a photoshoot

Before I get into this post, pleasepleaseplease go check out my little brother's blog! It would make his day if you commented or followed :) also, he's blogging under my account, so when it says at the bottom of the post "published by Hannah", its really him.
Anyway, do you remember Kelsey? The girl with bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair *cough* that I am extremely jealous of *cough*?  Well, she is going to be featured again on this blog! Yep, it's time to get excited :)

hair & makeup by yours truly. Would you like a tutorial?

You're gorgeous Kelsey! Thanks for being my model! (oh, and Jodie, I would have put your photos up but I'm gonna let you choose which ones!)
Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

-hannah

makeup tutorial: purple smoke

This tutorial was requested by Janelle of J.P. Photography (go check out Janelle's blog, its one of my favs!), I wanted to try something new for the steps, so tell me how you guys like it! I honestly don't know yet, but I think it's much simpler just to type the words normally. But, if you guys like it, I'll keep doing it!

purple smoke

Products used:

Revlon Cream Shadow

Madison Street Beauty Shadow in Carnation

Madison Street Beauty Shadow in Iris

Madison Street Beauty Shadow in Plum

jordana eyeshadow duo in Smoky Purple (only the purple)

Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Eyeliner in Black

wet n wild mega volume mascara

so, how did you like the new format? You think its a keeper, or should I just go back to the original way?

As usual, leave any requests for future tutorials in the comment section. Oh, and Janet, I'm working on the nature-y woods-y tutorial you asked for, it'll be next!

-hannah

p.s. want to win some Madison Street Beauty shadows or an amazing headband? Click >>>HERE<<<

p.s.s. My little brother Mark just made a blog! Check it out here!

a holiday GIVEAWAY!

That's right, I have a giveaway to kick off the beginning of the holiday season! But guess what? There's not just one prize! Yep, you heard me, there will be two winners of this giveaway.

Let's see the prizes and their extremely talented creators, shall we?

prize #1:
The Amber Beaded Bohemian Feather Headband donated by Melanie of Neesie Designs.

When Melanie agreed to donate an item she let me choose which headband from her shop to give away. I was eyeing this one (it was my personal favorite) so I chose it!
When she sent me the headband so I could ship it off to the winner she mentioned she put a little "thank you" in the package for allowing her to be featured on my blog.
Inside the box was the headband above and almost the exact same one! I was so excited. Melanie, thanks again so much for the generous gift :)

Any-who, let's get to know Melanie some more...

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Hi. I'm Melanie and I'm the one woman show of Neesie Designs. I work in the fashion industry and live in NYC. I love going to see shows, eating out at all the unique and wonderful restaurants the city has to offer, flea marketing, thrift and vintage store shopping, and of course crafts fairs. I LOVE craft fairs. 

When did you get into crafting?

I've been creative as long as I can remember. But I think that I truly started to craft things when I was about 11 years old. I would gather dried and fake flowers and make flower arrangements, wreaths, and displays for the holidays. 

What is your very favorite thing to make?

I really enjoy making the woodland crowns. I think that it derives from the joy of making wreaths when I was younger. I've always felt that there's something magical about crowns, which may very well come from my love of princesses and fairy tales. But to make them now for my shoppe and to have people wear them for their weddings, festivals and other special events has been a really joy to share. 

What are some other hobbies you enjoy?

I love collecting postcards of other artist's work and framing them in my house. I have quite a collection. I still continue to make wreaths on occasion. I also love to collect interesting things at craft fairs and use them to make my accessories, which is how I first came up with my bullet headbands. I had a bucket of empty bullet shells just sitting in my room for months. I would just stare at it every now and again until the concept finally came to me. I love making something great from what someone else has discarded.

Thanks again so much Melanie!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Have you guys forgotten there is one more prize? Well, without further ado....

prize #2:
Two eyeshadows from Madison Street Beauty in the colors Wisteria and Galaxy

Now, you guys have heard me rave about MSB's products before, but I don't think you understand how amazing these shadows are.

they. are. amazing.

