Is this thing on?

Do I even remember how to blog?
Honestly...no.
It's been a FULL YEAR since my last post.
WHAT?!
I never intended it to go so long.

I bought (yes BOUGHT with money....okay it was only $6 but still!) a theme to totally revamp my site.
I have been brainstorming a new blog name for OVER a year now.
Clearly the desire is there.

I WANT to blog. There are tons of things I want to talk about.

What I've been up to. Makeup. Politics. Etc!

Sometimes depression takes all motivation out of you.
And sometimes you're so hung up on revamping your blog that you can't see beyond  the fact that you hate your blog name and need a name change STAT.

And then you get overwhelmed with how difficult it is to actually revamp your blog from top to bottom.

Sigh!

I want to do it though. By the end of summer vacation (yeah, more on that later!) I WILL have this blog up and running again.
It's my only goal haha

For now...I leave for seattle in 8 days and I couldn't be more excited.

More to come.
xx
Amber

Wondering if I should abandon my pen name and embrace my real name in this online space. We will see.

Where have I been?

Let's not pretend you even noticed I was gone ;)

But the disappointing fact is that I have been away for quite a while!

I won't waste time giving you all my reasons & excuses. They aren't that great anyway. Pretty run of the mill and boring!

But I really, really want to get back into it. I have been MADDENINGLY behind on blog reading so that takes away from the motivation for blog posting.
But it's time to say screw it and just dive right in again.
If I keep waiting for "the right time"- I may never  come back!

Another reason I have been hesitant to start again is because I really want to change the name of my blog. So if I suddenly switch it up on you- don't say I didn't warn you!
*starts singing Taylor Swift in my head*

Anyway, I'm back bitches!
Well, almost.
I have to wait for my laptop to get out of the shop (I told you the reasons were boring!)
But once that happens- I am really not holding back anymore.

Blogging makes me happy, and I want to be happy again. So I hope I still have at least a few readers out there!

See you soon!
Ember aka Amber aka Nicole......have I mentioned I am having an identity crisis??
(I currently use a pen name and am considering doing away with that when I rebrand my blog- what do you think?)

Last chance! Red Coat Tuesday GIVEAWAY

You probably know by now that I am obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and sometimes join in the #RedCoatTuesday link up.

Well we've been holding a giveaway for a few weeks and it ends TOMORROW along with the season of Pretty Little Liars (tear!)

So I just wanted to give you guys one last chance to enter before the giveaway ends tomorrow!
And wish all my followers good luck!

This is my first ever giveaway so I'm really excited!!


My prize contribution is a Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio called Three's a Party & has red, black, and white shadows - perfect for Red Coat Tuesdays!
I also will be including a small PLL prize pack with some promo goodies I was given from ABC Family at the beginning of the season!

Some of the ladies of #RedCoatTuesday have pulled together and are bringing you a sneaky little giveaway! We have been bringing you #RedCoatTuesday for three years now, and we think it’s time to celebrate!! Why not do so with some Pretty Little Presents!!

First up, let’s talk about the ladies that are hosting this fantastic giveaway and then we will show you your PRIZES! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and of course check out the Ts and Cs. Those are always important!

Color Me So Crazy

#RedCoatTuesday RED Polish and Makeup Prize Pack

2 Full Size Red Polishes, 1 Red Shadow and 1 Red Lippy

Manis & Makeovers

Happy Hands Prize Pack

cdbnails

Full Size Bottle of January and Warrior Spirit from CDB Lacquer 


Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer
 
Full Sized Bottle of Polish
Water Slide Decals 

Budget Splurge Beauty

++   PLL Prize Pack

So for a couple details. All prizes will be available to US followers only (sorry international folks, next time). The giveaway will run for one month and will end on 3/24 at midnight. All the fun Ts and Cs are at the bottom of the Rafflecopter, so be sure to check them out when you are entering. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any other the other ladies. We will help you out!

Most of all… GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Red Coat Tuesday GIVEAWAY!

