BeautyBlog54 - YouTube made me do it....

Hi my lovelies,

I sincerely apologize for not being a good blogger. I've been MIA for a month...sorry! Been very busy w thesis and life in general. Therefore, I wanted to get back into the game with this tag, that's been going around: YouTube made me do it!

If I have to be honest most of my beauty buys in the last 18 months have been YouTube inspired. Here are the main ones:

1: Revlon ColorStay Foundation! I had seen so many beauty gurus talking about this little darling. Perfect coverage, flawless finish and cheaper than MACs foundation. I bought my first one back in September 2009 and have been using them ever since. My shade, if anyone cares is - I'm also a NC40-42 in MAC. I know I've seen DulceCandy87 use this. Fafinette3x also loved this. Well almost everyone I saw out there did!



2: Nude Attitude - Revlon matte lipstick. Everyone went crazy for this lipstick during the summer/fall of 2009. I bought it and have to say it's a bit too light for me. Makes me look a bit washed out on its own! However, if I match it with another more rosy colored lipstick or a pink or golden lipgloss then it gives me a perfect nude lip! Don't remember who talked about this first. I do now I've seen fafinette3x talk about it and possibly also lollipop26.



3: ELF products. I bought a lot from the ELF - eyeslipsface.com website when I lived in the US. It so cheap - 1 dollar to 5 dollars pr. product. The 1 dollar items are not that good, however their eyeshadow brush for a dollar is great and their Studio Line, where I got lipsticks, loads of brushes and lipgloss for 3 dollars. I think I even got it all on sale 50% off so it was a great haul! ELF products were some of the first I became familiar with after I began watching beauty vids back in the summer of 2008. I saw an ELF haul by fafinette3x - and everyone else out there - back in 2008. JuicyStar07 also did an ELF haul back when I was just getting into YouTube.



4: Sigma! I have fallen in love with Sigma brushes. The same quality as MAC brushes but at half the price! I have a lot of their face brushes and I love them! If you're looking for great quality brushes then buy Sigma brushes! They are so pro, very soft and
easy to use! I remember seeing a review from Makeupbytiffanyd on Sigma brushes before everyone had them!



5: CoverGirl Lash Blast. Ever since I started using this mascara, which was the first thing YouTube made me buy, has changed my life! That is quite a statement. Before this, I could never get my eyelashes to stay curled all day long and because I'm Korean my eyelashes would go back to their original state during the day - straight out- and my mascara would always smudge. Well never again! I am in love with this and have been using it for almost two years. It gives me a false eyelash effect, if I apply more than three layers! I think I saw Xteener talk about this one first.



6: Face foundation primer. I never used to use a primer on my face before foundation. I always do now. The foundation goes on a lot smoother, it lasts all day and gives me a flawless finish. I used the Rimmel Fix & Perfect for a while but am now using the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer. I love this. It's so light and moisturizer-like. The Rimmel one is more like the typical primers with a silicone base feel. I like the smoothness of the Laura Mercier a lot better. It was Kandee Johnson who recommended the LM-primer!



7: TRESEmmé Heat Tamer Spray. I love this thing. I use it in my damp hair before I blow dry it. It protects my hair from the heat. Leaves it more shiny and softer and the scent is absolutely lovely! Been in love with this since I saw Xteeener using it.



8: MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural. A lot of people have been using this to set their make up, as a sheer foundation with light coverage but oh so silky smooth finish. I like how it is less powdery, more natural - hence the name - and leaves my skin looking soft and touchable! I've been using the MAC Studio Fix powder and it seems almost too heavy on me now! I don't remember who I saw with this product specifically but almost every beauty guru out there uses it or has used it in videos.



9: L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense. I was never good at applying liquid liner - before YouTube that is. I've become a lot better at it since watching loads of videos and everyone raves about this liner. It is pretty easy to use, once you get the hang of it and it's the perfect ink black! Love it!



Those are just some of the great finds I've gotten out of YouTube. So what are you waiting for? Go check out the beauty-vids yourself and get inspiration for your next shopping spree!

You can check out my favorite gurus here for more inspiration!

xoxo

msbeautyblogger

(photos: wonderfulwortelworld.files.wordpress.com, www.polyvore.com, 2.bp.blogspot.com, www.sigmamakeup.com, 1.bp.blogspot.com, slimages.macys.com, www.makeupandbeautyblog.com, files.hfmus.com, i90.photobucket.com)

BeautyBlog53-March 2010 Favorites

Hi my lovelies,

It's time, albeit a bit late, my March 2010 favorites.

March was all about having my make up be fast, natural and easy.

