June 28, 2013

Liebster Award: Part 2


Erica D of http://diaryofatrendaholic.blogspot.ae/ and Aileen of http://aileenmccoll.blogspot.com/ have recently given me the Liebster Award as well and I am glad to answer their 11 Questions! Thank you so much Erica and Aileen!!!

And like the title of this post this is my second and third time getting nominated with this award and am so thankful for this!
 Thank you all for supporting me and I am a big supporter of all other new bloggers out there as well! Moving on, here's the link on my first Liebster Award if you have not read it yet: 


Liebster Award is an honor given to up and coming fun blogs that have less than 200 followers as a way to get their name out there and share some awesome blogs that you may have stumbled upon. Here's what it entails:

- Each blogger posts 11 random facts about themselves
- Each blogger answers the questions the tagger has set for you

- then you pick 11 new winners of the Liebster Award and link them to your post
- pick 11 new questions to ask the new chosen winners
- go to the new blog winner's page and tell them about their award
- No tag-backs!


*For this post, I will only be answering the questions given by the bloggers who nominated me. This is such a great way to know me more than my beauty reviews and other beauty blog posts here that's why I'm doing this. Hope you enjoy as I had fun answering them as well!



ANSWERS to Erica of Diary of a Trendaholic's Questions:


1- What is the nicest place you have ever been to or What is your dream vacation spot? Nicest place was in Halekulani hotel in Honolulu, HI for our honeymoon. My dream vacation spot though would be Paris, France! Most romantic place in the world - for me that is!

2- What is your dream occupation? Twenty years ago was to be a doctor. Ten years ago was to have my own Psychology practice in NYC. Five years ago was to open up my own Etsy shop, which is on hold right now. NOW I'd love to be a well known beauty blogger and be able to attend beauty events to learn more on this exciting beauty adventure I am in! *My dreams keep changing hehehe.
3- What is your favorite perfume? I bought this years ago and still am in love with it! My "L" by LAMB. It has light sweet tones of citrus in it. Just refreshing whenever I put it on.
4- What month were you born on? MAY 
5- What is one food you absolutely hate? shrimp. I can eat any other seafood but not shrimp.
6- What is your biggest pet peeve (something that annoys you)? People on the train that talks so loud either on their phone or to their friends, even with my headphones on!
7- What are your hobbies? I crochet; iPhoneography (taking artistic photos with my iPhone hehehe); learn to make different coffee drinks like Cappuccinos, Lattes, French Press, Cortado, Espressos...
8- What is your favorite movie?  The Notebook and Full Metal Jacket - two different extremes I know!
9- What has been your favorite purchase for this year thus far? OMG this is a hard one since this year has been a year I bought a lot of new beauty products! The best one so far is my SuperSolano XtraLite3300 since it benefits my hair and our German Shepherd and my arms!
10- What is your favorite season? Spring! It's my birthday season. And the temperature is just perfect for a nice spring dress and a light jacket if needed.
11- What is your favorite novel? The Wizard of OZ! I bought it for my niece recently and that was my first time reading the book. I have to say I like the book better than the movie!

*thank you! thank you Erica D for picking me and I really had fun answering these questions!!!

ANSWERS to Aileen of Beautiful You's Questions:


1- If you could only shop in one store for the rest of your life, what store would you choose? Target!

2- What is the thing you like most about yourself? My eyes. I used to hate them when I was younger since I was teased that I have owl eyes. Now I embrace them with a huge smile!
3- Who do you look most up to? My husband. I love his passion and determination to get what he wants, and with that attitude of his, he is in a pretty successful place in his life.
4- Name one thing in your room that means a lot to you. Besides my phone, which is always with me. I guess my - - - wallet(?) one of the things I'd make sure to grab when I leave the house.
5- What is your favorite perfume/ fragrance? "L" by L.A.M.B
6- What is your favorite song and why? Right now is "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. It's the best summer song ever and I don't mind getting this stuck in my head! When I need some cheering up, I put this on and dance in the middle of my living room!
7- What made you start blogging? At first, it was for my own personal way of organizing my thoughts on how I feel about products I've been trying out. And when I started gaining more followers, I wanted to make this site more than just beauty reviews so I added my own diy's and monthly faves, and make-up looks that I have came up to share with my gorgeous readers!
8- One place that you most want to visit? Paris, France 
9- How did you first meet your bestfriend? My hubby is my bestfriend. We met when we were both wingmen for our close friends who met online. 
10- Have you had any embarrassing makeup mishaps? Yes! A lot of times since I was not such a beauty junkie back then and the worse one was when I saw pics of myself and my face is white from my buying the wrong color foundation! Now I know better.
11- What is one thing you have done in your life that you are most proud of? Being able to speak up for myself and not let anyone put me in a corner! After working for years as a front desk person at different offices, my bosses have taught me to be tough! Yes customers are always right but when they are stepping over the line that's when I speak up and make them back up! Having a voice is better than staying quiet!

