LOTD: Barbie Pink (88 Matte Palette)

I'm back..for now. I was going to see my brother (www.myspace.com/therukusmusic.com) rock out at a show and decided to have some fun with my makeup. I wore a simple black tank top, with some ripped jeans, and black wedges. I spiced it up with color in the lips and some bright pink bra straps (classy I know! lol). To go with the outfit, I wanted the eyes to look a bit messy and not so polished so the blending is a bit wild and the eyeliner is not the cleanest. Also, I took these pics with my Blackberry and the lids show up more purple in the photos. In actuality, it was definitely more pink. Hope you like!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:

Milk of Magnesia and MAC Matte mixed as a primer

MAC MSF Natural in Dark

No concealer or foundation

CHEEKS:

NYX Blush in Pinky

EYES:

Two Face Shadow Insurance for primer

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean across the lid as base

Light pink from 88 Matte palette on top of Black Bean

Light purple from 88 Matte palette above the pink

HOT HOT Pink from 88 Matte palette in the crease

Vanilla shade from 88 Matte as highlight and blended down

Matte plum purple on lower lash line

Sephora nanoliner in black on waterline

Maybelline Stiletto line exact eyeliner on upper eyelid

Maybelline Falsies mascara

Maybelline Define-A-brow pencil for lightly filled in brows

LIPS:

Carmex

NYX lipliner in Pinky all over lips

NYX round lipstick in Narcissus (CRAZY BRIGHT! BRIGHTEST I OWN!)

NYX Megashine lipgloss in Dolly Pink (used to be called Barbie Pink)

I love this look! ENJOY!

Sixth Grader Performs Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi'

Check out this great MSN Video: Sixth-Grader Performs Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi'

Just thought this little boy was sooooo dope! Had to share!

LOTD: Just Like Royalty

So I am a day late with my LOTD...This is from what I wore yesterday. This is pretty much my favorite bright color combo (purple and blue) so I may have done this already, but oh well! Oh and this was also kind of rushed so it could look a lot better a bit more polished...good luck!

Products Used:

Face:

Neutrogena Combo Skin oil free moisturizer

Laura Gellar under makeup spackle in Bronze

MAC MSF Natural in Dark

(no concealer today which is why you can see a few small blemishes)

Cheeks:

I also forgot blush..lol I was rushing

Eyes:

Maybelline Define a Brow pencil

ELF Primer

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Purple as a base

Ben Nye Cosmic Violet on lid (can also use NYX Luxor as dupe)

NYX Atlantic on outer lid

NYX Maui on top of Atlantic and blended upward

NYX Spring Flower above the blues and inner corner

ELF Stick concealer under eyebrow and blended down

Maybelline Line Stiletto eyeliner in Blackest Black on upper lid

NYC White Eye pencil on lash line

Maybelline Colossal Volum' mascara in Classic Black

Lips:

Same ol same ol...NYX Creamy Beige and Jordana lipgloss in Honey Luau

LOTD: Nude Blue

Hello all,
It's been a while since I've done a Look of the Day. I haven't really been doing much with my eye makeup recently. Now that I think about it, I haven't been doing much with my face either! Just slapping on some primer and some powder and heading out the door. Lol. This is what I wore Friday. Enjoy!

Products Used:

Face:

Neutrogena Combination Skin oil free moisturizer

Laura Gellar tinted spackle in Bronze (hands down, the BEST summer primer for darker skin tones..can work with any complexion but expect a nice GLOW!)

MAC Studiosculpt concealer in NC45

MAC MSF Natural in Dark (pretty much been using this as my foundation)

MAC Fix+

Cheeks:

NYX Blush in Raisin (a matte mauve color)

Eyes:

Maybelline Define a Brow in Dark Brown

NYC Eyebrow Kit in Brunette (just the wax only)

ELF Eye Primer

NYX For Your Eyes Only (Brown) Palette (I used the lightest color in the palette all over lid)

NYX Maui (outer corner)

NYX Atlantic (outer v)

NYX Sahara (above the two blues)

Sephora Nano Eyes in Lagoon (water line)

Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner in Blackest Black (upper lid)

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express in Classic Black

Lips:

NYX Creamy Beige

Jordana Squeeze n Shine in color lip gloss in Honey Luau

D.I.Y: Avocado Hair Mask for Shiny Hair

A few months back I was coloring my grandmother's hair with an at home coloring kit. As I was applying her signature fire engine Puerto Rican red coloring (lmao), she was telling me about how she used to put avocados in her hair to make it shiny. A lightbulb went off in my head and I was determined to find a recipe! I googled and found a simple recipe to make an at home hair mask.

