Buxom Samantha Smokey Eye Look!

Super easy look featuring the Buxom Samantha Smokey Eye set I got from Sephora.  

Face: Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer (under the eyes) and Mac Studio Fix Concealer

Cheeks: Nars Lovejoy blush and Nars Laguna bronzer

Eyes: Maybelline Give Me Gold eye palette, Buxom eyeliner for the waterline, and Buxom Mascara (love the mascara) 

Lips: Mac creme d'nude and Buxom Samantha Lipgloss 

The Buxom Samantha Lipgloss is very pale, however it's super sheer so on the lips it will only give you a wash of color.  For me, my natural lip color does show through.  On its own, it does not have the opacity to give you the "concealer" lip look.  I love wearing Mac creme d'nude underneath with Buxom Samantha on top! 

If you have any questions about any of the products mentioned leave them in the comment box! 

Have a lovely day!! xX 

Music Wednesday: PETER KATZ - Dangerous

PETER KATZ - Dangerous

July Favorites

July was crazy hot!  I also traveled a lot during July so I kept my makeup simple.  The products above are pretty much what I've been using all month long (when I wore makeup).  These items are my basics and I tend to always come back to them!

1. Coach Poppy Fragrance - Love this!!!  

2 Benefit Hoola Bronzer - perfect matte bronzer 

3. Bare Minerals Dawn Blush -click here for swatch

4. Naked Palette - this was the only palette I used during my travels, very versatile 

5. Too Faced Shadow Insurance - keeps your shadows in place, especially during hot humid weather

6. Mac Naked Lipliner - perfect for creating a nude lip for lighter to medium skin tones 

7. Mac Cultured Lipglass - very pretty mauve/pink color 

This look is what I wore all during July! 

Have a lovely day! xX

Music Wednesday

Drops of Jupiter by Train

If you have any song suggestions please leave it in the comment box!

Drugstore and Sephora Haul - Buxom Samantha's Smoky Eye

I'm so excited with the stuff I've picked up in the last couple of weeks.  Have to say that I love most of them!

Buxom Samantha's Smoky Eye - I got this from the Sephora website for $20 dollars!!  What a steal!  It comes with Buxom Big & Heathy Lip Polish in Samantha which is a really pretty sheer nude color.  It smells like vanilla peppermint and has a light tingly sensation.  I love Buxom lip glosses because they are not sticky and feels great on the lips.  The kit also comes with a Buxom Smoky Eye Stick in Smokin' Pistol, a Boxum Eye Brush and a Lash Mascara.   I like to use the eyeliner as a base to build a smoky eye look and the Buxom mascara is great!  The formula is drier than a lot of other mascara which I prefer and goes on the lashes without looking clumpy!

Amalactin Ultra - This is a life saver if you have dry skin, eczema, or Keratosis Pilaris (chicken skin).  It's a very thick cream, and a little goes a long way.  Doesn't really have a perfume scent - rather smells kinda medicinal. I highly recommend this product!

Cutex Advanced Revival - My favorite nail polish remover.  Smells good, and remove nail polish really quickly.

Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Condition in Ultra Shea - Awesome product - so glad I got this!  Leaves your hair sooo smooth and silky.  Smells good too.

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm - Got this in Peach Kiss.  It's my second tube.  Easy to apply and leaves a nice sheer nude color on the lip.  Not crazy about the smell though.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - I got the mini ones in Rose and Clear.  The rose one has a slight rosy color.  On the lip it gives a your lips but better look.  These have SPF 15.  They feel a little waxy on the lips.

Buxom eyeliner, Buxom Samantha, Maybelline Peach Kiss, and Fresh Sugar Rose

Have a lovely day!!

Essie Ballet Slippers

Ballet Slippers is a more pink in real life! 

Essie Ballet Slippers is a very pale pink color.  If a mixture between Essie Baby's Breath and Essie Fiji.  This is one of my all time favorite nail polish!  It's a little difficult to work with, and does require 3 coats for full opacity.    

