Currently Testing #2

Hello! Happy Monday!

Back in April I did a blog post called 'Currently Testing' where I showed some new products that I was trying out, so you guys could see which reviews to expect in the future on my blog! I wanted to do another one, because I am testing out some new things! I think I had more to share in April, but I still wanted to do this post because a few of the items in this post are ones that I'm pretty excited about. 

-Shea Moisture Problem Skin Toner. My target was out of my favorite Burts Bees acne solution toner and I was super bummed. I was desperate so I decided to give this one from Shea Moisture a try. It's for 'clear and balaced, blenished, oily skin' and it also has tea tree in it, which I've had good luck with. I'm undecided how I feel about this. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. 

-Origins By All Greens Foaming Deep Cleansing mask. I got this as a free delux sample from one of Sephora's mobile offers. So far, I really like this. 

-Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. I found this in the travel section on the beauty isle in target, and bought this for when I went out of town over Memorial Day weekend. I normally wouldn't share something like this, but I think I've found my new favorite hand lotion!

-Strobe Cosmetics Eyeshadows. I shared a few pictures of these and an eye look I did using one of them on my Instagram and snapchat. You'll see more on these later in a review! This company was one I never heard of until I saw swatched on Trendmood's Instagram and my brain went into total impulse buy mode. I regret nothing. 

Too Faced Sweet Tea Bronzer. After seeing Tanya and Kim's review for this, I had to have it. I've been testing it out for bronzing and contouring, which is exciting because it's been a while since I've bought a new bronzer. So far I really like this (spoiler alert!) and I will have a full review on it very soon!

What products are you currently testing?

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette Review

*Hello!*

During the Sephora VIB sale I picked up the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. This is definitely a 'luxary' item for me and it's something that I would not have picked up without the 20% off coupon that I had.  

For so long I saw so many people talk about this on YouTube and in the blog world and it's something I always wanted but never thought I would have. I didn't exactly understand how to use it so I did a lot of research on it before I got it. 

From left to right- Dim Light, Incandescent Light, and Radiant Light. 

 This retails for $58. 

I'm going to post some info on these from the Hourglass website. 

"Create your perfect light with this palette featuring three shades of Ambient Lighting Powder. Each of the high-tech, soft-focus finishing powders recreates an exquisitely flattering light source. The powders can be applied individually or layered to imbue skin with a multidimensional glow."

• Powders mimic universally flattering light sources, not unlike having a personal lighting technician at your disposal.

• By manipulating and filtering out harsh light, powders conceal skin imperfections, pores and wrinkles.

• State-of-the-art formula delivers a multi-dimensional luminescence to every skin tone, making it appear softer, younger and perfectly lit.

• Universal powders make them suitable for every skin tone, while each can be worn day and night.

• The finishing powders enhance skin in any type of light, including flash photography.

So bascially in a nutshell, these powders are used to 'mimic' how your skin looks in different light sources to give you a flawless finish. 

When I fist saw these I thought they were all highlighting powders. They are more so finishing powders that give you a natural glow without looking like you have just highlighted your whole face. 

Now for some info about each powder 

• DIM LIGHT: A neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tones. 

• INCANDESCENT LIGHT (exclusive to the palette): An opalescent pearl powder that brightens the complexion with a celestial glow. 

• RADIANT LIGHT: A sun-kissed golden beige that enhances the overall complexion with believable, subtle warmth, and also extends a summer glow.

Swatches 

Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light 

These look way more shimmery and pearlized then do on your skin, which you will see in the picture below. 

Radiant light, Incandescent light, Dim light 

How I use these 

-So bascially, I use Dim Light all over my face. I use it after I apply setting powder, my blush and my bronzer. 

-I use Incanscent Light to highlight my cheek bones. 

-I use Radiant Light over my bronzer and blush in my cheek area. I think this one would be nice all over the face in the summer too. 

My overall thoughts

-I am seriously in love with this palette and I think it's well worth the money. It might not seem like it's super spectacular, but once you use it/see it in action, it's amazing. 

-I use Dim light and Incandescent light everyday, but I hardly use Radiant Light. That one is still something I need to play around with more. 

-These look a lot more shimmery swatched then they do on your face, I like I said earlier. They blend out to a nice glow. 

