Blogsmaid

Hey girls!

Okay so I've been a slacker blogger AGAIN. But this time I have a good excuse. One of my good friends is tying the knot this Saturday which is tomorrow!! So what does that have to do with me being an unproductive blogger? Well because I am actually in the wedding, yeah I'm a bridesmaid! :) It's my first time being a bridesmaid and I am stoked! For that reason I've been super busy this past week! I thought it'd be fun to do a non-make-up post and show you guys what I'll be wearing etc...It is a black tie wedding, in other words nothing that could also be worn to the beach lol

Here is our dress...I found these images through Google as it's difficult to take a picture of my actual dress and capture it's true beauty (I'm not a clothing photographer at heart, at all!) This dress is by Bill Levkoff and comes in a variety of different colors and sashes as well. We opted for black because it's a 'safe' color and will look beautiful with our maize/buttercup colored bouquets!

My shoes...we're wearing different shoes as to not look like quadruplets haha! Initially I was planning to buy a new pair of occasion shoes but then I remembered about this pair which I have worn to another friend's wedding and danced the night away in them without feeling a slight discomfort! So I thought, now that I am a bridesmaid and I will be on my poor feet the entire day, I need pretty and comfy shoes and they are just it! :)

Shoot, actually our earrings are the same too! These were gifted to us by our lovely bride-to-be friend, spasibo Julia! :) If you'd like a pair yourself check them out here.

My necklace...I think it speaks for itself. LOVE IT!!!

My clutch.. I was debating whether I should take a clutch with me or not since we'll be running around a lot and it'd be such a hassle to carry it. But then I thought, what if I have to twitpic and report live from the wedding and I'll also need a lipstick or 10 yeah I needed a clutch for sure! This is the 'bean clutch' by Jalda and can be found in various different stores and online retailers. I do have a satin type of clutch which would go well with my outfit however I don't want to look that serious. I thought this would be a fun addition to my outfit since it's more sophisticated and a bit sporty.

My hair will look something along these lines...Here's the gorgeous Kristin Cavallari via Google images, I love her hair! I will take this picture with me so the hair stylist knows exactly what I want. I think I may eventually go for this color too, I know I'm such an unoriginal copycat! :p

And the most important of all, the make-up...Can you believe I have no idea how my make-up will be? We're actually getting it done and the only detail I know about it is that it will be 'bridal-y' with a twist. What does that mean I have no clue! I just hope that it's not some boring neutral eye that will make me look like I died 10 days ago. I definitely will take my own lipsticks with me for retouching through the day/evening. I'm taking MAC's Jazzed for a hint of color as I'll be in black from head to toe lol If in the case that eyes are darker, I will have my Angel lipstick ready as well. I'm leaning more towards Jazzed though, it's just gorgeous and looks beautiful with a tan :) I'm planning to paint my nails and toes a coral nail polish such as Essie's Peach Daiquiri or Revlon's Tropical Temptation.

We're staying at a hotel close to the venue/hall otherwise we would all have to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning, and who wants to do that? Not me! I'll definitely blog about the wedding when I get back! I hope everyone has an awesome and fun weekend! XOXO

Jazzed Up

Hey chicas!

I haven't done a 'face of the day' for a long time! Blame it on the weather! It's scorching hot and humid (and gross) in Chicago...For that reason I usually keep my make up to minimum and pretty much have a neutral look everyday, I know boring!!! So I decided to change it up a bit and use some colors that I haven't used much since purchasing them. Of course my favorite of them all is Jazzed lipstick, hence the title! :)

Face

Revlon PhotoReady in Medium Beige

NYC Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny

Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink (doesn't even look like it but I promise it's there!)

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk on inner corners

NYX Jumbo pencil in Strawberry Milk on rest of lid

MAC Paradisco e/s on inner half of lid

MAC Texture e/s on outer half of lid

MAC Pink Venus e/s on crease

MAC Shale e/s above crease

NARS Strada e/s on outer v

Matte white e/s on brow bone

L'oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense on upper lash line

Milani Liquif-eye liner in Black on waterline

Wet n Wild Mega Eyes Cream Liner in Eggplant on lower lash line

L'oreal Voluminous mascara

Elf Under eye concealer and highlighter under eyes

Lips

EOS Lipbalm

MAC Jazzed l/s

Hope everyone has a great week! <3

Urban Decay 24/7 vs. Milani Liquif'eye

Hey everyone!

