What's in my makeup bag?

While I don't wear a lot of makeup daily, I tend to keep the basis that I would need to create a decent look in a hurry in my bag for emergencies, touch ups, or just those days when I don't have the time to do my makeup before leaving home. I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while now. Let me know what you think!

My makeup bag:

It's not from a brand name or anything. My sister found this great silver textured bag for me and the makeup bag came with it. Before this I was using a Lancome one that came as a gift with purchase at Macys. I like this one better because it fits more and is prettier. If you've been reading my blog you know how much I'm attracted to shiny things, lol!


I like how it has the little chain. I actually used to clip my rings onto it so that I wouldn't lose them if I was on vacation or something.

Face:

Smashbox HD Concealer
Jemma Kid Stain Flush Blush in Pose
NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent (in Sephora travel size sifter)
Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation

Lips:

Kiss My face Peach Lip Balm
Pangea Organics Pyrenees Lavender Lip Balm
Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Sunset Nude
Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem Gloss in Embellished
Chanel Glossimer in Imaginaire

Eyes:

Shiseido Eyeliner in 7 Deep Brown
MUFE Aqua Eyes Eyeliner in 23 L
MUFE Aqua Eyes Eyeliner in 18L
Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum
Lancome Artliner in Plum
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara
Lancome Eyeshadow in Daylight Glow
MAC Eyeshadow in Style Snob
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in YDK


Revlon Eyelash Curler
CVS Eyedrops

That's about it! I do have some smaller sized makeup brushes that I carry with me, but I will do a post on those later! Hope you enjoyed!

Current Favorite Lip Glosses

If you've been reading my blog for long then you know all about my love hate relationship with gloss. The fact that I've had FOUR glosses in my makeup bag all week is huge because I'm not a huge fan of anything on my lips.


L to R: Chanel Glossimer in Imaginaire, Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Sunrise Nude, Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem in Embellished, and ELF Minty Lip Gloss in Chicago.

As you can see, the shades are in two categories: kinda plummy or kinda nude. I;m not really big on super pigmented glossses. I look for more of a soft wash of color, something I get from each and every one of these glosses.


L to R: Chanel Glossimer in Imaginaire, Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Sunrise Nude, Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem in Embellished, and ELF Minty Lip Gloss in Chicago.

I;m also a big fan of all of the applicators. I was a bit unsure of the brush applicator on the Sally Hansen Liptonic gloss because they tend to deposit a bit too much product. No such problem with this gloss! The formula is superb--not too slick, not too thick.

Some swatches:

Top to bottom: Chanel Glossimer in Imaginaire, Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Sunrise Nude, Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem in Embellished, and ELF Minty Lip Gloss in Chicago.

They're not too pigmented, definitely a plus. I got the Sally Hansen gloss at the Dollar Tree for a buck and was thinking the color would be very garish and dark, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the fresh and sheer look of the gloss on my lips!

Full review Chanel Glossimer (click here).
Ful review Revlon Gloss (click here).
The other two reviews are coming soon!

MASSIVE Collective Haul!

First stop: Sephora!

1. Sephora:

Sephora Color Play 5 in 1 LE Palette! This was what I've been excited for for the past couple of weeks! I've had so much fun playing with it!

2. Victoria's Secret:

They're having a big sale right now over at VS! Def check it out!


Beauty Rush Lip & Cheek Tint. I've tried it a couple of times and DO NOT BUY THIS!!! I only paid $1.24 (75% off), but I want my money back, lol! I think the shade of this one is Peach Me, but I'm not sure. I kinda lost it somehow in the three days since I bought it. It was just THAT bad, lol!


Chiffon Peony Freesia Eau de Parfum. I actually got this as a gift for a friend. Onthe VS website it is listed as 50% off, but in store I paid $11 something, which is 75% off, so definitely check the store first.


It's a cute little perfume, and it comes with a flower and a pin! How cute is that!?

3. Marshall's:

I got DDF's Advanced Moisture Defense and Lisa Hoffman Clay Mask.


