Basic & Budget-Friendly Smokey Eye

One of my most requested makeup tutorials is the basic smokey eye. This look is versatile and can vary in intensity, style, color, etc. Once you get the basics down (and with a lot of practice), you can smoke out almost any look. I mentioned in my video that it took me a lot of practice to finally achieve the look that I liked, so although I would call this a basic tutorial, I still recommend sitting down at your vanity and practicing. You can always learn something new!

This tutorial is a basic smokey eye tutorial using mostly drugstore (or drugstore priced) products and brushes. The higher end products that I used can all be easily duped (duplicated) by drugstore products. The products used for this look are listed below:

Note: Because I have so many allergic reactions to products, once I find a product that I like, I stick with it. So the face products are not drugstore products, but as I said earlier in this post, you can find dupes for almost anything!

Brushes:
Sonia Kashuk Multi-Purpose Nylon Brush - blend NYX jumbo pencil
EcoTools Shade Brush - all over lid color & crease
Essence of Beauty larger crease brush - Outer V
EcoTools Crease brush - blending & transition color
EcoTools Blending brush - highlight
Essence of Beauty smaller crease brush - lower lashline
Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner brush - upper lashline, tightline, waterline
Essence of Beauty angled blush brush

Face:
MAC Studio Select CoverUp Concealer in NW25
MAC Mineralized SkinFinish Natural in Medium Plus
NYX Mauve Blush

Eyes:
Lid: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Slate
Lid/Lower lashline: NYX Smokey Eyes Palette - medium silver/gray shade
Crease: NYX Smokey Eyes Palette - dark silver/gray shade
Outer V/lower lashline: NYX Smokey Eyes Palette - matte black
Transition: MAC Soft Brown eyeshadow
Highlight: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium Plus
MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack (upper lashline, tightline, waterline)
Andrea Modlash - #45 Black
Shu Uemura eyelash curler
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

Brows:
Trucco Eyeshadow - Rootbeer
Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

Lips:
EOS Summer Fruit Lip Balm
Revlon Colorburst lipstick - Soft Nude
MAC Viva Glam V lipglass

This is what the end-result was:




To see how I put this look together:

FAQ: Brazilian Blowout vs Thermal Reconditioning/Magic Perm/Japanese Straightening

Please Note: I was NOT compensated by the salon for this information or for recommending them. I paid for my treatment as any other customer would, but this is the best salon and stylist I have been to thus far and truly believe that if you are looking for a great salon that isn't too expensive, then you'll love them!

The Brazilian Blowout is a styling procedure that has recently blown up with women everywhere. I have been getting the Thermal Reconditioning procedure done once a year every year for the last 9 years and thought I would share with the world some a comparison FAQ between the two. Because in all honesty, I believe the Thermal Reconditioning is a much better "bang for your buck."


• How long does it take?
o Brazilian Blowout takes about 2 hours (dependent on hair)
o Thermal Reconditioning takes about 3-4 hours (dependent on hair)

• How long does it last?
o Brazilian Blowout: About 2-3 months (10-12 weeks)
o Thermal Reconditioning: About 6-9 months (24-36 weeks)
 Note: I only do the procedure once a year (every 12-14 months)

• How much does it cost?
o Brazilian Blowout: Could be different per salon, but usually around $200
o Thermal Reconditioning: Again, could be different per salon. It can be as high as $300-$1,000 per session (CNN Hair Studio in Suwanee, GA starts around $150 dependent on hair)

• Will my hair return to its original state?
o Brazilian Blowout: Yes, after 10-12 weeks hair will revert to its original state without another treatment
o Thermal Reconditioning: Some sources say that once the hair has been straightened, it will stay that way forever if properly cared for. In my personal experience, hair will eventually revert to its original state within 10-12 months.

• How soon can I wash my hair after the procedure?
o Brazilian Blowout: Immediately after the blowout
o Thermal Reconditioning: After 48 hours. Also within those hours do not pin/put up hair to prevent any “denting”

• What are the results?
o Brazilian Blowout: Frizz-free, shiny hair.
o Thermal Reconditioning: straight, frizz-free, silky feeling and shiny hair.

• How is the Brazilian Blowout different from Thermal Reconditioning?
o Brazilian Blowout temporarily rounds the follicle and smooths the hair cuticle
o Thermal Reconditioning physically changes the structure of the hair and uses heat to restructure the follicle.

Check out my last post to see step by step photos of my most recent Thermal Reconditioning experience

If you liked my results and you live in the Atlanta area, I HIGHLY recommend this salon and stylist!

CNN Hair Studio
940 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Suwanee, GA 30024
(678) 714-3252
Ask for Julie
Their pricing starts around $150 for the "Magic Perm" depending on hair length/thickness/texture


If you'd like to see video footage of the "Magic Perm" process, check out the video below! :)

Thermal Reconditioning: Longer Lasting Alternative to the Brazilian Blowout

Hey Followers!!

So I know it's been a while since my last blog post. Things have been busy with the move and getting settled in. This is my first post living in Atlanta, and I still have a lot to take care of. But for the most part I'm all settled in, job hunting like crazy, and spending a lot of time with my mom.

My mom's friend is a stylist at a salon in a town near Atlanta where they do the Thermal Reconditioning/Japanese Straightening/Magic Perm/Whatever. Here is a step by step look at how the procedure goes. Please keep in mind that timing on each step is going to differ dependent on the hair length/thickness/texture, etc.


This is what my natural hair looks like. I have been getting the "Magic Perm" done once a year every year since I was 16. And although some of these companies claim that once you get it done, the "already straightened" hair stays straight forever - this isn't true. At least in my experience over the last 9 years. Like any other perm, the texture of your natural hair comes back until you do the procedure again.


Step One:
Stylist sections off the hair and applies a protein restructuring chemical from the roots to end. This step took about 30 minutes.


Step Two:
The chemically saturated hair is wrapped in plastic and you sit under a heated dryer for about 15-20 minutes until the hair


Step Three:
The protein "restructuring" chemical is thoroughly washed out and then the hair is dried.




Step Four:
The hair was sectioned off again and flat ironed in 1 inch sections. The flat ironing restructures the hair so it's perfectly straight. This step took about an hour and a half.



Step Five:
Hair is sectioned off again and the second chemical, the neutralizer, is applied to the hair.



Step Six:
After making sure the hair is completely saturated in the neutralizer, I sat under a heated dryer for another 15 minutes.


