CONCERT SERIES #2: Open Mics.

Hey ya'll. :)

This is me, performing at an open mic a few months ago.

As a lot of you may know from my bio, I volunteer at a diy punk venue. We put on open mics every second and fourth wednesday of the month, and I've worked all of them and played all of them so far. Since I started playing them a lot of really cool things have happened for me with my music, such as being able to meet an amazing community of talented people my age, and to be getting the chance to record my music in June.

A lot of people think open mics are scary, or uncomfortable, or whatever preconceived notion they have. But, I'm here to give ya'll a few tips on first timers, for attendance and performers.
 
TIPS FOR PEOPLE ATTENDING: 

me before leaving for open mic!

1. Be open minded. A lot of open mics have it open to all media, meaning singing, spoken word, art, noise, etc. At the one I performed at last night, there was spoken word that was brilliant. And three guys who had never played together before who just made some noise. It was awesome. But it'll only be awesome if you're open minded about it. If you can't appreciate the fact that somebody has the balls to do something in front of people, then you shouldn't even go.

2. Be a respectful. I mean this in a sense, that you should clap for people and not get up and walk out halfway through their set. (**Unless they have personally offended you, or said something offensive. I'm thankful that the venue I volunteer at has three rules, no booze, no drugs, no jerks. And the no jerks one really means it.**)

TIPS FOR FIRST TIME PERFORMERS:
1. Realize that no matter what you're doing, you're doing it for you
and no one can tell you you're wrong if it's something that personal.

color tattoo in barely branded as a base,
ydk by urban decay all over where I put the base,
a deep matte brown in the crease, and a matte black
in the outer v.

2. Be aware of who your audience is.

3. Let yourself be nervous. People spend so much time trying to make their nerves go away when it's better to just let yourself be nervous and let yourself work through it.


Anyway, I hope this post is helpful to anyone who needs it!

ALSO, I included an eye look because I had somebody ask me on tumblr about what make up I wore, and someone on here commented a few posts back. I'll list the products on my eyes in the caption for anyone wondering. :)

Love, Noralee

Top 10 Spring Lip Products.

Hey ya'll!

This is a smidge late, but Spring is upon us...sort of. I mean, in Texas it's already basically summer weather, which sucks. And I know that a lot of other places are still feeling winter weather. But, regardless, it is essentially Spring season.

So, these are my favorite lip products for the Spring time. I probably won't do a Summer one, because they're essentially the same, minus one or two of them.

I have five chapstick like products:

ELF Hydrating/Conditioning pot in Nice & Natural
TokyoMilk in Salted Caramel.

 The ELF pot is actually fairly pigmented, meaning you'll get a very faint "nude lips" look when you apply this. If I'm wearing a nude lip during the day and since I live in TX and have to worry about heat, if I don't want the lipstick I used to melt in my purse, I generally just throw this little pot into my bag. It really does work with touching up nude lips, and it's amazing on it's own.

The ToyoMilk tin is something I picked up from Sephora at the counter as an impulse buy and then fell in love with it. Zero color. Great taste. And probably the most hydrating thing in my whole fucking collection, seriously. I keep this thing by my bed or in my purse at all times.

Baby Lips in Pink Punch. Blistex Fruit Smoothies in Berry Explosion and Melon Medley

 Baby Lips is an on and off product for me. Sometimes I use it all the dang time, and other times I can't stand it and it just sits in the bottomless lip drawer in my collection. Lately I've been using it, which is obviously why I decided to put it in this post. I think Baby Lips is a good product for people who aren't into lip stick, because it's not heavy like a lipstick and it's not super pigmented. The Pink Punch one would be great for Spring also. :)

Blistex chapstick is just fucking perfect. That's all I got to say about this. These things are ridiculously hydrating, but also make your lips SOFT like velvet or some shit. It is awesome. Seriously. Just go buy some Blistex stuff and have yourself a little revelation.

 Moving onto favorite Springtime lipsticks:

From left to right:  NO7 in 80 Sienna, Sonia Kashuk in 80 Soft Nude, Wetn'Wild in 903C Just Peachy, Avon in U302 Sparkling Peach, Revlon in 027 Violet Frenzy.

