Sunday, October 30, 2011

FIVE FOR FIVE HUNDRED - THE GIRLIE BLOG'S GIVEAWAY

Hello there! Nice to have you. 
I am reminiscing, and hosting a giveaway. Please read on... 



Five giveaway items to celebrate The Girlie Blog's reaching 500 followers...one day.

A Brief History of The Girlie Blog


Moving to Seattle


Have you ever taken a leap of faith and moved to a place where you don't know anyone? 


That is exactly what my husband and I did in 2007. We packed a big van, bid our friends good-bye, and headed out west.


Our pup having a snack in a jam-packed van
 

Bright Lights. Lonely Nights.
 
Tell you what, starting all over was harder than I had ever imagined, especially when our new city is Seattle. It's pretty here, but it is lonely. 

Have you ever heard of the "Seattle Freeze?" It's a brutal social disease where people in Seattle are nice to your face but don't ever want to become your friend. 

They don't care about you. They don't care to know you. They just want to say "hi" and walk away.

Plus, in the so-called "smartest city in the U.S," fashion-crazed and makeup-loving girls like me are often shunned by bookish intellectuals. 

I should just sit in a dark corner and drink myself silly, right?


WRONG!

First time at West Seattle (2007).

First time crossing the Pudget Sound (2008).

Birth of The Girlie Blog

Get to know me and you will find that I am NOT the sulking type. 


If I feel lonely, I'm doing something about it — A BLOG! Dammit! I'll start a blog!


After all, my previous blog (visible to college friends only) was so well-received.


I'll write about stuff I enjoy — makeup, clothes, shopping, etc— and I'll connect with bloggers who are just like me :O)


In early 2008, The Girlie Blog was born.


Putting Myself Out There


I wrote and wrote and wrote. No one came. What the heck was wrong with my blog?


Ah-ha! I needed to put myself out there.


Reluctantly — I am actually very shy — I started following and commenting on other blogs.

Sure it was scary at first — hi I'm on your blog, will you come visit me too? — but slowly, I gained many followers. 


Sometimes, even advertisers stopped in with opportunities to review their products.


The 5 FOR 500 Giveaway

Okay, okay. Quit blabbing and onto the important part...


I now have over 400 followers. (Patting myself on the back now.) But I am aiming for 500.


And when that day comes, I am giving away five lovely prizes:

E.L.F Smokey Shadows

A beautiful set of E.L.F shadow palette.


E.L.F Plumping Lip Gloss

Three E.L.F gloss that pump up the puckers

Business Card Holder

Need a place for business cards? Win this card holder.





Sequined Makeup Bag

A dazzling sequined bag for all your pretty things.

Burt's Bees All-Natural Lip Balm

Get rid of chapped lips with this natural lip balm.


How to Enter?


1. Be a follower of The Girlie Blog.

2. Leave a comment, with your email address.


That's all!

Now spread the word and let's get 500 followers!

** Open world wide **

Monday, October 24, 2011

HOORAY! LET'S START THE HOLIDAYS!

Are you ready for Halloween?

I am! And nothing puts me in the Halloween spirit than a visit to our local Target, where candies filled the shelves, decorations hung everywhere, and all the cute costumes sat on display. 


In fact, the store sprung me into the holiday spirit as well, because as you all know, the holiday season always starts with Halloween.



Filling the isles with yummy treats



Cooking up something sweet




Dressing the house with fun decors



And don't forget to dress up your dog



HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!





Sunday, October 23, 2011

MIX AND MATCH

  
 

What do you do with lip gloss that have the wrong color? Return it? Give it away? Or perhaps match it with another color? 

I purchased Two Faced Glamour Gloss (in Champagne Room) a while ago. When I excitedly unwrapped the package and tried it on...YIKES! My lips were gone! Its light color had completely washed out my mouth.


But I loved the gloss's packaging and the way it pumped up my puckers. What to do? What to do?


So, I combined it with a darker gloss I already had, Cover Girl Wetslicks (in wine shine). The two colors mixed perfectly into a pretty yet manageable color — yay! Now I don't feel like I wasted a good gloss.

One's too light, the other's too dark. Mix them up...



Just right!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

PRODUCTS I AM LOVING NOW - OCTOBER 2011

It's time to share new products again. I promise not to disappoint. These products are truly great, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

Two Faced (Big Girls Pearls) Lip Gloss

With tiny glitters and the prettiest shade of pink, this gloss makes lips busty and pearly.



