DIY Heatless Waves

Hi everybody!

I really enjoy having curls in my hair, I feel like it's a nice change of pace. However, I don't like putting too much heat (or effort, for that matter) onto my hair, as I like to keep it as strong and shiny as possible. Heatless headband curls are the perfect solution for me, because it's easy, effortless, and provides amazing curls.

For this look, you'll need a hair brush, a thin elastic headband, and a few bobby pins. Start out with damp hair and brush out any tangles. If you want, you can add a texturizing spray at this step.

 Next, push your fringe area forward and slide the head band on top of your hair. Try to keep your hair as smooth as possible, it helps with both rolling up the hair and taking it out.

 Start out with a small section in the front, roll, it and pull it up and over the elastic band. Grab another small section of hair, combine it with your twist, and pull it over the elastic band.

Do this on the side until you reach the back, then start on the opposite side. It helps to use bobby pins to keep the hair in place as you roll and pull through the elastic.

Once you have rolled all the way to the back, take the the last few strands and pin them up in a curl. You can also tuck the little curl into your headband in the back, whichever is easier.

Now that your hair is all in place, hairspray to keep the flyaways down. You can sleep in this overnight, or just wear it for a few hours as your hair dries.

Once you're ready to take out the curls, undo your steps starting in the back. Don't yank on the headband, it'll only create tangles.

Tousle your curls with your fingers, and you're good to go!

I hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Song of the Day: Wake Me Up by Avicii 

5 Halloween Makeup Ideas

Hi everybody!

Halloween is just over a week away, so I thought I'd share some of the Halloween looks I've done recently in case you're in need of inspiration. They all come with accompanying video tutorials, so if you're interested in a look, just click the title to learn how to complete the look for yourself!

Rosie the Riveter - This is an iconic costume that is easily recognizable. If you already have a denim shirt and some red lipstick, you're already halfway there! Be ready to shout "We can do it!" at any point during the night.

Pop Art / Comic Book - This look is a really fun one to do, especially if you want to combine this with a superhero costume. It takes a little patience, but the end result is exciting. Just be careful not to get wet or sweaty, because the dots will melt off!

Cracked Porcelain Doll - What's creepier than an old porcelain doll? A broken old porcelain doll, of course! This look features cracking porcelain to reveal a human figure underneath. You could adjust the perimeter so that one half of your face is porcelain, and the other is human. Your call!

Deer / Fawn - This is like the overly ambitious woodland version of your stereotypical cat costume. If you don't have the rest of the costume for this deer look, some tan clothes and a cotton bud taped to your rear end will suffice. The plus side to this one is you can follow around the Von Trapp children for a riveting round of "Doe, a deer!"

Snow White - Who doesn't love a Disney princess? Taking inspiration from the original fairy tale, this look features blood red lips and hair as dark as a raven. This look also may or may not include the dress I wore when I was Snow White the first time - when I was ten.

I hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Song of the Day: Million Dollar Bills by Lorde

5 Tips for Treating Acne

Hi everybody!

I've dealt with skin issues my entire life. Since I was little, I've had eczema on and off. In the past five years, I've also had acne on and off. This past year, my skin went bezerk and got pretty bad in March/ April. Since then, my skin has improved tremendously and I'd like to share the tips and tricks that really helped me.

I took photos when my skin was at its worst, so I could see the improvement as I made changes to my lifestyle. The photos on top are from the end of March, and the ones on the bottom are from today, nearly 7 months later:

1. Change your pillowcase. As you can see from the before pictures, I had a pretty bad breakout on my right cheek, but not on my left. That's because the acne there wasn't hormonal, it was from sleeping on dirty pillowcases. I wash my pillowcases once a week at the latest, and I have two that I can switch through during the week. If you talk frequently on the phone, clean that as well.

2. Consider removing dairy products from your diet. This made the biggest impact on the way my skin and body felt. The idea is that dairy products such as milk contain hormones that interfere with your own body's hormones. This isn't a bad thing when you're younger, as these hormones can often help you grow. But later in life, they can cause problems such as acne (WebMD has more info if you're interested.) Now, I either substitute dairy products or avoid them altogether.

3. Exercise regularly. You don't have to jump into a crazy regimen in order to reap the benefits of exercise, even short workouts help circulate the blood and help your skin. I enjoy running, which gets my heart pumping and the outdoor workouts ensure I get lots of vitamin D to my skin. Exercise also positively affects my mood and sleeping habits, in conjunction with helping my skin.

4. Drink water. This tip ties into the previous one nicely, because I find myself drinking lots of water on days that I exercise. Water helps flush your system and keep your skin hydrated from within. I've also noticed that if I eat food containing dairy products, by drinking lots of water afterwards, I can minimize the breakouts and itchiness that usually follow.

5. Use a moisturizer. The one mistake I see people doing all the time is skipping out on moisturizer. By skipping moisturizer, you're forcing your skin to create more oil in order to keep itself hydrated. I really like Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil, because the product seeps into the skin quickly and I've never had problems with breakouts from it. The idea of using oil on the face sounds counterproductive for acne, but the oil actually prevents your face from producing its own oil, which is what causes acne. It's one of the best products I've ever used!

My skin is still far from perfect, but it feels and looks much better than it did half a year ago. I've noticed that a lot of the redness and irritation has died down, the texture is smoother, it's generally less oily, and breakouts are less frequent. On days that I choose to wear makeup, I use significantly less product and the overall application is smoother.

I hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Song of the Day: Cousins by Vampire Weekend

DIY Jack-O-Lantern Nails

Hey everybody!

I've been really fascinated with nail design recently, and really wanted to come up with one of my own. My nail beds are really small, so it can be hard to recreate super intricate designs. However, this jack-o-lantern design is both seasonal AND suitable for small nails, so it's a win-win!

