Confetti Nails 
I hope y’all had an absolutely wonderful holiday season!!! Happy 2013! I have been horribly absent from my blog the past few weeks 
I fully intended to do some great holiday makeup posts and then life happened–I know holidays in general are hectic and this one was no different-I just couldn’t pull myself away from all the family fun this year! But now I am back-and I will make up for it!
I had a lot of fun with my nails this season because I wanted something extra special for New Years so I created my “confetti nails”. Even though I did these for the holiday season, I will be wearing them over and over because we all know how I feel about glitter. Here is what you need:
Sally Hansen “In the Spotlight”, Essie “Bobbing for Baubles”, NYC “Party of Five Glitters”
and here is what you get:
Wohooo! Party on your nails right? I should note that there are glitter nail polishes that contain multiple types of glitter but they are generally more expensive than my two that I like to use separately on occasion…this way you can just layer them and get the same fun effect!
Erin
My favorite highlighter
I have done tons of tutorials on here and I have realized that rarely ever talk about the actual highlighter that I use on all of my eye looks. While there are a couple from MAC that I love, Crystal Avalanche is by far my favorite for fair to medium skin tones. It is the perfect shade of creamy white with just the right amount of shimmer. Here is mine:
See how it is half empty? Yea…that’s how much I love it. It.is.the.best. Now, it is a pretty light highlighter and it may be too light for those of you so I say go to the store and swatch it so you can see it against your skin and then you can go from there (I will post some of my other favorite highlighters that are darker soon!).
Erin
Holiday gift-DIY Scrub
Have y’all gotten all of your shopping done?…I am still seriously behind but I wanted to share this great gift idea for a DIY body scrub that was inspired by a reader who emailed me wanting a DIY beauty treatment that she could give as a gift! These are so easy to make, are cost effective and have so many different options for different scents! Here is what you need:
1. Some Demerara Sugar
I picked mine up at Wal-Mart for about $4. You can also use coarse salt if you choose! I think you could make a gorgeous looking scrub with some pink Himalayan salt 
2. An Essential Oil
As you can see, I went with Eucalyptus. I would not choose Eucalyptus for gift-giving unless someone just happens to be particularly fond of it. I just happened to have a bottle out because I am the wife that makes her husband sit in a steamy shower filled with eucalyptus when he is sick. I care people, I care. Anyway, go to your local health food store or GNC and you will find every scent you could possibly want. I love scents like lavender and rose for scrubs.
3. A Carrier Oil-(not pictured)
You can use whatever oil you like– I wouldn’t hesitate to use olive oil, grape seed oil, almond oil…..any oil you love! However, I used baby oil for this on just in case you were wondering.
Step 1:
Pour some of your sugar or salt into a little bell/mason/knox jar/any container you like. I just prefer glass-classes things up a bit
Step 2:
Pour in some oil and a couple drops of essential oil. Mix it up:
Step 3:
Repeat the process by adding in more salt/sugar and then more carrier oil/essential oil. I can’t give exact measurements because a lot of it depends on your taste. After the picture below, I went to test my scrub and decided to add more oil. I like mine extra saturated because your oil will kind of settle at the bottom sometimes …and I like a lot of oil in general.
Now, once you have the right ratio (you really can’t go wrong here), package your scrub for gift giving!
Cute and gift-worthy right? To get the cuteness, and the customization, I headed over to the DIY network’s website . My friend Kori Clark from Paper and Pigtails has created the cuuuutest customizable and printable gift tags for them this year! After using them for my own gifts, I remembered that there were circle ones that would work perfectly for this!!! All you have to do is type in what you want them to say and then print them off. I cut my circle out and then glued it to the top of the jar…..and voila!-You have something customized and worthy of gift giving. The custom printables really add some flare to this project…I even added a bow for some oomph because I was feeling particularly crafty and festive-lucky you. Something else that would really add to this gift is a little stirrer attached to the bow-Just a thought Hope y’all find this useful this holiday season!!!
Erin
Ardell “Double Up” lashes
The holidays are going to be here soon!!! That means….holiday parties! If you want a little extra va-va-voom for whatever party you are attending this year, I have something for you! Last week I did a tutorial using my Bare Escentuals eyeshadow and these incredible lashes that I said I would talk about further…well here they are:
Now, when I first saw these, I knew I wanted them. But they were around $6 and I thought “I’ll get them for the blog when I have an event to wear them to” Lo and behold, I stopped by Walgreens the other day and they were on clearance for around $2! –Just this style though so don’t get too excited! Anyway, this is what they look like on:
Gah! Aren’t they awesome?? I am in loooove with them and will definitely be buying more..no matter what the price. I am also going to introduce them to some bold brides who love big lashes–they will be perfect for someones wedding day!
Erin
Subtle green
I have been meaning to use this eyeshadow for soooo long and just haven’t had the chance until now! I purchased it sometime last year right when Bare Escentuals started offering their new dual pressed eyeshadows because:
1. I was intrigued by the new shadows
and
2. I couldn’t pass up this gorgeous green color…even though I very, very rarely use greens on myself.
I paired this shadow with MAC’s Carbon to get a smokey, night appropriate look….but you can use lighter colors and/or the highlight provided in the pair for a great daytime look!
Products Used:
MAC Eyeshadows in “All That Glitters” and “Carbon”, Bare Escentuals “The Scenic Route” Palette using color “Spectacular”, Revlon Lipstick in “Soft Nude”, Not Pictured: MAC Paint Pot, Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner.
PREP:
Apply concealer all over the eyelid up to the brow, all around the eye and underneath the eye. Set with powder. Apply your eyeshadow primer. I used MAC’s Paint Pot in “Soft Ochre”.
Step 1:
Using a stiff brush, apply “Spectacular” to the front half of the eye. It should look something like this:
Step 2:
Using a stiff brush, apply “Carbon” to the outer half of the eye. I carried this color a bit further up past the crease but way before hitting the brow bone. It should look something like this:
Step 3:
Using a stiff brush, apply “All That Glitters” above both “Carbon” and “Spectacular”…we are putting this there so that we have something to blend those dark colors into. Using a bullet brush, apply “Carbon” to the outer half of the lower lashline. Wipe off your bullet brush and apply “Spectacular” to the front half of the lower lashline. It should look something like this:
Step 4:
Using your fluffy brush, blend blend blend your “Carbon” out a bit. Then blend it back and forth a bit into the “Spectacular”. Blend your “Carbon” and “Spectacular” up a bit into your “All That Glitters”. Using a stiff fluffy, apply your highlight color and blend it out a bit. Apply your false eyelashes. Go over any excess glue with gel liner. Line your waterline with gel liner and smudge any remainder into your lower lashline. Your final product should look something like this:
and this:
I just love how pretty and subtle “Spectacular” is…and mixed with “Carbon” it becomes a glamorous look. I used Revlon’s “Soft Nude” lipstick because I wanted to keep the eyes the focal point. I have said it before and I will say it again–it is an awesome drugstore lipstick! Oh, and those lashes??–They are my new favorite-with a post to come on them soon! I hope y’all found this look as lovely as I did!
Erin
