Welcome Britt from bee littlequeen

Happy Monday friends!!  


Currently, I am in Ohio with the kiddos visiting my parents, extended family and friends!  It is SO much fun to come home and see everyone and the kids LOVE playing in the country!  I certainly missed it as well!!!  


Britt from bee littlequeen offered to post for me while I was out and I am SO happy to have her!  She's posting about her go to beauty items!!  I always LOVE hearing people's tips because I really am a bit inept at this kind of thing!  WORK IN PROGRESS people!  


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Hello Houtz House Party fans! I am SO excited to be guest posting on Kelly's blog! Isn't she so fabulous!? She is such a supportive, pretty & warm-hearted girl!!! I love her!! I'm enjoying getting to know her more and look forward to meeting you as well! Who else has a love for Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory!?

We all like to feel beautiful right? Well  makeup is just an outward way to enhance our own natural beauty already! [I am channeling Carmindy from What Not to Wear!] For me, when I feel that I look better on the outside, I do sure feel better about myself on the inside. I feel more confident and ready for the day!

Today I am going to share with you some beauty tips that I have learned over the years. I consider myself a makeup artist (not pro though) and I am self-taught. I've done alot of reading and analyzing of magazine pictures such as in glamour, teen vogue, People, etc. as well as watch other makeup tutorials. I also follow Ashley Kay Gifford's blog and am subscribed to her youtube channel. She is a U.K. based, self-taught, professional makeup artist, who also happens to be a friend of my aunt's family! Small world huh?! anyways, I love to keep expanding my knowledge of makeup looks and tips, hence why i absorb advice and information from others.

In no particular order:

+ prime it up. put primer on before your foundation or tinted moisturizer. it helps minimizes pores, (if  have large pores like me :/), it smooths skin and allows the makeup to adhere/blend into skin better.

+feel like ya have a wide/big nose? blend concealer down the bridge of your nose. makeup is an illusion. it'll help thin it out. [i learned this from ashley kay!]

+mascara drying out? squirt 1-2 drops of sterile saline water into the tube for ONLY 1-2 more uses of the mascara. (i read this in a mag a few months ago)


+q-tips are your friend. I always seem to get mascara on my eyelids or under my eyes when applying, so use a cotton swab to get rid of those little unwanted dashes. You can also use these to help smudge eyeliner on the top or bottom lashline for a softer look.

+ save the fist pumping. haha just kidding. No really, don't pump your mascara wand in and out of the tube. this moves more air in, which can make the product dry out faster. Instead, insert wand and swirl around at the bottom to get more product on the wand.

+turn it upside down. place nail polish and/or your liquid eyeliner upside in the palms of your hands and roll it versus shaking them, which creates air bubbles. I know this trick works so well for nail polish! Just try it out and see the difference if/when you decide to polish your fingernails. The color polish will go on and dry silky smooth.

+need sleep? To appear more awake, line only your upper lashline and use a white, champagne, or light gold shadow in the inner corners of your eyes. Doing so will make your eyes seem bigger/more open and not as droopy as if you were to line your bottom lashline too which can emphasize the possible dark circles or bags under your eyes from lack of sleep.

only my right eye is highlighted on the inner corners

 now both are highlighted. See the difference?

+brush-a brush-a brush-a. lol makes me think of the scene in Grease where Jan is singing along to the tv commercial w/the beaver as he's brushing his teeth. Ok, Seriously, your makeup brushes need care and need to be washed regularly. I am not THAT good at cleaning them like once a week, since I don't wear makeup everyday, but I do wash them about once a month. Use an anti-bacterial liquid soap. Squirt some on the back of your hand and swirl each brush in the soap. I then run the brush under warm water and squeeze out the collected makeup. Let them air dry. I like to keep them clean because of the bacteria that could be looming as well as my face is quite oily and I don't want to be adding more bacteria to my skin that is break-out prone.

+lastly i want to share with you a makeup expiration chart that I cut out and photographed (for reference) from AllYou magazine earlier this year. Please feel free to copy and save this photo chart. I literally had no idea as to when to throw some of these products out!

There you have it beauties! Some of my most utilized makeup tips! Come visit me and leave a comment,  email, or tweet, if you have any questions or tid-bits you'd like to share! I love girl talk!
Thanks again to Kelly for having me! It was certainly fun!!! yay!!

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Told you she was FAB!!!!  Now, run on over and say hi!!


Hope you all have a WONDERFUL week!