Holiday Video Make-up Tutorials

Happy Holidays everyone! 
I can't believe another year is coming to an end.

For the last two years I've been a huge fan of video bloggers Michelle Phan and Jessica Harlow. They are part of the reason I chose to start my own beauty blog. Those of you who have never heard of these two lovely ladies before need to be introduced to these awesome tutorials and I'm happy to share them with you.

They are both beauty bloggers who do beautiful online tutorials and do an amazing job at it. They are both passionate, give great make-up advice, and all their videos are well organized, helpful and it seems less than 10 minutes.

I'm going to post some great holiday video tutorials for you to try out this holiday season. I suggest watching them first to make sure you see how they apply their make-up and to get all your necessary make-up colors and tools ready to do these.

Please note these looks are achievable with the right product and practice. You don't need to buy the exact products they are using in the video. You can still achieve the same looks with what you may already have at home. 

Silver and Gold look

 This look is my favorite!

Silver, Gold, Purple look

This is very pretty and would look good on any eye color!

Gold Glitter look

Who doesn't love glitter!!?

Candy Cane Look

This is a great look for all your ugly sweater parties or winter themed parties.

Best Bargain Beauty Buys

Thank you all for your kind words on my first blog. It's really encouraging and really exciting for me!

Now that I've mentioned some of the more expensive products that ROCK, let's talk about the best beauty buys for your buck! :)

When I first started wearing make up at 14 years old, I was constantly at Walgreens with girlfriends buying nail polish, lip glosses and mascaras. Through the years I've stopped buying what doesn't work for me and narrowed it down to the things that HAVE worked for me time and time again.

This is probably what I looked liked at 14 (minus the yellow teeth) trying to wear too much makeup at once until I figured out less is really more. Mom is truly always right. 

Bargain Beauty Buys

1.) Noxema Face Wash- I've been blessed to never have super terrible acne growing up and in my adult life but even still, i have tried many other cleaners and Noxema has never let me down. It leaves my skin soft, it dissolves all the oils on my skin from the day and is gentle on my face. I once heard a story from this older man who said "My sister is 85 years old and has been using Noxema her entire life and has the best skin." Of course that depends on a lot of things, sun exposure, genetics, how well she took care of her skin etc. But I always remembered this man saying that. This comes in a jar or a pump. Personally, I prefer the pump to avoid wasting product. This costs about $4.79 plus or minus depending on the jar or the pump.

2.) Sally Hansen Salon Effects- These nail stickers are so cool. They are one of the most popular nail trends that have come out a long time and I'm a huge fan. Part of the reason this brand is one of the best on the market currently is because these stickers are made of actually nail polish so you can remove them with your regular nail polish remover.

 Any of you that have ever been to a nail salon have gone through the experience of sitting through a wonderful manicure only to ruin it that night by knocking your nail or smudging it somewhere only to feel like you wasted a half hour doing something nice for yourself. With these you won't have that problem. And they last a good week plus depending on how well you put them on and how active you are with your hands. They are definitely worth a shot.


Once you get used to putting these nail stickers on it's a cinch and its a fun and festive. These come in several different patterns, solid colors, glitter, and holiday styles. Once you have gotten the sticker on your nail I suggest painting a clear coat over them to help keep them secure.  Below is a tutorial I found on how to apply these stickers. This is a nice alternative if you can't get to the salon to get your nails done. They range at cvs and walgreens from $8.99 up but there have been more sales on these lately which is nice.

3.)The FALSIES Volume Express (by Maybelline)- I discovered this mascara by chance. I needed a good, black, waterproof mascara for my sisters wedding. This not only is volumizing but it lasts all day and holds a nice curl in your lashes. It's nice if you need a quick full look to your lashes and if you know your attending an event you may shed a tear or two at. I really like the flexible brush to help get at all lashes and I like that it has a curl to it. This costs $7.49 at Walgreens.

4.) Kiss Premium Eyelashes- These are a great find as well. Some false eyelashes are so expensive and what is the point of buying lashes when you're only going to where them for one night? A lot of false lashes now a days say you can reuse your fake lashes if you wash them or something but I think that's super unsanitary. At the end of a long night of wearing these you want to pull these off and throw them away.

My favorite thing about the new Kiss Lashes are the fact that they come with these red strings on the end of each corner of the eyelashes to help you apply them. I don't know a single girl who hasn't had a hard time putting fake lashes on and these little red strings are a big help. They are a little tricky to remove from the lashes once you have them on your lid and the glue has dried but I suggest them to girl that really want a dramatic look and want to practice wearing fake lashes. These cost $3.99 but sometimes are buy one get one free or half off.

5.)Ecotools Bamboo Foundation Brush- Now here is a find!!! I bought this foundation brush over a year ago and love it. Everywhere I turn foundation brushes are SO ridiculously expensive and I don't even wear foundation but I like to use a brush to blend my concealer so I'm not tugging at my skin and this is a great tool for that. This holds plenty of product and is super easy to clean with water and soap.Another great pro is this brush is made from Cruelty free hair, is made from natural recycled materials. This costs $5.99.

