Liebster Award

    Hey Belles! I'm excited to say that I've been nominated for the Liebster award by Jess @ findinnerbeauty.com! Thanks hun! If you don't know what this award is about, it was created to support beginning bloggers & give them the credit and recognition they deserve. & as you Belles already know, I'm all about supporting others. So, I'm ecstatic to be apart of this! 

Rules

1. Give credit to who nominated you.

2. Answer the questions they gave you.

3. Nominate 9 bloggers who have 200 followers or less.

4. Come up with your own 11 questions for them.

5. Let them know you nominated them.

Now onto answering the questions that Jess gave me!

1. What's your favorite fairytale? 

    - Honestly, I'd have to say that Beauty & The Beast is my favorite hence my name "Belle" :)

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

    - Hm, tough one. There is so many beautiful places in the world, but I think I'd either go to Ireland or Italy. 

3. What do you want to accomplish in 2014?

    - Continue my blog & keep meeting all you lovely bloggers! 

4. What's your favorite (type of) restaurant? 

    - I LOVE Italian!

5. Feel-good song or album?

    - Oh! I have so many "feel-good" songs but the one I've been listening to the most would have to be "That's My Kind Of Night" by Luke Bryan, mmm.

6. What's one thing you miss about being a kid?

    - Being carefree, having nothing to really worry about but when I was going to be able to go outside and play.

7. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

    - Stay positive, there is no reason to dwell on the negativity of life.

8. Tell me about something that made you laugh this week.

    - My boyfriend just being ridiculous, haha. That's why I love him! ;)

9. If you could send a message to the whole world, what would it be?

    - YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!  

10. What is something you would like to become better at?

    - Eating healthy, I have such a unhealthy eating habit.

11. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

    - Fly, Of course! haha.

Now on to my nominees!

1. Leigh-Ann ; BlushingBeauty55.blogspot.com

2. Heather ; blushingbelle.net

3. Chaitra ; itspinkpot.wordpress.com

4. Betti Boot ; betti2bootbeauty.blogspot.com

5. Jenny ; jenfarny.blogspot.com

6. Miss ALK ; missalk1994.blogspot.co.nz

7. Ashley ; sweetcarolinabelle.blogspot.com

8. Rosina ; rosinadiaries.blogspot.com

9. Natalie ; yourstrulyny.blogspot.com.au

My Questions:

1. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

2. Why did you start your blog?

3. Who are some of your favorite bloggers?

4. Favorite color?

5. Would you rather be able to sing or be able to dance?

6. Favorite type of music, & why?

7. Who is your inspiration?

8. Favorite makeup item, & why?

9. Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter?

10. Best vacation?

11. What is your favorite quote? 

I hope you enjoyed all my answers! If I didn't tag you & you would like to answer my questions feel free to do so! & let me know that you did! :)

Until next time,

Valentines Eye Look w/ Vice 2 Palette ❤

❤ Valentines Eye Look w/ Vice 2 Palette ❤

    Hey Belles! Today I'm going to share how I got this Valentines eye look with the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette. 

(Yes, my eyebrows are not perfect, BUT I just so happen to like it that way)

❤ First, I primed my eyes with eyeshadow primer to help keep the eyeshadows on longer and make the colors POP.

❤ Second, I mixed colors "Coax" & "Toxic" together and packed them onto the 2/3 of my lids.

❤ Third, I used the color "Voodoo" for my crease and outer 1/3 of my lids. 

❤ Fourth, I used the color "Habit" as my inner corner and highlight.

❤ & Lastly, DON'T forget to BLEND it all in!

I did use a regular felt tip liquid liner for my upper lash line, but I didn't use any eyeliner on my lower waterline, & I applied my mascara as normal.

Until next time,

Be A Supporter!

