Spring Into Summer Shopping & Styling Event

Hi lovelies! I hope everyone is having a fantastic and hopefully cool weekend! I am super excited to write this post because I attended my first ever fashion event on Thursday!!! How awesome is that? And as you probably know, I now have the overwhelming need to share my experience. This show was hosted by InHer Glam and Blair Chic Boutique. You can check out the InHer Glam blog here and Blair Chic's website here.

Before I start, I want to give a big thank you to both Jessica Blair of Blair Chic + InHer Glam for throwing this event, there were a few hiccups but at the end of the day, this event was free and open to anyone and let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy fashion, food, and free stuff?

In the beginning, everything was a little behind schedule and unorganized so we did end up waiting around for a half hour or so before everything started but, Jessica (the owner) did apologize to everyone. From personal experience, I know how difficult it can be to get back on track when even just one thing goes awry. I will say, the people, atmosphere, goodie bags, giveaways, drinks + snacks were amazing and more than made up for it!

The purpose of this event was for local Chicagoan bloggers and lovers of fashion to come together in a body loving, positive space to share tips and tricks as well as try (and possibly buy) some of the clothing from the recently opened Blair Chic Boutique (sizes 1x-6x). I myself did not purchase anything but I did browse around and I ended up falling in love with this floral print skirt. I must admit, it was pretty marvelous having so many plus size lovelies in one room sharing fashion fears, finds, DIY tricks, thrifting ideas and overall just talking and helping each other out so that we can go to stores and be able to pick something up that we would normally maybe shy away from.

Now, I wasn't able to get pictures of all the models since everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, so please forgive me! I know I should have been a lot quicker when taking photos. As far as fashions, I did like the pieces that were shown which included a lot of interesting styles and everything from that floral skirt and jumpers to wrap dresses and camo print leggings, there are even pieces from other retailers like ASOS Curve available.

Overall, aside from the usual Chicago weather that decided to juggle between a full on downpour to insanely hot to comfortably cool, I really enjoyed everything. I wish Jessica all the luck in the world for the future and I will be back to see Blair Chic's new offerings and how it has evolved once the dust of opening a new store has settled.

Much love xo

Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Ultra-Hydrating Balm - Review

As you lovelies probably already know, my hair is extremely dry. Ever since I can remember, I have had to apply palmfuls of oils and products to nourish and tame the cactus formally known as my hair. Because of this, I am constantly on the hunt for new and awesome conditioners as I have never truly found the perfect one. Is the perfect one even really out there, or am I doomed to only find ones that are close but no cigar?

A few weeks back I was at my local hair salon getting a trim when I decided to browse their wall of  products wanting to try something new. A few stylist recommendations later and I left for home with this in hand. According to the back of the bottle:

"Biolage Ultra-Hydrating Balm intensely conditions very dry, thick, coarse hair. Formulated with aloe extract, cupuacu butter, and apricot kernel oil to help envelop and smooth hair. Biolage Hydratherapie enriches dry hair with essential moisture, manageability, and softness. Formulas with aloe vera botanical help nourish and restore hair's health and moisture balance, revealing its natural softness, shine, and radiance."

So, how did it work? Quite good actually up until I read and researched the ingredients list (will explain more below). My favorite thing is just how little I need to coat all of my hair (I have medium length hair) a tiny bit goes a very long way with this conditioner which is unheard of for me, since I am so accustomed to using mountains of product. As far as routine, I simply wash my hair, apply the conditioner and cover with a plastic cap for 10-15 minutes before cool rinsing. Seems easy enough right? This is actually a bit of a negative for me because this balm only seems to work if I really let it soak in for ten minutes or more. I know that 10 minutes is not a long time whatsoever but it is a bit of an inconvenience if you're looking for a quick wash and go. I can't necessarily fault the product itself for this since my hair is so naturally dry but, it is something to be aware of if your hair is similar to mine. After my hair is completely dry it is very soft and manageability is spectacular. However, my hair is also naturally frizzy and this does absolutely NOTHING for frizz. Zero, nip, nada. So I still find myself having to use another product to combat that.

