Sugar Skull Makeup Look

Halloween is my favorite holiday and in recent years I've been experimenting around with Halloween face painting kits that you get from Target. This year I decided to turn my face into a Sugar Skull from the Mexican Day of the Dead Holiday. I find the design of Sugar Skulls to be extremely intricate and artistic. The bright, jubilant colors are appealing against a white background so they really stand out.

Traditionally, symbols and figures of Halloween are always dark and spooky like the Grim Reaper, however, Sugar Skulls introduce a new personality to our ghoulish holiday. This being said I got myself yet another face paint kit from Target and decided to transform into a Sugar Skull.

I started off by priming my face with the Benefit Porefector primer, which I bought a while ago from Macy's for only $10 since I picked up the sample size package. Once my face was matte I used my fingers to spread around the white cream makeup from the Halloween kit. The makeup was very buildable and pigmented and easy to work with. I did not apply this around my eyes. The only thing I'd do differently next time with regard to this is using a makeup sponge to apply and spread the makeup.

Afterward, I began working on my eye area. I took a very black eyeshadow from my Makeup Essentials Classic 10 palette and applied that to my brow bone, eyelid, and undereye area. Below that I applied a bright sky blue eyeshadow from a palette I bought from Macy's. I didn't apply any of the black cream makeup from the Halloween kit since it isn't recommended that you get this product anywhere near your eyes.

I applied the black cream makeup to my nose, however, in somewhat of a triangular shape. This was extremely pigmented and creamy so less is more! I used the colorful grease-based makeup from the Halloween palette to apply pink, orange, and blue dots around my face in an unplanned pattern. My goal was just to add enough color without overdoing the look.

For my lips I applied a hot pink lipstick that I got from Walgreens. I used Wet n' Wild's Don't Blink Pink which went really well with this look and also looks great as a regular everyday lippie. The lipstick added more fun to the look!

Lastly I topped it off with a spookily cool headband (see what I did there?) I bought it from Walgreens and, to be honest, this headband is what inspired me to do this look. I was with my brother checking out decorations and this headband was hiding on the bottom shelf. The colorful flowers and the skull on top reminded me of Sugar Skulls and I knew I had to buy it and create this look!

There you have it - my Halloween Sugar Skull makeup look!

Happy Halloween! 

Halloween Nails

My favorite holiday is right around the corner! Of course it wouldn't be Halloween if I didn't paint my nails to match the occasion! There's a different design on every nail which makes the overall look interesting because there's so much going on on your hand but it all comes together enchantingly. 

Thumb: 

On this nail is a super simple jack-o-lantern. I used Electra-cute from the Sally Hansen Gel line. After two coats of this bright orange polish dried I took a really fine dotting tool that I bought from Claire's and dipped it into black nail polish from Sinful Colors. I carefully painted two triangles for eyes and one smaller one for a nose. The fine dotting tool was great for this because I still had a lot of control over what I painted so it was efficient in getting the job done. I used the same dotting tool paint on a large smile under the nose. Then I used the same black nail polish and dotting tool to make lines across the mouth. I guess my jack-o-lantern is somewhat scarecrow-esque because of that! That's okay - being 1/4 scarecrow is awesome anyway! To finish off this nail I took Revlon's Posh and with my dotting tool I made a tuft of green at the top. 

Index Finger: 

This nail is a colorful sugar skull, which will match my sugar skull makeup look for Halloween! Sugar skulls have been getting a lot of attention in recent years. If you didn't already know, they are used in the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration but they have been arising as part of Halloween now too. 

For this nail I just took a regular white nail polish from New York Color, which I really would like to get rid of in favor of a different brand because this brand leaves a streaky finish with the white nail polish. After the white nail polish dried, I took a larger dotting tool and, using the same black nail polish from before, I made large black dots for the eyes and used my tiny dotting tool to make a triangular nose. Unfortunately, this sugar skull is not part scarecrow but we love him just the way he is <3. I then took various colors such as yellow, green, pink, and aqua to create tiny dots all over my sugar skull since they are so brightly colored! 

Middle Finger: 

This one is all about Frankenstein - our walking science experiment with stitches. For this I used Innocent from Sinful Colors - a shocking green. Once it dried I took the black nail polish and a thin brush and started painting on Frankie's hair. It's completely fine to get a little messy with it since his hair is a tad bit unruly. I made two white dots with small black dots inside them for eyes and painted on the mouth the same way I did for the jack-o-lantern nail. 

Ring Finger: 

This one is a magical gradient nail. First things first: I painted the entire nail with white nail polish. This will help your gradient show up way better! This is pretty much rule #2 of painting gradient nails. (Rule #1 is to have colors to use in your gradient!) I used a purple nail polish from Fingr's which came in a kit, a really pretty magenta from L.A. Colors, and Electra-cute. I applied these three colors to a makeup sponge and dabbed and rolled it across my nail. This is our gorgeous Halloween sky. 

