Holiday Girls Night Out Tutorial!

Hello Lovlies!

I made my first YouTube video!!!

I'm super excited about starting this adventure. I'm going to start uploading on Sunday's and Thursday's. Hopefully I can start to gain a following for my videos since I can see myself really enjoying adding this activity for my life. 

I would love it if you would take a look at the video, comment, like, and subscribe to my channel :)

I will list the products below the linked video!

Products Used: 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation (Shade: 101Classic Ivory)

MAC Paint Pot (Shade: Painterly)

ELF Tone Correcting Powder (Shade: Cool)

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (Shades: White Carmel, Salted Carmel, Semi-Sweet)

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 (Shade: Primal)

Cailyn Eye Polish (Shade: 05 Orchid)

Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof (Lower Lash Side) 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Bombshell

Anastasia Brow Wiz (Shade: Taupe)

L'Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper (Shade: Light to Medium)

Rimmel Exaggerate (Shade: 213 In the Nude)

NYC Haute Definition (Shade: Extra Black)

NYC Liquid Eyeliner (Shade: Black)

MAC Powder Blush (Shade: Desert Rose)

Femme Couture Mineral Effects Baked Bronzer (Shade: Summer Kiss)

Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Starlooks Lip Pencil (Shade: Rose)

Femme Couture Lipstick (Unsure of the shade :/)

Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for bearing with me while I learn and grow!

ox, Haley

My Weight Loss Journey

Hello Lovelies.....long time no talk! I got another new job and ended up moving 2 hours and into a new apartment so things have been nuts the last few months settling in.  Along with that I went through a break up and adopted a cat in the last few months....that's the short version of my absence. (I'm thinking about starting a series about what I have learned from my break ups and relationships because I've had some real doozies...let me know what you think!) 

With all these life changes I've decided to take another big step towards also improving my health. I have decided to start the Weight Watchers program and am embarking on a new weight loss adventure. I know there are tons of people who struggle with their weight and also tons who use this program successfully so I figured I would post about my experiences, some recipes I deem worthy, and just my progress and what works and what doesn't over all. 

So, how did I get here? We'll have to go a ways back for this to make any sense......

I was 5 years old the first time I thought "I look so fat." I was trying on some clothes my mom bought me and looked in the mirror and for the first time I realized I didn't like my body. Between that moment and my teen years I spent so much time and energy hating myself and my body; I felt inferior and ugly because not only did I hate my body, I was also going through a never-ending awkward stage. I always felt uncomfortable in my skin, my friends were all gangly and spindly little girls and I just....wasn't. I hated physical day at school because everyone would come back talking about what they weighed and I generally avoided the conversation or lied depending on how hard I was pushed. 

This continued as a general theme throughout out the next years of my life. Dance costumes were a nightmare, clothes shopping was awful, and through all of it my parents tried to make me "healthy" but all that did was make me feel shittier. This continued into my Senior year of high school.

My Senior year started like any other....I went to camp, felt shitty because everyone else was wearing a bikini, went school shopping and felt shitty because nothing fit right, and I went to school where my curves were out of place next to the lanky skinny girls I was friends with. Sometime in February the wheels came off. A guy I felt close with and cared about just disappeared and being 17 I thought I was what was wrong. I figured if I was skinnier then he would want to be with me. 

The first time I purged was in February 2010.  I was lucky in that I had a support system. I told my doctor and she got me on meds to take care of the issue, although I still purged when I was stressed for years after. 

When I went to college I gained 40 lbs my freshmen year. 40 Pounds. After my freshmen year I went on an intensive diet and lost 30 lbs....which of course I gained the majority of back my sophomore year and then did the same diet the next summer and lost 20...which of course I gained back, and then some. 

I pretty much plateaued from there and have moved up and down a few pounds but have remained mostly steady. 

Fast-forward to now...In the last year I have gone through a multitude of personal hardships: relationships that left me shattered, cancer in a close family member, college graduation, unemployment and job hunting....all of which has brought me here. The past year has probably been the hardest of my life by far and somehow, I have come out of it loving myself, inside and out. I haven't lost any weight but somehow I have come to terms with my body and I so appreciate it for what it can do and what it has been able to do in the past. 

I have done a lot of yo-yoing in the past. The difference is that in the past I was dieting because I hated my body and who I was whereas now I love who I am and I love my body for what it is right now and am changing my lifestyle and how I think about food. The reason I am doing this is because I want to be healthy; Healthy for me, healthy for the people I love and healthy for the family I hope to have in the future. Instead of doing it out of hate, I am doing it out of love. 

