Winter Blues--Getting them Right!

Due to the massive amounts and types of videos out there, and as I am a newer videographer, I am still trying to come up with my own style of videos that is uniquely me, fun, and obviously not boring.. I am still in discovery mode! =D 

As for this video, I wanted to show you a quick and easy way to get a sultry look using BLUE. Blue can be tricky to wear, especially if you want a bold look without looking like Mimi off of the Drew Carey Show...point taken? I surely hope so. haha

Anyway, here are the products I used in my video:

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion, original formula. Because this is my own personal product, I take the applicator and directly apply some of the potion onto my eyelids, later using my ring finger to blend it out to my brow bone and under my lower lash line.

Base color: Revlon Matte eyeshadow in Venetion blue. I take a fluffy round tip brush and tap into the shadow very lightly. I tap off most excess and build the color up from a soft layer, to a more intense color on the lid. If you start out with little, you can build it up and add more if you need...otherwise, it is much harder to decrease the intensity after it is stuck to your primer. Softly blend it up to your crease as this will allow more definition with other colors later.

Crease shadowing color: dark grey from a Giovi palette. Using the same fluffy blending brush, sweep this into the crease to create a soft blended out look.

Crease color: shimmery violet from a palette available on Amazon [Profusion palette?]. Using a pencil smudging brush, define your outer v and sweep into the center of the crease...this allows for the colors to blend more smoothly, and the outer v is defined, allowing your eyes to look more dimensional. If you use the pencil brush to blend the purple into the crease, you will get a sharper and more defined shape than if you were to use a fluffy blending brush.

Lid shadows: shimmery silver-blue color from [Profusion?] palette. I switched to a fluffy square blending brush because it allows me to sweep the color from the inner corner to the center of the lid, blending it into the base color and into the crease. shimmery teal from same palette: From the center of the lid, blend upward to the crease, and outward to the outer v shape we defined earlier. Make sure that the colors are blended down to your lash line.

It may be necessary to go back in and add a little more color to the crease (same purple) if it had been blended too much...you may also blend the color downward toward your bottom lash line.

Bottom lash line base: plum/violet from Giovi palette. The pencil brush allows for a more precise application of color under your lash line. Smudge it out so you have a light sweep of purple under your eye to tie the look together. Blend it about halfway. sky blue from Giovi palette: On your lower lash line, you want to mirror the colors from your upper lid so the look is uniform. Smudge the blue color from your inner corner to about 1/3 of the way in. Blend it together with the purple for a softer appearance. navy blue from Giovi palette: smudging this near the upper lash line is a lot softer than using a kohl, gel, or liquid liner. It creates a smokey effect, planning ahead for...

Blue false lashes: A generic Halloween brand I got at Wal-Mart. ($4). The look comes together with the super glam lashes. They add an extra sparkle of pizazz to the overall look. Check out my False Lash video here!

Highlight: silvery-white color from the Sephora Color Slim palette (semi-review and tutorial using this palette here) The round-tipped fluffy brush allows a softer blending effect, as well as a more pointed tip to get into more shaped crevices. Brush the light color softly under the brow, down into the blues and purples of the crease. Using a lighter color here detracts the eyes from the constant color and darker hues. It creates an illusion that there is separation from your brows and your lashes, kind of like a "resting point" for your eye. Apply the same shimmery white into the tear duct as this will bring more light into that corner. This gives your eyes more dimension, and another separation of colors.

Eyeliner: Hot Topic glittery purple eyeliner (no name?) Apply this to only your bottom lash line and lightly smudge it out. This adds the pop of color to shape your eyes with the false lashes. I winged it out so that my lash line would appear longer...and, therefore, my eyes look bigger **Pro tip!**

Clean up any messy smudges with a q-tip or cotton pad...

