M.I.A

Hello everyone,

A new blog post has been long over due. I have not blogged in over a year. I started creating content in this website last summer and spent hours, even days, trying to have my blog aesthetically pleasing for my viewers. I stopped blogging when I began my second year in college. I have now started my third year and completely neglected what made me so happy last summer. I'm not sure why I stopped, I'm sure I could have found the time to whip up some cool stuff for my blog.

To make things short, life's been extremely busy. This summer was devoted to school and work (unfortunately). I was also running around like a chicken with no head this month preparing to move into my first aparment. I was very unprepared to say the least.

I'll give myself a small goal and hopefully post something new once a month maybe even twice. I have to see what works best for myself.

But I won't lie, I do miss this dearly. I hope I speak to you soon.
Love,

Estēe Lauder: Double Wear Stay in Place Makeup Review

Hello Beautiful People! 

I am so sorry that I've taken about two months to get a new blog post up. I started school about 7 weeks ago and the quarter has been extremely difficult with the work-load plus other things I've been keeping myself busy with. But I'm glad to say that I have new material up so I hope you guys enjoy this quick review on mew favorite foundation :) 

I ran out of my Makeup Forever HD foundation about 3 months ago and I was really lazy to go pick up another one. My sister asked me to run some errands with her one weekend. She took me to Nordstrom's with her and she ended up buying me an Estēe Lauder foundation. 

I never purchased any products from Estēe Lauder for many (non-legit) reasons. One, I used to think this brand was only targeted for older women, I never associated it with more popular brands (Makeup Forever, Kat Von D, etc). Another reason was because it's pretty pricey and no one ever hyped up any of their products enough for it to seem "worth it". But now with Kendall Jenner being the new face of Estēe Lauder, I really hope, if you're going to buy anything from this makeup/skin care brand, PICK THIS ITEM UP. 

But long behold, my sister introduced me to, what I can say is, the best full coverage foundation for my skin type (combination), Estēe Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup $37.00

First Impressions: 

The lady in Nordstrom's matched me to the shade "3W1 TAWNY". She took off a small amount of my original foundation and applied this one. Instantly I could tell that this foundation had more coverage with only a little bit of product on my face. Compared to the foundation I already had on my face, this one seemed more dense and less "runny" (if that makes any sense). It was also the prefect shade for my skin. 

My Thoughts: 

I've been wearing this foundation for about a month now. I don't wear it everyday but I do wear it on the days I want my foundation to stay in place (parties, dates, events, anywhere that requires taking pictures really). I've noticed that this foundation stays on the WHOLE night. I don't get oily, the foundation doesn't crease, and it doesn't look cakey. This foundation also doesn't transfer on clothes. I would be so self-conscious when I would hug my boyfriend because I would sometimes transfer my foundation on his shirts, and that's embarrassing. But with this foundation, I don't have to worry about that. The only thing that I will comment on, is that because this foundation is full coverage, it is harder to take off at the end of the day. You really need to use a cleanser or makeup remover that is strong enough remove all makeup. 

Estēe Lauder website product details:

"15- hour staying power. Flawless all day. This worry-free, long-wearing makeup stays fresh and looking natural through heat, humidity, non stop activity. Won't change color, smudge or come off on clothes. Feels lightweight and comfortable  Now the flawless look you see in the morning is the look you keep all day. " See More

Pros and Cons: 

Pros: 

• Medium/ Full Coverage 
• Last ALL day 
• Does not look cakey
• Does not make you look dry
• Covers under-eye circles 
• You don't need a lot of product 
• Does not transfer 
• Build-able 
• Leans more towards combination/oily skin types
• Matt finish 

Cons: 

• Packaging isn't the best (I prefer a pump)
• Can clog pores (SO MAKE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR FACE) 
• Can dry out your face if you have already have a dry skin type 

Dorm Room Bath Essentials! (Under $10 Each)

Hello Beautiful People! ,

If you're anything like me, showering has to be the best thing in life, especially when living in a dorm. For me, showering in college is my "alone time", my little bubble, my me time, my time to concentrate on myself and nothing else (like schoolwork, roommates, friends, problems etc). 

