Understanding Makeup Part Two: Lips

I hope you all enjoyed my first Understanding Makepup post!

Tonight's topic is lips. Now, there aren't nearly as many lip cosmetics as there are eye cosmetics. But here are some stuff you may find interesting when dressing up those smackers!

Lip Stick and Lip Gloss
When you want to make your eyes stand out by wearing makeup, you automatically think about what eyeshadow to use, right? Eyeshadows, eyeliners, etc. can help your eyes pop, but did you know that lip stick and lip gloss can also help?

For example, if you have blue eyes like myself, opt for nudes, pinks, and bright reds. For brown eyes, red lipsticks with green, orange, or gold undertones are your bestfriends. And for those green eyes, go for lipsticks that are pink, and ones that have green, red, or brown undertones.

Lip Liners
A must have for all of you lip stick lovers! If you have lips that are a little uneven in one section, a lip liner can save the day. These pencils help fill in those areas, creating fuller looking lips. Also, it stops your lip stick from "bleeding" (moving off of your lips, sort of like smudging on its own... bleh). Try to make sure your liner is close to the shade of lipstick you are using, unless you are going for the "outlined" look, which I personally find a makeup no-no. 

Red Lips

Kim Kardashian

One of the biggest trends out there right now. Red lips give off a bolder, sexier look. I love wearing red lip stick because it makes me look a little older, but not too old.

When wearing a brighter shade of red, try not to over do your eye makeup. The way I see it, it makes you look like a clown. A great combo is a pearl/ beige shadow over your lid, with a simple winged eyeliner to go with your bright red lips.

     
Darker reds are best for night time looks. This is when you can go a bit heavier with your eyeliner and shadows. Try a smokey eye!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! And remember to keep your lips hydrated by applying a good chapstick with SPF so they won't dry out. I apologize for not posting this the day after my eye makeup post, but school does come first. Hopefully I can get up my last Understanding Makeup post (Face) tomorrow!

xx Mandy

Understanding Makeup Part One: Eyes

Earlier, I decided I was going to do an Understanding Makeup section of the blog, made up of three different posts: Eyes, Lips, and Face. For each post, I will talk about what kind of makeup you can use for the certain area, give descriptions of some of the products, the tools used, and some different looks that you might be interested in.

Eyes
Honestly, any kind of eye makeup is my favourite makeup. I love playing up my baby blues and trying out different styles and colours to make them pop [more].

Eye Shadows   
So many colours, so little time- right? I get extremely overwhelmed when I try to decide what colour I should use that day. Do I want to go blue? Maybe bright green? Ugh, this shouldn't be so hard.

Eye shadow is applied all over the eye lid, the crease, and right under the brow. It adds shape, depth, dimmension, and can sometimes create illusions to make your eyes appear a different way than they are. It can come in many different forms, which are the following:

• Sheer- a very faint shadow, comes in pressed form
• Matte- solid colour eye shadow
• Powder- comes in pressed form and is the most common type of eye shadow used
• Liquid- applied with a sponge or brush specifically made for this shadow; comes in matte or shimmer
• Shimmer- has a sparkle or metallic tint to the colour
• Pigment/Loose Powder- applied the same way as powder shadow, but is not pressed
• Baked- pressed; marbleized and baked in an oven; can be used dry or wet
• Cream- creamier than powder; can be shimmery or matte; commonly used as a base on the lid 
• Pencils- cream eye shadow in a pencil form

Pigment/ Loose Eye Shadow

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Eyeliners
Oh, the eyeliner. So bold and so much fun to use. I prefer liner over shadow because it finishes everything off and can make such dramatic looks. But, you can use an eye shadow as a liner, using a liner brush (see Eye Brushes below).

• Liquid- hardest to use; best to buy in pen form because you have more control over them
• Pencil- great for lining your water lines; make sure you have a sharpener for these
• Gel/Cream- a good creamy eye liner is very bold and shows well

 
Eye Brushes
There are so many different eye brushes that you can use when it comes to applying eye shadow.

Liner 

Applies a thin line of colour on the lid and defines the eye; apply right above/on the lashline

 

All Over 

Great for any area of the eye and most types of eye shadow

 

Smudge

Blends colours and expand smudge lines   

 

Crease

Adds colour to the crease; great for smokey eyes

These are just a few of the many brushes used for eye makeup.

Trends

Next time you want to switch up your look, try out these trends!

  Cat's Eye

Often seen on actress Angelina Jolie. While applying eye liner (opt for liquid or gel) on your upper lash line, sweep it out right to where your crease stops (or go farther for a more dramatic look).

Winged Eyeliner

Very similar to the Cat's Eye look, but when you sweep your liner out, bring it up to make a wing. My personal favourite, aswell.

