How to Get the Barbie High Ponytail

I've always wanted to get my hair to look voluminous and have a high ponytail but it never seemed to work out and my hair would always flop down into a sad, droopy donkey's tail. There's a quick and easy way to achieve that dramatic volume without much work at all! All you're going to need for this very simple tutorial is two no-damage elastics of your choice (I prefer to use ones that won't tug my hair out when it's time to take them out) but you may want to choose ones which are close to your hair color. You're also going to need a teasing comb, or if you don't have a comb, a brush will work fine as well, you just will not be able to back comb your hair for extra volume.

Here are the steps to achieving a Barbie-rrific glamorous look!

1. Section the front "crown" of your hair away from your face and tie it down into a messy bun
2. Take the back section of your hair and comb it out, add curls for extra volume and backcomb it for even more volume.
3. Tie the back section of your hair into a high ponytail with your first no-damage elastic hair band (the higher, the more it will look like Barbie's!)

4. Comb the front section of your hair down, have it frame your face however you would like or you can just pull it back tightly

5. Smooth it out and wrap it around your pony tail to create a large bun OR if you're not looking for a bun-pony you can just pull it tightly around your existing ponytail and tie down the second "shell" of hair around your first pony.

6. Tie down your outer pony on top of your inner pony, the extra elastic will add some volume but it will also let you achieve a more precise high pony if you're only focusing on smoothing out the front rather than also worrying about where you're tying it down.

Then you will have a beautiful high ponytail. The most flattering placement of the pony is directly in line with your cheekbones, upwards from the hollow underneath them. This is the easiest way to achieve a high pony because you don't have to worry about your fly-aways as you're trying to tie it down, basically the "inner ponytail" acts as a base or guideline for your finished, polished "external ponytail". Trust me if you follow these very simple steps, they will change you ponytail routine! Happy ponying! 

Luvocracy: Pinterest + Shopping in One

You may have heard the name fluttering about the past few months, but what is it? Luvocracy is essentially the same thing as Pinterest but far better in the sense that it lets you purchase what you want directly through clicking on a photo of the item "luv'ed". I'll admit it took me a little while to get on the bandwagon, but it's such a useful tool! I think it would be great for holiday shopping and really has the added functionally (but not yet the population) lacking in Pinterest.

Now an interesting thing that I noticed is when I was looking through the website but did not have an account it was only showing me beauty posts from on poster (Ingrid Nielson aka MissGlamorazzi on YouTube) but then once I signed up for an account, it showed me plenty of other users, so I suppose they're just not sharing other user's login names unless you are also a user, which makes sense for privacy reasons. 

My only qualm with this is that at first, the site seems barren so some people might be reluctant to sign up since they do not see a variety of posts from multiple users. However, let me reassure you that once you sign up, other posts become available! I was so relieved to see that the website is indeed populated with like-minded individuals that I can share my love of makeup, fashion and home decor with!

On Luvocracy, it's retailers and users who benefit from the shopping setup. It's simple, rewards come in the form of money off pending purchases or royalty checks. You can earn rewards when you refer friends or when they make purchases, you earn 2% of all referral purchases but this only lasts for your 1st year of membership. However, if someone buys something you recommended by pinning it yourself, you earn 2% of those purchases and this is permanent. But for every degree removed you are from the person who generates the sale, your royalty is halved. So if I refer something and someone else refers it after me and then it is purchased from that person, I will make 1% rather than 2%.

So these added perks are something to consider because you can essentially be pinning items while you're at work, on-the-go, or as a full-time job. Luvocracy really takes out the middle man which most affiliate programs make you deal with and increases the transparency of how you make money and what amount of money it will be.

The best part is you can even download a simple button for your browser and as you're looking through things you may like, just click it at add it to our collections! You even start out with a $10.00 shopping credit!

You can find my profile here: http://www.luvocracy.com/lethalglam

DIY: Chrysanthemum Starburst Mirror

Photo Courtesy of Little Things Bring Smiles

Want to know the secret to making these beautiful mirrors? It's much simpler than you may think: plastic spoons. That's right, you need very few materials in this simple at-home DIY. Make sure you get all of your materials as cheap as possible, the purpose of this DIY is to save you money on a priceless piece of wall art that will be unique to your space.

