Friday, October 25, 2013

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review

Ola beauty lovers! I am back again with a review. This time it is on the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. I recently went out of town for a few days and brought this baby with me. But it turns out it was the only eye product I brought. Yes that means I forgot my eyebrow products and eyeliners. So it was the perfect time to improvise. So I did, and let me say, if I was stranded on an island, which palette I would take, it would be this one!

I was able to use this palette for my eyeshadow, my eyebrows AND my eyeliner! I was so happy. I have had this palette for a while now, and I have used it from time to time, but I did not realize how much of a gem it is until I took it with me on a trip and forgot the rest of my make up regime.

The palette comes with 6 neutral shades. They are great colors as well:

Venus: is a shimmery light pale shade great for highlighting the brow bone or your inner corner of the eye.

Foxy: is a matte yellow tones high light, you can use this all over the lid, inner corner of the eye, or highlight the brow bone as well.

W.O.S: is a matte pale pink shade, you can use all over the lid as a base.

Naked 2: is a matte light brown, this shade is perfect for blending colors together to give that perfect blended look. I love using this all over the lid or even in the crease when blending.

Faint: is a matte darker brown which is amazing for the crease, and can be used for your eyebrows as well! If you want a smokey eye without the black this color will do it for you.

Crave: is a matte black which has a bit of fall out but what black shadow doesn't? This color is great for eyebrows or creating that smokey eye look in the crease. I also used this as an eyeliner and it was great!

The colors a great, very pigmented and buttery so they blend nicely. The palette also comes with a great mirror which always helps when traveling as well.

The wear ability of the shadows are good. Just make sure you use an eye primer with them. I have oily lids so I use my smashbox eye primer at the moment so the shadows last longer. The palette is compact so it is very easy to travel with!

Sephora was selling this palette between $27-$29. I am sure the same price goes for the Urban Decay website as well.

Visit your local Sephora, or you can find this palette at the online Sephora or Urban Decay Website.

Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/
Urban Decay: http://www.urbandecay.com/
Beauty Bay: http://www.beautybay.com

Until Next time beauty lovers!❤️
MacGirl25











Tuesday, October 22, 2013

How to paint your nails...a beauty trick Diagram.

Ola beauty lovers! How is everyone doing? Hope you all had a good weekend. So I want to talk a little bit about nail polish. Well not really the polishes but how to apply the polishes. This is going to be a quick tip for all you ladies out there who want to know tricks to avoid getting that polish in the cracks of your cuticles. Don't you hate it when you do your own nails and it looks like a 2 year old did them?

Well, let me tell you, I have mastered painting my nails because I have been doing my own nails for years now. The odd time I will go get a manicure or polish change if I am desperate but on the up and up I usually do my own nails.

Sometimes it gets hard to apply nail polish if you apply too much of it on the brush then swipe it across your nail beds.

Here is a diagram I found a long time ago, and I was meaning to post something like this up for months now. But the diagram explains it all. Take a look below and try to follow the steps next time you paint your nails and leave a comment below if this diagram actually helped you out. I would love to know your thoughts.

Also for those of you who have a nailpolish problem like me, then you will find yourself with billions of polishes and not enough days to wear them all. My favorite brands are OPI, Essie, China Glaze, and the Covergirl polishes as well.

Don't forget to leave a comment down below if this diagram helps you out. :)

Until next time beauty lovers ❤️
MacGirl25

Friday, October 18, 2013

Mid October Beauty Empties 2013

Hello everyone. I hope y'all are having a good week. I haven't been feeling too well this week with my vertigo so I have been taking it easy on the blogging. I just filled a box of beauty empties for mid October and decided to come and share with you what I finished and my thoughts on these products.