It's very important for me to find bath products that make showering something a little MORE exciting to look forward too. I went to Target and Walmart last weekend and picked up a few things for my shower caddy. 

ALL of these products are brand new to me. I've never purchased them in my life, I've just heard really amazing things about them on Youtube and Beauty Blogs. They are all drugstore products so I promise you they're super inexpensive and they won't be a HUGE financial loss if you end up hating any of the products. I'm really excited to try these out because I know I'll love them so much. Hopefully you give these products a try as well :)!

HAIR:

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo

I bought the 33.8 oz bottle so it could last me for some while.

I actually had a sample bottle of this shampoo and I LOVED

the smell it gave to my hair. It was a must to purchase.

$6.14 (Purchased at Walmart)

Aussie Moist 3 Minute Deep Conditioner 

I'm not a huge fan of regular conditioners. But I do like

to give my hair a deep condition at least twice a week. This deep

conditioner has been raved about by so many v/bloggers

I decided to finally jump on the bandwagon. 

$3.00 (Purchased at Walmart)

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

The dry shampoo I used to have did not work at all. I've heard

amazing things about this one so I decided why not. (BTW I use

dry shampoo more for a texture/volume spray on my hair)

$4.74 (Purchased at Walmart)

Palmer's Coconut Oil Moisture Gro Hairdress

This is another product I've been meaning to buy.

It's more of a leave in conditioner but I've heard so many

great things about coconut oil. I've already started using this baby

and it's amazing. I definitely recommend it to anyone. 

$5.00 (Purchased at Target)

BODY:

Tone Petal Soft Moisturizing Pink Peony & Rose Oil Body Wash

I'm a big fan of Tone Body Wash. I haven't tried this scent yet

but I have tried their others. I'm sure I'll love it just as much.

$3.00 (Purchased at Walmart)

OmShe Caviar Body Exfoliating Scrub in Mango Orange

I originally wanted another body scrub from Walmart but they didn't

have it.  Later that day, I ran into this body scrub at T.J.Maxx and I loved

 how it smelled so I decided why not! But moral of the story make

sure you buy a good body scrub for those days you want to 

exfoliate all of your skin.

Original price: $25.00

$7.99 (Purchased at T.J.Maxx)

Gillette Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shave Gel for Women

I really wanted a shaving cream that had a sensitive

skin formula just because my legs have gotten irritated

from other shaving creams I've used in the past. Gillette is a really

great brand so I trusted this one enough to give it a shot

& plus it came with two shaving creams. :)

$4.62 (Purchased at Walmart)

FACE:

Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser

I have recently bought a few skin care products that I

loved so this is the only new addition. I really wanted

a cleanser that would target my black heads. I tend

to get a lot in my nose area and chin. I have been using

this cleanser every other day and I have noticed a subtle 

change in my black heads. Hopefully I see a gradual

improvement over time. 

$6.50 (Purchased at Target)

That's it guys!

Everything I mentioned was literally under $10 and I think all these products deserve a shot!

I can't wait to try them out and give you guys a full review on most these items. If you've tried any of these products before let me know if you've liked them or just simply weren't feeling them.

If anyone else was wondering these are also essential dorm room bath supplies/essentials I need:

Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh Facial Towelettes 

Room Essentials® Shower Caddy (Target)

InterDesign Plastic Tote Basket (Target) - For the times you only need to wash your face and brush your teeth in the communal bathrooms)

Room Essentials® 8pk Washcloths (Target)

Gillette Venus Snap with Embrace Women's Razor (Walmart)

Stay Connected With Me! 

Yours truly,

HOW TO: Contouring + favorite products to contour with

Hello Beautiful People,

I mostly wanted to get this article up so I can share with you some of my all time favorite contouring cosmetics. But I figured why not give you guys tips and a quick guide on how to contour -- for those who haven't mastered it yet.

