Storage Unit DIY

Posted on September 28, 2016 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I know I teased this on Instagram a long time ago but the time has finally come to reveal my awesome DIY storage project for my room. I was on a bit of a décor kick as of recent and wanted to bring my interior style game up a notch now that I’m getting older. One way to do that was introducing mixed metals to my new mirrored furniture and find ways to incorporate natural elements like wood to make it cozier. A full room tour might be necessary in the near future! For now here is how I jazzed up this ordinary shelving unit to be perfect for my aesthetic.

Things you will need- Everything can be purchased from Walmart.com

Storage Unit
Gold Spray Paint
Screwdriver or Drill (I only used a screwdriver)
Marble Contact Paper (or any pattern contact paper for that matter)
Pencil, Ruler and Scissors (or scrap booking knife)

Prepare your work space with enough room, you will only need a screwdriver or drill (if you’re fancy)
Follow the directions to screw each shelf to the columns (starting from the bottom helps)
After its constructed take it to an outside open area and spray with gold paint, let dry and do a second coat
Measure and cut pieces of contact paper with the pencil and ruler (make sure to write on the back portion of the paper not the visible marble part)
Cut out the pieces and smooth them over the shelves with the ruler or a rag to smooth out any air bubbles
Embellish shelves with books or home décor items, get creative!

I had originally planned on leaving the bottom shelf open for a hamper or larger items but later decided to add the missing shelf for a more cohesive look. I also plan on eventually getting some pull out mesh drawers from IKEA and de clutter it. For now I love the finished product and can’t wait to play around with the items and change them up for the seasons!

fullsizerender-2

XOXO- Ari

Color Correcting

Posted on April 4, 2016 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Color Corrrecting is all the rage these days as many brands have recently launched their own shades to help with problematic areas. I’ll start off by giving you a quick overview of how each color is meant to enhance your skin.

Orange: Corrects dark circles and deep discoloration

Green: Corrects redness from pimples, acne scars or widespread redness such as rosacea.

Purple: Corrects dull skin as well as yellow spots by neutralizing

Pink/Peach/Salmon Shades help to brighten an area and mask signs of fatigue.

Yellow Corrects purple/blue veins, bruises etc. Good for evenning out skintone.

Now that we’ve got that covered I wanted to talk about the two colors I recently purchased and my thoughts on them. I purchased the Sephora Collection Bright Future Color Correctors ($14) in the Green and Melon shades, (Green once again is for redness and the Melon shade is basically a darker hue of peach helps promote brightness under the eye area). I will say that I really liked the melon shade but the green shade did nothing for the minor redness I have. They both have thin consistencies which make them great to blend, but I find that the green one is a bit too thin and it sort of looses its pigmentation once you begin to blend it. It barely covered any of my redness even while adding a second layer. The Melon shade did not eliminate all darkness under my eyes but it did cancel some of it out and really gave my under eyes the “awake” look.

I like to apply the correctors with the applicator and blend them out with my fingers or either brush shown above.

Top Brush: Zoeva #110 Face Shape Brush

Middle Brush: Real Techniques deluxe crease brush

Third Brush: Zoeva #142 Concealer Buffer Brush

I hope this post was helpful for those still a bit confused about what color correcting really means. Note: Correctors aren’t necessarily a must have item for everyone, all depends on your need for it.

Till my next post,

Gwen, xx

Real Techniques Sculpting Set

Posted on June 15, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Makeup brushes are the kind of item that will either make or break your look, am I right ladies? I am not one to normally splurge on brushes because I believe you can achieve flawless looks with some of the lower end brands, which brings me to speak about Real Techniques! This is by far my favorite brand of brushes! They are affordable, blend amazingly well and do not shed. I own quite a few of them as does Ari and we both absolutely adore them.

If you haven’t heard of Real techniques, it is a brand launched by two sisters (Sam and Nicole chapman). In 2008 they started a YouTube channel and then followed with the launch of their brushes in 2011. They now sell a wide array of brushes ranging from $6-$26.

