Jerseylicious

This past weekend was my Armenian bestie, Lady C's bachelorette party in Las Vegas. We held the ENTIRE weekend at the one and only Red Rock Hotel and Resort (https://www.sclv.com/) and found no reason to leave the building for 3 days.

Our stay started off with not just one, but TWO suites. We had the Presidential suite on the 19th floor, and also the Lucky Suite located on the 20th floor.

Presidential Suite

Lucky Suite (AKA Purple Rain Suite)

The Lucky Bar inside our Suite

We had Megan Payne from Makeup in the 702 (http://www.lasvegaswedding-makeup.com/) come and give us all custom airbrush tans in the suite for our Jersey Shore themed party bachelorette party. We were SOOOOO dark! She did an awesome job and was very professional. She made all of us feel very comfortable... like stripping down to nothing but our undies for a total stranger was just part of our daily life. After we all got Jerseylicious with our shimmer on top of shimmer eyeshadow, snarled our hair into Snookie poofs and rubbed even more self tanner on, we were ready to hit the town. Would you expect anything less from a makeup crazed Armenian? I think not.

We had an amazing dinner at Terra Rosa Italian restaurant where we had our own private room. I guess they were smart to section off 11 loud Jerseyfied girls and our G-hub, Paris. Then we sauntered off to Cherry nightclub where we danced the night away.

The Bachelorette in all her Jersey glory.

Holly with Cirque de WHAT?!?!

Presh.Gel.Al. Jersey's finest.

How cute were our glasses?? They were our gifts from the bride that her and her sister made. Just what these Jersey girls needed!

The bachelorette and I. Whoever thought that we would ever be so tan that we were green?

The Bachelorette and her cousin, Dr. Kederian. #gorg.com

Bachie and Holly

Bachie and Angelica. She's really, really nice.

PYRAMID!!!

The next day we woke up, grabbed some lunch and headed out for a fun filled day at the pool . We had a Cabana out there and swam the day away. We were seriously out there for 8 hours.



View of the pool.

View from our Cabana.

"Every cabana should come with a Paris." Christine, age 28

So there you have it. Our bachelorette weekend full of spray tans, glitter, shimmer, bronzer, black eyeliner, and lipgloss.

I hope you had the best weekend Chris! We all can't wait to be part of you and D's special day in TWO WEEKS! It's going to be an amazing wedding!

Love most of you.

xoxox,

Ally Stagg



THE 2012 IMATS!!!!!!!

If you don't already know, the International Makeup Artist Trade Show is a colossal makeup show open to the public (YES! PUBLIC!) held in LA/London/New York every year where almost every single makeup brand, product, and tool imaginable can be picked up at a discounted price. There are oodles of new products that are being demonstrated and introduced along side all of the classic makeup brands and products that we've been using for years. You can also find an army of influential makeup artists teaching classes on everything under the sun from how to apply facial hair to the basics of body painting. It's a makeup artists' heaven on earth (unless you happen to be a makeup artist who is working the IMATs, then it's probably not as fun.)

When I learned that the IMATs were on MY BIRTHDAY this year in Pasadena, California, I felt like the heavens opened up and the man upstairs was puking sunshine down on my platinum head. I called my Armenian bestie, Christine (http://www.makeupbyladyc.blogspot.com/) and booked my ticket to Los Angeles ASAP. Aside from the 500 people shoving me around the convention center like I was inside a pinball machine, spending the entire day bathing in makeup with Christine is a birthday memory I will cherish forever. We had such amazing time gorging our brains with all the knowledge we could handle about new products, swabbing our arms with every product we could get our grubby little hands on, and running up and down the aisles grabbing every free sample in sight.

Although the samples were more than welcome, it was my mission to spend my life savings on any (and every) makeup product I laid eyes on. Here are a few of my faves that I scored at the show:

NYX Candy Glitter liners. I'M IN LOVE!!!! The only downfalls I have found is 1) They kind of irritate my super sensitive skin (but I will still wear them until the day I die) 2) They take a minute to dry. Other than that, they give GREAT color pay off and last all day with out question.

Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool. This liner has endless possibilities. You can use it as a traditional liner or you can take advantage of the 3 little brushes and do cool designs like dots or awesome winged liners. You can also use it to draw on bottom lashes which I haven't perfect quite yet, but will soon. No worries.

Too Faced Glamour Dust. This stuff is GORG! You can use it as eyeshadow or a highlighter on your cheekbones. Or just bathe in it. Whateves.

Lime Crime's Aquataenia Palette. These shadows are not only bright, beautiful, and fun, but they glide on your eye like silk. They have amazing color pay off and with a little eye primer, they last all day without creasing.