Vaseline Cocoa Butter Petroleum Jelly


Vaseline has always been my beauty essential. But this time, I picked up a tube with cocoa butter flavor — Oh! The wonderful fragrance!  

Add the rich, moisturizing goodness of vaseline — this product is a dream!




Seacrest Body Butter

My sweet hubby picked this up for me during a business trip. It's body butter made with moisturizing agents from the dead sea.


When my skin gets flaky and dry in the winter, one dab of this creamy richness smooths and quenches my skin.




Clinique Repairwear Anti-Aging Foundation


Clinique's Repairwear gives my face a smooth, matte veneer — a perfect polish for a night out.





L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara (re-visited)


It has been a while since I used this mascara, and it still has its magic. 
The wand accesses all my lashes at once, coating them with a rich and thick formula. 
This mascara takes my eyes from lack luster to va va voom.






Sunday, October 16, 2011

TOP IT WITH TAUPE - TAUPE MAKES FALL 2011'S TRENDIEST EYE COLOR...AGAIN

 Using Cover Girl Eye Enhancer in Tapestry Taupe

I announce with pleasure that one of my favorite colors, taupe, is fall 2011's hottest eye makeup trend. 

Are we at all surprised? This gray-brown mixture flatters any skin tone and matches any color. Add a stroke of liquid liner and fall 2011's hottest eye makeup is done:


Step 1
Swipe a shade of taupe shadow on your lids.


Step 2

Line your upper lash line with a liquid eyeliner in black.
Using L'oreal Liquid Eye Liner


Step 3

Apply a generous amount of black mascara and curl lashes.

Using Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara

DONE!!!!

Easy taupe shadow as fall's coolest eye trend.


Sunday, October 9, 2011

BUFFALO EXCHANGE SEATTLE - ONE GIRL'S TRASH, ANOTHER GIRL'S TREATURE



Two busy Seattle mamas found time this morning to go shopping by themselves. They got thrifty at Buffalo Exchange in University Village. 

At Buffalo Exchange, "Buy. Sell. Trade" is the lingo, and you can bring in gently used clothing in exchange for cash or store credit — Nice! One girl's trash, another girl's treasure.

Of course, I liked the "buy" part, and there I was in action:

Full racks of wall-to-wall fashion


Oooh la la — a sexy Halloween costume, I see?


Oh denim! My biggest weakness.


But then again, shoes always hit the spot too.


In search of timeless outerwear for fall...

How about a long blazer?


Perhaps a bright jacket?


Or maybe this one in tan?


And just for fun, let's end this fabulous shopping trip with a pair of retro shades.


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

WHEN TO HOLD EM' AND WHEN TO FOLD EM' - HOW LONG SHOULD YOU KEEP YOUR MAKEUP?

We never had problems disposing things that are no longer of value, like bad cards in poker, college sweatshirts and definitely bad boys. When it comes to our favorite makeup, however, we feel terrible about throwing them away.

Don't worry. Most girlie girls are prone to keeping makeup for way too long, even if they give us irritated eyes and pimply faces.

After years of ignoring health problems caused by old makeup, I advice that you let them go. No matter how attached you feel about your favorite gloss and beloved mascara, you should really think of the bacteria they have collected, and how bad they are to your skin.

So how long should you keep your makeup? Here is Girlie Blog's guide:
 
Eye Shadow and Pencil Eyeliner: 3 years. 
(Tip: Sharpen eyeliner often.)


E.L.F Duo Eyeshadow
Sephora Nano Liner



Mascara and Liquid Eyeliner: 3 months.
Foundation and concealer: 1 year
Powder: 2 years
Makeup Brush: Forever
(Tip: wash them monthly with a gentle soap.)




Do you have advice to share?




Saturday, October 1, 2011

BOTTOM HEAVY - A "FAT" BOTTOM ISN'T SO BAD AFTER ALL

An unorthodox way of applying eyeshadow is the "Bottom Heavy," where the lid is left without color, and the bottom of the eye is touched by a smoky effect. 

This gives you a sultry and undone look, as if you just got out of bed.

The "Bottom Heavy" eye makeup is easy to create and suits both day and night. If you ever want to steer away from your normal eye routine, then you should give it a try.


Step 1 

Apply a neutral shade of shadow on your lids




Step 2

Line bottom with black or charcoal eyeliner


Step 3

Using a smudge brush, smudge the liner. But try to keep it neat.


Step 4

Apply mascara to both upper and lower lashes



Step 5

Wait for mascara to dry. Then curl lashes with a curler.




Done! And it took less than five minutes.

See? Being bottom heavy isn't so bad after all :O)