Favorite Items of October

Hi everyone!  October has come to an end with such sad devastation as Hurricane Sandy has destroyed thousands of homes and cities along the Northern East Coast.  Cities affected by this include Atlantic City, cities along the Jersey shoreline, Hoboken, and New York City.  My family and I have had no power since Monday night so I'm taking advantage of posting anything at this point.

Here's my favorites for the month.

Enjoy and keep those families who are still struggling from Sandy's aftermaths in your thoughts and prayers.  It's not easy living with no power or not being able to go back to a place that you used to call home.

<3

Elegant Blue Eyes Makeup Tutorial

It's been a while since I've done a makeup tutorial, but I had a great time filming this most recent one.  Today's look is all about the color blue.  I always thought I couldn't pull off the color blue because in the end, it would turn out looking purple.  But, after months of practice and learning how to use certain makeup brushes, this is my first time debuting a blue eyeshadow look.  Check out my video on how to work this look.  Products used can be found below.

PRODUCTS USED:
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer (medium)
- MAC Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundation (NC40)
- MAC Studio Fix Powder (NC40)
- Tarte 12-hr Smoothing Eye Primer
- Maybelline Eyestudio (Saphire Stylist)
- Urban Decay Smoked Palette (blackout, kinky, freestyle)
- Josie Maran Long-Lasting Eye Liner (black raven)
- Maybelline Line Stiletto
- Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara
- NARS Bronzer (casino)
- MAC Blush (Pinch Me)
- MAC Cremestick Liner (Sublime Culture)
- Korres Mango Butter Lipstick (Natural Pink 13)

Makeup Series | "Free Mini Kits" | Tarte

Here's another addition to this series I created for the month of October called "Free Mini Kits".  I'll be featuring makeup samples and kits that tend to not be used on a daily (or if ever) basis.  Personally, I love collecting samples because they're free most of the time.  But, that also means that these items will most likely be never used.  Same goes for makeup kits where the interest of only trying 1 item means the others will be forgotten.

This item is a makeup kit from Tarte that I purchased on QVC.com back in 2010.  I believe this was my first kit I ever purchased.  This kit came with a trio-eyeshadow palette, shadow/liner, brow mousse, mascara, cheek stain and lip gloss.  Of all the 6 items, the quality and lasting ability is great.  The colors are great for a natural look and gives your face a nice, fresh look.  Even though this didn't come with a foundation, I can only imagine that Tarte offers great foundation options.  After finally digging up these items, I'm happy to say that I started using them especially the eyeshadow and shadow/liner.  You can pick up these items individually wherever Tarte items are sold.

Tune in throughout the month and see what other items I'll be featuring!

October Haul from Target, B&N, H&M, MAC & Kate Spade

Here's my haul video showing you guys some items I recently purchased.

From Target:
- Scarecrow
- Glow stick necklace (pack of 2)
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Lust-rous (on sale for $7!!)
- Sonia Kashuk Instructional Eye Shadow Palette in Eye on Dazzling Color
- Boots Expert Anti-Blemish 2-in-1 Scrub & Mask
- Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Night Moisturizer

From Barnes & Noble:
- "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

From H&M:
- Gray blazer

From MAC:
- Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC40
- Powder Blush in Blunt and Pinch Me
- Lip Pencil in Beet
- Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick in I

From Kate Spade:
- Brightspot Avenue Stacy wallet in Maraschino

Hope you have a great weekend!

Makeup Series | "Free Mini Kits" | Smashbox

Happy October!

I was inspired by a YouTube video I watched a while ago to review my current makeup pile.  I realized that most of the makeup items that I don't use (ever) are the little samples and kits that I haven't touched since being transferred from the store bag of purchase to my makeup storage containers.  This got me thinking to create a series for this entire month where I feature all my makeup items that are rejected.  You can't forget the little ones, meaning the samples that you get when spending a certain amount of dollars online or in store.  Also, I tend to purchase kits for just wanting to try 1 item.  The rest of the kit is just a bonus.  Now, it's time for these items to rise out of the darkness of my makeup pile and be used.