Greetings and Classy Outfit

Hello Everyone!

My name is Adriana and I am so excited to be joining the team here on a Pinch of Classy.

So I have a fun little Outfit Of The Day post for y’all (I think Leah is calling it a ‘Classy Garb’ post) but first I wanna take a little bit of your time to introduce myself a little. (My bio would be pages long if I tried to fit it all on that thing :P)

My bio is kinda more the bare bones about me but I’m gonna throw in a couple more fun details. I am the oldest of 8 kids and I’m overly obsessed with the color orange and the use of smiley emoji's whenever I can. I am known to be quite the girly girl. (Though I have my moments where I’m not.) and I love to dress up in my most classy outfits whenever I get the chance.

I love to be an encouragement to people and help them as much as I can. I am also a Junior Youth Leader at my Youth Group (meaning I help plan the outreach events to bring the youth of the community to our church) and I plan to attend Briercrest College for Youth Ministries.

So there you have it! A bit more about me (besides what's on my bio :P) and now it’s time to get serious and get right into this post! Yay :)

 

For Sundays I love to dress up. On Sundays is usually when I will wear a skirt or dress.

Yeah so my sister jumped in the one picture :P

 So this outfit is probably my favorite outfit of all time. It is an outfit I can also wear year round and one of my few outfits that looks great with my awesome 5 inch heels.

Since I don't have much money to spend on clothes you can probably count that it was cheap. Proof that modest clothing can be purchased at very cheap prices. (Except for the jacket. That was more on the expensive end but it is my moms that I 'borrow'...almost every day.)

I also like to do a little bit of makeup for thing like church or events that require me to dress up. For my makeup I just use Mascara and my all time favorite tinted mint lip gloss. Throw in the super easy hairstyle known as a bun it looks super cute!

So here is a quick recap as to what pieces make up my outfit (and where I purchased them)

 The jacket was purchased from a store called 'Ricki's'

The dress was purchased from Walmart

The leggings were purchased at Value Village. (Not sure they have that in the states but its a second hand store :P)

The shoes were purchased along with the necklace at Ardene

The mascara brand is L'Oreal (Miss Manga I believe it is called) and the lip gloss I found at Bath and Bodyworks

So, yeah. That's my outfit :) Hope you liked it!

Look forward to posting in the future,

 

Performance Colors + MY Thoughts on Makeup {review}

 

 

 

Hello ladies!

Today I have a makeup review for y'all.

Some time back I was sent some samples from  Performance Colors.

 

I know not all of y'all wear cosmetics, but for those of you who do, you might want to check out this shop.

 

First, I feel a need to clarify a bit on my personal stance concerning makeup, for anyone who is curious. (Please note that I said *personal stance.* I am by no means trying to say that this is what all the other ladies here on APOC believe - I'll let them speak for themselves on the matter if they wish!)

 

I believe that God created us in His image, therefore we are all naturally beautiful and unique.

We don't need cosmetic products to make us gorgeous. With the variety of genetic variance in physical traits of humankind, there's an incredible potential for many different, unique colors and characteristics in our skin, hair, eyes and bodies.

Think about it: we're all made in the image of God, and yet we can look so different! Some of us have bright blue eyes, and some of us deep brown or crisp hazel. Skin pigmentation can vary so incredibly much, as with hair consistency/hue.

 

Each human being is incredibly unique - and yet, we all share one thing. Being handcrafted by the Creator of the Universe!

 

Therefore, we all possess our own form of individualized, intricate beauty.  I never want to encourage girls to be dependent on make-up or other beauty products to make themselves feel lovely. This shouldn't be! Once you get that idea that you NEED makeup to look pretty, it's hard to wash that ideal out of your system and boom - suddenly you're not exercising a spirit of thankfulness but one of discontent. So I'll say it again - make up is nice, but don't ever feel "naked" without it.

 

Only until recently did *I* even start to wear some light makeup. Up until last year, when I was sixteen, I'd never touched anything cosmetic-wise except for a couple tubes of transparent shimmer lip gloss. 

