Settling In

I know that I haven't been tremendously active on this blog for the summer. I was taking some time off to enjoy the warm season. This was especially important after such a difficult winter. Over a week ago, I moved house. This is never a small undertaking. I hadn't moved in a decade and it was a lot of work weeding through my possessions and deciding what to keep and what to discard. It was a very freeing experience to unload some cargo.

However, with the change brought additional challenges, like what to do with my makeup stash. Previously, I'd been using a shelving system which also stored my art supplies, dvd's, games and held up my tv. I used my desk not only as my work space, but also as my vanity. I wanted to keep my desk in an office/ hobby room, so I needed an alternative for my vanity. Then, I remembered that my sister had acquired two sewing desks and offered to give one to me. My other sister picked up the desk at our sister's house and brought it to me on the day that I was moving into the new house.

The desk was a lot heavier than I'd remembered and a different color than I'd remembered, too. I cleaned the desk up and gave it a few coats of fresh white paint.

After it dried my Mister carried it upstairs for me so that I could unpack my boxes of makeup and other beauty supplies. The sewing desk was the perfect solution for organizing and storing my modest stash. The shallow drawers with dividers are fantastic for keeping everything neatly organized. The deeper drawer houses my larger palettes.I spent an entire morning organizing my new makeup center. It was very satisfying to complete that chore. When you are surrounded by stacks of boxes, it is a relief to see the pile shrink.

Over the week, I slowly worked on unpacking and making the house look more like a home. It is amazing what some curtains and art work can do to make a house more homey On Sunday I baked a caramel apple pie and that was what finally made everything come together for me. Once I actually baked something, from scratch, I then felt completely settled in. Now that Fall is near, I am looking forward to the new season and it will be fun to share it with you! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

My Makeup Organization

My nail polishes are now organized into groups by shade.

It all began so innocently, my makeup collection. I, like a number of girls, started out small. A bottle of Tinkerbell perfume was exchanged for a bottle of Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth. Electric Youth was passed on for Tommy Hilfiger's Tommy Girl, which was then surpassed by Ralph Lauren's Romance. Much like my perfume love, my love of makeup grew. A tube on Bonne Bell Lip Smackers lovingly placed in my Christmas stocking began a serious love for makeup. I had a humble kit, just the essentials. Yes, I had a bit of a nail polish collection, but when it came to liners and blushes, I had one of each. The only makeup that I had in multiples were nail polish and lipstick.

Then, I discovered Pixiwoo tutorials on Youtube and everything changed. I had a few makeup instruction books and had grown up a bit obsessed with Vogue magazine. I was into fashion and makeup, but it wasn't until I actually saw makeup me applied properly that I began to become "enthusiastic" about cosmetics.

Before I began watching makeup tutorials, I didn't see much point in a collection of makeup brushes. I'd never seen gel eyeliner in use and applying false eyelashes was always an event that tested my sanity. Once I started watching Nic and Sam Chapman, the sisters of Pixiwoo, apply makeup with confidence and ease, it all looked like tremendous fun! Then, I began watching other makeup artists on Youtube. The more I watched, the more confident I became. Then, my makeup collection began to grow.

First, I should admit that I was never squeamish around makeup before. Rather, I was less inclined to wear it out in public. Whenever I did wear makeup, it drew odd comments that were meant to be compliments, but left me feeling confused. Hearing someone utter "You look so good, with makeup, you look like a model." To me this said "You look like crap without makeup!" So, my comfort level had to grow before I could allow myself to be more adventurous with makeup. Not that I didn't wear it regularly through college, but I always played it safe. I studied theater in college, so I knew how to apply makeup, but that was for the stage, not in normal daylight.

The second level is all for the eyes. 

Finally, with confidence and a lot of enthusiasm, I grew my collection, which is all drugstore makeup. I'd rather invest my money in good shoes than to spend my money on a luxurious eye shadow palette. Fortunately, the internet is a great resource to help One find great drugstore dupes. So, the little makeup bag that could, one day couldn't. My collection grew too large for a sensible makeup clutch. I then began to organize using stackable drawers. I had two, which became too small. When I was having my girl day out, this week, my friend had an extra set of drawers that she didn't need. So, I acquired another set of drawers and began to re-organize my collection. The month of November I had dedicated to organizing in preparation for December. So, this really made me happy to finally get the kit organized.

The top level is for the face.

