What I Wore: "Up Here" Opening Night

I know I promised a fun, bright look in my last post, but I couldn't resist posting this first! This past Sunday, I had the privilege of going to see Up Here, the new musical that I've been working on all summer at my internship. It was opening night, so there was a big opening night party after the show, where I got to say one last goodbye to all the amazing people I got to meet and work with this summer. I decided to write up a post about what I wore to the world premiere of Up Here, as well as the after party!

The dress I wore was a black backless skater dress, with a laser cut neckline and leather detailing. I bought this dress a couple years back to wear for mine and Andrew's first anniversary, and I never get the chance to wear it, so I thought this would be the perfect time to break it back out! I got it from Unique Vintage, but like I said, it was about two years ago that I bought this, so it's sold out. However, black skater dresses are pretty easy to find just about anywhere! The most similar dress I could find online is this one from Macy's.

Something I really love about this dress is the way it fits and the way it shows off my back. It makes me feel so cute and sexy! Of course, the tricky thing about backless dresses is wearing a bra. Since I'm a little too busty to go braless, I always opt for a good old sticky bra to help me out in these situations. I got the one I wore here from Amazon. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it gets the job done and is great for nighttime events when you're not getting too sweaty. 

For my bag, I went with this cute mint bow clutch from Target. I also wore these simple rhinestone studs from Forever21, and my bracelet was a simple studded bar bracelet that I got last summer, also at Forever21. On my nails, I wore the Revlon Nail Enamel in "Vixen," and for my shoes, I decided to go with a classic black platform pump by Jessica Simpson.

Shop the Outfit:

Black Skater Dress (unavailable; similar here) :: Backless Sticky Bra

Mint Bow Clutch :: Rhinestone Stud Earrings

Jessica Simpson Black Suede Platform Pumps

I didn't get the chance to take a picture of my makeup since Andrew and I were running a bit late, but I went for a really simple brown smokey eye with a winged liner using my handy Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and the Lorac Front of the Line Pro Liner, with Milani's Luminoso on my cheeks, Makeup Geek's "Shimma Shimma" as a highlighter, and Milani "Plumrose" on my lips! 

That's it for today's post! What would you wear to an event like this? Let me know in the comments!

- D. 

Lashes & Lingerie

Recently, I realized just how much I love bustier style bras and bikinis. In fact, a few weeks ago, when my school did this big end of the year celebration that we call Beaux Arts, I wore a bustier bikini as a top! The celebration was Rio Carnival themed, so we got to have lots of fun and dress up (luckily, no one showed up in anything too revealing). However, after wearing my less-than-modest outfit all day and night, I realized just how confident bustier bras made me feel, which is why I think they're perfect for any day when the sun is hot and you want a little extra confidence boost!

After reading this post, you should go check out Adore Me, which is a lingerie website full of sets that range anywhere from cute and innocent to sexy and daring!

For this look, I was inspired by the summer music festival outfits that I've seen all over Tumblr and Pinterest. While boho chic isn't exactly my style, I can definitely appreciate just how cute it is, and this outfit gives a subtle hint of boho without going full on hippie chick.

This lacy Daisy Contour balconette bra is a long line with lace, and reminds me a lot of the bustier bra style. It's from Adore Me, the lingerie website mentioned above. To keep the midsection covered, I chose to go with these simple, high waisted denim shorts from H&M. For when it gets chilly, I would throw on this flowy, oatmeal colored cardigan from Forever21, and I would add a hint of edginess with this geometric layered necklace, also from Forever21.

For this look, I would go with simple and natural looking makeup. Of course, with some bold lashes to amp it up a bit! On my lips, I would wear my MAC Lipstick in "Shy Girl," and on my cheeks, I'd go with a subtle peachy glow and use Milani's Baked Blush in "Luminoso." To finish everything off, I'd use these amazing lashes from Ardell, the Curvy 415 Black false lashes!

Shop the Look:

Daisy Contour Bra :: High Waisted Denim Shorts
Oatmeal Cardigan :: Edgy Layered Necklace

Ardell Lashes :: MAC Lipstick

Milani Baked Blush

How would you style lingerie to be worn every day?

