April Faves

Well im doing my April faves a bit early this month, thats cuz i really wanted to share these great products with you guys and give you my opinions.

We are going to start with the Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel (ddmg). I have been using this for about 3 weeks now, and i LOVE it. It doesnt dry me out like a lotion would, its great and light feeling on my skin. If you read my previous post on this product, then you know how i feel about it :)

Heres a swatch of teh ddmg, i pictured it being gel like as in clear, but its an interesting consistency. Looks like lotion, feels like a light gel :)

This is the Laura Mercier secret brightner and its awesome!!! For all of you college people out there this is a must. Since finals have started coming around, that means staying up late some nights or maybe even pulling all nighters. This sucks cuz it causes some serious dark circles for some ladies, so this is awesome. I use it around my tear duct and like half way under my eye. It totally makes me look like i got 10 hrs of sleep! I apply my concealer and then this on top, i love it :)

This is what it looks like, you twist the bottom and it clicks. 2 clicks should be enough for the product to start coming out.

Not make up related but whatever lol. I remember using this stuff when we had gym in middle school. Some girl had it and we would all use her spray and it felt awesome lol. So i completely forgot about it until now when i saw it at Target. So i decided to pick one up and see how it is. I been loving it, it makes my underarms dry and stay like that all day, it smells very fresh and i love spraying it on.

I bought the mufe hd foundation last year around xmas and ended up returning it, now i got it again and one of the reasons i got it was cuz it photographs well and i love pics. So that was a plus. It kinda reminds me of Revlon photoready but with no sparkles and heavier coverage.

Heres a swatch, since its summer it might be a bit light to wear alone so i have to apply bronzer but i think its a great all year around color for me.

Blended in.

My fave lip product this month is the NYX Sorbet! Its such a fun springy color, very lovely and neutral. I love wearing it over MAC myth.

Another foundation i recently found in my stash and have been wearing this month is the Bare escentuals foundation. I use LUSH breath of fresh air toner(alternative to MAC Fix+) to apply after so it eliminates the powdery look, and i hardly need concealer after. It has awesome coverage. Im thinking of picking up the matte formula they came out with a few months ago.

This is my Guerlain bronzer. Its a great product and you feel very luxurious when you have it on. ( i dunno, i do lol) It does not give that orangy color, just a shade or 2 darker than what i am, perfect for spring/summer.

I finally got this lipstick ( i know lol) MAC myth. This is what i paired up with the NYX Sorbet lipgloss. They complement each other very well. This is a great nude but im interested in the creme d nude as well.

Another product i rediscovered in my stash. The Sonia Kashuk flat foundation brush or buffer brush ( no idea what its called). It blends in my foundations perfectly and so flawlessly. I look airbrushed. It blends in better than the 187 and blends in powder ane liquid foundations beautifully, probably cream as well. And they all look amazing with this brush. This brush is available at Target :)

This is the Urban Decay brow beater in brunette bombshell. Its a great product. It has the pencil color on one end and the wax in pencil form on the other end. It applies very nicely, you dont necessarily need a light hand with this. So even if your light handedly challenged this is good for you, it applies lightly and you can build up the color.

<---------color wax ----------->

Thats all lovelies, until next time :)

Products i been loving lately

I ordered the MAC cleanse off oil about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I loved it from the first use, but i wanted to make sure it works like that all the time and doesnt cause some weird things to happen to my face. Well, i was right! Its an awesome product, it does what it says, and doesnt break me out or cause any irritations. Removes my make up completely! I heard about this product before but i was always iffy about it. Until tiffanyd made a video on youtube about it, explaining how it works, and everything she said was right. Its amazing the kind of technology used to make these things. Its cleanse off oil, so of course its like oil, its an oily product. Well, you put it on dry hands and rub on dry face, rub through your make up until you feel is enough. Then run your hands under water and rub your face with water, the cleanse off oil immediately turns white when it makes contact with water. Its like a milky substance and there is no more oil! It feels like a regular face wash and when you wash it all off its like there never was oil on your face. When you rub it dry at first and then with water, it helps to break up the make up even more so that it does all come off.

I finally got me a bottle of the dramatically different moisturizing gel a.k.a ddmg . They have a lotion as well, i tried it but it was wayy too drying for my face so i decided to give the gel a go. I do like it since i do have a more oily tzone in the summer and pretty normal cheeks. Its also a great make up base, my face doesnt feel dry at all, it feels so super smooth i love it. Its very comfortable on the skin, not greasy at all and doesnt leave an oily residue behind, the skin "drinks' everything up, and a little goes a long way. A tiny amount can be used to moisturize the whole face. I usually use 2 pumps whenever i use it and it might be a bit too much but i rub it in very well and it works for me. I haven't had breakouts or skin irritations or anything of that sort, so i approve lol :)

L'Oreal Nail polish in Mango Get-em 410

This is such a gorgeous summer color, i cant even begin to explain!! It looks amazing, and it would look awesome on tanner people as well. Excuse the paint job, it looked nicer but i did so many things today, im surprised it doesnt look worse lol. This shade should be available at Target since its where i purchased it, and i got it on an amazing clearance! From like $5.49 to like $1.12! Been back at Target since that sale and haven't seen a sale like it again since, or before either. Sux :(

March faves

Hey girlies! Sorry for the late March faves, but i had a busy few weeks lately, but thats over with for now, so thats good :) On to the faves! This is an amazing product by the lovely lush makers! Its a toner, i also like to use it as a setting spray, kinda like the MAC fix+ which i have been lemming lately, and will buy soon. ill do a post comparing them soon :) This is great for a humid day where you just want to refresh your face, or you can use it before heading out to get rid of the powdery look. I spray it on after using a setting powder, and i go back with either my 150 or 190 to blend the powder and the spray together for a flawless finish :)

These 2 are my new loves! The one on the left is the MAC cream color base in Luna, and the pretty pink one is from the MAC lillyland collection, cremeblend blush in florida. I have never tried cremeblend blushes before but let me tell you, they are amazing!!! Im going to go buy the permanent line ones in lilicent, posey, and blushlady! They look gorgeous.