1. Beauty Secrets Acetone: Nail Polish Remover
- Everyone who knows me, knows that I change my nail polish every 3 to 4 days. So I go through a lot of nail polish remover. I like this formula because it have wheat protein and vitamin E in it so it doesn't completely dry out my cuticles. You can get this brand at Sally's Beauty Supply. The bottle sizes range and the price ranges depending on the bottle size, but this line is affordable.



2. Dove Dry Shampoo
- Everyone and their mother talks about this shampoo. So I decided to go test out this product that everyone is raving about. The only good thing I can say about this dry shampoo is, it does not leave that white residue on your scalp or hair when you apply it. Does it actually soak up the natural oils in your hair to lengthen the amount of shampoo times....No. That's right, I am disagreeing with the majority of people who love this stuff. It does nothing for my hair, and my hair gets really dry at the ends and very oily at the scalp over a few days. I ended up going back to my Tresemme dry shampoo because that one actually helped out my hair a bit. Not to mention that the Dove dry shampoo seemed like you had to use so much of it that you would run out of the stuff so quickly. Not cool. Still on the hunt for a good dry shampoo.



3. Mane N' Tail Color Protect Conditioner
- I finished the shampoo from this set a while back. I always go through shampoo quicker then conditioner. It doesn't help that I really did not like this conditioner. I mean it's an average drug store conditioner, but I am looking for something more moisturizing since my hair is always being blow dried or flat ironed. Gotta make sure I put back that moisture. You can find this at Sally's Beauty Supply for $6-$8. Wal-Mart carries it as well. I preferably love the shampoo. The conditioner can take a number because it's not on the top of my list.



4. MAC Select Cover up Concealer
- I started using this concealer back in high school. It is great for young women who are starting out in make up. This concealer is a bit sheer on the first application. For a more full coverage you would need to apply 2 coats under the eyes. But for those of you ladies and gents who are over the age of 20, please be sure to apply an under eye moisturizer before applying this concealer because this formula tends to accentuate fine lines when you do not moisturize before hand. I learned that the hard way. I love this stuff though. I already had a back up ready to use once I finished this one. But as you all know I am a MAC lover. My shade in this one is NW25 and my skin tone is an olive complexion so it works well with me. Once you apply this concealer under the eyes make sure you set it with a powder, I use the Ben Nye Banana powder works awesome!



5. Silk Elements Olive Conditioner Packet
- I have a few of these individual packets of the olive conditioner. I love this stuff. The packets are cheap at Sally's Beauty Supply. Usually they go on sale for $0.99. This conditioner leaves my hair silky and smooth. Most of all it keeps my hair hydrated and smells great. It does not leave my hair greasy which is an ultimate bonus. They sell this in a bigger bottle as well, but I love these packets because you can take these any where especially if you travel a lot, or go on road trips etc.




6. NeoStrata Night Repair Cream (Sample size)
- I will not waste my time or your time on this thing. I got it in a sample size and was disgusted with it. Applying this night repair cream was gross. It honestly smelled like the Nair hair removal cream. YUCK! Save your money folks and find another product that would work and smell better. But just know the NeoStrata moisturizing face cream is different than this sample here. and the Moisturizing face cream is very good, go check out my last current favorites as this baby is in that article.




7. St.Ives Facial Cleansing towelettes
- I used love these face cleansing wipes. But over the years I notice that these make up removing wipes are not as moist as they once was. I don't know if it's just me or my mind is playing tricks on me but these make up removing wipes are not that great. Not to mention they are expensive $7-$8 for a pack of 32 cloths. You can find companies that have their make up removing wipes 100 times more moistened that these for half the price and they do the job. I doubt I will get these again unless there is a big sale...highly unlikely.



8. Cinnamon Bun Candle from the Dollar Store
- This is my second cinnamon bun candle I finished burning in a span of a month. I found this candle at the local dollar store for a buck! How great is that? This is a great alternative to the Bath and Body Works Candles for those of you who do not want to spend that kind of crazy money on a candle. Love this candle line and will be back to purchase more. The scent when it burns fills the room just like a Bath and Body Works Candle, the only difference is once the candle is out, the scent of the dollar store one does not last as long in the house as the Bath and Body Works one does. But hey for a buck you can't complain.