 

I began using makeup for the primary purpose of covering my acne. When it comes to zits, I have no shame dabbing something overtop to hide them! This is quite a different matter than "hiding your natural beauty".

 

 And even then, I only use it when going out - I'll usually throw on some foundation or concealer when going to teach a piano lesson or to the store or something. When I'm around at my house, doing chores and yard work and such, what's the point of putting on extra powders that'll only get wiped off right away?

 

 Sometimes if we're going to a semi-formal event, church or if I'm working at my dad's conferences, I'll wear some eye shadow/mascara and lip color. I was sent some blush and bronzer to review several weeks ago by a different shop and I enjoyed trying those out for a lunch out after church - I thought the blush gave a cool semi-vintage look.

 

So. My personal view on make up is that it's completely fine, as long as you keep your outlook on it right. I use it to enhance my natural looks, not cover them over or drown them out. I also prefer to use natural cosmetics that don't include harmful ingredients.

 

And, let me say it again. I don't ever want to be where I feel that I MUST put on make-up when I go out in public. I want to feel completely comfortable in my own skin, just the way it is. I might put on a little something cosmetic wise just for the fun of it, but I never want to be reliant on beauty products to make me feel beautiful.

 

Oh dear. I guess I rambled for a while there, didn't I?

Whoops. Well, as I said earlier - I felt a need to clarify this, and so now it's done and you won't be left wondering "Wait - I thought Leah didn't approve of make up or did she ...um...but here she is, doing a make up review so..."

 

Er, yeah.

 Let's move on.

 

 

I was sent a number of different samples from Performance Colors, and it was exciting to get to try so many different things from one store.
Having never used eyeliner before, I'll admit I've struggled a bit with the Rococo Eyeliner that was in the package. It's a nice, relatively neutral color for eyeliner, but a bit hard to apply. Or maybe it's just me, being ignorant on how to do it. Either way, it ended up looking like a thin line of eyeshadow when I put it on.
 

 

Lip Repair
This seems most comparable to lip balm. I'm not a huge fan of lip balm so I'll probably give this sample to my mom, who has very dry skin and would likely appreciate it more. I have very oily skin so my lips are in pretty decent shape, I think.

 

In the package was a Cream Eyeshadow in "Champagne". This is a very mild color for eyeshadow. I would probably blend it with something a little darker, creating a ombre/gradual fade look.
Since the eyeshadow is in a cream format, it's super easy to apply and I really like that. All other shadows I've tried have been in powder form which can get kinda messy. So this is a nice factor. I would've probably picked a more dramatic color, say a turquoise or blue/green hue, but hey - the Champagne matches with virtually everything in my wardrobe!

 

 

 

Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what the point of the Shadow Magnet is. I think it is to help keep your eye shadow on better? I've still yet to try it in depth.
 

 

 
 

"Posh" Matte Cream Lipstick
This is a nice lipstick color and consistency. It's a very muted coral and gives a nice matte look which seems to be relatively popular these days.
 

 

 

"Buff" Semi- Matte Lipcolor
Now, I use this one all the time. It's slightly lighter than "Posh" and is the same general consistency. I love to use it when I get ready to go to church. It doesn't create an overly dramatic look, as darker lipsticks do, and yet it still looks like you're wearing something cosmetic wise. I love the distinct  matte look this one gives.
Definitely recommend this one.

 

I also use the "Pink Choco" Semi-Matte Lipstick frequently. It looks a little more bright pink than in the picture here. (All photos are taken from the Performance Colors Etsy shop.) I like it for it's 'brightness' if that's the right way to put it. It's a very light pink (once again, a bit different than the picture) and very girly and vintage-esque. I recommend.

 

 

"Ginger Heart" Restorative Lipcolor
I'm not sure what makes this (and the other Restoratives)  'restorative' and the semi-matte ones not.
Either way, it's a pretty color.

 

 

"Show Down" Restorative Lipcolor
Another nice, fun shade. It's definitely more pink, and comparable to "Pink Choco."
 

 

 

"Malibu" Restorative Lipcolor

 Slightly comparable to "Posh", but darker.

