Let's Talk Lips!

Hey! It's been a while since I've touched my blog but I'd like to share a little something something from my personal experience on lip products.


First things first you NEED to moisturize you lips! Did you know that the skin on your lips is some of the most fragile skin on your entire body? Lips protect us from mouth breathing in gross bacteria, Lips are what we use to kiss our hunnies ;) , Lips deserve a little love too.

Here are my top 3 favorite Moisturizers (most expensive to least expensive):

1.   Arbonne"Liquid Sunshine" Lip Balm $12.00 - Ive never actually used this new one, but I have used the regular "Lip Balm" in the past. It very quickly worked it's way into my usual regimen. I enjoy this product because it helps a lot with badly chapped lips. I feel the product seeps more into my skin rather than just sitting on top. It's not usually flavored but I don't mind. 
   
2. Burt's Bee's Beeswax Lip Balm - $3.30 Although I do love Arbonne's lip balm, this one comes in a close 2nd because #1 The price #2 All natural + cruelty free. I love the beeswax balm better than the regular balm because it leaves less product and I don't have worry about gross lip balm in my mouth. I buy a bunch at once because I always lose them but they last me a very long time.  
   
3. Chapstick - $1.49 My Go-to on the fly chap stick. Whenever I lose my lip balm (which is often) and i need a cheap re-up I just grab one of these. I don't care for the flavors but I do like the consistency especially during the summer and winter months. The thicker coating helps prevent dryness of my lips. 
   

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Another product that is super popular right now is lip scrubs. If you don't know what they are: a lip scrub is just a exfoliating product for your lips. I don't usually buy these because I make my own with sugar and coconut oil. But if you're not into DIY projects here is my recommendation (based off reviews and hype because I haven't tried it yet but I will soon)

Jefree Stars Velour Liquid Lip Scrub : $12.00 I've never actually used this product but I've wanted to try them since they first made an appearance back in late 2015. Basically here how they work: you dip a finger into the lip scrub, bring it to your lips, and scrub to exfoliate the dead skin. After you felt like you've scrubbed enough, then (the best part) you get to lick it off! Aside from being super adorable in packaging, Velour Lip Scrubs are Vegan, Cruelty Free, and edible! There's 4 different flavors (So Far) go and check them out!

Of course there are other alternatives when it come to lip scrubs and lip exfoliates, I would go with Jeffree's personally. Sephora (higher end) and Ulta ( My fave) both have really good brands and products but I would have to stick with velour as my first time because hello, its all my favorite stuff put into one item!!

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My next big  thing I wanted to get into is lip color. My entire life I've had a love-hate relationship with all and any lipstick, lip crayon, lip paint, lip anything that involves color. Why? I'm a complicated mess. I love food. I love sleeping during the day. I love leaning on my face. I love kissing my bf. I need a lip color that can withstand an entire day of wear and tear by yours truly without it messing up on my face. So I've bought expensive and I've bought cheap but without naming names I couldn't find one brand that actually worked out for me. Until now!! DUN DUN DUN!!

Covergirl Outlast All Day Lipcolor -( Price varies store to store. Walmart has some for $7.50, Ulta sells theirs for $9.99 but its buy one get one 50% off. Covergirl website has them for $8.49)

Covergirl and I go waaaaaay back to my troubled tween years with the black eyes and heavy mascara. I don't know why I never buy their products but I might have to go back to them! I tried this little beauty out by accident when I got desperate for a nude lipstick and I didn't want to pay so much money for something so simple. I picked up their lip color in Forever Fawn, and it looked so natural. It actually stayed so well I had trouble getting it off! ( It lasted through sleep, the shower the next morning, makeup remover, and a face wash) Since then I've bought 3 more and I love all of them. they stay all day long with absolutely no retouch ever. I don't think they feel dry but they do feel like you have something on your lips. They DO NOT BLEED!! They're amazing and so many colors to choose from!

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I hope you enjoyed and learned something from my ranting! This was just a really quick blog post and I hope to get back to blogging again soon! IF you'd like to keep in touch all my info is on
my "Contact Info" page. Have a blessed week!

P.S. I think I'm gonna experiment with coconut oil sometimes soon. If you have any favorite uses or DIY projects let me know! I'd love to try them out to make a blog about it.

