Hair Fashion Friday - How to Create the Lady Gaga Bow Bun!

Hey beauties!

Here in Rhode Island, the weather has been wicked hot and extremely humid. I love to wear my hair down, but sometimes I just can't handle it and want to get all of my hair out of my face and off my neck. When the weather is this hot, I usually will wear a messy bun. But the other day, I wanted to make the bun a little more special, so I decided to rock the Lady Gaga bow bun! It is super easy to do and it looks really cute and feminine. I had quite a few people ask me how I did this, so I figured I would do a quick tutorial for y'all! :)

What you'll need:

- An elastic the color of your hair
- Bobby pins the color of your hair
- Hairspray

First off, you want to start by gathering all of your hair into a high ponytail. Tie it with the elastic, but instead of pulling all of your hair through on the last turn, only pull half of your hair through and leave it in a loop. Also, make sure you do not pull your hair completely through. You will want to leave a little tail hanging from the loop.

After you have your hair in the loop, you will want to split the loop in half, vertically.

After you have your loop split, take the little tail of hair that is left and pull it straight up.

After you have the tail straight up, you want to take the tail and wrap it between the split that you made.

Secure the tail with a couple bobby pins that are the color of your hair. As you can see in the picture above, my bow loops are a little small, so I just used my fingers to pull them apart and fluff them up a bit. I finished by spraying some hairspray to tame the flyaways and any hair that may be sticking out of the bow.

And, this is the finished look! As you can see, it really is SUPER easy and really cute! If I can do it, anyone can do it. I had posted a picture on a beauty Facebook page, and someone asked me if thin haired people can pull this look off? Just to let y'all know, my hair is super thin and if I was able to achieve this, I think people with any hair texture, thin or thick can. Of course, the thicker your hair the bigger your bow will be.

Would you ever rock this look!? Let me know if you decide to try it! I would love to see some pictures!

Hope you guys are all having an awesome summer!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri

Eep! New True Blood Inspired Makeup and Body Line Coming to HSN...

 Hey Beauties,

This is a real impromptu blog post, but anything that includes True Blood PLUS makeup requires immediate attention!

As I was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook, I noticed HSN had a post about a new True Blopod line that is coming to HSN in early August. I don't know all the details about the new line yet. So I clicked on the link and started reading the article and noticed that Deborah Lippmann will be joining forces with True Blood and HSN to create this line.

The line looks like it will contain six nail polishes, a dark, deep red lipstick, a fragrance called Forsaken, body cream, powder, candles and reed diffusers.

I am most excited for the set that contains the lipstick and one deep blood red nail polish. It will retail for $28 and be available to order exclusively from HSN on August 9, 2012!

 

  
Image from news.instyle.com

 This is the set that I will DEFINITELY be ordering!

  Image from news.instyle.com

I'm not sure if this will be the entire collection, but it is looking like it will be since this was all that was featured on the site.

For more information on the new True Blood collection check out THIS site!

I am so excited, if you couldn't already tell! So will you be purchasing anything from this collection?! True Blood is by far my favorite show, so I can't wait!

Face of the Day, Outfit of the Day, Nail of the Day and Small Beauty Haul! 6.28.2012

Hey beauties!

Two posts in about 24 hrs! Wow, I must be sick. Haha. Well, today I had a loooong doctors appointment, so I decided to dress casual and since it is super hot here now, I wore one of my new summer tops!

I was so excited to wear my new top today. I had it all planned out since last night. Haha. I think I actually did a post on this shirt when I bought it waaaay back in February/March. I have just now wore it and I love it! It is super cute, and actually one of my nurses LOVED it!

 

 In the upper left corner is my eye makeup and lower left is my hair and earrings. I just did a simple pony and pulled my bangs back. 

I got the neon yellow lace top at Forever 21, back in March-ish. It was about $12. The teal tank underneath also came from Forever 21 and was only $2.80. I bought the dark wash, distressed denim shorts also from Forever 21, but they were bought last summer for $19.80. I wore simple white flip flops and my zebra shell earrings that I got when I went to Bermuda.

My makeup started simple, but then kind of intensified after I found a duo that I had for a year but never used because I lost it. Haha. I didn't wear any thing on my face because it was so warm and humid today. I used Too Faced Chocolat Soleil Bronzer all over my face for an instant glow. I used my favorite Mary Lou-Manizer as a cheek highlight as well as used it on my cupid's bow. For the eyes, I used my Loreal Infalliable shadow in Amber Rush, theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer in my inner corner and brow bone highlight and the Loreal HIP Duo in Riotous on the lower lash line and in the outer corner. I kept my lips simple and used a Revlon Gloss in Rose Gold.

