Get Naked.

I read awhile back, I believe in Elle magazine, that getting naked during daily activities can help you lose weight. You become more conscious of your body and find yourself holding in your stomach more, perhaps even avoiding the fridge. You also become more comfortable in your own skin, being naked more makes you more confident with clothes on. I also am a firm believer, as I said before, that if you are positive with yourself, you will be a healthier better you. I tried doing some daily stuff in my birthday suit, and I must say it really did help me in my own self awareness. I think it's only fair to ourselves to love the skin we're in, and being naked is the most vulnerable state we can be, so I say embrace yourself and maybe Elle was right, we can be fit and happy. I'm willing to try anything.. lol.

Do you think stripping down can help one's self image or is this a flop?

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: Angelina Jolie goes into a lotion coma once a week and saturates her body with lotion...

Fat Lip..

Today I woke up with a fat lip, believe it or not this is a regular thing for me. It's not from getting into a fight lol. I actually get cysts under my facial skin that blow up randomly and cause my chin or lip to swell up. I'm lucky this time, because so far it hasn't become to severe. ::crossing fingers:: Luckily I'm off today and I can spend the day icing it up and help the swelling to go down. Also, I'm seeing my man tomorrow so I have to handle this situation asap! Last time, about 6 months ago this happened, but my lip looked horrible. I literally looked like I got in a fight with someone. I was so embarassed I called out of work. I couldn't even talk clearly. It was so annoying. :(

I have seen a dermatologist but he said taking medicine would be pointless because the swelling goes down in a couple days. So ice seems to be the quickest cure and I will be holding it to my face all day today lol.

xox Laura Beth

Thanks for listening to me vent :)

Feeling natural FOTD

Last night I was going on a date with my boyfriend and out to a bar with friends and I wanted to do something different with my eyes. Normally I do bright colors but for the first time ever, I wanted to be boring, lol. I wanted a more natural look, neutral browns and keeping my hair straight.
I've been dieting and exercising for 2 weeks now and I've lost about 9 lbs. so I was so so excited to wear a tube top I had from about 3 years ago and it fit perfect. As soon as I got in my car my boyfriend called me "Sexy stuff" so I felt like all my dieting, exercising, and getting ready for the night was well appreciated. :)

This is what my eyes looked up close, I used my favorite palette I own from Sephora Collection:

Sephora Collection has really improved their makeup quality, their eyeshadows are produced by the same manufacturer as Dior and their blushes the same as Nars, definitely shows why their stuff is way better then it used to be. Perhaps you could win some awesome stuff in my contest ;)

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: My favorite..

What I'm Loving this June, plus what I miss...

1. Lindsay Lohan's self tanner Sevin Nyne really enhances my sunkissed glow without looking fake, love it!
Cliniques de-puff serum is an instant gratification for my morning eye puffiness:

Dove Flexible hold hairspray is a must-have to my getting ready experience. It smells awesome and it makes my hair silky smooth. I ran out the other day and my hair was not the same, but I bought two more asap!

Tresemme Frash Start hair refreshing mist re-livens my hairs scent throughout the day. I love my hair to smell shower fresh all day long and this does that. I carry it in my purse because some of my friends smoke and my hair clings to the scent, so I spray the refreshing mist in my hair to erase the smell. It's like Febreze for the hair lol.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Double Body Mist in Berry, I'm obsessed with smelling delish. I spray this on my stomach before I leave my house, and it hydrates the area too. This has become a routine item for me.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist is very hydrating for skin and hair. I recently did a post on how good it's been for my ezcema.

I recently purchased the MAC gaga lipstick and it's been in constant use:

Urban Decay's Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finish Powder is my last step before I leave, it really smooths out my complexion and keeps my oil at bay.

Clean Warm Cotton is my everyday fragrance paired with Baby by Gwen Stefani, I spray Warm Cotton on my shirt before I leave so I always smell fresh from the dryer. Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion has been my everyday mascara lately paried with Sephora Collection fiber based primer. The two together make my lashes soft and full.

I'm loving racerbacks right now! I need to get more than what I have, I own about 5. I am using these when I walk and sunbathe and even wearing them out with friends to show off my shoulder freckles. I need more asap!

What I'm missing this month: my blue hair! I want to dye my hair again so bad, but it took 2 years to grow it out to my natural color and I'm not going to ruin it again.

What are you enjoying or missing this month?

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: The quality of Dior..

I put lip balm where?

