beauty

REVIEW: KATE MOSS FOR RIMMEL LONDON

March 30, 2013

Besides Physician's Formula, Rimmel London has to be my absolute favorite drugstore/ nonexpensive makeup brand. Perhaps my obsessions with all things British heavily adds to this, however Rimmel's dedication to providing quality makeup for an affordable prices keeps me going back for more. It's perfect for when I don't have the funds to splurge on Benefit or Urban Decay but need a quality makeup product!

On Friday, I recently cashed my paycheck and I guess I figured, what better way to celebrate Jesus dying on the cross for us than some makeup shopping? That sounded horrible, but oh well. The point is I walked into CVS with a 2$ off any Rimmel product coupon and a 20 % off my entire purchase coupon. I came out far from empty handed - with some gorgeous teal/mint "Spoiled" nail polish, some trail mix, and a Rimmel creamy eyeshadow pencil - all for just about $12! However, the goal of the trip was to find a nice cheery shade of pink lipstick for the musical next weekend. 

So, I promised myself I'd scope out the new ULTA that opened right next to my work before I went in for my shift. I walk in, and it's Sephora x 10, my own personal heaven. It was like a kid in a candy store, but instead of gum balls and lollipops painted on the walls, Benefit, Salon, and Bare Minerals were plastered on the walls and got my heart racing. I looked all around for the perfect bright pink for my lips for the spring and the musical, but unfortunately I mostly found things out of my price range. However I was pleased to find a whole section of drugstore brands such as Maybelline and Revlon, and I came across my good ol' favorite Rimmel. The Kate Moss for Rimmel caught my eye!

The adorable packaging caught my eye. It has a black base and a red top with a royal crown on it - I felt like a princess! The color was exactly what I was looking for - a light, but bright champagne-y pink perfect for spring/summer. Somewhere between a nude and pink lip. 

The name of it is "long-lasting lip color." I used it today when I went to dinner with Andrew and his family. The color goes on and stays on very well, and it lasts as long as you're not doing any heavy lifting. The color itself will stay on your lips through eating and drinking, but the product itself will not. It's not a drying color, it goes on smooth. Since the color goes on, you'll only need to reapply Chapstick if you feel so inclined. It's infused with black diamonds, so it reflects light beautifully; however it's conveniently matte. Pair it with a bright cheek and highlighted eye (creamy eyeshadow) for an easy everyday spring look!

photo from beautezine.com

The above color shown is the one I have. It's 102 Mid-tone pink. It may not be the "longest lasting" as advertised however for the price of $5.49 it's a great buy! The range of colors will fit anyone's needs. I think it's a great staple to begin your spring lip collection with, as well as a great base for any lip gloss. Check it out - here's me rocking it!





babylips

VIDEO: NO MAKEUP MAKEUP TUTORIAL

March 21, 2013

I know there's about a million "no makeup" or "fresh look" tutorials on YouTube, but this is mine and it works fantastic. Just like I said in my previous post, the first and perhaps the most crucial step in your daily makeup routine is maintaining healthy skin. Healthy skin naturally glows and is almost baby soft. Blemishes will vanish! I made a video including the next actual steps in the makeup routine, and the products that I adore. Enjoy, and subscribe!


cute screenshot, eh?

 - Nikki 

bath and body works

LIFESTYLE: HEALTHY, GLOWING SKIN REGIMEN

March 17, 2013

HEALTHY SKIN IS BEAUTIFUL SKIN. Especially as spring and summer comss around, we all strive for effortless glowing skin without caking on the layers of heavy foundation. Spring and summer sun call for a fresh face and a bright or nude lip. Just add a touch of bronzer and you're ready to go. However, to achieve this effortless look, you have to have a base of soft, healthy, skin. I've constructed a daily flawless face routine with the help of T-Vogue and other great sources to keep your skin in tip top shape!
image from weheartit.com


1. You are what you eat
Beauty is truly on the inside out. When it comes to your body, what you put into it is directly proportional to how it looks.
First of all, drinking up to 8 cups of water daily is a miracle worker for many aspects of your body. Not only does it promote weight loss and help add shine to your hair, but it helps keep your skin glowing and healthy as well! Here are some key foods that, when integrated into your diet, can help get your skin the best it's ever looked!

