The Blogger Recognition Award!

I will start by saying thank you SO much to GiltsandGlamz for nominating me for the Blogger Recognition Award over the weekend!  I am so appreciative to those of you who follow, read, & support my blog!  I like to put a lot of time into my posts, so it means a great deal to me that GiltsandGlamz would nominate me!  Your guys’ and gals’ support means so so SO much!!! Whether it pertains to health, fitness, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, etc., I absolutely adore writing/blogging on these topics.  It was really my love for all of these things that triggered my desire to start a blog.  One of my greatest passions has always been photography, so I absolutely love that aspect of blogging as well.  I am constantly feeling like I am missing moments to capture when I don’t have my camera with me!!!!  My advice to new bloggers is to first narrow your passions.  Then blog about your passions with relevant content including photos, quotes, and witty writing.  In the info age, short and sweet sentences are best for holding your readers’ attention.  Also, I recommend putting in the extra time to select and edit impressive photos.  A picture can speak a thousand words, so bright & powerful content really helps to grab your readers’ attention.  GiltsandGlamz is an incredible blog that I love reading on the daily, and I invite you to subscribe and follow her blog as well.  Congrats to the blogs I have nominated below, and have a beautiful week!!! ❤ ❤         

Now for the nominations….drum roll pleaseeeeeee….I nominate the following blogs for the Bloggers Recognition Award:

1. PinotAndPeepToes
2. MyStyleInsideOut
3. Cooking With A Wallflower
4. Square Mile of Style
5. BeatFaceFriday
6. Glamorize Your Mind
7. A Pinch of Inspiration
8. Simoneteffect
9. Fluently Fashion
10. carlynnsblog
11. Serendipity
12. Just Like Heaven
13. The Bambi Eyes
14. Twinspiration
15. Shrisloveformakeup

 

There Are A Few Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.
Let Go…

Two Pieces Of Advice For New Bloggers:

Let this be something you enjoy and cherish do not, do not go crazy over how many views or likes a day you’re hitting, yes, that makes you happy and makes want to put in more work, which is great and that’s how it should stay. Your number one priority should be to make your self happy with the content of your blog because when you love what you put out there so will your readers.
Be YOU, Be REAL yes, original is what your aim should be, trust me when I say you do not need to change the way you speak to publish content on your blog, write as you speak, write as you feel, and write as though you were talking to a friend in a real life, that is whats going to attract and connect readers to your blog.

Kelley Nicole Collection Design Mode: Sea, Sun, Spring Bohemian

Nothing beats the winter blues than a dose of color.  Anyone else eager for Spring?  Just two more months until then, so I thought I would get a start on some Spring designing.  Last weekend I made another jewelry organizer, this time with some bright color, sequins, & print. That silk dress I recycled to make this organizer won’t be seeing the light of day ever again lol.  Thus far I have made three jewelry storage houses with recycled materials.  Of the three, the Moroccan one is my favorite.  To see more about them, be sure to check out this week’s video.

Silk Jewelry Organizer | Designed with recycled materials | Kelley Nicole Collection

I also made some new semi-precious stone stackable rings.  These are just a few from this weekends two-day designing bender.  

This jade piece looks great alone or paired with stackables.  The jade stone tells a story from a trip I took out of the country last year.  Reminds me of the sea.

The sea is where I am most free.  | Jade semi-precious stone ring | Kelley Nicole Collection

Citrine reminds me of the sun.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.  | Citrine semi-precious stone ring | Kelley Nicole Collection

Kelley Nicole Collection Handmade Semi-Precious Stone Rings

Sea, sand, & sun.  Three of my favorite things.  Hope you have a beautiful week filled with divinity and lots of white light, my loves!  xoxo ~Kelle

Jade stone ring (left) & Pyrite stone ring (right) | Handmade rings & silk jewelry organizer by Kelley Nicole Collection

Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette First Impressions!

I’ll start by saying that I have a strong adoration for Too Faced eyeshadows.  The Chocolate Bar palettes are definitely worth the cult following & have been in my makeup arsenal for yearsssss.  One of the best makeup lines eva!!  So I went into this review with high hopes, and the delectable PB & J palette certainly did not disappoint!!  The colors are perfect for any season!  When swatched, the creamy shades blended impressively.  Buttery beauties fo sho!!

