Baby's First Smokey Eye with Sleek MakeUP

Makeup is all about having fun and experimenting, right? I've been pushing myself to try a lot of new things and let go of the notion that I can't pull something off. One such thing being a smokey eye. My translucent skin/dark under eye area had me convinced I wasn't cut out for this kind of look, but whatever! I did it anyway!

Using Sleek MakeUP's Storm palette, I gave myself a smokey-blue cat eye, diffused with a mix of browns and a light hand. The royal blue used in my outer v produces quite a bit of fallout but I just tap the excess off and use a kabuki brush to clean my under eyes and cheeks afterward. This really is an awesome earthy toned palette with super wearable shades, great blendability, and nice textures. Even if some colors create a little mess, it's still totally worth its $9.99 price tag!

Products Used:
Sleek MakeUP's i-Divine Palette in Storm
Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture in Eye On Neutral 02 (Read my review here)
Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Ultra Black
Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeliner Pencil in Bronze
L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara
Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in Nude
e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit in Medium

Shocked as you may be that I'm using that Sonia Kashuk palette, I have to say I really like that one orange shade. Combining it with a bit of Storm's matte chocolate brown created a great transition color to diffuse all of that blue. Shame on me for skipping primer—though this obviously speaks to Sleek MakeUP's great pigmentation!

Step 1: Pat silvery blue onto eyelid with an eyeshadow brush.
Step 2: Apply mid-tone brown to outer crease and blend with a blending brush.
Step 3: Apply royal blue to outer 1/3 of eyelid + crease, blend with a crease brush.
Step 4: Apply black to crease to deepen the blue and blend.
Step 5: Diffuse blue edge with mid-tone brown/orange.
Step 6: Apply pale champagne as highlight to brow bone with finger.
Step 7: Apply gold shimmer to tear duct with finger.
Step 8: Line lower lash line with bronze eyeliner, set with gold shimmer.
Step 9: Give yourself wings!

I totally wore this out to a movie Friday night where I'd be in the safety of darkness. Ha! I'm not behind it 100%, more like 80%. What do you guys think?

Get the Look with Stila's In the Garden

Finally, I started using another Stila palette from the ridiculously awesome sale last spring. Remember how I ended up getting all four of the In the... palettes for under $12 a pop? I'm elated about it even now!

Stila's In the Garden eyeshadow palette is just as nice to work with as In the Moment, which is great because some brands really struggle with consistency. The color payoff is awesome when applied dry but these eyeshadows can also be worn wet. Imagine how much more intense this look would have been wet! It takes minimal effort to blend and though they're on the drier side, and very occasionally powdery (I'm looking at you, matte shades), I still totally recommend Stila's In the Garden.

Products Used:
e.l.f. Eyelid Primer
Stila In the Garden
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Black
Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara
Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara
NYX Wonder Pencil in Light
e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit in Medium

I still haven't touched the Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner you get in each palette, but I hear those aren't the best. I'm not much of an eyeliner pencil gal myself, so my experience is super limited.

Step 1: Pat sage (Sage) onto inner 2/3 of eyelid with an eyeshadow brush.
Step 2: Pat forest green (Juniper) to outer 1/3 of eyelid.
Step 3: Apply pink violet (Rosette) to outer crease and blend with a blending brush.
Step 4: Apply violet blue (Freesia) to crease and blend with a crease brush.
Step 5: Apply cream (Chinois) as highlight to brow bone and tear duct with finger.
Step 6: Apply golden beige (Breeze) to lower lash line with a pencil brush.
Step 7: Line waterline with nude waterproof eyeliner.
Step 8: Give yourself wings!

Stila is currently on HauteLook until tomorrow (Friday), though none of the In the... palettes are being sold. You should still check it out if you're a fan of the brand though! Don't forget to read my Get the Look post using In the Moment if you haven't!