Finally a drugstore eyeliner with high-end brand quality! I'm getting close to finishing my Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero so I had been on the lookout for my next eyeliner since I knew for a long time now that I won't be repurchasing Zero. I know a lot of people rave about Zero being the best eyeliner they ever used yadda yadda...To me, it's just an eyeliner. There are more things I don't like about it than I do. I hate that it's way too creamy that it doesn't feel like an eyeliner, it does budge, it doesn't stay put (It ended up on my crease more times than I can count!) I have to sharpen it way too many times that I believe I actually wasted half of the product, not to mention it is $17.00.

UD on top, Milani on bottom. Looking at my swatches, Zero does not even look black, it looks more like navy! 

What I think about Liquif'eye...

It's a true jet black eyeliner and it's marketed as a metallic eyeliner. I am not so sure about that because mine does not look metallic at all unless I hold it right under direct sunlight then I can see some super tiny pieces of glitter. I have mentioned a few times before that I use a black eyeliner every single day, so to me having a good black eyeliner is very crucial. It has a velvety texture and applies smoothly. It really does dry after application, that way it doesn't even have a chance of collecting in the corners of your eyes or bleeding under your lower lid, which Zero is good at doing. I think Liquif'eye has an exceptional quality and formula because it does stay put until you take it off. In fact I've noticed that it doesn't even come off that easy, which of course can be a downside for some. For me it's not because when it comes to make-up there is nothing I hate more than having raccoon eyes. So I'd really rather work a bit to take it off than have it end up all over my lids. I think this eyeliner is exactly how waterproof eyeliner should be! There is not much to say about packaging, it's matte black and has a clear cap. I actually like matte packaging more than shiny ones. Another thing I love about Liquif'eye is that it is paraben-free. I always get so happy when I discover paraben-free drugstore cosmetics! This eyeliner is only $5.49 which I think is a STEAL for the results it gives! There are a total of five colors, the other four are silver, gold, aqua and brown which I'll more than likely pick up as well. Hopefully they'll roll out more colors, I'd like to see some purples, blues and greens!

Swap with Ms. Bubblegarm

Hey loves!

Last week the lovely Muhsine and I decided to do a swap! She was interested in trying Maybelline's new Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation, for some reason Maybelline UK thought they could get away with bringing out only 5 shades of this foundation. We have 10 shades in the U.S. so I picked some up for her and sent it to her...that's pretty much how it became a swap, in case you're wondering! She offered to send me goodies from UK brands and I was very happy! (Few years ago when I visited London, I was too obsessed with being a tourist and doing touristy things that I did not buy a single (make-up) product besides souvenirs, oh wait I went to Accessorize and bought the flip flops you see in the picture below! Then I fell right by the London Eye and broke my wrist, hence the cast..definitely didn't plan on visiting a London hospital but I did lol)

 Cheesy phone booth shot, you gotta do it!!! :)

Sleek Storm Palette

Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink

  Barry M Dazzle Dust in Electric Blue

Barry M Nail Polishes in Racing Green, Cobalt Blue & Pink Flamingo

She was such a sweetheart to also send me one of these beautiful brush rolls that she makes herself! 

How pretty is this??

 ...and this hair comb that you may have seen a similar one of on her blog...(believe it or not, but when I first saw the comb on her blog, I was like "awww I wish I had one too" She read my mind! lol)

  

...and she sent me a card that says "Ebrucuk" on it, in Turkish that means something like " sweet little Ebru" awwww! :) See my card on her blog and you're guaranteed to crack up! lol

That's all folks! Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday, go out and enjoy the weather! (if it's nice and sunny where you live of course) :)

L'oreal go 360 Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub

Hey chicas!

I've run out of the amazing St. Ives Green Tea Scrub and was in the mood to try a new product. I was strolling through the beauty aisles of Target and this scrub caught my eye. Few people have suggested this after my post on St. Ives Green Tea Scrub so I thought now is the perfect time to give it a try!

This is my first time trying L'oreal skincare and I can't say that I'm impressed. I initially thought this was a good product actually. I liked the packaging. The 'scrublet' definitely catches attention. Even if you later decide not to buy the product, it is definitely a factor why many people pick this off the shelf to check it out. I was personally not that fond of it though. You have to put it between to fingers to use it and it was just hard to do so when your hands are wet, it is floppy. Of course I could have dried them first but to me that's just not convenient. I also prefer to use nothing but my fingers for facial product application because naturally I want this process to be as gentle as possible and the microbeads are harsh as it is. I also think using the scrublet, one may feel the need to literally scrub because you don't know if it's really working. On a better note, it has a really nice and summery apricot scent to it and I really enjoyed that. It left my skin feeling soft and moisturized (at first). It does give you a squeaky clean and refreshing feeling which I also liked.It currently retails for $5.99 at Target.

