Snapchat Deer Halloween Makeup

If you're looking for a last-minute, easy-breezy Halloween costume, may I recommend my favorite Snapchat filter??

Katie's going to show us how to do it! And I promise, it's way easier than the mermaid look. (p.s. and the recipe for those deer ears is in my last post, so you're all set to be the cutest Halloweener around.)

Step 1: Apply orange face paint on the lower portion of your forehead and the top bridge of your nose. If you don't have the orange paint, you could use a matte bronzer as well. Below the orange portion, apply white face paint all over your nose and on the sides of your cheeks in the shape of a snout.

Step 2: Color in the tip of the nose, making a "V" shape on the front. You can use a liquid eyeliner to outline the area you will fill in with black face paint — this will make the tip of the nose more likely to stay on and less likely to smudge. Both good things!

Step 3: Using the end of any eyeshadow brush, dip it in white face paint and apply to the forehead above the orange. This will help you get even dots that are the same shape.

Step 4: Apply the orange face paint in round circles on cheeks. If you think about the first time you ever applied blush when you were about 13, that's the shape you're going for here.

Step 5: Apply white eyeliner to your waterline and below the eye to mimic the larger-than-life eyes on the Snapchat filter.

Steps 6-7: Apply eyeliner directly above lashes, and create two wings going up toward the brow with a liquid liner. This is the trickiest part, so we'll share a close-up below.

Step 8: Apply false lashes, and you're good to go! This part can be left off if you choose, but it makes the eyes look even bigger!

This eyeliner look is to mimic the Snapchat filter, but you could just create one large wing if you wanted, and people would still get the i-dear.

Don't forget to snap all your friends when you're wearing your cute costume! What are you going to be for Halloween?!

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Easy DIY Deer Ears

Like I said in my last post, I am all about the easy (but still fun!) Halloween costumes. So I figured I'd show you a quick way to make DIY ears for a deer costume!

This is a really inexpensive DIY, which makes it even better in my opinion. 

And here are the steps!

Step 1: Cut out an orange piece of felt in your desired shape and size. Cut a smaller, off-white piece to be the inside of the ear.

Steps 2-3: Apply hot glue to the back of the smaller felt piece, and glue it to the larger piece.

Step 4: Cut a 1 inch slit up the middle of the felt pieces.

Step 5: Apply a line of hot glue to the left side of the slit you've cut in the felt.

Step 6: Overlap the right side over the left side and glue together. You've got an ear!

Step 7: Cut a small tab the width of the bottom of the ear. 

Step 8: Glue to the front of the ear.

Steps 9-10: Apply hot glue to the back of the tab, fold around and glue to the back of the ear.
Steps 11-12: Use a black marker to outline the top of the ear and give dimension. (Or you can use a liquid eyeliner if you don't have a black marker on hand... No judging!)

Ta-da! Easy as pie, dears.

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Modern Mermaid Halloween Makeup

I'm gonna be honest with you guys: I've never really gone “all out” for a Halloween costume. Usually I’ll just do something where I can wear clothes I already have, maybe DIY a little floral crown or steal my dad's old cowboy boots, but nothing that I'd ever be too embarrassed to wear to Target.

But y'know what? I think Halloween is a really fun excuse to get creative. And my friend, Katie, is increeeedibly talented at getting creative with makeup.

Um, told ya! Katie is a licensed esthetician and a makeup artist at Sephora. (If you've been reading for a long time, you might remember her from this post!) She's going to share a little about how she achieved this killer look.

Step 1: "Apply an eyeshadow primer to the eyelid and set with a matte nude shadow. Then, with a fluffy brush, apply a matte peach shade to the crease. Afterward, apply a darker pink to the inner and outer corner with the same fluffy brush, taking extra care with blending. The key is to gradually go from lighter to darker in the inner and outer corners to create the "halo" effect. I went from light pink to a deep purple. Then, taking a white liquid liner, create a wing and fill the wing in until the white is completely opaque. After the white liner, you can apply mascara or lashes if you so choose."

Before moving on to the scales, Katie highlighted the tops of her cheekbones, tip and bridge of her nose, her cupid's bow and above her brow. Don't be afraid to go overboard — mermaids live under water!

The sneaky-smart makeup artist trick here is to use fishnet pantyhose to create the look of scales. Brilliant, huh? Katie achieved this look using lime, green and teal shades. This surprisingly isn't difficult to achieve, but you'll want to pay attention to how you use your brush. Katie says you'll get the most texture and color payoff if you use patting motions instead of swiping the color over the fishnet.

The last step is adding purple lipstick, which Katie topped with a little more of the purple shadow, to set it and enhance the color. In Katie's words, "Voila! You're a mermaid!"

