Snowed In Style!

Lets be real, weather like this pretty much equals home or work and the occasional time spent outside shoveling or doing something fun like sledding.  For those of us fortunate enough to live a climate like the Northeastern part of the US where the snow in the winter is equivalent to that of a mini blizzard know that we have to have a plan of attack ready when it comes to what to wear out. or in for that matter.  As comfy as PJ's are, you know your going to feel so much more productive when your a bit dressed up, even if it is super casual.  And i have just the thing to get those ideas going :)

Winter Wonderland:

Winter Wonderland by vivabellar3 featuring stone jewelry

Snowed in:

Snowed In... by vivabellar3 featuring boat neck tops

I hope these looks provide some inspiration for these chilly days! As for the make-up, stay neutral: The Naked Palette by Urban Decay would be perfect for the eyes, just use one color like Naked all over the lid and use Virgin as a highlight for the brow bone and tear duct area.  Keep the skin natural, and use a cream blush for a tinge of color, Wet n' Wild has a couple of nice colors if your on a budget.  If not Bobbi Brown makes some gorgeous cream blushes that will last you for ages.  On the lips keep it simple with a lip stain, there are about a million drug store variants that will work well for this, CoverGirl makes some really lovely ones.  Polish it off with mascara and your all ready to brave the winter elements! 

Keep warm and cozy :)

Love, 

Bella

ps: your smile really is the best accessory!

Happy Holidays!

It's snowing here on the east coast!

A crazy, snowy blizzard, which is the perfect time to cuddle up with your sweetie and watch an old film together, or to be with the family and do something silly together like play board games.  Or even if you want to curl into bed with a good book and a mug of steaming hot cocoa: tonight is THE perfect night for it all.  Just remember to appreciate those around you and enjoy life to the fullest everyone! :) 

Love,

Bella

So it's been quite some time...

Hey guys and girls! It's been forever and i sincerely apologize if I've been gone for too long.  I just started school again and it was a crazy hectic semester, now that finals are winding down I think its time to start blogging again.  I've pretty much forgotten how amazing it feels to have an outlet like this and I'm excited to start again.  Now lets just get straight back into it, as much as I LOVE make-up I've been finding myself leaning towards fashion more nowadays, as an avid reader of all a couple of fashion blogs, there are people out there who are completely inspiring in so many ways.  As a busy college student I know how hard it is to just forget about fashion and make-up, and in a sense your own sense of style during times as hectic as finals.  But now that they're almost over I think its time to jump right back into it.  There are tons of easy ways to update our looks from the almost uniform stressed college student outfit.  One of my favorite things to wear during the week has been just throwing on some leggings with Uggs and my Northface but as most of you know this look receives almost zero style points, and as much as I love it I know its not the best look for me.  Plus it does nothing to accentuate the curves and flaunt what I have.  So I was browsing around looking for inspiration for an easy outfit, thats as easy to throw on as jeans and a hoodie.  I came across a picture of Hilary Duff at a book signing for her new novel, Elixir, and she looked fab! Plus the outfit was perfect for anyone in a rush who wants to look put together without much effort.  Her makeup was amazing as well but thats a post for another day ;)  

Here's the original outfit worn by Ms. Duff:

photo credit: the vogue diaries  

This is the outfit that was inspired by hers: (i opted for brooches instead of bangles, you can do both)

Inspired by Hilary Duff by vivabellar3 featuring rubber boots

Perfect-fit mixed-tape cardigan - J.Crew, $50
Basic Ribbed Tank, $5.80
Colorblock Ponte Leggings, $15
Women's Jegging - American Eagle Outfitters, $40
Triangle Heel Suedette Booties, $33
Sky Blue Crystal Corsage Brooch (Silver Tone), 15 GBP
Large Jet Black Swarovski Crystal Owl Brooch (Silver Tone), 24 GBP
Yves Saint Laurent Leopard-print wool and cashmere-blend scarf, $995
Foulard circulaire, $7.80

Happy Reading!

love, 

Bella

yet another break :(

to all my readers! 

im so sorry i've been away for so long,

i've been going through about a million and one changes in my life

and i just needed some time to sort things out,

but dont worry :) ill be back soon as possible with updates

and a bunch of new posts!