- D.

Sporty Chic

Everybody loves a good baseball game. For this post, I decided to come up with a sporty chic look just early enough to prep your look for the pre-season! I know a lot of women struggle with ideas on what to wear to the big game, especially if they don't already have a jersey. Hopefully this gives you some inspiration!

After reading this post, I definitely recommend checking out Fanatics, the online store that inspired this post, to help you get ready for game day. They don't only sell baseball hats -- they sell anything from collegiate sports to NASCAR merchandise, and you can certainly find something for you or any sports fanatic in your life!

So for this look, I didn't do the typical jersey-style shirt and sneakers that most people think of when they thing of "Sporty Chic." Instead, I leaned more toward the "Chic" end, and came up with a look I'm pretty happy with! My favorite part about this look is that it's so relaxed and comfortable, but it still looks put together, and it's definitely perfect for a day at the ball park. And in case you're wondering, I used Polyvore to help create this collage!

Obviously, I chose my home team, the San Diego Padres, to inspire this look. I went with this Padres hat style from the 1990s, which I remember always seeing as a kid -- in fact, I think I had a hat very similar to this one! According to the official Padres online shop, this was the style the Padres wore between 1991 and 2003.

For the rest of my look, I went relaxed. To show lots of team spirit, I chose to stick to blue tones, with a pop of a coral to add a modern twist on the old school orange logo. For my top, I chose to go with this easy-going striped tee from Charlotte Russe. I loved how the contrasting texture of the faux leather pocket really helps amp up the look, and ties in well with the leather combat boots. If you go on the website, you can see it also has a really fun sheer back! To go on top, I chose a classic chambray boyfriend button up, from Wet Seal. This chambray top could easily be tied around the waist to show off the sheer back of the striped top, or thrown on as a cover up on a cool summer night at a ball game. For my jeans, I went a simple distressed dark wash jegging from Aeropostale, which would be tucked into these fun, relaxed combat boots by Steve Madden. For a pop of color, I added a coral leopard print scarf from Express, to help really make everything look put together, and to add more variation in terms of patterns!

Shop the Outfit:

San Diego Padres Fitted Hat :: Striped Tee with Leather Detailing

Chambray Button Up :: Distressed Dark Wash Jegging

Combat Boots :: Coral Leopard Print Scarf

I hope you enjoyed this look! This summer when I go home, Andrew and I are planning to go see the Padres play the Rockies, which is his favorite team, and I will probably wear an outfit similar to this one. I hope you can draw some inspiration from this!

- D. 

His & Hers Face and Outfit of the Day -- Disneyland Edition

Happy New Year! Right now I'm currently home in San Diego celebrating the holidays with my family. For Christmas, Andrew decided to take me to Disneyland, and we had an absolute blast! It was pretty chilly at Disneyland when we went, and it only got colder as the day turned to night, which I suppose is pretty appropriate considering all the Frozen stuff they have up in the park right now. For this outfit of the day, I decided to include what Andrew wore as well!

Let's start with his outfit, since I am going to include my makeup in this post! We were planning on buying him some sunglasses, which is why he is so squinty, but unfortunately we couldn't find any that he liked. Both of our outfits were very simple, but warm nonetheless. His heather gray sweatshirt is from Old Navy, and I'm pretty jealous because it's super cozy. His coat is an amazing double-layer style jacket by Levi's, and is a wool blend, meaning he stayed warm in the colder temperatures! His jeans are a basic blue slim fit from H&M, and his boots are casual canvas Doc Martens. When the sun went down, he threw on a simple black beanie from Target, along with some dark red touch screen-compatible gloves.

For my outfit, I wore a cozy green waffle-knit infinity scarf from Target, and a basic, long-sleeve gray and white striped tee, also from Target. The best part about this shirt is that the sleeves are extra long! My jeans are my favorite high-waisted jeggings from Aeropostale, and my boots are the same cute moto booties that I featured in my fall fashion post back in October, but, go figure, they are no longer available. Of course, I also wore my favorte sunglasses, which is another piece from Target! When it got cold, I threw on an oversized faux-fur lined anorak style coat that I recently found in my closet. It was given to me years ago by my aunt, and living in San Diego my entire life, I never really needed it, until I moved to North Carolina. It isn't pictured above, but you can kind of see it below, with my two favorite face characters!

