1 Lipstick 3 Ways

Bright lipstick is always in for summer. So you go out, buy the brightest color that strikes your fancy, bring it home, and wear it once. Maybe twice. Then it sits on your counter staring you in the face until winter when bright lips seem out of place.

 So how can you get some more use out of that summery color? Here are some ideas!

1. Wear it as blush.

Lipstick (especially creamy formulas without sparkle) are ideal cream blushes. You can apply it two ways: rub some from the bullet onto the back of your hand and then swirl a synthetic brush in the lipstick and apply lightly to your cheeks. You can also apply to lipstick to your fingers and then rub it into your cheeks. The key is to make it a light wash of color.

2. Use it as a cream shadow.

It might be a bit out there for some, but using lipstick as a cream shadow is a great way to bring a bold statement to your eye look. Of course, you can also try lighter lipsticks if you want a sheer wash of peach or creamy pink. The key to using lipstick on your eyes is using a eyeshadow primer underneath and to set the lipstick with a shear wash of eyeshadow to ensure it doesnt crease.
DISCLAIMER: Most lipsticks are not approved to use around the eyes, so use it at your own risk. When using lipstick on my own eyes, I just keep it away from my waterline and tear duct area.

3. Wear it as lipstick (Duh!)

OK, I'm not trying to be smart here. All of us have bought a lipstick because we love the color but have felt strange wearing it in public because it screams "LOOK AT MY LIPS!". Summer is the perfect time to get over that fear and just go for it. Orange, purple, pink, fuchsia, blue, green- whatever! Wear it to the pool, to the store, on a date or to church. Why not? Whats stopping you?


Products used:

Face-
Loreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder foundation in Light Ivory
Maybelline True Fit Concealer in Fair
Milani Statement Lipstick in Flamingo Pose

Eyebrows-
Avons Glimmerstick in Blonde

Eyes-
Wet'n'Wild Vanity palette
Physicians Formula Black Gel liner
Jordana's Best Lash Extreme Mascara

Lips-
Milani's Statement Lipstick in Flamingo Pose

Products used:

Eyebrows-
Avon Glimmerstick in Blonde

Eyes-
Two Faced Shadow Insurance
Milani Statement Lipstick in Flamingo Pose
Wet'n'Wild I Dream of Greenie palette
NYX single shadow in Chic
NYX single shadow in Red Head
NYX single shadow in Kiwi
NYX single shadow in Exotic Green
Physicians Formula Black Gel liner Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara

Growing out a pixie cut: in between hair styles

Anyone who's grown out there hair- whether its from a pixie cut, a short bob or even bangs, knows the growing out process is not fun. You spend 50% your time trying to figure out how to get your hair to grow faster, and then the other 50% trying to camouflage the awkward in-between stages while you wait to reach your goal.
Whether you realize it or not, there is a lot you can do with your hair while its growing to help with the painful process.  From headbands to braids, styling your hair in the growing out phase is essential to sticking to your guns and braving through the gawky stages. Here are some inspiration for styles you can try while growing out your hair from a pixie cut. Obviously I'm not a hair authority, so there are a million more things you could try. But these are just a few that worked for me.

1. Headbands 

Keeping my hair off my face

Where it all started

I started growing out my hair in Feb. 2010. It was very short and incredibly damaged, and there wasnt much I could do with it besides style it the way it was cut. So I started throwing headbands in my hair every chance I got. Plain ones, decorated ones, whatever matched my outfits and mood. It didnt change the fact that my hair was short, but it helped me feel like I was able to have a few options besides my plain pixie. 

2. Embracing your natural texture

Over the course of growing out my hair, one of the easiest ways to change my look was to go back to basics and let my curly hair be curly. It was hard, especially when you're hair is very short, curly hair can feel like you're walking into Golden Girls territory. I felt like the secret for me was to diffuse my hair with a blow dryer to add lift, while keeping my hair smooth with gel. It helped keep my hair bouncy and shiny without looking like a poodle.

3. Pull your hair back.

butterfly clips for a baby poof

Bobby pin central

Curly and pulled back

Whittle bitty ponytail

 

Slightly longer pony and a headband

Even if your hair is to short for a ponytail (like mine was in the first picture), you can play with pulling it back. Pull back your bangs, or create a poof at your crown with butterfly clips. Experiment with what works for your hair. Once my hair was long enough I pulled it into baby ponytails a lot. Maybe it looked silly, but I was proud that it had finally grown long enough!

Another option is to use bobby pins, and lots of them. When your hair is short it can be hard to get a bobby pin to hold anything back, but with a little practice, you can create some cute styles. A little hairspray and texturizing spray can help keep pieces that are to short under control.

