July Favorites

Hey,

I missed the edge of the photo on this last picture, with the black border... Total fail :)

    July went by really fast, so today I'm going to share with you my favorites of July. I honestly don't wear much makeup at all during the summer, so come fall and winter, even spring, I'll have more favorites each month. Also a few of these are pretty new to me and were in my last haul, but since I got them I have been obsessing over them and know that they would have been used all month if I had gotten them sooner.

       So this month I have mainly been using my Fall Festival palette from Coastal Scents, which now that I think about it is strange since its summer and that palette is fall themed... It is a great palette for any time of the year and I do think I'll get a lot of use out of it for the rest of summer, and the upcoming fall and winter. This next one is pretty new to me but ever since I got it about a week maybe a little longer ago I have been using it everyday that I wear makeup and I love it! I just now realized I didn't say what it was, its the Wet n Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Cat Walk pink, a really gorgeous pink highlighter.

      For the lips I have been loving 901B Think Pink by Wet n Wild its a Mega Last Lip color and I have a review on these coming up tomorrow. I love this shade and these lipsticks, I have had this one the longest and have been wearing it everyday that I wear makeup since I got it too. On with the lip products, when I wasn't wearing the Think Pink lipstick, in other words before I got it I was loving this lip gloss in Park Avenue Punch its a NYC Kiss Gloss, its a really pretty color for summer and I did wear this a few times after I got the lipstick and even with it, this also smells amazing.

    Another new product to me, also from Wet n Wild is the Idol Eye Creme shadow in Pixie this is such a gorgeous creme shadow, I love this on my inner corner and waterline but it also makes a gorgeous base too. This looks dirty and was in my June favorites too, its the Colossal Volume Express Mascara by Maybelline, I seriously love this and have a feeling that once I do through my stash of unopened mascaras I will be repurchasing this. Lastly I have been loving the ELF under eye concealer and highlighter from their studio line, I don't really like the highlighter side but the concealer is really nice, I've had this since January but I just lately have really been wearing it and I really like it, I do two layers of this under my eyes, a thick/medium layer then after that's blended and light layer and in this layer I mix in a bit of the highlighter and it looks really good, I find if I don't set it soon it creases bad though, but once set it stays all day.

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below!

Links:
Fall Festival Palette
Mega Glo Illuminating Powder
Lipstick
Lip gloss
Creme Shadow
Mascara
Concealer and highlighter duo

How to relieve cramps and stomach pains

Hey,

So I wanted to make a post about relieving menstrual cramps and other stomach pains, I personally feel women should feel comfortable talking among each other about things such as the menstrual cycle. I have met people before, one of my closest friends was very put back and just wasn't comfortable talking about this subject, she finally got comfortable with it, but to me this is something most of us deal with and either will, are or have went through and it should be something we can comfortably talk about to each other. I just want to put out there that if this stuff makes you feel uncomfortable then by all means click out but do understand this is natural and not something we should be ashamed to talk about with other girls.

I am someone who suffers from severe cramps, now cramps are something that a lot of us suffer with and none of us understand each others pain because every ones cramps are different. My methods are not just for menstrual cramps but for other cramp like pains, these are things I found also help with IBS(irritable bowl syndrome) and with that being said I want to go over what that is since a lot of people seem to think its something else. IBS is when you get terrible random abdominal pains due to stress. They can come and go and you can often go up to a year and on without sign of IBS, people often think it makes your bowl uncontrollable and that's not true, I'm not saying some don't suffer from that but not everyone get that. I do have IBS, I have had it for around 8-9 years and it took us forever to find out what these pains were but during the time I have found many ways to either lesser the pain or eliminate the pain.

So the first thing whither you are suffering from menstrual cramps or IBS, eliminate stress. Being stressed can cause IBS and it can make your menstrual cramps worse. Overall being stressed isn't good for you and can cause other health problems so its just best to lower your stress level as much as possible. Find ways to lower your stress and keep it down, whither its doing yoga for thirty minutes a day or just taking an hour or so to yourself taking a hot bath and just relaxing. Its very important to find time for yourself to relax no matter how busy and stressful your life is.

Next would be heat, I find that going to sleep with a heat pad on my stomach tend to get rid of the cramps that I already have and then prevent them for the following day. Heat is great for cramps and other pains such as muscle pains. You can use things like heat pads or just take a hot bath which not only is relaxing but the heat helps eliminate your cramps.

Now its important to know what type of pain relieving pill works for you, this is only when all else fails or if you don't have time to do the other things. I have tried most of the pain relieving pills, and none of them seemed to work for me except Pamprin and Excedrin, but you may be different. If you can't find any at all that help you, I advise you to speak to your doctor and see if they can put you on something that will help.

Sticking with the pill thing, if you can and do keep track of your menstrual cycle take your cramp relieving pill for the week before your menstrual cycle, so you would want to take it twice a day for the week before you start your menstrual cycle. This was suggested to me from my doctor, I personally don't have a menstrual cycle that is regular enough to do this so I can't vouch as to whither it works but I would still suggest giving it a try if you can.

