beauty is in the eye of the iPhone

A short quiz:

Do you find yourself only taking photos with your phone?

Is your expensive SLR camera gathering dust on the shelf?

Is Facebook slowly being replaced by Instagram?

(addendum to previous question) do you find yourself taking photos of random things just to post it on Instagram?

Welcome to my life. In fact, my iPhone's picture gallery tells a better story of my life than I can probably remember these last few weeks.

Organizing accessories. Did you know that a tall can of Quaker Oats can be turned into the most amazing storage for headbands and scarves?

Taking Dean on photo shoots with me for lack of a babysitter. He really enjoyed himself at the Girls with Glasses shoots (probably because they have some amazing props!)

The sock bun has officially revolutionized my life. I utilize it at the end of every washing cycle (i.e. I wear my hair down for 3 days, and sock bun it for 2 more. wash. and repeat. TMI??)

Found an amazing rose gold bow bracelet to go with my rose gold watch! (best part? under $20!) Fun fact: did you know that rose gold is made from regular yellow gold and copper being mixed together? (yup, you are now smarter from reading this blog.)

Oh, and lotsa eating. This particular craving has been brought to you by Smashburger. Tell them I sent ya (just kidding).

On another note, I'm so glad my girl H finally got a smart phone so that we can communicate more effectively via 24/7 access to the internet, Instagram, and all other social media.

Oh, and if you have an iPhone but have not yet fallen madly in love with the Instagram app...get on that asap.

Gossip Girl Fashion

Gossip girl celebrates their 100th episode. And I have an outlet to comment on their fashion choices {!!!}

Blake Livley

wearing Marchesa.

The verdict?

Bad call! I understand there will be some who disagree with me on this but I have to stay true to myself. Flapper girl meets Poison Ivy meets the Ice-capades. I will say, her bod is amaze-balls. But we already knew this dress is a travesty.

Leighton Meester

Wearing Balmain. And Jimmy Choo on her feet.

Survey says?

I didn't like it at first buuut it grew on me. At first I thought the dress looked like something at H &M but the more photos I saw, the better it looked. I want so badly to love everything she does, so that may have something to do with it. But two things are clear. 1. I do not like her bangs. and 2. Her shoes are fantastic.

Kelly Rutherford

Wearing Peter Som.

LOVE. She is such a beauty. Someone help me look like this when I'm 43. That's right, FOUR. THREE.

Michelle Trachtenberg

Wearing Rebecca Taylor.

I am irrevolcably infatuated with the jumpsuit. Appropriate and pretty. I would have liked to have seen some different jewelry but I give the shoes a stamp of approval.

I give my best look of the night to...

KELLY.

Who was your favorite? And sorry, Chase, Ed, and Penn are not in this running!

Beauty Blunders

We have all had our fair share of breaking the beauty laws. Usually it comes from participating in trends that have left us with makeup mishaps or hair horrors.

Unfortunately, it seems that the list of beauty "do's" is not nearly as long as the list of "don'ts". For example, don't (even think about) matching your nail and toenail polish, wearing your hair in a ponytail to bed, leaving your makeup on over night, wearing too much shimmer eyeshadow, or going too long between hair trims.

The bible of beauty rules is exhausting. That's why sometimes we accidently get sidetracked on the wrong path. I, for one, have had my fair share of beauty blunders. I will be generous enough to publicly admit to my mistakes so as to allow our readers to learn from them.

C's Top Beauty Blunders:

1. Wearing a frosted silvery lipstick. Granted, I was in Junior High, but the image of said lipstick still haunts my dreams. AND, I wasn't sure I was going to mention this, but I used it with brown lipliner. Imagine it. No, wait, don't. It's too horrifying.

2. Putting acrylic french tips on my toes. Do you remember this trend? Where we forgot that our feet were our feet and not our hands?

3. I put claw clips in my hair on a daily basis. If this is wrong, I don't want to be right. Hey, at least it's not a scrunchie.

4. Wearing uber-shimmery white eyeshadow under my eyebrows. People still do this. Can you believe?? This look only goes with silver lipstick and brown lipliner (see #1). AKA, never.

If any of you are guilty of any of these beauty crimes, I legally ask of you to cease and desist (unless, of course, your crime is wearing claw clips in your hair. I'm many things, but not a hypocrite).

What has been YOUR biggest beauty blunder?

(don't worry, this is a safe space with little to no judgement)

$100 Giveaway sponsored by Dove & BlogHer

I am a body wash and loofah kind of girl. I love the feeling of sudsing up, but I hate the sticky or dry reside that often accompanies many body washes. So I was really excited to try out Dove’s new Nutrium Moisture Body Wash in Deep Moisture. In fact, I pretty much jumped in the shower the moment I received the package.

First off, I noticed the fresh and alluring fragrance of the body wash. Dove is famous for its scents being delicious but not overpowering. Then I noticed the consistency of the wash—creamy, and not soapy looking at all. I began to wonder if this moisturizing wash would suds up the way I like it to. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that not only did the cream get super foamy, but I hardly needed to use any of it to wash my whole body.

When I jumped out of the shower, my skin felt uber soft, as though I had already put lotion on! Isn’t it amazing to feel nourished from the outside in? By taking care of my skin, as well as my physical and mental well-being, I can feel renewed each and every day!

Bonus: my husband and toddler love to use this body wash too! It’s so great to find a product that works for my whole family.

What products do you use that help you to nourish and pamper yourself on a daily basis?

The Sweepstakes will run : 11/21-12/21

· Sweepstakes: Each comment posted in response to the prompt garners an entry into a random drawing for a sweepstakes prize (Prize: $100 SpaFinder gift card). Standard short form rules apply.