Swatches of the delectable PB & J palette by Too Faced | First Impressions | Kelley Whilden

Ummmm the packaging, can we eat it, too?  I did end up giving the shadows a taste in my review video.  Not only could I not help myself, but I was also too lazy to get up and go wash off the swatches during filming. That said, they pack a light, candy sweet taste. lol

Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette First Impressions | Kelley Whilden

The versatility you get with this palette is amaze.  It comes with matte and satin shades, and perfect transition shades.  The array of colors are suitable for both natural day looks & smokey night looks.  If you really feel like living a little, the “Jelly” shade is gorgeous for some inner eye pop.  However, Jelly was the only one I had trouble with because of the overspray in my initial swatch.  But after working the overspray off, it swatches & builds beautifully into bright, gorgeous color.

Too Faced’s PB & J palette comes with flattering matte & satin shades for both natural day & smokey night looks. ❤

I can’t wait to wear Jammin’ for a smokey eye.  It is an interesting purple-dark brown-taupe shade. “Peanut Brittle” is a gorgeous bronze satin sure to bring out your inner goddess.  “Nuts About U” & “Peanut Butter” are rich, pigmented mattes.  When worn in the crease, terra-cotta shades like these always help to bring out the color in my eyes, so they will be getting lots of love.  I give this palette two big thumbs up!!!  How awesome would it be if Too Faced came out with an Almond Butter palette?!!! I die just dreaming of it!  Also in my review video I mentioned being in designing mode a lot lately, & included some of my latest jewelry, jewelry organization, & fashion designs.  Hope you enjoy! ❤ ❤ ~Kelle

Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette | Stone jewelry & leather choker by Kelley Nicole Collection | Kelley Whilden

Maybelline Color Moltens Review & Giveaway Winner Announcement!!

 

Congrats to Michele Cupp on winning the New Year’s Giveaway!!! Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway over the past week!! I absolutely loved reading and responding to your resolutions!!!  I appreciate everyone who took the time to share your beautiful thoughts on my channel!!  Please don’t worry, there will be another giveaway in the near future!!  Now, let’s talk more about makeup, shall we?!!!  Lately I have been loving my Maybelline Color Molten Cream Shadow Duos, so I thought I would review them for you guys.  I love the shades Endless Mocha, Stroke of Silver, Midnight Morph, & Nude Rush shadow duos.

The textures of these cushiony gel-powder cream shadows remind me a lot of the Maybelline Dream Bouncy blushes (coffee cake is my absolute fave bouncy blush!!)  When I apply the Color Molten as a shadow, I like to use my BH Cosmetics synthetic eye shadow brush.  They blend like an absolute dream.  What I also really love about these shadows is that they make incredible gel liners.  To apply as my liner, I like to use a small angled brush for precision placement & blend the line with the synthetic shadow brush.

Application of these shadows is easy with my BH Cosmetics synthetic shadow brush. Color Moltens also make amazing gel liners when applied with an angled brush | Maybelline Color Molten Duo Shade: Midnight Morph

Just 4 hours in these shadows, and I had myself a glossy-eyed crease look.  I personally love that look, if that’s the vibe I want to achieve.  But if the rockery gloss-eyed vibe is not what I am planning for on a particular day, then Houston, we have a problem.  So I tried them out with a primer, and they surprised me with longevity.  When used in conjunction with my Urban Decay primer potion, the Moltens stayed all day long!  I do have dry skin, so if you have oily lids, I wouldn’t recommend these: unless you also enjoy the glossy-eye look or unless you wanted to try them with an oil-absorbing primer.  These shadows do work great in combination with powder shadows as well.  Love that.

Again, I don’t mind creasing.  That is to say, when I am planning for it ;). It can give a great rock chic and/or editorial look to the eye that I love.

The only downside with these shadows for me, is that the lightest shades are not very pigmented and don’t show up that well when used as inner eye highlights.  They do look great on the brow bone, however.  The darker shades are really pigmented and I loveeee them!!!

If you don’t want to shell out the dinero on the Bobbi Brown gel eye liners (that have been a holy grail of mine for yearrsssss!!!), then Color Moltens are a great alternative! I have experienced absolutely no shifting or fading when they are used as liners.   These shadows apply fast and easy, especially for days when you only have 5 minutes to do makeup.  Just prime, apply shadow, mascara (although I forgot to wear mascara the day of this review video lol), blush & lip gloss, & you are golden.  

Hope you enjoyed this review.  Also, a big thank you to my current and latest new followers on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram!! Your support means the world!!!  Cheers to a rockin New Year, my loves!!! Muahhhh!!!! XOXO ~Kelle

Weekend Designing | Jewelry Organizers

Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope everyone had a rockin weekend!  I spent mine designing some jewelry organizers.  I like this pocketed, sectional style because it allows you to see what you have, grab, & then go!   My organizers were created with recycled materials.  I wanted a bohemian vibe for the first style, so I chose a silk dress with a broken zipper (figured I would never wear the dress again so might as well turn it into something I would use).  Then I went to work turning it into an boho chic silk jewelry organizer!

