How to add your personal domain name to blogger

 Here are step by step instructions for changing to a personal domain name with blogger.
It took me a couple of tries to get it right, but if you take it slow one step at a time it will work.

Now #8 is very important because not every one types in www. before a domain name so be sure enter your A-records. You will have to repeat step 9 four times.

This part is specific to go daddy as it the service I am familiar with.

I hope this helped, if not I am truly sorry. When I get stumped I always call godaddy and they always walk me through it step by step and if you get a really nice person they might even do it for you :)

Good Luck!
Laurie M.

A blog is born

I started my beauty blog www.themakeupsquid.com in august of 2013.

I did not know what I was doing, I did not know where to begin, so I did what I always do.

I jumped right in and went for it.

I chose a name the makeup squid. How did I pick that name?

I went to a site that helps you pick screen names, I found it through Google.

I typed in my key word Makeup, then a few interests and then nothing, for hours.

I asked people to describe me in one word and all I got back was, straightforward, bitchy and real.

Nothing clicked. So I just started searching Google and while browsing I saw the site Squidoo.com and it happened, I asked my daughter what do you think about themakeupsquid? 

She immediately said yes and I liked it too.

I knew it was different and no one in the world had a name like that for anything beauty related, so I signed up with blogger, twitter, Facebook, instagram, pintrest and tumblr. I know that's a lot of social networks but I wanted to tie up the name.

I got all that down, now I needed a look. My beauty blog has the same layout as this blog.

I like the clean layout, even though my other blog can get pretty cluttered in the side bars, I go in there every so often and clean it up.

I joined bloglovin and themakeupsquid was born.

After a few weeks I wanted a personal domain name, leaving the blogger URL in a signature just looked strange to me and I wanted it to spike curiosity not a eyesore.

Once I got the domain name I hooked it up to blogger and lost every comment I ever got up until that point.

It was a very bittersweet moment for me, happy I got my domain, sad that all my comments were gone.

I wrote a few posts on beauty blogging that got some good attention and some beauty posts.

But I had to choose who I wanted as my main audience, bloggers or people who wanted beauty advice?

This all depends on the type of post you write. If I write a post on 10 best blogging tips, I get other bloggers.

If I write a post on 10 best eye liners, I get people looking for advice.

I love helping people, but I don't want to get stuck there. I want to help my fellow bloggers as well as non bloggers. I learned that your early readers will be other bloggers.

This blog is going to be about my journey as a beauty blogger, I hope you stay and visit often as this will be a behind the scenes look of a beauty blogger.

It wont be flawless or perfect, but it will be genuine.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Laurie M.

What's up with subscription boxes?!

Subscription boxes have become all the rage in the beauty industry.

For a fee as low as $10 a month or a fee as high as $39.99 a month depending on what company you subscribe to, you will receive a box or a bag of beauty or health related products ranging from lip stains to the newest health foods.

With all of them you will go through a style or life style profile questionnaire thingy, Which from what I have read they don't even pay attention to. But you need to fill out regardless.

With most boxes you will receive  deluxe sample sizes of the newest and freshest products to hit the market from new companies or from old favorites.

When Ispy sent out full size Urban decay revolution lipsticks in venom, you could hear women praising the makeup gods from across the land. The lipstick itself paid for the subscription that month the rest of the products were bonuses.

When a company like Urban Decay want to spread joy and mayhem throughout the universe they do things like offer it through a subscription service to get a buzz going. After that box was sent out, that's all you heard and seen in the beautywebuverse. I just made that word up I like it.

After that I noticed a trend that the boxes have gotten so, so and people were questioning whether or not to cancel their subscriptions.

I don't think anyone should cancel their subscriptions. the truth is you get to try new products you may have never heard of, or only seen on the interwebs. So in my book its worth it.

Their are three major players in the Beauty subscription universe and please note these are only my views as who are the players here.

Ipsy at ipsy.com. There were around before Michelle Phan joined the team she helped skyrocket them into god like status.

Birchbox at birchbox.com. From what I have seen BirchBox is more of a skin care are of beauty rather than actual cosmetics. They also have a mens box which is kinda cool.

Then there is PopSugar Must have box from Popsugar.com. This box offers full size products with a little of everything from fashion, beauty and health foodie type stuff.

There are other subscription boxes for other countries but I haven't looked into any of them.

The thing is, keep your subscriptions going, you may not get a wow product every time, but you won't want to miss the next big thing to hit subscription boxes.

what beauty subscription service are you subscribed to?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!!

Tarte Friends and family 30% off* Extended!!

Tarte cosmetics has extended their 30% off holiday promotion!!

Click this link for the

Extended! 30% Off* orders on tarte.com with code DECFF at checkout.

Just wanted to share the news!!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

My Favorite Elf Products of 2013

ELF (Eyes, Lips, Face) Has come along way in the past few years and they are truly picking up their game.

With many dupes of high name brands you really cant go wrong for the price.

