Holiday Gift Giving -- Beauty Edition

I don't know about you, but if my friends all gifted me makeup items for ANY holiday I'd be thrilled! Christmas is no exception. Sephora and Ulta both have beautiful holiday sets. You could definitely find something for every beauty lover in your life.

If you are buying for multiple friends I have the perfect idea for you! Sephora has different types of gift sets, i.e. lip glosses, lipsticks, nail polishes, tweezers, lotions and perfume rollerballs. You could buy one set of lipsticks, nail polish, and lotion and divide them up into 3 or 4 little gifts so that each friend would get one nail polish, one bottle of lotion and so on. This would be great if you want to help a friend step outside of their comfort zone with their color choice! ;)
Try these: The Soft Metals Nail Polish Collection $19, Nest Eau de Parfum Travel Spray $12, and Sephora Collection Mini Cream Lip Stain Set $12. For all three sets, you spend $43 = $14.33 per person, with one lip stain left for yourself!

If you have a friend that is an eyeshadow hoarder like myself, the holiday collections are perfect for them. So many makeup brands make mini eyeshadow palettes that are similar to the larger size for a fraction of the price. The best part, they are limited edition and any makeup enthusiast would love to receive a limited edition product! Try the Too Faced Chocolate Shop Collection with a huge selection of eyeshadows, blush, bronzer, highlights, lipstick, mascara, and eyeshadow primer. $58 ($312 value!)

For your bestie with a lipstick obsession: NYX Liquid Suede Lip Cream Vault Set. For $50 you get all 24 of the NYX Liquid Suede Lip Creams. That is about $2 each in the set when they retail for $6.99 individually. OR you COULD buy the vault set and divide it into little gifts for a few of your besties!

Another idea for a cute gift is to get the limited edition brush sets. You can't go wrong with a nice set of blending brushes. This Sephora Collect Glimmer in Her Eye set is simply gorgeous!

A couple of do not's for the holiday gift giving:
Steer clear of buying foundation for a friend. Unless you know her favorite brand and her color, it's just not going to work well trying to color match from memory.
Fragrances are another hard thing to buy for someone. If you want to buy perfume, the deluxe sample size or rollerballs. Unless, of course, you know exactly what the person wears.

I hope that I helped to give you some ideas for the makeup lovers of your life. I love to give others things that I love. Let us know in the comments if there are any gift sets that you will for sure be purchasing for someone this Christmas season!

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

Tips for the Perfect Holiday Look

Sometimes I can make miracles happen with my makeup brushes and sometimes I feel like I'm correcting my mistakes as fast as I'm applying the makeup in the first place. I've created this look for any holiday party or event you're going to. It can be worn with any look you choose.

I started this look off with my eyes, because if I need to fix mistakes or start over, atleast I only have to re-do my eye makeup and not my whole face. I started off with my brows because I want to see where the tail of my brow ends after I've filled them in.

It's not easy (for me anyways) to do a good winged eyeliner, but I've recently discovered an almost fool-proof way. First I start off with a small angled brush and black eyeshadow. I use an index card to help me make a straight line. I line it up with the corner of my eye so it's angle goes up to my brow. I use the eyeshadow to first draw a soft guideline, then using my liquid liner I follow the same line. Easy-peasy.

With a different angled brush and a tiny bit of makeup remover, clean up any mistakes to ensure a nice, sharp line. I also used this technique to clean up my brows if nesessary.

I added some demention to my eyes with a little bit of eyeshadow in the crease, I used a light brown, a dark brown, and a smidge of black for this. Also, use the same crease colors on the lower lash line. I used the same small angled brush with black eyeshadow to go over the eyeliner to help set it in place. I applied two generous coats of mascara to my lashes and my eyes are done.

Since I want to wear a bold lipstick the rest of my face is pretty simple. I used a little bit of bronzer to add a soft contour to my cheeks and forehead, a tiny bit of a natural blush, and of course some highlighter to my cheeks, nose and cupids bow.

