Current Favorite Makeup / April 2016

I want to make sharing my current makeup must haves/favs a regular thing because the makeup I use changes so regularly when I do have a fav its a big deal (to me at least) and at minimum its worth sharing.

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom

First the ELF brush, this brush is fan shaped and it works as a great and quick sculpting tool for bronzer. If you want a precise contour this isn't the brush you want but for bronzer its perfect I love it.

Second the Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette has just been my absolute fav since I purchased it. I love the warm tones. Also I smells like PB&J how do you not love that. I highly recommend getting it while you can before it sells out.

Third the butter bronzer is a perfect everyday bronzer. My real everyday makeup it limited to tinted moisturizer or bb cream, mascara (brow and eyelash), bronzer, and a lip. and for those days this bronzer is the best not to mention it smells sooo good, kinda like a pina colada. If you don't like really fragrant things I wouldn't recommend it.

Fourth, like I said my real everyday makeup is limited and this brow mascara is for those days. It helps make my brows look fuller and helps them stay in place. and its only $3!!  

Fifth and last is this awesome setting powder. I wanted to try some setting powders out because some of my foundations were looking a little oily or two shiny on me. Also I wanted something to help my makeup last but more specifically my concealer. This is one of the setting powders I purchased. I love this one in particular because 1. its brightening and I need that 2. it smells like vanilla 3. its does the job I need to do as far as being a setting powder and 4. I love the vintage packaging (Always a sucker for packaging) 

It seems Ive been loving things that smell good.. lol.

So those are my current must haves/favorites what are some of yours right now?

All about them Brows

It was requested more than once that I do a video on how I fill in my brows so you asked and I answered. In the video I go over the different ways I fill them in with different products.

There are three different categories of brow products, I show you a couple examples of each and here are the products I mention (Click the name of each product to go to where you can purchase it, see pricing and colors, or for more information)


Brow Powders:
Brow Bar to Go : My go to brow powder pretty warm colors
Morphe 35O palette : Great eyeshadow palette with a nice grey brow that I use for my brows

Brow Pencils:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz : My favorite brow pencil that Ive used so far
Universal Eyebrow Pencil by Ofra: another great high end pencil
Loreal Brow Stylist Definer: My favorite drugstore eyebrow pencil. Close dupe for the brow whiz.

Brow Pomade:
Anastasia Beverly Hils Dipbrow Pomade: Weird to get used to but creates perfect brows
E.L.F Eyebrow Kit: Not a dupe but a great option if you want to test out a pomade without spending the money.

One Year With Ipsy!

I have officially been subscribed to Ipsy for one whole year! I was sure I would get tired of it but Im not. I just cant stop wont stop, I love Ipsy. I used to do Ipsy looks based off of whatever was in my bag and in honor of being with Ipsy for a year I thought Id do it again. This bag had some awesome stuff for doing a look with, so let get into it!

Here is my February 2016 Glam Bag aka my one year bag.  

Here's What I Got: 

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in I'm Kind of a Big Deal 

Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in Sierra Nevada #05

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil 

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind lipgloss in Pink Sequin 

Margaret Dabbs London miniture crystal nail file

First off I love the design of this bag. Its so cute. I always keep one in my bag filled with necessities and this one is replacing my current one for sure. I loooove all the items in this months bag, well the nail file is kinda whatever. I was in need of a new one so, still useful, but kind of whatever. The lip gloss is by far my favorite. I need a full size/more. I love how glittery it is. I LOVE glitter. And speaking of, the brown glittery eye shadow.. HELLO beautiful. The nail polish is cute, I had a similar color but it dried out so it was nice to get another cute pink back in my collection. The primer oil I was SO excited to try. I love using oils so this was totally up my alley. Ive used it a couple times before makeup and once at night. It does make your skin soft and moisturized. As far as being a primer, I dont feel like Ive used in a way that I can give a proper review but I like it so far! 

On to the look

These pictures do not do the lip gloss justice but I do love how it all turned out! Let me know how you liked your Ipsy bag this month! If you don't have an Ipsy subscription but you are interested let me know! 

Drugstore Makeup: Favorite Revlon Lipsticks

I love a good drugstore finds. Revlon makes some of my favorite lipsticks. I love anything that has history and Revlons nail polish and lipsticks have seven decades of history. Here are some of my favorites!

July Ipsy Bag

Forever a month behind. 

