Beauty

 Favorite Autumn Drugstore Lip Products!

I don't know about you, but I can definitely sense a change in the seasons. The air is starting to get cooler as we transition into fall where I live in the United States. This is one of my favorite times of year as far as fashion and makeup is concerned. I love layering my clothes and wearing scarves and sweaters.

As far as makeup goes, I have been loving the new lip trends. I have been embracing purples and plumbs and vampy reds and browns. Here are a few of my go to lip products for this season!

The first three are very similar in color, but are different in finish. I'll put hand swatches after each individual photo to compare products.

I picked up the Maybelline New York's Color Elixir in Raspberry Rhapsody a couple of days ago. I feel late to the game on these, but I understand what all the hype is about. It smells like a cupcake and is a very pigmented lip gloss as far as lip glosses go. The one complaint I have with these are that they are a bit sticky on the lips.

The second lip product I have is one I got from my job at Ulta. It's a lip stick in No. 213, Raspberry Beret. I find this to be a satin finish. It goes on my lips very smooth and the color pay-off is very build-able.

The third round of raspberry tone colors is a Revlon Color Burst Lacquer Balm in No. 115,  Whimsical Fantaisiste. I really like these balms. I own three as of right now, and they have incredible color payoff and have a refreshing mint smell, which you may or may not like. I think it is for plumping purposes. This particular color has glitter in it, which I don't mind, but others may.

Here is another Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in No. 135, Provocateur. This does not include glitter, but like the one above it includes the minty smell. It goes on so smooth and is very pigmented and has to be one of my favorite reds of all time. I find this color is a great transition shade from summer to fall.

This last shade is a very bold move lip color. LIKE, IT IS SO DARK!!!! I was terrified at first and it took a couple of tries to get this on just right. It's Wet n Wild's No. 508A in Black Orchid. It is an incredibly vampy dark/ brown-red shade. If you like Lorac's in Dominatrix, you will find this color very comparable and a lot less money to spend. I recommend with this shade to use a liner before hand.

I hope you find this post helpful, and try some of these out! Don't be afraid to try colors you're not used to! You may really like them! :D I'm going to go now and put on loads of lip balm after wiping my lips so much for this post!

Jamberry Nails 1st Impression Review!

We've all experienced painting our nails, waiting for them to dry and in the process of waiting for them to dry, dinging them up and undoing everything you've just done. It's a serious frustration!! In this post, I am trying a product that is very innovative and fun and that eliminates the frustration of chipping and embossing your couch fabric to your nail.

A couple of weeks ago, I had my friend Sarah approach me on Facebook. She is an Independent Consultant of Jamberry Nails, and she sent me some samples to try for my blog! Along with samples, she sent me her business card and a set of instructions on how to apply them with the cold press technique. I will display all of her information at the end of the blog if you would like to try them for yourself!

Before I started, I prepped my nails by cleaning them with non-moisturizing dish soap, pushing back my cuticles and cleaning my actual nails with rubbing alcohol.

I then grabbed my pair of grooming scissors and a pair of tweezers.

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures of the process just because my hands were occupied, but I will explain what I did personally. I looked up some videos, including Sarah's troubleshooting videos on her Facebook page and there are a couple of different ways to apply the Jams to the nails, but I chose the cold press method.

I took my tweezers and peeled them off then measured them to fit my nail. I then, trimmed around the top of my nail to get rid of the excess. Once it was on my nail, I grabbed my hair dryer and applied heat to the nail and flattened the top and got rid of the bubbles with the flat side of my tweezers. After the nail was set, I took some nail clippers and trimmed off the tip of my nail.

This process didn't take any time at all. They were a lot easier than what I expected and there was absolutely no mess!!! They stick to your natural nails very well. This is a first impression post, but if you keep up with me on Instagram, I will let you know in a few days how they keep!

Here is the final result, and my ring finger is actually nail polish because I want to compare the longevity of the products.

Here is the information on where to order some Jamberry Nails:

                                               Sarah Osborne Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant
                                                          Email: sarahosborne18@gmail.com
                                                www.facebook.com/sarahosborne.jamberrynails.net

I really hope you try them out and have a wonderful day! :D

 

How to use Mint Green Eye Shadow PT. 2

I will be using some of the same products I used in Part 1 for Part 2, such as the Maybelline New York Color Tattoo in "Edgy Emerald", the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. All of which you do not need!!! There are so many dupes for these now. Honestly, just go into your local drugstore or Target and there are so many alternatives to save you from burning a hole in your wallet and they are seriously just as good in quality!

