Finding Your Signature Lipstick

Growing up my Aunt always wore red lipstick. I still remember the kisses that lingered for hours on my cheek. However much I hated having to scrub my cheek off I always loved that she had a signature color. Through the years we started a tradition of finding stuffed animals with these big, red lips painted on them and send them to each other. It was our little inside joke and I loved it!  As I grew up and began to wear make-up I was never scared to experiment (I think I get that from my Aunt). I would try reds, pinks, and oranges and always rock them as only my aunt would. Through all of my lipstick trials I never had a “signature color” and desperately wanted to find one as my aunt did.  I searched and searched but couldn’t quite find the perfect fit. All I wanted was one red and a few natural colors I could wear daily. Was that too much to ask? While I do love Revlon ‘Love That Red’, I wanted to find a red that was a little more toned down.

My search started to come to an end after sitting at the Neiman Marcus beauty counter two years ago. While playing around with lipsticks I discovered one that I couldn’t put down – Pimpante. It has a unique orange tint but is actually really natural and perfect for daytime as well as nighttime. I was smitten! I wore (and still wear) this lipstick straight, day and night, for two years! During the day I would put one swipe on and for nighttime I would double up. People stopped me numerous times in the street asking what lipstick I was wearing. I really felt like I was making my aunt proud! Some would say that would make it your signature color! And I would be happy to take it as it looks great, but one day while walking by MAC I decided to pop in. Thirty minutes later I had found my very natural daytime and beautiful red nighttime lipstick. ‘Kinda Sexy‘ and ‘Russian Red‘ completed my little pack of signature colors.

I love my lipsticks and can be seen wearing at least one of them daily! If you are looking for a red, unique, or natural color I HIGHLY recommend test driving one of these!

Best Year Round Lipsticks-3 Best Year Round Lipsticks-4

MAC ‘Kinda Sexy’  //  MAC ‘Russian Red’  //  Chanel ‘Pimpante’

Summer Sundress

I am usually not a sucker for pink but ever since buying a coat in the same color last year I can’t get enough of it. This year alone I have already purchased a t-shirt and two dresses in this hue and I have found it nice to step out of my “comfort zone.” I know most of you are already experiencing fall or starting to experience cooler weather but I would keep your eye on this dress for when it goes on sale. I promise you will wear the s&*% out of it next summer! I have packed it in my bags to Geneva, Paris, London, Dallas, Naples, and next up Marfa and Cuba and it has been absolutely perfect for each setting. I have worn it with sandals (like here) and my nude heels! Each time I wear it I feel great in it, which makes purchasing something 100% worth it!

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outfit details // Tularosa X Revolve Payton dress

accessory details // Ellie Jay 14K Black Rhodium Diamond Bar bangle, Dana Rebecca Lauren Joy necklaceEllie Jay 5 Row diamond, Ellie Jay Rose Gold and Diamond H ring

My Favorite Apps for Editing

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My most frequently asked question is, “how do  you edit your photos?” Photography is extremely personal but has become a big part of our culture. Some people like bright, light photos while others like dark and saturated. It is all your personal opinion and something that takes a bit of time to figure out. Below I have broken down my four favorite photo editing Apps to show you my process!

VSCO

VSCO is by far my favorite editing app for photos. If Instagram changed the way we share our photos online, VSCO changed the way we edit them. If you speak with any big blogger each one will tell you they have a specific filter they prefer. I personally use S1-S3, A6, and HB1-HB2 the most. If I could recommend one thing it would be that you go through the set of filters (some are free, some you buy) and pick a favorite one. From then on, use only that filter. Instagram accounts with similar looking photos on their feed look cleaner, cohesive, and grab more engagement.

Snapseed

I actually just started using Snapseed and don’t use it for every photo. Snapseed is great if you have a tiny spot on your photo you want to make brighter or darker but I don’t like using it as an all over image editor. I recommend downloading it and playing around with the “brush” tool.

Instagram

People think I am crazy for recommending this but I love their tools. I never use the filters the have but their “highlights, contrast, and exposure” are a great way to balance the lighting in the image. You can use VSCO or Snapseed for this as well but I love how Instagram allows you to enhance the image without having to over do it.

Afterlight

I don’t really use Afterlight as much as the others for editing but I do use it to create the white boarder around my photos. There are other apps which allow you to create a boarder as well, I just use this one out of habit. If you do download Afterlight I have a handful of photographer friends who use their filters so I recommend playing around with it. I personally did not find a set of filters I liked better than the ones on VSCO. However what I love about Afterlight which VSCO doesn’t have is the ability to add filters on top of each other. This allows you to really personalize your photo and saves on editing time.

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