*thank you so, so much Aileen for nominating me and great questions by the way!

I do have a part 3 for this since I was also nominated by Penny of Penny Rose Petal. I know I am so behind with this, so sorry about that ladies but I did not want to bombard your feeds with tag posts so I space them out and do one tag a week in-between my other beauty blog posts. Just letting you know, I did not forget about the Tag Posts! 

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

June 27, 2013

FOTD: quick reviews on products used


What's a better way to give you a nice quick review of products by using them for a Face of The Day!

I have been using these products for a while now and I thought I would also share with you guys how I use them and what kind of look I came up with it!

So for this look, I used the following products. Some you might have seen in previous blog posts and some I've had it for a while and forgot to include it in a haul post. 


For my face I used the following products, starting from the TOP Left:


  • Physicians Formula Super BB Powder in Medium-Dark: This claims 10+ Beauty Benefits (smoothing, perfecting, protecting, oil control, pore minimizing, air brushing, line softening, concealing, setting, long wearing) I would say this do meet most of it's claims! It has medium coverage but I would still use a concealer around my acne scars and blemishes. I use a flat my e.l.f studio flat-top brush and stipple it first around my problem areas then buff around my face, down my neck and around my hair line. I did not buy the rest of the BB cream line because I wanted to see first how this will work out on my face. So I have not broken out using this. It's not a matte finish powder, it has a sheen to it. This is a bit light on my skin tone right now and so I use the next product as my bronzer! 



I'm pretty satisfied with this BB Powder so I might go buy the concealer and cream when for Fall/ Winter since I like how this feels lightweight on my face especially when it's hot out.
  • Physicians Formula Multi-Colored Face Powder in Medium: I love using this matte powder to contour my face, so I don't look flat from using the BB Powder all over. Plus I read this is what  Blake Lively to give her that nice bronze look. Yes it did help that one of the most beautiful ladies in Hollywood (for me that is!) use this product!

  • theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer: This highlighter gives me that nice healthy glow, when I put this on my cheek bones and below my eyebrows.
  • NYX Mineral "Set It & Don't Fret It" Matte Finishing Powder in Medium-Dark (MFP02): Since the BB Powder leaves a shine and I'd rather put my own highlight with the Mary-Lou Manizer, I use this powder to matte out my whole face. I suggest getting the pressed powder since this lose powder gets pretty messy. This helped with my T-zone and I only had to blot once or twice during an all day errand run.
  • Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Color in Vivid Coral: I had to play with this lipstick for a while since putting this by itself sinks into the lines of my lips, even after exfoliating my lips it just didn't look right! I love the color and how it feels moisturizing actually but the only way this worked out on me was to mix it with another coral toned lip product! I'm not sure if I would buy another color from this line though.
  • Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: I love the Revlon Lip Butter line and this one leaves a slight orange tint so this was perfect to mix with the Sonia Kashuk Vivid Coral to get a brighter orange color. Mixing both kept my lips pretty moisturized but once you drink and eat, you do need to touch up.
  • Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Tenderheart: This gives my cheeks a light peachy blush and is not greasy feeling or shiny look on your cheeks. It stays on all day too!
  • Jordana Fabu-Liner in Black: Learned this brand from watching the funny and beautiful girls of EleventhGorgeous (http://www.youtube.com/user/eleventhgorgeous) on YouTube and how they swear by this liner, and so I got curious and had to buy it! I also have one in brown which I use more on my daytime makeup, but for todays' look the black looks stronger to do a winged look. This liner has a nice pointy felt tip pen and it goes on smooth as you glide it on your eyes. Let this dry and set though before curling your lashes since it do smudge off when it's still wet.
  • Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette in Light: This creases under my eyes even after using the setting powder in the palette. It has a pretty light coverage on my acne scars and blemishes. I use the Inglot cream concealer I bought recently more now than this. I am not liking her makeup line, maybe I would have a better luck with her makeup brushes.
  • Physicians Formula 100% Natural Origin Fake Out Mascara: I love how this elongates my lashes and just fans it out to give me that wide awake look. No clumps just long lashes! After a few hours though I would see smudges under my eyes from the mascara. Definitely need to layer a waterproof mascara when using this.

