- Sunday, December 27, 2015
- 0 Comments
I've been thinking about doing a giveaway for a long time! Firmoo has reached out to me and asked me to participate in a voucher giveaway. For the holidays, I will be giving away 5 Vouchers to Firmoo.com worth $10. In order to enter the giveaway, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below!
Here are some Firmoo reviews that I've done in the past!
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FIRMOO.COM ONLINE OPTICAL STORE REVIEW |
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FIRMOO SUNGLASSES REVIEW | 15% OFF FOR NEW CUSTOMERS! |
The giveaway will run from December 20th to December 30th EST. I will email the winner on New Years Day! Thanks for a great year, and good luck!
- Saturday, December 19, 2015
- 2 Comments
Happy Holidays! I've complied a list of items that have caught my eye this past year. I added in some old faves as well as fun holiday sets. Enjoy and please share your wants and loves below!
- I find myself becoming more and more obsessed with skincare. This Ceramidin Gel Cream is designed to give skin intense hydration. It contains ceramide that penetrates into every layer or the skin. It also restores lipids and prevents moisture loss. I have extremely dry skin during cold months so I would love to give this a try. It comes in different textures/formulas as well, such as a cream and liquid.
- The Lorac Pro Palette has been out for years now and ever since then I have been wishing for it. I'm so cheap it isn't funny. The palette is complete with neutral, everyday shades and I'm sure that if I were to purchase it, I would get good use out of all the shades.
- I love this time of year because of the great holiday sets that are released. One that I am really interested in is the L'Occitane Almond Deluxe Duo. I've tried the shower oil that comes in the duo and it is amazing! It smells great and leaves shin soft and smooth.
- Continuing with skincare, the Kaolin Premium Hot & Cool Pore Pack Duo is a two step mask that is designed to deeply cleanse and minimize pores. This is something I am extremely interested in, because of the large pores around my nose. I am looking into purchasing sample sizes of this to try out.
- As I love natural makeup, Mac's Pressed Pigment in 'Deeply Dashing' is a product that I've been eyeing. It is a deep burgundy brown pigment with tons of sparkle. I would love to use this on my eyes alone or on top of a deep smokey eye.
- Tom Ford makes the BEST fragrances! Although they are not for the faint-hearted, they are the best I've ever worn. I currently have sample sizes of his most popular two, Black Orchid & Velvet Orchid. I would love to purchase a full size bottle but the only thing holding me back is the $100+ price tag.
- Clarisonic has released a new design of their sonic cleansers. This is the new Mia Fit is designed to fit perfectly in your hand while cleaning away dirt and grime. I've been after one of these for a while and this new design is too cute to refuse!
- I love a good scented living space. Despite being away at college, living in a dorm room, I am so interested in these Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candles. I use their Wallflowers to give my room a cozy smell. My favorite scents by them are Marshmallow Fireside and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin.
- Another pricey skincare device I've been lusting after is the PMD Professional Microderm System. This is an at-home microdermabrasion device that delivers spa results. It can be used on the face and body to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells. This would be perfect for my sometimes rough skin.
- Because I'm so cheap, I constantly miss out on limited edition Mac highlighters like the recent "Extra Dimension Skinfinishes". This Make Up Forever Pro Sculpting Duo in '2 Golden' is used for conturing on lighter skin tones but it gives an amazing now to deep skin tones. I would love to purchase it and mix the shades together.
- I posted about the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette in a previous wishlist post this year. I still would love to get it and use the deep neutral shades. I hate palettes that claim to be neutral but contain shades that would appear chalky on darker skin and this one contains the right balance of shades.
- I'm always looking for new and great hair products. Earth's Nectar is a fairly new brand that focuses on natural and ethnic hair types. Their Mint Leaves Scalp Oil and Nourish Leave-in Conditioner look really good for my hair.
- Korean Skincare has been taking the beauty world by storm. I love plump, glory skin and the May Coop Raw Sauce is known for helping this. It goes on to help the skin absorb skincare products and treatments. I wish it came in a sample size!
