Makeup Look with new purchases

New purchases:

I bought two things from Lancome. Their Color Design shadow in Burnt Sand. Its a beautiful golden brown with soft shimmer. I also bought a white eyeliner since I've always wanted one. This one is OK, I'm not sure if I would buy it again it doesn't stay on very long, but I'm not sure if anything does on my waterline! You do get a lot for the price though.



Here is a great soft makeup look I did today with my new Lancome shadow. It's to show that sometimes less is more. It's a great light bronze eye with no liner and long long long lashes!



On Eyes:
1. Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in Burnt Sand dusted all over lid and lower lashline
2. Darker side of NARS Isolde eyeshadow duo lightly on out v
3. NARS Mekong eyeshadow very very very very (this color is extremely pigmented!) on the outer V and through crease.
4. Lighter side of NARS Isolde eyeshadow duo on inner portion of lid.
5. L'oreal Million Lash Mascara on lashes



On Face:

Chanel Powder in shade Honey
NARS Orgasm Blush (this is my favorite blush in the whole world!!)
NARS Nico highlighter (This is my favorite powder highlighter, it is so subtle)



On Lips:

NARS Chihuahua lip gloss (a light pink lip gloss).

New Lip Products

I'm really into berry shades right now so I bought two pretty lip glosses by NARS and a Serum De Rouge by Dior.

They are: Dolce Vita by NARS, #660 Serum De Rouge by Dior and Chihuahua by NARS.

Dolce Vita:


#660:
Chihuahua:


Swatched:
Dolce Vita, #660 and Chihuahua.


The NARS Lipglosses are creamy moisturizing and smooth. Dolce Vita is a very pigmented rosy opaque pink with no shimmer. You don't' need a lipliner with Dolce Vita because of its amazing pigment. On the other hand, Chihuahua is a soft creamy pink with no shimmer. Chihuahua would make an awesome nude lip with a brown lipliner underneath, it also looks great by itself as well. NARS makes my favorite lipglosses because they have such great texture and pigment.

I've never tried a Serum De Rouge from Dior, but I have to say I love them! This one is very moisturizing and pigmented. It feels like butter going on my lips. 660 is a gorgeous berry color that stains my lips as it wears off. This is might become my everyday favorite!

xoxo

Currently Loving

Currently these are my favorite makeup products right now. I would suggest all of these products if you want a naturally pretty look, the colors are very reminiscent of the colors that are used in the Victoria Secret Angels' makeup (brown,bronzes, peaches and soft corals).

Estee lauder Double Wear Eyeliner in Onyx- Currently my favorite black eyeliner... but I am always on the search for the perfect one! This one has a nice black color with a smooth texture.

NARS Blush in Gina: I'm obsessed with peaches right now, and this is the perfect peach blush. It looks very natural and instantly lights up my face.

Diorshow Blackout Mascara: I think this is the perfect mascara. It adds volume, length and curl. It is also the blackest mascara I've ever seen.

MAC Blot Powder: Keeps me matte without adding color, I apply this with my NARS powder brush. Love it!

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Gentle Coral: This is my favorite lip product besides my Dior Lip Glow. I don't like the feeling of lipstick and my hair gets caught in lip gloss. These lip conditioners are moisturizing and they had a sheer pop of color.




MAC Constructivist Paint Pot: I love the color of this paint pot! It's the perfect brown with gold sparkles. I don't like eyeshadow for every day, so this is the perfect alternative.



MAC Strobe Cream: This is my secret weapon, I like to pop it on my cheekbones to add a bit of a glow.

xoxo

New foundation routine!!

Because of my skincare routine, my skin has been looking really good. I don't believe in putting a full layer of foundation if my skin is looking good... so I no longer need Bare Minerals. I see a lot of girls who wear really heavy and cakey foundation... I hate that look. Anyways I am always a firm believer in less is more, so I've changed my routine to reflect that. I am currently using:


Clinique Lotion:

This is a lovely moisturizing lotion that doesn't break me out.

NARS Primer:


This makes my skin look flawless, I can't explain it... it just makes my skin glow. It also helps keep my t-zone matte and my powder on my face all day. I apply a small bead to my t-zone area with my fingers.

