Affordable Makeup Tools

When you live your life on a tight budget like me, you are not aloud to be a "makeup snob". Drugstore make up is the way to go. To be honest, you don't need the expensive make up to look great. The most important thing about makeup is having the correct tools to apply it with. For me, it's all about the brushes. I remember when I was younger and first started to wear makeup. I used those little sponge wands that come with your eye shadow. Let's just say I had my "experimental" days with makeup and figuring out how to apply it. Once I got older I started figuring out what tools worked best with my makeup and how to apply it. Now I realize that having the right tools are the key when wearing makeup.

The first thing you're going to want to have are some good brushes for your face. Face brushes are very important, because this is what makes your complexion. Your face is what people notice. I like to start with having a good brush to apply foundation. The key with foundation brushes is finding a brush that will blend well.  Any stippling or powder brush will do. Some other brushes you will need are a complexion brush, an angled bronzing brush and a smaller brush for blush. You might be thinking "How much does that all coast? I thought this blog was about saving money?". Well makeup brushes don't have to coast that much money to get a good one. There are some great brushes out there at very affordable prices. You can find them at Target, Walmart or any drug store. One brand that I have heard a lot of great things about is Eco Tools. I've never used them myself, but I have a friend who absolutely loves her Eco Tools brush. She said they are super soft and work great for applying powder and other face products. All of the Eco Tools brushes run under $10 and you can buy them at just about any store that carries makeup. I take it one step cheaper and use Elf brushes. I love the e.l.f Studio line of brushes. I cannot say enough great things about e.l.f products. They're products are so great for the price. Their studio brushes are very comparable to the Eco Tools, but they only coast $3 a piece! The price is hard to beat.

Along with your face brushes, you will need some good eye shadow brushes. I have quite a collection of eye shadow brushes. e.l.f. Essential eye shadow brushes are great for the price. They only coast $1. The studio line is even better and they run $3. For eye shadow brushes, I also like Up & Up and Sonia Kashuk at Target. With eye shadow brushes, you want to make sure you have a good variety. It's important for you to figure out what kinds of brushes work best for you. A few must have brushes for me are a classic eye shadow brush, a fluffy brush for blending and a smudge brush for blending my eyeliner.

One other important tool I need to add in is an eye lash curler. These are super cheap and they are a must have before applying mascara. A little trick I like to do it run my eye lash curler under by blow drier for a few seconds. It gives you a bigger curl.

So once you have all the tools you need, now you want to make sure you take good care of them so they last a long time. Their is nothing I hate more then a dirty makeup brush. I recommend cleaning them once a week or as needed with a good brush cleaner. I like to use Sophia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleaner from Target. For daily up keep I like the e.l.f. Studio Daily Brush Cleaner. I recently picked up a bottle at Target for $3. The price is great and it helps my brushes stay fresh. If you don't feel like going out and buying brush cleaner, you can also use a home remedy brush cleaner. A popular one that I keep seeing from other bloggers on Pinterest is mixing olive oil and dish soap. I haven't tried it, but it would be worth a shot. As long as you are keeping your tools clean, your makeup will be flawless. 

Last but not least, it's important to store your makeup brushes some place where they will stay clean. I prefer to keep my brushes separate from the rest of my makeup. I store my brushes in a glass jar facing up. It works perfect! A mason jar or just a plain old glass will work great for storing brushes. You really don't have to go further than your own house to find a good brush storage container.

So there you go...once you get the tools, you will be able to apply your everyday makeup like a professional, without spending tons of money.

Simple Sunday

In this crazy busy life we all live, it's important to set aside time for the people we love. One thing that I love to do on the weekends is to meet up with my mom for a morning walk. It's a great time for us to catch up with each other and get a little exercise in as well. After we usually stop for coffee in town.  We don't always get the chance every weekend, but when we do, it's great! I love having that mother daughter time together. It always makes me happy.

The view from my mom and I's favorite coffee spot.

