Sunday, December 26, 2010

Don't Buy it: Nicole by OPI Love your Life

Pinks are by far my favorite nail polish color. I just love that they are very versatile, you can use them all year round and on about any occasion. So when I was at Target I saw this pretty glittery pink nail polish with hearts and golden shimmer. So irresistible!

I got home and it was a disappointment. I tried so much to like this polish and make it work, but I couldn't. The hearts look very childish on your nails, like something a 5 year old would love, and they are very hard to get out of the bottle. I only used my bottle 3 times and look at how much it's left.

It is impossible to get the hearts out of the bottle. They just sit there at the bottom of the bottle. It is so annoying and frustrating, that I threw this away. I usually throw my stuff when it is very old, but this I just couldn't stand looking at it. I would never bother purchasing another one of these glittery polishes from Nicole.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

For Audrey

For Audrey must have to be the most well known polish from China Glaze.
A creme Tiffany blue. Really opaque, and applies heavenly.It is a very unique color, I have not seen anything that looks similar from any other brand. Definitely recommended.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Black Swan

So here is the look I've been working on. I really ha a great time recreating Natalie Portman's look on Black Swan. I haven't seen the movie, since it was a limited released no theathers near me are showing it. Only one that is by my university, but ahhhh it's 1 hour away.

I used the following to create this look. Very cheap!

-elf complexion perfection
-maybelline line stiletto (blackest black)
-maybelline eyestudio gel liner (blackest black)
-nyc eyedust sparkle (opal sparkle)
-mac lipstick (most popular)
-nyx lipliner (blackberry)
-mac mineralize skinfinish (porcelain pink)

I wish I would have taken a photos when i took the makeup off, it looked like mud, and it was quite difficult to get it off because I believe the gel liner is waterproof. But I still like the result. Here is a photo.





You can watch it here


*Edit 12/19/10
I went to see Black Swan this weekend , and i loved, it's the best movie I've seen this year.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Hautelook Haul

Who hasn't heard of hautelook before?


If you haven't, Hautelook is a private discount online store. They have a variety of merchandise ranging from clothes, toys, furniture, jewelery, beauty products, etc. These sells only last 2 days, and everyday there are new sales. There are also a wide variety of brands, I've seen Dior, Nyx, Urban Decay, Stila, Michael Todd, Juicy Couture, Betsey Johnson, among others

I joined Hautelook a couple months ago, my only reason was to buy discounted makeup. On November 1st they had an Urban Decay Event, and I was quite late for the event (about 2 hours) and there were certain items that were already sold out. Therefore I only ordered 3 items.


Urban Decay Summer of Love Nailpolish set


Urban Decay Matte Eyeshadow : Electric, and Purple Haze.


So you can get an idea of how much chaper the products are I will give you the prices. Urban Decay E/S are $17 ea. I got these for $4.25, The n/p set retails at $28 and I got it for $7. (US dollars). The discount is pretty good.

Here are swatches for the eyeshadows

Left to Right: Electric, Purple Haze


All of the products are brand new and authentic. The reason they are so cheap is because Hautelook is "the middle guy" when you place an order they send it to the manufacturer's warehouse, then they send the order to the hautelook warehouse and then they send it to you.
That being said shipping takes forever!

As I mentioned, I placed my order on November 1st, received an email with my tracking number on the 17th. The email said it was going to arrive that same day, well it didn't. It arrived 3 weeks after. To be honest I was kind of pissed because the tracking number they gave me was never updated, and their costumer service is horrible, they will just tell you to wait.

I do not know if I'll ever order from Hautelook again just because of the shipping. They would have to have an amazing sale for me to want to buy once again from them.

XO
Monica






Sunday, December 5, 2010

November Favorites

Hi guys!

