Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

I’ve recently fallen in love with Urban Decay. I own a few of their palettes and I must admit- sometimes I catch myself thinking, “This is TOO beautiful! I almost don’t even want to use it!”. But then I come to the realization that that makes absolutely no sense; it’s not a collector’s item, it’s meant to be used! …but they’re just so pretty.

So now there is a new palette that I must have! It’s been released to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Urban Decay and it contains fifteen BRAND NEW shadows! Which is kinda huge for Urban Decay because when it comes to palettes, they tend to use many of the same shades over and over. Also, the packaging is super duper cute. I love the jeweled “ud” logo on the front. The only bummer is that it’s retailing at $55… yikes!

Do you guys love it? Which shade is your favorite? Mine is probably Midnight Rodeo! Gimme! Gimme! :)

Soft and Beautiful Curls

For this shoot, my hair was teased up and loosely curled in the front. This is totally my new go-to hairstyle. It’s fairly easy and it looks beautiful. I love it because it looks flowy and curled, yet you don’t lose any length! Here’s how you can achieve this look:

You will need a flat iron, a fine-tooth comb and some hair spray.

1.) Straighten all of your hair (if you have naturally straight hair, you can skip this step).

2.) Divide your hair into three sections, a large back section and two smaller front sections.

3.) Take the back section and curl your ends under with a flat iron.

4.) Take a small piece from one of the side sections (closest to your face) and angling the flat iron downwards, clamp the hair about 3/4 of the way up. Turn the iron half-way (away from your face) and then pull it all the way through the ends of your hair. This should create a loose curl that is feathered away from your face.

5.) Repeat step four until both of the front sections are curled. However, as you work towards the end of the section, gradually lower where the curls begin. This way, the last piece is just barely curled. For instance, the first curl you did you started by clamping the hair 3/4 of the way up. The next piece you do you should start a tiny bit lower. This way the curls will blend in with the straightened hair and not appear so “short-then-long”.

6.) Take the crown section of your hair (top-half of the “back section”) into your hand and comb it out. Using a fine-tooth comb, tease this hair (underneath at the roots). I’ve found that the best teasing method is just to start the comb about 4 inches from your roots and slowly lower it a few times. Spray the roots and then toss the hair back into place. Use your hands to widen the teased area. Smooth it out with the comb and then spray.

That’s all there is to it! :)

Olsenboye LookBook!

John Frieda Color Renew Shampoo & Conditioner

Black hair dye is the DEVIL. I had my hair dyed black for about 8 months… then 2 months ago I decided that I was over it. My hair is naturally dark blonde and I want it back! I’m so sick of messing with hair dye and throwing away money to stylists who need to have their license taken away. So I gradually started to lighten it by going to the salon and getting highlights every 8 weeks and then also using a mild bleach shampoo once every 1-2 weeks… which has worked out great, minus the fact my hair is SUPER brassy looking (there is really no avoiding this when lifting black hair dye). Then I remembered my old stylist (from back home in Missouri) telling me about neutralizing shampoos. They’re basically a violet shampoo that will gradually remove the golden-orangeish color from your hair. I wanted the one made by Rusk… but I couldn’t find it anywhere so I settled for this one made by John Frieda. It’s actually AMAZING. Not only does it help with the brassiness, but it also enhanced the blonde in my roots to help make my highlights blend better. I just went to a stylist and paid $200 for highlights (she’s an “expert” with sky-high prices) and I’m not kidding… I left with TWO inches of roots showing; a blunt line of platinum blonde against dark blonde. NEVER AGAIN. I just really don’t trust anyone with my hair. It’s so frustrating! But yeah, this shampoo and conditioner has really helped me. I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something to help tone down the brassiness! You can find them at basically any store. I think I got mine at Rite Aid :)

Pretty Little Liar, Lucy Hale

I’ve never really considered myself to be “fashionable”. My style has always been simple and effortless… because in all honesty, I never gave an eff! I’m lazy; I’d throw something on in the morning and call it a day. However, recently I have fallen in love with expressing myself through style. I realized that I’ve had this “dream style” in my head for years and I didn’t understand why I never put it into action. I suppose it’s because I’ve never been one to want to impress people, and I used to feel like that was the only reason to spend thousands of dollars on clothes. But now I justify it because I think of it as a hobby and collection… hee hee!