Shop His Outfit:

Crew Neck Heather Gray Sweatershirt :: Double Layered Hooded Trucker Jacket

Slim Fit Jeans :: Canvas Doc Marten Boots

Shop Her Outfit: 

Gray Striped Long Sleeved Tee :: High Waisted Jeggings

Black Surf Sunglasses :: Waffle Knit Infinity Scarf

For my makeup, I went really simple and used long-lasting products, so I could avoid touch ups and just enjoy the park! To start out, I used my itty bitty sample size of Benefit's The Porefessional (which is lasting me ages, by the way), and primed my nose and chin. Most people will prime their entire T-zone, but my forehead was feeling exceptionally dry this day, so I didn't think I needed to. For foundation, I wanted a product that I knew was going to last all day without caking up or sliding off, so I used my CoverGirl 3-in-1 Foundation. Andrew and I had gotten up early to leave for Disneyland, so I definitely had some darkness and sleepiness under my eyes. To combat that, I used my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer, and set it with the "Banana" color from the Anastasia Contour Kit. Then, I set the rest of my face using the Revlon Translucent Finishing Powder (not pictured), and lightly followed up with "Fawn" from the Anastasia Contour Kit, in the hollows of my cheeks. To finish off the skin, I used Milani's Baked Blush in "Luminoso" and set everything in place with MAC Fix+.

On my eyes, I did a simple winged liner (which you can learn to do by clicking here), using the Lorac Front of the Line Liquid Liner. This eyeliner performed SO well during the day. Sometimes, when I wear winged liner for long periods of time, it creases or flakes in the smile lines near my eyes. When I got home at 2 AM after a long day at Disney, my liner looked like I had just applied it a few minute prior! For mascara, I used my new favorite, the Mally Volumizing Mascara, which was a great, fuss-free option, and makes my lashes look long and voluminous! On the inner corner of my eye, I added just a little dab of "Champagne Truffle" from the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. 

Finally, I used "Triple Fudge" from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, to fill in my brows, and I set it all into place with Benefit's Gimme Brow.

I hope this has given you some ideas for what to wear and how to do your makeup for your next big day out. I'm so enjoying my time here at home in San Diego, and I am so thankful to Andrew for taking me on this wonderful trip!

- D.

p.s. Some more photos from the day! As you may be able to tell, I LOVE meeting face characters! And the new Frozen Ice Bar in California Adventure had these cool glowing margaritas!

This is Andrew's default selfie face... He's pretty much the worst with photos.

I hope you all had a fantastic New Year!

Fall Lookbook

The leaves are starting to change here in North Carolina. This is the first fall I have had away from home, and it's the first REAL fall I think I have ever had at all! This past weekend, Andrew came to visit for my school's fall break, and we went exploring and sight-seeing here in this little college town of mine. I definitely live in a beautiful town, but it gets pretty chilly here, especially compared to what I'm used to! As the cool weather sets in, my wardrobe changes quite a bit, so I thought this would be the perfect time to do a quick fall look book to help inspire you!

This first outfit is perfect for a lazy school day, without looking like you just rolled out of bed (even if you did). The color scheme of this cozy thermal sweater is perfect for the fall weather. Something you can't see, though, are the adorable red elbow patches! For me, you can't go wrong with moto boots, especially ones that you can just slip on, zip up, and head out. I also paired a gunmetal watch with this outfit, so I'm never late to class! And of course, to tame your mane on a windy day, a cute beanie is a total must.

Beanie: Charlotte Russe - I actually bought this beanie years ago, so they no longer have this exact color, but here is a link to a very similar style!
Sweater: JCPenney
High-waisted Jeggings: Aeropostale
Moto Boots: Target
Watch: Charming Charlie - unfortunately, they no longer sell the gunmetal color, but they do still have this style!

