Lazy Saturday night

Hope everyone is having better night than I am... I'm in bed sick after a long day in Los Angeles, picking out flowers to the center pieces for my wedding. We were able to figure out 2 flowers. TWO. Apparently, flowers don't grow in December. Boo. Luckily, our wedding will be in a barn, soooo rustic is the theme. Meaning, 2 different types of flowers + dried stuff + mason jars = I totally meant to do this. Ha ha! Here's a preview:

Center Pieces (without dried stuff) and table runner

Center pieces: Stock and Pom Poms in Mason jars.

My momma made the runners, btw. She's way talented. We did SOOOO much walking today, my body hurts like I ran 13 miles on a treadmil. I IZ TIREDZ.

Oh, and speaking of tight and firm, (see what I did there?) can we puuuhlease talk about Dr. Perricone products? Oh man, get your wallets ready, this is going to cost you a small fortune.

Dr. Perricone is an amazing skin care line that uses tons of great ingredients for your skin. Stuff that most skincare lines don't. My personal favorite ingredient is a little something called DMAE. Here's some info on the ingredient

Re-contours improving skin losing elasticity

Lifts, tightens, and tones skin

Minimizes fine lines and wrinkles

(SOURCE: Dr. Perricone Blog- DMAE )

My understanding of it is this: when you take this as a supplement, the time that it takes your brain to tell your muscles to work/tighten increase dramatically, therefore you get faster, and sometimes immediate results. This is why it works so well topically for your pores. I take the supplements. You don't have to spend the $30 for a one month supply for this item, although yes, it is specifically made the Perricone way... but you can purchase it at any health or supplement store. It also makes your brain process knowledge faster, too! OHH SMARTY PANTSSS...

Ok, so now to my fav. I love this cream with all of my heart, and it just so happens to have DMAE as one of it's main ingredients:

Advanced Face Firming Activator: $120

 Yup, you read right. $120. That really sucks, and it also doesn't smell good. I know I am not selling this very well at this point, but the things that it does to your pores and overall skin will amaze you! Go to wherever sells Dr. Perricone in your area, ask them to demo this on HALF of your face, and try and come tell me that it doesn't give you a crazy mini lift, like immediately!

So, if you're looking to minimize pores, get this stuff, or get the supplements for an over all body/brain toning. Goodnight!



Argan Oil!

It's almost the weekend! WOO HOOO!!!! I'm taking a break from painting my cake toppers to talk about Argan Oil. But, before I do that, wanna see my progress on the wedding topper? OK!!!

This is just the first coat, and there are a lot of details still missing, but I am glad I've gotten this far already.

Anyway, back to the oil talk.

Argan Oil: It's rich in vitamins E and F, fatty acids, antioxidants, and a bunch of other awesome things that benefit your hair. It leaves it smooth, shiny, and healthy. It helps prevent split ends, and there are also claims that it has hair growing powers. I mean, yeah my hair has been growing faster than normal, BUT I've also been taking prenatals, (for the hair growth, I'm not preggers), and I haven't been dying my hair since my engagement to keep it nice and healthy, so I can't really say if that last statement is true. Regardless, what I do know is my hair is truly healthier, shinier, and smoother.

So, I will no introduce some of my favorite Argan Oil products. Let's start with the original:

Moroccan Oil: $40.00

Yeah, you read right. This stuff is expennnnsive. But, I have purchased a small travel size bottle for $15 that lasted about 3 months, so obviously this stuff does go a long way. I originally purchased this for the simple fact that it claims to make the hair drying a faster experience. It DOES. I wouldn't say half of the time, but a significant notice in blow drying time has been cut down from it. Oh, and it smells so yummy! I have also used this on my arms on a really dry day. Argan oil is GREAT for your skin.

Next up, a more affordable treatment:

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Styling Treatment: $14.99

One of the more affordable versions of the original is this little gem here. Sexy hair products have not always been my favorite, mainly because there was nothing that validated the high prices for me. I have a teasing come that cost me a dollar that can give me volume, know what I'm sayin'? Ok, so it's probably just me, whatever, but then they started getting on the healthy hair ball, I was curious. I first found this product at a local beauty supply store, and they were selling the mini .85oz bottles for about a dollar fifty. Ummm, that's a no brainer, I got 3. It also contains soy, might I add. The smell isn't as great as Moroccan Oil, but it does keep my hair shiny and smooth. No faster hair drying, though. Overall, I would choose this item over Moroccan oil, because I am a cheapo. Moving on...

Organix Moroccan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner: $7 EACH!