All the lip products here were very smooth and easy to apply. Also, just from the little sample containers I received, it seems they last a long while. I'm nowhere near being finished with them, and I've already put them to good use!
 

Lastly, I received a Pressed Eyeshadow in "Siren" which apparently there are no pictures to be found of, on the site.
It's a light/medium grey color, and good for layering/blending, or attempting a smoky eye look.

Overall, I like what I'm seeing from Performance Colors. The things they sent I've enjoyed wearing, and, looking at their page again just now, I'm really interested in some of their other products - namely the "Mermaid" cream eyeshadow. *grins*

Well, anyways, y'all make-up wearers should check out the shop.

Note: I was provided these items from Performance Colors in exchange for my honest review. All opinions stated remain mine and mine alone.

MADMineralsMakeup {review}

Hey, everyone!  I know, it's been so long since I've posted.  But, here I am, and I'm doing a review of MADMineralsMakeup.

As you can see, it came in pretty pink tissue paper.

It's makeup.  MADMineralsMakeup sells eighteen different colors.  This is the color I got.

And these are samples she gave me.

You can put MADMineralsMakeup on your eyes, cheeks, body, nails . . . pretty much anywhere!  All of their products are FDA approved for cosmetic use, but some are not for lip use.  Look at the description below to find out if the item you want to buy is okay for using on lips.

I'm just going to copy the description of their store, just because they explain everything:

M*A*D Minerals is an internet-based, family owned company providing affordable, high quality, pure loose bare earth mineral makeup, cosmetic, & beauty supplies. Our mission is to combine high quality cosmetic products with excellent customer service! Our skin is the largest organ on our body. Many people do not consider that what is applied to the skin can be absorbed into the blood stream and then into other organs of the body. Many products on the market are mainly water (aqua) and chemicals with a few 'natural' or 'beneficial' ingredients thrown in so they can be promoted as ‘natural’ or 'beneficial' to your skin. Read any ingredient label & look at the first 3 to 4 ingredients listed in a product. Those first few ingredients listed make up approximately 90% to 95% of the entire product. The so-called ‘natural’ 'healthy' or 'beneficial' cosmetic ingredients are usually in the middle, if not the end of the ingredient list. Therefore, with such a small content, they will be of little benefit to the consumer. It is Not illegal (worldwide) to advertise cosmetic products as ‘natural’ even if they contain nasty chemicals. M*A*D Minerals is a chemical-free alternative makeup. By choosing M*A*D Minerals loose mineral makeup, you are assured the entire product is made of chemical-free ingredients.

 As you can see, MADMineralsMakeup offers completely natural mineral makeup.  I tried this on as blush, and it made my cheeks sparkly.  The blue color made it very sparkly and didn't really show the color, whereas it was easier to see the other colors.  That may be because I applied more for the other ones than for the blue, but I can't be sure.  Just make sure to pick the color that's right for you.

I, personally, think MADMineralsMakeup is a reliable store with natural products you can trust.  If you would like to buy one of their products you can find it here.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you guys liked the post!

 

Cowgirl Dirt

Not to flood the blog with reviews....but I've got to tell you girls what I found! :)

 

 I've always used a natural make-up but my favorite company stopped carrying it several years ago and since then I've tried a couple of different brands, never really happy with any of them. My sister and I ran across a company called Cowgirl Dirt a few weeks ago. Their make up is made in the U.S. all natural, organic, paraben free and GOOD for your skin!

What I use:

 Concealer I rarely have much trouble with a lot of acne, (LOVE my new skincare products even more than my cosmetics! Will post about them sometime too!) but occasionally concealer is wonderful to have when foundation and powder don't quite do the trick. I haven't actually used any other concealer and I expected this to go on much like my old foundation, but it is very light, covers very well and blends easily.

 Cream Foundation I use the Neutral 4 for my fairly light skin tone. I've never liked foundation because it always felt like I had stuff caked on my face, but this goes on light and leaves me feeling like I'm not wearing makeup at all!

  Finishing Powder This finishing powder goes on very nicely and prevents oily looking skin and unlike what I was using before, it actually stays on!

