Friday Link Love 03/29/2013

• This double rope braid bun from The Beauty Department is ah-mazing. 
• Christina from Hair Romance never fails to create some really amazing styles. This one is truly beautiful. 
• Who doesn't want better skin, and who doesn't like saving money? Done. And done. 
• Some more acne tips. 
• Stinky shoes? Ew. Get rid of that. 
• In your 20s? LC (how I'm going to refer to Lauren "flawless" Conrad) has some great advice. 
• It's time to get tan. Sunless tan. 
• It's also time for spring cleaning...how about spring cleaning your mind?
• Are you a Downton Abbey fan? Check out these IRL pictures of the cast!
• Some more really awesome updos from ELLE. 
• Beauty tips from NYFW 2013!
• Remember that super cute musical festival inspired updo from last week? Well here are a couple more. 

What did you see online this week?

Friday Link Love 03/22/2013

• A live Disney fashion show? OMG yes. 
• I've talked about Spring beauty trends...but here's another list for ya. 
• Don't you just love a well-dressed man? Mmm I do.
• I love Hello Giggles, and this article about increasing your attention span is actually really helpful.
• Ever wonder about the history of blue jeans?
• SxSW may be over, but you can still rock this musical festival hairdo. 
• 15 nail salon nightmares and how to avoid them. Hilarious and informative. 
• Lauren Conrad is pretty much flawless, so I'll take any advice she gives.
• If you're an online shopper and don't know how to measure yourself...well...you should.
• Um...what?
• Makeup kit basics. From beginner to advanced!
• Cure your mind of negative thoughts. 

Spring 2013 Makeup Trends

With yesterday the official start of Spring I feel like jumping up and down for joy. Already bluebonnets are out and I can't help by drive down I-45 saying, "ooooo ahhhh."


When new Spring styles come out I always feel like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

It just always feels the same to me. But I'm kind of excited about these trends, because well...they're sort of like the Fall trends and I was obsessed with those.

Red lips.

I'm mean...let's be honest. You know I'm obsessed with red lips. It's an instant confidence booster. 

Eyeliner and lush lashes.

I can't tell you how excited I am about this. I've been all about eyeliner for years now. It's my signature look. I'm happy that society is finally catching up.

Big brows. 

I blame the beautiful Lily Collins. Just look at those lovelies. 

Other trends.

Blues and greens. Glowing skin. Things like that.

What are your favorite Spring trends?

How To Tuesday: Dewy Makeup

I like to start this post off by saying...

Ginnifer Goodwin is flawless. There has never been a time I looked at that girl and thought, wow, she could use a little work. I mean...she is freaking Snow White. 

You see how dewy she looks? Like she is glowing. Well...that look can be achieved very simply using some highlighter. 

Step 1: moisturize

It's arguably the most important step. If you're skin isn't moisturized, then the dewiness has no reason to look dewy. Does that even make sense?

Step 2: foundation

you can apply your foundation as normal. 

Step 3: cheek contouring

click here for tutorial. 

Step 4: highlighter

You want to apply your highlighter in these areas. It's okay if you don't have an actually "highlighter", you can use any light colored eyeshadow. That one that you always use to swipe across your brows? It's perfect for this. 

Do you have a moisture spray that sets your foundation? Make sure you use it!

Now...go be flawless like Ginnifer. I know you are. 

Skin Stuff: Petechia

It's okay if you can't pronounce that word. I can barely pronounce it. But here's what it means...

petechia or the plural, petechiae: red or purple spots on the body caused by minor busted capillary blood vessels.

Basically it is bleeding under the skin, which in turn causes the skin to appear red or purple. It looks like a rash, but is flat to the touch and doesn't change color when your press on it. But don't freak out. It is usually not life threatening.

You know what I'm talking about now? So what causes it you ask?

Well...

Petechia is usually caused by some distress to the skin. Things like:

• crying
• coughing
• vomiting
• weightlifting 
• even childbirth

But sometimes medicine can cause petechia. 

• Aspirin
• Atropine
• Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol, others)
• Chloral hydrate (Somnote)
• Cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Desipramine (Norpramin)
• Indomethacin (Indocin)
• Morphine (Avinza, Ms Contin, others)
• Naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn)
• Nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrobid, Macrodantin)
• Penicillin
• Quinine (Qualaquin)

There are times that petechia can be a sign of a larger illness, like leukemia or mononucleosis. If you develop widespread or unexplained petechia, it is time to see a doctor. 

But unless you have some underlying problem, don't worry, petechia will go away in a couple of days. Leaving no traces behind. 

Info from Mayo Clinic.

How To Tuesday Wednesday: Make Your Eyes Look Wider

Due to some technical difficulties yesterday, I was unable to post this tutorial. But here it is now. In all it's glory.

People are always talking about trying to make their eyes appear wider, because let's face it...No one likes sad, closed eyes. So here's a quick tutorial on how to do so. It's very easy. It only involves two eyeshadow colors (nude and brown), eyeliner (black), and mascara (black).


Step 1: base color

Apply a nude shadow all over eyelid.

Step 2: crease

In the crease, apply your brown shadow, bringing it around to a point on the outer edge of your lid, sweeping lightly over outer lash line.

Step 3: liner

Black liner along top lash line. Apply it thicker toward the outside, thinning out as it reacher inner corner.

Step 5: mascara

ta-da! That's it. 

Told you it was easy. 

Friday Link Love 3/08/2013

• Thinking about cutting your hair into a bob? Check out these 12 adorable bobs. 
• Ever sat down to think about what your shoes are doing to your feet? Probably not. 
• This scarf turban is a bit different than our tutorial and super cute!
• Did you love Jennifer Lawrence's updo at the Academy Awards as much as I did? Luckily, someone did a tutorial inspired by it.
• The Chinese staircase pony tail. It looks a bit complicated, but it's super cute!
• This nail art is not for the beginner. But omg is it amazing. 
• For the English nerd like me, 8 new and necessary punctuation marks. Yes please. 
• Feather nail art!
• 8 makeup tips for looking flawless, and come on, who doesn't want to look flawless?
• Love this. 10 actresses who could be live-action Disney Princesses. 
• I'm pretty impressed with this polo shirt refashion. 

What did you see online this week?

How Medicine Affects Your Hair

It's not something you normally think about. Medicine and your hair. You think about all those crazy side effects that are said so fast on the commercial that you can't ever really understand what their saying. Maybe they mention something about your hair, maybe that don't. But the truth remains the same...there are numerous ways that medicine can affect your hair.

Hair loss. Is probably one of the biggest ones. Sometimes people experience something called telogen effluvium. It's a fancy word that means some of your hair follicles are prematurely falling out. 


pH balance. Some medications can cause the pH in your hair to get off balance. It can affect how soft your hair is or even cause problems when getting your hair colored. 


If you start taking a new medicine, talk to your doctor about possible side effects for your hair. Or if you start experiencing any sort of funny business with your hair, talk to your doctor. Your stylist can work with you on any problems you're experiencing, whether that be hair loss, brittleness, or color spotting. 

And remember...always read your med info packet. That's all for today's public service announcement. 

How To Tuesday: Aveda Pin Curls

Okay, that title might be a little misleading. This post is about enhancing your curls by using a pin curl technique. I guess technically you leave your hair in the pin curl, though I would use some different clips. Then it wouldn't be false advertisement. Good. I'm not a liar then.

So this technique utilizes the entire be curly line, which I love. If you have curly hair and haven't tried it out, please do. It is pretty amazing.

Check it out.