How to turn your HOODIE into a CUTE LAPTOP PURSE!

p.s. that's not a purse... its a hoodie and a laptop!

HERE for the HOW-TO : http://t.co/CZaAfz0

DIY: Old Book Paper Flower Hook

Follow the link to my DIY blog for Step-by-step Directions on how to make this little beauty :)

http://becauseyoucan03.blogspot.com/2011/03/diy-old-book-paper-flower-hook.html

xoxo Brianna

Makeup tutorials!!!!

I'll be starting Makeup tutorial videos and wanted to know any looks or ideas anyone had that they wanted me to do. I've already got a few requests to do a winged eye look. Any celebrity makeup you want to do but don't know how? Leave a picture here or comment so I know what to show you all :)

Highlight & Countoring the face

Makeup can really highlight & enhance someones beauty.

With the right tools and placements, you can make your face look slimmer or wider... You can change the shape of your eyes or lips... You can make your forehead look shorter... You can make your cheek bones look more defined... You can make your nose look slimmer... It's all about what colors you use, products, and where you apply it.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I have learned a lot over the years from researching, talking with experts at beauty stores, watching tutorials, and my own experiences.

One thing that is really important is adding a "lighting" to your face.

If you ever look at head-on-shots of celebrities, you'll notice certain parts of their faces are dark and some are lite up. Like this picture of Mila Kunis:

Notice the angles of her face because of the highlighted and darkened areas? I'm sure the flash of the camera and the photo shopping helped a lot with this picture.. BUT so did the makeup and the way it was applied.

A lot of girls/women use one concealer or one powder to cover their entire face, and that's all they do. They don't highlight or contour their faces with other products. That's okay if you want to do that, but if you want to learn how to contour and highlight, this is how:

TO CONTOUR THE FACE:

1. Do your normal face routine.
2. Take a creamy concealer that is 4-6 shades darker than your skin tone.
3. Using your finger, apply the cream concealer just below your cheek bone. Starting back at your ear, to about half an inch away from the corner of your lips, making it parallel to the jaw line. Repeat on the other side. *This makes your cheek bones stand out. (As seen in "D")
4. Starting at the bridge of the nose and going straight down, draw a line with your finger using the same creamy concealer. Do this on each side. *This makes your nose look long, thinner, and more defined. (As seen in "E")
5. Add the concealer to the sides of your face, from your temple to your ear. *This slenderizes the face. (As seen in "B" and "C")
6. You can do right below your chin on the bone if you want to make that area look smaller.
7. If you have a large forehead, like me!, put the concealer at the very top of your forehead. It will create a shadow, making your head look like it's curving back, which makes it look shorter. (As seen in "A")
8. Make sure to BLEND. You don't want weird lines everywhere!! Set with face powder so your makeup stays in place.

Contouring

HIGHLIGHTING THE FACE:

1. You can't do contouring without highlighting.
2. Using either a creamy color with white pigments or a high-lighting pencil, apply the high light right on the bone below the outside corners of your eyes. Don't go all the way underneath your eye or you'll look like a raccoon and no one wants that. Blend out towards your cheek bone. *This make your cheekbones stand out. (As seen in "C")
3. Now apply the cream or pencil to the center of your nose. Start at the bridge and go all the way down to the tip of your nose. Make sure you do a very straight line. *This will make your nose look straight and slender along with the contouring. (As seen in "B")
4. Right above the eyebrows, apply the high lighting cream or pencil. Don't do the whole eyebrow, just the ends. *This will make your eyes stand out. (As seen in "A")
5. You can even high light the v-shape in your top lip but adding high light. You can define a more v-shape if you don't have one, by basically drawing a V with a high-lighting pencil. Don't do the whole top lip, just the v-shape. (As seen in "D")
   
   

   

   Highlighting

Some products that can help you achive these steps better:

This is the concealer stick I use to contour my face. It's really great because since it's a stick, all you have to do is draw lines on your face in the areas to contour, then blend with your finger. I use five shades darker than my skin tone.

I use High Brow by benefit for my high-lighting pencil. Even though it's technically made for the eyebrow trick, you can use it for anywhere else on the face. Just draw a line, and blend with your finger.



This is by Benefit called "Cupid's Bow." If you want to look like you have larger, fuller lips, this will do the trick! I love this product a lot. All you have to do is use the light side of the pencil to do that V-shape trick I taught you, and then with the dark side of the pencil, you line the very center of your bottom lip. Using the blending brushes the product comes with, blend everything. And vuala! Big lips!! It's all about SHADOWS.





It's not hard to contour & highlighting.. With a little bit of practice, you can really step up your makeup routine! Once you get it down, it'll only take about 5 extra minutes to do.

You'll defintely see a difference; your face will have sharp beautiful angles and your face will glow!

enhance your beauty!!! ... xoxo brianna <3

Encouragement & Some Love for your day =)

Strange how little things.. or better yet, little people :)... can really motivate you, and change your whole mind set on things.

If you're feeling down or no one has motivated you, then please follow my link and read my story. Sometimes other peoples' positivity can really encourage you.

