Floral Accents

Hey everybody!

A couple of days ago, I decided to enter Sparknote's yearbook awards competition. I chose the category of Best Hair, and had to take a fabulous picture to send in. But did I stop at the hair? Of course not! Here are pictures of the outfit I paraded around that day: 

Until next time!

<3 Lucero

How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Hey everybody!

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the cold weather and being able to snuggle up with a piping mug of hot chocolate! I've created a step-by-step instruction on my favorite way to make peppermint hot chocolate!

First, fill up a festive mug with milk*. For this recipe, water won't work.

You can either heat it up on the stove until it's near boiling, or just put it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.

While your milk is heating up, crush some candy canes or peppermints. I like to stick these mini canes in a plastic bag and roll over it with a rolling pin. That way, they're nice and crushed up.

After your milk is done heating up, get out a jar of Nutella. Put in a generous spoonful (or 2 stingy spoons) of Nutella into the milk along with the crushed peppermint, and stir.

Voilá! You're done! The hot chocolate should be minty, frothy, and delicious! For an added touch, hang a candy cane on the rim!

Hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

*I see you're using 1% milk. Is it because you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be using whole if you wanted to.

Lecrae Concert!

Hey everybody!

Today, I went to the Youth Festival Jam 2011, featuring Lecrae! It was an amazing time, and there were so many inspirational speakers and musicians there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take too many good pictures, because the lighting was weird, and people's heads were constantly in my shots. Sometimes being short is a total pain. But either way, here are a few highlights of the evening!

First up we had the band Creepy Puppets open up the event. He was very enthusiastic to say the least!

After a few songs from Creepy Puppets, a spokesperson from the organization To Write Love On Her Arms(TWLOHA) talked about the organization and his experiences. TWLOHA is a non-profit organization which specializes in helping people with depression, self-injury, and addiction. They directly help people by donating proceeds from t-shirt and wrist band sales to rehab treatments.

Next, we had a speaker come up and perform a monologue. It was a story about a man dealing with substance abuse who finds the meaning of life, Jesus Christ.

Shortly after, a pastor came on stage and performed a few songs, including Coldplay's "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall".

Finally, after hours of waiting, Lecrae started performing! Lecrae is a Christian hip-hop artist who raps about his experiences in life and with Christ.

Hope you all enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

I'm Blue

Hey everybody!

I have a few pictures taken outside my house. I filmed a YouTube video today, with the theme of blue accent pieces. Here are pictures of my two favorite outfits!

Hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Expiration Date for Makeup

Hey everybody!

As an aspiring makeup lover, I've learned a lot of things I never would have guessed about makeup. For example, makeup, just like food, has an expiration date! Some products come with nifty little symbols that tell you how long they're good for.

However, not everything has it written on the packaging. So, I have a few general guidelines to help you know how long everything should last!

Eyes

Eyeshadows generally last up to 3 years, but only if they're powdered. Cream eyeshadows last only about a year to a year and a half, because the liquid in the products can store bacteria.

Eyeliners last up to 1 year in pencil form. Pencil liners will usually harden or crumble after they've expired, so that's a good indication. Gel or liquid liners last around 3-6 months.

Mascara lasts anywhere from 2-6 months. It's best to discard them after they start to flake, dry out, or if you develop an eye infection. Also, avoid "pumping" your wand in and out. This allows air to come in, and bacteria to breed inside the tube.

Face

Foundations last from 12 to 18 months, depending on whether they're water or oil based. Oil based foundations tend to last longer. Also, foundations stored in a tube or pump last longer than those stored in jar, because exposure to the air brings in more bacteria.

Concealers last the same amount of time as foundation, from 12-18 months.

Powders, including blush, bronzer, and highlighter can last up to a year, while their cream counterparts only last around 6 months.

Lips

Lipsticks can last up to 2 or 3 years. You can make them last longer by sticking them in the fridge! The cold environment helps slow the production of bacteria.

Lipliners are much like eyeliners, they last up to 1 year and tend to crumble when they're expired. Lip glosses last about 12-18 months, and pumping the wand should be avoided here too.

Nails

Nail polish lasts up to 2 years. After a polish has gone bad, it tends to become thick and gooey. Separation of the oils is normal, especially if it's been stored for a while. However, if the oils don't mix again after being shaken, it's time to toss.

While you don't have to immediately discard something once it reaches its expiration date, as the product gets older its best to look out for signs that it's gone bad. If a product starts to smell, change color, or have a different consistency, it's best to play it safe and get rid of it.

Hope this helped! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

Do's and Don'ts of Trick-or-Treating!

Hey everybody!

Here I have a few tips for trick-or-treating, if you're still cool enough to do that. :P

Do: Be polite and say "please" and "thank you" after getting candy.
Don't: Head-butt the person with joy.

Do: Wear something fun and festive!
Don't: Wear something Lady Gaga would approve of. Chances are, you won't be able to walk more than 2 blocks wearing it.

Do: Carve a jack-o-lantern to put outside for the kids.
Don't: Rig a pumpkin to explode when a batch of trick-or-treaters come by.

Do: Decorate your house to look scary for Halloween.
Don't: Make your house so frightening is causes every single kid passing by to pee their pants.

Do: Apply makeup to enhance your costume
Don't: Apply permanent marker when you run out of black face paint. That stuff says "permanent" for a reason.

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

Lush Haul!

Hey everybody!

Today I picked up a few things from Lush for the first time! I've heard lots of great things about this brand from Youtube, and decided to pick out a few of the most popular items!

First I have bath bombs. These are chalky bundles of fizzing soap that is infused with essential oils. You simply throw one into a bath of warm water, and let them dissolve! I bought two, one in Golden Wonders and the other in Vanilla Fountain.

The other product I got is the lip scrub. They use sugar and other natural ingredients to slough away dead skin. The best part, you can wash the scrub off, or lick it off! It's completely safe to eat!

What's really lovely about this brand is that everything in natural, and hand made! I'm ready to try out what I got!

Hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

MAC Porcelain Pink & Soft Sell!

Hey everybody!

Here are some pictures and swatches from the rest of my MAC shipment!

The first one is a Mineralized Skin Finish in Porcelain Pink. This is a re-promote, and is also limited edition. It's a light, dusty, rosy pink with lots of beautiful shimmer!

The last product I got was the Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Soft Sell. This isn't limited edition, but is part of their Pro Longwear line. It's a beautiful mauve color that leans towards maroon. I love how long the color lasts!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and swatches! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

MAC Angel Flame Quad!

Hey everybody!

Last week my MAC shipment came in, and it made me so excited! Two of the products I received are limited edition, from their latest collection and the other is is part of their Pro Longwear line.

Here I have Angel Flame, which is the limited edition quad. I really like the colors, especially the pink and orange because they go surprisingly well together. I'm a teeny bit disappointed, I'l admit, because the colors aren't as pigmented or vibrant as I would like, but it's still a great quad.

I also have a few swatches of the colors!

Chamomile is a satin finish, and is a great highlighting color. It's not completely white, it's somewhere between eggshell and ivory.

Feather Pink is also a satin finish, and a wonderful, bright, all-over lid color. It's a mid-tone light fuchsia color that leans towards purple.

Angel Flame, after which the quad is named, is a frost finish, thus it's very shimmery. The shimmer and sheen made it so difficult to take a close up of the swatch (my camera couldn't focus properly)! It has a lot of golden undertones, so it doesn't show up as orange as it looks. I think this warm-toned eyeshadow really helps off-set the brightness of Feather Pink.

And finally, we have Gravel which is a matte finish. It's a charcoal grey color with blue undertones, and it's fabulous for use as a liner.

Hope you all enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero