Share your Tips about Q-Tips and Win!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to make sure all my bloggin' buddies knew about the giveaway I just started on my YouTube channel. Here are the details!

• Head to my Q-Tips Giveaway! video on YouTube
• Make sure you're a subscriber!
• Add a comment under the video about your favorite use for Q-Tips!
• The last day to submit a comment is November 13th
• One winner will be selected at random and announced on November 14th
• The prizes include 4 adorable Q-Tips Vanity Packs plus a cute jewelry box (I show it all in the video)
• Do not submit more than one comment! I'll be able to figure that out.
• If the prize will be mailed to your parents address- make sure it's ok with them that you give it out.
• The prize will be mailed directly from the people at q-tips (I'll pass along your address to them)
• This is open to international viewers.

Please take part- this is a great little prize package, thanks to the great people at Q-Tips! If you don't win and would like to purchase the new Vanity Packs for yourself, check out amazon.com, walgreens.com, your local Walgreens store (and probably other drugstores as well). They're only a few bucks a pop!

Thanks for stopping by!

♥

Emily

QOTW: Favorite Fall Footwear

It's question of the week time once again! Here's what you said to this question: What's your favorite fall footwear?

• Tall boots (upper calf): 87 (31%)
• Short/Medium boots: 82 (29%)
• Sneakers: 40 (14%)
• Flats: 39 (14%)
• Heels: 15 (5%)
• Clogs/Loafers: 14 (5%)

Tall boots win! It's my fall favorite too! I'm a fan of classic black boots that zip up the side, and I have a brown pair I love as well. If you're curious about the boots shown above, I got the brown pair last year at this time from Wet Seal... they have a soft suede-like feel and come about 3/4 of the way up my calf. They were around $20, and I believe they have similar boots in stock this season. I got the black boots at a store called "The Shoe Department" at my local mall. The brand is Torta Caliente, and they cost between $30 and $40.

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I like most of my boots to have heel, just because I feel like it gives my legs a sort of elongated look. I'm a fan of tucking skinny jeans in the boots, and leggings look cute like that too. How do you like to wear your tall boots? What are some great brands or styles? Feel free to share in the comments section! :D

Have a great day!

♥

Emily

You Know You're Obsessed With Makeup When...

a shot of one of my lipgloss drawers

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Just for fun- I posed this question on my Beauty Broadcast Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/beautybroadcast ... The thought came to me when I was searching for a pen in my purse and kept pulling out either an eyeliner or lip liner... at that moment, I thought- wow, you know you're obsessed with makeup when something like this happens. I thought it'd be fun to hear your take, and I was thoroughly entertained while reading your comments! Many made me laugh out loud, or think- I thought I was the only one who did that! LOL :) At the time I'm writing this, there were 75 comments- so I picked some of my faves to post here...

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You know you're obsessed with makeup when...

• "You empty out your underwear drawer to make room for more makeup. :)" -Dania
• "When bonding with your two year old is watching Makeup Tutorials together and she calls it 'painting'" -Laura
• "You're in hospital and you send your mother to MAC to get the new collection." -Alison
• "When you have a weekly/monthly budget (as if it's a necessity like groceries). I'm guilty of that." -Elena
• "When you buy more mascara, even when your old mascasa is still fresh!" -Misty
• "When you hide packages that come in the mail from your husband and hope he never notices the exponential growth in you collection (guilty again)!" -Cynthia
• "When your down and sad makeup is the only thing that makes you happy..(.i mean it)" -Sirsha
• "...you HAVE to do "the rounds" at the drugstore even if you were there just yesterday." -Jacqueline
• "When you spend hours watching make up tutorials on youtube and u are notoriously known for getting in trouble for putting on make up in class : / lol." -Katelyn
• "When you also join beauty broadcast on facebook....." -Louise

Have you joined Beauty Broadcast on Facebook? You should! You can share tips & pictures, ask questions, and get updates on the latest BB videos and blogs. Get a Facebook account started (if you don't have one already), head to the Beauty Broadcast page, and click "Become a Fan"! Have a great day everyone!
&hearts

Emily

Playing with Purple- and Pup!