 

 Blush The blush was a bit tricky at first because it's a powder and I'm used to a pressed blush, but the color is very nice and goes on giving you a natural look.

 Eye shadow I wear hardly any eye shadow at all and the sample container that I got will probably last me forever! I like a very subtle, natural look so I just use a tiny bit to add a little a depth. The first color I tried was too light, but Spur is perfect for me. I was using a cheap eye shadow before for special occasions only and always felt a tad uncomfortable putting it on my eyes knowing it had chemicals in it. No more of that! This stuff is perfectly safe!

 Mascara I haven't worn mascara in a long time. The natural mascara that my sisters used went on so thickly that I looked like I was wearing it and I don't like to look like I am. I would use it for special occasions along with my eye shadow, but Cowgirl Dirt brown mascara goes on every day! It adds some, but not too much and is smooth with none of that nasty clumping. Tip: Use an eyelash curler first and then only apply mascara to your top lashes.

 Lip tint I despise lipstick. It always feels like I can't eat or drink anything once I put it on. Lip gloss stays on for a grand total of like, 10 minutes, so that never worked well either. BUT, like their other products so far, I LOVE the Yeehaw lip tints! They're thick enough to stay on, but thin enough to not feel like I've painted my lips! The War Admiral gives me a nice, deep color while still looking natural and not too red.

 Glitter I've never been into glitter much at all and certainly not caked onto my skin like we see models wearing on the runway. I needed to finish out my order to get free shipping so I got a few samples of this just to play with...and I love it! I always like to look as natural as possible, the way YHWH made me, so lots of glitter is out of the question. But I discovered that just a little sparkle around my eye area makes for a nice subtle look. This glitter is a powder and goes on very lightly with a brush. It also brushes off easily so even if I scare myself a little with how much I end up with, I can just brush and blend it 'til I get the look I want....and then it stays.  Since I use so little, the color doesn't seem to make a difference. I have Snow, Grain and Lavender.

One thing that I REALLY appreciate about this company is that you don't have to buy a full container of each color of something to try it...only to find out that it's the wrong one and you have to start all over again and spend tons of money!

 

Samples are $1 each and you can get at least 3-4 uses out of each one...more often more than that if you use it like I do.  The best way to do it is to guess at what you need and get a couple samples of each product and then just play around and figure out what is right for your skin-tone before you place a large order.  Free shipping on orders over $75 so it's a good idea to place an order together or stock up. :)

What Do Your Eyes Say About You?

 

In the last several weeks, numerous young ladies here at APOC have discussed what true, inner modesty and beauty is, and how it can manifest on the outside.

 

And, following that line of thought, I have a question for you. What is the first thing you notice when you look at another person? When you're talking to someone else, where do your eyes naturally drift to?

 

The eyes have been called the window to the soul, and rightly so.

And they're what we're going to talk about today.

 

The human eyes.

 

Eyes are one of the main body parts mentioned in Scripture. Eyes are our window to the world around us, and how we visualize reality. Without our eyes, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the myriad of beauty of our world...from the bright greens and blues found in forests and the sky above us, to the vivid yellows and reds found in the insect and animal realm.

Our eyes let us partake in an incredible visual experience daily. They truly are an amazing blessing given to us by Jehovah God. Personally, I try to thank Him for the gift of sight each day.

 

Have you ever heard the saying which says that sometimes you don't have to say anything, you can just communicate with your eyes alone?

 

 

 

 

 

It's so true that it doesn't even need to be said to be recognised. We all communicate immensely with our eyes, whether consciously or unconsciously. We might give nasty looks when somebody says something we don't like. We might narrow our eyes skeptically, or open them wide in surprise.

 

Flirting is usually done mainly with the eyes.

 

Joy can practically radiate from the eyes; just as sadness, pain or discouragement can be manifested through a downcast look, without any effort.

 

 

How does one lust? With their eyes. (Matthew 5:28)

 

So, as you can see, the eyes are vital in displaying many of the uncountable human emotions we feel each day. We use our eyes to judge and discern. And like anything else, we can use them either for good, or for evil.

