Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette

My article: http://theteentrends.com/urban-decay-build-palette/

A fan favorite gets new life. Urban Decay recently released its very first customizable eye shadow palette this spring.

Details: A completely customizable eyeshadow palette that will fit 6 of your favorite Urban Decay eyeshadows. Each palette comes fully equipped with a built-in mirror, ‘Walk of Shame’ eye shadow and travel size ‘Good Karma’ shadow brush. With 5 additional spaces for shadows and over 60 shades to choose from, the Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette is a great buy. Its sleek design makes it great for travel, as well as every day use. The redesign of Urban Decay’s eyeshadow compacts allows them for the first time ever to be completely removable, making the palette 100% interchangeable.

Price: Palette only, $18. Each additional shadow, $18.

Where can I buy this: It is available from retailers such as Urbandecay.com, Sephora and Sephora.com

A word to the wise: If you find a color you love, get it while you can- because as is the case with most beloved colors, they sell out FAST! And with shade names like ‘Maui Wowie’, ‘Psychedelic Sister’ and ‘Oil Slick” it’s not hard to see why.

August Favorites

If there's anyone that knows me, they know that Sephora is my one stop shop for all things beauty. I've tried other retailers here and there, and none of them compare to Sephora. I love the quality and variety of the products Sephora carries- but most of all, I love the perks that come with being a frequent shopper :) With that said, I recently purchased a few items that I absolutely love and need to rave about!!! I've only been using these products for about a week, but I am so pleased with the results! So without further adieu...

Goodbye Cellulite and Stretch Marks!!!

The fat girl slimulator by Bliss, is an amazing product. It is an in-shower stimulating tool that promotes circulation and helps eliminate cellulite, and in my case stretch marks, on the stomach and leg areas. It originally retailed for $22, but I got mine on clearance at the Sephora inside JC Penny for $4.37- which is an amazing savings value of $17. This thing is completely affordable and well worth it! It's made of plastic and rubber and is very easy to use. All you do is wash and rinse the area(s) you wish to use the slimulator on, once you've finished that step- you simply slip the tool over your hand and in a circular motion, sweep the rubber tips all around the troubled area(s). For best results I recommend using the tool daily. I use mine about every 2 days or so, but I still see results after each use. I was skeptical at first, but it really works. I didn't take any before photos, so it'd be pointless to show the results- but trust me, this is the real deal! The only downside to this product is that I believe it has been discontinued since it was put on clearance and I can no longer find it on Sephora.com. If there are any still available at your JC Penny Sephora locations, I recommend you get one, you won't be sorry!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

Earlier I mentioned perks for the frequent Sephora shopper. These perks come through the Beauty Insider Program, which essentially is a points based program. You get points for every dollar amount you spend and after so many points, they are redeemable for different products. Also, if you are a member of the program, every year on your birthday you get a free gift. And since my birthday was this month, I picked up my gift which was Philosophy's Happy Birthday Beautiful! shower gel and bubble bath in Vanilla Birthday Cake. This stuff is so yummy!!!!! The full size  bottle (16 oz.) retails for $16, which I think is pricey for body wash, but mine was free, so I can't complain. It has a really nice formula to it, you need just a pea sized amount to get a good lather and it smells amazing. I love this product because it really moisturizes my skin and leaves it feeling smooth. Happy Birthday to me!!

Mane and Tell

My last blog was about my obsession with hair care. I wish I would have gotten this next product sooner. For the record, I never combed or brushed my hair for the longest time. I would wash my hair, let it air dry and the next morning I'd style it. This brush I recently bought has changed all of this! I now love brushing my hair with the Sculpting Brush by the Sephora Collection. Originally retailing for $20, I found mine in the sale section for $7- and I couldn't be happier. This brush is the be all, end all; better than any brush I've ever used before, I promise! According to Sephora it is the next generation brush. It contains tourmaline, which is a mineral used in lots of hair tools, that helps to fight frizz, adds shine and leaves hair silky smooth and tangle free. I wasn't sure a $7 brush could do all of this, but it does! I also find that my hair dries faster when I brush it through with this and it has reduced the frizz tremendously. My hair is naturally straight, but in order to get it completely flat I use a flat iron/straightener. Now that I have this brush, I no longer have to rely on that! Thank you Lord!!!! Another amazing product that you should get your hands on before it is no longer available, which I'm not sure it still is.

Defining Moments

Anastasia's Brow Powder Duos work wonders! By no means was I blessed with full eyebrows, instead I have the complete opposite. But thanks to products such as these, I now have beautiful brows! 