The concept of contouring is amazing but can be be hard if you're new at it.
I want to go over some fundamental tips everyone should keep in mind before they even start contouring.
TIPS:

1. First and foremost, we should all understand the goal of contouring -- the appearance of slimming the face, nose and enhancing the cheekbones. Therefore contouring will darken.
2. The second most important thing to contouring is -- knowing YOUR face shape! Most videos on Youtube leave this crucial step out.
• I'll display some face charts to help you guys in this step


3. The third most important thing to countering is -- using the RIGHT tool. If you have everything down but don't have the right tool, this can mess the entire look
• My favorite brush for contouring is from coastal scents -- (angle brush) 
• Other great contour brushes are:
• NARS Ita Brush
• MAC 163 Flat Contour Brush
• Sephora Pro Contour Brush #74
• Remember it's all about trial and error, use what works for you. 
• You don't want a brush that is to airy but you don't want a brush that's compact either.
4. Use primer before applying anything on your face, I really can't stress that enough
5. Use foundation and concealer to cover blemishes as normal, prior to contouring. 
6. What's your preference? Are you a powder or creme person? Whatever you are, both works. 
• Just stay away from anything shimmery.
• For contouring, you want to stick to something MATTE.
7. Purchasing the right bronzer shade is super important! There are seriously so many bronzers out there and most are orange, so be very careful. (Orange under-toned bronzers are not the best for contouring) You want to purchase a bronzer that has a grayish undertone to it and of course it has to be matte. 
• Instead of using a bronzer you can try a foundation powder that is 2 shades darker than your skin tone. You can take this approach if you already have a favorite product. 
8. And I'll leave off with something very crucial.... Blend, Blend, BLEEEEEND! 

I could definitely continue and give you written instructions on how to contour properly but I'll just add some of my all time favorite videos from Youtube that helped me learn how to contour.

Practice LADIES!

I hope these videos were super helpful. Everyone has there preference on products they use for contouring I will share with you my ALL-TIME favorite contouring products: 

* Most of these products are a duo and I

prefer to buy it this way because I'm technically buying

two things in one. 

1. TANTalizer Highlighter and Matte Bronzer Duo by LORAC

(Travel Size) $12 (Click To View)

2. Disregard this product, I have no idea why I put it on here 

3. Blush/Bronzer Duo (In the shade: Orgasm & Laguna)

 by NARS $42 (Click To View)

4. Endless Summer Bronzer by Too Faced $30 (Click To View)

5. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder by N.Y.C.

(In the shade Sunny) $2.79 (Click To View)

6. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder by E.L.F.

(In the shade St. Lucia) $3 (Click To View)

Yours truly,

My Cosmetic Storage/Organization!

Hello Beautiful People,

As a true born and bread neat freak I've always been all about organizing and labeling everything and anything. I'm a visual learner and if things aren't visually there they will go unnoticed (for the most part). But this is especially true with my makeup collection.

I used to keep my makeup in a makeup case and it worked out for the most part until I started to expand my collection. Everything became cluttered. Some products would be buried on top of other products and I would never pay attention to them. I needed to switch things up. I needed efficiency and "easy access".

My current makeup organization is what's working out for me in this very moment. I'm sure once I expand my collection even further I will have to figure out different ways of organizing things. But so far I've been really loving how easy it is to find makeup products when doing my makeup or others. Hopefully you'll find some general tips on how to organize and store your makeup! (I'll also share website links on where to buy the exact storage containers that I've purchased at the end)  Let's begin..

Storage and Organization: 
Plastic Drawers

Sterilite: Clear View Mini 3-Drawer Organizer with White Frame and See-Through Drawers
I purchased the ones on the right at the 99cent store for $3.99 and the ones on the left at Target for $4.99. They are actually 4 individual drawers put I stacked them up. 

