January.28.2013: CoverGirl & Revlon Lipstain

Over the summer i went through the lipstain fad and purchased 5 lipstains mainly CoverGirl but one Revlon and thought I would do a review for anyone who's thinking of purchasing them. I always wish people would swatch lipstains and lipsticks on there lips so you could really see how the color turns out so thats exactly what I've done. 

Application: It's much like drawing on your lips with a think felt tip pen. All the colors are very build-able so you can make the colors lighter or darker. It's also a bit challenging to create an even color because the lipstain clings to the dryer areas.

* You should also avoid eating for drinking for at least a an hour after application so the color really has time to soak in.

lips without any color

435:  two hours after application

435: nice light red color. Had the best staying power out of all the colors




420: Light pink color. Almost too light to really be worth buying because it only shows after you've layered on the color.



445: This is my favorite color. Although, you can't really tell from the picture the color is a pink-mauve brownish color which for some reason goes very well with my complexion

After a couple hours. But I don't
think I wait long enough before
eating and drinking

450: Deep plum red. Such a pretty color but didn't have good staying power



005/"Crush Béguin": Revlon.Dark pink color. Applies very creamy with a minty finish

005: after about two hours

January.20.2013: Teal and Purple Bright Eyeshadow Look

As many of you can probably relate I feel I'm a bit addicted to watching makeup tutorials on youtube. The looks some people can create are so awesome to watch! After watching probably hundreds of these videos in my lifetime I've never really tried to recreate any of the looks. This is mostly because the tutorialists usually use high-end makeup that I neither own or care to spend a bunch of money on. What I like about the iheartmakeup92's channel is that she always uses affordable/cheap makeup so check it out if thats something that interests you! Today I decided to recreate her Mermaid inspired makeup look (link below). 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naKzdXZhXuU

It was after watching this tutorial that I decided to buy the NYX Jumbo pencil in "Milk" which is really a great base for colorful makeup looks because it applies smoothly and the finish is tacky making the color stay in place with no fall out! :)

The finished look by iheartmakeup92

1. Apply the NYX jumbo pencil and patted it with my finger for even application.

2. Take a a light teal color. 
*I used a darker teal because I didn't have a lighter one
( I used my coastal scents 88 palette for this whole look $11 on coastalscents.com)

3. I applied the teal eyeshadow all over my lid

4. Applied dark purple eyeshadow to the outer corner of my lid and blended it toward the center





5. Applied black liquid eyeliner to the top of my lid

6. Used a wetted Q-tip to wipe off the excess purple eyeshadow from under the winged out portion of the eyeliner





7. Applied 2 layers of mascara to my top and bottom lashes

8. THE FINISHED LOOK!

* came out similar to iheartmakeup92's look not identical but I think I did a pretty good job. The only thing I would do differently next time is to not extend the teal eyeshadow all the way to the outer corner of you lid because it showed through underneath the purple. When I saw the video I didn't think the look would be daytime wearable but It actually is so don't worry about it being too loud.

January.13.2013: Stila "in the know" Palette

I've recently been going on a makeup bender and thought I would do some reviews on my haul. I've really been into matte eyeshadows lately and I came across this all matte palette and had to buy it!
--> bought at Ulta for $39

The palette comes with 10 eyeshadows and a Stila smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in halfmoon (dark grey).
I was  surprised with the cheap packaging of the palette as it is literally just thick coated paper making it seem cheap. For $39 I kind of expected more. 
The smudge stick that came with the palette I bought was also broken which is really disappointing. As much as I twisted nothing would come out. So I just emailed Stila to see if they'll replace it for me. 

I primed my hand with Urban Decay Primer potion before applying the eyeshadows. As you can see the the first two colors (Air and Wind) don't really show up at all but I did find that Wind did apply nicely even tho you can't see it. However, I do believe these light colors would come in handy on top of a white eyelid primer for a neutral white look like the NYX jumbo eye pencil in "Milk" which I also bought so make it last longer/not smudge. 
- Clay: Didn't show up well on my hand but applied nicely to my lid. Its a pink-tan color (pic below)
- Desert: peachy tan color
- Ebony:  dark dark grey but not black
* the rest of the colors look how they swatch

This is the first look I did with the palette. I used Clay from my inner corner to the middle of my lid and blended Rain from the outside of my lid to the middle. 
* I thought Clay with the peachy-coral look would make my blue eyes pop and it really worked!

Extras:

When I first opened the palette some of the names made me laugh. They named almost all of the colors after elements like wind, fire, earth, air, rain so when I came upon "driftwood" I actually laughed-out-loud because it just seemed so random. 

January.10.2013: NYX Lipliner Pencil

Yesterday I picked up NYX Lipliner Pencil in 809 Mahogany and 834 Prune from my local Ulta and thought I would do a review on them for anyone who's interested. 

I've heard that wearing a lipliner of a similar shade under your lipstick increases the longevity so I went out and bought these matte lipliner pencils. I bought two since they were only $3.49.