So far everything sounds pretty decent right? I was honestly shocked when I started researching the ingredients list because this is where the conditioner severely falters; it is absolutely chocked full of chemicals and fragrances, with quite a few of them being down right unhealthy for your hair. In hind sight, I should have done this before I made a purchase but unfortunately, I did not and now I'm stuck with it. I have bolded all of the unsavory and fishy ingredients below, as always please do your own research and decide what is best for you!

Ingredients: water, cetearyl alcohol, palm oil, behentrimonium chloride, glycerin, fragrance, isopropyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, apricot kernel oil, cupuacu seed butter, limonene, citric acid, chlorhexidine dihydrochloride, hexyl cinnamal, coumarin, linalool, butylphenyl methylpropional, benzyl alcohol, hydroxycitronellal, amyl cinnamal

Isopropyl Alcohol aka rubbing alcohol is extremely drying

Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine is used to provide slip and to keep product from separating but can be corrosive and irritating if not neutralized properly.

Limonene is a strong citrus based solvent often used in cleaning products that may cause skin irritation.

Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride is a solvent mainly used as an antiseptic for wounds. May cause skin irritation.

Coumarin is used for fragrance and may irritate the skin. Toxic if eaten.

Benzyl Alcohol is another drying alcohol; can also be irritating in large amounts.


Overall, I really do like the way that this conditioner makes my hair feel but, would I re-purchase? Absolutely not. The vast list of chemicals, solvents and fragrances is something that I personally do not feel comfortable with and my hair is already dry enough without the use of not one but two different alcohols. No thank you! If this conditioner did not contain the multiple irritants and alcohols I would be in love but, as of right now, I will not be using it unless it is reformulated at some point without the harsh ingredients.

Retail: $17.99 (varies) // 10.1 fl oz

Ingredients information came from Tightly Curly

Much love xo

Beauty Things I Suck At!

When diving into the world of beauty, fails and mishaps are inevitable and it is something that we all go through at one point or another. Sometimes it can be hilarious, and sometimes not so much; like the time that I accidentally left my favorite lipstick in the car and it melted into a big puddle of red goop. But what happens when a one time mishap becomes so much more? When there is that one thing that no matter how hard you try, it always manages to derail? Whether it's getting the perfect cat eye, not bumping your nails before they dry, or getting those brows juuust right; we all have our moments that makes us want to hurl a certain product into the sun, or is that just me? A big thank you to one of my favorite bloggers, Cookie over at The Charming Cheshire for tagging me in this, now let's dive right in shall we?

Blending Eyeshadow:

Yep. I admit it. Properly blending my eyeshadow is FOR SURE not one of my strong points. In my defense, I did not start wearing eyeshadow until the last few years and even then I was wearing one color. You can imagine my epic failure when I decided to add multiple shadows to one eye look! Most of the time I can never seem to find a perfect medium when it comes to blending, either my shadows are not blended whatsoever or they become muddled and turn into one color. Alas, I am still learning everyday and maybe soon I'll be able to take this off of the things I suck at list!

Curling My Hair:

Now, as someone who loves to wear curls and is rarely even seen with straight hair, you would think that I would be a wizard with a curling iron right? Nope. Not even close. Not. even. close. While I can do the front of my hair with somewhat successful ease, the back of my head is another story. The mirror completely throws me and I usually end up with sore arms and a very irritated expression (cue the grumpy cat face).

Tight-lining:

I'll be honest here...until I got deep into the beauty game, I never even knew that tight-lining existed. Seriously. Even once I knew it existed I would often forget. On the occasions that I would have my black eyeliner in hand and decided to go for it, I would poke myself in the eye and spend the rest of the day squinting. Smooth right? These days I've started to get better at the art of tight-lining but...it still isn't one of my skills.