For some reason YouTube wasn't letting upload any video.
So I will write down the products I loved during the month of November.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss.
These are my favorite lipglosses. Love the packaging they are very elegant looking. They look so much like the Dior lipglosses. I usually hate lipglosses, I hate how a lot of them are so sticky, and don't wear off evenly. These on the other hand are not sticky at all, they wear off evenly and they are so moisturizing! Did I also mention that they have spf 15?
My Favorite colors: Firecracker and Nude Lustre

Aquolina Pink Sugar
I got this perfume with the Friends and Family Sale at Sephora. I had never smelled it before, and after so many reviews and raves I decided to order it and omg I love it so much! I'm terrible at describing scents, but this smells like straight up cotton candy with a hint of vanilla. It is a sweet scent, very feminine and the guys love this.

Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow

I also got this on the F&F sale at Sephora. It is a shimmery champagne color. I love to wear this all over the lid. It just brings in so much light to your eyes.

That's all of my favorites... let me know what products you have been loving!

Xo
Monica

Thursday, December 2, 2010

You Just Wait

Sorry guys I haven't been posting as much as I like.
My sister went on vacation and took the camera with her, and I was left camera-less.
But I have this new swatch!
This one is You Just Wait by Sinful Colors. Which is only 1.99 at Walgreens.
I must say that at first I hated it. I love pinks, and was looking for something that was very neutral. The first coat was extremely sheer, the only thing I could see was the golden/green shimmer. So I applied 4 coats in total to get the color opaque.

Still wasn't completely pleased the way it looked. I felt I was something my gramma would wear.

After two days of wearing this polish the color seem to become duller... and that's when i started to love this color!, weird right? I don't know if all the Sinful Colors are like this because I have "this is it" and it did the same thing.

I think this is one polish that is a must have and a staple item, it's a color that will never go out of style, and super cheap!

XO
Monica

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Purple Rain

So all of you know that Sephora held their Friends and Family Sale a couple of weeks ago. Which was 20% off the entire store. I picked my stuff, and when I was going to check out I still needed a couple bucks to qualify for free shipping. So I started looking at NARS stuff, and found that there was a nail polish with the name of Purple Rain.

My sisters favorite singer is Prince, my mom loves Prince as well, and well that's the name of my favorite song by Prince. So I looked for a swatch online, and it was love at first swatch. I was hesitant to get it because it is $16+tax, but decided to order it for merely sentimental reasons.

I'm so glad I did. The color is beautiful. Deep purple with blue undertones and red shimmer. It applies heavenly... and can you guess how many coats did I needed to get the color that opaque?... just one.
I love it and would purchase it again depite the ridiculous price tag.
You can listen to Prince's Purple Rain here

XO
Monica

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Recent MAC purchases

I first wanted to do a a Haul video. But everyone was was so excited with this MAC collection, and everyone was doing these videos. October was a super busy month for me, but finally one class that was consuming all of my free time is over.

I got some stuff from the MAC Venomous Villains collection, and from the Liberty of London (got that stuff at my CCO). The V.V. sold out so fast online, it hadn't even hit the stores when it was already out of stock online. So the very first day the collection came out, I was debating whether to go to class or go to the MAC counter that is on campus. I decided to do the right thing and decided to go to the MAC counter.... no, just kidding. I went to class and then go the counter, and got the stuff I had my eye on. Thankfully the two things that I got were not on reserve!

The VV was basically a huge collection because they were four parts to it. All Disney Villains, Evil Queen (Snowhite), Malificent (Sleeping Beauty), Cruela de Vil (101 Dalmatians), and Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog). To be honest, I was upset they did not included Ursula from The Little Mermaid, she may be fat and ugly, but she uses makeup! I haven't even seen the Princess and the Frog.
Love the pretty packaging.


Here is what the products look like, also below are the swatches.MAC Beauty Powder- Malificent- Briar Rose

MAC Beauty Powder-Evil Queen- Oh So Fair


Beauty powder have a reputation of being so sheer. A lot of people complain that it doesn't show up on their skin. But this ones are the exception, they are more pigmented, still sheer, but they do show up against my skin. Although they are similar looking, they really aren't. Briar Rose is more cooled tone, It's a more hot pink with purple undertones. While Oh so Fair, is pink a warm pink with more of a peachy undertone.

Compared side by side. You can totally see the difference.
Right to Left: Oh so Fair, Briar Rose.


The following is from The Liberty of London Collection, I think it was released in early spring this year.MAC-Powder Blush- Prim & Proper.


