Tourist in London

Posted on January 12, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hiya Everyone! (I’ve learned this is how Londoners say Hello). I’ve had such an amazing weekend getting to know a bit of this wonderful city and wanted to share some of it with you all. Here goes…

Classic phone booth shot

Ready for the Big Bus Tour!

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Tower of London

London Eye

Big Ben

Proper Fish and Chips is a must!

Could not walk past Primark and Boots
without picking up a few things!

Sneak Peek at my new items

What a great weekend right? I am absolutely delighted with this city and all that I’ve seen so far. Keep those suggestions coming if you reside here or have ever been. Thanks loves!

Until next time,
-Gwen

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Posted on January 8, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

So we have slightly surpassed our 250 followers goal for last year and are more than happy to host another giveaway to bring in 2015. The lucky winner of some makeup and skin care goodies this time is the lovely Rosemary Christine! Next up, lets get to 300 so we can giveaway some more prizes to our dedicated followers! Thanks to those who entered and there will be plenty more of these to come in the future. Lets get to 300!!

Winner- Rosemary Christine
Ig- Rosemary_Christine

Feel free to follow us on our other social media outlets as well.

Ig- Itsapplesandorangesblog
Pinterest-itsapplnoranges
Twitter- Ari (@_ari_pena) , Gwen (gwendi3)

With so much love,

Ari & Gwen

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

Holiday Shine

Posted on December 16, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The Holidays are upon us and what better way to celebrate than to look the part with lots of glitz and glam. I posted the photo above on Instagram and decided to show you all what products I used. I am in love with the rusty copper shade I used all over the lid! Colors like this are a great way to add a bit of shine without it being too overpowering or for those who are not into chunks of glitter on your eyelid (for those that are I will have a post up for you soon). I hope to soon be able to incorporate mini video clips on other makeup looks I create. Well then, lets get started!

Base: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer great for creating a smooth canvas and filing in pores before applying foundation.
Color Corrector: Bobbi Brown in the shade Peach (I put this under my foundation to counter-act the darkness under my eyes and around my mouth)
Foundation: Ex1 Invisiwear foundation in the shades F300 & F400 mixed together (I am so pale during winter months)
Concealer: Maybelline Fit Me in the shade medium #25 under my eyes
Bronzer: NYX matte bronzer in the shade Deep-Tan to give my face some all over color and I also used it for slight contouring
Blush: MAC sheertone blush in the shade Peaches
Eyeshadows: Makeup Geek’s vanilla bean for brow bone highlight, Revlon Matte in the shade rich sable for the crease and outer corner and for the standout color I used NYX loose pearl pigment in the shade Rust ( I wet my brush a bit with MAC’s fix plus)
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz in the shade Dark Brown
Eyelashes: One coat of Too Faced Better than Sex mascara and on top a coat of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes.
Lips: MAC lipstick in the shade Craving ( I dabbed it with my finger) topped it off with Gerard Cosmetics lipgloss in the shade Nude.

Here’s a closer look of the shadow

How vibrant does that cooper shade look? Utterly Obsessed!
Hope you all enjoyed this quick “tutorial” so to speak. Once again I will be working on putting out Video Clips so you can actually see what I am doing.

What are some of your favorite Holiday looks? Leave comments/requests down below!
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Gwen

Dark Floral

Posted on November 10, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I am currently loving how Spring/Summer trends are sneaking their way into Fall/Winter pieces. Which brings me to talk about my recent H&M purchase, a floral blazer with a black background color. Adding a floral pattern to a dark base color makes a clothing item a bit more wearable for the colder months. The style of this blazer is a wider cut with pockets on the side giving it a more relaxed feel. I paired it with an all black outfit, making it the focal point of this look. Check it out…

I also wanted to show you all a close up of my lovely Sam and Libby pumps from Target. The minute I saw these I fell in love! I love a classic pointy shoe but these have a bit more flare to them because of the tie around ankle cuff. The heel height was also a huge selling point for me since I no longer enjoy wearing super high heels (I am old now). Here’s a closer look…

Stay tuned for some of my upcoming “wintery” looks.

Blazer

Pumps

-Gwen

Wine oh wine

Posted on October 27, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

There’s something about chilly weather that gives us the desire to wear darker shades of color such as plums, wines and berries. Whether it be on your lips or a clothing piece these richer hues really compliment all skin tones. Below you will find an outfit I put together using a plum colored flared skirt, a floral patterned top (both from H&M), black booties and a wine colored lip (Maybelline’s Divine Wine).

This past weekend was once again a nice one so I was able to wear this outfit without any tights underneath, but this look could easily be transitioned into a winter outfit with some thick tights and a chunky sweater to keep warm.

Stay tuned for more outfit of the day looks.

Same/Similar items:
Skirt
Blouse
Shirt
Booties
Chain Clutch

-Gwen

Last call before “Fall”

Posted on October 21, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The weather in NYC is all over the place, one day its warm next day you have to bring out your turtlenecks, but I have a feeling that this past Saturday was one of the last “warm” days we will be having. Taking that into consideration I brought out my faux leather shorts. When the temperature drops these would look great with a pair of tights underneath, but showing off a little leg one last time won’t hurt anyone right? The lion print top is such an eye catcher! Being a Leo and all I had to get it! The sweatshirt like material gives this outfit nice texture variation. I also threw on my beloved Zara studded booties, a chunky necklace and my panama hat. Get a closer look down below…

Shorts, sweatshirt and necklace are from H&M, Hat from Urban Outfitters, Booties from Zara (old)
Quick links to the same or similar items:

Leopard Top
Faux Leather Shorts
Panama Hat
Studded Booties
Bold Necklace

Hasta Luego,
-Gwen

First Look: New Maybelline Products

Posted on October 17, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Many makeup brands launch new items at the start of a new season and boy am I glad they do! I was of course doing my weekly browsing at my local CVS and came across a few new items from Maybelline, they are the Color Sensational Creamy Matte lipsticks, the Instant Age Rewind skin transformer and lastly the Brow Drama brow sculpting mascara.

