Irazú Volcano, Costa Rica | annieblaircouture

Buenos días!

One Sunday a couple of friends and I decided to take a day trip to Irazú Volcano because it is fairly close to San Jose. We woke up pretty early in the morning to take an 8am bus up to the volcano and we arrived around 9:30am; including all the bus stops up the mountain on the way. I had never been to a volcano before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Initially, I thought that the volcano was active and I was scared about going up there in the first place, but I was quickly relieved to find out that it was no longer active. When we arrived, there was a long walk to the edge of the volcano in order to look inside and see the crater. This is what I saw:

My friend Chepillo enjoying the view of the volcano

A cool shot of Sasha with the clouds looking into the volcano

A panorama of my girls on top of the volcano

Then there was a little Lion King involved: 

A link to my friends experimenting with echoes in the volcano

My friend Chepillo's aunt is a volcanologist based out of Costa Rica and some of the information he shared with me made me more and more curious about volcanoes. His aunt travels around the world doing research on the largest and most active volcanoes that exist today. Nature is so beautiful and the things to learn about it are infinite. I'm definitely planning on visiting another volcano whilst I'm here in Costa Rica. Costa Rica has the most diverse environments I've ever experienced; from the beaches to rain forests, to volcanoes. The list never ends. That could be one of the greatest things about this adventure, I discover new things every day that I never knew existed and that is so inspiring. 

I've moved to Cobano on the Nicoya peninsula to do some work with children in schools, so I shall be posting information about that soon! I'm so excited to work with the little ones! They're so cute. 

Pura Vida!

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

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All photos belong to me. 

Jacó, Costa Rica | annieblaircouture

Hellooo!

My friend and I decided to go to Playa Jacó last weekend instead of Montezuma because it is the closest beach to San Jose. I only live in San Jose for one more week, so I wanted to explore the area as much as I could before I leave. Jacó is one of the most famous beaches in Costa Rica because it attracts so many tourists. It is also a common place to stay when people want to check out Playa Hermosa, which is very close, for the massive waves and awesome surf. It is about an hour and a half away from San Jose, so we left early Friday morning for a weekend of relaxation because this is the first time we had nothing planned!

Being an East coast girl, I think waves that are bigger than ripples are massive. I did enjoy surfing, but I'm pretty short and I'm not that strong of a swimmer so I was kind of scared to go surfing in Jacó. I went swimming a couple of times at low tide, but once the waves got so big that I struggled swimming under them, I was running out immediately. I guess I'm paranoid of drowning because I scare easily. One of the friends that I made there did make a good point. He said that he got stuck under a couple of waves when surfing once; but you're going to come up eventually. So hold your breath!

Stumbled across this beauty on my first day

An iguana came to play with us at the pool in our hotel

It is currently the low season for tourism in Costa Rica because it is the rainy season. Apparently Manuel Antonio is very touristy and crowded starting in the month of December, but I thought it was quite tranquil. For this reason, I did not enjoy Jacó as much as Manuel Antonio. One of the reasons I came to Costa Rica was to improve my Spanish, and I only spoke Spanish once the entire weekend. I did not even meet that many ticos. Most of the locals that we met and hung out with were American and had moved to Jacó for the surf and beach. I'm not pretentious and try to avoid the areas that are very touristy; but I wanted to be challenged a bit and not spend the entire weekend speaking the language that I already know. If you're interested in Jacó for tourism and don't speak Spanish; GO. There are so many different hotels to choose from and everyone in the hotels speak English.

