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