My newest find in the Argan Oil family was this stuff. Ok, can I just say that this is probably the BEST drug store shampoo and conditioner EVER INVENTED? I think I just said that. This stuff smells sweet and clean, its SULFATE FREE, it has Argan Oil (obviously,) andddd it's CHEAP! I love cheap! I have purchased $25 dollar a bottle shampoos plenty of times, and I would totally go for this instead. It just agrees with my hair. For serious. Oh, and btw, SULFATE FREE means that the shampoo will not strip your hair of it's natural oils, or it's color if you dye your hair. That's just one of the reasons why I get sulfate free when I can.

Speaking of shampoo, I need to go use some. It's been 3 days since my last wash, I'm totally due. Night!

Eyeliner part 2-Product edition (GELS)

Hey!

Today will be about the actual products I use for eyeliner. Different eyeliners do different things, and can also serve different purposes. Have you ever used your eyeliner as a base for your eyeshadow? This is a great trick if you're trying to achieve a really dark color, and the eyeshadow alone just isn't cutting it. The best type of eyeliner/base is the gel eyeliner.

GEL EYELINER

FLUIDLINE: $15

EYE STUDIO LASTING DRAMA: $7-$10

JET SET: $22.00

These are just 3 of the most recent gel liners I've used. The one I used in yesterday's post was the Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner. I just purchased this eyeliner in the hopes that I will no longer have to shell out over $15 for an eyeliner.

The hardest part about this type of liner is the fact that it dries out so fast!!! Especially if you're not careful about closing it tight. Case in point, I bought a MAC fluidline once that dried out on me in a matter of 1 month! After paying so much for it, I felt pretty gypped. I mean, I got maybe 3 good uses out of it! (3 weddings with at least 3 or more girls each time, I should say.)

This is not a common occurrence with MAC's fluidline, it was just once. But, still, I would much rather pay a lot less for an eyeliner if that is a possibility, wouldn't you agree?

Smashbox's Jet Set liner is pretty similar in the way that it dries, but I also find that this product has flaked on my lids more than once. Also, the opacity is just not that strong in some of the colors (shimmery brown/bronze, purple and blues came to mind.) But, I will say that my favorite true brown eyeliner comes from this line. It was the only one that was the right shade of brown. Not too dark, not too light, and not too red.

Back to the Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner; I really liked the fact that it came with a brush, but when went to get my second color (I bought the brown today in the hopes of a cheap replacement for my brown Jet Set...) I realized that I am paying for a second brush, when I could have easily saved a few bucks by them NOT requiring me to purchase the damn brush every time! Maybe it was just my store? I don't know, but still, $10 is cheaper than the other 2, so I shouldn't complain.

As far as the quality of the Maybelline eyeliner, it works just as well as the MAC fluidline, and better than the Jet Set. Yes, it's waterproof, but I also didn't struggle with removing it. Color payoff depended on the type of brush you use, but all in all I was pretty satisfied.

There are so many different colors out there for gel liners. Sometimes I will buy colors and use them simply as a base for a specific eyeshadow. One site that I found that has a great gel liner/base product is coastalscents.com. They have tons of colors, it's pretty comparable to MAC products, and it's pretty cheap, as well. Stock up to save on shipping! The eye shadows on this site are pretty great, as well. And, again, SO CHEAP! I love cheap!  Ok, that's all for today. Have a fantastic rest of your Tuesday! Be back tomorrow!

My Birchbox came today! Oh, and some eyeliner talk...

Good evening everyone! I came home from work today and found this in my mailbox!

YAY It's my September birchbox! This month came with some awesome stuff... including Incoco nail polish appligues in zebra print (cuttteeee!), Attimo perfume, Jurlique firm and lift cream, Jouer lip enhancer, and Colorescience sunforgettable mineral powder! I will make sure to try each item and give my reviews by the end of this month.

So, on to other things.

I am really into eyeliner. I own about 20 different eyeliner products, and when working for MAC, I was known as the "Eyeliner queen" :) Today I will talk about eyeliner brushes, and the different looks that you can achieve with different style brushes. I will be using the same kind of gel eyeliner for each of the brushes shown above.

Lets start with the first brush:
THIN

I used the 210 brush from MAC cosmetics. This brush is obviously most similar to the kind of brush that you find in an ink well style eyeliner. This is my least personal favorite type of brush due to my shaky hands. If you're really really good at keeping a steady hand, and want a really thin line, this is so for you. I use this brush for fantasy style and really detailed makeup looks, like Halloween makeups or masquerade masks, but not so much for my personal eyeliner.