4. Change your part. 

  

Its a simple thing, but makes a big difference. Changing your part can add body and lift if your hair is a little flat, plus it can help hide awkward layers as they grow.

5. Try some braids

My meager braiding attempt

Admittedly, I'm not very good at braids. Now that my hair is longer I'm getting better- but when my hair was short I was rubbish. I wish I had played with braiding more when my hair was short- its such an easy way to spice up your bangs or create a pretty half up do. Use some bobby pins to pin short hairs in place if they arent long enough to stay in your braid.


6. Learn how to pin curl. Seriously. 

My first failed pin curl attempt

After finally getting the hang of it!

Pin curls seem intimidating, but they actually are quite easy. I learned from watching youtube turtorials (a good place to start is here and here.) Once I knew the basics, I did pin curls all the time on my short hair. Pin curls dont have to give you a super vintage feel either- you can really use the basis of pin curls to create volume, soft curl or full on Shirley Temple head.

Obviously the longer your hair grows, the more you can do- but dont let the length keep you from having fun. If you like wearing hats or scarfs, rock those on days you feel like your hair needs a little help. Dont focus to much on your desperate struggle for long hair and enjoy the time you have left with short hair. Play with it. Do things you always wanted to do but never had the guts to do before. This is your chance- so go for it!

Read my other posts on growing out your hair!

Growing out a pixie- Two years later!
Growing out a pixie- update
In-between hair styles and update
Growing out a pixie cut

Growing out a pixie: Two years later!

 It's been two whole years since I decided to grow out my pixie cut, and its safe to say I've reached the other side. In fact, I've gone through at least 3 cycles of cutting my hair in a pixie, and growing it back out over the past 10 years or so. They say hindsight is 20/20, and after looking back through pictures of my hair during this last transition, I thought I'd impart some wisdom for those who are thinking about or in the throws of growing out their pixie cut. 

Before you read on, know that I'm not a hairstylist, nor have I received any professional training. All of these tips are ones I learned through the school of hard knocks and lots of research on the good ol'internet. If you have any reservations about applying these tips, go to your hairstylist and ask them first! Also, there is no sure fire steps you can take to make your hair grow faster. Genetics and your overall health are huge factors when growing your hair, and everyone's hair will grow at a difference pace. Once again, ask your hairstylist if you have any reservations! That being said, here are a few tips!

1. As I stated back 2 years ago in my original post about growing out my pixie cut, there were several steps I had to take in order to get my hair healthy enough to grow past the length it was. Looking back, the main thing that made a world of difference was putting down the bleach. As much as I loved the bleach blonde color, it was destroying my naturally dark blonde hair. It was breaking off every time I washed it and felt like straw. Dying it a darker blonde and applying protein treatments every few weeks stopped the breakage and allowed my hair to finally grow.

The start- Feb 2012: bleach blonde and DAMAGED!

March 2012: Darker and on the road to health!

2. It took quite awhile to get to the point I was comfortable with it, but putting down the flat iron made a big difference. Take it from me- my natural curl is frizzy, flat, and all around not cute. But, after some experimenting, I was able to find ways to bring out my curl without looking like a poodle. Part of that was learning how to do a classic wet set pin curl (which sounds harder then it really is). I watched a few great videos (watch some of my favorites here and here) that gave me the basics to start setting my hair and it did wonders.
Now that my hair is grown out, I still only heat style on special occasions. I think its been over 6 months since I last blow dried or flat ironed my hair.  One day when I have the time I might pull out my flat iron just to see what my hair looks like totally straight, but for now I'm having a lot of fun finding new styles that are easy and healthy for my hair.

October 2012- Straightening every day

November 2012- Embracing heat free curls

3. To be completely honest, part of the reason my hair grew fairly well was because I got pregnant in November of 2012. From my understanding, pregnancy hormones can cause some women's hair to  grow faster and stop falling out. This is exactly what happened for me. My hair became thick and grew like a weed. Taking prenatal vitamins also helped my hair tremendously.

That being said, obviously you aren't going to get pregnant just to grow your hair out. So, how can you help your hair grow faster?

• Take you vitamins! Obviously you need to consult with your doctor before taking new vitamins, but prenatal vitamins and biotin can help your hair grow in healthy and strong.
• Eat healthy! Your hair is directly effected by what you put into your body, so take care of yourself!
• Stop getting so many trims. Trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks just continually cuts off the length you've obtain. I know, every hairstylist and their Mom says differently, but its a myth that trims help your hair grow. Your hair grows from the top of your head, not the ends, therefore trims will not promote hair growth. What trims do it cut off any split ends, which helps avoid the split ends from going up the hair shaft and potentially breaking the hair. So, if you are diligently taking care of your hair (avoiding heat and excessive styling, eating healthy, taking vitamins, etc), you shouldn't have as many split ends.
  That being said, obviously, get a trim if you notice damage or need your hair shaped. Nobody wants fried. split ends or a mullet while growing out a pixie! As a rule, I usually get my hair trimmed every 4-5 months now that my hair is grown out.