Now on to the EYES!!! I'm excited because I loove the colors of this palette!
  • BH Cosmetics Jenni Rivera Palette: This palette has 30 eye shadows and 6 blushes.
    • I bought this palette because of the variety of color here that can be used from day to night, and I know I will be using this palette more often than their famous 120, 80 palettes which I will get eventually.
    • Plus they had an offer that week so I bit the bullet and bought it! My total with s&h + tax was $17! Not bad for my first BH Palette right?!?
    • I did not know Jenni Rivera until I saw the news about her tragic death. I am sure she was a great singer and artist and she will surely be missed. I'd probably be a big fan of hers just by looking at her colorful palette, I would enjoy watching her in her different outfits and make-up looks every time she performs!
    • Back to the palette, the colors are pretty pigmented; not chalky and goes on pretty smooth. 
    • Easy to blend and the colors just compliment each other very well.
    • I have not used the blushes as blush but they're also great to use as eye shadows!



I got inspired by the Summer sunset pictures I have been seeing on my Instagram. Plus I wanted to try a colorful, playful look as a dare to myself, since I have always been wearing neutral shadows most of the time. 


  • After filling my eyebrows and priming my eyes, I used a neutral matte brown on my crease for a nice color transition as we mix a few colors here.
  • I packed on a nice shimmery light orange all over my lids with a flat brush. Start light and just build it to the color you like.
  • I used the reddish plum color all over the crease and blended the two with a clean blending brush.
  • I took the nice dark grape color on the outer corners of my eyes for a nice smokey look.
  • Don't forget to blend as you add more color to your eyes! And if you lose some of the color just add more of the shadow then blend some more!
  • Took more of that dark grape shadow to line the top and outer half bottom of my lids.
  • I took some more of the light orange shadow with some of the champagne shadow, and put this the inner corner of my eyes and halfway through the bottom of my eyes.
  • Now do a slight wing with a black liner. Use any liner you are comfortable with, gel, pencil or liquid.
  • Oh for highlight on the bottom of my eyebrows, I just used a small amount of matte white shadow since I already used a light colored concealer which I think was enough highlight for this look.
  • Put on your mascara girl and if you want some falsies then go ahead and add that too!
  • Now put on your best smile and have fun!



I am happy with this look. I guess if you use a white cream base the colors will pop more, but I like how its subtle, but the colors are still there! I definitely recommend this palette for those who are looking. I would probably check out the other palettes BH Cosmetics have since I heard they came out with those nice box ones with such vibrant shadows in them!



Apologies that it took me a while to post another FOTD when I said I would do this weekly. I guess I should correct that to. . . once a month. Adding to this series will be short reviews on the products I've used. I want to give you all a nice in-depth review of what I have bought and give you an idea how I use them, so hopefully this is more helpful and informative.


June 25, 2013

REMINDER: "Powering Down Google Reader"

Three months ago, Google has announced they will be removing Google Reader in Blogger. This is the box/app added on the sidebar of a blog site where you see how many followers the blog has and it's "Subscribe" button, if you're interested to follow the blog. Why remove this nice button in Blogger? Here's what Google wrote on their Official Google Reader blog:

"There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience." You can read the short post here: http://googlereader.blogspot.com/

I have ignored this announcement when I got the email in March and did not think much about it, since I was hoping in three months they will see the increase of users! But now I see a lot of the blogs I follow have been putting up announcements about it, and we are getting close to July 1st, in which the Google Reader will officially be out. I don't want to leave you all hanging either when this truly happens next week!

What are we going to do now?!?!
No worries, there are tons of other options out there for you guys so you can keep up with my blog and with your other favorite blog sites out there.

  • This is a website where you can add all the blogs, any blogs you follow and see all their updates and posts in a news feed like layout. 
  • It's FREE to join!
  • You can organize your favorite blogs into groups! *Mine I have them under: beauty  and fashion.
  • Most bloggers will have this button on their site already (sidebars). Click on it to easily add them to your Bloglovin' profile. You can find mine on the left sidebar. Or click the link below!
  • To follow my blog, here's my link: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6997391/fivetwo-certified

Follow by E-mail:
  • That button is still available if you do not want to open an account with Bloglovin'
  • Following by e-mail, you will be receiving an e-mail every time I have a new post up, which is not bad either. If you check your e-mail everyday, more than once a day, this is a good option as well.

