Let's Talk: Hair Products

Fav of all time!

I received some products by L'Oreal to try out- can we say happy dance? Who doesn't love to try new things out? They already make my favorite shampoo and conditioner of all time. 

Another fav

But I was just as excited to try their new line out. I tried the shampoo, conditioner and serum. This wont be a super long review. I loved the shampoo and conditioner. Even though the name says oil it does not leave your hair greasy or oily. I really like it and will keep using it in rotation with my favorite above. 

Now the serum...that was pretty disappointing. It left my hair a frizzy fluffy mess. I was not happy about the serum. I can't recommend that. But I do love this serum instead: 

Overall I would say if you like L'Oreal products go ahead and try this line out. Most drugstores rotate their sale products so keep an eye out for that. I would say pass on the hair serum/oil since that was the most disappointing of the bunch. 

Let's Talk: Makeup and American Horror Story Hotel

It should be no surprise by now that I'm addicted to American Horror Story. Much of the world is. While I was home and walking past my makeup station I decided to play for a bit. This is what I came up with. I haven't decided how I feel about Lady Gaga as the Countess but I will say she looks great and her skin is pretty dang flawless. I will call my replication: Glampire Jazzy. LOL! 

Let's Talk Makeup: Zombies!

What do you do on a lazy Saturday? Your partner is tinkering in the garage. You are doing laundry. You already worked out and cleaned the house. You know what I did? I decided to play makeup. I was ready for a fall day. Ready for something pumpkin spice, colorful leaves and most of all mild weather. In my brain all of that translated to Halloween, specifically, zombies. So here I am transformed into a zombie. My first attempt this year (so far). I still have to work on a few things. Mainly use face paint instead of foundation. I used mostly eyeshadows from the Balm's Meet Matte Nude Palette. 

Click to buy on amazon

Ok, here is zombie Jazzy! 

I did not fully commit to zombie life. I did not paint the rest of my visible skin white. Or my ear for that matter. And do you think a zombie would be wearing a lace floral headband? 

#zombiefail  

#girlyzombie

#canthidethegirlyness

Let's Talk Makeup: NCLA Nail Wraps

See this nail picture on the right? I love those nails. I thought I would try to recreate them. I found the picture on pinterest of course. After a little investigation I found these are transparent nail wraps from NCLA. This particular style is called Leather and Lace and costs $18.00. I thought these would be the perfect nails for seeing Fifty Shades of Grey. I even got my nails done since I normally have short nails. I wish I could give these wraps a good review but I just cant. They did not stick on my nails. They did not even last the night. I got so frustrated I peeled them off. Even after filing down the edges the sticker was still lifted! Sally Hansen wraps have never let me down before. I was expecting the same from this brand especially since they are double the price. I say skip out on these and head to your local drugstore and grab the Sally Hansen kind instead. 

Let's talk movies: The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1

Well, hell. If you haven't seen this movie yet I'm so sorry in advance for this post. I LOVEEEEE The Hunger Games, book, movie-all that jazz. I devoured all the books after watching the first movie. One of my best friends and I went to the theater for the Hunger Games Marathon and saw all the movies in a row. We dressed inspired by the movie. Some might say we are a weee bit nerdy. I just say we are enjoying the moment. The movie gets 5 stars from me and I do plan on going to see it again as soon as humanly possible. As soon as I got home I had to reread Mockingjay. In the beginning (of time) lol, when I read the books before I finished Mockingjay I was #TeamGale (like the rest of the world probably) but after reading the Mockingjay I'm totally #TeamPeeta. I could ramble on and on about this subject as it seems to be the only thing my brain can think about lately. Let's talk about Jennifer Lawrence and that song! Stuck in my head! Here are some pics of our time. Yes, I made custom Hunger Game nails. I couldn't help myself. 

