Photo Tribute to Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958–June 25, 2009)

Stay Beautiful, and I hope you've finally found peace Michael!

This is me bored and playing in makeup of course...

silly face for the camera :-)

What I used:

Skin:

(sorry if my skin looks like crap....I'm stressin!)
MAC Studio Stick NW47

Black Opal Cover and Clear Concealer in Bronze

True Cosmetics Pressed Mineral Foundation in Deep 4

Cheeks:

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Diva

Iman Luxury Blushing Powder in Sable

NARS Taos

Eyes:

Base: L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Witty

Contour: Iman Luxury Blushing Powder in Sable

Highlight: Smashbox Single Eyeshadow in Bliss

Lid: Urban Decay Cream Shadow in Grass

Outer corner: Random Black Eye Shadow

Lower Lash Line: Shiseido Hydro-Powder eyeshadow Eye Shadow in Proenza Schouler Blue H14 (limited edition)

Inner corner: True Cosmetics Accents in Stellar

Eyeliner: MAC Fluidline

Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash

(if I used any...doesn't look like I remembered b4 taking pics...lol)

Lips:

Black Radiance Radiant Lip Gloss #3205

Stay Beautiful!

OK...so I have a problem...

I ordered more makeup!! (Smashbox haul...well...kinda...just a few items)

I couldn't help myself...I have been spying a few items on Beautyticket.com for a while and when I noticed that they were slowly but surely selling out of the items I wanted, I HAD to make a move...HAD TO! Lol...so I narrowed my astronomical wants list down to a few "needs" and here's what I ordered:

Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer (Shade 8)

Smashbox Lip Brillance Lip Palette Trio in "Transparencies"

Smashbox Lip Brillance Lip Palette Trio in "Lightbox"

Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in "Luxe"

Luckily (for my wallet) I ordered these items from Beautyticket.com, where you can receive up to 85% in savings, saving me $42!!!!! (shipping, insurance and tax included in my calculation!!)

To check the site out, click below:

Stay Beautiful!
P.S. I'll be reviewing these items as soon as they arrive...

New Makeup!!!

I just ordered some new makeup! Yay!! I actually went to the MAC store earlier today and bought some items but one of the blushes I wanted wasn't there so I decided to find it online. As I was searching the site I remembered that I there was a friends and family discount of 25%going on and I decided to order the blush I was looking for and the items I had bought earlier...and a "few" other things. So yeah, I'm taking the things I bought back to the store, I feel kinda bad, but hey my pockets are kinda tight, and I got so much more for the price! I may have to wait a couple weeks though...blah...they're gonna take 5-7 days to process my request because of the sale. I'm so anxoius!


Here is what I bought:

Paint Pot Shade: Indianwood

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Twinks

Paint Pot Shade: Constructivist

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Saddle

Pro Palette Blush X 6

Powder Blush / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Raizin

Powder Blush / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Sweet As Cocoa

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Corduroy

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Bronze

Pro Palette Eye Shadow X 15

Eye Shadow / Pro Palette Refill Pan Shade: Amber Lights

I can't wait to do a product review and a perhaps few looks for you guys! I also have something else in the works...I'll tell you about that later!

Stay Beautiful!

Facials On-The-Go!...

We all know that as on-the-go women, fitting a facial into our busy schedules can be very difficult, if not impossible. And with the economy the way it is now and as budgeting becomes a top priority, it can be equally as difficult to justify spending $50-$200 on a skin treatment every 3-6 weeks. This is where home treatments come in, now I'm not saying you should stop seeing your facialist...no! Not at all, what I am suggesting is a quick addition to you regular routine that will give your skin the pick-me-up it needs!

If you haven't already heard of Apivita or tried their products, allow me introduce you:

"EXPRESS is a complete range of personal creams and masks that use fruit and vegetable extracts to provide a unique nutritional "menu" for the face, body and hair. Express products are available in modern, monodose, travel-friendly packaging which allows you to mix and match different creams and masks to create your own personal skin "diet"."

I'll be reviewing my favorite Apivita Natural Products. From the Express line of masks, Cleansing Tissues and Scrubs.

My Personal Favorites:

Cleansing Tissues 3 in 1

"Toning face-cleansing tissues and make-up removers for face and eyes." These cleansing tissues are great for those RARE* nights when you come home too late and too tired, just wanting to fall into bed without to washing your makeup off. Just unfold, wipe your face and neck and toss! It's just that easy*. Comes in a box of 10. (*please don't do this every night!)

Active Ingredients: Mild cleansing agents, chamomile extract, panthenol, essential oils.

Benefits: Effectively cleanses skin and removes make-up from face and eyes, tones and invigorates the skin, suitable for all skin types.

