Cheap and Easy: Flower Crown

So as everyone knows Halloween is tomorrow and I needed to come up with a simple and easy costume. I decided to be somewhat of a mascarade "dia de los muertos", which translates to day of the dead. Its a celebration that happens in Mexico during the month of November to honor the dead. I won't be showing you the whole makeup (I'm not very good at it) but I will show you how I did my flower crown.

Okay so here is what you'll need:
-Flowers (fake or real); I bought mine at the dollar store and they look just as good. If anything you can roam around for sales at your favorite craft store like Michael's or Jo-Ann's.
- Glue gun and glue
- Scissors
- Headbands

First thing is first, make sure you know what colors you want to go for with the flowers that way you don't end up having to go back and forth to the store. Another thing be careful withe glue gun because it gets extremely hot and can burn your fingers (it happened to me).

Okay so make sure you heat up your glue gun and that you have enough glue sticks. Also a good tip is to first arrange the flowers in a way that you think looks best so that once you're happy with it you are ready to glue. I arranged my flowers around the headband first to make sure I liked how the base would look like. After that is when I started gluing my flowers directly unto the headband.

Once you have the base made, you can add more flowers to different places so that it looks fuller and with more volume. I decided to alternate with the flowers that way the colors would pop and make the flowers look a little more real. 

After I glued all my flowers unto my headband, I let the flue cool off a little so that no tugging would cause the flowers to come off. I made sure to be really careful and cut the attaching bit or the little part that comes off the flower to connect to the stem. This is just an idea but you can leave them if you want. I thought the little bits would hurt my head but you can also cover them with glue and it shouldn't hurt you once it dries. Again, be very careful not to burn yourself with the glue gun. 

 After many hours of labor, just kidding it only took like 30 minutes, you have something like this. You can wear it like a normal headband or you can slant it a bit so it looks like its an entire crown.

And here is me just wearing it at last. I hope everyone has a Halloween and remember be safe! 

Birthday Goodies

It was my date of birth this week and I got myself some goodies today. I'm excited to try these products so I write about them! I've got face wash and ultra deep face wash! What is better than ultra!?

Get Nude on a Budget

Hello People of the Internet! I thought my title was pretty clever btw. Well I've actually really wanted to show this to you since spring, but I thought it was such a early purchase that I really wanted to get a feel for it. I'm not one to wear a lot of eyeshadow, especially in the summer because of the hot weather, reason why I don't splurge on expensive eyeshadow palettes. There is nothing wrong with buying one for $70 but its hard to justify when all you really do is look at it and very seldom use it. I opted for the L'Oreal nude palette's, which have a pretty decent amount of colors and a decent price. For us non-eyeshadow wearing ladies or gentlemen this is a great option. You have a great selection of mattes and also a few with shimmer as you can probably tell even from far away. It comes in a sturdy case and with a brush with two different ends to it. I'm not a fan of the brush because its such low quality, but you can't always get what you want. (*starts humming that exact song with those exact lyrics*)

  

This top palette is made up of your browns, bronze, gold tones. It is a great purchase for any color eye but I'd think that it would look fantastic on blue eyes or green eyes even. It obviously has your highlighting colors are both ends and then goes to warmer darker tones toward the center. I really like this palette and the color range, my favorite color here has to be the second and third from the right. These colors blend really well and have a really nice amount of pigment. As far a duration, they are like most eyeshadows and of course if you want something to last you for a long period of time then a primer should do miracles. The nifty thing about these palette's is that they also come with instructions on how to put them. The colors are numbers on the back of the package (which I clearly forgot to photograph). It gives you a few examples on how to take a few colors and transition from a day to a night time look.

I can't choose which one's my favorite, but as someone who has brown eyes, I feel like this one enhances my eyes more. It has violets and pinkish tones like you can see. Its a really good purchase. Actually both are an amazing purchase. If I remember correctly, the price was about $15 each. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is that the glitter pigmentation. If you like super shiny glittery eyes this is not the eyeshadow for you. The color pigmentation is great. If you don't use eyeshadow as often or don't care for buying more expensive ones then you can purchase one or both of these. 

