Guest Post: Beauty Must-Haves From A GORGEOUS Friend Of Mine

As I was sort of planning out what I wanted to blog about for the next little while a week or two ago, I recognized the need for a little dose of Mary Straton from Olive You Darling in my blog life! She’s such a fun guest to have, and she really knows her stuff. Especially when it comes to looking good. One thing about MS is that her makeup is always perfection. She looks flawless every time I see her (even when she’s not even wearing makeup!) so when I asked if she could guest for me, I knew that she’d be a great one to ask about beauty must-haves (especially since I’ve been looking for some better-quality go-to’s lately!)

To prove that she’s a credible source when speaking on topics like beauty, here’s proof: What a babe!

Ok, enough babbling from me. Turning it over to MS now!

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Hello again, HIVE readers! I’m thrilled to bee back! (Like what I did there?)

The Queen Bee so kindly asked me to share with you some of my makeup must-haves. I must admit, there was a time in my life when my makeup came only from Walmart. What more did a girl need beside CoverGirl dusty rose blush and Lip Smackers with a little tint? I will even confess to wearing clear mascara. Read on if you forgive me.

It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties and living on my own when my friend, Haley, introduced me to Sephora. I was but a young, impressionable lass, and Haley was older, glamorous and went to college at Ole Miss. I have a vivid memory of sitting on the floor of her impeccably-decorated apartment while she gave me my first smoky eye. Of course, when I looked at the finished product in the mirror, I felt I looked like Cleopatra, but nevertheless I was hooked.

Fast forward about ten years, and I’ve been around the block a few times. A cosmetic lady-of-the-evening, if you will. I’ve had makeovers at every counter at the mall and even a few at Sephora, but nothing takes the place of good ole trial and error. It costs money, yes, but I’ve done some leg-work for you to save you some time and moolah.

Let’s start at the beginning. A very good place to start.

1. Dr. Jart+ Black Label Beauty Balm. I was not blessed with flawless skin a la Natalie Portman or Michelle Williams. It’s oily, uneven, and I have huge pores. So, naturally, I would need something so serious as to call itself “Black Label.” This stuff is great. I started using it when I was pregnant, and I first attributed it to having the glow. I’ve been using it since, and I still really like it. I can’t attest to the age defense or dark spot correcting, but it covers great. My skin tone is basically tennis-ball yellow, so if this works for me, it will work for you.

2. Laura Geller Welcome Matte. Oily skin, big pores, etc. See above. It’s basically a primer that controls oil. And if it can control the geysers that are my pores, it can control anything. And a tiny bit sets your makeup to stay all day with little to no shine. Yes, please!

3. NARS blush. I told you, dusty rose Cover Girl just doesn’t cut it. There are certainly drugstore brand items I ain’t skeered to use (you’ll see some later), but this is not one of them. NARS blushes are highly pigmented (a little goes a long way) and come in flattering colors. We’ve all used or at least heard of The One with the Naughty Name, but choose the brightest one you can find and just a dab will do ya. The goal is to look flushed, not blushed.

4. NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Did I mention I have oily skin? That includes my eyelids. This product should come with a warning: don’t use it if you don’t want every molecule of eye makeup to stay in its exact original location; i.e., don’t be thinking you’ll just add more eyeliner and then smudge it to soften the line. No, you won’t.

5. CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara. I like thick, black, Kim Kardashian lashes. Every day. I tried desperately to like the fancy brands that everyone else swears by, but I keep coming back to this one. The brush is good, the formula is good, and it’s buildable. That’s code for multiple coats for you weaklings.

6. Sephora Brow Comb #21. The only one I use for my Kim K wannabe lashes. Metal teeth. Self-explanatory.

7. Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. I don’t need to elaborate on lashes again, but this is an incredible base if you want to beef yours up. I don’t use it every day because it’s not cheap, but for special occasions, I put it on before I do anything else (so it can dry), and it gives your mascara something to hang onto. I also like that it kind of opens your eyes, too.

8. CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain. Y’all. It’s a magic marker for your lips. It could NOT be easier to use, and the neutrals are perfect to wear everyday if you like a dark eye (who, me?) and under lip gloss for a good color base. It’s a tad drying, but I’ll take it for nine bucks.

Thanks again for having me, Laurel! I hope I helped you ladies out there locate something that will help you feel especially pretty today. And if you have a cannot-function-without item, please let me know! I love to add to my makeup drawer!

Happy weekend!

Guest Post: 4th Of July Recap!

Hey y’all! I hope everyone had the most wonderful 4th!!! 🙂 I’d like to welcome back Sarah from From Dogwoods to Magnolias (Formerly Coffee Rings and Southern Things) to share a little recap of her 4th of July celebration up in Virginia! 🙂

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Hey y’all! I know, it’s been forever. But I’m back again with some awesome 4th of July photos from my very backyard!

