Just Kiss and Makeup Already!

Ladies, putting on makeup isn’t what we thought it would be when we were little girls, am I right!?! It is time consuming, expensive and tedious after SO MANY years of doing it. BUT it can also be a lot of fun and can run quite smoothly with the right methods and tools. 

When you are blind applying makeup can be a challenge, however it may be much simpler than you think! Here is a list of my favorite six stylish makeup tips for blind women & just women in general:

1. Stop Looking! Even if you have some vision, start using your makeup right away non-visually. My mom is a gem and taught me early on to do my makeup without looking. This has helped me a lot later in life as an adult who is always on the go and does not always have the optimal lighting to apply makeup with a mega-zoom mirror. This is good advice for every woman, not just blind women.

I found this cute braille makeup bag on Etsy...isn't it cute!?!

2. Tinker with Color! When you are trying out a new color, or are just deciding what color you want to start out with, always have a friend or family member, who will not sugar coat things, tell you what looks good on you and what doesn’t. I have heard others say they go to a makeup counter at a department store; I however have never tried this but hope to someday. Instead, I use my resources, my fashionable friends, who will help me decide which color is best.

Picture: Women's face in rainbow gumballs. Play with color!

 3. Whip out the Wipes! This is a new trick I’ve been using and I love it so far. I don’t know about you, but there are far too many days that I end up with eyeliner or mascara smudges on my face in places mascara and eyeliner shouldn’t be. I have resorted to asking others to check my makeup but this isn’t always possible if you are alone a lot. SO, I tried a new tactic I really like. Once you put on your eye-make up (do this first) then take a makeup remover wipe you can get at any store and wipe around your face except for the parts of your eyes wear makeup should be. This doesn’t work well if you wear foundation but it does get rid of all the black marks and other eye makeup that may have spread. Then you can add blush and lipstick. You can use the wipe to then clean off your brushes when you’re done, throw it away and repeat tomorrow.

Makeup themed cupcakes!!!! Are you kidding me????

4. Don’t lash out on your lashes! When applying mascara, let it dry on your eye lashes before you try to do anything else. TRUST ME. Too many times I have been in a rush to get the rest of my eye makeup done and have smudges on my face because the mascara is still wet. Patience will benefit you!

This is my latest favorite mascara! It makes my lashes look SO long and I love it. You can get this Fleur de Vie mascara here.

5. Plucker up! Shape those Brows. When it comes to plucking your eyebrows, and yes almost EVERYBODY should be doing this, always go to a professional. I have tried, too many times to count, to pluck my eyebrows on my own and they rarely turn out well. It doesn’t cost a lot to go to a salon and get it done and it’s worth the expense. You should go at least every four or so months, unless your eyebrows are super bushy, go more often. My (wimpy) husband said getting his eye brows waxed was worse than getting a tattoo (--he's crazy, it's not that bad). No one likes a uni-brow or bushy eye brows.

If you don't wax, or go to the WRONG salon, you may end up looking like this. Thick brows in the middle, that arch REALLLLLY high and get real skinny on the ends is NOT an acceptable wax job!

6. Have a pretty party! If you are worried about applying makeup, that it will be hard to do or that you will mess up. Go to your local store buy the cheapest version of makeup you can find and some makeup remover wipes then go home and have a makeup fest. Experiment with it, get it all over your face, wipe off and re-apply several times until you feel comfortable. EVEN BETTER, plan a makeup party with your friends and family and experiment on yourself and others or have a makeup consultant like Mary Kay, Fleur De Vie or Avon come and give you tips and help you pick the best colors. Make makeup fun! So there you have it.

How adorable are these makeup sugar cookies!?! 

 Makeup isn’t for everyone, some of you are natural beauties I understand but hopefully you got some new tips to add to your makeup bag. Happy makeup-ing my stylish friends!

Dress Me Up Contest Winner!!!

Congratulations to...

KATTRINA HOLT

Winner of the 2013 Dress Me Up Contest!