9. One 'n Only Argan Oil Hair Color Cream Developer in 20 Volume
- I started using this brand about 5 months ago, and I do not think I will go back to coloring my hair with any other coloring line. This brand is amazing. It is made in Italy which is up my ally being Italian and all, has argan oil infused in all their products including their color formulas, and its cheaper the price than to go to the hair salon to get it done.  The cream developer leave my hair feeling so hydrates and moisturized after coloring my hair. I feel like I nourished my hair instead of damaging it. Amazing!




10. Evian Facial Spray
- Finally finished this second facial spray I had from a pack of two. I got these at Sephora for $15. Such a waste of money. I can make my own facial spray at home with a mini bottle and some distilled water for a fraction of the cost. Won't be purchasing this again.




11. Maybelline The Falsies volume express mascara in black
- Love this mascara. It is affordable $5-$7 depending on where you find it, and it lengthens and volumizes just like it says. This mascara really does make it look like you are wearing false lashes! Love it! The brush is a fibre brush with a bit of a curve to it and works wonders on the lashes. The formula is not flaky and applies very nicely. It does not transfer to the under eye, however its not waterproof so don't cry and then expect the mascara not to run.




12. Clinique pore refining solutions correcting serum (sample size)
- This product for the amount I was able to test out from the sample was not the best. It kept me matte for a few hours however I was breaking through some oils later on in the day. It also did not refine my pores as it claims to do. My pores were just as large as they normally are. Not something I would repurchase in a full size.





13. Mario Badescu Cucumber cleansing lotion (sample size)
- I enjoyed using this product as a toner after I cleansed my face. I wouldn't say it was a lotion of any sort. The formula was more like a toner type of product. It was very cooling to the face after I washed it, it did not sting which was pleasant, and it did pick up any extra make up that my cleanser may have missed, which was not much. I am interested to know the price of a full size of this product. However I am not too sure where Mario Badescu products are sold in Canada. If any of you know please leave a comment down below.




14. J R Watkins Hand Cream in Lavender scent (sample size)
- I really enjoyed this hand cream from JR Watkins. It was not greasy. The lavender scent really helped me relax at night, which was when I used this hand cream. I would be interested to know where they sell JR Watkins products in Canada as I have not seen them around before. If any of you know where I can find full size products of theirs leave your comments down below. Very moisturizing hand cream. Loved it.



15. Bath & Body Works Mini Candle in Leaves scent
- I love Bath & Body Works candles. They are so luxurious and enjoyable as most of you may already know since they are the talk of each changing season. I bought two of these mini candles when they were on sale. They were going for 2 for $5. I couldn't pass it up. I bought Leaves and Pumpkin Caramel Latte. I gave the pumpkin caramel latte to my niece to take home since she loved the scent and she is obsessed with Starbucks. I kept Leaves and burned it to the bottom. Leaves is such a refreshing scent and makes your room feel like fall time. The mini candles do not last as long as the bigger candles do. The mini candle lasted for me for a good 5 hours to 6 hours of burning. But really that's all you need to burn a candle for unless you really are not going out anywhere and leave it burning longer.




16. Dead Sea face spa mask
- I love these at home facial masks. They are my favorite thing to do on a Friday night or Saturday when I just want to chill out and relax with a book. Love them! They are very affordable $2-$3 at Wal Mart! You can pick any type of facial mask as they do have a selection to choose from.

Well that is it for my Mid October beauty empties. I hope you all enjoy reading these type of entries.
Let me know what you have finished up lately and if you liked it or not! :)

Until Next Time Beauty Lovers❤️ 
MacGirl25
















Saturday, October 12, 2013

Tea Tree Oil: beauty tips and tricks

Ola beauty lovers. I hope you all are having a great weekend. It's a long weekend here in Canada for thanksgiving  so I have lots of eating to do over the next few days. 

