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. 

Throwback Thursday: Peach & Blue Makeup

I know I've been slacking on posts lately. It's a mixture of feeling uninspired, being broke (so not a lot of new cosmetics coming in to review), and being really really lazy.

Even though I don't have anything new to show you (yet- I'm working on it!!), instead I'm gonna share a #TBT post.

This Throwback Thursday is from a few months ago when I went out with some friends. Before this, I hadn't put makeup on in weeks so I was so excited to try something fresh.

I played with the color combination of peach/coral and baby blue. Two colors that I never thought to put together but they didn't look too bad.

My wings for this look were definitely inspired by Tori aka Biohazardous Beauty  and I was pretty into them.

For eyeliner I used the Chella Indigo Blue eyeliner that I got in an Ipsy bag. Even though it's gorgeous, it was very hard to use. It's a temperamental eyeliner for sure!

Well I hope you enjoyed that walk down memory lane- you know it's a throwback when it was before I had my Iphone!

What do you think? Does the color combination work or does it remind you too much of a baby shower? Because I'm not gonna lie, I kinda got those vibes too.

Makeup by One Direction: The Looks Collection & GIVEAWAY!

Makeup lovers and One Direction fans alike will be so excited for what I'm about to show you!

The Looks Collection is the new collection of Makeup by One Direction that is coming to stores this August! It has 3 keepsake tins inspired by each One Direction album- Up All Night, Take Me Home, and Midnight Memories!
Each tin has a different theme to it to help you achieve a different look- are you a rock'n'roll type? A fun party girl? Or perhaps the girl next door look is what you're going for! Either way there's something for you, complete with illustrations in each tin to help you achieve the right look.

The cool part is that each Limited Edition tin comes with One Direction doodle stencils so you can decorate you tin and make it unique to your style!

This line will be available worldwide, and starting in the US!
First it will be available at Macy's on August 11th
Then, on August 25th you can find it at Stage Stores, Dillards, Beauty Brands & Lord and Taylor.

International release dates are yet to be determined. I'm not sure if these collections will be available online at the above retailers but I hope they are!

Each tin comes with: a lipgloss, lipstick, eyeshadow quad, chubby pencil, mascara, stencils, and nail polish. Literally everything you need to make a complete look!

I don't know the price point of these makeup tins yet, but since it comes with SO much I can't imagine the price will be unreasonable. You can make a whole look using just the tin, not to mention the tin itself is a collectible!

Info on each individual tin can be found below:

Which one is your favorite? I honestly can't choose! I like Take Me Home but I also like Up All Night!

The coolest part to me is the lipgloss- lip gloss that changes color under UV light? GENIUS! I want one of those for sure!

Now for the fun part- the giveaway! Make sure you read the official rules because this giveaway is not run by me. I am hosting this giveaway courtesy of Brandbacker! I'm not being compensated in any way but I really wanted to give my readers a chance to win something from this awesome makeup collection!

You can find this collection on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection
You can also check out the hashtags #Makeupby1d #thelookscollection #markwins

This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only- sorry international readers!
GOOD LUCK!

;

Are you excited? Did you enter! Don't forget to spread the word and increase your chances of winning! Good luck guys!

4th of July makeup- red white and blue cut crease

4th of July may have been weeks ago but that doesn't mean I'm done talking about it!
The truth is that I will probably never be one of those bloggers that posts their makeup/nails for an event..before the actual event happens. I mean let's just be real I don't know what I'm wearing until I put it on my face on my way out the door!

So here's what I came up with for July 4th this year. A totally predictable red, white, and blue cut crease

Pretty patriotic looking, eh?

This look came to life thanks to my Sugarpill @#$%! pressed eyeshadow (red), Nyx Jumbo pencil in Milk and Wet n Wild white from I <3 Matte 8-pan (white) and Chella indigo eyeliner (blue).

Then I completed the look with Nyx soft matte lip cream in Amsterdam

This was definitely a very tricky cut crease since white is obviously very easy to mess up!! So I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it white!

Once again I must comment that the Chella eyeliner is extremely difficult to use. I discovered this is because the liquid does not come out when you first press down, so this makes it difficult to make an even and straight line because you actually have to put the pen down ahead of where you want to start, for the line to show up where you want it.

All in all I was feeling very festive!

Now here's some bonus pictures of me messing around with some sparklers! You can kinda see my outfit in these pictures which is, of course, very festive at all.

For what it's worth the top is from Target from 2 years ago that I got on clearance for $3 and kept saving for July 4th. Well I missed last July 4th because I couldn't find it so I finally got to wear it this year!
And the red pants are from Kmart.
I live on a budget, yo.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Independence Day! Did you do any festive makeup for the holiday?