Products I'm loving right now

Hey there guys, I have so many reviews I want to do lately that I can't decide what to start with.
So for now, I leave with you with my go-to products of the moment.

-Naked Palette by Urban Decay

I got this little baby right when it came out on the UD website. It was sold out on the same day, crazy!

I like to use Naked on my lid, Buck on my crease, and either Smog or Darkhorse to deepen the crease. Virgin of course is my highlight.


-Clarisonic Mia by Clarisonic


I finally jumped the wagon and got this baby. It wasn't an easy decision considering the price but I'm glad I did it. My skin has improved in the few weeks I go it.

I will most definitely be writing a review on this in a few weeks or months.


-Bite of an Apple blush by MAC

This blush is so nice and bright, perfect for this spring's bold cheek trend.

Love it!


Other products I'm loving for which I have no pictures of:
-L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara in "Blackest Black"
-Clinique Different Lipstick in "Raspberry Grace" (Thank you Holly)

Betsey Johnson Slant Tweezer Collection (Tweezerman)

Ahh, our eyebrow, they frame our eyes, they can perk up our look and make us look striking.
These little secret weapons can also go against us, let them be for a week or so and our faces start resembling that of a werewolf! Well maybe not you, but I certainly have that problem and this becomes a problem when your waxing appointment is only two times a month. So what's a gal to do with this situation?
Get some tweezers!
Yeah, yeah, easy enough right? Not!!
There are so many tweezers out there, they range from the ones you find in the dollar store, to the higher end ones that make your eyes bulge out when you learn about the price!

EDUN for Sephora Palette - Harmony

"We carry the story of the people who make our clothes around with us... edun"
Beautiful isn't it?
So is this palette.



That phrase can be found printed on the strings that close the organic cotton pouch that holds this palette.
The palette is very simple but very pretty. It features six earth tone eyeshadows and one blush. It is contained in a natural wooden case with a sliding top and a magnetic closure. The shades itself are very neutral with some being matte and others shimmery.
A neat thing about this palette is that it's made with baobab oil from seeds harvested by hand by women in a village in Burkina Faso. This makes the shadows incredibly blend-able which I love!
It is also formulated without parabens, perfume, and talc. It is also allergen free.

Sephora's Makeup Palette To Go - BCA Edition

Has anyone ever asked you, what's your favorite color?
Chances are, all the time!
Well, my favorite color is pink, I looooooove pink!
Pink clothing, pink accessories, pink kitchen appliances....
Yes, I'm super obsessed, so when I see the chance of getting cute makeup in pink packaging, I jump at the opportunity.

That was the case with this little makeup palette. It is a travel friendly palette that includes eyeshadows, lipglosses and a blush.
Let's get the specs in order first. Straight from Sephora's description:

Hautelook, Sephora, and Drugstore Haul

Hey guys!
Today we are doing something different. I've decided to do a video combining my three recent makeup purchases. The first one was a little while ago and it was all Urban Decay cosmetics sold on Hautelook.com
The second part of this haul is a mini drugstore purchase I made a few days ago and it was for two Maybelline products.
Last but not least was my Sephora haul. I left the best for last.

So, enjoy the video and I'll meet you back here when it's done to show you some swatches.



Now that you've seen the video I present you with some swatches.

Crazy for Pink! Video tutorial

Hey there my beautiful gorgeous darlings! I am very excited to announce that I've jumped in the boat and made a small video tutorial called Crazy for pink!
Now, please remember that I am no makeup artist, I have limited knowledge when it comes to makeup techniques. All you see here is me doing the best I can to show some of my friends from Sephora FB page and Peggy's Wakeup Roll call how I did a certain look a few days back.

Now I have to admit, I am a tad nervous. I would really appreciate it if you gave me your input on it. If you guys like it, I am willing to do more. I know the lighting in this video sucks, please forgive me for that.

So, without further stalling.... I give you CRAZY FOR PINK!



Now onto the written tutorial.

Tried and True - Cleaning your brushes

Hey there darlings! Most of you know I'm on a mini shopping hiatus until the 28th because I'm going down to the city to score the very anticipated UD hearts NYC palette from Urban Decay. I will no spend a cent (lies) until that day. Well, at least I'll try no to.
So, I came up with this concept called, Tried and True.
This will be a series that will basically let you know what products or methods I've tried and have worked wonderfully for me. Today we will start with cleaning your makeup brushes.

