What A Month!

My Loves!

It has been, as usual, an insane month for me.  Between working my corporate 9-5 job, weekends with Chanel, wedding gigs & short trips with the boyfriend, I have not gotten the chance to update this.  Here's a quick update of what I was up to during my month-long hiatus:

My sister & I took our dog, Toby, to the Rock & Roll LA Doggy Marathon.  How can you resist that face? ;-) 

My boyfriend and I flew up to San Jose for a quick getaway - We watched a couple get engaged at Santana Row and tried what I believe to be the BEST boba I've ever had - If you're ever in the San Jose/Milpitas area, I HIGHLY suggest trying Fantasia!  We had a cup every day... 

Last weekend, we stayed @ The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas - 3 days of soaking in the hot tub, lots of delicious food (Bachi Burger, my love!) and of course, we visited my girlfriend & her adorable newborn right before we left. 

Now that we're all caught up with what I've been up to - Did any of you order from Sephora's Friends & Family and VIB sales?  I was DYING for another Lorac Pro Palette & Shiseido Nourishing Eyelash Base ... but of course, good ol' Sephora was sold out of everything I wanted. 

Did you guys get your Sephora wishlist checked off? 

Halloween Makeup Ideas v.2

My loves,

Since my first Halloween Dia de los Muertos makeup look suggestion was so popular, I have decided to do a second "photo gallery," if you will, of some pretty makeup looks that I think would look amazing for Halloween.  Being the girly girl that I am, I am always looking for a way to be creative yet still look pretty or glam at the same time.

Here are some of my favorite looks, all pulled from Pinterest:

All of these looks are relatively simple to create - I'm always a sucker for glitz & glam, so I am leaning toward doing a pixie or fairy-type look with glitter & sparkles!

Currently Obsessed: Teal Under-eye Liner

Hi Loves! 

I have been so slammed with work and activities that I haven't gotten a chance to share much on this blog lately!  My past weekend was spent in San Jose with the lovely BF.  It was short but sweet and filled with lots of yummy food and drinks (BonChon Chicken & Fantasia, anyone?).

Clients oftentimes ask me what colors (shadows, liners, etc.) would work best for their eye color.  Because I work 9-5 (actually, 7-7...) at a corporate beauty company, I stick to a standard smokey brown eyeshadow look.  Lately, however, I've been obsessed with using jewel-toned eyeliners to line my bottom waterline, like this:

via Pinterest

Obviously, my look is a little more muted for work (sadly, no gold glitter), but the fun thing about this is that you can do your eyeshadow any way you like, really, depending on the day & occasion.  This can work with a subtle brown smokey eye for work or amped up with a dark smokey or glittery shadow for a more dramatic, fun look for a date or girls' night.  

Here's a set of jewel-toned, versatile eyeliners that I'm currently obsessing over: 

Urban Decay, Ocho Loco 2 Set, $59 for a set of 8 full-sized liners - greens, teals, blues, purples, browns & the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used! 

What makeup looks do you guys find that you're doing more often now that Fall is here? 

Which Eyelash Curler is Right for You?

Did you know that not all eyelash curlers are created equal? 

I will FOREVER remember that one fateful day when I got to school one morning in 9th grade and my best friend (at the time) told me that she had literally "cut off" half of her eyelashes while using her older sister's Revlon eyelash curler the night before. 

First of all, I had never used an eyelash curler in my entire life at the time.  Secondly, I was horrified to see that her lashes were, in fact, half the length that they were the day before.  I quickly made a mental note to NEVER buy that eyelash curler for use and later on that night relayed the story to my older sister.  My sister scoffed and gave me one piece of advice that I live by to this very day: 

Shu Ueumura eyelash curlers are your best friend -- that is, if you've got relatively large, double-eyelid, long-ish eyes like me.  

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $20 

Lucky for me, I have a sister who believes in splurging for a good product as long as the product is effective - and believe me, as a 14 year old high schooler, $20 was a huge amount to spend on a contraption that was meant to "open up my eyes" and make me look "more awake."  Ten years later, I am a believer and this is my go-to lash curler of choice.  Imagine my horror when Shu Uermura counters were all shut down in the US - thankfully, Amazon and my lovely best friend who travels to Japan often have kept me well-stocked.

For those of you who have monolid, short, or relatively small eyes, this Shiseido eyelash curler will be your best friend: 

Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19

 What's so different about this eyelash curler, you ask?  The length of the eyelash pad is shorter, which ensures that all lashes will be curled.  The curve is also slightly flatter, which fits smaller eyes better.  This will prevent the seemingly inevitable "pinch" that eyelash curlers give when you're using an eyelash curler that is wrong for your eye shape, so beware, my lovelies!  When in doubt, keep experimenting with different eyelash curlers, but in my experience, these seem to be the best two in the market! 

Halloween Makeup Idea: Dia de Los Muertos

You guys! I'm totally obsessed with this makeup look for Halloween:

Photo credit: Juxtapost.com

This is a Dia de Los Muertos look for Halloween.  Dia de Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where they honor their loved ones who have passed.  All I can say is, the Mexicans sure know how to party and celebrate in style!  I'm absolutely loving this look - glitz and glamour, finished off with a scary vibe... probably the most beautiful "dead & scary" look that one can achieve, if you ask me.

Break out those gems, glue, glitter, Kryolan face paints, Make Up For Ever Flash Palettes, waterproof liquid liners and bright eyeshadows!  It's time for some face decorating ; )  

Make-up Monday

I was so happy to be able to share my love for makeup with my fellow coworkers last Friday!  It's fascinating how much control you have over a makeup look, simply by using lighter vs. darker colors, smoking the eyes out, or even contouring the face.

Joy opted for a natural, office-appropriate look.

Claudia's dramatic, Friday-night-out smokey eye.  I contoured her face with NARS Laguna Bronzer & highlighted with Benefit's High Beam Liquid Highlighter.

2014 Pantone Colors

via Pantone.com

Behold, the 2014 Pantone colors!  I'm sure we all enjoyed having Emerald Green as our 2013 Pantone color of the year, but it's time for us to be on the lookout for these beautiful 2014 colors.  Whether it's makeup or fashion, these colors will be sure to dominate every store, brand, and beauty item.  I can already picture myself rocking a Dazzling Blue-hued eyeliner, paired with a Cayenne-colored lipstick.  Hemlock is my nail polish color of choice.  

Color Ideas:

1. Dazzling Blue: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil, "Abyss" - $19 

2. Cayenne: MAC Mineralize Lipstick, "Style Surge" - $22

Photo credits: NotSoFrivolous.com

3.  Hemlock: Essie, "Turqoise & Caicos" - $8

via TheDailyVarnish.com