This outfit is great for a cool night. It's perfect for when you want to look a little more dressed up, without being over the top or freezing! The girly floral print of the dress is balanced by the edgy flair of the black faux leather jacket, and of course, you can't go wrong with some tights to keep you warm, and some chunky heeled lace-up booties! To pull everything together, I added some dainty cream rose stud earrings.

Faux Leather Jacket: Aeropostale - I bought this years ago, so they no longer have this exact style, but Aero does some great high quality faux leather pieces that I have linked.
Dress: Target 
Booties: Forever21 - they no longer sell this specific style, but you can find a very similar pair at Target
Earrings: Forever21

This last look is great for anyone who wants to channel their inner 90s chick on one of those strange freezing-in-the-morning-but-scorching-in-the-afternoon days that I know places like California are notorious for. I went with a warm flannel shirt that you can easily just wrap around your waist when it gets warm for that laid-back 90s style, plus a basic white v-neck, some black shorts, and black tights, to keep everything else simple. To complete the look, I added some rings and some chunky cut-out boots!

Flannel Top: Aeropostale - another piece I bought years ago, but flannels are so in style right now. The most similar one to this that I have found is from Hollister, but of course you can always look at places like Forever21, Wet Seal, and American Eagle, which all have great selections.
V-Neck: Forever21
Shorts: Forever21
Tights: Walmart
Rings: H&M - their website has a terrible selection, so I would definitely suggest going into your local H&M and checking it out in person!
Boots: Tilly's

Of course I had to stop to pet a cat, and this photo is the only one that had a good shot of these boots!

I hope this helped inspire you and get you in the mood for fall! Halloween is just around the corner, then of course the holiday season comes up right after that, which I am so excited for.

What is your favorite fall trend?

- D.

Face and Outfit of the Day -- PHAMExpo

This past weekend, I was able to attend the Professional Hair and Makeup Expo in Pasadena, CA, better known as PHAMExpo! I've been to a few trade shows like this back when I was in beauty school, and I totally forgot how much fun I had at them. Think of PHAMExpo a little bit like IMATS, except much smaller scale. At this show, I got to meet such fantastic inspirations such as Marlena from +Makeup Geek and Sam and Nic from +pixiwoo!

Let's get on to the outfit! I wanted to go casual yet chic, keeping in mind that it was also 90 degrees in Pasadena. I decided to go for this simple tiered mint crop tank from Wet Seal, which kept me cool while the tiered effect of it added a little something extra. Since this tank had such a deep racerback cut, I wore a cross-back bra with a white lace bandeau, also from Wet Seal, to ensure that everything stayed covered up. My black high-waisted skinny jeans are from H&M, and my black belt is from Target. To add a little more flair, I threw on my super cute black cat flats, which my best friend gave me for my 20th birthday. This style of flat is super popular right now, and a bunch of different brands sell them, but you can purchase these exact ones from Amazon! My bracelet was a total steal for $3.99 at Forever21, and my necklace was from H&M, which I also wore in my birthday look! 

On my face, I wore a combination of "Marzipan" and "Amaretto" shadows from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I did a bold winged liner using my Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner, and for a vivid pop of color, I added Sephora Cream Lip Stain in "Forever Fuchsia." I wanted the makeup to be simple but fun, so I wouldn't have to worry about touching it up at all throughout the day.

Shop the Outfit:

Tiered Mint Cropped Tank :: White Lace Bandeau

Black Leather Belt :: Black High-Waisted Skinny Jeans

Pyramid Stud ID-Style Bracelet :: Chunky Chain Necklace
Black Cat Flats

I had so much fun at PHAMExpo, and definitely spent way too much money. But as Sarah always says, makeup is an investment! I will definitely have a big haul/first impressions post up very soon, so stay on the lookout for that! 

- D.

p.s. I could just DIE from meeting Marlena, Sam, and Nic today! Marlena was the reason my interest in makeup first sprouted and it was an honor to meet all three of them. Enjoy a couple of photos from the day!

Karlie Kloss' MET Gala Look + Birthday Outfit of the Night!