Drug Store Finds

Hey Guys,
 So this week I've decided to make my blog all about drug store finds. Of course going to the drug store to buy makeup is always a hit and miss. I used to buy all my makeup at the drug store until my skin started breaking out like crazy, so I had to switch up to something different. Not every piece of makeup is drug store quality just because it's on the shelves of CVS or Walgreens.


As we all know (and if you don't, spoiler!) Star Wars is coming out next month!!! I've always been a fan of science fiction, even though I'll probably forget everyone's names. I really honest to god love Star Trek and although Star Wars is pretty cool, it's only movies. Plus Star Wars doesn't have Spock and we all know he's a dime. Anyways. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that Walgreens had an advertisement for Star Wars themed cosmetics coming out in November or something like that. So I went to CVS the other day to not pick up Star Wars mascara, and I DID ANYWAY!! I also was trolling through the isles and I found E.L.F cosmetics primer and also a pallet from E.L.F. that was relatively cheap so I said "What the hell." and bought it.

First Impressions:

Star Wars Mascara!!

I've been pestering my boyfriend for weeks with my rampage about all this Star Wars themed stuff going on. Honestly, in my personal opinion I hate going to the movies. I hate kids, not all of them but most of them. So because of my antisocial-ness + my annoyance with children I will most likely stay home for the first couple of weeks from Star Wars because I'm not letting anyone ruin this for me.

SO when I was at the store I picked this little beauty up because I freaking love mascara and it's freaking Star Wars.  When I got home, I realized I had number 3/10 "You're my Only Hope." Which almost made me cry because I love it so much.

 Pros:

The application is flawless. I have to admit I was skeptical because of the brush. It's so freaking thin and the bristles are super little! On the package it says this mascara will lift and flare out your lashes. It so does. I think it's absolutely true to advertisement and I am debating about buying every single one of them!!
 Cons: 
 The only Con to me would be how great it is! you can only put one coat on because it will make your lashes clump up a'f. 

STAR WARS LIMITED EDITION SUPER SIZER MASCARA THE LIGHT SIDE - $6.85 

E.L.F. Studio Hydrating Face Primer!!

If you know me, I'm pretty cheap. The only things I really enjoy splurging on is makeup + Starbucks. And of course CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. But since I'm so lazy I've been out of face primer for probably way too long. The last primer I used was NYX Photo-loving Primer. This was the original reason for my visit to CVS. As I was looking for the NYX stand, I came across this primer. I originally got it because it claims to be hydrating which is so good for my skin this time of year because with all the cleansing I do my skin can get pretty dry. 

 

e.l.f. Studio Hydrating Face Primer - $6.00

Pros:

Super Hydrating! My face feels so fresh and soft now! One pump is really all you need.

Cons: 

I don't like how thin the formula is. Although it works good to hydrate it doesn't seem to get my face prepped enough to actually start my makeup process. I put about two layers to really get it blended out and that works good for me. 

 E.L.F. California Pallet:

As I was shopping I was looking for Milani Eye shadows (because I  was set on doing this blog on Saturday along with a tutorial which I never actually got to) I was passing up the E.L.F. shelf when I saw they had some new pallets. The shimmer looked really good on both of them and since most of my makeup is dark, I decided to go with the lighter colors and get the California pallet instead of the Texas.

  

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eye Shadow Pallet in California - $10.00

Pros: 

 I really enjoy the colors in this pallet. I like how shimmery they are and how well this pallet can work with any eye color especially brown and blue!

Cons:

If you don't use a eye shadow primer usually, I would recommend using one for this pallet. The colors are pigmented but without anything to stick to they come right off. 
 

Overall, You Can never go wrong with some really thrifty shopping. I love all of my goodies! I hope you found this blog helpful! Thank you all so much! Don't forget to follow me on instagram!

Fall Eye Turtorial

Hey guys! I know I've been so lazy lately you probably all forgot all about my blog. I reassure you, I'm still here!! Anyways, recently I've been so busy failing all my classes and wrapped up in my super crazy Halloween costume, (which I have to include a photo of because it was AMAZING. My sister and I have been planning it since February of this year! Of course, I'm sad that it's over but I'm also relieved because I can go back to blogging again!) that I haven't been able to blog anything new and for that I apologize!  So here's my costume:

I was just a regular mermaid, but my dad wanted to try and win a contest on Facebook so here I am being a model a'f. 

 Anyways, since I have been so busy I haven't really bought many new products… okay that's a lie! But I want to save some for future blogs because they're so amazing I'd love to stretch them out as long as I can! Since fall is already coming to a close, I've decided to do a mini turtorial of what my eyeshadow was like today. Using all fall colors can be a little tricky, especially the oranges, but with the right products your eyes will pop! 

This time I've included videos!! I know they're short and gross looking but bare with me. I tried to use the YouTube app but my iPhone apparently has no more room and my camera was being stupid so I resorted to good old SnapChat.

Lets Get Started:

1. First And Most Important is to start off with a fresh face. Since I took pictures later in the day, I removed only my eye makeup but kept them brows doe.

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2. Eye Primer! I know a lot of people think primer is a waste of time. It so isn't. Yes, you could most certainly just use your foundation as an eye primer but it's probably going to make your eye shadow crease and we all no that is no bueno. So for this tutorial I am using my most favorite eye shadow primer. URBAN DECAY BABY!

The best part about this primer is that you only need to add a little. Honestly this picture is so inaccurate because even this amount was too much! 

Blending your primer is super important! Urban Decay is my favorite, but without actually blending it, it can get caked up and that's no good!

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3. EYE SHADOW!! (Pallets and where to find them are included at the bottom of page) Always always always start with highlight because trust me, just do it.So for my highlight I used the peachy gold on the top of the pallet. ( Sorry no names were included!)

I personally like to blend my highlight first because it is on the outer part of the eye so too much glitter or too much "white" will definitely show, and for this look light colors are no very important. ( Brushes and where to find them will be included on bottom as well.)

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Our Second color includes a mix of both the Orange (top) and NYX Glam Shadow in OVER THE TOP (bottom). I used both of these for my lid. 

Patting, not blending the colors will leave you with more coverage. 

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Next I used Wrath from Kat Von D's Monarch Pallet. Because the orange is much more deep in pigment I added this to the very outer corner of my lid creating some more definition. I also used the gold color Summerfly. I forgot to include a photo but you can see it one color over. I used this right before the highlight on the very inner of my lid for some dazzle. 

Adding Wrath

Adding Summerfly

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Starting to work on the shadows I mixed both the red (top) & brown (bottom) to crate a sort of base color for my crease.

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Since the color ended up being more brown than red, and everything in this pallet is super shimmery, I wanted something Matte so I went back using my Kat Von D Eye Contour Pallet in Succubus to add some more definition to my crease. I used the skinny side of my eye contour brush because I wanted more crease definition instead of making a big red mess.

Mixing both Sytry (top) from the Shade light pallet and Deadhead (bottom) from the Monarch pallet, I added more definition on the other part of my crease. Using dark colors will help you create a deeper looking crease for bigger eyes. since we've put so much work into colors this will really help them stand out.

Lastly, I added Laetus from the Shade & Light pallet to make sure my highlights are still there and to blend the darker colors into my brow and inner eye area.

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Not really sure why this is sideways. But anyways, if you're not a fan of the tape method then eye shadow clean up is a must! Concealer is really good for this but because I don't really use concealer I decided to use my NYX eye shadow base in skin tone. This works really well for me because my skin has a little more color so this blends perfectly. since its a shadow base after I'm done with my cleanup I just go back with my face highlight and it stick so well its like the mess was never there to begin with!

Using my small eye shadow brush, I dip it into the base and blend it starting from my outer eye to the end of my brow to create a nice line for where i want my wing to be.

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Finally Mascara and eyeliner time! I only bought the trial size of this mascara, but if you don't have it GET IT. It's literally amazing and it's my favorite!

The Final Look:

Brushes: 

Arbonne's Brush Set. I didn't use all of these brushes, but it's such a deal compared to what other brushes cost. Plus they're vegan. I used both the Eye shadow brush + The blending brush + the small eye shadow brush. 

Brush Set #7098 - $38.00 

Kat Von D's Shade & Light eye Contour Brush. At first I was like "I'm not paying for that" But I'm so happy I did! This brush can be used for anything!! I love it and I totally recommend it. ALSO VEGAN.  

