Surprise!!! :)

Hi! It's meee!! Wait, you have no clue who I am...I'm not Danielle, obviously. So, hello to Danielle's beautiful readers, my name is Alana. I'm 21, pre-nursing student,  coffee addict, and makeup and skincare lover. Anyway, I wanted to talk about something a little different, and that's getting ready for your day! My getting ready routine is geared toward being ready for long school days, but it can easily be for work, or being a stay at home Mom, or anything life brings to you. :) 

Skincare
My day to day skincare routine is pretty simple, I use the Mary Kay Botanicals Effects skin care line for normal skin. I wash my face in the shower, then use toner and moisturizer after. I'm RELIGIOUS about sunscreen though, I've been wearing Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunscreen in SPF 45 on my face daily for five years. Sunscreen is the single best anti-aging product there is! I adore this Neutrogena one because I can reapply it over foundation, it doesn't make my skin greasy, it's only very lightly scented (although I love the smell of sunscreen, it reminds me of summer and the beach!), it's hydrating, and you can use it on all parts of your body. 

Makeup
My philosophy towards everyday makeup is that it should be fifteen minutes or less, it should make you feel beautiful, and it shouldn't be overly fussy. There's nothing I hate more than having to touch up my makeup five times in a day. I gravitate toward a lot of long wearing makeup and natural finish skin products because they last! Having your foundation broken down and mascara smudged under your eyes at 2 in the afternoon is just no fun. I took a risk with my makeup, for me. I usually wear lots of softly smoked shadows and nude lipglosses, but I decided to make my lips the focus of my makeup! I also used all drugstore products and I tried to really limit the amount of things I used, since I wanted this look to be easy to recreate, if you so desire. Makeup risks feel a little weird at first, much like all changes we endure, but I felt really comfortable, confident, and happy , so I'll definitely be wearing this again and again! :) 

Today I used my Revlon Colorstay (for normal/dry skin) foundation mixed with my sunscreen (to sheer it out, I wanted a "my skin but smoother" look, I wanted my freckles to show through but not sacrifiace the long wear of my foundation!) all over my face and I blended it down my neck with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush; then I used my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer under my eyes, around my nose, and on my chin (I wanted to cover some old acne scarring)  then set everything with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder (which I didnt put in the picture because the lid broke yesterday!) in Translucent. I always use translucent powder because then I never have to match it to my skin tone, and it it keeps me from looking over powdered! As for eyebrows, I didn't touch them, aside form running a spoolie (you could also clean off a used up mascara wand!) through them with a little bit of Vaseline to tame them a bit, and make them all go in one direction! However, I've always been a fan of using a matte eyeshadow slightly lighter than your brow hairs (especially if you gave dark eyebrows, but if you're a blonde, a shade darker looks lovely) on an angled brush to shape and define them. I do this only when I'm wearing a dark smoky look, so they stay strongly defined, since I like them that way! 

I wanted my lips to be the focus, so I kept my eyes and cheeks very simple, but still defined. On my cheeks I used my favorite e.l.f. Blush/Bronzer duo! I just used my blush brush and dipped it into both sides of the pan to create a custom bronzed pink shade that looks really natural! It's probably my favorite wear to wear both blush and bronzer and be really quick. I also used whatever was left on my brush after I applied it on my cheeks and blended it on my temples, just to warm them up a tiny bit! For my eyes, I used a beautiful Mary Kay bronze eyeliner and blended it into my lashline, since I just wanted my lashline to look thicker naturally! Then for mascara, I used two or three coats of my Revlon mascara! Lips, lips, lips!! I've always loved red lips (really, who doesn't?!) but never wore them day to day because they didn't stay on for me, I was always snacking and drinking water and they'd just smudge and smudge. I wore the Rimmel Show Off lip lacquer in Big Bang, and I LOVE it. It doesn't get flaky or patchy at ALL, and lasts for at least four hours! It does fade, but it fades evenly to a strawberry pink color that is still really pretty, so it didn't bother me. I wore this makeup for over ten hours and I only had to adjust my lips once after eating! 

That's all beautiful souls! Have a beautiful, wonderful, magical day, you deserve it. 

xoxo, Alana

Top 5 Under $5 Spring Nail Polishes

For spring, I really love pastels and vivid bright colors. I try to steer away from anything too dark, as I prefer to keep my nails short, especially during the warmer months, because I feel like it's less maintenance that way, and dark colors can make short nails look stubby! To be honest, I'm not very good at applying nail polish. I usually make a huge mess all over my cuticles, and I often say that I spend more time with nail polish remover and cotton swabs than I do with the actual polish itself.

