tip tuesday: curls for days

[lips: lime crime velvetine in wicked; hair courtesy of the curling wand-wielding angels.]

Let's start this post off with a story about how weird I am, shall we? It all began way back in 1743... Just kidding.

Okay, really though, I used to be psychotic about straightening my hair. My friend, J, who I've known for almost six years now, talks to this day about how I have this nervous tick where I pat the back of my hair to make sure it's as board straight and un-volumized as possible. Like... What? What even IS that? So strange. It's not like the patting motion is going to straighten my hair out any more than it already is. Like my hands are 450 degree straighteners or something? Sigh... I digress. 

So anyways, I just recently I got into wearing my hair curly. And by curly, I mean wavy in that third-day-unwashed-bedhead kind of style. Side note: Do you know how crazy you look if you have a bob, and you curl your hair into ringlets? GURL. STOP IT. 

With daily touch ups, I was getting away with wearing my hair wavy for about four days. But then I read a tip from Kristen Ess over at the Beauty Department. She said that if you want your waves to last and last, do not blow-dry your hair. The idea is that if you blow-dry your hair and then curl it, you're giving your hair mixed signals. You're telling it to simmer down and straighten out and then you're like, "girl, get crazy up in here! Why are you so straight!?" 

The past few times I've washed my hair, let it air dry, and then curled it, it seriously looked like tiny curling wand-wielding angels did my hair and then sprayed it with magical never-fall hairspray. I haven't touched it up at all, either. This tip is great if you live in a humid/wet state, as well. My curls withstood the entire day yesterday, and it was a rainy, crappy disaster outside.

Another tip: sleep on your hair/with your cats like a crazy person so you get that homeless-chic look. That, my friends, was a freebie.

fotd: lorac's dusty rose shadow

Face: Maybelline Dream Wonder foundation & powder, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer, NYX Taupe blush, Tarte blush in Daydream, Tarte Rainforest After Dark highlighter & Milani baked bronzer.

Eyes: ELF eyebrow kit in Medium, Lorac Mega Pro Palette, Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo liner in Trooper, Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara.

Lips: Rimmel Airy Fairy lipstick.

[Baby hairs: all me, y'all, alllll me.]

home decor wishlist

lamp base | rug | couch arm wrap | bedding | art | pouf | lamp shade

So, I've been re-doing the apartment piece by piece. I'm either DIYing existing pieces or replacing them all together. Well, just the more affordable things, but I'm slowly transitioning everything into more of a neutral and metallic theme. Here are some of the pieces I'm totally lusting over, but haven't bought just yet...

october favorites

Beauty Favorites

Lorac Mega Pro Palette ($60): Unfortunately, this is currently sold out. BUT. When it comes back in stock, I highly suggest you buy it. The shades range from white to black, shimmery to matte, and they're buttery and effortless to blend. If you're a makeup junkie, you'll love the interesting shades and great quality, and if you're a makeup newbie, you'll love the fact that this is the only eyeshadow palette you'll ever have to buy. Ever. In your whole life.

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation ($7): This is a flawless natural finish foundation. It's somewhere between satin and dewy. It's got medium buildable coverage and gosh, it's just so beautiful. I put it on and probably stared in the mirror for a good two minutes straight just admiring my skin. 

Nars Mysterious Red Velvet Lip Pencil ($25): I talked about this already this week, but seriously, this red is perfection. PER-FEC-TION. It lasts through eating and drinking (although i did eat soup with it on, and it disappeared in the inner parts of my lips), and even though it's matte, I don't find it to be that drying.

Tarte Chic to Cheek Holiday Blush Set ($35): Each of these is totally amazing, as all Tarte blushes are. They have great pigmentation and last all damn day. Tip of the Day: If you're looking for little gifts for all your girlfriends, buy this set and split the blushes up. You could pair each blush up with one of these Too Faced Melted Lipsticks and have a quick and easy gift for all the ladies in your life.

NARS Ita Contour Brush ($55): Woof. This brush is $55. That kind of money can buy my boyfriend and me a decent dinner (and probably even wine!), but instead, I spent it on a brush. One brush. One singular brush. But, let me tell you, it has changed my life. You can contour your cheeks in ten seconds flat, and it looks airbrushed and natural (well, depending on how much product you use/what product you use).

