$10 or Less!

e.l.f. Illuminating Palette

Any makeup addict wants to glow. We love to add a little (or a lot) of highlight to our cheekbones, nose, forehead, chin, brow bone, just bathe in it basically. We all don't want to spend the big bucks for the high-end highlights, though. I've put the e.l.f Illuminating Palette to the test. 

You can buy this online for $6. It comes with four different shades. They are all beautiful colors that you can mix and match to get your perfect shimmery, highlight.

I found them to be a little bit powdery, but if you tap off the excess off of your brush, it seems to apply just fine for me. It does have like really small glitters all in it, so if that isn't your thing, you probably won't like this.

I have worn this all day to work. I work in a pretty busy spa, I do A LOT of blow drying and it can get pretty hot in there. My nose and chin get really oily, but the highlight hangs in there. I came home today after a long day of work, and STILL had my glow on! Pretty impressive. I will add that I do use a setting spray, I feel like that helps a lot.

Pros:
 -Very affordable
 -4 different shades
 -lasts all day

Cons:
 -a little powdery

If you are looking for an affordable way to glow then this is for you! Let me know if you have tried it and what you think of it!!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by.

P.s. If you order through Ebates you can earn 8% cash back now!

Liquid Lipsticks!

The Balm's Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick

The Balm's liquid lipstick was the first one that I ever tried. I think I got a sample of it from my Ipsy bag. I was immediately in love. I loved the vanilla mint flavor, I loved that it stayed on, and I loved that it was truly matte.

 I didn't really know about the whole liquid matte lipstick craze at the time, so this was new to me, and I
had nothing to compare it to, but now every time I try a new one, I always compare them to this one. For me, it truly is the best for my lips (so far).

So the rundown: You can order them online through The Balms website for $17 each. There are 12 different shades to choose from. In my opinion, lots of skin tones could wear any of the colors. They claim to be long lasting and I totally agree. I can wear these all day with one touch-up after lunch. A light snack or drinking water don't really affect them.

I have 2 of the shades: Charming and Committed. (Also, can we talk about the shade names? So cute. Adoring, Honest, Devoted. All qualities you'd want in a man.)


The formulas glide right on super smooth. And one coat is all you need. They dry super fast on the lips, and the formula is comfortable throughout the day, it never leaves my lips feeling dry. Plus, they are (almost) transfer resistant. Sometimes, I get a little on my straw or rim of my glass. $17 is a little pricey for a lipstick, but when you think you only have to apply once or twice a day they will last months! For me, a staple in my lipstick collection, and I they will stay there!

Let us know in the comments what your favorite liquid lipsticks are!!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

The No-Contour Contour

I am all for people doing makeup however they choose. It's your face, your rules. I love all sorts of makeup, and sometimes am in awe of the art people can create with their faces. This blog is for those of us who don't have time for a full face, structured contour, lashes to God makeup every day. It's a trend that I've seen floating around the internet that I've been excited to share with you. The concept is simple: bring out your best features without caking the makeup on. This means, set down the full coverage foundation, set down the contour and highlight palette, and set down those false lashes.

We are not going to create shadows with contour powder or cream. We aren't going to dip into the bronzer to give us a sunkissed look. We are simply going to use highlighting powder to only bring our favorite features to the light, in return, it will give us the illusion that we have contoured.

First, I am going to just smooth and even out my skin tone with a light pore filling primer and BB cream as our foundation. If I used a full coverage foundation for this, I will hide too many of my natural, beautiful shadows created by my bone structure. I'm going to use a little bit of concealer to hide my dark circles, in a "V" shape under my eyes, this helps brighten my whole face up.  If you have oily skin, like me, I suggest setting it with a light powder.

I always fill in my brows, but for this look, I'm going to only use a pencil to get the most natural look I can. For my eyelids, I'm going to use an eyeshadow that is only a shade or two darker than my natural lid to just give a little definition and to cover up any redness or veins showing. I'm going to use a little highlighting powder under my brow bone to bring it out. I'm also going to use a little bit on the inner corner of my eye. I'm going to apply two coats of my favorite mascara, and I'm done with my eyes.