Google+ (Google Plus)
  • This is the social networking platform of Google, like Facebook. 
  • To add my blog, you will find the button on the left sidebar. Or try clicking this link: https://plus.google.com/u/0/107404024382719672754/posts
  • I am still new to this site but I do update my Google+ profile when I have a new blog post up!

These are just three ways to stay updated with my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Ipsy and Twitter for other non-related blog stuff about my life. Sometimes I will do announce if I have a new blog post up on these social networks but the best way to get updated with my blog are the top 3 I have given you above. 
So before we all panic for the end of Google Reader...Breathe...Relax and think about these options and see what's best for you!

June 23, 2013

DIY: Interchangeable iPhone covers!

I get bored a lot with my iPhone case that I had five iPhone cases for my previous one! With such cheap, cute cases out there I get tempted so easily. I am sure I am not the only one here, riight?!? When I upgraded last year I wanted to challenge myself not to go iPhone case shopping buckwild again since those $5-$15 case here and there adds up, and so I went online and searched for some inspirations when I stumbled into some DIY phone cover cases on YouTube! I am not sure why I have not thought of it before but this surely have saved me a lot of money and if you are like me then this DIY is for you! 


June 18, 2013

tag post: the Rainbow Tag


Tagged by the beautiful DeBresha at Life of a Makeup Junkie (check her awesome beauty blog for more makeup and nail polish reviews, looks and tips!)

So from what I have read online and seen on Youtube about this tag, you basically pick your favorite items in every color of the rainbow! I tried to keeping it all beauty products but I got stuck with. . .yellow, you'll see below.

The colors are: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Pink and Multicolored. So let's get started shall we?!?

RED: Milani ColorStatement Lipstick in BEST RED
        - This red lipstick is so moisturizing and this red just looks so damn sexy! Yes, out of all my other red lipsticks this one does not dry out my lips.


check out a pic I posted on my Instagram! _j4ckie_



ORANGE: Fresh Coral Lip Tint
         - This tinted lip balm leaves a nice orange tint on my lips, it's a nice flattering orange on my tanned skin.



YELLOW: my Coach Leather Wallet 
        - I bought this for my 30th birthday last year with a 20%off coupon from Coach so besides the bargain I got, I just love the yellow on this! It is not neon bright yellow but it's that pastel, sunny yellow that makes me cheery to whip it out of my bag every time I need my i.d or cash or cards!



GREEN: Macadamia Natural Oil hair mask
        - Ok I kinda broke the rule here since I don't have this product in my bathroom right now, BUT I have used it and I am in-love with this product! I do have other products around the house that has green packaging but this is the first thing that came to mind when I think of a beauty product with green packaging.



BLUE: Color Club nail polish in Insta-This
       - I got this from a Birchbox last year and am in-love with the nice perfect cobalt blue color of it! It's just that perfect blue that will compliment any skin tone and outfit, and can be worn any time of the year!



INDIGO(between blue and violet):  Real Techniques eye makeup brush set
       - This is the closest I have in my house that is in the Indigo shade. I just loove this brand and these brushes are just so soft and makes putting my eye makeup on pretty flawless! I highly recommend this to be in your makeup brush collection. You can find these at Ulta or Amazon.com. *My second recommendation are EcoTools brushes, if you can't find this anywhere!


I love Real Techniques brushes!

PINK: theBalm blush in Cabana Boy
       - This has a slight shimmer that just gives me that natural blush and glow on my cheeks. I have been using this for a while now. Having super sensitive skin, this blush has not broken me out either *knock on wood*.






MULTICOLORED: my NAIL POLISH collection
     - This is the most multicolored collection I have. Yes more than my closet or my shoe collection! This collection has grown thanks to Ipsy and Birchbox for introducing me to a lot of awesome nail polish brands out there. I should add Pinterest for giving me inspiration to do my own nail arts!



and this is just half of it!

This was a great tag to do since this just made me realize how much beauty products I have and how my collection have grown! I actually went through all my makeup and beauty products to find "The One" to share with you all and I got to clean and organize my stash in the process!

Now I TAG the following:

Beauty Of A Queen
Lipgloss On My Latte
Pretty Little Dodahs

. . and any of you girls who have not done it yet! I dare you to find the best products and match it with the colors of the rainbow! If you have, please comment the link below so I can read it!

