Pretty in Pink & Bombshell! The Perfect Valentines Makeup Tutorials - Using Exclusively Arbonne Cosmetics

Pretty in Pink & Bombshell! The Perfect Valentines Makeup Tutorials

Be your own Valentine This year – take the time to look at yourself through eyes of love & affection, celebrate all your best qualities and make a point to take some time for yourself!

Whether it be taking a bit of extra time while getting ready for your Valentines Date to Pamper yourself with a Hot Bath, to go shopping for an extra special outfit that you feel beautiful and full of confidence in, to meditate, practice yoga, hit the gym extra hard, or hit the chocolates extra hard?!?! Whatever it is that you want to do – DO TO & don't feel guilty about it for even a second!! You are absolutely amazing and just as worthy of your love, affection, and time as anyone else!!

     Id like to Open my very first Make-up Tutorial by saying that Beauty Is Not Cosmetics.

      Speaking on that point I don't think Make-up should be used to 'cover-up', with or as something to Mask or loose yourself in (don't get me wrong there is absolutely No-shame in adding an extra dab of concealer/foundation over what we see as an unsightly blemish though i promise each and every one of you, even if it is the worst pimple, or patch of dry skin you've ever had – they never look as LARGE or traffic stopping to anyone else as it may appear when we look at our reflections) - but rather is something to be used to accentuate all your favourite features, weather it be your beautiful eyes, stunning pout, exquisite bone structure or ALL OF THE ABOVE! 

     What makes us beautiful is the qualities or features we posses that are unique to us & it is time that as women we celebrate these differences and stop comparing ourselves. whether they be lifestyle differences, the way we dress, or what size we are – Beauty comes in every shape, shade, style!

     Imagine the horror if we were all the exact same... ( Good luck ever finding that cute top, dress or bag you loved but refused to pay ticket price of in your size on the sale rack... with no variation in peoples sizes or personal taste we will all be left fighting tooth and nail!)

     I Will be using exclusively Arbonnes Cosmetics with  in ALL of my Makeup tutorials ( photos used were taken in natural light & are completely unedited to show a true depiction of results achieved with their Optilight Technology.) Optilight Technology works in two ways, first - light is diffused to create a soft focus blurring effect, blurring imperfections to make skin appear flawless, and at the same time these fine particles allow skin to breath and leaves it feeling as if you aren't wearing makeup at all! As well as Arbonne's 10 piece precision brush set.  I am absolutely in LOVE with these  products ( I promise more on Arbonne's World Class Products and their commitment to being Pure, Sure &  Beneficial (since way before the current health and wellness trend took shape) is coming)!

     IF you have any questions for me, a request for a future Tutorial, or for information on trying these products FREE of charge/ for ordering information you can always feel free to contact me via E-mail at j.arbonne@hotmail.com

“If you have positive thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely” - Roald Dahl

Kristen McNish Modeling 'Pretty In Pink'

  This is a very pretty, sweet, light and glowing natural look perfect for the DAY of love (absolutely any day really) , or a summer wedding, It is incredibly versatile, you could wear this look anywhere & look like the belle of the ball without having to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror getting ready! 

Always before ANYTHING ELSE goes on your gorgeous face apply a Good moisturizer!! I use Arbonne's Gentle Daily Moisturizer from the Calm collection. 

I applied Arbonnes Makeup Primer (you just need one pump of all their products, remember less is more & do not over apply)

Followed by Perfecting Liquid Foundation with SPF 15 in shade - Porcelain (you can use a lighter and slightly darker shade of foundation than you would normally wear to contour, but Kristen has a stunning bone structure that is strong enough that this isn't needed) 

I finished off with a translucent loose setting powder.

On her Cheeks I skipped the bronzer & used blush in shade Blossom to give her a very sweet and girly touch. 

On her eyes I did a Simple 3-Shadow Look using the Heart Of Gold Pallet 

I covered her entire lid with 'Peace' It is a very warn bronze/copper tone.

 I added "Warmth" which is a white/peach duo tone under her brow/to highlight her amazing bone structure as well as in the tear duct to open up the eye. 