-The Incandescent light is seriously the most gorgoues highlight I've ever used. 

-These look so natural and beautiful on the skin. I'm not really into super glowy/dewy looks but this one just looks like your skin has a natural glow to it!

-I would definitely purchase the full size of Dim light, sadly Incandescent light is only exclusive to this palette!!

Have you tried out this Ambient Lighting Palette?? If so, leave your thoughts on it in the comments! 

Everyday Eye Look using UD Naked Palette

It's been forever since I posted a makeup look! I don't know what is wrong with me lol! Anyways, I have been reaching for my Urban Decay Naked Palette almost everyday for the past few weeks and creating an eye look that is simple, natural, and great for everyday. 

How I got this look-

-I first primed my eyes with Mac Painterly Paint Pot. 

-I used naked and buck all over as a transition shade, but focusing buck more in the crease.

-I mixed smog and darkhorse and placed them directly in my crease and blended. 

-I mixed sin and sidecar for my lid color. 

-I used hustle on my power lash line. 

-I used L'Oreal lineur intense liquid liner and extra intense liquid eye pencil for my eyeliners. 

-I finished the look off by using L'Oreal miss manga mascara (review coming soon!). 

I hope you all enjoyed this simple everyday eye look! 

What is your go to everyday eye makeup look? Let me know in the comments! 

June Ipsy Bag 2014

Hello! I've said this before but my favorite time of the month is when I get my Ipsy Bag! I get so excited especially when I don't look at the sneak peaks so it's all a total surprise!  

This months theme was 'Pretty in Paradice', and I was pretty excited when I heard that Rebecca Minkoff was designing the bag for this month! 

The bag is cute and tropical looking with pineapples and palm trees. 

The first thing I got was the Marc Anthony beachy wave hair spray. I have not tried this yet, but I will definitely try it soon!

I was so excited to see a Nyx Butter Gloss in my bag! I've mentioned recently that I'm super obsessed with these at the moment. The color I got is in Creme Brûlée, which sadly, I already own. But it's okay because now I can throw this one in my purse! 

This picture might be a bit blurry, but it's the OFRA universal eye brow pencil. I was excited to see this because I have not recieved any brow products in an ipsy bag before. I tried this out and it's really waxy so I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. 

This is the Realtree perfume for women. It's in nice packaging because it has a little pump to spray it with. This stuff smells soooo good! I was so surprised on how much I liked the scent!

This is the Be a Bombshell Lashout Mascara. I was excited because I have liked other products by Bombshell in the past. I tried this and the formula was super dry and didn't work for me at all. 

Overall I thought this was a pretty good month for my Ipsy Bag!

What did you get this month from ipsy? 

Covergirl Ready, Set, Gorgeous Foundation Review

Hi :)

Everytime Covergirl comes out with a new foundation, I instantly want to try it out. Ever since I tried their Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 foundation a year or so ago, Covergirl has definitely become my favorite brand of drugstore foundation. I have been so impressed with the great quality of all the ones I have tried, and the new Ready, Set, Gorgeous Foundation is no exception! I have been using this foundation for the past month so now I want to share my thoughts on it!

I believe this is about $7-8 depending on where it's purchased from. 

The packaging is simple and comes in a squeeze tube. I really love the squeeze tube packaging in foundations if they don't offer a pump. 

What this foundation claims to do-

One simple step for a flawless natural look that lasts all day. The formula blends easily to even out the skin tone and reduces shine all day. Oil free, won't clog pores, suitable for sensitive skin, and lasts all day.

My skin is slightly oily in my t zone, and the rest is normal. I have heard this works well with both dry and oily skin types. 

I chose the lightest or second lightest shade in this and I'm super happy with the way it looks. However, the shade selection isn't the best. There was only like 5-6 shades where I purchased mine. There might be more shades available depending on where you can find it. 

I do wear my foundation a tiny bit darker than my skin tone though, so if you are any paler than I am, then this might not work for you.

My overall thoughts-

-This has been my go to foundation lately and I have been neglecting my other ones to wear this. I'm so in love with this foundation!

-The formula isn't super thick, but it's not runny either which I think is perfect. 

-I would say this is a medium coverage, and it blends great and looks super natural. 

-This has not oxidized on me at all, which I find very rare in a foundation! 

