Ready or Not...School is Back!

School bells are ringing and summer has ended for most of you. For the rest, it’s creeping up on you, maybe too fast! Whether the thought of school makes you so excited you want to rush into the hall and decorate your locker, or it makes you want to hide in your locker, something we all enjoy is back to school fashion and beauty. What will you wear to your first day of school, and how will you do your makeup and hair? If you’re a high school newbie, this may be daunting! But it doesn’t need to be. Here are some ideas to help you get in the school spirit!

Makeup:

Shown in this video is a nice natural look for school, but far from boring!

Want to recreate the look but don’t have the products she used? You can grab these dupes at your local drugstore.

Eyes

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad in Velvet Crush

Face

NeutrogenaHealthy Skin Custom Glow Blush and Bronzer in Rosy Glow

Lips

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Perfect

Hair:

Ponytails, low and sleek are in! It’s super easy for when you’re in a hurry. Add some gel and brush in into a hair tie at the nape for a clean-kept look. If you have time, leave a piece of hair out at the nape and wrap it around the hair tie when you’re finished to add a bit of style.

Try a top knot! I’m sure you’ve seen them everywhere. Pull your hair into a sleek ponytail like before, except this time, you’ll want it to be in your crown. Then, loop your hair around just like you’re creating a ballerina bun. Stick a couple pins in and you’re done! Another quick hairstyle for the morning.

Clothes:

Deciding how to dress for school can be a challenge. You want to look cute but still be comfortable since you’re going to be spending all day in these clothes. Here is an outfit idea that is comfy but not frumpy.

Jeggings – these things are awesome! They feel like wearing sweatpants but still look nice. The only downside is they tend to be skin tight (Jeggings = “Jean Leggings”), but I buy a size up and they are perfect.

Big comfy sweaters are so in for fall! They are modest and comfortable. There are so many kinds of sweaters to choose from: lighter material, thick and cozy material, open knit, and more. Be sure to pair these with pants that are more form fitting to keep the look clean.

Autumn means boot season! Knee high boots are very trendy and are a super cute way to finish off this outfit.

What are your favorite ways to be cute but comfy for school? Any quick tips for cutting morning routine times?

New Do for a New School Year!

By now, most of you have already started school, BUT it is never to late to get a new hair do! Just before school started, I had my BFF's Mom cut my hair! (Always a plus when your BFF's mom is a hairstylist.. can someone say free haircut?) Evidently, my split ends were so bad that she had to take off FOUR INCHES! Here is the end result!

Sadly, these are the best pictures I have. They were taken just before school started. Four inches off and layers galore! I absolutely love it! It's a new me, but still...me! I also took the brown I had underneath my blonde out and exchanged it for a light red (I was wanting a deep, auburn red, but I grabbed the wrong box!) It's a fresh, new look for my senior year!

Are you wanting a new look, but not sure what to get?? Here are a few ideas you might like!

Long Layers with Bangs~ For those of you who have long hair, but are afraid to do a dramatic change to your hair, I suggest doing nice, long layers, BUT I would take a small risk, and cut some bangs. The great thing about bangs is, if you don't like them, you won't have to wait long for them to be gone :) I love Reese's hair in this picture! (Note: It WAS the way I was wanting my hair, but I let my split ends go on and on, so if you want to grow your hair out, keep it maintained or else your dreams will die...like mine did.)

Short Hair with Short Layers~  This is an awesome haircut! I have always loved how Kimberly Caldwell has done her hair! It's always edgy (which I will show you later in this post) and super cool! Here, Kimberly has her hair cut just above her shoulders and has a few shorter layers in it. It is very awesome for those who want a shorter look.

Medium Length Hair with Longer Layers~  Rachel McAdams and my mom have only ONE thing in common, and that is, they can wear ANY hair color and/or style, and look amazing with it! Don't you just love and hate that?! This is one of my favorite looks for Rachel. Her hair is a medium length and it has about two longer layers, close in length. I like it because it is easier to style and you don't always HAVE to style it, or at least my mother doesn't!

Pixie Cut~  I have always LOVED this look on Keira! For those of you who like the short short hair, this is a GREAT cut! Short, playful and unique (which is something I have always loved!) are the three word I would use to describe this cut! You can blow dry it quickly for a shaggy sort of look; you can straigthen it for a more polished look. Anyway you do it, it'll look GREAT!

So Ladies, I ask you this... which "do' is for YOU?! (Yeah, it's corny but hey, it works!)

Back to School Beauty Trends

Now that most of you are back to school, you’re probably wanting to change up your look for a new you in a new school year. Even if you’re not in school anymore, keep an eye on these hair and makeup trends for fall 2011…

Hair

Braids are in! A cute way to wear your hair this season is to curl it and braid some of it back, or, if you feel daring, create a braided headband.

60’s big hair! This one is classy and easy to achieve. Just tease at the crown and get it really big, smooth it down, pull some hair from the sides around it and pin in the back.

Top knots and loose buns are all the rage and super easy to create. They don’t need to be perfect because they’re supposed to be messy!

