Current Favorites

Hi dolls!

So bad news about my wisdom teeth; I have dry sockets.

I was at work Friday night and the pain was seriously excruciating, but I thought I was just being a baby.

Finally I went to the on call dentist yesterday to have him check it out and he knew right away.

He put these numbing things in the sockets though and it has helped SO MUCH.

What a relief.

Anyways! You guys know I'm terrible at keeping up with monthly favorites. I figured I'd just show you some random things I've been loving lately!!

Bright lipstick, really sleak, black liquid liner, and gold/bronze shadows

[Revlon lipstick in Fuchsia Fusion, Elf liquid liner, Naked2 pallet]

Perfect nude lipstick for my skin tone

[Modesty by Mac]

 

Effortless hair and my little pup, Frankie, sitting like a diva

My favorite brushes from my Sigma set. I can do a review if you'd like!

[F70 concealer brush, F40 angled contour, E40 tapered blending]

 Delicious summer drinks

[Mango smoothie from Stone Creek Coffee]

Current book I'm reading

[Delirium by Lauren Oliver]

Finally going on tumblr again, it's been ages

[Follow me here]

Summertime by Alex Pelzer

Just the fact that it's summer and that his voice sounds like an angel sliding down a rainbow.

I honestly don't understand half the things I say. Sorry for that weird statement guys. 

So those are all of my current favorites!!

What have you been loving?

XO Kara

Smokey Bronze & Nude

Hello loves!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last post :)

I'm currently blogging from my couch with an ice pack on my face and some extra strength ibuprofen in my system.

I just got my wisdom teeth out yesterday. All I've been eating is yogurt, applesauce and oatmeal. My best friend brought me a Lemon Ice from Culvers yesterday though which I really appreciated :)

But anyway, into the makeup.

I feel like I was the last person in the world to buy the Naked2 pallet. I completely understand all the hype there was about this pallet. The colors are beautiful and they have great pigmentation.

I browsed around on YouTube for a bit to find some tutorials for a bronze smokey eye using the Naked2 pallet.

I took inspiration from them and this is what I came up with.

[Sorry I didn't take step by step photos as I applied the shadows]

Just a forewarning, this is a picture heavy post.

Overview of products for the eyes

Naked2 pallet, Mac Paint Pot in Painterly, Smashbox eyeliner and mascara, Elf liquid liner, Elf brow kit.

I started by using Chopper, a pinky gold shadow, on a tapered blending brush and I worked that into my crease using windshield wiper motions. I slowly built up the color.

Next I used Half Baked, a true gold color and applied that to the inner half of my eyelid with a flat shader brush.

Then I applied YDK, a darker bronze color to the outer half of my lid with the other side of the shader brush.

To darken the crease I added Busted, a warm dark brown color. I used the tapered blending brush again.

To blend any harsh edges I used Foxy, a soft, matte, cream color. I just worked that in with the same blending brush and applied it to my brow bone.

After, I went ahead an lined my upper lash line and added a little wing with the liquid liner. I added the pencil liner to my waterline then. Next, I curled my lashes, applied mascara and filled in my brows.

For my face

I moisturized my skin then applied the Smashbox primer. I applied my Chanel Vitalumière Aqua foundation with a flat foundation brush, covered any problem spots with my Mac Studio Sculpt concealer and set it all with a little bit of my Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. I warmed up my complexion with my Nars Laguna bronzer and added a little bit of my Peach Satin Bouncy blush.

Finally I applied Modesty by Mac, a deep pinky nude lipstick and Smashbox lipgloss in Illume.

For my hair I simply used a 1 1/4 inch curling iron and wrapped 3 inch sections and held it for about 10-15 seconds. I parted my hair down the middle and sprayed a salt water mixture and hair spray and shook it out a bit.

Here's the final look!

Thanks for reading this super long post!

Have a great day :)

XO Kara

Wedding Bells

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend?

