Top Ten Beauty Favs

1. Monoi Repairing Hair Mask from Carol's Daughter--Very hydrating for your hair. If you have dry, damaged hair then this stuff is for you!

2. MAC Fluid Line gel liner--I don't like wearing pencil liner after using this stuff. Once you put it on, it doesn't budge and your eyeliner doesn't smear off during the day causing you to look like a raccoon.

3. Makeup Forever HD Foundation--My holy grail foundation. Totally in love with this stuff, not interested in using anything else.

4. LORAC Baked Matte Satin Blush in Velvet Rope--My go to blush. It's like a Mauvey-Pink color. To Die For!

5. Carol's Daughter Ecstasy Skin Souffle--Creamy body cream that smells delish!

6. Bare Escentuals Skin Care---These products have totally transformed my super oily skin to combination skin. My holy grail skin care system. I use this day and night

7. Naked Palette by Urban Decay--If you could only have one eye shadow palette in your collection, this is all you would need.

8. Sigma F84 Foundation Brush--I have 2 of these so that when I wash one, I still have another to use. I haven't picked up another foundation brush since using this one. Can be used for mineral or liquid makeup. Flawless coverage

9. Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Mascara--Gives my lashes volume yet doesn't clump and comes off easily with eye makeup remover

10. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait--Great natural color that is a great go to lipstick. I have one in my makeup collection & another in my purse for reapplying during the day.

Get 10% off your order from Sigma Makeup Brushes this month using the code MARCH2012.

Carol's Daughter

The older I get, the more I want to take good care of my hair & skin. I love body products just as much as I love makeup so I wanted to share with you my favorite place to shop for hair & body products.

Carol's Daughter is a line of organic beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and body, as well as fragrances. It was founded by a woman 18 years ago who started making her products out of her kitchen. It's grown into a successful company with numerous celebrity clients. You can find her products online as well as Sephora.

The first product that I purchased from Carol's Daughter was the Black Vanilla Moisturizing Hair Smoothie. This conditioner totally changed the texture of my hair. I still use it today. I also use the Monoi Repairing Hair Mask
but can only use it about once a month because it is so moisturizing that it makes my hair slightly oily. I wash my hair as soon as I get in the shower, then I use either of the above moisturizers and leave it on until I'm done showering then rinse it out. It leaves my hair amazingly soft.

My most recent purchase is a new product called the Ecstasy Shea Souffle for dry to extra dry skin. It smells DREAMY! Actually I went to the site looking to see if they have a fragrance in this scent & am excited to find they do so I'm ordering it as soon as I finish this post :) I have never purchased anything from them that I didn't like. Let me know if you use anything from there or if you decide to give them a try. I promise you won't be disappointed if you do!

Review: Philosophy Miracle Worker Dark Spot Correcting System

This is what Sephora says about this product:

What it is:
An antiaging skincare kit to address dark spots, overall brightening, and wrinkles.

What it is formulated to do:
Two of Philosophy's Miracle Worker products come together in this set. The Miracle Worker Dark Spot Corrector visibly improves the appearance of skin discoloration associated with age spots, acne scarring, and sun damage. The Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Solution pours over the Antiaging Retinoid Pads before the first use, creating a fresh-pour elixir. Formulated with HPR next-generation retinoid technology, this advanced treatment helps to diminish the look of wrinkles and skin discoloration while minimizing the risk of irritation commonly associated with traditional retinols.

This set contains:
- 0.5 oz Miracle Worker Dark Spot Corrector
- 1 oz Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Solution and 30 Pads Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Treatment

What else you need to know:
This system mirrors the number one professional protocol for addressing dark spots: skin brightener plus a retinoid treatment equals amplified results in just 2 weeks.

Research results:
According to Philosophy, after 4 weeks of use, 77% of women reported improved skin evenness and brightness
- 2 weeks of use showed visible improvement in skin radiance
- 8 weeks of use showed improved appearance of skin discoloration and fine lines

What I say:

This stuff is the BOMB-DIGGITY!!! lol I have sun spots from tanning, hyperpigmentation & alot of redness that was getting hard to cover with makeup so when I seen this at Sephora I decided to give it a try & am soooo glad that I did. The box contains 30 Retinol pads for one month of use and the dark spot corrector lasts closer to 2 months. I am currently on my second set of this & I would say that my discolorations have diminished by AT LEAST 50%. I have some that are almost gone and usually only one spot is visible with makeup now. I feel that one pesky spot should be gone with one more month of use. I really wish I would've taken before/after pics but I started the treatment before I started this blog. The set has a price tag of $80 but it is worth every penny, in my opinion,and is definitely cheaper than laser treatments with a dermatologist. This product can be a little drying to the skin so I've been applying the Philosophy Hope in a Jar after the treatment. It's a very hydrating moisturizer so if you are prone to oily skin then I would make sure to get the oil free. Hope this info is helpful to you ladies!

