Fall is in full swing and I got quite a few questions about my bold lips in my Instagram post a few days ago.
The lip color is called Brazen berry and it’s under $8!! The gorgeous shade is a magenta meets purple and it’s the perfect satin finish to compliment your Fall looks!
Shop Brazen berry HERE
The latest IT shoe that has taken over all of your favorite bloggers Instagrams and countless magazine pages is a new take on a traditional silhouette. These are not your average ballet flats. First Spotted on the runway at fashion week and now seen just about everywhere, The pointy lace up flat is the shoe of the Summer and will be even hotter throughout Fall & Winter. The flat design keeps the shoes comfy and practical while the lace up detail adds just enough “sexy” to elevate the shoe to an entirely new level without being over the top.
These can be worn day or night with pretty much anything from dresses to ripped jeans. Mine arrived over the weekend and I have not put them back in their box since.
Shop lace up flats on any budget below.
Topshop ‘Kingdom’ flats $95 (These are the ones I purchased featured on my Instagram today)
Isabel Marant ‘Leo’ flats $580
Jeffrey campbell ‘Atrium’ flats $130
Aquazurra ‘Christy’ flats $675
Happy New Year!!!!!! 2013 was a phenomenal year! Before I get too into this post, I would first like to say thank you to everyone that has supported this blog of mine since the beginning. If you’re new to it, I also want to thank you for stopping by! I am so grateful to you all!!! XO- Journey
Every year Pantone also known as the authority on color announces the “color of the year” and this year it’s a lovely purplish/fuschia hue they call Radiant Orchid.
As with any trend, a great way to get involved is to start with makeup. Everyone can afford a lipstick or a nail polish and it’s not as risky as wearing a dress or a coat in that hue if you’re not that into color. Below are some fun makeup products to shop that will get you right into this trend!
Side note: This color is flattering on all skin tones!
My favorite lipstick $4.99 I can’t get enough of this lipstick!
Eyeliner $19 I own so many of these Urban Decay 24/7 eye liners and they are some of the BEST on the market. They really do last 24 hours and are highly pigmented.
Shadow pot$19 While we’re on the subject of pigment, Urban Decay has the most pigmented shadows EVER! They are by far my favorite eyeshadow brand!
Shadow palette$8 Affordable alternative. NYX products provide great bang for your buck! I love their shadows and REALLY love all of their lip products!
Nail Polish$8 Not into”color” on your face? Rock it on your nails!!!!!
I thought that this post was fitting as I was fully made up for a Halloween party last night and was NOT look forward to washing off my makeup when I got home. I dressed up as a cat and painted on a nose and whiskers with Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner (which stays put) and set it with black eyeshadow so I already knew it was going to be a struggle to remove. When I create a smokey eye or wear dark lip color, I always turn to my Clinique ‘Take the day off’ makeup remover and it comes through for me every time! This particular remover is for lids, lashes and lips. I don’t know about you but my high pigmented lipsticks DO NOT come off with a swipe of a tissue, so this makeup remover is a god send for me. I have never had success with makeup removers in the past, they smeared my makeup, were sticky and made me have to RUB my eye area which is a no-no, but this product gave me hope in makeup remover once again! As for my Halloween makeup, I had no problem at all and was pleasantly surprised at how easily it swiped off without pressing hard or scrubbing like I have with makeup removers in the past. With this formula, a little goes a long way! I just put a few drops on a cotton ball and swiped!
Ladies- rubbing your eye makeup off contributes to wrinkles and unnecessary puffiness and this product just glides along your skin smoothly while removing all your makeup! It is fantastic and if you’re looking for a makeup remover for your eyes and lips- this product will not let you down! Clinique has a few more makeup removers for the entire face which I’m sure work just as well but I have yet to try them.
Clinique ‘take the day off’ Makeup Remover.
My personal eye area/skin tips: ( the cold hard truth)
Ever seen a baby with freckles? Neither have I. I saw that quote in one of my mom’s magazines as a kid and have always remembered that.
Freckles come from the sun, PERIOD! Of course some people are more prone to them and are fair-skinned, but the majority of us can avoid them all together if we give it a small effort.
Always be present when you are in the sun- always remember the baby freckle quote. Sure we all accumulate freckles throughout our lives but just keep in mind that they come directly from the sun. I like to think of them as “little burns” on my skin that stay forever and turn into large sun spots when we’re older! NOT CUTE! Aging gracefully is beautiful, premature aging is NOT!
Do I always avoid the sun? No way Jose- I love sunny days but you better believe I’m slathered in SPF and wearing sunglasses or a hat. Also I always look to sit in the shade and always stay aware! It’s all about being aware! I am never that girl who accidentally gets a crazy sunburn- it just won’t happen because I’m aware.
Buy sunglasses and wear them every time you leave the house! You’d be surprised how much you squint- even when it’s not sunny. Don’t like sunglasses, get a cute hat. (tinted windows on your car also help)
Smoke? STOP. Those lovely vertical lines that surround your upper lips will only get worse. Don’t have any yet? They’re on their way! The repetitive motion of puckering your lips to inhale that cigarette is slowly forming wrinkles!
Drink much? Slow down. Excessive drinking does cause premature wrinkles. Read this!
No rubbing your eyes- just don’t.
Be aware when applying and removing makeup- use eyeliner much? Think about every time you pull down your under eye to expose your waterline to apply the liner, every day, sometimes twice a day. Be very careful when you do this not to over pull- most people never even think about it but to expose your waterline the under eye barely needs to be moved if even at all!