 

 

There were SO many great options in this years contest (close to 100). It was so hard to choose just one!

 

Kattrina picked this purple, lace beauty from Shabby Apple! One of my all-time favorite clothing stores. Be sure to check out all their stunning looks.

 

I surprised myself with this choice. I'm not normally a fan of purple, no offense, it's just not NORMALLY my color. THEN, I saw this dress and I couldn't get it out of my head. I loved the lace, the simple elegance and the dark, rich color. I ended up accessorizing it with gold and it felt royally terrific.

 

Congratulations Kattrina and everyone who participated! It was truly a tough decision.

 

Kattrina won a $50 gift card to her favorite store, Down East Basics.

 

She's also quite talented herself, check out her amazing photography at

SassaFrass Photo.

Over the Heel: Shoe's for All

My 30th birthday is just around the corner, it's hard to believe it! So when thinking about what I wanted to do to celebrate this milestone birthday, I thought what better way to celebrate than with shoes! I know NONE of you who read this blog are shocked, shoes are one of my most favorite things.

Photo: Life is better with a new pair of shoes.

So this weekend, Saturday March 30 my mom and sister are throwing me a shoe bash! I hope any of my friends who will be in Salt Lake this weekend will join us, email me, if you need details. I would be THRILLED to see some of my friends I have not seen in years! :)

Picture: Hot pink high heel shoe invite my mom made for the party. So cute.

HOWEVER, for those of you who can't join the party, there is a way you can help me celebrate...

One of the things I wanted to be sure was a part of my 30th b-day was that I would be able to give-back in some way. In my 30 years of life LOTS of people have stepped up and given me things, love, support, guidance...you name it I've been on the receiving end. SO for this birthday I wanted to do something for someone else.

SO I am asking all my party guests, and honorary party guests who can't make it in person,  to donate a pair of shoes to be given to a local women's shelter. My goal is to collect/donate 30 pairs of shoes in honor of my 30th birthday.

Here's a few ways you can make it happen:

1. Come to the party and bring a NEW pair of women's shoes to donate.
2. If you can't make the party but live in Salt Lake, take a pair of shoes to my mom's house or give them to Ambree or DIane at the dance studio this week!
3. Ship a pair of shoes to me to donate, email me for my address.
4. Make a donation to the Atkinson Action Fund online through PayPal and write "shoes" in the comment box.
5. Buy a pair of shoes and donate them to a local shelter in your area, BUT take a picture and post it ot my personal Facebook page or the Slate and Stylish Facebook page (so I can count your donation in my tally).

EVERY women deserves a cute pair of shoes. In my opinion, shoes can change the whole way you look and feel about yourself.

Let's make it happen, 30 pairs of shoes for my 30th birthday!

Quote: Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.


Some Things Never Change

Some things never change!

I was reminiscing about my childhood neighborhood, my friends and the
things we did growing up! It really was a fun neighborhood and we were outside
ALL the time. I miss that in today's world!

As I was thinking back on my childhood, I realized while lots of changes have
happened to us since we were all kids, some things haven't changed at all.

1. I used to be bossy! Super bossy-pants! I always put on plays in the neighborhood, and
of course I directed them. We would sell tickets to our shows and I was a
dictator when it came to play practice, no excuses, you were at play practice or
you were out! Glad I'm not bossy at all anymore...not at all.
Some things never change.

2. I loved fashion from day one. When I was in pre-school I wore a dress to school
every single day. Matching bows, tights, shoes and accessories. I was prissy too,
hated getting dirty and wasn't thrilled to be dressed in anything but a dress or
dance clothes. Everything had to match perfectly too.

In my preschool play on colors I was the color green; we were given a giant plastic bow in our color to wear during the show (which I hosted, for real, surprise, surprise). I did not have a thing that matched my bow so I had my grandma make one for me. Glad I'm over that now!
Some things never change.