For the lips I used a pinky-red color but this eye look could literally go with any lipstick color. I used a small brush with a tiny bit of concealer to clean up the edges around my mouth. This was a traditional lipstick that I wanted to make matte so I dipped my finger into some loose setting powder and dabbed it on my lips until they were fully coated and matte.

I hope that this gives you some inspiration for your holiday look, or gives you some helpful tips on how to fix any mistakes that might happen. Remember to stay confident and don't get discouraged when a little mistake happens! It's only makeup and you can wipe it away and start over. Tag me on instagram or twitter if you re-create this look!

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

Affordable Hair Care

As a licensed hair stylist I will be the first to tell you that luxery hair care is worth every single penny that it cost. I also will be the first to tell you, if you don't have the money then don't spend it. So I'd like to tell you some of the haircare products that I've tried from Sally's Beauty Supply that are actually worth the money, but won't break your bank. 

First is the Miracle 7 Silk Leave in Mist. This sells for $14.29. It's a leave-in conditioner for dry or damaged hair. It's used to detangle, soften, strengthen, and restore moisture. Plus side, this stuff smells so AMAZING!

Miracle 7 Sulfate-free Shampoo is great for anyone that needs a more delicate shampoo. It is formulated with Argon Oil to help protect the hair while delivering moisture. It's great for anyone with brittle hair or damaged hair from the sun or hair color.

Ion Cool Blonde Shampoo is good for anyone with blonde hair. It is a toning shampoo to restore blonde hair. It's used to get rid of brassiness or yellow tones from blonde hair, both natural or color-treated blondes. I tell my clients the best way to get results from a toning shampoo is to shampoo their hair and let the suds sit in the hair for a couple of minutes before rinsing.

Hot Tools Curling Irons are great irons. They last a very long time and are very affordable. They range in price depending on the size of the iron, but the 1 inch barrel is $42. They have a nice long cord with a swivle base, quick heat-up time, and 10 heat settings.

Ion Ceramic Thermal Round Brush. It's a must to have a good round brush under your belt. You never know when you will need to give yourself a good blowout. These Ion brushes are super inexpensive but are great tools. They feel sturdy in the hand, but glide effortessly in the hair.

The last item I have for you in a good Wide Toothed Comb. They are must to detangle wet hair. It removes any tangles without pulling and stretching the hair shaft. Use a wide toothed comb to evenly distribute conditioner while in the shower!

If you have any great affordable hair care products you'd like to share, please do so in the comments down below! I'm always game to try out new things!

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

Nude Lips or Bold Lips?

Should I wear a nude lipstick or a bold lipstick? That's always the biggest question I have when finishing my makeup. Should we play it safe or dare to stand out? I love nude lipstick because I feel like I get the most wear time out of it, but I love a bold lipstick, especially around the holidays.
 

I got this little sample set from Ulta, it's a nude lip paint and a bold glossy lip paint. This set is perfect for day to night wear, plus they are travel size so it's easy to carry them both in your purse. It takes me forever to go through one lipstick so I don't feel bad about buying the minis. 

The nude lip is the Tarte Tartiest Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Namaste. The bold lip is Tartiest Glossy Lip Paint in WCW. You can purchase this gift set here for $12. 

What's your favorite? What's your lipstick of choice for your holiday parties? 

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

Makeup Products Worth the Splurge pt. 2

My last post was talking about different beauty products worth the splurge. I have products from different categories that I feel are worth the splurge, but I also have tons of products that are more affordable that are just as good. I don't want to spend extra money when it isn't necessary and I don't think you want to either!

Highlighter:

I've been on the fence about whether or not I think highlighting products are worth the splurge. I have two really good affordable highlighters, one EXPENSIVE that is meh, and one expensive that I don't know what I'd do without it. Let's talk affordable-- the first is Makeup Revolution Pro Illuminate. I just got this and it's freaking beautiful. It's $7 at Ulta right now, and on sale, buy one, get one 50% off! The next affordable I love is the Wet 'n Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Precious Pedals. This is limited edition, but if you can get your hands on it, do it now!

