My Summer Beauty Routine

I've got my beauty routine for the summer down (it changes as the seasons change). For a summer look I like to go dark on the eyes and light on the lips with a bronzer on the cheeks. It takes about five minutes and gives me a healthy sunkissed summery appearance. My skin always looks best in the warm months. I have poor circulation in the cold and I guess the blood finally gets a chance to circulate around my body in the heat;-P Oddly, I'm more moisturized and my makeup just lays better (except in the EXTREME heat of course) But overall, it's a great time to look healthy instead of a sickly pale with flaking makeup.

2. First I wipe my face down with a wet facial wipe until everything is removed. I'm pretty bad at doing this at night (rarely ever do) but I've heard it's best not to sleep in your makeup. At the very least I wipe it off the next day before applying more. 

3. After my face dries I apply a very light moisturizer under my eyes and smear it around my lids. Then I apply around my mouth and smear it around my cheeks and jawbone. The key is LIGHT. 

4. I later go back with a concealer stick and using a brush dab on a heavier concealer in the bags on my eyes (which are awful) and need the extra umpf of a stick.

Then I start on my eyes. This is most delicate part of the process and takes the longest because I need a steady hand. I like my summer eyes to be dark but ONLY on the outer edges. If I go FULL dark it just ends up looks Egyptian. 

5. I apply a crayon liner to the middle to the outer edges of my lids and I taper the line from fine (middle lid) to wide (outer lid) both on top and bottom of my eye. 

6. Then under that crayon I use a liquid liner to cover what the crayon missed (the skin closest to the lash line). 

7. Then I add a dark brown shadow from the middle of my eye to the outer edges. Finally since my eyelashes go straight down into my eyes (you can literally see them covering part of my eyes from a glance) I have to curl them up. 

8. First I use an eyelash curler then I apply the mascara. I never apply the mascara first and then curl. I know you get a better curl but in the long run it's never worth it. Eventually your lashes will break off and you're going to end up with stumpier lashes than when you started.

9. To help my lashes grow I use Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara. It helps to make your lashes stronger with continued use.

10. Then I add a light liquid bronzer to my cheeks. 

11. And finally I add a light shaded lipstick. Nude is best. If I go a little lighter on my eyes sometimes I'll go with something a little more pinkish. 

12. Voila! Done. Then I usually leave my hair down in large crimped waves. But if it's especially hot I'll bun it.

How do you change your beauty routine for the warm summer months? What looks best on your in the heat?

Revlon believes there is more than one way for women to be seen. Revlon's heritage as a color authority and its suite of innovative products inspires women around the world to express themselves through beauty each and every day.

“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Revlon Consumer Products via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Revlon Consumer Products.”

Salon Effects Nail Strips How To and Contest!

I recently changed the ink in my printer. It was disastrous. I thought the black would never come off my skin let alone my finger nails. So I tried Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. I had never used strips before so I was very curious to see how they'd fair. You'll have to see the 'before' below to see how effective the strips were in covering the mess my nails were.

If you've seen these in the drug store and wondered whether or not they were difficult to apply see my tutorial below to see how simple it was. And unlike other strips there is no heat involved. It does take an application or two to master but I do believe that the next time I apply will be easier than the last. I also love how I don't have to wait for anything to dry. That's the biggest plus. You don't have to worry about nicking the paint. Plus, no over painting into the cuticle. Every nail looks perfect.

And HEY! We also did Lily's nails too using Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Polish. Since she's such a mustache freak I painted on tiny mustaches at the bottom with the Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in black. So much easier than using a brush.

I'm submitting the photo for the Sally Hansen's #IHeartNailArt contest. In the name of all things manicure related, Sally Hansen is hosting a 5 month long contest to show off the best tips! Each month will boast a new theme... and new nail art, so make sure to check back. This month's theme is texture!