Step Seven:
The neutralizer is thoroughly washed out and hair is rinsed with a conditioner. Then hair is dried slightly and trimmed (if needed).



Step Eight:
Hair is again sectioned off and flat ironed in 1 inch sections


End result: Lustrous, straight, shiny, silky hair




If you liked my results and are in the Atlanta area I highly recommend this salon and stylist! Her pricing starts around $150 dependent on hair length/thickness/texture. Very reasonably priced compared to most places that start around $200-$300 and go as high as $1,000! :)

CNN Hair Studio
940 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Suwanee, GA 30024
(678) 714-3252
Ask for Julie

A Thermal Reconditioning/Brazilian Blowout comparison FAQs post will follow this one shortly!

If you'd like to see video footage of the "Magic Perm" process, check out the video below! :)

Summer Essentials Contest Winners!!

Hello to all of my lovely readers! I know that I have been neglecting my poor blog, and I'm sorry! Things are CRAZY busy right now at home. I'm planning on moving to Atlanta on Wednesday (that's in 3 days!) so I've been busy packing up my things and trying to get some important stuff taken care of before I leave!

So I had a 50 subscribers contest and I know I was a little late getting this contest started and now I'm announcing the winners later than I said! But better late than never, right? Haha.

Before I announce the winners, please keep in mind that if you were NOT randomly chosen that I have 3-4 other contests/giveaways planned for the near future! And with each giveaway, the prizes get better :)

Now without further adieu (yes...I like that phrase...) here are the winners!!

3rd place goes to:

lavenderlily9500

2nd Place goes to:

UniqueAsianMix

And finally last, but certainly not least, the grand prize winner:

Plainjane10

Congratulations ladies!! Please list the 3 liners you would like from 1st place to 3rd place (i.e., 1. Jade, 2. Teal, 3. Lime or whatever order you would like) and send it to me in a YouTube message along with your address! Remember, first come first served!!

And to ALL of my subscribers, good luck on the next giveaway!

Collective Haul - Sephora, CVS, Sephora, Target, HauteLook, LUSH

So here is an overdue haul!! The last "haul" I did was back in March, when I did my Arizona haul. I've been trying hard to save money and not spend as much, and once the last of my giveaway prizes are bought, I will be putting myself on a spending ban. I've got some significant changes happening in the next couple months, and I need to save all the money I can! So here is a collective haul....which means it's pretty much everything I've bought - beauty-wise - in the last 3 months! I do have a small haul I have to film from this past weekend when I was in Indiana for my uncle's wedding, but then I believe that's it for hauls for the next few months. So without further adieu, here you go! Let me know if you see anything you'd like me to review!

Makeup/Brushes:

Ulta:
NYX was Buy 2 Get 1 Free
* NYX Runway Collection Palette - Secret World
* NYX For Your Eyes Only Palette - Smokey Eyes
* NYX Runway Collection Palette - Champagne & Caviar
* NYX Jumbo Pencil - Cottage Cheese
* NYX Jumbo Pencil - Oyster
* NYX Jumbo Pencil - Dark Brown
* NYX Jumbo Pencil - Baby Blue
* NYX Jumbo Pencil - Pacific
* NYX Lipliner - Hot Red
* NYX Round lipstick - Peach
* NYX Round lipstick - Eros
* NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss - Plush Red

Revlon was also Buy 2 Get 1 Free
* Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - Peach
* Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - Soft Nude
* Revlon Matte Shadows in Vintage Lace

Ardell's were Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
* Individuals - Short flare
* Individuals - Medium flare

* CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion
* Cargo Swimmables Waterproof Eyeliners

CVS:
* Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Forever Stay Eye Pencil - Chocolate Brown
* Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil - Black

Sephora:
* Smashbox LashDNA Mascara

Target:
* Sonia Kashuk makeup bag
* Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush

Lucky Vitamin:
* EcoTools 6 piece eye brush set

Walgreens
* EOS Lip balm - 3 pack

Cosmetic Company Store Outlet:
* MAC 165 Brush
* MAC 227 Brush
* MAC Peaches Blush
* MAC Vanilla Pigment

HauteLook: POP Beauty
* Glowbelle blush/highlight palette
* Lid Silver eyeshadow palette



Skincare:

Macy's:
* Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
Target:
* St Ives Hydrating Vitamin E Body Moisturizer


Hair Care:
Target:
* TRESemme Heat Tamer
* TRESemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo

Nail Polish
Walgreens:
* Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure
Ulta:
* Seche Crystal Clear Base Coat

LUSH
Mail Order:
* Honey Hugs Shower Gel
* Mirand Soap sample
* Queen of Hearts soap sample

In Store:
* Happy Blooming bath melt
* Sunny Side bubble bar
* Flosty Gritter bubble bar
* Butterball bath bomb
* Avobath bath bomb
* Floating Island bath melt
* Melting Marshmallow Moments (MMM) bath melt


Quick side not about HauteLook - it's a website that sells brand name/designer products. Anything from Shoes, clothes, makeup, accessories to baby toys! Click here for an invite to sign up for HauteLook and find some GREAT deals on designer brands!

For more info check out Part 1 (makeup) & 2 (skin/nails/hair/LUSH) of my haul videos below!

Collective Haul - Part 1


Collective Haul - Part 2


And I know I keep saying this, but stay tuned for my 50 subscriber contest! I know I owe you guys, but technical difficulties delayed this contest a little bit. Just waiting on Amazon to ship my last prize and I will be ready to put up my Giveaway video!! :)

LUSH Cocktail Series: Refreshing Mimosa

So my next cocktail was supposed to be a "Hot Chocolate" cocktail (a subscriber request!) but I didn't have everything for it. So I proceeded with one of the other cocktails on my list: the mimosa! For the younger ones who may follow me, a traditional mimosa is an alcoholic drink made from champagne and orange juice. This cocktail has a distinct citrus smell with champagne undertones, and definitely smells like a delicious mimosa! :) This cocktail is made up of: Super Nova bath bomb, Sunny Side bubble bar, a TINY piece of Ma Bar bubble bar, and of course, You've Been Mangoed bath melt. All of the "ingredients" used for this cocktail I've written about before. I'll post a link to the blog posts where I originally wrote about them. The only one I haven't used yet is Super Nova!

Super Nova Bath Bomb:
So this bath bomb is fairly new to me. Before the cocktail video, I had only used Super Nova once before, and just a small sample of it. I fell in love with the scent. The main ingredient that gives this bomb the "champagney" undertone is the cognac oil. The oil has a distinct alcohol-like smell. This bath bomb also contains orange oil and lime oil, which is what gives it the delicious citrus smell.

