Where Have I Been!? Photo Shoots, Tattoos and More :)

I can't believe I'm saying this, the long awaited and well anticipated launch of my shots from GKR Photography.

Photo Credit: GKR Photography

Photographer: The Amazing and Ever so Talented GABBY RUDDICK!

THIS IS WHERE I've Been!

The "GKR Photography" on the top picture basically says it all! Gabby Ruddick, the photographer asked me to come shoot with her at The Art Institute of Colorado in Denver in a studio! Now, I have minimal experience in a studio environment and honestly I learned so much from Gabby since she's also a model! I was nervous, I'm not gonna lie. But, we literally had so much fun and I'm glad that I got to meet Gabby and become a homie. This is probably the most positive post and debut ever but I do need a good outlet to talk about some new things on my body! *gasp*

So, this is new! Honestly, I'm a big believer of expressing yourself with tattoos and Peter Quinones at Imperial Tattoo Studio did amazing on this. It's not done yet by any means I'm still working on the shop as much as I can between working for Vans, which will settle down when the studio is completely 100% done and divide my time between Imperial Tattoo Studio and Vans, ya know what I mean? If you live in Colorado you gotta come and check Imperial Tattoo Studio when the opening launch happens! You can find the studio on Instagram at "imperialtattoostudio" just search it and you'll find it! 

Meaning Behind it:

The meaning behind my tattoo is really personal but I'll tell you anyways since my viewers need to know why I've gotten a big skull and roses growing out of it. I know it looks a little intimidating and that's just my look and the tattoo is beautiful. So, the skull means like "the death of all the negative things that I had and am still going through" yet it still has something beautiful. The roses and random leaves growing out of the skull mean "that out of every negative that kicks you down something positive and beautiful can come out of such a horrible experience." This is literally the most meaningful tattoo to me. Of course I'm gonna sleeve it out with roses but that will come in another blog post!

I hope you enjoyed these little "Where I'm at and What I'm Working on post! There will be more posts talking about my Summer Beauty Essentials, How I achieved my Photoshoot Makeup, meaning behind my other tattoos and the most important one CYBER BULLYING!

Don't Forget to Hit Me Up on Social Media!

Instagram: katieImperial 

Instagram: imperialtattoostudio 

Twitter: kallmekatiee 

Like Me on FaceBook: Callmekatie

Love You Guys!

More Posts Coming Soon, I PROMISE ❤️

XOXO,

Katie 

Hair, Makeup and Outfit of the Night for the Opening Night of the Second 300 ❤️

Get Ready With Me To See That Special Someone And For The Opening Night of The Second 300! ❤️

Hair:

Let's talk about the hair first, since it's the easiest! To achieve my hair today, I washed my hair with the Clear Strong Length Shampoo, rinsed immediately to condition my hair with Clear's Intense Hydration Conditioner since I do have bleached hair and let it set in my hair until I was done with my shower routine and then completely rinsed it out with COOL water, leaving my hair silky, smooth and smelling great! After, I towel dried my hair for about ten minutes, let it down and then putting my CHI Silk Infusion on the ends of my hair and spraying all of my hair with my It's a 10 Spray! Letting all the products set in after doing my makeup, I blow dried my hair UPSIDE DOWN to get some extra volume. Here is my end result!

I love having texture to my hair so I don't brush it out too much and tease the crown of my head and front fringe so my hair doesn't fall completely flat! 

I don't take a ton of time on my hair, just because I'm lazy, but I do believe in putting great products in your hair to keep it healthy! 

Let's Talk Makeup, My Favorite Part of this look:

Today, my makeup was based around flawless looking skin, easy eye makeup and a bold lip!  

Flawless Looking Skin:

Now, today my skin was NOT in the best of shape, it's had it's better days let's put it that way, I have a small breakout along the lower right side of my cheek due to that awful time of the month! My main focus was to feel confident about my skin and not worry about the breakout as a focal point on my face because that ain't cute! To achieve better looking skin, I started off with my Clean and Clear Daily Moisturizer (it's not my favorite but it does the job,) I prepped my skin with my Garnier BB Skin Renew Cream in the color light/medium since I did have some redness and a breakout, it evened out my skin tone and covered up a little bit of the breakout, I then went in with my Holy Grail Foundation, MAC's Studio Fix Foundation in NW15 using one full pump on the back of my hand, then dotting the product all over my face and blending it with my Sephora Prestige Luxe Stippling Brush using dabbing motions to avoid sheering out the product and then going in with a tad bit of the foundation on my CLEAN finger and patting it over my breakout. After, I set my foundation in place with my current favorite setting powder, the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent, I get oily on my nose and chin so I absolutely have to set my foundation. In general I love having a matte face because it photographs well and I don't like being an oil monster! When my whole face is set, I go in and countour the hollows of my cheeks, temples and jaw line and then my face looks flawless! 

