simplicity cosmetics // eyeshadow

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Today, friends, I bring you simplicity cosmetics, an etsy shop that sells all-natural, high quality, handcrafted makeup. Sarah sent me several products to review, but right now I'm going to show you the eyeshadows :)

Sand Mineral Eyeshadow:

Vanilla Mineral Eyeshadow:

left: sand // right: vanilla

Ever since I got it, Sand has been my go-to crease color. It's a medium-to-light brown with cool undertones. The coolness of Sand really makes it appear more of a natural shadow in my crease, but it still gives definition. Of course, that's my own personal experience. I'd be interested to see how this works for someone with a slightly darker skin tone.

Vanilla is a pale matte cream-colored eyeshadow that's excellent for highlighting you inner corners or brow-bone. However, I like to use it all over my lid because it really brightens up my eye area. 

The texture of Sand is very dry-actually, one of the driest mineral eyeshadows I've ever used. You would think that this would make it hard to blend and work with, but it really doesn't, which was a very pleasant surprise. It's very easy to blend and build-up without being splotchy.

I would classify this shadow as almost completely matte. It has teeny tiny micro-glitter in it, but the glitter is barely noticeable. 

It's very pigmented, but you can easily control how much pigmentation you want by using different brushes. If I use a fluffy crease/blending brush, I can build up the color to its full intensity, but if I use a shorter, denser brush, you get the full impact of the shadow on the first sweep.

These shadows last incredibly long with a primer. I put them on one Friday morning at around 5:30am, and when I got home from school that day at 5:00pm they hadn't budged. That night, I fell asleep before I could remove my makeup, and the next morning they were still in place. Sure, it didn't look like I had just applied my eyeshadow, but it was very impressive to see how long they lasted.

Here's the look I've been wearing lately with these shadows:

step 1: after applying primer, sweep vanilla across your whole lid.

step 2: blend sand into your crease.

step 3: smudge a purple pencil eyeliner on your top lashline, concentrating the thickness of it on the outer corner.

step 4: smudge a deep plum-brown shadow over the eyeliner.

step 5: smudge the excess shadow on the outer half of your lower lashline.

step 6: make a thin line on your top lashline with a black liquid liner, making a small wing on the outer corner.

step 7: apply mascara generously on your upper lashes, but don't neglect your lower ones!

After that, you're done!

I definitely recommend checking out simplicity cosmetics. What eyeshadows have you been loving lately? 

xo,

hannah

a little etsy for you

Over the past few months, my design business has really grown, and I'm so privileged to have worked with so many great people. Each new job was and will continue to be an exciting new experience and fun challenge. I've fallen more in love with this form of art, and I already know I want to continue to do this for a long, long time.

So I've added something new to the shop, and it's for all you etsy sellers out there:

It's hard to make your etsy shop look unique and stand out. My goal is to do that! Just like when I see a nice blog design, when I see a nice etsy banner I'm more inclined to check out the shop.

Also, here are a few recent-ish samples of my work:

Happy Friday everyone!

xo,

hannah

sponsor my {beautiful} nutty life

That's right! my {beautiful} nutty life is now accepting May sponsors! Do you have a shop or blog you'd like to promote? I'm your girl! Here are the prices and sizes:

3 available

4 available

8 available

Here are my current stats:

150+ GFC followers

an average of 40 page views per day

I know, I know, it's not super impressive, but I just added a subscription box on my sidebar (right under the followers gadget) and I'm hoping to gain a few more readers through that :)

So, would you like your eye-catching ad to be on my {beautiful} nutty life's sidebar? Shoot me an email and I'll respond asap!

-hannah

wish upon a star...

Yes, I too drool over things I want but can't afford. For instance:

1.

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

I have been obsessed with these shirts. Don't ask me why, because I don't know myself, but I think they are adorable!

2.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95276334/real-or-not-real-complete-quote-bracelet

Seriously. How amazing is that?

3.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/96305249/leather-journal-handmade-spring-bird

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to venture off with a pencil and sketch and write my heart out in this!


What's currently on your wish-list?

-hannah

Shepherd's Daughter GIVEAWAY!

*EDIT* Rachel would like to keep the shipping for this giveaway U.S. based, sorry!

