Beauty - A Love/Hate Relationship

I'm short, my eyes don't match (did I ever mention I have a lazy eye?) and don't even get me started on my brows! Uneven as can be. Not twins or sisters. They're more like second cousins twice removed. My front teeth are huge (they look like chiclets) and my nose is crooked. My forehead is big and my skin isn't perfect. But this is who I am. It all comes together in some generally decent way - I think. I'm good with how I look. Not in a conceited way, but in the sense that I feel good about myself. Confident in who I am and how I've been put together. Our features shape who we are. My moms lips, my dads hair - it all tells a story. So, when I put on my makeup in the morning, I'm not looking to mask who I am. I like who I see and I'm not looking to change it. I have come to love makeup because I look at it as two things. (1) To enhance and shape the features I have and (2) as a form of art - a way of transforming one thing into something else that's not more beautiful, but different in a fun and interesting way. I used to love going all out with makeup on one side of my face and seeing how it can alter features so dramatically just with color and shading. It honestly just blows my mind sometimes and I love playing with shapes and color. It's a form of expression. Unfortunately, this all gets lost sometimes. Why is she wearing so much blush? Her eyelashes are tiny. I can't believe she went out looking like that. Therefore pushing us to feel as though we can't leave the house without checking the mirror a hundred times or like we're not acceptable to the world without a false pair of lashes. But, even worse than that is that we do it to ourselves. Obsessing over every detail and comparing ourselves to others. Ugh, her skin is flawless. I wish I had her hair. Pushing us to want and do things to ourselves to morph into things we are not. So today, I wanted to talk about my love/hate relationship with beauty. The things that nag me and the things that make me fall in love.

Random Thought - 4

Random Thought - 3

Drumroll Please

Hi there. So.... recently I was nominated for a Liebster Award. At first I thought, 'Say whaaa???". Upon reading up though, I found out a little more. The Liebster Award is passed on from one recipient blogger to another. Who knows where it really started, but the idea is to pass it along to a great new blogger that has less than 200 followers to bring awareness to us new folk. I think the thought of this is really sweet and I was so humbled to be nominated by two lovely ladies. I was first nominated by Lexi from Introducing Lexi and was shortly after nominated by Isabella from Pinkie Promise. Many thanks to the both of you for reading my blog and thinking I'm at all cool enough to have this passed onto me. Lexi is around my age, girly, super fun and was recently engaged (congrats!). Isabella is first and foremost a Harry Potter fan (yes!), but also talks beauty and all that good stuff . Be sure to check them out and say hello. 

OK, on with what this entails. First things first, I must share 11 random facts about myself! I have already done 25 random facts here, but I figured I could spare a few more...

1. I've never curled my lashes before

2. One of my favorite books is actually a children's 

book - The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 

3. I like to wear socks to sleep which pretty much guarantees I 
find one hiding in the covers every time I change my sheets....

4. I'm 5'2".... Quite small

5. I can do basic sewing, knitting and crocheting. Clever, eh?

6. I started learning how to drive when I was 15 in a white 

1986 Toyota Cressida with burgundy interior. Classic

7. I love tea. It makes me feel like home so every time I go on 

business trips I order tea before bed. (Lol)

8. I need the assistance of glasses or contacts to see as I have 

awful vision (socks, crochet, glasses and tea?! I'm an old lady at heart)

9. I've always wanted to learn how to fly planes (how badass is that?!)

10. I have a lazy eye. You can't really tell, but sometimes you can spot it 

in a picture or if I'm really sleepy it starts to get worse and stray (such a nerd).

11. I don't have any tattoos (I'm not that badass. Lol)

The second part is to answer 11 questions given from the nominator. I decided to answer both Lexi's and Isabella's. Click through for the Q&A...

Catching Up

Hi there. It's just me today. I thought I'd take a minute to just have a little chat. Last week was quite hectic. With schools getting back in session, traffic has been crazy so getting to work has been quite the adventure which honestly wore me out in every possible way! I have a long commute and traffic added on top of that means I'm spending about two and a half hours one way. It's crazy, I know. Luckily, it's was a lovely 3-day holiday weekend if you live in America. Yay! So, I had some time to recuperate and get my head back on straight (literally). Which also meant I have had the chance to get some posts fleshed out for this coming week. Last week was a bit sparse, I'll admit. And even though I've only been blogging for a few months, I actually really missed it. I'm really enjoying blogging. It's exciting to have an idea, draw it up or photograph it, write about it and share it somewhere. 

Speaking of Photography, anyone who knows me knows that I'm much better at designing, directing or just drawing/illustrating than I am holding a camera. I can literally make someone cry about how they look from a terrible picture I've taken. Know someone whose head is too big (figuratively speaking, of course)? Just find me to take a picture of them. No joke. So, I have been trying to learn how to position and angle myself to get good compositions. And also have been learning more about all the manual settings that every photographer should know like any driver knows where the gas and break are in a car. From aperture to shutter speed and ISO. Oy! It's so much to think about. It's a bit overwhelming, but I've been challenging myself to take my camera out with me more and just have some fun with it. Change up the settings and see what happens. Do it again and see what happens. And then again and again. It's the only way I'll ever learn, so I'm trying to get with it! As you can see, that's me in the image above with my trusty camera. If camera's had feelings, I swear mine would be thinking "really?!... her?..." haha. It's OK. Soon, it will be proud. Fingers crossed.

