I use to do this for  fun…but now it’s growing into something I don’t like very much.

People expect ten minutes of feel good video…it’s fun…and it’s shallow…but it’s a show.

The real me is found in my faith.

My faith defines me…it defines ALL of me.  I don’t live to appease people, I wasn’t born to not offend, I wasn’t put here to agree with society.  I will not take the easy way out.  I will disappoint people who thought they liked me.

I am not just here to make you laugh.  To show you pretty things.

My whole life was shaped by God…by my faith that Christ was who he said he was…that Christ is the son of God, that there is a God…a Holy, righteous…perfect, loving God.

So that when I go to sleep at night and think…tomorrow will be another day…full of many things…but I could die at any time…I know that God holds my life.

I choose to follow God’s ways.  Not the world’s ways.  That means I will not be popular. But here I am…gaining popularity…and I find myself hating it.

Because this popularity is based on nothing that I am…nothing of the truth.

If people really knew what made me…me…they would hate me.

And I would be just fine with that.

I don’t want to just turn on the camera anymore and be someone who people think they know…someone they can rely on for a  good time.

I want to stand up for what I know is true, and what I know is right.  The things that REALLY matter.  I love lipstick and clothes. But when I look at these things…they conjure up emptiness inside of me.  These things go away.  These things are just THINGS.  They do not give me joy.  They do not comfort me.  They do not speak truth.

Real joy comes from God.  From knowing Him, and walking with Him, even though it’s unpopular, not understood…or belittled.

It’s a good thing I really don’t care what people think of me.

I don’t even care about my channel anymore.  I don’t even care about this blog.

I don’t care about twitter.

Unless all of it.  ALL OF IT.  Is lived for HIM.

So I am saying goodbye for a while because I want people to go away from me if they do not like what I am saying.  I want them to choose to unsubscribe, or unfollow.  I want them to leave.  Because I’m not here to collect people.  I’m not here to appease these strangers.

Someday I will go home.  It’s a matter of time, and the clock is ticking.

I will not be idle and passive in this life about this truth.

Christians are being persecuted for their faith around the world, still today.

Yet, am I speaking up in my own life?  No one will even kill me for this, yet do I speak up?

What is the point of gaining followers or making friends if people only stick around to hear things they like? If they only like me because they don’t even know me?

People can hear what they like everywhere…they don’t need me for that.

I’m just over it.  I’m totally and completely over all of this.

I’m over the shallowness of why people like me, and why they accept me.  I’m over why they comment, subscribe, or follow.

I would rather have one true friend that knew me, Christ and all, and loved me for it.

Goodbye for a very long time.

LOOK 1

Navy Blue Bodycon dress – Forever21 (they run small, I suggest a size up from your usual size)

Peasant top – Kohl’s

Large braided belt – Consignment shop (brand – Banana Republic)

Shoes – Ross (brad – Italian Shoemaker)

LOOK 2

Emerald green bodycon dress – Forever21

White silk blouse – Ross

Gold fringe necklace – Target 

Flip flop beaded sandals – Target (last season)

LOOK 3

Cobalt blue short sleeved bodycon dress – Consignment shop (brand – Forever21)

Statement silver Southwestern style necklace – Consignment shop (brand – Forever21)

Caramel fringe purse – Ross (brand – Steve Madden)

Flip flop beaded sandals – Target (last season)

HI BEAUTS!

These past few months, every time I walked an isle of makeup,

I would pass the Revlon lip butters, my eyes narrowing into sly skepticism.

I had seen them all so far, hauled, swatched, swiped on pouts, hailed, loved, bashed,

and even rejected as “horribly drying”.

But you just gotta try something for yourself

and it took me a while to bravely purchase one,

but after studying color swatches I chose:

CUPCAKE

It’s a very light pinky/lavender that looks like a lipstick married a lipgloss.

No chunks of glitter (thank God!) so it feels very smooth & creamy,

it has a beautiful creamy/”milky”quality that I happen to like a lot in this shade.

But most of all, I was blown away by how pigmented it looks on my lips!

I took these photos in front of my window so they look a bit bright

& it may make the color look a bit lighter than it is, but it shows up so pigmented on me!

I know this because my lips are a really dark pigmented pink naturally

& it covered them right up & looked light/milky pink!

I also credit this to being a color that stands out well on my skin tone

so props to me for picking one I thought would do just that!

