Balancing Jewelry & Jewel-Toned Makeup!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great day! :) I'm excited to pass along a guest blog today, from a Beauty Broadcast viewer I met on Twitter! Her name is Ashley Spade & she generously offered to write a guest blog on a trend she's noticed lately-- jewel-toned makeup! I was impressed that while Ashley regularly contributes to her style blog... she's also a law student! Wow! I hope you enjoy her tips like I did, and be sure to check out her links at the end of the post! Take it away, Ashley!

Jewelry Makeup & Jewel Toned Makeup: What Works & What Doesn't

A Guest Blog by Ashley Spade

I always feel that jewelry and makeup finish an outfit. This can be good or bad depending on how you choose your accessories and makeup. One of the trends right now is jewel toned eye makeup. They are beautiful, rich colors such as emerald, amethyst, and sapphire. How do you incorporate this new trend into your current makeup and jewelry routine? Here are some guidelines I have found helpful in making these decisions.

1. Gem/Jewel accessories do not have to match your jewel toned eye makeup... I often find that matching the gem jewelry to the jewel toned eye makeup is very "matchy matchy" and doesn't look as nice. Instead, try to complement them. What are you trying to show off more: Your jewelry or your makeup? Make that item pop out and then try to complement the other to it. For example, if I am wearing a beautiful emerald and gold necklace and that is my show piece, I'm going to complement it with a gold or neutral makeup, not the emerald. Or if I want to show off my emerald eye makeup, I would wear pretty gold/diamond chandelier earrings.

2. A tan makes a difference on which eye makeup to wear... If you go to tanning salons, it will make a difference on which eye makeup you should be wearing. I'm a pale person naturally, so a lighter eye makeup stands out more. But when I go to the tanning salon the lighter makeup doesn't make my eyes pop as much since I'm darker. So I need to change up my makeup and pick a darker color to complement my new tan. Jewel toned eye makeup will look lovely with a tanned body!

3. Wear the opposite jewel toned eye makeup to your eye color... Again, don't match your eye makeup to your eyes. Wear the opposite to make your eyes stand out! Green eyes do not look their best with emerald colored makeup. But they do look great with amethyst eye makeup. Brown eyes look best with either an amethyst eye makeup or emerald eye makeup. Blue eyes pop with copper, peach and bronze.

4. Use only one main accessory as your accent piece... When putting on jewelry, only use one main piece as your accent piece. For example, chandelier earrings are a great accent piece, and then a small bracelet or thin necklace. You don't want to take away the attention from your great chandelier earrings or have too much jewelry to be distracting. Use Coco Chanel's advice: "When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on."

5. Jewel toned eye makeup isn't always appropriate... There's always a time and place for things. Jewel eye makeup may not be the most appropriate for job interviews once you graduate from school. Interviews are a good time to tone down the makeup and jewelry to make the best professional impression.

I hope these pieces of advice help you as much as they have helped me over the years!

♥

Ashley Spade, when not on the quest for the perfect accessory or shoes to complete an outfit, is a law student in Chicago. She spends most of her time at the library, but she also enjoys exploring the various boutiques in the city and serving as a personal stylist to her friends and family. When possible, her furry sidekick Sir Winston Pugsalot the First accompanies her on outings. Follow their adventures on twitter: @ashspade or read up on her fashion tips and opinions at http://beltsandbangles.com/

Milani Lip Flash Shimmer Gloss Pencils

Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I absolutely hate the fact that I haven't had much of a chance to update lately. Don't worry, that will change. This was a blog post that I actually took pictures for a couple weeks ago- but I'm just now getting around to posting it. I know I've mentioned in videos how I love jumbo lip pencils... they're a great combination of control and color/moisture. These "shimmer gloss pencils" known as Lip Flash from Milani are no exception! As you can tell by the colors... these are not for the shy! They cost around $6 at drugstores, and they are super pigmented, glossy, and are really full coverage in terms of the amount of color they give off... definitely not sheer. So basically- if you want great color payoff, you'll get your money's worth with these. I love the feel of these on my lips, and while the staying power is somewhat average- these shades are so pigmented that they leave a bit of a "stain" on the lips even after the gloss aspect wears off.

