Tell Me About Your Fabulous Self!

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Vanessa

Happy Thursday Beautiful Ladies!

This week isn’t going by fast enough, it needs to be Friday so I can go out with friends and get a drink or…four lol. Anyway, I would love to get to know all of you better so help me out by filling out the questionnaire below please :-):

1. Where are you from and how’s the weather there right now?

I live in beautiful Southern California. It’s sunny and warm-ish outside right now. People are in shorts and flip flops! Oh, what brutal winters we face haha.

2. Favorite color?

I don’t have one, it changes all the time. Today’s color is soft ballet pink!

3. Favorite places to shop?

Nordstrom, Sephora, AE, Express, and online.

4. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A fashion buyer or working somewhere in the beauty industry.

5. Tell me five things you like about yourself:

My hair is semi-obedient most of the time, I have good feet for open toed shoes, my eyebrows are pretty good on their own, I’m a good listener, and I’m pretty dang smart :-).

6. How tall are you?

5’8″. I’m still working on embracing that.

7. What’s your style?

Mostly classic with a bit of trendy. I love clean lines, good fabrics, and great fit.

8. Favorite trend right now:

Soft pink and nude colored tops and shoes, they’re so feminine and pretty!

9. Least favorite trend right now:

Hm. It’s not a trend necessarily, but I’m really not liking when girls wear sheer leggings and tops that aren’t long enough. TMI!

10. What are 4 makeup items you can’t live without?

Mac’s MSFN, Covergirl Lashblast, TimeBalm concealer, Well Dressed blush, and Korres lip butter.

11. What beauty product/service do you splurge on?

My foundation/powders. My skin is picky and will flip the f out on me if I use any random products.

12. What beauty product/service do you skimp on?

Mascara. I’ve used expensive mascaras before and they don’t really do anything different than my Lashblast.

13. Favorite show?

True Blood. Hands down. I used to make so much fun of people that were into the Vampire thing too…

14. Favorite songs right now?

Pretty much anything by Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Sara Bareilles.

15. Best restaurant you’ve ever been to?

Cafe Allegro in Upland, California…best Italian ever!

16. How old are you? (or feel :-))

I’m 23 and feel 23.

17. Best part of this week?

Running every other day. I’m sticking with this!

18. Random beauty related story?

I asked for a sample of Origins VitaZing so I could try it before buying it because of my sensitive skin and the woman at the counter asked if I was allergic to Zing. Hahahahaha…I don’t think that’s an ingredient. Oh, special people.

19. What color nail polish are you wearing?

Not Just a Pretty Face by Essie with a glitter topcoat.

20. Weekend plans?

I’m celebrating my friend Dan’s 26th birthday tomorrow night with a big group of people, mattress shopping on Saturday, and errands allllll of Sunday. Blogging will have to be fit in there somewhere too!

Okay, now it’s your turn!

1. Where are you from and how’s the weather there right now?

2. Favorite color?

3. Favorite places to shop?

4. What do you want to be when you grow up?

5. Tell me five things you like about yourself:

6. How tall are you?

7. What’s your style?

8. Favorite trend right now:

9. Least favorite trend right now:

10. What are 4 makeup items you can’t live without?

11. What beauty product/service do you splurge on?

12. What beauty product/service do you skimp on?

13. Favorite show?

14. Favorite songs right now?

15. Best restaurant you’ve ever been to?

16. How old are you? (or feel :-))

17. Best part of this week?

18. Random beauty related story?

19. What color nail polish are you wearing?

20. Weekend plans?

Can’t wait to read your replies!

<3V

In Case You Forgot…

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Vanessa

Hey Dolls,

I just wanted to remind you that you’re beautiful. Every one of you. Embrace everything that makes you unique and love all of your “imperfections.” Remember that beauty comes from within, and the light of happiness and confidence does more than any makeup ever will. There is only one of you in this whole wide world so live it up and believe in your unique beauty :-).

<3V

Singing the Blues…

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Vanessa

Okay, I’m not really singing…no one needs to hear that. But I am in love with blue!

Hello Beauties!
I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. The sun actually came through in SoCal this weekend and the temperatures were perfect; I think the “winter” we have here will be over pretty soon :-). I can’t wait for spring and summer!
Here’s an eye look that I wore to an evening wedding on Friday:

Products Used:
-UDPP in Sin all over the lid and along lower lashes.
-Revlon matte eyeshadow in Riviera Blue all over the lid just past the crease and smudged along lower lashes.
-MAC Wedge blended into the crease to smooth the edge of the blue.
-MAC Mylar along the brow bone.
-MAC Dazzlelight along inner corners.
-Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Black.
-Stila Eye Kajal in Onyx on waterline.
-Covergirl Lashblast in Black.

Here are two nail colors I wore this weekend:

Essie’s Not Just a Pretty Face.

Sally Hansen’s Black Out topped with Sinful Colors glitter topcoat in Pearl Harbor.

