Bows and Curtseys Contest!

I looooooove contest entries. There's something about the rush of it that inspires me.

The beautiful Ronnie from Bows and Curtseys is having a giveaway! Now that she's reached 2,000 followers, she's giving away a set of full-sized shadows from Glamour Doll Eyes. I want to get my hands on these bad boys. Love the colors she chose!

So I'm spreading the love - make sure you click on the link below to enter! I wonder who will win!

Bows and Curtseys 2,000 Follower Giveaway!

Pin Up How To

So late last night, I posted a question to my Facebook, asking my family and friends to pick a look they wanted to see me create a tutorial for. I offered three options: smokey, pin-up, or a past look I've done.

Pin-up wound up winning! Yay! This was my first time doing ANY kind of look like this. Sure, I've done a neutral eye. I've also done winged liner. I've also worn red lips! But together? Never!! I loved that this look pushed me out of the boundaries and really forced me to be super neat, super detailed, but MOST important, to have a TON of fun with makeup!

Product list will be below as always. If any of you ever have a request for something specific you'd like to see, even if I've NEVER done it before, please feel free to ask! I'm always open to stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new makeup adventures. :)

(PS - This post is definitely photo heavy! My apologies!)

So before I started taking photos of my eyes, I had already applied my face primer, foundation, powder, and eyeshadow primer. Not necessarily in that order, though...

I started by applying NYX Eyeshadow Base in White all over lid, up to the brow:

I then took ULTA's Camel shadow and applied it all over the lid, then took ULTA's Bone shadow and blended it from the crease area up to the brow, and also in the inner corner.

I then took ULTA's Milk Chocolate and applied it into the crease.

I used the same color to fill in my brows, which wound up being WAY too dark. I used a stiff brush to get most of it out, but that was done way later in the game. Here are the brows filled in super dark.

I used my MUFE Kohl Eyeliner in 1K and dipped it into some gel liner to line my eyes and make the wings. My eyes totally don't match and it's not the best liner, but it came out EXACTLY how I wanted it to! Best piece of advice I can give anyone reading this on how to make your winged liner work is to start out slow and continue slow. You can always add to it!

I applied mascara and these brand-new falsies. Again, not well LOL. I'm still not that great with falsies.

I then took some time to contour my face. Everyone's face will get contoured differently, so what works for me may not necessarily work for you. :) I also used a liner that was slightly darker than my lip color to line and lightly fill in my lips. This will give the lipstick something to stick to.

Then I filled in my lips with two different shades of red and dipped the MUFE pencil into the gel liner and created a little beauty mark underneath my eye. You could easily use some gold shadow to highlight the very center "bow" of the lips and it would look 10x more beautiful!

You know I couldn't do a look without my glasses! ;)

Okay, so... products used!

Face:
-Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 180 Sand Beige
-Sephora Compact powder foundation in Light 20
-No name bronzer
-Benefit blush in Coralista

Eyes:
-NYX Eyeshadow Base in White
-ULTA shadows in Bone, Camel, and Milk Chocolate
-MUFE kohl eyeliner in 1K
-Maybelline Eyestudio gel liner in Blackest Black
-CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion mascara in Very Black
-Sephora lashes "Tempting"

Lips:
-N.Y.C. Brow Liner in Auburn to lightly line/fill
-ULTA's lipsticks in Sangria and Red Carpet Red

The only thing I would do different would be to either use a taupe or a white liner on the lower waterline. :) So... what do you think? :)

Old School Goth

Trends come and go. We all know this. I'm hoping this whole emo trend will go sooner than later.

Why?

Because I'm a crotchety old-school goth.

I am the one that spends four hours getting ready, teasing her hair out to THERE, just to stand in a club and complain about all the "young kids these days" while sipping on my cranberry & vodka.

When I went to beauty school, our uniform was described as "black on black with a splash of black". Everyone complained. I rejoiced! No new shopping to do! LOL.

Not that I have a problem with scenesters or hipsters or emosters or *whatever* you guys call yourselves. I'm just that older person that used to be called a babybat waaayyyyy back in the mid 90's. I would get picked on and now it's my turn to pick on all of you. Out of love, naturally. ;)

I wanted to do a look based off of how I used to wear my makeup back in the day. I would go through a stick of eyeliner way too quickly and I heavily abused my best friend's Urban Decay Gash lip stick.

These days, my outfits are a little more streamlined, and a little less Salvation Army chic. My makeup is better than cheap dollar store crap. I've come a long way from covering my ENTIRE lid with liner (because I had NO clue what I was doing at 15) and/or drawing little swirls in the outer corners of my eyes. I do, from time to time, channel that 15 year old version of me and bang out a look like this. So, please forgive my rantings on the current state of "scenes" and enjoy the look! <3

And, for good measure, a super high-contrast, blown-out photograph. Because we ALL did this at one point in time. ;)

This look was created using NYX shadows, Maybelline gel liner, and ULTA's lip sticks. <3

The Butterfly Effect

According to Wikipedia, The Butterfly Effect is defined as "the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state."