Sorry about the picture quality my lips were very dry
Mahogany is on my top lip. Prune on the bottom

The Mahogany is more of a brownish brick red color which is my favorite personally but Prune is also very pretty light/bright plum purple.This pencils wear well especially under lipstick but if you have dry skin on your lips and you don't wear lipstick on top the dry skin is accentuated. 

January.8.2013: Counterfeit Naked 2 Palette vs. Real

Real Palette is the first one
counterfeit is the second

I did the mistake of of ordering my Naked 2 palette over ebay.com because it was cheaper. I was so excited when I got my package in my mail but when I unwrapped it and tested it out I knew immediately that it was a fake because the eyeshadows were very very chalky. So I sent it back and did the mistake of ordering another Naked 2 palette over eBay. This time the seller even claimed that "Authenticity is Guaranteed". Once again the palette I got was fake. Needless to say I learned my lesson. After that I just ordered my palette over Urban Decay.com to ensure I would get a real one. So I thought I would share with you the differences between the counterfeit palette and the real one so that nobody else makes the same mistake. 
Cover:

Fake: "Naked 2 Urban Decay" is written in black

Real: Written in a brownish grey color

Backside:
The fake has a yellow hue to it. This is especially apparent in the lighter colors. Everything else is exactly the same, except the color of the writing which on the real palette is a dark brown while on the fake the writing is a yellow taupe color.






Inside:
In the fake palette there are three divots on the hinge of the palette. If the palette were real there would only be two (no middle divot).

Real on top/Fake on bottom

Eyeshadow Pots
Fake: 
Paint pots not filled up all the way
Filled unevenly
Eyeshadow names are written bigger
Chopper is a dark brown color instead of a copper color
Names extend past the end of the paint pot (indicated by the red line)

Real: 
Paint pots are completely full
Eyeshadow names are written smaller
Names stop parallel to the end of the separate paint pots. (Indicated by the red line)
Half Baked, Booty Call, YDK look shinier and pigmented 

Real (on top) glue is unseen and it looks neat
Fake (bottom)glue is very apparent metal is bent
overall messy look

Real (top) blender brush is to the left of
the writing. bristles are also longer
Fake (bottom) blending brush to
 the right of the words and the bristles
are shorter and messier

Fake (right) is bigger and more orange looking
Real (left) pink and smaller

January.6.2013: Make Your Shave Last Longer and Rid Dark Underarm Skin

So I recently discovered this awesome trick to get a closer shave that last longer and thought I would share it with all of you because I swear by this! The key is Exfoliation. I'm not sure where I read about this trick but I decided to give it a try and I haven't looked back since.

Steps:
1. Shower for 10 minutes so that your pores open and your skin is soft and soaked
2. Dispense a good amount of shower scrub in your hand (I use St.Ives Apricot Scrub but anything will work) apply to your legs and rub in a circular motion.
Don't be too gentle because the skin on your legs isn't very sensitive and you want to make sure you get rid of all the old/dead skin as well as any other dirt or oils that have collected on your skin since your last shower. 
3. Now when you go to shave the razor will be cutting the hair closer to the base of your skin instead of layers dead skin first making your shave last longer.

Underarm Skin
For some, no matter how often you shave your underarms the skin remains dark. This can be can make you feel self conscious especially during swimsuit season or anytime your wearing a sleeveless shirt. The dark skin is usually caused by a buildup of dead skin cells trapped by deodorant. Even if you don't have dark underarm skin your armpit region is still a haven for deodorant and bacterial buildup. Do once or twice a week to avoid irritation from excessive scrubbing. By exfoliating your underarm your removing layers of dead skin and old deodorant exposing fresh skin so your razor will cut the hair closer to your skin. Do once or twice a week to avoid irritation from excessive scrubbing.

I hope this helps! :)

January.5.2013: Best Lip Exfoliante without a Scrub

I know we don't always have the time to make a sugar and honey exfoliating scrub so I thought I would share with you a very simple trick I use the majority of the time. I noticed that some toothbrushes come with a bumpy rubber area on the backside of the brush head that would be perfect for lip exfoliation so I thought to utilized it. I'm not sure if that's what the bumpy area is suppose to be used for but it works better than any scrub I've made. 
Steps:
1. Apply your favorite lip balm or vaseline generously over your lips 

2. Use the back to rub over you lips in circular motions for a couple minutes

3. When done whip off all the lip balm and apply a fresh coat...Then your done!

*In my opinion I find that this technique works better than any scrub I've tried. 
I've only every seen colgate tooth brushes with this feature but if theres others they would surely work just as well.

COLGATE 360 Sensitive Pro-Relief 

COLGATE Optic-White 

January.4.2013: Homemade Lip Exfoliating Scrub

Exfoliating my lips has become part of my weekly routine especially during the winter when the air is dry so I thought I would post an easy DIY tutorial on how to make your own lip scrub.