3. From an early age I loved to organize things. I would put all my mom's perfumes
in order, I would make sure my dolls and stuffed animals were perfectly in place and
I did not like my room to be cluttered. I spent half my childhood organizing stuff...
including other kids. How did I even have friends? Today, just finished printing
labels for the bins in our walk in closet...sigh.
Some things never change.

4. I was a VERY emotional child! I would get exceeding upset about things, sad, happy, scary… I once cried so hard in Kindergarten, because I spilled the glue, that they sent me home.
I once saw this girl with torn up shoes and it upset me so much that I went home, snuck
ALL my shoes in my backpack and gave them ALL to the girl. Sweet, but a little Obsessive.
Some things never change…except I probably wouldn’t give away all my shoes.

Bridal picture of me looking at varies pairs of shoes.
 

5. Ok, this one's mostly my mother's fault but she used to/still does throw me some AMAZING
(and extravagant) birthday parties. Everyone had a theme (Chinese, Hawaiian, Circus, Teddy Bear, Fiesta…) and I always had A LOT of kids there! Now I can't plan a dang party/event/get-together without some kind of theme. If a party has no theme it makes me nuts (thanks mom).
Some things never change.

I imagine if we all looked at ourselves as kids we'd see not much has changed.

That's kind of comforting in an ever changing world, don't you think!?!

Feeling Blue and Gray...

I am normally a go bold or go home kind of girl when it comes to fashion. I like it bold, bright and fun! But today I'm feeling a bit more subdued...

Tonight I am "going to the city" (that's what we say in the south when we go to the BIG city which is Monroe, Louisiana population 49,000), for a fancy dinner night out with good friends. I'm excited for ANY chance I get to dress up around here because it doesn't happen all that often.

Recently a certain color scheme has caught my attention, I want to know what you guys think. I'm thinking of these colors for tonight.

Gray
Silver
Black &
Robin Egg Blue

Really boring from me right!?! But sometimes I get a vision and just have to go for it.

Check out these colors together...

Dining foom with robin egg blue armoir, white flowers and gray seat covers and walls.

Bedroom with gray, white and robin egg blue planks on the wall, white duvet with blue pillows.

Robin Egg Blue nail polish by ORLY.

Robin egg blue under shirt, scarf and shoes, with black pants and gray peacoat.

Wallpaper, bedroom, pearls, dining room, felt flowers all in gray and robin egg blue.

So what do you think? Blue and gray all the way or blue and gray, no way?

You Complete Me...

I am simply smitten.

I have not been able to get you out of my head for days.

You are the most stunning thing I've ever seen...



I am indisputably, unquestionably, most certainly IN LOVE with YOU!

We are soul mates, I have not doubt about this. We were meant to be one with another.

I know this is true love.

Imagine you and I and our vintage tandem...

Can you even imagine the pictures we could conceive!?!

It was love at first sight.

You really would, complete me.

I looked you up. But feel free to come by ANYTIME.

XOXOXO

(The above is a picture of a black and white polka dot 1950's vintage dress).

Some of my favorite things...

I recently have been doing some  serious research on beauty products. I have been trying stuff out like crazy. So I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite beauty items (and some healthy snacks--which in turn make your beautiful I suppose). So here goes, my S&S stamp of approval...

1. Burt's Bees tinted chapstick. I am a HUGE lover of Burt's Bee's products in general. This Burt's Bees Tinted chapstick (the Plum is my fave) keeps your lips moist and gives it a sublte or serious touch of color. And it's not all that expensive.

Since moving to the south my skin has been a wreck! You'd think moving from Utah (where it's so dry it sucks all the moisture out of you) to Louisiana (where I have to swim to work practically) you'd think my skin would love it! But it hasn't it hates it really. I tried so many expensive body lotions (I could have bought like 3 pairs of new shoes for all the money I spent) and nothing seemed to work. So I started doing my research and found out the answer was right in front of my face...

 Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning lotion has been my HERO. I love the cocoa smell and my skin has made a complete tranformation. I mean seruiously who knew. And this large bottle of lotion costs about $3 in the store. Hello, wonderful!

