MAC Art of the Eye Collection

Today I'm bringing you all the eye candy from the current MAC collection, Art of the Eye, available NOW at all MAC locations.
This collection really focuses on bright and fun eye looks in jewel-toned shades. So excited to share with you all the items I got!
Be sure to check out the reference list at the bottom of the post with all the details on every single item in the collection, (even those not shown) and my list of must-haves!

Art of the Eye


Eye Shadow x4 
Rimal Dahabia: Shroom, Soft Brown, Beauty Burst, Najm el Lail


eye shadow in Gameela and Parrot


Chromographic Pencil in Process Magenta and Landscape Green



Opulash in Sama

Fluidline Brow Gelcreme in Deep Dark Brunette

Reflects Glitter in Reflects Antique Gold

Reflects Glitter in Reflects Transparent Teal


Eye Shadow x4, $40.
Masat Al Lail
Rondelle: platinum silver frost (matte)
Waft: deep navy with pearl (matte)
Gentle Fume: dirty concrete grey with silver pearl (velvet)
Carbon: intense black (matte)
 Rimal Dahabia
Shroom: soft beige with shimmer (satin)
Soft Brown: soft golden peachy brown (matte)
Beauty Burst: rich reddish brown (satin)
Najm el Lail: blackened deep brown (matte)

Chromographic Pencil, $16.
Process Magenta: magenta
Hi-Def Cyan: hi-def cyan
Landscape Green: lush bright green

Kohl Power Eye Pencil, $15
Feline: rich black

Liquid Eye Liner, $18
Boot Black: black

Opulash, $16
Sama: blue
Optimum Black Lash: intense black

Eye Shadow, $15
Farasha: bright deep orange (matte)
Gameela: deep pink magenta
Parrot: deep aqua blue with bright green and pearl (frost)
Hajar Karim: clean warm green
Banafsaji: deep purple blue (veluxe pearl)

Reflects Glitter, $21
Reflects Gold: white glitter that flashes gold
Reflects Antique Gold: sparkling taupe 
(There are 2 glitters in this collection- I received Reflects Transparent Teal instead of the Reflects Gold. Maybe I was sent the wrong one, maybe it was a misprint. Not sure!)

Fluidline Brow Gelcreme, $15
Deep Dark Brunette: rich brunette

Lash, $16
4 Lash: natural length, wispy


What did YOU pick up from this collection? I personally am IN LOVE with the Parrot eye shadow (it's a long-time favorite of mine) and the Rimal Dahabia quad which is perfect for every day. The Reflects Glitters are also a fav of mine. Also cannot get over how smooth and pigmented the Chromographic Pencils are. What are your favorites?



were provided for consideration by MAC Cosmetics with no agreements to feature or review. All opinions are my own and genuine, as always.

How I Get a Flawless Bronze Glow with Chanel Bronze Universal

...and Sheer Illuminating fluid. Seriously that stuff is like magic in a bottle.

Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself.
So I recently purchased two amazing products in the Soleil Tan De Chanel line...
The Bronze Universal and Sheer Illuminating Fluid.


These two products are genius, especially when used together.

Bronze Universal is a bronze cream product and the Sheer Illuminating Fluid is exactly what it sounds like. A perfect sheer illuminating liquid in the perfect shade of bronze. Both products are the perfect shade of bronze. I'm convinced that they will work with ANY skin tone.
Here's a closer look at what the Bronze Universal is all about...

Yes, mine is used and loved. Keepin' it real.
If the concept of a cream bronzer freaks you out, worry not my friend. I was there too. After using it for the past several days, I actually find it to be easier and more natural looking than a traditional powder bronzer.  After lots of experimenting (and several bronzed brushes later...) I've found the PERFECT method of application (for me at least). For details all about the application and my favorite brushes to use with it, don't miss my tutorial using these products below!

Seriously, this stuff is amazing.
I could go on all day, but there's an accompanying video for that. ;)

Check out my video below for a full tutorial on how I apply both products to get the perfect bronze glow!


New NAILS! Chanel Bel-Argus... The New Classic Blue.