June 17, 2013

Inglot Cosmetics and The Sultaness Event in NYC




How exciting! An event that has awesome makeup from Inglot Cosmetics and a debut of pretty handcrafted jewelry and accessories from The Sultaness all in one night!!! All you need to do is email an RSVP to inglotstudionyc@inglotusa.com, and come in your "Dress to Impress" outfit (it's what it says on their Facebook invite! HERE)!!!


Here's a little information on what The Sultaness is from their Facebook site:

The Sultaness, meaning "Empress" in Arabic will make its debut June 29th online at thesultaness.com. We feature handcrafted luxury jewelry and accessories inspired by Persian, Indian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern art and architecture. Each of our pieces are handmade and undergo a vigorous design and quality control process making beloved pieces by all those who own them.

We use lots of spring inspired colors, gold, crystals, animal motifs, ornate styling, floral and geometric patterns. Our pieces are for the fearless woman who is proud to celebrate her identity!

Embrace Beauty
Celebrate Femininity
Be You



June 16, 2013

Marine Wife Beauty Blog Giveaway Prize from May 2013!

Last May, Ann of Marine Wife Beauty Blog or MarineWife22 (check her awesome blog by clicking HERE) had an awesome giveaway for her readers and I luckily was picked as her winner!
I just wanted to thank Ann for having such an awesome giveaway and I actually have used some of them already! I received my prize pack a week ago and am just overwhelmed of what was inside.
I am sharing with you guys what I got because I also want to give you a quick review on some of the products I have used already. If you like to read more on beauty products and beauty box subscription reviews, subscribe to her blog already and watch out for her next giveaway! Again here's the link to her blog: http://marinewife22.blogspot.com/ 
Now on to the pictures and a quick review on some of the products. I have split them in four categories: Fashion Accessories,Hair & Body Products, Make-up & Nail Products and Skin Care Products. 



I will start with my favorite of them all! This WildFox Owl Couture Necklace which I posted on my Instragram as well. I have been wearing this necklace since I got it and got so many compliments from it! My mother almost wanted to snatch it from my neck but I held on tight to it and kept ignoring all her hints of leaving it on her kitchen table hehehehe! *Sorry mother! From the young to the old, this necklace was a hit and has been my "bling of the month! 

are you following me on Instagram yet? _j4ckie_ 

Here's the rest of the Fashion Accessories that I received in my prize pack.
  • Deux Lux Coin Purse: it's a heart shaped purse in metallic pink. 
  • Silver Bow Earrings from Vera Wang's Princess line: These are just adorable!
  • Lydell NYC hoop Earrings with different shades of mint green gems in it. 
  • Flea Market Girl Eiffel Tower Charm Necklace: I love this one too and great to layer with my other dainty necklaces.  

Next are the Hair & Body Products:
  • Dye Ties Groovy Cool Hair Ties: "Each hair tie &headband is handmade and unique! They are fashionable, fun and functional. Won't pull, mark or damage. Comfortable, slip free, one size fits all." I am a huge fan of hair ties and have been using one since I fell in-love with FineFeatherheads Fly Ties, this one will definitely be in used for the Summer.
  • The Olive Bar Natural Beauty Cleanser in Lemon & Lavender: I used this ASAP since I get excited with all natural beauty body products. This had natural oils in it to keep your skin moisturized BUT I felt it did not clean me well. It felt more greasy (I guess with all the different natural oils in it) than feeling like a soap, and I did not smell anything close to Lemon or Lavender at all. 
  • Layers by Scentsy Hand Cream in Enchanted Mist: I have not opened this product yet since I have a hand cream I am finishing right now. As soon as I am done with that I will be using this one. I have never heard of this brand but according to their website this is packed with shea butter and aloe vera that will help heal dry hands.
  • Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment: I have not used this product yet.
  • Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk: In the back of the tube it says, "Define frizz with super shine and clean definition. Light cream styler with shea butter melts on outspoken shine and smoothness." Sounds good to me and can't wait to try it out!
  • Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter: This gave my skin a nice sheen to it. Not in a glitter way but in a nice glowing way. Love the coconut scent on this since it's pretty subtle and not overpowering. Great to layer with the Pacifica Vanilla scented roller-ball I got from my May Ipsy bag.