 I swept "Love" across her lower lid and used it to line the bottom of her eye to add a splash of colour! I absolutely had to feature this colour for obvious reasons and the Red-ish/Purple tone really made her Blue eyes POP

 BLEND BLEND BLEND!

I  than applied  Plum Eye Liner Across just the top lash line (a coloured eye liner can actually used to create a less bold effect than black (as long as used minimally) or GO WILD with it if you want its all about personal expression and celebrating YOUR unique beauty after all!!

I finished her eyes with It's A Long Story Mascara  & fake lashes were applied just to just the outside of her lash line, to give her that irresistible doe-eyed effect. 

I  than applied  Plum Eye Liner Across just the top lash line again over top of the fake lash-band to cover it)  

For the Lips I used Candy Lipstick - a beautiful and playful bright pink! 

If lipstick isn't your steez you can swap it out for Lip Polish in shade Posh for a similar look

DIY Potato Stamped Paper-bag Garland Tutorial(s)

Potato Stamped Paper-bag Garland

This tutorial is for an incredibly easy and extremely versatile 

Potato Stamped Paper-Bag Garland! 

These can be created for absolutely ANY occasion or Holiday.

The stamp can be made in  ANY shape or used in succession to create a print or pattern! 

What you will need: 

- a Potato 
- a Knife 
- Paint
- Brown paper bags OR just go ahead and use the potato bag... the inside is brown & no one will know the difference!! 
- Scissors
- Coloured rope 
- a Hot Glue Gun
- Glue-stick refills

Creating Your Potato Stamp 

Step 1.  Cut a potato in half 

Step 2. Draw Stamp Outline 

Draw on a heart OR whatever shape you have chosen & remember to get creative with it! 

Step 3. Cutting Out The Stamp 

Using a sharp knife trace out the shape of your image by cutting down into the potato (about a half inch deep) lay the potato on its side and gently cut in towards the heart (again about an inch down) until you have unveiled your stamp!  

 

Making Your Paper-bag Garland     

Step 1. Draw Garland Template

Draw out a template of the shape you have chosen for your garland - I went with a very simple design for mine. 

Step 2. Continue tracing and cutting out your template (you will want to make at least                 12  for a decent length garland)!

Step 3. Stamp Away 

Prepare all of your trays of paint ( do all the stamps of one colour, whipe off your stamp and continue repeating this process. 

Step 4. Assembling Your Garland  

Using just a very small amount of hot glue along the tops of your stamped pages, begin attaching them onto the rope ( leaving roughly 2-3 inches of space between each & remember to you leave enough room on the ends to hang)!!

With Valentines Day right around the corner I encourage you to make time for the People you LOVE most & Never Be Afraid To Shine A Little Brighter!

DIY Classic Paper Rose Tutorial

Classic Paper Rose

This very simple DIY tutorial is for a classic Paper Rose! They are extremely versatile, can be made in any variation of craft paper OR SCRAPS & used for Absolutely any occasion from Valentines Day, to a bridal/or bridesmaid bouquet!!

You can choose to display them singly, on in a bouquet .

I chose to make mine out of some recycled sheets out of an old book & display it in a blue mason jar in keeping with my Pink, Teal Blue, Silver & Gold 

Valentines colour-scheme this year!!

What You Will Need:

- A Hot Glue Gun 
- Glue-stick refills
- something for your stem ( I chose to use a paper straw, but you can use anything you have laying around your house for example: a pipe cleaner, skewer, or craft wire.)
-whatever paper you have chosen for your own unique design. Whatever you chose make sure it is malleable enough that it can be folded without tearing. 

Step 1.  Cutting Your Petals 

     You are going to want to stockpile at least 5 different sizes of petals. I cute free hand, avoid using templates so that each petal is an organic natural shape!

Step 2. Shaping Soft Petals.

     As silly as it sounds this is the Absolute most crucial and important step that will allow you to making a soft looking flower. Simply fold back the tops of each petal to soften their edges! Then pinch the bottom to create a crease(in the opposing direction)

Step 3.  Spinning the Center

     You will need to cut one more piece of paper (roughly 2 and 1/2" long with a rounded top) you are going to take this and wrap it around your paper straw (or whatever you've chosen to work with) like shown below. 

