Paint Pots and Brushes

Hey guys!

Just thought I would tell you about a few items that I love and think you would too!  First off, MAC Paint Pots... they are just fantastic!  I have Rubenesque and Painterly and they both do similar yet different things.  Rubenesque is a great Golden peach w/gold pearl (Frost) and Painterly is a Nude beige (Cream) and is GREAT at covering the lid and hiding any veins or redness or purple-ness!  They are both great for wearing alone of under shadows; they help shadows stick to your lid and STAY there!

The MAC 217 brush is a MUST HAVE for any make up lover... It is the brush you would use to blend out or apply colour in the crease.  It is a soft yet firm fluffy dome shaped brush... you have to have it!

Tip: Rubenesque goes really well with Expensive Pink from MAC :)

Here are some pictures!

Painterly:

 Rubenesque:

217 Blending Brush:

The Girl Effect

Hey everyone!!! 

I hope you are all doing well and getting excited for halloween!  I just thought of something that I want to share with you all... it is a video on youtube that one of the English profs showed me in class.  It is called "The Girl Effect".  It is so powerful and moving and I believe everyone should see it :)

Please go check it out and feel free to leave me a comment about it if you like!

xoxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw

Squeeky clean skin :)

Hey guys! 

I learned this tip from an amazing make up artist Kandee Johnson...  Take a cotton ball soaked in lemon juice (or cut a lemon in half and squish it around a bit to loosen up the juices) and sprinkle some sugar (organic preferably!) and then get your face wet with some warm water to open up your pores and then use the cotton ball or half lemon to exfoliate your face!  The lemon will naturally kill bacteria and the sugar will scrub off all the dead skin cells and the oils and dirt that accumulates from day to day life!  I live in the city and some days I feel like my face has just hit a wall of pollution... So it is amazingly refreshing to do this lemon and sugar scrub!  (PS... It is also a great way to get rid of a lingering fake tan!!!)

I did mention that you want to use organic sugar and lemons if possible... The reasoning behind that is your skin will absorb the sugars and lemon juice and you only want the very best things to go into your body, right?  so if you can help it, why not?!  There have been many times that I havent used organic lemons or sugar; so it won't make or break the experience but its just nice to use if you can :)  Also, the type of sugar is up to you... you can use larger grains of sugar or the regular old granulated sugar.  I find the normal granulated sugar works well for me... it feels great; not too scratchy!

Let me know how you like it!

xoxo

My Viewers!

Hey guys!  So I just checked where my viewers are from and it shows me that I have viewers from the following countries...

Russia, Spain, Singapore, India, France, UK, USA, and Canada!

That is so awesome!  Thank you to everyone who stops by and reads my blog :)  Now if I can only get more of you to click that "Follow" button ;) ha ha ha

Remember, if you have any requests please just comment and let me know!  I will do my best to give you advice or reviews about things! :)

xoxo

Too Rich for You

This nail polish by Nicole by OPI is fantastic!  It is a deep blue/green with dark flecks and it catches the light beautifully!  Im not usually one for dark polishes but I am obsesssssssssssed with this one :)

Totally a 5/5!

Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder

Hey guys!  This stuff is AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!  It is a yellow powder that I put on my face after I have moisturized with the cream from this same line.  It really helps reduce redness and as a result I use less make up!  I have an oily T-Zone and drier cheeks.  My cheekbones are always pink with a few broken capillaries so I tend to use way too much make up trying to cover that stuff up.  Well NO MORE!! :)  If any of you have questions about how to reduce redness just post a question in the comment section and Iw ill do my best to answer :)

Definitely  a 5/5 :)

LashStash ~ Mascara Deluxe Sampler

I purchased this sampler as part of my Sephora haul and I am not sure what to think of it yet... Here are the mascaras you get in the sampler:

