Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Lately, I've been reading from one of my favorite fashion/beauty sites Refinery 29 and they have a lot of different posts about fashion and beauty and other things. I like it the most because there is a local section and so whatever they talk about i.e. best facials in the city or sales in the city, I can go locally and experience what they experienced!

A lot of the articles that have been written lately are ones about skin care-- how to go from winter to spring. This is one thing that I am always interested in reading because I love to see what new and different things are people doing out there to get flawless skin. One thing that I keep reading about is blackheads and how it is imperative to get rid of them so that they don't develop into whiteheads and start really messing up your face. So after reading this, I went straight to the local drugstore and started to look at what was available for blackhead removals. I saw a lot of cleansers but I still have my pore minimizing one from +olay so I didn't want another cleanser. I opted for the oldie but goodie pore strips. I saw that Biore had newer version of the old strip. This is the Biore Ultra Deep cleansing one which has ginseng and tea tree oil. So you you apply this just as you would apply the regular one, wet the area and smooth it on. Immediately you feel the tea tree oil cooling on your skin and you can actually feel it working. I personally use it right before I take a shower and leave it on so that the heat of the shower will open up my pores. After I get out of the shower, I let it dry until the pore strip gets really hard and then slowly, lift it off. Thats the trick, to slowly remove it. Once you remove it, you will see all the gunk that comes out. You feel so clean after. Wash your face with a scrub and then seal it with your night time moisturizer and you are good to go! 

I do this routine about 1 or 2 times a week and thats part of my skincare routine. This retails for about $5.99-6.99 which isn't that bad and you can find it in most drugstores. 

Do you have a special skin routine product that you can't live without? Comment below!!

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Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser & Scrub Review

Back to skincare since we all can use a great new cleanser. I have oily skin as you know if you have been reading my blog, I have large pores as well. I don't have severe acne but I do break out occasionally. Its bad because when the breakout heals, it leaves a dark spot which I forever try to even out until it eventually does. For the last few months, my breakouts have been down to a bare minimum, I mean close to nothing (knocking on wood while I type this) so I decided to fight other areas of my skin that I would like to see change so I went to the local drugstore which for me is Duane Reade and I set out to look for a pore minimizing cleanser. I had my heart set on Neutrogena brand because I figured that wouldn't break me out while minimizing my pores but I guess I had something else in mind because the only thing they had was a scrub which I really didn't want since I use my +Clarisonic  every night. While looking through the aisle the Oil of Olay section caught my eye and it was because they have a whole line of new products. Good job +olay  marketing! The packaging is all floral and Spring-y and I immediately picked up and started reading the labels. I saw one that was geared to minimizing pores. I saw it was a scrub but I was so intrigued by the new packaging I was okay with it. 

So I've been using this cleanser for about a month now and I figured its a good time to give you an honest review on the product. So the packaging in general is a pump no screw on or anything and the bottom lifts up because its sort of like vacuumed so you don't really need to worry about wasting the product. Once you pump it out you immediately you get smell of floral. It is very strong but I love it. I either use the Clarisonic or just my fingers to massage it into my face and once I've massaged it and I cleansed my skin, I let the water remove all the suds and my face is left smooth. Now, I am not sure if my pores are minimizing but I do like the way it leaves my skin. Its soft and I love the smell. I am not sure if I would be repurchasing since it doesn't do what its states that it does, pore minimizing. This retails for about $6.99 and even though its not a bad cleanser, I wouldn't recommend it.

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Smashbox The Master Class Palette 11 Review

Make up!! Yay I love reviewing make up! I had gotten this Smashbox Master Class Palette II a couple of months ago because I thought it was limited edition but I don't think it is. Or at least its still being sold in +sephora  and when I bought it, it had already been out for a while. So this palette is a mega palette. It has everything that you could need-- eyeshadows, eyeliners, blushes, bronzers, and highlighters. There are 28 eyeshadows, oh yes that is not a typo--28 eye shadows!!! There are a range from lights to dark and not only nude colors but all types of colors, blues, pinks, purples. The eye shadows are highly pigmented. They are definitely worth buying with just the eye shadows let a long the whole other part of the palette. These colors blend easily with each other. It comes with a plastic cover that groups the colors in groups of how well they blend together. You can use any colors you want together but if for some reason you aren't sure which colors would go well together, you can follow the plastic cover that easily groups them for you.