So now, let's jump right into my Top 5 Under $5 Spring Nail Polishes!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color -- Coral Reef. Coral Reef is such an incredible, vivid coral color that screams springtime! This is definitely a sunny weather color that is super on trend for spring and summer, but I find that this color really picks me up during the dreary winter months (and let me tell you, I wore it a lot toward the end of this winter because I was dying for the warm seasons!). It is a very bright coral, without being too over-the-top. I get compliments every time I wear this!

L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Lacquer -- I Pink I'm In Love. This is such a pretty baby pink color, and it's on my nails right now! I love the formula of the L'Oreal Color Riche polishes because they apply beautifully and opaquely, and are very true to color. This is such a girly color, but you could easily add a bit of an edge to it by adding a slate gray accent.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color -- Lacey Lilac. This lilac color is absolutely stunning on any skin tone. I love that it is a dusty lilac color as opposed to a full on bright lilac, because it keeps it very chic yet girly. When I'm going for something a little more toned-down, but I still want a pretty color on my nails, this is the polish I reach for, especially as the seasons are changing.

Revlon Nail Enamel -- Dreamer. Dreamer is very similar to my beloved Essie Bikini So Teeny. It's not quite as periwinkle, and leans more toward a sky blue color, but it still has just a touch of purple in it that gives your nails a really unique look! It applies beautifully, as most of the Revlon polishes do, and is a great option if you are like me and cringe at the thought of spending $8 on a tiny bottle of polish. 

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color -- Mint Sorbet. I absolutely love mint green, and this nail color is the most perfect mint green polish I've ever owned. It is definitely much more of a grassy green color than, say, the ever-popular Essie Mint Candy Apple (which I tend to consider more of a Tiffany baby blue, although it's a beautiful color in its own right). If anything, I'd say it's more of a dupe for Essie Fashion Playground, but for less than half the cost!

You may notice I really love the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color! It is probably my most favorite brand of drugstore nail polish, simply because it's so inexpensive, long-wearing, and it applies like a dream! They have a great selection of colors, and according to their website, they sell it in a lot of countries.

What's your most worn nail color this spring?

- d.

Casual Spring/Summer Fashion

Recently I had the idea to step a little bit out of my comfort zone, and into the world of fashion. I'm a costume designer, not a fashion designer, so I'm not always comfortable talking about my style (or lack thereof). Most days, I'm a jeans and an easy top kind of girl. But lately I've been trying to step out of comfort zone and play with my wardrobe a little bit more! I have a closet full of clothes, and I'm constantly buying new things, so I thought I would have a little fun and see what I could put together that I thought would be great for spring and summer.

 

I think this first outfit would be really great for a day in the sun. It was pretty warm when these photos were taken, but I was at a marina (as you may be able to tell by all the boats), so it did get a bit chilly when the wind came in. This outfit is perfect for layering, and you could add some tights for a cool night on the beach! I kept everything pretty neutral, and this outfit would look great with a bright lip. Since I went a bit natural with the makeup, though, I added a pop of color with my red Keds!

Crop top: Bethany Mota for Aeropostale
Cardigan: Hand-me-down from my mom (and it's become a staple piece in my wardrobe year-round!)
Belt: Aeropostale - This isn't the exact same belt, as I've had it for years! Aero has some great high quality belts that last a long time.
High-rise shorts: Forever21 - These shorts are no longer available. I purchased them last year, mid-summer. If you would like to get a similar look though, I'd check out H&M, which has an incredible selection of high-rise and high-waisted shorts!
Shoes: Keds
Bandana: Walmart

This next outfit is really easy and carefree. It's definitely for great those warm days where you want to look put together, without putting in a ton of effort. That's the beauty of dresses, right? I love that I'm seeing denim just about everywhere this year, and I feel like it's just a great way to take an ordinary dress from simple to stylish! For shoes, I think this would look great with white Converse, but I only had my black ones, which I think looked great as well. It would also look great with a cute pair of wedges!

Dress: Target
Denim Vest: Target - yes, it's a child's size. I'm a fairly small person and can fit into some large and extra large children's tops. However, I've seen some really great denim vests in just about every trendy clothing store.
Mini Affirmation Bracelets: BCBGeneration - Fearless and Tough - They no longer have the "Tough" affirmation bracelet in the color that I purchased it in, but they still have it in a cute pastel blush color!
Shoes: Converse

And just in case you're wondering, my sunglasses are from Target! I love Target for sunglasses, because it's so inexpensive and they have a ton of different styles. I'm very picky about sunglasses, but I absolutely love the slightly-oversized wayfarer shape mixed with the very subtle cat eye angle. On my nails, I'm wearing Essie Bikini So Teeny, which I mentioned in my February favorites, and I'm still absolutely loving!

Which of these two outfits do you like best? 

- d. 

ps. enjoy a picture of the adorable baby ducks we saw while at the marina!