Pixi soft focus fresh palette review/look

Happy Sunday everyone!!

Good evening my lovelies!

It has been un-seasonally chilly here in Northern Kentucky this week but GORGEOUS! Today was such a beautiful fall day...in the summer?!! Crazy!  Next week my oldest son, Caleb, turns 14 and since the boys will be on vacation with their dad in Washington D.C. we celebrated his birthday early this past saturday. I cannot believe I am old enough to have a child turning 14 and entering high school this fall...HIGH SCHOOL!! EEK!  Anyway, that was my weekend, how was yours?

Today I am reviewing the Pixi soft focus fresh palette. You can find the Pixi brand at any Target but I got this off Hautelook for $9.00. It retails for $34. If you are not familiar with Hautelook it is a website that sells brand names in clothing, makeup/hair/beauty tools, fragrance, and home goods for a discounted rate. Check them out here.  As you can see below the packaging is large, I can place my hand on top with my fingers spread and still not cover it. The look of it reminds me of a child storybook, so cute! It uses magnets to remain closed and when open it has a very large mirror. Now I do not personally care if my palettes have mirrors but some people do, if your one of those you will be delighted. This palette contains 12 shadows placed on the L and R side with the 6 blushes placed in the center. The 4 glosses line the bottom. Here is a look.

All of the products in this palette are based off full sizes if you were to buy them individually, which is really nice! The eyeshadow contains 12 x .8g/.028 oz of product, blush: 6 x 2.66g/.094oz, and lip gloss contains: 4 x 1.64g/.058 oz. Those are big!

SWATCHES

 The eyeshadow swatches are in same order as in the palette. The colors do not have names so I will go by rows. As you can see they all come off with good pigmentation and blend well. The shadows are a mix of matte, shimmer and metallic. You may think that the L side, second row, second shade has little pigmentation..wrong! It just blends perfectly into my skin tone. I even used a base under only that one and it still blended in. What can ya do? In my look I used the 1st row second color, 2nd row second color, and both 3rd row shades.

 The top two shades are highlights.  Second row first shade is a nice peach shade that also blended in well with my skin tone. I used a combination of the 2nd row second shade and 3rd row first shade in my look.

The glosses are also placed in order as the palette. All of the glosses are sheer and can somewhat be built up with the exception of the far left shade..it comes of quite sheer with a slight pink tint. They are comfortable to wear and are not too sticky. I used a combination of the two center glosses for my look and they blend well together.

THE LOOK

To start this look I used NYX concealer as a base. I then started at my browbone and placed the white as a highlight. I then picked up the matte brown shade (2nd row second shade) as my transition color, using a windshield wiper motion, I stopped this shade just before the crease. Using the dark brown shade (3rd row first shade) I placed it in my crease and slightly above using the same windshield wiper motion. I also used that color to pull down for my outer V and below my lower lashline. I then placed the peach shade (3rd row second shade) on my lid. For my corner highlight I used the same white shade as my brow bone. I used a peach color for my water line and black liquid liner for my top liner. I finished the eye look with mascara and lashes. For the cheeks I used a mix of the 2nd row second shade and 3rd row first shade. For the lips I lined the lips with Rimmel exaggerate lip liner in Innocent and then used a equal mix of the two middle glosses using a lip brush to apply.

CONCLUSION

I was very happy with how this look came out. It is a nice neutral look that can be used for day or work but can easily be transitioned into a night look. The colors gave a nice fresh, soft, natural look. I would recommend this palette for someone who doesn't wear make up much or just really enjoys a natural look. Myself, I can not get enough of natural/neutral colors, they are my go to look! This brand can be easily found at any Target, the price and the amount of product that you get makes it a great deal! It is more expensive than most drugstore but the quality, pigmentation and blend-ability makes up for that.

My son wanted a large icing cookie instead of a cake for his birthday

 It is sooo cute--and good! When I got to the store the selection was either fish or balloons and flowers. He didn't mind. Have you ever had one of these? OMG! De-lish!



I hope this review was helpful and as always thank you for reading and don't forget to follow this blog it makes me sooo very happy!

Until next time!!!

<3
Jess

Buisness card mascara trick!

It's Tips and Tricks Tuesday!!

Good evening my lovelies!!

