#imadethis: Ugly Christmas Sweater.

I used this WalMart sweater as inspiration. Was less than satisfied with the drain so I decided to make my own version. Was seeking something long enough to wear with leggings.

I went searching in Burlington Coat Factory for a plain red or green sweater, coming across this great high-low red one. (7.99 USD)

Then I went to Joann Fabrics to pick up these snowman buttons after Doug a bit of research online. 

I also grabbed a few packs of jingle bells (medium and small) to adorn the neckline and sweater for some tacky 3D elements. 

Used white fabric paint to create (what's left of) Snowman's body. Outlined perimeter with mini paintbrush. Filled in with medium paibtbrush. Used fabric marker to letter in the words then went over it with micro paintbrush and tons of patience. 

Glued jingle bells to sweater with metallic silver glue sticks (applied with high temperature hot glue gun.)

And, Voila! The finished product. Worn to two different parties: an ugly sweater party (top) and a Christmas pajama party (bottom). 

OOTD: Outdoor Happy Hour.

Dress: H&M, $18 USD

Belt: Calvin Klein (@ Macy's), $12 USD

Shoes: Dolce Vita (@TJ Maxx), $35 USD

Clutch: Marc Jacobs (@ Macy's), $128 USD 

I had this happy hour to attend that was outdoors. In Miami, if you don't wear the right thing, you will sweat to death. Been wary of buying a skater dress but really love the nostalgic feel of the wash of this dress so I figured this would be a good starter. I was surprised at how flattering it is too! 

#Review: Ole Hendriksen Power Peel

Today in trying the Power Peel from Ole Henriksen. I scored on it Sephora's Beauty to Go section for $16 USD.  It's a 3-step peel process that boasts spa quality. I'm absolutely in love with this line. I recently started using the Three Little Wonders Kit from them as well. (Review here) Package comes with two sets, so that you can do this process twice.

I was relieved when I opened it since I was worried that $16 USD was a little steep for a one time sample.

1. Almond Polish

Here's a shot of my face after using it. 

It removed so many dead cells and truly brightened my skin. I was already happy after this step because it smoothed my skin out tremendously. 

2. Lemon Peel

This picture is after the application of it. 

Do not wash this off! I almost made that mistake- thankfully, I read the instructions again before trying. It tingles but doesn't burn. I felt as if my skin was tightening thought. The next step is meant to be applied over this one. 

3. Chamomile Comfort

This picture is during the 15 minute waiting period. 

It's not a cooling sensation like menthol or eucalyptus- but it smells so pleasant and the chamomile makes waiting so relaxing. There is just a hint of chamomile- it's not overpowering or overbearing. 

End results: 

Look at my face! 

Review: I'd try it. It was quick, easy, and simple. The

#youshouldread: How to make your hair grow faster naturally

Looking at the Twitter this morning and stumbled across this article. 

how to make your hair grow naturally faster. <http://trend-junky.com/2817/how-to-naturally-make-your-hair-grow-faster/?r=aut200>

There are the seven steps:

#1 Space Out Your Hair Washes
#2 Avoid Silicone Based Products
#3 Conditioning Treatments
#4 Avoid Heat
#5 Drink A Lot Of Water
#6 Apply An Avocado/Egg White Hair Mask
#7 Trim Your Hair Every 4-8 Weeks

#ThisJustIn ! Clarisonics on sale!

I just opened an email Sephora sent out this afternoon announcing the marked down price of limited edition Clarisonic Mia. The price is now $99 USD. I went to the Clarisonic website (http://www.clarisonic.com/shop-our-products/clarisonic-mia-CL11.html) and discovered that it's the same price there, you have a higher variety of colors to choose from and there's free engraving available. 

#nailed: InStyle DIY nails for Spring

http://news.instyle.com/2014/03/27/the-best-diy-nail-looks-to-try-this-spring/

These are adorable. I'm especially excited to try the floral nails- since I'm a sucker for floral with a black background😍.

PASTEL MOONS

With smoky lavender and a pop of soft coral, this is subtle enough to fly at work but cool enough to boost your fashion cred.

1. Apply a base coat.
2. With the coral polish brush paint over the natural half-moon shape at the bottom of your nail. Drag the tip of a wooden orange stick along outer edges to perfect the shape. Let dry.
3. Position the lavender polish brush at the lower-left corner of the nail, above the coral arc, and sweep it diagonally across the surface. Position the brush at the lower-right corner and repeat. Fill in any gaps.
4. Add a topcoat.

POP ART
If these artful streaks feel too daring to brush over all 10 digits, “try them as an accent nail,” Poole says.

1. Apply a base followed by two coats of white polish. Let dry.
2. Paint on one stripe of red polish; allow edges to appear uneven. Repeat with yellow and green. Let dry.
3. Paint on several streaks of black polish, in varying lengths.
4. Add a topcoat.