MAC-Lipglass- English Accents.

MAC- Cream Nail Polish- Vestral White


I Have to say that I LOVE the packaging on of this collection, it so pretty. Prim & Proper, it a gorgeous brown blush, it has a satin finish. This could easily work as a bronzer for PPP. Definately something I'm going to wear during the winter because it is very warm toned. English Accents lipglass is very stick (all of MAC lipglasses are). It is a cream finish, there is no shimmer or glitter on it, which I like. It's a pink with lavender undertones which is one of my favorite colors, lasts long and wears off evenly. The nailpolish is a failure, and I do regret buying it. Vestral White has come out before, I know it came out in the Hello Kitty Collection. It is basically a white with a little blue undertone. It is very streaky, I applied 3 coats trying to make the color more even and opaque but completely failed. I could still see my nails on certain parts, and on others I had excess.


Here are swatches on NC25 skinLeft to Right: English Accents, Oh so Fair, Briar Rose, Prim & Proper.


Vestral White will be making an appearance soon.

I loved everything, and would repurchase everything (except the nailpolis) if it weren't limited edition items.

XO
Monica

Sunday, October 31, 2010

My Halloween Costume

I usually never dress up for Halloween. Last time I dressed up I was 4.
I wanted first to dress up as Cleopatra, but halloween night it's usally cold, and i was going to freeze since we planned to go to an outdoor event. Then I thought of Venus, but same thing, then I wanted a Native American, but those costumes were kind of pricey. So I opted for the cheapest costume I found at Walmart. It was a flapper one, when I showed my mom the costume, she told me she had a similar dress, so she gave it to me and returned the costume to Walmart, and just looked for a flapper headband. Found one at party city.

Here is my CustomeSo for makeup here is what I used
Face:
-MAC spf 50 primer
-Maybelline Dream mousse concealer
-NYC Pressed powder
Eyes
-Maybelline define a brow pencil
-Maybelline ultra brow brush on color
-NYX Clear mascara
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
-NYX Eyeshadow in Sahara
-Wet N Wild Palette in Lust
-Ardel Lashes in 137
-Maybelline lash Stiletto
-Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara

Cheeks
-NYX Blush in Taupe
-NYX cream blush in Natural
-Smashbox powder blush in radiance
-Physicians Formula shimmer strips in rosy glow

Lips
-Burts Bees
-NYX lip liper in deep red
-Maybelline Moisture Renew Lipstick in Roseberry
-Revlon Lipgloss in Firecracker

Nails
-On toes: China Glaze Evening Seduction
-On Finger Nails: Rimmel Bare Naked

What did you guys dressed up as?
let me know

Happy Halloween!
Hope you have a wonderful time, be safe, and if you drink don't drive!

XO
Monica

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Mulberry for Target

One of the stores that I like the most is Target. Not only because of their convenience locations (I have one by my job and one very close to home, can't beat that!). The thing that I like the most about it is that I can walk into a store and get everything that I need such as groceries, food, furniture, clothes, makeup drugs.

I think a lot of people overlook Target, they have very nice clothes and they are reasonably priced. I love the collaborations they do with designers, because lets face it, most of us will never be able to afford a $1000 dollar purse, or a $300 scarf. Most recently I fell in love with Target's latest collaboration. Mulberry. I definately know their bags, I love bags, and I've dreamt of having an Alexa (someday) but I just cannot justify spending $1150 US dollars + tax on a bag. No way. So when the collection hit stores on October 10th, I was very excited, and couldn't be more happy.

Despite the collection sold out on the first day. I was able to get my hands on one of the bags.

The Collection Consisted of 13 Bags. (from top left to right)


-Black Pebble Cross Body
-Cerise Leopard Satchel
-Denim Satchel
-Large Velbet Satchel
-Black Patent Crossbody
-Large Cerise Leopard Satchel


-Mini Black Velvet Crossbody
-Mini Cerise Leopard Crossbody
-Black Patent Satchel
-Cerise Leopard Crossbody
-Large Black Peble Tote
-Mini Denim Crossbody
-Large Cerise Leopard Tote


The Collection captures the elegance and the feminity the real Mulberry bags have. With the prices ranging from $15 to $50 US you can't go wrong.