Lime Crime Lipstick. It is no secret that I have an obsession with the creamy, opaque look of Lime Crime's lipsticks, so clearly, I had to add a few new colors to my collection. I scooped up Coquette which is a beautiful nude lipstick, Great Pink Planet which is the perfect barbie bubble gum pink lipstick, and Mint To Be which is a fun (and limited edition) mint green lipstick (which I rocked all day at the IMATS.)

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is a product I have been dreaming about my entire life. A matte lipgloss. Enough said. OBSESSED.

Well, there you have it. Now what are you waiting for? Get out your credit card and start ordering this stuff pronto!

Love most of you!

xoxox,

Ally Stagg

Modern Vintage

I know modern vintage sounds like an oxymoron, but believe me, it isn't.

Many people think that a vintage look has to be black winged eyeliner and a bold red lipstick, but in all reality, we are in the year 2012. Red lips and black winged liner will always be a classic look, but there are other ways to incorporate modern trends and colors and still get that vintage feel. To prove this, I did a fun, colorful, modern vintage inspired summer look.

I took photos outside in the daylight and a couple inside to capture different light. Don't be jealous of my mad photography skillz.

In this look I'm wearing Lime Crime's new Aquataenia eyeshadow Palette with MAC's Tete-a-tint eyeshadow in my crease. Too Faced 3 Way Lining tool eyeliner. MAC's Devil blush. Make Up Forever's Mat Bronze bronzer. NYX Pumpkin lipliner with Lime Crime's My Beautiful Rocket lipstick and Lime Crime's Cherry on top Carousel lipgloss on my lips.

That's all I have for you today! I'm currently working on a blog featuring all of the goodies I purchased at the IMATs in LA this year with my Armenian side kick and very talented fellow makeup maven Christine Guederian (You can follow her blog by clicking here: http://makeupbyladyc.blogspot.com/ ) with a review on each one so stayed tuned!

Love most of you.

xoxox,

Ally

My fave 5.

A few weeks ago, my friend Kate asked me to write a blog on the 5 beauty products that are "must haves" in my makeup bag. As I am sure you all know, this has been QUITE the task for me considering it takes about 50 products to complete my drag queen facade on a day to day basis. After much thought and consideration, I have narrowed it down to the 5 products I would have in my makeup bag if I HAD to choose.

1) MAC's  Select Moisturecover Concealer ($17 @ MAC)

Not only is this one of my favorite concealers, it is also an amazing foundation. On top of this being one of my favorite concealers, this could double as a foundation AND an eye primer (although I would not recommend this as an eye primer on a day to day basis since it will crease faster than a pair of Gucci slacks)

2) An amazing mascara

You need SOMETHING to define your eyes. Every girl loves beautiful, feminine, butterfly lashes... right?I am currently obsessed with Tarina Tarantinos Fleur De Lash ($19 at Sephora) and Tarte's Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara ($19 at Ulta) Both in black, please. If worse came to worse and you needed eyeliner, I'm sure you could find some way to manipulate these mascaras into an eyeliner.

3) Lancome's Eyebrow Enhancer Le Crayon Poudre

These "powder pencils" can fill in your brows AND they have a brush on the other end to help keep them tamed. No one wants to see untamed or undefined eyebrows. Trust me on this one. ($24.50 at any Lancome counter)

4) The perfect blush

I LOVE blush and it is so important to define your cheekbones. I love Strada (MAC) Springsheen (MAC) Cheeky (MAC) Peaches (MAC) and Plum Foolery (MAC) Yeah, I love MAC's blush. ($19.50 @ MAC) Expect it, accept it.

5) A great moisturizing lip liner

A good lip liner can not only define your lips, but add a pop of color and act as a lipstick or lip gloss. I would have to say it would be a tie between either one of the NYX lip liners ( $3.49 at Ulta. My current favorite color is Peekaboo Neutral) or Urban Decay's Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color ($19 at Sephora) These are basically a lip gloss in pencil form so you can define your lips, but you also get a high-shine gloss look with AMAZING color pay off. I can't tell you which color I love the most because they only come in 5 colors, and I am equally obsessed with them all.

Love most of you.

xoxox,

Ally Stagg

Current Obsessions...

Right now, I am obsessed with the following things:

1) The rainy weather in Las Vegas via the past few days.

