then rinse your face and don't forget to moisturize! This retails for $48 for the full size from Ulta. I think in the winter when my skin is dryer I will use this again for helping to remove all the extra dead skin.

Smashbox PhotoOp Eye Brightening Mascara retails for $21 from Smashbox. This is such a good mascara for holding the curl and separating the lashes. It doesn't clump much and stays on all day. It's definitely one of my favorite mascaras. I find myself always going back to it when I've been in a rut with my lashes.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara is another goodie. It retails for $21 from Tarte. (They also have 5% cash back right now on Ebates!!Click here to start your Ebates account.) This is one that I like to use with a mediocre mascara to help it lift and stay. It's such a great layer mascara because it doesn't clump, at all, on my lashes. This was recommended to me by a client and I LOVE it. It's a great mascara to have, and I would for sure repurchase this.

That is it for my empties this go around. Let me know in the comments if you like blogs like this! I'll continue to save my empty containers until I have enough to write about. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog to get e-mail notifications when I post. I'll be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from now on! Thank you so much for reading!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Review of the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

I was browsing on Amazon late night and came across Coastal Scents. I saw one of their palettes and of course, it was beautiful, and then I saw the others they had... and the Revealed 2 SCREAMED my name!! Don't Prime late night, people, you will be in trouble!!

Anyways, I ordered the palette, it was $20 and on Prime, so it got here super fast. Which, when I want something, I want it now! I swatched the palette for you, the only thing I don't like, is there aren't any names! So when I show you my little tutorial, I gotta be like, "3rd shadow from the right on the top row." *insert side eye here.*

Here are my swatches of the colors, I've lined them up so you can see what they look like in the pan and on my arm. All of the colors are pigmented, so you will get great color pay off. They are all very soft, and almost too soft. They crumbled a little bit when I swatched with my finger, but when used with a brush on my eyes I didn't notice this at all. Some of the lighter shades you have to layer a bit to get the full effect, but other than that they are pretty amazing. They worked really easily on the eyes, and although I am a makeup artist, I certainly wouldn't consider myself a pro at application. It's the brutal truth, I still have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do myself.
Here's the look I came up with, this was on a whim, and didn't plan anything, I just went with the flow. I wanted to do something on the easy side, this smoked out "liner" is just a shadow, so mistakes are forgiven.
I've put stars on the shadows I used in this look, so when I talk about colors my numbers will be from left to right, top to bottom.

I started off with my brows, click here for that blog, I used the ColourPop Brow Pencil in Bangin' Brunette. Then I used the Elizabeth Mott Queen of the Fill brow gel in light/medium. After that dried, I used my spoolie to brush through my brows. I primed my eyes using the Jesse's Girl eyeshadow primer.

1. I started off with the 2nd starred shade, it's a matte cream color, and put that on my entire lid and brow bone to set the primer.

2. I then used 4th shade to starred shade to start blending that into my crease. Tip: Use a smaller crease brush to place the color where you want it, then using a fluffy brush, blend it out.

3. I went into the 5th shade and did the same thing, only bringing it a little lower on the lid and crease.

4. I then used the 3rd starred shade, which is a shimmer and placed it on my lid. On top of the other shadows it didn't really show up, so I just used my eyeshadow primer and with my ring finger put that where I wanted my shimmer color to go.

5. Use the last shade, which is black and with a flat definer brush I applied the shadow just like I would a liner, and then using a smaller pencil brush, or blending brush, I smudged it out. Be sure to BLEND. I went in 3 times with the black, first applying then blending.

6.When that is done, take a makeup wipe and wipe off any fallout you might have under your eyes, then apply your face makeup. I'll be waiting...

For the lower lash line we are going to use the 5th color on the whole thing, then using the 4th shade on the outer half. Blend them together. Then take the black on a small angled brush, and apply it to the outer 1/3 of your eye, slightly connecting it to your top lashline. BLEND!! Use a tiny brush, and apply the 3rd color to the corner of your eye around your tear duct.
After your finished, curl your lashes and apply your favorite mascara, and/or some falsies.