Make-up & Nail Products:
  • e.l.f Luscious Liquid Lipstick: This is still sitting in my makeup drawer but I love e.l.f so I know this won't disappoint! This shade is in Caramel Candy which is great for everyday wear.
  • Pixi Beauty Nail Colour in Metallic Mermaid: This has a nice blue-green holographic effect to it which looks so pretty on my toes! I have never bought a Pixi polish before and I have only worn this for a day so I can't say if this chips easily. 
  • Urban Decay Nail Polish in Woodstock: This bright neon pink will be awesome for an accent nail or nail arts and/or on my toes! I don't think I could wear this alone since this is just too loud for me.
  • Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache: I have received an exact same one from my Ipsy Bag and love the formulation on this shadow. It's pretty pigmented, goes on smooth and looks great on my tanned skin! This would be a great backup when I finish mine or give this to my sis.
  • Yaby Concealer in Pecan: I love Yaby Cosmetics and am liking my Yaby concealer in Vanilla for under my eyes. I have added this to my Rx Palette but have not used it yet since this is too dark on my skin right now. I'll wait 'til I get a little tanner probably.
  • Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Moonspoon: I will be giving this to my girl friend since she goes out more than I do and this is great to wear on a night out or date night or on special occassions, which she goes to a lot. I think she will have more use of this than I do. I love how this looks in the pan but not on me unfortunately.
  • Pixi Fairly Light Solo Eyeshadow in Alluring Apricot: This has a peachy-golden tone to it, which is great to quickly swipe on the lids and go. It gives my eyes some color and glow. I can probably wear this on my cheeks too to give me that I-just-came-from-the-beach glow!
  • NCLA Self-Adhesive Nail Wraps: This I would probably use as a french tip or an accent nail since having this on all my nails is to much for me. Never heard of this brand so I can't wait how this one holds up.



And lastly the Skin Care Products:
  • Befine Fine Food Skin Care: I have not used this yet. I'm saving it for when we travel sometime this year. I won't list them one by one, since it's all posted in the picture below.

Befine Fine Food Skin Care Box


  • Suki Butter Cream Salve: This has organic lavender extract + organic cocoa butter. 
  • Own Eye Cream & Night Cream: These are anti-aging creams which I'm excited to try.
  • Skyn Iceland Hydrocool Firming Eye Gels: I am saving this for when that day I had only three hours of sleep and have to be picture ready the next day - or something.
  • fit Mixer Amino: This will be used on our long drive to Connecticut next week.
  • Yes To Carrots Body Butter: This was thick in consistency, and smells great. I used the whole packet on my entire body and it felt so creamy and moisturizing. I would purchase full size of this! 
  • Yes To Blueberries Eye Firming Treatment: I will be using this next after I finish. . .
  • Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado: I just started using this last night and I like it! There's a little cooling sensation after you pat it on. I feel it sink into my skin right away. I can't say if it helps with keeping the concealer on or helping with fine lines since I have not used it that long yet. I love Kiehl's brand though and I know this will not disappoint.
  • Self Tan Wipes: I used both wipes all over my chest and legs, which are looking pale right now, and I did not see any streaks. It left a very subtle tan on my skin. This has no odor so it does not leave any scent afterwards.
  • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Sample: This kept my eyeshadow in place the whole day so this has sold me to purchase the full size next time I'm in Sephora!
  • Makeup Forever HD Primer Sample: I'm saving this when I go out with my ladies and take tons of pictures all night.
  • Benefit Hoola Bronzer Sample
  • Kerastase Heat Activated Restorative Milk: I forgot to add this with the hair care products but this is obviously another hair treatment which I can never get enough of since I love to find new hair care products out there.
  • The Body Shop Firming Day Cream
  • LA Fresh Instant Body Smoother: At first I thought this is an exfoliant on a wipe but it's a wet wipe that has a sweet peppermint scent to it. It felt nice after being out under the hot sun, but not sure if it did anything to my skin with exfoliating it. I only felt refreshed afterwards.



I am so sorry if this was super long, I tried to keep it short but some of these products just got me all excited and cannot wait to share you all my opinions on it!

Thank you again to Ann of Marine Wife Beauty Blog for hosting such an awesome giveaway! I am really loving my prizes! Subscribe to her blog already if you haven't so you don't miss her next review or giveaway or any exciting announcements and posts she has going on!