My Wardrobe Staples

I find that we're approaching the end of summer and Fall/Autumn is nearing closer and closer. Boots, jackets, leather and so on are already making appearances in stores. Crazy how time flies! So, I've put together a few of my closet essentials. A few staples that are must haves in my closet all year round. The pieces that transition perfectly from season to season and the season after that.

(left to right)
Lightweight Cardigan: I love wearing sweaters. Having a lightweight casual sweater can be worn on summer nights or as a layering piece during the colder months. This one is from All Saints and I love it. I also love sweaters from Vince. They both last forever and are great staples. Totally worth the splurge.
Indigo Denim: Every girl has to have a great pair of dark indigo denim. It can be dressed up or dressed down. Pictured above are my AG skinny jeans.
White Tee: I think this is so essential to every closet no matter how old or young you are. I love the look of a classic white tee or shirt. It never goes out of style. Always looks classic and effortlessly chic. My personal favorite is from Wilt. They will last you forever. The material is comfy and the shape is flowy and casual.
Lightweight Scarf: I have so many scarves because they are just so freakin versatile. A lightweight scarf can be used for summer evenings or even as a beach cover up and of course be used for warmth on a colder night. I picked this one up on a trip to NYC.
Sneakers: Your basic white sneaker is great for casual days out today, tomorrow or next year. These Superga's are made great, super comfy and classic. Wear them with a dress or a cool pair of jeans, the options are endless.
Classic Polishes: I have quite a few different nail polishes, but I always find that my go to's are from Essie. They have a really great subtly in their color range. A classic creamy white, light creamy pink and a nude will always always come in handy. Marshmallow is the perfect semi sheer milky white. I do also love Blanc which is more of an opaque white. My favorite pink is Mademoiselle, a creamy sheer  light pink.  And my perfect nude polish is Topless and Barefoot. I haven't found anything that competes with that!
Brass Cuff: I think a good cuff or bracelet that is all metal is a great way to accent any outfit. I'm currently obsessed with this skinny railroad spike cuff from Giles & Brother. I think this will stay in my jewelry box for years to come.
Perfect Scent: I have a ton of scents that I like to wear, but this D&G 6 is one of my favorite go to scents. It's light enough to wear every day and it's not overly girly or too masculine. It's actually a unisex fragrance. I find it really sexy and androgynous.
Classic Sunnies: We have to protect our eyes all year round and sunglasses are the way to do it. I have a few that I love, but my Raybans are quite classic I would say. They're easy and go with everything!
Leather Bag: A good leather bag is another essential and also gets better with time. I love the look of old beat up leather bags. I've been enjoying this tote from Madewell quite a lot as of late. I find myself wanting to cart around my pen tablet and camera and iPad all the time so this bag is the perfect catch all for everything.

As you can see, I tend to splurge a bit more on my staple pieces because I want them to last me forever and these all have stood the test of time. Never splurge on that really awesome pair of lime green pumps. Not worth the money. A good pair of jeans on the other hand will stay with you long enough to make some good memories in. What would you consider a staple in your closet?

On a side note, Miss Bella (below) was hanging out while I was photographing my pieces this weekend and I snapped a pic of her too. She's way too cute for her own good.

Talk soon.

Cream Blushes

I remember trying my first cream blush ages ago. It was such an awful experience. I can't even remember what brand it was, but I just remember it feeling sticky and yucky. It didn't blend well and it rubbed off all the makeup I had on underneath it. Terrible! I thought to myself, 'Never Again!'.

It's now been a few years since that sticky situation and about six months ago, I decided to give them another go. How brave am I?! So, I picked up the Illamasqua one and then a YSL and so on and so on. Each of them impressing me more and more. Changing my perspective and making me fall in love and prefer cream blushes (not to say I don't still use powder because I do). You're probably wondering now "what's the big deal of cream instead of powder?". When using a cream product, you can make your blush look more natural. Cream products can be buffed into your skin making it look as though it is part of your skin, not sitting on top of it. They also tend to have more natural looking finishes of satin/velvety or dewy. Much more 'skin-like' than a powdery product. And they're actually quite easy to apply. I love love love using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for this. I dab it into the product lightly (you generally won't need much at all) and tap it onto my cheeks. Then just blend it out. It makes it so easy by doing all the work for you. I also find that using my fingers is quite a simple and quick option.

25 Random Facts About Me

Happy Friday everyone! I thought I'd take a breather and just do a little post to get to know me better :)

1. I'm a scorpio

2. I love Pepsi (sigh)

3. My favorite color is purple

4. I love lemons

5. I don't like pizza crust

6. I'm obsessed with ice cream. Thrifty's rainbow sherbet. Mmm

7. I paint my nails about twice a week (sometimes more)

8. I like to draw

9. I have one older brother. He keeps me grounded ;)

10. One of my favorite comedy films is Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

11. I can't cartwheel, handstand or dive

12. I'm quite shy

13. If I'm comfortable with you, I will talk your ear off

14. I love to sleep!! (!!!)

15. I'm afraid of the dark

16. I love shopping for pens

17. I'm kind of clumsy. I trip, fall and drop things often enough that every 

time someone hears a bang, they yell out to make sure I'm OK

18. I have my degree in Interior Design

19. I wish I could spend a year freely traveling the world

20. One of my all time favorite films is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

21. If I could sing, I'd definitely be jamming out to a sold out 

crowd somewhere. I'm most certain of it.

22. I love to dance when I'm alone (which mostly consists of me 

jumping up and down and twirling in circles - feel free to
laugh. I won't take offense.)

23. I love to read my horoscope. Thank you Susan Miller

24. New moons get me excited

25. My mom is my best friend