Thursday, June 28, 2012

Voluminous Waves Hair Tutorial


Waaaaaahhhhhhh!  I totally miss you guys!  In a nutshell, moving has been a nightmare...one of the water pipes in our new/old (85 years old, in fact) home busted last week and we haven't been able to use any water at all until just this morning.  Then, last night, there was the strong smell of gas in our kitchen.  The contractor checked it out this morning and confirmed that there was a gas leak!  That's not the half of it...still tons of stuff to be done, but I think we're almost there...just one more week or so to go until I don't have to worry about fixing any more problems or making any additional improvements.  I can't wait to get settled in already!  This whole home ownership business can get complicated quick!

But ANYWAYS, on to more interesting things.  Several weeks ago, the folks over at iVillage contacted me, asking if I'd be interested in doing a hair tutorial video for them.  I'm a fan of iVillage, so of course I was thrilled!  Anyways, it's been up for a couple of days now, but I haven't had the time to post.  If you want, you can check me out on iVillage's site.  I'll also post the YouTube video below as well.  Hope you like!

 
Before and After


Saturday, June 23, 2012

Greetings from Sin City!

I'm currently in Las Vegas for the weekend with my family, crazy, right?  Not really, I guess...Las Vegas is my dad's favorite vacation spot, so I've been coming here about twice a year since I was 18.  We're celebrating a belated Father's Day.  Unfortunately, dad, mom, and my youngest sister caught a cold the day we arrived, which was Thursday, and my other sister and I are trying to stave it off for the rest of the weekend.  Crossing our fingers! Lol. 


It's a little insane because I booked this vacation a couple months ago, not knowing I would be moving this week. :P  So, even though I'm supposed to be relaxing, it's not really relaxing...sigh...  We're staying at a really pretty hotel called THEhotel, an extension of Mandalay Bay.  Our suite is pretty sweet!  We have a spacious bedroom, living room, and 2 bathrooms which is awesome when you're sharing with other girls...no lack of primping space for sure!





I really like the clean, modern decor.  The color scheme in the lobby and cafe is really elegant as well, black and white with very simple and elegant floral arrangements.



Here's my little pick-me-up from this morning.  Cheers!  Hope everyone is having a fab Saturday!


Hugs,
Cat

Friday, June 22, 2012

Moving Pictures

Hi everyone!  I know it's been awhile, moving has been a little rough and not without some hiccups along the way.  To make matters more complicated, I've been out of town since yesterday and have been remotely trying to get settled in through my husband (who works 10-hour days) and my contractor...sigh.  Even as hectic as everything has been, I didn't want to leave you all high and dry as far as my progress and whereabouts.  I'll try to post something about my current trip tomorrow, but in the meantime, I'll just share some "moving pictures" with you all that I took via Instagram for iPhone last Sunday:



So yeah, we purchased our very first home!  I was so excited to share, but didn't want to post anything until the deal was sealed and everything was official!  It's the sweetest little house, built in 1927 with tons of adorable details and lots of character.  Y'all know I can't wait to decorate!  I look forward to posting my progress when we've settled in a little more and I get things just the way I want them!  Hope everyone is having a groovy Friday so far! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Sunday, June 17, 2012

On The Move

Yeah, so I finished my last final of the quarter last Thursday, yay!  So where has Cat been?  Busy packing away and getting ready to move, today's our big day!  Sorry I've been so absent, but y'all know how stressful and time consuming moving can be, I'm sure!  Anywho...will fill you in on the details ASAP, but in the meantime, I've gotta hustle, the van's not waiting! :D

Graphic from Wiley Valentine

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend, it's been beautiful here in the bay...warmest weekend of the year so far!

Hugs,
Cat

Monday, June 11, 2012

First Look: Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette

Waaaaaaaaaaah!  Sorry I've been so absent.  Finals week is no joke!  Anywho, just thought I'd quickly post my first look using Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette.  I wanted to wear a bright lip out to brunch with my best friend yesterday and thought that a subtle, neutral eye would be a good compliment:

Lippy is Girl About Town by MAC.
Nothing special or complicated, it just worked with what I wanted and the palette was perfect for it!  Hope you're all having a groovy Monday!


