Fall Decorations!

Hey everyone! How's your Monday going? I'm kind of wishing it was still the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, besides making videos, I spent a lot of time decorating my house for fall! I've scattered fall decorations all over the inside of the house. It's one of my favorite seasons, and while it's always fun to decorate for Christmas, there's just something about fall decorations... I love the colors, and it always reminds me of home, for some reason. So here are a few of the ways I decorated! Hope you like it!

Porch Display!

I got this cute mini hay bale from Wal-Mart. I know, very non-country of me, but I really don't have access to any of these just laying around my neighborhood! Everything in this little display actually came from Wal-Mart. Our house has a front porch area so I felt it would be somewhat protected there. The "Give Thanks" pumpkin isn't real (as you can probably tell :) but I thought it would be nice to re-use year after year. I was initially looking for real pumpkins & couldn't find any! what the...? The cute little scarecrow on a stick was only a buck! And the vine with leaves, berries, and mini pumpkins on it just kind of spiced up the whole arrangement. In all- this setup didn't cost much more than $20!

In the entry-way

I have these open archways on each end of my entry-way. I've always felt that each side was just dying for something to be placed on it! Now I have an excuse to decorate it. I got these leafy vines for half price at Hobby Lobby- (I don't remember the exact cost they came out to)- but they have a reddish hue, which works well with the colors in my house. That mini arrangement was around $3 at Dollar General. It just has some leaves and some weird little sparkly vines. DG actually has some really cute & VERY inexpensive decorations. I got some mini gourds from there last year & I've placed them here & there around the house.

More entry-way decor

On each side of the entrance to my house (as you head into the living room) I have these little iron & wicker stands from Hobby Lobby (love that store!). All summer I've had the potted plant, the candle, and the little zebra print box on there. I thought it still looked cute for fall, but I just added in some mini corn (got a small bag half price at Hobby Lobby) and a mini pumpkin (last year, Dollar General).

Dining Room Table

In my dining room, I have deep red walls, and red placemats on a dark wood table. I cut the leafy vines from the entry-way and use some here- worked well with the red. I love decorating with those pretty wine bottles (southern Illinois is wine country!) the light looks pretty coming through them. That little ceramic cornucopia (took 3 times to get that spelled right) came from Hobby Lobby (half price!). I also have candles and a pretty red pitcher & cups that we got for our wedding.

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Have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

Click here to see my DailyBooth Makeup of the Day!

And don't forget to vote on this week's Gameday Tutorial! :)

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Hey everyone! Well this is probably one of the most talked about palettes lately- the Urban Decay Naked palette. When I first caught a few glimpses of the palette online, I sort of thought... I probably have plenty of shadows that look like that. This isn't something I really need. Then I went to my nearest Ulta, saw the palette in person... and it took me less than a minute to decide that I needed it. I took some pretty good pictures (if I do say so myself, ha!) but it really helps to see the palette in person & feel the great texture. I like how each shade has its own unique texture... shimmery shades don't all have the same shimmer. Some are more metallic, others have glitter... then others are pearly and a couple are matte! I love that variety. And this might seem like a minor detail... but all the shades have names and they are posted right under the colors. This is very tutorial-friendly!! (I wonder if the UD people knew that ;)

The issue many people are running into with this palette is availability. Like I mentioned, I happened to find this at an Ulta. I can't find it on the Ulta website, but I did see it atSephora.com. I've heard from many people that Sephora stores have waiting lists and if you call, you can get a palette reserved for you when a new shipment comes in. The cost is $44... and you get the palette, along with a mini primer potion and a double ended 24/7 liner in Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown). Frankly, I think it's a great price for 12 shadows plus those extras. I had never tried the 24/7 liners, but here I got to try 2. That mini Primer Potion is pretty handy as well. So besides mascara, you basically have everything you need to create an eye look, which is pretty cool!

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BUT WHAT IF I CAN'T GET MY HANDS ON THIS PALETTE?!?!?

Take a deep breath. Yes this palette is awesome, but it's not the only great neutral palette out there. I have found similar shades in my Too Faced Natural Eye Kit, and there's also the Too Faced Naked Eye Kit that has some nice neutrals as well. If you have the Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette or the 88 Metal Mania Palette- you can definitely create some similar looks. From the drugstore- think about the Maybelline Natural Smokes Quad. Also L'oreal HIP Duos in Saucy and the ELF $1 quad in Butternut. I don't have this palette, but lots of people say the NYX Nude on Nude palette has a lot of similar shades. Keep in mind- these different sets don't provide EXACT DUPES for all 12 shades in the Naked palette, but each may offer some similar colors that can help you create similar looks.

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SWATCHES!

* denotes my favorite colors

Swatches of the first 6 shades (left to right): Virgin*, Sin, Naked, Sidecar*, Buck, Half-Baked

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Last 6 shades (left to right): Smog, (forgot Darkhorse, sorry!!!), Toasted*, Hustle*, Creep*, Gunmetal

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Here's my 2 in 1 tutorial showing a natural look, and a dramatic look using the Naked Palette!

