10 Minutes To Get Ready On a Bad Hair Day.

If anybody ever were to tell you there have never had a bad hair day they are lying.
I have had plenty of them, we all have! The best way to disguise oily or limp hair is to pull it up. I used to always consider wearing my hair up a sign that I was having a bad hair day, or a lazy hair day!
But buns and pony tails are the trend right now more than ever so we are all in luck!

Make-Up

Whenever I have a bad day, or I wake up late, I always make my make-up light. It doesn't seem to be true, but if you are having a bad or rushed day and you try to do a full make-up application you'll be so rushed that you'll end up wishing you had put the liquid eyeliner away!
My secrets for a bad day are: concealer, mascara and blush! 

Concealer- This is my best secret beauty product, and I couldn't go a day without it! It hides under eye circles and makes you instantly look more awake! If you are using concealer for under eye darkness make sure it is one or two shades lighter than your natural shade. If you are using it to cover blemishes, make sure it matches your shade exactly.

Mascara- It takes less than a minute to apply mascara, and it instantly makes your eyes look bigger, wider, and more awake!

Blush- Bobbi Brown always says blush is an instant pretty, and I could not agree more! It instantly brightens up your face and gives you a soft, subtle glow!

The key to make-up on a rushed morning is to apply the right products, and usually they all focus on brightening your face!

Hair
I love a sock bun as much as the next fashionista, but there are so many different buns you can achieve if you are having a bad hair day! I always tease my hair at the crown to add some height to avoid the limp, lazy look you get when your hair is pulled away from your face without style. It takes about a minute to tease your hair this way!

Here is a classic bun, and one of my favorite lazy day hairstyles! You can wear it if you haven't washed your hair, or if you washed it the night before and fell asleep on it! I love the accessories for this style! Accessories are a really quick way to make it look like you got ready that morning, and they add a good accent to a bun!

As you know I love love love these glasses and what makes me love them any more? A heavy bang. I am obsessed with this look, and it is the perfect style for a lazy day! It's so pretty without trying to hard and sometimes I like the look of not having every hair in place. It's messy, adorable and easy!

Such a cute way to play up a simple bun! It takes about five seconds to put it in your hair and adds a lot to a basic hairstyle.

I love a scarf for a lazy day! It hides your hair without sacrificing style!

I love braids! This is just a side braid pulled apart, it's super fast and easy, but it's one of my favorite looks for 2013

Speaking of accessories, a headband is a great way to play up a bun! 

I love this style! It's so carefree. A simple braid pinned into a bun! Easy, Simple and Pretty!

This is a little more of a knotted, messy bun.

I hope you will face your next lazy, bad hair day with bright eyes and cute hair accessories!

<3mykel

How To: Create Your Own Shoe Display!

We all have that corner of our bedroom or closet that is entirely empty and we don't know what to do with it. We try to put a chair there, a laundry basket, and soon enough it turns into a clutter corner (this is usually a place in your house where you have no idea what to do with and ends up collecting what seems to be every nick knack without a home until it's a pile that is outlandishly unpleasing to the eye)
Awhile back in the midst of decorating my room I was on Pinterest (Because realistically I spend way too much time on here browsing for inspiration...) and I was looking through some pictures of shoe displays, and my first instinct was to clear off my shelf and make one myself!

There are about a hundred different ways you could achieve this, but I wanted to keep it pretty simple to match the rest of my bedroom decor. I took an old bookcase (I painted it white) and set it up in the corner of my room.
Depending on the amount of shoes you have, you can put however many pairs that will fit on each shelf (Being a bit of a shoe-collector, I easily fit about four or five pairs of my top favorites, the rest I had to keep in my closet for lack of room.)
I didn't want to have a book shelf full of random shoes in my room with no purpose, so I tried to make it more fashionable and decorative, making  a separate shelf for purses, and boxes of some of my favorite shoes, or perfumes (Vince Camuto, BCBG, Juicy Couture)

This is what my shoe display looks like in my room next to my vanity and make-up organization.

This is the first two shelves: For the very top  I used two shoe boxes and semi-random Juicy Couture perfume box.

For the second shelf I used my Vince Camuto's and BCBG Shoes and I wanted something to add a little decoration, so I used four Juicy Couture perfume boxes from Holiday collections.

For the next shelf I used all of my favorite handbags (Juicy Couture, Marc Fisher and lots and lots of Steve Madden!) For Christmas I got a box of every travel size Victoria's Secret perfume and I thought fit perfectly here. I paired it with a polka dotted box (also from VS, originally used as a box for an iPad cover)

Here are the next two rows of shoes. I tried to categorize them. The one on top is my "Wild Prints" a.k.a some of my favorite shoes for when I need to add a little bit more to a basic outfit, and the bottom is my "Girly Chic" row, which speaks for itself.