I wanted to talk to you quickly about a simple ingredient that many of you already know about but some of you may not know about. That is Tea Tree oil. 

This oil can be used for multiple purposes which makes it great for your house hold and affordable as well. 

Here are just a few things you can use tea tree oil for, to give you an idea of how multi purpose it can be : 
1. Tea tree oil is a great remedy for acne spotting treatment. Using a Qtip dip the Qtip in the oil and dab it gently on the affected break outs on your face or body. This oil will dry up the pimples and deminish the redness. 

2. Tea tree oil is great to use as a toner after you cleanse your face. Take some distilled water, pour it into a small spray bottle and add a few drops of tea tree oil and shake it up. There you have your own home made toner for your face at a cheap alternative :)

3. Tea tree oil also used as an antiseptic for cuts/scrapes, hang nails, and any type of minor skin reaction you may come across. I have ingrown toe nails and when they flare up I use tea tree oil to help ensure my nails do not get infected. Also when I go for pedicures, after I come home from the spa I put some tea tree oil on my toes to ensure I don't get any infections. You just never know how spas keep thier tools clean. I always say I'd rather be safe then sorry. 

4. Tea tree oil can also be used on your hair. When I feel like I need to add a stimulant to my scalp I add a few drops of tea tree oil to my shampoo to get rid of access oils and build up and to stimulate the scalp for better hair growth. Tea tree also is great to keep away lice for those of you with kids in school. Put a fee drops in their shampoo once a week and those little critters should keep thier distance from your kids heads :)

5. Tea tree oil is a disinfectant for non body related items as well. I had tee trea oil in a medium spray bottle and I spray this all over my bed sheets, pillows, carpets, couches etc. This oil is a cleaning disinfectant which works great for those cleaning fanatics. 

A small bottle of tea trea oil is around $8-$12 each. Which is pretty good for it being a multi purposes product. Keep in mind that this is an essential oil therefore when you use it remember a little goes a long way. 
You can find tea tree oil at any drug store or natural food store. Make sure it says 100% pure tea tree oil on the bottle. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this entry
Thanks all for reading!
Until next time beauty lovers ❤️
MacGirl25 

Friday, October 11, 2013

Current Beauty Favorites Oct 11 2013

Ola Beauty lovers. How have ya'll been doing? I am sorry it took me a while to write another entry, I got sick and had the bad case of the coughing fits. Not fun. Anyway I have a few items I want to share with you that I have been loving for the last few weeks, I know I did not do a September beauty favorites but here are my current favorites :)


1. It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Conditioner ($17)
- A lot of you know about this leave in conditioner. I honestly love it and it is worth all the hype out there. This product helps my hair de-tangle, conditions, leaves my hair silky and shiny, also helps split ends. I am using the one with keratin at the moment, and I am really enjoying it. I find that it does not leave my hair greasy, and you only need to use a little bit as it goes a long way. Trade Secrets or any hair salon in the Wal Mart carries them too.




2. L'oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cleansing facial cleanser ($14)
- I have been trying out the L'oreal line of facial cleansers, and this one is the second one I have tried and I do enjoy. This one is a deep cleansing gel face wash and feels so cooling on the skin. Very gentile cleanse that keeps my skins oil controlled. The scent is so refreshing, a good choice for a morning face wash.


3. Proactive Refining Mask ($28)
- I love this refining mask. Yes proactive can be a bit expensive but this product helps my break outs a million times more then any other mask does. When I feel like Pipa (that's what I name my pimples...get it...Pippa, anyway) is coming out to make an appearance, I slather this stuff over the affected area and any other area where I feel like I am getting a break out and leave it on for 15 minutes, then wash off with luke warm water, my face feels fabulous. The best part is that Pippa goes back down as if she was never there. Love this product, I have a back up of it already too.



