The 5 Rules of Shopping

The two most recurring events that happen to me involving shopping are leaving the mall with nothing and leaving the mall with everything. When both things occur, I probably had no idea what I wanted. I'm going on vacation in about a week, and I know I'm in need of a shopping trip so I can refresh my wardrobe for summer. I want to avoid my usual outcomes of shopping, so I have put together a few rules for me to go by while I'm shopping. I hope these will help you guys the next time you shop as well!

1. Set a budget before you go shopping
To avoid leaving the mall with everything, set a budget. This will help you to make rational decisions while you shop. For example, if you set a budget of 100 dollars and you see a dress that's 80 dollars, you'll have to really think about how much you want the dress. To tell you the truth, I am absolutely terrible at this rule.

2. Create goals and guidelines of what you want to buy
I've realized that I do this rule subconsciously and I don't know if that's a good thing. I'll catch myself daydreaming up the perfect outfits and all of the clothes that I want. I think this is a really important thing to do before you do go shopping, though, because then you'll be shopping with a purpose. Instead of aimlessly roaming around the mall, you'll be on a mission to find the best gladiator sandals (for the record, I hate the name "gladiator sandal", it's historically inaccurate- Tim Gunn said so). Creating guidelines regarding the things you want to buy will allow you to shop happily and come home happy with the things you have bought.

3. Balance the amount of staple items and statement items you buy
I define staple items as items you can use in many years to come, or in other words, timeless clothing pieces. I define statement items as items that will most likely only be popular for a season, trendy pieces. In order to save money and be able to make the most out of the clothes you buy, think about the ratio of staple and statement pieces you have. Then, when you shop, you can keep or create a balance of timeless and trendy clothes.

4. Check quality of clothing
If you are going to splurge on something, make sure whatever you're buying is worth it. Sometimes big name companies like to raise their prices because of their brand, not the cost of production and material. When you're about to buy something, read the material labels on the tag and check the quality of the seaming.

5. Only buy things you're in love with
To me, this is the most important rule. If you find that you're trying to convince yourself that you'll wear something, don't buy it. In a few days when you look at what you bought, you'll most likely regret it. From personal experience, the things that I have to convince myself to buy are the things that I never wear. Only buying things that you love will guarantee that you will get the most wear possible out of a piece.

Thanks for reading! I hope these rules will keep you on track when you go shopping and will help you stock your closet well.

Have a great day!

Emily 

My Everyday Makeup

Hey! I don't know about you, but my motivation to get out of bed in the morning is the thought of doing my makeup. When I do wake up, though, my mind is all over the place. So, I have created an everyday makeup routine that I don't even have to think about in the morning!

I start my routine by taking off all of the dirt off my face using Simple Micellar Water. This is the perfect base for me to start my skincare and makeup routine because it cleans and clarifies my skin.

Next, I use an Aloe Vera Mist. I love using this because it is natural and it works really well with the next step in my routine.

My Jojoba oil moisturizes my face  and blends really nicely with my aloe vera spray. It moisturizes my skin throughout the day and it allows my foundation and concealer to blend well with my skin. It's organic, so I imagine it as a barrier between my face and my makeup(even though it probably isn't).

I've talked about my Simple sunscreen before, but I can't get over how much I love it! I think it is so important to protect your skin from the sun and I think this product is the best way for me to do that. I love the texture of this sunscreen and it has never broken me out. I think of it as my transition between skin care and makeup.

My first step in my actual makeup routine is to conceal my undereye circles with the Tarte Colored Clay CC Undereye Corrector. I love this concealer because it has a pinky undertone, which perfectly cancels out the color of my undereye circles. I simply apply it to the inner and outer corners of my eyes and blend with my fingers.

After covering up the fact that I watch Nexflix well into the early morning, I even out the rest of my face with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. I love this foundation because of its liquid-but-not-too-liquid texture and how I can build the coverage up or keep the coverage sheer. I dot this foundation all over my face, then use my beloved Beauty Blender to blend my foundation into my skin.

I set my concealer and foundation with Nars translucent powder with the kabuki brush from an Eco tools brush set. I sweep this over my T zone and under my eyes.

I allow all of my complexion stuff to set and move onto my eyes. I start by priming them with the Urban Decay primer potion in the color sin. I love this stuff so much, that I already have a backup prepared for when the one I'm using now runs out. This acts as an awesome base color for my eye shadows, helps them to show up better, and helps them last longer. It even matches my nails!