Have you ever sat down and created an amazingly awesome look on your eyes to have it foiled up with those little mascara marks? You all know exactly the ones I am talking about..they are left when you apply your mascara and your lashes have touched your lid. So you try to fix it just to either smear the mascara or accidentally wipe some shadow away along with the mascara. UGH!!!! Don't freak, I have just the fix for you!! Now this isn't a new trick at all but it never hurts to toss it back out there just in case someone doesn't know or simply needs to be reminded.

First you need any standard business card. I recommend doing the bottom lashes first. Because if you are like me and tilt your head down to apply your bottom mascara you won't press your freshly mascara lashes against your lids, defeating the purpose of the business card!!  Now, place the card as close as you can to your waterline UNDERNEATH the lashes and lightly pull down. Like this.

 Apply your mascara as you normally would. I like this technique because it allows the maximal amount of product on each individual lash without causing clumping. It also protects your face from any smearing that can occur. To do the top lashes just follow the same rule. Place the card as close as you can to the base of the lashes and gently lift them with the business card. Apply the mascara in a zig-zag motion starting from the base to the tip for maximal product distribution. Like this.

And your finished!! It really is that easy and guess what? No nasty marks left on your lids!! Now go strut your stuff and show off those amazing eyes girls! Do any of you know another way beside buying a mascara shield (which ELF has an amazing one, check out my ELF haul for details) ?.  I hope this was helpful and as always thank you for reading. Don't forget to follow this blog--It makes me smile!

Until next time!!!

<3
Jess

Montagne Jeunesse masks/peels review

Happy Monday!!

Good evening my lovelies!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends. I had a great time, Friday my work gave out tickets to see the Cincinnati Reds, so all of my co-workers and I went up to see the game. It was a great night and the Reds won against the Pirates!!! Saturday I went to watch roller derby, it was my first time, and man it is exciting! If you have never seen one you should go!

So today I thought I would share some masks that I have been trying off and on for a couple of months now. I bought them at my Kroger for $1.99 ea. I purchased the Passion Peel Off, Virgin Olive mask, Mud Pac, and the Chocolate Masque. Here is a closer look:

Starting with the Virgin Olive mask, it is a Ultra Deep cleansing mask made with Olive oil and Shea Butter. The packaging reads : "Nourish with our cold pressed Virgin Olive Oil mud masque for soft and supple skin." The package contains .5oz that you apply to a clean face for 10-15 min and rinse off. I got 2 separate uses from this package. When I applied the mask I noticed it had a paint-ish smell to it that lasted the entire 15 minutes so if you are one who is sensitive to smells this is definitely not the mask for you. It goes on green with a smooth, thick clay like consistancy that dries to white. It felt tight on the skin as it dried like all do but it also seemed to tingle some. Rinsing it off was a nightmare! I felt I had to keep rinsing and scrubbing to get it off, afterwards it left me feeling dirty like there was a oily residue and it dried my face out! I had to use my cetaphil moisturizer for relief!

Passion Peel Off: this peel is for deep cleaning, purifying and protecting. Made with Pomegranate and passion flower. Packaging reads "Pulped pomegranate, passion flower, raspberry, grape, cranberry, and vitamin E are anti-oxidants that help protect skin, while pores get a deep clean peel-off." This came out very thin with a sweet, pleasant smell. I applied a thin layer and allowed the 15-20 min to dry. You are to peel this off, now I generally enjoy this process. Trying to remove the entire peel in one sheet. Did that happen? Heck no! It hurt like hell!! I felt as if I was having a full face waxing. Every tiny hair in my face was pulled out, I swear it! I gave up and quickly rinsed it off and was left with red, irritated skin. UGH! This package also left enough for a second application but I threw it out. No thank you!!

Mud Pac: This mask has .07 oz and is for ultra deep pore cleansing with anti-stress properties. Packaging reads: "We've harvested ultra deep cleansing Dead Sea Mud to draw out impurities and open blocked pores to leave skin feeling cleansed and soft." The consistancy of this was much like the Olive oil mask, a think, smooth texture. It applied easily but had a very strong smell. On the front of the package it shows a picture of lavender but the smell reminded me of my son's deodorant, not lavender. It gave a  pleasant cooling sensation and it removed very easily after 20 min but once it was off and my face was dry is when all the bad began. My face immediately reacted, became very red, dry, and itchy. I actually had a couple of hives!!! I am assuming it was from the strong fragrance. This package would have given me at least 3 uses but....another one for the garbage.

