Creativo Mind

My name is Nicole Rivero. I am 23 years old, and I'm a bit eccentric with a a mix of extreme sweetness. I love making random things for my house, friends, or just for me. I love collecting DIY Crafts, Delicious Recipes, Beauty Tips, and more. Enjoy some of my findings and let your inner artist shine.

[creativomind]

Bring On The Drama Club Eyes

Here at TBD, we’re always trying to simplify things for you so you see how easy it is to re-create our favorite red carpet looks. Yes there are 8 steps above but they’re not hard and if you remember to blend blend blend, there’s really no way to mess it up! We love this look because it’s a strong statement for when you want to bring out your alter ego, but not in a “whoa she’s got a lot going on with her makeup” way. Here’s exactly what I used on my dear assistant Carissa above:

Sweep a shimmery black shadow across your lid from the lashline up to the crease with a laydown brush.

Add a burnt sienna shadow {Tuscan Sunset} just above the black from the crease upwards, stopping just below your brow bone with our favorite eye contour brush. I like to think of it like adding a sunset above the horizon of an asphalt road. Then blend everything to soften both shadows.

Trace your upper lashline with a smudge-proof black liquid liner.

Sweep the burnt sienna shadow along your lower lashline with a shadow liner brush.

Add a waterproof black cream liner along your lower lashline with a cream liner brush, really concentrating it between your lashes.

Rim your inner waterline with a black kajal liner.

Blend the edges with an ivory shimmer shadow using a blending brush. You never want to see the highlight below your brow; it’s part of directing attention to your eyes, but shouldn’t be visible, so please blend!

Finish the look with a couple coats of a volumizing mascara that’s not stiff.

I would do your eyes before applying foundation so you can easily clean up any shadow droppings below your eyes without messing up your makeup. Then pair this look with a nude lip and cheek for balance and have fun!

[creativomind]

DIY Coconut + Rose Body Scrub

Few things smell better than coconut and rose so let’s combine them, shall we? In this Kitchen Beautician DIY, we’re making a “Spring Time Scrub” to help you exfoliate and get your skin super soft for the coming summer months. Bathing suit season is just around the corner and nobody wants to be the ashy girl! Here’s my new favorite way to get rid of dry skin caused by winter dryness:

You’ll need: a mason jar, coconut oil, raw cane sugar, almond or jojoba oil and one fragrant rose (here I used sterling silver roses because they’re my favorite AND they’re one of the most fragrant roses ever.)

Use a small mason jar or any clear jar with a lid. I got mine at Smart & Final. You can also buy them online if you can’t find them in the store. These ones are about $11 for a dozen, so they’re under a dollar each!

Start by putting a large scoop of coconut oil in the bottom of the jar. You can get coconut oil at any health food store or major supermarket. It’s an “oil” but at room temp it’s more like a butter consistency and has a white paste-y texture.

Next, pluck your rose petals and put them into the jar on top of the coconut oil.

Add your raw sugar. If you can’t find raw cane sugar, brown sugar is a great option! The coarser the better.

Add your almond or jojoba oil on top of the sugar. I like jojoba oil best, which you can also find at health food stores or vitamin stores, because it’s the closest thing to our own natural oil and it absorbs really nicely into the skin. But almond oil is great too because it doesn’t take away from the scent in this jar.

Wait a minute for your oil to seep down to the flower petals and then top it off with a little more almond or jojoba oil. Last but not least, put your lid on and let it sit so the oils can soak into the flower petals.

When you (or the person you’re giving this to as a gift) are ready to use it, take a spoon and mash it all up. The coarse sugar will break up the rose petals and they’ll continue to break up as you rub the scrub on your skin. The smell is INCREDIBLE, and if you’ve had a hard week (or even if you haven’t) this is a decadent way to start the weekend! This scrub can have a shelf life of one year, but I wouldn’t imagine you’d ever leave this jar of magic sitting for that long.

NOTE: all measurements are subject to the size of your jar. I broke it up into thirds– in other words, everything should be equal parts and each layer should take up 1/3 of the jar.

[creativomind]

Mad For Plaid

We found yet another use for those lovely DIY nail stickers. Here’s how we created a plaid party:

Paint your tape with 3 or 4 different colors. Cut into strips. Do a couple different widths.

Paint your base coat. We used an off white vanilla color.

You’ll want to start building from the inside corner and move outward. Over lap one vertical and one horizontal strip.

Now do another set of stickers out from that set.

Keep going until you get to the opposite corner.

Use cuticle nippers to trim the excess sticker.

Always apply a top coat over tape stickers to avoid to peeling!