Face... Blush: Maybelline Mineral Blush in True Peach II. Using a large angled brush blush, softly stipple the blush into the apples and then blend upward toward your ears. Lightly dust some on your T-zone (your nose, top of your forehead, and chin) as this will create a very rosy, glowy appearance for your face, which makes it look like you were outside playing in the fluffy snow! I took the large kabuki brush to blend out the blush a little more as it looked really intense. This softens the the color so it is more natural looking. Contour: Stila Bronzer in Shade 1. The kabuki brush is larger so that it blends a lot more softly--which I preferred in using the bronzing shade just under the apples of my cheeks. This shades lightly giving dimension without using a harsh color. Buff this into the hollows of your cheeks (you'll see them by making the ever-lovely fish face! hahaha)

Lips: Covergirl Outlast Limited Edition Lipstick in Silver Lining: This color adds a pop of shimmer to the lips without distracting from the powerful eyes. No gloss required! =)

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it for you! 

Have a happy, safe holiday...

Sparkly wrapped presents and hot apple cider, 

Emmy

Music is my heart, and my heart belongs in my church

Beautiful

is the breath-stealer

the kind,

the docile--

my loving healer.

...The one in,

the one down deep,

found amidst

my slumber keep.

Desirable

is he to mine eye,

and for him,

my lone love,

my yearn does cry.

I wrote this poem when I was 18 or 19-years-old, not thinking much about what I was writing. Instead, I just let the words come straight from my heart...this was so pretty to read that I didn't think I wrote it. I did, but I was under the influence of my muse...whomever or whatever that is... For the longest time, I always interpreted it as my soul longing for a companion and I just left it at that...Tonight, however, I found my mind thinking back to this poem and I recalled how this could easily be a worship song...so that is what I am going to do. I am dedicating my life to my music. It would be untrue to myself to never follow that dream as I have had it since I was five. At that tender age, I used to sit and listen to my mom's old tape player listening to Reba McEntire, George Straight, Alannah Myles, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton...Billy Squier, etc. just feeling my soul opening up and I felt so happy in those hours I could just sing and sing. 

I am a very timid singer. I never want to perform because I get nervous, and it doesn't come from the heart...it's just me singing. I got asked why I didn't sing tonight at the talent show and I honestly didn't feel like it, which is because my heart is sad. What is even more sad is that the one and only thing that made me feel better was to sing...but because of where I am, I don't sing loudly. The kind of singing that lifted my spirits is the kind where I sing so loud that I wouldn't need a microphone, the kind where I have my eyes closed and I am uninhibited. I can get my voice to float on a Bb(5) and then soar up to a C6, lilting my way into a soft whisper and repeat it...but no one would ever know that because I just don't know how to sing like that around others...where they can hear me as a solo...

The only place I can sing like that right now is in a worship team at church. I sing with all my heart and my spirit is connected with the Holy Spirit and all my worries escape, all the hurts, the pain, the sadness, the silent hopes and wishes...dread, anxiety...ALL of that leaves me and God lifts me up.

Right now, I have a sad heart because that may not be something I will have anymore. Of all the losses I have dealt with this year, I will not be able to give that up, I cannot give up my church--the only family I have that cares about me the way that fulfills part of what my "heart does yearn" for...I don't really have family anymore. If I lose that, I will fall back where I was before, if not worse, and I fear that so much. 

I hear scriptures coming and going in my mind, but I cannot let go of the sadness...because I don't want to right now. If I do, then all of the things I have gone through seem so silly, and that makes my testimony seem so little...and...

I need to go to sleep and think about this tomorrow. God grant me peace in heart and mind please.

Joys of motherhood...for my friend Lisa...enjoy!

Muahaha moments of the day!

I'm on another blog: http://www.lolsnaps.com/, where I found some hilarious videos and photos. I am sharing some of THEIR photos...(visit THEIR site for more!)

Garfield!!! Oh-em-GEEGEEpoop

Now somebody please tell me that there isn't something wrong with this ...dude?

Gusts Beneath Your Feet...Climbing the Mountain

One day, alongside the country road I walked, hoping to never stop and to keep wandering miles away from home, and my mind was wandering off into a far away land of nothing, and my heart on my sleeve, tears pouring down my puffy face. As I reflect now, I do not remember what it was I cried about, but only of why it affected me so deeply. As I look into my life in the present moment, I find myself still working out some of the little kinks that are messing up the Plan....