No duplicate comments. 

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry 
methods:



a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post



b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment 
on this post 



c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on 
this post 



d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about 
an alternate form of entry. 




This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older 

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. 

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be 
selected.



The Official Rules are available here.

Dove's Facebook page.

Visit BlogHer for more chances to win!

blast from the past

I get asked about my cat-eye-ness so often that I thought I would repost this tutorial.

An oldie but a goodie.

Be sure to check out the rest of our vlogs here.

oh no, she didn't.

Oh, yes.

She DID.

Let's play another little makeover game, shall we?

Here we have some celebrity before and afters.

They have hired us to be their hair consultants.

Better BEFORE or AFTER?

1. Dianna

2. Joanna

3. Rhianna

4. Nicole

5. Jessica

6. Jennifer

7. Audrina

8. Michelle

9. Ali

10. Selena

11. Cameron

Feel free to have your own opinion but...

H's answer key:

1. The after is DEF styled better. BUT the correct answer is neither ;)

2. Both!

3. Before

4. After- LOVE the bangs (& fake pony)

5. I like her hair long. but she looks a hot mess in the before sooo neither.

6. Before

7. Before

8. Before (but fun for fall)

9. Before (After makes her look so old!!)

10. Before

11. BEFORE!!!

WW: halfway there.

Now that I am finally past the "is she or isn't she" phase of the pregnancy game, I thought I would surprise you with a Weekend Wardrobe (the first one in ages)!

Here I am, about 21 weeks pregnant...

Cardigan: Gap

Black jeggings: Old Navy (recent)

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Nordstrom (recent)

Belt: H&M

winner number six: lipgloss trio

The winner of the lipgloss trio being given by

What's Your Virtue? is...

Brooke

who said:

Trenton and Brooke said...

Follower of TMB and WYV on FB and blog!

November 6, 2011 9:41 AM

Congratulations Brooke! Email us at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com within 48 hours to claim your prize!

hot buns

A few people have asked me how to create the

{very popular on pinterest}

SOCK BUN.

Well, since I don't have my partner in crime by my side to do a decent vlog of it, I will hook you up with all the pictures and links you need to create this look at home.

HOW TO and WHAT YOU NEED:

1. One sock, preferably close to your hair color.

If your hair is already thick try using a nylon sock.

2. One pair of scissors, to cut the toes off of the aforementioned sock.

3. Roll that sock into a donut (bun)

4. Watch this video skipping almost to minute 4. {you're welcome for the time save!}

5. Take note that I do NOT recommend doing it pigtail/princess leia-style.

Also, it should be mentioned that I am now scheduling hair appointments for ARIZONA clients starting December. Book now or forever regret it.

email: ourbeautymark@hotmail.com

Winner number five: necklace

Drumroll please!

The winner of the gold circle necklace given by Junghwa was

Liesl

who said:

Liesl said...

Wow, this giveaway is so darling and just like a necklace I have always wanted...how FUN!

I follow your blog and like both you and Junghwa on facebook!

Thank you for such a great opportunity and good luck to everyone entering!

Liesl :)

November 4, 2011 4:58 PM

Liesl said...

I also follow Junghwa's blog and have been for some time...love her!

Liesl :)

November 4, 2011 4:59 PM

Liesl said...

Also, have hearted her etsy shop! :)

Congratulations Liesl! Please email us at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com within 48 hours to claim your prize. And such a prize it is!!

CMA Awards Style

I'm in love with country music. And I don't care who knows it!

Last night was the annual CMA Awards and the stars came out in style (well, some of them.)

Carrie Underwood in Reem Acra on the Red Carpet, which, in my opinion, was her shining fashion moment of the evening.

She was also the host of the awards show. SO basically she got to have like 47 costume changes (must be so tough).

Here's the best and the worst:

BEST:

IFFY:

WORST:

But let's be honest. The real star of the show was Carrie's legs.

Right? Riiight?

More of the good style from last night:

Taylor Swift in a dove grey J. Mendel

(but seriously, would it kill her to throw on a necklace?)

Faith Hill: Love it or Hate it? I can't decide. Maybe I can't get past the hair.

Tim McGraw's legitimate quote when asked about this dress: "I like it because it looks like it can come off easy." TMI.

Kellie Pickler in Pamela Rolland

Love the dress, don't understand her I-got-electrocuted hair. It's a class act on bottom and total crazy mess on top.

Cutest couple: Jake Owen and no-name girlfriend.

Get married and have babies, asap.

Winner number 4: Glitz Nails

The lucky winner of the shellac nails by Emily is...

Jenna Eve!

who said:

Jenna Eve said...

Love the french nails shellac

November 4, 2011 8:38 AM

Congrats! Email us within 48 hours to claim your prize! ourbeautymark@hotmail.com

Winner number 3: From Eve

The lucky winner of the cute shoes and bow courtesy of From Eve is:

The Princes!

who said...

The Princes said...

I follow TBM!

November 4, 2011 2:44 PM

The Princes said...

I am following From Eve's blog and I visited the shop!

November 4, 2011 2:44 PM

Congrats!

Email us to claim your prize within 48 hours at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com

winner number two :bracelets

The lucky winner of the BRACELETS was...

shalyn

who said:

Shalyn said...

These are fantastic. Confession- I only own 1 bracelet:-( Shameful. I follow TBM via blogger and Facebook.

November 2, 2011 12:10 PM

Shalyn said...

Liked the Etsy shop (to fulfill the original entry terms:-)) and also follow on twitter.

November 2, 2011 12:17 PM

Congrats Shalyn! Email us at ourbeautymark@hotmail.com to claim your prize!