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Foundation Wish List!

2009-11-24T23:33:00.005-05:00

I was over on Vex in the City's blog and she spoke of her list of foundations she wants to try. I have a list too and thought I would share it here!

Clinique Perfectly Real Foundation- I initially visited the Clinique counter wanting to try their Super Fit Foundation after using it on a bridesmaid. It was so natural, light, with great coverage and healing properties! I wasn't too sure about the luminous finish, so the sales assistant pointed me in the direction of the Perfectly Real Foundation. Golden Beige was spot on! (Loved the foundation brush too!) I handed over my card for purchase; out of stock! "I'm sorry, during the summer we sell out of the darker colors because of people tanning." *blank stare* I want it from Nordstroms with my free gift with purchase!!!

Oh, please check out the Clinique site! I just tried the foundation finder to see what else they would offer me in the foundation department. Results: Perfectly Real Foundation! Bingo! It really works, but do find your shade at the counter!

Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation- Another foundation I used on a shoot on a client.... LOVE. I wasn't as impressed with the coverage of blemishes, but photographed, it looked flawless! I love MAC's Studio Finish Stick foundation, so as a fellow Estee Lauder brand, I'm sure I'll love Bobbi's stick foundation as well! Might it be at the CCO?

Coastal Scents HD Foundation- An inexpensive, HD foundation? Why not try it? Grrr to CS's swatches and S&H fees =(

Nars Sheer Matte Foundation- A lightweight, my skin but better foundation? Count me in!

Aaaandd possibly Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation- Another nearly there, perfectly blendable foundation. Blame RFC for this lemming; she did it!

Clinique and Bobbi Brown will most likely get purchased. I'll scope samples of the others ;)

Victoria's Secret Pink Peace Love Hope Fragrance

2009-11-22T12:16:00.006-05:00

"a fresh, sparkling mix of green apple and honeysuckle petals"

(picture and quote from Victoria's Secret)

A new, fresh and flirty offering from Victoria's Secret Pink. This perfume has been criticized because it targets the Pink's audience of teens and preteens? While I'm not in the teen and preteen age group, I'm not going to criticize what's not intended for me, but I do find this perfume's aroma right up my alley. The juice is your typical fruity floral, but with a bit of kick and umph... like a pea coat in yellow, a frosted/metallic red lipstick, wearing gray polish with sparkles; your common trend with a twist. (Do I have a gray polish with sparkles?) If you are a fan of DKNY's Be Delicious like I am, you'll find this slightly, sweeter fragrance a winner.

Find this at your local Victoria's Secret. Retail $47 (eau de parfum). Accompanying body lotion and sheer mist, $20 each.

Have any of you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Teen Yummy411 Revlon Runway Runway Collection Nails

2009-11-18T23:11:00.011-05:00

Cute designs. 24 Nails in 12 different sizes. Glue included. How fab are these press ons? (Also, included in the box is a nail file and manicure/cuticle wood stick.) Teen Yummy411 aka the little sister couldn't wait to get her paws in these claws. Sorry, I couldn't resist, LOL!

She's the one who paints her nails and tries out my polish regularly, so this was naturally right up her alley, especially being a teen, no job for nail salon maintenance, and ready to change the style of her nails on a whim.

Below she shows off a set. These are medium length. Click on the picture to see the detail of the design on the tips (not to be confused as dirt under her nails!) (No name recorded)

The second set that she says came out much better.. maybe due to the glue being thicker this time around? (Sequins #91087)

(She filed this set down)

Pros:
-Stay on for approximately 1 week.
-Great design options.
-The different sizes are even wide enough for her large fingers (ring size 9, don't ask. She's a glamazon! ;))

Cons:
-Glue bubbles or you can tell where you placed the glue under the nail
-Use alot of glue to keep the nails in tact

Overall:
A great stylish alternative to visiting the nail salon!

Yup, that's her with the same nails, but cut down and polished.

p.s. I even over heard her having a nail appointment with a friend! So they are hot on the streets?

Try these and other Revlon nails at your local drugstore; Retail $7-8

A Sculpted Beauty Mark?

2009-11-15T23:46:00.006-05:00

Mz. More of the Glamorous Gleam reported one day that she hauled L'Oreal HiP's Sculpted duo because it had been compared to MAC's Beauty Marked. (Have you seen her too cute look with it?) Well, I had Sculpted (still packaged from when I bought it at its debut on the shelves!) and I had recently used Beauty Marked in a look.

