Taupe Eyes and Bold Lips!

Hey guys, here with a NEW video!
This is pretty much my standard go-to makeup look for everyday...you all know how much I love bold and bright lips!

Please don't forget to subscribe and thank you SO much for watching!

November Favorites! 2013

Hey Everybody! Just uploaded my November Favorites! Man oh man, I have sooo many great lip products to share with you! I was also house sitting when I filmed this so I apologize for the dog's jingling collar, he wouldn't stop scratching his neck. 

Favorites

Face

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation (N Bisque)

Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser (Light)

Bobbi Brown Concealer Stick (ivory 01)

Nars Blush in "Sin"

Eyes

Avon Mega Effects Mascara

CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

Skin

Glam Glow Youthful Tingling Exfoliant Face Mask

Lip 

Soap and Glory "Great Kisser" Lip Balm

Milani "Chilled Brandy" Lipstick

Milani "Sangria" Lipstick

Milani "Uptown Mauve" Lipstick

Mac "Nightmoth" Lipliner

Mac "Rebel" Lipstick

Mac "Diva" Lipstick

Mac "Plink" Lipstick

Covergirl Outlast "Tempt" Lipstick

Random

Casey Homes (itsbl0ndie) on Youtube

1D Day

One Direction Midnight Memories Album

Get Ready With Me|very NEUTRAL everyday make up

Here is another "Get Ready With Me" video! This one is going to be an extremely neutral look that is perfect for work days. I hope you guys enjoy it =]

Also, sorry for no voice over, I've lost my voice this week so I didn't want to annoy you guys with a raspy sick voice.
If you have any suggestions for future videos be sure to let me know in the comments below! I'd love to consider them =]

Collective Hautelook Haul!

Good Morning, Hautelook

Hey Guys! A few weeks ago Hautelook had some really awesome brands float through so I wanted to post a quick collective haul of some of the things I picked up. Every item I got was on a really great deal! I want to say that everything I got was under or close to $10, which isn't bad for high end products! I haven't tried any of them out yet so this is just a haul, not a review =]

The first fun brand to go on sale was Urban Decay. It was a blowout sale of all their old products that they are redoing or have already redone. I took advantage of the 24/7 Glide On Eye Liners and got the colors Ransom and Binge. I really love both the colors; as always, the color payoff and lasting power of these is amazing, it took two showers to get the swatches off my hand! And I don't have any colors similar to this in my collection so I'm happy about the additions.

teeny-tiny swatches

Ransom is a bright purple and Binge is a bright navy blue color.

I also got their tinted moisturizer but have not tried it yet. The color is called Body Guard and it matches my skin pretty well. I like that it is paraben free and has SPF 20 in it. I pretty much hoard tinted face products so it's no surprise I wanted to purchase this. I'm excited to see how it holds up. 

The next brand to come through was theBalm; this one I was prepared for and was extremely excited about. In fact, I even made a post dedicated to what I was hoping would come through and what I recommend by the brand. I love when theBalm comes on Hautelook because everything is at least half off. 

I honestly haven't heard anything about their skin care line and when I saw it on Hautelook I was really intrigued because the products seemed really natural and quite nice. I decided to get this Vanilla Oil-Absorbing Face Moisturizer, which I thought may be a good dupe for the Bobbi Brown Oil-Control Moisturizer with sea weed extract and lavender. I really love the smell of this product and the packaging and beautiful and glass. I'm excited to break into this once I finish my Bobbi Brown moisturizer. 

I got this blush (their blushes are one of my absolute favorites!) in the shade Down Boy. It is a cool pink, but very subtle. It reminds me of how theBalm's Frat Boy blush doesn't look too exciting in the pan but once it is swatched on the skin is beautiful. I cannot wait to work with this color, I do not own any cool toned pinks that are quite like this one. 

Here is an image of Down Boy (bottom right) in comparison to Nars Gaitey (top right) which is extremely cool toned candy pink, and theBalm Frat Boy (bottom left), a matte peach color.

And I say it every time, how precious is the packaging?! 

also, if you do not follow my Instagram, I finally got a new desk that I can blog at home from! I am so excited about having space to spread out and blog at. I look forward to coming home and checking my blogs here at my new work station! The desk is from Ikea and I absolutely adore it!

Also, if you do not follow me on Instagram (or twitter) you should! 

Twitter: dakotaf13

Instagram: dakotasbeautyblog

Nanny Style MOTD&essentials and OOTD

I have a whole post ready to be written with pictures and the whole nine yards BUT I wanted to be sure to get a post up today and knew I wouldn't have time for a proper full review. 

