Fuck yeah. 💪🏻 Fuck yeah. 💪🏻
We have reached the point of winter where I am SIC We have reached the point of winter where I am SICK of wearing coats. Spring, where are you?! 😩 Trying so hard to get dressed every day but how do y’all do it when it’s cold?! I’m literally sitting on my couch in this coat because it’s too cold to take it off 😂
Smell ya later, 2020. (This is an old photo from Smell ya later, 2020. 

(This is an old photo from this summer when I did my Harley Quinn makeup, but the energy felt right.)

I’ll be honest, I think the first half of 2021 is gonna be brutal but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, babes. We are almost there so stay safe and stay diligent.
I posted an embarrassing photo in my stories so I I posted an embarrassing photo in my stories so I have to balance it by posting a hot one here 😂 Also wow I haven’t posted since HALLOWEEN. I’ve been spending most of my IG time on my candle account, @brennancandleco, but I truly MISS Y’ALL. I formed so many great relationships over the years and I want to get back to that. So you’ll be seeing more of me, probably in a less curated way than you used to. I might lose some of y’all but I hope the ones I call friends will stick around because I really do miss you. 

And lastly, if you ARE into more business-y content from me, follow @brennancandleco, there are some pretty awesome things happening over there if I do say so myself.

Photo by @narirophoto
I may be at home, but I wasn't going to miss out o I may be at home, but I wasn't going to miss out on transforming into Furiosa. 

2020 has been a heck of a year, and I think we're all feeling a bit like we're stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Ready to turn things around and kick our own Immortan Joe to the curb.

Happy Halloween. Stay home.
My latest project: @brennancandleco 🖤 My latest project: @brennancandleco 🖤
Welp I think this negative space mani is my new si Welp I think this negative space mani is my new signature look so prepare to get sick of seeing it in different colors. 💅🏻
Our tomato plants finally started flourishing and Our tomato plants finally started flourishing and thennnnn there was snow in the forecast 🙃 Tomorrow we are supposed to get quite a lot and I’m very cranky about it. Hoping our plants survive but more importantly, I hope the snow puts out the wildfires that seem to be never ending. It’s been a brutal summer for many reasons, but it’s still pretty cool to look at this bowl and know we grew these tomatoes from seeds. Also there’s currently zucchini bread in the oven from our garden ☺️
I am so so so grateful to @crispy.ray for designin I am so so so grateful to @crispy.ray for designing this and putting it on my body, y’all 😍 They are SUCH a talented artist and all around great person. I felt super comfortable and they executed my vision perfectly. 👽 I’ve been a diehard X Files fan since I was a kid (swipe for evidence and a photo of me and Gillian Anderson where I have never felt uglier lmao), so this means a ton.

Re: COVID-19. Truthfully I felt super nervous to get my tattoo and super nervous to post it here. I’ve still been doing my best to stay home but am also (like many of you, I think) struggling mentally. So where is the balance? Honestly I don’t know. I haven’t had a haircut (besides doing it myself), had my nails done, or sat down to eat except for once (and it was a place with no servers). I barely see anyone except my husband. Some days it’s fine and others it’s “how much more of this can I take?” So anyway. I took a risk, but @blackbirdinktattoo was taking everything very seriously. All were masked and sanitized (duh it’s a tattoo place) and I specifically chose a leg tattoo so Christa and I wouldn’t be breathing on each other. I long for the day when things are normal again. I long for the day when I can see my family again. But for now, I’ll try to safely find small pockets of joy and normalcy and ride those little waves until the next pocket of joy.
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Beauty · July 11, 2016

5 Steps to Shine Free Summer Skin

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and/or make a purchase, I may earn a few cents at no additional cost to you. Any products gifted by a brand will be marked "c/o." Thanks for helping make this blog possible! <3

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MajorBeauty #MajorSteals #CollectiveBias

Shine free Summer SkinI’m already starting to see back to school stuff everywhere (sorry students and teachers, it’s almost that time) and it has me reminiscing on all my years of heading back to college. I kind of can’t believe this year marks FOUR years since I graduated….sheesh. I went to school at Texas A&M University in College Station, so going back to college for me always meant heading back into the extreme heat and humidity.