Tummy sleeper? Think about how you smash your face all night long every night. Side sleeper? Notice wrinkles on one side of your face more than the other? You probably sleep on that side. Scrunching your cheeks up against a pillow for 8 hours a night can cause unsightly crows feet and around the mouth wrinkles ( also known as parenthesis wrinkles). Want to avoid this? sleep on your back. Ladies who sleep on their backs have less wrinkles! It’s true!
Apply eye cream nightly? Apply with your ring finger as it the weakest and won’t put unnecessary pressure to the area. Also use small soft upward strokes to apply the moisturizer.
Always always always treat the under eye/eye lid area like tissue! Literally baby that skin and it will look like baby skin! Treat it rough and it will look rough.
Don’t moisturize? Start NOW! I started at 20, you’re never too young! Find an eye cream and a facial moisturizer ASAP! Use them both daily!
Give your skin the time! It’s takes only 10 minutes a day to wash and moisturize your face 2 times! Wash your face and moisturize every night- no matter how tired you are.
Drink water- hydration is just good for everything!
Do expensive products work better? Most of the time YES, however affordable products can get the job done too. Something is better than nothing if you’re on a budget.
Already have wrinkles? It’s never too late….. who needs more wrinkles? nobody. You can still delay future wrinkles from appearing! Don’t be discouraged!
My silly analogies:
Dry Beef Jerky vs. Juicy Steak
Wrinkled Raisins vs. Juicy Grapes
What do you want your skin to be? I wanna be grapes and steaks!
I do believe all skin eventually wrinkles in some degree, but I think those wrinkles can be delayed for many many years if you put in the time and effort!
One of the biggest statement making accessories in your wardrobe is your NAILS!!!!! Nail color can change the entire vibe of an outfit and make you feel polished(no pun intended) and pretty!!!!! The greatest thing about this fabulous “accessory” is that everyone can afford a bottle of nail polish! I wear drug store brands as well as designer and everything in between. The polishes I will be featuring in this post are all by Essie are around $8 which I think is mid ranged, HOWEVER there are many more affordable options like wet’ n wild and small sample polishes at your local beauty shops. If you’re on a budget, you can still have fabulous nails! Anyways, let’s get right to it……here are my top 10 Fall nail polishes that I will be rocking throughout the Fall and well into Winter. Get involved people!!!
Essie ‘Armed and ready’ is a metallic dark olive-green available HERE.
Essie ‘Buy me a cameo’ is a gorgeous metallic champagne color available HERE.
Essie ‘Decadent dish’ is a deep oxblood red’ available HERE.
Essie ‘Dive bar’ is a deep blue available HERE.
Essie ‘Mochacino’ is a warm latte color available HERE.
Essie ‘No more film’ is a deep purple color available HERE.
Essie ‘Power clutch’ is a really cool grey/green available HERE.
Essie ‘Russian Roulette’ is a bright orangey/red color’ available HERE.
Essie ‘Shifting Power’ is a perfect shade of metallic gold available HERE.
Essie ‘Stylnomics’ is a deep forest green color available HERE.
I’m so in love with lilac nails lately! The pale purple shades looks great on all skin tones and is so feminine. Lilac is a nice way to incorporate some purple into your wardrobe without going into dark grape territory. Ranging from pale pinkish hues to deeper greyish hues, there is a lilac for everyone. What lilac shade works for you?
Shop lilac nail colors below.
Bangle Jangle by Essie $8 at Zappos.
Lilacism by Essie $8 at Zappos.
Play Date by Essie $8 at Zappos.
Neo Whimsical by Essie $8 at Nordstrom.
The french manicure has been around since I can remember and has always been a safe nail art alternative for those who don’t want color, but want something cute and fun. However, if you do love color and french manicures, there are plenty of options for you in all hues of the rainbow! Check out some of my old favorites along with some new pics I found on Pinterest today for some inspiration! 
Earlier this year I announced my “colors of the year”- Emerald and Lavender were the frontrunners and I still feel the same way. I have been pretty obsessed with purple anything lately but am partial to the light & feminine lavender hue in particular…the pretty pastel screams Spring and is so adorable! There is no better way to incorporate new colors into your wardrobe than with a gorgeous new bag! Lavender pairs especially well with camel, navy, white and other pastels and is quite versatile for a candy color. Love color? wear your lavender bag with a floral dress or pant for the ultimate Spring look.
Shop my FAVORITE lavender bags below right now!
J.Crew ‘Edie’ bag in vintage violet $238 at J.Crew.
Cambridge satchel in Lavender 11″ $190 or 13″ $198 at Cambridge Satchel Co.
Faux snakeskin bag $54.99 at Modcloth.
Rebecca Minkoff ‘Minimac’ in lilac $195 at Shopbop.
Zoya- the nail polish brand known for their unique colors and textures has launched their Pixie Dust Summer 2013 collection which includes six brand new colors to the already popular lineup. 
Pixie Dust polishes are quite unique… they have plenty of sparkle while having a sugary matte finish. The collection is available now for preorder at Zoya. The full-sized bottles retail for $9 or you can get the entire collection in sampler sizes for $54 per set.
Hello everyone, I’m here with another Instagram roundup from the last week(ish). Thanks for stopping by! To see more, follow me on Instagram @yourstylejourney.
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