Link to my short story:)
http://pinkandcammies.tumblr.com/post/3824146672/my-sister-lydia-drew-wrote-this-for-me-when-she

Stay strong and stay positive! It'll get you places :)

xoxo brianna

pretty photos

and one just for laughs.......

apartment and the differences between nc & de

Outside of our apartment... The quality of the pictures are terrible because it was taken with my phone camera!

 

Brynn Marr Village :)

 

This is the front of the A apartments (we're on the back)

 

That's us, on the bottom :)

 

The side (we're the bottom,right half)

The walkway to our side porch kinda thing.. haha

Our apartment complex pool.. I would love to jump in that baby right now.

 

Our walkway... I'm so happy the trees are blooming!!

So far, in my opinion, what's different about NC compared to DE:

• people are more laidback and nice in NC 
• in NC the weather is so much nicer way earlier in the year
• the beach is five minutes away in NC
• they have pine needles everywhere down here.. it's like what mulch is up north haha
• you get pine needles stuck to the bottom of your shoes
• there's huge bugs in NC.. scary huge bugs
• there is annoying tax down here
• the main supermarket down here is "piggly wiggly"... up north it's "acme"... piggly wiggly sounds so hick.. i love it haha
• there's amazing soda down here called "cheer wine".. it's ten times better than dr.pepper
• every station here is pretty much country
• sweet tea is a must in NC
• so are honey buns

 So far, that's all I can think of!

I'm loving North Carolina.. Now all I need is my friends & family to move down. :D

  

xoxo beeeena.

Alex's Doctor Appointment

About a month ago now, Alex hurt himself and has been in a lot of pain. (You can read my "We're Regulars at the E.R." blog about what happened.)

A week ago he had to meet with a urologist who found a half inch tear in his urethra. He was given strict orders to not do anything physical, not lift anything over 25 pounds, or walk for over 15 minutes. Anyone who knows Alex, knows he's not one to sit down for a long time; he always wants to get up and do something. So it took a lot for him to just follow those instructions.. but he did a pretty good job, except for here and there, he would stand for more than 15 minutes. His pain was decreasing and we both noticed that everyday it seemed like there was less and less pain. His pain was on and off, so we assumed everything was getting better and healing.

Today he saw the urologist again, who said his tear got bigger by a third of an inch. We both were surprised, and the doctor reemphasized that he needs to follow all the instructions, even if the pain doesn't feel as bad as it did in the beginning; he may just be getting used to the pain since it's been so long that he has had it. So this time around, we'll definitely be adamant with the doctor's orders.

The doctor will be looking at his progress again next week. But as of now, he is scheduled for surgery March. 25th. Hopefully by his next week's appointment, the tear begins to heal so that surgery doesn't need to happen.

Please keep Alex in your prayers.

xoxo beeeeeena.


Oh and I thought this was pretty funny... I was looking for details about torn urethra's and facts about it when I came across this article about Johnny Knoxville who had the same thing a few years ago..

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-johnnyknoxvillecrotchinjury,0,6967007.story

Welcome to Apartment A4 :)

We don't have pictures of our living room, dinning room, kitchen, outside, or guest room yet...

But this is what we've taken pictures of so far :)

Soon we'll have pictures of everything, and the outside - it's such a pretty apartment complex!

Our bedroom... Don't make fun of the fold out table :)

Mickey Bathroom! Ignore the full trash can :)



I'll make a new blog tomorrow of the rest of the apartment :)

xoxo brianna

p.s.

2011 spring styles to love

Styles to L.o.v.E.

It's spring time ... colors are changing and the styles, too!

Lots of girly, bold, bright colors *a lot of mustard yellow*, 40's, 50's inspired, and edgey looks are in for the season!

This look is from Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B line; these kind of pants are really edgey and so cool; I'd wear this in a heart beat if I had the money.

Pretty sure this is also Gwen... I love the mohawk look & crazy knot in the back!

Once I learn how to do this, my hair will never be down :)

A few years ago I looked up "DIY" jewlery and found step by step how to make newspaper bracelets. I have like 10! Now they are selling them but JUST MAKE IT! I love them & they're so easy to make, and when you make something, you appreciate it so much more than buying it!

American Eagle leather cross-body bag... I just got this but in gray... I'm kicking myself for not buying the mustard yellow instead :( Love the cross body bag look!!

Unnatural red hair!!!!! Rihanna was the first to test the waters.... but now unnatural red hair color is coming in style.. And the bow is extremely cute.. I gotta find something like that!

Not really a "style" but, NEED.

LOVE THESE BABIES!

I have this ring and love it! Girly & a not-so common color to wear. [it comes in a lot of other colors at forever21]

I have this OPI banana yellow color... It makes you look so tan - and I do a little black dot on my index fingers.. I love those colors together; very 40's!

1. Love Urban Decay

2. Love Alice in Wonderland & Disney

3. Love the amazing pallete of colors

4. A must have

Bright colors & crew necks

Pin-up hair with bandana and pin-up makeup - LOVE.

Bright colored suede ballet flats!

Large, bold, girly fabric necklaces

Feather hair extensions! So cool & you can even wash/curl/straighten them!

xoxo beeeeeena