Soleil Tan De Chanel (Bronze Universal)

One of my purchases this summer was the commonly talked about, Soleil Tan De Chanel (aka Bronze Universal). I'm naturally tan and when I'm out in the sun tanning isn't an impossible goal for me. I did want a bronzer because even though I'm tan, I always have a pale a finish to my makeup or even without it on. I bought this because I had heard good reviews on it and I've always had a good experience with Chanel. There are friends who have had allergic reactions to high-end brand names, so just because its Chanel does it mean its for you. It just depends on the formula and the ingredients that they use. Anyway, that's besides the point. This bronzer is really nice and creamy. The name says "universal" because it is meant to be for all skin colors. I think its hard to show on darker skin colors and you might have to apply more. I'm in the mid-toned color spectrum so this shows up nicely, but I also have to put maybe a little more than someone who is more on the ivory side. If you are a little wary or on the fence about bronzers you can always ask for a sample or for the lady at the counter to try it on you. 

I really like this product because it really gives you a controllable advantage than what I've seen with powders. It shows up great and has a really nice texture. The packaging isn't the most extravagant. The lady at the counter told me it was good for a lot of uses. She told me you could use it as a concealer and a self temporary tanner (I'm assuming for the night because there is no way that this would last through a shower). I can tell you that it might work as a concealer but only for the right skin colors. I tried this and I looked dumb. It wasn't flattering or anything, it was just OMG! I wouldn't go out like this. I did try it on my shoulders where I had a bit of a tan line and it was really pretty. I'm assuming you can also use it to accentuate your breast, if you are into that, but I'm going to be honest here and say that I didn't try it. The kind of brush that you want to use for this is a synthetic brush. You can use something either fluffy that will give you a more free hand, or something small that will give you more of a precise and shaper look. 

I really like this product. Its smooth and creamy. It looks nice on the skin. It isn't super orange or brown. Its hard to explain but its really pretty. Also if you pair this with a nice peachy or pinky toned blush, you look like you just came from the beach. Actually it gives you that somewhat sunburnt, but in a good way, look. I don't know how to explain it, so that's the best I could do. 

One downer for this product is that it can get a lot of little lint particles in it. I'm not particularly concerned that I'll break out from lint, but it doesn't give it the best or cleanest look when you open it up. Another downer it's pricey, so I would say it's more of a treat or a collectors item than it is a necessity. You can definitely get away with not buying it, but if you just want it and you have the budget then you can certainly splurge on this. 

Unfortunate Event

Hello people of the internet!

Okay, so I haven't been able to post because my computer was at the doctors (i.e. some Apple depot factory) because I had dropped it. I'm such a derp. This is what happened, I was watching Netflix one morning while eating down stairs. As I was getting ready to go upstairs, I was carrying various items with me and being the overachiever that I am (*whispers* lazy), I thought it was a grand idea to take my laptop with me while it was open. I obviously don't believe in putting a show on pause, so then I couldn't handle it and my laptop fell on the counter. Thankfully nothing crazy happened, like the screen cracking or breaking in half, but the logic board was damaged, hence why I didn't have a computer for the longest time. Now its back with me and I'm ready to get back on track with a post every week!

Glow like a Goddess

Hello! I am so excited to write this post. As you can tell by the picture above, this is going to be about Becca. I cannot tell you how excited I am to tell you what I think about this product. I am head over heels in love with this product. It is called the Shimmering Skin Perfector in the shade Champagne Pop. This is a highlighter that was made in contribution with YouTube makeup artist Jaclyn Hill and it is, as of right now, limited edition. 

This is the most beautiful color I have ever seen and a little goes a long way. It really depends on how much you want to glow. I kid you not, but this made me feel so pretty. It gives you that dewy look that people are kind of into at the moment. Its not about that super matte look anymore, but about the look of glowing healthy skin. The product comes in a rose gold box and it looks like it was splattered with water. They probably were thinking of the beach or something in that direction. It kind of makes me think of rain, but that's besides the point. The compact itself is just like any other Becca highlighter. This is my first highlighter by the way, but I've seen the rest of the packaging for all the other Becca highlighters. I don't mind the packaging because what really matters is what's inside. Oh God! haha how cliche. Don't judge a book by its cover haha. 

Anyway, this is the most beautiful color I have ever seen. It looks a little scary on the pan because its so bright, but just put some on your wrist and good God! It is like a beautiful sparkling wrist. I don't think I can even explain it. I literally couldn't stop looking at my wrist when I tried it on. When I walked into Sephora, they didn't have any in stock, but they had the tester. Also, since this is a limited edition you have to order it online and its only available through Sephora. I know on the website it says that you have to buy up to $50 for free shipping, but here's a little secret. You can actually go to the store and order it there for free shipping. The price is a little steep for a highlighter, but I promise you it is worth every penny ($38). 