If you know me you know I'm obsessed with Pretty Little Liars....so I love partaking in #RedCoatTuesdays a linkup created by Color Me So Crazy.
I can't always link up but I still love looking at all the looks all the ladies create every week.

To celebrate the end of this season, some of us ladies have put together a giveaway!

And in case you didn't know, this is my FIRST giveaway!!! So that's really exciting for me!

So be sure to enter and check out all the other ladies blogs and good luck!

My prize contribution is a Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio called Three's a Party & has red, black, and white shadows - perfect for Red Coat Tuesdays!
I also will be including a small PLL prize pack with some promo goodies I was given from ABC Family at the beginning of the season!

Some of the ladies of #RedCoatTuesday have pulled together and are bringing you a sneaky little giveaway! We have been bringing you #RedCoatTuesday for three years now, and we think it’s time to celebrate!! Why not do so with some Pretty Little Presents!!

First up, let’s talk about the ladies that are hosting this fantastic giveaway and then we will show you your PRIZES! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and of course check out the Ts and Cs. Those are always important!

Color Me So Crazy

#RedCoatTuesday RED Polish and Makeup Prize Pack

2 Full Size Red Polishes, 1 Red Shadow and 1 Red Lippy

Manis & Makeovers

Happy Hands Prize Pack

cdbnails

Full Size Bottle of January and Warrior Spirit from CDB Lacquer 


Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer
 
Full Sized Bottle of Polish
Water Slide Decals 

Budget Splurge Beauty

++   PLL Prize Pack

So for a couple details. All prizes will be available to US followers only (sorry international folks, next time). The giveaway will run for one month and will end on 3/24 at midnight. All the fun Ts and Cs are at the bottom of the Rafflecopter, so be sure to check them out when you are entering. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any other the other ladies. We will help you out!

Most of all… GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dali Museum Date

Two weeks ago my boyfriend and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary.

We decided to do something that we have been wanting to do for quite a while- the Dali Museum.

One thing that made us want to do it NOW, and stop putting it off, is the temporary Picasso exhibit that was on display as well, showing their works side by side.

Seattle Seahawks Superbowl Makeup

I may not be a huge football fan, but I love the excitement that surrounds the Super Bowl each year.

Between the rivalries, delicious food, top notch commercials, beer, and entertaining half time show, I think there's something for everyone. If nothing else it's a good excuse to get together with some friends, eat some good food and drink some cold beer!

Even though I don't follow football closely, I do enjoy watching it. I don't have any favorite teams so I just choose my favorite team out of whichever 2 are playing in the game I'm watching.

However, I have a huge soft spot for Seattle because I have plans to move there within the next few years. I consider it my future home and for that reason, I am a supporter!

So this year I thought I'd show my support by doing my makeup in Seahawks colors.

Unfortunately as we all know by now, the Seahawks ended up losing in a nail biting ending. I was disappointed but then flipped my tv to the Puppy Bowl and let's be honest, it's pretty hard to be upset after that!

I think my favorite thing about this look is that it's almost entirely budget-friendly products!

On my eyes I first put down a base of Nyx jumbo pencil in Milk to make the colors pop
I put a mid tone teal blue from the BH cosmetics 120 palette (1st edition) all over my lid, leaving the inner corner bare
I put a dark navy blue in the crease from my Profusion black jewel palette (swatches here )
I added a bit more depth in the outer corner with the matte black from the Wet n Wild I <3 matte 8-pan.
I mixed some neon greens from the BH cosmetics 120 palette and applied it to the inner corner, bringing it down on my lower lid and blending.

The last step I did that I regret is I used the shade Sabbath from the Urban Decay The Black Palette to line my lower lash line.
Every time I use something from The Black Palette I am reminded that these colors just do not work for me. They go muddy immediately and the color blends away leaving just a blackened mess. This application was no exception.
The Black Palette was actually my first experience with Urban Decay, and I got it on clearance. I'm glad I didn't write off the brand after that experience because I read several reviews that echoed the problem I had.

Shades marked with a daisy were all the ones I used from this palette.

I really like this look.

To complete it I wore my favorite lipstick combination that I can't get enough of lately. More to come on that soon! It is also bargain brands, but unfortunately they were limited edition products.

with flash

So that was the look I wore to bring some team spirit into the game. Sadly it wasn't enough. Maybe next year!

As for the rest of the game, I enjoyed Katy Perry's half time show, especially Missy Elliot's guest appearance!
I also loved how everyone on my twitter feed was live tweeting the half time show. My favorite part was the fireworks and when Katy rode off on a the-more-you-know shooting star.
I think my favorite commercials were the Budweiser puppy commercial (of course!) and the Liam Neeson commercial. I will admit though I did miss quite a few, including the girl-power tampon commercial but I did hear about it and loved what I heard!

What was your favorite part of the Super Bowl? Who were you rooting for? Let me know in the comments!

2014 Wrap Up Video

On the last day of 2014 I made this video of the past year.

I originally made it to just share on my facebook but I thought, eh, why not share it here!

I hope you all had a good 2014, a wonderful new year, and that 2015 brings you nothing but happiness!!

Enjoy~

Red Coat Tuesday: Holy Grail Red Lip?!

Finally!! Pretty Little Liars returns tonight for season 5B after a grueling wait.

Which means, the #RedCoatTuesday link up is back!

For the premiere I decided to focus on lips since I am currently wearing acrylic nails (for the first time in my life! More on that later).

And what better way to kick off the season then to talk about the perfect red lip?

Chances are you know who Kat Von D is, and you have probably heard that her makeup products have steadily taken the beauty world by storm. The Kat Von D line is sold at Sephora and is a little too steep for me. I have been wanting to try her products for quite a long time but the opportunity never came up.

So when I heard that some of her products were popping up in Marshall's and TJ Maxx I knew I had to try and snatch some up!

I got lucky and found one of her infamous Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks which are liquid lipsticks that dry matte. Even better, I found it in the universally flattering shade, Outlaw!

Matte Liquid Lipsticks are probably one of the most popular items in the beauty world lately. Kat Von D's Everlasting line has been compared to Limecrime Velvetines or Stila stay all day lipstick. It applies wet but dries to a matte finish that is supposed to be smudge proof, kiss-proof, and stay on all day!

So, after trying it, is it my new Holy Grail?!

As you can see, I truly got a steal on this one! It was on sale for $6.99! The tag says compare at $14 but it is actually on Sephora's website for $19! So I got it for less than half of the full price!

A sticker on the bottom has both the shade name and the color. I find this helpful since the rest of the box does not give any indication of the shade.

When I opened it I realized it was a lot smaller than I thought it was. It's very skinny. Because of this I would feel even more uncomfortable paying full price, since you're not getting that much product. I found out that the reason this is at Marshall's is because it is the old packaging.

It has a standard doe foot applicator but since it's thin, it has pretty good control. I still think it's a good idea to apply with a brush on the edges to get a crisp line. I did not use a brush but for best results I think you should.

As you can see with just one swipe it is INCREDIBLY pigmented. The top of this swatch is still wet, and the bottom has begun to dry and you can see it become a matte finish. You can also see how it looks like it is part of my skin as opposed to the top of the swatch looks like it is just sitting on top of the skin.

I rubbed the bottom half of this swatch pretty hard and as you can see there is a *slight* pink smear and the color gets patchy. But it was still not completely dry when I did this. When I tried again a few minutes later it was much harder to get to budge!

On the lips it is a beautiful brick red. It is pretty neutral and therefor I think it would be flattering on most skin tones! Since this is a matte lipstick it is best to prep your lips beforehand. However since I'm lazy I did not and I did not experience any of the typical drying you usually get with matte lipsticks. It doesn't cling to dry patches either so it's a pretty nice formula!

I wore this lipstick out to a bar with some friends because I wanted something I could throw on and forget about. This definitely fits that description! Once on my lips I couldn't even tell it was there. While it's drying you don't want to rub your lips together but once it's dry it's DRY and not going anywhere.

