bright orange nails

Despite being sick, I keep pushing myself to do things that feel "summery". My nails really needed to be repainted to I decided to go with something bright!

I really have been loving nail polishes that dry quickly- I just don't have the patience for the ones that take FOREVER. I find that the Essie Nail Polishes do that, so I used the shade Boat House on all my nails- not including my ring finger.

Although I think this color is beautiful to wear on it's own, another thing I have been loving is rose gold. It seems to be another large trend this summer and I am definitely going to be jumping on the bandwagon. So since the Boat House has that orange tinge, the rose gold would work perfect with it. For my ring finger I used the e.l.f. Nail Polish in Blushing Beauty.

I did two coats of each, but let them dry in between. I really think that's important to get a quick drying polish to work the best. I love these colors together and apart, and I think they would look bangin' with a navy maxi-dress (which I must confess is on the way to my house from Forever21)!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

Glam bag May 2013

This post is quite late and I apologize for that. I have been so busy with graduation, moving back home and of course, searching for a job (not to mention that I have caught some kind of cold)! I thought I would do this post anyway to get back on track and in the swing of things!

This months bag was quite amazing, not only in terms of monetary value but also the selection of products. On the left is the St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion. I have heard great things about the self-tanner and this works great as a one-shot type thing. The color is buildable, however I am not sure how well it holds up to sweat, rubbing, etc. It might be perfect to cover up awkward tan lines!

Next is the NuMe Finishing Serum. I have yet to try this so I'll keep you updated! The Zoya Nail Polish in Neely. This color and formula is amazing- it coats on easily and dries fast. This is a milky mint polish that is perfect for this season!

The last two products are the Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink and the yaby Concealer Refill in Buff. The lip gloss is quite unique...although not very opaque it feels slick on the lips so I'm not sure about the staying power. As for the concealer, I have not tried it yet to give an impression.

I hope this gives you a little insight as to what Glam bag is about! Look for more posts soon!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

how to: dewy glow for oily skin

Dewy glowing skin has been all the rage this past spring and I really wanted to join the trend. My only problem, I feel like because I have oily skin I can't quite pull off dewy without looking oily. I have been experimenting a bit and finally came up with a combination that I like- it gives me a glowing finish, but allows me to look semi-matte in the areas that I don't like dewiness. This is also a simple look that won't take you terribly long!

I start this off with pre-moisturized skin (I use the Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with Sunscreen SPF15). I then conceal my undereyes using the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in shade 10 Light- any excess I use to cover up other problem areas. The key product to this look is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. This is truly an amazing product! I use this in areas that I generally highlight (brow bone, cheek bones, chin, forehead and bridge of the nose). For foundation I use the bareMinerals Original Foundation, which helps make the highlight a bit more subtle. I then do my normal contouring and blush routine. Once the face makeup has been completed I use the Urban Decay De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray all over. I use this again once my eyes and brows are done. The last and key thing is mattifying the areas that you do not want to be dewy! Any matte powder would do- I like to use the Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder since it gives a little bit of extra coverage.

And there you have it! How to get dewy skin if you are a little oily. I have done this makeup all through my finals week and I really loved how it looked. I think right now I can still pull it off, but once the summer months come along I may be getting too oily...we shall see. I hope this gave you some tips as to how I get my skin glowing!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

back to basics: lips

I'm taking a little study break to post a blog for y'all- and I admit, to procrastinate a bit as well! Today I'm going to demonstrate how I prepare my lips for lipstick, liner, gloss, etc. I think sometimes people have a hard time with lips because they don't know what shades to wear or how to apply products. I'll talk about some of my tips- keep in mind though, there is no right or wrong way to wear makeup! Wear it how you feel the best! :D

First, is the "prep" work. I like to make sure my lips have been exfoliated either the evening before or in the morning. A product that I have been using is the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub. I use this at night before I go to bed, followed by Vaseline Lip Therapy. After using a scrub, it's really important to moisturize your lips, or else they may get dry and possibly crack (ouch)!

Once you have done the prep work, it's time for some lip makeup! Generally the order of my makeup is face, eyes, brows, lips. So while I'm doing my eye makeup I put on a lip balm to moisturize my lips even more. Once I'm ready to start putting on lip products, I blot off the extra lip balm. Now, it's time to move on to lip liner!

I think a lot of people are intimidated by lip liner because they are unsure where to place it- this is something I have struggled with as well. My guideline is to use the natural curve that your lip line has. You can clearly see there the skin starts and the lip ends. This will give you the most natural lip liner look. 

So by following the shape of my lip and using a color that will match my lipstick, it won't look like a hooker. (My sister says I look like one when I use too dark of a liner because I have large-ish lips.) You can see that I didn't over or under draw, just literally followed the line of my mouth.

If you want to create an illusion of bigger lips, draw at the most outer edge of your lips, just BARELY (key word) going onto the skin. To create smaller looking lips, use a concealer at the edges and stay below the natural lip line.

Once you have your lip liner on, you can add a lipstick or gloss. Like I mentioned before, you want this be somewhat close to your liner color. The products I used here are the p2 Perfect Look! Lip Liner in Nude, L'Oreal Colour Riche in Merino Mauve (I love this- especially for summer!) and Wet n' Wild MegaLast Lip Color in 901B Think Pink. The picture does not do the pinkness of this lip justice. It is much more of a Barbie color.

I think finding the perfect lip combination is all about experimenting and seeing what looks best on you. Don't be afraid to use darker or more nude colors- you will look great in what you feel the most confident wearing! In the end, that's what makeup is really all about!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina

Glam bag update

It has been 2 weeks since my last post, and I must admit I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I just really have been super busy and didn't have time to take pictures of makeup looks. Also, you may have noticed I didn't do an April favorites post because I am kind of getting bored of them. I want to try and let you all know in a different way about products that I like- I just have to be a little creative and think of something.

I wanted to do a tri-yearly update of the monthly Glambag subscription to update you on what products I have actually enjoyed and which ones ended up not working for me. (So far I have loved the bags in every month, I think they make great gifts and also are perfect for your purse!)

January 2013 Glambag

Products I liked:

• BigSexyHair Spray & Stay Hairspray- has great hold and is perfect to keep teased hair in place
• Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter- very moisturizing, not greasy and a great citrus scent
• Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Bloody Mary- great orangey red that doesn't stain your nails
• Josie Maran Argan Oil- great moisturizer, hair serum and body oil, not greasy
• Soho Concealer Brush- I use this as a lip brush and it works perfectly

February 2013 Glambag

• I thought the products were all okay, but nothing special...the mascara smudged onto my undereye area and the eyeshadow was a bit too flakey
• I know I had said I enjoyed the pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer but it really doesn't do anything for me. I noticed that it really just acts like a moisturizer and doesn't make my makeup last longer or hide my pores.

March 2013 Glambag

Products I liked:

• GLAMRX Mini Freestyle Palette- I raved so much about this, I think y'all know I love it (if you don't want to spend the money on this though, you could use a empty Altoids tin!)

April 2013 Glambag

Products I liked:

• Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks- this is super pigmented and has a great sheen, this would look beautiful with a tan

I hope this helped anyone who was looking to try some of the products that comes with the Glambags! Again, I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but between classes coming to an end, finals, graduation and job search it's been kind of hectic! I hope to get some more helpful posts to you this month and continue my back to basics series!

Always stay happy and healthy! :)

Tschüss, Katharina