Okay so yesterday I went away with my friend for the night. We decided to hit up a club called mur.mur and once I got there, and was at the bar for awhile, I realized I forgot to reapply deodarant before we left. I had taken a shower before we left my house earlier in the day at like 10am, but it was now 11 pm and it definitely had worn off through out the day. I didn't want to make my arm pit check too noticeable so I made a quick restroom trip. Sure enough my pits were starting to turn. I was in a predicament. I wasn't going to leave the club and fight to get back in, so I had to be crafty. I searched my mini bag for any type of savior. Sure enough I had a strawberry lipsmackers, I made the decision that my pits smelling was more important than chap lips. So I rubbed the balm underneath my arms. Problem solved! My pits smelt like strawberry delight, and I was good to dance it up. Also, I got hit on left and right, so maybe strawberry armpits attract the opposite sex, hmm.. lol.

Ever find yourself in a crafty situation like this? Do share..

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: My face is my palette..

Good news, bad news...

Good News: I recieved my prize from Corrine's:Alluring Bath & Beauty Blog yesterday in the mail. I'm not going to lie I wasn't sure how I felt on homemade products. They look amazing, but would they compare to big brands? The answer-omg better! They are so awesome! Corrine sent me 3 homemade body butters from her line "Custom Blends by Corrine," and they are so great!

First off I tried the butter in a small area on my arm to make sure I didn't react from any of the ingredients, even though they are all natural, one of the ingredients is sweet almond oil and I wasn't sure if I was allergic to almonds or not. After a few hours I felt the area and it was hydrated. After my test I began to play with all the butters, smelling all the scents and rubbing them on my hands. I immediately showed my mom and she rubbed the lotion on her elbows, because her elbows get really dry. About 2 hours later we felt her elbow, and no joke, it felt like baby skin. So soft, you couldn't even feel the creases in her arm. I was shocked, this butter is way better than any lotion I've ever bought in a store, and I've bought some high priced stuff. I now love that it's homemade and one of a kind. My mom and I placed a butter in both bathrooms in the house and we're going to be fighting over our favorite scent: coconut lime until we need to order more.

The scents are from left to right: Bitter orange orchid, fresh ruit salsa with line, and coconut lime. The butters are so light weight and absorb nicely into the skin. The skin feels smooth and silky for hours.

Corrine mailed the lotions with a cute little note. I'm so happy I won this contest, thanks again Corrine. I'll be getting in touch with you when I need more, this time as a client ;)

If you would like to order, or check out how Corrine makes her butters click here, also her blog is full of homemade remedies for so many things, check her out!

Okay now for the Bad News:

Yesterday I decided to lay out in the sun and I got burnt to a crisp. I didn't realize how long I was outside for and not wearing SPF was silly of me. I am now regretting my decision.

I only laid on one side of my body my front neck, arms and legs are crispy red and the back of me is pale as can be, looks so funny. I will NOT be neglecting my sunscreen for the rest of the summer. Look at this madness: Take a lesson from me and remember to SPF this summer.

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: Makeup is my art...

Hydrate my skin and hair!

I have really dry skin on my upper arms and back also known as eczema. It's hard to hydrate too and since it's on my back lotioning it myself is difficult. Also, lotions tend to make my skin more irratated. I started using Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist to hydrate my hair, and I read the back one day and it says to help hydrate skin and hair. I began using it on my skin and it really helps hydrate my eczema. I do have to use it every day that I shower otherwise my skin begins to get itchy as usual. But it's a great temporary solution to my problem. Plus it's easy to spray down my back and not miss a spot.
This is the same product but it's in a mist form, which is great for the summer heat. This product it great for hydrating your skin and hair on the beach. Plus it's cheaper than Evian water when you compare the sizes. I use alot of Paul Mitchell products. They're salon approved and make my skin and hair feel great.

What products do you use to hydrate in the summer?

xox Laura Beth

Hint for contest: I like variety.

Contest Time! (What can I say, I'm a giver!) CLOSED!

NO MORE COMMENTS PLEASE, CONTEST CLOSED!

I've built up a huge following over the last month and I want to thank my fellow blogger's by holding a GIVEAWAY!!! There's a catch, the prize(s) are secret and at the end of ever post I make in the future I will be giving hints to what the prize(s) may be.
How to enter:
1. You MUST be a follower/subscriber of my blog (if you're not, follow away) lol. I want to know when you felt most beautiful.. for example "I felt most beautiful when I was laying on my boyfriends hammock and he looked at me and smiled, and in that moment I felt our connection. Nothing is more beautiful then love and the connection two people can share." (true story). Comment your story below for: (one entry)

2. Must make a blog or facebook post about the contest. Sending me proof in your comment below. (3 entries)

Details:
1. The contest is international.
2. The prize is top secret and hints will be given in my future blog posting.
3. Giveaway ends July 31 at midnight.
4. There may be more than one winner, I am known for that, but you won't know til July 31st!