OKAY so remember I said I was going to a bar? I'm going to let that explain the face..... I will also say that there were friends in this picture also making silly faces but I cropped them out to respect their privacy.
The point is, this is the lipstick about 5 hours and a few drinks later. As you can see it is still going strong! No smudging or fading at all! In fact when I got home several hours later it was still as bold as ever, and I took pictures of myself again because I was so amazed. To spare myself the embarrassment I won't be posting those pictures haha

I wore this lipstick again on Christmas as it felt like a very holiday friendly shade. It also matched my dress. My lips were a bit dry this day and I should have prepped them first but I ran out of time. For not exfoliating or moisturizing, I'd still say they don't look that bad but they do look dry.

Lastly I thought I would include this picture from after Christmas dinner. As you can see the color faded a bit in the center but it's not awful. This is after a few hours and a meal, and it held up pretty well. I didn't even touch it up after although I probably should have, haha.

So is this my new holy grail?! Honestly...it is for now! I really love that I can throw it on and not worry about reapplying all day. I can also eat and drink without worrying about it smearing everywhere. My boyfriend loves that I can kiss him without leaving behind a big red lip mark. Even though it's quite neutral, if this were just a tad more blue toned it would be a TRUE holy grail for me. As it is now, I do love it and will use it up but I would only repurchase if it were on sale.

Have you tried any of Kat Von D's cosmetics? I have been dying to try the Lock It Foundation and have heard great things about her eyeshadow palettes and liquid eyeliner.

Don't forget to check out everyone else's Red Coat Tuesday and don't forget to watch the season B premiere of Pretty Little Liars!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Journey to Teal Hair

When I lost my job, I thought I would have so much more time to blog and take pictures and practice makeup. What I didn't realize was that I would lose the motivation to do these things.
I found myself in a bit of a funk.

I decided the best way to get myself out of it was to do something I have been wanting to do for as long as I can remember- dye my hair a fun color.

I have always been attracted to fun colors but always shied away due to practicality (of having/finding a job). But I decided to just go for it in this time between jobs, telling myself I would be totally fine with dying it all dark if a job opportunity came along.

I didn't expect to fall so hard in love. Now, I'm really hoping to find a job that will accept my hair!

So let's start with the before pictures. I had my hair done in January and I absolutely loved it. (fresh hair can be seen in the sidebar picture) It was bleach blonde with red underneath and red through my bangs. I really did love it but I didn't love the price. I kept putting off getting it touched up and then money was tight so I simply didn't have the money for the upkeep.

So my hair ended up looking like this:

And this picture is actually a little old. Turns out, when your hair looks like crap, you don't take many pictures that show it off!

I thought I would just grab some dye and throw it on myself, not having any expectations or care if I messed it up. Luckily, my friend Natalie who is a hairstylist stepped in and stopped me from wrecking my hair. She offered to do it for me! So together we started the journey.
This is what we started with:

**FYI many of these pictures have been edited (blurred) for privacy reasons. You can laugh, I'm not a damn photoshop pro**

Here is the beauty from the back. This shows off my glorious (and greasy at the time so be nice) roots, my bleach blonde mid section, and my faded red brown underneath.

So to begin we bleached the hair that needed it

We were trying to damage it as least as possible so we did not leave the bleach on for long. We also wanted some dimension so. This is the middle ground we got!

Also it's not fair of me to say "we". Like I literally did nothing but sit there. But I digress.

We were shooting roughly for a teal color I had seen online, so we got Pravana Vivids colors in blue and green. We kept them separate and we also mixed them together.

We also took a lot of precautions with trash bags EVERYWHERE. It looked like a scene from Dexter, honestly.

Once the dye started going on I was so excited! There was no turning back now.

My brilliant innovation to contain the dye and foils. Can you tell I'm excited?

Finally, we rinsed it out.