Now I was always told exercises helps with stomach pains and I was very skeptical about this until trying it, now this relieves stress so it really does help. Personally I find doing things such as crunches help or stretches and things on those lines, but running may be what does it for you.

I have never met a person who has said taking a nap doesn't help so if all else fails take a nap, and like I said before napping with a heat pad to hopefully prevent the pains for the rest of the day once you wake up. I really do advise everyone to have a heat pad, they are good for back pains, muscle pains and menstrual cramps.  

These are just the things that help me, please share with me any things that help you, I'm always interested in trying new ways and I will update this with any more ways I find or that are shared with me.

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below! I will have a facial up next week.

Cranberry

Hey,

My liner looked better in person, I promise! Also the flash washes it out a bit, its darker then this but not insanely darker.

    So lately I've been busy and in order for me to get a look out there and for it to be good and just getting all the steps is a lot with me being busy so until then I'm going to be just doing walk throughs. This week I wanted to share this look with you, its a wearable cranberry look. I'm a neutral girl and to me this is wearable. This is also a good way to wear red tones without looking crazy.

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Coastal Scents Fall Festival Palette, the shades I used are,  M004 Chamois Nude, ME017 Light Apricot, S017 American Rose,  ME015 Raisin Berry, and S030 Cherry Chocolate
NYC Sunny Bronzer
Avon Glimmerstick in Brown Chocolate
Maybelline Colossal mascara

     First thing I did as I always do is prime my eyelids, then I set that with the M004 Chamois Nude, which I also use later to highlight and blend out the edges. After that I use Sunny Bronzer from NYC in the crease, you can use any mid tone matte brown that you like for your crease, this just helps with blending out the cranberry shades and gives some subtle definition to your crease.

    Next I added the ME017 Light Apricot shade to my inner corner and the first third of my lid. Then I use the S017 American Rose shade on the middle third of my lid and then the ME015 Raisin Berry on the outer half. In between each shade I blend them together in the middle by using my finger and going back and forth in between them.

     After that I blend out the shades, to do this I take a fluffy brush and tap it in lightly into my bronzer and the S017 American Rose shade and using a swiping motion back and forth through my crease. Then after I blend out everything I take a big fluff brush and use the M004 Chamois Nude to highlight  my brow bone and blend out even more.

     Lastly I line my waterline and tightline with a brown liner and I add a little into my lashes on the top and bottom lid and use the S030 Cherry Chocolate shadow and set my liner and blend out liner that's in my lashes. Finally I apply my mascara, do my brows and clean up any fall out. Typically when I do this look I only wear bronzer as a blush and highlighter, along with a nude lip or pale pink lip.

 

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below!

Links:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Coastal Scents Fall Festival Palette

NYC Bronzer in Sunny

Avon Glimmersticks

Maybelline the Colossal mascara

Brushes, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Haul

Hey,

      This is just a few things I've picked up in the past two weeks or so, also Rite Aid in my area at least was having a sale on Wet n Wild, forty percent off and Wal Mart had a duo, I tweeted about this it came with the Falsies and Unstoppable eyeliner from Maybelline for only four us dollars! Pretty good deals if you ask me, so I would suggest checking those out if your interested or in the market for some Wet n Wild products or need a new mascara or wanted to test wither of those two products out, both cost more then the price of the duo. Onto the products I picked up now, first I got the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, I've been meaning to pick this up due to the hype but they never have it when I remember to get it, I couldn't get a good photo of this so I'll just insert a photo after I'm done talking about it. So I have only used this once and my hair did feel super soft and nice after words and it smelled good too, if you don't like the scent of Aussie products or coconut you probably wont like the scent of this. This did leave my hair softer although I do have pretty healthy soft hair already but I did notice a slight difference and would suggest giving it a try if you haven't but at the same time if your hair is damaged don't expect this to work magic and completely repair your hair.

      Next things I picked up were mascaras, this may seem a bit strange but I got four, I like to have back up and also have a volumizing and a separate lengthening mascara at the same time. Plus I had a coupon for a dollar off any L'oreal eye product and I've been meaning to give their mascara a try since people often say good things about them. I got two Rimmel ones because I love their lipstick and I thought to try something else out and I really do have high hopes for those do to my love for the lipsticks, I'll let you know how they work out. Lastly I picked the duo up because it was cheap and at that time I didn't have three other mascaras, I got this one first and knew I was going to need a new mascara soon.

From left to right are: L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes, Rimmel Extra Wow, Maybelline Falsies and Unstoppable eyeliner duo, and Rimmel Lyrca Lash Extender.

      Now onto the lipsticks, all except one are Wet n Wild, I got 520E Hot Paris Pink, this is one of the Silk Finish lipsticks, 907C Mauve Outta Here, 901B Think Pink, both are Mega Last Lip color , and lastly I got one of the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks, I got number 12.

