Akasha, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED; Halloween Glam

I know, I know, another throwback look... but how could I let Halloween pass again without sharing the deets behind this "award winning costume" (hey, our combined efforts did win Val best costume last year)!

Valerie came to me with this idea of Akasha, and her DIY costume - which she slaaayyedd by the way, and I just knew that together we were going to create fire!

We really wanted to embody the character of The Queen. A powerful, seductive man eater (literally) with amazing cheekbones!

To enhance Valerie's facial features in the most queen of the damned way, I used a combination of cream and powder bronzers to sculpt her face into a more fierce vampire-like appearance. 

The key to avoid this heavy bronzed glam looking muddy, is to apply similar toned products in a gradient. Think the same way you would create a smokey eye. 

Start with the lightest shade to sculpt, gradually adding deeper, darker colors until shape and intensity is met.

I typically don't skimp on liquid liner when it comes to Valerie's makeup, but I told her to trust me on this one, for this look didn't need it! Because the black shadow is so dramatic, adding winged liner and heavy lashes would be overpowering, drawing the focus away from the exaggerated lines.

**check out a mini snapchat tut below**

*M A K E U P  D E E T S:

f a c e;

SMASHBOX: Pore Perfecting Primer

RCMA: Foundation Palette (for foundation & cream contour)

LA GIRL: HD Concealer

RCMA: No Color Powder

THE BALM COSMETICS: Bahama Mama (to deepen hollows of face/ contour)

MAC: Sun Power Bronzer (to bronze/ contour)

MAKE UP FOR EVER: Pro Sculpting Duo- #2 Golden (bronze & highlight)

ANASTASIA BH: Gleam Glow Kit- Mimosa (highlight)

THE BALM COSMETICS: Mary Lou Manizer (even more highlight)

THE BALM COSMETICS: Betty Lou Manizer (blush)

e y e s;

ELF: Eyeshadow Primer

URBAN DECAY: Naked Basics Palette- Naked

ANASTASIA BH: Noir

ULTA: Gel Eyeliner Pencil- Black

COVERGIRL: Lash Blast Mascara

SALON PERFECT: 615 Lashes

SEPHORA COLLECTION: Complete Eyebrow Kit

ANASTAISA BH: Clear Brow Gel

l i p s;

MAC: Stripped Down Liner

JEFFREE STAR COSMETICS: Velour Liquid Lipstick- Celebrity Skin



* Hinton- Fade
https://soundcloud.com/prodhilton/fade

Happy Halloween!🎃

SWEATPANTS & HEELS

Two of my favorite things.

I've been into sweatpants and heels ever since Paris Hilton paired her favorite pointy toed pumps with a baby pink Juicy tracksuit back on the Simple Life. Fast-forward a few years- and a few eye rolls from friends, to no other than Kim K making fetch happen.

Like I said, I'm totally on board with this trend. Anyone who knows me knows I would choose a pair of sweats over "real pants" 5 out of 7 days of the week! 

For this look, I kept things monochromatic and simple. Draping my favorite denim jacket (another one of my most loved trends) for mother nature can't commit to fall here in Texas just yet.

Dress your sweats up with a lacy, romantic bodysuit, contrasting crop top, or go full cozy vibes with a coordinating hoodie.

Comfort and style, do I really need to say more?!

shop similar sweats:

*O U T F I T  D E E T S:

with links

crop: FASHION NOVA

similar -- here, here, & here

boots: LOLASHOETIQUE

similar -- here & here

denim jacket: ASOS

similar -- here & here

A guide to the BEST Dry Shampoo with Reviews.com

We've all been there, thinking you could rock yesterday's- or even the day before yesterday's hairstyle to realize your hair is more greasy than your morning bacon! 

Cue your favorite dry shampoo to save the day and your hairstyle!

Shoutout to Reviews.com for doing the dirty work (literally) for us girls. With hundreds of brands and kinds of dry shampoos on the market, it can be overwhelming to find one that is more hair do than hair dud.

After endless hours of research and tests such as:

"Does it leave a white cast or flaky residue?"

"Will one can of this magic dust break the bank?"

or, "Can I trick my boyfriend into thinking I washed my hair this morning with the fresh scent?"

The experts over at Reviews.com narrowed a list of over 50 down to the top 5 best dry shampoos on shelves today!

