Return of Beauty on the Brain!

Hello my lovely BB's! I'm back and certainly did not forget about you. I'm so sorry I haven't posted in ages. Unfortunately, with school and my job, blogging fell to the wayside and I often did not have time to create the meaningful, informative blogs and reviews you all come here for.

That being said, I certainly did not run out of time for cosmetics and beauty products! Here's just a glance at what I've been up to:

That's a heck of a lot, no? The beauty brain never sleeps, no matter how many exams or work-related meetings come up!

Over the past couple of months, I've accumulated a TON of products to review and incorporate into tutorials for you BBs. Some have been awesome; others were less than stellar. Nevertheless, I'm still look forward to telling you all about my beauty exploits.

There were some incredible stand-out products that I came across. First up are the deep conditioning treatments I've been using in my hair:

Both were purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply and while they both are nice, one definitely works better than the other. So, look for an upcoming Battle of the Brands between these two!

Next, I tested the urban legend of using artist brushes (sold at Michael's Craft Store for painting) to apply my makeup.

Please pardon my dirty brushes! I was just getting ready to do a brush cleaning tutorial!

Did they work? Find out soon in an Ultimate Brush Smack Down!

What else? Oh, yes! I tested a new brush cleanser, so look for a review on it soon.

Also got a new boar bristle brush, which is supposed to smooth frizzy hair and keep the natural oils from building up.


So far, I'm loving it! My hair has never, ever, EVER felt so soft and manageable. If you have coarse, frizzy hair, I would definitely recommend investing in one. I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply for under $6.00.

Another awesome cosmetic acquisition was this package of facial/makeup remover wipes that I bought at XXI Forever of all places.


They smell sooo nice and I love using them to clean up makeup through out the day or to totally get rid of makeup at night. They are soothing, refreshing, and leave my skin smelling sweet. Great price, too (only $2.80)!

Oh, yes. The holiday season AND my birthday also came and went. Thanks to my amazing family and fantastic friends, I got some super sweet goodies to share with you! First up is this nail polish set from my dad:

Isn't it CUTE?! I love the teal one and the silver glittery one the most, but it's such a great mini set of OPI's most popular colors.

My fantabulous boyfriend somehow managed to get a hold of an Urban Decay Naked palette for me for my birthday. It's my latest makeup addiction:


It's incredible. He's incredible. Be jealous =) HAHA! But in all seriousness, this is an amazing palette, so expect a review and tutorials based around it.

Then, since my mom is pretty much the coolest person ever, she totally out-did herself and managed to snag a bottle of MAC's Mean and Green nail polish from the sold-out Venomous Villains collection for my birthday. The duo-chrome shade didn't photograph perfectly, but here's a quick peek:


I've been wearing it for almost a week straight and have gotten dozens of compliments on it. I will do a post soon with better photography and easier-t0-see color swatches.

And lastly, my good friend Morgan (who's blog you should check out over here if you are interested in writing techniques) got me the makeup Bible for my birthday:


It's so... pretty! All of the looks are beautiful and Jemma is a brilliant makeup artist. So, in honor of this fabulous book, I will be starting a new series called Masterclass Mondays, where I will do one look from the book each week. Look for it soon!

OH! And I just realized I forgot to photograph this with the rest of the group of items, but I got this super-awesome nail polish at Disney World in December:


It's from OPI's Alice in Wonderland collection and is called "Off With Her Red" (Get it? Get it?!). It's a lovely color, so look for a review on it soon.

Honestly, I'm so glad to be back to blogging again. I have so many fantastic blogs planned and I'm really excited to post them for you. Thanks for sticking around with me!

Look What Arrived Today!

A Sephora haul! Yay!!

Most of the time, I can't afford to buy too, too much at Sephora because the prices are a tad bit expensive, but every year the store does what they call their Friends and Family Sale where you can 20% your entire purchase.

That's right. 20%! That's a heck of a lot off their products, especially when you're already shopping the sales and bargain items.

I've always wanted one of Sephora's Beauty in a Box sets simply because I love kits since they give you a great variety of products that work well together and suggestions on how to use it. This year, Sephora created four Beauty in a Box sets that would make great Halloween looks: a Vegas Showgirl, a Peacock, a Vampire, and a Devil. While I thought the vampire and devil kits looked great (especially the devil one, which had a black lipgloss I've been dieing to try!), I opted to go with the Vegas Showgirl and Peacock kits because I felt I would get more use out of them.

Anywho, the day after Halloween, these sets went from $26 all the way down to $10! What a deal! So, naturally, when I couldn't decide between either of them, I grabbed up both. After all, each was valued at over $50 and that's a GREAT deal for higher-end cosmetics. Plus, with the Family and Friends discount, the boxes were only $8 a piece. SWEET!!!