I know what you’re thinking, “Valery, you live in Dallas. It’s hot there.” True. But not like College Station. The heat and humidity there makes it nearly impossible to not look oily and sticky, especially when you’re walking 20 minutes across a huge campus to get from one class to another. Well, never fear, because I have a solution to fight the shine AND keep your makeup in place. Whether you’re a college student heading back to school or a busy mom on the go, these tips will last you all the way through fall.

Don’t miss the sweepstakes at the bottom of the post – you could win a $50 Target gift card!

1. Cleanse! Of course, you want to wash your face with the best thing for your skin. For me, that means a mild cleanser that gets rid of dirt and oil but won’t dry me out.

2. Moisturize! Yes, you need to be moisturizing, even if you get oily in the summer. The key is using the right moisturizer and after YEARS of searching I finally found the right one for me – Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. Seriously, this is my fourth tub of this moisturizer. It gets rid of the dry patches on my cheeks but doesn’t make me oily in my t-zone. A real treasure. Plus, if you need SPF protection they have one for that too!

webIMG_5246
3. Prime! I literally never put on makeup without primer but it’s especially important in the summer. I love the Neutrogena Shine Control Primer – it’s white but rubs in clear so it’s perfect for all skin tones. This primer will really keep your makeup stuck to your face…which is exactly what we want, duh! You can also wear this primer without makeup just to help control shine – I did this when I was running around doing errands the other day and it made a huge difference.
4. Makeup! This one completely depends on how you like to do your makeup, but here’s the routine I used today:
Foundation
Shadow and Liner
Powder and Mascara
  • Foundation – applied with a Beautyblender
  • Brows – used a pomade and applied with an angled eyeliner brush
  • Eyeshadow (Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani palette) – Stark all over the lid and then Zone in the crease; then I applied Punk with a fluffy shadow in the outer corner up to the crease and the inner corner up to the crease, leaving the middle of my lid lighter; then patted 1987 in the center of the lid and softly blended it with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Applied Punk along the bottom lid as well (where you would typically put eyeliner)
  • Eyeliner – tight lined the upper and lower waterlines with a black gel liner
  • Powder – set foundation with a translucent powder (I used my Beautyblender for this too!) This is one of my favorite techniques, you just tap the beauty blender into your powder and pat it onto your face.
  • Mascara – this one’s pretty self explanatory 🙂 since it was a dramatic look I really piled on the mascara
  • Lips – wore a maroon lipstick as an homage to my alma mater

4. Finishing Spray! This is a MUST if you’re wearing makeup in the summer – seriously, it’s a game changer and will keep everything from melting off. There are tons available now, so just choose the one you like the best.

webIMG_5317

5. Blotting Sheets! Even if you follow all these steps, you might still start to see some shine throughout the day. Keeping some blotting sheets handy is key! I like to use the Oil Absorbing Sheets from Clean & Clear. They’ll help remove the oil from your face without compromising all the hard work you put into your makeup. Make SURE to put these sheets in your purse and thank me later.

Final Look

I already know you’re going to be heading to Target soon, so make sure to grab your favorite back-to-college skincare and cosmetic must-haves to get your beauty routine ready for the new school year! And good news – from July-August 2016, buy any one participating Neutrogena® facial, Neutrogena® cosmetic or Clean & Clear® facial product and get one 25% off! That definitely deserves an in-store “Gig em” from this Aggie.

IMG_0989

Neutrogena, Clean & Clear, and Aveeno #MajorBeauty Sweepstakes

What products do you use to keep your summer face in tact? Anyone else loving these Neutrogena® and Clean & Clear® products?

xoxo
Valery

In: Beauty · Tagged: Beauty, Makeup, yellow hair

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Comments

  1. Jennifer C says

    July 11, 2016 at 2:01 PM

    Can the selfie I just posted to Facebook count? (If not it’s absolutely no problem because….. chances are I’ll be posting a selfie on Instagram any day now lol)

  2. Denise says

    July 12, 2016 at 10:34 PM

    I seriously don’t know what I would do without blotting sheets. Sometimes that in itself is good enough even without a touch up! -client

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5 Ways to Practice Self Love and Feel Your Most Beautiful

I'm an eclectic Denver blogger, embarking on a low-buy journey to break up with bad shopping habits and learn to love what I have. Most of the fashion you'll see here is thrifted, and the beauty is thrifty.

