My apologies for not updating this sooner..

My dad passed away this last Thursday and I have been focused on being with my family and helping my mom with making arrangements. I'm taking a break from making videos on youtube and from updating on here. Doing this does distract me from the thoughts that are constantly running through my head so I might give updates more and more as time goes on. Thank you all for your understanding and support. Kristin

Zoya Polish Haul

So I went a little bonkers with this nail polish order from Zoya (artofbeauty.com).. I'm really liking this company, they shipped very quickly and have great deals on polish and accessories. I will be doing a YT vid on these very soon!

Top Row, left to right: Sabrina, Sari, Lulu, Barbie, Audrina

2nd Row: Sofia, Divincia, Valentina, LC, Dita

3rd Row: Posh (matte), Blair, Paris, Angelina, Casey

Bottom Row: Lael, Roxy, Indigo

Swatches & a review to follow! :)

Dramatic Navy Eye Tutorial

Products Used:

Face
TheBalm Time Balm concealer in Lighter Than Light
MAC Studiofix Liquid Foundation in NC15
N.Y.C. Loose Face Powder in Translucent

Brows & Eyes
Lancome Powder Pencil for Brows in Taupe
Stila Brow Polish in Fair
Urban Decay Primer Potion
E.L.F. Drama Eyeshadow Quad (matte white shade only)
L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadow Duo in Spirited (both shades)
Fantasy Makers for Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Duo in Blue Ice (both shades)
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Snow (shimmery pure white)
Tarte Eyeliner in Starry Night
MAC Fascinating Eye Kohl
CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara in Very Black

Blush
Rimmel Blush in Apricot

Lips (red)
N.Y.C. Sheer Red Lipstick
Wet N Wild Diamond Brilliance Lipgloss in #615

Lips (nude)
Merle Norman Luxiva Age Defying Lipstick in Just Kissed (discontinued)
Elizabeth Arden Crystal Clear Lipgloss

 

Loose Shadow/Pigment Storage

A couple people have asked how I store all of my loose shadows & pigments so I thought I'd post some pictures about my storage and organization of them.. Hope it helps! :)

Everyday Fall Look Tutorial #1

With a stronger lip..       

With a daytime sheer lip..

Products used:

MAC Studiofix Fluid Foundation in NC15

L'Oreal True Match Concealer in N-1-2-3

MAC Studiofix Pressed Powder Foundation in NC15

E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

MAC Naked Lunch eyeshadow

Tarte Brown Derby eyeshadow

LORAC eyeshadow (light frosted champagne)

N.Y.C. Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero

Maybelline XXL Extensions Mascara in Very Black

Stila Sun Bronzing Powder in 02

MAC Well-Dressed Blush

Lips

Darker Look- Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick

with Lancome Exposure Juicy Tube over it

Daytime Look- E.L.F. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tart

 

CVS/Rite-Aid Drugstore Haul

Ok, so I wasn't going to do any more hauling for a while but couldn't resist the great deals that were going on this week.. that, and I needed a little retail therapy!!

Wet N Wild Fantasy Maker e/s duo in Blue Ice, Jesse's Girl Eyeshadow in Champagne, Jesse's Girl Baked Powder Eyeshadow in Night Vision

My apologies for the blurry pics, its nighttime and I have not-so-great light right now.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon, Cherries In The Snow (reverse order in pics) Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers lipstick in Black

The other items that didn't really need close-ups are the L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black, CoverGirl LashBlast mascara in Very Black, Ardel Spyder Woman Lashes (for my Halloween costume) and the EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruits. I'm most excited to try out the black lipstick and mascaras.. I'm *really* disappointed with the Maybelline Pulse Perfection mascara I've been using so hopefully these will work out a lot better for me. Reviews of everything will be up soon! :)

Oh, and P.S. I'm also thinking that the black Jesse's Girl eyeshadow is almost an identical dupe of the MAC Mineralize shadow in Cinderfella.. And its $3.99 (vs. $19.50 for the MAC one!)

I'll have a tutorial of this up shortly!

The Body Shop's New Organic Skincare Line Giveaway!

One of my favorite YouTubers, AleksisLovesBeauty, is hosting an awesome giveaway of the ENTIRE LINE of The Body Shop's new "Nutriganics" organic skincare collection! Crazy, right? Well, all you have to do watch the video and favorite it and comment below the video on why this line would be a good match for you. You can also make your own video mentioning the contest and adding it as a video response or finding the contest on her blog, http://alpha-blonde.blogspot.com/ The contest ends September 30th, so get watching the following link and comment!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vICFj5H4Am4

Sephora Haul- UD Book of Shadows 2, Stila Bronzers, etc.