NYX Taupe Blush ($8): If you're trying to get into contouring, or if you're already the contour master, and you're a light to medium skin tone, BUY THIS. Sorry for yelling, but seriously. It looks like a natural shadow on your face as opposed to a muddy line some bronzers can give you. It's a bit hard to find, so I got mine off Amazon.

Delon 100% Cotton Pads ($2.25/100 pads): I started using a micellar cleansing water to take my makeup off at night, so I needed cotton pads. I bought the Walgreens brand large cotton pads and freaking hated them. They left cotton all over my face and fell apart halfway through using them. This lead me to Amazon where I found the Delon pads. Seriously, once you use these, you'll never go back. They don't leave fuzz everywhere, and they don't fall apart either.

Random Favorites

Arrow: I randomly started binge watching this show with my roommate early last week, and I'm obsessed. Basically it's Robin Hood meets Batman meets Gossip Girl, and you need it in your life. Disclaimer: Like many CW shows, the acting isn't the best. Is it weird that the bad acting kind of makes me like it more...?

www.apartmenttherapy.com: Um, hello, I could (and have) spend hours reading this website. It's got tons of easy apartment decor ideas and a good chunk of Ikea hacks, which I personally love. 

The Schuerman Show: If you enjoy watching vlogs, I'd subscribe to Sam & Jay Schuerman's channel. She's a YouTube beauty guru and they've got two blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel darling children and three baby kittens. If you need to restore your faith in love, watch these two. It almost makes me sick how much they like each other. 

Fails

Mally Face Defender ($40): This is a product you're supposed to be able to apply over your makeup in order to soak up oils and blur the look of fine lines and pores. The instructions specifically say to pat it on your makeup (instead of swirling or rubbing), which I do, but it still removes every trace of makeup I touch it to. Maybe it works for you, but for me, it makes me look even worse than I would if I just rocked my grease ball face. 

i'm...

...so impressed with my Halloween makeup (not because I did suuuuuuch a good job on it or anything). I wore it to bed (because, shots), and when I woke up it was perfectly in tact. If you are looking for some waterproof/sweat proof/sleep proof/drunk proof makeup, I recommend Kat Von D's Tattoo liquid liner & the Physician's Formula eyeliner pencils.

...blasting Taylor Swift's CD on repeat. "Style" is my JAM.

...drinking my very first Starbucks holiday beverage of the year. Caramel Brûlée Latte. Yeah gurl, as much sugar as a cupcake (two cupcakes?) but also with caffeine and a cute red cup.

...very disappointed in my Friday post. I tried to post it from my iPhone but somehow it went missing. Today, my friends, today. Don't you worry.

...also very disappointed in Lena Dunham's book. Would you like to see a review? I've been talking about it with my girlfriends non-stop already (and book club isn't even until Wednesday this week), but I could be convinced to talk about it more.

...(speaking of books) floored by Amy Poehler's book so far. I'm about four chapters in, and I've laughed out loud practically the entire time.

...loving this Texas "fall" weather. It's 72 degrees here right now!!!!

...in awe of the talent at last night's Houston Symphony. We saw Ragtime, Blues and All That Jazz with Byron Stripling & Bobby Floyd, and I just about peed my pants I was so excited to be watching them play. (Plus, they talked about bacon for a good two minutes. Dead.)

...obsessing over my Cuyana bag. Do yourself a favor and buy one. You won't regret it.

...trying not to kill Olive. When I was sick (read: deathly hungover) on Saturday, she unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet. I had to stick my bare hands in and dig it all out. 

What are youuuuuuu doing today? How was your Halloween?

my all-time favorite red lipsticks

When I was younger, I use to look back on photos of my mom with her blue eyes and red lipstick and laugh. The idea of smearing a bright ass red lipstick on your face just baffled me. But now that I'm almost 27, and I've been experimenting with makeup for the better part of my life, I've come to realize that my go-to look is winged liner and red lipstick. Today, I thought I'd pay homage to my totally gorgeous, amazingly stylish mama and share my all-time favorite red lipsticks with you.

Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Siren in Scarlet ($5.50): This is a creamy matte. It's a brighter red that's somewhere between the Nars and Flower colors I talk about below. If you're careful, you can apply this without a lipliner, but I'd suggest lining your lips just to be sure you don't look like the Joker.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Striking ($7):  This, again, is a matte lipstick, only it leans more orange on the lips. You can safely apply this without a lip liner.

ELF Matte Lip Color in Rich Red ($3): Matte... again. Now that I look at the switches of all of these, you really only need either the Maybelline matte lipstick or the ELF one. They're nearly identical. However, this one is slightly less matte and is definitely easier to apply with its thin tip.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Mysterious Red ($25): By now it's become obvious to you that my favorite form of red lipstick is a matte, chubby lip pencil. And this is no different. Well, it is, because this lipstick actually is mysterious. It's perfectly in-between a bright red and a deep red. It's a matte finish that lasts all day and is incredibly easy to apply. No lip liner needed here!

Flower Cosmetics Lip Suede Velvet Lip Chubby in Coral Floral ($8): Again, a matte lip pencil, this color is a brighter, lighter red that leans more coral. This is perfect if you're new to red lipsticks or if you want to wear it in the daytime. And again, you don't need a lip liner with this one!

[same order as above]

What's your favorite red lipstick? I'm flat out obsessed, I'll admit it! (When I was writing this post, 4 of the 5 lipsticks mentioned were in my purse... #hoarder)

simple smokey eye

The key to pulling a smokey eye off in just a few minutes is using primarily shimmery shades. It's so much easier to blend dark shimmery shades than dark matte shades. I used the Lorac Pocket Pro Palette ($15 at Ulta) (the Wet N Wild trio in Silent Treatment would give you similar results). Tip of the Day: If you're curious about the Lorac eyeshadows but don't want to shell out for a full palette yet, go to Ulta and buy this! It'll be in the bins by the check out line. I promise, you won't regret it. (Once you fall in love with these creamy pigmented shades, go ahead and do yourself a favor and buy the Lorac Mega Pro Palette. OB-SESSED.)

[photo from here]

First, take Pewter and blend it through your crease.

Then, take Nude and pack it on your lid, making sure to blend it with your crease color.

Next, take Espresso and place that in your outer corner and also about halfway into your crease. Make sure all three colors are nicely blended together.

Last, highlight your inner corner with Nude, and run Espresso across your lower lash line.

And voila! You're ready for a night on the town, and it only took a moment of your time.

top five under five

Today, I thought I'd share with you five of my favorite drugstore products that are all less than $5. Actually, when I started compiling this list, I realized that all of the products listed here are $3 or less. That is straight up crazy! It just goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to get yourself some amazing beauty products. (All of these products are available at Walgreens and/or Target.)

Wet N Wild Megalast Lipsticks ($2): These lipsticks are incredibly pigmented and last all day on the lips. I personally love the color "Cherry Picking" because I have a red lipstick hoarding problem, but all of the colors are straight up amazing. Tip of the Day: If you're ever thinking about buying Wet N Wild products at the drugstore, keep an eye out, because they often go on sale for 50% off. That means you could get this lipstick for ONE DOLLAR. Literally nothing costs a dollar anymore (except the candy in the check out line).

NYC Sunny Bronzer ($3): This is the best matte bronzer at the drugstore. You can use it as an all over bronzer to warm up your face, or if you're more of a medium skin tone, you can use it as to contour as well.

Elf  Blush Brush ($3): This brush is incredibly soft and versatile. I use it for setting my under eye concealer, contouring, applying blush, and highlighting. Best of all? With its dirt cheap price, you can buy a handful of them so you're sure to have a clean one around when you need it (e.g. when you're too damn lazy to wash your makeup brushes).

Elf Brow Kit ($3): I wish there was a way to convey to you how I feel about this. It's as if the skies opened up and a tiny eyebrow angel came down to earth to bless us with its presence. Seriously, the wax side (the darker side) fills in your brows and holds them in place all day (I don't even use the powder). And because it's just a tinted wax, it's super easy to apply, and it's also very forgiving. I have temporarily replaced my Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade with this ridiculously affordable eyebrow kit. Tip of the Day: Unless you have jet black hair, you probably want to go with the light or medium kits.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme ($3): I've talked about this so much in my life that I feel it needs no further explanation. Just go buy it already. You can thank me later.