Lisa B Salon & Spa

I tried out a new hair salon and had such a great experience I had to share it! I found out about this place on Living Social. They had a deal for $49 bucks for a full highlight, cut and style. I checked out their website and facebook page and made an appointment right away. I was a little skeptical at first. I have been to many salons in CT and have not found a place that I have wanted to come back to. Yes, I visited nice salons, pricey salons, less expensive ones. I have not found the price, service and overall experience combination that has made me want to commit. I did here. I met the owner, Lisa and my stylist, Sarah (OMG I hope I have her name right!). They were super friendly! The salon is so adorable and there are quotes on the wall-one of them from the Notebook! That earns super brownie points in my book. We talked the entire time about movies, Christmas, Groupon... The overall experience was just amazing. I will be returning. The services were great and at reasonable prices! You can't ask for a better combination. If you are looking to try out a new salon-give them a try! 

Hunger Game District Looks

Here are my Hunger Game District Looks. I don't think I will be doing any other districts anytime soon. If I do, I'll add them to this post later. Do you have a favorite? 

Let's Talk: Makeup

You might be able to guess what look I was going for when I painted my nails...If you guess Hunger Games you'd be CORRECT! I did this polish weeks ago before I started playing around with Hunger Game inspired make up looks. I figured I would share this since we only have 11 days until the movie comes out! :)

On an un-Hunger Games related note, on my break today I was browsing the drugstore and had to replenish a pink lipstick I gave to someone when I did her makeup. It was a light pink lipstick from Black Radiance. These lipsticks are so creamy and soft feeling on your lips! You can get all sorts of crazy colors and the best part is they are only $1.99!!! Maybeline has lipsticks in similar colors but they are usually $7 and up. What a fun way to try new colors without spending much money. I picked up this fuchsia purply color. I don't really know where I'll wear it but I thought it would be fun!

Let's Talk Makeup: More Hunger Games!

I know, I have been over doing it with the Hunger Game makeup. But it is so fun! Here is a look that is from the Cover Girl promo for District 12. I have to say, I am kind of mad at Cover Girl. Their Hunger Game nail polish is great, no complaints there. But I am disappointed with the eyeliner in the picture below. If they are recommending their products to recreate the look then I would expect them to be fairly close in color. That gold eyeliner does not come close to looking like the yellow on her inner eye area. The eyeliner is a nice color, just not comparable, in my opinion to the picture. I watched

 Jean Francois video on how he got this look. For the eyes I used Milani's runway eyes eyeshadow palette, Maybeline color tattoo, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Gunmetal, and Jordana eyeshadow pencil in white. For cheeks I used Revlon Photoready blush in coral and Milani blush in Rose D'Oro. 

Let's Talk Makeup: Hunger Games Edition!!!

I thought it would be fun to try to create Hunger Game inspired make up looks. After watching hours of YouTube and other people's tutorials, I figured, "hey, why not." Rey was working and I didn't have to start work until 2pm. So I dug out my Hunger Games necklace and got to work.  I tried to record both looks I created but after filming the first video the tablet decided not to save the footage! Bummer! So I thought, OK I'll remove makeup from one eye and just film again. Right? Wrong! Didn't save that either! So my flaming eye look got no video love. That was inspired by the title, Catching Fire. My blue fish eye was recorded! It was inspired by district 4, fishing district. I will say, I went a little crazy. It looks like a ton of blue just exploded over my eyes. I went all out, blue and purple mascara and eyebrows! For the top look I wanted to look golden and bronzed all over my face. For the bottom look I wanted to look pale and highlighted and crazy eyes, LOL!  Maybe Hunger Games meets Drag Queen. Like my fish face below? I was going for the fish look! 

Then a nice face mask to rejuvenate after an hour or so of playing makeup! I'm not sad in the bottom pic, my face just cant move much thanks to the mask! :) 

May the odds be eva in your favor! 

Let's talk makeup: Drugstore Hits and Misses

It is no secret that I have been on a bit of a makeup rampage for the past few months. I'm going to share some of my favorite things and some of these I think everyone should have. Some are not worth the hype. Hopefully this will help you before you spend the money on a product that is not worth it. 