I SAVED A TON!!! I got each of them for $4.50, but the DDF cream costs $105 retail and I got it for a mere $4.50!!!

4. Ocean State Job Lot:

If you don't have one in your area, it's kinda like Big Lots. Anyway, for 3 bucks, I got around $20 worth of product! I was actually going to buy a new curler soon anyway!

5. Big Lots:

More savings! The mascara (which I love and highly recommend and will review soon) came with the eyeshadow in Lilac Shimmer. The Neutrogena Mineral Sheer was also $4!

6. CVS:

I picked up a L'Oreal HIP Kohl in Navy. It was 75% off, so around $3.

7. The Dollar Tree:

Sally Hansen Carmindy Cream Bronzer in Rio Glow and ELF Minty Lip Gloss in Chicago. Both a buck each! They had just about every shade of the ELF Minty Glosses but only one shade of the bronzer, which is ok since it works fine for my skin. I do plan on getting some more of the glosses though! They are absolutely yummy!

Reviews are coming!

{DIY} How To Make Your Own Fix+ Type Spray (For Oily and Acne Prone Skin)

I know that there have been a lot of different tutorials on how to make Fix+, or a type of setting spray. This is my take on it and it is a little bit different. First off, I don't think that Fix+ is really a setting spray that is intended to make your makeup last longer. I think it's more of a refresher spray that is slightly moisturizing. I wanted to make a CHEAPER alternative that will help TREAT ACNE and MOISTURIZE.

You will need:
-1/2 cup water
-10 drops glycerin
-10 drops argan oil (or another oil you prefer)
-15 drops tea tree oil
-an empty spray bottle
-mixing bowl/cup
-something to stir with
-a funnel (optional)

Important: I do not recommend making more than about half a cup at a time because it does not have any preservatives in it and therefore has a relatively short shelf life. This recipe makes a little more than 2.7 oz, enough to fill my container of choosing. You can adjust the ingredients to make however little or much you want.

Now, I use this to help treat my oily skin. I know, a lot of people will be skeptical because of the oils and moisturizers in the recipe, but keeping your skin hydrated throughout the day is one way of cutting down on oiliness. This recipe is great because it absorbs quickly and isn't greasy at all. If my skin is feeling very oily in the morning, I don't skip the moisturizer. Rather, I pat this into my face (see application tips at the end of the post) and pat it into my face. I give it a minute to absorb and voila, a moisturized, but non-greasy face. The tea tree oil is also great for helping treat acne, which sometimes haunts people with oily skin. If you are still hesitant, feel free to modify the recipe to suit your skin type. If you have dry skin, add more argan oil and glycerin and less tea tree oil.

A little about the ingredients:

First, off, glycerin is a humectant. What this means is that it helps a substance, in this case your skin, retain moisture. It is important to note that it doesn't actually moisturize, it simply prevents the loss of moisture. It's very cheap, too. I forget where I bought it, but it was around $4 for 6 oz and you can find it at most drugstores.


Tea tree oil ( mine is $10 from The Body Shop) is naturally antibacterial and is used as an acne treatment. I'm also putting in argan oil because it is very moisturizing. I'm using a little sample I got of it from Sephora, but if you want to try it without shelling out, you can ask for a sample at Sephora. You only really need 10 drops, so the sample should be enough.

1. Pour 1/2 cup water into a small mixing bowl.


2. Add 15 drops of tea tree oil.

You can add less, more, or none at all depending on your skins needs.

You should have something that looks like this:


3. Add 10 drops of argan oil.

If you don't have argan oil, other oils may works as well. You can try other oils like almond or olive oil. Just make sure that whatever oil you chooses won't clog your pores (is noncomedogenic ) and is not irritating, like a lot of essential oils can be. Again, you can adjust the amount you put in depending on your skins needs.

You should have something that looks like this:


4. Add 10 drops of glycerin.

I just drop is straight from the opening. The drops are fairly small.