4. Neo Strata moisture infusion face cream (unknown)
- This is a deluxe sample I got a while back, do not remember where but I am enjoying this face cream. It is super moisturizing without being greasy. Which is my favorite part about it. There are so many creams that are very moisturizing and greasy and those are not for me.  That's why I am really liking this Neo Strata face cream. I would be interested to by the full size once I finish my other sample creams.



5. Benefit They're Real Mascara ($28)
- I got a sample size of this mascara for my birthday gift from Sephora. I heard mixed reviews on this, but after trying it myself, I am loving this mascara. It lengthens and volumizes your lashes without having clumps in between. You need to make sure you have a good make up remover because this stuff is waterproof.


6. The Help (Novel) By Kathryn Stockett
- This favorite is not beauty related but thought I would share with you my current read is called "The Help". It's about a few black maids who are living in Mississippi during the 60's. Looking forward to getting deeper into the novel. I love to read and getting cuddly with a book.




Until next time beauty lovers❤️
MacGirl25

Saturday, October 5, 2013

September Beauty Empties 2013

Ola Beauty lovers! I am back again with another Beauty Empties for September 2013. I can not believe how the time is flying. These so called beauty empties give me a chance to finish the beauty products in full to give some sort of opinion on them based on my experiences with them. Hope you enjoy! Lets jump right in.

1.  Q-tips are a staple for my make up/beauty routine. I use Q-tips for precision work on the eyes, clean up around the lips, and clean up around my finger nails when I make minor mistakes in applying my nail polish. This was a 400 pack which lasted me a long time, you can get them at any drug store or even the dollar store carries them as well for even cheaper.



2. Soft soap Body Butter body wash in indulgent chocolate was amazing. I found this at the dollar store for 2 bucks and I had to try it out. The smell is unbelievable, and the moisture it adds to your skin is good. For 2 bucks you can't go wrong with this one. 

3. L'Oreal go 360 Clean Anti Breakout  Facial Cleanser was awesome. This product came with a rubber scrub you can use to exfoliate and remove all the dirt. It was great. I will definitely get this one again. I am trying the other L'Oreal cleansers at the moment from the same line so once I am done those I will be re purchasing this again. It kept my acne at bay and under control. I got these at Winners for like $6, normally they go for around $15 so that is a great bargain. They have other types of cleansers for different types of skin in case you want to try out another one instead of the anti breakout one.

4. Bath and Body Works hand soap in eucalyptus and mint was enjoyable. I go through hand soaps a lot so you will most likely see a new scent of hand soap in my empties pretty much almost every month. It is just the way it is doll face. Gotta keep those nasty germs away.

5. L'Oreal Arginine resist treatment was pretty decent for a drug store brand of hair strengthener. I used this after I shampoo and before I condition, this stuff would keep my hair fall out under control and keep those fly away hairs out of sight. I actually have changed up my hair care routine, so if you fellow readers would like to see that please feel free to leave me a comment below and let me know. Anyway this stuff did the job, very affordable as well, you can get this at your local drug store.

6. Nexxus Humectress Luxe leave in conditioner was a very good leave in conditioner for the summer time. This stuff is pretty expensive, like $18 a bottle at the drug store, but it does the job. This leave in conditioner is very light weight, non greasy, and it DE-tangles your hair as well, which is a bonus. If you are willing to splurge on this baby check it out. I know some women have issues with getting knots out of their hair after they shower so this could be the answer to your problems :)

7. Cinnamon Bun Candle was the best way to start off my candle burning for the fall season. I actually found this candle at the dollar store for a buck! It lasts a long time, and the scent is great. Can't go wrong with alternative candles that are cheaper then your average Bath and Body work candle. Don't get me wrong, those BBW candles are amazing I have some myself, but it just burns me to use them since they are so pricey.