Instead of my normal bronzing routine, I'm going to just add a little bit of blush high up on my cheekbones and add some highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones. **Tip: If you have a round face, and want to make it look slimmer, add the blush higher up on your cheekbones. If you have a longer face and want to add a little roundness, add the blush more towards the center, or on the apples of your cheeks. I'm also going to put a touch of highlighter to the cupid's bow of my lip, and just a tiiiiny bit to my chin. I feel like my chin dips in just a tad, and I want to help bring that to the light.

With my favorite gloss, I've completed this look. It's so easy to do, and so fast. It will make your morning routine so much easier, and also, bring your best face forward.

For me, makeup is not a mask. It isn't something that I hide behind. It's just something that I like doing. I like to create the art on my face, or on others. Sometimes, though, I just want to use makeup to create a more natural, perfected look. Obviously, makeup is not natural, but no one wants to see the evidence of my lake of sleep or over-plucking I may have done in 9th grade.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Hungover to Brunch

Hungover to brunch

How many of us have partied or drank way too much on Saturday night? *raises hand*  How many of us have regretted those decisions on Sunday morning when we have to wake up for brunch plans. *raises hand* I have a few easy steps to get you ready and looking refreshed in no time!

Step 1

Drink some Gatorade. I like the glacier blue flavor. Trust me, Gatorade before coffee is the best for hangovers.

Step 2

Wash your face, because most likely, you slept in your makeup the night before. Try the Cetaphil Daily Face Cleanser. It is light enough to use every day. But also takes off all your leftover makeup.

Step 3

Use some eye calming patches. They will help depuff and brighten your face up.

Step 4

While your under eye patches are on, work on filling in your eyebrows and apply a light coat of mascara. I like the ColourPop Gel eye colour or the Eye pencil.

Step 5

Remove eye patches and massage any leftover serum onto your face. Apply a little concealer if you need it. Also, use a little powder if you have oily skin. My favorite concealer is the Tarte ShapeTape Concealer.

Throw your hair into a messy bun and get dressed. Apply your favorite tinted lip balm you're good to go!

Grab a coffee after you've drunk your Gatorade to wake up. I can't survive a day without at least one cup of good coffee. French roast coffee with a sweet cream creamer is my go to.

Let me know if you have any hungover to brunch Get Ready Ideas. What do you to wake yourself up? Let us know in the comments down below.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Milani Stay Put Brow Color

If there is one makeup trend that I don't see fading out, it is eyebrows. 10 years ago, I don't think hardly anyone was filling in their brows, and now, it's become a staple in many of our makeup routines. I never leave the house without my eyebrows filled in anymore. I've found that the Milani Stay Put Brow Color has become a HOLY GRAIL makeup product in my collection. It has made my life so much easier, and I can do my whole brow with just this one product!

No joke guys, this stuff is a game changer for the brow world. I know there are expensive products just like this, and maybe they are even better. But, this Milani brow color is. SO. good.

You can purchase it in lots of different drug stores, or online, or through Milani directly. You are going to spend anywhere from $6.50 to $8 depending on where you go.

It comes in a little pot of the color that is like a creamy pomade. It also comes with the perfect brush to apply it with. Most of the times when products come with brushes, I throw them away, but this one is a keeper!

It promises to deliver 16 hours of wear time. Although I don't think I've tested that out, it definitely stays put through my 9 hour work day in the salon.

I like to outline my eyebrows first, then get a little more product on the brush and fill in the middle to the tail. Then, with whatever is left on the brush, I feather in the beginning of brow with a light hand. Then, use the spoolie to brush through and blend out any harsh lines.

Make sure to clean the brush in between uses and close the pot tightly.

If you have tried this or any other products like this leave a comment down below and let us know what you think! I would love to hear any feedback you guys have! :)

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Eyes Wide Open

Every wants to look like they've gotten a full eight hours of beauty rest a night, right? But not all of us are capable of doing that, guilty! Whether or not you are just a night owl and wake up early for work or just have a terrible case of insomnia, also guilty! These tricks will leave you looking fresh and wide awake every time!

