Beauty Resolutions

It's a few days into the new year and I've got resolutions on the brain. Most of us do, right?
My life is chaotic enough that I'm not going to make major resolutions about things like weight loss or grades or anything--- but I think making some resolutions about my makeup routine is something I can easily commit to!

Without further ado, here are my 2013 Beauty Resolutions:

1. Invest in quality pieces that I love. Less is more! 

 I realized recently that I can be an impulse buyer when it comes to beauty. Sometimes I want it all, sometimes I want whatever's right in front of me at Ulta. Building a nice collection isn't about buying a ton of cheap lipsticks in shades I'm not sure I'll love. 

This year I resolve to treat myself to quality more often. I resolve to plan out purchases based on reviews, swatches, and needs in my makeup collection. 

This means not always getting another nail polish just because it's limited edition. This means not impulse buying tons of drugstore makeup when I'm not sure about the quality.  

This means falling in love and obsessing over Nars eyeshadows and treating myself to them because they're unique, and incredible quality. Or buying MAC lipsticks after I've gone and tried them on instead of getting 3 Maybelline lipsticks that will go bad because they don't really suit me anyway. This means hunting down cult products.

  Every purchase should be exciting. 

2. Throw things away! 

My name is Hannah and I am a pack rat. I have drawers in my makeup cabinet with mascara that's 95% used up. I have liners I hate hanging out with my absolute favorites. I still have lipsticks that don't perform well because of age. Time to clean out. Maybe I'll reward myself after a big collection purge?

Simplicity and organization mean being able to see my collection and use good pieces more! 

3. Clean my brushes more. Invest in more brushes! 

Using dirty or low quality brushes on nice makeup is like digging into a fancy dinner with your bare hands. You just shouldn't.  I'll admit to being bad about cleaning my brushes. This year, I want to do better. I also want to get some more brushes to help with my technique. For instance, I've been lusting after the Sigma Performance Eyes Kit. Adding this to my arsenal would be great, and would help me improve my technique. 

Sigma Beauty Performance Eyes Kit- $61

Better tools, better results. 

4. Try new things! 

Even if this just means rocking neon lips in my dorm room, it's important to experiment. I want to be bolder this year, and learn more. This means watching more Youtube videos,  reading more blog tutorials, and even trying on bolder colors in Sephora and at MAC to see if I like them.  I may love my Naked Palettes, but I have some really great products in my arsenal that need a chance in the spotlight! Add new techniques to different products and the possibilities become endless. 

New year, no fear.

5. Make beauty fun every day.

We all have days when we throw on makeup without thinking or enjoying all the great products we've invested in. This year I want to enjoy getting ready every day. I think resolution #4 will help with this, because new products and techniques make getting ready so much more exciting.  So I'll try not to throw on a cream shadow and mascara like it's a hassle this year. This will be time consuming, but I have a good feeling it will be very worthwhile. 

Getting ready is (at least) half the fun.

Those are my 5 big beauty resolutions for this year. Have you resolved to shake up your makeup? What's your biggest priority in beauty for 2013? Share your resolutions with me! 

Stay beautiful,

Hannah 

Apps You'll Love- Part 1

I wanted to start a new series about iPhone/iPad apps. I've become obsessed with getting the most out of my iPhone, and I thought I'd share some of my favorite apps!

These two apps are both recent finds for me. One is a greeting card app, and the other adds words to photos- which sounds like no big deal, but I'll show you how much I've done with it!

 I love sending little surprises to friends via my phone. I'm also a huge greeting card fan. So when I saw this app, I was totally hooked. Plus, it's free!

When you open the app, you have tons of choices in categories for cards to send. Some feature photo  openings so that you can add in photos of you and your friends, and some are just designed with text and color. There are tons of really great options, like thank yous, announcements,  holiday cards, invites- so many great possibilities here! 

Some of the options available on Red Stamp

So if you chose, for instance,  Thanks, you could easily make a card to send via e-mail, text, facebook, or even postcard (too cool) in seconds. 

Here's what the selection looks like in one category: 

See how some have photo openings and others don't? It's great for different levels of personalization.

Then, all you need to do is pick one and add a message. Here's a mock up that I did here!

Each card also has color options on the side, as you can see here! 