After priming my eyes, I sweep Stila eye shadow in Kitten all over my eyelids. I love this color because its shimmery, but its still low-key. I use the base shadow brush from my Real Techniques Brush Set to distribute this on my eyelids.

Some mornings I skip this step, but if I'm feeling a bit sassy, I add the color "trick" from my Naked 3 palette to the outer corner of my eyelids. I use the crease/contouring brush from the same Real Techniques set to apply this.

After applying "trick," I blend it with my MAC 224 blending brush. I don't know what I would do without this brush, it makes my eye shadow look perfectly melted together, no matter how insanely I apply my eye shadow.

Next is my favorite step of my routine, mascara. I use the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (yikes!!), but I love it. This mascara makes my eyelashes look longer and thicker. I love mascaras that emphasize my eyelashes but keep each individual eyelash separated and this mascara does just that. I apply two coats to my top and lower lashes.

After I put on my mascara, I go back to my face products. I use Benefit's Hoola Bronzer to warm up my face. I've been using a sample size of this, but I just ordered the Nars Laguna bronzer, so I'm very pumped about that. Anyway, I apply bronzer in a 3 shape to my forehead, temples, and cheeks. Also, I apply it on my neckline. I use the Sephora Bronzer Brush(#46) to do this.

After warming up my face, I apply the blush from my Naked Flushed Palette in the color streak. I apply this to the apples of my cheeks and up my cheekbones. I do so with my Sonia Kashuk No. 16 brush. This blush is perfect for summer because it makes your cheeks look peachy flushed.

To give my face some summer shimmer, I apply the highlighter from my Naked Flushed palette. I use the dome shaped brush from my Eco tools brush set to apply highlighter in a C shape from the end of my eyebrows to the top of my cheekbones. I also apply highlighter to the inner corners of my eyes and my cupid's bow.

After highlighter, I shape my eyebrows with the Maybelline Brow Gel. I simply brush this up the base of my brows and down the tail of my brows and I'm done!

After completing all of my face things, I move back to my eyes. I do this so my mascara can dry to avoid my lashes clumping together. I use the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner to draw a thin line close to my lash line. I absolutely adore this eyeliner. Unlike other liquid liners, this eyeliner has many tiny brushes to prevent a dull tip. Also, this liner is super black and stays on all day.

Moving on to lips, I use the Rimmel lipliner in Eastend Snob. I love this color so much- its the perfect pinky-nude that enhances the natural color of my lips. I outline my lips and then fill them in.

To finish off my makeup, I apply some Carmex lip balm on top of my lipliner. I find it melts the color into my lips and moisturizes them throughout the day.

And that's all! I absolutely love this makeup routine (since I use it everyday, I guess it's pretty obvious that I love it!) Thanks for reading!

Have a great day!

Emily

 

DIY Coffee Sugar Scrub

Summer is one of my favorite times of year because I can wear adorable shorts, swim in the pool, and go to the beach. Summer is also a frustrating time of the year because all of the things I love doing during this time require me to shave my legs. I spend time in the shower shaving, but my legs aren't perfectly smooth. Luckily, I have found a solution to my problem, so I can spend my summer days with the smoothest and silkiest legs possible. My solution: Exfoliating my legs. I have found the best way to do this is to use sugar scrubs, and since I basically live off of coffee, I have found a way to combine my favorite drink with my favorite DIY.

What you'll need:

• Medium bowl
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• Approximately ½ a cup of ground coffee
• About 1- 1 ½ cups of canola and coconut oil blend or olive oil

What to do:

1. Pour in about ½  a cup of ground coffee (I just pour in enough to give my scrub a coffee scent)
2. Pour both types of sugars into a medium bowl and mix them together
3. Pour in olive oil or canola and coconut oil into the mixture until you get the desired consistency of your scrub

That's all! This recipe makes about 3 small mason jars-worth of  the scrub. I love this recipe because it doesn't take long and it works amazingly! I usually use it once a week on my legs, and if I have a special event I use the scrub in the shower and then moisturize my legs with lotion to make my legs super silky and smooth. I hope you enjoy this scrub as much as I do!

Have a great day!