For the next style I wanted a Moroccan vibe, so I cut up an embroidered top that just collected dust in my closet. It even had the tags.  It hurt to cut it up, but I am working on a minimalism mantra for 2017.

Pink Pewter beaded bracelet (top), PinkPewter.com | ‘Kelley Fish’ by Muskoka Nord, muskokanord.com | Beaded Peridot Cuff by Kelley Nicole Collection

Beaded/Striped Peridot Cuff (far left) & Aztec red stone choker (bottom) by Kelley Nicole Collection (far left), Black/blue beaded bracelet by Pink Pewter, PinkPewter.com

I absolutely  love how they turned out!  My Muskoka Nord & Pink Pewter jewelry have their own sections now.  I recently featured a Pink Pewter headband in a recent blog.  For more on the Kelley Fish agate necklace click here.  Inside the white matchbox are my White Hat Howlite earrings.  They can be worn for special occasions or even casual with pretty top or tank.

Muskoka Nord ‘Kelly Fish’ Agate Necklace, MuskokaNord.com

Prior to making these organizers, I was using a glass dish for bits and bobs, and pretty soon everything started getting all tangled up & difficult to find.  It feels sooooo good to get them organized. This was a fun project to go along with my minimalism mantra for 2017.

I really wanted organizers that had some flare.  So I gave them some texture with the bohemian silk & Moroccan embroidery for their own sense of style.  

Hope you guys like them!  Have a beautiful week, my loves!!! ❤ ❤ ❤ ~Kelle

Sweater Weather OOTW!

The past week in L.A. has been chilly willy!!  I’ve bundled up almost every day this week!  My oversized Theory sweater has been getting a lot of love over the past week and fall months! It’s one of those you-swim-in-it-like-a-fish type sweaters that I find to be the most comfortable to wear.

Oversized sweater by Theory | Kelley Whilden

This outfit would not have been complete without my Paul Green ankle boots.  They have just enough chunky heel to make you feel lifted and are soooo comfortable.

Comfy chunky ankle boots by Paul Green

Charriol bangles & Stella & Dot tennis bracelet

I kept the jewelry look minimal with my Charriol bangles & Stella & Dot tennis bracelet that pretty much stay on my wrist 24-7.  Also, Pink Pewter’s headband hair jewelry is super chic.  They make an array of hair and other jewelry to choose from.

Jeweled headband by Pink Pewter

I’ve also been wearing my Guess skinny jeans a lot lately.  They get a lot of love for sure.

Guess skinny jeans, Theory sweater, Paul Green ankle boots 

This ootw requires next to no effort.  Just roll up the ankles on your favorite pair of blue holey jeans, swim in an oversized sweater, rock some comfy ankle boots, & wear your favorite jewelry.  Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend!! ❤ ❤ ~Kelle

Sweater Weather OOTW | Kelley Whilden

2016 Yearly Beauty Favorites & Happy New Year Limited Edition Makeup Giveaway!

TGIF, loves!! I have finallyyyyyy completed the compilation of my 2016 beauty favorites!  In no particular order of amor, I will begin with lip products. For 2016, and life in general: color was (is) key.  Throughout the year I loved NYX’s Butter Lipsticks in the shades: Thunderstorm (I wear this nearly every day of my life), Moonlit Night, Sweet Shock, Afternoon Heat, & Rootbeer Float.

NYX Butter Lipsticks, Shades (left to right): Rootbear Float, Thunderstorm, Afternoon Heat, Moonlit Night, & Sweet Shock

My most loved daytime foundation for 2016 was my Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream, SPF 15, Shade: Light/Medium.  This BB cream provides outstanding coverage with major skin hydration benefits that my dry skin needs.  What’s great is that its finish doesn’t appear to be overly saturated with moisture or dewiness. It leaves your skin looking flawless, with coverage, and rarely required the use of powder.  Hands down my go-to foundation product for most of my on-camera work in 2016.  I’ve raved on and on about my love for Miracle Skin Transformer’s Miracle Balm over the last year, so I of course had to include it in my yearly faves.  This creamy oil balm is the perfect fix for parched skin, lips, cuticles, etc.  I wear it on my lips nearly every day. OBSESSED.