2) This cover of Britney Spear's Toxic by Yael Naim:

3) REN Clean Bio Active Skincare's Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask: ($55.00)
Slap this mask on for 10 minutes and it will literally make you shed a layer of your reptile skin. It never "dries" it stays moist so it won't dry out your skin. You just wipe it off with a damp wash cloth when it is time and your skin will feel so fresh and renewed. It has a pretty hefty price tag, but since you only need a dime sized amount (if that) it will last you forever! You can purchase it online through Sephora. Sweet., simple, and to the point.

4) YSL's Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks. ($30.00)
These are the most perfect and moisturizing lipsticks ever. I'm SO obsessed with these. $30 is a lot of money to spend on a lipstick but with variety of colors, they are bound to have the PERFECT one for any skin tone. I am obviously obsessed with #20 Rouge Flamme which is a cranberry red. This will be slathered on my lips from spring to winter. BEAUTIFUL!

5) SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair ($90.00)
Ok, ok, ok. I know $90 is a lot of money to spend on an eye cream, but when my vain tush went with my friend Leah to her Botox appointment, and I told them I was interested in Botox for my eyes, the Dermatologist said no on the Botox and talked me into this eye cream instead. I have absolutely NO regrets about it. Not only did it reduce the lines around my eyes, it is lightweight, creamy, and does not have any affect on my makeup when I wear the eyecream underneath. I use it day and night and the $90 pot lasted me about 4 months. Invest in this or you'll probably look old a lot sooner than you should.

6) Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Masks ($54.00)
I love these! These masks come individually wrapped with the eye pads on one side and the liquid on the other side. You "pop" the liquid side and it saturates the eye pads. Then you put the eye pads on your under eyes for about 15 minutes. They brighten, de-puff, and hydrate. Perfect for those sleepless nights or early mornings!

7) Charlotte Ronson's A Perfect Mess ($20.00)
My weave and I have been on the hunt for a great "beachy messy hair" product since the day we met... and I am pleased to announce that we have finally found it. Just a few sprays of this into your damp (more dry than damp) hair and you get the perfect "I just stepped out of a Sports Illustrated Swim Suit edition photo shoot" beach hair. It looks sexy and tousled, but not over done. I like to finish it with a dry spray wax (I use Short Sexy Hair's Play Dirty) to help tame any fly aways.

8) Moroccan Oil ($15.00 for the smallest size)
I know I'm late on this one. Everyone has been raving about it for years, but lets face it. It's amazing. I comb a dime sized amount through my hair after I get out of the shower and it helps keep my bleached weave soft, shiny and in check.

Love most of you!

xoxox
Ally Stagg

Eye spy... Eyeliner!

I'm SO happy to hear that not only have people been reading my blog, but they actually LIKE it. I'm also glad to know that I'm not the only person who likes to hear myself talk (or in this case, type.) I love hearing from you guys on things you would like me to write about because honestly, my head is like a makeup whirl wind. I have lipstick, glitter and falsies flying around everywhere. This week someone requested I write about a few of my favorite eyeliners.

Let me start off by talking about eyeliners that #ihate. I HATE liquid eyeliners. I hate all brands, all colors, all formulas. From the disgusting felt tip, to the messy black goo that comes out of the hideous cone shaped tube, it just grosses me out. How on earth are you even supposed to begin to draw a straight line on your tender little upper eyelid with a felt tip that is stiffer than one of Charlie Sheen's cocktails? I could never seem to grasp this concept. Oh, and please don't get me started on how fast this rubbish dries. If you mess up at all, you might as well just shoot yourself right then because if you try to fix it, you'll just end up doing your entire eye makeup over.

Now lets move on to my favorites.

1) MAC's Eye Khols

These are not exactly my favorite eyeliners to line your eye with, however I had to throw these in the mix because I am obsessed with their smooth texture and amazing color pay off. These are NOT smudge proof or waterproof, however they are perfect for layering under eye shadows to really make a color pop. For a quick smokey eye, I just scribble Smolder (Black) from my eyelid to my crease, blend it out with a synthetic brush (I like MAC's #242 brush) and then pat on a matte brown shadow (I like Handwritten by MAC or Bucked by Urban Decay) on top of it. The eyeshadow will set the Eye Khol and the Eye Khol will act like a base to give you the intensity you desire in a quick and efficient matter.

2) Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes Waterproof Liner Pencil

If you love using pencil eyeliners but have trouble with them melting down your face or transferring from your upper eyelid to your brow bone an hour after you apply them, then this is the eyeliner for you. These little sticks of perfection glide on super easy, set quickly, and won't budge all day. They come in 25 different colors which range from bright yellow to coal black. *BONUS* Sometimes Sephora comes out with collector sets that have several of the Aqua Eyes eyeliners in them so please keep your little makeup loving eyes peeled!