Eyebrows and Eyes:

Besides having flawless looking skin, doing my eyebrows has to come in second to really transforming my face! For today, I kept my brows looking natural and filling them in with my Anastasia Brow Duo in Brunette and using the lighter side to fill in the body of the brow then using the darker side to fill the tails of my brows in and defining the bottom of the brows for a cleaner edge, then setting it with my Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear!

The eyes tonight, I kept very simple, I don't think guys like a dark intense smokey eye for just hanging out and going to a movie!

It's honestly so easy to achieve this look it hurts! All I did was use my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on my eyelids to prevent getting oily and doing a basic winged eyeliner in black using my Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner in Black on my top lid making sure the wing, lined up perfectly with my bottom lash line! After the gel liner was done, I switched to my trusty old Avon Waterproof Glimmer Stick in Blackest Black connecting the wing to my lash line, stopping halfway because black can really close my eyes off especially having almond shaped eyelids! After, I set all the black liner with a black eyeshadow from Cover Girl on a crappy ELF Eyeliner Brush just to have a little more precision versus a pencil shaped smudger! The eyeshadow also intensified and mattified the black liner for both the top and bottom liner, which is what I love! When all the blackness was all done and over with I really needed to brighten up the inner half of my eye because it was looking a little lifeless, I must say. So, I used a yellow based nude Avon Glimmer Stick on the inner part of my bottom lash line and on my inner tear duct as a base for where I wanted to my Victoria's Sevret white with gold shimmer in it so it wouldn't budge and it automatically brought some light into my eyes!

For my eyelashes, I didn't to anything crazy, I just curled them and put two coats of my Benefit's They're Real Mascara in Black on my top lashes and one coat of The Falsies Big Eyes in Blackest Black lower lash side for my bottom lashes and that's all! 

Lips: 

I absolutely LOVE a bold lip, but sometimes it can get a little tricky! To achieve the perfect dark lip, I started off by putting some very hydrating lip balm on as soon as I started my makeup so my lips would be nice and moisturized and prepped! After doing my whole face of makeup and hair, I always do my lips! After I knew I wouldn't be drinking anything or eating and felt like my lips were moisturized enough, I lined my lips with a Cover Girl lip liner in natural and then began to do my lips that took the longest out of this look because precision is key to a dark lip! For my dark lip, I chose my favorite dark plum color which is Mary Kay's True Dimensions Lipstick in Mystic Plum and I love it because it's dark, edgy and compliments my skin tone! Anyways, I always start off with using a brush when I'm working with a dark lip, it ensures precise lines and an even application, the brush I use is a lip brush I got in a random Victoria's Secret Brush Kit for Christmas a couple years ago, it's easy to work with and the brush tip is little and narrow which is perfect for me since I do have smaller lips! I first line my lips with my brush the desired color, go back in with the same brush to fill it in evenly and then use the tube for application to build up my desired opaqueness and show the true color! After, I'm at my desires look, I take a square of toilet paper split it in half if it's two plied, set it over my lips and use my Rimmel Stay Matte powder with my powder brush and dab it over my lips to ensure a longer wear! :) 

Beauty Pointer: From what I've heard, everything matte is totally on trend this Spring season! :)

Here's The Final Look ❤️ 

My Outfit I Wore For The Night:

Brandy Melville's FANCY AS FUCK Crop Tee

Victoria's Secret Basic Black Leggings

Gilly Hicks Burgundy Hoodie

Vans Leopard/Black Sk8Hi Wedges

Love you guys!

XOXO

Rock What You Love and Work it!