OK, Let's start with my absolute favorites. These items work with multiple looks- work, just hanging out or all out glam. They are worth every penny and usually can be found at CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid for buy 1, get 1 50% off.   FYI- All of the swatches I show are with a very heavy application on my arm. The colors are much more muted and natural looking on your skin. :) 

FAVORITE LIP COLOR HANDS DOWN GOES TO: MILANI lipstick in Nude Creme. This color is sooooooo nice! Creamy formula and can be worn for work, night, to work or any occasion you can think of. Dress it up with a lip gloss or just wear it by itself..YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. :)  BEST NUDE LIP COLOR.

FAVORITE BLUSHES HANDS DOWN AGAIN GOES TO MILANI! They have a wide range of colors but these 3 are my favorite. The formula is so creamy. The swatches are pretty heavy on my hand so you can see the color. On your cheeks it's much softer. From left to right: Luminoso- Light beige/nude color with some sparkle that is barely noticeable. I'm also wearing this blush in the picture above. You can wear it very light and natural or add a little more to make it more intense. Middle color is Fantastico Mauve- Very nice mauve/plum color. Great for Fall! Right color, Rose D' Oro- A beautiful, rose gold, peachy color. This is my current favorite. YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE TOO! I like these blushes better than any other brand at the drugstore, period. 

FAVORITE LIP GLOSS/NON TRANSPARENT- RIMMEL SHOW OFF LIP LACQUER-  These are $4.99 at Walgreens and usually there is a $1 off coupon. These are soooo pretty! Gives good color with just 1 swipe. They have brighter colors but I went with the more neutral colors. Left to right, Celestial (mauve/pink), Luna (peachy/orange, and Nude Eclipse (nude).

FAVORITE DRUGSTORE LIPSTICKS: MAYBELINE- I have a few different shades but this is all I have with me right now. The formula is nice. They have a humongous color selection. The one on the left is from the vivids collection, Pink Pop. It is a bright pink, very vivid! The one on the right is from the peachy color selection, Peachy Scene.









RUNNER UP: REVLON LIP PRODUCTS: Let me start by talking about the products on the left. The Super Lustrous Lip Glosses. Everyone RAVES about these. I think they are just OK-too sticky for me. Even the darkest shades don't give great color. I bought almost the whole line before the new packaging for $1.74 each. They are swatched on the top left  tiny swatches. I hardly ever use them. In the middle are the Revlon Lip Butters- Top 2 long swatches, Berry Smoothie and Cotton Candy. LOVE, these! You can do one swipe for sheer or build up the color. Feels like chapstick on your lips, so creamy. The bottom swatch, is a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Temptress. It is supposed to be a creamy, shiny lipstick. Not my favorite but not horrible.

RUNNER UP CHEEK PRODUCTS: PHYSICIANS FORMULA: These products are kind of pricey for the dang drugstore, I'm not going to lie. Each item is $10.99 and up. BUT, CVS a lot of times has a deal buy 1 get 1 free which is how I got these. The sale is on right now as well (9/22/13).  I do enjoy these products ONLY from this line. Some of the products are not that great for the amount of money you spend on them. These four, come off subtle and are great for everyday and work. Very natural looking. Left to right: Bronze Booster in Medium to Deep, Happy Booster Blush in Warm, Happy Booster Blush in Rose and Highlighting Light Bronze Pearl. BEWARE: I ONLY RECOMMEND the "BOOSTER" products. The regular blushes and bronzers do not impress me.

TOTAL MISS: RIMMEL LIPSTICKS: The colors are nice but there are just too many cons for me personally. 1. I do not like the smell. It is almost like fruity pebbles or something. 2. The color looks different when it is on your lips. 3. The Kate Moss line (the red tube also comes in a black tube) is VERY drying. I have 5 of them so I will wear them until I use them up but I wont recommend them or repurchase them. I DO LOVE RIMMEL EYELINERS, slim and fat pencils. BEST EVER!

