Happy happy Friday!  I am sooo excited for this weekend.  Travis and I are making our annual trip to Half Moon Bay for the pumpkin festival, where we will fill up on amazing food, fall treats, and feast our eyes on the 1700-pound, award winning pumpkin.

The weather has been gloomy and perfectly autumn— I am loving every minute of it!

So let’s kick off this weekend with some fun links from around the web…

Cute nails!

Would you trash the dress?

Awesome DIY stools made from side tables!

Fall in a box.

Pumpkin frozen yogurt… mmmm :)

Have you used a mattifier to keep your face from getting shiny?  I’m thinking about picking up this one for my clients…

I adore this hair color!

Cute idea: plant flowers in pumpkins for Halloween/Thanksgiving.

I’d love to curl into this bed with a good book…

And don’t forget to enter this week’s hair happy giveaway!

What are you up to this weekend?  Doing anything cozy or fall-related?  Is the weather changing in your neck of the woods?  Tell me what you’re up to in the comments!

I’m so happy to welcome Lindsay to {blending beautiful} today! Lindsay is the creator of a wonderful blog, One Hundred or Bust, where she helps budget-minded gals find awesome looks on the cheap. (She also gives amazing fashion advice and does style consultations, for those of you who live in the Bay Area!)

Take it away, Lindsay…

In the profound words of Charlotte York-Goldenblatt of “Sex and the City,” “Everyone knows you only get two great loves in your life.” Well kids, mine are clothes and makeup. And since I blog about affordable clothes 24-7, I am thrilled to be take a break from the norm to write a post for {blending beautiful} about my second love.

The makeup trends for this fall are going to deliver a flare for the dramatic and below are three of these looks for less than $100 each.

Look #1:

Wear this look for an outdoor, afternoon wedding. If you’re like me and happen to live in the Bay Area, you are just now starting to enjoy some warm weather. And, it’s our wedding season. The pink and brown hues paired with big, fat, long lashes will give you that doughy, “I’m just naturally this gorgeous” look and you won’t look overdone. Poifection!

Makeup: 1) Eyeshadow: Mac Cosmetics in Motif and Brown Script, $33; 2) Eyelashes: Kara Beauty at www.gojane.com, $3.80; 3) Lipstick: Bobbi Brown in Bare Pink, $24.00; 4) Maybelline: $7.44; 5) Blush: Smashbox in Passion, $24.00. Total look: $92.24

Look #2:

Burgundy is not only showing up on every red carpet, but it is also hot for fall in the form of a bold lip. The trick to pulling off this pout is to pair it with simple, chic eyes and cheeks. Over-smoking the eyes will be too garish and take the attention away from your beautifully painted mouth.

Makeup: 1) Eyeliner, Aveda Petal Essence in Black Orchid, $16.00; 2) Eyeshadow: Cover Girl in Champagne, $2.99; 3) Foundation: Estee Lauder in Double Wear, $36.00; 4) Lipstick: La Crème in Bordeaux, $21.00; 5) Mascara: Maybelline in Falsies, $7.49; 6) Blush: Sonia Kashuk in Petal for Target, $9.89. Total look: $93.37

Look #3:

Mixing of bright colored eyeshadow is totally in for fall, but enjoy this trend while it’s on trend, because it will not last forever. Girls just wanna have fun, so bring on the color!

Makeup: 1) Eyeshadow: L’Oreal HiP Shadow Pigments in Rebel, $5.08; 2) Eyeliner: Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Indigo, $20.00; 3) Lip Gloss: Makeup Forever Aqua Rouge in Pink, $24.00; 4) Foundation: Sephora Brand Microsmooth Foundation Face Powder, $22.00; 5) Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour in Amused, $25.00. Total Look: $96.08

Please stop by One Hundred or Bust to find some fun fall fashion to go with these gorgeous makeup looks!

Happy Friday, my sweets!  We’ve arrived in Italy and we’ll spend the majority of this weekend exploring Rome.  Travis and I both expect to be exhausted by the time our trip is over– there’s so much to see and never enough time!  Although we plan to see many of the historical landmarks, I’m especially excited to roam the farmer’s markets and and try some of the classic local cuisine, like bucatini all’amatriciana.

