How I Conceal my Under Eye Circles

Hey everyone! For the past year and a half or so, under eye circles has been a huge problem for me. I've tried tons and tons of products to try to fix and cover the darkness, veins, and puffiness but I never was able to. I've finally found a routine that really works for me, although it's not perfect and I'm still seeking even better options. Alsooo, I don't wear foundation or tinted moisturizer on my face, so it was really important for me to find products that blend well into my natural skin. My dark circles and puffiness are also related to genetics and lack of sleep, so it might never be fully treatable but I try my best. It might seem a little overboard, but it works for me! Also, I don't have a very high quality camera, so the "before and after" difference might not be very noticeable, but in person it very much is. Feel free to comment what you do to cover up your under eyes! 

Before

First I apply a small amount of Kiehl's Ultra Protection Moisturizing Eye Gel with SPF 15 to moisturize and prevent premature wrinkling from sun exposure. It has a slight yellow color but it blends in completely clear.

Before the moisturizer fully sets in, I use the Garnier Anti-Puff Eye Roller. Its supposed to help treat dark circles and puffiness. I think because it has a cold metal applicator and caffeine in the product it helps with puffiness, although I haven't seen a dramatic difference in my dark circles. I run it from my inner corner to the crow's feet area and use my fingers to blend it in with the moisturizer. This also helps increase circulation and revive my eyes.

After those two dry into my skin, I apply a thin layer of YSL's Touche Eclat from the inner corner of my eye to the middle of my eye (below my pupil) for a brightening effect. A lot of people think this infamous tool is a concealer, and while I am mixed about it, it's meant as a brightener/highlighter not a product to cover up. I tap this into my skin with my fingers. 

I don't use this every day, but when my eyes feel especially tired, I add a very small amount of Benefit's High Beam to the inner corner of my eye. It's a pink based highlighter with a slight sheen that gives my eyes a little more oomph. I also blend this in by tapping it with my fingers. 

Finally for the actual concealing! I use the Sonia Kashuk Confidential Concealer in Light which I get at Target and is literally only $5!!!! It's such a good concealer that I would easily spend at least $20 on it but I don't have to! I find that it blends extremely well and covers great. To make sure I get the best coverage with it, I also tap this with quick pats under my eyes and blend the rest up to my inner corner.

After :)
Because I used so many creamy/liquidy products it's an absolute must for me to set it all with a powder. I use a very small amount of the Clarins Multi Eclat Face Powder in Shade 2 to make sure the products under my eyes don't crease and that they stay all day.

Thanks for reading :) 

MAH 2010 FAVESSSS

Hey everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying the holidays and is excited for the new year! As many bloggers have been doing this past week I wanted to do a favorite products of 2010. It was REALLY difficult for me to narrow my choices down to just one favorite per category so I decided to do a "winners" and "runner ups" and "honorable mentions". I chose not to go into descriptions of the products for the sake of a concise post, but if you have any questions about the things i mentioned just post a comment or email me and I'll answere asap. By the way, I don't wear foundation and I'm not very much into hair products because mine is very manageable, so if you notice those categories are missing that's why! Hope you enjoy! 


Favorites: 


Lip Balm: 
Winner- Neosporin Overnight Recovery Lip Balm 
Runner Up- Blistex Medicated Lip Balm with SPF 15 
Honorable Mention- EOS lip balms 


Lip Stick: 
Winner- Estee Lauder Lipstick in Pinkberry 
Runner Up- YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Rose Stiletto 
Honorable Mention- Estee Lauder Crystal Lipstick Quad 


Lip Gloss: 
Winner- NYX Round Lipglosses 
Runner Up- MAC Lipstick in Eclectic Edge 
Honorable Mention- DuWop Lip Venom 


Eyeshadow (Single): 
Winner- Clinique Buttermilk 
Runner Up- Nars Bali 
Honorable Mention- Pixi Nude Nouveaux 


Eyeshadow (Palette): 
Winner- Tarte Day to Night Palette 
Runner Up- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box
Honorable Mention- Coastal Scents 88 Color Shadow Palette 


Eyeliner (Liquid): 
Winner- L'oreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black (the only one I use!) 