As you probably know since I've talked about it quite a bit, I went to a wedding on Saturday!

The bride was one of my poms coaches from high school

It was such a great time and I got to see a bunch of poms girls :)

I dedicate this post to Teresa since she couldn't attend

Here's what I wore--

Details-- Dress: Windsor. Necklace: H&M. Belt: H&M. 

Bracelet: Forever 21. Clutch: American Apparel. Shoes: BCBG.

I was hesitant to use this clutch because the dress is already pretty bright, but I really liked that way the complimentary colors looked together. I also liked that the shoes were neutral, but not nude. They're more of a mauvey grey. They were also so comfortable. While they aren't very tall, I still find shoes to get a bit uncomfortable after dancing in them for hours. These shoes were great though and I had minimum discomfort!

Finally, here's my lovely date, Natalie.

I'll have a separate post talking about my hair and makeup coming soon!

Thanks so much for reading and I'll talk to you soon.

XO Kara

Collective Haul

Hey there dolls!

So you know I'm trying to save a lot of money this summer, but I need to do a bit of shopping every once in a while.

Even just stopping in Target or Walgreens and grabbing a new blush brightens my day.

Here are some things I've bought over the past couple of weeks!

 Smashbox Try It Kit [also pictured below]

I love trying a bunch of new products, so I love these kind of sets where you get sample sizes to see which items you like.

 [Going from back to front]

Naked2 included lipgloss, Elf liquid liner, Mac lipstick in Modesty, Smashbox mascara, lid primer, face primer and lip gloss, Sinful Colors nail nolish in Oasis, Urban Decay Naked2 pallet [FINALLY], Elf brow kit, Covergirl Lashblast 24hr mascara, Smashbox eyeliner, Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin

 Dress from Windsor, H&M belt, BCBG wedges

Forever 21 tank, Marshall's high-low tank, Kindle Touch, Coach Sunglasses

As you can see I've really been LOVING pinks and corals.

I think they look great with a tan.

I'm going to a wedding tonight and I'm wearing the coral dress pictured with the belt and wedges.

Don't worry, there will be an post dedicated to the whole outfit.

Thanks so much for reading! What are your plans for the weekend?

XO Kara

As Of Lately

Hello beautiful readers

Since I spend most of my time working, I haven't been putting together a lot of outfits lately. When I work at night this is pretty much how my day goes: Wake up [early, trying to stay in this habit], go work out, come home and make some lunch, lay out [I want to be a bronzed goddess], shower, and go to work.

It might sound pathetic to some of you, but I honestly really enjoy it.

While I lay out I've been reading Delirium on my new Kindle! Wee!

I'm so happy I finally bought one. And I'm really enjoying the book so far. Elle Fowler did a review of it, which is what made me buy it. Watch the review here.

On a side note, today marks the 12th anniversary of when I was diagnosed with Diabetes. It's crazy how long it's been. But back to fashion.

There is the occasional day where I put real people clothes on.

Here's a couple snapshots of some outfits I have worn recently

Scarf: Target. Top: Forever 21. Shorts: A&F DIY. Shoes: Converse. 

Dress: H&M. Belt: Windsor. Sandals. Steve Madden. Bag: Fossil.

Top: Francesca's. Pants: H&M. Sandals: Michael Kors. Bag: Coach.

Jacket: IZOD. Pants: Target. Wedges: Franco Sarto. Bag: Coach.

ALSO, POLL TIME.

I'm going to a wedding on Saturday, and I have no idea how to do my hair!! I'd love to hear your opinion.

Up or down?

Curly or straight?

Extensions or no extensions?

Leave your answer either in the comments or on my Facebook Page!

Thanks for reading!

XO Kara

Tag Time!

Hello dolls-

You all know my love for tags. I think they're a fun way to get to know more about bloggers. I was really excited to see that Sal tagged me :)

Here it goes!

Rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on the blog.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you , as well as, creating your own eleven for the people you will tag.
3. Choose eleven people and link them in your blog.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tags back.
6. You legitimately have to tag.

11 Random Facts:

1. I naturally have dark blonde hair

2. I was a tom boy when I was little

3. I've lived in the same town my whole life

4. I would really like to open a bakery at some point in my life

5. I wanted braces and glasses when I was little

6. I'm slightly claustrophobic

7. I love wrapping and giving presents

8. One Direction is my guilty pleasure [Whoops, Backstreet Boys days all over again]

9. I love theatre and the arts

10. I could watch YouTube videos for hours

11. Sometimes I dream in Spanish  

Sal's questions & my answers:

1. What's your favorite food?

I'm a sucker for a really great sandwich

2. Who do you find the most inspiring person?

My dear friend Chelsea who just moved. She has shown me that you can do anything you put your mind to. She constantly inspires me.

3. If there's something in your life that you can change, what would it be?

How impatient I am.

4. How's your relation with your siblings, if you have any?

I have an older brother. We used to hate each other, then when he went to college we stopped fighting, but weren't friends. Now we get along well and I'm really happy with how things have changed.

5. What's your favourite piece of clothing and why?

If I had some great designer piece like a Chanel Jumbo Flap or an Hermes bangle, maybe I'd say that, but alas I do not. It's probably my black Target pants you guys have seen a thousand times. They make any outfit feel more put together and I think they fit really well. They just make me feel great.

6. Name three things that you must have done before you die.

1. Meet Ellen Degeneres. 2. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 3. Own a Chanel bag.

7. What are you most passionate about?

Making every little moment count. I want everything in life to be meaningful, which is why I don't mind my little OCD things I do. I don't want to just do things to get by, I try to give everything a purpose.

8. How often do you have 'no makeup-days'?

Not very often actually. I'll go for like half the day without makeup, say if I wake up and work out and then shower and get ready. But it's rare for me to go a whole day with zero makeup.

9. What's your addiction?

My dog.

10. Which celebrity do you find most annoying?

Heidi Montag. She is famous for no reason.

11. Which series do you watch?

I don't watch a ton of random TV, but I do watch these shows faithfully: 
Dexter, Glee, So You Think You Can Dance and The 

Office.

My Questions:

1. Where were you born?

2. What are your three favorite beauty products?

3. What made you start blogging?

4. Flats or heels?

5. Do you have any tattoos?

6. Who is your favorite celebrity?

7. What inspires you?

8. How do you like your coffee?

9. Would you ever dye your hair a crazy color?

10. What could you eat every day?

11. Three things on your bucket list?

The Bloggers I Tag:

Lexi
Jasmine
Sarah
Zvezda
Stephanie
Romy
Rachel
Alina
Bree
Yuli
Khushbu

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me :) Talk to you soon
XO Kara

Baking Time

Hey guys!

How have you been?

I really just love baking. Super random. But whenever I don't have something to do, I bake. 

I feel too guilty to make a super unhealthy recipe, as delicious as it might sound, I usually try to find a healthier alternative.

This week I made the Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

Here it goes!

Ingredients--

-1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

-1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1 tsp ground cinnamon

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 cup milk

-1 large egg, lightly beaten

-1/4 creamy peanut butter

-1 large banana [I used 2 medium]

The How To--

Mix together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium size mixing bowl.

Add in the vanilla, milk and egg and mix it all together.

Next, mash up the bananas and add them to the mixture along with the peanut butter. 

Stir to combine.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan, and bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

Let cool, and cut into squares.

My OCD side took over and I chose to individually wrap them in wax paper.

I store them in the fridge and then microwave them for 10 seconds before eating. 

They're really good.

I calculated the calories from the ingredients I used, and it came out to 140 calories. Not too shabby!

Let me know if you give this recipe a try!!

P.S. I just got tagged to do a post, so keep your eye out for that coming soon :)

Thanks for reading loves

XO Kara