What's in My Makeup Bag

Happy Hump Day ladies! I hope you all have been having a great week. As an avid viewer of many, many blogs and YouTube videos, I have always found myself loving posts that allow us to take a peek inside someones life, so to speak. Closet tours, home decorating ideas, makeup collections, etc. are all things I love seeing. Hey, its fun to see what people have and how they organize it right? Maybe it's because I think we are all a little nosey. ;) But there isn't much wrong with that. Today I thought I would share with you what I typically carry in my makeup bag when I travel on the weekends. I change it up depending on what new products I might have purchased and what I'm loving, but for the most part, items from these categories come with me when I am on the go! 

A fun print makeup bag to store it all! 

Milly for Clinque (was a freebie with a purchase)

Brushes are essential.

Uses: (L-R) Foundation, under-eye concealer, setting powder,

blush, blush/highlighter, bronzer, eye shading, eye blending

A primer and a couple options of foundation.

I like to carry a more full coverage option with me as well as

a more natural coverage option.

(TIP: Soft, plastic bottles of foundation, as opposed to glass, are great for travel.)

Full & medium coverage under-eye concealer

options and blemish concealer...just in case!

Setting powder, bronzer, and two choices of blush

Eyeshadow palettes are best when traveling!

I also always have Stila's Kitten e/s with me. (FAVE status)

A favorite mascara, liquid eyeliner, & brow essentials

ChapStick is a must. I always carry multiple lip colors as well. 

And of course, as most women do, I carry a few hair ties and bobby

pins in my makeup case as well.

So theres what I carry in my makeup bag on a typical weekend or if I am traveling. I try not to overload my case with unnecessary or bulky items. These things fit just perfectly into the size of makeup bag I have. The things that most often get switched out are foundation, eyeshadow and blush due to season or occasion. (And because my collection continues to grow and I need to use everything I have ;)

Look for my "What's in my Traincase" next week! 

XO, Carrie

How to: Second Day Hair

Happy Thursday all! Today I am bringing you what I have found to be the best way to make second hair manageable and fresh. I mean, if you are like me, you will do what you can to make your hair look great for as many days as possible between washes. Usually I go two days and on occasion I can make it 3 days...depending on what things I am up to that week. But when it comes to wearing second and third day hair, there are some important steps you must follow. Unless you have a really dry scalp that produces minimal oil and can get away with doing nothing... I envy you. 

Over the last few years, I have been actively seeking out dry shampoos high and low to see what works best for me. By trial and error, returns and regrets, I think I have found the perfect combination of products that really makes my second day hair look like it was just washed!

I recently have fallen in love with the Bumble and Bumble Tonic Lotion. This stuff is such a universal product. The label says it contains a "rich mix of vitamins, herbs, and Tea Tree Oil- tames tangles, refreshes your head, feeds your hair, and soothes your scalp." I contest it does all of this. And not to mention, it smells fabulous! I always spray this all over when my hair is damp, but when my stylist told me I could use this on second day hair, I knew it was love. For second day hair I lightly spray this on my roots and around my hairline (front and back). What this does is restores the "freshness feel" and activates the products you may have used on your hair the day before. I then take my blow dryer on a low setting and dry it. At this point, my hair honestly looks a bit worse than it did before, but it feels fresh! I then take my FAVORITE and CHEAP Suave Dry Shampoo and spray it where my hair is looking a little oily. Be sure to hold it at least 6 inches away to avoid noticeable white patches. This absorbs oil like no other dry shampoo. (I love Batiste, but Suave is a fraction of the price and works great!) I use my finger tips and massage my roots to really help the product soak up what it can. This also helps blend in the white cast it may have left. After using these two products, my hair looks and feels so fresh! I then style it how I please, and I am ready to go! 

Have you tried either of these products? If not, what are you using to achieve manageable second day hair? I'm always looking for great products!

XO, Carrie 

Check it Out:

Get it here! 

Get it here!

Jewelry Organization

Hello loves! I hope you are all off to a great week! This week is crazy for me. Between finishing my hours observing at the hospital and midterm exams, I can feel myself starting to get a bit overwhelmed. So instead of over-stressing myself, I decided to sit down and share with you all something fun.

I love jewelry. From statement necklaces to classic pearl earrings, I like to keep my collection full of variety. But, when collecting a lot of fun pieces, there comes the issue of figuring out the best way to organize and store what you own. What's great about jewelry is that it makes for a great way to decorate, without going out and buying actual decor! :)

Here is how I am currently organizing and displaying my most worn jewelry!

Displaying your favorite or most valuable pieces on a precious little dish

really showcases those special items!

This DIY earring holder is a great way to store a lot 

of earrings AND double as fun wall art!

A mini mannequin offers great necklace display.

This little dish serves as a great function for 

those most-worn post earrings.

I use an over-the-door rack to hang my larger statement necklaces.

In my bathroom, I often have a pair or two of earrings I take off before bed. 

