Winter Blushes!

Winter is just around the corner, December 21^st to be exact, and the holiday season is a great time to experiment with fun new colors in blushes to bring more life to your pretty face. Personally, I prefer powder blushes for the fall and winter and go for a more dewy finish with cream blushes towards summer. I’ve picked out the top four blushes that I reach for most during the wintertime. All these blushes are cool toned and range from 30 dollars to as low as 3 dollars.

Try avoiding harsh dark blushes on the apples of your cheeks, this will only weigh your face down and make you look older. You want to try to go with a natural flush and use a light shades like Cargo’s Blu-Ray Blush/Highlighter in “Pink” to brighten up the face. Don’t be fooled by the color in the pan, it actually comes out a bit darker on skin. This blush has a bit of shimmer but is not overpowering and reflects softly, giving the appearance of naturally glowing and youthful skin. I applied this blush with my Elf completion brush to the apples of my cheeks, taking it up to my cheekbones for a nice wash of color and subtle highlight.

Another light pink shade is from a mineral brand online called Sweet Face Minerals called “Sweet Cheeks”. This is basically the slightly warmer, loose powder version of the Cargo blush in “Pink”. You can get this in its original 20 gram jar from their online store, but the one I have is the 5 gram jar from their starter kit, which by the way would make an awesome holiday gift. Like the Cargo blush, I like to apply this to the apples of my cheeks and blend it up to my cheekbones and a little touch to the nose. This neutral light pink blush goes on flawlessly and gives it that perfect wintertime flush. Light blushes go great with a dark winter lip shades like reds and plums. Don’t go overboard and avoid going heavy on both cheeks and lips.

Fuchsia Fusion is a raspberry toned pink with sparkle, not shimmer, but chunky sparkle. Not to fear though, the sparkle won’t show up on your face which is great. I like to apply this near my cheek bones and in the hollows of my cheeks like a bronzer since it’s a darker shade. For a 3 dollar blush, the color payoff is great, similar to that of “Angelika” blush by Nars. With great pigmentation, price, and Nars-like packaging, this is hands down the best buy of the season.

Mac- Breath of Plum

Mac’s sheertone blush in Breath of Plum has been my go-to blush this fall and will carry into this winter. The formula is so smooth and finely mild. Although it looks darker in the pan, it goes on much lighter and has buildable color. I go lighter on the apples of my cheeks and blend out to my cheekbones where I build up the color. This plum shade is not too light or too dark and gives the perfect soft and sophisticated plum winter look.

 Look forward to every day to try out something new this winter and don’t be shy to experiment with new shades and looks. With Christmas and New Year parties on the way, don’t forget to blush it up this holiday season!

Sweet Face Minerals blush in "Sweet Cheeks"

Top picture in natural lighting, bottom picture taken with flash. Left to Right: Cargo blush in "pink", Sweet Face Minerals blush in "Sweet Cheeks", Elf blush in "Fuchsia Fusion", Mac sheertone blush in "Breath of Plum"

Deep Plum Runway Lips For Less

Wine lip trend- Burberry Fall 2012

I've been on a hunt for the perfect fall plum lip color. Now I purposely stay away from dramatic colors and stick to natural mauve and  neutrals for a day-to-day look, however I realized I was playing safe with the purples I do have. Colvergirl's Divine Divine is probably as dramatic as my purples get.

So then the hunt began, finding a deep flattering plum that wasn't too glossy. I don't mind if the formula is too matte because that's an easy fix with some chapstick. I don't mind lipsticks that stain either because even if it rubs off during the day, I wont need to touch up since there will be a light wash of color still there.

I heard and read reviews on Alabama by NYX, a deep red berry shade and I fell in love! Too bad the drugstores nearby didn't have NYX products but Urban Outfitters had some shades in NYX matte lipsticks including Summer Breeze and True Red. Neither of them were appealing. Summer Breeze was too bright and made my skin look dull and dirty and True Red is a beautiful shade but was a bit too bold for the look I was going for and too close to NYX's Amsterdam Soft Matte Lip Cream which I have.

I haven't gotten anything from CVS besides stuff I need for the house all semester but one day walking through the aisles in CVS a NYC product caught my eye! A perfect deep plum shade with no shimmer and only $1.99 (NYC- 320 Mahogany). The angles came out and starting singing....yup this ones a winner.

I came home and tried it on and I loved it but it was a bit glossy for my taste. I simply pad it down with a Kleenex and it looked great. The next time I went back to CVS had restocked their lipstains, one of them being a deep plum shade (their darkest lipstain) called 499 Forever Mine Wine for. I tried it on at home and my first impression was wow...this is dark! I also noticed that since this is a dark shade it settled into the cracks of my lips and emphasized the dryness.

A tip to making this work, apply a thin layer of chapstick, not too much or else the stain wont absorb into your lips. Apply the stain on your lower lip and rub lips together to transfer the color. Most makeup artists like to line the lips before filling them in, I feel this stain is too dark for that and would leave you with an ugly dark rim all day, so concentrate the stain in the middle and use the NYC Mahogany lipstick to line the lips, moisturize, and leave a smooth dark runway style finish.