I love chaos theory. It makes me smile as it reminds me of the chaotic nature of my brain. I also love the movie Butterfly Effect, ESPECIALLY the director's cut ending. Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you. ;)

I'm only calling this post The Butterfly Effect because of the actual inspiration. I didn't want to just have a ho-hum name like "yellow/green/red butterfly" LOL. I also love how chaotic my particular butterfly is.

See, doing a Google search for butterfly makeup, exotic butterfly makeup, butterfly inspired makeup, etc., yields the same look, with very few exceptions. It's mostly a mix of blues, purples, and blacks. While those are gorgeous colors, I wanted to do something different than the norm.

Why butterflies? Good thing you asked! We received a pamphlet in the mail that said the new Butterfly Hollow would be opening in Jacksonville Zoo in a few weeks. I haven't been to the zoo since my wedding two years ago. I love zoos. LOVE! I know some of my readers will be mad at me for that, since some people feel that zoos are cruel for the animals. I see the good in them: thanks to zoos, certain animals have been brought back from extinction! Plus, where else in the world will I get to see two stunning jaguars up close and personal! Plus, bats! Eee!!

So yea, I'm SO excited about the new Butterfly Hollow that I did a bit of research and found inspiration in a beautiful butterfly.

Products used will be at the end :)

Also, I apologize now for the million pictures lol. I was really excited about my very first cut crease!

The inspiration!

Products Used:

Eyes:
-Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-NYX Eyeshadow in White
-NYX Eyeshadow in Mellow Yellow
-NYX Eyeshadow in Light Green
-NYX Eyeshadow in Exotic Green
-A no-name super bright green shadow
-A no-name red shadow
-Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadow in Teal
-MUFE Kohl Pencil in 1K
-Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

Face:
-Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 180 Sand Beige
-Maybelline Age Rewind Undereye Treatment in Neutralizer
-Sephora brand Compact powder foundation in Light 20
-No-name bronzer & blush

Lips:
-A mix of Ulta's Dare to Bare & Sweet Pea over lips that were covered with foundation (click here for swatches)

Please let me know what you think! It's a little messy, my eyes started watering, and I've seen it done better... but! I'm super proud of this look!!

Hot Pink and Black

I've had this little tub of a hot pink cream shadow for the longest time. I know, I know, I should probably get rid of it, but I rarely use it. I was cleaning out the makeup stash the other day and came across it again. I put it to the side where I would see it and decided to use it in a future look.

Fast forward to yesterday, when I was feeling creative and ambitious. I pulled out this cream makeup and mixed it with Nyx red-pink shadow and an Inglot black shadow with red sparkles. I still have not conquered the cut crease look, so I wouldn't even call this one of those. I just really love pink and black together and wanted to do an extremely edgy smokey eye with the two. So here you have it! Let me know what you think!

Hair Growth

Let's talk a little bit about hair.

In case you couldn't tell by the name of my blog, I am a stylist. Hair is my passion, before anything else in the world (other than my amazing SO!).

I'm still new to the industry, but not to hair itself. Ever since I was a little girl, I would always answer "hairstylist!" whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was never the kid who cut her own hair, because I knew that's what we went to the beauty parlor for. Yes, I still call it a beauty parlor. It's very romantic and old-worldly...

Something I'm often asked is "how do I get my hair to grow?"

Now... I know my answer will probably make a LOT of you mad. I'm going to break it down for you simply and easily, and probably blow a lot of your minds.

There is NOTHING you can do to make your hair grow faster. Nothing.

Zip. Zilch. NADA.

I don't care what Suzie Q said on XYZ board about hair. NOTHING makes it grow. Except Latisse, but that's for lashes.

If you want to have long, luxurious, Rapunzel-type hair, you just need to follow a few simple rules. I'll give you a moment to grab a pen and paper to write these very simple tips down.

Joanna's Rules to Long Luxurious Rapunzel-type Hair:

Rule No. 1: Regular trims. This doesn't mean once a year, or when you can't get the brush through the ends, or when the ends start to look scraggly. This means get a TINY bit taken off every 8-12 weeks. 12 at the most! Trust me when I say I'd rather take off the very ends every 12 weeks than see you in once a year to chop off six inches and then console you while you cry over your lost locks. I've been the one crying in the chair. It's not pretty.

Rule No. 2: Take your vitamins! I can't stress this enough. If you eat right and take at least a multivitamin, your hair will show it. Everything we put into our bodies comes out through our hair, skin, and nails, so make sure you're feeding yourself right! This will help strengthen the hair against future damage.

