OOTD - Almost Summer!

 

Normally, after not posting for a long while, it's customary to inform the readers that you are still alive. I, however, happen to be in the midst of studying for finals so if I was to say that I was alive, it might not be entirely true.

Can you ladies believe that summer is almost here?! Flow-y skirts, sunglasses, and button-ups are calling my name!

Sunglasses -- Reflections

White button-up -- Forever 21 (I could live in this thing.)

Polka dot maxi skirt -- Forever 21

Bracelet -- a gift.

Belt -- Delia*s

Shoes -- Reflections

Photo Creds: My lovely father. 

Hope you all hugged your mums today! 

-Valentine

April Favorites

Now that May has officially begun, I'm going to share with you a couple of things that I loved in the month of April.  Sound off in the comments on what your favorites were!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation

        I got this foundation a while ago, and I hated it.  I used it several times and regretted the purchase.  But, as it turns out, I ran out of my favorite at the beginning of April (my Maybelline Dream Liquid).  So I grudgingly pulled this out, and, whaddya know!  I love it.  I use a dense Sigma brush to blend it onto my skin, and sometimes I mix the foundation with my moisturizer if I want lighter, more sheer coverage.

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Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

       I'm pretty much a sucker for anything in the Maybelline Dream line.  But this powder is genuinely fantastic!  I don't love loose powders because they're messy and sometimes build up in all the wrong ways.  So this powder compact is perfect!  I press it onto my eyelids, under-eyes, nose area, and forehead after applying foundation and concealer, because those are the areas where my makeup never wants to stay.  If I do this, my makeup lasts all day.  And it doesn't look cakey, either!

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Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color: in Espresso


       I use this to fill in my eyebrows.  I just take a small angled brush and lightly flick it through my (very dark) brows to fill in sparse areas and enhance the shape.  I love a good strong brow, and this color is perfect for my hair color and skin tone.

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Freeman Facial Peel-Off Mask: Cucumber


       This stuff is where it's at!  I rinse my face with cool water, and pat dry.  Then, I just spread this sticky goop that smells like Heaven all over my face, and wait about 10-15 minutes.  It peels right off!  If you get it in your eyebrows or hairline, it can hurt to peel off, but otherwise it's pretty gentle.  I wouldn't recommend it for really sensitive skin, however.  I always use a heavy moisturizer when I'm done, and then my skin looks really soft and silky.

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Bourjois Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara

       I bought this on a trip and have used it faithfully all throughout the month of April!  I don't think you can buy this in the US, but you may be able to find it on Amazon or EBay.  It lengthens and plumps the lashes without making them clumpy.  I like that it makes my eyelashes look natural, but still full and feminine.  I do not dig the spider lash effect, and this mascara definitely doesn't do that.  (Not going to lie, I totally bought this because the packaging was awesome.)

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I've enjoyed a bunch of other things in the month of April, but these were my stand-out products.  What did YOU love last month?  Do tell.

Love,

Caro
     

DIY: Cheap & Easy Spring Trend Jewelry

Hey, everyone!
Emilyann here, and I'm very excited about the post I have for you all today.  I'm not usually one to follow trends religiously, but there is one trend that caught my eye this season, and that is the neon trend.  Literally everything on the store shelves is neon, and I couldn't be more happy!  One of my favorite fashion eras is the late eighties.  While the nineties influence my style much more, the eighties has that creative pop of color and texture that adds something to any girly outfit.  Neon is a product of the eighties, and I'm happy it's coming back.

Good jewelry can be pretty expensive, and it goes in and out of style faster than you can say Tiffany's.  While most of us succumb to the settlement of Forever21 jewelry and Claire's, I would argue there is a better alternative.  If you've read my posts before, you know I am a huge fan of thrift stores.  I buy in bulk.  It's inexpensive and often extremely rewarding.  I plan on doing a post with some of my best thrifting finds.  Let me know if you're interested in that post.

A lot of the time, the jewelry at thrift stores can be old lady-ish and boring.  But my number one tip for thrifting is to keep an open mind.  Everything has potential.  Including the old lady jewelry at Goodwill.  I went to my favorite thrift store in the town I'm in and got a couple pairs of really big, obnoxious earrings.  Most people would think I was totally crazy.  But my mom gave me a great idea.  In the eighties, she used to buy the one "in" pair of earrings, in white, and then paint them with nail polish to incorporate them into any outfit.  My immediate thought was "neon".

