if you were stranded on a deserted island...

...what beauty items would you want with you?

I kept remembering this classic pageant-girl question these past few weeks, as we moved house and I didn't have my full collection of beauty supplies right at hand! Although I'm a little at a loss as to why you'd need beauty items on a deserted island, I definitely was glad to have a few of my faves during the move, so I thought this would be a cute post idea!

My favorite products were among the last items to be moved, and I made sure they were in my purse or a small box that went with me in my car, much like the tip I received from another mom to help my kids with the move: giving them a backpack or box to put their most important items in so that they would never be without them even during the confusion of a move!

Here are the items I've been reliant upon to make myself still feel human while dealing with the move!

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray

I think this spray was under $5 at Walmart, and I really love it! It smells tropical, like coconut, and adds nice texture to my hair! It's perfect to use before curling my hair to help create the loose beachy waves that I love, but I can also use it alone on damp hair, scrunch my hair with my hands a little bit and be good to go!

mark. Petite Slither Cosmetic Bag

This is the perfect size make up bag to throw in my purse so I have my favorites with me at all times! It's faux leather and excellent quality, plus the inside is a slippery material that can be wiped clean easily in case of any make up residue! It's a very eye-catching little bag to pull out, too!

mark. On The Dot Neutral Eye Color Compact

As much as I love my i-marks for custom color choices, On The Dot Neutral is definitely my go-to eyeshadow compact! They're very pretty with a metallic finish, and I love the range of looks I can create with it! I have to say that I use the middle row shades the most, with the center shade as a base, the left shade to add a little more color, and the darkest shade in the outer edges and crease, all blended out for a pretty and quick eye look!

Go With The Pro Mini Brush Kit

When I am in a hurry, I just use the applicator that comes in the On The Dot compact, but when I have a little more time and want a more polished, blended look, I reach for my mini brush kit. Can't beat the price ($16 for 5 brushes & the case?! score!) and I use the eye shadow brush and concealer brush the most!

Lash All You Want High Volume Mascara in Black

I know I just don't shut up about this mascara, but it's seriously my favorite ever! Before this one, mascara was one of the products I would stray from mark. for, since I wasn't a fan of the previous mark. mascaras. On the NYC trip I won last year, we got this mascara as a gift, before it was available for us to order, and I've been in love ever since! It has the plastic bristles on the brush to coat every lash, and makes my lashes look amazing!

Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain in Vibe

I'm not sure what made me give this lip gloss another try, but I'm so glad I did! The first time I used it, I didn't like it.. and I think I must have just been using too much, because now it's my absolute FAVORITE lip look. It's a click top pen style, with a brush attached that the product dispenses through. Goes on glossy, but since it's a lip stain, the color lasts long after the gloss has worn off! Vibe is the shade I always have with me, but I also like Pop when I'm going for a little more toned-down lip.

Please Hold Eye Primer

Another product I talk about all the time - and for good reason! It makes my eyeshadow more vibrant and last longer with no creasing. I apply it with the little concealer brush from the mini brush kit, and love that I can also use it as an under-eye concealer in a pinch.

So those are the products that have kept me sane while we moved! I took a little more time getting ready tonight, to take my kids to an adorable little 4 year old's birthday party at a friend's house, and had fun trying out the new mark. hair care products! Pretty sure they'll be the topic of my next blog post, once I've tried out the rest of them, but for now here's a little peek at the 3 products I used today, and the hairstyle I got with them in under 10 minutes!

Locks In Place Buildable Hold Hairspray

Curl to Curl Reactivate and Define Mist

Curl Time No-Clip Curl Styler

Sorry for bad photo quality, but I loved how my hair turned out!

I'm going to try {again} to get better with blogging more regularly, so I'm making it my goal to try the rest of the new hair care line within the next week, so that I can blog about my reviews! I hope you liked this post, and I'd love to hear your answer to...