When I first started getting into makeup, I mean really getting into it, the first brush I ever bought was from Sephora, and it was the Professionnel Small Synthetic Eyeshadow Brush #26. I got this brush because it is good for packing in my shadow, and I like the size because I don't have a lot of eye space so this is perfect!
As time went by I started getting better at applying makeup so I needed more brushes to achieve the looks I was going for. The more brushes I got, the more it got me thinking; how am I supposed to clean these babies?
I was scared, my brushes are mostly from Sephora and MAC and as some of you may know, they aren't cheap. So I needed a method that would really get all the residue from there without damaging them. Onto Youtube I went.
Everybody has their own ways of doing things, and I watched them all! Well not all, but I watched many, many videos. Finally I found this one:

Urban Decay's Naked Palette

Hey guys, so today I'm super excited because a package came in the mail today. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that I've been waiting like a mad woman for my new Naked palette. I was floored when Urban Decay posted sneak peek pictures, the colors looked gorgeous!

So, let's start with the basics:

First of, this palette is from their fall collection. I know, I know, summer just started, but you know in this industry sometimes fall comes earlier than expected. Lolz.
Second of all, the colors are neutral, but they're not your typical neutrals. No, no, no! They are fab neutrals! Omg guys, these colors are so fierce, yet so appropriate for everyday wear. You can wear them to school or work for a natural look but still look glamorous as only us Urban Decay's girl can look.
Third and certainly not least, and this is one of the most important parts, they are full size eyeshadows! Each individually eyeshadow packs 0.05 oz and you get twelve 0.05 oz shadows in this palette. Holy molly!

Now these shadows are not all new, some of them have already been released. Personally, I only own two of them in other palettes and both of them are my faves. These twelve shadows complement each other beautifully. Urban decay really went all out with this palette. It is so sleek and sophisticated. You can pop it in your purse and take it with you wherever. The mirror has a nice size to it so touch ups are easy wherever you are.
One of my favorite things aside from the gorgeous eyeshadows, is the 24/7 dual ended eyeliner. One side has our trusty color: Zero, the other side has this new color called whisky which is a brown color.
To top that all off, it comes with an ubber cute mini primer potion. Why is it so cute? It is not your standard cylindrical shape that you usually get with your palettes, it is shaped just like the full size only smaller. Adorable!

As you all know Urban Decay's eyshadows are highly pigmented and long lasting. Add that to all we've said above and you have the must have palette of the Fall season.

I give this product:

Urban Decay's Naked palette deserves the highest marks for being sleek, sophisticated, and downright amazing! I know the palette is a bit pricey but please keep in mind what you're getting here. It is totally worth the money.

Picture time!

Click on the pictures to see full size

You can buy this from Urban Decay's website or from Sephora and it will cost you $44.00
Urban Decay is currently sold out on these so check back frequently if you want to purchase from there.

I want to try something new, if you have gotten this palette please post a picture of a look you've created with it. I would love to see what you come up with and maybe get some ideas from you!

Sephora Stores

By now you've noticed that most of the make-up I buy and review comes from Sephora. Yes, I know it's a bit pricey, but there is a reason why I shop there, actually there are several reasons.

Sephora carries a huge array of brands, the brands themselves are of high quality and cost effective when it comes down to weight and how long they last.

For example, take Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner. It's $17 at Sephora, yikes! But hold on, you may think that's a little pricey, I'm here to tell you that it's worth your money. The liner is so pigmented that you don't need to apply it over and over again to get a nice rich colored line. You end up using less of it, therefore the liner lasts you longer. You also get the color from tip to end. Cent by cent you get more out of your purchase. I've owned my liner for five months I think and I've only sharpened it twice. I've written a review of these liners so be sure to check them out.

Another thing Sephora has is crew members who will help you out. I know that the first time I went there I was lost! Seeing the store for the first time can be overwhelming, there is so much to see and I didn't know where to start. Fortunately one of the girls there approached me and helped me get exactly what I needed, she tried on different products on my face and took her time to help me find what suited and what I liked. That was a such a great experience.

There's more, each and every display of cosmetics has testers. You can go in and play with them. Want to see how a certain lip color looks on you? Go ahead and try it out. There are makeup applicators, sponges, makeup remover and tissues so you can apply everything with peace of mind.

Lastly, Sephora has a great return policy. If you don't like something you can always return it. I recently had a bad experience with a mascara and I had to return it. I hated having to return something but it was $19 and I wasn't going to stay with something that was useless to me. So I went to the store and the girls were so sweet. They took in my return and helped me find a replacement mascara. I ended up buying Urban Decay's big fatty waterproof mascara. It took a long time too, but they were happy to help me out.