Blue has always been my favorite color. Deep, (yet bright) royal beautiful-ness. Blue has always made me feel happy and calm. I love blue. Especially on nails.
Oh, and I love Chanel.
When I saw Chanel's new Bel-Argus shade in their Summer 2013 collection, I was in love. Had to have it. Immediately.
So I placed an order (and picked up quite a few other Chanel goodies in my latest haul) and danced around when this baby hit my doorstep. Also ordered that day? A new top coat I've been super curious about... The Dior Gel Coat. *Review on that will be coming to the blog soon... Can't exactly review something like a top coat right away. I want to see how it affects the actual wear of the nail color for a few days.


So here it is! Beautiful, blue, and gorgeous.  The color applied perfectly. Chanel shades, in my experience, can be very hit or miss. So I'm so excited that this one is a keeper!  With two thin coats, it came out gorgeous.


My biggest tip where this shade is concerned... Don't be afraid of it! WEAR IT. With everything.  Blue can be scary to some, but while this one is still really fun, it's surprisingly very classic and wearable.

It's definitely my new go-to blue. Have you guys tried this shade? What are your favorite blue nail polishes?


Hello, Shopping Cart. It's been a while...

That feeling when you give in to your online shopping urges and actually pick up a ton of things that have been hanging out on your wishlist forever.  They arrive at your doorstep like a little present...and they're perfect.
That's a good day.

Maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I seriously enjoyed my latest "higher-end" haul more than any other in a long time. Probably because it had been FOREVER since I shopped at Sephora. Or Chanel.com.  Or really any higher-end makeup in a while. Good old shameless fun.
Obviously the actual items I chose were the cause of all my excitement. I got some GOOD. STUFF, ya'll.
Seriously. Crazy good.
So I waited a few days to film the haul video so I could actually try out some of the items before I started singing their praises in all my post-shopping excitement. Because you really never know if they'll be all you'd hoped for. Definitely wouldn't want you all to purchase anything because I'm excited about it and it end up being a flop because I hadn't tried it. So lots of the items in this haul come with a little mini review.
*Check back soon for pics and a review of the new nail colors I picked up!
Hope you guys like my picks and enjoy the newest video!


Denim vs. Chambray ...A fun little fashion vocab lesson.


So today I'm bringing you all a little fun life lesson.
Denim vs. Chambray.
Let's Party.

Ok, so maybe it's not that fun.  But seriously, it's something worth knowing. Seems simple enough to differentiate between denim and well, anything, but with all the cute little fashion forward chambray and denim tops and dresses available pretty much everywhere, it's worth knowing the difference.
Because if the whole denim vs. chambray topic doesn't sound super fun to you, knowing what you're talking about always is.

So differentiating between the two just by external look and feel can prove a bit tricky. Some people assume that any soft top that looks like this is "a chambray".

Not always.

Truth is, a chambray can be any color. They aren't just tops that look like denim.  Had to throw that in because I think that's where a lot of the confusion comes from.
That shirt dress is actually denim, by the way.

Anyway, a chambray is a plain weave fabric and denim is a twill woven fabric. If that still confuses you *cough* if you're like me *cough* and just want to see an easy way to tell them apart, here ya go.

Flip the fabric in question over and take a peek at the underside.


Diagonal weave= Denim
Criss-Cross weave= Chambray

Easy as pie right?
Why this is all so tricky is because in that photo above, you can tell just by looking at the underside that they are very different, while the top of the fabric looks (and feels) quite similar in this case. Denim isn't always super stiff while chambray is soft. In my example above, both fabrics are hard to differentiate just by touch. They're both super soft. But now you're in the know!

And no worries, this is just purely a little FYI post.

If you still use them interchangeably, the vocab and fashion police will not come knocking at your door.
I mean, I don't think they will.  If they do, I didn't send them.

They may however pay you a visit if you don't follow me on Instagram. Just sayin.

My Nail Polish Picks for Spring

Fun nails are always appropriate in my book. But this Spring, if you're normally a little hesitant to rock more daring and bright nails, break out of the box a little bit and experiment!

This season, there are so many fun nail trends and colors to try. So I figured I'd put together a little list of some of my top picks. Definitely don't feel like you need these exact ones from my list. Check out my video below and compare the colors to things you may already have. I love that my picks are both drugstore and a little higher-end. So no matter where you shop, you can definitely get your hands on some!

Hope you guys love my picks and HAPPY SPRING! 


