Fabulous Finds Friday: NYX

The Nude Lipgloss Diaries continue as we all know I am powerless to resist adding to my collection!  At the Ulta near me they are expanding their NYX offerings, which makes me quite happy. Add into it that all NYX is buy one, get one half off until the end of this month & there are bargains to be had!

I scooped up 1 of their automatic Lip Liners (regularly $4.50/ea.) MPL10 Nude (top) which is a nude pink beige & 2 of NYX's Lip Butter Glosses (retails for $5/ea.) in BLG05 in Creme Brulee (middle) &BLG07 in Tiramisu (bottom.)

I always fill my entire lip line in with liner. It anchors your color better, plus it also prevents the creepy clown like effect as your lip products wear off of just having an outline left around your mouth. A tip for making your lips appear fuller is to leave the very center bare of color or add a lighter highlighting gloss right in the center of the lip.

 In both pictures, Creme Brulee is on the top lip & Tiramisu is on the bottom lip.

 I know I mentioned in the past, that some of NYX's glosses smelled heavily of Cherry NyQuil...I made sure to do a sniff check before purchasing these & am happy to report that these glosses smell softly of caramels & actually of their shade names. Even at regular prices, NYX products are a great value, but with the current special- they are a definite steals & deals must!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Files From the Brow Whisperer

Cleaning up the brows & having them professionally shaped can have a huge anti-aging effect on your appearance!

 It can make the eye look more open & lifted. It can help soften the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles- not to mention make you look well rested! Who doesn't love such great results in almost an instant?

Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer.

Garnier Fructis Pure Volume Dry Shampoo

 Being a girl is a lot of work, so is having long hair. Where I once shampooed every day, I now stretch it to every other day out of sheer laziness & the fact that it's supposed to actually be better for your hair. The dry shampoo phenomonon makes me feel a bit like Goldilocks- most are way too powdery white versus translucent & leave my hair looking like a brown & white tabby cat.  Never the less, seeing how my favorite one by Oribe is over $30- the search continues for what I call a cheap & cheerful version! In my quest, I recently picked up Garnier's Pure Volume Dry Shampoo at the drugstore.

The spray aerosol smells like Watermelon bubble gum, not in a bad way- just fruity. The issue lies a bit with it leaving my brunette locks looking a little like those of Cruella De Ville. With dry shampoos, I tend to apply several sprays throughout my scalp to refresh it & add volume.  Though  the powder in this (& most dry shampoos) leaves my brown hair looking rather ashy. I definitely feel this product would be a no brainer for those with light colored hair. For those of us with dark hair, it's still a good value- though my search continues. What I do with the Garnier Pure Volume Dry Shampoo, is use the spray before bedtime on the nights when I'm not washing my hair & massage it into my scalp. That way, while I sleep the powder has a chance to absorb oil & not look so white against my dark hair in the morning.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Sunday Sneak Peek: It Cosmetics

You're seeing it here first Beauties! A special collection from It Cosmetics called Hello Beautiful that will be at one day only price tomorrow March 18th on QVC!

I love the girls over at It Cosmetics & they have put together an awesome kit. Let's start with their new Celebration Foundation (available in 5 shades.) I'm someone who exfoliates all the time- every now & then that means some flakiness. This powder is hydrating enough that I can still use it after overdoing it with retinol the night before & not look cakey. It's hydrating & antiaging- yes, please! And let's not forget about the brush. If you've never tried It Cosmetics' brushes, then you're missing out. Pure plush luxury- they're seriously a treat for your face. 80,000 hairs are packed into this one, named the Heavenly Luxe Buffing Airbrush, alone! That means you can build some serious coverage & your face is having a mini vacay while you're doing it.

 The Vitality Flush 4 in 1 Reviver Lip & Cheek Stain Stick in Je Ne Sais Quoi starts out as a clear hydrating balm that you can apply to your cheeks or lips for this 'I just came out of the cold' healthy pinky flush. It's the easiest pick me up when you're feeling pale.

Mascara is a must. It's definitely definitely one of my top 3 must have products I would need if I was stranded on a desert island. I'm sure a lighter & wine would be included in my survival trio, as well- but so would beauty products! It wakes your eyes up, opens them & lifts them. As a professional make-up artist one of my tricks is to at the end of application, hold the brush vertically & apply the tip of the wand to the outer lashes for a doe eyed look. Jamie, the brains behind It Cosmetics, created a brush specifically to do that! Genius.

