Let's get started!

Start off with your eye and prime it. I'm using a paint pot by Mac called Painterly.

Take a shimmery orange shadow and apply it to the beginning 1/3 of the lid. I'm using Inglot #605. It's the perfect burnt orange color for this look.

For the next step, you will apply a red shadow to the majority of the lid. Be sure to overlap it with the orange to create a gradient, blended effect. I'm using Inglot #450 for this.

To bring the look together and help with blending, use a fluffy blending brush to apply a midtone to the crease. Since I don't have much of a crease, I'm going to bring my midtone up a little higher to make sure you can still see it when my eyes are open. I'm using Urban Decay Limit from the Naked 3 palette to do this.

We are going to define the crease in the next step. I began by taking a pointed crease brush and Inglot # 434. I used windshield wiper motions to blend it out. I also took Urban Decay Blackheart, from the Naked 3 palette, and deepened up the outer corner of the crease too. That step is of course optional, but I like a defined outer corner. 

Your eye should be looking something like this by now.

Go ahead and create a line with your favorite gel liner. I'm using Blacktrack by Mac fluidline. You can choose to wing it out or not. I didn't do it for this look because I winged out the lower lash line with shadow instead.

At this point, it's time to highlight your inner corner. I used a mostly matte color from Wet n Wild called Brulee. This color is perfect for bringing life back into your eyes.

On the lower lash line, we are going to start with our orange shadow and blend it in the middle part of our lower lash line. I used a small pencil brush for this step. You then want to take your red shadow and bring it out in the shape outlined by the dots. It's going to act as your wing for this look. 

Add your mascara and fill in your brows and you're all good to go!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! Let me know what kinds of looks you want to see tutorials on down below.

xoxo,

Shelly

I rarely do outfit posts because I'm not really all that fashionable, especially compared to most of the lovely bloggers out there. I was actually really happy with my outfit on this day, so I thought I'd actually blog about it! 

I'm wearing my Bellami Bambina Extensions (20 inch in Ash brown) in this OOTD.

My black yoga pants/leggings and taupe jacket are both from a store called Shasa. 

Grey T-shirt is from J Crew Factory, as is my blue statement necklace.

My boots are from Macys. I picked them up during the Macy's boot sale they had a few months back.

My purse is a new addition to my wardrobe and is from Steve Madden. I snagged it at Nordstrom Rack for less than $50!

I wore this outfit out for a day of shopping around town. I didn't do anything super interesting, but I did stop by my favorite bakery.

I ate my favorite, somewhat healthy lunch - Tomato Mozzarella sandwich with baked potato soup, pickles, and kettle cooked chips. I had water to drink to try to keep the calories down.

I also went to Charming Charlies, which is an accessory store if you aren't familiar with it. They sell a variety of things, including jewelry, purses, sunglasses, and shoes.

While there I located this adorable watch with a cat's face on it. I asked you all on Instagram which watch I should get. Everyone really loved the cat watch, so I grabbed it.

I also wanted a watch that would match a lot more things, so I picked up this blush colored white polka dot watch. Each of these retailed for $15, which I think is pretty reasonable for a fashion watch. I've had a watch from Charming Charlies before and it worked great!

I've also been getting into working out and being healthy, so I picked up these adorable Nike Air Cage Court tennis shoes. I thought the pink was adorable and would look super cute at the gym.

Here's another photo, slightly weird angle, but you get the point.

That was my shopping trip with my outfit of the day! 

xoxo,

Shelly

I recently posted on Instagram asking what type of posts you all wanted to see next. Someone mentioned wanting to see a skincare routine post. Let me start out by saying I'm not a skincare expert at all. These are just the products that I have found work for me. Your mileage may vary (YMMV). I have very oily skin all over my face. My skin tends to get dehydrated easily due to the dry climate that I am in. All of the products I use can be found at the drugstore.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser is the face wash that I use. I use it two times a day, once in the morning and  once at night. What I love about this cleanser is that it doesn't OVER clean or over dry my face. It makes my skin feel clean, while not stripping it down completely. Your skin shouldn't feel tight at all after you cleanse it. If it does, your face wash is too harsh. My skin feels really healthy and fresh after I wash with this cleanser. I use warm water and foam the CeraVe foaming facial cleanser up in my hands and gently rub it into my skin using circular motions. 

