An April Wedding: The Beauty Edition

Today we have got a quick glimpse into my makeup world. I love makeup, almost as much as I love nail polish. I don't have any particular loyalties to any brand, big or small. I have used both expensive designer brands and cheap drug store brands and now my daily makeup routine has ended up a hodgepodge of the things that have become my favorites. There are some things I like to spend a little more money on, like MAC eyeshadow for example (the pigmentation can't be beat!), but for others I think that the drugstore brands are perfect - like Maybelline Falsies mascara, my fav mascara of all time, and a $3 NYC bronzer that is my go-to! What follows is the spread of products that I utilized when getting ready for the wedding this last weekend.

The look I went for for the wedding was even glowing skin and a fairly neutral eye with black winged eyeliner - which is pretty much my everyday look - but to vamp it up a little for the occasion I added some false lashes and a bright fuchsia lip. I also used the Sally Hansen Airbrush legs for the first time. I have always seen this at the store and wanted to try it and decided to go for it. My dress was knee length and due to some workout slip-ups last week, I had some little bruises on my shins, so I thought this could be the perfect alternative since I couldn't wear nylons (helllooo strappy sandals) and whenever I try to use fake tanner it goes horribly horribly wrong. It is definitely an interesting product and it did do a lot to cover up some of the imperfections and gave me a little added color too. I won't be surprised if I use up the can pretty quickly. Anyway, here is the rundown of everything shown here and where you can find it!

Skin:
Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 in Linen - $13.69 at Target
TheBalm Time Balm concealer in light/medium - $18 at Sephora
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny - $3-$4 at Target
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink - got mine forever ago, but current colors $29 at MAC
Benefit Bella Bamba 3D brightening pink face powder (aka blush lol) - $28 at Sephora
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Medium Glow - On Sale $11.99 at CVS

Eyes:
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Shimmer Eyeshadow Primer - $9.95 at Coastal Scents
MAC eyeshadows in Et Tu Bouquet? and Prepped For Glamour - both out of production but $15 at MAC
Loreal Telescopic Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Black - $8.29 at Target
Maybelline the Falsies Flared waterproof mascara in Very Black - $5.94 at Target
Ardell Fashion False Lashes style 120 Demi in Black - $3.49 at Nordstrom Rack
Duo Eyelash Adhesive in Clear-White - $5.49 at Target

Lips:
Milani Crystal Gloss for Lips in Fruit Punch - $5.49
Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Fashion Diva - $6.99 at CVS.com

Nails:
Sinful Colors - Dream On - $1.99 at Target
Sally Hansen - Clearly Quick (with personally added gold glitter) - $4.04 at Target
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - On sale at Sally's now for $5.99

Perfume:
Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey rollerball - $24 at Sephora

An April Wedding: What I Wore - Nails

My first wedding of the 2012 season got things off to a fantastic start! Both the ceremony and the reception were perfect and classic. The bridesmaids all looked amazing donned in full length ivory a-line gowns and carrying bouquets of red roses while the bride looked beautiful in a strapless, ruched, mermaid style dress with a unique scalloped neckline and long cathedral veil. The whole crew was gorgeous! The reception was at a local country club and the venue was perfect for the warm and sunny spring day. I think that everyone had a great time and that the event was truly a success! 

Now, after a wonderful evening of friends, dancing, photos, flowers and champagne, I am excited to share with you the details of what I wore on the joyous day! First up, the nails. I wanted something fun that would go with my outfit and live up to the excitement of the day so I went with a combination of glitter - gold, to go with my accessories - and a deep magenta that almost perfectly coordinated with my dress.

The glitter base is actually a polish of my own concoction. I have yet to find a "store-bought" gold glitter that I have fallen in love with. They always end up being too thin, or the gold is not bright enough, or the glitter doesn't sparkle enough. Whatever the reason, every gold glitter I have ever purchased has been benched, so I took a stab at making my own. I simply found a beautiful, small grain, gold craft glitter and added it to a clear polish - in this case, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Clearly Quick. You can add as much or as little glitter as you like, depending on how dense you want the glitter to be. The polish tends to separate, but with a quick shake before use it quickly recombines and becomes my perfect gold glitter polish!

The magenta polish I used on top is Sinful Colors - Dream On. The polish is a really gorgeous deep magenta, that looks much brighter in the sunshine and dries matte so make sure you have a top-coat on hand! I could not stop looking at my fingers when I was wearing this combination and they looked perfect wrapped around a tall glass of bubbly champagne. I also got a ton of compliments, my friends all seemed to love it!

To the blushing bride and handsome groom, thank you so much for sharing your celebration with us and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness! As for the rest of you, stay tuned for more on what I wore to this April wedding!