In addition to being a student, I am also a nanny. I personally think I have the greatest job in the world because I love children so much. Sometimes I work early in the morning and simply don't have enough time or energy to get ready. Sometime I work incredibly long hours and don't find it necessary to have a full face of make up because there is no one I'm trying to impress. Nonetheless, I'm a female, and females like to be put together, regardless of how pointless it is to look good for no one.  

I have four face essentials that I put on almost every morning (or throw in my purse to hopefully get the chance to put on during baby's nap time) 

I always carry a BB Cream (right now I'm using Tarte's) because it is moisturizing and offers some coverage while also providing sun protection, which is great at the pool, swim lessons, or the park. 

I always fill in my brows with a Brow Powder (Milani) or a brow pencil. Brows shape the face and are much more important than you may think. It's important to fill those babies in!

Bronzer is a staple, I must always wear bronzer. I chose bronzer over blush because it sets some of my bb cream and gives my whole face a healthy glow. I apply it with a large brush so it covers a lot of my face, not just as a contour. 

Mascara cannot be skipped because without it, I would look tired and unfinished. Mascara is a great finishing step because it really does make a huge difference. It opens up the eyes to make you look more awake and energized. 

I wash my hair the night before and let it dry naturally. A V-neck is absolutely perfect because it is functional for carrying babies but is still airy enough for playing outside in the summer, this one is from J Crew. Comfy jeans, like these boyfriend fit ones from Lucky, are great for running errands and squatting down low to talk to a small child. Trust me, I've ripped more pairs to tight jeans than you could ever imagine. A watch is also great, mine is from Ripcurl, because then you don't need to fish your phone out to check the time every second. When I'm holding hands with an active three year old and carrying a baby, I simply don't have an extra hand to check my phone. I also love this one because it is water proof so when we go swimming I can wear it in the pool. Not to mention, this watch is absolutely gorgeous (thanks Dad, it is a wonderful gift) 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday! I have a few fun reviews coming up soon, so keep your eyes peeled. 

BIRTHDAY GIFT EXTRAVAGANZA!

On Wednesday, July 31st,  I had my very big, much anticipated, 21st birthday! It was all very exciting, I'm one of the last of all my friends to turn 21 so it was fun to get everyone together and just hang out and have a good time. My friends and family did a really amazing job with gift this year, as they are every year. There was nothing that I needed but I honestly got everything I could ever hope for, plus more! I am so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. I thought I would put together a post to show some of the gifts that I got and details on things that I've tried out so far. I don't want this to come across as "bragging" in anyway, I just thought it may be fun to share =]

I totally adore this card I got from my Aunt, it literally is so perfect! I think any girl could agree that this car would be perfect and that cars nowadays are just not adequate. (As I was reading this card, I was really wishing my car air vents hit my wet nails just a litttttle bit better)

My friend, Tiffany, does the most awesome job wrapping gifts, look how gorgeous these are!!

These cupcakes look absolutely precious, but they tasted even better if you can believe it! Thanks, Tiffany

My gift from Sephora. I'm excited to try out that "Watts Up!"

My brother did exactly as instructed and went to the MAC counter and picked up "Saddle" (as I had asked) and surprised me with "Vex", a gorgeous Silver with a pink and olive shift/duochrome. He also bought me a new empty 15 shadow palette because my other one was full. Thanks Bro!

My other wonderful Aunt surprised me with these Muji acrylic drawers for make up storage in my room. She also bought me a back up Nars "Laguna" bronzer, because mine is looking awfully sad and empty, The Urban Decay "Naked Basics" (yay! I wanted this really badly), and a MAC lipstick in "Up The Amp", which is a really unique lilacy-purple color. I can't wait to work with it!

Tiffany, my really good friend, bought me this precious box that says "Happy Girls are the Prettiest", which I adore and will fill up with stuff and keep on my vanity. She got me a hand sanitizer with a little orange kitten on it (because I have two orange kittens that I'm in LOVE with), Essie Nail Polish in "DJ Play That Song" and "Bottle Service", Mac eyeshadow in "Free to Be", a beautiful matte peach color (my favorite color of all time to wear), and Mac lipstick in "Candy Yum Yum". And also, I forgot to show the Illamasqua blush in "Chased", but it's a really pretty pink color! I love it.

I actually wore Candy Yum Yum today and it is AMAZING. If I can give you any advice on wearing it, it would be Do Not Be Intimidated, it is actually extremely wearable, does not make teeth look dingy, and is really unique. It would work on a huge variety of skin tones. 

My great friend Sarah gave me that gorgeous Butter London Nail Polish in the shade "Kerfuffle", and the glitter by ULTA next to it. I can't wait to pair those two polishes together, I think it'll look great. She also gave me an EOS lip balm, which is one of my favorite kinds.