How have your weekends gone? I’m waiting for football to be over so the bf and I can run errands and watch a movie lol…he’s been oblivious to me since this morning; it’s been kinda nice, I’ve actually gotten a lot done! Have a good Sunday night girls, we start the week again tomorrow!

<3V

Amazing $3 Makeup Brushes!

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Vanessa

Ahhh…just a reminder of the warmth that will be here soon enough!

Hi Lovelies,

How are all of you doing today? I’m at work on my lunch break trying to get some blogging in. I was so excited about the brushes below, I couldn’t wait to tell you all about them! Back in December, e.l.f. had a sale for 50% off of their studio items and I picked up some brushes to give them a try. My expectations weren’t that high, because I didn’t think $3 would be getting me much. I was so wrong! Their studio brushes are really good quality and I can’t wait to get more as backups. Check out the reviews below:

The Stippling/Duo Fiber Brush:

I know a lot of bloggers and makeup artists have used stippling/duo fiber brushes to apply foundation, but I didn’t really want to use my MAC brush on a liquid…I was worried about ruining it (it was the first quality makeup brush I bought and I have an attachment to it lol). I figured I could finally give the technique a try with my new e.l.f. brush this past weekend. OMG, I don’t think I can ever go back to applying foundation with a sponge or my fingers. The brush was so soft and it picked up just the right amount of foundation and applied the liquid perfectly; I had no blotchiness or caking, it felt like the foundation had been melted perfectly into my skin (I’ve tried it with the MUFE Matt Velvet + and Revlon’s Colorstay foundation). The brush didn’t lose any of it’s bristles and it cleaned up with no problem The brush is currently sold out on e.l.f.’s website, but you can find them at Target too. A+ rating for this one!

The Powder Brush:

The powder brush really impressed me as well! I used this to buff in my Mineralize Skinfinish Natural from MAC and loooooooved the finish. The powder was buffed in so well that there was no powdery look to my skin, it just looked flawless and airbrushed. The results are amazing over foundation or just my skin after moisturizer. The brush also works with blush, it blended the color so there was no harsh line or powdery finish. The bristles on this are very soft, but packed together really well so there wasn’t fallout. It is currently available online and at Target. A++ rating for this brush because it’s really versatile and made my skin look absolutely flawless.

I’m so excited about these brushes, I hope all of you get to try them (for $3 each, how could you not?!). I’ll be ordering a couple of backups for each for myself and for client makeup.

Have you tried the e.l.f. studio brushes? What did you think of them?

Have a great day dolls, we’ve almost reached Friday!

<3V

Makeup Storage

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Vanessa

Hi Dolls :-),
How are all of you starting off the year? I’ve been on a cleaning/organizing rampage that has consumed so much of my time and I’m not even halfway through! At the top of my list was my makeup organization. I have sooo much stuff that I don’t use because it’s been put away in dark train cases that weren’t easily accessible. I really really want acrylic storage drawers like the one’s the Kardashians have, but I found out that they cost anywhere from $200-$300…I just don’t have that kind of money right now lol. Instead, I worked with my much smaller budget and created a little makeup area on my dresser that makes it easy for me to see everything I have without digging or moving cases around. Check it out:

The large container is from Target and I paid about $18 for it. The two small glass containers are also from Target and I paid about $4 for each.

The top drawer has my face makeup including primer, concealer, foundation, and all of my blushes.

The second drawer contains all of my department store/prestige brand eyeshadows, primers, and liners.

The third drawer contains drugstore/miscellaneous eye products.

The fourth drawer contains all of my lip products. I’m going to be switching the lip stuff with the last drawer when I find the right lipstick organizer so I can keep all of the products upright.

The last drawer has all of my random products that didn’t fit in the first drawers lol.

I stored all of my polishes in a dresser drawer.

The glass vases are holding brushes/cleaner in one and random hair things and tea (I don’t even know lol…) in the other. I’m looking for the glass beads that Sephora uses in their brush displays to fill these with, anyone know where I can find them?

There it is! I spent about $30 on storage that will work until I can save up for the acrylic organizers I really want.

How do you store your makeup?

<3V

Wine Tasting and an EOTD

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Vanessa

Hi Lovelies :-),
I hope you’re all having an amazing week! Happy Friday! I’ve been relaxing so much during my week off, it’s amazing and much needed. Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining my best friend, her mom, and a few friends for wine tasting in Temecula (located in Southern California). We went to four wineries and had about 25 different kinds of wines, it was a good day lol. Here’s the eye of the day from yesterday along with some pics of the trip:

Products Used:
UDPP in Sin all over the lid.
MAC Mulch on lid just past the crease.
MAC Teddy eye pencil along lower lashes and set with Mulch; also used on wanterline.
Revlon Colorstay Liquid liner along upper lashes.
Covergirl Lashblast mascara.

The view from the first Winery we went to. The day was beautiful, but sooo cold!

Loved my polish, it’s China Glaze’s Peace on Earth.

Our view during the first tasting.

Shan loving wine lol.

The view from the driveway of the second winery, it was on a hill.

Amazing! I fell in love with the scenery.