 

I am LOVING WnW I Need a Refresh-Mint!

I just picked up the WnW polish today and I heart it! I did two coats of WnW I Need a Refresh-Mint. I probably could have gotten away with doing one thicker coat, because it was pretty opaque after my first application. I added some glitter in Spoiled's Pet My Peacock on my ring finger and thumb. It has pretty gold, teal and purple round glitters in it. I really am enjoying this nail polish and this combo!

I picked up a few items at Walgreen's today, none of which were planned. Lol

After my long doctors appointment, I stopped into Walgreens because I NEED to find the Wet and Wild and Fergie nail polish collection before the 4th of July! I have an awesome mani planned and need one of their new polishes that has star shaped glitters! Unfortunately, my Walgreens did not have them yet and the lady told me to check back on Saturday. Even though I didn't get what I went for, I still browsed the cosmetic isle quickly and saw that they had the new Maybelline BB Cream. I am not a huge fan of the Garnier BB Cream because of the fragrance, so I figured I'd give this a go! I paid just $8 for it, so it wasn't that expensive either. It contains 1oz and the best part is it doesn't have a strong fragrance!!! I will be doing a full review soon on it! I also picked up the Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara. It has gotten a lot of buzz around the YouTube and Facebook community lately, and for only $2.99, I figured I'd pick it up and try it. I tried it this afternoon and so far, it seems ok. I'll let ya know more after I use it a few times! Then, as I was walking to check out, on an end cap, they had WnW nail polishes. They came with a Mega Last color and then the top coat. I've always wanted I Need a Refresh-Mint, but never got it. So, since this came with a top coat, for the same price as just getting one polish ($1.99), I bought it cuz it was like getting the top coat free! So far, I am LOVING the color as you can see from the picture above!! :)

So that is it for now! I may be picking up a few more beauty and clothing items this weekend as I am hitting up Target and Walmart. I'm also going to see Magic Mike tomorrow with a few friends! So excited for that, so I'll be wearing my new BB Cream to test it out!

Have an awesome weekend and try to stay cool!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri :)

My CHEAP Version of Ciate's Caviar Nails...

Hey babes!

I'm so so sorry, but I realized it's been a couple weeks since I last updated this thing. Ugh. Lots has happened. I was in the hospital for a week. I just got out about 4 days ago. This whole Crohn's disease thing is REALLY unpredictable and caused me lots of pain and other unpleasant symptoms, so I headed to the ER and they liked me so much, they kept me for a whole week. Ha! No really, I'm doing a little better now. I'm actually thinking of starting a second blog about my life with Crohn's, so if I do, I will link it here.

Anyways, while I was in the hospital I had a caviar manicure on that I did myself. I really, really like the look of them, but I really, really did not like the price tag of the Ciate Caviar Manicure Set that is sold at Sephora. For about $25 USD, you get one bottle of nail polish and one bottle (the size of the nail polish) filled with microbeads. So yea, $25 for what, beads and one jar of polish? Ummm, nope, I was NOT going to jump on the Ciate trend. So being little Crafty Keri, I decided to search for microbeads somewhere else. Initially I was going to go to Walmart, but I didn't have luck there. Then I went to the Dollar Tree to get some cleaning supplies, and what do you know... I found microbeads!!!! And the best part was, they were a freakin' BUCK! So I went completely wild and bought TWO packages! :)

It literally is the SIMPLEST manicure EVER! If you can pain your nails, you can do the caviar manicure. All you need is a bottle of your favorite nail polish and matching microbeads. If you have those two items, you can achieve the $25 Ciate look and NO ONE will ever know the difference!

 Here I used Spoiled polish in Let's Eat Sushi and yellow and white microbeads from the Dollar Tree. So simple and so cute!

First, you want to take what ever color polish you choose and paint one coat and let it dry completely. Once it is dried, go ahead and paint a second coat that is a tad bit thicker than the first one.

I polished two coats on this nail, now it's ready for the beads.

Immediately after you paint your nail, take a handful of whatever microbeads you are using and pour them onto your wet nail. It will be MUCH easier, if you paint all 10 fingers with the first coat, let them dry and then go back and do the second coat one nail at a time. So paint a thicker second coat, add beads immediately, then proceed to the next nail.