The two polishes I used for this design are Butter London's Union Jack Black, and Ruffian's Fox Hunt.

First, paint your nails with the base color. If needed, apply two coats for full opacity.

 Using a toothpick or a nail design tool of your choice, draw in the two triangles for the eyes. It's easier if you press the color in, rather than try to brush it on.

 Next, draw in the smile. I found the easiest way was to draw the smile with a single missing tooth. Any more than that, and it gets really complicated.

Finally, draw on thin lines longitudinally. These give your nails that pumpkin-like effect. You're done!

I hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Song of the Day: Your Song as sung by Ellie Goulding 

Elizabeth Taylor Makeup

Hey everybody!

I was recently inspired by the recent Liz and Dick movie highlighting Elizabeth Taylor's whirlwind romance with Richard Burton. I decided to recreate one of Taylor's iconic movie roles, Cleopatra. I kept the eyes blue and bold, but wore nude lips to balance out the color. I think this look is perfect for the winter time, because the light blue eyes and nude lips make it icy and Snow Queen-like. 

This is the reference photo I went off of. 

I'd have liked to keep my bangs down, but they were not having it!

Here's a close up of the eyes.

Click the video to see my tutorial!

 I hope you enjoyed! 
<3 Lucero 

Products used: Makeup Forever Flash Palette, white color
Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette, shades Tease and Blackout
Stila's Make an Impression in Moscow Palette, blue shadow
ELF Black Cream Eyeliner
Sumita Brow Powder
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Inglot Blush #67
Mac Viva Glam Gaga II lipstick
Yves Saint Laurent Gold Gloss in Golden Peach

Review: Benefit's They're Real Mascara

Hey everybody!

I recently picked up a tube of Benefit's They're Real Mascara (retails for $23), which I've wanted to try out since its launch. I'm a big fan of the Bad Gal Lash mascara, and was hoping this would live up to my expectations. Overall, this mascara is fabulous and I give it a 10 out of 10.

Grading system:
2 out of 2 points for wand and application
2 out of 2 points for effect and definition
2 out of 2 points for longevity
2 out of 2 points for removal
2 out of 2 points for packaging

Wand and application: as you can see from the following picture, the wand is large and has rubber bristles. This is my favorite type of wand, since it's great for separating lashes. The Bad Gal Lash is a bit different, and has a more feathery, but still large, wand. However, this wand might not appeal to everybody since it's more of a matter of opinion.

Effect and definition: The mascara formula is on the thicker side, and not watery by any means. It provided a lot of thickness and length without clumping up on me. It separated and coated the lashes beautifully.

My lashes prior to mascara, no curl.

 Longevity: So far, I've had no problems with flaking or dryness throughout the day. However, I do expect the drier formula to flake on me in several weeks time like the Bad Gal Lash did. It's an unfortunate part of having a thicker mascara formula. It's not a huge problem for me, though, since I try to throw out my old mascaras every few months anyways.

The left eye has mascara and is curled

 Removal: I had no problem removing this mascara with my regular eye makeup remover. I didn't expect any problems from a non-waterproof formula.

Both sets of lashes have mascara and are curled

 Packaging: I enjoy the silvery packaging, which luckily isn't prone to fingerprint marks. It's not unusually shaped or sized, which makes it easy to travel with. No problems here.

I love how it separates the lashes!

I hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

Modern Day Witch

Hey everybody! I have a secret. I'm actually a witch! Haha, just kidding. I threw this last-minute Halloween costume together using stuff I already had. The main pieces are a little black dress, and black shoes/flats. I coordinated my eye makeup to match my own little witch-hat that I made out of construction paper and TONS of glitter glue. I like it, even though it looks like a cross between a leprechaun hat and the Mickey Mouse hat from Fantasia 2000. Still, this was a fun look to create!

Oh, you know. Just summoning my hat. No big deal. 

This little witch updated her flying vehicle! Brooms are SO last year! 

Up, up, and away!

Here's a closer look at my poorly CONSTRUCTED hat. Haha!

I hope you enjoyed! What are you going as for Halloween?

<3 Lucero

black dress - Target | black flats - Zara | magical wand - magazine sheet and tape | leprechaun-Mickey hat - construction paper, glue, glitter, and magical charms

Song of the Day: Modern Love by David Bowie 

Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Hey everybody! 

There's about a week left to Halloween, and if you haven't chosen a costume yet, here are some last minute ideas for you! 

1. Chick magnet - create a big black box, label the ends as north and south, then glue some baby chicks on the front. Not live chicks, of course. 

2. Three holed paper - don a white button down shirt and glue three black circles vertically to the side of your stomach. 

3. Honey Boo Boo - dress up in a black and yellow shirt, carry around a jar of honey, and stick on some band aids. You best redneckonize! 

4. 50 Shades of Grey - wear multiple items of clothing all in the different shades of grey. 

5. Morton Salt Girl - wear a yellow dress with matching shoes, a yellow umbrella, and tote around a canister of Morton Salt. Bonus points for using a platinum blonde wig. 

6. Nickelback - cut out a large circle, write 5 cents on it, and stick it on your back. 

7. Mitt Romney - put on a baseball glove, and stick empty bottles of rum on your knee. You are now Mitt Rum-Knee. Added points for also carrying around a binder full of women. 

8. Tickled pink - wear pink from head to toe, and hold a feather. Proceed to tickle everyone in sight. 

9. Iron Man - hold an iron and take out the wrinkles in everyone's clothing. 

10. Apple pie - write pi on your shirt, and carry around your iPod or other Apple products. 

I hope this has helped! 
<3 Lucero 

Song of the Day : the Monster Mash