How-To Glitter Accent Nail Tutorial

by now every has seen a pin on Pinterest showing a glitter accent nail. the thing that makes that accent nail so appealing is that it is pure glitter, not just a glitter polish but pure, actual, glitter. the nail polish equivalent to gold plated jewelry vs. solid gold jewelry. we always opt for solid gold.

this gold glitter accent nail looks amazing with the new Essie spring polish Madison Ave-Hue. the Essie spring polish line has me drooling with gorgeous pinks, purples and the perfect shades to mix and match. i've been obsessively the collection since it arrived and i love how well it coordinates with my spring wardrobe.

well played, Essie.

getting this glitter gold accent nails is easier than ever. all you need is a pot of craft glitter which tends to be finer grained than your standard run-of-the-mill glitter, and your polish of choice. paint your nails, dip your nail into the glitter pot and let dry. finish with a topcoat to 'set' glitter and enjoy!

xo,
kristie

How To Highlight And Contour

learning how to highlight and contour is one of the most essential steps in getting professional looking making. it is the difference between Kim Kardashian and Rob Kardashian - let's face it, with a little contouring he could be a beautiful Kardashian. i mean that in the most loving way.

with all of the highlighting and contouring infographics on the inter web, i decided it was time to put a little Blushing Basics spin on how to highlight and contour.

Laura Mercier matte radiance baked powder

let's begin with contouring. contouring and highlighting is a game of shadow and light, you are recreating your own perfect lighting. contouring is creating shadow and depth in areas you want to fade. using a matte brown is a key ingredient in contouring. too much shimmer in your bronzer and your face will look muddled. making sure your contour is matte will keep the color flat and give you the best 'shade' possible.

for this contouring tutorial i used a new favorite product, the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder. the bronze shades give the skin the perfect soft matte finish with a hint of warmth. the baked powder is packed with pigment and a little goes a long way. a heavily pigmented bronzer is your bff when contouring as it allows direct deposit of color and easy blend ability.

• with a fluffy face brush, apply a matte brown into the hollows of your cheeks. this is the area directly under your cheekbones. applying it too high on the cheekbones will make them look flat. applying it under your cheekbones will make your cheekbones appear higher and more prominent.
• with that same fluffy brush, apply color to the temple and along the hairline. if you have a short forehead, skip this step. otherwise, the color along the temple and hairline will help draw attention towards the center of your face (the eyes!) and help fade the forehead.
• again, that fluffy brush will be your best friend in eliminating any resemblance of a double chin. applying bronzer along your jawline and down your neck will make those areas look more recessed and thinner.
• last, using a small shadow brush to apply contour color down the sides of your nose. this will make the nose appear straighter and thinner.
• optional: apply contour color just below your bottom lip for more of a pout and in the crease of your eyelids to give depth to your eyes.

highlighting is the task of adding light to make areas more prominent and create height. areas on your face that you want to add height to are your cheek bones, your brow bones and the bridge of your nose. for highlighting i used Laura Mercier's Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlight. it has the perfect soft matte radiance to really make the skin glow without being too shimmery or glittery. 

• using a fluffy brush, apply highlighter directly to your cheekbones to create height and a healthy glow of your skin.
• with an eyeshadow brush, apply highlighter to your brow bone to add height to your eyebrows, and make your eyes look brighter, wider and more open.
• with that same eyeshadow brush, apply a swipe of highlighter down the center of your nose. this will help to add height to the bridge of your nose making it appear straighter and thinner.
• optional: apply highlighter to the inside corner of your eyes to brighten and the cupids bow above your lips to make them appear fuller.

now you are armed with all the information you need to join the ranks of a Kardashian, the women who have made this technique so widely popular and well known. 

xo,

kristie

Work Outfit Inspiration

photos courtesy of Tarin Crookston

believe it or not, this stay-at-home mom has occasion for business wear. whether i am meeting with Denver Post editors or pitching brands i want to look professional without losing my sense of style. the great thing about business wear is that you can keep it simple (hello, black) and add your personality through your choice of accessories. in this case, i went with a black blazer and coordinating pants, finishing with a colorful silk shirt.

accessorizing is where i had my fun. included was of course, the cool and colorful ESQ ONE^™. ESQ Movado will be keeping me accessorized all summer long with silicone straps that are comfortable to wear, sleek enough to be chic and utility enough to go with me into the pool. with it were my favorite gold bangles, delicate chain and Chimera bangle. the mint accent and gold detailing in the pocketbook helped complete the entire outfit and coordinated clothing and accessories.

once again i'm feeling like a MILK: a mom i'd like to know.

xo,

kristie

How To Clean & Sanitize your Makeup & Makeup Brushes

spring is here and what better time to learn how to clean and sanitize your makeup and makeup brushes? i am what you would call a bit OCD but my husband's a doctor who doesn't like when i self diagnose, so let's just say i have OCD tendencies. keeping my makeup and my makeup brushes clean is one of them.

raise your hand if you want bacteria, increased acne/breakout, risk of infection, herpes or any other virus your makeup can carry.

me neither.

keeping your making clean and sanitized is not only important, it is essential. for approximately $2 you can do just that. to clean your makeup you'll need: alcohol, a small spray bottle (picked up in the Target travel section for 99 cents), a small cup/jar and some cotton.

before you begin to sanitize your brushes you'll need to clean off the residue that makeup leaves behind. rather than investing in a pricey brush cleaner, baby shampoo works just as well and if you're a mom you probably have this laying around the house.

apply a dab of soap to the palm of your hand, briefly run your brush under the tap and then swirl your brush in the palm of your hand. this will gentle clean the bristles through the entire brush. rinse under luke-warm water and lay on a towel to dry.