6.) Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 20 Medium to Tan Skin Tones- I would like to take a second to thank the Sunless Tanner Gods for FINALLY creating a self tanner that you can wear daily, with SPF, prevents aging and DOESN'T MAKE YOU ORANGE! This stuff is great and I use it everyday. This is a great daily moisturizer that is lightweight and oil free. If you haven't worn it before it builds up gradually the first couple uses and washes off after a couple days. It only comes off instantly if you're using a facial scrub or a toner so be forewarned off that. I personally use the medium and it's not too dark at all. The only con I've noticed is I feel like once I get near the end of the product it doesn't deliver as much tanning agents. Either that or my skin has become immune to it. haha! For 2 ounces it costs $10.00

 Hope you enjoyed my "Best Bargain Beauty Buys" blog. Stay tuned!!! xoxo

Beauty Staples- My Top 6 MUST HAVES!

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading my FIRST beauty blog.
(I've never blogged before so please bear with me as I figure stuff out. )

I wanted to start this blog because I realized I'm constantly reading reviews on make-up & skin care, constantly buying and trying new products, and have a serious love and passion for beauty in general. Everything about it from skincare, to colors, to names and packaging of products- I LOVE IT!

I figured I'd use this blog to help share my own reviews, tips, and pictures to help anyone who is just learning about make-up or for those of you who want to know more on what's good and what works before purchasing your own products.

Let's get started...

Top 6 Day where MUST HAVES!!!

1.) EYESHADOW PRIMER POTION (By: Urban Decay)- I never realized the importance of this product until almost 4 years ago. You ever put on your favorite eyeshadow in the morning and by noon it's creased in your eyelids or has faded away by noon? Well, basically this product stops all that. HOORAY! Not only does it prevent creasing but it makes your eyeshadow stay on until you want to take it off. I recommend this product for loose powdery eyeshadow and regular eyeshadow palettes. This is $19.00. You can get this at Sephora or Ulta.

2.) Jardin Aires Pigment Eyeshadow (by: MAC)- Now that we have the eyeshadow primer down. Let's talk eyeshadow. I've been wearing loose powder eyeshadow for probably more than 10 years and this has got to be one of my favorite everyday eye shadows. Although they are a bit pricey at $20.00 a pop, they seriously will last you the rest of your life. (Unless you drop them of course.) I've been using this pigment for 2-3 years and it doesn't even look like I touched it yet. So if there is a color you wear everyday and need it for a long time, this is the way to go.  This color is perfect for everyday, it's neutral but has a pretty shimmer to it that isn't too glittery but enough to brighten your eyes a bit for day wear. You can buy this at department stores that carry MAC or MAC stores.

3.) Orgasm Blush (by: NARS)-named "Top 25 Beauty Hall of Fame” 2010 Elle; "Best Blush for Light Skin” 2010 & 2011 InStyle "Best Beauty Buys”; "Best Blush for Fair Skin” 2011 InStyle"Best Beauty Buys” This is obviously one of the best blushes out there right now. It's a peachy pink that goes well on many skin tones and lasts a long time. This product goes on light with a blush brush and depending on how much blush you like on your cheeks you can build it up as much as you'd like. This blush is $27.00. You can buy this at department stores that carry NARS.

4.) Special Effects, conditioning, defining and lengthening Mascara (by: Lorac) This mascara is awesome and I used it for the first time this year. I'm a big DIORSHOW mascara fan but after some flakiness with the BLACKOUT mascara by DIOR I decided to change it up and try something new. I love  mascara primers and an even bigger fan of mascaras that come with a primer. This mascara not only strengthens and conditions with the white primer on the one end of the product but it separates then beautifully coats your lashes just enough to define and lengthen with the other mascara wand.  This is a good everyday mascara. This product costs $22.00. You can get this at Ulta or Sephora.

5.) TimeBalm Concealer (by TheBalm) If you're like me, it's hard to find a good concealer that works and lasts all day under your eyes. This product will do that. I recommend using a concealer brush to put this on rather than your fingers since it's a little stiff & tacky. This has lasted me almost a year so it's a good buy for your buck. It comes in 6 different shades. This costs $18.00. You can buy this at Sephora.

6.) EOS Lip Balm (by EOS) Not only is this the cheapest product on my list but this by far is my favorite product on it. I pretty much can't live without it at this point. I found these lip balms at Walgreens almost 2 years ago and have been obsessed ever since.  I am not a fan of carmex or lip balms that tingle so this is something I'm a fan of.  These lip balms come in 6 great flavors, are shaped like little eggs, are made of shea butter and vitamin E, they glide on smooth and are long lasting. I literally have one of these everywhere I go. I leave one at work, I have one my purse and have one in my bedroom. They last for severals months depending on how often you use them. They are $3.29 and you can find them at Kroger, CVS and Walgreens. Summer fruit is my favorite flavor.

Thank you so much for taking time to read my first blog. Please let me know if you have any comments, questions or recommendations for future blogs.