My Beauty Inspirations #ShareBeauty

Hey There,

Sponsored Post

I have partnered up with Regency Beauty Institute and Refinery29 to #ShareBeauty with their awesome #ShareBeautyContest. This movement has spread like wildfire it seems and it makes me super happy!!! The whole movement and contest is centered around their  "Beauty Grew All Around" video which encourages beauty makers everywhere to follow his/her dreams! I definitely encourage everyone to check it out! I have listed the contest information at the end of the post. It is not too late to enter as it is going on until August 13th! One lucky winner will receive a $2000 VIP Beauty Package!

I decided to #ShareBeauty with you guys by showing you some of my biggest beauty inspirations. These are the people, things, and words that have motivated me to become a beauty maker and to excel at it too.

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wanted to start of with a quote from one of my favorite poets. This is something that really speaks to me and what I love doing. I am moving in 2 weeks and I am planning on putting this quote up somewhere in either my room or office.

Audrey Hepburn

This woman right here is my idol. I have had a slight obsession with her since I was a young girl. She is so beautiful and has such a classic look. I try to portray her regal-ness in every client I have.

My Parents

My parents are my biggest fans. They are so encouraging in what I am trying to accomplish. They inspire me everyday to keep going when the going gets tough. They believe in me and I refuse to let them down.

My Clients

Let me just tell you, there are very few feelings in this world that beat the feeling of making someone feel beautiful. It is so rewarding having a Bride, or anyone for that matter, look at themselves and smile because they feel and look great. They really keep me going. I am constantly looking forward to the opportunity to give someone the opportunity to feel even more beautiful than they already are.

Those are just 4 of my beauty inspirations. I try to find beauty and inspiration out of every moment. When you stop looking at the negatives and start searching for the positives and the beauty of life that constantly surrounds you...you will find yourself much happier!

Now on to the #ShareBeautyContest:

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:
1. Each week during this contest (running from July 8th-August 13th) a Refinery29 editor will introduce her favorite summer beauty trend. This will be your inspiration! Show them how YOU wear this look!
2. After the contest, one beauty enthusiast will win a VIP Beauty Treatment from Refiner29 and Regency Beauty Institute that is valued at $2,000. (HOLY COW!)
3. One trend for inspiration will be revealed each Monday until August 13th.

Entering is super easy!

HOW TO ENTER:

1.Click Here
2. Try one (or all) of the trends
 3. Take a photo
 4. Post it to Instagram (make sure your account is public!)
 5. Hashtag each photo with #ShareBeautyContest

 

Thank you Regency Beauty Institute for sponsoring today's story.

Happy Monday + Weekend Recap

Happy Monday Ya'll!

 I had quite an eventful weekend this past weekend. On top of two trial runs this weekend, I also helped coordinate a fun little surprise party for my Mom's 50th birthday on Saturday. Although I am super busy right now and sometimes it seems like I just want to give up and take a nap I really am so lucky. My fall wedding makeup season is filling up and I'm already starting to get inquiries for the 2015 spring and fall wedding seasons! This means two things: 1. My 7 day work weeks will be continuing 2. My business is actually growing! How cool is that??? Although I still have far to go, I am already proud of where I am at with everything.

How to Start a Career as a Makeup Artist

Hey There!

I am a huge supporter of anyone who follows their dreams. Whether if it is to be a doctor, lawyer, or a makeup artist ;), the people who decided to fight all adversity and work day and night to make their dreams possible have my utmost respect.

Making the decision to follow my dreams and go against the more traditional career route was a very difficult one. It takes a lot of guts and faith. I have been asked by quite a few people why I am a MUA, how I decided to do it, and how in the heck did I make it happen. So many future MUA's and beauty makers in general get stuck on where to start and how to make this decision. Here are a few things to ask yourself when deciding if this is really what you want to do for the rest of your life:

Weekend Recap!

Happy Monday Ya'll!!!

I haven't done a Weekend Recap linkup with Dateless in Dallas and Showered with Design in a few weeks so I thought I would do one today!

(action shot!)