- Thursday, December 10, 2015
- 0 Comments
I have been waiting for months to do this post! Today I am finally going to share how I achieve a flawless base. Now I am not one to wear pounds of makeup. I love a light to medium coverage and very natural looking face. If you are still a bit confused by the end of reading this post, you can head over to my YouTube channel and watch one of my face routines!
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| I didn't include these two products in the photo, but I always moisturize my face with the Ambi Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 and Sweet Almond Oil. I use these every time I cleanse my face, which is usually twice a day. They are great for evening out dark marks on the skin and giving moisture. I prime my face with the Smashbox Photofinish Primer To be very honest, I haven't really noticed a big difference with oil control or pore blurring with this primer. I just use it because it feels nice and glides onto the skin really well. It helps blend my foundation onto my face better. |
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| I am not much of a foundation hoarder, so I have 2 trusty foundations in my stash. My forever favorite Iman BB Cream and the new MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Foundation. 8 times out of 10 I use the BB cream. It gives me the most natural, dewy, light-medium coverage I love. The MAC foundation is good for going out during hot summer days. It gives a natural matte finish. I apply these with my E.l.f Small Stipple Brush. |
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| Correcting usually comes before applying foundation but it is not something I do everyday. I use the LA Girl Pro Concealer in 'Orange' around my mouth to correct darkness. I do this when going somewhere special or a school event. For Concealing/Highlighting I use the LA Girl Pro Concealer in 'Espresso' under my eyes and in the middle of my forehead. This shade is about 1-2 shades lighter than my skintone, it is a very natural highlight shade that is not too bright. If I am looking for a lighter highlight, I use the shade 'Toast'. |
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| Under my eyes to give a bit more brightness and to set my highlight, I use the Ben Nye Topaz Powder. I use this shade and not the famous "Banana" because it is a much better match for my skintone, it has a red undertone and is dark golden in color. I use a powder puff to pat on the Topaz powder and then brush the excess of with the E.l.f Complexion Brush. For the rest of my face I use the E.l.f Clarifying Pressed Powder or the Black Opal Deluxe Finishing Powder, these give a natural matte finish. I don't have to worry too much about oily-ness because I have dry/normal/combo skin. "I know, it changes by the seasons lol." |
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| I always use a blush. On a day to day basis its 'Peach' by La Femme. Looks light in the pan, but it is amazing on deep skin. Blush helps to add color and dimension to my skin. I use the E.l.f Blush Brush. |
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Much like blush, I use highlighters every time I wear makeup. I love a highlighter that gives me a glow from within. I use many but my go-to ones are the Wet n' Wild Mega Glo Illuminator in 'Starlight Bronze' and the E.l.f Baked Highlight in 'Blush Gems'. I use the E.l.f Blush Brush for this step as well.
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I hope this was helpful to anyone looking for products to perfect their face makeup routine! Any questions please let me know.
- Friday, October 30, 2015
- 0 Comments
So in my review for the 5 Ultra Mattes I purchased this past summer, I said that I would never order from ColourPop again. They recently came out with 5 new shades for the fall and this shade, 'More Better', instantly caught my eye. It is a deep berry shade perfect for the fall and winter months. It looked like a great shade that would compliment my deep skin tone as well. So I spent the $6 on it. I used the code ThanksBabe and got $5 off, so I only ended up paying $1 plus the $3.99 shipping.
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| This liquid lipstick comes with a doe-foot applicator and a tube with hologram lettering. |
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| The Ultra Mattes come in a cute box with hologram lettering. |
This is a deep berry shade that is really flattering on my deep skin. It dries down matte but feels comfortable on the lips. It has a velvety-matte texture that doesn't feel dry on the lips. The finish is also a step higher than the original "straight up matte" formula. The swatches below show how the light bounces off this shade.
This shade had a great formula. It wasn't streaky or patchy to apply. The color was very opaque with just one coat. It has a thin formula like the other Ultra Mattes that I've tried as well, but not an issue. Once dried to a matte finish, it didn't budge. I did notice however, that this shade is more transfer-prone than my other Ultra Mattes. This shade washes off with soap, water and a bit of friction. The others only remove with an oil based cleanser/wipe. I can get about 5-6 hours of wear on my lips. Eating an oily food can wear the color down though, so be careful.
