Life Update!

Hello and Happy Fall, fellow Regular Girls!
My boyfriend and I took a mini-vacation to Chicago this past weekend and I wanted to share the video I created with you all.
We took the train from here in Champaign on Sunday morning and returned early Monday morning. It was a short, but very much needed trip for us. Sometimes, it's just nice to get away for a day.
So, here it is! Enjoy!

Basics for Beginners: Eyeshadow | Palettes + Singles

This is the final installment of the Basics for Beginners: Eyeshadow series. Click here for Part I regarding Eyeshadow Primers, or click here for Part II on Eyeshadow Brushes.

This finale of the series is regarding my favorite options for eyeshadow palettes and singles. My favorite palettes are the Urban Decay Naked 1 and 2 palettes and my favorite singles are the NYX matte shadows. So, let's jump right in! 

Urban Decay Naked 1 + 2 Palettes ($54 at Ulta)

The Urban Decay Naked Palettes are collections of different varieties of neutral eyeshadows. Naked has cool-toned neutrals, Naked2 has warm-toned neutrals, and Naked3 (not pictured) has rose gold-toned neutrals. I am a fair-skinned, blue-eyed redhead, so I did not think that Naked3 would be suited for me. If I had to choose one that suites my hair, skin tone, and hair color the best, I would say it would be the original Naked palette since it is cool toned. The blue color and cool-toned neutrals in the Naked palette seem to compliment me the best. However, you can see I've hit pan in a lot of the Naked2 shadows as well. I love them both very much. 

These were my first high-end makeup purchases and I've been very very happy with them. They satisfy so many looks from everyday, to night, to dramatic and are perfect for travel. I would say that even though the price point is pretty high, this is great for beginners who aren't really sure what they like, but want to try some different things. All of the shadows have great pigmentation and are such great quality.
In an every day look using the Naked 1 palette, I use Naked all over the lid, Buck in the crease, and Virgin to highlight the center of my lid and my brow bone. My other favorites in this palette are Half Baked, Toasted, and Hustle.
My every day look using the Naked 2 palette includes using Foxy all over the lid, Tease in the crease, and Bootycall as a highlight. I also like to use Verve and Pistol as a metallic smokey eye for nighttime. 

NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow ($4.99 each at Ulta)

These shadows are such a bargain and are my favorite drugstore/budget eyeshadows. There are 16 available colors in this range and they are all neutral matte shades. I love to use the Underneath it All shade as a crease contour color and I use the Skinny Dip color as a night time plum smokey eye when I want to do something different than a brown or black smokey eye. The color payoff is great for a drugstore product and there is minimal fallout. I love to use these when I want to mix it up a bit from my Naked palettes. NYX makes some great products in general so if you want to try something different, check them out at Ulta and select drugstores. They also carry some shimmery shades that would be great as a highlight.

If you try out any of these palettes or singles, please tweet me a picture of your makeup look @TheRegularGirl1

I hope this little mini-series gave you some guidance in where to start exploring when it comes to applying eyeshadow and what tools to use in order to get the best out of your money. I think I may continue the Basics for Beginners theme and do some different series with lip products, foundations, etc., so be on the look out for that. 

If there is anything in particular you would like to see up next, please do so in the comments below! Until then, thank you for visiting!

Basics for Beginners: Eyeshadow | Brushes

This is Part II of my Basics for Beginners: Eyeshadow series. Click here to read last week's post about eyeshadow primers!
Now that we know all about eyeshadow primers, it's important to talk about brushes. I firmly believe that your brushes can easily ruin an eyeshadow look. My favorite are the EcoTools and Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes. Both brands have kits you can buy specifically for eye makeup that include all of the brushes for applying eye shadow. 

EcoTools ($17.99 at Ulta)

I bought these brushes in a set a long time ago, so the exact kit isn't available anymore, but the link will take you to the closest thing that is currently available (the blush brush included in this kit is wonderful as well and is a brush I use every day). This brand can be found at most drug stores and at Ulta. The handles are made with bamboo and recycled aluminum and the bristles are made with a synthetic fiber called Taklon. These brushes are great for applying shadow all over the lid and for highlighting the brow bone with a light, glowy color such as Virgin from the Naked 1 palette, or Bootycall from the Naked 2 palette. The description lists the larger flat brush as a concealer brush, but I use it as a shadow brush for all over the lid. 