All you'll need for this DIY is:

• Plastic or similarly textured jewelry
• Neon or brightly colored nailpolish
• A paper towel
• Ear piercing cleaner or rubbing alcohol

Firstly, if you bought the earrings from a thriftstore, you need to soak the earrings in some kind of cleaner.  I use the ear cleaner that I got from Claire's when I got my cartilage pierced.  You can also use rubbing alcohol. Once you've thoroughly cleaned the earrings, and the other jewelry, take part of the earring that goes through your ear and hold it up, now you have a good hold for painting it.  Take a neon colored nailpolish, I chose 24/7 by Sinful Colors.  This color is both neon and dries matte.  Make sure to paint in one direction. If it's zigzagged it will look messy. Don't forget to cover the sides.  Once you've painted in one direction, let it dry.  Then paint against the grain. If you painted across, now paint up & down. This will give full coverage and color to the earring.  Let them dry.

If you are using an earring that has a previous color, never fear.  I took this pair of yellow triangle earrings and painted on a base of a light, cool green color by Forever 21.  It's nearly white, so it cancels out the yellow and provides a clean base for the green. If you don't have a color like this, white should work fine.  After letting it dry, go ahead and apply an actual green.  I chose Sally Hansen's Green With Envy.  With this pair of earrings, I decided to use another spring trend- animal print.  I took a paper towel and rolled the earring, still wet, across the towel.  This gave it a snake skin like texture.  You can see the light green and even a bit of the yellow peeking through. I love it.

Do this to any jewelry you want neon and hop on into spring!  This DIY is great because it's incredibly simple, and it's nailpolish, so it comes off!  Just use a cotton ball and nail polish remover and you have your normal jewelry back.  Have a great spring, everyone!

xx,
Emilyann

I don't want to be dramatic or anything but THIS ONE'S A GAME CHANGER

Sup?  It's Caroline.

My hair and I have been at odds for quite sometime.

Remember when I did that hair poll?  Well, ombre hair won.  So I tried and failed twice to get some blonde to stick in my hair.  I have a little bit of ombre action going on but it's not very noticeable.

Suffice it to say, all that coloring has completely destroyed my ends.  I'm also cheap and don't want to pay to get it all cut off, plus, I'm trying to get really long hair.  So I (don't kill me) trimmed my own hair and cleaned up the worst of it.

No I just find that the ends of my hair never look smooth.  They're always frizzy and it was driving me absolutely bananas.

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Fast forward to about two weeks ago.  I was watching a youtube video and this girl (I think it was MissGlamorazzi but I don't have the time to go make sure) was talking about Lush.  I've loved Lush for ages, and have been happy with pretty much everything I've bought from them.

She mentioned their solid shampoos, and my first thought was "Uh. No way."  But she sounded like she loved them.

Fast forward now to this weekend.  I was in Dublin for spring break and I went into a Lush store on Grafton street.  I loved that everything was in English... I'm tired of trying to figure out Lush in French.

I picked up a massage bar that smells like chocolate (I love it, by the way) and then went over to the solid shampoos.  I grabbed "Seanik" because it said it would make my hair soft and shiny, and plus it didn't smell quite as nasty as some of the other ones.  It just has a very light smell that's reminiscent of a trip to the beach.

I brought it back to the hotel and tried it that night.  I figured out that the best way it to "warm" it up by rubbing it on your hand for a few seconds, and then just rubbing it on your scalp.  I did four quick swipes over my hair and then put the bar down, and it lathered unbelievably.  Just a little of this goes a long, long way.

I went to bed with wet hair.  I do it all the time and people need to not judge me, ok? Thanks.

I woke up the next morning and my hair was absolutely crazypants.  I had kinks and waves out the wazoo.  After freaking out momentarily, I brushed it out and BAM.

My hair was silk, beach-wavy, and softer than it's ever been.  My ends were waved in perfectly, and I didn't have any product in my hair but shampoo.


Long story short?  It's a winner, guys.  I think it was about 6 euro 50 cents at Lush in Dublin, but it's more expensive in the US.  But well worth it!  It will last you forever, and it's great for traveling because you don't have to deal with messy liquids and you can put it in your carry-on.

I dig it, guys.  I'm giving it four and a half out of five stars, and that only because the smell isn't all that special.

Here's the link.  Buy it.  Use it.  Love it.

-Caro

FTC business:  I bought it with my own, hard-earned, babysitting money.  The child spit up all down the front of my shirt and yanked out some of my hair, so I think it's worth it.  I was not sent this, and this is an honest review.  I just really like it and want y'all to like it too.

