How I Clean My Makeup and Brushes.

Hey guys! Sorry its been so long, I just started college, and a new job. Needless to say, I'm very busy. ha! So today I wanted to show you how I sanitize things in my makeup room, and how I clean my brushes!

Here are the things you will need;

From the left; clorox wipes, these are the Kroger brand I think, anything that kills germs and is a wipe. Alcohol, I've done a bit of research and I still haven't found what the difference in percentage means, some people say it doesnt kill germs if its under 70% and some say all alcohol kills germs, use whatever you think will work. All the way to the right I have my makeup brush shampoo, I bought this on clearance at walmart, it works fine, I've used Dawn dish washing liquid, and Johnson&Johnson's baby shampoo, neither seem to do any better than the next, this is just what I had on hand.

These are optional, if you have filthy makeup brushes like I do ;)

Baby oil, again, the walmart brand. Can you tell I don't care about name brands? haha. Cottonballs and some paper towels. Other things I use are wash cloths, a big towel and a bowl.

This is pre-wash, ew, dirty brushes. So before I do anything I rinse them all, get them all wet(make sure not to get water in the ferrel(the silver/metal part) I've had brushes fall apart, and ya know, why waste your money?) then I take my bowl, put some baby oil in it(just enough to cover the bottom) and start swirling, just dampen them with the oil, then brush the excess out and lay them on your big towel. The baby oil will break up the makeup stuck in the hair, and help the cleaning process go more smoothly and quickly ;)

Once they've all been baby oiled empty your bowl and put about a quarter sized amount of shampoo in the bottom, run some warm water(about the temperature you wash your hands in) and fill the bowl about a half of an inch up. Dip your brushes in and swirl swirl swirl! The water is going to get filthy, so I like to do all my foundation and face brushes first.

It kinda looks like coffee, dont drink it ;) anyhow I do a 'first round' as I like to call it, where I wash them all a little bit and then dump the water. Then I make a fresh batch and start again. Make sure you feel your brushes and see if they have any left over soap, or makeup, they should literally feel squeeky clean. Run them under the warm/hot water and spread the bristles, they should be the same color they were when you bought the brush.

taa daa! Sparkly. So now you lay them flat, I like to fluff the bristles back to their original positon and let them dry over night. Right after this I take a cotton ball and some alcohol and wipe down the handles. In the morning when I wake up, I take the smallest amount of leave in conditioner and rub it together in my hands, and go over all my brushes, it helps keep them soft. :)

The way I sanitize my makeup is just like you would clean anything else. I keep those clorox wipes in my makeup room and wipe down the counters every day, I make sure to wash my hands before and after applying makeup, and I spot clean my brushes after every use. I'de say once a month I go through all of the drawers, and wipe them down along with all the products inside, it just minimizes dirt, bacteria and overall messiness. I soak my pencil sharpeners in alcohol and sharpen every pencil I own before I use it. It keeps them fresh, clean, and sharp! If you are using makeup only on yourself, when you're not sick, and not sharing or using it on clients; what I do might be a bit excessive, I'm a weirdo like that. Do what you think is necessary. My mom NEVER cleans her brushes, and she is just fine. I don't think its even a necessity. It just keeps them looking nice and minimizes the chance of infections and pimples.

Thanks for reading! xoxo,

DIY Cream Blush

Hey guys, today I thought I would share with you one of my go-to beauty recipes. This would work with eyeshadow, bronzer, you name it! But today I'm going to be making blush.

All you'll need is a facial primer, I'm using Mirabella Prime for face and eyes. You'll need a moisturizer, I use eye cream, it is more emollient and creamy, my favorite is Avalon Organics Vitamin C eye cream. You'll need your favorite powder blush, and a contact case, or small jar.

I mix the cream blush in the container I'll be storing it in, to reduce clean up. So basically it is a 1:1 ratio of primer and moisturizer, then add as much blush as you want, the less you add, the sheerer it will be, stir it up and make sure the container you keep it in is air tight. I find that my blushes last about 6 months. Unless I use it up before that. 

There you go! Super simple, and now you don't have to mix and match, pair the cream blush with the powder blush in the same shade and it will last all night! I hope you enjoyed! xoxo

Nail Polish Collection

Hey guys! Today I wanted to show you my nail polish collection, how I store them and how I organize them.

So this is the rack, I built it myself. It is hanging above a bookshelf/cabinet right next to my bathroom. Like I said, I built it. One day after work I decided I wanted a nailpolish rack, so I went to Lowe's and had the wood cutter guy cut me some wood, I believe the dimensions are 36 inches by 24 inches, so you have 6 panels of 4" x 24" and two panels of 4" x 36" and a big back panel of 24" x 36". I used hot glue to put them together. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube on how to make your own. These are just my dimensions. I used some pink spray paint I had laying around, so the whole thing cost me about $7, and took about 45 minutes.  

As you can see, I have quite a bit of nail polish. My family buys me new ones whenever they are on sale, and they are always stocking stuffers. On the top shelf from the left; I have my nail tips, clear, frosted and white, then some foot cream, base and top coats, then my nail art pens, and some more nail growth serums and a large top coat. On the second shelf, I color code starting with white China Glaze, Orly, then nude; Essie, Sally Hansen. On the far right of the second row I have pinks from lightest to darkest. On the third shelf, from the right, I have a dark pink glitter from Nicole by O.P.I, then into some purples; Essie, Revlon, Covergirl Magnetics. Continuing to the left into blues; Wet n' Wild, Savvy, ect.

Starting on the left hand side of the fourth shelf down, we have a Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, and then it turns into greens; Sinful Colors, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. Yellow; Sephora by O.P.I in the color Taxi Cab. Orange; Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in the color Snappy Sorbet, Milani, ect. On the far right we have reds; ICE(the walmart brand of nail polish), Nailtini Nail Laquer in Bloody Mary(this one came in the my glam bag for January) and drop down to the 5th row on the right, another Nicole by O.P.I glitter polish, then my blood red color, into blacks, greys, metalics, gold, silver, glitter, and then glitter top coats. On the very last shelf I keep my nail polish remover pads, my acrylic powder, some more top coats, some Sally Girl mini polishes, and my Gelish gel polishes. Most of my tools(nail clippers, cuticle nippers, files, ect) are in a jar sitting on top of the bookshelf. 

I love my nail polish rack, I was very proud of myself for building it, and it is very practical. I didn't really have a space for my polishes before, I was just shoving some into a drawer that was hard to get to and didn't display my favorite colors. This is like a wall decoration, and I can easily pick out the color I want for the day. I don't have much room to expand my collection though, I might have to rebuild or just add a few more shelves. Some things I do have to keep in a drawer, Like my jumbo bottle of acrylic liquid and my LED gel polish curer.

I found this to be more customizable and less...tacky(?) and also cheaper than the acrylic polish displays you can find on ebay or amazon.

How do you keep your polishes? Do you friends think your mental because you have so many? Mine do. :)

Maybelline Color Tattoo swatches/review

Hey guys! I was looking through my collection, and I saw I had a lot of the Color Tattoos from Maybelline. They are great and affordable cream eyeshadows from the drugstore. So I thought I would show you the ones I have and tell you a bit about them.

I have seven; Too Cool, Bold Gold, Tough as Taupe, Inked in Pink, Barely Branded, Tenacious Teal, and Bad to the Bronze.

They retail at about $6 a piece, they come in little pots, similar to MAC paint pots. They are glass and are bottom heavy. The top is plastic and doesn't seem as well made and sturdy as the bottom, though  I have never had a jar break on me. You get a decent amount of product for the price, and they last a long time if you keep the jar closed. I'm on my second pot of Bad to the Bronze, because I left the cap off. Although now I know you can put a bit of saline solution into dried out products to make them good as new. It speaks volumes about a product when I have to rush out and repurchase something when it dries out. 

I use Bad to the Bronze (second from the left on the bottom row.) on a daily basis. It is the perfect neutral, it has warm goldeny undertones and is, just as it says, bronze. Sorry about the picture, they are so shimmery and the light reflects off of them so much that it was hard to get the true color. This picture is un-touched. From the top left we have Too Cool, which is a basic white, very cool undertones, I don't use this much unless I'm going out at night, and I'm doing a smokey eye. It is too frosty for me. Then the second from the left on the top row is Tough as Taupe. It doesn't seem taupe to me, more grey, it is a very matte shadow, and again, I only use this when I am doing a dramatic smokey eye. Next is Tenacious Teal, I almost bought this as a joke, it...seems so unwearable, but as a pop of color in your inner corner, it really brings out the green in my brown eyes, if that makes sense. Then on the bottom row from the left is, Bold Gold, and this must have been the dud in my collection, it doesn't seem to have much pigment to it, unless you build it up, more glitter than anything, although for a really simple look I sweep it all over my lid and call it done. Then we have Bad to the Bronze, and then Barely Branded, which is a champagne color, very flesh toned with warm undertones, it is metallic and is part of the metal line within the color tattoo line. I love it and it has become another one of my go-to's. Last, on the very right of the bottom row is Inked in Pink, I don't usually wear pink eyeshadow, but I felt this was wearable, it is a muted pink and it's metallic, I actually love it, and wear it more than I thought I would.