Real Techniques ($17.99 at Ulta)

This kit comes with 5 brushes, but the 2 pictured above are the ones I use the most. This brand is at Ulta and at some select drug stores. The bristles in these brushes are also made with the synthetic fiber used in the EcoTools brushes above and are super easy to clean. The "base shadow brush" is a bit fluffier than the EcoTools flat shadow brushes and I use it for blending a medium color into the crease of my eye lid. The "deluxe crease brush" is round and has a lot of bristles that is perfect for blending. I usually use this clean in order to blend any harsh lines out of my eyeshadow look. This brand of brushes is so great and I own a lot of their other brushes as well. They are very versatile and are very easy to clean because of the material they are made out of. I truly believe that these brushes are the best value for your money. 

Brushes are a very personal thing, so if you try these out, please let me know what you thought of them. Do you have some different brushes that are your favorites? Please share them with me in the comments below. 

Basics for Beginners: Eyeshadow | Primers

I had a friend ask me for some eyeshadow tips yesterday and, after answering her (in a very lengthy facebook message complete with pictures), I decided that this would be a great blog post series. She just got a new job and really wanted to up her makeup game. Specifically, she was wondering what eyeshadow I use + recommend and what products were the best value for her money.
I've decided to do this as a short series, starting this post with eyeshadow primers. There will later be posts regarding brushes and eyeshadows.
So, let's dive right in, shall we?

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of eyeshadow primer. Eyeshadow primer changed my makeup life and it will change how your eyeshadow applies, whether your eyeshadow is high-end or drugstore. I have a few favorites that I want to share with you that are both drugstore and high-end.

Revlon Photoready Eye Primer + Brightener ($10.49 at Ulta)

This is by far my favorite eye primer at the drugstore. It claims to also be an eye brightener, but I strictly use this product as an eyeshadow primer. The applicator is a twist-up brush. I apply this product by putting it on the tips of my ring fingers and gently rubbing it onto my entire eyelid. A little goes a long way, so you just need a little bit to get the job done. While this is on the more expensive side of drugstore products, it's still cheaper than a high-end primer, and does a much better job than other drugstore primers I've tried. After it has dried, I apply my eyeshadow. It enhances the pigmentation of my eyeshadows and keeps them in place without creasing. Definitely a holy grail drugstore product for me.


Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($20 at Ulta)

This primer by Urban Decay was the first high-end eyeshadow primer I ever tried and is what got me completely and utterly hooked. This photo is not the full-size product (because I ran out and haven't repurchased yet), but this sample size comes free with the Naked 1 palette by Urban Decay that I will be discussing later in this series. This primer comes in a few different varieties (Shimmer, Color-Correcting, etc.), but the Original is my favorite. The only downside that I found with this product is that when you get toward the end of the primer, the oil starts to separate itself from the product, so I had to make sure I shook the container before applying it on my lids. At the very end of it's life, I just had to throw it away and buy another one because it was just too oily.

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($25 at Sephora)

This, fellow Regular Girls, is my holy grail eyeshadow primer. I decided to try this after running out of the Urban Decay Primer Potion and it was the best decision I ever made. This product is perfect if you have oily skin and/or you live in a humid place. It enhances the color of your eyeshadows, keeps your shadows in place all day, and doesn't crease. As with most primers, a little goes a long way, so it will last you quite awhile. I have no complaints about this product and I will continue to repurchase.

No matter which of these primers you use, they will enhance your eyeshadows whether they're high-end or drugstore. What primer did you use or did you try, and which one is your favorite? 

Keep your eyes peeled next week for the next post in this series about my favorite eyeshadow brushes! 

First Impressions | Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner

Good evening (or good morning, rather), fellow Regular Girls!
I went to Sephora recently and, in a moment of weakness, purchased Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner. In insurmountable excitement to try this product, I decided to do a First Impressions video with my reaction and initial review. Enjoy!



If you'd like to see me do another First Impressions video with another product, please let me know in the comments below! 

New URL!

Fresh Mani Friday | Half-Moon Manicure

It's Friday and I have a new manicure that I wanted to share with you all. I decided to try something different, so I thought I'd give the half-moon trend a go. It was very easy and I like how it turned out.

First, I painted all of my nails the gold color (Nicole's The Next CEO). After it had completely dried, I placed circle stickers across the top of the nail to create the half-moon shape and painted the exposed nail the grey/taupe color (Wet n Wild's Wet Cement). I then finished it off with Seche Vite top coat (as always). I'm looking forward to trying this in the future with different color combinations.