 These are the beads I found at my Dollar Tree. I bought two packs. I used about a bottle and a half for one manicure that I did on all of my fingers. 

After you sprinkle the beads on your nails, you want to press down the beads gently to get them to stick into the second layer of polish you applied. Don't press too hard, just pack 'em in there. Also press along the top of the nails, to make sure there are no microbeads that are hanging off the tips of your nails. After that you can add a top clear coat, but it is totally optional. I personally did at a top coat. But if you do choose to, be careful and use a VERY, VERY thin amount of top coat. If you use too much, it'll settle into the beads and look like a gloppy mess *lesson learned*. Lol :)

So there ya have it! It's seriously, SO simple. I got complimented on it by every single nurse that came in to take my blood pressure and O2. Lol. So save your money and go the budget friendly route and get your beads anywhere BUT Sephora. I'm sorry, I'm a huge fan of Sephora, but to me, this just feels like its ripping people off, when you can get the SAME exact results for a BUCK! Lol!

Okie, enough rambling. Lol. I took some pics over the days I had the mani on to show you the wear of the mani. Overall, I got about 4 days of good wear. My right hand, which I use for everything lost beads a lot quicker than my left hand. Overall, I'm pleased with both the outcome and wear and will definitely be doing these manis again.

 

This is just after applying the caviar manicure.

 

 30 hours after application - still looking great! 

 

 50 hours after applying the mani - few beads fell off, but overall it looks good.

 

 78 hours after the manicure - as you can see my left hand looks good still, with only a few beads missing. But my right hand is a HOT mess. Lol. 

 Overall, I give caviar manis a thumbs up! Have you tried them yet? Will you buy the Ciate set or go a budget friendly route? 

I am planning on doing a really awesome 4th of July mani, so I will post that the weekend after the 4th, so keep a look out for that!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,

Keri :-P

OOTD and FOTD for June 10, 2012!

Hey Babes!

Today was my little nephew's Baptism! I can't believe Preston is already almost 9 months old! Boy, does time really fly by!?! After such a miserable week, weather wise, today turned out to be a beautiful, warm and sunny day. I wanted to break out one of my cute summer dresses, but had a hard time deciding which one, since I have quite a few and love them all. I decided to go with one of my newer dresses. I was happy with my choice because it was really colorful and was a perfect fit for such a great day.

I LOVE one shoulder dresses. I think the cut really flatters me. They are a fun way to show a little skin during the summer months!

I bought this dress at Walmart a few weeks back. I found it in the junior department. Lately, I have been VERY pleased with the clothes that I have found there. I think they are definitely stepping up their game with the quality and appearance of their clothing. I purchased this dress for just $12.88. I paired this dress with a simple pair of black flats, that I also bought at Walmart for just $5. For accessories, I wore my diamond encrusted Mickey Mouse ears necklace and black and white zebra print shell earrings that I bought when I was in Bermuda a few weeks ago.

Since the weather was SO incredibly nice out, I decided to add some bright colors into my makeup. I focused primarily on my eyes and kept the rest of my face pretty neutral.

I really enjoyed creating this look, and I did the eye look with primarily drugstore products!

Even though this look has a lot of bright colors, I still think it can be very wearable if you keep the rest of the face neutral.

 

I achieved this look with primarily drug store products. The Cover Girl trio that I used was not very pigmented and very powdery, but I made it work by using a primer and a white base. Even though these shadows are not the best quality, I still am happy with the way this look came out and I will continue to use this palette because I really am enjoying the bright green that came with it.

Products Used:

Eyes:

- ELF Eyelid Primer in Sheer
- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
- Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin (lid)
- Cover Girl Eye Enhancers Trio in Firecracker (pink- outter v and crease; green- inner corner and lower lash line)
- Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Face:

- Milani Minerals Blush with Brush in Luminous
- theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer

Lips:

- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enuff Buff
- Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait


I hope you guys enjoyed this look and had a great weekend! I can't wait to do more makeup looks that include bright colors!


Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri :-P

True Blood: Sookie Stackhouse Inspired Makeup *May 2012 Collab*

Hey guys!

