Birthday Wishes + Tutu Tuesday Linkup

My sweet friend Jordyn is taking over today to help me continue celebrating my birthday!  Jordyn thank you so much for your wonderful post and kind words!  
xoxo Kristin
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Hello The Blush Blonde readers! I'm here from The Fairy Princess Diaries with a special birthday message for Kristin. Over the past few years I have been able to get to know Kristin because of blogging. We were excited to discover our birthdays fell within a short time frame in January- obviously meaning our friendship was meant to be.

Kristin celebrated her 25th birthday on Sunday and as a way to continue the celebration all month long I wanted to share a few birthday wishes for Kristin.

Kristin is both creative and kind. Her blog is a source of inspiration and beauty insight for women internationally. Personally, Kristin has grown into more than just a random face I occasionally see on the internet, but rather a real life friend whose dreams I support and who I know I can turn to when I need to talk. I know I speak for many of Kristin's friends when I say she is a loyal and caring woman, we are lucky to call her a friend!

A few Birthday wishes for Kristin's 25th Year:

1. I hope life gives you lots of reasons to pop open a bottle of champagne (even if that reason is just that you happen to have a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator).

2. I hope an occasion calls for a glittery new dress and the opportunity to dance in confetti, give a toast, and hug your bestie close.

3.I hope Blake Lively delivers you homemade cupcakes, but if not I hope you have afternoons and evenings spent baking with Taylor, Karlie and Blake as your blondetourage inspiration.

4. I hope you enjoy lots of trips close to home and around the country (or even the world) with the people closest to you.

5. I hope Coco snuggles you when you need it...

6. And you have solid friends who are there for you when life hands you challenges.

7. I hope you make new friends who bring an extra dose of spontaneity to your life...

8. And I hope the bonds of friendship you have already formed grow deeper and stronger.

9. I wish for your life to be filled with bundles of fresh flowers and pretty trinkets.

10. May your lipstick never stain your teeth...

11. And may your skin glow flawlessly without a single ounce of makeup. #IWokeUpLikeThis

12. I hope you have the opportunity to try lots of new beauty and skincare products on your own and for The Blush Blonde.

13. I hope blogging provides a source of happiness, a place to express yourself creatively and heaps of online friendships and new opportunities.

14. I hope the next year is filled with evenings to cheer on Villanova at lots of basketball games...

15. And a few shopping trips worthy of Blair and Serena in NYC. Here's my advice, when in doubt buy the shoes!

16. I hope you have far more good hair days than bad...

17. And fewer days spent wishing migraines would get lost.

18. I hope 25 is a year filled with lessons and though they might not always be as happy as rainbows and sunshine I hope they continue to help you grow as a woman of courage and character.

19. I hope you meet a handsome stranger who will tell you you're wonderful and make you feel pretty, but if you don't I hope you know how many of us think you're wonderful and pretty already.

20. If you kiss any boys I hope they make you happy and if they don't make you happy I hope you don't waste a single second of your beautiful life fretting over someone so silly.

21. I hope you dream big about grad school or blogging or traveling the world.

22. I hope you do what you can to make your dreams happen and I hope those close to you do everything in their power to support you and help raise you up.

23. May you have lots of opportunities to laugh so hard you get an ab workout...

24. And may you create memories that will make you look back and remember being 25 fondly for years to come.

25. Finally, I hope you radiate the confidence of a Victoria's Secret Angel with the grace of Kate Middleton. 25 is your year girl!

Wishing you more happiness today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow.

The Fairy Princess Diaries|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

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Welcome to Tutu Tuesdays a linkup with The Blush Blonde and The Fairy Princess Diaries!  Linkup whatever you'd like and make sure to do a little mingling - our goal here is to create a community of bloggers where we can all connect, find new blogs, and support one another.  We love new friends, supporting other blogs, and meeting fellow girl bosses!