April 2013- deep in the throws of pregnancy

September 2013- 1 month after giving birth

4. Stop stressing and enjoy the ride! Growing out your hair is frustrating and often feels like it will be a million years before you can get your hair into a ponytail, let alone past your collar bone. But, with the caveat of a medical condition, your hair should eventually grow. So enjoy playing and experimenting with your hair in the mean time. Buy some fun accessories, clips and bobby pins and go to town. You can do a lot more then you realize!
I plan on doing a post about in-between hairstyles later, but until then, here are a few pictures for inspiration!

May 2012- little baby ponytail!

July 2012- curly and pulled back

September 2012- braided sides and pinned back

So, after all is said and done, would I cut my hair into a pixie cut again? Yes! Like I said in the beginning of this post, I've cut it into a pixie several times over the years. I LOVE pixie cuts, and think if you want to try one, you absolutely should! Right now I'm so glad to have long hair. I love being able to pull it up into a ponytail, braid it, experiment with different types of buns, or just wear it down. I'm sure sometime down the road I'll cut it all off again, and when I do, I've got the tools to know how to grow it out gracefully!

April 2014- my current length in heat free curls

April 2014- my current length in heat free curls

Are you growing our your hair, or have you grown it out in the past? Do you have any tips that helped you get past the awkward stages? Comment below and tell me!

Find my Pinterest hair inspiration board to see some of my current and past hair loves!

Divergent Inspired Makeup: Erudite

 Dagnab it. I wish this wasn't the last faction. I just loved creating these!

" the one and only faction dedicated to knowledge, intelligence, curiosity, and astuteness. It was formed by those who blamed ignorance for the war that had occurred in the past, causing them to split into factions in the first place...Erudite values the virtue of intelligence and wisdom over any other. The members focus their lives on the pursuit of knowledge. Erudite are expected to delegate themselves in the library reading books, or, most commonly, reading something from the computer. They are also known to have memorized the city map. Members are also known to be particularly eloquent.
Because of the Erudite's thirst for knowledge, they are the ones easily susceptible to moral corruption as knowledge leads to lust for power...Each member must wear at least one article of blue clothing per day. Erudite's main color is blue, as it is a "calming color that helps stimulate the brain". Also, most faction members wear thick glasses to make them seem smarter." (source)

I dont mean to play into the smart girl stereotype, but come on ya'll! I wear glasses all day err'day, so this is a look I can really relate to. I decided to do a classic pinup with a twist because it looks great with glasses, and playing up your features is the smartest makeup look out there.

 

In a classic pinup look, the skin is flawless and pale. Much like Dauntless and Candor, I kept the skin matte with a full coverage foundation and a heavier contour and blush.

Pinup eyebrows are usually thick and overdraw, but thats not really my style. Glasses frame the face already, and I didnt need my brows competing with my thick frames. So I kept them well defined but light.

I used matte shadows to define my crease, and a black liner with a small flick on the eye to accentuate my lashes.  To keep in theme with Erudites, who must always wear blue, I used a blue eyeliner on my lower lash line and applied a bright shimmery turquoise blue over top.

The lips are the most important part of this look. I lined the lips with a dark purple and then finished it off with a deep red liquid lip color. After, I lined around my lips with a concealer pencil to sharpen any messy edges and define the lips even more.

I love this look, and wear something similar all the time. In the books, Erudite's are essentially the bad guys, but I think my love of learning would draw me to their faction. I don't think I could spend all my time studying or in front of a computer, but I could spend all day in a library :)

Would you want to be Erudite?

Products used:

Face- Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation in "Ivory"
Maybelline Fit Me Concealor in "Fair"
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in "Light"
Essence 'All About Matte" powder 
 NYX Taupe Blush
Revlon Matte Blush in "Perfectly Peach"

Eyebrows-
Avon Glimmerstick pencil in "Blonde"
NYX Wonderpencil in "Light"

Eyes-
Two Face Shadow Insurance
Wet'n'Wild Vanity palette
Hard Candy eyeliner in "Chop Suey"
NYX shadow in "Wild Fire"
Avon Supershock gel liner in "Black"
Wet'n'Wild Pride palette
Avon Lash Primer and Conditioner
Coty Airspun loose face powder
Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara in "Black"

Lips-
NYX lipliner in "Currant"
Maybelline Super Stay lipcolor in "Wine"
NYX Wonderpencil in "Light"