Shade + Light Eye Contour Brush - $29.00

Once again I'd just like to thank all of you beautiful people for looking at my blog and keeping me busy! I hope this tutorial helped you and I didn't include pallet info because I have done so in my previous posts. The only pallet I didn't include was the one I used for the super un- descriptive colors but I bought that a long time ago and the closest thing to it would be E.L.F.'s Pro Pallet ( I'll include a link.) Of course I'm so thankful for all my new followers on Instagram, and all of your encouragement! I hope to do more of these tutorials, hopefully I'll get my you tube up and working so it would be less reading and more watching! Sorry for the weird talking in some of the videos, my mom came in and was asking me weird stuff. Lol. So thank you to everyone! If you're not already following me, then you can find my info on my info page! Have a great weekend!

Red Hair, Don't Care.

Red Hair, Don't Care.

Hey, hey, hey there! So this week's blog isn't exactly about makeup.. well, okay it isn't about makeup at all. My hair needed to be badly redone, and for the sake of this very blog, and all you who actually read this I decided "Do it for the blog. Go big or go home. I am mixing my own hair dye."

Have I ever done this before? No.

Was I scared to try? Yes, very.

If you know me personally, then you know my hair has never been the same all the time.

I've had long natural hair, to a shaved head, to a pixie cut. From brown to Auburn, to Black and Purple, then a light Burgundy. 

I've only been coloring my hair for about a year, and I do use extra conditioners, and strengthening serums. I don't necessarily "style" my hair 24/7 because I like it to be natural just to give it a break every once in a while. When i first started getting my hair colored I would go to the salon and get it done for me, but since I have been on sort of a budget and I wasn't really feeling like committing to anything long term, I'd been using pre-mixed colors from your usual drug store. That's not always a problem but I knew I wanted my hair to be more vibrant.  

So last week, I was on you tube ( Always dangerous idea wise. Lol) and I watched several videos that all seemed to use the same products. I like burgundy because the red is deep, and not startling. But I also like cherry red because the red is more red than purple. So having said that, you have an idea where this is going.

Pick Your Poison:

For any of you that have never actually stepped into a Sally Hansen store, let me give you the run down. You walk in, expected to know what to pick. The isles are small. The women are pushy. It's hot. And all of a sudden you find yourself looking at a wall of hair colors. So many possibilities, so many new "You's". It can be a little overwhelming if you're not used to something like that. Lucky for me, I never shop without a list so I knew exactly what I was looking for.

 

L'Oreal Oreor 20 Vol. Creme Developer - $4.29 

L'Oreal Excellence HiColor Highlights - $6.59

 Since I was searching for more of a red burgundy, I decided to try Loreal Excellence HiColor Highlights in Magenta, and I bought two for more vibrant, even coverage. OKAY BACKSTORY TIME!! My hair was crazy black, not a good look I should say. So i had it for about a week, was over it, went back to the salon and they had to do a complete color lift to my hair. Since then I have had really blonde highlights making it kind of hard to dye my hair any other colors without the blonde peeking through. Because I didn't want my hair to be too light I decided to use a 20 Vol. developer. enough to lift my brown but not so much as to bleach my blonde. 

The Process: 

Being able to take care of your hair at home is nice. You know what isn't nice? Assembling and disassembling your own hair studio while trying to create a master piece. It is easy though, so here's what you'll need. 

• A mixing bowl + Brush for the color
• Gloves (Always Gloves Always)
• Vaseline ( If I don't use Vaseline I do use alcohol swabs to take the dye off of my skin)
• Paper Towels for clean up
• An Old T-Shirt to wear
• Bare Feet (Sometimes you can misfire and you don't want stained socks) 

• Dark Colored Towel for Rinsing Hair 

After you're all set up, its a lot easier to just section out the hair and be done with it. Trust me.   

 So my set up was two full L'Oreal hair colors in Magenta, and I just used to recommended amount of  developer. I let it sit for about 30 Minutes.

The Results:

Hair Color Before

Hair Color After

Hair Color Before

Hair Color After

After Care: 

When coloring your hair, especially when going with outrageous colors its good to give your hair a break. My natural hair is very curly, and I hate it! I also hate straightening it every single day because that can cause so many problems. Since I want my hair to stay red, Ive been washing it every three days. I know, gross right? It can be gross if you don't take care of it. My number one favorite item to use after coloring my hair is a deep conditioner. Sometimes when you buy the pre- mixed dyes from the drug store it comes with a color safe "deep conditioner". They don't always suck, but they can. So since I'm addicted to shopping, I found the PERFECT option for me! I actually found it by accident. I always make the mistake of just assuming the Sally's by my house has the products I see on their website. I'm never disappointed but when shopping there it's probably better to just go in with a general idea of what you want instead of expecting them to have exactly what you're looking for. Anyways, I found this hair masque:

 Proclaim's Argan Oil Intense Hair Masque - $7.99

It instantly became my favorite because it smells so good! I love fruity scents, and this definitely has one. Although, it isn't over powering, it's more of a natural scent. It's still very pretty. 

