Sunny Switch

Ralph Lauren blouse, BCBG generation skirt 

There are days when you simply wake up on the wrong side of the bed and nothing seems to be going your way~  you’re bogged down with assignments, deadlines, and expectations, your relationship hits a rocky obstacle, and you simply feel lost:  overcome with regret and loneliness.  Life inevitably has its ups and downs, but how we handle or perceive the downs ultimately dictates our mood or happiness. 
We can either sit in darkness, moping about the unfortunate circumstances and obstacles before us, feeling sorry for ourselves, or change our emotions by altering our perception.  We become what our mind lets us think, and we attract the same energy we give off.  Albert Einstein believes that “imagination is everything.  It’s the preview of life’s coming attractions.”  Life’s circumstances may be beyond your control, but you can always control your thoughts.  Imagine something happy, smile, and visualize a brighter future.  As Coco Chanel once said, “If you’re sad or heartbroken, make yourself up, dress up, add more lipstick and attack.”  Rummage through your closet, put on something that makes you feel great, open the curtains, and fill your day with happiness~

Getting ready to go out always makes me feel better~

Makeup:  Everyone is pretty with and without makeup, but somehow applying makeup really wakes you up, and makes you a little happier.  It doesn’t even mean spending hours in front of the mirror painting your face on.  Simply highlight your natural beauty.  Apply sunscreen, a light foundation, highlight your brows, curl your lashes, put on some mascara, blush, lipstick, and you’re good to go! 

Some beauty tricks:

1.  If you want to look more awake, focus more on the eyes.  Prime your eye with YSL's wake up eye care to reduce inflammation  then, cover dark circles with a brightener, I especially like the  Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator from Guerlian.  Then, highlight your eye ducts with highlighting pencil to widen and fake "wide-awake" eyes.  

2.  If you're too lazy to apply eyeshadow and eyeliner, simply using mascara will suffice.  A trick I learned from a makeup artist was to first lay the wand above your lashes.  Wiggle the wand at the base of the roots.  Mascara placed at the base of the roots lengthens your lashes.  Then, apply a second coat under your lashes, wiggling the wand as you go to separate and thicken your lashes.  When it comes to mascara, less is more.  Don't apply layers and layers of mascara, or you'll have lashes that clump together.  If you do happen to have clumps, you can take a mascara makeup sample brush from Sephora or any makeup counter and run the brush through, removing clumps!  

Recommended Mascaras?

Lancome is famous for their mascaras, and they do make your lashes longer and fuller, but Maybelline also has one of my favorite mascaras.  Their falsies line does the trick for more than half the price.  Plus, you wont feel bad throwing a bottle away once it starts to clump.

3.  A bit of blush makes a big difference.  A face full of foundation and no blush makes you look pale and tired.  Blush not only brightens, but also helps contour your face.  To apply blush, look at the mirror, smile, and apply the shade to the apple of your cheek.  Use soft circular motions as you move out towards the cheekbone~ this will give your cheeks a rounded romantic appeal.  Long strokes give your face a sharper angle. 

4.  Complete the look with some lipstick and gloss!

Clothing:  Our emotions affect the way we dress, People dress ‘up’ when they are happy and ‘down’ when upset and moody.  Look through your closet for bright colors with fun prints, accessorize, wear something different and fun, rediscover old outfits by mixing and matching.  Pair vintage pieces with new modern cuts, color block your outfit~ wear two colors that both clash but somehow meld together at the same time.  You look great in whatever you wear as long as you carry yourself with confidence.