There are just a few rules we ask you follow to join in on Tutu Tuesdays:

1. Please follow both Jordyn and me, your lovely hosts, on Instagram and/or Bloglovin.

Kristin: The Blush Blonde  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

Jordyn: The Fairy Princess Diaries  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

2. Link to your specific post, not your blog's main page.

3. Grab our super cute button or share a link to Tutu Tuesdays in the post you are linking up so everyone can know about the party!

4. Have fun and mingle with other bloggers that have linked up!  Like I said we want everyone to make new friends!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theblushblonde.com/" title=“Tutu Tuesday"><img src="http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab203/blondi52145/button250_zpsnqtszhlp.png" alt=“Tutu Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Simple Eye Makeup Tips and Tutorial

I have been crazy busy with my move so my sweet friend Sara is taking over for me today!  I am so excited for this post because she is a makeup and hair guru who I love to learn new beauty things from.  Without any further ado I'm going to let Sara take it away, but make sure to check out her website (especially her amazing tutorials) when you're done here!  xoxo Kristin

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Hey y’all!  First of all, let me introduce myself.  My name is Sara Drury and I am a makeup artist and hairstylist with a passion for teaching women how to do their makeup like pros (even when they're not).  I am so excited to be doing a guest post for the lovely Kristin, what an honor and a privilege.

Since she has trusted me to write for her, I wanted to make sure I gave you some really good and fun tips!

Today I’m going to teach you one of my favorite summer eye makeup looks as well as give you some great tips on how to make your eye makeup last…even in these dog days of summer!

To start, here are my top three summer eye makeup tips:

  

1.   Wear an eye primer

Eye primer is a game changing product. It will help your eyeshadow go on more smoothly, keep it from creasing, and also make it last all day long!  A cool pro tip is to put just a little bit on your lower lashline, too, that way your eyeliner won’t run!  Try it, it’s awesome!

2.   Use a pop of color.

 I really like to use a colorful eyeliner either in the water line (like I’ve done here) or just on the bottom lashline.  My favorites are blues or purples, but use whatever color you love!

  

3.   Waterproof liner is magic.

Waterproof eyeliner is amazing for hot summer days!  If you're out in the heat makeup can tend to slide around a lot especially when it's really hot out.  Below are some waterproof eyeliners that I love (and they come in fun colors, win/win!):

-MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencil
-Maybelline Lasting Drama by Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner 
-Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencil

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I also promised to teach you a fun and simple eye makeup look, so here is the step by step of exactly how to do it!

Step 1: Start by priming your eyes!  Like I said above this is the #1 way to help apply your eye makeup and make it last longer.

Step 2: Take a shimmery light color eyeshadow (like MAC Eye Shadow in All That Glitters, or Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Shimma Shimma) and sweep it all over your eyelid.

Step 3: Next, using a waterproof pencil in the color of your choice gently line your waterline (or bottom lashline).

Step 4: Add black eyeliner on the top lashline to help thicken the look of your lashes.

Step 5: Put on lots and lots of mascara and you’re all set!

If you have any questions I will check out the comment box below!  I'm so happy to answer anything - I could talk makeup all day!

xoxo,

Sara

P.S. For weekly tips and tutorials and a special video on “THE TOP 10 MAKEUP MISTAKES” check out my website and sign up for the VIP email list at SaraDruryLocalLooks.com.

Today I'm linking up with Tutu Tuesdays, Style Sessions, and Confident Twosday.

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Welcome to Tutu Tuesdays a linkup with The Blush Blonde and The Fairy Princess Diaries!  Linkup whatever you'd like and make sure to do a little mingling - our goal here is to create a community of bloggers where we can all connect, find new blogs, and support one another.  We love new friends, supporting other blogs, and meeting fellow girl bosses!

There are just a few rules we ask you follow to join in on Tutu Tuesdays:

1. Please follow both Jordyn and me, your lovely hosts, on Instagram and/or Bloglovin.

Kristin: The Blush Blonde  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

Jordyn: The Fairy Princess Diaries  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

2. Link to your specific post, not your blog's main page.

3. Grab our super cute button or share a link to Tutu Tuesdays in the post you are linking up so everyone can know about the party!