  • There is a plethora of health benefits to yogurt, especially protein-rich greek yogurt. Looks like it helps with your skin, too! Dairy aids in firming and smoothing skin.
  • Walnuts, one of the most delicious fruits, contains helpful omega-3 fatty acids that help with skin elasticity.
  • Kidney beans are proven zit-zappers.
  • Soy, found in edamame, soymilk, even some froyo helps clear complexion by eliminating those red spots!
  • Great news! CHOCOLATE (cocoa) firms your skin and makes it more supple. 
image from weheartit.com

2. Moisturize your skin daily!
Obviously, the point of moisturizers is to soften your skin. However, most people just stock up on perfumy lotions that we received as gifts but never really use them. There are two essential times you should moisturize: before you apply your makeup, and after you shower. I often find my skin blotchy after a shower, so that's a prime time to get it. In the morning, washing my face, applying toner then moisturizing softens and brightens my skin, making it unnecessary to even apply a foundation for bb cream.
However, one must be careful when choosing the right skin care product. Here's some of the top recommended ones:



3. "No Makeup" Makeup

March may be dragging on slowly but this month's issue of Teen Vogue has offered me some of the best beauty advice when it comes to clear skin! For those of us who want to have that flawless airbrushed look but don't want to cake on foundation, fear no more! It's all in the keep up of the skin. Believe it or not eating your super foods and drinking enough water is the first step in your makeup routine! Here's T-Vogue's flawless routine:

  • When you first wake up, wash your face thoroughly with any wash, I like to use Bath & Body Works's true blue facial scrub.
  • Secondly, apply toner. I use an all natural honey one I found in Vermont. Mostly because of my sensitive skin, I found using natural products are the best for the skin.
  • Third, moisturize. Try to avoid supery perfume lotions.
  • That's it! Your skin should be soft, clear, and if you do this for a week all of your blemishes and imperfections should dissolve eventually. Just apply blush and/or bronzer for color and to contour the face. Boom!

I hope this all helps! I just have some housecleaning to address:

I am a finalized to be a fashion blogger for my local mall, so pleeaasee go vote for me! Voting ends march 29th! VOTE AGAIN AND AGAIN, TWEET, TUMBLR, FACEBOOK, SHARE THE LINK!


Lastly, yesterday both my Nanny and Papa passed away. They were very important to me, and I was their only grandchild. I won't get too into it but I might be on a small hiatus for a week or a little over that, from here and YouTube. I'm so very grateful, I have the best support system in the world. Thank you, everyone.

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review

A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY IN BOSTON!

March 10, 2013

"Saying that you're a poet is like about as special as saying you breathe, speak, or drink water, because poetry is just nature."
- Mwalim


Today, I went to the old South Meeting House in beautiful Boston for the Massachusetts State Finals for POETRY OUT LOUD! POL, for those of you who don't know, is a statewide high school level competition where students choose two poems from a list of classic poems and recite them. Not only do they recite them, but they make the poems come alive. As a speaker there said, it really takes talent to make something written on paper come alive. Some competitors even cry while performing.

I think it's a great opportunity for students to expose themselves and their loved ones to the magic of poetry. Because of it's occasional vagueness, poetry gets a bad rep. However, I love it and support it. That's why I went there to cover it for my school newspaper and support the State Finalist from my school, Sam Salem.

I have to blog about my outfit, of course!


Face: honey toner, forever 21 brown and gold eyeshadow, rimmel london primer, rimmel mascara, and light pink babylips.
I'm wearing my forever 21 distressed chambray shirt over a white american eagle v neck, my blue tribal urban outfitters shorts over black tights and my combat ankle boots from marshalls. My bag is a few years old and thrifted. My usual arm candy: a silver and gold bracelet from a boutique in Cape Cod, my pandora bracelet and rings. Lastly, my stylish Firmoo glasses!

For lunch, I got a turkey burger with salsa, "crispy" veggies and a delicious mango smoothie from b.good. It was my first time eating there, and it was awesome, I definitely recommend it.

Even though Sam didn't advance to Washington, I'm so proud of her and all of the hard work she's done, and I'm so proud of all of the competitors. Props to them - I'd never be able to memorize a poem and recite it with so much verb & passion!

Aaannnd of course since I was in Boston I had to get some shopping done. My mother & I checked out the Cambridgeside Galleria where I checked out "LoveCulture" and snagged some distressed denim shorts. I also utilized my Maxxinista Employee Discount at TJ Maxx and finally got a pair of pink skinnies and two cute tank tops!



Hope you guys had a fantastic weekend. BTW make sure you turned your clocks back. I lovelovelove how it's lighter out later now!

LISTEN:
A Comet Appears -  The Shins



athletic

LIFESTYLE: HIT THE GYM WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR ROOM!

March 07, 2013



When most people think about getting active, they think it requires an expensive gym membership and equipment, or going out and playing a sport. However, all you really need is 10-20 minutes a day and your own body. Medicine balls, yoga mats, and weights are a nice plus, however to quote the one true principle of pilates, your body is your most important weight! If you’re in the mood to work out but don’t feel like facing the public, don’t sweat it! (Well, you will be sweating eventually.)