My other amazing friend, Lindsey, gave me a Sally Hansen Nail Polish in a gorgeous Pinkish-lilac color. It is really unique and totally my type of color. It's also called "Punch Drunk", which she said she put a lot of thought into getting since, after all, it was my 21st birthday. 

Lindsey also gave me this HUGE wine glass that is festively painted with balloons and champagne bottles saying "cheers" and "Happy Birthday". It is seriously so adorable, I have it displayed on my dresser. 

 My mom really surprised me with this lovely Viva La Juicy Perfume and Body Lotion set. This one was actually really great because it also came with a rollerball perfume that has two of the Juicy scents, Viva La Juicy and also Viva La Juicy La Fleur. They both smell INCREDIBLE. I am a huge fan of the original Juicy perfume, but I'm really enjoying these too. Viva La Juicy is quite sweet, but not like Cotton-Candy-Carnival-Toddler sweet. Viva La Juicy La Fleur is very floral, but also very young and fresh smelling. I really recommend both of these scents!

My Mom and Dad both surprised me with this beautiful Michael Kors Rose Gold watch that I've literally been drooling over for about 2 years. It is simply gorgeous and quite elegant, I've gotten a lot of complements on it so far whenever I wear it out. 

Along with a really awesome San Francisco Giants shirt, Chad's (my boyfriend) mom got me these delightful Melaluca Body Butter and Sugar Scrub. I love sugar scrubs and use them almost daily on my dry skin and I use body butter every day, I prefer it over lotion. These guys smell like a tropical island on your body. It is amazing.

I also, as you probably remember, bought myself a new Nikon Camera as a birthday gift to myself. I also received a really thoughtful photo album filled with photos of me with all of my friends. Chad got me a really awesome Steve Madden Purse that is a cream color with gorgeous blue accents to it, as well as my tickets to see John Mayer. He always does really well with gifts and picking out purses that I like. 

I just wanted to say thank you everyone who made my 21st birthday so special! You all mean so much to me and I am so grateful to know you. 

Bronze, Baby, Bronze!

It is no secret I have an obsession with bronzer, I love to bronze my face and create a luminous look that is also flattering because it helps shape the face. 

For the Fourth of July, I wanted to do a really bronzy-tan face with red lips. I knew I would be outside all day and I wanted my face to look golden and sun-kissed. Many of my friends were asking how I made myself look so tan so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite products with you!

 

(that's my boyfriend Chad, we like to match).  

I didn't even think to take pictures that really captured the look, but this is one that we took together, and I like it and look for any excuse to post pictures to my blog.

• Mac Pigment in "Tan",  I love mixing a little bit of this pigment into my foundation. I find it looks amazing in my Chanel VitaLumiere Aqua, which gives the skin luminosity without being heavy at all. 
• Nars Bronzer in "Laguna", this is absolutely no surprise if you've read any of my previous posts. It is not completely matte, but it's most definitely not shimmery. It looks fabulous all over the face and I love that I don't have to be extra cautious when applying it.
• Tarte Mineral Bronzer in "Hotel Heiress", I like this bronzer a lot. I always have one in stock in my collection (I actually snagged one up on my Hautelook app for only $10!). It is a little bit more orange, but certainly not like, ORANGE! It looks really great all over the face, especially on days when you want to skip on blush. 
• Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in "Aruba". This is a shimmery bronzer, but it looks especially great on the cheek bones. I like to wear it with tinted moisturizers as a blush. This is a product that anytime I wear it (especially if I haven't worn it in a while), I get several compliments and people want to know what I'm wearing on my cheeks. I think it would also look great over a more matte bronzer.
• Mac Sheertone Shimmer Blush in "Trace Gold",  this would look AWESOME on people with a darker skin tone than me. If I don't want any color on my cheeks, I wear this instead because I like the glow that it gives the apples of my cheeks. It's also wonderful for layering over other blushes. This is a really great blush for any collection because I do feel that it is very versatile. 
• Mac Lustre Drops in "Sun Rush",  this is a new product for me, but when I saw it, I knew I needed it. It's like liquid gold, for your face! I apply it with a thick dome top Kabuki brush from the back of my hand and apply it as a highlight around the apple of my cheeks. It also looks nice under the brow bone instead of using a white highlight. I'm still playing around with this product so, stay tuned ;-)

I find that just as important as bronzing the face is, it is equally important to highlight! My absolute favorite highlight is by The Balm Cosmetics called "Mary-Lou Manizer". I've never loved a highlight or felt the need to use one, but after using this one, I cannot leave the house without highlighting my face. It really is flattering, especially if you do it correctly (and lightly!) I really recommend this product, and it is another item that can sometimes be ordered for discount on Hautelook. 

