September Sites And Sounds

September is music fest time in Seattle, and one of the best is Bumbershoot (meaning, "umbrella") 






How fitting is that?

Here are a few pictures from my day, along with pictures of Keane, Civil Twilight, and a few fun shots.

What are some of your favorite events around town this time of the year? 

Until next time~

Hearts and Hugs

BellevueGrl

Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission. BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.

Fashion's Night Out 2012

Last night I attended Fashion’s Night Out at The Bellevue Collection. What a wonderful evening they planned.

Last year was fun, but this year they decided to add so much more to the event. 

Center Court was the place to be. Not only did they have great food and entertainment, but as an added surprise, they were showing fashions from our independent Seattle designers.

 Both Lizzie Parker and Lisa Vian Hunter from NBC's Fashion Star were present, and I got to chat with both of them about their upcoming show and creations. 

 I also got to meet with Carole McClellan, who created an amazing menswear look. 

On second glance, she told me a little bit about her inspiration for her design.

 Look at the detail on this jacket!  What I didn't know is that it was made out of denim! The buttons, she informed me, were found at a flee market in Paris.

 Carole has personally dressed alot of rockers, and loves working with unique fabrics, using leather, fur, and stretch velvet.

Carole McClellan

 Like me, she also loves to add creative touches of jewelry and vintage pieces. I am looking forward to seeing more from this designer. 

I loved the details in the fashions that I saw there. Fabrics were rich, everything from brocade to black satin,to silk with hand stitched flowers and touches of pearl. 

The flow of soft knits and hand crochet dresses were also present.  The overall feeling was one of elegance and a sense of true femininity.

Olga Szwed

I'm excited for the seasons ahead.  I love the combination of edgy mixed with soft, black teamed with cool metallic accessories, and boho chic.

Kate Mensah

Lisa Vian Hunter

Lizzie Parker

Jessica Park

The sign says it all!

Which style will you embrace for your own personal look? 

Until next time~

Hugs and Hearts

BellevueGrl 

Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission.
BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.

"Gilded Leaves"

Tonight's big fashion events had me thinking of a great fall nail look.





 I wanted to do something a bit artsy, so I created a golden leaf look.

Simply take a fall hue from your favorite collection (here, I used Harvest Moon from China Glaze)

and add a quick cover of OPI Gold Shatter for a beautiful gilded fall leaf look.

This adds just the right touch of glamor to an already beautiful shade for an evening out.



Happy #FNO

 Until next time~

Hearts and Hugs
BellevueGrl



Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission.
BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.

Smoke And Mirrors

Sometimes, no matter how good things might seem to be, there are times when in reality, they really aren't all that.

I was excited to find the new Smoked collection by Urban Decay at my local shop. The colors looked amazing, and couldn't wait to bring it home and begin playing. 

I am a huge fan of Urban Decay, and started using their eye shadows as far back as when the brand was thought "scandalous" for their raunchy names. I love Flipside, Mildew, and Toasted to name a few. 

So, I have to say, I was a bit dismayed when after swatching these shades, I found the colors to be a little lack luster. Urban Decay is known for its unusual shades, super shimmer, and wear-ability. These really were nothing that I couldn't have gotten for much cheaper with another brand. 

They looked fabulous in the palette, and some of the hues are indeed pretty, but for $49, I thought that they were too sheer, and didn’t really provide the "smoke" look that I was hoping for. Shown here are Kinky,(light beige) Barlust,(soft brown) Rockstar,(purple)  Mushroom, (beige) Evidence,(dark blue) and Loaded (green) with Asphalt,(deep gray) at the very top.

Three of my picks from this set are Barlust, a soft, golden brown; Loaded, a shimmer green; and Rockstar, a deep purple. When applied at the outer edges of eyes they seem to work better and actually show up, but when applied as a lid color they seem to smear a bit and the color payoff leaves a bit to be desired. 

This is a fun kit if you want a special look for a night out, but I wouldn't reach for it on an everyday basis. The colors are not that wearable, and again, nothing I haven’t seen before.

Overall, I would give this a "B" rating. The kit does come with a fairly generous size of eye shadow primer potion, and a full size 24/7 liner in perversion.  

Until next time~

Hugs and Hearts
BellevueGrl


Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission.
BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.

Proud As A Peacock

I have never been disappointed in Kiss Products. Everything from their French Nail Tips to their wonderful Nail Dress kits have always been superior.

I recently tried Sally Hansen and was not impressed with the quality of their nail strips and went back to using Kiss, and Broadway nail products. 

These are simply gorgeous! There are 28 in a set, which gives you enough for 2 uses, and can be used for toes as well as nails. I find that the sizes included in this set are much more flexible than the other brands, and I love the price! 

This fashionable peacock design was only $6.99 compared to the usual $9.99 or $10.00 for the other nail strips out there. 

What's even better is that these will allow for a top coat, which seals them to your nails a bit longer, and prevents lifting. I can usually get about 5 days of wear from these, if not longer.

If you haven't tried them, you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

Flaunt it! 

Until next time~

Hearts and Hugs

BellevueGrl 

Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission. 

BellevueGrl Productions, 2011. 

Give Me Some Sugar (Fresh Sugar Lip Balm)

Sephora has a wonderful birthday treat this year!


Fresh Sugar Lip Balm pairs.


I love these! They give my lips just the right amount of moisture without feeling sticky or gooey.


 I use them in the morning right before applying my lipstick or gloss and the softness lasts for hours.






The original (clear) has a pleasant  lemon taste and scent.

 The rose tinted one is a very sheer candy pink,just a blush of color,so it's not too overpowering.

What makes these unique, is the screw on cap. They stay secure in your purse or pocket. No worrying about caps coming loose and making a huge mess.


This is such a great value because the regular size is $22.00  Beauty Insiders can pick up these pairs during your birthday month at your local Sephora.

Pucker up baby!

Until next time~

Hugs and Hearts
BellevueGrl


Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission.
BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.

Gone Wild

I love the look of a fresh manicure, but I don’t always have the time to give myself one.

I saw Sally Hansen's Salon Effects over at my local Rite Aid, and fell in love with this adorable giraffe pattern called "Queen Of The Jungle"

These come in tiny little pre packaged strips with a file for smoothing and an orange stick for smoothing back unruly cuticles. 

Cute idea, but these smelled so bad. They had a very strong chemical smell. The application was messy and wasteful. 

These aren’t shaped very well, especially for small nails like mine, and I had to cut away a great deal of the product. The strips are thin and tear easily.

For $9.99, I just felt that it wasn’t worth it. I have used other brands that were much cheaper and had a better application.

I adore the designs available, but for the money, I wouldn't use these again. It might just be the shape of my nails, but I had a really hard time applying these. 

Overall, these were not what I had expected. On a scale from 1-10 these rate about a 5 not the worst, but not the best either. 

Until next time~

Hearts and Hugs

BellevueGrl 

Photo Credits:

All photos are property of the blog owner, and may not be used without permission. 

BellevueGrl Productions, 2011.