Summer Glam with Mary Kay!!

Hey everyone!! Who is seriously ready for summer?! Now that spring has finally arrived, I am still unsatisfied and now am craving summer.  Go figure.  I actually am not a huge fan of spring because of allergy season. Yuck.  However, I'm happy that it's reasonably warm and I don't need my boots and coat anymore!

But, in light of the coming season, I've decided to show you a Summer Glam makeup look featuring the wonderful products I received compliments of Mary Kay and Influenster!  Earlier this week I came home to a very happy mail day!  One of my packages was my MKGlam VoxBox!  Included was:

Mary Kay® Bronzing Powder

Mary Kay® Translucent Loose Powder

Mary Kay® Mineral Cheek Color

Mary Kay® Cream Eye Color in Apricot Twist 

Mary Kay® Cream Eye Color/Concealer Brush

Mary Kay® Lash Love® Mascara

Mary Kay® Gel Eyeliner with Expandable Brush Applicator in Jet Black

Mary Kay® NouriShine Plus® Lip Gloss in Mango Tango 

Happy Mail! Top Photo is MK!

Everything in the box was so pretty, fresh, and summery! I was inspired to create my own look using everything! So I'm going to call this my Mary Kay Summer Glam Makeup Mini Tutorial! 

So first up, I primed my face to make it a blank canvas for my makeup. I used my Yes to Blueberries Brightening Eye Roller to de-puff my eyes. This is really great for early mornings! Then I sprayed with my Lush Cosmetics Tea Tree Water Toner. Last I decided to use my Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. Now a lot of times I would use full fledged foundation, especially if I was planning on being photographed. But for this look, I felt that a tinted moisturizer was a better summer option. It's lightweight and gives you that sunkissed, dewy glow! Lastly, I put on a bit of concealer to cover any blemishes, redness, and the dark circles under my eyes that never seem to go away.  I used Benefit's Boing concealer (not shown) which is a lifesaver.

So now that we're prepped and ready, next up is powders!  I started off with the Mary Kay Translucent Powder to set the "foundation" and take away unwanted shine.  So here is what I looked like at this point!

Next I put on the MK Bronzer and the MK Blush! Both had great color and pigmentation. I didn't need to use a whole lot for it to show up. For the bronzer, I used the MK Powder Brush to dust it on the places the sun would normally color your skin. Which is pretty much everywhere except your eyes! I also used it to contour just a smidge under my cheek bones and jaw line. As for blush, I tend to be picky about colors. I usually lean toward a more coral tinted color, and this one is right in between pink and coral. But I absolutely love it. It gave me a nice natural glow that doesn't look like I'm wearing too much. And it's even got a bit of glitter!

Now onto my favorite part, the eyes!  I always love to play up my eyes with makeup! Although most of the time I go for a natural eyeshadow and a classic winged eyeliner.  Which is pretty much what I did here. After touching up my eyebrows, priming my eyelids and white lining my waterline, I moved onto the shadow!

Now I'm not really used to cream eyeshadows.  I've used them before on other people, but I actually think this is now the only one I own!  I have to say though, I really love it.  Its a beautiful color: neutral with a bit of shine, and its not slimy or greasy.  The color is very light, but it could definitely stand alone.  But for me, I like to add a little more depth.  So I used my favorite shadow pallet, Stila's In the Light pallet.

Can you tell which are my favorites? Lol.

I put the MK on my lids, then used the Stila "Kitten" shadow to highlight my brows, then dusted a little of the "Gilded" in my crease.  Also to give my eyes a little more brightness, I put some of the "Bubbly" in the inner corners of my eyes.

There are really a lot of different ways to use this cream shadow.  Another great thing about it is that its very buildable.  I used about two or three light coats to get it to the intensity I liked.  But you could definitely make it stand out even more if you want.

Awkward finger swatch

Next for the eyes was eyeliner!  I am basically the eyeliner queen.  I've been obsessed since about 8th grade and ever since I literally won't leave the house without it!  Well, not until recently when I started working 9 to 5. Now mascara is enough to hold me off, since I already look like I haven't slept in weeks.  Not much I can do to cover that anyway, haha.  But I digress.