The brow powders come in 4 shades, I use Brunette/Dark Brown, which is the second to darkest shade. The trick to making your brows look as real as possible is to use a powder that is one shade lighter than your true hair color. 

The good thing about this brow powder is that is has two shades for you to mix in order to get the desired results. It retails for $22. What I love about this product is that you don't have to use a lot to get good coverage. My previous brow routine was penciling them in and darkening with a brown eye-shadow and angled brush, but sometimes I'd have those off days where my brows wouldn't do what I wanted them to do, or they would wear off easily and leave me feeling embarrassed. But what I find with the brow powder is that my brows turn out the same every time and they don't wear off, even when I fall asleep with makeup on. $22 may seem expensive for a tiny compact with little product, but you only need a small amount at a time. I've tried another brow product by Anastasia but I wasn't pleased at all with it. In fact, I ended up returning it. But this one is a keeper. I recommend it to anyone who draws on their eyebrows or just simply fills them in, you won't be disappointed. *Side note: Sephora has one of the best return policies out there. If you don't like it, no matter how old or how used the product is, they will accept it. Having the receipt is always best, but even if you don't, the store will give you some kind of credit. Another reason to love this store!

I'm always pleased when I purchase something from this store, but these last couple of trips have left me feeling so happy with what I bought. It's what keeps me a beauty insider and makes me want to continue shopping there. I haven't redeemed my 500 points yet, but when I do, I'm sure it's something I'm going to love!! Check out a store if you haven't already, and if there isn't a store near you- there is always the store online. So go ahead and get beautiful. Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO

Orange County Goodies

An old friend was recently visiting the LA area- so Joey and I drove up to see her. After our visit, we explored the area a bit and got some good shopping in!!! Here are a few of the items I picked up. *Side note: all items are from South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Ca.

I've had a gift card to Forever 21 that I've been trying to use for a while. Finally!!!! At this particular store, I found the cutest printed baby doll top!!! The price ranged somewhere between $15-$18 (I can't remember off the top of my head). I'm really big on prints, but not so much prints that are hard on the eyes. I.e., obnoxiously multi-colored ones. I like to stick with prints that can be worn for different occasions: a presentation at school, a day in the office, a luncheon, etc. The sizing ran fairly big- normally I would wear a size up at this store, but the smaller size fit pretty well. What I love most about these style of tops is that they are extremely roomy and comfortable- you don't feel restricted in them, which is a huge plus :) 

I also love the pockets on the front of the garment. This feature adds dimension to the top by breaking up the monotony of what could have easily been a solitary piece. It's cute, comfortable and multi-fucntional; such a good deal!

The next item is my new ruby red nail polish by Butter LONDON in the color Chancer. It retails for $14 and I got mine at Nordstrom- another one of my favorite stores. Nail polish is an absolute MUST for me. I think a freshly manicured hand is always in style (the same goes for feet). I've always heard good things about this brand, but this was the first time trying it out- and I must say, I like it a lot!  $14 is pricey- but you get what you pay for. The color goes on nice and dries super quick- which is a good thing for girls on the go. I used 2 coats and set it with a clear top coat. Very very impressed with this one!

Lastly, my new mascara from Smashbox- the Lash DNA in Jet Black. It's said to condition, lengthen, curl and repair former lash damage. I got it from Nordstrom Rack for only $8.97- originally $19 at Sephora and Sephora.com. Now I'm notorious for trying out tons of mascara. I'd say I buy at least 2 different ones every month or so, which is a lot considering one should last about 3 months. By far, my favorite mascara as far as formula and effect, has been Buxom's Buxom Lash ($19). After trying Lash DNA though, this is my new favorite and for only $9, I'm sold! 

There's so much more I would have liked to look at while we were out, but it was so hot that day that it tired me out. For now, I'm happy with the things I was able to pick up- there's always next time. Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO

Summer Favorites

Creature of habit. Do you ever notice how you use certain products during the different seasons? Some might use a specific lip product during the winter to prevent dry, cracked lips. Others paint their nails with the cutest pastel shades during the spring. And some might lather on yummy pumpkin or cranberry lotions during the fall. I think we all do it. At least, I know I do. Which brings me to the point of today's blog: 2 of my favorite/most frequently used makeup products of the summer. Both of which are face products, time savers, and completely interchangeable. "What is she talking about", you might be asking yourself. Well, let me explain...

