Being Photogenic

I used the app "Fotorus" to make this look so awesome!

Hello, my lovelies! OK, so rather than hopelessly wait until my Writer's Block disappears, I'm forcing myself to sit down and write.

So what's on my mind today, you ask? Photography. Being photogenic, in particular. Some of my friends are extremely photogenic. If you sneak up on them and take a picture, you'd think they knew it was coming, because they always look so perfect!

Me, on the other hand... I'm not so photogenic. And I hate getting my picture taken, because I can't see how to turn my head or how my hair looks or how big my smile is... So School Picture Day always gets on my nerves.

When I take pictures myself, it takes about 3 dozen tries before I take one I actually like... And then I put it on Instagram (hehe). I'd like to know if being photogenic is something you're born with, or if you can develop it... Sort of like a talent. Hmmmm... 

What do you think, dearest readers? Quite thought provoking, if you ask me.

Stay beautiful!

Writer's Block

Picture me as the horrifying zombie on the left.

Hello, my lovelies! I've posted enough times for you to know somehow, every time my blog reaches its peak of prosperity, karma catches up to me and everything comes crashing down.

And it's always lack of inspiration. A beauty blogger has unlimited sources. I can write about anything. But blogging about a new product I've never even seen is what I call a filler post; and I don't want to cram your minds with filler posts. Me complaining about filler posts is a filler post all on its own! Oy, now my head hurts.

But you know it takes a pot of gold at the other end of a rainbow to pull me out of writer's block. And before the rainbow even gets here in the first place, it has to rain. I haven't even been answering emails, I don't know how to reply to those anymore! So what shall I do to avoid a useless filler post while waiting for my writer's block to clear? For now, read some old posts you might have missed, and tune in tomorrow for a big surprise! Don't worry, it's the good kind. =)

Stay beautiful!

What's the Deal with Extreme Blush?

Extreme Blush

Hello, my lovelies! After a hectic school day and auditions for the fall drama (nailed it!), and ridiculous problems with my algebra homework... 6 phone calls later and a slice of pizza for dinner... I'm finally sitting down to ask you guys a question.

What's the deal with extreme blush?

This trend has done a good job of lasting a long time. I saw it last year in an issue of Seventeen Magazine, it's been on runways this year and all types of editorials and tutorials and magazines... And now I saw it yet again when I received the October issue of Seventeen Magazine this afternoon.

The concept is applying a ridiculous amount of blush to your cheekbones, creating an absurd effect on your face. Last time I check blush was to add a "healthy glow" to the face... But I can't say it looks bad, just... Weird.

More Extreme Blush

How many of you have jumped on the bandwagon for this bold trend? I don't apply much blush because my skin tone doesn't really call for it. Sometimes I'll apply this cute little peachy color I have in a palette and it looks very pretty with a multitude of looks.

My younger sister (who is several shades darker than me), has used hot pink blush on her cheekbones and it looks surprisingly good. It obviously wasn't for a healthy glow, but she was experimenting with color and it turned out fairly decent. 

So what do you think about Extreme Blush? It's pretty intense, don't you think? I think I might try it tomorrow... Just to see how it turns out. Keep emailing me (aislesofbeauty@gmail.com) with your thoughts!

Stay beautiful!

Top 5 Party Must Haves

A picture I took at the Bar Mitzvah I went to...

Hello, my lovelies! So this weekend, I went to my close friend Jacob's Bar Mitzvah, and it was absolutely amazing! I have to say it made the Top 3 without question. Unfortunately I didn't film myself putting on my makeup, but I'll redo the makeup for a tutorial later this week.

Every time I've prepared for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or any party where I know I'll be dancing, I always freak out about what to wear and what to bring and all that jazz. By now I've mastered the art, and thought I'd enlighten you on Party Must Haves, besides the gift.

What to Wear: Keep it light. With dancing comes sweating, and heavy clothes are just going to make that worse. Even if it's hailing in the middle of winter, it's going to be hot on the dance floor surrounded by people! To this one I wore a leopard print dress... But get this, I tucked it into some skinny jeans to make it more casual. It was very cute!

Makeup: I cannot stress this enough: Dancing = Sweating. Don't wear creme eyeliner or any kind of smudging makeup. Here's what I did: I wore my Sephora Mattifying Foundation to keep the shine off of my face, did my signature party bronze smokey eye, and added a nude lip. I kept my mascara minimal; just enough to put some "umph" in my lashes. If you have to wear liner, make it liquid liner, because that's the least "smudgeable" type.

Me at a Bat Mitzvah earlier this year.

