easy/summer make up tutorial

i just finished editing a new video. this is my basic make-up look, i wear this look as my everyday make up look. i'm actually wearing this look in almost every video that i've made so far. i use it with all types of lip colors: reds, pinks, nudes, gloss and even just chapstick.

here are the 2 brush sets that i referenced in the videos:
this is a nordstrom brush set that was offered last christmas, it only cost $25. i used the contour brush in this set for the bronzer and the brush directly to the right of it for the highlight underneath my eyebrows.

this is my crown brush set that i refer to as my "kandee johnson crown brush set." last christmas, crown brushes provided kandee's fans with a deal for this set, all for only $29.99. (Click here for her post about the brushes.) i used the 3rd brush from the left for my blush and the fan brush in this set for the loose shimmer.

here are the products that i used:

Too Faced Naked Eye $35

Nars Multiple in Malibu $39

Nars Blush in Amour $27

these are the 2 eyeliners that i used, the pencil in black is $5, the liquid in navy black is $10

you definitely don't have to use the exact makeup that i used. these are just the ones that i'm currently using. i've actually done the dual blush trick (in my crease and for my blush) with all the blush pigments that i have. and remember you don't need to use the paint pot, especially if you have a long lasting primer. as for the eyeshadow over my pencil liner in the waterline, i use whichever shadow that i have that's closest to the liquid color that i used. so if i use a plum liquid liner, i'll use a plum shadow. and of course you don't have to use the mulitple if you don't have it.

hope you enjoy the video:

some body shop product reviews

i just did a video review on some body shop products. i got these products as a result of a shecky's deal that i got. here is a list of the original prices. watch the video for the review.

Original Prices:
vitamin E Body Butter - $18
Travel size Hemp Han Lotion - $10
Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue - $18
Almond Oil Conditioning Hand Wash - $8

sakbuster

i just filmed another video. it's another good deal on a purse by the sak. this time it's a crossbody bag that converts into a clutch for only $49, original price was $129. the deal ends soon, June 19th to be exact. So, if you want to take advantage of this deal visit: http://www.thesak.com/handbags_sakbuster/pl/c/549.html

here's the video:

OOD 06.14.11

hey all i'm bringing you another outfit of the day b/c i'm sooooo happy to be wearing these jeans again. i bought these skinny jeans years ago at a warehouse sale. they are blue cult and from what i hear, they aren't even a company anymore. =( sad b/c they fit me soooo well, all styles, skinny, straight leg, bootcut...so i was extremely sad to hear they were no longer in existence. it's so hard to find jeans that fit well, so when i do i try to buy as much as i can.

but the fact that i can fit these comfortably again means that Operation Melanie has been working..HOOLLLERRRRATION!!! so in celebration, i decided to write a blog and do a video...

-the shirt is from forever 21, i think it was around $20

-the white tank is by mossimo bought at targert, i think for about $9

-the jeans are blue cult skinny jeans bought from a warehouse sale for about $60, but worth over $150 i think

-the shoes are from the nine west factory store so it was eight buy 1 get 1 free or buy 1 get 1 50% off, i can't remember, but i know i only paid $30 - $40

a closer look:

-the white rose earrings are from claire's, about $5-the single hoop is also from claire's, i think i got it for about $8, it did come as a set, i recently lost the matching pair, but i'll obviously i'm still getting my use out of it
you can see my ring "feel the beat" ring in my "minx" blog, it's from swatch
my favorite necklace is made by juicy, i think i bought this for about $50

here's the video, hope you enjoy!!

shellac manicures

i first discovered shellac when my sister told me about it 9 months ago. (click here to read her first blog about it) she said that it was supposed to last 2 weeks minimum. i, the killer of manicures, was a bit skeptic about this. usually, when i get manicure, i swear to you something goes wrong within 3 days (max). and i end up having to cover it with some like color, hoping that no one would notice.

if i remember correctly, at the time we discovered this, my sister was playing softball at least 3 nights a week, bartending, and doing clinicals in nursing school. all that constant activity was definitely a good way to test this out.

i needed a manicure badly, so i decided to try it out. it just so happened that i was scheduled to work oracle's trade show the whole week. which meant i would be setting up the store, lifting boxes, unpacking, packing, helping customers at the register...if you ever worked in retail, think of the nights you had floor changes and had to rearrange the store, changing shelving and everything. then waking up bright and early to open the store, work the WHOLE day and close the store. well i did that everyday that week.

and what do you know...the shellac lasted the whole week and the week after that. since my first time i've been hooked. and i actually push my nail polish changes to about 3 weeks. well for about as long as i can handle seeing the color grown out. lol

i never wrote a blog about it b/c my sister already had. but i did get to take footage of the process today. coincidentally, my sister's mani/pedi appointment was a little after mine. so as i finished up my mani, she was coming over to get hers done. i decided that i would film the process b/c explaining is a bit lengthy and some people are just more visually inclined.

ps - shellac is also called soak off gel by opi.

and to those that are worried about the strength of their nails afterward, my nails are actually stronger now. my nails normally crack at the edges once they get to the length i actually like and now, my nails can grow even longer with no cracking.

help?

i once took a class where the teacher told a little anecdote about not helping someone until they asked or had that "certain look" where you knew the person needed it. and the way he told it was pretty funny, but i didn't really think anything of it until today.