I hope you enjoy following me on my journey. I'm sure I will do a lot of learning a long the way and will tell more of my story as we go. I hope you all love yourselves for who you are today and if you don't, I hope you can learn to love the amazing person you are soon. 

Keep your chin up and be fearless.

Kisses xoxo

(Originally Published July 2015)

December Ipsy Bag

Hello Lovelies! I hope this holiday season is finding you well. 

Please excuse my absence, I just got a new job (thank god) and have been very busy with that for the last couple months. Things should be settling down as I find my niche in my new position so hopefully things will come more regularly! 

Onwards to the unbagging!

This month's bag came with a pretty good ratio of skincare to makeup to hair care products. I'll start with the skincare!

Beauty Without Cruelty Facial Cleanser

This seems like a pretty basic cleanser from what I have read on the bottle. It is meant for people with normal to oily skin and is 100% vegan and vegetarian. I always have kind of mixed feelings when I get cleansers in my ipsy bag. The issue I have is that they are usually from fairly obscure companies so if I do like the product, I have to work to find it, which for me isn't realistic. However, the mini sizes they come in are great for travel, or you could save up a bunch and bring them to your local women's shelter for the women there to use!

Big Sexy Hair: Style Sexy Hair 450 degree Blowout

This I am kind of excited to try. I pretty much use a heat styling tool on my hair everyday so I am always open to trying products that are supposed to help keep my hair as healthy as possible! This product is supposed to protect hair against heat, add shine, and give just a tiny bit of hold. I've had pretty good luck with "Big Sexy" products so hopefully this one works too!

Cailyn:  Just Mineral Eye Polish #5 Orchid

This product really does look like a nail polish bottle. It has a screw off top with a wand like applicator. This is a very pretty warm light brown (where did they get orchid...?) and it is VERY sparkly.  When swatched to goes on soon smooth and has a metallic finish when packed on. When it is diffused out it gives off a subtle sheen and sparkle. There are particles of glitter but it is not at all chunky, it's fine and this product is very very beautiful. Ugh, I love it already....

NYX Butter Lip Balm In Marshmallow

I was really excited to see this. I love nude lips and low maintenance tinted balms are so awesome for me because I hate worrying about my lip color. I did try this out this morning.....and was super disappointed. It went on streaky and left lines when my lips were pressed together. I'm also not a huge fan of the scent, it's kind of a cherry scent...which really threw me because the shade is Marshmallow. Also, I'm not a fan of the cherry scent anyway soon......no.  However,  I did give it a second shot and it went on better and more smoothly the second time. The color was underwhelming, but maybe I'll try a different shade....?

Tarte: Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

I have never purchased a high end mascara. I have tried a few samples and have never been particularly impressed with the way it makes my lashes look or the staying power. As someone who has A LOT of issues with mascara falling down under my eyes I'm very hard to please. Actually, most of the high end mascaras are the worst when it comes to falling under my eyes so my hopes weren't that high. This mascara has gotten quite a bit of hype and, like with all high end mascaras, I kind of rolled my eyes and figured everyone just liked it because it was an expensive brand and the packaging was cool. So when I tried this this morning I wasn't expecting a whole lot.....wow. I was so wrong. This mascara made my eyelashes explode. After two coats they were longer, fuller and were not at all clumped together AND at the end of the day there was almost no smudging....thats 9 hours guys. I'm impressed so far and will post a full length review of this mascara after a few more trial runs!

Well that it for this month! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and are surrounded by people you love and who support you!  Have a safe and happy holidays and new year! 

Kisses!!! xoxo

(Originally Published December 2014)

September Ipsy Bag

Hello Lovelies!

 I hope this week is finding you well. 

Can we all take a minute to notice that I have posted two weeks in a row consistently.  Low-bar, I know, but I'm pretty proud of myself. 

Anyways, on to this months ipsy bag. Now, I have to say my bags from May to August were really...underwhelming. There was too much skincare (I think I received about 6 different moisturizers...) and not enough make-up that I actually use. I actually though about canceling my subscription, but by the time I got around to that my September bag was already on the way and I figured I would wait until I got this month's to cancel and boy am I glad I waited!

The Bag

This bag is so damn cute. First of all, I love anything with studs so I was bound to like it. The color is also really great and its actually constructed pretty well with the studs grommeted on instead of just glued which is definitely a plus. 