Here's a close up of my peepers from my bathroom, so excuse the lighting. The lash primer features the most fabulous skinny brush & dark product. The tiny brush gets right to the base of the lashes with ease. Plus I don't know why all lash primers aren't dark- who wants white product on their lashes?!?

Here's a side shot featuring the Celebration Powder Foundation in Fair applied with my Heavenly Luxe Buffing Airbrush and the Tightline Full Lash Length Black Primer topped with the Hello Lashes Mascara.  This collection is a great way to discover some of this up & coming brand's best offerings at an amazing value- I say scoop it up!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Fabulous Finds Friday

I am to say the very least hair challenged. I don't know what my problem is- skin & make-up I can rock out...tresses not so much. I had picked up an expensive version of this rotating curling iron a while ago. I don't know if it was the motor speed that alarmed me, as a hot rod sped to my face. But I just couldn't get the hang of it.

 I saw this Conair Infinity Pro version for a quarter of the other brand's price (this retails for $59.99) & decided to give it a go. I also got to use my Ulta 20% off coupon on it, so it came out to $50. Let's say that this version's motor is the Camry edition, while the other brand's is the Ferrari of motors. And I'm good with that, it intimidates me less with my particular hair skill set;)

The only draw back to this model I feel is the full length clamp, I wish it was a quarter of this length. I seriously might even MacGuyver it off with my Dremel Power Tool!

In my quest for the perfect beachy waxes, this curling iron is a solid purchase. For the record, I have a lot of hair. Call me lazy & forgive my French, but the motor helps me not half ass the process & curl my entire head of hair. 

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Files from the Brow Whisperer

Can you believe it's March already, Beauties? How time flies. One of my regulars admittedly got bogged down with with life, a cold & kids' activities & missed her last appointment.

Schedule a standing appointment with whomever you trust with your brows- usually every 4 weeks is a safe bet for putting your best face forward (complete with your fabulously groomed brows!)

Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer.

Must Have Make-Up Monday: It Cosmetics

With the weather being all over the place, the bracing winds & my allergy medication have left my lips a chapped, hot mess.  Always a fan of multi-tasking beauty products, I've been reaching for It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Butters a lot. The butters feel just like you guessed it, absolute butter on the lips. They're packed with nourishing ingredients like plum oil, argan oil, jojoba, cherry oil & antioxidants to help actually heal your lips- not just 'gloss' over the problem.  There are 3 shade options & all of them are sheer wearable offerings.

 Pillow is the most neutral & the one I reach for every morning. It's that soft pinky nude lip I adore.

 Darling is a pretty pop of pink- the perfect pick me up during these long winter months when you're feeling so pale you could have been an extra in the Twilight series.

 In Love, the deepest shade- the one I thought would be too far out side of my comfort zone has been a pleasant surprise.  Here it is with a soft application, though you can easily build the intensity. It's lovely & again ever so sheer, so that even the fairest of complexions will feel comfortable wearing it. Another plus worth mentioning is the slimline tube- they will fit in the tiniest of pockets or purses! They retail for $20 a tube or you can scoop them up over at QVC, where you can get all 3 tubes for under $36.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

*Items gifted for review

Fabulous Finds Friday: NYX

As I previously mentioned I have been loving chubby lip pencils lately.  They're what I reach for when I'm in a rush in the morning, which is pretty much always. They're the perfect hybrid of lip pencil & lipstick + a hint of gloss, since they're often sheerer than traditional lipstick.

I decided to try out NYX's offerings, though a little hesitant. While I adore many of their intensely pigmented eye & cheek colors, their glosses are so heavily Cherry fragranced I am reminded of cough syrup & want to dry heave. Alright they're not that bad, but it's too scented for sure! I purchased their Jumbo Lip Pencil in #721 Soft Fuschia (top) & #719 Pecan (bottom.)

Here I am sporting #721 on the top & #719 on the bottom. Of course I picked 2 very soft, neutral shades that are great building pieces in creating a nude lip or wearing alone. I'm pleased to say the colors really stay put, without being drying! After a few hours & soup for lunch, I looked up to find a nice portion still left on my pucker. Nyx offers 24 shades of this product & I can't wait to experiment with a few more. They already fall into my steals & deals category as they're only $4.50 a piece. I scored an even better deal by scooping them up during a BOGO half off at Ulta! I say pick up a few & draw away.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.