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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

FREE SAMPLES from Pristine Skin Care!!

 
 
http://www.pristineskincare.com/sample.htm

Get a FREE personalized sample from Pristine Skin Care. Just click the link above, that will lead you to a form. Just put in your personal information, skin type & skin condition!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Beauty News!!

35 DAYS UNTIL NO BUY MONTH!!

Now that that's out of the way...
Another long week and more beauty goods to be had.

Sephora -nothing interesting as far as sales go, but always check the sale page for new stuff!

Ulta
Travel sized Smashbox primers are $10
Ulta products are BOGO FREE!!!
Revlon, Covergirl, Almay and L'Oreal are buy 2 get 1 FREE!

Walgreens
Covergirl, Cerave and Neutrogena are BOGO 50%
Olay age defying, fresh effects skin care are $12.99

CVS
Covergirl & Neutrogena are BOGO 50%

Rite Aid
Covergirl, Olay, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Revlon, Neutrogena & Rite Aid cleansers are BOGO 50%
Physicians Formula BOGO FREE!



Review: Lipstick ( Part 1)

     I know, I know, I'm late with the review, BUT I made it! I had a lot of stuff going on this week. My biggest project being a yard sale. If you ever had one, you know how crazy it is. So far we sold a few things, but I'm hopeful at least half of this stuff will be gone by tonite!
     Anyway on to the review- This review is only on regular lipstick (mineral/moisture rich/ high gloss). I will review matte and lip tints/stains in a separate review. Also this is only part 1 of the review. I have so many different brands (and still want a couple more) that I had to break this review into sections as to not bore you, or confuse you with a 25 lipstick review.


Covergirl Queen Collection $7 (local drugstore/ Target)- The color I chose was "burgundelicious."I love this color! The lipstick is moisturizing, pigmented and lasts a long time! I use this color and it's actually my mom's go to color.  For the price I think this is a great lipstick. It's the same quality as the regular Covergirl lipstick ( I recommend "spellbound") The range of colors is also amazing!


N.Y.C. $1 (local drugstores)- Sheer color, smooth, provide a shiny finish/ semi moisturizing. Staying power is ok considering the price a couple hours maybe. Even if the color wears off the moisture stays. Maybe the lipsticks would stay on longer and show up better with a primer underneath. ( guess I'll test this theory soon)

E.L.F $1 (eyeslipsface.com)-This lipstick is kind of weird. It's pigmented and goes on smooth but the texture of the actual lipstick look bumpy,almost like sand. I guess that's the glitter inside the lipstick. Not matte, but definitly not shiny. Not very moisturizing.




E.L.F Mineral lipstick $3 (eyeslipsface.com)- Goes on soft and smooth. Rich color. Lasts about 3
hours. Got lots of compliments on the color (cheerful cherry). Needed to reapply the lipstick and chapstick throughout the day.



Mirabella $26 (birchbox.com)- Moisturizing.
Very sheer, but still adds a touch of color.
Has shine all the time!







Ulta Lipstick $8 (ulta.com)- VERY SOFT, silky, not 100% pigment, but you still get a nice color,
moisturizing. Slight shine. No need for lip balm/chapstick. Because of the softness, I would recommend using a brush to apply it and I would also recommend NOT carrying this lipstick around on hot days, it will melt quickly.



Rimmel $6 (local drugstores)- IMMENSE staying power. I only applied it ONCE!! It still held up through eating and drinking. Lasted about 6 hours w/o reapplying. Moisturizing, pigmented. Compared to other lines, there aren't a lot of color choices, but you will find a red for every skin tone.

Maybelline Wetshine $7- (local drugstores)
Slick, shiny, creamy, moisturizing.
Nice range of metallic color.
Light colors do not last as long as the dark colors.







NYX $3 (beauty supply stores)- At Ulta and the NYX website this lipstick can be about $6.
Oily, slick, nice colors with alright staying power, but 2 coats are needed to insure you get the deep, rich color you signed up for. Like the color I tested "bruised" I hat to blot after the first coat and reapply to get the color in the tube.

Too Faced $21- (ulta.com & toofaced.com ) Thick, shiny, stays on a LONG time, creamy, iridescent. If the color fades the sparkly shininess is still there.