It's fascinating how two sunsets can be so different from each other when they're on the same coast. (Jacó vs. Manuel Antonio)

To give a thumbs up to the two hotels I stayed in, stay at Casa Mafalda or Hotel Kangaroo. Casa Mafalda is the more expensive one at $60 for a room per night during the low season. But, the hotel is directly on the beach and breakfast is free in the mornings so what better way to enjoy your pico de gallo than staring at the beach eating it? There is a bar/restaurant connected in front of the hotel which is genius because it is where we met all the locals that we hung out with after. And don't worry about the bar making noise at night; it closes at 9pm. There are two bartenders that are the nicest guys you will ever meet and they were so helpful with everything we needed. The food is delicious and an incredibly talented Tica makes your food directly in front of you. As for Hotel Kangaroo, we had to stay there on accident because we missed our bus back to San Jose. We did not feel like paying another $60 for a night when we were going to wake up early for a bus the next morning. This lovely family was walking past us at the bus stop and told us that if we wanted, they owned a hotel that we could hang out in and figure out what we were going to do because we missed our bus. The woman that owns it is from Belgium and she has five dogs (many of them rescued). The hotel was very cute and had a wonderful beachy vibe at just $35 a night during the low season. The hotel is only a block from the beach, so if you don't mind walking I would save your money.

The view from the bar in Casa Mafalda. Right on the beach.

The view from a friend's apartment right next door to Casa Mafalda

It looks like there are a lot of stray dogs in Jacó, but we found out that that is not the case. The dogs do wander around the beach and the streets without collars, but they do have owners. Apparently they don't worship and spoil their pets like we tend to do in America. We buy them collars, their own beds, their own food, and toys. But, in Jacó (maybe all of Costa Rica I'm not sure), they only feed them the scraps of their meals and let them wander where they want. So don't be fooled, the doggies aren't starving but you should play with them because they do want attention.

My friends and I waited for the sun to set

I would love to share with you certain activities that we did, but in all honesty we just relaxed the entire weekend. Sasha and I did explore the night life of Jacó, though. I cannot compare it to anything but the bars in San Jose because we have only been to house parties in Manuel Antonio. I'm not really a club type of girl. I think I exhausted it the summer before my Freshman year of college because I would go clubbing multiple times a week, so now that I'm older I've lost interest. But, Jacó is a very clubby place. The clubs do have a bar feel because often there were a lot of people hanging out outside or at the bar (where I was the entire night). But when it comes to open bars, Jacó is the best. Most places are free for girls and open bar until 11pm then after that most drinks are $2. That was definitely the best part of the Jacó nightlife because that would never happen in San Jose. My favorite place we went was the Monkey Bar because it was 2 for 1 Jagerbombs and every one was wearing pirate hats. The bars are basically all in the same area, so you can walk from one to another. I highly recommend the Daiquiri bar as a place to hang out before going bar hopping. It is kind of expensive, but their daiquiris are delicious and completely worth the money.

My favorite photo that I took in Jacó

All in all, I did enjoy Jacó, but I guess I left my heart in Manuel Antonio for now until I find a new beach to love. I move near Santa Teresa and Montezuma on the peninsula next week, so I shall take y'all along with me on my new beach excursions! Unfortunately, I will not be in the rainforest for a while because I got very ill and could not go to Monteverde last weekend. :( But I am going in a couple of weeks so I shall share my bungee jumping and ziplining photos then!

Pura vida!


Have a wonderful day! xoxo



Annie Blair



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All photos belong to me. 

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica | annieblaircouture

Hellooo!

As a part of my gap year in Costa Rica, I would like to make sure that I see as much as this beautiful country as I can. Since I attend class for the first four weeks, I can travel on the weekends to wherever I want.

My first weekend, I went to Manuel Antonio National Park. It's in Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas on the pacific side of Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio consists of the beach, mountains, and rainforest. What more could you ask for? I did not know much about this place; the only thing that my tico friend told me is that I can see monkeys there, and I immediately agreed to go. I really wanted to see monkeys, even though my ultimate goal of my Costa Rica trip is to see a sloth up close and personal. Did you know that one of the Costa Rican dollar bills has a sloth on it?! This country is amazing.

10,000 colones is equal to $20

I have never really spent time in the Pacific Ocean, I think I may have gone swimming in it in San Diego 8 years ago; but I remember nothing. Since we were going to visit a beach on the pacific side, of course we signed up for a surfing class! My entire life I've wanted to know how to surf, even though I'm not the strongest swimmer. In the swimming classes when I was younger, I just liked to swim underwater instead of learning the useful swim strokes. I believe that we signed up for a surfing class with the Tropical Surf School and our instructors name was Miguel, who of course was a beautiful Costa Rican man with long sunkissed hair. His hair may be better than mine! I'm not going to give an entire review of the surfing experience, but basically it was amazing. First time parasailng AND learning how to surf? Check.