Two more little tips for you: Keep a dry washcloth or paper towel handy so that you can dust off your brushes in between colors if you need to re-use them. When applying mascara, you want to coat your lashes root to tip with one dip into the mascara, wiggle the wand back and forth at the root for added volume. Let them dry for about 60 seconds, then with one more dip into the mascara you want to apply the second coat only to the tips of your lashes, this will add tons of extra length.

I know this post is long, but there is a lot of information in here! Take your time and read through it. Use this little tutorial with your favorite eyeshadows.  I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you stop by again soon! Please, let me know if you like blogs like this! Follow my social media, and share this on facebook!

Click here to order from Coastal Scents.


Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Nighttime Skincare Routine

Taking care of our skin at night is a very important step to skin care that a lot of people overlook. In my early 20's I was so lazy about my skin. I'd sleep in makeup (eeek!!) and only wash my face in the shower. Now, in my 30's (double eeek!!) I wish that I took better care of my skin 10 years ago! 

For the past couple of years, I've been struggling with adult acne, and could never figure out why. I'd use acne products, but obviously never correctly. Recently, I've really been on top of my skincare routine, and it definitely shows on my face! So, here's what I do now. It's nothing fancy, but it works for me, and I've seen a huge improvement in my skin.

Step one: I use a makeup remover wipe to get all my makeup off, these are great for taking off eye makeup especially.

Step two: Wash your face with a cleanser. I had tried SO many different types with all different promises, but never found one that delivered. So, I went back to the basics and now use Cetaphil for normal to oily skin. This cleanses my face well and is very gentle. I can even use this to remove any mascara left that the wipes didn't take off.

Step three: Eye cream. I use a dark circle corrector. I'm not sure how much it helps for dark circles, but it works as a good moisturizer.

Step four: Spot treat. I use an acne spot treatment on any places that need it that day. Some days, none at all. :)

Step five: Moisturize. Again, I've tried millions. I've tried expensive ones, and cheap ones never living up to their expectations. I've always loved St. Ives products, so I found a moisturizer that also had some anti-aging properties in it. I'm not sure how much it works, but it makes me feel better that I'm at least trying. It is a very lightweight moisturizer and I can even wear it during the day under my makeup without any problems. 

On a weekly basis, I use some sort of face mask. I've been living for trying new ones. Every time I'm in a store with skin care products I look for new masks to try. I LOVE the sheet masks because you can just put them on your face and relax for 20 minutes, watch some TV, read a blog.. then take off the mask and massage the extra serum into your face and neck.

Also, every two weeks I like to use the Biore Pore strips on my nose.

Here are the links to my current skin care products:

Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes From Amazon you can get 120 wipes for $15.10 

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for normal to oily skin. For $20 you get two 16oz bottles, WITH a pump. I use one pump per face wash.

Yes to Grapefruit Dark Circle Correcting Eye Cream

this tube is .5oz for $9.66 and you use half a pea size amount for both eyes.

Yes to Tomatoes Acne Treatment Spot Stick this is around $9 for .5 oz. I've had mine for a year, and still going strong!

St. Ives Timeless Skin Facial Moisturizer, Collagen Elastin this is $6.42 for 10oz and seriously some of the best moisturizers I've ever used.

Freeman Facial Charcoal and Black Sugar Polish Mask is hands down the best facial exfoliator. You put it on your face in a light layer, let it set on for 10 minutes, then softly massage the sugar scrub in circular motions for a minute, then rinse off. It's only $6.52 for 6oz!

Let me know your favorite skin care products! I LOVE trying new things. 

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Mascaras: My TOP 4!

Let's talk about eyelashes. They can make you feel like a bald kitten or a very fierce lion. And let's face it, we are all looking for that perfect mascara. We want the lift, length, fullness, and separation. Unfortunately, one wrong swipe of that mascara wand and we end up with a clumpy mess.

Here are my top 4, in no particular order.

1. Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black: This is my go to mascara. It does everything I need it to, and the wand is a perfect size for top and bottom lashes. This product works best if you wiggle the wand back and forth from roots to ends of lashes.
   It retails for $17.50 but you can order it here from BeautySpin for $13.89!
2. Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal: This mascara is great for volume, just like the name says. The only set back I have is that sometimes it can get clumpy. And I think that's kind of the idea. I like to apply a coat of this, then use my Clinique mascara to help separate the lashes a bit. This works really well if the Clinique mascara is on its last leg, and about to dry out. The Colossal mascara retails for $7.69, you can order it here.
3. Rimmel Scandal Eyes for Length is another goodie that I tried. I like this for days I'm not wearing a lot of eye makeup and just want my eyes to pop. For me this is best applied if you spin the wand up your lashes, you want to roll it towards you, and it will help with holding the curl. This retails for $6.83, you can order it here.
4. Last but not least: Benefit BadGal Lash. This is an oldie but goodie. A few years ago, when I really got into makeup, I was in Sephora and I saw this mascara, back then, I didn't have the money to really spend on expensive makeup, but for some reason, I had to have this. And boy, it does it all. If you curl your lashes, this one will really hold the curl in for you. And it has a big, soft brush on it. It retails for $30 and you can order it here.

If you have any products you'd like me to try comment below and let me know!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Brown Smokey Eye

Created with the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.

I created this eyeshadow look using only the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. It's a simple, brown smokey look that could be worn day or not. You could also skip the liner if it's not for you, or even amp it up with some false lashes. I'll give you the step by step instructions on how I created this look.

1. Fill in your brows first. It gives you a guide to work with. Click here for my brow tips and tricks.
2. Apply a tiny bit of eyeshadow primer to your lids. I used the Jesse's Girl eyeshadow primer.
3. With a large blending brush, apply White Chocolate all over the lid and brow bone. Pat it on, then gently buff in circular motions. This will set the cream primer and make it easier for powders to blend together.
4. Using a fluffy crease brush, apply Salted Caramel into the crease, and blend any harsh edges. Use a little bit at first, and then add as you wish to your desired color.
5. On the same brush, use Milk Chocolate in the crease, just a little the previous. Apply in small amounts til desired color and blend.If you find you covered too much of Salted Caramel dip back into and add a little more.
6. With a smaller crease or pencil brush use Triple Fudge on the outer 1/3 of your eyelid. Apply this in a sort of triangle shape. Blend all the lines til your arm hurts.
7. On a dense packing brush, apply Hazelnut to the rest of the lid and blend colors together. Use some more Salted Caramel to blend crease if needed.
8. With the same packing brush, use a tiny bit of Marzipan to the center of your lid. Gently blend away edges. 
9. Now you would apply your eyeliner to the lash line. If you do, be sure to tightline your upper lash line so there is no skin showing between your liner and lashes.
10. After I finish the color on my lids, I move on to my face routine. After your foundation and concealer are finished you can work on your lower lash line.
11. I used a light layer of Milk Chocolate first.
12. With a flat definer brush, use Triple Fudge close to the lower lash line. You are essentially trying to make your lower lash line match the top. 
13. Apply eyeliner to your waterline and smudge out the liner into Triple Fudge.
14. On a tiny pencil brush use Champagne Truffle on your inner corner/tear duct area.
15. Apply 2 coats of mascara to your top lashes, and one coat on the lower.
16. Apply lashes if you'd like.

Now you are all finished. And you should have something that looks like my picture! The shadow part is really the easiest, and I'd say is a pretty quick everyday look. For me, the wing eyeliner takes the longest. Practice makes perfect, right?!

Comment down below and let me know if you try this out. Send me pictures of your finished looks! Ask me any questions you may have! You can achieve this look with any color eye shadows!! Start with lighter colors, and build up to the darker ones. Or even try it with some color on the lid! Possibilities are endless here!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Favorite Eyeshadows!