I First Bought the Large Peble Tote, but i had second toughts since it was very big for my body type. I returned it and bought the Black Patent Satchel. Even my mom commented that the bag looked very elegant. Here are some pictures.


I will be taking off the keychain because it doesn't go with the style of a typical Mulberry. I believed they tried to market these to a younger demographic (teenagers). It's cute, but i will clip it on another bag.

The only thing I have to complain is i wish the "for Target" was smaller (i would've been better if it wasn't there at all). It totally kills that designer feel to it. But for now this is what I can afford and will settle for this Like I said, the collection is sold out online, but some Targets still have them in store, so ladies, go to your nearest target asap, you won't regret it!



XO Monica

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Moon over Mumbai

I just found the most beautiful nailpolish ♥

OPI Moon Over Mumbai
Its a creamy silver color, it's very sheer, I had to apply 3 coats to get the color somewhat opaque. I think 4 coats will be ideal. It has the same quality as all OPI nail polishes, when I took this picture I've had it on for 5 days. That's the reason you see a little bit of chipping on my index finger.

This polish is great if you want to pull off a clean look, or if you are too scared of using white nail polish, this a great color to check out. It's a very unique color and would definitely repurchase it again.

Xo
Monica

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I Fell in Love with a Girl... Maybe Two


This is about a month old. But I hadn't had a chance to post it here, and I had a lot of photos, and too much footage to select.

Anyways, I FINALLY, yes FINALLY was able to see Tegan and Sara live!
I've been a fan of theirs since 2004 (since So Jealous, which they played!), but never had the opportunity to see them because when they came to town their shows were in places for people over 21, or they were in a weekday and my parents wouldn't let me go. This year they came to town twice, but I wasn't able to make it to one of their shows because my car broke down those days and i had to pay the car, the repair, the plates, the insurance all in 2 weeks ( did i also mention that i had to pay rent?). I was broke.

So when I heard they they were coming to town on the honda civic tour I immediately got tickets, and was definitely in the top 5 best shows I've ever been to.

Unfortunately they weren't headlining the show (Paramore was the headlining band, they were great too). But I loved it! They are so cute in person, and their voice it's really cute, almost childish... they are so adorable I almost died, and they look so young... they are 30 years old!

They played the following songs: living room, bet it sung, so jealous, walking with a ghost, speak slow, on directing, the con, northshore, nineteen, hell, alligator, back in your head, and hop a plane.

Most of the photos i took didn't come off well because of the lighting, they use very dim lights in their show, and my camera sucks in low light conditions. Luckily we (my friend and I) were only 2 people away from the stage.







Still I want to shows you guys some pictures.


This is Tegan, and below is Sara

Hopefully when their do another tour in America i'll get to see them more, i'm planning on going to at least 2 shows. Cannot wait for their next album :)

Ironically i got amazing photos from Paramore, since they have some kick ass lightning.


Xo
Monica

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Cover Girl Simply Ageless Blushes

Hi guys!
Sorry for completely ignoring this blog, I've been extremely busy these past 3 weeks. But made a little time today to do this so here we go.

A while back at was at walmart (it was summer time) and I was looking for blushes because I wanted to get something different, saw these and though cute packaging, and immediately put it in my cart.
First thing i want to say that the packaging is horrible, it took me a while to first opened. the glass part is where the blush contained and you have to unscrew the pan, then the cap of the pan is just an useless empty space to hold a sponge. Anyways I got these 3 in numbers 200 (a peachy color) 220 ( a mauve color) and 230 (a cherry color). There was a another one 210 but it looked like a fusion of 200 and 230, did not liked the color as much.
I started to use this ones with the sonia kashuk flat top brush, and i have to say that it kinda hurt so i just opted to used them with my fingers. The colors are very pretty, although i wish they had one a pink, they only have 4 shades. As for the amount of product that these have is quite a lot, which is bad because if you don't used them frequently they will dried up, and then become completely useless.




