More Stuff...

Good Afternoon.

I don't know what it is but lately I have been wanting to try all of these products that are new to me.  So I headed over to Sephora and picked up a few things.


a travel sized pack of 5 UD 24/7 eyeliners
UD De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray
I was also given a sample of bareMinerals Prime Time
















24/7 liners.  LOVE LOVE LOVE. Great colors, Great lasting power, Great pigmentation.

De-Slick Setting Spray.  hmm.  Well I can say that it controlled any oil for me.  But I do like it for applying my eyeshadow wet. Makes the shadow last all day and gives it great color payoff.

Bare Minerals Prime Time. also LOVE LOVE LOVE.  I will definitely go back and purchase this once my sample runs out.  This actually controlled the oil throughout the day.  I still powder once in the afternoon, but thats it.  Amazing job.

One other thing I picked up was a Mac 168 brush.  Tomorrow I am heading over to Mac again to get one of the In Extra Dimension Skinfinish Powders, so I thought the 168 would be perfect for applying it.

So far I have tried this brush out for applying a highlight on my cheekbones and also for applying blush.  I Like it alot as a highlighting/contouring brush, but dislike it for applying my blush.  It is very soft and applies product like a dream.  I just found that it left too much of a defined line for my blush, but I will keep practicing an playing with it.  I can tell this will be a brush that will make it into my everyday routine.

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung, the sun is shining, and the colors are bursting!

The next few posts will be reviews of the products I have recently purchased.  I will group all the lip products together to compare their formulas.

MAC Force of Love Lipglass
Revlon Fire Colorburst Gloss
Lise Watier Fashionista Haute Coleur Gloss
MAC Full Speed Sheen Supreme Lipstick

L-R Force of Love, Fire, Fashionista, Full Speed

Mac Force of Love is a limited edition lipglass put out with the Chenman Collection. It looks like a bright coral pink in the tube, and when applied it is a bright pink with some shimmer in it.  It was put out with the same color and name matte lipstick (which I really wanted but was sold out), but I did get to try it out and the lipstick is much more coral than the gloss.  Lipglasses have a thick, sticky consistency, but they are not uncomfortable to wear.  I get a few hours of wear out of them.

Revlon Fire is a Colorburst Gloss.  It is a bright red gloss that looks creamy and rich in the tube. I was looking for an opaque red lipgloss and was suggested this.  Let me tell you... although it is opaque and very colorful when first applied, it wears off unevenly and bleeds alot, even with a liner.  I was not happy with this purchase.  I have tried it over lipstick, with liner, without liner, putting liner all over the lips.  Nothing seems to make the wear of this any better.  It lasts for maybe one hour on me, before it starts to noticeably fade.  The color is nice, if only the wear was better. It feels very light weight and is tasteless.  The wand applicator is also weird.  It is not practical for applying a red lipgloss.. too wide and not enough precision.

Lise Watier Fashionista is a Haute Couleur Lipgloss.  It is a pinky coral, very feminine colored gloss with pink shimmer.  One of the features of this product is that the tube has a mirror on the side of it, and there is a LED light that lights up the wand (Which I find not very helpful, makes it so hard to see when you are applying).  It smells and tastes sweet. It is light weight, maybe a little sticky, but not uncomfortable. I get a few hours of wear out of this when worn alone.  I really like this color as just a lip pick me up :)

Fashionista (really bad photo quality, sorry)
The color is so much prettier in real life.

MAC Full Speed is a Sheen Supreme lipstick.  It is a bright, vibrant pink coral with excellent color payoff and consistency. I am in love with this color.  It really livens up your look, I wore this with blanc type eyeshadow and black eyeliner, and my eye color popped!  The consistency is creamy and moisturizing.  I found this color, worn with liner, wore for a few hours on me.

I am loving the bright lip colors this season, paired with a neutral, light colored eye... gorgeous!

I wanted to add more pics to this post, but for some reason when I add them in, they all have a filmy look over then, making the colors not as vibrant, so I will add pics at a later date.

Enjoy your evening!

Welcome spring with colour! HAUL

Hey there,

This warm weather has inspired me to venture out and play with some new colours.  I recently picked up a few items from MAC and Shoppers Drug Mart.  This will be more of a haul post, I will review each individually with pics of how I wore them.

MAC "Full Speed" Sheen Supreme Lipstick
MAC "Paradisco" Eyeshadow
MAC "Force of Love" Lipglass (LE)
MAC "Pinch o Peach" Sheertone Blush
Lise Watier Haute Couleur "Fashionista" Lipgloss
Revlon Colorburst "Fire" Lipgloss

I really wanted the MAC Force of Love Lipstick, but it is sold out everywhere, the manager of MAC in the mall said she would let me know if they happen to get more, so fingers crossed!

PINKS, REDS, CORALS, oh my!

Do you have any of these? Or any suggestions for more of the like colors?

Updated Makeup Storage

Hey all.