This eyeliner is fabulous.  It is the MK Gel Eyeliner, and it came with the little baby brush which is adorable and equally as wonderful. It's also expandable. The liner glides on super smooth and is a really cool texture. It's not really a solid like most gel liners I've tried, but actually "gel" like in texture.  To give you an idea, if I had stuck my finger in it it would have sunk to the bottom!  So really, in this particular case, go light with that brush and less is definitely more. I found myself wiping the brush on the side of the pot even after taking the tiniest bit.  So seriously, don't just dive on in there.  You'll regret it.

Last for my eyes was the mascara. I am a mascara addict. Which is actually funny because I never even used it until my second or third year of college. I always hated the clumpy feeling it gave me. But when I got older, I tried out some different ones and eventually latched on to the Maybelline mascara collection. Seriously I bought like every new one that came out until I found my favorite. But for this look, I used the MK Mascara. I actually really like it. It's not clumpy and it doesn't feel like you're really wearing anything. But it gave my lashes a nice natural boost. I put two coats on my top and one on the outer lashes on the bottom.

I used that little brush for my concealer!

To complete the look, I finished off with the MK lipgloss. I think this is the product I was most excited about when I opened everything up. It's such a fun, bright color and instantly made me think of summer. It's just an overall great gloss!

I had a really great time doing this look! I 100% LOVE all of the Mary Kay products and would recommend them all to everyone! I'll definitely be using them this summer!! Make sure you head over to the Mary Kay website to check out the products I used and the tons of other great things they have to offer! I've been a fan of theirs for many years, as my mom used to be a representative!! So believe me when I say the company is timeless and great quality!

The final look!

I hope you enjoyed reading my first mini makeup tutorial as much as I did writing it! Please feel free to comment below with any questions or anything else! I always love to hear from my readers!

#DWEEB

XO, Briana

Easter Outfits!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! And if you don't celebrate Easter, I still hope you had a great weekend!  I certainly did!  This year, I actually got to celebrate Easter twice: one last weekend with my Mom's side of the family, and this weekend with my Dad's!  You know what that means.  Not one, but two Easter outfits!! So I thought I would finally put together an outfit post with my own pictures!

Weekend number one was with my Mom's family.  We actually were celebrating not only Easter, but my Grandmom and my cousin's birthdays!  Pretty much just a big 'ol get together!  But I still dressed in my "Sunday Best."

Me & Grandmom

It was super nice outside that day, and I definitely took advantage!  I wore this adorable lace coral dress that I got at Marshall's! [Side note: One of my favorite stores!]  Then came the accessories!  I went with all gold metallics, including my shoes!

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction (Marshall's) | Bauble Necklace: Local Store | 

Earrings: Bella Jack (TJ Maxx) | Bracelet: Betsey Johnson, Forever 21, Local Store | Sunglasses: Persol 

Weekend number two was actually Easter Sunday! It was great to see everyone, although only a small portion of my enormous family.  We had a great time eating our traditional Puerto Rican Easter dinner, chit chatting, and even playing a few rounds of Bingo!  And of course we had to take some holiday family photos!

The whole gang!

Abuela & Grandkids

For my outfit, I wanted to look cute but still be comfortable!  So I went with a flowy blouse and white jeans! Chic, feminine and still comfortable enough to chase around these little bunnies!

Blouse: Vintage Betsey Johnson (got it from my job!) | Pants: JCPenny's | Shoes: Same as above | Headband: Off 5th Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet | Necklace: Personalized from Me to You | Earrings: American Eagle | Bracelets: Forever 21, Local Store

Let me just point out, I tend to set "default" items in my wardrobe.  For example, I always wear the same pearl earrings.  I got them from American Eagle like 7 years ago and they're still in perfect condition!  Same with the pearl bracelets from Forever 21, I wear them with almost everything!  Then there's the shoes.  Unfortunately I can't really wear heels anymore, at least not for long.  I have horrible ankles haha. So I stick to flats, and ain't nothin' wrong with that!  One of my go to pairs are my gold floral cutout Kenneth Cole Reaction flats!  They're just so cute and comfy!  And they're gold so they go with just about anything.  

Overall I had a great Easter holiday with lots of cute photos to share! I hope to do more outfit posts in the future, especially since the weather has finally warmed up!!  :)

XO, Briana

Spring Obsessions

Hooray! It's finally spring! Or so we thought.  As I write this, we Philadelphians are just barely touching the 60s, and that's with winds that make it feel like 50.  And when I began writing this on the first "official" day of Spring, we were in the midst of a Nor'easter.  Like really? I'm so over this.  After living in the South for four years, I am even more affected by the cold than I was before.  As a person that is consistently cold, this is like cold times four hundred. Like...no... Anyway, technically it is Spring, so we're just going to pretend that it feels like it.