xoxo,

bella

ps- i did makeup for a wedding recently, my favorite looks:

^ smokey purple eyes with a hint of champagne ^

a beautiful shimmery pink/gold/silver eye :)

skin care basics

Your skin is quite possibly the most important organ you have, it protects your insides, keeps you safe and dry and away from the sun's damaging rays.  So its only right that skin care be a high priority when it comes to daily life.  I know that we all normally don't have the time or the patience to do all the steps recommended and necessary to keep our skin healthy and away from harm but we can take certain precautions to minimize the damage done and to prevent it from happening in the first place.  I'm not trying to sound like a doctor or a dermatologist and for the best skin care plan for you, definitely consult a dermatologist or a skin care professional.  I'm just here to provide some helpful tips :)

1. Clean skin is happy skin--->you dont need to OD here, your skin doesn't have to be polished to perfection but cleaning it daily is important.  At the very least make sure you use a cleanser formulated for your skin type once a day, preferably once at night and in the morning when you wake up.  Gentle daily cleansing will keep your skin clean and prevent future break outs, keeping us all happier.
2. If your more involved in your skin care routine than you know the basics: cleanse, tone, exfoliate, moisturize.  Get quality skin care products, its actually smarter to splurge here than any where else. The better your skin, the less makeup you'll end up using.
3. Moisturize, after you wash your face and do that whole routine, its important to moisturize, no matter what skin type you have you are always going to need some form of moisturizer.  There are plenty out there, so take the time to find the one that works best for you.
4.  Sun Protection.  It seems more important in the summer but honestly guys all year round is necessary.   Exposure to the sun can cause premature wrinkles and age spots, why let your skin show your age when you have too ;)  An spf of 30 is the minimum for the summer months and AT LEAST 15 in the winter time, although having it be 30 all year round would be ideal.  And also sun screen has to be reapplied every two to three hours so if your going to be outside for a long period of time, keep that in mind and dont forget to re apply.  Protect and Prevent guys :)
5.  Drink water.  Skin care secret of the stars, water will rejuvenate your skin and give you that JLO glow, in all seriousness its the fountain of youth, go for it.  At the very least 8 tall glasses a day will keep your skin hydrated and flawless.

Those are just some basic tips, I'm planning on doing a more lengthy skin care post in the future.  I hope it helps a little! The key to flawless makeup is great skin, even if you dont have the best skin working to make it better will help you out in the long run.  Just remember, whatever works best for you is the way to go :)

photocredit to whomever took this picture!

love,

bella

p.s. the CHANEL summer 2010 make up collection has some of the sexiest colors i've seen in months.

photocredit: chanel

many many many apologies for the un-announced dissapearence. but yes, back in business :)

So as you can tell if you read this blog at all, i took a bit of a LONG break.  A few months i think. But it was nothing serious, I was just dealing with a lot and was feeling stressed out and the regular excuses and what have you.  I'm back now, preparing for a plethora of events and along with all of those things I want to stay committed to this blog.  It's seriously such a wonderful outlet and I really love it. So I think I might have to expand a bit on the range of topics I'd like to cover, obviously I love makeup and fashion so those will stay in the list, but I'd like to incorporate other things: fitness, skincare, and home decor/shopping tips/things of that nature.  Bear with me guys, I'm going through a lot of changes at the moment and I'm hoping that the blog will stay with me through them all and maybe even keep me sane.  As you can tell the background has been changed to more of a girl-ish feel.  I'm feeling a bit girly today.  I had a crazy day at work with a ton of issues. Anyone who works in retail, you feel my pain.  So I'm writing right now as part of my wind down time.  I'm reading now too, I have't had time to read anything all year so it's so nice to just sit down with a book and engulf myself with knowledge.  The current novella which is actual more of an awesome manual is Bobbi Brown's (the world renowned makeup artist and cosmetics company owner) Makeup Manual.  And if there is anyone else out there with me who wants to learn more about cosmetics or just makeup application in general, I highly suggest you read this book, just pick it up from your local library.  It is full of information on every single topic related to makeup and skincare you can think of, its great.  LOL mini rant later....I think thats going to be it for today.  I wrote down a whole list of ideas in my phone today that I wanted to blog about so I'm hoping I get to checking some stuff off that list soon.