Here are my top 3 favorites in my display!

I can get a little bit obsessed with bold prints, which I why these are on my top three favorites shoes I currently own!

Hot Pink is my all time favorite color,  and in person these shoes are much more florescent and eye-catching, which is why I love them. If it were possible to be in love with a pair of shoes, I would choose these!

I am equally as obsessed with Nude's, and the golden detail on these had be smitten before I even left the department store!  Every girl needs to have a pair of nude heels. It is a simple must.




A shoe display can take up quite a bit of room, and when I lived in my apartment in the big city, I didn't a lot of space! I lived with two other girls and it was difficult to find space for all of my stuff! Here is a good alternative to the large bookshelf display:

Here was my room in my old Apartment. I thought it was a little bit crowded at first, but then I was addicted to the "full" feeling that it gave my bedroom, and it seemed a lot more cozy!

Here is a close up view. Later on I ended up taking out the books on the bottom shelf and adding another pair of heels, converting it over entirely to a shoe display. The smaller bookshelf is perfect if you only have a few pairs of heels, or if you live in a small apartment and don't have room for a large bookshelf. I accessorized the top with my favorite candles, the Bobbi Brown books, and my favorite perfumes.

Creating my shoe display was pretty easy to do, and I had so fun organizing it all, and I am always switching it up when I get bored with it, or if I buy a new pair I switch them out. It's the best way to add something extra to your room. Who would have thought shoes could be used for more than a fashion accessory? 

<3mykel

Blue Eyes & 80's Flashback

Let's be honest with ourselves; Whenever we hear "Blue Eye Shadow" a part of us panics because whenever we think of blue eye shadow we have a terrible 80's flashback, and there is usually a scrunchy involved.

(Disclaimer: I actually am fond of the 80's style, and I think it was the revolution to fantastic hair and experimental make-up)

Blue eye shadow is coming back more and more, but the key to a good Blue Eyed look is application. 

Here is what'll you need to complete your modern day blue eye:

•  at least two different shades of blue
•  a white or shimmer eye shadow
•  two different colors of eyeliner (usually turquoise and blue)
• Black Mascara

Another key to a modern blue eye is a pale lip. I would never think to wear any lip color but a pink, and a light, neutral one at that.

To begin, I always apply a Primer- I cannot stress enough how important it is to prime your lids before you apply your shadow- it helps it last soo much longer and prevents creasing!

1. Take your lightest shade of blue and apply it to the lid and on you bottom lash line (almost as if you were applying eyeliner.)

2. Take your second blue (this should be the darker) and apply it to the outer corners of your eye and on the crease. Blend well using a blending brush.

3. Use your white shimmer eye shadow and press it onto the inner corners of your lid and along your brow bone (make sure to press in your shimmery colors, it helps them stick)

4. Lastly I take my blue eyeliner and apply it to the top lash line. Repeat with turquoise on your bottom lash line.

 5. Finish with curling your lashes and applying two coats of black mascara.

6. You can wear whatever lip color you want (Think: Pale, Neutral, Light)

I wore Oyster Pink from AVEDA's 2012 Spring Collection.

Here was my finished look(s): 

My recent posts have confirmed that a new addiction for me is matching my eyes with my nail polish and accessories.
Call it Cliche, I don't mind.

Here is a prime example of an 80's flashback.

Secretly, I am in love with the 80's, or maybe just the big hair.

And yes, if case you were wondering that is my 100% natural hair! (I was apparently supposed to be born in that era.)

-mykel:)

How to: Perfect Nude Lips (Myth By MAC)

If there is one thing I love more than a bold, deep and rich lip, it would be a nude one! I searched forever to find the perfect nude lip, and how to achieve one! I love, love, love Myth from MAC, and Oyster Pink from Aveda. Since Oyster Pink was a limited edition and you can no longer buy it, I thought it best to focus on Myth by MAC.

For a nude lip it is still important to:

•  Exfoliate your lips (Mascara wand, lipbalm...)
•  Conceal your lips. The best tip I ever learned about how to get a perfect nude lip was to apply concealer. Not a lot, mostly just dab it on, covering the entire lip.Then you can put your lipstick on over it. 
• Finish with Gloss. To smooth out my color (sometimes nude lipsticks tend to look dry) I use Aveda Nourish-Mint gloss in Agave Nectar. It has some shine to it, but it accentuates the nude color perfectly.

Whenever I wear a nude lip I always love to do a dramatic eye- usually a purple and brown pallete (My eyes are brown so it accentuates them really well) But sometimes I like to keep my eyes simple and use a shimmer eye shadow in a light pink and a little eyeliner.

Myth By MAC

Agave Nectar By AVEDA

I love this look because it's very chic and girly. Here my eyes are colored in deep browns and rich purples.