Loreal Pistacio Dream
MAC Heroine
Dior Bikini
Essie Going Incognito
Zoya Maura
Butter London Blagger
MAC Riot Gear
Loreal Creme Puffs
Orly Fancy Fuchsia
Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me
Loreal Sparklicious
OPI Polka.com




Recent MAC Collection FAVORITES

MAC, you've got me all excited.

Let me start by saying that I'm SO relieved that most of the moving craziness is over and we're finally getting all settled-in. Which means I can get back to being more productive with videos, this blog, etc. Most of you may know that MAC sends me samples from their new collections from time to time to share with you all if I decide to.  OMG... did they send a doozie this month. So many awesome and unique collections and beautiful shades for Spring.
Problem was, it was sent about a week after we had moved in so I didn't really have time to post about the products right away because things were ca-raaaazy around here. Also didn't help that the first collection I grabbed out of the box when it came had been out for a week or so already and many of the products were already sold out. So I didn't really delve into the rest of the box because I figured it had been sent out a bit late and like I said, things were CA-RAAAZY around here and let's face it, I was probably in the midst of painting something or tearing something apart.

So big fabulous (I had no idea) MAC box went on the back burner.
Until I decided to go back to it a little over a week ago and discovered some great things and beautiful collections that are STILL AVAILABLE. Happy dance.

Seriously haven't loved MAC collections this much in a while. Really unique things and shades that are perfect for Spring.

So I decided to do a little (well, pretty long actually) video sharing with you all my stand-out items from the new collections that you can definitely still get your hands on. So many new favorites... I can't even.
Oh and no worries... I'll be sharing info on new collections regularly like I have in the past coming up! This move has been no joke...

Check out my Recent MAC Collection FAVORITES in my video below!




Prom 2013 Makeup Tutorial (With Drugstore Dupes)

Prom season is here, gals! At least where I live... Hopefully, if your prom is approaching and you haven't planned the perfect look, this easy-to-follow makeup tutorial I created will help!
This year, I created a look for you all that would literally work with any color or style dress.  I also knew I wanted to do something fun at the same time.  This look is so versatile and perfect for prom, it will work for anyone!
Best part? It's SO easy!  Also, if you're looking for more affordable drugstore options, I give you some exact dupes as well.

Oh, and if you're like me and a bit, ahem, out of the whole "prom" age range, you can still rock this look for any formal or fun event! I wore it out for a fun dinner this weekend and got lots of compliments!

Hope you guys love it!
Products Used:
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans
Urban Decay Smoked Palette (shades Asphault and Mushroom)
*Drugstore dupe for eye shadows: Loreal Blackened Smokes quad
Loreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion
Revlon Lipstick in Pink Sugar
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Nars Madly Blush
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation (Normal to Dry skin formula)
Foundation Tutorial HERE
(not shown in video)








Check out my full tutorial below!




My Top 5 Drugstore Mascaras

Let's start the week with a little post about mascaras...  One of my FAVORITE beauty products ever.
Scratch that.
My absolute favorite beauty product ever.

Mascara is so amazing because it only takes a few seconds to apply and packs a huge punch. It also doesn't require any fancy techniques or skill to apply.  Best part? You can pick up some awesome and inexpensive ones at the drugstore. ...and I've probably tried them all.

So I figured I'd put together a little Top 5 list of my favs.

 To see my thoughts and descriptions of each one and LOTS more info (plus 2 extras I couldn't resist throwing into the mix), check out my Top 5 Drugstore Mascaras video below!


My 5 Favorites:
Covergirl Lashblast Volume
Neutrogena Healthy Volume
L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition
L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions
L'Oreal Power Volume 24 hr Black Smoke
(don't miss the video above for 2 extras)

Stay tuned for my Top 5 High End Mascaras video coming up soon! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss it!

NEW CLOSET REVEAL! ...and Video Tour

I tell ya... This closet has been a long time comin'...


Read that dripping with sarcasm... 
Actually, it was the complete opposite.  Looking back, this was probably the fastest thought-up, designed, and executed closet of all time. I'll give props to my wonderful husband for that. More on that in a moment...