For Part 2, I'm doing a more neutral take with this bright color and using it as part of my liner for just a pop of color, so people may feel more comfortable taking this direction with the mint green.

Step 1: We must prime our eyes to keep the makeup lasting all day.

Step 2: I take a fluffy brush and I use the color "Tease" from my Naked 2 Palette and place the color in my crease.

Step 3: Take a flat brush and the color "Champagne Truffle" from the Chocolate Bar Palette and place it all over the eyelid, on the inner corner and under the eyebrow. I love this color to really just open up and brighten the eyes.

Step 4: Grab an angled brush and use the color "Triple Fudge" and place this color under your bottom waterline. In Part 1, I just went a third of the way in with the under-eye liner, but for this part, I prefer to take it all the way under.

Step 5: Taking the same angled brush, clean off the previous color and then use "Edgy Emerald" to create a winged liner. Create a larger portion then you would usually do because I use a different liner in the next step.

Step 6: Finally, take a black or brown gel liner and line below what you've done with the mint, going close to the lash line. Apply waterproof mascara and you're done!!!!

Since this look is a more neutral, I like to pair it with a bright lipstick! I use Maybelline Color Vivid in 870, "Shocking Coral".

I really hope you've enjoyed this mini series and I hope that it helps you when you don't know how to use bright colors. This is the way I do it, but if you have a different way of applying bright shadows, then let me know!!! I'd love to learn a new way! :D Have a great day! 

 

How to use Mint Green Eye Shadow PT. 1

This post is inspired by a Youtube tutorial I saw a couple of months ago by Marlena from Makeup Geek. Her channel is amazing!!! I had recently bought Maybelline New York's Color Tattoo in "Edgy Emerald" and didn't really know how to use it because I typically grab for my trusty old neutral shadows. Marlena's video really helped. She combined this mint green color with copper, and it just looks beautiful together!!!

I am breaking this into two separate parts to show two ways I use this product, but you can apply this to other bright eye shadows as well!!

Step One: This step is optional, but I find it helps the shadow stay on longer throughout my day. I use the Elf Eye Primer (you can use other primers such as the Urban Decay primer, but the Elf Primer is just $1.00 and it works really well) and cover my eyelid and just under my eyes because I find it keeps my makeup from melting during the summer heat.

Step Two: Now to use the Maybelline New York Color Tattoo in "Edgy Emerald" (Marlena used a similar higher end paint pot from MAC). Just use your finger and pat it all over your eyelid. Layer as much as you want to make it as vibrant as you desire.

Step Three: Take a copper powder eye shadow. I used "Chopper" from my Naked 2 palette and a flat eye shadow brush and place it on the outer-v of my eyelid.

                            (EEEK! Sorry about the messy palette!! I've had it for quite awhile)

Step Four: I take "Half Baked" from the same Naked 2 palette, which is a gold shadow, and I place just a tiny amount between the copper and mint color as a transition color.

Step Five: The final shadow color I use is "Haute Chocolate" from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, and I apply a tiny bit of this to the very edge of my outer-v of my lid.

Final touches: Take a gel liner and create a winged liner (I like the Maybelline New York Waterproof Gel Liner), then put on your mascara. I like to take an angled brush and put "Haute Chocolate" on the bottom third of my eye, and then I take a highlighter color such as the Too Faced Chocolate Bar's, "Champagne Truffle" and place it on my inner corner and right under my eye brow.

 Final product!!!

This is all I do, but you're free to do your own take on this. I used shadows from my own personal collection, but I am sure there are several dupes out there, and I would love to hear from people about these cheaper alternatives because I am all about the discount!!! Please tweet or instagram your creations to me, or tell me what products you use!!! I hope you enjoyed and hope you are having an excellent summer season!!! :D

 

 Strawberry Nail Art!

Summer is almost here, and what better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than through nail art? I eat a ton of strawberries during the spring and summer months and I thought this would be a cute retro look. (Disclaimer,  I am in no way shape or form a professional nail technician, but find nail art to be a ton of fun!)

Here is what you'll need:

• Red Nail Polish; mine is by Sinful Colors Professional in "Ruby Ruby" another good Red Polish is Revlon's "Cherry's in the Snow"
• Mint Nail Polish; I have Maybelline New York's Color Show Nail Enamel in "Green with Envy"
• An Emerald or a darker Green Polish; I have Sinful Colors Professional in "Rise and Shine"
• White Nail Polish; Sinful Colors Professional in "#1 Snow me White"
• A Top Coat Polish

 You do not have to use what I use. All of these are just suggestions. If you have similar colors lying around, then grab those instead of going out and buying new polishes.

