Refashionista Mika!

I work at a bank in a Walmart. Working at Walmart has made my wallet a whooooooole lot lighter and sadder. But when everything is so cheap, how can I resist?? So I bought this great WALMART DRESS ( <-----Buy me here!) for $15. Like I predicted, it was way too short! So I had this awesome idea. Why don't I chop it off and make it knee length!? Wonderful. Idea. Mika. High five! But what to do with the extra? Huh why not make an infinity scarf? Its already sewn into a circle so I literally had to throw it on my neck and go for it.  AND it turned out so much better than I anticipated.

Results below!

 

 

Did I mention it is super comfy? Yeah. Its basically my new favorite dress. Try it! It takes three minutes to do. I'm serious.

 

Love, Mika. 

Mermaid-y Ish?

 

Well here I am. I got new brushes and this what went down! I bought Pueen brushes from Amazon for about $20. I love them! They really hold color well and blend beautifully.

My makeup is from:
Eye shadow- Icing
Black eyeliner- Buxom
Teal liner- Urban Decay
Mascara- 3D Fiber lashes

I put the teal liner all over my lash line and on the outside of my crease in a giant "V" shape. Blend. A lot.... And then layer with eye shadow. Apply a darker shadow to the crease and blend some more!

Hopefully I will remember to take pictures when I play around with the other liners and shadows. :)

Love, Mika.

Shadowed Liner.

 

 

Today I was extremely tired and decided to not use effort for my makeup. So, I remembered a thing I saw on What Not To Wear (and most likely from Pinterest too) about using an angled brush to line your eyes. This technique is usually involves gel liner but I used a black eye shadow instead. Using shadow makes it a softer look.

 

Let me tell you about my brush. It is a paint brush! I bought it at Joann's for a buck. Best deal ever. And it works like a charm! I definitely recommend them. I originally bought it to fill in my brows but as you can see by my pics, it doesn't get used often. But all I did was dip it in my matte black shadow and swiped it across the top of my lashes on my eyelid. I was SHOCKED by how easy and fast it was. It went on so smooth and perfect the first time. I had so much control! And the winged bit at the end? I got it on the FIRST TRY. What?? It was beautiful and it looked like I was wearing liner! I wasn't sure how well it would stay put but it was great all day. To take my pictures, I redid it just to make sure you can see it. But this time, I dipped my brush into some water and then placed it in the eye shadow. It was much darker and more defined. I recommend this for a more dramatic or clean look. Do the dry shadow technique for a softer/more romantic/smudgy/natural look. 

 

As a side note, I use this palette (below) almost every day. I bought it from Costco! I loooooove Costco. Seriously I recommend it. It was a pretty good price too. I used Raven for the liner and the Woodrose for the brown on my lid.

Let me know what you think! Follow me on Instagram (kermitfacefredrick) or Facebook or Pinterest! I would love to see you! :)

Love, Mika.

Cause The World Is Ugly, But You're Beautiful To Me.

Certain events in my life are currently creating chaos and heartache which is actually quite normal for me. I feel like I am always having to go through something difficult. The day that my life is easy, will be the day that I am cold in my grave. But even then I almost guarantee that my funeral will be a disaster.

 

That being said, I chose this life. I volunteered for this. I decided before I was born that I wanted a hard life Why would I do that?? Well God knew I could handle it. I realize this sounds arrogant but I promise, I'm not bragging. The other night, I was sobbing on my bathroom floor, (don't ask why I was randomly on my bathroom floor because I haven't a clue.) I was so overwhelmed with life that all I could do was cry for an hour. When I finally had motivation to get back into bed, I decided to pray. Mind you, I don't usually pray. But I felt very inclined to. So I started. I told God that I was thankful for the trials he was giving me because I knew that they would help me become a better and stronger person. At this point, tears started pouring down my face again because I knew with my entire heart that I really and honestly was so grateful to have the opportunities that I was receiving, even though it meant terrible circumstances. It reminds me of what Ron Weasley said in the third book when he is trying to predict Harry's future in Divination, "Right, you've got a sort of wonky cross… That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering'—sorry about that—but there's a thing that could be the sun … hang on … that means 'great happiness' … so you're going to suffer but be very happy about it..." Its like JK Rowling knew my life. I wouldn't trade my trials for anything. I complain more than I should about them but truth is, I need them so I can become a better person and help others.