4. Have fun and mingle with other bloggers that have linked up!  Like I said we want everyone to make new friends!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theblushblonde.com/" title=“Tutu Tuesday"><img src="http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab203/blondi52145/button250_zpsnqtszhlp.png" alt=“Tutu Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

24 Birthday Wishes From My Blogger Bestie

Jordyn (of the fabulous The Fairy Princess Diaries) and I have been blogger besties for a while now and we became friends when we realized just how much we have in common.  I would say one of the funniest things that we have in common is that we're both January babies and our birthdays are less than a week apart!  Last year we started a fun tradition by switching blogs for our birthdays so that we could celebrate each other from all the way across the country (she's on the West Coast and I'm on the East Coast!).  I'm so happy that we decided to keep the tradition going this year - last Friday I guest posted for her birthday and today she is taking over for mine!  Jordyn wrote the absolute sweetest post and I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up a bit because I was so touched by her kind words, seriously she is the sweetest!  Without any further ado I'm going to allow Jordyn to take over so that I can get to celebrating! xoxo Kristin

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Today a very special girl turns 24. One of the most difficult part about the blogging community is the physical distance between the close friendships we cultivate. Kristin has become a real friend to me over the years and it is so disappointing I can't see her in person to celebrate the day she was born. I'm sure many of you can relate to the feeling of wishing you could gather up all your blogger besties the way you can with your friends in your home city or state. Today I want to give Kristin a virtual birthday celebration! Happy 24th Birthday Kristin!

So far I don't know much about being 24 (I turned 24 on Sunday, and Kristin kindly wrote the sweetest birthday post for my blog) but I know there are gifts, experiences and emotions I wish for someone as sweet and lovely as Kristin! Last year I shared 23 wishes for the Birthday Princess, this year I want to share an updated version.

1.I hope you relish your last bit of undergrad, embrace the chaos that is senior year of college and don't wish it away. College is challenging, and frustrating and sometimes discouraging but the grown-up world is too. Take too many pictures, let yourself get a little too wrapped up in sorority drama and wear yoga pants to class sometimes (because you can)!

2. Blow your savings on a cute new Tory Burch bag, or tickets to a Taylor Swift concert or a girl's weekend with your bestie because as we decided being a "real grown up" starts at 25.

3. I hope you have many opportunities to stay up late watching Gossip Girl reruns and sleep in on Sunday morning cuddling with your puppy.

4. And that this year offers new experiences (good and bad, but mostly good) that help you realize who you are, define what you want and become even stronger than you already are.

5. Take every opportunity to overdress for the occasion, I don't think Kate Middleton ever feels awkward for being the best dressed in the room (real princesses don't).

6. Dance the night away with your girlfriends without ever worrying if you're going to scuff your flats or get a blister or two from your heels.

7. Forget about the boys who send mixed signals, who only text you after 10:00pm and who drool over you like a dog with a steak. You are beautiful and smart and capable. Being single doesn't mean you aren't fabulous, and dating the wrong guy is always regrettable.

8. No matter what our friends are doing, focus on yourself and your happiness before developing diamond ring tunnel vision. Planning a wedding is surely a whole lot of fun, but having an established life you can call your own before settling down is so, so powerful.

9. May your closet be as trendy as Kendall Jenner's and your selfies be as glamourous as Gigi Hadid's.

10. I hope your hair always looks as perfect as Amber Fillerup's braids.

11. Let this year be the year you say "yes" to adventure and perhaps to a few cute new handbags as well.

12. Kiss sadness goodbye and stay positive whenever possible. When you can't be positive, take a hot bath. It's okay to let yourself fall apart as long as you pick yourself back up.

13. Even though we probably can't be Victoria's Secret Angels (still not accepting this as fact) I hope you feel as gorgeous and glamourous as an angel everyday. You're stunning, but your true beauty shines even brighter from within and even a bad hair day can't take that away.

14. May your Mondays be as memorable as your Fridays.

15. And even your worst day be better than the bad days you had at 23.

16. Don't forget the people who love you, and never be afraid to turn to them when life feels irritating, confusing or a little bit scary. I'm only a text message away!