     I also picked up a few lipglosses, all from NYC, I love their lipglosses. I got Park Avenue Punch which is a Kiss gloss, this smells amazing although it taste terrible, they say that they have a fruity flavor but they don't but personally I don't lick my gloss off so this isn't a big deal to me. I got two more Liquid Lipshines in Fashion Avenue Fuchsia and Midtown Mulberry, I have a review on these glosses here.

     I picked up a Idol Eyes Creme Shadow in Pixie, a really pretty champagne great for the waterline and inner corner. Next is the Mega Eyes Defining Marker, so far I really like this, it pretty black and great for the price, I suggest giving it a try if your looking for a cheap marker eyeliner. I love the Color Icon Brow and Eye Liner pencils, so I picked up another one in Plumberry, its a bit lighter then I thought it was going to be, I have a look using these here. Lastly in this picture is the Comfort Zone palette, I have been meaning to pick up one of their eyeshadow trios or palettes, I really wanted I'm getting Sun Burnt or the Walking on Eggshells but they didn't have it, but don't be surprised if you see those in a future haul. I had heard the insanity of how great these are and honestly the pigmentation of this blew me away, these are amazing especially for the price.

     Now I'm a bit of a polish junkie so for me to only get two is pretty astonishing, I got Pure Ice Twinkle, sorry for the weird light thing but it does show the gold shimmer in it, this is such a gorgeous coral with gold shimmer, its so pretty. I had this in my recent Mani Monday; Blue Me Away. As you can tell by the name of that the polish is Blue Me Away by Sally Hansen, it's a Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear.

     Finally the last three products I got, I picked up a Rimmel Stay Matte powder I just got Translucent, I like it so far and it has a nice perfume smell to it. I got a Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink, this is so pretty and has gold shimmer. Lastly I got a Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink, this is such a gorgeous cheap highlighter, I'm really loving this.

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below, also please tell me if you've tried any of these and if you liked them or not! Sorry for the long post lately.

All of these products were bought by me and any opinion on them are my own.

Review: Seche Vite and Seche Clear

Hey,


   I feel like I have said a few times I was going to do this but have postponed it till now, I will say this is not a nice review but it is my honest opinion and one hundred percent the truth, I'm not trying to bash the company just let you know how I feel and give you my opinion, please don't take this as anything other then what it is an honest review, I will always give my honest view on a product whither its bad or good and this product is extremely hyped up and I wanted to share my thoughts on it to those of you who want to know if this lives up to the hype or have seen me state before that I do not like these and wondered why, if you do not like reviews that "dis or bash" a product then by all means do not read this, I just wanted to be honest and share that these aren't hype worthy.

   So I purchased the top coat Seche Vite due to all the hype among YouTube. I had gotten the base coat, Seche Clear, too because I needed a base coat and when I purchased the top coat Sally Beauty Supply was having a sale on them which was buy Seche Vite and get the Seche Clear base coat free. I thought this was a really good deal; which is was had the products lived up to the hype they portray. I honestly expected these to be magical; due to all the hype Seche Vite receives I thought my polish no matter the brand would last the whole week or close to it without little chip. Now lets go over a few things: first I only paint my nails once a week, those beauty gurus paint their nails every three days, now I'm not bashing them nor am I saying they all do but personally I believe any top coat will work fine and you wont indore much chipping if you don't leave your polish on for that long. Now I honestly still would have purchased this had I thought about the fact most only wear their polish three days. This top coat is shiny but won't protect your polish from chipping. Second this is an expensive top coat, I don't believe it's worth the 8.50usd it cost, now keep in mind that it's more expensive over in the UK, I think they are double the price, to me for the price it better make my nail polish last longer, sadly it didn't effect the nail polish, I will say that if I was using a cheap nail polish that had a thin formula it made it more like a normal polish such as Sally Hansen or China Glaze and therefore postponed the chipping of those polishes but not by much. I want to note that what your about to read is posted straight from the Seche website; "Seche Vite™ dry fast top coat is widely acknowledged as the world's finest top coat. Specially formulated to penetrate through nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate for a much more durable finish. Guaranteed not to yellow while leaving nails silky, stronger and resistant to chipping and peeling." Now I want to point out the base coats are meant to prevent staining and to me I don't personally see how something I put on top off my nails will alter what it does the my nails that are under something else. I don't understand why they are talking about it being a base coat when it's a top coat, it says on the bottle, Fast Dry Top Coat, not fast dry base and top coat. I can honestly vouch this will not protect your nails from chipping, peeling, and staining. It honestly is not all its made out to be and I would honestly advise you to not purchase this, but with that being sad I want to say that others may have had better experiences with this and that there are a few good this about this those would be its extremely shiny and that it dries fast. Please do comment below telling me your experiences and thoughts about this top coat.