GO ME!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I just LOVE IT!!

I haven’t had a chance to wear it for hours on end yet, I just tried it today,

but it felt as if it is vaseline based, like a product that may not condition chapped lips necessarily

but may lock in moisture, or just retain a shiny glossy look & feel for a few hours.

I’m seriously BLOWN AWAY at my first impression and I want to pick up more colors!

XOXOXO<3Shannon

I moved & my things have been everywhere…hence the lack of filming.

I did however find time to hit up the Milani 75% off sale a couple weeks ago!!

I got such freakin good deals, each of these eye pencils were $1 something. EEEK! HAPPY!

Do you see my chipping pink nail in the above photo? lol….ug.

Check out that purple…that’s some intense & messy swatching. YIKES.

I did that to see if it would soften because the purple was a bit dry…

I broke the tip off & swatched until it was a wider smoother angle & it did soften a little.

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE the COLOR.

I have been looking for this exact color purple pencil so if it softens a bit, that would make this perfect.

I like my eye pencils on a very creamy side because I really do not like (& will not use)

a pencil that I have to tug on my lid or dig in my lid to get enough pigment.

Now consult the swatch photo again.

THE AQUA.

THE AQUA!!!!!!!

Perfection.

I love this aqua blue.

For some reason the aqua pencil is a lot softer & creamy so I just love it.

OK everyone just stop.

Let me explain something to you….

Milani has these particular eyeliners called “Liquif’EYE” eye liners.

BUY THEM.

They have some that are pencil style (you have to sharpen them)

& they have some in the retractable style (you do not have to sharpen).

I wonder why some are pencil & some are retractable ?:-|

I prefer retractable because on-the-go (traveling, etc.) it is WAY easier to not have to sharpen eye pencils.

But, I have a MAJOR issue with these particular retractables…

This is my second one that is broken! It won’t move up

So I have the most amazing product ever that I can’t get OUT of the tube!!

*quivering lip*

Check out that pigment. It is that bold & that blue.

Also, these are paraben free & smudge proof.

I would have included an after photo, after rubbing the color with my fingers a lot

but it looked the same as the before.

Seriously…these are smudge proof.

ME LIKEY!!!

These were a $1 something so I’m not crying over not loving them,

but they’re just not incredible like the Liquif’Eye liners.

These actually do smudge & they are much drier as opposed to the Liquif’Eye liners

which are SO EFFIN CREAMY!!!! I LOVE IT.

But I have to say, upon first swatch the black wasn’t very black (had to go over it many times)

& the brown wasn’t very rich.

I wore them both today (black on top, brown on bottom of eye)

& frankly, the black looked a lot like the brown.

Meh.

This swatch was me going over & over with the liners, they are not this dark with one swatch.

POWDERS.

So I bought these three powders for $2 something each.

Not too shabby.

Upper Left – Honey Beige

Upper Right – Nude Buff

Lower – Natural Tan

My lovely fellow youtuber & friend Melisa ( Check Her out Here )

had THEE coolest tip EVARRRR in a recent vid of hers.

She said to use a dark face powder as a contour bronzer because it won’t have shimmer in it.

DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why didn’t I think of that!?

I can NEVER find bronzers that work as a contour because it seems like they’re either shimmery, orange, or both!

The lighting makes this color look a lot lighter than it is,

but it’s MATTE like matte should be, not matte like “oh it sparkles JUST A LITTLE AT THIS ANGLE”

no it’s for real matte & it’s brown. Not orange. BROWN.

I don’t know about you but when was the last time shadows cast an orange tint with a hint of sparkle.

AH-DON-THANK-SO.

So remember Melissa’s little tip for buying the perfect matte brown contour bronzer:

Face powder in a shade too dark for your all over face.

BLUSH!!! *CLAPS HANDS EXCITEDLY LIKE A GIRL*

I drove to 4 different CVS drug stores to find the color “LUMINOUS”

which is a light peachy pink with just the right amount of pearly micro-shimmer.

It was worth the driving because I got these blushes for $2 each.

The other one is MAI-TAI, a deep coral pink which is matte.

These blushes are talc free, very cool!

My fingers look so dry in this photo. Bleh!

Lastly, I bought this white nail polish called WHITE (who would have guessed) for a $1 something.

I never got into the white nail polish trend when it first came out about a year ago,

but I always have loved light pinky/cream white colors for my nails.