17. I hope Taylor and Blake invite you on their next Australian theme park adventure (and then you persuade them to let me tag along too).

18. May your kitchen always be filled with homemade cookies and cupcakes and sweets (and may you never gain a single pound).

19. Continue laughing off the weirdos of the world (like the couples who want you to be their girlfriend) and shaking off the haters (it's what Taylor Swift would want).

20. Strive for greatness, outline your goals, celebrate your successes but don't be too hard on yourself if you fail. Being 23 was hard and I imagine 24 won't be much easier. Learn from your bad days, they make the good days feel so much better.

21. Appreciate the beauty of the snow (hello, gorgeous Instagram photos), dance in the rain and never forget to find magic in the ordinary. Creating your own sunshine makes life feel that much more glorious.

22. Read Vogue religiously, shamelessly obsess over Cosmo and remember you're only 24 once, life doesn't have to be all Wall Street Journal serious all the time.

23. Book a ticket to Seattle, or California and spend a blogger bestie weekend with me. This one is more of a demand than a wish, please...pretty please?!

24. Wishing you a birthday cake you can eat without any allergic reactions and unlimited champagne to add sparkles and bubbles to the start of this next chapter!

Thank you for being such a wonderful friend Kristin. Your kindness is a gift to both me and the blogging community. I'm looking forward to seeing where you're headed this year!

The Fairy Princess Diaries|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

Today I'm linking up with Casual Friday, Friday Favorites, Fab Favorites, and Friday Favorites.

Friday Favorites from The Fairy Princess Diaries

Hello, I'm Jordyn and I am excited to have the opportunity to fill in for Kristin today! Every Friday I look forward to reading Kristin's Friday Favorites, and I know you guys probably feel the same way. Like Kristin I embrace the femininity and sparkles of life and I am excited to share a few of my favorite finds this week.

Favorite Fairytale Moment LC Lauren Conrad Runway Show at NYFW

Lauren Conrad's runway collection for Kohl's is a fairytale straight from a dream! Wednesday evening, social media was blowing up with snaps, instagram photos and tweets praising LC's feminine and affordable collection. Check out a slide show of runway photos, or shop the collection!

via

Favorite Boutique Goodnight Macaroon

I finally discovered the ultra feminine online boutique, Goodnight Macaroon. I'm pleased to say the whimsical, girly pieces are just as darling as the name implies. I've been doing my best not to order everything (but it's difficult). A few of my personal favorites include this Cashmere/Wool Poncho, this feather dress and this pussybow blouse.

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Favorite Celebratory Photo Shoot Annaliese, Southern Belle in Training

To be fair I haven't actually checked out too many celebratory photo shoots this week but I had to share Annaliese's adorable shoot to celebrate her 21st birthday! Annaliese is one of those blogger's you can tell right away is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! Be sure to check out her fashion blog, Southern Belle in Training and wish her a happy belated birthday!

via / Photography: Emily Sacara Photography

Favorite Design Tips 13 Tips on How to Make Your Rental Regal

I love interior design, but have only ever lived in small rental spaces. I'm a big believer that your home should feel magical, tranquil and as much "like you" as possible whether you're living in a dorm room or a castle. These tips from Style Me Pretty are a great start to making an apartment feel homey.

via 

Favorite Serum Body Merry Retinol Serum

I ordered this retinol serum from Amazon just over a month ago and cannot stop raving about the results! Not only does my skin feel soft, smooth and radiant but I have actually seen visual results (you can see my full review here). I love trying new skincare products and can be tough to impress but this $14 serum actually did the trick!

Thanks for joining me today as I shared my Friday Favorites. Have a great weekend and don't forget to join us for Tutu Tuesday, our super girly link-up each week!

The Fairy Princess Diaries|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

Face Mask Reviews

My friend Kristi and I met early in the summer because she is dating one of my good guy friends from school, the day we met we instantly bonded over our love of all things beauty (and little dogs and Louis Vuitton and more!).  We are both completely obsessed with skincare and are constantly texting back and forth about different products we're trying.  Kristi knows a lot about beauty and is quite the product aficionado so I thought it would be awesome to bring you all a post from her.  Her and I have talked a lot about face masks so when she asked me what she should write about I instantly knew that she needed to tell you about some of the masks she has tried!  Without any further ado here is Kristi's post reviewing the best and worst face masks.