Hello! The face you're looking at isn't me, it's my beautiful sister Kelly a.k.a. Pup! Though we're about 15 years apart, we have a great relationship- and when we get together (like we did this past weekend) we always have a great time! I love Pup so much and I just wish we could be together more often! She's been there for me during pretty much every major moment of my life, but what's also really cool-- Pup and I can have the most fun & memorable times just goofing off! One of those times came over the weekend when Pup told me to "go nuts" and do some fun & different eye makeup! I took those words to heart, giving Pup a bold purple eye look with some of the most pigmented shades I have access to. Though it's a variation from Pup's natural beauty, I think it's bold and fun-- and she carried it off beautifully!

As you can see from the little image I created above-- I used my Creative Me palette from Coastal Scents. This is similar to the Fierce Pink & Purple look I recently did on myself, only that was heavier on pink and this is more purple. I actually shot this look with Pup as a video tutorial- but due to the way I was positioned in relation to the camera- my voice didn't pick up that well the entire way through. So enjoy the bullet points! :D

• Prime the lid with a shadow primer (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance)
• Pack a bold matte purple shadow onto the lid, blending into the crease as well
• Deepen the crease & outer V with a rich black shadow
• Brighten the look- with a light touch, use a matte fuscia shade to blend over the outer border of your shadow look (leaving space between the shadow and the eyebrow)
• Highlight under the brow and the tear duct area with any shimmery white shade
• Line the upper lashline with a black liquid liner, and define the bottom lash line using a black shadow and an angled liner brush.
• Complete the look with mascara... or false lashes for extra drama! Pup is wearing Andrea Mod Lash #53

We had fun doing a little post-makeover photo shoot. Pup makes a gorgeous model! Here's Pup with her precious cat Bunny! (Bun has no tail).

Fun Facts about Pup!

• Pup is an incredible artist, and also teaches high school art
• The seasonal Reese's Peanut Butter products (PB eggs, pumpkins, etc.)... Pup loves them
• Pup is a fan of the band U2 and has created a number of U2 cartoon images
• Pup is a nickname that I've used for her ever since I was a small child!
• She's a wonderful cook. She's always preparing a wide range of gourmet meals!
• Pup has a loving husband named Jeff!
• My sister is incredibly smart, loves to read, and will always win at Trivial Pursuit!
• Today someone at work said, "she does art, AND she cooks too?" I responded, "She's pretty much a Renaissance woman."

Want more Pup? She talks about her artwork, cooking, and more at her blog: http://www.alizarine.typepad.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

♥

Emily

QOTW: Weekend Makeup Routine

Hello everyone! How does your makeup routine change on the weekend? That was the "Question of the Week" I posed... and here are your responses!

• No makeup: 43 (9%)
• Less than usual: 96 (20%)
• Same as weekdays: 111 (23%)
• More than usual: 106 (22%)
• More, only for special occasions: 118 (24%)
  
  Votes so far: 474 Poll closed

Wow! The responses were a lot closer than I expected on this one. The majority said "More, only for special occasions"... and I was part of that group as well. It was closely followed by "Same as Weekdays", "More than usual", and "Less than Usual".... so I guess it's safe to say, most of us are wearing makeup to some degree on the weekends! Being one who makes videos on YouTube, I definitely take advantage of weekends to do tutorial videos. But for anyone who is just learning about makeup, I'd advise you to use spare time on the weekends to experiment! If you have a spare afternoon and you don't have to go anywhere, test out a new look you'd be scared to wear to work or school! Wash it off and then try something else! You'll be surprised at what you'll discover... and you'll never know what the final result will be with some of those bright, fun shades- unless you try it! :D

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Speaking of weekends- here are some photos I posted on Twitter from my weekend! Tyler and I, along with my mom and dad met up at my sister and her husband Jeff's house. It was wonderful and I was sad to leave!

