Sephora Black Friday 2013.

Hi! I'm still alive, just really busy. I picked up a weekend job at Sephora (yayyy!) for the holidays in addition to my full time job so that's why this blog hasn't been getting much love. Since Black Friday is this Friday (well actually Thursday now....) I figured I'd post the Sephora deals up here since they've always been my favorites. Every year they roll out a bunch of goodies all for only $10! There will be online only deals as well as deals available both online & in stores. The Lehigh Valley Mall (closest sephora in this area) will be opening it's doors at 8pm November 28th (thanksgiving).

Deals BOTH online & in stores:

Deal online ONLY: 

I'm impressed by the wide range of products this year. I know I'm going to be all over those Bite beauty glosses & Buxom lipsticks (you can't ever go wrong with them). 

Don't forget that these make great gifts! It'll be Christmas before you know it. 

Happy holidays! <3 

Review: Colgate slimsoft toothbrush.

I received these products compliments of Influenster (if you would like an invite please let me know!), which is a fabulous site that let's you try new products & give your opinion on them. 

The item up for discussion is Colgate's Slimsoft toothbrush. Having been a dental assistant for years I have high expectations when it comes to toothbrushes. When I first felt it I thought I was going to hate it, it was so soft it left me wondering if the claims of it being deep cleaning were true. 

Well I was wrong & the claims were right! It gets into ever space of your mouth providing a deep cleaning all while being super gentle! This toothbrush would be great for anyone, ideal for someone with sensitive gums.  

I will definitely be recommending this along with my other favorite Colgate brush, the 360, to anyone who asks :) 

Questions? Leave them down below! <3 

August Favorites.

I know I've been MIA lately & I apologize, I've been crazy busy but I wanted to get my favorites up for last month so before I ramble anymore I'll just get to them :)

1) Nars blush in "deep throat". The little kid still giggles in me sometimes when I see this name. I've been reaching for deep throat a lot since trying to wean myself off my obsession of Nars "oasis". 

2) Tarte "Brazilliance" skin rejuvenating Maracuja self tanner. I've mentioned in previous posts that I tan but I cover my face resulting in a pale, unmatched face. This self tanner not only has one of the best smells EVER (a sweet, cinnamon scent from what my nose detects) but it applies evenly, gives good color to my face & lasts! Given I was my face twice a day, I have yet to come across a self tanner that lasts more then a day but this baby lasts at least 2 days! 

3) Clean & Clear "blackhead eraser cleansing mask". I've used this for at least a year on & off when I my spontaneous acne. In my eyes it's one of the best drugstore masks out there. It really pulls all the dirt & oil out. 

4) Dermalogica "concealing spot treatment". This stuff is AMAZING. I have been using this since I received a sample of it back when I was in makeup school & I've been hooked ever since. It's great for getting pimples to head, I also use it to help heal afterwards to make sure it doesn't return. I use exactly as the directions state on the back. 

5) Soap & Glory "the fab pore" facial peel. So I got this at the end of August but I love it so much it had to be included. I've always wanted to try Soap & Glory so when I saw they had some items up for sale on Sephora.com I put this little guy in my cart right away. I was apprehensive about trying a peel, never having tried one before, but after reading the reviews of people saying it was more of a mask I figured I'd give it a go & I'm so happy I did. Anything that claims to do anything for pores I'm all over because mine aren't pores, they're craters :( I can't comment yet on if it is actually reducing the size of my craters but I can say this, the way my skin feels after 15 mins of this on is nothing I've felt before having very oily, acne prone skin. It makes my skin so smooth & refreshed, it's almost like someone took a vacuum cleaner to my pores. It also brings everything & I mean EVERYTHING to the surface. Lastly I feel that oily is slightly reduced & when it comes to my face & oil reduction I'll take anything I can get. 

6) Nyx butter glosses in "merengue" & "maple blondie". These are probably my favorite glosses of all time, I just ordered 4 more (don't judge me). They aren't the least bit sticky & have great color pay off. I thought I was going to hate the "maple blondie" shade at first when it came in the mail but after I put it on I fell in love, I almost love it as much as "merengue" which is my go to gloss at the moment. 

That's all for August. If you can't tell my acne has been flaring up & I have a new found obsession with skin care as a result. Next on my list to try? Mario badescu products! 

What are your August favorites? Any pore products you swear by? I'd love to hear from you! :) 

Drugstore makeup look.

Lets face it, makeup can be expensive. I was home today due to my lovely neck injury flaring up & sat down to play with some makeup. Since I've been absent from posting lately I figured I'd make this post into a drugstore/affordable makeup look everyone can do! (Minus my brow product, my apologies there.) This is my first written tutorial & I was medicated while doing all this so bare with me! 

Steps:

1) Prime lid using Nyx eyeshadow base in white. 

2) Apply a base color to lid using L'oreal infallible shadow in "899 endless pearl". 

3) Taking "the natural eyeshadow palette" by Nyx I used the 3rd shade from the left for my main crease color. 

4) Using the Wet n wild shadow palette in "sparkle till the morning" (my apologies if this was limited edition) I took the sparkly brown shade on the bottom right & applied that to my crease as well blending it into the shade before. 

5) Using that same palette I took the shimmery cream color on the top left and patted that onto my lid, tear duct & below the outer bottom area of my brow. 

6) Again with that same palette I took the gorgeous shimmery turquoise shade and applied that to my lower lash line with an angled brush. 

7) I took the Elf liquid liner and lined my upper lash line. 

8) Using Revlon's lash potion mascara in black I applied that to my upper lashes. 

9) For my brows I using my Anastasia tinted brow gel in "Carmel". 

10) For foundation I chose Covergirl's 3 in 1 foundation. 