LOL! I took too long with pictures and Shan needed to find the little girls room.

Happy Bff’s :-).

What are you all up to tonight?

<3V

Chocolate Eyes

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Vanessa

Happy Tuesday, Dolls!
How are all of you today? How was your Christmas? I spent time with my family and my bf’s family and had wayyyy too many tamales. I’m off from work this whole week so my pj’s have been getting a lot of work :-). Currently watching documentaries with my sister and drinking coffee in my pj’s. I’m almost weirded out by the amount of relaxing going on here!
I’ve been obsessed with browns and olive greens since summer, but browns have been my favorite over the last few weeks. The color is so rich and it reminds me of one of the best things in the world: chocolate :-D.
I used my Coastal Scents palette this weekend to create the look below:

Products Used:
-UDPP in Sin all over the lid and along lower lashes.
-Shade one from the CS palette packed onto the lid and blended along lower lashes. This is a deep true brown.
-Shade two from the CS palette blended into the crease and on top shade one along lower lashes. This is brown with a hint of copper in it.
-Shade three from the CS palette blended along all edges of the two other colors to soften the lines. This is a matte nude color near my own skin tone.
-MAC Dazzlelight along brow and in inner corners.
-Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in black along upper lashes.
-Stila Eye Kajal in Onyx on waterline and blended at the lower lashes slightly.
-Covergirl LashBlast in Blackest Black.

What are your favorite colors right now?

<3V

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 25, 2010 by Vanessa

Hello Lovelies!

I’m stepping away from family time to wish you all the happiest of holidays, no matter what you celebrate. I hope you’re having great times with your family, friends, loved ones, and pets :-).

Sorry that I haven’t posted in about three weeks, I was tied up with school finals, xmas shopping, and December in itself is always crazy for me. I’ll be off of work for a whole week so I’m going to blog my heart out.

Anyway, I hope you’re having a great time. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my blog, I appreciate all of you :-).

<3V

Haulage!

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Vanessa

Hello Lovelies :-),

How is your December moving along? This month is always very crazy and very expensive for me, thank goodness for saving up!
E.l.f. had a 50% off sale for their Studio stuff and I picked up a few things because it was a great deal (I keep telling myself that). As soon as I had placed my order, I received a $15 gift card from Sephora and OF COURSE had to pick some stuff up there because…because I felt like it lol. My Sephora is in the mall and so I got sucked into picking up a few other things as well. Lets just say that my wallet was whimpering by the end of the day. Here are the goodies:

The E.l.f. order as a whole. Pardon my bed sheets, it was too cloudy and cold outside to take pictures in better lighting. Items here: 32 piece eye palette, concealer palettes in Light and medium, HD powder, Gotta Glow blush, and two eye brushes from the Studio collection.

Closeup/Swatch of Gotta Glow:
A perfect dupe for NARS Albatross, except this is only $3 regularly. Amazing color, finely milled, and long lasting. Creates an amazing glow.

The Brushes:
“C” brush and Contour brush. Normally $3 each.

Concealer Palettes:
Light and Medium, normally $3 each. The concealers are light to medium coverage with a creamy and easy to blend formula. They lasted about 8 hours on me without creasing or caking.

High Definition Powder:
Normally $6. Will post a review soon :-).

32 piece eye palette:
Normally $10. I picked this up for my sister.

All Over Color Stick in Golden Peach $1:
This wasn’t part of the online order, my bf picked it up for me randomly at Target and I looove the color :-D.

Mall Haul:

MUFE Mat Velvet+
$34 at Sephora, I use shade 20…aka “glow in the dark.”

Smith’s Rosebud Salve in a squeezy tube!
I was so excited about this! I love the stuff and it’s soo much less messy in a tube. $6 at Sephora.

Black Poppy Nail Polish from PacSun:
It doesn’t have a color name or number, but it’s $3.50 and I’ve seen it at 3 stores so far. I’m sure you can find it at your local store. This was two coats.

Express Top:
I got this on sale for $15.99. I’m going to belt it and wear it with skinny jeans and heels :-).

Have you done any shopping for yourself lately?

<3V

Coffee Inspired Eyes

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Vanessa

Hello Dolls,
How are all of you this lovely Tuesday? Is it just me, or is this week already dragging on? Having a long weekend spoiled me and now I want Wednesday to be the new Friday, lol! I’m adjusting to not sleeping in now and have been drinking coffee like it’s going out of style. The lovely drink inspired the EOTD below:

Products Used:
-UDPP in Sin all over the lid.
-MAC Black Tied on the lid, 3/4 of the way up to the crease.
-MAC Mulch blended into the edge of the black shadow and up 1/2 way to the brow. Also blend Mulch along lower lashes.
-MAC Dazzlelight as a brow highlight.
-Revlon liquid liner along upper lashes.
-Stila Kajal in Onyx on waterline.
-Covergirl Lashblast mascara.

I can’t get enough of the color Mulch, it’s one of my favorite browns from MAC :-).

I hope you’re all having a great week!

<3V