September Favorites: 2014

Hey lovlies! (:

This is out first post in our monthly favorites, which you guys will (hopefully) be coming back to read on the last day of every month. This will be a collab between both of us, where we share everything we've been loving during that month! Today, we featured some nail polish, makeup, and even books we definitely recommend!

BEAUTY 

Smoky Extravagant Dramatic Impact and Graphic Precision (Make Up For Ever) - I love this mascara, not so much for the formula, but more for the different (but effective) brush tip.

OPI Nail Polish - Suzi and the 7 Dusseldorfs- I know its a weird name. This fall purple is amazing for everyday wear. Its a super thin yet pigmented consistency and I've really been enjoying it.

plumping lip oil - cinnamon flavored - (Bite Beauty)- I can immediately see the difference when I use this. It tingles just a little bit after a minute or two. It serves as a great lip gloss, and makes your lips look great!

FASHION

Mint- I've been loving mint so much this summer and fall. If you don't want a super bright mint like a bag, try a more muted neutral color and pair it with white or black for a sleek autumn look.

BOOKS

Drowned - This book is such a great idea, and I haven't read anything else like it. It's basically about a population of people at the end of the world because of floods. Once I started it I couldn't put it down...

The Probability of Miracles- This is about a girl who has cancer and she needs a miracle, fast. She goes to this mysterious town in search for one and you'll have to see what happens next. :)

FOOD

Spicy Chai Tea Latte Mix from Trader Joe's - Ifyou love the Chai tea latte from Starbucks, definitely try this out. It tastes the exact same and is super easy to make!

OTHER

The Fosters - I just started watching this show, and it's absolutely amazing. It's so moving and such a great concept. I'm officially addicted. This is by far my favorite of all the things I've mentioned so far, filled with romance, drama, and so much emotion! I can't say enough about it!

Beautiful Day (Bath and BodyWorks)- I have been obsessed with this entire line from Bath and BodyWorks. It is so fresh and smells amazing and I wish I had smelled these earlier. Every time I wear it someone compliments me and who wouldn't want that.

PEOPLE

J.K. Rowling- I am a huge bookworm and can't get enough of reading. I've been re-reading the Harry Potter series and I've been interested in the face behind all the magic. J.K. Rowling is so inspiring and turned writing on the corner of napkins because she couldn't afford paper, to a multi million project.

UNFAVORITE

Rimmel London Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Liner- I am not one to bash products but this one is just terrible. It has a flimsy brush, which makes it hard to apply and its last for about an hour before melting of your face. I just wouldn't recommend it but if it works for you then great :)

      - <3 J and B

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DIY wall art

Hola!
I had another post planned for you but it didn't work out, so I decided to show you guys 3 easy DIY wall art ideas that I've made over the years! I'm so sorry that I don't have any photos of the process (which I will have in future DIY posts), but I made some of these over 4 years ago. I know that you're probably not interested in reading long paragraphs of me rambling on just about excuses, so lets get right into it!

#1: MELTED CRAYON ART

I'm sure you've seen this on pinterest or on other blogs, but I still wanted to share my experience with his well-known DIY. It actually turned out way better than I thought, because generally, DIYs on pinterest don't always turn out like the pictures!

First, arrange the crayons into a rainbow (or however you like) at the top of the canvas. You can also peel the crayon wrappers, but am WAY too lazy for that... HAHA!

Then just glue the crayons onto the canvas using a glue gun.

For the next step, make sure you cover the surface you're working on because this can get a bit messy.

Get a hairdryer and blow the crayons on high heat. You have to be REALLY patient for this 'cause it may take a while... but try to blow from the bottom first and when it starts to drip; blow down, from the top. I don't know if that makes sense, so one more time... At first, blow up from the bottom just to get it going. Then, blow down from the top, to get a really nice drip.

You can see in mine that under the actual drips, there are diagonal splatters, and I absolutely LOVE this effect. Also, it doesn't immediately drip down. At teh top, its one big block of color before dispersing. I almost didn't get this effect because I wasn't pateint enough. But I did, and I'm glad.