Outfit: Vans High Low Hemmed Skirt in Heather (now unavailable in retail Vans stores) Brandy Melville "Fancy as Fuck" Crop T-Shirt, Brandy Melville "Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe" Beanie (from www.brandymelville.com) and Vans Authentic Lo Pros Black/Black (cropped out, but are available online and in retail Vans stores) 

Brandy Melville's "Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe" tank (from www.brandymelville.com) 

Brandy Melville's "Fancy as Fuck" Crop T-Shirt and "Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe" Beanie (all from www.brandymelville.com)

I'm not gonna lie, some of my wardrobe can be very controversial as to what is "acceptable" and what is not. I have a beanie and tanktop from Brandy Melville that says "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" and a crop t-shirt from Brandy Melville that says "Fancy as Fuck" and quite honestly I am in love with all of those pieces in my wardrobe. 

I really don't care what parents say or what looks I get when I wear certain things. If you're a parent and telling your younger child to never wear a certain shirt, good for you for doing your job as a parent. The thing is, is that I'm not a parent, I am an adult. I make my own decisions, I love fashion, I love expressing myself and though I like to set good examples for younger girls, I need to be me and not conform into a person that I'm not, simply because others disagree with something as basic as a T-shirt. It's part of me, it's expressing myself. "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" by Kendrick Lamar is literally one of my favorite songs and Brandy Melville happens to be one of my all time favorite brands, so why wouldn't I wear something that I love because it's not "appropriate" to a conservative crowd?

I believe if you really love an article of clothing or really anything, rock it! It takes confidence to express yourself. At first you might feel a little uncomfortable with all the dirty looks you're getting from parents but seriously, who cares what they think. If you feel beautiful, powerful and confident in what you're wearing, then WEAR IT.

BUT, here's the catch...(there's always a catch,) 😉 If you're in High School you do have to follow the dress code, the dress code rules are set in place so what you're wearing doesn't become a distraction, which in my opinion is fair. School is not a fashion show, you're there to learn, not to walk a runway. So, for you younger ladies in Middle School and High School you all need to abide by the rules, unless you want to wear an ugly bright orange shirt that looks like you're going to jail for the whole school to see and mock you. (That's how it was when I was in High School.) 

For the ladies who have jobs and need to be business professional, sorry to say, but you have to follow your work places rules too, I abide by the dress code at Vans and I'm okay with that and it's nothing to protest against. Plus for me, I love everything I own from Vans because let's get real, it's totally my style. 

If I'm out and about, hanging out with friends, going to dinner, shopping, running errands or at a place where there is not a certain dress code, I whip out my favorite clothes and wear them and so should you! If you spend money on clothes that you love, wear them and not waste your money! I don't have one thing that I love that I don't wear, I believe in wearing what I own and getting my use out of them. Seriously, just love what you own, rock what you're wearing and feel good about yourself, whether you feel powerful, pretty, innocent or even a "Bad Bitch" then wear it, have no regrets and be confident because you're one of a kind!

Tip: If you want to be a little more discrete about your shirt, wear a cardigan over it! When I'm out running errands and want to look a little more presentable and put together, I throw on a solid cream cardigan from Abercrombie and Fitch to tone down the boldness of the shirt!

Don't forget to be smart about where you're wearing certain things, but don't forget to WORK IT HONEY 😉❤️

XOXO

Smack down Monday! Benefit's They're Real?! Mascara vs. Maybelline's The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara Review!

Top Picture: My Eyelashes with Benefit's They're Real Mascara

Bottom Picture: My Eyelashes with Maybelline's The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara (it doesn't even look like I have mascara on!) :(

Hello Loves! ❤️ 

Welcome to my new series "Smack Down Mondays" where I compare a higher end product to a drugstore product and see which one holds up better! 

The Back Story: 

Benefit's They're Real Mascara is one of my Holy Grail products for sure and have been using it for over a year now! I have seen a lot of raving over Maybelline's The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara and was being compared to the Benefit mascara, so I wanted to see if it was worth all the hype and a good cheaper dupe for Benefit's They're Real?! Mascara since it is a higher end product and sometimes you don't want to use your expensive mascara every single day! 

Let's dive into the Smack Down of these two products!👋

First Impressions: I'm not going to lie, I am a HUGE sucker for packaging, I love for a product to feel luxurious, good in my hands and also durable! With Benefit's They're Real Mascara in Black (Non-Waterproof Formula), that's exactly how I feel when I pick it up, it has a nice weight from the tube and overall I think it's really just pretty! I like that it comes in a box with the statistics of the overall difference it makes on lashes, the matte black back drop is sleek and the pop of orange and white writing makes it appealing to look at and is definitely an attention grabber! With Maybelline's The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara in Blackest Black (Waterproof Formula,) it is different! I like the purple and black color theme that also carries onto the mascara tube! I mean I'm a sucker for anything purple! But, the weight of the mascara feels kind of "cheap" compared to the Benefit mascara, it is a drugstore product so I feel like you get what you pay for sometimes! 