I am really happy with this shade! I like that ColourPop is introducing new limited edition shades to the Ultra Matte collection. Other liquid lipsticks can cost around $20, so these are really cost effective.
- Monday, October 26, 2015
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"Currently, 36 percent of high school students within the United States are not ready for college-level sciences. Misha Malyshev, CEO of Teza Technologies works with nonprofits to curb that number. International Day of the Girl is a great time to celebrate the women in this field, and every field, and recognize the opportunities allowed to girls."
I was recently reached out to by Teza Technologies about a campaign they are running to celebrate the International Day of the Girl. This is a day to celebrate and highlight opportunities available for girls across the globe.
They shared with me the above graphic that highlights the in-balance of females in the STEM;(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) workforce. The numbers show that females are lagging behind in these industries. But as Beyonce says, "Girls run the world!" If you are woman, whatever age, and are interested in these industries, work towards it! Who says that only men can do these jobs? I'll wait...
So in celebration of th International Day of the Girl, lets congratulate the women training and working in STEM. They need to know that their work is not being taken for granted.
For more info on the International Day of the Girl and for ways to help, I listed some sites below:
- Wednesday, October 21, 2015
- 0 Comments
Looking around for a good brow product can be a challenge especially if you're on a budget. The new E.l.f Instant Lift Brow Pencil is a great dupe for the more expensive brow pencils on the market. Such as the Anastasia Brow Wiz or Hourglass ($21) Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil ($32). This one by E.l.f Cosmetics is only $2. I purchased it to try it out, let see what I think of it.
The pencil comes with the product on one end from a twist top and a spoolie brush on the other end. The spoiler is great for brushing the brow hairs in place before applying product and after to blend everything together.
I got the shade 'Deep Brown' which is the darkest shade. I find you get a good amount of product for $2. The product is pigmented enough that you don't have to push hard to get it into your brows. If you do your brows everyday, I see this going for about 2-3 months. I hardly wear makeup everyday so this will last a while for me. I also find if you push too hard on the product it is a bit fragile.
I love this pencil and will definitely repurchase. This is great if you are looking for a cheap alternative to the pricey ones on the market. It's great for brow-beginners as well (much like myself, tbh). Great buy!
- Wednesday, October 14, 2015
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A while back, Creme of Nature sent over some products from their newest line. The Straight from Eden collection is a new relaxer system from Creme of Nature that features a more natural and pure way to relax hair. It is infused with Coconut, Olive and Avocado oils and the un-activated straightening cream has no lye, mineral oil, petrolatum, sulfates, parabens, and formaldehyde. This system reduces breakage versus traditional no-lye relaxers. I usually relax my hair with the Just for Me Texture Softener which is a texturized, and had great results. I was sent the "Type-B" kit for coarse and thick hair.
I don't relax my hair at home, I go to a salon. I didn't take before photos regretfully but I have clips and photos of the after below. Before using this relaxer, I had texturized hair. I decided to use this relaxer and go fully relaxed for other reasons. So I took this relaxer to my stylist and she was surprised. Firstly, the box was completely different than any other relaxer kit on the market. Very chic box with glam graphics.
Inside the box:
I then took out the kit contents and she began to mix together steps A-C. Firstly adding in the activator to the relaxer cream and then adding in the creme booster. Mixing it together it had a very creamy and not a very strong chemical smell. She then sectioned my hair and began applying it to my new growth. By the time she finished with one section, it was already rapidly straightening my hair. It was very different from my texturized experience. Washing it out went well, the shampoo smelled great and my hair was washed really clean. I used the deep conditioner provided and mixed it in with my regular conditioner.