On the other side of the palette you have 4 eye liners which I don't really use because I guess I am still scared of gel/creamy eyeliners. I stick with powder and pencil liners. But these are good. I've swatched them and they have a gel consistency and swipe on easily. Below the liners are the blushes and bronzer. There are 5 blushes and 1 bronzer. The blushes are a range from the darker mauve color to lighter pink and with those colors that it comes with, you should have all the colors you need for blush for all four seasons. The bronzer is good on my skin tone for contouring. The colors are very pigmented but not clownish pigmented. They are easy to blend and the color is build-able. Now for my favorite part of the face palette portion is the highlighters. The highlighters are amazing! They are so pigmented and there is one that is a nude color and one that is more of a peachy color which I can't wait to use when I am tanned in the summer. All the colors are good for day and night. The palette is bulky so I wouldn't recommend it to put in your bag to go to work and reapply but for traveling, this is great. It retails for $59.50 and honestly for Smashbox 28 shadows alone that is an amazing price. This isn't a crappy brand, this is definitely a high end brand so $60 for 28 shadows, 4 liners, 5 blushers, 1 bronzer, and 2 highlighters is a steal! I definitely recommend this palette. You can find it in Sephora and Amazon. I just checked on Sephora.com and it does say limited edition so if you want it, I would pick it up fast but rest assured, its still available.

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Lush Henna Dye in Caca Rouge Review

Now for a little hair talk. I have very long hair and the texture of my hair is a lot of thin hair and its wavy/straight. I always look for products that would help reduce grease and also help with volume since I need something in my hair to give it life. I've been dying my hair since I was 14 around 8th grade. I convinced my Mom to convince my Dad in letting me get highlights and from there it spiraled into a never ending adventure to get different hair colors. It was all done with the harsh chemicals and so at the age of 29, I've realized that I need to be healthier with my hair. So I saw this Henna hair dye in Lush. There are 4 colors available and I picked the red one Caca Rouge and I right away went into reading reviews and looking at Youtube videos to see how well this hair dye is on darker hair. I think I read about 100+ reviews and I was just a bit scared since I've never really used Henna like this before to dye my hair and the description says FIREY RED, I was a bit scared. I read and read and it never said that my hair color was going to turn into an orange mess and that was logical since its Henna with no chemicals like bleach which is what would turn a natural dark brown haired girl into Carrot Top. I was ready to breath and start the process. 

Now the process in itself is a pain, especially with hair thats almost down to your butt. The henna comes in a brick and first of all you have to grate it with a cheese grater which is a pain. Depending on the length of your hair, you use a certain amount of blocks but my hair is so long, I went ahead and threw the whole 6 blocks in. After its all grated and into a powder form, you have to them pour boiling hot water into it. I added lemon, paprika and cinnamon. The lemon to help lighten my hair since its a deep brown and paprika and cinnamon for color and smell.  You have to put enough water in it to make like a muddy consistency, like brownie mix. Once you mix the mud and the mixture isn't going to be boiling hot so don't worry about burning yourself. 

Once the the mixture is done, you want to start the application in your hair. Its easier to apply if you section your hair. You need to make sure that you get the roots to the ends. After the whole head if covered, you have to then wrap your hair with saran wrap and this is so that the red color of the Caca Rouge can deepen. It says to leave it for 2 hours but once I read online a lot of people were leaving it for about 7+ hours. I left mine in for 8 or 9 hours just because my hair being so dark that I wanted to make sure that the red shines through. This mask once you get to the 6th and 7th hour it gets really heavy. Then you can rinse it out. When you begin to rinse it out, you will see that it is gritty. It takes a long time for the henna to wash out. I would first rinse all of it out first and then shampoo it about 2 or 3 times. Again, my hair is very long so for someone who has shorter hair, might have an easier time to rinse it out.