5. Mix the ingredients very well and pour them into your container of choice. Use a funnel if you need to.

The finished product:





I chose an empty Secrets of Paradise perfume spray bottle because the straw is extra long and it curves into the bottom of the container. This is great for getting to the very last drop of the solution and not waste much at all. Make sure you wash out the spray bottle very well.

How To Use:

IMPORTANT: SHAKE WELL BEFORE EVERY USE!!!

1. As a toner spray. I usually spray this onto my hands (5-6 sprays), rub them together, and pat all over my face. It absorbs within a minute. You can spray directly on your face as well, or use a cotton ball.

2. Refresher spray. I keep this in my purse and whenever I see my makeup looking a little too matte or just blah (to use a technical term, lol!). It absorbs very quickly and leaves the skin feeling very fresh, clean, and moisturized.

3. In makeup application. I spritz this on my face prior to applying cream or liquid foundation and it goes on a lot smoother. With liquid, it makes it go on shearer, and cream foundations glide on easier and look more natural. I also spray this on my brush to make eyeshadows apply more vibrantly.

I hope this post was helpful! I will try to post more DIY recipes in the future! Please let me know what you thought about the tutorial in comments!

{EOTD} Antique Green and Jade!

It's been a while since I've posted an EOTD, simply because I haven't been wearing as much eye makeup in the past couple of months because my eyes have been really sensitive (because of my contacts) and I'd actually gotten an infection :( But here it is!!! I went for a smoky green look. I'm not really big on green, but lately I've been experimenting and I'll definitely post more!







Products Used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Stila Eyeshadow in Jade
MAC Antique Green Pigment
Jemma Kid Eyeshadow in Vintage
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara in Black (review coming soon!)

{Tip Thursday} 5 Ways to Treat Oily Skin EFFECTIVELY

This Tip Thursday segment is all about oily skin. Having oily skin, I know all about how difficult it can be to look good during the day, to get a decent makeup application, etc, when my skin looks greasy. I do have some tips and tricks that REALLY WORK EFFECTIVELY and don't cost an arm and a leg. I have a lot of friends who spend a lot of money on expensive skin care products that end up actually worsening their skin in the long run. Here are some simple and easy tips and tricks that really have helped me get my skin under control.

1. Limit your use of harsh acids and peroxides. This one is a BIGGIE!!! Exposing your skin to very harsh acids like salicylic acid or peroxides like benzoyl peroxide can actually worsen your skin because they tend to be extremely drying. They strip the skin of any natural oils and moisturizers and your skin kinda panics and secrets EVEN MORE OIL!!! That is the exact opposite of what you want! If you have a problem with acne, try less harsh products like tea tree oil. It's natural, non-drying, but still very effective!

2. Don't skin the moisturizer! I used to do this as a teen. I would be so afraid of adding more oil/grease to my face in the form of a moisturizer that for years I didn't use one at all. Instead, what you should be doing is using a lighter moisturizer, preferably one with some SPF in it, a minimum of 15. What I do is I use a lighter moisturizer during the day, my Clinique DD GEL and then at night I use a heavier one, which has lately been my Philosophy Hope in a Jar because it's been so cold out.

3. Use a moisturizing, non-alcoholic toner. I used to use Clinique's Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion (idk why they call it a lotion when it really is a toner), but it was so harsh that the alcohol and salicylic acid would make my eyes burn when I was applying it and made the skin around my chin peel and look bumpy and blotchy. I looked like I had a rash. I now use a Fix + type spray that I mix up myself every couple of weeks. It's a mixture of water, glycerine, tea tree oil, and argan oil. It's incredibly effective because of the tea tree oil, but also moisturizing because of the glycerine and argan oil. My skin feels very smooth and soft after I use it, but not oily or greasy in the least. I will post a tutorial on how I make this week.

4. Use blotting sheets instead of powder daily. Excessive powdering can lead to clogged pores and therefore more acne and oil. Generally, wear the least amount of face makeup as possible. If you don't need a lot of foundation or powder, than don't use them because they do not help your skin at all in terms of treatment. Powder isn't the villain everyone makes it out to be, but reapplying it several times a day to keep your face matte won't let your skin breath and that can worsen your skin as well.