So here are is my current Spring obsessions, including beauty products, fashion trends, and more!

1) Organix Quenched Sea Mineral Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

Oh. My. God.  Can I just say how perfect this set is.  As you probably know, I am a huge fan of Organix products.  I have the Moroccan Argan Oil set, as well as the Biotin and Collagen shampoo and conditioner and they are both fantastic.  But recently, I noticed my hair has been really dry and frizzy and decided to venture to Target to get something new.  There it was, glowing in the fluorescent lights, a bright blue bottle that said the word sea on it.  I was immediately hooked.  It just happened to be that it was meant for dry hair! How lucky was that! Not only does it work wonders and give you mermaid like locks, but it also smells amazing.  Like you just came out of the ocean and drank a citrusy drink, that you may or may not have spilled in your hair. My curls were bouncy, shiny, and frizz free!  Totally worth it, right? And, there are two other products in the collection that I'm dying to try: moisture surge deep treatment and shimmering weightless moisture replenisher.  So basically, these are fantastic and make me think of Summer! So close, yet so far!!

2) John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Cream

The title does not lie.  This is the product I have needed my entire life.  Being a curly girl, my hair tend to be frizzy no matter what I do or how many products I put in it.  I've tried gels and creams and oils, etc.. to no avail.  I mean, some things worked kind of, but instead of making my hair shiny it just made it look greasy. But this finishing cream is the answer I've been searching for.  It's a cream, not a gel so it's not sticky and its not oily like an oil (duh) or a shine spray.  You just put a bit in your hands, rub them together and slick it on your hair! And viola! Beautiful, frizz free, shiny hair! This really is flawless, and it is definitely now my secret weapon!

3) PASTELS!

I am sooo excited about this Spring trend.  Like, for real.  I absolutely loooveee pastels! I think they are so chic and modern, but still feminine and pretty! They work in just about any style of dress, and I think it's a totally classic look.  Pastels are everywhere right now.  Not just in fashion, but also beauty, interior design, and more!  I know I'm guilty of buying pastel colored things on the regular.  It's a great pallete and a perfect way to celebrate the beginning of Spring!  Here are some of my favorite pastel looks from the wonderful world of Pinterest!

     

4) The 100

Ok, so this is definitley one of my new favorite shows!  I know it's "just another post-apocalyptic, sci-fi young adult tv show" but no.  Really.  I kid you not, this show is great!  When I saw the preview for it I thought, "Wow that looks good!" and promptly set it to record on my DVR.  I made the right decision.  To give you a brief summary, the show is set in the future after the Earth was poisioned by radiation and deemed unlivable.  The remainder of the human race moved to a space station called the Arc, and lived there for almost 100 years.  Until the Arc's leaders found out that they were running low on oxygen.  To keep the population limited, any and all crimes are punishable by death, including minors.  They decide to send those kids, all 100 of them, to Earth to find out if its safe for them to move back there, since it seems to be their only option.  And that's when it gets really fun. Now I don't want to give away anything, in case I've convinced you to start watching it, but it's a good twist on the usual sci-fi show and it's got a good story and likable characters.  Definitely worth the watch! The 100 airs on the CW on Wednesday at 8PM, 7PM Central!  Or, catch up on what you missed here!

5) Under the Carolina Moon!

I am super excited to announce that I am now an official "Prepresentative" for the Easley, SC store, Under the Carolina Moon!  They have tons of adorable things, including tshirts, monogrammed items, and even Lilly stuff!  I absolutely love it and I'm sure you will too!  As an official Prepresentative, I just recently received a package with lots of goodies, including 2 tshirts, a monogrammed cup, and an UTCM vinyl decal! I can't wait to try everything out!  Keep your eyes open for future posts of me and my UTCM merch! Also, check out the store on their website here, or take a ride to the store if you're local!

Well, I could go on forever talking about things I'm obsessing over, since I kind of have an obsessive personality.  But I'll spare you the novel.  I'm sure I'll be posting more soon!  Be sure to check out the items and looks I've posted on their respective sources, let me know your thoughts, and if you decide to try anything out I want to know about it!

Happy Spring!

XO, Briana