Sorry I have kind of been MIA. I went on a cruise to Bermuda a couple weeks ago, and then a few days after I got back, I got sick :(
I haven't been feeling good at all. Thankfully, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow. So hopefully, he can get things straightened out and I can get back to feeling well and posting more. I have so much that I want to blog about, especially from my vacation! I took lots of pics and cant wait to post them! :)

If you remember from last month, I did a collab with a bunch of other talented bloggers and Youtubers (links are below). Well, it is time for another collab post, this one is a collab that is inspired by a TV show or TV character. I am really excited to be doing this look. As all of you Trubies know, True Blood is coming back on for the summer in just a few short days! So in honor of the show coming back on, I am going to be doing a makeup look that is inspired by Anna Paquin's character, Sookie Stackhouse! I've used mostly drugstore makeup, so this is SUPER affordable!

My Favorite show! Can't wait for season 5!

Sookie wears very little makeup, but always looks amazing!

If you watch the show, you know Sookie wears very little makeup, but always looks flawless and put together. So, I am going to show you my take on her beautiful, simple, everyday makeup look. I hope you enjoy

I used this pic as my main focus, but pulled inspiration from all the photos I posted!

So, here is my Sookie Stackhouse makeup look! I'll be wearing this when I watch the premiere next week!

Sookie's makeup look is real simple to achieve. I really think anyone could do it!

Sookie is very natural with her makeup. I used the VANITY palette from Wet n Wild and used primarily the two lightest matte colors. I used the darkest matte color to darken the outter v up just a tad. I used the lightest shimmery shade as an inner corner color and a little bit for a brow bone highlight.I think the most prominent makeup on Sookie's eyes is the white eyeliner that is on her lower waterline. That really makes her eyes pop more than they already do. So I tried to make that my focal point.

 This eye makeup could definitely be worn as an every day look.

I stayed really simple on the blush and used a peachy color. Sookies cheek bones are very defined, so I used a matte bronzer to define my cheek bones.

Her lips are pretty much a 'her lips but better color'. They are very natural. If anything, they have a slight berry tint to them. I used my Berry Smoothie Lip Butter from Revlon and made it a little more toned down by adding a nude lip color over top of the Berry Smoothie.

 To give the look a bit of color, you could also add a colored eyeliner to the lower lash line to instantly punch up the look! Oh yea, please don't mind my hair. Lol. I did this look at 2am! Haha!

I hope you liked my Sookie look! I really enjoyed doing this, and may continue doing a True Blood series. We will see where the summer takes me!

Products used-

Eyes:

- ELF Eyelid Primer in Sheer
- Wet n Wild Vanity Palette
-Avon Glimmerstick in Brown Sugar
- ELF Gel Eyeliner in Black
- ELF Studio Eyeliner and Shadow Stick in Pearl/Glow
-Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara

Face:

-  Milani Minerals Blush with Brush in Luminous
- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Lips:

- Revlon's Berry Smoothie Lip Butter
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enuff Buff

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri

*As always, make sure you check out the other talented bloggers and Youtubers who took part in this fun collab! They all came up with amazing looks inspired by television shows and characters! 

Lauren
Yt Channel: Redheadphd
Title: Mad Men's Joan Holloway FOTD
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihymPia7GUw

Kelly
Yt Channel: Kellywolstenhom1
Title: New Girl Zooey D. Look
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDf3NpwmtWM&lc=zlS7hBdKoShoCToDPVzQ5DhBysd...

Natalie
Yt Channel: Purplestars1986
Title: TV Inspired Collab: Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice
Links:
-Yt Video (Tutorial): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEQUDOXs4U4&feature=g-upl
-Blog Post (Pictures): http://purplestarmakeup.blogspot.com/2012/06/tv-inspired-collab-lydia-deetz-f...

Laurie Ann
Yt Channel: Beautymakeupandmore
Title: Nina Dobrev Inspired Look
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym8K0RLjCMU

Emily
Blog: Southern Gorgeous
Title: Glamazon Collab: TV Inspired Makeup Irene Adler
Link: http://southerngorgeous.blogspot.com/2012/05/glamazon-collab-tv-inspired-make...

Maggie
Blog: Vibrancy On a Brush
Title: House M.D.-Inspired Manicure
Link: http://vibrantbrush.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-collab-house-md-inspired-manicur...

Jason
Yt Channel: BeausicBlog
Title: Dianna Agron/Quinn Fabray Glee Season 3 Finale Inspired Makeup
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HsO7v7OQMY&feature=youtu.be

Rock Concert Makeup!

Hey Babes!