They way I've organize my makeup is that the drawers on the RIGHT are mostly face products. 

They go in order from top to bottom: (highlighters, primers, blushes, bronzers, powders, and creams) 

The drawers on the LEFT are mostly eyes and lip products.

They go in order from top to bottom: (concealers, eyebrows, eyeliners, mascaras, lips, lips continued)

I open a drawer and all the products of that kind will be there and no where else. This ensures me that I see all the products at once and gives me really easy access. For lips I've separated them into 2 drawers. I have the first one mostly with lip balms, chapsticks, and lip scrubs. The second drawer mostly has lip glosses and lip stains (one drawer wasn't enough). 

Foundations Storage: 

Sterilite Small Flip Top Storage Box $2.00

I used to keep my liquid foundations in one of the drawers but it soon became to small of a space to fit all of them. It's very important for me to have my liquid foundations seen or else they will be ignored. I decided to keep them in their own container and away from everyone else. I also store my BB and CC creams in here too. 

Lipsticks/Lipies Storage:

Cosmetic Organizer with Lipstick Holder $15.00

 I really love how these type of lipstick holders provide a compartment for each individual lipstick. I actually need to purchase a larger lipstick holder because this one is too small for all the lipsticks I have accumulated from when I bought it till now. I have most of my lipsticks on the display but some of them are in the drawers because I don't have enough slots to put them in. As you can see I also have my some of the lip glosses I use a lot in this display, my kabuki brushes, and my beauty blender. 

Brushes Storage: 

Metal Pail from Target $1.00 each

I purchased 3 of these cute metal pails at the dollar section from Target. I filled them almost half way up with rice and separated my brushed in accordance to brush size. 

Right to left: Jumbo brushes, small brushes, medium brushes

Eyeshadow Palettes Storage: 

Pink Metal Rectangular Box?? (sorry I bought this like 10 years ago) Price unknown

Well you get the picture right? Storing your eyedshadow palettes can be quiet difficult. I tried many things but I finally found the most convenient method for me. It's really easy to find a rectangular storage compartment. My palettes are very easy to get a hold of and they're all visible. I really love that. 

Other Storage Items:

InterDesign Drawers, Clear $14.00

This clear drawer box has came in handy so many times it's not even funny. I used to store my lipsticks in here until I bought a the lipstick holder. It at one point,  it stored ALL my makeup. I love how that it's clear and I wish all my drawers would be clear (and not plastic) but I am on a budget. I really think my perfumes look stunning on top of the drawer box. They're all there and very easily accessible. In the top drawer I hold all my samples. Samples I've accumulated from Sephora or through the mail. I love that they're in the clear drawer because I can see them perfectly and actually use them up. The second drawer holds my blotting sheets, my razors, tweezers, and makeup removers. My last drawer holds all my miniature hair products. 

Vanity Mirror:

I'm in love with my new vanity mirror, my boyfriend bought it for me the other day. It's two sided and one of the sides has a 5x zoom so it's great when plucking your eyebrows, doing eyeliner or lipliner. I highly recommend purchasing one. He bought mine at ROSS for $13.00. 

GET THE LOOK:
If you want to purchase any of the items I've talked about from above I have provided the website links:

Drawers:
Sterilite: Clear View Mini 3-Drawer Organizer with White Frame and See-Through Drawers 6 PACK
or
Sterilite: Clear View Mini 3-Drawer Organizer with White Frame and See-Through Drawers INDIVIDUAL

Foundations Storage:
Sterilite Small Flip Top Storage Box (I got mine at my bargain store but I found the same one on the Home Depot website)

Lipstick Storage:
Cosmetic Organizer with Lipstick Holder (I got mine at T.J.Maxx but I found the same one on Amazon)

Other Storage:
InterDesign Drawers, Clear

Vanity Mirrors:
Jerdon Vanity Mirror
Decobros Vanity Mirror

Stay Connected With Me! 

Yours truly,

Product Review!

