Revlon #LoveIsOn at The Taste of Chicago

Summer for me is a perfect time to say yes to some daytime fun that I wouldn't usually be able to participate in when teaching. I'm so happy I had the chance to say yes to spending a super fun Afternoon with with the hosts of Chicagonista Live, some pretty amazing Chicago bloggers, and Revlon, at the #Loveison Pop-up Shop at the Taste of Chicago! 

Usually the Taste is all about eating, but on this particular day it was all about the latest beauty trends for Summer and Fall from Revlon. Whatever look you were going for, the makeup artist at Revlon were ready to help you achieve it! 

 And if you had no one look in mind is was also just as fun to play with the amazing selection of lip glosses and lipstick colors. Seriously, there was so much there it was impossible to try just one.

Naturally, I  gravitated towards shades of hot pink (this was my favorite) but it was this bright red Ultra HD lipstick that has turned out to be my summer favorite, mostly because of its balm-like texture (it's a wax-free gel formula so it feels light as air) and intense pigment. Did I mention is smells like strawberry too? Yum! 

Did you know that Walgreens carries tons of Revlon Products, and that from August 16th-22nd you can score all your favorite Revlon products at some great prices? Get your face back-to-school ready!

Press play to get a fun look at the video we shot the afternoon of the Revlon pop-up shop!

(Shop my dress that's under $40 and belt)

Staying cool in the shade with the lovely Anna.

I must own about a dozen of these color sticks. My favorite one is Smiitten, a pink balm stain that lasts forever! So easy to throw in your purse and apply on the go.

Trying out my new favorite shade of Ultra HD gloss.

The whole crew: Anna, Kit, Sarah, Raijean, MJ, Cheryl, & Beth 

My time in front of the camera!

Here's all you need to know about picking the right shade for Fall! These four color palettes are your Fall go-tos! 

Thanks to Chicagonista Live for the video and photos, Revlon for the amazing products and Walgreens for the killer deals!

Gift ideas

A smattering of pretty things that would make any girl happy this holiday season!

Don't you just love these pretty soaps that look like macaroons? They come in so many pretty colors. Would be a great hostess gift or for a coworker.

That Revlon Just Bitten lip stain balm in Smitten is my new favorite! My hair stylist recommended it and now I'm hooked. It would make a great gift for a friend or stuffed in a stocking.

I'm just throwing the Clarisonic out there (in the shade of the season, oxblood of course) to anyone who REALLY loves someone! It has been one of my favorite gifts I have ever received. Not the cheapest gift, but the smaller version, the Mia, is only $150. Makes a great gift for the girlfriend or wife. Are there any men out there even reading this?

Statement necklaces make a great gift for a friend. She will appreciate all of it's eye-catching splendor in all of her holiday pictures and have you to thank for how great she looks!

And who doesn't love a big cozy sweater? That mixed media tweed/cobalt one has got my eye!

Also I'm in love with these Henri Bendel sparkling bow hair clips and so many of the other hair accessories on the site. Check them out to get $25 off orders of $100 and free shipping! I swear, they are the cutest!

Happy shopping...

Scalloped Mint and a DIY to Match!

I recently realized that with all the mint colored clothing I've acquired in the past few seasons, I had no mint jewelry to pair it with. So what did I do? I made some! I took a cheap Forever 21 sparkly necklace, and painted one row of the crystals with my Revlon mint nail polish, and there you have it! DIY statement necklace that will go with all my mint items and so much more!

 Tank: Charlotte Russe( (similar here), White skinny pants: Forever 21 (buy here), Belt: J Crew(buy here), Sandals: Enzo's via Bloomingdales Outlet, Watch: men's Target, Necklace, sunglasses and earrings Forever 21.

 Before..well almost before, except for those three stones at the end I already started.

 ...and after! I was thinking of doing every other stone on the bottom row hot pink. What do you think?

Fade-Out/Ombre Mani

Finally home from Vegas and well rested. I didn't realize how tired I was until I woke up at 1 in the afternoon the day after our return flight! Yikes! Guess I needed some rest. I was not very productive for the rest of the day, but I did manage to go pick up a few items to fill up our bare refrigerator and take a few outfit pics.

The real highlight of my day was finding this new fade-out/ombre mani inspiration from Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere! Huge thanks to her for the inspiration and great taste.

So this time I copied her, but I can see this transitioning into so many different color combinations later this fall. I've been loving all the gold french tips I've been seeing around the blogger/Pintrest world, but it's just too hard for me to do the tips straight. This fade-out tip is a perfect compromise because imperfection is totally on your side.

I tried out a few different combinations (see below) before I decided on my final colors of Revlon, Dark Pleasures "Talk Dirty" & Essie "Steel-ing the Scene"

I used a make up sponge to put on the darker tips. The key is: less is more. Only put a small swipe of polish on one corner of the sponge. You can aways add more later. I went back and did an extra layer right at the tip to make the fade more strong. At the end I used a Q-tip dipped in remover to go around and clean up the edges.

And there you have it! Fade-out/ombre mani that will be perfect for all your fall events! Have fun creating your own color combinations. I'd love to hear all about them... and if you send me a picture I might use it in a future blog post!

 The finished product!

 "Dirty Talk" & "Steel-ing the Scene"

 All my trial combos, one on each nail. I decided on the ring finger combo, but I also like the pointer finger option too. Not so impressed with the light tip trial at all.

My work station.

Ready to go in minutes with my favorite and quite possibly the best quick-drying topcoat out there: Essie "Good to go." The best ten $10 you can put towards any at-home manicure, I promise! It's always dry before I even remember that I just painted them and start engaging in some sort of mani-damaging activity. I've been using it for years.