I had been using this scrub for over a week and have not experienced any flaking or additional dryness whatsoever. This was until two days ago. I think 7+ days are good enough to know whether a product works for you or not.I have kept all my other facial skin care products the same so I knew for a fact this scrub is what's causing this problem on my face. I have normal/combination skin so an oilier T-zone. Where do I get the flakes? On my T-zone! My forehead flaked the most, then my chin, my nose was the least flaked but it was still visible. Ugh where is my moisturizer?!

This is a bit cleaned up version, I didn't want to gross anybody out by showing the whole flakage! :)

It's nothing to freak out about as it will go away, I'm just kind of bummed because I wanted to like this product. I guess I'll just go back to St. Ives Green Tea or Burt's Bees Peach scrub, they are both very good!

What about you guys? Have you tried this scrub, what did you think of it?

E.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

Hey lovelies!

I know for many of you, Elf has been there for a long time. For me, however, it's pretty new. My Target recently started carrying this brand so I just had the pleasure to try it out few months ago. You may think, but there is their website. I confess, I am a cheapo when it comes to shipping costs, that's all I'll tell you :p Here is one of my most recent finds from Elf...

Both the packaging and the colors are somewhat similar to the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo. (which I no longer have :/ )

Comparison to the Orgasm/Laguna Duo..

- Elf packaging is a bit cheaper as it is plastic, NARS packaging is more sleek and has that rubbery feel 

- Elf blush is a more pink-er/red-er, more pigmented and a bit more powdery and chalkier than Orgasm

- Orgasm is more on the peachy-pink side, more sheer and seems to be more shimmery than Elf

- Laguna is a slightly lighter and sheerer than the elf bronzer

- Elf duo; $3 and NARS duo; $39

Both pictures are of the elf duo, just taken in different lighting. 

I know that a lot of people think "NARS obviously makes their products with better ingredients" hence the more expensive products. I don't think that's the case at all. Ingredients for the NARS duo include just about the same ones in the Elf duo. NARS ingredients also include parabens and Elf ones surprisingly don't. Keep in mind when purchasing high end products, we are paying for the name as well!

Back to the Elf duo...I think this is a great product at a very reasonable price. It does exactly what it says and the quality of both the blush and bronzer is just amazing. They are both very pigmented and last all day on my face. One thing I am not too crazy about is that the blush is a bit too powdery for my liking. When I dip my brush in the blush pan, the blush gets so powdery it lands all over the place in and out of the compact. However, it's not that big of a deal since the product really delivers. I am definitely a devoted bronzer user so I need my contouring color and blush to show up over my bronzer and they both do a great job and show up beautifully layered over my bronzer. I personally don't like to use the bronzer color as a bronzer but for contouring purposes. Application and blending are a breeze and both colors while pigmented can be built up. This is definitely a product I'll repurchase and I recommend it to anyone who has been wanting somewhat similar colors to NARS Orgasm/Laguna but don't want to shell out a fortune for it. Though the colors are not exact dupes of each other, I think this is a great alternative.

In the Groove

Hey ladies!

Like most of us, I had also been impatiently waiting for MAC's new collection; In the Groove. I was pretty let down by To the Beach, which I was looking forward to even more than this collection. It feels like right after I see someone's swatches online, my opinion about these collections change drastically. After seeing the photos of swatches I knew right off the bat that I'll be skipping the eyeshadow trios. I am not really a fan of mineralize eyeshadows. I also dissed the liners and most of the lipsticks and glosses. Then I saw Stereo Rose and Jazzed...I just knew they had to be mine! Those were the first 2 products that jumped up at me and am I glad I was able to get my hands on them as they are both sold out right now :/

Stereo Rose was love at first sight and application. I have never used an MSF before besides my MSFN which I also love and use to set my foundation with and as a bronzer. What distinguishes the two is obvious; color! MSFs have multi uses because not only can they be used as blush but also for an over all color and highlight. I even see myself using Stereo Rose as an eyeshadow, why not? I use my MSFN on my crease, sometimes!

Yep, my coral obsession continues...Jazzed is a beautiful Cremesheen pink/coral lipstick and I loves it! Before seeing swatches, I was sure it'll be very similar to Vegas Volt (which I adore) but not quite. Check them out below...