Unfortunately, my camera is CRAP. Anyway, Another thing I do not like about a thin eyeliner brush is the fact that you don't get the color payoff you would with a thicker brush.

*

SMUDGE

For this look, I used a brush that came with the gel liner that I used, which I will be talking about tomorrow. This brush is intended for smudgy looks, but I used it to create a chunky, bold liner.

LOVE the color payoff this type of brush gives. Really bold, and I only had to dip into the gel once for each eye. This kind of look is good for someone who wants to create the illusion of a rounder eye. No wing, and high point in the center of the eye.

*

SMALL ANGLE

I got this brush a while back when I was working at my local Planet Beauty. I can't tell you what brand it is, but I can tell you that both Smashbox and MAC have a great version of the same brush.

Good color, but I did have to dip in more than once for each eye. Also, this brush can be used for multiple looks, and is GREAT for eyebrows, too. Thick, thin, winged, this brush is very versatile. If you don't have one, get one. It's a great staple brush.

*

WIDE ANGLE

Ahhhh, the wide angle. MY FAVORITE BRUSH. This thing is like the last brush on steroids. (DISCLAIMER: Steroids are very, very bad. Don't use them. Makeup won't help you if you're a druggie! HAH!)

Check out that line! That color payoff! This brush creates effortless, winged out looks. It literally took me seconds to get this line. It's so much smoother and stronger than the other lines. This is obviously my style of liner right here, and totally benefits many eye shapes, especially girls with closer set eyes. IF you do have close set eyes, make sure the inner part of your liner is much thinner then the rest of the line. Gradually thicken the line to your desired amount, and then wing!

*

FLAT

 This brush is my favorite for getting liner into the water line, but I also use it for a "controlled smudge" under my eye.

Don't mind the tired bags under my eyes :)

So, what I did here was take the same gel eyeliner, put in into my water line (Not recommended for all gel liners, make sure to ask your cosmetic expert what is safe for that area! Seriously, I've been a guinea pig for my clients plenty of times, we know!)

Then, I spread it down a bit, using a back and forth motion with the brush, and there you have it.

You can also use this brush with some dark colored eyeshadow, and pat in some color right about your eyelashes. Almost like an invisible eyeliner. This makes your eyelashes look thicker!

Ok that'll do it for me tonight. Hope you enjoyed this! Good night!

My hello's; Birchbox talk, and a product review.

Hey!
YAY FIRST BLOG POST! (Sorry for yelling...)

OK, so a little back round: I am a cosmetics snob. No, seriously, I will, and probably have, tried just about everything. My purpose here is to talk about my experience with products and let you all know what is or is not worth spending your bucks on. I had been in the cosmetics field for about 10 plus years prior to what I am doing now, and I totally miss helping out with product suggestions. I was that person that would get in trouble at work for telling a client not to purchase the $350 cream, and that the $50 one would suit her much better ;)

Anyway, I have a few subscriptions out there that allow me to try tons of stuff a month. One of those is birchbox.com.   

Here's how this works:

You pay $10 a month for a box that comes with up to 5 items. (I wish it came as full as what I am showing :) )

You let them know what you are interested in; hair, makeup, heath products...etc.

Your box comes with random deluxe sample items, as you can see. I can see at least 4 items in that picture that I have already received in the last 2 months. (the Redken shine spray, the Philosophy Purity skin cleanser, and the Pangea Organics facial cleanser are among the items in the image that I currently have.)

OK, now that that's out of the way, lets talk about the current facial cleanser I am using: Pangea Organics Facial Cleanser.

INGREDIENT INFO:

WILD PLUM

*balancing*purifying*rejuvenating

WILLOWHERB

*anti-irritant*anti-blemish*antioxidant

PRODUCT PLUS:

It's Sulfate free, smells great, and takes off my makeup with ease.

THE DOWNSIDE:

You can easily run out of this stuff quick if you're not careful, it's very thin, almost like water.

COST:

 $28.00 on birchbox.com, or pangeaorganics.com.

It's great for my combo skin. I personally like a little oil on my face, you know, to achieve the whole "dewy" look. So the fact that it's made to cater to oily and combo skin, yet it doesn't totally dry you up is a huge plus. Also, anything Sulfate free is good in my book, that can be so drying on your skin AND hair... but I will get into my Sulfate free obsession on another post.

Anyway, feel free to ask any questions about this product, I kept it short and sweet in order to not completely bore you on my very first blog post. I hope to improve my product rating skills over time based off of the feedback I received.