Along with all things beauty and style related, music is a HUGE part of my life! It always has been and I am sure it always will be. Rock and metal music has helped me get through tough times in my life, especially when I was going through my diagnosis with Crohn's disease. Anyways, my first 'rock' concert was No Doubt back when I was in junior high school. After that show, I became a concert junkie and went to shows whenever I had free time (and extra money).

My all time favorite concert that I went to was the 2003 Ozzfest. The lineup was insane!!! On the main stage, it included Korn, Manson, Disturbed (my all time favorite!), Chevelle and of course Ozzy. At that time, I wasn't really into makeup all that much. I probably just threw on some blush and lip gloss and called it a day. But, over the years my love for makeup increased, so I had to figure out a makeup look that would work for those intense nights spent at a rock or metal show.

Last Monday, I went to a Korn concert with one of my friends so this was the perfect opportunity to show you how I rock my makeup (no pun intended. Haha!) at shows. It was inside and in a really small venue. Since I figured it was going to be real warm, I definitely did not want to wear a full face of makeup. I wanted to play up my eyes a little, so I started thinking and this is the look that I came up with!

 

Here is what I decided to wear to the Korn show. I decided to keep the makeup light, but still really pretty. I like how the inner corners of my eyes are highlighted and the focus of the look. 

I'm really digging the pop of color on the lower lash line trend!

 

I achieved this look with just 4 different eyeshadows and a jumbo eye pencil! It seriously only took 5 minutes, tops!

Eyes:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion

- theBalm's Nude 'Tude Palette (Stand-Offish, Sultry, Serious and Sassy)

- NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Oyster on lower lash line

- Urban Decay's 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion on water line

- Tarte's Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Face:

- Milani's Blush with Brush in Luminous

- theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer

Lips:

- Milani's Lipstick in Grape-Tini

This look is super simple, but I think it's really pretty and it is appropriate for a concert. It isn't so much that you stand out and look like you don't fit in with the crowd, but it is just enough to make you look polished and put together. 

What is your favorite concert you've been to!? What kind of makeup do you where when you go to a show!? My next show is System of a Down! They are coming in August! 

I will be back from vacation in a few days, and be back to posting regularly sometime in the beginning of the week!

Stay forever beautiful!

Love and hugs,

Keri  :-P

How to Rock Beachy Waves!

Hey Beauty Babes!

My hair is very thin, so I am always looking for ways to make it look fuller and thicker. I love the way my hair looks after I come back from a day at the beach. The salt water does something amazing to my hair - I can't quite explain it, but it makes it soft, wavy, tousled and sexy!

I have been playing around with ways to get my hair to look like I just came back from the beach, and I think I found the perfect technique! The best part is, it is super simple and just takes a couple hair products, elastics and a flat iron!

If you want to found out how I got my hair to look beach sexy, then keep reading!

If you have elastics, a flat iron and a texture cream you can get this fun look!

-After you wash your hair, section it into two parts and braid them from the top to bottom and secure them with an elastic.

 This is not the most flattering pic. Lol. I French braid my hair because French braiding gets the hair up top wavy too. If you don't know how to French braid you can separate your hair into four parts, and do two braids on top and two on the bottom. That will give you the wavy effect up top too. 

-When you wake up, take the elastics out and undo the braids.

This is what your hair will look like after you take your braids out! Scary huh!?! But don't worry, we are going to fix it! :)

-After you take the braids out, grab your flat iron and go over all of your hair with it to ease up the crimps. Don't press to hard and go quickly over your hair. Do not spend too much time in one spot or it will straighten your hair completely. Keep your flat iron moving at all times.  

-After you go over your whole head with your flat iron and achieve your desired look, take a texture cream and use it to smooth out any flyaways or frizz. It will also help to keep the waves in place. I used L'oreal's Out of Bed Texturizer.

And that is it! It is so simple, anyone can do it! I love it because it adds texture to my hair and makes it seem so much fuller! It literally takes less than five minutes to do. If you are short on time, this would be a great look to rock!

 This is the final look! See how soft the waves look!!

 I'm really enjoying this look for the spring and summer! I feel like I just got home from the beach when I wear my hair like this. 

Wavy hair is so in for this season, so let me know if you will be trying this look.

Stay forever beautiful!

Love and hugs,

Keri :-P

My Bridesmaid Hair, Makeup and Mani!

Hey Babes!

