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Monday, April 30, 2012

Statement Lips: How To

For a long time, I was absolutely terrified of wearing a bold lip. Its a very hard line to walk between statement making and looking like something went horribly wrong. Over the years, I've picked up a few tips that makes statement lips (darker, bolder, brighter) colors look crisp and neat without too much effort.

So, first things first: you'll want to exfoliate lips and use a hydrating balm while you do your makeup. Then when you're ready to work on the lips, wipe off the excess balm and apply a TINY bit of concealer. It neutralizes your natural lip color and makes for a nice base for the color to stick to. But remember, the tiniest bit goes a long way!

My lips with only concealer- I used Maybelline Mineral Power in Medium
Next comes the liner if you choose to use it- I wouldn't suggest overdrawing your natural lip line- I find that drawing just at my natural lip line works best.

After lining around the lips, hold the liner sideways and fill in your lips. Then, apply your lipstick of choice. For this demonstration, I used NYC's Retro Red.
At this point you can run out the door, but I like to do two extra steps which I feel make a huge difference. Take a creamy concealer that's one or two shades lighter than your skin tone and with a lip brush, carefully draw a thin line all around your lips (I used MAC Studio Fix concealer in NC25).
I know this looks crazy right now! Hang in there!

The last step is to clean off your lip brush and blend the concealer line. This extra step makes your lips "pop" and also helps to perfect the contours of your lips helping them look fuller and more perfect.

Sorry about the super bright lighting!

Do you have any tips or tricks to rocking bold statement lips? Leave them down below!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Fashion Friday: Ray Ban Aviators

I've never owned a high end pair of sunglasses before and frankly, I don't wear sunglasses that often. When I saw these, they melted my heart.. and my resolve. They are the perfect size for my face (I don't look like a fly like I usually do when I wear HUGE sunglasses) and they are just girly enough.
They are the RayBan Aviators in Golden Orange #0RB3025


I love that the lenses are pink, orange and gold. Here I am trying to look ultra badass with them on:

I love aviators as they suit so many face shapes and flatter almost anyone. What are your favorite sunglasses styles? Do you think you'll try something new this summer?

Thursday, April 26, 2012

TAG! You're it!

I've seen this cute little tag going around on YouTube and I really liked it and wanted to bring it to the blogosphere. Its called the "10 Little Secrets" tag.
Soooo here goes!

1. What is the one product that makes you feel like a million dollars?
For me that would definitely be under eye concealer. If I wanted to wear just one makeup item that would have maximum impact, it would definitely be that. Right now I'm loving MAC Studio Fix Concealer in NC35.
2. What is your skincare secret/passed down tip?
Both my parents have really amazing skin and I was lucky to inherit that from them. My mom taught me at a young age that its very important to wash your face every single day and to moisturize! Its because of her that I started moisturizing my skin in middle school and have started using anti-aging products since high school.
3. Share your haircare secret.
I am dedicated to deep conditioners. For the past year, I've been loving the Macadamia Nut Oil one. But yes, my biggest hair care secret is deep conditioning at least once a week, more if your hair is curly or dry.
4. What is your biggest diet rule?
I have also been lucky to have an quick metabolism. While I don't have the best diet ever, I am a firm believer of "everything in moderation". If you deny yourself something, you'll end up craving it more and caving in eventually. So, if you're looking for a lifestyle change (which I believe is infinitely more effective than a diet), then seriously exercise portion control and you'd be surprised at what that along can do for you.
5. Any workout tips?
WALK! I hate going to the gym- while some people absolutely love it and get great results, its just not my style. I walk everywhere and in NYC everything is at a fast pace so that's where I get my little bit of exercise in. I also really enjoy classes- I was into ballet for a long time and dearly miss it but I also enjoy Zumba.
6. Which perfume is your secret weapon?
Without a doubt, its Dior's J'Adore. If I'm wearing that, I'm aiming for ultimate sexy and going for the kill (lol...)
7.Show us a clothing item of yours which always turns heads.
Its a dress that's quite similar to this one- except no straps
Image credit: Google

8.What is your most treasured piece of jewelry?
My most treasured piece of jewelry was one I sadly lost a few years ago. My mom bought little gold ID bracelets for both my sister and I and put them on us the day we were born. I loved the bracelet to death and wore it even though the name had long been scratched off. I refused to take it off for anything (oh how angry my old gym teacher would get!) It had such sentimental value that even when my mom bought me a new one, I never ever wore it. Then one day, I went to bed and when I woke up, it was gone. I think it may have fallen off but I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. By far it was my most treasured piece of jewelry.
9.Who is your style crush?
Without a doubt, I absolutely love everything that Kim Kardashian, Kate Middleton, and Lucy Hale wear.
10.Tell us something we don't know about you.
Despite the fact that I am *obsessed* with beauty products, I'm actually very low maintenance. I don't often heat style my hair, and I usually don't wear much makeup at all.