The first thing you will want to do is to paint all of your nails red.

Once the first coat is on, go ahead and paint the mint on the upper 3rd of your nail, and then paint the emerald over the mint to where only a small line of mint is exposed.

Now grab your white and with a light hand, carefully paint small, white dots on the red only to create the illusion that there are seeds.

Finally, you will add your top coat to add shine and to set everything so that your polish will not chip as easily.

And that is it!!!

You now have a really fun and retro look for the summer!!! You could also replace the red with pink and make the seeds black to create watermelon nail art! The most important thing is that you are enjoying yourself and that you are playing with color and having a fun, creative time!!!

I really hope you guys like this and subscribe through email to keep updated on new posts, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram!!! I'd love to see your creations!!! Have a great day!

 

May Favorites

I honestly cannot believe that another month has gone by, and soon it will be June. I am fortunate to have found a lot of goodies this month and can't wait to do my first Favorites post and share what I've found!
I hope you all find this helpful and go and try out some of these!

This first thing is not a beauty product, but a hand soap! I suppose you could categorize this with beauty since it has many beneficial properties. The brand is called Soapbox and they have a variety of bar and hand soaps, but I got the Black Soap hand soap and it is AMAZING. Black Soap has activated charcoal, jojoba oil, Shea butter and aloe in it. The formula to this is super moisturizing and it smells so good! Another plus is when you buy a full bottle of this soap, one month of clean water goes to a child in need, and I think that is just awesome. It's $6.00, but for the quality and cause, I think it's totally worth it.

My next favorite is essentially my summer foundation routine. If you are a person with dry-combo skin like me, you will really appreciate these products. Normally in the winter, my skin is deathly dry and just horrible, but when the weather starts to get warmer, my skin takes a turn and I have the hardest time finding products that don't make my skin too oily, but also have sunscreen in it. Anyway, to the left is the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, and to the right is the Benefit Fake Up Concealer. The two of these together are really great and the NARS Tinted Moisturizer provides the added protection for your skin, which is really important for the summer. I still put on a mild moisturizer before putting it on, but it doesn't leave my skin feeling too greasy. Although, I would not recommend this for people with oily skin. The Benefit Fake Up is excellent for under-eye dark circles, and is extremely moisturizing and does not crease as much as other concealers. You can find these products at your local Sephora or online.

The last time I went into Sephora to get my tinted moisturizer, I had just enough Beauty Insider points to get a sample of the Elizabeth and James Nirvana White fragrance, and I'm not usually a perfume person, but something about the notes brought me back to my childhood. It reminded me of a perfume I had once put on one of my barbies, which sounds ridiculous, but I think that is the wonderful thing about fragrances. If they are not tied to you personally, then you should not buy them. What you wear should be a unique representation of who you are. The fragrance to the right, is Lush's Vanillary stick perfume, and I've had it for a couple of months now, but I just had to add it in, because it is wonderful! It has fair trade vanilla bean and coconut oil in it, and it is just the real deal and always makes me feel mellow when I wear it.

 I've also had this next product for a couple of months as well, but it is the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Pallet. If you are a chocolate lover like I am, you really need to get this. It is an experience, and it's a unique addition to any beauty collection. It is made with real coco and just smacks you with the smell of chocolate every time you open this pallet!! The application is very nice too. There is a variety of neutrals, but there are also purples, pinks and maroons. Also, there is a good range of shimmery and mat colors, so you get a lot to choose from. Overall, this is one of my favorite pallets, and is very practical and high quality.

These final products were discovered when I went shopping for my cousin who went to her first prom this year! The first are the Maybelline New York Color Tattoos. These have definitely been out for awhile, but it never really appealed to me to just buy one thing at a time. I bought a couple of different colors for my cousin, "Bad to the Bronze" and "Tough as Taupe" and I just really loved the way they went on. They were shimmery, but sort of tacky, which made a great base for her other shadows. So, I went back and bought "Edgy Emerald" and it is a really great mint-green color for accents and goes well with copper and brown. I may actually do a tutorial with it soon.

This second product is the NYX Lip Creams. I do not know the name of the colors, because they are not labeled on the package unfortunately, but they are great!!! They apply like a lip gloss, but the formula is like a lip stick. They stay for a long time and even when they wear off, they stain the lips so the color is still there. I would definitely recommend these to everyone.

I really hope you guys enjoyed this first Favorites post!!! Follow me on Twitter or Instagram or subscribe through email to stay updated on new posts. Have a great day!!! :D