I hope the secret aspect will make this fun for all, because I love surprizes!

For those who have seen my other contests, you know I give AWESOME prizes. You WILL DEFINITELY want to enter this contest the prize(s) are worth your while!

Thank you to all my blog followers once again,

xox Laura Beth

Diet Seaon. (Who's with me?)

Once a year, sometimes twice I decide I want to loose alittle weight. This is that time of the year. It's bikini season and my body is not looking as spiffy as it used to. I know I'm in a relationship and you get "love pounds" but I'm not okay with just using that excuse. Also I recently started birth control and although it made my chicas bigger, I'm not ready for it to bloat my body. Every night I've done 1000 situps since I was 13. Over the past couple of years I've slacked in the number of crunches I do, approximately 300 a night. My body needs to go back to 550-1000 crunches a night mode because I feel out of shape.

In highschool I weighed about 80 lbs. so to go up 25 lbs. is alot for me to handle. People think I'm nuts when I use the word "diet" but I really need to tone up and watch what I'm eating. I definitely take in too many calories for my small frame. So lately I've been watching what I eat. So far I've been eating healthy: yogurt, whole wheat bread with tuna, lots of water, butter roll or bagel (but I watch how much butter I use). I know I can still eat whatever I want, I just need to eat less, and that's basically what I'm doing. My winter belly needs to go, and I need to shrink down my stomach so I get stuffed quicker. So far it's been working out well.

My starting weight is: 112 lbs. (this is in the am before eating).
My goal: 107 lbs.

Total Weight loss goal: 5 lbs.

(Keep in mind I've already been watching my food intake/working our for 2 weeks and my starting weight was 117 lbs, so I've already lost 5 lbs.)

Who's with me:

If anyone wants to join in and we can motivate one another and do this together, let me know. Send me your email below, and we can email eachother what we did to try to lose the weight for the day: exercise, what we ate, and use positive words to help one another out. Also email me your weight goal and total weight loss goal.

xox Laura Beth

Save the last dance..

It's Prom Season! My favorite makeup client is a prom girl. I love how exciting it is for the girl, and unlike brides who are so stressed on a whole different level about their big day; Prom has a more fun feel to it. But don't get me wrong Prom can be stressful. You need to find a date, buy flowers for your dates suit, find a dress, pick shoes, think transportation, and worry about makeup and hair and if you're going to do it yourself or get it done. But once you plan all of that, the fun begins and you can relax and get ready! I would suggest getting makeup and hair done, because this will definitely relieve the stress level a bunch.

As I've said before I freelance, so this month has been a busy one. Sephora also started a new service where we do appointment makeup in the store. We do full face application with the purchase of a $50 gift card. I've been booking in the store left and right. Which is super cool, I love teaching how to apply but being able to bedazzle someone for a big event is what I live to do.

Some Prom Tips and Tricks:

1. Focus on emphasizing one asset: eyes or lips. Either make your lips super duper extreme or your eyes. Ask others what they think your best feature is and roll with it.

Example of fun eyes and nude lip: (Hilary Duff, always love her lashes) Wondering what colors would look best to pop your eyes check out this post: Eye see color!
Example of fun lip and nude eye: (Lauren Conrad) Want to know what reds work for your lip and skintone, then read this post: Holla out to an icon! 2. Always carry a damage prevention kit in your purse with: dental floss/toothpick, touch up powder/blotting papers (all that dancing can make one sweat), clear nailpolish (any run in your panty hose can make or break an outfit, apply alittle clear nailpolish around the hole and stop the hole from spreading down your leg). Mini travel hairspray (Dove is my fav), also a bobby pin and safety pin (you never know if your hair will come loose or a bra strap so it's better to be prepared or help a friend in need)

3. Self Tan advice: For those who decide to spray tan before the event, be careful to not do it the day before, God forbid it doesn't turn out as planned you'll have those pictures for life.

4. My advice: Fake lashes are a must, they make your whole look that much better. (strictly my opinion)

5. Last Minute uninvited face guest(s): For the sudden blemish, which always happens to appear the night before: apply a tooth paste on the area over night. The mint opens the pores and helps cleanse out the problem area while drying it out. Also use a green color corrector to hide the redness and conceal that baby up!

6. Keep your makeup on: Don't forget to Prime and set your makeup! Use a primer to build a barrier and keep stubborn oily areas dry. Then to seal the deal after all your makeup is done, spray your face with a setting mist to keep your makeup put. (My choice: NARS primer and MUFE Mist n Fix setting spray).