Eyeliner (Pencil): 
Winner-  Clinique Liner in Blackened Taupe (comes out brown) 
Runner Up- YSL Crayon Yeux Haute Tenue in Velvet Black
Honorable Mention- Sephora Brand Liner Electro in Khaki Electro 


Eyeliner/shadow (Gel/Cream): 
Winner- Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Charcoal and Black 
Runner Up- Stila Smudgepot in Kitten 
Honorable Mention- ELF Shimmer Palette 


Mascara: 
Winner- Covergirl Lashblast Fusion 
Runner Up- Arabella Stuart Perfect Lash  
Honorable Mention- Estee Lauder More than Mascara 


Blush: 
Winner- Benefit Posietint  
Runner Up- Sephora Blush in Rose Abricot 
Honorable Mention- Sonia Kashuk Creme Blush in Rosey 


Highlighter:
Winner- Smashbox Artificial Light in Flash 
Runner Up- DuWop Doubleglow7 in Champagne 
Honorable Mention- YSL Touche Eclat


Concealer: 
Winner- Sonia Kashuk Confidential Concealer in Light 


Skin Care: 
Winner- Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture with spf 15 
Runner Up- Kiehl's Ultra Protection Moisturizing Eye Gel spf 15 
Honorable Mention- Garnier Skin Renew Anti- Puff Eye Roller 


Cleansers/ Acne Products: 
Winner- Clearasil Rapid Action Pads
Runner Up- Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleansing Pads and Ponds Makeup Removal Pads 
Honorable Mention- Neutrogena On the Spot Acne Treatment 


Nail Polish: 
Winner- Revlon 85 Minted 
Runner Up- Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat
Honorable Mention- OPI Aphrodite's Pink Nightie 


Perfume: 
Winner- Vera Wang Princess 


Ok, those are all my favorites of 2010! This year I got really into makeup and found so many loves... I hope you all did as well! 
Feel free to leave a comment telling me some of your favorite products of 2010 or a link to a post of them if you made one. 




Thanks for reading and have a fabulous new year :) 

Super Simple Green Look for the Holidays!

Hey everyone! I wanted to show you a look that I came up with while playing around with my makeup today. I think that dark, shimmery greens look absolutely stunning for the holiday season and this look is so simple to do! Enjoy! 

Eyes: -Stila Smudgepot in Jade (base) 

      -Stila Eye For Eye Palette (dark hazel and black shade) 

      -Sephora Shadow in Aspen Summit (inner corner) 

      -L'oreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black Liquid Liner 

      -Yves Saint Laurent Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Velvet Black 

       (tightline and waterline) 

      -Estee Lauder More than Mascara Mascara 

Cheeks: -Smashbox Artificial Light Flash 

        -Sonia Kashuk Creme Blush in Rosey 

Lips: -Rouge Pur Couture in 9 Rose Stiletto

      -MAC Lipglass in Enchantress 

Thanks for reading and happy holidays everyone!! :)  

Lovely Holiday Gifts for Makeup Lovahsss

Hey everyone! Since it's officially holiday season, I wanted to make this post showing you some makeup items that I think any makeup lover would enjoy as a present this year. Also,I've been stalking sephora.com like a madwoman (because I'm so obsessed haha) and they have some really great holiday deals as well.  Enjoy! 

Coastal Scents 88 Shadow Palette: This is one of the most popular/infamous palettes out there in the beauty community because of it's quality, price, and wide range of colors. I believe the regular price is $24.95 but for the holidays it's reduced (I think the whole website is) to $18.95. The dime sized shadows are very pigmented with every color imaginable and perfect if you have a friend or loved one who is just starting out in makeup. I bought this palette when I first was starting my makeup collection and it's wonderful. The only downside is that you can only purchase online, the brand is not sold in stores as far as I know. Coastal Scents has TONS of other palettes, brushes, and makeup products that are really good quality so take a look for some great makeup presents! Coastal Scents website