So, tell me, do y'all have any drugstore must-haves that are $5 or less? I'm dying to know that way I can run out and spend my lunch money on makeup instead.

i'm...

[photo from here; ignore the bad grammar]

...already ready for the weekend, and it's only 10:49 on Monday morning.

...ready for it to be cold so I can make homemade cider with my roommate and spike it with Maker's Mark.

...laughing so hard at some of the sketches from Jim Carrey's SNL episode this past weekend. All I'm saying is that you should click this... and this... andddd this.

...anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Cuyana bag. I got the short tote in the color stone. Dead. Dying. Just waiting by the door at all hours of the day for it to come.

...ready for the Sephora VIB sale. My cart is already full (cough*$300 full*cough) of amazing goodies, but I'm definitely waiting for the 20% off coupon before I click "Check Out."

...seriously slacking on my book club book for the month. I have to read Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl, in its entirety, by November 5.

...feeling a bit of blogger's remorse for not blogging for the past seven or eight days.

...eating this chicken. Y'all, this is so damn good.

...doing a LOT of furniture DIYs. I repainted and reupholstered my dining table and chairs, built a new coffee table and started finishing it with gold leaf, and started assembling the pieces to build a TV console with these amazing hairpin table legs.

...work work working.

How are y'all doing on this Monday morning?

makeup organization for the gal with a smaller stash

Muji Acrylic Drawers ($27 & $28): These are a great option if you've got a small to medium-sized stash. Up until recently, I was using a five-drawer unit and a two-drawer unit on top of that. They stack perfectly, and the two-drawer unit is deep enough to store foundation bottles and to stack face powders on top of each other. Another great thing about these drawers is that they ship super quickly and are packaged very well (so you don't have to worry about them showing up on your doorstep cracked or broken). If you've got just a handful of makeup, the two-drawer unit would work just perfectly.

Makeup Brush Cups ($6 & $8): I have four of the cups with the brush print and they fit all of my brushes comfortably, but I love the limited edition floral and gold ones, too. If you've got a handful of brushes, just one cup would do. But I also like the idea of buying a few of these, and using them to store your brushes, Q-Tips, cotton pads and toothbrush/toothpaste, to keep things neat and uniform.

Hanging Makeup Bags ($30): If you've got a small collection, a hanging makeup bag is the way to go. It'll keep your stuff organized while keeping your counters uncluttered. If you're anything like me, the most annoying part of owning makeup is the inevitable counter clutter. A hanging bag could just be the solution to all your problems! Another plus to using a hanging makeup bag: when you're traveling, all you have to do is zip it up and throw it in your suitcase! Voila! 

ikea alex five-drawer storage system

I bought the Ikea Alex Five-Drawer unit a few weeks back, and I bought three of these utensil holders to go in them (they're $2 a piece!). And they fit perfectly. I mean, there's only about a half inch of extra space between the front of the drawer and the drawer dividers; and the sides of each line up perfectly. I highly recommend them if you're looking into buying an Alex storage system. The Alex also comes in a nine-drawer skinny unit, and a six-drawer wide unit on casters. But if you want something to become a seamless part of a desk, the five-drawer is the way to go. It comes in many different colors and is only $80.

Top Drawer: Powders, primers, concealers, moisturizers, setting sprays & beauty sponges. I use the back for miscellaneous things like Pledge wipes (white desks get dirty so fast it makes my head spin), extra deodorant, headbands and makeup wipes.

Second Drawer: Lip products, blushes, bronzers & highlighters. I put my lip glosses in the back, and my lipsticks in the front since I'm not much of a lipgloss kinda gal. (Actually, I f*cking hate lipgloss, and I'm in the process of getting rid of all of them and giving them to my friends or dumping them in the trash.)

Middle Drawer: Eyeliners, pigments, individual eyeshadows, eyebrow products, mascara & foundations. I know it probably seems random to have foundations in this drawer, but I like that the depth of this drawer allows me to stand all my foundations upright. I've been using a much wider variety of foundations now that I can see them all from a bird's-eye view.