Are you totally sold yet? I love this app and think it's really easy to use and useful for the well-mannered girl!

Phonto is my absolute favorite photo editing app. It's  FREE! 

My next favorite app is one that I use all the time to make different little quote backgrounds and monogrammed wallpapers for my phone. It is a really basic app that just allows you to add words to text. Sounds simple, right? It works best if you do some work of your own to have a wallpaper/print library on your phone, but if you have that it's an AMAZING app to own.

So here's a shot of my background library:

I compiled this by saving Lilly prints, taking photos of fabric swatches, and generally just saving any pattern that I like. Having a pattern board on Pinterest helps too! 

 Ok, so once you've done that, all you have to do is open the app and PLAY.
Seriously, you can add anything to your photos. You could do this with real photos too, but I've been having fun with my background prints lately. Here are some of my creations:

This one has been really popular on my tumblr. I love this saying! 

Super easy way to make monograms for your lock screen! 

I also use it to make inserts for photo collages I'm making for instagram. This was part of one I made when I got three new polishes, obviously.
The end product looked is below.

This uses another app to photo collage (PicStitch, also free)

My favorite quote!

Anyhow, I realize that this app was intended to just add text to photos, but I enjoy using it this way. 

Do you have any favorite apps? I'm hoping to stick to more unusual apps in this series, so I won't have any like Instagram or Facebook in here! Hope you enjoy this! 

Stay beautiful,
Hannah

Urban Decay's Naked Craze

I am a huge fan of Urban Decay. I bought the second Naked Palette the minute it came online with Danielle on the phone, both of us screaming in excitement. However, even I am starting to wonder if Urban Decay is trying too hard with all of the recent Naked releases.

This year we've seen the launch of several new Naked products. There have been quiet releases like the Naked glosses (which are just shades of their lip products) and a few other small products, to the very hyped releases of Naked Skin and the Naked Basics Palette. I've even got a preview of some of the new Naked products!

Let's take a look at the Naked Family:

From left to right: TOP- Naked 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil, Naked  Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color. BOTTOM- Naked Lipgloss, Naked 2 Lipgloss
(all via Urban Decay)

Top left to right: Naked Palette, Naked 2 Palette.
Bottom: Naked Basics Palette
(all via Urban Decay)

Naked Skin Foundation
(all via Urban Decay)

Above are all the products currently available on Urban Decay's website. There is a great range of eye products with the three palettes- I actually love that the Naked Basics Palette was (almost) all matte. I think it compliments the other two palettes well, and is a great addition to any makeup wardrobe. In terms of lip products, I feel like these are the forgotten Naked products. They're only shades out of Urban Decay's lip products, so it's no surprise they weren't made into a big deal. Finally, the increasingly popular foundation line Naked Skin has been well-received in the beauty world, proving the Naked phenomenon is not just hype!

Urban Decay is taking it a step further with the next two Naked releases: Naked Flushed Palette and Naked Nail Set.

Naked Flushed: 
This product information was released New Year's Eve, and I imagine this product will get a lot of attention. The idea is that you can get a Naked, healthy flush with this palette containing a blush, bronzer, and highlighter!  My only preemptive complaint is that the included bronzer looks very orange. I would have preferred something with a chocolate tone, but I'm looking forward to reading reviews and seeing in depth swatches of the product.  The Naked Flushed Palette will be $30, which sounds like a good deal if the products perform well!

(These two images via Temptalia)

Naked Nail Set: 

(Image via Musings of a Muse)

As a true nail fanatic, I was thrilled to hear Urban Decay released (available now on Sephora's website) a set of nail polishes based on the famous Naked Palette. Once product images and information came out, I was a little disappointed to see that the nail polishes are all mini. I would have loved to see a mini set like this and individual, full size polishes released.  As is, the set runs $26 for 6 polishes at .16 oz each. To give you a comparison, most full size polishes are .5 oz, so these are quite small.


All in all, I am a fan of the Naked Product line from Urban Decay. The eyeshadow palettes are an incredible deal, and I'm definitely curious about the nail polish set! There are a few Naked products I'm not as eager to try, like the Naked Skin line, but I do think that Urban Decay has done a great job running on the success of the original Naked Palette.