Hello beautiful people,

Today's blog post will consist of my very first product review. Exciting stuff right? Haha maybe just for me.

I recently got my hands on Buxom's Show Some Skin Weightless foundation that retails for $34.00
and I decided to blog about it because I feel not too many people even know about this foundation, I mean I never did, not until my older sister got it for me.

I'm currently in love with it and I feel it's the perfect foundation for the summer.

A Little About the Product:
This foundation is a light-to-medium coverage that contains SPF 30 providing protection against harmful UV rays. The formula contains water which is beneficial because it makes the product last longer on your face and gives a soft finish to your skin. The website claims this foundation will give 8 hours of coverage and has been clinically proven to increase hydration and brightness in the face. The product comes in a squeeze tube versus a pump application. This product also comes in 10 different shades:
Fair Game: neutral beige for light skin tones
Dim the Light: warm yellow for light skin tones 
In the Buff: cool pink for light skin tones 
You're a Natural: warm yellow for medium skin tones 
Meet me Latte: neutral beige for medium skin tones 
Sweet as Honey: cool pink for medium skin tones
Tan-Talize Me: warm yellow for tan skin tones
Almond The Nude: neutral beige for tan skin tones
Caramel Kisses: warm yellow for dark skin tones
In The Dark: rich neutral for dark skin tones

* I got the color shade samples from the Sephora website and just used them for you to visualize what the color would actually come out to be instead to just stating the shade's name*

My Thoughts on the Product:

Well to start off, I really love the product's squeezable tube versus any other pump application. I had control with how much product I wanted to get out. The shade I got is Meet Me Latte. I prepped my face before applying the product on  (moisturize and prime). I applied the product with a flat kabuki brush and I found this is best method to apply this foundation versus using my all-time-favorite, the beauty blender. Using the beauty blender on this type of foundation is a no go, the sponge will absorb most of the product up. I also recommend using your fingers to apply the foundation.

 Now when I put the foundation on I did notice some of my more noticeable blemishes had not been covered and this makes sense since this foundation is light-to-medium coverage. I applied one layer of the foundation and I definitely got a light coverage. This foundation kind of works as a BB cream, it feels just like it. I added another layer and I got the medium coverage which was perfect. I added some concealer to my problem areas and set everything. 

I really love how this foundation feels on my skin. When I put it on it felt like I was putting water on my face. It is definitely moisturizing and really light. I mean the product is called "Show Some Skin" and I think this is perfect for the days when you don't wan to wear a full face of makeup. Especially during the summer when applying a thick full coverage foundation doesn't seem like the most ideal thing to do. This foundation is great when you need to go to the grocery store, make quick errands, mostly everyday use. If you are looking for a full converge foundation this is not the one for you. 

Now the product claims it will last up to 8 hours on your face and I'm not exactly sure that is true. When it came to the 6th hour of having this foundation on I noticed it was smearing a little (mostly on my chin and nose). This foundation also claims it'll leave your face more hydrated and speaking as an oily-combination-skin type this foundation didn't leave me looking greasy or shiny. I did have to use my blotting sheets once but that honestly wasn't a problem, I  have to do that with most of my foundations anyways. 

PROS AND CONS: 

Pros:

• lightweight
• moisturizing 
• fragrance free 
• squeezable tube
• gives a dewy finish 
• broad-spectrum sun protection 
• blends easily 

Cons:

• can emphasize fine lines and wrinkles over time
• not versatile for all skin types  
• not buildable 

Last words:

Overall I really love this product and I think it's the perfect light-to-medium coverage foundation I have ever gotten my hands on. PERFECT for the summer. If you do end up trying this foundation I recommend getting matched.

If you're interested in purchasing this baby you can buy it at the:

Sephora store or website

Ulta store

and Bare Escentuals website

If any of you purchase this foundation or have already purchased it

let me know down below how much you loved it or didn't.

Stay Connected With Me! 

Yours truly,