Nail Polish Cleanup:

I have been polishing my nails for years now and even still, I cannot for the life of me, cleanup the polish properly after applying it. I have tried q-tips, brushes, you name it. I can never get it to work. I've resulted to polishing my nails at a sloth's pace as to not make mistakes. Well okay, maybe a FAST sloth. Is that even possible?

I Tag:

Sara // Dancing With Drag Queens

Allison // Mischief Managed Makeup

Kristina // Discovering Beauty With KV

Miss Dalisay // Beauty Rehab

Aileen // Beautiful You

Well there you have it loves, my epic fails of the makeup world, I really hope you enjoyed them and I would love to hear from you all! What beauty things do YOU suck at? Comment below!

Much love xo

Torrid Fold-Over Pencil Skirt - OOTD & Review

"Soft, stretchy and oh-so-versatile, this jersey knit skirt goes from classic pencil to sexy mini with a fold of the wide waistband, it will be a fashion favorite all season long."

As a plus sized girl I have always been intimidated by pencil skirts; they are the one clothing item that I have always been absolutely enamored with but terrified to wear. Why? I have belly rolls. And the tightness and form fitting aspect of a pencil skirt was just not something that I felt comfortable wearing for a long while.

A few weeks ago, I was window shopping the Torrid website looking for a plain black skirt to serve as the bottom for my upcoming Shaun of the Dead cosplay and somehow, in between the lace and florals, popped out a series of fold over skirts. Okay...I will admit this sounds incredibly corny, forgive me! After a small pep talk with myself and an overbearing need to just say f*ck it and wear whatever I want, I called my nearest Torrid to check if they had it in stock. To my luck, they had one left and it happened to be my size. Fate eh? No? Well, I like to think so.

Anyhow, fast forward to trying this baby on and it was instant love; the length and fit were absolutely perfect. Now, I must warn you, it is a VERY good thing that this skirt is meant to be folded down and customized to your needs. Why? Because I'm 6'1 and even when pulling it up to just under my breasts, this skirt still almost reached my knees. If you are any shorter than I, you will probably need to fold this skirt up a bit to still be a classic mini or pencil.

Can I express just how much I love this skirt? The material is super duper stretchy and beyond comfortable, this is one item that you can definitely wear to dinner and not have to worry about it feeling uncomfortable by the end of the meal. Now unfortunately, nothing can be perfect and this skirt does have a flaw. Since the material is so stretchy, after a day of wear it becomes very loose, not to the point of falling off but it is definitely not as form fitting (hopefully washing will fix that right up).

Onto my cam-whoring! Let me pause for a moment and say, I tip my hat to all of you fashion bloggers out there; posing is a lot harder than it looks! I ended up taking around fifty photos just to get ten that I really liked.

Overall, I really do love this skirt so much I'm probably going to end up ordering the black & white striped version, especially now that they are on-sale. I think these types of pieces are essential in ones wardrobe since they are perfect for dressing up or down. In case you're wondering, my skirt is a size 3, lipstick is MAC's Lady Danger, and the cami that I'm wearing is also from Torrid but now sold out online.

And to all my fat babes and my regular babes, wear whatever the hell you want and hold your head high, don't be afraid or intimidated like I was; I spent so many years shying away from pencil skirts when I could have been enjoying them! Love you all and hope you enjoyed my very first outfit of the day!

Retail: $24.50 // 24" long (Cotton/Spandex fabric)

Purchase Black here

Purchase Grey here

Purchase Black & White Striped here

Purchase Navy Floral here

Much love xo

7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty Tag!

I've been wanting to do the Seven Deadly Sins tag for far too long and now here it is! Thank you so much to the awesome and lovely Cookie for tagging me! Go and check out her blog, The Charming Cheshire, what are you waiting for? Onward we go!

TAG RULES:

• Follow and link the person who tagged you!
• Answer all questions on Greed, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Pride, Lust and Envy
• Tag as many people as you want and be sure to let them know!
• Let the person who tagged you know by sending them a link in a comment!