Hey guys! Guess what I have for you today? Oh yeah, you probably *cough* saw the title of this uh, post... Anywho, today you have a chance to win this pair of earrings:

This giveaway is to celebrate having 400 posts! Wowza! Anyway, the talented Rachel from Shepherd's Daughter (who is also having a giveaway on her blog!!) has crafted these earrings for one of you! Exciting right? Here's a little bit about Rachel:

My name is Rachel, I blog over at Shepherd's Daughter about growing up in the Philippines, living in California, and pursuing my dreams of saving the world. Well, my way. ;) I also babble about my day-to-day passions and creative inspirations for my little jewelry shop. 

I started selling hand-made jewelry on Ebay in 2007 after I signed up for sponsoring a World-Vision child. I had my heart set on this beautiful 7-year old Filipina, but didn't have the funds to support her. Today, profit from the shop go to  an impoverished town called Guimaras where young children are in constant need of daily amenities. Come by and hang out for a while. I love making new friends!

Rachel was such a pleasure to work with and is super sweet, as you can probably tell from her short bio :)

So go ahead and start entering this awesome giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway





Happy entering!


-hannah
p.s. Once I hit 50 followers on my makeup blog I'm going to be having a giveaway over there! Go check it out :)

rouge and whimsy giveaway WINNER!

It's the moment you've all been waiting for ladies and gents! The winner of this headband:

Is.......

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Nina!!

Congratulations Nina! Please email me within 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner.

Don't forget to enter the Sand and Starfish giveaway!! It will be open until next Saturday!!

-hannah

Also, in honor of Valentines day, I have reduced the prices of my shop by 50%!! Half the profit will still be donated to charity though :) Visit my shop here!

product review+giveaway: Sand and Starfish

Okay first off, let me say how adorable everything is in Stephanie's shop. I love it all :)
But let's move on:

When Stephanie generously sent me one of her products to review I was extremely excited. When I opened the package, this is what I saw:


This is the Vintage Ruffle Clutch in Pretty Pink. Wowza! So. cute. Here's what the listing description says:




Quite the catch! 
If the vintage fabric isn't cute enough, the ruffles sure are!

This clutch is the perfect size to hold the necessities with room to hold a little more! 
Also has a single pocket on the inside to hold something more near and dear, i.e. your cell phone! 


Clutch has reinforced stitching throughout and is sewn with heavyweight fusable interfacing for added support.

Measures approximately:
6.75 inches deep 
10 inches wide


Here are my opinions:


Versatility:
This product is fabulous for just about anything, but for the past week I've been using it to tote around my makeup at school. It's really convenient because it has a little pouch inside so you can sort certain things.

This can be used as a pencil case, toiletry bag, makeup bag, or anything else that you can think of!

Quality:
The quality of this is amazing. After 6-7 days of being tossed, dropped, bumped, crushed, stepped on, sat on, squashed, squished, and other unpleasant things, it is still in perfect condition, both on the inside and out. (Okay, maybe it didn't endure all those things, but it definitely was squished and squashed a couple times ;])


Compatibility:
This is larger than a regular clutch, so you may have trouble fitting it in you backpack/school bag, but it fits fine in mine, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with it. I actually find the size very handy, because you can even squeeze a pair of flats inside!





Guess what? One of YOU will win a vintage ruffle clutch of you choice!











Exciting right? Right! But first, let's get to know the wonderful Stephanie:


When did you first begin crafting?
As long as I can remember, I've been crafting. As a little girl I would take nail polish and paint wooden letters, or make garlands, or save the SOBE bottle caps and glue them around the edge of my mirror. But it wasn't until we moved into our house that I finally was able to put my creative crafty mind juices to work and I directed them more towards making our house feel like our home. 


What is your favorite thing to make?
Such a tough question... I don't consider myself a pro by any means in the sewing world but I really love making my vintage ruffle bags. I use my pink one practically every day and I still feel as giddy and excited about it as I did the first time I threw it over my shoulder. I dyed the vintage sheet pink, and that was a first for me. I've never dyed anything! But the color that it came out as was the exact shade of pink I wanted and it took my heart away!


What are some of your other hobbies?
I love spending time in my flower and vegetable gardens. Seeing something grow and blossom into this beautiful flower or delicious vegetable makes me so excited! I love scattering bouquets around the house. Beauty everywhere! I'm also a huge fan of the beach. I can go and lay out for hours and hours and just listen to music or dream up new things to make. Taking the kayak out for a bit around the pier is always fun too. Seeing schools of fish swimming right under me, pelicans floating 10 feet away, dolphins out further... it is never something that I take for granted. There's beauty in life all around us and I love being able to really enjoy it all. 




