Thrift Store Finds

Hi everyone!  I wanted to share with you some thrift store finds I got today.  I purchased all of these items from my local Salvation Army Thrift Store.  I am so sorry for the quality of the pictures; I took them on my phone and they did not look pixelated until I uploaded them to my blog and I did not want to take all the pictures again!  Next time I will use my camera!

Chained necklaces and bracelets are a HUGE trend right now.  I have actually been looming for an affordable one lately and when I saw this today at the thrift store I was soooo thrilled!  I love, love this piece!  It was $2.00.  I wear this with some shirts in the following pictures.

I picked up this mint green/seafoam green button up top.  Mint green is my favorite trend for the Spring so when I saw this I had to snatch it up! : ) It has a collar which I really like.  It is a little short so I plan on wearing this with shorts or skirts this Spring so I can tuck it all in or just the front!  It also looks great unbuttoned and as a semi-cardigan look.  This piece was $2.00.

I love this purse!  It is not checkered print like it looks in the picture...that is just pixelation unfortunately.  It is solid cream leather and has camel detail trimming with a gold detail plate.  It is hard to tell the size in the picture but it is medium sized.  This was $2.00.

This is a white sleeveless button-up shirt.  I think I will most likely wear it unbuttoned kind of like a vest but it also looks great buttoned up!  It is off-white and super cute for Spring!

Full-length shot!  Again, sorry for the pixelation.

You can see how the necklace looks with it!

Yes, I found a Buxton purse!!! I am so excited! Again, it is pixelated in this picture so it is just plain black leather, not printed as it looks.  It has a fairly long strap and a gold Buxton plate on the front.  This was $2.00.

The inside of the purse.  I love that it has a mirror inside because that is one less thing you have to worry about putting in your purse : )

I have been obsessed with vintage Buxton lately.  Buxton is a brand that has been around for a very long time.  While they still make leather and products, I am particularly in love with their vintage items.  I love the construction, beauty, and detail of vintage Buxton.  I just recently bought a 1950's vintage Lady Buxton jewelry box that I love, so I was thrilled with I found this purse!  Just based on the research I have done on vintage Buxton, I would guess this purse if from the '70's era.

I wish this was a better picture! : (

YAY!!! I found a mint green belt with gold detail.  It is difficult to see the color but it is a true mint green!  This was $1.00.

I found this BEAUTIFUL gold and emerald bow broach.  I love this so much.  The middle is an emerald green gemstone.  I have been into broaches lately and wearing them on my blazer lapels.  This was $0.50.

Again, hard to see I know, but this is a brand new, tags still on, Vera Wang black skirt.  It is knee-length which I LOVE!  It has a little pleated detail down the front, which the picture does not show well.  This is just an overall great skirt to have for work because you can dress it up, or you can also dress it down and make it more casual because it is cotton.  This was $3.00.

I got this leopard cardigan.  I just thought it is super cute for Spring if you brighten it up with some bright colors, but it is also a good transition piece for all other seasons as well.  This was $2.00.

I hope you guys enjoyed this!  I love seeing others thrift store finds so I just wanted to share mine as well!

Spring Trend: MINT!

So I was trying to decide on what my favorite spring trend is and there are a couple I am absolutely loving; however, the MINT GREEN TREND won with flying colors!  I love this trend so much.  I think mint compliments many skin tones (if not all)!  It looks great on very pale to fair to tan to ebony skin!  I think it is kind of a fun twist on the turquoise trend, which I will always love!  I have been seeing the mint trend in clothing, shoes, purses, belts, jewelry, and nails!  It is pretty much good for anything you can wear on your body : )  Here are some pictures of this lovely trend! I will also be doing a spring trend video on my youtube channel in the upcoming week so subscribe to my channel to make sure you catch it!   http://www.youtube.com/user/kenlynjogordon?feature=mhee

I just currently bought this dress from http://urbanog.com/

This is the polish I have been using to paint my nails mint green!  It is fairly long-lasting but I am going to try some different products as well because it is not super opaque.

Nails!!!

Did a little design on my nails!!!! I wanted to share : )

Purple is Wet n Wild Grapevine
White is Wet n Wild French Tip White
Gold is Orly Gold

Recipe Time: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting!

I dunno about you, but my go-to cupcake is the funfetti cupcake box mix with the funfetti frosting.  While this is an extremely yummy combination, I get bored with always making the same kind of cupcake over and over again.  Thus, I have started my cupcake journey--I have been experimenting with making different kinds of cupcakes!  I recently mastered the "Rainbow Cupcake" or "Tie-Dye Cupcake", which were super neato!  In this blog post, I decided to show the Red Velvet cupcake featuring HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!!!

