ConGRADuations!!

 This past weekend Benjamin, the pups, and I ventured to Hoke County, North Carolina to watch my little sister, Payton, graduate from high school. She's five years younger than me and one of the coolest people I know. She'll be coming to live with us in a few weeks for at least the summer. ("Can they do it??! Tune in this Summer to find out!")

Pink Balloon

............

It was a beautiful day out, albeit hot as hell. Benjamin and I sought out the shadiest bleacher space, then annoyed numerous spectators behind us with our big, black umbrella.

Hot as blazes.

At the derby

It was sort of surreal knowing that my little ginger sister was on the fast track to ackin-like-an-adulthood, but it felt right at the same time. Payton, I think, was having similar sentiments...

Having a spiritual moment

Also having a moment

And as I watched Payton strut from the ceremony in her super cute, super high high heels, I found myself wondering: "Who will she be in this life? A police officer, a physical therapist, a truck driver?" I guess I'll never know...until I find out.

"I wonder..."

Struttin

But I know no matter what direction life takes Payton, she'll always be my little ginger sis who loves serial killers as much as I do. 

****
Pre-party:

Before the cookout that our mom put together to celebrate Payton's freedom, Pip took the time to get in a nap...

....and to get his face on.

Rockabilly Wedding Nails

After a light dinner and some surprise neon flowers from my boo, I went to work on my nails.

I did these designs just from the top of my head (and from the top of google images) in anticipation of Jordan's wedding. These are really simple, but I thought they were pretty cute for the upcoming nuptials :)




I'm totally open to suggestions and I have a few more ideas I'll try out later this week. 




They're not tidy at all, I just painted and snapped photogs:

Tuxedo Nail! 

That's a bow and ribbon on the pinky :)

Jordan and Gordy!!

Oooh! I admit I was vexed (and lazy) when it came to my index finger, so I just went with a simple red heart.

Pin Up Wedding Makeup and Hair :)

My loverly friend, Jordan, is getting murrayed next month and she's having a 50's/rockabilly theme. I wanted to come up with a few options for hair (makeup is pretty standard as far as the pin-up look). 

~First thing I did was part my hair into 1" sections, curl it and pin it to my head with bobby pins. I used my Revlon ceramic curling iron (I think it's a little over 1" around). You can use curlers if you like, they both work pretty much the same. You want to make sure that after you pin up all your hair, that you leave it alone until ALL of your hair has completely cooled- that's what sets the curls. I always curl and pin my hair first, then do my makeup while I'm waiting for the curls to set. 

~Makeup: 

In order: "Too Faced" Primed & Poreless (smooths skin, preps skin for makeup)

"Benefit" Hello Flawless Foundation

"Maybelline" Dream Matte Powder (use as a setting powder over foundation)

"Victoria's Secret" Blush in 'Surrender' (use on apples of cheeks)

"Victoria's Secret" Illuminating Face Powder in 'All or Nothing' (sweep over cheeks, down bridge of nose, cupid's bow, chin)

~Eyes: "ARDELL" Invisiband Demi Wispies in Black (false eyelashes, set with LashGrip adhesive)

"Stila" Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black (start from the inside corner of your upper lash line all the way to the outer lash line, winging it slightly upwards at the end)

"Tarte" Mascara in 'Gifted' (use on top and bottom lashes, working from roots of lashes to the tip)

"Revlon" Brow Fantasy in Dark Brown (use the pencil to shape your brow, then use the setting wax to make keep brows in place. Make sure your arches line up with the tip of your nose and don't be afraid to go a bit darker than usual since this is a pin-up look!)

"Anastasia Beverly Hills" Eye Lights Matte Highlighter (use right under your brow to give them a nice, clean look. Also use in the inner corner of your eyes and on your lower water line to open your eyes up)

"Smashbox" Photo Op Under Eye Brightener (use right under your eyes for an illuminating glow)

"Victoria's Secret" Deluxe Eye Palette in 'Unstoppable' (you want to keep your eyeshadow a light, pearly color. I used the lightest color in this palette. It's a sort of pearly white/pink color. Apply ALL over your eyelid, from your lashes to your eyebrows.)

