Balmain x H&M + Favorites

H&M, one of my favorite stores in the same price range and all-around awesomeness as Target, has recently teamed up with the celebrity-favored powerhouse Balmain. Known for their heavily embellished designs, they've been showcased on Kim Kardashian many a times as well as many other big-name celebrities.

The collection that was unveiled about a week and a half ago has over 100 pieces at more affordable prices than their usual line with items ranging from $17 all the way up to $650. While the more expensive items are pricier than usual for the H&M racks, it's still a steal compared to Balmain's usual $2,000 and up price tags.

My Favorite Pieces

$50 or less

(While the collection is available for purchase in stores, you can only view the collection online)

 

 Balmain + H&M Women's Tee: $34.99

I've come to that point in my style evolution where I love a basic tee that I can pair with pretty much anything and still have it look stylish and professional. While this has wording, it's one part basic, one part cool and all parts need to have, now.

 

 Balmain + H&M Sunglasses: $49.99

Really amazing sunglasses are pretty much a necessity in everyone's wardrobe, no matter where you live. Nobody wants boring sunnies: enter these beauties <.3

 

 Balmain + H&M Bra: $24.99

I love bralettes. I adore them. However, my D cups don't allow me to partake due to gravity (straps are my lifesaver). I live vicariously through everyone who can wear bralettes, so go my children, be free, and wear strapless bras for those who can't (me).

 

Balmain + H&M Men's Blazer: $49.99

No matter how old I get, I love wearing men's jackets with a t-shirt and jeans. The more embellished the jacket the better.

 

Balmain + H&M Headphones: $49.99

I'm a sucker for great headphones, and these are the most embellished I've seen yet without looking tacky.

Balmain + H&M Pouch: $34.99

This would make a perfect little pouch to slip into your purse or carry as a clutch.

Cleaning Broken Blush From Carpet

Last week I was getting ready for work when the worst imaginable thing happened: my blush z palette fell on my white carpet...opened. 

When it hit the floor, one of my hot pink powder blushes seemed to take all of the impact and shattered, causing every ounce of that blush to come out of it's container and scatter across my white carpet. Naturally, a mini heart attack occured at that moment, but I was able to clean it up within 5 minutes without a single trace of that hot pink left anywhere on the carpet.  

If this happens to you (hopefully it never does), then just follow these easy steps and you'll be good to go for any powder product:

What you will need:

 Bowl/bucket

Laundry Detergent

Wash cloth

Paper Towel

Vacuum 

Water

Step 1: DO NOT PANIC! It will be okay, your carpet is not ruined.

Step 2: If there are any children or animals within close range and are active, immediately remove them from the area so they don't walk/play in the area and drive the stain deeper into the carpet.

Step 3: Get your vaccuum and use the tube to suck up as much loose debris as possible.

Step 4: If there is any actual stain left on the carpet, get a bowl/bucket with 1 cup warm water and add 5-6 drops of laundry detergent and mix until frothy. 

Step 5: Saturate the stained area with mixture and let sit for a minute before taking wash cloth or paper towel and blotting in an upwards motion. Continue to do this until stain is removed/no more comes up.

Step 6: If there is any stain left, take hydrogen peroxide, soak a clean portion of the cloth and let it sit on the stain for an hour +. If there is no more of the stain left, take a piece of the paper towel or dry part of the wash cloth and and blot firmly to remove any excess moisture.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 30 "Inner Demons Recreation"

Day 30 "Inner Demons Recreation" - Calvin Klein

(Original Image)

Calvin Klein One Color Pure Color Lipstick: $16.00

I saw this movie a little while ago and I fell head over heels in love with the main character's makeup. I've never done a black smokey eye on myself before, and I really don't use black eyeshadow often to begin with. This was definitely stepping outside of my comfort zone, but I wanted to really push myself for the last look of my challenge. I hope you lovelies enjoyed my challenge!

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 29 "Israeli Cut Crease"

Day 29 "Israeli Cut Crease" - Too Faced

 

Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lipstick: $22.00

This is the most dramatic eyeshadow look I think I have ever done. It actually wasn't as involved of a process as I thought it would be, surprisingly. I decided to call it an "Israeli" cut crease since the Arabic cut creases I've seen use silver/white or pink on the eyelid while I used gold. Not that I'm trying to create a new look, I just thought it would be fun to use gold and whenever I think of Israel I think of the golden sand and beautiful shimmering building topped with gold in Jerusalem where we visited.

I did repeat this lip color but it felt like the only one that would truly pair well with this eyeshadow look since it's SO dramatic.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 28 "Purple Rain"

Day 28 "Purple Rain" - Lime Crime

 

(Inspiraton photo)

Lime Crime Velvetine "Rave": $20.00

 This was another inspiration photo that was sent to me that I thought would be really fun to attempt. The pink lip color I have isn't the baby pink like in the photo, and I don't have a bright purple eyeshadow like in the picture, but I decided to attempt it with the limited range of purples that I have. I actually have 2 different kinds of glitter on top of the purple eyeshadow, it just didn't pick up the glitter on my lid, only under my lid. This was actually the easiest look I've done so far. Maybe I'm getting faster?