sanitizing your brushes has never been so easy. simply pour some alcohol into a small jar, dip your brush tip in and swirl for a few seconds. wipe off any remaining alcohol and lay flat to dry. the alcohol evaporates quickly and your small brushes should take a short time to dry, however your large brushes will take a while.

make sure to let makeup brushes dry completely before using or else you will get a nasty buildup.

sanitizing your makeup is just as simple. pour undiluted rubbing alcohol into a small spray bottle. i found mine in the Target travel section for 99 cents. keep it filled constantly and sanitizing your powder/creams will be a cinch. to sanitize, spritz alcohol directly onto makeup. make sure you've sprayed enough to coat completely.

alcohol dries and evaporates quickly and will not damage your powders or creams. a few quick spritzes is all it takes to keep your makeup germ free.

last you are going to want to make sure your containers are also germ free. you can do this by soaking your cotton swab in alcohol and wiping down your containers.

as a makeup artist, keeping your products clean and sanitized is essential. let's be honest, no one wants a virus.

my intent was to only clean my eyeshadows, but my OCD tendencies got the best of me and i ended up cleaning my entire (personal) collection. *i always keep my work 'kit' cleaned before and after use

seems like keeping things cleaned isn't my only problem... #makeupoverload

xo,

kristie

H&M Grand Opening + Giveaway

H&M has announced the grand opening of a new store located at The Streets at SouthGlenn, Thursday May 30th. this announcement is exciting on so many levels.

i am a huge lover of H&M. i first discovered it while living overseas in England 9 years ago. here i was, this expat living in a land that was completely foreign and the one thing that could get me out driving on the wrong side of the road was H&M. i would travel 30 minutes to Cambridge just to spend some QT at the H&M store. it was my saving grace while pregnant and kept my little man stylish once he arrived. thankfully i have seen H&M stores popping up across the country since we have returned and it remains one of my favorite places to shop.

what's the new news on H&M opening? H&M has recently launched their Conscious Exclusive collection and garment recycling program. the Conscious Exclusive is a partywear collection perfect for celebrating the arrival of spring. Vanessa Paradis is the face launching the collection and is the perfect choice for highlighting the dramatic gowns and rock & roll red carpet style. the collection is made from sustainable materials in H&M's ongoing effort for a sustainable fashion future. 

the garment recycling program is perhaps an even more exciting announcement. with select stores providing a recycling container, the initiative allows customers to bring unwanted garments from any label to select H&M stores. in return for each bag of garments the customer will receive a 15% off voucher. return clothes for more clothes!

so why am i drooling over H&M right now? to celebrate the grand opening of the SouthGlenn store H&M has offered THREE lucky Blushing Basics readers a $50 gift card as well as a $100 gift card grand prize! the grand prize winner will have the chance to have early access to the store with me during the Grand Opening. sweet, right?!

be sure to follow the instructions below and keep those fingers crossed for your chance to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


xo,
kristie

Black/White Outfit Inspiration

what screams spring/summer more than white denim, rattan shoes and sheer blouses? nothing. absolutely nothing. one of my favorite looks for casual, work or evening is mixing black and white. you can never go wrong with this timeless color combination and accessories help provide that necessary color without affecting the overall color scheme. my black and white look includes my sheer animal print blouse (sleeves rolled, always!), white denim and black skinny belt. comfortable black sandals are a must since running after a 3 kids can be tiring.

i kept the color scheme in the accessories by using all silver from silver Tiffany & Co. bracelets and a black beaded necklaces. my cute and colorful ESQ ONE^™ watch by ESQ Movado adds just the right amount of color to an otherwise serious color scheme. ESQ ONE watches come in an array of fabulous and fashionable color combinations, i only wish i had more! also pictured is my beloved MAC Spring/Summer 2013 lookbook, a constant source of makeup inspiration.

what's black, white and read all over?

xo,

kristie

Missing Summer? Sparkle Nail Tutorial

you may be wondering - what's up with all the fashion posts this week so let me give you a heads up. my official title is Glambassador, but it is a fancy word for a blogger who collaborates with Glamour magazine. last month we worked together on a creating a series of posts - three different outfits featuring the new ESQ Movado watch. those posts will continue to be posted this week. in the meantime and in-between, let's enjoy some beauty!

here in Denver, summer is just a tease. with the occasional day over 70 degrees, i begin to get my hopes up and put my winter wardrobe away only to have it drop back to 30. if you'd like to dream of summer or are already in the midst of it, here is a tutorial to keep you sparkly.

*throws glitter*

i love all that glitters. i mean it. i am one of those people who believes that if you add glitter to anything, it looks better. makeup, artwork, toothpaste, frosting, car paint, jewelry...you see what i mean? i remember when i first received my engagement ring, i was driving down the road when i realized the sunshine on my ring was causing a disco ball effect on the ceiling of my car (this is making my ring sound much larger than it really is, it's modest, i promise). makes me smile just thinking about it.

during the summer months i particularly love to glitter up my toe nails and watch them shine. with the winter months here i haven't been using as much of the glitter. i thought it would be fun to do a quick and easy tutorial for a subtle glitter polish that is fun to use, even mid November.

for this look i used:

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Glitter Polish
Revlon Speed Dry Polish in Nude
Seche Vite Top Coat

first, apply a single layer of your nude polish for an even canvas to glitter up:

second, add two coats of your glitter. believe me, one is just not enough:

finish your polish with the Seche Vite top coat. (btdubs, adding so many layers makes the polish fairly thick so it will not chip as easily, but it will peel faster.)

enjoy your sparkly fingertips and think sunshine.

xo,

kristie