As a girl who always tries to keep up with the latest skincare (and beauty) trends, I have found that a major skincare favorite among women is a good face mask! There’s just something about a nice mask after a long day that really seems to wash away all of the stress! (Tip: Pair it with a good glass of wine or a hot cup of tea, and you’ve got yourself a perfect girls night!)

I have combination and sensitive skin, and it took me awhile to find a mask that I truly love! Fortunately, I was able to find a few great ones! Here are my faves, and my not so faves.

Clarisonic Deep Pore Detoxifying Clay Mask 5 stars

I have to say, this is the holy grail of face masks. This particular mask hardens after about 10 minutes on your face and seriously does wonders. It leaves your face feeling like silk and gives you a gorgeous glowy look! I even used it on my boyfriend, who happened to really love it, and I couldn’t believe how incredible his skin looked after using it too! It retails for about $27 and is worth every penny.

Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask 4 stars

One minute is all it takes to make your skin feel amazing! Once this product is on wet skin, it heats up and creates an extremely relaxing effect! I really wish I could leave it on longer! Not only does this mask feel amazing and leave my skin looking great, the price is right! This retails for around $6.99 and can be purchased at your local drugstore. Totally worth the buy!

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay 3 stars

This mask was recommended to me by Kristin (aka The Blush Blonde) and I seriously love it! For about $7.99, you get one pound of dried clay that literally will last you forever. After mixing with equal parts water and honey, it created a clumpy paste that dries on your skin. After washing it off, my skin looked great! The only downfall to this product for me was how clumpy it was! But for how great my skin looked, I will definitely take the clumps! Overall, a great purchase!

Boscia Vitamin C Brightening Hydrogel Mask 2 stars

This was my first time using a sheet mask and what an interesting experience it was! First of all, it wasn’t easy to apply at all! I had to apply it while laying down, which made the process so much harder! Not only did I first put it on my hair (yuck!), it even dripped into my eye! Aside from some issues getting started, I left this mask on for about 20 minutes, and after removing it, I saw absolutely no change. Instead, I had a really wet and sticky face. It wasn’t a total waste though, I was able to get some pretty interesting Snapchats out of it, which gave my boyfriend a good laugh. The things we do for beauty! Definitely not worth the $8.00!

Glam Glow YOUTHMUD Tinglexfoliate Treatment 1 star

After hearing so many positive things about this mask, I couldn’t wait to try it. After finally convincing myself to splurge on the $69 bottle of mud, I went for it! Unfortunately, this mask completely let me down! It left my skin feeling extremely dry and even broke me out! I was so upset! Definitely not worth it in my book!

Shop the post here:

What are your favorite face masks?  Make sure to share below so Kristi and I have something new to try!

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Tutu Tuesday, Confident Twosdays, and Style Sessions.

Welcome to Tutu Tuesdays a new linkup with The Blush Blonde and The Fairy Princess Diaries!  Link-up whatever you'd like and make sure to do a little mingling - our goal here is to create a community of bloggers where we can all connect, find new blogs, and support one another.  We love new friends, supporting other blogs, and meeting fellow girl bosses!

There are just a few rules we ask you follow to join in on Tutu Tuesdays:

1. Please follow both Jordyn and me, your lovely hosts, on Instagram and/or Bloglovin.

Kristin: The Blush Blonde  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

Jordyn: The Fairy Princess Diaries  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

2. Link to your specific post, not your blog's main page.

3. Grab our super cute button or share a link to Tutu Tuesdays in the post you are linking up so everyone can know about the party!

4. Have fun & mingle with other bloggers that have linked up!  Like I said we want everyone to make new friends!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theblushblonde.com/" title=“Tutu Tuesday"><img src="http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab203/blondi52145/button250_zpsnqtszhlp.png" alt=“Tutu Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>