Tarte Day To Night Palette: This is most likely my all time favorite palette. The colors are shimmery, blendable, and richly pigmented and whether it's a wearable day look to a super dramatic night look I can do it with this. It has really basic but gorgeous colors that I just can't get enough of! Ok, I just need to stop now because I really could go on about this palette all day! It also comes with a large mirror, a double sided eyeliner (not shown), an eye primer sample that I did not like (not shown, and an awesome double ended shader/crease brush (not shown) and an adorable purple case that I wish was a real clutch! This is an AMAZING deal for $44 and it would be an even better present in my opinion. Tarte Day To Night Palette

DuWop Exclusively Ours Gift Set: I'm pretty sure I'm going to do a full review on this gift set soon, but for the time being it's a 4 piece gift set that's exclusive to Bath and Body Works that has amazing products. It includes Venom Flash gloss, Doubleglow7(incredible product), Blushbooster, and a gold/champagne shadow duet. There are more details on the website, but as a $50 gift I think it's fantastic and comes with very basic, beautiful products that a true makeup lover would adore! DuWop Gift Set

Stila Smudge Pots Set: One of these at Sephora costs about $20, so for $32, this set is a ridiculous deal! Smudge Pots are a 2 in 1 cream shadow/liner product that I find pigmented, long wearing and they do not crease (wooo!). This set also comes with a liner brush that I haven't used, but it doesn't look that great. The four smudge pots are in the famous shade Kitten (love this), Violet (shimmery true violet), Black, and Starry Night (navy with multi colored reflects). Smudge Pots

Birchbox: I discovered this website after watching a video missglamorazzi on youtube made raving about it. Birchbox is essentially a website where for just $10 a month you receive random deluxe samples of high end cosmetic and skincare brands. In my first order, I got a heat protectant for my hair, a tinted moisturizer (although the shade is too dark for me), Stila lip   glaze in Kitten, and a perfume. If there's a product that you fall in love with and want the full size version of, you can also buy it on the website with redeemable points (I'm not totally sure how the point system works so check out the website). It's such a great gift because whoever you give it too will feel like they're getting a gift from you every month of the year! Birchbox

Vera Wang Princess: THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PERFUME AND WOULD MAKE AN AMAZING GIFT! I DID A FULL REVIEW ON IT HERE.




Yves Saint Laurent Sephora Exclusive Holiday Set: I recently got this set from Sephora, and I can not say enough what a great deal this is. The beloved and infamous Touche Eclat alone is $40 but this set is just $65! It comes with Rouge Pur Couture in Rose Stiletto (rich berry rose), Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils, Touche Eclat in 2 Luminous Ivory (for fair to light complexions with yellow undertones), Long-Lasting Eye Pencil in Velvet Black, and a chic black pleated evening clutch. All the products are really high quality, and they feel so luxurious haha.... its YSL! This makes a really great gift for the holiday season because it's beautiful products with just as beautiful packaging. YSL Gift Set

 Boy, this is a long post! Hope this helped give you ideas of gifts for this holiday season... thanks for reading :) 

Lips I'm Lovin and Haircut!

Hey everyone! Lately I've been really into experimenting with lip glosses and lipsticks and I wanted to show you guys some of my favorites lately. Enjoy! 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss
in Lilac Pastelle. This is such a unique lavender color that looks great when applied lightly(it's pigmented)alone or on top of another lipstick for a variety of colors. 

***

L'oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in A Deeper Shade of Hope
and Michael Todd Lipstick in Bone. I had both of these colors just sitting around for a while because I found them both just so unwearable for myself(a super dark plum and a paler than pale nude). On a whim, I combined the two colors and OMG! it made the most gorgeous, natural pink! If you have two unwearable colors lying around like I did, try combining them, you might be surprised :) 

***

Smashbox Smile Brightening Lip Gloss. First off,
I don't find this lip gloss particularly "smile brightening". But that aside, I was so happily surprised when I got this to see that rather than a typical pink, it's a purply-pink with tons of purple and gold glitter in it. It didn't pick up very well in the photo, but it's such a fun color! It's quite sticky which means that it lasts a long time and I love the brush applicator it comes with. I got it for only $5 at Sephora so check out if that deal's still going on!

***

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in Shade 36.
Once again... muted color UGHHH but DO NOT BE FOOLED by this photo!! This lipstick is an extremely bright, hot pink that can be a little scary, but a whole lotta fun as well. It's a little bit drying so I recommend putting on a lipbalm before applying it, but the pigmentation is great!

