The Teen Dream ♡ Outfit Inspo

The Teen Dream by dollsofthevalley featuring plus size skirts

I recently purchased these shoes, top, and skirt and I made this outfit with them on Polyvore! The top and skirt are both from Simply Be and the shoes are from ASOS. I love these shoes so much but I'm still waiting for my order from Simply Be to get here. I'm so excited though because this outfit is SO cute and it reminds me of the 90s. ♡

Gingham top / Alice & You PVC skirt / ASOS vegan shoes  / MARC BY MARC JACOBS earrings

♡ My First Sewing Projects ♡

I finally started sewing a few months ago thanks to my very sweet and patient neighbor/family friend! Sewing is so fun and I love it so much but I still have a lot to learn. I started out making usamimi headbands! I've probably made more than 12 now but they're super simple to make and they're so cute too. 

This is what they look like! If you want me to make a separate post about how I made them let me know in the comments. ♡ 

The second thing that I made was a circle skirt. I watched tons of tutorials online but I was so confused I had to ask my neighbor for help. She basically made me a pattern in less than 10 minutes, haha. She told me to rip out the seams every time I messed up but she was so sweet about it, I'm so happy that she was patient enough to help me! 

I plan on making so many more things so I will definitely post about them as I make them. ♡ - Hope

I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog in forever! I've been dealing with school and trying to find a job but I really want to start posting on here again. I originally wanted this blog to be about my outfits and my sewing progress so I'm going to try to start sticking to that theme more! And thanks so much to those of you that still follow me on here. I'm sorry again for not posting as frequently. 

♡ Maintaining Oily Skin ♡

Oily skin is really hard to maintain but I'm going to share with you guys some of my tips on how I keep my face shine free! I've had oily skin ever since I hit puberty and it's always bothered me but I've learned a lot on how to work with it over the years. But anyways let me know if you guys like this post! ♡

♡ 10 Tips For Maintaining Oily Skin ♡

♡ 1. Drink lots of water & eat healthier foods! Water is so good for you and it helps your skin and hair too, so drink lots of it. And greasy foods make your skin more oily.

♡ 2. Cleanse, Treat, and Moisturize in that order. You probably think that you shouldn't moisturize your skin because it's oily but moisturizing your skin with a lotion (not a cream!) is actually really good for your skin.

♡ 3. Use lightweight oil-free cleansing products. Avoid thick & heavy cream cleansing products!

♡ 4. Don't constantly wash your face. When you do this it dries out your skin and makes your body produce even more oil!

♡ 5. Exfoliate once a week! When dead skin cells build up on your skin it will leave it looking dull and flaky. But be sure to use a soft exfoliant so that you're not putting your skin under too much stress.

♡ 6. Don't put hot water on your face, it strips the natural oils from your face and while that sounds heavenly it actually makes your skin lose all of it's moisture, again making your skin produce more oil!

♡ 7. Buy some blotting sheets! I use NYX's tea trea oil blotting sheets.
♡ 8. If you wear lots of makeup remember to wash it off at the end of the day.
♡ 9. Foundation as well as your cleansing products should be oil-free too! Or use a powder foundation and spray your blending sponge with water before applying it.
♡ 10. For the blackheads that won't go away use biore's pore strips! :)

♡ Face Mask For Oily Skin ♡

Mix 3 tbsp. banana, 1 tsp. honey, and a few drops of lemon juice until they form a smooth paste. Apply to face while avoiding the eye area and leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse with cool water!  Only use this mask once a week!!!

♡ Favorite Makeup Products ♡

♡ 1. Naked 3 - I've been wearing the Naked 3 palette pretty much everyday since I got it. I love it so much! I've made a post about how I wear the palette and I will link that right here. :)
♡ 2. EOS Strawberry Sorbet - I actually just bought this for the first time last month and I instantly fell in love with it! It smells heavenly and it feels amazing on my lips.
♡ 3. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - I have these matte lip creams in Monte Carlo, Istanbul, and Addis Ababa. My favorite is the Istanbul and I sometimes put it on with the Addis Ababa underneath it and it looks really nice!
♡ 4. L'Oreal's BB Cream - My skin is really oily and I don't really like wearing foundation so I wear BB cream instead. I love this one by l'oreal because it's really light on my face but it still gives me coverage.
♡ 5. Too Faced Size Queen Mascara - This mascara is really really amazing in my opinion. I curl my eyelashes before and after I put it on and they look amazing!
♡ 6. E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit -  This is only $3 and it is the best eyebrow product I've ever tried. It's really easy to use, first you apply the gel and then the powder. After that I usually spray hairspray on my spooly brush and then put it on my eyebrows so that they stay in the shape I want them too.