Product Comparison: I honestly do not like The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara, the product weighs heavy on my eyelashes, uncurls my lashes and tends to clump together with two coats and with one coat, it's not noticeable at all. With the formula, I find that it's kind of sticky and sticks to my bottom lashes and I find myself throughout the day tugging on my lashes just to get the mascara off because it drives me nuts! To me, this mascara is just kind of okay, it doesn't do a lot for me. That being said, I really like the smaller applicator side because it really makes my bottom lashes look like I have a little something going on down there! I think if you are blessed with naturally long, thick and curly lashes, this product could really enhance your beautiful lashes! With my Benefit's They're Real?! Mascara, the formula really works for my lashes since they're thinner lashes, not very long and grow straight out! When I curl them, the product isn't heavy and doesn't uncurl my lashes. The formula is a little on the wetter, moussey consistency which is probably why it performs and executes the way I want my lashes to look. I go for the super black, long, thick and curly lash look because I wasn't blessed with those traits! 

Final Conclusion: Now, I'm not hating on Maybelline in any way, I think they have some really awesome products and other great mascaras, just this particular product did not benefit me in anyway, it didn't perform the way I wanted it too, but maybe I had too high of hopes for this mascara! Overall, I do not like The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara. With my Benefit's They're Real Mascara, I really believe that it's totally worth the splurge instead of wasting $6-7 on a drugstore mascara that will end up being thrown away.

Ratings:

Maybelline's The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara

4.5⭐️ out of 10⭐️

(Ten being the best mascara I've ever used) 

Benefit's They're Real Mascara

9.5⭐️ out of 10⭐️

I hope you all like this series I'm starting! Tell me what you all want me to smack down next Monday!

XOXO

Photo shoot with Divineskye Photography :)

Photo Credit thanks to Divineskye Photography

Photographer: Megan Lunsford

Megan's Facebook: https://facebook.com/DivineSkye

Let's start off with, I've been working on this for the past couple days! Sorry for being MIA but, this picture is so worth it, right?! Right ;)

So, modeling is literally one of my all time favorite things to do. It relaxes me and I love everything about it, maybe because I'm a tad bit narcissistic. To me, modeling is my ability to express myself in pictures and showing that yeah, I might be little but that's not going to stop me from pursuing my dreams. 

I seriously love that Megan the photographer from Divineskye Photography and I work so well together and have a lot of fun! I've had shoots where the photographer doesn't really get me and my personality and isn't really clear on a vision or direction which doesn't help me as the model know what I need to do, how I need to pose, what I need to do with my face, etc. With Megan, it's like magic and we get so many "money shots" as I call them, because she has a very creative outlook and a vision that I understand and know what I need to do, to work it! 

Since this is a fashion and beauty blog, let me tell you about what I'm wearing! For this shoot, we really went for a wintery kind of direction since it is winter out here in Colorado! So, I took inspiration from New York winter fashion with an edgy kind of vibe. I absolutely LOVE leopard print, I always have and always will! Which is why these Sk8Hi Wedges from Vans made me base an outfit around them! They're such a bold and different shoe which is why I wore them again for this shoot! 

Vans is kind of a theme in my wardrobe since I do work for them and their clothes really reflect me as a person! Classic, different, edgy, a little eclectic and definitely trendy! I can't even tell you how much I love the brand and especially this dress I'm wearing by them! Now, we got this during back to school season and I'm still wearing it, even though it's the middle of winter! I love the lace detail in this dress and the modest neckline which gives the look such a feminie feel to this overall photo shoot. Winter isn't really on my side when it comes to wanting to wear pieces that I love and that's why I paired it with these black pantyhose with silver glitter detail on the side from Forever 21 and this leopard studded cardigan from Pacsun! If I didn't have these pieces to keep me warm, I would have literally died!

I mean come on...this bunny hat pulls this entire outfit together!! So this is Megan's bunny ear hat and it's literally the softest thing I've EVER put onto my head and I love how much more Asian it makes me look! The more Asian I look, the better!