And now for fun I'm going to share my prom day pictures: I know I had a famous prom date (That apparently kept taking his clothes off), but let's keep it on the DL. LOL.

A close up of my makeup: I remember my prom day:

Dress: $30 at Joyce Leslie and I added straps I purchased at a craft store for $3

Shoes: $35 platforms

Stockings: $4

Hair and makeup: $350

My night: Punk Rock Pricless!

I don't think the dress is everything, the hair and makeup is my accessory and to me the most important part of any outfit. If you have bad hair for an event, it's done, it'll ruin everything. So paying so much for it all was worth it to me. How much did you spend on your prom?

xox Laura Beth

Soak up the Tan!

We always hear how spray tanning is a safe alternative from the sun; however, spray tanning can be really expensive. I did some research and for most detailed spray tans (that last a max of 2 weeks) the price range is $50-75 a spray. Which is alot of mula! This is good for a special event, but on the daily, dropping this much cash on a fake tan is just plain ridick!

My friend recently got spray tanned and she paid $75, she wanted a nice tan for a vaca we were going on. The tan was done like the picture above, very detailed and one on one. She was impressed with the service, but the end result was a bit blotchy. She felt Snooki-fied! (Jersey Shore Status). She was tan looking but her legs and arms were patchy. About a month later her and I went back to the Tanning Salon she recieved the service at and she confessed her dissappointment in her tan. The manager stated that after a spray tan you MUST TAKE A SHOWER WITHIN 5-6 HOURS, otherwise your body will begin to reject the self tanner, and your tan will appear uneven. She gave my friend a second spray tan to prove the results would improve with her instructions, and this was definitely true. Her tan was so natural and even on her skin tone. So taking a shower is definitely important 6 hours after applying a tanning product in general. My self tanner of the summer is Sevin Nyne which is actually produced by Lindsay Lohan. I could lay out all day and my skin would just freckle. When I apply alittle of this self tanner, it really meshes with my freckles to give a nice and natural sunkissed glow. I've tried Dior Bronze self tanner because someone I met totally raved about it, but she was a golden skintone. My skin is kind of pink and fair as anything. So on me it looked ORANGE. This one is not for fair skin. My favorite self tanner is Bliss a tan for all seasons! This tanner is AMAZING! The product comes out a purple tint on the skin so you can see where you're applying it. (Bad side effect: Don't apply around white walls, you'll find yourself wiping it down with windex later, lol). This tanner takes about 2 hours and then your tan. I usually do it at night and wake up in the morning a different tone.



The Kardashian's created a self tanner, it's in the lotion form. I haven't had a chance to try it but someone I know used it on their face and it looked awesome. Keep in mind she has very olive Italian skin. A client at my job said the product smelt "atrocious," but I smelt it and the product doesn't even have a scent, so hmm.

Another huge self tan rule: EXFOLIATE! Not the day of, but the day before so your skin has time to relax. Exfoliating your skin the day before will help for a more even tan. The picture above is an awesome scrub by Fresh, the brown sugar is a natural exfoliant. From my experience be becareful when using this product, it makes the shower floor slippery.

So when you're not soaking up the the vitamin D while sunbathing, self tanners can be a quick trick to faking a glow. Do you have any self tanning tips, and what are your favorite products?

xox Laura Beth

I'm Gaga for MAC! (also search for new lazy lashes)

I KNOW I AM WAY BEHIND on the Glam Gaga train, but my local MAC counter has been sold out forever! I even made a trip to the biggest Macy's in the city and they were sold out. So I waited patiently, and this Monday I tried one more time, and to my surprise they were in stock. I could not wait to try it! From what I heard from other people Gaga was a matte lipstick, but it's not matte at all. I guess because when I think matte I picture dry, but it's actually hydrating on the lip. I also grabbed a MAC plush glass (lip gloss) called Bountiful. The two paired together are so delicious! A positive of the lip gloss, according to my boyfriend it smells like Fruity Peebles. Who doesn't love Fruity Peebles?
I had a lazy day yesterday and threw an all girls BBQ at my house with some close girlies. After laying out by the sun all day I had no energy to do my makeup, but pushed myself to do so anyway because I was hanging with my man. I was with him for 4 hours and took my makeup off. (Such a waste of time, the things we do to look good for our men! lol). So today when I woke up for work I did not feel like doing my tedious routine again, so I decided to throw on a pair of quick end lashes to save time. It turns out I loved them! Plus I can re-use them and wash them with warm water. I'll save so much money by wearing these on my off days.