I judged these lipsticks based on:
moisture
staying power
affordability
pigmentation
color choices
EXTRAS things I considered were shininess and texture.

     The 'winner' of this series of getting A's in all the catergories would be Covergirl. It only beats out Rimmel because of the vast color choices. After trying the Mirabella and Too Faced lipsticks, I'm kind of glad I didn't pay for them ( one was a gift and the other was in my birchbox). For the price the price of these lipsticks I expected them to the standouts.
The ELF studio lipstick was also good if you're looking for an even cheaper alternative, but once again you're limited by color choices.
     NYX, Ulta and ELF $1 lipsticks seem to have the same problem. The color and texture intensity changes based on the color of the lipstick. With ELF the "sociable" (which I used for this review) was sandy, but the coral color was soft, smooth, but less pigmented. With NYX the dark color "bruised" needed 2 coats to look pigmented and even. The texture was also oily while the coral I tried for NYX was more pigmented and creamy. It was a similar story with Ulta the color I tested was creamy, but I bought another darker color that was more sheer and slick.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Beauty News

     Hi again!! Another week gone, another week closer to "No Buy Month" which happens to be in 42 DAYS! I don't now how I'm going to make it and it hasn't even started yet. Everyday I add to my mental list of things to buy.
But let's not dwell on that now!

This week!!!

Ulta
All Ulta brand cosmetics start at $1
Covergirl, Physicians Formula, NYX, Maybelline, Prestige, Palladio are BOGO 50%
Almay cosmetics start at $1.29 and get a free gift when you spend $12 on Almay cosmetics
Japonesque brushes are Buy one, get one FREE
Skincare is 15% off
Clean&Clear, Neutrogena, Simple, YES, Olay, Biore, Lumene, St.Ives and Noxema are BOGO 50%
( sales are in effect until July 27th)
Sephora
Check out there sale page.

Walgreens
BOGO 50%- Covergirl, L'Oreal, Revlon, Maybelline and Aveeno
St. Ives is 25% off

Rite Aid
Sally Henson Cosmetics 40% off
Almay $5.99
Wet n Wild  30% off
Physicians Formula eye makeup and concealer buy one get one FREE
BOGO 50%- Maybelline, Revlon, Covergirl, Olay and L'Oreal

CVS
BOGO 50%- Revlon, Khroma, Neutrogena, Acnefree and St. Ives
Physicians Formula 40% off

 ALSO on hautelook.com  the is a Crown Brush Beauty bag for $20
The bag includes 12 set of brushes, 36 eyeshadow palette, eyeliner w/sharpener, 4 kabuki brushes and a bag to keep it all in. Final cost about $28 (including tax & shipping)
HURRY!! the even closes on Monday at 8am pacific time

The also have BH event going on, when you can get 120 color eyeshadow palettes for $15
and a set of 10 Eco Friendly brushes for $14.
This even closes on Tuesday at 8am pacific time.


Saturday, July 20, 2013

How I do my makeup-Liquid Foundation


     Well lovelies, we have come to the last installment in my makeup series, how I liquid apply liquid makeup. Liquid was my usual "go to" for special events because of my former cream makeup aversion. Liquid foundation provides light to medium coverage and set with powder. As usual I have to mix my liquid foundation to get the right color.

1. Here's a reminder of my before picture.
I have already cleansed, moisturizer and treated my face.
I have also applied the MUD corrector to all the places I wanted cover up.








2. I used 2 new concealers, which I will review later. I used the Almay line corrector for under my eyes and the Black Radience concealer for the rest of my face.





3. I used 2 different liquid foundations, Classic Tan by Covergirl and Warm Sand
by Rimmel. The Rimmel color is incredibly versatile! I have used it for people of all different backgrounds and it's seems to be the color I use the most to lighten darker liquid foundations. It lightens without making the new color ashy or beige.

I normally don't use my palette at home so I mix the colors on the back of my compact (after I cleaned it off of course.) I apply liquid foundation using a Stipple brush by e.l.f. $3. It gives me a light, even, quick application. Plus since I'm using 2 colors, it   preads them around easily.
 

4. I set my liquid foundation with the Naked pressed powder by Revlon, $10. If you read my review on it you know why I love it! It's a light, nearly invisible powder. Plus it's hot out now and who wants to add another heavy layer of makeup on. After I use the powder I gel my brows.


