Tag Archives: beauty blog

Fun In the Sun Fitness: Aqua Cycling

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I recently read an article about this new fitness trend called aqua cycling and thought it was a really interesting and fun take on water fitness!

Basically, the idea is that you’re cycling in a pool and the resistance is created and determined by how fast you pedal in the water so it adjusts to your own level.

What I really think is cool about this is that it combines having fun in the Summer with fitness, more specifically spinning, which is pretty intense and a very effective form of cardio. Sadly, there are no fitness clubs in my area that offer this type of thing, but if you’re area offers it, please try it out for me and let me know how it is!

There is a club in New York that offers it and you can check out their site – here.

Apparently, it’s also gaining popularity in Europe, especially France, and you can see a video of that here. A cool aspect of the way they do aqua cycling in France is that they actually do it  in a large pool outdoors instead of an indoor fitness pool and they’re in the sunlight with music so it really has that summer fun sport vibe.

For now, I guess I can try the hydrobikes in Long Beach which isn’t really the same thing at all, but does involve pedaling on water LOL.

Have You Guys Ever Heard Of or Tried Aqua Cycling?

What Do You Think of This New Fitness Trend?

♥ Tianna

 

Beauty Essentials for the Summer!

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It’s nearly Summer and with the sunshine and heat comes a need for certain beauty essentials in order to maintain a fresh face, bouncy healthy hair, glowing skin and all the other looks we like to rock in this fun-filled season.

Here’s What You Need To Make That Happen! ;-)  

Astara Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash

In order to look your best this Summer, you will need to keep your skin in tip top condition! My favorite way of doing this is by using both a hydrating, yet cleansing body wash and a nice body scrub to keep my skin bright and smooth. My favorite body wash for summer is the Astara Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash which is both cleansing and hydrating all at once. It’s not stripping of the skin so you won’t experience dryness like some other body washes. Instead, the subtle scent is really pleasant and the wash itself is very calming and moisturizing. It’s even safe for those with dry or sensitive skin as it’s free of detergents and other drying irritants that most conventional body washes use.

DIY Sugar Scrub for Face and Body

Another thing I like to use in the Summer is a good body scrub. There are a TON of nice body scrubs you can buy out there, but I personally prefer to make my own because that’s the one I get the best results from. I also really like that I can customize the ingredients to what I want or what my skin needs. To get my body scrub recipe and step-by-step directions, check here.

Another thing I sometimes struggle with in the summer is oily roots and for this, I actually use a dusting powder from Lush in Coconut, but you can use a dry shampoo if you prefer that. I found that this powder smells really lovely and works just as well, in my opinion, than any dry shampoo I’ve tried. I also have a ton of ideas for making your own dry shampoo which you can find here.

 

This beauty essential is an absolute MUST HAVE for me! I have a few that I really love, but this The Good Stuff Radiance Oil by May Lindstrom is my current favorite for getting naturally golden glowy skin. It’s a high quality body oil that you can use on your face, body and hair which includes a variety of plant oils and mica shimmer to give your skin a subtle glow. I really like it because it doesn’t just give your skin a shimmer – the all natural ingredients actually condition your skin for the better. Another one I really enjoy using is the Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter in Sun Kissed Glow. It’s very affordable for a small tube which will last you quite a long time and it smells deliciously like coconut! Im not sure how much they cost now, but I originally got a small tube of this at Sephora for only $5! Another DIY option is to make your own bronzing oil which is pretty easy to do and looks really nice as well. I’ve done a post on my own DIY Bronzing oil which you can see here.

Vive Sana Solar to Polar Ultra Natural Sunscreen SPF40

Vive Sana Solar to Polar Ultra Natural Sunscreen

If you’re going to be out in the sun, you absolutely need sunscreen! Not only will it protect you from burning and skin cancer, it will also protect you from premature aging. I prefer a more natural formula like this Vive Sana Natural Sunscreen, but it is rather thick so check out this tip for using natural sunscreens that will make using a natural option more blendable! If you want a natural sunscreen that’s more spreadable and blendable straight out of the bottle, this Eco Logical Sunscreen  is the best one I’ve found, though oily skin types will need to set it with a setting powder or blotting papers (you can make your own blotting papers with this DIY tutorial – here!)  as it’s very hydrating and might give you a bit of an oilier appearance. If you don’t care about natural sunscreens, this Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Sunscreen will give you sun protection and a nice shimmery glow all at once!