First off, I've fallen in love with my MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Natural - my shade is Medium Plus. It has basically replaced my MAC Studio Fix Powder. Why I love it: A more natural finish - less caky finish, a lot lighter coverage and my skin feels soooo soft!



I've been applying my skinfinish with my new favorite brush - the SIGMA SS150 Brush. If you haven't tried or don't know about SIGMA I highly recommend their brushes. They are exact MAC dupes - only 50% off! One of my favorite guru's on YouTube Makeupbytiffanyd is the official spokes person. Check out her review of the brushes here and the SIGMA website here! They ship worldwide and you can either buy the brushes individually from $9, in small sets from $39 and a big professional set + eyeshadows $99.



Another favorite this month is a gift from a dear, dear friend and fellow make-up addict. For my birthday last month, she gave me MAC's Cremesheen Glass in Partial to Pink. I absolutely love this. As opposed to a lot of MAC/lipglosses in general it's not sticky at all. It's very smooth and feels hydrating.



During winter/cold times, my biggest problem is chapped lips. My lips dry like crazy when it's cold outside! I've been looking for the perfect combo for my lips for a while. Now I've found it. The lipstick I've been using a lot lately is the Clarins Joli Rouge lipstick in 702 Rose Sorbet. The color is a slightly darker pink with coral shades. Love it with Partial to Pink over it.



I've been into pinkish and a little shimmery blushes for a while. My ELF Studio Line Blush in Tickled Pink gives me a perfect flushed look. It's also a great dupe for Nars' Blush in Super Orgasm. I paid $1.50 for mine - (got it at 50% off;) the Nars Blush is $26.



After I switched up my facial routine - how I cleanse and take care of my skin - last fall it's been doing really well and looks better than ever. Will do a post on my routine soon! However, I do tend to break out (feels like I'll be a teenager forever, when that happens and I'm 27! hmmm!) Well, a few years back a friend recommended a great spot treatment from Shiseido called the Pureness Blemish Clearing Gel. It is part of their acne medication line and contains salicylic acid, which is supposed to treat the spots. I really like this product. If I feel a break-out on the way, I put the gel on the spot liberally throughout the day and it often helps prevent an actual breakout! It is a bit on the pricier side ($19 for a mere 0.5 Fl. Oz/15 ml) but it last a long time and it's worth it!



Those were my March 2010 favorites.

Please comment and tell me if you've tried any of the products, what you think and what your own favorites are!

xoxo
msbeautyblogger

(photos: web.me.com, 1.bp.blogspot.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, lookfantastic.com, sca.shiseido.com)

BeautyBlog29 - January 2010 Favorites

Hi all my lovelies,

January is almost over and this morning I felt like rounding up my January favorites for you! So here they are:



An old favorite of mine has returned to my everyday make-up routine. It's the Cover Girl Professional Eye Enhancers One Kit Shadow in Champagne. I use it a lot in the tear duct area of my eye to brighten up my entire look.



I've been into very neutral looks for most of January and for my lips, I've really been loving MAC's Viva Glam V lipstick. It's a lustre formular, which means it's more of a sheen of color rather than a full coverage lipstick. I've been using it a lot with NYX round lip gloss in either Whipped or Real Nude. Also every cent of the selling price of my Viva Glam Lipstick is donated to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to support men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS.



Everyday after I apply my foundation before I begin doing the rest of my make up, I apply Carmex to my lips to prep them for lipstick/gloss application. I simply love Carmex! Especially, the cherry flavored one!

My January have been busy and has not allowed me a lot of time for make up in the morning. So I've come up with this combo to cut down on the steps for my cheek/contouring part. And I've come to love the two products I've been using instead of blush:



My ELF Warm Bronzer has four different colors, which are great all swirled together to give a shimmery finish. However, I only use the blush toned one lightly as a blush and the lightest color as a highlighter on the top of my cheekbones.



Underneath the ELF warm bronzer, I've been using the NYC bronzing face powder in Sunny. I sweep it across my cheekbones for definition and across my temples for sculpting. Takes my 20 seconds and the the ELF on top and I'm done with cheeks and contouring!

I've been loving Lush as you all know and almost every day in January I've been using these two products:



Rock Star Soap - it's so sweet and leaves me smelling like bubble gum and sweet candy for hours! I love the smell of it, and it's to the point where I don't feel right, if the bathroom does not smell like Rock Star:)



In the shower, I am obsessed with Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly. The fresh fruity scent and softest best smelling lather makes every shower I take luxurious. I mean every girl needs a bit of pampering, right!