I have sat back and watched awful things happen to my friends and family these past couple of months. Cancer, suicide, drugs, discovering you entire life is a lie, it all happens for a reason. ALL of it. And yes, it does suck a big one but guess what? You CAN do it. You ARE strong. You ARE capable of coping with your trial. You WILL be ok. I have seen you all struggle and deal with horror admirably and such courage that it brings tears into my eyes and hope into my heart. Because in the end, good will prevail over evil. Centuries of conflict and tribulation has taught me that no matter how grim and bleak the situation looks, there will always be good. 

 

Those who know me, I have a great passion for Harry Potter. (Obviously because I have already quoted it multiple times. It has gotten me through the worst times of my life. I even listened to it in the hospital when I was recovering from my attack. It brings me to tears because JK Rowling speaks directly to my heart. And I know that Harry Potter is a children's book, but it has amazing lessons. I am going to share a few Albus Dumbledore quotes because he is a wise man. Imaginary, but genius. He said, “It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated.” Evil will never cease. NEVER. The devil's only purpose for the rest of eternity is to bring everyone down and destroy the world. But we can't give in. We must keep going. We can not let wickedness take over. I can't even give you a good reason why good must be victorious, I just feel compelled to be the good the world needs. We must go through tough times because that is life. Please, don't give up. 

 

Professor Dumbledore also said, “It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." He is right. Our attitude and how we handle situations is what really counts. I know it is hard to be happy and positive when life is going down hill real fast, but I assure you that it helps with coping and healing. We could choose to be miserable but when has that ever helped anyone? I am not saying that you can't be sad about whatever happened, but just don't solely dwell on your misfortunes and losses. Trials are good for us even if they are sucky and awful and makes us want to punch things in the face. What makes us great is resisting the urges to stoop to a lower level and rising against our hardships with grace and (excuse the language but it is the perfect word for it) badassery.

 

Now for one of the most popular HP quotes, “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Goodness can only be found if you look for it. There are times where all you want to do is wither away to nothing because you are so devastated and you don't want to do anything. And I have personally wondered, "Why is this happening? Why does God hate me??" But there are always multiple things I can learn from whatever is going on but I do have to put forth an effort to see what it is. God is there. He will always help you. He does not give us anything we can not handle. He gives us difficult times so that we can grow and be amazing. You are not alone.

 

 

Sorry being all over the place and about all the Potter quotes. I'm also sorry for all the religion talk. Actually no, I'm sorry not sorry about either. I like what I like! I want you all to know that I love each and every one of you. Even if I have never met you. And for the record, I am rooting for all of you to be happy and healthy and live a wonderful life. You deserve it.

 

Love, Mika.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These Shoes Are Made For Walking.

Apparently it has been a few months since I posted... Oops. My apologies! This year for Christmas presents, I decided to make shoes for all the girls at work! They (and by they, I mean all of us,) have a slight obsession with shoes and lucky for them, I redo shoes! So here are their shoes.

These are Tauni's shoes. Tauni is a cowgirl to the max so I did a version of the very popular trend Burlap and Lace. She is preggar's so she can't quite them yet but the wedge style is great for beginning heel walkers. (;

These are JayLynn's shoes. (My last post was on her.) Her taste is very similar to mine so I had no problem working on these wedges. They have leopard print and lace with pink tulle laced up the side.

These are Brenda's shoes. I made her's with plum ruffles and hounds tooth print. Plus, the mary jane style is easy to walk in.  

These are Janette's shoes. She always wears a cute polka dot shirt to work and so I did these so I could match her shirt. They are peep toe and who can resist bows?

These are Lillian's shoes. She is a little lady not even reaching 5 feet tall so finding shoes in her size was a little ridiculous. But I did like the metallic embellish and how they turned out. :)

 



 

Okie dokie! That is that! Starting in January, I will be charging for shoes. I do a case by case basis price wise but I can tell you that if you already have a pair of shoes that you want redone, then it will be cheaper! If you want me to do shoes for a wedding or a school dance or a random special occasion, email me! mikafredrick@yahoo.com I can quote you a price depending on what you want done. And I can usually have them done in a week. :)

 

Love, Mika. 