With all the hype about the #1 dry shampoo, I decided to put it towards my own hair test!

For starters, I figured I should actually follow the directions on the back of the can, so after spraying the solution about 10inches away, I waited a good two minutes -give or take- before brushing the product through. 

Having black hair, a leftover white cast or residue is a problem I'm more than familiar with. However, after a few strokes from my brush the product not only blended out effortlessly, but without any evidence! This top pick also left my hair looking refreshed and voluminous. The best part though; my style stayed without falling flat halfway through my workday!

Don't forget to head over to Reviews.com to not only find out the #1 dry shampoo, but the others that rang in honorable mention!

And this little pictorial on the best way to apply your dry shampoo, ya know for when it's too early to even think of your Starbucks order.

Christina Aguilera- Lady Marmalade; Halloween Glam

"Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried..."

How has October gone and arrived again so soon?! 

This look was on my list of Halloween glams to create for quite some time, and finally decided to recreate it last year. Even though I never got around to posting it then, I wanted to share the classic look this Halloween season!

I really wanted to channel the character Christina and the other girls portray as Lady Marmalade. A seductive, liberated, and passionate woman of the New Orleans red light district. The animal instinct they havoc upon men, making it seems that it was all just a bewitching fantasy!

Besides countless views of the 2001 music video (I can pretty much harmonize each girls part), I studied multiple behind the scenes pictures of Aguilera's makeup.

I started this glam by trying to achieve my best early Xtina eyebrows! Although my natural brows are light, they're not as thin. To give this effect, I used the tried and true glue stick trick to mask my natural brows before feathering on some new ones.

Moving on to the eyes, I knew there was going to be a lot of blending and layering involved. I started with a gradient of pinks into darker purples and eventually black to define to lid. To achieve the exaggerated blown out effect, I used the same shades of pink from the crease in conjunction with a vibrant blush, blending and building until desired intensity was met.

This was also a time before the craze of a heavy highlight (I know, can you young kids even believe it), so I opted for a heavier contour, skipping blush to keep the focus on the vivid eyes!

The face jewels were from Michaels and I just adhered them with clear eyelash glue.

The wig was a gem I found on Amazon! To add the color extensions Christina wore for her look, I took shadows from the same Morphe palette [used on the eyes] and a makeup sponge. I finished with a light spritz of hairspray to lock the color in.

The head crown was actually a pair of earrings from a different costume that I just pinned into the front of the wig. This totally worked last minute, but I'm almost positive you could find a headpiece or necklace similar.

The rest of the costume I just had- you truly never know when all those random accessories will finally have their day out of the closet!

"Voulez vous coucher avec moi"

* M A K E U P  D E E T S:

e y e s;

ELF: Eyeshadow Primer

MORPHE BRUSHES: 28F Palette--

Light Pink shade (upper crease/ transition)

Darker Pink shade (deepen crease/ transition)

Shimmer Pink shade (crease)

Medium Purple shade (inner crease- blended into lid)

URBAN DECAY: Fishnet (inner crease highlight)

ANASTASIA BH: Noir (lid)

NYC: Liquid Liner (define lash line)

COVERGIRL: Lash Blast Mascara

SALON PERFECT: 614 Lashes

NYX: Micro Brow Pencil- Taupe

l o w e r - l a s h  l i n e / c h e e k s;

NYC: Black Kohl Liner (water line)

ANASTASIA BH: Noir (smudge out liner)

MORPHE BRUSHES: 28F Palette--

Dark Purple shade (smoker out liner)

Light Pink & Dark Purple (to smoke out/ create "triangle shape")

URBAN DECAY: Fishnet (add highlight to center of "triangle")

STILA: Custom Color Blush- Pink (blended into contour/ above brows)

f a c e;

REVLON: Colorstay Foundation

RCMA: Foundation Palette (cream contour)

SMASHBOX: Hydrating Under-eye Primer

LA GIRL: HD Concealer

RCMA: No Color Powder

MAC: Give Me Sun

NYX: Lipliner- Cocoa (mole)

l i p s;

NYX: Lipliner- Black Berry

JEFFREE STAR COSMETICS: Velour Liquid Lipstick- Unicorn Blood

CLINIQUE: Red-y to Wear Lipstick- #12 (center of lips)