I have been trying SO HARD to make some small changes in my diet so that I can be a little healthier. Now I LOVE chocolate and am NOT willing to delete it from diet, ever! So I found these wonderful little treats...

 Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds. Before you anti-dark-chocolate people just surpass this. I have never been a dark chocolate fan UNTIL NOW! These things are deliciously amazing. It's the perfect cure for a sweet tooth and actually quite good for you. I'm telling you this is a MUST TRY!

Back to must haves. I am recently a humungo fan for patterned tights. I am strange in that I"ve actually always loved wearing tights. I think they're comfortable, weird right. But lately I started buying tights with patterns, flowers, dots, striped, zig zaps you name the design and color and I most likely have it in my drawer. They are pretty inexpensive but add so much PIZAZZ to an outfit. I am loving fall that I get to wear these more often.

Back to crazy skin. My face has also been a mess since moving to the humid south. It's dry and zitty and well, gross. THEN I found something fantastic! I'm serious for less than $5 I tried St. Ives Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer and I am SO IN LOVE! It comes in a large container that will seriously last you forever, it's so inexpensive and my skin on my face has made a complete turn-around, it's amazing. I try to use it at night and when I wake up and I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore this product.

Back to snacks. You know I can't leave food for that long. I have had a recent love affair with cheese, pepperjack cheese to be exact. It seriously satisfys my "I-need-something-ubber-salty" phases. I keep some diced up in my fridge and I love this snack!

Eye shadow. I have had a helluva time trying to find eye shadow I like. I'm not picky but I hate it when it's all chalky on my eyes, yuck. So my search for CHEAP eye shadow came to pass...

I have fallen head over heels for Loreal Hip Eye Shadow. It's so creamy and rich and I simply love the color pallettes. A lot of people have compared to Mac eye shadow (which is far more expensive). I am a huge fan of Loreal Hip! Good find!

So there are a few of my recent favorite finds. Maybe something will be useful to you! :)

POP-o-CoLoR

I wanted to share a couple of my personal outfits, just for funzies throughout the month.

I have an interesting life because half the week I am out in the school teaching (and I do not wear anything like the outfit below) and the other half of the week I am in my office. So I sort of have two wardrobes, makes life fun!

Here is my outfit today...

After today I learned something about myself, I DO NOT make a great model. I have no clue how to pose properly. I'm a dancer though so I naturally know how to pose somewhat!

This outfit is a black and white floral, cap sleeve, knee-length dress I found at Ross. Now Ross is tricky because you have to be very patient looking through all their stuff and I rarely am that patient but IF you can do it you can find a steal like this.

Original Price; $69

MY price: $25

Sweet right!?!

I then added some long black and silver chandelier earrings, I have no clue where I got them from. Some simple red pumps from Target ($14.99). And a red and silver bracelet from JC Penney ($10.99).

I must say, I am a bargain hunter, I rarely buy anything unless its on sale!  

Fashion Tip: I love wearing black and white with a POP of color. It's my favorite style right now! Don't be afraid of color, if you love it it will love you right back!

An apple a day...

I love me some Shabby Apple...
You must check out this Website, I love nearly everything they have...


This red asymmetrical dress, with high collar is just beautiful! I am a huge sucker for red dresses! Nothing makes you feel sexier and more womanly in my opinion.



I am a sucker for bright colors, anytime of year I wear them. This tangerine dress makes me giddy. I love the simple cap sleeve and tight waist.


I love this ruffly skirt bottom combines with cobalt blue. The colors are beautifully and the style is classy and fun. Add a black pump and bam, spectacular.



I love white! White dresses make any girl look elegant and classy. I love the simplicity of this dress. Add a POP of color and you've got a hot look!

Don't forget to check out Shabby Apple!

Tickled Pink...

I'm thinking if my husband bought me some of the following, I might be willing to cook more often/ever. Just sayin'...











Most of these pink kitchen tools, I don't even know what you do with them and the last one, well I gotta look cute when I cook. Duh.

Fashion Month...What! What!

