Peter Pilotto for Target: Lookbook!

The lookbook for Peter Pilotto is here! Head over to Fashionista to view it. 

http://fashionista.com/2014/01/peter-pilotto-target-lookbook

Carolyn Braden: Good Beauty With Sephora, Bad Fashion With Shoes.com

I had to report on a good beauty company and a not so good fashion company.
Good news first: Sephora brightened up my week by drawing my name during their ladies night event. I won $650.00 worth of beauty products. I looked up the price of each item and was seriously wowed! I was just there to use my 10% off coupon in order to restock on Urban Decay's De-Slick spray and I purchased the perfume sampler (sample perfumes then return the certificate for a full size bottle, great deal!) I never knew I would be greatly surprised with leaving the store with so much more! See the photo of what I won. I will report on which products are "Worth it!"

Bad news: I'm sad to report this about a fashion company: I will never ever purchase anything from www.shoes.com again and I highly recommend people follow suit. I purchased Franco Sarto's Poet boot on October 3rd. A week went by and my credit card was charged but no boots arrived. After being on hold for over 20 minutes, a customer service rep told me their warehouse was not shipping orders until 10 days after purchases are made. The website stated they would be shipped within 3 business days. I told her to refund my money knowing I could make the purchase through Zappos.com or Amazon.com and have my boots within a couple of days. The only reason I purchased through Shoes.com was to try out the company that offered a discount of 15% and free shipping. Trying to save money did not pay off. It is now October 13th and my money has not been refunded. The rep said I would receive an e-mail confirmation of the cancelled transaction and I have not. An e-mail to customer service on Wednesday the 10th was never replied to. I tried calling yesterday and the phone wait time said it would be 20 minutes. Today I tried calling and the wait time said 46 minutes. What the.....? So, I will try calling and e-mailing again. My husband will be helping me out as well. I may end up having to file a dispute on never receiving my product through my credit card company.

So in a nutshell, Sephora is great, Shoes.com is horrid.

By the way, I've ordered the Poet boot through Amazon.com and I've got the tracking number and will receive my package on Monday. Yay Amazon!!!!!

Carolyn Braden's Question: Natural Skincare?

I have been on a "pure and natural" kick for a few weeks now. I have paid attention to what I consume for years. However, I didn't give much thought to my make-up and skin care. When you think about it, your skin is like a sponge. What you put on it gets absorbed into your skin and can stay there for a while. This summer I began purging my products. After reading labels, I began removing products that had a ton of ingredients. I realized my routine to wash my face was taking forever. It was the process of all the products I applied. I remember my grandmother loving a lye soap I made at school in the 5th grade. I replaced my Bioelements face wash with Grandma's Lye Soap which only has three ingredients. I removed my Bioelements Oxygenation. I added Grapeseed oil. I was surprised to discover it did not make me breakout. Next I will try removing the Bioelements Oil Control Sleepwear. Not that Bioelements were bad products, I just wondered why I needed so many different products to clean my skin and keep it clear.
I removed my liquid foundation and started using Bare Minerals.

Now I am awaiting the results. So far, I've noticed an improvement in my skin tone and my breakouts aren't as often. With any product change I expect the worst but hope for the best. I figure that mother nature has created many beautiful things so why should she stop at making skin beautiful too.


http://www.grandmaspureandnatural.com

A cute hair style for a bad hair day: Pinterest Pin!

Carolyn Braden "A Lowe's Bracelet" An idea from Pinterest

I saw this bracelet on Pinterest and knew I had to make it. It comes from the website www.honestlywtf.com. She has the steps to make it on her site and my video gives you tips to make the creation a little easier. My tips come from my experience of being an art teacher. I figure if I have difficulty making something, I know my students will too. I am always trying to figure out easier solutions to making creative art projects.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms7ZIq2It0A

LCN Polish Seal.....I've ordered it!

I ordered my LCN Polish Seal yesterday. It is not on back order any more and will ship out to me in 1-2 weeks. I will be using it as soon as I receive it and will update my post with the results. I am very interested in this product. Will I be able to use all my old polishes again and set aside my Shellac polishes? We shall see!

How to Make Pearl Drop Earrings!

Here's my how-to video on making pearl drop earrings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUWBKck-Uhk

Pop Tab Bracelet

Here is my first pop tab bracelet. I was inspired to make this craft thanks to some creative art teachers at a recent professional development. I am going to make a how-to video on this craft and post it to YouTube. Try this craft with your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. They'll love it!

