Wedding Inspiration and Beauty Plan

      For those of you who aren't my personal family and friends I have such exciting and anxiety driven news to share! My wedding is happening in T-Minus 7 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! Of course my hair and makeup are very important to me and I'm sure there are many people wondering what I'm going to do since my life practically revolves around the beauty world. I decided that I was quite capable of doing my own hair and makeup and plus since I do make my living that way I would most likely drive another professional CRAZY with my incessant nitpicking if I charged the feat to someone else :) Like any great professional I am starting with some glamtastic inspiration and formulating a plan.  I decided to use a mixture of drugstore and highend makeup and hair products to make sure that I get the exact effect that I am going for! Here for your viewing pleasure is a sneak-peak at my inspiration as well as the detailed game plan that I have formulated with products and techniques! Let me know what you think and I will be sure to post some pics of how it went and the final look that I came out with!

Makeup Products

Victoria Secret Pro Airbrush FX Illuminating Primer

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation

Benefit Hello Flawless Pressed Powder

ELF HD Lifting Concealer

ELF Radiance Enhancer in Spotlight

ELF Contouring Bronzing Powder

ELF HD Powder in sheer

ELF eyebrow kit in light

Anastasia Brow Gel

MAC Mineralize blush in Gentle

Aveda Eye Definer in sepia

Lancome eyeshadow in Extreme Nicole (discontinued)

ELF Baked eyeshadow in Toasted

MAC eyeshadow in Naked Lunch

Maybeline Eyestudio eyeliner in Black

ELF studio lip primer and plumper

MAC lipstick in Creme Cup

Wispies False Eyelashes

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Toning Spray

Makeup Plan: Smokey eye and liquid eyeliner. Filled in eyebrows

Blended foundation, concealer, under eye illuminator in triangle shape, set with powder

Countoured cheek and forehead, highlighted cheek and nose, and blush blended

natural lip because eyes are the focus

Hair Products

Aveda Control Force

Aveda Anti Humectant

Hair Plan: On dry sectioned hair, using a 1/2 inch barrel curling iron (my hair is short like the picture) take 1/2 sections starting on the bottom and create a figure 6 curl. Pinning curls as I go and working my way around and up the head using alternating facing curls until all hair is pinned. Spray entire pinned head with control force and let cool for at least 20 min. Remove all pins and define and protect curls with Aveda Anti-humectant

Thanks for reading and check back for the wedding photos to see the outcome!

My Journey, My Resoultions

          Since I have put so much momentum and effort into making this blog more than just another beauty blog it has taken on somewhat a life of its own. What I mean by that is that I have spent the last 2 weeks in a blur of reading, you tube watching, profile compiling and pursuing exposure and endorsement. This is a very time consuming effort and it has shown me so many aspects of the beauty world that the everyday woman may not have on the top of her list. Whatcha talking 'bout Willis? Well I am most likely more comparable to my average reader than I am to the beauty gurus that I long to be like. I am getting my business and name off the ground floor and hopefully it won't stop until it reaches the pent house, but nonetheless I am still very much writing this in my pajamas and not a couture Chanel piece. I have responsibilities and real life worries. My kids don't start back to school until Tuesday so while I am scouring the internet and blogosphere for relevant information and jotting down ideas in my GlamDazzle notebook my 8 year old is whining about lunch and my 2 year old is drawing a Picasso over the notes I  just spent 2 hours trying to come up with. I tried to gather intel by asking my personal friends and family their opinions on what a beauty blog should be about and I was given many topics of wrinkle concealment and prevention, gray hair woes, and how to look younger through makeup use. THIS made me realize that I may be the everyday woman and I may have the same insecurities as you BUT I know better. I am GlamDazzle Fetish so I darn well needed to start acting like it. I already know many of the tidbits that I keep running across when it comes to skin, hair, nails and makeup. My mission became clearer than it has been in a while and that is that I want to bring GlamDazzle to each and every one of my readers lives, and I am not going to be able to do that is I keep sitting on my couch and wearing my soon to be husbands t shirt at 2 in the afternoon while I write a blog.
       I have to be honest with myself and that honesty is what is going to allow me to maintain my 25 forever mentality! I have to put more effort into myself because there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Carrie Bradshaw was one of the most fabulous women I've ever known ( Yes she is a real person in my universe-dont judge me!) and she always said the look and feel of the shoes were more important than the pricetag! I am by no means telling you to let your electricity get turned off so that you can rock those Jimmy Choos but you do need to take time and yes some $$$ and invest it into yourself. Truth is that most people's genetics aren't going to allow them to look like Sharon Stone at her age so skin care and hair products are of vital importance. They need to be on my shopping list just like toothpaste and laundry detergent. I don't know about you but I always prefer my towels fresh out of the dryer smelling like Gain rather than impersonator Gain if I have a choice but that's not always the reality I face.  If my budget that week doesn't allow for the Gain price-tag then I find the next best thing. Now that my beauty products are on the list that means they are a necessity and I will find a way to improvise if need be but they are still a necessity nonetheless.
     So to wrap up this literary present with a nice satin bow (I prefer pink) I am going to tell you what I have rediscovered about the beauty world and leave you with a few of my mid-year resoultions...... First and foremost the most beloved people in my life love me back so they are going to be happy when I am happy. Since I strive for their happiness I need to take care of myself. As a woman I feel the most happy and powerful when I am looking and feeling my best. I am worth the time and effort it takes to look my best and I have a better attitude and outlook when I do. I don't have to spend my first borns' college fund on new clothing and makeup to make that happen but I can find new creative ways to get it done. I can give up Starbucks and use my Keurig more often so that I can spend those funds on the dupes for all my most coveted makeup. Skip the Reese's that are only going to add 5 lbs. to my hips and spend that on some good moisturizer. Going to the Gym is NOT my favorite thing but more than anything I love the look on Anthony's face when I slip on a dress that catches his attention so I will be putting in those hours. My birthday and Christmas are coming up so I am not going to feel bad about telling My mom that I would love the Naked Basics Palette when she asks what I want this year (I usually avoid her question because I dont want to feel like I am asking her for things). I know that you may be reading my blog because you are looking for those more detailed posts on what you should be doing and what to buy. Maybe you weren't expecting a motivational rant about how you need "you" time and shouldn't be afraid to take it  but please do not despair because that is exactly what is on the horizon! Now that we have established that there is absolutely nothing wrong with splurging a little and letting yourself take precedence in your own world I will begin to guide you on what, where, and how you should do that to become the best GlamDazzled version of you that you possibly can! Stay Tuned!