Yay, Sephora haul time! :-) After seeing the preview pics for this gorgeous palette (Urban Decay's Book of Shadows II or BOS2), I knew I would absolutely love it and get sooo much use out of it! (Which is now the screening method I put all of my future purchases through..) During checkout, I noticed that Sephora was also offering a killer deal on Stila bronzers.. $10 for 2 full-sized products that they still sell for $28 and $32 seperately!! The rest of the items pictured are samples that came with the order (the Philosophy set was a special promo that they WAAAAY over-valued at $65.. its not worth any specific dollar amount because they are JUST SAMPLES!???! Its really annoying when places put dollar amounts on samples.. samples are made to be given out for free to entice someone to buy the full sized product or to make sure they like it before purchasing to cut down on returns..just because they've bundled a few of them, doesn't give it a spectacular *value* and especially not a value of $65.. Just my 2 cents...)

View with the top open.. the top part holds a booklet with some fun makeup looks and a large mirror..

A close-up of the shadows.. From top left: Perversion, Gunmetal, Ecstacy, AC/DC

 Nylon, Sellout, Mushroom, Sphynx

 Half Baked, Twice Baked, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, YDK

Jinx, Flipside, Homegrown, Misdemeanor

24/7 Glide-On eye pencil minis in Bourbon and Zero

Primer Potion mini

Click on the picture for a more detailed look at the shades..

So I've swatched everything but the darker stila bronzer (the top one, gold, is more of a highlighter than bronzing powder) and I have to say that everything looks so gorgeous and shimmery and I can't wait to play around with it and create some gorgeous looks! I will be updating with some FOTD's using this palette very soon!!

What I'm Loving Right Now 9/23

So I, along with I'm sure most of the female population, fell in love with and tried out just about every lip plumper on the market when they came out in full effect a while back... The fondness for them (in my eyes at least) has tapered off a lot, but I'm bringin' em back! My first "recent" experiment with these types of products was DuWop Prime Venom. Of course, I'd tried the OG Lip Venom back in like 1998 or whatever when it first came out, but let that obsession fall to the wayside, along with Smashmouth and chokers :).. But when Sephora offered me a deluxe sample of DuWop's much newer product, Prime Venom, I became intrigued again... This is a product that you *prime* (duh) your lips with before applying lipstick, gloss, what have you. Now, I have been known to partake in a fair amount of pain in the name of beauty, but this stuff (in my opionion at least) is not NEARLY as painful as the original lip venom was. Of course, there is a fair amount of stinging still involved, but I kind of like that.. It lets me know the product is working. And my lips really, truly do look more plump, juicy, whatever adjective you want to throw in here, but they look full and pouty! You want to definitely make sure you haven't been chewing on your lips or have any cracks or excessive dryness before applying though, because just like after eating spicy food, if you have any of the above they WILL BURN. A LOT. Its not a problem though if you keep lips regularly moisturized inbetween uses. ($20, available at Sephora.com or Shop.DuWop.com).

Another product that gives a similar effect, and has more options in terms of shades is another product I've been loving, the Sally Hansen Lip Inflation Extreme! lipglosses. I got the shade Sheer Clear because I figured it would be more versatile to use over other lipcolors. I also have Sheer Cherry, which is a gorgeous happy medium between red and coral, pretty sheer and with some tiny flecks of gold shimmer. The Cherry shade is pigmented enough to wear by itself, and is a beautiful shade for summer. Here's what makes these things tick: (from Sally Hansen's website)
Hydro-Collagen Complex with Marine Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid capture and retain moisture contributing to the immediate dramatic effect.
The Clear color comes in a gold tube like this:

 ...while the Cherry and other shades (Sheer Pink and Sheer Bare) come in a tube with a gold top and transparent base. I'm looking forward to trying these other shades, especially the Sheer Bare. I'm hoping its comparable to Too Faced's Lip Injection in Techno Buff, another one I have but that is too opaque and has too much of an orangey tinge to successfully complete a smokey eye/nude lip combo. I really like these glosses' formula (Too Faced), however the price and the shade selection don't really do it for me. (The Sally Hansen glosses retail for as much as $10 at major drugstores, however, I found these two in a combo pack for $4 at my local Rite-Aid... it pays to shop the clearance section!! And the Too Faced Lip Injections retail for $23.50 on Sephora.com, however the shade Techno Buff is no longer available).

