How I Decorate My Vanity

So every girl knows that her vanity is her little space for her to make herself feel pretty and girly. Growing up I was always a very organized and clean young girl, which stayed pretty consistent as I got older. I've always felt it was very necessary to organize all my items exactly where they need to be. I try not to clutter my vanity and have found some cute things to spruce it up and keep everything organized. Okay fine I'll admit it.....I have OCD haha not even joking I get anxiety when my things are not clean and organized in their perfect little spot! Oh well I guess it could be worse!

I purchased my vanity from IKEA. It is actually a computer desk, but I loved the glass top and how it was narrow. I'm thinking of spray painting the frame white because I'm not sure I like the dark color too much. A glass top vanity or table is great because it gives the illusion of making a small room look bigger.

I hung my mirror on the wall as a DIY vanity. If doing this here is a little word of advice, give yourself room between the bottom of the mirror and the top of your vanity. This way you can sit other things on your vanity without it blocking anything or looking cluttered.

Mirror: Marshalls

Deer Head: Hobby Lobby

Glass Vanity: IKEA

I wanted to have all of my favorite lip products right at my finger tips so I found an acrylic organizer at my local Walgreen's and have loved it!

I actually made my makeup brush holders from old Bath & Body Works candles. Once they were done I just scraped the excess wax out and cleaned it up. I bought the glass filler beads from Michael's Craft Store and wanted to choose a color for the beads. It's really great to re-purpose old materials that you have laying around.

Frame: Marshalls
Laptop Marble Skin: Uniqfind
Makeup Brush Holders: Re-used Bath & Body Works candles

So of course every girl has her ginormous stash of makeup and beauty products...well where's a girl to store all of her stuff?! I found a really nice 10-drawer organizer online at Wal-Mart. I liked it because it had frosty white drawers to go with my room. I store all of my products in there. I am getting ready to replace it though because it is not extremely sturdy and sometimes it is difficult to get the drawers in and out. For right now is does the job though!

10-drawer organizer: Wal-Mart
Tray: Home Goods
Jewelry Holder: Marshalls


Thank you and I hope you get some fun tips and ideas from this post! Have a beautiful and wonderful day :)



Ciao!!

Color Correcting for Beginners!

So I hope you enjoyed my video on YouTube and I also hope it was a fun new tip for my beauty lovers!! I am so happy that I have color correcting in my life now :)

Products:

- L.A. Girl Pro Conceal (Green & Yellow)

- LA Colors pro concealer stick (Orange)

- Cover Girl Ready, Set Gorgeous foundation (215)

- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder (Medium)

Ciao and until next time my loves!!!!

Summer Boho Topknot

Who doesn't love an easy hair-do that is super easy to do and also super cute?! To be completely honest, most days I totally disregard my hair and it looks like a hot mess. I am truly trying to be better with styling my hair!

I am constantly seeing pictures of the half-up half-down topknot. So I gave it a shot. I took photos as I was styling my hair to help with the visual.

I think it's a really cute and summery hairstyle. And it was totally easy to do before I had to go to work. BTW I literally just rolled out of bed and did my hair so I apologize in advance for my crayyyy face haha!

So first I brushed my hair with a wide tooth comb and sprayed my roots with my favorite dry shampoo by Dove. I wanted to add extensions to my hair to add some length and thickness. My extensions are by Bellami and they are in the color Off Brown. They were 22" but I had them custom cut to blend with my hair.

Next, I decided to use my straightener to give my hair a quick wave to it. Each time I section my hair and add a track of extensions, I go in and curl my natural hair with the extensions. My technique is to clamp the straightener on a section and up near my roots. Then you twist the straightener horizontally away from your head (this will curl your hair outward) and then you slide the straightener down on an angle until you reach your ends. So to curl your hair outwards on the opposite side you basically do the same thing and mirror the twisting and sliding motion. ** Remember twisting your straightener away from your head will create curls that curl outward, think Farrah Fawcett **

While I'm curling that hair, I have already sectioned hair on top of my head that will be in the topknot. Once all of your hair is curled we can now focus on the topknot. I have fine hair so I have to give my hair a little more volume. I pulled the top section into a ponytail and created volume by pulling tightly on the sides of the ponytail. I also took small sections near the crown and lightly pulled at them to give a tiny bit more volume. Once you are satisfied with the front volume, take the same wide tooth comb and lightly tease the ponytail. Next, twist your hair into a topknot like you regularly would and use booby pins to keep it in place. I like to play around and pull at some hair in the topknot to make it a little bigger and symmetrical.

