NOTD: 'Kimber' by Zoya

Today's nail of the day features the brand Zoya, a brand comparable to OPI in price and supposedly quality as well! I had not tried this brand before this manicure, so I was excited to test it out!

The color 'Kimber' is a bright pink with orange and bright pink microshimmer in it. I love microshimmer in polishes because it allows the polish to still be glossy and pretty while having a little extra somethin somethin!
Here it is in the sun:

I'm very impressed with Zoya polish! This applied super smooth and was completely opaque in two coats.
I actually have had this on my nails for the past couple of days and so took it off after taking these pictures and my only complaint has to be that it took FOREVER to get this polish off of my fingers! Most glittery polishes have that problem.
Zoya polishes can be found at Ulta for about $8.
What do you think about this pink shimmery shade?
xxSJ

Sunday Funday!

Happy Sunday everyone! Here are my favorites from this week!

1) Musicccccccccccccccccc

We Are Never Getting Back Together- Taylor Swift. Okay, I'm aboard the T Swift train. Love this song and I love that its a very girl power, sing in the car with your friends type of song. We all have that one person we're singin about! ;)

'50 Ways To Say Goodbye'-Train. Train is on fire! This song is awesome and so fun to sing along to (when you can catch the lyrics!)

2) Discovering I have an addiction.....to makeup.
The following is an extremely embarrassing photo:

The duo below is my fave eyeshadow duo from Nars (Alhambra). I did a whole post on it a couple months ago.  The two eyeshadow pots above are two new shadows I just got from Urban Decay....they're the same colors! They look the same in the pot and they swatch the same on the skin...whoops! Mistakes happen and at least I'll never run out of these pretty neutral colors haha

3) Study Study Study Study

I have two midterms tomorrow and one on Tuesday....these past couple of days I have felt like the little engine that could.... I think I can I think I can I think I can! I've been studying hard and every once in a while I catch myself making little doodles. I've found the perfect balance of working hard and then calming down with little breaks in between. Yay for productivity!

4) And for the awww section of Sunday Funday, I bring you the newest addition to the family:

This is James Bond, my older sister's new kitten she got with her fiance (he's in that upper right pic!). My sis  has been sending me pictures of this little guy all week and though I haven't met little James yet, I think I'm in love with the lil guy :)

Those were my faves from the week! Tell me some of yours in the comments below!
xxSJ

NOTD: Butter London's 'Come to Bed Red'

Today's nail of the day is a new polish I haven't tried yet! It's Butter London's 'Come to Bed Red.' It's a pure red color with more blue undertones than orange making it very appealing and a rather seductive color (tee hee).

See? It's gorgeous. I love Butter London polishes because they are so easy to apply making for a perfectly smooth manicure.  It leaves your fingers looking polished, clean, and professionally done. This is the first darker color I have worn in so long and I am SO READY for Fall so I can bust out the burgundies and purples!

Butter London polishes are 3 Free nail lacquers that cost $14 for .40z of product. They can be found at Ulta and department stores.
What's your favorite red to rock?
xxSJ

Eye Look of the Day: Peachy Keen!

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to show the eye look I created for today! I used a very bright peach color from Urban Decay ('Freelove'), and I wanted to show how to use it for a completely wearable look.

bottom left: Virgin, Top: X, Borrtom right: Freelove

This is what happens when I awkwardly try and hold all three eyeshadows. Never again.

As with all eye looks, I started with an eye primer to make sure my shadows popped! I used MAC's 'Rubanesque' paint pot. Then I placed 'Virgin' on the inner corner of my eye and my brow bone.  I then took a flat shader brush and patted 'X' all over my lid.  Finally, I took 'Freelove' and placed it in the outer corner of my eye, blending it into 'X.'

This was the end result with some liquid eyeliner. A really neutral and peachy eyeshadow look! Color is not scary at all! Browns and champagnes aren't always necessary for an everyday eye look :)

Pull your look together with a pretty blush color and some lipstick and you're ready to go!

Everybody keep smiling!
xxSJ

OOTD: "Trouble With the Curve' Movie Premiere and Afterparty

Hi everyone! Today I thought I would do an outfit of the day on the clothes I picked to wear to the Trouble With the Curve movie premiere in Westwood on Wednesday night. My Uncle is a reporter and so I get to go to premiers along with the afterparties from time to time.

Top from Banana Republic, skinny jeans from the Gap, purse is vintage

I went a little bit more casual this time. You could really wear anything to one of these! The celebrities are all in suits and gowns and a lot of people wear cocktail dresses. Publicists usually wear more shabby chic clothing.

My pretty little gold strappy heels from Michael Kors.

