I will always love doing my makeup and sometimes I can take an hour to get ready when I want to. However, on most days, I have so much going on in the morning and getting my daughter fed and ready is much more important than getting myself ready. I recently was introduced to Maskcara Beauty by a blog reader who wrote me a super sweet email and gave me the most incredible rundown of the makeup line and what it could do for me. I get millions of emails a day pitching me things but her email really stood out to me and I was very intrigued.
The makeup line was created by a blogger/youtuber who is a mom as well so I love that she understands the need to have a product that can do everything as efficiently as possible. After watching a few of her videos of how the line was created and how you use it, I just knew I had to try it. I am no expert but I do try to contour as best as I can and I admit I have one too many products in my bathroom to try and achieve the perfect contour and highlight. This product, literally is just 4 products in one very pretty little palette which is really what sold me. I am honestly just tired of having to dig around in my makeup drawer to find every single product that I need. Ever since I started using this palette, my makeup routine is done in about 5 minutes!
Here’s what the palette looks like: It actually comes in those little tins and they are magnetic which makes it very easy to pop into the palette. They designed it this way so that it was very easy to buy what products you needed or if you wanted to change out your colors to take with you on a trip, it would be so easy for you to customize your palette.
CLICK HERE TO SHOP OR POP IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HERE TO GET MORE INFO OR HELP ON THE PRODUCTS.
And another thing that I love? It’s so affordable. This entire palette including the make up + reusable palette is only $48. You get the foundation, contour, highlight and blush which is basically all you need. Usually for my other products all combined, it’s well over $100!
I created a short video to share my every day make up look using this palette. The video is 5 minutes long and I did speed up the application part but I timed myself while I was doing my makeup and it really did just only take me 5 minutes to do it all!
If you know me, you know that in between my business, my blog, being a wife and mom, the last thing I need is one more thing to take on, but after using this makeup and understanding the business a bit more I have decided to join as an Artist as well! I’m not planning on doing any at home parties or anything like that but because I already share what I buy and what I love on my blog, I just really wanted to spread the word about this makeup as it’s so different than anything else that I’ve used.
So if you don’t watch the video, the basic 5 steps are:
1. Take your foundation color (Maskcara calls it the “highlight”) and put it all over your face, concentrating on the under eyes and anywhere else you’d like coverage.
2. Use the darker “contour” shade to sweep underneath the cheekbones, forehead and a small swipe by your nose. I also like to put it underneath my chin to slim down that part of my face.
3. Apply the cream brush on the apples of your cheeks.
4. Blend! I love using a beauty blender sponge but lately I’ve been obsessed with the Clarisonic Foundation Brush. it does an amazing job of blending my makeup.
5. Apply the illuminator color to the tops of your cheekbones. For an added touch you can add it right underneath your brow bone as well.
Baby Watermelon Blush (can also be used on the lips)
In the video I use the Detail HAC Brush (HAC = Highlight and Contour)
CLICK HERE TO SHOP OR POP IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HERE TO GET MORE INFO OR HELP ON THE PRODUCTS.
The coverage of the foundation is really creamy and goes on so smooth but also does a great job of covering any spots. I have used liquid foundation before but I really prefer the coverage and the application of cream foundation. I got super sick about a month ago. It was a terrible cold and I was blowing my nose about ever 3 minutes. My nose was so gross and red and I had terrible eye bags just from the lack of sleep as my daughter was sick at the same time. I definitely was not looking too good! But I was truly sold on the line after I used this makeup to completely cover the dark under eye circles and my bright red nose. I even did an instagram story around that time and had quite a few of you message me saying how impressed you were with the coverage of the makeup!
The contour shade is so easy to apply with the Detail HAC brush, it’s basically fool proof, you can’t go wrong with it! I’ve definitely had moments with other products where I put the contour on way dark or in the wrong spots so my face ends up looking just dirty instead of contour-ed but I’ve never had this problem with this contour.
Also because it’s a cream based makeup, I feel like my skin really takes it on more naturally than a powder based contour. The cream blush is also super easy to apply and looks really pretty on as it’s very natural. The blush doesn’t last too long for me, so I do end up reapplying blush during the day but that’s just normal for me as it does that no matter what kind of blush I’m wearing. The great part about the palette is that it fits so easy into my purse that I can take it everywhere with me and I don’t need a brush as I can easily pat the blush into my cheeks with my fingers and blend.
I also have to say that the community around Maskcara beauty is pretty amazing. It’s not just a makeup brand but it’s definitely a great community of women who are there to provide you help with whatever you need to make you look and feel your best with this makeup. At first I felt a little iffy about needing to be someone’s “artist” in order for them to purchase the product but the more involved in the community I understood that it’s not just about you as one person, everyone there is wiling to help each other out and that’s a big reason why I joined. I love that its a brand that supports women and that women are truly there for each other. I have to admit, I found the website quite confusing at first but because I had my artist walk me through everything it made me realize that it’s set up so that you are able to ask your artist questions and to make sure that you are getting the right product for you. We don’t want anyone to be sitting at home just trying to guess what will look good on her and hoping for the best! I’ve always loved blogging as a chance to meet and interact with women like me and I love that this is just another opportunity for me to do more of that!
If you know nothing about how to highlight and contour, no worries at all, the best part about this brand is that there are so many women that are part of the Maskcara beauty team that can help you out! There are plenty of tutorials that you can follow. I especially love these diagrams that show you how to do your makeup depending on your face shape. They really just understand that this makeup is not “one size fits all” and it really is an experience to make sure that you get the best palette or colors that are customized just for you.
Cara, the owner has done many videos on the foundation and this one explains it and really shows how it works.
If you are interested, you can click over HERE to go browse and shop the line. When you are checking out, it may ask you for your artist name so you can put in Tiffany Ish or artist # 3004. If you are not sure what colors to buy, please feel free to email me (tiffany (at) iamstyle-ish.com) or add your email to this form HERE and I will have my Maskcara Beauty Artist contact you. Lexi is a makeup artist who has tons of expertise on makeup and color matching and she would love to help match you and answer any questions you may have. I will also reach out to you just to see if I can help out in any way! (The form is just for me, no one else will see it or use your email)
I’ve been using this makeup every day for over a month and a half and realizing that it’s something that has really benefited me. It’s made my morning routine that much easier. If you are like me, a busy person who is not super comfortable with going out in public without makeup but also not finding enough time in the day for your full makeup routine, I highly recommend trying this makeup out. They have a great return policy so don’t feel like you are stuck with it if it doesn’t end up working out for you but I highly recommend giving it a try!
A few weeks ago when my sister was in town, we decided to have a photo shoot for our clothing line, T&J Designs and feature some of our favorite Seattle bloggers! It was a bit last minute and I’m so grateful for Molly from Style Miss Molly and Sarah from The Blonde Giraffe for taking some time out of their day to come shoot with us!
We headed to Alki Beach on one of the most beautiful days in Seattle! We had so much fun shooting in the sun and beach.
We just released our new summer tees and they are all so much fun! I thought it would be fun to share some of the process of our clothing line and some of our behind the scene “secrets”. We get so many questions about how we started our line, how we produce our line, where we manufacture, etc… so I wanted to share some of our most frequently asked questions when it comes to our business!
A lot of people have asked what brand of tees we use to do our screen prints as most people do tend to go with a brand like American Apparel or Bella tees. These tees are our own that are produced in LA and then screen printed here in Seattle. So when you buy one of our tees, they truly are our own and you won’t find the style anywhere else.
We also get asked how we come up with all these sayings and if we do them ourselves. The answer is, yes, it’s all us! My sister, our graphic designer and I pretty much keep a running list of ideas that we send to each other and before every season. We tend to release a new collection of tees once every other month but we always try to do new tees that are appropriate for each season. We usually have a mega list of ideas and then narrow down from there and then our graphic designer pulls together a few designs for each phrase and then Jen and I finalize from there.