February Birchbox vs My Glam Bag

I shared with all of you what each of these services is about & showed you what I received from them last month. If you didn't read the post & want more info on them feel free to check out my older posts. I believe both subscriptions are still sold out & still taking sign ups on a waiting list.

Birchbox

Colorescience Pro Glow & Go Travel Puff
Use these handy, powder filled puffs to keep your skin shine-free and luminous while you're out on the town. Full-size compact $50

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant
Skincare insiders swear by this genius exfoliating powder. Just add water to creat a rich paste that will buff dead cells away. Full-size $50

Eye Rock Designer Liner
Stop wrestling with the liquid liner and achieve a perfect cat eye with these single use stick-on liner strips. 2 packs of 4, $13

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint
The votes are in, and this award-winning tinted moisturizer tops the list. It's out daily shortcut to dewy, glowing skin. Full-size $38

Heart Shaped Nail File
There's no shame in filing your nails in public with this heart-shaped, neon looker.

Birchbox Digital Download
Six free tunes from Green River Ordinance, an indie rock band poised to hit the spotlight.


My Glam Bag

X Out Shine Control
Stay flawless and shine free with this oil-free moisturizer with a mattifying complex

NYX Roll On Shimmer
NYX's brand new, intensely rich, shimmering powder that can be applied to the eyes, face and body

Premier Dead Sea Cinderella Mask
Luxury skincare rich in life-enhancing minerals from the Dead Sea waters.

NuMe Professional Styling Tools and Hair Extensions $100 Gift Card
Enjoy $100 towards NuMe products. Hair tools that will revolutionize your everyday look.

Freeman Facial Mask Sachets Pineapple or Goji Berry
Turn your date night prep time into a soothing spa experience with easy-to-use skin perfecting masks.

In my opinion, My Glam wins again this month. The samples that are given are larger than those with Birchbox & the $100 gift card, when this service costs me $10 is awesome by itself. I do like both services. As a beauty product lover, I love being introduced to tons of new products that I wouldn't know about regardless. Who doesn't love getting packages every month & being excited to find out what's inside?!?!

DIY Makeup Brush Holder

This is a super cute-super easy idea to add some cuteness to your bathroom, bedroom, any place you store your makeup brushes. You need

1. Glass jar of your size/shape
2. Colorfill (found at Michael's)
3. Ribbon
4. Any sort of decoration you'd like to add to it.
5. Scissors & a hot glue gun. Have fun!

My favorite colors are pink & black so I decided to use pink ribbon & a black flower clip. The possibilities are endless. You can use anything you want to use. Let your creativity flow. I personally feel like I need to upgrade to a bigger container & add another bag of colorfill to mine, but you get the idea. I'd love to see photos of your creations if you give this a try! :) BTW, all of the brushes pictured are from Sigma!

Makeup Forever HD vs Mat Velvet + Foundation

I have used the Mat Velvet + all week now so I thought I would tell you my thoughts on it compared to the MUFE HD, which we all know I love.

The HD foundation is said to be a medium to full coverage foundation. I would call it more full coverage. It's supposed to leave a flawless finish for a more "soft focus" affect. It does not contain any SPF at all so you won't get that whitish coloring in photos that you normally do with almost all foundations where your face appears so much lighter than the rest of your body. I feel like it has more of a dewy finish to it to leave you with soft glowy skin. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOUNDATION IF YOU HAVE OILY SKIN. That is the only negative I have found to this foundation. My skin is naturally very oily but I've been able to control that with good skincare products. I've recently had a problem with my skin being a little on the dry side so I started using the Philosophy Hope in a Jar for moisturizer & let me tell you, if you have dry skin then you need to use this stuff. After 2 weeks of using that moisturizer, I've had to buy the Oil-Free Hope in a Jar because my face was back to being too oily. That's another blog post though...lol What I'm getting at is that my face has been too oily to use the HD foundation in the last week or so. No one wants to be super shiny & have their makeup melt off half way through the day. If oily skin is not an issue for you then I would definitely recommend this foundation. I love it and will continue to use it! I do think you should set this foundation with a powder. It does have a hefty pricetag at $40 a bottle. It comes is 25 different shades to easily match anyone's skin tone. It has a nice pump on the bottle & I would say to expect this bottle to last you 4-6 months. You really only need 2 pumps for each makeup application.

