New Blog!

I just wanted to write this post to thank anyone who has liked this blog enough to keep up with it or read any of the posts.  And I apologize for the lack of anything in a couple of years.  Being a beauty blogger is tough and I just lost the passion for it.  But...I've started a new blog and would greatly appreciate you checking it out! It's a more personal blog and I post anything I want to post.  Again, please check it out and thank you! :) http://kateyrosesmith.blogspot.com/

Christmas Beauty Haul and Review!

Hey everyone!  Now that Christmas is all over and I've had time to test some of the beauty products I received, I've decided to create a blog post about some of my favorites.  The only thing that was given as an actual present was the BH Cosmetics120 Color Palette 3rd Edition.  The rest I chose myself with Christmas money.  

Originally I intended to go buy clothes, but either it's just me or no one is making any cute clothes lately.  So of course I ended up going to Ulta and spent most of my money there... Now for the review!

1. BH Cosmetics 120 Color Palette 3rd Edition-  This palette is amazing!  I've wanted it for a really long time, but never thought I would be able to get it.  So to say the least, I was super surprised when my mom got it for me.  There's really no need to buy any other eye shadow after you get this palette.  It has everything from shimmers to mattes.  The quality is great and they blend really nicely.  The only thing that got on my nerves was that some of the shadows were way more pigmented than others.  For example, the bronze shade in the palette takes a lot of layers for it to get to a nice color while the mud brown only takes one tap for the color to really show up.

2.  L'oreal Paris Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base-  I've been using this base for awhile and was so sad to see that I ran out of it.  So of course I had to buy another one!  I absolutely love this primer.  It makes your  skin so smooth so when you start to put your foundation on, it glides right over.  The primer also has this diffusing effect.  It's almost as if it creates a soft glow.  You know, like the photoshop effect?  Anyways, I adore this primer!

3.  Tarte Intro to Tarte Set-  This was one of those special kits that have a bunch of their famous products in miniature form.  It came with ReCreate, natural cheek stain in Tipsy, multiplEYE lash primer, multiplEYE mascara, and emphasEYES liner.  The cheek stain, primers, and liner were absolutely fantastic, but the mascara was so disappointing.  I don't even want to discuss it.  The only things that I really want to review for you guys are the natural cheek stain and lash primer.  I can see why everyone loves the natural cheek stains.  They have a beautiful finish and really give you that healthy flush.  At first I was scared to try it because I thought that A) It would make me look like a clown. Or B) It would make my skin look too oily.  Well, I was wrong.  The stain blends really nicely into your skin and I found out that putting translucent powder over top of it sets it without canceling out the color.  It really shows through.  As for the primer,  it really volumizes your lashes.  You can totally see the difference in lash volume when you use it with mascara as opposed to without it.

4.  Benefit Cosmetics Girl Meets Pearl-  I've always wanted to try Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl highlight but I never bought it because I didn't really want to spend $30 on a highlight.  That's why I was so happy when I found that that Ulta had mini versions of Girl Meets Pearl for $10!  It's amazing and really gives your skin a healthy looking glow.  It's AMAZING.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Katey

Photo is from here.

How To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Hey everyone!  Sorry I haven't been posting much.  School has just started back up and I've been swamped with homework.  For today's post, I'm going to show you guys two easy ways to clean your makeup brushes.

Most people overlook this step, but it's very, very important.  Overtime, makeup brushes tend to build bacteria.  Also, the dirt and oils on your face get transferred to the brush.  Each time you use it, you are just swiping this dirt, oil, and bacteria back on your face.  This can lead to more and more breakouts.  Not cleaning your makeup brush is like the equivalent of not cleaning your face.

Spot Cleaning

What you'll need:

• Brush cleanser like Sonia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleanser or MAC Brush Cleanser
• Paper towels or wash cloths

What to do:

First take your brush and hold it over the paper towel.  Now spray your brush cleanser over the bristles.  Then take your brush and swirl it in the extra cleanser that fell on the paper towel using the right motion.  For flat or angled brushes, go back and forth and for round or dome shaped brushes, go in circular motions.  Make sure to keep swirling until the brush leaves behind a clean trail.  You can take more brush cleanser and repeat the steps if necessary.  Now shape the brush back into its original shape and leave it on the paper towel to dry.