We try to make our tees a bit different and very much us, which is girly, fun and glam. We have tees with glitter ink (which is not something you find a lot) and we’ve also started to add gold and pink foil like on these tees.
Our tees are usually funny, but not negative or include “bad” words but we are not opposed to a play on those bad words 🙂 Our best selling tees are ones that include wine, champagne or tacos on them!
We’ve had a lot of customers buy our tees for girls trips, bachelorette parties and wine tastings. We absolutely love it when we get photos of customers and their friends all wearing the tees, it’s just so cute! I love girl’s trips and think it’s so fun when you do a “theme” and these tees are fun to be matchy without totally having to buy the exact same thing.
It’s funny because my sister and I love taking photos but we don’t actually have a lot together! It was nice to get together and take some of just the 2 of us. A lot of people also ask us how it is working together and working with our family but honestly we both wouldn’t have it any other way. We do butt heads sometimes, but in the end our goals are always the same in that we both want what’s best for the company and really that’s what’s most important.
This shoot was one of my favorites that we did! We usually do our shoots in Chicago, where my sister lives so this was our first in Seattle and we definitely hope to do more!
I’m also thrilled to announce that Jen and I will be speaking at the Women Who Slay conference in Las Vegas in a few weeks! If you are local or will be in town, would love for you to attend and meet you! Jen and I will be speaking about our business and how we use our online influence to help grow our business and more! See below for the details and you can purchase tickets HERE.
Happy 4th of July! I had such a great weekend, we recently got my daughter her first bike and it’s the cutest thing ever watching her ride it. I’m sharing some photos from the weekend below, but first, I headed over to the mall to do some shopping and J Crew had a great sale! 30% off your entire purchase and additional 50% off sale! It looks like online is pretty much the same deal however I did find that some prices differed online (some things were on sale online but not in store) . Either way, in store or online you are still getting a great deal. Anyway, there were SO many good things, here’s the best of the bunch!
You know I love my bow tops! This one is so cute and come in this print as well.
I’m a midi dress lover and I’m also loving eyelet these days. I love the shape of this dress and the strap details. It’s not super flattering with my sandals but I know this will be super cute with heels and a clutch. It comes in orange too.
Another cute dress! I love the stretchy top and the gingham. It’s so lightweight so it’s a great dress for those really hot days or even to wear over your bikini if you are headed to the pool or beach.
I loved this outfit. I’ve been needing some new jean shorts and I really liked how these fit. Not too long and not too short. I also adore this top. I accidentally cut off the top of the pic, but there is a tie on the shoulder. The ruffles and the embroidery on the bottom makes this such a cute girly top.
Head on over to shop! There’s so much cute stuff right now and this sale is one of their better ones I have seen!
Here’s some snaps from our weekend! We went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Seattle, La Rustica. It’s right by the water and it’s just the loveliest little restaurant with some of the best pasta and Italian food ever. I believe it’s a family run business, the service is always great and it’s just a nice cozy, romantic spot. Highly recommended! It’s actually one of our regular date night spots but we brought our daughter this time to enjoy the food and she loved it. We take her out to a lot of nice and not necessarily “kid friendly” places but we always get great treatment and have never felt like people were annoyed that we brought our daughter. We actually get a lot of compliments from people at restaurants about how well behaved our daughter is and honestly, I think it’s because she’s just so used to going out with us. I also come prepared with our own cups (most of these restaurants aren’t going to have plastic cups with straws readily available!) and other food/snacks in case she’s not into the food as she can be kind of picky with food. We’ve never had a problem with bringing our own food for her and it really does help to be prepared just in case.
Not the best pic of us as it was hard getting a pic with the sun going down, but here’s what I wore!
This is the view right across from the restaurant, isn’t is gorgeous? There are houses right on the water, I’m so jealous of their view!