I will need to get more drawers in the future. I couldn't fit my eye shadow palettes or my lipstick collection in the drawers. I'd like to have a drawer just for blushers and a separate drawer for bronzers and highlighters. For now, this works; I can open drawers without the drawers catching or sticking because they are too full. Any stage makeup will need to go in a set of drawer organizers that will be away from the every day makeup. It is just nice to be organized and to have things nice and tidy. This makes life a lot easier and way less hectic. I must say that even though I have a bit of a collection, I've seen far greater collections. I've seen makeup gurus on Youtube with a closet full of makeup. However, they also write blogs all about reviewing makeup. My collection might be larger than it once was, but it is still quite modest in comparison. At the very least, it is organized!

Tomorrow, I will be posting a craft and the rest of the week will be building up to Thanksgiving. Then, in December, I will be attempting to blog every day leading up to Christmas. There will be a lot of crafting and baking happening on the blog for the rest of the year! I am very excited and I hope that I actually follow through with the daily post. I think it would be a lot of fun.
Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Girls Day Out: Searching For Limited Edition Eye Shadow

It is very cold outside today! Yesterday was not much better, weather wise. My best friend and I have been trying to shift our schedules around for a few weeks to finally have a girls day out. It isn't always easy to say "I want to go get coffee, NOW" and have it happen. People have lives, they have responsibilities that require them to be present. However, a girl can only go so long without seeing her best before she begins to crack. My best and I have been best friends since we were thirteen years old. Back when we were teenagers, we practically lived at each others houses. Then, we got distracted by boys, then college came and went, then babies and marriage came along and the ability to hop on ones bicycle for some wholesome girl time became tricky.

In our adult years, we've made it a point to take time for girl days, even if it takes weeks to plan, we work it out. It is so important to have that time when you can talk to someone who understands, doesn't judge and who knows you well enough to give solid advice. I'm very lucky I have really great gal pals who I can go to when I need to be a girl. Yesterday, bestie and I met early in the morning and made a list of all of the places where we wanted to go; then, we set off to begin the crazies. The weather was nuts, one minute it got very dark for the morning hours and then it began to snow so much, it looked like we were inside a shaken snow globe. Then next minute, the snow stopped and the sun was shining. It was also very windy. Both of us had a set plan of where we wanted to go and what we needed and wanted to buy in each store. So, we hopped from one place to the other, stopping at Starbucks when we needed to refuel and back to shopping again. I found this adorable snowman mug (pictured above) at the Dollar Tree. It is similar to a mug I grew up with. I really wanted a snowman mug for this winter, as I've decided to embrace winter and be a jolly as possible.

One item that I really wanted to find was the Limited Edition Wet n' Wild Fall 2014 5-Pan  eye shadow in Melrose At Night and Smoke & Melrose. The eye shadows looked very pretty when I saw them at the stores and after reading various reviews from blogs on Pinterest, I really wanted to get them. However, I couldn't find them anywhere! I went to five different stores trying to find them. I found one display at K-Mart that had a few of the other Limited Edition 5-Pan eye shadow left, but none of the Melrose. It is STILL Fall! Once the stores decide to put out the Christmas displays and the holiday edition makeup, they send back what is left of the Fall products. This is frustrating, but it is just eye shadow. However, I do think this whole "Limited Edition" nonsense is a bunch of poo, especially when some of the 5-pan eye shadows are really unfortunate. Have you seen the one with bright yellow and purple and blue? That gets to stay year round? Really, Wet n' Wild? I digress.

So, the eye shadow was a bust, but I still found other things on my list. The bigger picture of the day was simply spending time with the bestie and laughing at ourselves. I don't think anyone laughs at us more than we do. It is very good for us. The day concluded with more coffee and then we went back to our, respective, homes. I feel so much better about the upcoming holidays and any stress that I had has diminished so, I'm refreshed and recharged for Thanksgiving and preparing for December.

I had also planned on writing about organizing my makeup stash, but that post can happen on another day! If you have a bestie, phone them and give them a "Hello!" Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Making Make-Up With Crayons

When I was a little girl, I certainly tried to use crayons for make-up. At the time, there was a brand that made eye shadow sticks and lip balms in the shape of crayons, complete with the recognizable wrapper. When I saw pins on Pinterest of make-up diy projects with crayons, I was intrigued and a little creeped out. The idea of eating crayons seemed like a very bad idea. After all, how many times have you had to tell a child not the chew on blue? However, the Crayola brand crayons are non toxic and that makes a very important difference. Most crafters state, and I agree with them, that it is important to stick to a trusted brand that you know is safe. The other ingredients used in this craft are also safe to use.