...if you were stranded on a deserted island {or new house}, what beauty items would YOU want? Let me know in the comments below! 

Get The Look - Kaley Cuoco @ People's Choice Awards!

The fabulous and talented Jamie Greenberg (www.jamiemakeup.com) was the make up artist for actress Kaley Cuoco when she hosted the People's Choice Awards!

Gorgeous, right?!  Us Weekly even chose Kaley's look for Best Eye Makeup! Want to get the look for yourself? Jamie is the sweetest gal ever, and sent me a message from Sundance because I was wondering the products used! Here are the steps, straight from Jamie herself:

"Hi Trisha! My internet isn't working at Sundance but wanted to send you the look via my blackberry on facebook...hope this works! Ha! So I prepped Kaley's skin with For Goodness face and Get Defense Eye Cream! I prepped her lips with Big 15 in 1 stick! Love that!!!! 

I used Get A Tint all over her face! It gives sucha good glow to well moisturized skin! I used Get Bright under her eyes!!!! I used a wet foundation brush to blend both concealer and foundation to the face...it really makes it melt in! 

Next I used Please Hold Eye Primer on both of her eyes! I applied I mark in latte in her crease and the grey tone from ON THE DOT collection on her lid! I then added the chanel (shimmery wet shadow) ever so lightly on the top because Kaley loves that stuff!!!! 

I lined Kaley's eyes with On the Edge in Cleo on the top lash line! On the bottom lash line I used jet set and steely gaze to get that icy black look! A million coats of Blacklash top and bottom lashes

Then for her cheeks I used a lot of textures. I used Julie Hewitt's Cheekie Lip and Cheek Shine in Peachie...again Kaley likes it! Then I blended in mark"s shimmer brick with a damp brush again and swirled it on her cheeks and cheekbones to get that shimmery dewy look!!!! I set it all with matte-nificent! And used Lip Click Bare Hug on her lip with Lancome's Juicy tube in spring fling.....you could use any pro gloss....like pro gloss in swell...I've used that on her before!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Here's a close up of Kaley's eyes:

And one more picture that shows the shimmer on her eyes really well!

Here's the list of products used - and all but 3 can be purchased on my eBoutique! http://tmassmann.mymarkstore.com

mark. products:

For Goodness Face Antioxidant Skin Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30, $18

Get Defensive SPF 15 Eye Cream, $14

The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm, $10

Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15, $12

Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter, $6.50

Please Hold Eye Primer, $8

I-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow in Latte, $6

On The Dot Eye Color Compact, $16

On The Edge Hook Up Liquid Eye Liner in Cleo, $6.50

No Place To Run Longwear Eye Liner in Jet Set and Steely Gaze, $9 each

Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash, $6.50

Touch and Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes, $16

Matte-Nificent Oil Absorbing Powder, $12

Lipclick Full Color Lipstick in Bare Hug, $11

additional products:

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Shimmer shadow in Epatant 

Julie Hewitt's Cheekie Lip and Cheek Shine in Peachy

Lancome Juicy Tube in Spring Fling

I'm usually a total devotee to mark. products, but I gotta say that Chanel shadow is on my wish list!

Thanks again to Jamie Greenberg for taking the time to send me the details on Kaley's look - it's no wonder all of us mark. reps are such big fans of Jamie!

DIY manicure - water marble!

Hey everyone! A few days ago while I was browsing my Twitter (you can follow me @trishamarkrep) I saw a Cosmo tweet about official NFL nail polish, and of course I clicked the link to check out the official nail polish for the MN Vikings! They mentioned the idea of water marbling the 2 shades together, and the picture they showed was so pretty and intriguing that I just had to learn the technique! It took me a couple tries, but I got results that I'm super happy with, and I wanted to share! I used all mark. products for this look, and you can pick the products up at my eBoutique: http://tmassmann.mymarkstore.com Use promo code WELCOME for free shipping on your first order of any size!

My finished nails!