At night, it's not enought to just wash your face to get rid of your make up. You have to remove your make up - eye and face before you wash. I use my favorite Matas eye make up remover for water proof mascara to remove my eye make up. It's the only one that does the trick, since I use quite a bit of Cover Girl Last Blast Mascara - and it's pretty much stuck to my lashes! Afterwards, I use my new favorite in expensive Huggies Pure Baby wipes to take of the remaining make up, foundation, blush, etc.



So these were my favorites for the month of January 2010!

xoxo
msbeautyblogger

(photos: amazon.com, americanrx.com, redbookmag.com, mycarmex.com, lollipop26writes.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, sklepy-baby.pl)

BeautyBlog17-EOTD Make Up

Hi my lovelies,

So throughout the last year or so my make up skills have vastly improved! A lot of that has to do with make up gurus like Tiffanydmakeup, fafinettex3 and Kandee Johnson. All three have inspired and taught me a lot more about how to apply make up - especially to the eyes!

Year ago I would apply only one shadow on the lid and that would be it. Maybe some eyeliner and then of course my beloved mascara. However, after watching videos on YouTube, I've learned the lessons of layering and of blending. Blend, blend, blend and your result will look a million times better.

Blending also means that there are more than one color involved.

Today I felt like doing a more cranberry/bronzy look. I created the look beneath with three colors:



On the lid: Scratch from Urban Decay



In the crease: Raspberry Truffle from ELF-Studio line



In the outer v-corner: Carbon from MAC

I then used my L'oreal Liquid Liner intense in black to line my upper lid, my Almay Amazing Lasting 16 Hour Eye Pencil in Black on my waterline and to line by eye and then I set my lining with a MAC black carbon.






xoxo
msbeautyblogger

BeautyBlog2 - December 2009 Favorites

In the spirit of my favorite make up gurus here are my picks for December 2009 favorites - a little late I know - but better late than never:

- MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW25 - my holy grail since I first started using it in August of 09. Previously, I've been using the YSL Touché Eclat but there is no way I'm going back to that!

- Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 350 Rich Tan- I decided to give it a try after Fafinettex3 recommended it. I love it! I was almost out of my Clinique ... and had been thinking of trying the Even Better Foundation from Clinique after Allthatglitters21 raved about it...I may still try that and the MUFE one at some point but for now Revlon is my absolute favorite.

- ELF Warm Bronzer palette - I kept reaching for it every day to give a warm sheen to my face and to highlight! I still haven't bought my first MAC MSF, so for now the ELF Warm Bronzer will have to do, and I've loved it ever since I got it.

- The Shady Lady palette by The Balm - I saw it in one of the first videos I ever watched with Kandee Johnson (<3) and I just had to have it. I finally got it in December and I've been loving it ever since. Especially the colors: caught in the act courtney, shamless shana and luscious lani - the top three from left to right and easy wheezie - the bottom right corner. Although all shimmery, I am just in love with the way they look, when applied, and a girl needs a bit of glimmer to get through the day;)

- Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Earthly Taupe - been using it every day in December as an all over lid color for almost any look. Love the fact that it goes on mat and is buildable.

- Runway Pink Mineral Lipstick from ELF - just saw Lollipop26's great review on this. Love this one too! Especially paired with the mineral lipgloss from ELF in trophy wife.

- TreSemmé Heat Tamer Spray. A recommendation from Xteeener, and it's a favorite every every month. Just makes my hair so smooth and I love the scent!

- Ocean Salt Face Scrub from Lush. I finally received my first Lush order in December! I am loving everything! Will do a separate beautyblog on my love for Lush soon! The scrub smells like a marvelous margarita and leaves your skin baby smooth. The lime in the scrub really leaves your skin with a sense of having been deep cleaned. Love love love it!

- Rock Star soap! Now I get what all the raving was about (Allthatglitters21)! Even my mom and grandma liked it;) Although Snow Fairy is amazing too - Rock Star is my favorite Lush bar soap for now.

- Lush Shower Jelly in Sweety Pie - the jello like substance is kind of wierd at first, but as soon as I tried it out I fell in love with it. It has the softest best smelling lather ever. Description from Lush.com: "Lashings of blackcurrant and bergamot essential oils in a sour cherry and coconut jelly make this about as fruity as you can get. It is incredibly difficult to resist taking a spoonful. Instead, take a handful and smooth it over your hair and body. Passing strangers will smell you and find their minds wandering to fruit pastilles." And they're right!

- My newest favorite and all time best blending brush is the C200 Deluxe Crease from Coastal Scents. I am loving it. I have a lot of the Sigma brushes, which I also love, but have still to try their 224 brush!

- My Coastal Scents Synthetic Wide Buffer Brush - it's amazing for buffing in my setting powder for a flawless finish!

xoxo
msbeautyblogger