Thank you for reading! If you want to you can follow me on twitter here. I'm almost always on there. ♡

xoxo Hope

♡ 60's Bouffant & DIY Hair Mask ♡

Hello lovelies! ♡ Someone on instagram a long time ago asked me how I get my hair big like Lana & Priscilla and I'm finally getting around to writing about it. Pretty much all I do is style the ends of my hair, curly/wavy or straight, and then I tease the top of my head about where the crown is! Be sure to use lots of hairspray so that your hair will stay in place while you're out. ♡  I use a bristle brush, and I spray my hair before I tease it and then I spray it again once I've smoothed out the top. Smoothing out the top is verrrrry important so that your hair doesn't look like a birds nest!!! 

Teasing your hair is actually really bad for your hair so I try to only do it when I'm leaving my house, lol. I've been thinking about buying one of these hair extensions so that I don't have to put my hair under any more stress and then I can still have this super cute hairstyle! But in the meantime here's the recipe for a DIY hair mask I use whenever I feel like my hair really needs it.

♡ DIY Hair Mask ♡

All you'll need are eggs, honey, and extra virgin olive oil. My hair is long but it's also very thin so I only use one egg, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If your hair is long and thick you might need to use 2 eggs and adjust the olive oil and honey measurements too. Once you've done that you can massage the mixture into your scalp and coat the rest of your hair too. Leave it on for about 30 minutes and then go wash it out with shampoo and conditioner. I use gloves while putting the mixture in and I also use a shower cap while I'm wearing it because it's a lot less messy!

I have another post that I made last year on how I keep my hair long & healthy which I will link here. ♡

Thank you for reading!!! xo Hope

♥ Cute Things @ Mod Cloth! ♥

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't been posting very much lately, I've been busy with trying to figure out my school situation but I'm getting back on track with that again so I will be posting more on here again. :) ♥  But today I'm just going to be posting a few things Mod Cloth is selling right now that caught my eye!

Enjoy!! ♥

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♥ My Favorite Way To Wear Naked 3 ♥

Today I'm going to be reviewing Urban Decay's new Naked 3 palette! I've never really cared for any of the Naked palettes before because I have Too Faced's Natural Eye palette and that one has a bunch of pretty neutrals in it. But when I saw the colors for the Naked 3 palette I fell in love instantly. ♥ I love pink and rosy colors so if you love pink you will probably love this palette too, haha!

I like how the palette comes with an eyeshadow and crease brush and samples of UD's primers, but I don't really like how to packaging comes in a metal tin. I'm so afraid that I'm going to drop it and all of the eyeshadows will crumble up! 

These are all supposed to be brand new shades and they are all super gorgeous! There's 12 colors and 3 are matte and the rest are shimmery & metallic/satin. I'm not going to take pictures of the swatches because there's already loads of pictures on other people's blogs with swatches.

But anyways this is how I've been using the Naked 3 palette!

I used Strange on the lid. On the inner crease I used Limit. On the outer crease I used Nooner and Liar. And on the outer crescent I used Factory. Finally I used Strange again on my brow bone as a highlighter. ♥

My phone changed the quality of the picture when I uploaded it to my computer so that's why it looks so funny! This is basically the way I do my makeup with every palette I've ever owned but it's my favorite way to wear my eyeshadow so it's okay, hahaha. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and tell me what you think about the new Naked palette!

♥ Perfect Plus One Bag from ModCloth ♥

I've wanted this purse for so long and now I finally have it! It was an early Christmas present from my mom and I am so grateful that she bought it for me. The purse is a cute baby pink color with cream colored lace on the front flap. It has a heart shaped lock on the front that keeps it closed and on the top there's a handle and also two rings that you can attach a long strap onto! 

I love this purse so much and it's perfect for everyday use! It's not heavy and it's small on the inside but big enough to hold my phone, wallet, my glucose monitor, and a few other things too. ♥

- Hope xo

♡ How To Make Your Hair Grow Long & Healthy ♡

Hello! Today I'm making a blog post on how to get your hair to grow long & healthy. 