BOTTOM LINE: if you want to skip all the reading, they are lovely, all of them, they last FOREVER, I mean you are going to need olive oil to get these things off, they are simple, and now come in very wearable shades, and I think everyone should own Bad to the Bronze and Barely Branded, you will get your $6 worth out of those two at least. They are a staple in my collection, and as you saw, I wouldn't be without them.

ANOTHER walmart haul.

If it seems like I go to walmart a lot, it's because I do! :] This haul is itsy bitsy though, I promise.

I was so excited that I found this! I had been looking all over, CVS, walgreens, Target, and I finally found it, at a walmart across town! I saw leighannsays do a first impression/review on it, and I knew I had to have it. I love everything Revlon, I love simple "slap-it-on" products, I love double duty products(like sunscreen, moisturizer and coverage, hello! bb cream!) I got it in the color light/pale. I only saw two shades, light and light/medium. bummer, but still.

THENNNN, also super excited about this! I found my Barely Branded color tattoo! I thought it would be in a special display, nope, right in with the regular colors, I guess they are making this part of the perminant collection, which I love, much more wearable than, say, Feirce and Tangy(its bright orange...like traffic cone orange!) so I picked up the Barely Branded and Inked in Pink.

I haven't tried anything on, but boy am I excited to!

Clinique 3-step System; Step 3

Hey guys! Today I just wanted to share with you my toner of the moment. I haven't always used a toner, but this past year I have made it a point. Reason(s) being, Toners unclog pores, even more than your cleanser, making it appear as though you have smaller pores. Toners re-balance your skins pH, cleansing your skin upsets your natural acidity, a toner helps your skin re-balance, leaving more time for your skin to work hard on important stuff, like soaking in that new retinol cream :]

This is the toner I use, My mother bought me the full 3-step system a few years ago. I ran through the moisturizer like it was water, I have a bit of the cleanser left, and as you can see, plenty of toner. This bottle is huge, 13.5 oz! To tell you the truth, I'm trying to get rid of it. I use it morning and night on a cotton pad. One swipe over my face and neck, then I let it dry, then one more swipe. I also keep a bit in a spray bottle in my purse for when I am feeling hot or oily. This toner has a lot of alcohol, so it helps to break down sweat and oil throughout the day. It has a strong scent of alcohol, which I don't like, and that is the reason I want to hurry up and use it. I don't see it doing amazing things for my skin, but Clinique is a good brand and I wouldn't want to waste it! I plan on switching to plain ol' witch hazel when I finish this up.

Do you use a toner? Which one? Do you see significant skin benefits?

January 2013 ipsy (myglam) bag.

It came today! I was so excited, as always.

So this is what came in my pink bubble wrap, which is a nice touch, ipsy, I can appreciate that ;)

The first item wouldn't even fit in the bag, so I knew immediately I got a concealer brush!

Very cool, I don't use concealer brushes, I usually just blend with my finger, but this will be neat to try out and see. I've also never used this brand, although I believe it is sold at Walmart. This retails at about $6.

Unfortunately I looked on the ipsy website and saw what I was getting before I got it, boo, no surprise. :( I knew I was getting the hairspray and the body butter, although with the packaging I thought the Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter would smell deeper, more woodsy. It smells exactly like an orange. Not sweet, more tangy. I like it. I also thought that it would be thicker, but it applies like a regular lotion. Maybe even a bit thinner than say..Aveeno, or Bath and Body Works. 

The bag is cute on the inside, as always. I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

Like I said, I knew I was getting this, not crazy thrilled. But it is always nice to have a travel size hairspray. Especially if it is good.