I had to see for myself just how similar the two shadows were!

(pan of MAC's Beauty Marked on the left, the darker side of L'Oreal HiP's Sculpted duo on the right)

Which is which? Can you guess?

The top is Beauty Marked; bottom is Sculpted duo's darker side.
I know the flash washed out the swatches a bit, but as you can see the BM has more definite sparkles/glitter flecks while the Sculpted shade is more evenly and densely covered with smaller, more refined flecks, hence its description as a metallic shade.

Here are the shades swatched over NYX's Black Bean jumbo shadow pencil.
BM is swatched over the (lower) left side, while the Sculpted shade is over the right (higher) side.

They are sooo similar right? With the naked eye and sans a flash, it was hard to tell the difference. The flash fools you and makes you think that BM's glitter will really settle the score here and make a difference. Disappointingly, I can hardly see the glitter in BM when applied (even wet!!) as it's looser and spread out in the shadow. For the glitter lovers like me, the Sculpted shade delivers!

The swatch at the very top is Sculpted with its coordinating shade, a metallic, lavender/mauve tinged pink. My eyes rolled in disbelief. I used three colors to get the look I did with BM when the Sculpted duo would have done the job in one compact little pot.... at least I think! Ha!

Do you have either shade? What are your thoughts? Even though I have these, I'm a glitter and purple lover and still have to get my hands on MAC's Young Punk mineralized eyeshadow. I hear it's what BM is supposed to be.... do you all agree?

Win a $10,000 Sephora Shopping Spree!

2009-11-15T23:37:00.000-05:00

Enter for your chance to win a $10,000 Sephora Shopping Spree!

How much stuff could you buy with a $10,000 Sephora Shopping Spree?

Where do we start?! How about 416 DiorShow Mascaras. Or 41 ghd flat irons. Or 51 Clarisonic Skin Care Brushes. The better question is what couldn't you buy? Answer: Nothing! Enter for your chance to win by writing product reviews on TotalBeauty.com or signing up for TotalBeauty.com's newsletters, it's so easy! Find out more here.

See how to win

Congrats Dr. Almoza!

2009-11-12T00:11:00.003-05:00

A great time was had by all. Mously by far had the best bridal party ever! They treated her like a queeen, no stress, and things went off without a hitch.... well the wedding that is. Our trip to NJ to attend and back was disastrous, but I'm thankful we made it! (unfinished)

Besides seeing my homie looking blissfully in love, the open bar cocktail hour was the bomb! Hehe!

I was honored to be a part of your special day! You were one beautiful bride!

I Love Your Blog Award from MzMore!

2009-11-10T23:37:00.004-05:00

Thank you MzMore for the award! I def love your blog as well!

I've gotten this award before, but this gives me a chance to shout out some of the other blogs out there that I've come across and have become a fan ;) Without further ado:

Do I Have Lipstick on My Teeth

The Makeup Snob

These are just a few as I have sooooooooooooooooooo many blogs I'm following it's ridiculous! If you are a new visitor to their site, let them know I sent ya!

YSL Parisienne Fragrance

2009-11-08T23:07:00.005-05:00

Ahh Kate looks fabulous, enticing us to try the new YSL Parisienne. I've never been to Paris. Could the scent take me there? Will this be a Parisian experience? Is this the way Paris, the city of romance smells? Deep, sensuous, edgy, mysterious, seductive?

With notes of blackberry, damask rose, violet, peony, blackberry, musk and patchouli this fragrance makes me feel alluring and sophisticated at first, but after total dry down, I'm torn between this being a mature frangrance (not fitting for me) or even a slight lingering of fragrance over a personal smell, thanks to the warm, woodsy notes. Confusing much? I am about this fragrance.

The warmer months welcome this flirty, but muted fragrance. Will you?

Let me know if you've tried it! Wanna hear your experience with it. Have you been to Paris? What I'm experiencing, does it embody Paris in a bottle? Paris nightlife in a juice? Tell me all about it!

Best Hand Creams for the Winter!