Greed

What is your most expensive beauty item? Definitely my Philosophy Miracle Worker moisturizer, I purchased the largest size which retails for a whopping, $94 for 4 oz of product. Yikes. 

Wrath   

What item do you have a love/hate relationship with? My MAC Russian Red lipstick. I'm in love with the color of this lipstick (a very classic retro red) but, I absolutely hate the feel of it. I usually love mattes but Russian Red is BEYOND drying. I'm talking annoying, can't ignore it, seventh level of hell drying. Oddly enough, your lips do not actually look dry while wearing this lipstick but, you can certainly feel it.

Gluttony

What brand takes up most of your collection? MAC. I own four lipsticks, blot powder, Prep + Prime lip, Fix +, and Mineralize Charged Water spray

Sloth

Which product do you neglect the most due to laziness? False eyelashes. I own two pairs of false lashes and I honestly never, ever wear them. I've tried quite a few times and they always end up being pushed to the back of my makeup drawer. 

Pride

What gives you the most confidence? Lipstick! If you don't know by now.. I love, love, LOVE my matte red lips, my look just feels complete whenever I wear it. 

Lust

Which item is at the top of your beauty wish list? The Youngblood Anti-Shine Mattifier. Ever since Birchbox sent out samples of this product I've been wanting to get my hands on it. I have combination/oily skin and in the summer time, the oil goes into overdrive. Thankfully, with just a few more Birchbox points, it shall be all mine soon!

Envy

Which makeup product/look is great on others but not on yourself? Blush. I have tried so many different brands, techniques, and shades and no matter what, blush is apparently my worst enemy; I always end up looking flushed like I've been standing in the hot sun. 

I TAG:

Kristina // Discovering Beauty With KV

Jess // Let's Play Makeup

Athena // Modestly Sophisticated

Helen // Dollys And Daisies

Christiana // Life Of O

Jen // Jen Tea

Three Weeks Before The End of Google Reader

Here we are, down to the wire and savoring the last few weeks of Google Reader before it's gone. Or am I the only one?

As you may have heard (or not) by now, Google Reader is coming to an end. Unfortunately for us, this means no more GFC and the end of following your favorite blogs via Google; effective July 1st!

This is why I encourage all of you that have not already, if you would like to continue following Dollface Beauty and getting regular post updates, please follow me via Bloglovin'. You can use the button in the right sidebar or use the link below! If you've never heard of Bloglovin', it is simply a stress free way of following your favorite blogs and receiving all of their new posts in one place, just like you're doing now.

Dollface Beauty on Bloglovin'

Thanks so much lovelies!

Much love xo

Liebster Award #4 & #5

It seems like ages since my last beauty post but, as you've probably read I've had a major disheartening and scarring event happen recently. That, coupled with being ill, has left me completely unmotivated. But, as the days go by, my heart is healing, my mind is becoming clearer, my emotions are simmering down and I feel productive and ready to get back to doing what I love; blogging & connecting with all of you. I've missed you!

I want to give a big thank you and an even bigger apology to Aileen and Jen, they each nominated me for Liebster's ages ago and I've just gotten around to doing it. Thank you so, so much to you both! You can check out Aileen's blog here and Jen's here.

Rules:

• List 11 facts about yourself
• Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate (not including your nominator)
• Ask 11 new questions for the bloggers that you nominate
• Answer the 11 questions given to you by your nominator
• Thank your nominator and give a link to their blog

Eleven Facts:

• Banana cheesecake is my favorite dessert
• Jeepers Creepers is to date, the only horror film that genuinely creeps me out
• I collect old R.L Stine "Goosebumps" books
• Six Feet Under is still my favorite TV show
• I plan on opening my own Etsy shop in the near future
• This will be the first year that I will be wearing a costume to comic con (Shaun of the Dead)
• I love gaming and reading
• I usually love horror games but, to this day I cannot play Silent Hill. I attempted to play the original years ago and have been terrified since.
• I love the cold, so much that I even have my AC on in the middle of winter
• Even though I love to cook, scrambled eggs seem to be the one thing that I have trouble getting right consistently
• Halloween is my all time favorite holiday followed by Valentine's Day