GRAPHIC MINIMALISM

Never cared for coloring inside the lines? Use a long, thin striping brush from a crafts store to draw these V-shapes and keep you on the straight and narrow.

1. Apply a base, then two coats of opaque white polish. Let dry.
2. Grab the black polish and place the tip of the brush on the outer edge of the nail; sweep it over to the center. Repeat, starting at the other outer nail edge.
3. Make a dot at the center of the nail; sweep the brush from that dot out toward the tip, creating a V-shape. Fill in any gaps.
4. Add a topcoat.

BOLD FLORALS

This splashy tip is a cinch to master, if you just keep the shapes abstract, says Poole.

1. Start with a base coat, then add two layers of navy. Let dry.
2. Paint a few short streaks of green polish over the nail, pointing the ends so they resemble leaves.
3. Next to the streaks, dab and swirl the tip of the purple polish brush to make petal-like shapes. Repeat with coral polish. 
4. Dot the yellow pen over petals.
5. Apply a topcoat.

#imadethis: tribal skull hoodie repurposed

All this watching reruns of Boy Meets World makes me want some old fashion 90's layers in my wardrobe. I was thrifting and saw this in the boys section and the skulls were the thing that drew me. There is nothing like skulls and tribal is pretty hot right now too. 

Here are some process pictures with photos of the final product. 

Before 

The sleeves were pretty short. 

Process

Gave it not enough room to fray, but enough room to leave seam untouched. 

Really need to touch up the zipper. 

After

Detail of sleeve. 

#imadethis: Denim Jacket repurposed into vest.

One of my passions is repurposing clothing.  Not only does it allow me to make the clothing my own, but it becomes a custom piece. Since I despise wearing t-shirts, I wanted some creative way that allowed me to wear a t-shirt and still be fashionable. I figured that I would need to add a couple of items to my wardrobe. I really wanted to add the following to my wardrobe to expand: a chambray long-sleeved bottom down, a jeans vest (traditional) and a jeans vest (racerback, destroyed). I came across this awesome jean jacket in Goodwill a couple of days ago that was only 5 bucks so why not try this! It w's a perfect candidate. The sleeves were baggy and totally unflattering so I deemed this a perfect candidate. 

Before 

Sooooo baggy

Process

I literally cut all the way closest to the seam. Everyone is saying that it looks like I bought it this way. 

After

Head to Toe

#newrelease: Urban Decay Electric Palette in stores today!

Great news! Urban Decay had released the Electric Palette in stores today! 

Previously, this set was available on store websites like Ulta & Sephora. I cannot wait to try this out in stores! I want to see how it contrasts against my skin and most bloggers are white so their swatches didn't help much. 😭

Personally I'm planning to buy this from Sephora. I'll be going to a VIB event for Sephora on Thursday to get a nice little discount on this. VIBs, if you haven't checked in the mail recently- this came in. You can also save 15% online and in stores by giving code VIBTICKET. This code will only work for VIBs. 

If you have no idea what I'm talking about then You probably prefer Ulta. Don't fret- they also have a great incentive to purchase- two free samples- deluxe lipgloss and Eye Primer Potion sample for any UD purchase over $40 USD.

Update:

Got a chance to try it out at Macy's! Get a load of these swatches!

They're fairly true to the color. 

Closerrrrr. 

#imadethis: Cavaricci Denim Jacket repurposed

Another gem from my thrifting trip. I had just expressed the need for a destroyed, cropped jeans vest for dresses, etc. This Cavaricci one was perfect. Not only was it an X-Small, but the actual denim will fray normally, making it look even more like it was purchased as a dress- not modified. To add to all that, the denim is soft and worn. It's perfect. 

Before 

I almost couldn't bring myself to cut it since it fit so well. Then I remembered that Florida is super hot and my wardrobe doesn't call much for jackets. 

Glad I did. 

After

Pretty flattering 😊

#Review: Cover FX Cream Concealer in G Medium Deep

In the market for great concealer. I have the worst hyperpigmentation from my acne scars and my picking obsession. So I need full coverage concealer without blocking up my pores and causing more breakouts. Since I'm doing powder from this brand, I figured might as well. Plus, their rep for having skin friendly and some vegan products definetly made me okay with trying this out. 

Review

Cover FX 

Cream Concealer in G Medium-Deep

$27 USD, Sephora

Wasn't super thick or greasy like other concealers. I liked how well it covered. A little bit of product went a long way! I just applied so I'll update once I've been wearing it for most of the day. 

Took some process pictures. 

Before

Application

After

Verdict: I'm fairly happy with the coverage. Would I buy this personally? $27 USD sounds steep but the amount of product that you get makes the price worth it. I want this in my life.