Forever Blue!

     Yes, once again, I must brag about a favorite. As you know, I love simple (though I still do love a good glamourous). Of all the colors of the rainbow, my most favorite color of them all is royal blue! Now that it is winter time, and me being such a small girl, layers and warmth are the first things I look for whilst standing in front of my wardrobe in my drafty, cold bedroom. Put those all together and you get something like this:

     I apologize for the horrid, terrifying lighting, but white light is not a luxury that I can afford. I REALLY need to invest in a full length mirror that is not already plastered to the wall. One that I can position in such a place where I can stand FACING the light source. I'm so sorry! But you get the general picture anyway, it's what matters.
     This sweater is actually from Forever 21 (www.forever21.com). Weird, I know, since they are a retail store composed of almost any style you could ever, possibly want to combine. But still, this sweater stole my heart when I found it. :) It's definitely a favorite. Sometimes I wish I had more than one of this sweater so I could wear it all week (though not really)! My favorite way to wear it is with a white layering tank, dark-blue skinny jeans, and a pair of warm, sandy-brown lace-up booties. Which, by the way, are from Forever Young Shoes, in case any of you were wondering.

My H&M Love

     Okay, so there is something about me you must know. I LOVE H&M!!! My most favorite clothing store in the whole world!! My style is sophisticated, chic, and simple. Just like Audrey Hepburn. :) So, when I finally had the chance to go to the mall where the BRAND NEW store was conveniently located, I treated myself!

     What do you think? I LOVED the cut of the shirt (www.hm.com), and the skirt (www.hm.com) was the perfect length; and it is seriously the softest, most comfortable skirt I've ever worn in my life! Worn with a pair of classic black pumps, makes the perfect outfit for a first interview, the office, church, or just being dressy and chic for the heck of it! Be bold and strut your style like you own it! Because you do!

Favorite Color of the Day is Red

     I've decided that my favorite color today is red. Why? Well, because this gorgeous color is on my lips! And my, do they look fine! (they really do, actually). In my usual primping routine this morning I did not think to put such color on, but when I finally got to work, I thought my lips felt (and looked) a little bare. So, on came the red! Of course, it's my favorite red from Avon (Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Red Reveal www.avon.com). I've gotten a lot of compliments about it!
     My words of wisdom today? When in doubt, add some red! Whether it's a pair of earrings, shoes, a scarf, belt, hat, or a gorgeous red lipstick. That pop of color will definitely spice your look up (in a good way of course). As long as it's the right red for you, it can only do better for you.

How to Choose the Right Red Lipstick:
1. Look at the under-side of your wrist, are the blood veins more blue or green?
2. If more blue, your perfect red:

• Has cool undertones to it 
• A "blue" red is great for you, anything warm and the color is going to scream, and make you look washed-out, instead of compliment your skintone.
• You red-heads will also want to stay towards the cool red tones, as well.

Great shades to try:
AVON Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Red Reveal (www.avon.com)
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick - F-Bomb (www.sephora.com)
3. If more green, your perfect red:

• You have a more olive undertone to your skin, and you can go with a warm tone of red. 
• Orange-red looks best on you. A cool tone will make your skin appear dull instead of radiant (no lady wants that now, do they?).

Great shades to try:
NARS Lipstick - Heat Wave (www.sephora.com)
Lacome Rouge In Love Lipcolor - Rouge Satin Honore (www.sephora.com)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

Yes, I know the title is cheesy, but it's true! Here are a few of my favorite makeup products, that I adore!

1. Urban Decay Eye Primer - Original

I LOVE this stuff! I use it everyday, and my eyeshadow doesn't crease (www.sephora.com)

2. AVON Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Red Reveal

My ultimate favorite red color of lipstick! Gorgeous! (www.avon.com)

3. MAC Studio Finish Concealer

So creamy, and it does a wonderful job of highlighting! (www.maccosmetics.com)

4. BHCosmetics 88 Color Eyeshadow Palette - Neutral

I LOVE this palette! So many to choose from, you feel you almost never wear the same thing twice! Very highly pigmented, no fall-out, and the best part is they're so affordable! (www.bhcosmetics.com)

5. AVON Ideal Flawless Matte Mousse Foundation

This goes on so smoothly, and blends so well. Definitely gives you a flawless porcelain face. (www.avon.com)

6. Too Faced Full Bloom Ultra Flush Powder Blush - Who's Your Poppy?

I love this blush! It has the perfect balance of matte and shimmer, and it's not too pink. Perfect flush for your cheeks. :) (www.sephora.com)

