What’s in Lauren’s Makeup Bag?

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I was recently asked this question by a couple of good friends who were looking for some new products to try. So I thought I’d whip up a little post showing you all what I use for makeup (and some tools!) on a somewhat daily basis. I typically skip the eyeshadow/blush bit when I’m working because my nursing job isn’t too glamorous. The routine below is my weekend day time look.

  1. Bare Minerals Foundation in Medium Beige
  2. Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
  3. Tarte Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
  4. Nars Blush in Orgasm
  5. Bare Minerals Eyeshadow in Vanilla Sugar, Queen Phyllis, and Soft Focus Explore
  6. Benefit Pore-fessional Primer
  7. Benefit They’re Real Mascara
  8. Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in Light Golden
  9. Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion
  10. Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil (clearly I need a new one..this can be found at any drugstore)
  11. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Black
  12. Eyebrow comb
  13. Revlon Eyelash Curler

Now for the routine: I first start with a clean face. My skin routine is pretty serious, and I fully believe in spending good money on your face products. I’ll post on my favorite skincare products soon! I then apply #6 Benefit Pore-fessional Primer all over my face (a pea sized amount is perfect!). Next I apply my #1 Bare Minerals Foundation using the brush that came in my Bare Minerals kit years ago. Once I have good, even coverage, I apply #8 Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer under my eyes. This concealer is truly like it’s name, amazing! To set it in place and brighten up my eyes a bit, I apply #2 Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder right on top of where I applied the concealer.

I then use #9 Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion (just a little dab) on my eyelids, which helps the eyeshadow stay in place. Next I use #5 Bare Minerals Eye Shadow in Vanilla Sugar all over my lids up to my brown bone. I lightly apply Soft Focus Explore lightly to the outer corners and up to my crease for some definition (all while blending, blending, blending!) and then Queen Phyllis right underneath my brows for some highlight. Next I apply #11 Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Black lightly to the tops and bottom lids and use a q-tip to smudge (I don’t like harsh lines). I then take #2 Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder and apply it right under my bottom lids to prevent my eyeliner from smudging, like I showed you in this post! Then I curl my lashes using #13 Revlon Eyelash Curler, and apply two coats of #7 Benefit They’re Real Mascara. I also reapply #11 to my waterlines. To finish off my eyes, I touch up any sparse areas of my brows with #10 Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil and tame them a bit using #12. :)

To finish up, I lightly apply #4 Nars Blush to my cheeks (a little goes a LONG way with this color), and then contour slightly with #3 Tarte Bronzer under my cheek bones, neck, chin and forehead.

Lips are a whole other ballgame with me….I’m a big lipgloss fanatic, and I’m constantly changing what I use!

If you’re purchasing makeup products online, Sephora and Nordstrom are my two favorite places to buy from….Sephora always has great deals on shipping, and Nordstrom is free shipping ALL of the time (and they’re FAST!)!

Do any of these make up products work for you? Or maybe you have something better? Leave me a comment and let me know…I’m always looking to try new stuff! :)

xo, Lauren

Vintage Inspired Shoot with David Apuzzo

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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a shoot with the amazingly talented photographer, David Apuzzo. The concept? Natural lighting with a vintage feel. Right up my alley. Taking pieces from the past both in wardrobe, and home decor and incorporating them into a shoot that had a perfect location. The Chetstone House in New Haven, CT. I’m not a professional photographer, but even I could find creative inspiration in literally every corner. A grand piano? Check. Vintage furniture and props in every room? Check. Even the huge wrap around patio had an old rocking chair and vintage suitcases. Basically this venue was my blogging dream.

Make sure you check out David’s website and blog at www.davidapuzzo.com – his work is sure to amaze – insanely creative shots from bright pops of color to clean natural light that make every photo visually pleasing.

It was also my first time working with Carly McKay and Kyle Samolik Beauty Entourage! Loved them <3 They are incredibly talented and made my makeup and hair look flawless – even if our call time was at 8am!

Vintage clothing. Old Victorian House. Vintage props. Amazing photographer and makeup artist. I’m one lucky girl.

xo, Chelsea

31 Bits. Spread some Love.

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Well, we are almost through February – the coldest, darkest, and snowiest month of the year. Only having two holidays, Valentine’s Day (lame) and Groundhog’s Day (seriously?), it is quite contestable that February is the most hated month. If you aren’t one of the few who are lucky enough to have your birthday to brighten up this dreary time, it is up to you to provide yourself to a dose of love and optimism.  Treat yourself to a manicure – or better yet, buy some jewelry that not only benefits yourself, but the amazing women who made it.

