February Beauty Makeup Haul

The beaming sun through my window is giving me energy to start my day on the right foot.  Also, it reminded me to post my latest beauty haul on my YouTube channel.  This is a massive haul of makeup products that I purchased towards the end of January.  The purpose of these items is to replace the makeup that I have finished or tossed out which turned out to be a lot.  Isn't that a reasonable excuse to purchase more makeup? LOL... Anyway, I'm starting to reach into my makeup caboodle (yes, I store a majority of my makeup in my leopard print case) and pull out items I haven't used in a while.

So, don't judge me for these purchases!  I already returned a couple of items because I have a duplicate from a previous purchase and/or its twin has been stashed away in my closet.  And others have turned out to be a disappointment or I just wanted my money back because buying into the label wasn't worth it.  Don't forget to check out the video!

DAILY GRINDS

♥ My husband and I are going to a beer convention tonight with a few friends.  I figured I'd be DD since I'm not a heavy drinker.  But later realized it'd be pointless for me to go if I go as DD.  So tonight we'll be sipping on beers from around the world.  Cheers to Beerfest!

♥ I'm constantly searching for a makeup vanity for my new house.  I've stumbled upon different kinds from a simple desk to very ornate ones that are over the top.  I want one that has a decent size mirror, a drawer under the table and maybe a side drawer so I don't have to purchase a lot of storage units.  Where can I find a decent vanity???

♥ I'm rooting for the Baltimore Ravens this weekend!!!

Playful Winter Makeup Look

Are you tired of the same makeup routine?  Are you in a makeup rut since the holidays are over and there's no more gatherings to attend?  This look should cheer your spirits.  It's playful, fun, and easy to achieve in time to head out the door.

Check out my YouTube channel for the tutorial!

- Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (medium)
- Smashbox HD Concealer (medium)
- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (cottage cheese)
- BYS Colour Perfectionist Eyeshadow Palette
- Josie Maran Argan Naturally Long Lasting Eye Liner (black raven)
- Sephora Collection Long-Lasting 12HR Wear Eye Liner (black)
- Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara
- MAC Blush (blunt, pinch me)
- Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick (airy fairy)
- Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish (dolly)


Thanks for watching! xoxo

HAUL: Makeup & Other Beauty Products

It's been a while since I've blogged.  My (lame) excuse is that I've just been completely lazy & have been uninspired with some of my cooking last week.  But, I've accumulated a lot of items in the past few weeks that I wanted to share with all of my viewers.  I tried doing a YouTube video last Friday while my husband was out of town and my daughter was in school.  I did roughly 5 takes & realized I'm not meant to be in front of the camera.  Just doing a small introduction to the video was painful to watch.  I'll try a different approach some time soon where I'll just do a voice over.

Anyway, the following products that I'll share below are from Ulta(1), HauteLook.com(2) and Sephora.com(3).

If you are a happy consumer of any of these products, please share your experience with it.

(1) From L to R: John Frieda Root Awakening Nourishing Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner for Dry Hair, Benefit Cosmetics B. Right It's Potent Eye Cream, 2 Benefit Cosmetics freebies, OPI nail polish in DS Glow & Melon of Troy, Tarte Maracuja Divine Shine Lipgloss in Tipsy.

*I purchased the eye cream just so I can get the sample of the Cha Cha Tint which I'm pretty psyched to try.  With the Tarte lipgloss, I was suppose to get a Deluxe Sample of Maracuja Oil which I assume the store ran out of.  Instead they gave me another Benefit sample which is the skincare So Radiant.  I heard great things about the maracuja oil so I guess I'll have to purchase it next time I step into Ulta.

(2) From L to R: NYX Eye Glamifying Set, NYX Blush Set in Pretty Natural, NYX Haute Jersey- Leopard Couture Set

*I purchased these items on Hautelook.com because it was one of their special deals.  If you itemize these products, you definitely are saving 40% or more when purchasing them on this website.  With the eye set, it came with the Provocateur Boudoir Mascara, Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner, Collection Noir Skinny Black Liner & Slide On, Glide On, Stay On & Definitely A Turn On Water Proof, Extreme Shine Eye Liner in Black Sparkle.  Annoying that the name of this product is long but that's what's on the pencil.  With the blush set, the 3 blushes are Mocha, Angel & Mauve.  My last item of the bunch is this leopard makeup palette that screams Jersey girl (which I am- well I'm from Jersey but definitely not a "Jersey Shore" Jersey girl if you get my drift.)