LORAC Sexy Swag Makeup Collection w/ Swatches

Ok, I know I said I was going to try to cut back on the hauling.. However, my mom bought this for me, so technically I'm still being (kinda) good.. I was alerted to this stellar deal by my girls on MUA (they're always on top of the best deals within minutes of them being released) and was going to buy it that day but left the screen up at my moms house and she decided to buy it for my birthday present. Well, I got to her house before she came back today and saw the LORAC box waiting, so I asked her about it and she decided to just give me my present early.. Yay! Lol.. So here's the description from the site:

On Screen Duo Eye Shadow/Liner in "Rich & Famous"

Glam Rocks Loose Metallic Eye Shadows in "Pearl" and "Gold"

TANtalizer Body Bronzing Luminizer

Caribbean Heat Bronzer

Croc Mocktail Lip Gloss Collection

Croc Makeup Bag

All for $29.95? Crazy-good deal.. (still available! :)

loraccosmetics.com

So here's my shot of it:
(You can click on any of my pics below to enlarge them :)

The glosses & swatched:

Irish Coffee, Sugarplumtini, Candy Cane Cosmo, Champagne, Spiced Cider, Mistletoe Mojito

These have great pigment, are all scented (not a cloying scent, but nice and fruity or spicy, depending on the shade), all are shimmery, very flattering and have a tiny mirror on the backside of the gloss. This set is also selling by itself on the site for $7.50!

The Glam Rocks Loose Metallic Eyeshadow in Pearl and Gold:

These are really pretty and remind me a LOT of MAC Solarbits.. they get the texture shown here when blended.. otherwise they are chunky little bits of shimmer.

The Onscreen Duo shadow/liner in Rich & Famous and the Caribbean Heat bronzer, the 3 individual shades from the bronzer and then all swirled together.

So of course, I'm very excited about this collection.. I haven't opened the tanning gel yet, so there's no swatch of that. The makeup bag is *really* cute too, so needless to say, its <3 for this set! I'm thinking about buying this one as well, while its still available:

This set is another awesome deal, $18.50 for 10 items.. You get 3 of their incredible eyeshadows, 2 lipglosses, 2 lipsticks, a baked bronzer, eyelining pen and a brush, all full-sized (with the exception of the bronzer).. Just thought I'd share! :)

Red Lips FOTN

So I haven't really experimented with red lips that much.. I've always thought it looked too severe against my pale skin and light hair, but now I've been playing around a lot with contrast and I'm kinda liking it!

With flash

Without flash

(lipstick is much less orange and photographs more true to life in the first pic :)

Products used:

L'Oreal True Match Concealer in N-1-2-3

MAC Studiofix Liquid in NC15

MAC Studiofix Pressed Powder in NC15

Clinique Color Rub All Over Lustre in Nude Lustre (highlight cheekbones)

a very light dusting of Jane Mineral Blush in Rose Satin

MAC Paint in Untitled

Lancome Powder Pencil for Brows in Taupe

the brown side of Stila Fandango eyeshadow duo

the light brown side of Clinique Strawberry Fudge duo

Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee

TheBalm Overshadow in No Money, No Honey (inner corners of eyes)

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Lipstick in Top Tomato

Elizabeth Arden Crystal Clear lipgloss

For a similar look, check out my YouTube vids (Taylor Swift Allure cover, Pt. 1&2)

Glam Eyes Purple FOTD

This is a really pretty, all out shimmery/glittery look thats perfect for night, even though I wore this look during the daytime..

Face: MAC Studiofix Pressed powder in NC15 applied with kabuki brush (really liking this method!)

L'Oreal True Match Concealer in N-1-2-3

Cheeks: NYC Color Wheel in Pink Berry

Eyes: MAC Paint in Untitled

Benefit Highbrow to highlight inner corner and brow bone

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy to make loose shadows stick

UD Road Stripe on inner corners

Archetype Cosmetics loose shadow in Fuchsias for Simon on inner 1/3ish of lid

Archetype Cosmetics Oleander loose shadow on outer 1/3ish and on lower lid

Larenim loose shadow in Incantation mixed with Paula Dorf eye transformer over MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Maybelline XXL Extensions Mascara in Very Black

VS Beauty Rush lipgloss in Puddin Pie over Merle Norman lipstick in First Kiss

With artificial light..

With natural light...

And I had to showcase this fabulous ring I got in LA a few months back.. Its a spidey with purple rhinestones.. I <3 it. Comment below and let me know what you think of this look!

Fyrinnae Order with Swatches

I was sooo super excited to get this, my first order from Fyrinnae. I have received samples of their shadows before and found 95% of them to be fantastic. Most of them go on very smoothly, have great pigment and gorgeous sparkle. Some of them can be a little chunky but you can still make them work with the right application. So my order consisted of a bunch of their loose eyeshadow samples (which are 1/4 teaspoon for most, 1/8 for others in a little clear jar), their velvet gel silica primer and the pixie epoxy.

The primer is for creating a smooth finish and a *base* for foundation and the rest of your makeup. I've never really used a primer before, however, from what I've heard I will definitely notice the difference for the better. The directions for this product are to use much less than a pea size for your whole face, so in other words, this jar will last me months and months to come. The picture of the product below is from Fyrinnae's website because I couldn't get it or the epoxy to photograph correctly.

