Shellac My Nails Please

So I went to the nail shop to get my usual mani and my manicurist suggested I try the Shellac polish. I had never heard of it but she told me it would look better on my nails since I was removing my acrylic nails (which I hate and dont know why i even got them). The cost was twice as much as a regular manicure but, since she said it wouldn't look all bumpy and ridgy, you know like it does when you remove those acrylic nails, then I decided to give it a try.

When I tell you I was amazed! Glossy and Flawless. It was far more than just a smooth look it also didn't come off when I bump my fingers on something which it never fails I always do after a manicure. It was dry immediately after the last step which was the application of the alcohol sprayed onto the nails. Total time was maybe 15 minutes total from beggining to end of the polish time and dry time. I have hit my nails so many times on so many things since I got it done and I don't have not a scratch or chip anywhere on any of my nails. There is nothing I don't like about it well except the price which really is not that bad i'm just very...frugal. Regardless, I will be getting this whenever it's manicure time and I want polish on my nails.

This product has been around since 2010 who knew? Certainly not me. If you're behind the times like I was click here to view the CND site and read all about Shellac! If you already knew about this...why didn't you tell me?? Until next time!

In With the Old, In With the New!

No that is not a typo. Just wanted to show you guys the products I love that I started using in 2011 that I am bringing with me into 2012 and also my first beauty purchase of the new year. Hope you guys had an awesome new year and you did it as big as you possibly could without harming yourself or someone else :)
Me? I stayed in on New Years and watched movies and I'm totally fine with that, it's cheap, no dress code and the drinks are free! Anywho on with it....

My first favorite product is Mary Kay's Timewise Moisturizer for normal to dry skin. Best. Moisturizer. Ever for your face if you have dry skin. I think in one of my earlier blogs I mentioned that I have had eczema since I was a kid. Of course as an adult it's not as bad but i do get the occasional flare up if I use the wrong type of product on my skin. When you have eczema your skin is prone to dryness and sensitivity. This product and my next are both great at moisturizing my skin and leaving it calm (no flare ups or irritations) as well.

Also this new soap I tried a month ago- South of France Shea Butter Moisturizing Soap. Really rich lather. Leaves my skin so smooth i almost dont need lotion but the ash will let me know that I do.. :)

My new item i purchased today is Loreal's Voluminous False Fiber Lashes mascara. ive heard a few rants a raves about it so i decided to give it a try. I have horribly sparse lashes so I'll try any mascara that says voluminzing at least once (hence all the different mascaras I have in my beauty organizer). I'll update you guys on how it works after I try it tomorrow.

What beauty product are you looking to purchase in 2012?

Haul: Crown Brush 12 Piece Professional/10 Color Matte and Shimmer Blush

Hey sweeties! Just wanted to share with you guys my Crownbrush purchases from Hautelook! I purchased these about a month ago just getting to posting them.

12 Piece Professional Brush Set ($25.50) Great brushes no shedding so far just wish there was more variety in this set. Set includes: Chisel Powder|Angle Blush|Deluxe Chisel Fluff|Deluxe Shadow|Oval Fluff|Sable Lip w/Cover|Pro Spoolie|Flocked Sponge|Brow/Lash Groomer|Pointed Liner|Angle Liner|Deluxe Soft Fan|Leather Snap Case

 

10 Color Matte and Shimmer Blush Palette ($14.00) Gorgeous colors! Love the shimmer blushes not a big fan of matte for my skin but works well on my more fair skin clients.

Both great products wish the blush palette would have had some burgundy/red colors in it :(...didn't swatch the colors but if you want to see them swatched or a close up of any of the brushes leave me a comment and i'll post it. If you want to order the brushes they are on the website for around the same price at www.crownbrush.com. Until next time :)

Oh and don't forget to follow please and thank you! 

Travalo - Perfume Atomizer

Hey sweeties! While in CVS last week I came across this little gem. It's a small atomizer that you can sit on top of the spray pump of your perfume and fill to take with you without having to bring your entire perfume bottle. Its really tiny and can fit in your back pocket if you dont like carrying around a purse. I like to refresh my perfume a few times a day so I normally have to lug the entire bottle with me which weighs down my purse so when I saw this I was instantly in love! The Travalo Atomizer has been around since last year but I had never heard of or seen it before but i'm happy I found it :)

It comes in Red, Silver and Gold and is only $9.99 and it's shatterproof (according to the packaging)... can't find it in stores? Order from Amazon here

Until next time! 

All Elf Everything

Not being able to pass up a bargain, I recently purchased an Elf, Ultimate Eye Collection, Summer Ready set. It was only $4 at Big Lotts and includes an Elf Eyelid Primer, Lengthening and Defining Mascara, Brightening Eyeliner in Black, and a Day and Night 6 shadow palette. All full size items.

I love a good shimmer palette. Cool colors that you can wear anytime not just for summer.

Here's a look I did using only what was in the palette. Excuse the 2 different lip colors, I couldn't decide what I wanted...lol ...also the eye primer did not do a great job my shadow was sliding everytime I blinked I had to re-do my eye makeup using NYX Eyeshadow primer... loved all the other products though!