You will need:

One ripe/black Avocado. I prefer to use California Avocados (smaller kind) because if you use a larger one you only need to use half. You can use the other half for a face mask if you like (post coming soon).

One egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon of olive oil

Optional: 1 tablespoon honey (I never have used this because I never remember to get honey!)

Mixing bowl/Utensils

Step 1: The avocado should be black and soft to the touch. Cut it in half to expose the seed.

Step 2: Scrape the avocado from the skin into the bowl. It should look something like this.

Step 3: Mash the avocado until fairly smooth. There will still be some bumps and lumps but try to get most of them out. It will look like baby poo. Yuck!

Step 4: Mix in the other ingredients.

Step 5: Wet your hair and divide into four sections. You can also choose not to wet your hair.

Step 6: Distribute the mask into your hair. Sometimes the lumps get stuck. Be sure to smooth it out.

Step 7: Place a plastic cap on your head and leave on for 20-30 minutes.

Step 8: Run water through your hair and rinse thoroughly. It can take some time if there are lumps but rinse well.

Step 9: Lightly, lightly, lightly shampoo your hair to get any remaining out. I recommend a sulfate free shampoo (L'Oreal has a whole line of them) or you can co-wash (wash with conditioner).

This is how it looks right after washing with no product in it.

This wet with product and after styling.

This is the next morning when dry. A bit blurry.

I love D.I.Y stuff like this! Give it a try!

Eyes like Smoke: 28 Neutral Palette

I did this look a while ago but have been too lazy to upload it. I did this look using shadows from the 28 neutral palette and was kind of rushing when I did it so it is a bit sloppy, but you get the picture.

Face:

Boscia Skinperfecting Primer

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation in Caramel

MAC Studiostick concealer in NC45

Maybelline Pure Concealer blemish treatment stick in Dark

MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Dark

Cheeks:

Just a hint of a peachy orange from the 28 Blush palette

Eyes:

UDPP for primer

Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Bronze Ablaze (limited edition palette; I used the dark brown color) as a base

Shadows from the ebay 28 Neutral Palette

Jordana Fabuliner in Black (upper lid)

Sephora Nano Eyes in Glitter Black (lower lash line and waterline)

Elf eyelash curler and Loreal Voluminous Mascara

Lips:

NYX Creamy Beige round lipstick (sooo feeling this nude)

Sally Hansen lip plumper in Sheer Blush (a sheer peachy gold)

#1 Curly Girl Product!

Hello all...so I have been using this product for a few months now and am beyond impressed.

MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL!

I swear, this is a product I will never live without, ever, ever, ever, again! I had been doing research on this product and have heard fantastic reviews, but I could have never imagined how awesome it really it.

First, this stuff smells sooo yummy! I instantly feel swept away to an exotic island. I also like that it lingers...I can still smell it throughout the day! It is a "thicker" oil but not yet a gel consistency. It isn't runny which means you can thoroughly put it on your ends and specific spots if you like. I have used this product while my hair was straight, but only recommend doing the ends. While curly, I put it all over!

Here are a few pics to show you how my hair turns out using nothing but Argan Oil! Yes ladies, I washed my hair at night and put this oil in and put a regular head scarf on. I was thinking I was going to give my hair a 'break' from my normal products and gels and just put the oil and wear it free for the weekend. Wellllll...to my surprise, when I woke up my curls were gorgeous! They were full of body (not weighed down at all), soft, big, defined, and no frizz! I could not believe my hair looked like this with no sort of gel, mousse, spray, etc. The last one was taken with flash while the rest were taken with no flash.

I will definitely stick with this product! I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply for $7.99 with the Sally card. It normally retails for $8.99. The bottle is small, but again it is a thick product so a little goes a long way! I am already researching bigger bottles and other brands and will keep you posted! Try it out :-)

PINK Lips, Oh My?!

Can you pull off a pink lip? I love all shades of pink, from a neutral and muted pink, corally orangey pink to a bright and loud blue pink. Have fun with it..