#2: GOLD USA MAP

This one is much easier than it seems, and it is super classy and the gold touch makes it somewhat fancy.

Start off by taking a colored paper. I used a beige-ish grey color. For this I would personally go with a neutral color, but you can pick anything, even a neon color would be pretty cool. Last tip, you should go with a lighter color just becasue the next step will be much easier.

In order to trace the map, I used a light-box type of system. I basically found a map of the USA on my laptop, and placed the paper on the screen. Then, I took a pencil and lightly traced the lines. BTW: this may not be the best for the laptop...

Use a gold paint (or any other color), and fill in the map you just traced. Once the paint dries, simply use a black sharpie and trace the map you originally drew. I also decided to draw a sun on New York City.

I then cut out around the black outline, just leaving about 2 millimeters of the colored paper showing.  For the last step, simply glue your cut out map onto a sheet of white paper (preferably a thick painting paper).

You can also do this directly on the white paper, but I found that this way, it helped the map really POP.

I'm not going to go into this in detail, but I also made the canvas next to the map.  I simply painted it using blue and red to get a violet color, and wrote "work in progress" in gold.

I paired these 2 pieces with a pumpkin I painted gold, and my aroma therapy from Sabon.

#3: BRANDY MELIVLLE WOODEN SIGN
So this is my take on those super cute wooden sign you always stare at in Brandy Melville. This is by far the easiest of the 3, so just take a leap and try it!

Very simply, get a scrap of wood. You can get a board cut for you at your local hardware store.

Then get some acrylic paint and paint your background, then your symbol.

Another idea is to use wood stain, so that when you paint, you can have that beautiful wood grain
show.

I did it all by hand, but if you need some extra help, use washi tape to help get straight and clean lines.

Lastly, use a drill to drill 2 holes at the top of the signs. Pull some twine or a rope through to easily hang it up! I didn't do this, however, I gled 4 magnets to the back of it so I could stick it onto my magnetic wall.

-<3 J

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3 Messy Bun Ideas

Howa ya doin' on this fine Wednesday? I'm fine thanks. I'm about to show you 3 fine hair buns that you can do in under a minute. I'm also going to see how many times I can say fine in one paragraph ;) One of my favorite fall/winter hairstyles is the messy bun. I know its more of a summer thing, but just close your eyes and imagine a cute army jacket, some maroon leggings, and a pair of little boots, and a cute messy bun. In addition to the fashion side of things, I don't know about you but the cold makes me want to stay in bed longer, resulting in less time to get ready in the morning so these are super quick and will use few supplies. Shall we get started?

Messy Bun 1:
- This requires one hair tie, elastic, rubber band, you know what I'm talking about. Just one of those!
- So what your going to do, is flip your hair upside down, and gather your hair up into a high pony
- Heres the trick. You want to wrap the hair tie about an inch or two away from your actual head and this will give you that volume you see on all the tumblr pics and things like that.
- On your last loop or whatever its called, your going to want to stop half way and thats it!
- Just play around with it until you like it and your done :)
*** This works better on short or medium length hair, I wouldn't recommend this for girls with super long hair, but if you want you can tuck the ends away with a few pins and it will be just the same.

Messy Bun 2:
- The next bun requires a hair tie, a few bobby pins and some hairspray if you need it
- The first step is to gather all your hair to the top of your head, or the bottom if our looking for a more sleek look
 - Secure it with a hair tie, twist the pony tail a little bit and wrap it around the hair tie using a few bobby pins
- Pull out some pieces from the front and thats it!

Messy bun 3:
- What you'll need: 2 hair ties, some bobby pins, a hair donut
- This bun is more put together looking then the others. So gather your hair pretty tightly into a high pony tail.
- Next put the hair donut on the base of the pony tail (on the elastic)
- Spread out your hair on the donut and wrap it around by grabbing the ends of your hair, not the top.
- Finally secure it with a few bobby pins and your done!

