Back to School with Arizona Jean Co.

School is soon to be back in session so I’m going to show you a few ‘Back to School’ outfit inspirations in collaboration with Pop Sugar & Arizona Jean Co! Start off the school year making a statement with your effortless style using a few key pieces from the Arizona collection and make sure to check out my Lookbook video for the complete outfit looks!

My first rule of thumb to styling any of my outfits is layering! This will give you the option to change up your look of the day and staying comfortable just by removing a layer. Cardigans, for example are a must! They go perfectly with your favorite graphic tee and this is an instant outfit! I love this varsity inspired Arizona cardi for the perfect back to school look.

Of course you will have those days where you’ll want to dress up a little to stand out and you will need a pretty little floral dress to do just that. Anything with a bit of boho inspiration is right up my alley so this flowly floral dress by Arizona is perfect paired with an oversized cardigan. My trick with layering is to synch in the waist when you can because you don’t want to look too bulky.

Speaking of boho inspiration, this peasant top from Arizona is the perfect piece to create an effortlessly stylish outfit with the pretty crochet details. You can easily pair this with jeans or shorts and the top will dress it up your look.

Finally, my go-to, comfortable, lazy day outfit piece is this Arizona pullover hoodie. It’s super soft and lightweight at the same time! I love the loose fit of this hoodie and you can easily layer a tee or tank top underneath.

Please be sure to click on my video below to see the complete looks I created with these essential pieces from JC Penney Arizona!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by JCPenney/The Original Arizona Jeans Company through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about JCPenney/The Original Arizona Jeans Company, all opinions are my own.

Bene-Faves! Benefit Cosmetics Goodies

Happy Friday! I recently received an amazing care package from one of my all time favorite beauty brands and I couldn't wait to test everything out for you guys! I opened up the box to find an assortment of their most favored products. Benefit has always drawn me in with their stand out packaging, unlike a lot of the typical stuff we see. I remember one of my very first concealers (that started off my concealer obsession) was Boi-ing, their industrial strength concealer. They pretty much had me in the palm of their hands since.

Not to anyone's surprise, I've found some must-haves out of the bunch that I needed to swatch and share with you guys!

These Creaseless Cream Shadows are exactly what the name implies. The color pigmentation is amazing but it's the creamy, smooth texture that makes them my new favorite. They glide on effortlessly and blend easily with your fingertips. I've been using "No Pressure" almost daily! They work GREAT as an eyeshadow base or worn alone and you don't have to worry about them smudging or budging at all because they are long lasting.

Lets talk about this packaging!!!! I instagramed a photo of these babies right when I saw them and it was reposted on the Benefit Instagram page and my head just about exploded with excitement :D 

I did, however made the mistake of calling them "lipsticks" because they are actually Hydra-Smooth Lip Colors. They are enriched with shea, mango butter and vitamin E. So think- a super hydrating lip butter with great color pigmentation. The two colors I got are "Juicy Details" (Top pic), which is a pretty neutral pink and "Tutti-Cutie" (Bottom pic), which is more of a bright coral compared to Juicy Details. Both are a gorgeous wash of color on your lips that are buildable for a more intensity.

And last but not least, a BRIGHT pop of color from their newest lip and cheek stain collection -Lollitint! The name itself would sucker me into buying it (see what I did there?) But their lip and cheek stains are serious business. They leave a bright and long lasting color that you don't have to think or fuss about. After I snapped this photo of the swatch, it stayed on for well into the night. I also own the original Benetint which is a rosy red color that actually smells like a bouquet of roses! 

Keep an eye out for some upcoming makeup tutorials on my channel, with these goodies and more. I'll be doing a separate post and review about the Big Easy BB Cream soon. Hope you guys have a great weekend!

xo Winnie

Who, What, Where?!

I'm completely ashamed looking at the date of my very last blog post. I can't believe I've let so much time pass without so much as an explanation why. So, I have to apologize for neglecting my blog and lets get on with catching you up on the changes that have happened!

1. I've MOVED! I'm officially an Angeleno - driver's license, zip code and all! If you're subscribed to my YouTube channel, you know this all too well. As I pretty much stay in my apartment most of the time filming. With that said, I'm still getting used to my new environment. I've found it a little difficult to make connections with a lot of people here but I know in time this will change. Relocating here was a big decision that I knew would have a huge impact on my life. So no matter what, I will not take any opportunities or experiences for granted.

2. YouTube Hustling! At the moment, I'm a full time Content Creator; devoting all my time to filming, editing, planning and learning the YouTube-verse 24/7. I would've never imagined myself in this position last year but I finally found something I am passionate and motivated to do everyday. It was a deciding factor for moving and also a step closer down the path in a career in which I hope I can mold it into. I still have lots to learn and I'm reminded of it everyday. It's definitely not easy to put yourself out there to the world but nothing worth having comes easy.

3. I'm a Neutrogena Brand Ambassador! Those of you who follow my IG might have an idea of what I'm referring to. Basically, I learn all about the brand and it's products and share all the knowledge with you guys. I was flattered and fortunate to have been chosen amongst a lot of amazing bloggers and YouTuber's to be a part of this. Through this and many other opportunities, I've had a chance to meet and make friends with so many empower and inspirational women.