Music Wednesday: Paloma Faith Upside Down

Have a lovely day!!!

Essie Baby's Breath

Essie baby's breath is a beautiful porcelain white.  This polish gives the most beautiful clean/simple look that is very versatile with many outfits.  I love wearing this color when vacationing.  It is streaky with the first application, but does even out after the second or third coat.  Love this one! 

Music Wednesday: The Narrative - Eyes Closed

The Narrative - Eyes Closed 

Music Wednesday is where I'll post a new song every Wednesday!  I hope you enjoy this song.

If you have any song recommendations please leave them in the comment box!  

bareMinerals Blushes Review and Swatches

I love bareMinerals blushes!  They are so creamy and applies beautifully giving you the must fabulous healthy glow.  You can create a a barely there soft wash of color or a more intense radiant glow.  These don't break me out or irritate my sensitive skin.  They also last all day!

I have Fruit Cocktail, Golden Gate, Dawn, and Glee.  I also have Laughter, but I wouldn't find it at the moment. 

BM Fruit Cocktail, Dawn, Golden Gate, and Glee

These blushes are really pigmented, so you don't need much at all.  

BM Fruit Cocktail, Dawn, Golden Gate, and Glee

More blended out.  

I tend to reach for Dawn and Laughter (not pictured) the most.  It gives me a really beautiful natural peachy glow.  Looks gorgeous in the summer on tan skin. 

Mac Products I've Used Up and NYX Lip liners

I finally have enough products to Back to Mac*!  I am bringing back two glosses, a cleanse off oil (great for removing eye makeup), Studio Fix concealer, cranberry eyeshadow, and a mineralized skinfinish natural.

*Back to Mac is a recycling program where you bring 6 Mac products (skincare and makeup) back to Mac counters to get a free lipstick or a Mac store to get a free lipstick, lipglass or eyeshadow.


I also stopped by Ulta this weekend because I wanted to try more NYX products.  I picked up two NYX Slim Lip Liner Pencil in Flower and Pale Pink.

NYX Flower and NYX Pale Pink lipliners

 These are lovely!  The texture is softer than Mac lipliners so it glides on the lips without tugging it.  Pale pink is a gorgeous color matte pale pink color and Flower is a shimmer pinkish color.

Top: NYX flower, then NYX Pale Pink

Caudalie Divine Oil Review

Caudalie Divine Oil is a  dry oil for body, face and hair.  It contains a blend of grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan oil in combination with Caudalie's anti-oxidont polyphenols.  It's a great DRY oil that absorbs quickly and leaves your skin moisturized with a dewy glow. It does have a faint - woody floral smell that's very pleasant.  The scent is not overpowering so you can still wear your favorite perfume with this. 

The dry oil comes in a sturdy glass bottle with a wooden cap.  The spray  distributes the oil precisely where you want it so it's not messy.  Just massage the oil in an upward motion and you're set.  I love using this on my legs, arms and chest area.  I also use this on the ends of my hair or as an all over shine spray (use sparingly).  It's also great for your cuticles!  A little goes a long way so this will last for a very long time. 


Loving this product so far!!!  


Devine Oil retails for $48 dollars at Sephora for a 3.4 oz bottle.  

Essie Bikini So Teeny

Essie Bikini so Teeny is part of the Summer 2012 collection.  It's a gorgeous pastel blue color with really pretty iridescent shimmer.  Super cute color for summer!!

Haul: Clarins, Drugstore and Asian Beauty Products

Here are some beauty related products that I got from my shopping trips.  I am most excited about the Kose CoenRich Q10 White Deep Moisture Body Milky Cream since I'm always on the lookout for my HG body lotion.  I also picked up the Wet N Wild Lipstick matte lipstick in C901B which is a really pretty pink color, a couple of L'oreal Mascara, facial razors, Novel Shower Towel, and another tube of the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector.