First things first, you want to add a vitamin C serum to your morning routine. This aids in collagen production and in return it reduces fine lines and wrinkles. It will also help to moisturize the delicate skin around your eyes.
I like this one you can get from Amazon. It is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid which is proven to reduce free radicals on your skin acting as a powerful Anti-Oxidant for your skin.

Next is the double concealer method. You want to first use a concealer that is your skin tone to neutralize any dark circles under your eyes. Then use your foundation, and follow that with a concealer that is 2 shades lighter to brighten under your eyes. Use the triangle method under your eyes with the second concealer to really brighten your eyes up.

For thicker-looking lashes, you want to always wear eyeliner. You don't have to do anything crazy thick or even draw a wing. Just use a little black eyeliner to line super close to your lash line. This just helps prevent seeing any skin behind your lashes, which makes the base of them look thicker.

Lastly, curl your eyelashes. This will open your eyes up so much which makes you look more awake. Start by curling the base of your lashes, hold for 10 seconds. Then, curl the middle and the ends of your lashes for about 5 seconds each. If you don't believe me that this works, try it on one eye and apply mascara. Then, without curling apply mascara. If this doesn't make a HUGE difference for you, then you probably don't need to curl them anyways! ;)

Let us know if you have any tricks to look more awake in the morning! I'm sure we could all use all the help we can get!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by.

ULTA Nude Lipstick Review

Ulta has been having some awesome sales lately with the 21 days of beauty. If you like Ulta and don't know about this, you have to check it out. Every day there are new sales, AMAZING sales. Anyways, I was browsing the other night and saw they had Ulta brand lipsticks for 3.50. And normally they go for $8 or $9, so I had to get them. The one I've been testing out today is the ULTA Nude Lipstick. The whole line is obviously nude colors only and with 12 shades to choose from anyone can find a good nude for them. I got 2 shades, #258: Touch of pink and #225: In the Buff.

They go on smoothly and evenly. They are made without parabens, silicone, and sulfate. ULTA says they are water resistant, but I'm not convinced.

Color payoff: full coverage in just 2 swipes across my lips.

Staying power: without eating or drinking a few hours, no more or less than any average cream lipstick, in my opinion.

Repurchase: yes.

Recommend: yes if you don't mind reapplying through the day.

Final thoughts: easy light weight lipstick to grab and go for your purse. Pair with a nude lip liner for some added staying power. I'm not one to spend a lot of money on regular cream lipsticks, with this being so affordable, I'll 100% repurchase. A+ in my book. :)

Let me know if you have tried any of the ULTA Brand lip products and what your thoughts are. Do you have any favorites? Or any misses? I'd love to know!





Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by.

DIY Facial

Everyone needs a little pampering. Facials are a great way to be pampered. It helps our skin look the best on the outside so then we in return feel our best on the inside. For me, when my face is looking smooth and youthful I just feel good. But, not all of us have the time or money to spend on an expensive facial at a spa. I like to give myself some pampering at home. I've noticed a big difference in how my skin looks just by being better with my skincare routine. So, about once a week or every two weeks I like to do an at-home facial session. Light some candles, put on some soothing music, turn down the lights, and relax!

After you've showered, or taken a bubble bath, you want to cleanse your face really well. My favorite cleanser is the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin.

Pat your skin dry with a clean towel, and then use an exfoliator. I like the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Charcoal and Black Sugar Polishing Mask. With this one you want to apply it all over your face and let it set for about 5-10 minutes. The charcoal works by absorbing oil and impurities, and the sugar exfoliates the dead skin away. This honestly has changed my life. Before you rinse it off, you want to massage the mask into your skin to really exfoliate the dead skin away.

Next, you want to use a toner. This helps to absorb oils and balances the skin. I've been using Clinique Clarifying Lotion for Oily Combination skin. I got this as a deluxe sample from somewhere, and I've been loving it.

Now that our skin is cleansed, polished, and toned we need to use some kind of moisturizing mask. Most of the time I use sheet masks because they are so affordable, and there's no mess. If I have breakouts I'll use a purifying mud mask to kill the little demons on my face. I like the Yes to Coconut Hydrate and Restore Ultra Hydrating Sheet Mask and the Formula 10.0.6 Pores be Pure Skin-Clarifying Mask. Both of these are SO good. Let them set on your face or 20 minutes while you relax, read a book, or catch up on my blog. ;)
**Tip: if you have a breakout you want to go, like yesterday, before bed dab a little of the mud mask right on the breakout and sleep in it. It will really help reduce it faster.