As I mentioned, we got our daughter her very first balance bike and she’s been doing so well on it. She just loves it. We walk from our house to the park which is about a mile away and she rode her bike almost the whole way and then she practiced some more at the park. We got her the Strider bike as we tested quite a few bikes and my husband and I really liked the look and feel of the bike. It’s very lightweight, but also sturdy and a perfect starter bike. We went with the balance bike instead of a training wheel bike as we felt like getting her used to balancing on this kind of bike would be more beneficial for her to learn rather than pedaling on training wheels. Although I learned to ride a bike on a training wheel bike (which I’m sure everyone my age did) I just felt like this was the better way to go for her. We went to our local bike store and she picked out the bike, helmet and even a bell! All pink of course 🙂 .
Notice we are both wearing Minnie Mouse shirts and Adidas Superstars. She loves to twin with mommy!
And here we are at the Farmer’s Market. I had to get some fresh peonies of course and we bought lots of fruit! I love this time of year and being able to go to the Farmer’s Market to get fresh veggies and fruit. She is very happy about me letting her hold a receipt. LOL, the things kids get happy about!
I don’t eat yogurt but everyone in Seattle raves about Ellenos Greek Yogurt so if you are in Seattle and love yogurt, it’s a must try! My husband says it tastes more like ice cream than yogurt!
As I get older, I am more and more thankful to my mom for introducing me to a great skincare routine early on. I’ve always been very aware of my wrinkles and trying to prevent getting more or at least slow down the process. I really believe that a good skincare routine is so valuable especially during the summer when we spend so much time in the sun which can be so damaging to our skin.
Here’s my 5 steps that I try to follow to keep my skin healthy during the summer:
1) Drink lots of water: This is a great tip not only for your health but your skin appreciates it too! I notice on the days where I don’t drink as much water, my skin gets a bit drier, flaky and my eye bags actually become a lot more noticeable. I love carrying reusable water bottles for keeping my water cold all day long and highly recommend using them over buying bottled water!
2) Use a good anti-aging moisturizer: I started using the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream and love that it’s a light weight cream that helps not only with wrinkles and skin firming but it’s also very hydrating! I’m really impressed with this cream as I’ve used many creams that cost a lot more but I’ve already seen great results using it! I’m not the only one that thinks this, in fact, in an independent test by the Good Housekeeping Institute it showed that Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream outperforms 10 top prestige creams, including one with a $440 price tag.
The following benefits were also found in the test:
FAST-ACTING: At the three-hour mark, Olay moisturized 400% better than a cream nearly 18 times its price and beat all other products tested.
LONG-LASTING HYDRATION: Olay increased moisture by 50% on average over a 24-hour period.
LIGHTWEIGHT TEXTURE: In blind comparisons, consumers preferred Olay 80% of the time over expensive creams, reporting that it felt “rich” without being heavy.
FIRMING & PLUMPING INGREDIENTS: Formulated with powerhouse ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, Olay improved skin’s texture by 10% in four weeks.
Personally, I definitely agree that the lightweight texture makes a huge difference in this cream. I’ve always disliked creams because they tend to be heaver and feel like they sit on your face but this one is so lightweight and absorbs really well into my skin. I use it day and night and have seen a huge difference already in the wrinkles by my eyes.
3) Use SPF Daily: This is just so important as you never want to go out in the sun with your face unprotected, even on non-sunny days. That’s just like inviting age spots and wrinkles to your face. The Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream is light enough that I can use it as my base layer and then cover it with a SPF 50 moisturizer.
4) Hats and Sunglasses: Cute accessories, yes but also great for sun protection! When I know I will be in the sun for a long time, I always have a hat with me. I love wide brim hats for on the beach or a just a cute and simple baseball cap for when we are out for walks with the dogs or playing at the park with my daughter. Sunglasses are pretty much essentials, especially when you are driving. I almost always have two pairs on me at all times as I tend to forget I have a pair in my bag already and then I grab another pair as I’m leaving out the door. Squinting in the sun is going to create more lines and wrinkles and we don’t want that! Look for sunglasses with 100% UV Protection to really help protect your eyes.