My hair goes all the way down my back. My hair has been getting thinner the last year or so because I've been very sick. Other than it being super thin my hair is healthy and I've learned quite a few tips and tricks on getting it that way! So here is how you can get your hair to be super long and healthy. ♡

♡ DON'T WASH YOUR HAIR EVERYDAY ♡

I know that sounds really gross but when you wash your hair everyday you are stripping your hair from it's natural oils from your hair follicles which damages your hair! By not washing your hair everyday you're allowing your hair to revive itself on it's own and gives it a natural shine. If you're like me and have super oily hair though you should try a dry shampoo! A dry shampoo is a spray that has ingredients that get rid of the unwanted oil in your hair. They usually cost under $20 and you can find them at places like Target or Walmart.
I use TRESemme Fresh Start and it's only $6!

♡ NO HEAT PRODUCTS ♡

When I was 16 I straightened my hair everyday and all it did was damage my hair and make it impossible for me to grow my hair as long as I wanted. I ended up chopping my hair off and having to regrow it back to the length I like. Using heat on your hair is very damaging and it's what causes split ends. To get your hair curly you can always use foam rollers or you can put your hair in pin curls. But if you DO decide to use heat products you should use a heat protectant spray! You can buy it anywhere and they usually cost anywhere under $20. 

♡ MASSAGE YOUR SCALP ♡

Massaging your scalp will get the blood in your head circulating and that will also help you get your hair to grow! I usually massage my scalp before bed and when I wake up in the mornings. You can also buy a head massager if you wanted to! I've been meaning to buy one myself, haha.

♡ HAIR MASKS ♡

I like to make my own hair masks but I've also been meaning to try some of LUSH's hair masks.

I do an egg and honey hair mask that I will probably post the tutorial on here someday. Homemade and natural hair masks are better for you and they leave your hair feeling amazing!

♡ FINDING THE RIGHT SHAMPOO FOR YOU ♡

My favorite shampoo is the NEW! shampoo from LUSH. It's for thinning hair and I loved how it made my hair feel! I've also been wanting to try Dr.Peppermint, which is supposed to stimulate hair growth!

LUSH has all kinds of shampoo's and conditioners for every hair type, you can view their shampoo's here.♥

Left: Dr.Peppermint $12 Right: NEW! $12

♡ OTHER TIPS ♡

♡ Don't wash your hair with hot water! Hot water and steam opens up your pores so what I do is I wash my hair with warm water and then rinse it with colder water so that my pores can close up.

♡ Don't tie your hair in super tight ponytails! This will damage your hair if done every day and will cause your hair to break off easily.

♡ DRINK LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER! Water is super amazing for your health, your face, and hair!

♡ If you use lots of hair products remember to wash your hair out really good at night time. 
♡ If you want to you should as your doctor about taking Biotin pills! I've been taking them for 6 months now and they help with your hair, skin, and nails as well!
♡ Get a trim every couple of months, it will help your hair grow faster!

♥ Too Faced: La Creme in Marshmallow Bunny ♥

Too Faced's La Creme lipsticks are "rich creamy colors, drenched with luscious, hydrating moisturizers including white lotus flower and power peptides." The white lotus flower and power peptides hydrate, soothe and condition your lips. These lipsticks come in 20 different colors and they're all vegan friendly!

They're $21 and you can buy them on Too Faced's website or at Ulta and Sephora. ♥

Marshmallow Bunny is super shimmery, creamy, and it's a sheer baby pink color. I love wearing pink lipsticks so this color is perfect for me. You can also add this lip color to the center of your lips to make your lips look fuller and to get a cute pouty look! This lipstick makes my lips feel super soft while I wear it and after I take it off as well. It only lasts about 4 hours though if you wear lip liner underneath it. Another downside is that since it is super creamy it leaves lines on your lips whenever you press them together.. 

♥ Cute Finds: Tiny Tangerines ♥

Okay so I was going to talk about Kelly's shop, Tiny Tangerines, in a post during Blogmas but she is going to be closing her shop for the holidays (she deserves it!! from what I've seen on her instagram she's been working up a storm!) and I wanted to post about her shop in case you guys wanted to buy something from her for someone you care about! She sells super cute ear warmers, pins, and hairclips.

Here's a few of my favorite things from her. ♥

Here is a link to her Etsy & here are links to her instagram and tumblr!

♥ Cute Finds: Fuzzy Pink Sweater ♥

I've been looking for a fuzzy pink sweater ever since Lana Del Rey's H&M campaign last year!