How to Deep Clean

What you'll need:

• Antibacterial dish soap
• Olive oil or argan oil
• Plate or bowl
• Linen towel
• Brush guard or aluminum foil
• A cup or two

What to do:

Pour the dish soap and argan oil on a plate.  Now take your brush and swirl it all around in the mixture.  The reason we're using antibacterial dish soap is because it will kill all of the bacteria built up in your brush.  As for the argan oil,  we're using it to recondition the hairs on the brush because the dish soap strips the hairs and dries them out.  Take the brush and swirl it on the palm of your hand to remove all of the pigments and bacteria.  Lay it on the towel and move on to the next one.  Once your finished cleaning all of your brushes, run them under water until the water falling from your brushes is clear.  Shake them off just a little bit and squeeze out the extra water with the towel.  Now slide a brush guard over the brush.  This just helps the brush keep its shape.  Be sure to leave about half an inch at the top so the brush can stand upside down.  Never ever dry brushes on their side or right side up when you've exposed them to water.  The water can trickle down into the handle and loosen up the glue that holds all the hairs together.  This can make your brush loose all of the hair.  So always make sure you dry it upside down.  That's why we use the brush guard so we can let the brush stand upside down in a cup.  All the extra water will collect at the bottom.  If you don't have a brush guard, you can take aluminum foil and wrap it around your brush leaving enough room at the top so you can stand your brush up without mushing your it.

I hope this helps!  If you have any requests, leave them in the comments below! 

XOXO,

Katey

My Favorite Nail Combo

Image from here.

Hey everyone!  I was inspired to recreate this Vanessa Hudgens look and wear it as my back-to-school nails.  I didn't realize how much I would fall in love with the look when I was done with it. It's amazing!

What You'll Need:

• Turquoise nail polish
• Gold nail polish
• Top Coat

How to:

1. Take the turquoise nail polish and paint all of your fingers except one.  I decided not to paint my ring finger like Vanessa did here.  I used Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.  I had to use about 2 coats to get a good color.

2. Now take a gold color and paint your ring finger.  I used Nicole by O.P.I's The Next CEO.  Again, I had to use two coats.

3. Now take a top coat to seal the nail polish.  I used Wet 'N Wild's Rock Solid Top Coat.

A really cute idea would be to take that same gold color used on your ring finger, and use it on your toe nails. This way the mismatched ring finger looks like you intended to do it that way.  I loved this look!  I hope you guys enjoyed the post!

XOXO,

Katey

Video: How to Curl and Wave Your Hair With a Straightening Iron

Hey everyone!  I've been doing a lot of videos lately and thought I should share one of them with you.  It's a little rambly, but that's because I become tongue-tied while doing the videos. Haha!  Watch how to curl and wave your hair with a flat iron below! :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/kateysoutlook 

If you have any blog or video requests, just let me know! 

XOXO,

Katey

Katey's Outlook on Youtube!

youtube.com/kateysoutlook

Hey everyone!  I have big news.  I made my own Youtube channel!  You can check it out here.  I'm so, so, so excited about it.  I'm basically going to be doing the same thing like I do here, only in videos.  Don't worry about the blog though.  I will still post extras on it and other articles.

http://www.youtube.com/kateysoutlook
http://www.youtube.com/kateysoutlook
http://www.youtube.com/kateysoutlook

But I do need your help.  Tell me what kind of videos you want to see.  I want to be able to post videos you guys like.  So just comment below and tell me what you think.  Or you can go to my Youtube channel and comment or my Twitter.  I can't wait to hear from you guys!

XOXO,
Katey

DIY Lip Gloss

http://geniusbeauty.com/cosmetics/mac-cosmetics-double-dazzle-lip-gloss-collection/

Hey everyone!  As of lately, I have really been into making my own cosmetics and looking up what goes into creating them.  A couple of posts ago, I made my own lip scrub that turned out really well.  So that inspired me to find a way to make my own lip gloss.

To say the least, it turned out amazing!  I honestly don't see how I didn't think of this earlier.  

What you'll need:

• Clear lip gloss(the less sticky,the better)
• Pigments, loose eye shadow, or pressed eye shadow
• Something to store it in/mix it in
• A lip gloss brush

Take the clear lip gloss and squeeze it out into your container.  I used a spoon when I did it because I was planning on using enough for one application.  Now choose what color of lip gloss you want to create.  I decided on making a bright red.  Now that you know what color, choose what pigments or eye shadows you want to use to make the color of your lip gloss.  I selected a very bright red and a warm gold.  I'll explain why I took gold later on.  I took the back of the lip gloss brush and scraped out the red pigment from my eye shadow into the clear lip gloss.  Scrape as little as possible needed to make your color.  The more eye shadow you put in it, the more cakey it gets.  I took just a little bit.  Just enough to dust the top of the gloss.  Then I took the warm gold and scraped just a little out into the container.  I then flipped the brush around and used the applicator part of it to mix it all up.  Ta-da!  You have your very own pigmented lip gloss.  If you wanted your lip gloss to be extra glittery, take an edible glitter and mix it into you lip gloss.  If you want to turn you gloss into a lip plumper, take a little cinnamon and add it to your gloss.  Cinnamon is a natural lip plumper.

Now for the part about the warm gold.  Some colors you add to lipstick or gloss determine the undertone of the finished product.  If you want a color that looks best with cool undertoned skin, take a blue or purple color and add it to your gloss.  If you want a color that looks best with warm undertoned skin, take a yellow or orange type of color and add it to your gloss.  It's all about color theory.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

XOXO,
Katey