Anyways, like I said, I wash my hair every three days in COLD water. The cold water wont mess up the color like hot water will, trust me. Red hair bleeds literally forever, and if you're using hot water to rinse you might as well have not even wasted your money on the hair color because it's not going to stay. 

 My schedule usually goes like this: 

• Sunday Night: Rinse, Deep Condition, Rinse, Shampoo.
• Monday: Curly Hair
• Tuesday: Straighten ( Leave Down)
• Wednesday: I just wear my hair what ever way, sometimes I will straighten it again.
• Thursday: Bun + Rinse Night 

If you make the extra effort to take care of your hair, it will always be healthy and vibrant. If you don't already use a deep conditioner I would get one. The one recommended is relatively cheap and accessible. Even if you don't color your hair, or straighten it, or curl it, a deep conditioner will make your hair SO soft. And this one is anti-humidity which is absolutely perfect for me, and I'm sure for all of you since winter is just around the corner. 

 

 

The Verdict: 

 

It's officially been two weeks since I've first colored my hair red.  Mixing my own hair dye was.. an experience. I'm not totally against it , but I do recommended visiting YouTube first! Since I first colored my hair, it's been bleeding every time I wash it, which was expected. The color is still so fresh and even though its "faded" now it's the very shade of Burgundy that I was aiming for (with a little more red). I love it. Here's pictures from this very morning (excuse the curly).

 

Thank you all for spending your precious morning reading my blog! 

Don't forget to follow my Instagram for blog updates and giveaways!

Giveaway Palettes First Impressions + Swatches!

Hey Guys!

If you follow my Instagram, then you already know about my giveaway. And if you don't please let me explain:

Like most bloggers I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that there are other people reading what I have to say. Because I wanted to reach a bigger audience I  decided to do my very first giveaway. (Since I have no sponsors at the moment, this is all coming out my personal money) I love love love eye shadows, and I love love love free things. So what's better than free eyeshadows?? Um, how about nothing. Nothing at all. Even oxygen comes second to free makeup. Dramatic? No, not at all.

So since Instagram is all the rage these days with the youngins I posted a contest that would guarantee two lucky winners to win two of the very eye shadow palettes (one each) that I have been dying to own myself. Plus of course, one Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Yesterday I received the palettes in the mail, (FINALLY) and I am now ready to post my first impressions +Swatches for you gals, so you know the quality of my gift to you plus who doesn't like to gawk at swatches?

 

Nude Dude Vol. 2 from the Balm Cosmetics

First Impressions:

Packaging is almost too cute! If any of you are unfamiliar with the Balm's packaging then let me tell you, its always the best. I love their covers to all of their eyeshadows and the names of them make buying the products 100% more fun! I love that this palette comes with a mirror on the inside along with a mini brush! Double free bees are always nice!

 

 

 

Swatches:

I know the colors of the swatches are hard to see, but I'm assuming it's because this palette is a "nude" palette. The colors are more pigmented in person.

Lorac Pro Palette 2

First Impressions:

I absolutely love this packaging. It totally has a red carpet feel. Although opening it up is a little strange, it includes a small primer to go along with the shadows so that's a bonus. The colors are so pretty, and they come with a protector to keep the extra fly away dust from being stuck to the inner mirror, and I always love that.

 

 

 

Swatches:

This pallete is my absolute new favorite! I love how pigmented all the colors are, and even though they look faded I'm sure it's just because I only put one layer. Most of the colors are shimmery, but who cares. I love it.

 Summary:

Both palletes are very pretty. I do think the Lorac pallete packs a little more punch, but the novelty of the the Nude Dude makes both a pretty much even tie. I used my own Urban Decay primer potion as a base for these swatches just to keep it all uniform for when the winners receive their prizes! I'm so excited to reveal the winners, and I hope all you girls are too! Thanks so much to everyone who's entered and read my blog. Thank you all so much!