Chanel Double Perfection Powder:


I use the shade Honey 120. I lightly dust this all over my face using my NARS powder brush. This powder evens out my skin with one quick swipe. It looks like I have naturally airbrushed skin!

Note: This is an extremely light coverage foundation option. Chanel may claim their powder is medium coverage but I assure you it is very light. The only thing this powder will do is even out skin tone and cover fading acne scares.

Manicure I'm wearing right now-red

I'm loving NARS Jungle Red. I think I love it enough to make it my signature shade!!


How vibrant and beautiful is this color? I think it's my perfect red.

NARS Haul

I purchased a few cute things from NARS recently. After seeing the Victoria Secret Fashion Show I was into bronzy beachy tones with dewy vibrant skin and cheeks. So I bought:


I'm obsessed with NARS primer. It's so thin and soothing on my skin. I've tried the Laura Mercier Primer which is weirdly tacky, when I tried to use it to sheer out my foundation it turned it into a streaky separated mess. I used it under my foundation and it made me look like I was wearing 2 tons of makeup when I wasn't... not cute. On the other hand, the NARS primer is almost like a ultra light moisturizer that makes your skin glow. I put a small amount on my nose and forehead to keep oil at bay and to keep powder on longer.

I only bought two blushes, Gilda and Luster. Gilda is a gorgeous bright pink based coral. It makes my cheeks pop! Luster is a peach apricot with gold shimmer, it's the perfect natural blush that gives me a bronze glow.


Isolde is the perfect beachy bronze and gold toned eyeshadow duo. It's so easy to create that effortlessly bright eyed Victoria Secret look with these colors. I apply the lighter shade to my lower lashline to instantly brighten up my eyes (or in the tear duct area) and the darker shade lightly all over the lid.

Nico caught my eye because it was the strangest looking blush at the counter. I don't know how to explain it without quoting the NARS website ("a soft focus glow"). This is the most amazing highlighter ever, it's not a sparkly highlighter or a dewy highlighter instead it creates a beautiful glow. You have to try it to see what I am talking about, its beautiful.

Chihuahua is the prettiest pink lip gloss. The lip gloss is really creamy, moisturizing and pigmented. If you want a pouty pink Victoria Secret lip give this a shot.






I have been on the search for a signature red nail polish. I think NARS Jungle Red Fits the bill. It's a beautiful bright red (this is it after one coat). Love it!

Manicure I'm wearing right now

Excuse the polish on the cuticles, I forgot to wipe it off with a Q-Tip. I love Blue Satin because it's not as harsh as black but it's still a dark statement color. I added a bit of sparkle to one nail, I thought it was cute and I've been seeing it on a lot of celebs recently.

New Fav: The Brush Guard

The Brush Guard is my new favorite thing. It is important to take good care of brushes so that you don't have to buy replacements. I like to find products that help the brushes keep their shape. I have been noticing that my MAC 217 brush was splaying from wear and tear (it was getting puffy and not really putting the color where I wanted it because the bristles were so puffed out). That is when I found these gems.


The Brush Guard sent me a pack of their product for me to review. I love them. My 217 looks like I just bought it. The bristles are now packed to their original condition. The Brush Guard is a plastic mesh tube that tightly wraps over your brushes and condenses the bristles back together. I wash my brushes using my MAC brush wash then I put one of these on as it dries and the bristles are good as new. I also use it to travel with my brushes and to store them so the bristles are protected.


This is my honest opinion, The Brush Guards are now available in five package choices: assorted or packages of all one size and they are all $5.50 including tax and domestic shipping. CLICK HERE to view their site.

...These will be the best $5.50 you've ever spent, they saved my $20+ brushes.

xoxo

Hair My Dear- Tips for dry curly hair

I always get questions about my hair, what products do I use etc... My mother and father are both of various nationalities which means I came out with very interesting hair, it's not curly it's more of a wavy frizz and it's very thick ( I think I have 4 times the amount of hair as a normal person). I do not chemically alter the texture of my hair in any way, my hair straightens out easily (if I even brush it too much it will be straight and then I have to wet it to try and get to look more curly).

