D.I.Y - Chic Metallic Garden Flamingo

Hello friends,

       First off I must apologize for being so rotten about the challenge, I have failed miserably. I will explain why, a few weeks back, my cheek literally swelled to the point where it looked like I had a golf ball stuck in my cheek. I ended up on anti biotic for two weeks. Anywho, my dental appointment is this week and I DREAD going to the dentist. I know I have some teeth problems I need to work through and I don't like hearing about it all the time. That is why I hate the dentist. Anywho, I have spent the last two weeks mentally preparing myself for Thursdays ordeal, so my mind has been pre- occupied.

   I decided to share a weekend DIY with you guys today. Lately, I have been into gardening. To be 100% honest, I used to hate the thought of gardening. You know, the worms, the dirt, the bugs, yik!! Anyways, I recently planted a hydrangea and a rose bush, which I am super excited about. I wanted to add some lawn ornaments but my mom refused to let me have the ones I wanted. What I wanted was a lawn flamingo but without the tack factor. I used pinterest and found a really cute set that were a metallic rose gold. They looked super chic but cost my right arm so I decided to come up with a DIY. This project is super easy and only takes a day to do. So, without further ado, let's get this thang started...

What you will need:

- A plastic garden flamingo (I got mine at the dollar store for around $3.00 but it's a little smaller than I would have liked. I would check home depot for a.better one)

- A can of gold, rose gold or silver spray paint (I used the shade nickel with a satin finish) Also, make sure this is an outdoor paint.

- Old newspapers

- A garden (duh!)

First things first, if your flamingo comes with the legs already attached, remove legs. Mine did not, so this step was unnecessary. 

Next, lay down some old news papers down to protect the surface you are working on.

Lay your flamingo down on its side. You will need to paint each side separately. Be patient!!

Shake the can for a good minute or so to get the pigments nice and mixed up. 

Spray the flamingo in sweeping motions until covered. Note: Depending on the brand of spray paint, you may need to build the color on. Allow to dry for about 25 minutes. Flip and repeat. You will need to allow it to dry for a good two hours in between coats. Mine was covered in about 3 coats. Hot pink is super hard to cover so you can still see the slight hints of pink when harsh light hits it. 

I let it dry overnight to make sure it's good and dry. Reattach those body members and stake in your garden. 

I staked it in front of my rose bush. This gives the garden a chic Alice in Wonderland vibe. 

Bonus: Here is a little sneak peek of a pot of miniature roses I picked up at Walmart. 

Hope you enjoyed this fun little garden DIY. 

Until next time loves...

The Beginners Guide to Makeup

Hello my little sprinkle donuts,

       All of us makeup junkies have been there. Using sponge applicators to apply shadow, using those useless triangle sponges to apply our foundation, buying eye shadows that we knew we would never wear just because the color was pretty.

      

       Although developing good makeup skills is a process, I wish that someone had been there to get me on the road to good makeup from the beginning. Like a makeup fairy god mother. For all you makeup rookies who want to venture to the makeup isle, here are some of my top tips for beginning your makeup journey.

The Infamous Cream Contouring for Beginners ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

                     OK, so if your a 'pinner' as in, your addicted to 'Pinning' as in on Pinterest, then you have all seen the infamous cream contour pictures where the person starts off looking like a native in war paint, to a sexy chiseled model. They make it look so easy but you can't find all the products and when you do, you have to sell a your first born in order to afford it.  Well, have no fear, the Pretty Pauper is here. I really wanted to give this a whirl. I did my research and watched alot of tutorials and I came up with my own kinda...tutorial. When I say kinda, I mean it's more a cream contour guide to getting a cheap (yet expensive looking) contour, using all drug store products.

                    A few words before we begin. One of the biggest things about this tutorial is that it won't change your ENTIRE look. You won't end up looking like a supermodel. This is a natural contour with a subtle glow to it. This look is very wearable. If you are looking for a drastic contour, this isn't the blog for you. That being said, you can alter the positioning of the shades to camouflage certain flaws. I positioned mine to hide a fuller face and double chin. You will need 3 foundations for this look, one a good 5 shades darker than your skin tone, one a shade or two lighter than your skin tone and one that matched your skin tone. So are you ready? Let's go...

I like to start with the lighter of the 3 shade and I smear on my forehead in three strokes, the down my nose, cupids bow, chin, the spot just below the hollows of your cheeks and just under my jaw line. Taking the darker shade I smear on temples, down sides of nose, hollows of cheeks, both sides of chin, spot under chin and then on my jaw line. Finally, I take my skin tone shade and fill in any spots where there is no product. This will help everything to blend nicely. Like I said before, you can change the positioning of the products to accommodate your features.

Taking a damp sponge, start stippling the products into skin. Do not Rub or you will whisk away all the products and your contour won't work. I like to take the sponge and roll upwards, the helps to blend the two foundations. Continue stippling until all the product is nicely blended. Hit some natural light if possible to make sure your contour is seamless. When finished I added to areas where I wanted a deeper contour and continued building until I was satisfied. I suggest starting off with less and working your way to more. To finish this look, I added a bit of blush to my cheeks.And Voila! You have successfully contoured your face!!!

I really like this form of contouring because it looks more natural than a powder contour. Powder contours can also have a 'dirty' look if you don't use the right products and it can be difficult to blend out. I also feel like this way of contouring has the potential to make a drastic change to your face shape. I did not cover that today but perhaps I will when I play around a bit more.

I hope this helped all you people who are scared to attempt the cream contour. This can be simple if you follow these few steps. If you have any questions or something was not clear, feel free to comment below! Also, show me your cream contour, perhaps a before and after?

Until Next Time...