To enter you have to upload a photo to Facebook, or take a picture with Instagram or tweet a picture with designated hashtag #iheartnailart. Contest ends each month on the last day of the month. Winner announced one week after contest closes. All monthly winners will come to NYC in July/Aug for a final round of putting together a look. Judges will determine the winner each month and at the end. Grand prize is $2K and winner will be the brand ambassador for a year for Sally Hansen look!!!!

Salon Effect Tutorial Below! Check out my nails PREapplication. Looks pretty grimey. But it's not dirt. It's ink;-) But who would know? Most people would assume I'm dirty.

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Rainbow Pretzel Sticks

Yesterday, the kids, Brian and I made homemade pretzels via an Auntie Ann's box kit. But we decided to do a little twist and add food coloring to risen dough. Here are my how-to and tips. 

You could do other fun things with rainbow pretzels, make a rainbow with the dough strips. Make red Valentine's pretzels in the shape of a heart. Make St. Patrick's day pretzels in the shape of a shamrock. Make fourth of July red, white and blue pretzels sticks. Really, just think of a holiday and there's probably a colored pretzel to go with it;-)

How-To

Follow the instructions on your Auntie Ann's pretzel kit and stop just before you are to soak the dough in the baking soda water. If you don't have an Auntie Ann's kit just use this soft pretzel recipe.

Then Step 1: I bought a McCormick food coloring kit which is probably pretty common in most grocery stores. It came with only yellow, green, blue and red. To make purple I used a little ceramic cup and per the instructions on the box, mixed the correct amount of drops for purple and orange.

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Cheap L-Shaped Sofa Bed DIY

I love what Antero Kjaer did in her 800 square foot apartment to solve the problem of potential guest bedding. She designed these two twin sized beds that hook together and come apart to make a large L-Shaped sofa. It looks like something that could be totally doable by the average person. These were made with just mattresses, legs, hooks and foam. No expensive sofa bed. To see how she did it, the layout of her apartment and more pics visit her blog, Mettes Potteri, here.

If you wanted to do this on the very cheap you can always find twin mattresses on Freecycle (just be wary of bedbugs and other issues with used mattresses). I can't tell from the photos how she made the platform but it looks like she used 3" square legs and perhaps attached them to a twin mattress sized plywood sheet. Alternatively, if you didn't want to bother with hammers and nails, here's a platform twin sized slat bed frame for sale from Walmart for only $49.

You can get the foam from JoAnn's and use their weekly 40% coupon. And you can make the bed covers yourself if you can use a sewing machine. It looks pretty easy. Just five rectangles sewn together, no elastic or curves.

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Fire Cracker Fringe Wands

Little girls love to pretend. Whether they’re fairies, ballerinas, princesses or gymnasts these fringe streamer wands are a fun and easy way to encourage their imagination. They're also great for party favors, weddings, or make some in red, white and blue fringe for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday!

You might have seen variations of ribbon wands around the internet. These have a special twist that make the experience a little more magical. Instead of satin or grosgrain ribbons you’re going to be using fringe streamers which can be found at many party stores. When the wand is swung the many gold tassels will catch the sunlight at various times in colorful ways thus creating a more enchanting, almost firecracker-like, experience.

Of course, wand decoration is also essential and helps to personalize each rod for each child. I recommend using washi tape since it’s the simplest to apply. You can also use paint or glitter or anything that is bright and/or sparkles.

You can buy red, white and blue fringe streamers and make Fourth of July firecracker ribbon wands as party favors for your youngest party guests! These also make excellent birthday party favors since they are simple and fast to assemble and will entertain for hours. I promise, they’ll be a bigger hit than wristbands and less annoying than party horns! See it in action below!

The best part about this project is that once you have all your materials gathered it should take a very short time to construct. Since there’s no drying time your kids can go outside and enjoy their project just minutes after starting. Weather permitting of course!

Materials Needed: 

12” dowel rod

glitter washi tape

eyelet screw

1” length of necklace chain

needle nose pliers

fringe streamers

Instructions:

Cut a 21” piece of glitter washi tape.