Smokey Eyes

Probably the most popular look of all, not to mention simple. Though it is hard to describe in writing, there are many tutorials on youtube, and it's likely that I will be uploading my own tutorial at some point :) 

Wow, that was a long post. I hope this gives you a bit of an idea of how to use eye makeup. Tomorrow, I will write about how to use lipsticks and how to get that perfect red lipstick look that is in right now. 

xx Mandy

 

Eye Shadow Types:
http://www.examiner.com/article/what-are-the-different-types-of-eyeshadow-eyeshadow-101

All Eye Brushes are from Sephora:
http://www.sephora.com/

In The Know: Street Style

We've all heard of the trend Street Style or Street Fashion, but what exactly is it? 

Street fashion is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the grassroots. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Japenese street fashion sustains multiple simultaneous highly diverse fashion movements at any given time. Mainstream fashion often appropriates street fashion trends as influences. Most major youth subcultures have had an associated street fashion. 
                                                                                                                                      -Wikipedia

I don't know about you, but I am in love with Street Style. As mentioned in my very first blog post, everytime I'm downtown, I get overwhelmed by all the different looks I see. My personal favourite is the hipster look. 

Some other types of Street Style are:

Hippies

Teddy Boys

 Punk- as seen on the well known singer Avril Lavigne

Skinhead

Street Style never looks the same. It is so easy to add your own flare to it and make it an original look, whether it's an accessory, or your shoes. There is something about Street Style that appeals to me more than clothing on the runway.  

 

First [Mini] Haul & New Years Resolutions!

Hey all! It's been a little while since I've written anything because of the time I took off to spend with my family for the holidays. But I'm back and ready to write!

So a few days ago I went with Rachel on the biggest shopping spree we've done so far. I was loaded with money thanks to my many generous relatives, and was ready to buy everything I have been wanting for so long. Now, I have posted a haul video which you can view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4zDSef-R1A

And here are photos of [most] of my purchases!

Forever 21

 (not pictured: Boots & Jewelry)

Shoppers Drug Mart

Chapters

I  am very pleased with everything I bought :) 

Anyways, today is the last day of 2012! Can you believe that? I sure can't. As you get older, time goes by waaay too fast. 

I decided to put together some New Years resolutions that I can hopefully stick to for once. If any of you are wondering how to set some good goals for yourself, here are tips: 

• Make them reasonable and realistic. If you want to lose weight for example, don't try to lose 15 pounds in your first month. You have to face reality and realize that maybe 5 pounds a month is as good as it'll get. 
• Be patient! I have to tell myself this constantly. If you keep expecting something to happen over night, then you're eventually going to get tired of waiting and give up. Take it slow, it'll happen. 
• Work for it. Just because you're wishing for something, doesn't mean you're going to wake up with it. If you want something, you'll have to go out of your way to get it and if you want it bad enough, nothing will stop you. 

With that said, here are my resolutions!

• Keep working out at least 3 times a week
• Study more (mostly for math)
• Get at least 80% on all of my exams
• Find a job (woopie)
• Write at least 5 blog posts per week
• Become a successful beauty blogger :) 

I would love to hear your resolutions! Hope you all have a safe and healthy 2013 filled with love and surprises!

xx Mandy

How to Style: Patterned Pants

One of the latest trends is patterned pants/ leggings. I will tell you the different patterns seen on the streets and how you can style them. Enjoy!

Floral

Definitely my favourite pattern! These pants give off a very girly/ vintage style. Floral pants tend to be set on a lighter background, so you can pair them with a darker or lighter shirt, it doesn't really matter. But if you really want your outfit to look great, opt for a solid colour shirt- matching a shirt with a completely different pattern or even with a floral pattern usually clashes. I love the look of tan coloured boots with these pants, it completes the vintage look!

Aztec/ Tribal

 I own a pair of aztec leggings and they are my favourite! As you can see, there are a lot of different shapes going on in the pattern. Just like the floral pants, you don't want to pair these with a shirt that has either the same or different pattern because they will clash. Plus, the whole point of wearing these babies is to make sure they stand out! My idea of the perfect outfit with these pants is a dark baggy jumper with toms.

Galaxy

Half of the pictures I see on my tumblr dashboard are of girls wearing these pants. I'm so mad everytime I go to a store and cannot find them, so it has become my goal to hunt down the perfect galaxy leggings! The design really gives off this magical/mystical vibe and are extremely hipster. You don't need to wear heavy accessories or anything fancy with these pants, just a simple shirt and some boots are all you need. Although, I do like the look of a large silver chain necklace...