Tyler & I on the road! :D

My sister Kelly a.k.a. Pup after I did fun, dramatic eye makeup on her! Look for more pics of that in an upcoming blog! :D

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Have a great day everyone!

Emily :)

Coastal Scents Creative Me Palette #1

photo courtesy www.coastalscents.com

Hey everyone! If you've seen my Fierce Pink & Purple eye tutorial, you know these aren't your everyday shadows. The shades in the Coastal Scents Creative Me Palette #1 are some of the brightest, most pigmented shades I've ever used. This magnetic palette (filled with shadows) costs $21.95. It also holds Coastal Scents Hot Pots- and if you want, you can pick up these "Creative Me" shades individually. I enjoy how the palette comes with a big mirror and keeps all of my brightest shadows available in one place. Here's a look at the swatches- they correspond with the rows in the palette... (I used the CS Eye Poxy 2 Primer under these)

In terms of creating looks with these colors, so far I've only done a tutorial using the shades in the pink/purple color family (minus the red). I definitely want to do more tutorials using these shades- but I want to do what YOU want to see. So in the comments section please let me know what color combinations you'd like to see a tutorial on. While they're split into obvious color families in the pictures and in the palette- I'd like to switch things up... maybe using the pink & the aqua for example. Anyway- just wanted to give you a closer look at the colors! Thanks for visiting my blog today, and please don't forget to answer the latest "Question of the Week" in the sidebar!

♥

Emily

QOTW: Yes To Makeup Artists?

photo: Jin Pak via www.dailymakeover.com

Look at the model in this picture. Is she in deep concentration, the kind that always comes about as you apply liquid liner? Is she looking at a collection of lip glosses, concerned over what might look best with her outfit? Is she wondering if her summertime foundation will still look right as her skin loses its tan as we head into fall? The answer to those questions is likely NO. That's what her makeup artist is there to take care of. Some people would love to hand that responsibility over to an expert, others would not. And some might like to do it just now and then. I find this to be an interesting concept, especially among makeup lovers, so in this Question of the Week I asked: If your job provided a makeup artist- would you want your makeup done for you?

• Always: 162 (33%)
• Often: 172 (35%)
• Only Occasionally: 118 (24%)
• Almost Never: 28 (5%)
  

Votes so far: 480 Poll closed

As you can see- some interesting results! While I realize many of the people who view this blog have a pretty big interest in makeup, the majority still said they would "always" or "often" have a makeup artist do their makeup for them if they had the opportunity. Still, the group that said "only occasionally" wasn't far behind at 24%. I was in that group. This is a question that I think about often, because one of the questions I'm so often asked because of my job is, "Do you have a makeup artist doing your makeup before the newscast?" My answer is no, and unless you're living in a very large city, chances are your anchors are doing their makeup themselves too. While I believe a makeup artist could do a wonderful job on my makeup, my daily makeup routine is something I enjoy. It's a time for me to experiment with new products, try something new, and frankly, just have some quiet time before an undoubtedly hectic day gets underway. In an ideal world, having a makeup artist do my makeup "occasionally" would allow me to learn a thing or two from them, and then practice it on myelf the rest of the time.

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So that's just my 2 cents... but this poll leaves me wanting to know more about YOU. Why did you answer the way you did? Why do you- or don't you- want a makeup artist doing your makeup if you had the chance? Also- are YOU a makeup artist? How do you feel about having someone else do your makeup? Please elaborate in the comments section! Hope you enjoyed this "food for thought" question and have a great day!

♥

Emily

New Products I'm Trying!

Hey everyone! How's the weekend been going? Mine's been good so far! I just wanted to take a minute to let you guys know about the new products I'm testing out and will probably soon review, or include in tutorials.

