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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Tutorial | Foundation Contour & Powder Routine


Beauties -

It's that time that I update you with my current favorite foundation and base face routine. I am in love with the products I've been using and I couldn't recommend them enough. This routine is specifically great for dry to combination skin types. If you have more of an oily skin type, just make sure to use an oil control primer. Share with me the products you've been loving as well! 
I'd love to check them out. <3

Video:
Products Mentioned:
 
Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab
Manic Panic Dreamtone Foundation/Color Corrector in White
Morphe M439 Brush
MAC Cosmetics Fix+
Eve Pearl Dual Salmon Concealer in Light
Sonia Kashuk No 110 Concealer Brush
Beauty Blender
MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15Stila Shape & Shade Custom Contour Duo (Light)
Ben Nye Banana Powder (Pressed)
Elf Blush Brush
Cargo HD Blu Ray Powder (10)
Elf Powder Brush
 

For more foundation routines and related content - check out these previous blog posts below:

My Full Coverage Foundation Routine (2015)
Foundation Routine | Liquid and Cream Products | Natural Finish (2015)
My Current Foundation Routine - April 2014
Liquid Mineral Foundation - Illuminare
How I Cream Contour & My Warm Copper Eye Look Request
How To Do Natural Looking Makeup For Guys & Defining Tips and Tricks

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Artists are Storytellers and Consolations in this Crazy Ride of Life


Maybe the reason why it's so difficult to be an artist and to exist in society has to do with the ever-present acknowledgment that this is a temporary life; a temporary dream that is worth all of the art and expression as possible....and these bodies, which cosmically exist as illusions are like little clouds of stardust that play pretend with our souls....and the immortality and synchronistic intersection of our soul and body is like a story destined to be told...and all the experiences we have in life as individuals are somehow constructed and told empathically by artists so that no one is left feeling alienated or alone. That all have stories worth being told, expressed, worshiped, adored, and awed over. That we all have felt similar things...And to do this work is the hardest because we are often overlooked and frowned upon because we can't quite function in the time constraints and structures that society has set up for us. And yet we try our hardest to survive in those ways while undertaking the constant pull to express and document and inspire all. To be of service to our calling, which is essentially the calling of our human family as a collective...to be the storytellers and consolations in this crazy ride of life.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

To Love With Absolute Freedom

To Love With Absolute Freedom - BeautyMindSpirit.com
This is a very special post to me, because it is something that I have been personally figuring out as of late. I have come to a place in my life where I refuse to accept some of the sacrifices we are taught to believe we need to make in order for love to be in our lives. I no longer subscribe to the idea that we have to be less of ourselves in order to make someone else happier. I no longer subscribe to the idea that my own personal validation needs to come from someone other than myself. My lovers will not be my salvations. They will not be my be all and end all. They will be my counterparts, my partners in building experiences with me, so much that, our individualistic human experiences are that much more fulfilled, honored, and experienced too.
 
 What does it mean to currently love someone? Here are some socially accepted thought pattern themes:
Two become one.
In order to be happy, I must be in love with someone.
When I have love, I must contain it and never let it go.
When I am with you, you complete me.
You are mine.
I am jealous and therefore insecure, prove to me that I am worth loving.
You are my property.
If I am not happy with a decision you want to make, you must not do it.
Do not spend more time with your friends than you do with me.
If you do spend time with your friends, let me come with.
Let's do everything together.
I will not survive without you.
I don't know who I am without you.
Life is meaningless without you in it.
Not only do these thoughts nurture a sense of codependency, they tell us that we are not whole people on our own, and that we can't be happy on our own. It teaches us to possess each other and to only feel happy when we are validated by another person. It keeps us contained in a box. It tells us that we need to sacrifice ourselves to the point that we forget to nurture and honor who we are as individuals. It tells us to forget who we are and to be absorbed by our partners.
What if we didn't have to do that?

What if we decided we could love and support someone's own individual journey while supporting our own? What would it look like to love as one whole person to another?
Check out my video to learn more and please comment/leave your thoughts on this topic if you feel compelled to do so. If you live in absolute freedom with love - please let me know what that is like for you. I would love to hear your stories.
 