Ingredients:

Sugar - used as the exfoliator ( I prefer fine brown sugar because it's a more gently abrasive)
Honey - antibacterial properties will make your scrub thicker as well
Olive Oil - great moisturizing agent
Lime/Lemon - are Alpha Hydroxyl Acids which help with the removal and exfoliation of the dead skin

1. Mix together Sugar (1 Tsp), Honey (or Olive Oil), and Lime juice in a bowl together.

* I prefer to use honey because it makes the mixture thicker and much easier to apply to the lips

2. Use a warm wash cloth to soften/loosen up the dry skin on your lips

3. Apply mixture to lips with fingers and rub in a circular motion

4. Rinse off scrub

5. Apply your favorite lip balm
* exfoliation will also help with lipstick application. Since lipstick tends to cling to dry patches exfoliating your lips before wearing lipstick is a great idea!

Do 1-2 times a week maybe 3 if your lips really need it

January.3.2013: Caramelized Apples on Ice Cream

Thought I would Share with you guys a very easy and simple dessert you can make if your craving something sweat but tart-y at the same time.
.




First, slice up your apple. Try and make the slices 3mm or thiner. The thinner you slice them the more crispy they will be.

Then,add the slices to the pan and let them simmer on low to low medium.

Add Honey and Cinnamon over the simmering apples. As much or little as you want.
* you can substitute Carmel for the honey

Cook for a couple minutes flipping them over every couple minutes.

Take off the stove when desired texture is reached.
* I prefer my apple slices crispy so I cook them longer and cut them thinner

Place on top of your choice of ice cream

I decided to put my apples on top of a couple
scoops  of Soy Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream.

January.2.2013: DIY Upside Down Wet Brush Holder

To properly dry brushes you must store them upside down so that the water has a chance to exit the brushes properly. If you store the brushes any other way the water will will seep into the base of the brushes loosening up the glue and allowing the bristles to fall out more easily.

Supplies Needed

I decided to use what I had laying around the house which was this cheap marti gras necklace and hair ties.

Steps

4. Pull hair tie over/down the brush handle end to secure

Outcome

To fasten the beads to the towel bar I simply twisted two together to form a loop and then put it around both sides of the bar. This is only one way to hang your makeup brushes upside down and there are multiple other ways to achieve a similar result.

January.2.2013: Washing Makeup Brushes

1. Run the bristles of your brushes under warm water. 

 2. Put a drop of Shampoo on the bristles of each brush.


3. Rub in the Shampoo Gently
Create a nice lather so that every bristle is covered. The foam at this point might be colorful depending on what the brush is used for. Try to not distort the shape of the brush.

4. Rinse off the Brush
Continue until the water runs clear.

5. Blot off the Brushes
Do this carefully and once again try to not disrupt the natural shape of the brush. Do not fan out the brushes's bristles.

6. Hang the Brushes Upside down
 Do this so that the water runs out of the brushes. If you store the brushes with the bristles up the water will run back into the brushes's base and will loosen the glue that holds the bristles.

January.1.2013: New Years Recovery Tips

Hangover Recovery

FIrst of all, I hope everyone had a great New Years!! After all the New Years drinking which I'm sure we all did ;) I thought I would take the time to list a couple tricks that have always helped me prevent a hangover or get over one. 
#1. Drink Plenty of Water
I know a lot of people push electrolyte drinks but water will work 100% the same way. Water is the most important because alcohol dehydrating your body is what causes most of the "hangover" symptoms.
Drinking Coconut Juice or Gatorade are also great substitutions for water if you have them handy.

* Downing a glass or two of water before falling asleep/passing-out after drinking will work wonders for your headache the next day!

#2. B12
Alcohol is a diuretic. Meaning that it causes you to lose a lot of vitamins and nutrients while drinking. The Most important ones being vitamins B and C. B12 is especially important because it helps your body process the alcohol. 
***This is the hangover cure I swear by! I cannot stress enough about how taking a small B12 pill before I start drinking makes such a difference in how hungover I get the next day not to mention how fast the alcohol "effects me".

#3. Fruit Juices
Fruit Juices contain a lot of anti-oxidants. Because, drinking causes oxidative stress on your body consuming anti-oxidants helps replenish your anti-oxidant levels. These anti-oxidants will help your body repair any type of damage.
#4. Eating Food
The Next day its always important to try and force yourself to eat a little food no matter how sick you feel. The more carbs the better!
#5. Take a Shower
Because, your body treats alcohol as a toxin it is continuously attempting to break the alcohol down into acetic acid. When this happens your body only manages to metabolize a portion of the alcohol. The rest of the alcohol escapes with urine or is excreted by sweat and the respiratory system. This means that some alcohol ends up sitting on top of your skin waiting to be reabsorbed. Taking a shower will improve the way you feel most of the time.
***I speak from personal experience when I say that taking a shower after a night of heavy drinking really makes you feel so so so much better! 

I hope this summary helps! And I hope you all feel better soon! I know I'll be feeling the pain tomorrow