What do you think of Urban Decay's Naked makeup line? Are there any products you're dying to buy? Or has Urban Decay taken it too far with the latest releases of Naked products?

Stay beautiful,
Hannah

#26Acts- A New Year's Resolution

Welcome to 2013. Welcome to a new blog and a fresh start for me. A fresh start for us all!

I wanted to open Polish and Pajamas with this because I feel it is so important. We're all making resolutions and I wanted to invite everyone to join me in this endeavor.

 #26Acts is an initiative started by The Today Show. In response to the terrible tragedy in Newtown Connecticut, #26Acts asks us to do 26 random acts of kindness for each life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary.

It's easy to commit to kindness around the Holidays, I think. In all the Holiday Spirit, we are able to give more freely. But what would happen if everyone committed to doing 26 acts of kindness throughout the year? These can be as big as donating dinner to your local Ronald McDonald House, or as small as leaving an envelope of change on a vending machine for a stranger to get a little surprise.

So this year I will commit to doing 26 acts, one for each victim at Sandy Hook Elementary school. I plan to chronicle my random acts of kindness on this blog, and I encourage you to join me!

To learn more about the movement, go to The Today Show's page about #26acts and get inspired to start.

I'll add my own list of inspiration for Random Acts of Kindness soon. Until then, what do you think of this movement? Is it something you can commit to this year? What are some random acts of kindness you'd like to perform?

Prematurely Ready For Fall?

I live in Charlotte, NC.
I need to remind myself of that. That, and the fact that it's still August.
It doesn't help that Pinterest, Bath and Body Works, and all my favorite stores are coming out with pretty fall things. I'm a summer girl at heart, but I'm ready to move on.
Here's a little lust list for when fall finally rolls around. In, ya know, November.

Bath and Body Works Candles in Yummy Scents:

Darker Polish (I may have already indulged in some of these!)

CG Safari Collection (I own the glitter I'm Not Lion, and the purple Jungle Queen)

OPI Germany Collection (I own the vampy Every Month is Oktoberfest and the dark taupe Berlin there Done That)

Clothing: 

J Crew Dream Crewneck Sweater

J Crew Schoolboy Blazer in Navy

LOFT animal print sweater

I could go on and on, but I think I'll just get grumpy that it's still 100 degrees out and neon appropriate weather.

Are you ready to move on? What fall trends are you looking forward to? 

Monogram Mail

I have become totally hooked on Etsy! I have always loved browsing Etsy, but I often got overwhelmed by choices and just decided not to order things. I finally ended up ordering a few really exciting things in the past few weeks, so I thought I'd share and give some love to the amazing Etsy shops I ordered from.
Oh, and you'll notice a theme. I have a monogram problem, y'all. Also a pink and navy problem.  I'm going to justify it and call it a signature, that sounds better.

I'm beginning to assemble a little collection. 

School Bag:
I have been looking for a great school tote for a while. I wanted something useful, unique, and monogrammed. I fell in love with this Monogrammed Super Feature Tote from Bow Peep on Etsy. I love that it has outer pockets for quick access to my water bottle, glasses, and iPhone (or whatever I decide!) It's also a great deal at around $25.

This is my bag!  It comes in a variety of colors and with several ribbons and monogram styles,  so if navy and pink is not your signature there are plenty of other options :) 

Vinyl Decals:
I have looked at tons of monogrammed decals for my car and computer. Tons. I wanted one for my computer and one for my car, and I wanted to get a good deal. Etsy has a zillion fantastic options, but I was super pleased with my Vinyl Chatter order.  I ended up deciding on a circle decal for my car (so that it will be a little sturdier) and a vine monogram for my laptop. I am in love with the results!

When they first arrived! 

The vine monogram was huge and looks amazing on my laptop. I love that it's navy, it was a surprisingly hard color to find!

I still need to go put my circle decal on my car! Hopefully I will before I move back to Queens.
I'm ordering some sorority letter decals from the same shop sometime soon for my car. I'll post those when I get them!

Key Fob: 
I got totally overwhelmed by the ribbon choices in The Preppy Patch, in the best possible way. They have so many adorable, wonderful options.  I knew I wanted something navy and pink to match my bag, and I ended up going with this key fob with the added wristlet length. I also messaged the super sweet shop owner and asked about Greek lettering, and she did it on the back in my sorority's colors (not pictured because I'm a recruitment counselor, sorry!) for free! How nice is that?