    Now onto the base coat, Seche Clear also dries fast but it is noted to do that, I just want to put that out there. This isn't anything special, its not terrible, neither is the top coat, if I lead you to believe it was from above, but its not spectacular like people make Seche products out to be nor is it even that great, its not the best but it's not the worst. This will not protect your nails from chipping or staining, which is one of the reasons your wear a base coat. I don't really wear one to do more then prevent staining and help prolong the chipping, I don't get ridges in my nails but from what I can tell this wouldn't help those who do. I had a little dent a while back in my nail and this did nothing to smooth it over, now I will say that the dent was pretty deep; so it may help those with shallow ridges in their nails.

    To me these aren't  great products nor are they terrible, it's nothing I would repurchase and it's something I would pass on but I will continue using them till they're all gone. Over all these aren't as great as they are made out to be, I am not very hard on my nails, I just said on Monday I was but I'm not like terrible on them but at the same time I'm not easy on them, I hope you get what I mean. These are average they really wont protect your nails and make then as hard a steel, (this is about to become extremely random), I feel as though I'm spelling that wrong which is sad cause I live near Pittsburgh, the steel city and our football team is the Steelers that's what makes me feel confident I'm not, but I don't really know, so for the randomness, its late, and I just want to get this written before morning. So I would say if you've been thinking of trying Seche because of all you hear about them pass on it, or if your considering spending the money on them but not sure then pass, I really hope at least one person found this help full. Also do keep in mind this was just my experience, the average consumer who lives an average life and even though they should use their nails as tools they do and someone who as you all know only paints their nails once a week, I also want to state I don't use nail polishes like OPI, Butter London and other high end polishes, I use Avon, China Glaze and Sally Hansen and these are my experiences with average affordable polishes. You may love these and have had or will have a different experience with them but to me they weren't anything special and I just want to let you know my opinion on them and hopefully prevent someone from being disappointed like me about these. If you made it this far please share with me your thoughts on these and what your all time favorite top coat is or if your like me and still in the search for one. They do have new polish which I'm curious to see the quality of, so if I can find them and depending on the price I will pick one or two up and let you all know how they are.

Thanks for reading this ubber long post, please leave any request down below, I promise I'll try to make my next review shorter, I just had a lot to say about these.

These were not sent to me, I purchased these myself, I did however receive a discount on these like I do on all products I purchase at Sally Beauty Supply because my mom has a Pro discount. I also received the base coat free due to a promotion they were having at the time, this however does not reflect my opinion on these what so ever. This review is my one hundred percent honest opinion like my reviews always are and always will be.

Links:
Seche Vite
Seche Clear

Mani Monday: Blue Me Away

Hey,

      Last week I picked this polish up, I'm always on the hunt for gorgeous nail polish and I just had to have this, I was actually looking for Pacific Blue also by Sally Hansen, I saw this and knew had to have it too. I couldn't find Pacific Blue, so I just got this polish, and I absolutely love this color, I personally don't have very many blues in my collection so I'm always open to a new one, actually I'm always open to any new polishes, lets just saw I have a problem... This blue is a gorgeous bright mid tone blue that is perfect for summer, and I just want to put it out there that the name is also adorable, it's Blue Me Away and it's part of the Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear, I always forget the name so that might be a little off... I find the Xtreme version of the Hard as Nails is better then the original, but still chip fast if your pretty hard on your nails like me, and they don't last more then three or four days, but your top coat may change that. I have actually worn OPI and this line of polishes at the same time and the OPI chipped sooner then these did and they are a third of the price of OPI, you really can't go wrong with these! As usual I used Seche Vite and Seche Clear and my top and base coat. As I've said before I really don't like these; I don't think they really protect your nails or polish from chipping any sooner then it would on its own, I'm going to do a review on Wednesday about those though.

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below!

Links:
Top and base coat
Sally Hansen, nail polish

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Aspirin Mask

Hello,

I'm sure you all have heard of this and possibly tried this before, but I figured I would still share it. This mask can be used as a spot treatment too. All you need is 2-5 uncoated aspirins and enough water to make it into a paste, this will vary depending on how thick you want the paste and how much aspirin you use, if your just doing this as a spot treatment only use one aspirin. You can also mix in a little honey or olive oil, both will add moisture to your skin and the honey will help the paste stick to your face better. You only need about half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of either. All you do is crush the aspirin up in either your hands or a bowl and add a bit of water then apply to your clean makeup free face or any where you have acne and let it set for 5+ minutes, then rinse it off with warm water.

This mask or spot treatment helps clear acne up and should be used once or twice a week, you should leave it on your face for upwards of five minutes but no longer then an hour, this may burn or sting a little if you have sensitive skin but it really does help clear up acne and is a cheap mask using products you either already have or can get for real cheap.

Thanks for reading, sorry for no post yesterday, I've been super busy this past two weeks. Please leave any request down below!

Review: Coastal Scents 42 Double stack palette

Hello there:)

        So this weeks review is on a Coastal Scents palette. A lot of people talk about the Coastal Scents 88 palettes, I have yet to give one of those a try, but I feel as though this palette has gone under the radar and a lot of people haven't noticed it or given it a try. Coastal Scents is a website that sells affordable palettes and other makeup products such as brushes, single products not just palettes and customizable palettes. I really do suggest checking them out and giving some of their products a try if you haven't yet. Now onto the actual review.