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Top 5 Beauty and DIY Youtubers

Hey there people of the internet! Happy Sunday (:
Today, I have compiled all of my favorite youtubers who specialize in beauty and/or DIYs. If you like Silver Forest, you will definitely love these youtubers! These are all the people I personally like to watch, and the people I feel really connected with.

What youtubers do you love?

Comment down below.

Also, I've planned a great diy for next week so make sure to check in with us next Sunday!


FAMOUS YOUTUBERS:

1. Zoella

Zoella is such a cute and funny British youtuber. She is honestly one of my favorites. She always seemingly has a cozy filter on her clips, and always had great advice. She embraces her weirdness, and is very realtable. She does not hide her insecurities, and can instantly make you feel better.







2. Missglamourazzi


Ingrid Nilsen a.k.a. "missglamorazzi" has a great personality with her cooking videos, monthly favs, and great GIY's (glamor it yourself). She's creative, different and not to mention GORGEOUS.










3. Mylifeaseva


Eva has great colorful videos, with amazing DIY's and mainstream (somehow in a good way) tag videos. She is so pretty, nice, and has really creative DIY's out there.










4. LaurDIY


This beautiful girl, Lauren, is the QUEEN of DIYs. She uploads every sunday, with a new, creative DIY. Also, on Wednesdays, she typically uploads hauls, tags, or the funniest boyfriend vids. Her cool personality in her low-key videos are the perfect combo. On top of all that, nothing about her is mainstream, she has NEW DIYs and a great taste in music.










5. Stilababe09


Her quirky personality is perfect in her quirky beauty, fashion, and DIY videos. This picture really captures the essence of ALL her videos. So by this, you can probably already tell that you will love her.

YOUTUBERS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF:

1. Mr.kate

Kate has her own jewlery line, has amazing DIY videos and great interior design vids. I love her "OMG we bought a house" series, featuring her and her husband decorating their new house. You can tell just by her name, that she is cool and SUPER quirky!








2. Ilikeweylie

This sassy girl is amazing with her great tips. She is totally real with her audience and is not afraid of more "risque" topics. She has great advice and hilarious stories about things from boyfriends and best friends. She is not afraid to tell her viewers about her hard life and some of her "weird" habits.








3. Rclbeauty101


I am actually SO happy I found Rachel, who honestly deserves so many more subscribers. She is so creative and has great (and really original) editing skills. She has a wide range from HILARIOUS videos (like "how girls get ready for prom"), to actually really informative videos (like "how to make our eyelashes grow longer").










4. Tanamontana100


Tana is one of my more recent finds. Her videos are super useful and trendy and I love following up on them. I'm sure that as her videos gro, her youtube personality will grow as well. Her videos are well thought-out and edited!










5. Tess Christine

Tess has great videos and a great personality. My favorite videos of hers are her get-the-look videos. She tries to get almost the exact same outfits, and even does a price comparison! I love this girl with all my heart, and I know for a fact that you will too.







I just wanted to add that you should definitely also check out Arden Rose because she's definitely one of my new favorites!

- <3 J

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Top 5 Brain Foods

Guess what? You all know that school and work just recently started up again. Today I'm going to show you the top 5 foods that improve your brain power. All these foods are super healthy and really do help improve your focus. Plus, these aren't some fancy, hard to find, expensive items. You can find these at any grocery store and they're super easy to incorporate into your every day meals.

1. Whole Grains
Whole grains are amazing for your brain. Why? You need energy to do anything, and things like caffeine and junk food will actually give you energy. But only for about a half and hour and then you crash :( . So whole grains like oatmeal, brown pasta and whole grain bread will help steady that energy to give you lazer focus for that big exam coming up.


2. Salmon
Salmon is one of the best things you can eat for your brain, but make sure you don't eat too much of it. Twice a week is what is recommended by most because it can be fatty. Eating oily fish in general can help prevent Alzheimers Disease and memory loss!

3. Berries

Yes, that little tiny berry can do wonders for not only your mind but your whole body! It is filled with antioxidants that help clear out all those foods that might not be too good for your mind. Just a handful a day can really strengthen your brain for that big job interview tomorrow!