The pixie epoxy is a product I am *really* excited about trying out.. its a clear gel that dries slightly tacky (use over your usual eyeshadow base) and is meant to hold on to the pigment in loose shadows so they don't fall out all over your cheeks. The swatches below were patted on over the epoxy and I will say right now the difference was night and day between using the epoxy and not using it. With the epoxy, the shadows came out more vibrant, shimmery, and almost metallic. I will definitely update on whether this product creases after wearing for a few hours.

Now on to the shadows.. I picked out a whole bunch, and from what I gather, they usually send out an extra one as a freebie for their customers to try.. Well, they sent me an *extra extra* freebie because they were having some technical difficulties with their shopping cart when I first tried to place the order and it took a day or so to complete. They wrote a cute apology on the invoice and wrapped the items in the most adorable tissue paper. I really like this company, they have terrific customer service from what I've experienced and will have lots of fun deciding which of these I want to have full sizes of.. Here they are!

Click to enlarge..

From top left: Njordr, Bali Mynah, 1.22 Gigawatts, Nori, Parental Advisory

From bottom left: Newcastle, Boytoy, Arcane Magic-Mystic, Immortality, City Glam-Lights of Las Vegas, City Glam-Lights of Moscow

 Top row: City Glam-Lights of Las Vegas, Njordr, Nori, Immortality

2nd Row: City Glam- Lights of Moscow, Newcastle, Boytoy, 1.22 Gigawatts

Bottom Row: Parental Advisory, Arcane Magic-Mystic, Bali Mynah

Dollar Tree Haul

I rave and rave about the Dollar Tree to all of my friends, family, etc. and this is why! They offer some of the best beauty deals I've seen, some on discontinued or hard-to-find products! Their stock continually rotates to bring in new products, so I always end up picking up a few new things during each trip. The 99cent store is pretty good too, they had L'Oreal HIP lipglosses and Profusion palettes the last time I was there. I guess what I'm saying is don't pass up the store because you think they won't have anything for you or that its all cheap.. The items I got were all sold in drugstores before they were scooped up by the buyers at Dollar Tree. And all of this cost me under $10!!

From top left:

L'Oreal On the Loose Shimmer Powders in Mesmerized and Airy Azure

Maybelline Forever Metallics Metal-Shine Lipcolor in Berry Glossy, Blush Beam, Shell Shimmer

An extra Airy Azure to throw into a swap

Maybelline Cool Effect eyeliner in Chilled Steel

LA Colors 6 Color Metallic Eyeshadow in Dreamy

L'Oreal Hope Eye Sheen Duos in Courage

I won't be posting swatches on these items unless I have a request to, simply because I have no idea if other dollar trees have the same items.

Grey Green with a Twist Smokey Eye

This is a look I really like because its a funky twist on the smokey eye.. its basically a dark greyish brown with gold shimmer on the lid and an iridescent yellowy green on the bottom lashline.. Hope you all like it!

I used: MAC Paint in Untitled

L'Oreal Hip Cream Shadow in Steely

Fyrinnae Loose shadow in Newcastle

Stila Diamond Lil (in outer v)

MAC White Gold pigment mixed with Paula Dorf Transformer

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner in Green Fuzz

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara in Black

MAC Well Dressed Blush

VS Beauty Rush Lipgloss in Passion Fruit Pop

The Healing Seed Shampoo Review

Ok, I know it seems like I rag quite a bit on most of the products I review.. I think the reason I do this is because 1) I'm the buyer for a gift company and am always weighing the pros and cons of a product (in other words, I want it to be as close to perfect as possible, so it'll be easier to sell), 2) I want to discuss things others may have overlooked and 3) there are SOOOO many different products out there, I guess I figure the more I nitpick and don't compromise, the more information I can provide to you all to save you time, money, and help you find products you'll love and get lots of use out of. So there that is lol. Moving on, here is a review for a product I really LIKE!

Picture courtesy of TheHealingSeed.net

This shampoo really surprised me. I'm used to either Head & Shoulders (the soft and shiny one, spacing on the complete name right now), or Dove for color-treated hair. After one use of this stuff (which is all I had because this is one of the samples I got from the LA Mart), my hair was noticeably lighter, fluffier (but not in a frizzed-out, wow it must be humid today kind of way) and had so much shine. I was VERY pleased with the results of this. It retails for $13.95 for 8 oz. on the company's website (thehealingseed.net), which I think is pretty agreeable. My sample only had maybe a tablespoon if that, and it was plenty for my waist-length hair so I can imagine this bottle lasting a while. This also has a very nice scent, I believe in large part to the orange oil it has in it. I'm happy to have found something I really like since I started reviewing products on here and I hope you all enjoy it too!