       So I purchased this palette in December along with the Fall Festival palette, and 22 pierce brush set, let me know below if you'd like a review on either of those products. This palette comes with 32 eye shadows and 10 blushes. All eye shadows and blushes have great color pay off and there is a good color selection. Most of the blushes are pinks but there is an orange, redish, bronze(not matte), and dusty mauve color. There is one shimmer color in the palette the light blue, and the black has a bit of shimmer in it too but it comes of matte when swatched and on the eye. These shadows blend easily and for matte shadows they are not that powdery or chalky. It comes with three applicators, no sponge applicators all brushes! Honestly I only kept the one applicator, it would have been nice if they added a blush brush in stead of what looks like a lip brush. I think this palette is great because it comes with a good selection of eye shadows and blushes, I'm not someone who uses colors often so I don't like to spend a lot on colorful palettes like I would for neutrals so this palette is great for me, and anyone else like that; I'm also a fan of matte shades and being able to have a whole palette with nothing but mattes and its colorful is amazing especially seeing that it's affordable!

     All in all this is a great palette, and good for those who are beginners and want to play around with mattes and color; this is also good for anyone especially those who love matte and colors and travel a lot. This palette comes in a shimmer version too and they are both 24.95usd, sorry I only know the US price, if you know if this is sold to the UK and the price please do leave down below so I can add it here. This palette can only be purchased through the Coastal Scents website(which will be linked below). Coastal Scents is a great company with amazing products and even better prices. I would suggest giving this palette or any of their other palettes a try. The only downside to this palette is that you have to buy it online but they have fast shipping which makes up for that in my opinion although it would be great if I could purchase their products at Wal Mart or some other store like that.

Please do check them out

Coastal Scents website: www.coastalscents.com

Palette: http://www.coastalscents.com/makeup/palettes/eye-palettes/pl-006.html

Thanks for reading, next review on undecided yet, guess it will be a surprise :) Please leave any tutorial request below.

**All products mentioned were purchased by me, this is not sponsored, I am not affiliated with Coastal Scents(sadly), all opinions are my own.

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Mani Monday: Mint Polka Dots

Hello there :)

So this week I was felt like doing something more then one or two solid colors all over my nails, so I went with polka dots. I was so busy last week that I didn't have time on Sunday to paint my nails, hence why there wasn't a Mani Monday last week; same color for two weeks. I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Black out as the background color and Mint Sorbet for the polka dots, I used Seche Vite topcoat and Seche Clear base coat. To make the dots I used a sewing pin, I don't own a nail dotter but I should get one next time I'm at Sally Beauty Supply. My dots aren't perfect nor were they meant to be. There are two pictures because the one is better quality but washes out the mint; so I added the second one so you could see the color better. I personally think it's cute and something anyone could do and they are colors most people already have.

Thanks for reading, leave any request down below!

Link:
Nail Polishes
Top and base coat
Brushes: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

How to get you perfume to last all day

Hello there :)

     Have you ever bought a perfume or body spray that smelled amazing but it didn't last longer then a hour or even less then that? I know I have and its a major disappointment. I had wonder for the longest time how to get my perfume to last me all day, and then one day someone had suggested to me to try this; I was a bit skeptical but I decided to give it a go anyways and it worked! First off you should exfoliate your body(honestly this is something that you should do everyday), this works even if you don't though. Okay so this is such a simple thing, after you get out of the shower spray your perfume like right after you dried off, the reason this works so well is from the heat of the shower your pores have opened up and if you exfoliate that also helps but I find it works either way. See how simple that is, all you have to do is take a shower, well a warm shower and instead of waiting to put perfume on after you're all done with your hair. makeup and what ever else put it on as soon as you get dried off. I find that my perfume last me till the next morning or night when I take a shower.

Thanks for reading, I really hope this helps :)

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Copper and Orange, Summer look

Hello there :)

I have been so busy this week that I haven't had time to create a look and do all that goes into all of that; hence why there was no Mani Monday this week, my nails are still the same color as they were last week, I never do this. Any ways Since I couldn't do a look, sorry to be redundant, I decided I would just do a walk through and thoroughly tell you how I create the look from my EOTD I had posted a while ago. This is a perfect look for green or hazel eye(if you want the green to pop). This is a very easy look that's great for day time, summer and it uses very few products.

So the products I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Coastal Scents Fall Festival palette shades, Hot Pot # M004 Chamois Nude, # ME003 Bright Copper, # ME026 Deep Cantaloupe, # S030 Cherry Chocolate, and # ME023 New Penny. I also used # M023 Gunmetal to set my liner its a black with red sparkles.
ELF Cream Eyeliner, review
Maybelline The Colossal Lash, I think that's what it's called.

Palette and the colors I used, the one in black I would have used to highlight my inner corner but I forgot to, that color was  # ME017 Light Apricot.