 4. Tomatoes
These magical little fruits are great because they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene which is super beneficial to your brain. I love tomatoes because they taste great with anything and are super easy to incorporate into your daily meals.

5. Broccoli
I don't know about you, but broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. Add a little olive oil and salt you're good to go. They are one of the top super foods ever for improving brain power.
Hopefully I gave you some good tips and you'll be extra prepared for that quiz or interview that's coming up.

- <3 B

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: AMAZING chewy, rich and sweet

Although it's still technically summer, it's never too early to prepare for christmas season! I have a younger cousin who prepares his christmas wishlist every September "just to be ready!" That has nothing to do with this post other than to prove that it is okay to make cookies during the fall. These are AMAZING chewy, rich, sweet, "can't come up with enough positive adjectives to describe them correctly" cookies. This is an old recipe that I found in my grandma's old files and I then tweaked to acheive this chocolatey goodness.

I'm not a huge fan of a lot of chocolate at once.
AHHHHHHHHHH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME

That's why chocolate chip recipes are always one of my faves.
SO...  let's finally get into this recipe that I've been going on and on about!

please take a moment to apreciate the platter it's on...

OMG I love it

You will need:
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of melted butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (Don't have any? Easy fix: cut up a bar of dark chocolate into small peices)

How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the sugar (brown and white), butter, vanilla, and eggs together.
3. Gradually add the flour, baking soda, and the salt. Mix well (although the dough will seem VERY thick)
4. Stir in the chocolate chips. You can add nuts such as pecans, cashews or whatever your little heart desires. (I gave up and ended up mixing this with my hands. :)
5. On a cookie sheet, drop balls of dough about 1 or 2 inches apart from each other. The balls should be  about a large teaspoonful of cookie dough.
6. Place in oven. Bake for about 10 minuites for a softer cookie (the centers will still be soft). Bake for 15-20 minutes (or until the edges are a golden brown) for a crispier (but still chewy and moist in the center) cookie. I personnaly prefer the second baking option.
7. Let them cool down a bit and ENJOY the delicious cookies.
          - <3 J

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Fall Lookbook 2014

We're so excited to be posting our very anticipated fall lookbook (this is our first post which makes it all the more exciting). We have been preparing this blog for many months now and we can't wait to get it started!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR FALL FASHION:

FALL COLORS:

• Mustard yellow - Try a yellow sweater or cardigan
• Cypress Green (camo green) - easily found in camo pants or jackets
• Aurora red (and orangey red) - like in outfit 2's flanel
• Sangria purple (a wine color) - like in outfit 3's top

OUTFIT #1: 
This outfit is really cool because of its simplicity. A simple pair of light-washed jeans paired with a cream-colored knitted sweater is a perfect way to get cozy during the transition to the cold seasons.

Pair a bold necklace to add a little "some'in some'in"
Here I layered two that had great contrast against the white.

Add a cute belt!

 

OUTFIT #2: 
This look is perfect if you want something super edgy, but very comfortable. I loved the mixture of textures from the pearl statement necklace to the cozy flannel and the black and gold heels top it all off.

Experiment with your flannel!  You don't always have to
wear one the traditional way.

A good old statement necklace will change any outfit from mehh to wow!

For a more dressed - down look, wear some black sneakers!

                       






OUTFIT #3:
Unlike the others, this look has a skirt and is a bit fancier. The black skater skirt is a great way to dress down a lacy top like this one. The wine color found in the top definitely gives a fall-like vibe.

You can dress this look both up and down with  pair of heels or sneakers.
Also experiment with necklaces to wear this outfit.

Tuck any shirt into a skater skirt to get different outfits out of one item.
Also try a crop top!

OUTFIT #4:
The final look is personally one of my favs. I love the soft pink scarf paired with the darker, more fall appropriate shirt. A simple pair off jeans and converse are the perfect way to make this outfit come together.

Wear a soft colored scarf to jazz up any outfit with out being
too over dramatic.

- <3 J + B

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