28 May 2016

The Beauty Blogger Tag

Hello lovely!

I'm here today with a tag! Now, I know the point of tags are.. well.. to be tagged to do them. I saw Leya from Leluroxx got tagged in this and although I wasn't tagged, I sent her over a little tweet on twitter asking if I would be able to do the tag and use the questions she asked. And because that girl is a lovely peach she said yes. ;) Thank you Leya!



I'm familiar with the Liebster Award tags that go around, I have a couple up on my blog if you would like to check those out after. I've never heard of this tag and well.. it's always fun to try new things! I'm taking the rules right off of Leya's post.

Rules

Tag the blogger who nominated you
Answer the questions you were given
Nominate 3 beauty/fashion/lifestyle bloggers
Ask them 10 original questions
Let the people who you've tagged know

Simple enough! Let's get into the questions she asked.

1. How has blogging had a positive effect on you?
Blogging has had a HUGE positive impact in my life. From being able to share things that I enjoy with lovely readers, to making amazing blogging friends, to having my own blogging mentor (That's exciting! Thank You Julie! You can find her here at happystronghome.com). All the way to being invited to my first blogger meet up! It's all so wonderful and I'm just so happy to have made that leap!

2. What is your go to makeup product?
This is a hard one because I don't just have one go to product. Concealer - my favorite being Maybelline Instant Age Rewind. I always go back to it! Gel liner - Maybelline's Eyestudio is my go to now for years! Love it! And lastly mascara - I've been using Maybelline the Mega Plush Volum Express. So far so good! Just by writing this out I noticed I really like Maybelline! Haha.

3. If you can recommend the best lipstick ever what would it be?
My go to would be the Too Faced La Creme Lipsticks -Mine is in Naked Dolly -and I love to pair that with Kiko's chubby stick. I love me some pinky nudes. Definitely restocking.

4. Do you have a skincare routine? If so, what are your steps?
Well funny you should ask! I have a blog post up all about my updated skincare routine. Unfortunately, my laptop doesn't want to link to this post.. so just have a little search through my blog and you'll find it. :)


5. If you had to choose either eyelashes or eyebrows to live without which would you choose?
I would have to say eyebrows! With all the great tools we have now to just fill them in I feel like it wouldn't be as dramatic as eyelashes. At this point I would just have to learn how to do my own.


6. What is your biggest beauty hangup?
I'm going to be honest, I have NO idea what this question is asking me? Haha Sorry! Is it like.. biggest beauty blunder? Something beauty related you're not good at? If so, it would have to be blush! Isn't that so weird? It's so easy for pretty much everyone but I can't seem to get it right! If you have some tips let me know!

7. Do you have a special makeup tip that you use without fail? If so, what it is?
I'm really not going to call it a makeup tip. It's just something that helps me. For my gel liner, instead of using an angled brush I actually use the small tapperd like brush that Maybelline includes when buying the Eyestudio gel liner. It actually make my liner much more sharp than when I use an angled brush. Not a tip, just my secret weapon.

8. What three products would you never buy again?
This is a tough one. I actually don't have any in my collection right now that I would say I would never purchase again. Probably because I've gotten rid of any that I feel didn't work for me.

9. What is your signature makeup look?
My signature makeup look consists of neutral shadows, winged liner and nude lips. Never fails.

10. If you could pick a celebrity that projects your look / style who would it be and why?
I absolutely love this question! It's fun to think about really. I honestly feel like it would have to be Cheryl Cole. Besides being absolutely gorgeous I find myself always seeing what she's wearing next. I don't know how to describe it but I would love to have her wardrobe!



That's all the questions answered! Thank you Leya for allowing me to use your questions. I really enjoyed this tag!

My 3 Nominations are:

Mia @ ConfidentlyCurly.com

Katie @ MissKatieF.blogspot.com

Chrissy @ BeautyBitsnBlogs.co.uk

Elle @ GirlTalkWithElle94.blogspot.com

(Yeah, I chose 4.. I'm a rebel) ;)




My questions to you:

1. Would you rather have your makeup completely perfect and bad hair day or your hair comes out perfect each time but your makeup comes out terrible?