Here's to Spring!

spring break by lilliant

I don't know about you, but I love spring break.  It refreshes us, and pulls us away from winter.  Whether it means going to an exotic location, hanging out with friends and family, or just a much-needed break from school, here are a couple simple ways to celebrate spring.  

1. Wear bright colors: I think we all tend to dress a little drear-ily in the long months of January and February, but it is March now, and colors are much appreciated.  Even if the ground is still covered with snow, there begins to be that feeling of spring, and it's fun to dress like it.  So break out your bright nail polish, colorful shorts (maybe with tights still!) and start thinking spring.

2. Have lunch with a friend: It doesn't take a lot of money or effort to go out, but it is fun.  Call him/her up and go out.  Maybe pick something up from the grocery, and eat at the park.  Have them over and make paninis at home.  Or drive/bike to some remote cafe you've been meaning to try out.  

3.  Stretch your creativity muscles: Maybe that means re-starting your blog, or blogging more often.  Pick up a notebook and pencil from the store and sketch something inspiring every day.  Maybe join in the March Photo a Day Challenge {here} or join in the soon-to-come-April challenge.  Maybe this means literally stretching your muscles and joining a dance class.  Find some way to be creatively productive this month, as the weather gets brighter and cheerier.  


Here's to a bright spring!


Lillian
 

Hair: Long and Healthy How-To

Hey, ladies, Emilyann here!

I'm tuning in for a familiar topic on our blog, how to get healthy hair.  I know a lot of you girls out there are growing out your hair.  It can be frustrating and you often become impatient, am I right?  I'm in the middle of growing out my hair right now, and lately, I have realized that yeah, it's great if my hair is long, but it's more important for my hair to be healthy.  So even if you're not growing your hair out, these tips will help you keep your hair healthy and hydrated.


In the shower....

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As we approach summer, it's extremely important to not dry out your hair.  That's why it's vital to keep your hair hydrated. Even if you have oily hair, apply conditioner. Having greasy hair does not mean you should do everything you can to strip it of it's oil.  Like Caroline said in her last post about oily skin, the same goes for oily hair.  If you strip your hair of all of its nutrients, it will only produce more oil to replace it.  So instead of ignoring conditioner because you think it will add unwanted grease to your hair, only apply conditioner to the ends of your hair. I apply conditioner from my ends, up to about halfway to my head. This keeps all of the hair threatening to break off and split, healthy and hydrated.

Try a deep conditioner.  I love Aussie's three minute miracle. It keeps your hair silky and smooth like no other conditioner I've ever used before. Use this in the shower once a week, and it will heal your hair as well as keep it shiny and smooth.

Switch up shampoos. I literally always buy a different shampoo every time I go to the store to purchase a new one.  Using one shampoo over and over can dull your hair and leave it lifeless and unstimulated.  Keep your follicles guessing.  Every time you change up your routine, it has to adapt. It keeps the hair working and growing. What will also help you is switching up the function of the shampoo you're using.  If you're using one for body boost, next time you buy a shampoo, get one that hydrates your hair, and then the next time get one that enhances color, etc.  Keep it lively and your hair will respond.

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Outside the shower...

Only brush your hair with a wide tooth comb or a boar bristle brush. When your hair is wet, use the comb, and when it is try, use the brush. The boar bristle brush will take all of the nutrients at your roots and disperse them thoughout your hair, whereas a regular brush will only break your ends.

Massage your scalp when you wake up everyday, and before you go to sleep.  This can both rejuvenate your hair and calm you down.  If your hair has been up in a ponytail all day, a nice scalp massage feels so good.  It gets your follicles working and your hair growing.

After every shower, apply a silk oil.  Start at your ends and work your way up to your roots.  This does wonders, I swear by it.  It is literally magic.  Plus it smells delish.  


Tone it down on the heat.  The farther you can go without straightening or curling your hair, (and don't forget blowdrying) the better. The more heat you use, the easier it is to kill the roots and break the ends.  I only use heat about one to two times a week.  Give your hair a break and go natural, put it in a messy braid, or curl it overnight with foam curlers.  All of these are great alternatives to using heat on your hair.  When you must use heat, USE. A. HEAT. PROTECTANT, and keep the temperature low.  I cannot stretch this enough. About two years ago I literally killed my hair's curls because I overlooked this step. Don't let it happen to you.

Don't dye your hair.  This will damage it like crazy.  If you must dye your hair, try a natural dye, like a henna hair dye, which is also a conditional and will actually boost your hair's shine and health.

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Try different hair masks.  You don't even have to go any farther than your kitchen.  You can have a hot oil treatment with a cup of olive oil and a microwave, or an avocado and some egg whites.  The possibilities are endless, just Pinterest natural hair remedies and you're sure to come up with a ton.

Your hair will not grow faster if you trim it often.  This is a myth.  But cutting off your ends when they get too frayed and split, does keep your hair healthier and stronger.  Cut your hair when you feel like it.  It doesn't make it grow any faster.  I personally don't like to cut mine every three months, but do what suits you.

And then there are of course the staples, like drinking a ton of water, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.  We all sort of take these rules as freebees, but if you make a pattern for yourself and stick to it, you will see results.

This has been a pretty long post, but for those of you trying to grow out your hair, it'll be worth it if you try all of these instructions. You will start to see a difference!

xx, 
Emilyann

Foundation Colors

Hola, hola, hola!  It's Caroline again.  This is part two to my answer for Rebekah B.'s question!  She says, in regards to foundation colors:

I'm somewhere in-between fair, and whatever comes next. Is it better to go for one that's a little lighter, or one that's a little darker? I can never use very much face powder to help tone down the shininess of my skin, because I don't really have a color to match. And another problem is, I can't really afford to get an expensive brand that comes in a lot of shades. Do you have any suggestions?

What an excellent question!

I struggle with this myself because I'm ridiculously pale.  It's very hard to find foundations that are light enough for me, and if I do, they're usually too pink toned for me.  Ugh!

We already know that Rebekah has struggles with a bit of oiliness and acne, just like many of us do.  I would actually suggest a liquid foundation, because powder can cling to acne when used on it's own.  Granted, you can use a translucent or sheer powder over the foundation, but it's best to use a water-based, sheer foundation to best even out your skin.  

So here are a couple pointers for choosing a foundation color.

          {1}  When in the store, if there's a tester, swipe a bit of the product onto your jawbone.  If it blends nicely into your face and neck, you're good to go!  You should be any darker or lighter than you were before; it should just disappear into your coloring.  If there's no tester, hold the bottle up to your jawbone and look in a mirror at the color, and ask for a second opinion if possible.  The reason you're putting the product on your jawbone is so that you can tell whether or not the color would leave an dark streak there, even if it might look alright on the other parts of your face, like your cheek or nose.

          {2}  If you're in between colors, like Rebekah, there are a couple things to do.  If you want to buy a more expensive foundation, buy one that's just a little too dark.  Then, when you get home, mix it with your favorite day-time moisturizer!  This makes the foundation last forever, makes it less pigmented, and also makes it lighter coverage.  You can also buy the one lighter than you and the one darker than you and put a dollop of each on the back of your hand and mix them, if it's not too expensive!  Then just apply as usual.  If you feel you must, must, must use powder foundation, buy a shade lighter than you and then just apply a sheer bronzer all over to give it a bit of a darker glow to fit your skin. But liquid will probably work best for you, just not oil-based foundation.

          {3}  Use a light hand.  A lot of times, girls think their foundation isn't the right shade, but really they just have an orange streak because they're not applying properly.  Put a tiny dab on your nose, chin, eyes, cheeks, and forehead, and then blend outwards to the edges of your face.  You get surprisingly good coverage from this.  To set, lightly dust your face with a sheer/translucent powder.

Best of luck!  There are a lot of different facets to this, and everyone is different.  So if you have any specific questions, comment here and I'll respond!  And as always, feel free to email us with any other questions you have. 

Love,

Caro

Oily Skin

Hello, everyone!  It's Caroline.

A nice young lady named Rebekah emailed us this week with a couple of excellent questions, so I thought I'd address them publicly in case any of you have the same issue!  I'm going to do a separate post for each question in case one doesn't apply to everyone.

Her first question had to do with oily skin.

She says:  "I have really greasy and shiny skin, and even though I wash my face a lot, it's still just plain greasy. And that also gives me problems with acne. I have a concealer, and some face powder, but they don't seem to help that much."


This is a great question!


My hormones are just a'-twirlin' because since the last post I wrote on my skin, in which mentioned that it's bone dry, I've become oily.  Now I struggle with oily eyelids, forehead, and chin.  It's a brand new beast, but I'm beginning to best it!

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First of all, when you have oily skin, try not to wash your face a lot.  I would say to wash very gently once or twice a day.  If you wash your skin too much, you will strip the natural oils from your skin, and in turn, your skin will begin to produce more oil to make up for it.  