Sunny Side Bubble Bar:
Sunny Side bubble bar - Beach Bum Cocktail

Ma Bar Bubble Bar:
Ma Bar bubble bar - Cherries Jubilee Cocktail

You've Been Mangoed:
You've Been Mangoed - Pink Lemonade Cokctail

Check out the video below to see how the cocktail turned out!



By the way - for a normal bath (and not in a HUGE tub like this one) the proportions I would use are: 1/4-1/2 a bath bomb, 1/3-1/2 bubble bar, 1/3 bath melt.

Keep your eye out for more videos! I'll be in Indiana this weekend for my Uncle's wedding, but I'll try to get something up! But eh LUSH cocktail may have to wait 'til later on next week. Hope everyone has a great weekend!! :)

Everyday Makeup Look for Work, and a quick Giveaway update!

Yet another neutral look I've been LOVING lately for work. It's a neutral smoked out purple/cool brown look, and I pretty much wore it for the entire month of May. Or well, when I actually had time to apply makeup in the morning. The look doesn't take more than 15 minutes to do, so its doable for work days (unless you're like me and value the extra 15 minutes of sleep! lol). Otherwise, it was just a quick application of concealer, powder, and mascara.

Makeup used for this video:
* MAC Select Cover-Up in NW25
* MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
* Urban Decay Primer Potion
* MAC Eyeshadow in Naked Lunch
* MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe
* MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch
* Smashbox LashDNA mascara
* Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Latino

Tools used for this TAG:
* Japonesque Kabuki brush
* Sigma SS168 Angled Blush brush
* MAC 239 brush
* MAC 217 brush
* MAC 227 brush
* Sonia Kashuk Crease brush
* MAC 224 brush

Check out the video below:



Now, I know you guys are eager to hear details about my 50 subscriber giveaway, and I'm eager to get that video up! Unfortunately, I ordered a couple things for prizes from Sephora and got an email saying that they were sold out and wouldn't be able to ship my products. :( So I'm in the process of finding a few more things! Thanks for being patient, and sit tight for a little while longer and I will get it all together soon!

LUSH Cocktail Series: Pretty in Pink

So judging by the title of this cocktail, all of you LUSH fans out there already know the 2 main ingredients. This particular cocktail is very artificially sweet smelling. Does that make sense? It has that sweet, sugary, artificial candy-like fruit smell. I can't quite put my finger on it! This cocktail uses: Big Pink Shell, Creamy Candy bubble bar, and Melting Marshmallow Moments bath melt.

Big Pink Egg bath bomb:
This bath bomb was limited edition for Easter, and smells like the candy fluff powder (and the candy fluff mum) and leaves your skin smelling sweet and candy-like when used as the main ingredient in a bath or used with Rockstar soap. This can be substituted with the Think Pink bath bomb, which has a similar smell :)

Cream Candy bubble bar:
This bubble bar is made with vanilla absolute (for the sweet, vanilla-y scent) and contains skin-softening ingredients like cocoa butter (there are literally chunks of cocoa butter in this bubble bar!) and almond oil. However, this bubble bar alone doesn't leave your skin feeling quite as soft as when you use You've Been Mangoed or Happy Blooming bath melts. But it's definitely a must-have if you like the girly smelling bath products.

Melting Marshmallow Moments (aka MMM):
This bath melt is again, not quite as moisturizing as You've Been Mangoed or Happy Blooming, but is still good for the skin. This bath melt fizzes slowly instead of giving off that ring of essential oils as the other 2 do. MMM smells deliciously like a big pink cupcake (or Marshmallows!), and with the use of cocoa butter and almond oil is also fairly moisturizing for your skin.

Check out the video and see how it all looks when it comes together!



Let me know if you would like to see a cocktail made with any other LUSH ingredients! And I'll talk to you all soon! :)

May 2010 Favorites

Hi everyone!

Keeping this month's favorites short and sweet! Here's the list of products featured in my May Favorites:

Hair Care:
Halo Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner
Halo Purity Clarifying Shampoo
S-factor "Serious" Conditioner
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray

Skin Care:
LUSH Honey Hugs Shower Gel
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
Clean & Clear Acne Spot Treatment
Burt's Bees Doctor Burt's Blemish stick
Tweezerman Facial Blotting Paper
LUSH Lip Scrub in Sugar Lips
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Buffer
EOS Lip Balms - Summerfruit (red) and Honeysuckle Honeydew (green)

Makeup:
MAC Shadow - Vanilla
MAC Shadow - Naked Lunch
MAC Shadow - Satin Taupe
MAC Shadow - Sketch
MAC Shadow - Print
Revlon Matte Shadow - Vintage Lace
Rimmel Moisture Renew - Latino
Revlon Colorburst - Soft Nude
Revlon Colorburst - Peach
CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion

Makeup Tools:
EcoTools 6 piece eyebrush set
MAC 227 Brush
MAC 165 Brush

If you have any questions on any of these items, please feel free to post a comment on here or on Youtube and I'll get right back to you!

Day to Night Makeup Tutorial

So, I didn't get a chance to post pictures. I went out as soon as I was done with my video (I was running late!) So sorry! I'm about to film my next LUSH cocktail, so this post is going to be VERY quick!

Makeup used in the morning:
* MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW25
* MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Plus
* MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
* NYX Smokey Eye Palette
* Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Forever Stay Eye Pencil in Chocolate Brown
* Sephora Lash Stretcher Mascara in Black
* Clinique True Bronzed in Sunblushed
* Benefit Coralista Blush
* Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude
* MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam V


Makeup used for the tutorial:
* MAC Blot Powder in Medium Dark
* NYX Smokey Eye Palette (light, medium, dark colors)
* Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Forever Stay Eye Pencil in Chocolate Brown
* Sephora Lash Stretcher
* Clinique True Bronzed in Sunblushed
* Pop Beauty Glow Belle (peach color)
* MAC Baroque Boudoir lipstick
* Sephora Bronzed Beauty lipgloss


For more detail on the colors I used from the Smokey Eye palette watch the video! (I point out the specific colors that I used!) :)



Off to get my LUSH cocktail started!!

PS...

Information regarding my 50 subscriber contest will be going up shortly (I'm only 12 away from 50!!). For the main prizes I have collected thus far, I'm going to save for the 100 subscriber contest (and they are GREAT prizes!!), but I've got other ideas for my first contest winner(s). :) So make sure to subscribe to my blog to hear more about contests before everyone else! :)

Goodnight Moon.