When you open the book, there are 24 eyeshadows on your left with 4 eye applicators & a mirror on your right. 

When you flip the mirror, you get another mirror but on the left side.  On the opposite side are 2 lip glosses, 4 bronzers & 2 blushes.  This palette will come to use whenever I want to head down to Bar A or DJais.

(3) From L to R: The New Black Runway- Color Barometer 8-Piece Nail Polish Set, Sephora Collection Marbling & Dotting Nail Tool, Josie Maran Made with Love Kit, Korres Goddess Lip Collection

*The nail tool was on sale online and lately I've been purchasing nail polishes as if I was a kid in a candy store.  A new tool deserves new polishes to go with.  I had a sample of Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil & wanted to try other products of her line.  Korres is a Johnson & Johnson product which my sister works for.  She has a couple Korres makeup products & is happy with them.  I hope I can be happy with these.

Good night Tuesday!

As the evening comes to an end, I wanted to share a skincare product that I purchased 2 weeks ago at  Sephora.  A friend of mine purchased one of the products from this skincare line and was satisfied with the results.  Her satisfaction struck my curiosity to give this a chance.

Before purchasing this product, my skincare routine consisted of using my Clarisonic, Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Treatment kit and Nivea SOFT Moisturizing Creme.  I switched out my moisturizing creme to C.O. Bigelow All-in-1 Protective Day Lotion SPF 15 because I started to run out of my Nivea creme.

This product is Boscia's Best Set which includes an oil-free daily hydration SPF 15, purifying cleansing gel, recharging night moisture, enlivening amino-AG eye treatment and green tea blotting linens.  When I purchased this at Sephora, I talked to a saleswoman and asked what's the difference between the 2 kits that's sold by Boscia.  I told her that I have oily skin, so she recommended this kit over the Boscia Clear Complexion kit.  Since the night creme was meant to hydrate your skin overnight, I did not want to wake up the next day in a pool of oil.  So, the saleswoman gave me a sample of Boscia's oil-free recharging night moisture to try out.

My daily routine with this product is as follows: every AM and PM, I wash my face with a quarter size of the cleansing gel and apply a pea-size amount of the eye treatment.  In the AM, I use the oil-free daily hydration and in the PM, I apply the night moisture before bed.

I have combination oily skin with redness in my T-zone, acne scars and occasional breakouts on my chin, apples of my cheeks and/or the side of my face.  Since this kit did not come with any ointment to prevent acne, I used my Clean & Clear products when necessary.  My expectations from this kit was to have healthier and smoother skin and to even out my complexion and redness.

Overall, my experience did not meet my expectations.  At the beginning, I used all the products (except the blotting sheets) as directed on the box for 3 days.  My face felt smoother (yay!) but was so oily that I could scramble an egg (boo!).  I knew this would happen but wanted to give the night moisture a chance before switching to the oil-free one.  The eye treatment did nothing for my eyes.  There were some days where I'd wake up with baggy eyes and other days where lines underneath my eyes were visible (even without my glasses).  I have no complaints with the oil-free daily hydration.  After using the kit for a full week, I decided to start using the oil-free night moisture.  This product did the EXACT opposite!  In the morning, I had dry patches in between my eyes and around my nose and mouth.  I don't know if this is due to a ton of sun exposure over the weekend because my face is a little red.  But, I am not happy with the oil-free night moisture.  I switched back to my original routine and am hoping that things will turn out better.

Even though I've been using this product for 2 weeks, I would not recommend this kit to anyone with combination oily skin.  On a 1 to 5 star scale, I'd rate this 3 stars.  Despite the fact that the original night moisture leaves my skin super oily in the morning, I don't mind the excess because my husband is still in bed by the time I'm up.  Like I said earlier, I have no complaints with the daily hydration creme and I bet the blotting linens will do exactly what it's suppose to do.

Let me know if you have used this product and what's your experience with it.