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Herb Heads for Mom by Kids

The girls and I made these for Mother's Day but this can be an all round idea for a mother's birthday or just to give in the summer. It's so simple and the kids will enjoy creating them while moms will enjoy using them.

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I also spend a lot of money on grocery store herbs that I would rather get free from a garden. This project serves as a great Mother’s Day gift because it’s one that Mom will actually use! The kids can have fun painting and planting while also seeing Mom use their gift on a daily basis.

If you’re a mother and want to make this project with your kids it also works well to give to grandmothers and other friends who are moms. In fact, I enjoyed making these with my children for myself. Now, the next time I have a recipe that calls for sweet basil I won’t have to spend 20 minutes of my day driving to the grocery store and back again. That alone is priceless.

You could even have your child water them as part of their daily chores. It’s a nice way to turn the gift into an experience. Rather than making something that you will eventually pack away in a memory box, these can stay on your kitchen window sill indefinitely and will last as long as you water them. Of course, that can be the most challenging part of all. Wink, wink!

Materials Needed:         

6 Terra cotta pots

Pencil

6 Acrylic paint colors of your choosing (recommended: pink, red, white, blue, brown, yellow)

6 Paint brushes for each color

6 Potted herbs

Potting soil

Potting shovel

Ribbon and bow

Instructions:

1. Take one terra cotta pot and have your child draw a face on the front in pencil. Remember not to draw the top of the head. That is what the herbs are for! Terra cotta pots are inverted which makes painting tricky especially for a child. Using a pencil beforehand might save you from wasting a pot because of a painting mistake which are harder to fix.

2. Once the face is drawn it’s time to break out the acrylic paints! This is the best part. Have your child fill in the face with the paint brushes and various colors.

3. Let the pot dry for about one hour.

4. Now that your pot is dry you can help your child add the herbs which will serve as the hair of the head. First fill the pot with a little fresh potting soil. Remember, when the plant is placed in the new pot it shouldn’t be any deeper than it was in the original container.

5. Take the herb and help your child remove the plastic outer shell from the roots. If you have an herb with a recycled compost shell have them peel away the outer layer on their own. It’s fairly easy and it’s okay if the roots are jostled.

6. Let your child gently loosen the root system on the bottom of the herb being careful not to rip the roots from the plant.

7. Place the herb in the new pot. While your child is holding the herb upright, backfill the empty spaces with fresh potting soil. This is a little difficult so it might be something the adult chooses to do. Once the herb can stand on its own have your child press the soil down to compact it. Then keep adding soil until the pot is filled and the dirt is tight.

8. Water the soil until liquid emerges from the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot.

9. Wrap a bow around your pot and present to Mom. Enjoy her surprise and delight!

Mismatched Socks? Sew a Sock Snake!

Are you like me? Do you have a bag full of missing socks that you refuse to throw away? Or do you have a pile of socks that your children have now outgrown and it’s too sad to donate all of them. It’s hard to imagine when they’re feet were that small, right?! If so, this project will fit the bill!

I don’t know about you but my kids hate throwing anything away that they’ve used for any amount of time. Yes, that includes stinky socks! Kids will love this project because it it’s not only fun to sew but it repurposes something that would have gone in the trash bin. It’s a great way to memorialize their childhood with something they can cuddle up to at night and pass down to their children when they’re grown. 

Another neat idea would be to add new socks to the snake when your kids have children of their own. You could make a mini snake out of their old baby socks and keep adding new chains as the generations go by. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a sock snake made from the baby stockings of you, your mother, your grandmother and your great grandmother?! 

Just remember to use the clean ones! 

Materials Needed: 
at least 10 clean socks (You can make your snake as short or as long as you like. I recommend using at least 10 socks.) 
sewing machine 
thread 
scissors 
buttons 
5" of red ribbon 
pillow stuffing 
sewing needle 

Instructions: 1. Lay your socks out so that you can see all of them. Choose at least ten socks that have similar width.

2.       If you have many varying widths you can also choose to arrange them from smallest to largest then back to smallest.

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