TAG: Five Minute Makeup Challenge!

So there's this challenge going around on YouTube, and I thought it looked like fun! So I went ahead and did it and hope that other people can get around to doing it as well. :) The look I used is a typical look I do for work - if I get around to putting any makeup on. Yes, I go to work without makeup on more often than I do WITH makeup on (What can I say? I'm a girl that values her sleep! The extra 10-15 minutes is more than worth it to me! lol). It's a neutral look that is an almost barely there sort of neutral. I work for a very conservative company, so I tend to stray away from the bright makeup look. So for those that HAVE seen the video, here's a list of what I used for this video:

Makeup used for this TAG:
* MAC Select Cover-Up in NW25
* MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
* MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
* MAC Eyeshadow in All That Glitters
* MAC Eyeshadow in Era
* NYX Chocolate Brown from Smokey Eye Palette
* Covergirl LashBlast Fusion mascara
* Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Latino

Tools used for this TAG:
* Japonesque Kabuki brush
* MAC 239 brush
* MAC 217 brush
* Sonia Kashuk Crease brush
* MAC 224 brush

Check out the video and see how quick I put the look together!



I've got lots to put up yet! I have a day-night tutorial coming, a collective haul from things I've picked up over the last couple of months (since my trip to AZ), and my May favorites! (It's June already?!) So stay tuned!!

LUSH Cocktail Series: Beach Bum

This post is going to be short, sweet, and to the point! I just spent an exhausting 3 1/2 hours doing wedding shopping stuff with a newly engaged friend (congratulations Becca and Chris!). I had originally planned to come home and film a few videos (because I slacked off last weekend and this weekend is going to be HECTIC with my ATL family in town!), but that was when I had forgotten about wedding dress shopping! So ANYWAY, on to the reason for tonight's post!

The next cocktail in this series is a common one. This was, I believe, the first "cocktail" I had ever seen (demonstrated by, I'm sure, one of my many favorite LUSH girls - although I can't remember who it was!). I was fascinated with the concept of mixing bath bombs and bubble bars to create aesthetically and aromatically pleasing baths, especially after seeing the shimmery bluish green water and smelling the citrusy aroma. I'll bet you already KNOW which cocktail I'm talking about! Yup, the Mermaid Cocktail. But I decided to be different and called it the Beach Bum. This cocktail is simple and only consists of 3 ingredients: Sunny Side bubble bar, Big Blue bath bomb, and You've Been Mangoed bath melt.

Sunny Side Bubble Bar:
The 4 most important ingredients in this bubble bar: lemon oil, tangerine oil, sweet orange oil, and glitter. From those 4 things it's pretty safe to say that your experience with the Sunny Side bubble bar will be citrusy and full of shimmer! Which is really exactly what you'll get. Oh, and nice fluffy bubbles too, of course!


Big Blue Bath Bomb:
This bath bomb is infused with skin soothing ingredients like seaweed and sea salts. The seaweed helps sooth and nourish your skin with vitamins A, E and C (which is why seaweed is such a healthy snack! Yum!) while the sea salts helps stimulate, soften and hydrate the skin. The scent of this bath bomb is a combination of citrus (lemon/lime) and lavender and leaves you relaxed.

You've Been Mangoed:
Because I wrote a little blurb about this bath melt in my previous post, I'll link you guys to that particular one if you want to know more about this bath melt! :)
You've Been Mangoed Blurb HERE!


Check out the video and let me know what you think! If you have any requests for these cocktails, please let me know!



And now, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, fellow LUSHies! :)

LUSH Cocktail Series: Pink Lemonade

Hi again readers!

So I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful spring day! I know I am! :) So this blog post is about my next video in my cocktail series. Pink Lemonade! This particular cocktail involves the Mum Still Life Flower bath bomb, You've Been Mangoed bath melt, Two Timing Tart bubble bar, and a chunk of the Big Pink Egg from the Easter products. As promised in my video, here's a little more information on each of the products:

The Mum Still Life Flower bath bomb:
This bath bomb is only back for a limited time! So if you're a fan of this scent, I would highly recommend running out to your local LUSH store (or the LUSH website) and picking up a few more! This bomb is full of lemon, bergamot, and sweet wild orange oils for a refreshing citrus scent. As an added bonus (or in my case, slightly irritating) there are marigold and sunflower petals mixed into this bomb, which as far as I know, serve no other purpose than looking pretty in the water. However, in my personal opinion the cons definitely outweigh the pros. I LOVE the scent of this bomb and hope that with the discontinuation of the Happy Pill, that LUSH comes out with another citrus-smelling bath bomb. (For this cocktail, the Still Life bomb can be replaced with bombs such as Supernova, the citrus side of the Happy Pill, and the avobath bath bombs)

You've Been Mangoed bath melt:
I have fallen in love with bath melts! They make my skin feel absolutely amazing after a bath! Usually, after a bath or shower I had to immediately use my Burt's Bees Vitamin E Oil, but with the the use a bath melt, I don't need to. Similar to the Happy Blooming Bath Melt, the ingredients, avocado, mango and cocoa butters help nourish and moisturize your skin while lemongrass, lime and lemon oils give this bath melt its invigoratingly citrus scent. When the bath melt is completely done it turns the water a milky orange color and leaves your skin feeling amazing.


Two Timing Tart bubble bar:
In my honest opinion, this fruity smelling bubble bar is not a must have. Although the bubble bar smells great (but can be easily be substituted with Creamy Candy or Comforter), the bubbles aren't as great and fluffy as most of LUSH's other bubble bars. Two Timing Tart contains coconut cream, which helps soften skin and is actually found in many of LUSH's other products. It also contains Jasmine and Geranium oils which keeps the bubble bar from smelling too sweet.

Big Pink Egg:
This bath bomb smells like the candy fluff powder (and the candy fluff mum/fluff egg) and leaves your skin smelling sweet and candy-like when used as the main ingredient in a bath or used with Rockstar soap.



Watch the video to see how the cocktail turned out! And keep your eyes peeled for the next cocktail video :)

LUSH Cocktail Series: Cherries Jubilee

Hey readers!!

So this is my first video in my LUSH cocktail series! :) I got requests to do more LUSH videos, so of course, I'm doing just that! I'm going to attempt to do 1 cocktail video a week; let's hope I can stick to that! Like I've mentioned before, the weekends are really the ONLY time I have for filming. So here's to hoping that I'll be able to do 1 per week! Shouldn't be too hard though, because I LOVE taking LUSH baths!