I recently moved from my stuffy little apartment in Newport News to a little trailer in the woods of New Kent County, VA. Although it isn’t much to look at, I’m happier where I am, and I’m very appreciative of the four acres I now call my own.

I hope y’all had a great July 4th, and I hope you enjoy these images of my family and friends. Like the humorous – slash creepy? – pictures of my younger sister making strange faces. Also, I promise no one got hurt. Especially when our buddy Manny decided it would be clever to tie 20+ sparklers together and light them at once.

The 20 sparklers:



And here are some obligatory cat photos of this little guy, Tails. He’s getting so big!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Thanks so much Sarah! Have a fabulous Monday, everybody! Thanks for stopping by! xo!

Guest Post: Sarah Is BACK!

Hello, Lovely Bee readers! It’s been a while, I know. But I’ve been busy, I promise, and I have not forgotten you.

Lately, I’ve been photographing weddings and maternity shoots. AND. Moving into my new apartment!

I’ve been so stressed, busy, flustered, excited, tired, etc. You name it, I’ve been it. But things are finally starting to come together and I’ve got some down time to post for Laurel today.

I thought I’d share a little of my life with you so far. These photos are from weddings and shoots I’ve photographed recently, and a few Instagram shots are thrown in there as well of the move and other random events. I hope y’all are having a lovely summer so far, and I’ll be back real soon! 🙂

Of course, my guy is my best model. You know I’m right.








The new apartment is now, obviously, complete.

Until next time, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course,Coffee Rings & Southern Things!

The Little Things { Guest Post }

I’m so happy it’s finally starting to actually feel like summer outside. I don’t know what Mississippi feels like right now. DJ’s dad tells him it’s been cool like up here in Virginia. But it’s 80 degrees here today, and breezy at that. It feels amazing.

I’ve always had that aching for summer. Every year it comes around the same time. However, our winter this year was horribly cold and wet. So this time around, the aching is worse. And I don’t know how to contain it. I don’t know how to explain that feeling, either. I miss the feel of a warm breeze on slightly tanned skin. Light and airy summer dresses. The smell of saltwater washing over golden sand.

It’s also around that time of year I met DJ. I think I notice that most of all. When you meet someone during the summertime, everything’s different. We’re all skinnier, tanner, glowy-er. You know what I’m saying. Now that we’ve spent six months in the cold/snow, we’ve put on a few pounds, our skin is white as a sheet, and we’re just plain lazy. We simply don’t feel like doing anything but lay in bed and watch movies.

It’s so exciting.

When I met him in July, he was the tall, dark, handsome man from Mississippi who stole my heart. Now we’re both so used to each other that we’ve accepted the extra pounds, the dry skin and hair that winter has brought us. Nothing’s glowing. No one’s tan. The muscles of summer have disappeared.

Am I just crazy or does anyone else notice this with the cold weather?

Maybe I’m just crazy.

My point is that it’s all coming back now. I’m running a mile everyday on my lunch break again. I’m eating healthier. I’m moving more. And the sun’s shining. And the weather’s amazing. He’s gaining that muscle back and his skin is darkening. That’s when I really have to contain myself. Because duh. My man looks good.

I just can’t wait for long rides in his truck, windows down, warm breeze through the windows, his arm wrapped around me in the middle seat. Trips to the beach. Rides on the motorcycle. These things are the best things in the world to me. The little things.

And because I need something to break up my crazy rambling, here are some pictures I took last year around summertime, which only make the aching worse:




What kinds of things are you anticipating this summer?

Until next time, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course,Coffee Rings & Southern Things!

Happy Birthday, Herman! { Guest Post }

Hello Lovely Bee readers! I feel like I haven’t talked to y’all in ages. How’re things?

Great!

I’ve got some exciting news. Exciting news #1: I’m at a new blog! The link is posted at the bottom. I hope you like the new place! And (drum roll, please), exciting news #2: Exactly a year ago today, I got my new camera. Now this probably means absolutely nothing to you. If you know nothing about photography and camera gear, especially. But my story when it comes to photography is long. I started on a Canon AE-1, which is a little manual film camera that had basically every simple function a digital camera like the Rebel has. I still have it, tucked away in my closet, but when I decided to get more serious about photography, I knew I needed an upgrade. So I bought the Rebel XS, which was a poor choice in my book. If I could go back and do it again, I most definitely would have waited a bit longer, saved a little more, and purchased the T3i or something. Actually, that’s impossible. The T3i wasn’t out until a year or two ago. So never mind. I’m aging myself.

Anywho.

Two years of adventures later, I decided I needed to upgrade again, and saved up enough to buy a really nice used Canon 7D, which is like the Rebel models, but more professional. I’ll just put it this way – I’ve had the thing a year now, and I still don’t know what all the buttons do. Most of the time, he scares me.