2009-11-08T22:31:00.001-05:00

The Cure for Dry Winter Skin

Find out which top hand hydrators our testers found desk drawer-worthy

We spend hundreds on youth-enhancing face lotions -- but when's the last time your hands got some love? "Hands show aging more than the face," says Los Angeles-based dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad. Good point. So we had 10 testers review hand creams for two weeks. Which ones offered the best hydration -- and which were just greasy? Find out in the ratings.

See products

China Glaze's Cleopatra!

2009-11-02T23:04:00.002-05:00

Omg, i love my nails at night! Hehe, they are wearable in the day too. This is China Glaze's Cleopatra glitter nail polish.

Makeover Tip You Should Try!

2009-11-01T18:16:00.001-05:00

Easy Makeover Tricks You Should Try

See how day-to-night makeup and sexy face-framing layers can update your look

Makeover dream team -- American Idol lead makeup-artist Mezhgan, and stylists Paul Perez and Leland Ferrell and colorist Adam Scheib from the Sally Hershberger salon in Los Angeles -- give Web designer Dana a pretty-yet-easy-to-maintain beauty update. See how you too can transform your look without adding minutes to your routine. Photographs: Andrew Stiles

See tips

Happy Halloween and Bakugan

2009-11-01T17:33:00.006-05:00

Here are the kiddies last night on Halloween. L-r: lady bug friend, Incredible Hulk (Nephew #2), Scooby Doo (Nephew #3, Nephew #2's brother), Bakugan (Nephew #2) and the kid ...an army general? LOL

This is Bakugan. Never heard of him. Obviously, I'm not watching enough Cartoon Network :p

Bakugan spent the night with his cousins at my sister Toni's house....

This is my sister Toni at church the this morning...

Bakugan strikes again!

(She says she was in a rush and had to improvise... lol!)

Teen Beauty: 3 Makeup Essentials for Homecoming

2009-10-30T01:44:00.006-04:00

Going to your first homecoming? Here are 3 essentials that are fresh and will give you the red carpet, star glow with minimal effort!

Before we get into the makeup essentials and you head out for your night of fun, treat your body to some bronzing lotion/mist! Legs, arms, shoulders.. let them glow!

Sephora's Super Sheen Bronzing Mist, $12(try any item with gold or copper sparkle)

So here are the makeup essentials!

1. Dust your face with a beautiful bronzer like CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Bronzer, $12.

2. Whether you are jazzing up your eyes with glitter liner or cream shadow, ALWAYS top off the peepers with a fab mascara. Try L'Oreal Voluminous, $7 for dark sooty, long and lush lashes!

3. Pucker up with MAC's lustreglass in Instant Gold, $14. A nice subtle sparkle!

Black Opal True Tone Vitamin Rich Lipsticks

2009-10-30T01:21:00.007-04:00

The Fall season brings out the bolder, deeper hues in cosmetics. I love Black Opal's cream stick foundations, but this time I decided to venture into the line to pick up some lipsticks with deeper hues.

I picked up Black Current, Wine Not and Ebony Wine. While these are new to me and interesting, these are 3 of the 10 shades permanently available in Black Opal's True Tone Vitamin Rich Lipstick line.

From l-r: Ebony Wine, Black Current and Wine Not

Black Current

Ebony Wine

The lipsticks have a bit of moisture, shine and rich pigment. The red really stain your lips (as you can see when I didn't line up the Black Current swatch and needed to wipe it off)!

Since my lip game isn't tight-- making sure there are no patches, that I've exfoliated my lips, etc., the pigment of the lipsticks aren't evenly spreaded over my lips.I'm going to prime my lips and make sure they are baby bottom smooth before trying these again.

Have you ever tried any of Black Opal's lipstick? Have a favorite color? Share! Want to try? Black Opal is now 25% off at CVS!

Black Enterprise Mag featured...

2009-10-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

No not me, but our creative team's photographer/creative director, Leonard Poteat was! Uh, yeh not for his photography nor our team's group work, but for his experience buying a short sale/foreclosed home. Pretty cool huh? I honestly expected a bubble in a corner, but to my surprise he got a whole page! Check him out in October's issue of Black Enterprise Magazine, p. 21.

Oh yeh, I did his makeup.. hehe ;)

Makeup for my sister Jess

2009-10-25T22:12:00.004-04:00

(Sorry FB fam since y'all already saw these pics!)

I recently had an opportunity to do makeup for my sister, Jessica. If she ever slows down a sec to let me do her makeup, she always asks for a neutral look. It baffles me that that's her request as everything about my sister is out there and bold. Look, at her locs!