So this weekend was kind of easy going as opposed to next weekend which will be super busy and filled with tons of makeup trial runs. I did do wedding makeup on Sunday which I have posted some sneak peek pics on this post that I took of the beautiful bride. I will do a full post (and possible bridal tutorial) once I get her professional pics in. Fall wedding season is quickly approaching and I will definitely be full of wedding makeup posts! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

I've been really slammed with my full time job and I've been working late a lot. Between that, working on fun blog stuff, and doing wedding makeup during the weekend, I have been pretty exhausted mentally and physically. I got to leave an hour early on Friday and decided to take a quick nap when I got home while I waited for my boyfriend to get off work later that evening. Closing my eyes for 5 mins quickly turned into a 3 and a half hour nap. IT.WAS.AMAZING.

Once I awoke from my drooling slumber, I went to go hang out with my boyfriend. By hang out I mean we watched tv for like an hour and we passed out by 11pm. We are real party animals ya know. I guess we were both pooped b/c we didn't wake up until noon Saturday. We had planned on waking up early, cooking breakfast, and being productive but all of that went out of the window with the whole waking up at noon thing. Instead we went to Barnes n Noble like the nerds we are and looked at new books to add to our read list. I am about half way through Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and I am debating on what to read next. It is a tie between Fountainhead by Ayn Rand or 1984 by George Orwell. I am loving Ayn Rand's writing style so I am leaning towards Fountainhead. Only problem, like Atlas Shrugged, the novel is soooo long. Atlas Shrugged on audiobook is 64 hours long if that gives you an idea. It is an AMAZING book and completely eye opening to what society is turning into. She was well ahead of her time as was George Orwell. Don't get me started on my views on society, I will go on and on. If you have already read 1984, like the subject manner, would like to hear a women's portrayal, and are willing to commit to a long read...read Atlas Shrugged. It will change your life.

We then got sushi for dinner, treated ourselves to iced coffees from Starbucks for dessert (gotta get them stars!), and I came home to work some more and get ready for my Sunday wedding makeup. Once again, I'm a really party animal!

I did the makeup for an absolutely beautiful bride on Sunday. She just so happened to be getting married 5 mins from my house which was way super convenient! She was a joy to work for and she looked dang good if I do say so myself!

This is the before picture I took at her trial run a week ago and the right pic is her wedding day makeup!

And these are some more (unedited!) pics I took with my phone of her wedding day makeup!

 She looked amazing! The lash glue on the right pic hadn't completely dried so that is why you see a little white on her lashes. I can't wait to get her professional pics in!

Well that was my weekend. Next weekend will be much more eventful so definitely look out for that weekend recap :)

Confessions of a Beauty Blogger

So I was doing my usual twitter creep routine and I came across a beauty blogger, Caledonian Kitty, who decided to start a "Confessions of a Beauty Blogger" Tag and it seemed pretty cool so I decided to join in! Side note that has nothing to do with anything: Am I the only one who, when hearing/reading the word confessions, is graced by the musical styling of Usher for the rest of the whole dang day??? I can't be the only one! Usher isn't bad or anything, he is just not my first choice when faced with a song stuck in my head ya know. 

Okay, back to the point...

Q1, How long have you been a Beauty Blogger?

1.5 months. I am a baby blogger I know. I actually use to do youtube videos about 4 years ago but I had to give them up due to going to school full time and working full time at the same time. No spare time whatsoever. I missed spreading my love for makeup and beauty so I thought blogging would be a better alternative for me :)

Q2, Do you ever get to the point where you want to delete your Blog, if so, why?

No, not yet. This is still very new and exciting for me so I really haven't gotten to that point in my blogging where it becomes a hassle. I'm sure there will be a few moments along the road that I will contemplate it but not any time soon I hope.

Q3, What's your most annoying habit?

This is a loaded question lol It honestly depends on who you ask. I don't know if it is really considered a habit but more of a personality flaw that has been complained about by multiple people in my life. I'm kind of really introverted in real life. Weird profession for an introvert to choose huh? I just like to be alone sometimes (more than most people) and I can be really hard to get in touch with. It's not that I don't like the person calling me (most of the time) or texting me that I don't answer/call back/respond to...it is that sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone. I like to be alone in my thoughts. There are times that I need solitude and silence to recharge my mind, body, and spirit and that is super hard to do when you are trying to hold a conversation with someone. My boyfriend gets so annoyed with me because I absolutely hate talking on the phone for the most part. If I'm having my me time and you call and I actually answer...you've got 5 mins tops and you better talk fast lol

Q4, Do you get annoyed that brands/companies will often go to more popular Beauty Bloggers to review their products? 