What is your current favorite nail trend? Take a picture and tag me on Twitter: @TheRegularGirl1
I'd love to see what creations you guys have been doing!

Nail Trend: Sheer/Nude Nails

Hello, fellow regular girls!
There has been a trend floating around this spring for nails and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. This trend is sheer/nude high-shine nails. People have been wearing this trend especially with long nails with rounded tips.

Having the fair skin that I do, I struggled finding a sheer/nude that worked for me without making me look like a dead person (I will not use the word 'zombie' because of reasons). After some research and trial and error, I came up with some tips for pulling off this trend:

• If you have fair skin, find a color that is pink-toned - I made the mistake of trying out a color that was kind of a muted eggshell white and that was a definite no. If you decide on a white shade, choose one with slight sparkle. (Please note that I did not say glittery. This is the only time that I will tell you that you don't want your polish to have glitter in it.) My favorite color at the moment is Essie's Vanity Fairest, which is a pale pink sheer color (that is almost opaque after 3 coats) with slight shimmer in. It's very hard to tell that there is shimmer; it just gives the color a bit of dimension. 
• Go for a high-gloss top coat - High gloss top coat is important to as not to completely wash out your hands. My favorite is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This stuff is Holy Grail material for me. It dries your polish super quickly and leaves your color unbelievably shiny. I have actually had several people ask me if my polish was gel polish when it was just plain ol' nail polish. That's really saying something. This top coat is also great at preventing chips. 
• If you're going for tips at the salon, let them know exactly what you want - If you want the rounded look, it looks best filed down thin so they don't appear chunky and overly artificial. In order for them to be able to file them down thin and for them to last without breaking, get gel nails instead of acryllic; they are stronger and will last longer. (Just don't get into any cat fights or anything like that. Yes, I'm talking to you.)

So, what do you guys think? Are you taking advantage of this spring trend? What colors work best for you and your skin tone?

The Regular Girl: Blog/YouTube Channel Trailer

How To: Conceal Under Eye Dark Circles [with video]

Dark circles are a struggle for many women. Especially women with fair skin. Super especially for women with fair skin and red hair.
After deciding that I was unhappy with the products that I had been using, I did some research about what kinds of products would be best for concealing dark circles. I tried a couple things before coming up with my holy grail products and procedure that worked well with my skin.

Step 1: Prep your skin. Moisturize your skin and apply a primer. I've been using The Body Shop's Seaweed Pore Perfector as a serum under my moisturizer, The Body Shop's Aloe Vera Eye Defense as my eye cream, Aveeno's Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer, and Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer as my foundation primer.
Step 2: Apply foundation. Apply your choice of foundation. Lately, I've been using Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation with the Tarte Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush. This foundation is a mineral powder buildable formula. I've been using it for a few weeks and I've been enjoying it so far. Look out for a blog post all about it soon.
Step 3: Apply a color corrector over dark circles. My dark circles are primarily a purple-ish blue-ish color. To counteract this discoloration, find a color corrector that is orange-toned. I use Nyx Dark Circle Concealer. You don't need a whole lot; just enough to counteract the discoloration. You will be using a light concealer to blend it all together and even out the color in the next step. (Note: If your discoloration is mainly red toned, use a green color corrector.)
Step 4: Apply concealer. Apply your concealer over your whole under eye area to even out your skin tone. I've been using Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer. I initially apply concealer using my ring finger in a patting motion and then blend it out with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Step 5: Set concealer with powder. Apply powder using a fluffy brush to your under eye area to set the makeup. I use Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent along with my Sonia Kashuk Large Powder Brush No. 1. Finish your look with your usual blush and bronzer.



Did you try any of the products I mentioned in the tutorial? Do you have any better suggestions for products you use to cover dark circles? Please share them in the comments below.

Brand Rave: Birchbox

I have been subscribed to Birchbox for about 6 months now and I've recently moved. I was nervous about my monthly box being sent to the wrong address since I recently changed the shipping address when I moved. Sure enough, after a couple of days, my tracking number for my box sent be back with an error. I sent an email to their customer service center yesterday afternoon asking about what happened. Less than 2 hours later, I had a very friendly response from Sarah, who is a customer service representative at Birchbox. By this morning, she recorded my correct address and had a replacement box on its way to me.
I am very happy with the way Sarah fixed my problem and with the friendliness she went about it. I will definitely continue my subscription to Birchbox and spread the word about what a happy customer they have made me.
Look out for more Birchbox reviews and possibly and unboxing video.
Do you subscribe to a monthly box? Which one(s)?