Anywayyys here is my July Ipsy bag! 

I got a sample size of Park Avenue Princess from Tarte- I own this but I love it and it's one of my favorite bronzers. This one now lives in my purse makeup bag. 

Lip conditioner from Jersey Shore Cosmetics- good little Chapstick. I love the coconut smell! 

Eyeliner in Blue Hawiain from Tini Beauty- I actually didn't have an eyeliner in the color. It's a fun color. It inspired me to do some fun colorful looks before summer is over. This eyeliner worked great much better than that purple one I got. 

Jor'el Parker fragrance in Classico- I got a Jor'el fragrance in a bag before I like this one. I like the other one more though. The name fits thefragrance.

BellaPierre lipstick in P.I.N.K - this is a great prank color. I thought it was going to be benighted but I'm glad it's not.

Last but not least here is the look I created! It was fun to do. I did it before going out and I think it was a great summer night out makeup look. I even threw on some false lashes to pull it all together. 

 

I just got my August bag I havent really used anything yet but knowing me that review will be up in September haha

Do you have ipsy? What did you get? If you are interested in getting a subscription let me know!  

DIY face wash and moisturizer

When I was a teenager I had problems with acne. Nothing too terrible but I had constant acne. As I've gotten older it's gone away and now I just suffer from the occasional break outs. I've tried all kinds of things to control it. And I've learned a lot about my skin along the way. Like when my skin gets dry I'm guaranteed a break out. Also my t-zone is almost always oily and keeping it under control, controls break outs in that area. My skin tends to be more on the sensitive side so most face washes dont do a whole lot for me or make my face worse. The ones that work are usually of the organic variety or at least ones that do not have a whole lot of crazy chemicals. LUSH and Alba has probably worked the best for my face. So I decided to try my hand at making my own face wash. Something gentle, cleansing, and possibility help with my occasional break outs. So I came up with this recipe and I've been using if for a few weeks now and I am so happy with my skin.

Here's what you'll need: 

Aloe vera gel (pure aloe vera gel) or straight from the plant like I did. If you dont like touching slimy things I recommend buying the aloe vera gel, the plant is slimy.

Coconut oil

Tea tree oil

A container to put it all in

*optional add ins

*rose water

*vitamin E oil

As far as the amount to use of each it really depends on your skin and the size of your container. The main ingredient is he coconut oil. The majority of it should be coconut oil. The tea tree oil is drying so depending on how dry your skin is or how sensitive your skin is hoe much you'll put in. The first time I made this I wasn't sure so I did about 4-5 drops.  My container is a pretty good size so the next time I did a little more.  Test the tea tree oil on your skin first.

Ill quickly run through the benefits of each so you an judge much or how little of each you want. 

*Disclaimer* I am not a doctor or a professional anything. Just did some research. You can do your own research if that makes you more comfortable.

Coconut oil- Antibacterial, anti wrinkle, moisturizer, helps remove dead skin

Aloe-Treats dry skin, anti inflammatory (good for acne and reduce redness), anti-fungal, anti-aging 

Tea Tree oil- helps clear up acne, antibacterial, anti-fungal  

Rose water- Soothe irritated skin, balance oily skin, hydrate, 

Vitamin E oil- moisturizer, helps remove age spots, helps remove dirt 

Ok now the how-to:

The easiest way to get the "meat" from the aloe plant is to use a potato peeler and peel just the edges. 

Then peel the top remaining green piece off. Next I used a spoon to scoop out the "meat". Chop up the aloe as much and as thin as I can. Its slimy and hard to cut up but cut it up as small as you can. Chunks aren't a big deal and its kind of inevitable but still the smaller the better.

Next I took a whisk and whisked all the ingredients together until it looks like the below picture.

Then just scoop your new face wash into your container.

This is great for dry skin because how moisturizing it. If you have oily skin and nothing has helped before, I know this might sound crazy, but try using essential oils. Using essential oils helps trick your skin into not producing anymore oil. 

How I wash my face is massage it all over my face. Then I wet a face cloth with nice warm, almost hot water. I rest the wash cloth on my face for about 10-15 seconds. The steam and heat help the oils really sink into your skin. It's actually pretty relaxing. I think anyways. Then I use the wash cloth to gently wipe it all off. Simple as that. It leaves your face moisturized and clean. On days for whatever reason I do not clean my face this way I use this treatment as a moisturizer that I wash off in the morning. My skin is happy and healthy.