Aileen's Questions:

1. If you could only shop in one store for the rest of your life, what store would you choose?  Ack! I couldn't imagine only shopping at one store when there are so many awesome possum things all over but, if I had to choose, I would pick Torrid! I know that as of late, the quality has gone a bit downhill and they can very well be outrageously expensive. But, for consistently finding clothing that fits well and prints that I love, Torrid has always been at the top of my list. (Apologies for sounding like an infomercial)

2. What is the thing you like most about yourself? I would have to say my sense of humor, I'd like to think that I am a funny person and I love making others laugh

3. Who do you most look up to? My mother. No matter what, my mom is and always will be the greatest person that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

4. Name one thing in your room that means a lot to you. A jack in the box that my father gave to me when I was about five years old.

5. What is your favorite perfume / fragrance? I have two all time favorite perfumes, the first being "Daisy Duck" by Disney. Odd right? This was the first perfume that I ever owned as a child so it holds a special place in my heart. Not only does it smell wonderful but since it is a children's perfume, it is extremely cheap, about $10. My second favorite is "Twirl" by Kate Spade, I received a sample from Birchbox a few years back and immediately went out and purchased the full size. Both of these fragrances are staples in my life and I've even got quite a few friends hooked on them too!

6. What is your favorite song and why? Yesterday's Feelings by The Used. This band has been one of my favorites for years now and this song, albeit depressing, speaks to me in a lot of different ways and has helped me through a lot of troublesome times, it was this very song that inspired one of my tattoos.

7. What made you start blogging? I have always loved the world of makeup & fashion but for awhile, I never thought that I had anything to offer. One day I decided to give it a try and here I am. I have always loved to write and it's nice to have a space where I can express myself as well as cater to so many different things, body love, product reviews, PCOS awareness, self esteem, plus size fashion, etc. that way, everyone can find a post that they like or that helps them in some way.

8. One place that you most want to visit? Venice, Italy. Oddly enough, I fell in love with this city after watching The Italian Job (one of my favorite movies) and ever since it has been a dream of mine to visit someday.

9. How did you first meet your best friend? Freshman year of high school

10. Have you had any embarrassing make-up mishaps? Have I? Absolutely. My biggest mishap started in, you guessed it, high school. When I first started using makeup, I had no clue what eyeshadow was. Seriously, I didn't even know it existed! So, my "eyeshadow" consisted of smearing eyeliner all over my lids. Yep, let that marinate. You can probably imagine how much eyeliner I went through in a month.

11. What is one thing you have done in your life that you are most proud of? Oh man, I hate to "toot my own horn" so to speak but thankfully in life I have been a very lucky person and have a lot to be proud of: overcoming major illnesses, adopting my furbabies, starting my blog, and I was even Valedictorian of my school. It's hard to pick just one thing because I have been fortunate to experience so many wonderful things.

Jen's Questions:

1. What's your favorite eyeshadow color? In general greys and browns. If I had to choose specific eyeshadows I would say: Twilight (Ulta brand), Hot Mama (TheBalm), Presto & Alice Copper (TheBalm's Balm Jovi Palette)

2. Do you have a favorite book? What is it? Oh boy, I have WAY too many favorites so I'll list a few of them: Warm Bodies (Isaac Marion), The Twilight Saga (Stephanie Meyer), Easy (Tammara Webber), Beautiful Disaster (Jamie McGuire), Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson), Stolen (Lucy Christopher) and Want To Go Private? (Sarah Darer Littman)

3. If you could have lunch with any youtuber, who would it be? I love so many bloggers and vloggers but, if I had to choose youtubers I would say Cora (VintageorTacky), Rachel Whitehurst, Angie (GoldieStarling), and Glowpinkstah!