2. What do you procrastinate most on? (Beauty or non-beauty)

3. Favorite Summer Nail Polish?

4. Do you plan ahead when getting ready or is it a last minute rush?

5. Beauty regiman that you rarely do?

6. When applying makeup, do you do your eyes first? Or your face?

7. Favorite healthy meal?

8. How would you describe your style?

9. What's your skin type and what products work best for you?

10. Name 3 memorable Blogging experiences you've had.


I can't wait to see what you ladies put for your answers! This was a pretty fun tag to do and I did enjoy answering the questions! If you would like to do this tag also and weren't personally tagged.. go for it! I'd love to read what your answers are. Thanks again to Leya at Leluroxx. Go and check out her post on this tag.

Thank so much for reading.
Until next time,

Jay

10 May 2016

High End Makeup Haul

Good Evening, lovelies.

Last Saturday some of my coworkers and I decided we would go make up shopping specifically. So after work we headed straight to the mall. (Before I begin with anything, I just want to add a disclaimer that I am not bragging whatsoever. The majority of my makeup is drug store and I wanted to splurge just a bit with some money that I received for my birthday.) Back to the regularly scheduled program. :)



We went into Forever 21 as our "meeting place" and I ended up buying this really adorable shirt that I'm sure I'll show you in a future post. Funny story about this shirt is that I like the look of it better backwards than how it looks front side forward! I really hope no body calls me out for wearing this shirt backwards haha!

After we all met up we booked it to Sephora. Sephora is like a makeup girls playground and it felt like we got the OK to go completely wild in there. I got everything that I essentially "needed" to grab when it comes to make up.



First I went for the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. You've seen me talk about this before because beside's the UD Primer Potion, the TF Shadow Insurance is my absolute favorite. I was going between buying that one which I know is a good one or the MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I was given a little bit of background from one of my friends that the Painterly Paint Pot creases a bit. I'm sure it could be different for everyone but my purpose for a primer was so that my eye makeup does NOT BUDGE and I usually get that peace of mind with the Shadow Insurance. I bought the full sized version which is the first full sized that I got of these. Totally worth it.



Next, I went for a Kat Von D Lock - It Featherweight Primer and my goooodness is it good. My friend Nicki recommended it and I've never had any of Kat Von D's products before so I thought I would give it a whirl. It's such a great primer because it's not really silicone based. It's a waterbased formula so I kind of dissolves into your skin? I'm not sure if I'm doing this primer justice but my first impression of it is that I love it already. How did I go so long without it!?



After getting those I knew I wanted to grab a NARS foundation. I've only ever had one high end foundation before and I hear great things about it but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Amazing brand though. Any who, I knew I wanted a Nars foundation but I wasn't sure on which one. I asked a girl who worked there on her opinion on what she thought depending on my skin routine and what type of skin I have. We talked a lot of what she thought was best. (Thank you so much for your insight and input! It means a lot that you really listened and helped me out!) We came to the conclusion that I do like more coverage because my cheeks tend to be red so I would like to cover all that up without being cake-y. We choose the Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Gobi. I tried it for the first time today and my first impression is that I'm HIGHLY impressed. Of course I didn't think any less could come from Nars as they always have great reviews but I am so glad that we chose this one. Definitely going to be one of my favorites and quickly.



So that was all I got from Sephora. While I was checking out the girl at the register said I was eligable for my free Beauty Insider birthday gift so I chose the Marc Jacobs eyeliner and lipstick duo. Two thumbs up from me. The lipstick is a bit darker than I usually wear but it lasts a really long time and the eyeliner didn't budge. They were great picks for being a birthday gift. Thanks Sephora. :)



Our last stop was MAC and the only thing I really wanted to buy from there was the Mac Fix Plus. I really wanted a setting spray and I've used the Urban Decay setting sprays before and I loved them. Hearing all the wonderful things about this Mac Fix Plus I knew I just had to give it a try, so I bought that as my last thing.