Every Day Face Scrub with Apricot

This "mild exfoliating face scrub" is great for a quick and effective scrub to help slough off dead cells, revealing a healthier glow. The exfoliating grains of jojoba gently exfoliate, without causing irritation. Great for all skin types. Comes in a box of 12.

Active Ingredients: Exfoliating grains of jojoba, apricot oil, calendula, panthenol, essential oils.

Benefits: Removes dead cells from the surface of the skin encouraging skin cell renewal, improves skin appearance and texture, and suitable for all skin types, even on a daily basis.

Aqua Plus Face Mask with Cucumber

I really like this one...the Aqua Plus Face Mask is an ultra-hydrating made with hyaluronic acid, a excellent water binder which holds remarkable amount weight in water! (yes that's a good thing for your skin but not your body...) This mask makes my skin feel soft and supple, is suitable for all skin types and it's benefits and ingredients are great! Comes in a box of 12.

Active Ingredients: Cucumber extract, avocado oil, hyaluronic acid, cocoa butter, vitamin E, essential oils.

Benefits: Deeply moisturizes and invigorates the skin, soothes from irritations, enhances skin elasticity.

Skin Food Face Mask with Honey

I LOVE almost anything with honey, it's so nourishing and full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, aiding in the healing of skin. So it's only natural that the Skin Food Face Mask would be one of my top picks. Comes in a box of 12.

Active Ingredients: Honey, wheat extract and wheat proteins, vitamin E, essential oils.

Benefits: Effectively nourishes skin, helping to tone and restore natural health and glow, enhances skin elasticity and suitable for all skin types.

Calming Face Mask with Dittany of Crete

This is an ultra calming mask that contains Dittany of Crete, an herb Native only to the mountains of Crete. This perennial plant has medicinal purposes, and is used to "heal wounds, soothe pain, cure snake bites, and ease childbirth. " The use of Dittany of Crete and chamomile in this calming mask makes it ideal for sensitive skin types, helping to calm and soothe irritation. Comes in a box of 12.

Active Ingredients: Dittany of Crete, chamomile oil, organic olive oil, phytotal.

Benefits: Soothes irritated skin types, combats and prevents irritation and ideal for sensitive skin types.

FYI:

These products come individually packaged, so if you're concerned about their impact on the environment, it is probably best not to use them everyday. Perhaps you can use them once a week or once every 2 weeks, or even once a month, and course recycle whatever you can.

Where to find:

Express Cleansing and Scrubs

Express Face Masks

Can't decide on which to try?

Check out these mix-and-match kits:

Party Recovery Kit

Express Weekend Spa - Moisturizing Treatment

Express Weekend Spa - Firming Treatment

And that's it!
I hope you'll like these products as much as I do!!

Stay Beautiful!

Beautiful Saturday, Beautiful Nails...

So I decided to brighten up my day with a bit of nail polish today! I LOVE pink and I live for pink nails! (not really...but they're hot!) Today I'm wearing Fuchsia Fever by Revlon, which is a very hot, bright pink, the photos of my nails capture the color almost exactly except that in real life it is brighter.

This is one of my fav pink nail polishes and I most definitely recommend it! You can pick it up at your local drugstore for really cheap or from drugstore.com for $4.99.

Stay Beautiful!

P.S. Stay tuned for my Summer Nail Color picks! Coming Soon!

FREE BARE MINERALS! (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)

The lovely folks at Bare Essentials are giving away free 10-day supplies of their world famous bareMinerals Mineral sFoundation!

Made with pure, crushed minerals from the earth, bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation looks like a powder, feels like a cream and buffs on like silk, giving skin a natural luminosity. Free of preservatives, talc, oil, waxes, fragrances, and other chemicals that can irritate skin and cause breakouts, its ideal for all skin types and conditions, from sensitive skins to acne and rosacea. Our weightless, silky minerals give you flawless coverage with the amazing look and sensation of radiant bare skin. Plus, it provides natural SPF 15 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

FREE 10-day trial of bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation and Premi Buki Brush. (While supplies last.)

CLICK BELOW:

FREE MAKEUP!!

Stay Beautiful!

Great Brows. Want em? Get em!

Brow Beauty 101:

How to TWEEZE a Brow.

Let a me start out by reminding you that a lady never "plucks" her brows, she tweezes. The word "pluck" brings to mind images of poor innocent chickens getting their feathers yanked out by Ma before supper time...speaking of chicken...I really want some nuggets...SMDH...ok!...back to the subject...

The process of hair removal by tweezing, if done right, shouldn't be a torture session because tweezed hair is GENTLY pulled out in the DIRECTION of hair growth, one by one, not plucked out all willy nilly.

WTPluck?! You are not a chicken...