 

 

 

That brings me to how the eyes connect with modesty and glorifying God.

 

A girl/guy could be dressed totally modest and appropriately, but have immodest eyes.

 

What do I mean by "immodest eyes", you might be wondering?

 

It doesn't have anything to do with excessive make-up, although, that can play a part in the topic.

 

Ultimately, it has everything to do with your heart, and your mind. You, on the inside. If you have a cheerful, joyous spirit, it will come through in your eyes. If you are angry or discontented, it will seep through into your eyes. It will become visible through them, unless you attempt to hide it.

 

If you are trying to grab the attention of the opposite gender, it will show in your eyes. This doesn't apply merely to girls and women. Guys can flirt/be immodest with their eyes just as easily.

 

In Scripture, immoral women have been described as having flattering lips, smooth words and alluring eyes/eyelids. 

 

Proverbs 6:25 "Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids."

 

 

This verse is a prime example. We don't see anything in Proverbs or any other Biblical book for that matter which describes a man committing sin with a woman because of her other body parts. It is always described as having to do with the face. The eyes, and mouth in particular. Obviously people can and do have lust problems with the other body parts, but I find it interesting how God doesn't focus on that. He instead points out the danger of a woman who allures with her eyes.

 

Look at a lot of photos in secular magazines. Most of the models have a seductive look, just in their eyes alone. You wouldn't even need to see the rest of their bodies to know that they are trying to be "sexy" and sensual. Now, cosmetics do have a lot to do with this. Most ladies throw on WAY too much eye make up, not only making them look more seductive but also detracting from their natural beauty.

 

I personally really like using my natural mineral eye shadows from Madison Street Beauty.  I don't wear them very often, usually for something more formal like my dad's conferences or church events. I always am careful to not overdo it., and the one time that I did, thankfully my mom helped me become aware of the fact. Make-up is totally okay in my opinion as long as it's used in moderation. And, as long as you don't start relying on it like a crutch...or start feeling naked without it. Then you're getting into ungratefulness with how God made you!

 

 

I am regretful to say this, but I have been inappropriate with my eyes before. And I wasn't wearing make-up, either. I have used my eyes to get attention from guys, in the past. I am not happy to tell y'all that it worked.

 

Girls, don't underestimate the power of your eyes!

 

You can tell so much about yourself just through them. Your eyes can radiate with cheerfulness and you can shine like the sun, reflecting the Son. You can let them drip with a sultry unthankfulness, or burn with a frustrated, angry spirit. Or, you can use them to tempt the opposite gender, pulling the attention away from God and to yourself.

 

It's your choice.

 

What do your eyes say about you?

 

 

Thoughts on Makeup

 

 Earlier this year my dad challenged me not to wear any makeup besides the bare minimum. His challenge kind of blindsided me at first, NO eyeliner? NO eyeshadow? NO redlipstick? The idea horrified me to say the least.

The first day was rough. I looked in the mirror and saw all my imperfections staring back at me. I wanted my makeup to hide them, I needed my mask.

 As the days turned into weeks, I realized recently that I kind of like me without a face-full of makeup. Going without makeup has actually made me more confident. I didn't expect that honestly.

Now society would tell me otherwise. It seems that today we need a makeup product for everything. We MUST look perfect for every occasion and oh the horror if we leave the house before powdering our nose.

That's not to say that we should go around looking like slobs, quite the opposite rather. I'm simply stating that who is society to tell me what I must be? And who is society to dictate a so called idea of perfection?

Natural is beautiful. I love my red lipstick. I always have and I always will, but sometimes it's nice to just be me. To put aside the mask of makeup, to rebel against society's standards of beauty, and to just be me. No makeup, no masks, just me.

  "I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well." Psalm 139:14

I'm not saying makeup is wrong, I love it as much as any other girl, but sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Remember who we really are, daughter's of a King and the imperfectly perfect girls that we see looking back at us in the mirror.

And you dear girl, don't need to hide behind a mask of makeup. With or without makeup you are beautiful and fearfully and wonderfully made.