Chocolate Masque: This package also contained .7oz and is specialized for normal, dry and T-zone skin. It is for deep pore cleansing and to moisturize with cocoa and shea butter. The packaging claims to : "Nourish your skin with a feast of rich and creamy delights. Rich in natural ingredients this deep cleansing, chocolate mud masque will help to unblock pores, allowing impurities to be drawn out. Coupled with the skin healing properties of Dead Sea Salt, and the moisturizing benefits of Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter, you will be left with renewed, re-hydrated and younger looking skin." Whew, that is a hefty claim! When I initially opened the package I was instantly overcome with the delicious smell of chocolate! It truely smelled like I could pour it into my mouth which of course made me crave chocolate. Haha. The product was thick and smooth like the others and applied nicely. It dried to a light brown hard shell like mask in about 20 min that did required some scrubbing with a wash cloth to remove. It left my face slightly tightened and smooth. I also did not have any adverse reactions which was a bonus! I cannot say it left me looking any younger but the tightening did make me feel as if my skin were more youthful. This package gave me 3 uses which I happily used each one! Finally, one that I like!

All Montagne Jeunesse products are vegetarian and BUAV approved. BUAV approved means it can provide a guarantee of a cruelity free option where neither the product nor its ingredients have been tested on animals. I adore  that about this company. You will know if a product is BUAV approved by the picture of the bouncing bunny.

Conclusion

I will most definitely be purchasing the Chocolate mask again and again. As for the others? I think this post explains that. The masks are only $1.99 so it's okay if 2 or 3 didn't work, it won't break my bank. I only chose the four but there are many other ones that I haven't tried. I do plan on trying others, I seriously doubt that I will only like one. It just so happened that is how it came about with this purchase. Remember just because I had this reaction/feeling towards these products DOES NOT mean you will. You may like it. I have read many raving reviews on this brand so do not base your decisions on others/my reactions. Who knows you may love them! 

Remember tomorrow is tips and tricks Tuesday! Stay tuned to see how to apply mascara without leaving those unsightly marks on your lid and potentially ruining your shadow!! Also keep an eye out for a new review/look that I have been using for the last week. I will give you a hint...it is meant to be a full face palette and is in green packaging. Have any ideas which one it is??

I really hope this was helpful. Thank you for spending this time with me, I always appreciate it.

Until next time!!!

<3

Jess

provides a guarantee of a cruelty free option where neither the product nor its ingredients have been tested on animals - See more at: http://www.purpledot.org/mapping/faqs/animal-testing#sthash.LsAsYcpC.dpuf

provides a guarantee of a cruelty free option where neither the product nor its ingredients have been tested on animals - See more at: http://www.purpledot.org/mapping/faqs/animal-testing#sthash.LsAsYcpC.dpuf

How to: Achieve the perfect brow for any face shape!!

It's Tips and Tricks Tuesday!!


Good evening my lovelies!


Sorry for the late post I went to the gym today after work and was zumba-ing my booty off! I haven't been to the gym in a couple of months (I wanted to spend my time outside with my boys), anyway my instructor Katie is a friend of mine and today was her last class with us so I just had to come out and show my support one last time.  We had a great time and there were many pics taken after. We will really miss her! Tonight I decided this tip will be a quick one. Everyone wants to achieve the perfect brow but many do not know where to start. Questions begin to pop up: how do I know the right shape for my face? Where should I begin and stop my brow? Where does the arch go?  It is soo easy, keep reading!

I have been using this format for many, many, many years now. The only thing I do differently is I take the line (B) from my nose through the middle of my pupil to achieve my arch. You also have the option to draw a line across connecting (A) and (C) to have your brow start and stop on the same horizontal plane.

How to prep the brow

I always start with a little clear brow gel to lay the hairs down and all in one direction. Then you take a pencil or a thin brush and place it on the outside of the nose and point it straight up to the brow. It should follow the length of your nose and duct. Like this.