Tan Organic Sunless Tanner Spray

While I do think it’s very important to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays, I do understand the want and need for a tan which is why I really love using sunless tanners in summer. Unfortunately, a lot of them are really difficult to use, turn my skin orange sickly colors, and have other harmful ingredients I’d rather not put on my body. Thankfully, last year, I discovered this really awesome organic sunless tanning spray by Tan Organic which works very well at giving my skin a bronze color without looking unnatural in the slightest.

 

If you’re like me, you might struggle with breakouts and troubled skin in the Summer, but no worries, I have 2 really awesome products which help keep my skin totally clear. First, the most natural one I’ve found is the Troubled Skin Facial Serum by Rainwater Botanicals. It’s super affordable at only $9 for a small bottle and it works brilliantly and gently! The second option is much more potent, but the results are more immediate and it’s the Alpha-H Balance Moisturizer and Gentle Exfoliant. I don’t recommend it for sensitive skin types, but it’s great for those who can handle it because the results are consistent and noticeable over time!

Messy Twisted Braid – Long Hair Style How To

With all the swimming in pools and the ocean, my hair can tend to take a beating during the Summer so it’s really important to treat it with the right products. My favorite shampoo + conditioner is the Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue line which features nearly all plant ingredients and 0 fillers. It naturally improves and heals the hair while strengthen the hair shaft and follicle. Aside from that, I’ve been loving this DIY hair treatment that is super simple, cheap and effective! It also naturally highlights hair so, if you want that beachy sun kissed hair look, I highly recommend it.

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For me, Summer is all about a vibe. I feel like everything needs to be fresh and a little sweet, fun and full of sun. That rhyming was totally unintentional. Anyway! Scents and fragrances, for me, have a huge impact on my summer beauty and style. I think they can really set the mood for your day. In Summer, I really enjoy coconut and vanilla as well as more zesty scents that include citrus and floral notes as well. My current fave is the one pictured above from Beauty Habit – Parfums de Nicolai L’eau a La Folie. It’s lime and coconut with other hints of sweetness in it. For some lovely scents for Spring, check out this post I did on it here.

 

I’m not a huge nail polish fan, mostly because I am just not very good at doing my nails, but my love for nail lacquer and art has certainly grown in the past year and I find it a lot of fun to wear polish, especially in the summertime, when I’m in a bathing suit a lot and not really wearing many other accessories. They really help brighten up a look poolside or at the beach. I have 2 favorites from last year (and will hopefully get new favorites this Summer!) by Karma Organic Spa, who offer 3 free non-toxic nail polish in tons of colors at really good prices.

So those are my Beauty Essentials for Summer – What Are Yours?

What Beauty Items Do You Absolutely HAVE to Have for Summer?

Please share your tips and favorite products in the comments!

♥ Tianna

Blogger Link Love Friday #13

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Blogger Link Love - StorybookApothecary.com

Happy Blogger Link Love Friday! 

This week seems to have flown by! I didn’t realize that yesterday was Thursday already so realizing that today would be Friday really made my day haha. Last night I got the most amazing body massage from my friend, Rachel, who is a massage therapist. She is super skilled and I feel really lucky to have her around! This weekend I plan on re-vamping my blog  design a bit and I am thinking of self-hosting to if any of you have any advice or ideas for me on how best to go about it, please let me know in the comments!

…And onto the Link Love!

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Gabifresh X Swimsuits For All – Gabifresh

I follow a number of style blogs and this one, Gabifresh, has really lovely tips and advice for fuller figured women. One thing I really love about the blog is that her posts are always fun to read and feature really pretty clothing. I know a lot of full figured women have trouble finding nice clothing that’s still really fashionable and this is a great blog to inspire the fashionista in us all. She now offers her own line of swimwear (as shown above) and I think the suits are really beautiful pieces. I’m not a fan of the idea that women should have to be a certain size to wear a swimsuit or look and feel beautiful. Body shaming, to me, is at the very bottom of the barrel and I love that this blog promotes self confidence, letting your beauty (in and out) shine, and feeling good about yourself overall. It really inspires me!

