Friday, August 29, 2014

Fall Vibes....

As you all know Fall is approaching, and it's actually one of my favorite seasons. There's just something about it I enjoy, makes me feel happy. I also love fall fashion especially (leather jackets, boots, hats etc). But what I really wanted to discuss was makeup duhhh lol. I'm all about a dark vampy lip. It pretty much goes with anything and it gives you edge. I typically pair a dark lip with warm eye shadow tones to compliment the look. I want to go over some of my favorite deep lip shades and give you guys options for the upcoming season. Feel free to suggest others I didn't list, I'm always on a hunt for new makeup :) I included lipsticks, lip pencils, a gloss and some liquid lipsticks.

LIPSTICK
Mac "Diva" - One of my favorite shades of all time
Mac "Sin" - Very similar to Diva but slightly deeper
Wet N Wild "Sugar Plum Fairy" - Cant beat a $3 lipstick!
NYX "Melot" - Not as deep as the others but a more natural plum shade
Lorac "Dominatrix"- Love the intensity of the pigment

Diva, Sin, Sugar Plum Fairy, Merlot, Dominatrix



LIP PENCIL
Nars Jumbo "Train Bleu" - I loveee this product because you can actually substitute it for a lipstick
Mac "Nightmoth" - One of my go to's when applying deeper shades
Mac "Vino" - Also a great shade although its very similar to Nightmoth
Mac "Currant" - Love to mix this one with deeper reds
Makeup Forever Aqua Lip "12C" - Very smooth and rich in color

    Train Bleu, Nightmoth, Vino, Currant, 12C






















LIQUID LIPSTICK
Doseofcolors "Berry Me" - Super long lasting and an overall great shade
Limecrime "Wicked" - More on the red side but can be made deeper with lip pencil
GLOSS
O.C.C Lip Tar "Black Dahlia" - This is one of the most unique gorgeous shades I've ever tried

                                                      Berry Me, Wicked, Black Dahlia




Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Drugstore Products

So I have been getting numerous requests on drugstore makeup, so I gathered some of my favorite products to share with you. Now most of the products shown are either lip or eye products. I didn't include a foundation/concealer because I have not found any that is even remotely comparable to Armani Luminous Silk foundation/Makeup Forever Full cover. Drugstore foundations don't seem to make my color, I'm not yellow or pink I'm typically neutral and none of the shades match me whatsoever. So lets start with the eye products. I love the L'oréal Smoledering Eye Pencil!! Its super black and can be easily applied to the waterline or eye lid. I personally use it on the waterline. As far as the Maybelline Master Kajal Pencil I would use it only on the lid, its also super black but doesn't go on as dark as the L'oréal pencil. NYC Liquid Liner has been one of my favorite products for years now. I have tried every liquid liner known to mankind haha and I still end up going back to this one. Its very black, doesn't peel like others and stays on all day. If you're on a budget or are lazy to go to a makeup department store Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner is a great alternative. Its affordable, lasts all day and easy to use. Totally forgot to mention the mascaras so I had to go back and include this in the post lol. I included two of my favorite mascaras (as listed in photo) they not only give volume, but they separate don't clump and lengthen the lashes. Swatches of liners are in order of the picture (Left to Right)





Also I really like the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow. You can literally apply them with your finger, all over the eye lid and on tear duct. They feel super soft, go on easy and love the metallic finish. I recently picked up some L'oréal infallible shadows and I have to say they are superrrr pigmented! So rich with color although I wish they had more of a selection. I listed my three favorite colors that I chose so check out the swatches. If I had to describe how they feel I would say kind of like a pressed pigment minus all the sparkle. I would definitely recommend these!



Maybelline Color Tattoo (Bad To The Bronze, Barely Blended,  Inked In Pink)
                           L'oréal Infallible (Amber Rush, Eternal Sunshine, Glistenting Garnet)

Now lets jump into the lip products. I've been loving the Revlon Colorburst Matte Lipbalm. I have listed two of my favorite shades "Unapologetic" and "Audacious". They're perfect if you're on the go, the color pigmentation is surprisingly good and theres many shades to pick from. They feel super soft on the lips, not cakey or drying. I also included my favorite hair tie product. I go through a pack every two weeks and somehow always end up losing them haha :) If I find other gems at the drugstore I will be sure to an updated review! Let me know your thoughts. What are some products you like? 

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Unapologetic, Audacious









Monday, August 25, 2014

Selfie Secrets....

I get asked very frequently on what camera/lighting I use, and how I edit my Instagram photos. Taking selfies isn't as easy as it looks, there is an art to it. As I previously stated in an earlier post I have always been into photography and editing. I remember having my Myspace page hooooooked up! Haha I'm dead serious my page looked like an official website. Graphics everywhere, picture slideshows, music and videos. I mean if you haven't noticed Im over the top! Ok so let's start with the camera. I use Sony Nex 6, that came with the original basic lens. This camera is everything!!! It has a softening effect which makes the photo look airbrushed so it needs very little editing. As far as lighting goes its always best to go with natural sunlight. It will offer the best result and color. Indoor lighting helps when its nighttime or if its a cloudy day, but I definitely prefer natural light over indoor lighting. Now if you are interested in indoor lighting you have a couple of options (soft box or ring light). Both will do but they give off different lighting. I personally have both, because I can't always depend on natural sunlight due to weather and time of the day. Photographs with a ring light literally leave a ring of light in your eye. Now depending on the makeup look it can tend to look weird. Sometimes I prefer the ring light and other times a soft box. So what I like about the soft box is the light is spread throughout your entire face, not just the center. It definitely offers more exposure then the ring light. Lighting equipment is essential to a good photo, without lighting you have basically have nothing. It is the main key. The ring light I own is "Diva Ring Light", and the soft box actually didn't have a brand, its from Ebay. Now lets jump into editing apps. I am an app junkie, I loooooove finding newer and better ones. Currently my go to app for majority of my photos is Facetune. I believe its one of the most advanced apps I have yet to find. It basically does everything you can imagine. For filters I often use Moldiv, Camerabag2 and Instagram ones. Moldiv is also great for pic stitching. Some other favorites are PhotoWizard, Camera+, PicsPlayPro, Lenslight, and Linecamera. I hope this review helped let me know your thoughts below :)

Friday, August 22, 2014

Love For Makeup....

