Top 10 Drug Store Makeup Products, American Model Awards, and a $50 Sephora Giveaway!

Let's be honest, I don't love paying a lot of money for products when I can find comparable ones for a heck of a lot cheaper! I've honestly tried soooo many different brands of makeup, and am always switching things out to try something new. I'm currently loving a collection of makeup products I've put together through trial and error, and wanted to share them with you. All of these products can be found at a drug store and are insanely good.

Annnnd... make sure you don't miss the Sephora gift card giveaway at the end of this post, brought to you by the American Model Awards which I'm SO excited to tell you about!

1- Bronzer: Almay Smart Shade- It blends in perfectly with your skin and doesn't make you look orange. It is one of the best bronzers that I have found!

2- Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash- I have been using this since high school, and every time I get a different mascara I am always so disappointed. It makes your lashes, long, thick, dark and is only around $4.50. Win-win-win-win.

3. Foundation: Loreal True Match Lumi- Want illuminated glowy skin? This is a gem. But seriously, has changed the way my skin looks these past few weeks. 

4. Highlighter Concealer: Maybelline Lumi Touch- So easy to apply, doesn't make you shiney or greasy, and is the perfect highlighting tool to contour your face.

5. Lipstick- Revlon Colorburst: I LOVE bright pink lipstick. Revlon just blew all of my other ones out of the water. Get this, now.

6. Powder- Almay Nearly Naked: I'm not a huge powder fan. Nearly Naked does not cake and you can't even tell you have powder on.. it's fabulous.

7. Eye Shadow: Milani Runway Eyes (found at Target)- PERFECT smokey eye pallet!!!

8. Makeup Brushes: Sonie Kashuk (Target) Only $25 for a set and I love love love them.

9. Eye Liner: ELF (liquid and apply with eyeliner brush) I have never used a better eyeliner. Creamy, bold, and lasts until you wash it off of your face.

10. Blush: Milani- They have the perfect shades of pink

Hope that helps you in your makeup routines!

           Now for more exciting news.

I have been officially signed on as a judge for the 2014 American Model Awards.

I am so, so, so excited and can't wait to meet so many talented and amazing people. You can see the other judges here, and find out more about the competition here. The best part? YOU can enter into the competition and win a Mercedes Benz, a modeling contract with a top agency, star in a commercial, and tons of other prizes. I really hope to see you there! American Model Awards are giving one of you a $50 gift card to Sephora. 

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below! Giveaway will end next Tuesday!

a Rafflecopter giveawa

We Are Connected.

Sometimes I feel like I need an alter ego so I can hide away, hence my glasses ;)

Aurora, Newtown, Boston, Oklahoma, the stolen child in my city, the murder up the block, unhappy faces that I see everyday.. all of these current events have really really been shaping my heart. 

Just a couple of years ago I would have told you that I'm incredibly independent. I would have told you that I don't trust peoples motives or intentions or what they wanted from me. I would have told you that I can do things all by myself, that I don't need or want help, and that at the end of the day, I'm fine alone.

It seems that every time I turn on the news things get a little crazier. I remember getting the phone call about the Aurora, Colorado shooting, and then hours later getting another call from my sobbing sister that her husbands best friend was one of the victims.

I remember watching the news as reporters horrifically relayed that a gunman in Newtown was killing children. I didn't know any one of them personally, but I started crying. I felt sick and sad and asked God to comfort victims and families. 

Every time a new, heart breaking world event happens, I feel it. I feel pain for people who I haven't even met before. I think about this often, and why we all pull together in tragic situations. I've come to the only conclusion that makes sense to me as to why we feel for people halfway across the world who have meant nothing to us up until a certain point in our existence: 

We are connected. 

We are all brothers and sisters who inherently are connected and are striving for the same things. Whether we know it or not, we ultimately have the same goals, even if we have different paths to get there. When our brother hurts, we hurt, because our connection transcends all boundaries. When we're in tune with the people around us, we can feel and meet their needs because there is a small place for them in our hearts that is already there. It's like they're filling their space in our lives, even though we didn't know there was a spot for them to begin with. God has made us to belong to each other. To me, serving God and serving each other is our whole purpose in life. It's our mission and when we realize that we are living for something greater than ourselves life begins to make a little bit more sense.

