Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Too Faced: Star Dust Eyeshadow Palette Review

Hello Everyone,

Gosh, there are just so many great palettes out there this year and I am super excited to test them out for you.

Too Faced Star Dust eyeshadow palette has neutral to warm shades with an extra pop of color. The palette cost $45 with twelve matte and shimmer shades.It also includes a travel size Better Than Sex mascara, shadow insurance eye primer, and a loose glitter pigment.


The palette is thin enough to travel with which I always find very useful and with the variety of colors I can create endless looks. 


Too Faced teamed up with a YouTuber name Vegas _Nay to create this palette that is exclusive at Ulta. Inside, there are six cards with different eye shadow looks that can be worn from day to night. 


Now, how cute are these names: The Strip, Showgirl, Jackpot, etc  If you live in Vegas, you should definitely buy it =)
My favorite shades are: Follow Me, Pink Pearl, Showgirl, and Double Tap.


Here are the swatches:
There are 2-3 shades that I feel is a bit streaky with some fallout and they are Golden Nugget, The Strip, and Girl's Night. Girl's Night is such a pretty color, but I had to swatch twice to get the pigment I have below (# 3 from the left)


Even though there are a few colors that are not as pigmented as I like, this is still a great palette. These shadows are easy to blend and works well when you apply some fix + to get a stronger pigment.

PRO- easy to travel with, have a variety of shades, easy to blend, pigmented, no creasing, includes an awesome eye primer and mascara
CON- some fallout, one shadow in particular is streaky, no mirror

Overall: 

Until next time,
Stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Sunday, November 15, 2015

NYX butt "naked" and Laura Geller Gelato Swirl illuminator in Gilded Honey review

Hello Everyone,

I have many makeup products review coming up in the next few weeks leading up to Christmas. It will be a combination of luxury brands and drugstores. During this time of the year, makeup brands are coming out with their holiday palettes and sometimes it can be very difficult to decide on which one to get. This year, there are a lot of amazing ones out there that I am excited to review. If you are a makeup junkie like me, you can never have too many eye shadow palettes or lip products.

Let's start with the NYX butt "naked" collection. The name is just adorable.
The price is reasonable: $25 (I was able to get it at Ulta- http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod13311513 or at http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/butt-naked-eyes-makeup-palette/NYX_045.html)

The packaging is small and compact with a large mirror. Great to carry along with you when traveling.
Eye shadow size: 0.03 oz, Blush: 0.07oz, and illuminators: 0.14oz
This collection comes with 15 neutral matte and shimmery eye shadows, 4 blush, 3 illuminators. These eye shadows here are cool tones which I don't have a lot of because I like eye shadows that are mostly warm tones. If you are a cool tone lover, you may want to pick this up.

Most of the eye shadows here have great color payoff except for a few that you would need to pack on more for the color to show up. The blush on the other hand are very pigmented (two thumbs up) and the highlighters do not have any chunky glitters which is another plus. The blushes and highlights are what I like most about this palette.
 
The color here are gorgeous, especially the burnt orange/red. I have circled my favorite colors in red. Again, for the lighter colors you do need to build it up but the darker ones are great. Another thing to keep in mind, they do take a little bit longer to blend.  Although these eye shadows are not like the buttery ones from Urban Decay, Tarte, etc I think it is a good starter palette for everyday use. I would recommend to put a primer underneath the eye shadows so it can last longer.
 Here are some swatches for the eye shadows: this is the result with just one swatch. You can see that some of the lighter colors do not show up.
 Here are the swatches for the 4 blushes and 3 illuminators:
 
Overall rating: Best palette from NYX so far.
  
Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator

Highlights and illuminators are very popular now. It definitely gives you a healthy glow, however, if you apply too much you can look like a disco ball.

I heard so many great things about Gilded Honey illuminator and it is always sold out at Ulta. Now it is back in stock and you can purchase it here: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod12291867

Size: 0.16oz
This illuminator looks so natural on and a little goes a long way. It can be used as an eye shadow or a highlight. Gilded Honey works well for fair to medium skin tone. If you are deeper skin tone, I recommend the color Ballerina. The packaging is small (easy to carry in your purse) and it glides on smoothly with your finger... I do see why people rave about this. I like this highlight just as much as I like Champagne Pop by Becca.