Now that I have given you the basics to do your full face of makeup, I wanted to talk about the eyes. I find it hard to give you a whole blog on each aspect of the eye. How many tips could I give you on applying mascara? Not many. I decided it'd be best to break these into different groups. I will do a few blogs about my favorite eye products and reviews on different products. I will also give you a few mini tutorials on how to get different looks. For now, I'll share with you a few of my favorite eye shadows and eye shadow palettes. 

My Holy Grail eyeshadow palette is hands down the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection. It retails for $49 and with 16 different shades to choose from, you can create any look! It also SMELLS like CHOCOLATE. Yes, you heard that correctly, it smells so freaking good!

My very first "high end" eyeshadow palette was the Smashbox Full Exposure palette. This one retails for $52 and has 14 shadows. I've literally had this palette for years and haven't really put a dent in it. Also, it comes with an amazing double sided brush, a fluffy side for the matte shades to blend, and a denser side for the shimmers to pack them on. This palette can create any warm or cool toned natural look.

This Makeup Forever Artist Palette is great for adding a pop of color to any look. The colors are super soft and buttery. They go on the eyes like a dream! It retails for $34 for 9 shadows, but well worth it if you like shimmery bold colors!

If you're looking for something more affordable and would like to be able to choose your own colors, ColourPop makes some fabulous shadows and colors. They are $5 each, a steal really! They are kind of a cream to powder finish. But don't feel like a cream. Honestly, I don't even have the words to describe the texture, I've never felt anything like this before. The only downside is you have to order them online, so you are HOPING that you can choose your color from a picture. They have matte, metallic, and satin finishes and a huge selection of colors.

A mini palette of beautiful natural shades that another favorite is the Pixi by Petra Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in the shade Mineral Contour. This retails for $12 from Target for 6 shadows. You can create a soft, daytime look or a deep, smokey look from these 6 shades.

If you have used any of these or are not thinking of purchasing them, leave me a comment down below and let me know what you think! I'd also love to see your creations from these palettes!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by.

Filling in Your Brows: tips & tricks!

We all want to have perfectly crafted eyebrows; to have them look like twin sisters instead of distant cousins. But we all know that this is HARD to achieve. I'll give you a few tips that I have accumulated through my success, and unfortunately my downfall.

Find someone you trust to wax them, and stick with her. The more she does your brows, the more she will learn them. If you don't like waxing, you can ask to have your technician tweeze them for you, or find someone that does threading. If you insist on being your own hair remover, you can use a white eyeliner to outline your brows and only tweeze what is on the outside of the line to ensure there is no over-tweezing happening. Always check your work by taking a step back and looking at the big picture here. When you are looking in a magnified mirror so close you often get carried away. Also, if you have very light brow hairs, I suggest asking your technician about tinting your brows. This will make your work a lot easier at home.

Now that we have our brow canvas, we can get into the makeup tips. If you have full brows already or are happy with how they look, but just want to look more put together, then all you will need is a brow powder, brow wax, and a good brush. You want to brush the brow wax throughout your brows, this will be like using a pomade or hairspray for your brows. After that, using a small angled brush use a powder that either matches or is one shade lighter than your hairs, you want to use light, feathery strokes (in the direction of your natural hairs) to fill in any sparse areas.

The tricky part: creating shape and filling in. For me, I like to do my brows before any other makeup, I feel like they last longer when the product is on my skin and not on the foundation. I start with a super fine brow pencil. I'm loving the ColourPop pencil. They are very pigmented, so always use a light hand. I start off by outlining the bottom of my brow. Still using a very light hand I start to feather in color on the tail end of my brow, always use a spoolie to brush through your work so you get very soft strokes. You never want thick, dark strips of brows on your face. Once the tail end is to where you want it, move slowly to the front. Again, follow natural hair strokes, if your hairs go up in the front, then you need to mimic that. Try not to block off the front of your brows. After you've finished with the pencil, you can use a powder product to make sure it is all the filled in. Use your same strokes you did with the pencil. Use a brow gel to finish if your brows get a little wild. If you love your brows, use a clear gel to set them. If you still feel they need some help, use a colored gel to plump them up and really makes sure there aren't sparse areas.