Cupcake:
*NOTE: If you would like to cut the preparation time down, I think it is perfectly acceptable to use a box cupcake mix.  I think box mixes are yummy and then you still have the unique taste of the homemade cream cheese frosting!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 fluid ounce red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

Finished product after baking cupcakes!

Now for the YUMMY part!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.

I placed the frosting in a ziplock baggie and pushed it all to one corner.  Cut a SMALL piece off the corner.  

Start from the outside of the cupcake and make a swirling motion toward the middle.  The swirls should get smaller as you reach the middle.

Finished Product!!!!!!

More Finished Pictures!

Of course, I am a nerd so I thought it would be fun to put Trolly Sour Gummy Worms on top!  You can put anything on top that you think might be a fun idea!  Or I left some plain as well and they are pretty too! :)

I hope you enjoy trying out a new cupcake recipe!!!!

Product Review

Psssssst Dry Shampoo

I have searched high and low for a good dry shampoo and low and behold...I FINALLY FOUND THE BEST!!!  Pssssst is awesome.

How It Works:  You can spray Pssssst wherever you need it in your hair.  You spray on the roots of your hair and let it sit for a little bit (I have found it doesn't matter how long you let it sit...I usually let it sit for about 30 seconds.)  Massage it into your hair with your fingers and then brush out the product.

Effect:  This product takes away all greasiness from the hair.  It does not leave the hair looking wet as some dry shampoos do.  It literally makes your hair look as though you just showered and blow dried your hair.  It is absolutely amazing.  With this product, I now can go three days without washing my hair.  I actually could go more because my hair does not even look greasy after three days, but by that time, I am definitely ready to wash my hair!  It has an amazing formula.  The product does have a scent, but it smells amazing (in my opinion)!

Hair Color:  You may be thinking if you have dark hair and have used other dry shampoos that they often leave a white residue in the hair that can be seen.  Psssst does initially look white on the hair, but once you massage it into the hair and then brush it out, there is no white residue left on the hair.  I have brown hair and I have never had a problem with any whiteness in my hair.

Price and Availability:  The unfortunate thing about this product is I have only been able to find it at CVS.  I do not believe any other store carries it.  You can also order it online from different sites!  It cost me $7.89 for a medium sized bottle, so I wouldn't say it is super cheap necessarily, but it is a lot cheaper than high end lines.  And it works so awesomely that I don't mind paying a couple extra dollars for it!

Conclusions:  I feel like this will be my go-to hair product for a long time in the future!  I love it so much.  I really have not experienced any downfalls to the product and I greatly recommend it to everyone!

My Top Websites for Clothes, Make-up, and rAnDoMs!

Hey everyone!  I thought I would do a post on the websites I love to browse and purchase goodies off of.  Some of them are just fun to browse and some I actually regularly go to purchase clothing, jewelry, and make-up!  Check them out and also comment if you have any good, fun websites that I should check out!

Top Clothing/Fashion Websites

For CHEAP, AFFORDABLE clothing:

10DollarMall--I have done a blog on this website before, but I still find myself going to this site to check out any new stuff they have gotten.  Now, you do have to search for good items on this site; meaning, everything on there is not good!  But they can find some good items all under ten dollars (which in my opinion, you really can't beat!)
http://www.10dollarmall.com/

makemechic--I LOVE THIS SITE!  They have the cutest clothes!  The clothing is not necessarily what I would call inexpensive, but it is also affordable in that it is not too highly priced.  I look at the site for the SHOES!!! I ordered three pair from the site and I love them! I have only purchased a couple things from here because I just recently found the site, but check it out because it is sooooo cute!
http://www.makemechic.com/

Forever 21--This is my go-to site.  I think it is great because many people find Forever 21 stores a little overwhelming due to the abundance of clothing, but the website is super easy to navigate.  If you are one who finds the store overwhelming, the online store will be a great alternative for you.  The reason it is my go-to site is because the affordability of the clothing and especially the JEWELRY!  This is a great store to buy jewelry because it is soooo affordable and unique.
http://www.forever21.com

Etsy--This is such a fun site to browse.  Etsy.com is a site where individual sellers can sell their products.  There is great handmade and unique jewelry, and also you can find good creative ideas for weddings or other special occasions.  The site pretty much has something for everyone's interests!  I also like it so much because the items are so unique and different than what you would see in popular stores.  It is also neat to see how creative people in the world are and what ideas they come up with!
http://www.etsy.com/

E.L.F.--This is such a fun make-up site.  I am a HUGE fan of ELF products now.  I have sooo many of their products, but I find myself wanting more!  It is fun to browse their site because their make-up is so inexpensive so you can try out so many products for very little expense.  It is also great because their products are great quality and many things I love just as much, if not more than higher end make-up products.  They also usually always have promo codes for free shipping of some other kind of deal.  Most products range from $1-$5.  There are products more than $5 but those are the big palettes and things like that.  It is fun because you can go on there and spend $25 and get $25 great products in the mail a week later!  AWESOME!!!
http://www.eyeslipsface.com