I Heart ShoeDazzle.com

I have heard about ShoeDazzle for quit some time now, but did not join until recently. ShoeDazzle is Kim Kardashian's premiere online shoe club where each month personal stylists hand pick designer shoes they think you like based on a questionnaire. It's free to join and your membership includes a pair of shoes each month. If you like a pair, you order it and it is $39.95 including shipping. You don't get charged if you don't order any shoes. You just have to remember to log in each month by to check on your shoe selections and click SKIP if you do not want to order any.

When you register you complete a questionnaire based on a variety of fashion photos to give the stylists an idea of what you like. In a couple of days, they will send you about 4 or 5 different photos of shoes they think would suit your style. If you don't like any, you can have them hand pick 4 or 5 more, but you can only do this once a month. If you still don't like any, then you have to wait until next month. I didn't like the first batch OR the second batch, but I did see some gorgeous wedges at the bottom of the screen where they list the favorites (usually about 3 different styles). I love the hint of snakeskin and the olive green/tan combination.

I got my first pair in the mail and am impressed! They arrived in about 5 days after I clicked order, shipping from California to Florida. The box was decorated all cute and even comes with a pink, cloth shoe pouch to store your heels in when you aren't wearing them. I wear a 7 in shoes, but normally a 7.5 in heels and was worried about how they would fit my 'in between' feet. With this style, they were true to size as I ordered a 7.5. We will see next time as I plan to get some stilettos or pumps. Even if they didn't fit, exchanging is a breeze since they include a return slip that covers shipping. Or if I wanted to get a store credit back, that would be free too. If I wanted to return and get my money back, the shipping is free but they charge a $5.95 restocking fee. Overall, I am impressed.

PS. Let me know if you are interested in joining and I can send you a referral. If you refer 3 friends, you get a pair of shoes FREE and your friend gets 20% of their first order!

*FTC Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with ShoeDazzle in any way. These items were purchased with my own money and I am not being paid to advertise this agency. These are my honest opinions as a consumer.

Ebay Mini Spree: 28 Blush and 28 Neutral Palettes

Heeeeeyyy! Sooo I am sooo excited about my two new palettes that I purchased from ebay. I got the 28 piece Blush Palette and 28 piece Neutral Palette (also called the Bridal palette). I already own the 120 palette and love that one too! I just wanted to share my package opening experience with you and my initial thoughts on these palettes.

So I ordered from ebay seller http://myworld.ebay.com/3act*beauty. I purchased these on Feb 21st for 9.99 GBP each, both with free shipping. This came out to $29.92 plus a few bucks for the conversion fee. So for $3o bucks I got 28 eyeshadows and 28 blushes, woo hoo! The seller ships from Hong Kong so naturally it was going to take a while. They shipped two days later on Feb 23rd and it made it to the US on Feb 25th. At that point a tracking number was added to my ebay account. You could look it up through USPS or HongKong Post. However, it didn't really say much up until it made it into New York on March 9th. It is now March 11th and I have my products!

It came in a large manila envelope which instantly freaked me out. The last thing I need is a broken palette with crumbled shadows. Then I would have to wait alllll over again for the seller to send me a new one, OR they may give me a hassle when asking for a refund. I was just praying that none of them were broken! Look at the tiny little clasp...eeeek!

When I opened it, it had a good amount of bubble wrap so that made me feel better.

Each palette comes in a little black box. I didn't take a picture but on the back of the boxes are the ingredients for each palette for those who have sensitive skin or makeup allergies.

Here are the palettes out of the boxes. Both have a matte finish and no markings or company labels. From the outside, they look exactly the same.

Once opened, placed on top of each palette's shadows/blushes is a a plastic film protector.

DRUMROLLL..................................................

Here is the fabulous blush palette. All of the blushes are super pigmented and show up well on AA and tan skin. The lighter ones can be used as highlights. I looovee the range of colors. Some are matte and some are shimmer.

And here is the neutral palette! My eyes were instantly drawn to this black color in the corner. It is black, but it has specks of pink glitter that my camera doesn't pick up. A variety of browns, mauves, creams, etc. I got this palette especially for work. I love it!

Each shadow/blush is a bit bigger than a quarter. I don't have MAC shadows but I have heard the sizing is equivalent.

Love 'em and can't wait to use them! I might write up another blog post about my thoughts on the quality of the shadows but I have a feeling I already know. With any of these ebay palettes, the quality is okay to great. Some can be chalky, sheer, and powder like crazy, while others are awesome! Check em out!

*FTC Disclaimer: I purchased these palettes with my own money and am not affiliated with the seller or ebay in any way. These are my own thoughts and experiences regarding this product.