So, the bottom line is this. Expensive doesn't always necessarily mean good and cheap doesn't always mean bad. I've found great products from drugstore brands like the E.L.F cosmetics. Not all of their products are great but the ones I've found are amazing and most of them cost you $1 a piece. Wow! So when shopping for makeup I suggest to always do some research, and when it comes to Sephora, if you didn't like a product, you can always take it back.

Sephora stores overall get:

For being such an awesome store!

Urban Decay's Big Fatty Waterproof Mascara

Aww, the summer months. Beaches, BBQ's, fun in the sun. Fun until your make-up starts melting that is!

I don't wear makeup everyday, especially in the summer, makeup just doesn't stay in my face too long on a hot sunny day. I doesn't matter if I've only walked a block, I will sweat and we all know what sweat does to makeup. It melts it! Well it doesn't really melt it, but it gets wet and it starts running down your face, plus I have a bad habbit of rubbing my eyes and licking my lips a lot so I have to be picky when it comes to summer makeup.

A great summer pal for me is waterproof mascara. Now I know what you may be thinking, waterproof? It's not like I'm going swimming right? Plus, I have to spend that extra time at night scrubbing it out of my eyelashes before I go to bed. Well that may be, but I sure rather spend that extra time at night than walking around with raccoon eyes during the day.
I was using a very generic waterproof mascara from Avon, and it worked great! Then I ran out. So the search began for a new one. I have my Bare escentuals one but it's not waterproof, altough I must admit that I am in love with it, IN LOVE!
So if you've read my previous posts you'll know that the BADgal one was a total flop. I returned it, thank god for Sephora's great return policy by the way. The girl who handled my return helped me search for another one, we searched and searched and neither one pleased me. I even pulled out my little list of suggestions my lovely gals from the Sephora page in facebook suggested, but they didn't have any of those.

After walking around for what seemed like hours (15 mins.), it finally hit me. What brand is the one I always turn to? Well Urban Decay of course. Well the other girls kind of suggested it first, but let's pretend the genious was all me.
So we went for the big fatty mascara.

To begin, I must say I'm not too fond of the big wand. Well it's called the big fatty for a reason right. Anyway, the packaging is super cute! Yes, I know I shouldn't but I do tend to shop because of how cute makeup looks, sorry not my fault that brands know how to make it look like eye candy. I was scared though, the reviews on Sephora aren't very promising, but I had to give it a try, and as you might guess by my semi-what positive attitude, you might realize that I was glad I tried it.

The mascara is absolutley great! The application was nice and smooth, not dry, not runny, just perfect. The big wand made it easier to coat all my lashes quickly and no transfer anywhere on my lids. It dries pretty quick and it left only a minimal amount of clumping, seriously, I can live with that.

My lashes looked beautiful! Now I can't post a pick of that because I kind of fell asleep before taking a picture, (I know, bad right?) but that just takes me to the other great thing about this. There was no smudging during the long hours that I slept. Super cool!

So, let's get to the good part. I give it:

Why a four? Well to tell you the truth, even though this mascara is great it still does not compare to the one from Avon. I didn't have time to get an Avon rep. or I would have gone to her first, but I don't want to take away from this product. If you're thinking of buying it then I say you're making a good choice. Go play with it and see what you think.

Onto some pictures now:

You can purchase this product from Sephora or Urban Decay and it will cost you $20

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

\Oh the eyeliner. Used for so many things. When we do a smoky eye it is there to add more drama, when we need a little brightener it is there to open up our eyes, and when we want to add to have fun it is there to add a pop of color. Yes, eyeliner can be our best friend but sometimes it's hard to find a good brand that actually works for you. Well, look no more, I have found it. It is Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.
Urban Decay's 24/7 pencils are the best eyeliners I have ever tried. They are super creamy and apply so smoothly that it usually takes only one swipe to get your desired look. It comes in several colors to compliment almost any type of eye makeup you have on. My favorite part? They're waterproof!

Now you already know what eyeliner is used for (to line your eyes, duh!), so I won't instruct you on what to do here. What I will say though is that this eyeliner is my favorite, it is really so easy to apply, does not tug on your skin and it has long lasting power. Urban Decay says that you can smudge it too. After you apply it you have around 30 seconds to do all your smudging and then it will dry to a very "long-lasting finish that won't budge." Now I haven't done any smudging but I do know that they stay on pretty well. I use it on my waterline so I would know.

The colors they have avaialble are sure to please most gals and guys, there are so many to choose from. As usual UD has given them unique fun names that in my opinion make them more apealling.