I gave her a neutral with a little kick. Well a kick that would be pleasing to her minimal makeup taste.

I know I wanted to put her look on the blog, but I cannot remember what I used on her! Eeks! I based her eyes with painterly paint pot and put a neutral off white-ish shadow on her lids, soft brown and a shimmering brown like MAC's Mulch eye shadow on her crease area. My sister doesn't really have a crease, so that presents a challenge. I didn't want to close up her eyes too much, so i smudged a dark shadow at her lashes to sub for liner. I used a black liner on her waterline and a bronze liner below and smudged. L'Oreal Voluminous Defining mascara on lashes. (I should have put some false lashes on her! The best way to bring out eyes without lots of color!) I used a MAC Stick Foundation on her (NC45). For her cheeks I used Maybelline's blush in Almond Love. Her pout was polished in a pinkish nude with MAC's Hug Me lipstick. (I LOVVVEE that lipstick on her!)

Milani jumps on the baked bronzer bandwagon!

2009-10-23T11:49:00.002-04:00

CVS Shopping list: prescription, panty liners, soup and Advil
Why do I still make my way through the makeup aisle?

Milani's TANtastic Face & Body Baked Bronzer (approx. $10) not on Milani's website yet, sigh
Comes in two colors #1 and #2

I didn't buy it because I have at least 10 items I can think of off the top of my head that are similar in my stash. I will say that it looks a bit 'foily' meaning it might not be as much of a refined powder and will deliver ultra, almost metallic shine (since it is a face AND body product?) Well, I haven't tried it myself, so I'm not positive.

Have you tried it? *Heads over to Nouveu Cheap as she's always got the scoop on drugstore buys!*

Ten Year High School Reunion FOTD

2009-10-21T22:45:00.003-04:00

I've been under the weather lately and even more exhausted from doctor visits. I'm pulling through, but I wanted to tell you all about my 10 year high school reunion!

Who would've thunk I'd be facing my 10 year high school reunion so soon?! Yep, came and gone a few weekends ago! So many ideas and expectations when people talk about high school reunions... Career? Family? Kids? Accomplishments? Achievements? What did I have to say for myself in 10 years? Ah well, I put on my best face and a cute dress I hadn't worn yet, put all of that behind me and just went!

Here's what I came up with:
Y'all I use the same ol', same ol' on my face Revlon ColorStay Foundation, Sunny by Natures MSF
(MAC unless otherwise stated)
On my eyes- Painterly paint pot as a base, Swish eye shadow on lid, Plum Dressing eye shadow in my crease and Beauty Marked eye shadow on the outer v and lower lash. Penultimate liner on top lid, L'Oreal HIP's black liner in Amethyst Black on waterline, Red Cherry lashes (forgot the number).
On my cheeks-Sunny by Nature MSF, On a Mission blush
On my lips- Dazzleglass cream in Soft Dazzle and Maybelline ColorSensational l/s in Yummy Plummy slicked on top!

I didn't have a college sweetheart or a current lust to show off, so I bought the next best thing.. one of my sisters! So glad that I went! I sincerely had a great time. I hadn't smiled and laughed so hard in a while. I didn't even have as much time with people to try to go into what I've been doing for the last 10 years... just living and glad I have a job in this current economy! ha! I was definitely recruiting the last of civilization to get on Facebook if they weren't already so we could keep in touch!
Have you had your 10 year high school reunion? You don't have to tell your age if you don't want to ;) I'm learning to embrace it and go with it!

Sally Beauty Supply for the professional-- Client Profile Book

2009-10-21T21:47:00.005-04:00

Makeup artists need to present a professional image when dealing with clients. During a consultation, you collect information that you need to reference later on. Stay organized! To do that, one of these little babies from Sally Beauty Supply comes into play-- a Client Date Profile Organizer. ($12.39)
This refillable binder comes in black, as well as with an alpha index option. (These pics were grabbed from Sally's site, but I don't remember seeing the 'client data profile organizer' emblazened on the front)

Organizer refills ($8.69) Refills are custumized for different clients: nail, skin, and hair.

This was such a neat find! I have a leather porfolio that I carry to consultations with client profile sheets, cards, a notepad and pen. If I didn't have that already, I would have definitely picked this up!