-I do believe believe in all the claims that it has. I think it has great staying power, and it hasn't irritated my skin at all! 

-I have used both foundation brushes and a beauty blender to apply this, and both methods work great. 

-I really recommened this foundation and I know it's definitely going to be a long time favorite of mine! 

Have you tried this new foundation, or any of the other products in the Ready Set Gorgeous line?? 

What's in my Everyday Beauty Bag

Hi beautiful  people!

Today I'm going to share what's in my everyday beauty/makeup bag that I keep in my purse. I recently switched up my purses, and the one I'm carrying now doesn't have as many pockets, so I put a makeup bag in there to hold some of the stuff I carry so it's not just floating around the bottom of my purse. 

So what's inside? 

I got this bag from a free target beauty bag in the mail probably like a year ago. I love cheetah print, but I also like this because it's neutral so it will match any purse that I carry. 

It's pretty small inside, but holds a lot of the stuff I need. 

I've said this before in my whats in my bag posts, but I don't carry much makeup with me. I always have some setting power and concealer incase I need to touch to. I also threw a little brush I had inside to use with it. I have an extra eyeliner and a small sample sized mascara in there too. 

I'm like super OCD about having Chapstick with me at all times. If I don't have it, it's like the end of the world I sware. So I have a Chapstick, a Buxom lipgloss, a Maybelline Baby Lips and a Sugar lip treatment. I also usually throw in what ever lipstick I'm wearing that day too. 

The top chunky stick thing is a perfume stick from the Coach poppy flower perfume. The bottom one is a sample of Marc Jacobs Dot that I got from Sephora. I also have a bunch of bobby pins. 

I have some cough drops in the bag. I threw some dental floss in there too because I'm like paranoid about food getting stuck in my teeth during the day LOL. I got a little sample size of a Cetaphil moisturizing cream that I keep in there because my hands get super dry. I also have some eye drops and an extra contact case incase I need to take mine out!! 

That's all for my beauty bag that I keep in my purse! 

What's a must have in your beauty bag? 

Renaissance Festival OOTD + FOTD!!

Hey Everyone!! I don't know if you're familiar with Renaissance Festival, or if they have one where you live or not but basically it's a huge festival all themed for the Renaissance. You can dress up in costumes, see funny shows and acts, shop, etc. The festival comes to our area once a year for a little over a month. It's super fun and I absolutely love going. My husband and I go with our friends and we all dress up and have a good time. 

Today I wanted to share and outfit of the day of my costume I wear, and also how to did my makeup for my costume as well. I'll share some photos that I took at the festive as well! 

My Outfit

I have one of the gypsy style costumes. It has a skirt and two scarfs that you can use to tie different ways for the shirt. I used the green one to make a triangle top, and the dark blue one to make a shawl. It ended up being too hot outside and I didn't wear the shawl. I also have a skirt wrap with jingles on it, and for my shoes I have moccasins. My purse is a dark green leather cross body that is shaped like a leaf.

My Makeup

For my foundation I used the Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo foundation. This is great for hot weather, it didn't melt off my face at all! I used the Covergirl & Olay simply agesless corrector under my eyes. I used the Maybelline Dream Matte powder to set my makeup. I used Benefit's Hoola for my Bronzer and to contour my face. I used the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed for my blush, and the Balms Mary-Lor Manizer for my highlight.

For my eye makeup I used the Ariel Storybook palette. I primed my eyes with the Mirabella primer and used the Mac Paint pot in Bare Study as my base. I used the L'Oreal lineur intense liquid eyeliner, and the Urban Decay liner in perversion on my waterline. For my mascara I used Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes. I also used this Hardcandy loose glitter.

For my lid colors I used Atlantica (first light green) in my inner corner and Fins (second green shade) In the center on my lid. I used Jetsam (3rd shade on 2nd row) in my outter corner and crease, and on my lower lashline.

You can't see it well in this picture, but I used this Hardcandy loose glitter underneath my eyes for some shimmer. I love wearing lots of glitter during the renaissance festival!

Some more my pictures

Here is me and my husband in our costumes.

Our friends that we go with every year. :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post and thank you for reading!

