Purple and Orange Smokey Eye

This year will be the year that I'll start being a little more daring with my makeup. I don't longer want to be intimidated by colorful eyeshadows, metallic finishes, and things that are considered a bit "out there." I want to play with bright shades, dark colors, and try different makeup techniques. One of those techniques that I wanted to try out is the halo eye. This isn't anything new or particularly groundbreaking, but it is much different to what I usually do with eyeshadow. The beauty about the halo eye is that you can use any eyeshadow combination that you want! I've tried a more subdued version with browns and a metallic gold eyeshadow and the look still came out beautiful. Hopefully this colorful look will inspire some of you to give the halo eye a try.

Drugstore Holiday Makeup

Holiday Makeup Week continues with this very dramatic smokey that's perfect for any holiday party or New Year's Eve. If you follow me on Instagram, then this look will probably look pretty familiar to you. A few months ago I drove up to Los Angeles to take a class with L'Oréal and we learned how to recreate this smokey eye that Jennifer Lopez wore to a red carpet event. I know, I know... I'm the last person you would think to recreate J.Lo's makeup look, that's why I had to change a few things this time around. I decided to make this look much more grungy by smudging more eyeshadow in the lower lash line and by changing the lip color completely. The result is a hazy smokey eye with glitters that will look equal parts festive and edgy.

Ride or Die Tag + Makeup Look

One of the most popular tags going around YouTube at the moment is the Ride or Die Tag which was created by the uber popular Jaclyn Hill. I initially wasn't planning on recording this tag until I saw other people talking and actually using all their all-time favorite products in a tutorial. I found that version of the tag far more entertaining and helpful, so I decided to give it a go. This tag is a great way to find out what people's holy grail products are and how they look like when applied to the face. In my video you'll definitely see a lot of familiar products and some that I don't tend to show much on video but use a lot in my regular life.

Smoked Out Purple Lower Lash Line

After posting my Top 5 Lip Balms video I got so many requests to make a tutorial on this particular makeup look. The requests even came pouring in on Snapchat and Instagram, so I sat down and recorded this simple look incorporating a bright pop of color. I know, it's the most cliché way to describe a makeup look but it's literally what it is in this case. If you're normally a bit scared to wear a bright color, then this is the perfect way to ease your way into more colorful looks. And if you're not a fan of purple, then you can apply this technique to literally any other color. You can switch up the color to blue, green, olive, maroon... I think you get the point. The best thing is that this makeup is super quick to do but it looks like it took a lot more effort.

Get Ready With Me: Blogger Lunch

This past Wednesday I was invited by Neiman Marcus to attend their fall trends presentation and lunch. If you've been following me for a while, then you know that I've been going to these trend presentations ever since I had a pixie cut and they're one of my favorite events held in San Diego. As a blogger you always have to look and feel good when going to one of these events, especially this one that's all about upcoming trends. Now I'm not the trendiest when it comes to fashion, but makeup is another story. I'm desperately waiting for fall right now so I can start to wear my dark and berry lipsticks on a more regular basis. Plus it would be really nice not looking like an oil slick anymore. In this post you're going to see a quick "Get Ready with Me," as well as some of the looks from the presentation.

Long Lasting Makeup for Summer

Wearing makeup during the summer can honestly be so damn annoying. Am I right ladies? I really dislike the feeling of having a thick layer of makeup on my face, and what's perhaps worse is having that makeup literally melt off your skin. I've had makeup sweat off my face and look patchy way too many times before, it's just one of the things that comes with having oily skin and living in a hot place like San Diego. In this latest video I'm going to be showing you my easy and natural looking long lasting makeup that will survive any hot summer day or trip to the fair.

Get Ready With Me: My Brother's Graduation

Last week my younger brother graduated from university, so you can just imagine how excited all of my family was. We literally spent all of last week getting things ready for his graduation party, and let me tell you things were a little crazy at home. We were putting lights on the palm trees, preparing Mexican food, and of course there's was a lot of tidying up to do. At the end of the day, all of our hard work paid off and my brother enjoyed his graduation to the fullest. This reminds me, how has it been 3 years since I graduated?? Time sure flies by after you graduate from university!

Subtle Blue Eyeliner

I think by now I should just rebrand myself as the "minimal makeup YouTuber" because all the looks I wear are very easy and don't require many products. A few weeks ago when I uploaded my Messy Hair Tutorial a lot of you requested I film this makeup look, and so I did. Bright cobalt blue eyeliner is one of the biggest makeup trends for spring/summer 2016, but it can be an intimidating color if you're not used to bright makeup. This is a subtle version of the trend that will work incredible with brown eyes, but honestly any person can rock this look. All you need is an eyeshadow stick and a blue eyeliner to achieve this easy eye look.

Radiant Makeup Tutorial

As much as I go on and on about keeping things matte, sometimes even someone like myself can appreciate a nice and healthy glow. In today's tutorial I'm going to show you how easy it is to achieve a radiant makeup look without looking like a greasy mess. I actually wore this makeup look in my L'Oréal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation review and I got so many requests to recreate this particular look. As simple as this look may be, I didn't have anything like this in my channel which surprised me quite a bit considering my makeup style. Plus this would make for such a pretty Valentine's Day look since that's right around the corner!

Makeup for Sick Days

It's flu/cold season and I know that sometimes you're forced to go outside, whether it's for school or work. While you may feel like crap, there are some simple steps you can take so you look your best. I wasn't even planning on filming something like this until I caught a cold myself. When I woke up this past Tuesday I felt like just staying in bed the whole day, but instead of doing that I decided to make the best of it and record an impromptu tutorial. I mainly focused on evening out my face and lifting certain areas with light diffusing products so I wouldn't look as sick as I felt. The end result is a natural look that doesn't feel heavy on the skin whatsoever. Hopefully these quick and simple steps will help you show the cold who's boss!

