Stila lipstick

A Birch Box sample was a deluxe mini of the Stila Stay All Day liquid lipstick in Beso. The reviews were fabulous and this fall/winter season red is the color to wear. 

Well I tried it and it was instant love. I'm always on the look out for a perfect red pout and I think this may be it.  I tried the sample on, went out for drinks and dinner and the lipstick was still on when I looked in the mirror at the restaurant.

When I finally got a home a few hours later the red was still going strong. It looked like I just applied it.

I picked up the full version at my local Sephora because I need instant gratification.

Now if you are worried it won't come off, because (seriously it does have amazing staying power) 2 quick swipes of my facial wipes and it's off.

I did try to get a pic of me wearing it and it was a windy day. So that's the picture you get to see.

Birchbox - Stila All Day- Beso $22 & free shipping
Sephora- Holiday Essentials Kit (comes with mini Beso) $19
Sephora- Stay All Day $24 3 day shipping free after $50

 

October Birchbox

Here's the goodies from this months Birchbox. So far I've liked all the products, the stain and chapstick are by far my favorite and I do enjoy the mircodermabrassion. The smell is delightful.

Nail tools

I finally stopped biting my nails!!! I should get a 1 year chip or a gold sticker.

 

One of the ways I was able to stop was by keeping my nails painted. I have over 50 nail polishes and sadly seem to buy 1 or 2 more each time I'm out shopping.

 

I got these cute nail dotting tools and nail brushes and they are so AWESOME!!  Not only can I do cute and funky designs on my nails, I started doing my friends nails every Sunday.

 

I find it very relaxing and gets my creative juices going.

 

 

Love & Toast handcream

I wanted to share a recent fave of mine. It's a hand cream that comes in a tube by Love & Toast (cute name) and I can't get enough of it.

I spotted it surprisingly at my fave grocery store Harmon's. It has it's own little display and not with the other lotions.

The price is $9.99 and it is worth every penny. Easily carries in your purse and I don't have to worry about the lid flipping open, like I've had happen before. YUCKY!

I tried every single sample and seriously loved them all.  You can buy them online on their website or even amazon has them.  When I'm done with my current one I'm ordering the Collection set and it's only $45.90 which is cheaper then buying them as a single tube.

Hand cream - http://loveandtoast.com/t/classic-collection/hand-cream
Main site - http://loveandtoast.com/

More info- Paraben free, Phthalate free, Never animal tested, No animal ingredients, No artificial colors, Packing paper sources come from 100% annually renewed resources. YAAAAY!!!

Also they have been featured in People, Better Home & Gardens, Good Housekeeping and Organic Spa just to name a few.

Birchbox!!

I finally signed up for Birchbox and after my 1st box I'm loving this service.

For those that don't know what it is, it's basically a beauty sample program. You create your beauty profile and each month they send you out a box with a few deluxe size samples for you to try out. 

The cost is $10 a month and includes shipping. You can cancel at anytime which is a key reason to why I decided to try it out. 

I loved all the stuff in this months box and I can't wait for my cute pink box to be delivered next month. :)

If you want to try it out let me know and I can send you an invite. There is a waiting list, but internet rumors are if a member sends you an invite you can get in faster. 

Nail Marbling

So here it is!  I've been getting a lot of requests to post this tutorial and didn't want to until I thought it was perfect.

 

Now this does have a lot of trial and error, you may not get it right the 1st time and that's ok. Guess what, I didn't either. I had a lot of bubbles on my nails.

 

I practiced and took note of my mistakes and now I think anyone can do it.

 

 

Things you'll need:

-Distilled water (room temp)

-Nail polish (at least 3 colors)

-Toothpicks

-Q-tips

-Cotton Balls

-Nail polish remover

-Vaseline

-Solo cup, cut down

 

1) Get all supplies ready - Cut cup down towards the bottom and fill with water. We are cutting this down because we want a small area for the nail polish to spread out. Too large of an area will harden the nail polish faster and you'll just waste more.