Next keeping the brush against your nose use a eyeliner pencil or felt tip liner and place a dot. Keeping the brush against your nose angle the tip to cut straight through your pupil and place a dot where the tip of the brush ends. That will become your arch.

Lastly, continue with the brush against your nose; now angle it to go to the outer corner of your eye and up to the brow. Where the tip stops place a dot. This is where your brow should end.

Using your pencil/felt tip liner place a dot directly above the dots you previously made over the top of the brow. This makes your rough outline. It should resemble something like this.

Now that you have your dots, connect them!

Any thing outside of that line you need to pluck. As you can see my brows are too thin so I have to fill mine in. I am trying to grow them back in but it is taking a long time. :( If you do not feel comfortable doing this then I recommend you go to a professional to have them done.

Once your finished plucking simply wash away the liner, unless you like that look. Haha. I normally use a white  or peachy colored liner  for my outline and dotting but that wouldn't show up in the pictures so I chose to go with the black. Sorry I wasn't more put together in the pictures, I had just come home from the gym. My face is still red! Dedication!

I hope this was helpful! Have a wonderful night! Until next time!!!

<3
Jess

Amore Mio eyeshadow pigments/ Stila Glaze lip liner review/Tophatter Haul!!

Happy Monday!!!


Good evening my lovelies!


My Tophatter haul FINALLY arrived!!! I  bought 9 Stila Glaze Lip Liners for $15 and the Amore Mio eyeshadow pigments assorted 9 stack D for $5!!!! As always I hunt around before I bid to see what the retail is so I know what not to go over in a bidding war. I always try to not bid higher than half the retail price. I found stila lip liners going anywhere from $8 per pencil to $11.  I also found that there are a lot of discounted makeup websites that all have different prices so I checked the stila website and could not find them. Sooo I am guessing they are discontinued?? As for the Amore mio I couldn't find their website on google..strange!?? However, I did find it on ebay for $9.99 for 2 shadow pigments. Here is a look at my haul!

I will start with the Stila lip liners first. Obviously I haven't had a chance to try all 9 but I did use the red shade over the weekend. I lined my lips and then filled them in and placed a Milani lipstick overtop and OMG it lasted literally all night. I had to reapply my lipstick but the liner lasted and lasted, they seemed to stain my lips. They apply smoothly which was great and were not really drying. One thing I DID NOT like was that they are not retractable; so I will eventually have to sharpen them. UGH! I was happy with the variety of colors. All are very wearable with the exception of the lavender. Anyone want it?! LOL.

Lip Liner Swatches

Swatches from L-R are: Plum, Fuscia, Lavender, Brick, Melon, Red, Pink, Brown, and Mocha.
I absolutely adore the Melon shade, it is sooo gorgeous!! I wore the Red but it came off  pink on my lips.

All About Amore Mio

Like I said earlier I bought stack D. When I bid on it I didn't realize that the picture was the actual product since it was labeled as assorted and sometimes a general pic is tossed up. Anyway if I had paid attention I would have chosen stack A or E. This stack has some phenomenal colors (the burgundy and champagne) but it is very blue heavy and I rarely ever wear blue and when I do it's usually a accent color or a liner. Stack A and E have very earthy/neutral colors and are on the darker end, perfect for the night out smokey eye. Ok so Amore Mio has some hefty claims-- they are formulated with 100% natural and organic pigments to create an amazing effect that lasts all day and night. Stop right here. I wore the burgundy color  over my lid and in my crease with the champagne as tear duct/brow highlight on saturday day going shopping with a friend. These colors stayed on all day even in the surface of the sun heat and all night and the next day. Yes, I fell asleep with my makeup on and it was still going strong the next day!! 

 The features: will not crease, clump, fade or smear and is easily removed with soap and water or with a milk cleanser. Contains 24K gold, is hypoallergenic, paraben free, fragrance free and oil free. For me, it did not crease (which is saying something, I have very oily lids and did NOT use a primer) fade or smear and I slept in it..my mascara and eyeliner were all over my face but the shadow was not! I was impressed. I was able to remove it rather easily with a makeup remover towelette, no milk cleanser required. It also states that the 24K gold will assist your skin to fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, increase blood flow and recreate broken cellular connections. See!!! VERY BIG CLAIMS! Does anyone know if 24K gold actually does those things? I am not saying it doesn't but for how little gold actually goes in and how finely ground it is I can't imagine that it actually does but that's just my opinion.

