Let's talk lipstick.

It's safe to say that I have an obsession with lipstick. Covergirl lipstick, specifically. This brand is so good y'all! It keeps my lips moisturized and stays on almost all day with minimal bleeding and fading. WIN. And it's like, five bucks. DOUBLE WIN. I've yet to purchase a color that I don't just love!

The color I'm wearing in these pictures is called Spellbound. It's a super bright pink (with a bit of a purple tint) that I normally don't wear too too much. I love the color but I tend to go towards the more classic red on a daily basis.

My absolute favorites are Flame and Hot Passion. Hot Passion is a classic, bold red and Flame is also red, but a little on the pink side. That one suits my skin tone perfectly (I'm super pale with a pink flush). Beware though: my friends with olive skin tones don't like it on them!

On the other end of the spectrum is Enamor. It's a really dark brown that I got last fall. It looked absolutely BEAUTIFUL on my two best friends. One is really pale (no pink flush like mine), light eyes and dark hair and the other has an olive skin tone and dark features all around. For me, I feel it looks best laid on thick with a bit of Hot Passion mixed in. I've found though that this color is the only one that doesn't stay on as well. The Hot Passion helps things a bit, as well as applying a layer of powder to your lips before painting them up : )

What are your thoughts on lipstick? Do you love it, hate it, or only break it out for special occasions? Any brands that you swear by?

Hair how-to: messy fishtail braid

Jenny is one of my dear clients that you may remember from here or here. And if you aren't familiar with her, you should check out her blog, Confessions of a Hairstylist, and definitely take a peek at her youtube channel. It's full of amazing hair tutorials!

One of the things that I hear a good bit that really shocks me is that some people don't know how to do a fishtail braid! It definitely takes a few practice rounds, but this is a style that you can get down pat pretty quickly. And, as you can see from the pictures above, it definitely lends itself to an airy, boho summer vibe. Read on to see how to do this yourself!

1// Start with dry hair. To achieve the texture shown, curl your hair like using Jenny's Beach Wave Tutorial, but instead of using a 1 3/4 inch curling iron, use a 1 1/4 for tighter waves. Beginning texture really makes a difference!
2// Pull all of your hair to a desired side.
3// Apply an elastic to make a ponytail.
4// Split hair in half.
5// Pull a strand from the right side of your split sections.
6// Take the strand and pull it over the top of the right section into the middle and into the left section.
7// Now, pull a strand from the left side of your split sections and pull it over the top of the left section into the right section.
8// Repeat the same technique until you reach the bottom.
9// Cut the top elastic off.
10// Apply an elastic on your ends.
11/ Hair spray your hair and now pull hair gently out of fishtail braid by gently massaging hair out of braid (you want to almost pinch sections of your hair and lightly massage and pull out of braid).
12// Finish this look off by using a medium hold hair spray.
13// BAM. Beautiful.

We've got a few more tutorials coming your way, but please leave a comment if you'd like to see something specific!

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// DIY [decor, clothing, accessories, etc]
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// PHOTOSHOP TUTORIALS
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Good words // 02

Are you the kind of person that feels everything sooo heavily? I am. And let me tell you, it can be such a burden but so beautiful at the same time. This quote reminds me that my incapacitating capacity (see what I did there?) for feeling things is ultimately good. Sometimes I feel like such a strange creature. But today is not one of those times. Today I am connecting and happy and productive. Go here if you want to read some other awesome quotes by Rilke. He's one of my favorites!

photo source