Let's Talk Makeup Chit Chat Part 2

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blush

 I got these on sale, they were buy 1, get 1 50% off and I had a $2 coupon on top of that. I think they are almost $10 each. Kandee Johnson loved these. The color on the left is Coral and on the right is Rose Gold. Since rose gold is in I figured, hey, why not. I'm not a fan of these. They seem to be cream powder. The color is so light you cant even see it when you put it on. You have to really buff that color on. To get the color on the swatch above I rubbed my finger in the blush 3 time! I would not recommend these. 

CONCEALERS 

1. Maybeline Age Rewind for under eyes. I love this one. I use it almost every day. Really brightens the eye area and doesn't look cakey. I think it's like $8. They have a foundation too, I haven't' tried it yet. Have to use  up some stuff first.

2. + 3. L'Oreal true match concealer crayon. I got a light and dark one for contouring. I barely use the dark one, because I really don't need to contour for everyday life. The light color is really good to cover blemishes on the face or sun spots or freckles. It lasts all day long! It is about $8.

4. Maybeline dream lumi in radiant. This is a peach colored concealer. It is supposed to be a "dupe" for the Georgio Armani corrector. I did like this a lot when I first got it but I don't reach for it as much since I started using the Maybeline age rewind one.

5. Sonya Kashuck concealer palette from Target, $10. This is OK. Everyone on YouTube raved about this but I think it's just OK. It does come with 3 colors and a powder to set it with. I barely reach for this. I would use it more on face rather than on delicate under eye skin. 

UPDATE ON REVLON COLORSTAY WHIPPED

I know when I wrote about this about a month ago I was not too impressed with this. I really did not have high expectations for this since I hated the Revlon Photo ready HD one. BUT I must admit when I'm wrong and boy was I wrong with this one. This is an AMAZING product. I have been using it almost the entire month. It is easy to blend with your skin, looks natural, lasts ALL DAY. I mean ALL DAY. Even through an hour at CrossFit this sucker stays on your face. Even after running 3 miles this will stay on. I use it more than my MAC pro long wear makeup. I am really enjoying this one. Like the MAC pro long wear it does not rub off easily when you touch your face. You don't want your makeup to leave a mark everywhere you touch. It is supposed to be natural...like you don't even have make up on lol. I am very impressed with this one!

Makeup chit chat Part 1

This post will be about makeup so if you're a boy or don't like make up you may want to skip this post. :) Also, it might be a bit on the long side. Sorry! Over the past 2 months I have been on a YouTube rampage watching make up videos. I always have had a great love affair with makeup. Watching these videos may not have been the best idea...but oh well, what can we do? We can talk about the makeup I have bought and tried and hopefully it will help you out when you get tempted to buy something. I tried making more videos to share but I do not have the proper equipment yet. My iphone is full, literally, I can't even take one more picture without deleting one first. I used my tablet and filmed 3 more videos but YouTube formatted them funny and I got mad and deleted them. Em's ipad is not running on the updated version so I cant use imovie on the ipad. See, its frustrating just to read this. So, I will make videos when I have a proper video camera. Because. let's face it, it is super fun to talk to yourself about fun things like playing makeup and sharing it with your friends and family. OK, I'm rambling, let's get started before this becomes a dissertation.

FOUNDATIONS

 In order from left to right:

1. L'Oreal Youth Code BB Cream: about $15 bucks at most drugstores. I do like this product. It does not give much coverage. It is pretty much a tinted moisturizer with SPF and claims to help your skin. It is very moisturizing so I do not use it everyday. Only when my skin is dry and I don't feel like putting on a full face of makeup.I will probably use it more in the winter or if I'm going to the beach. Not good for oily skin. It leaves your skin looking fresh and moist.(which  mine can be, especially in summer) Overall, thumbs up! 

