The end of a year is always laden with heavy makeup—lots of deep colors and glitter—and something about the idea of moving into a New Year always has me feeling like January is the month of fresh, clean makeup.

AKA: GIVE UR SKIN A BREAK GEEZ

I filmed a video on what has become my "fresh face" go-to in the past year or so. Subtle, simple, and clean.

Also!!! I'm definitely planning on utilizing my YouTube channels more this year, so if you like this, please do subscribe!! :)

Naturally, because of this interest, when I was fourteen I stumbled on "beauty gurus" (I don't really hear them called that much anymore?) on YouTube, and my love of watching makeup videos bloomed and never went away.

One thing I have always had an issue with was getting my makeup to come out the way that so many girls were doing it, and I couldn't figure out why. Am I just inept? Is it my tools? What am I doing wrong?

It was only a couple of years ago that I learned that it was because there are so many different eye shapes, and what works on one may not work on another. I have slightly hooded eyes, so there are adjustments that have to be made to make things work on that type of lid. I started trying to watch more women that had hooded lids so that I could properly learn how to apply makeup to them, and these are some of the lovely ladies I've found.

1.) Bubzbeauty — Bubz is one of the two first beauty YouTubers I discovered back in 2008, the other being Michelle Phan. I've always found her so endearing and bubbly, and since those were the days of webcam videos, her quality has only gotten more lovely with time.


2.) Carly Humbert — I've only been watching Carly for about a year now, but she has some of the prettiest makeup looks. I wasn't really aware that people with hooded lids could pull off so many variations of things, but she does it so well, and that inspires me to try it.


3.) Tanya Burr — Tanya Burr seems to be a cult favorite these days, and it's well-deserved. Her looks are always so simple and pretty, and she has a very sunny personality that makes her enjoyable to watch.


4.) Bronte Jones — I've only just started watching Bronte recently, but most of her makeup tutorials are geared specifically towards hooded eyes, and she has some really pretty looks and tips!



And who are some of your favorite YouTubers? (Beauty-related or non, I just love YouTube!) Tell me in the comments! And alternatively, if you make videos, feel free to link your channel and I'll check it out!! You can also tweet me or message me on tumblr!

It's Summer, which means I'm finding myself drawn to lipstick over eyeshadow. Humidity = oily lids. Not a cute look. I have pretty naturally oily lids anyway, but when it's hot, even primer has a hard time keeping creasing at bay, so I tend to forego shadow.

Only last Summer did I finally—finally—hop on the lipstick wagon, but I've worn it enough that I've picked up a few handy tricks along the way. As many tips as I had read and seen in YouTube videos before I plucked up the nerve to wear it, I didn't really get the tips I needed.

Maybe my trial and error can help someone else who's just starting to venture into lipstick land.

1.) If you're nervous about dabbling into such strong color on your lips, start with sheer lip tints. If you can't quite work up the nerve for dark colors, I promise this helps. I started adjusting to the idea of something other than plain ol' chapstick on my lips by using Baby Lips in "Cherry Me" and later, a nude lipstick. Starting on the milder side helped me work up to reds and berries. (Wearing it at home a few times rather than in public helps get used to it, too!)

Another option? Try a gradient lip. Since you're only working with the inner part of your lips, it's not quite so loud, and a little less intimidating.

2.) Exfoliating is so important. I know, I didn't believe it either, but if you're wearing lipstick, it does matter. You can just use a rag and scrub lightly at your lips, or go as far as buying/making a sugar scrub, but if you don't have smooth lips, application's not gonna be such a breeze.

3.) Lipliner is not necessarily required. It's all personal preference, and it depends on the texture of the lipstick you're using. I find that the kinds of lipstick that I've come across in my journey so far don't feather much, even the really dark ones. If you want to have one on hand, a good option would be a transparent lipliner, so it'll go with every lip color you have.

4.) Q-tips are your friend. Unless you're some kind of inhumanly perfect person, application may be a little sloppy until you get used to it, or if you're like me, forever. It just makes things look a little more crisp if you clean up the edges with a damp q-tip when you're finished.


5.) When you apply it, make sure you blot with a tissue, and stick your finger just on the inside of your lips to wipe off the lipstick there. Ending up with lipstick on my teeth and walking around all day not knowing was one of my biggest lipstick-related insecurities. This trick is a relatively sure-fire way to make sure that you don't have that issue.

What about you long-time lipstick wearers? Any invaluable tips to share with us newbies?

And hey, if you really wanna wear lipstick but have been too nervous to try it out: ease into it. You're probably gonna love it, though. ;)

Okay, so I think we can all admit that most of the time, we don't drink nearly as much water as we should. Especially considering the fact that our over half of the human body is made up of water.

I usually experience two stages in my pathetic attempt at hydration: so much water I have to pee every ten minutes, or hardly any water at all. There is no middle ground. What I've found through this, though, is that when I'm peeing every ten minutes, my skin looks great. Bye, bye toxins.