Drawer 4: Samples & eyeshadow palettes. There is also a ton of random stuff shoved in the back of this drawer. #noshame #hoarder

Drawer 5: Nail polish & manicure tools. The polishes I like least are further towards the back, and my gel polishes are in the very back behind my manicure tools. Tip of the Day: If you're thinking about putting your makeup and nail polish in a set of drawers like this, make absolutely sure your polish goes on the very bottom drawer so it doesn't cause your storage to cave in or fall over.

my desk

rug | desk (this + this + this) | chair (to be spray-painted gold to match the trestle at a later date, a.k.a. when it's not 400 degrees outside here in Texas) 

This week, I thought I'd take you on a tour of my desk and makeup storage, and give you some ideas for alternate makeup storage in case you've got a smaller collection than I do (which, let's be honest, you probably do, because you're not insane and you don't spend every other evening in Ulta or Sephora). Let's start with my desk, shall we?

tray | candle holder | mirror | pen holder | pens & scissors | paper clips | pencils | makeup brush holders | speaker | post its | iphone stand

candles | print | (in case it's not obvious (it's totally not) that's a little glittery black skull in honor of Halloween)

notepads | macbook gold apple decal 

top five fall nail polishes

(from top left)

Essie in For The Twill Of It: a purple/brown and green duochrome

Essie in Topless & Barefoot: a beige-y pink cream

OPI in Incognito in Sausalito: a near-navy cream

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Blacky O: a black cream

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Wine Stock: an oxblood cream

The change in seasons means I get to dig out my favorite-ever nail polishes. I'm a sucker for a deep, dark, short fingernail. I can't get enough. I paint my nails black in the summer a lot of the times just because I crave a perfectly polished dark nail.

(P.S. The best part about all of these polishes is that you can get each and every one at your local Target or Ulta, and they're all under $10!)

tips for glasses makeup

I realized the other day that I never wear my glasses unless I'm being a straight up bum. I decided to change that by scouring the internet for some tips on how to pull together a classic glasses look and then I got all dolled up for work with those tips in mind. Here are a few tips I used in order to wear my glasses but look classy and polished at the same time:

Wear a bright lid shade. The frames of your glasses can cast shadows over your eyes, so you want to make sure your lid and inner corner are bright. I like Wet N Wild's Brûlée for a matte shadow, or Stila's Kitten for a shimmery one.

Define your brows. You don't want them to disappear behind your frames, and if you have clear frames, you don't want your imperfect brows to be showcased.

Define your lashes. If you usually wear liner, don't skip it on days you wear glasses. And if you don't, at least make sure your lashes are nicely coated with a black mascara, separated and lengthened, so they will stand out.

Wear a lip color. Go with a bold red. Or a dark nude. Or your favorite gloss. Just don't throw on your trusty Carmex or worse yet, neglect your lips all together, because then you run the risk of looking like you just rolled out of bed.

Highlight under your under eye area, at least a bit. A concealer that's 1-2 shades lighter than your skin should do the trick. This goes back to the shadow-casting issue.

My makeup didn't take me any longer to do on this day, but just keeping in mind the fact that I wanted my look to be bright and defined really helped me feel comfortable wearing my glasses to work. I've made a pact with myself to wear my glasses to work at least once a week now (and not just on days where I want to roll around like a lazy walrus and not wear any makeup).

september favorites

Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation: I talked about this in one of my very first blogposts. You only need one pump, and it provides flawless coverage that lasts all day. (If you use it with a wet makeup sponge, it's not cakey either!)

Maybelline Matte Lipsticks: I talked about these last week. I'm obsessed with all three colors I bought. They're incredibly pigmented and last all day. (Do you see a theme here?)

Clairol Hair Food Root Clarifying Shampoo: This was an impulse buy. I love clarifying shampoos because because my short hair gets oily and/or full of product so quickly (dry shampoo, holla!). This smells like straight up delicious tropical desserts and makes my hair feel amazingly clean, but also soft.

Boots Botanics Microdermabrasian Scrub: I talked about this in my skin care post. Makes your face feel softer than a baby's bum. (I've always hated that phrase and now I just wrote it on the Internet for everyone to see. Great.)