So yeah, like I said… I wouldn’t say I’m fashionable. I don’t study fashion and I don’t really keep up with trends. I just wear what I think looks good… but I do look to trends and celebrities for inspiration. One person I love to e-stalk is Lucy Hale. Not only is she stunning (girl-crush) but I love how she pieces things together.
I would describe my style as very romantic, vintage-inspired, lots of layering and girly. Lucy’s style is very similar! Totally girly and romantic; she always looks amazing!

I like how you never really see her in “club-like” attire or anything too risque. She’s very lady-like and classy, which I love. She does tons of floral and lace (my two favorite things).

She ALWAYS does the layered dress, belt, jacket and medium-height boots. It’s basically her staple look as Aria on Pretty Little Liars. Every time I see her wearing it… I think to myself “I need to get some cute jackets!” or “I need to get some boots!”

I kinda feel like the only reason I even watch Pretty Little Liars is for fashion inspiration. The content of the show itself is a BIT unrealistic and cheesy. But eh, guilty pleasure. I just don’t see how “A” can possibly be anything other than some god-like alien with magic powers.

Love you guys!

MAC’s Prime Focus Collection

On August 18, MAC is expected to launch a collection of Prep + Prime products, which they are appropriately titling “Prime Focus”. This collection will include four fortified skin enhancers and two transparent finishing powders. I personally haven’t had too much experience with MAC’s previous Prep + Prime products, but after playing around with these for a couple hours… I’d have to say that they are pretty neat!

The Prep + Prime Fortified Skin Enhancer (a fancy name for an illuminating primer, LOL) does not one, but FOUR things for your skin; it primes it for foundation, protects it with SPF 35, brightens it with an illuminator and perfects it with a hint of color-corrector. These primers are fantastic because they can be used in two ways. They can be applied as a traditional primer (spread lightly all over the entire face) or as a spot color-correctoring primer (in heavier, small dabs). If applied as a traditional primer you honestly don’t notice much color-correction; I tried all of them on and they basically looked the same. However, I’m sure you could apply it more generously and notice more correction. If applied as a spot color-correcting primer you can definitely see a difference. I LOVE using the yellow one (Neutralize) for under my eyes! It’s brilliant. I generally don’t use concealer because I don’t like how it blends with my foundation, but this is SO light that it works great for under foundation. The primer comes in 4 different shades. Illuminate (pale lavender), Neutralize (pale yellow), Adjust (light, neutral peach) and Recharge (bronzy orange). They retail for $30.00 U.S./$36.50 CDN.The Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powders are GREAT for a light, smooth finish. Transparent powders are wonderful for touching up your foundation, especially if you have oily skin like me (by 3 p.m. my face usually looks like I just ran a marathon- SO shiny). The shine is gone with a few quick taps of the transparent powder. This method is way better than applying more of your regular pressed powder because you won’t look quite as “cakey”. The powder comes in loose and pressed form. I personally prefer the pressed powder because it’s so much easier to apply on-the-go. They retail for $23.00 U.S./$27.50 CDN.So… which primer should you get? Great question. I actually just received these products in the mail this morning. I knew immediately that I wanted to do a post on them… but then I realized that I really didn’t know much about color-correctors! I took one look at the lavender primer and thought, “Huh?” So that’s when I realized that in order to do this post, I needed to do a bit of research and experimentation. Here are my findings! (FYI: I put on a lab coat and glasses to conduct this experiment)

-Lavender correctors work great for minimizing yellow undertones. They also work wonders for hiding minor sun damage.
-Yellow correctors help to brighten up pale skin. They also help neutralize pink/red skin. Yellow is commonly used in the under-eye area, as it is great for hiding bruised looking skin.
-Peach correctors are wonderful for hiding spots, blemishes, veins and bruising.

Some other notes from my research/experimentation:
-The primer makes the skin look very healthy, bright and awake.
-Skin feels VERY moist and smooth after the primer is applied. Pores are visibly filled.
-The texture of the primer is very light and creamy.
-Skin looks quite shiny after primer is applied. I would not suggest a glowy looking foundation to be used in combination with this.
-I love the tube that the primer comes in. It allows for very little product to be used at a time, so you never have to worry about accidentally squeezing out too much.
-The powder is extremely fine and smooth.
-The powder feels as if it seals in the foundation. There is minimal transfer once the powder is applied.

Hope you enjoyed my overview! Love you guys!

Nina Dobrev at the Cowboys & Aliens Premiere

First, I just have to say that this dress is to DIE for!! Nina looks so sexy and elegant in it… which isn’t always the easiest look to pull off. I love how it wraps around her body, hiding just enough in just the right places; it’s so flattering! To spice it up with a splash of color, she added bright red lips and satin heels. I also love how she left the attention to the dress by not wearing any jewelry. The dress is much too intricate and beautiful to have anyone distracted by a little bling.