So this particular cocktail involves the Happy Blooming, Butterball, A small chunk of the Big Pink Egg, and Ma Bar. Here are some of the benefits of each of these products:

Happy Blooming Bath Melt
Before Happy Blooming, I was sort of afraid of bath melts. I was afraid there would be some kind of oily residue left in my tub after I use one, but I was wrong! The product itself is scored into thirds, so one merely has to break (or cut) off a piece and use it for 1 bath. Trust me when I say that 1/3 of the Happy Blooming is good enough for 1 bath!! The main ingredients in this bath melt are 50% calamine powder, cocoa butter, cherries and passion fruit. When the bath melt is completely done it turns the water a milky pinky/coral color and leaves your skin feeling amazingly soft and SO fragrant! The smell of sweet cherries lingers on your skin for a very long time.

Butterball Bath Bomb
Funny story behind butterball, it was the first LUSH item that I've ever purchased (along with my beloved Honey I Washed the Kids soap!) and I wasn't too impressed the first time I used it because it wasn't quite as fragrant in the water as the other bath bombs I had tried. Recently I decided to give Butterball a try again and absolutely fell in love with it! Butterball is a sweet, vanilla scented bath bomb that has ingredients like cocoa butter and ylang ylang that helps to moisturize and sooth the skin.

The Big Pink Egg Bath Bomb Shell
I simply used to add a hint of candy sweetness. I used a TINY chunk from the outer bath bomb shell for this bath so the scent wouldn't overpower the others. This bath bomb smells like the candy fluff powder (and the new candy fluff mum!) and leaves your skin smelling sweet and candy-like when used as the main ingredient in a bath.

Ma Bar Bubble Bar
This is one of my absolute favorite products from LUSH. Ma Bar is one of the few products that I am consistently stocking up on. It's the bubble bar that smells like chocolate, toffee, and honey. The main ingredient in this one is the cocoa powder, which gives it that chocolately smell. This bath bomb also contains sweet orange oil (commonly used to destress and lift spirits) and bergamot oil (also used to destress and lift spirits, and it's good for the skin!).

When I originally did this cocktail, I used the last third of my Marzibain bath bomb. Amazing combination, but seeing that Marzibain is not readily available at all LUSH locations (I bought mine in a retro order I did about a month ago) I subbed it with the Ma Bar. Not an identical scent, but it still had a subtle sweet smell to it!

The combination of these 4 products definitely gave the bath water a distinct cherries and cream smell. The combination of the bath melt and butterball bath bomb made the water feel silky smooth and made my skin feel amazingly soft and moisturized. This is definitely a combo I will be doing again!!

Stay tuned for the cocktail video I'll be doing next week, and check out the video to see how the cocktail turned out:

Neutral with a Pop of Turquoise

Another look using a NYX Palette! I seriously LOVE these things! The two main products I used for this look is the NYX Runway Collection Palette in Champagne & Caviar and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Flipside.

So this tutorial is a GREAT way to add a bright pop of color to your look without looking absolutely crazy! If you're like me and prefer neutral looks, this is a way to incorporate some color into your makeup. I typically don't stray too far from neutrals, and when I do, I aim for purples or greens. Never blues. So this was a FUN way to get some color to my look!

Products used for this look:

Face:
~ MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 (MAC 194 brush)
~ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus (Japonesque Kabuki brush)
~ Benefit Coralista Blush (EcoTools Blush Brush)
~ Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Rose Gold (Essence of Beauty Finishing Brush)

Eyebrows:
~ Clinique Eyebrow Pencil with brush in 02 dark brown
~ Trucco Eye Shadow in Rootbeer (Sonia Kashuk Brow Brush)
~ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in clear

Eyes:
~ Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
~ MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
~ NYX Champagne & Caviar in pink (MAC 239 brush)
~ NYX Champagne & Caviar in medium brown (MAC 217 & MAC 219 brush)
~ NYX Champagne & Caviar in darkest brown (Sonia Kashuk Crease Shadow brush)
~ MAC 224 Blending Brush
~ MAC Eyesahdow in Brule (Essence of Beauty Eye Shadow brush)
~ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero
~ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Flipside (MAC 210 Brush)
~ Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (before mascara application)
~ Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara in Black

Eyelashes:
~ Ardell Falsh Lashes
~ Duo Eyelash Glue

Lips:
~ LUSH Lip Balm in Honey Trap
~ MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam VI
~ Sephora Lipgloss in Bronzed Beauty


Some pictures for this look:





Also, check out my video to see how I got this look!



Sorry this post is so quick. Late night and I need to work in the AM. Goodnight beauties! :)

April Favorites 2010

Ok, so I uploaded my video and then ran off to a birthday party for a friend's mom! She was also celebrating 20 years being cancer-free. So I ran off without posting the corresponding blog! Anyway, here is the complete list of what was included in my favorites video for April!:

Haircare:
* Sexy Hair: Color Me Sexy - Fabulous Red

Skincare:
* MAC wipes (45 wipes - $18, 100 wipes - $26)

Perfume:
* Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche

Makeup:
* MAC Blot Powder
* Brow combo: Clinique Brow Pencil, Trucco powder in Rootbeer, Great Lash Clear Mascara
* Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara
* Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil (Black - Zero, Flipside - Turquoise, 1999 - Plum)
* MAC Prep+Prime Skin Refined Zone
* Clinique True Bronze - 03 Sunblushed
* Benefit - Coralista Blush
* MAC Paint Pot - Bare Study
* NYX Runway Collection Palette - Champagne & Caviar
* NYX Smokey Eye Palette
* LUSH Honey Trap Lip Balm
* MAC Viva Glam VI Lipstick
* Sephora Lipgloss in Bronzed Beauty


If you guys have any questions on any of these products, leave me a comment here and/or on my video and I'll get back to you with answers ASAP! Also, let me know if there's anything else that you suggest :)

Don't forget to check out the video!

LUSH Cocktails?

I am NOT talking alcoholic beverages here people! If you are a LUSHaholic, as I am, you already know what a LUSH cocktail is. But for those who don't, let me explain:

The word cocktail can be defined as any eclectic mixture or miscellaneous collection, which is EXACTLY what a LUSH cocktail is. It's when you mix different LUSH products to create something new. For example, I almost ALWAYS mix my bath bombs and bubble bars when I'm taking a LUSH bath. Not only for my sensory enjoyment, but then I prolong the use of my LUSH products too! Instead of only getting 1 or 2 baths per bar/bomb, I can get 3 or 4 (also the reason I think I can get so many uses out of 1 side of the Easter Big Pink/Yellow Eggs).