Ipsy June 2013 bag: First Impression

Ipsy is getting bold and giving us such a surprise this month! 
"On The Wild Side"
 Wonder if this is their take on "go big or go home" saying  "thinking outside the box and try on these stuff!"? They gave us 5 full size products this month! Again, according to the card that it came with, the products in my bag were personalized for me with ipsyMatch (This is from the results of your Beauty Quiz and your activity in Ipsy.com)

So have you opened your bright bubbly pink package from Mr. USPS?!?! I was greeted by this cute animal printed bag with such an "in-yo-face!" neon zipper! I gotta admit though from spying at Ipsy's Facebook page and MakeupTalk Forum, I was expecting a bigger pouch. This size is actually just perfect to fit all my everyday essentials, and I can't wait to be pulling this out of my purse when I need a touch-up.

June 2013 "On The Wilde Side" Ipsy Bag

1-  Freeman Beauty psssst! The TRUE Original Dry Shampoo: This is a travel size dry shampoo which is a nice sample size to see if I would really like this dry shampoo or not. Ipsy has given us a dry shampoo back in April (check out my April review HERE) well that one was more of to add volume to your hair, which I haven't really been using since I don't really style my hair much lately. But with this one OMG! I love this one! I have only used it yesterday, my second day hair, and it gave my hair texture to give me a nice messy pony look, instead of a flat, greasy hair.  It's odorless too, which I like since I can just spray my own favorite fragrance onto my hair.
This retails for $3.50 on drugstore.com. This may vary in different sites and drugstores so check out Ipsy's discount promo code (by clicking the name above to get the link) for more price comparisons!









2- Cailyn Cosmetics, Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner with Brush Built-in: This is a full-size product and I got mine in purple. I am pretty excited with this one since I have enough black gel eyeliner and eye pencils and have been looking for purple based liners and shadows lately. I'm working on expanding my neutral brown/ black eye looks to more colorful eye shadows and this is just perfect!

I tried it out last night (sorry I forgot to take pics!) and this goes on pretty smoothly! I only wore it for a few hours and my cat-eye stayed in place and it came off easily with my Simple Eye Remover Pad!

The packaging says its "Water Resistant; Smudge-proof; 24-hour wearing and Safe for Sensitive Eyes". This is also an all-natural, cruelty free and Made in USA brand, which is awesome! I love it when Ipsy is introducing us to more cruelty free and Made in USA brands so thanks Ipsy!

This retails for $21 on their website, click the name above to link you to an Ipsy discount code!



3- Starlooks Lip Pencil in "Tickle Me Pink": Another full size product that retails for $12 on Starlooks.com. I have only swatched this on my wrist and it went on pretty smoothly. A pretty creamy product for a lip pencil. This color is great to wear everyday. I can't wait to make a Look with the liner and this pencil.

I don't know much about Starlooks, so I went to check out their website. Starlooks are "artist quality makeup at pro prices!...color selection and product choices that are all M.A.C quality (or better!)". They also have their own monthly beauty box for $15/ month which will feature different Starlooks makeup products, so if you're interested head over to their website and sign-up. I don't have this subscription box..well not yet. We will see if this liner will seal the deal for me and change my mind. 




Swatches! LEFT: Starlooks lip liner in Tickle Me Pink; RIGHT: Cailyn gel liner


4- NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Tickled: Some members either got the Powder or Mosaic or a Cream blush in full size! I am not sure what shades it came in for the others but mine is this pinky-peach with gold shimmer in it. This cream blush claims to give you a dewy, long lasting finish.

You can't see much on the swatch below but this leaves a nice glow from the gold shimmers in it! The only other cream blush I have is from Josie Maran which has Argan Oil in it and my skin has been loving that one. I have to try this out for a bit and see if this will break me out or not. Updates later!

This retails for $6 on NyxCosmetics.com, so if you're interested in getting some NYX products for your makeup collection don't forget to add the Ipsy discount code to make that purchase sweeeeter!


the NYX Cream blush swatch is all the way on the LEFT.


5- J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in Suzie: This is a body glitter which it did not say in the packaging at all. Good thing I did not put this on my eye lids right away! And I did not spy on this online much since I do want to be surprised which ones I will get this month. 

This palette looks sooo pretty! I can just stare at this palette all day, but I have no idea how I will be using this! I did swatches on this on my wrist. It is pretty creamy as I dipped my finger in it but when I tried to take it off, OMG! this thing ended up all over my arm! It was pretty but I know this will end up all over my clothes and throw pillows so I was washing my arm off like I had paint on me for daaays! I need to watch some Ipsy videos and get some ideas how they will be using this palette.

