SMOKEY EYE AND ROSY LIP MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH VASELINE LIP TINS [VIDEO]

OUTFIT DETAILS: DRESS ||  NECKLACE 

With Valentine's Day only a few days away, I'm excited to share a quick little video with an easy and subtle smokey eye you can do to complete your Valentine's Day look. I love a subtle smokey eye because it feels a little bit fancy, but can also be dressed down with a blouse and jeans if you're staying in.

The trick to pulling off a bold eye is to create balance on your face, and that means keeping the rest of your makeup simple. I've teamed up with Vaseline to share their brand new Lip Therapy Tins, which are the perfect product for making your lips soft, smooth, and kissable for Valentine's Day!

 I've been using Vaseline on my lips for my whole life and have never, ever found another product that keeps my lips as soft and smooth as it does -- I have a giant tub of it in my medicine cabinet and put it on every single morning and night. So I was super excited about these smaller tins that are easy to throw in my purse and bring with me. The best part is that they're available at Target and Target.com.

I'm especially loving their Rosy Lips color because it has the same healing goodness, but it adds a little color to your lips that perfectly compliments a bold, smokey eye.

Check out the easy step by step makeup tutorial in the video below, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel!

Also, here are all the products that I used for my eyes, and I shared the rest of my makeup products in my Everyday Makeup video over on my channel:  Eye Concealer/Primer  ||   Eyeliner   ||  Eye Shadow Palette   Mascara  ||  False Lashes  || Lash Glue Blush  ||  Rosy Lips Vaseline Lip Therapy Thank you to Vaseline for sponsoring this post

6 OUTFITS YOU CAN DIY FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy February! With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I'm rounding up six of the Valentine's Day tutorials I've made and shared on the blog. By now I'm sure you know that I love making something new for every holiday, and V-Day is no exception.  It's just always fun to have something new and pretty to wear for your date night, a party, or to church on the Sunday right around the holiday.  I'm wishing I had the waist to fit into that lace colorblock dress I made last year!

They range from super easy to semi-advanced so there's something for everyone.

LACE FIT AND FLARE DRESS

FLORAL MIDI TUTORIAL

HEART ATTACK TEE TUTORIAL

PINK SWING DRESS TUTORIAL

BODYCON FLUTTER SLEEVE DRESS TUTORIAL

GLITTER XO SWEATSHIRT TUTORIAL

So which one is your favorite??

VALENTINE'S DAY STYLE

[each image above is clickable, so click to shop, or use the text links below]

A few pieces to get you ready for Valentine's Day!

CORAL HANDBAG  ||  HEART SWEATSHIRT  ||  HEART KEY CHAIN  ||  HEART PRINT DRESS 

LIPS IPHONE CASE  ||  BLUSH PLEATED DRESS  ||  HEART PRINT SWEATSHIRT 

LIPS SWEATSHIRT  ||  BLUSH CLUTCH  ||  BLUSH WOOL COAT 

ROSE SUEDE PUMPS  || HEART T-SHIRT  ||  RED DRESS  ||  FUCHSIA LACE UP HEELS  

DIY FRIDAY: COLOR BLOCKED LACE FIT AND FLARE DRESS

OUTFIT DETAILS: dress made by me (similar here, tutorial below) | similar heels | stella dot spike bracelet | brandy pham needle bracelet, c/o | wrenn jewelry bracelets | bauble bar earrings (sold out, similar here)

I made this pretty color blocked lace dress a few weeks ago for Valentine's Day after seeing this gorgeous Betsey Johnson dress at Nordstrom. It was the perfect unique and feminine dress for Valentine's date night, but with Easter only a month away, it would make an amazing Easter dress too, don't you think?? You could make it in shades of pink and blush, like I did, or in greens, blues, purples, or yellows for a more festive Easter look. 

Click through to find the full sewing tutorial!

DIY HEART ATTACK VALENTINE'S DAY SHIRT

OUTFIT DETAILS: dittos denim (on sale!) || heart attack t-shirt made by me (tutorial here) || leopard clutch made by me (tutorial here, or purchase similar here) || similar heels || bauble bar earrings, c/o || urban outfitter sunglasses || j.crew jacket 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANA LAURENE

Today I'm sharing a fun and super easy Valentine's Day shirt on Jo-Ann's blog! Wear it this week with a pair of jeans, or dress it up for your Valentine's date by tucking it into a pencil skirt and throwing on some stilettos and a sparkly statement necklace.

Click READ MORE below to find the full tutorial!

RAIDING MY SISTER'S CLOSET: 4 TIPS FOR CHOOSING A VALENTINE'S DAY OUTFIT

OUTFIT DETAILS: donna morgan dress worn as a top, c/o (similar here, on sale for under $40!) || j.crew skirt (similar here on sale!) || sole + luster heels, c/o || leopard bag borrowed from leanne barlow, similar here || accessory concierge bracelet, c/o 

The fun thing about holidays is that you can wear things that you wouldn't normally pair together. For example, I would never wear bright red and bright green together, but on Christmas, anything goes! The same is true for Valentine's Day, and it's time to bust out all the festive colors. Today for Raiding My Sister's Closet, we're talking about how to pair those festive colors together. 

Typically I would choose pink and red, but I felt like being a little different this Valentine's Day and going for purple and red. The color combination feels feminine, but bold, and I always love a good color block. 

Try these tips for putting together a perfectly pink Valentine's Day Outfit!

1. Play with different hues. Try pink and purple, pink and red, red and purple, pink and blush, etc. There are so many different combinations so pull out all the pinks, reds, and purples in your closet and create a unique combo! Remember, anything goes!

2. Go neutral everywhere else. I kept my shoes very neutral, but also feminine so they matched the feel of the outfit, but didn't compete with the boldness of the top and skirt. Also, keep your lips and jewelry toned down if your outfit is bold.

3. When in doubt, add black and white. If you're not sure what to wear for Valentine's day, go with black and white, and add a pop of pink or red with either your shoes, your lips, or your jewelry. Or try a black and white skirt with a pink sweater, or a black and white top with a pink skirt! 

4. Have fun! The holidays are the funnest time to get dressed, so go a little more bold than normal and have fun! 

 Now go check out Janssen and Landen's Valentine's Day outfits, and if you use one of these tips for creating your Valentine's Day outfit, tag me on instagram so I can see (@merricksart)!

OUT OF THIS WORLD

With Peanut in a real preschool this year, there are all sorts of milestones we're reaching that make me stop in my tracks and realize I'm a real parent. (You know, when you have your first baby you kind of feel like you're playing babysitter for a while). Yesterday I had my first real parent/teacher conference, a few months ago he got his first school photos taken, and in a few weeks he'll have his first real class Valentine's day party.  I'm feeling like a seriously legit parent over here. 

Minted sent us the most darling cards for him to pass out in his classroom, and although they had a ton of gorgeous ones to choose from, we ended up choosing these fun little rocket ones since Peanut is really in to all things space right now and they were also easy to pair with something that wasn't candy (the other parents will be thanking me, I'm sure). 

If your babies are in need of classroom Valentine's Day cards too, check out Minted's darling selection here! 

cards: c/o minted

glow in the dark stars: toys r us

V Day

I've mentioned before that I'm totally a gift giver. I love thinking of the perfect gift, and this year after seeing this print on Etsy, I was inspired to make a little map of hearts of our adventures together for Philip's Valentines Day gift. I love how it turned out.

The plan is to make one every five years, and hopefully we can add another continent to the map next time!

And oh yeah... Philip came home with a big bouquet of purple roses.

A Happy Valentines Day, indeed.

What are you making for Valentines Day?

I'm making these:


And making these:



What are you making??