10 Must Have Items Every Girl Should Own!

The more I write this blog, the more I realize that there are just certain item's that every girl should have in her closet. They are just basic simple items, that don't need to coast that much money. Once you have them, you can wear them in all different styles.

Here are some of my must haves items that are in my wardrobe...

1.) Black Jeggings
I love my black jeggings. I wear them at least twice a week to work. They are comfortable and stylish. They're the perfect mix between leggings and black dress pants. I bought my black jeggings at TJ Maxx the end of last summer. They are Jessica Simpson brand and I only paid $19.99 for them.

2.) Black Blazer
I love the look of a classic blazer. You can wear them with almost anything. If you're only going to buy one blazer I would go with a classic black blazer. Black goes with anything. I am a big fan of LC Lauren Conrad line at Kohls. She has some great blazers in her collection and best of all they are very affordable. I like to look for them when they are on clearance or if they have a great sale. I have 2 blazers from her line and I didn't pay more then $12 on them.

3.) Riding Boots
During the cold months in Michigan, riding boots are a staple item in my everyday wardrobe. I wear them just about everywhere. I love that they have a flat heal and are super comfortable. If your in the market for a new pair of boots this year, I suggest holding off until after Christmas. January usually is the best time to find boots on sale.

4.) Cute Everyday Flats
Finding a cute, comfortable, everyday pair of flats is a must. I prefer black because it goes with everything. My favorite pair of black flats are my Audrey Brooke ballet flats. I found them for such a great deal last year at DSW. I wear them all the time!

5.) Classic Pumps
If you are only going to buy one pair of high heals to have in your closet, I would suggest you go with a classic pair of black pumps. If your willing to buy two pairs, I would get the same style pumps in a beige or nude color. This way you will always have a dark option and a light option.

6.) Black Sundress
Everyone should own at least one black sundress. There are a million different occasions you can wear a black sundress to. You can accessorize it how ever you want. You can never go wrong with a black dress.

7.) Fun Colorful Necklace
A colorful necklace can take a simple boring outfit and turn it into a fun exciting new outfit. I have a whole box of colorful chunky necklaces. I love adding them to my outfits for a pop of color.

8.) Black Tank Top
A black tank top sounds boring, but everyone needs to have at least one black tank top in your wardrobe. You can wear them with anything, you can dress it down or up. Most of my black tanks are from Old Navy. They are usually $10, but if you hold out for a sale, you can get them for $5.

9.) A Great Fitting Pair of Jeans
Everyone should have that one pair of great fitting jeans that flatter your body type. I love all the different cuts of jeans, so I have a few favorite jeans. I seem to have good luck with Express jeans. They just seem to fit me well and I always am able to find them on clearance when they do their great sales. 

10)  A Quality Leather Purse
For me, this item is a splurge. It's something that I only splurge on when I need the up grade. A few years ago my Dad bought me a leather coach purse for Christmas. I've been using it ever since. Having a nice purse is a must for me. Nice purses just last longer, especially leather. It's something that you use everyday, so if your going to splurge, I think a purse is an acceptable purchase to make. If your looking for a quality leather purse, I suggest checking out the Coach Outlet Store. Also stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Nordstroms Rack carry some great purses for a fraction of the coast of a department store.

 It doesn't take much to put together a fabulous wardrobe on a budget. You just need to know where to splurge and where to save. What are some of the must have's in your closet?

Simple Sunday

When I was a kid I loved gymnastics. As a teenager I took up cheerleading. My favorite part of being a cheerleader was tumbling practice. So I was thrilled this week when my niece and nephew asked me to teach them how to do a handstand. It was even more fun to practice cartwheels. It's been years since I moved my body in that way. I was sore the next day, but it was well worth it!

Shopping Finds- Jean Jacket

Lately, I've been doing a really great job of not spending any money on clothes for myself. I've been trying to stay out of stores the best I can and wear the clothes that I already have. My little purchases tend to add up. I try not to go shopping just to shop anymore. This keeps me from making impulse purchase I don't need. What I like to do now is to keep an on going list of clothes that I'd like to buy if I find them for the right price. This way I know what I want and I don't buy things, just to buy them.

