Sam, 14, Georgia | Sam is 14-years old, lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her mom and two (of three!) older brothers. She was born and raised in Georgia, but her family originally hailed from Illinois. You will find her busy meeting new people and enjoying teen soap operas/dramas (like Vampire Diaries)–and of course, she’s madly in love with all things beauty. When she’s not playing around with makeup, you’ll find her with headphones on listening to everything; from classical to rap, pop to heavy metal, and almost everything in between (though she favors rock!).

Halloween Makeup: Leopard

Halloween Makeup Tutorial:  Leopard

I have a quick Halloween makeup tutorial for you, and I promise it’s easier than it sounds. This was my first time doing Halloween makeup! My cousin, Nicole, was crazy enough to let me experiment with my makeup on her, so she will be modeling for us today.

What You Will Need:

• Your Foundation/Skin Toned Eyeshadow
• Matte Light Brown Eyeshadow (Urban Decay’s Naked, from the Naked Palette)
• Matte Medium Brown Eyeshadow (Buck, also from the Naked Palette)
• Matte Light Taupe Eyeshadow (Velvet Revolver by Too Faced)
• Satin Grey/Brown Eyeshadow (NYX Charcoal Brown)
• Matte Black Eyeshadow (NYX Black)
• Black Eyeliner Pen (NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker)
• Creamy Brown Eyeliner Pencil (NYX Brown Slim Eye Pencil)
• Warm Light Brown Lip Liner (NYX Nutmeg Slim Lip Pencil)
• Beige/Brown Lipstick (NYX Tea Round Lipstick)

These are just the colors that worked for Nicole and her skin tone. You can use whatever works best for you!

Get the step-by-step guide & see more photos! 

Prior to her arrival, Nicole had already applied her concealer and foundation. I focused on the eyes first, but you can apply this in whatever sequence you like. I started off with an eyeshadow base, then applied Naked with a paddle brush. It’s just barely darker than Nicole’s skin tone, so again, use whatever works. After, I simply applied Velvet Revolver in the crease with an angled blending brush, winging the shape out slightly.

For the eyeliner, I first traced the shape with the black eyeshadow and an angled liner brush. At the end of her eye, I followed the curl of her lashes for the wing. In the inner corner, I followed the shape of her tear duct and contour of her nose. Take your time on this part, because the eyeliner makes all the difference! Just to make the lines look sharper, I then went over it with the eyeliner pen. Add a few coats of you’re favorite mascara and the eyes are finished!

For the spots, I mixed Buck and Naked together and applied generously. The larger spots were placed with the angled blending brush, and the smaller spots were placed with a dense smudging brush or pencil brush. On a leopard, the spots normally decrease in size as they reach the center of the face. And they don’t have to be shaped into perfect circles, so don’t worry if they aren’t exactly what you envisioned!

After you’re finished applying the base of the spots and it looks like you have broke out into a terrible rash, you’ll want to trace each spot with the eyeliner pen. Make shapes and Cs around the spots at random–just go with it! It turns out best that way. Once I was finished with the black eyeliner, I found that I wanted more definition. To do this, I used the brown eyeliner pencil and traced areas on both the inside and outside of the black circles.  Next, set it with the shimmery grey/brown eyeshadow. Now you have a leopard print on your face!

For the nose, I went straight across the top and followed the shape of Nicole’s nostrils with the black eyeshadow; have each side of your nose dip down and make a point in the cleft of your upper lip. After, fill in with the eyeliner pen for sharper edges and add some dots along your upper lip for the whisker roots. Lastly, line your lips to make the lip color last longer and apply a nude-ish/brown lipstick.

That completes the leopard look! I hope you enjoyed it and everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Halloween Makeup: Leopard

Halloween Makeup: Leopard

Halloween Makeup: Leopard

There are few days out of the year where I really go all out to look my very best in every single way; this Valentine’s Day was one of those such occasions. As the first Valentine’s Day I get to actually spend with my boyfriend [in person], I wanted to pamper and primp myself to the nines. Even though we didn’t (and didn’t intend to) go out, I still wanted to work hard to be at my prettiest! (But those are my flowers pictured above!)

