New Phone & Today’s Face

Goodbye Blackberry, hello iPhone – Yesterday, I said goodbye to my Blackberry Curve and decided to join the Apple world. So far, I am happy with my decision, however, I am having a slight problem with FaceTime – the connection drops when I try to do a video call. Hopefully that is an easy fix. As much as I would love to spend the day playing around with my new phone, I should probably tackle the day’s to-do list, or at least put a dent in it, first. Feel free to leave a comment letting me know of any ‘must have’ apps. And if anyone knows how to fix my FaceTime problem, I’d certainly love to hear from you! Any other iPhone advice is also appreciated.

I thought I would do another ‘Today’s Face’ post. If you missed the first one, click here to view it.

Primer – I started with a light application of my DIY primer. If you like DIY beauty products and you have not tried this, I highly recommend it.

Foundation – Cover Girl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation (320). I picked this foundation up after reading a couple of positive reviews about it. One of my favorite liquid foundations is Revlon PhotoReady and I have a tendency to compare new foundations to that one. Compared to Revlon PhotoReady, Cover Girl NatureLuxe is not as heavy and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, I find it takes a while to get use to it.

After applying my foundation I applied a DIY bronzer (not pictured). I will be posting this DIY bronzer to the blog in the future. Be sure to check back for that!

Eyeliner: Maybelline New York Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx. I love this eyeliner but I do find it can be difficult to remove, but then again it is smudge-proof and water-proof. It is also a little heavier than other eyeliners.

Eyeshadow: Expert Wear- Amethyst Smokes by Maybelline New York. I have really been enjoying purples this summer.

Mascara: Cover Girl Professional all-in-one Mascara in ‘Very Black’. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this mascara because of the natural looking results.

Lipstick/Lip Gloss:  I opted to play up my eyes today but I did not want to ignore my lips completely. I am wearing Avon’s Shine Attract Lipstick in Rose Pink (P03). It is quite subtle but provides just enough shine and tint to complete today’s look!

Thank you so much for reading today’s blog post and for checking out the blog. Feel free to comment leaving a link to your most recent “Today’s Face” post!

Marley

Related articles

• Simple, Everyday Makeup Look (fashionfaves44blog.wordpress.com)
• Requested! Vanity Tour: (estycare.wordpress.com)
• An Everyday Summer Makeup Look (bottledhollywood.wordpress.com)

Today’s Favorite Amazon Finds:

• Kate Spade Phone Case for iPhone 4 and 4S
• Sterling Silver Infinity Ring
• Kong Tennis Balls
• Kate: the Biography

Travel Make Up Bag

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I certainly did – I am amazed with the balance of productivity and relaxation I managed to find.

With my week away quickly approaching I have started getting organized. Although I have seen many ‘Travel Make Up Bag’ posts and videos, I don’t think I ever considered doing my own until now. Once the thought crossed my mind I was unable to talk myself out of it. Please remember, I’ve only just started. If it seems like something is missing, it’s probably because it is.

Here’s what I have so far:

 

Maybelline New York Mineral Powder (910- Classic Ivory) Powder Foundation. Did you know that this foundation is preservative, oil, talc and fragrance free? Click here to view or purchase this product from Amazon.

Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara (100- Blackest Black). If your eyes get irritated easily by mascara you may want to give this hypo-allergenic mascara a try. I happily re-purchased this product for the third time while out shopping with a friend a few weeks ago!

Elizabeth Arden Lipstick (“Blush”). This SPF 15 lipstick by Elizabeth Arden is one of my favorites. Don’t worry about the bright pink color, it goes on quite thin and subtle.

Woodland Berry (15) Lipstick by Estèe Lauder.

Magic Mosaic Multi-Colored Custom Bronzer. This was actually a gift and I know very little about it, other than the fact that I love it!

Avon Glimmersticks Eyeliner in Brown Chocolate (G22), Smoky Grey (G05) and Blackest Night (G04). If you read my previous post on Avon Glimmersticks Eyeliner you may remember that the three of these are water-proof. I am hoping for nice weather and plenty of time in and around the pool. Everyone cross their fingers!

EOS Lip Balm – Summer Fruit and Honeysuckle Honeydew. Yes, it’s true – I am still loving EOS products!