So why the sudden need to explain LUSH cocktails? Other than to show my readers that I'm not a drunk when I'm talking about cocktails! I'm thinking about doing a little mini series on LUSH cocktails for my channel! What do you guys think? :)

Last night I experimented with more than just 2 or 3 bath bombs/bubble bars. It was also my very first time EVER using a bath melt. I mixed Happy Blooming bath melt, Butterball bath bomb, Marzibain bubble bar, and a TINY sliver of the Big Pink Egg. My thoughts on this cocktail? DELISH! My bath smelled like cherries and cream, and the scent lingered on my skin for long after I was done with my bath and shower! Even after I had scrubbed my skin with the Sugar Babe sugar scrub and washed off with Honey I Washed the Kids, I could still smell the sweet cherry scent. Right after my bath/shower I used my Burt's Bees Body Oil, which smells like lemon, and even THEN I could smell the cherry. So yeah, VERY nice cocktail.

I will be recreating this cocktail and making a video for m y channel. So keep your eye out for that! As soon as it's up, I'll embed the video and let you guys know it's up! :) I have other ideas for cocktails too, but let me know what YOU guys want to see! Talk to you all later! :)

Neutral Eye using NYX Runway Collection Palette

Another look using the NYX Runway Collection Palette in Jazz Night!! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this palette? Inexpensive, yet GREAT quality makeup! ULTA currently has NYX on sale (these palettes are $7.50 each!) through April 30th, 2010! And most, if not all of the rest of the NYX products they sell are Buy Two Get One Free!

Typically when I do a neutral look, I don't usually use this much eyeliner. So, to me the look is "dramatic." However, if it's not dramatic enough for you, feel free to darken up the outer V with a touch of black shadow (there is a matte black in this palette) and use a slightly heavier hand with the liner for a thicker line and you will have a much more dramatic look!

Products used for this look:

Face:
~ MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 (MAC 194 brush)
~ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus (Japonesque Kabuki brush)
~ Benefit Coralista Blush (EcoTools Blush Brush)
~ Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Rose Gold (MAC 165 brush)

Eyebrows:
~ Clinique Eyebrow Pencil with brush in 02 dark brown
~ Trucco Eye Shadow in Rootbeer (Sonia Kashuk Brow Brush)
~ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in clear

Eyes:
~ Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
~ MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in yellow (MAC 239 brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in medium brown (MAC 217 & MAC 219 brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in darkest brown (Sonia Kashuk Crease Shadow brush & MAC 219 brushes)
~ MAC 224 Blending Brush
~ MAC Eyesahdow in Brule (Essence of Beauty Eye Shadow brush)
~ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero
~ MAC Fluidline in BlackTrack (Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner brush)
~ Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (before mascara application)
~ Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara in Black
~ Japonesque heated Eyelash Curler (AFTER mascara application)
~ Tweezerman Eyelash Comb

Lips:
~ LUSH Lip Balm in Honey Trap
~ MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam VI
~ Sephora Lipgloss in Bronzed Beauty


Here are a few pictures from the tutorial:









Check out the video to see how I put the look together:



Hope you guys are enjoying my tutorials! Like I mentioned before, if you'd like to make a request, please be sure to leave a comment on my video and I will do my best to fulfill that request ASAP! Thanks for watching/reading and I'll talk to you all later! Nighty night! :)

Vacation Haul Part 2: LUSH!

Like I posted previously, this haul is the 2nd part to my little shopping spree in Scottsdale, Arizona. I went out there to visit my best friend, so OF COURSE shopping was on one of our lists of things to do.

I raved about LUSH products to my best friend, thinking she knew ALL about them (I vaguely remember checking out LUSH with her once, a year or 2 before I became a LUSHaholic!). When I found out she had no idea what I was talking about, I told her I was dragging her to LUSH with me in Scottsdale whether she liked it or not. Luckily for me, she didn't put up much of a fight! I had no plans on buying anything while I was there. I didn't want to deal with LUSH products spilling/breaking/leaking ALL over my things in my suitcase. But when we walked in and saw it was a party day, my plans of being well-behaved in LUSH went out the window!

Anyway, this is what I got:

~ Butterball Bath Bomb - $3.95
~ Sakura Bath Bomb - $6.15
~ Sunny Side Bubble Bar - $6.15
~ Space Girl Bath Bomb - $4.95
~ Happy Blooming Bath Melt - $6.95
~ Lip Scrub in Sugar Lips - $8.95



So I'm going to be lazy for this post, and not post any pictures of the products lol. If you're interested in seeing these items, check out my latest video:



I'll talk to you all later! Hope you guys have a great weekend and I will try my best to get another video up by Sunday! :)

Vacation Haul Part 1: Makeup!

Hey everyone!!

For a much needed mini vacation I headed out to Phoenix, AZ to visit my best friend! This is what I came back with. Because my video was a little too long, I filmed it in 2 parts, makeup and LUSH!

There are a LOT of new products that I'm excited to try out and share my thoughts with you all!! For those that may have missed it, here are the makeup items that I "hauled" this weekend!


Ulta:


Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

Sephora:


Korres "Midnight Eyes" giftset
* Abyssinia Mascara in Black
* Full size eyeshadow in Plum (77S)
* Full size eyeshadow in Metallic Gray (55S)
* Full size eyeshadow in Sky Blue (84S)
* Full size eyeshadow in White (10S)
* Eyeliner Pencil in Black
* Cherry Oil Lipgloss in Beigh Pink (32)


Smashbox LashDNA Mascara

MAC Cosmetics:

* Palette refill shadow in Shadowy Lady
* Palette refill shadow in Print
* MAC 219 Brush
* MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone

I definitely have plans to review all of these items! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for part 2: LUSH haul! The video and blogpost will be posted in the next couple of days! Have a great night!!

What's in my Makeup Bag? Travel Edition!

I know I'm not alone when I'm packing my bags for a trip and have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to bring in my makeup bag. Sometimes I'll go overboard and bring multiple bags of makeup, but this usually depends on circumstances. For example, when I'm going away with some girl friends for a weekend, if we plan on going out for a night on the town I end up doing everyone's makeup. This usually results in needing lots of variety in what kind of makeup to bring. Since I had no idea what we would be doing in Arizona, I did just that - brought too much makeup BUT it all fit into 1 bag!