For my makeup, I kept it very simple, neutral and pretty. I felt like since my outfit was so bold, I really needed to keep my face simple so it wouldn't look so overwhelming and I'm so happy I kept it neutral! All I did was my foundation, contoured my face a little heavier as normal since I was being photographed, swiped a champagne color all over my lid, a black winged eyeliner, a nude lip with a nude lipgloss, mascara and a pair of lashes! 

I'll be back on daily with new content!

XOXO 

How To Get My Signature Eye look

This is my all time go to eye look for when I have let's say a date, an event or anytime that I want to just feel pretty! It's all about flawless skin and sexy eyes! It doesn't take too long to do either! All you need is a tinted moisturizer, your favorite medium-full coverage foundation, a bronzer for contouring, a face highlighter, a setting powder, eye primer, eyebrow powder, black gel eyeliner, a black retractable black eyeliner, a champagne colored eyeshadow, an eye shadow that is closest to your skin color and black mascara! Now, I prefer to use brushes and the brushes that I'm absolutely loving and use everyday are the SEPHORA COLLECTION Prestige Luxe Brush Set and use all of these to achieve my look! 

Okay, now that you know what you need, let's jump into it! 

Step one: Make sure you're working on a clean canvas! 

Your skin needs to be squeaky clean and moisturized! Before I start, I always make sure my skin is exfoliated with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, toned with the Neutrogena Anti- Acne Stress toner to prevent my breakouts and follow up with my Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream in light/medium to even out my skin tone since I do have some scarring from when I had acne when I was younger.

Step two: Flawless Looking Skin Time! 

This is my favorite part! Making my skin look absolutely flawless gives me that extra boost like a good bra! I go in with ONE pump of my MAC Studio Fix in NW15 on the back of my hand, dot the foundation all over my face to ensure an even application, dip my Sephora Stippling Brush from the Prestige Luxe Set in what's left on the back of my hand and start from the center of my face blending out with a stippling motion until it's completely blended down to my neck!

Step Three: Contouring and Highlighting!

Since I do have higher cheekbones I like to enhance it with contouring, giving me that really sunken in hollows of my cheeks! I don't do a ton of contouring since I want the focus point to be my eyes. All I do is dip my Sephora Angled Brush into my Marbalized Bronzer in Peach Bronze from Avon and apply it to the hollows of my cheeks aligned with where my pupil is, dragging it back to my ears, making sure it's blended very well! I also contour my jaw bone and under my chin to have a very defined face! Now, using my MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink with the Sephora Buffing Brush patting it right on top of my cheeks. This brush picks up just the amount of product and gives me precise precision of where I want my highlighter placed. 

Steps four-ten: It's all about the eyes right?!

Alright it's time for the most time consuming part of this look! We gotta prime those eyes so you don't look like a raccoon and get greasy so use your favorite eye primer! I use Urban Decay's Primer Potion in original! Now since, your eyes are primed it's time to work some magic on your eyebrows! The Anastasia Brow Kit in Brunette is my favorite eyebrow powder and gel I've ever used! For my brows, I like to keep them fairly bold when I have a dramatic eye and fill them in with an old ELF Eyeliner Brush, brush them out with a spoolie and set them in place with the Anastasia Brow Gel in clear! 

Now we're ready to move onto my signature cateye look! I use Maybelline's Eye Shadow in Champagne patting it all over my lid with Sephora's Flat Shader Brush, blending it out a little bit with my finger and placing MACs Brule with any blending brush I have that's clean into my crease to tone the shimmer down, I don't like looking like a disco ball ;)

The hardest part is the eyeliner and that's what it's time for. I start with my Sephora Angled Eyeliner Brush with a tiny amount of my Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner in black, marking where I want it to end on my top lid, making sure that both eyes are even! Once I'm happy with each eye, I pick up more product and with highest point of the brush I place it where the very end of my tick mark is and start to drag the brush into my inner tear duct stopping about half way, pick up more product, turn my brush the opposite way starting in the inner part of my eye connecting it to my established line, then touching up where I feel is needed. When I'm satisfied, I go in with a regular retractable black eyeliner on my lower lash line connecting it with the winged liner on top! Then going in with a smudger pencil brush and smudging it out to give me a smokier look! When all the black eyeliner is done, it's time to come back in highlighting the inner tear duct with the Maybelline Eyeshadow in Champagne and this is what ties the whole look together! After I take a step back, look at myself making sure it's all even, it's time to curl and coat my eyelashes two times with Benefit Cosmetic's They're Real Mascara in Black making my eyelashes look perfect! 

Step eleven: Don't let your hardwork slide off your face!