Well, last night I went to Walmart to find new PJ's. I decided to look at their everyday clothing and then I saw this sweater and I instantly fell in love. ♥ It's a lot more fuzzy and a lot less money than the H&M one. It's also not made of animal fur. (which makes it 10000x better!!) It was $12 and it comes in grey, white, black, pastel blue and baby pink! I bought the pink one because I love pink but I want the blue one too.

The color doesn't show up very good on camera but it's a lot pink-er in person! :)

What I Did Today ♥

I spent my day today with my mom and best friend. We ate Japanese food and went shopping at Daiso. ♥

Here's some pictures that I took from today!

I couldn't eat all of this but what I did eat was delicious. 

Daiso always has the cutest selection of socks!!

Starbucks is selling buy one get one free for their holiday drinks between 2 and 5 pm until the 17th!

I didn't buy very much things at Daiso I just bought stuff for my Christmas crafts and other little things.

Update! ♥

Hello! I'm just making this post to let you guys know about my new url and Blogmas!

I changed my url on here to lilackittens so that it is the same as my Twitter & Instagram. 

I might not be posting as frequently as I have been the next two weeks or so because I'm preparing for Blogmas. If you don't know what Blogmas is it is basically Blogging everyday of December, leading up to Christmas! I have lots of posts planned including DIY, outfit posts, and holiday baking as well. ♥ 

Be sure to check back frequently in December to get ideas for decorations and gifts for your loved ones!

♥ Polka Dots & Peplums ♥

I love polka dots and clothing with peplum's on them so this dress is perfect for me. 

I got it in a 3x because I thought it wouldn't stretch but it is very stretchy and it's a little big in some spots!

It's from Forever 21+ and you can find it here. ♥

♥ Friday Favorites - ModCloth & Summer Twins ♥

These two dresses are on sale right now at ModCloth!

The Lovely Letters Dress and Love Ya Dots Dress

On the Way Home Coat from Modcloth

This cat planner for 2014 is so adorable and it's also on sale from ModCloth!

The perfect plus one bag from ModCloth

I've been listening to Summer Twins all week so they deserve a spot on this post. 

Got Somebody To Dream About and Teardrops On My Pillow are my favorite songs by them. ♥

♥ Retro and Vintage Clothing in Plus Sizes ♥

♥ High Waisted Pants or Capri's ♥

The two pants below on the right are from Torrid and they are the 'Pixie Pants'. I have the dark wash pair on the top and I absolutely love them! The jeans on the right are from Modcloth and you can find them here. Torrid also has a pair of red high waisted capri's for sale here.♥ Pinup Girl Clothing has high waisted capri's but they only go up to a 2x, which really sucks.

♥ Circle Skirts ♥

Circle skirts are another lovely thing to have in your wardrobe! I would recommend buying solid colored skirts first, especially if you are on a budget. That way you can mix and match them with different tops. The shop Betty Le Bonbon makes skirts up to a 48 inch waist. Their online store is here and their Facebook page is here. :)

♥ Cute Cardigans and Sweaters ♥

You can find cardigans and sweaters pretty much anywhere but my favorite places to look is on Etsy. If you're like me and you normally wear a size 20 you could most likely fit into a large or extra large cardigan depending on how stretchy they are and whether or not you like buttoning the cardigan all the way up.
For sweaters I usually try to look for pullovers because I don't really like big/baggy sweaters. Bettie Page Clothing has a few pullover sweaters for sale. They go up to a juniors 4x, size 18, I believe.
You've probably seen this cardigan before because I wear it all the time and have a bunch of pictures of me in it on twitter/instagram! It's vintage and I think it's an extra large and I'm able to wear it with all of the buttons buttoned. (Again, I'm a size 20/2x)

♥ Dresses ♥

Retro dresses are super duper cute but they're also really expensive! I only have 2 that I've bought in the last 2 years. My favorite places that sell plus size vintage inspired dresses are ModCloth and Pinup Girl Clothing!
My favorite dresses from Pinup Girl Clothing are the vamp dress, christina dress, and the sailor swing dress.

♥ Retro Clothing Stores ♥

Pinup Girl Clothing 

Hell Bunny Clothing

Sourpuss Clothing

Collectif Clothing

(up to size 18)

Bettie Page Clothing

(junior plus, only up to size 18)

♥ Handmade Retro Clothing ♥

Raven Bombshell

Badly Behaved Betty

Vintage Me Up Boutique

On The Front Line
I will continue adding stores and shops I find so check back on this post every now and then!