Check out Jason Silva's video Love is a Religious Problem:
https://youtu.be/9sXomdv_5P8

Shots of Awe:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ShotsOfAwe

Here is one of my favorite articles about Amelia Earhart on Marriage:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/12/11/amelia-earhart-on-marriage/
 

Friday, April 8, 2016

The Power Behind Emotional Releases

The Power Behind Emotional Releases - BeautyMindSpirit.com
I am often stoic. I am often very reserved in my emotional realm. I feel a lot internally and process accordingly, but I don't always show my emotions on the outside. It's not a conscious decision. It's a childhood side effect from being told not to cry when I used to be comfortable doing so back then.
However, I just finished jamming out to a new song that I am writing about my current state of singledom and what it means to go through the deconstruction process of those difficult endings - and the song isn't completely about that, but a declaration to myself; a promise to never be held inside a cage of possessive love that so often happens to us free spirited souls. Stay tuned for my upcoming video 'To Love With Absolute Freedom' - if you haven't subscribed to my youtube channel, you should.
 
And then after playing these two song parts over and over again and learning to let my voice go loud and not give a shit if it sounds shitty, I began to feel the energy and vibrations flow strongly...then I felt a shift in my throat chakra and then soon after, my heart. At this moment the floodgates opened and I am literally writing this after a post breakdown of tears and deep breaths, and basically, a full on emotional release (yes, snot dripping and all).

I never cry like that. I never release so fully. So, this was a big one.

A huge one.
 
And it was in those moments, still strumming those guitar parts, sobbing through it, that I began to see so many memories flood in from all the previous relationships I've had and allowed into my life...and the glimpses of what my body has endured with its tragedies... and then I began to see glimpses of past lifetimes flood in; whilst seeing the cycles rooted there as well...

This was a release that surpasses this lifetime.

HOLY SHIT. 
Okay yes, this was a huge emotional release for sure.
 
So then I allowed myself to keep it going and more flashes of memories, moments, feelings ran through me and I found myself starting to feel euphoric. There was this lightness in my heart, my head, and my throat. There was this clearing that happened...and I began to hear myself laugh with the crying and then I began to feel myself say, "I am free now."

Still crying intensely, I was now declaring that I was free. And it was true.

I was finally free of some huge soul-karmic vibrations.
 
I am free from all of the burdens placed on me as I have been a woman in this lifetime, and others. I am free from the pain and the taken-for-granted outcomes that have happened to me. But most of all, I am free from the decision to keep placing my beautiful, delicious, gorgeous, pure, and otherworldly love in the hands of those who do not deserve it
 
I am a rarity. I love so well. I know how to transcend dimensions and bring euphoric love into my lovers. I am fierce, but I am precious. And I am worth so much more than what I have ever allowed myself to experience in this lifetime. And with my prior lifetimes, I am done being in pain from those dark choices of a devolved, human society.  
 
I wanted to share this experience with anyone who may find this as to encourage you to heal. To allow the releases. To not let them build up inside you for so long if you can help it...and to be aware that something magical might happen to you and you might be healing aspects of yourself you weren't aware of that needed healing. You may also feel euphoric. Lighter. Free. And it feels so good.
 
Know that we can evolve ourselves into a more beautiful understanding of love, if we can just heal and get to places of self-love and wholeness...to which we begin to not possess anymore or go into things blindly, because we do not know who we really are or what it is that we are looking for. That we understand what it means to have connections and purpose with others and to honor those absolutely divine and gorgeous experiences with full openness. 

Every act, every choice, every encounter with another human being produces ripple effects of influential energy into this world. We shape the human world together. 

That is why every encounter we have with each other is so important to be aware of and to take responsibility for.

I will not be wasting my time or my heart anymore. Will you?
 

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Supporting Local Minnesota Makers | MNBLOGGERBASH + LOWERTOWN POP

 
Hey Darlings!

I was recently invited to the MN Blogger Bash event on March 29th, 2016. This event was for local bloggers to have a sneak peak or preview of the bigger event which is open to the public called Lowertown Pop. This is an event that welcomes over 60 "Minnesota Makers" aka vendors to showcase their locally made products and provide support for our community based business owners. Not only that,  but 50% of the proceeds of ticket purchases go towards a local charity called Face to Face and the other 50% goes towards one lucky Minnesota Maker. If any of you know my heart, you know that I started this blog to not only uplift and inspire you, but to also share the stories and dreams of people who have created business and support them on their journeys. I LOVE that Lowertown Pop believes and is passionate about doing the same thing.
 

If you would like to go to the Lowertown Pop event held at the Union Depot in St. Paul, MN on April 9th, from 10AM - 4PM, I will be giving away two free tickets. The details of this will be at the end of this post.  If you don't win, no fret. The ticket prices are reasonable. They are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Plus, you're donating to some great causes!

Let's start with some pictures, shall we?
From Your Mat - Jessica Hoch
When I first walked into the area, there were cute booths and tables set up for some of the Minnesota Makers. From food to jewelry to essential oils and bath products - there was such a great group of people offering many different things. Jessica's booth radiated such great energy. She creates a lot of yoga inspired jewelry with stones and malas. They help balance the chakras and promote empowering messages to keep you in alignment with yourself. These items would make great gifts for those that are passionate about yoga and spiritual well-being.
 