#FBF : Flash Back Friday 7/10/15

Hey! 

Not whole of exciting things happening in my life still working a lot but I have bought a few new beauty products that I have either yet to use or currently testing. 

Here some of the things I've got in the past few weeks 

I've tried everything in the top picture. I got the shampoo because youtuber Ingrid Nilsen mentioned it in one of her favorites videos. It's super inexpensive and it's been great for my oily hair. The eyebrow plumper has become a makeup staple now. I always use it. Regardless if I fill my brows in I always, at minimum use that. It's plumps and keeps my brows where I want them all day. If you're now one to fill in your brows but want to plump them of try a beginner brow product I highly recommend it. 

  The second picture is a more recent haul. I'm really excited to try the smashbox primer spray. I'm so glad I Sephora had a sample size or travel size to try before commiting to the big one. That Pixi spray was another YouTube inspired purchase thanks to Judy from Its Judys Life. I also just love anything 

rose or rose water. The little plastic bag is a sample of Origins Charcoal mask. The lovely lady at Sephora recommended it. I've been having some skin issues lately. I ran out of my homemade fashwash which helped my face tremendously but once it was out my face went back to weird texture, dry and breaking out. So I made some more finally and bought some masks to help get my face back to normal. 

I'm really excited about all of these. I tried the pumpkin one last night and I really liked it. I don't recommend it for sensitive skin. But if you need a good exfoliating mask this one is great and it smells like pumpkin pie! I'll probably do a full review when I've tried them all a couple times. 

I originally went into Sephora to find a highlighter. I, along with most of the makeup community, have been obsessed with highlighting. My go to is Mary Loumanizer by The Balm. 

Have you seen this floating around the Internet? 

Let's be real contouring isn't going anywhere but this whole idea of glowing skin is beautiful and much less face altering than contouring. I love it. I'll probably do a post on how I do it without looking like a straight up disco ball. I'll also go through some glowing face products I have and use. 

If you want to know about anything I got that didn't mention let me know! I hope you are having a fabulous week and you have a fantastic weekend! 

 

June Ipsy

I'm going to do a real quick June Ipsy. Since it's kinda late. 

Here's what I got: 

Another simple but cute bag. Does anyone need any little makeup bags? Haha

Love the nail polish beautiful summer color. 

Love the eyeshadow crayon. I love quick throw on stuff like this lately that I can keep in my make up bag. The color is subtle but you can layer it.

The primer is good. Not my favorite but it's a good quality, I've actually used it before. 

The eyeliner I've also used before. I have a love hate relationship with it. I loooove the matte bold finish, however it's staying power eh. I've purchased it before getting it in my Ipsy bag and I just wish it would stay on my eyes. 

Ok last the Selfie tan and go bronzer is so strange but I like it? It's super weird to apply becaus it feels like hair gel. It has little brown beads that break apart and create the color. It drys really quick so you have to work fast. But lately I've been all about the super bronzed I've been laying out by the pool all day look and that's what this product gives you. I feel like a lot of people wouldn't like this but it's been great for me. It's really great for my chest, neck, and shoulders to kinda bronze them up and really get the full bronzed effect.

And here's the look: 

Cooper photo bombed. 

I am still really happy with my Ipsy bags. The past few months have been awesome. They have had products I really liked, and at minimum really like trying. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these bags though. Can't wait for Julys bag! 

If you want to get your hands on your own Ipsy bag or have questions about it let me know! 

April Ipsy Bag

I got my April Ipsy bag and I'm thrilled about this one!! Get ready because I love everything.

Ok first things first the bag. Favorite one so far. The theme this month was bohemian. It reminds me of those hand woven place mats. (If you're Filipino you know what I'm talking about) 

What I got: 

KCO Colors By Beauty Brands in Natural Born Beauty - full size 

Hikari Cosmetics Blush in Tango - full size

Lather Ultra Light Face lotion - sample size

TheBalm Cosmetics eyeshadow in Flirty - full size (I think) 

Jor'el Parker fragrance in Femina - sample size 

-Ok first the lipstick. I love this color. It's a great nude for me. Colors that are too light or too pink aren't really nude for me. I'm not sure what else to say about it other than I've worn it everyday (that I've worn lipstick) since I got it. Love it! 