2. Wet n Wild Coverall: about $5 or less at Walgreen's. I got it on sale for 40% off! They don't have many dark colors but if you are fair skin go out and get this! For $5 bucks it's great to have in your collection. It leaves your skin matte, works great on oily skin, covers pretty dang decent. Cons, the hole in the bottle is pretty big and you can squirt too much out. Also, you have to apply it quick because it dries quickly on your face.

3. Maybeline Dream Mouse Liquid Foundation: Got this on sale for $9 bucks at Walgreen's. I thought it was ok when I first used it but I really don't like it. The color is a little too pink for me. I don't think it makes my skin look any better. It leaves a natural finish. I don't hate it but I don't love it either and I rarely use it now. I wont recommend this either. 

4. Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation: about $14 bucks at most drugstores. Many YouTube people rave about this. I can't rave about it. It is pricey, you cant really see the color in the jar before you buy it. It applies nicely to the skin and leaves a satin finish. I feel like it dries to a powder almost. It is not my favorite and I will not buy it again. Revlon face products don't seem to agree with my big pores. I will say this did last all day and even though I was not a huge fan about the product I will keep using it until it runs out. You feel like you have makeup on when you wear this...which I wouldn't mind if I really loved the product. 

5. Revlon Photoready HD Foundation (not pictured above): about $14 at most drugstores. I HATED, HATED, HATED this product! I bought it in error. I really wanted to try the Revlon colorstay makeup that everyone on YouTube swears by. Makeup artists use that makeup on brides! I bought the wrong one. One, the color was way too dark,. Two, it AMPLIFIED my pores, like major. It made me feel old and cakey. I gave it to my grandma. (She likes Revlon products, not trying to make her look bad ) UGH, I just really dislike this product. I would NEVER recommend this to anyone in the entire world. Maybe one day I will try the Revlon colorstay but honestly I don't have much hope for it since I'm usually not happy with Revlon's foundations. 

L'Oreal Foundation

 LEFT: L'Oreal Visible Lift: I will talk about this below. I will say I LOVE THIS! Go buy this!

RIGHT: L'Oreal True Match Lumi: about $12 bucks at drugstores. This is a good, light foundation. It is moisturizing and really makes you luminous. They have a billion colors. It is better for people who have dry skin because this bad boy is moisturizing. It is not my favorite, but I will use it on dry days and in winter. 

MY CURRENT FAVORITES!!!!!!

 LEFT: L'Oreal Visible Lift: This stuff is AMAZING! The coverage is superb. It makes you look radiant. Does not make your pores look worse than they are. This is currently 50% off at all drugstores, so it is currently $8. I think its on sale because people didn't like that it came with a brush attached. They have one now that I haven't tried yet that does not have the brush. I don't mind the brush, its just while clicking to get the product up, you (I ) get impatient and do too many clicks because nothing is visible then BAM too much product. But its all good, just use it on your face! HEHE. OK, I loved this so much I bought one for my mom and bought another as a back up for me. ALSO, if you Google L'Oreal coupons you can print a coupon for $2 off face products. So I got this for $6!!! AMAZING! It is very similar to the MAC one beside it. I will be repurchasing this when it runs out!

RIGHT: MAC Pro Long Wear Foundation: This is also my favorite. It is $30 dollars BUT it is worth it. It is full coverage, does not make you look cakey. You do feel like you have makeup but it looks good and natural. You don't need a primer, the makeup is so good that everything else you put on (blush, etc) looks more vivid. It will last all day, like 12-16 hours! You're face will look fresh. If you touch your face or use the phone the makeup stays on your face and will not be all over your fingers like regular makeup. So, if I love it this much why do I need others you may be thinking...Well, I may not want my face on for that amount of time. Also, I want to look nice everyday but I don't want to look super flawless everyday because then Rey is going to be like who the heck are you when I don't wear makeup. (which is quite often) :) And, I like to match the makeup to the occasion. If I'm going to work sometimes I glam it up but it just has to be fresh looking. If I'm going to be spending time outdoors then I want something light that wont melt off my face.