The Limited Dress...Summer Re-Style

I purchased this dress on sale at The Limited recently. Though strapless, it stayed up for a whole day. There was no embarrassing tugging; something that almost always happens when you go strapless). I wore it to a day of races at Churchill Downs. I removed the sash it came with and replaced it with two metallic braided belts. I wore gold braided wedges and stayed cool and stylish all day long.

Carol Burnett....My Idol Got Gelled

I love Carol Burnett. Her comedy is timeless and now her polish will be too. I loved this ad for OPI gel polish. Carol got gelled! :)

LCN Polish Seal: Gel-Like Finish for Regular Polish

A new gel-like top coat that will possibly be the replacement for gel-polishes? The Today Show Women's Day Magazine, Dr. Oz and more have featured this product and it's flying into the hands of women across the world. I checked out a few bloggers opinions of the product and they say it's great. All my beautiful polishes will be used again. I will be ordering this soon. It's on backorder so if you're interested, order now so you can get it as soon as they get it in stock.
lcnusa.com

Easy Summer Braid Style

I did a side braid that wrapped around my head. I pulled the other side back and twisted it all together in a small bun. I'm experimenting with styles that will prevent me from getting sick of long hair and chop it off. Braiding keeps it off my neck and keeps me cool in this hot summer-like heat.

CND Rock Royalty and Finger Paints Glitter Polish

Try experimenting putting a regular glitter polish over a gel polish. That's what I did for this mani. I did 2 coats of Rock Royalty and one coat of Finger Paints Movie in the Park. What can I say? I love sparkles!

RCM: Gel Polish and Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen

Here's an experimental combination: Red Carpet Manicure Love Those Baby Blues and Sally Hansen Real Polish Strips

Shellac Hot Pop Pink French Manicure

This mani is Negligee over Hot Pop Pink.

Shellac Checkerboard Mani As Seen In InStyle Magazine

A first attempt at a checkerboard Shellac mani. A little challenging to do on your own but it looks pretty good. I like my "fruit punch" colors!

Garnier Skin Renew B.B. Cream, Yes Please!

Not wanting to waste money on a possibility I might like B.B. Cream, I decided to try Garnier's version. I instantly fell in love. It did not irritate my skin and left it glowing.....seriously! I now use it as part of my daily regime, putting it on after my moisturizer and before my Too Faced skin primer. Most use B.B. Cream as their primer but I like using it to conceal reddneds and even out my skin tone. The separate primer combined makes my makeup last for hours. When I am just puttering around the house or working out, B.B. Cream is a great option when you don't need makeup but want a little coverage. I use Light/Medium and my mom uses Medium/Dark. I really love the fact that this product doesn't irritate my sensitive skin.

Airbrush Tanning At Home.....worth it or not?

After deciding our spray tans at SunTan City were a bit expensive, we researched spray tanning at home. Many blogs and websites later, we chose Kahuna Bay spray tan formula in Kahuna Melange. We set up a booth in our basement with tarps, bought a paint airbrush from a home building supplier and we already had an air compressor. Since Kahuna Melange had bronzer already in it, we knew we didn't need bronzer drops. We coated our ankles, palms, toes and fingers with a scent free lotion to avoid super brown extremities. After about one hour of making sure we didn't miss any body parts, we waited and hoped for the best. We are now on day three and our tan is still present without streaks and we do not look like oompa loompas. We ordered the trial kit of original, dark and extra dark. I am liking the original. Being naturally fair skinned, I don't think I would want to go darker. I am going to try the darker colors on my mom, as she is darker complected, and see how those look. The VersaSpa formula at SunTan City always seems to vary in how good it looks. Lately it's worn off my skin in two days. After trying Kahuna Melange, I think my husband and I are going to stick with it and say farewell to SunTan City. Saving money and still looking good is always in style in my mind.

www.ArtesianTan.com

Yet Another Deal Found @tjmaxx

Sam Edelman boot and Minnetonka tassel sandals, keep the deals coming @tjmaxx! When I was there, I actually heard the term Maxxinista used and I laughed. I think that word is a staple in the good fashion deal world.

VS.....It is no secret they have great fashion!

I recently made a spring fashion purchase from Victoria's Secret. The sandals earned me many compliments the very first day I wore them. I'm waiting on my t-shirt dress to be shipped because it was on back order. I guess the good word is out if they are already selling out of spring and summer fashion.