I hope you try it out and send me pictures on Instagram of your cute summery topknots!! Enjoy and stay beautiful :)

Ciao!!

Cheap Nail Polish As Good As A Gel Manicure!!

This has been a little beauty secret of mine for years. Plus it's a product that I cannot stop purchasing because it's that amazing! Let's just take a minute to really contemplate how much money we spend on our nails. Some girls might put their money into get acrylic or gel tips which can really add up over time. Or how about those gel manicures that last you awhile but can still be rather costly. Either way the goal is to have a gorgeous set of nails that can last through any bumps and bruises.

There is nothing worse than getting your nails done and then hours later they are either chipping or still wet from when you got them done. In our fast paced world, we are running around and creating tightly organized schedules. So we need our nails to uphold themselves and stay polished to perfection.

I came across these nail polishes when I was browsing my local CVS Pharmacy. I passed the NYC makeup display and the nail polish colors caught my attention. What continued to hold my gaze was the prices. They were $1.99 a bottle! I mean come on, even if I spent that small amount of money and they stunk then okay I wouldn't really feel too bad about that. So I purchased a couple colors and also the clear coat. After I painted my nails and added the top coat, I was so surprised by a couple different things. First off the color was beautiful and the consistency was nice and thick. No streaking or bumpiness. Then what shocked me the most was how fast my nails dried after I put on the top coat. I was ready to go about my day in under 5 minutes.

To this day the NYC clear topcoat is the only cheap and affordable topcoat that is just as good (or maybe even better) than the popular Seche Vite. I've used this topcoat over many different brands and it never fails me. It's always made my nail polish dry super fast and given my nails that gel manicure look. I'm telling you, people always ask me if it's a gel manicure every single time haha.

So I hope you enjoy this fun beauty secret of mine. Next time you are in CVS stop by the NYC makeup display and grab yourself some of their amazing nail polishes :)

On my nails I'm wearing the color Fashion Safari and the Clear Topcoat!

Ciao my beauties!!

Emerald Green Eye Shadow Look to Make Brown Eyes POP!!

So this new tutorial is great for my brown eyed girls but I totally welcome all eye colors to try it out because it's such a flattering eye shadow color. I think it's great to even tone down for daily wear. So feel free to try out with all different shades of green!

Products Used:
- Urban Decay eye primer
- Naked Palette (Naked,Buck, Darkhorse)
- Loreal Infallible eyeshadow (Golden Emerald)
- Anastasia eyeshadow (Moss and Black Diamond)
- Loreal Telescopic Mascara
- Red Cherry lashes #605
- Milani Blush in Luminoso
- Jordana lip liner in Tawny
- Milani lipstick in Nude Creme
- Wet N Wild lipstick on Think Pink
- NYX butter gloss in Eclair


Enjoy and tag me on instagram when you recreate this look!!!! @modern_minimalist

Ciao!!

Best Website to Buy False Lashes!!

Sometimes you might not feel like buying expensive mink lashes, but you want to build your stock of lashes especially if you are a make-up lover. Personally I think false lashes are amazing. You can get big fluttery fake lashes or you can go with light wispy lashes for everyday wear. Either way they are a great way to pull a makeup look together. My favorite website to buy lashes from is ikatehouse. I have always bought my false lashes from this website and every single time, they amaze me with their quality products and customer service.





You can choose from great brands like Red Cherry, Ardell, KISS, and so many more. What's even more amazing is that they sell makeup as well! They carry NYX <3 come onnnn you can't beat that haha!

The best news yet, they ship their products out super fast! I usually get my products within 2 days of ordering. I mean I have never experienced such fast service in my life. They package the products so delicately and in the most adorable way. I absolutely love buying from this company and I hope to see them grow and flourish!


So next time you are looking for some great false lashes, head over to ikatehouse and grab a few pairs!!


Ciao my beauties! <3

Quick and Easy Everyday Smokey Eye!!

