Going Out Necessities

During my visit to Saint Louis I had the privilege of experiencing

some of the night life.

Here are a few of my "On the Town" necessities.

YSL bag

Tom Ford Lipstick in Quiver

Chanel bronzer

Byredo: Gypsy Water

Brunch Look

I'm back with another video!

Today you will be seeing a tutorial

on my go to brunch look!

Enjoy :D

ZOOtopia?

A trip to the zoo was
just what the doctor ordered.

A few weekends ago we decided
to go to the zoo - SO WE COULD FEED
THE GIRAFFES - but we also checked out all of the
other animals too.

A Birthday & Beach Day

May 27th was my 

hubby's 32nd birthday.

Every year I ask him what he would like

to do, and he always says the same thing...

"Idk...Nothing Really"

Omg! What am I supposed to do with that?

So we always just end up going to dinner - just

the two of us. 

This year I decided I was going to take matters into

my own hands. 

I decided to throw Ricky a surprise party.

But not just any surprise party - a 

bowling surprise party.

I was even able to get

his parents to drive up for the event :)

*I feel like it is necessary for me to put my "bowling look"

in here...*

I told him we were going bowling for his birthday -

but I did not tell him there would be a party waiting for him!

And let me tell you, it is almost impossible for me to keep

secrets. So this was big.

The next day we were off to the beach!

I know, I know. We are crazy

for going to the beach 

on Memorial Day Weekend, but it

really wasn't as busy as I thought it would

be. 

We headed to Cocoa beach to meet

up at Coconuts for a few drinks

and then some fun in the sun!

Thank God for these babys... The sand was SCORCHING!

I feel like I should be holding up an ice cream cone in this pic. #instagramready

Damn Steph, perfectly posed legs!

Here I am, expressing my thanks to Leigh and Steph for

providing the champagne.

Ohhhh this hat... #hateit

Here is where the fun begins...

A friend from work let me borrow his reflector to try out.

So we put on quite the show of 

"trying it out" lol.

I just love the golden glow it gave us!

For the following pic, we flipped the reflector over to the

white side. This obviously gave us much less of a

golden glow, but it was still pretty!

Had to get the booty shots in...

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter Primer Review

I finally bought it - the 

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter

Primer.

Do I love it?

At first I did!

And I still do really like it.

I love that it makes my face look

extremely luminous.

As you can see here - So luminous!

I love the smell.

I love that it feels moisturizing.

I love that there is a lottttt of it, and one pump goes

a long way.

The thing I don't love about it is that it doesn't seem

to keep my blush and bronzer on while at work for 8 hours like

the Smashbox primer did.

Or did it?

Now that I think about it, I can't remember if my 

bronzer and blush stayed on throughout the full work

day a week ago (before I bought the BECCA primer).

Am I being overly picky?

I MUST PUT IT TO THE TEST.

Channeling my inner science class 5th grader:

I devise up a question, hypothesis, a list of products used, a detailed summary

of the experiement, and the results.

Question:

Does the Smashbox Primer help hold the makeup on my face longer than

the BECCA Primer?

Hypothesis:

After putting Primer 1 on the right side of my face, and Primer 2 on the left side

of my face, I will work a full day. I believe the bronzer and blush will stay

better on the side of my face that Primer 2 was used on.

Products used:

BECCA Primer: Primer 1
Smashbox Primer: Primer 2

Bronzer

Blush

Experiment

Yes... The video quality is shitty but
to upload it to blogger without uploading it
to Youtube first - it had to be a much smaller
file. Quality was the sacrifice I had to make.

BUT - primer goes on somewhat clear,
so you aren't missing much.

Conclusion

After 8 hours of wear, I found
that the Makeup on the left side of my face
(Primer 2: SMASHBOX) seemed to stay on better.
They both seemed to be about the same with
oil control.

End of the day pics with Daisy!

She often tries to steal the show.
JUST LIKE MAMMA TAUGHT HER!

You can tell more in this pic that the makeup on the left side is slightly more
intact. 

5 Spring Beauty Essentials for Florida Living

Being a girl living in Orlando Florida

is very difficult.

75-80% of the year I live

in a tropical paradise.

I know, I know... Everyone who does not

live in Florida is hating me right now.

But you don't understand!!!

Having perfect hair and makeup in a 

tropical paradise is next to impossible!

Think Monica Geller in Barbados...

The humidity RUINS everything!

Whether the humidity makes your hair blow up like a balloon (like Monica) or fall

flat like a noodle (like me) - whether it melts your makeup off you face one hour 

into the day....

Fear not!

I have a few Spring/Summer beauty essentials

for the humidified lifestyle!

1. Primer (face and eye)

Because Florida has such a humid climate,
no matter what type of skin you have, you
face will normally have an oil sheen by the end of the day and
your makeup will normally melt off a few hours into
the work day. Primer really helps the makeup stick to
your face throughout the day.

A few of my favorites are:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance - To keep the eye makeup intact
BECCA Priming Filter - Luminous face primer
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer 

2. Setting Powder

Another way to keep your makeup lasting longer is to
brush a little setting powder over it. Setting powder is good
for use all over the face or only in specific areas. Many will
even use setting powder for "baking".
I often find that setting powder, not only contributes to
my makeup longevity, but it also gives me a little extra
oil control.

My favorite setting powder is the
Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder.

3. Push powder

Living in a humid climate not only effects makeup,
it also effects hair!

Most people have the problem of humidity making
their hair bigger - I have the opposite problem.
For a southern girl, there is nothing worse than flat
hair.

If you have issues with flat hair - fear not...
Push Powder will become your new best friend.
Push Powder is a powder that adds texture
and lift to your hair when applied at the
root.
My favorite push powder is
Redken Powder Grip.

4. Redkin Windblown

I don't care who you are, we all want Beyonce's
wind blown hair!

Windblown is an extremely light hairspray that not only holds
but it really does give you an airy windblown look - and it lasts
forever!
I've had 1 bottle last for a full year.
Redken Windblown.
If you are afraid to take the plunge and buy the full version,
they have travel sizes!
Travel Windblown.

5. Setting Spray

If you aren't using a setting spray - you should be.
Putting your makeup on should be like building a sandwich.
The primer should be the bottom piece of bread, the
foundation, bronzer, eye makeup, blush, etc. should be the
ham - cheese - lettuce - tomato
and the setting spray should be the top piece of bread.
It is the finishing touch to you look.
It keeps your makeup on longer and depending on the
type of spray you get, it can oil control or add moisture to your
face.

I bet we can all guess which one I use!
I love Urban Decay's De-Slick.
If you have tried De-Slick and aren't
crazy about it, my second choice would be
Kat Von D Setting Mist.

If you are curious about how to use these products,
hop over to my youtube channel to see
me in action!