7. Kat Von D - Lock-it Tatto Concealer

This is a SUPER pigmented concealer. It covers up the most annoying red zits, to the darkest under-eye circles. It is also great for highlighting. (www.sephora.com)

8. AVON Ultra Luxury Lip Liner - Rosebud

Best red liner I've used yet! Great base for your luscious red rouge to stick to. (www.avon.com)

9. AVON Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Poppy Love

You might not think that orange would look great on your lips until you've tried this one. It gives you the perfect POP of color to your face. Great choice if your running out the door, and need something exciting to wake up your face. (www.avon.com)

10. AVON Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Pretty

I've had pink lipstick before, but this is by far my favorite! It's your perfect berry pink! Pink enough to look girly, but toned down enough to look sophisticated chic at the same time! (www.avon.com)

Hope you give these wonderful beauties a try. :)

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

Give Me Your Troubles, So That I May Solve Them! :)

     Ok, another purpose of this blog is not only to share my love of everything beautiful about cosmetics, and all of the like, but also to help YOU find solutions to problems you are having. What are some everyday, or maybe not so common, inconveniences that you have as it comes to things dealing with beauty, fashion, makeup, and skin care (acne, scarring, etc.)? I would LOVE to help! Some things I am expert at, but give me challenges so that I may conquer them, and help you get rid of your frustration!
     I personally have trouble with acne, and as a college student would LOVE oh so much to find a working homemade remedy. No more of these expensive topical medications and pills! I need something affordable! Thus, I shall strive to find such a solution. I will update you on the search soon.

Loves,
   Jessica Ashley

A VERY Belated Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!!

     I am SO late on my blog post, and I'm SO sorry! Things just got so busy with end-of-semester finals, and work, and Christmas shopping! By the time I had any spare time to do anything, all I wanted to do at that point was just to take my free fifteen minute break and do nothing but BREATHE!! I made it through finals and the holiday, and had a pretty good New Year, though I will admit, I did not write down any official New Year's resolutions...whoops...
     For the Christmas holiday I got some wonderful french vanilla bath bombs, touchscreen-compatible gloves, lovely lipgloss, and some SoftLips chapstick (my favorite!). Now, somewhere within my new winter semester schedule, I just need to find time to take a bath so I can utilize those bath bombs. I did play around with the Dermablend CoverCreme foundation that I got, however I do not have any photos yet...still figuring out the best application technique. Sorry! Very delayed, I know.

     Oh! So in the rush and buzz of the holiday season my beloved gel eyeliner dried out (*sob*), but no fear! I found a way to revitalize it! Simply use heat, and a little bit of moisture!! It's REALLY easy, only takes 4 steps, and about 15 minutes.

How To Revitalize Your Dried-Out Gel Liner:

1. Get a microwavable bowl, or tupperware container (make sure it has it's accompanying lid), fill it halfway full with water, and put it in the microwave. You don't want the water to boil, you want it warm enough that there is steam coming off the surface, but no bubbles. I heated the water for about a minute and a half.

2. Make sure the lid on your pot of gel liner is nice and tight, then submerge it in the container of water. Place the lid on top, and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.

3. Remove the pot from the container, and dry it off. With a small synthetic brush, or q-tip, mix the gel liner to distribute the moisture. Put the lid back on the pot, secure tightly, and let the pot cool.

4. Ta-da!!

Hope your New Year was fantastic! Happy adventures!! :)

Red Queen of Hearts (Rough Draft)

     Ok, so as finals week approaches, I'm becoming more and more stressed about my final project for class! The assignment is to pick a character from a play, movie, or book and come up with our own makeup design for the character. This is what I have so far:

     If you can't tell, sorry the lighting was really bad, I drew my inspiration for the hair from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", then I'm also planning on planting a streak of red crepe hair through the middle of the hairstyle. A big problem I have is, I'm horrible at drawing. I feel like it doesn't look exactly like I want it to, but the more I try to redo it, the worse it gets. So, since I'm also the model, as well as the artist for this design, I'll have to see how it turns out on the actual canvas. I'm quite nervous about the hair. I have very fine/thin blonde hair, and this hairstyle is going to take a TON of backcombing. My instructor did inform us that we could do our hair before the final, but I've got another final that morning, and then work so I don't know how I would manage that. Do you think I could get in done within the hour break I have between work and this final?
     I'm also blocking out my eyebrows, which I have done on myself before...I hope it turns out well. I'll be sure to post a picture of the finish project when I'm done with it next week. Maybe I'll find time to practice it this weekend. Cross your fingers!