 

2) Paint a base coat on your nails. Any color will do, but keep in mind it might peak thru the marbling.

 

3) Shake the nail polish really good and then line up the colors you want and loosen the lids.

 

4) Apply Vaseline to your fingers, down to your knuckle. Be careful not to get it to close to the nail. This will make the cleanup super easy. BUT if you don't have any or don't want to use Vaseline, just plan on using lots of cotton balls and polish remover. (Tape would also work)

 

5) Take your first polish and let a drop fall into the water. It will spread instantly, then repeat with the other colors. You can do this as many times are you want. I did B-P-G-B-P-G.

 

6) Take a toothpick and start somewhere within the circle NOT the outside. Make swirl marks back and forth to mix the colors.

 

7) Take your fingers or finger and put them into the water solution at an angle. Now its important to also remove them at an angle. Anytime I've done the angle technique I haven't had any problems with bubble effect.

 

8) Once removed take a Q-tip and do a quick clean up on your finger.

 

9) Take a toothpick and put it in the cup and swirl it around. It will pick up all the nail polish. Repeat after each nail.

 

10) After you've done all your nails, just do the clean up. 

 

 

Here's some additional notes:

 

If there's a nail polish buildup in the water, dip a Q-tip in some nail polish remover and place in the water and circle it around. It will soak up any left over polish.

 

If you use nail polish and it sinks to the bottom, shake it some more....a lot more.  If you try it again and it sinks, then it's no good. It might be because it's to old and has thickened.

 

You can save your old nail polish by using nail polish thinning solution. I like Beauty Secrets solution the best. Another trick I heard of but haven't tried yet, is adding a few drops of clear nail polish to your old polish. Instead of thickening the polish it actually thins it. Again I haven't tried it but I read somewhere that a manicurist recommends it to her clients.

 

My fave combo so far was a black base coat, with hot pink and neon green nail polish.

 

 

I hope this tutorial helps you out. If you have any questions send me a comment.

 

 

Disney MAC 2012 Villains line

EEEEEEKS!!! I'm so excited that there is going to be a new Disney MAC collaboration & this time unlike 2010 the ladies look amazing & couture!

 The release date is August at the online store (Disney Store) & September in the Disney stores. Ladies of Utah we now have one in City Creek.

They are going to have large variety of products & prices from $12.50 up to $79.50.

Per the release they will have in their beauty line a 3 pack lip gloss set, a 6 color eye shadow palette w/ eyeliner, a 6 color nail polish assortment, compact mirror & cosmetic bag.

For the home & office they are including ceramic mugs, stationery sets & exclusive character lithographs.

Have no fear there will be clothing & accessories. The collection will include six beautiful fashion tops inspired by each one of the villains; complete w/ rhinestone detailing & foil technique. There’s also a fashion sequin tote bag, wallet, silk scarves & the Disney Villains Designer Dolls. The dolls are $79.50. I was hoping for $19.95. The hubs thought they would be $100.  They are limited addition AND amazing, but damn they are expensive.

As much as I love the line, I am a little sad that Ursula and Queen of Hearts apparently had the bypass surgery.

So what do you think of the new line?

10 beauty must haves

I was reading an article in Glamour and they had a list of the essential beauty must haves for woman. Now I don't wear make-up unless its a special event or have a lot of beauty items/tools. So I was thinking I might have one MAYBE two things off the list. I was actually surprised when I had all 10.


So here are the must haves in no certain order:


Blush

• I have a Ruby by Bare Escentuals & Laguna bronzer by NARS

Concealer

• Sephora & Clinque make great concealers. I like and use both of them

Eye Cream

• I use & love Olay Total Effects Eye treatment or their Anti-wrinkle eye cream. Just get an eye cream that helps with fine lines and will reduce puffiness.

Red Lipstick

• I LOVE, LOVE red lipstick. My mom always wore this vibrant red lipstick. It always reminds me of her when I'm wearing red. The trick is to find the right red for you. I use 3 different but bold shades of red, depends on my mood. #1 Sephora brand Royal Wedding - #2 NARS Fire down below -#3 NARS Viridiana.