What's in a price?

      I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make my first post about and finally came to the conclusion that I should start by addressing the very thing that makes the world go round.... what I'm going to talk about love??? No you silly GlammieGirls! MONEY! There are so many beauty products that fall into an array of  price ranges and there are so many opinions about whether they are great, wonderful, or worth the hype. Well come'on ,  Let's figure it out peeps!
      Why does the Urban Decay Naked Palette cost $50 when you can buy an ELF palette from Target for $5? Should you save the money and will anyone know which one you used?   Many factors  go into the decision on price points for beauty products. The first and most important one is branding. Ask any woman out there about the urban decay brand and chances are they will automatically think high end makeup (ok maybe more like mid-grade ..... its not exactly Chanel). If you ask them about ELF though with no other reference,  then half may think target makeup and the rest will probably talk about the Will Ferrell movie. Products CAN have a higher price tag if they belong to a known brand because people expect to pay those prices. Well should you pay more? That is the age old question. Here is my PERSONAL take on it. That means that from my knowledge, my sought out research, and my preferences I have formed my opinions which you should value because as we have already discussed I am pretty much awesome! I am in no way compensated for my opinions (I can only dream at this point) and I do not work for urban decay, MAC, or have any other affiliations that have influenced my opinion.
       First off every person is different. That means that due to physical chemistry some people may have allergies to certain brands which just completely prevents them from using them. Secondly personal values and lifestyles vary. If you have the money to do so and you like to use the more expensive brands for the sake of branding and luxury of the packaging then more power to you! ( I am not one of those people yet that is until you all pass my blog around and make me famous!)
       There are certain products that I have learned to not skimp on which fall into the skin and hair care categories. Plainly stated our skin and hair require certain ingredients that just are not available in drug store products. Will your hair be clean with herbal essence? Yes but it will not be the healthiest and you will not have the best hair that you possibly can. In cosmetology school one of my projects was to do a comparison of side by side ingredients in different shampoos. "Yeah ok thats what all hair stylists say to sell things" and  "But herbal essence makes my hair shiny and it smells so good!" Umm yeah thats because its water, perfume, sulfates and floor wax. Yep I said floor wax. Of course its shiny! Your hair needs protein and that isn't going to be in a bottle of Pantene  priced at $3.99. Your skin is the largest organ you have and requires many nutrients and vitamins to be dewy, clear, and healthy. One of those vitamins is happens to be one of  the cheapest beauty products out there....WATER! , but the rest may require a little more moola to maintain! If you do not have a great skincare routine then your skin can be a complete mess and that simply doesn't jive with the GlamDazzle philosophy!  I would encourage you all to keep searching and trying different things until you find a routine that works for you... and you may have to change it according to season and skin type. Some of my favorite lines are Josie Maran, St. Ives, Aveda, and Philosophy. As you can see there are different price points in there. What is usually boils down to when it comes to hair and skin care is that certain ingredients do cost more and those are the ingredients that your skin and hair need the most. With that being said I am constantly on the hunt for a bargain that works so once I start to do my raves and rant reviews you can see more about the products I think are worth it and a the ones I consider a steal! Please let me know if there are any certain products you love or are curious about!
              Makeup is a whole other beast when it comes to price. There is an entire cult dedicated to finding drugstore dupes for high end products and some of them are right on point! Yes I said it, there is no reason why you have to buy a MAC red lipstick or a Dior mascara. The packaging is nice and I feel like I'm in girly heaven when I walk into Sephora but there are many many many drugstore products on the market that can create such spectacular results. With that being said there are also many drugstore products that are riding the price train straight onto your vanity and have absolutely horrible pigmentation, faulty packaging and/or sketchy manufacturing! On the other side of that shiny coin in the fact that there are also certain higher end products that just can not be touched when it comes to quality and  the niche they belong in. I personally am very picky when it comes to foundation, eyeshadow, and blushes/bronzers. I am certainly less selective when it comes to mascara, eye and lip liners and glosses. Also there just are simply certain brands that I respect and love when it comes to artistry so I will always support and purchase them such as MAC, Urban Decay, and LORAC. My goal has become to review makeup and brands so that you my precious GlitterGlammies can be informed and aware and maybe save some money!! I am personally in the process of testing many of the ELF products and look forward to sharing my results with you soon! Please let me know if there are certain products you are wondering about or love/hate!!! I am so excited to start this beauty journey with you so please share , share, share!!!! <3!!!
xoxoxox MUAH
Nicci