4. What's your favorite makeup or fashion brand? No favorite fashion brands but as far as makeup, I love Too Faced, MAC, and TheBalm

5. Do you prefer autumn or spring? Autumn! I love, love, LOVE the fall atmosphere; cold weather, crunchy leaves, Halloween, etc.

6. Do you have siblings? Yep, one wonderful sister

7. Do you have any hidden talents (cooking, singing, playing instruments, etc)? I love to cook and bake and I'm constantly trying to learn and experiment with new recipes. I would love to learn to play piano someday.

8. Which musician/actor do you currently have a crush on? Hmm. I guess Lee Pace, not only is he attractive (to me) but, I think he is a wonderful actor as well.

9. If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be? Why? Venice, Italy. Oddly enough, I fell in love with this city after watching The Italian Job (one of my favorite movies) and ever since it has been a dream of mine to visit someday.

10. What are your top two biggest pet peeves? Those than do not show appreciation/love/thanks to those that support them and people that shame others, in any of it's forms.

11. Name a happy childhood memory :) Riding my very first bike...well, right up until I crashed into a tree. I haven't ridden a bike since lol

I Nominate:

Haley // Haley Here

PinkGemma Plus

Plump Parsnip

Lilybobombs

Emily // In A Faraway Tree

Becky // Does My Blog Make Me Look Fat?

Lozza

Cassandra // I Can't Afford My Style

Beth // Tinkerbell And The Lost Girls

Jackie // Five Two Certified

Kelly // Studio Gold

Questions For My Nominees:

1. Who is your favorite band/artist?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. Do you have a current favorite TV show?
4. What is one fashion item that you've been coveting recently?
5. Name three of your favorite stores to shop.
6. What is the greatest thing that you've learned since starting your blog?
7. If you could be any villain from a Disney movie, who would you be?
8. If you wanted to, what is one thing you could change or improve about your blog?
9. Best book that you've read recently.
10. What is your dream job/career?
11. If you could try anything new, what would it be?


Photo is from Google Images

Much love xo

A Warmed Heart

I want to give a big hug and thank you to those of you who've read my latest posting and left kind words. It's those very words that have made this difficult time for me just a little bit easier, and for that, I cannot thank you enough, it truly does mean the world to me. You all are amazing! This is one of the reasons that I love blogging and connecting with all of you, we may all be different and reside in different parts of the world but, we come together when needed. 

Even though I have not been around much, the fact that I have gained quite a few new followers has not gone unnoticed! I just want to say hello to you all! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my blog :)

So, to all of my readers both new and old, I shall be back to posting new content in the next upcoming days. I've missed you! Thank you for supporting me in my absence.

Much love xo

Papa

Good morning lovelies, I know that some of you have probably been wondering exactly why I have been absent for the past two weeks. Before I explain, I would like to apologize for seemingly abandoning my blog, that was never and has never been my intention. I've typed and re-typed this post twenty times or more because what I am about to say still doesn't feel real.

I woke up one morning with five wonderful felines and by nightfall on the very same day, I went to bed with only four. One of my furbabies that I've loved and cared for since I was a child, passed away very suddenly and the days without him here have yet to feel real. It is with an immensely heavy heart that I write this post.

I still remember the very first day that I met my little guy, I was walking down the street and out from between a couple of houses came a pint sized, starving cat with an injured foot, he walked right up to me and mewed. I bent down, picked him up and took him home. It was one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my entire life.

Over the years I watched the same tiny cat blossom into a strong, handsome guy that loved to jump on top of the refrigerator and sleep while we drove ourselves insane searching around the house for him, of course to find him hours later fast asleep behind a box of frosted flakes.

I would give anything to see him run around the house playing or have him curl up in my lap just one more time. I hope he knows how much I love him and I hope that he has found peace along with plenty of fluffy beds, tuna, and his favorite moving mouse toy.

I love you Papa

I miss you every. single. day.