I did a little bit of a darker eye for makeup and then curled my hair using my conair curling wand.
The movie was great! I think any baseball fan or Clint Eastwood fan would really enjoy it. 
The after party was right down the street and I actually ended up walking over right next to Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel!
The venue was outside and decorated with patio furniture and tea lights in mason jars hanging in trees:

There was a live band playing some jazzy music through out the evening!

And there was a ton of delicious food, all very American inspired (sliders, pizza, doughnuts) since the film is about baseball, an American past time.

I had an awesome evening and I hope you enjoyed this post!
Are you going to see 'Trouble With the Curve?'
xxSJ

NOTD: Butter London's 'Teddy Girl'

Today's Nail of the Day is a Butter London polish that I just got. It's called 'Teddy Girl' and it's a BEAUTIFUL creamy pink:

This polish is the perfect almost cotton candy pink.  It's nice sometimes to have a non-distracting neutral color on your nails (and also more professional!) so this is a great polish to have in a collection.

The application of this product was a bit more difficult than other Butter London polishes I own. It was pretty thick but still workable and made it so that this light pink was opaque in only two coats. That is so awesome because usually light colors like this will require 3 coats (which I hate doing because it can get too thick!)

This color is very pretty and I recommend it if you're looking for a great pink.  I feel like a princess with this on my nails :)
Butter London polishes are $14 each and can be found at Ulta and department stores

What are you rocking on your nails right now???

xxSJ

Eyeshadow How-To: Using Too-Faced Natural Eye Palette

Hi everyone! The makeup look my friends request more than any other is how to do a basic neutral eye so I thought I'd share my step by step on how I achieve an everyday neutral look. I only use the Too-Faced Natural Eye palette in this how-to, but you can see the colors I use and you can replicate this using any shadows you own at home! Let's get started! (I'm sorry that my camera isn't very good so it doesn't pick up the colors all that well):

You should start any eyeshadow look by priming your eyes! I used Too-Faced Shadow Insurance.

The first step you want to do for your shadow is dip a dome shaped crease brush into a matte color. This color I'm using is a warm gray, but soft browns are great as well. With the tip of the blending brush, work the color into the crease of your eye until you have the desired amount of depth to your crease. Putting the crease color first will emphasize your crease while also not hiding the lid color!

Next dip a flat shader brush (I'm using a MAC 239) into a lid color. Champagne, gold, light pinks...all of those could work for a neutral eye! I'm using this champagne pink color. Pat the color all over the lid up to the crease.

Next dip your brush in a brighter/sparklier color and place this color on the very center of your eyeball. This will add definition to your eyeshadows and make a light catching effect on the lid.

 Now dip the same dome brush you used earlier into a medium to dark brown (purple works well too!) and work this color into your outer crease. The way I do this as by just putting the very tip of the brush on the area I want to deposit the color and making tiny circular motions. Then I blend it out to as far as I want the color to go by making swiping/wind-shield wiper motions.





 
Don't forget to add a highlight color to underneath your brow bone! This will add definition to your facial structure and some pop to your eye look. This can be done with any matte white or shimmery light color (MAC's Dazzlelight, Shroom, Brule, Urban Decay's Virgin)

The final look! Sorry I look so awkward....trying to take pictures with your eyes closed is hard...haha but you can see the eyeshadow!
I finished off my eye look with some winged out eyeliner and mascara. I also added some blush and a lipgloss to polish off the whole look:

NARS 'Orgasm', Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara, Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner, MAC Lipglass in 'It's A Wow'

Hello face!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand since you're never fully dressed with out a smile:

Ahhhhhhhhh there we go :) Eyeshadow looks pretty derpy on its own but when everything's all put together it can create a lovely, polished look!
Have an awesome day everyone! Hoped this help and leave suggestions for how to better this type of post in the future! Hope it was okay for my first how to though :)
xx SJ

Steph Reads: Beneath the Glitter

I just finished reading 'Beneath the Glitter' by Elle and Blair Fowler (popular beauty gurus on YouTube).  The novel is very new so I thought I would share my thoughts on it for those of you thinking about reading it!

First of all, I love the cover art. So girly and feminine! But now to the important stuff:
This book follows the misadventures of Sophia and Ava London, two girls who have recently moved to Los Angeles after finding fame through making beauty videos on YouTube. This book is loosely based on the Fowler sisters' lives, but the girls have made it clear that much of the story is fabricated.
I call this type of book a 'beach read.'  The plot was pretty simple with minimal conflict (though there definitely is some!) and the characters were all very fun and interesting to learn about.  I love reading this type of book while on vacation when I want a light and fun read, or when school is in session and I want a break from my dense text books!  Some books are page-turners because they make your heart race and you're so invested in the story and the characters' safety (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, etc...), but this book kept me glued because I loved watching the story unfold.  It's exactly what I needed because I don't always like to be stressed out when I'm reading for pleasure!  It helps that I am a fan of the Fowler sisters because the small similarities between themselves and the characters kept me attentive and made me chuckle a couple of times :)
The book ends on a cliffhanger and I am definitely interested in reading the next book in what I guess is a series!
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice light read and I especially recommend it to fans of the Fowlers and the YouTube beauty community!
Also, Elle and Blair Fowler came to the Beverly Center in Los Angeles for Fashion's Night Out so while I was there I had them sign my book. Why not? haha

