Sunshine and Pearls

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Just what is it about make up that women love so much? For a start, it could be the fact that it allows us to express our natural creativity, lets us experiment with color and helps to enhance our best features, be it our eyes, lips or cheeks.

 At some point, everyone’s had an eyeliner disaster or ended up looking distinctly orange thanks to the wrong shade of foundation. But by following some simple guidelines, you’ll soon be able to create a collection of go-to looks that’ll take you from work to a posh event and even onto the beach!

A Good Foundation

Before you apply any product to your face make sure it’s clean, use face wipes if you aren’t sure, followed by your usual toning and moisturizing routine. Next up, visit the makeup counter and pick a shade of foundation that matches your skin tone, check this in natural light as indoor lighting is quite harsh, gently rub it in and if blends smoothly you’ve got a winner! Any yellow, orange or pink color showing through? Try something else and then set with a powder that isn’t too oily or thick for your skin

The Eyes Have It:

Next, it’s time for eyeliner so try to pick something that’s not too heavy; you don’t want to look like Morticia Adams, sweep it along the waterline a couple of times, apply mascara and your chosen eyeshadow before applying your eyeliner to your upper lid. You’ve probably seen winged eyeliner looks on YouTube but only attempt these after a bit of practice – they can be tricky. Eyeshadow should compliment the look you’re after for example; a smoky eye should equal a light lip but pair a brighter lip with a more natural eyeshadow.

Beautiful Blush

You want to apply a swirl of blush onto your cheeks, use a blusher brush and sweep from the cheekbone to the nose in a downwards motion and then blend. There are dozens of blush shades out there but if in any doubt look to the time of year, use copper in autumn, apple pink in winter, pastel pink in spring and golden bronze in summer.

Read My Lips

There should be an award for applying lipstick, especially pillar box red, as it isn’t the easiest of tasks. You’ll want to pick a shade that suits your skin tone; warmer skin tones look great with orange, peach and red shades whereas cooler skin tones suit pastel pinks, plums, and blue hued products. However, experiment and see what’s right for you as sometimes you’ll be surprised at what works and what doesn’t.

Line and rim your lips with a lip pencil in a matching color, no clown lips here, and then apply the color to the bottom lip first, followed by the top lip. Gently rub your lips together to make sure the color’s even and blot the excess away with a tissue.  

Watching our little Ella grow up has been such a fun ride but it seems to be happening so fast! I decided to do a little feature to show you all exactly what’s been going on in our home over the past month! 

Dino Boy and I were lucky enough to have a margarita date night while our little one slept!

While we have been making all kinds of decisions I have sent this over to Dino Boy at least a dozen times. Adulting is tough! 

This little one is always watching us with judgment! 

She’s starting to roll from side to side

The family that naps together stays happy!

I can’t believe this is less than three months apart! 

We celebrated national bourbon day with some Buffalo Trace

We have finally booked a trip to Disneyland so we have tested out noise canceling headphones for the munchkin to use for July 4th and our trip

Sent this little gem to my Dad this month. Did anyone else join Indian Princesses as a kid?

I love looking at those dimples! 

It’s a rare occasion when she smiles in the car seat!

Celebrating the Walnut Creek art and wine festival with grandma and grandpa

She’s starting to hold things!

Happy birthday Daddy! 

Festivities wore her out

This is how we stay cool these days

Happy wear your lilly day! Daddy is screwed with the upcoming sale! 

Pooped from Father’s Day! 

Looking good at any cost is not an attractive option for most of us these days. The cost to us, personally, is not all that matters. The cost to others and the environment is also of concern.

Now there are many ways that you can do good whilst looking good and that has to be the way forward for the industry. Here are some top tips for shopping for next season’s wardrobe with a conscience.

Shop local if you can

Supporting your local shops is fun, convenient and ethical. If the goods are produced locally then that is even better. You are pumping much-needed cash into the local economy and cutting down on transport costs. You often get a more personal service and you get to build up a relationship with the shop owner. They may even give you a discount the next time you call in!

Don’t insist on new stuff

Why do you have to buy everything new? The wastage in the clothes industry is huge and that is because we insist on having new clothes. It can be new to us, even if it has been worn by someone else a few times. The chances are that brand new dress from the store has been tried on by a few people anyway.

Resale shops are the top place to bag a bargain and to donate some money to a good cause. You need to shop with an open mind. Be prepared to grab whatever takes your fancy. It will not work if you are looking for a particular color or a particular style because resale shopping doesn’t work like that. However, it is possible to put together a fantastic outfit for a fraction of what it would cost you as new. They are also a great place to pick up accessories that, in many cases, have never been used.

Consider the carbon footprint of your goods

You don’t want your new look to cost the earth so don’t let it. You can look up the world’s largest companies’ impact on global climate easily these days. Think about things like carbon emissions and how seriously the company takes environmental concerns and fair pay. Some of the results may shock you and make you think twice about where you buy your next outfit from.

Recycle your own stuff

When you are fed up of an item of clothing you have a few options. You can throw it away but that is wasteful and not good for the environment. You can swap it with a friend and this works very well if you have similar tastes and are of a similar stature. You can sell it online or you could donate it to a local resale store. Finally, you can recycle it!

All you have to do is buy some fabric dye and you have a whole new outfit. If you are feeling creative you could add new buttons, remove sleeves or add lace panel; the options are endless. You will have a sense of achievement as well as doing the right thing!