Hart & Soul Herbal - Vanessa Hart
Meet Vanessa Hart. Vanessa began to craft her own essential oil blends after her daughter was having issues with Asthma. She wanted to create and work with herbs to help ease her daughters symptoms which she successfully did. As she began to tell her friends and family about it, many of them wanted to try it, too... which then in turn inspired her to create more products to help with different ailments. She is a medicinal woman with a passion for using the best distilled processes for essential oils in the most natural and purest of ways. She told me she wanted to research ancient techniques and focused on the pre-industrial revolution era for putting together her products. I am currently wearing her Happie Body Frosting as I type this. It smells so good - like oranges and chocolates (on me, anyway!)...and I plan on getting some more of her products - especially her detox bath bar and her products for allergies/sinus issues.


Scrappy Products

Would you believe me if I told you that the bags and pouches made from Scrappy Products come from 100% post consumer plastic bottles? Well, it's true. The bottles are made into fabric and this company uses the fabric to create these really cool bags. You can use them for groceries, for towels/items for the beach, or use the smaller ones for holding money, pencils/pens, etc. I absolutely love how they recycle waste and turn it into something useful.
 
StormSister Spatique

Not going to lie! The first thing I noticed as a makeup obsessed junkie were these lipsticks by StormSister Spatique. They are locally made using natural ingredients and they have such a beautiful arrange of colors. I definitely loved the nude colors. The formula was nice and moisturizing on my lips. They are great lipsticks.
 
Now let's get to the goodies that came in our Swag bag. Be ready for some enticing products to get your hands on!
 
Products from MN Blogger Bash 2016 - BeautyMindSpirit.com
Need some great, authentic and hilarious cards for your people? Have a great laugh with me at this "50 is the new Fuck Off" card by Bruno Press. I'm pretty sure everyone died laughing in the room when they were showing us we had this awaiting us in our bags. I also like the cute and demanding "You are there. I want you here, dammit" card by Muddy Mouth Cards. I may be biased, but I quite like our witty generation. We just tell it like it is, guys. And we do it in a way that will make you laugh. I promise. Next up is this coloring book by Doodle Your Way. There are studies that state that if we color, it actually helps us like meditation does. It's a great way to relax the mind and also nurtures the creative side in us! Lastly, this really cute fridge magnet called "I can and I will" by Debbie Wolk Designs. I don't know about you, but I NEED this affirmation right now to kick myself in the butt to get a grip on the upcoming changes I have going on in my life. I just love this magnet. Debbie makes all sorts of cool things out of ceramics. Give her site a look! You'll love what she does.
Products from MN Blogger Bash - BeautyMindSpirit.com
Now we have this ADORABLE onesie from Tumblewalla. This is made from 100% organic cotton and has the cutest MN logo on it as well as the Ohm symbol. Clothes from Tumblewalla can be custom made which means you can add a personal touch to anyone you want to gift them to. Then we have the beautiful bracelet from Jessica of From Your Mat ~ and this particular one that I have is for the throat chakra and has lapis lazuli stones which complement this chakra. I'm wearing it right now! It is very comfortable and feels really good. The next thing is a really cute handmade headband from CC JS Boutique! I received a really cute floral/70s print and the material is so soft. I can tell it won't cause any hair breakage due to the material it's made of. Throw this on with a messy bun and you've got a cute spring/summer look! D8agirl Designs came out gave us a pin made of mixed mediums of cotton and fabric. And lastly, I received a cool little bag from Scrappy Products. How did they know I'm a MN Mommy? I love it! And I still can't get over that it's made from recycled plastic bottles. 
Products from MN Blogger Bash - BeautyMindSpirit.com
There were so many food makers at the event! I can imagine how many more will be at the Lowertown Pop event! Minnesota is known for their amazing food and diversity... there are SO many good restaurants here in the twin cities and so many creative artists developing food that is unique and delicious. Let's discuss Superior Switchel's Orange Maple Beverage. This has organic ginger, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and sweet orange in it. You can use this alone, hot or cold...or it can be used in a cocktail by adding a local bourbon, vodka, or whatever your choosing (leave it to Minnesotans to create something that can be used with alcohol haha). I can't wait to try it! Next up we have some Ghee from Shamim's Pantry and some locally made honey from the rooftop of the Union Depot, entitled Bee Line Honey, and they threw in a Honey Bon-Bon! So cute! The next thing I spotted was coffee from Velasquez Family Coffee (smells DIVINE), and some delicious looking cashews from Isadore Nut Co! Then we have some Strawberry Cranberry Jam from Duluth Preserving Co, and AMAZING hand-made caramel from Sweet Jules. I had the honor of speaking to them and they told me about the process they take making the caramel the old fashioned way...and you can really tell the difference in taste. I AM IN LOVE. Now we have some more deliciousness from Antigone's. They sent home some of their Feta spreads (yum yum yum)! And then I had to mention the most sophisticated MN shot glass from Blue Henn (seriously, this one makes me want to drink hard liquor - and check out their tonics!), and a very cool white painted antique fork by Julia Moss. Check out her Instagram for more of her painted works!
Products from MN Blogger Bash - BeautyMindSpirit.com
Now we have some yummy body products to talk about. First up is Hart & Soul Herbal which I discussed earlier in the post. I'm still loving the smell of the Happie Body Frostie. So good. Then we have a multi-purpose soap bar called Shhh from Storm Sister (yep, they also make body products aside from lipsticks!). This bar can be used to shampoo, shave, and shower with. The smell is very clean and it doesn't dry out the skin. Then we have a REALLY good moisturizing body scrub from Bodylish. This company makes some bath bombs and other products using all natural ingredients. My favorite scrubs are moisturizing ones. You don't have to lather on lotion after you exfoliate with this baby. 
And there we have it! So many amazing products from some of our amazing community members. Please check out their websites, share with your friends, and support these local businesses so they can continue to flourish. <3 
 