AHAVA Mineral Botanic Velvet Cream Body Wash in Honeysuckle & Lavender

Picture courtesy of bathandbodyworks.com

This is another product I received a sample of from one of the showrooms at the LA Mart.. And at this point, I'm kind of just blah about it. It did its job in the shower, lathered up a bit (which I wasn't really expecting from something labeled a "cream" body wash) and rinsed clean with no residue (and no noticeable moisture improvement, I still needed lots of lotion post-shower, then again, I have yet to find a product that allows me to skip this step completely). I think whats lacking is the scent. It is only halfway there for me.. I'm thinking I'm picking up an almost herbal tone to it, which is kind of turning me off. They needed to capture more of the honeysuckle OR lavender, not dumb down both. This wash is actually really reasonably priced, I found it online at bathandbodyworks.com for $19.50 for 17 ounces, which is going to be a HUGE bottle. For someone who likes herb-y scents, I think they would really like this. Because its from AHAVA, of course its loaded up with Dead Sea minerals and plant extracts and this wash is actually marketed for sensitive skin types (which could explain the less-than-overwhelming fragrance). I have a sample of another scent, Hibiscus & Fig, which I'm more excited for. Oh and on a side note.. Just noticed the bottle on this stuff.. For a container this size, it REALLY should have a pump, otherwise you run the risk of slippery hands fumbling with it in the shower and dropping it on your feet.

Juicy Jewel Shampoo & Conditioner Reviews

This is one of the items I’m reviewing from the California Gift Show, which is a trade show that recently took place in LA. This is one of the items I was lucky enough to grab some samples of before the product hits shelves, in fact, I’m not even able to find a picture of this stuff online because it is so new. I don’t even have pricing information or anything like that but thought I’d review anyways for fun. Before we get too excited, I will tell you that after falling so deeply in love with the Juicy Jewel fragrance, I was expecting this stuff to blow me away (in a good way!) And I am pretty disappointed.. The scent of the Juicy Jewel fragrance is bursting with ripe berries, a hint of floral and juicy citrus.. As soon as I find this in stores, it will definitely be in my must-haves. The hair items I’m reviewing are actually named “fragrance conditioner” and “fragrance shampoo” so of course I was expecting the products to infuse my hair with that gorgeous scent and have it linger throughout the day.

Lets start with the shampoo. It is watery. And I don't mean like, oh its thin, this is basically like body spray consistency. The conditioner is one step up from that, about the consistency of a runny body lotion. The shampoo smelled fabulous as it was lathering up and the conditioner felt like it did leave a bit of softness in my hair. Unfortunately, after I got out of the shower and brushed my hair there was NONE of the scent noticeable, which kind of defeats the purpose of using products like this. I also noticed a bit of greasiness nearing the end of the day and my hair felt kind of heavy and product-y even though I didn't put anything in after my shower so as to be able to judge the products on their own. I'm thinking of writing the company and suggesting to them that they reformulate if product has not yet hit the shelves.. Not that they'd pull thousands of products on my say-so, but companies ALWAYS want input on their products. So for now, I'd say don't wait for the shampoo and conditioner to hit shelves (aka pass on it), but definitely go out and grab some of the fantastic gorgeous-smelling perfume from Juicy Jewel.. Its the perfect summer fragrance, and hey, I'm in Southern California, my summer lasts until October, so I can still rock it for a while :)

Sally Beauty Haul

After watching a few vids from one of my fave girls on YouTube (VintageorTacky), I knew I HAD to rush out and get a few things from my local Sally Beauty. The *rush* part came from a recent video she did on how to make your own glitter eyeliner/shadow. I'm all about cutting corners in an effort to not spend $15-20 a pop on a product that I either a) can make myself, b) will probably dry up before I finish it, or c) might only use once or twice. So the product she was using was the Sparkle Effect Gel Adhesive for glitter by Sally Girl, available only at Sally Beauty for about $1.29.. She used an empty palette for mixing and combined some of the gel and a dash of loose glitter. The color that she applied to her lids in the vid was the Crystalled Lime (think that was it..?) pigment from MAC over a lime green shadow she already had on and the effect was sooo gorgeous. You can view it here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMNg1LZ35yw&feature=channel_page
She had also mentioned before in a different video that her friend was obsessed with the Sally Girl eyeshadow that actually hook together... I was in the mood yesterday for some fun and bright shades so I picked up these guys: (Click to enlarge for better pics)

From left: Quad in Moolah, Singles in Emerald, Aqua, Turquoise and Purple Passion

and here they are swatched. And yes, they are backwards, I know :(

In addition to the brights, I thought this Moolah quad looked eerily similar to the new MAC PhotoRealism quad so I picked that up... the colors are not as pigmented and there are a couple differences with the colors.. the dark forrest green on the bottom right should have a little hint of bluish black and the brown on the bottom left should be more of a greyed green but for $.89 instead of $36 I believe it is.. I'll probably just stick with this one and see how I like it before I rush out and get this quad that everyone is loving. At Sallys, I also picked up another Duo eyelash adhesive in clear because the Sonia Kashuk one I had been using before was now irritating my eyes for some reason.. Overall, very happy with my purchases, I believe I made it out of there for under $12 for 7 items (all Sally Girl items were buy 5, get one free!) I'll be posting reviews of all of these items once I have a chance to test em out. Can't wait to play with all the fun new colors!