This is like putting white out on your nails, I love it, it’s so chic with a shiny top coat!

I just have two coats of it on here without a top coat

(I have no idea where my top coat is…I remember putting it in a bag during the move…)

I have become COMMITTED to buying my drug store goodies on sale & clearance

thanks to Tatiana ( Check her out here! )

who taught me that when it comes to drugstore makeup, EVERYTHING goes on sale eventually.

I had a blast picking out my Milani goodies on such a great clearance sale!

Thanks for reading/being with me guys…I’ll be filming soon!

Until next time!

<3Shannon

Hey BEAUTS,

I was just posting yesterday about how I love wearing non wintery winter clothes haha

so I thought I’d show you a few things I’ve been loving this season.

One: A leopard print scarf that keeps my neck warm.

This scarf I’m wearing actually has leopard FACES on it, how authentic….

(No animals were harmed in the making of this cotton woven scarf lol)

ALSO.

Staple item I need at ALL times and one that I could and sometimes do…wear everyday…

A black scoop neck tank top.

Also a white one, but I’m wearing black in this photo so I’ll stick with that for now.

There’s just something completely sexy to me about a scoop neck tank top.

It’s so blasé yet stylish.

So basic yet so essential.

It’s so simple yet so sexy.

I have a few at all times, and I wear them rain or shine, any season,

I layer with them, or pair with so many different looks or as the main feature of a casual outfit.

TWO: I am ALL ABOUT these bright sky blue aviators I found at Marshalls

by some designer but I bought them for $10.

They go with everything I own.

They even go with the things they don’t go with because I still wear them with those things.

hahahahaha…..it’s late I must be getting slap happy.

Leather Jacket: Any kind.

I’m still sporting skinny jeans although I have noticed a sudden surge of the boot cut & bell bottoms

eeking out our slender friends in the pants department….

suddenly it’s popular again to simulate gigantic calves.

Oh and you better believe I high tailed it to Target

and bought myself a pair of totally snazzy bell bottoms and I wear them all the time.

But back to the skinny jeans…yes I’m wearing them.

Ankle boots: and there you have it.

Things I’ve been wearing this winter.

I hope you’ve found fun ways to be stylish this winter…

Obviously when it’s freezing I’m a bit more bundled up but these are for a general cold day where I live.

RIGHT!

I’m off!!!!!!!!

Until next time MA FRIEEEEENDS!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Shannon

My two coral nail polishes

Sally Hansen “First Kiss”

&

Essie “Tart Deco”

So it’s winter time and the last few years I’ve been in complete rebellion against winter in general

Every time girls start whipping out their neutrals, darks, and muted tones for “fall & winter”

I scoff a little at their predictable choices! I’m so cheeky.

I feel especially after Christmas, into January it can feel like

spring time is still far off, so I think it’s the best time to infuse color into the everyday.

My favorite colors are beachy brights and sunshine infused tones in general,

I wear neon clothing no matter the season!

I painted my nails Essie’s “Tart Deco” last night & really felt the color pick-me-up work instantly!

I love gold jewelry.

I always did, even when it was incredibly unpopular.

You just gotta like what you like, you know.

Coral is just gorgeous.

Nuff said.

Hope you’re feeling colorful lately!

<3

Shannon

Hey beauts!

Today I bought a new flat iron from Ulta!

I have a $30 flat iron I bought at Marshalls, but the wide comb tooth style won’t allow me

to do more dynamic styles like beachy waves, etc. it just allows me to straighten only,

so I’m really excited about my new flat iron to get more looks!!

It’s a Hot Tools flat iron & I paid $52.

It’s a mid range professional quality that is ceramic and gets up to 430 degrees.

I loooove the chic white look of it!

I wanted to share my hair product & hair tools organization today

while I am sharing my new purchase here.

I bought this shoe hanger organizer for $15 at Marshalls,

but it’s perfect for any type of organizational needs that fits it.

I keep this hanging in my bathroom; because I don’t have enough cupboard space

so I wanted something cute enough to display haha.

It’s double sided which gives so much room for other items besides hair,

so I keep a few others things I frequently reach for like my deodorant,

some lotions, crest white strips, and some facial products that don’t fit other places.

Speaking of bathrooms, I’m off to clean my bathroom actually….

I have a pet peeve…a bathtub that gets gross!

(same goes for the toilet, the molding, the sink & mirror, so basically the entire bathroom LOL)

Taking a shower is so much more enjoyable in a clean environment…it feels like I’m in a spa!

