January 2014 - The Budget SocialiteThe Budget Socialite

01-22-14 {Beauty}

Foundation Fundamentals

Hello Beauties!
You may not have perfect skin, but nobody has to know, all you need are the makeup foundation fundamentals. The right foundation should make you look like you have flawless skin while making you look like you are not wearing any foundation at all. There are many different foundation formulations, which means there’s at least one that’s perfect for you! If you are someone who struggles with finding the right foundation, these tips will help you choose that perfect formula.

First, determine your skin type. Do you have oily, dry, sensitive, normal or combination skin?

If you have oily skin: typically, powder-based makeup foundations look best on you. Some favorite brands are: MAC, Cover Girl Queen Collection, and Make Up For Ever (can be worn wet or dry).
If you have dry and acneaic skin: usually cream-based foundations look best on you. Some favorite brands are: Illasmasqua, Giorgio Armani, and Cover FX.
If you have sensitive skin: mineral makeup looks best on you. A favorite brand is Bare Essentials.
If you have normal skin, the the sky’s the limit. Some favorite brands are: Giorgio Armani, Lancome, Revlon Photo Ready and L’Oreal True Match.
If you have combination skin: oil-control moisturizers can be applied to parts of the face to counterbalance the foundation choice.

After you’ve determined your skin type, then you need to choose the color that’s best for you based on your skin tone and your undertone. This is normally where most women go wrong. A general rule of thumb when trying to determine your undertone is- if you have yellow, orange or a red-orange undertone, then your skin tone is considered warm, which means your perfect foundation should have a yellow base; if you have blue or a blue-red undertone, your skin tone is considered cool, which means your foundation should have a slightly pink base; if you cannot identify your undertone, it’s safe to use a yellow-base foundation. The majority of people have yellow undertones in their skin.

Makeup artist tip: Always test foundation in natural light. Match the foundation color that closley matches the collar bone or chest. You can also match your foundation at your jawline. Swipe a line of foundation along your jawline and if it disappears quickly (2-3 swipes), it’s the correct color; double-check on the forehead. Some women have darker skin on the forehead and if the foundation matches here, it should work for the whole face.

Your makeup foundation color and/or formulation should change during the seasons (typically summer and winter). Generally, your skin darkens in the summer which will require you to change to a darker foundation. In the winter, your skin will lighten and you will need to change to a lighter foundation. Also, the formulation may need to change during the seasons. In the summer, you want to wear less because of sweating. During the summer, it’s a perfect time to use a tinted moisturizer. Tinted moisturizer is a combination of foundation and moisturizer, so you get the best of both worlds. There are some that are formulated with SPF so you also get sun protection. Tinted moisturizer can create flawless skin with minimal makeup. One of the best tinted moisturizers is Laura Mercier. Giorgio Armani Face Fabric is also a favorite.

Makeup artists spend a lot of time mastering foundation, so no matter who sits in their chair, they can successfully achieve a flawless look. If the foundation isn’t right, everything is off. Foundation selection can be challenging, but if you apply the tips and suggestions given, you should have no problem securing a foundation that’s perfect for you and will give you a flawless, natural look – each and every time!

Have you tried any of these foundation tips? What did you think?

Contributor | Holly Miller
Holly Byrd Miller, owner of Makeup By Holly is a 15 year makeup artistry veteran. Located in Richmond, VA her services include Bridal, TV, Runway, Fashion shows and Photo shoots. Holly also freelances for Giorgio Armani and is a Certified Makeup Instructor

01-16-14 {Food & Entertaining}

Strawberry Shortcake Parfait

I’ve never been a fan of tooting my own horn… Ok, that’s a lie. But in this case, it’s not just me. It’s all of France. Parfait is French for “perfect”. So when I tell you this strawberry shortcake parfait is the perfect dessert, I have an entire country backing me up.

Strawberry Shortcake Parfait

Most strawberry shortcake parfait recipes you see floating around use store-bought pound cake. That works, but I like to get wild and crazy and use shortbread cookies. What can I say? I like the crunch and I’m a recipe gansta.

This dessert is as easy as it is delicious. It’s just layering things you picked up at the grocery store. If you wanna put a bit more effort in, you can make fresh whipped cream and your own strawberry balsamic sauce. Both are mouth-watering, choose your own adventure.

Ingredients

Pudding mix
Milk
12 oz frozen strawberries in syrup
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Cool whip
11 shortbread cookies

This is how we do it

Defrost the strawberries
(Optional) Add balsamic vinegar to the strawberry syrup
Make the pudding as per the instructions on the package. Usually there’s some milk and whisk action involved.
Crush up those cookies. You can use a food processor or put them in ziplock and go to town.
Layer ingredients in a glass. Start with the crushed cookies, then the pudding, then strawberries in syrup and lastly the cool whip. If you are using a big glass, repeat.