This is CCB in Luna, i find it to be a great multitasker. I use this to prime my eye, like a paint pot, or a primer, adds color and prevents shadows from creasing, i can use it to highlight my cheeks or my face (meaning the cheek bones, bridge of nose, forehead, and chin)

And this is the blush in florida. It might look super intense, but as you can see i applied it with a light hand and it looks amazing, especially with a sunkissed glow, or bronzer, omg its perfect for summer! LOVE!! I use it with my 187 to make it look not so intense on my cheeks.

This is my 187 dupe, studio tools discontinued skunk brush (boo) It actually is an amazing brush, applies blush and foundations amazingly. Im getting the Sigma 187 and 188 very soon, it should be here in a few days, so im super excited about that :)

As you can see its a pretty awesome brush for $6.99, but it was clearanced to $3 something, and a girl sent it to me for free!! And it doesnt look cheaply made at all, you can see how the bristles are packed and looks dense not flimsy.

I have had this forever and found it like 2 months ago in my drawer along with my Luna CCB. I recommend this lipgloss to anyone, its MAC's Underage, the perfect nudy pink lipgloss. Its so pigmented that you dont really need a lipstick under unless you want to. Been wearing this sucker for a while now and i love it :) Thank god its in the permanent line!

And heres the swatch, it looks much better in person but i couldnt get a really good shot since it looks sheer on my hand and with flash it totally washed out my hand.

This is MeUFE HD primer that comes in that kit along with their setting powder and all. It was in my drawer forever so i finally started using it lately and its not bad. Its better than all of my other primers, i think. It makes my foundation glide on easily, it doesnt look patchy or dry, it kinda feels moisturizing too. And i feel like it makes my foundation look better. I dont get those laughing lines, or the lines around my eyes, which is awesome!

I love this Victoria Secret Beauty Rush double mist body spray in Juiced Berry, sounds delish! It smells so fruity and yummy, i personally LOVE fruity smells, so i loved it out of all of the ones they had in store. I was actually going in there to pick up the coconut one but it didnt smell like i thought it would althought there are some pretty amazing coconut scents out there.

Its so cool cuz its red on top and white at the bottom and you shake it up and it turns all red! You're suppose to shake it before using it, its pretty cool and smells amazing. When you have a chance, you should go and test it out at VS, but only if you like sweet fruity smells. then its perfect for you!

And last, i have been using this a lot lately. I did use it before but then i didnt really care for it, so it was just sitting in my drawer until i rediscovered it again. Its a great on the go concealer. Its the MAC select moisturecover concealer. This is great for under eyes, or if you're out its great for covering blemishes as well, but i guess it was made for under eyes more. Patting it on provides more coverage then blending it in with ur finger and going from side to side. It will smear that way and definitely settle into your lines. So patting is the way to go! Until next time :)

Keeping your cosmetics clean, and preventing bacterial infections

If you never think about how long that powder, foundation, eyeliner, and especially mascara, have been in your medicine cabinet or purse, perhaps you should. Those cosmetic products could be bacterial breeding grounds.

Never Touch or Share Your Cosmetic Products

Most estheticians are very careful when applying makeup, the simplest and easiest way to handle makeup and not contaminate it is just to not touch it with your bare hands.
To keep your makeup bacteria free, try this advice:

Take foundation out of the container before applying. Remove stick or pressed foundation with a small, clean makeup spatula or pour a small amount of liquid foundations on to a little pallet or small plate. That way you avoid contaminating the container with your fingers. Use brushes to apply makeup for better results.

Clean your beauty care applicators

When you’re finished with your spatula or pallet and brushes, clean them thoroughly with soap and hot water — every time you use them. A brush cleaner is a great way to get rid of any bacteria on the brush and remove excess makeup as well. You can do the same thing with blush and lipstick applicators. And, no matter how much your sister or best friend pleads, do not share your cosmetic products with them. Their bacteria can contaminate you, too.

Special Care to Prevent Eye Infections

These cosmetic products need special attention.

Eyeliner

Wipe off your eyeliner pencil with alcohol on a fuzz-free cotton pad (found near the cotton balls at your drugstore); with alcohol, it will dry quickly and stay sterile. Don’t use the eyeliner on the moist, pink part of your eyelids. Most eyeliners are not designed to be used there nor close to your tear ducts (the inner corner of your eye).

Mascara

To avoid conjunctivitis and other eye infections, replace your mascara every three to four months. Mark the month you purchased the mascara on the side of the tube with a permanent marker to help you remember to buy a new one. Also, don’t shove the brush back and forth in the tube to get more mascara on it — when you do that, you’re also pushing air and bacteria inside the product. Instead, spin the brush around in the tube before you pull it out and use it. And be careful when using mascara not to touch or scratch your eye – apply only to the tips of your lashes. Otherwise, you risk scratching your cornea and raising your risk of eye infections or vision loss.

Cream or powder eye shadow

These cosmetic products should be treated the same way as foundation and lipstick: Use a brush or spatula and pallet. Don’t touch eye shadow with your fingers.
Remember to replace all of your beauty care products every year, and your mascara every three months. Make sure you don’t touch your makeup with your fingers, and keep all of your makeup applicators clean and sterile. This kind of careful treatment will keep germs and bacteria at bay.