As you all know, in September, I was asked to be a bridesmaid in one of my good friend's wedding. Well, her wedding was this past weekend and I took LOTS of pictures to show you my dress, hair and makeup. Of course, I did my makeup myself, and I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out! I toyed with the idea of actually doing my hair by myself. Ultimately, the bride wanted us to get it done professionally, but I couldn't afford (or justify) to spend over $65 to get my hair put in a bun. So after weeks of practice, I decided to do it myself! I really ended up liking the way it turned out.

Friday, the night before the wedding, I painted my nails to match my dress. Luckily, I was able to find a nail polish that matched my dress exactly! Sinful Colors - Cinderella was the exact color of my dress. I added Wet N Wild's Kaleidoscope over top of Cinderella. I absolutely LOVED the outcome!

The top pic is taken without flash and the bottom is with a flash. My bridesmaid dress is the background in the big picture. See how good of a color match my nails are!? I don't think I could have gotten any closer of a match!!

My hair was the next thing that I had to tackle. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't get it to look like I did when I practiced. But luckily, it worked out. I started out by curling all of my hair with my flat iron. I prefer to curl with a flat iron, because I feel like the curls last so much longer. I don't know why, they just do. After I curled my hair, I combed it to the left side and gathered all of my hair into a low, side ponytail with a small elastic. After my hair was in the ponytail, I took the curls, one-by-one, and bobby pinned them up in the shape of a bun. I left a couple strains of hair by my ears down, so I could curl them. Then finished by spraying the crap out of my hair with John Freida Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hair Spray. Let me tell ya, this hair spray is AMAZINGGG!!! My hair did not move and stayed perfect all day and night through, rain, dancing and sweating. Lol. I highly recommend it!

 This is the best pic I have of my hair. I wish I took an up close picture, but I totally forgot. But you can get the idea from this picture. It was super simple to achieve and after curling my hair, it took me about 10 minutes to do. Actually, there was another bridesmaid who had her hair professionally done and it looked kind of like mine, except I did mine myself and saved the crazy amount of money that she ended up paying. 

I tried to keep my makeup simple, because I wanted to rock a brighter lip. I used NYX HD Concealer in Fair and Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation in Fair. I usually never wear foundation, but since this was a special occasion, and I'd be in lots of pictures, I went for it. I wore Too Faced's new Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer all over my face and neck, Miliani's Blush with Brush in Luminous and theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer as a highlight. On my eyes, I used the Naked 2 palette and on my lower lash line, I used Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in Junkie. I didn't have any waterproof mascara, so I just stuck with my Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes and it worked fine - even through tearing up a bit. My lips were definitely my main focus, and I actually got quite a few compliments on the color. I used NYX's Round Lipstick in Margarita, which is a very pretty orangy color and put Revlon's Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef over top. I LOVE that combo! It has definitely been my go to look for the spring!

 My friend Amanda and I. She was a bridesmaid too and also did her own hair and makeup!

Again, I was so busy, I totally forgot to take up close pics of my eye makeup. This is the best one that I have. I'm sorry you can't see my eye makeup all that much. I was pretty happy with the way my makeup came out. I love how the lipstick compliments the dress!

I really liked the style of the dress. I think it flattered everyone in the bridal party. All of the girls have such different body types, that it was hard to find a dress that complimented everyone. I think this dress did a good job with that. I wasn't really a fan of the color. Pale blue is such a hard color for people to pull off. It made us look paler than usual. Even though it wasn't the best color, I think we all rocked it! The necklaces were all handmade by the bride. They were part of our bridesmaids gift. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but I actually think they look really cute with the dress. I think the only way you could pull off a necklace like this would be to wear it with a strapless-type dress. I think if you wore this necklace with a dress that had any sort of straps, it would clash and be too much.

The wedding itself was beautiful and really nice. I am going to add a few more pictures below so you can see just how much fun we all had!

  

  

All of the bridesmaids at the reception! The girl on the left was the one who had her hair similar to mine.

All of us with our bridesmaid bouquets! 

Me and the bride. Jennilee and I have known each other since 5th grade, so for over 20 years! It was pretty cold in the reception hall, so I threw on my cardigan over my dress. Lol

Shannon, Linda and me!

These are my two really good friends. I don't have best friends, because I don't like that label. But, if I did, they would totally be best friend status. Lol

Jade, Amanda and me!

This was at the end of the night, so needless to say, we were all feeling pretty good! Haha!