Sliding makeup isn't cute for anyone so let's set it all in place with powder! I use Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder in Translucent to keep me from getting oily and my foundation from transferring! 

Step twelve: Add a little bit of color back into you!

This is optional, but I love pink lips so I put some color back into my face with NYXs Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige to add a little bit of girlyness into the darker eye look!

Now you're all done loves! Tell me what kind of an event you'd wear this look too!

XOXO 

My Hobbies!

Since it's the night time and I'm devoted to making a blog post every night before I go to bed to just rewind and talk to all of you, I just wanted to talk about my hobbies since all there is outside is snow see! 

It's so terrible! But the thing that I absolutely love about living in Colorado is that I LOVE snowboarding! I started snowboarding when I was probably eight years old and is a hobby that helps me escape reality and gives me a sense of freedom. 

I also really love makeup, trying new products and playing with it! It's art to me and makes me so relaxed and calm. I love to get dolled up before lets say a "date" and watching a guys face be really impressed by me getting cleaned up so well because I am a pretty big tomboy too! 

I'm really kind of a germaphobe and hate getting dirty. But, when it comes to working on cars and street racing, that's my adrenaline rush. It's what clears my mind completely and what keeps me sane. There's no better feeling revving up an engine and flying through gears and no, I do not mean just hitting the gas pedal. I mean driving a manual! I feel like I'm kind of just known as this "beauty guru" if you will and only into fashion but seriously I love getting down to the nitty, gritty and messy part of working on cars. This my full control, power, freedom, confidence, fun and total "mind clearer!" I love the empowerment I get with having a car with a twin turbo and something I can throw around corners and go full throttle up a mountain!  Subaru STIs have my heart!! Tell me what you all love to do! :) good night you guys! I hope you like getting to know me!! 

XOXO

Confidence and Courage

Photo credit: DivineSkye Photography by Megan Lunsford (left)

Outfit: Dress from Macy's (left) 

Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe Beanie from Brandy Melville, Leather Jacket by Obey from Zumiez (right)

Confidence, now let's get real, EVERYONE struggles with being insecure about themselves at one point in their lives AT LEAST. Let me take you back all the way to Elementary School, Middle School and part of High School. From the first day of Kindergarten I had a lot of self esteem issues because well one, I was the odd one out, I grew up in a town where the Asian population is probably about 1% of the entire population. I was the only little Asian girl in my entire class, I didn't look like the rest, I had one of those really bad 90's hair cuts with the short bangs and quite honestly I did not fit in. I was also the youngest out of my classmates by a year and my teacher had told me that, she didn't believe I could excel at the age of four and had no hope for me which made me feel like I wasn't even smart enough or good enough to be among my peers.So, let's jump to first grade after I proved that darn kindergarten teacher wrong, I had started gymnastics! It was the first time I ever felt a sense of confidence in myself because it was something I was good at and all throughout Elementary School and Middle School that was my escape to feel accepted and confident. I mean, I had a few friends but like I said I was really the odd one out. In Middle School, I was that really awkward kid, in band and what not. I wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror, had braces, teenage acne and I just was not a good looking kid. I looked at all my friends and peers, they were developed pretty, had a ton of friends and then there was me being really awkward. I was honestly not happy with the way I looked one bit and my awkwardness carried on through about my late Junior year. I personally believe it's because I was a gymnast and my body wasn't able to develop till I retired from a knee injury. So, Senior year of High School is when I discovered makeup to enhance what I already had and not cake my face up as I did in previous years. I found my "nitch" that year and started loving who I was. 

A few months later after I graduated, I was hired at Vans and let's just say, Vans honestly changed my world and it took me about a year to fully understand that I was hired for the person on the inside and that's what made me find confidence in myself. Makeup, I believe is a tool to help women feel beautiful don't get me wrong, but knowing you are a good person,with good intentions and dreams is what I think makes someone  start to become confident in themselves and then leads someone beginning to love themselves for who they truly are and embrace their imperfections. It takes courage for one to go out in the world and say "Hey, I'm me, I'm imperfect, I make a shit ton of mistakes, but I learn from them. I'm a good person and persevere through every shitty thing that gets thrown at me and I think I'm a beautiful person, so take me for who I am or don't and if you don't my middle finger truly goes out to you."