And that's how it works / That's how you get the glow. ♪

I'm not a skincare professional by any means, but I have figured out what's worked for me, and it's all pretty obvious, general stuff that we sometimes forget about (*cough* neglect out of laziness *cough*) in our quest for radiant, glowing skin.

Also, the title of this maaay or may not be a play on "How You Get the Girl" by Taylor Swift. Obsessed? What, me?

OKAY, LET'S DO THIS THING.

1.) Hydration. Obviously, the first and most important point, because working from the inside out is the best way to go here. Drink water, and drink a lot of it. It's especially important right now, with Summer coming up. It's also probably the most beneficial if it's plain water, but if you're one of those people who hates the taste of water (what even are you???) then flavored water or tea will work, too!

2.) Cleansing. Washing off your makeup is so, SO important. Personally, I can't stand how uncomfortable it feels on my face when I'm trying to go to sleep, so even if I'm barely awake washing it off, there's no way I'm sleeping with it on. Whatever your preferred method, just make sure that gunk is totally gone before your head hits the pillow.

3.) Exfoliation. It's really helpful to do this a couple times a week to scrub off dead skin, and keep everything bright and even. I usually just use a coarse rag, since I somehow have yet to find an exfoliator that I really like. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

4.) Moisturization. And after all of the cleansing, and the exfoliating, it's time to slather some lotion on that mug! I usually try to massage it in because a) relaxing, b) it'll sink in better, rather than just sitting on your face, and c) stimulates bloodflow to the face which doesn't hurt your odds for glowing skin, either.

5.) Nutrition. It goes without saying that when you eat better, your skin looks better. I have a massive sweet tooth, so I definitely have to curb myself a lot, and when I fall off of the metaphorical wagon, I try to climb right back on. I have phases where I don't eat as well as I want to, but I definitely notice an improvement in my skin when I eat a healthier diet.

Of course, if these fall through... There's always highlighter. ;)

What are your top tips for glowing skin? Share them with me!

As soon as I came up with this look, I could just hear Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada:

Anyway! I know we're a few days past Easter now, but I hadn't dyed eggs in years, and I was inspired by all of those little brightly colored little eggs waiting to be found in grassy knolls around the world.

I normally don't do bright eye makeup, so this is a little bit different for me, but I ended up really loving it. Definitely a bright and happy Spring/Summer look.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. ❤

xo A

You know how some people have a sort of go-to face routine?

You know what I'm talking about: That one girl who always looks impeccably well put together, complete with lightly winged eyeliner and perfectly tousled hair?

*cough* Taylor Swift. *cough*

And I thought, oh my God, look at that... Perfectly tousled hair.

Lately, coming into Spring, I've been wondering what my go-to would be. I don't think I've ever really had one before. I kind of just alternate between different looks for a few months at a time. Liquid eyeliner for a few months, contoured cheeks for a few... And then there are the absolutely no makeup phases. I think it's great to experiment—and I'm glad that I do—but I don't really have that one classic look in my arsenal to fall back on, and I think it's time I remedy that.

So, after mulling it over, and letting the freshness of Spring inspire me, I've come up with four things that I think would be must-haves in my ideal "go-to" look.

1. Dewy Skin


First, and foremost, is dewy skin. I feel like whatever you do to your skin is arguably the most important part of a beauty routine, because it sets the foundation (ha ha, foundation, get it?? ....I'll see myself out) for every other part. I've never really been into the matte look, so dewy skin has always been a favorite of mine, especially in the warmer months of the year.

2. Bold Brows


I like my brows thick, and I like them dark. But, it wasn't always that way.

Like many other women, I was the girl who over-tweezed while I was growing up because I thought my brows needed to look thin and arched like all of the other girls around me, and the women I saw in magazines.

Just luckily, mine grew back after I stopped tweezing them (whew!) and since my tweezer-happy days, I've learned a lot about how much diversity there is in brows—that they didn't all have to look one particular way—and that I should embrace mine for what they were. And so, I've learned to play them up by filling them in. Definitely one of my favorite features now.

3. Perfect Pout


I wasn't always a lipstick girl, but it was mostly an insecurity thing, my avoidance of it. I just didn't think I could pull it off, and it was attention-grabbing in a way that freaked me out. Then, I woke up one day and said "carpe diem" and now I own ten lip products in varying colors, with a nearly constant longing for more. Oops.

Aaaanyway, I really think that a nice lip color, bold or not, can really freshen up your whole face.

One thing that I've liked consistently for a couple years now is a gradient lip. It's such a soft, low-maintenance way to add color, even on days when you don't feel like rocking something intense, and something about it feels really fresh, and somehow youthful. Maybe it's the fact that it looks like you just drank fruit punch.

4. Tousled Tresses



I've recently realized just how much my hair affects my overall look and confidence, and it really has more to do with how it feels on me, than how it actually looks. I like how long hair looks, especially on other people, but recently, I've found myself  aboard the short hair train. I just feel more myself with it that way right now, if that even makes sense. Short hair is just so fun and breezy. What's better than that?

So, what about you? What's your "go-to" beauty look? I'd love it if you'd share them with me!

xo A