As you can see, I definitely did enjoy myself! I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures! I am leaving for vacation in three days (Sunday). I am going on a cruise to Bermuda with my nana! I'm wicked excited! I have scheduled two blog posts to be posted while I am gone. I will definitely be updating with lots of outfits and looks of the day when I get back!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,

Keri :-P

Nails of the Day: May 2, 2012

Hey beauty babes!

This post was totally unplanned. I was laying down watching The Real Housewives of Orange County when I suddenly had an urge to paint my nails. I have the rehearsal dinner Thursday for the wedding I am in this weekend, so I wanted to paint my nails to match the dress that I'll be wearing. I am wearing a purple water colored sundress with a purple cashmere DKNY cardigan. I haven't figured out what shoes I'll be wearing yet. The outfit is really cute. I plan on doing an 'Outfit of the Night' post Thursday or Friday to show you the completed look, with hair and makeup.

I knew I wanted to paint my nails purple, so I pulled out all of the purple polishes that I had. I decided to paint my nails with a polish that was new to my collection. My friend, Nichole from Beauty Broadcast, recently sent me a bunch of nail polishes so I decided to use one she sent me. I started off painting my nails with China Glaze - Flying Dragon, which is a neon. After the polish dried, I noticed it was kind of a matte finish, which I liked. Since I was going for more of a shiny finish, I added Sinful Colors - Frenzy over top of Flying Dragon. I'm absolutely LOVING the finished look! It is probably one of my favorite nail looks that I have done in a while.

On the left is China Glaze's Flying Dragon (neon) and on the right is Sinful Color's Frenzy. Both were sent to me by my friend Nichole! :) SC Frenzy was very hard to photograph, but it is a really pretty purple and teal fine glitter.

The pic on the left is with out the glitter. I think both are really pretty. I will definitely be rocking this look a lot in the upcoming months!

I've been really into nail polish lately; well I've always loved it but I've become a lot more into it lately. So I will definitely be doing lots more NOTD posts. 

What are you currently wearing on your nails? What are your favorite polishes for the springtime? 

Stay forever beautiful!

Love and hugs,

Keri :-P

Spring Makeup Collaboration -- Gorgeous Geraniums!!

Hey beauty babes!

I am excited to write this post, as it is my first ever collaboration! The theme for April's collab is spring makeup. So many ideas started going through my head, so it was so hard to decide on a look to do. I decided that I wanted to do an eye look that was inspired by a springtime flower. I took to the web to help narrow down my choices and after looking at hundreds of flowers, I decided that I would model my look after the Geranium - 'Elke' flower that blooms in late spring.

The Geranium 'Elke' flower is present during late spring to mid fall. The white, greens and different shades of pink are the colors that helped me decide to pick this flower as inspiration!

I love doing looks that have color in them. Don't get me wrong, I definitely LOVE my neutrals, but I prefer to jazz up a look with a pop of color! I added some pink shadow and a teal-green liner to add some life to the neutral shadows. On my cheeks, I used a pink blush and a pretty champagne color highlighter. I finished the look with a pinky-purple lipstick that practically matches my natural lip color. I am really pleased with the way this look came out and will definitely be rocking it lots more during the springtime!

 My finished look! I am very pleased with the outcome and got several compliments by family and friends! 

This is how my eye makeup looks with my eye open. Even though it has a couple different colors, I still think it is a very wearable look. 

 Here is a picture of my eye look with my eye closed. I think the colors resemble those in the Geranium. The green liner reminds me of the steams and the lighter and deeper pink on my eye is also present in the flower.

Here is a list of the products I used:

Eyes:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- theBalm's Nude 'Tude Palette (Snobby, Stand-offish, Sultry, Serious)
- Urban Decay's Fun Palette (Woodstock and Uzi)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Junkie (lower lash line)
- Tarte's Light, Camera, Lashes mascara

Face:

- Benefit's Bella Bamba
- theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer
- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Lips:

- Milani Grape-tini

I am also rocking a new hairstyle (review on the product will be coming soon) in the large picture. I hope you enjoy this look. I had a great time creating it! :) 

Make sure you check out the other awesome YouTubers and bloggers that took part in this amazing spring collab! I included all of their info below. Everyone who participated is extremely talented and I promise you wont be disappointed with the springtime looks that they came up with. Every month, myself and the other bloggers and YouTubers below, will be partaking in a monthly featured collab, so make sure you check back often so you don't miss a post!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri :-P

Spring Collab Participants:

- Britney
Blog: The Glam Goddess
Post: http://britters89.blogspot.com/2012/04/glamazon-spring-collab.html

