Category Archives: Holy Grail Products

Dr. Scholl’s Fast Flats Review

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Hello Lovely Readers :),
How’s your Monday going? Hopefully it’s not too painful after the long weekend. I’m in go mode at work and in school, so no normal sleep until after December 14th! Even thought they’re not makeup related, I wanted to post a review on the Dr. Scholl’s fast flats I picked up last month before my trip to Vegas. I knew I was wearing heels and couldn’t stand the thought of having to walk the strip barefoot (gross). I got the black flats that came with a little gold clutch and don’t know how I had a clubbing/bar hopping night without these before.
Fast Flats range in price from $7-$14, you can buy them online or at Target and drug stores. They’re simple black ballet flats not meant to be work every day–they’re pretty thin and not necessarily pretty. I loved that these folded up into the gold clutch they came with or any of the other clutches I own, so I could carry them discreetly instead of dragging flip flops around. After walking a mile (no joke) in heels and dancing, my feet were dead and the staff at Tryst wouldn’t let us just take our shoes off and be barefoot. I pulled my flats out of my clutch and let the relief of being flat footed wash over me, LOL. While my friends were ouching their way back to the hotel in their stilettos, and buying over priced flip flops in the club bathroom, I was happy happily walking back pain free.
The downside to these is that you don’t have anything to put your heels in, but I can look past that and I’m fine with carrying them with me on the way back to the car/hotel.
Again, these aren’t meant for daily use. The upper part of the flat is very thin and the sole is as well, but it has a grip. I’d recommend these to all of my friends that wear heels for nights out and special events, they are a lifesaver and more sanitary than walking around barefoot in public a la Britney Spears :P.

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Have you tried Fast Flats?

<3V

Z Palette Review

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Happy Tuesday Dolls!
How’s your week going? Ready for the turkey day festivities? I’m counting down to the delish feast that my best friend is putting together :).
On to the good stuff! As my kit/makeup collection grows, I’ve found myself buying shadows that don’t come in a little box/container–they’re the loose metal pans that are meant to be in palettes. I was getting pretty tired of having to keep the shadows in the plastic packaging because they were a pain to open up and they were easily damaged in my purse. I looked around for a while because I didn’t want to limit myself to one company’s shadow pan shape/size, I wanted to throw all of my loose pans together and keep them in one place. I found the Z Palette and couldn’t be happier with my purchase! The case is made out of sturdy cardboard, has a clear cover so I can see all of my colors, and it’s lightweight/easy to carry. The magnetic base grips the metal shadow pans really well, I’ve shaken it open and flipped it upside down and the shadows haven’t fallen out once. If you have non-metal shadow pans, you can just stick a little magnet to it (also sold on the site).

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I love the sleek look of the palette so much. They come in a large (above) and small size, and are available in different colors. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a freestyle magnetic palette.  Click here to visit the company website.

Have you tried Z Palette products?

<3V

Inglot Mini Haul and Swatches

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Hi Babes,
Happy Monday! I’m so excited that this is a short work week, looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at bffs house and sleeping in all 4 days of my weekend. I’m heading out to LA/Hollywood this weekend to pick up some things for my makeup kit as well, so I’m excited to share those with you :).
I was in Vegas for Halloween weekend with my girlfriends, and while walking around the forum shops, I found the Inglot store. After a quick happy dance and some excited squeals, I headed in and picked out some shadows in colors that I didn’t already have in my kit.

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In natural light:
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With flash:
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-Pearl 423- a shimmery deep brown with copper and purple tones depending on where the light hits.
-AMC Shine 09- a gold with a slightly peach/pink shimmer to it.
-Double Shimmer 504- beautiful teal/aquamarine blue. LOVE this one so much.
-Double Shimmer 483- a deep shimmery navy blue.
-Double Shimmer 481- my favorite of the bunch, this is a khaki green that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Creates a beautiful subtle smokey eye.

I’m officially Inglot crazy and cant wait to pick more up at the store in Newport Beach soon. The colors are intensely pigmented, blend like a dream, and last all day long. I picked up the pans for their Freedom System and they came out to $5 each :)–seriously, how could you say no?! I’d recommend these to the newbies and the serious makeup artist looking to build up an amazing shadow collection. Click here to visit their website.

Have you tried Inglot before?

<3V

Review: E.l.f. Zit Zapper

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Hello Lovelies :),
I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend! I celebrated my friend Liz’s bday this past Friday, spent yesterday recovering (fishbowl drinks…so delish, but they come with a side of regret the next day lol), and today I’m being lazy with the bf– getting ready to FINALLY watch the last episode of True Blood.
If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know I LOVE e.l.f. products, they’re amazingly affordable and some of them are really really great quality. A while back, my sister told me she’d picked up the Zit Zapper roller at Target and absolutely loved it so I thought I’d give it a try. This stuff works! If I have a pimple or zit, I just use the little roller ball after washing my face at night; when I get up the next day, my blemishes are visibly smaller and less red. I’ve also started using it under my makeup, applying it right after moisturizer for daytime treatment.
I really love the scent too, it smells kind of like minty tea to me. The e.l.f website lists Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel, and Camphor as the main ingredients. I haven’t experienced any dryness or flaking from using this product, even when I’ve used it a few times a day.
This has become a staple in my kit and I carry it around with me to treat those random blemishes that show up out of nowhere in the middle of the day. At just $1 a tube at Target or on the e.l.f. website, you really can’t go wrong.

Have you tried Zit Zapper? What’s your favorite quickie blemish treatment?