So, I TAG anyone who'd like to participate!

Here are the questions and leave your answers in the comments!!

1. What is the one product that makes you feel like a million dollars?
2. What is your skincare secret/passed down tip?
3. Share your haircare secret.
4. What is your biggest diet rule?
5. Any workout tips?
6. Which perfume is your secret weapon?
7.Show us a clothing item of yours which always turns heads.
8.What is your most treasured piece of jewelry?
9.Who is your style crush?
10.Tell us something we don't know about you.



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Chanel Creamy Cleansing Milk

After being given a sample from my Chanel counter, I knew I loved it after just one use (though I have used it several times since then). It effectively removed my makeup with little to no effort- even my usually hard to remove my mascara. While I usually end up scrubbing a little to make sure my makeup is all off, I didn't find myself doing that with this product.
As it is a lotion consistency, I used a quarter-sized amount for my whole entire face and about 2 cotton rounds. Even though you don't have to, I then rinsed any residue off with water and followed up with toner and moisturizer. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no traces of makeup on my face and that it looked hydrated and glowing (not from any greasy residue lol!) What also sets this makeup remover apart is that it did not leave my face dry or tight as other removers can, and often do.



Chanel Lait Confort Creamy Cleansing Milk No Color One Size
Image credit: Google
Overall, I really enjoyed using this product and will be very sad when my sample runs out! The only downside is that as its a Chanel product, it comes with a steep price tag. At $45.00, its way too expensive to use regularly as a makeup remover.

What are your favorite makeup removers? Would you fork up the cash for a great product that was super expensive?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Benefit Powderflage: A Love-Hate Relationship

The subject of today's post is a product that I've been using for years but have a definite love-hate relationship with- Benefit Powderflage. I picked this up when it first came out (and I'm still on the same container!) Before any of the HD powders came onto the market, this seemed to be the best type of powder to use under the eyes to set concealer, and anywhere else that needed brightening.

This little orb contains very finely milled light pink powder with shimmer in it.



The package also came with a little booklet with instructions and ideas about where and how to use this product. My main use for it, was to set the loads of under eye concealer I need to use to cover the dark circles under my eyes. What I liked about this powder was that because it was so finely milled, it helped the under eye area look natural and delayed the inevitable concealer creasing throughout the day. What I didn't like about it was the tone. For fairer-toned ladies, I could definitely see Powderflage being a holy grail product. For my skin tone, which is on the warmer side, the tone is just...off. While the shimmer and the lightness of the powder helped diffuse the darkness, because its a pink and not salmon-toned for example, the color just looks a bit off on me.
Here's a swatch on my hand so you get the idea:


You can see that even when used sparingly, it does have an overall brightening effect, but the color of the powder leaves a bit of an ashy tone that doesn't look quite right. Therefore, throughout the years I've gravitated toward this product and moved away from it on a pretty consistent basis lol.

Have you tried Benefit's Powderflage? Do you have any favorite powders to set your under eye concealer?

Monday, April 23, 2012

Staple Items

As its been crunch time with classes, I have had much less time to do makeup. When I'm in a pinch, I turn to my trusty staple items that can make me look put together and like I invested much more effort into my look than I actually did.
My go-to items are:



(1) Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Tan
(2) MAC Studio Fix concealer in NC35
(3) MAC Indianwood Paint Pot
(4) Loreal Voluminous in Carbon Black
(5) Any lip balm really- pictured here is the MAC Hydrating Lip Conditioner (Viva Glam Ricky Martin Edition)
(6)Wet n Wild Bronzer in Princess



What are your go-to items when you're in a rush?

Friday, April 20, 2012

Fashion Friday: Stackable Rings

We finally made it to the weekend! For today's Fashion Friday, I'm bringing the focus back to jewelry. It was my sister's birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday, Vanessa!!!!!)


Image credit: globalanimal.org

So I went to Coach to pick her up a nice bangle. But... you know... if I'm going to get her something nice, and I'm already there, a *small* present for myself wouldn't be too bad right?

These stackable rings caught my eye:


 
It's called the sterling hammered rings set, and it can be found here.

I love the way it makes my hands look slim and elegant, here are some of the ways I like to rock 'em.







Have a great weekend!

What styles of rings are you loving right now?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

OCC Lip Tar

I've heard so many amazing things about this product that I've seriously wanted to try it ever since OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) became a brand. The fact that it for the most part has to be purchased online always held me back though. Unless its something I've already tried in person, I never really shop online for makeup- I feel like it takes the fun out of it! Anyway, I picked up 2 Lip Tars at IMATS, and today, I'll be reviewing "Interlace"- a nude of course!

