July!

This summer is absolutely disappearing. Can you believe it's July? My birthday is in a few days! AHH! 19 is kind of a small one though, so I'm keeping it quiet.
That's a lie. I'll probably make it as big of a deal as I can ;)
What can I say?  I love birthdays.

I hope by now you've seen Beauty Forum and  Bicoastal Beauties. I am so happy and proud of what Danielle and I have accomplished in such a short time. It hasn't even been two weeks, and we've got a great little blog up. We're working our butts off, having a great time and probably spending too much money. It's been a blast. I wouldn't want to work with anyone else.

Make sure you've signed up for Prep Talk so that you can read our weekly column, Bicoastal Beauties!

All the beauty blogging has had my mind focused on makeup. You're shocked, I know!

 Makeup artist Francois Nars released an amazing book called Makeup Your Mind Express Yourself

What is great about this book is that he made over REAL women and breaks down the looks using NARS products. I definitely need a copy!

This is only part of the NARS collection. I want Mounia. So pretty, like apple cider.

The other thing on my mind is BLUSH. I'm absolutely entranced by it this week. Seriously. Can't get it off my mind. I want like six new shades. Recommendations, ladies? I think I want to buy all of the NARS collection, which will leave me broke forever. 

Lastly, I've noticed that since I've become a beauty blogger I notice everyone's hair and makeup. I've always done this, but now it's a little ridiculous. My mom is starting to get really annoyed by it. Seriously though, how flawless did Cat Deeley look on So You Think You Can Dance the other night? So glamorous! 

Sorry for the slightly awkward screen cap. This was really difficult to capture late at night! I loved the retro hair and makeup, though.

Anyhow, this is kind of a hodgepodge post. Hope you enjoyed it. Happy July everyone!

Recent Buys!

I've been doing a little shopping, and I thought I'd share. If you haven't been checking out the J. Crew or Ann Taylor Loft sales... get on it. NOW. Amazing deals, seriously!

J. Crew Sailor Chino Shorts in Lavender. I ended up getting these for about $20 plus shipping. They were originally around $70, and I had pretty much given up hope on getting them.  I've wanted these shorts since, oh, January. I love them. They got here today and I just want to stare at them. The color is lovely, they're just the right length and they fit perfectly.

Ann Taylor Loft's site is a little less reliable so I can't quite find all of my purchases but here's one of my favorites. This sweater is just so effortless and pretty. I love the colors,  and think I'll get a lot of use out of it.

Lastly, I finally got around to trying Essie polishes. I bought two but I'll be returning one because I already had an almost identical OPI polish---whoops! I've painted my nails and toes in Lapis of Luxury, which is the most beautiful blue. I'm hooked!

 

Not my best picture, but I took it quickly after my at home mani/pedi :)

Have you been hitting the summer sales? They've been great this year!

One Week, One Idea.

One week can make such a difference.

A week ago Beauty Forum was just an idea. It was a crazy, silly thought that I was afraid to go for. It was a text that I thought Danielle would laugh at. Now it's several questions a day. 50 real posts. Something my parents are proud that I'm doing. A big announcement on Sunday...

I know you're tired of hearing about Beauty Forum, but you may just have to get used to it! Please go and check it out.

That being said, I'm hoping to do a blog overhaul here soon! Look for it!

On a more serious note.

I read a lot of really fantastic blogs. There are plenty of blogs with pictures of girls going out to great parties with beautiful friends gorgeous men, and plenty more of girls with stunning clothes that are far out of my price range, paired with jewelry and makeup I can't even imagine owning. I don't mean to sound ungrateful writing this, because I truly do enjoy reading all of those blogs, that just isn't my life right now.  I felt it necessary to explain things a little more in depth, and this felt like the right outlet.
I am very ill. The doctors are confused and we are doing some more testing (sigh.) We cross our fingers and pray every day that I'll be well enough to go to school in the fall. Things are not looking good. I try not to cry about it because the truth is things are very scary right now.
I did not start this post intending to be so negative, really. I am a very lucky girl. I have an incredible family who support me in everything and have helped me get through all of this. I'm working very hard to get better.  Hopefully these hard times will just be a dark memory some day.
I have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to. Until then, I continue to take things day by day. I get up and do the best I can every single day. I pray that soon I will be healthy and in school with my peers. If that doesn't happen, I will take it in stride. We deal with what we're given and we do the best we can. That's all we can do.

Summer Television

Summer TV is... well, sub par at best, usually. This summer is shaping up to be so much better than most though!
Here are the three shows I'm tuning in for.

The Voice: The format changes every few weeks, so it's never stale, plus you've got steamy judges like Mr. Adam Levine! Add weekly performances like this amazing cover of Kanye West's Heartless by one of my favorite contestants Dia Frampton, and I'm totally addicted!!!

Pretty Little Liars- I'm such a girly girl for loving this show, but it's just so good. I tried to read the books but found them a little too easy and middle-school-esque, but the show is definitely steamy. It's the perfect guilty pleasure, if you'll allow yourself one ;) Fun little trivia fact, many summers ago Miss Lucy Hale (who plays Aria) was on the short lived summer show American Idol Juniors competing for a spot in the group! Too cute...! Another fun fact, Tori and Taylor Thompson from American Idol Juniors are competing on The Voice this summer. Summer Television is a small world, isn't it?!

So You Think You Can Dance- Well, I don't think I can dance, but I love this show! It's too early to have a real favorite in the competition but I'm LOVING every minute. I would die to be able to do anything these dancers could do. It's amazing!! Here are the top ten girls doing a fabulous geisha routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. So cool!

Presenting: Beauty Forum

I'm so excited to announce a project that has been brewing in my mind for a while and has just come to life this week... introducing BEAUTY FORUM!

http://beautyforum.tumblr.com

Beauty Forum is a beauty tumblr devoted to answering questions, posting product reviews and sharing the latest and greatest in beauty blogs, vids and websites. It's going to be incredible, I can just feel it!

Beauty Forum is also a partnerships between myself and the lovely Danielle. I asked Danielle to join me in Beauty Forum for a few reasons. First of all, we tend to like the same products. We're always trying the same things and we even joke that we're "Bicoastal Beauty Geeks" or twins sometimes, because we're just always on the same wavelength.  The other reason I begged Danielle to work with me is that we're complete opposites physically. I've got longer red curly hair and fair skin and she has gorgeous olive skin and darker hair and darker eyes. While this normally would be a disadvantage or completely irrelevant, it's a great thing for us! While answering questions for Beauty Forum, Danielle and I are able to cover a wider area of topics because we're so different from each other. It's part of what makes us a beautiful partnership.
Spread the word about Beauty Forum. I promise you won't regret it.

PS- I promise to blog here more. I promise!!!!