And these two shadows were specifically donated because the ever-talented Bridget liked my makeup tutorial using these colors, called Midnight Plum.
Ever since I bought my first five shadows from MSB, I have purchased thirteen others and Bridget has kindly included several samples of new shadows, so my makeup drawer is now overflowing with her products, which completely fine with me ;)

Here's a little more about Bridget:

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Bridget and I'm 28 years old, I am married to the love of my life, Rhys, and we live in Las Vegas. When I met Rhys six years ago I was a radio personality in my hometown and since then I have been a bartender on a train in Alaska, a receptionist in a spa and a dozen other things before doing what I do now. I feel so grateful that I have a job that I love and that I can also spend the majority of my time with the ones I love.

When did you get interested in makeup?

I can honestly say that I have been interested in makeup for as long as I can remember! When I was a teen I got into makeup in a big way until I turned 20 and my skin really took a turn for the worse. At that point I stopped wearing it for fun and I started wearing it more as a necessity

When did you start making makeup? Was it/is it difficult?

After trying a million skin care products and a million more different cosmetics I realized that my bad skin was caused by what I was putting on my skin. I did a lot of research and I discovered that the only way I could use makeup without anything “bad” in it was to make it myself. I started making foundation for myself about 8 years ago and it wasn't long before I got requests from friends and family so it quickly became a hobby of mine. It was a little overwhelming at first but I always found creating makeup fun so it never felt overly difficult. The more confident I became in making new things, the easier it got. The most difficult thing to do was to believe in myself. I am still getting into new things but now, I have the confidence to try out something new rather than just telling myself that it's too hard to do and never trying it out. 

What is your favorite thing to make?

Eye shadow! Making eye shadow is easily my favorite thing to make because I find it really fun to experiment with and there is no end to the amount of colors that can be made. Lately I have really been interested in lip products and have been playing around with different lip colors.

Are you a huge beauty addict yourself?

I hate to admit it but I am a massive beauty addict. I have always believed that a girl can never have too many shoes or enough beauty goodies! I am always looking for the perfect hair product for curls and have probably spent a small fortune on hair products in the past. 

If you had to get rid of either all of your eye shadows or all of your eyeliners, which would you keep?

That is a tough question! I would have to say eye liners. Although eye liner is so important for framing the eye, I find that eye shadow can really bring out your eyes and even transform your whole look.

A million thanks Bridget!

Okay, so if you're still here, you probably want to know how you can enter to win one of these awesome prizes. Here's how:

•mandatory entry•

leave a comment saying what your favorite thing about the holidays is

•extra entries•

follow this blog

follow Bridget's blog

heart Melanie's shop

heart Bridget's shop

"like" Melanie's facebook page

"like" Bridget's facebook page

add Melanie to your circle on etsy
post about this giveaway on your blog and leave the link in a comment

So enter away friends! And also, the shadows pictures above are actually mine, the winner's are still sealed up tight, but believe me, they are the exact same colors :) The winners will be chosen fairly and randomly by random.org on Friday December 9th.

-hannah

p.s. If you use the coupon code HOLIDAY2011 you'll get 10% off your purchase before shipping in Melanie's shop, and the code SBS60 for 60% off your purchase at Bridget's shop!

thanksgiving (plus a makeup tutorial)

At 8:30 this morning, Mark came into my room and started to slowly slide my pillow out from under my head. I opened my eyes groggily to find his cute, excited face a foot away from mine. "The parade starts at nine Hannah!"
"Okay." I smiled and rolled over, allowing myself to have a few more minutes of sleep before going downstairs.

The minutes ticked by. I slept. The clock struck 8:45 and I rolled out of bed, grabbed a huge blanket, and walked downstairs to find a nice squishy couch that was empty and just begging to be curled up on. I tangled myself up in the blanket and collapsed for a few dreamy moments, hearing clinks in the kitchen and a hyper nine-year-old boy voice.

In a few minutes, the living room was filled up with six people, lots of cinnamon rolls and sounds from Broadway musicals such as "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and "Sister Act". The parade was on.

My favorite act by far was the "how to succeed in business without really trying" one, who knew Daniel Radcliff could dance and lip-sync so well?

The holiday season has officially started.