L'Oreal True Match foundation: Wow. I just randomly decided to start using this the other day and it's beautiful. It doesn't last all day, but it looks like your skin but better. I understand why so many YouTubers rave about it now.

Maybelline The Falsies mascara: Y'all. This is the best mascara I've ever tried. End of story.

Up & Up Deep Pore Cleansing Strips: This is gross. But. They do a great job and they're considerably cheaper than the Biore pore strips. (Plus, who doesn't like to look at the strip when you pull it off your face...? I'm gross. I hope you are, too.)

Not Pictured:

Remington 1/2 to 1 inch tapered wand: I can use this to curl my hair on a Sunday night, and my hair's beachy waves will last to Thursday or Friday with minimal touching up. Bonus? It was only $19 at Target.

Boots Botanics Clay mask: I swear to you, this is an exact dupe for the Glam Glow mask only 1/10 of the price. I love it.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Topcoat: I talked about this last week, too. You can use this topcoat with any nail polish and it will instantly last longer. 

I have no fails this month! That's probably because I didn't buy "anything" new in the month of September, and I just recently went through my makeup collection, so pretty much everything I have left is bomb as hell (I feel like a 14-year-old typing that).

unintended hiatus

Hello, you beautiful dorks. If you're like me, you're very annoyed with me right now (who am I kidding, I'm annoyed with myself a lot more often than just right now).

I haven't posted since Wednesday last week; I assure you, it's not what I wanted to happen, but if there's anything I've learned in my short one-year career as a lawyer, it's that October is my busiest work month (I've worked 1 1/4 Octobers now, so I'm basically an expert). Tonight, I have plans to post my September favorites as well as a post about how to wear makeup with glasses. I've also got plans this week to tell you the links I love, the ways I wear winged liner to work, and my updated skincare routine.

Just bear with me here, I'm trying. I promise.

i'm...

...so glad it's October! Or to borrow a much more eloquent quote, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." (Anne of Green Gables)

...misspelling "October" as "Octover" every.single.effing.time.

...eating homemade spaghetti. My roommate came home from work while I was making it for our dinner last night, and for the first (maybe only/last) time in my life, I felt like a housewife.

...troubleshooting an issue with my iPhone. It wasn't syncing all my music. So I did this. Then I did this. And it worked! Hoorah, I am a tech genius!

...speaking of iPhones, I am amazed by the photo quality the 6 has. My pictures in yesterday's blog post are from my iPhone, and they honestly look just as good, if not better, than my Samsung blogging camera.

...ordering the Lorac Mega Pro Palette. It's not supposed to be on sale until the 7th, but for some reason, Lorac was taking orders earlier today. It took me about 40 minutes to navigate through the checkout process (the site kept crashing because bitches be crazy), but that baby is MINE. If you want one, try ordering one riggghhhttt MEOW.

...reading Gone Girl. I'm only 17% done according to my Kindle, but so far, so good.

...ready for Kanye/Yeezy/Yeezus/Ye to release a new album already. For now, I'll just play "Yeezus" on repeat.

...totally digging TV's fall lineup. Between New Girl & The Mindy Project, and American Horror Story: Freak Show, and How to Get Away with Murder, I'll be busy from now until January. See you later!

...happy.

no spend september: how did i do?

You can obviously tell I did a teeny tiny itty bitty little bit of spending based on the pictures included in this post. That being said, I didn't step foot into Ulta or Sephora for the entire month, and the beauty products I did buy only totaled $63. 

I'm so glad to have bent my No-Spend September rules just a tidbit, because the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polishes & Maybelline Matte Lipsticks ended up being my absolute favorites in the month of September. Hell, I bet you these babies will be featured in my 2014 favorites, too! Folks, that, to me, is totally worth it. 

As a side note: I almost wanted to justify my nail polish purchases because I believe in my No-Spend September post, I said that I wouldn't buy any makeup for the entire month. Nail polish isn't makeup per se... 

Have any of y'all ever done "Beauty Ban"? How'd you do? 

pumpkin bread

I worked from home on Friday, and at about 10:30 a.m., the urge to bake hit me like a ton of bricks. After some Pinterest-ing (yes, it's a verb), I decided to make pumpkin bread. When I told my boyfriend about my afternoon pumpkin-bread-baking plans, he said, "does that make your house smell good?" Yes, boyfriend, yes it does.