Us four girls and Miguel after our surfing lesson; we were SO tired

Manuel Antonio National Park is the most unique place I may have ever seen. I've never been to a national park before; just zoos and they are so different. In my opinion they are so much better than zoos because the animals are actually in their natural environment living and functioning on their own instead of being locked in cages just for people to stare at. It was raining the morning that we visited the park (what else is new, Costa Rica is in its rainy season right now), so not a lot of the animals were out and about. I could only see part of a sleeping sloth, but here are some of the pictures of animals that I did get:

A white faced monkey trying to steal someone's backpack looking for food

A photo of some toucans that I got from afar

Even though it was only my first weekend trip in Costa Rica, I have a feeling that it is going to be one of my favorites. Despite the amazing beach and national park, Manuel Antonio has by far the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. A picture of the sunset is the background on my phone, and I just cannot get over the fact that I actually took the photo. It looks like one of those beautiful layouts that Apple gives you the option to choose on the iPhone. After our long day of surfing, we decided to sit on the beach, eat some plantains, and wait for the sun to set. It was the best decision and the perfect way to end a busy day at the beach. Here are some photos of the beautiful sunset:

I still cannot believe this photo is real; the beauty is indescribable

This was definitely one of the best weekends of my life. I did so many things I have never done before and took so many more risks than I normally would. I went parasailing when I am deathly afraid of heights and I went surfing when I can't swim very well. This is what this gap year is about. Despite my doubts and hesitations, I want to try anything and everything that is normally out of my comfort zone. This was the perfect way to kick off this new year of adventures and I cannot wait for the trips coming ahead! And did I mention that Manuel Antonio has GORGEOUS surfers? Totally my type and totally dangerous. Haha! 

I cannot wait to share my next adventure with y'all! Pura Vida!

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

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All photos belong to me. 

First Travel Post! | Gap Year

Hey couturettes!

I am editing the video explaining everything about my gap year, but until then I was thinking of giving y'all a little heads up so you know what is going on!

In June 2013, I decided to take a gap year because I was stuck in a major that I wasn't sure that I wanted anymore. I felt like just spending time at my university and studying something that I'm not sure I want to do for the rest of my life was a waste of my time and money. Before I went to university, my college counselor wanted me to do a gap year somewhere, but I was hesitant because I did not want to enter my freshman year of college at age 20. My roommate my freshman year was 17 when she first moved in. In hindsight, I feel like it was a good decision to go straight to college because a 20 year old living with a 17 year old would not have worked out.

After my decision was made to take a gap year, my college counselor then set me up with the gap year program that her children did before they went to college and the one she wanted me to do. (If any of you want the information on the program, just let me know and I'd be happy to share everything with you!) I knew that I wanted to have half of my year be community service and the other half to be an internship or two to discover what I am truly interested in.

So, three months later I hopped on a plane to San Jose, Costa Rica to start the next chapter of my life. I was hesitant to go to Costa Rica because I have never been to a Central American country nor had I really expressed any interest (I now have no idea why!). Not to mention the fact that I had not taken Spanish for three or four years and I could barely remember how to say "Hola." Alas, I put all of my fears and doubts aside and decided to go on this extraordinary adventure. This section of the year is the community service portion.

For the first four weeks of my trip, I will be living in the city of San Jose attending Spanish classes every day. I am living with a lovely Costa Rican family that is still learning English, so we both are faced with new challenges every day. The more our family is around each other, the faster we learn. A lot of Costa Ricans that I have met do not speak much English and I do not speak much Spanish, so being immersed in the culture helps so much when learning a language.

One day when we were walking around San Jose, we found a room that was only full of hammocks. Not sure how this could be any more perfect. 

Livin' la pura vida!

