A New Look: Ombré Hair Edition

I'm usually not one to be adventurous with my hair, but with my 27th birthday coming up, I had the urge to go for a change. Now, let me start by saying my version of adventurous may not be drastic, but if you know me, this is quite a change.

I started out my journey by forming my "hair hit list" which is thinking about what I've seen on other people that I've adored, and cataloguing pictures and examples of styles on a Pinterest board. Here's a few snippets of my hair influences.

The first thing that came to my mind was coloring. I've never had the opportunity to experiment with different hair colors possibly because my mother always plead with me to never dye my hair; worrying about the ramifications of coloring it and keeping the integrity of my natural color. Talking specifically about color inspiration, I am completely infatuated with Shay Mitchell's ombré gradient.

Secondly, I've always wanted long and voluminous hair. My hair is naturally shoulder length, but seems to always stay at the same length...so frustrating! Looking for solutions, I've toyed with clip-in extensions before, but I loathed the fact that it's such a time-intensive task with clipping them in every morning and removing them every evening. I'm not a morning person, so this task doesn't seamlessly fit into my congested morning routine. To sum it up, I needed a more permanent solution.

Ultimately, I was led to the solution of getting sew-in extensions dyed in an ombré gradient. This effectively gives me the coloring aspect without touching my own hair color (Mom is happy) and simultaneously provides me with the volume and length that I've dreamt about! I'm so excited about the result and have to thank my stylist for her brilliant work!

Here's a few pics of the final result. I hope you love the new look as much as I do!

While we're on the subject, what are some of your adventurous hair fantasies? Anything that you've always wanted to try but have been apprehensive? I'm super curious so leave a comment below.

Until next time - XOXO

Face of the Day: Old & New Favorites at Play

So, apparently, I'm loving my LORAC Pro 2 Palette lately. Rightfully so, there's so many great color combinations to discover. I've noticed that this palette has quickly become my go-to palette replacing my almost-depleted Stila 'In The Light' palette.

In addition to the LORAC Pro 2 Palette, today's face of the day (FOTD) features a few more of my favorite products such as the Chanel Perfection Lumiére foundation, MAC's Mineralized Skin Finish in Gold Deposit and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. 

I also dabbled with a few new additions such as the Maybelline Master Glaze cream blush and L'Oreal's Voluminous Butterfly mascara. Keep your eyes here because reviews are coming soon! 

Face of the Day: Products

Stay tuned for reviews of the new products I used by following me on BlogLovin!

My Guide To Fashion Stalking

I wanted to talk about something new today. I haven't discussed fashion lately which is quite a shame since I enjoy fashion just as much as I enjoy cosmetics. Some info about me? I have a particular weakness for handbags, I swear there are at least 5 bags on my must-have list and 3 on my "should-pigs-fly" wish list, but that's another post for another time. 

I have to admit that discovering most of the items on my must-haves/wish lists are discoveries I've made through different commerce sites and social media platforms. That leads me to today's post, which is basically a guide from me to you about the best places to get into your fashion stalking and begin cultivating a collection. I feel like there are so many great sites out there that allow you to branch out your style, discover new trends and even purchase items on site, so compiling this post of my favorite sites just seemed like a no-brainer to share with you all.

Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

Site: Pinterest
The Scoop: A visual bookmarking platform where you can create specific boards pertaining to the pins that are included in that board, follow friends, discover new people, places to travel, brands, new interests...basically anything you're interested in, you'll find it on Pinterest. 
How I Use It: I use Pinterest to curate fashion trends and that pieces I like, recipes for healthy (and unhealthy) eating, bridal wear, calligraphy and technology. Usually, when I'm shopping for something, I reference my Pinterest boards as they contain everything that I've come across recently that I love.
My Faves on Pinterest:

