Tag Archives: makeup

02/09/2016

Why I Couldn’t Be Happier to be Turning 30

What’s even better than a 30th birthday party? A 30th birthday photo shoot of course! This Labor Day weekend (September 4th to be exact) I’ll be celebrating my 30th birthday. While many of us lament the loss of our 20s as the end of our youth, I personally couldn’t be more excited to be leaving my 20s behind. While I learned a lot from my mistakes and had some great accomplishments like graduating from college, starting this blog, moving to New York, meeting my amazing boyfriend and getting my first real job, the truth is it was a sad decade filled with uncertainty and the struggles of being broke. It was basically like being 13 again only you have to pay your own bills. The further I got into my 20s, the more Britney Spears’ 2007 breakdown made perfect sense. That basically sums it up, but everything good or bad must always come to an end.

Today at 30 I feel younger, happier and more vibrant than I ever did in my early 20s (mush of that is because I’ve replaced drinking with fitness and feeling sorry for myself with taking action). As I look toward the adventures to come I often wish to be richer, skinnier, prettier or smarter, but I don’t wish to be younger. It took me almost 30 years to get it together. So in many ways my adult life has just begun and I look forward to embracing the coming years as a smarter, happier and humbler person. For once in my life I truly love who I am because I’ve fought, failed and failed again to be her. While I don’t know what the future will bring, I know that I’ll continue to fight for the person I am and want to be.

At the end of my aerial fitness classes they often share a quote from Antigravity Founder Christopher Harrison. It goes, “Hidden in the forces that bring us down, is the energy to lift us up.” If anything my 20s gave me that. In the spirit of feeling and looking great, I decided to pose in front of the Goddess Wall in Soho. I recently discovered this work of street art and it really speaks to me. Many thanks to artists @jeremypenn and @lambrosart for creating such an inspiring mural.

If you’re a struggling 20 something, I know exactly how you feel because not so long ago I was you. We all have our own paths in life, so the only real advice I can give you is that it doesn’t matter where you’re going or how you get there as long as you continue to move and look forward. The path is almost never straight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep moving forward. And when you turn 30, celebrate the amazingness of being 3 decades old with a 30th birthday photo shoot! If you’re in the New York area, Zarif Taufiq would be happy to do yours too.

Speaking of 30th birthday shoots, I know you’re dying to know how I got this amazing look. The dress is a J.Crew Spaghetti-Strap Dress in Colorful Brushstroke Print. I paired this happy birthday dress with Swedish Hasbeens Ornament Clogs in Black (my fav summer shoes) and my Mighty Purse Gold Stud Wristlet that has a built in phone charger.

Many thanks to Valerie Star from Caravan Stylist Studio for doing such a beautiful job on my hair, makeup and nails. I really felt like a movie star! If you’re looking to recreate this look or just get your hands on some fab beauty products, I’ll tell you what she used. She styled these beautifully modern curls using OGX Anti-Gravity + Hydration O2 Weightless Oil & Lift Tonic, OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Elevated Finish Spray and OGX Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Weightless Hydration Oil. For my makeup she made my eyes really pop with Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette, Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen, POP Beauty Pow Wow Powder, Pixi Mattelustre Lipstick and POP Beauty Brow Shape & Shade. Manuka Secrets was used on my skin and I wore Color Club’s It’s a Sauna Out Here Nail Polish.

Photos by: Zarif Taufiq

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13/07/2016

Celebrate your Inner Beauty by Giving Back

When we all work together, give what we can and look out for one another; it’s amazing just how quickly the world becomes a better place for the next generation. In the spirit of giving back, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company is getting ready to donate a total of $2 Million to causes surrounding health, home and hunger through a corporate giving campaign known as Band Together. The nonprofits benefiting include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity and Feeding America.

Band Together

Through this unique corporate giving campaign, you’ll get to decide how this record-breaking donation will be broken up by voting for the cause of your choice. Voting will be open from July 11, 2016 at 11am CT to July 31, 2016 at 11pm CT. Jewelers Mutual with be writing a check for $1 Million to the charity with most votes. $700,000 will go to the second place winner and $300,000 will be donated to the third-place winner. You’ll be entered for a chance to win weekly jewelry prizes from STACKED New York every time you cast your vote. The lucky winners will each get a set of 3 stacking bands ($450 retail value). Cast your vote here.

Hint: Vote everyday for more chances to win!

