Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2013 everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! My New Year's Eve was spent at home relaxing with my love! Just because I stayed home, doesn't mean I didn't get all dolled up! So I decided to dive into my e.l.f. Silver Studio Box 100 palette to create a pretty silvery gray, smoky eye look.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye-shadow look

e.l.f. cosmetics eye-shadow palette

I started out by priming my eye with Urban Decay Primer potion in Sin. All of the eye shadow colors I used are from the very last column to the right(the grays and blacks) Using a flat shader brush I took the 4th color from the bottom and applied it just on the lid of my eye. This is a really pretty deep gray color, with a little shimmer. Then I took my Soho Round Smudge Brush and and applied the 3rd color from the bottom to my crease. This is just a really pretty charcoal gray color. I made sure to really blend out the edges so there were no harsh lines. Then using a small domed crease brush, I applied the very bottom color to my outer corner, just to deepen it a little, for more dimension. That color is a shimmery black. Then I took the third color from the top and applied it, with the same flat shader brush I used at the beginning, just to center of my lid. It's a light shimmery silver color. Then using my Sephora small flat smudge brush, I applied the same gray that I used in the crease under my eye. I didn't use a highlight color. Instead I used my Covergirl face powder under my brow bone to help blend out the edges of the eyeshadow and soften the look up. Then I curled my lashes and applied two coats of Covergirl's Lash Blast Mascara in Very Black. Then I applied Covergirls Perfect Point Plus eye liner in charcoal to my top lash line. I love the perfect point eyeliner pencils! They apply so smoothly and evenly! Then I smudged it a little, just to soften it, with the same Sephora smudge brush I used for under my eye. I also used the eyeliner to tightline my eye becasue I think it helps to make your lashs look fuller! And who doens't want full looking lashes? Just saying.  I also used a tinny bit of Nars Albatross on my inner corner, just to help brighten it up a little!

Well that's about it! So I hope everyone had a fabulous 2012 and has an even better 2013!      

Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover

Eye Makeup Remover

OK, so I know the Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover isn't a new product, but it is one I love! For a long time I was using the Nutrogena Eye Makeup Remover and I liked it; it did what it was supposed to do. I did however find that it did not remove my water proof mascara or eyeliners very well. Actually, I had to really scrub at my eyes to get them off with it, which is so not good because the skin around your eye area is super sensitive and tugging at your eye area can actually lead to wrinkles, and who wants wrinkles? I sure don't! Now if you use the Nutrogena remover and it works for you then by all means don't let me stop you from using it! Anyway, back to Sonia Kashuk. I needed more eye makeup remover and happened to be at Target and came across the Sonia Kashuk remover and decided to try it. I had heard some good things about, so I thought why not? Well, let me tell you, I love it. It's super gentle and it doesn't sting your eyes at all, like some makeup removers do. It actually feels really soothing on my eye area, in fact it almost feels cooling. I like how that feels; I'm one of those people that finds putting something cool over my eyes, like a cold washcloth or even a splash of cold water really relaxing. It's super light and it does not feel oily or greasy at all, which is nice considering it feels very moisturizing on my eye area. And the best part, I only have to swipe it across my eyes two or three times and it removes everything including my waterproof makeup. No tugging at the eyes + removing everything = no wrinkles = LOVE! It literally does everything it says it will do on the bottle, which is nice, since a lot of beauty products don't always do that. So, if you're looking for new eye makeup remover to try, I definitely recommend the Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover! Like I said before, I got mine at Target a while ago, I can't remember how much it cost, but Target's website says it is currently selling $10.19.

October Glam Bag

OK, so I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I just got my October Glam Bag in the mail and it has inspired me to write. I plan to try and post more often, at least once a week as long as I have the time to do so! And I figured I would start back up with the October Glam Bag. This has honestly been one of my favorite bags in a long time! The theme of this bag is the "Bomb Shell Look". You know the look, red lips, sultry eye colors, out to there lashes, and of course that perfect black winged out eyeliner. So this is going to be an overview/review of some of the products in it that I tried. So first things first, eyeshadow! I love eye shadow, especially good quality ones! In this month's glam bag we received a sample size Coastal Scents eyeshadow quad. The colors in the quad that I got were: Vibrant Red, Frosty Taupe, Vanilla Sky, and Raisin Berry. These colors are beautiful and the color payoff is amazing! The only one I haven't tried yet is the Vibrant Red. I've never used this brand before, mostly because I thought it wouldn't be in my budget range, but after looking at the website, the prices really are reasonable! Frosty Taupe is a perfect lid color and Vanilla Sky is a perfect shimmery highlight color. I tried Raisin Berry as a crease color and I loved it, but I think it would also look pretty as a lid color.