Clarins Instant Lip Perfector - Rose Shimmer

Lightweight and very moisturizing.  Has a sweet caramel/toffee scent.  Sheer light pink.

Wet N Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick in C901b

Inexpensive with great color payoff.  Pretty pale pink.  Can be drying.

Wet N Wild C901b and Clarins Rose Shimmer

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara

L'oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara

Kose CoenRich Q10 White Deep Moisture Body Milky Cream

This is not the most moisturizing cream out there, but it's a nice everyday lotion. There isn't really a smell, and it absorbs quickly.  Doesn't feel sticky on the skin.

Korean Novel Shower Towel

 These are very coarse towels that are great for exfoliating the body.

Facial Razors

If you know any great drugstore mascara please share!! 

Urban Decay Naked Palette Bronzed Makeup Look

Face: L'Oreal Magic Lumi mixed with moisturizer. Vichy Derma blend Foundation used as a concealer (to even out skin) and Benefit Erase Paste + Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer for the under eyes. 

Checks: Bare Essentials Dawn Blush and Mac Sunny by Nature Bronzer

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Palette 1: Buck and Smog in the crease and half baked in lis with sin in the inner corners of the eyes.  Line the bottom of the eyes with Smog too.  Lined the eyes with a black pencil - I used Prestige.  Then curl lash (Shiseido eye lash curler) and top with mascara ( Too Faced LashGasm) 

Lip: Mac Hue Lipstick 

Thanks for visiting and have a lovely 4th of July!! 

Music Wednesday: Griffin House

Griffin House - The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind

Music Wednesday is where I'll post a new song every Wednesday!  I hope you enjoy this song.

If you have any song recommendations please leave them in the comment box!  I love discovering new music.

Essie Fiji - The Perfect Pale Pink

Essie Fiji is my favorite pale pink polish.  It goes on streaky at first and it hard to work with but the final result is def. worth the trouble.  To get an even finish I usually need 3 coats.  Last around 4 days without chipping on me.

How to make your hair grow faster and longer - Phyto Phytophanere Review

Phyto Phytophanere 

After a bad color job that severely damaged my hair, I chopped my super long hair off and sported an angled bob haircut. Since then I've been trying to grow my hair out and trying to keep the existing hair healthy. I've tried and tested lots of products and found some great ones that really delivers. Phyto Phytophanere hair and nails caplets is one of those products. They are an expensive investment but definitely worth it if you want your hair to grow faster. I've been using Phytophanere everyday for the last 6 months and have seen great results!

Your hair usually grows 1/2 an inch per month, but with Phytophanere my hair has grown around an inch a month for the last six months. I've had about 3 haircuts during the last 6 months and now my hair is well below my shoulders.  Not only does it help your hair grow, it also helps maintain/improve the health of your hair. My hair is often very dry and thick and I flat iron my hair often. With the right hair products to protect the hair and the Phytophanere I have less split ends and my hair is a lot healthier and shinier.  My eyelashes are also stronger and they fall out less often.  My skin is also less dry because of the caplets.  I have found that with these caplets my scalp gets oily a lot faster, so dry shampoo is a must!

As for my nails, I have mixed feelings. Being a runner, sometimes I loss my toe nails. Too much information? The new toe nail is always weaker the the original and I was hoping that photophanere would help - it hasn't. However, my fingernails are stronger. They used to be really weak and sometimes the tips of my nails would peel or break off very easily.

Phyto Phytophanere comes in two sizes: a 1 month supply (pictured above) contains 60 pills and you take two pills per day.  The 1 month supply retails for $25.  While the two month supply retails for $50.  I purchased my from Sephora.  

Does not contain: Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances, Synthetic Dyes, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances , Synthetic Dyes, petrochemicals,  Phthalates


This products is very expensive and the cost does add up but it's worth it. I saw results after two months. I recommend that if you try this product out give it at least a couple of months.

Have you tried any Phytos products?