YIELD

Eight 3x5 mini loaves or two 9x5 loaves

INGREDIENTS

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

One 15-ounce can of unsweetened pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Stir together sugar, water and oil. 

4. Stir in eggs and pumpkin. 

5. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. 

6. Mix dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating. (I did this in thirds.)

7. Divide batter into loaf pans, filling them about 3/4 full. 

8. For the mini loaf pans, bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. For larger loaf pans, bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

9. Let cool as long as you possibly can before eating. (Try not to burn your fingers. The key word here being "try.")

This is an amazing recipe. The bread comes out perfectly flavored and ridiculously moist, and you don't even have to dirty more than two bowls and one wooden spoon. I highly suggest making this bread in the mini loaf pans, because they are the perfect size for gifting. Each mini loaf has about four to five large servings in each, plus, they're SO cute. This pumpkin bread goes perfect with coffee or with an after dinner drink.

Recipe adapted from here. 

battle of the bags

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I've been wanting a leather tote that would be functional enough to carry my MacBook and Life Planner to work (right now I'm carrying both a Tory Burch tote and a Baginc crossbody bag), but beautiful enough to use on an every day basis, too. I had originally thought about splurging on the Cuyana tote in Chocolate (and obviously getting it monogrammed), but after a few minutes of research, I realized there are a ton of other great options out there. Right now, I'm actually leaning towards the Free People Vegan Leather tote (and it's only $68)! 

perfect pairings

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation ($55) + Coty Airspun powder ($6)

This foundation is beautiful; it's one of my all-time favorites. But the other day, for the first time, I paired it up with my translucent Coty Airspun powder, and it blew my mind. I looked in the mirror about 12 hours later, and it was still flawless. Tip of the Day: if you're looking for a cheaper alternative, the Maybelline Dream Wonder foundation ($10) and Dream Wonder powder ($9) are also a flawless combination, and they provide a similar type of coverage/finish (and Maybelline products are Buy One, Get One Half Off at Ulta right now!). 

Maybelline Illegal Lengths ($9) + Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express ($7)

If you put on a healthy amount of the Falsies Volum' Express mascara and follow it up with the Illegal Length mascara, you will get results nearly identical to those you could achieve with the Younique 3D Fiber Lashes mascara. Tip of the Day: it's generally said that products from the same brand tend to work better together, and I've learned that's definitely true, at least with Maybelline products.

Kiehls Avocado Eye Cream ($28.50) + Mac Pro Longwear Concealer ($20)

This concealer has a tendency to look super cakey under your eyes, however, it's got great coverage. The solution is an extremely emollient and moisturizing under-eye cream. And the best one I've ever found is the Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. 

Do you have any perfect pairings I should know about? I'm always looking for the newest, best, most life-altering makeup and skincare duos.

celeb sessions

I'll admit that I enjoy reading celebrity gossip sites, (Pink is the New Blog is one of the first blogs I read in the morning, and has been for probably five or six years now), and lately, some of the people I find myself inexplicably liking (who are you? I don't know you! Why do I like you?) have been doing some pretty awesome stuff. So I thought I'd recap what some of these ridiculously rich humans have been up to lately...

...Key and Peele are answering ridiculous questions about gay marriage, and consequently, are making me laugh so hard I almost shot coffee out my nose.

...Emma Watson is kicking SO. MUCH. ASS. right now. "Feminism is not man-hating." (And then some assholes on Reddit threatened her for supporting women's rights by saying they'll be hacking her and searching out her nude pictures and distributing them on the internet. Sometimes I really hate people.)

...Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell are confirmed for True Detective Season 2. A scream escaped my mouth when I read about Vaughn joining the cast earlier. It's an interesting move, and I totally love it.

...Chris Pratt is flying out to NYC to start rehearsals for SNL. I CANNOT WAIT. I ALSO CANNOT STOP YELLING.

...Chelsea Handler's first batch of Netflix content is set to start streaming on October 10.

...a Lizzie McGuire reunion? I wonder if I'd enjoy it as an adult or if it would be weird... Probably a healthy mix of both.