Garnier BB Cream, Miracle Skin Transformer’s Miracle Balm, & L’Oreal Visible Lift Blur concealer

If I didn’t have L’Oreal’s Visible Lift Blur concealer in my life, I would be lost! This light liquid type concealer is the perfect amount of coverage for hiding darkness and circles, without looking like you have concealer on.  It really does blur the underyes, and its thin, light & creamy texture gives a weightless appearance to undereyes.  Dream come true concealer!!  Another makeup item I would be lost without are highlighters!  My favorite face bling set in 2016 was Anastasia’s Sundipped Glow Kit.  

My favorite shades in the palette are Tourmaline & Moonstone.  They also make beautiful eyeshadows….

Anastasia Sundipped Glow Kit, Shades: Bronzed, Summer, Tourmaline, & Moonstone

Bellápierre’s Contour & Highlight mineral powder palette was used on the daily in 2016.  These shades are so buttery and blendable.  I love the combo of cool and warm bronzers, and the yellow shade is perfection for setting under eye concealer.  This palette is definitely well-traveled.  My most cherished pink/white/lilac highlighter for inner eye, brow, cheek bones, cupid’s bow brightening was (is) my Measurable Difference Baked Face/Body Bronzer (but really it’s a rockin highlighter :))) It is one of the softest & smoothest baked highlighters I’ve ever used, & blends to perfection.  I’d say I used it about 99.9% of the year for waking up my eyes!

Measurable Difference Baked Face/Body Bronzer (but really it’s a rockin highlighter!)

Another Measurable Difference fave for 2016 was my Rose Hip Body Oil.  While meant for the body, I use it on my face (don’t worry, the bottle says it can be used on the face ;).  It has an authentic rose scent and I love the pretty flowers floating in it.  A great facial hydration oil and bath oil as well.  LOVE it.

Measurable Difference Rose Hip Hydrating Body Oil (can also be used on face)

2016 was definitely the year of the oils for me.  I am getting very low on my giant bottle of Ole Henriksen Body Oil (oddly, it looks full in the photo, but it’s not). In fact, I am starting to fret as I am nearing the 75% empty mark.  This was a big part of my nighttime relaxation ritual and helps me to get to zzzzzzzz. Mos def a 2016 favorite.

A girl without bronzers is a girl with pale skin, like me, lol.  I have two bronzer adorations for 2016 (and well on into 2017 :))): Sonia Kashuk’s Cream Bronzer in the shade: Rich, and Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer, in the shade: Bronzer.

Sonia Kashuk Cream Bronzer, Shade: Rich | Physicians’ Formula Butter Bronzer, Shade: Bronzer

I love the creaminess and blendability of Kashuk’s bronzer.  Amazing for dry skin.  And the Butter Bronzer is one of the most buttery powder bronzers I’ve ever used.  It was the perfect shade in wintery pale skin months.  I’ll be loving these just as much in 2017, too.  My favorite cream blushes were NYX’s Tickled & Boho Chic.  Tickled is a shade I will describe as looking similar to LAVA.  This lavalicious shade is perfect for brightening skin with gorgeous color in summer and winter months.  Boho Chic is that perfect pink for cheeks that look like your own with that hint of pink flush.

NYX Cream Blushes, Shades: Tickled (left) & Boho Chic (right)

Milani’s baked blushes are drugstore gems!! If you have never tried them, they are uber pigmented and STUNNING!!  They give a sheen to the skin that is so gorgeous.  My favorite shades are Luminoso, Rose D’Oro, Berry Amore, & Dolce Pink.  I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the shades from the line.

Milani Baked Blushes: Luminoso, Dolce Pink, Berry Amore, Rose D’oro

A skin brightening liquid product that I adored in 2016 was Bare Minerals’ Biolucent Mineral Brightening Treatment.  It gives glow and great moisturizing benefits as well.  I like to apply it all over my face & undereyes after moisturizer, and before foundation.  It gives my skin radiance without looking overly glowy/dewy.  

My beloved Eucerin was my most used face moisturizer in 2016.  The larger than life bottle is nearly gone as I used it a ton for facial massages.  It’s one of the moisturizers that makes my skin feel and look hydrated when I wake up in the morning.  Holy grail moisturizer fo sho!  

In addition to moisturizing, proper exfoliation (once a week or so) are a must for keeping my skin healthy.  I also like to drink rice water before my shoots to boost the health & appearance of my skin.  That said, I am obsessed with Pacifica’s Rice Bright Luminizing Cleansing Paste.  It exfoliates, boosts, & moisturizes my skin, all in one product!