Over the past little while, I have been looking into different ways to store my growing makeup collection.  I don't have alot of products so far, but I still needed an organization system that would help me.  I looked online to order from the infamous container store, but i am always hesitant from ordering online, so I went out searching at home goods stores for something comparable.  I liked the different drawers, as to utilize height instead of using up so much counter space, but I didn't so much like the fact that it was clear, I would rather have something that was opaque and more of a furniture piece.  So what I found and what I decided on was a 3-drawer storage cube from Michael's Craft Store.  It was on sale for just $27!  This storage was intended for craft supplies, but works perfectly for cosmetic storage.  It is about 15" square.  And I added some clearance ceramic vases to go on to to hold brushes, lipsticks, and hair products.

What do you think?  As my collection grows I can keep stacking these cubes as well!

Top drawer is eye products
Middle drawer is face products
Bottom drawer is hair and miscellaneous items

On top I have brushes, lip products, hair products, and perfumes.

Have a great night!

Balea 3 in 1 Facial Cloths

With the seasons changing, I havent bought alot of beauty products lately, just waiting for Summer Collections to come out.

If you have read any of my older posts, you know I have problem skin, so I can constantly on the prowl for anything to help clear my skin.  So recently I have been trying the whole "less is more" motto.  In my acne post, I wrote about how I was trying the "cleanse, benzoyl peroxide gel, and moisturize" method.  I think this maybe helped a bit in the beginning to clear the bacteria, but I found over time that the peroxide really dried my skin so I was piling on the moisturizer, which I think irritated my skin more in the end. So now, I have found these Balea 3 in 1 Facial Cloths.  I bought them on a whim when they were on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart.  I have never used face wipes before, always a liquid makeup remover then cleanser.  These cloths really do remove all of my makeup, I almost feel like, before I found these, my skin wasn't being cleaned good enough.  Now I am using these cloths to remove my makeup, I cleanse with my Cetaphil cleanser and then moisturize with my Cetaphil moisturizer.  Let me tell you, my skin is loving this right now.  My acne has visibly reduced, and my skin feels soft and smooth.

I have been using these for about a month now, so I will keep updating the photos in my acne post to track my progress.

Okay now more about the cloths.  They are sold in refill packs, packs in a plastic container for storage, in double packs... a variety of quantities are available and are always on sale.  They are touted to be a 3 in 1 as a cleaner, toner and moisturizer.  I use them as a makeup remover only then I cleanse and moisturize afterwards.  They really do remove all traces of makeup, and actually very easily.  Mascara and eyeliner will come off with a couple sweeps, even lipstick comes off with just one sweep, and it removes all of my heavy duty vichy foundation.  I find this method of removing makeup so much more time efficient than with the tiny makeup remover cotton pads with the liquid makeup remover, and for the price... much more cost efficient too!  I have repurchased these once already and will continue to repurchase as long as my skin is reacting positively.

Hope you have a great day.

Nail Stamping

Hey everyone,

In my first post ever, I mentioned that I would like to write about nail stamping.  When I first got into doing my nails, I came across this Konad system, I ordered a plate, a special polish, and a stamp/scraper set.  I loved it, but I am really not one for placing orders online.  Shipping time is too long and S/H cost is too high.  So I set out to look where I can buy more plates in the city.  I wasn't having much luck, until randomly one day I went into Showcase, the "As Seen On TV" store in the mall, and I found a pack of about 20 plates.  They aren't Konad brand but they are the same thing.  You can create so many different looks and everyone will be amazed by the designs.  I won't post pics or go into much detail about how to do the stamping, because you can find that info just by googling it, but I will post pics of some of the designs I have done.  I don't have long nails at all, just to the end of my fingertips.

So here they are.  I have more pics, but they didn't turn out as well as these, so I will keep adding pics as time goes on.

Base: OPI Up Front & Personal 

Stamp: Konad M57 Plate with Black Polish

Base: OPI The Show Must Go On

Stamp: Konad M57 Plate with Black Polish

Base: Essie Chinchilly

Stamp: B77 Plate with White Polish

Urban Decay Mariposa Palette Look #3

Hey guys,

I am so excited bc next week I am going to Vegas baby!  I have never been before and am really looking forward to all of the fun things there are to do there, minus the gambling.  So as I have began to pick out my outfits, I am also playing around with which makeup looks I will rock there.

In the series of Mariposa Palette Looks, this on will consist of a gold and purple, which in this palette are called Limelight (gold) and Rockstar (purple).  One thing I found with Limelight is that there seems to be some fallout.  I also rocked this look with demi lashes and black liner.  Hope you enjoy it.

Urban Decay Mariposa Palette Look #2 Infamous

Hi everyone.

Well today I felt a little daring, and wanted to bring some excitement into my makeup routine.  So I picked the brightest color in the whole palette and tried it out.  I have to tell you, I got compliments on this all day!

