Saturday, December 18, 2010

Hair Products I use *

I don't know about you ladies but I always get sucked into buying whatever I think will be the next miracle product for my hair that I have been looking for my whole life... here are some things have actually worked for me :)

Moroccan Oil -
Revives hair
Strengthens and conditions
Reduces drying time

Anyone can use this oil, it is non-greasy, helps keep hair healthy and has a nice smell. I would not recommend buying this from amazon, I have read reviews that it isn't authentic the majority of the time if you do. You can find this at local beauty salons in your city. Around 40USD

Yellow bird Hair Dryer -
I found out about this dryer after one of the hair stylist I went to used it on my hair. It has four different heat settings, comes with a straightening comb (which is what I use to blow dry my hair) and a concentrator nozzle as well. This works amazing on my THICK CURLY hair. So if you have remotely thinner hair than mine, and not curly I'm sure this would work for you well too. The straightening comb makes it SO easy to blow dry your hair in a way that it's not going to be all over the place and tangly. After you use this it's going to be much easier to flat iron. Price ranges around 30-40 USD.

Denman Hair Brush/ Goody Ouchless Hair Bands -
Love this brush, really the only brush I use unless I want a smooth look. Those hair bands are the only kind I like... they aren't too thick or too thin, and they don't damage my hair seeing as they don't have those dreadful metal clasps.

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny -
I would recommend this line of products, especially if your someone who uses a lot of heat on your hair. This will cut down your blow drying time, as well as make your hair look healthy. Another product I was introduced to from the stylist who used the yellow bird on my hair. Price is around 15 USD I think.

Herbal Essences Conditioner -
These are my HG conditioners. They are very affordable and they NEVER let me down whether I want to wear my hair curly or straight. They come in ton's of different smells and uses, I like to switch up... which is why I have two right now.

Redken All Soft Conditioner -
This is one high end conditioner I love. I think it would be suitable for any hair type. It makes me and my daughters hair super soft and manageable. Definitely Recommend. The shampoo from this line is also nice I just didn't have any more to picture. Price Ranges. Sometimes you can get them on special shampoo/conditioner for around 36 USD I believe.

Biosilk Silk Therapy-
I love this. It's just as great as Moroccan Oil to me. It works great on my hair you can find it in Target and plenty of other places. It is suitable on all hair types... adds instant shine, and you will literally notice a difference in the feel of your hair as well as look after you put some of this in. This little bottle is about 14 USD.

Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide -
I love to use this product for protecting my hair from heat. I will not use anything water based, I tried the Tresemme one some people rave about and it was NOT for me. This product is awesome, I really feel like it does the job... it makes my hair easier to flat iron, and adds a nice shine. Price is around 18 USD.

Ion One Stroke Perpetual Heat Flat Iron -
I have tried plenty of flat irons but so far this one is working the best for my hair. It goes up to 450 degrees... which is the setting I like to use. It does NOT lose heat while you are flat ironing your hair. Plates are not damaging to your hair. Retails around 80 USD.





Smokey Eyes ♥Pink Lips





Products Used:
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - Barcelona (I finally got it!)
MAC MSF - Medium Deep
Random Pink Blush

Eyes:
Urban Decay - Black Dog
Urban Decay - Last Call
HiP Pigment - Intrepid
UD 24/7 Zero
Lancome Double Wear Lengthening Mascara

Lips:
Lancome Color Design - Love It! Creme LS
MAC Pink Nouveau


Sunday, December 12, 2010

Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette Review/Swatches

During Coastal Scent's Black Friday sale they offered 33% off of their entire site, so I got the item I had been wanting from them for the longest, the 88 Warm Palette. This palette is originally 24.50 USD, but with the discount I was able to get it for around that amount once shipping had been included. So basically it was like I got it shipped for free.

What Coastal Scents says:

A true favorite whether your a professional or a novice, this set provides matte, shimmer, smokey shades and neutral shadows. The huge plus about this palette set is that it has been created in a way that all skin tones can will be a able to apply multiple fashion looks. We have combined matte with shimmer and pearls, there are 42 matte shades, the rest are shimmer/pearl.

Colors contained are in Silver blues, camo greens, earthy peach and stone, rich plums and so many shades of brown (everyone's favorite!) There are plenty of highlight colors for below the brow line and inner eye that will work with any look you create.


What I say:

Overall, I really love this palette. For starters there are some colors in there I really love which are the plums and peach toned shadows. I think that the silvery blues are unique and nice to have as well. There are SO many browns, you probably will never run out of a brown eyeshadow if you own this palette (nice matte browns to fill your brows with!). With that being said you probably will also never run out of a highlight shade. That was one thing I was a little disappointed about with this palette, the fact that there are SO many highlights, I feel like some of those shades could have been replaced with more warm toned shadows...olives...bronze shades... gold shades... etc. Seriously, how many highlights do you possibly need? But oh well, like I said that was a con and pro, if that makes sense. I feel like this palette is great for work, school, and everyday natural looks. It's great to use if your lazy one day and just want to quickly apply a pretty neutral all over your lid. I've been doing that quite often since I got this palette. The shipping from Coastal Scents was pretty fast, I think it took maybe 5 days? So that was definitely a pro.

Is it worth getting if you don't have it?!
I'd say so. Although there are more browns and highlights than you will ever need, there are a lot of great colors too. I do suggest using some type of base!! Some colors are a little on the chalky side, but I'd say overall most of them had a nice finish.








Swatches:

Sorry but I didn't swatch all 88 colors... however, I did a few swatches just in case anyone was interested. These are just to give you a general idea of some of the colors and their finishes, no primer was used, I was too lazy to go grab it ;)




(below) Sorry i couldn't get the picture on the left to rotate; basically I just used one color for my lid and crease and then added some falsies, my eyeliner had kinda started to fade by the time I took the picture. On the right I used the silvers and dark greys to create a smokey eye with a sharp edge. Looked better in person.

I hope you all had a great weekend!


Thursday, December 2, 2010

Milani Brow Fix

A couple of weeks ago while I was browsing the cosmetic aisles at Target I came across Milani's Brow fix. I had seen one of my favorite guru's use this in one her videos... and I wanted to try a new brow product, so needless to say it ended up in my cart!

The product comes with two brow powders giving you the option of a more natural lighter brown, or a dark brown for a darker brow. It also comes with a little fixture that flips up containing mini tweezers, angled brush, and a sponge applicator for the highlight; when you flip it up there is a small mirror under. What I like about this kit is that it is small and compact containing everything you need to fix your brows! I believe the price was around $5 dollars.


(wearing the darker brow powder)



step by step instructions (I got my kit in "dark" ; also available in "light" and "medium"



highlight color, "Brow 2", "Brow 1"

Overall I would recommend Milani's Brow Fix! I have been using it pretty much everyday since I purchased it and I really can say I am pleased, I feel like it helps to define my brows just how I like them and it's really easy to use as well. The two different shades to choose from is great, some days I want to go for a darker brow so I use "Brow 1", other days I just choose the "Brow 2". I actually really like the highlight too. It's a nice color that goes well with my skin tone, not too shimmery at all. Edit >> The only thing I will say that wasn't that great in this kit are the tweezers! I didn't have much luck with them... so I would recommend not counting on them for your everyday use.

Hope everyone's had a great Thursday!


Click here to enter my giveaway! (ends tomorrow!) Extended until next Tuesday, Dec. 7th. (read below why)