So, today, my Sephora box arrived. I was so excited to open it! And Sephora never lets you down with presentation. Even though I didn't order gift wrap, the kits were wrapped in the iconic red tissue paper and displayed like the crown jewels. Inside each kit, the items themselves were also wrapped in the red tissue (which I conveniently ripped to shreds in my excited state. Hehe..). Needless to say, I was impressed to find that the kits had full sized products in them, and not the little 'deluxe samples'/one time use products I thought would be in there. Both look uber fun, so here are my first impressions.


Vegas Showgirl: So far, I'm LOVING the lipgloss (it's the only thing I've really tried on). It's a gorgeous hot pink and full of glitter: totally glam. I find that it does stain your lips, which I'm a fan of since I hate reapplying makeup just shortly after i first apply it. The formula is smooth and silky -- not heavy at all -- and the doe-foot applicator feels more luxurious than most. Though I have not really used them yet, the shadows look gorgeous and are highly pigmented. The eyeliner is quite pretty, too, even though I just swatched it on my wrist. I have not sprayed the glitter yet, but I'm excited to! The only thing I wasn't an immediate fan of was the false lashes. Online, I couldn't tell that they had strands of glitter mixed into them. While I don't hate it, I think it kind of makes the lashes look tacky and I don't know if I'll really get to wear them very much. However, the over all kit looks fabu and I can't wait to really use the products!

Peacock: The lashes in this kit are to DIE for! So adorable!! I really love that you can apply as many or as little as you want to make the look yours. The eyeshadow combination is lovely... the dark green shadow is my favorite so far. These don't seem very pigmented, though, so I would recommend using a heavier hand with them. Again, the liner I swatched on my wrist looked beautiful, so that'll be exciting to use. The lipgloss -- although quite sheer -- smells deliciously sweet, so it should be pleasant to use. I also did not test the glitter spray in this kit.

Tomorrow, I should have at least one look tested, so I will let you know how it goes. The kits also come with little flaps in the front that provide instructions for a night look and day look for each kit.

Vegas Showgirl comes with a Colorful 9 Eyeshadow Palette in Forest Fantasy, Nano Eyeliner in Wild Spirit, Ultra Shine Lipgloss in Fuchsia, Silver Glitter Spray, and False Lashes. Above is the instruction flap!


The instructions on the Peacock kit tell you how to use the Colorful Eyeshadow Palette in Schizo, Super Shimmer Lipgloss Sugar Coat, Nano Eyeliner in Ladoon, Gold Glitter Spray, and False Eyelashes that come with it.

Get the Look: Pretty in Pink (and Purple!)

Berry tones are always popular in the fall and winter when it comes to makeup looks. It warms up the face (which could lose its natural tan) and helps your skin radiate with warmth.

Please excuse my messy hair and gym clothes. I was on my way to Tai-chi class but wanted to make sure I got a picture of my makeup before I worked out. :)

Eyes: For this look, I chose to feature purple eyeshadow, but you could really do a pink or warm maroon as well. After priming the lid, I took Wet n' Wild's eyeshadow in Kitten ($0.99 at Walgreens. What a steal!!) and applied it with a stiff, flat brush all over the lid. I really like this shadow because it has a gold shimmer running through it that, when the light hits it just right, makes it look like you actually applied two eyeshadows: a purple as a base and a gold on top. After packing on the eyeshadow to reduce fall-out, take a fluffy dome brush and blend out the edges into your crease. You can add a highlight on your brow bones and in the inner corner of your eyes with a silver eyeshadow if you want. Apply concealer AFTER your eyeshadow in case of fall-out from the purple shadow that would make any under-eye circles look darker and more apparent.

Lips: I'm loving lipstains at the moment because the require minimal upkeep throughout the day and give your lips a gorgeous color for quite some time. For this look, I used Revlon's Just Bitten in Passion ($8.99 at CVS, but was on sale for buy one, get one 50% off), which gave my lips a delightful, berry-pink color. Make sure you apply a good lipbalm on top of the stain, though, because stains can dry out your lips: a major no-no for the winter. Revlon's lipstains come with a great balm on one end and the stain marker on the other.

Face: I would recommend a peach-tone blush for this look because any blush that's more pink or rosy will make your face look to red in the winter cold. A peach blush will still add a warm pink tone to your face, but won't look too over-done.


And there you have it: a pretty, girly look that is 100% perfect for everyday wear this winter. Enjoy!

Can anyone recommend...

A good eyeshadow primer? Like, one that costs less than $10? I've been using mark.'s Please Hold Eyeprimer ($8), but I've noticed that it's been creasing like crazy. Soo.. leave me a comment with your suggestions.

Get the Look: Earthy Eyes

Recently, I've really been digging blue and green eyeshadows. I think it perfectly compliments my skin tone (olive-beige) and blonde hair. At the same time, you can easily adjust the pigmentation to better match your own skin tone/hair color.

