The Best Night

Hello everyone and welcome to today's post. I hope your day is going well and if it's not I hope this post will cheer you up and bring a smile to your face. The other day Denis and I went on a date. Because Valentine's Day fell on a Wednesday this year we decided to save our Valentine's date for the weekend. We went to dinner at a local seafood restaurant called Tunk's and had a really good meal with good conversation. 


Normally, our date nights consist of going to the movies or staying in and watching a movie (we're pretty low key) but this night we decided to treat it like a special occasion and got dressed up. 

Denis is very laid back - he's probably the most laid back person I know - and just like his personality, his style is laid back too. He usually likes to rock a t-shirt, some shorts, and some sneakers. But this night he changed it up and went for a blue polo with black slacks. He even pulled out his new sneakers.

I, on the other hand, had bought this dress from Torrid a while back but hadn't found a time to wear it. So I pulled it out of my closet and gave it whirl. Because it had been raining earlier I paid it with my black booties so my feet wouldn't get wet in my heels. After we had our mini photo session we hopped in the truck and headed for Tunk's.

Even though we got to the restaurant early it was still packed. So we parked and made our way inside. After taking a turn at the salad bar we were ready to order. Denis got some crawfish etoufee, a dish Louisiana's kind of known for, and I got the crawfish fettuccine. 

For dessert we ordered two, because truly you can never have enough dessert, and then we shared it. We got some bread pudding for Denis and a blueberry cream pie for me. Both were delicious. 

All in all, we had a really nice evening. Delicious food. Great conversation. We couldn't have asked for more.

What's your favorite place to have a dinner date? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time,

XOXO,

Nellie

Date Night Makeup Look

Hello everybody and welcome to today's post. Denis and I went on a date a few nights ago (see post here) and while I was doing my makeup I got inspired to write this post. I don't know about you but I love reading (or watching) date night makeup looks blog/vlog posts. I think it's because I get to see what products people use and seeing what kind of makeup products people buy really fascinates me. Plus I love to see the finished look.

So, I thought I'd join the thousands out there and share my Date Night Makeup Look. Hope you enjoy >>>>

**The links below that are marked with a "*" are affiliate links. This means that I receive a percentage of the revenue made if any product is purchased through this link.

For my face I've been using this new drugstore primer that I find to be the best primer at the drugstore at the moment. It's the *L'oreal Paris Infalliable Matte-Lock Primer and it has quickly become my face's best friend. I've been using it non-stop because it has a light and airy consistency that leaves my skin feeling baby soft and smooth. So, of course, when it was time to prime my face this was the primer I reached for.

For foundation I used my trusty *Estee Laude Double Wear foundation because it's basically a miracle in a bottle. It's long lasting, full coverage, doesn't transfer or budge, and blends like a dream. Yes, it does have a thicker consistency than most foundations but I like that because I find that it helps control oil and shine better than any other foundation on the market. It's my holy grail foundation. For a more detailed review on this foundation click here.



So after my base was laid down it was time for concealer. My favorite concealer at the moment is the *Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. In my opinion this is a drugstore product that works as well as any high end one on the market. And I cannot count the number of tubes I've gone through at this point. It leaves a light-weight finish that not only brightens the under eye but gives it an airbrushed effect.

To set everything I used *Maybelline Fit Me Loose Powder. This is another new product I found at the drugstore that I've fallen in love with. If you're looking for a really good powder that won't cake or clog your pores then this is the powder for you. I press into my skin with a damp beauty sponge and it sets everything like a dream.

After everything was set I grabbed my Benefit Hoola Bronzer and contoured my cheeks, under my chin, down the sides of my nose, and under my bottom lip. Then I used my finger tips and patted my Doll 10 HydraGel Cream Blush into the apples of my cheeks for a little color. To top everything off I added my favorite highlighter - the Wet N Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder. And then it was time for the eyes.



Because our date was at night I was really in the mood for a smoky eye. And what better palette to achieve a smoky eye than the *Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I got this palette a few weeks ago and it has quickly become one of my favorite palettes of all time. For my full review of it click here. But before I applied any eye shadow I primed and prepped my eye lids with the following products - the NYX High Definition Finishing Banana Powder and the NYX Eye Shadow Base in Skin Tone. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of using the HD Finishing Powder on my face. It gets cakey and dries out my skin but I've found that it's perfect for setting the NYX Eye Shadow Base on my eye lids.

If you don't already, I would highly recommend investing in an eye primer. Priming your lids will take your eye shadow game to the next level. Priming your lids will do a number of things - it'll make you shadow last longer, it'll make applying the shadow a little bit easier because you'll have a smoother canvas to work with, and it'll hide any veins you have on your lids. 

For my eyes I used the following products: *Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette*Ardency Inn Modster Eyeliner, *L'oreal Lash Paradise Mascara, *Revlon ColorStay Creme Shadow in Honey, *Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz , *L'oreal Infalliable Gel Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black, *Maybelline Brow Precise Eyebrow Mascara.

