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.