When your mask is done and rinsed it's finally time for your normal skin care products. You want to use your thinnest products first and thickest, creamiest products last. I use an under eye serum, a vitamin C serum all over my face, and a moisturizer. My moisturizer I like to really massage into my face and skin, it just feels good. Also, you can check out my nightly skin care blog by clicking here.

I hope you all take the time to pamper yourself at home, or even go out to get a facial. As always, let me know how this worked for you! Or if you have products you want me to try out!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by.

27 of the Best Beauty Hacks

I love a good hack. I love reading about them, trying them out, and even the failures I get some sort of sick pleasure out of. I've put together a Holy Grail List of my favorite hacks. Let us know in the comments if you have any really good hacks, or if you've tried something and it failed you. I'd love to get some feedback from this!

Hair

• If you are prone to static rub your brush or comb on a dryer sheet before you brush your hair.
• Use mascara to cover gray roots between hair appointments, use brown or black depending on your hair color. Also, if you are someone who constantly needs this, there is a product made for this that comes in more shades. You can purchase it at your local beauty supply.
• Buy a small spray bottle, fill it with water and then add some conditioner to it. Shake it up well and use it for a homemade detangler. 
• Use hairspray on a small toothbrush or spoolie to tame flyaways.
• If you love to flat iron your hair, but hate that it takes away your volume, first blow dry your hair as smooth as you can get it, especially at the roots. Instead of using the flat iron from roots to ends, only iron your midshaft to ends. This will give you ends that smooth look without compromising your volume.
• Another idea for static in your hair, put some lotion on your hands like normal and before it dries completely run your fingers through your hair. 
• If your bobby pins slip out of your hair easily, try spraying hairspray on them before you put them in your hair. 
• Use an old tic tac container to store bobby pins. This is especially good for your purse!

Makeup

•  If your mascara is drying out (before it expires, of course) add a few drops of original Visine or contact solution to the tube and then shake it up. It will bring life back to your mascara instantly. 
• The worse is when we are applying mascara and the wand always seems to find your eyelid. I promise you, IF YOU LET THE MASCARA DRY it will flake right off with a q-tip without smudging all over the placce. 
• Ever notice that blush is the first thing to disappear from our face? Do you carry blush in your purse? Cause I don't. But I do carry many lipsticks. Use your finger and dab some lipstick to your cheeks to bring some color back.
• Use hairspray on a small toothbrush or spoolie to tame eyebrows or set eyebrow powder. 
• If you tend to get oily throughout the day, try using your thicker moisturizers only at night, and go for a gel moisturizer during the day. 
• Use ice on your face in the morning to close pores down and depuff your tired eyes. 
• A natural way to plump your lips is using peppermint oil on them. Use your ring finger and dab a little on before your favorite lipstick. 
• Can't get the perfect winged eyeliner? Try using scotch tape. Before you put it on your face put it on your hand to remove a little of the stick. Then line it up on your eye where you want your liner to go. This will give you a perfect line everytime. 
• When it's time to blend out your undereye concealer, dampen your beauty sponge in cold water. This will aid in depuffing. 
• Mix vaseline with sugar for a homemade sugar scrub for you lips. 
• Running late in the morning? While blending your concealer go over your eyelids as a primer and cover any little veins. Then use your bronzer in your crease to add some definition. 
• Like the look of highlighters but don't know if it's for you or don't want to spend the money on them? Try using a light, shimmery eyeshadow on your cheeks. Same effect, different product. Also you can use the same color over a lipstick to give it a metalic looking finish. 
• If you have problems with black mascara smudging on your lower lashes, try using clear on your bottom lashes. This will give them the look of mascara without any color to smudge.
• The last makeup hack I have is probably the most important, this will help you get ready faster. Keep your makeup ORGANIZED. And always in the same place. You will know exactly where everything is, and won't be looking around like a made woman for your favorite warm brown eyeshadow. 