Here are the ingredients. The first ingredient is purified water. 

I use one pump of the CeraVe into my hand. It is clear and looks like the photo above. I then lather it up and put it on my face. I rinse in warm water and gently pat dry with a towel.

The second step in my routine involves the Stridex alcohol free pads. I like these as a nice chemical exfoliant. The pad is nice because it shows how much gunk comes off my face. Pretty cool! I simply take one pad and rub it onto my face, avoiding my eyes and mouth. 

Here are the ingredients for those curious. 

Once my face is all dry, I apply some CeraVe moisturizing cream to my face. The amount I use depends on how dehydrated I feel my skin has been lately. No matter how much I use, it always sinks into my skin easily. It doesn't make my skin feel heavy or anything, which is definitely a huge plus.

When I'm all done, this is how my face looks. It's ready for makeup application!

Let me know what you think down below.

xoxo,

Shelly

Let's talk hair extensions today. I'm recovering from a lot of bleaching damage that I incurred from dyeing my hair lavendar last summer. I had to bleach my hair quite a lot to get it to hold onto the light purple dye. Retouching my hair dye up about once a month or so was really doing a number on my hair. As a result, I was forced to cut off most of the length I had acquired from growing out my pixie cut from a few years back. This really sucked and made me sad. I've been trying to grow my hair out for the last 6 months, but the process is slow moving and frustrating.

Their website had a lot of colors, thickness, and lengths to choose from. It was a little overwhelming, but Bellami made it a little easier by offering their free color matching service. You simply send them a photo in natural light of your hair and they will tell you what hair color is closest to your natural color. I promptly sent in a photo of my hair. I received a reply in 24 hours with the suggestion of the color #8 Ash Brown. 

The hair extensions retailed for $159.99 on Bellami's Website. This is the exact set that I purchased. The Bambina extensions are 20 inches long and are 160 grams. I went with this set because I figured it would look the most natural and be the most comfortable. I have fairly thick hair, but this set is a good thickness for my hair. 

The Bambina Set includes 10 pieces:

- 1 : 8” weft
- 1 : 7” weft
- 2 : 6”wefts
- 2 : 4” wefts
- 4 : 1.5” wefts

I was immediately impressed by how soft and smooth the extensions felt. They are definitely real Remy hair! 

Here's how they looked when I clipped in all 10 wefts with the hair straight. As you can tell, the color is pretty close! I didn't do the best job blending them into my short hair, but I'm sure I will get better at it. They looked so nice and made me feel like a thousand bucks. 

I've never had hair this long before, so it was truly an interesting experience. One thing I did notice is that the extensions tend to tangle. I just am sure to keep a comb with me to brush them out gently. I also noticed that my head would get a little tender after wearing these for the whole day. I'm sure I'll get used to that though.

On day 2 of extensions, I decided to try out a braid. I originally did a pony tail, but my short layers weren't blending in really well because I didn't put in enough extensions. I only had a couple wefts in, so they weren't blending that well. When I braided my hair, my shorter layers blended in just fine, so I just went with the braid. The Bellami Bambina extensions were really easy for me to braid, so that was a plus.

On the third day, I decided to try out my dry sponge curling rods that I purchased at Ulta. I'm still a little scared to use heat on the extensions, so I thought I would see how well they would curl with dry methods. I'm really impressed at how well the hair curls. The curls stayed in fairly well throughout the day. I used a very light hand with the hairspray.

Overall thoughts, I love how silky these feel. They are fairly comfortable to wear and I'm really loving having long hair!

xoxo,

Shelly

As I was strolling through Sephora this week, I spotted something that I was really curious about. Something luxurious and interesting.......something called Givenchy LE Rouge. Now, I'd heard of fellow makeup addicts talk about Givenchy products before. "The packaging is awesome," they said. "The formula is so wonderful," they also said. I was a non-believer. 

