Disappointment & Discovery

I woke up this morning to some disappointing news, I did not make it to week 4 of the Allure Beauty Blogger Awards.

Being 1 of 10 amazing woman for this years Allure Beauty Blogger Awards has been a dream come true and huge learning experience. 

At first I was shocked. A little blurry from just waking up, thinking my husband was playing a mean joke on me. Then I noticed his stern face (very unlike this usually chipper morning person), then   reality set in, my journey is over. 

The hardest thing about not continuing in the competition is that no one will get to see the last two sets of videos I created. Week 5 was my proudest moment some of the best contouring & color matching work I'd ever done. Because of the rules I won't be able to publish it on my own channel.

When I first found out I would be apart of this years awards I was content at just being chosen this year out of thousands that must have entered. Not just chosen, but to even have had my youtube channel noticed by Allure Magazine much less looked over carefully was an honor. 

As the competition started and I finished the first week coming in 3rd and winning most buzz worthy, I began to think I could do this.  I might have a chance to make it to week 5!

I was honored to have one of my favorite beauty gurus on youtube judging the first week.

Week 2 again I finished strong with the most buzz shares, however due to Pinterest issues they did not announce the official buzz worthy winner of week 2, another disappointment, but I made it! I got to continue on to week 3!

I was really proud of my week 3 challenge. I thought I shared useful tips for the everyday woman, which is my goal and purpose as a vlogger. My viewers should feel confident in achieving these looks and secure that this was made for a busy gal on the go. Of all the challenges thus far, I was most confident about this one, well that shows you how much I know.

After a brief hour or so of feeling bad about myself, I checked my phone and was overwhelmed by the amount of support my friends, subscribers, and family were sending me. I realized just because I don't get to continue in the awards, doesn't mean I don't get to make videos anymore! I get to keep doing what I love to do and my friends, family, and subscribers (who I think of as friends) will keep watching and supporting! I don't really loose anything! If anything I've been pushed to create more creative content and have gained a few extra supporters along the way.

So I have to thank you all who have supported me through this journey. My pattern is to let this get me down and be thrown into a downward spiral for a week or so on the couch being depressed and sleeping it off before picking myself back up. Thanks to you, I've had my brief moments of disappointment, but now with my wonderful subscribers I have so much to be grateful for.

THANK YOU
xoxo
Serein

Mint Green Obsessed

So I'm a little obsess with mint. With Spring in full swing and summer just around the corner I have been going on a mint buy obsession.

Here are some pictures to prove my new obsession. 

It's not just mint, I'm into pastels of all colors right now. From left to right: Romper Room, Spin the Bottle, Absolutely Shore, Fashion Playground

I wore Fashion Playground from Essie for most of March.

 Here I am meeting a fellow youtuber for the first time wearing surprise a mint tank top. 

I've been loving mint and teal eyeliner for a pop of color on the lids. You can watch the makeup tutorials on my youtube channel. 

This triangl bathing suit is to die for. The fabric is unlike any other suit and forms perfectly to the body in the most flattering way possible. 

I even picked up a mint Ted Baker London makeup bag and pencil case. Sunglasses are from Forever 21, perfect for a Spring day don't you think?

What are you obsessing over this spring season? Have you watched my makeup tutorial feating the Stila Smudge Stick in Turquoise yet? I have a new one coming out in a few days for a Beachy Tropical Look using Teal eyeshadow. 

My Hoopla Adventures and Thank You!

Below is a recent newsletter I sent out to my customer list. As many of you know I am a stella dot stylist. This past week was the annual conference for all stylist and the preview for our fall collection. Reflecting on my trip, I sent out this thank you and update to all my customers and thought it was a good post to share with my readers as well :-) Just got back from this year's Hoopla at Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and wanted to share with you my trip and the exciting new fall collection.  View this email in your browser