Welcome to GlitterGlam Fetish

Welcome to my creative glitter filled and colorful world! You are here now so you cannot leave ! Alright so technically you can but you shouldn't want to! What the heck is GlitterGlam Fetsih and why should I read everything that is posted on it? That may very well be the question that is on your mind right now so here is your answer. First let me start by introducing myself. My name is Nicci and I am a graduate of Aveda Institute St. Petersburg and a licensed cosmetologist. Ok...... so you are a hair stylist what's the big deal right? No my precious readers I am a hair stylist, makeup artist and pretty much awesome. No seriously I am! I actually  worked in sales and management until I realized that I was not going to magically return to the age of 21 and be able to pursue my passion of beautifying myself and everything around me.  I did the only rational thing I could and stopped working for an entire year of my life in order to go to cosmetology school and graduate at the top of my class. Hold on a sec while I put away my horn ..... (because I was tooting it ...get it?) Aveda only ignited my fuse of desire to be completely immersed in the world of big beautiful hair, shiny sparkly nails, the perfect contoured cheek and anything else that makes me want to squeeze the heck out of a furry puppy! ALRIGHT I could go on and on about my all encompassing awesomeness but we need to move on before this becomes 3 pages. I want to surpass the world of the everyday cosmetologist and reach an audience far beyond the one that I see in my chair in Florida. I have had so many amazing inspirational teachers both at school and also the resources that I have found online. My idea is to become one of them through this blog. GlitterGlam is my idea of instilling self confidence and beauty into all of your lives. What?!? Admit it. It can be the worst kind of kids are screaming, husband is complaining, house is dirty day in the world and that one little tube of lipgloss in your cart at Target puts a tingle in your soul and a smile on your face. THAT'S GLITTERGLAM! The fetish comes in because it is my obsession. My obsession is making others feel absolutely beautiful. So then am I sending each of you a target lipgloss? haha No! Remember the part about me not working for a year so that I can fulfill my dream? What I am going to do is bring you a weekly blog full of wonderful and precious advice and knowledge. I am a very dynamic person if you cannot tell (darn where'd that horn go?) and you can expect the same thing from my blog. I will be bringing you reviews of products, hair , makeup, and skincare  tutorials, news about the beauty industry, tricks and tips, deals and steals as well as what you should fork over the money for and much much more. I am so very excited about this opportunity and I hope that you are as well. Please share this blog and check back for updates! Also if there is something that you specifically want me to discuss let me know! I love feedback! Now go tease your hair and rock your best pair of heels until we meet again!