Now this set I will be speaking about is the sculpting kit ($20). It comes with three brushes, one for sculpting, a fan brush and a setting one. Here’s a closer look

From left to right:

Sculpting brush is great for contouring. It’s angled shape fits perfectly into the hollows of your cheek bones and it is dense enough where it doesn’t grab too much product. Just make the fishy face blend the product and you’re good to go!

Fan Brush is exclusive to the set and it is utter perfection! It’s thin and fluffy enough where a light dusting of product is distributed. I feel this one is perfect for highlight on top on your cheek bones, tops of your brows, center of the nose and cupid’s bow.

Setting brush is another amazing brush! Setting under the eyes can be a bit tricky but with this one it fits nicely under your eyes or anywhere else you want to set (such as your t-zone for my oily girls).

All three of these brushes are super soft and blend products with ease. They can also be used on powder, cream and liquid formulas. What more could a girl ask for?
Hope you all enjoyed this review of my new favorite brushes! Do you guys have any Real Techniques favorites? If so let me know which ones in a comment! I believe this set is sold out on their website but can be found at Superdrug and Feelunique in the UK and at Ulta in the US.

Till next time lovelies,

xx, Gwen

Sunday Funday (London Edition)

Posted on January 19, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Second weekend in London and it of course was an exciting one! On Saturday morning I decided to walk around my new neighborhood a bit checking out the local eats, where to get my nails and eyebrows done etc. I then rode the tube up north to
Islington to meet up with a friend for drinks and dinner, boy did we have fun! You English people sure know how to have a good time!

Sunday was sort of a low key day, I again did some walking to the next town over called Clapham and discovered this lovely restaurant called the Bolingbroke and had an amazing English roast! What’s not to love about Yorkshire pudding am I right?

After that huge meal I rested for a while then decided I could not let myself get into a food coma and walked over to the Southside shopping center. This shopping center has everything you could ever dream of! Primark, Boots, Superdrug, H&M, River Island, The Body Shop etc. I’ve come to the realization that Boots is the equivalent to Target back home, every time I walk in there I leave with at least £40 worth of stuff. Here’s what I picked up from Boots and the Body shop…

I am most excited about the XXL volume Batiste dry shampoo and the Real Techniques contour brush. (Will keep you updated on how they perform).

That is all my friends, as always until next time!

-Gwen

NYE Outfits

Posted on January 1, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

2015 is here! So many great things have happened this past year and we are so grateful to have been able to spend time together per usual for this holiday season. For our New Years celebration we decided to keep it low key this year (since Gwen is moving to London in a couple of days) and spend time at home with our loved ones. Needless to say, we still found the need to dress up of course. Get all the details down below!

Ari’s Outfit
Dress- Alberto Makali Nordstrom Rack
Shoes – Old season Forever 21
Clip in Hair Extensions –Bellami
Press on Nails- Static Nails

Gwens’ Oufit
Dress- Forever 21
Shoes- Sam & Libby Heels from Target
Press on Nails- Static Nails

Its that time again…Giveaway time that is!

Posted on December 31, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

So we’ve done it again!! 250 followers on our blog and we couldn’t be happier and greatful to still be growing steadily. From nearly 100 to now 250 in such a short time! We would like to show our gratitude for keeping up with us all this time by hosting another giveaway. We’ve done many in the past and expect this one to go off without a hitch. The rules are simple, the winner will be chosen through a generator and you can enter multiple times (the more entries the better your chances) by using the raffle link provided below. The winner will receive makeup goodies sure to impress! Once again thanks to our old friends/followers, we look forward to making many more!

!!!Rafflecopter Giveaway Link!!!

Previous Giveaways Here, Here & Here

Looking forward to 2015!

