Floral Headband DIY and Mini-Makeup Haul

 Hey guys :)
I am soo excited for next week because I am going to Orlando!!!! No I will not be going to see Mickey or Goofy (sad face) but I will be seeing Beto. For those of you who are not Zumba lunatics (like me), Beto is the creator of Zumba. Every year there is a Zumba convention in Orlando, and other countries around the world. Well since I live in this country (U.S) I will be going to Florida ha ha. At the convention I will pretty much be booty-shaking 24/7 in classes. But there is also a concert, and a party. The theme of the party changes annually, and this year the theme is Midsummer's Night Dream. So people are encouraged to dress up as elves, nymphs, goddesses, and pretty much any other mystical creature.

My mom and I decided we are going to be fairies. I am going to wear a floral dress that I have that is very pixie-like. And my mom is going to wear a corset and tutu that she got at Hot Topic. She's gonna be a bad ass fairy lol. So, now that we are going to be fairies, first things first, the makeup. Yesterday I went to Sephora (on my day off ha ha) to get some makeup for the festivities and for myself. I got a new foundation and primer from Makeup Forever. The foundation is crazzzzzyyyyy good. I also got a purple eyeliner from them. You know how I love purple :) And last, but not least, the Makeup Forever Flash Palette.

I am so excited about this! I have wanted this since I was a freshmen in high school watching Kandee Johnson on Youtube. The Flash Palette is pretty much Jesus in makeup form. It is cream based colors that are invincible. They can be used anywhere too. The body, the face, the eyes, the lips. The creator of Makeup Forever was actually a painter, and even specialized in elaborate body painting, so she really transfers that into her brand. And for that, I love her! Thanks Dany :) So, I'm broke from all of my expenses, but I don't care because I am happy.

DIY Alert

Since this party will only be for one day, and we might be too damn tired to even stay there, my mom and I decided not to spend a million dollars on a fairy costume. Hence, the floral dress I am wearing. In a previous post I talked about the trend of floral print in fashion, and this dress is another example of that. So yesterday we went to A.C Moore to find things to make our own flower headbands. Now ours are totally ridiculous and extreme because it is for a costume, but regular flower head bands are super in right now.

Cute huh? So just use smaller flowers for yours, or not as many. Let's get started.

What you need:

• Scissors
• Ribbon (we chose brown)
• Felt
• Fake flowers
• Hot glue gun
• A lot of spare time!

First, measure the ribbon around your head. Leave some slack just in case. Cut the ribbon and lay it on a flat surface. 

Cut felt into little squares, the same size of the ribbon so it won't show.

For the flowers you will have to take out the stems from the base or else it will not stick. This is really easy, and awesome if you are angry! Ha ha. First you have to pull the flower of the stem. Take out the backing of the flower. And pull the stem that is remaining out of the middle of the flower. This is really easy to pull out. 

Each layer of the flower is going to come apart, but this is okay because then you can layer the petals however you want and make your own damn flower lol. So if a flower was all pink, but you wanted it to have some purple, you can now stack each layer on top of the other. 

Now to get the layout of how the flowers will fall, I just arranged them without glue first. Stack as much as you want until you are satisfied. Like so:

Then turn the flowers up side down, so that you can glue them together from the bottom up. This will ensure that you will get the same flower you planned out.

Turn your hot glue gun on. Once is is heated (takes about 3-5 minutes), glue a small amount on a piece of felt. 

Them glue on your first piece of flower. Keep gluing each layer, until your flower is done. 

Squeeze a small amount of glue on the spot on the ribbon that you want the flower to be. And place the felt on top. The reason I didn't glue the flower directly onto the ribbon is because the felt will hold onto the flower more securely. Hold for a couple seconds. Keep on doing this for all of the flowers, until the headband is completed to your heart's desire. 

And boom!

Yes I may look crazy, but with the whole outfit, I think it will all come together :) Now remember this is for my costume, so I will be adding little tendrils down the back to look more fairy-like. I decided not to show that part, because I wanted to show you something that people actually wear with normal outfits ha ha. I think I will be making more of these in the future. They are really fun to make actually, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. By the time I got to creating my second flower I was demolishing and rebuilding flowers like a pro. It really gets the creative juices flowing also. I was doing it with my mom too, so its something you can bond over. So, do it with friends or family as a cool activity that everyone can enjoy. If you are a mom with a little girl who thinks she is a fairy princess, or a teen who likes this new trend, try this out with them :) 

Hope you all enjoyed! If you try this feel free to send me pictures on my Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. All are with the names NGMthatface :) I would love to see your creations!