<3V

Product Rave: MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream Concealer

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Perfect pink roses courtesy of my bf last weekend.

Hello Beauties,
Happy Saturday! Taking a minute this morning to post about my new concealer that has quickly reached Holy Grail product status: Makeup Forever’s Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream. I heard about this from Sam over at http://finallyindigo.wordpress.com/. He posted a great review and I decided to pick up a sample of the stuff at Sephora a couple of weeks ago.

Click the picture to purchase on sephora.com.

*Dramatic pause…*

My makeup life is changed forever. I have not found another concealer with the coverage and staying power that MUFE Full Cover offers. Seriously, it covers EVERYTHING. I only use the tiniest amount to cover under my eyes, around my nose, and any random spots I get. This doesn’t cry off, cake, flake, move, sweat off, sleep off, get oily, or oxidize…it stays put from 6 am when I apply it until 11 pm when I wash it off. I picked up the full size (.5 oz) at Sephora last weekend and couldn’t be happier.

MUFE Full Cover passed the sensitive skin test for me, I have not broken out because of it and it hasn’t made my skin more oily. Another plus is that it comes in 12 shades, and they flatter different undertones so you should be able to find a match. For reference, I’m a shade 4 in the concealer and a shade 20 in their Matt Velvet + foundation.

Although it’s very creamy, I find that I have to work fast with this concealer. Once it’s out of the tube, it gets drier/thicker the longer you wait; I’m sure this has to do with being long lasting/waterproof. This isn’t a deterrent for me though, because the finish is absolutely perfect. Just remember to close the tube correctly and as fast as possible.

At $30, it’s not cheap. I do think it’s worth it if you’re looking for a long lasting concealer that covers everything and stays on through anything; it also photographs beautifully. As I build a bigger kit for my freelance makeup artistry work, I plan on building up a collection of these to use on clients. Because I only need the tiniest amount, this tube should last me upwards of 4-6 months. I’ve been covering spots with it and buffing MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural over it.

Overall, MUFE’s Full Cover concealer gets an A++++ in my book. Ah-mazing. What’s your favorite full coverage concealer?

Off I go on an Ikea and British pub adventure with the bestie. Hope you’re having a fab weekend!

<3V

Product Rave: It’s a 10 Plus Keratin

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Photobucket The Angel game I went to with the bf last weekend :).

Hi Babes!
I just want to say I’m sorry, I haven’t had much of a chance to blog. I have quite a bit of homework for my Anthro class and last week was spent running around picking things up for the bridal makeup trial I did (!!). The trial went beautifully and my stylist, Jessica, said I was hired :D. Here’s a quick picture of the lovely bride to be. I should have slowed down and taken better pics, but I was too excited lol. When I got home and uploaded the pics, they all showed up too dark. BUT, I will take good shots on the big day to post; or I might have to steal some of her professional ones :P.

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She asked for a purple smokey eye :). I know many brides opt for a neutral look, but Jessica is such a bright, beautiful person– browns just wouldn’t have felt right. Can’t wait till you guys see the dress, its dramatic details beg for a more dramatic makeup look. Anyway, we took our time to get the look just right and I’m looking forward to recreating it in November when she gets married. I had an absolute blast working with you, Jeca! Thank you for asking me to be a part of your big day :).

Jessica traded my services for a hair cut and surprised me with a bottle of this amazing, life changing, ground shaking product as a tip. The last time she cut my hair, she used It’s a 10 Plus Keratin and I could not get over how shiny and healthy my tresses felt after. When I went into Ulta to check out pricing, I decided to wait, given the $20 price tag for a 4 oz. bottle. Last Friday, before we started working on her makeup, she came out of her room holding an enormous 10 oz bottle of the stuff and I had to restrain myself from doing an embarrassing happy dance LOL. Here’s the product description from the site:

Click the image to visit the company site.

I’ve been using this product daily for about a week now and my hair looks AND feels healthier. When I get out of the shower, I spritz It’s a 10 a couple of times throughout my hair and then comb it through while I detangle. If I leave the product in my hair for an hour, my hair feels incredibly soft and silky. If I dry my hair right after applying, it’s still soft and it styles really easily (while controlling my baby hairs). My split ends look so much better and my 2nd day hair isn’t out of control; I can skip a day of washing without it feeling yucky.

Yesterday morning, I tried to shake the bottle to feel how much I had used and there wasn’t a swishing liquid sound. When I helt it up to the light, I saw that it was a thick cream. This was surprising to me because the spray never felt heavy and has not weighed my hair down at all.

It’s a 10 doesn’t really have much of a scent that I can detect, so it doesn’t conflict with any of my perfumes, something I can really appreciate.

Now, to talk about pricing. The 4 oz. bottle is about $20 and the 10 oz. bottle is about $40 at normal retailers. Because Jessica is a hair stylist, she’s able to get it at a much better price, but not everyone has awesome stylist that will pick bottles up for them (lol). I asked Jeca to bring me a couple when we meet for her wedding, but I’ll be on my own after that because she lives up north. Would I still pick this up at full retail? Yes, in a heart beat.  Because I haven’t seen my hair look this healthy since before I started dyeing it, I would be willing to cut other little luxuries once every few months to be able to afford this.

I give It’s a 10 Plus Keratin an A+, 5/5 stars, a thumbs up…you get the idea. Miracle product, indeed!

Have you tried the It’s a 10 line? If not, what’s your favorite product to keep your tresses healthy and happy?

<3V