my favorite mascaras

There are 2 mascaras I love! The best marcara in the world is Giorgio Armani "eyes to kill". I have truly never seen a more miraculous mascara then this one. After many coats it'll look like you're wearing the world's best false lashes. The only problem...it's $30! So I only wear it for special occations and my crazy nights out on the town. My second favorite (my everyday mascara) is Maybelline "the colossal volum' express". It is the best drug  store mascara by far. Seperation, length and volume is a must, and I won't settle for a mascara that doesn't deliver all 3! Give it a try.... but to get the most out of your mascara (volume, length, seperation) you must follow my advice. Always use a primer first. About 5 coats on each eye. Primers condition your lashes, which means they are in better condition to stay on the eye for a longer period of time which gives them time to grow longer and fuller. Also when building your mascara on top of the primer you will get the most length and volume. Best primer is Clinique $13 and the second best is Lancome. Next bit of advice is to use an eyelash curler, but NOT everyday!!! Only use it on the days you need to look smokin hot. It makes a huge difference in opening up the eye, but using an eyelash curler everyday can harm the lashes and cause them to fall out or break. Third bit of advice is to work at it girl! Lots and lots of coats. Start as close to the base as possible and plant the wand. Wiggle the wand horizontally until you reach the tip of the lash at the top. Then holding the wand at the very tip gentally press backward towards the the lid and hold for a few seconds to curl. Repeat over and over until you're satisfied. When I write these blogs about beauty products trust what I say. I'm not bragging but I have a lot of experience in makeup, skincare and hair. I have tested almost everything on the market, and I give everything a fair shot no matter what the price. If you ever have a beauty question feel free to ask!

-Shawna

Smooth Face : )

Shawna always has a new product she swears by to make you more pretty and healthy..and since shes a super model I'm always willing to try every product out! Her new product that she is into is collagen powder. I am so glad she told me about this because I swear it works wonders. Some of the benefits of taking collagen powder are healthier skin, hair, nails, joints, and ligaments. It clears your complexion and it thickens your hair. My whole fam has been using it for the past couple months and we swear by it. Even my Dad's hair grew so thick Shawna had to give him a haircut sooner then she usually does! We were scarred he was going to have a pony after a few days it grew so fast! (Our poor Dad we make him take all this stuff with us!). You can buy it online for around $8.00 or Whole Foods for $15.00. So worth it! All you do is put one scoop in your water once a day. Beware...it kinda tastes like throw up, so you can always buy the pills instead. Trust me though, after a few days you'll get used to the weird taste because it will definitely be worth the benefits of a smooth face. One of Shawna's friends had acne scars all over her face and after taking collagen for a few months she had baby skin with no scarring. Everyone should try it! Nothing is better then not having to wear foundation in the morning. This will help!

Sunny

Hot Yoga

Feeling Tired?? And Tired of your normal fitness routine??

I guess when you hit your 30's you feel it~haha. I love to run, but it def started to take a wear and tear on my body! I kept pulling things and getting hurt and needed to change up my routine a couple times a week before my joints ended up feeling like a grandma's.

I found my new love and it is HOT yoga! I mostly do the yoga sculpt classes, where you are combining free weights with calisthenics and cardio and sweating like you just jumped in a pool. It has so many benefits like cleansing, detoxifying, strengthening, and big time stress relief. It sounds weird, but my blood circulates better. I have way more energy and sleep like a champion! My running has improved so much and I'm not getting injured half as much.

The downfall is..it is expensive, but well worth the price to feel good! Just think how much you could rather be spending on chiropractors or such. Most studios offer the first week free so you can try it out and see if it is your thing.....Namaste.

Summer

Obsession with Mason Jars

I am pretty sure the reason why the six of us get along so well is because we all have different styles when it comes to decorating, fashion, and boys (thank God otherwise one of us would have been murdered by now!)
Although our styles differ when it comes to home decor, I am pretty sure we can all agree that we love the feel of a homey home. ha! Any decor that has the color teal, white, or gray incorporated in it, I will be obsessed. Tanner is over my obsession with teal, I think mainly because the only thing I ever wear is my teal robe. I moved into a little studio recently and I love it. It feels like a midget's beach cottage, which is perfect for me because I am pretty much a midget. When I moved into my house I found my obsession with mason jars. I went to Smart and Final and bought a 12 pack of them for like $10.00. I know Smart and Final is kinda gross, but if you can get yourself there, buy a pack of mason jars. I use them for drinking glasses, flower vases, and I even made a seashell vase out of it. That's pretty good for me considering I don't even know how to use a pair of scissors and I am the least crafty person ever. I thought I was cool because I made some decor out of mason jars, but when I got an account on Pinterest I realized a lot of people make fun decor out of them! Here's some ideas I found on Etsy, since other peoples ideas are a lot cuter then mine!