Emily

"Rainy" Day Outfit

When I checked the weather last night, I was so excited because there was a chance of rain today. Rainy days are my favorite types of days, not for the usual reasons, though. I love rainy days because I get to wear my rain boots. I love stomping in puddles and not getting my feet wet; rain boots allow me to act like a four year old- and I love it! To my disappointment, there were no gray clouds above my head today. Even so, I refused to let the absence of dark clouds and puddles rain on my parade! I set out in my beloved rain boots and had a wonderful time. Here are my pictures to prove it:

Hat: Vineyard Vines (similar)

Necklace: Kendra Scott

Dress: BCBGeneration (Similar- 1, 2, 3)

Rain boots: Dirty Laundry

Lipstick: MAC Cosmetics- Lickable

Lip gloss: Maybelline- Fuchsia Flourish

Have a great day!

Emily

Top 10 Summer Beauty Products

Hi! Deep in the heart of Texas, the weather has changed from warm to steaming. Because of this, I've swapped my heavier winter makeup for some lighter and brighter makeup. I've collected my favorite finds for summer in regards to makeup. So, without further ado, here are my top ten summer beauty products!

Number One: Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer

This Simple sunscreen is simply amazing! In the past, other sunscreens I tried have caused me some crazy breakouts and made me quite oily. I've been using this sunscreen for a few months and have been nothing but happy with it. I use this sunscreen every day before I put on any foundation. I think of it as a clean slate that also protects my face from the sun.





Number Two: Urban Decay Naked Skin

This foundation is easily blend-able, easily build-able, and easily my favorite summer foundation. I use the color 4.0 and while trying to find my match in Sephora, I noticed that the ".0" colors lean more to the warmer side, and the ".5" colors are more cool and pink-toned. This foundation makes your skin look perfectly "Naked" and can be easily applied with my next summer favorite.




Number 3: Beauty Blender

You can tell from the picture that my Beauty Blender has definitely seen better days. Nonetheless, it still compliments any foundation and/or concealer by giving any face a flawless airbrushed look. Take my word for it, this tiny pink sponge will change your life. If you want your foundation and concealer to look amazing, simply wet your Blender and blend away!





Number 4: Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette

This face palette includes a bronzer, blush, and highlighter. It is the perfect little palette to bring along on vacation because it has three products in one rectangle. Even when you aren't on vacation, this palette will give your face a sun kissed glow and pretty rosy cheeks.








Number 5: Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion

Can you tell I love Urban Decay? Even in the hottest, most humid days of the year, this primer has your back (and your eyelids). This primer can stand alone and give your makeup a subtle shimmer, or it can act as the fearless base in any eye shadow look. My favorite way to use it is with my favorite Stila eyeshadow, Kitten.






Number 6: Stila Eye Shadow in Kitten

I'm pretty sure this is the first serious eye shadow color I ever bought. I remember I was about 12 and I saw this color while at the mall with my friends. You know this eye shadow is amazing when I've stuck with it even after middle school. Anyways, I especially love this color for the summer because it pairs perfectly with any bright lip color. I usually just wear this shadow with my Primer Potion, but it also works as a highlighter and with any other eye shadows.



Number 7: L'Oreal Voluminous Extra Volume Collagen Waterproof Mascara

Mascara is hands down my favorite makeup product. I am very particular about what goes on my lashes and I want mascara on my eyelashes every waking moment, including when I'm around water. This mascara is easy to apply and not too bad to remove (it is water proof, though, so it includes some hassle). The wand separates my lashes nicely and  makes them stand out.





Number 8: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Le Orange

As much as I love pink, I adore the color orange. This YSL lip color is so pretty and so easy to apply. Honestly, everything about this product is perfect. When I swipe this color on my lips, I'm pretty positive the sun shines a little bit brighter. I am in love with this formula. It is creamy and gives your lips the perfect amount of shine. Applying Le Orange always makes me want to le dance!




Number 9: Sparitual Nail Lacquer in Dreamsicle

In the past few weeks and even in the spring months, I can't stop myself from wearing pink and nude nail polish. Now that it's officially summer, I've started wearing brighter and bolder pinks. This is by far my absolute favorite summer polish. It is the perfect amount of neon and I can't complain that it makes me look more tan.





Number 10: Zara Black Perfume

Sadly, this perfume can only be purchased in Zara stores. But, if you are ever in a Zara store, especially this summer, definitely pick this guy up.  It's only ten dollars and it smells amazing. I like to wear body sprays in the summer instead of perfumes, but this perfume is the best of both worlds. It smells like a high end perfume, but it is light like a body spray.

Have a great day!

Emily