Rule No. 3: Step away from the cheap products. Of course I'm going to try to sell retail in the salon to my heart's content, but it's NOT for the (very low) bonus I receive. (Seriously, it's only 10% of my TOTAL sales - that's not much.) I won't sell you something unless I fully stand behind it. Trust me when I say I can tell a difference from when I was using White Rain to now when I vary things up between Paul Mitchell, Joico, and Redken. If your stylist is recommending a hydrating shampoo because your hair is thirsty, trust them. They're the hair expert and if they're anything like me, they wouldn't be trying to sell you something unless it WORKS. Also, salon products are highly concentrated, so that $15.00 bottle of shampoo WILL last you far longer than the dollar store crap.

Rule No. 4: On the topic of salon products... DON'T BUY SALON PRODUCTS AT THE SUPERMARKET!! Or the drug store. Or Wal*Mart. Or the flea market. Or anywhere that is NOT a salon! This is called diversion. Basically, what happens is this... salons go out of business. Buyers swoop in and buy their retail for a low price. It goes to a warehouse where the proper storage conditions are most likely not being met. They then mark up the price to HIGHER than at a salon. ALL hair products have a shelf life, and if it's been sitting in a warehouse (with less than ideal conditions), it's most likely expired. Don't even get me started on the stuff you find at flea markets. 99.9% of the time it's not even the real deal. If you have more questions about this rule, feel free to Google "salon product diversion".

Rule No. 5: Shampoo from the roots to the ends, condition from the ends to the roots. It's really that simple, but you'd be amazed at how many people slap conditioner on their roots. Your roots get natural oils from your scalp - you don't need to condition this! Your ends are thirsty - let them drink!

Rule No. 6: If you're going to flat iron, pick up a good thermal protectant spray. I highly recommend Paul Mitchell's Hot Off the Press, or you can use a leave-in treatment like It's a 10 Miracle Styling Serum.

Rule No. 7: Treat yourself to a deep conditioning treatment. In our salon, it's an extra $11.00. It takes five minutes, and lasts for 30 days or 30 shampoos. I do this on a regular basis and my hair has never been better! Ask your stylist for a deep conditioning treatment that is best tailored for YOUR specific hair type. If they can't come up with one, it's time to find a more knowledgeable stylist!

That's pretty much it... for now. These are things that I talk about day in and day out with all of my clients. The few who actually bite the bullet and make the investment in the hair are hooked! I get told quite regularly that ever since they put their hair in my hands, they've noticed a HUGE difference.

If there is anything I have not covered here, please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me privately at JoannaTheStylist@gmail.com and I will happily answer your questions! Hair health is number one to me!

Softly Romantic

About 95% of the time, any makeup that I'm wearing has been picked out by my partner. I'll lug out my kit and say "pick a color". She'll point to something, usually something easy, and tell me "that". Sometimes she'll throw in a curveball and pick out totally random colors, just to force me out of my comfort zone.

Yesterday, she gave me an easy look to do. I brought over my ULTA shadows and asked her to pick something. She pointed to these reds, pinks, and browns that I've never used. I had to laugh because I was silently sending messages to pick those shades.

See, a little history on Joanna... I always wear dramatic. I've either got super smokey eyes, or super bright eyes. OR I go totally opposite and do as neutral as I possibly can. Those are my lazy days. I'm not prone to wearing something so... romantic looking. I WOULD enter this into all of those Valentine's day contests going on all over the 'net, but I have an ace up my sleeve for those. :)

So here's my totally out of my comfort zone Softly Romantic look... let me know what you think!
















(Those are my new Tiffany & Co glasses!! Love!!)



I used ULTA shadows - Seashell in inner corners, Firework on outer part of lid, Mystical in crease, and In the Buff for a highlight. MUFE kohl liner in 1k for the liner. Smashbox Full Exposure for my mascara.

I think I may attempt a full-on matte look today. Maybe. Possibly. I'm too addicted to shimmer.

Trix

Sometimes... sometimes we create beauty, us makeup fiends. Sometimes we do things that are within our comfort zone and we excel.

And then... sometimes we go "ooo I want to try THIS!!!" and wind up creating something that looks like we faceplanted onto a MAC counter.

This is one of those looks.

I had a bowl of Trix for dinner and was totally inspired by the beautiful colors. I should have left it at that, but no... I had to go and try to create a look based on this damn bowl of cereal.

Nothing was working in my favor. See, here in Jacksonville, it's sunny and warm. This means the trees are confused and are creating pollen. This means that Joanna's allergies go berserk and wreak havoc on the sinuses. My eyes kept watering while trying to apply today's look. I was using old makeup that I think I may have paid less than $5.00 for. I didn't apply a base like I normally do.

Needless to say, the stars were misaligned for me today LOL.

I only have two photos to show today and both are of the same eye. Enjoy! ;)

...but first a photo I took of my bowl of cereal.







Maybe I'll try this look again when the odds aren't so stacked against me. ;)

Thanks for looking! <3