Love you guys!

Nicole xo.

Oh and P.S if you follow me on Instagram then you know about my new look. If you don't though, here it is :) 

I am in love with my Mohawk! What do you guys think?! Okay now it is really bye ha ha. Have a wonderful night! 

Going Native!

Yesterday was so much fun!

One of my mom's childhood friends came to visit us, and we thought it would be fun to take him to a pow wow that was happening near our town. For those of you who don't know what a pow wow is, its a gathering of Native American tribes. There they dance, sing, and play music. Food, jewelry, clothing, and other Native American goods are sold there as well. The purpose of these events is to keep Native American culture alive, since it is so often forgotten. Contrary to common belief, they did not all die when Columbus came. I really recommend going if you haven't already been to one. The dancing and outfits are so beautiful, and I find their culture so interesting.

There were also these guys that are called, Hoop Dancers. They dance with these hoops, starting off with one or two, and eventually add more. The hoops eventually start to make shapes, such as birds, butterflies, etc. Look at this guy. I think he is a bird here:

At one point he had the hoops all over his leg and one in his other hand, swinging it like it was a lasso, portraying someone riding a horse.

At the pow wow there was also a woman who had a tent of birds of prey. And I saw something that I wanted to take home.

Ever since Harry Potter came into my life, I have wanted an owl. I will have one some day ha ha.

One other really exciting thing that happened in my pow wow was that there was a dance competition. All the spectators were encouraged to show their stuff, after watching the Natives dancing. You know your home-girl joined in on all the action! Yup, me and my mom participated, and got 1st and 2nd place. It was soooooo much fun, and their dancing is way harder than it looks. The way is works is that you just dance the best you can. After that song ends, Natives come out and select you to be their dancer. They mentor you and show you how to do the dances better. Then you are shipped off into the arena and the audiences applause and reaction, decides who is the winner. My mom got first and I was second. I will never forget that. A lot of the Native Americans that would walk by us, would stop and say, "Good job out there!", which meant a lot to me for some reason. Ha ha, I'm sentimental that way. This was my mom's mentor. He was Taino Indian, which are the natives or Puerto Rico :) :

Now on to the fashion-y part. I have this tribal shirt that I love, and ruined when I was doing eyeliner one day. The eyeliner jumped out of my hand and stained my shirt. Well I saved it anyway and decided to fringe it out to hide the stain. It would really be a wastebto throw it out because it has a little black smudge on it, right?! And the end result was this:

I simply cut little strips right after the other. Then I tied off the ends and cut the excess off to make it look cleaner. Then I pulled on the fringes lightly to make them lose that freshly-cut look. It is super simple and awesome to do on some old t-shirts or tank-tops. I wasn't really worried about it being too even because I thought it would look cool if the strings were kinda random. Pretty good for my first time, no? Lol.

Ever been to a pow-wow?

What do you find interesting about Native American culture?

xoxo

Nicole :)

July 2013 Favorites | Makeup, Skincare, and More

Hello beautiful people! It is ya girl, Nicole, all up in yo face! How is everyone doing today?

This weekend was jam packed for me. On Saturday I went with my family to the tattoo convention in New Jersey.

Me and momma bear!

My family loves tattoos. My dad is almost covered in them. My mom has her fair share of them, and my sister, Sam, had like 5 by the time she was 20. My other sister, Erica can't seem to stop getting them. She is crazy. Love you, E! As for me I only have two, but I want more. I'm just thinking up my next one ;)

The convention was also right on a boardwalk so we got to enjoy some of the beauty. 

Then on Sunday I went with my mom and Sam to a Zumba party in Chelsea Pier. 

It was a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS. It was really fun because we took some Zumba friends along. Plus 90 minutes of Zumba is pretty much the best thing ever. I was exhausted by the end of the weekend though because I also took a Zumba class in the morning. I'm a little crazy too I guess ha ha. 

Onto the favorites! July is coming to an end so I thought it would be cool to show you guys what I have been loving. I will talk about the products in the picture from left to right. Lets get started! 

Face: 

Givenchy Mister Light Concealer and YSL Touché Éclat Highlighting Pen- I have one word for these works of God. Yes! I have been using them like crazy because they highlight and conceal all the redness and darkness on my skin. They never look cakey and feel nice and light. 