Bliss Blood Orange & White Pepper Body Butter Review

Picture courtesy of Blissworld.com

Whew, what a name! The first thing that struck me about this body moisturizer is the interesting combination of blood orange (a longtime fave scent) and white pepper.. Is this lotion going to make me sneeze? Hehe.. Not at all, as it turns out. The scent of this has actually turned into a slight obsession for me. The blood orange in it is very present and just begs to be sniffed but for some reason it reminds me of late fall.. Like when the Christmas rush starts and the Christmas-y scents come out. I'm thinking maybe I'm translating the white pepper into clove? Whatever it may be, the scent is definitely addictive and I really like it.

But of course this isn't a perfume, and this baby lays down the moisture pretty nicely as well. I didn't notice any greasiness after a few minutes (would wait a few before dressing though), and hours after I can still feel this incredible softness wherever I've rubbed in the lotion. My one drawback.. and unfortunately its a biggie.. This lotion sells for the not-so-bargain price of $35 for 8.5 ounces on blissworld.com or through their catalog. The scary part is, if this was the only lotion you're using, you'd go through more than one a month and for me at least, thats just WAAAY too much to spend on lotion. Maybe for a special occasion, or if you get a particularly nice paycheck, this would be an awesome splurge as a little treat for yourself.

Upcoming Local MAC Events

For anyone that lives in the Inland Empire in California, I'd love to see you at one of the upcoming MAC events at the Macys in Inland Center Mall to talk about MAC, makeup, beauty and everything else.. The dates are:

Sept 6- Eyelashes and Eyeliner Extravaganza, 12 noon.
Sept 12- This one I'm really excited about! They are bringing in MAC trainers and celebrity makeup artists Yaminah Salahieh and Jessica Roberts to do a Studio Talk seminar on "the new diva- the look of Kim Kardashian" 11-1 or 3-5p.
Sept 13- Smokey Eyes, 12 noon.
Sept 20- Mineral Makeup, 12 noon.

These are all no-cost/no obligation to buy with the exception of the MAC artist talk on the 12th. This class requires a $50 reservation fee which is redeemable for $50 of makeup or whatnot at the end of the class. I should be at all of these classes unless something else comes up, but be sure to let me know if you're coming so we can meet! On a side note, I already went to one of these classes and had a blast, they gave out some free makeup, LOADS of tips and tricks that only MAC artists know and I think its really great to get to know your salespeople.. They can set things aside for you they know you'll like or limited edition items before someone else snags em, let you know when the new collections are coming out, help you pick out things based on previous purchases, etc. Its a mutually beneficial relationship that every makeup girl should have :) 

Victoria's Secret Haul

Now the only reason I keep my Victoria's Secret credit card is for the perks.. Every year, on the month of your birthday, they send a $10 gift card with no strings attached, and this year included an extra bonus of the Slice of Heaven Beauty Rush lipgloss! Fabulous! So I went in yesterday to redeem the card on some underthings for myself, and as always got distracted by the displays of Beauty Rush items in the checkout line. I've always been intrigued by the eyeshadows which look gorgeously shimmery and metallic. And because my VS was out of 90% of the new makeup collection (BUMMER!!) that I was planning to pick up a few fun colors from, I figured, hey why not!? So I grabbed the Slice of Heaven and a Passion Fruit Punch lipgloss, along with a cream eyeshadow in a shimmery champagne shade for my best friend (gave them to her last night so I don't remember the name..) and for myself, I picked up the following:

Wet/Dry eye shadow in (clockwise from top left):

Glamerald

Violet Femme

Blueray

and Lipgloss in (from left)
Red Delicious
Hot Cocoanut

I haven't opened the Red Delicious yet but I'm already in lust with the Hot Cocoanut.. I wore it last night with my Green Smokey eye look and the color is a really subtle transparent nude with sparkly (but not overly glittery) gold flecks. The smell is also incredible- like tanning oil! Yummy...

And here are swatches of the 3 eyeshadows,

from top to bottom,

Glamerald

Blueray

Violet Femme

I'm soooo excited to play around with these shades,

they look so fun and metallic. They are also promoted as wet/dry shades, so I can imagine the brilliance of these colors when applied with a mixing medium/wet base.

Look forward to my reviews on these, as well as some FOTD's using these products!

Smokey Green FOTD

I *really* like doing a not-too-dramatic smokey eye for daytime and decided to try a dusky green version.. Tell me how you like it!