After swatching, I liked the color so much, I seriously considered getting a backup. Honestly though, this stuff is SUPER pigmented. I really mean it when I say a little bit goes a looooonnnnggggg way.

unblended on the left, blended on the right

This is less than half a pea-sized amount and it is way more than enough for my lips. You can see from the swatch above that the tiniest amount offers great coverage and it doesn't settle into fine lines- which often happens with nude lip colors.


On my lips, it offers a completely blanked-out look. I usually really like it with a full-on smokey eye, but for everyday wear I like to add a gloss to it to give some extra dimension. Even with a gloss or balm over the top, the color doesn't migrate into fine lines and has good wear time(I'd say 2 hours with a gloss, 3-4 hours by itself.) Another cool thing about it is that though it is a matte finish, its not drying on the lips at all- its actually weirdly moisturizing.
Overall, I really recommend this product. The company has a wide range of colors and just one tube will seriously last you forever and a half. If you're interested in browsing the Lip Tars, or other OCC products, you can find them here on their website.

Have you tried anything from OCC?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tips

Hey all!Today's post will be quick and dirty- lol. I decided to get permanent french acrylic tips. I know they are horrible for your nails, but I felt like I needed a change. I love the way they came out- I always cut them SUPER short and asked the technician to add a line of gold glitter under the smile of the nail- because you all know I love me some glitter!


It Wednesday so hang on- the weekend is almost here :)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

IMATS NYC- Day 2

On Sunday, my experience at IMATS was definitely less hectic. I really enjoyed going through the booths, checking out the competitions, and enjoying the demos because I had already gone nuts with the hauling on Saturday! ت  My day in pictures:

Isn't this amazing? Its so intricate and perfect!



Eve Pearl doing a demo



Student Competition



Student competition- I was blown away by this one


Me getting a glitter tattoo done


The finished product- I loved this so much and I wish it was a real tattoo!


Mini NYX and Eye Kandy Haul



I picked up:

(1) 6 Eye Kandy Glitters
(2) NYX eyeshadow in Peach Bronze
(3) NYX Lip Plumper in Jessica
(4) NYX Mega Shine Gloss in Africa
(5) NYX HD Studio Powder Foundation in Tan
(6) NYX Illuminating Bronzer in Narcissistic (lol love the name)
(7) NYX Stay matte but not flat liquid foundation in Tan
(8) NYX Mega Shine Gloss in Tanned
(9) NYX brush in b15 Smokie

Monday, April 16, 2012

IMATS NYC- Day 1

Happy Monday all! Today's post will be about my first day (Saturday) at IMATS. I've decided to break it up into two posts (one for each day that I was there) because I have tons of pictures to share with you!
So, without any further ado, here's day 1 of IMATS NYC in pictures. Enjoy!

The entrance at Pier 94
Crazy amazing demo by Makeup Forever's Academy
The lineup for Stila's fashion show- why hello Mr. Model!!


After the Stila fashion show. Ok so I'm obviously stalking that model. Let me live.
The Black Swan makeup from their museum section

Me with my bags! And I don't know what's up with the Angelina Jolie leg so don't even ask me.


My makeup- with the requisite angry face n_n


Close-up on the makeup
As it was super early in the morning, I was hesitant about wearing a crazy smokey eye or something bright and colorful so I decided to go with:

(1) Olay Regenerist Foundation (love this- review soon to come!)
(2) MAC Studio Finish concealer (NC35)
(3) MAC Vanilla on the lid
(4) MAC Wedge in the crease
(5) NYX holographic glitter liner for some pizazz
(6) MAC Hue lipstick

Bags full of goodies!

The haul
On Day 1, I picked up:

-a Makeup artist t-shirt
-SoClean makeup sanitizer
-South Beach self tanner and gold glitter drops
-Julie G nail polish in Chic Cipro
-Mehron tattoo concealing ring
-OCC lip tar in Trick
-Eve Pearl Salmon concealer in Medium-Tan
-Eve Pearl petri dish
-Makeup Designory book
-Makeup Designory lipstick in Sandy Beach
-Makeup Designory Cream mascara
-OCC airbrush foundation

I'm really happy with my purchases- most of these things I've been dieing to try forever but never wanted to order online.