Animal Print 

Here's what not to wear when wearing pants like these: a matching shirt. You don't want to go out look like a cheetah or a zebra, do you? Let me tell you, it isn't a trend now, and I don't see it becoming one any time soon. I love the look of some high heels with these pants, as pictured above. Instead of wearing a baggy jumper like the other patterned pants, I think the best option is to wear a neutral/solid fitted top, long sleeve or short. If you want to include another piece of animal print in the outfit, either wear earrings of a necklace of the same print.

So as you can tell, when wearing patterned pants, your best choices are to stick with simple boots/shoes and a solid top.

xx Mandy  

In the Know: Colour Blocking

I'm sure many of you have heard the term Colour Blocking before, but do you actually know what it means? In this post, I will tell you all about what it is, how you can do it, and why it is trending.

What is Colour Blocking?
Colour Blocking is when you wear 2 or 3 pieces of clothing, one of which is brighter and bolder than the others. Most of the time, they are solid colours, but there are dresses and skirts that colour block on their own. 

How do I Colour Block?
A great tip to figure out how to colour block is to use the colour wheel. First, chose one colour. Then, locate the colour that is the direct opposite of it. The second colour is called the 'direct complimentary colour'. When used incorrectly, the colours clash, but when used correctly, the outfit can be pulled off. This isn't the easiest job in the world, but it is something you can get the hang of. Notice the skirt the model on the far left is wearing; the yellow and dark teal clash, but when paired with the pink cardigan, the outfit is complete.

A Huge Trend Everywhere
Colour blocking has been around for a while, but last year it was a huge trend on the runways. Celebrities also started to colour block while out on the red carpets, giving society a bigger taste of how it's done. This trend is most popular and often seen in the summer. The brighter piece of clothing is best worn in the warmer months because it stands out more, and as I mentioned in my last post, brighter colours reflect the light. The outfits shown above are examples of exaggerated colour blocking, which is usually seen on the runways. Here are some photos of celebrities who have been seen following this trend:

As you can see, their outfits are still bold and noticeable, but a little less abstract than the exaggerated pieces.

Hopefully one day you will try colour blocking, and if you do I would love to see some photos! I apologize about not writing a huge post, but I knew I owe you guys something after not posting for almost a week.

xx Mandy 



Sites:
http://www.jacob.ca/blog/colour-blocking
http://www.polyvore.com/what_exactly_is_color-blocking/advice.show?id=277200

Christmas Cash

If you're like me and you spend money the second you get it, no matter how much or how little you have, then you'd know that saving money is just one of those things that you can never do. Every year around Christmas, I try my hardest to save money, but most of the time I just give up and spend it on something I won't end up using or wearing. What I've decided to do this year, though, is make a list of all the things I can do to save my cash. I figured some of you would want to read them, so here ya go!

Keep the change
Literally- keep the change. Everytime you pay for something using a bill, you're handed back a bunch of coins. Instead of keeping those coins lying around in your purse or wallet or anywhere, keep them in a piggy bank. You may think that you won't get much out of it, but it really adds up in the end. I started keeping my change about a week and a half ago and I'm already at $16. Once they're in the piggy bank, you aren't very tempted to take them out and spend them.

Reward Jar
I have heard of a lot of people who put a dollar in a jar everytime they lose a pound so they can save up for a sort of reward once they reach a certain weight. You can do the exact same thing, even if you aren't losing weight! For instance, everytime you do a chore, put 50 cents into a jar, or everytime you get an A on a test, put a dollar in. Just like the piggy bank, your change will add up in the end. This is also a good way to motivate yourself to do a lot better in things!

Girls Night In
Instead of going out for dinner with your friends and spending a load of money, take it inside! Grab some movies, make some snacks, paint each others nails. This way you can still have fun and not spend a fortune.

Make Your Own Meals
We all have those moments where you're in such a rush that you don't have enough time to make yourself something to eat, so you always end up in the drive thru ordering a burger and some fries. If you know you'll be short in time, prepare ahead. The night before a busy day, make all of your food you'll be eating and store it in the fridge. This way, you can just grab 'n go. It's also a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Set Goals
When you have a goal that you are determined to accomplish, it's much easier for you to save up for it. Put post- it notes wherever you usually keep money to remind you not to spend it if you're looking to buy something pricey.

Budget
Limit yourself to a certain amount of money you want to spend every week. Say you only get $20 a week; only spend $10 of that and put away the other $10 for savings. Also, don't bring all of your money with you when you go out somewhere. If you have a load of money in your wallet, you're much more tempted to spend it.

Coupons
These little babies are amazing to have around. Before buying something, always check to see if there is a coupon you can use to save a couple bucks. If you've ever watched TLC's Extreme Couponers, you'd know that having enough can really help you keep your money in your wallet.  


I hope these tips help you in saving money!

xx Mandy