It's Monday.
I'm not exactly thrilled that the work week has returned. I had such a lovely and relaxing weekend, and I really wasn't ready for it to end.
A friend of mine threw a get-together on Saturday at her parent's house. They have a spectacular back yard. My inner photographer was seriously geeking out. Now, when I say spectacular, I mean complete with an abundance of picturesque plants and vegetation, a Koi pond (with mini waterfall, of course), a pergola, and an enormous vegetable garden. So, on top of being constantly inspired to take beautiful pictures, I also got to sit back and enjoy the beauty of nature with a glass of wine in my hand, surrounded by the company of good friends.
I can't really think of much else better in life.
I can't really think of much else better in life.
I feel like I have so few opportunities to be outdoors and really enjoy the summer weather that I try to savor every second of the ones I get.
I decided that such an occasion was also a perfect excuse to use some of my newest makeup finds, and to put a pinterest hairstyle find into reality.
I love ponytails for the sake of practicality, but they can often express the sentiment that you don't really care about what you look like at that particular moment in time. However, I saw this pin and loved how glamourous and beautiful this girl made a ponytail look.
I figured this would be the perfect balance of form and function, since I didn't want to have my hair in my face while I was taking pictures, but I also wanted to look presentable and party-ready.
I started out by creating soft, large curls with a curling iron all over my entire head. I teased and pinned back a section of hair at the top of my head to give the ponytail some fullness, then pulled all of my hair back into the pony using one of my super-adorable knock off twistband hairties. I then went back with the curling iron and fixed/recurled any too-straight pieces of hair.
Makeup wise I used a combination of new products and old favorites to create this look.
What's on my face:
Dr. Brandt's Flexitone BB Cream
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (not pictured)
theBalm Instain Blush in Swiss Dot
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Naked, Buck)
Loreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow in Iced Latte
Bare Minerals Big & Bright Eyeliner in Granite
I.T. Cosmetics Brow Power
Lorac Special Effects Mascara
NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Margarita
I decided it was a coral kind of day when I was getting dressed in the morning, and luckily have quite a few nifty new products that I thought would be perfect to go with my outfit. I don't think it's remotely necessary to match your makeup to whatever clothes you are wearing, but sometimes the overall look can be nice when the color palette at least compliments each other. I've linked you to my original articles on the boxes/bags where some of these products were originally sampled from if you'd like to read my original reviews. I'm really falling in love with Instain blush. The color Birchbox sampled is SO beautiful.
Please let me know if you'd like me to write an in-depth description of how I achieved this look. I'd be more than happy to share!
I hope you too are enjoying this beautiful summer weather. Have you had any adventures recently? I'd love to hear about them! Please feel free to share. In the meantime, stay gorgeous <3
Lauren