The first product is Sephora's Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 and Vitamin E, in the shade Bronze. *Disclaimer: this item was discontinued sometime last year. I actually got it in the clearance section, for I believe $8- originally $16. Sephora has since released another tinted moisturizer- Perfectly Tinted Mositurizer with SPF 20 ($21). Both moisturizers are also oil free. 

Why I lovvveee this product for the summer is because not only is it a moisturizer with built in SPF, but it's also tinted so I use it in place of my liquid foundation. It's lightweight, so it doesn't feel cakey or heavy like a foundation could, especially during the summer months when you might sweat more easily and have to re-apply. It protects you from the sun's rays and saves time during your daily routine of getting ready. Or as I like to call it, "hair and makeup" ;)  Because it's a moisturizer and not a foundation, it soaks into your skin, so I find that I don't even have to use a loose powder to set it. I'm sure the new product Sephora has is very similar to this one, so I suggest picking one up- I think you'll love it just as much as I do. 

The second product is the Beauty Blender sponge available only at Sephora.com ($19 each, or 2 for $25). I had heard lots of things about this technique of using the beauty blender to apply foundation, and I wanted to try it myself. I love this little sponge. It does wonders and makes your foundation, or tinted moisturizer :) look flawless. I got the 2 blender deal, and it came with a sample cleanser for the sponges. Obviously you can see that the sponge is quite compressed when dry but expands when wet- as is the way you use it to apply your face makeup. The rounded end is intended for coverage of larger areas of the face; cheeks and jaw bone. The pointed end is for coverage of the smaller areas of your face that require more precision; inner corners of the eyes and in between the eyebrows. Simply dab foundation all over your face, dampen the sponge, squeeze out the excess water and dab on top of the foundation for even coverage. Previously I used a pointed kabuki brush to apply foundation, but after using the beauty blender, there is no going back. The beauty blenders are easy to work with, are time savers and I also think they're better to use on your face because they're much softer than brushes. Just be sure to wash your beauty blender every 3-4 uses. Aside from the cleanser that comes with the sponges, you can also use a mild anti-bacterial soap and water to clean.

The third product is HOT MAMA! by the Balm ($19) also from Sephora. It's an eye shadow and blush all in one-hence the interchangeable part. I use it strictly as a blush. I got this product last summer because I saw it on one of their displays and the color was just gorgeous to me. 

It's described as a peachy pink shimmer, but don't let the shimmer part scare you! I don't see it as being an overbearing shade at all. In fact, when applied it gives your cheeks a healthy sun-kissed glow. Just be careful not to build the color up too much, you don't want your sun-kissed glow to look completely fake, especially in the summer ;) To prevent from cake-i-ness or build up try applying the color with a stippling brush; it will give the product a more air brushed, flawless finish. 

So there you go my little sun bunnies- just a few of my favorite summertime products. I hope some of these tips were helpful and I hope you bust out some of your favorites and get glammed up too. Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO

NAKED.

My recent makeup obsession: Urban Decay's Naked palette. In my opinion this is the holy grail of all neutral palettes! It's $48 and available from retailers such as Urban Decay.com, Sephora/Sephora.com as well Amazon.com. Let me preface this by saying the Naked palette is extremely hard to come by, some retailers even limit the amount you can purchase at a time. It is one of Urban Decay's more popular products, and although the price may seem steep for eye shadow, let me assure you that it's well worth it! With its original release, the palette came with a mini sized Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) in Original and a dual sided 24 7 eye pencil in Whiskey (brown) and Zero (black). Since the palette's return this spring it too, comes with a mini sized UDPP in Original but instead of the eye pencil, it comes with a flat shadow brush. I know the 24 7 eye pencils are sold separately and I'm almost positive the brush is too. I believe I heard somewhere that the brush itself is in the neighborhood of $26, so getting it in the palette that comes with 12 different shades for $48 is such a bargain! 

The shades are extremely pigmented- so a little goes a long way. I've had this palette for a couple of months, I use it just about every day, and it still looks like I've barely touched it. I love that! The shades from left to right are: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal. 

My favorite shade: Buck, because it matches my skin tone perfectly and makes for a very beautiful blending color. 

My least favorite shade: Sidecar, for the simple fact that it has too much glittery fall out. None the less, it is a pretty color. 

What I love most about this palette is its size. It is perfect for travel because you can fit it almost anywhere and all of the colors you would need for any occasion are in one place. No more searching at the bottom of your makeup bag! 

Whether you're headed out to work or on that first date, I suggest playing around with these colors, because there are SOOO many looks you can achieve!! So whaddaya waiting for??? Go for it hunnay! Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO