1. Ipsy Glam Bag Review: February!

    February 16, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty by Kristina Horner

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    I’m about to go out of town to film a secret project, but before I hit the road I figured I had enough time to get this ipsy Glam Bag review in. There was a very diverse assortment of products this month, which was exciting. I tried them all this morning amid furiously packing so my face looks sort of crazy. Also I only have one fingernail painted. It happens to the best of us.

    Jesse’s Girl Eye Color Collection in “Behind Blue Eyes”: This is sort of a fun little palette! The colors aren’t extremely pigmented, but they get the job done! For a blonde like me, this collection of blues and grays is a fail safe product to toss in an overnight bag for those mornings away from your normal makeup collection. I gave it a little try this morning and was happy enough with the results, but I can’t wait to leave it at my boyfriend’s apartment and really try it out there.

    Pop Beauty lip gloss in “Peony Petal”: You probably know this about me if you’ve been following my blog and reading these posts month after month, but I am not a fan of lip gloss. It makes my lips feel sticky, my hair always manages to get stuck in it, and it stops looking good after about twenty minutes. That being said, I didn’t have as many of those problems with this one. The color is nice, it smells great and was slightly less sticky than your average lip gloss. So, I give it a B.

    Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in “Starshine”: I feel like I complained about getting a light silver eyeliner relatively recently, didn’t I? Getting another one makes me feel like maybe there’s something I’m missing here. At first try I still don’t see the point, but my goal this month is to figure out how the heck to use such a light eyeliner.

    Zoya Professional Lacquer in “Odette”: More nail polish. I have nothing to say about nail polish! It’s a nice color I guess? I have too much! No more nail polish, ipsy! It’s all the same to me!

    Uberliss Straight Effect RituOil: This is the kind of stuff I really like getting in my ipsy bag: totally new products I didn’t even know existed! Hair oil? Good oil for your hair? I’ve recently started straightening and curling my hair more than usual, so having more products to soften and protect my locks is a good thing for sure. Kind of early to know I’d keep using this long term, but it did make my hair shinier.

    Benefit High Beam Complexion Enhancer: I’ve never used anything like this before. From reading the instructions I gather that you apply this product over your makeup to sort of add an additional glow to your cheek or brow bones. I have no idea if I did it right. It was a little more sparkly where I applied it but overall I didn’t see much of a difference. I do really like Benefit products though, so again, another goal for the month: master the complexion enhancer.

    As usual, if you want to sign up for ipsy, you can help me earn more insider points by signing up using this link! Insider points give me access to more free products, like the High Beam I got this month. It’s a lot of fun! Let me know if you got any of these products this month and what your thoughts were.

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  2. Look #29: Galentine’s Day Party!

    February 11, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Geek Events, Outfit of the Day by Kristina Horner

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    My good friend and fellow blogger Tara of the Geeky Hostess threw a “Galentine’s Day” party this past weekend – a day to celebrate your favorite gals, wear pink, eat waffles and exchange presents. It’s also a day to remember how great of a show Parks and Rec is, as Leslie Knope first coined the idea for this kind of a party.

    We did a secret gift exchange (I got Pinkie Pie heart shaped mints and earrings and a big floppy pink bow), caught up on girl talk with “Table Talk” conversation starters, drank mimosas and rocked a little impromptu photo shoot on the photo wall Tara provided.

    It was a fun and relaxing morning with great gals and I just wish we made time to do stuff like this more often! I highly encourage you to make time for the important females in your life this Valentine’s Day.

    I wore a hot pink dress I found at Ross for $6, polka dot socks and pink tights from Target and my favorite heeled boots from Cathy Jean.


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  3. #ModWeekofLove Challenge!

    February 8, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Geek Events, Outfit of the Day by Kristina Horner

    I personally love Valentine’s day, almost as much as I love a good instagram photo challenge. ModCloth is currently asking the Instagram community to participate in a love-inspired ModCloth Instagram Challenge. An excuse to take more photos of yourself, you say? I’m in.

    I’ve posted the schedule for you to follow in the image down below! Just tag your photos with #modweekoflove and @ModCloth to share the things you love with the ModCloth community and the world! It starts Sunday, February 9th and goes for an entire week!


    Happy Valentine’s Day! You can submit as many photos as you like, and they’ll also be giving out some prizes over the course of the week. I’ll be doing the challenge… let me know your instagram name down below if you’ll be participating as well.

    I’ll be back soon with another fun Valentine’s Day inspired post! Hope you’re all having a great weekend!


    *This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on them.

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  4. Look #28: Doctor Who Improv Show

    January 28, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Geek Events, Journal, Outfit of the Day by Kristina Horner

    There’s a lot of really great improv companies around Seattle, so I frequently get the opportunity to check them out. It’s a completely different kind of live performance, and my favorite types of improv shows to see are the long-form ones based on a larger theme. I’ve seen a Final Fantasy show, I’ve seen one that emulated being inside a video game with movement tracking “game screens” behind the actors, I’ve seen one that took place on a doomed space mission – but this most recent one (by the Seattle Experimental Theatre) was Doctor Who themed. I wasn’t really sure what that was going to entail, but my friends and I of course bought tickets to see it together, making it a perfect Friday night outing.

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    The skirt is brand new; I got it from Forever 21 a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to look too fancy (especially since my dang ‘whoops I didn’t shower today’ sock bun really makes a person look dressed up!) so I paired the maxi skirt with a simple D&D t-shirt I absolutely love. Then I threw on my bronze Cathy Jean boots and a black hoodie and that was that! I’ve been playing around a lot with dressing up t-shirts, so this was an interesting study doing the opposite – dressing down a skirt and hairstyle.

    The show was interesting. I had a good time, and a couple of my friends were in it, so that is always an added bonus. The premise was that there was an actor that played the Doctor, and a companion. The rest of the cast became either the good guys or the villains. They asked the audience for a location on Earth (we chose Paris) and a problem (lice). Then they made a Doctor Who episode out of it.

    The best part of the show was the full sized beautiful Tardis they had on stage. The Doctor ran in and out of it all night (obviously) and waved a sonic screwdriver around and made all sorts of references to the show while still creating something new and unique out of the story. I think we might have been there on an off night, because there were quite a few things that didn’t pan out or didn’t make sense or were totally abandoned, but overall, it was still a very enjoyable experience. Improv is hard. I have no idea how those actors come up with all that stuff so quickly, night after night. I have the utmost respect for talented improvisers.

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    Unfortunately the show is now over, but if you ever see a themed long form improv show in your area, especially one based on something nerdy and fun, go check it out! They’re a lot of fun, especially if you can make it to multiple nights of the same show. I love seeing how different the shows turn out on various nights.

    Have you been to any of these types of improv shows? What did you see? Let me know in the comments!

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  5. Ipsy Glam Bag Review: January!

    January 25, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty by Kristina Horner

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    Got my ipsy bag for the month! This one contained an unusual array of products; it’s probably the most diverse ipsy bag I’ve received yet. I love the design on the bag this month, but it smelled quite plastic-y when I first opened it. It may take awhile for that smell to dissipate, unfortunately.

    Anyway I tried all the products between yesterday and today, so here are my thoughts!

    1. Deep Conditioning Mask by Briogeo: I’m not particularly picky about hair products, so I am always down to try something new! Generally I switch between a higher end shampoo/conditioner (Joico Body Luxe) and a middle of the road set (L’Oreal Everstrong) but I’ve never tried a hair mask of any sort. I read that it’s good to leave this stuff on for 3-5 minutes once or twice a week, so I won’t know how much I really like it until I’ve used it a few times – but already I can tell my hair is pleased with the results. Especially during the dry winter months I can really see this being something I will likely add into my normal routine, since my hair has felt brittle and sad since it started getting colder. Unfortunately I have nothing to compare the brand itself to, but I at least give hair masks in general a thumbs up.