October is going to be

FASHION MONTH

on Slate and Stylish!!!

Aren't you just so excited!?!

I know I am.

Things to come...

My favorite fashions.

Shoe-a-holics Addiction Feedings.

Guest authors,  fashion EXPERTS.

Fashion fixes: Cheap stuff that looks expensive.

My favorite fashion sites.

ONLINE BLIND-FRIENDLY FASHION SHOW!!!

Totally Beautiful Shoe Give-a-Way contest.

IT'S GONNA BE AN AWESOME MONTH!!!

Fashionablility...

Blind people can be fashionable

Submitted by Ruston Leader on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 10:18am

 

Deja Powell

I like to think that I am a fairly fashionable person. I have always prided myself on not only looking good but being up with current fashion trends.

For those who have read my column in the past, I have been blind my whole life, but I always have had enough vision to not have to use a cane. Or so I was told.

I always felt like, and honestly sometimes I still do, that I’m walking a line. Am I blind? Or, am I sighted? Maybe you don’t have to pick a side but I have had a tough time walking this line.

One of the biggest issues for me, in using a cane, was how it made me look. I always want to look fashionable and normal. For most of my life I thought this wasn’t really possible if I used a cane. I felt like I could be more myself without a cane, because I wouldn’t look so different. I wanted people to notice me and not my cane.

It wasn’t until I was 23 that I really started thinking about using a cane. I remember the first time someone gave me one to use I went to my room and bawled. I hated it.

I hated feeling so different. I honestly thought that people would never again notice that I was trendy, hip and fashionable; instead they would just see my cane.

There was this moment in college that one of my teachers asked me to come present to her college class on disabilities what it was like to be blind. At the time, I didn’t use a cane or read Braille — I just struggled through school. I told this professor I’d be glad to do it.

The day of the presentation I showed up and gave my presentation on how normal I am for being blind. Looking back it was horrible.

I had no clue what I was talking about and was so far from embracing the skills of blindness it was absurd. My mom picked me up from school that day and said to me, “Did you realize that you have two different shoes on today, one brown and one black?” I was completely humiliated.
It was a moment I won’t forget.

I realized that day that by not embracing the skills of blindness in my life, I was losing myself and my credibility as a fashionista. It was an embarrassing way to learn a lesson.
Shortly after I learned to use a cane, I went on a trip to New York City. I was walking down the street and staring into the windows of the department stores looking at the most beautiful shoes I’d ever seen.

I got emotional, not because of the shoes, well somewhat because of the shoes, but because for the first time in my life I was looking at everything around me instead of the floor. My cane was giving me information on the ground and I could use the vision I did have to look at things I really loved looking at, like shoes.

The hardest thing in the world for a person who has some vision, but not enough of it is to pick up a cane; it’s that final, obvious thing that classifies you as a blind person. But with the proper training on how to use it, you learn pretty quickly how to be most comfortable in your own skin.

Deja M. Powell is programs manager at the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University and a 2008 alumna of the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston. She writes a monthly column for the Daily Leader.

Hairy Hotter?

Oh my gosh guys! I wanted something different for my hair, I've been working out really hard and eating healthy(er) and so I wanted to rock a new look. I had the HARDEST time deciding what kind of look I wanted...

I knew I wanted something different..


My hair has always been pretty short, so I thought maybe extensions for increased volume...


But again, my hair is just SO STRAIGHT and FLAT so maybe a little perm would give it some bod...



Or maybe just something short, with bangs...


(My little sister so rocked out the mushroom haircut when she was little).

But I knew I definitely wanted something to show off my personality...



Devil horns, how appropriate!

I also knew I wanted something fun and colorful so I thought maybe this would work, since it's so hard to just pick one color...

But in the end I decided on this...





with a touch of pink for personality...



I was on the phone with my agent...






Pretty fun right!?!

This is my favorite hair cut I've had so far. I feel so much more

sassy

rock star

diva

a-little-bit-o-hottie

bad arss

So what do you think?