Briogio: Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

As I've stated before, I use a lot of heat when I'm styling my hair and I am willing to try any deep conditioning treatment I can get my hands on.  This mask has avocado, almond and argan oils, rosehip oil and other ingredients that are supposed to help repair chemically treated hair. The thing I like about this so far is that it only has to sit in your hair for around 3-5 mins when some deep conditioning treatments can take up to 10. Bueno.

Crown Brush: Dual-ended Crease and Shadow Brush

Again, something I am very excited about. I have heard a lot about Crown Brushes but haven't ever tried them. Sometimes dual-ended brushes are a pain to store but that is pretty minor. The brush says the small end is a crease brush, however, this is a little small for a crease brush in my opinion but will function well as a pencil brush for use on the lower lash-line. The other side is a shadow brush and it's a pretty decent size and is a fluffier brush; this should work well for placing a wash of shadow on the lid and blending out the edges lightly. Yay for this item!

Pacifica Eyeliner in Fringe

I wasn't sure how to feel about this item when I pulled it out. On one hand, I always need a dark brown eyeliner but on the other hand the other Pacifica item I tried I threw away as soon as a swatched it.  However, when I swatched this it was soft and creamy with good pigmentation. If the staying power is decent I can see myself being very happy with this product. 

NYX Eyeshadow in Innocent

Another product I'm excited about. I haven't had the pleasure of trying too many NYX products because they are kind of hard for me to get. This is a great neutral shadow that I can try to get a feel for NYX eyeshadows. When I swatched this out the shadow was soft and creamy.  It comes off more bronze and metallic on the skin than it does in the pan (as you can see in the swatch) but I already love this shadow, its gorgeous and I cant wait to use it. 

Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet

I love deep red lipstick so I was pretty excited about this too. It comes in a sleek black tube and is a deep wine color. When swatched it comes out a little more sheer than I would like, however, that means it can be sheered down to create a totally different look which is kind of cool too. The formula is creamy and not dry at all which is so great considering I have very, VERY, dry lips in the winter (and in general really). The swatch comes off way more red in the picture than it is in real life. In real life it is more purple and has more depth to it. Very in for fall and very pretty. 

May Ipsy Bag!

Hey guys, 

So I got my May ipsy bag in the mail today!!  This is my second ipsy bag and I thought I would start doing posts on what came in the ipsy bag/what my first impression of this month's bag is. So let's get right to it, shall we?

The Bag

The bag this month is SO cute. It is canvas with a green leaf print all over it and a green zipper. Absolutely no complaints here!

Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask

When I pulled this out I was immediately excited. I use a lot of heat products on my hair so sometimes my hair needs a little help. There is supposed to be Argan oil in this product that will help "condition, repair and strengthen damaged hair," and is also supposed to "increase hair's strength and elasticity."  I am really hoping this product works because I need a good hair mask for my hair right now!!

Hey Honey: Take It Off

This is an exfoliating peel off mask that has honey in it....That is about all the information I could glean from the bottle considering it is so tiny. This mask is supposed to be appropriate for all skin types and is an exfoliating mask. Yes, this bottle is really tiny, but I love a good face mask and am always on board to try new ones, so while I wish they sent me more than 2 masks worth of product, I am excited to try this!

Hang Ten Classic Sport 50 SPF Sunscreen

.........why? That is pretty much what came to mind when I pulled this product out. Now, I would understand if this was a face sunscreen specifically but it explicitly says "full body coverage' on the back. First of all this tube is so small I probably wouldn't be able to cover my whole body with what is here. Second, I'm really not picky about my sunscreen at all as long as it keeps me from getting burnt (which even the cheapest of the cheap brands seem to do) so I'm really not interested in getting a sample for something that I'm going to buy in a generic brand anyways. Unless this totally rocks my world and changes my life, I'm a little disappointed.

Pacifica Eyeshadow Duo in Duo #2

So from the outside this duo looks really pretty, not terribly unique, but pretty. It is a muted plummy purple color and a white highlighter, both shimmer. Well I got curious and opened it up to swatch it a little bit..So much disappointment. The white shade is a pretty highlight but I already have multiple products that are almost exactly the same color, and the purple was just sad: the swatch didn't even show up on my hand. Besides that, both of these shadows feel super dry and would probably be difficult to apply easily and look good. Not impressed.

Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water

This is pretty self explanatory: you spray it on your face, it feels good. I like spraying cool things on my face when I'm hot so what is there to like, or dislike for that matter. Pretty simple.