heres to staying in touch with the blogging world.

wish me luck

love

bella

p.s.: i really adore blake lively.

photocredit: mario testino for vogue 

The Less is More Conundrum

I've sort of been having a internal battle with myself lately.  I mean in a way I don't want to let go of my winter makeup routine, but I've been finding out that it is way too heavy for me, and honestly letting go of a few steps never hurt anyone.  So basically what I've been doing lately is moisturizer, sometimes primer (either Smashbox Photo Finish or Benefit's That Gal), then loose powder (I'm using a Cover Girl Pro Powder, me and my mom actually both like it, I got one for her too, good stuff) by buffing it in with a kabuki brush, NYC matte bronzer for the cheekbones, then NARS blush in Amour along the upper part of the cheekbone to the apples of the cheek, and lastly for the face Smashbox Eyeshadow single in Pronto makes a beautiful powder highlight on the highest part of your cheeks.  So the step i just left out was the foundation and concealer,  I mean I do use concealer sometimes (NARS duo in custard/ginger) but is a bit of a hassle, especially in the morning.  I know it seems like a lot of steps but it goes by quickly.  I was previously using Clinique's Superfit Foundation ($21) which I love, but I still think looks too heavy.  I'm on a quest now to find out how I feel about tinted moisturizer, the foundation alternative, or just bare skin.  We'll see :)  But the few prodcuts I wanna try out are Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer ($42-a holy grail item in the beauty world, this is a WELL loved product) and either the Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer ($30) or the Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 ($21).  Seeing as there is a Clinique counter at my local Macys and that is the store closest to me, thats probably going to be my first test.  I'll keep you all updated on that as well.  On a complete side note, my Macbook is getting freaking dusty, the keys are all dusty, I think I'm going to have to get a cover for that too.  I find myself dusting it off every two seconds which is why it takes me forever to write anything, lol thats just my OCD.  I dont know why I had to rant about my recent foundation changes and stuff but it was just one of those things where you have to write it down somewhere and look back on it like oh yes this is the time i decided to change this up, I'm weird like that. haha also update on the eyeliner adventure, I was wearing the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero (it came with that hall of fame set, retail price is $17) and that stuff did not budge on my waterline, I swear to you, it was like magic!  I'm putting it up as a real contender for the eyeliner crown, I know it runs a bit pricey so I'll definitely try to find a cheaper alternative to it,  I've heard good things about some Revlon Colorstay Eyeliners and even the Loreal ones, I'll see if I can test those out as well.  OH and another random side note: blazers and trench coats are freaking cute guys!  I was at H&M the other day, and they had this coral almost red trench coat for $49 minus $15 because they're running a coat/jacket promotion, and I am kicking myself for not getting it, it was beautiful.  A real spring time staple!  Another trend I adore at the moment are blazers,  I have one I love but it's just not good for everyday wear, Charlotte Russe and Rainbow all have really adorable on trend blazers for pretty great prices,  If your not one to shell out $200 for a blazer from Bloomingdales or Saks then check those out. H&M and Express have a few cute pieces as well.  H&M also had this Hello Kitty Sweater which was AMAZING, I had a dream about it, no joke guys, haha so thats what I'm going to be purchasing next time I step into the mall.  Just had to do a teeny baby rant about that.

urban decay-zero

charlotte russe roll up sleeve blazer ($32)

express luxury stretch strong shoulder jacket ($98)

images property of their respective owners! 

fun reads,

bella

ps: anna kendrick's makeup at the oscars was stunning!

