Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Ssoooo.. I decided to partner with my friend Allison and give you the chance to win a FREE Mac lipstick just by treating yourself to a super cute Stella & Dot necklace.



How cute is the bar necklace I'm wearing in this picture? Its engraved with my wedding anniversary, so its super special. And YOU can engrave anything up to 10 characters.. A name, birthday, anniversary, initials, a heart.. its really up to you. P.S. it comes in gold or silver.

AAAAND.. the first person to order this necklace by contacting Allison (allisonlhart@yahoo.com) WINS a free Mac lippie.. from me! :-) I will either let you choose which color, or if you want, I'll surprise you with one of my favorites. All you have to do is hurry and order that necklace.. the first person to contact her and order, wins. 

And for the other slowpolks (I kid.. kind of) you'll still be entered to win lots of Stella & Dot goodies- your name will be entered in a drawing to win a "mystery hostess" reward where you earn all the free $$ and half off items of being a hostess, without actually hosting a party! 

If you order please comment on my Instagram Post (@makupyourmind) or below to tell me what you decided to engrave on your necklace. It isn't neccessary to win.. I'm just nosy ;-) 

Okay go!
Katie xox
Wednesday, July 8, 2015

My First StitchFix!

So I signed up for Stitch Fix a few weeks ago after hearing some good and bad things about it. I decided I needed to see for myself. I got my first Fix a few days ago and, although this isn't exactly makeup related, I know a lot of people were curious so I thought I'd share :-)

When singing up you get to answer lots of questions about your body, body type, what you're comfortable showing off, what you'd like to hide, and then elaborate a bit more on what your style is. I made it clear that I'm more edgy/casual and less preppy/dressy/frilly. I stick to basic, solid colors (aka, I always wear black, gray, white, brown, and maybe green). I was also able to attach a link to my style Pinterest board so she could get a feel for what I'm into.

So.. without elaborating too much, I'll just show what I got.

Pixley Vyner Fringe Top - $64

Pixley Seanna Split Back Knit Tank - $44

Market & Spruce Corby Knit Tee - $38
Kut From The Kloth Distressed Boyfriend Jean - $78 (picture on right)
** the jeans in the first 2 pictures are my own jeans from Express, not my Stitch Fix jeans. 

Marlyn Schiff Atalaya Double Layer Triangle Necklace - $38

Here's how it goes..
• you sign up here
• then fill out your profile. its very specific on what you like, don't like, what you don't mind showing off, what you'd like to hide, how you like things to fit, etc. 
• they set you up with a designer (mine's name is Meredith) and schedule your fix
• you wait :-)
• when your fix arrives, you look at it, try it on, then have 3 days to make a decision. once you decide, you login to your account, "checkout", which means you tell them what you're keeping and what you're returning, there are some optional questions on fit, style, etc so your designer can get to know you better, then you return what you don't want in a prepaid package and send it back! you only pay for what you keep :-)
• there is a $20 'stylist fee'. this means, if you decide to return all of it, you still have to pay $20; however, if you keep anything the $20 goes toward the item(s) as a credit. If you decide to keep all 5 items, you receive 25% off your purchase.

The Verdict:
I only kept the necklace (lol) ONLY because I didn't 100% love any of it, so I didn't want to spend the money on things I wasn't in love with; however, I'm optimistic and can't wait until next month (just got an email that its scheduled for August 3)

My Thoughts
- I didn't hate any of it. I seriously considered keeping all of it, but like I said, I didn't love it.

- None of the items were things I would pick out or try on in a store, for various reasons. These are items I would assume wouldn't look good on my body (I pride myself on the fact that I'm a really good judge of what will look good on me..); however, I was actually pleasantly surprised, and it taught me to be more open minded.

- The only thing I hated were the boyfriend jeans. I've never tried them on for a reason. They look awful. It takes a really hot person to pull them off, and I'm not one of them lol

- my items were a bit expensive, however, I blame myself because when filling out the questionnaire, they give you price range options. I opted for the medium range one, instead of marking "the cheaper the better" (because I don't necessarily want cheap clothes) but for the record, there is the option. 

Although I didn't keep a lot this time, I actually loved the overall experience. It was very simple and fun and I think I'm really going to be pleased once my stylist 'gets' me a little more. 
xo katie
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
First of all, before I even start this post.. I need to apologize
a) for my hair. this was 3-day hair that I was trying to get away with. it was left over curls and frizziness and ended up on top of my head before the review was done. ignore it please!
b) the lighting. I was using natural lighting and apparently the sun went in and out about 394,839,329 times in the 10 minutes it took me to take pictures. So some pictures are warm and dark and others I look washed out.