The mat velvet plus is a shine controlling, oil-free, water-resistant, complete coverage liquid foundation. It hides imperfections, evens out skin tone, and mattifies with a non-oily, perfectly powdered finish. It is definitely very matte. I wouldn't recommend this foundation if you have dry skin. It has been great for me this week while I try to tame the oil in my face. I do not like it near as much as I like the HD, and I actually almost returned it but ended up keeping it to use on occasion when my face is a bit on the oily side. I find it much harder to blend than the HD. I'm guessing that's because it is oil free, and if you are using this foundation because your skin is oily then I guess this is a good thing. Because it dries to a powdery finish, you won't need to set this foundation with a powder. It is too matte for my preference, I like a more dewy finish. Another negative is that the shade of the foundation isn't listed on the bottle anywhere. I had to pull up my Sephora account to see what color foundation I ordered. I do like the coverage it applied. It comes in a plastic squeeze bottle with 16 different shades to choose from. The price is $34.

I hope this helps some of you. I also want to share with you a discount code for Sigma for the month of February. Use LOVE2012 for 10% off your order until Feb 29. Click the banner to the right of the page to check them out. These are by far my fav makeup brushes. The quality is up there with MAC brushes without the price of MAC.

Sephora Haul

These are the new products that I bought from Sephora this past week. I know, I have a bad makeup addiction! lol

1. Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + Foundation shade 20

2. Sephora Eye Trio in Starwalker No 1

3. LORAC Baked Matte Satin Blush in Exposed (Peachy Pink)

4. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer with real cocoa (smells like chocolate)

5. Sephora Glitter Eyeliner in Opal

6. LORAC Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette

7. Philosophy Microdelivery Brightening Peel (sample)

I bought the Sephora Eye Trio & Glitter Eye Liner for my daughter to wear for her first Sweetheart Dance. Will try to post pics on here of her makeup. I've used the LORAC blush already, and have it in another color. I LOVE this blush. I haven't used the bronzer or the eye shadow palette yet but I can't wait to use them. I love the colors in the palette. As always, please subscribe if you like my blog & feel free to comment if there is anything that you would like to see a specific post on. I'm hoping to start doing these in video soon :)

My First Lush Purchase

We went shopping today to get my daughter a dress for her first Sweetheart Dance & I was so excited to see Lush products in Macy's. I've heard so much about them on YouTube. I didn't get much & haven't tried any of them yet because I just got home a little over an hour ago but I wanted to share what I purchased and will update you once I've used the products to let you know what I think.

Here's what the Lush website says about them.
We believe in making effective products from fresh, organic* fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics.

We invent our own products and fragrances. We make them fresh by hand using little or no preservative or packaging, using only vegetarian ingredients, and tell you when they were made.

We believe in buying ingredients only from companies that do not commission tests on animals and in testing our products on humans.

We believe in happy people making happy soap, putting our faces on our products and making our mums proud.

We believe in long candlelit baths, sharing showers, massage, filling the world with perfume and in the right to make mistakes, lose everything and start again.

We believe our products are good value, that we should make a profit and that the customer is always right.

The items pictured Left to Right are Summer Pudding soap, Dream Cream Body Lotion & Blackcurrant Bubbles Bubble Bar. The Summer Pudding soap smells soooo yummy.
"Ground Almonds

Mixing ground almonds into Summer Pudding gives a unique texture and exfoliates the skin when you wash your hands or body.

Glace Cherries

The cherry tree is known for its fragrant, white blossoms, which are followed by bright red fruits, sour cherries. We use cherries in Summer Pudding to create the visual effect of a real dessert."

The Dream Cream doesn't have much of a scent as far as what I can smell (which isn't much). The sales girl said it is their best seller by far. She said it is great for problem skin or just winter dry skin.

