Beauty: Fall Nail Colors

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Another thing I really love about fall is dark nail polish colors. I’ve been rocking Lincoln Park After Dark by O.P.I for a few years now and it’s safe to say I have an addiction. I love how it looks black yet is a very dark purple. It may seem severe to some – but I think with some boots, a scarf, leggings and an oversized sweater it’s perfect.

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Can’t commit to something that drastic yet? Here are a few more fall tones that I’m loving for this season.

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What do you think of these colors? Any others you think we should try?

Make Your Eye Makeup and Lipstick Last

When it comes to a big event, I usually spend way too much time doing my makeup in order to make it look perfect. There have been times, unfortunately, that all that effort went to waste because my makeup creased, smudged or wore off halfway through the night. 

If this has happened to you and you’re looking for a way to make your makeup last through a whole night, try out our tips below.

Eyes

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Fading colors. Creased eyeshadows. Smeared mascara. Smudged eyeliner. Definitely not attractive. If your eye makeup suffers from any one of these, follow this advice for getting everything to stay put.

Your eye makeup staying in place all starts right after you wash your face. If you’re dousing your eyelids in moisturizer, don’t! If you experience dryness or fine lines around your eyes, by all means, use an eye cream before you go to bed. But, before applying makeup is not the time for it. Moisturizing this already oily area will cause your eye makeup to slide around. I would also avoid applying foundation to this area too. The less product you have on your eyelids to begin with, the better your results will be.

Start your eye makeup by using a primer. If you haven’t started using a primer, I really recommend spending the money on one. My favorites are Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer in Skin or Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original. Both of these work great and will really give your makeup something to hold onto.

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When you start applying color, you could begin with a cream base in the same color as the eyeshadow you plan to use. If this isn’t your cup of tea, just apply your eyeshadow.

If you are planning to wear a non-waterproof eye pencil, go over the line you draw with the same color eyeshadow.

If your mascara usually smudges, use a small eye detailer brush to pat some translucent powder just underneath your eyes.

Finish off your makeup with a very light dusting of translucent powder. Don’t brush the powder across your eyelids. Just gently dab some of the product over everything to set it all in place.

Lips

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Lips are probably the one part of the face where makeup wears off most easily. Between talking, drinking and eating, your lips are constantly moving and it’s nearly impossible for lip products to last. And if you’ve chosen a bold color, it’s never attractive to sport that half worn-off, ring-around-the-mouth look. To help make your lip product last, you could wear a stain on your lips. But, if that’s not your thing and you’d rather wear lipstick, try this:

First, before applying any kind of lipstick, use a lip balm about 10 minutes prior to applying the product. When you’re ready to apply your lipstick, gently wipe off any excess lip balm. This will help ensure that your lips stay soft throughout the night.

Second, get your products together. You’ll need your lipstick, a lip brush, a translucent powder, some tissues and a fluffy powder brush.

Third, pull apart the tissue. And no, I don’t mean tear it in half, pull the halves apart so what you end up with is one ply. You could also do this with toilet paper.

Next, apply a coat of lipstick with your lip brush. Once you’ve finished, take the one ply tissue or toilet paper and lightly press it against your lips. Dip your fluffy brush into your powder and dab it on top of the tissue. I recommend pouring some of the powder onto another surface because you’ll be dipping your brush into the powder several times. 

When you remove the tissue from your lips, you should be able to see a light dusting of powder on your lips. Repeat this process a few times, and make sure to end with a coat of your lipstick and not a coat of powder. When you apply the coats, don’t cake it on or your end result will be too thick. If you’re a fan of lip liner (I’m not), you could always start by filling in your lips to help give your first coat of lipstick something to stick to.

Do you plan to try out any of these tips? If you do, let us know how they work for you in the comments!

Health & Fitness: What is HIIT Anyways?

I'm sure you've seen the word HIIT before and wondered what the heck it is. I reference it a lot in my Weekly Workout Log on my personal blog but haven’t taken the time to explain it. Answer: High-Intensity Interval Training. AKA a quick, super effective workout that will get your heart pumping. It’s the most effective workout you can do to help burn fat – fast!

You want to make sure to do any interval training on non-consecutive days. Your heart is also a muscle and needs rest too. Please always check with a doctor before adding a new fitness routine and if it doesn't feel right -- DON'T DO IT!

Here’s my go-to treadmill HIIT workout that I do almost every week. You can play around with speeds and intervals to keep your body guessing and to keep from getting bored.

It's that quick and easy! The first and last 5 minutes are dedicated to a good warm up and cool down so please make sure to take the time to do these. It will make a huge difference in your recovery and prevent injury. 

If you try this workout let us know -- we'd love your feedback! Have any HIIT workouts you'd like to share?

Keeping Warm at the Office

I admit it – I’m one of those people who is ALWAYS cold. And during the summer and early fall months when the A/C is still on full blast at the office, it’s sometimes so difficult to concentrate on my work! If you sit at your desk all workday long and shiver like I do, here are a few things you can throw on to keep you warm while still looking chic:

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Fashion: Fall Boots

It's no secret I adore fall. The crisp air, changing colors, pumpkins and of course the fashion. I have an obsession with boots. Tall, short, heeled, flat and in every single color possible. It's a serious weakness of mine and I've already warned Jay that I have a serious thing for boots. If I could wear them all year round I would. They really complete the looks I love and I can't wait until it's time to wear them again. Sorry for all you summer lovers out there - this girl lovessss fall.