Lets take a minute and talk about the fact that there is finally an affordable matte lipstick! (very few brands carry a matte line in the drugstore). That news alone is super exciting, but here are some other reasons why these lipsticks are great: texture is creamy and smooth, they set to a demi-matte (not drying like some of MAC’s lipsticks), they are pigmented and can last on the lips for about 4-5 hours (there will be some transfer if you’re eating, but you can easily apply another layer on top without it looking cakey). Here’s a closer look at the four shades I picked up.

Left-Right:
#660 Touch of Spice, #680 Mesmerizing Magenta, #690 Siren in Scarlet, #695 Divine Wine

Lip Swatches:

Touch of Spice: Brown nude

Mesmerizing Magenta: True magenta shade with a hint of a violet undertone

Siren in Scarlet: Cooler tone red

Divine wine: Dark Burgundy

On to the Primer and Brow mascara:

I’ve used this primer a few times and I can say that it has reduced the look of my pores. (Maybelline also claims that it will reduce the look of wrinkles, lines and imperfections but I did not notice much of that). The primer has a velvety consistency as well as a subtle pink tint in order to give skin a little radiance.

The Brow Mascara is meant for sculpting and adding a tint to your brows. In all honestly I only saw a slight difference in color on my brows and I am not a fan of the rounded tip for sculpting (My eyebrows are a bit thin and the “ball tip” wasn’t as precise as I would have liked.

Overall I am pretty happy with my new finds.
I am not sure if all of these items can be found in most drugstores but I do know Ulta carries each of them.

Maybelline at Ulta

Hasta Luego,
-Gwen

Breakups to Makeup/Smashbox

Posted on October 13, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

This past weekend I attended an event hosted by Sephora at the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City. Smashbox cosmetics was there doing makeovers and demonstrating new products. I of course jumped on the opportunity to get my makeup done by one of their artists. I learned some new tricks on how to create a cat eyeliner (God knows I needed the help).
The creator of “Breakups to Makeup“, Angelique Velez was also there. Angelique launched Breakups to Makeup in June of 2013 with the intent to spread this message: “makeup serves as a creative outlet to those applying and livens the spirit of those wearing it” I couldn’t agree more!. Angelique has quickly made a name for herself with a bunch of fun merchandise. She is well-known for her catchy slogans such as “loved raised me lipstick saved me”, “I would cry but my mascara is designer” and so many more! Angelique was gracious enough to let me ask her a few questions about her brand:

Gwen: What inspired you to come up with “Breakups to makeup”?
Angelique: A few years back I went through a terrible breakup, but the only thing that enabled me to get out of bed was makeup. I have been a makeup artist for many years and I found comfort in knowing that I was getting out of bed to not only make myself happy by putting on my favorite lipstick but also because what I did made others happy as well.
Gwen:How do you come up with your slogans?
Angelique: My slogans come to me through day to day life experiences, for example one day I was getting my nails done at the salon and I thought wow I am totally useless right now (my nails were of course wet) which was when I came up with the “I’m only helpless when my nails are drying” slogan. I also like to carry a journal with me to jot down whatever pops into my head.
Gwen: What advice would you give to someone who is an up and coming artist/entrepreneur?
Angelique: I would say to listen to your heart and keep going. Not everyone is going to understand your path but its ok don’t listen to them, you’ll find your way.

The lovely Angelique and I

Here are the goodies I picked up from her collection as well as some Smashbox goodies.

Angelique will be at the Orlando Makeup show next. Go check her out if you’re in the area, you know Ari will definitely be there!

Quick Links: Breakups to Makeup
About
Merchandise
Products on Etsy

-Gwen

NYFW Spring 2015

Posted on September 12, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

“Every Year the women of New York leave the past behind and look forward to the future… this is known as Fashion week”- Carrie Bradshaw Sex and the City

New York City is at the forefront of fashion innovation which was beautifully displayed during Fashion week. Although I did not attend any shows this year I made sure I walked by Lincoln Center to catch a glimpse of the amazingly dressed people. Here’s a quick look at some of the designers I think did an amazing job to get us ready for this upcoming spring.

First up is Delpozo his collection displayed soft pastel hues, embellishments and pops of neon, great focal points if you ask me. Also we cannot leave out the beautifully floral embellished chunky oxford shoes.

delpozo by gwendolyn-pena featuring sandals

Next up is Ralph Lauren, a timeless man who I feel can never do any wrong. A glamorous safari is what I feel was the look he was going for and he accomplished it very well.

Ralph Lauren Spring 2015 by gwendolyn-pena on Polyvore

Then we have Marc Jacobs waist conscious jackets with a bit of military appeal which I think are to die for!

marc jacobs 2015 by gwendolyn-pena on Polyvore

And lastly Nanette Lepore’s collection was super fun and vibrant. A yellow laid back dress with pockets has my name written all over it!

nanette lepore by gwendolyn-pena on Polyvore

On to Street Style! Now we all know New Yorkers have hands down the best street style there is! (Sorry to everyone else all over the world. I am only kidding) Seriously though there were so many amazingly dressed men and women, I literally could not take my eyes off of some people as I was walking by.