Hello there! So if you watched my YouTube video then you decided to head over here to find out the awesome products I used! Well my lovelies here it is!! I hope you have fun recreating this look :)

Products:
- Sigma E35
- Loreal True Match Powder (N8)
- Anastasia Lavish Palette (Sienna and Black Diamond)
- E.L.F crease brush
- MAC Kohl eyeliner (Costa Riche)
- Loreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara
- Red cherry Lashes (747L and 217)


So, again enjoy this easy and effortless tutorial and I will be back in a couple days with more videos!


Ciao!!

My new hair care secret....

What's better than shiny, healthy hair....NOTHING. Years ago I damaged my hair very badly from bleaching and coloring. Of course I was so focused on the end result that I wasn't paying attention to how much damage I was actually doing to my hair. At that time I wasn't really doing hair masks or taking any medicine to help keep my hair healthy. I was being an idiot!

Fast forward a couple of years and I basically had to hit rock bottom with my hair to understand how to take care of it. Now I proudly take great care of my hair and have seen how fast it has grown and also how soft and shiny it is. So let's talk about some products that have totally made my love my hair again.

First off I need to stress the importance of all-natural supplements and WATER. We all know how beneficial water is to our hair and skin. And let me tell you that all the fuss is trueeeee. Water is a miracle to my skin and hair. Supplements have also been a huge help to me. In the beginning you will probably say, okay nothing has changed and I feel like my hair looks the same. Patience my young one, these supplements take a good month to work through out system and to see results. On a daily basis I take:

- Fish Oil by Nature's Made
- Dr. Danielle's Bee Well (Bee pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly)
- Folic Acid

So I didn't even know how amazing Royal Jelly and bee pollen is until my good friend Lisa told me about it. And it has changed my life!! Royal Jelly and bee pollen has so many benefits! It is like the fountain of youth if you ask me. I started taking it about 2 months ago and stopped halfway through because I felt like I didn't see a difference. Then my hair and skin began to look dull. Guess what this smart girl did next...I started taking those supplements again and I can already see a difference! Patience is definitely needed when it comes to supplements.

Okay, so we talked about some great stuff that help your body from the inside out, but there are also some great stuff that I like to use to nourish my hair. Firs thing you need to know about my hair is that it is naturally curly, frizzy, and dry. My hair sucks up moisture and can still look dry. The most wonderful remedy to this issue is a keratin treatment. Sadly, I can't afford a keratin treatment so I decided to check the drugstore and see what they had. I stumbled upon my new holy grail product when I received a sample of the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Treatment. Its a lotion that you put all over your hair after you shower, then you blow dry and straighten your hair to seal the product in with heat. Pretty similar to the steps in a real keratin treatment. I loved it so I went on to buy the keratin smooth shampoo and conditioner. These 3 products are the perfect recipe for shiny, smooth, luscious hair. After using these products my hair wasn't frizzy or dry at all.




I really hope you found this helpful because this has truly saved my hair and it has never been healthier. Just remember have some patience and be open to trying new products and you will be surprised by the results!



Ciao!!

Beauty Tips+Tricks

Ladies....who doesn't love a good beauty hack to help ease up our hectic schedules. Some days we just want to take as little time as possible to get ready and get out the door. I thought I would share some tricks that I picked up over the years, through trial and error. I hope you can find them useful too!

- Put a couple drops of contact solution in mascara to make it last longer

- Rub vaseline on wrists, décolletage, behind your ears, and between your breast bone before spraying perfume (This will make the scent last longer and really pick up all of the varying notes)

- Place a mirror below eye level before putting on false eyelashes (you will be able to get fake eyelashes closer to your natural lash line)

- Smudged nail polish? This might sound strange but lick the spot on the nail and then gently rub away and the smudge will disappear

- Use apple cider vinegar to get rid of hair build-up

- Baking soda is a great all natural exfoliant for your skin (and also great for whitening teeth!)

- Put white eyeliner all over lid before applying eyeshadows and it not only works as a primer, but also makes the colors more pigmented

- Use your hair dryer to heat up your eyelash curler and this will help eyelashes stay curled for a longer period of time

- Peel apart a tissue and use one half to blot your face after applying makeup, this will pick up any extra makeup and won't disrupt the makeup you previously applied

- If you happen to get a deodorant mark on your clothes (even black fabric) just take another piece of clothing and rub together until the marks disappear

These are some tips +tricks that I use daily and have really helped me a lot. If you have any other little beauty hacks comment them below!