31 Bits makes beautifully handcrafted jewelry by women in Uganda. Each piece of jewelry is made from 100% recycled paper and local materials to provide displaced women an opportunity to overcome poverty within their communities. Each collection has it’s own inspiration – and each piece displays love, hope, self-respect, equality, honesty, and growth – all while providing an everyday outfit with a blast of color to break away from your mundane February blues. Go ahead, we give you permission to spoil yourself, and “use fashion and design to empower women to rise above poverty”. How refreshing!

Lauren and I are both wearing the “Daybreak”  knot necklaces and “Morning Glory” bracelets – both from the new collection launching tomorrow!! The green/mint (on Lauren) and peach/light pink (on me) pieces instantly bring a pop of color to our everyday outfits. Which is your favorite 31 Bits piece?

xo,  Chelsea

Warby Parker, The Hayworth Collection

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True confession: I am the girl who prays she will fail an eye exam just so I could buy cute glasses (I know, lame). But sadly, I’m 20/15 every. single. time. Yes, that’s 20/15 as in..my vision is SO good I actually see things as if they were 5 feet closer than they really are. But that doesn’t change my wishful thinking that one of these days, I’ll need prescription lenses. And when that day comes….oh you BET I’ll be buying from Warby Parker.

If you haven’t heard of Warby Parker, then you must be living under a rock. No worries, I’m here to spread the good news and bring you to the year 2013.

Warby Parker is a line of vintage-inspired frames with a contemporary twist (you know we love us some vintage!). The best part? They are SUPER affordable. Custom fit prescriptive lenses starting at just $95. Say whaaaaaaat?! And as if that wasn’t amazing enough, they do good deeds too. For every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to a person in need of some specks through non-profit organizations they’ve partnered with.

So let’s recap. Vintage-inspired (meaning you look super awesome). Affordable. Help others. The perfect combination, yes? Yes. Another even cooler added bonus? They have a home try-on program. Yes, it’s true. Pure genius.

Today Warby Parker is unveiling their new Hayworth Collection, inspired by the “postwar disillusionment, forward-facing optimism, and technological progress” of the1940s and 1950s. The new Neville and Edgeworth frames offer two new fresh looks and colors which we are totally digging here at MVR!

The Neville, which has a more squared frame, is featured in Sugar Maple (a new W.P. color!) and Marblewood as seen here (from top to bottom).

Think Roy Orbison, and if you don’t know who that is, ask your parents. He’s known for the song “Pretty Woman” and his super sweet specks. ;) See? He totally would’ve rocked them.

The Edgeworth has more of a rounded frame, and is featured in English Oak (also new!) and Striped Sassafras (from top to bottom).

Frames for all face shapes and sizes! Both styles and colors are also available in sunglasses as well. And if you are loving these new looks, be sure to check out this new line and the rest of the Warby Parker collection. And better yet…if you’re in the market for some new frames, use their home try on program to take them for a test drive on that stunning face of yours!

So which new style are you coveting this season? Leave your answer in a comment below! For me, it’s the Neville in Sugar Maple. Hey Warby Parker, can you hook a non-vision impaired sister up with some frames? ;)

Love,

Your Perfect-Vision-And-Hating-It Friend Lauren

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Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Warby Parker. All thoughts, opinions, and photo editing skills are my own, with the exception of the sweet photos of the frames provided by Warby Parker.

A Fab Collab: Prabal Gurung & Target

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On February 10th, my spring fever will officially kick in.. This IS possible in the dead of winter. Why? The most anticipated collaboration since Missoni is going to be hitting the racks at Target. Prabal Gurung will light up my winter angst with brightly colored florals and prints! Inspired by the different stages of love (think: first date, meet the parents, engagement, etc.) everything is flirty, feminine, and perfect for spring. The best part? Each piece is priced under $200 – most of it wayyyy under.

Gurung will be joining a group of other talented and coveted designers (others include Rodarte, Jason Wu, Missoni, and Proenza Schouler) that Target has provided fashion-lovers a chance to get their hands on. For the full collection, go to Target.com – below are some of my favorite looks!

xo, Chelsea