I just wanted add what Mia from confidentlycurly.com bought me for my birthday! Oh my goodness! When I opened her present to me, I found not one but two Anastasia Glow Kits in Gleam and That Glow! (Thank you Mia!) Gleam has the shades Hard Candy, Mimosa, Starburst, and Crushed Pearl. Absolutely gorgeous highlights! My favorites are the ones in That Glow. The shades are Sunburst, Golden Bronze, Bubbly, and Dripping in Gold. Those are my favorite kind of bronzey highlight. Both palettes are stunning and I nearly jumped out of my seat when I opened them. I've used them all already - using one shade one day and another the next. I saw on instagram this girl mixed all four from one palette and applied it. It came out beautiful. I think I'm going to try that out!



I've very excited with all that I got especially because I know it was things I "needed" when it comes down to makeup.(I used the word needed loosely as I know I don't ever NEED makeup.) I had a great time laughing and being mini make up artists with my friends. Coming home, I was excited to play with all my stuff which by the way - first impressions of all is really good! Top notch.

If there is a certain product that I mentioned in this post that you would like an in depth review about just let me know down in the comments. As I continue to test them out I'll be looking out for all that they claim to do!

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Until next time,
Jay


02 May 2016

A La Maison de Provence Hand Cream

Hello There!

So I quickly wanted to come on here to talk about a little hidden gem I found that I thought I would share with you. My hands tend to get really dry (especially in the winter) and I've gone through quite a few hand creams throughout the years. I don't know about you but I've never found the perfect hand cream. They're either really greasy and you have to air dry your hands to make it go away - you know what I'm talking about, the flopping your hands in air whether to let nail polish dry or to dry your hands from greasy hand creams, let's be real we've all done it. ;) Or have you had that experience with your hand cream where it's kind of like water? Where it'll evaporate and it didn't really hydrate your skin? On top of those concerns I CANNOT have one that's strong scented. I tend to get headaches, light headed and even nauseous when they're strong scented. Your hands go near your face and nose so often that I need to make sure of the fragrance before ever putting a scented hand cream on. I once put one on that was "cupcake" scented.. I had to scrub that off my hands after a while because it got that bad.

Any who, I know you'd probably want me to stop blabbing about my past bad experiences I've had and tell you all about this liquid gold... I present to you A La Maison de Provence Hand Cream!



 I actually got it as a mini birthday present. My first impression of it was that it looked super cute but I figured it would be like all the others that I've tried. A couple days later I decided to put some on and I fell in love! One thing I noticed right away was that it absorbed into your skin and didn't leave it with that greasy feeling. Second thing I noticed, it actually moisturized my hands. The third thing, it was very light scented. Pretty fresh and relaxing scent.

I got the Coconut Creme which has the moisturizing shea butter and argan oil in it. I read the back and it's such a wholesome cream. It states that it's 100% vegetable based, it's ultra moisturizing, it doesn't contain SLS, Parabens or Pthalates, it's cruelty free and biodegradable.

A La Maison de Provence is a shop that uses "Traditional French Formula's". They have a shop in Huntington, New York or you can easily buy their products online on Amazon. Not only does this brand have hand creams but they also carry body lotions, soups and shower gel's. (I did my research haha.) I might just go off and buy a body lotion from them and watch it work wonders for my skin.

I'm not sponsored or affiliated with this brand but I was too excited about it that I had to share with you. It's definitely a staple of mine and something I'll purchase once this tube is done. So if you're like me and struggle with finding the perfect hand cream, I would advise giving this one a try. It sure hasn't disappointed me.

Let me know what's your favorite brand and type of hand cream. Do you struggle with strong fragrances also?

Thanks so much for reading.

Jay