Nails, Makeup and Hair - Oh My!

After 8 hrs of "enginerding" all day, I really like to unwind with creative projects.  The past few weeks I've been working on our Halloween costumes - I'm so excited!  If you want to know what we're dressing up at, there's a Clue in this post!

But, I've also been enjoying "girly" things.  So...... if you don't care about nails, makeup or hair I suggest you stop reading immediately!

NAILS
Before Scarlett was born I got a manicure.  The girl used these cool nail stamps on my nails to make awesome designs.  She kept going on and on about how you have to have a beauty license to buy them and they cost $100+.  So right when I got home I googled them and ended up buying the kit on Amazon for $20!  hahaha!

I bought the Monster Nail Art plates and the Konad Nail Art stamper and scraper.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!!!!!  It's been so fun to do crazy design on my nails - I get tons of compliments on them.  (right now I'm typing with spiders and spider web nails - spooky!)

They sell special nail polish to use for the stamps, but I've just experimented with the polish I already own and it works great.  You just want to use a thicker polish (that shows up in 1 coat) and it's best not to use a quick drying polish (so you have time to work with it).  I keep all of my plates in plastic 4x6 photo sheets so they don't get scratched.  Here is a video showing to use the stamps: Konad Nail Art Stamps.  (In this video she uses the Konad plates, so I don't have the same designs.)

WARNING: DO NOT BUY THESE if there is any chance that I may be getting you a Christmas gift this year.  I'm not making any promises..... but I still think you should wait til January to buy it.

After James got his wisdom teeth out, he was highly medicated - hee hee!   (I took it off right after, but still.. what a good brother!!!)

These were my nails right before I went in to have Scarlett - it was really tricky trying to reach my feet over my huge prego belly!

MAKEUP
So I had 4 different friends ask me this summer what makeup I use or how I put my makeup on.  I don't think I use anything particularly special.  I have created a few tricks for putting on my mascara (mostly to keep my eyelashes from smacking my glasses).  Anyways, for those 4 friends... here is my morning routine (I used to not wear makeup everyday, but now I feel like I have to otherwise I look like Peter Pan or Justin Bieber):

1. Blow dry my eyelashes (cause they're wet from the shower) - use cool setting!
2. Curl eyelashes (Maybelline Eyelash Curler)
3. Put eyeliner on upper and lower lashes, make sure to get all the way to the lash line (Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus Self-Sharpening Eye Pencil in Plum Velvet)
4. Put mascara on lower lashes (Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthening Mascara in Very Black)
5. Use the tip of the mascara wand back and forth on top lashes to coat them
6. Use the mascara wand like normal on upper lashes to separate and add a 2nd coat - note: when I put on mascara, I push my lashes up to help them curl more - this gets mascara all over my eyelids
7. Put on another coat  (I usually only do this when I want to feel fancy)
8. Use the blow dryer on cool setting to dry mascara in place (this helps keep the curl, when they're wet they can get weighed down and dry less curly) - and you have to keep your eyes open while drying them, use the air to "push" your lashes even higher
9. Use a little bit of makeup remover on a q-tip to clean up the mascara on your eyelid
10. ...this is when I usually blow dry my hair cause it's had a few min to air dry and I don't like how my base/powder melt off if I wait until the end to dry my hair...
11. Put on base - I use my fingers instead of makeup sponges (CoverGirl CG Smoothers foundation in Classic Beige - aka really really pale)
12. Put on under eye concealer (I'm not sure what I use, the name has rubbed off)
13. Put excess concealer from your fingers onto your eyelid - this will help your eyeshadow stay in place and prevents it from creasing
14. Put on powder (CoverGirl Professional Loose Powder in Fair)
15. Wipe off eyebrows with towel to remove any powder, comb them
16. Put on highlight shade of eyeshadow under the eyebrow and in the inner corner of the eye
17. Put dark shade along the upper and lower lash lines to help blend/smudge the eyeliner - I like to use an angled eyeshadow brush I bought at Target which gives you more control than the little plastic things that come with the eyeshadow
18. Put the midtone (if you have it) in the crease of the eye
19. Use the dark shade in the crease but just on above the outside corners to add some drama ... (Revlon ColorStay in Lavender Meadow and for special occasions (like my wedding) I use Clinque Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Plum Potion) 
20. Add chapstick and you're done! ( I probably should also use blush, bronzer, lipstick, etc... but I don't...too much work)

If you have any other tips - please share!!!  I'm always looking to improve!

HAIR
You may have noticed that I love to try new things with my hair.  Especially color!  I love that within a few hours I can look completely different!  Right now I'm loving my pixie cut and I also love my pink chunk.  But it probably won't be long before I'll be trying something new.

When we were in Connecticut my friend Angela was my hair stylist and she did an awesome job!  I was so sad when we moved back to Utah cause she wouldn't be able to do my hair anymore.  When I was getting the courage to chop my hair a few months ago, I had to call her and get her support.  Well, she was in town over the summer visiting family.  So while she was here she taught me all about color.  Before I had been using the box colors you buy at the grocery store.  She taught me about professional color and what to buy at Sally's.  She even taught me about bleach (which had scared me before).  Since then I have been a color maniac!  I've been highlighting and dyeing anyone who's willing to let me expiriement on them!  (so far just me, my mom, Jami, Kandy, and Braxtyn!)  But it's been fun and we've saved a ton of money!  I even talked Kandy into trimming my pixie!  We've got a full service Seaver Salon in the works!  :-)