[creativomind]

A Subtle Sparkle

It’s hard to walk the line with glitter… it’s way too fun to pass up, but we don’t want to end up looking like Vegas showgirls when we’re just going out to dinner! Here’s the perfect balance to dress up your eyes in a chic + effortless fashion.

TOOLS: gold + burgundy powder eye shadows, glitter cream shadow, black liquid liner, your favorite mascara, black kajal liner, a crease brush, a medium flat-head brush.

With the crease brush, apply the light gold shadow just above your crease all the way up to your brow bone. Then trace the remainder along your lower lashline.

Using the flat-head brush, apply the burgundy shadow in a half-moon shape just along and above the crease. Then sweep an additional layer along your lower lashline.

Apply the glitter cream shadow all over the lid directly from the shadow stick, building layers until you have a good amount of product deposited. I used Jemma Kidd Makeup Stardust Creme Shadow in Cosmos but Comet is gorgeous too! Smooth out any clumps with your finger.

Line your upper lashline with the black liquid liner, winging it out if you wish. I used Too Faced Liguif-eye Liquid Liner because it won’t feather or disappear.

Apply a couple coats of your favorite mascara. I used By Terry Terrybly Mascara on Carissa because it’s formulated with a lash-growing serum so every day that you use it, it helps grow more lashes!

Finish by lining your inner waterline with the black kajal liner.

[creativomind]

Matte Contour (Lining the crease)

Did you know you can use your eyeliner to contour your crease? I prefer it to shadow when I want a really strong + matte look. Here’s how:

TOOL: I used Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Champagne (a smoky taupe) to show you the most natural version. But you can certainly use brown, dark gray or even black for a more Sixties-inspired version. Just make sure it’s a kohl pencil and not a longwear or kajal liner as it needs to be blendable.

STEP 1: Practice first with the cap still on or with the back end of the pencil by starting in the inner corner then tracing in a half-moon shape so you can  ”feel” out where the hollow socket is. Technically you’re tracing the outline of your eyeball (oh so chic!). Now that you’re confident where to draw the line, take the cap off and sweep the liner back and forth like a windsheild wiper from one end to the other until you have a nice color payoff.

STEP 2: Blend the line gently with your finger to smooth out any edges. That’s it! I didn’t go further with Carissa’s makeup because I wanted this technique to be the only focus but you can then trace the same liner on your bottom lashline for balance and finish with mascara.

[creativomind]

Faded Floral Manicure

Who doesn’t love a soft, faded floral pattern? You can basically do this mani in any color combo you want– we chose a spring-y palette. Here’s how you get the look:

YOU WILL NEED: Nail polish remover, 4 small paint brushes, a plate or something to put your polish drops on, a white nail polish + 3 of your favorite polish colors that look good together.

Place a dot of each color on your plate. Also fill your nail polish remover cap with nail polish remover. The colors above are American Apparel “Angeline” and “The Valley + Wet & Wild “Club Havana”.

Paint the base of your nails with something light and wait until they dry completely. I used Alpine Snow by O.P.I.

Dip one of your small paint brushes in the nail polish remover and use it to dilute the polish drops. You want to add a few drops of polish remover in the nail polish until it starts to look thin and “stain-like”.

Then using a dabbing motion, create abstract flower shapes on each nail. Leave room for the other colors too.

Use your other brushes to dilute the other colors the same way. Don’t mix your brushes in different colors!

Apply the other colors. Create as many abstract flowers as you want. Don’t stress about the shape. Some of the messy flowers ended up being my favorite!

Now take a drop of the white paint from your base coat and dilute that using nail polish remover, just like you did with the other polishes.

Apply a VERY thin dot of white on the center of each flower. If you diluted it enough, it will slowly spread over the flower when you put the drop down. If not, thin your white polish out a little more. When you put the white drop on top, it gives the flowers a more faded look.

Wait for everything to dry and give it a good quick dry top coat.

Good luck with your pretty faded florals and as always, tweet us a picture when you’re done!

[creativomind]

Homemade Lip Stain

For those of you concerned about what chemicals we’re putting in and on our bodies, you can’t get more natural than this homemade berry lip stain! We love it because it adds the perfect “just-bitten” hint of color to fake that Snow White luscious lip! Here’s how to do it yourself:

INGREDIENTS: 3 Blackberries (for their bright berry color), 1 Raspberry (for its feminine pink color), 3 Pomegranate Seeds (for their vibrant red color), 1/2 teaspoon edible oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil), a small Bowl + Spoon (or mortar + pestle if you have them), Fork or Sifter to drain, small 5-gram Pot/Jar with screw top from any craft store

STEP 1: Mash the blackberries and raspberry in the bowl thoroughly with the back of your spoon.