Yesterday just so happened to be my 21st birthday, so me, my boyfriend, and a couple of my friends went out for dinner and drinks. I decided it was the perfect time to do the Karlie Kloss MET Gala look that Sarah (Diary of a Beauty Padawan) has been requesting! I based the look mostly off of these two photos from Instagram:

Her look is definitely 60s-mod inspired with a modern pinup twist. After doing a little bit of hunting, I found that her lip color is Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in "Moody Margot," which honestly would be a horrific color on me since I don't have Karlie's beautiful golden undertones, so I opted for MAC's Shy Girl instead! For the eyes, I used my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, but the Urban Decay Naked2 would be a perfect palette for this look!

For my skin, I have been testing and loving the Bare Minerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation. I used 2 drops on each section of my face (my cheeks, chin, and forehead, with one drop on the nose), to give me a sheer-to-medium coverage. Karlie had absolutely flawless skin at the MET Gala, but since I was planning on going out, I wanted some of my own skin to show through. Then I let the foundation sit, while moving on to my brows. For Karlie's brows, she had a very natural yet defined look. I went in with the "Triple Fudge" shade from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and filled in my brows the way I normally do. Then, I brushed through with the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel to keep all the hairs in place.

From here, I moved onto the eyes. First I went in with my MAC Studio Finish Concealer all over the lid and up to the brow to even out my lids. I then took "White Chocolate" and used it to set the concealer as well as create the cream colored base that Karlie has in her look. From here, I took a mix of "Triple Fudge" and Inglot 358 Matte on an angled brush and precisely ran it through the crease, flicking upward to create a cut crease that would be easy to blend. I used a clean pencil brush and blended up the line, making sure to keep it crisp along the bottom. After blending it, I continued to build the colors into the crease. I avoided blending into the outer corner of my lid, because her crease color is concentrated specifically in the crease. After the color was built up to an intensity that I was happy with, I went back in with "White Chocolate" on a flat shader brush and cleaned up on the lid, making sure it was crisp, as well as along the brow bone.

From here, I moved onto the liner, which was the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in "Blackest Black." I won't go into detail about how I did my liner since I already did a post on that here. I used my MAC Studio Finish Concealer on a very small detail brush to create a crisper finish under the wing. Then, going in with an angled liner brush, I lined my lower lashline with "Triple Fudge," doing a soft wing on the outer corner that mimicked the strong liner on my upper lashline. I then lined my waterline with Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude" to brighten up the eyes. 

For my upper lashes, I skipped mascara altogether, and used the Ardell Natural Lash 110 to create the full and flared out lashes that Karlie has in her look. On my bottom lashes, I used a single coat of Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara. Then, after the falsies dried, I curled them to blend them with my natural lashes! The great thing about these lashes from Ardell is that they have an invisible band, which makes them so easy to blend into your liner without having to take a million steps to hide the band. They also look super real and make you look like you have the longest natural lashes!

Back to skin, I took my Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi Concealer and applied this under my eyes, to the tops of my cheekbones, and down my nose, and blended it out with my finger. Then I took my Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer and contoured under my cheekbones and along my jawline. I topped it with my Inglot 358 Matte to give me an even more defined look. For blush, I used the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Natural," which is probably my new favorite cream blush! Of course, I then set all my cream products with my Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher, and very lightly blended "Champagne Truffle" on the tops of my cheekbones to really make them pop. To finish off the entire look, I used MAC's Shy Girl, which is the perfect nude lip color for my skintone. 

For my outfit, I actually used a basic black dance leotard from Bloch, which I have found serves me just as well as a fashion piece as it does a dance outfit! Leotards are pretty much everywhere nowadays, so you don't have to find a specialized one for your wardrobe, but it's just what I had in my closet. My skirt was a piece I picked up in Chicago at a little boutique called Akira, and unfortunately, they no longer sell it on their website. However, I found an almost identical skirt at Forever21, except it is all black as opposed to black and tan. For my shoes, I had some basic leather flats with a subtle pointed toe that I got ages ago from a little shoe store in our local mall, and my chunky chain necklace is from H&M. 

I promise I fixed the edge of that false lash before going anywhere ;) And of course, I couldn't talk about my 21st birthday without showing you a picture from last night at the restaurant with my first legal drink!

- d.