    Okay Belles, I just need to talk for a few minutes. I've had some things happen in my life the past few months/years, big changes. Some good, some not so good. But no matter what I've felt like I've had a good support system through my boyfriend, family, & friends. UNTIL, I had someone who I felt I was very close to, would even consider a best friend, tell me "Oh, you'll never be able to do that" to something that I had told them was a goal of mine. This goal being something that I could accomplish, with a good support system behind me of course. It may just be me, but when I tell someone in confidence a goal, or a dream of mine, I expect them to support me, as I would & do support them on their goals/dreams. When I get told by someone (who I feel like should have complete faith in me) that I'll never amount to what I want to be, it kinda rains on my parade, and makes my self confidence go down. I don't mean to rant, but in all honesty, my feelings are crushed. I've never been one to tell someone they will never be able to accomplish their goals/dreams in life. I encourage them to go forward and pursue it, and be the crying shoulder, the support system when they face an obstacle. 

    I've decided for myself, I will not let others bring me down. I will accomplish what I set my mind to. No matter how hard or how far away my goals/dreams may be. I WILL PUSH FORWARD, past the negativity.

You never know how hard it can be on someone when you're throwing negativity on them, until you've been there yourself.

     The reason for me writing this post is, I really want you to think of your goals/dreams. What are they? How can you make them come into reach? & How far are you going to have to push yourself, whether it be mentally or physically, to get there? 

    No matter what your answers are to those questions, just know that no matter where you are, or who you are, I'm ALWAYS supporting YOU. Even if I don't know you, I'm supporting. 

BE A SUPPORTER!

Until next time,

Review: Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

Review: Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

    Hey Belles! I'm here today with a review on the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. I've just recently started using face primer again, last time I used any was when I was a Junior in high school. Since starting back to using face primer I've been using the Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Primer. While I do love the Too Faced brand, it is rather pricey at $30 a tube. So I went on the look for a cheaper primer than would do really well on my skin. I saw A LOT of posts about the Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, so I grabbed it & tried it out for myself. 

    I have oily, dry, sensitive skin. So, I have to be extremely careful with what I choose to use on my face. I can swell up like a balloon if my skin doesn't agree with a product, just ask my mom. She's got a story or two about the times my face didn't like a product. The Baby Skin did great as far as not irritating my skin. It is a clear color, and to me it's pretty oily. The first day of using this product, I HATED it. I felt like it just made my skin way more oiler that it already is, but I decided to give it another try the next day. I didn't use as much and I spread it more even across my face. It worked much better, but after still continuing to use it for a couple of weeks, I just still didn't like it.

    When using a face primer, I don't want my makeup to pool up into my pores. With this it still does, even as if I don't have any primer on at all. Bummer. I was really hoping that this would be better for me that it has turned out to be. BUT like I said before, my skin is crazy, & it very well could be my skin just doesn't like this primer. I probably won't be repurchasing this again, sadly. I'll be sticking to my other brands.

I purchased this at my local Walmart for around $6.

Have you tried the Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser? 

How did it work for you?

Let me know!

Until next time,

5 Tips for Whiter Teeth

5 Tips for Whiter Teeth

    Hey Belles! I'm here today to give you 5 tips to keep your teeth whiter! As some may know, I went to college to be a dental assistant, & I currently work full time as a Certified Dental Assistant. These tips I'm about to give you are what we tell our patients who want to have a brighter, whiter smile. 

1. Stay away from dark colored drinks.

For example: Coffee, Tea, Sodas (Pepsi, Mr. Pibb, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, etc.)

2. Stay away from drinks/food that contain a lot of acid.

Foods/drinks that contain a high amount of acid can cause your teeth to loose the color of your enamel, which can cause a translucency on the edges of your teeth. 

For example: Lemons, Mtn. Dew, etc.

3. Drink through a straw.

When you drink, all of what you're consuming runs over the front of your teeth, causing them to stain a yellowish or brownish color. 

4. Good oral hygiene. 

Brushing & Flossing every day can prevent buildup of plaque & tartar, which can cause calculus and stains. 

5. Touch up treatments.

Having bleaching strips or bleaching trays made, you can do quick touch up treatments at home. You can have bleach trays made at your local dentist office, they come in different bleaching strengths & varies depending on what your dentist office carries. For bleach strips I recommend Crest 3D White Professional Effects Strips. You can purchase these at Walmart for $38.