What could really be the difference between a Givenchy Le Rouge and one of my Mac lipsticks? I wondered this while browsing the display.

It wasn't the packaging that drew me in. It wasn't the name brand. It wasn't the leather tube or the shiny "Givenchy" name printed on it. What was it you ask? The color.

I wore this lipstick in yesterday's FOTD. I really like how the color compliments my pale skin. It really brightens up my face, which is always a good thing.

I'm impressed by the staying power. I was able to eat and drink and still have some color left on my lips. Rose dressing did not bleed out of my lip line. The color also faded from the inside out, leaving a natural ombre almost. It didn't look awful, just wasn't completely opaque after I destroyed my Mcdonalds Iced Coffee. I'm really impressed by how creamy the formula is for how long it lasts. It's difficult to find something comfortable that is long wearing. 

Let me know what you think down below!

xoxo,

Shelly

I was recently nominated for the Liebster Blog Award for 2014 by The Searching Project. This award has just been started as a way of recognizing up and coming bloggers. It really helps readers discover new bloggers to love and follow. I'm really flattered to have been awarded this title! I was given a few questions to answer as part of the award!

Questions:

1. If you could meet anyone (deceased or living) who would it be and why?

If I could meet anyone, it would probably be Tyra Banks. She's always been someone I've looked up to. She's stunning and highly successful, as well as very friendly. She made me dream of being a beautiful girl and being a model. I was always too short to be a model though. Boo.

2. Who is your idol/hero?

My idol is probably beauty blogger, Samantha from http://batalashbeauty.com/. She's insanely talented and just doesn't care what people think of her. She has a wonderful personality and is incredibly artist. I'd love to be as good at makeup as she is.

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Germany. I'm from German descent and have always wanted to go there to learn about the culture and learn the language.

4. Why did you begin blogging and who was your inspiration?

I began blogging because I love makeup and wanted to be able to share what I learn with others. I want to help others make education decisions about what they spend their money on. I love sharing my makeup looks with others. My inspiration came from a lot of youtubers like xsparkage and Carah Amelie. 

5. If you could spend a day with a blogger, who would it be?

Samantha from Batalash Beauty. She's so hilarious and fun!

6. Who is your go to style icon?

I don't think that I really have one. I just tend to grab whatever I like without paying too close of attention.

7. What inspires you?

A lot of different sources inspire me, such as pinterest, things I find on MUA, colors from outside, and runway looks.

8. What is your favorite time of year?

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. It's not too hot out, so I can actually walk around outside without feeling like I'm going to die from a heatstroke. I also love the layered fashion looks that you can pull off in fall. Perfect coffee weather!

9. If you have a second chance on one thing, what would you do over?

I would redo my highschool life and not be so antisocial. I really kept to myself a lot and missed out on a lot of good memories.

10. If you had an unimaginable amount of money, which charity or non-profit organization would you donate to?

I would donate to HIV research. I have a huge soft spot for those who are affected by the disease. 

Rules:

If you are nominated, you have to answer these 10 questions and nominate others.

I nominate:

Pretty Girl Science - a nail/beauty blog 

Hantastic Beauty - a beauty blog with extra content on different subjects outside of beauty

RebeccaShoresMua - a blog written by a makeup artist

Hey everyone! I'm back with a 90s inspired makeup look featuring all matte products. My boyfriend's grandma recently knitted me with adorable yellow hat. I decided to pair it with a denim top and go for a 90s grunge vibe. I reached for the matte half of my Lorac pro palette to create a brown smokey eye. I paired it with my favorite dark lip, Mac Diva. 

I was initially a little shy to the idea of wearing this yellow hat in public. I'm not the cutest person in hats, I must admit. I received so many compliments on the hat today that I don't feel so shy now. Everyone said I had  grungey, hipster look and that they loved it. What a confidence booster!