5) Get some fresh air! I know my tips don’t seem skincare related at all but it’s because we tend to forget about the simple things that can help our skin and our bodies. I find that being indoors all the time in the summer, especially with the air conditioning always on makes my skin so dry. The weekdays can be tough as we are all so busy but we try to take to go out and take walks after we’ve had dinner while the weather is a bit cooler and it’s still bright out (Seattle doesn’t get dark until about 9pm these days). On the weekends we like to wake up early to beat the crowds at our favorite park and we all always feel so much more refreshed when we can start the day on a nice leisurely walk. And if you haven’t noticed, this tip combines all the 4 tips above. Make sure to drink lots of water, don’t forget your sunscreen and moisturizer and bring along sunglasses or a hat while you are out on your walk!
It’s so important as we age, especially as women who have careers, kids and families and end up taking care of everyone else first. We need to make sure to take care of ourselves as well.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.
I’ve fully jumped onboard the one-piece swimsuit trend. I love it! I’ve been doing lots of shopping and got a few as I’m getting ready to go on vacation soon. Here are the best ones that I’ve found!
I don’t know about you but it pains me a bit when I have to spend over $100 on swimsuits. I mean as a clothing designer, I can understand the price tag because of the labor, the detail, the fabrics, etc… but for me since I really only wear swimsuits when I’m on vacation (which is only a few weeks out of the year) I really don’t get my money’s worth.
I started noticing how many cute suits there were lately that were under $50 and well, I did even better and found the best one piece swimsuits under $30! And yes you have every right to be skeptical about the price and the quality of these suits but to be honest, I was extremely impressed with all of these suits and the quality. They are all fully lined, most have cups and the fabric is not thin or flimsy at all.
If you saw my instagram story, I shared this suit when I got it. It’s so cute to wear as a bodysuit as well with jean shorts! Just to note in all the suits in this post I ordered a size Small and they all fit well.
I saw a photo of this cute suit on pinterest and I stalked the internet until I found it. (Thank you Amazon!) And the best part? It’s $15.99! Yes, really! $15.99! It fits me perfectly and has padded cups and is super comfortable on.
OK so the scallops really got me on this suit but what I didn’t expect was how flattering it is on. The cut out kind of scared me but after I put it on, I was sold. It actually gives the illusion of having a smaller waist. I’m not sure how but I think because it breaks it up rather than just a sold black going down your belly, seeing the little bit of skin is really flattering on! But best thing is that it still covers your belly pooch (if you have one, which I do!) This one comes with a halter strap that you can take on or off.
I love the different patterns on this suit. As you can tell I either go all black or just all out crazy patterned. This one is so fun and has the same effect as the scalloped one with the little peekaboo cut out above the tummy. This one also comes with a removeable halter strap.
These suits with the wording on it is so cute to have when you are going with a bunch of girlfriends. I mean, it’s just asking to be instagrammed, know what I mean? 🙂 . I’ve seen bridal parties in the “SQUAD” suits with the bridesmaids in one color and tnd the bride in a different color. It just makes for the cutest photos! I love the rum + coke one. I don’t even know why as I don’t even drink rum and cokes but I just love the white lettering on the red.
There’s so many cute sayings, I love the Champagne Problems too! Oh and these suits are also super flattering on. They are very comfy and not too low cut in the back so you can feel pretty comfortable in them without worrying about exposing too many body parts. 🙂
If you haven’t noticed lately, I’m all about the fun tops with lots of details. I’m loving bell sleeves, trumpet sleeves, bow sleeves and whatever else cute details I can find! Today I wanted to share 2 of my favorite tops both under $40 (one of them is only $20!)
This white top is hands down a favorite top since I got it. I wore it with my cute pink jeans and kinda had a Valentine’s day vibe to it. Get the top HERE – I’m wearing the size S/M and it is a bit big/baggy but I think it works since it’s supposed to be a little flowy anyway.
This pink pleated top is a bit more girly but I love the pleated and ruffle details that make it so different from other tops. It’s also really lightweight and comfy so really nice for the summer and very office/work appropriate. At only $20 it’s so affordable and doesn’t look like it’s so inexpensive!