Extras

• Store your beauty sponges in one of those plastic easter eggs. This will help keep them clean and germ free. 
• Use a sugar scrub on your legs everytime before you shave. This will help remove all the dead skin so your razor will glide easily, and also give you super-smooth shave.
• Store your face sheet masks in the fridge. This will not only feel super refreshing, it will help close all your pores.
• Instead of buying those expensive makeup brush cleaners, use a bar of Dove soap. Dove is really gentle and won't ruin your brushes. Just swirl your brush on the soap, then rinse really well. I always lay my brushes flat to dry overnight. 
• To help make bright nail polish more vibrant or give sheer colors a base so they aren't streaky, use a white base coat.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

"Beauty, to me, is being comfortable in your own skin or a kickass red lipstick." 

Blending & Smokey Eyes Like a Pro!

Everyone knows the key to any eyeshadow look is perfect blending! We also know how hard this can be, and how long it can take! I've put together a couple of steps to help you out. And yes, for sake of saving time tonight, I did two different eye looks at the same time. My right eye has a purple smokey eye, my left side has the traditional black smokey eye. I hope that these steps help you with your eye looks! I'd also love to see any creations you do!

SEND THEM TO ME! 

So, first, when doing any intense eye look, I like to start with my eyes, that way if there is any fall-out from the shadow I'm not ruining my foundation and concealer. When I'm done with my shadow I can just take a makeup wipe and wipe underneath my eyes. Another little trick, fill in your brows before you even do your eyeshadow. This will give you a better guideline of how far you want to take your shadow out, especially if you are doing winged eyeliner. I first put on an eyeshadow primer and then dusted it with some translucent powder to set it. This is important to help your eyeshadows go on smoothly without any patchiness. 

I started with a light shade of brown and a fluffy crease brush and dusted this on my crease and slightly down to my lid. It is always easiest to blend from light to dark. You can add color a lot easier than you can take it away. 

Next, I went in with a medium brown shade and did basically the same thing. I swept in in my crease just a tad lower than the first color and blending them in together. You can use the same brush or a new one, just swirl it on a paper towel to clean it in between shades. Also, if you cover up the lighter shade, just dip back into it and sweep it over the darker shade. You want to use windshield wiper motions along with circular motions to blend. 

Next, you are going to take a dark brown color and add it mostly on the outer corner of your crease and lid, this will add a ton of definition to your eyes, and help create the smokey eye look. Again, if you find you are losing your lighter shades, just go back and add some more. 

You can keep your eyes just like this for an everyday light smokey eye if you'd like. Spice it up with some black or brown eyeliner and some mascara and you'd be good to go. Obviously, from the title of this blog, I'm going to show you how to create 2 different smokey eye looks. 

After you have your transition shades down, you want to take a cream eyeshadow, or an eyeshadow cream base, or even some concealer, and add it to the center of your lid. Use your finger to help smooth it out and blend it into your transition shades. After that, you want to set the cream with a powder so it does not crease. I used a purple cream eyeshadow as my base and set it with a purple powder eyeshadow. I used two different colors of purple to create more definition. You don't have to, but I had them in front of me, and I wanted to. ;) After I blended them out, I found that the brightness kind of disappeared so, on my ring finger I applied some eyeshadow primer to the center of my lid, let it dry, then used the brighter purple on top of that. 

After I blended for a year (kidding, kind of) and I was happy with how the colors looked I moved on to the rest of my makeup. I did basically my whole face, except for my lips, because for some strange reason, I HAVE to do my lips last. So, the face is now done, I did my lower lash line. I first did black eyeliner on my water line. Then, I took a dark brown eyeshadow and smudged that in right under the black, and then I took some dark purple shadow and smudged that in on the outer half. Don't forget to add a little highlight to the tear duct area!

For the black smokey eye I started off with the same transition shades. I then took a cream brown eyeshadow and put that on my lid, then took the blackest shadow I had and blended that right on top of the brown. This will help make the black stay put, and deepen it up. I went back and forth between the black and medium brown in my crease and blended for another year. ;) Again, I did the eyeshadow first, before my face makeup, and especially when working with black shadows, because there is a ton of fall-out. I used a makeup wipe to clean it all up and did the rest of my makeup. For the lower lashline, I packed on the black eyeliner. I even smudged the liner right under my bottom lashes. Then using a dark brown I blended it in and used a black shadow on the outer portion. 