Here is an example of a Nude Lip with Gloss (AVEDA Agave Nectar) and a less dramatic eye. I didn't put concealer on in this picture, so you can see the difference on how much darker this is compared to the other.

<3mykel

How-To: Decorate Your Own Mug

I love to decorate. From my first ever blog post I made that pretty clear. 

I am always looking for an opportunity for a craft or some sort of project involving creativity or color! 

Making my mug was pretty simple:

• Take any glass mug and wash and dry it really well.
• Use all different colors of Sharpies to draw any designs, words, or pictures onto it.          (if you mess up, you can use 100% acetone to take it off, but make sure to wash the acetone residue off the cup before reapplying so that the sharpie will adhere again)
• Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees
• Put it in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes
• Let it cool down
• Make sure you hand wash your mug- never put it in the dishwasher!

I have had mine for about two months and it hasn't worn off yet, but I only use it on occasion!

My inspiration for my mug came from this picture!

Here is my finished mug! :)

Add caption

<3mykel

MAC Lipstick Review: Girl About Town

One of my favorite make-up products is Lipstick, in all shades and textures! I could give you a list a mile long of my favorite colors and why! If I wore a different lip stick from my make-up drawer everyday I would easily wear a different color or shade for over a month, if not more! From Aveda to MAC to Covergirl, I am definitely a lipstick fanatic.

One of my all time favorite lip colors is from MAC. It's in the shade Girl About Town, a really bright, gorgeous pink! Usually I wear a black mascara and warm light pink blush. 

I always exfoliate my lips with EOS lip balm and a clean disposable mascara wand, then apply more EOS and sleep with it on, that way in the morning my lips are moisturized and smooth! Nothing looks worse than cakey lipstick- not even cakey make-up (Well, maybe I take that back...) 

The color is kind of creme so you don't need to apply a lot to get a rich color, but you will probably want to blot it because the color can smear easily.

I bought mine at the MAC counter, but you can purchase it online if you don't have a store near you.

For my first look I wore my bangs down and it looks like my hair is in pony tails, but it's actually bobby pinned away from my face. It's the perfect hot pink for me! I even painted my nails to match. I love this color!

I am aware I need to stop taking my pictures from my iPhone and use my actual camera! But I am addicted to Instagram effects!

The bow ring is actually from Juicy Couture
(The Perfume Bottle for Viva La Juicy! It made the perfect accessory!)

   

For my second look my hair is curly and my bangs are curled, too! I think it shows how versatile the color is and how it adds a feminine touch to any look, even with my orange nails and yellow necklace! This one was one of my favorite looks!



<3mykel

The Craze Of Fashion Glasses

I'll confess; I am obsessed with this look as much as any other fashionista out there.

Some trends I personally will never be able to make my own (Ex: A pixie cut, leggings and boots, and Starbucks coffee...) but this is one that I fell in love with as much as the rest of the fashion world. Maybe it's the subtle hint of sophistication amid the loud scream of a nerd, or possible vice versa. I try to secretly incorporate my own pair of fashion glasses into my everyday life. I wear them to work (which I work in a Salon, so I easily get away with it) I wear them with my bangs up, down, my hair in a bun, or curled. I have yet to find a hairstyle and make-up look that these little gems don't fit right into!

I personally own two pairs: Standard black, and a pair of cat eye shaped ones. I love them both equally. I love to wear the cat eye ones with winged eyeliner, and bright lips! (I usually wear them with pink from Mac in the shade "Girl About Town") 

I bring this picture back from the grave of a previous post because it was the first picture I saw that made me fall in love with the look of fashion glasses. I used the example of the bangs for an earlier post and I do not mean this lightly when I said that I pretty much went through a phase where I wanted this to be my face. Mission accomplished, until I got bored with it (as I so often do)

This is another one of my favorite looks! I quickly grew obsessed with the bun, dark lips, and comfortable sweater along with the glasses, and it was just another look I put on my "To Be" list.

Here is an excellent example of a chic way to wear these glasses! I love the long, loose curls and the bangs! The headband is an extra touch of femininity that I love in contrast to the glasses! 

Lastly, here is a good representation of the cat eye glasses! This picture was the reason I bought a pair!




Here are my own looks! Not featured is my cat-eye glasses. 

                                 I wore my hair in a messy bun even though you can't see it.

Another confession: I also fell victim to the bird craze (hint: the scarf) 
Here I wore a dark lipstick as opposed to the nude lip in my other picture, and I think the darker lip suits the glasses well, y'know? :)



I bought my glasses on Amazon, but you can get them all sorts of places! A lot of accessories stores sell them. You can't see in the pictures, but the insides of mine are cheetah print (that dark brown and black kind) Which I love! I feel like it adds a little extra character to a pair of glasses that are clearly a fashion statement all by themselves.

<3 mykel