Here are some of my favorites for this fall season. It's pure torture to show these to you and NOT buy any. Must. Not. Shop!

Cole Haan 'Tennley' Boot

Enzo Angiolini 'Saylem' Riding Boot

rag & bone 'Pearce' Over the Knee Boot

Steve Madden 'Bankker' Boot

Steve Madden 'Judgemnt' Boot

Alice + Olivia 'Ladee' Boot

Jimmy Choo Motorcycle Boot

What do you think of these picks? Are there any boots you've seen for next season that you can't wait to buy?

 

 

Makeup Mistakes and How To Fix Them

Makeup mistakes. Whether it’s wearing too much or just applying it all wrong – we’re all guilty of them. If you’ve ever had a mishap with makeup, check out the following tips on how to fix them:

Mistake #1: You over-concealed your undereye area.

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The fix: Wet a makeup sponge and squeeze out the excess water. Gently dab the sponge under your eye to dampen the area. Using the pad of your ring finger, lightly smooth the area to blend out the concealer. Repeat the process if necessary.

Mistake #2: You were really heavy-handed with your blush.

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The fix: If you don’t mind starting over, you could always use a makeup wipe. If you’re strapped for time, take a clean powder brush and swipe it over your cheeks in a circular motion. The clean brush should remove the extra color. As your brush picks up the color from your cheeks, make sure you wipe off the brush periodically.

Mistake #3: Your foundation is way too dark for your skin.

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The fix: If you’ve got a lighter color foundation laying around, you can mix the light and dark and then apply it to your face. Another option is to lightly apply the foundation and make sure you blend it up toward your hairline, back toward your ears, along your chin and down your neck. A dead giveaway that your foundation is too dark is when your face doesn’t match your neck.

Mistake #4: You applied your eyeliner too thick or too intense.

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The fix: One easy way to fix eyeliner problems like this is to go for a smoky effect – use a stiff eyeshadow brush to blend out the color. You could also use a cotton bud dipped in eye makeup remover to gently remove the eyeliner.

Mistake #5: You applied way too much makeup all over your face.

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The fix: If you want to do intense makeup, pick one feature and focus on that. If you do dark eyeshadow, choose a neutral color for your lips. If you want to wear a darker shade on your lips, either use neutral colors on your eyes or just go with mascara. Sometimes putting on too much makeup can be the result of your bathroom lighting. Try to apply makeup near natural light – it will give you a much better gauge of how it all looks.

What else do you consider a makeup mistake?

Wedding Makeup Looks

 

I've been going back and forth lately on if I should have my makeup professionally done for my wedding or if I should just do it myself. The thought of me doing my own makeup for such an important day where all eyes are on me … terrifies me. It’s a lot of pressure and I’m not sure if I will want to worry about that with so much other stuff going on. I know that I could most likely pull off what I’m going for, but the less stress I put myself about the wedding (especially the day of) the better. I still have some time to decide if I want to attempt to do it myself.

 

In the meantime I’ve pulled some natural looks for what I’m going for. I want to look like myself, just slightly enhanced. I know I’m going to have the “wedding day glow” that all brides have the day of their wedding, so why would I want to cover all of that happiness and love up?

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I am going to play around with some of these different looks (with Adrianne’s help of course) to see if I can master these or if I should leave it up to the pros to make me look my best.

 

What do you think of these natural looks? Brides out there – did you do your own makeup or have someone do it for you?

 

Clean-up Time!

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If cleaning your makeup brushes isn’t something you regularly do, I recommend you go grab your makeup case, pull out your brushes and get to it immediately. 

Not cleaning your makeup brushes can result in dirt, oil and bacteria being harbored on the tools, and therefore transferring all that gunk back onto your face. What’s more, if you continually use the same brushes without cleaning them, it will muddy any colors you try to apply. 

Not sure how to give your brushes a good scrub? Just follow these steps:

If you’re looking to give your makeup brushes a quick clean, invest in a brush spray like Sephora Collection Daily Brush Cleaner.

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All you need to do is spray the product directly onto the bristles of any brush, then gently rub the bristles onto a tissue or paper towel. Be sure not to press too hard and bend the bristles.

If you’re looking to do a deep cleaning with your brushes, you can do so with baby shampoo or a specially formulated brush cleanser, like MAC Brush Cleanser. 

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Run your brush under lukewarm water and thoroughly wet the bristles. Add a small amount of the shampoo to the palm of your hand and swirl the brush around in it until you work up a lather. After about 30 seconds of running the brush along your hand, rinse the brush under the water until the water runs clear.

Make sure you don’t stand the brush upright at any point during this process because droplets of water can leak down and loosen the area where the bristles attach to the handle of the brush. 

Once you’re done washing, gently squeeze the remaining water from the brush. Using your fingers, reshape the brush into the correct shape and lay it flat on a towel to dry. I recommend doing this before you go to bed so that you can leave your brushes out to dry overnight.

If you can, try to deep clean your brushes once a week and spot clean them throughout the week. Your makeup colors will look truer and more crisp, and you'll probably save yourself some breakouts from using dirty brushes. 

Do you have any brush cleaning tips?