"Calming and dreamy.

Incredibly soothing body lotion for troubled skin. Dream Cream is LUSH's best-selling product because it makes sore skin feel good again. Chamomile and lavender calm irritations, reduce redness and banish blotches. Mark considers it his favourite product because it makes so many people so happy.
Mark's favourite.

We also use oat milk, too, which has traditionally been used on troubled skin for centuries. It contains everything nature makes for soothing your skin.
Rose and lavender

Rose and lavender essential oils are calming for irritated, suffering skin."

Finally the Blackcurrant Bubbles Bubble Bar is what my 9 yr old daughter picked out for herself. She loved the smell & chose it out of all that they had there.

"This fruity bubble bar gives the feeling of being hugged by a jolly blackcurrant. When life is getting you down, crumble The Comforter under hot, running water for purple water and creamy bubbles. It was created to bring a real sense of comfort to people, just like a real comforter (or scarf) would."

I have no doubt that I will love these products. They are a bit on the pricey side but are made to last a long time. The sales girl said the dream cream should last 4-5 months and the bar of soap will last longer than a typical bar of soap. The bubble bar is good for about 3 bubble baths! For you local ladies, West County Mall & the Galleria are the only places in St. Louis that you can purchase Lush products.

A few Drug Store Favs

I don't have a ton of different drug store products but I do have a few that I like. Most of the drug store products that I do have are lipsticks. I have very few high end lipsticks & really do prefer to purchase my lipstick from WalMart or Walgreens.

The two products on the top row are the L'Oreal HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Brown & NYX Blush in Mocha. I LOVE the L'Oreal cream eyeliner. It glides on & lasts all day without smudging. In fact, if I do make a minor mistake while applying, I have a really hard time cleaning it up without eye makeup remover. Once it is on, it doesn't budge. I do like the blushes by NYX as well. This color is very pretty.

The middle product is a heavy duty concealer by Hard Candy & can be purchased at Walmart. A little goes a long way and it provides full coverage. The product on the far right is also a concealer by Maybelline. It's the Age Rewind concealer and is highly recommended by alot of YouTube makeup guru's.

Bottom row left is the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation. It's a nice full coverage foundation and it is what I buy for my daughter & she loves it.

The lipsticks on the bottom are the Revlon Lip Butters & Maybelline 14 hr lipstick. I have multiple shades in each of these but the Maybelline is my favorite. They smell fruity & are creamy and last a long time. The Lip butters are more sheer & very moisturizing and are now available at WalMart.

I have purchased quite a few items from Sephora that I should have a blog post on by Monday evening or Tuesday! Thanks for reading & don't forget to subscribe! :)

Winners

I've been really sick for the last week so I apologize for my lack of posts. I haven't been online or even out of my house since last Thursday! lol

I had 3 of you who subscribed & commented on my blog to enter the giveaway so all 3 of you are winners!

cbrixey- WINNER of the My Glam Bag

sherrie- WINNER of the Facial Peel Off Mask & travel size bar of Pomegranate soap

watson gang- WINNER of Shady Lady Eye Shadow & stila eye liner in brown

Thanks for entering!

My Glam Bag

I got my "My Glam" bag in the mail today. It's my first one and I'm so excited. It shipped in a cute pink bubble envelope, which I thought was adorable. The theme this month was all about organic so it came in a cute little zipper pouch. Here is the info on the contents of the bag.

Sheer Cover Duo Concealer Retail Price $29
A unique pigment and mineral complex that provides full coverage with a sheer flawless finish.

Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner Retail Price $36
A single step hair cleansing conditioner made with natural ingredients. It won't strip hair and scalp of natural oils and leaves hair thick and hydrated.

Free Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Masque & Sachets Retails Price $8
Nourish, hydrate and replenish with these peel-off masks that leave skin with a gorgeous glow

theBalm Cosmetics Shady Lady Retail Price $16
Shady lady can be used as a shadow or a liner to illuminate your eyes with color

Now, I am giving away one of these for my subscribers. Subscribe if you haven't already and leave me a comment telling me your favorite beauty product OR a suggestion on what you would like to see a blog post about. Only one comment/entry per person please. Winner will be chosen by random.org Friday the 20th after 8pm.

January Birchbox

What is Birchbox?