STEP 2: Add the pomegranate juice into the mixture by individually squeezing them between your thumb and index fingers over the bowl.

STEP 3: Pour the olive oil into the bowl and stir everything together with your spoon.

STEP 4: Finish by draining the liquid from the mixture into your small portable jar.

For application, use your fingers, a lip brush or a Q-tip. It’ll only be good for a few days so refrigerate it for longevity. Have fun with it and even try different fruits (acai berries, cherries, etc)! You can play with the ratios of each fruit to customize your desired shade but you’ll get the most color payoff from the blackberries.

[creativomind]

Do it Yourself Makeup Fixer Upper

Don’t you just want to cry when you drop your brand new compact and the powder shatters into a million little pieces? But wait! Don’t throw it out and call your losses. You can absolutely put humpty dumpty back together again! And while you’re at it, grab your old cream shadow, blush or liner that has dried out, cracked or shrunk and bring it back to life too. Here’s how to do both:

POWER TOOLS: 70% alcohol {it works 1000 times better for this than your typical rubbing alcohol from the drug store and can be purchased at your local art supply}, plastic wrap, spatula, dropper, synthetic eyeliner brush {I used this favorite go-to liner brush for its round edges and stiff short bristles}, Q-tip {optional if you’re a perfectionist… you know who you are!}

WRAP IT UP:Completely cover the compact with the plastic wrap and make sure it adheres tightly to contain everything.

MASH IT UP:With your spatula, crush up the entire pan of shadow, not just the broken pieces. You essentially are turning the pressed powder back into loose powder.

ADD ALCOHOL:Remove the wrap and add at least 10 droppers full of alcohol. You can add a few droppers full at a time to see how much you need. I used a dozen.

SMOOTH IT OVER:Now you’ll feel the powder has become sponge-like and very pliable, giving you the perfect opportunity to even it out smoothly with your spatula.

PERFECT THE EDGES:Use your eyeliner brush to smooth it out even further. Give it a few hours to completely dry and it’s like it never happened! To make it extra pretty, clean up the perimeter with a Q-tip.

Restore Dried Out Eye Cream

To revive your dried-out and cracked old cream shadow, apply the same steps except there’s no need to wrap it up or mash it up. Just add alcohol to reactivate it, stir it, smooth it out and perfect the edges. If you’re like us, you hate waste and these are two great ways to save and use what you have!

[creativomind]

Robin's Egg Nails

Some people are more skilled at nail art than others and some can’t wear crazy funky nail art to the office. So here’s a simple look that anyone can do no matter your skill level or work environment. It’s 2 super easy steps and a really subtle, wearable look. This happens to be my all time favorite polish combo because it’s soft and sparkly and takes about 5 minutes. Here’s how to get this Robin’s Egg mani…

Paint the base coat with any pastel polish. Here I used THIS ONE for the blue.

And top it off with THIS GLITTERY GOODNESS by Deborah Lippman. I’ve never been able to find a glitter polish quite like this one. It’s got several sizes of glitter in one bottle which is what give it the robin’s egg look.

That’s it! Sweet and simple.

[creativomind]

Do it yourself lip smoothie

Dry + cracked lips ruin how lipstick looks. And because of recycled air, flying, dehydration and just life, unfortunately all of us are victims! So I’m sharing exactly what I have my clients do before I apply their makeup. All you need is a disposable mascara wand (or toothbrush if you don’t have one), lip balm (I use this one for severe cases and this one for a healthy vitality) and a tissue.

1. Dip the wand into the balm to pick up a decent amount onto the bristles then apply it directly on your lips (I have them start with their bottom lip). 2. Scrub back and forth, up and down and in small circular motions in the same fashion you would brush your teeth. Really work on the flaky areas until the loose skin gently breaks off. 3. Wrap a tissue around your finger and remove any flaky residue.

That’s it! If you want to stay on top of it and keep your lips polished and crack-free all year round, every time you brush your teeth, before you’re done, brush your lips with your toothbrush as well.

[creativomind]

Do it yourself Glitter Polish

Roll a post it into a cone shape and tape the side to create your funnel.

You’ll need 3 kinds of sparkle. I used thick chunky craft glitter from the craft store, a fine craft glitter by Martha Stewart, and a gold pigment powder. You can either use a gold pigmented loose-powder eye shadow or you can get gold pigment powder from the art store.

Get a bottle of clear top coat. Don’t use a quick drying top coat. It will get too sticky too fast. I used a basic clear top coat and dumped out a little bit to make room for the glitter.