On lazy days, you can use a tinted brow gel alone to get some added color and fullness. For full glam, you'll take a flat concealer brush with a tiny bit of concealer or foundation and use it to clean up the edge of the brows. Now, brows on fleek.. right? ;)

Comment and let me know if this works for you!

Products I love:
ColourPop Bangin' Brunette Pencil
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder
Crown Brow Duo Brush
Elizabeth Mott Queen of the Fill brow gel

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Bobbi Reads... then tells you all about it.

I love, LOVE to read. I wanted to incorporate this into my blog, because along with all things about beauty, books are a favorite of mine. I hope that this turns into something that more of you would like to see. Let me know! So anyways, my first review is on the book: The Sister by Louise Jensen.

I am not a professional book reviewer, so I'm sorry if I jump around a lot. I hope that it helps you decide if you want to read this book or not. Leave me a comment down below if you have!

I purchased this book through my Kindle. I’m sure it was in my recommendations list. (note: I went back and noticed it was recommended to those who read Girl on a Train.)

In the title it says, “A psychological thriller with a brilliant twist you won’t see coming.”

Yes, and yes. Holy cow, the ending of this is such a shock!

Let’s start from the beginning. (I promise there won’t be any spoilers, everything I am about to say you will also read in the description of the book.)

The story is mostly about a girl named Grace. The book goes back and forth between then and now, so at first it’s a little hard to keep up and want to continue reading. Grace has not been the same since her best friend Charlie died. She leaves Grace with these last words: I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me…

Seriously? Up until you read those words in the actual book, you are always thinking, “okay, this chapter I hope to find out.”

Grace is looking for Charlies dad to try to piece things together, to figure out what this terrible thing she has done is, when she finds a girl named Anna who claims to be Charlies step sister. Grace immediately loves Anna. It’s like finding part of her family. Anna ends up moving in with Charlie and her boyfriend, Dan. Everything seems to be getting better for Grace...

Then the twist starts. Grace seems to think she is in trouble or being followed. Things start to go missing. And weirder things start happening to Grace.

Without giving you too much information, SH** goes down.

Like I said, when you start the book, it’s just a normal book. Things are happening. People are happy, sad, excited, angry, and emotional. It’s not one of those once you start, you can’t stop books. I was reading it for about 3 nights, just a couple of chapters before bed, and like the forth night, once I was getting to the good stuff, I was like, “okay, I have GOT to finish this.” And I did. I stayed up til 3am one morning reading. And, once you get to the LAST few chapters, you literally cannot put it down. You have to know.

I will say that for the first part of the book to move so slow, the ending was in hyperdrive. I wish there was more. I wish there was more detail to the end of the story.

From what I understand, this was the author's first book. For that I give two thumbs up. It will probably be one of those books that I read again to see if I missed anything. (yes, I read, and then re-read A LOT of my books. And yes, I have two bookcases at home full of ACTUAL books, along with Kindle, an old Nook, and a little collection on my google Play account.) The author also has website, and apparently blogs flash fiction on the regular. (I have not read any, and only visited the site to add the link here) **NOTE: upon looking at her website, I also found out this is her only novel currently out, and is scheduled to have two books released in 2017.

I would and probably will read her other books when they come out. I thought she was a great writer. I go through weird stages with my reading material, and read so many random things. I’m really not picky. Right now, I’m into the thriller, mystery type books. I was in a funk after reading a verrrrry WEIRD series, that I couldn’t even finish because it was so weird.

Final thoughts: Read the book. Two thumbs up. When I reread it, I will try to edit this or maybe just post a new blog, about how I liked it the second go around. Also, I'll add, I did not review this book first for any other reason, other than it was the last book that I read. I also just finished it about a week ago. :)

Thank you for reading! If you have any suggestions on great books I should check out next, please leave me a comment!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Highlighter: tips & tricks!

You Glow Girl!

Highlighting your face is one of biggest beauty trends right now that I don't see ending anytime soon. I personally haven't been highlighting for very long, but I'm not sure why. I freakin' love it.