Right now I am using:
Shampoo: Since I've run out of my Nexxus Shampoo I've been using Head and Shoulders- Yep. I tried Head and Shoulders, it gets my hair clean and it doesn't dry it out, it also helps with my dry scalp in the winter. I will repurchase Nexxus When I run out though and maybe use Head and Shoulders as more of a clarifying shampoo. I am also mulling about trying a natural shampoo...


Conditioner: Nexxus Humectress- I like this conditioner I buy the huge salon amount at Costco. It moisturizes my hair really well and it doesn't leave build up.

Deep Conditioner: Keratase Masquintense for thick hair. I like this deep conditioner a lot, I only need a small amount to coat my hair. This is great because I have a ton of hair so I'm used to using a lot of conditioner and going through products very quickly. My hair feels very moisturized after and it is a lot more manageable. I am thinking about trying "Ausie's DEEEEEP" conditioner though, since I have heard so many good reviews about it but I swear by Keratase, I've repurchased it multiple times.


Heat Protector: Kheils Silk Straightening Cream. I like this heat protectant because it is a cream, I think the oil ones are weird (it sort of seems like you would fry your hair if you use an oil?... maybe that's just me). It doesn't have a scent and it is light weight so it doesn't make hair hair oily. I always put this on my hair when I am going to heat style it. No if ands or buts. This is my all time favorite I've been using this for years.

So there you have it, I just make sure to have a really moisturizing conditioner and a shampoo that gets my hair really clean because I have pretty oily roots. I brush my hair before I wash it to distribute the oil out of my roots and I always deep condition my hair after I wash it. I put the deep conditioner on my hair and put a shower cap on top to let it sink in for about 15 mins, or if I am in a rush I put it on my hair in the shower and leave it on for a few mins before washing it out.

Next Post: How I do my hair!

Currently Loving

I am currently loving the following products:

1. Constructivist Paint Pot
2. Dior Show Blackout Mascara
3. Lancome Double Wear Eyeliner
4. Orgasm Blush
5. MAC Fawntastic Cream Color Base
5. Clinique face cream (posted below)
6. Olive oil instead of shaving cream

xoxo

Natural Body Care For Cheap

I really believe in natural body care, I don't buy any of my body care from a drugstore. I know my makeup has chemicals and probably not very good ingredients, so I like to keep the products that I use every single day (body lotion, body wash and deodorant) as natural as possible. I also remove my makeup with olive oil, because I have sensitive eyes. Here are the poducts I am currently using:


My skin is extremely sensitive, drugstore lotions make me itch (especially after I shave). This always lead me to buy extremely expensive body butters, but when I was in Whole Foods I saw this! It's a huge container of lotion made out of all natural ingredients and 10 percent of the profits go to charity in Africa. I love this lotion, it is smooth, liquidy and glides over my skin. I have it in the lavender scent. It keeps my skin so soft and comfortable. This huge 32 oz bottle was only $10, see... being natural can be cheap!

I love this shower gel because it doesn't have the lathering chemicals that dry out my skin (remember more suds= drier skin). This is a very gentle cleanser that leaves me feeling fresh and clean. It also doesn't break me out, which is amazing, a lot of soaps will cause me to get breakouts/rashes on my arms. This bottle was like $4 at Whole Foods.


I've stopped using conventional antiperspirant/ deodorants for a while now. I sweat with regular anti antiperspirant/ deodorant on so I figured I might as well switch to a product that doesn't have chemicals since the chemicals aren't working anyway. This is a crystal deodorant, you have to wet it to apply it to your underarms. It keeps odor at bay all day, and even the next day (I apply it at night after my shower and I don't re-apply it in the morning because it works basically till your next shower). It's about 6 bucks and it lasts for years (I've probably had mine for about 3 years and it hasn't gone down at all.. it will probably last for 10).

This whole routine costs about $20. A drugstore routine would run about $22 if you used all Dove products. This routine is natural, cheaper, the products are bigger and will last longer.

xoxo

Loving Clinique

I have a problem! I am currently addicted to the Clinque Youth Surge SPF Moisturizer. I recieved a large container as a gift with purchase, but it costs $48.50 if I want to buy the full size! During the winter my skin gets pretty dry and flaky. I need something that won't break me out but will still moisturize my skin, this cream is it, it also has spf which makes it even more amazing. It feels lightweight yet it still makes my skin feel plump and hydrated... well if I think of it as skincare... maybe 50 bucks isn't that bad? Oh well, we'll see what happens when I run out!

