Last week, the beautiful and hilarious Tami from Friday Morning Buzz shared all about what and why she writes for her blog, and invited me to participate in this virtual blog tour answering the same set of questions. If you've been living under a rock and aren't familiar with Tami:

Tami is a 26-year-old news anchor turned PR professional who lives in South Florida. Her blog, Friday Morning Buzz, is a random collection of rants and raves, funny anecdotes, endless dog stories, and pretending to have it together at her Monday thru Friday 9-5. 

 Thanks so much to Tami for tagging me! Now let's just get into it shall we?

What am I working on?

Long days and a new spiffy camera have got me sharing more outfit posts recently, but expect to see some new DIY content coming down the pipeline in the near future! I’m in the process of redecorating and looking forward to sharing some of the ways I am keeping my budget down. If there is anything that you would like to see in particular, don't hesitate to let me know!

 

 How does my work differ from others in the genre? 

In terms of fashion and beauty everyone comes to the table with their own wants and needs - different hair, skin, body types, etc - so I think it's necessary to read about more than one perspective on the something to see if it would work for you. In my opinion you can never have enough inspiration! I also studied media and graphic/web design so half the fun of putting together posts for me is the design aspect. Does that even answer the question?

 

Why do I write what I do?

The simple cliche answer: because I want to! I created this little space on the internet to be an outlet for my creativity and passions. I used to be a dancer and fell in love with the beauty industry at a very young age because of how amazing it could make you feel before you stepped out on the stage. Most of my friends in real life don’t share this particular passion so it has been wonderful being able to interact with a community of you who do!

 

How does my writing process work?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I am a naturally disorganized person. I set myself a goal this year of working on follow through, and let me tell you – blogging has definitely been a big part of that. If I think up an idea when I’m near a computer, I will create a draft post with notes on what to fill in later. When I’m on the go I use the Notability app on my phone. I also have an editorial calendar that I was inspired to create by a post I read a month or two ago that is full of potential post ideas based on significant dates in the coming year. It’s really been an amazing resource!

 

I try to get any photography and graphic design done in advance when I have access to my equipment/programs and natural light, but I tend to work the best under pressure so most of my writing happens the day before or the day of posting. I’m proud to say I’ve been able to keep up with posting 3 days a week for quite a while now! That's pretty big for me.

Next stops on this virtual blog tour:

The blogs written by these two beautiful ladies are daily reads for me - they have the perfect balance of content that keeps this girl glued to the page. It also helps that they are both super sweet!

Mia is a blogger from Oklahoma who is getting ready to make a big move to Florida with her husband, just because they love the beach. She currently makes plat books for the state of Oklahoma but will be embarking on a new unknown journey once they make the move! Her blog Make Me Up Mia is a lifestyle & beauty blog with a healthy mix of all things girly- makeup, coffee, fashion, sweet treats, recipes, fitness, bff dates and her fur child Pixie. She loves testing and sharing beauty products with everyone, somebody has to try this stuff out! She's been blogging for just over a year now and has fallen in love with the wonderful blogging community. You can follow her on Bloglovin or Twitter!

Carly is the blogger behind Carly Blogs Here where she shares beauty, book, and lifestyle posts with the occasional recipe or DIY thrown in from time to time. She'll always be a midwest girl, but now lives in Washington, DC area-- you'll also find plenty of posts on her favorite Washington DC places. She's a nail polish collector, cupcake lover, and wannabe writer who hopes to send a little inspiration your way. Follow along: Bloglovin' | Twitter

 

Make sure you drop by and say hello, and look for their blog tours to be posted in the next couple of weeks!

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A couple of weeks ago I shared my favourite warm and cool toned neutral palettes. If you're not really an eyeshadow person, I definitely recommend picking up one of those and you'll probably have all you'll ever need. However, if you are a lover of neutral shadows like I am, here are my favourite singles that I've added to my collection over the years.

The first round of swatches are all MAC just simply because I love the quality and the shade selection that MAC offers. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, I've heard Makeup Geek sells similar shades at a lower price point. 

From left to right:

Brule - My most used single shadow. A matte beige that is just a hair lighter than my skin tone, perfect for blending out other colours or just sweeping all over the lid to neutralize any blue/purple tones.

Nylon - The perfect bright inner corner highlight. It really helps bring a lot of light to your eyes and makes your face look fresh and awake.

Ricepaper - A less shimmery golden beige that looks great all over the lid. I use this a ton in the spring and summer. 

Woodwinked - A cult classic metallic golden bronze that looks incredible when you have a tan.

Bronze - A deep broze with a red undertone that pairs perfectly with Woodwinked for a summer smokey eye.

Satin Taupe - A great cool neutral that hovers somewhere between brown, purple and grey. This shade really makes my light eyes stand out and is a perfect one shadow smokey eye in the fall/winter.

When going through my single shadows, I realized I had an unnecessary amount of golden pink shadows, so I rounded them up to show you how they compare.

From left to right:

L'Oreal Amber Rush -  A highly reflective rose gold shade that almost looks like liquid metal on the eye.

NYX Champagne - A deeper pinky-beige with subtle shimmer that is a great staple for all over the lid. This is the closest I've found to MAC's All That Glitters (far right), but the formula is a bit more powdery so watch for fallout.

Urban Decay Sin - A lighter, brighter shimmery neutral pink that looks great as an inner corner highlight.

MAC All That Glitters - Probably my second most used single because it is so versatile and subtle. It lies somewhere between a satin and shimmer so it just looks beautiful on the eye.

And there you have it! What is your favourite single shadow?

Linking up to: Meet Me on the Brightside, The Grits Blog

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It is officially summer and I am loving every minute of it! While I may be out of school and living in the real world now, that doesn't mean I lost my love of bright colours for the summer. And really, does anything quite say or scream summer like neon? Here are four ways I am incorporating these shocking colours into my life this summer - without going overboard.

Makeup:
Rock your summer tan with mascara and a bright bold lip on a night out on the town and you are sure to turn some heads. If lipstick isn't your thing, try out a bright coral blush!

Clothing:
Pair neon shirts and tanks with neutral bottoms to keep things from getting overwhelming. Nothing sets off a tan like these bright hues, so what better way to incorporate them than in your bathing suit while you're out soaking up the sun?

Accessories:
Add a subtle pop of colour with bright accessories - I especially love this look with black and white! A bright belt or shoes can really pull an outfit together without being too loud. If you're hanging out by the pool or beach, or attending a music festival this summer, a neon hat does double duty since it will also help protect your scalp from the sun!

Nails:
Probably my favourite to incorporate neon is to get some serious mileage out of my favourite summer polishes. Even at a conservative workplace, if you're wearing closed-toe shoes no one will ever know! If you read all about my favourite summer polishes, you'll know that Jackie Oh! is my all time favourite shocking pink.

Are you a neon fan? What's your favourite way to wear it?

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