Oh, he, you ask? He is Herman.

I named my camera. Because I’m silly.

He’s taken me so much farther than the Rebel ever did. When I took him out of the box for the first time, this is the first photo I took:

Fancy, huh? And then, all I can think about is this:

But in all seriousness, I love this big guy, and I am more than happy with him for the time being. Until I’m ready to upgrade again, I’m with Herman.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course, Coffee Rings & Southern Things.

See y’all around! 🙂

Guest Post: Q&A With Sarah

My blogger friend Sarah (y’all remember her from Nicely Captured!) and I decided that for our guest posts this week, we would ask each other some questions about our businesses, since we each spend so much time with photography (her) and stationery design (me!)

I learned a lot about her and think you’ll really enjoy reading her answers to our questions! Be sure to head over to her blog to read my answers to the same questions! 🙂 Drumroll please…

1. What is your favorite thing about having your own business?

Having my own business means I’m my own boss. Obviously, I love this part the most. But I love taking charge at a wedding. Getting all the shots I need and want to add to my portfolio and to make my bride and groom happy. I love the editing process, looking over all my work. It’s rewarding. Working hard and being satisfied with the end result. That’s such a good feeling. It’s a feeling that says, “This is truly what makes it all worthwhile.”

2. If you can remember, what was the final straw that made you say, “Okay, I love doing this. I think I’m going to get more serious about it?”

Well. That’s a long story. It starts my sophomore year of high school, when I picked up my first camera. I was discussing with my parents all the art classes I could take. Photography was high on my list because of my father, who was his high school’s yearbook and newspaper sports photographer. I have always tried my hardest to make him proud, and I thought if I could get into photography, we’d have something to talk about. At least something in which we shared an interest.

Sure enough, he gave me his Canon AE-1, a manual film camera from the 80s. And then what I thought would be a simple little hobby became my obsession. I would eat, sleep, breath photography. I couldn’t stop. It’s all I could think about. It’s all I wanted to do every day. And then I got into something completely unrelated.

I started reading blogs every day. I became obsessed with the cute little sites photographers, writers, artists everywhere had on the internet. Everyone sharing stories that made me laugh or think about something profound. It started with Ree Drummond, who, as we all know, is a well-known blogger in Oklahoma. She wasn’t a photographer. She was a funny southern woman with a camera and a lot of recipes. But she taught herself well and pretty much overnight, became a sensation. After reading blogs by women like her from all over the country – and even some throughout the world – I wanted my own. I figured I had something to offer. I knew how to take pictures, after all. But there was a problem. I didn’t have a digital camera.

After saving up for something decently priced, I ended up with a Canon Rebel and used that for two straight years on a blog I titled My Life, On Repeat. Slowly, I became a part of a small blogging community who talked on Twitter, commented on one another’s blogs, emailed back and forth, gave advice, helped each other out. We relied on one another and became long distance friends. I met a girl who lives in London. One in Arizona. A talented poet in Missouri. After a while, my photography got better, and I craved something bigger. My own domain, a website, a business.

And I suppose that’s where this all began. Sarah E. Nice Photography was born.  A website and blog were created. A fan page on Facebook came about, which I am proud to say now has just a little under 1,000 fans. I have been booking shoots and weddings and events. And even though I’m no genius when it comes to the business side of things, I’m having fun and learning every day.

3. Can you take us through a typical day that you spend devoted to photography?

Photography is one of the most difficult fields out of which to make a business. It’s seriously the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The winter is the slow season, unless you’re extremely popular and get hired nearly every weekend no matter the weather. So I’m working almost 50 hours a week at my day job (no, I haven’t made it big enough yet to quit), and going to school part time to get my business degree. Being 24 and still taking community college classes is a bummer most of the time, but I pay for school myself. I take classes when I can and I take my time. I’m in no rush, and I am not fond of the student loan idea. I make do with what I’ve got and hopefully, by the time I graduate, I can get even more serious about photography.

For now, a typical day for me devoted to photography looks a lot like this:

I drink a lot of coffee, I listen to a lot of music, and I smile. I smile a lot. Because when I’m taking your pictures or editing them later on and see these smiles shining back at me, I can’t help but do the same. I love happy moments just as much as I love capturing them for my clients. It’s what keeps me doing this every day.

4. What are some things you wish you’d known before starting your business?

Well, ain’t that a loaded question.

I wish I’d known how to say no to someone who wants a free photo shoot. There’s a good one. When I was starting out, that was fine. I didn’t mind. I needed more material, so most of the time, I was the one to initiate the shoots. But when word got out that there was “a girl in Williamsburg who was just starting out,” more people were asking, expecting either a free shoot, or a really cheap one. As if I don’t actually physically work when I’m snapping a billion photos of your face. As if I’m not worth what I charge. First of all, I despise that. Never email a photographer and say “I heard you’re just starting out and have decently priced sessions.” Never ever ever ever ever EVER do that. It’s not only insulting, but… Okay, it’s pretty insulting and that’s about it. Don’t do it.