The next thing to keep in mind is that your brows may never look like the ones pictures above...or the ones you see in a magazine...not to worry though, as the objective of this post is to help you achieve YOUR best brow shape.

What you'll need:

1. A large mirror that is easy see your face with ample lighting. NOT a magnified mirror! I mean, you can use one if you really want, but I promise you'll be plucking all day...and then you'll move on to tweezing your nose hair, then to examining your pores, and picking at things that the average eye doesn't see...trust me I know...
2. Witch hazel or other astringent and cotton balls (I believe in cleaning the area before and after)
3. Slant tip tweezer
4. Eyebrow brush or disposable mascara wand
5. Angled eyebrow makeup brush
6. Eyebrow trimmer, facial or cuticle scissors (basically small scissors)
7. Brow pencil and powder
8. Clear brow gel Great for taming thinner brows (optional for finishing)
9. Brow Wax Great for taming thicker brows (optional for finishing steps)
10. White Eye Pencil (optional)
11. Brow stencil (optional)

BROW HOW TO: STEP BY STEP

STEP 1: Assess what you have. This is probably the most important, yet most ignored step by both amateurs and professionals in brow shaping. You should then decide what type of shape you would like while remembering that you can only work with what is currently there. Too high or too skinny and you may be regretting it for up to 3 months! (If you're not sure of your best shape or afraid that you'll make a mistake, good suggestion is to have a trusted professional shape your brows first, that way you can just maintain the shape at home.)

STEP 2: Start by brushing the front of your brows up and then trimming a bit. Then brush the ends down and trim very slightly. Lastly brush your brows to lay in their natural growth direction. Try not to trim too much because you can always trim later.

STEP 3: Start by relaxing and looking straight into your mirror.

• Place a straight edge object (eye pencil or a skinny makeup brush should work) on line A, from the outside of your nose to the corner of your eye, and lastly to the beginning of brow. When the straight edge is properly aligned, take your white pencil and trace a line at the beginning of your brow.


• Next is line B, and as shown in the diagrams below, there are two ways to find this line. In the 1st diagram, the straight edge will line up horizontally to the first line, using the outside of your pupil as a guide. In figure 2, a diagonal line made with your straight edge starting again at the outside of your nose, using the outside of your pupil as your guide. Both methods should yield a line in the same place. Mark the area using your white eye pencil.


• Line C is simply made by lining the straight edge with the outside of your nose and the end of your brow. Make a line (See figure 1&2)


• Repeat steps for second brow, check for accuracy.
  Fig. 1. Fig. 2.

STEP 4: Using your lines as a guide keep in mind that the arch/shape should come from the bottom first. Your best bet is to remove the hair from this area first. (Fig. 3)

• Option 1: Simply highlight the the area you would like to remove with your white pencil. (Fig. 4) After you highlight both sides, check for accuracy.
  
• Option 2: Using the lines you create as a guide, highlight the hairs you would like to remove with the white pencil. (Fig. 4) Then fill in the area you would like to keep with Brow powder or pencil.
  
  
  Fig. 3

Fig. 4



STEP 5: Tweeze

• Begin tweezing under your brow, starting at the end point, one hair at a time. Refer to figure 3. Pull the skin taut and grab hair close to the base and pull slowly in the direction of hair growth.
• Work your way over to the beginning of the brow ensuring that you only remove what is necessary, so that you create a clean smooth line. Before removing a hair, pull it to the side and determine whether or not the overall brow will look good without it. Will removing it create a hole or space, if so, you may just need to trim it later.
• Continue until all the hair you have decided to remove underneath is gone. Keep in mind that less is more.
• Next, remove hair from above the brow just enough to create a clean look and to define the shape.
• Evaluate your brows before tweezing the middle area. Are they even, too thick, too thin? Are you satisfied with the lines you created at the beginning of your brows?
• Begin tweezing the middle of your brows, remembering not to tweeze too much off!

STEP 6: Finish and define

• Looking into the mirror, brush your brow hairs to lay naturally, then align your scissors in a straight line and trim the top. You may also trim the ends as well being careful to not trim to much. The objective is to trim the hairs outside of your desired shape.
• If there are any sparse areas and you may have gone too far you can always fill these areas in. Using your pencil, powder or both, fill in the bare areas in the beginning of your brow using light strokes, one at a time. Once you're done, use your brow brush to soften and blend the look. After a few tries, you will eventually learn the perfect technique for filling in your brows. (Make sure you pencil is very sharp so that you can make precise strokes, especially at the end of the brow.)
• Use a cotton swab to soften a harsh brow and clean up any mistakes.
• Lastly you can add a bit of brow gel or wax to style/hold your brows!

And Voila! Were done! I know that was VERY long but hopefully it will be helpful.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Kade'