8.27.2013

Top 10 iPhone Photography Apps

I'll be the first one to admit that I sometimes have Instagram photo editing envy. It's a real thing. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a rad picture on Instagram and not knowing how the person made it so...rad. For the most part people don't like to share how they produces their magic, but this magician is going to reveal their secrets. Here are my top ten picks for iPhone photo editing Apps and my respectfully edited photos. Best of all, most of them are free.

1. Squaready (free) -  The pretty white background. Photo envy galore. Allows the photo to not be square and the background to be white.
 
2. Symbolgram (free) - Shapes on your picture or framing your pictures with the capability to lower the opacity to create a faded effect.



3. Picfx($1.99)- In my opinion the best Bokeh and other unique filters like galaxy themed. Totally worth two bucks!






4. Piclab (free) - For  adding captions to pictures. Has some of the better fonts out there in case you're into this sort of thing.

(This is Company, our cat, pondering by the pond.)

5. VSCOcam - awesome filters and great for fading picture. More from appadvice here.



6. Reflection (free) - Mirrors your images.



7. PicFrame (free) - Great for collaging




8. Labelbox (free) - exactly that. Labeling.



9. AfterLight ($0.99) - awesome color and light filters and different shapes as frames. Cool to play with but I feel like I can achieve similar results by using many different apps, this just saves you the hassle.





10. Instagram (free) - the good good. If you're new to this planet, here is the basic gold standard. Great social media platform and had good filters for photos and videos.





If you want to see more pictures, follow me on instagram: @DISCOairglow.



8.23.2013

Mila Kunis Inspired Metallic Smoky Eye // Wet n Wild Color Icon Comfort Zone Palette



In honor of my new found #newness, I decided to film a Get Ready With Me // Flash Tutorial video of a Mila Kunis inspired metallic smoky eye I wore last night. I've never filmed myself doing my makeup before and I can tell you it was definitely quite the juggling experience. It's funny how even my makeup had become ritualistic.

I decided to step out of my own comfort zone with my new Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Comfort Zone 738 palette that I picked up on Monday night: super spur of the moment purchase but around the $5 mark and the shadows are pretty pigmented for the price. It's an all around winner. The only negative about this palette is that the packaging was so difficult to pry open, I actually thought I was going to break the plastic cover and/or a nail. The shadows stayed on all night and fall out was minimal so I'm fine with the packaging being slightly faulty. What do you expect for five bucks? 

8.20.2013

500+ Words: #Newness


I'm the type of person that thrives in new and exciting environments. It's the food the fuels my soul. Novelty to my nomadic spirit is like a drug that calms the craze. However, every two and a half years, I seem to cyclically fall into "comfortable" territory, which makes me ironically uncomfortable.

Having purged ninety percent of all my possessions and moved house back in late March of this year 2013, that bold move is out of my system; and, considering the circumstances of why I am where I am geographically today, some unforeseen family circumstances and perhaps a post for a later date, I 'aint going anywhere fast. 

Inevitably, because I can't (just yet) move into an RV and road trip the US of A, I have been left high and dry for adventure. So to preserve my sanity and perhaps rattle it in the same breath, I have conjured up a plan to revive my time while we are here in Charlotte. Considering my, what seems to be never ending, 'bucket list,’ it seems only natural to chip at it and challenge myself to try something new for the next month and see how it all prevails.  The thought of it is frightening, sure and daunting, of course. All of the thoughts and doubts that race through the mind when it realizes that the comfortableness it resides at present moment will soon not exist. But, that is the very objective, my friends: because sometimes the complacency and content that we live in leaves our souls malnourished and parched for some life enrichment.

Thanks to my constant need to soul search and ‘know thy self,’ I have a rough idea of where I want to take myself. Like many other creatures out there, I habitually reside in my head. I spend the majority of my time on my MacBook Pro, feeding my brain both nonsensical entertainment on YouTube and a mix of other knowledgeable answers to life’s burning questions, which Google so lovingly snuffs out. Of course, every now and then I'll get some work done: but let’s be honest here YouTube usually wins.

Like I mentioned earlier, see middle of third paragraph, I want to challenge myself for the next thirty days “Hashtag Thirty Day Challenge.” I want to put my self out there, wherever that may be. I am going to make myself uncomfortable and learn something new, do new things and maybe relive old things that made me happy and I haven’t lived in a while. I will be documenting these experiences in the good old-fashioned blogging way and perhaps some good new-fashioned vlogging for some good new-fashioned newness.



This very blog post is something new, as I don’t usually write "long" post; I mainly stick to pretty pictures. Nor do I usually write about the manic thoughts that feverishly ride the subways of my neurons. I don’t usually write about fears and expose my insides blindly to an unknown audience. I can honestly say though, by just releasing it out into the universe, and accepting it and thus yourself for what it is, is pretty powerful. I feel better already and leave you with the words of some insightful soul out there "Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will." 

Question of the week:   What do you fear and will you challenge it's authority?







8.10.2013

8.05.2013

OOTD






This last week was beyond lovely weather-wise and made staying inside practically impossible. I love pairing loose flowing maxi dresses, like this PARTIMI one I thrifted a few weeks back with a light faux fur trimmed vest, also thrifted,  and fun embellished sandals. It made for a great casual picnic outfit or just playing in the garden. 

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