Guest Post: Makeup Station

She does it again. I of course, have been slacking. My trusty fellow blogger, Morgan, has some great ideas for those of you who wonder what are some essential pieces to have at your makeup 'station.' To go with Morgan's style, she has a beautiful, well-organized vanity. For me, I have a makeup case under my sink and some organized trays/bins in my towel closet that is in my bathroom, since my bathroom is tiny. It is really whatever floats your boat. Here is Morgan's take:

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I am one of those people who looks disorganized to the outside eye but I have a method to my madness, especially when it comes to my makeup application station... or in other words, my vanity. I have recently just redone a 1930’s/1940’s clam shell vanity. When I say redone I mean I sanded, painted, added new drawer handles... the whole nine. But I digress. I have always had my makeup put up neatly in cigar boxes, placed ever so slightly so it all fit together like a little puzzle in a little nook on my bookshelf. Little did I know, I was missing something until getting my vanity completely finished. So here’s a few things to add to your makeup application space to make applying makeup and life, if you’re a makeup fiend like myself, just a little easier.

• Having a handy way to store your makeup applicators. Now I have a whole set of brushes from Costal Scents and they came in a neat little case, which I used for the longest time. Now I placed mine in square vases with clear marbles. So nice and convenient to just be able to look, grab, apply, and put away.

• Amazing lighting. I searched high and low for a string of globe bulbs to place around my mirror. But I failed at finding any that did not cost me an arm and a leg. I just happened to pull out my old Chinese lanterns and took the shades off and hung them low enough that they were not directly next to my face but were low enough to not have shadows cast on my face.

• Makeup boxes or bags. I prefer boxes. They keep my makeup completely organized. No falling all over the place. I know exactly where whatever I’m looking for is located. I know exactly where my peacock eye shadow palette is. I know exactly where my blush is. I do not have to dig around to look for anything. Like the puzzle I was talking about previously.

• Last but not least, makeup remover wipes and q-tips. You never know when you are going to have a small mistake or a huge one... one that can ruin your whole makeup application. It is better to have tools readily available to adjust or remove any imperfections you may encounter.

Here are some pics:

If you have any other handy helpful tips you use, let me know! And if you happen to try any of these tips, fill me in on how they work for you.

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Again, always on point and timely information from Miss Morgan. She is a makeup extraordinaire. I have seen some of her work, and it is fabulous. Hit her up on Instagram: 'gingerrkidd00' or email her.

Ciao, bellas!

☮gretchen elizabeth

Please note, I am not paid to do these reviews nor am I doing this for the benefit of any company. It is just my own personal opinions, experiences, likes and dislikes!

Resource Fridays: Apps

I would like to dedicate Friday's to short, sweet posts about resources. There are so many things out there on the internet, magazines, stores, etc. for you to grab hold of and say "Mine!" The great news is, a lot of them are free or really inexpensive. Some of you may be saying, "Well yeah, but where do I start?" This is where I come in. I am hoping to give you extensive beauty resources by picking a 'theme' each Friday and giving some information. 

This week's theme is apps. As in, phone/mobile applications. Almost all of us have a smart phone or iPad/Kindle/tablet/etc. We have busy lives, so we need things that cater to that. Something quick, easy, and fun. I would like to share with a few apps I have found and like. 

Beautylish: You do not want to miss this one. Gosh, I love it! They post articles surrounding different beauty concerns (and even post DIY stuff), you can look at videos and photos, see what other people are talking about in the beauty world, get and give advice, and even buy things from their website or app. My favorite part is the articles and DIYs but it is all great stuff. You can favorite anything you like and save it for future use. I would highly recommend this app. It's fun and has a great user interface. 

Total Beauty: This app is a review melting pot. You can look up products and see what other people are saying about them. You can search by brand or by category (face, makeup, hair, body). This app is great if you are looking for a new product to try or have a specific brand you want to explore for other products. It is nice because it has a TON of different brands, and not just certain brands like department stores have. 

Make Up For Ever Pocket Studio: This app is like a little pocket makeup artist. It has a lot of tutorials so you can learn how to achieve looks for any occasion. It is nice because it also has tips on how to fix those beauty blunders (I seem to have one of those every time I try to do something out of my ordinary makeup routine) and you can save your favorite products to a wish list, if you want.  I do not use this app because I rarely do anything awesome with my makeup. But for those of you who like to experiment with different looks, this a cool one!

My Own: Whoa huh hoo, this is a gem. This app analyzes your skin type by taking a picture of your face. Make sure your face is sans make-up, pull you hair back, and take a picture! You can use the front or back camera if your phone has that capability. The back camera produces better results according to the app, but I used the front camera and it seemed to work fine. This is just really nifty to me. It looks at wrinkles and age spots. And let me tell you, I was amazed at what this picked up! It tells you where you are at as compared to your peers and gives you suggestions for lifestyle and skincare changes. This app does more than this but I wanted to give a quick review of it. Check it out and let me know what you think!

The best thing about these four apps... they are free! I only did four because this is supposed to be short and sweet (apparently I struggle with that) and that is a lot of apps to try. Post some of your favorite beauty apps, I'd love to hear what you are all loving right now.

Happy weekending. Wear that sunscreen! *wink*

☮gretchen elizabeth

Please note, I am not paid to do these reviews nor am I doing this for the benefit of any company. It is just my own personal opinions, experiences, likes and dislikes!