June Favorites

June Favorites!! Some of these are products that I got during the beginning of June, while others I've had for a while and just started using them again! I absolutely love Wonderstuck perfume and the Caudalie Beauty Elixir was also featured on my favorite list last month. I love it that much! It's perfect for travel - road trip anyone?

Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder

Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder is a multi-tone bronzing bronzer.  It's high quality both in the packing and the product itself.  This bronzer is  velvety smooth and gives a natural  "nude" glow from within finish.  The texture is very fine, so it blends beautifully and never looks powdery.  It comes in four colors, and the one I got is Sunset which is the darkest color. 

Beautiful packaged. It's heavier then your normal plastic casing bronzer and has a magnetic closer that feels incredibly luxurious.  The only downside is that it's a fingerprint magnet.  It does come with a mimi kabuki brush that is very soft and can be used to apply the bronzer. Though I prefer to apply it with other brushes.  

The first swatch (starting from the left) is from the first quadrant (the N), then the U, and D, and E.  The last swatch is a mixture of all four quadrants.  

Here is me wearing the bronzer.  No blush. 

What are some of your fav bronzers?

Products I've Used Up: Skincare

These are some products that I've used up in the past months.  Some I've already repurchased while others did not work out as expected.  I have dry sensitive skin both on my face and body so I tend to favor unscented products that are moisture rich.  In the winter months my face would get so dry that my skin would crack and my body is prone to eczema. I have some acne spots that I'm trying to fade (90% gone now).  I hope this post/review helps you!

Bronzed and Turquoise Summer Makeup: Too Faced Endless Summer Set

I love using colored eyeliner in the summer because it gives the eye such a gorgeous pop.  For this look I kept my face very neutral, including my eye makeup, making the liner the statement point.

I applied Mac Strobe Cream on the face for a luminous look. Then I used Mac Studio Finish concealer on any trouble area.  Afterward I bronzed with Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer and used Victoria Secret's Starlet Blush.

For eyes I primed with Too Face Shadow Insurance (not pictured), then I applied the gold color (Too Faced Honey Pot) on the lid and then apply a darker brown color (Too Faced Lovey Dovey) on the crease then the matte cream color (Too Faced Heaven) to highlight the brow bone. I also used the Lovey Dovey underneath the eyes.  Afterward, wet an angle brush and use the blue color (Too Faced Neptune) to create a thick liner across the eye.  Then create a thinner line with a back liner bellow the blue one.  Curl your lashes and apply Too Faced LashGasm mascara.

I finished the look with Victoria's Secret lipgloss in Sublime.

Tell me if you would like to see swatches or review these products.  Have a lovely day!

Essie Geranium Polish

Essie Geranium is a gorgeous gel like polish. It's a warm red that applies without any streaks and two coats is all you need!! On me this polish last up to 3 to 4 days without chipping.

ELF Butternut Quad Review - Neutral Eye Look

This quad has great neutral shades that you can use for a natural day look or a more dramatic smokey glam look.  The two lighter shadows are not as pigmented as the darker ones and doesn't really show up on my skin unless I use a primer.  They also have lots of fallout.  Overall I think this is a fun quad to play with and the best part is it's only a DOLLAR.  So give it a try!!

Nars Demon Lover and Violetta

I used Nars Demon Lover and Violetta from the Pleasure of Paris Palette for this look.  Demon lover on the crease and below the lash line with Violetta on the center of the lid.  Lined with Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black.  For the checks I used Nars Orgasm and Laguna duo.  I finished with Victoria's Secret Innocent lipgloss.

Have a lovely day!!! xX

FOTD

Face: Rimmel Bronzer Eyes: Mac Graphology, Cork and Carbon Lips: Maybelline Disco Pink

Maybelline and Rimmel Lippies

Nude, Pink and Red!

deborah lippmann walk away renee

Walk Away Renee by Deborah Lippmann is a dark burgundy, almost black color.  It has a smooth texture, and a jelly like finish.  Very shining even without a top coat.  This color chips rather quickly on me though.