Temptalia’s Pampering & Primping Routine

• Cleansed, exfoliated, and soft from head to toe. My usual shower is ten to fifteen minutes, but today I was in there for at least a half hour. I shampooed and conditioned my hair (with Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship), exfoliated my body (with cake’s sweet cheeks scrub), and shaved (with Every Man Jack Shave Gel). Oh, plus took a loofah to every inch (with philosophy’s raspberry sorbet shower gel).
• Moisturized from head to toe. Pretty standard, but I chose a scent I knew my boy would really enjoy, which meant I pulled out bliss’ vanilla+bergamot body butter. I hate feeling cold lotion on warm skin, so I always make sure to whip the body butter between my palms to help warm it up before I apply it to my skin.
• Thoroughly prepped the face ’til it was baby soft. Although I’d like to think I pay a lot of attention to my face on a day to day basis, I made sure not to miss a pore. I exfoliated (with Prescriptives’ Instant Gratification, my love) first, and then I followed with a healthy layer of moisturizer (Estee Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme).
• Blow dried my hair for five minutes at a time inbetween steps. I don’t particularly like standing around blow drying my hair, so I tend to do it in shorter intervals while I’m getting ready, but I definitely did this!
• Highlighted my decolletage. Really! I dusted MAC’s Daisylight beauty powder on my shoulders and cleavage for subtle highlighting and some shimmer.
• Get polished with makeup (everyone’s favorite part). I already posted the look I wore for Valentine’s Day earlier this afternoon, but I want to tell you why I chose to do that look. My boyfriend doesn’t hate on bright looks, but he does prefer more natural ones, so that was a definite factor that weighed into my decision. Secondly, I think it’s important to enhance natural beauty on an occasion like Valentine’s Day, which is about loving and appreciating each other. I wanted to go for a look that was subtle, but eye-catching, and something that would suit my skintone and incorporate a touch of color. I opted for darker pink-red lips rather than a brighter pink or a deep red, because my boyfriend loves me in pink lips (and hates me in red lips!). I also made sure to properly contour and highlight my cheeks so they would be more prominent.
• Total Pampering & Primping Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

What’s your ultimate pampering and primping routine? What do you do when you want to look your very, very best?

Have a Va Va Voom Vacation Introducing theBalm’s NEW Limited Edition BalmVoyage Kits

Jet-setting beauty junkies can say au revoir to their bulky makeup and bonjour to theBalm’s NEW BalmVoyage. These kits include mini versions of theBalm’s cult favorites along with luggage tags that effortlessly snap onto any bag; perfect for any glamour girl on-the-go. Give the gift of luscious lips and glittering eyes this holiday season. theBalm introduces two travel-friendly limited edition gift sets that are perfect way to keep your stockings stuffed.

The Eye Kit (for the girl who arrives batting her lashes) includes:
Smaller versions of the popular shadyLady shadow and shadow liner, and Hot Mama blush to give a smoldering holiday glow.

The Lip Kit (for the girl who arrives puckering her pout) contains:
A miniature sized Stainiac in Beauty Queen, BalmShelter SPF 17 lip gloss, and the Plump Your Pucker gloss for kissable lips under the mistletoe.

Whether spending this holiday season sailing the Caribbean or skiing the Alps, the NEW BalmVoyage is a perfect fit.

Price: $18.50 each

Available at select Sephora stores and www.sephora.com.

French Art of Flirting | $36 ($49.50 value)
This holiday season, let your eyes say it all. The French Art of Flirting has never been easier than with this set of three Regard Effet Metallis  Waterproof Eyeliners and the always essential Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara.

Regard Effet Metallis Waterproof Eyeliners in Noir Effet Miroir- intense black, Feuille de Cuivre – radiant copper
Vert Pepite – luminous green, Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara – jet black

Kisses from Paris | $18 ($36 value)
You never know where that mistletoe may be lurking so always be prepared! With Kisses from Paris, a set of four mini Effet 3D Mobile Lip Glosses that easily attach to a fun and flirty keychain designed specially by Bourjois, you’ll never be caught without gorgeous, glossy lips.

Effet 3D Mobile Lip Gloss in Rose Idyllic – petal pink shimmer, Beige Elastic – nude shimmer, Brun Galactic- bronze shimmer, Rose Symphonic – frosty pink shimmer, Signature Bourjois Keychain – holds two glosses at a time

Pretty in Paris | $35 ($87 value)
Inspired by the glamorous and coveted eyes of Parisian beauties, Bourjois created Pretty in Paris, the chic girl’s go-to kit for eyes that make an unforgettable statement. With two shadows (cream and powder) and one liquid liner in dazzling shades of purple, combined with intense, black mascara and two essential brushes, this kit will transform you into the ultimate French belle. Ulta exclusive.

Find these holiday goodies at www.ulta.com and www.sephora.com.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream (Limited Edition): The most extravagant gift you can give your face.

La Prairie, a name synonymous with luxury, reinvents utter indulgence, bringing the ultimate in luxury to unprecedented heights with Skin Caviar Luxe Cream. When only the utmost in luxury will do, La Prairie offers the answer: the supremely elegant experience of lifting and firming in a limited-edition size jar, when a little is simply not enough.

Skin Caviar Luxe Cream is a superior concentration of caviar extracts, unique sea proteins, phytotherapy and bioengineering technologies. Your senses feel caressed by an extravagant gift of energy and moisture, beyond ordinary luxury into the ultimate Caviar experience. This experience allows lifted, illuminated satin to replace the tired skin of moments ago. 5.2 oz.