Eyes
MAC Paint in Stilife

L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Steely

Lancome shadows in Limelight, Montage & Blink

La Femme Sparkle Dust in Champagne Gold

Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee

Maybelline XXL Extensions Mascara in Black

Cheeks
Laura Gellar Blush-N-Brighten in Pink Grapefruit

Face
Stila Perfecting Foundation Stick in Shade A
MAC Studiofix Powder Foundation in NC15

Lips
Sephora Sweet Candy gloss in Peach Blossom

Seaspray FOTD (Face of the Day)

Eyes:MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

Lancome e/s in Amber Mystique

MAC Guacamole, Gorgeous Gold, Tease N Teal and Gingersoft

L'Oreal On The Loose Shimmer Powder in Tart

Wet N Wild Kohl Eyeliner in Turquoise

Stila Major MAJOR Lash Mascara in Black

Face:

MAC Studiofix Fluid in NC15

MAC StudioFix Powder Foundation in NC15

Milani Luminous Blush

Lips:

Lancome Juicy Rouge Lipstick in Baby Rose

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lipgloss in Mango Madness

MAC VIP Makeup Class

I was so lucky to be invited to a VIP class given at my local Macy's hosted by MAC artists this last Friday night and I was really excited getting ready for it because I didn't know what to expect. It was my first MAC class, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed! The artists were so friendly (I actually went to school with one of them!) and extremely patient with some of the makeup newbies in the class, as well as explaining step-by-step their techniques and the products they were using.

One of the products they used throughout the class was the Fix+ which is a product I already have and would recommend everyone using, if you're not already. It is described by MAC as a skin refresher/finishing mist but it can also be used to moisten brushes before foundation, eyeshadow, glitter and brow powder application to make everything blend well and stay on longer, as well as acting as a base to draw in moisture when sprayed on a fresh face and to essentially "refresh" your makeup if it starts to look cakey throughout the day.. I have also read that this helps some people with reducing redness and calming inflammation. There are so many uses and benefits of this product, but a couple of the fun ones are the cool misting sensation (especially when put in the fridge, a tip from the artist) and the fantastic fragrance it has. 

So she started out by prepping the bare skin with the Fix+, followed by the Studio Moisture Fix Spf 15, which is a product I personally have never tried because I am super satisfied with my Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Moisture Lotion with Spf 28 which is less than half the price of the MAC one and has additional benefits.  

Next, she started on the brows, which is something I never really thought to start with, but is a technique I will be trying out in the near future. She sprayed an angled brush (#266) with the Fix+ then dipped it into Dipdown Fluidline eyeliner. Now of course when she did this, everyone in the class kind of looked at each other, eyeliner as brow definition? But it worked really well, the artist said because it is waterproof, matches a lot of skin tones and is quite opaque. I was suspicious so I asked the artist if that shade would work on me (uber-fair) and she recommended Rich Ground fluidline or Omega, Kid or Wedge shadows instead for lighter complexions. The technique she used on the brows is to essentially sketch an outline of the brow shape and then fill it in, along with using a little flicking motion upward at the outer corner. I have tried this technique since on myself and a few others and it looks great! 

Next, she used a flat eyeshadow brush to apply concealor in a color 2-3 shades lighter than the model's skintone right up underneath the sketch line on the brow bone, which helps to conceal any stray hairs and acts as a subtle highlighter. 

For the rest of the eye, she prepped with the Paint Pot in Painterly (one of the items I purchased after the class, review to follow soon), using the #252 brush. Next came a technique I'm having a little trouble mastering but it makes sense.. To use a matte crease/transition color right in and a little bit above the crease on mostly the outer lid to create dimension, especially when using accompanying shimmer, frost or glittery shades. She then used colors from the new Photorealism quad, which is a collection of some gorgeous softer green colors. The frostier shade was applied to the inner corner and the rest of the lid. The tips she gave during this step were to look down into the mirror, as opposed to looking into it straight on, to better locate the crease and find where the light is being caught on your eyes. She then used the brighter shade thicker in the outer crease and then again in the inner crease but leaving a gap between them and blended them to meet a bit shy of the middle of the eye. Lashes got a coating of Plushlash mascara in black. This was the completed eye for the day look.

For the rest of the face, she used the Studiosculpt Foundation mixed with a few drops of the pinky shade of Lustre Drops (Pink Rebel). This gave a nice glowy, but not overly dewy look. Her technique with contouring was the E/3 method.. essentially creating an "E" or "3" shape by applying bronzer down the hairline, sweeping under the cheekbones, and then sweeping again along the jawbone. On the model, she used the Mineralize Skinfinish in Sunny by Nature (a rich bronze with pink pearl). 

Lips got a soft outlining of the Stripdown liner, a very neutral, wearable brown/beige shade that works with SOOO many lipcolors. She topped this off with a slightly frosted beigey-pink creme lipstick and a gorgeous gold-flecked lipglass. 