Designed for over 7 usages:

• use by itself as an eyeshadow
• moisten brush for a creamy eyeshadow
• mix with black or clear mascara to make a colored mascara to highlight the eyes
• add to lip gloss or balm to create customized lip colors
• use with eyeliner brush to create high intensity eye definition
• add to nail polish to create own unique color
• mix with blush to create new shades

On tophatter it says the MSRP is $58.11, Here are the swatches of the shadows. The first two are of the shades dry without a primer underneath and the last photo is of them applied wet. The colors are from L-R as they are shown above in the stack.

As you can see the color pigmentation is great, especially when wet! What I did not like about the stack was the stacking container itself. It really sucks! I like the idea of stacking them for storage space but how the stacking was designed is awful! What I mean is they all screwed into one another and the one on top was also the lid to the one below. You can not store them separately because the only one with a lid would be the top one. If it were me I would have packaged them as individual pots that could have the option to link up to the next. It was just frustrating and when I wanted to open the next pot I had to be very careful as the others wanted to come unscrewed as well. Boo!

The Look

I couldn't do a look for you guys this time, my allergies are out of control and my eyes will not tolerate anything at all. I couldn't even put my contacts in! I'm sorry!! But if you want to see a look using the pigments let me know and I will as soon as my eyes behave themselves!

Conclusion

I adore the stila lip pencils and am very happy with them!! As for the Amore Mio pigments since I bought them for only $5 I can't complain too much. The pigmentation is great and it did what it claimed to do as far as the not creasing, fading or smearing. As for the other claims..only time will tell I guess. I love the actual product but the way it is packaged really turns me away. I hate it!! If I can find a way to store it differently then I will be soo much happier. I will probably still buy the Stack A and E pigments but will definitely have to work on a storage solution. Anyone have any ideas??? 

I hope this was helpful and thank you so much for spending this time with me. Tomorrow is tips and tricks Tuesday so check back for the latest tip. Until next time!!

<3

Jess

How to: Get the perfect winged liner/fierce feline look!!

Happy Tuesday!

Good evening my lovelies!


I know, I know! I posted this technically on Wednesday but hey it was a beautiful evening out and I used it to spend time with my boys! We went on a bike ride around the neighborhood and while out riding we came across a labyrinth that was mowed in a field next to a church. So random!  We decided to see who could get to the end of it first, I did not win. :( We then spent the rest of evening at the park catching firefly's until dark and finished the night up watching a movie together. It was perfect and I just couldn't break away! Ok, so now on to your tip!

How to achieve the perfect feline flick, cat eye, or winged eyeliner (whatever you call it) has been a question I have seen a lot on the internet, in magazines and yes, even I have been asked that very question a few times. I have learned the easiest way and thought I would share it with you today. Take whatever liner you choose to use (I find felt tip to be the easiest when learning) and lay it up against the outer corner of your eye and and while looking down angle the tip towards the end of your brow. Like this.

Now just press and pull down. It does the work for you! Then just line your top lid and connect the line you just made with your upper lid line. It's that easy!! I usually do this with a felt tip like in the picture and then go over it with a liquid liner to smooth the look out. If you really want a edgy look pull the liner under your lashline to your tear duct. At the duct point where it starts just extend the liner out on both top and bottom, it should make a sharp point. Line your top and bottom waterline with black liner and your done! Now, add a red lip to be the fierce diva that you are!! Here is what I came up with, a friend of mine said I had the smize..another said I look angry. You decide. LOL.

I hope this quick tip was helpful!! My Tophatter haul should be arriving any day now! Keep an eye out for the review/look from that purchase! Have a wonderful night. Until next time!!!

<3
Jess

June favorites

Happy monday!

Good afternoon my lovelies!

I am soooo sorry about blanking out on my June favorites! Dang holiday! When I sat down to do this blog it took me no time to know exactly which products I wanted to choose. I thought to myself, what do I grab for every day? These are the products that I currently absolutely cherish and my beauty routine would not be complete if a single one was missing! So without further ado here they are:

I

I will break them down into categories: Eye/brow, face, lips, brush, and scent. 