The blog will be active the entire time we’re abroad, so make sure to come back and visit all next week :)  Until then, let’s browse some fun finds from around the web…

Love this little boy’s bedroom!

Dreamy wedding dress…

Apple pie cookies to welcome fall :)

Who’s your lobster?

Rainbow nails…

I picked up this coat last week– LOVE the flattering cut and big collar!

DIY project: squishy knot pillow.

Sweet anchor tattoo…

Check out just what highlighting and contouring can do to your makeup…

And take a virtual tour of our flat in Rome!!

What are you up to this weekend?  Got any big plans?  Taking any trips yourself?  (Any advice for our time in Italy??)  Share in the comments!

I can’t believe that this is our last weekend before our big Italy trip!  I couldn’t be more excited… There’s lots to do (and I’m working all weekend on top of it), but it’ll all be worth it when we hop on that plane Wednesday.

I hope your weekend is lovely!  Let’s kick it off with some share-worthy finds from around the web, shall we?

Dream bedroom.

Can’t wait to wear cute floppy beanies this fall :)

The beauty of aging.

I’m drooling over this duvet!

Easy, beautiful updo for long hair.

Just picked up this legendary eyeshadow primer… can’t wait to give it a try!

DIY room scents…

10 recipes every home chef should know (I definitely don’t know all of them :/)

And a few {bb} posts you may have missed:

How to do a top knot.

DIY yarn necklace.

Wedding inspiration for short haired gals!

What are you up to this weekend?  Got any big plans?  Want to share a cool link?  Comment below!

Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means the tell-tale signs of fall are just around the corner. With temperatures dropping, we’ll soon be trading sandals for booties, sundresses for layers, and summer brights for fall-like jewel tones.

One of the colors repeated on runways and beauty pages alike is deep plum (i.e. almost-black). From eyes and lips to fingertips, this cool-toned color is oh-so-hot. So, it’s about time to retire summery corals in favor of sophisticated, sexy plum and give your makeup routine some oomph! for the new season.

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Getting Pouty

Yes, dark lips are kind of a tricky makeup choice because you run the risk of the color feathering or transferring onto your glass or (eek!) your guy. But don’t let this stop you from rocking fall’s hottest lip color! To keep your fab new color in place, start out by choosing a lip primer like Too Faced Lip Insurance, which helps lipstick last longer and prevents feathering. Or, opt for Urban Decay’s clear lip pencil. It creates an invisible barrier around the perimeter of your lips so that your lipstick won’t have anything to do but stay put.

Want to find the perfect plum shade? For lipstick lovers, try Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Golden Lustre #104 or Too Faced Le Crème in Divine Wine – Bordeaux. For a not-so-lipstick feel, use Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment in Sugar Plum for a pop of plum with optimal moisture.

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Pretty Peepers

If black eyeliner is a bit too much or maybe too ‘been-there-done-that’ for you, why not trade it in for deep purple? It’s softer than black yet still provides definition for your pretty peepers. It looks good on all eye colors but is especially flattering on hazel eyes. If you like pencil eyeliners, try out Too Faced Black Orchid, but if gel eyeliner is your preference, MAC’s Fluidline in Dark Diversion is the perfect blackened plum. Just remember, wear your plum lips and eyes on two different days!

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Femme Fatale Nails

When fall rolls around, I love trading in my neon nails for the total opposite – dark, dark, dark! These vampy shades are bold yet feminine in an edgy sort of way. Black nails are, of course, a fashionable staple but if true black is just a wee too much, give almost-black a try. Endless Night by NARS is your go-to for an ultra-dark plum. For a cooler-hued companion with blue undertones, try Zoya’s Monica. Or, rock Essie’s Velvet Voyage— a deep amethyst with a hint of chocolatey brown.

What’s your take on trading in black for plum? Do you like to experiment with dark, bold colors or do you prefer to stick with understated everyday colors? Tell us what you think below!