-Sunny

Styles We Love!

We love Jean button ups right now. So comfy and it looks great with leggings, shorts, or colored pants. It's a quick way to throw on something and look cute! How cute is the bow bandeau? We found it off Saboskirt, which is an Australian brand. They have the best stuff! Kendall Jenners style is so classy and girlie. We just love it!

how to create rad nails

I love doing crazy nails. I tend to wear a lot of black clothing, so I use my nails to add a pop of color. Today I am going to share with you a creative nail idea that anyone can do, because the messier the better! You can create this nail look with just two colors or ten. Its up to you! The nails below are six colors. Start with the lightest color and work your way to the darkest or most pigmented to finish. In this case I started with green. Randomly on each nail thinly dab/dot/streek/smeer on the paint. Since I'm using so many colors, each nail only needs about three dabs per color. As you move along with each color your nail starts to lose space. Thats why it's important to finish with the most pigmented color. Fill in the empty spaces and always finish with a top finishing coat. There's no wrong way to do this so have fun with it!
-Shawna

"God Bless you, God" -Kay Gurell

Growing up our family always said our prayers out loud in the car every morning. My mom would always start the prayer off and then she would pick someone in the car to say their prayer next, then that person would pick some one until everyone in the car said their prayers aloud. We still do this today and I'm pretty sure Katie Ford still does too! I know a lot of us get busy and forget just to take at least 10 min of our day to pray. I encourage you all to just take the time you spend in the car to turn off the music (even if it's for two minutes) and just say thanks to God! If you can't seem to find a church to go to regularly, please do yourself a favor and download Daybreak Church on podcast. Listen to it on the way to work or even when you're getting ready for the day. Our preacher Jason, is hilarious and it will definitely give you a positive out look on your day! Don't feel like you have to talk differently to God when you pray too! Just be yourself. In our family we always end up dying laughing because my mom will say crazy things like, "God bless you, God." I am pretty sure God doesn't need to be blessed! ha!
The other day my friend said something that made my sisters and I really think about how important it is to have faith. He is a former marine that summed up his deployment with a short statement. He said, "when shit hit the ceiling in Iraq, no one was an atheist." We loved this because it just shows how much we do need God in our lives especially when shit hits the ceiling in our own lives!

Love, Sunny aka Bug man : )


This is  something I saw on Pinterest and just loved it!

TheWoundedMarineFund.com

This past year we got news that our neighbor's son lost his legs in a terrible accident while serving in Afganistan. Immediately,  Summer and I told our family and we all started to pray for CPL Michael Fox. This week our neighbor personally delivered our 2012 fashion statement and daily prayer reminder. Each time I look at my bracelet I say a quick prayer to God that He gives Michael the strength and endurance to work through the pain, struggles, and changes. I'm a true believer that Michael will make an amazing recovery and change people's hearts with his story. I urge you to follow along with his recovery(search CPL Michael Fox on Facebook), or better yet, donate $10 to The Wounded Marine Fund and you could have a cool camo colored bracelet like us!

Mako and me modeling our "I Helped a Hero" bracelet!

Being vegetarian is so easy!

Shawna, Summer, Sunny and Jonnie have been vegetarians for about 4 years, and we have never felt better inside and out. Our bodies feel chemical and hormone free. Because of the corrupt farming, eating meat can be more harmful then helpful to the body. It has never been easier to be a vegetarian then as it is today! So many brands are catering to vegetarians and vegans. Our new favorite is chicken-LESS mandarin orange morsels. Find it in the frozen section at trader joes. It is tastier and healthier then any real chicken dish out there! Enjoy guilt free!!