I worked really hard on both of these looks for you, and I hope that I gave you enough information so you can create this look on your own! Sometimes, I feel like I'm writing a lot, but still not giving you all the details. Let me know in the comments down below if these little tutorials are helpful, or if I need to add any more information, or even take it away. I'd love to hear feedback from you! Also, if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see me write about comment down below, or you can e-mail me at bjborghi@gmail.com.

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Check out my other blogs to help you with the rest of your face! Foundation, Concealing, Bronzer, Blush, Highlight and Brows :)

Switching To Fall Makeup!

Switching from summer to fall makeup can be a little depressing going from bright lipsticks to more muted and colorful eyeliners to more neutral. But have no fear I'm here to give you tips to make this switch quick and painless. Summer colors are usually bright and anything you can imagine. Going into fall you want to mute those neons down. There's no reason you can't use purple eyeliner anymore, it's just finding the right toned down shade of purple for fall.

There are 3 areas of the face you can change to get your fall look started.

The Eyes: wear more earth toned colors for fall. Burnt orange, forest green, rich browns. Steer clear of neons and brighter pinks or purples. Try deep brown eyeliner with a brown smokey eye. Even though we aren't using bright colors it doesn't mean we can't play around with our eye looks.

The Cheeks: try nude blushes. I know this kinda seems weird, but it actually is really pretty. It will just give a light flush of color to your face. Also, this is the time to switch to your cooler toned bronzers. Instead of those warm, glowy browns, tone it down a bit with a matte, cool brown. And as your tan fades, remember to use a lighter bronzer with it. Or just a lighter hand when using it.

The Lips: try dusty rose colors or nude colors. Play around with using your highlighters on top of your lipstick to add a little metallic sheen to your color.

If you have any ideas or tips for switching seasons for your makeup let me know in the comments down below! Share your favorite ideas and favorite makeup products! Tell us what part of your routine you change for different seasons!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!

Products Worth Your Penny!

We spend money on makeup because we love it. We want the best for our skin,and we want to look the best in what we put on our skin. I love to find drugstore products that are inexpensive dupes to high-end products. I sometimes come across high-end products that are worth every penny you spend on them, they make you look beautiful, they last all day on the face, and they don't break you out! I've recently found a few of these products. 

The Makeup Geek Highlighter palette in collaboration with the YouTuber Kathleen Lights is so amazing! It has 3 HUGE pans of highlighter in different shades. Two of them work on my cheeks as a highlighter, the other is a little darker and is a great color to add to my bronzer or as eyeshadow. The palette costs $39 and is limited edition, so if you are looking for great highlighters I say go buy it right now! 

Tarte has two products that I have recently fallen in love with and I'm not sure I how I've done my makeup without them. First is the Tarte Shape tape Concealer ($24),  which will cover just about anything. It blends into the skin like a dream and also has basically no creasing. The second product is the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian clay finishing powder ($33). This powder sets my concealer better than anything I've tried. I do not get oily throughout the day with this. The only setback is that it does have a flashback in flash photography. So I would use a little as possible at night if you're going to be taking pictures with a flash. 

The Too Faced Better than sex mascara ($23) almost, I mean ALMOST actually lives up to its name. This is probably my new all-time favorite mascara. It hardly clumps on the lashes, does not flake off during the day, does not smudge off and is still super easy to remove. I have to curl my lashes every day because they basically grow straight out, and this mascara holds the curl ALL DAY long!

The last product is the It Cosmetics No-tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner ($22). I got this as a deluxe sample and seriously when I use the sample, I will probably be getting the full size. It glides on super smooth and is super black. I haven't tested the waterproof claim, but just from trying to wash it off I'm sure that is true. 

These products aren't really "high end" there are definitely products like these that are way more money, but from my wallet's point of view, they are, for sure, high end. Let me know in the comments your favorite "high end" makeup, and if there is anything you think I should try out!

Goodnight my lovies, thank you SO much for stopping by!