I need to learn as much Spanish as possible because for the second leg of the trip because after the 4 weeks in San Jose, I will be teaching the Tico children English for 6 weeks. I'm not sure yet where the service "internship" will be. I believe that I have the decision to either go to a rural area, or stay in San Jose and work with the less fortunate children here. Both would be amazing, yet very different experiences. I think I am leaning more towards the rural option because I am so curious of how they live and how I can help them.

My last two weeks in Costa Rica are very different from the rest. After a busy three months working in Costa Rica, I will take a two week break and just rest. I will be going to Jaco, a city on the pacific coast of Costa Rica that is well known for its great waves for surfing. So for those two weeks, I will only be focusing on yoga and surfing and reflecting on everything I have learned on my journey.

Playa Jaco waves that attract thousands of surfers.

From now on I shall be writing lots of travel blog posts about my adventures in Costa Rica! I am so fortunate to be able to have this experience and I cannot wait to bring y'all along for the ride.


Next post will show you about my amazing weekend in Manuel Antonio! Pura Vida!



Have a wonderful day! xoxo




Annie Blair


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All the photos belong to me besides the last surfing photo.

Late Summer/Early Autumn Makeup Look | annieblaircouture

Hey couturettes!

A lot of you have been asking about how I did my makeup in my profile photo that I have on here, my twitter, and my YouTube channel. It's a makeup look that is a transition from summer to autumn. It's actually quite simple!

For my eye makeup, I simply put foundation on my eyelids for a quick primer. Then I covered my entire lid with Loreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush. I then lined my crease with the eyeshadow "Smog" from the Naked Urban Decay palette. I curled my lashes then used my favorite mascara EVER, Lancome Hynose Drama.  SO easy, right?!

FYI: My eyebrow palette is Sleek in Light

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush

Lancome Hypnose Drama

For my lips, I used one of my favorites from the Kate Rimmel Matte Lipsticks collection. It is number 111 Kiss of Life. In my opinion, it is one of the best red lipsticks out in the makeup world today. And it is so inexpensive. It could not possibly be anymore perfect! I put this lipstick all over my lips and I was good to go!

Kate Rimmel Matte Lipstick in 111 Kiss of Life

If you would like me to do a tutorial on my hair braid as well, let me know!

Oh, how I do love simple yet chic makeup looks! I'm so excited for the dark lipsticks to be coming out again because autumn is approaching! Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to enjoy it as much as others because I will be in a climate that is still summer weather and humid! Whatever, I'll rock my vampy lip trucking through the rainforest with the monkeys. Hehe. Let me know if you have anymore requests for approaching fall makeup looks! I always love to share those with y'all. :) 

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

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Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the companies of these products nor did the companies give any of these products to me. The photos of the actual products themselves do not belong to me, but every other picture does. 

GAP YEAR | annieblaircouture

Hey couturettes!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while! Things have been absolutely insane recently planning amazing things for the future. I've decided to take a year off from university to travel the world and regroup what my true passions are. I've been very lucky finding programs that I know will help myself and others. I'll be uploading a video to my YouTube beauty channel explaining everything about my Gap Year and what I will be doing first and where.

On that note, for a part of the year I will be living near the rain forest and I'm not sure wearing a good bit of makeup and fake eyelashes will do well there. So, if you guys think I should I'm going to turn this partly into a blog about my travels and experiences, but at the same time I will also be uploading more beauty blog posts/videos. Since I will actually be doing things that are really interesting and exciting (not really like my current life lol) I will also be uploading travel vlogs to my YouTube channel.

Do you guys agree that I should post some of my travel experiences on here? Or do you suggest I make a separate blog for those things? Let me know your thoughts!

I can't wait to share everything I have in store in the next year with y'all! I know it's something completely different than I normally do, but it will be an amazing experience and I think y'all will really enjoy keeping up with me on this journey!

Make sure you look out for the video about the exact details of my gap year that will be coming up on the channel soon! Before that though, I may upload the Get Ready with Me video of the look that I was wearing in my Introduction to YouTube video! I haven't entirely decided about whether or not to upload it yet.