The little ribbons on the end were also a little extra. This shop had great options and amazing service. I'm in love with the final product! 

I highly recommend ALL THREE of these shops and all of these products. Let them know Hannah sent you, and definitely leave me any of your favorite Etsy shops in the comments.

Stay beautiful,
Hannah
(or should I say hBr)

Nineteen

Today is my last day as a teenager. I'm currently in the back seat of my family's car, on the way back from a family trip to visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania. So yes, my last day as a teenager is being spent crammed into a tiny seat with luggage and trying to stay sane for ten hours.
Anyway, to get to the point, there's a lot in this past year I'd like to reflect on. I would write a long post about all of the fantastic moments that made this year what it was, but I will preface this post by saying that I am currently disaffiliated from my sorority so that I can be a recruitment counselor (which is an opportunity I'm so excited about!) meaning that I can't post any pictures of or with my sorority sisters. So that cuts out a large chunk of my school year. Know that those moments rank highly in my heart, and that I will post about my first year in my sorority after bid day!
To continue, here are some of the important things that happened to me this year. In words, then pictures.

Summer 2011:

• Blogging with Danielle, listening to her fall in love on the other end of the phone
• Getting nervous for Queens
• Pennsylvania with Mom
• Recovering from one of my Worst flares just in time for Queens
• Losing weight 
• Seeing Next to Normal twice
• Developing a nail polish obsession (D, it's YOUR fault!)

Fall 2011: 

• Feeling at home at Queens immediately
• Recruitment with my best friend Rachel
• Joining my sorority, finding a home there
• Having a fantastic semester
• Boston with Teaching Fellows
• Cutting most of my hair off! 
• Condoleezza Rice spoke at Queens  
• Casino Night
• Halloween (hahaha) 
• Sorority Events
• Thanksgiving in Virginia
• Boar's Head (Queens Tradition!)
• My Christmas Tree in the dorm
• Working harder than ever, but loving it
• Exam Break Breakfast
• Sunday night dinners at home
•  Leaving for break knowing I had a great place to come back to after break
• Christmas with Family

Orientation at Queens!

Teaching Fellows go to Boston! 

Thanksgiving (actually, the day after, which was BBQ fest!)

Casino Night- a great Queens tradition! 

This is what exam week looks like. 

Spring 2012: 

• A much more difficult semester
• Close friends
• Little :) 
• Struggling with my health the entire semester
• Grey's Anatomy Obsession 
• Landing myself in the hospital for viral meningitis
• Going to my sorority leadership weekend despite everything 
• More sorority events! Getting more involved with my sorority.
• Hunger Games Midnight Showing
• Becoming a Pi Chi- learning more about Greek life as a whole.
• Homecoming
• Greek Week! 
• Working my ass off
• Shakespeare... worst idea ever
• Am Lit- best idea ever 
• Exam Break Breakfaaaast gone wild 

After seeing Spamalot

Some of the Pi Chis at a Sorority event! 

A ton of the Greek women at Queens went to see The Hunger Games at  the midnight  premiere! It was a fun Panhellenic bonding event.

Summer 2012 so far: 

• Struggling with my health
• Pretty Chatty.
• Naturopath finally giving me some real help 
• Tonys Party with Jenny--- winning tickets to Jekyll and Hyde! 
• Colbie Callait, Gavin DeGraw, and Andy Grammer concert with Jenny
• KIAWAH!
• Pennsylvania
• Finally joining the technology world with my iPhone (early bday gift!)  

Concert with my best friend! 

Husk in Charleston 

My instagram addiction is obvious (also, this is Lake Latonka!)

Juno on the lake in her cute little lifejacket! 

Getting ready for a boat ride! 

My latest purchase: a crewcuts shirt featuring a chihuahua with neon orange/rhinestone sunglasses. Worth every penny.

Lake Latonka has THE BEST fireworks. These don't do them any justice, obviously.

Our family photo at the Lake house! 

So that's basically my nineteenth year! Let's hope twenty is even better! 

Hope y'all are having great summers so far! 

Love, 

Hannah

PS- Feel free to follow me on instagram- my username is agracelamb,  as always!