Shopping List Ideas! 9/14/10

Hey everyone! I had a lot of people ask for a written out list of the items I mentioned in my shopping list ideas video. I'd be happy to post a blog sharing those things. Here's a question- would you like to see a blog that accompanies every video I do? Wasn't sure if people would take the time to check out both the video and a blog, but there is always some additional info I can provide. You all know I can talk forever! :)

Shopping List Ideas: 9/14/10

-NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Chestnut

-Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enough Buff

-ELF Super Glossy Lip Shine in Paradise Pink (Limited Edition)

-EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint

-MAC Dazzleglass in Sugarrimmed

-The Icing Shimmering Bronzing Powder

-Maybelline Define-a-Brow pencil

-Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara

-L'oreal Voluminous Mascara

-Maybelline Stylish Smokes Eyeshadow Quad in Natural Smokes

Winterberry Palette Review!

Hello friends!

I've been hearing some buzz about the latest Coastal Scents palette- known as the "Winterberry Palette". I received this from the company for review, and have been experimenting with some different looks for work here and there. I plan to use this in some future tutorials, so keep an eye out for those. As a whole, I enjoy the quality of these colors. It's made up of 12 different "hot pots"- those are the shadow pans that Coastal Scents sells individually- but decided to package them into this berry-themed palette. The palette is magnetic- and you may notice little notches on the side that allow you to pop the pans out. You could replace them with pans from other brands, such as MAC. The cost is $21.95 at the Coastal Scents website.

Top row (left to right): ME14, ME05, ME18, ME07

Middle row (left to right): ME20, S16, ME04, S06

Bottom row (left to right): S13, S08, ME15, S14

(swatches correspond with the colors as they are packaged above...

no primer was used as I swatched these)

I think what I like best about the hot pots in general from coastal scents-- is what you see is what you get. Generally the swatches look very similar to the colors in the palette, and there are very few palettes that seem to deliver that kind of result! All of the colors in this palette have a metallic/shimmery quality. I would've preferred that they mixed in some matte, because there is some color overlap. For example, if you look at the swatches of the first 2 rows- there are 3 purpleish-pink shades that are almost the same. (FYI- s16 is a bit more purple-toned in real life). Why not sprinkle in some matte colors to provide some color and texture contrast? On the upside, you CAN create lots of pretty color combos with this palette. My favorite shades are in the bottom row- they're kind of like jewel tones- so creamy & bold. I did a look using those 2 bluish shades on the bottom row & it was gorgeous. Because I enjoy these pinks & purples... I'll get a lot of good out of this palette!

*It's important to note that you'll find a lot of colors similar to these in the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette, and in the Metal Mania palette (minus the blues). Those colors are about the size of a dime, so if you use a lot of those shades, this palette might be worth buying. Also if you like to take your makeup on the go- this palette is smaller & more convenient to carry with you. However if you don't use those shades a lot & already own one of those 88 palettes- you don't necessarily need these too.

This palette might be for you if...

-You like pinky-purple colors

-You like shimmer

-You want a magnetic palette you can pop other colors into if you wish

-You've used up pinks & purples in your 88 Shimmer palette

-You want a smaller, more portable palette

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Thanks for stopping by my blog, and don't forget to vote on the new gameday poll! I just posted new teams for the upcoming week's look. Have a great day!

Emily

Physician's Formula POP Eyeshadow Swatches

Hey! This blog accompanies a review video on my YouTube channel of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips POP eyeshadow palettes! Check out my video for my detailed opinions on each palette. I wanted to put up some pictures so you could really see what the palettes and the swatches look like. I did not use a primer with any of these swatches- it's just the shadow as-is! The concept behind these palettes is that each one is designed for a certain eye color... and the shadows are designed to be worn in sets of 3 (top 3, middle 3, bottom 3). I don't see a real advantage to following either of those rules. Just because a brand directs you to use a certain eye palette because you have blue eyes or brown eyes, etc... doesn't mean it's the best palette. You can wear whatever colors you want & look good! Use your own judgement (and the help of this review) to make your decision :)

left to right: Hazel, Green, Blue, Brown

PROS:

-Palettes provide unique, bright shades you don't often see in the drugstore

-There are some neutral options in most palettes

-Colors have complex, in some cases multi-colored or iridescent shimmer

-9 shades per palette

CONS:

-Small amounts of each color

-All are shimmery... no matte shades

-Some bright colors are a bit sheer

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POP HAZEL EYES

My favorite palette. The shade on the far left is a MAC Cranberry dupe! Love the variety of colors- they look gorgeous together... and I have brown eyes!

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POP GREEN EYES

Beautiful, unique colors for a drugstore palette. They look great on the eyes in any combination you choose. I just wish a darker color was included to provide some contrast.

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POP BLUE EYES

Overall- a great blue palette. The darkest navy shade is gorgeous. Some of the brighter blues aren't as bright as they appear in the palette. The neutrals are gorgeous & metallic.

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POP BROWN EYES

My least favorite palette. The purple shades don't pop and aren't nearly as intense as they appear in the palette. The dark plum is nice, but worn together, the shade selection (neutrals and non-intense purples) can appear a bit muddy.

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Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog! Don't forget to vote for this week's Gameday makeup tutorial- the poll is on the right side of this page! :)

♥

Emily

If you want to know what makeup I'm wearing in this video- Click Here!