February's Birchbox

Well it's month number 2 and I am even more in love with Birchbox! For those of you who don't know what that is it is a monthly beauty subscription...$10 a month gets you a box of beauty treats! This month definitely did not disappoint!

Here is a snapshot of my treats this month!

This arrived last week...talk about a Valentine's Day treat!! I was extra excited this time because my Birchbox had a couple of things that I've been wanting to try specifically! I cannot wait to try those temporary lip tattoos!!! Yep, you heard right ;)

Join me for a quick 5 minute peek into my box...I didn't even open it until I hit "record" on my camera so we could see everything together for the first time ;) hehe...

Brrrr! It is so cold in my house right now...time to curl up with a cup of tea and a magazine I think!

So Cheers to Birchbox, Treats, and Tattoos for your Lips,

Valentine's Day Makeup: Adele's Grammy Red Carpet Look

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! If there ever was a day to feel pretty, today would be the day! Whether you have a hot date, or are going to hang with friends, or if you (like me) are actually going to be sitting at home alone <<insert violin music here>> a good makeup look will make the day and night even more pleasant.

You know what else will make today great? Chocolate! I had the privilege of doing a guest post on a cooking/crafting blog today so you have to go check out my post and tell me what you think! I blogged the recipe to my mom-in-law's chocolate dipped macaroons! Yum-O!

lydiaphotgraphy.com

Don't they look tasty?? Click here to get my recipe or just click on the picture of the macaroons! It's not Valentine's Day without a little chocolate!

So I planned a Valentine's tutorial and then lo and behold Adele's Grammy look was almost it exactly! So I made a few slight changes to match what she did!

Don't you love her? Amazing talent and full of confidence...definitely doesn't fit the normal Hollywood mold! So grab your brushes and red lipstick and settle in for a Valentine's makeup look!

Ok, so if you'd like to do Adele's look from her actual Grammy performance here is what you do:

They built on top of her red carpet look...so do the look in the tutorial, then add additional deep matte bronzer (contour) underneath your cheeks. She appeared to have a soft pink gloss on her lips so opt for that over the red lip. Since she did have a bold matte red lip on the red carpet it is more than likely that her lips had a slight stain when she removed her lipstick and that she put a neutral or clearish gloss on top! Then take a matte black shadow with your crease brush and work the color into your crease and into the outer third of your lid (that "v" area). That's it folks!

Cheers to Valentine's Day, Macaroons, and the lovely Adele,

Beauty Boredom? Ombré Manicure!

I'm sure you've all seen this trend...whether in hair or clothing it's seems that ombré is everywhere!

Well tonight a little bit of boredom forced me to try the trend on my nails! I've definitely seen this done before and always thought it looked lovely but never sat down and tried it...as I was staring at my huge vase of nail polishes (that's how I store mine...how do you store yours?) I realized I had a ton of yellow, coral, and orange polishes...

So I picked the 5 that seemed to show an ombré progression...

And voilá!

I'm quite happy with how it turned out and now wishing I had tried it sooner! It only took me a few minutes and I love that it's a nail trend that takes no skill! Ha ha! As you know, nail polish is one of my biggest beauty loves and it seems new fancy ideas and trends with nails pop up daily! Love that!

So what do you think? Would you give this trend a try?

Cheers to Nail Polish, Ombré, and Boredom fixed by Beauty,

Bombshell Hair: The Perfect Curls!

I spent years curling my hair wrong...ok well maybe not wrong, but in a way that didn't give me the most volume and lasting power for my style! Ashley Bryditzki to the rescue!!!! My hair stylist friend Ashley taught me how to "properly" curl my hair last year and my life is different for it!

Ok I may sound a bit dramatic...but seriously folks, this technique really helped me and I don't know how I went so many years without knowing this!

Side note, I still curl my hair "incorrectly" occasionally (shh! don't tell Ash!) but when I do its intentional because I want a soft natural ended look.

What you will need:

• A 1" to 2" barrelled curling iron (If you have fine thin hair, a smaller barrel iron will be better) Ashley used a 1" barrel curling iron by Hot Tools on me
• Your favorite hairspray...Ash prefers Hard Head by Bed Head
• Optional: shine spray for that extra silky look!

Here is Ashley in action to demo the perfect technique for that bombshell perfectly curled hair! Enjoy!

Cheers to Hairspray, to Curling Irons, and to Bombshell Hair,

Makeup Advice From an Industry Pro!

Today I want you to hear from Jess...no I'm not speaking in the third person...my friend Jess Burden is an amazing makeup artist with over 10 years of experience under her belt! She is a member of Laura Mercier's Northern California Artistry Team, with additional experience in film, theater, and commercial work.

I think a peek into her makeup bag and her beauty routine might do us some good...

You can only pick one beauty product to use for the rest of your life...what is it?: "One beauty product for the rest of my life? I think I'm cheating with this answer...but...bath products. My current obsessions are:
Lush Bath Bombs, fizzy and delicious. For Strange Women Bath Salts, in Lichen. They smell amazing, and are great for soothing sensitive skin. And Laura Mercier Honey Bath, in a Almond Coconut. Very hydrating, and smells like a beach vacation!" (This is one my [Polish and Pout's] FAVORITE scents of all time! It really is like vacation!)

Jess says, "It takes me 30 minutes to get ready, but I prefer to take at least an hour. Making time, to take time for yourself, is essential to feeling beautiful."

Her beauty mantra: " Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it" ~Confucius~

Five Things in her makeup bag:

• Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer "I love the light weight feel, and the finish is beautiful."


• Laura Mercier's Primer "I wear this even when I don't wear makeup."
  


• Wet 'n' Wild lipliner in Chestnut "It's only .99 cents....best contouring pencil ever for nude/ peach/ or deep red lips!"


• For Strange Women Lip embellishments "100% natural, from the ingredients, to the packaging. Great texture, with unique flavors, and completely biodegradable packaging!"


• Shiseido Eyelash Curler "Perfect for all eye shapes, and they sell replacement pads."

Jess' thoughts on makeup routines and how to get your best look possible: "Having a beauty routine, is the quickest way to end up bored, and in a rut. Beauty habits, typically end up bad ones. If you are going to do any kind of grooming, makeup application, or just generally put your best face forward, consider calling it a beauty ritual. A ceremonious occasion, that you perform for yourself, to honor your beauty. Look at it as time you take for yourself. Spend time on your skin, and treat it gently. Get up a little earlier. sit down, somewhere with good lighting, to do your makeup. In the bathroom,rushed, standing under florescent lighting, does not feel pretty."

Final thoughts from Jess, " A woman's confidence in her natural beauty, and how she relates that to her makeup application, will ultimately help, or hinder her. As women, we can become so caught up, in what we see, as flawed aspects of ourselves, physically. Unfortunately, this cause us to use cosmetics as a "mask", which we hide ourselves behind. Looking into a mirror, and seeing what is truly beautiful about one's self, is key to utilizing cosmetics to flawlessly enhance, not hide, ourselves. "

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Cheers to Confidence, Confucius, and Cosmetics,