Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Five Favorite Beauty YouTubers

I don’t pay for an expensive cable package. I’m rarely in a position to sit down and bingewatch Real Housewives and let’s be real, if I did have a cable package that included Bravo, I would get nothing done. So instead, I watch a lot of sitcoms on Netflix and keep up with a lot of YouTubers.

It’s no surprise that most of my subscribed YouTube channels include a ton of beauty vloggers. I can’t help it. I live vicariously through their eyeshadow that never creases and lipstick that never wears off. And their endless supply of new loot. Seriously. Where do they get the money? I know..brands send them things for free..just let me think that they buy these things themselves or I’m going to start begging companies to give me a lil’ somethin’ somethin’.

Five Favorite YouTube Beauty Experts. They basically taught me to do makeup.

Makeup By Tiffany D

Tiffany is my first and favorite beauty YouTuber that I watched and took seriously. I’ve watched her channel morph from tutorials and dupe highlights to being more open about life with her day in the life and random chit chat videos. I seriously learned how to do a smoky eye from Tiffany and trust her product recommendations completely. I also can’t get over her gorgeous house and adorable little Olivia.

Leighann Says

Leighann holds a special place in my heart. I love that she also lets you into her daily life with her Weekend Vlogs, but her personality comes through no matter what she does and it’s incredible. I don’t think I would like her channel as much if she wasn’t the animated character that she is. The way that she talks reminds me of my conversations with my best friend. Lots of hyperbole and connections to random things that shouldn’t be connected…ever.

I love her tutorials but my favorite videos are her monthly favorites/unfavorites and her hauls. They’re mostly drugstore/Target finds so when I want to go out and buy everything after watching her videos (like I do with all of these ladies), it doesn’t totally kill my budget.

Beauty Broadcast

Emily is the sweetest thing ever. She’s always so down to earth and real about what she’s sharing. Her mix of drugstore and high end is what attracted me to her channel in the first place. I love her Try This Not That series, her comparisons (thinking about splurging on a high end product? She probably has found a drugstore dupe that works even better), and her Beauty Broadcast Express channel with 5 minute reviews on one specific product.

Of course, the Emily Awards series is fantastic. She breaks makeup into categories and does a full video on each and pulls out the best products she’s found, both high end and drugstory, in each category. Emily is another YouTuber I trust completely when she reviews a product.

xSparkage

Leesha’s tutorials are insane. The girl can apply eyeshadow and rock all the crazy colors. Yellow and poison green on her eyes? No problem, Leesha can pull it off. I also turn to her when I hear about something new coming out. Chances are she already has it, swatched it, formed an opinion on it, and filmed five tutorials with it already.

And along with Tiffany and Emily, has an adorable baby. How do these people crank out genetically perfect children? Is the makeup in their genes at this point?

My Simple Little Pleasures

Colette is a genius with water marbling. If I had the time, I’d do all kinds of crazy things to my nails and change my polish daily (long-time readers know how obsessed with nail polish I am.) But I don’t have the time so I live vicariously through Colette’s nails.

Her water marbling tutorials are genius. I love her Polish in Motion series, too. It’s truly just that; she’ll show you how the polish looks when it catches the light at different angles. Sometimes a still photo just doesn’t do it justice. She also has tutorials for just about every holiday as well as nail care/polish application tips and tricks.

Who are you favorite YouTubers?

Brow Tales – The Makeup Mix-Up

No lie, this prompt for The Makeup Mix-Up is terrifying to me. I don’t do my brows. I barely remember to pluck them. Excuse me..tweeze. A friend’s mom corrected me ages ago by saying, “You pluck a chicken but you tweeze your eyebrows,” and that’s all I think of when I think of anything involving eyebrows.

Doing your eyebrows can be terrifying but this product that she used is awesome, it's the NYX Brow Cake Powder and it looks so natural and it lasts!

Anyone else know what I’m talking about here..so one day you go to bed and your brows are looking pretty good. They may be a little rough, but they’re passable. And then next morning you look in the mirror like, “Where the hell did this cavewoman come from??” That’s me and my eyebrows. One day they’re fine, the next is just like BAM hot mess.

Like everything in my life.

I’ve had my fair share of brow drama. I even shared one of the more horrifying stories with you earlier this year. So I try to keep it to the minimum. I’m lucky to have thick, dark Italian brows so filling them in daily feels unnecessary.

I guess how some people would feel about dark lipstick is how I feel about doing my brows. I don’t know how to do it or really want to. And it’s scary.

I did feel vindicated when I purchased the NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder and the girl at Ulta said it was the best drugstore version she’s tried. I’m not gonna lie, in person, I feel ridiculous with these filled-in brows, but they look great on camera. Very polished and professional.

The Makeup Mix-Up : Great product for bold brows

Doing your eyebrows can be terrifying but this product that she used is awesome, it's the NYX Brow Cake Powder and it looks so natural and it lasts!

The Makeup Mix-Up : Great product for bold brows

Instead of going through the list of face stuff used, I’m just going to stick to the eyes. Products used:

  • Urban Decay Naked 3 shadow palette
  • NYC New York Color Angel Lash Mascara
  • NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette
  • Sumita Color Contrast Eye Pencil in Raina

Maybe I’ll try to be more comfortable with the brow stuff. I prefer a pencil to gentle shade in, but the powder version isn’t bad. And what’s the story with the wax that comes in every brow kit? I’m not detailing a car here.