I knew I was getting a nail polish. I had hoped that it wouldn't be red.

But you can never have enough nailpolish, or classic reds!

The packaging was cute and clever.

I got the color Bloody Mary #108

I also was super excited about this, Josie Maran 100% organic argan oil. Very nice, and high end. Way to go ipsy! Im excited to use this, and will be giving a full review and before and after shots...first I gotta figure out how I wanna use it!

Porcelana Skin Lightening Cream Review.

Hey guys! I think you saw in a haul a few weeks ago, that I picked up this Porcelana cream. I've come to a decision...I like it. Well I think I like it.

I got the night cream because I don't wear a lot of creams in the morning. Infact, I only wear sunscreen. It says it fades dark spots and evens skin tone, and I can attest to that. I've been using it every night for about two weeks and while I haven't seen mind blowing results, it has faded my freckles, brightened my complexion and just evened things out.

It says it moisturizes, I don't think so. Its very thick, and will clog your pores. I apply a very thin layer to the skin just under my eyes and on the bridge of my nose, where I have freckles.

Its very white and doesn't soak in right away, you kind of massage it, but it still leaves a white cast. I haven't tried the day cream version, but I can only imagine how thick and disgusting it would feel under makeup. I like it for what it does but it is NOT a moisturizer. I'm glad it doesn't have a scent, that is nice.

This is my first dip into the world of skin lightening, so I can't compare it, all I can say is that it is nice, affordable(around $4) and will last you FOREVER. If you have mild freckles, and discoloration that you want to get rid of, and you are not acne prone; give it a shot!

Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System Review

As you saw yesterday, I got the Olay Cleansing Brush. I've heard a lot about how it is similar to the Clarisonic. Which it is, but the Olay brush spins 360. The Clarisonic oscillates, it doesn't matter to me. They both get the job done.

I guess I got the Holiday Edition with the full size cleanser, it was $29.95 at Wal-Mart, which, for a cleansing system AND a full size Olay exfoliating cleanser, isn't bad. Thats why I bought it :)

 This is what is inside the big box; a littler box and the cleanser.

Inside of THAT box is the actual cleansing system, which we will refer to as the brush. It comes with the required battery, and a small sample of the same cleanser that was in the big box. I originally thought that was a replacement head for the brush, but it isn't. So my first impressions were; It's small, very small. I have tiny hands and it fits perfectly for me, so I can only assume it would be small for someone with normal hands. 

I like that they give you the battery, much like the Neutrogena Wave. I also like that they are heavy handed with the cleanser they give out. I have a big bottle and a sample now. Although the cleanser isn't super amazing. I actually wouldn't repurchase just the cleanser..It has granules  which I like, but they are few and far between and...too large. It is fragrance free, which I like but it leaves a residue and just isn't the best cleanser I've had. I have used the brush with my Clinique cleanser and it really...works. It just makes me feel clean and squeeky but not tight, which I can sometimes feel with that cleanser. It is a good exfoliater  and although I can't compare it to the Clarisonic, because I don't have one, I would say pick this up! It's a nice travel size, its inexpensive, it cleanses thoroughly and exfoliates well. I enjoy it and I would recommend it to anyone.

Wal-Mart Haul :]

Hey guys, sorry, I've been sick these past few days, but yesterday I went to walmart, and this is what I got;

Yay! Super exciting, ha, not really. Mostly just things I needed. So from left to right; we have cotton squares, they come in a pack of like a zillion, it takes me forever to run out, I use them for toner and to remove heavy eye makeup. Next, Q-tips, walmart brand, because I'm cheap. These also take me a long time to go through, I use these for little makeup mistakes, flakes of mascara and cleaning up a red lip ;) Then (omg I'm super excited about this!) I got the Olay Facial Cleansing Brush. I treated myself, and I love it, I'll have a full review later. Next up is my deodorant of choice, it has nice wetness protection, although I use CertainDri at night, this keeps me extra dry and it has a fresh scent...I know, super exciting. Some shaving cream, I'm not big on any certain brand, I buy what is cheapest and smells good. Slade, on the other hand, has really sensitive skin on his neck, so he only uses Barbasol for sensitive skin.

Thats about it! Sorry I've been gone, I'll get back into writing every day :]

My Favorite Christmas Present!