Skittle Patterns with Color Club – Megan Box Nails

I’ve featured Megan Box Nails before on here and I can’t help but do it again! She has some really fabulous nail ideas and looks to inspire the nail noob in me and I love all the bright fun looks she’s been doing lately, especially this one with all the fun colors and designs on it. It’s perfect for Spring and Summer!

Ways to Wear Black Lipstick – Cherie La Mode

I actually only just discovered this blog, Cherie La Mode, and I love it! This post, in particular, features some really love ideas for ways to wear black lipstick. I think it’s pretty inspiring as I love the idea of wearing really intense, vampy colors like black and purple, but I have no idea how to style them. Her post shows a few different ways to wear this color and I will definitely be trying them out!

Oriental Bomber Jacket Curly Hair – Kumbear XO

This lifestyle and fashion blog, Kumbear XO,  is really cute and fun! It features a lot of high fashion posts as well as OOTDs, like this one where she sports this incredible bomber jacket! Although it’s really too hot to rock one of these, at the moment, here in Cali, I love a fashionable jacket! She wore this so well and I love her beautiful curly hair!

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The Best Highlighters for Your Skin Tone – Girls in the Beauty Department – Glamour.com

Glamour Beauty always offers the best beauty tips, how to’s, and the scoop on new products and things. This post on the best highlighters for your skin tone was one I really enjoyed and found helpful!

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Striped – Girl with Curves

I really love this style blog, Girl with Curves, because she is so beautiful and her outfits are really pretty and stylish as well. I’m vaguely obsessed with her hair as well, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is she has some really lovely fashion posts on what she wears every day which I find fun to browse through!

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How to Build Muscle – Women’s Edition Pt 1 – JCD Fitness

JCD Fitness is ran by one of the most competent and helpful fitness experts I’ve ever come across. He writes really easy to understand articles about health and fitness, especially for weight loss and building muscle. I think a lot of fitness blogs can be really difficult to understand with a lot of “market speak, but this one is really helpful. I really enjoyed this recent post on How to Build Muscle for Women - it was super enlightening and very helpful!

Beauty Envy Bag – Spring Edition – Cosmetics Aficionado

Cosmetics Aficionado is a great beauty blog for reviews on all things beauty! I really enjoy her posts on makeup especially. She also does frequent giveaways and things so definitely check her blog out!

That’s All for Link Love Friday – What Links Are You Loving This Week?

Please share them with me in the comments!

♥ Tianna

Check Out More Great Blogs on Past Link Love Fridays! 

Blogger Link Love Friday #1

Blogger Link Love Friday #2

Blogger Link Love Friday #3

Blogger Link Love Friday #4

Today’s post is focused on how to get you the best skin possible without using products. I definitely think products can help skin out, but getting nice dewy and healthy skin, in my opinion, is easiest to create when following a healthy diet, utilizing a few beauty tips and DIY recipes. You’ll be surprised at how effective some of these really are. so without further delay, here are some tips on how to get flawless skin naturally. 

EAT HYDRATING FOODS FOR GLOWING SKIN

Achieving glowing skin can seem impossible at times, and yes you can always fake it with makeup, but to get authentically glowing skin, I highly recommend a diet high in fruits and veggies, especially berries. They have very high concentrations of antioxidants, help keep your body hydrated (which in turn, hydrates your skin), and they are high in vitamins and nutrients essential to repairing and maintaining healthy skin. To learn more about the benefits of berries for your skin, check out the original post I did on this here. Aside from berries, there are a ton of hydrating foods you can consume to up the hydration of your cells and therefore your skin. Check out a list I’ve made of these foods – here.

 

DIY TONERS TO CALM REDNESS & INFLAMMATION

I used to think I needed some kind of magical product to fix my skin, but after much experimentation, I find that a nice DIY recipe works just as well, if not better, and I am left with a lot more cash in my pocket at the end of it all. One thing that I definitely deal with a lot, especially in the Summer time, is redness. The most effective treatment for this, by far, are toners and you can make a number of them with ingredients you already have in your kitchen. Check out the DIY toner recipes – here.