You know, the plan that everyone has? The one that says what you're going to do with your life...with whom, when, how, what, what, what! If you are complacent with that thought or even argumentative, I will argue back and state that everyone has had the Plan before, even if it was briefly for when we were little children. We all have dreams and desires to do something, and because we are somewhat orderly, we put it together in a schedule, a plan, in something practical because it makes it easier to picture abstract time in this way. We are forward thinking and strive for those heart wishes to become reality...

However, we have one personal obstacle: ourselves. Yes, we have enemies and forces that attack us, but those cannot overwhelm us unless we let them. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Well, to this I reply: No one has authority over you, nor can they hinder you unless you hand the reins over... Yes!

Remember how I referred to our living selves as stagecoaches? (Read here for more information) Your mind is the driver of your stagecoach (or your body). Your driver is the one who controls the coach and horses, and directs the path you go down. But if your mind (the driver) is impaired, completely inebriated with the trials, with the hurt, the cloudy thinking, the stagecoach is unstable, as would a car be if the driver were intoxicated--the body is unable to function and go down the right path, the passengers inside (your heart and spirit) are affected and shaken up...everything is completely unbalanced. Sometimes this results in outside sources needing to step in and influence you--both bad and good.

Sometimes we have imbalance and we don't realize it because we're so used to things being the way it is...We've lived with imbalance for so long that we don't know what it is like to be any other way, and we don't recognize that in us. So what do we do then?

Well, here are some ways to identify imbalance in your life...

~~OBSTACLES~~

We all have obstacles, but it's your attitude that makes them something you can overcome. Do you feel overwhelmed, drowning, hopeless, or overly anxious? When this happens, you can find yourself lost in a clutter of too many thoughts, fear, self-deprivation...anything really. Do you attack problems head on or do you cower under the covers in bed? If you attack them head on, do you feel as though your attempts are futile or are they overzealous?

Fear not! In this Mental Health portion of the Living, Loving, Laughing series, I will address many different issues that we face, and how to overcome them with spirituality and love.

Today, I want you to look into the mirror and know that the following is true: "You are strong. When the world overtakes you, I know that you are more powerful than it through God because He willed you to be stronger than this. You can move mountains because He will move them with you. But if the mountain doesn't move, and I promise this will happen, you must climb it and stand on its peak, looking forward and know that this mountain is under your feet, as it should be... It will be UNDER your feet.

The enemy will be under your feet. Isaiah 40:31 says, "...but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." How can you fear now? You will fly or you will run and/or walk up that mountain when you cannot move it...This is a promise from God. Isn't that awesome?

Today, just keep thinking about your strength. Let your mind rest with God and don't let it wander off into the dry desert to find Satan and his temptations there. He is going to whisper thoughts into your mind...take them into captivity and release them, banishing them and allowing God's mercy to fall on to you.

Today, I write this with a heavy heart because I struggle with mental clarity myself. I let my stagecoach become overcrowded with the wrong passengers...there's only room enough for one spirit, and that's the Spirit of my God! I let the driver get off the path...but no more! He will be fired if he doesn't straighten up! (ha ha ha, I am kidding on this because you cannot "fire" your mind, but you can definitely can go through training to instill peace AND stability in it).  Romans 4:20 says, "Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God." You, too should have faith, because I have to!

I pray for you all who stumbled onto this page, and if this touches your heart. Keep strong and if you need prayer or have questions, simply send me an email: emalyce.weiss@gmail.com, and I will surely answer you!

Visions of fluffy clouds and snow capped mountain peaks,

Emmy

Christmas Cheer!

