New Camera!

Hey guys! I am excited to announce that my mom got herself a new camera (for her food blogging purposes). She said I can use it as well! Yay! Here's a few random pics to demonstrate the quality. It's really quite beautiful. The camera is a Sony Nex-3, I believe.

My mess of a makeup set up.

The fake sunflowers on my hutch!

Some school textbooks.

The top of my hutch: earrings and some cute erasers.

Couple side notes if you're interested:

• I really want to have a giveaway soon! I have a couple prizes, but I need more. Also, I need an excuse (ha ha). 50 followers (could do it now), 100 followers (that'll be a while!), 1 year blog-iversary? (That would be April.) 
• I'm getting a haircut after New Years - it'll be my first in over a year! I'm thinking four inches off the bottom and some layers.

All for now! Hope your holidays are going well!

Love, Val

How To: Silver Smokey Eye

Hi guys! Today I have for you my take on the classic silver smokey eye in 6 easy steps. It works great for New Year's, or any other occasion.

1) Prime your lids with a primer, concealer, or base to even out skin tone and keep the shadows lasting. Highlight under the browbone and in the inner corner with a light, shimmery shadow. (Mac Painterly paint pot, light shade from Sephora Smoky eyes kit)

 2) Apply a shimmery silver all over the lid. Take it above the crease, and sweep some under the lower lash line.

3) Take a matte brown into the crease. This will provide some smokiness as well as a gradient into the next step. (matte brown from Revlon Colorstay quad in coffee bean)

4) Apply a matte black into the outer V and on the outer half of the lower lash line. This will give that smokey effect. Blend! (black from Sephora Smoky eyes kit)

5) Give your eyes smokey definition with a black pencil liner. Line the upper and lower lash lines, and your waterline. Use a smudge brush or q-tip to blend and "smoke out." (Sephora eyeliner in black)

6) Curl your lashes and apply your best mascara. Use two or more coats, and be sure to get your lower lashes. Apply false lashes if desired. You don't want your lashes to be overwhelmed by the shadow, so be generous with the mascara! (Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara in black)

Done! Pair it with nude lips, a contoured cheek, and confidence!
All for today! What do you use to create smokey eyes?

Love, Val

PS - This was scheduled for Tuesday, but for some reason it didn't go up. Sorry guys!

Beauty Stocking Suffers

Looking for some quick last-minute gifts? Here's some quick gift ideas in the beauty category. I tried to pick out things every woman would love!

Stila Custom Color Blush, $20; sephora.com
Mac Eyeshadows, $15; nordstrom.com
Diorshow Mascara, $24; nordstrom.com
Nars Dolce Vita Lipstick, $24; barneys.com
Bobbi Brown Lipstick Trio, $40; neimanmarcus.com

Stila Custom Color Blush is an awesome idea; looks hot pink in the pan, but it changes to a customized color once you put it on. The color is supposed to perfectly complement the coloring of the wearer. Cool, huh?

Mac Eyeshadows are relatively inexpensive and of great quality. Every girl needs some. :)

Diorshow Mascara has been very highly rated. While I have never tried it, I'm sure everyone would love  a great new mascara!

Nars Dolce Vita Lipstick is a gorgeous color and has amazing, lightweight formulation. It looks great on everyone.

Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Trio has three beautiful colors to play around with!

Enjoy your holidays! What are you buying for your loved ones this season?

Love, Val

Glowy Holiday Party Makeup

Hey everyone! Today I have for you a glowy, soft and smokey holiday look. Perfect for a party or other formal occasion. Let's get started!

1) Foundation. Be sure to either use longlasting products or set with a powder so your makeup stays all night. (Stila Perfecting Concealer in 'C', gloMinerals Loose Base in Natural Light)

 

2) Start off the eyes with your best base, to create a tacky surface for the shadows. (MAC Painterly Paint Pot)

3) Apply a light, golden color all over the lid and into the crease. (Lancome Suntouched)

4) Apply a matte brown into the outer corner. Work into the crease and sweep some onto the lower lash line. Blend! (Lancome Lézard)

5) Using a pencil liner, line your upper lash line and inner rims for a smokey affect. (Wet N Wild pencil liner in Black)

6) Curl your lashes...

 7) And apply your best mascara! Use false lashes here if you desire; I don't own any. (Lancome Hypnose Drama)

8) For the cheeks, start off with a rosy blush, then apply shimmery highlighter to the tops of the apples. (Nars Dolce Vita, Physician's Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip)

9) Complete the look with a neutral lip! Follow this sequence for your  lipstick: apply, blot, apply, blot, apply. This will create a long-lasting "stain" on your lips. (L'Oreal Lipstick in Gilded Pink)

10) Done!