Image by YaiSiricha with FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

SUPPLEMENT FOR GREAT SKIN

Although we can do everything right, including eat well, sometimes I think it’s still pretty difficult to get all the nutrients our skin and body need to function at optimal levels. Because of this, I think supplements can be very beneficial to our systems, especially in resolving skin problems such as acne, dry skin, redness, and other issues. For a list of essential supplements for beauty and health, check here. There are many benefits to be gained from taking supplements, especially for preventing premature aging and treating existing issues. To see the beauty benefits of vitamins, check here.

 

PLANT OILS IN SKINCARE

You’re probably really familiar with the idea of using plant oils in skincare as many brands have begun to utilize these in their product formulations, but did you know that they can be just as beneficial used on their own? Some of you may still be wary of using oil on your skin, but don’t be. Choosing the right oil for you skin type, which you can do – here – is all you need to find the perfect plant oil that will benefit you the most. There are tons to choose from for any skin type from dry to sensitive to oily. To learn more about using oil in skincare, check out this post and if you’re unsure about how to use natural plant oils for the best results, you can get more information in this post that will help you.

I hope these tips were helpful to you in your quest for skin perfection!

What Are Some Simple Tricks or DIY Recipes You Use At Home To Treat Your Skin?

I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

♥ Tianna

via Pinterest

Happy Mid Week Inspiration & Fitspo Wednesday!

I hope you’re all having a great week so far and enjoying warmer weather.

Here Are A Few Things Inspiring Me This Week In Fitness & Life ♥

smallerbenzI am 5’6” . I’m currently saving up for surgery to remove excess skin from my stomach and a breast lift with augmentation. I go for my second consult appointment in two weeks and will hopefully be scheduling surgery! www.smallerbenz.tumblr.com

// Highest weight: 235-240 Before photo (on 4-18-12): ~190 // After photos (on 5-12-13): 155 crazy to look at these before photos. I honestly never realized how big I had become. I started eating smarter and working out almost every day. I play volleyball, lift weights, and run/walk

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Fitspoholic Barbie

via Pinterest

submitted by shewearslouboutins

Reasons to be fit

What Inspires & Motivates You This Week?

Also, what do you do to get motivated and stay motivated to reach goals?

Let me know in the comments!

♥ Tianna

Get Even More Inspired and Check Out Past Fitspo & Inspiration Posts!

Fitspo & Motivation #1

Fitspo & Inspiration #2

Fitspo & Inspiration #3

Fitspo & Inspiration #4

Fitspo & Inspiration #5

Kill Black/Brown Waterproof Brush Liner and Mascara Set

Congratulations to Denise Harajuku Girl FL!

You have won 3 lovely Clio Makeup products, brought to you by Peach & Lily!

I have emailed you, but if you didn’t receive that, please shoot me an email at StorybookApothecary@gmail.com ASAP with your post information.

Thanks to everyone who entered, followed and tweeted – more giveaways and chances to win coming soon! 

Special thanks to Peach and Lily for providing these awesome makeup products for giveaway.

Check out their lovely site – here.

♥ Tianna 

TONS of Naruko Skincare Samples: Speed Reviews

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{All Naruko Skincare Samples were Provided for Review by Naruko USA}

If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Naruko skincare. Their favorite products are the night jellies that they offer, but they also have various lines of skincare for different skin types, issues and concerns and I was lucky this past winter/ spring season to be able to test out a few of them for a few months.

Here’s a look at everything I received for review. Naruko has been super generous to me and I couldn’t be more grateful to have the opportunity to try more of their products because they are a brand that I would purchase from no matter what. If you’re unfamiliar with this brand, Naruko is a Taiwanese beauty brand that mainly offer a variety of skincare products for all your skin concerns including acne, dry skin, discoloration or pigmentation, and more. The brand is known for selling products that are naturally effective and include a variety of all natural ingredients combined with some scientific research to ensure the best results for your skin.

Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Hydrating Cream

The first item I tested out was their Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Hydrating Cream. It comes in an air tight plastic container which dispenses the perfect amount of cream out of a hole in it’s center when you press down on the top. It’s really sanitary and effective way to keep your cream clean as well as keep it from oxidation which will make ingredients less effective over time so I really like the packaging for it’s practical function. Aside from the packaging, this is a great cream for those with dry skin or combination skin who are dry in the winter or spring seasons. I got really super dry skin this past winter and this was a really nice cream to keep my skin from dehydration.

Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Hydrating Mask

I absolutely love sheet masks! They are super easy to use, effective and very mess-free. They come in rectangle envelopes with face shaped cotton masks that are pre-soaked in the mask ingredients so you literally just pull them out, place them on your face and relax for 10-15. A lot of them don’t even need to be rinsed off, though you can if you’d prefer to. This one is super hydrating and softening.

Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Foaming Wash

This face wash was hit and miss for me. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the gratifying peeling that happened when I used it. It basically lathers up really nicely and when you massage it onto your skin, it starts to peel the dead skin off your face to reveal brighter skin beneath and you can literally see the skin coming off in little pieces. It’s not painful and there’s very little to no abrasion going on so it’s done more chemically than anything. It doesn’t feel like a face scrub much at all so, if you’re not into scrubs, this doesn’t feel like that. Instead, it just massages dead skin off your face and reveals new skin after. I really liked the peeling bit of this face wash, but as for treating dryness, it was not nearly as much hydration as I wanted and needed in a winter cleanser. I actually think face balms work much better for me than this, which I found to be brightening, but still a bit drying. It may work better for others, but for me, it didn’t hydrate enough. This might be great for those who battle oily skin, but also have dryness.

Tea Tree Oil Out Peeling Gel

This is another peeling type product that’s super fun to use. It does feel more like a scrub as it has tiny little beads in the formula, but they aren’t rough at all to use. To use this, you apply a small amount to skin and massage it around your face gently (avoiding eye area) for a minute or so. You will see small pieces of skin come off in the same way as the face wash and you need to rinse after using this to get all the little pieces completely off. I liked this better than the face wash, but it still didn’t hydrate my skin enough. I really just enough the scent of the Naruko tea tree products, to be honest. This is a great one for acne prone skin types.

Rose & Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating Night Eye Gelly

This hydrating night eye jelly is perfect for under the eyes. It’s super thick and goopy feeling, but it will soak in completely within an hour so that does go away eventually. It really does hydrate the eye area and protect it nicely. It didn’t cause breakouts on my skin at all so that’s a great bonus for those who have dry under eyes, but experience eye sensitivity and acne, because it’s very hydrating without being heavy or causing irritation.

Rose & Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating Night Gelly

Although this hasn’t taken the place of my favorite night jelly, it’s still a really lovely Night Jelly and it’s especially beneficial for dry skin types or those currently experiencing dryness. It has a really lovely, yet subtle rose scent and feels hydrating, but light on the skin.

AMPM Super Triple HA Skin Hydrator Seru

AMPM Super Triple HA Skin Hydrator

This very hydrating, yet light serum has a high concentration of B vitamins and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate, plump, and soothe skin. I really like how light this serum is, despite the fact that it’s very moisturizing. I think this is perfect for combination and oily skin types who have trouble finding serums that both hydrate the skin and are not super heavy. This is a great one for those who have trouble with heavier moisturizers, but still want a hydrating serum to use.

Facial White Illuminating Cotton Pads

The last item I received is this box of texturized cotton pads that are unique to Naruko. They are dual sided with one side being very smooth and one side being cross-hatched for gently buffing the skin. These are fantastic to use with facial toners or to remove makeup because the cross-hatched side really buffs the skin clean and gently exfoliates while the smooth side polishes and smooths the surface. I really saw a huge difference in my skin with using these alongside a toner and I definitely think they’re worth the little extra cost.

Overall, these products from Naruko, unsurprisingly, were really awesome. They all work really well at hydrating the skin and putting some life into otherwise dry skin cells. I definitely had an issue with dryness this past season and these products all helped a lot. I don’t think there was anything I really loved out of this bunch, but they’re all pretty solid as good skincare choices in my book. I don’t think I’d use them in the Summer time really as my skin can’t really handle it and prefers oils to lotions. I know that sounds weird and backward, but that’s how my skin is. If I had to pick favorites, I would choose the Night Eye Jelly, the Tea Tree Peeling Gel and the Cotton Pads, but these are all worth a look if hydration is what you need so definitely give them a look!

Have You Tried Any of These Products from Naruko?