~Lips: "Too Faced" Primed & Poreless" (smooths lips, holds pigment of lip color better)

"Victoria's Secret" Lipstick in 'Showstopper' (I used this red lipstick as the "bridesmaid")

"MAC" Lipstick in 'Saint Germain' (I used this pink color as the "bride". I originally bought this color because it was the closest to Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday that I could get. And,  it smells soooooo good!!! I just used a little bit of this lipstick on my lips as my base color)

"Victoria's Secret" Brilliant Lip Shine in 'Undress' (I used this beautiful light pink gloss over my Saint Germain lipstick. It gives it a really romantic look.)

Kits: "Benefit" Confessions of a Concealaholic (I used the concealer before I put on my foundation.)

"Too Faced" Brow Envy (Even though I already used my Revlon Eyebrow Pencil, I went over that with the brown powder to give my eyebrows a cleaner, more Pin-Up look)

~After I did all my makeup (using the red lipstick first) I took down the right side of my pinned hair to try out one style. This is what I came up with: 

My bangs aren't long enough to do Victory Rolls yet, but I used pomade to twist them back and up.

The side that I kept pinned up.

~Then I took down the remaining pinned up side to give it a more symmetrical look:

~I changed to my "bride" dress, took out my red flower, and switched my red lipstick for my pink one and pink gloss:

I took out ALL the pins to create a soft look. Marilyn Hair!

I used pomade to smooth back the right side of my hair (parted asymmetrically) I also used it on my fringe to lift and tame it to the left side of my head.

A big white flower to match my big white dress!

The hairspray, pomade, teasing comb, and smoothing comb I used to achieve my looks.

Hopefully my fringe will grow out soon so that I can do a few more Pin Up looks (Victory Rolls, etc). Also, keep in mind that it is easier to hold these hairstyles if your hair is not squeaky clean the day of. My hair is two days old in these pics. 

Thanks yall!!

Masking our face with some clean.

Benjamin and I decided to test out a few of my many facial cleansers. We started out with Philosophy's "Purity", a foaming 3-in-1 cleansing gel for the face and eyes. I usually use this in the shower, and usually if I don't have to scrub off a ton of makeup (I use my apricot scrub for those tough jobs). This remover is ideal for oily skin types, and is really gentle. It leaves my face feeling soft and refreshed and not tight at all. So if you're out of moisturizer or you just forgot it, not to worry. 

Next, we did a facial clay mask. This was a cheap, impulse buy from Harris Teeter for about $3.50. The brand is "Freeman Feeling Beautiful" and it includes avocado and oatmeal. It claims to draw out excess oils and dirt, purge clogged pores, and leave your skin clean and soft. This is only the second time I've used it, but both times it did leave my skin feeling super soft and smellin' good. Benjamin said, "It makes me feel like Clay Aiken." We applied this to our dry and freshly cleansed face, let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until it was dry, then rinsed with warm water. Express Spa!

Finally, we moisturized. I actually used the "Neutrogena Makeup Remover" cleansing towelettes before we moisturized to wipe off the rest of my mascara. I'm addicted to these wipes; they're super soft and gentle, they take off everything and they don't dry out your skin. We used "Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Radiance Moisture Cream". It's my favorite moisturizer because it lasts all day. It's a bit heavier than some moisturizers, but you can feel it working. Plus, it smells reaaalllly good. Benjamin loves the feel of his new baby skin. :)

First blog post in four years, since the follies of my youth. As of now, I'm sitting with my new Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, Pip, and listening to Owen on vinyl on someone's youtube page. While at our friend's bachelorette party, Emily convinced me to start my own blog. So here I am. I will be chronicling my observations, musings, and adventures I share with my little family, as well as makeup and hair tips and "inspirational" life quotes such as, "Sit down before you fall down." As of this moment, I am supposed to be laid back in a dentist's chair, numbed gums, and tear stained cheeks. I was scheduled for a root canal for 10AM today, but after finding out that I had to pay $500 upfront, I decided to search for the back alley alternative. I know you're not supposed to look up photos and/or videos of an upcoming procedure or to try to diagnose yourself through WebMD, but I did it anyway. And this is what I found-

Looks about right.