NO7: I love this shade because it's perfect for my skin color. I guess I have kind of an olive skin tone because my family is Native American. But I'd say this is a coral on the more orange side than anything, and it's not for everyone, but it's worth a try. I picked it up at Target when they were clearancing all the NO7 stuff out. I think I got it for like 2 bucks. Hell yeah.

Sonia Kashuk: THIS IS MY PERFECT NUDE. This is honestly my favorite lipstick I've ever gotten and I just.. I just love it so much that I want to do a whole post about it. I can't even.

Wetn'Wild: These lipsticks are a dollar something after tax, and most of them are pretty matte. This one is completely matte on the lips, even though in the swatch it's not looking "matte" like, sorry about that. This is a really pretty classic pink that I think would be flattering on any skin tone. PLUS, so cheap!

Avon: One thing first, my Mom has been selling Avon for almost 21 years, so I have a crapshoot ton of Avon products. I've seen a lot of people bash Avon or say they're overpriced or whatever qualm they have with the brand. I don't care, because honestly they're a lot cheaper than a lot of shit at Sephora. With that being said, nah, I do not pay full price for anything I have Avon related, if I pay at all. I do think they're a quality brand though. Anyhow, this lipstick is one of the truest "peach" lipsticks I've ever had. A lot of lipsticks claim to be peach but end up just being a pink color. EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PEACH?

Revlon: I say if you're going to keep wearing darker shades into the Spring, this is how it's done. This is a duo chrome kind of finish purple. So, it gives the appearance of multi colors and also ends up looking shiny and light like a lipgloss. It's one of my favorite purple lipsticks for the warmer months, honestly. Plus, Revlon is just on point with their lipsticks. I've only ever gotten one that I didn't like.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this post and have an awesome day!

Love, Noralee

Hit or Shit: Rimmel Clean Finish Liquid Foundation.

Full price this foundation is under five dollars, sorry I can't recall full price nor find it online, but I know for sure it was under five. I snagged it at Target with a red tag, clearanced to about $1.70.

I was honestly so completely stoked about this foundation for a week or so, because it was the first time I'd gotten a shade that completely matched my skin tone, and half the time I could go without concealer because it was brightening and FULL COVERAGE AS FUCK!

I LOVED this foundation... Until, it started breaking me out. Which is seriously strange for me and my skin type. I don't have sensitive skin, if I did, I seriously wouldn't have a face for the kind of shit I put my skin through sometimes, haha! But I started getting these monstrously huge breakouts ALL over my face. I also was getting patches of redness on my nose and cheeks. It was crazy, my skin has never reacted to any product like this before. So, I stopped wearing this foundation for a week and switched back over to my beloved Loreal Magic Souffle, and within a day the redness was gone, and I never got new breakouts since switching off the Rimmel foundation.

 This foundation is "clean" feeling and it will keep the oil under control, but for me personally and my skin, this is a huge SHIT. Honestly, if you have sensitive skin, I definitely wouldn't tell you try this, your skin might fall off or something, and that would totally be lame. So, not saying this is a bad product, because obviously I said like three times that I loved it, but my skin did not, which is why this sucks.

I'm mad that I have a whole bottle of this sitting in my makeup collection now, man. :(

Anybody else have any bad experiences with Rimmel? This was my first time branching out to face products from them, previously I've only used their mascaras and lipsticks, which I love.

Love, Noralee

Simple Bronze Holiday Look!

 Just a simple look you could use for everyday or for the holidays. :)


I primed my lids with Mark's Primed for Perfection, you can use whatever primer you want. I then used the second lightest shade in the Kat Von D Saint palette all over my lid.

 Then I used the ELF essential bronzer in Sunkissed in my crease. I wanted something really outrageously bronze, and I couldn't find anything in my collection that had that feel except this bronzer. Oh well.

 Then to deepen my crease I used the lighter brown color in the Saint palette, and the darkest brown on my outer corner and lower lash line. And blendddd. :)

I used the lightest color in the Saint palette for my inner corner highlight and my brow bone highlight. 

The swatches above are all of the colors I used for this look. 

Love, Noralee

Swatches + Review: Kat Von D's "Saint" palette.

I got this from Sephora for $36 dollars. I think this is kind of a good alternative (as in cheaper) for the Naked palettes, more along the lines of the Naked2 because of the color layout.