8. Secret la la la Lavender deodorant is my ultimate favorite antiperspirant ever. It is the clear formulate so no white residue is left on your clothes which is awesome. You can get this at any drug store, I usually find mine on sale for 3 bucks because regular they go between $4-$5.

9. L'Oreal Gentile Eye makeup Remover is my favorite eye make up remover ever. I had one of these in last months empties and this shows you how much I love this stuff. Yes it is pricey, they increased the price to this product from $9 to $14! Brutal I know but I try to keep an eye out for it to go on sale and that is when I snatch up a couple for back ups. This formula is non greasy, takes off any waterproof make up you have, and leaves your skin feeling hydrated and not dry. I actually saw lately at the store that they have changed the packaging so it has a bit of a different more square packaging to it. 

10. Silk Elements Olive Oil Conditioner is my favorite conditioner to use every so often to bring my hair back a little bit of moisture it needs. They have these in the big bottles but I find these individual packages more convenient for me, and these are usually on sale for 99cents at Sally's beauty supply. 

11. Creamy Coconut milk shower gel was a tiny size product I had in a set that was given to me a long time ago. Since it was sample September I tried to use up my mini size products as best as I could. This was one of them. This product came from the body shop, and it smelled great but I doubt I'll purchase this in full size. It didn't really moisturize as much as I wanted it to. I don't even know if this product is still available.

12. La Roche Posay Purifying foaming gel was a gentile facial cleanser I used in the shower. This was very light weight and not harsh on the skin at all. Although I don't think I would use this to take off my regular make up as it didn't seem strong enough for that. This type of cleanser is good for when you don't have make up on, but you want to cleanse your face from the natural oil build up over night. It was alright, just not something I would purchase in full size.

13. Biotherm anti drying body milk with citrus extracts was by far a very enjoyable body lotion. The smell was amazing, smelled like I was applying oranges to my skin. The hydration was great, non greasy formula was nice to apply to the skin. I am not sure what a full size of this baby costs but once I am done my other body lotions I will look into getting this little guy in full size.

14. Glam Glow Facial Mud Mask was enjoyable. This was a sample I received from a Sephora purchase I made a while back. The mask was made to tingle a bit which was fine for me, I know some people don't like that. The mask removed all my excess oils and left my skin feeling exfoliated and fresh. I know this brand is very expensive so I doubt I will purchase this in full size in the near future but we will see.

15. Bach Rescue Remedy is my go to natural stress reliever. Put a couple drops of this in your water before drinking your water, and I am telling you that you're stress levels will melt away. I can not go anywhere without carrying this in my purse just in case. This formula is a mix of floral oils that creates a calming effect when you take it. You can find this at any natural food path store and believe it or not even some Shoppers Drug Marts in Canada also carry it. A tiny bottle like this goes for about $14.

16. Bioderma tightening pore cream was ok. I mean it kept me matte for a couple hours but those oils still broke through after a couple of hours. I wouldn't waste my money on a full size of this since I know there are better products out there. This was another sample I got with a purchase, can not remember what though. Oh and P.s. The smell sucked.

17. Another Bioderma facial cream that I just was not impressed with. This is another sample size. The smell sucked and this one made me feel greasier then before I applied it. Not my cup of tea.

18. La Roche Posay Redermic C serum was awful. This stuff smelled horribly, and it made my skin so oily I felt like an oil slick instead of my skin being hydrated. This was another sample size that I will not be purchasing in full size at all.

19. Fe-breeze Hawaiian candle was my favorite summer time scent this year. I burned this candle on and off for a few months. This scent is strong so you don't need to burn it for long periods of time. I enjoyed it, Wal -Mart carries these for about $4.

Well Ladies and Gents that is it for my September Beauty Empties. If you want to check these out on my YouTube Channel please go check me out at MacGirl25Antonietta. Hope you all enjoyed this mini review, and thank you all so much for reading.

Until Next Time Beauty Lovers❤️
MacGirl25