11) Nyx HD photogenic concealer in "porcelain" was applied & blended out in a triangle shape under my eyes, bridge of my nose, Cupid's bow & between my brows as a highlight. 

12) Nyx matte bronzer in "medium" was placed under my cheekbones as a contour & then blended out. 

13) Lastly, using Nyx butter gloss in "crème brulee" I applied that to my lips. 

Lesson learned: Do not do makeup in a medicated state (or try to take pictures of it at least). 

These photos were not edited or retouched, only cropped. 

<3

Review: Tarte Braziliance Maracuja Self Tanner.

Tarte Brazilliance™ skin rejuvenating maracuja face and body self tanner Review

Tarte is an Eco friendly, cruelty free brand. I was eyeing up this self tanner for awhile, especially after seeing a demo on QVC. Once Sephora.com started carrying a mini trial tube (along with a mini bronzer) I was all over it because let's face it anything mini is too cute to pass up!

(Picture curtesy of sephora.com)

The Tarte website explains the self tanner as follows: 

"A revolutionary maracuja-infused face and body self tanner. Achieve a healthy faux-glow while drenching your skin in moisture. This revolutionary hybrid gel formula, infused with pure maracuja oil, delivers replenishing essential fatty acids along with skin-brightening and youth-preserving vitamin C. tarte’s proprietary PUREshield™ scent-control technology allows for a pleasant, spa-like application that smells unlike any self tanner you’ve tried before.  You'll be admiring your newly bronzed bod, your skin will feel and look firmer, brighter and smoother soaking in all of the benefits of maracuja oil. 

Product Performance: This perfectly-hued bronze gives skin a sunkissed warmth that never looks fake or orange and thanks to the included perfect application mitt you're guaranteed an easy, clean and streak-free, golden bronze tan every time! 

Replenish, rebuild and rejuvenate skin for a youthful and healthy appearance year-round. Unlike other tanners that leave an overpowering unpleasant scent afterwards, tarte’s signature PUREshield™ scent-control technology leaves skin feeling fresh and smelling amazing with a yummy, sweet passion fruit after scent.

Powered By: maracuja oil: rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) known to replenish, rebuild, and enliven skin for a firmer, brighter, smoother appearance; high dose of pure Vitamin C gives the appearance of brighter skin; powerful anti-aging elixir promotes active skin recovery and rejuvenation; maximum hydration quenches dry skin." 

So now that you know a little more about the ingredients & company time for a little review! 

I've actually used this self tanner twice this week that's how much I'm liking it! The smell is probably the best part, like cinnamon buns (which makes me want to cheat my diet so bad!). The next best thing about this product (despite having used a face brush while cleansing my face) is it actually stayed put for a good 2 days which I haven't seen yet from a self tanner due to my facial cleansing habits."

 

The self tanner looks like this: 

Pretty dark looking but it doesn't show up this way. I woke up the first time after trying this with a natural, flawless facial tan! It has a sort of gel look but doesn't feel as messy. Also very quick drying!

Sounds to good to be true right? The only down side of this product I've encountered so far is the slight staining of my fingers (a mitt comes with the full size, just not the trial) which doesn't phase me much because the smell is so pleasant! 

(Fingers post wash)

All in all I would definitely recommend this product, my only suggestion is get the mitt! Lol

This can be purchased at Tarte.com & other retailers such as Sephora & QVC.

 

Questions? comment below :)

Everyday Brushes/Sponge.

Let me first start out by saying all these brushes/sponge were purchased by me with my money, I did not get any of these sent to me. I am also not getting any form of payment to do this, these are my honest preferences. Also all of these brushes are on the cheaper side (direct links posted to all of them), I will be doing a later post on how I clean/maintain them.

Real Techniques "Setting Brush":
I use this to set my under eye concealer. You can purchase these at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Ulta & The Real Techniques Website for around $8.00.

Sedona Lace "618":
Since I normally have on acrylic nails & can't get into concealer pots/jars I use this to get into them, apply the product to my face & pat out with my fingers. This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

"The Original Beauty Blender":
Sorry for the array of makeup all over them, I wanted to depict the size before getting wet (left) & then the size once wet (right). I personally always use mine wet, so what I do is run it under the water while gentle squeezing it then once it's reached the expanded size I gently squeeze in a towel & I'm ready to go. I normally distribute the foundation onto the back of my hand, dab my beauty blender in it & use a pouncing motion all over my face until everything looks flawless. The Beauty Blender can be purchased at Sephora & The Beauty Blender Website & come in all different sets & prices. I personally own the 2 pack of pink Beauty Blenders for $28.95 but obviously they need replacing.

Sedona Lace "980":
I use this to set my foundation as well as to blend out my contour. This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $14.95.

Sedona Lace "FB 05":
This is what I use when I contour using powder bronzer (what I use most often). This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

Sedona Lace "FB 01":
My obsession with this brush is unreal. 98% of the time this is how I apply my blush, sometimes I even apply my contour and highlighter with it. It can also be used to easily sweep away fall out from eyeshadow. I feel that it is probably one of Sedona Lace's top sellers because it is out of stock a decfent amount of the time, which is why I own 3 (lol). This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

Real Techniques "Multi Task Brush":
This is what I use to blend out my blush. It only comes in a kit called "Travel Essentials" (with a great brush stand for drying your brushes ;) ) & can be found at Bed, Bath & beyond, Ulta & The Real Techniques Website & costs around $18.00.

Elf "Small Tapered Brush":
When I'm not too lazy & have the time to apply highlighter this is normally what I find myself reaching for. It is available at Target, Walmart & The Elf Website for $3.00 (a steal I know).

Stick around to see how I care for these brushes & keep them looking like new! <3