#ThrowbackThursday Makeup Replay

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As you guys know, things for me have been a bit crazy lately between illness and a health scare, so I thought this might be a fun series to start sharing with you! This is my first #ThrowbackThursday Makeup Replay post <3 I'll try to post one every Thursday or so. Some may include more recent makeup throwbacks and some may dig up super old looks. Depends on where the mood takes me. And assuming everyone sticks to the rules, I'll even open up the opportunity for you all to share your looks with me in the comments. I hope you enjoy!

You guys know I'm a total lippy junkie. I love them! Now that it's fall I've tried to steer clear from my warm-weather favorites (bright pinks and corals for the win!) and switch over to to my favorite fall shades--reds and purples. I'm honestly not a huge fan of super vampy shades on my lips because I feel as though dark shades just don't look that great on me. Not that they're awful, but just not my personal preference.

I've been reviewing and playing around with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics new Pro's Picks: Portables Lip Tar: Test Tube x 12 Set in preparation for sharing my reviews and swatches with you guys and I had to share my favorite look from about a week ago using 2 of the lip tars in this set!

I shared the look above on instagram (follow me for a peek into my life and looks: @beautypopstop), so for those of you that don't follow me there this will be the first time you've seen it! This picture was taken with my phone and hasn't been edited, but the light that day was fairly bright and direct so my phone over-exposed my skin a bit. You get the idea though! At my age (feeling old lately) and with the amount of sleep I miss, sometimes a little overexposure is for the best ;)

Here I used Hoochie all over my lips with Iced patted on the center. I don't want to give too much away before I post my full review/swatches, but I was totally blown away by both colors. Hoochie is a shade that's been on my wishlist for a long time. I own the OCC lip pencil in Hoochie, but knew I needed the lip tar and I just hadn't gotten around to grabbing it yet. Iced was a shade I'd assumed (stupidly) I wouldn't necessarily want since I have other ways I usually add a metallic sheen to lips, but let me just tell you ... MAGICAL! Oh. My. Gosh. Patted over the center of the lips it is just ... amazing! You can see above in my pick how well it reflects the light there on my lips where it was place.

I paired my fun purple lips with a slightly glam, neutral eye. I didn't want to cross that line from glam to showgirl by going too heavy or dramatic on the eyes with my lips.

You want this, You need this. Go buy it!

I'd love to see your #tbt makeup looks! Let's try this and see how it goes (please don't abuse it by posting random links to companies or posts not related to makeup, nail or fashion looks). Link me to an instagram post, twitter pic or blog post with your favorite makeup, nail or fashion look from the past!

Can't wait to see!

Don't forget to head over to my makeup artist site if you're looking for a makeup artist for an upcoming special event, wedding or private makeup tutorial.

DIY Pinterest Holiday Gift Ideas - Plus, To Make or Buy?

Hey Guys!

So much has been going on lately (I shared a bit on my Instagram recently, but will go into detail more once we know more on here) and I haven't been feeling well, but I wanted to pop on and discuss holiday gift giving a bit. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately since I have a fairly large family in addition to other people I give gifts to.

Each year I waver between making things and buying things for certain members of my family, teachers/therapists involved with the boys, etc. I really feel like handmade gifts are awesome and many people have appreciated them in the past when I've given them out, however, my go-to is generally food-related and with so many people having so many allergies and sensitivities I've found each year to be more difficult than the last to cater to everyone.

I have some fun ideas for things this year, but then I wonder ... do people even like handmade gifts anymore? Have people gotten sick of things like "cookie mix in a jar" or "cupcake mix in a jar"? Do people think it's a cheap cop-out? I can tell you making things is actually not that cheap a lot of the time, especially because I get neurotic about it! lol But really ... am I going to get the "side-eye" if I give out some handmade things this year?

And then I wonder ... should I just get people gift cards? Starbucks gift cards are always something I personally love receiving so I can get my fill of my favorite decaf drinks, but do others feel that's impersonal? What's the right amount to give?

What are your favorite gifts to give and receive from family and friends? Do you like homemade gifts? Do you like gift cards?

Have people found super cute homemade gift ideas on pinterest they want to share? I've shared a few things I've done over the years. Perhaps I will again this year if things simmer down.

Share with me!!!

Here are some I found on Pinterest that I thought were super cute or similar to things I've done in the past (I haven't tried any of these out yet):

Themed "Survival Kits"

Gifts in a Jar

Candy Cane Meringues 

Gingerbread Playdoh in a Jar

Pamper Me Jars

Cocoa Santas

Lotion Bars

Hot Chocolate Spoons

DIY Makeup Brush Roll

Homemade Kahlua