My Week In Pictures

Maybelline Makeup Vending Machine in MBFW Lounge

Obligatory Times Square photo

Taking a picture of Ally taking a picture

These models can strike a pose, even mid hairstyle

Awkwardly walking the red carpet in the Grammy Viewing Party

xo,

kristie

New York Fashion Week

you may or may not have heard that i am heading to New York for fashion week next weekend. i'm trying to be all cool and casual but inside i am screaming, jumping up & down and doing mental cartwheels!

Fashion Week.

when i started this blog a few years ago i would never have dreamed it could grow into what it is today. what began as a casual hobby has turned into a full time passion. i love doing what i do. i love blogging (really), i love makeup, i love fashion, i love being a beauty correspondent (i haven't yet mentioned that i filmed an infomercial in July, look for me on late night tv discussing skin care!) and i love the opportunities that blogging has opened up for me.

this Rebecca Minkoff Fashion Show invite showed up in my inbox, along with several other invites to backstage access featuring makeup for M-A-C, Aveda and NYX as well as hair for Redken. i'm still pinching myself and wondering, is this real?

starting next weekend my daily posts will be mainly comprised of pictures chronicling my adventures. i want you with me every step of the way, because without you i couldn't have made it this far. your support and encouragement has meant a lot to me. there have been times your comments have brought tears of happiness to my eyes because you have found importance in what i do. thank you for every sweet note, every 'share', every follow, every tweet and 'like'.

here's looking at you kid - a love song from one of my favorite movies:

Sure, the world wide web is great. But you, you make me salivate. Yes, I love technology but not as much as you, you see. But I STILL love technology. Always and foreveeerrrrrr. - Napoleon Dynamite

xo,
kristie

Nokia Pink Lumia Lounge {Meet Kandi}

this week i was invited to the Nokia Lumia event that hit Denver Thursday. as part of the Nokia Pink Lumia 900 promotion an awesome Lumia Lounge was set up with sweets, treats and Kandi. and by Kandi, i mean Kandi Banks celebrity nail artist.

Kandi's nail art is like nothing i have ever seen. ice-cream cones and leopard print are her signatures (guess what? we use the same technique for leopard). she has had requests as crazy as bacon nails to
fried chicken. this girl can do it all. to find out more, check out Kandi here:

instagram: KandiYamz
twitter: @MmmKandiYamz
tumbler: http://nailsbykandi.tumblr.com/

her story is incredible. while she has been an artist her whole life, she started doing nails a year and a half ago and now she is a nail artist for celebrities, including Nicki Minaj & Demi Lovato. Kandi was so fun to meet and i love how she refers to nails as her 'mini canvas'. i am sure we will continue to hear about this nail superstar in the future.

signature styles

checking out the Lumia Lounge was so much fun. i brought along a girlfriend and my three kiddos. even my little sissy Boo had a mani:

Kandi Banks painting my nails. #beautybloggerdream

last, but not least, i was sent home with my own Nokia Pink shade created by Duality. this Nail-Pak pairs polish with a nail file and polish remover pads included in a removable bottom:

have i mentioned how much i love being a beauty blogger? *sigh*

xo,
kristie

Beauty Evolution {Beauty Blog Backtrack}

i love this post. it was one of the first ten posts i wrote and re-reading it i realized several things.

1. i've lost a little of my personality in my writing. when i started writing it was for fun, now that i have incorporate more "professional" pieces i have lost a little spunk. i promise, i'll work on bringing it back.
2. seriously, gotta rock every stage of life. becoming a blogger has made me realize there is no weirdness in rocking the side skrillex or the bedazzled toes. it is me being me.
3. the message is still true. be true to yourself, be true to your faith and be true to others. the rest will just fall into place.

on to the post!

hi everyone. i was hanging with my girls the other night and we started laughing about how crazy we looked ten years ago and my girlfriend suggested i do a post on my evolution of style. so please laugh with me as you look at the past to present kristie.

freshman year of high school. this was my favorite shirt. i wore it EVERY friday. i am looking at my skin now wishing i could get that back.

senior picture. i loved this. who didn't love senior pictures?! it is the first time in life (for most) that you get your own personal photo shoot. i still wear those earrings (thanks mom for loaning them to me, you will probably never get them back)

here is where it starts to get interesting. first year of college (at Rick's when it was still called Rick's). i am the second from left. while that outfit may look a bit cray i wore that stuff ALL the time. favorite t-shirt of my life, had a screen print of Joseph Smith's face (you can only find those gems in the Rexburg D.I.), orange leopard print skirt and penny loafters that i spray painted silver. on my head i am wearing a tube top. BTW those pink socks were remnants from my tonsillectomy surgery, you know the kind with skid proof bottoms?

at a friends wedding. that is me on the left (not the one in the wedding dress) far right is my ex boyfriend. my roommate brought me back that purse from London (Topshop) and i thought it was so cool. i still think Topshop is so cool.

me and some girlfriends. YIKES. yes i wore that velvet jacket ALL the time (in fact i still own it). while my posing looks a little cheeseball can you tell the girl on the right is an actual model?? sheesh.

aaaacccckkkk! what was i thinking?!? jet black hair, chuck taylors, cordoruy pants coordinated with glittery scarf (both purchased from thrift store) and i look like i am working on a deuce. however, shout out to my buddy Carl, that tie is sweet.

me and the band. yeah, i was hanging back stage in the green room...i guess that makes me sound like a bit of a groupie?? i promise, i was just emo, NOT a groupie. kudos to me for going back to an organic hair color.

at my bridal shower. and that is how i evolved into the beauty my husband married (love ya Tman!). in between all those pictures were even more hair mishaps (purple, blue, and orange to name of few colors, all of which unintentional)

going back through these pictures really dredges up a lot of memories. hindsight is 20/20 and i realize that i am happiest, loveliest and most content when i am true to myself. fitting into a mold, being someone you're not or living in a manner that is incongruent with your beliefs tends to make a person void. find yourself and your beauty will follow.

xo

kristie

Why have bread when you can have a salmon

My Week In Pictures

it's been a while since i've done a WIP and we had a particularly fun week that i thought i would share:

here's the fam at SeaWorld

getting ready to see Shamu. no show is complete without a giant bag of cotton candy.

waiting to see a stingray

the cutest little jailbirds

me and c-diddy enjoying a Legoland ride

he earned his license that day

thanks for checking it out!

xo,
kristie

My Week In Pictures

it has been a good week for the blushing basics household. a visit to Keystone, Breckenridge and Glenwood Springs. best yet in 2012.



dinner at Luigi's

gondola ride

larger than life snow fort

international ice carving competition, first place

cutest couple in Breckenridge

xo,
kristie

Week in Pictures

between two sick children, we didn't make it out of the house much this week. instead we spent our time building legos:

we may not have made it out of the house, but we did get some excellent goodies in the mail:

many reviews to come!

you can see my review of these products here

we had some fun (and much missed) O-H-I-O friends visit. between two babysitters, a few wrong turns and a ridiculously long wait, we enjoyed some yummy sushi.

last night i stayed up WAY too late creating my new Welcome Page for Facebook. if you haven't "Liked" me yet, this is what you see when you arrive. if you have "Liked" me, you can see it here.

xo,

kristie

My Week In Pictures

some pretty big milestones for Blushing Basics this week.

remember this car here:

since it was virtually undriveable, we traded it in for this one here:

we signed up our little Sissy Boo for dance class. i'm not sure who is more excited, me or her:

Tman and i celebrated our wedding anniversary:

and i get to stare at this gorgeous babe while giving myself a pedicure:

those lashes KILL me.

xo,

kristie