Since the henna has all good things for your hair such as cocoa butter and the henna in general conditions your hair so good. Once I rinsed it out and blow dried my hair, my hair had a reddish hue and it was so conditioned. It really does do a great job for my hair and even though its a lengthy process, I would definitely keep doing it to my hair. I've done it twice already and my hair is really shiny now and it doesn't look dry anymore and the ends aren't brittle. This retails for $24.95 which is not bad especially if you get your hair done professionally and the best thing is that its actually good for your hair unlike anything else that you put in your hair to dye it. 

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Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Review

Finally getting down to the route of my obsession. I love doing my nails, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you will see that most of my pictures are of my nails. I love doing them at least 2-3 times weekly. I can't stand to see nails that are chipped or not shiny. I am not a huge fan of Deborah Lippmann nail products because they are very pricey especially for someone like me that changes her colors every 2 or 3 days. I do keep up with the products that they have though just to see what they come out with and I saw a couple of months ago...maybe a year, they came out with a Gel Lab. So this is suppose to be just like getting a gel manicure but without having to have a light to cure it. Unfortunately, I've gotten gel done on my nails and I regret it so much. The reason why I got them done more than once was because I thought, maybe it was the brand or the place. First time I went to a local place in Queens, Diva-Licious Nail & Spa and they did a good job with applying it, a little messy but I was happy with the shine. My first time there, it chipped within 3 days (even though gel should last up to 10 days) and I went back and they were apologetic (I didn't get a discount or anything) and this time it lasted 2 days so I was basically done with gel manicures. 

I work at an agency and we have vendors that take us out for mani/pedis and usually are at really nice places. This one vendor saw that I loved nail art so they decided to take my co-worker and me to Valley Nails on Elizabeth Street in the Village. These girls have talent and when I saw the work that they could do, I was so excited so I decided to get gel since the designs are so much cooler with gel. What a mistake! This gel started to peel from the cuticle within 5 days and then when it came off, it ripped my nails. I soaked them right away, being that I am a nail art fanatic, I have everything I needed to remove the gel. I soaked my nails for about 20 mins. Most of the color came off but while scraping it off, it ruined my nails to where it took over 6 months for the ridges to grow out. I've come to believe that gel polish isn't for me. Until I saw this gel labs product.

I started to read about it immediately and I saw everything that I wanted. High-shine, long-wearing finish and cushiony texture that a gel manicure gives you but without the lamps, extra time and damage to the nails. Also, this can be used with regular nail polish as where the regular gel manicures need specific gel polish to actually work correctly. All it is is a two-step system-- a base coat and a topcoat. The base coat has biotin, green tea extract and aucoumea in it which is good for your nails and the topcoat is fast drying that its just easy to use. The base coat actually makes the the colored polish go on easier and it creates a barrier so that its easier to get a better application. The color stays on longer than with other base coat and top coat but I still change my polish every 3 or 4 days when I use this set. 

This retails for $45 and I have to say, no its not worth spending that much money on a base/top coat because the shine still dulls and the chipping still happens. I actually was able to pick this up with a promo that Good Morning America ran that gave it like a 60% off which is why I got it. I still think if I would have tried it, I wouldn't have purchased because I think you can get the same gel look with Sally Hansen or Seche Vite products. 

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Coola Face SPF 20 Rose Essence Tint First Impression

O-M-G!!! I bought this a while back, like a long time ago, with my FSA that I get from my health benefits. I hadn't spent the money and needed to use it up and this stuff qualified since it was SPF and sun care related. I had heard of the brand before but hadn't tried it. I saw that this had tint so I thought, hey this would be good for weekends when I don't really want to wear makeup and it has SPF so I was good to go. In my never ending desire for it to be Spring, I decided to pop this on as a primer since I used my retinol this morning and most of my foundations, sadly, don't have SPF. I shook the bottle to make sure that nothing had settled since its been sitting for about 3 months. I put a little on my fingers and started to rub it in and O-M-G! This immediately absorbed into my skin and there was a hint of color. Although it didn't give me the coverage that I would like for work it did faintly cover some dark spots that I have around my jaw line. I love how this didn't make my skin oily and it immediately absorbed. I have to say that I might need to stock up on this because its so great. It says its suppose to have a Rose Essence to it and honestly I didn't smell anything. I don't think it smells like anything at all so not sure if the rose essence is meant for the smell or if its meant for something that does great things to your skin. 