What Are Your Thoughts on Taiwanese & Asian Beauty Products?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

♥ Tianna

Related Articles:

Get Clear Skin with Naruko’s Apple Seed & Tranexamic Acid Line

Brand Spotlight: A Closer Look At Naruko

Summer Acne Breakout Savior – Naruko Tea Tree Night Jelly

CRIMES AGAINST FASHION: Fashion Faux Pas I’ve Committed…

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Never Been Kissed – Drew Barrymore – White Jeans After Labor Day

When I was younger, I thought I was super fashionable. I took part in any and every fashion trend that I knew of and did my best to do it well. At the same time, I had my own strange fashion taste which often consisted of weird outfits and accessories, but then didn’t we all? In the time before someone can tell you that you have horrid fashion sense ( or perhaps it’s simply a time before we care what others think of us ), I think we’ve all made some pretty poor fashion choices and here are mine, in all their glory.

Velvet Bell Bottoms

I had a purple pair of these bad boys that I would rock all. the. time. My brother made fun of me on a near daily basis, but hey, velvet is soft and comfortable so what do I care? I am not sure why I did so much bell bottom wearing as a kid, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my mom is such a hippie and was constantly buying me bell bottom peace sign jeans. Thankfully, I’ve grown out of this. I now hate bell bottoms and, frankly, they don’t fit my body type now. I think it’s such a weird fashion trend that only certain people can pull off, much less the velvet version of them, but to be honest, if I still had these purple velvet pants and could fit them, I would totally rock them when nobody was looking. Don’t judge me – They were SO SOFT!

Nude Beige Track Pants

I really loved track pants back in the day and I think it had something to do with my love of Sporty Spice. Which is also why I wore Adidas for so long… But anyway, track pants are just weird looking. I feel like only dancers and runners can pull that look off appropriately, but really nobody should be wearing them in beige or nude. I don’t even know why I owned them in this color. I once wore them to school and bled through them. THANKS MENSTRUATION. I also had the awkward pleasure of a boy in my class telling me I was bleeding through them. Talk about aca-awkward.

Plaid, Bandana & Paisley Halter Tops

This is a fashion trend that seemed to be really popular with girls my age and I can’t think why now, but it was. It probably goes back to all the pop stars and girl bands because weird patterns were really “IN” in the early 2000′s. I owned both a red bandana shaped halter top and a colorful flower paisley halter top, both of which shaped into little diamond shapes. To give you an idea, it looked something like this, only slightly longer, though I do recall older girls straight up wearing bandanas as tops. It is SO weird to think of now and kind of odd to think I was 10 wearing that, but whatever.

Vacation T-Shirts

This is when I was super young, but I did get made fun of and bullied for it a LOT. My parents frequently traveled for business and, because of that, they often brought me back t-shirts. They usually just said the title of the town, city or state they had been to and that might be more fashionable now, but it wasn’t then. I often forgot it was “Picture Day” (for non-Americans, that’s when they take your photo for the yearbook) and would just wear one of these vacation shirts because that’s literally what I wore all the time. All day err-day. In fact, my second grade yearbook photo is me in a Raging Waters (water park here in California) t-shirt.

Running Shorts

I don’t know why I wore stretchy running type shorts so much as a child. I really don’t know how I even got hold of them. I was only about 7 or 8 and I wore them all the time, probably because they are super comfortable, especially because I did a lot of running around when I was younger. I got seriously bullied for it and people literally didn’t want to be my friend because of it, but they were comfortable so I wore them. I had them in a massive amount of different colors from black to pink, purple, and I even think I had them in green.

Thankfully, I’ve grown up and evolved and… I’m now a more fashionable person with good enough sense to avoid khaki, bell bottoms, plaid and uhm..white jeans.

Drew Barrymore – Never Been Kissed Movie – Josie Grossy

What Fashion Faux Pas Have You Committed?

I’d love to know in the comments!

♥ Tianna

lalam0509

Gift of Glamour

With all the dazzle of this week’s Met Gala and the upcoming excitement of the Great Gatsby, this summer is going to be all about glam. Between dressing up, dazzling flapper beading, maxi dresses, it’s a sure hit to doll it up during the most casual of months. This week’s roundup has just about everything you need to know about looking fabulous, how to find the best deals in most unexpected places and how to shop on the go (without even going into a store.) That’s just what we need to get some more outdoor time.