Enjoy your holiday parties, everyone! What do you think of the look?

Love, Val

Hypnose Drama Insanity + Ramble

  Hi girls! As you probably have noticed by now... I changed my blog background! The old template was getting incredibly glitchy and annoying, so I had to switch. What do you think? Did you like the old one better? Any changes you recommend?

  On to our main topic of conversation: Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara. Now, I am not kidding when I say it is crazy. It makes my eyelashes look completely fake. Insane! Unfortunately the good camera is unavailable at the moment, so I apologize for the poor quality. But you'll just have to trust me on this one.

One quick coat of Hypnose Drama vs. bare lashes

Zoom in of right eye

Zoom in of left

  It multiplies, thickens, and lifts like no other mascara I've tried before. Definitely a must-try. However, I don't know if I would buy it; mine was a mini I got for a free gift with purchase. It's definitely not an everyday mascara - save this one for events only!

  In other Lancome news - I'll be using a Lancome Duo for a holiday look soon. Here's a sneak peek!

Okay, all for now. See you all soon!

Love, Val

P.S. My mom is upgrading her camera - in a couple weeks or so, you can look forward to much better quality pictures. No more webcam pics, hopefully! :)

What I've Been Loving

Hey girls! This was going to be a November Faves, but now we're a week into December. So here's my "What I've Been Loving" post :)

Face
My new foundation routine (pictured) consists of Stila Perfecting Concealer in 'C' on blemishes and undereyes, then a quick dusting of gloMinerals Loose Base in 'Natural Light.' Effortless, and very natural looking. I like how it feels like I don't have makeup on!

Eyes
I've been wearing plum/mauve tones on my eyes recently (I've been told that it brings out my coloring). First, I lightly sweep gloMinerals eyeshadow in Blackberry up to the crease, then follow up with a coat of Benefit Bad Gal Plum mini mascara.

Lip/Cheek
I am in love with Benefit's BeneTint; it's a beautiful liquid cheek color in a rosy shade, great for a "caught in a snowstorm" flush. I've been wearing it on the cheeks, and then applying just a bit to the lips for a slight stain.
In other lip news, I've slowly worked lip glosses back into my makeup routine! Pictured are Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing gloss in Raspberry, Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink Pop, and Nars Turkish Delight - but I love a lot of glosses.  :)

Hair
I've been doing a super-lazy style a lot recently: quick low bun with my hair parted on the side, but to add some flair I braid two tiny sections beforehand. I think it makes it look a little more deliberate, no?

Random

Nutella Hot Chocolate is delicious! (I learned from the lovely missglamorazzi's video recipe.) Basically, you heat up 1 cup of milk on the stove and whisk in 2 T Nutella spread. Now, you may think this would lead to an overly sweet, cheap tasting hot chocolate, but it doesn't! The result is delicious; somehow it ends up with a very sophisticated nutty taste. Mmm. I have literally been having one a day.

 All for now! What have you been loving?

Love, Val

Tank Tops in December

Hey bloggers! This morning, I realized a common fashion dilemma of mine. I buy cute colorful tank tops all summer, and then have nothing to do with them come fall. Well, a solution is here, dear readers. (Thanks, Polyvore!) I also added a makeup look that matched the particular outfit I put together - your own makeup is up to you, of course.

Fashion
Pair your tank top with some dark-wash jeans. Then, using colors from your tank's color scheme as inspiration, add a warm coat, shoes, and a purse. Try to use colors that are similar to, but not exactly, the ones used in your top - more saturated colors will keep the look from being too summery.

Makeup
Keep the look light, breezy, and neutral. Start off with soft, neutral eyeshadows and lengthening mascara; add a cool-toned blush for a hint of winter; and finish with the lip color of your choice.

Featured:
Dark pink crop hooded jacket, $65 - debenhams.com
J Brand Bailey mid-rise bootcut jeans, $180 - net-a-porter.com
Nomad Footwear Women's Satin Ballet Flat, $22 - endless.com
Marc Jacobs Small Single quilted leather bag, $525 - net-a-porter.com
vintage garden racerback tank, $30 - shopruche.com

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Featured:
Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Brick Compact, $38 - barneys.com
Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion, $28 - sephora.com
Yves Saint Laurent 'Rouge Pure Shine' Sheer Lipstick, $30 - nordstrom.com
NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara - Black, $25 - barneys.com

Hope you enjoyed! Enjoy a lovely Friday. What's your common fashion dilemma?

Love, Val