You get a really nice soft white gold, a light bronze (which I've put a dent in already), a pink with flecks of glitter, two full fledge bronze tones, a dark dark bronze, a close to matte brown with chunks of glitter, and a completely matte brown on the end, which by the way is the perfect eyebrow color for me.

So, you get 8 shades and a reallllllllllllllllllllllllly black eyeliner.

Honestly this stuff does not budge when you have it on your waterline.

I typically do not wear pencil liners on my top lash line when I'm going for a precise line or a cat eye effect, because I just feel like there's more certainty in a gel liner or a nice liquid liner. But, I tried this one out and it surprised me. It stayed put longer than expected and I was even able to get a nice looking line with it without having to get pissed off.

And here are the eyeshadow swatches.

Honestly the reviews on Sephora had me kind of iffy about buying this palette because a lot of them mentioned that they were disappointed with the staying power. Now, I don't know what kind of primer these people were using, but this eyeshadow has one of the best staying powers in my whole collection, honestly. I have a few urban decay eyeshadows that I'd say stay forever, but these Kat Von D shades are close behind.
The first time I wore this eyeshadow I used the second light shade on the left, and the third from the right end - light glittery brown.. I wore the ELF jumbo eye pencil in French Lace (which the pink shade in this palette is the EXACT same color, glitter and all, just in a powder form.), as my base instead of a primer.. I generally do this when I'm running late or it's just a grab and go kind of morning. I went to school, which I'm on campus from 7am to 5:30pm, and I was literally shocked when I looked at myself in the mirror when I got home. Not only was my eyeshadow intact still, but it had very little creasing going on. It didn't look FLAWLESS, but it looked GOOD. And I think it's hard to find eyeshadows that have the effect after such a long damn day. Like if I were going to go out once I got home, I probably would've just added a little of the white color to my inner corner, and revamped the brown color in my crease and left, easy peasy.

I'm really glad I splurged and got this palette for myself. It was pretty much my christmas present to me this year. :)

Have ya'll tried any of the Kat Von D products?

Love, Noralee

Hit or Shit?: ELF HD Powder.

 This is the ELF HD Powder. It isn't new, but this is the first time I've tried it. It is available on the website in the this one, and one called "body glow" or something along those lines - it is the same packaging but I think it wouldn't be of use to me, because it looks kind of like a "glittery" bronze and I'm not a big fan of all over shimmer powder stuff. Butttt, if you've tried it and I'm wrong, correct me! This product is $6.00 and worth above and beyond every penny of that.

 The packaging is a matte black container, very sleek. And comes with the powder puff above. Which it is soft and great quality, but not to sound like a snob - I just like my brushes better when applying. I'm totally keeping the puff though, because I'm sure I'll find a use for it, and if not, it's just too cute to get rid of, really.

 This is what it looks like with the grate on top of it.

And here it is removed so you can see the actual product.

This gives your face a total finished feeling. I am so in love with it. It is one of their more "expensive" items, which is why it's taken me so long to just get it and try it out. I got it at my local Target a little over two weeks ago, and have been trying it out on different temperature/humid days to see how it holds up. The thing I think I'm most impressed with is the fact that it can make any foundation you're wearing look not only flawless, but like it is not there at all. I've tried wearing this two different ways, the first being all over my face. And the second was an experimentation, where I didn't blend my makeup line as well as normal, to see if this would do anything to it. It does. It sets in, perfectly. Besides the sheer fact that something translucent acts with such coverage, it also blends other products well. I think this product is very versatile and something that has quickly become a staple into my everyday face routine. Did I mention it feels like silk on your face? True story! I don't know if it's just my imagination but ever since I started using this, I've felt like my face has been getting softer.

This is totally a hit, and really worth trying out. In fact, it's already on my repurchase list.
ALSO, I think I will order and extra for my giveaway, if you'd guys be interested. ;p

Have any of you tried ELF's HD Powder? Or something similar?

Love, Noralee

ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks: FAQ

I got a bunch of questions about the ELF Eyeshadow sticks, so I wanted to get this little Faa posted before anything else in my queue posts. Also, I am at school, typing from my Kindle Fire so I apologize for any formatting mishaps and grammatical errors.

1. Do you wear primer with them?


Yes. Mark Primed for Perfection is what I’ve been using, which is more a matte primer rather than a liquid-y one. I’ve yet to try it out with my primer potion of ELF primer, but I’m sure it works just as well. I just happen to like my Mark primer because it can be used as an eyeshadow easily. I really hope they come out with a shade similar to Nyx’s Milk because you could use it as a base and probably (depending on your lids) get away with not using primer at all.

2. Creasing?

With primer, my colors stayed 5+ hours before noticeably creasing. I have slightly hooded lids, so there’s an obvious amount of crease just from that. Without primer, I noticed that the lighter shades I own such as Little Miss Thing and French Lace faded out after a while. But, Turkish Coffee and Rock Out didn’t budge.

3. Do they dry up/get flaky?

No. So far, I’ve worn these shades a total of four times since I’ve gotten, even wearing them today at school, not once have they gotten dry or flaky. I have fairly oily lids, which is also why I tend to lean more towards matte primers. So, my biggest advice is primer. Finding a primer that works with your type of lid. If you’ve never tried a primer I think a really good starter one to check out would be ELF’s dollar primer. It’s a dollar and it’ll help you find out what kind of primer will be well off on your lid.

4. Blending ability?

These blend very well. You can blend them with your fingers or a blending brush very easily, and yes, they do layer with each other well. I think these are actually a lighter formula than the Nyx pencils. I forget that I am wearing them, which I think is nice. You can achieve dramatic looks without feeling like your eyelids are heavy of makeup and without using a lot of product. They also hold powder very well. I’ve put a matter brown over the Turkish Coffee color before, and it holds the colors very nicely in a breathable manner that still allows you to blend. These are very versatile.

5. Is there a drying time before you can layer another color?

Since these are a stick, they’re not as creamy or “wet” as you’re probably thinking. So, no, I haven’t found that they need any time to dry before applying another color.

6. Watery outer corner of eyelids?

Dude! I have this problem too. Well, had. Though my lids are still oily and do get watery on the outer and inner corners. I’ve found a solution. Before I do my eye makeup, I take an oil blotting sheet and blot both of my eyes. Then proceed to put on primer, which I’ve found if I alternate between using a more matte primer and my other “wet” primers, it helps my lids out in the oil/watery department. Another trick is to just put extra primer on the spots that you notice losing color/getting more watery. It totally helps, I swear. I know Mark isn’t exactly cheap always, I think my primer was like $38, but I do know Wet n’ Wild had a similar primer that comes in a pot, and so does Nyx. :)



Again, there are 10 different shades of these eyeshadow sticks and they are $2.00 each. They’re definitely worth it. :) If you have any other questions or comments, leave em below in the comments.

Love, Noralee

Swatches: ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks

 These are from ELF's new products. They are $2.00 and come in ten shades.
From the right these are: French Lace, Rock Out, Little Miss Thing, and Turkish Coffee.

 Little Miss Thing is on the left, below that Rock Out.
Turkish Coffee on the right, below that French Lace.

Honestly, I really love these. They are ridiculously pigmented, have nice staying power, and blend WELL. I really like wearing French Lace as a base (because they do not have a white like Nyx's Milk yet, which sucks, but hopefully they'll get one!), and then Little Miss Thing over the lid, and Turkish Coffee in my crease, outer v, and lower lash line. I'll try to post a photo of this sometime soon so ya'll can see how that looks. I think they look great together. :)

These are totally a steal at $2.00, seriously! Check them out before the colors start going out of stock!

Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites.

A little late, but y'know, life happens. :)

Kenneth from 30 Rock is literally my spirit animal. I swear to blog.

I saw this little guy on Tumblr and fell in love. :)

Cheshire cat!

This lovely photo of Vincent Price. My mother and I have been watching a bunch of his movies lately.

This hand candle! I swear if I knew where to get it, it'd be mine already.

And lasssssssssssssst, this isn't necessarily a favorite.. yet. But, I ordered this in Salted Caramel no. 36, and I am excited to get it. Waiting for Sephora orders is never easy, I swear. Anyhow, these are on Sephora at a discounted price of $7.00, so check dat out. :)

Love, Noralee

Snippets Sunday!

 This is one of my rats, her name is George. :)

I studied pretty much all dang day! So sorry this post is late.

I also moved my makeup around. I found an easier way to store it all. This shelf is just the stuff I wear on a daily basis, big palettes that didn't fit with everything else, and stuff that needs to be reviewed. I got a desk with a lap drawer, and almost everything else fits in it.

For my birthday last month my Dad got me this book about unicorns... I am so in love with it. I looked through it today when I took a break from studying.

During my break from studying also, my family and I bought an elliptical for our garage from a friend of mine from college. If you haven't noticed from my right sidebar, I am on myfitnesspal and have lost 8 pounds so far. My mom has lost about 40, but she's been doing it longer than I have. We got a pretty good deal on the elliptical, she charged us $30 for it. So, I'm pretty stoked about that.

Also during my break I went on a walk with my Mother to Walmart to drop off some film. I ended up buying House on Haunted Hill. :) Haha. Tomorrow I have a test online in the morning, and then I'll be going to Party City with my friend, Robert. I will also hopefully finish editing everything for the huge collective haul and have it posted tomorrow! Maybe even an ootd, we'll see. :)

How was your Sunday?

Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites. :)

These gorgeous vintage phones. It makes me wish I still had a landline. [photo cred]

  Probably one of the wayyyy better "ombre" nails tutorials I've found. 

 These Steve Madden flats.. Ugh.. I want them.

 Her hair color. (: I've been a brunette all of four days and I already miss my red hair so bad.

I love this eye look. Check her other looks out at http://beautyybox.tumblr.com 

I found this on Tumblr and I thought it was a really cute idea.

I got this little plate type thing of Apollo at Goodwill, and plan to use it during my Philosophy presentation. I actually really like it, and plan to hang it in my room when I'm done with it. It's one a brown leather cord, and is extremely heavy.

I have a Thrifted Thursday post that will be up probably tomorrow, this whole construction thing and then going to the State Fair really messed with my posting schedule and stuff. Anyhow, I got some neat stuff, so be ready for that. :)

Love, Noralee

Hit or Shit?: ELF Essential Line Tinted Moisturizer.

I wear tinted moisturizers typically in the summer and pre-fall in Texas because of how hot and humid it is. I picked this up because it is getting to where I can start back in on my foundation routine but it's also not completely cool enough. My current tinted moisturizer was kind of spendy so I'd like to save as much as possible for the days I'll really need it, not the days where I got up and figured it'd be hot, only to walk outside and realize, oh shit, I need a sweater.

REAL TALK: This stuff is light weight, easy blending, stays put, and gives more coverage than my other tinted moisturizer. I was seriously surprised. Plus, since this is a part of their Essential Line it was only $1.00. Of course that means, as you can see in the first photo, not a lot of product. But, I do know they have them in bigger packaging on their Studio Line for $3.00. (They've even come out with an oil-free line.)

You do get a lot for the fact that it costs one dollar, I'd say. It's definitely not a one use bottle. I've used it about 4 times now and will say a little really does go a long way. This is a hit. :)

Love, Noralee

Eyes of the day. :)

• Mark matte eye primer.

This shade from ELF Baked Palette in California on my lid.

• Urban Decay's YDK in my crease. (Sorry I don't have a photo for that.) 
• ELF Waterproof liner in Coffee.

And, the white from this Maybelline sunbaked neutrals palette

 Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites: Makeup Wishlist.

1. LUSH Lip Scrub: the chocolate and sugar one.
2.NYX HD Studio Primer.
3.STILA baked trio eyeshadow.
4. URBAN DECAY Naked 2 palette.
5. KAT VON D True Romance Saint palette.
6. URBAN DECAY Urbanglow cream highlight in Brown Sugar.
7. SEPHORA Matifying Powder in d20
8. ELF Stippling Brush.

What's on ya'lls make up wishlists lately?

ALSO, I have some more product reviews coming soon. (:

Love, Noralee!

ELF Lipstain in Crimson Crush

This is a lip stain from ELF, it is $2.00. I got mine in Crimson Crush. I love how pigmented it is!

It doesn't dry out your lips, either. It is very light.

I've been having some really cracked lips lately, as you can see. So, if anyone has any suggestions for lip scrubs? I've been looking into Lush, but I'm not too sure just yet.

I really love this. I've already decided that once they have more shades in stock I'll be ordering all of the shades. No lie! This is such a hit and at a really wonderful price. :)

Love, Noralee