Today I was shopping for a few quick grocery items at Meijer. (For those of you who don't live in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky or Illinois you've probably never heard of the place. It's basically like a Wal-Mart with a better grocery section.)  I never usually shop at Meijer, but I needed a few items for my dinner and wanted to switch things up a little. While walking down the isle I couldn't help but glance over at the clothes. They don't really have the greatest selection, but it's always worth a quick peek. I started looking at some maxi dresses, then found my way to the clearance racks. I just happened to stumble across a jean jacket in my size with a $10 orange price tag hanging from it, marked down from $42. I've been looking for a jean jacket for quiet sometime now. It's a good staple clothing item to have in your closet. Denim is just not cheap, so it hasn't been easy finding a cheap jean jacket. Even the cheap jackets I've found are still in the $30 range. I almost bought a jean jacket at the Salvation Army recently, but even at half off, they were still charging $15.  So as you can tell I was thrilled with my little find. 

My new jacket. Not bad for $10.

I would never expect to find cute clothes at a grocery type store (except for Target of course), but Meijer actually had a lot of cute things. The jacket I bought is a Jessica Simpson brand. I was surprise to see how many recognizable brands they carry.

My advise to all you thrifty shoppers out there is to always keep a list of what you would like to buy and always keep your eyes open for a bargain. You never know where your going to find your next great deal. It could be at a place you least expect it.

The Power of Accessorizing

About a month ago I was going through a few dresses in my closet. I was trying them on to see if I wanted to keep them or toss them in the Goodwill bag. What I found was that on their own, I was not super excited about the dresses, but when I added a few accessories, it was like getting a brand new outfit! 

The good thing about accessories is that you don't need to spend a lot.I try to keep a $10 limit when shopping for accessories. I usually have good luck at Kohls in the clearance accessories section. I also like to look in cheap stores like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe or Wet Seal. Those kinds of stores are great for buying trendy accessories. Many of my belts have either come from dresses that I have bought in the past or they are hand me downs from my Mom. Some I have bought when I find a good clearance deal and some I have bought at thrift stores.You can buy accessories anywhere, so it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for a great deal.

This is a dress I bought a few years ago at Old Navy. I really liked the bright flower pattern on the dress, but there is something about the cut of the dress that is unflattering. By adding a few accessories I was able to make the dress a more flattering fit to my body. The white long sweater adds a solid color and slims the dress down. The belt helps define my waist and the wedged shoes give me height. 

This is a Guess dress that I bought at a thrift store. I bought it because I didn't have any white dresses, but like the other dress, it fits me funny. The bust has a lot of extra material, which makes me feel heavy chested and disproportional. I added my black long cardigan to help slim down the top bust part. I also added a black belt and black wedge shoes. By adding these few accessories it helps slim down the dress and makes it much more flattering to wear. 

My favorite color to accessories is black. I love black and own a ton of black tops and dresses. Sometimes it's as simple as just adding a colorful necklace to a black top or dress. This a plain black dress. I know everyone has one in their closet. I added my green bubble necklace for some color and my nude pumps. Now it's a dress you can wear to a wedding or any kind of special event.

Next time your looking through your closet and your sick of what you see, try accessorizing it. You might just find out that your have a brand new wardrobe! 

Simple Sunday

I am very excited about this new post. I thought that this would be a great way to share simple things that make me happy in my life and what better day to share that then Sunday. It goes along with my "happy life" theme of the blog. It truly is the simple things in life that make me happy. A beautiful sunset, a morning walk, the warmth of the summer sun while laying at the pool on a hot summer day, spending time with family, cuddling on the couch after a long day of work. These are the free things in my life that always put a smile on my face.

 So here is my first Simple Sunday post.... Fourth of July weekend. I watched the sunset over the lake that my grandparents and uncle have lived on my whole life. This is a place that I spent every Sunday at while growing up. As an adult it's even better because I appreciate my days here so much more. I have so many memories here. I will always love this place and it will always put a smile on my face!