NOTW: Uneven Lengths + Simple How-To

After getting the perfect almond shape I love oh so much, I promptly broke a nail on Andrew's car door. I told myself "alright, just make sure you crop out that bad boy in your next nail post." Then I broke another while walking Princess and Muscles the same day... of course. So uneven nails it is!


I love drugstore shopping, which I know I mention all of the time, so it should come as no surprise that I spent a lot of time hopping from Walgreens to Dollar General to CVS this past week. My final stop was Five Below where I picked up three new nail polishes I used for these nails.


From left to right: Unlabeled Skull Nail Polish in Black, Funky Fingers in Pink Pixels and Fool's Gold, and Love & Beauty in Purple/Black (which I already owned).


To get this look I started with two coats of Pink Pixels followed by two coats of Fool's Gold. Next, with very little product on the brush, I lightly covered each nail with the Purple/Black glitter. Using a small brush, I made sure to slowly build the glitter starting at the cuticles, moving outward to get the gradient just right.


Using a cosmetic sponge, I applied black just at the cuticle (be sure to use a moist sponge with a very small amount of black). Then, I placed a small oval stone at the base of each accent nail with a toothpick. Finally, I painted two layers of top coat (three on the accent nails so those stones will stay put). If you try this look please comment below with a link! I'd really love to see it!


In an effort to catch up with all of you savvy internet users, I signed up for Bloglovin' (finally). I'm only a few years late... I was suprised to see I already have quite a few of you following me there, so thanks guys! Follow my blog with Bloglovin' if you'd like!

NOTW: Birthday Nails + DIY Nail Decals

After our trip to Cedar Point, my naked nails were dying for some love and affection. I decided to try something new this time. Homemade nail decals!


Whenever I do my nails, I reuse the same few pieces of plastic as makeshift paint palettes to dip my brushes and sponges. Over time the small pools of polish pop off with such ease, I knew I could totally make use of it.


After some googling, it seems I'm not the only one who knows about this great trick. Everyone's directions vary a bit, most paint large areas and use scrapbook punches, but I found that painting the designs directly onto a sandwich bag was exactly what I was going for and the most fun. I went to town!


Let the artwork dry overnight, otherwise there will be no give when trying to peel the designs off. Make sure you fold the sandwich bag, starting closest to the edge of design and slowly roll the bag back between your fingers. It works like a charm.


I painted my base coat and background design and let them dry fully. Using a tooth pick dipped in a tiny bit of clear polish, I added as many burgers, french fries and eyeballs as I could fit onto each nail. A couple of top coats later and...


My thumb and pinky are my favorite. Fries, eyes and polka dots, all day, every day!


The colors used for the background are ORLY in Naked Ivory and China Glaze in Rose Among Thorns (Neon). I recommend you give this a go, it's super fun and helps rid you of you your non-dominant hand's shameful work! Well, at least it did for me!

Pimm's Wins!

You know I'm no high society English woman, but apparently my preferred beverage suggests otherwise? I was introduced to Pimm's & Stormy at Table Fifty-Two during Chicago's restaurant week this year. It was the most perfectly refreshing alcoholic concoction I'd ever tasted. Pimm’s No 1. Liqueur, Fentiman’s Ginger Beer, simple syrup, fresh lemon and cucumber served in a mason jar with crushed ice and a straw. I'm no "mixologist" (ugh), so follow this recipe at your own will knowing I still don't quite know what its proper name is... You've been warned!

Start with a good ginger beer, not ale! Fentiman’s is great but we decided to try Bundaberg due to the ridiculously awesome packaging. I died when I saw the pull tabs! You'll also need everything else listed above/seen in the photo above.


Slice your cucumber and lemon; I go overboard here because I love fruity drinks.


Here's where I normally curse the apartment gods for not giving me an ice machine built into our fridge! A bunch of cubes just has to suffice.


I repeat, I do not know what I am doing (!), however, I follow a 1:2 ratio and pour about 3-3.5oz of Pimm's over the ice.