5. Next, I fill in my brows
and add my usual blush. For my eyes I used NYX
eyeshadow base in white. The palette I'm using is by MAKE. I put the royal blue in the in corner of my eyes. I used the navy for the center section and the gray for the outer corner. I blended these shadows up into my crease.
I finished it with a Navy eyeliner from Wet n' Wild $1.




6. I finished the look with a lipstick form the MAKE palette. (forgot to take pics of the lipstick on me ) These are pics of the finished look and a details of my eye makeup and the palette. A red "X" is over the color I didn't use.
I had issues with blending the eyeshadow no matter what tool I tried. That dark grey just didn't want to blend at all! The lipstick I used was a matte red/brown. I circled it in the pic below.



 
That's it for my makeup application series. If it wasn't helpful I hope you enjoyed it and if you didn't enjoy it I hope it was helpful! I will review the products listed in this article at a later date (if I haven't already) Hold tight! I have another article coming later today.



Friday, July 19, 2013

$1 *GEM*

I'm sure you know how difficult it is, finding GOOD cosmetics on the CHEAP! It's even MORE difficult finding things for $1. I have found a bunch of crap (of course) but I remain undeterred from my bargain quest!I picked up 2 sure fire *GEM*'s this week and some others I hope work.
This week I bring you a face brush I bought at a discount store "Deals."
I already own 1 (my friend gave it to me) but I decided to get one to try. Plus, it was only a buck...and even though these bucks are starting to add up, I promised to bring you the BEST!
I own one from the "Body Shop" and this face brush is similar in size, just with a longer handle.
     The bristles are harder on the *GEM* brush, so I would only recommend using it if you have tougher skin, and are accustomed to more abrasive cleansing/exfoliating. And even then, ONE scrubbing a day should do it.
      I used apricot scrub everyday to exfoliate then cleanse. With this brush I can exfoliate my regular cleanser, eliminating a step in my daily regimen (Which is always helpful)
     I usually dampen my face, apply cleanser then use the brush, in a swirling motion to spread it around into all my face crevices, for at least 1 minute.
     If you are in the market for a face brush, just try your local discount store to see how one like this *GEM* will work for you. Then maybe, if you feel like it's beneficial to your skincare, you might want to splurge on an electronic one.
 
(in all pics the *GEM* is on the left and the 'Body Shop' brush is on the right)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Weekly Review- Powder Blush

     I have met quite a few people, that when I mention the word "blush", they mention their disdain for the product. Why?! I love blush! I imagine that these people have had bad experiences or have seen terrible examples of it's application. Many people imagine a clown like appearance or just two oddly placed pink circles on the face.

     I love blush because it adds LIFE to the face, especially after applying any type of foundation or bb cream. After a base application I feel the face looks flat and unnatural so the RIGHT color blush will add a natural look, a youthful appearance or help sculpt features.
    
     The right color is important. Too light of a color on dark skin and you will not see the color and the powder could make the cheeks look ashy. Too dark of a color on light skin looks like someone punched you in the face. I prefer natural colors of blush as opposed to fashion colors. A purple/lavender plush could look great, but personally I'd only use it on someone with purple in their skin tone or people with darker complexions.

here are my recommendations.
fair/light complexions-light pinks, light peaches. For drama maybe very light lavenders with lots of pink in them.
olive/medium/tan complexions-mauves, medium pinks, deep corals.  For people, like myself , with very warm undertones, orangey browns work as well.
dark/deep complexions- burgundy, orangey golds, deep reds, deep mauves.

     Application is also important.  Not everyone could pull off blush right on the apples of the cheeks, which is usually a common mistake. Older people should wear blush higher up on the face, right on the cheek bone. Blush worn to far down could visually drag down the face. This also works for people with chubbier faces. Applying blush this way defines cheek bones and also slims the face, especially when used with contour marks.
Blush applied high on the cheeks in a sharp line is more for fashion. It's used to sculpt the face. Applying blush on the apples of the cheeks provides a youthful appearance and pop of color. DON'T FORGET TO BLEND! Blending is the most helpful tool in your makeup kit.

Now for the review!
     I took a picture of each blush, but the pictures do not do the colors justice. I also provided a pic of swatch of the color on my arm. I only swiped the color once using my finger. For a more intense color, the blush can be layered using multiple applications of the same color or by mixing colors.

 Bombshell, $26, Beach Please-caution! Use lightly. This color was bright, deep and pigmented, I didn't need much. Lasts all day. Goes on smooth, blendable and easily layered (even though you don't need to layer it)







e.l.f ,$3, Marvelous Mauve-goes on very sheer. Not as pigmented as the others, but can be easily layered. Very good product for blush beginners, only because beginners usually use more product than normal (I know from experience.) This color shown. is my go to color. I usually apply about 3 layers for a natural look. It's good for the price, but there are other products shown here that are an even BETTER deal!






NYX, $6, Silky Rose -
a little goes a long way, I did not expect that. It lasts the entire day. It was VERY blendable, with no fallout. Might become my new everyday blush. It's a great value!




Physicians Formula, $14, Natural-the most natural looking blush, I think it's b/c of the variety of colors layered in the one compact. Smooth, blends great. I was not a fan of the slight shimmer.
In the pic the top color is 1 color swatched from a big heart shaped portion of the blush. The bottom swatch is all the colors swirled together.






Sleek, $12.49 for a trio, $6 for a single, Pumpkin-UNBELIEVABLY pigmented! Please use this carefully. I dug right in and spent 10 mins. trying to correct my mistake. In the trio set each color can be worn alone or layered on top of each other. No fall out, soft, no mess whatsoever! Comes in great colors! Especially for the price and quality this blush is highly recommended. It's just as good as the bombshell blush at a fraction of the price. Even purchasing a trio is a great deal.

 





 
 



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Monday, July 15, 2013

*NEW* My Week in Makeup

I have decided to add a NEW element to my blog. I hope it helps you, because I know it motivates me to do more amazing work. I don't wear makeup everyday, but when I do I'll record it especially for you and tell you what I used.
Most of the time I used NYX eye base in white $6, E.L.F Mineral Mascara $3 or L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara $12. The brand of eye shadows I use varies.

 NYC Individualeyes Central Park palette. $4
 
Hard Candy Green with Envy palette. $6
 
L.A. Colors eyeshadow IRIS trio. $1.50
 
L.A. Colors eyeshadow LOTUS trio. $1.50
 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Beauty News!

Good Afternoon! now a public service announcement...
49 DAYS UNTIL "NO BUY MONTH"!!!
     In case you need a reminder, September 1st starts "No Buy Month" when no beauty products will be bought over a period of 30 days.
     I'm sad to say that since I scheduled this challenge, I have bought A LOT of stuff this month and it's only 2 weeks in! I'm hoping this buying bug is out of my system.

     Also, my blog has officially made 6 months!!! I'm excited and proud to have come this far and stuck with my blog this long. They say it takes 6 weeks to create a habit,  so after 6 months I now expect to have acquired blog writing as part of my life.

On to this weeks sales!
Ulta and Sephora are having the same specials as I posted last week.

CVS
BOGO 50% -Revlon, Neutrogena, Clean&Clear, Olay, Roc, NYC and Physicians Formula.

Walgreens
BOGO 50%-Neutrogena cleansers and Revlon
L'Oreal true match, telescopic mascara and BB cream are $7.99

Rite Aid
Revlon 40% off
NYC BOGO FREE!
BOGO 50% -Almay, Maybelline eye & nail, Neutrogena eye & lip, L'Oreal and Covergirl.

I have added a new section to this blog that features my makeup for the week. Specifically, my eye makeup since that's usually the focus and the part of the face where I can be the most creative.
I hope you enjoy it along with every other part of my blog.