All in all-- I have to say at a first impression this stuff is amazing. I never have had a sunscreen that absorbed into my skin so quickly and didn't leave like an oily feel to my skin. I would say that it matted my skin a bit since it absorbed so quickly. This product is all natural, vegan, not tested on animals and organic. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to wear SPF which should be everyone anyway but if you don't wear it now, I think this is the one you should start with. It retails for $36 which is definitely on the pricey side of sun screens but definitely think its worth it. If you have FSA benefits with your health care provider, this qualifies under that and you can get it on Drugstore.com or Walgreens and I'm guessing any other drugstore that carried higher end merchandise. This will totally change you thoughts on sunscreen-- ugh the white glow that they all leave, the oily feel-- yuck! Definitely not my cup of tea! Coola definitely nails it on the head with this one-- its tinted, fast absorbing and doesn't leave your skin feeling oily and has 20 SPF! This is probably all you need for Spring/Summer whenever it decides to arrive here in NYC.

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Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whisper Lipcolor Petal Rebel

Today I will do a lip color review as I love those and honestly a girl is always in need of a new lipstick. Since we are moving into the Spring time, theoretically since in NYC its still 40 degrees and tomorrow it might snow. Oh yay! 

Either way, I wanted to review more of a Spring shade, Petal Rebel by Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whisper. The color whisper shades are all more on the sheer side. They are very hydrating and the color is just a hint of color which is really nice for Spring. Its a gorgeous pink color that really goes well with all skin tones. I have a medium skin tone and I think this color is just great. Only thing is that if your lips are chapped, the color is really going to look weird because it will sit in your chapped lips and concentrate on certain areas. This isn't a fault for this lip color since most lip colors look gross on lips that are chapped. Just make sure that your lips are really hydrated before you apply this on. It glides on smoothly and feels great on your lips. 

I didn't thin to pick up this color until I saw a Youtube video from +Kayleigh Noelle that I thought was just gorgeous when she applied it. At first when I went to buy this color, I kept thinking, its such a Barbie pink that I would never would have picked up if I didn't see it swatched first. Don't be afraid, this color since its part of the Color Whisper collection,it applies very faintly and is glossy. For Spring thats what I look for in an every day color. I do love those times that I would go out in a hot pink or tangerine but for those every day moments, this color is great!

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Boscia Bright White Mask Review

Lately I've really been into skincare. I started realizing that it doesn't really matter how good my makeup is, if my skin looks like crap covering it up is going to just make it worse. I'm always into the brightening skincare products like I referenced in my prior blog with the facial wipes that I use and the Ponds cream. A few times a week, I like to use a face mask for different things, detoxifying or stress relief. This Boscia Bright White mask is for brightening. This mask is an advanced antiaging mask that brightens, hydrates and smooths the look of skin. Its suppose to even skin tone and also help the appearance of dark sports. Its also said that in 4 wks 81% skin appeared more radiant, 86% skin appeared moisturized and overall improvement in their skin. I use this mask every other week even though I should probably use it once a week. Its a peel mask which honestly, I'm not too much of a fan of but if you put a thick enough layer, it should be good peel off without being a pain in the butt. I've been using it for about 3 wks now and I do overall see my face brighter but not sure if its because of the mask alone. The best part of this mask is the way it smells. I love love love the smell. It smells florally and its just so intoxicating, that you are only suppose to have it on until it dries fully but I leave it on for about 30 mins. I love it and definitely seeing myself purchasing it again. It retails for $38 which is a lot, I know and its a +sephora exclusive so you can only find it online or in-store. I will be looking for dupes so stay tuned.

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Petite Target Haul

I went to Target today because I wanted to look for some of the luxury skincare brands that they have now one specifically from Korea Laneige but obviously I guess people in Queens aren't sophisticated enough to get this brand so the only 'luxury' brands that we can get is Boots and No 7. So obviously I picked up some other stuff to justify my going all the way there. 