***

Haircut! 

Before 

After



Thanks for reading :) 

Jennifer Lopez Perfume Look

Hey everyone! The other day I was flipping through People Style Watch and i came across the Love and Glamour perfume ad with Jennifer Lopez and I absolutely loved her eye makeup. I decided to recreate it with my own products and although my look doesn't look nearly as good as hers, it was really easy to do and can be done with pretty common products. I did this look a while ago so I don't remember exactly what products I used but they are all very basic. Enjoy! 

I started off with packing a shimmery
dark grey all over my lid and winged it
out on the outer corner of my eye

To darken the look, I smudged a black-
grey color along my upper lash line and
then highlighted my brow bone with
a white shadow

Now the fun part! With a black
liquid liner, create a basic winged line
on the upper lash line and then recreate
the same line along the lower lashes.
Towards the inner corner, slightly bring
together the two lines.

Place a vibrant silver shadow in
between the black liner in the
inner corner, mine got smudged :(
and add your choice of mascara to your upper
and lower lashes

P.S. I forgot to do this, and it's totally optional, but in the picture, it looks like J.Lo is wearing some white liner in her waterline if you'd like to do the same 

Use a dark nude lipstick on your
lips and top it off with either
a gloss of the same/similar
 dark nude or a clear shade

SORRY FOR THIS GROSS PIC!
but anywaysss I finished off by
highlighting my cheeks and the
bridge of my nose. Then I contoured
beneath my cheekbones (the contouring
is quite heavy in the ad)

Here's the ad, isn't it gorgeous?! 

Thanks for reading :) 

 

October Favorites!

Hey everyone! Here are my favorites for the month of October. I don't have that many but I hope you enjoy! 

From L to R:
-Clinique Superbalm Tinted Lip Treatment in Grape Tint: This is obviously a sample size of the product, but as you can tell this month helped me make a dent in it. It comes off pretty colorless but there's definitely a grapey tint to it. It's veryy moisturizing, sticky so it lasts a while, has a gorgeous glossy finish, and it sits above my lips not settling into the lines and making them look fuller. Love!
- Onsen Cuticle Conditioner: I've had this sitting around for a while, but with the weather getting colder and school stress growing, my cuticles have not been great at all. I really love this product because it immediately softens my cuticles, is really moisturizing, and is very cool to the touch so it helps soothe any of my painful cuticles immediately.
- Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner: This small bottle was only $6 and for what it is it's pretty good. I haven't used any brush cleansers in the past but I really like this one. It has a somewhat strong perfumed smell but it's not offensive, and with just a few sprays my brush is pretty much clean. What I love most about it is that my brushes dry within minutes of cleaning them with this so that I can use them right away!
- Candles: Because the weather's getting colder, I've been lighting candles almost every day, mainly this lavender scented candle because it makes my whole room smell soo good... it's such a calming scent
-L'Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Eye Shadow in Bare Lavender: This is a loose shadow that's only like $2 at the drugstore. I love purple shadows and this is such a pretty super shimmering lavender. What I also love about it is that I can wear it as a sheer wash on my lid or really build up the color. The brush it comes with is good for a light wash, and the one really difficult thing about it is that it literally gets everywhere! But that's expected with pigments and it's just such a pretty color!
- ELF Mineral Blush in Plum: This is a loose mineral blush that's a really true plum color that I love for fall and with just a little dab in the pot I can get a really nice flush. For just $3 it's amazing
-Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Pearl: This is a matte white eyeliner that I absolutely love. It's so so so creamy and pigmented that it glides onto my waterline really easily. I use it for the famous white in the waterline to make your eyes brighter trick and I really love this particular eyeliner to do it with
- Eyebrow Razor:I don't exactly know what this is called, but I just call it an eyebrow razor... trust me it's not as scary as it sounds! This is a really small razor that I use to quickly clean up my brows when I don't have time or want to suffer through the pain of tweezing them. The hairs grow back quicker because it's not as precise but it's still a good pain free option

Those are my favorites hope you enjoyed!
Thanks for reading :)