All in all I'm kind of 50/50 on this bag. I think the sunscreen was a bad choice to put into a bag, and the eyeshadow was suck-tastic. I am excited to try the face and hair mask and I have something new to spray on my face. Not as good as my first bag by any means, but I don't feel like it was a waste. 

Please follow me on twitter and subscribe on youtube (links below). Also if you want to subscribe to ipsy (which even though this months bag didn't dazzle me, I would fully recommend) click here to get to sign up and start receiving your bag next month!

Have a good rest of your week lovelies! xoxo

(Originally Published May 2014)

Face of the Night

Hello Lovelies!

Dark, dramatic, and smokey were all in my head today when I created this look. It's all about the eyes and they are DARK. I'm headed out to a frat party tonight and this look is definitely more of a night time look (unless you like dark and dramatic during the day in which case go for it!!!) The were actually fairly simple and I only used 3 shadows to create this look with a little gel-liner and mascara. Because the eyes are a lot to handle I kept the rest of the face pretty neutral just with some contouring, light highlighting, a peach blush and my favorite pinky nude lipstick. Keep reading if you want to know in more detail how I created this look! (please excuse the poor lighting...dorm rooms are not lit well at all).

FACE

When I go to house parties I fully expect to be sweating and dancing and drinking and what-not.  That is why I picked the RIMMEL STAY MATTE FOUNDATION (my shade is 091-Light Ivory).  I applied this all over my face using a flat foundation brush (Sigma F60). I almost never ever ever use flat foundation brushes because I think they are streaky but all of my kabuki style foundation brushes are dirty...so.  

After I applied my foundation and got rid of the streaks I applied BOBBI BROWN CORRECTOR (I use porcelain bisque to really get a highlighted look).  

On top of that I applied my BENEFIT BOIING CONCEALER (Shade no. 01).  While this corrector and concealer do work fine on their own to cover dark circles I like to layer them when I am doing a heavier look to completely cancel out any darkness that has cropped up under my eyes. It also gives me a really beautiful highlighted under eye look which I love.  

After that I used a big fluffy face brush (Sigma F30) to apply my TOO FACED CANDLELIGHT  SOFTLY ILLUMINATING TRANSLUCENT POWDER to set everything and because the foundation I used is so so so matte I wanted to bring a little more dewiness back into my face.

To finish the base I filled in my eye brows with the ANASTASIA BROW WIZ (Medium Ash)

EYES

First on my eyes I applied my TOO FACED SHADOW INSURANCE (just the original) so that my eyeshadow had maximum staying power. 

Next I took my LOREAL INFALLIBLE EYESHADOW IN GILDED ENVY and used a flat stiff brush (ecotools) to apply this all over my eyelids. Then I used a small fluffy crease brush (old Mary-Kay) to blend this up into my crease and create the shape I wanted on my eye.

To warm the look up just a little bit I took BUCK from URBAN DECAY'S NAKED PALETTE on a bigger fluffy crease brush (Sigma E40) and applied that to the edges of Guilded Envy.  Not only did this warm up the look but it also created a transition up into my brow bone.

To highlight the brow bone I used VIRGIN from the Naked Palette and ran this under my brows using a small flat brush (Sigma F70)

I then used a small, stiff angle brush (Mary-Kay) to run Gilded Envy under my eyes and then used a small pencil brush  (Sonia Kashuk) to blend it out a little. 

I then went back into Virgin with the same brush I used before and highlighted my inner corners. 

For Eyeliner I used MAYBELLINE EYESTUDIO GEL LINER IN BLACKEST BLACK. I used a small angle brush (ecotools) to run this along my upper lash-line and then winged it out at the corners.  I then ran it on my lower lash-line as well and blended this out with the same small pencil brush to really smoke it out.

To really deepen up the look I used my STILA SMUDGESTICK EYELINER IN STINGRAY to line my tight-line and water-line.

I then applied 2 coats of my JORDANA BESTLASH EXTREME to both the top and bottom lashes.

CHEEKS

I started with contouring and used my TOO FACED MILK CHOCOLATE SOLIEL bronzer on an angled cheek brush (Sonia Kashuk) to contour under my cheek bones and around my forehead.

Then I took a fluffy cheek brush (Sonia Kashuk) and applied my MAYBELLINE FIT-ME BLUSH IN LIGHT ROSE to the apples of my cheeks.  

Then I used my CITY COLORS WHITE GOLD CREAM EYESHADOW to highlight my cheekbones.