J.Cat Beauty is a brand that has high quality products in decent prices. I have never heard of this brand so I am going to need to try out more samples (hint! hint! Ipsy!!!) before I go shop at their website. Ipsy has given a 25%off discount on their site, and this palette comes in so many different color palettes for only $4.49!



J.Cat Beauty Cream Palette BODY GLITTER in Suzie



All in all this bag is not bad. I am surprised how Ipsy has given us FIVE full size products this month. I am definitely gonna be using four out of the five here. I would definitely be using that animal print bag a lot too! So what goodies did you get on your bag ladies?!? 

And if you are not a member of Ipsy yet, which is an awesome monthly beauty subscription for only $10 (plus tax depends on your state) then click HERE already and sign up! This is my personal referral link, and Ipsy will send me a gift on my next bag. You will get your own personal referral link too after you sign up and email that to your family and friends!


June 12, 2013

Battle of the Nail Polish Quick Dry's!


We have another battle of products here ladies! Last time I did one of my "battle" post was about hair ties, which you can read here. And I have to say I am still in-love with my Fly Ties from FineFeatherheads! I have not bought any other hair ties out there claiming the same thing since! One Fly Tie have lasted me weeks! Though I rotate my usage from the four different ties I have, they all still are in great shape and elasticity! It has held my buns and high ponytails pretty well!
Ok enough about that and focus on our new battle here: The Battle of the Nail Polish Quick Drying Products! Who is stating the truth and will get my pretty mani ready in less than an hour!?!

"Leet's get reaaady to baaaattttllleeee!!!!"

On our left is the Nailtini Dry Martini Nail Polish Drying Spray (try saying that five times fast!). This has been in my monthly favorites and I have been using this all year since I got it in January as part of my Ipsy Look Prize Gift.  I have found Nailtini products in Duane Reade (drugstore store chain here in the NYC area) and this spray costs around $12. You can also find it in their website, here. This is a glass bottle that sprays such fine mist and leaves a nice light citrus scent on your hands. The scent kinda masks the strong nail polish smell in the my hands, pretty nifty! 
I love this product! You spray twice on each hand after 45secs of putting your top coat on.  I watch a 30-min or an hour long shows when I'm drying my polish, and before I met Nailtini's Dry Maritni, even after an hour of drying time, my polish will have dents or chips on them, and that's with a supposedly fast-drying top coat too! This spray truly helps cutting drying time and I have no chipping; no dents or scratches on my nails after 30 minutes!




And to our right is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dry + Go Drops. This goes for around $7.33 in drugstore.com, $7.99 in Walgreen's website, just check your local drugstores see if they have this in stock since that's not a bad price for a nice glass bottle with a glass tiny dropper by Sally Hansen! 
So this claims the nails will be dry to the touch in 60 seconds and totally dry in less than 2 minutes, according to their website, here. I gave each of my nails one-two drops. Waited a minute to totally dry my left hand before I started on my right. My nails held up and they look nice and shiny! I go do my right hand, give them two drops each and sat there for two more minutes (just to make sure they are totally super dry on both hands!)* Now this is the time when we appreciate our touchscreen smartphones since we don't have to fumble with the little keyboard or the num-key pad to text back! *Just reminiscing those Blackberry, Nokia old phone days!
After half an hour, my nails were pretty dry, and I don't see any chips or dents after I went to fold some laundry and washed the dishes.

In conclusion, BOTH nail drying products held up what they claimed to do! BUT this only works for a regular nail polish of base coat + two coats of polish + top coat on each nail. Once you start layering, let's say for a nail art, you do still need to stay put longer than 5-minutes to get that nail art to dry completely. Of course the thicker the layer of polish, the longer the drying time. I still think it do cuts off the drying time still since I would be sitting there for an hour and a half (a movie length long) to get my nail art polished nails to totally dry. Cutting that to half an hour is still pretty amazing!

For my personal use, I do love my Nailtini Dry Martini Nail Polish Drying Spray. Besides being this named after my favorite cocktail drink, I definitely would buy this again when I run out since I just love the scent it leaves on my nails after! I have been using this spray since January and you can see from the picture I have not even used half of it, after using this spray every two weeks when I do my mani! 

This battle has ended in a DRAW! Both do cut drying time but if you are like me and love to do nail art, I would sit there longer and check it a few times before doing anything still. A lot of factors still need to be looked at here; like how thick are your layers of polish and the texture of your nail polish (fine glitter or those big chunks). 

Thank you all for joining me on this close battle, hope to see you all again on our next Baaattlleele of the Beauty Products!