As of now, this is the best way I have found to store what I have with my space and set up. The pieces I do not wear, I have stored in away in decorative little boxes and such. How do you like to store and display your most worn jewelry? 

XO, Carrie

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have had another great week! I know I have! This week wasn't my typical week. For my program at school that I hope to be admitted to, we are to complete a certain number of hours of observation in different departments. This week I started that, making for different hours and throwing me out of my normal routine, which is fine by me! Sometimes its nice to have a little change up, yeah?

Fall is such a joyous time of year. Pumpkin everything, blazers & scarves, you know the drill... And nothing is more beautiful than the turn of the leaves and crisp air in the morning. I enjoy this weather MUCH more than a hot summer evening honestly. Unfortunately, this seems to be the season that comes and goes far too quickly! But while its still here, here are things I am really loving this fall (and the last couple weeks)!

Call me your stereotypical young female, but I love me a good pumpkin spice coffee drink. BUT I do not run out to Starbucks and waste fork over nearly $5 for a barely hot latte. DON'T GET ME WRONG: I love SBux quite a lot actually. They have a creative and delicious drink menu, and it makes for a great date with friends. But I personally like to make my own concoctions at home these days, especially when I'm just heading to class in the mornings. I discovered Target's brand, Archer Farms, carries K-Cups for Keurigs and now makes Pumpkin Spice coffee. Add a touch of your favorite creamer (cinnamon, french vanilla, or even almond milk are all great options) a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg on the top, and you have yourself a "homemade" specialty drink ready to take out the door.

Crazy For You Ankle Booties

When it comes to fall attire, I feel that it is all about fashion meets function. In the summer, I think we can kind of get away with a few less-functional clothing items like strappy flat sandals with no support for example. We wear them because they look great with out outfit, and they fit the season. But where fall is concerned, we need to practice a touch of practicality, because the weather is changing and you never know what mother nature might throw at you. For over a month now, I had been on the hunt for the perfect ankle booties. I hoped to find something with a mid-height heel (nothing higher than 3 inches) so I can wear them on a regular day, and also something in that perfect shade of rich cognac leather. I contemplated over a numerous pairs, but believe I have found the ones! Seychelles has always been a brand I have admired (with my eyes of course) and I will be purchasing these babies ASAP!

Blazers are something all women should own at least one of, even if you are not a yuppie! Just because you may not work in the corporate field, its nice to own a piece that adds sophistication to your look. In the last few weeks, I have been loving my Gap Academy blazer again. I have one in navy and really wish I would have purchased a few more colors last fall when I still worked for Gap. I throw mine on over a flowy blouse (cuffs rolled, yes) and pair it with fitted jeans and a slightly pointed toe flat to polish off the look. Easy and effortless. My favorite qualities in an outfit.

Last, but certainly not least, I have really been enjoying MAC's blush in Mocha. How could I go a post without mentioning a beauty product? ;) But in all seriousness, I think this is the perfect fall shade for the cheeks. I mentioned it in my fall beauty trends post (See it here!) and I have been wearing it every day! What's great about it is that while it delivers a beautiful color, it doesn't scream "I'm wearing blush!" like some coral, summer colored blushes can tend to do. I think fall is a great time to switch up your blush. You could leave the rest of your makeup routine the same, but a change in cheek color will really transition you into the new seasons ahead. I like to think cool undertones for the cheeks this time of year versus warm in the spring and summer.

I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather and really taking advantage of the season change. What things have you been loving?

XO, Carrie

Healthy Skin

Since I started working at a salon and spa, my view on hair and skincare products has changed tremendously. I used to think that any products from a drugstore or counter could work someway for the right person. But while they may "work" to fix whatever it is you might be seeing on your face, you might not always be benefitting your skin which is really what skin care is all about.

The salon I work at carries the brand Dermalogica and I have grown to love it! While I would love to sit here and talk about all the amazing products they carry and encourage you to try them, I'd rather tell you what makes them different that other skincare brands that I never knew before. Yes, you could go the top lines like Dior, Chanel, Estee Lauder and get a cleanser and moisturizer suited to your skin type, but what's important to know is that these brands are targets towards your skins BEAUTY (heavily emphasizing on cosmetic appearance). Dermalogica is a line completely devoted to executing your skins HEALTH. See the difference? At first it didn't make sense to me, but with a few questions asked to one of the specialists at the salon, I learned more in 5 minutes than I knew about skincare in my 20 years of life.

Beauty brand products can be decent products and may work for certain target zones, but they often contain alcohols, mineral oil, artificial colors and fragrances which are common irritants to the skin. Dermalogica products are clean (however, not organic) and are simply created to promote and enhance your personal skins health....which in my opinion is BEAUTIFUL skin!

Something I would recommend for your skincare routine is to possibly seek out getting a facial or another kind of skincare service at a spa or dermatologist clinic to have your skin diagnosed. It's crucial that you are aware of what is going on with your skin so you can use the correct products to see the best results. I personally can contest to this because I went in for a facial about 2 weeks ago and learned that I had some congestion and enlarged pores around my nose that could become troublesome if I didn't clean and exfoliate them properly!