Step 4. Attaching the Petals

     Beginning with your smallest petals you are going to start gliding them on one by one (overlapping them a little bit each time) moving up the sizes as you go. This is where your artistic touch will come into play you shape and mold your very own unique design!!   By pinching the bottom of your flower you can round out and shape it, as well as adding space between layers!
                                                      

Remember to have fun with it, be created & Never Be Afraid To Shine A Little Brighter!

      

DIY Paper Rose Flower Ball(s) Tutorial For Under $5.00

     I LOVE Valentines Day!! It's not really about the dates and gifts for me... I really just love all the pretty, romantic (and very girly) ways to decorate for the Day of Love <3 Over the next couple of weeks leading up to Valentines Day I will be sharing a mix of DIY Decoration, as well as Makeup Tutorials using exclusively Arbonne Cosmetics of course on how to achieve your perfect Valentine Date Makeup look!! 

     As promised to many, my first tutorial HAD TO BE the Paper Rose Flower Ball(s)!!
This is something I have seen on Pinterest made with Styrofoam balls and craft paper - I always like to do my best to use what I have lying around the house already before going out to buy products (especially something like Styrofoam a known toxic material,that is mass produced & NEVER breaks down... sorry tangent) It is not only more budget friendly but it is a VERY simple way that we can all do our part to be a little more GREEN / Earth Friendly and it leaves you with a beautifully unique piece of one of a kind art that you can use to decorate your house with pride!! 

Okay Lets Get Started...

What you will need: 

- Scissors 

- A hot glue gun 

- Lots & LOTS of glue refill sticks 

- Recycled Newspaper/Flyers/Magazines/etc

- tape (of any kind as you are just going to use this to hold your skeletal recycled-paper ball     in place.)

- A package of tissue paper (20sheets) per ball. 
- a length of coloured string or fishing wire 

Step 1. Make a Paper Wad 

     You can make this any size you want! I would recommend about the size of a softball - It creates a nice sized flower ball, and when you go much larger it begins to require a LOT of patience!!

     All you are going to do is literally wad up paper in a ball and then secure with tape so that it is a fairly solid shape. Don't stress if it is not perfectly round or if you have a few lose ends hanging..  this is part of the process & it will all be covered in the end anyways!! 

Step 2. Cut up Tissue into strips along the folded crease width ways. 

Step 3. Fold Tissue Into long thin strips. 

Begin by folding the tissue in half ( & simply repeat this three times) as shown below. 

Step 4. Roll It up to make a simple paper rose. 

This is as easy as it sounds just roll it up - you can do it as tight or lose as you'd like depending on how you'd like the coverage to look on your finished piece, I chose to do a mix of both tight and loosely done to add some texture. Finish them by putting a dab of hot glue on the end of the roll and pinch. 

Step 5. Glue Paper Roses to Recycled-Paper Skeletal Ball. 

Just start anywhere and start gluing on your paper roses & just keep gluing until ALMOST the entire Ball surface is completely covered!! 

Step 6. Add a String to Display  

Right before you glue on your last 4 or 5 paper roses and your entire Flower Ball is covered glue the end of your string along the skeletal ball (underneath where the remaining paper roses will go) & then continue gluing your last few paper roses until the entire thing is covered (& your string has been attached and buried underneath the roses) & Then Display your beautiful and one of a kind creation!!

Dream Big Sparkle More   Shine Bright

My Never Ending Journey To Self Love

Welcome & Thank YOU for taking the time to view my New & first ever Blog Upcy! Where I will be sharing my simple Up-cycled Art Projects, Arbonne Makeup Tutorials, and all things Positive & Pretty!

     I'd like to start by Introducing myself (and sharing a little bit about who I am for those who don't know me personally).