Love-

Ari & Gwen

The Makeup Show (Holiday Pop Up)

Posted on December 8, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The Makeup Show had their annual Holiday Pop Up shop this past weekend in the big apple and boy was it fun! I arrived around 2 pm just missing a seminar given by James Vincent on how to build your makeup kit. Such a bummer! But I did go on to do some browsing and of course shopping. I snagged some pretty awesome things at 20 -70% off! Check them out down below…

Makeup Forever had an amazing deal where if you purchased five items you would receive 70% off so I grabbed two HD powders, two HD cream blushes and one lip liner.
Stila was also there in combination with Bauble Bar selling some of their collections. I picked up the eyes are the window matte shadow palette in “Mind” which normally retails for $50 but with the discount I snagged it for $30!
I can’t seem to ever pass up Crown Brushes when I see them. They are of great quality and the best part is the very inexpensive price. Major score!
Static Nails is up next! This brand has such an awesome collection of stick on nails which are reusable for up to twenty times! You’re able to file them down to whatever shape you desire and paint over them without damaging the original color. I picked up the set called the “Empire” for only $13.
Last but not least I caught up with Angelique from “Break ups to Makeup” and purchased one of her awesome tanks with the quote “Please, I can’t even commit to a lipstick”.

And that was it my lovelies! I am looking forward attending the big Makeup Show in May of next year.

(The items I purchased are available at each respective brands website, but not at the discounted prices, unfortunately)

Toodles Dolls!
-Gwen

The Makeup Up Show Orlando Haul

Posted on November 17, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The event went on without a hitch! I only got to attend one day due to some prior engagements for the second day, but I definitely made the best of that time. So many booths with lovely vendors and products galore! I was lucky enough to also catch two keynote speakers, Eugenia Weston and Eryn Krueger Mekash while gaining some insight into the “behind the scenes” volunteering to help with any minor services. Lastly I caught up with Angelique from @breakupstomakeup featured here by Gwen before and snagged a cute compact perfect to gift for the holidays. Below are the items I purchased and some shots of the actual space.

I fell in love with this companies lighting equipment! Check them out!

The exact items I purchased were

Ofra Cosmetics-Blush Palette
Breakups to Makeup- Mirror Compact
Crown Brush- Fan Brush & 2 Stiff Brow Brushes
Static Nails in “Wild One”

Keep in mind since this was The Makeup Show, all items were deeply discounted for makeup professionals!

I can’t wait until next year!

Love

Ari

Halloween Collaboration- Last Minute Costumes

Posted on October 31, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Here are some fun super easy & quick Halloween ideas for those last minute planners like ourselves!

I wanted to go with something that I didnt have to do much and could use items I already owned seeing as thats the true spirit of it being last minute. I thought of my beloved flower crown that I dont get to wear that often (check out my previous Lana Del Ray post on it). Then it came to me, FRIDA KAHLO! I can dress sexy or cute any other time of the year, this day is the one day you can be completely creative and think outside of the box. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter best known for her self portraits featuring her infamous unibrow. Picture of the items I used below! If you are looking for something less obscure scroll down to check out Gwens last minute look!

For all of you last minute gals I too have the perfect look for you and the best part is you wont have to spend much money! A creepy doll/clown is super easy to create and all you need is makeup that you already have at home. You can add to this costume by putting on colorful clothing to make it more clown-ish or a ruffly top to create a more doll-like effect. Check out what I created below… (Photos were taken with my phone, please excuse the quality)

Products used: (I added a lighter foundation for that clown/doll effect)

You can make this look a bit more dramatic by adding black eyeliner to your eyes as well as underneath your bottom lash line. I did not for the sake of time, but I hope you all can still get the feel of it.

Hope you enjoyed!
Have a safe and happy Halloween!

-Love
Ari & Gwen

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush

Posted on October 6, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I don’t know about everyone else but I don’t have the easiest time pulling off a cat eye or any other complex liner especially when it comes to using gel. You have to have the right tools in order to get that perfect shape. Ive used bent/angled eyeliner brushes in the past and the bristles would always fray and never gave me the precision I was looking for. In comes this awesome silicone brush from Real Techniques. Featured here on the blog before, this brand is affordable and high quality. I picked this bad boy up at ULTA and immediately noticed how much easier it was to apply my gel liner. Cleaning it is a also a breeze and it eliminates any chances of fraying or shedding like a brush would. I can pick up the right amount and it glides smoothly over my skin without me tugging or stretching it taut like I used to (which by the way is no bueno, who wants premature wrinkles?!). I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to incorporate gel liner but are having trouble applying it precisely.