Until tomorrow!

<3

Shannon

Hi beauty buddies!

Those of you who have followed me from the beginning know that

I love products that are eco-friendly, less toxic and as free of junk as possible.

Well, I have a varied collection of makeup, some drugstore items I love

and some high end natural brands I love.

I enjoy exploring my options with makeup.

I love trying out natural lines of makeup,

because I can find options free of talc, parabens, etc.

ANYHOW.

If you’re not signed up to view the hautelook website yet, GIIIIIIIIRRRRRLLLLL.

I am the first person to avoid having to sign up for ANYTHING.

But the website just needs your email & you make yourself a password

and you suddenly have access to flash sales on HIGH END items

(but I’m there for when there are makeup sales)

because LET ME TELL YOU.

If you’re interested in trying out natural makeup lines,

be prepared to go broke…and be rather unimpressed.

Natural makeup is VERY hit an miss and it’s very expensive.

So on Hautelook last month, Mirabella was on there for something like 50% – 70% off.

Here’s what I got & my summary!

Nice, classy, & weighty packaging. Doesn’t look or feel cheap.

Each compact has a huge nice quality mirror. I REALLY appreciate that in a compact.

The pink duo is “Merry” & the bronze blush duo is “Glowing

The pigment is really strong in the pink duo, although the deeper shade is not a good tone on me

(those bright shades look gorgeous on colored women though),

and the light pink is pretty but I don’t love it as much as my Tarte blush.

They are EXTREMELY matte.

Like. Bizarrely. Matte.

If you are VERY oily, these might be the blushes for you.

But I have a matte blush from Tarte that doesn’t have ANY sheen or shimmer in it,

and it looks better on my skin than the Mirabella blush.

Have no idea why.

The tawny bronze blushes are nice but again, very matte.

They are nice to use as color on my cheeks when I don’t want pink color.

I keep being tempted to use the darker bronze to contour

but it’s definitely NOT a bronzer, it’s a blush because it looks orange/pinky

when I try to use it like a bronzer.

This is nice.  This is called Shimmerati.

It’s like an all over glow bronze powder.

I have never tried the milani baked blushes, but this looks just like those

except this one is talc & paraben free.

You don’t need much and it’s a beautiful highlight along the tops of my cheeks

or even swept all over the face for a slight glowy sheen.

Let me emphasize…you need very little; this stuff goes far.

It’s gorgeous on my skin tone, which is very golden, so I love golden colors on it.

I am wearing the bronze blushes in this photo with the lighter pink shade from Merry as well.

“MUSE”.

Worst pigment ever.

Looks amaaaaaaaazing in the tube (which is why I bought it)

looks amaaaaaazing swatched on my wrist,

looks practically CLEAR on my lips.

This photo actually makes it look more pigmented & milky than it is in person.

I’m talking…CLEAR lipgloss in person.

This photo makes it look great.

Remember.

CLEAR.

But it smells and feels minty on, and I really love the consistency…not sticky but stays on well.

LOVE THEIR LIPSTICK!!!!! Wish I had bought more colors!

It is PIGMENTED.

Feels great on, wears beautifully, moisturizing.

Love the packaging, sturdy, classy woman looking tube of lipstick.

The color is “Va Va Voom”.

I LOVE finding non toxic lipsticks.

These are expensive when not on sale on Hautelook,

sign up there if you want deals on natural makeup!

This is it boldly worn.

It’s very bright pink with a coral undertone.

I like wearing it blotted, with the sucky-pigment-but-amazing-feeling lipgloss over it

show below:

So that is that!

Thank you for reading my friends, have a wonderful day/night….

Remember to cherish something of your moments today; even amid hardship.

There can be a moment of pure bliss breathing in the steam from a drink,

juice those little moments and let them linger in your soul….

<3

Shannon

I filmed a video on a fun nail tip for removing polish when you’re in a bind

and you don’t have nail polish remover on hand!

I wanted to show you my little nail polish collection;

I know it only half counts because I’m not showing you each color,

but I wanted you to see the general idea of what colors I gravitate towards.

I also like this little tray (forgot where I bought it)

but you can find them at stores like Target, Wal Mart,

The Container Store, & I’ve even seen them at places like Marshalls!

I think trays are a great way to organize by color

and you can keep them stacked in drawers or on a dresser.