The lashes are just for the end of the lash line. I wore on my regular lashes: Sephora lash primer, CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion, and then MUFE Smoky Lash.

This is what they looked like:
I'll definitely be trying more lashes now, I've been so in love with Ardell 105 individual lashes, that I never tried anything else. But it's nice to switch it up.

Close up: The lashes are Sephora flutter faux lashes, but I've had them for so long and never tried them til now. Unfortunately the lash was discontinued so I need to find a similar type in another brand.

Do you have any favorite false lashes?

xox Laura Beth

If it's Pee, it's not for me!

I know there are many beauty regimens around the world that involve pee. One celebrity made a pee statement once and I never forgot it. These words followed me my whole life and now I'm sharing them with you. Madonna was in an interview and she confessed she pees on her feet in the shower. She confessed that her peeing was actually naturally curing her athlete's foot. She also stated that her feet never felt softer. To think all these years I've been wasting money on expensive body lotions and the answer to softer skin was in my... lol.

I know other famous people have come clean about using pee as a cure for things. After a bit of research I found out that baseball player Moises Alou pees on his hands to cure his calluses. British actress Sarah Miles has been drinking her pee for 30 years ((GAG)). Plus former Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai also drank pee. According to my research, by a study done at the University of Castleton, morning urine can actually cure jet lag and produce the feeling of a good night sleep. (I don't want to know how they found this research to be true! Interesting but, ew.) Apparently pee can soothe calluses, soften skin, cure athletes foot, and improve your energy after a long flight. Although this information is interesting I will definitely be sticking to my morning cup of coffee!

How far would you go for beauty, if you heard pee could cure aging, would you drink it?
xox Laura Beth

Disclaimer: I am in no way saying pee should substitute medicine.

Oh no she didn't! Oh yes I did..

In my most recent blog post I was Haullinnn' in which I recieved a new MUFE aqua creme lip/cheek color. I was so excited and planned my week waiting for saturday to come so I could rock this bad boy on my lips. Saturday is here! So here it is.Can you say PINK? lol. So extreme, I effin love it!! I did my eyes with a dramatic sharp smoky eye:

Now I need to keep my confidence as I walk into work and clients look at me like Wow, that's bright. I love bright lips, I know some people are scared of color, but I'm obviously not that girl. What's your favorite bright lip color you wear?

Also today I get to wear flip-flops to work for an event. I did my nails with Sephora O.P.I. Arm Candy and striped my nails with a black precision nail design. I did it kind of quick, so one side is alittle thick, but what can you do.
Yesterday I did more Prom makeup and I will updating with some prom tricks and ideas, plus pictures ;)

xox Laura Beth

Haulinnnn'

I got alot of new items today and I'm very excited to share them with you all.

Benefit Sugar Bomb is a gorgeous peach color, believe it or not it kind of reminds me of NARS orgasm on my cheeks but a bit more coral. I find alot of brands try to hit the NARS orgasm mark, but none are exact. One Hot Minute is a bronze sparkley highlighting color, looks great on the cheekbone. Tarina Tarantino is a new line in stores, she inspires me with her glitter and fun packaging. The colors are Candy Cameo (pink), which is a seasonal color, and Chain (grey) from her original collection.

This is her packaging:Makeup Forever has a great contouring palette, they shade the face so nicely (doesn't work on all skintones though). The orange shadow is also MUFE no.18, and the star powder no. 953 the two together are gorgeous.This is Makeup Forever's new Aqua Creme lip/cheek/eye color no.7 (hot pink), I plan on wearing this Saturday with a smoky eye pairing, so excited to do it. The blue shadow is by Urban Decay "Electric" wanted this color for a long time, it's so fun!
Look how awesome the pigments are on all these eyeshadows, this is one layer:
Nail prints are kind of trendy right now, they peel onto your nail and you file off the excess print. This way you can have funky nails in a jiffy. I need to play around with these alittle bit more before I perfect their application process though. I thought this pattern would look super cute for 4th of July! Also Living Proof is a hair brand I've been using for about a month now. I blogged about their Hair Thickening Cream awhile back and was excited to dive into more of their products. This one is their Frizz Solution styling spray for fine to medium hair. I'm excited to try it tomorrow when I blow out my hair. Plus lately the weather has been so bi-polar, one second it's thunder storms and a couple seconds later there's sunshine and rainbows, so this styler will hopefully tame my hair in any condition.

This is Toki Doki's nail filer and from Sephora O.P.I. spring nail polish collection "Teal we meet again." My friend was wearing it on her toes and it looked awesome!
Alot of new stuff, and I can't wait to play with it all tomorrow! :)

xox Laura Beth