Lessons Learned and Thank You! Doing something I'm afraid of has payoffs Many of you know me personally, some do not, but attending Hoopla goes against my personality. I usually avoid large crowds and groups, especially alone. My tendency is to shy away from motivational speakers and sales conferences. Well, for some reason or another I signed up for hoopla months ago on a whim not knowing if I would have anyone to attend with or what to expect. All I knew was I wanted to be a part of the experience. It didn't even hit me that just attending the huge annual event was such a big deal for me until my husband who drove out to meet me sat with me at lunch one day and said "I'm really proud of you for doing this. For stepping out of your box and coming here." Holding back tears, I realized just getting to that moment, just showing up was an achievement for me. I won't go into too much details about all the great lessons I learned, mostly that I can do anything I set my mind to, a reminder that I desperately needed and forgotten as I've grown up. I want to thank you to all my customers, mostly my friends or friends of friends for supporting my dreams and helping me build my own business. To you this maybe just a great tote, bracelet, earrings, or necklace, to me it's so much more. It's independence, freedom, growth, and most importantly meeting and learning from each of you. Thank you for your support these last 9 months and thank you for your business, because it is so much more than jewelry for me. Love- Serein P.S. Below are photos from my trip and glances of the new fall line :-) http://www.stelladot.com/sledford

First official day of Hoopla when I've picked up my badge and swag bag! How cute is the new metalic "how does she do it" tote?! Doubles as an adorable diaper bag or mommy bag.  These 2 amazing ladies adopted me and took me under their wings. Here we are enjoying some cocktails from the lounge. Tonya earned the amazing Red Tec Tote that she worked so hard for, which makes the bag even more precious. Can't wait to get the black version for myself :-) Here I was all on my own checking out the fall collection! I took these shots of some of the beautiful statement pieces coming out.  I'll be getting all my fall samples and look books this week, Let me know if you'd like me to send a look book or if you have any questions!

Another Birthday Come and Gone

So as I reach another birthday I reflect on the last year of my life. It's been a little less than a month since my personal holiday.

Sometimes as excited as I get about celebrating my day, there's a deep rooted sadness that I feel around the 19th of April as well. As I get older each year the sadness becomes more prominent. This could be the fact that as a child you never imagine yourself past 20.

This year was the marking of truly feeling like an adult, yet still not quite. Do we ever feel our age? I seem to have age identity crisis a lot.

This I've done this year:

I planned a wedding and got married!
As much as I love being married and I adore my husband, who makes me the happiest woman on Earth, I never actually imagined being married before meeting him.

So as I look back at 2012, getting married was a huge milestone in my life and it happened last year! Just sitting back and reflecting on the whole process of being engaged. Planning the wedding. Getting married. It's all very overwhelming. No matter how much I knew my husband or how much I loved him before the wedding, something happens when the vows are said, the ceremony is over and that little wedding band is on both of our fingers. I can't explain it, but a shift happens. Expectations change, not bad, not good, things just change. It's you and him forever now. You have a partner for life. You are responsible for another's well being and hapienss. It's a huge adjustment mentally.

Youtube Beauty Guru
I've also become an active youtuber posting multiple videos a week on beauty, product reviews, makeup tutorials, and shopping hauls. I never would have thought of myself as a youtuber. If you asked me a few months ago even, I would laugh and be embarrassed of my endeavor to advise through youtube. Making videos has become an outlet for me. Videos fill my creative needs and also makes me feel productive and helpful to others. It's become my main source of daily expression and creativity. I get complete creative control talking about things I'm passionate about.

Yoga?
I became a Yogi in the last year as well. In college I hated yoga, I didn't see the point, now I need it. The breathing, the stretching, the community, it all calms me and centers my mind. The physical benefits are great too!

Independence
I've learned to be alone. Being alone use to lead to depression and feeling like a looser for me. Now I cherish the moments of solitude. To do my own thing and not be disrupted or worried about someone else. While I love my friends and always need them in my life, I have learned that as we age and grow up and build our own families, the time we do get to spend together is precious and rare. Just because I don't hear from them every day doesn't mean that they would be there for me if I needed them. This goes for them too. I don't feel the need to have to call them everyday, we are all busy and trying to live life. In fact my best friends are the ones I see the least.

Move On
This is something I'll always struggle with, but looking back at the last year, I've really improved this trait. It use to take me years to move on from the smallest slights or fights. Now mostly I figure it's not personal, but something the other person is going through. How often do I start a fight or get upset at someone because of my own insecurities or issues? Almost always. So 90% of the time if someone has beef with you, it's really not personal.

Growing up has made me a better partner and friend to those in my life. Do I still get a little sad around my birthday? Yes. I think it's the panic that I haven't done enough with my life or that I am not where I thought I would be, but honestly? Who is exactly where they thought they would be? Life is unexpected and beautiful. The control freak side of me needs to just shut up and enjoy the ride because looking back at the last year, It's been a pretty great one :-)

How To Extend the Life of False Eyelashes!