I feel like this is the perfect platform to open up about my background in makeup. Hmm where do I start? Well Ive had a passion for makeup since I was in high school. I decided to take the first step by attending M.U.D beauty school in Soho, NYC. Sadly I didn't learn much, I took the main beauty course which lasted a month and 15 days. They mostly taught us how to do stage/tv makeup, which wasn't very beneficial to me considering that wasn't the direction I was heading in. So for about a year I was really scared pursuing a career in makeup. I wasn't too confident and I kind of held off looking for a job. Until one day I randomly walked into my local Sephora to actually shop, and I coincidentally asked one of the managers if they were hiring. She said yes and I got the job two weeks after. I was super nervous working for them because I had no professional experience in makeup. Little did I know a lot of their employees didn't know much about makeup either. So I felt at home. Working at Sephora opened up a whole world for me, there was so much to learn about and it was the best place to practice my skills. The more I did makeup the better I got. I eventually left Sephora to go work for Mac. That's where I grew the most. Working around so many skilled artists was amazing. After so many months of working for Mac, I reached a point where I felt I needed to quit. Reason why is because I knew I wasn't meant to have a boss, my only boss was me. I have never been one to follow, and taking directions was not my strong point. So I knew I had to move on to the next chapter. I freelanced for a while until it wore out. Instagram started to open so many doors for me, and I was excited for new opportunities. I discovered that my next venture would be blogging on Instagram. Ive always enjoyed taking pictures, not just of myself but of anything I found interesting. I'm a very visual person, and with Instagram I was able to combine all the things I enjoyed (Makeup, Fashion, Photography, Design) My life has changed drastically due to Instagram and I am thankful for all the people that supported me. I just want to say don't ever give up on your dreams, as cliché as that sounds. Go for what you want and don't let anyone stop you. Life is too short to settle for anything less.

Doseofcolors Liquid Matte Lipstick

So who doesn't love a matte lip? I know I do. These four new shades just released on Doseofcolors.com. There will be two more additional shades added to the collection but for now I will obsess over these four. As some of you may know reds are my favorite lip color to wear, and I love both of these shown in the picture. The dark berry color is perfect for fall, and the purple has the most prettiest blue undertone. Purple shades are hard to find in lip colors so for all those searching for a cool shade this is it! They're extremely pigmented and a little goes a long way. Very long lasting which is probably the best part considering we do so much throughout the day (eat, drink, lick our lips haha) They retail at $18. I also included swatches :) Colors listed as shown in picture (Left-Right)


               Purple Rain      Berry Me      Kiss Of Fire       Merlot







Thursday, August 21, 2014

L.A Girl Cosmetics "Glazed" lippies review

I am blown away by all these new colors L.A Girl Cosmetics has released. They already carry six other shades which are not shown in the picture, but can be found on their website if you're interested. So first impression I love the color expansion, they're very unique from what I've seen. They can be compared to Too Faced 'Melted" but I personally like these better and here is why. First and foremost they are WAY more affordable then Too Faced "Melted" and you cant beat a good deal. "Glazed" are $4 and "Melted" are $21. Pigment payoff is amazing and might even be better then the "Melted". Now the biggest factor for me is the amount color selection, I am mesmerized. The corals/pinks are absolutely gorgeous, they're definitely my favorite. The plums are perfect for fall, just in time. And the nude shades are so unique can't help but love them. I also received some lip liners. They're very pigmented, however I don't like retractable pencils. I personally love wooden pencils that you can sharpen, simply because I can make them pointy. I will list the names in the order of the picture (Left-Right)
Glazed Glosses
Gleam
Whisper
Elude
Peony
Tango
Flirt
Whimsical
Tease
Feisty
Tempt
Seduce
Daring
Lip pencils
Dark Plum
Natural
Nectar
True Red
Berries






Wednesday, August 20, 2014

#OOTD

Let's talk FASHION! My favorite shade to wear is white! I incorporate it with basically any other color. There is something so classy about white, makes a tan pop and accentuates the body. Ive paired this Bebe skirt with a tan suede crop top from Forever 21. And yes I had to throw on some leopard shoes, these are from http://www.lolashoetique.com. The clutch is from http://jaideclothing.com and accessories are http://www.princesspjewelry.com (code:amrezy for 10% off) Now I am not necessarily a designer whore. I don't put a price on fashion, simply because it doesn't matter to me how much an item costs. My only concern is how it will look. I personally can find a top for 20 bucks and you will never know the cost, because its all how carry yourself. Sometimes you can find something for less which can still look fashionable and presentable. Now I am not knocking on anyone who loves designer things, different strokes for different folks. I just firmly believe that you wear the clothes, they don't wear you. What do you guys think? Tell me your thoughts? I want my blog to be a place where I share my tips and tricks but at the same time I want to get to know you as well. So please don't be shy and leave me some comments :)