I was also super excited to see some of my favorite YouTube gurus- all of them I've watched for years:

Tanya Burr pixi2woo, Fleur fleurdeforce, Nikkie nikkietutorials, Julie JulieG713

Stay tuned for part 2! I'd also be happy to review any of the goodies I picked up, so let me know if you're interested!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Fashion Friday: OOTD

Hey all! We made it to Friday- yay!!! Today's post is the outfit I wore today- including some new things I picked up from H&M this week:




I wore:
(1) a cream-colored tunic from H&M - I picked up a size bigger so it would cover my bum when I wore it with leggings
(2) a rose-gold braided belt (also from H&M)
(3) black pair of leggings
(4) black cardigan
(5) nude flats

All H&M items can be found here. I'm loving diaphanous comfy tops and layering right now. Plus, I absolutely cannot live without black leggings or my cardigans. I wear them SO much- they just never get old for me. Do you have any staple items you can't live without?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel

I was extremely excited when this product came out. It's marketed as a nail polish that has the longevity of gel nail polish. So... I stalked my local drugstores until I found a display at CVS (makes me sound like a creeper!). I picked up the pretty copper color, 140 "Fall Mood" and the top coat.  I was really puzzled because I did not find their base coat on the display but I later learned that the base coat didn't come with the original display. That's just weird and makes no sense to me. I really wasn't willing to order the base coat online, so I set it aside and waited for the base coat to come into stores.
I finally had a chance to do a mani and here is the verdict. I loved the color- a beautiful metallic copper that looks a lot like rose gold. Here's what the polish looks like (plus base and top coat):



Application was a breeze and the formula easy to work with. However, I noticed that it took FOREVER to dry. I used thin coats but even after an hour, I managed to mess up my nails pretty badly, which you can see a little bit of in my pinky in the picture above. also, the polish had a really strong, strange smell. I couldn't quite place my finger on it (no pun intended!), but I guess the closest way to describe it was a strong, plastic-y odor. Usually this wouldn't bother me but it actually continued to smell for a few days- until I removed it.
This is Fall Mood after 2 coats For some reason, the nails make the polish look much more orange. The way it looks in the bottle is dead-on though.



Revlon says that this nail polish will last up to 10 days however, I removed it after four. I was impressed at the fact that there was no chipping, but there was some noticeable tip wear. I tried to get a picture, but my camera wasn't picking up on it clearly. Overall, I did notice that this polish stayed on longer than most, but the strange smell really threw me off. I think I'm going to pick up another color to make up my mind about this line.

Have you tried the Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel? What color(s) did you try and what was your experience with it?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Guest Mani!

Hey all! Today's post features nail art by Jessica on her friend Aemi. She used an inspiration picture (Aemi's sister) :


To create this manicure:


I love this and I think its so creative. Even though it looks hard to do, its actually very simple and is really cute for spring.

She used a pin and these colors:


(1) Any white nail polish as a base to make the colors pop and appear more pastel
(2) Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Buttercup
(3) Essie in Turquoise and Caicos
(4) LOREAL in Penthouse Pink
(5) Essie in Cute as a Button
(6) Essie in Lilacism

What do you think of Jessica's manicure? Have you ever done a manicure based off of an inspiration picture?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

NOTD: Turqoise and Caicos

Today's NOTD is Essie's Turqoise and Caicos. I've heard so much buzz about this color and while I don't usually gravitate toward blues or greens, this was such a pretty color it was hard to say no.  actually ended up really loving the way this color looks on my nails- this was three coats:



The formula was a bit goopy which surprised me. I feel like the typical Essie formula is usually on the runnier side. While the formula was a little hard to work with, at three coats it looked smooth and even.

Here's a closeup (by the way, the color is dead on. I just installed a new lighting system in my office and it looks like Times Square up in here!)




I really like this color. Have you tried any trendy colors that are outside of your comfort zone? What color was it and did you end up loving it?

Monday, April 9, 2012

Fashion... Monday

Hey guys! On Friday, I posted about different ways to wear scarves for spring. I'm not sure what happened, but it was brought to my attention that the usual Fashion Friday post was not there. When I checked, sure enough it was gone. So my apologies to you! So instead of a Fashion Friday, we'll kick the week off right with a Fashion Monday.
As I mentioned, this post is about the different ways to wear a scarf. I love to wear scarves into spring just because the weather fluctuates so much- it may be warm throughout the way and then get super cold at night- so its great to either wear as a functional accessory or toss in your bag.
So here are my favorite ways to wear them.

First up, the classic, easy loop around your neck:

Here's a bit of a fancier way to wear the loop around the neck. All you have to do is weave the loose ends around the looped bit and it looks like a braid:

Next is the infinity scarf look- for this one you loop the scarf around your neck and tuck the ends in:



Or you can leave the ends loose for a different look:

I look angry in this picture because I clearly need a hair brush!


What are your favorite ways to wear scarves?