It looks chic & you can see what colors you have to choose from.

I really gravitate toward nudes & whites because I love how they go with anything

and they really just look good against my skin color, I think that’s mostly why I love them.

They also just feel so clean and fresh and well kept looking.

Of the more neutral shades I own,

the finishes range from milky and sheer, to opaque,

and some have shimmer, and others straight up glitter.

I have at least one of each of these finishes in my light colors.

My next favorite colors are corals, and lavenders which are really girly and still light,

but those two colors also compliment my skin tone really well.

Then I love pinks!

I usually have a bright pink on my toes, and sometimes I just get in a mood

for a bright neon pink finger nail.

VERY rarely do I wear red (& when I do it’s on my toes) but I have three options for when I do:

A bright classic fire engine red

A bright pink toned red

& a deep burgundy with a little shimmer in it.

This past year & more recently I have branched out into greens an blues…

which I am really into.

This year I know I want to collect some really unique colors,

although overall you’ll notice I don’t gravitate toward dark polish.

I still won’t be buying dark colors this year,

it’s just not something I like for a nail color on myself,

although I do admire it on other people.

Thanks for watching/reading!

Until next time!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Shannon

This wild mess is my hair, which I’m honestly not too fussy about.

I prefer sulfate free shampoos, which I typically have to pick up at health food stores.

I never spend more than $7 on my shampoo.

(I will do a separate post listing all my favorite sulfate free shampoos!)

Giovanni is a brand I have used for going on 5 years now faithfully.

It’s just my holy grail hair line, I can always go back to it & it will un-do any damage

and re-set my hair basically.

Costco was selling this huge bottle of Giovanni Tea Tree shampoo with

a normal sized bottle of conditioner (I already used up the conditioner) at only $11.99!

So I’ve been loving & using up this giant bottle of shampoo.

Meanwhile, I ran out of the Giovanni conditioner so I ventured out &

purchased this Suave Coconut conditioner for 89 cents.

I am so in love with that price, it’s not even funny.

Here’s my philosophy on conditioner: I use conditioner to silkify and detangle my hair

for the brief moment it’s on my hair in the shower so that

when I get out and style my hair, it is not a tangled nest.

This 89 cent conditioner does just that;

it makes it feel as silky & detangled as anything else.

I realized that no conditioner in the shower is going to make as big of a difference

as a leave in deep conditioning treatment once a week.

After reading many ingredient lists of the drugstore conditioners,

I can honestly say most lists are exactly the same,

only difference is the packaging, name, and price.

So I opted for the best of the worst: the cheapest shiz I could find.

I’ve turned a new corner in my life;

conditioner sits on my hair for probably less than 2 minutes in the shower

and I go through bottles of it quickly,

So I might as well buy something more budget friendly.

To deep condition my hair, something a conditioner in the shower

will never achieve,( hence…why pay a lot for it?)

I use coconut oil once or twice a week to really hydrate my mane.

I’ve been using the Nature’s Way, it’s $10 & it lasts a long time.

(NOTE: I also use this to remove my makeup!)

I melt a bit & coat my hair evenly, put it up in a bun & let it sit like that for an hour

then I take my shower, shampoo & condition as usual & VIOLA. Gorge.

I have really noticed a difference with this routine,

which just cements that I did a good thing switching from spending so much money

on my conditioner, when it did less than deep conditioning my hair once a week

with something that costs $10 that I use less of, less often & it conditions more effectively.

For extra moisture, I have this Kinky Curly leave in conditioner (aptly titled Knot Today)

which I slather on my damp hair when styling.

I honestly don’t know if it does anything, my hair is so dry naturally it’s hard to tell.

But it smells like heaven & it’s alcohol free so I love that it’s not sitting on my

hair all day, sucking the moisture out of it.

I probably will not purchase it for a long time once this bottle is used up,

just because it’s $12 & I’m on a kick to save money for some specific things in my life.

But if I notice my hair needs it once I stop using it, I’ll repurchase.

Summary:

I use only sulfate free shampoos.

I condition in the shower with a cheap affordable product to detangle & soften my hair.

I deep condition my hair once or twice a week with coconut oil.

In washed, damp hair, I put on a leave in conditioner for extra benefit.

This is my natural hair color and I’m thinking I will

continue to avoid dying my hair just to avoid the chemicals.

Thanks for reading!!

Until next time!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Shannon