E.L.F Concealer Brushes

I bought a couple of things so lets just get into this... First thing I picked up were concealer brushes from E.L.F. I use these for my clean up when doing my nails. The bristles are on the harder side and these are good to get along the cuticle line with pure acetone. These retail for $1 so thats why I picked up 3 of them. E.L.F brand can be found in Targets but if you live somewhere you can't get E.L.F. make up brushes, you can order online which I prefer because they have a better selection of products than they do at the Target here in Queens. 

Garnier 5Sec Blur
 Skin Renew Instant Smoother

I also picked up Garnier 5 sec Blur Skin Renew Instant Smoother which I've been eyeing for a while since I saw a review of one of my favorite Youtubers +Amelia Liana and she showed how it worked on her hands and it instantly smoothed her skin. It was pretty amazing. I have large pores so I immediately needed to get this. The box explains that it has visible blurring effect as it fills lines and wrinkles, hides pores, smoothes flaws, and mattifies shine. Those are all the things that I look for in a primer. It says to apply it after your moisturizer and then to just put your makeup on which is why I'm thinking its a primer. This retails for $14.99 which is more expensive than the Maybelline Baby Skin, but I believe this one will work better.

Ponds Clarant B3

I finally found the Ponds Clarant B3 Dark Spot Correcting Cream, in the big size. This specific Ponds cream is super difficult to find. I've looked all over NYC to find it and I finally found it in Queens. This cream says it will evens skin tone in 2 weeks and it reduces the appearance of dark spots in 4 weeks. They have 2 versions of this cream-- one for normal to oily skin and one for normal to dry skin. Obviously since I have oily skin, I picked up the oily skin one. This retails for $10.99. This price is great compared to some of the skincare creams out there. I've used very expensive creams and I do always come back to the Ponds brand creams.

Botanics Cleansing Face Wipes
All Bright

Lastly, I picked up facial wipes because the Yes brand ones that I have are almost finished and I honestly use them every single day to remove my make up. I believe that this is a great step in my night time routine that helps my skin. I can say that my skin has never looked better. The facial wipes that I picked up were Botanics Cleansing Face Wipes All Bright. I am all for a brightener, I always feel like my skin is dull so I always need brightening agents. These wipes say that it will cleanse and remove even waterproof makeup and its suitable for sensitive skin and it has brightening hibiscus. I've read really good reviews on Botanics wipes so I am very excited to try.

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Drugstore Finds Reviewed

I know you probably are all wondering why my blog is constantly about higher end products. Its not that I don't have drugstore make up. Its just I guess my newer products were higher end. So I figured I'd give you top 5 drugstore products. I guess I will start with the way I put the make up on:

1. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer-- this primer is amazing. It does exactly what it does. I have large pores and if you want your make up to apply smoothly, you need to have a great base and this primer is it. You only use a little bit of it and you smooth it over your skin. It makes your skin feel soft and smooth and instantly you can see your pores being blurred. The primer is clear and it does have a bit of a silicon feel to it but doesn't clog your pores. I would definitely recommend this primer for any one. It retails for $5.99 so its a great deal. 


2. Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Foundation + Brush, SPF 15-- This foundation has a great medium coverage. It has flawless coverage and is said to make your skin look 10 years younger. I guess I am not old enough to see those effects but it does make my skin look softer. It doesn't crease in the little wrinkles I do have. It evens out my skin tone and lasts a good 8 hrs. It doesn't help with my oily skin but with just a few touch ups of powder through out the day and its good to go. I like this foundation because of the coverage and the way it doesn't crease on my skin. The color selection isn't great so if you find one in your color, I would definitely recommend trying it. It also comes with a brush application which I do use but I have fallen in love with my Beauty Sponge so I use that on a daily basis since it smoothes everything on perfectly. It retails for $14.95 and for a foundation plus foundation brush that has SPF 15 its a steal.

3.Physicians Formula Powder Palette Multi-Colored Custom Blush Ultra Glam Bombshell Glow for Brunettes-- So Physicians Formula thought that brunettes and blondes needed different shades of blush and not depending on your skin tone. I was skeptical at first but after seeing reviews and pictures I was sold. I immediately went and bought it and I was very happy. It goes on in a light barbie pink which is nicer than it sounds. In the palette there are shades of bronzer and different shades of pink and highlighters. This blends very well with my medium skin tone. It retails for $11.99 and comes in a cute compact with a mirror and brush. I can't wait until I am tanned in the summer because I think this would go well with my tanned complexion. 

4. Covergirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara-- I am a sucker for a great mascara. I have about a dozen of them and I have to say that I do rotate them enough to justify them. I have one for special occasions, I have different colors but one that I see myself going back to all the time is the LashBlast Clump Crusher. I have it in Very Black and Black Brown and they are great. They separate my lashes and just as the name says without clumps. I have long lashes so this does the trick. I use this one along with my voluming mascara because I feel I need a bit more volume but this mascara is definitely great. You can put as many 3 coats and you don't have to worry about your eye lashes getting all clumpy and spider-lash looking. This retails for $6.99 and for the way it makes your lashes look. Its a great buy probably better than some of those $20+ mascaras out there.


5. Yes To Inc Yes To Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes-- I use these to take off my make up after a long day of work. These allow the cleanser that I use to penetrate into my skin. This are really soft and they are very moist with product. A lot of these towelettes lose moisture and these don't. They are said to have anti aging ingredients, I personally don't see anything but they do smell good so I love them. You get 25 in a pack and it retails for $5.99. Some may ask 'why don't you just use soap and water?' It just since I use a lot of make up, these help remove most of it before the soap goes on so that my skin is fully clean and hydrated when I am done washing my face!

Well these are my drugstore finds. They aren't in any particular order other than the way I would use them. I love a lot of other things from the drugstore so I would probably do more of these.

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YSL ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain – Rebel Nudes Review

Happy Friday!! I can't believe this week went by so quickly!! Today I am going to review one of my favorite products of my makeup routine, LIPSTICK. I don't think I am alone when I say that I can't have enough lipsticks. I need every color, brand, texture there is available. Since my birthday is coming up, all my friends started to ask me what I wanted. I immediately said something anything from +sephora so I gave them a link to my 'Loves' list which is Sephora's version of a wish list. One of my best friends decided to get my a lipgloss. This isn't just any type of lipgloss. Its the Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stain lipgloss. O-M-G the moment I opened the box and saw the brand, my jaw dropped. The packaging is just so fancy. I saw the color and it was Fuchsia Tomboy which is a gorgeous true pink which has a slight glittery gold in it. Its just gorgeous for Spring. I remember I saw it once in an article and I knew I needed it. I opened the color to find that the applicator is a diamond shape sponge which is on wand that has slant to it which makes it easier to apply to the lips.

The formula is like a lipgloss but isn't really gooey. I feel like the first coat doesn't really sit on your lips but seems into your lips which is probably why its called a stain. I know what you all are thinking, 'I hate stains because they are so hard to get off and I have the color on for 3 days'. This stain goes on and yes, there is a gloss to it which for me I like to blot my lips together enough so that the glossiness goes away. The color is long lasting and is definitely wearable if you are going out to eat or something since the color doesn't rub off on everything. This is my favorite part of the lipgloss. It doesn't rub off before I even get into the office because I decided to have my cup of coffee on the train. This fuchsia color is sheer but not so sheer that it doesn't look like you have anything on. I would definitely want to buy more of the colors. There are a total 10 colors which are all gorgeous! I am probably going to go to Sephora over the weekend to just try them on and pick one I really like since these lipglosses aren't cheap. This lipgloss will set you back $35 which I know is insane for a lipgloss but it is Yves Saint Laurent which isn't a cheap brand to begin with. This is my first YSL lip product and now that I've tried it, wont be my last.

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Urban Decay Naked3 Palette Review

For my birthday, my mom asked me what I wanted from +sephora ... she knows me way too well. I immediately started to think what I wanted and the first thing that came to mind was the Urban Decay Naked3 palette. I was unsure about it when it first came out because I wasn't thrilled by the Naked2 palette, so I really just browsed right by it every time I was in Sephora. I finally read reviews on how it was a rose gold beauty and once I heard that, I was hooked! I love rose gold everything. I figured all the colors were wearable on a day to day basis since they aren't hard dark colors. 