• Maybelline Super Stay 24 hr. Makeup... Meet the latest long-wearing drugstore foundation! I've received dozens of requests to review this product. Some of my current favorite drugstore foundations (Revlon Colorsty & Rimmel Lasting Finish) claim to last 16 hours... this is the first time I've seen a foundation claim to last for 24 hours! Do you really want to wear a foundation that long? Is that even healthy for your skin? Probably not, but it's comforting to know that it could if you get in some sort of marathon-day situation. This foundation claims to have a "micro-flex forumula" that can withstand heat, sweat and humidity. It claims to be "zero-tranfer", oil-free, and suitable for all skin types. I will definitely let you know how this works for me! (by the way, the shade I purchased is Classic Beige).
• L'oreal Wear Infinite Eyeshadow in Milla's Blues... this isn't a new product- but I was scouring the drugstore a couple days ago to find a drugstore version of my Smashbox Glamour Eyes palette for brown eyes. I used that on Kalee when she made a guest appearance in one of my videos- and many of you asked what a drugstore version of that might be... I advised Kalee to pick up Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips shadow in Smokey Blue eyes- but this 4-pan palette seems very close to the Smashbox quad as well. I'll report back on this!
• Coastal Scents Gel Liners... these have been around for awhile but this is my first time trying them. Coastal Scents recently put out some new shades so I thought it'd be fun to give them a try. I put a few of the shades I'm trying in the picture: Stellar (sparkly charcoal), Beach Glass (teal), Flirtatious (pink), and Wicked (silver). I like that some of these colors aren't your typical liner shades, so I'll experiment with them and see how they work as an eyeshadow base. (there's a 15% off sale on these right now at http://www.coastalscents.com/ )
• Coastal Scents Loose Mineral Shadows... I'll see if these loose shadows live up to the fantastic pigmentation of the Coastal Scents palettes! As a whole, loose shadows have been kind of hit & miss for me, so we'll see if these pack a punch. Colors shown above: Flirt (pink) and Smoochie (plum).
• L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Blackest Black... does this look familiar to anyone? It's definitely trying to be a drugstore dupe of Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes mascara. I was intrigued by this little spherical mascara brush when that product came out, so when I saw it for 20 bucks less at the drugstore, I just had to give it a try. The smaller brush is supposed to allow you to get to your lashes easily at any angle. How well will it work? I'll test it out and let you know!

If you've tried any of these products- please let me know what you think of them!

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♥ Emily's Journal ♥

It's journal time once again! Is it just me or did this weekend totally fly by? I've been feeling a little under the weather lately- so that stinks. Tyler has come down with a cold and I'm catching it for sure. I'm definitely getting some good out of my hand sanitizer! ha! On the up-side... I got my November Elle yesterday! It was the strangest feeling to be standing there in Wal-Mart looking at myself in a magazine... but so cool! I bought a couple of copies, and my mom bought four LOL! Exciting stuff!

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I went to the Inspiring Women Gala at SIU yesterday (you may have noticed a picture I tweeted about it). It's an event where a handful of women in southern Illinois are honored for their service and accomplishments- and then the money raised goes toward scholarships for young women who'll attend SIU next year. It's quite a fancy event! Lots of pretty outfits, good food, fancy desserts... I went with several ladies I work with at the TV station, and one of our station's managers was honored as one of the "Women of Achievement" so that was cool!

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I went shopping today! I stopped by big lots and picked up a couple of cute things for my niece- has anyone seen the little $2 Martha Stewart kids craft things? They're little sets including everything you need to make puppets and barnyard animals out of felt, etc. So cute! I also went to Cato (never really go there, but given these sales- I'll definitely be going back!) They have some great shoes so I picked up some cute peep-toe heels with neat buckles and some moccasins (Thank you Kalee for exposing me to the world of adorable, faux fur-lined moccasins!) yay for shopping! :)

Have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by my blog!
♥

Emily