Eyes: Pack a light or lime green eyeshadow like mark.'s I-mark in Dragonfly ($5.00) all over the lid, up to the crease, using small patting motions to reduce fall-out (loose eyeshadow bits that fall onto your upper cheek bones and smudge terribly). Then, with a stiff dome brush, apply a darker, foresty green eyeshadow like mark.'s I-mark in Retro Peacock ($5.00) in a soft v-shape in the outer corner. Blend the area where the two meet with a softer, feathery brush to reduce harshness. Line the upper lids with your favorite black eyeliner as tightly as possible. You want the green to stand out most! Then, curl your lashes and apply a fun, night-out mascara like Maybelline's The Falsies Mascara ($6.99) for thick, dramatic lashes.

Face: Conceal any imperfections, especially dark under eye circles that will distract attention from your gorgeous eyes and can make your skin look hallow. You can use a bronzer to lightly contour your face, but don't do anything too drastic. Gently blend a pinky-peach blush into your cheekbones like mark.'s Good Glowing Blush in After Glo ($7.00).

Lips: Go for a soft, neutral pink gloss like mark.'s Lots of Lacquer in Rush. Wipe away any gloss that strays from your natural lip line and your look is complete!

Tag, you're it! Products I regret buying

In all honesty, I don't really regret buying any beauty products, because I feel like they each serve some sort of purpose and while they might not necessarily work for me, they could definitely work better on someone else. So, with that in mind, these are a list of products that I didn't exactly love..

1) Urban Decay's Cream Shadow in Delinquent ($17.00 at Sephora)
This eyeshadow looked great in the tube and DID serve as a great base coat for really dramatic, purple smokey eyes, but I got this weird tingling sensation on my lids whenever I used it. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it certainly didn't feel great! Honestly, I don't reach for this product very much because it feels so weird. The packaging also kind of sucks because while you can easily get the product out the first time or two, it seems to clump at the bottom and then you actually have to squeeze the tube to get it out... it just gets really messy. I think for the price, it wasn't worth it.

2) Laura Geller's Lipstick in On Stage ($15.50 on her website, but I think I bought it on clearance at Sephora for $5 o5 $6?)
I bought this lipstick in hopes of a great, night-out-on-the-town, bright red color and it delivered on that end. However, I find it to be pretty drying and it almost seems to flake off? Not cool! I do still use it on occasion, but it's not my number one red lipstick. I don't think I'd really recommend it.

3) Buxom's Travel In Style Lipstick and Lip Polish Duo ($18.00 at Sephora)
I really bought this set because of the beautiful coral-orange lipstick that I fell in love with in the store. Needless to say, I hated the gloss when I got home because it was gooey and gross (also wasn't a huge fan of the plumping formula. I knew it was a plumper in the store, but I don't think it really did much for me and I found it sort of unrealistic) so I used just the lipstick with another gloss over it. But then, like a week after purchasing the set, the lipstick broke! The whole pigment stick fell out of its holder and got stuck in the super-thin cap. I was pretty upset. So overall, I just had bad experiences with the set, but I'd consider buying the lipstick on its own if the manufacturer could create a new packaging for it.

4) mark.'s Shimmer Tubes Hook Up Gel Blush in Rose, Peach, and Bronze (I think these were $2.00 a piece? I bought them in the last chance section and they return every once in a while)
I think these are gorgeous colors, but they're just totally sheer as blushes. I love the concept and the formula, but they don't show up at all on me (except for the bronzer, which for some reason looks like dirt). As I'm typing this, though, I think I'm going to experiment with them as eyeshadow bases or highlighters, so I'll get back to you when I do that!

5) e.l.f. Essential's Hypershine Gloss Box ($5.00)
These glosses were too sticky and gooey for me. The colors are gorgeous, but the formula was not for me and the applicators were not fun either. They got really messy and gross.

6) BonBon's Eyeshadow in Copper and Purple ($0.99 at Walmart)
These shadows were just too powdery for me. It didn't matter how I applied them, they always got messy and were more hassle than they were worth.

7) Almay's Nearly Naked Cover Up Stick ($6.97 at Walmart)
Too creamy and oily. This concealer creased on my skin so quickly and never stayed put. I like the pureness of Almay's products normally, but this concealer just did not work. I also had it in my purse for about a week and it melted and got super-messy.

What are some products that you're not a fan of? Are any of the products I dislike ones that work for you? Let me know!

White eyeliner is your best friend

Seriously.

If you pull all-nighters, cry your eyes out at a chick flick, or just have a really bad cold, white eyeliner is the best thing you can use. Apply a thin line to your bottom waterline (just above your lashes on your lower lid) and it instantly makes your eyes brighter, whiter, and bigger. How gorgeous!

You can also use white eyeliner along the inner corners of your eyes when doing a dark smokey eye so that the gray/purple/black/blue eyeshadow doesn't make you look like a raccoon. Another awesome trick? Apply white eyeliner allover your lids before applying a really vibrant color. The white base coat will make that color pop and look infinitely brighter.

At the moment, I'm really hooked on mark.'s No Place to Run Eyeliner in White On ($8.00). Yeah, this is kinda pricey for an eyeliner, BUT it does last forever because it seriously is waterproof. Therefore, you probably will not need to reapply it throughout the day.

So yes. White eyeliner + you = Biffles