To find out more about Dermalogica products you can read more on their website and find a retailer near you!

Have you tried out any products from Dermalogica? If so, which ones?!

XO, Carrie

Brows on Deck

Hey ladies, happy Friday! I hope that you all have good things in store for the weekend! And if you don't have any plans, then I hope you find yourself a very relaxing weekend! This weekend, my best friend who moved to Tennessee, is home for a visit, and I am beyond excited to see her! My other best friend will be home as well, and I can't wait to be reunited with the girls I consider family.

But today, I want to share with you a little more in depth on a feature that I included in my fall trends. If you didn't catch that, you can see it here. :) If you didn't know, basically I am in love with all things eyebrows. Bold and beautiful brows are in and brow products are filling the shelves at Sephora. While I do think you can find some great options at the drug store (Revlon Brow Fantasy), I really have found that if you spend just a little more, you get AMAZING results!

Here is my must-have brow combo!

Anastasia Brow Wiz

What I love about the brow wiz pencil is that its SO tiny and lets you make very precise marks to perfectly fill in sparse areas, as well as lining the shape of your natural brow for definition. The brow wiz has a spooley on the end as well to comb out your brows before and after filling them in. Brow wiz comes in 6 shades and can be bought here!

Benefit Gimme Brow

When I first saw this product, I just thought it was a tinted brow gel, which to me isn't normally worth paying the extra price. BUT what's genius about this product is that it has little fibers inside (think mascara) that attach on to your brow hairs and help fill in areas that might need a little fuller look, but may not need the extreme of being penciled in. I've only had this for a few days and I am in love! This is a must have if you are brow lover like me! Gimme Brow comes in 2 shades and can be bought here!

Benefit High Brow

I like to think of High Brow as a push-up bra for the eyebrows. Silly, I know, but with the pink undertone, just a little of this pencil lined under the brow and blended in creates not only a super defined and clean look, but it also puts an emphasis on your arch (which really helps out those who have a very small natural arch). I bought this pencil years ago, and have kind of rediscovered it in my makeup collection. Now, I can't get enough. This product is essentially the same formula as the Benefit Eye Bright. You can also use this in your inner corner and on your water line to brighten up your eye look! 

I can almost assure you that these three products combined will leave you with bold & fabulous looking brows! Over plucking is a thing of the past! 

What brow products do you love?

XO, Carrie

Fall Beauty Trends

Hello lovlies! I hope you all are having a great week and have been enjoying this beautiful 'transition-into-fall' weather we've been having-- at least here in Des Moines, IA! It seems like lately for me I have been going in spurts where I am either in love & obsessed with new products that have come out or else content with what I have and feel motivated to use up some old things. Well, as of late, I am really really loving new trends for fall as well as trying out some new products I normally wouldn't gravitate towards.

Here are the products I consider to fall into the "fall trends" category that I think you should go out and grab!

NAILS: Rich, ox blood and bordeaux colors are very appropriate for fall. Other colors that are well suited for nails in autumn are deep jewel tone colors; purples, emerald greens, and beautiful navys.

Shown here left to right: OPI's Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ and Honk If You Love OPI (darker in person)

LIPS: Deep berry and warm raisin colors are all the hype this fall. These shades here might look a bit scary to those of you who don't wear a lot of color on your lips, but what's great is that these two shades are very sheer and give you that perfect amount of depth to the lips. 

Shown here left to right: Smashbox Black Cherry and Clinique Black Honey (I'm sure you've heard of this cult shade already!)

CHEEKS: Muted rose blushes add the perfect natural glow to ALL skin tones. These shades are perfect for fall as we transition away from peachy & coral pinched cheeks.

Shown here top to bottom: MAC Mocha and Benefit Rockateur 

BROWS: Attention ladies, bold brows are in! Even if your brows are very light, remember they play a very important role in framing your face. Companies continue to create new brow products so that any shade can get the perfect shape and look!

Shown here: Anastasia Brow Wiz (I am shade Caramel)

What fall beauty trends are you loving?

XO, Carrie

"No Makeup" Makeup Look

Step 1: cover any blemishes, discoloration, or previous acne marks with MAC Studio Finish concealer and a small concealer brush or your finger

Step 2: take small amounts of the Smashbox BB Cream on your finger and dab on it around on your face, then blend in with a synthetic brush for a seamless look

Step 3: finish by setting your makeup with a light powder like Covergirl Oil Control and a large powder brush

Whats great about this look is that your natural skin features, such as freckles, can still show through, making it almost appear as if you aren't even wearing makeup. Sometimes full coverage makeup can feel heavy throughout the day and other times, you might not want to apply your full routine just to step out for a few errands. This 3 step face look is perfect for when you are in a pinch too! 

Finish the look with a warm blush, a touch of mascara, and clear gloss to polish it off. 

What products do you use to achieve that 'no-makeup' look?

XO, Carrie