 What book are you reading right now?
xxSJ

Sunday Funday! My Favorite Things From the Week

Time for a belated Sunday Funday post! Let's get started with my favorite things from this past week:

1. MUSICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

'I'm on a Roll' by Stefano! This song is so great for getting ready for some fun with friends! Definitely a great way to start a night out.

2. Roadtrippin fun!

My girlfriends and I roadtripped to Stanford this weekend for our football game! Looooooong car rides, music blasting, school spirit......it all makes for a good time!

Kate, me, Clare, Katie, and Sara

3. Too-Faced Natural Eye Makeup pallette

This palette is sooooooo awesome! It has the perfect colors for creating a neutral eye for everyday! It comes with little instructional cards for inspiration or instructions if you're not sure what to do with the colors :)
This palette is $36 and can be found at Sephora or Ulta

4. This picture is one of the most heartwarming things I have seen not only this week but ever!

Humane Societies often post pictures of people after they adopt an animal! I saw this and my heart melted. This man looks so happy to have that wee little kitty in his arms. I hope that little companion makes him smile everyday!

Here's to finding what makes us all smile! Cheers everyone, and thanks for reading :)

xxSJ

NOTD: Butter London 'Rosie Lee'

Today's Nail of the Day features a new polish I recently got from Butter London called 'Rosie Lee.' It's pink. It's glittery. It's perfection.  I paired that polish with an old favorite, O.P.I's 'Strawberry Margarita.'

 

 The glitter polish is pretty packed with pigment (hee hee, alliteration is fun!) however I didn't feel like an all glitter nail which is why I put over some pink polish.  You can definitely still see 'Strawberry Margarita' underneath the thick layer of glitter. Also, putting on layers upon layers of glitter polish makes for a cool effect when it becomes opaque, BUT, it is horrendous to get off. It seriously takes forever.

Could my hand be any more awkward in this picture? But look! Two nail polishes make for one pretty mani!

Again. Claw hand.  The Claaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaww!

All in all I love this manicure! It looks like I've dipped my fingers in glitter. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it as well!

What are you wearing on your nails now???

xxSJ

NYX Lipglosses: Rave Review and Pics!

Today I'm reviewing a recent discovery of mine: NYX lipglosses! I got two for my birthday a couple weeks ago and I've been wearing them ever since because they are my new OBSESSION.  Let's start with the packaging:
These glosses come in a smooth container about the same size as a MAC cremesheen gloss. It's a great amount of product: a generous amount but not too much that it would go bad before you can use it up. My favorite part of this product is the top:

It's a little black bow! LOVE. It's a classy lipgloss ;)
A weird thing I like to talk about when discussing lip products is taste and smell. You might not think about it but it's important! You will be smellin this all day and even taste it a little bit too because, well, it's on your mouth. These glosses smell like cherry starburst candy! No joke, it's amazing.  If you don't like cherry or sweet smelling products than this gloss is not for you, but otherwise yummmmmyyyyyyyyyyy.
The first color I got is 'Sweetheart.' It's the lighter of the two glasses. It's a perfect nude pink color.

It's great to put on the center of the lips to create that pouty effect or for all over (as I did in the pic above) for an everyday lip look!

Seeeeeeeeeee? Light pink and shiny.
The other color I got is called 'French Kiss' which is a brighter pink gloss. I love finding wearable bright pink lip colors because it is so on trend to wear a bright color on your lips. However, color can be a tad intimidating so it's great to find a muted version when you're not feeling as daring!

Oh hey lips. How's it goin? Keep in mind these pictures are the lipsticks with out any color underneath!
This lipgloss is a liiiiiiittle bit sticky, but not enough to be bothersome. I like a little bit of stickiness because it helps the gloss stay on your lips longer!

Sweetheart on left, French Kiss on right

Overall I love love love these glosses. NYX is a fairly inexpensive makeup line yet still manages to make quality products! These glosses are great and for about $5 each, I say they're a steal. I think everyone should go out and try the color 'Sweetheart.' It's a perfect neutral color and has definitely turned into a must have item for me!

Backlit. Oh well. My lips are still glossy :)

Hope this review was helpful to everyone and I hope everyone has a zippety-doo-dah day!
Keep smilin!
xxSJ