So a list of the products that I showed in my video:

Tools:
~ Tweezerman tweezers
~ MAC 194 Concealer brush
~ Japonesque small detail brush
~ Japonesque medium detail brush
~ EcoTools blush brush
~ Essence of Beauty shadow brush
~ MAC 224 blending brush
~ Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush
~ MAC 217 crease/blending brush
~ MAC 239 flat shader brush
~ Sonia Kashuk angled brush
~ Sonia Kashuk crease brush
~ Japonesque kabuki brush
~ EcoTools retractible kabuki brush
~ Japonesque pencil sharpener
~ Japonesque heated eyelash curler
~ Shu Uemura eyelash curler
~ Pocket mirror (from Old Navy)
~ Tweezerman blotting paper roll

Eyes:
~ NYX Runway Collection - Jazz Night palette
~ MAC "neutrals" quad - All that Glitters, Era, Brule, Woodwinked
~ Clinique Brow Keeper
~ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear (for brows)
~ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in Zero
~ Urban Decay Primer Potion
~ MAC Painterly Paint Pot
~ MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
~ Trucco Eyeshadow in Rootbeer (used for brows)
~ Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara

Face:
~ Benefit Coralista blush
~ MAC Blot Powder
~ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
~ MAC Fast Response Eye Cream
~ MAC StudioFinish Concealer (NW20)
~ Clinique Bronzer in Sunblushed

Lips:
~ Burt's Bees lip balm
~ MAC Lipstick in Baroque Boudoir (Special Edition)
~ MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam II
~ MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam V
~ MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam VI
~ Sephora lipgloss in Bronzed Beauty
~ C.O. Bigelow lipgloss in Magentamint (found at Bath & Body Works)

These items were NOT shown in this order. I categorized the list by application (face, eyes, lips, etc) so it'd be easier to find!

As soon as the video is done uploading to YouTube, I will make sure to embed it in this post. So check back or click on the link on th sidebar to head over to my channel and take a look at that and a few other videos I've posted. :)

Now I'm off to bed! Good night, beautiful people!

Purple Smokey Eye using NYX Runway Collection Palette

Hi everyone!!

So this is my first EVER tutorial! So be gentle! :) Unfortunately, not being a YouTube partner, I had to cut a lot out due to the 10 minute time limit, but I will get better at this and get it into the limited time frame soon enough! This look can be used for almost anything - toned down you could wear it everyday to work or school. If you darken up the corner then it can be used for going out, going to formal parties or dances (homecoming, prom, etc). Have fun with it!

Products used in this video:

Face:
~ MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 (MAC 194 brush)
~ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus (Japonesque Kabuki brush)
~ Benefit Coralista Blush (EcoTools Blush Brush)
~ Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Rose Gold (MAC 165 brush)

Eyebrows:
~ Clinique Eyebrow Pencil with brush in 02 dark brown
~ Trucco Eye Shadow in Rootbeer (Sonia Kashuk Brow Brush)
~ e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

Eyes:
~ Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
~ MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in Silver (MAC 239 brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in Lightest Purple (MAC 239 brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in Deepest Purple (Sonia Kashuk Crease Shadow brush & Japonesque Medium detailer brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in Medium Purple (MAC 217 brush & Japonesque Medium detailer brush)
~ NYX Jazz Night Palette in Yellow (Japonesque Small detailer brush)
~ Trucco Eyeshadow in Ecstasy (MAC 217 brush)
~ MAC 224 Blending Brush
~ MAC Eyesahdow in Brule (Essence of Beauty Eye Shadow brush)
~ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero
~ MAC Fluidline in BlackTrack (Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner brush)
~ Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (before mascara application)
~ Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara in 1Black
~ Japonesque heated Eyelash Curler (AFTER mascara application)
~ Tweezerman Eyelash Comb

Lips:
~ Burt's Bees Lip Balm
~ MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam II
~ Mac Lipglass in Viva Glam V


Here are a few pictures from the tutorial:












And finally, don't forget to check out the video!!




Hope you guys enjoyed my first tutorial! If you'd like to make a request, please be sure to leave a comment on my video and I will do my best to fulfill everyone's request ASAP! Thanks for watching/reading and I'll talk to you all later! Stay beautiful! :)

March 2010 Favorites

Hi everyone!

It's just after 2 am and my video was 5 minutes away from being COMPLETELY uploaded on YouTube, and then my browser crashed! Grr!! *sigh* Re-uploading my video and I'll have to wait til tomorrow morning to check on it before I rush out the door to get to work on time! On a good note, this weekend is my last weekend working Saturday overtime for the next month!

Anyway, I'm not here to gripe about YouTube or web browsers, I'm here to let you guys know my March favorites! Now if you haven't seen my video yet, click on my Channel link on the sidebar, or see the embedded video below (once I've linked it, of course). :)

If you're not familiar with the "Tag" videos on YouTube, it's a great way for someone to share things about themselves. This particular tag is a list of stuff - beauty or non-beauty related (although mine are all beauty!) that the "tagged" person has been favoring for the past month. In my case, since this is my first favorites video, these aren't necessarily things that I've been favoring just for the past month. In fact, most of the products I'm about to list have been a favorite for QUITE some time and I'm excited to let you guys know what they are!


2010 March Favorites

Hair care:
LUSH Big Shampoo
LUSH Coolaulin Conditioner
LUSH American Cream Conditioner
Kenra Texturizing Taffy

Skin care:
LUSH Eau Roma Toner
Burt's Bees Lemon and Vitamin E Bath & Body Oil

Nails:
Flash Siner Buffing tool
OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener
Seche Vite Top Coat

Make up:
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (Medium Plus)
MAC Viva Glam II Lipstick
MAC Viva Gam V Lipglass
Burt's Bees Lip Balm
MAC shadows in: Brule, All That Glitters, Woodwinked, Era
NYX Runway Collection Palette: Jazz Night
Smashbox LashDNA mascara

If you have any questions on any of these items, please feel free to post a comment on here or on Youtube and I'll get right back to you! The next month is going to be CRAZY busy for me, but I'll try my best to crank out videos as fast as I can. Reviews on the LashStash Mascaras will be coming up shortly!!



Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Short, but sweet!

Hello to my lovely readers!

Since it's almost 1:30 am, this post is going to be quick and to the point!

My cousin Gretchen and I are both LUSH fanatics (she is more than I am!). If there was some sort of AA meeting for Lushaholics, I would definitely suggest she go! Although I'm sure plenty of my friends would say the same thing about me :) I will admit that I am the one who created the LUSH monster in Gretchen (she had no idea what LUSH was until I introduced her!) Ok, so that's kind of off-topic...