Don't be sad if you didn't have a chance to get Jazzed, you can easily achieve a very similar color by mixing Myth and Vegas Volt! :)

What did everyone else get from In the Groove?

Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express Mascara

Hey everyone!

Ok I've done something bad...I cheated on my L'oreal Voluminous mascara with this new Falsies mascara by Maybelline, oops! While I love to stick to what works for me (and Voluminous does a wonderful job) sometimes I just can't help but wonder about what else is out there, can you blame me? Launch of Falsies coincided with me finishing up my current tube of Voluminous so I went ahead and purchased this. After coming home I did what I should have done prior to my purchase and googled Falsies mascara. I read numerous mix of good, bad and so-so reviews. I kept it anyway.

I like the packaging because purple is one of my favorite colors and the metallic blue writing on it is just as cool! Maybelline definitely knows how to attract potential buyers with bright colored containers!

The curved brush has medium length bristles that we see on most of the mascaras.

Wand itself is very flexible and actually bends, Maybelline calls it the 'spoon brush' for that reason. I personally don't think that adds anything to the mascara's capabilities. 

You can see my natural eyelashes in the above picture...

Hello spider legs!

My thoughts...

Speaking on behalf of my lashes, it really fans them out and that's pretty much it. It does a so-so job separating lashes. I did witness clumping which I am not a fan of, who is anyway? I personally don't really like spider lashes. I also don't feel like it added so much length. Any mascara will add some length whether it's a good or bad mascara. This mascara does not deliver a false lash look like Maybelline claims it does, at all. I haven't seen any added intensity or volume either. Unfortunately as if all these negative thoughts weren't enough I have also felt that staying power of this mascara throughout the day is pretty lame. About 6-7 hours after application, my lashes looked naked. Where has all the mascara gone? I have no clue, it vanished into thin air! Sorry Maybelline, I like and enjoy using many of your other products but this mascara just doesn't do much for me! Needless to say I will not be repurchasing Falsies, in fact I'll run to the drugstore now and beg my Voluminous to take me back! :)

If you purchased and used this mascara, what are your thoughts on it?

Mini MAC Haulage + My Blooming Lovely Trick

Hey girls!!!

I have recently been to MAC because I had some empty containers for back 2 MAC and here is what I got in return. I also picked up 2 other eye-shadows. I couldn't help it, they were staring at me! :)

Texture 

Peachy Brown with shimmer

(Velvet) 

Texture just kept popping up everywhere I looked and now I understand why. It's gorgeous! I've seen it mostly used on crease but I'm sure it'll be just as beautiful as a lid color. 

Scene 

Muted blue-gray 

(Satin)

I can't believe I've never SCENE this! What I love about this color is that it's not blue and it's not gray but a mixture of the two. I guess it's safe to call it slate gray. This shade is great if you are a bit intimidated by color but still want to wear it. I think it's pretty versatile and can easily be worn during day-time without looking overdone.

Seedy Pearl

Chilled lavender pink

(Frost)

The color is a mix between pale pink and lavender duo-chrome. It has an iridescence to it and can be used as a highlight on cheeks as well. When applied on eyelid, the color turns into more of a pale metallic pink It's a pretty unusual shade, definitely don't have any dupes for this. I am curious to see how it'll work into the looks I'll do..

Fulfilled Plushglass 

Full-blush Creamy Pink

I definitely did not plan to walk out with Fulfilled in my bag. In fact this is my first plushglass ever. As I was checking out at the register, the make-up artist's blush caught my eye so I asked her. She said it was Prim and Proper from the Liberty of London collection. (She also has porcelain-like skin and looks like a doll so that's probably why it looks perfect on her :)) I told her I was such an idiot for not purchasing that blush and that in stead I got Blooming Lovely and now I have no idea how to make it work for me. So another make-up artist suggested Fulfilled. I asked him to put some Snob on my lips (which I think is the closest permanent color to Blooming Lovely) and apply Fulfilled on top. It was just amazing! If you're having issues with your Blooming Lovely and don't want to toss it, try applying it with a very light hand (and if possible with a lip brush so it's easier to adjust the amount of color that goes on your lips) that way there is some color but it's not "hey I just spent an hour in the freezer" kind of color. Then try Fulfilled on top or a similar sheer gloss. I think the pink in this lip gloss overpowers the blue undertones of Blooming Lovely thus creating a softer and more wearable shade. I'm so glad I got this! Don't get me wrong, if Blooming Lovely works for you or I should say if you can make it work then I'm happy for you and I envy you :) Mauve just looks horrible with my skin tone. I don't know what I was thinking, could it have been the cocktails at the preview?!