Links à la Mode: May 9th

SPONSOR: Sale Shopbop Kilburn, Jason Wu Bags, Graf & Lantz, Lovers&Friends, Anton Heunis, Marie Turnor, MBMJ Totes, Skye Staghorn, Bikini, One Piece, & Swimwear Sale

Special thanks to the incredibly talented people at HeartIFB for inspiring, enlightening, and educating me in all things that pertain to blogging.

You can see their original post on HeartIFB - here.

Hope you’re all having a lovely Saturday!

♥ Tianna

Gyaru Makeup – BrokeAssStuart.com Source: http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2011/01/31/worst-makeup-for-making-out/

Ah, Beauty Faux pas. We’ve all committed one ( or you know, all of them ) at some point or another and I’m certainly no different. I can fondly ( or not so fondly ) remember a time when I thought I was super stylish, but was sadly not and what better way to move past it than by sharing my crimes against beauty that I’ve personally committed? That’s what I thought too so I hope you enjoy and feel a little less bad about faux pas you may or may not have committed – No judgment here  ;-)

Pixi Flawless Beauty Stick

Pixi Flawless Beauty Stick

Orange Stick Foundation

So, the stick foundation I used to use when I first tried makeup was not this one by Pixi. I think it was by Covergirl or Revlon or something like that. The brand doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that, at that time, my skin was still young and perfect, and I did it no justice. In fact, I bought the stick foundation in the totally wrong color which looked quite orange on my skin and didn’t match my neck. It was God awful. Also, I likely put way too much of it on, didn’t blend it in, and just let it look all naturale in it’s pasty cakey glory so I pretty much looked ridiculous… which is why I stopped wearing it altogether after a week, deciding it was #1 too much work to put on every day and #2 I looked like a freaking Oompa Loompa clown.

CoverGirl LiquilineBlast Eyeliner

CoverGirl LiquilineBlast Eyeliner

Raccoon Eyes

I don’t actually remember what brand of eyeliner I first used. I think it was Elizabeth Arden or something. I just remember I nicked it from my mom’s makeup stash and only wore it on my top lash line for the first 4 years. In fact, that’s the only makeup I wore at all until I was 16 when I promptly added powder to my routine. When I was about 16, though, I thought the “intense dark eyes” look was super fab and decided to do it every. single. day… erm, at school. I don’t know how bizarre that looked, but I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad about having black eyes since all the girls in my year did it. Now you can see why I’ve not followed trends in so long. It did not do me any favors. Unless you count the unflattering photos as “favors.”

Sonia Kashuk® Core Tools Synthetic Pointed Eye Liner Brush - No 121

Sonia Kashuk® Core Tools Synthetic Pointed Eye Liner Brush – No 121

White Water Lines

I was in my Junior year when I discovered this brilliant little trick. What you do is you put white eye liner in your water line so you can make your eyes POP. What they don’t tell you is that white is seriously obvious and bright and looks horrible. You should really be using nude or beige colors that look more natural to your skin tone, but back then, beauty “gurus” recommended white eye liner. THANKS EXPERTS. I felt like quite the expert, myself, with this little tip. Maybe they were trolling their readers? Anyway, please save yourself some embarrassment and use beige or nude colored liner in your water line because white looks AWFUL. Yeah, you’ll look awake alright…and freaking insane.

COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush - Natural Rose 148

COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush – Natural Rose 148

Streaky Liney Blush and Bronzer

Although this last one was a bit later on, it’s definitely something I’m guilty of. It’s scary to think I walked around (confidently, no doubt) with thick streaks of blush and bronzer on my cheeks like a champ. All the while, I’m looking like Bozo the clown on circus day! Now, to my credit and the credit of all those who did this, blushes back then had a tendency to be chalky and really difficult to blend. The colors were also limited and usually were either too light or too dark. It’s a lot more evolved today when it comes to drugstore beauty, but when I was younger, there were a lot less options. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

So, those are a few of the beauty fax pas I remember committing the most!

Stay Tuned Tomorrow for My Fashion Faux Pas!

What Beauty Faux Pas Did You Commit ? 

I’d love to know in the comments!

♥ Tianna