Personally, I think one of the things that makes this look SO fun on Katie is her mermaid hair. If you're into the pastel hair trend, a mermaid would definitely be a fun look for Halloween. Isn't she just gorgeous?! I love how this look turned out so fun and bohemian — definitely a 2016 mermaid, although I've gotta be honest and say I love the traditional Ariel look too. (Also I just googled and discovered The Little Mermaid was released in 1989. What?! How!)

You guys can see more from Katie on her Instagram; she lives in Springfield, MO, and she's available for freelance work! Oh, and if you feel like this whole mermaid thing is an "Expert" level and you're a little more of a beginner... I relate to you. We'll have another look coming soon!

Products used: Benefit "Stay Don't Stray" Eyeshadow Primer, Inglot Peach Matte Eyeshadow, Makeup Geek Duochrome Eyeshadows in Blacklight and Rockstar (for eyes and highlighter), Urban Decay Electric Pallet for Lime, Green and Teal Scales, Suva Matte White Eyeliner, Gerard Cosmetics Lilac Moon Lipstick

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How to Style a Bandana 3 Ways

Has anybody caught on to this bandana trend? Madewell, Zara and others have been showing them this season, and it's such an easy trend to try out. You'll want to be careful that you don't look like a "bandana" person tho — you know, like a bandit, a cross-country motorcycle man (unless that's what you're going for, in which case, totally cool), or that guy who really wants to be in a country band. Bad.

But if you steer from the traditional bandana pattern and style it in a creative way, I think you'll have fun with it. I did! Here's a few ways I thought of wearing mine:

1. Use a Bandana as a Belt (?!)

Obviously, it depends on the size of the bandana whether or not you'll be able to use it as an actual belt-belt, but this one was oversized, so I was able to play with it this way.

If the bandana is small, you could tie it around your front-left belt loop for the same idea!

2. Wear a Bandana in Your Hair

I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with tying scarves in my hair (evidence here) since I first received several of my grandma's as hand-me-downs. I'm an only child, so I guess getting clothes and accessories from my grandma was akin to most of you getting clothes from your older sister or something? Score.

Personally, I usually tuck the ends of the bandana underneath the "headband" part, so they don't stick up like rabbit ears, or worse, a tv antenna. Sometimes they look cute that way tho — it just depends on the size of the bandana and how much they stick up.

3. Style a Bandana Around Your Neck

The current trendy gal way, I'm pretty sure, is to tie it around your neck. Plus, it's easy as pie!

I wore my bandana like this for a bit over the weekend, and my boyfriend said it looked like I was about to go for a drive in a convertible in California.

I figured I should make his vision come to life, so I'm thinking roadtriiiiip! Who's with me?!

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Scandinavian-Inspired Home Decor (That You Can Afford!)

If you're like me, you love following trends, but you don't always have the cash to drop to jump on the bandwagon. Anybody else laugh when Vogue says "here's 5 sweaters you can afford" and they all cost the same amount as your car?!

That being said, the Scandinavian vibe has been happening for a while in home decor, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. If you want to add a few Scandinavian-inspired elements to your home, but don't have a gazillion dollars to spend, check out these ideas:

Links: (1/2/3/4/5)

I didn't know affordable sheepskins even existed, but of course Ikea made it possible. My personal favorites are the sheepskin and the pendant lamp — they seem like the best investments to take ya into the next trend that arises. Super versatile!

Have you found any favorites from this look? Have any in your home? Tell me, tell me!

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When You Feel Like a Droopy Sunflower

Sunflowers are beautiful, but they can be a little temperamental. My friend Beth and I went to check out a sunflower field near Springfield, MO this weekend and we were amazed at how big this field was — it felt like it went on for an eternity. We were also a little bummed that the sunflowers weren't quite "in the mood" to have their photos taken that day. There are very specific items required for sunflowers to thrive, and if you catch them on an "off" day, well — just remember they're growing.

Ever feel like a droopy sunflower? I sure do sometimes! Here's 3 things to keep in mind:

Face the Light — Growing sunflowers do this really interesting thing: They move throughout the day, so they're always facing the sun. Of course, there's a scientific explanation for it, but I think we can apply this to our lives. In a season of growth? Make time to face the light. This may mean canceling all plans to have coffee with a friend, exercising, practicing gratitude, or something else entirely. You know what gives you life, and when you're feeling droopy, prioritize those things.

Not Your Season — Just being honest, not every season is going to bring you as much life as look-at-me sunflowers in early August. And that's ok! That's what growth is all about. When you're needing more encouragement from family and friends, don't be afraid to ask. And when you're not in season but another sunflower is, celebrate those who thrive. You'll be back in season before you know it.

Sunflower Seeds — Health people rave about the benefits of sunflower seeds. And it's crazy when you think of it; that a nearly 16-foot tall plant produces seeds that are not even an ounce, but those itty-bitty seeds are like gold. Even droopy sunflowers produce seeds, so when you're feeling like a giant stalk, too-awkward-for-your-field hanging around with your head down, find those pieces of gold inside you, and share 'em with the world.

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