Have a wonderful day! xoxo



Annie Blair


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Get Ready With Me Summer Look! | annieblaircouture

Hey couturettes!

I recently uploaded a "Get Ready with Me"video to my YouTube beauty channel! It's a golden, natural summer look that will look great on everyone! Whether or not you have been kissed by the sun this summer, the gold will make all you ladies look fabulous and flawless! 

Make sure you give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel! It would mean so much to me! 

Get Ready with Me Summer Look

Have wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

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Top 3 Summer Lipsticks! | annieblaircouture

Hey couturettes!

Summer is my favorite and the perfect time for bright lipstick! My favorite lip color for this summer is orange. Neon is a huge trend this summer and what better way to wear it than on your lips?! I've chosen three colors that I love for this summer by three different well known brands; drug store and high street.

My first color that I chose is the Nicki Minaj Viva La Glam by MAC. It's literally neon pink and it is an absolutely perfect color for spring and summer. I can wear it during the day with a natural eye look, and also wear it out at night with a more dramatic eye look; it's perfect for all occasions. It is pigmented and it smells amazing; as do all of the MAC lipsticks. I believe that this certain lipstick is a special edition version of the Viva La Glam line; so make sure you run and get it fast!

The next lipstick that I chose is my favorite lipstick everrrr! I'm sure I've raved about it plenty of times before, but it is called Infrared by Topshop. It isn't super pigmented just in case you want to wear it lighter so that your lips aren't bright orange. Personally, I like to go all out because I love the orange look. I think this lipstick looks best when it is worn with a natural eye, or cat liner and white clothing. It also pulls out the nice features on your face if you wear your hair up in a pony tail or in a cute pin up bun. 

The last lipstick that I chose is a color that is super sexy for summer! It is the #06 Kate Moss by Rimmel. I've been wearing it so much this summer during the daytime and at night. This color is so versatile it's amazing. I'm not sure what they put in the Rimmel lipsticks, but they smell so delicious and fruity; so I bet if you get it in your mouth it would taste good! Haha. This lipstick is very very pigmented, so even one coat will be very visible. It's the perfect amount of bright and dark for the sweet, yet dramatic look!

This is my swatch of all three of the lipsticks together:

From left to right: Infrared, #06 Kate, Nicki Minaj Viva La Glam

I wore the #06 Kate Rimmel lipstick in my Hello YouTube Introduction to my YouTube beauty channel video that I uploaded recently. I also have a Get Ready with Me video coming up that explains how exactly I did that dramatic summer look! I will link the video below, so you are able to check it out! While you're there, make sure you subscribe! It would mean so much to me! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am! I love summer fashion trends; it's so hot outside and I'm actually enjoying my crop tank tops and high waisted shorts! Comfy, cool, and stylish! Make sure you check out my YouTube beauty channel and let me know what you think! :) 

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

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Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any of the companies of these products nor did any companies give any of these products to me. They were all purchased by myself and all photos in the post are mine.

Introduction to my Beauty Channel | annieblaircouture

Hey couturettes!

AnnieBlairCouture

I hope everyone's summer is going well so far! I never want it to end! So, I started this blog in December and decided to start a beauty channel on YouTube in January. I uploaded one video about my Every Day Makeup Look and just left the channel alone for a couple of months because I had a lot going on with school. Well, I'm back now and I'm ready to upload a bunch of videos for y'all! I already have so many planned I'm so excited. This is my proper introduction to my channel, so I hope you enjoy and let me know any feedback you think that will help me for my future videos! It's pretty awkward, but I'm naturally awkward so I don't think I could hide that very well! Haha!

If you aren't familiar with my first video or you haven't seen it I am linking it below, so you don't miss out! Make sure to subscribe to my channel so you can be on top of my future videos coming up!


Every Day Makeup Tutorial:

Hope you enjoy my videos! I also have a bunch of blog posts coming up, so make sure you look out for those!



Have a wonderful day! xoxo





Annie Blair




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June 2013 Wishlist

Hey couturettes!

