Quick Look: Classic Fishtail Braid. Perfect for a Casual Sunday Afternoon

Classic Fishtail Braid from Start to Finish

1. Start by washing and conditioning hair thoroughly.
2. Brush out all knots.

   3. Get out your favorite smoothing oil treatment. I'm using Pequi Oil that I got in my

       October Ipsy Bag. I love it so much. It gives just the right amount of shine and smoothness and smells great!

   4. Put a just a few dots into your hand. Remember... "A Little Dabble Do Ya!"

  5. Gently work it through your hair with your fingers paying close attention to the ends. 

  6. Next comb it all through to distribute the oil evenly.

   7. Blow Dry your hair thoroughly.

   8. When you have completely dried your hair, you are ready for the next step.

  9. Grab your trusty oil again and add a few drops to your fingertips.
 10. Smooth the Pequi Oil over any fly aways.

Now to begin your braid...

1. Divide your hair into 2 even bunches.
2. Next, take 1 small piece from the outer side of your hair.

3. Combine this piece of hair with the bunch of hair on the opposite side.
4. Now take a small piece from the other outer side of your hair.

5. Combine that piece with the bunch of hair on the opposite side.
6. Continue to repeat those steps and soon you will begin to see the makings of your fishtail. The smaller the pieces, the more defined your fishtail will be.

7. Keep going until you have about 2 inches left of your hair.
8. Secure with a clear elastic band.

You now have a completed fishtail braid.

Completed fishtail braid. Sorry about the lighting.

Here is my completed Sunday afternoon look!

Hope you enjoyed this look.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kat

The Last Julep

I finally received my very last Julep Maven box.

For those of you who don't know about Julep, Julep is one of those monthly subscription websites sort of like Birchbox or Ipsy.
With Julep you pay $20/month and you receive $40 worth of nail and/or mani/pedi products. In the past I've received usually 2 or 3 polishes along with a foot scrub, cuticle remover lotion or nail polish remover. Things like that.
Depending on the month you get different things in your Julep box. When you first sign up you take a beauty profile "quiz" and based on your results (I was Boho Glam) they send you polish colors to match your style. It was awesome... at first.
I was so excited to get my first box but then, as the months went on, I noticed that most of the colors were pretty much the same. Of course, they do give you the option of changing your colors of the month to another style or skipping the month at no charge which was great until I realized that I was skipping almost all of the months and that the polishes I was getting really weren't the quality I expected them to be. I mean, for a $12 polish I don't expect it to chip or peel within just a few days. Then I realized that this was kinda the reason I was skipping the months. The fun and excitement of getting my Julep box was great but quickly wore off. Am I really paying $20 a month for fun and excitement? I get the same rush with my Ipsy(glam bag) and my Birchbox... And I like the things that I get each month. Not only that but they are $10 cheaper than Julep! A $10 difference may not be much to some but in my ordinary world, it makes a difference. If I want a good nail polish, I'll head over to Ulta and get an Essie or China Glaze (my favorite brands for polish) for a lot less. So I made the decision to cancel my Julep subscription. It's bittersweet but its the right choice. So here it is, my last and final Julep Maven Boho Glam box.

Meeting Delia

I had the lovely opportunity on meeting the talented Delia Ephron yesterday. She is a best selling author, screenwriter and playwright. Ever heard of the movie, You've Got Mail? What about The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or BeWitched? Umm yeah, that was her doing. She was at my job promoting her new book The Lion is In. She was a fabulous speaker and so funny. She spoke about her first trip to North Carolina, which being a southern(ish) girl myself, I thought it interesting to hear how someone who hasn't been there views it. She also spoke about the fact that although her books are fiction, she still reaches within her personal experiences to add shape and emotion to each book. Its really inspired me to think about my past, take each experience and try to discover what Ive learned from them. Good or bad, something was taken from each event.

Her book The Lion is In sounds like my kinda book... chicks on the run?!... Cant really go wrong there. AMIRITE!!




Here is a picture of Delia and I while she was signing books. Not the best picture but a nice memory.

Hope you've enjoyed this entry and I definitely recommend everyone checking out this book, or any of her books for that matter.

Click here for more Delia!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kat

Ah-Mah-Zing

I love Happy Endings!

Nailed it!

Tried an oldie but goodie today. The good ole trusty French Twist. Turned out pretty nice and I've gotten several compliments on it.

What it's supposed to look like:

How it turned out:

Super simple look and took no time to do. Just one thing... If you think you're gonna pull this off without hairspray...you are sadly mistaken. I used JF Luxurious Volume Extra Hold.

Hope you like the look.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kat

Filling the Gap.

I was over at my parents house the other day and noticed my dad looking at me a little weird. He says to me "Kat, did you do something different with your teeth?" I said that I had been trying a new homemade teeth whitening solution and smiled. When I smiled he told me that it looks like my gap is getting bigger! Ugh!!!