Then divvy up one bottle of the ginger beer so each glass gets about 6oz. Pour in simple syrup (to taste), add your fruit and stir! I usually give my remaining lemon half a good squeeze into each glass, too.


And you're done! Sip it with your pinky sticking up and then you'll want to move on to illegal grilling on your standard Chicago faulty wooden back porch... Also see: How we spent our Memorial Day.


Our brand new, little, itty bitty baby grill is just the cutest grill there ever was! It looks even more adorable with tons of stuff crammed in.


Princess and Muscles helped to supervise our family's grilling experience, and overall I'd say it was a pretty rad day. Pimm's was involved, so that's a given. :)

The Sandwich to End All Sandwiches

I mean, really... This sandwich will murder any sandwich you've ever loved. Hands down. It isn't entirely my own creation, I found and modified the recipe from theKitchn.com, however, I am completely confident mine is better.


I soft boil two eggs and set them aside so they can cool. As a rule after boiling eggs, I crack the shell to make sure the peeling process isn't a pain after I've placed them in a bowl of cool water. It always helps.

I cut my asparagus into slices length–wise using a paring knife and place them in a skillet over high heat with oil and minced garlic. After searing the asparagus spears for about 6-8 minutes, they should be charred and delicious.

Earlier in the day, I dice about half of a red onion and put it into a container with vinegar so it can pickle as much as possible. I suggest an hour or more if you have the time! I've tried it with both apple cider and red wine vinegar, both were great.

I cut one large baguette in half and remove the center so all of my toppings won't slide out while eating. Once the bread is hollowed out, I spread mayo and dijon mustard generously.

Each sandwich is topped with one sliced egg (careful if you soft boil yours, they will be gooey), 1/2 of the asparagus, 1/2 of a sliced avocado and a generous amount of your pickled red onions. Season with a dash of salt and fresh pepper.

Andrew and I have eaten these sandwiches for lunch and dinner about 10 times in the last two months. They're that good. Plus, avocados just make everything better.

Surprise Balls: A Tutorial

Have you ever heard of the glory that is a surprise ball? I hadn't until I happened upon the blog Oh Happy Day. You could literally spend hours mesmerized by all of the lovely things on that blog, I know I have... But these balls are just magical! My family is quite large so we choose to focus on the kids during the holidays, and I immediately knew surprise balls would be perfect.

I had such a great time getting all these goodies at Party City and Uncle Fun (which happens to be one of my favorite stores of ALL time), I totally felt like a little kid. I figured I'd write up a simple tutorial so you can get in on the fun, too!

Stickers! Chocolate! Dinosaur Masks! Nail Polish! Bug Pins! Bird Pins! Bouncy Balls! Moustaches! Finger Puppets! Tops! Erasers! Bubbles! Temporary Tattoos! Candy!

After gathering all of your small treasures, prepare your crêpe paper. I found that cutting strips in different lengths then folding them in half worked best. Otherwise the paper is too wide and it looks a bit wonky. A plus side to the wider strips is more coverage, so choose whatever works best for you.



Begin with the largest, roundest, or most obscure-shaped object and get wrapping.



My first one started out a bit rough and ended up more egg shaped than circular. It's good to remember the balls will be unraveled so no need to be a perfectionist!

Don't forget your life fuel :P


They really are super easy to make, just be sure to round out your ball by layering strategically placed goodies.



Confetti and glitter are nice little fillers to add in between the bigger items. Smaller items like stickers and temporary tattoos, too!



To finish these babies up you can use tape or a small sticker on the edge of your last strip of crêpe paper. Then decorate it to your heart's content! I used red and white pipe cleaners and holographic ribbon from the dollar store.



Shipping these to New York was a nightmare but they made it! The obscene amount of bubble wrap I used cushioned them well enough but their ribbons and ornaments fell off. You know, the only way I knew which ball belonged to which kid! Everything ended well, though, thankfully, and each kid got their ball. Next year I plan to make mini piñatas because I love crêpe and tissue paper so much! Gahh!