3) Tartes EmphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener

I la-la-LOVE this eyeliner. It is not a traditional black or brown eyeliner. It is actually a neutral colored eyeliner used to rim the upper and lower waterline of your eyes to brighten and give your eyes that "wide-awake" effect. It is perfect for everyday use when you just need that extra little pick me up. (And by "pick me up" I mean you stayed out way too late the night before clubbin' and need look awake and presentable for an 8am meeting.)

4) Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Glitter Liner

This liquid glitter liner makes my little drag queen heart twinkle. It has a super thin brush which makes it easy to be precise (even though it is virtually impossible to mess up glitter liner) and it has the perfect consistency. You can do one coat to add a little glimmer to a simple eye or you can do several coats for the street walker effect. It's completely up to you. I think we all know which look I personally go for.

5) MAC's Fluidline Gel Eyeliner

I saved the best for last. I live, breathe, and sleep for this eyeliner. I am almost certain that I would probably trade my first born child for a pot of this sacred eyeliner if that is what it really came down to. Fluidline is a waterproof gel eyeliner that comes in a pot and is applied with a brush (I use MAC's #209 or #266 brush) You dip your brush directly into the pot and this eyeliner basically waltzes onto your lash line all by itself. It may seem a little intimidating to apply eyeliner with a brush if it is not what you are accustomed to, but with a little practice, it will become second nature. Technically this is "not safe" for your waterline (according to MAC) but I have been swiping this on the top and bottom of my waterline daily for the past 7 years and I have managed to survive. Since it is waterproof, it will stay in place on your eyelid or in your waterline all day without any smearing, smudging or disappearing. They have a great selection of colors and you can do several coats if you want to build up the color. This is a great eyeliner to use when applying falsies. Since it has a thick gel texture, it helps blend the band of the falsies with your natural lash line. If you're not going to try this eyeliner, you might as well just stop reading my blog right now because I literally write about this product in every other entry.

Well guys, I hope this helps. (Not like my opinion matters or anything.)

xoxox,
Ally Stagg

Nailed it!

If you're a moron like I am, it is probably virtually impossible for you to paint your own nails. I can paint one hand perfectly, then when I get to the other it looks like my dog, 2 year old, or little brother painted it for me. I had almost given up all hope and was ready to accept the fact that I'm 25 and I still can't paint my own nails until one of my best friends and fellow beauty blogger, Christine Guederian (http://www.ladycartistry.blogspot.com/) introduced me to my favorite new nail solution.... Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips.

I can't lie, I was a little skeptical of how these would work (I am a total manicure snob), but after hearing about them EVERY SINGLE DAY for a month from Christine, I decided to give them a whirl. I was truly blown away with how easy and inexpensive they were. The entire set cost me about $9.00 which includes 16 nail strips, a cuticle pusher, and nail file. The nail strips are pretty long so if you have shorter nails like I do, you can use one strip for 2 nails. They come in 2 sealed packages (8 nail strips in each) I recommend trying to find ones that fit from only one package because if you open both packages, I have learned (the hard way) that you can't save the ones that you don't use because they will dry out. I even had mine stored in a ziplock bag and they still dried out and wouldn't stick to my nail when I tried to do a repair a few days later.

The concept is so simple that it almost seems to good to be true. You simply find a nail strip that fits your natural nail, peel off the plastic back, match it up to your nail, stick it on, cut off the access strip with your cuticle clippers, (If you have short nails and can use one strip for 2 nails, this is where you would take the other side of the strip and apply it to the other nail before it dries out) then simply take the nail file and file your nail. This will shape your nail, take off the extra nail strip off of the tip of your nail, and smooth the edges. I have found it is good to do a coat of colored nail polish that is similar to the nail strip underneath. This way if the nail strip chips, you will have a coat of nail polish underneath that makes the chip in the nail strip less noticeable. It really is that simple and idiot proof. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.

These strips last longer than any nail polish I have tried (usually around 5 to 7 days before chipping and I use my hands a lot.) They are perfect for day to day use or a quick fix when you have chipped nails between manicures. Also, here is no dry time so they are great for little girls who want fun nails too! I can't wait to pop out a baby girl and slap these on her fingers in the delivery room (along with her first MAC lipglass and a bad ass pair of falsies, obviously)

The strips come in so many different colors that there is something for everyone. There are prints, glitter, and solid colors as well. I recommend trying one of the glitter prints first because they are fool proof. Once you get the hang of it you can graduate to the prints such as Cheetah, Houndstooth, and lace. You can find them at grocery stores, drug stores, basically anywhere. So next time you're out, pick up a set. I promise you'll love them!

xoxox,
Ally Stagg