Walmart Spring Beauty Box

It's time for a brand new box! This time around we're going to take a look at the spring beauty box. With the Walmart Beauty Box you'll only be paying $5 for shipping, which means that the box is technically free. The box is sent quarterly so you'll only be spending $20 a year on the subscription, making it one of the most affordable services out there. I love getting to try new makeup brands but sometimes you have to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt to find where they're sold. What I love the best about this box is that it exposes me to new products that I can easily find at Walmart or any other drugstore.

Nails for Spring

A few weeks ago I went to my friend, Tatum's, office to discuss a future collaboration. You've seen me wear Love Tatum rings plenty of times on both my YouTube channel and on my blog, so a collaboration just seemed very natural. As we began bouncing ideas off of one another, I had an big "aha" moment. Instead of coming up with a simple "outfit of the day" type post, I wanted to create a fun video presenting a few nail ideas for spring. BRILLIANT! In today's video I will be presenting five nail ideas for spring, including a marble inspired nail art which was incredibly messy to create but looked incredibly chic.

Face of the Day | Copper and Green

You already saw the outfit I wore on this day, now I'm going to be showing you my makeup. I got the LORAC Pro Palette a few weeks ago after hearing about for over a year on YouTube. It was one of those products that looked very nice but I felt like I didn't need in my life. That was until I got a coupon from Ulta that allowed me to get the palette for a discounted price so I was like "why not?" Now I'm super glad that I made that purchase because so far I've been loving that palette. On this occasion I decided to play with two of the warmer shades in the palette to create a copper shade that provided the nicest contrast to a forest green sweater.

Neutral Valentine's Day Look

Valentine's Day makeup usually feature red lips and rosy cheeks but this is no ordinary Valentine's Day look. As you may know I've been a fan of neutrals for a while, but recently my love for neutrals has reached an all-time high. You may recognize this makeup look if you follow me on Instagram because it was the same look that I wore on Christmas Eve. For me this is a perfect look for any occasion because you can wear anything without having to ask yourself "will this go with my outfit?" This makeup tutorial is in collaboration with Betzy of the channel Betzy Carmona so if you want to see a more sultry look for Valentine's Day just go ahead and watch her incredible tutorial. Now let's take out all the neutral makeup from your collection and let's get started.

January 2015 Favorites

It seems like I haven't posted a monthly favorites on my blog in a while. While I did post a December favorites my DSLR started failing and the post never went up but now we're back in business! In January I discovered a lot of affordable gems at the drugstore that can easily compete with higher end options. I also discovered a great trio that helps extend the life of my manicure which is always a great thing, especially when you have a puppy biting your nails. If you're curious about seeing why I liked each item just click to see the rest of the post. As a bonus I'm also going to include my December favorites in this blog post.

December 2014 Favorites

I know I'm late to the monthly favorites party but better late than never. In December there were many face products rediscoveries, including a powder that I had completely forgotten about for a few months but is still a YouTube cult favorite. I also discovered a few amazing drugstore products that recently hit the shelf across the country. *Pssst those products are also going to be part of a brand new video series* And last but not least, I finally discovered the perfect long-wearing, opaque, and matte lip product. If you're interested in finding out a bit more about my most-used products of December just watch the video below.

Falling In Love With Cream Blush

There was once a time that I really disliked cream blush. I thought that I couldn't make them work with my very oily skin, but things have changed a lot recently. I've transformed myself from a cream blush hater to a full-fledged cream blush addict! As the air is becoming dryer and my skin isn't as oily, I've been turning to cream blush to add a natural flush of color to my cheeks. What changed my mind about cream blush? The application. I really did not know how to apply cream blushes before I discovered this magical tool, and the best thing is that the tool is only $3. In this blog post you'll discover some cream blush tips and some product recommendations. You never know, you might become a bonafide cream blush lover just like myself! 

Face of the Day | Lykke Li Concert

Last night I went to see Lykke Li right here in San Diego and I decided to dedicate a little post to what I was wearing. Since Lykke Li is a fan of dark eye makeup I decided to ditch my soft makeup and embrace a smoky eye. I've been such a huge fan of Lykke Li since 2008 when her debut album Youth Novels was released. That was one of those life changing albums that I will always hold close to my heart. You might not know this but I used to run a Lykke Li tumblr fan page a few years ago so I'm not kidding when I say that I'm a huge fan. I'm hoping to recreate a Lykke Li makeup look very soon as a tutorial, but for now here's what I wore for the concert!

Color Scheme | Peach

You might be wondering why I'm posting about peach colored makeup as we head into the fall but when it comes to makeup I'm not one that follows the "rules." Peach makeup is flattering year round so I decided to dedicate a blog post entirely to my favorite peachy colored items in my makeup collection. There's some great blush options options that will pair very nicely with a cat eye. Peachy nudes lip products are the perfect companion to a dark smokey eye. And if you're looking to try out any dark lipsticks this fall, then a soft peachy eyeshadow will let your lips be the main attraction. Peaches might not be in season at the moment but the following products are definitely very fresh.

Top 5 Drugstore Eyeshadow Palettes

I'm back! Well... sort of. I had originally planned for this video to go up on the first day of Outside Lands but I didn't get the time to edit it at the airport and the wifi at the hotel wasn't fast enough to upload a YouTube video. Then when I got back home I got a cold so I decided to take last week off to recover, but now I am back with a new top 5! Drugstore eyeshadow palettes have come a long way, I still remember when the shadows were powdery and very hard to work with. Nowadays drugstore eyeshadow palettes are soft, pigmented, and still very affordable. These are my favorite drugstore eyeshadow palettes that can easily be found at the drugstore.