So just to go through the palette from left to right the colors get darker as they go. I will list them out starting from the left:

Strange-- this color is a nice milky cream matte color which is good for the inner corner of the eye, brow line and even use it as a base
Dust-- this is a shimmery glittery nude pink rose color which is gorgeous for the inner eye or even just to add a little depth to the darker colors
Burnout-- this is a nude shimmer which isn't as shimmery as Dust. It has a sheen to it
Limit-- nude matte color which is good for the crease
Buzz-- is a couple of shades darker than Dust but the same shimmery glittery color
Trick-- is a couple of shade darker than Burnout 
Nooner-- is a couple of shades darker than limit which is also nice for the crease as well
Liar-- is more of a gold sheen color less rosey than the colors before
Factory-- is a gold nude medium dark color which for normal days is good to use for the outer corner of your eyes
Mugshot-- is a gold color not rosey but not your typical gold gold. Its a nude gold which is perfect for summer. I would use it for the under eyelid to add depth to my eyes
Darkside-- its a dark brown but not your normal brown as it has a slight fleck of rosey gold shimmer in it. Gorgeous for the outer corner of the eye
Blackheart-- this is the darkest color of the group and its more of a reddish brown with more glittery flecks in it. This is more of a glittery shade than a sheen shade. This shade is good to tight line the upper eye and also lower eyelash lines. I also like it for the outer corner of the eye for that extra pop when you want to go out at night. 

This palette is definitely very versatile and even though its a bit bulky, its not that big and can definitely go with you to travel. It comes with a 2 sided brush which is very good for both blending and the precision side is also good to put the shadow on nicely I think the only thing that would be missing is a liner brush. The palette retails for $52 and isn't limited edition so don't feel like you have to run out and get the palette today before its sold out. You can get it in Sephora, Ulta, or Urban Decay online.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!! Let me know your thoughts or what types of looks did do you with them? I'd love to see them, you can tag me on Instagram!!

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HOURGLASS Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Mattifying Oil Free Review

I am obsessed with foundation. I think if you have a good foundation, the rest of your make up looks great! I have oily skin so when I was younger I would opt for just the pressed powder options. Now that I am a bit older, the wrinkles are coming in, I work a lot so I wanted a little bit more coverage to make look radiant and hide my imperfections. I don't have a lot of discoloration on my face but I do have very oily skin. Its just horrible for foundation since by the afternoon my foundation just melts off even in the winter!

I am always looking for different mattifying foundations but ones that won't cake on so I would usually just get one for normal skin and opt for more of the radiant look than the mattifying look. I have been using the Urban Decay Naked foundation in shade 5.0 and it has been great. I love the light to medium coverage which you can build it up for more coverage. But unfortunately, by the end of the day my face is all oily. I have to constantly blog with blotting papers or recently I've been using the Urban Decay Mattifying pressed translucent powder but I feel like by 3rd application of just sitting at my desk not really working out or doing anything crazy, the coverage isn't quite there anymore. 

Color: Sand

I finally decided to splurge on the newer to +sephora  brand, Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation. On Sephora.com it is said that its a breakthrough liquid to powder foundation formula that absorbs oil, camouflages imperfections, and delivers a long-lasting, velvet-matte finish. I read a couple of reviews on this about other girls that I follow that also have oily skin and since its my birthday week I justified the price of $55 for foundation. They have 16 different shades and I got the Sand color which says its medium with pink undertones. I was very excited to try this but decided to wait until Monday with would be a true testimony on how it works.

The box says to not use a sponge so I opted to use my fingers because I felt my brushes (even though good ones) weren't good enough. I might splurge for the Hourglass foundation blush some time in the future. I put on a primer as I always do. I did notice that this doesn't or at least doesn't say on the bottle if it has SPF so I made sure that I put a BB cream and/or something with SPF as a primer since I use retinol and I don't want to harm my skin. 

The application is flawless. It goes on really smooth, blends easily and doesn't set so fast that you have to work quicker than usual before it sets from liquid to powder. Before I went to applying my concealer, I took a moment to look at my face and I have to say it looked really good. It was definitely mattifying but didn't look cakey which was great. I went on to apply my concealer, powder blush and bronzer and set my face with Elf mattifying setting spray. 