We discovered that my hair REALLY liked blue, but not so much green. The green at my roots had a hard time sticking but more than that, Natalie's fears were confirmed about the underneath of my hair.
You see, the color wheel is a real thing. So the green hair dye and the red hair really just neutralized to a lovely brown color.
Obviously not what we were going for. So, we gave it another go! (after a day to give my hairz a brief rest)

I should note that my hair was not damaged at this point, as we did not leave the dyes in for very long and my hair was fairly healthy when we started.

This picture gives you a better view of how BLUE some of my hair was (the parts that were blonde before) and how the bottom was a muddy brown.

We ended up putting some more bleach on the bottom parts to lighten it up to take the color better.

So! Take 2! Isn't that a lovely color?

AAAAAANNNNDD.....

and voila! a more awesome color over all.

Here is a shot from the back! Much more vibrant :)

So as you can see the top is a much better shade of teal/green. There are still pieces of straight up blue but its not as much as before. And finally the underneath is a teal green shade.

Indoor lighting

Here is a before (after take 1) and after- after take 2. You can see the difference in the roots and bottom.

As you can imagine, I'm pretty obsessed!

The first few days, I couldn't stop looking in the mirror and taking pictures of myself. It was a problem.

So, what do you think? I love it!

And one more gem that I couldn't resist including: my beloved cat deciding my face was a pillow:

So let's chat! Have you ever had "fun" colored hair?! I know the more alternative colors aren't for everyone. But I think they are so fun and look good on everyone! What color would you dye your hair if you had no outside pressures?

Red Carpet Best Dressed (pic heavy!)

The past two nights have been sitting on my couch, eyes glued to the TV for two very different award shows.

I thought I would gather what I found to be the best dressed celebs from both occasions. These are JUST my opinions, and I'm sure there were many other fabulously dressed people that I didn't see or couldn't get a picture of.

As you can imagine these are not my images as I was not at either award show, but I gathered them from the internet and hope that it is okay that I am using them.

The first award show was the MTV Video Music Awards (or VMAs) aka the scene of the scandal of the year last year featuring Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke.
The dress code for MTV is, well, casual! People dress up, too, but in general it's a more casual vibe.

Riff Raff (rapper), Katy Perry (pop singer), Britney Spears (princess), Justin Timberlake (prince)

For starters I have to give props to Katy Perry for paying homage to the Prince & Princess of Pop! Such a hit. Riff Raff also had the denim cowboy hat as well but it didn't make too many appearances in pictures. I can't imagine why ;)

Ashley Rickards, Actor (Awkward.)

I love the side detailing on Ashley's dress. This photo doesn't do the dress justice, it's actually a bright royal blue. But I really wanted a picture that captured the detailing on this gorgeous mini dress.

Mary Lambert, singer

Of course I always have love for my plus sized ladies out there rockin' it and Mary Lambert is indeed ROCKIN' it in this floral dress. Her sideswept low bun and bold red lipstick complete this look.

Lucy Hale, actor (Pretty Little Liars)

One of my favorite celebrities, Lucy Hale actually hosted the red carpet shenanigans, and looked great doing it! I love this two piece ensemble that is just as edgy as it is trendy. 

Nick Jonas (singer) and girlfriend Olivia Culpo

As far as couples go, these two hit it out of the park. I love both of their outfits but Olivia looks timeless while Nick just says fun. 

Julianne Hough (dancer, actor)

While the front of the dress is just okay, I was wowed by her hair and her makeup. She looks great! And when I saw the back of the dress it cemented her spot in my best dressed list.

A chain backing makes this edgy and fresh.

Greer Grammer, actor (Awkward.)

From the color to the dress itself to her beautiful waves, Greer nails it on the red carpet this year! I can't say anything except I love love love it!

Uzo Aduba, actor (Orange is the New Black)

Her outfit is classy but most of all her makeup is on point. Her red lips and sparkly eyes were what made me take a double take. I love it. 