You will need:

• 9-Inch Round Mirror (or larger if you want to make a bigger piece)

• Approx. 300 Spoons (depends on how many rows you want to make and how large your mirror is, so overbuy spoons) - you can use white ones or clear plastic ones but you will have to spray paint the clear plastic ones or the backing can be seen
• Industrial Scissors or Bone shear scissors so that you can easily cut through the spoon handle
• Duct Tape
• Hot Melt Glue Gun with Glue Sticks
• Cardboard or Foam Board  (larger than you want your wall decor to be)
• Pencil
• Compass or string
• Spray Paint (optional, you can choose to go with colored spoons instead)
• Fine Grit Sandpaper
• Mirror Hanging Kit

Here are the steps you should follow to achieve this beautiful wall decor: 

Trace around your mirror onto your foam core or thick cardboard

Use your homemade compass (string tied to your pencil to draw the diameter and hold down the inside portion of the string with your finger) and measure out an inch (this will be for one row of spoons)

Depending on how many rows you want to make, go that many extra inches and draw the diameter of the circle with your pencil compass on every inch as a guide

Cut your foam core or thick cardboard around the outermost circle you have drawn

Cut out the center-most circle as this will be where you will glue your mirror on from the reverse side (if you are going for a recessed look). Skip this step if you plan on gluing your mirror to the front of the piece so that it lays atop the petals

Cut your spoons up, removing the handle from the base of the spoon

Start hot gluing the base of the spoons upwards (so that they stand out three dimensionally like flower petals)

Work in sections, start around the outside of your design and leave about an inch between each petal

On the 2nd layer, make sure you place your petals in the gaps you left on your first layer

Keep moving inwards in layers until you have reached the center on approximately half of your decor piece. Complete the other side of your piece.

If you chose to color your flower, then spray paint your petals in a well ventilated area and make sure to get the backs of the spoons as well so that they don't look dual toned from the sides (unless you're trying to achieve this effect). If you want to achieve a dual-toned effect or multi-colored effect you're going to have to paint your spoons and let them dry before gluing them down.

Apply a second coat of spray paint to the petals for a more full coverage finish (glossy or paint is also an option). Allow your petals to dry elevated.

Hot glue your mirror either to the front or the back of your piece (depending on if you want it to look recessed or like it's coming out of the flower) but make sure to only use the hot glue around the edges and that it does not become messy - you are gluing to the foam core or thick cardboard

Apply the mirror hanging kit to the back of your piece, this is really easy with foam core because you can just push nails into it if you don't have a wall-hanging kit and it will just stand on your wall

You can even try this project with a photo frame or clock!




What else can you make out of plastic spoons?

Remember, you can always go the easy route and avoid purchasing spray paint and the mess of painting altogether and get colored spoons! And don't force yourself to stop at just one color... you can design a rainbow! You can buy huge quantities of spoons in bulk for very cheap prices, so play to your heart's delight.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice by lethalglam featuring penny loves kenny flats

Top
anthropologie.com

Long parka
etsy.com

H&M jeans
$24 - hm.com

Penny loves kenny flat
dsw.com

Taupe purse
mimiboutique.com

Charlotte Russe necklace
charlotterusse.com

Black venice lace gloves bridal wedding fingerless tattoo body...
etsy.com

Sigma's Crème De Couture Collection

Sigma Crème de Couture Collection includes 1 Eyeshadow Palette (with 16 colors in total) inspired by macaroons with pastel and colorful pigmentation as well as three full-sized blushes (a peachy pink, violet, and pale blush pink color) for $55. This is a great value for these products and would make a wonderful Holiday gift for anyone who loves makeup. The packaging is absolutely delightful, it's reminds me of a high-end candy fantasy, without any of the weight gain and tooth pain!

Sigma Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette: These colors pack a really large punch. Costs $44 individually. 

Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette Swatches

As you can see, all of the colors were applied without a primer and they swatched very intensely. The lighter pink color an the yellow would pop better with a nude or white primer, but overall, great pigmentation in this set. I especially am a fan of the mint green shade and the blues which are very well done. The color that I would wear the most is the violet purple, which is a shade similar to the violet blush in this collection. For brown eyes, the violets really make them pop, for green eyes, the browns and the violets work well, and for blue eyes, the browns and blues would further accentuate the tone of the eyes.

Creme de Couture Blush Swatches

Blackberry Essence Blush: This color is a velvety lilac, more reminiscent of spring than fall, but it is the ideal color to use purple-based blushes with. This color is not overwhelming, blends beautifully and can be used just as any other blush. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

  

Strawberry Ambrosia Blush: Bubble-gum pink is back! Whether you want to use this color as a highlighter above your cheekbones or as a full-on blush for the fair-skinned, it's an absolutely breath-taking color. It gives a matte frosty appearance, perfect for a winter snow bunny. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

Cherry Apple Blush: Featuring a matte finish, as with the rest of this collection, this color is a tangerine-infused pink. It's a perfect color for autumn, resembling a plump apricot or leaf turning color. The color is the most flatting for all skintones of the bunch. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

I am rarely ever a fan of buying an entire collection, but Sigma did everything right here. All of the colors are matte and wearable, even though they have so much pigmentation, because they are easy to blend and build up or fade out. I am absolutely in love with this set, and the savings is so great if you purchase it all together, that I really do believe buying it all is a must!

Product Spotlight: Wet N' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio

These are an oldie but goldie. I know these shadows have been around for years but with the addition of new colors, formula improvements and such a low price-point (from $2.99-$3.49 in most drug or department stores) I feel that these deserve a detailed look. YouTube beauty gurus are constantly raving about how amazing these are and I just had to go out and purchase Walking on Eggshells and Silent Era Film as they looked to me like the most wearable neutrals. Silent Era Film is not in the regular collection, it's part of their new "Be a Runway Beauty" collection, so not every store may have this particular one.



I was pleasantly surprised to find that these colors swatch just as beautifully as they look in the pans! However, they don't have testers in the store (at least not at the Walgreens I picked them up from) so I had to just take the $3.49 risk that all would be as promised.

Exhibit A: Walking on Eggshells

This was by far the most wearable color combination, I think it works great for all skin tones, especially fair ones and I was very pleasantly surprised when I swatched these on my hand, as they really did appear exactly as the pressed color looks in the pan! I have seen this particular color combination reviewed many times so I didn't take any pictures of what it looks like on my eyes. I really like that the colors have stamped into them where they should be placed, this is a wonderful beginner's basic set. The colors are ever so slightly shimmery but I do not think that they settle into creases, especially with a nice base applied first. These are, however, very subtle colors, so if you do choose to apply them over top of your skin without an eyeshadow primer or base, you may notice that they will fade quite easily (all but the crease color which is the intensely pigmented brown). This was a great purchase, I can see why it is a staple for many in their daily makeup routine, it's probably going to become one for me as well.

Exhibit B: Silent Era Film

This color combination was more daring and the crease color really drew me in, especially because it did remind me of 1920's flapper style makeup. Immediately when I saw this in the store, I thought of luxurious fringes, The Great Gatsby and a flapper bob, so I just had to buy it. The light pink browbone is a wonderful illuminator and wakes up your eyes, the intense peach/coral is a pop of wow, and the deep gray is a wonderful anchor. If I saw these colors on their own, I would put the gray in the crease, the light pink on the inner corner of my eye and browbone highlight and the coral on the main part of my lid. I like that the way this was ordered forced me to think out of my comfort zone of placing the darkest color on the crease.

Here's what the suggested look turned out like:

I was extremely happy with the results, it was much more wearable than I had originally anticipated and I look forward to trying these colors in various placements.

In conclusion, I highly encourage everyone to purchase these Color Icon trios, they're magnificent! Even if you have higher end products, this is a great alternative and may let you hold onto your more expensive shadows for special occasions!