• The Coveteur
• Nordstrom
• J BRAND Jeans

Site: Instagram

The Scoop: A photo and video sharing service that allows you to edit your content with preset filters to give the photo more interest and flair! You can also use hashtags to find new content. Lastly, to save a photo that you like in your "Posts You've Liked" section located in Settings, just give the photo a double tap and it's saved for your future use.
How I Use It: I absolutely adore Instagram because everywhere you look your favorite bloggers and brands are embracing very editorial style footage and try to give their followers a behind the scenes view of fashion and their day-to-day. The downside of Instagram from a fashion standpoint is that you can’t link to specific products from posts which bugs me but hopefully that's something they fix in the near future, but in the meantime, some of your favorite bloggers may have found a solution to this... read on!
My Faves on Instagram:

•      Michael Kors 
•      Bergdorf Goodman 
•      Zac Posen 
•      Paige Denim

These are my favorite for sites for finding new trends, but if you were ever in the mood to discover AND buy some new products, the next couple of sites are going to be your new best friend.

Site: Like To Know It

The Scoop: This ties into your Instagram profile and is kind of nifty! Fashion and Lifestyle bloggers that post OOTD (outfit of the day) photos on Instagram will tag it with a LikeTKIT link which will allow followers to easily curate those finds by simply liking the photo. Since this ties into your Instagram profile, all activity that is tagged is easily browsed on LikeToKnowIt’s site. LikeTKIT will also send you synopsis emails to remind you of what you've liked so that you don't forget that you were lusting over those rose gold and pearl ear jacket earrings.

Site: Luvocracy

The Scoop: Basically, this is similar to Pinterest, but, you can shop straight from the Luvocracy site. I’ve noticed many YouTubers stating that you can find all of the beauty and fashion finds they have mentioned in their videos on their Luvocracy page, so they’re starting to get a good following behind them.

Site: KEEP

The Scoop: With KEEP, you can find and curate and also purchase a collection of styles and products. Every week, KEEP features a stylist that shares his/her latest obsessions and recommendations and you can go through, browse and keep those items that really interest you. Even better, KEEP allows you to find what you're looking for easily by sharing items as a compiled list whether it's Hot Trends, Jewelry Under $50 or fashions in a specific color, they've got you covered.

Again, these are just a few of my favorites, but I'd love to know what sites you find helpful when you're discovering new styles and products.

Lastly, if you want to follow me on any of these sites, you can find me here:

Pinterest | Instagram | Keep 

Tutorial: Everyday Makeup with the LORAC Pro 2 Palette

Today, I wanted to share something different. I ended up filming a tutorial with my new LORAC Pro 2 Palette, which I completely adore. Full review to follow soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share my go-to everyday makeup look with this palette. Check out my video below and leave me a comment if you'd like to see additional looks with this palette!

The Absolute Best Eyebrow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Over the past six months, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz has quickly become my favorite eyebrow pencil. I consider it akin to a magic wand how it swiftly helps me to evenly define my brows every morning with ease.

My eyebrows with Anastasia Brow Wiz - Medium Brown

I am currently using the color Medium Brown (formerly Medium Ash) which blends well into the natural color of my brows. Brow Wiz is my favorite for three main reasons:

1. Precision: You won't encounter splotchy application or inconsistencies with this eyebrow pencil. The pencil, while retractable, doesn't have a fiddly nature to it. I've never struggled with the pencil dropping down into a black hole during application. Furthermore, the tip of the pencil remains impeccably defined throughout the life of the product, allowing you to create those tiny "hairs" in sparse areas of your brows
2. Long-Lasting: .The formula is smudge-proof meaning once you apply it, it's sticking around. I will add that I still set my brows with a clear gel, however, I've gone without that step many times and my shape defined by the pencil didn't budge.
3. Spoolie Equipped: Each Brow Wiz comes with a spoolie on one end. Having the spoolie included is a perfect feature for this product making it a no-brainer for travelers and throwing it in your bag for on the go brow shaping.

Overall, I'd say that the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is a great product buy and well worth the $21 price tag. You can find them at Sephora, Ulta and on Anastasia's website!