They are super pigmented, but..... they don't blend as easily, you have to do one cheek at a time other wise the cream dried up and its impossible to blend it. Here are some swatches.




From left to right (200, 230 and 220)

BTW the white part of the blush is some Olay anti-aging cream, but is completely translucent, it will not shop up on your skin.

Price ranges from 10-13 Us dollars

Would I buys them again?
No... they are price and probably these will go bad on me before i get to used the whole thing up.

XO
Monica

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mod About You

A couple weeks ago I was at CVS just shopping around.
I saw a Revlon Display with their new nail polishes for summer. One color really stand out for me. The name? Lilac Pastelle. Which coincidentally it has the same name of my favorite Revlon Lipgloss, I took it home with me and I was so excited to wear it. (Also, I didn't have any Revlon Nailpolishes. I used to have several of them when I was in High school)
The color was beautiful... a creamy pale pink with lavander undertones. It was a big disappointment. It was very sheer, streaky, and it took forever to dry, and I'm not saying 30 minutes (which I think that is reasonable)... I'm talking nearly two hours. It was horrible... left me no option but to return it.

Sad that I had found a pretty color, but did not liked the formula I set my self on the quest for a similar color... which I found at a local beauty supply store.



It's an OPI nailpolish as you can tell. Decided to get it because at the time I didn't have any OPI nailpolishes. Since it is $9.00 US dollars (which is super pricey for a nailpolish) and these are a lot of people favorite brand of nailpolish I said to myself... "They must be so good... because everybody raves about them." Wrong.


OPI: Mod About You


Besides the thickness of the brush, which I find very hard to work with. It is so streaky, have to apply 2 or 3 coats. Also, it chips very fast.. I put it on Sunday Night (around 10 pm) and it is Thursday night, and my right index nail has started to chip. I think is not really worth the price nor the rave people give these nailpolishes. One good thing is that it dried fast. Might repurchse since i really do love the color.

XO
Monica

Friday, September 10, 2010

E.L.F. Haul & Review

I've been seen a lot of hype about E.L.F.(eyes, lips, face) on YouTube.


The hype is mostly because their products are dirt cheap. By dirt cheap is from $1-6 US dollars.

Which is pretty amazing for people who are just getting started with makeup.

I decided to order a couple of products and see my own eyes what the fuss was about. Besides, I had a coupon for 50% off... so it was hard to resist.







Products I Ordered
-flat top powder brush
-daily brush cleaner
-brightening eye shadow quad (brownstone)
-eyeshadow duo (mocha swirl & butterpercan)
-studio complexion perfection
-studio blush and bronzer duo

Flat top brush is by far my favorite powder brush ever! The bristles are very soft, which is ideal for setting powder. This brush reminds me of Sonia Kashuk's flat top brush, but this one has a bigger head.






The daily brush cleaner is very good for spot cleaning. Which i like because I'm lazy when it comes to wash my eye brushes between colors. It dries inmediately.





Brightening eyeshadow quad in brownstone is one of the most perfect combination of browns i've seen, they are all matte. Very pigmented, and last a long time when using a primer. My only complain the the pan size, it barely fits my eyeshadow brushes, also the amount of product is very little. But that's what you get for a dollar.





The eyeshadow duos were my biggest dissapoinment. First the swatches on the website are way off. Mocha Swirl looks like it has a pink side, but IRL its purple. They are very powdery and chalky, and they smell serious. Their scent reminds me a lot of the wood section of the Home Depot. Pigmentation and staying power is alright.



L to R: Butter Pecan, Mocha Swirld



To be honest, I don't know about the complexion perfection powder. I have not used it, only did a test once and it was about 11 pm. I do feel that i made me look paler since all of the colors just come off as white when swatched.
L to R: Yellow, Blue, Green, Pink.



Love the Bronzer & Blush duo, close dupe to Nars laguna and orgasm. Love the colors, the pigmantation and the staying power! Only complain is that the compact gets a little messy since both of the products are very powdery. I has a huge mirror.. Will repurchase again!Add ImageL to R: Blush, Bronzer, random eyeshadow

So that was it.
Hope you guys enjoyed

XO
Monica










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