Everything Pretty Best of 2014

This was a big year for Everything Pretty!  This was my second year blogging, and a big year of firsts for me.  I want to thank all of my readers for making this a very successful year for my blog.  Thank you so much for reading, commenting, pinning, and sharing my posts!  In case you missed any posts this year, here are my top 20 posts of 2014.

20.  How to Make Liquid Castile Soap Without Lye

19.  Green Tea Toner Recipe

18.  DIY Honey Paste for Soft Hands

17.  DIY Eyeshadow Primer Recipe

16.  How to Use Makeup Brushes

15.  10 Hair Myths Debunked!

14.  Life Changing Beauty Hacks You Need to Know

13,  Hair Mask Recipes for Damaged Hair

12.  DIY Concealer Recipe

11.  6 Tips for Naturally Curly Hair

10.  DIY Avocado Foot Scrub Recipe

9.  Tea Tree Oil Soap

8.  DIY Peel Off Mask Recipe

7.  How to Stop Period Cramps

6.  DIY Makeup Recipes

5.  4 Homemade Eyeshadow Recipes

4.  How to Tighten Skin Under Eyes - Naturally

3.  7 Itchy Scalp Home Remedies

2.  DIY Heat Protection Spray

1.  DIY Foundation Recipe

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New Year's Eve Makeup Tips

Have you recovered from Christmas?  I almost am.  My tree and decorations are still up, but I've been just relaxing and trying to unwind.  I spent some late nights packing orders for my Etsy shop, and I was mentally and physically drained.  Hopefully, this week I can get some major organizing and purging done and then be back to my regular schedule the next week.

One thing I am doing this week is looking over my yearly blog stats, so I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment to fill out my survey.  It will just take a minute, and it will help me learn more about my readers.

Do you go out for New Year's Eve?  I'm married with three kids, so we usually stay home.  The kids usually do stay up until midnight, and we celebrate with some sparkling juice and snacks.  It's been a few years since I've gotten to go out on NYE, but if I did, I'd want to look amazing to ring in the new year.  Here are some New Year's Even makeup tips to help you look stunning!

New Year's Eve Makeup Tips

Eyes 

You'll be out late, so you definitely want to use a eyeshadow primer.  It will help your makeup go on easier and last longer.

Metallic and smokey eyes are in for NYE.  Check out this awesome look from Confessions of a Makeup Junkie and the list of the products she used.

Here's a silvery shadow look from Endless Summer.  She gives a step by step tutorial so you can easily recreate it at home!

Want to wear your favorite shadow but make it glittery?  All Things Beautiful XO tells you how you can do it!

Nails

Hold that champagne glass in style!  Glitter and sparkly nails look great on NYE.

Polish Galore has a great post featuring Hexy Bikini

Not sure which glittery color to get?  Polish Insomniac posted her review of 10 glitter polishes in all colors!

The black and gold on this nail art just screams NYE for me.  Check out Handtastic Intentions for directions.

Ombre + Glitter = Fabulous!  Click through to All Things Beautiful XO to see what products she used.  

This blue glitter polish is gorgeous!  Read Be Happy Buy Polish for the more information.

The Mercurial Magpie also has a collection of glittery polishes.  Go check them out on her page for more details.

Lips 

Glitter lips?  Yes, please!  Read more about the products on Beautzy Blog.

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Picture Perfect Holiday Photo Tips

This year as you visit with family and friends at holiday parties, how many photos will you be in?  I'll be in several in this year with our family, but I don't always photograph well.  I'm either "Wow! I look kinda good!"  or "Delete. That. Now." with nothing in between.  If you're like me—or even if you're naturally photogenic—follow these picture perfect holiday photo tips.

Best Curly Hair Products for Frizz Free Hair

Curly hair.  How I love and hate thee.  I love you when you work with me, but I hate you the other 90 percent of the time.

If I use the wrong product on my hair, it ends up either frizzy or crunchy, and neither one is attractive.

Curly hair tends to be dry, and it needs a lot of moisture.  When curly hair gets dry, it gets frizzy and unmanageable.  These are the best curly hair products that I've found for soft, manageable curls without going crunchy or frizzy.

Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from sales.

How to Hide a Cold Sore and Heal It Fast With Abreva® cream

I’m excited to share a post with you today that’s all about staying confident even when you’re battling a cold sore.  When a cold sore strikes, I don’t feel or act like myself.  With the holiday season approaching, I don’t want a cold sore to dampen my spirits or slow me down.  That is why I keep Abreva® cream on hand to treat my cold sore at the very first sign.  Read below to discover other simple ways you can keep your confidence high this holiday season.

It starts as a tingle on your lip.  Pretty soon, that tingle turns into a painful and unsightly cold sore.

When I get a cold sore, I don't even want to leave the house.  I feel like everyone will be staring at the blemish, which is so embarrassing! Luckily, I have a secret weapon in my medicine cabinet to help me so I don't have to hide at home.  At the first sign of a tingle, I reach for Abreva® cream because it's the only FDA approved non-prescription cold sore medication, and it heals fast. The median healing time is 4.1 days, but you could heal it in as few as 2.5 days  when used at the first sign. Yes, friends, instead of waiting up to a week to regain your confidence, you can be cold sore-free in just a few days!

While you're waiting for Abreva® cream to work, you don't want to walk around with an unsightly cold sore on your face.  Thankfully, you can apply makeup over the medication.  For best results, apply the cream to clean skin.  After it dries, you can apply makeup.  When it's time to reapply the medicine, be sure to remove your makeup so the cream can penetrate the skin.

How to Cover a Cold Sore

1. Wash your hands and apply Abreva® cream directly to the cold sore.  You want to apply enough to fully cover it, but not so much that it doesn't completely soak in to your skin.  Wash your hands again after touching the cold sore.
2. If you have redness, use a green or yellow-based concealer to neutralize the redness.  Always apply the product with a cotton swab to prevent contaminating your concealer.  
3. Use a thick, creamy concealer in your skin tone to cover the blemish.  Look for a formula that's sold in a jar or compact that is very concentrated for best coverage.  Again, use a cotton swab to apply the product.  Dab the product directly on the cold sore and blend the edges with your skin.  
4. Finish with a light dusting of powder applied with a cotton swab.
5. If the cold sore is on your lip, you can apply lipstick over it.  Be sure to use a cotton swab to apply it so you don't contaminate your entire tube of lipstick.  

Abreva® cream should be used five times a day.  

Abreva® cream also has a non-medicated invisible patch to cover cold sores.  You can apply makeup right over it, and it lets air in while it keeps products away from your cold sore so it stays clean.  

You could knock out your cold sore in 2.5 days*. Only Abreva® cream can do it, when you treat at the first sign**. Try Abreva® cream during your next cold sore!  Click here to learn more about Abreva® cream

*Median healing time 4.1 days. 25% of users healed in 2.5 days.

**Among Over-the-counter products

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, tell me:
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