For hair color, golden tones are great for fall! Blondes, you may have worked your way to becoming platinum for the summer, but now it’s time to add some honey-colored lowlights, like Brooklyn Decker. Celebrity Colorist Jason Backe says, "This Fall will be a gold rush!” Brunettes, the ombré look is hot now. It’s darker near the top and fades into a lighter color at the end. For fall, try a honey blonde on the ends. It’s really low maintenance and gives you that “lived-in” look. Perfect for girls who want to try some hair color but don’t want to keep up with coloring it often.

For cuts, if you have long hair, try adding long, whispy layers with face framing and a full fringe, like Amber Tamblyn. For short hair, try a bob with just a little bit of layering. Both cuts work well for both straight and curly hair.

Makeup

Winged eyeliner is back, a classic look with a modern twist, almost making triangles on the outer corner. Pair with a soft pink gloss to add to the modern look.

Bright red lips always make a statement wherever you go! If your skin tone is cool, go with a berry or a hot pink instead of a flaming red. Don’t forget the lip liner for stay power!

Metallic eyeshadow is a fun new trend. Silver, gold, and bronze look great on all skin tones! Try Sephora’s Baked Moonshadow Trio to achieve the super shimmery, metal look.

Nails

It's a metallic trend for nails too! Matching nails with makeup was a big trend on the runway.



What was your back to school look? Did you make a dramatic change? Let's chat!

Getting Ready on School Days!

My alarm clock rang at 5:30 last Thursday and I was hit with reality. My carefree days of staying up late and sleeping in are over! It's back to hectic school mornings, running like a chicken with my head cut off :) trying to look somewhat decent before I have to run out the door! I'm guessing most of you girls feel my pain! We want to look cute for school but we want our sleep too! Here are a few tips that might make our mornings a little smoother...

1. Do all you can the night before!

If you make sure the outfit you want to wear is clean, and have it already laid out, it will save a lot of time going through your closet in the morning. Try to pick something to wear that you feel confident as well as comfortable in. My favorite school outfit is my favorite pair of jeans (that I just found out Maurices doesn't sell anymore!!!), and a simple tee with canvas shoes. Besides having your outfit ready, have your bags and anything you need for school already by your door so you won't forget them.

Something else you might be able to do at night is get your shower taken care of. Personally, I like taking most of my showers in the morning. It wakes me up and helps with my crazy bed-head! But I know a lot of girls who take showers the night before and it gives them more time to sleep in!


2. Use every minute you have.


This tip has helped me cram a lot of thing into my mornings. If I have a spare minute, waiting for something, I use it to do something else. Like if I'm rinsing conditioner out of my hair, I'm also shaving my legs. (It's a difficult balancing act, but it's possible :D) When I'm waiting for my hair to dry, I read my Bible. While I'm waiting for my waffles to pop out of the toaster, I'm getting out the plate, fork, butter, and syrup! Haha you get the idea. Utilize every second you have. It adds up!


3. Remember, cute can be simple!

Spending hours on how you look in the morning isn't the most practical way to spend your time.
Simplify your hair and makeup routine!

Easy makeup for me is just cover-up if it's needed, light eyeshadow, and brown mascara. I can finish in less than 5 minutes, and it looks cute and more natural.

As far as hair goes, there are many styles to choose from that are cute and easy. Messy buns and ponytails are great! Add a headband or braid your bangs for a finishing touch.


Another hairstyle that has been a lifesaver for me is a side braid. I pull all of my hair to the side and do a simple braid starting just below my ear. I can be having a terrible hair day, or still have wet hair and the braid is a quick fix!Here's a few sites for fast hairstyles:

http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/get-ready-fast-7-quick-and-easy-hairstyles/

http://www.hair.becomegorgeous.com/professional_tips/quick_school_hairstyles_for_long_hair-4520.html

http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/bandana-curls-or-rag-curls-for-long-hair/ I love this site for girls with long hair, these bandana curls are really cute!


I hope these tips will make your school mornings a little easier! You might even be able to hit the snooze button an extra time!

Fall Fashion 2011!

It's that time of year again! Some of my friends have already gone back to school :/
Still, there's something I love about the back to school time of year...new clothes? Fresh clean doodle free (at least for a while ;) notebooks and pencils? The crisp fall air? Whatever it is, I love it!:)

Here are a few of the fall 2011 trends to help with your back to school shopping!

Tunics/Off the shoulder Tops
I personally think these are adorable!! And you don't have to worry about shirts being to tight! Just make sure that if they're the off the shoulder shirt, that you don't show bra straps and wear a thick-strapped tank underneath!
Boyfriend Cardigans
I love these! They're super cute with frilly tops and skinny jeans!

Flare Jeans
I'm not sure how I feel about these haha flare jeans aren't really my favorite (I'm a skinny jeans girl!) But they'll probably grow on me ;) I'm glad skinny jeans will still be in this season! What do YOU think about the flare jean trend?

Leather Purses
I've seen long strapped leather purses everywhere! They seem to be the choice for the stylish girl!

Canvas Sneakers
Flat and comfy, these are a cute and casual fall shoe!


Once of my favorite accessories that always spices up a simple outfit is a pretty scarf!
The shoes are from Aeropostale and all the other items are from Forever21.

I hope you have a great day!:)

"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Luke 1:45

~Grace<3