When it comes to brows, do you use a pencil, powder, or go au naturel?

I’m joining in on the Makeup Mix-Up with Making Mrs. M and Miranda Writes.
Wear to Where logoIf you haven’t had enough of me yet today, check out today’s Wear To Where post! The ladies are styling and sewing date night in looks.

Summer-izing makeup

It is officially summer.  That means it’s time to summer-ize the ol’ makeup routine.  Usually I wait until it’s too late and I’ve already broken out more times than I can count from not lightening up for summer, but not this year!  I’m only mildly in troubled skin water.  I think it’s due to my massive love of face masks and Rodan + Fields products when I need to perk up my complexion.

Anyway.

I fully believe summer is the time to go lighter.

I’m looking forward to wearing very little makeup except for lashes and lips.  Let’s face it, those are the only products that don’t entirely melt off my face in humidity despite priming underneath like I’m painting over a dark wall with a light color.

No matter what I end up putting on my face for the day, it all starts with SPF.  I have a few different day moisturizers depending on what I feel like, but I always put on something with SPF.

Summer makeup must-haves that hold up to the heat and humidity.

Now that the SPF PSA is over, some other things that I always have in my arsenal in the summer includes:

Primer for eyes + face

Even if I’m just putting on concealer, I always put some primer on my face and around my eyes.  Gotta give everything a fighting chance to stick around, right?  Right now I’m using samples of Smashbox face primer and Lorac Behind the Scenes eye primer.

Waterproof eyeliner and mascara

Let’s be real, most days I wonder why I even bother with eye shadow because within about an hour of being out of the house, it’s breaking down already.  Typically I’ll do a wash of a gold or copper and focus on eyeliner and mascara.  Use liquid or gel liner because it has the most staying power.

Sometimes I’ll try to be fancy and put on a colored liner for some fun, but when I have to get out the door, it’s a quick cat-eye look.

Eyeliner and mascara you need this summer.

Mary Kay Liquid Eyeliner for a dark black line.  NYC New York Color Big Bold & Precice Eyeliner.  I know they say it’s bold, but I don’t think it’s as intense as some other black liquid liners.

And for lashes, it has to be Covergirl Clump Crusher, especially on the lower lashes.  I used to get smudges under my eyes with anything I put on, but this is the cat’s pajamas.  NYC Big Bold Angel Lashes Mascara has been a nice surprise.  It very rarely will it transfer.

Bright, statement-making lipstick

Classic glamour in a red or orange-y red.  Fun with a bright pink punch.  Daring with an orange.  I’m not afraid of color on my lips.  I welcome it.

Bright lipsticks that are perfect for summer.

Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss in Pink Medium, Laqa & Co Lil’ Lip in Ring of Fire, MAC lipstick in Sail La Vie (LE, I’ve heard Revlon Vibrant Mandarin and Wet n Wild Purty Persimmon are close).

Light-coverage powder

I haaaate feeling like I have a ton of dirt on my face in the summer.  Let’s face it, with the humidity and the sweat and the wind whipping up things…there’s a lot of dirt stuck to our faces.  Enter: light coverage powder.  Anything that will blur imperfections but not add the feeling of “stuff” on my skin is just the ticket.

Lightweight summer face products that every girl needs to have.

I love MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (I’m Light Plus when not super-duper tan which I haven’t been since..college?)  I’m also experimenting with Laura Geller Balance n Brighten.

Light reflecting powder

I know, I said I wasn’t putting a lot on my face, but light reflecting powder or some other highlighter is necessary to brighten under the eyes and add a little lightness to the face.

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder is what I’ve been using for years (almost daily) and I still am not done with the pot that I have.  One of the best beauty investments.  I also light Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders.  I have the palette that came out and it adds a little extra glow.

Blotting sheets

You know that 2pm skin feeling?  The one where you’re like…ugh I am a shiny hot mess and I just want to wash my face?  That’s why I keep some blotting sheets around.  Coffee filters work in a pinch.  So do napkins.  Just anything to get that shine and oil off of my face (and out of harm’s way of developing breakouts).

I’ve always carried Mary Kay Beauty Blotters with me and I instantly feel more presentable when I use them.

Summer makeup must-haves that hold up to the heat and humidity.

What is in your summer beauty arsenal?

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Defining beauty

There are some deep thoughts today for Blogger, May I. The topic: How do you define beauty?

Damn that is quite a question. For a long time, I wouldn’t have been able to honestly answer that I think that there is beauty in me. I always felt like there was something “messed up” – how I was raised, what I thought of myself. Stupid teenage stuff, y’know?

Beauty can't be taught; it's a state of being.

I think beauty goes further than the surface. You can be conventionally attractive on the outside, but if the insides are mean-spirited, unkind, or downright ugly, there’s a loss of beauty for sure.

I guess defining beauty for me is more of a mindset that an outward physical characteristic. When you own how you are, and you’re not being afraid to take risks and learn from them, there is beauty. Experiment, have confidence.

It’s a short answer, but sometimes you don’t need many words.

How do you define beauty?


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