Another thing is this: I wish I’d never been so open and trusting in the beginning. People take advantage of people who appear to not know what they’re doing. My first gig was terrible. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off with a 16gb memory card (first mistake) and showing my clients every “sweet shot” I took. No. No no no. Can you guess why? Oh, just because they ended up wanting every last one of them. Even if some of them turned out blurry. They wanted them all. It resulted in me spending almost three months editing and giving them three discs altogether. Present Sarah is mentally slapping past Sarah in the face right now.

There are so many other things I wish I’d known then. Like deposits, meetings, portfolios, etc. Too much to get into. But the point is, I learned on my own from all my mistakes. Photographers who told me not to make them in the first place didn’t stand a chance next to my stubbornness. But I became a better photographer and businesswoman because of it. I learned how to say no. How to be stern, yet calm and collected. And that is so important.

5. What is your least favorite part of running a business?

A little bit of everything listed above and then some. I don’t like dealing with the important stuff. Like taxes and receipts and documents and blah blah blah. I’m still learning, but everyone gets tired of that stuff. I know I’m not the only one. When I make enough money doing this, I’ll eventually hire someone to do it for me, but until then, I’m the only one who can deal with it, so I do.

6. Where do you hope to take your business in the next five years?

I don’t know where I’ll physically be in five years. But I know my love for photography will never change. 2012 was full of milestones for me, and 2013 is looking even better with a couple weddings, engagement and maternity shoots scheduled. I know it can only get better. I’m just letting it all happen the way it’s meant to. I know God will take me where I’m meant to go.

Thanks Sarah!! Y’all be sure to keep up with her via her blog, Nicely Captured, and her Facebook page!

My New Friend Sarah

Happy Friday!! I hope everyone is having a fabulous day! Today is very special in my little world because TODAY is the first day for my new guest blogger, Sarah, to write for The Hive! (I wrote a guest post for her, too, which you can see here!) We’ll be guest posting for one another for a while, so it’s time to get to know this chick! 😉 Take it away, Sarah… 

Hey, y’all! Sarah here, from Nicely Captured. You probably don’t know me. But that’s okay. I’ll help you out. I know me better than anyone.

I’m a 24 year old photographer in the [very] small town of Toano, Virginia. Toano is so small, you leave it almost as soon as you enter it. We’re known mostly for the little furniture store with the 20-foot yellow chair out front. And Pumpkinville.

‘Cause you know. We’re just livin’ it up out here.

I’m a pretty simple girl. I live for year-round bonfires and sunsets so intense, I have to pull over to photograph the moment. When I’m upset, I take a back road. Or four. I love my Mississippi boy and pretty much spend all my free time with him. I live on coffee and mac n’ cheese. And mashed taters. Mmm.

Sarah @ Nicely Captured. What a doll!

I hate the cold, but I love to curl up with a hot cup of just about anything (heck, it could be coffee and Bailey’s for all I care) and a book by the fire. We had our first snowfall of the winter last night. Heating up my truck and scraping all the ice and snow off of it at 5am this morning before work was an adventure. Luckily, none of it stuck to the roads, so I can go about my normal day. But thank the Lord it’s Friday!

My blog mainly consists of lifestyle posts. From fashion, my favorite products, recipes and crafts, and of course, photography. And I plan on posting the same stuff here at The Hive! I hope to eventually do tutorials for bloggers who would like to spruce up their page with pretty pictures. ‘Cause blogging ain’t just for writing. It’s meant for photography, too! I may have been taking pictures for nine years, but I got more into it thanks to blogging. I get so excited when I see bloggers invest in a nice camera and teach themselves the art of photography!

I’ve had multiple blogs in the past five or so years, but none as fun as Nicely Captured. I’ve met such great people in just the past month or so, Laurel being one of them! And I’m so honored to have been chosen to guest blog for her, and I hope you guys enjoy my posts as much as I’ll enjoy writing them!

It’s been fun blogging over the years and sharing this part of me with everyone. Some people aren’t fans of putting themselves out there, letting the world read their every thought. Getting inside their head. But it’s not like that. You share a part of you, and people can take it or leave it. I’ve learned that the hard way, believe you me.

I have this motto I’ve always gone by. I never write anything I would be ashamed of my grandmother reading. I always keep her and my mom in mind. Because I know they enjoy reading my blog, and I would never want them to be disappointed in me for anything.

With that said, here’s a crappy Instagram photo of my snowy morning at work for ya! Have a great weekend, y’all, and I’ll see you next week. 🙂

-Sarah
Nicely Captured