My room not only functions as my sleeping chambers and homework den, but a home gym as well! All you need is a TV/Computer (preferably a laptop) and your most important piece of equipment - your body! Here’s two ways to gym it up the Boo Radley way:

1. Blogilates: Youtube is a never ending beautiful black hole of helpful DIYs and tutorials. It’s almost made it possible to not have to actually buy anything or have professional training for anything. Like the amount of stars in our universe, I don’t think we will ever realize what an immense amount of DIY is available. My favorite star in that universe is Cassie Ho of Youtube.com/blogilates. She is a ceritified pilates instructor. Her channel is regularly updated with 10-15 minutes workouts of either Pilates, “HIIT” (cardio), HIITilates (A mixture of both), or specialized lower body, abs, or even prom body workouts, and even diet tips! The most you’ll need is a yoga mat and two hand weights, but that’s workout specific. I am obsessed with her and her workouts, she makes it easy to look great without a gym subscription - just a subscription to her channel. As she always says, “I’m gonna kill you, and you’re gonna love it!”

2. XFINITY On Demand: In the same respect, the Sports & Fitness Section’s “Fitness Workouts” of XFINITY On Demand is a black hole of DIY Workouts. However, the selection is much larger. You can choose from headings such as “10 minute Workouts”, “Abs”, “Cardio”, “Total Body,” and more. The workouts range from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on how much time you have. No matter what, there’s always time for a workout!

3.  Simple workouts that you can do in your room or anywhere: Whether you’re traveling or in the mood to try something out, you can simply google easy at home workouts and many come up. 


Here’s one from fitsugar.com:

That definitely sounds like I need to try it!

Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, so don’t forget about what you’re eating! Major diet changes aren’t necessary, but little changes can make a big difference. For example, switching your snacks from chips or candy to delicious greek yogurt or a pack of nuts will give you your protein for the day. Easy substitutions can be worked in to your daily diet without devastating you. Also, drinking a lot of water rids your body of toxins, keeps you hydrated and promotes overall health and weight loss.

accessory

REVIEW: FIRMOO EYEWEAR - FASHION FOR FOUR EYES!

March 04, 2013

image couresy of http://www.firmoo.com/


Recently it's not the latest Micheal Kors handbag or Alex and Ani bracelet that's the coveted accessory, it's fashion lenses! Whether they're prescription or not, fashionable frames have been the statement pieces that finish off an outfit for many looks, and there's a plethora of reasons. First off, there's an innumerable amount of styles and colors, so they can virtually go with any outfit. Second, they instantly add a few years of maturity and grace to you and your outfit. And third, but not least is that they can be functional! If you're visually impaired - like me, I might as well be blind - you can easily get yourself a pair of fresh prescription lenses. I hate wearing my real glasses out, however this trend may sway me to the dark side.

Firmoo Eyewear sent me a lovely pair of glasses, my choice, and I chose a classic wayfarer frame with blue sides (my favorite color). I had fun with them!


My favorite thing about these glasses is I don't feel like a nerd - no one is going to turn me upside down for my lunch money and step on my glasses so I have to tape them. Instead I'll be turning heads and starting trends! The lenses themselves are sturdy and stylish. There's a myriad of lenses to scroll through on \http://www.firmoo.com/?invite_code=0555321661 - including sunglasses. You can also get prescription ones - I opted out of that however who knows about the future. I highly recommend taking a look.

Not to mention it gets better - first-time customers get their first pair FREE!! You heard right! Who can pass up free fashion? Definitely not me. Head on over to http://www.firmoo.com/ if you know what's good for you!

Lastly, to display to versatility of these glasses, I styled three looks and showed them off at the end of this video review. All details about the clothes are in the video. Check it out!


30 rock

CASE STUDY: TEEN VOGUE COVER MARCH 2013

March 03, 2013


Everyone's (or atleast my) favorite 16 year old diva Chloe Grace Mortez graced the cover of Teen Vogue for the latest March issue. At the ripe age of 16, she's already landed killer roles in 30 Rock, a cameo in a Best Coast music video alongside Teen Wolf hearthrob Tyler Posey, and Miranda Cosgrove. Soon, she will be playing Carrie in a remake of the 1970s horror flick.

Her look for the shoot is a perfect mix of girly and a little grunge. Just like most girls this spring, Chloe brought out her inner punk rock princess with girly materials and edgy accessories. The pink poofy skirt was contrasted by the denim vest and grey shirt. The whole look was highlighted with some edgy silver jewelry. Not only did the look come together effortlessly, but the biggest shock to me was where the clothes came from - the pieces themselves didn't just contrast, the prices contrasted greatly!

The Flirt by Maggie Sottero gown was $348. It's not a big surprise that expensive pieces would end up on the cover, hoever if there's one thing T-Vogue aways does exceptionally well is mix lower priced fashions with high end fashions, and this month's cover is a prime example. The grey sweater and vest were both from Aeropostale of all places - just $35 for the vest and $20 for the sweatshirt. I almost fell off of the bed when I read this! Not only is this a huge difference mixed together so well, but I never would think a vest and sweater like that could be styled like this so fabulously. The lesson learned here is to never underestimate a basics like vests or sweaters!