Get Ready for Spring

I am more than ready for Spring! Thanks to Daylight Saving Time providing our extra hour back, we currently have sunlight until about 7 pm.

7:00 PM!!!

What a wonder! I'm on my way to Washington DC soon and I'm expecting cherry blossoms, shopping, lots of coffee shop visits, and a visit to Baked & Wired for a Flap jack cupcake. You don't know about it? Words can try to describe, but I promise they do not do it justice! Yummy!

In the spirit of Spring, I thought it time to give you a peek into my version of "Spring Cleaning" or as I like to think of it, "I'm Sick of This Crappy Cold Weather so Bring On the Bright Colors and FORCE Spring to Make an Appearance".

Make sure you share your Spring Updates with me via Twitter and Instagram using #springwithkee.

Happy Early Spring everyone!

Nail polish in this video:

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant in Skylight 147
Essie in Ballet Slippers (this requires 3 coats to look opaque)
*To make the light blue, I used one coat of Skylight and two coats of Ballet Slippers.*
OPI Topcoat

Makeup in this video:

Maybelline New York Fit Me! Matte & Poreless Foundation in Coconut 355
L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer in Medium/Deep N6-7-8
MAC Fix +
MAC Blot Pressed Powder in Deep Dark
MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork
MAC Eyeshadows in Sushi Flower, Freshwater
Rimmel London ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze 003
L'Oreal Paris Silkissime Eyeliner in Black
Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Mascara in Blackest Black
L'Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Sculptor in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate
NYX Rouge Cream Blush in CB07 Red Cheeks
Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in 15 True Love

Tools:

MAC 217 Brush
MAC 266 Brush
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
Real Techniques Powder Brush
Sephora Lash Curler

On the (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th) 8th Day of Beauty Buzz. . .



$19.00



On the 3rd day. . .The Body Shop's Mango Body Butter smells like summer and hydrates like nobody's business! It is one of my favorite scents and I think you'll love it. Visit http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/body-products/body-butter.aspx?cm_re=Tyra_HolidayPh12012-_-Navigation-_-Body-Body_Butter to see what other scents are available.

On the 4th day. . .Sephora's eyelash curlers just got a festive update! I use and love my Sephora eyelash curler but it's not in a beautiful jewel toned color! I love purple but would be the happy recipient of any of these gorgeous gems. Visit www.sephora.com



$16.00



This is the color I want!

















On the 5th day. . .Anthropologie. . . . . words cannot begin to express my love for all the treasures one can find in this store. I always find something beautiful that I want (don't need, but want so badly!) at Anthropologie and these soaps are no different. They have about 6 different scents to choose from but the Mistral Grapefruit Red Currant was my favorite. Fresh and zingy! Visit www.anthropologie.com



$8.00



On the 6th day. . .Now we are entering dangerous territory. I love makeup bags. I would buy more makeup bags than purses/ handbags if I could easily put them on display.

 These cute little ones from J. Crew offer such classic sophistication and fun! Visit www.jcrew.com



Each $25.00



On the 7th day. . .

Originally $24.95, currently on sale for $16.99

Next up is this plaid makeup bag from Gap. In the past couple years I've purchased more button down plaid shirts than I care to admit. They're comfy and easy to dress up or dress down and why not dump all that desire from shirts into bags?! I know I love this one! Two zipper pockets and a melon/pink lining inside. Love that! Visit www.gap.com

On the 8th day. . . EOS lip balm (Evolution of Smooth) gives lips a coat of luxurious moisture during these dry winter months. I've had the lemon one (can't find it anywhere lately!) and it smells like lemonade. I suppose I really do enjoy summer scents in the winter. Really I enjoy summer scents anytime!

Visit www.evolutionofsmooth.com

Well, there's your Beauty Buzzing Explosion, as promised! Check back soon for more!

That's The Buzz!

Starting a new makeup bag

Have you ever had to put together a brand new makeup bag? I've noticed that I've acquired products over time and rarely need to buy replacements for everything at the same time. It's not like I run out of foundation, mascara, lipgloss, eyeliner and powder all at once!


Last year on my birthday I celebrated in Philly with a great group of friends. It was awesome! We were all settling into our hotel rooms, chatting, laughing and getting ready to set out our outfits for dinner and partying when I realized the one thing I forgot to pack: MY MAKEUP BAG! AHHHH!



Devastated!



I was dumbfounded by the entire thing. I also immediately remembered packing up my makeup bag and promptly leaving it on the floor of my bedroom instead of putting it in my suitcase.



My cute little makeup bag left at home



I had makeup brushes but no makeup to apply to my face.

For the first time (and hopefully the last!) I had to buy all new makeup. It was about 6:00 pm, our dinner reservation was in an hour and we all piled into my friend's rented SUV and drove up and down the streets looking for an open drugstore.

Here's the thing: the reality is that finding a foundation to match my skin from a drugstore is NOT a guaranteed thing. I know that Maybelline and Revlon make colors that I love and match my skin, however, not every drugstore carries all colors. A lot of places will carry a limited range of colors, even if the cosmetics company makes lighter and darker shades. Unfortunate, but true.

So I had to buy new


• foundation
• concealer (ugh, so difficult. Worse than searching for foundation)
• powder (*ditto)
• blush
• eyeshadow (including a dark brown shade to fill in my eyebrows)
• eyeshadow primer (I needed it to last, remember it was my birthday party night)
• eyeliner
• mascara

Thankfully I always have about 5 lip products between gloss, lipstick and lipliner that I didn't need to buy any lip stuff.

The grand total??? About $60! For things I already owned! And that was at the drugstore. If I had gone to a department store and bought the same amount of products it would easily amount to about $250!

I say all of this to say that starting a new makeup bag is no easy feat! However, it all depends on what your needs are. I like to have a makeup bag that can give me a full face of makeup. But that doesn't mean I use every product every single day. If you're a eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss girl, than your shopping will be less expensive and daunting than mine. But if you're interested in the whole picture makeup shopping can be expensive, daunting, and may require going to multiple stores. Here are my "Low risk, high reward" makeup shopping tips:

1. Do your research. There are lots of different products and if you're just getting started it can be overwhelming (Don't worry, there will be a special post and tutorial coming up for you soon!) My advice is to search on YouTube for what you're looking for, i.e. "Best drugstore foundation".
2. Be prepared. Put together a list of what you need. Having a checklist can keep you on track and can help prevent impulse purchasing. Also having coupons, knowing what items are on sale (check the inserts for Walmart and Target in the newspaper), and having any "frequent customer" cards from places like Ulta and Sephora will make you feel ready. 

3. Go at your own pace. If you can handle it financially and prefer to get it all done in one sitting feel free to shop for it all. Although my birthday experience put me out of money I didn't plan on spending, it was great having a whole new collection of shiny new makeup to open. *Also it became my car kit that stays IN THE CAR! Just in case that ever happens again.*
4. Have fun! Buying new makeup is not only a time to replace tried and true products, but it is also fun to explore new things. For every three things I buy that are my go-to products I try one new thing. You never know what you'll discover!

That's the buzz, check back for more next time!