Hugs,
Cat

Friday, June 8, 2012

Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette

Hi all!  I have a minute before I head off to work, so I thought I'd share a little goody that I got in the mail today!  I'm so excited to have received my 28 Neutral Palette from Coastal Scents!  I've practically used up all the neutral shades in my 88 Original Palette, so it just made sense to bite the bullet and purchase a palette of full-sized neutral shades.



So lovely, no?  I can't wait to try it out!  I'll see about updating this post with some swatches once I get a moment.  Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday so far!

Hugs,
Cat

Monday, June 4, 2012

UD Giveaway via Keiko Lynn

Hello friends!  Tis the week before finals and I have two big projects, an exam to study for, plus a research paper to write, thus, while I'll try my best, I might be absent for a little while.  I didn't have a post prepared today, so I thought I'd share a super-amazing giveaway by one of my favorite beauty and style bloggers, the gorgeous Keiko Lynn!  She's hosting a giveaway for Urban Decay of two incredible makeup sets, one geared towards a natural look, which includes the famous Naked 2 Palette, and another leaning towards a bright, funky look, featuring the Deluxe Shadow Box.  Check out her post for details on how to enter...I already have, hehehe!  Good luck!





All images property of KeikoLynn.com

Isn't she lovely?  She's a total blog goddess and has pretty much reached internet celebrity status.  I sooooooooooo want her life!  Lol!  I wish Urban Decay would host a giveaway on StyleByCat.  Sigh...maybe one day! :D

On that note, happy Monday to all and have a good night!

Hugs,
Cat

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Elisha Coy Premium Gold Mineral BB


Since I liked Elisha Coy's Always Nuddy BB 24 so much, I thought I'd try their Premium Gold Mineral BB.  Unlike Always Nuddy, it has the added benefit of high SPF.  What I found from trying it is that Premium Gold offers more opaque coverage than Always Nuddy and I really like that you get good sun protection from it.  What I didn't like was the "whitening" effect, which means that it's at least a shade too light for my skin tone, so I had to set it with a darker-toned mineral setting powder so that my face wouldn't look pasty.  I just think it looks tacky on me when my face doesn't match the rest of the skin on my body.  For that I used ELF Mineral Foundation in Warm.  Unfortunately, stacking two foundations gave me an uber-Photoshopped face.  Fantastic for photos for sure, but unless you want to walk around looking like a mannequin, I don't know if I'd recommend it, lol.


That aside, I got a chance to create another look with my new Sleek palette.  Check it out:



For this look, I used Flesh (orangy-tan), Paper Bag (brown), Noir (dark charcoal), Dune (sandy-beige), and Pillow Talk (white).  I'm so loving my new palette!  I can't wait to try interesting looks with some of the other colors!  Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday so far!

Hugs,
Cat

Friday, June 1, 2012

Sleek Ultra Mattes V2 Palette

Wheeeeeeeee!  I purchased my first Sleek eyeshadow palette recently!  Sleek is a UK cosmetics brand that makes AMAZING makeup.  I know this because all the beautiful bloggers on the other side of the pond have been posting about their products and I've been absolutely DYING to get my hands on some!  I went to the Sleek Makeup website and was super excited about their wares...especially the eyeshadow palettes...especially the matte eyeshadow palettes.  Sadly, it seems that there's an ingredient that they use in their matte shadows that hasn't been FDA approved over here so they cannot be sold to American customers!  Boo hoo!  So I decided to be naughty and go on eBay to get my little paws on their Ultra Mattes V2 Darks palette.  Where there's a will, there's a way!  And the internet makes it so easy...mwahahahaha!




Such an AMAZING palette!  I'm a real sucker for mattes...they're so creamy and photo-friendly.  Here we have a good mix of both practical and pop-py colors.  They're also super-pigmented.  Just the lightest touch of my shadow brush brings a sweep of dense, opaque color.  Here's my first look using Thunder (grey), Ink (navy), and Pillow Talk (white):




The last picture was taken in natural window lighting...looks kinda purple, but you get the gist of the look, right? Lol.  I think my camera's white balance is off too.  Oh well.  Can't wait to play with my palette some more!  Hope you're all enjoying a great Friday so far!

Hugs,
Cat