I love thanksgiving. Here's what I'm thankful for:

1. art
because you can express yourself
2. books
because you can visit another world
3. cameras
because they capture moments
4. dreams
because they are inspirational
5. eyes
because they are the window to the soul
6. family
because I love mine
7. good times
because they are our best memories
8. hot cocoa
because I love chocolate
9. ice cream
because it is just so good
10. jokes
because they make me laugh
11. kids
because they also make me laugh
12. laughter
because it brings joy
13. makeup
because it is art
14. nikon
because they make cameras
15. oreos
because they are just that awesome
16. photography
because I just love it
17. quiet
because it brings peace
18. raw veggies
because they are healthy+delicious
19. snail mail
because who doesn't love getting letters?
20. teachers
because they teach us
21. umbrellas
because they are amazing
22. vacation
because everyone needs a break sometime
23. water
because it is enchanting
24. x-2+3(7x-5)=11+2(x-3)+14
because algebra rocks
25. you
because you are here, and therefore, you make me happy
26. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's
because I appreciate sleep

continue reading after the jump for a makeup tutorial!

sunday

Today was a lazy Sunday.
I did absolutely nothing productive (except for make a few more headbands, they'll be added to the shop soon!)
This weekend literally flew, and through sleeping in, being lazy, babysitting, going on etsy, and making headbands, I kind of wish it was longer. Luckily though, Thanksgiving break is coming up! Oh yeah!
I only have Monday, Tuesday, and a half-day Wednesday.
I am super excited for Thanksgiving, you have no idea. Thanksgiving for me is the beginning of the holiday season.

Oh, and another thing I did today:

I designed a new header for my mom's blog! All I have to do now is install it :)

What did you do this Sunday?

-hannah

now announcing....

New headbands are in my etsy shop! I've been working for a month+ now, coming up with new designs, and now they are up for sale in my shop!











And more to come! Which is your favorite?

-hannah

makeup tutorial: smoky turquoise

Sorry for the rush of makeup tutorials guys, but this may be the last one for a while. Why? Because yesterday I discovered another chalazion, on my left eye this time (don't know what a chalazion is? It's a weird little bump on the inside of your eyelid that's apparently filled with puss...... sorry if that disturbed you!).
So, onward!

Products used:
Revlon Cream Shadow
Madison Street Beauty Shadow in Seafoam
Revlon Satin Eyeshadow in Peacock Lustre
wet n wild color icon eyeliner in deep blue
wet n wild idol eyes cream shadow in pixie
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio in black
Clinique High Impact Mascara

step 1: Prime your lids

step 2: sweep a light turquoise shadow on your entire lid

step 3: apply a dark/medium turquoise color into you crease, outer v, and 2/3 of the bottom half of your lid (does that make sense to you?)

step 4: apply a dark blue/aqua liner to the outer half of your upper lid.

step 5: highlight you inner corner and line your waterline with a black liner

step 6: apply a coat of mascara

you're done!

hope you guys found this helpful :) leave requests for future tutorials in a comment!

-hannah

care to dine?

About a week ago we went to a Japanese restaurant, the kind that actually cooks the food right in front of you. Needless to say is was awesome. The chef we had was really nice and talked to us the whole time he was chopping and slicing and frying and whatever else he was doing at lightening-fast speed...

You better believe I brought my camera

that shrimp was so good, and I don't even like shrimp ;)

Everything was amazing.  I was extremely satisfied.
Where do you like to go when your family goes out for dinner? Somewhere like this?

-hannah

november loves [fashion]

what have you been loving this month?

-hannah

makeup tutorial: my go-to look

ok, to be perfectly honest, I don't have an "everyday makeup" look. There is rarely a time where I even have on the same look two days in a row. But I do have several "go-to" looks, which I pull out if I don't feel like brainstorming and creating a whole new one.
So here is one of my two go-to looks (can you count how many times I've said "look" already? ;]), and this one is more natural than the other one, so you can absolutely where this with anything!

my go-to makeup look
products used:
Revlon Creme Shadow
Lancome Quad(this is not the exact product I used but it's very similar)
wet n wild eyeliner pencil in white
Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio in Black
wet n wild jumbo pencil in pixie
Covergirl Lash Perfection Mascara

step one: prime your lids

step two: pack on a light mauve shadow on your whole lid

step three: sweep a gold shadow into your crease

step four: pat a dark purple/brown shadow into your outer corner

step five: smudge that same purple/brown shadow on your lower lash-line

step six: line your waterline with white eyeliner and highlight your inner corner

step seven: smudge a black liner on your upper lash-line

step eight: coat your lashes with several coats of mascara

done!

as you can see, this look is pretty natural. Tell me what you think! And, as always, please leave any requests for future tutorials in a comment :)

-hannah

p.s. I scheduled this post to publish at 11:11 on 11/11/11. Awesome right? ;)