Once our gradient sky dried I took black nail polish and with a striper brush made lines for cross tombstones and painted on two bats that look like birds. 

Pinky: 

This is the easiest Halloween design ever - I painted a solid purple background using the same purple nail polish from Fingr's. Once it dried I took a large dotting tool and dipped it into white nail polish to create eyes. I Also used black nail polish to create pupils. Done! You now have a spooky monster residing on your pinky! 

This array of nail art is wonderful for Halloween and your friends will hardly believe that you did this all by yourself! This is no trick - this Halloween nailart is actually very easy and replicable. You can also do your entire hand with just one of these designs! Happy Halloween, y'all! 

'Pretty in Pink' Nails

I was really feeling PINK this week, especially because I felt the color would look great with my all new BLUE HAIR!! But in all seriousness I decided to think pink this week for a couple of reasons: 

First off, my weekend was extremely busy and I really didn't have the time to create any elaborate nail art *sad face* so doing this was extremely simple yet it looks somewhat elegant and girly. 

Second, yesterday I got to meet Author and New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow at a special Breakfast and autograph signing that took place at my college! My plan was to wear a light pink blazer that I had bought that weekend and I thought these nails would look great with it! 

Lastly, my college is doing something pretty awesome right now - they're fighting for a cure using the #CollegeForTheCure on Instagram. Students take a picture of something pink and post it to Instagram with the #CollegeForTheCure. For every picture posted $1 is donated towards finding a cure for Breast Cancer. I decided that pink nails would be a great way to help the cause! 

The gold glitter nail polish I used is from Pure Ice and is called Studette. This can definitely work as a stand-alone nail polish and it's one of my favorite glitter polishes to wear. If you don't apply a coat of a solid color before applying this nail polish then you will definitely have to apply at least 4 coats of nail polish in order to get the opaqueness you're looking for. 

The pink nail polish I used is New York Color's Preppy Pink which is definitely one of the coolest pinks I've ever used. It's very pigmented and dries quickly and it costs no more than $1! 

In the picture all the way on the left you see an...interesting design on my thumb nail. Originally, I had intended to just have baby pink polka dots on that nail - which is exactly what I did! However, my plan to add polka dots was pretty impulsive and so I painted them on my nail about one hour before going to my boxing class. Obviously we certainly aren't standing still during boxing! I got my wraps on, got my gloves on and got down to business! Unfortunately for me, by the time I took my gloves off, the pink polka dots had become deformed and smeared. 

I kind of anticipated this, however, since there are NO mistakes in art (thank you to my first grade art teacher for teaching me that) I decided that I'd have to roll with what I have and just find a way to work with the smears. I took white nail polish from New York Color and grabbed my really thin dotting tool and got to work! All I did was smear tiny droplets of the white nail polish over the pink nail polish smears and voila - the design on my thumb nail was born! 

This is a design that you will get a ton of compliments on because it's classy but the glitter adds just enough oomph to the look! 

Fire Safety Survey - Please Read

HELLO Everyone! I'm currently working on an article about fire safety on college campuses and I'm doing a bit of info gathering...If you're a current COLLEGE STUDENT please take a few minutes to take my survey at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bfyZHiHtKyKjI9CVcXGLGzU7zbdH4nGeLw8KgSpuQoE/viewform?usp=send_form
I'd appreciate it SO much and your responses will only make my article better! My goal here is to relay ACCURATE information to YOU, my readers so I would be so grateful if you could complete this survey!
Thanks in advanced!

How To Enjoy Halloween From the Comfort Of Your Dorm

Not feeling the party vibe on the spookiest night of the year? Is a Halloween Monster-Movie Marathon not cutting it for you? Rest assured that there are still some fun ways you can enjoy Halloween right out of the comfort of your own dorm room! All you’ll need is some friends, a cozy residence hall, and a little Halloween spirit! 

1. Bake Halloween-themed treats with friends. 

All you bakers out there will definitely enjoy a chance to get elbow-deep in sweet treats for Halloween. Even if you aren’t good at baking, grab some friends and let your creativity run wild. It’ll be fun because you’re with company and you get to devour whatever you make - after taking pics for Instagram! 

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2. Host a Halloween bake-off in your building.

You don’t need to be an RA to plan exciting events for your fellow residents. Hang up flyers around your building a week or two in advanced to advertise your bake-off. Teams are always welcome! You can meet new people this way and it’ll be a fun night filled with spooktacular goodies! 

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3. Give out candy to “trick-or-treaters”. 

Have you ever wondered if people in college still go knocking on the doors of their residence halls as trick-or-treaters? Now’s your chance to find out! Tape a sign to your door to let people know that you are willing to give candy and just have a bag ready. This is also a fun way to meet the people who live in your building! 

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4. Throw a face-paint party in your room. 

Grab some friends or advertise in your building. You’ll have fun trying out monster and special effects makeup and you’ll feel like quite the makeup artist! Looking to make a little extra cash? Offer to paint people’s faces for money, especially since a lot of people would like some special effects makeup for parties and such. 