So the first thing I did was apply primer, then I dusted shade # M004 Chamois Nude, which is a matte skin tone shade, it matches my skin perfectly.

After that I applied # ME003 Bright Copper(light shimmery copper shade, I think its a bit pink but that might just be me) to the first third of my lid, then I applied # ME026 Deep Cantaloupe(bright shimmery orange) to the rest of my lid, and lightly blended everything out and reapplied the colors to make them more bright.

I blended # ME023 New Penny(gorgeous shimmery copper shade, its darker and more brown then the shade used in the inner third of the lid) into my crease, this added definition and blended the other shades out more, keep in mind every time you blend you lose some of the color on your lid so always reapply the shades on you lid, I do this at the end usually.

The last thing I did with the shadows, other then set my liner was applying # S030 Cherry Chocolate into my outer v and blending it into my crease, but only half way. I blended this out with the # ME023 New Penny shade. Finally I highlighted and blended everything out with the # M004 Chamois Nude, I used a matte to highlight since there's so much shimmer on the rest of the eye, but you can use a shimmer if that's your thing, I had forgotten to highlight my inner corner with  # ME017 Light Apricot but I would have.

I applied my liner, I did a wing and then lined my water and tight line, all with a black liner and set with # M023 Gunmetal(black with red shimmer). Then I applied my mascara and that was it.

It's much brighter in person, but still very wearable and great for summer :)

Thanks for reading, next week there will be an actual tutorial up :) Please leave and request down below!

Links:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Coastal Scents Fall Festival Palette
Elf Cream Eyeliner
Mascara
Brushes: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710 use code AP2012 for 10% off during July.

Review: ELF Studio Line Blush

Hello there:)

      I personally really like these blushes, they have good pigmentation, they go on smooth, they blend out easily, and aren't blotchy. They do leave some loose powder when you stick your brush in them, but not all of them and its not much. Some of them you need to be light handed with like Pink Passion and Fuchsia Fusion, but colors like Candid Coral or Peachy Keen are more on the sheer side and need to be built up. All in all these are really great blushes whither your on a budget or not, and I would suggest everyone gives at least one of them a try. The only one I wouldn't suggest is Twinkle Pink, it's a pretty color but the glitter in it makes it a bit unwearable and crazy but if that's your thing then rock it.
    
    This is what the ELF site says about the "The soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layered for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtle healthy glow!" They really do have a silky finish except the Twinkle Pink which is very sparkly, these do go over cream blushes nicely with out looking cakey or blotchy, and the finish on them does give a nice glow, so the website is actually honest about these.

    These blushes are 3.00usd or 3.75pounds but are always on sell or you can get free shipping, they can be found at the ELF website, and in Target for those in the US. Some Wal Marts are also starting to sell ELF too. They come in 11 different shades, and several finishes.

ELF website: (US) http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/blush/studio_blush
(UK)http://eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~160.htm

Thanks for reading, next review will be on Coastal Scents 42 matte double stack palette. Please leave any request down below, and have you tried these blushes what are your thoughts on them?


**All products mentioned were purchased by me, all opinions are my own and this is not sponsored.

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Super Soft Smooth Lips

Hello there:)

    So do you suffer from chapped lips all year round, or just feel as though your lips aren't soft enough, or maybe you just want plumper lips and for your lipstick to go on smoother? I know I want all of those things so this is what I do everyday twice a day. When I brush my teeth I brush my lips too, this gets rid off all the dead skin making your lips smoother and looking bigger! I do this every time I brush my teeth, at night I put something like Aquaphor on my lips which gives them so much moisture well I sleep and my lips are extremely smooth and soft when I wake up, you could use any thick lip balm or Vaseline if you don't have Aquaphor, Carmex chapstick which also helps add a lot of moisture to your lips and is really nice. In the morning before I do my Makeup I brush my teeth and do the same for my lips but instead of using something so thick I put on a normal lip balm that has SPF, this is not only protects your lips but keeps them super soft. I let the lip balm set on my lips for at least five minutes before putting any lip products on. This is what I do to keep my lips soft and smooth, and it really does work. So give this a try, it really helps and makes a difference.

I also wanted to mention that the homemade exfoliater I made a post about not that long ago, you can see it here, is also good to use on your lips.   

Thanks for reading, please leave any request you have below :)

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710 use code AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use code AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Purple Smokey Eye, Great Smokey Eye for Brown Eyes.

Hello there :)

This is pre mascara, but this is the final look.

A little while ago, actually a few weeks ago I uploaded a picture of a purple smokey eye I had done to instagram, I figured I would share with you how I did this look and recreate it for you, this may not be 100% the same, I think I used a more purple purple then this one but I may be wrong, I had done this for ever ago but it did come out pretty close but maybe a bit more deep. This look is great for those with brown eyes or some one who wants to try a purple look, this is a easy way to wear a purple eye, this is of course more a night time look but could be worn whenever. This look is easy and simple and you could swap any of the colors out and get a great smokey eye.

If you want to see the original picture its on my instagram which is Lauren14709.