I know this is a bit late, but Merry Christmas! I spent mine with just my immediate family. Very small Christmas, but it was nice. My mom and dad got me my scent! I've searched a long time for a signature scent, and this is it!

Paris Amour from Bath and Body Works. I got the full set, it also came with a body mist(not pictured) I love it, it smells sweet but not nauseating. It has a spice to it, very girly. I usually go for scents like Twilight Woods, the more deep and spicy scents. I just fell in love with this. I have candles, and backup lotions and body washes, I use it every day :]

I just wanted to share my signature scent, what's yours?

A Few Things I Will Never Buy Again

Most of the time when I buy beauty products, I find some use, if not the intended use, for them.

These are not those things. ha! From left to right; Bath and Body Works Body Mist in the scent Dark Kiss. 

This smells so bitter and like an old lady. I can't describe how awful this smells. Although scents are personal, I can't see how anyone would enjoy this. Next, Garnier Fructis Full Control Hairspray. I should have known that I wasn't going to like this. I hate spritsy pumps. I just prefer a mist. The fragrance on this is just as bad as Dark Kiss, but on the other end of the spectrum, it's so fruity and sweet it makes me sick. It left my hair crunchy, and I gave this a good shot too, but every time I was dissapointed. Then we have this doosy! Caress Daily Silk body wash, my mom got this as a two pack at Sam's, it was cheap and she needed body wash. This stuff is so goopy, and it drys my skin out! I find myself using twice as much lotion than I have to with my BBW stuff. It has an artificial, chemical smell, and it is trying so hard to look like silk that it has glitter and shimmer in it! Just, yuck. Next is White Rain Sensations Body Wash in Invigorating Citrus. This makes my skin flake off, its nothing but sodium laureth sulfate and water. The smell is nice but I can't handle how drying it is. The last thing is a fragrance spray for cats, it is supposed to be a waterless bath. I think its the smell that turns me off, because it does keep odors at bay. But it just smells like a dirty cat who rolled in a flower bed. Yuck.

So, I'm not saying these are horrible products, they just didn't work for me, most of them were hated just because of the smell.

Fashion Forward Puppies!

Hey guys! I know this isn't what you usually see here, but I thought since I buy so much for my pups, I should show you why I spend so much, hah!
I have two dogs, Tuesday(3yrs weenie/beagle mix) and Mopsy(10yrs maltisse/poodle mix) and they are mine and Slade's babies, we spend most of our day with them, they come with me to work and Slade's job as well, they sleep with us, we go on walks as a family. We're all very close knit. ;)

Like these bows! You see what I did there? Aren't these just the cutest things! I got them at petsmart, they were 2 or 3 dollars for a pack of four. Moppy is the only one who has hair long enough to wear them, and boy does she look lovely.

They fight and play a lot because of the age difference, but they love each other.

Anyway, I promise there is a point to this blog full of pictures! I wanted to show you Tuesday's new clothes, Mopsy's new bows, and the brushes we use to groom our babies every night before bed. :) from left to right, Tuesdays brush, the blue handled one from the Martha Stewart pet collection, its soft enough to use on her short hair and it gets all her sheddingness out...is that a word? Then the pink one is a flea comb that I use in the bath, just to make sure we don't have any unwelcome buggies. The brush without a grip on the handle is Moppy's, she likes to gnaw on things, so..it was a casualty.

Since then we have gotten her her own 'baby' as we call it, Lambchop the santa clause. haha. I think she loves it because it looks just like her. :)

Her hoodie is also from petsmart, but it's their TopPaw collection. She wears a medium if you are wondering, and she WILL bite you if you try to take her sweater off. She sleeps in it and everything. I have to trick her into letting me wash it every few days, and lord help me when it's bath day.

We call her "passed out poodle" all the time, shes ALWAYS asleep. :)

Tuesday just got a new coat too! This is from Walmart, the brand is LuLuPink. I love it, shes even got a little bling!

She wasn't very happy with me, usually when I say 'You wanna put your coat on?' She knows it's time to go O-U-T-S-I-D-E...that word is not safe to say in this house. ha!

Mops was a little disappointed too.

This is Mop's collar, also from TopPaw, she doesn't mind it, but as you can see, Tuesday prefers a harness, and so do I. She gets a little crazy on our walks sometimes and it's nice to not worry about it choking her. Plus then I know she is safe.

Phew that was a lot of pictures! ha, as always, love you guys!