Givenchy Gold Primer- Like my sample jar? Ha ha. I took a sample of this because I wanted to see if it really does take away oil while still adding radiance. And girl, yes it does. This primer has flecks of gold in it, which is what gives it that ability. 

Josie Maran Matchmaker Foundation- Yes, another sample jar. I don't know about you, but I break out sometimes when I try new foundations, so I took a sample. I love it so far. It gives awesome coverage while feeling light. One of my coworkers actually came into work when I was wearing it and was like, "Oh my god! Your skin looks amazing." So yeah I will most likely be buying this. 

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- Go to my CVS Haul post to read my proclamation of love for this amazing-ness. 

Eyes:

Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara- In a previous post I said that I did not like the wand of the mascara and still preferred my Urban Decay one. Well I retract that statement. I still love my urban, but this mascara is the shit amazing (gotta keep it P-G) ha ha. My lashes look fake and perfectly fanned out. They actually show through my eyeliner. BOOM!

Kay Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper- This little guy has popped up on the blog before, but if you follow me on Instagram then you know I have feeling the cat eye a lot this month. 

Stila purple liner- Thanks to my previous post  we all know that purple liner is a way to make brown eyes pop. I also find that when I am in a rush adding some color makes it look like a tried super hard ha ha. 

Maybeline Great Lash Clear- This was featured in my eyebrow post and has been a real life saver for my brows and keeping the pencil from fading away.

Skincare:

Fresh Lotus Eye Gel- My eyes have been brighter over the last couple of days :) I'm excited. 

Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil Free Lotion- It leaves my skin feeling moisturized without being weighed down. 

Korres Wild Rose Cleanser- It has lite exfoliating beads that do wonders on the oil that builds up during the day. Wild rose is also packed with vitamin C and my face looks so much more glowing and bright lately. 

Lips: 

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm in Rendezvous- My go to coral with staying power! 

Revlon Lip gloss in Bellini, Revlon Lipstick Pink in the Afternoon, and L'Oreal Lipstick Unending Nude- The best nudes and pinks ever! Again, go to the CVS post to read my reviews on them :) 

Random: 

Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus- It is delicious with baby carrots and sliced peppers. 

Goji Berries- Super food. Super nutritional. Taste like candy. Pretty much a win all the round :) I love putting them on my oatmeal or on some yogurt. Yummers!

Nails:

Essie Nail Polish in Mint Candy Apple

Tart Deco

and Go Ginza.

Pastel nails are very 'in' for the summer time since they look so stunning on tan skin. So long, bright neon nails! I have been wearing them all month long :) These are my favorite colors.

Tattoos. Love them or hate them?

Zumba. Love it or hate it? Oh wait. That's a silly question ;)

Well that is pretty much it for this post. Let me know in the comments if you try or have tried any of these things! Love y'all.

 'Till next time...

Nicole xo.

Let's Get Naked

Happy Monday, everyone! 

I hope you had a fantastic day yesterday, full of family and barbecue fun :) At my house my uncle, Alex came over with my two cousins, Brandon and Jake, to celebrate Father's Day with us. I was so excited since I don't really see my cousins that often. Every time I see them they are so much more grown up. It makes me feel old, even though I'm only 20 ha ha.
Yesterday was non-stop moving. The day started out great with some Zumba. My mom, Maritza, and I are both certified Zumba instructors and I go to her class on Sunday mornings. It was the perfect, high-energy way to start the day. My sister, Sam does it too, but she is not certified. She joins in on the fun though and should get the certification :) Anyway, after that we went to the super market to pick up barbecue essentials.
As soon as I arrived back home I got crackin' on making apple pie... from scratch. It was my father's request that I make him one, and how could I say no on his day? He's lucky it was Father's Day :p. That was my present to him I guess ha ha. My and my sister also split a gift for him.
Making pies from scratch is a long and grueling process. The dough is the hardest part, but after an hour of slaving over the dough, it came out okay.

Concentrated Niki

All done!

I was really scared that this pie would not come out good, but I had a taste and it was actually good. My dad liked it and it was gone by the end of the night. Success! 

Now on to the important stuff; makeup. This was my look:

It was basically a light, bronze-y smoked out look. And here's how I did it...