Bold lip color

Quick makeup tip of the day. When wearing a bold lip color always wear a light eye. Just mascara and top eyeliner will do the trick, but if you are obsessed with eyeliner like me lining the lower lash  very thin is ok too (as seen below).  Heavy eye and bold lip at the same time makes you look like a clown  :)

-Shawna

All the girls! How much does Eden look like Carden at her age?! Adorable!

Avoiding Jeans

I know most people live in jeans, but I personally can't stand them! When I wear them longer then a few hours, some how they become ridiculously baggy and it looks like I have saggy knee caps from them bunching up. I don't care if I am in a public place, my jeans will be unbuttoned at some point! ha! I wear leggings probably five times out of the week and I am pretty sure everyone at work, including myself, are over dealing with my legging butt everyday. So, I wanted to share with everyone my new fav thing to wear right now..the palazzo pants! Below is a pic of them.I actually stole them from my mom's closet. (I'm pretty sure she probably wore them in the 80's). I just put workout biker shorts underneath them. They are SO comfy and it's a great alternative from my everyday, faded out legging look. I love how these type of pants are in style because it really feels like your wearing pj pants. The other day I wore them to go wine tasting. I wore heels with them and then ended up at the beach a few hours later wearing them with sandals! You can get them at places like urban outfitters and  forever 21 for as cheap as $20, or you can make a pair like mine. All it takes is a beach cover up pant and some biker shorts (long or short depending on the look you want). Best idea I've had in awhile! 

 ~ Sunny Jewel

  Forever 21--$19.80

My Creation : )

Cocoa Butter Stick

Since I have been in the beauty industry for years, I have tried every chapstick there is(some even in the $50 range!)  A few months ago, I discovered the CVS Cocoa Butter Stick and it changed my life!  No chapstick has ever healed, softened, and moisturized my lips as efficiently.  And it is only $1.99!!  If you suffer from chapped lips this is your new best friend!  All my family and friends are already hooked!

-Shawna

Meet the Gurell Girls...

Hey everyone! We hope you will enjoy our blog! We will be posting daily advice on beauty tips, fashion, health and fitness, new products and trends we love and new exciting things going in our crazy family!  For those of you that don't know us, we are six sisters between the ages of 31-23 and we are all best friends, yet of course we have gotten into our share of pulling hair fights. We are are so similar yet so different. We each have our own interests, personalities and talents which will all be shared on this blog. Sit back, relax, have a beer and enjoy the show!

Marleau-The Oldest (age 31)

Being the oldest of six girls, Marleau has no choice but to be the bossy and mature sister who half the time is appalled by her sister's behaviors while the other half of the time joins in the craziness. She has no problem putting people in their place, but can also be light hearted and silly. She is very smart and a teacher by nature!

Summer (age 30)

Summer is the sweet, innocent, and most trusting of the sisters, yet has the nickname "Ferris Bueller" because is very undercover. She is always smiling, laughing, and looking for a good time. Often, she makes the rest of the girls laugh due to her lack of common sense and there's never a dull moment when she's around. Summer is always on the go, whether she's running a marathon or finding a place to bust out a handstand.

Shawna (age 28)

Shawna is the protector of the pack.The girls nicknamed her "the wolf" at a young age because if you mess with her family she will stand up to you without fear. She has a amazing heart but is also opinionated so you better not cross her! She lives in LA and is a  trained beauty expert in hair, make up and skincare. She has more products then Bloomingdales and there is no beauty product that she has not tried.

Autumn (age 27)

Autumn is the down to earth naturalist. She is always talking about organic this, organic that, and she won't even use a microwave. She has traveled the world and now she is currently living in New Zealand with her handsome husband and two beautiful daughters, Carden and Eden (of course, 2 girls!).  It is so hard having her so far away, as we do not feel complete unless all six of us are together!

Sunny (age 25)

Sunny is the comedian of the family and everybody loves to see what she is going to say next.  She over thinks every thing and can kill herself with guilt over nothing.  She is loyal, sensitive, and has a heart of gold.  Sunny is always up to date on the latest fashion trends and home decor.

Jonnie (age 23)

After trying 6 times for a boy, our parents finally gave up and gave her a boys name and named her Jonnie, after our dad.  She is the typical baby of the family and gets away with murder.  She is an easy-going hippie chick that would be perfectly happy living in a tent on the beach.  She has a passion for all animals and likes them way more then she likes people!