I have been wanting to check out a spin class for a while so when I was offered the opportunity to check out SoulCycle in Bellevue, I jumped on it! I had NO idea what to expect because I’ve never been to a spin class before. You know the saying, “It’s like riding a bike”? Well a few years ago at a family vacation, I got on a bike (after God knows how many years) and LITERALLY had to re-learn how to ride. Needless to say, I was NOT ready for the intense heart-pumping workout I had just signed up for.
SoulCycle Bellevue is located in the heart of downtown Bellevue. Given the pricing of classes, this is probably the right location / demographic / niche for this type of place. Walking into the studio, the stark white + bright yellow theme gave a sterile feel, but not in a hospital type way…in more of a fresh, happy, modern kind of way. Complimentary lockers, gum and ear plugs as well as hair-ties, bobby pins and razors was a nice bonus!
Upon check in, I got my shoes and bottled water. If you don’t have your own shoes, they are $3 to rent which adds to the cost of the session but they are included in your class fee if it’s your first ride. If you’ve never worn clip-in spin shoes before, they are a little weird at first. Almost like wearing cleats…or at least what I’d imagine wearing cleats would be like! Since this was my first time, I got there early and was able to get on my bike to adjust my seat and practice clipping in + out. There were plenty of SoulCyclers that were willing to help and everyone was super nice!
The dark room is candlelit except when the instructor introduces a new move. During those times, the lights come on the instructor (rest of the room stays dark) and then turn off again. It was nice because for a newbie, it helps to have a visual of the next move. The darkness helps you get in the groove and depending on the instructor and their style of music, it’s easy to get lost in the beat. My instructor was Jenna and I absolutely loved her vibe! I could see myself going to more of her classes in the future! On special occasions (like the night I went), they have a DJ mixing throughout the class which definitely adds to the experience. Almost like you’re in a club but getting a KILLER workout at the same time. The first 30 minutes(ish) was all about cycling to the beat of the music. Sitting, standing, moving from side to side, forward – backward, up – down. Then we incorporated upper body moves using light dumbbells for the last 15 minutes. It doesn’t sound like much but when you’re cycling and lifting to the beat, it’s a FULL body workout! But what I appreciated the most during the class was the cool down at the end. Maybe it was because I was exhausted and felt muscles in areas I didn’t know existed before, but the stretches Jenna took us through really targeted the areas we worked hard on for the past 45 minutes.
To be honest, I didn’t think cycling would be as tough of a workout as
some of the workouts I’ve done before (I’m comparing to HIIT cardio
with weights). I figured you’re *just* moving your legs but it was WAY
more than just moving your legs. It’s definitely a full body workout! I can see why so many people are into SoulCycle as it’s more than just a spin class but there definitely are pros and cons.
PROS
– No membership fees!
– Bright, clean facility with showers (including shampoo, conditioner and body wash)
– 62 bikes that are reserved upon sign up for a class (so no waiting around for an open machine)
– Complimentary lockers, gum, ear plugs, hair ties, razors, etc.
– Validated parking in Lincoln Square
CONS
– Classes are pricey – $28 for a single class (+$3 if you don’t have your own shoes). You can advance purchase packages of classes but there is an expiration date that you have to use them by
– Waiting area before classes start is a bit cramped with only a couple benches for people to sit or put on shoes
– Only 4 showers (I can’t imagine trying to get to a class before work and having to fight for a shower)
– Located in downtown Bellevue which could mean high traffic area making it difficult to get to during peak times
– No childcare
Overall, SoulCycle is a GREAT workout, burning over 500 calories per ride! If you have the time + money, it’s definitely worth checking out and finding an instructor that speaks to your soul. If anything, your first class is $20 and definitely worth trying out for the experience alone.
Thanks Jenna for a serious soul pumping first experience at SoulCycle! <3
I don’t know about you but it pains me a bit when I have to spend over $100 on swimsuits. I mean as a clothing designer, I can understand the price tag because of the labor, the detail, the fabrics, etc… but for me since I really only wear swimsuits when I’m on vacation (which is only a few weeks out of the year) I really don’t get my money’s worth.