- Amy
Blog: Polish and Such
Post: http://polishandsuch.blogspot.com/2012/04/glamazon-april-collab-spring-splatter.html 

- Laurie Ann
Youtube: Beautymakeupandmore 
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--W19uzdD5k 

- Stephanie Louise
Blog: All things Beautiful
Post: http://stephanielouiseatb.blogspot.com/2012/04/glamazon-spring-2012-collab-coral.html

- Wendy
Blog: LuvLifeBeauty
Post:  http://luvlifebeauty.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/2549/

- Kerrie
Blog: Gorgeous-Glamour
Post:  http://www.gorgeousglamblog.com/#!/2012/04/glamazon-spring-collab.html

- Natalie
Blog: Purplestar Makeup
Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NCu8NGiWbbw
Post: http://purplestarmakeup.blogspot.com/2012/04/playful-pastels-glamazon-spring-collab.html

- Therese
Blog: Animal Friendly Beauty
Post: http://animalfriendlybeauty-therese.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-into-summer-with-bh-cosmetics.html

- Robert
Blog: Makeup Insider
Post: http://www.makeupinsider.net/2012/04/glamazon-collab-spring-inspired-makeup.html

FOTD 4.24.2012, MyGlam Contest and Potential Wedding Updo!!

Hey beauty babes!!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Sunday my friend, Linda, picked me up around 4ish and we went to Target to pick up ingredients to make s'mores. Everybody knows that you can't walk into Target and get just what you went in for. Lol. Besides marshmallows, I ended up purchasing some deodorant, soap and eye makeup remover, (which I ended up getting them all for FREE. I will explain how in the next post), and some real cute animal print socks!! As we were walking past the little girl's section, I spotted this wicked cute shirt. It caught my eye for several different reasons; it was bright pink, it had a cute cupcake on it and the sleeves have shoulder cutouts! I wanted to get it SO bad, but didn't think it would fit. So, me being me, I decided to try the shirt on in the middle of the store. To my surprise, it ended up fitting!! I was excited for two reasons - 1. It was super cute and I wanted it. 2. It was in the little girl's department which means I lost even more weight!! Woot! Go me! Haha!

My super cute shirt! It is from the Disney Jessie Prescott Collection at Target. You can't really see the cutout sleeves that great. I will be doing a haul on all the clothing I bought for my vacation to Bermuda, so I will show them better then.

After I went to Target, I ended up going over my other friends house for our monthly game night. I didn't want to wear too much makeup, since we were just playing board games but I also wanted to look nice and put together. The weather was real dreary and gloomy so I definitely wanted to add some color to my eye look. Here is what I ended up wearing...

I am really loving the neutral eye with a colored liner on the lower lash line. It really adds a little something special to the look! 

Eyes: 

- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- theBalm's Nude 'Tude Palette (Stand-offish, Sultry, Sassy, Schitzo)
- Urban Decay's Naked 2 (Verve, Blackout)
- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Horse Raddish (lower lash line)
- Urban Decay FlipSide (lower lash line)

Face:

- Benefit's Bella Bamba
- theBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer

Lips:

- Burt's Bee Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry

I really liked the way this look came out, so I am going to enter it into MyGlam's latest contest. The contest lasts all month long. All you have to do is upload a picture of your favorite eye look to the MyGlam Facebook page explaining your look and what products you used. You are encouraged to use Urban Decay products and the UD 24/7 liner that came in the April Glam Bag, since the prize is an AMAZING Urban Decay mini vault of their new reformulated eyeshadows. So fingers crossed!!! :)

I know this blog post is a little long, I promise I'm almost done. Before I go, I wanted to post a picture of a hairstyle that I came up with yesterday. I think it came out pretty good, especially since this was the first time that I did it. I think this is going to be the way I wear my hair for the wedding that I am in. It's next weekend, so I still have a little time to play around and to perfect it. The bride made us flowers to put in our hair, so that will dress it up a bit.

This is the low messy side bun that I came up with. I got the idea from a picture I saw of Selena Gomez. She wore this to a red carpet event last year. I couldn't get a pic of the back, but it did look cute. 

So whatcha think!? Do you like the hairstyle!? I think it came out good for a novice. Lol. Do you think it'll look good for a Spring wedding!?

Thanks for reading this long, random post! Lol! Hope y'all have a GREAT week!

Stay forever beautiful!
Love and hugs,
Keri :-P