New Revlon Lash Potion Mascara Review

Today I am going to be sharing my review for the new Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious Mascara. The original Revlon Grow Luscious mascara use to be my favorite drug store mascara until I discovered the Maybelline Falsies mascara. I still like the grow luscious, but it doesn't give me as great of results as the falsies do. I was really excited to try the Lash potion mascara and I really love the pretty packaging. I'm going to insert some pictures of the mascara tube, the brush, and of the product on my eyes. I will share my thoughts on this at the end, and also on how I think this product compares to the original grow luscious mascara!

Here is a close up of the mascara wand. It is not as big as the original grow luscious wand. It is smaller in both length and width.

Here is a picture of before I applied the mascara.

Here is with one coat of the mascara on the top lashes.

Here is with two coats of mascara on the top lashes and one coat on the bottom.

Overall I liked this mascara. I liked it better than the original grow luscious mascara because it makes my lashes a lot longer. The formulation of this mascara is nice because it is not too wet or too dry. It did  not make my lashes stick together as much as a lot of newly opened mascaras do. I also liked the way this applied to my bottom lashes. I am happy that I tried this mascara out, however there are still ones that I like better than this one so far so I do not think I would re purchase it. 

Anyone who has tried this out feel free to comment with your thoughts! 

Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful day!

Hair Care Routine + Holy Grail Products

Hello Everyone! Today I am going to share with you my hair care routine and some of my holy grail hair care products. I try really hard to take care of my hair as best as I can. I bleach my hair and used alot of heat on it so I'm going to share the products I use to keep my hair healthy. Alot of the products I used are more on the expensive side, but fortunately since I am a licensed cosmetologist I can get them for a cheaper price. There are alot of great products you can find in the drug store as well that are more affordable, which I also love but these products that I am going to show you are my all time favorite. These are all products that I have been using for years and I just love them all. 

For my Hair Care Routine:

I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. While some people might think that is gross, it's actually bad to wash your hair every day. It strips your hair of it's natural oils and also can dry out your hair. My hair and scalp never really get greasy or oily, but if it does I use dry shampoo on it to take the oil away. I usually only have to do this once in the time period before washing my hair again. After I wash and condition my hair, I use a leave in conditioner and argan oil.  I use alot of heat on my hair so I always make sure to use a heat protectant every time. I also use a little bit of argan oil in my hair after I straighten it to keep the frizz down or if it looks a little dry. 

For my Favorite Products:

The Redken Blonde Glam shampoo and conditioner. I started using these back in 2008 when I was in hair school and started bleaching my hair. This has been my favorite shampoo and conditioner since the first time I used them. These work really great for blond hair, especially if you have rust or well water. They moisturize my hair really well and makes my hair really soft and silky. They also smell amazing! A cheaper drugstore alternative to these is the John Frieda Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner. Even though I prefer the Redken, these work really great as well. 

The Healthy Sexy Hair color safe Soy Moisturizer shampoo and conditioner are also some of my go to products. I absolutely love the Healthy Sexy Hair products and I use quite a few things from this line. This also moisturizes my hair really well and keeps it really healthy.

I do not have these products currently so I couldn't take an actual picture of them, but the John Frieda Root Awakening shampoo and conditioner is another one of my favorites. These are really great and they have a slightly minty smell/feel to them which I love!

The Redken Anti Snap Extreme (which I also dont have sorry!) and the It's a 10 are two of my favorite leave in conditioners. The Anti Snap is another one that I've loved since I discovered it in hair school. This really helps with damaged hair and breakage. It's definitely saved my hair more than once. It's a 10 is such a great product also. I use this in my hair every single time I wash it. It does 10 really good things for your hair. It's a heat protectant, a de tangler, helps keep the frizz down, etc. It's amazing. 

The Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Argan Oil is my favorite hair oil. I use this after I put in my leave in conditioner after my hair is washed and it makes my hair really soft and shiny. I also use it after I straighten my hair to keep the frizz down if my hair is looking dry. 

The Healthy Sexy Hair Full Hair hairspray is currently my favorite hairspray. It keeps my hair in place without being too stiff or hard looking. The Dove Refresh Care is currently the dry shampoo that I am using. It smells really good and works really well to take away any oil. 

This is all for my hair care routine and some of my favorite products! I hope you all enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!! Feel free to leave comments with your favorite hair care products!