Normally by 12 NOON, my face is starting to shine but this time it was still velvety smooth. It kind of compares to Urban Decay Naked foundation when you first apply it. After 6pm the foundation was still nice and matte. Obviously it wasn't as matte as it was in the morning but it was definitely better than anything I've used before. I know the price isn't cheap but my face looks great. It doesn't break me out and it lasts all day. I can go out at night and still look good without having to bring my make up bag to work if I'm going to go out after. 

For those of you who can't find it in your wallet to splurge for this Hourglass foundation. I've read online that possible dupes are Boots No7 Beautiffully Matte Foundation, Rimmel London Clean Finish Foundation, and Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation.

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Tarte be MATTEnificent Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette

Where do I start with this Tarte limited edition palette!! This called my name the second it came out. I was all over it because of the colors and at the moment I am on a Tarte kick so I was so excited when I walked into my local +sephora  and saw this palette in all its glory. I heard angels singing their glory when my eyes landed on the different shades of purple and pink, maroon and gold exterior. This is part of their Amazonian Clay so I guess it should look like a cave or something like that.

As the title explains, its a eye and cheek palette. It comes with 6 eyeshadows, 1 blush and 2 liners. It also has a double sided eye brush. So to start with the eyeshadows-- top left is a light cream color called "Sand out of the crowd(base)". This color is great as a base color or an inner corner color. Top middle color is "Peach for the stars (lid)" which is a tan light peach color. Top right color is "Two plums up (outer corner)" this color is a deep purple color, probably my favorite color out of the group. Down to the bottom half from left to right is "Pink outside the box (lid)", "Rose to the occasion (crease)", and "View form the taupe (crease)". The Pink color is the best one in my opinion hat looks amazing with the plum color. I am really into the dark and light contrast. The Rose color is a nice crease color to just give your eyes depth. The taupe color is my second go to color when I want to let the Pink one rest. Its a nice nude taupe.

These eyeshadows are all matte so there are no shimmers. I really thought this would be sort of an issue because I love a little bit of shimmer on the inner corner of my eyes but this palette is a great every day palette. The texture is buttery and creamy. They are all highly pigmented and last all day.

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The 2 colors on the bottom are "Dream in Chocolate" and "Don't Stand Black" are 2 liners which I use to tight line the upper eye lid and sometimes wing the outer corner out. The blush is called Elevated! 
O M G! This color is probably one of the best colors. This is the prettiest mute blush pink color that is like a milky mauve color. Its just too gorgeous. I would love to find this color on its own. Not sure if they have this color on its own, if they don't they should. Its gorgeous!

The brush is nice! I don't use this brush alone to achieve my look but its a nice compact staple to have in my collection. 

I hope you enjoyed this palette as much as I did. I don't think its available anymore unless at a local store. I would check either Ulta or Sephora or anywhere you can find Tarte Cosmetics. 

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Divergent Multi-Piece Collector's Kit

This limited edition makeup kit is a great value! You get 12 eyeshadow shades plus 3 transformer shades so a total of 15 eyeshadows!!! Plus 2 blushes, 1 bronzer, 1 highlighter, 4 lip glosses and 1 double sided brush! The eye shadows are amazing!  Great color pay off, pigmentation of all the shadows are amazing and all of them look completely different when they are wet! I usually wet the  transformer shade and apply it with a pencil brush to use as a liner or on the lower lash line. The colors are amazing, very different from what I've seen in the past and I have a lot of palettes. This one is definitely the mother of all palettes and its worth every penny! If you have the kit, I don't recommend buying the smaller one because some of the shades are the same but thats just my opinion. 

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Blushes are easily build-able and the highlighter is just perfect, not too glittery and not too matte. The highlighter is build-able as well. It has a golden sheen to it though which I'm used to seeing Opal but the gold is definitely pretty. 

The lip glosses are nice. The colors are gorgeous, nice and nude-tones since the eye colors are so intense its nice to go with a nice nude lip. They are not sticky but I would have to dip the wand in the bottle 2 or 3 times to get enough on the lips, at least for the lighter colors. 

All in all, I do recommend this palette to anyone, especially since its limited edition and its a great value at $59.50

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