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company Corporate Giving Lipstick Street Art

Giving Back

While most of us probably don’t have $2 Million to donate, we can all make a huge difference in our communities and in the lives of those in need. It doesn’t take a lot of time, money or effort to really make an impact. A couple years ago, my friend Lara, founder of the beauty blog Pretty Connected, started a charity where bloggers, editors, PR agencies, makeup brands or anyone could donate unopened excess beauty products to women living in NYC’s shelters and teenage girls in foster care.

Corporate Giving

Us beauty and fashion bloggers are always getting makeup sent to us or getting samples at events. While some of it we use, it’s often impossible to use all of it before it expires and not everything you get is right for your skin or hair type. But why let it go to waste when someone else could really use it? With that question in mind, Lara brought the fashion and beauty community together. Throughout the years, we’ve pooled our excess beauty products and donated them to women in need. Since we get more products for free than we can use, this is program that costs us no money, but makes a huge difference in the lives of local women.

eyeshadow street art charity how to give back

New beauty products bring women confidence and it makes those in need happy to know that someone is thinking of them. I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to participate in this program time and time again. I even have a special spot in my closet where I keep my extra beauty products for donation. It’s great to have friends that inspire you to make your community a better place.

If you’re interested in doing some philanthropy work of your own, I would suggest finding something that aligns with your interests and finding a friend to get involved with you. Even if an opportunity to give back doesn’t seen to align with your interests right away, I would still suggest giving it a chance because nothing makes you feel better than giving back to someone else. Doing charity work with a friend can make it less intimidating to volunteer at a new place and keep you from canceling because no one wants to cancel on a friend. If you’re not sure where to start local food banks, hospitals and nursing homes are almost always looking for new volunteers.

As you embark on your journey to make the world a better place, don’t forget to get involved in Jewelers Mutual’s Band Together campaign by casting your vote!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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29/12/2015

New Year, New Beauty!

2016 is just around the corner and one of the best ways to celebrate a New Year is to treat yourself to something nice. I’ve always found that buying yourself a new beauty product is one of the most affordable and glam ways to ring in the New Year.

red lipstick beauty makeup tips

Since New Year’s Resolutions often involve eating less, spending less or depriving yourself of one thing or another, doing a little something for yourself is a great way to offset a less fun resolution. So hit up your local Sephora, Ulta or drug store and get yourself something nice.

Getting your New Year’s beauty on doesn’t always mean splurging or going over budget. I’ve found lower priced products that are almost identical to their higher end counterparts. For example, Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara priced at around $9.49 produces similarly fabulous results to my all time favorite Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara that goes for around $23.00. If you can’t afford to pay $54 for the Urban Decay Naked3 eyeshadow palette, simply pick up a Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette for just $9.99. I’ve used both mascaras and both palettes and know from experience that they will give you similar if not identical results.

Even just getting yourself a new nail polish or a Birchbox subscription can get your year off to the right start. If you’re happy with all the new products you got for the holidays, then why not get yourself a new makeup case to help you move forward with your New Year’s Resolution to travel more? Get ready to get glam!

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Classically Classy: Makeup Tips that Never Fail

Nowadays, classic makeup looks are enjoying a big revival as makeup artists keep emulating them on the runway. Some ever popular looks include cat eyes, a white eye pencil on the waterline, a pink-reddish lipstick and fake eyelashes. From the 40s to the 60s, here’s a list of the most classic and classy make-up looks and how to recreate them.

makeup tips

1. Wear Fake Eyelashes Like Twiggy

Bottom fake eyelashes were definitely Twiggy’s thing. How to achieve this look? Apply an eye primer on your eyes. Choose a vanilla shade of eyeshadow and use it all over the eye up to the brow. In order to create the shape of the eye similar to Twiggy’s, apply a dark grey eye shadow on the socket line and then take an angle brush to apply the black eyeshadow on the socket line. Next, blend the shades together. Apply a little bit of black eyeshadow on the outer edges of the upper lash line and blend it with a brush. Several coats of mascara together with bottom and upper fake lashes will do the trick. Finally, use a white eye pencil on the waterline.

2. Want to Have Makeup Like a Pin-up Girl?

The classic 40s look has come back. This look has two parts: bright eyes and bold lips. Start with the white cream eye shadow which should be applied under the brow and blended with a brush. Use the same eyeshadow on the inner corner of the lid. Draw a thin line with a flick on the upper lash line with a black liquid eyeliner. False eyelashes are indispensable for this look. Finally, accentuate the lips with a red lip pencil and a ladybug lipstick.