Nail Trend: Pink Nails

Pink nail colors have never really been my thing. I always felt as though pink nails were too girly or too Barbie for me. Well, OPI's Strawberry Margarita may have changed that for me.
I was at Target earlier this evening looking for a happy nail polish color that would give me a taste of the warmer months (since it has been so gloomy and cold lately). For some reason, this polish caught my eye and I decided to go out on a limb and give it a try. I painted it on both my fingers and my toes and it looks great! I feel as though it compliments my skin tone and makes me happy just looking at it. It's definitely a nice change from the winter colors I've been wearing. Also,  I think this color would be great for Valentine's Day.
So, Regular Girls,  what's your go-to pick-me-up color for a dreary day?

Quick Tip: Removing Waterproof Eye Makeup

I wear a lot of waterproof makeup. Everyone wants their makeup to last all day with minimal touch-ups. But what happens at the end of the day when you need to get it off before bed? For you ladies that just don't take your makeup off at night, it's definitely to your benefit to take the extra 3 minutes to really make sure you get all of your makeup off before going to bed.
I've been using neutrogena's makeup removing wipes and I've been pretty happy with them. However, I've been wearing more liquid eyeliner as well as waterproof mascara and this is always more difficult to get off. I recently purchased Beautifying Oil from The Body Shop. There are so many uses for this oil and I decided to try it on my eye makeup to remove residue that the makeup wipes left on my face. Let me tell you. It has changed my nighttime routine. As you can see in the photo above, the top photo is what my eye makeup looked like after just using the makeup wipe. The bottom photo is what little was left after using the oil.
You can apply the oil by using a cotton pad, or all I do is put some on a clean section of the makeup wipe I already used. So I challenge all of you fellow regular girls to give an oil a try and let me know how it worked for you. Or, if you use something different that works well for you, please share it in the comments below.

Holy Grail: Daily Skincare Routine

Ok. I think I've done it. I think I've found my Holy Grail of skincare products. I've had a real struggle with my skin the past few months, but these products have brought me to my clearest skin. I've spoken of a couple of these products in previous posts, but I wanted to present them in the way I've been using them so all of you Regular Girls can try it as well.

The first product (labelled #1 in the picture above) is Aveeno's Active Naturals: Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser ($6.49 at Target). I begin my skincare routine with this product by using it to cleanse my face at night in the shower and in the morning using warm water. For all of you ladies who don't want for the water to get warm need to re-examine your skincare routine. I've found a drastic difference between washing my face with warm versus cool water. I know you're tired in the morning and probably in a rush, but please. Wait until the water gets warm. I promise. It will do wonders for your face. The warm water opens your pores in order for your cleanser to actually clear out the dirt. In other news, this cleanser is wonderful. It contains soy extract and has been a cleanser I've stuck to for almost a year now.

The next product (labelled #2 in the picture above) is St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Scrub ($4.99 at Target). This product has made all of the difference in my skincare routine. I use this morning and night with warm water after using my daily cleanser. This product claims to "gently clear breakouts & calm redness". Let me tell you. It definitely does that. I saw a difference even after the first use. And it's $4.99. 

#3 in the picture above is Aveeno's Active Naturals: Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer ($14.99 at Target). I use this product in the morning after using the brightening cleanser and the green tea scrub. It soothes my skin from the scrub and prevents dryness from the cold and dry Illinois winter air. I would also recommend using a lip balm such as Burt's Bees at this time since the scrub tends to dry out the skin. This moisturizer works without being too greasy and doesn't seem to break out my sensitive skin.

The last product in my holy grail skincare routine is Neutrogena's Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream ($12.99 at Target). I have mentioned this product before and I will link the full review here. I use this moisturizer at night after using the green tea scrub. I have found that this cream really soothes my skin without making my skin greasy. The last thing I want before going to bed is a greasy face because of my moisturizer. Something even less attractive is an overly greasy face in the morning. This cream doesn't do any of those things and doesn't break me out. It is more on the pricier side of the above mentioned products, but it lasts a very long time. A little of this product goes a long way.

So there you have it: the products that have made it to my holy grail of skincare products. These together have really saved me. If you guys have tried any or all of these products, please leave me a comment below letting me know what you thought!