Vegetable shortening, crayons, and pill organizers are the basic tools needed to make the make-up.

This time of year is a great time to get a variety of fun colors; especially with limited edition boxes. Last year, I was able to find fun Crayola crayons that were made for Halloween. These unique boxes have colors that you won't ordinarily find in the standard Crayola box. The other day, I was able to find a 24 pack for $.50 and the Limited Edition Royal Shades and Diva Fever I was able to purchase two for $3.50.

Most of the tutorials that I found used crayons with either coconut oil, olive oil or petroleum jelly. I chose to use a combination of vegetable shortening, crayon, castor oil and peppermint essential oil.

The first batch that I made, I used 1/2-1 tablespoon of shortening, 1/2 a crayon and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. This mixture is strictly for a lip balm. For lipstick, I used 1 crayon, 1/2-1 teaspoon shortening, a few drops (1/8- 1/4 tsp) of castor oil and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Finally, for eyeliner, I used the same recipe for lipstick minus the peppermint oil. YOU NEVER WANT PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL NEAR YOUR EYES.

The pretty reds and pinks I used to make the lip balms.

These darker shades I used to make lipsticks and eyeliners.

Once I chose the colors that I wanted to work with, I made certain that I had all of my ingredients within reach. I also kept paper towels and toothpicks handy.

CAUTION: If you're not old enough to safely try this project, make sure that you are being supervised by an adult. This project involves working with hot wax, pouring the wax into a container requires extra caution to prevent injury.

To begin the project, I set up a double boiler with a small saute pan and a stainless steel measuring cup and I set the temperature on medium low; this brought the water to a simmer. To the measuring cup, I added the shortening. Then, I added the crayon and I used the crayon to stir the shortening until the wax had melted. (It is important that you use a double boiler in this step, as it prevents scorching of the wax. It is a safer and cleaner method.)

When I made the lipsticks and the eyeliner, I placed the entire crayon in with the shortening and used a toothpick to stick the mixture. I never added the peppermint oil to the wax until after I poured the wax into the storage container. This way, the essential oil didn't remain in the measuring cup when I melted the wax for eyeliner, so there was no fear of contamination. Once the wax mixture was poured into the container, I added the castor oil to the lipsticks and I stirred the mixture together with a toothpick.

The container on the left holds the eyeliners and lipsticks. Then container on the right holds the lip balms. The addition of the peppermint essential oil to the lipsticks and balms leaves a nice cooling sensation when applied to the lips. There isn't an exact science to this; I played around with the shortening to wax ratio. For a more shear lip color, I used more shortening than crayon. The difference in ratios changes the outcome.

This was a fun project to do. I really love the colors that I was able to get out of those limited edition boxes! I also combined a few colors to make my own fun shade. With a lot of imagination, you can have tremendous fun with this. Also, because the ingredients are easy to find and are inexpensive, this is a frugal project, too!

Now that this project is done I have more time to work on my quilt project. I've been taking a few minutes each day to do a little more work on the quilt. I will post part 3 of that project soon. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

I Made My Own Eyeshadow Palette!

Ever since October 2011, I have been watching many make-up tutorials on Youtube. It brings me a lot of joy to watch them. The makeup gurus have taught me so much more about makeup than I ever knew before. They usually have such an upbeat attitude that they put me in a great mood and inspire me. The videos tap into that part of me that would rush to the tv to watch Mtv's "House of Style" and never missed going gaga over the October issue of Vogue. For a portion of my life, I was programmed to believe that this part of myself was shallow and should be avoided. However, I got over that.

One trend that is popular with all of the gurus that I follow is the nude color scheme. Whether it is for lips or eyes, nude is in. Sadly, I don't have a rock n' roll lifestyle and as such, I cannot spend money on massive makeup like others may be able to. So, I decided to make my own "Pretty Lady" eyeshadow palette. With a little bit of spray paint, hot glue, scrapbook paper, a recycled magnetic calendar and an old tin, I was able to make a lovely container for some eyeshadow.

It was a bit of a messy process, I had a lot of shadow on my fingers by the end. However, I really like having the colors all in one palette. The original containers were difficult for me to open, for some reason. Now, I can recreate looks from tutorials using this palette and that will be a lot of fun!
I have already crafted a skirt for a re-fashion and have many more planned to share. Until then~ Toodahloo!