I wanted to include a quick 5 Step Date Night Look tutorial of the look I did below. So if you're interested in recreating this look right here >>>>  keep on reading.

Step 1 - Take a fluffy blending brush (like the *Sigma E40) and sweep Salted Caramel into the crease and outer V. This will be your first transition color.

Step 2 - With the same brush blend a mix of Semi-Sweet and Milk Chocolate into the crease and outer V. By slowly building up the lighter colors in the beginning it'll make the darker colors you use later look much more smoothly applied.

Step 3 - Then switching to a more tapered blending brush (like the *Morphe M433) apply Haute Chocolate and Black Forest Truffle into the outer V and slightly into the crease. This is the first of the darker shades I used. The key to a smoky eye is to start with the lighter colors and then softly apply the darker shades. If you do this you won't have to worry about having that panda bear/black eye look going on.

Step 4 - To add even more depth and darkness pack Triple Fudge with the same brush into the outer corner. I also took a flat, dome-shaped brush (the *Makeup Geek Outer V) and applied a combination of White Chocolate and Champagne Truffle to highlight my brow and inner corner.

Step 5 - For the last step I used a flat shader brush (like the *Sigma E15) and applied the darkest shades I used on my lower lash line in this order - Haute Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, and Triple Fudge. This little trick helps to smoke out your lash line and make your eyes look wider.

I also added the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Liner and added a wing to my lid using my favorite angled liner brush - the Morphe M160 1/8. This brush is the business because it's angled and teeny tiny, perfect for drawing the perfect wing. I'd recommend any makeup beginners to get it. It'll make drawing your wing that much easier. I also added the Ardency Inn Modster liner to my water line. This liner is the best black liner I've ever used because it's the only one that doesn't fade from my waterline all day, even if my eyes start to water.

Finally, I added a few coats of the L'Oreal Lash Paradise mascara, which I'm currently loving, and that was it. Eyes were done.

Here's the finished look >>>>

As for the lips, I reached for my *Revlon Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipstick in Kisses and then I locked everything in place with *NYX Makeup Setting Spray in Matte Finish and headed for the truck. It was time for our date. If you're interested in a detailed review of the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipstick just click here.

That's all for now, folks. Until next time . . .

XOXO,

Nellie

2 Ways to Style a Graphic Tank

Hello everybody and welcome to today's post. As you probably guessed from the title this post is a fashion post and today we're going to focus on styling one of my favorite clothing pieces to wear - a Graphic Tank.

If you're like me then you want your closet to have some comfortable pieces that are easy to grab and easy to style. Well, you're in a luck because a graphic tank is one of the easiest things in the world to style because you can literally throw it on, add a cardigan or jacket, and be out the door in no time. Plus, it's really versatile - you can dress this kind of shirt up or dress it down and you'll still look put together. I picked up the one in the picture at Old Navy and it has quickly become one my favorite shirts. It's made of jersey which is very breathable and doesn't cling to you. It has more of a swing fit that I feel compliments various body sizes and shapes.

So if you want to find out the 2 ways I style this tank just keep reading >>>>>



 

 

I truly believe that every person should have at least 1 cardigan in their closet because a cardigan can make even the simplest outfit look put together. For a casual look I paired this open cardigan I got from Old Navy with the tank and a pair of black skinny jeans. Because the colors in the look were pretty dark and one-toned I added a pair of leopard print flats and a long, gold necklace to give the outfit a little bit of a pop. Plus, the flats were comfortable.

A long necklace is my favorite accessory to almost any outfit because they're easy to wear and they add a little somethin' to an outfit without being distracting. I got mine from Versona but Charming Charlie has a great selection of long necklaces with pendants. I also chose a gold necklace because the gold complimented the maroon cardigan but if silver, bronze, and rose gold can also work depending on the color of your pants and cardigan.



 

 

Wanna shop the look?

// Cardigan - Old Navy (similar) // Graphic Tank - Old Navy // Black Skinny Jeans - Cato's (similar) // Leopard Flats - Payless - Similar // Necklace - Versona - Similar //

 

For my second look I wanted to show y'all an easy way to dress up a graphic tank so you can wear it the office. Because who says you can't wear something graphic and quirky to work? You can still look professional while showing off a piece of your personality.

First off, a blazer can make anything - and I mean anything - look professional. Literally, you can wear one with jeans and a plain white tee and it'll take your look to a whole 'nother level. This time I paired the tank with a beige blazer and some olive green skinny jeans.

Color wise, I wanted to keep this look more neutral because I feel that neutral colors like tan, black, white, gray, or navy works best for an office setting. Yes, you can wear bright colors to work (I might do a post on how later) but you never have to second guess if you stick to basic colors. For shoes, I added some beige booties to compliment the blazer and didn't add a necklace. And that was it. Your office ready look is complete.

 

Wanna shop the look?

// Blazer - Cato's (Similar) // Olive Skinny Jeans - Cato's - Similar // Beige Booties - Payless (Similar) //

I hope this post inspires you to take a look around your closet and see the possibilities that are already at your finger tips.

Until next time . . .

XOXO,

Nellie