When my hair was dry and then styled, my roots were layed!! My roots played flat and sleek, which I love. I didn't apply the relaxer all the way down the hair shafts so I still had my amazing texture. It did not completely straighten the hair and leave it dead and flat, my hair still had great body and movement! My stylist loved the relaxer enough to ask me where to find it! I love it, it is a system that I think will work great for women who are tired of chemical smells and burning sensations. If you are going to try it, I suggest you pick the formula that is correct for your hair type. Type A for fine hair and Type B for thick/coarse hair.
Being that it is a bit hard to find in stores, here's a link to it on Amazon:
*The products mentioned above were gifted by the brand or their PR representatives. My opinions, as always, are honest. Links used are affiliate links. You can read my disclaimer policy here*
- Saturday, September 26, 2015
- 2 Comments
After much irritation and stress, I finally got to purchasing the new Ultra Matte Lips Liquid Lipstick by ColourPop Cosmetics. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw my posts about how upset I was that their site crashed and how I couldn't place my order. Now, about a month and a half later, I finally received them. I also purchased their Lip Primer that I've reviewed here.
I was really interested in these liquid lipsticks, as opposed to the other million on the market, because of their price point. Each of these is $6. Other brands are about $20 each, and y'all know thats wayyyy up (Riley Curry voice) out of my budget. The color selection, 25 shades, is also really nice. Update: They have since added 8 new shades to the line, limited edition for the fall. After looking and looking at swatches I decided on Ouiji, Pacific, Mars, Tulle, & Creeper. Lets get into what I think of them!
Ouiji | a bright coral pinkish red
This one has a crumbly and patchy formula. It went on patchy and went I tried to make it fully opaque, it crumbled on my lips. The color is okay, but I would have been more open to wearing it if the formula was better.
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Pacific | a true bright, neon orange
I was really excited to get this orange shade because they can look great on dark skin. Not the case here. The color is a BRIGHT neon orange. It also had a very patchy application, and it crumbled the same as Ouiji. The color and formula enable me to give this one a thumbs down.
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Mars | a bright fuchsia red
Magenta shades like this are my favorite to wear. This shade was great on me. The formula was a bit streaky but could be built up to become fully opaque. Great shade, one of my favorites. It reminds me on MAC's Flat Out Fabulous lipstick that I've been lusting after for a while now.
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Creeper | a classic blue-based red
I love this color. It's formula was the same as Mars, a bit streaky but can be built up. It's a blue-based red that is really flattering on dark skin. It is very similar to MAC's Ruby Woo. This one is also a favorite of mine.
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Tulle | a dusty mauve burgundy
Tulle had the best application of them all. Went on smoothly and dried to a great deep mauve brown shade. I'll be wearing this shade during the fall definitely. It's a great option for us deep-brown girls and is my third favorite!
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These come in a tube with a doe-foot applicator. I love the boxes these came with too, they featured a nice hologram lettering. Universally these had a thin formula, not too much of an issue for me. Some of the tubes were a bit full and leaked a bit, but nothing too crazy. This is something I've heard of from many who purchased these and from other bloggers as well. These work best on lips that are dry and exfoliated or lips with a lip primer on them. Nothing oily like vaseline or chapstick. I used the ColourPop Lippie Stix Primer. Once dried down to matte, these don't budge or transfer.
I like these, though I wish I only purchased Mars, Tulle, and Creeper. These are shades that I know I'll wear often. I also love their very nice matte finish. The other two, Ouija and Pacific, could have stayed with ColourPop. They will take effort to wear. I think these are a great option for those who do not want to spend $20+ for other brand's liquid lipsticks. I love the price point! If you are interested in ordering from ColourPop, you can get $5 off using the code "THANKSBABE". You also get free shipping with orders $30 and up.
Note: I think that this will be my last order from ColourPop. Their shipping is way too unreliable for me. I don't think that I should have to wait 2+ weeks for products and basically fight my computer just to place an order. I ordered these on July 29th, my order shipped on August 8th and got to me August 14th. I just feel that the brand has some serious customer service/shipping improvements to make now that they have gotten so popular and their prices are so inexpensive. #JustMyOpinion.
- Monday, September 21, 2015
- 3 Comments
- Wednesday, September 02, 2015
- 0 Comments