My formula: 1/4 teaspoon of the chunky glitter, 1/8 teaspoon of the fine glitter and “a pinch” of the gold pigment powder. Your formula depends on the size of your clear coat bottle, but go easy because you can always add more sparkles.

Once you get it all in there, shake it up. Then you can decide if you want to add more of one glitter or another.

This makes a great gift when you’re a little tight on money– just personalize it by re-labeling the bottle with love. Good luck! Let’s see those sparkling manis!

[creativomind]

In this tutorial we’ll teach you how to make your nails look like turquoise stones, but instead of using black as the accent color (which would make it quite literal) we’re using gold for a slightly softer and more glamorous look. Here are the 6 simple steps:

Start by painting your base with a nice shade of turquoise. We used this one.

Next, take a small plastic sandwich bag or plastic wrapper and crinkle it up. Hold most of it of it in your palm and make a “flower-y” shape with the rest as you see in the photo above. You’ll use this like a stamp.

Paint some of your gold polish (we love this one) on the plastic. Doesn’t matter how you paint it on or where.

Note: Dab the plastic bag/wrap on a piece of paper once or twice before you start to remove the excess polish. Now dab it on your finger. Then do the next finger. You’ll need to re-apply gold polish to the plastic bag every couple fingers.

After you finish dabbing the gold on each finger, clean up the edges with nail polish remover and a paint brush.

Add our favorite quick drying clear coat and you’re all set!

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[creativomind]

1. Select  base coat of your color. I used smokey brown so the bright colors could pop. 

2. Start adding polka dots with my DIY Dotting Tool. 

3. Start from the darkest color you have selected to the lightest color and make even dots throughout your nail.

4. If you want the colors to mix a bit add the polka dots fast from darkest to lightest. If you want them to be even wait for polka dots coat to dry to apply next color.

5. Top off with clear gloss.  

[creativomind]

Classic Doughnuts with Chocolate Frosting

Yeast Doughnuts

Ingredients

1 1/2 cupsmilk

2 1/2 ouncesvegetable shortening, approximately 1/3 cup

2 packages instantyeast

1/3 cup warm water (95 to 105 degrees F)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

23 ouncesall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface

Peanutorvegetable oil, for frying (1 to 1/2 gallons, depending on fryer)

Directions

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm. Add the eggs, sugar, salt,nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring and using a 7/8-inch ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 degrees F. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

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Chocolate Doughnut Glaze

Ingredients

1/2 cupunsalted butter

1/4 cup whole milk, warmed

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 teaspoonsvanilla extract

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

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[creativomind]

Box of Chocolates Makes 1 1½ ounces chocolate liqueur 1½ ounces heavy whipping cream 1 ounce vanilla vodka 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup ½ cup crushed pecans  Caramel sauce Add chocolate liqueur, whipping cream, vanilla vodka and chocolate syrup to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until a frost forms on the outside of the shaker.  To garnish the rim, pour caramel sauce onto one plate and pecans onto another plate.  Dip glass into caramel sauce and then into pecans. 

[creativomind]

You will need: blue painter’s tape, paper towels, gloves, white flat spray paint, gold metallic spray paint, mason jars in various sizes… (and I used a vintage shot glass for the bobbypin holder, but that’s optional.)

Remove the lids from your mason jars.

Put painter’s tape along the edge of a paper towel or two.

Wrap the jar. For the first color, I wrapped the tape straight across as you can see in photo 3.

Tuck the excess paper towel inside the jar so no spray paint gets inside.

Put your gloves on, go outside, put a piece of newspaper or cardboard down and spray your jar. I applied very thin layers of paint instead of one thick layer. It dries faster, won’t drip and gets better coverage.

Remove the blue tape and paper towel after the first color dries completely.

If you’re sure the first color is dry, wrap the jar with the tape + paper towel again, but this time in another direction. I wanted to do mine diagonal.

Put your gloves back on and go back outside. Spray the second color and wait for it to dry. I LOVE the matte white with the shiny gold combo but you can use any color that you think will look good in your bathroom. Remove the tape when it’s dry and you’re done!

[creativomind]

I used the stick-on nail polish in blue + white nautical stripes and added one simple solid red nail to each hand.

1: Tools- clear base/top coat, red nail polish, stick-on nail polish strips, nail file, cuticle nippers (optional)

2: Apply a thin base coat, and then fit the correct nail polish strips to each finger. Skip any random one you want and leave it for the red polish. I chose the ring finger.

3: (Optional) Cut the excess off with cuticle nippers or scissors.

4: File the edges. This will give you a perfect edge with the nail polish strip.

5. Paint the plain nail red. I did 2 coats.

6. Go over everything (polish strips + red nail) with a clear top coat.