I’d have to say this look isn’t only hot, but SMOKIN’ hot! Nina looks absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure she turned countless heads at the Cowboys & Aliens premiere. What do you guys think? Hot or not?

Betsey Johnson Jewelry

I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on Betsey Johnson jewelry; I was walking through Macy’s and it caught my attention from a mile away. The pink. The jewels. The cute charms. Everything totally over-embellished to a near-ridiculous point- just the way I love it! If you could have seen my face, I’m pretttty sure my eyes would’ve closely resembled those of an owl. I was in love.

Of course then I took notice of the price tag (you know, those tiny annoying things that they always have facing down so you’re forced to ask for someone to open the case) and my dreams were crushed in a matter of seconds. I mean, $70 isn’t REALLY too much to ask for a unique, beautifully designed bracelet. But when you’re 12… $70 is like, ALL of your garage sale money. Ah, the days of only seeing cash a few times a year. How shitty was that? I only got cash from selling my stuff in a garage sale, my Birthday or Christmas. Oh and don’t forget about when I decided to make the occasional scene in the middle of K-Mart.

But even if you think the prices are a bit too high… you have to remember that your hard-earned dollars aren’t going to just any ol’ designer. They’re going to Betsey Johnson! She’s SUCH a badass! She takes style to a whole new level and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her sometimes outlandish designs. Did you know she does a cartwheel at the end of her runway shows?! And she’s 68!?!

Anyway, so the other day I came across these pieces and I think they are SO amazing. I NEED them in my life!!!!

Items Shown (from left to right)
-Love Charm Toggle Bracelet $125
-Large Peacock Pendant Necklace $110
-Pink Crystal Heart Toggle Bracelet $55

What do you guys think about them? Amazing, huh? Which one is your favorite? I’m obsessed with the Love Charm Toggle Bracelet!! Gimme! Gimme! :)

Welcome to XOXOKalel.com!

Hiiiii! Welcome to XOXOKalel.com!

I have to say, it feels PRETTY weird (and a tad bit douchey) to have my own website complete with an oversized photo of myself to express my vanity *sarcasm*. But I promise I’m not that into myself… just following the ways of the internet world!

Any-hoot, so you may be asking yourself, “Kalel (well… wait- you’re not Kalel, it’s more like you’re asking ME, inside YOUR head) what exactly is XOXOKalel.com? Why do you think you need your own website? You’re not that cool and you should stop trying to be famous.”

Well… you see, my brain is CONSTANTLY overloading with thoughts of all things beauty and fashion. I NEEDED to find a place to release these thoughts before my brain combusted into a fabulous glitter explosion. Thus, XOXOKalel.com was born.

I will be posting at least once every single day (well, that’s what I say for now, but I will probably get lazy and skip a day here and there… you know how I do, baby boo) And to be certain that things don’t get too boring around here, every day of the week there will be a different type of post. Here is a brief run-down of the posting schedule with some short descriptions:

SUNDAY: Gimme! Gimme! This is essentially my wishlist. When I discover something super cute that I HAVE to have… I will post about it here. That way we can ALL think about how badly we’d like to have it and I won’t be alone in my desperation.

MONDAY: Hot or Not? Is a look hot or not? Mua-ha-ha-ha… WE will be the judge. Because you know, celebrities don’t get nearly enough crap for their fashion faux pas.

TUESDAY: Beauty 411 This could be three different things. 1.) a beauty product review, 2.) a beauty-related article or 3.) news about an upcoming makeup collection (complete with photos and swatches).

WEDNESDAY: Fashion Inspiration When it comes to fashion, I find inspiration in many things. Fashion Inspiration is basically what I’m currently being inspired by. Whether it’s Taylor Swift or tribal patterns.

THURSDAY: Loveeee This is just simply something that I’ve been using and loving!

FRIDAY: LookBook My weekly LookBook video! (as seen on QueenBeeuty)

SATURDAY: Get the Look! A step-by-step tutorial on how to achieve a look from Friday’s LookBook video.

*Sometimes I may post more than once a day. If there is an additional post, it will be a personal one about my life. This probably won’t be too often, because let’s face it… Osama Bin Laden has more of a life than me, and I’m pretttttty sure he’s dead.

So that sums it up! I hope you guys enjoy the site! Be sure to follow me on facebook (http://facebook.com/misskalelcullen) or twitter (http://twitter.com/misskalelcullen) so you can know when I post. Love you all!