Everyday Natural Glam

Today's look is one of my personal favorites to do for an everyday more natural glam that's really simple to achieve. 

 On the eyes all I used were MAC cosmetics 'cork' and 'ricepaper' eyeshadows. Cork is the light brown just blended in the crease, and rice paper is the shimmery white patted into the base of the eyelid as well as barely swiped under the bottom lash line. 

I used Tarte Cosmetics tarteist eyeliner which I am now obsessed with, and focused it more on the top and the wing. Lashes are Ardell Lashes; demi wispies. Used Anastasai Beverly Hills dipbrow in 'blonde' for the brows. And for the lips 👄 it's the sephora lip stain in '14'. I added the smallest amount of MAC cosmetics 'myth' to the center to brighten it a bit and voila! Easy natural glam. 💕 and don't mind my horrible fly aways-- I was being soooo lazy with my hair. 🙈

Sally Glitter Cut Crease

A little eye collage for your Saturday morning! ☀️ Used MAC cosmetics 'cork' and 'mulch' and Sally beauty glitter. I can't find a name on it. Sorry! Used Nyx Cosmetics jumbo eye pencil in 'milk' as base under glitter. || Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow in 'blonde' || House of Lashes in 'noir fairy'. || Tarte Cosmetics tarteist clay paint liner. BH Cosmetics  waterproof eye crayon in 'royalty' smudged on bottom lash line.

Too Faced Beauty Balm

I wanted to share my absolute favorite BB cream; the Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm. I used to really love the Garnier BB cream but comparing the two this is the winner hands down. The bottle I have pictured is completely empty and I definitely will be repurchasing another one. This product is that its very versitle. You can use it alone or undermakeup as a moisutizer or primer. It gives a perfect sublte finish. It gives me just enough coverage to not feel like I'm exposing all of my imperfections but is natural enough that you will see my skin underneath. I normally wear this when I am just out and about with my two little men running errands or playing at the park. I have an oilly t-zone and what my FAVORITE thing about this is that it doesn't leave an oily residue whatsoever! That was my biggest issue in finding the perfect BB cream. 

 You can apply this all over your face, add a few swipes of mascara and some chapstick and you are ready to go! Depending on your skin type you may need to add a hint of powder. Sometimes I will add just a very light dusting on myself, but nothing heavy. This has great SPF coverage as well, (SPF 20) so you dont need to worry about the sun while you're out either! 

The color that I use is 'Linen Glow'. This BB cream is $34 for a 1.5 fl oz. If you are worried about the cost, let me just say that a little goes a VERY VERY long way! I had this bottle for at least a good year or so! 

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

This is one of my favorite things I use for my skin. I absolutely LOVE it.

I got this bottle the Christmas before last, and it's still not empty. A little goes a really long way, and it was so worth the money! I tend to have an oily t-zone, and for years I fought it trying to dry my face out as much as I could, but I now know that that only makes it worse! The best solution to cure an oily face is to fight oil WITH oil! Sounds crazy, right?  To be honest, when I first got this, I was so nervous to put it on my face. I was like AHH...OIL....ON. MY. FACE? WHY WOULD I?  Well I did and am SO glad I started using it. Let me tell you that it has nearly changed my skin. I still get oily at times, but nothing like I used to when I was constantly trying to dry it out. Everyone can use and benefit from it. You don't have to be oily, its just a wonderful moisturizer and 100% pure, which I LOVE! 

I use this only at night after I have cleansed my face; that way I can sleep with it on all night. Then I get to wake up and my face feels so completely baby soft! You also can use this on your lips, (which I do especially during these harsh winter months) cuticles, elbows, basically any dry area as well.

Pictured above is the "to go" sized bottle, which is a 0.5 oz / 5ml bottle that retails for $16.00. They have the regular sized bottle, which is 1.7 oz / 50 ml for $48.00. I normally like to get sample sizes or the travel/smaller sizes so that way if I don't love it, I don't feel guilty breaking the bank. There is also a "light" version of this oil, which I haven't tried, but have only heard just as many great things about it, since it's the same thing, just lighter! ;) I may end up giving it a try once this bottle is out, but seriously I love this oil!

My Blonde Secret.

So I figured that I would let you in on a little secret weapon of mine. I get asked ALL of the time how I keep my blondes looking so blonde, and how I keep my blondes looking so healthy. As any of you fellow blondes will know that having healthy, silky, shiny blonde hair is not an easy task. Bleaching the hair can be very damaging and takes a lot of extra care to make it beautiful. So today I am letting you in on my secret which a lot of people call, "purple shampoo". 

This is my secret weapon to keeping my blonde hair from turning brassy and orange; which can easily happen in between touch ups. 

You can also use this if you have just had your hair lightened by your stylist but maybe it wasn't toned correctly, (although, if this happens you may just need to come see me. ;) ) but if it does happen, you can pull out this bad boy and tone it right up on your own. On the color wheel purple is the opposite of yellow/orange so it is going to help pull those out; to really clean up your blonde strands. 