Estèe Lauder Blush All Day Natural Cheek Color (16 – Desert).

Avon GlazeWear Shine Lip Gloss – Tickled Pink.

Revlon PhotoReady Liquid Foundation (003 Shell). How could I leave one of my favorite foundations at home?

Avon Mega Impact Eyeshadow – Khaki Crazed and Nude Attitude.

Maybelline New York Amethyst Smokes Eyeshadow Quad.

Cover Girl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation (320). 

I would like to apologize for posting this before I finished packing, but I hope you have enjoyed today’s ‘Travel Make Up Bag’ post. Is this something you would like to see the next time I travel (if so, I promise to wait until I completely packed before posting)?

Thanks for reading!

Marley

PS: What’s the most essential item in your travel make up bag? Have you ever forgotten to pack one of your essentials in your travel make up bag?

Check out these ‘Related Articles’:

• Requested! Vanity Tour: (estycare.wordpress.com)
• What’s in my travel Make-up bag? # Budapest (beautyburgh.com)
• Travel Make-up Bag (abeautyiris.wordpress.com)
• 25 Excuses We All Use For Buying New Beauty Products (beautyhigh.com)
• Travel Amenities for your Carry-On & Weekender Bags (ladyandtherose.wordpress.com)

Today’s Favorite Amazon Finds:

• Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun Lotion
• Zebra & Hot Pink Cosmetic Bag
• Octopus Necklace

Manicure Monday and the Royal Labor

Hello everyone 🙂

I hope you all had a phenomenal weekend and that your Monday is off to a productive start! Perhaps productivity isn’t on today’s agenda. Perhaps you are one of the many people around the world spending the day glued to their phone, computer or television waiting for updates on the royal labor. That’s right, the day so many people have been waiting for has finally arrived – the Duchess of Cambridge is in the hospital and the royal baby is on his or her way. For those of you who are not interested in the royal baby, good luck escaping it. I feel like it is more difficult to escape Tweets, Facebook updates and blog posts about the royal baby than it is to escape a major holiday. However, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and acknowledge the occasion.

Has anyone else read that there are currently a number of nameless babies? I have read at least three newspaper articles that say women have opted not to name their newborns until the name of the newest addition to the royal family has been released. I can understand excitement, but I think this is a bit much!

Don’t worry about missing out on any important information about the royal baby. With the hospital surrounded by the media every possible detail is being reported. Did you know someone just dropped off a laptop?

Are you following the royal baby watch? Leave a comment and let me know.

Now to Manicure Monday:

I am far from gifted when it comes to painting my own nails. For this reason, I rarely do anything but a clear coat. However, I had some extra time and I decided I wanted a bit of a change. I am loving this pink (cotton candy) polish by Avon. In fact, I think I did something terrible – I am really enjoying having my nails painted in general!!

Please let me know if you have suggestions for easy nail design or nail polishes to try!

Thanks for reading. Be sure to check back soon!

Marley

Related articles

• Royal Baby On The Way! Kate Middleton Is In Labor! (radaronline.com)
• Royal Baby: Kate Middleton Enters Hospital in Labor (fox2now.com)
• Royal baby on the way; Catherine enters hospital in labor (cnn.com)
• Royal Baby Watch: Duchess of Cambridge Kate Now in Labor (earlystart.blogs.cnn.com)
• Royal Birth Eminent: Duchess of Cambridge Admitted to Hospital in Labor (guardianlv.com)
• Duchess of Cambridge in Early Stages of Labor (shoppingblog.com)
• Kate Middleton in Labor! (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Kate Middleton: Duchess of Cambridge admitted to hospital in labor (Video) (examiner.com)
• Royal baby: Kate Middleton in early stages of labour (thestar.com)
• Royal baby: Kate Middleton in early stages of labour in hospital (news.stv.tv)

Avon Glimmersticks Eyeliner

Vertigo, Chocolate Pie & Today’s Face

Lately, as a result of an inner ear infection I have been experiencing vertigo. I am doing my best to not complain, but let’s face it, it is not fun. For me, the most difficult part was being told I was not allowed to drive for a few weeks. However, I understand the reasoning behind this – safety first. Last night, while trying to get comfortable in a position that did not trigger ‘the dizzies’ (is that even a word?) I decided more than anything I wanted to make chocolate pie. I had the pie shell (pie crust?) and the chocolate pudding mix, I just hadn’t gotten around to making the pie.