"Birchbox delivers the best products and the best insider secrets, without any fuss. Every month Birchbox members will receive a curated box of 4-5 luxe beauty samples. Each box will span beauty categories and deliver exciting products that fit into both your day-to-day routine, and into those days when you want to turn up the drama a notch. You'll receive anything from skincare to makeup to cult beauty tools, from well-known brands as well as emerging gems."

Now, before you get all excited I went to their website and they are currently sold out of subscriptions but do have a waiting list so you can sign up to be first in line when more become available. I belong to another beauty subscription service as well as this one called MyGlam . They are sold out too and I should receive my first My Glam bag any day now and I'm thinking that I may cancel my Birchbox subscription. Everyone seems to like My Glam so much better and from the videos I have seen of My Glam, they seem to have more products that I would be interested in. This month is the first Birchbox I've gotten that there is more than one sample that I really like and will use. Each service is $10/month. I will post pics from My Glam Bag as well as soon as I receive it.

This months Birchbox contained:

Archipelago Pomegranate Body Soap
Laced with good for you pomegranate extracts, this triple-milled soap smells divine and leaves skin feeling clean, not stripped. Full size retails for $12.50

Juicy Couture Fragrance Sample
Juicy's signature fragrance is a blend of sweet floral notes. Sophisticated and feminine, it's perfect for day or night. Full size $69-$89

Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
What if your skin has dry patches and oily spots? Alleviate both concerns with this multi-tasking cleanser. Full size $19.50

stila Smudge stick Waterproof Eye Liner
It's time to put down the black liner. This colorful pigment makes eyes stand out and stays put for hours. Full size $20

Larabar Mini Bar (extra)
You won't find any artificial fillers in these natural bars; just dried fruits, nuts and other wholesome ingredients. They're as tasty as they are healthy.

Every month's box has a theme and comes packaged very cute. Also has a card inside which explains each product, which is what I just typed above. I just got this today and haven't tried any of it yet except the mini bar. My husband & I didn't like it at all. lol My daughter says the Pomegranate soap smells delish but I can't smell so I'll just take her word for it. I do like the eye liner, it's like a bronze brown color. It is exciting to get it in the mail every month and fun to open it and see what's inside. I'll keep you updated on whether I cancel my subscription or not. It's really not a bad deal considering your $10 covers the samples AND shipping!

Please comment or facebook me & let me know if there anything in particular that you would like to see a blog post about. I do plan on blogging about my favorite drug store makeup this week for those who like good makeup but at a more affordable price. I'd appreciate any feedback from you.

Don't forget to subscribe and/or click the Sigma link to the right of this post to try my fav makeup brushes.

Makeup Organization

Some of you have seen this on my Facebook page, but I wanted to share how I organize my makeup. I've been wanting The Clear Cube for a long time. I seen it used by The Kardashian's on their reality show, but with a price tag of $300 I knew I needed to keep looking for find a more affordable way to organize. I decided to search The Container Store and found exactly what I was looking for. I purchased the Clear Shirt & Accessory Drawer. I actually bought 2 of them and they stack perfectly on top of one another and hold everything that I need them too. I also purchased the dividers for the drawers. Now I'm sure the quality isn't the same as the Clear Cube. Mine is plastic where the Clear Cube is acrylic (I think) but it serves it's purpose without me feeling guilty over the hefty price tag. It also keeps my hubby off of my back about my makeup taking over the bathroom! lol What do y'all use to store your makeup?

Please Please don't forget to subscribe! Hope y'all are enjoying my blog.

Friday Favs & Flops

I have a couple of products that I purchased in the last couple of weeks. Some of them are favs & some of them well....they FLOPPED!

My first fav is my new MUFE 5 Camouflage Cream Palette - No. 1. It has 5 different shades of concealer. It's versatile and can cover multiple issues with the use of the one palette. There's a green color to even out redness; a peachy color for dark circles because it cancels out the blueness. That still leaves 3 other colors to work with. The concealers are cream based and are very pigmented so very little goes a long way. It has a price tag of $36 which sounds like a lot, but when you consider that you are getting 5 different concealers for this price then it isn't so bad. You're paying about $7 each which is better than Walmart prices!

Sigma Brush Cup Holder. It snaps together to take your brushes on the go without damaging or smashing the brushes. When you aren't using it for travel, it separates into 2 brush cups.

Coastal Scents Beijing Go Palette. The perfect shades of peach & purples that really make my blue eyes pop.