I started out by priming my face with Urban Decay's Naked Skin BB Cream. It was really humid yesterday. For me that means oily skin, so the BB Cream helps control that.

I love this BB Cream. It has very light coverage and works well as a primer. Primer's pretty much work to keep your make-up from sliding off. It also has eucalyptus in it, which soothes redness. Think irritated pimples.  

Then it was time for my Smashbox CC Cream that I buffed into my face with a foundation brush. 

CC Creams also have a primer built into them, but I wanted double the primer. Why? Because I can :).

(Note: When putting on face makeup, avoid putting it on the eyelids for it will cause your eyeshadow to crease and smudge).

I decided to stay on the face before moving to my eyes. I took a very light bronzer and used it as a blush. I applied it to the apples of cheeks, blending it back into my temples. I chose to do this instead of a pink blush because I wanted to look more bronzed then flushed. 

 Maybeline Fit Me Bronzer in "Forever Warm"
Oh and I forgot to mention that right before the bronzer I concealed under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose with my index finger. I used Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer in Shade #2.

Back to the bronzer. Since I used "Forever Warm" as my blush, I needed a darker bronzer to contour my face with. (Contouring is pretty much a technique we use to structure the face. It is also slimming and flattering to the face). For this I took an angled blush brush (say that ten times fast) and my Stila Bronzer in Shade #2 to contour my cheeks, temples, and jawline. 

I show you, I show you...

All you're doing is pretty much framing the face.

Then it was time to set everything with my setting powder. Face is done.. for now ha ha.

Of course, for the eyes, I started by first priming them with my Urban Decay Primer Potion and blending it in with my fingers. Then it was time to get naked! With the Naked Palette that it. This is my favorite set of eye shadows ever. I wear it pretty much everyday, so of course that is what I automatically went to. 

First step was putting "Half Baked" on my lower lid. Then I blended "Smog" into my crease.

Left: "Half Baked. Right: "Smog".

For the highlight on my brow bone and inner corner I mixed "Virgin" and "Sin" together. "Virgin" is the first on the left and "Sin" is right next to it. I also took the color, "Naked" (the next color over) and dusted it over the crease color to buff out any harsh lines.

 I wanted to define my eye a little more. I was looking for something a bit more dramatic than mascara to do this, but didn't want to put on a black line. Solution: Use a brown liner instead. For this I used a brown Stila eyeliner.

Line your upper lash line like normal. For the wing I started on the outer corner...

 ...then drew a straight line upwards, using the end of my eyebrow as my guide.

I then connected that line to the normal line on the lash line.

Bam. See how you get that sultry winged out look, without it being too harsh. This also looks really pretty if you wanna you a purple liner. Plus, that makes almost eye colors pop.

Lippies! For my lips I chose a nice rosy pink from Guerlain.

This brand is kind of expensive, but plenty of dupes can be found in its place. I like it though because it smells like candy :)

The last step I did is completely optional, but for that extra glow I used an illuminating powder. Laura Mercier just came out with an new illuminator and it has become a staple in my makeup routine. 

Pretty, right?

I took a thin blush brush to put it on the high point of my cheek bones. Its almost at the corner of the lower outer corner of the eye.

I also do it down the center of my nose. We contoured to darken certain areas of the face to slenderize them, and we highlight the areas we want to stand out. For me it is the cheek bones so that when I turn my face it catches the light. I also like to do down the nose, since it makes it look more symmetrical and straighter. Makeup is magic, I tell you!

All that was left to do was set with spray and c'est fini.

Outfit

My last post was all about outfits for Father's Day or other summer outings. So, I thought it would be cool to show you what I ended up wearing. I ended up taking things here and there from the outfit ideas I came up with. 

Fedora: Charlotte Russe

Dress: Express

Sandals: Dolce Vita via DSW

Earrings: Forever21 or Charlotte Russe (I can't remember!)

I never mentioned the dress on the outfit post, but I honestly forgot I had it. I thought I might as well wear it since I never had before. It was nice and cool, and incredibly bright. I love how it almost looked glow in the dark. Adding the coral/orange earrings also had this color blocking affect that was awesome.

Oh and remember how I mentioned that I was always put to play with my little cousins? Well last night I ended up playing basket ball and I almost won, guys! Not bad for wearing a dress and flip flops :)

What did you guys do for Father's Day?

What did you get your dad?

What did you end up wearing? 

Let me know. Yours always,

Nicole xo.