So for the eyes I first primed with UD Primer Potion, then Skimp e/s as a highlight under brow and inner corner, Infamous e/s inner half, Mushroom e/s outer half and crease, I also used a little Spotlight e/s to blend Mushroom into Skimp under the brow.  I lined with a black liquid liner, and black on my waterline.

On my lips I wore MAC I Like It Like That Lipstick, complimented the eyes perfectly.

Have a good evening.

Acne

ACNE.  eww. What an ugly word to even say or think about.  I have been struggling with acne for years and I know I am not alone in this battle.  I want to document my journey through trying to heal my skin and I will keep updating this post as time goes on. 

I have tried alot of different products, masks, home remedies, diets, etc.  Nothing works.  The only thing that worked for me was Accutane.  I took it years ago while I was in high school.  My skin was clear for a couple of years and over the past few years my acne has come back.

Check back often to see my trials and tribulations.  Hopefully I will come across something that will make a difference.

**Jan 2012**

Right now I am trying what is recommended on acne.org.  I am following it to a "T".  I have tried to take a few pics here and there to track the progress.  Personally I think it is getting better, but I could just be wishing and hoping, and seeing what I want to see.  So please, let me know if you have tried this skin care routine and what your results were.  Do you think it is working?  Did it work for you?

It consists of:
a gentle cleanser, I am using Cetaphil
a benzol peroxide gel
a gentle moisturizer, again I am using Cetaphil.

I did not start taking these pics right away, which I should have, but I would say this is about a week after I started.  On acne.org it does say your skin will be dry and will become more red, which it is, but overall I do have less blemishes, even within the short time frame of taking these pictures.

Have a great day guys!  I will keep adding to this as I continue with this routine.  I feel really hopeful about this, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Jan 1

Jan 6

Jan 11

Jan 13

Jan 30

**Feb 2012 **

I am feeling really discouraged with this treatment.  At first I thought it was really going to work and make a difference, and now I've been using these products for almost 2 months, and I don't see as much of a difference as what I had hoped for.  My skin feels good, but I still have new pimples popping up every few days, which I have read is a good thing bc the skin is renewing itself and pushing out all the bad stuff.  Anyways, I will keep adding pics and updates as I continue.  Have a great day!

Feb 8

**March 2012**

OK so I finally gave up on this benzoyl gel treatment.  I have just been using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer for the past two weeks, and I've got to tell you, my skin feels great.  I of course still have acne, but my skin is moisturized.  Also about two days ago I went to a health food store and bought Bell Master Herbalist Help for Skin Disorders #60.  It is a blood cleanser and purifier, which is suppose to help clear acne, eczema and psoriasis. I have just started with this program, so I will continue to update here, but also if it really does work, I will create a separate post dedicated to this product.  Have a  great day!

Mar 8

Mar 13

Mar 30

Mar 31

**April 2012**

Wow! Is it just me? Or can you see the difference in the last two photos from Mar 30 and 31?  I have my fingers crossed that this Bell Master Herbalist is truly working.  It is a blood cleanser, so it is supposed to heal your skin through bringing white blood cells to your skin.. as far as I understood.  Maybe I am wrong but I know it is a blood cleanser, and who doesn't want clean blood?! Over the next month I will continue to add pics to see the progress of this natural remedy.

 April 2

April 4

April 15

**May 2012**

So, Im not sure that this blood cleanser is really doing the trick, over the next couple of months (May-August) my skin got progressively worse, both in color and texture. My skin was terribly oily and I gave up on the pills shortly after taking these pics.  Then in September, I finally had my dermatologist appt. ( that I had been waiting months for!)  And what did she recommend? Accuntane.  I knew immediately that I was going to try it again because I had great results the first time around.  But I remember previously, when I was in high school, that I had taken it during the summer time, when it was humid and my now, going to be taking it over the winter time, when it is cold and the air is super dry, I didn't know how my skin would react to the dryness.  Well, it was super dry, my lips were in so much pain, luckily no splits causing bleeding though.  But now, It is June 2013 and I am happy to report that my skin looks and feels infinitely better.  I took it for 6 months, upping the dosage each month.  Now I am using Differin twice a week to keep my pores clean. I am very very hopeful that this will be a lasting solution to my acne. 

 Month 1 on Accutane

Oct 2012

**October 2012**

Month 1 on Accutane

I am wearing makeup in the pic. ANd you can see the texture hasn't improved any, but the oil glands have definitely stopped producing and although the texture of my skin isn't great, there are no new pimples popping up and the old ones are drying up slowly.

Month 2 on Accutane

November 2012

** November 2012 **

Month 2 on Accutane

Yes I am wearing makeup in this pic again.  I seem to only have time to take pics when I am at work, so I apologize that you cant see the color of my skin.  My skin is dry and red and my lips are peeling like crazy.  You can see that the old pimples are still drying up and no new ones have formed.  I am so happy to finally see some progress, after so long of dealing with acne, I feel relieved.