LIPS

For my lips I used URBAN DECAY LIPSTICK IN NATIVE applied straight out of the tube.

Hope you like this look and I hope my face stays on all night!

Much Love!!! xoxo

P.S. I hope you can excuse my short hiatus from my blog. I want to write a blog about what I have been going through and when I feel ready I will share my experiences with you guys. Love!

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MicheBeauty63
youtube:  MicheBeauty63
Bloglovin: <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11900325/?claim=4j2j4km2kny">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

(Originally Published April 2014)

Wishlist!

Hello Lovelies!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week!  Hopefully you all had a fun-filled and SAFE St. Patricks Day (and hopefully you aren't suffering from too much of a hangover)!  I am actually feeling pretty bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning because the weather kept me home last night. But enough about that; on to the make-up!

So as I was thinking about what to post this week I started thinking about all of the awesome make-up that I have really been wanting this month and thought, "hey, I'll post a wish list!"  This post is just to let you guys know what I have been hearing a lot of hype about lately and have been wanting to get my hands on and try. 

Just a disclaimer for this and the next post:  I am somewhat limited at the moment because I am home on spring break until next Tuesday so my make-up collection is limited at the moment so I'll try and review some things I have with me and let you know how they are working and what-not, but that is why I haven't really been able to start doing any tutorials just yet but they are coming soon!!

Anyway, on to my March 2014 Wish-list!:

Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation

This foundation looks BEAUTIFUL.  I have been lusting after this luxurious formula for a few months now actually and can't wait until I have the opportunity to get my hands on it.  It is a fairly expensive product at $42 (and I am a broke college student) but I am willing to pony that up for this beautiful foundation.  It promises a long-wearing formula which is important to me because I don't have time to be touching up my make-up all the time between class, work, and other extra-curriculars so long-wearing formulas are at the top of my list.  This foundation also has a dewy finish.  If this foundation can give me a dewy finish without making me look sweaty and without wearing off it will be worth every penny.  A lot of times I really look for a matte finish but sometimes I just want that ethereal look that dewy finish foundations can offer.  Long story short, as soon as I can get my hands on this I will be purchasing it!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

These blushes are ah-mazing. I have tested them in the store and all of the colors are so pigmented and beautiful.  I can't even pinpoint a specific shade that I want because they are all amazing.  There is a great variety of mattes and shimmers and an awesome range of colors from bright pinks to warm corals to mauves to subtle tans.  These blushes will run you $26 at Ulta and I'm guessing would be worth every penny.  As soon as I get my hands on some I will be sure you guys are the first to know!

EDIT:  I picked up one of these in the shade Flawless! Review to come soon!

Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss

These glosses are wonderful.  They are sheer glosses is neutral colors that give just enough color to brighten the face but not so much that they perform like a liquid lipgloss.  I am in love with the colors Liar and Streak.  Liar is a coordinating color to the shade of the same name in the Naked 3 palette which is a deep is nude pink.  Streak is a coral color with a subtle nude quality.  I love nude pink lip colors and I have a special affinity for coral lipsticks and lip glosses so that explains why I want these two colors so badly.  They ring it at $20 a piece. I'll be sure to let you guys know when I finally get my hands on some!

EDIT:  I also picked up a couple of these in the shades Streak and Lovechild and will be reviewing them and possibly picking up a couple more to do some swatches!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Now I'm sure you have all heard the hype about these blushes and I have fallen victim to said hype and want to try these so bad!  They are supposed to leave the skin with a beautiful sheen that is subtle yet noticeable when the light hits. I have heard nothing but good things about these from many bloggers and YouTubers (I first heard about these from the lovely Jaclyn Hill) and although they carry a pretty hefty price tag coming in at $35 a piece they seem to be worth the money! These look gorgeous and I want them all! (But I'll settle for one or two for now)

Well that is my wish-list for this month! I will let you guys know as I start collecting these and add them to my collection of make-up.  I'm sure they will be wonderful additions and I can't wait for them to be mine! What is on your wish-list this month? Let me know in the comments!

Hope you guys have a lovely week! 

If you have any questions be sure to leave a comment below!  And if you love this post don't forget to share it on Twitter and Facebook using the icons below and be sure to also follow me on Twitter and bloglovin' and subscribe by email in the sidebar!  Let me know what you guys want to see next and be on the look out for my first video on YouTube in the next couple of weeks! 

(Originally Published in March 2014)