    2. Tinted Lip Balm by MICA Beauty Cosmetics in “#6 Fiesta”: To start, I really love the color and feel of this lip balm. I don’t have many lip products that come in a pot like this one, and I think they’re fine for applying makeup at home, but would be terrible on the go. After applying, my finger was (naturally) covered in the residual balm and I had to hunt down a tissue to get it off. Verdict: Lovely purpley pink color but I’d take lipstick with an applicator over this any day.

    3. Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil by Elizabeth Mott in “Pearl”: This isn’t the first time ipsy has sent me a product like this. It claims it’s a shadow on the packaging, but it’s so thin it has to be an eyeliner. I tried it on my bottom waterline and it’s kind of pretty, but hardly noticeable against my fair skin. Send me brighter colors, ipsy!

    4. Mark Fading Pads by Proactiv: They sent me four little testers of this product, though it’s definitely one of those items you’ll want to work into your daily facial regiment to see any real results. I used to be one of those people who had an entire arsenal of acne-ridding products I cycled through each day, but the more I research acne prevention the more I’m starting to come around to the “less is more” mentality. I still have problem skin but I have been experimenting with just a gentle cleanser morning and night and exfoliating once a week or so with a sea salt scrub. It’s been working relatively well for me. This has been a long tangent basically to say I’m hesitant to try this product because I have been trying not to overdo it with my skin and if this one aggravates it, I’ll be setting myself back. So I won’t be trying this one, at least night right now.

    5. Moisturizing Face Lotion by Nourish Organic in “Argan + Rosewater”: Seems to be another standard moisturizer. I tried it this morning. It smelled a little off, but felt nice enough on my skin. I use Clean and Clear Dual Action Oil Free Moisturizer (surprisingly great product) but this one seems good enough to toss into my travel bag.

    It’s felt a bit, lately, like I’ve been more unhappy than excited about the contents of my ipsy bags, but I realized lately that I actually enjoy testing products regardless of whether or not they make it into my official makeup bag. I still consider myself a bit of a makeup n00b, and I’m very inexperienced with many types of products. This subscription is cheap enough that I feel like I am doing something productive by learning about products even when ultimately the verdict is “never buy lip balms that come in pots”. As long as I like 1-2 of the products in each bag (which I always do) then personally, I still consider that month a success.

    If you want to subscribe to ipsy, you can use this link here, which will give me ipsy points for the referral that I can trade in for fun new products!

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  6. Look #27: Date night and birthdays

    January 24, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Food, Geek Events, Journal by Kristina Horner

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    Mine and Joe’s birthdays are less than a month apart, so we decided to find a way to celebrate them both (with each other) around the same time, creating two fun-filled days of nonstop celebrating. It started with a surprise bloody mary and brunch early on Tuesday, organized by Joe. I used the outing as an excuse to wear my brand new dress from Forever21 and my favorite Bandmate Bootie in Red from ModCloth. Also pictured is my brand new iPhone case, which I love, from DandyCase on Amazon

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    We got to try 3 different bloody marys – this one is called the “Bloody Pirate”. See the sword? And the cannon ball?

    Joe knows me so well – I saved Tuesday night for whatever he had planned, but he told me to leave the morning open instead (because he knew I’d love breakfast food and bloody marys even more). He was right.

    His birthday party was next (which I put together) and it included a homemade game he pretended to roll his eyes at but I think he secretly loved it. I was quite proud of my creation.

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    My only regret is that I didn’t take an “after” picture. Not a single person even got close. It was a facial hair travesty, believe me. Overall it was a relatively low-key birthday, but I think everyone had a really great time. Good friends, good food, games, and music – sometimes the best parties are simply the ones where all of your favorite people end up in the same room. I’m so thankful to have the friends I do and I’m glad I have Joe to share these important moments with.

     


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  7. Look #26: The Little Mermaid Disneybound

    January 20, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Outfit of the Day by Kristina Horner

    A couple of friends of mine decided to throw a Disney themed birthday party, and I’ll admit – they gave us ample time to work on costumes. We’re talking somewhere in the two month range here. But naturally, nobody started working one their costumes until the morning of the party.