Sometimes I am able to talk myself out of decisions I make while falling asleep. For example, right after deciding to make the chocolate pie I decided to mop the floors -I quickly excused myself from that chore when I woke up this morning.

I am glad I made the chocolate pie this morning. It was nice to switch up my morning routine and it makes my morning sound more productive than it was, especially if I leave out the word chocolate. “By ten o’clock this morning I had the dog walked, laundry started and I made a pie!” – See what I mean? 😉

A DIY Face Mask for Oily Skin

Let’s get straight to today’s DIY face mask:

Ingredients:

• Ripe banana (1)
• Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
• Honey (1 tbsp)
• Dash of sea salt (optional)

Mash the banana in a bowl, then add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of honey. Mix well.

Apply the mixture to your face and allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Sorry for such a quick post. I promise I’ll make it up to you in future blog posts. Does anyone have any suggestions for future blog posts? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

Marley

“Bedhead” Brows

Brow problems? Perhaps you’re waiting for an appointment to get them waxed, and it just can’t come soon enough, or maybe you are busier than ever and haven’t found the time to book an appointment. There’s a chance you’ve over-plucked and you’re worried that if you try to fix them you’ll only make them worse. Or maybe you just have wild brows!

I don’t know what I did to my brows but lately I have been describing them as “bedhead brows” (sorry, no pictures). Since I will be seeing my mother soon I have decided to suffer through whatever is currently going on with my eyebrows – my mother is the ‘Queen of Eyebrows’. Seriously, she set the bar high and nobody else does my eyebrows as well as she does. For now, I have found a quick and easy way to cope with these crazy brows of mine…

…Hair gel! It is as simple as that. I have been using a small amount of hair gel on each brow as part of my morning make up routine. It works like a charm, however, it is a temporary fix, I am still very eager to see my mother.

Before bed, I gently wash the hair gel out of my eyebrows using warm water Dove soap. I say gently because I don’t want to mess up my brows anymore than I already have!

Care to share your brow advice?

Give your lips a little TLC

Are your lips in need of a little TLC? Try one of my favorite lip routines and in a week, enjoy smoother, softer lips.

In my experience, lips seem to get neglected in the summer, and are more of a priority in the winter, especially if you have particularly cold winters! However, I have decided to do this post in the summer. After all, we seem to focus on every other part of our body this time of year.

Start with the lime and honey lip scrub that I previously posted, or any other lip scrub. Each night for a week (or longer – I try to use lip scrub every night), massage your lips for a minute or two using the lip scrub and your finger. Remove the lip scrub – if you’re using the lime and honey lip scrub don’t forget that it is edible, so you’re able to lick it off! After using the lip scrub, apply a layer of lip balm. Lately I have been using a DIY lip balm right before bed. Eventually I will get around to posting a DIY tutorial for it!

As soon as I wake up in the morning I like to apply another layer of lip balm. Try to squeeze a quick application of lip balm into your morning routine. Throughout the day keep your lips moisturized with multiple applications of your favorite lip balm. One of my favorites that I have been using a lot is EOS Sweet Mint.

Check your daily lip routine – do you use a lip product with an SPF? Incorporating this into your lip routine is beneficial, not only for smoother, softer lips, but to avoid the pain of having sun-burnt lips! Ouch.

This lip routine is quick and easy. Don’t stop when the week is up – use regularly to maintain your results!

 

Brighter Nails!

Looking for a quick and easy way to brighten your nails at home? Give this a try!

You will need:

• 1 small cup or container
• 1-2 cotton swabs
• 1 tbsp peroxide
• 2 1/2 tbsp baking soda
• Clear nail polish

Mix the baking soda and peroxide together in your cup or container using a cotton swab. Once it is thoroughly mixed, and has a paste-like consistency, use a cotton swab to apply it liberally to your nails. Let the paste sit on your nails for 5 minutes, then rinse off. Finish by applying your favorite clear polish.

I have also heard fantastic things about soaking your nails in a dish containing warm water, baking soda and peroxide. I haven’t tried this method yet, but I think I will soon.