oh hello blogging world

I told you I couldn't stay away for too long, I'd miss it too much.  So anyways Im back! (for now at least) lol. Recently a good friend (and reader) of mine asked me about a dilemma that many women are puzzled with.  And trust me, its one that every one has dealt with at some point or another, and that is.....how to make your EYELINER stay put! First things first, it depends on what you are using, gel, liquid, and creme eyeliner are all fairly long lasting and it is their intended purpose to stay put on those lids!  But I'm talking about the waterline, what do you use there? Its an area where products have a higher tendency to run and melt, so I've decided that I'm going to go on a little eyeliner adventure and try out a few new pencil eyeliners to find which is best for long wearing waterline wear (redundant lol.)  A tip I do have though, regardless of whatever liner you have is that anything with a creme, soft kohl, that type of tendency will last oodles longer if set with powder.  So if you take a TINY amount of translucent or whatever powder you prefer and gently put it under NOT ON TOP OF where you put the eyeliner, it should stay put.  But anyways, I need to find a few more eyeliners to test out, I'm thinking three different ones should suffice.  So I'll definitely keep you guys up to date with that project. In other news I can finally say that I truly recommend the NYC Matte Bronzer in SUNNNY, I'm in love with this product.  To get the best application, in my opinion, take a dome shaped or a smaller blush brush, and start from where your cheekbones meet your hairline.  Then dab the product into the hollows of your cheeks right under where your cheekbones are, don't just brush it on, pat it in, it makes a huge difference, then if you want just add a bit more anywhere the sunlight would naturally hit you.  But this method does give you really flawless cheekbones and its a great contour. I love this bronzer! If anyone wants to know more about it, let me know :) Oh okay so in other news, I was at my local TJ Maxx the other day, and for those of you who are not familiar with that store, its a store which sells a variety of inexpensive designer labels for less (way less!)  And i found the most amazing shoes, for only $10, they are gorgeous and neutral and will complement so many looks, its great to find such deals when you least expect them.  The shoes are Seychelles which is a pretty expensive brand, and they went from somewhere in the $75-80 range down to $10.  Seriously guys, when you go to store like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, the most important thing to do is to look, and have a little patience, you never know what gems you'll find.  On a last and very exciting note,  I was just given the Urban Decay Hall of Fame Set ($20) by the most amazing person ever, thank you best friend! and lemme tell you guys, I AM IN LOVE (so far.)  The set comes with five of the company's most beloved products, and on the Urban Decay website its being sold for $20 (it was originally $29 i believe.)  Honestly, this set could have been worth way more, seeing as the XL Primer Potion it comes with retails for $23 by itself.  Now everything that the beauty world has hyped up about the Urban Decay Primer Potion, is pretty much accurate.  It is one of the best eyeshadow primers I've every used.  And it makes your shadows last for hours!  Okay so more on the Urban Decay Set in a later post, my fingers are aching from typing so much haha.  Thank you so much for reading everyone! :)

fun reads,

bella

ps: kim's my fave, by far.

images property of their respective owners.

hiatus.

i feel like i should just take a little break, its most likely not going to last too long, so no worries but for now, its hiatus time :)

update!

im sorry for being away everyone! Just been extremely busy with school and what not.  I hope that everyone is having a great week, lol two more days til the weekend theres something to look forward too.  Anyways oh so currently testing a few products at the moment:
a) NYC Matte Bronzer in Sunny (swatch was in the post before this one): thoughts so far, I like it, not too much color for me so its just perfect to even everything out.  And its really great for easy contouring. It glides on very easily, I just use either a angled blush brush or a big fluffy brush, both methods have different outcomes but the finished product look very natural and effortless, the fact that its a drugstore item makes it even better! The Ulta that I went to had it in stock but I had heard rumors on the blogs that it was being discontinued and pulled from drugstores, I'm most likely repurchasing next time I go to CVS or a Duane Reade, its definitely worth the money.
b) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils: honestly you guys, I've been using the matte white (milk) every day, even if its just for the tear duct, they are just so smooth! Little warning though, I'd be careful about using these in the waterline as they do transfer easily, so if you don't mind the smudgy look than go for it. Other than that really pleased.
c) Olay Complete All Day Moisture SPF 15 Lotion ($10.99 at most drugstores): So far not bad at all, after that Neutrogena disaster, I wanted to try something different, and this has been working well so far. It is a little bit thick for my skin but i don't mind it at all, more on it later.

Oh and I've been obsessed with this song since yesterday, so sweet: B.o.B Nothin' On You
check it out!
(these are just my personal opinions, im not being sponsored by a company or endorsing anything, music property of its respective owner.)

p.s. Katherine McPhee as a blonde is very cute, loving the makeup.