MAC Purchases

I went to MAC and bought some stuff :) The products aren't that interesting but I went there to buy basics that I would wear every day and my basics are pretty boring haha. Nonetheless, basics are needed. For every day I like a polished dark eye, really full plush eyelashes, my natural lip color (maybe lipliner), bronzer and blush. I don't like lipstick, thick winged eyeliner or eyeshadow for everyday. For me, I like my makeup to subtly enhance my features.

I bought a MAC Blot Powder in the shade Dark, a Paint Pot in the shade Constructivist and a brow pencil in the shade Lingering.

I have pretty oily skin, though lately it has been drier because of the weather, so blotting powder has always been a must. I usually would carry oil absorbing sheets, but they are so wasteful, so I wanted to find a product that I could keep for a while and then recycle (Back to MAC program). So... I bought the Blot Powder Compact. I really like it a lot, the compact is sturdy and the powder is finely milled. I will say if I put a lot on, it will look powdery on my skin. I like to use a powder brush instead of the puff it comes with (I use my collapsible Revlon Face Brush).

Lingering is my favorite brow pencil color, I have naturally thick brows but I like them to be a little fuller looking in the center near my nose. The MA tried to convince me it was too light a color, but as soon as I put it on I knew it was right. First of all, I don't like overly dark brows, unless you have very dark browns naturally (which the MA happened to have...). Filling in your brows with an pencil the same color as your hair if your hair is dark, makes your brows look unnatural or your face angry (in my opinion), especially towards the center of your eyebrow. This is the perfect cool tone lightish brown that I use to lightly fill in the center part of my brows and through the rest of my brows to give a polished fuller look.

This Paint Pot is my most interesting buy. Constructivist is a beautiful brown with shimmers in it. I love this color! It is now part of my everyday look. It gives a beautiful dark brown shine on my lids that makes my eyes look more exotic and pretty! It lasts all day and it's easy to apply with my fingers. I really like this color because it doesn't look like an eyeshadow. I don't like eyeshadow for every day so this is perfect.

How I get jet black eyeliner that stays

A couple of days ago a girl I work with asked me about my eyeliner, because it was so black and never wore through out the day. Here's what I do:


My top favorite jet black products are:

1. Estee Lauder's Double Wear pencil in Onyx
2. Makeup Forever's Black eyeshadow
3. Diorshow Blackout Mascara

Steps:

1. Line eyes with Double Wear pencil
2. With a push eyeliner brush push in Makeup Forever's eyeshadow
3. Coat eyes with tons of mascara

Setting any pencil with a powder, even if it's a long wearing pencil, helps it stay put even longer. It soaks up all the oils from the pencil and really seals in the color. Makeup Forever has the blackest black I have ever seen. I tested all of the black shadows for pigment at Sephora and settled happily on this one.

Simple! :)

xoxo

Diorshow Blackout

I've been on a bit of a mascara binge this week. So far I have tried, Benefit Badgal, Makeup Forever's Smokey Lash, Diorshow Regular Waterproof and Diorshow Blackout Mascara. My favorite is the Diorshow Blackout. The Diorshow Blackout gives my lashes huge volume with just 2 coats and it doesn't clump (urhhmm Makeup Forever Smokey Lash.. it was a clumpy mess!). What I love most about the this mascara is the black is really dark and it doesn't fade throughout the day(my drugstore mascaras tend to do that).


Pros:
Great Color (dark dark black
Lengthens
Voluminzes
Curls
Doesn't clump
Easy to apply

Cons:
Price
The brush can be big for people with smaller eyes or short lashes

Diorshow Blackout is definitely a splurge product it's $24 plus tax. I used to buy high end mascara, my favorite was Chanel, but for some reason I stopped because I found decent drugstore products for way less. I do think the effect Diorshow has can be recreated with layering different types of drugstore mascara, but if you simply don't have the time I would highly suggest Diorshow. Also, I haven't found a drugstore mascara that keeps a dark pigment throughout the day.

Manicure I'm wearing right now

Right now I am wearing Essie's nail polish in the shade Flawless. It's a pretty pink, I love it!


xoxo