30 Days of Lip + Looks: Day 27 "Red Lady"

Day 26 "Red Red Wine" - J Cats

J Cats Big Lip Pencil : $3.99

So I decided to attempt the strobing trend along with my bright red lip for work. I feel like my makeup held up really nicely, I'm a little shiny despite re-applying powder after getting home, but my skin looks nice which is always my main focus. I actually really love this lip pencil because it's so hydrating and pigmented that I actually wear it by itself as like a lipstick. It lasted all night through eating and drinking with just one little touch-up. I need to wear this more often because this is one of the best red lip products, EVER.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 26 "It takes a village"

Day 26 "It takes a village" - BWC/100% Pure/Burts Bees/Alba/Coconut Oil/Derma-e/Bio-Oil/Lush/Olive Oil/Boscia/Pur-lisse/Balance Me

I've done posts before showing the metric ton of samples I've amassed throughout the year from Sephora, random stores, Ipsy, friends, coworkers, etc. However, I've never shown what I actually use on a regular basis for my skin. The most challenging look for me ever is having completely 100% clear skin on a consistent basis, which is why I felt very motivated for one of my "looks" to show you what products I use on my skin before my cake face. I have a lot of acne as I'm sure you can see in the photos. My acne is hormonal/food-related, it is NOT caused by makeup, trust me. I get acne whether or not I wear makeup.

Due to my divorce and my imbalanced sleep schedule and on-off healthy eating, I'm on-off breaking out more than I ever have been before in my life. I can honestly say thought without a doubt that these products actually make my skin happy. Some people can eat pasta carbonara right before bed time and wake up fresh and dewy-faced without a pimple. I unfortunately eat anything sugar or dairy-related and I get instant acne/inflammation. I seem to keep accidentally eating foods that I think are dairy and sugar-free! These products help tremendously or I'd be complete pizza face right now. The little clear container with a yellow liquid is olive oil for my eyebrows, and the coconut oil is for eyemakeup removal/oil pulling. 

It definitely takes a village, as each product I use at specific times and on specific days in my routine. I'm regimented and treat my face well. I'm hoping adding more meditation to my routine will help with my inflammation as well.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 26 "Purple/Bronze/Nude"

Day 26 "Purple/Bronze/Nude" - Urban Decay 

 

(Inspiration photo)

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick "Naked": $22.00

I was sent an inspiration photo tonight that was so pretty I couldn't pass it up. I love dramatic brown/bronzey looks, so this was really fun for me to re-create. The lipstick is more of a pinky-nude than a true nude like in the photo. Despite my photo's appearance that my makeup is much softer than the inspiration photo, it is actually just as dark and intense - the lighting washed it out tonight a little bit sadly.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 25 "Feeling just a little blue"

Day 25 "Feeling just a little blue" - Bite 

Bite Lipgloss "Strangefruit": $22.00

I saw a look done with blue eyeshadow packed on the middle of the lid, so I decided to try it in a softer way that I could wear during the daytime. The gloss looks intimidating in the tube but once on it's super beautiful and absolutely wearable with any look.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 24 "Colour Pop"

Day 24 "Colour Pop" - Colourpop

Colour Pop Ultra Matte: $6.00

This colourpop color is brand-new, like so new it came in the mail right before I did my makeup. I thought it was so pretty I had to include it in my challenge for today's look. Because it's such a bold color and I worked today I was extremely hesitant to put anything on the eyes. I kept it simple and put a clear shimmery gloss on it to give it dimension. This lip product lasted through work, eating, and drinking! It's similar to a look I did a few weeks ago with a lip liner and a lipstick, so this similarity was unintentional but I thought the combination was really pretty today.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 23 "Natural Glow"

Day 23 "Natural Glow" - Paula Dorf

Paula Dorf Sheer Color Lip Tint SPF 15 "Tender": $22.00

 

This was my first time using this lip product, and even though it's a lip tint I thought it would be a bit more pigmented then it actually is. It's still really pretty though, plus it has SPF 15 which is awesome, but I wish it had a bit more of that orange tint that it has in the tube. I also went a little crazy with a highlighter I discovered in my makeup collection a few days ago. I've had this highlighter for over a year and never realized what it was until 2 days ago...and I kind of bathed in it today. I really love that natural, glowy look. Yaaaaaaaas.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 22 "No Makeup Makeup"

Day 22 "No Makeup Makeup" - NARS

NARS Lipgloss "Orgasm": $26.00

When I do my normal full-face routine for work, I layer certain products to hide all of my acne and scarring. My "work professional" routine in the last 2 years has transitioned from "5-minute natural" to "15-minute cake-baking" with the amount of product I have to use to cover discoloration, acne, etc. It's a lot for every day, and today I decided to experiment and try to revamp my "5-minute natural" routine so that I feel comfortable enough wearing it to work. This is the result, and as you can see some of my acne and light scarring is still showing through, but I look pretty even as far as my coloring is concerned which is a major plus. No eyeshadow, just super basic with blush, a touch of contour, some pretty gloss, light mascara and natural highlighting.

30 Days of Lips + Looks: Day 21 "Good Intent Makeup Recreation"

Day 21 "Good Intent Makeup Recreation" - Calvin Klein/Bare Minerals

(Inspiration)

 

Calvin Klein One Color Pure Color Lipstick "LipLock": $16.00

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss "Dare Devil": $18.00

If any of you lovelies out there have heard of the amazing and talented artist Kimbra, then kudos to you, and if you haven't, she was the other half to the world-famous song "Somebody that I used to know". Yep, that women in the video is Kimbra. I've been obsessed with her for a few years now, and one of my favorite videos from her is "Good Intent". In the video her lover has essentially done her wrong and she's trying to decide whether or not to forgive him. Throughout the video she has her angel personality and her devil personality singing to her trying to sway her to each one's side. It's an amazing song and video, and her makeup/wardrobe in it is flawless. Her makeup is full glam in the video, so I decided to attempt to re-create the look from her "neutral" look, which is actually her. There is a "red" look which is the devil on her shoulder, and then there's the "white" look which is the angel on her shoulder, but the look her herself is wearing is black and very dark, smokey and stunning.

(I don't own vibrant magenta colors like what was used for her, I own softer to dark pinks/purples, but nothing vibrant like what's on her lids, so I used different colors for my recreation. I didn't go as dark with my eyebrows because they're so big when I go too dark it doesn't look right)