Save your beyond-stained makeup brushes with this simple trick.

I have a love/hate relationship with white-bristled makeup brushes. They are so pretty sitting in a cup on the vanity, calling out to be picked up and loved... or, even better, a quick stroke on the skin because they are so pleasantly fluffy.

However, they can be a little annoying to own, especially when the brushes in question are so well-loved. Duo-fibre, white-tipped, or all-white hairs on makeup brushes get stained so easily, even if you wash them hundreds of times. Isn't there a way to make them look all pretty, clean, and new again?

Yes. Yes, there is.

Ditch Dirty Hair: Make Your Own Dry Shampoo!

I absolutely hate washing my hair. I have really long, thick, puffy hair that looks generally awful just after shampooing. Because of this, I try to wash my hair every few days instead of every day. I used to be one of those people that would go through a can of dry shampoo in a week, but that can get expensive pretty quickly. What’s a girl to do to get soft, manageable hair on a daily basis? Answer: raid your pantry. Seriously.

Soft, Glowy Valentine's Day Makeup

Hello, friends! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I figured that now is as good a time as any to show off some sweet makeup moves to you guys. However, almost every Valentine's Day makeup tutorial I've seen so far this season showcases a sultry, smoky eye, so I decided to go with something different. Besides, this look is way easier.

Five Minute Makeup!

Some days, you just don't want to fuss with a lot of makeup. All you want is a basic, fool-proof look that you can do in five minutes before sprinting off to your 11 AM literature class because you don't want to look like you just rolled out of bed, although you probably just did. (Oh, wait. Just me?) In any case, this is the five-minute, foolproof makeup I employ on a daily basis... probably because I'm always running late. Whoops!

DIY Gentle Foaming Brush Cleanser

I'm a really lazy person. Like, really really lazy. Even if I know of something that would benefit me if I did it, I'll still put if off for as long as I possibly can for no apparent reason. So, if you're anything like me, then you procrastinate as much as you can when it comes to cleaning your makeup brushes.

It's okay - we all do it. It's really not any fun to do, it takes forever, and your brushes are just going to get dirty again. Who cares if your blending brush has too much eyeshadow on it? It'll just make defining your crease or blending out your smokey eye easier. Too lazy to wash your foundation brush, but you know you'll break out if you go too long? It's cool, you can still totally cover up any blemishes with more makeup.

Right? Wrong.

Are you making these skincare mistakes?

When it comes to perfecting your skincare routine, there is a lot of trial and error. The main idea is not only to pamper, but to protect. There are plenty of skincare faux pas floating around on the internet, and sometimes it's hard to know what is actually good for your skin. 

I don't mean to sound superior when it comes to skin care. I've definitely made some mistakes in my day. One of my darkest skincare moments was a time in which I washed my face in a public bathroom with that foaming soap from the dispenser on the wall just because I thought my face felt oily and dirty. What's even more shameless is that I've done that more than once. How embarrassing is that? (To be fair-I was a freshman. That explains it, right?)

Since then, I've made more of an effort to learn how to care for my skin better as well as the science behind skincare itself. So, for this blog post, I decided to tackle three skincare mistakes you're probably guilty of making as well as how to fix them.

Fun With Color: Fuchsia Flash

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably have the inside knowledge that I'm a neutrals gal through and through. However, I do like to shake things up from time to time! What better way to do that with one of my favorite colors? Fuchsia!

Please excuse the difference in lighting. It was a little cloudy today and I couldn't get it the same both times!

This was a really fun look to create! I started off by priming my eyes with the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer. Once that dried, I layered NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk right over it. I then patted a shimmery off-white shade into the inner third of my eye and to my browbone (I used the shade Venus from the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette). Next, I applied matte fuchsia shade from the Coastal Scents 252 Eyeshadow Palette to the outer two-thirds of my eye. I then added a matte deep plum shade into the outer corner and blended it all together. I topped off the look with some black liquid liner, curled lashes, and mascara (I used TheBalm's Schwing! liner and their Body Builder mascara, which I've already reviewed!). 

To balance out the bright eyes, I went nude on the lips. I threw on NYX Matte Lipstick in Butter and layered a NYX Megashine Lip Gloss in Beige over it.

Here's a picture of the look in action, which I wore to a party with some friends!

Me and my friend Matt! Fancy photo credit goes to my friend Leigh. Are you diggin that 'stache as much as I am? Of course you are.

 What's your go-to bright color? Mine is either fuchsia, electric blue, or neon yellow. I can't decide. 0:)

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Silver Screen Siren: 1940s Inspired Makeup

Hello, everyone! I was really wracking my brains to try to figure out a topic for today's post (as I am not currently able to generate much new content--read this for more information), so I decided to go the FOTD route with a look I did recently that I was really proud of! 

I was really inspired by makeup from the 1940s while doing this look. What I loved about that decade was the bold lips, brows, and heavy contouring--all of it being matte. I do love my highlighting, but I  Being the blush addict that I am, I enjoyed not using a sparkling pink or a warm coral blush for a change.

I started by applying my Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation for light coverage that would even out my complexion. Then, I contoured my cheeks, jaw, nose, and forehead using a taupe shade from my Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette. I went easy on the eyes by using my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (Walk of Shame all over the lid, Naked 2 in the crease, and Faint in the outer corner) and skipped the strong winged liner, opting instead for a little smudged black liner (I used NYX Slide On Pencil in Black), and a matte inner corner highlight (NYX Slide On Pencil in White). I added more brightness to my eyes by using Rimmel's ScandalEYES Liner in Nude. Finally, I curled my lashes and used UD's SUPERCURL Curling Mascara for clean, curled lashes.

Though strong brows were rampant in the 1940s, I guess didn't pay that much attention to mine for this look. They look a little sparse here. I should have filled in my eyebrows a little more with a darker eyeshadow to give them a more polished, defined look because the lighting I was in really washed them out. 

Finally, my favorite part of this look is the most obvious--the red lip. I decided to go for a more modern red lip by ditching the cool-toned reds and reaching for my NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick. I love this color because it's a hot red coral that commands attention. It almost works out that I didn't fill in my brows for this look because of how bright this lip is. 

I did my best to color-correct this in Photoshop. It's insanely close, but the photograph simply doesn't catch the vibrancy that the lipstick has in person! (Also, my skin looks great here. This was before the big jawline breakout of 2013, I'm afraid...)

Here's a quick rundown of all the products I used:

NYX Dewy Finish Setting SPray, NYX HD Concealer, UD Naked Basics Palette, Rimmel Stay Matte face powder, Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette, UD SuperCURL mascara, NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick, Rimmel ScandalEYES Liner in Nude, NYX Slide On Pencils in Black and White, Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, NYX Photo-Loving Primer in Lavender, ELF Powder Brush, Coastal Scents fluffy brush, Coastal Scents brow brush, and one of those disposable spoolies I accidentially took from Sephora.

What's your favorite decade, makeup-wise?

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