This completed the day look.

The only real transformation from day to night was to intensify the night and refresh the face. First, another mist of Fix+ helped to even out the skintone by reducing any buildup of product in a specific area. She then deepened the bronzer with another E/3 sweep and used a contour brush to apply just a tiny bit of the lustre drops to the top of the cheekbones, down the nose, and on the temples for a nice additional perk-me-up. For the eyes, she used a #219 brush to smudge in some of the deeper greyed-green shade from the previously used Photorealism quad right in the outer v and blending it in slightly. I'm really excited to try out this brush and it actually came in one of the brush sets they had, I just hate to buy a set when I already have some of the brushes in it or know I won't use one or more of them. The set was $49.50 for 5 brushes and an adorable case, if they still have the white or black set available at your nearest MAC store, I'd definitely recommend buying either or both of them if you're looking to jumpstart or add some really nice items to your brush collection. The finishing touch on the night look was a heavy-handed dose of the gold glitter from the new collection- which looked fantastic on the eyes, but the fallout on the cheeks and, by the end of the class, on the lips and chin, was not so pleasant. I would have mixed it with a stronger base (other than the Fix+), either Paula Dorf's transformer or MAC's mixing medium to cut down on fallout and prolong staying power or switched to a product that has pigment, as well as glitter, which will make the product stick to the lid better.  

Another exciting thing that happened (along with the great tips and tricks I learned) was that I won 2 products (a Shadestick in Butternutty and Lipstick in Madly Creative) just by answering questions in class! I'm so grateful and will have swatches of them up soon. Here is also the list of items I ended up getting after the class:
StudioFix Fluid in NC15
StudioFix Powder + Foundation in NC15
Paint Pot in Painterly
#188 brush (for foundation, powder, blush, etc., this is a very multi-use brush)
Powder Blush in Well Dressed



  

Discount Store Haul #1

So I was doing a little shopping with my mom yesterday and we were in the neighborhood of one of the places she stops by sometimes and decided to take a peek inside. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of makeup they had available.. and everything was at the bargain price of 99 cents! The first items I saw were 2 palettes from Kleancolor in #'s 36602 and 36601. At first glace, they appeared very metallic and just gorgeous shimmery colors.. The #36602 has some bronzes, silvers, coppers and purples and #36601 has a great mix of beige, coppers, green and blue. When I got home and tested them out they were very smooth and blendable. The only issue I have is that with this collection, some of the colors repeat in the different palettes. Next, I found a Revlon eyeshadow trio in Show Stopper Copper, which includes a soft, slightly shimmery ivory, a brighter copper with medium shimmer, and a bronze with just a touch of metallic shimmer, all of which are very smooth and compliment each other beautifully. Lastly, I came upon a Physician's Formula wet/dry bronzer in Baked Bronze. This one I think I have some issues with- the color shows slightly orangey on my very fair complexion and the shimmer might be a little but much for daytime. I'm going to play around with it though and update with swatches very soon. 

All of this for under $5. I was definitely a happy makeup addict yesterday!

Thymes Essentials AHA Body Lotion Review

                                      Picture courtesy of Thymes.com

First impressions: This has a very clean green citrus scent, made skin noticeably smoother after use, not tacky, soaked in quickly.

Price: $24.00 for 9.25 oz. Easy to Find: Thymes.com; other etailers; Larchmont Beauty Center, etc. Scent: green citrus. Greasiness Factor: almost none. Liklihood to buy again: medium. Overall: high rating for the scent and sinking-in factor, however $24 is a little steep when there are comparables for less.. nice to use for special occasions, when skin is dry and in need of a moisture boost. Otherwise for everyday use, its a pass.

Description from Thymes.com's website: Treat your skin to the gentle exfoliation of Thymes own alpha hydroxy acid fruit complex that smoothes and softens skin as shea butter and vitamin E moisturize.

Fragrance: A refreshing Mediterranean blend of Italian tangerine, orange and lemon, red currant, dewy jasmine, petitgrain, cyprus, a touch of sheer musk and sun-drenched grapefruit. Perfect for the whole family.
Gentle fruit & sugar acids exfoliate Smooth, fast-absorbing formula

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin², Glyceryl Stearate², Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride¹, Isopropyl Myristate¹, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Fragrance, Cetearyl Alcohol¹, Bilberry Fruit Extract, Tridecyl Stearate¹, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate¹, Cetyl Alcohol¹, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Shea Butter, Sugar Cane Extract, Sugar Maple Extract, Orange Fruit Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract, Ceteareth-20¹, Polysorbate 60², Tocopherol², Isohexadecane, Tridecyl Trimelliate, Dimethicone³, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citral, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol
Source: ¹Coconut and/or Palm, ²Mixed Plant, ³Silica