Today I went to a little cafe in a neighboring town called Delilah's Cozy Kitchin (yes, I realize that Kitchen isn't spelled correctly, but that's part of the charm of the cafe!) and this dining establishment is owned by the radio personality, Delilah...yes, it is the famous radio woman...! I went there on Wednesday and found the main room completely decorated in Christmas attire, and the workers were all dressed in Santa's workshop clothing. The lady who runs it dresses up as Mrs. Claus, while the others dress as elves. It puts you right into the Christmas spirit right away. This was the second time I have been to this restaurant, and I wanted something to drink, so I got my all-time favorite strawberry Italian soda, which was delicious, of course. I ran into a casual acquaintance from church and he talked about how Delilah has helped him out with employment and he has been helping this little restaurant succeed. He introduced me to "Mrs. Claus," saying that I was involved with my church choir, to which she immediately responded with a, "Wow, that's wonderful! You'll have to stop by this Saturday and sing with us!" And with that, she broke out into song, singing "Mary Did You Know?" as "Mary" is my real first name.

So today, being Saturday, I stopped by the restaurant, and she had forgotten that she told me to stop by today. I had no qualms with that as I wasn't sure what to expect with it, and I'm normally not the type to just belt out into song with random strangers...unless it just so happens to be a totally awesome song, then maybe... ;-)

She took me to the shop next door, which is also owned by Delilah, and this little establishment is called the Cozy Cottage. This is where you get to meet and awesome real-to-life celebrity, celebrated around the world. He's best known for his red suit, white beard, jolly spirit, and his pimpin' ride. Yes, it was none other than Mr. Santa Claus himself!

Mrs. Claus and one of the very helpful elves were getting children and babies together with Santa to get holiday photos taken...($2 for a small, $6 for a medium, and $10 for a large--8X10 (I think? don't quote me on these prices either..hehe)) It was fun. Mrs. Claus broke out into song again and more families came in with their little ones...

So where was I during all of this? Mrs. Claus put me to work! Well, it really wasn't work as I enjoyed it, but I did provide some services to the children. I was Miss Mary, "the nice book lady" who read different Christmas stories to the children. A child would choose a book and I read it...

I believe I read Arthur's Christmas twice...and I believe I also hid it under some other books so I wouldn't have to read it again. There was a book about a camel who was having a rough time, but traveled with the Wise Men to meet baby Jesus, another baby Jesus story, as well as a book about how the Twelve Days of Christmas really came about--involving teddy bears. (Of course this was purely fiction, but it was definitely a charming story...the poor squire teddy bear won over the Princess Merrybell's heart in the end, which was a perfect story to tell to a girl named Blessing, who dawned a beautiful multi-colored tutu skirt and matching shirt).

I love Christmas. My favorite to read were the baby Jesus stories because these were books chosen by the children, so I didn't have to feel as though I was being a "Bible thumper," AND yet, I got to share the true story of Christmas with eager four and five-year -olds who are innocent in mind still, and are sponges to God's Word. They are incredible little people. It still amazes me that one person can change the lives of others...and I can only hope to be a bright light in others' lives.


It was such a blessed time today. I went not knowing what to expect. Mrs. Claus gave me a hug and said I was a blessing today. It touched my heart deeply and I felt God nudging me to go for the past couple days. I am so happy that I went...I was blessed beyond belief, and I believe that more will come from this... I will most definitely be going back for more fun and festivities again!

So, my story aside, I just wanted to share this little nugget of truth: The holiday season is about sharing love and joy...! We should make it contagious! Just utterly contagious so that everyone is infected with joy and love...Let's pass along hope! Hope is not dead...we just need to find her! That was an awesome reminder today! We must always think about the Reason for the Season so that we can overcome the stress that comes from this crazy financial time... it's about more than that!

I hope that each and every one of you dear readers can find something to remind yourselves of why you love this season...What are some non-traditional things that you like to do for the holidays?

Warm, cozy blankets and cheerful books,

Emmy

Vogue Poll!

I have a bunch of tutorials that I would like to film and upload this month, but I only have a small amount of time to do them. My last upload was inspired by a July 2010 Vogue France magazine cover, I was so very inspired looking through hundreds of Vogue covers for Dana Lajeuness' recent contest.


~~~Vote in the poll at the bottom of this post and the top two voted for looks will be uploaded this month!~~~

November 1934

November 1964

May 2004

December 1970