Ciao!

Stiletto Nails

Stiletto nails are all the craze right now and guess who got them done.....this girl haha. I remember seeing girls with those nails and thinking, EWWW how do they do anything? And then I started growing my nails out and slightly shaping them with a point. I slowly started liking them and when my weak nails started breaking off, I decided to get tips on. 

I have to say I love them and they are easier to work with than square tips. I couldn't pick up a coin with square tips, the struggle was reallllllll. 

Plus watching Maleficiant totally made me want either round or stiletto and I went with the stiletto and absolutely love it ! 

Ciao !

Favorite Lipsticks

Okay so I know what you're thinking, "how many favorite lipsticks can you possibly have?!" Well I'm a lipstick, lipgloss, and lipliner junkie so obviously I can never have enough. I could wear lip products whether I have a full face or no makeup at all. It just brings everything together. 

Here are some swatches and names of each lipstick:

(Top to bottom swatches) MAC Twig, MAC Faux, MAC Kinda Sexy

Milani Pretty Natural, Milani Nude Creme, Rimmel Nude Delight

Rimmel Bordeaux, Maybelline Make Me Pink, Revlon Mauve It Over

Wet N Wild Mauve Outta Here, Wet N Wild Bare It All, Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick Lolita

I love all different textures and finishes to lipsticks. You can see some of these are matte, glossy, or pearlescent. I love this range of colors too because they are all very wearable. My little tip to women who are not used to wearing lipstick and want to give it a try, start sheer and natural. Try a tinted lip balm. Either way, you can transform your entire look with some beautiful colors on your lips. 

Ciao!!

Fuller Lips

I think it's safe to say that almost every woman in this world strives for bigger, fuller lips. Who doesn't love a beautiful plump pout?? For some, they choose to opt for plastic surgery and that's fantastic but for some of us that's not an option. So instead we use little tips and tricks like over lining our lips or using a burning lip plumper.

I've tried it all and one day stumbled upon Fullips. I was just browsing YouTube and came across their video tutorials. Once I began searching their site, I was intrigued to try it out. So I bought the large round and medium oval. Amazingly enough I got my package and was shocked to find a free small oval, lipliner, and lip brush! So sweet and it really made me feel special.

Large round, medium oval, small oval

Here is my before:

Here is my after: 

I basically put the large round to my puckered up mouth, created suction for 15 seconds, relaxed, and I do this a total of 3 times. My lips usually stay this way for a couple of hours. If you choose to do it longer the results will last longer. I think this is a great option if you're yearning for full lips but you're not quite ready for lip injections. Also the customer service is superb and I was really satisfied with my purchase. Go to www.fullips.com

Ciao!

Winter Skincare Essentials

Winter....what a dreadful time of year for our skin. There are so many brutal elements that take their toll on our skin during this time. Over the years I've learned to constantly mix up my skincare routine in the winter. The harsh, cold air leaves our skin looking dull and dry so here are some ways to avoid that!

In the winter I can never use too much moisturizer on my face. I make sure to constantly keep my skin hydrated or else it will become a combination of oil in my t-zone and then excessive peeling in my dry areas. I also like to add in Ferulic acid to brighten up my complexion. I also believe our bodies and lips crave moisture in the winter months so I always opt for a thicker, more rich body lotion and soothing lip balm.

Here are the products I love to use in the winter: 

- Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel

- Pond's Luminous Clean face wipes

- Eucerin Professional Repair body lotion

-  Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders

- Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic acid + Retinol brightening serum

- Nivea Milk & Honey lip balm

I always keep my face wash gentle for my sensitive skin and on occasion I will exfoliate. The great thing about the 3 Little Wonders is that the nighttime AHA complex helps get rid of dry and uneven skin the winter months can bring about. The Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic acid brightening serum is ahmazinggggg ! It soaks right into your skin and you can really start to see dark marks lighten up after a few days. 

I hope you find some of these products helpful and they get you through these brutal winter months. Ciao!