Thank you so much Stephanie! Okay, so here's how you can win:


Mandatory entries (leave both of these in the same comment!!):
You must be a follower of my blog to enter and comment to tell me you are
and
you must go to Sand and Starfish and tell me which vintage ruffle clutch you would pick if you won


Extra entries:
"heart" Stephanie's shop
follow Stephanie's blog
Like Stephanie on Facebook
"heart" my etsy shop

That's it people! You've heard me rave about this product, so you know it must be pretty dang amazing!
Happy entering! Oh, and don't forget to enter the rouge and whimsy giveaway!! Entries for that giveaway giveaway are closed on Saturday February 5th!!
Entries for this giveaway close on Saturday February 12th!!

-hannah

quick outfit post+etsy update

tank top: old navy // shirt: american eagle // jeans: american eagle // slippers: costco // necklace: claires // bracelets: handmade by me

don't holidays call for simple makeup, comfy slippers, and over-size plaid shirts? Yeah, I think so ;)

And I've added a few new items to my etsy shop!

I'm now selling hand-crocheted cowls, and some other items are soon-to-be-added! Check them out here!

-hannah

p.s. don't forget to enter the rouge and whimsy giveaway!

GIVEAWAY: Rouge and Whimsy

Hellooooo my lover-ly readers! I have for you today a chance to win something beautiful from one of my favorite etsy shops ev-ah.

purchase here

purchase here

purchase here

It is Rouge and Whimsy, and I was so extremely excited when Erika said she could donate something for you guys.
Let's get to know Erika a little better, shall we...

Tell us a little bit about yourself: 

I'm Erika-- a twenty-something creative lady living in Seattle with my husband and crazy little doggie. My blog is a place where I document my love of vintage, DIY, fashion and little bits of my life. I also have a little accessories shop where I sell hair accessories, button earrings and pretty pillows.

When did you first get interested in crafting and creating? 

I have always loved creating things. Growing up I preferred to make clothes for my Barbie rather than play with her. My mom taught me to sew at a young age and I probably inherited my love for handmade from her.

What is your favorite thing to make?

I don't know if I have a favorite thing-- but I love learning how to make new things and feeling the success of making a new thing well.

What other hobbies do you have?

I love working on decorating my little home, hunting down treasures at thrift shops, and spending time with my family and friends. I also really love to cook and try out new recipes.

Thanks so much for everything Erika, I really appreciate it :)

So, would you guys like to see what you'll be entering to win? Yeah, I thought so...

The gorgeous nude satin flower headband. How. pretty. is. this?

I'm so incredibly jealous that I can't enter to win this :)

So here's how you can win:

mandatory entry (please leave the following two entries in ONE comment!)

1. You must visit Rouge and Whimsy and tell me what your favorite item is

2. You must be a follower of this blog

Extra entries (please leave one comment for each):

"heart" Rouge and Whimsy on etsy

follow Erika's blog

follow Erika's blog on bloglovin

follow Erika on twitter

"heart" my shop on etsy

Happy entering friends!

-hannah

my new and improved etsy shop

I was thinking one night, that I'm making headbands just to sell them. That's not a very good reason to craft.
But then, I started pondering what would happen if I donated, say, half the profit to charity. It would make me feel a lot better about selling them.

So, that's what I'm doing! From now on, violet heart designs will donate half the profit of everything sold to this organization.
I feel so good that I'm doing this, and now I'm more motivated to craft :) So take a look around my shop, I've added quite a few more headbands, and some crocheted items are soon to come!

-hannah

all i want for christmas (etsy edition)

After browsing etsy, I have accumulated a handful of pretties that I've put together a Christmas list with. Let's begin, shall we?

1. Chickadee Pendant


Is this not adorable? I would love to wear this, wouldn't you?

2. Glamorous Gray Necklace Scarf


oooh, this is so pretty! Perfect to spice up any outfit :)

3. Heather Eyeshadow

This is from an etsy makeup shop I found. Their products look so pretty, and this one is one of my favorites!

4. Five Printed Cards

Wouldn't you love to write a letter with this?

5. navy blue flower headband

Okay, this is seriously gorgeous. I would wear it pretty much every single day.

6. red melting heart love t-shirt

How cute is this?! Don't you love it?

7. Cable Beret Hat in Wood Brown


Love. This. To. Death. Too bad its like $60 :(

Well, I hope you enjoyed this spout of greed on my part ;) Happy shopping!

-hannah