My opinions on the VMAs themselves: 

• Nicki Minaj killed it, wardrobe malfunction and all. 
• Wasn't very impressed by Taylor Swift's new song...
• I am not a big fan of Iggy Azalea but I really enjoyed her performance with Rita Ora because I really like that song.
•  The Robin Williams "tribute" was honestly a disgrace (a handful of pictures randomly showed on the screen with no words, no introduction, no RIP , nothing, then cut away to commercial awkwardly), 
• Common came out and said a word and had a moment of silence for Ferguson, MO and Michael Brown. It makes me tear up when celebrities use their position of power and influence for something good. Which leads me to...
•  Miley Cyrus did just that this year and blew everyone's expectations out of the water. She sent up a homeless young man to accept her award and he gave a speech about the homeless youth problem in LA. It was really moving and touching that she used the spotlight on her to do some good- I hope that becomes a trend.  
• Then of course Beyonce shut the whole thing down with an epic 16 minute long performance for the Vanguard award. It was amazing to see her stand on stage with FEMINIST on the screen behind her, and to hear the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and to know that many young eyes were on the queen at this moment, just made me feel a way I can't describe. 

And then Monday night (which host Seth Meyers had plenty of jokes about) was the Primetime Emmys which celebrate "primetime" television. The Emmys have a more formal vibe and people dress up more for sure.

Lucy Liu, actor

Lucy looks quite classy and beautiful in this gauzy off-white number.

Mayim Bialik, actor (the big bang theory...also, Blossom)

Some people say Mayim was overpowered by the dress but I think she looks really lovely. I think she honestly looks perfect. She is apparently very religious and believes in dressing modestly and I think it's awesome that she can look this good while sticking to her beliefs. 

Claire Danes, actor

Claire Danes is perfection in this outfit, lets be honest. I love everything about it. The sideswept hait, bold neckline, and belted dress all look great!

Laverne Cox, actor (Orange is the New Black)

Laverne looks like a freaking greek goddes alright?I don't know why but that's the vibe that I got from this ensemble and I'm not complainin'. Her make up is on point as well!

Melissa Mccarthy, actor (Mike & Molly, Bridesmaids)

Melissa is another plus size girl who is s-l-a-y-i-n-g it! That bodice is wonderful and she just looks amazing! I only wish I could have seen this in like a bright blue or purple. Black is obviously great but it looks almost morbid in this setting. I still think she killed it though, don't get me wrong!!

Amy Poehler, queen

Ahhh the queen. Amy looked outright spectacular. Although I'm not a huge fan of the dress, I still think she looks just utterly amazing. And, I love her more than I can say so I might be a little biased. but c'mon! 

Halle Berry, actor

I love the dress that Halle has on. The color looks GREAT on her and I love the top. I think this is just an awkward picture of her bottom half but either way I'm not quite on board with the thigh high leg slit a ' la Angelina Jolie at the Oscars.

Alexandra Daddario (actor, True Detective)

Honestly I didn't know who this person was before this but I think she snuck up and nabbed Best Dressed. She just looks so classy, glamorous, and smoldering. I can't get enough!!

Viola Davis, actor (The Help)

Last but not least is this beautiful blue number on Viola Davis. This is DEFINITELY her color. I love the top of the dress and I love her bold red lips to bring it all together!

As for my thoughts on the award show: 

• Seth Meyers was pretty funny
• There was a Billy On the Streets segment that was amazing, I love Billy Eichner. 
• The questions from the audience joke was really funny
• I basically don't agree with any of the wins of the night but what do I know??
• Related: Amy Poehler got robbed!!! Definitely should have taken home best lead actress in a comedy
• The In Memoriam segment featured a song sung beautifully by Sara Bareilles and was very sad which lead into a small tribute to Robin Williams by Billy Crystal. I was tearing up for sure. 
• a low moment included a sexist joke about Sofia Vergara....I am thankful to have missed this joke by being in the bathroom and I have no interest in finding out about it because it would probably make me angry. 

Phew, what a long list, right?! I just couldn't narrow it down! 

Were you guys watching the award shows? Who do you think was best and worst dressed? I'd love to hear it in the comments below.