The way I look at life now that I'm a little older, is just the things I just quoted above. I know I'm not perfect and I'm okay with it. I'm confident within myself and love the person I see in the mirror, even if I do have a mega breakout on my face, because that's only temporary. I'm beautiful for who I am, not because designer everything makes me way prettier than I really am or because I know how to put on makeup. I'm pretty because I own what I have and make it my own and WORK IT. ;)  Accepting myself is what makes me a confident and a courageous woman. 

All you girls or guys do not need to look at others and go "oh look at what they have, I wish I was them, why can't I have their life." and blah blah blah. You all are all beautiful because of who you are as an individual. I challenge all of you to look in the mirror, pick out one thing about yourself that you like and look at what you have. Do you have a family that loves you, friends, someone who understands you, a house to live in or maybe a significant other? Pick at least two of those things and be thankful for them because the person you might always compare yourself might not have any of those special things that you have. 

I hope you guys really like this heart to heart post! Tell me what you guys love about yourselves and something you're thankful for!

XOXO

Cozy days and Cuddles with Cookie :)

Meet my Poodle Cookie!!

I believe you should all get to know me on a very personal level, I think y'all should know that I'm just a normal person just sharing my interests with the world. I want you guys to also see just the normal, weird, goofy, always taking selfies Katie because let's get real, that's just who I am! Every night, I plan on writing a post that breaks down my day, what I'm working on, what's on my mind and all of those kind of things, with a very not so formal way of typing and talking to all of you the way I'd talk in "real life." haha or even the way I would text some one! :P <---- (That's my favorite face to use!) But honestly, I woke up this morning, took this picture, started up my blog and really thought about what I wanted in life. I seriously thought I wouldn't have an audience at all and this would kind of be like my Facebook and within an hour I was over like 200 views. I am so so so thankful for all of you who take the time and read what I have to say and view my blog! It means so much to me and I really hope this whole thing turns out the way I hope it does! I know it's not going to be easy in any way but it's totally worth it. I'm going to pursue my dreams and so should everyone else :) Goodnight everyone! Talk to all y'all tomorrow!

XOXO

Modeling Advice

Photo Credits: DivineSkye Photography and Sharon Arnoldi Photography

Photographers: Megan Lunsford from DivineSkye and Sharon Arnoldi from Sharon Arnoldi Photography

Modeling has been something I've been interested in my entire life. I remember being little, going outside and making my Mom ALWAYS take pictures of me. It's something that I love and really have a passion for and that's what my blog is about, right?! My first "real" photo shoot was when Sharon approached my Dad about doing my senior pictures. She featured me on her website and stated that I "was fun, easy to photograph, comfortable around a camera and photogenic" which really sparked my interest even more. I thought to myself  "Huh, this is something that I think that I can actually do that's not music and being a total nerd playing the infamous Call of Duty!" I definitely know that I am NOT a Runway Model because I'm not an almost 6ft tall woman, unfortunately I'm only about 5ft 3ish. Although, I'm pretty little I am really interested in being a Print Model. Seriously, how cool would it be to be in a magazine for Vans or even Young and Reckless, I mean come on...that would be HUGE. From my experiences with the photo shoots I've had, I take all of them as a learning experience! I ain't no professional model ;) But, for the girls who are looking into it or want to experience what a photo shoot, here are some of MY personal tips that work for me!

1. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF YOUR MIRROR AND TAKE SELFIES! It sounds totally weird, but it's something that I think you really need to do to get comfortable with yourself changing your poses and faces. You absolutely need to have a flow when you're working with a photographer. They don't want to be telling you what to do every step of the way! Getting in front of the mirror and posing will really help to get you to know your "angles." Knowing your good angles and sides are so important for a picture to come out great! For example, my best side is my right side with my chin slightly tilted down with my neck a tad bit elongated depending on the pose. I feel like it's my "signature" kind of picture are all of those things with my mouth a tad bit open and relaxed, which is what really works for me.
2. WORKOUT and EAT HEALTHY! I mean come on, you have to be in shape in my opinion. If you want to look good in pictures you absolutely need to keep your body toned. Eating healthy and drinking a ton of water is very important, you don't want to have pimples all over your face,  no do you?!
3. ENHANCE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE WITH MAKEUP! This is one of my favorite things about photo shoots, is that I get to experiment with makeup or have someone do my makeup for me. But what I love when I do my own makeup, is that I get to use great products that enhance my features and I don't need to cake it up because I do eat healthy, resulting into having healthy looking skin and fortunately I don't struggle with acne anymore. The things I do for my face when I do my own make up is, use any BB Cream I have on hand, use Benefit's Porefessional face primer, use one pump of MAC's Studio Fix in NW15, contour my face with Revlon's Whipped Cream Foundation that's about three shades darker than my NW15, set it with a translucent powder, go over my contouring with Avon's Marberlized Bronzing Powder in Bronzed Peach and then my favorite part...highlighting with either MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Porcelain Pink or the sample that I have of Benefit's Watt's Up highlighter which is so on point! Now, it seems like a lot for someone who doesn't have problematic skin, but it I like having my face look flawless on camera! For my eyes, I really don't do a lot besides swipe Mac's eye shadow in All That Glitters all over the lid, blend it out with Mac's Esperesso in the crease, highlight my inner tear duct with any white shimmery eye shadow, wing out my eye liner with Maybelline's Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner in black, smudge black eye shadow under my lower lashes, curl my eye lashes and use a couple coats of Benefit's They're Real Mascara in black, maybe slap on some false eye lashes and always do my lips either nude, pink, or dark! 
4. FIND THE PERFECT OUTFIT! It's all about fashion and looking good, it doesn't matter if it's uncomfortable or not, you have to make sure your outfit is on point and fits the theme and desired look for the photographer!
5. SMILE! There's nothing prettier than a genuine smile and confidence! 

So there's my Modeling 101 and story! There's not a lot that beats the feeling of having a photo shoot and looking hott!! I hope it's useful to some of you and that y'all can learn a little something from someone who's had a few amazing experiences! You guys can see more pictures from shoots on Instagram @callmeekatiee :)

 Good luck <3

XOXO,

Katie 

Let's Talk Fashion.

Photo Credit: Divineskye Photography Photographer: Megan Lunsford
Outfit: Dress from Macys, Belt is from Target, and of course my staple Sk8 Hi Wedges from Vans
Makeup: MAC's Studio Fix in NW15, Revlon's Whipped Foundation for Contouring, Mabelline's Translucent Powder, Avon's Mineralized Bronzing Powder, MACs Mineralize Skin Finish in Porcelain Pink, Avon's 12 in 1 Pallete, Mary Kay's True Dimension Lipstick in Mystic Plum, Maybelline's Eye Studio Fix Gel Eyeliner in Black and Benefit Cosmetic's They're Real?! Mascara in Black.


I feel like my style is EVERYWHERE. Anything from really girly, to extremely edgy like in this picture is where my personal style is. There's no doubt that my style changes on an everyday basis, because that's what I think fashion is. Fashion to me is about expressing yourself and owning who you are as an individual. Getting inspiration from others and making it my own is in my opinion, the best thing you can ever do. What makes this particular outfit ME is the fact that I rock those leopard Sk8Hi Wedges by Vans because I absolutely love them. Loving new things that are different and that are set apart from the rest is individuality and that's what makes me I think, a "Vans Girl." Embracing what I have, being confident in myself, believing in myself and expressing myself through what I wear is true fashion and style. It isn't about having everything designer branded or anything like that. Being able to model what I seriously love is one of the biggest honors I have! Tell me what you think fashion is and what you think of this outfit! Don't forget to share this blog and follow me on Instagram @callmeekatiee

Holy Grail Product: Benefit Cosmetic's They're Real?! Mascara Review!!

I'm going to be real honest here, I've NEVER in my life have tried a mascara so life changing! I've tried Maybelline's The Falsies and pretty much every mascara on the drugstore market and they have always made my lashes droop and clump which is not my desired look or style. I'm a regular at Sephora and Ulta and I finally gave in about a year ago and have tested this mascara out for an entire year to give my personal review of it. Now, let's start from the beginning about my lashes. I was not born with long, thick, curly and beautiful lashes. My eyelashes are thin and grow straight down, which is so annoying, but it is very typical for Asians. I wouldn't say they're sparse... but they are fragile so, I definitely don't curl them everyday. In fact, Benefit's They're Real Mascara in black, does everything for me with two coats. It curls, lengthens and makes my lashes way more voluminous which is PERFECT. In this picture my eyebrows are only filled in and all I have is mascara on. Looking put together in a minimal amount of time for everyday is my kind of deal. I hope to review way more of Benefit Cosmetic's products on here and be 100% honest with all of you! I hope you guys have a great day! Don't forget to follow my Instagram @callmeekatiee it's my favorite social media site! :D