What is "wearable" is different to different people. While some people like bold lips, others might see it as far too dramatic. I think I'm somewhere in between. Milani sent me these products to review, and as I tried them on and wore some of them out & about-- there were some shades that I really knew I didn't like. There were others I absolutely loved. (I think that's to be expected with just about any line of lip products you try- not every shade will be everyone's favorite). But for my fellow jumbo lip pencil lovers- I wanted to give you pictures of what each pencil looked like on my lips, so you can make an informed decision if you're thinking about picking one up at the drugstore!

Top to bottom: Flashy, Photo Flash, Flash Light, Hot Flash, In a Flash, News Flash, Lip Flash

(My favorites are in bold...for some reason blogger wouldn't let me type those names next to each one!)

Here's just a little mini review on these... Keep in mind all have some sort of shimmer/sparkle. (even on the shades I don't like so much- I can't deny that the shimmer is FABULOUS). I love Photo Flash (the second in the row) for a bright pink. It's a bit toned down from Flashy, so I feel like it's more wearable for me. I'm also a big fan of number 3 in the row- Flash Light. It is a GORGEOUS coral color with just the right amount of orange. My other favorite is the 4th one on the list- Hot Flash. It is an absolutely beautiful metallic red. In a Flash is nice, and has a bit more of a bluish undertone than the first pink. It would be nice for a fun night out, but not so much for daily wear (at least not for me). I know I'm a news anchor, but I'm sorry to say I would never wear News Flash out of the house... except maybe on Halloween. It's just too dark. Lip Flash is interesting... has sort of a taupe/lavender hue. It doesn't do much for my skintone at all, so I won't be using that one much.

Bottom line... I think it was important to show these on the lips since some of these colors are deceiving in the packaging. No matter what shade you choose, I guarantee you will get intense color payoff. There is ONE nude shade in this line, but I didn't receive it, and I haven't found it in stores. I wish Milani would create a natural/neutral line of these pencils!! I love the feel, and I love jumbo pencils- it's just about picking the shade that's right... so I hope this helps you! :)

♥

Daily Nuggets...

• After the Silverdome Awards and a wedding- I thought I was done traveling for awhile... But spent most of the morning on the road for a story. Good thing it will be a GREAT story! :)
• I like when it's thundering outside and I have nowhere to go and nothing to do but BLOG.
• I had a total spa afternoon yesterday... bath, facial mask, exfoliated, and used Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel body oil. Don't know if I've ever been so nicely moisturized. It was just fantastic.
• Stayed with my parents while we were home for the wedding... mom sent me home with a bag full of goodies- homemade banana bread, homemade crescent rolls, and 100 calorie packs that she bagged up herself from various snacks. Thanks mom!
• It was nice to also hang out with dad on father's day weekend! Glad you're enjoying the new golf balls!
• Cupdate: (Cupcake Update) She has been incredibly sweet since we've been home! She doesn't want us leaving again anytime soon! :)

Bridal Bonanza!

Hey everyone! Now that all of my bridal-themed videos have been posted on the Bridal Guide website, as well as my special "Wedding Day Touch-Up Kit" for Shape.com, I thought I'd just put them all here on the blog so you could easily watch them all! :) I was on a 4-minute time limit with these videos, therefore I did have to do some voice-over stuff and sort of speed the process along at times. I hope they're still easy to understand! Best of luck to all who are planning weddings right now- I know it can get stressful, but try to have fun!

Bridal Beauty Part 1: Flawless Face

Bridal Beauty Part 2: Cry-Proof Eyes

Bridal Beauty Part 3: 2 in 1 Hair Tutorial

Bridal Beauty Part 4: Hot Honeymoon

Wedding Day Touch-Up Kit