Go further! Grab a Gift Certificate booklet! ($6.59)

Are there other companies that you like that offer similar products? Let me know!

Tips for Dark Circles

2009-10-19T19:10:00.000-04:00

Ditch Dark Circles and Puffiness for Good

Use these expert tips to treat and camouflage your annoying eye issues the right way

When eye cream or concealer alone won't do the trick, you may need to look into other options when it comes to treating and masking dark circles and puffiness. Whether they're a result of genetics or lack of sleep, too much sun or alcohol, these tricks -- courtesy of dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf and New York City-based makeup artist Tina Turnbow -- will help you zap them for good, and disguise them like a pro until they're gone.

See tips

A Touch of MAC Trend F/W '09

2009-10-14T23:12:00.004-04:00

I picked up only lippies so far from the new MAC Collections... everything else was sold out =p

The first pic, I'm wearing Runway Fave gloss on my lips- an opalesque gray/light lavendar?
I paired it with a neutral brown light smokey eye. Hmm, the gloss looks quite powdery white/milky pink. It can be, but I had more of a light lavendar, opal sheen to my lips in real life (not too many layers!)
Before I washed off my face of the day, I added a touch of So This Season lipglass over my old Runway Fave. It brightened the color just a bit and primed my lips some what. I'm in love with So This Season, but the pigment settles in my lip lines.. ugh!

I know I need some grease sticks and mineralized eye shadows in my life, but what are your fave lippies from the collections? Combinations? Lippies in general?

*p.s. I was gonna make this Lipstick Week, but I guess I'll post when I post! Just look out for more lip focused posts coming up! Ha!

Our work made it in an ad!

2009-10-12T21:24:00.003-04:00

Remember this shoot? One of the photos made it into an ad for Council Magazine!

Council Mag- Council Magazine is a quarterly magazine with the same clientele its website serves, which are 21- to 35-year-old women who are fashion-minded. They shop and seek the latest fashion trends, sexy apparel, fashion events, career/health advice and social commentary. Although the magazine has a national circulation area, it mainly serves the Washington, D.C., region. It is owned by Council Communications L.L.C.

Nails! A Nail Event & Nail News!

2009-10-12T20:25:00.005-04:00

My Recent Nails: OPI's Mod About You is my all time favorite. I rarely get a color more than once, but I love this and it closed out my summer colors for me.

My first dark color welcoming the Fall season. Orly's Enchanted Forest is apparently green and so pretty and shiny!

My current color, Nina Pro's Purple-xing. Brooke made me do it! I love it!

(Please click to enlarge!)

An NYC Nail Fanatic event.... I'm going! Are you?

ZOYA NEWS! Zoya Nail Polish is on Facebook and Twitter. There is currently a special promotion posted on the "Wall" of Zoya's Facebook page, so become a fan and check it out. Zoya on Facebook!

We also have special "TWEET BUYS" and Twitter only promotions, so follow Zoya and get the latestand greatest.

Zoya's Twitter!
(Trust me, it works! I've won the Zoya Color Lock system by following them!)

Lipstick Quickie!

2009-10-08T23:17:00.003-04:00

Ok, this is not a beauty shot. So let's not judge, okay? However, I just wanted to show you my little surprise after trying on my latest, cheap thrill ;) If you follow me on Twitter, you might have already seen this. What? Not on Twitter yet? Get to it honty! twitter.com/yummy411

The lipstick being blue and cheap are the known factors, but the surprise? It's of decent quality, pigmented, not prone to terrible bleeding around the lips, even coverage, not super thick, but not slippery... what is it? Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers lipstick (Halloween collection)! It even has a touch of purple iridescence! So glad I picked this up and a black lipstick!

Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers lipstick at your local CVS, $1.99 currently 25% off!

Have you tried these?

RHOA on Ellen!

2009-10-08T22:49:00.003-04:00

I may be ultra late on this, but sorry... I work full time (daytime) and no TiVo/DVR. Blasphemy? Oh well, that's what YouTube is good for ;)

Either way, I enjoyed this clip of Ellen. If you haven't seen it, you will enjoy it too. Only Ellen can take a band of dysfunctional friends and make it into a bowl of laughter. Not makeup related at all, but I wanted to share.

Check out this article by Essence.com with Kim Z from RHOA on her current status and Kandi losing her ex-fiance.