HOW TO WIN TWO TICKETS TO LOWERTOWN POP:
 
 
If you'd like to win tickets to the Lowertown Pop event, all you have to do is share this blog post on your facebook wall. Tag me (@BeautyMindSpirit), LowerTown Pop (@LowerTownPop), and MNBloggerBash (@MNBloggerBash). Tag at least one friend in your post and voila! You've entered. I'll select the winner on April 5th and get the tickets in the mail to you right away.

Thank you so much for reading.

Friday, April 1, 2016

JULEP'S ZODIAC NAIL POLISH FOR ARIES & DISCOUNT! ENDS 5/31/16

SAVE 20% ON JULEP’S NEW ZODIAC COLLECTION POLISH – INTRODUCING ARIES!

Save 20% of Aries Zodiac Polish with code LETSGET20
Julep has just released their newest Zodiac polish for all you Aries ladies out there. Aries is the third polish to debut in Julep’s new Zodiac Collection and is a 'risk-taker red' iridescent polish inspired by the exciting and passionate Aries personality. Plus, Julep has extended the coupon code LETSGET20 so you can save 20% on any regular-priced item on julep.com, including the polishes in the Zodiac Collection.
Shop Julep's Zodiac Collection and see what Julep's astronomers have to say about 2016 for your sign. 

Offer details: Offer expires on 5/31/16. Offer may not be combined with any other promotional code. Monthly Maven Boxes are not eligible. Not valid for purchase of julep.com gift cards, gift boxes, Mystery Box, or Gift of Maven.

FYI: If you purchase from this link, I do make a very small commission.  I probably could buy a discounted sucker for my son with it. That's how small it is ;)

How I Cream Contour & My Warm Copper Eye Look Request | MORPHE 35O

Warm Copper Eye Look using Morphe Brushes 35O Palette - BeautyMindSpirit.com

Hi Darlings! Per your request, I have created this makeup look for you which is the eye look I wore in my Elf Cosmetics Haul Video. I hope you like the video! I have another look I will create for you as well that was requested while I was doing my friend Jerred's makeup. Stay tuned for that one as well :) I hope you're having beautiful days!! Love you! 
 
Video:

 
 
 
Products Mentioned:

Pur Dark Spot Corrector (Peach)
Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer
Eve Pearl Salmon Duo Concealer
MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer (NC15)
Stila Shape and Shade Custom Contour Duo (Light)
Crown Oval Concealer Brush
Sedona Lace 602 Brush
Sephora Airbrush Concealer Brush
Elf Contour Palette
Elf Blush Brush
Cargo HD Powder (10)
Elf Powder Brush
Elf Bronzer Palette
Elf Blending Brush
Mally Blush and Highlight Duo in Effortless Peach
Morphe E3 Brush
Morphe M501 Brush
Morphe 35O Palette
Morphe M330 Brush
Sigma E30 Pencil Brush
Sonia Kashuk No 109 Brush
MAC Cosmetics Fix+
Sephora Medium Airbrush Flat Brush
Physician's Formula Trio for Brown Eyes (Brown)
Lashes from Ebay
Callas Lash Glue
Ofra Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in Daytona Beach
 
How I Cream Contour with Stila Shape and Shade Contour Duo - BeautyMindSpirit.com