- Hourglass: Superficial Lash - Carbon
- Laura Mercier: Thickening and Building Mascara - Black
- Urban Decay: Skyscraper Multi-Benefit - Black
- Fresh: Supernova - black
- Korres: Abyssinia Oil volumizing and Strengthening - Black
- Sephora: Lash Stretcher - Black
- Benefit: A Little Bit BADGal - Black
- Tarte: 4 Day Lash Stain - Black
- Smashbox: Lash DNA - Jet Black
- Cargo: LashActivator - Black

I havent tried tham all out yet, but I opened a few and they seem pretty dried out so I will have to see about these guys... I will update you on them :)

beautyblender

This make up sponge is incredible!  It was designed to leave you with the most natural looking finish; and it does!  So let me tell you about the product:

- you should wet the sponge first, squeeze out all the water, squeeze it again between a clean towel
- dip into your foundation and stipple it onto your skin (dab/stipple/bounce/blend ... you get the point lol)
- the cool egg shape was designed to help apply your foundation evenly across your face
- MUST wash after EVERY use!  It sounds tedious but you really should be washing your brushes and applicators frequently anyway so this is just one product that you have to wash even more frequently!
- There is a cleanser that comes along with it and you only need a TINY bit or you will be trying to rinse soap out of the sponge for hours lol

I loved this sponge, it really gave a nice finish to my skin and I didnt end up using as much make up!

I give this product 4/5 :) I loved it but I know that the "clean after every use" is a bit of a pain so thats the only reason I didnt give it a perfect score!

St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse

Hey everyone!

I absolutely LOVE this stuff!  I put it on my face and neck last night and woke up to a gorgeous tan!  Let me tell you about the product...

- Pump style bottle
- 120 ml or 4 fl oz
- Great smelling mousse
- work quickly with it so it doesnt lose all its fluffy mousse-ness (ha ha ha)
- blends AMAZINGLY
- no streaks
- tan NOT orange!
- looks a little weird when you pump it out... Kind of this weird green/sea foam colour
- wash off of your hands ASAP as it works quickly hehehe
- requires you to avoid sweating after application so it is best to put it on before bed and then shower in the morning to wash it off and only leave the tan behind!
- dont forget to exfoliate before applying the mousse!  You want to get rid of any dead skin so you have a nice smooth surface to work with :)

UPDATE: (Mon Oct 25) Holy smokes!  So I JUST used this stuff on my face and upper body and then looked down at my hands and they are like an eggplant colour LOL This stuff really stains the hands so I suggest you wash your hands frequently and/or make sure you have a scrubby thing to scrub your hands with when you are all done.  It make off nicely (not perfectly but so much better) so I still like the product but I just thought I should update you guys! :)
I have tried so many self tanning products as I refuse to bake in the sun... (Like really who wants to help give themselves cancer?!  Sunscreen will be your best friend!  When you are 80 and have gorgeous skin all the other ladies who were sun worshippers will be kicking themselves!) ... and this is by far the best!  It isnt stinky, streaky, sticky or FAKE looking... it is really natural!!!  Loveeeeeee it

I give this product 5/5 :)

Things to expect...

Hey everyone!!  Just wanted to give you a heads up on what to expect these next few days!  I bought this AMAZING polish from Nicole by OPI called "Too Rich for You" OMG I love it!  So you can expect a full review and pictures on that soon.  Also, my Sephora haul should be arriving in the mail any day now so once I try out my new things I will do a review on that too!  Super exciting :)

Stay tuned!

XOXO

bareMinerals Customizable Get Started Kit

I was asked to give my thoughts on the "bareMinerals Customizable Get Started Kit" so here we go!