Amazon--I realize this is not really a fashion site and kind of obvious, but I constantly find myself going to this site to get things.  I mean they have everything.  I love to read so I order most books off Amazon, and they also have cosmetics for less expensive.  Pretty much I buy books and some cosmetics on this site, but they have other products too!
http://www.amazon.com/

Beyond the Rack--This site offers deals on designer products.  I just made my first purchase from this site a couple days ago!  Even if you do not buy anything...it is fun to look around on to see designer labels.  I would suggest checking it out because a lot of the time the products are too expensive for me to buy, but there are also really good, affordable deals on the site as well.  For example, the boots just ordered are originally $100 and on sale for $50, so that is really affordable for a pair of boots!  I also ordered four NP squared nail polishes, which are originally $22.50 and I got them for $5.99 each!  These are awesome nail polishes!   The only downside to this site is it says it can take 2-3 weeks for your purchase to even be shipped out, so you have a long time in suspense and anticipation!
http://www.beyondtherack.com/

I hope you check out some of these websites and let me know what you think!!!

Current Trends I am LOVING

I wanted to do a post about some trends I am absolutely, positively loving right now!  Most of the trends I am going to talk about I do use in my day-to-day life, so they are trends you can actually implement into your own fashion and style!

I will start with make-up : )

WINGED LINER


I have been LOVING winged eyeliner.  I pretty much wear some sort of winged liner everyday.  If you want to try this out, I would recommend using a liquid eyeliner instead of a pencil liner.  Liquid liner gives a more intense glossy look.  I will say, while I love a good winged liner, if not applied correctly, it can result with bad results.  I like the liner to look very smooth and connected to the lids with straight lines.  I will put examples below of what, in my opinion, is a good winged liner!  I enjoy this trend for several reasons:

1. I feel it really gives the illusion of a wider, larger eye.  It elongates the outline of your overall eye     shape.  I think it is a flattering look, and it is something new and fun to add to your make-up routine.
2. You can make the wing different sizes.  Whether the size of the liner wing is dependent upon your mood or the event, you can always dictate the look according to what you want.  Being able to control the size and drama of the wing also allows you to change up your makeup look.  I wear a smaller, less dramatic wing for an everyday look, and I do a more dramatic, thicker, and intense wing for a nighttime or special occasion look.
3. YOU CAN ADD GLITTER!.......enough said.
4. It is a simple, inexpensive, fun way to really make YOUR make-up stand out.  

Example of a thinner, natural look:

Example of a more dramatic, thicker, more extended look:

I did a little research and this trend became extremely popular in the '50's and '60's, specifically the Marilyn Monroe era.  It has gone in and out of trend from then to today, but now in 2012, it has blown up to be a huge make-up and fashion trend.

HOT PINK LIPS

I love the trend of bold, statement lip color.  I love the berry/red lip trend right now, but for some reason, I do not feel I can pull that look off as much.  I wish I could because I love it, and I have worn it before, but right now I am loving bright pink lips.  My favorite pink lip is by Rimmel London in Pink Blush (pictured to the right).

I have been wearing this a lot!  I am going to try to break myself into the bold red and berry lips, so we shall see how that goes!


Neutral Eye

Is this really a trend?? I do not think so; however, I feel it is extremely popular right now, more so than in the past.  This may be in part due to the bold lip trend, so people wear a neutral eye to keep the focus on the lips.  I am obsessed with a neutral eye.  I wear it everyday.  I have become surprised on how you can drastically change up a neutral eye to make it look different.  These are my favorite products to use to achieve a neutral eye look!

Wet N Wild Walking On Eggshells 3 color palette
Price: $2.99

My tutorial on Youtube for this palette!
 http://www.youtube.com/user/kenlynjogordon?feature=mhee#p/u/13/CHOk56Ht4RE







Elf Natural Eye 12 color palette
Price: $5

My tutorial on Youtube for this palette!
http://www.youtube.com/user/kenlynjogordon?feature=mhee#p/u/3/S7QVEWcvrNA


Urban Decay Naked Palette
Price: $48

BRIGHT BLAZERS


I have been loving colored blazers this season, and I think I will continue wearing them through spring as well!  They can really create life in a dull or neutral outfit.  I love them both with other bright colors and over a neutral color.  I recently purchased a new red blazer and a hot pink blazer which I show in my clothing haul at
http://www.youtube.com/user/kenlynjogordon?feature=mhee#p/u/0/2ZwNnX6Pkuo

OTHER TRENDS I LOVE AND WORTH MENTIONING:

Structured Shoulders

Statement Necklaces

Nude Pumps

Neutral/White Nail

I hope you all enjoyed this!  If you are loving any trends right now, comment and let me know what you are loving in fashion : )