So how do I rate these? I give them:

Yes my darlings, these eyeliners deserve five lipglosses for being super efective and cute!

I only own five, four of them that I got from a set called the Hi-fi 24/7 set and it came with a glitter eyeliner and a full size one in Zero (black)
Here is what they look like:

You can purchase these liners from Sephora or Urban Decay and they will cost you $17.
You can also find them in sets or in duos, just check your local store or the websites I've provided. They're totally worth your money.

Benefit's Erase Paste Concealer

If you've read my previous posts you'll know that foundation has never been a makeup essential for me so you would be right if you assumed that concealer wouldn't be either. Yet, in a time where I spent most nights staying up playing video games and sleeping very little in the morning, it's no surprise that when I woke up my face looked like the one of a grumpy zombie. Those awful black bags under my eyes!
So I dragged my boyfriend (and his wallet) to Sephora for some concealer. I was clueless, where would I start. So I did the sensible thing and asked for help. Thankfully the girl who assisted me knew her products and chose this for me. She taught me how to apply it and even applied it on me so that I could test the product out.
I have to say that I was impressed, this stuff really worked on me.
But before I give you my two cents, let's see what their claims are. From Sephora.com:

Benefit Erase Paste is a concentrated, creamy, blendable concealer that instantly brightens and camouflages all-in-one. It has an innovative formula which makes sure signs of stress and fatigue are a thing of the past. These three brightening neutral shades give every gal correction perfection.

I have to say that I completely agree. The formulation is very creamy and blend-able. Now I know other people say that it's too thick and they don't like it, but you have to remember that this is concentrated formula, you only need a little and when I say little I really mean a little.
It comes in this cute little box and when you open it you find three things: the jar with the concealer, a cute little spatula and a little instructions pamphlet. Now I'm not too fond with the spatula but I kept it nonetheless. To apply I use my concealer brush that I got from my bare minerals get started kit. I put a tiny bit in the back of my hand and warm it up a bit with my finger, then I pick a tiny bit with the brush and apply it.

The coverage is kind of nice. It covers really nicely and you have to set it with a powder to prevent melting. The great thing about this is that it has some sort of reflective particles so when you step into the light your under eye area looks brighter and more awake. For girls with glasses like me that is a huge benefit!
It wears nicely too, it's pretty lightweight but please remember to use a little, if you're not sure how much then I suggest starting with less then a drop size and then get a little more if you need to.

The jar is cute too but it's also deceiving. There is very little product in there and the price tag is kind of high so you might be discouraged to try this. Yet, I must insist that it is a great buy and it's not like you're using a lot of it to get the results you want.

All in all I think it's a great product and I give it:

(4 out of 5 lipglosses)

Why four out of five? Well this is my first ever concealer and to be honest I have nothing else to compare it with. I think 4 is completely fair because it has nice coverage but it doesn't completely erase my dark circles, not counting the light reflecting bit of course.

So there it is, now onto the pictures:

You can purchase Erase Paste from Sephora.com and it will cost you $26
I got mine in Medium in case you're wondering.

Summer makeup routine

So for anyone that is curious I'll share my summer makeup routine.
Summer is an awful time to ware makeup, most of the time I don't ware any to tell you the truth, but sometimes when you are going out you want to look put together.
I sweat more than normal in the summer, especially in my face, so my makeup needs to be lightweight, long lasting, multipurpose and supper easy to touch up.
Here are the products that I use:

I start out with Urban Decay's tinted moisturizer.
This moisturizer not only hydrates my skin but it gives nice coverage. To apply it you simply squirt a small amount on your hand and then dot it in several places around your face. Then use your fingers to blend it all out. The formulation is a bit thick and it dries kind of quick, that's why dotting and then blending will give you chance to get a nice even coverage. Now before you start rambling about how this does not give you enough coverage, be aware that it is a moisturizer, it's not supposed to act as foundation, but it's pretty damm close and it does the job. Another nice little bonus is that it has SPF 20, so it's like three products in one; moisturizer, foundation (kind of) and sunblock. Nice right?

My second step is Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil.
I got this loose powder in my get started kit from Bare minerals. It is a translucent powder that sets your makeup in place. Super lightweight and sheer. After I apply my tinted moisturizer I dust this on with a big brush all over my face. A little goes a long way so don't over do it. My face goes from dewy to matte, love it!