When I was a kid I hated, I mean HATED, my gap. I got made fun of all the time about it. As an a adult sort of learned to embrace my gap. Now, after that statement, I'm a little self conscious. I know that it may not be the biggest gap of them all but it certainly isn't the smallest and its only going to get bigger with age. I don't want to eventually live my life being able to fit a big carrot stick in my gap, Id never smile again! So I did a little research (and by research I mean Googling) and came across a little product called Ortho Flexbands. The reviews aren't terrible but I'm a little on the fence about it.

Here's how it works:

Seems legit...right?



On the other hand I have a certain coworker (whom shall remain nameless) sending me things like this:

http://www.bellasugar.com/Celebrities-Gap-Teeth-3545136

What do I do?

Pinteresting

Click Here for Amazing Makeup!

Into the "Hart of Dixie"

Ok. So I've seen the commercials for this show for over a year now and I've never gotten a chance to catch it. Finally "Hart of Dixie" starring Rachel Bilson and Scott Porter also known to me as the super cute "Jason Street" from the show "Friday Night Lights" is on Netflix and Im hooked. I love everything about southern charm and this show embodies it with a city slicker flair! Zoe's clothes are to die for and the steely blue nail polish she's wearing in episode 1 is a must have for me! I love how she sticks out like a sore thumb and owns it. Definitely going to get into the "Hart of Dixie" as my Snuggly Sunday marathon.

Nailed it!

Trying a new recipe today. Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken. Got it off of Pinterest. Here it goes.
•cream cheese
•chicken breasts
•cream of chicken soup
•Italian seasoning packets
•shredded Italian cheese
•egg noodles


6 hours later
Done! And the family loved it! Booyah!

Ending the night with a new red wine I found.

Pinteresting

Found this on Pinterest.

What a difference!

Nailed it!

You Tube Video Gone Wrong

One of my favorite things to do is watch make up and hair tutorials. A couple of my favorites are Emily Noel: Beauty Broadcast and The Luxy Girls. Well last night I stumbled across this tutorial and thought "Wow! Seems easy enough". I decided to try it this morning and these are my disastrous results...

Supposed to be this:
Criss Cross Braided Bun

Ended up looking like...

Not my best work. Next time, Ill give myself more time and definitely use my chignon! Looking like a broke down milk maid was NOT the look I was going for. And to top it all off, I had no time left for make up! Ugh!

I hope you find this as amusing as I do!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kat

These are a few of my favorite things...

For starters...

These are the things I use most EVERY.SINGLE.DAY! I can't imagine my morning routine without these go-to products. Even if I'm not using them for the look of that day, I am grateful to have these as options.

1. Milani Brow Kit 

Love Love Love! this product. Mini tweezers for quick and easy shaping, Mini applicator that's great for highlighting the brow bone and an itty bitty brush which lets you fill and shape your brows into the perfect arch. EVERYONE MUST TRY THIS!

2.Dream Matte Mousse



I really debated on weather I was going to add this to the list or not because although I love the smoothness of the mousse, I don't necessarily love the way it flakes off when you put it on with a sponge applicator. I have ruined a few shirts before work because of this. The coverage however is really nice for a daytime look.

3. St. Tropez Sunrise to Sunset Eyeshadow Palette in Bora Bora

BY FAR my go-to eyeshadow palette! It's full of 6 perfect shades of brown. You can turn a daytime look into a night look in seconds. I'll be sad when this is gone, I can't find it anywhere. If anyone finds it PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know!

4. Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Vanilla and Night Glisten

Vanilla: Great for highlighting your brow bone, corner highlight and a great primer for making shadow POP and stay power.
Night Glisten: I use it almost everyday! It smudges beautifully for a smokey eye and is perfect for creating a dark mystifying look. Really makes brown eyes stand out when you use it all around your eye.

5. Last but certainly not least, MY FAVE of all FAVES! wait for it........................... waaaaaaiiiitttt foor ittt................... BAM! Lash Stiletto Liquid Liner No seriously, I cannot live without this product!



Whether I'm creating a thin line, thick line,vintage look or just a classic cat eye, this liner works for it all! Lash Stiletto liner goes on so smooth and has great stay power. Never smudges and finishes every single look. I cant stress how much of a MUST HAVE this liner is!



Like I said, these are just a few of my Go To products. Hope you get a chance to try them out and please leave your feedback and tell me your pros and cons.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kat

All about nothing

So many people have blogs about specifics. Make up tips, cooking, life lessons, its all there. I suppose mine won't be too different. I'm just an ordinary girl with a love for ordinary things. Many people I work with or come in contact with tell me I should write about the things I have a passion for and yes,  I love make up and cooking but I think I also have a unique way of looking at life which some may find strange or bizarre. This, I think, is what will give me some edge. Like it or not..... Here goes nothing!