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5. Tell creepy campfire stories. 

Your room is the dark forest for the night! Get your friends together, grab some blankets and snacks, and turn off the lights save for a flashlight in the center of your circle. I know, I know, that sounds beyond corny but you’d be surprised at how long you could keep up telling freaky urban legends and scaring yourselves crap-less! 

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6. Carve pumpkins to decorate your residence hall. 

This will be especially exciting if you’re a newbie to the art of carving shapes into big, orange fruit (yes, pumpkins are, in fact, fruits). You can buy a pumpkin carving stencil kit ahead of time as a guide and make creepy pumpkins. Place the pumpkins around your building or outside the building. Of course, you won’t be able to put candles inside them for an ominous glow but it’s the thought that counts!

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How To Make the Perfect Fried Oreo

Whoever thought that dipping cream-filled cookies in batter and deep frying it in greasy, fattening oil would be a fabulous idea...thank you. I truly appreciate your genius. I made these delicious little treats yesterday when I went home for the weekend and, if I do say so myself, they came out looking and tasting amazing! No one in my family could stop at just one or two! The idea behind fried Oreos is that you dip an Oreo cookie into a batter of flour, milk, sugar, and an egg. I have seen people use pancake mix in place of those ingredients. Here, I'll share my secrets to amazing fried Oreos!

1. Replace whole milk with buttermilk. 
I usually substitute buttermilk for regular milk in my baking because buttermilk gives my cake or cupcakes an overall more moist texture. The buttermilk in the fried Oreo dipping batter definitely gives the dough a lighter and slightly buttery taste, which is good because you don't want a doughy taste to ruin Oreos for you!

2. Less is more - go light on the sugar. 
If you're making your own batter for dipping the Oreos in, you might not want to go sugar-crazy. Oreos are already sweet and you don't want an overly sweet fried dough to accompany it. I used just three tablespoons of sugar in my batter to accompany 1/2 cup of flour.

3. Don't be afraid to get your fork dirty. 
I used a fork to help coat the Oreos with my batter. Once the Oreos were covered, the slits in the fork let the excess batter drip back into the bowl. You don't want too much dough around your Oreo. I also used the fork to lower the Oreo into the hot oil. My fried Oreos came out looking really neat using this method.

4. Go for the gold. 
You want the dough to turn slightly golden brown when frying - that's when you know you've hit the mark! The dough is perfectly cooked and the cookie will be nice and gooey on the inside. Make sure you don't burn them! They will not take too long to get to that light golden brown!

Follow these four tips and you'll just about have perfect fried Oreos in the palm of your hand!

DIY S'mores Breakfast Bars

The popular campfire treat has become enjoyable even without the need for a campfire. We see s'mores flavored drinks from Starbucks and in many other tasty treats. Does not having those warm, crackling orange flames take away from the experience? Maybe. But as a college student who's always looking for creative ways to enjoy breakfast, I was willing to omit the wood-burning for now.

Yes, you read me right - I made these delicious s'mores breakfast bars in the comfort of the kitchen in my dorm building! These are super easy, require minimal effort, and are absolutely delicious! The ingredients and materials I used are:

• Cascadian Farms Graham Crunch cereal 
• Marshmallow fluff
• 2 Hershey's chocolate bars 
• two spoons 
• one mixing bowl 
• one small plastic storage bowl 
• microwave 

Step 1: Break up the chocolate bar into squares and place them inside a microwave-safe bowl. The chocolate takes a bit of time to melt so you'll want to soften and slightly melt it beforehand. 

Step 2: Measure out the desired amount of cereal. When the chocolate comes out of the microwave, add the cereal and a few spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff. Mix it all together thoroughly. 

Step 3: Microwave the mixture for just 5-10 seconds to get it gooier. Afterwards, spoon the concoction into the plastic storage bowl. Make sure it's evenly spread out. 

Step 4: If you have a mini fridge, put it in there for about 30 minutes to set. If you don't have a mini fridge in your room then it's cool - they will just take a little longer to set. Once set, cut into them and enjoy! 

Why I'm in love with them:

• This is not just a sweet snack; I used actual cereal so it's great for putting a spin on a boring bowl of cereal and milk! 
• The cereal I used is organic, relatively low in sugar, and high in fiber so it's a great way to get that graham cracker taste without the usual amount of sugar and more fiber. 
• These breakfast bars are surprisingly less sweet than most granola bars on the market. You're probably wondering how this is even possible if I used chocolate and marshmallow fluff but rest assured I can never lie to you! This is a huge plus for me because I feel that though most granola bars claim to be "healthy" they taste beyond sweet, which defeats the purpose. 
• They are super easy to make and don't require many ingredients! 

These delicious s'mores breakfast bars are a great twist on breakfast and something you can just grab and go. Get creative and try other combinations with other cereals.