Regalrose Necklace

River Island Cropped Tank

Xobeauty Makeup Brushes

Topshop Wedges

Make sure to check out all of my social media links below and subscribe to my YouTube beauty channel so that you don't miss out on fun things coming ahead! 

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

YouTube Beauty Channel

Twitter

Instagram

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any of the companies of these products. Images inserted purely for visual effect. 

Cute Summer Looks: Tank Tops & Jean Shorts

Hey couturettes!

Even though summer does not officially start until the 21st of June, it basically started in Washington D.C. in mid May. DC gets so disgusting in the summer; it's so hot and so humid it's almost unbearable. I may feel like it's hotter than it actually is because it's a city so everyone walks everywhere. Due to this extreme heat, my summer wardrobe consists of pretty much only tanks and jean shorts. If it was socially acceptable to walk around everywhere in my bathing suit, I would but unfortunately it isn't. So, I would like to have to least amount of clothes on as possible and still look cute!

Recently ASOS had a 20% off everything in the store sale, so I definitely took advantage of that beauty. I've ordered tanks from them in the past and I have always loved them, so I know exactly what my size is and what type of tank top I was looking for. I really like the specific tank tops that are by the ASOS brand because of the way that they fit my body and how they are pretty loose fit. To be honest, I wasn't super picky on what the tank tops looked like as long as they were relatively cute; I just need more tank tops for the summer! Fortunately, they were ASOS tanks, so they are almost guaranteed to be cute! I ordered four tank tops from them, so I would like to share them with y'all!

Drop Arm Hole in Knoxville Print

ASOS Tank with Love Spell

A La Mode Embroidery

I believe that this is the favorite tank top that I purchased in this haul because it reminds me of one of those vintage photographs of Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe. I also like the fact that the neckline is really high and it also has a cropped look to it. 

ASOS Swing Tank with Egyptian Eye

Tank tops are so simple, yet they are so cute and such an easy item of clothing for the summer. I'm so thankful that they are still popular in the fashion industry because otherwise I would need to cut all of my t shirts to pieces and make them myself! (Not like I don't already do that, though).

As I mentioned earlier, my other summer clothing essential is jean shorts. They are extremely comfortable and they literally never go out of style! Except this year, high waisted shorts are the popular type of denim. I love the look of high waisted shorts! I'm pretty short in general, so I feel like they make me look at bit taller and make my booty look good! This summer I already have bought two pairs. One of them is from a boutique called Shuku New York and their stuff is awesome! I've been shopping from them for a while now and I just keep getting more impressed with their merchandise. The other pair that I bought is from Urban Outfitters and everyone already knows they are infamous for their jean shorts because they are awesome. Both pairs of shorts are pretty short, which I'm not normally very comfortable with, but I can deal with these because I like what they look like so much!

BDG Lou High/Low Denim Dye Tech Short

Tie Dye Denim Shorts

In the past, I have dip dyed and studded my own jean shorts myself, but I saw these on Shuku New York's Instagram and I was instantly obsessed with them. As soon as they would come in stock on the website, they would instantly be sold out due to their popularity. Then I was informed that they went on sale and they were over $20 cheaper than the original listed price, so I caved and bought them. A warning on these shorts though; they come in sizes S-L, yet they run very small so I suggest even buying a size up than you would normally otherwise they may be very tight on you!

Some time in the next two weeks I am going to upload a haul on my YouTube channel of what I purchased from the 20% off sale on ASOS. It may be easier for y'all to see what the tanks look like when I hold them up and show them to you on camera. Since it's summer I'm going to be a lot more consistent with my channel because over the past few months, I think I have posted one video! This is the link for my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/annieblaircouture

I can't wait to start posting a lot more often and showing y'all what I am getting up to this summer! Make sure you check out all the links to my social media below and subscribe to my beauty channel so that you don't miss out on the fun things ahead!

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Annie Blair

YouTube Beauty Channel

Twitter
Instagram


Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any of the companies of these products nor did companies give any of the products to me. All of the photos are from the respective websites with the links to the items below and were purely inserted for visual effect.