-The blush is so pretty. Really pigmented though, only the slightest bit on a brush is all you need. This seems more like something that should have been in last months back. It's bright and very spring. It doesn't scream bohemian to me but I still love it. 

- uh oh a moisturizer. If you read last months Ipsy bag review. (Found here) You know me and moisturizer don't work well. I also didn't realized I had moisturizer checked to recieve. So I went ahead and removed that but, this one works for me! What!? Yea it doesn't irritate my skin or make my skin red at all. When it says light it means it. It's light and leaves my face feeling clean and moisturized. It's currently sitting in my makeup desk. And I use it before I put my makeup on. 

- I was very excited when I saw I was getting this eyeshadow! I LOVE TheBalm. I have the Nude Tude palette which was the first palette before Nude Dude, which is where you can find this eyeshadow. I love this color. It's like a slightly purple bronzey brown. It's so pretty. I already wanted the Nude Tude Palette and now I really want it. 

- I am obsessed with this fragrance. It's not too feminine or strong. I love it. I've even gotten complements on it when I've worn it. I love getting little fragrance samples because I can throw it in my purse and always smell good with out having to spray myself in public. 

As always here's a look I created with the products. I went for a more natural everyday look since this that vibe I got from the products. I've been embracing my freckles and imperfections lately I've been reaching less for full coverage foundation more sheer. Probably thanks to better skin care. 

Do you get monthly Ipsy bags? Would you like to? Let me know! 

Get Ready With Me!

The other day I filmed my first ever beauty related video. I've been told I should make beauty videos and it's just not something I think I really want to do, I don't know but this felt more like a vlog to me so it was fun! Hope you like it!

Ombre Lips

One makeup look I've been in love with is ombre lips. I'm not sure where I first saw it and loved it but I know the obsession for a lot of people came from Korean makeup trends. Koreans know how to do it!

Then a few days ago I got super excited when Tarte posted this on their instagram! 

So here is my current favorite combination and how I do it. 

I like using lip stains it makes the ombre last longer. So I'm using the Revlon lip stains.

I love this look when you want a colorful bolder lip without being overly dramatic. Some call this look the popcicle stain. You can see why. This is perfect If you've been wanting to experiment with lip colors you've never tried before. Here are two other colors/looks I tried. 

Purple because I love purple.

And a brighter pink 

I think this is a perfect fresh look for spring. Let me know if you try it out!

March Ipsy Bag

I got my March Ipsy bag! I'm happy about this one! 

It came in a floral bag which I love anything floral. Much better than last months bag!

Sample size: Pūr-lisse - pūr-delicate gentle soymilk cleanser and makeup remover.

Sample size: Leeani Eco - 3 in 1 revolution light (moisturizer) 

Full size-ish: Pixi by Petra - Mesmerizing Mineral duo in Apricot Glow

Full size: NYX Cosmetics - Butter Lipstick in Little Susie

Full size: Crown Brush - infinity shadow/crease duet brush 

   Ok let's start with the only thing I did not like from this months bag. The moisturizer. I wouldn't describe my skin as sensitive but when it comes to moisturizers, for whatever reason, my skin is really sensitive. This moisturizer like most moisturizers made my face turn red and made the uneven parts of my complexion more noticeable. This is something that happens from time to time with moisturizers and my skin, so I wasn't surprised. 

   The face wash/makeup remover was fine. It worked and removed my makeup. Nothing fabulous but did its job. Ill use it until its done but it didn't give me and further interest in the brand of product.

   On to the really good stuff. I have two other NYX butter lipsticks so I was excited to see I was getting another one. I love how these lipsticks feel. They don't have great longevity but it feels more like a chapstick than a lipstick, so I'm ok with that. I love the color I got, it's very spring. I can see myself wearing this often this season. Not to mention Essie Button from youtube (channel here) used the color I got in her recent 'No Makeup' tutorial video. I love her videos and her blog (found here)

  I'm am loving the eyeshadow duo. The lighter shade is a perfect everyday color. Both colors are so pretty on. 

  Last but not least the brush. I am in looove with this brush. Both ends are fantastic. One end is a great eyeshadow brush staple. It's wide and dense great for all over application or crease. The other end is my favorite. It's like a combination of a small angled brush and a pencil brush. So great, not to mention awesome quality. 

Here is the look I put together. I went for a simple bronzey spring look. 