Favorite Nars products & MOTD (make-up of the day)

Today while getting ready and putting my face on, I realized that many of my everyday products are from my absolute favorite make-up brand, Nars.

Nars is a high end make-up line that has fantastically pigmented products that are very high quality. Anytime I walk into Sephora, the Nars counter is the first place I stop.

Many Nars products have cult followings. I'm sure most of you have heard of their blush "Orgasm" or their "Laguna Bronzer" or maybe ever their eyeshadow single in "Ashes to Ashes". An anyone who is a Kim Kardashian fan (which I'll admit, I most definitely am not), would know that she wears the Nars lipgloss in Turkish Delight when she wants to wear a nude lip look.

I obviously have not tried every product that Nars has to offer (but I hope to one day!), but I have tried many of their products and have definitely come up with a list of favorites. Through this process, I also have compiled a hand full of products that I do not think are that great, and some that are certainly not worth the hype. 

Favorites:

• Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (i'm shade Punjab). I especially love this foundation in the winter. I love to wear glowing skin all year round and the thicker consistency of this highly radiant foundation is perfect for winter time. 
• Nars Powder Eyeshadows. I have several of these in duos and trios, my favorite was from their Spring 2012 collection (I'm almost sure) called "Ramatuelle", which is a trio that includes a Silver, Icy Peach, and Apricot color. It looks stunning with black eyeliner, and the apricot shade is especially flattering in the crease. I also love the Trio in "Cap Ferrat" which is an assortment of bluish-green tones, which are fun to play with for a more colorful look. My favorite duo is "Cordura", which has a shimmering warm rich brown and a shimmering sooty dark brown. Anytime I go out and want to do a dark brown smokey eye, I always use this duo. 
• Nars "Laguna" Bronzer. Yes. Yes. Yes. this is DEFINITELY worth the hype. I have used this every single day since I bought it (as you can tell from the above picture, this product has gotten much love). I use it every day to warm up my face. It is not great for achieving a sharp contour, so if I am going to contour, I use a different product and dust "Laguna" over it. I am a bronzer freak, and I will continue to repurchase this one and will keep one in my collection forever. 
• Nars Cream Blush in "Penny Lane". I don't see nearly enough hype on the internet for this product. I use it if I want a neutral cheek look or if I am getting ready in a rush and don't have time to contour. This cream blush looks gorgeous placed in between the cheek bone and where one would usually apply blush. It also has a wonderful consistency, it is not sticky and it looks very radiant on the cheek. It's a very, very, soft peach color. 
• Nars Powder Blushes. I have many favorites of these, they just seem to be the best formula for blush on the Market. "Lovejoy" is my favorite winter shade, it is a shimmering bronzed rose shade and it looks amazing with a plum or deep red lip. I don't know how I survived the winter before I had this blush. "Gaiety" is another favorite, which is a bright candy pink color. I like this because it is very wearable and many people could get away with wearing this shade. Bright pinks like this look great in the summer with a tan and bronzed complexion. Also, this blush is perfect for a soft look, or to build up for a brighter pink. Plus, who doesn't love the sound of "bright candy pink"??
• Nars Pressed Powder (I wear the shade "Beach"). This is simply the best setting powder I have ever used. It makes my face look so flawless and keeps oil at bay. 

UnFavorites:

• (brace yourself) Nars Pressed Blush in "Orgasm". I know right? "Orgasm" is described as a peachy pink with golden shimmer. Everyone loves this blush and I don't like it. It's not even like "it isn't worth the hype" (which it isn't), I just simply do not like the color. The formula is fine, as with all Nars blushes, it's just the color is not great and I cannot get it to work on me, not with a tan, not pale. Just not at all. I would return this if I was able to and pick up a different blush in a second. I just simply do not like it. 
• Nars Eyeshadow Duo in "Kalahari". I like these shades and I use this palette often, I am just disappointed that the colors do not have more of a contrast with each other. Swatched, they look great, but on the lid they look like the same color. 
• Nars Multiple in "Maldives". This is a shimmering pink champagne multiple. A multiple implies that you can use it on your cheeks, as highlight, lip stick, eyeshadow, pretty much anything. I would only wear this as a highlight, and even as that I do not think it is very good, and certainly not for $40. I would say skip the multiples and buy yourself a nice Nars blush or bronzer instead. There are plenty of better highlight/multiple products out there. This just did not do it for me. 

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this was helpful! It's always a hugh bummer picking up products that are expensive and high end and being less than enthused with the results you get from them. Also, just because a cosmetic brand is your favorite, does not mean that everything they make is great. And just because a bunch of people love a certain product and it basically has a cult following, doesn't mean that the product is the best. There are always other options that should be considered before making a purchase.