 Here is the swatch: 


Overall rating:  Definitely try it out!!!

Until next time,

stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.
<3 <3 <3


Monday, October 5, 2015

Fall DIY- How to use pumpkins as a centerpiece

Hello Everyone,

Looking for an inexpensive fall house decor? Nothing says Fall more than decorating or carving pumpkins. Since I will not be carving the pumpkins, it makes more sense for me to get the miniature ones. These are about fifty to seventy cents each or a bag of six for $7 at the super market. Depending on the type of decor you are going for, there are round ones, white ones, ones with ridges, etc. I like mine to be a mixture of the different shapes and sizes.



Now for the art supplies. All the halloween theme decor at Michael's are 50% off, plus I got an additional 20% off my total from a coupon that they have. Yay for discounts!

Idea #1:
Spray paint the pumpkin to any color you want. Wow, look how fancy it is already. A gold pumpkin!

Idea #2
Or you can choose a spray paint with gold glitter.

Of course, I just had to add more glitter to both pumpkins to spice it up!



Idea #3:
Paint them.


Idea #4:
You can also paint the colors of your favorite sports team.

Idea #5:
Decorate the pumpkin with accessories. Yeah, this is definitely not a scary pumpkin.

Once you are done, you can place them onto a plate and make it your centerpiece. I just added a few signs so if anyone tries to take one, they have been forewarned!


Alright, I hope you guys enjoyed this blog! Happy Fall!

Until next time,
stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3 <3<3

Thursday, June 4, 2015

How to get organized for your wedding

Hello Everyone,

The wedding is in less than two months away and it is very important to start preparing a list of things you would need to bring to the venue AND an execution plan. Yep, my project manager skills are becoming useful. To keep myself organized, I want to make sure I have a checklist that I know I can count on. It is going to be very chaotic that week and having a list will help reduce the stress. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Of course, with my list I have to make it pretty. I like to write on something that is colorful and fun. I picked up two plain white poster boards from Michaels that I can easily roll up and carry with me to the venue. Now, let's start decorating!

What you need: Sharpie pens, sponges, small paint set, and any type of designs and lettering.



For my poster, I created a  Pre-wedding checklist and the Day Of. Pre-wedding is for anything I need to bring to the venue. Day Of are going to be task assignments. For example, who will be setting up the candy bar, greeting table, dinner tables, decors for the barn, etc 
Also, don't forget to personalize it with your initials on the bottom. =) 


On the second poster, it will be for the Wedding Day Setup. I took pictures of where I want the tables to be setup at the venue and how I would like the tables to be setup. Also, next to the picture is a checklist of the items that are needed for each table.


Remember, have fun planning. Take advantage of this time to be creative for your wedding.


Until next time,
stay beautiful, healthy, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Countdown to the wedding: 2 months

Hello Everyone,

Yikes the wedding is about two months away and I am super excited. Currently, I am just cherishing this moment of being a bride. As we get closer to the wedding, I know time will fly by and I want to make it as memorable as I can. Nothing says you are the "bride" than a T-shirt.

T-shirt: Etsy- IselleDesignStudio
Necklace(s): Chloe and Isabel
Shoes: Oscar de la Renta: They are classic/vintage inspired which I love and match well with our wedding theme.



At this point it is all about the details. I want to share some ideas on how you can customize your wedding by starting with the cake topper.

My fiance and I always knew we wanted a customized cake topper. Etsy is a great place to look for almost anything you want to customize. We were impressed with the work at The Rosemary Toppers and decided use them. They are really easy to work with and before you send the final payment, they will send you a picture of your topper for approval.

I will not show you what our topper looks like until after my wedding, but here are some samples they have on their website:






More customized ideas in my future blogs... so stay tuned!
Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy being a bride.


Until next time,
stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3<3<3