    Okay, that's my 5 tips to you for keeping your teeth whiter! I hope these tips can help you out! 

Until next time,

Picture above provided by Google.

MOTD: Natural Smokey Eye/Pink Nude Lip

MOTD: Natural Smokey Eye/Pink Nude Lip

    Hey Belles! I'm going to be doing my first MOTD (Makeup of the day) post. I'll show my makeup look I wore today, and everything I used to achieve it.

Face:

~ Benefits The POREfessional Face Primer 

~ Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Foundation

*Shade: 1W1 BONE 17*

~ Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder 

*Shade: 1N1 IVORY/NUDE 72*

~ Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

~ Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush

*Shade: 02 PINK KISS*

~ Revlon Photoready Palette (Highlight)

~ Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray

Eyes:

~ Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer

~ Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette 

*Shades used: Tease, Bootycall, YDK, Busted, Blackout*

~ Kat Von D Autograph Pencil 

*Shade: Puro Amor*

~ L'Oreal The Super Slim Infallible Liquid Eyeliner

*Shade: Black*

~ Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Lips:

~ Flower Sheer Lip Tint Pencil

*Shade: Bare Blush*

    That's my MOTD! This is a pretty normal look I wear daily. I normally wear a smokey eye everyday that I put all my make up on. I don't wear any makeup to my job because, It would be kind of pointless to wear it when I have a mask on all day. That's just me though. I hope you enjoyed my MOTD! :) 

Until next time,

January 2014 Ipsy Glambag

January 2014 Ipsy Bag

    Hey Belles! I'm going to share with you today what I got in my January 2014 Ipsy bag. This is my first Ipsy bag subscription! If you don't know what Ipsy is:

   Ipsy was created by Michelle Phan, a famous YouTube beauty guru. You pay $10/monthly and you receive 4-5 beauty products, sometimes samples, sometimes full size! This is an awesome subscription, in my opinion, what girl doesn't love trying out new beauty products?! 

So here we go, this is what I got in my bag this month!

    To start off with, this is the bag this month, & to be honest I'm not a fan of this design. I probably won't use this unless it's to put my toothbrushes and stuff like that in when I travel.

Beauty products I received:

Body balm; Balm me up ~ $45 full size

Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm

Benefit; the POREfessional ~ $30 full size

PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores

(MALIN+GOETZ); Mojito lip balm ~ $12

Daily protectant, Soothing treatment

Yaby; Yaby liquid foundation ~ $13.99 full size

Natural Finish Liquid Foundation (Oil Free)

A! Absolute!; Make-up cleansing tissues ~ $4.99 full size

Pomegranate Extract; 10 tissues

    Well that's all I got in my bag this month. I can say I really am liking the Mojito Lip Balm, it really is helping my poor chapped lips! I am excited to try the POREfessional primer from benefit. I've always heard good things about it! The Yaby foundation I received came in the shade "Buff", a little too dark for my skin tone this time of year, so I won't be able to use it until it gets warmer outside. As for the rest I haven't really used them yet.  

If you'd like to subscribe to Ipsy for $10/monthly

you can click HERE!

Do you already have a Ipsy subscription? If so, what did you get?

Until next time, 

     

Kat Von D Sinner Palette

Kat Von D Sinner True Romance Palette

    Hey Belles! I'm here today with another review, this one being on the Kat Von D Sinner True Romance Palette. I was looking around Sephora and saw this palette & remembered seeing some YouTube tutorials for it. So, I decided I needed it & made the purchase. First off I'll say, I really like this palette, a thumbs up for me. The colors are beautiful and so pigmented, which is what we all want in an eyeshadow, am I right? I feel like with this palette you can easily get a dramatic smoky eye, one with a "rock n' roll" feel. One that you could wear to go out to a club or if you're like me, & just love your smoky eyes you could make some looks that are daytime wearable. 

    First, I'll start with the packaging. LOVE IT! The palette itself is made of metal & has all these really 'rocker' designs engraved into it. It has a type of flower (not sure what kind?), a butterfly winged skull, & some lightning bolts & stars on the front, along with Kat Von D's name. The way this palette is made, I feel like would be great for traveling. It has a clip closing & seems really durable. 