today, i flew back home from my weekend vacation. and while walking to the back of the plane, to my seat i noticed that all the storage spaces above my actual seat and onward were already full. so, i decided to stop where i was, instead of having to fight traffic backtracking to store my luggage (it was close enough to my seat anyway), and put my luggage up. at that time, a man walking in the opposite direction (the wrong way, i might add) was trying to get to the seat behind me. he was frustrated that he couldn't get through. where was i supposed to go, i couldn't step aside, it's an airplane, the aisle isn't big enough. and i couldn't step back b/c there was a line of other people with their luggages behind me. i'm pretty sure you guys can picture it happening. so i politely explained that i would get my luggage up, so he could get through. he, frustrated, asked, "did you need help with that?," but in such a rude tone as if implying that i couldn't do it myself. i ignored it and said, "no, that's ok. i got it." he then rudely asked, "are you sure?," again implying that i wouldn't be able to do so. i again, politely said, "nope i got it" as i easily put it up and stepped between some seats to let him through. a man sitting in the seat, underneath my luggage, laughed at the guy and stated, "well that looked easy enough." i smiled at him and laughed, "i may be small but i have muscles." we both laughed and the other men who witnessed the whole thing laughed as well.

dear rude man,

first of all, i don't understand why you were so frustrated when, you were the one walking the wrong way. and, maybe you offered your help b/c you thought that you putting up the luggage would've been faster, so you could get back to your seat faster...but did you have to be soooo rude about it? honestly, me putting up the luggage in 2 seconds with such ease made it feel soooo much better only b/c i made YOU look like the ass you are.

hahahaa!!! i know i'm so random. but i just had to share. so lesson to learn, don't help unless asked or if the person actually has that face of frustration where they actually would want the help. and most importantly, when you offer to help be genuine about it, don't be like the ass on the airplane b/c it may just backfire on you too.

Ms L Boogie, Lauryn Hill

i was gonna write a blog about how AMAZING this concert was, and how i was brought to my special place watching, hearing and just experiencing her presence. but, i decided to simply post the snippets of her show that i took with my iphone and let you feel it for yourself.

don't sleep on target part 2

so last december i wrote a blog named "don't sleep on target." i showed you some over the knee boots that i bought and promised that i would also post a picture of the black leather ones i bought. well i know i lagged. hahah!!! it's already summer and i'm just posting it now. well it's supposed to be summer, but the weather gods in san francisco must not like us b/c we're having winter weather again, which is why i had to pull these bad boys out again.

so finally here are the black ones. they survived snow in new york, but are a little worn. i may just have to buy another pair.

weekend wrap up

friday night...was a pretty chill night. did a little (like very little) shopping looking for some weekend clothes. then caught happy hour with some friends at hooters...then it was off to chill at one of their houses.

saturday morning i got up bright and early to head over to newark. my little cousin was going to her very first prom. she asked me to do her hair and makeup..what? moi? you want me to do all that! wow!!! she was a little anxious and a little overly excited, she wanted me there at 9am! hahah! ok if that's what you want. but, it's ok b/c that gave us time to eat breakfast, do some makeup and hair, chill and chat for a little, snack some more, do more hair, snack some more, take pictures, play with our nephew...and i still had her done and ready to go long before her date was to arrive at the house.

here's how everything turned out. i must say i'm quite impressed with myself.

she asked for a low/side, messy but clean bun and she let me pick her makeup palette. when i first seen her dress, i knew which color i wanted to build around.

messing around with danny

i was feeling extremely lazy and would have been content with staying in and catching up on my dvr while cleaning my room, but it was my other cousin's bday and she was celebrating at my FAVORITE monthly party. so of course, i mustered up enough energy to get myself ready and headed out for the night. and i'm really glad i did. such a good night! but foundation never fails me and neither does the company i keep. i love my family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKIE!

sunday morning, i was awakened by a phone call from arlynn inviting me to napa for a wine tasting session at duck horn vineyards. i'd never been, so i was happy to get myself up from my dead sleep to venture over there and experience this. after that we traveled over to buchon's bakery and grabbed a couple of goodies. from all the macaroon's that i tried, i have to say the pistachio was my favorite. silly me i didn't even try "the buchon" their specialty. but gale described it as decadent. and then we ate at barber's q. totally yummy. and then we walked over to a cupcakery called sift. they were on cupcake wars. arlynn and deb picked up a couple of goodies from there too, i was too stuffed and felt guilty about my lack of workouts during the past week, so i resisted. such a great way to wind the weekend down. arlynn, thanks so much for the invite.

deb, me and arlynn in front of duck horn vineyards

trying to trim down? 4 tips from an article i read this morning

there are millions upon millions of articles that have tips on how to trim down, lose weight, get skinny, healthier...what ever you wanna call it these days. but, many times the tips are repeated and nothing new has been brought to the table. repetition is good and all...i guess some people need to hear it more than a few times to ingrain it in their heads, but then it also gets redundant.

this morning i found an article that actually brought some new tips to the table. i'll give you my little synopsis on each tip. and provide you with a link the the whole article at the end.

1. STEP AWAY FROM THE SCREEN
being that i've been adopted into the world of ergonomics for going on 5 years now, i can go on and on about telling you how important this is on more than 1 level. but, in the article, they explain, those who ate away from your computer tended to eat less and tended to snack less later in the day.

2. EAT WATER FILLED FOODS
food high in water content - soups, salads, cucumbers, watermelon - make you feel full in fewer calories. so, having a soup or salad (lightly dressed) before you meal would help you feel fuller, so you would eat less of your main course.

3. IMAGINE EATING BEFORE YOU EAT
weird, right? but they say imagining yourself eating the food before you eat it will help you eat less of it.

4. TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN
when your body is low on vitamins and minerals, your appetite fires up—prompting you to eat more to replenish the nutrients you’re missing.

click HERE for the full article