Supplies:
-2 contrasting nail polish shades (I used mark. Nailed It Trend Mini Lacquers in Steel Plum & Industrial)
-mark. The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm
-toothpicks
-paper towels
-shallow dish or bowl of room temperature water
-nail polish remover, Q-tips, & cotton balls for cleaning your fingers up


Instructions:

Prep your nails by painting on a base coat. I used Industrial, the grey shade.

Use The Big Fix to coat your fingers. Make sure to cover your cuticles and the front & back of your fingers, down to your second knuckle. This helps so that you can wipe the extra nail polish right off your fingers after you dip them. (I've also seen tutorials using clear tape, but that looked a little more time consuming to me). I did just one hand at a time so I could use my other hand for the rest of the steps.

Loosen the covers on both shades of nail polish. Holding the brush about an inch above the surface of the water, let a drop of nail polish fall into the water. I started with the plum shade so that I could see it more easily. If you're doing it correctly, the nail polish should skim across the surface of the water, thinning out and expanding like you see above. If the drop of polish just sinks to the bottom, you might have to hold the brush closer to the surface of the water.

Working quickly, let a drop of the 2nd shade of nail polish fall in the center of the first. It should expand out also. Keep adding drops of alternating colors, making sure to go quickly. If the drop doesn't expand, the outside shade of nail polish might have dried too quickly. I'll explain further down how to clean it up and start over if you need to.

You'll end up with a rough bulls-eye design of nail polish rings. The exact number of rings doesn't matter much, you just want a fairly small inner circle.

 Take a toothpick, and starting near the outside, drag the tip of the toothpick toward the middle. If you've ever made a marble cake, it's the same principle. You don't want to start at the very outside edge, because that layer of polish will be too dry and will just cling to the toothpick and pull the whole bulls-eye apart. Usually starting with the 3rd ring of color will work, but if you feel or see it pulling on the toothpick, you'll need to start in a little further.

This was my finished design, and it was big enough that I wanted to dip a few fingers instead of just one. I wasn't able to take a picture of my own hand dipped, but when I did my sisters nails later, I made sure to get a picture:

You can sort of choose the section of the design you like best, by lining your finger nail up with that part of the design. Dip your finger(s) in through the nail polish and try to keep it as still as possible. Make sure your finger is deep enough that your first knuckle is under water. (You can also see in this picture an example of when the 2nd shade doesn't expand - you can see the outline of the purple that I started with, and a tiny dot of grey in the center. I just let another drop of purple fall and tried again)

This picture shows how to get the extra polish out of the water. You do this both when your finger is still dipped to clear away any extra polish so that your finger doesn't drag it up, or when you need to start over if the polish dries too quickly for the next color to expand. Start with the toothpick near the outer edge and swirl it around, twisting as you go, to collect the extra polish.

Didn't get a picture of this next part, but when you take your fingers out of the water, I like to sort of curl my fingers up and out, so that the tip of my finger nail comes out of the water first. That helps keep any leftover polish on your finger instead of gunking up your finger nail.

My fingers after dipping 4 at once. I let it dry just slightly (30 seconds or so) before starting to wipe away the polish on my fingers. Using The Big Fix before dipping your nails makes it easy to wipe most of it away with a paper towel, and then after my nails were fully dry, I used a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover to clean up closer to my nail. I was happy with the design on my pinky and middle finger, but re-did my ring and index fingers. Make sure to do another base coat and reapply The Big Fix before starting over, and let the base coat dry. (We learned this the hard way when I was trying to go get my sister's nails done at midnight, haha!)

My finished nails, left hand!

And right hand. I think my middle finger on this hand is my favorite!


I had a lot of fun with this technique and have gotten tons of compliments on the results! The one thing I'll make sure to do next time is apply a clear top coat to help the manicure last longer. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'd love to see pictures if you water marble your own nails! Feel free to comment with questions if there's anything I didn't explain well enough :)