Worth The Hype ~ Beauty Blender

The Beauty Blender, my new favorite thing.  If you have not heard of it, it is a cute pink sponge used to apply your make up. The smaller pointy side is great for patting in your concealer while the bigger side is great for applying your foundation. The trick is to wet the sponge, squeeze the excess water, (the sponge will then double in size) and apply your make - up with the damp sponge. The result is a nice airbrushed finish.

I bought this sponge at Sephora over the summer, and wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do. I reach for it everyday and it is worth the money. My only suggestion is that when you wash it after every use, use a bar of white dove soap. Beauty Blender sells a cleanser, however the dove soap gets it just as clean, smells nice and is cheaper!

Raw Honey for your face!

Raw Honey... not your typical honey that comes in the little squeeze bear that has goopy, processed, thick, sticky honey. Raw Honey in it's unprocessed form, I am obsessed. I put it in my tea, give the kids a spoonful for their cough, spread it on my toast, ahh..  as it melts I spread a little almond butter ( when my son with allergies is at school) and sprinkle some cinnamon, pure YUM. But aside from eating it, Raw Honey is amazing for your skin.  It is naturally PH balanced you can use it as a cleanser mixed with a little water, or apply it as a mask.  It is super hydrating.  Raw Honey also is great for acne and enlarged pores, rosacea, eczema, hyperpigmentation, sensitive, mature, dull and lifeless skin. Honey is a natural antiseptic and is antimicrobial. It heals cuts and burns by killing bacteria, It also contains gluconic acid that brightens the complexion. 

 If you don't want to spread honey all over your face look for products with honey in them! 

Fall Nails

The fall and winter nail colors have some gorgeous shades. This season, the on trend colors are beautiful and deep colors of blood red, grey, navy blue, burnt orange, teal, nude, chocolate brown and purple. I always think it's fun when you pick a color and paint one nail on each hand a different shade. My choice will be a chocolate brown with navy on the ring fingers.

I love the color above ~ it is butter London's "la moss'', it is a nice vampy dark red wine color that is perfect for the winter. I especially love butter nail polish because they are free of 3. That means free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP.  If you would like to try butter London, there is a promo code at www.skinstore.com for 20% off! Use code SEP20

I  can't wait to pick up some other colors to add to my collection such as Nars "seize the night falls" Orly, "prelude to a kiss", Laura Merciers ''cocoa suede''.


Hope you are enjoying the season!

Curling Irons

Before curling your hair you must choose what type of look you want to achieve. If you want big loose effortless curls, you need a big 1 to 1 1/2 inch curling iron.  Wrap the hair away from the face in big sections, spraying each section with a setting spray. If you want to have loose waves or even tight curls you can use a curling wand. Again sectioning the hair, bigger sections for looser waves and smaller pieces for a tighter curl.  The picture on the left is the result of a curling wand, where on the right is from a curling iron.

Just a note, the curling wand is clampless. It will get very hot and you need to use a glove. I bake and cook all the time but my burn marks on my wrist are from my curling wand! Learn from me and always wear your glove!

You don' t need to buy the most expensive curling wand out there. Here is my suggestion for a fair priced wand.  It is the Remmington Styling wand. The curling iron I that own and LOVE is by Hot Tools.

Hope this post is somewhat helpful, remember you can brush through the curls to give a softer look and  always finish with your favorite polish to give the curls shine and some hold and control. When I use my curling wand I like to run a product through that will give some hold, texture and body. I always reach for ~
Redken Wool Shake.

Spray with some hairspray for extra hold if needed.

Happy Curls!

BEST MASQUE EVER!

 Hi everyone! I am sorry I have been taking a bit of a break from blogging, I have been getting back into the swing of things with the start of school.  I hope everyone is having a nice September so far!

My skin has been having some hormonal breakouts lately and I wanted to get a treatment masque to try and dry up some active breakouts. I really didn't want to spend a lot and I wanted something gentle for my dry and sensitive skin. I had heard so many good things about the Queen Helene Mint Julip Mask, and decided to pick it up at Walgreens. I applied it after  I washed my face that evening.  I  looked like the wicked witch of the west for about 15 minutes!  The smell was nice and minty, but didn't have that cooling feeling, it felt very comfortable and I wasn't counting down the seconds to take it off as I do with other masques. After I washed it off, my face was smooth, not tight or dry and my red spots looked much calmer.  It drew out lots of clogged pores, and I was overall very happy with it.  I even have my teenage daughter hooked on it too . It is a great cheap but effective masque at under $5!  If you need a good treatment masque ~ give it a try! I am sure you will love it! leave a comment below and let me know your results!

Drug Store Favorites ~ Eye edition

The drug store has been coming out with some really great make up and some dupes for lots of high end products. It's fun when you can come across something that replaces your high end product and it delivers good results.  It feels good to save some money too :)

Today I am going to list my top 4 drugstore favorites for eyes....


First off, The Maybelline master drama eyleiner; very black, great formula, not dry ~ very creamy and stays put.

master drama eye liner

The Maybelline Color Tatoo Gel cream eyeshadow ~ Such a favorite! Wish they had more colors! Can be used as an eye base or on its own. Very creamy, easy to apply and blend. I like it better than my

Mac paint pot! Easy and foolproof!

maybelline color tatoo

Maybelline  Volum' Express The Falsies Big Eyes ~ you know I am a mascara lover, and this mascara is great.  I tried it because I do love the original falsies mascara.  I love the fact that this mascara has two ends, one for the upper lashes and one tiny one for the lower lashes.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Big Eyes

Loreal Infallable Eye Shadow

I am IN LOVE with these pigments.  They give such a rich color. I like the neutral shades, perfect for a simple look. 

Hope you find something you like!

Eye base

Eye base Essentials

Today there are so many primers for your eyelids. I once fell into the hype of Urban Decay's primer potion, and at the time, I thought that it was THE BEST. However, looking back, it wasn't the best out there and I am happy to say I have found something that I like even better.

I was at Nordstrom with the kids one afternoon this summer, and I stopped by the Trish McEvoy counter to get a gel eyeliner, and as the girl was looking at my eyes, she said "you have no eye lid primer on today!" Why, no I did not! I was getting ready quickly and trying to get out the door with 4 of my 5 kids in tow... eye primer was not a priority that morning! She then proceeded to tell me my eyelids are oily. She really wanted to sell a primer, haha... but I guess my lids are oily! So I bought the Trish McEvoy eye base and have been so happy with it. It really takes the discoloration out of your eyelids and you really don't even need eyeshadow on. However, if you do put shadow on , it stays on, no creasing and no oil! Horray! This primer is dry, so if you like a creamy one, try THE BALM, "put a lid on it" eyelid primer. Trish McEvoy eye base essentials is not cheap ~ it is $25. The BALM's primer is around $18.