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
ELF Cream Eyeliner
Avon True Eyeshadow Quad in Purple Haze
Avon SuperShock Mascara
Avon Glimmersticks in Blackest Black
I used an eyeshadow brush, two different types of blending brushes, a big fluff eyeshadow brush, a pencil brush, and an angled brush.

This is the only shadow I used, I used all the colors in this quad

The first thing I did was apply primer, then I used ELF Cream Eyeliner in black as a base only on my lid. You can use normal liner or cream shadow, this wasn't perfect nor does it have to be.

Next I blended some of the medium/light purple in my crease. You could do the next step before this or after it doesn't really make a difference, I personally like to do this first.

I then packed the dark purple on my lid and blended it out, I tapped a bit of the color on my brush and used a stiff blender to blend out the dark purple into the medium purple, and a big fluffy one after that to make sure every thing was perfectly blended

I used the dark gray and blended that into my outer v and a little into the crease to darken it. I also dabbed a little of the medium purple on the center of my lid to highlight my lid and took the lightest shade in the quad to highlight my inner corner and under my brow.

I just applied some liner to my tight line, waterline, and a little on my lid into the lashes. I lined my whole eye. I also cleaned up any fall out at this point.

Then I set my liner with the gray and blended the top liner by turning my angled brush so it wasn't at the angle that you use to apply liner, sorry I really don't know how to explain that... Anyways I used the angled brush to blend the liner in. After that I started working on my lower lash line, I applied some of the gray shadow to the outer part of my lower lash line then the dark purple in the middle then the medium towards the inner part, Then I applied mascara(I don't actually have any on in this picture, but I really did do that next), you can apply false lashes if you'd like, I chose not to.

For this look I would pair it with bronzer, highlighter, and a nude lip. I also fill my brows in more harsh when I do more dark looks.

Thanks for reading, please leave any request down below!

Links:
Primer
Cream Eyeliner
Eyeshadow Quad
Pencil liner
Mascara
Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710 use code AP2012 for 10% off during July!

Review: Avon Glazewear Lipgloss

Hello There:)

     This Wednesday's review is on Avon Glazewear Lipglosses. I have tried several of these from all the finishes, they have three of them, Intense, which are the extremely pigmentated one, Sparkle, these are sparkly, and then they have Shine which are more shiny then the rest. I have not tried any from the sparkle but I have tried some from the other two, and the Duo Refelect ones but they did away with those.

     These lipglosses are more on the sheer side with the exception of the Intense ones, but they are buildable.and can be worn alone or with a lipstick and still give off good pigmentation, They aren't plumping, and they are all shiny like a lipgloss should be. They have a bit of stickiness but very little its not really noticable, they're more on the creamy side. They don't last forever but they stay on for about the same as most lipglosses do. They all smell terrible, unlike Avon lipsticks which smell great, these smell quite like a cheap plastic and chemical smell. They are nice but not the best out there. I would recommend them to some one who likes Avon and is looking for a decent affordable lipgloss. Honeslty I believe they would be more worth it if they brought back the Duo Refelct finish, those were nice and smelled good, and something I would greatly recommend, so if you come across those do give them a try, they could still be should in the UK, but they aren't in the US anymore.

    These are 6.00usd and can be purchased through the Avon website or your Represenative, and if you don't have one you can find one or become one through the Avon site. These lipglosses are usually on sell for less then six dollars or other verious sells. There are 15 shades to select from and three different finishes.

Thanks for reading! Please leave any request you have below! Next review is going to be on ELF Studio line Blushes.

Where to buy: http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?level1_id=300&level2_id=301&pdept_id=311&cat_type=C&pf_id=37553 (US)
http://avonshop.co.uk/beauty/c/make-up/lips/lip-gloss.html (UK)

**All products mentioned were purchased by me, I am not affiliated with this company, all opinions are my own this was not sponsored.

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

June Favorites

Hello there :)

Isn't this cute, I like it, it screams summer in my opinion, of course this isn't my photo,
 I found it on google, but it has a link in the picture.

June has just flown by; at least it did for me. I only have a few favorites so let’s get right into them.

Sorry for the flash, I have links below so you can see better pictures by following the links.

Let’s start with the eye products, I have been loving the Wet n Wild Coloricon Brow and Eye Liner pencils, I did a post on how I do pops of color with them(you can see that here), I love these liners they go on easily and they're cheap. The only bad thing about them is they have to be set, but that’s not a problem for me because I always set my liner.

I have also been loving the Maybelline Volume Express The Colossal mascara, I love the way this makes my lashes look, although I hated this mascara at first it was way too wet now that it’s a bit more dry it works wonders on my lashes.

Moving away from eyes and onto face, I have been loving the Sheer Cover Duo Concealer, I got this in the spring voxbox, I'm always skeptical on the beauty products I see on TV but this concealer is great, I don't think it could cover tattoos or at least not on its own but it is very nice and creamy, with that being said needs to be set really good, creases like crazy if it’s not. I only wear concealer and face powder, occasionally I'll wear foundation but I don't see the point of wearing something I don't really need, my skins not perfect but the imperfections are easily covered with this concealer. I have a review on this here.