I have learned that I can't and don't want to do things by myself. I have learned that there are sick and gruesome and horrible things that happen in life, but not everyone can't be trusted. And in fact, a lot of people would surprise us with their stories of heroism and hope and triumph. There are days where I want to hide and just escape life. I think it's natural to feel those things. We're all learning and trying the best we can to cope with hard things and big changes that tear at our hearts. These times are necessary for us so that we can grow, and learn and gain the experience we need to become better people.

I once heard a quote that said, I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

That stands truer today than ever. I know there's a plan for each of our lives. Don't fight it. Grow with the hard steps, and connect with the people around you. They have things to offer you that you can't find anywhere else, that's why God has given us to each other. We need each other to survive.

I'm so blessed and grateful that you connect with me over here every day.

Weekend Diary Through My I-Phone

Mike had this entire weekend off... 

We were all in heaven.

Almay Color and a $100 Visa Giftcard Giveaway!

Mike and I are completely obsessed with date nights. We both work a lot, so we have a rule that one day a week we will go on a date, just the two of us, so we can spend time together. Our dates range from nice dinners to hikes to a simple bike ride to get ice cream. On the nights that we go out to dinner I try to actually get ready to look good for him. I work from home so most days I throw my hair up and hardly put any makeup on.

ALMAY has an eye color kit that I just got my hands on called intense i-color bold nudes kit. Sometimes my eye makeup doesn't come out exactly how I want it to, but the way ALMAY has set up their kit is absolutely perfect. Each kit has 3 colors that you will use for your eye color. It's all in an eye-shaped palette so you know exactly where each color goes on your eye! The nude look really amps up my eyes.

For my skin, I have been using ALMAY smart shade mousse makeup. The mousse instantly transforms into your ideal shade. When you first take it out of the packaging it doesn't look like your color, and then when you start rubbing it onto your face it matches your skin perfectly and makes your skin look really smooth. This is my new go-to date night look.

I absolutely love these makeup products! My favorite part is how easy they are to use.

Check out Almay's website for more information about their products and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

One of you will win a $100 Visa Gift Card by answering the following question,

“What is your go-to Date Night look?”

Let us know in the comments below!

Rules
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/16/13-6/16/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Add Some Color to Your Life, and Win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Spring and summer have to be my favorite seasons. Okay, well maybe not weather wise because Phoenix is so hot I could just melt, but style wise there's nothing better to me than bright colors that bring out an outfit. I often get asked questions from readers how they can add in color or dress more boldly when it's not something they are used to doing.

Adding more vibrancy to your wardrobe can be really easy! For this outfit, I used Crystal Light Liquid as an inspiration for what color I was going to use to make my outfit pop. I chose to match my outfit to the flavor Pomtini. I have found that using fruits, drinks, etc, to gain color schemes from can actually be really inspiring and fun. Check out the NEW Crystal Light Liquid website for some inspiration of your own!

Here are 3 more tips on how to be bold with color:

1- If you're afraid to be too bold, use color accents in your accessories and shoes. A little pop of color goes a really long way.

2- Tone a bright top down with solid pants, and vice versa. If you want to be a little more bold, find neutral pants that have a pattern on them and pair it with a bright top.

3- Choose colors that bring out your eyes or hair. Sometimes people don't think they like wearing bright colors, but it's usually because they are choosing colors that just don't look good on them! Find colors that bring out your features, and experiment with those.

Now to the fun stuff.

One of you will be winning a $100 Visa gift card! Woohooo!

To enter, answer the question in the comments below,

"How do you find your style inspiration?"

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/14 - 6/4.
Be sure to visit the Crystal Light page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Currenty Loving...

Pants- c/o Karen Kane, Necklace- InPink, Shirt- Target

I'm currently loving:

Hot pink lips

Peplum tops

Light Pants

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