Now, I know La Prairie is a pricey skincare line; one most mortals cannot afford to try nor fall in love with. This is a special holiday edition size (5.2 oz), and the price tag? Oh, a mere $900.00! So let me ask you dear readers, have any of you tried La Prairie’s products? What was your experience? I keep thinking for $900.00, why don’t I save up for a face lift? Botox?

I was jonesing to try out those interesting nails featured in the Antiquitease promotional photos: white base with gold overlay. Now, luckily I didn’t have to really bother with experimentation and delving into my creative mind, because Carleen explained how to do it! I didn’t quite follow it step for step, as I’m absentminded and tend to recreate without remembering to look at what I’m trying to copycat.

So how did I do it? I used two coats of a white (creme finish) polish then put one coat of Gold Veneer polish on top. I would add the gold polish to one nail at a time. You have to add the texture/swirls/crackling before the polish dries, so it’s better to do one or two at a time, crackle, then move on. I personally tried to do two at a time and found the second one ended up already being a bit too dry!

For the crackling, I ripped off a small square of paper towel, maybe four inches on each side. Mine is textured (at least somewhat) as Carleen suggests, but I ended up using the edge of the paper towel to create better variance across each nail. Just pressing the paper towel ended up giving me the pattern on the paper towel, which was very uniform.

Now that I’ve done it once and experienced first hand how easy it is, I’m definitely going to try again to make them resemble the original Antiquitease photo. What do you think of these kinds of nails?  Love ’em, hate ’em? My boyfriend said they look dirty!

Sephora not only has you covered for nearly every brand imaginable, but they also have their own brand of beauty, and with it, several delectable offerings for your purchase pleasure. One of the most talked about palettes from last holiday was Sephora’s Blockbuster Palette. This year, they do not disappoint with the latest version, which includes a whopping 64 eyeshadows, 32 lip colors, 7 cheek colors, 1 shimmer powder, plus a few applicator tools to help you out ($48.00).

The Scent Sampler has you covered for your fragrance fiends, allowing the receiver to sample ten of the bestselling perfumes (available in “for him” or “for her”), plus a gift certificate of equal value that can be redeemed at any Sephora store for a full size bottle of any one of the samples in the kit ($50.00). Get girly with their Diamond Atomizer ($18.00) to carry your favorite fragrance in style.

For eyeshadow addicts, the Colorful Story Palette includes 16 shadows for an enchanting holiday look ($48.00), and there are two Enchanted Eyeshadow Palettes ($26.00) in either purple or ccopper with eight shades of coordinating color.  Don’t forget the lipgloss addict in your life, show them love with the Holiday Harmony Palette ($12.00) with six shades, a lip brush, and a mirror (so compact!).

Need a place to keep all your newly acquired loot?  Sephora has you so covered! Pick out a storage-galore traincase in either pink ($98.00), gunmetal ($98.00), or croc ($110.00) or try one of their various bags, pouches, and cases (ranging from $14.00 to $38.00).

What about tools to apply those 64 shadows? Several brush sets are available to choose from! Metallic Pocket Brush Set ($15.00) or Croc Pocket Brush Set ($18.00) for budget beauties.  Check out their Deluxe Anti-Bacterial Brush Set ($60.00) with brushes with “germ repelling” fibers (um, we must see this, stat!); Pop-Up Brush Set ($45.00) that’s perfect for a vanity; Smokey Eye Brush Set ($42.00) to uncomplicate the ever-loved smokey eye with five brushes, volume mascara, and instruction manual; and the coveted Prestige Brush Set ($150) with twelve luxurious brushes plus brush storage roll.

Available at Sephora stores and www.sephora.com!

Tarte has brought out quite a bit to perhaps overwhelm you this holiday season, but let Temptalia give you a quick summary of what to drool over. “We Wish You Wealth Palette” is a limited edition palette with something for every part of your face; it includes sixteen new eyeshadows, sixteen new lipglosses, four gel eyeliners, four cheek stains, three 24/7 lip sheers, eyelid primer, luminizer, and eyeshadow and eyelining brushes ($52.00). “We Wish You Health Skinvigorating Discovery Kit” is all about looking better, naturally, and as you can guess, it revolves around the skin; it contains Inside Out gloss, Lock & Roll creaseless eyeshadow duo, Clean Slate Face Primer, and Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in1 mascara ($38.00). “We Wish You Happiness Mini Cheekstain Set” is a three-piece set of cheekstains for your blushing pleasure ($30.00). Don’t miss the Ready-to-Wear/Pret-a-Porter dual look palette ($200 value), which includes six eyeshadows, two cream blushes, four lipsticks, a mini mascara, an eyeshadow brush, an eyeliner brush, and a Rest Assured eyeliner ($44.00). Shop for Tarte at www.tartecosmetics.com or www.sephora.com.