Other than the moisturizer I loved this months bag! If you are thinking about getting monthly Ipsy bags let me know! If you already do let me know your thoughts on your bag. 

If you want to see someone else use some of these products (and coincidentally did a very similar makeup look) and who usually does a makeup look once month with Ipsy products check out Ingrid Nilsen!

My First Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! 

I finally joined ipsy annnnd I finally got my first bag! I decided that Im going to review the things I get and also do a look based on the items I got.

So first things first what I got!

It came in a pink, grey, and white geometric pattern little bag and its ok.. Im only saying ok because Ive seen a lot of ipsy reviews and posts. I needed to make sure this was worth getting! So Ive seen a lot of the bags and this just wasn't as awesome as some other ones Ive seen. But free cute little bag every time, the part of me that likes to compartmentalize everything is screaming with joy.
Lets move onto the more important part the contents (drum-roll please)

Sample size lip gloss from Cargo cosmetics in the color Anguilla
Sample size Up All Night Volumizing Spray from Eva-Nye 
Full size Eyeliner pencil from Me in in Amethyst
Full size blush from Model in Peach Bellini
Full size Large Angled brush from Luxie

Ok lets talk about it. I love everything except the eyeliner and the lip gloss. When I did my makeup look today I liked the lip gloss a bit more then when I originally tried it. Its not a color I would normally go for. The eyeliner is just not the best. It does not apply very evenly. To get the most out of it I used it on its side with little pressure and built it up.

Though Im not a huge fan of the eyeliner I did like the color. Colored eyeliner pencils remind me of the early 2000's when I really started using and experimenting with makeup. I was such a fun of having a pop of color with my eyeliner under my eye. So today's look is brought to you by Ipsy and me 12 years ago.

I used the eye liner under my eyes which I liked. I used the blush on my checks with the brush I got. I used the lipgloss over my lipstick which is much nicer than the lipgloss on its own. 

I loooove the volumizing hair spray. With my current hair style I've been wanted more volume and texture to my hair. I love that it gives my hair that "showered last night just rolled out bed with this hair" look and stays that way.  

True to the early 2000s makeup I was rocking, I used at tinted moisturizer with a little Bare Minerals over. I'm so used to full coverage makeup it was kinda nice to let my skin breathe and show my freckles. I used some of my 2000s staples 

The gold color is Goldleaf by Bare Minerals I used this on my lid and as a highlight with my new brush. I used to do this all the time I used Goldleaf for EVERYTHING. Instead of eyeliner I would use French Navy by Bare Minerals and an little angled brush. I might start doing this again I really like how it made my eyes look. Last is a bronzer/highlighter from Physicians Formula. I used this as obviously bronzer and highlight but I also used it as eyeshadow. I also went very natural with my brows, just a tinted brow gel. Back in the day all I did was over pluck my brows haha.

This was fun! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!  

Winter Skin Care Routine

It's been awhile since posted about my skin care routine. And it has definetly changed since then. The biggest changes has come with cold weather. I have learned that my skin tends to break out more when it's dry. So I've made some adjustments to my skincare this winter.

I'm going to talk mostly about my nightly routine because that's where I put in the most effort when it comes to my skin. 

To take off my makeup I have been using LUSH's Ultrabland. I am so in love with this as a nightly cleanser and makeup remover. It breaks down my makeup more so than any makeup remover I have ever used. It has 20% rose water in it which is just an all around favorite lately. 

Buy it here!

After I cleanse and remove my makeup I use Joise Maran 100% pure agran oil light. I am in LOVE with this stuff! I have seen such an improvement on my skin since I started using it. I was so hesitant to use an oil on my skin thinking it would just make the oily parts of my skin oiler but I promise you it has not. I've replaced my regular moisturizer for this one (at night at least). You can use it on your face, split ends, cuticles, or any dry spot on your skin. It really is awesome. It's a bit pricey. I currently have the "to-go" size which is $16 but the regular size is $48 but since you don't need that much everytime you use it. It's definetly worth it. 

Buy it here!

Last step lips. My lip routine hasn't changed. I still use my homemade lip scrub with coconut oil when needed. Link for that recipe can be found here. And my favorite night balm is called My Favorite Night Balm by CO Bigelow. 

Buy it here!

That is it that is how I protect my mug in the cold winter months when my skin, in my opinion, is at its worst. Remember the first step to any great makeup look starts with skincare. Stay warm!