Friday Faves Vol. 21

This combo of sequins, fur and sneakers!

This colorful Pyrex collection!

This fun yellow ombre hair!

Friday Faves Vol. 19

 

This amazing sequin biker jacket!

This mouthwatering lemon feta dip!

These adorable nesting doll flats!

BEAUTY: Ombre Lips Tutorial

Because sometimes one lip color just isn't enough.

WHAT YOU NEED

Light to Medium Purple Lipstick {Blackheart Beauty Lipstick in Violet}

Dark Purple Lip Liner or Eyeliner {Jordana Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Purple Fix}

Clear Lip Gloss {Neutrogena Moisturizing Shine Gloss in Clear}

Lip Brush {ELF Retractable Lip Brush}

HOW TO DO IT

First, a lip-related PSA: 

For any bold lip look, I implore you to start by exfoliating your lips. I just rub a wet toothbrush over them. Otherwise, your awesome artwork is overshadowed by dead skin and lumps and we'll have to forever call you "Lumpy Lips" which is just so shameful. 

Thank you, this has been a lip-related PSA.

Start by applying the purple lipstick as you normally would. It's okay if the edges aren't perfect since we'll be messing with them later.

Next, outline your lips generously with the purple eyeliner (or lip liner, if you're lucky enough to have a source for colorful lip liners. If so, WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?!).

Use your lip brush to gently smudge the dark purple liner in toward the lipstick, using short strokes to blend. The goal is to lessen the harshness of the line you originally drew and make the two shades meld together peacefully so that you can't quite tell where one ends and the other begins. Think of this ombre lip as the makeup equivalent of Ice-T and Coco (the people, not the beverages) - you know, seamless, meant to be, etc. etc. 

You could stop here and call it a day (or a night - I'm all about options), and have a softer matte lip look (below), but I'm going to take it one step further because THAT IS WHAT I DO.

I applied a thin coat of clear lip gloss, using the gloss wand to further blend the shades.

Dramatic re-creation. Very pensive.

This version of the final look is a little darker and more blended than without the gloss. Like I said, I'm all about options. This version feels a little more "wearable" than the pre-gloss version, where the ombre is more pronounced, but your version of wearable is obviously up to you. Although, if you're reading a tutorial for a bright purple ombre lip then maybe you also don't care about blending in (unless it is blending in our lipstick in which case we care very much).

Would you wear an ombre lip? Is this just too much work for something that will eventually get lost in a bite of pizza? Are you already plotting other color combinations like I am? Gold and red are calling my name!

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BEAUTY: Ombre Glitter Nails

I have a small collection stable of nail polish, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to my glitter polishes. I don't buy too many, and I try to get versatile or special shades when I do. I picked up a few China Glaze polishes at Sally's recently (BOGO FREE!) and finally indulged in their Fairy Dust glitter, which I'd seen swatched on nail blogs several times and had been on my ongoing mental shopping list. I wanted to try it right away, and was inspired by the great galaxy manicures I've seen around, so I created this ombre purple look with a glitter overlay, which reminds me of deep space skies. Here's how you can get the look:

WHAT I USED

Wet n Wild On a Trip  //  China Glaze VIII  //  China Glaze Fairy Dust  

Seche Vite Top Coat  //  Cosmetic Wedge  //  Tweezers  //  Scissors

HOW TO DO IT

Paint a base coat of the light purple polish (1-2 coats) and let it dry.

Cut up the cosmetic wedge into smaller pieces.

Holding a piece in the tweezers, paint the wedge with the darker purple polish.

Lightly stamp your nail with the wedge to deposit color, going about halfway up the nail.

Add more color at the tips (this area should be the darkest) and repeat on all nails.

When fully dry, paint 2 layers of the glitter polish and top with Seche Vite when finished.

This glitter is some of the best I've ever had! It's hard to capture on camera, but it is super packed with fine holographic sparkles, which create an amazing all over shimmer on your nails. This would go well over any polish and also looks nice on its own when you use 2-3 layers. I love this stuff!

xoxo,
Michelle

ROUNDUP: Week in Photos

I can't believe today is July already - bring on the summer sun! Here's what I've been up to this week:

1. Homemade popsicles with fresh raspberries from the farmers market!

2. Working on new pieces for my shop

3. Got a new overnight bag for vacation later this month

4. Growing scallions from discarded roots is SO EASY! Disregard the red cups... 

5. First attempt at ombre nails...tutorial coming soon!

6. New cotton candy and ice cream hair pieces for either myself or my shop...

7. Treated myself to a Betsey Johnson wallet from T.J. Maxx for surviving a very busy week

 8. My boyfriend just got his very first cell phone - at age 27!

9. This awesome vintage planter is now my coffee table caddy

How is your week going?

xoxo,

Michelle

STYLE: Swimsuit Roundup

I love a good long weekend! It's so warm and sunny today that I can't help but daydream about new summer swimsuits. Here's a roundup of some styles and picks I'm dreaming about:

GINGHAM

Gingham Bikini, Red Gingham Tankini, Gingham One Piece with Shorts 

POLKA DOTS

Blue Polka Dot, Green Polka Dot, Yellow Polka Dot Top & Bottom

NAUTICAL

High Waisted Bikini, Color Block Suit with Skirt, Sailor Suit

OMBRE

Green & Blue Suit, Pink & Orange Suit, Blue Suit

WILD CAT

Leopard & Black One Piece, Retro Leopard Suit, White Cat Suit

BLACK & WHITE

Polka Dot One Piece, Tuxedo Suit, Houndstooth One Piece

What are you looking for in a dream swimsuit?

xoxo,
Michelle