"A Birthday Beauty Wish Granted"

On today, my 30th birthday, I can finally say—"I'm a believer!" In what, you ask? In Bare Escentuals...

You see, for years, people had been swearing by their products, confessing their love for them to me on countless occasions, but I just couldn't see what all the hype was about! I mean, who wants to make a total mess of their bathroom counter with all that loose powder every day when putting on makeup?!

Cue the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals READY eye shadows. And needless to say, I was imPRESSED. ;)

This brand spankin' new line of pressed powder eye shadows is available in amazing colors that go on like velvet, blend perfectly, and last ALL DAY! To try them out, I ordered The Elements 4.0 palette (earthy tones plus an INCREDIBLE teal color that makes brown eyes POP—see pic below) and I already can't wait to get the full line!

So, if you're looking to get me (haha, just kidding) or YOURSELF a great gift, look no further! And to Bare Escentuals...THANK YOU for putting a fabulous product out there that doesn't require a clean-up process afterwards. ;)

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend, DKBeauties!

xo always,
D

“30 Faves Under 30 Bucks”

TGIF, DKBeauties! In just a week from today, I will be saying goodbye to my 20’s and entering what I’m sure will be an amazing decade of life. :) In honor of this exciting event, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 30 beauty products (each under $30!). Happy reading! (And let me know what YOUR faves are in the comment section!)

FACE
30. MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage ($28)
29. Benefit “That Gal” Brightening Face Primer ($29)
28. Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation ($28)
27. CARGO Bronzer ($29)
26. Smashbox Blush Rush ($24)—I’m obsessed with “Heartbreak”
25. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish ($29)—This is what I gave away to the 1st “Loot for ‘LIKES’” winner ;)
24. MAC Fix + ($10)—This vitamin and mineral spray sets your whole look (and is super affordable!)

EYES
23. MAC Paints ($17.50)—I use the color “Bare Canvas” as my base
22. Clinique Lid Smoothie ($19.50)—Layer this cream shadow under powder shadow for added “oomph” and staying power
21. Smashbox Eye Shadow ($16)—Positively addicted to “Minx”; creates a sultry look on brown eyes
20. MAC Eye Shadow ($15)—My must-have colors are “Shroom” for highlighting, “Expensive Pink” for lids, and “Print” for a smoky crease
19. Loreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner in “Carbon Black” (~$10)
18. Loreal Le Kohl Pencil Eyeliner in “Onyx” (~$10)
17. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($18)—“Lapdance” and “Skater” add a fabulous pop of color to eyes; this liquid liner pen is also super easy to use
16. Benefit Eye Bright ($20)
15. Make Up For Ever Eyelashes Strip ($15)
14. MAC False Lashes Mascara ($19)—Great new product in sexy packaging (I’m a sucker for curves) ;)
13. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in “Blackest Black” (~$7)
12. Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($21)
11. ***Brush Fave***: MAC Pencil Brush #219 ($24.50)

LIPS
10. MAC Lip Pencil ($14)—“Whirl” and “Half-Red” are beautiful
9. Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss ($18)—Shimmery and NOT sticky (hooray!)
8. Stila Lip Glaze ($22)
7. Benefit Full-Finish Lipstick ($18)—Fell for this product when I got it as a freebie from Sephora
6. Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint ($24)
5. CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain (~$8)
4. Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick ($18)—Go with “Barcelona” for a HOT red lip!
3. Vitamin Schtick Lip Balm with SPF (~$9)
2. Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm (~$3)

1. A big, bright, beautiful smile :D (FREE!)

xoxo always,
Diana

“Go, Go Gadget Lashes!”

Looking for a way to quickly add a little “flash” to your makeup look? Then pick up a pair of flashy falsies! My go-to brand for fake lashes is Make Up For Ever (they have a lot of fun and funky ones), but if you want to practice applying them first without breaking the bank, the drug-store beauty brand, Ardell, does the trick!

On myself, I like to get dramatic (the longer the lashes, the better—see pic below!). But, just adding a few individual lashes or a half strip (MAC makes a GREAT one) on the outer edges of your top lashline create a captivating winged effect—and make your peepers look big, bold, and beautiful!

Here’s my simple “how to apply” guide for false lashes (full or half strip)—this should be done after you’ve completed your eyeshadow and eyeliner:

1 – Take a deeeeep breath…it’s not as scary as you think :)
2 – Open the packaging for the lashes and use this as your “tray” for the eyelash glue/adhesive (I prefer DUO brand, which you can find in most drug stores—and fear not, soap and warm water takes it off!); squirt out about a pea-sized amount
3 – Take a Q-tip and split it in half; put it aside
4 – Using a tweezer, lift the first strip out of the packaging (place the tweezers on the outer edge of the strip); then, take one half of the broken Q-tip and use the cardboard tip (not the cottony part) to dip into the lash glue; brush the glue all along the bottom edge of the strip, covering it completely
5 – Where you’re holding the lashes with the tweezer, place that corner of the strip on the outermost part of your upper lashline and hold; take the other half of the Q-tip and, with the cardboard tip again, hold down the other end of the strip towards the inner part of your upper lashline (please note that you may have to finagle a bit here to get the placement just right—unfortunately, this is not a perfect science!); hold like that for about 30 seconds, then release the tweezers and the Q-tip
6 – Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other eye
7 – Once the glue has completely dried (you’ll know because it will turn clear from the milky white color it starts out as), apply your mascara, using the wand to carefully blend your natural lashes in with the fake ones
8 – Bat those sexy lids, you gorgeous DKBeauty you!!!

So, grab a pair this weekend and play! Would love to hear how it works out for you—feel free to post questions here or send through photos of your successful applications to dkbmakeup@gmail.com!

Enjoy the weekend—and stay tuned for more exciting news soon!

Always,
Diana