*Color descriptions are taken from www.maccosmetics.com

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

Hey girlies!

I am usually not really a fan of cream products because I didn't have much luck with most of the ones I have used before. However I'm always open to try new products because obviously I can't know whether I'll like a product until I try them. With that in mind, I've decided to go for this cream foundation from Maybelline. I had used their Dream Matte Mousse Makeup years ago and it just didn't do anything for me. Though this is part of the "mousse" line, it's nothing like mousse in texture and I guess that was the reason I went for it. FYI: I purchased this foundation in shade "Natural Beige" or 240. I believe it comes in about 10 different shades.

Packaging:

Improved compact design as opposed to the pot version of Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in which you have to dip your fingers to get the product out. Compact has two parts. Top part lifts up and reveals a sponge for application. I don't know why but I was expecting to see a mirror in this compact but there is none. Oh well. Then you twist off the top part and ta-da there is the foundation in all it's glory!

Formula:

Name of this product has a "mousse" in it and I think it's kind of misleading. Someone who never used a product from Maybelline's mousse line can easily buy this foundation thinking it has a mousse-like texture. It's absolutely not. It definitely does not have the same texture as their Dream Mousse blushes or Dream Matte Mousse Foundation which are what their names say they are. This product is and should be considered as a cream foundation. I have purchased it knowing that it's not a mousse foundation because my local supermarket recently started to put out testers for some cosmetic products and I was able to test it before buying. (Yay, finally!) Formula easily glides on skin and blends out very evenly and quickly. It does a good job hydrating skin and probably because of this, it feels weightless. 

Coverage and Finish:

It provides medium coverage; doesn't cover up all the flaws but covers enough so that not every flaw is totally visible. However due to the fact that it is quite pigmented, you can easily build up this foundation and take it's coverage to the next level. In my case I have noticed that it does a good job filling up and covering my pores around my nose area. Finish is semi-matte and a bit on the dewier side. With this foundation, little goes a long way.

Verdict:

It's an okay foundation. I am just not sure if it's something I would repurchase. Sometimes I am just lazy or just don't have much time to get ready so this product will come in handy on those days, I can just slap it on my face and go. I like how light it feels on my face and that it hydrates my skin. Also I was able to find a shade that's almost exactly like my own skin color as you can see in the picture above. It's hard to tell whether I have anything on my hand :) I would have liked it more if it had SPF and a mirror though!

Have you girls purchased this product? What did you think about it?

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend, and if you are in the U.S. Happy 4th! :)

June Favorites

Hey girls!

It's that time of month again, time for the monthly favorites! Can't believe it's already July, summer is going by way too fast!

One of my most favorite products in June and this summer has been my Physician's Formula Tinted Moisturizer. I feel really good wearing this both because it does a pretty good job covering up (though it's not a foundation) without feeling like a heavy foundation and more importantly it's SPF 50.

I have also been loving my Plaza Pink creme blush in June and will most likely continue doing so throughout July and maybe August, we'll see! :) It's such a pretty color, feels really light on skin and stays put for a long time.

I haven't really found myself wearing so much lipstick or lip gloss in June. It's seriously so hot and humid in Chicago that I want to keep what I put on my face as minimal as possible. My EOS lip balm occasionally topped off with NYC Lip Slider Tined Lip Balm for some color surely delivers, so I still have my girliness going on without looking and feeling overdone.

I just kept reaching for Rimmel's Steel Grey for my fingernails in June. I know, for many people this is not a summer color but I really like it. I just kept reapplying Steel Grey, it's really pretty. My toes had their way with the lovely Lapis of Luxury from Essie's 2010 Resort Collection.

My eye lashes loved Maybelline's new mascara The Falsies in June. I read some mixed reviews on it but my experience has been great. It's more lengthening than I thought it would be and especially compared to The Colossal, it's awesome! I will have a review on it one of these days.

Okay so maybe I don't like wearing heavy make-up during summer months, but my eyes definitely can't be bare. If I don't have eyeshadow on, and this month just wasn't an eyeshadow kind of month, I must at least have mascara and eyeliner. My choice of eyeliner this month was Lineur Intense by L'oreal. Felt-tip makes it so much easier to use and the formula is great. It stays on all day and no smudging! Nobody likes raccoon eyes!

What about you guys??