    Hence, pretty much everyone decided to Disneybound. I headed to the mall that morning with not a single idea about what I wanted to do, but almost instantly upon walking into Forever21, I found this amazing floor length teal green skirt. I knew what I had to do.

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    I scoured the store for a purple crop top (again, nailed it) and then called up Joe. “Do you have blue jeans, a white button down and some sort of red thing to put around your waste?” I asked him. “Umm.. yes?” he responded in his Kristina is scheming again so I probably shouldn’t argue with her voice. “Great. You can be my Prince Eric.”

    I went to every jewelry store in the mall on the hunt for some kind of shell-related accessory, but apparently Seattle in the winter isn’t the place for nautical apparel. Actually, I take that back – there were anchors flippin’ everywhere. But not a shell necklace/earring/bracelet to be seen. I couldn’t even find any sort of generic fish. I found goldfish earrings at one store, but those were a bit of a stretch. I ended up with the starfish earrings pictured above (not my first choice by any means but they would have to  do) and a purple bow I already owned.

    I had to pull it together with the makeup, then, since jewelry shopping had failed me. I used the brightest green and purple from my actual Ariel palette from Sephora – as well as pulling off my very first winged eyeliner attempt! Also, I must admit, Joe looked quite dashing as Prince Eric. I can’t wait to look on Etsy for a REAL shell necklace so I can try this Disneybound out for real at the park someday.

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  8. OneUpMakeup: My “Anna” Look!

    January 14, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, YouTube videos by Kristina Horner

    When OneUpMakeup first started, I took on more of a producer/technical/model role in the project. Really all the jobs except doing the actual makeup, because I knew very little about applying makeup to my own face (let alone someone else’s!). But over time I’ve picked up a good number of tips, I’ve grown my own makeup collection and I’ve done a heck of a lot of practicing. Before this I’d made a video showing you my personal daily makeup routine and I did a sort of simple 1920’s look, but today I give you the first look I am really actually kind of proud of… Anna from Frozen!

     

    This look was the follow-up to the Elsa look Mallory demonstrated on me in the previous week, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun with a OneUpMakeup collaboration. Mallory is adorable and fun and probably my biggest makeup influence (I’ve spent hours in the chair while she made me look fabulous for Job Hunters). I hope you enjoy this video and I also hope my makeup skillz are improving!

    I’m very happy OneUpMakeup is back. Being part of this all-female run production is incredibly empowering and I’m glad the people who watch our videos seem to be having as much fun as we are.

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  9. OneUpMakeup is BACK!

    January 10, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, YouTube videos by Kristina Horner

    For those of you not in the know, my girlfriends and I have a fun little makeup channel we created together called OneUpMakeup that we used to post weekly videos on. It was part excuse for the six of us to get together for girl’s nights, part a method of learning a bit more of the technical side of running a channel (directing videos, setting up lights and multiple camera angles, etc.) and part a chance for ALL of us to grow and develop and learn from each other as makeup artists.

    The channel did surprisingly well, except for the fact that filming Job Hunters last summer (a project five out of the six of us are heavily involved in) caused us to take a much needed six month hiatus from uploading anything.

    But! Now that we’re totally wrapped on principle photography, we’re gettin’ the gang back together! OneUpMakeup is one of my favorite little side projects, and I think it’s pretty readily apparent how much fun we’re having in every single video we post on the channel. Each video is a different combination of girls – we’re constantly switching up and doing makeup on each other. No one is just a model, or just an artist, or just a camera person. This is a project where everyone does everything, and that’s what I love so much about it.

    Our very first comeback look is probably one of my personal favorites in the history of OneUpMakeup, and I’m not just saying that because it’s on my face. Mallory recreated a stunning Elsa look, inspired by Frozen, and I am quite proud to show it to you:


     

    Keep an eye on the channel and be sure to subscribe to see what we create in the future… especially next week, when I make the companion Anna look to this one on Mallory!