My FAVORITE splurge item is the Makeup Geek x Kathleen Lights highlighter palette. This is limited edition, and $39.00, but SOOO freaking gorgeous. The one high-end highlighter that I'm kinda kicking myself in the butt for is the Becca Champagne Pop. Don't get me wrong, it's a freaking BEAUTIFUL color and feels like silk; but it just does not have the staying power I'd hope for. High-end worth it? meh. Not if you're really on a budget.

Eyeshadow:

I own a few affordable eyeshadows, and a palette here, and there. But I think a good eyeshadow is always worth the splurge. They are highly pigmented and blend out like a dream. My recent favorite: The Tarte Tartiest Pro Amazonian Clay Palette. It comes with a hefty price tag of $53 but it blends so easily on the eye and has 16 matte shades with 4 duo chrome shades. High-end worth it? Every single penny!

Brows:

I have tried so many different products for my brows, high-end and affordable. And I find myself comparing everything to the ColourPop Brow Pencils. They go on so nice and are fine pencils that allow you to make tiny hair-like strokes. And for $5 you can't beat it! High-end worth it? Not here.

Mascara:

Has anyone else here tried about a million different mascaras looking for the best one? I have. I still am. During my hunt, I haven't found any drugstore mascaras that are up to par. My favorite at the moment: Clinique High Impact. It doesn't do anything TOO special, but it does lengthen and add volume while staying on all day without any flaking. And, as far as I'm concerned you can't ask for more than that! High-end worth it? I think so.

Setting Spray:

I have two that I like to use. The first is the Wet 'n Wild Photo Focus Setting spray and the second is the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. Honestly, I can't really tell a huge difference with these two. I get like maybe 2 more hours out of the Urban Decay before my makeup starts to break up and slip slide. If I have a busy day at work I use Urban Decay, if I'm lounging one day I use Wet 'n Wild. High-end worth it? Only if you need to wear your makeup for 10+ hours. 

That concludes my save vs. splurge. Let me know if you have any categories you'd like to talk about! Also, if you have found any affordable products that are better than the high-end let us know in the comments!

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

Makeup Products Worth the Splurge pt. 1

Like most of us, I do not have unlimited funds to buy whatever makeup I choose to that day. I have to plan my purchases very carefully and decide what is REALLY worth the expensive price tag. The drugstore has been KILLIN' it lately with awesome alternatives to expensive makeup. Sometimes, I even find I like some drugstore or affordable products better. Now, everyone is different and things that might work for me may not work for you, so please keep that in mind as you continue to read. :)

Primers:
I have used a couple higher end primers, mostly in sample form, because some of them are just as much as a foundation, and that is crazy to me; but I do like drugstore primers just as much. I have 2 primers that I'm loving right now. First, the E.L.F Blemish Control Primer, it really keeps oils at bay for me. The second is the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. This for me works just as well any high-end pore filler that I've tried. High-end worth it? Not to me!

Foundation:
My high-end foundation is limited to Smashbox. But, that's because I've found drugstore foundations that are freaking miracle workers for my face. I can get full coverage with LOTS of staying power from the L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte foundation! I do have to mix 2 shades for my skin tone, but with the easy price tag, I don't feel bad about doing this. High-end worth it? Nope.

Concealer:
I will just start off by telling you my all-time favorite, hands down, concealer is the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer. This has completely changed my outlook on any drugstore concealer. I can't find anything comparable to it in consistency or coverage. It's almost like a matte foundation that COMPLETELY covers dark circles. It doesn't crease or ever look cakey on me. High-end worth it? 200 times, yes.

Bronzer:
I used to be a die-hard Smashbox buyer. I always used their bronzers, seriously, for like 4 years. Back then, there wasn't such thing I knew about to contour and shadow your face, I just used it to bring some color to my porcelain skin. Back then, I would have told you that their bronzers were the best thing since sliced bread. Now that I've become completely obsessed with makeup I've tried many bronzers. I just bought one from Too Faced that is amazing! However, the Physician's Formula Butter Bronzer has become a bronzer that I can't live without. I'll use other things, but I always find myself layering a bit of the Butter Bronzer on top. So for me, I can live without my high-end bronzers as long as you leave me some Butter Bronzer. High-end worth it? Probably not.