Not really. It's just business. If you had a product you wanted to promote, you are going to go for the blog that is going to reach the most people and make them the most money. Of course I would like to see them promote the smaller blogs more and give them a chance but if you think about just the $$$ and business aspect, its totally understandable. 

Q5, Have you been to a Bblogger meet up?

No I have not. I live in GA so if anyone knows of any going on, I would love to go!

Q6, What brand would you say was overrated? 

AHHHH this is a hard one. I have 2 brands. One is understandable and the other is considered the holy grail of makeup. 1.Benefit, I have never really found anything from that line that hasn't already been done and/or has a better substitute from another brand. There is honestly really no need for it. 2.MAC, okay go ahead and hate me but MAC is overrated in every sense of the word. Do they have a large variety of colors with good color pay off? Yes, but so do another 100 brands out there and they are usually cheaper. Why spend $14 on one eyeshadow when you can spend $5 and get the same or even better quality? You are paying for the name people. Don't even get me started about what it does to people's skin. I refer to MAC as MACne because that is exactly what it gives you. Do I hate MAC? No. Do I think it is overrated and not worth the money b/c you can totally find something better most of the time for a fraction of the cost? Yes.

Q7, What brand would you say is underrated?

Wet n' Wild. It is known for the cheap prices but I don't think many people really appreciate its the quality to price ratio. 

Q8, What are your phobias?

Snakes. I hate them. 

Q9, Which parts of your body are fake? (ie lashes, extensions)

Nothing really, I have a few highlights in my hair and I wear false lashes occasionally but for the most part I am pretty natural.

Q10, Least Fave part of your body?

My stomach. It's not nearly as toned as it should be and I honestly could stand to loose a few or more pounds.

Q11, Do you find keeping your blog up to date expensive?

Not really. I am still pretty new so I haven't gotten to the point of really spending money on it. My products I review are bought with my money but I was going to purchase them for myself anyways so I don't really count them as an expense. I have paid for one sidebar ad and It was super cheap and has actually gotten me some new followers. totally worth it.

Q12, Do you think some of the more popular Beauty Bloggers are overrated (not mentioning names)?

There are some that are very popular and I don't necessarily see why but I'm sure someone will eventually feel the same way of my blog. It is just how the world works

Q13, Are you an honest reviewer? 

Yes. I take pride in what I do. Whether I am giving my opinion of a product to my clients or on my blog I will not lead any of them in the wrong direction just for personal gain. My clients and followers trust me and to lose their trust would completely ruin my goal to spread beauty and knowledge.

Q14, What attracts you to reading a Blog Post?

I am usually drawn to the subject manner of the blog. If the title of the blog is about something I am not interested in, I usually skip over it.

Q15, Who's your Male/Female crush at the moment?

My boyfriend. He's the cutest :)

Q16, Is there a product that you have bought recently that you won't be buying again?

I bought a concealer from loreal that was way too dark for my skintone. Usually this would not deter me from not trying out another shade but this happened to be the lightest shade in the line. Also, I just didn't like how heavy it sat on my skin. It was the visible lift blur one. I was really disappointed in it so no repurchase for me.

I really like this tag. Be sure to check CaledonianKitty out and link back to her if you do this tag! Also, let m know too. I would love to see your answers :) Feel free to use my graphic I made for it if you would like!

Let's #backthatazzup with Whitney from I Wore Yoga Pants and jam out to Usher's Confessions b/c it is still stuck in my head!

5 Favorite Makeup Products! + Total Social

Hey There!

So I really wanted to do a post about some of my all time favorite makeup products and today also just happened to be Helene and Sarah's (from Helene In Between and Venus Trapped In Mars) monthly #TotalSocial linkup. I loved doing it last month and I really wanted to do it this month as well. This month's theme is Favorites! It pretty much worked out perfectly for me! Here are my 5 all time favorite makeup products and why. I hope you enjoy!

