dark side.

As fall approaches, I'm dreaming of darker nails.  Those matte black beauties are right up my alley.  And I'm also loving the soft grey look.  Time to look to the dark side for more beauty inspiration.

{matte}, {black}, {grey}, {polish}

lashes + curls.

Sometimes I get in a little beauty rut.  Meaning, I wear my hair much the same every single day and my makeup rarely changes.  But I think I'm ready to shake things up.  I'm dreaming of bolder eyes.  Some longer lashes and a slight cat eye.  And I'm seriously loving this girl's full.big.curly.messy hair.  I'm usually not one for big hair, but this style is blowing my mind.  Ummmm hello pretty!

{lashes}, {hair}

fringe.

Off and on throughout my life, I've had bangs.  First as a child and then two different times as an adult.  Every so often I get tempted to take the plunge into fringe life again.  I love them so, but I inevitably start wanting to grow them out after only a month.  ha!  I have a hair appointment coming up in the next few weeks, so I better make my decision quickly.  To fringe or not?

{bun}, {straight}

stained lips.

When I reach for lipstick it's normally a hot pink color or a red-orangey hue.  Lately I've been eyeing more moody looks that I love.  These wine-stained, burgundy pretties are definitely looks that I'd like to incorporate into my own beauty routine.

{1}, {2}, {3}

pale nails.

I'm normally pretty routine when it comes to manicures.  Firstly, my nails must be super super super short.  I don't know why, but for me the shorter = the better.  I also usually just do them at home (I've kind of got it down to a science now).  And of course I totally have my favorite colors.  I usually go with pinks (essie "pansy" or sinful colors "pink forever") and lavender (opi "lucky lucky lavender" is my all-time go to).  I know there are all sorts of crazy cool manicure choices out there these days and I really do love them, but for day-to-day, I tend to lean towards more simple nails.  I decided to try out a more neutral nail this past week and kind of fell in love with revlon "powder puff" matte suede all over again.  I hadn't worn it in years, but as soon as I put it on I was hooked.  Now, I'm not going to lie, this color is not so easy to do on yourself.  It is so pale that I had to do like 3 to 4 layers (I usually just do 2 layers and no top coat).  The finish really is super matte, so the second time I applied the polish I added a top coat to give it a little more shine.  I'm kind of loving this new look.

{nail1}, {nail2}

beauty.

What is your beauty routine?  My daytime look is straight hair worn down with a swipe of mascara and a touch of lip gloss.  For the evening, I've been creating beachy waves and adding a bold lip.  Isn't it sooo true that you always want what you can't have?  When I was younger I didn't quite like my stick straight hair, always wanting something with a little more volume.  But now I completely love my straight hair.  It's so easy to do, and I can easily add in a little curl to achieve some body.

{straight hair, wavy hair, lips}