Blush:
Wet 'n Wild has stolen the show with their color icon blushes. They have beautiful colors with great staying power. For me, this is a no-brainer. High-end blush worth it? Nope.

Stay tuned til FRIDAY for part 2! I'll give you the break-down of more makeup categories. Hopefully, this will help you make a more informed choice on what to spend your hard-earned money on! Let us know in the comments if you have any drugstore products you love more than the high-end dupe!

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

Eyeshadow Eyeliner

Is it just me or is liquid eyeliner seriously the hardest thing, ever?  I practice all the time, and I just can't get those perfect smooth lines that you see all over Instagram or YouTube. I can SOMETIMES do something that is somewhat presentable, but that takes about 30 minutes and 15 Q-tips dipped in makeup remover. (No joke!!)

I recently decided that smokey eyeliner was my new thing. You can get the effects of eyeliner without having to be so precise. For this, I just use normally black or brown eyeshadow,but you are welcome to be creative and use whatever color you fancy that day!

What you will need: eyeshadow, an angled eyeliner brush or flat defined brush. You can use a setting spray or Inglot's Duraline to make your color more vibrant. But totally not necessary.

What you will do: dip your brush of choice into the eyeshadow, don't be shy. Tap off any excess so you don't have a ton of fallout onto your cheeks. Starting at the base of your lashes press the brush down, don't swipe back and forth, but kind of wiggle it to get the most color payoff. Work your way across your entire lash line doing this. You can also do a winged eyeliner doing this also. After you've done your lash line you can get a little more eyeshadow on your brush and lightly smoke the line upwards so it's not so harsh and won't show any mistakes. ;)

You can also use this technique on your lower lash line. 

If you want to get real fancy, layer a second color just above your previous line to get a more gradient effect. If you use black first, try using dark brown as your second color. This will add a ton of definition to your lash line and make your lashes look more defined.

If you have any tricks for flawless eyeliner please feel free to share in the comments!

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

Skin care!

My skincare routine is constantly changing. The seasons change my skin drastically! The fall and spring are the hardest on it because one day it's hot and the next day it's cold. I have a couple products that have been working for me this fall. I have two drugstore and two more expensive products to share. Testing these out and hoping they work is the hard part, my rule of thumb is about one week. That gives me enough time to tell if I love it or see if it's going to break me out. 

Let's get the hard ones out of the way first aka the ones that are going to break the bank.

The first is the Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment. This product is like a thick moisturizer. You can basically layer it on thick and leave it for 10-20 minutes then wipe away excess and massage any left on the face. Or apply a lighter layer and sleep in it. It smells amazing and I always feel like my skin feels it's best in the morning when I sleep in it. It is a little too thick for daily wear under makeup for me. For a 1.7 ounce jar it retails for $69.00 at Sephora, but shop around. You can find it on Amazon for $50.00!
The next mask is Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. This is used to clear out your pores. Apply an even layer to your face and let it dry then I like to just wipe it off with a warm wet washcloth. I apply a nice moisturizer afterwards. This really seems to leave my face smooth and it feels extra clean when I use it. I've found that the price is the same everywhere running at $26.00 for a 3.4 ouce tube.

Next is two more affordable products, they are both from E.L.F.  You can order them online or sometimes find them in different drugstores. First is the Daily Hydration Moisturizer.  This retails for $8.00. It is perfect for me to wear wear under foundation without it feeling heavy. I wouldn't think that it would help moisturize really dry skin but it is a nice moisturizer for oily skin, in my opinion.
The next is the Blemish Control Face Primer. It is only $6.00. It is infused with salicylic acid, vitamin E, and tea tree extract to control blemishes while it helps your makeup stay on with a smooth, silky finish. All of my foundations perform perfectly over this primer and it really helps control my oil throughout the day.

I hope this helps you find or try out a few new products! Let us know in the comments down below if you have any great skincare products that we all need in our lives