In my purse: I brought my foundation brush and my Sephora Mattifying Foundation for touch ups, because that last thing I needed was a face covered in shine! I also brought mascara for touch ups, and lip gloss of course. Oh, and hair products! I always bring a comb and ponytail holders, because your hair may get a little wild and crazy like mine. And I always bring a needle and thread in case of a fashion emergency. I recommend safety pins if you can't sew, in fact that's better, I just can't ever find safety pins around my house anymore!

So here's your Top 5 Must Haves:

1. Light Clothing
2. Hair Supplies (comb, hair ties)
3. Mattifying Powder of some sort
4. Touch-Up Makeup (mascara, liquid liner, lip gloss, etc.)
5. Safety Pins (or needle and thread)

Simple enough, right? Good luck at your next big bash, and have fun!

Stay beautiful!

Billy B Beauty Brush Sets

The Billy B Beauty Master Brush Set - $250

Hello, my lovelies! It's been a busy weekend what with a major bar mitzvah to attend today... If I can arrange my tripod properly I'll try to take pictures and video for you. You'll see something sometime this week.

I'm blogging today because, as an official member of Beautylish, I was alerted about a new product set by Billy B Beauty. It's called the Billy B Brush Set, and it comes in a master set (featuring all the brushes in the collection), and eyes/lips/skin/contouring sets. Just like the Ocho Loco Eye Pencils, I thought about the pricing of the sets. Being a bargain hunter like myself, my most expensive brush is the $28 BareMinerals Full Flawless Application Brush, and I didn't even buy that, in came in a starter kit my aunt gave to me. So it got me thinking, makeup brushes can be expensive. Where do you buy your makeup brushes? What's your price range? 

My personal opinion? I can get eye/lip brushes from Icing by Claire's for no more than $6, and they work fine. But when it comes to foundation and concealer brushes, I'm a strong believer those are worth splurging, because they need to be high quality, and they need to be durable (so many washes!). That's why I use BareMinerals brushes for my "major" makeup tasks. 

But what do you think? Let me know, and tell me your favorite makeup brushes! And take a look at this Billy B Brush Set, I want to know what you think.

Stay beautiful!

Back to School Blues and Hues

Nude Makeup Palette

Hello, my lovelies! Oh, goodness, I feel its been ages since I last posted! It's school. While raving about all the Back to School shopping and sales and clothes and makeup I completely forgot about how problematic back to school can be as well.

Now it's Back to School Blues because with my busy schedule and upcoming auditions for the Fall Drama, I don't even know HOW I could possibly find any time to blog! No no, this is not goodbye. I have a few ideas up my sleeve to post often, so bare with me while I experiment....

Speaking of bare, another form of Back to School Blues has been on my mind. I call it Back to School Hues. Remember in my post about the Numbers Game, where I talked about getting your parents to let you wear makeup and maturity and all that jazz? Well, some parents, like mine, are a bit stubborn, and while they let me wear makeup, they're a teensy bit particular about what I can wear. For example, my mother doesn't appreciate pink lipstick. I love pink lipstick when I want to create a bold lip, but she does not. So pink lipstick is out of the picture on school days. Parties? The mall? It's fine. But school? Nope.

I own nude makeup. Foundation, a few nude eyeshadows, and of course clear gloss, etc. But some girls can only wear nude makeup school is any at all. Maybe it's concealer with a bit of foundation and maybe some lipgloss with a slight tint... Well I want to be able to help that latter as well. So if you have to wear nude makeup, don't worry! The next time I can squeeze in blogging time, I shall most definitely educate you on nude makeup. 

Until then, bare with me as I attempt strange and awkward ways to blog during this hectic school year. Oh, and tell me how school is going for you! Any odd hair/makeup trends yet? Homecoming looks? Tell me all the details! (aislesofbeauty@gmail.com)

Stay beautiful!

September Song

Aw, aren't these trees just beautiful?

Hello, my lovelies! The first of September was a start to a fantastic month for me. My laptop was fixed! Sort of, I have the same hard drive but a different laptop... But everything is just fine and peachy!

And then yesterday I did some great shopping all over town and got some fabulous new clothes and shoes! No makeup though... :(  But don't worry, I still have a ton of reviews planned this month!

August was a pretty good month for Aisles of Beauty, don't you think? And things can only get better! I titled this month's "reflection post" September Song, because when I think of September, I think of that song. It's a beautiful acapella piece my competition vocal group did at Hershey. Oh yeah, and that amazing soloist in September Song is my friend Willa... Take a look:




I'm all the way to the right on the bottom row in the purple v-neck. Do you see me? Anyways, I just want to thank all of my loyal readers for being so fantastic this summer. There's more great things to come in the fall! Keep reading!

Stay beautiful!