Face

• foundation: Revlon Colorstay Whipped in shade 150 Buff
• Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster in shade Natural
• Cetaphil moisturizer for all skin types (not pictured) 

Eye/Brows

• Brows: Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit in 01 Light
• Mascara: Revlon Lash potion in Black Noir
• Liner: Nyx slide-on glide-on waterproof liner in Brown Perfection

Lips

• Elf studio Lip exfoliator
• Covergirl wetslicks in Guava splash

Brushes

• Real Techniques Buffing Brush
• Sonia Kashuk no. 109 (blending brush)

Scent/Perfume

• Escada Cherry In The Air

Why did I choose these products?

 

That is suuuuuper easy! I love them and when I say love I mean LOOOOVE them! I have been using the Cetaphil for months now and I honestly can say I cannot live without it! It goes on so lightweight and doesn't leave my skin feeling like a oil slick, it just absorbs right on in making me and my face happy! I have been really trying out multiple foundations lately and have just truly fell in love with the Revlon colorstay whipped, I grab it every single time! I love how creamy it is and blends like a dream without looking heavy while leaving a very natural matte skin finish. I have used it in every picture on all of my blog posts..take a look, what do you think?  As for the blush I just really like the color it puts off against my skin tone and I feel that it works with most looks I put together. 

 

I didn't choose a favorite eyeshadow simply because I just can't! I am using so many different ones at the moment I couldn't choose a single one overall that I found as my "I can't live without this at the moment shadow". For my brows I don't like using a pencil to fill them in, they are so thin it just looks drawn on and fake so I choose to use powder and the Milani brow kit's darkest color was perfect for me, plus it came with a brush, sponge applicator and tweezers! I use the tweezers as well for lashes and plucking! While shopping, I came across an endcap at Kroger and found the lash potion mascara and thought well I will give it a go and see how it is. OMG! I almost do not need false lashes!! It has a dry formula (but not too dry) and really extends my lashes out so far they fan my face..ok MAYBE they don't do that but pretty close! Liner? I love Nyx, I really haven't found anything I do not like from them but the slide-on glide-on do exactly what they say. It has such a nice smooth, creamy texture that just glides right onto my waterline or where ever I choose to put it. It is waterproof as well so I won't have to worry about it running down my face when I am a hot mess! I also have not had any issues with it fading or flaking. YAY!! Here are some swatches of the blush and the liner.

 

 My all time favorite of the bunch is hands down the lip exfoliator. I briefly spoke about this in my ELF haul and I am not kidding this tiny thing is practically magic in a lip scrub. I have the worst chapped lips at times and every morning I scrub this over them and they stay baby smooth all day! It was only $1 so you can't beat that!  If you haven't tried the covergirl wetslicks go try them. This one has a wonderful scent very fruity, it gives off a good shine and are comfortable on my lips! It does wear off but it's cool it is just gloss, go reapply that puppy!

 

I love to watch Pixiwoo on Youtube. You can find them here if your not familiar with them: Pixiwoo Youtube channel.  Sam and Nic are sisters who do amazing tutorials (go check them out!) and use the Real Technique brushes all the time..why? Because they ARE Sam's brushes. I almost have the entire line but I use the buffing brush the most. You can check out www.realtechniques.com to see tutorials on how to use the brushes. I found the Sonia Kashuk at target because I was on a hunt for a quality blending brush close to the MAC 217 but a fraction of the price. Now I don't know if it is a dupe for the 217 but I am happy with how it performs.

 

Lastly, my new perfume! I got this from a close friend of mine for my birthday. We were shopping together at Ulta when she told me about it. I immediately had to smell it and fell in love. I can't really describe the smell other than it has a sweet cherry smell but not over powering. It is simply delicious. Others must think so too because as I was checking it out I had another woman circling me like a vulture just waiting to snatch it up as soon as I put it down and even asked me about it(I had snapped up the very last one and had no desire to set it down). Regan being the sweet friend she is demanded that she buy it for me for my birthday!! I couldn't say no. If you have not heard of this perfume stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and head to Ulta or any fragrance shop immediately. You will love it!

Whew!! That was a lot longer than I had expected it to be. I hope I didn't bore you too much. Tomorrow is tip and tricks Tuesday so stay tuned for your next DIY or beauty tip. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. Until next time!!

<3

Jess