Ulta Buys :)

I was at Ulta yesterday, which is a beauty/salon store for those that didn't know, and i picked up a few needed things.  I wanna wait a few days before I do a full review on all of these products, just so I can test them out and give you guys my honest opinion on them.  So I picked up two NYX cosmetics jumbo eye pencils ($3.99-one in milk and the other in slate which is a dupe for MAC's Sharkskin), NYC cosmetics Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny ($2.99), Redken Satinwear 02, and some refills of products I already had.  I was super excited for the NYX pencils though, I've heard so much about them and I'm just really excited to try them out and do a few looks with them.  The Satinwear is a blow out lotion, and its used to prep your hair before you blow dry it, it works amazing plus it smells great :)  The NYC matte bronzer is another product I was excited to try because a) its being discontinued! :( b)its matte, most bronzers are shimmery this one gives you the perfect amount of all over color or just enough for some natural contouring of the cheeks and nose.  I will definitely let you know how that one goes, but its only $3 and you cant go wrong with that price, so its worth trying out for sure.  The NYX pencils were buy one get one free, which is the promotion Ulta is running on all NYX products this week, so if your looking to try out any of there stuff, now would be a great time to do so.  Initial reaction to the pencils are that they are super creamy and make a wonderful color base! They can really amp up a color and deepen it for more dimension, but I'll do a separate review on those soon, so look out for that :)  Here are just some pictures of the bronzer&pencils and some swatches of the colors, milk is a matte white & slate is almost metallic navy blue.

fun reads,

bella

ps: classic beauty

(This is just my opinion, I am not trying to endorse any products here.)

super easy natural eye makeup remover! and review for wet n' wild mega eyes creme eye liner (MAC dupe)

hello lovely readers, i know its been a few days and I've just been busy with school and work and valentines day<3 haha but yeah so im back! And i've got a few amazing tips and tricks for you all.  I was watching the flawless Michelle Phan on You Tube (heres the link to her channel) and she made this video about a natural eye makeup remover so ofcourse i was intrigued, i love my high end stuff but im a sucker for organic.  Her tip was to use EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL not the regular kind ladies, EVOO, as Rachel Ray would say.  But she was right, I tried it out on the product I'm going to review next but seriously it works! It works better than my makeup remover actually lol so I'm super pleased with it.  Yay for natural fixes! But anyways after the gym, I stopped by Rite Aid yesterday, and let me tell you they have Jesse's Girl Cosmetics there! I never knew that, but i had seen it in a few of my fave guru's videos so I was pleased to find it in my local drugstore.   But anyways they were having a 40% off sale on Wet N' Wild Cosmetics, which as you all know, I'm all for using cheap alternatives if they are of good (or better) quality than their high end counterparts.  I picked up the Wet N' Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eye Liner in black for $2.80 (with tax), what a great price!  So i went home took it out of the packaging (its cruelty free btw, no animal testing), and immediately tried it out.  And boy was I impressed with this stuff, now I've used MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack before i and i have to say that this is MUCH better.  I hate to say that but its true.  It's also way better than L'Oreal HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in black, which retails for like $12 or something like that, the one i bought was dry, hard, and the brush was horrible.  But this eyeliner I'm in LOVE with.  It's very creamy, dries opaque and to a true matte finish, plus the brush actually works.  I prefer to use my own brushes but this one is not bad at all.  This liner stays put too, seriously it will not come off unless you use eye make up remover or the extra virgin olive oil I mentioned previously, but anyways Wet N' Wild creme eyeliner gets two thumbs up from me, I think I'll be using it today :)  (Thats just my opinion, I am not trying to endorse any products here!) 

lol obviously i love it so far, hence the usage :)

and heres what the liner looks like after 6 hours of work:

pretty amazing stuff :)

fun reads,

bella

ps: kim's vegas magazine look, its old i know but beautiful none the less.