Now for my FLOP! I wanted to try out the Loreal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Redness Primer. It is green and you put it on before your foundation and I just did not like it. The consistency was really runny and I could not tell a difference in coverage. I bought it before getting my MUFE concealer palette and plan on returning it to Walmart.

Makeup Forever HD vs Bare Minerals Foundation

I've been getting questions about the comparison between MUFE HD foundation & Bare Minerals. Remember, these are just MY personal experiences with these products. I can't speak for what will work best for you & your skin type.

I'll start by saying that I used Bare Minerals religiously from 2005 to Nov 2011. I began using it after asking my daughter's Kindergarten teacher what foundation she used because I really liked the look of hers. I tried it and really liked it. I need a full coverage foundation to cover my skin discoloration and Bare Minerals provided that for me. I still feel it is a great product. There were times when my foundation would feel heavy or I would notice in certain light, my face would tend to look almost grayish or not normal and I just didn't like the way it looked. It also made my pores look alot larger. My youngest pointed this out to me frequently.

After getting into watching the beauty YouTube videos and talking to the sales girl at Sephora I decided to give the MUFE HD foundation a try and had them match a shade for me. I purchased the shade 120. It is a medium to full coverage liquid foundation. It glides on super easy. I can cover my entire face with 2 squirts (for lack of a better word lol) from the pump. I do spot treat a couple of areas where I need extra coverage with a 2nd layer of foundation but I dab it on with the extra left on my brush. It provides a silky smooth finish. It feels so light & weightless on the skin and photographs amazingly well. The company states "An oil-free medium-to-full-coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life.
What it does:
This long-wearing foundation creates a soft-focus effect, which is designed to meet the coverage concerns of those in the spotlight. It leaves your complexion with such a flawless finish, it can withstand bright or harsh lighting."

Since it is a liquid foundation you will need to set it with a powder. I have used the bare minerals as my setting powder and liked the extra coverage it provided. All it takes is a light dusting of the powder. Don't get carried away and apply too much. Now that I have purchased the HD complexion starter kit that comes with the Microfinish Powder & the Microperfecting Primer, I will continue to purchase it. It leaves my face so soft and smooth.

As far as price of each foundation, the MUFE is definately more expensive. It's $40 for 1.1oz of product. Since I've only been using it a month, I had to research online to find out about how long one would last and from what I read, I would guess around 4-5 months. The Bare Minerals is .28 oz and cost is $26 and lasts around 3-4 months. It really comes down to what you are comfortable spending on your foundation and how happy you are with each one. I am so in love with the way MUFE HD feels on my skin and looks that I do not mind paying the extra $14.

As far as brushes for each foundation, I always used Bare Minerals brushes until I was introduced to Sigma brushes. I bought the F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush. I've used this brush with both brands of foundation & it works great with both of them. It's just an all around awesome brush that I feel will work great with any foundation. The Bare Minerals Full Flawless Face Brush retails for $28. The F84 by Sigma retails for $16.

I hope that this post helps & that I've answered some of your questions. PLEASE subscribe to my blog for updates on new posts. As always, if interested in trying out my favorite brushes, just click the Sigma banner on the right side of this post! Tune in tomorrow for my Friday Favs & Flops to find out my favorite and not so favorite products for the week.

Makeup Before/After

My 9 year old has begged me not to post the before picture saying "um, Mommy you DO NOT need to post that picture". I asked "why not?". She says "you just shouldn't". lol So I had to explain that showing my face before makeup was one of the points of posting it. She said that makeup is definitely my friend.

I wanted to post pics of before & after makeup so that you could all see the coverage that I get from my Makeup Forever HD foundation. It works wonders I'd say :)
The quality of the pics aren't the greatest because they're taken with my Iphone 4s but you can still see some of the spots & discoloration in the before pic. My worst area as far as needing coverage is my cheeks. I have alot of redness on my cheeks for some reason. I did try a new product today for that issue but I will save my opinions for my Friday Favs & Flops. I need to get a better pic with my camera and when I do I will post it so you can see alot better what I'm talking about. I don't think this picture really shows the bad discoloration issues with my skin.

My Fav Beauty Bloggers

I have learned so much about beauty products by watching videos & tutorials on YouTube lately so I wanted to share with you my top 10 beauty gurus. I'd love to start doing YouTube beauty videos too but I'm still undecided on that one. I doubt anyone would want to watch to hear anything I have to say anyway! lol

1. TiffanyD Blog-- http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByTiffanyD

Tiffany has been around YouTube for awhile. My very fav & she has over 450,000 subscribers

2. Samantha Blog-- http://samanthaschuerman.blogspot.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/samanthaschuerman

Sam uploads lots of videos. She has a very quirky personality and I really like her.

3. Lindsey YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/BeautyRosesGuru
Linds is new to YouTube but I love her & could listen to her southern twang all day long! I've enjoyed her so far.

4. Alli Blog-- http://www.makeupbyalli.blogspot.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeupByAlli

Very pretty girl, love her hair tutorials as well

5. Allison Blog-- http://www.amarixe.com
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/amarixe

6. Michele Blog-- http://www.micheleMACPink.blogspot.com
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/michele1218

7. Sonia Blog-- http://sccastaneda.blogspot.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/sccastaneda

8. Dulce Blog-- http://www.dulcecandy.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/DulceCandy87

9. Elle YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/AllThatGlitters21

10. Jen Blog-- http://www.frmheadtotoe.com/
YouTube-- http://www.youtube.com/user/frmheadtotoe

Enjoy!

Sigma Beauty

I am now a Sigma Beauty Affiliate. I'm so excited because I absolutely LOVE these brushes. Above is a pic of my personal collection. They're good quality brushes at an affordable price. All of the makeup gurus that I watch on YouTube use Sigma brushes. My favorite brush is the F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush. It is the best foundation brush I have ever used. It applies liquid or mineral foundation very easy & evenly and the angle makes it easier to reach the harder to reach areas like around the nose, in the corners of your eye area etc.

Another recent purchase of mine from Sigma is the Dry & Shape System for cleaning your brushes. I use my MAC blush cleaning solution then I place my brushes into the tight slots of the Dry & Shape. The brushes are completely dry in about 4 hrs and fluff right back into the original shape of the brush. They're like new. The loops that hold your brushes are tight to help squeeze out the access moisture from washing. I absolutely LOVE it! Makes cleaning your brushes super easy!

Attached is my affiliate link to purchase your brushes if you would like to give them a try. I promise you won't be disappointed if you do.
http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=134438

Use code 0112XJML for 10% off of your purchase in January. Spend at least $30 and get a free makeup brush (I have 6 travel size blending brushes which is the E25 brush so I'm sure that's still the free gift)

Sephora Haul

These are the products I purchased at my most recent trip to Sephora and my thoughts on each one.

Makeup Forever HD Complexion Starter Kit
- 0.17 oz HD Microfinish Powder
- HD Kabuki Brush
- 0.5 oz HD Microperfecting Primer
- 1.01 oz HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 118

I LOVE this stuff. I've used the foundation for about a month now. It's full coverage, easy to apply and is my new holy grail foundation. The primer and microfinish powder are just an added bonus that I will purchase full sizes of when the trial sizes are out.

Philosophy's Miracle Worker Dark Spot Correcting System
- 0.5 oz Miracle Worker Dark Spot Corrector
- 1 oz Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Solution and 30 Pads Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Treatment

Love this stuff also. I have several bad spots from sun damage and this stuff has helped diminish them tremendously. This is my 2nd purchase of this kit.

Philosophy's Hope In a Jar Moisturizer
Philosophy Hope in a Jar is a 99.9% oil-free, deeply hydrating, lightweight wonder designed to smooth the complexion while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration. Originally created for the medical market, this expert essential delivers soft, healthy, glowing results.

I like this too. Hydrating without leaving my face oily like alot of other moisturizers.

Benefit Bronzer in Hoola
This is just ok in my book. I've seen so many rave reviews on it but I still find myself using my NARS Bronzer in Laguna instead.

Red Carpet Reveal Eye & Cheek Palette by LORAC
- Debut Eyeshadow (shimmering cream with gold pearl)
- Pose Eyeshadow (shimmering taupe)
- Interview Eyeshadow (shimmering dark brown)
- Main Attraction Blush (shimmering rose)

I've used this palette everyday this week. Love the browns in it and the debut eyeshadow is perfect as a brow & inner eye highlight. I've even used the blush as an eye color. It's like a brownish rosey color!

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these products. I'd love to help!