Honestly, when we moved into our new home we had some different plans for the closet area. To live with the current closet system in our master bedroom and make it work for both of us for the time being. However, in our new home there is an odd little room (which is meant to be a bedroom) adjacent to our master bedroom. It's far away from the other bedrooms in the house and has no bathroom attached or close-by. It was just a funny little space right next to ours. Maybe meant for a nursery?
We knew we wouldn't want to use that room for a nursery because there is an AWESOME room we have some major nursery plans for in the future... Don't get excited just yet. I'll keep you guys posted when that's on the horizon!

Anyway, literally a few days before we moved in, my husband came up with an idea... "Hey, let's turn that little room next to ours into your closet."

*crickets*

Don't get me wrong, I was excited he was into it. But I've never been a fan of making another non-closet room into a closet. Why? Because usually it's unhandy and obviously a bedroom (ahem, not a closet).  But it almost instantly kind of clicked... WHYYY had I not thought of that before??
Like I said, it's adjacent to our room, not near any other bedrooms, and in the little area of our master bedroom entry.  Which means it is SUPER handy. Plus, the size of the room is perfect for a walk-in.  It just made sense. Honestly, it's closer to the entry of the bedroom than the actual master closet (It's sort of behind the bathroom near our vanity areas).

Plus, it was kind of nice to think I would have plenty of room to film in the closet again!
If any of you have been here since the beginning, you may remember me filming in my walk-in closet of our first place when I started my YouTube channel 5 YEARS AGO! Wow, time files... Anyway, back then, people were a little weirded out by me filming in there. It was seriously the most talked about thing where my channel was concerned. Seems the idea kind of grew on people after a while and it became sort of my "thing".  Then when we moved to our last place, people really missed it!  Truthfully, I really did too. So now I'm so excited to be back in there. It just feels right again.

So I have all of my filming stuff in there as well. See, when you get a closet like this pulled together in 3 days, something suffers a bit. And my vanity/filming area would be it...haha.  I decided to focus on the area that would actually be seen in videos. I actually did set up all my makeup in my Alex 6-drawer storage units I showed a while back in my Makeup Organization & Collection video. It's all organized exactly the same.


So back to the closet...
When we then started brainstorming closet systems. I knew if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right. Hiring someone to come install a custom closet system of that size would have cost a small fortune, so we knew we were going to tackle it ourselves. Because most stores do not carry anything like what we wanted, we knew it was going to be tricky. Then Ikea saved the day... Doesn't it always?

You may or may not know that Ikea is definitely not one of our favorite places. They have AWESOME stuff. But I HATE... I HAAATE...going there.  My husband may have some stronger words for his feelings about it.  So one evening, we trekked to Ikea and loaded up the closet system.

We chose the Pax system.  Before going to the store, we measured the area and compared to the measurements of the pieces of the Pax system online.  We planned the whole thing from home, figured out the pieces we needed, and went into the store armed and ready with our little handy list.

Not going to bore you with the details of that trip, but lets just say I loaded up my half of the system (all 300lbs of it) on my cart... which broke half way to the checkout line. Think square wheels. Complete cart breakdown.

So long story short... Brad is a trooper and put the whole thing together in two nights.  And it is perfect.

Waylon decided to oversee the project.


...and sometimes, fell asleep on the job.


Overall, I think he was pleased with the result. ...and the chandelier.


TA DAAA!




It holds SO much. Like an unbelievable amount. I feel like all my stuff was so crammed into our last space. I feel like I've got some room to grow in here. Not that I need anything else... But you get the idea.
I'm also LOVING that we were able to use my old office cabinets that I love, but wasn't really feeling in the new office space here.

My Hemnes glass door cabinet now works PERFECTLY as purse storage...



The two Hemnes bookcases on either side work perfectly for sweaters, jeans, scarves, anything.

Oh and alllll the shoe storage...



Since there's so much space in the middle of the room, I'm thinking of maybe adding a storage island or something. Not sure yet. But I'll keep you updated!

Who doesn't love a pup in an armoire?

Waylon, stop taking over the post.


Here's a little handy resource list of where other items are from you may be curious about:

Jewelry armoire: Pier 1
Mirrored jewelry box: Z Gallerie
Chandelier: Home Depot
Glass necklace dome: Pottery Barn
White mirror: Target
Vanity: Pier 1
Mannequin: Pottery Barn Teen
Rug: Overstock


   For a FULL TOUR of the entire closet, don't miss my video tour below!
Hope you guys love it :)