If you are new to highlighting and don't know where to start, I suggest just picking an affordable product and try it out. And honestly if you have an eyeshadow on hand that is a light, shimmery shade, start there. 

Product tips:

• A cream stick form of highlighter applied with your finger over foundation will give you a lit from within glow. Use a translucent powder to set it.
• Powders tend to fade away during the day, after you finish your makeup, use a setting spray, then apply your powder again, using a light hand, while your face is still a little damp.
• Liquid highlights need to be placed before any powders. You never want to apply a liquid over-top a powder. They should also always be set with either a translucent powder, or powder highlight.
• Try to stay away from a product with too much glitter chunks. Shimmer is okay, chunky glitter just no.

Application tips:

• For the softest glow, apply only to the top of the cheek bone, blend out so that you don't have a streak of glow.
• Apply after bronzer, but before blush to get a very natural blended look.
• Use your setting spray to get your brush damp for a more intense look.
• Apply to cheekbones in a C shape around your brow, cupid's bow, center of your nose, and lightly on your chin (if you are not too oily) for an all over glowy look.
• Always use a setting spray. It helps your powders melt into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. (& last longer!!)
• For creams or liquids you can use your fingers or beauty sponge, for powders brushes work best.
• If you aren't into the glow/shine of highlighter, use powder forms on top of your blush. You will still get the light reflecting qualities without blinding people. ;)

Here are my two favorite brushes at the moment:

Luxie Tapered Highlighter Brush #522

Wet n' Wild Fan Brush

I'm sure anything that resembles these will work. 

Here are my favorite highlighters at the moment. (Like I said before, I haven't been highlighting long, so I haven't tried a lot of products, but these work for me.)
City Color Highlighting Trio
City Color Intense Exposure
Pixi Blush Duo

I hope this helps! Leave me a comment with any of your favorite highlighters I should try. Don't forget to subscribe to get email notifications with every post!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Blush: tips & tricks!

Beautifully Blushed or Scary Clown? I’ll teach you a full proof way to get the most natural flushed look. If you’ve ever applied too much blush, you are among us that pray to the makeup Gods, that it never happens again!

So many places online and in magazines tell us to get the perfect blush you need to smile and place on the apples of the cheeks. But when you relax your face sometimes it just feels like the blush is sitting in all the wrong places.

My first application tip is to smile, and instead of applying to the apple of the cheek, aim your brush about an inch farther back. So when you are in your natural RBF (resting b**** face) there’s not a perfect circle of blush on either side.

Second, instead of focusing your blush on the apple, you want to use small circular motions and drag your blush towards your hairline. You never want the color to be focused in one area, you want it to blend flawlessly into your bronzer. Check out my bronzer tips here.

Color selection for blush is key. There are literally thousands of different blushes. And sometimes we get a little excited about a color, and impulse buy (we’ve all been there.) You should definitely take the time to find your perfect tone. There are coral colors for all skin tones, if you are fair and want a coral color, choose a light coral, on fair skin it will still show up. If you have deep skin, you can go for the brighter corals to get good color pay off.

I will show you a couple color comparisons and then tell you some of my favorite blushes for my super fair skin.

**These are all NYX blushes. You can shop them here. They have good staying power with a setting spray. I compared these so they were all in one place, and easier for you to find. Use this just as a guide to help you find a match for you!

Fair Skin	Medium Deep
Peach	Pinky
Terra Cotta	Copper
Mauve	Bittersweet
Flamingo	Bourgeois Pig

One of my favorite blushes is Benefit Dandelion.

I also love the Wet n’ Wild Color Icon blushes. My two favorite colors are Rose Champagne and Pearlescent Pink.

***Please remember, this is MY opinion, if you are wearing one of these blushes that I said is for another skin tone and you love it, THEN YOU ROCK THAT BLUSH. You wear what makes you feel more beautiful in your own skin.

If you have any other suggestions for me then please comment below. Don’t forget to add your email above to keep updated on my blog post! I’ve been posting every day so far, and hope to continue to do so for a while, but soon will drop down to 4 or 5 posts a week.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!