Many Elf items are priced between $1 to $6.

Not all of their products will wow you, but any makeup junkie will have some Elf staples in their stashes.

Elf makes just about any beauty product you could imagine From Brushes to shampoos to wash your favorite tools and is readily available and any Walmart or target as well as online at eyeslipsface.com

On a recent trip to Walmart I picked up a few goodies.

Elf Matte Lip Colors

These pencil lipsticks are amazing! Application is always smooth and the creamy formula makes them great for anyone who appreciates a great lip color. These lip colors can compete with higher end lipsticks all day long. The color range is in itself very real from nude through a vibrant cranberry.

These are perfect and well shaped to create a ombre lip or worn on their own.

Nearly Nude

Praline

Rich Red

Natural

Coral

As you can see these lipsticks are perfectly shaped for application.

They are twist up and you get a lot of product.

From left to right Nearly Nude, Praline, Rich Red, Natural & Coral.

The only color I was a bit disappointed in was (rich red) as you can see its more of a deep berry pink then a red, but I don't mind with a good liner it can still be rocked as a red.

These retail for $3.00

e.l.f. Essential Cover Everything Concealer in corrective yellow.

This is a creamy concealer that will help to hide any redness, however it isn't a full coverage.

I use this product as a highlighter under eyes, down my nose and on my cheek bones 

before I set my face with powder.

This Retails for $2.00

As you can see it is quite thick but blends easily leaving a nice highlight behind.

Elf Small Stipple Brush

This brush has received raves reviews from expert to amateur brush lovers.

I have been after this brush for a while now and I understand what all hype is about.

This brush is perfect for concealing, highlighting and contouring.

It is soft and just plain lovely.

This brush retails for $3.00

e.l.f. Studio Brush Shampoo

Eyeslipsface.com says:

An anti-bacterial brush cleanser for thorough cleaning in-between makeup applications. Disinfects brushes to provide a fresh and clean application every time. Washes away traces of dirt, makeup, oil and debris from your brush while conditioning the hair to provide a clean and soft application for every use.

I have been using this to clean my brushes for a while now and I love it!

Its disinfects them, cleans them and conditions them leaving them like new once dried.

I hate washing my brushes, but this makes it easier :)

This retails for $3.00

I do love these elf products and will continue to repurchase again.

Elf has come a long way and I hope they continue to rise and wow us with affordable beauty products.

Whats your favorite Elf product?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Meaningful Beauty Crem de Serum

I received the product from influenster about a month ago.

Meaningfulbeauty.com says:

This crème de la crème treatment takes a triple approach to combating the signs of aging with three powerful anti-aging ingredients: superantioxidant melon complex, anti-aging peptides and hyaluronic acid. Combining the power of a serum with the rich, moisturizing effects of a crème, this super-boost is designed to help protect, increase hydration and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

This product has a wonderful light melon scent that awakens the senses.

It is a thick for serum more like a gel, the application goes on smooth leaving your skin soft and silky without feeling greasy. 

I apply a thin layer and allow my skin to drink it up. They recommend applying it at night to work its magic.

I have not seen this product do anything to my current lines, but its does not claim to remove lines or wrinkles. 

This is a prevention product not a solution to an ongoing problem.

Prevention is better in my book and something I wish I would have done earlier in life.

This product is apart of a larger kit that claims to help with ongoing skin problems.

This kit retails for $39.95 on Meaningfulbeauty.com

I can say that I have not seen any new arrivals of fine lines since using the product and for me that is just as good and having them disappear. 

Thanks to influenster for the wonderful product.

So my question for you today is,

have you tried meaningfulbeauty?

Thanks for reading and have great day!

4 reasons to use a High Definition Powder

HD powders come in a universal shade that works with any skin tone.

Not only do they make the skin look radiant on film it also sets your foundation  and matifies

your skin without changing its natural contours.

This powder can be worn over and foundation or alone.

It is a silicone based formula the blurs pores for a flawless look.

This powder is finely milled therefore is is naked to the naked eye and film.

This product is meant to be used lightly in a simple dusting motion.

If not you will have a filmy residue and it will show up in photos especially with a flash.

As you can see in the photo above applied heavily with flash photography

it shows up giving off a white film on the skin.

Applied lightly and blended well it gives the skin a lovely radiance as promised.

I have been using HD powders for a few years now and I honestly don't think I can go back.

HD Powder Points

1. It's universal for all skin tones

2. Very light feeling formula not caking at all.

3. Blurs and softens the look of pores

4. A little goes a long way

The only down side to this product is that the packaging does not contain

the power very well. It can and will go everywhere if opened carefully.

There are two HD powders that I use often.

Elf HD Powder

$6.00

Make Up For Ever HD Powder

$36.00

The price range on these two powders is extremely different

But I will tel you the MUFE powder is more finely milled.

I use the Elf HD Powder for daily use and the MUFE HD Powder for more special occasions.

Have you tried a HD Powder?

Thanks for reading and have a great day!