How I Do My Makeup-Cream Foundation

"Hello. My name is April and I have aversion to cream foundation. "
     I was taught that cream foundation was not for oily skin...but it depends on HOW oily. If you can see the oil sheen all over the face, probably a bad idea to use cream foundation. If you are oily in certain areas or just oily in the 't-zone', that's normal and the use of cream foundation is fine.
     Cream foundation provides the most coverage ( usually advertised as full coverage.)
With cream foundation you can go without concealer, since the cream is full coverage. The use of a color corrector is still necessary, especially under the eyes where you want as little makeup as possible. (too much makeup under they eyes, make you look older or tired)



1. I applied my color corrector to my under eye circles and dark spots. I mix 2 colors to get my perfect shade. The lighter color I use around my eyes and up my cheek bones for a natural highlight. ( the color on top is the lighter color, it's the only color I have on in the picture.)
The cream foundation I used was from MUD, palette $120, compact $24 (of course that's before my pro discount)

I used this foundation brush by Ecotools, $8  
    

2. Then I used a mixture of the 2 colors above to cover the rest of my face. I set the cream with a light powder, NYX matte finishing powder, $10. I applied it using a large powder puff also from MUD, $5 for 2.
 After this, I used brow gel
 and pencil on my eyebrows.







 3. I applied blush, my usual E.L.F. blush for $3.
I used my 'go-to' palette, which is also by E.L.F. I used a blue half way up my eyelid, a bronze from the blue section up into the crease, and a gold as my highlight. I also used a teal pencil shimmer liner by E.L.F. $1 and Mineral Mascara $3.

 
 
4. To complete the look I used a Rimmel Lipstick #10, $6. I will review this lipstick later...but I must say I think that it's probably the BEST lipstick you could by in a drugstore!
 
     This was my "Girls Night Out" look complete  with black jumpsuit...no heels.
I did do some contouring after this photo was taken. I omitted it because it's not something I do everyday.
      Next week will be the last of these makeup segments and it will involve liquid makeup. I will bring you a *new* section showing my eye makeup for the week.
     If anything, I hope these segments give you ideas on what to do with your makeup and answers any questions you may have. If you have any addition questions, please leave them in the comments below. Until tomorrow :)


Saturday, July 13, 2013

$1 *GEM*

This weeks $1 *GEM* comes from my trip to 'Big Lots'.
     I went to look for a new table and storage options for my ever growing cosmetics and skin care collection and came out with more makeup and skin care products.
Brief reason why I like 'Big Lots', they sell products that are still on the market and not everything is something discontinued like in some other places.
    
     The *GEM* is makeup wipes by 'epielle'. I'm guessing it's  a no name brand, but at $1 I figure I could spare it and take a chance.

Why I picked them & what makes them good:
-cucumber: cooling. refreshing, soothing, green tea, aloe, vitamin e
-oil free
-hypoallergenic
-moisturizing
-won't clog pores
-alcohol free
After seeing this on the packaging, how could I NOT want to try them!

Things I discovered by using them:
-the wipes are soft, not stiff and paper-like, like other cheap wipes
-smells amazing: natural cucumber smell
-actually cleans well, removes makeup, however, not great at removing mascara.
-moist wipes, not dry, you get a good amount of moisture on the wipe. When I opened my package, my first wipe was a little dry, but the next one was great.
-also these wipes are good even if you're not wearing makeup. Use just as a refresher throughout your day.
PLUS there are 30 wipes in 1 pack

     I would recommend these wipes to anyone, especially people on a really tight budget, who want to be fabulous. By all means, I am not dismissing any other makeup wipe I've tried. For the price these ones are the BEST! I've tried 2 other brands of $1 makeup wipes that were absolute trash! (and 1 was by a name brand company)
     If you are near a 'Big Lots' check these out! I was promised a return trip back to the store this weekend, so I will be picking up some more and maybe they're 'cousin' the cleansing face wipes...which I will gladly review. I hope those will be a *GEM* as well!




Thursday, July 11, 2013

Best $10 (or LESS) I Ever Spent...

So I went on a trip to CVS last weekend and got a bunch of stuff for very little! I bought about 7 items and used 12 coupons LOL...some of which I got out of the "magic" coupon machine inside the store.
For a total of $9.66 I got 4 Covergirl products.
2 Duo Eyeshadow Pens
2 Tinted lipglosses
3 of the items were 50% off and 1 was regular price.
I used a $4 off manufacturers coupon
20% 1 regular price item store coupon
$4 of $12 cosmetic purchase

FREE SAMPLES from Become Beauty

Become Beauty Natural cosmetic productshttp://www.becomebeauty.com/Products/Free-Sample/

Get these free samples TODAY!! Just fill out the form for a sample pack valued at $40!!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Beauty News AND Challenge Countdown!