Okay, glad I got that off my chest.. now..

I've been wanting to try Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes for a while, but for some reason I was always intimidated. (It doesn't take much) I saw others using it and thought I'd like to try but some uninformed person told me that they "heard" it was like a crazy 5-step process that took 20 minutes to perfect.... and because I believed that, I never gave in! I know, I know. Well flash-forward to now, and I finally decided to give in to the allure. I talked to Leah, a Younique Presenter, and she eased my mind and sent some over.

I finally sat down today (still a tiny bit intimidated, because I'm a weirdo) and tried it. First of all, let me make it clear, it is not a 5-step process, and it didn't much time at all- it takes me longer to do my liquid liner than it did to apply the 3D Fiber Lashes. So wanna know what I thought? Keep reading.

What you need to know:
- It is actually only 3 steps, 2 products. It is buildable and its up to you how many layers you choose to do- so if you want to make it a 10 step process you can, but its not necessary and it still doesn't take very long regardless. 
- The package comes with 2 tubes: a transplanting gel you apply first, and a tube of the fibers, which stick to the gel. The key is to apply the transplanting gel, then apply the fibers while still wet, then apply the transplanting gel again after. (more on this later)
- It retails at $29. If you've bought high-end mascara before, then you already know that you truly do get what you pay for. This will last you a long time, some claim almost a year before they had to buy more, so it definitely is worth the money.
- You need to order through a Younique Presenter. Its never safe to order it through a retail site like Amazon, Ebay, etc because you may not be paying for the real thing. 

How To:
- You may start off with a coat of your own mascara, although that isn't necessary. (I didn't the first time. I have tried a couple times since then and didn't notice a significant difference)
- First you use the transplanting gel just like you would a normal mascara, coating from base to tip of your lashes.
- AS SOON as you apply the transplanting gel, apply the second (smaller) tube of fibers directly onto the gel, while its still wet. Its very important that you do this while its still wet or it wont stick.
- Then finish with another coat of the transplanting gel
- If you want, you can add another layer of fibers, and another layer of gel. Build on it until you get your desired look. You can do one simple coat, or you can create a more dramatic look with extra layers. I applied mine twice.
**It is very important to follow the directions exactly right. When I hear people saying the product didn't work right for them, I've noticed its because they didn't follow the exact directions for application**

as you can see on the top picture, and on my 'naked' eye, I have nearly invisible lashes. the tips are blonde and they're short and stubby


My thoughts: 
I was really, really pleasantly surprised, for many reasons. 
First, despite the fact that its multiple steps, it didn't take long at all and it wasn't complicated or hard. It was very easy. I feel like I have shorter/invisible lashes than the average person, so I feel like others with already-long lashes would have amazing results. My lashes are a disappointment in general but I was very pleased with how they look. 

It looks like I have false lashes on.
I love the look of falsies but no matter how many times I apply them, I still feel unsure and they never look perfect. So this is definitely a great substitute for false lashes, and has the exact same effect. 

My bottom lashes have never looked better.
HOWEVER.. don't judge the above picture for that, because like an idiot, I forgot to apply it for the pictures! After the pictures I realized it, and loved it once I applied it. My lower lashes are really blonde as well, and it made them much longer and fuller. 

Its definitely a glam look.
I read that one woman suggests only using it for special occasions, which may be true if you're not a makeup person; however, I'm not above going to the grocery store with a full-face of makeup and a red lip, so I think the dramatic lashes are great for all occasions if you want your eyes to pop! 


The Cons:
For the most part I love this product. My only complaint would be (and this may be something you could avoid once you get the hang of it) it was a tiny bit messy at times. When I apply mascara I like to open my eyes wide to be sure to get all the way to the tip. When using the first step transplanting gel, the tips of my lashes would hit my brow bone and leave tiny little dots, which then smeared when I tried to get it off. I also read that the fibers can fall down onto your cheeks, and although I didn't have this problem I can see that happening. So I'd suggest maybe holding a tissue under your eye while applying it, and keep a q-tip handy to clean up any mess.. But like I said, once I get the hang of it that might not matter at all. :-)

(one coat of Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes on left eye, the right eye is completely 'naked')
So what do you guys think? I love the overall look, as I said. 

If you're interested in this look for yourself, please contact Leah. She will answer all your questions and can have it ordered and sent to you super quick. To order, click here. Or for more information or to view other products, click here.

xo katie