3. Classic Elizabeth Taylor Makeup

Elizabeth Taylor’s trademark are gorgeous, full eyebrows. So start with an eyebrow kit and fill in your eyebrows. After you apply an eye primer, apply a rosewood shade of eyeshadow on the socket line and blend it through. Take a vanilla shade eyeshadow and blend it under the brow. Draw a line on the upper lash line and an angled line on the outside corner of the eye with a liquid eyeliner. Draw the line from the end of the angled line back to the lash line, connect and fill in the triangle. For the bottom lash line, use a black eye pencil. Apply a white eye pencil inside the lash line. What about the lips? A red lip pencil and an orange-red lipstick are perfect for this look. Add the final touch to the look with two coats of mascara and fake eyelashes.

4. Classy Like Audrey Hepburn

You cannot get a more classic look than the “Audreyesque” makeup. The most important part of the makeup are the eyes. Use an eye primer and then apply a black liquid eyeliner from the inside corner of the upper lash line towards the outer one drawing a flick. A grayish-brown eye shadow is perfect for this look. I recommend Jane Iredale makeup because of their soft and classy shades (Australian readers, I recommend getting Jane Iredale makeup from Skin Matrix). Take most of the color off the brush and apply it from the outer corner of the bottom lash line towards the middle of the bottom lash line. A white eye pencil on the waterline is, of course, a must. Apply two coats of mascara on both upper and bottom eyelashes. Try to find a pinkish-brown shade of lipstick to finish the look.

Hope you enjoyed these classic, classy makeup tips! Which will you try first?

This is a guest post by Amy Mia Goldsmith. Amy is an Aussie literature student who loves to read and has been writing novels and short stories for as long as she can remember. She is currently studying and working at a bookstore. Her passion is beauty and organic makeup and she loves to spend her free time hiking and of course – makeup shopping! Amy is a regular contributor to High Style Life. You can contact Amy on her Facebook page.

Guest Post: The Most Talked About Summer Makeup Trends

Fashion blogs, magazines and websites directly influence both our cupboards and wardrobes. So if you’ve already chronicled your favorite outfits and accessories for summer 2015, it’s time to top off your best looks with the hottest summer makeup trends. Here are the top makeup trends to try this summer.

1_Welcome back the Lipstick

1. Welcome Back Lipstick

Nude lips might have been the trend for several seasons, but this summer colorful lips are back. Try out the red hot lipsticks from Burberry Beauty or a smudgy stain from Topshop Unique. Remember, men may come and go, but your favorite shade of lipstick is forever!

2_Embrace the colour Purple

2. Embrace the Color Purple

The color of summer when it comes to highlighting the beauty of your eyes is purple. Lilac is known not only to improve but also optimize every skin tone. Try a grape shade inspired by Vera Wang’s SS15 runway show. To complement your purple eye makeup, you could sport light purple apparel too. But, I’m sure you don’t want to go on the date with your best eye makeup all alone! If you want to shop for your better half too, click here.

3_Anti cat eyes

3. The Anti Cat Eye

Eyeliners give you a reason to be late! Black eyeliners never fail to be a part of any season, but for summer, the way to wear them is different. Start applying it from the middle of your eye to its extreme corner, like we saw Prada and Celine do on the runways. For a truly graphic effect, keep the line straight.

4_Glow Bronzing Powder

4. Glow Bronzing Powder

Summer makeup is absolutely incomplete without bronzer. You can try the Glow Bronzing Powder by Dolce & Gabbana that promises a sun-kissed, natural-looking tone. If this does not suit your skin type, you could also check out sun-inspired bronzing powders by Avon.

5_Metallic Nails

5. Metallic Nails

Metallic manicures are so hot this season. Flaunt your flawless summer skin by using metallic nail polishes. Browse through the Dark Stromboli, Silvery Platinum or Golden Desert shades by Dolce & Gabbana! It’s the little things that attract the most attention.

6_Simple Hair-do

6. Simple Hair

The hairstyles for summer are always very simple. To avoid the sweat and uneasiness, most would prefer to tie up their hair. You can decorate your buns with flowers or very simple accessories. If you don’t like to tie your hair back, just a simple middle parting is totally in!

7_Do not hide your freckles

7. Don’t Hide Your Freckles

During summer, freckles are one of your greatest blessings and you sure would not want to hide them under concealers. Try Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multi-Color compact that provides warm color to the face, without concealing or mattifying.

They say that the most beautiful makeup for women is their passion, but cosmetics are easier to buy. So, hit refresh on your makeup kit. Happy shopping!

This guest post is by Suzy Walsh, chief editor for The House of Elegance Fashion. She is a blogger by profession and a fashion expert by passion who loves to write about fashion trends and tips.

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