   On the back of the palette, It has the the name of the shadows in order (which I'll get into later on) & the quote "A smoky eye adds an instant air of mystery", so true!

   Second, what's on the inside! GORGEOUS colors, & it even comes with a Kat Von D autograph pencil in the shade "Puro Amor". This palette is more on the darker side of eyeshadows. All these eyeshadows are shimmer, except for one, which is the matte black (Lucifer).

Shadows from left to right:

- Disco Dust

- Linzy-Jane

- Ace of Spades

- Violator

- Holy Bible

- Glock

- Dorian Gray

- Lucifer

   Name wise for these shadows, they couldn't be more on point with the whole vibe of this palette & with Kat Von D herself.

Swatches are vise-verse order as they appear in palette.

Above is a swatch of the autograph pencil in "Puro Armour".

   As for the autograph pencil, it's great especially for smudging. It has a really creamy texture, & super easy to glide on. 

   Cost wise for this palette its $36.00 @ Sephora. 

To me that's a pretty good deal for what you get. 

8 eyeshadows, plus the autograph pencil, which if you were buying that alone would be $9-10.00.

I hope you enjoyed this review & find it helpful if you we're thinking of purchasing this palette yourself.

If you'd like to see more about this palette click here.

& if you'd like to see a eye look with this palette, let me know below!

  Until next time,

             

Top 10 Beauty Mistakes I Used to Make

My Top 10 Beauty Mistakes I Used to Make

      Hey Belles! Today I'm going to be doing the "Top 10 Beauty Mistakes I Used to Make" post, where I was tagged by the beautiful Hope over at Beauty & Bliss! (P.S. go check out her blog, AWESOME!) I've got to say I'm pretty excited about this tag for two reasons, 1. this is my FIRST tag, & 2. This is gonna be fun because, it really makes me think about all the beauty mistakes I've made in my past, eek! So here we go, let's jump on into this! :)

     

1. Letting too much product build up in my hair.

     

    Yes, I did it. When I was in high school around my junior/senior year, I just got lazy to say the least. I mean I would wash my hair, but all the product would still stay in because, I USED WAY TOO MUCH. For about a constant month, everyday, I would scrunch my hair. & everyday, what was I doing? Adding more product to my hair. It took my hair turning white from all the products for me to realize what I was doing, & some major shampooing treatments to get it all out, how awful!

2. Not sticking with my everyday face routine. 

    I think all of us are guilty of this one. I just didn't realize how important it was. I have VERY sensitive & oily/dry skin, almost anything can break me out. & I'm sure this wasn't helping my acne problem as a teen. I didn't even really have a good face routine until just a couple of months ago, & I'm 21! Every night I use makeup removing wipes, my St. Ives Apricot Scrub (My absolute favorite!), Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup remover, & Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Toner.  I can tell a huge difference now that I actually have a routine.

You can purchase:

St. Ives Scrub @ Walmart for $6.00

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover @ Belk for $20.00

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Toner @ Belk for $25.00

3. Not moisturizing my face daily.

    Again, when I was younger I just never moisturized my face. & as I said before my skin is very sensitive & oily/dry. My skin is more dry in the winter months, of course, but even then I wasn't using a moisturizer. It was so dry it would flake off my makeup! Now everyday, it's a must. My favorite is the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. I purchased this moisturizer at Walmart for about $10.00.    

4. TOO much black eyeliner.

   You're probably thinking "that picture is too dramatic", no. I really looked like that, haha! When I first started using eyeliner, I went what we'll call a little eyeliner happy. I honestly looked like a racoon, or someone would had just got into a fight and had two black eyes, not cute, I know. I do still wear black eyeliner to this day, but needless to say I've learned how to not have a heavy hand with it.

5. Not using Eye/Face primer.

   Eye shadow & face primer are my saving grace for the makeup world. When I first started applying eyeshadows I didn't realize you needed to have a primer for them to have better pigmentation and to last longer. Same goes for the face primer, you don't necessarily need a face primer, but I LOVE using one. Makes my skin so smooth! So far my favorite primers are from Too Faced. 