Until next time sweeties!

NYX Nude on Nude Look

Hey sweeties! I don't know if I said it before but I really love my NYX Nude on Nude palette. I pretty much use it everyday. Here's one of the looks I did with it today. Lid and crease colors are from the NoN palette the highlight color is MAC pigment powder in Lithe. For eyeliner I used Elf water proof liquid liner on my lid and Urban Decay Zero on my waterline. My mascara is Benefit They're Real mascara.

Had to show one with and without the glasses *shrugs*...hope you like! Until next time :)
Oh...the lipgloss is NYX Killer Lips Gloss in Burgundy...

Benefit: They're Real Mascara

If you dont mind splurging a little I suggest you try They're Real mascara by Benefit ($22 Sephora). I say splurge because I am primarily a drug store shopper and don't like to pay a lot for my makeup if I can help it. I normally use Loreal's Million Lashes because it gives my almost nonexistent lashes a little volume and length. A Sephora sales associate suggested I try this one. I love it. It gives my lashes length but not as much volume as the Million Lashes. It's water proof but not hard to remove. It does not smudge at all which I love and it doesn't clump. The one thing I was upset about was that it doesn't give me as much volume as i'd like but overall it's worth it. Below I included a before and after photo:

Before

After

Before

After

I think I've found my new favorite mascara! If you are curious I am wearing my Rock and Republic shadows in Electric, Jaded, and Fuel. Also Ruby Kisses eyeliner pencil in Purple Glitter to line my lash line.

Please feel free to leave comments or questions.

Until next time :)

New Product: Nuance by Salma Hayek

Hey sweeties! On one of my many trips to CVS I purchased a few items from Salma Hayek's makeup line Nuance. This 100 piece cosmetic line is exclusively with CVS. Nuance was scheduled for release this month but it was actually in CVS stores abt a week sooner. I know this because I'm a CVS addict I shop there at least twice a week sometimes more. Anywho! I purchased 4 items from the new makeup line. I purchased them a few days ago but I wanted to wear them a bit so I could give u an honest review. Below is each product I purchased and what I thought about it:

Flawless Coverage Mineral Foundation in Deep 240-it gave decent coverage and went on evenly and matched my skin tone perfectly. Also stayed on all day and did not rub off on my fingers or clothes.

 Flawless Wear Tinted Moisturizer in Deep 265-also gave decent coverage, if you have dark spots on your face you may want to use a little concealer after applying but I used the mineral foundation on top of it and it gave medium coverage. It also really moisturizes, I am normally not a fan of TM because it never moisturizes my skin it normally goes on a little rough and my skin is still dry but this product actually moisturized my skin as it claims to. So far best TM I've ever used.

Moisturizer Blended In

Smooth Start Skin Primer-very good primer, my makeup stayed on all day with no running and goes on smooth.

Perfect Lips Lip Quad in Cool- lip colors include Pinkberry and Merlot which are cream lipsticks and Sheer Ice and Rose Shimmer which are shimmer glosses. Love the cream lipsticks they have a nice pigment to them and are moisturizing. The shimmer glosses were a bit dry I had to apply a lot for it to actually get a "glossy" look. The lip quad is like a little flower it's so cute!

Closed Lip Quad

Overall good quality products for drugstore prices. The only problem, for my darker skinned divas, is the paper bag problem that we come across often with a lot of drug store brands. I really didn't think the darkest color was going to be dark enough for me but it blended well with my skin. Would I buy again? The face primer definitely, the other products probably not. To read more about Salma Hayek and her new product line click here. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you have tried some of the products or if you plan on it..feel free to leave comments. Until next time :)

New Haul: Rock & Republic/NYX

Hey guys, I know it's been a minute since I posted but I'm back and I promise to keep it up (forgive me). I just wanted to show you guys some swatches of my two latest purchases. I'm so addicted to eye shadow it's ridiculous. I purchased 5 shadows and a lip gloss from Hautelook and got my Nude on Nude palette from NYX I love it! I just cant find it in my heart to pay the $48 for the Urban Decay Naked Palette yet, who knows maybe someone who loves me will get me a gift card to Sephora or Ulta so I can get one :))...anywho..here's my new stuff yaay! Lol

First of all I would like to say I love the R&R symbol its so pretty..the big black box is what each of the shadows came in...i will probably be reusing the containers for something else..

The shadows i got were Electric (blue), Scorch (orange), Jaded (green), Paranoid (purple), and Fuel (gold-ish)

Here are the swatches (in order)...love love love the gold...great browbone color..

Here's a swatch of the gloss it's not so good..but the color is Train Wreck and it's pretty much a nude gold color...almost the same color as my skin..

I also got the NYX Nude on Nude palette...love all the colors...didn't swatch any though...if you want to see some swatches or a look with the palette leave a comment and i'll post some!

If you have the NYX palette let me know how you like it or if you have the Naked palette and this one let me know how it compares!

