Tag: lipstick

  • Accessories for Aging Former Goth/Witchy Types

    Accessories for Aging Former Goth/Witchy Types

    moth

    Hey, that’s me! I want these things! Perhaps you do too. And anyway, I’m just having some fun with the title. Let’s look at some pretty things for all of us.

    First off, #1 on this list is clearly gray hair. Let those sparklies grow in! I realize I missed the whole silver sisters grow-out culture that has been taking place by not photographing myself constantly but here I am, fully dye-free. (That hasn’t happened since I was 13!) I’ve had just about every color, and this one’s my favorite.

    Nicole Balch Likes Ochre.

    Next up, embrace those piercings! The 90s are back, and thankfully I put plenty of holes in my ears back then that are still able to be put to use. I have three lobe piercings in each ear, and one helix in my upper left. My thirties were my STATEMENT EARRINGS decade, but lately I’ve returned to an ear full of delicate studs and tiny hoops. Do I find myself wanting little earrings that look like eyeballs and lightning bolts and snakes and feeling it might be a little too gimmicky? Yes. Except for these Snake Huggies. They are beautiful and I still wish I had a pair.

    These are the ones I’m wearing in the photo above:

    Delicate Studs and Hoops Earrings in Gold and Faux Diamonds | Making it Lovely

    Should I get another piercing? The faux conch is making me want a real one. I suppose I can just continue to wear it though.

    Nail polish and rings? Oh yes. I’m hard on my hands, doing projects like scraping wallpaper or other things around the house, but my polish has been holding up. I have been enjoying all three colors that I recently bought from J. Hannah (Compost, which I told you about before, along with Fauna and Ghost Ranch). I also very badly want their onyx and mother of pearl Form Inlay Ring II in gold. It is perfect and I’ve not seen anything else quite like it. Also, I’ve been wearing this Double Groove Ring ring a lot lately, and I pair it with a few fun rings I have similar to this Gumball Pearl Ring and Atom Ring.

    Nail Polish and Gold Rings | Making it Lovely
    Blush Pink Lipstick

    Pink lipstick. Suddenly I don’t have pale skin against dark hair! The complexion remains the same, but the gray has made my hair look so much lighter and the stark contrast (that I liked) is gone. I’ve been playing with makeup, and I look amazing in pink lipstick now. Cool pink though, brighter than the nudes and muddy roses that are so easily found. I’m wearing Blush Pink from Laura Mercier in the photo above, but I also love Givenchy’s Rose Boudoir.

    Barrettes! I’m growing out bangs. This barrette looks like a baguette and that makes me smile. I’m very into all four colors of these Tortoiseshell Pearlized Barrettes and this swirly Jumbo Box Barrette. And then these Teardrop Barrettes look like cheap plastic blobs on their own, but like shiny precious stones in the hair. These all look like entirely too much when presented together like this, but I only ever wear one at a time, and I do wear one everyday.

    Barrettes

    There we go, some fashion frivolity on this first day of November.

    I go through cycles in which I want very little and then I want everything new and all at once. I assume this is common? I would like some Mary Janes and a new pair of lace-up boots, cozy sweaters and midi dresses. And so many perfumes! (I will let myself have a little perfume. As a treat.)

  • My Five-Minute Face

    My Five-Minute Face

    Hello, my name is Nicole. I’m a blogger and a mother of two, and I get dressed and wear makeup every day.

    Am I in the minority among my fellow bloggers? Among my fellow moms? Sometimes it seems that way. I just feel better when I take the time to get ready in the morning, plus I like the feeling of being able to get up and go at a moment’s notice. And bonus: I’m not embarrassed to answer the door!

    Here’s what I tend to use on a daily basis. It seems like a lot when it’s all written out, but I’m done in five minutes or less.

    Moisterizer/SPF

    I used to love Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer – Combination/Oily but they changed the formula recently and I’m not happy with it. It used to help control oil, and now it almost seems I’m worse off when I use it. If you have a recommendation for an alternative, I’d love to hear it.

    Concealer

    I like Boi-ing by Benefit. It covers circles and blemishes, and I use my ring finger to apply it.

    Foundation

    I have used MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC20 for years, after my friend Tyrone (yes, you’re reading that right) recommended it to me. I’ve experimented with other brands and finishes (in fact, I’m eying MAC Studio Tech), but I always come back to Studio Fix.

    Blush

    I love blush. Bright pink cheeks are so cute! I like NARS Blush in Desire, but if I’m in need of something more understated, I choose Deep Throat. (Golly, NARS is risqué.)

    Eyeliner

    I like the sharp precision of liquid eyeliner (I started using Écriture de Chanel after Ree gushed about it, but now her post seems to be gone). Sometimes though, I also like the softness of smudged pencil, and in that case I use ALMAY Intense I-Color Eyeliner in Black Pearl.

    Eyeshadow

    I usually skip this step because I feel like eyeshadow just isn’t a good look for me. It’s likely that I just need to learn how to apply it in a more flattering way. One color that I do like quite a bit though is MAC Satin Frost.

    Mascara

    Maybelline Great Lash, Very Black. A classic for a reason.

    Lipstick

    My favorite! My friends don’t tend to wear lipstick. I guess it’s seen as old-fashioned? No matter. I brand-hop and experiment with color all the time. I wrote about my quest to find my perfect lipstick shade, and I’m still loving Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Daring Pink as my go-to, everyday color. A few other recent favorites: MAC Lady Danger, NARS Funny Face, and Maybelline Hooked on Pink Lipgloss.

    * Edit: A lot of people wonder about wearing lipstick and having a baby that you want to smooch all day. I just withhold my affection in the name of looking good. Kidding! I skip the lipstick most of the time and just swipe it on before I leave the house.

    Makeup Brushes

    I use MAC brushes. Quality tools make a difference.

    So tell me… am I in the minority? Do you wear makeup everyday, sporadically, just on special occasions, or not at all? And if you have favorites or tips, please share!

  • Non-Clothing Inspiration from the New J.Crew Catalog

    Non-Clothing Inspiration from the New J.Crew Catalog

    The clothes were great, but here’s what I really found inspiring in the latest J.Crew catalog…

    Fuchsia lipstick. More specifically, Funny Face by Nars, which the catalog actually pointed out. I may have to add another lipstick to my favorites.

    Next, I ran across the perfect shade of pink (with a lot of lilac in it). When I was a kid, my two favorite Crayola colors were thistle and orchid, and I think that color preference has stuck with me. I’m also liking the font here.

    And then there was this five-year-old boy’s haircut from the crewcuts section. I think it would look pretty great on a lady. A lady like me, perhaps?