You can purchase:

Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance @ Sephora for $20.00

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Primer @ Sephora for $30.00

6. Dying my hair Black with box dye.

   When I was again, in high school (bad beauty choice era apparently) I decided I was going to dye my hair black. Not only did I do this once, but THREE times. I loved it, until it started to be the "so black its blue" color. Afterwards I decided I wanted to go back to my natural hair color, dirty blonde, & I went to a local salon. The poor girl had to bleach my hair to lift the color, and needless to say my hair pretty much caught on fire. It even burned my scalp! & my poor hair was so fried. Lesson learned. I won't be doing this again. 

7. Not blending my eye shadows.

   Yup, I was that girl walking around with harsh lines. Not until I got a little older and more into the makeup world did I realize how much blending your eyeshadows can make or break and eye look. I'm so glad I learned to blend. Enough said there.

8. Always touching my face.

   Even when I had makeup on or when I was barefaced (which I hardly ever used to do), I was ALWAYS touching my face. Even with dirty hands causing oil and dirt to get into my pores, EEEK! Bad, I know. I think this also had a lot to do with my acne breakouts. I've gotten a lot better, but I still find myself doing it occasionally. :(

9. Not contouring my face.

   Now, I know not everyone contours their face, but me on the other hand, I NEED IT. I already have such a round face, that I just look like a chipmunk. I've just recently started to contour my face, & whoa! at the difference it makes for me. Now I just can't go without it. My favorite bronzer at the moment is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. It's matte & so gorgeous! Plus it smells SO GOOD! 

You can purchase:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer @ Sephora for $30.00

10. Biting my nails.

   I was once a nail bitter. Every time I got nervous or really focused my fingers were at my mouth and I was biting away. I used to bite my nails so much, that it was pretty much impossible for me to even grow nails. I would bite all the way to the quick. OUCH! & Now that I'm part of the dental world (some of you may not know this, but I'm a Certified Dental Assistant) I realize what damage nail biting can even do to your teeth, CHIPPING. Not good. Glad I've kicked this habit!

All images used in this post are from google.

   Alright Belles, There are my 10 Beauty Mistakes I Used to Make! I'd loved to hear some of your top 10 as well! Sadly with me being very new to the blogging world, I don't know many bloggers just yet that haven't already been tagged or tagged me. SO, with that being said I tag EVERYONE! :) If you decide to do this tag, please leave a comment below so I can check out your answers too! 

Until next time,

   

Review: BSH Powder Play

Review: BSH Powder Play

        Hey Belles! I'm here with a review today on the Big Sexy Hair Powder Play. To start off I'll say I personally LOVE big teased hair, not sure if it's because I'm from the south or what, but regardless I think having volume in your hair makes it have that umph that all of us ladies are looking for. 

        I have extremely heavy & long hair, & I've tried almost everything under the sun to try to get my tease and volume to stay all day. I've had products in the past that will hold my tease, but only for a short time. When I spend the time to fix my hair, I want it to stay all day. Don't we all? Well I've finally found it! 

        After having a talk with my hair stylist, she suggested I try a volume texturizing powder for my hair. I picked up the Big Sexy Hair Powder Play, & have no regrets here. This powder comes in the color white, which kind of scared me considering I have extremely dark hair. But after using it, I've come to realize that the color doesn't matter, because it doesn't show! Awesome, right? Right. 

        Now with this product you section your hair into different sections as if you were going to be teasing your hair, and just sprinkle a little of the powder in the top of the section at the root and just rub into your scalp. When you rub the powder in, it instantly turns into a gel, so I can't stress this enough *A LITTLE goes a long way* with this product. If you use too much of the product your hair can become very greasy & no one wants that. After you rub the powder into your scalp, you can choose to either just leave it or if you're like me & want BIG hair you can just tease your hair as you normally do. 

       You can find this product at your local Ulta or from your local salon, as long as they carry it. I purchased this powder from my hairstylist for $16.00.

       For more information on this product, click here!

       If you decide to try this product out for yourself, let me know what you think.

Until next time,