Becca has a range of other highlighters that compliment any skin really. I was actually debating on buying Rose Gold, Opal (Becca's staple highlighter), and Champagne Pop. My friend made a good point when she mentioned why she didn't purchase limited edition products, and its because if she loves it and it goes out of stock then she won't be able to get it when she's finished hers. I saw Rose Gold and I thought it was really pretty on the pan, and if you are a little less tanner than what I am now it gives you a sun burned (a nice sun burned) look. Opal is just a color everyone kind of gravitates to and its also very versatile. I actually love them all and think they go well with anyone, it just depends on your preference. I absolutely fell in love with Champagne Pop. It has peach undertones and it has such a soft buttery texture. If you have tan skin this would look really nice on your skin, but like I said it looks good on any skin tone. I'm saying it looks good on tan skin because of the peach undertones. 

I have read and heard that they are somewhat fragile so it isn't something you want to throw around in your bag. I wouldn't throw it around because it was expensive and I take care of it because I'm a super huge klutz. I honestly can't say enough good things about this product. I usually put it on the high areas of my cheekbones, the center of my nose, my brow bone, my chin, and sometimes on my tear ducts. Oh! and I haven't told you the best part! It photographs like a dream! I have no idea how to explain it, but this makes you look like a million bucks. We are all a million bucks, but this just makes your rich persona reach through the lens and onto the little screen on your camera and BOOM! just gaaah (I'm drooling there). I'm personally so happy with my purchase and I encourage anyone to splurge on this. I'm going to enable you to buy it because it is a must have. 

Schools in, Vacations done!

Today is the first day back to school! This is also my last semester for my bachelors and I am so excited to be done with it. Actually, I'm a bit excited, but also a bit scared. Like, what happens after I graduate? Where do I apply? Who wants to hire me? All these questions! But for now it is just the first day of school.







I haven't done the cliche question of, "What did you do for your summer vacation?" since grade school so I'm going to share it with you. I'm usually one of those people that stays home all summer and works her bum off to pay for books, parking, school supplies, etc.







This summer though was one of the best summers, EVER! I didn't work all summer, but only some of it, and I didn't just stay in the states. This summer my family and I went to Cancún. This remarkable place is located in Quintana Roo, México. I can't explain how magnificent this place is. I've been to México before because my parents are from there, and I'm still so amazed by how beautiful it is. The weather was super hot and humid, but it was amazing! I honestly went out for three hours and tanned one shade darker, which isn't a surprise because I tan easily but never that quick.







We went to Playa del Carmen, which is pictured right above. It is a little island that is around 30 minutes from Cancún. The area is really nice and there are locals around, but there are also a lot of golf cart business locations. It takes a long time to go around the whole island if you plan on walking, so if you do end up going, just rent the cart. As you can tell, the water is so clear and blue. There were a lot of iguanas as well.

 One day we went to a park called Xcaret, which is a very well known park in Cancún. It is a self-described ecotourism park. They have dolphins, leopard, sea turtles (big and small), sharks, etc. It is not a zoo, but a place where they take care of these animals so they aren't harmed by the tourism. I had so much fun here and I ended up exhausted mid day. There is a long river that you can swim in, and it was exhausting. They also have a lot, A LOT of food. You would imagine they would because of the amount of people who visit the park each day. They really give you a little taste of Méxican culture. There a show called "Xcarete México Espectacular", which is kind of a presentation of the history of México and a little taste of what sports the Mayans would play. Its amazing! I'll put a few pictures below of Xcaret.











I want to say that this lady is dressed in Oaxaca clothing. This isn't how they always dress, but it's how they dress for festivals or celebrations. Each state in México is different and have their little bit of history.

She was one of my favorite performers in the show because she put so much energy into her performance. She also seemed to really enjoy it. 

Look at these costumes! aren't they fantastic?

Here is some of the typical jewelry you can find in México. It's common along the beaches of México but also in places where there isn't a beach.

The picture below is my sister and I para sailing. We saw turtles from above and just the water and view was amazing! Everything was amazing!