As I am sure you have heard me go on and on about, Pacifica’s Dream Big Mascara was a big hit for me in 2016.  The revolutionary, hard plastic magic bristles (that adjust via the handle) give me the precision for lower & upper lash building into the look of falsies.  I am convinced this mascara is magic.  

Anyone else with a taupe obsession?!  My most used cream shadow in 2016 was Rimmel’s Shadow Stick in the shade Bluffing.  This taupe shade has a duochrome-like soft lilac vibe that is so stunning.

Rimmel Eyeshadow Stick, Shade: Bluffing

If you made it through the end of this post, then I am sure you were wondering about palettes. Drum roll plzzzzz…for 2016 my most loved and used eyeshadow palettes were Urban Decay’s Naked Basics palettes.  I used them a lot with the Rimmel Bluffing shadow stick. Perfect pairing! They were compact & sleek for travel & have great shades for quick & natural looks.  The   brilliant array of cool tone shades in the palettes I use a ton for my brows.

Urban Decay Naked Basics 1 & 2 palettes

That leads me to my……..

HAPPY NEW YEAR GIVEAWAY!  Thank you to my subscribers for helping me reach 200 subbies this week!!! You guys are amazinggggggg!!!!  Thank you for seeing me through 2016!!!!  Much love for you!!!!!!! One subscriber will win:

1) L’Oreal Limited Edition Electro Sky Palette

2) Maybelline Limited Edition Color Tattoo cream shadow in the shade, Shimmering Sea (sky blue shade with duochrome yellow/gold shift) 

And

3) L’Oreal Limited Edition Touch-On Color Cream Highlighter (also great for eyes) in the shade: Golden Amplifier

TO ENTER: just be subscribed to my channel and below my Yearly favorites video just leave me your New Year’s resolution (if you don’t have one that is totes fine 😉  & a comment that you are interested in winning the makeup!  Easy peasey!!  GOOD LUCK, MY LOVES!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT IN 2016!!!!!! CHEERS TO A ROCKIN YEAR, MY DEARS!!!  MUCH LOVE!!! ❤ ❤ ~Kelle

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette And One & Done Foundation Review & GRWM

 

Hi guys!  In my latest video I review the Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette and Naked Skin One & Done Foundation.  The Naked Smoky palette is perfection!  So versatile for both day and night eye looks. In addition to creating fierce smoky eyes with both warm & cool tones, el natural looks are also a cinch to create with the matte & warm shades.  Another great thing about this palette is that it is organized by shadow textures: 4 mattes, 4 satins, & 4 metallics, all grouped accordingly.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette Swatches | The palette includes 4 matte, 4 satin, & 4 metallic shades

This handy-dandy texture arrangement makes putting the look together so fast and easy! The doubled-ended brush contains a blending brush and smudge brush. The bristles are soft and I really love this brush (a rarity for me to like the brushes included in a palette! 😉

The doubled-ended brush included in the Naked Smoky palette is soft with a smudger & blending brush.  ❤ it!!

For the smoky eye look created in my video, I used a combination of Smolder, Armor, & High (my fave metallic shade in the palette!), Password, & Combust.  The Smolder shade is a greyish-purple and my favorite shade in the palette.  Over the course of building the smokey eye in the video, Smolder made my eye color change from dark blue, to light grey, to green. What the!?!!! Makeup is magic!!!  I paired the eye look with a bright berry lip with NYX’s Butter Lipstick in the shade Thunderstorm.  Loved how the look turned out and hope you do too!  The Naked Skin One & Done Foundation is a light and gorgeous on the skin.

Urban Decay One & Foundation provides the your-skin-but-better look, and the Naked Smoky palette offers options for both day & night eye looks.  Win-Win!

I could be wrong by calling it a foundation (might be considered a BB Cream?).  Either way, I love it.  It has a thin, light texture and gives my skin the your-skin-but-better look.  I found that applying it with fingers is the best way to apply it.  Applying with a brush just feathers the product away.  Also, I loved that I could build the coverage up.  The best part about this foundation is its skin care benefits.  Love that it has peptides in it!  Also, it lasted all day and night without moving, and at the very end of the day my skin felt SO soft.  No exaggeration here: no other foundation in all of my life has ever made my skin feel so soft.  This foundation/bb cream will come in super handy in the summer too!  I’ve been wearing the palette & foundation a lot since Christmas. What are your thoughts on the Smoky palette and One & Done Foundation?  I would love to hear them. Hope you enjoy this review video! Happy New Year, my loves!!  ❤ ❤ ~Kelle

Urban Decay Smoky Palette & Naked Skin One & Done Foundation Review | Kelley Whilden