     Another week and here we are!! It will be 6 months on Tuesday that I started this blog. Although I haven't worked out all the kinks, I'm getting there and I keep chugging along trying to bring you the what, where, and how in skincare and cosmetics. I have decided to add more articles in addition to the ones I post weekly, including makeup challenges, matchups and beauty side-by-sides.
     For our first challenge, I would like to institute a "NO BUY MONTH" where no one buys ANY cosmetics for an entire month! Difficult I know...VERY difficult for me because I try to stay current in what new products are out there. I am also a sale-a-holic :( . I can not resist a sale, especially if I have a coupon.

Rules for "NO BUY MONTH" are:
-no cosmetics. PERIOD
-skincare products are acceptable
-browsing is permitted...just no buying
-beauty box subscriptions are permitted (only b/c it's a pain in the ass to cancel and reactivate)
-products from the beauty boxes will not be used until the end of "NO BUY MONTH"
-"NO BUY MONTH" will begin SEPTEMBER 1, 2013
PLEASE take this challenge will me. It will be great for everyone. Throughout September. I will post ideas on how to revitalize the makeup you already own and news ways to use it.
I'll update the countdown weekly, to give you time to get the cosmetic retail therapy out of your system.
56 DAYS UNTIL "NO BUY MONTH"!!!

While it's still alright to buy things let's get on to the sales
Ulta
All Ulta brand cosmetics start at $1
Covergirl, Physicians Formula, NYX, Maybelline, Prestige, Palladio are BOGO 50%
Almay cosmetics start at $1.29 and get a free gift when you spend $12 on Almay cosmetics
Japonesque brushes are Buy one, get one FREE
Skincare is 15% off
Clean&Clear, Neutrogena, Simple, YES, Olay, Biore, Lumene, St.Ives and Noxema are BOGO 50%
( sales are in effect until July 27th)

Sephora
Check out there sale page.

CVS
Covergirl, Clearasil, Acnefree, Almay, Rimmel and Olay are BOGO 50%
Nuance is 25% off
Physicians Formula eye makeup is 40% off

Rite Aid
Maybelline, Revlon lip,nail and eye, and Covergirl are BOGO 50%

Walgreens
Nivea, Maybelline an L'Oreal are BOGO 50%

That is all for now. Check back later for more info. Go enjoy the what's left of this beautiful weekend!





Weekly Review-Eye Crayons

This past week I reviewed eye crayons ( jumbo pencils, jumbo sticks, whatever!) I used 5 different brands and each brand was under $6. The results were surprising and kind of disappointing.




First up -the WORST pencil by LA Colors ($1.50). This Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Salt Water' was garbage! it did not go on evenly and was not pigmented at all. Trying to blend this pencil only made a mess.




Wet n' Wild Idol Eyes Cream shadow pencil ($1.50)-Not good, but also not THAT bad. Goes on smooth and creamy, but does not stay on long. Smudges easily and does not stay on long.




ELF Jumbo Eye Pencils ($2)- another disappointment. Goes on smooth and pigmented but it's hard to apply more that 1 color to the eye with additional pencils. When using a pencil to add another color, the pencil rubs the color off the eye. I would use this as a base for powder shadows but  that's about it. The color actually rubbed off before I left the house.



 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil ($5.50)- GREAT colors, not so great results. Went on smooth, easy to mix more than one color pencil on your eye and blendable. Unfortunately, they do no have good staying power. A couple hours on and the color fades. 6 hours in and you have naked eye lids. Similar to the ELF pencils . Again I would use these as a base for powder shadows...LOVE the colors though.



ELF Waterproof Pencils ($3)- Small color range, but nice colors. The pencil goes on nicely and it's easy to mix colors right on the eyelid. They are hard to blend. To get a successful blend, you have to use a brush IMMEDIATLY after applying the pencil. Lasts all day would be great as an eyeliner.
 



Rimmel Scandaleyes Jumbo Pencils ($4.50)- More FABULOUS colors. These pencils are waterproof and smudge proof. They say 24/7 wear and that's about right, they do last a long time. These pencils blend well. Also great as an eyeliner.

That's all for this week's (technically last week's review) . Check back later for more ideas, info and freebies!