Party Food

You can easily make this parfait the night before, if you are throwing a party. Simply cover your glasses with cling wrap and refrigerate. Speaking of glasses, I’ve served this in hurricane glasses (pictured) for a dinner party type situation OR using my shot glasses and spoon set and put it out buffet style. You have options aplenty.

Do you have a go-to party dessert recipe? Let us know in the comments.

Images by Trinidad Pena – Branding + Design

Co-founder | Trinidad Pena
Trinidad Pena is a blogger, foodie, and design superhero bent on helping others kick-ass online, world domination and convincing the world that wine belongs in the fruit food group since it’s made from grapes.

01-07-14 {Living}

2014 Organization

I love the new year! After all of the gluttony of the holidays, the new year is a time to start shedding those gained pounds on your body and around your home. I like to take the time to go room by room to see what is needed and what I haven’t used in a long time. It’s also the time to organize your closets and cabinets to make the rest of the year easier. (My sisters tell me I have OCD, but I see it as being prepared. Organization makes finding things less stressful)
While some people may fawn over the latest gadgets, I’m all over baskets and mason jars. I’ve also fallen in love with anything chalkboard and these 3 things together create the perfect storm (see what I did there) for organizing everything. Add some bookcases and a few other items here and there and you are on your way to creating extra space throughout your home.

Cabinets: Mason jars are both cute and functional. I love using the wide-mouth jars for storing dried goods such as sugar, flour and nuts. They make scooping easy. Get them in the same size, line them up and add these great chalkboard labels so you will never mistake the salt for sugar again.
Bookcase: These are perfect because they get items off of the floor, get them as tall and you have just added so much extra storage space. I like to store all of my magazines in these holders that I found at Target’s Dollar Spot. I cut chalkboard contact paper and can always make updates to my files as needed.
Closet: This is my pièce de résistance, I added a bookcase for folded jeans and sweaters (I was inspired by retail stores). For hanging, I put like with like: white shirts together organized by arm length, ruffles; skirts are put together by fabric, hem length etc. Getting dressed in the morning works out so much better because there’s no more guesswork as to what is where.
Getting into the groove of organization will save you in aggravation down the road. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, once you’re organized and in the groove of putting things in their place, it will not only become a habit but automatic.

Co-founder | Scarlett Rocourt
Scarlett creator of Wonder Curl is a Marketing Maven, DIY Diva & Glamour Girl! Her affinity for style, organization & discount designer shopping makes her a true Budget Socialite. Her flare for creativity allowed her to translate that into a career in marketing.

01-02-14 {Food & Entertaining}

Winter Sangria Recipe

I dunno about you, but this girl is OBSESSED with sangria. It’s a summer drink, but my love cannot be contained to just one season. It’s not possible. So, I did what any crazed wino self-respecting sangria drinker would do. I winterized it! Now, you can sip sangria whilst sitting by the fire. Yeah, I said it whilst. Let’s do this!

Winter Sangria

Instead of a summery juice, we are going to use apple cider; Lemon/lime soda? Nope, Ginger Ale. More you say? Ok, how about a winter-spiced simple syrup, some dried cranberries and cinnamon sticks? Yeah, baby…That sounds about right. It’s winter sangria time!

I usually serve this cold, but really… it’s your world. Room temp works, it’s red wine after all. You wanna throw it in a crock pot and serve it warm? No one is gonna stop you. Pretty much the only thing I wouldn’t recommend is boiling it, because then the alcohol would burn off and that would be an epic tragedy.

Ingredients

1 cup of water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground Nutmeg
½ tsp ground Cloves
1 apple chopped
1 pear chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
1 bottle of red wine ( I used Trader Joe’s Syrah)
2 cups Ginger Ale
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup apple cider
¾ cup brandy or cognac
Cinnamon sticks (optional)

Directions

We start by making a simple syrup. Emphasis on the word simple.

In saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Simmer that bad boy for 10 minutes.
Let cool. It will magically turn into a thick syrup that smells like everything that has ever been good in life.
In a pitcher combine your syrup and fruit.
Add the cognac/brandy.
Let that soak overnight. Impatient? Try streaming a netflix movie and wait at least 2 hours. It’s worth it, I wouldn’t steer you wrong.
Resist the urge to eat the fruit, right then and there… or just do and make another batch. No judgments.
Add your wine, ginger ale, apple cider and orange juice.
Garnish glasses with cinnamon sticks and serve.

It’s delish! And it’s a great party drink. You can make a big batch of the fruit/syrup/cognac mixture and keep it in the fridge, then just add your liquids as needed. Perfection.

What’s your favorite winter drink? Let us know in the comments!

Images by Trinidad Pena – Branding + Design