 

 

 

 

Hey Sexy Girlfriend! JayLynn Cooke.

So this beautiful woman is my friend and Assistant Manager over me at the bank. I can not even begin to tell you how amazing she is. She is so strong and a wonderful friend. Plus, her obsession with shoes may exceed my own so we get along beautifully.

 

I got a text from JayLynn on my day off. The gist of the text was basically, "Hey I look hot. You need to come see my outfit!" And I replied with, "Obviously." Because let's face it, she is so cute all the freaking time! I went in to the bank and almost fell over. She said she looked hot but holy hot mama Batman. I immediately told her I had to have a picture to blog about. The outfit is adorable and so versatile! You can wear this EVERYWHERE. Store, work, date night, church, family pictures, your living room... possibilities are endless.

 

First off, she is mixing prints and rocking it. The skirt is obviously striped. It is in black and white which makes mixing waaay easier. You can't really tell but the shoes are a blue and black leopard print. They are also 6 inches but shockingly comfortable and easy to walk in. Leopard and stripes are both considered "neutrals" in the fashion world so work them together! The skirt is amazing. It is tight enough to show off curves and flatter but loose enough to be lady like. It also hits below the knee so you can totally wear sky high heels with it and still be appropriate and classy and hot and feminine all at the same time.

 

This shirt is... incredible! I want one!  You can wear it multiple ways which is a nice way to get more bang for your buck. (Wait... is that phrase in reference to prostitutes?? Who came up with that saying?? Let's pretend it is about fireworks! .......) Back to JayLynn! The detail on her shirt dresses up the entire outfit and creates a great focal point. And it gives great shape!

 

And let's address her hair. This is some of the most kick a hair ever. Seriously! She is rocking the short hair. This is grown out a bit from a Mohawk and doing it very gracefully. It makes me want to chop all my hair off every time I see it. She has texture up in there to add a bit of spice and to change it up enough so she doesn't get bored.

 

Conclusion: Jaylynn is fabulous and I am very grateful for her in my life. I absolutely love her and I am so happy to be getting her to know her better. And spoiler! We are going to be going into business together! More on that to come shortly!

 

Love, Mika.

 

 

 

Winged Shadow.

This is my finished product! It is a great date look. I wore this to work but if you aren't that brave, save it for night time. :)

 

So today I tried a new makeup technique. I have known about it for a while but I haven't really tried it. It is winged eye shadow! Whoop whoop. And guess what I discovered? It is AMAZING. And it takes 1/100th of the skill that winged liner takes. Score. So let me tell you the steps to the perfect winged shadow!

 

1. Apply black (or a dark color, I am wearing a matte black color in these photos) all over your lid. I made mine a little lighter in the middle and darker toward the crease.

 

2. Apply more black in the crease of your eye. Extend the black by dragging the outside half of the shadow from the crease up to the end of your eyebrow. Blend.

 

3. Now take a baby or facial wipe and make a diagonal swipe from the corner of your eye to the end of the eyebrow. I like to use my fingernail to make the wipe have a sharper edge. See the sharp edge?

 

***Note: Another method is to use tape to make the sharp winged edge. Tape off the edge with Scotch or masking tape and apply shadow. You can also hold a business card or piece of paper up while you apply your eye shadow for a neat edge.   

 

4. I then rimmed my waterlines with a black pencil. I then used a purple pencil on the bottom underneath my waterline/ lower lashes and smudged it. I would encourage you to use a bright color on bottom because it definitely steps up the fun factor.

 

5. Pile on mascara! Because mascara rocks and every girl should utilize this amazing beauty tool. :) And I usually don't wear mascara on the bottom lashes, but I did today and I am in love! My eyes looked so big.  

Ta Da! Done. My camera is terrible so you can't see the purple very nicely but I promise its there! 

 

Try this look and tell me how it goes! I want to hear. Also, if you don't use baby wipes, you need to. NEED. They are magic! They are super cheap and super effective. Plus, it is a lazy girl trick. Throw some on/in your night stand and you don't even need to get out of bed to take off your makeup. Because lets face it, ain't no body got time or energy to go to the sink.

Love, Mika.