...Kim Kardashian's fashion is ON POINT lately. And I know it's due in large part to her diva husband, but hey, whatever works.

Want to fess up and tell me some fun gossip about any of your favorite celebrities or maybe your least favorite celebrities? I know it's probably rotting my brain to read about this stuff on a daily basis, but I just. I like it. So there.

tip tuesday: eyeshadow blending

Here's a tip I learned by watching YouTuber Chrisspy (who, by the way, is a perfectly perfect blue-haired sassy angel princess) a couple weeks back: when you're blending your crease color, hold your blending brush at a 90 degree angle to your eye, as opposed to a 45 degree angle. I don't know about y'all, but I always hold my shadow brushes somewhat parallel to my face. However, if you hold it perpendicular instead, your brush will do all the blending for you. It takes less than half the time to blend, and the result is flawless. (How many times can I say the word "blend" in a blog post?)

Do you like the idea of me posting an easy tip on the blog when I've got one? Or do you have other ideas for blog posts in general? Leave me a comment below!

smokey eye: lorac pro palette tutorial

This weekend, that boyfriend of mine had a brilliant idea: let's round up our friends and go see some live music. Now, I know we're not in Austin, and thus not in the "Live Music Capitol of the World,"  but for $5 we were able to go see James Boogaloo Bolden, a blues trumpet player and singer that's been working with BB King for more than 30 years now. Needless to say, we had a great time, and I can't wait to go check out this Houston legend's shows more often.

For a late night blues show played in one of H-Town's biggest dive of a bar, I decided a matte smokey eye would be the only appropriate thing to do. Here's how I got the look.

1. First, I used a fluffy crease brush to put Taupe all the way through my crease. I made sure it was nice and blended since smokey eyes are a hassle to deal with sometimes.

2. I took a flat shader brush and patted Sable all over my lid and up into the crease.

3. I took Taupe on the same fluffy blending brush and went back in to blend the lid and crease together. (You may need to pack the color on the lid and blend it out two or three times to get the pigment and gradient you like.)

4. I placed Cream on the brow bone and blended it into the Taupe crease color.

5. I took a pencil brush and added Black in the outer corner, then took a smaller blending brush and made sure it faded nicely into the Sable lid shade and the Taupe crease shade.

6. I ran Sable across the bottom lash line, and then ran Black across the very outer corner of the lower lash line.

7. I finished the shadow by using my finger to place Nude into my inner corner.

8. I did a thick winged liner and finished everything off with a couple coats of Benefit's They're Real mascara.

I never, ever do smokey eyes, but I really, really liked the way this turned out; it definitely made my green eyes pop. I'll have to remember to bust out a smokey eye more often, and not just when I'm headed to a dive to listen to blues.

iphone six

The first person in Perth to buy the new iPhone 6 dropped it on live TV. FOR SHAME.

Y'all, mine is on it's way to the apartment as we speak (or as I speak at you via the Internet)! SQUEEEEEE. Expect a full review in the next week or two. I hope I won't drop it. But if I do, I certainly hope it's not on live TV. 

wearing red lipstick at work

Last night I was contemplating whether or not I should wear red lipstick to work today. Normally, I'd wear whatever lipstick I want to wear (within reason), but this week my boss is in town, and we have clients coming in. So I stressed about it for a couple of hours (first world problems) before I finally I typed "work appropriate red lipstick" into Google. To my surprise, almost all the articles I read said that every red lipstick is appropriate for the office. I don't know why I had never thought about that before, but the second I started reading about it, it made total sense. A few things I read:

Forbes says that wearing crisp, brick red lipstick is a sign of power. 

"A perfect red mouth, with a bit of blush and a neutral eye shadow, always looks appropriate." -Napoleon Perdis

Red lipstick should never fall on the list of "What Not to Wear at Work."

The bottom line with wearing red lipstick to work is that you've got to make sure you're not wearing too much other face or eye makeup, your attire is conservative, and you apply your lipstick with all the precision you can possibly muster (which, I admit, is damn near impossible on a rainy Thursday at 7:45 a.m.). So whether it be as a power play or simply because I'm addicted to a great matte lip, I woke up this morning and carefully applied Model Co's Party Proof Matte Lipstick in Red Velvet before I headed out the door.