My third step is optional and it's my E.L.F. custom eyes palette.
The reason why this is optional is because sometimes I'm just too lazy to apply eyeshadow, and I can totally skip this if I use eyeliner and mascara.
When I do use it though I tend to gravitate towards this palette. It is so cool because you can custom create your own little palette, you purchase the compact which holds four eyeshadows and then you can choose which colors to put in there. The awesome part is that each piece is a dollar. Now not all E.L.F. products are great, but these are well worth your time, check them out. The shadows I chose were: Moondust, Pink Ice, Ivory and Dusk, perfect for a natural eye.

Third step is Waterproof mascara.
The mascara I was using was from Avon but I have run out, and if you read my previous post you'll know that my recent purchase was a disaster. Any waterproof mascara that works for you will be fine, it's all about keeping it in place even if you do happen to sweat or get wet. I'm in the market for a waterproof mascara, do you have any recommendations?

Fourth and last step is lips.
Now I can't really tell you what to put in your lips because mine change depending on my mood. I usually wear lipglosses and some of my favorite are the pocket rocket's from Urban Decay, totally gorgeous! I also love my Victoria's Secret lipgloss. If you want to keep in with the long lasting theme then go for a lip-stain. My recent lip product purchase was from MAC and it's the Pro Long-wear lip stain marker in Full of Flair. It is absolutely amazing! Line your lips with it and then apply one swipe on your lower lip, then spread out with your finger or your own lips for a nice pigmentation. The color comes on really strong so be careful not to apply too much on your first swipe, unless that's what you're going for. Don't forget to exfoliate your lips before you apply it if you have chapped lips and top it off with a clear lip gloss for some hydration.

So that's it, it's pretty simple, takes about ten minutes to do and unless your running marathon then it should last you a pretty long time. I hope you enjoyed my summer makeup routine, leave me a comment and let me know what you're makeup routine is like.

List of product and prices:
-UD Tinted moisturizer from Sephora or Urban Decay $32
-Bare Escentuals Mineral veil from Sephora or Bare Escentuals $19 alone or buy the get started kit for $60
-E.L.F. Custom eyes palette from Eyeslipsface.com here and here or at your local target, k-mart or any other drugstore that carries this brand. $1 each product, $5 total for the palette.
-MAC lipstain from MAC at $16
-UD Pocket rocket from Sephora or Urban Decay $19
-Victoria's Secret beauty rush lipglosses from Victoriassecret.com $7 or 2/$12 or 5/$20

Sephora Collection Color Play - 5 in 1

Right off the bat I want to say that this is an amazing product. I mean holy cow!
Let's start by saying this: you can't beat the price for what you're getting here.

Right from Sephora's description of the product:

What it is:
A versatile eye, lip, and cheek set featuring five interchangeable color stories.

What it does:
Create a look to fit any mood or style with five sub-palettes, each of which fits easily into a conveniently portable compact. To switch color stories, just pop out the previous look and insert a new one. New Sephora Collection formulations provide long-lasting wear and excellent color payoff for seriously stunning results.

Each of the five sub-palettes contains:
- 10 x Eyeshadows
- 2 x Lip colors
- Blush

Did you see that? That's 50 eyeshadows, 10 lip colors, and 5 blushes! They've also named their palettes and made it so that colors in each palette can be worn together to create a foolproof look. To me that's a huge plus since I am still in the learning stages of makeup application. Anyway, being that this product has so much to offer and had such a small price tag, I thought that it was going to be a generic drugstore type with sheer colors. Kind of like those $20 dollar makeup cases from K-mart I saw years ago, but no! The colors are beautiful, very vibrant, and in my opinion, very pigmented. Some of the shadows are shimmery and some have glitter. I'm not much for blushes and I own tons of lip-glosses, so I got this just for the eyeshadows and I'm glad I did. Regardless, the blushes and lip colors in each palette do go with the shadows, so I guess depending on the mood you're in all you need is a little creativity and one of the palettes, or if you're adventurous just mix and match colors form all five of them!
Another little perk for me is the fact that I can pop out a palette from the big packaging and pop it in the little carrying case which has a nice long mirror too. To me that is essential since I don't like to carry too much make up around.
The only downside I suppose would be that it does not include and applicator. In my case it doesn't really matter because I use brushes and if you don't have a brush I suggest you get one.

So the bottom line is:
Great palette, awesome colors, excellent price.
I give it:

(5 out 5 lip-glosses)

I totally recommend you get it, you won't be disappointed I promise.

You can get this palette from Sephora and it will cost you $29.50
Here is a picture of what it looks like, sorry about the quality, I took it with my phone.

Added 6/30/10, a smoky look I did with Dinner in Paris (the first palette)