5. Nyx Butter Gloss in Tiramisu - This gloss is my perfect "my lips but better" shade. It just looks so nice and natural and goes well during the day or evening. Its a better alternative to a nude lip for me and I always get compliments when I wear it. I also love the formula of it. I hate uber sticky lipglosses, they drive me nuts and this formula is super smooth and not very sticky at all. I've been wearing this gloss consistently over the past year and it has become a holy grail product of mine.

4. Wet n Wild single eyeshadow in Nutty - I discovered this eyeshadow about 4 years ago and it was love at first blend. I am a lover of taupe shadows and this is seriously my favorite taupe-y shadow of all time. It has such a pretty cool toned finish and really makes my eyes pop. Its not too dark so even the palest of pale (like myself) can rock it without looking ridiculous. It is also a really good dupe for Mac's Satin Taupe. Honorable mention to WnW's Brulee because paired with Nutty, you've got yourself a super cheap/amazing combo. My drugstores never have Nutty in stock and it makes me so sad. Whenever I find it, its like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow...I may or may not do a little jig as well :)

3. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - Okay so who doesn't love this palette? I mean really? How can you beat 6 eyeshadows (1 shimmer and 5 matte) that are neutral, go with any skintone/undertone, have AH-MAZING color payoff, and are super blendable? You can't, just sayin. I have this palette in my makeup bag at all times and I even purchased a second one for my bridal makeup kit about 6 months ago. It is perfect.

2. ELF's Candid Coral Blush - Being of pale skin with a tendency to get kind of pink in the face, I tend to lean towards more peachy blushes instead of just plain pinks. I get red/pink in the face super easily and pink blushes really just makes it more noticeable. Peachy-er (yes I just made up my own word) blushes still give color to my face without looking like I'm super flushed. The Candid Coral blush from Elf is my favorite. It just looks so pretty and at $3 its a must buy!

1. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua - Last but not least, my FAVORITE, I WOULD MARRY IT IF THAT WASN'T WEIRD, foundation. I am a sucker for all things Chanel. Let me see a Chanel counter and its over and done with. Where do I start with why I love this foundation? First of all, its a water based foundation so it is lightweight and holds up really well against oil production and sweat. It's scent is so lovely and not obnoxious at all. Unlike any other foundations I use or have tried, I actually prefer to apply this foundation with my fingers...I'm serious ya'll. It is a medium coverage foundation that looks like a new perfect layer of skin when applied. Yes, it is a little pricey but so very worth it I promise!

Welp, those are my top 5 all time favorite makeup products. What are yours??? Ohh and be sure to link up for Total Social all across social media and share your favorite things using #FavTotalSocial 

:)

P.S. I found this little gem and figured I would also throw in a little throwback thursday action. I posted this on my instagram as well. #tbt to when I was 17, had the 1st of the only 2 tans I've ever had, never filled in my eyebrows, and rode around Wal-Mart in shopping carts. Oh the memories! 

#ShareBeauty - My Beauty Story!

Hey There!

So I come to you guys today with a really awesome story and purpose. There is this super rad campaign going on right now called the #ShareBeautyContest. I have joined this campaign that is hosted by Regency Beauty Institute with Refinery29 with the goal of celebrating beauty and the people who make it. Regency Beauty Institute is one of the leading cosmetology school in the nation that takes innovative approaches to learning and aids their students in turning their creativity into a beautiful career. Regency Beauty Institute and Refinery29 wants to create a movement that celebrates beauty as a creative career and a gift that matters and has a positive effect on our world. This is something that I relate very closely with seeing as how I am a Makeup Artist and all...no big deal.

"Summer-Proof" Your Makeup in 3 Easy Steps!!!

Hey There!

But First...
So I know I have been pretty silent the past two weeks which I feel super bad about. Life has happened and I just needed to take some time to focus on it I guess. I have also been working on learning how to code a template for my blog. The new template is coming along nicely and I can wait to get it up and going. Between life, learning to code templates, and also completely revamping my business website...I've just had no time to blog. I am way super sorry!!!

And now for the good stuff!

Achieving long lasting and flawless makeup during the summer months is a struggle most of us can relate to. It's just not cute to look like your face is melting #thestruggleisreal #wickedwitchofthewest . I've got a few tips and tricks for you to keep your makeup in place and looking fresh! Have no fear...Jordan is here!!!