Lip Stain with NYC Mahogany lipstick

NYC- Forever Mine Wine Lip stain alone. Focused on the middle of the lips before applying NYC lipstick over it

UP NEXT: Maybelline eyeshadow singles perfect for fall and winter (225S Made For Mocha, 260S Copper Craze

Meet Minz

Coming Soon

Physicians Formula Baked Collection Wet/Dry Eye Shadow and Physicians Formula Concealer 101 Concealer Duo

All right so free stuff!!! As I mentioned in my previous blog,  I've been  busy with  finals and I'm excited to share the new stuff I got for FREE by my beauty club rewards card on my CVS card. Lets start with the bad. First of all to start off, I never use concealer for anything so I may not  be the best person for his review. Having said that, the few times I ever thought I have needed it, a high coverage foundation did the job. But when I  was getting stuff at CVS I was like hey why not just give it a try. The packaging is convenient and small to carry around for touch ups. The Physicians Formula Concealer 101 Concealer Duo has two shades; one for under eye and one for discolorations. It comes with a little brush which isn't so bad. I actually do tend to use it. The feel is really dry though so you'll really have to rub it well with your fingers to warm it up. Here's a tip on how to apply it: Use your fingers because the heat from your fingers will help it melt down a bit and apply better. After you pat it into the areas that need some cover age like under eye circles or discoloration, simply use a foundation to blend it out. You don't want to be those girls whos eye areas are significantly whiter than the rest of their face. Makeup shouldn't be obvious. Personally I think it does well with cancelling out the blue tones under your eyes with the yellow but it's not something that I find essential to your daily make up routine.

I was soooo impressed with this eyeshadow trio! I've been looking for a dupe for Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Wet Dry Shadow in Gold Rush and I found it! The middle cream shade is just like it. Trust me I've tried so many colors that are similar to it and this one comes the closest. I think The trio in Baked Sands would look great on any skin tone. It's a neutral and flattering shade that can be worn dry for a natural look for wet for a more intense look. Love love love this, and will defiantly be repurchasing this soon!

Physicians Formula Concealer 101 Concealer Duo

Gone studying for finals. Will be back soon! So excited about the free stuff I got from CVS with my beauty club rewards. Coming soon! :)

Heck yes! Free stuff!

Yes Yes Yes To Carrots

Get naturally glowing/youthful skin and be a force of beauty without makeup! I cant stress enough how important it is to moisturize your skin daily, especially after you wash or exfoliate your skin (which you should do once a week at the most) also use something with sunblock or SPF to prevent sun damage, but I'm very much guilty of leaving that step out unless its burning hot out. So I've tried many moisturizers and some tend to be too thick, some too thin, some drying. The drying ones were obviously the oil free Neutrogena ones that prevent breakouts and such and I don't really need that. I just need a daily moisturizer without benzoyl peroxide that absorbs quick and leaves my skin perfectly moisturized without being greasy. FOUND IT! It's a night cream from the the Yes To Carrots line called C Through The Night. Been using for the past two years because its just so awesome! I have to admit, the catchy brand name did draw me in when I saw this at Walgreens (its also available at Target) and I just thought it was worth a try considering its organic. Brace yourself, common skin care products contain Benzoyl Peroxide and Methylisothiazolinone and hair care products contain Mureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfates, which cause premature aging of the skin, nerve disorders, excessive dryness and other damages. So although its made of all natural ingredients, not all products that say their"organic" are true. If you can’t pronounce half of the chemicals listed on the ingredients portion, don’t use it on your body. Yes organix products do tend to be on the pricier side in drugstores ($14.99)but its so worth it! We have to take care of ourselves.

It claims to be made from natural Dead Sea salts and is completely paraben phthalate, and SLS free. Yes to Carrots has a wide variety of products including shampoos, exfoliating masks, a light day cream with SPF (which is always a plus) and a night cream, a gentle facial scrub, body butter and organic chap-sticks, all of which I own and have no complaints against. I am a very picky when it comes to buying such products because I have tried many products but have never been as satisfied with the results as I am with this line. Most products contain harsh chemicals while organic products retain your natural oils while doing the job right.

Yes to Carrots has is geared towards people with normal skin, but it has branched off and is now making products for people with sensitive and oily skin.Yes to Cucumbers is sensitive on skin and leaves a nice tingly feeling, while Yes to Tomatoes is for those who have oily skin. Overall, love this night cream and really hope they don't discontinue this. Highly recommend this! Tip: take a little out on your finger and mix it with a little water, I feel that it absorbs better that way.

Healthy Pizza

I love tasty food, but I wanna be healthy at the same time. Considering I'm in college and don't get much time workout as much as I used to. Here's a simple healthy recipe that doesn't require much effort and only takes 20 minutes to make. This recipe calls for:

1 Tortilla (preferably whole wheat )
3 Tablespoons of Ragu sauce
1/2 Tomato
Spinach Leaves ( I use the ones that come in the big prepackaged bags)
Shredded cheese ( preferably fat free or reduced fat)
1 Teaspoon Salt Season
1 Teaspoon Tajin Calisico Seasoning ( or you can try crushed red peppers with some lime to get the same taste)

Preheat the oven to 400. Place to the Tortilla on an ungreased baking sheet and spread some Ragu sauce on it. Add some shredded cheese.  Add spinach leaves evenly. Slice and add thin slices of tomatoes and add some more cheese on top(dicing them up makes it easier to pull apart and eat but I think the slices look good). Then sprinkle the seasonings on top and let it bake for 15  minutes.  That's it, super easy, fast, healthy, and yummy. You can change anything to your taste but that's just how I make it. Bon Appetit my lovelies!