The kit includes:

- 0.05 All-Over Face Color in Warmth
- 0.07 oz Original Mineral Veil
- Full Flawless Face Brush
- Flawless Application Face Brush
- Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
- Get Started DVD
- BONUS - Exclusively for SEPHORA : 0.5 oz Prime Time Foundation Primer

I like the fact that they offer a DVD so you can watch a tutorial while/before applying your make up.  It is always nice to get insider tips!  It is also really nice that it includes a primer... Primer is SO important!!!  It is a nice starter kit for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time or money on make-up.  I think it will offer a nice "looks like I am not wearing make-up but I really am" look.  That is what we all want, right?!  Also, it is only 3 steps.  Fast and easy is really nice for everyday looks or when you only have a few minutes before you have to run out the door!  I have done a little research and some of the positives are that it is GREAT for sensitive skin and won't clog pores.  You ALWAYS want to make sure your make-up is NON-COMEDOGENIC meaning that it will not clog your pores.  Make-up should enhance your beauty; not irritate your skin or give you pimples :)  Sephora has also given it their "Natural Seal" which is great!  For more information on that please go to http://www.sephora.com/browse/templates/popNatural.jhtml

So, I say go for it!  It sounds like a great starter kit and you can always add to your collection if you find that bareMinerals is the line for you.  If it doesn't work out for whatever reason just remember that it was only $49 and you still gained some knowledge from the experience :)  Just to give a comparison; I spend that much on my foundation alone so spending $49 on a whole kit is a great price!

OPI Nail Polishes

I picked up a few nail polishes the other day and really liked two of them.  OPI's "You Don't Know Jacques" is my fave!  It is a taupe/grey color and looks fanastic after two coats.  I highly recommend doing a mini manicure before applying this polish as it will show every bump or ridge in the nail.  It also requires lots of drying time in between coats.  This may sound  like a bad review, but I promise it is worth the extra effort!!  The other colour is "Diva of Geneva" from the SWISS collection.  It is a beautiful wine/rich magenta colour and it too will show any bump or ridge in the nail so make sure you prep your nails properly :) 

In my ratings of the polishes I have given "Diva of Geneva" 0.5 less just because I didn't LOVE it as much as I loved "You Don't Know Jacques".  But who knows, if you try it you might like it more!

"You Don't Know Jacques" - 4/5

"Diva of Geneva" - 3.5/5

I hope you will try these polishes and enjoy them as much as I have!

L to R: "Diva of Geneva" and "You Don't Know Jacques"

Very First Blog!

To the many subscribers I anticipate will follow my blog (ha ha ha), I want to say hello and introduce myself!  My name is Kayla and I plan to write about new make up products and do reviews on them as well as talk about techniques or cool new ideas!  The other part of the blog will consist of life stories, challenges, and most importantly the success stories!  I hope that we can all share our experiences and learn from one another.  I would love it if you asked for recommendations re: what products to use, ideas for a make up looks, my opinion on somethin in particular.  That would make this blog a big success in my opinion!  I guess to start us off on the right track I will talk about my absolutely crazy day...

Today I got myzelf ready and went to the bank and after I finished my business there I was approached by a girl who was wondering if I had seen any money on the counter when I first got there.  Honestly, there was nothing there except for an envelope (you know the kind you put money or cheques into when you deposit them at the ATM).  She and I left the bank and as I approached my car I noticed her car was parked so close to me and was filled with her friends (male and females) who accused me of stealing her money and all that jazz.  Oh was I ever mad!  I could not believe that these people were actually screaming at me and accusing me!  Long story short I got into my car and left them in my dust :)  I guess the lesson to be learned here is that people will quickly jump to conclusions and we cannot take things like that personally.  I felt like I should profess to them that I wasn't that kind of girl and that I would never take something that was not mine.  But in the end I realized I don't have to explain myself to anyone.  I know the truth and that is good enough for me!  After I got home and processed what was going on I also thought that it could be some kind of scheme people are running these days in hopes of, oh I don't know, getting you to open your wallet and show/prove you didn't take the money and then they would snatch your wallet and take off... Who knows what the truth is behind their motives but we always have to play it safe.

So here I am now, typing up my very first blog entry!  I am so excited to do this and I hope you are all excited too :)  I should be receiving my shipment from Sephora any day now and I ordered some exciting new things!  I will do reviews and post them on some kind of a schedule... maybe weekly?  Monthly?  If there is a high demand I can do them more frequently!

Cheers,
BeautyMark3d