How To Extend the Life of False Eyelashes!

My friend Sarah recently told me her little trick for making her false eyelashes last for 3 to 4 uses. She is an amazing singer and actress and works as an equity performer, so she wears her eyelashes up to 8 times a week with an allowance of one new set a week. 

While most of her co-stars end up having to buy more, hers just keep on going! This is how she does it:

First she cuts her full set in half and creates 2 sets (you can skip this if you prefer full lashes, but I find that I prefer half lashes anyways since they feel and look better)

After each use she soaks them in equal parts water and rubbing alcohol, about 1 tbs. each.

Soak over night.

In the AM gently pull the glue (now soft) off.

Pat lashes dry

Separate and brush the lashes with an eyebrow brush. 

Form back into the plastic packaging to dry. 

So easy! 

Check out Sarah’s website 

Her youtube channel

Review Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

Review Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

How can this little bottle be so effective?

I’m always a little hesitant to spend so much money on such a small amount of product, but after reading and watching all the rave on this baby, I decided to give it a try. 

It’s amazing how so much love can be given to such a small bottle of product. This foundation is water based, so you have to shake it up before applying. 

I prefer to apply with clean finger tips since it’s such a thin fluid consistency. It feels like a light moisturizer, but it covers amazingly. I’d say the coverage is about light medium with definite build-ability, but I like to not feel my makeup, so less is more in my case. I do use a primer with this. Currently I prefer my hourglass mineral primer. 

Other than a little under eye brightener/ concealer I’m good to go with a dust of powder after applying the chanel vitalumiere aqua foundation. 

You only need a small drop of this stuff to cover your whole face and it really is a great light weight feeling on your skin that lasts all day. 

Definitely worth the splurge for the look and feel. 

Orange Ambition

ORANGE AMBITION

Now if you told me last month that I’d be obsessed with all things orange, I would have thought you were crazy.

Well folks, It’s official I’m obsessed with orange or a nicer name for it coral. I never would have thought orange blush would work on my yellow toned skin. Who would have thought that my new favorite lip product would be Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous (orange)? Or how about my favorite candle Market Peach from Bath and Body Works, again orange.


I would have to say my love for orange started with buying my first slightly orange beauty product at the suggestion of Tanya Burr. In her Monthly Favorites video  she mentioned Clinque Chubby Stick in Hibiscus. I had to have it and when I ran to the department store to get my own, I was scared when I saw it in person and realized it was an orange based red and more orange than red. Then I tried it. At first I was hesitant, so bold of a color, so not use to it, then I notices how great the slightly orange toned red looked agains my skin and with no other make up on at all it really brightened my whole face. 
Then I started to be drawn towards the beautiful coral nail polishes from L’oreal and Butter London. After watching Essie Button’s latest favorites video where she mentions Stilla’s convertible color in gladiola, I thought well I need to try that. Even when I swatch it at the store I was hesitant, I mean it is VERY orange.

Today was a almost no make up day and I decided to pat a bit of the scary cream gladiola on my cheeks. I was surprised by the blend-ability of the color and how it really brightened up my face. It didn’t even seem orange, more of a natural peachy glow from within.

Who knows what I”ll broaden my pallet to next. It really is like a kid and her brussels sprouts, just because as a kid you hated it, doesn’t mean your adult pallet won’t like it. I think orange is my brussels sprout in beauty. That is also why I love makeup so much! You can explore, create, express, and just feel good from a new lipstick or blush or in my case a chubby stick and cream color.

What colors do you avoid? What have you been hesitant to try? I dare you to go try it this month, it’s just makeup, you can always wash it off. Go and have some fun, be bold, be daring, be happy!

Collective Haul- Shiseido, Sephora, Ulta, and Namies

Another Haul Video :-) Enjoy!

Too Face Summer Eyes Tutorial

Check out my Too Face Summer Eyes Tutorial!

March Favorites

Sorry for the voice, I've been sick for a week now and wanted to get this out for you guys. I tried to edit out all the tea drinking and coughing :-) Enjoy!

One of my favorite youtube beauty gurus Missglamorazzi or Ingrid started this tag and what better way to start off spring then mentioning my favs for the upcoming months ahead!