5. Make sure you remove all of your makeup thoroughly EVERY NIGHT, but do not wash your face more than twice a day or exfoliate more than twice a week. This is for the same reason as to #1. Over-washing/scrubbing can lead to stripped skin, and make your skin increase it's oil production in response. And going to sleep with makeup on is one of the worst thing you can do for oily skin because oily skin is often prone to break outs, and not washing your makeup on increases your chances of getting a surface infection or clogging your pores and causing more oiliness/acne.

Review: Bath & Body Works Dancing Waters Triple Moisture Body Cream

So today's review is for something I just recently realized that I am almost through with, and it is Bath & Body Works Dancing Waters Triple Moisture Body Cream. Now, I'm not a really big fan of many Bath & Body Works scents just because they smell too sweet/sugary or fake. Dancing waters, however, as well as their cucumber scent, is not too overpowering. It smells fresh and clean, so it's perfect for everyday use. My boyfriend is picky about lotions and stuff because he usually doesn't like the scents, but I would actually catch him using this stuff when he was over, which says a lot, haha! I think a lot of guys would like this scent. It actually kinda smells like mens cologne or shaving cream, but in a nice-not-too-strong way.

I don't know if you can tell, but I've used this cream so much that the clear part of the container has actually yellowed a bit!


Used a ton!!! It usually takes me months to go through a lotion, simply because I have a lot of them, but I've been liking this one so much that I've been using it consistently out of the shower.


It's a simple squeeze tube.


The texture of this cream is perfect, absolutely perfect. It's in between a thicker lotion and a body butter. Not so thin that it runs, and not so thick that it's difficult to spread. It's like a body butter in that if I put a glob of this on my hand and turn it upside down, it won't drip.

Rubbed in:


More rubbed in:

I don't know if you can see, but the more it is rubbed in, it kinda melts a bit. Where as body butters (the thicker ones from Bodycology, for ex), then to stay thick and in turn be difficult to rub in. This one softens rubs in beautifully. I love you it is as moisturizing as a very thick body butter, but without any of the greasy residue you get from cheaper butters. Also, I tend to not use body butters on my neck, shoulders, back, etc because I sometimes get the odd pimple there and I don't want to risk clogging the pores. I don't have to worry about that with this one. In all the time I've used this lotion I have never broken out because of it, which is awesome if you do have an issue with bacne. The big selling point of this cream is that it is extremely moisturizing. I put this on once and my skin is good for the day. If you have very dry skin, I highly recommend you try this cream!!! It's $12 retail, but Bath and Body Works often has sales where you can get them much cheaper.

Pros:
-Non-greasy
-Super moisturizing
-Doesn't break me out
-Absorbs quickly
-Reasonable price

Cons:
-None that I can think of!

Price: $12

Ingredients: water, mineral oil, glyceryl stearate SE, Isopropyl palmitate, stearic acid, glyceryl stearate, fragrance, sweet almond oil, avacado oil, honey extract, lemon extract, calendula flower extract, hops extract, pinus cone extract, rosemary leaf extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, bromelain, papin, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, lanolin, triethanolamine, propylene glycol, disodium edta, imidazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, alpha-isomethyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, benzyl salicylate, butylphenol methylpropional, citral, citronellol, limonene, geraniol, hexyl cinnamal, hydroxycitronellol. hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene, carboxaldehyde, linalool.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was purchased by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any more questions about disclosure don't hesitate to ask in comments!

Monday Makeup Motivation pt 2: Nars Holiday 2010

The eyeshadow used is their Okinawa LE trio. I've really been into blue eyeshadow lately, but I've mostly been wearing my Lancome shadow in The New Blue, a metallic blackened blue with either Lancome's Socialite (for a cooler look) or Mac's Style Snob (for a warmer look). I'll try to post a look later in the week!