Anyway! Gretchen and I decided we would do a LUSH order off the website and split the cost of products. This way we were splitting the cost of not only the individual itmes but the shipping as well. So my overall advice? If you want to order off the site, find someone to do the order with you!!

The items we ordered were:

* Canadiana Gift Set - $9.95

* Honey Lumps - $5.95

* Playdoze - $5.95

* Two Timing Tart - $5.95

* Marzibain - $5.95

* Happy Birthday - $6.45

* 17 Cherry Tree Lane - $7.95

* Gentle Lentil - $8.95


Alright, since I'm literally falling asleep at my laptop, I'm off to bed! Check out the newest video and I'll talk to all of you later!!

Goodnight, lovelies!

LUSH Easter Haul

Hi Everyone!

So I posted my LUSH Easter Haul on my channel tonight. I'm still not decided if I want to use this blog to go more in-depth on my reviews/hauls/whatevers, or if I want to do recaps. So we'll just see where this goes!! Today, this will have to be a quick post. It's late, and I still have a lot of cleaning to do!

It seems that in the past, LUSH has gone ALL OUT for most of the holidays. Rumor has it that in previous years there have been multiple "giant eggs" in other scents opposed to the only two scents released this year. I'm not complaining. I LOVE all of the products I picked up this year, and I'm looking forward to collecting more LUSH products as the year goes on!

Check out my YouTube channel for the review!

Hope you all enjoy and that everyone has a GREAT Easter!

A sneak peek...

Hi everyone!!

I've been pretty busy this week between work and trying to work out all the kinks with this blog! Sunday night I took a break from my computer and took a nice relaxing LUSH bath (used up the last of my limited edition Magic Mushroom bubble bar from Valentine's day!). Anyway, long story short, I haven't gotten around to editing my LUSH Easter haul yet, and I may rerecord now that I have all of the Easter products. But I guess you'll have to wait and see!!

Talk to you all soon!!

Testing, 1 2 3!!

Testing the twitter feed! Here's to hoping that this WORKED!

After 2 days of dealing with pesky HTML and trying to figure out this RSS feed thing, my blog is FINALLY up and running. I've had a headache for the last day and a half from looking at all that silly internet code nonsense, but hey, ya win some ya lose some, right? At least my blog looks good now! In my opinion anyway! What do you guys think? Just waiting on a blog header from a friend of mine (whom I appreciate DEARLY for helping me with my banner!!), and then my blog is 100% finished. For now! :)

Since I just posted an entry on Friday, I don't have a whole lot to say! This morning I filmed a small LUSH haul that I need to edit and then put up on YouTube. So hopefully it'll be up in the next couple days. And I have an idea of what my next video for this week might be, if I'm not too tired. I'm trying VERY hard to get at least 1 if not 2 videos out per week. But things at work picked up a LOT with 3 projects running simultaneously. So I'm working between 46-60 hour weeks. NOT fun at all! So, if I don't get around to my 1-2 vids in a week, sorry guys! You'll know why!

I was planning on editing my haul from this morning, but I think I'm going to go and take a nice long LUSH bath and relax tonight. Maybe catch up with one of my shows that I missed this week, and then get some much needed sleep. Beauty rest is a must! To function properly at work, anyway. Haha!

So goodnight everyone! I'll talk to you all soon, but if I don't get a post up before this weekend, I hope everyone has a beautiful Easter spent with family and friends!

My first HAUL entry, sort of...

Ok, so it's really not considered a HAUL, but I was super excited about these couple items and wanted to share them with all of you!

Down the street from where I work is a used bookstore. I go in there from time to time when I'm looking for new books and don't really feel like paying an arm and a leg for them (I mean, $30 for a book that ONLY comes in hardcover? No thank you!). Today I just happened to be in the mood to browse for new books, so I went down the street and started to peruse the shelves. I made my way towards the health and beauty section and to my excitement and surprise I found 2 books I have been dying to get.

The first book:

Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin

The second book:

Face Forward by Kevyn Aucoin

These are 2 books that I have gotten a lot of great feedback about. Everyone I know that has read these have nothing but compliments. Josh (Petrilude), another YouTube beauty guru, recently posted a video on one of his most-asked questions; how he got started. He didn't have a bunch of formal training or videos to follow, he self taught with books and experimenting. These 2 just happen to be on that list. As soon as I got home I started looking through them, and I am excited to read through and work on some of my techniques and learn some new things!

The last thing I got at this particular book store was a little journal to jot down my ideas and some information for my channel and my blog. Right now I have random pieces of paper everywhere - my car, my desk at work, my bathroom, and my desk at home. All of these scraps of paper have ideas written on them or information for when I begin filming more reviews and tutorials. I actually had no intention on buying a journal from there, but they were up in front and this one caught my eye!

Medium Wire-O Journal in Zebra Print by Piccadilly

How CUTE is that journal?! I'm kind of obsessed with zebra print, so I LOVE it! I'm excited about being able to use this to jot ideas and suggestions for all of you! I'm a little obsessive about organization (you'll see this about me eventually, I'm sure!) so this little journal was perfect.

My final part of this "haul" IS actually related to makeup. I stopped by Ulta after my little adventure at the bookstore and FINALLY got my hands on NYX's jumbo pencil in black bean. While I was there, I also bought the very last Runway Collection palette in Jazz Night. I haven't used either of these yet, but I'm planning on playing around with them this weekend and get some ideas on doing a tutorial. Here are a few pictures:

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean and NYX Runway Collection Palette in Jazz Night

Here is a picture of each of the colors in the Runway Collection: Jazz Night palette

And finally, swatches of each of the products without primer or a base

My overall opinion of this palette so far is that it's a good buy! It's about $10 for the palette, so you're basically paying $1 per shadow. As far as pigmentation, some of the shadows are better than others, but for what you pay this is DEFINITELY a great buy. I can't wait to create some looks for you guys!

And on that note, this "little" blog post has turned into a fairly big one, although I blame that on the pictures! :) Hopefully I'll have a tutorial up for you guys by next weekend - depending on how successful I am at getting the perfect lighting in here!! The lighting in my bathroom is GREAT and filming at my vanity would be perfect, except for the fact that I film at night and my 4 year old brother's bedroom shares a wall with the part of my bathroom that my vanity is in - so no can do! Thanks for being patient guys! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you all soon!