Favorite Things Linky: Beauty Basics

I'm linking up with Halle from Across the Hall in 2nd Grade for her Favorite Things linky! Beauty basics...what to say? I LOVE makeup. Oh my goodness. I can't even lie, I love to wear makeup...bright, sparkly makeup. At all hours of the day. I have been asked to work at makeup counters. I have had dozens of children stop me mid-sentence to let me know that my eyeliner matched my shirt. I don't mind waking up an extra 10-15 minutes or so early to have time for my makeup routine...I like looking in the mirror and feeling "done." I don't cake it on (please don't picture me like RuPaul or anything), but I like to have smooth skin, pretty eye makeup, and lip gloss on at all times. Let's get to the good stuff...

Y'all like the artistic background? It's my purple fleecy blanket...

Skin - As far as my skin, I use Olay 4-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths for Combination/Oily skin. They don't break me out or anything, so I like them! Garnier's Refreshing Gel Cream is a nice, chilly (?) moisturizer. I put it on about 5-10 minutes before I put on the rest of my face makeup. After my face has marinated with the moisturizer, I put on bareMinerals READY SPF 20 Mineral foundation. I LOVE both the bareMinerals loose and powder foundations...they look so natural. I used to look like a powdered doughnut when I first started using the brand, but then I realized how important it was to only use a LITTLE BIT and moisturize! I highly recommend the bareMinerals brand...it's not inexpensive, but it's so worth the money! I use Nars blush in...a word that rhymes with Borgasm (a little naughty, and this IS my teaching blog) so that I don't look like a mannequin. The blush is a pretty coral with a slight gold shimmer - I think it looks good on everyone!

Eyes - Urban Decay is my brand of choice for eye shadows and colorful eye liners...their Naked 2 palette is OUT OF THIS WORLD! I also like the Deluxe Shadow Box for its fun, bright colors (JUST SAW IT'S ON SALE FOR $10 ONLINE...GET IT NOW). My usual look for school is a neutral shadow on the lid/crease and either a dark or colorful liner to jazz it up! If you are in the market for a long-lasting dark eyeliner, skip the expensive stuff and buy Revlon ColorStay (pencil) eyeliner! I go through black eyeliner like I go through Pepsi One (quickly), and the Revlon one is fantastic and affordable! As far as mascara, I LOVE bareMinerals Buxom Lash for everyday looks. It's very soft, very dark, and lengthening! An AMAZING special-occasion (whether it's party, date, or you have a huge zit and need to divert attention) mascara I've found is Jordana Best Lash Extreme. It's very inexpensive, but it will make your eyelashes FANCY. Try it out, thank me later!

Lips - I'm not too picky with lip glosses. When I want to wear fun colors, I usually pull out my beloved Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. When I'm just in a clear lip gloss mood, I smear on some Maybelline Baby Lips (in the lime green tube) and I'm done!

Nails - Man oh man, I love nail polish. I have hundreds of them...I REALLY need to weed through them eventually! Four of my all-time, year-round favorites are OPI Cajun Shrimp (prettiest orangey-red cream), OPI Jade is the New Black (awesome jade green cream), Orly Emberstone (most amazing red/orange foil...try it on a pedi), and a new addition, Sally Hansen Salon Manicure in Gilty Party (the best metallic neutral...it somehow looks gold and silver at the same time). 

Wow, I just typed a whole lot! Sorry for rambling! :) I can't wait to read all of the other linky posts as well!

<3 Kelsey

Back in Action 2.0

Hello! After taking a LONG break from blogging, here I am again! I finished up my first year of teaching, and I am now fully enjoying my summer! I certainly hope you are too! :) I've tried to split up my time sort of evenly between me time (aka pool/nap time) and teacher time...some days are more balanced than others hehe! Here are some things that are happening during my teacher time...

1. LAURA CANDLER WORKSHOPS! Can y'all believe that the AMAZING Laura Candler lives in Fayetteville too? She is hosting two workshops in July, which I am SO happy to say that I'll be attending! I'd love to know if anyone else is going! If anyone needs me, I'll be the nerdy girl with the bangs happily writing down everything Laura says...

2. Playing with my new iPad - I used my supplement money to make the biggest purchase of my young life...a fabulous iPad! I'm trying to load it up with great apps to use during small groups...do any of you have any good recommendations? If you do, please leave a comment! In return for your great suggestion(s), you can choose a product of your choice from my TpT store for free! :) Don't be shy!

3. Revamping my spelling program for next year - I didn't like how my spelling system worked out this past school year. I am trying to create a fully school-based (no homework) spelling program based on the Words Their Way system. I feel like sending my kids home with 16 words a week and having a test on Friday did not serve my class well. Yeah, they could spell "resplendence" for me on a given Friday...but would they know it a month later? NO! I want to focus on actually helping my kids grow in their spelling knowledge and ability to apply spelling patterns to their own reading and writing, not just learn to memorize from a list. I have a really great idea of how I want to introduce the words and how they will work with them during the week, but I am still figuring out the assessment piece. Any suggestions?

It is good to be back! :)

<3 Kelsey