Blizzard Blue Crayola Crayon Inspired Look-for the kid in all of us

As you all already knew from my last post, it was snowing out so i wanted to do an ice princess sort of look, but that didn't really work out.  So instead i was looking through a box of 72 color Crayola crayons and blizzard blue caught my eye.  Its a really pretty light blue and it got me thinking I should do a look based off of it, plus the blizzard going on outside, it all just fit.

Products Used: CS 88 matte palette, FLIRT! cosmetics eyeshadow brush, a tissue, Smashbox PhotoFoundation Primer in Light, Clinique eyeshadow (I can't remember the name but its a champagne colored eyeshadow with some shimmer, so if you have anything like that it'll work just fine.), Smashbox DNA Lash Mascara in Jet Black, Kohl based eyeliner, FLIRT! Cosmetics Eyeliner Brush, CS Sparkle Blue Mica Pigment, CS Shadow brush, CS crease brush, any cream highlight with shimmer i used High Beam by Benefit Cosmetics.

*I really think this look would've looked better if I had used a primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion, which I'm thinking I'm going to have to get if I want lighter colors to really show up.  Just my thoughts on the matter. But it is a really pretty dusty, shadow look.

1.  Apply a base, and the lightest color in the CS 88 palette all over the lid, followed by the lightest shade of blue in the palette all over the lid.  Also beware of fall out, there will be a ton of it, but don't worry you can just clean that up later on.  Also apply a shade of blue a tone darker than the one all over the lid to the outer "V" and blend, take a darker color than that one and blend it into the crease using window wiper motions.

2. Apply the shimmery highlight to your brow bone for added drama, then take your eyeliner brush and your cream or gel liner and apply it to the top lash line, using short strokes, after you've made those just use the brush and connect them so you get a smooth line, a matte black liner will work great for this.  Apply it to the bottom lash line/water line as well, connect any lines you have.  Don't make a large wing at the end, just a smaller one, hugging close to the lash line will look great.

3.  Very carefully take the glitter pigment, and get it onto your eyeliner brush.  Apply it right onto the black liner you just put on, making sure to be super careful and precise.  Next take the champagne colored shadow and apply with a small pencil brush under the black liner on your bottom lashes.  This will just brighten up your face a little.  Apply a highlight to the tear duct and your almost done! Next take the Smashbox Mascara, or any other mascara you like that provides dark color pay off and drama and apply it to your lashes (top and bottom) for a va va voom look.

Thats all there is to it! Your crayon inspired look is finished! Enjoy it :)

fun reads,

bella

ps: Brigitte Bardot-flawless classic.

all images property of their respective owners,

these are just my opinions, im not being sponsored or endorsing anything.

Nothing to do with beauty or fashion but......

I wanted to spruce up the blog a bit, i don't know, it was seeming a bit blah.  I sorta tried to make a new header I don't know how well that went, but I think it looks alright for now, seeing as I am NO graphics/computer design expert. I like it, it adds that little personal touch, right? haha so yes that was my little accomplishment of the day, btw it is SNOWY at home. Out of nowhere too, but hey it looks beautiful and it sort of is inspiring me to do a ice princess, snow inspired look, hmm..? Okay so i just had to let everyone know about that.  Keep an eye out for it.

fun reads,

bella

ps: I'm loving this look from YSL beauty, totally gorgeous.

images property of their respective owners.

Fashion Find!

My mom was out shopping and she picked up a lot of shoes lol she like came home with bags, its her little thing, but she got me the cutest casual shoes ever! Well maybe not ever but they are really adorable and would be amazing with jeans and just a toned down outfit.  Plus they are ultra comfy! She got these shoes called Women's Casual Fringe Moccasin from Land's End in Sears Department Stores for.........$11.99! That's such a great price considering how cute they are, so if you have a sears close by check it out! They are on sale though so the supply might be limited, but i think these would be great for transitioning from winter to spring or any thing like that.  She got them for me in black but i just looked on the website and they have a variety of colors, they look great in plum (Red Grape) or brown (Saddle).  Check them out, what a fun find :)

thats what they look like in saddle,

you can find them in any sears store with a Land's End Department

or online: here

fun reads,

bella

p.s. i do love a well styled outfit, you go lea michele! :)

(im not trying to endorse any products, this is just my opinion. images property of their respective owners)