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Fuck yeah. 💪🏻 Fuck yeah. 💪🏻
We have reached the point of winter where I am SIC We have reached the point of winter where I am SICK of wearing coats. Spring, where are you?! 😩 Trying so hard to get dressed every day but how do y’all do it when it’s cold?! I’m literally sitting on my couch in this coat because it’s too cold to take it off 😂
Smell ya later, 2020. (This is an old photo from Smell ya later, 2020. 

(This is an old photo from this summer when I did my Harley Quinn makeup, but the energy felt right.)

I’ll be honest, I think the first half of 2021 is gonna be brutal but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, babes. We are almost there so stay safe and stay diligent.
I posted an embarrassing photo in my stories so I I posted an embarrassing photo in my stories so I have to balance it by posting a hot one here 😂 Also wow I haven’t posted since HALLOWEEN. I’ve been spending most of my IG time on my candle account, @brennancandleco, but I truly MISS Y’ALL. I formed so many great relationships over the years and I want to get back to that. So you’ll be seeing more of me, probably in a less curated way than you used to. I might lose some of y’all but I hope the ones I call friends will stick around because I really do miss you. 

And lastly, if you ARE into more business-y content from me, follow @brennancandleco, there are some pretty awesome things happening over there if I do say so myself.

Photo by @narirophoto
I may be at home, but I wasn't going to miss out o I may be at home, but I wasn't going to miss out on transforming into Furiosa. 

2020 has been a heck of a year, and I think we're all feeling a bit like we're stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Ready to turn things around and kick our own Immortan Joe to the curb.

Happy Halloween. Stay home.
My latest project: @brennancandleco 🖤 My latest project: @brennancandleco 🖤
Welp I think this negative space mani is my new si Welp I think this negative space mani is my new signature look so prepare to get sick of seeing it in different colors. 💅🏻
Our tomato plants finally started flourishing and Our tomato plants finally started flourishing and thennnnn there was snow in the forecast 🙃 Tomorrow we are supposed to get quite a lot and I’m very cranky about it. Hoping our plants survive but more importantly, I hope the snow puts out the wildfires that seem to be never ending. It’s been a brutal summer for many reasons, but it’s still pretty cool to look at this bowl and know we grew these tomatoes from seeds. Also there’s currently zucchini bread in the oven from our garden ☺️
I am so so so grateful to @crispy.ray for designin I am so so so grateful to @crispy.ray for designing this and putting it on my body, y’all 😍 They are SUCH a talented artist and all around great person. I felt super comfortable and they executed my vision perfectly. 👽 I’ve been a diehard X Files fan since I was a kid (swipe for evidence and a photo of me and Gillian Anderson where I have never felt uglier lmao), so this means a ton.

Re: COVID-19. Truthfully I felt super nervous to get my tattoo and super nervous to post it here. I’ve still been doing my best to stay home but am also (like many of you, I think) struggling mentally. So where is the balance? Honestly I don’t know. I haven’t had a haircut (besides doing it myself), had my nails done, or sat down to eat except for once (and it was a place with no servers). I barely see anyone except my husband. Some days it’s fine and others it’s “how much more of this can I take?” So anyway. I took a risk, but @blackbirdinktattoo was taking everything very seriously. All were masked and sanitized (duh it’s a tattoo place) and I specifically chose a leg tattoo so Christa and I wouldn’t be breathing on each other. I long for the day when things are normal again. I long for the day when I can see my family again. But for now, I’ll try to safely find small pockets of joy and normalcy and ride those little waves until the next pocket of joy.
Dennis and Sweet Dee are here to help ward off the Dennis and Sweet Dee are here to help ward off the Sunday scaries 🐾 In case you missed it in my stories, these are our newest fosters! (We just decided on names today - I think having to name two slowed us down 🤣) Usually we only have pups for three nights but we had to keep these little pals for an extra week before they’re ready to be adopted. 

Also I PROMISE I am going to record a video/write a post about fostering this week so keep your eyes peeled for that. 

Annnnd last but not least if you’re in the Denver area and looking for a puppy, message me if you want more info on either of these little ones! 🥰

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