     I'm Jennie Matthie, I grew up on my Families thousand acre Dairy farm "Maplehurst Farms" in the tiny micro Village of Algonquin Ontario (The Church, Library and Public School I went to had even been built buy my Great Grandfather...) with my Parents and 3Brothers (who though enjoyed tormenting me (out of love i'm sure) on the daily... wouldn't stand for anyone else even to look at me the wrong way, which i must admit had its down sides when i started to date ... I am very lucky to know they've always got me) & of course my soul sister Kristen McNish who pretty much ( & to this day) never left my side! My neighbors consisted of my Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and my amazing cousins (my brothers & cousins made growing up on the farm more fun and at times mischievous & dangerous than words can describe (nor would we ever admit to) and so many amazing memories). I spent my days outside in the fields, playing with the cows and various other animals we had over the years (chickens, goats, horses etc), bugging my brothers to let me hang out with them and their friends, taking vocal and dance lessons and making crafty messes wherever I went!

The house that built me.

     I went to High School at Thousand Island Secondary school in Brockville to get away from my brothers try and get a little more independence. Since we lived in the country and were not on the Bus route my amazing mother and some incredible neighbors took turns driving myself and a few of the other kids in the neighborhood to a random bus stop where we would catch our 45min long ride to school... & this is where at the age of 15 I met my High School sweetheart & love of my life Cody Humble!

Cody and I on our very first date at a school dance

      I then moved to Ottawa to study the Developmental Service Worker program at Algonquin College from which I graduated in 2012. Though I hated didn't love Ottawa right away and found the hustle and bustle of big city life very stressful. After countless tear filled calls to Cody and my younger brother while lost on the streets in a city I felt I didn't belong, I managed to learn the bus system which to me (someone who for the safety of all others should never drive a vehicle) gave me the feeling that I could do anything!!

     After working in my field for a little over two years ( a career I had been dreaming of since I was in public school) as well as a second part time retail job (in an attempt to pay back my mountain of student loans) I began to struggle with depression anxiety and low self confidence, (this is something that I had dealt with throughout my adolescent and teenage years) but this time it was different and my body began to manifest physical symptoms. I was the heaviest I had ever been, had no motivation, was always sick whether it be an infection or common cold, and began to grow small and large cysts all over my body.

     It was at this time that Cody and I were introduced to the Arbonne Business Opportunity (I promise more on this in posts to come) by his father & though i already had SO much going on in my life at this time *I literally didn't even have the energy to make it out of bed to work some days* and he had stuff of his own going on we knew that this was an opportunity we just could not afford to pass up on! We have been in the business for just over a year now and already it has opened more doors than we could have imagined including traveling to VEGAS last year for a Global training conference *this would have been both my and codys first time on an airplane and my first time ever traveling outside of the country (with the exception of shopping trips across the st. lawrence)* and will get the opportunity to do so again this May! It was at this conference that I committed myself to my very own Pure Transformation (also more on this in a future post) which was the name and over-all theme of that years event. I spent the last year focusing on myself and the practice of self love which is something I think everyone should do more of these days.

Cody and I signing the Arbonne A's in Vegas with words of inspiration

      Overtime I left both of my other jobs, this was a decision that did not come easy for me and i think if i am really honest with myself is one I had been putting off for far to long. I kept telling myself that I couldn't quit my DSW job. I had just spent years completing a program and had countless people help me make it to graduation so that i could get a job exactly like this one. That I would be letting down my mother who's footsteps I had followed into this career path, & that I would be unable to contribute anything to my and Cody's like together here in Ottawa ... I kept telling myself I should just be thankful to have not one but two jobs in this economy.
But then one day it all sort of just clicked - Why am I punishing myself by continuing to do anything that doesn't bring me happiness?
 I began to make changes in my life to get back to a place where I was truly happy with my life and myself!  As I shifted my mind away from focusing on what I no longer wanted in my life and started to consciously focus on thinking only in the positive, my life began to fall into perfect place! I made a promise to myself that I would take the time to do more things I loved, to travel, be creative, & spend time with family and loved ones. Our lives are a direct reflection of our thoughts One positive thought in the morning can change your day, and in time your whole life.

     I have always loved to create, ever since I was a child I loved playing with different mediums and techniques, I love the feeling of taking something old, unused, or forgotten and using it to create something new and beautifully unique!!

     Thank you to anyone who read this and took the time to come and check out my Blog & look forward to sharing with more very soon!
I will be posting All things Valentines in the week to come

     Never be afraid to sparkle a little brighter <3