Now, sometimes the oily skin is just hormonal and hereditary.  But there's still something you can do about it!  But first, be grateful that you've got oily skin, because girls with oily skin get wrinkles at a much slower rate than dry-skinned girls, and plus, you can get that stylish "dewey" look with ease!


Here's the scoop:

     {1} First of all, primer can really make all the difference.  They keep your makeup from sliding around and coming off your face. However, primers can be incredibly costly.  So, however weird this may sound, go to your local drugstore and pick up "milk of magnesium."  Yes, it's a laxative.  But apparently it's used backstage at fashion shows because you can get a lot of it for cheap.  Just apply it to your oiliest areas and let it sit for a minute before you put on your foundation.  If you're willing to shell out the dough, try a primer by Smashbox (They have anti-shine ones) or any sort of mattifying one you find in Sephora.

        {2}  Blot, blot, blot, blot, blot!  Bring blotting papers wherever you go.  It's more sanitary than using a powder puff every time you need to blot off oil, and makes you look less cakey than when you apply a lot of powder.  I really like these ones from Boots.  (But here's a secret.  Stock up on Starbucks napkins! Something about the way their made takes away oil like a charm!)

{3}  Now to cleansing!  This part is very important.  You need to exfoliate two or three times a week.  I suggest a product like this.  Avoid using a washcloth to exfoliate because that can tug at your skin and damage it.  Also, if you're getting acne from your oiliness, use an acne cleanser three times a week.  This particular one you need not use more than that, because it could begin to irritate if used too often.  For the rest of the time, use a very gentle gel cleanser such as this.  Salicylic acid works wonders.

{4}  Do not avoid moisturizer!  You'll be tempted to, but do not.  Not moisturizing your skin can actually contribute to oiliness, because your body tries to make up for it with it's own oil.  However, use a light one like this.

     Now, in regards to the actual makeup you wear, you can still wear foundations!  If you have a lot of acne, though, do not cake it up to cover it because your acne will not heal and will probably get worse.  Try to buy a foundation that's water-based instead of oil-based, and put your concealer on your blemishes before you apply foundation, if you feel you must cover them.  If you have very oily skin, don't touch your face and pin your hair away from your forehead.  Also, give your face a break from makeup as often as possible.

     That's the scoop on dry skin!  It takes a lot of management, but it's easier to get under control than dry skin. Embrace it and tend it and you're good to go!

Love,

Caro

The Reaping.

Grey.

I was re-reading the descriptions of District 12 on order to prepare for my post on Reaping Day fashions there. If I had to summarize it all in one word I think that word would be grey. Everything there seems listless, dull, and without life. Its truly an interesting picture that the author paints considering the capitol is the direct antithesis exploding with color yet they too are in a sense dead to reality. Anyway I promised a fashion post so here we go.

I'm going to attempt to give you some inspiration for a Reaping Day inspired outfit. This would be perfect to wear to a midnight premier perhaps? Or if your like me and simply like dressing up, it could just make your weekday interesting. The key to Reaping Day fashions in District 12 is muted colors. So greys, whites, light blues, and browns. This is the poorest district in the whole country and it shows. No bright colors and frippery here. Plain and slightly old fashion trends are prevalent. So here's what I came up with to try and accomplish the style. I picked flower backgrounds because despite the gloomy surroundings they did still have wildflowers which were obviously precious since so many people are named from them. Oh! and check our my interpretation of Katniss's braided hairstyle. I was rather excited about how it turned out. :)

Reaping Day Fashion
1. Light toned dresses or skirts. (button downs seem to be popular in the film.)
2. Minimal makeup if any just to disguise blemishes and perhaps make the eyes brighter but nothing more.
3. Simple sensible shoes.
4. Braids. And the many rabbit trails they imply. :)

May the odds be ever in your favor. 

Hunger Games- Capitol Makeup

Finally got myself into gear and cranked out this video!  I had it filmed, but the editing is the hardest part.

Sorry for all the delays, y'all!  School.  It's no joke.

So, here we have Capitol makeup!  The people in the Capitol go nuts with their makeup, only caring about the trends and not about being actually, well, attractive.  They wear garish colors and have nutty tattoos.

Naturally, doing this makeup was really fun.  However, removing it was an absolute mess...



And I know.  The thumbnail is super hot.  Don't be jealous.  ;)

Why I post this craziness is beyond me, but I hope you like it!  I think it'd be a fun Halloween makeup or something.  Enjoy!