Until next time :)

Eyebrows: Favorite Tutorials and Giveaway {Closed}

I think everyone can agree that having the perfect brow takes your look a long way. You can wear no makeup and have freshly groomed brows and a little mascara and you still look great. On the other hand you can have a beautiful makeup look and if your brows aren't clean, it will throw your whole look off. I have had a long journey with trying to perfect my brow look and I think I am at peace with the way I do my brows for now. I just use a pencil to fill them in where it's needed and a little concealer to clean up the edges and i'm done.

There are different mediums you can use to perfect your brow look like pencils, brow powder, brow pens and brow gels. Pencils are good if you already have thick brows and you just need to fill in gaps here and there. If you have a bit thinner brow you may want to try a powder to give them definition and shape. Brow gels are used to hold the brow in place they come in clear or tinted. I'm not too familiar with brow pens, after some research it appears they do the same thing as the pencils you just have to be sure to use extremely light strokes when applying to avoid a harsh look.

Try and avoid drawing a straight line for eyebrows or making an unnaturally high arch if it's not in line with the natural shape of your brow. It's also good to remember that, as a makeup artist stated at a seminar I attended, your brows should be sisters not twins. They shouldn't look identical just similar..here's two of my favorite videos that helped me on my quest for the perfect brow I took a few tips from each video. Hope this helps!

and

Now for the giveaway details...the items I am giving away are the NYX Eyebrow Kit with Stencils and the NYX Eyebrow Push Up Bra. To enter the giveaway you just have to do is Follow my blog(if you aren't already) and comment under this post. Extra entry if you follow me on Twitter and RT the contest on your page. If you RT please leave your twitter id in your comment as well. So two things to enter follow and comment one extra entry if you retweet on twitter. Contest ends July 15th.

Good Luck! 

Update: Nioxin

Hey sugarplums, just wanted to give you an update on my 30 day Nioxin trial (I know i'm late). Close to the end of the 30 days I didn't see much change in my nails, but I did see a major change in my lashes! They have grown noticeably longer and thicker. It seems that you have to keep taking these supplements to keep the results because a few weeks after I stopped taking them I started seeing a bit of splitting in my nails again. Anywho, my take on Nioxin, try it, im sure everyones results will vary. I got the 30 day supply from Ulta Beauty for about $28.

I didn't buy it for my hair so I cant speak on the effectiveness of it in that area but if it grows the hair on your head the way it grew my lashes it should be promising. If you're interested in trying it you can click on the picture above it will take you to Amazon where you can purchase for $25.50.

New by Sigma: Eyeshadow Palettes

Hey sugarplums, if you haven't heard already Sigma has come out with three new eyeshadow palettes. Each palette is $35 and they each come with a dual ended brush! Sigma is known for their quality brushes so i'm sure these new palettes will live up to the Sigma standard. Deets below:

Bare

The Sigma Beauty BARE palette is a must for everyday use. Ideal to create classic neutral looks, BARE is perfect for accentuating your best features without too much color distraction. Highlight inner corners, emphasize your crease, brighten your brow bone and enhance your lash line.  With BARE’s color selection, you can easily create day and night looks seamlessly and as subtle or as bold as you wish.  BARE is perfect for a natural yet improved you! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E30 and E25 in a unique dual-ended brush.

Brush Closeup

Flare

The Sigma Beauty FLARE palette contains a beautiful combination of greens and purples, combined with browns and beiges that are perfect to create fun and colorful looks! This palette includes beautiful iridescent undertones, which offer a must have selection of bright, yet sophisticated hues. FLARE is perfect for those days when you want to highlight your eyes with fun and flirty colors! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E55 and E40 in a practical dual-ended brush. Brush Closeup

Dare

The Sigma Beauty DARE palette includes the perfect mix of vibrant and neutral shades represented by warm and cool tones. This palette contains beautiful yet unexpected hues from neutral corals to deep reds and includes surprisingly wearable yellow and gold tones. DARE allows you to create colorful looks that can be easily accentuated with bright or deep colors. Go from day to night in seconds! Includes Sigma Beauty’s best-selling E20 and E45 in an exclusive dual-ended brush.

Brush Closeup

For more details or to purchase one of these awesome new palettes visit the Sigma site here

Homemade Avocado Mask

While searching for fruits and vegetables you can eat for healthy skin, I came upon the article Feed Your Face: 10 Foods For Better Skin on lifescript.com. The article listed beneficial foods for your skin and also listed a moisturizing avacado mask you can make at home. If you have dry skin or just want to make your skin have a healthy glow I suggest you try this mask. The mask was a bit tingly on my skin but I have sensitive skin so that could be the reason. Otherwise I have no complaints. Here's what you need:

1 whole avacado
1tsp of flaxseed oil
1tsp of honey

first you peel and mash the avocado

then you add the honey and flaxseed oil and stir until creamy (finished product)

apply to face and leave on for 15-20 minutes then rinse with lukewarm water. After rinsing I used my Mary Kay Timewise Moisturizer, but you can use your favorite moisturizer of course. There was enough for two mask applications so I just put the rest in a jar to use for tomorrow.

Try the mask you'll love it! All ingredients purchased from Whole Foods.