I have been loving the ELF Studio SPF 45 Sunscreen UVA/UVB Protection, it has SPF and sets my concealer quite well, I love this stuff for summer and even all year round, but I've really been loving it this month.

Sticking with ELF products my all time, seriously I've worn this every time I've worn makeup this month the ELF essential blush in Innocence. This is such a gorgeous pale pink and it just looks so pretty on my pale skin and I love this blush, if your pale or even just on the light side get this blush it’s to pretty, and its only two dollars.

Lips, I've been loving this month has to be Avon Ultracolor rich lipstick in Sheer Light Peach, and I've been paring that with another Avon lip product, their Glazewear Duo Reflect Lipgloss in Peach twist, which isn't being sold any more. I love peach for summer time and this has been my favorite lip combo this month.

This isn't beauty related but I have been loving this, this month; Victoria's Secret All-over Body Mist in Charming and Fun, I don't know if they still have this, I couldn't find it on the site, but all their sprays smell amazing. These also last throughout the whole day and they're pretty cheap, they have the qualities of a perfume but the price of a body spray, you should check them out, they're really great.

Thanks for reading :), please leave any request down below!

Links to all products:

Liners
Mascara
Concealer, sorry I can't find the link for buying it separately.
ELF Powder
Blush
Lipstick
Lipgloss, they don't sell the one I mentioned but there’s the link to the lipglosses anyways.
Body Mist, they are not at the top of the page.

Mani Monday: Purples

Hello there :)

     This week I stirred clear of China Glaze and greens! I went with Avon's Nailwear Pro in Luxe Lavender and Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails in No Hard Feelings, both really nice polishes, but very alike; Avon is my favorite brand of polishes and makes up the majority of my polishes. They're usually on sell for about three dollars, they have pretty good lasting ability, and they have a wide color selection. This is my only Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish, I've tried the Extreme version of the Hard as Nails but never the original until this bottle, I like this polish but I hate the brush; it's so tiny! Over all it's a nice polish and I probably will try out more colors from this line, all though I do favor the Extreme version more, that stuff seriously out last OPI.

     So last week I had tried out a Finger Paints polish for the first time and wanted to update you all on my opinions on that polish, it stained my nails even with a base coat, but with that being said it didn't stain them as bad as other greens I've used, I just find that green polishes stain my nails like crazy, anyone else feel that way about green polish? I found that this polish chipped (for me at least) so bad; it was chipping on my pinky nail, polish never chips there, I liked the color but they aren't as good as other polishes I've used and that are cheaper, so I would pass on them unless the color is that gorgeous and you just have to have it.

Pictures:

Thanks for reading, please leave any request below! Sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, spell check isn't working for me...


Like I've stated before I do paint my own nails so I get polish on my cuticles and they're not perfect, but its okay because it comes off on its own within two hours, I take these pictures right after I paint my nails thats why the polishes is always there still, and if it bothers you then oh well their my nails and I'm not perfect.


Links:
Sally Hansen
Avon

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!

At Home Toner

Hello There :)

No more need to spend copious amounts of money on toners that have alcohol in them and only dry out you skin and give no true results.

            Today I wanted to make a post about at home toners you can make for cheap, these are pretty simple and you should have most ingredients already. These also have multiple uses, I decided I would share both of the "recipes" I know in this blog since they're both short, simple and not enough for one post each. Of course you would want to use organic products if you have them but if not that's okay too.

The bottles I use for this one, it makes it
easy to use in your hair.

         The first one is good for acne, all you need is water, sea salt, and a container to put in it. I use spray bottle that you can get anywhere, places like Wal Mart, Target, Primark, Sally Beauty Supply, dollar Stores. Seriously pretty much anywhere and they are usually only a dollar, you could also reuse a body spray or hair spray(that isn't arousal) bottle. I mix about two Tablespoons and one cup warm water together into the spray and then shake, shake, and shake like there is no tomorrow until all the salt is dissolved, it that simple. You just use it like any other toner, the salt is really good for acne and can help clear up acne. This can also be used in your hair to help give it some beachy waves.

These are the bottles I find work
best for the vinegar toner.

The next toner is a mix of one apple cider vinegar and one part water, if this is too harsh for your skin then use a one part vinegar and two parts water. This is good for the pH balance of your skin which can be thrown off by your face wash. It is only suggested to use this at night due to the smell but you can use this at both night and morning. I use this and then go over my face with the sea salt toner. I store this in a mini travel size bottle. This toner can also be used as a rinse for your hair to get all the built up product left in your hair, you just put it in your hair and then thoroughly rinse it out and it leaves your hair fresh and build up free, some people also use this as their shampoo.

Thanks for reading, I really hope these help you out and you give them a try. Please leave any request down below :)

Get brushes here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=198710, use AP2012 for 10% off during July!