BB Cream

• I'm still loving my Garnier BB Cream. BB cream really is a all in one cream. Foundation, moisturizer, primer, toner and has SPF. Although I still have concealer I haven't used it for quite some time now.

Mascara

• A for sure must! I wear my BB cream & mascara everyday. I'm in love with Eyeko skinny brush mascara.

Dry Shampoo

• I have Tresemme dry shampoo now, but have used and love Bumble and Bumble black powder. I was just lazy to go get B&B @ the mall.

Deep Conditioner

• Nexxus Humectress is a must or you could do my egg mask. I switch back and forth.

Face Wipes

• Say Yes to Cucumber facial wipes I carry at all times. For my lazy or drunken nights I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Cleansing wipes- Pink Grapefruit. These are in my nightstand for easy access. Both smell yummy.

Sunscreen

• If you looking for a easy carry stick I suggest Clinque Sun SPF 45 or for a spray try Aveeno SPF 50 is where it is at.  It's oil-free, non-greasy, waterproof and won't weigh down your hair if you use it in your hairline.

Although it's not on the list, I have to have a white shimmer eyeshadow or a white eye liner. If  applied correctly this makes your eyes pop and look bigger. Think subtle not 80's rocker.

BB Cream

Have you heard of BB cream? It seems to be really popular right now, however....BB cream has been around for a long time and is extremely popular in Asia.

So wondering what it is? It goes by 2 names "blemish balm" or "beauty balm".

Basically its a tinted moisturizer, but it goes beyond that. It's for blemishes, skin discoloration, has SPF and helps with other skin conditions over continuous use.

I love mine! I always see instant results when I apply it. It evens out my skin tone and acts like a natural foundation. I really don't like wearing makeup, so BB cream, mascara and lip gloss are my 3 go to items.

Now what kind do you buy? I've tried the Clinique ($37) version and found it to be to heavy, so I returned it to Sephora. (Remember Sephora will take back used products). I did a sample of TOO FACED and I liked it, but they didnt have the color I needed.

Later that day I was at Target and saw that Garnier had a BB cream. After some quick online research people seemed to rave about this brand. It was only $11.99, so I thought why not give it a try.

I bought the light/medium cream. It blends very well, didn't clog my pores and hides my blotchiness and chicken pox scars.  Bonus is that its SPF, although it's only SPF 15, at least I have some coverage.

YAY for mascara!

I'm always in the search for the perfect mascara and I think... I FINALLY have found it. Now I've tried many, MANY brands. From the store bought cheapies ($6-10) to the designer mall brands ($13-35).

I heard that Sephora would start carrying a UK based mascara called Eyeko and I decided to do a little research on it. Its the number one and most popular mascara in the United Kingdom and apparently Adele ONLY wore this mascara in her Someone like you video. Just 2 coats and no fake eyelashes. So I thought, what the hell I'll get it a try.

So glad I did! It works great on my hardly there eyelashes. (I use to pull out my eyelashes as a kid). It makes them dark and long. It does give the appearance that you are wearing fake lashes, which I love. I had numerous compliments on them. For only $19 bucks you get a miracle mascara in a tube and a guitar pick as a lid guard. For being a new product sold at Sephora (launched 2/23) it's already a 5 star product.

Sock Bun!

Alright, I've done the sock bun twice now. The first time I forgot to take pictures, but it turned out very well.


I used an old BUT clean white sock. Cut off the bottom toe and roll it up. As per the instructions you put your hair in a ponytail, use a water bottle to dampen the hair and then proceed to roll the sock down from the tips of your hair to the bottom of the ponytail. If you have layers this can kind of suck and it took me a couple tries.


Leave it in overnight or for a couple of hours. I put mine in and went and ran some errands.  


This gives your hair a great curled look without damaging your locks by using a curling hair. (YAAAY says my hair!)


You'll notice that there is a rubber band line in my after pic. It's because I was right out of the shower and my hair was wet. So, if you just dampen the ponytail itself, you won't have this issue.