Coastal Scents Sample Quad

The next product I tried was the be a Bombshell liquid eyeliner. The shade I got was in Onyx. It is very black and it applies so smoothly. I tend to stick to pencil liners, but only because I'm really comfortable with applying them. I'm always afraid I'm going to mess up the liquid liner when I use it. This liquid liner is nice though because it has a felt tip and works kind of like a marker. Because of this design, it is super easy to apply. The other nice thing about it is that it doesn't dry too fast, so if you do make a mistake, it's pretty easy to fix right away. 

Bombshell Liquid Eye Liner

The next product was the Balm's What's Your Type? "the body builder" Mascara in Black. Yet again, another win! In fact, this may be my new favorite mascara. It literally made my lashes look so much longer with one coat and when I added a second, it looked like I was wearing false lashes! This is nice for me because while I love the look of false lashes, I do not actually like to wear false lashes.

The Balm's What's Your Type Mascara in Black

And the last product that I tried was the Mirenesse Lip Balm Glossy Lacquer Stain. The color I received was Lip Balm 2, which is a really deep red. This was kind of scary for me to see, since as far as lip colors go, I tend to stick to neutral or nude shades, but I tried it anyway. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. It was a little crazy seeing myself in the mirror with red on my lips, but I slowly got used to it. It applies really smoothly and is a totally build-able lip color. It isn't sticky like most glosses, well it is at first, until it dries, which doesn't take very long. Once it dries it doesn't budge and it's more of stain than anything, but at the same time feels like a lip balm. I really like it, I don't know if it's a color I would got to on a regular basis, but when I feel like spicing things up, it will definitely be my first choice!

Mirenesse Lip Balm Stain in #2

  

There was one other product in the bag, but I haven't tried it yet. It was Couture Colour's Pequi Oil Treatment. It says that it is supposed to restore softness and and shine to your hair. If I can remember, I will will add a review of this later after I try it.

Couture Colour's Pequi Oil Treatment

 So last thing, I took a couple pictures using the products. So here is my October Glam Bag eye look! Oh and I tried to take a picture of my lips to show you the color on me, but my camera did not want to cooperate with me.  

Coastal Scents Eye-shadow Look

Coastal Scents Eye-shadow Look

I used Frosty Taupe on the lid and Raisin Berry in the crease and underneath the eye for a pop of color. I used the Vanilla Sky as a highlight and on my inner corner, but my camera didn't pick it up as nicely as I would have liked. I also used the eyeliner and mascara from this bag as well! I love this look! It is a perfect look for everyday wear!

February Glam Bag

I am so excited to unbox my February Glam Bag!! One of my favorite You-tubers is Michele Phan, a beauty guru! She recently formed a company called MyGlam, which is a subscription service that sends out the Glam Bag. The Glam Bag is a cute little makeup bag, that changes every month. It is filled with 5 or 6 deluxe samples, regular samples, and sometimes even full size beauty products that the MyGlam team of stylists picks out for their subscribers to try. For only $10.00 a month it's no surprise that it sells out quickly! The February Glam Bag is the third glam bag to be sent out and the first that I have been able to receive. I was so excited when I got it in the mail! When I opened up the packaging this is what I saw!

The bag!

 It is so cute! I love the hot pink with black hearts combo! What did I find when I opened up the cute pink with black hearts makeup bag that I love so much? The first thing I saw was a sample of X Out Shine Control.The X Out skin care line was created by the same people that brought you Proactive. This particular sample is an oil free moisturizer that actually gives your skin a matte finish. This is nice because it can also double as a primer for your foundation.

X Out Shine Control

 The next thing that came out of the bag was a full size NYX roll on shimmer. The NYX roll on shimmers come in just about every color you can imagine; and not everyone got the same color. The shade I got is salmon. It is a really pretty peachy gold tan color with subtle hints of pink. If you want to use this product by itself on your eyes, I recommend using an eye primer first, it will help the glitter stay on your lids better!

NYX Roll on Shimmer in Salmon

I wish my camera would have picked up the colors better!

The next thing I saw was a sample of the Premier Dead Sea Cinderella Mask. The sample comes with two packets. One is a Biox Anti-Aging Complex and the other is an Instant Stretching and Revitalizing Mask. Also, inside the little pink pouch they came in is a card that tells you if you like them on Facebook, you will be entered into a contest to win a $1000 shopping spree, so that's pretty nice! I don't know much about the Premier skin care line, but the description card says that it is luxury skincare rich in life-enhancing minerals from the Dead Sea waters.

Premier Dead Sea Face Mask

 The next thing I pulled out of the makeup bag was another sample facial mask. This particular mask is by Freeman Feeling Beautiful. It is a Facial Enzyme Mask in Pineapple. The front of the package says that it restores radiant skin. The back of the package says this enzyme mask, with pineapple extract and AHAs, gently efoliates while it lightly moisturzes, leaving your skin soft, supple, and younger looking. I can't wait to try this!

Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask

 OK, so I have this minor, well major addiction to chocolate. I am sure there are many other people with this same problem. It is a curse, I know, but sadly we just have to live with it I guess. So you can imagine how I must have felt when I pulled out the next thing from the bag. This months bag contained a sweet treat with a note. It says:

Dear Glammies,

 Here's a sweet surprise with love from San Francisco! Enjoy these decadent delights!

xoxo,

The MyGlam Team

Ghirardelli Chocolate

 They were so nice to help feed my addiction with two peices of Ghirardelli chocolate. One milk chocolate and one dark chocolate! Now that I am finally posting this blog and have taken pictures of everything in the glam bag, I can enjoy these two treats! Seriously people, these things have been in my apartment for two weeks and I have not touched them yet, because I haven't had time to write this post. If you know me at all, you know how difficult that is for me to do!

I thought that was everything, but I almost missed this card that was in the bag. Let me tell you I, was super excited about this one when I found it! It is a $100 gift certificate to put towards any professional styling tools and hair extensions at NuMeOnline.com. Since I really need a new hair dryer, this came at a perfect time! Now I just need to remember to use it before it expires!

NuMe Gift Card

 Overall, I love this Glam Bag and I can't wait until I get the March one! If you want to learn more about the Glam bags and MyGlam check out the web site http://www.myglam.com/. It's really easy to sign up, all you have to do is take a style quiz and there's no obligation to subscribe and if you choose to subscribe you can cancel at any time. I'd say for $10 a month, it's worth a try to see if you like it! Talk to you all soon! I'm going to go and enjoy my chocolate now! :)

It's Not Easy Being Green

Some people think it's not easy being green, but actually it is a lot easier than you might think! Yes this is Eco friendly blog day, well for me at least. Do you like to help keep the planet looking beautiful and clean? Sometimes it seems like a really daunting task. Trust me I get it, but it's not like you have to completely readjust your entire life to be Eco friendly! Little things help too! I don't always remember to turn off the lights when I leave a room and I'm really bad about turning off my computer, in fact it's almost always on. I don't always remember to recycle, which is something my 8 year old nephew yells at me about all the time, he's kind of a recycling junkie. In fact he makes all of his friends at school recycle! I do however, like to do my part. What is it that I actually do? Well, when I'm shopping, I try to make purchases that are Eco friendly. I look for things that have reusable or minimal packaging and are made from recycled materials. I try to do this with everything, but it tends to happens more often with bath products and makeup products. My favorite things that I have that are Eco friendly are my makeup brushes. I have quite a few different brands of brushes, but my favorites are my EcoTools brushes! I love them! The handles are made from bamboo and the ferrule(the metal part that holds the bristles) is made from recycled aluminum. The bristles are made from synthetic taklon, which means that they are 100% cruelty free, an added bonus is you're an animal lover like me! The bristles are so soft on your skin and they apply makeup really nicely! The other really great thing about these makeup brushes is that they come packaged in a reusable recycled plastic pouch. They are really well made, too! I have some brushes that the bristles fall out of and they just don't last very long; and I take really good care of my brushes, in order to get the most use out of them. I haven't had any issues with my EcoTools brushes, which to me is money well spent! If you'd like to know more about the EcoTools brand and products, their web site is full of information. Click here to learn more: EcoTools. There are plenty of little things you can do to be Eco Friendly! What are some of the things you do? Leave it in the comments! 

Here is a picture of the brushes I have. There are more brushes than these, I just don't have them...yet. :) I love the bamboo handle! From left to right these are the Powder Brush or All Over Face Brush, Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush, Large Eyeshadow or Blender Brush, Angled Crease Brush, Domed or Highlight Brush, Small Eyeshadow or Shader Brush, and Smudge Brush.

My Ecotools Brushes