Also note that you also do not have to be completely blonde to use these products. You can use them if you have a few highlights, ombre, or even some bayalage going on. Anywhere that has been lightened and is need of some attention you can use this. It will not affect dark hair so don't worry about shampooing your whole head even if you have just a few highlights.

These are the two purple shampoos that I personally use. First is the Clairol 'Shimmer Lights'. You can get this at any Sally's for around $8.00. The second shampoo is Matrix 'So Silver', and you will need to get this from a matrix salon, or it is available online at Ulta.com and it runs around $20 for a 33oz bottle. (and no you cannot find  REAL Matrix products at Walmart, Walgreens, etc. Those are imitations. Please do not use them, but that is a post for a whole different day.)

With these shampoos if you want to just brighten up your blondes you will just shampoo as normal, and leave it on for 2-3 minutes. If you are wanting to get some toning accomplished you will leave it on for around 5 minutes. Just watch for your hair, because if you leave it on too long the hair may can rinse out with a purple-ish tint. If that does happen, do not worry, the tint will wash out within one to two additional washes with regular shampoo. So just follow the instructions and you wont have any problems.

The only down fall I have ever had using these products is that it tends to be a tad drying to the hair, so just make sure you use a really good conditioner or even add in a deep condition whenever you use it! 

Honestly I love my purple shampoo, and pretty much can't live without it. I personally use it once a week or whenever I feel like my blondes need a little loving. 

So there you have it. My secret is out! :) I hope you enjoyed this post and were able to learn a little something. 

Let me know what you guys think, if you have tried it, or any questions!

xoxo beauties! 

Lorac Pro Palette

First off I just have to apologize for taking so long to post about this! I hate to just say that I have been so crazy busy and haven't had the time, but I have to say that because it's the truth! Anyway, I hope you guys are still out there, and wanting to learn more about makeup, and I am sorry for being such a slacker! 

Okay now moving on. :) If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will have seen that I have posted quite a few of makeup looks using the Lorac Pro Palette, and you will also know my deep love for this palette. This thing is just  amazing! 

 I had someone ask me, "what is a palette?" A makeup palette is basically just a combination of eye shadows combined into one 'palette'. This makes it extremely easy to work with, because you aren't having to buy a bunch of single shadows to get different looks. You also aren't having to open and store a ton of single eye shadows, which can easily end up in a big giant mess and taking up a lot of storage space.

The reason I love this palette is because it is EXTREMELY versatile. I feel like everyone should have this in their makeup bag. It can easily go from a simple beautiful daytime look, or a deep, sultry evening look. The colors are extremely pigmented. They are super creamy and soft, really easy to blend, long lasting and my favorite part is that you hardly have fallout, (if ever) onto your face. 

The top row of shadows are all a matte shadow, and the bottom shadows all are a more shimmery/glitter shadow. Which is perfect because when you are combining colors you never want your eye shadows to be ALL sparkle or too matte for one single look. This way you can easily combine the two. 

What I also love is that this palette also doesn't have an age range with it. And when I say age range I mean it works for all ages. It can work for anyone from their early adulthood to their more mature years. I recommend this for all of my clients. Especially when they want something that's decently priced, that is long lasting and versatile. You can buy this palette online or in stores at any Ulta or Sephora. (If you want it online just add a .com to either of those places.) The palette is priced at $42. If you order it online at Ulta you get a free gift with your purchase. When ordering online from Sephora they also gives free samples, so either way you are golden. Let me also just remind you, if you see the price of $42 and think,  sheesh that's a lot to spend for some eyshadows, but it really isn't at all when you think about it. You are getting 16 ULTRA pigmented and beautiful shades all for $42....? Sounds like a steal if you ask me. I am sure you all can do the math on that one!

Now, I really don't want to sound like this is a sales pitch because it isn't. I gain nothing from you purchasing this or not purchasing this. I just love sharing a good deal when I find one and I LOOVE this! 

Does anyone out there already have this? If so, tell me what you think! And of course if you have ANY questions please let me know! I would love to answer any that you may have! 

Nyx Butter Gloss

I got these three NYX butter gloss in my recent nyx haul and this was the first time trying them and let me just tell you that I am in LOVE with them.

Overall Rating: 5/5

 These get such a good rating from me because they are ultra moisturizing, glossy, they smell delicious,and the color pay off is pretty great too. I did notice that with the first two lighter shades I had to apply a few coats to get the color I expected from the bottle, but I didn't mind that too much. With the darker shade I got, it only took one or two coats to get to the true color, so I was impressed.

 They also work well to add on too of another lipstick color to change it up a bit, and I liked that a lot. 

Now back to the moisturizing, which is HUGE for me, anytime of the year, but especially winter. These bad boys made my lips SOOO soft -- far after the gloss had been removed, so I am thrilled! 

And at only $5 a piece, you can afford to get as many colors as you'd like! 

Completely obsessed. 

The colors here are 

1st Maple Blondie, 2nd  Eclair and 3rd Strawberry Parfait.