4. SHORT hair don't care! Many of you know I was a slave to my long locks and extensions for..forever! And every woman will tell you, if you want a change - change your hairstyle. More than that, I really wanted to shed the 'safety blanket' of my long hair after moving. It was just another thing to push me outside of my boundaries enough to make other brave decisions like... running yellow lights.

There's a lot of bits and pieces that are missing in between but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm coming back to my blog and I am going to make it a priority to update as often as possible. I've been wanting to change and revamp my site for a long time and I will be working hard on it. There's so much more to come and I can't wait to share it with you along the way.

Messy Fishtail Side Braid: Hair Tutorial

This is my version of a 'messy' side fishtail braid, perfect for girls who embrace messy hair!

Flawless Face Makeup

I searched high and low (literally) for the perfect 'Summer' foundation that would meet my laundry list of expectations- works well with my combo skin type, light weight, skin like, not cakey and wont cause any breakouts. When I came across the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua 'Ultra Light Skin perfecting' foundation, I knew I found my holy grail foundation. It is everything I was looking for and it lead to my newest video - 'Flawless Summer Face Makeup' tutorial. 

I have partnered with www.Luvocracy.com to cultivate my list of 'Flawless Face Essentials'. The items in my collection are featured in my video tutorial. The best part is the GIVEAWAY to win $50 credit to shop my store on www.Luvocracy.com. Sign-up for Luvocracy through me and you are automatically enter for the giveaway! ** See official giveaway rules here **

You can also view my video here:

Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Collection 2013

If you guys have seen my past favorites videos i have mentioned my love for Maybelline Baby Lips on several occasions. One of my favorite shades that i always keep around is in "Cherry Me", which is a sheer red tint. If you are someone who is still afraid of too much color, i highly suggest trying these lip balms because of the nice sheer color payoff they give.

I've found that these are either hit or miss with a lot of people because they either expect it to be the best moisturizing lip balm or the most pigmented in color but i actually think the Baby Lips are a perfect medium in that they give a good amount of build-able sheer color while also keeping your lips fairly moisturized. More than anything, i really like these because of the easy to wear color it gives your lips but i would not solely depend on these lip balms to keep your lips moisturized for 8 hours, as the packaging suggests.

Maybelline recently released the NEW Baby Lips Electro Collection 2013 and i just couldn't resist in picking a couple up. They spruced up the packaging of the tube and changed it to all black with bright variations of neon writing. I am loving the aesthetic appeal of these for the summer! The colors and the full collection can be seen here.

1. Strike A Rose

2. Berry Bomb

MissKL Beauty Haul Swatches

Here is a closer look at the beauty items i hauled from MissKL on my recent "Summer Clothing Haul" video on my channel! In case you were not aware that MissKL carried beauty products- they have some of my favorite brands available! I was excited to be able to haul some new items i have yet to try.

1. theBALM Bahama mama bronzer, this is the perfect matte shade for contouring without looking too muddy or orange! The pigmentation is well worth it because a little of this goes a long way! I love the packaging of this brand- its cheeky and so compact to take along if needed.

2. LimeCrime Opaque Lipstick "Poisonberry", This is my very first LimeCrime product and i was so excited to try it! It definitely lives up to the hype in quality and pigmentation. This lipstick is super creamy and smells like delicious vanilla! I'm going to need to stock up on more LimeCrime products in the future. 

If you thought the initial color from the tube was a bit intimidating (like me), don't worry because the deep plum color is actually very wearable on the lips! The swatch shows the color is actually closer to a plumy fuchsia pink! This lipstick is extremely long wearing and it even leaves a tint of color on your lips afterwards.

3. theBalm Stainiac lipstain "Beauty Queen", I've been dying to try a nice lip stain for days when i don't want to fuss with lipstick or gloss. This is the perfect thing to throw on if you're on the go! It pairs well with a fresh face if you just want a wash of color to brighten your complexion. The actual product has a very slight and non-offensive floral scent and no real taste. The consistency out of the tube is almost gel-like and very easy to blend onto the lips. 

This is what i was left with after wiping off the initial swatch. The stain is subtle but build-able and it has a pretty decent staying power. The color is a pretty hot pink/red stain and looks like you've eaten berries on your lips :)

Summer Style Solstice

Time to break my blog out of it's long hibernation. It's been a while since i've updated but i'm back in full swing with my Summer fashion haul to kick start it! If you haven't already caught a glimpse of my latest Summer shopping haul on my channel- here are some stills and details about a few of my favorite items of the haul.

Cream Romper c/o Sheinside.com

MKL Collective, The Beginning Bodice in Taupe c/o MissKL, Obey, The Hartman M65 Contrast Sleeve Jacket c/o MissKL

Material Girl Romper Macy's

Blaque Market, The New Values Romper in White c/o MissKL

White skort c/o ahaishopping

If you want to watch to see what other items i picked up, check out my video here: Summer Fashion Haul

January SeasonsBox

So sorry that this post is just going up now but i thought i'd just include the close up/detail pictures of the January SeasonsBox anyway! I was so pleased with this box and im so happy with the variety that was provided, i can't wait to get my February box!

A few of my favorite items were the Tea Tree Whipped Shea & the Vance Kitira hand woven scarf! The Tea tree whipped shea is such a unique texture because it looks & feels like a light, fluffy cream but once its in contact with your skin it literally just melts and becomes a "liquid" consistency! It really sinks into your skin and provides great moisture!