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  10. Ipsy Review: November/December

    January 7, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty by Kristina Horner

    I am super late on this, but I’m still using NaNoWriMo and Christmas as an excuse. The products are still new to me, so let’s do this thang!

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    November’s Gold Ipsy Bag:

    -BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Baked Eye Shadow in “Eclipse”: I haven’t historically been the biggest fan of BH Cosmetics eyeshadow, but I might have to make an exception for this one. The color is a shimmery purple – glittery eyeshadows can sometimes come across as a bit much, but the range of glitter colors in this particular eye shadow really do bring out a distinctly “galaxy” vibe. I don’t know how often I’ll use it, but the color is really neat.

    -Be A Bombshell Lip Crayon in “Shameless”: I love the color of this lip crayon. It’s not a color that would jump out to me on a shelf, but I really like it. I usually like my lip products to be a bit more on the lip-stain side, but this crayon surprised me.

    -EM Michelle Phan Waterliner in “Royal Amethyst”: I am always down to try a new waterliner. I’ve been branching out to colors other than black, and this purpley hue actually goes quite well with the “Eclipse” eyeshadow.

    -Star Looks Gem Pencil in “Topaz”:  I don’t understand the point of light silvery liners. I haven’t found a way to use it yet that does it any justice, though I will say it’s a much brighter silver than most others I’ve tried. I think it will have to be a detail makeup product, because I can’t see it standing out enough on its own.

    -Pixi Beauty Bronzer in “Subtly Suntouched”: I am fiercely dedicated to my Benefit blush right now, so it was hard for me to give this new blush a try. I do like Pixi brand makeup a lot though, so I’ll be honest and say it’s a nice, subtle color that I can see myself tossing in a makeup bag for a sunny vacation where I won’t be wearing much makeup. It’s nice. A bit sparkly too, which I like.

    Nailtini Nailpolish in “Champagne”: It’s a very pretty color (actually one of my favorite colors ot wear on my nails, so +2 points for that), but I really wish ipsy would stop sending me nail polish. I will never use it all.

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    December Black Ipsy Bag:

    -Pop Beauty Eye Shadow trio in “Smokin’ Hot”: I just can’t get my mind past the fact that the packaging looks incredibly cheap. I don’t know much about Pop Beauty brand makeup, but it’s packaged like a Wet N Wild product. I don’t wear black/silver/white very often, so I’m sure it’ll come in useful when I find myself needing these colors, but I’ll be honest and say I haven’t actually opened this one yet.

    -J. Cat Beauty The Big Lip Pencil in “Red Rose”: Super bright, super red, and very easy to apply. If and when I need my lips to be THE BRIGHTEST RED, this product will be perfect. Until then, it will sit in my makeup bag.

    -Mirabella Eye Blender: The only blending brush I have and use consistently is more of a short, stubby one, so this brush was sort of new terrain for me. The bristles are so long! I haven’t really gotten a good handle on how to use it yet, but it’s soft and surprisingly high quality and I am happy to add it to my collection.

    -Be A Bombshell The One Stick in “Sunset”: I literally have no idea what you’re supposed to use a one stick for. Everything, apparently? I tried using this thing as blush and it worked alright, but as I said, I already have a blush I use pretty much every day. This thing kind of freaks me out, as does most makeup you can use all over.

    Okay I just looked it up and apparently you can use a one stick for cheeks, eyes and lips. What!?? What kind of witchcraft is this thing? Apparently I need to go back for further testing.

    -Salon Perfect False Eyelashes in “53 Black”: I was very pleasantly surprised to get falsies in this month’s ipsy! I don’t wear false eyelashes that often, but I do really like them. These ones, believe it or not, are actually kind of on the smaller end for me. I’m glad to have another set though (perhaps to wear to more sensible events), and I love the brands that include eyelash adhesive.

     

    You can sign up for ipsy as well if you want to receive these fun little makeup bags each month! It’s just $10 a month and you definitely get much more than $10 worth of products. Here’s my referral link; if you sign up using it I’ll get ipsy points I can use to try more products!

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