January Beauty Favorites 2014

Ola beauty lovers. I can not believe another month has gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was back to work from the Christmas Holidays. So today we are talking about favorites of the month. just to warn you if  you are interested in seeing swatches then please make sure you visit my YouTube Channel MacGirl25Antonietta.

1. Wet 'n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes- "Comfort Zone" & "Sweet as Candy"
- Love these palettes. They are great for every day use. The pigmentation is great. A tiny bit powdery but they are still easy to blend with. Very affordable less then $5 at the drug store.

 2. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser
- Everyone and  their mother has this new face primer from the drug store. I was really impressed by this primer. It does the job to eliminate un-wanted oils throughout the day. Affordable drug store price (around $8) and a little goes a long way. This product is very silicone based I find, but when you apply it to your skin, it makes your skin feel like silk. This is a great alternative to the Benefit Porefessional and is a fraction of the price of Benefits product.



3. Sigma Beauty Eyeshadow Base in Persuade
- I have been using this all month long. This is a great dupe for the MAC's Painterly Paint pot. It is a great pinky toned base you can use under shadow or on its own. I have been using this on its own with some eyeliner and mascara, then I pop on a bold/bright lip and out the door I go. These bases do not crease, they do not move which is a bonus. I got mine on line at SigmaBeauty.com.



4. Rain Cosmetics Eyeliner: Bangin' Baby Brown
- Shopped my collection and found this gorgeous chocolate brown eyeliner in my drawer. I purchased this puppy off Hautelook a while back. So I decided to use it the last few weeks and have been loving it! The liner is so rich and creamy. Easy to apply and work with. The only downfall is that it is not waterproof. BUT if you can get past that, it's a great product. I don't remember how much I paid but Hautelook always has flash sales at discounted prices so I know it wasn't full price.


5. Lip combo of the month: MAC Lipstick in Sushi Kiss & Nyx Cosmetics Xtreme Lip cream in Nude Peach Fuzz
- Been loving this combo all month long. It gives my lips the most amazing nude peach lip. The extreme lip cream goes on last because it has a lasting power to it so the product will last longer on your lips even when drinking or eating! Go check out my instragram for photos @AntoniettaNacc





6. MAC Lip gloss in Love Child
- Been also wearing this gloss on its own for those days I just want something quick on the lips. I am almost finished this tube so I am working on getting it empty for my back to MAC products. It is a great mauve purple shade perfect for the winter cold months. Very pigmented and not over sticky.


7. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
- Here is another eyeshadow/base I have been loving this month. Affordable, pigmented, lasts all day with no creasing. Just great if you don't have time to play with a palette. This is the best thing to get up and go. You can find these at your local drug stores.


8. LUSH Mask of Magnaminty
- LOVE LOVE LOVE this mask. This is my holy grail mask. I tell you, if you read my Clarisonic Diaries entries you will know this mask has changed my life for the good. All natural ingredients, has peppermint, kaolin, and adzuki beans for exfoliating. This stuff seriously made my break outs shrink in a matter of using it twice in a week. Will always repurchase this bad boy. The small jar goes for $12 and the bigger jar is $24. Personally these are the more affordable prices compared to Glam glow at $70! Believe me Lush Mask of Magnaminty is worth the try, if you don't have this then GO GET IT WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR WOMAN/MAN!


9. Estee Lauder Sparkling clean oil control foaming cleanser
- Got this baby at one of the MAC Sales I went to last year. Really been loving this stuff. Makes my skin feel squeaky clean and really helps control my oils. It is pricey regular price $50plus but I scored mine for $20 at the sale which was great. If I ever go again I will pick some more up. I will never pay full price for this, if I need to I can use drug store cleansers there are a few I enjoy from the drug store as well.



10. Tim Hortons Blueberry White Tea
- My ultimate favorite tea. Tim Hortons discontinued this tea for a while and now they brought it back which made my month. Been drinking this tea all month long. Love it!



 Well everyone that was my monthly favorites for January, I hope you all enjoyed. For swatches please go check out my YouTube Channel MacGril25Antonietta. Thanks for coming back and reading my posts!

Instagram: @AntoniettaNacc
Twitter: @AntoniettaNacc

Until Next time Beauty Lovers!
MacGirl25
xoxo

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation Review

Ola beauty lovers! Today is another product review for you all. Now if you know me and my product purchased past, you will know I never purchased drug store foundations in my yearly make up years. I was so afraid to try drug store foundations because I did not want to break out from them. So the only foundation I ever used was the MAC Studio liquid foundation back then. It was a safe zone for me because it did not break me out, had decent coverage etc.

I began to get more adventurous with my foundation brands in the drug store only last year. I mean I have a handful of high end foundations that are good (more reviews on those to come), but I thought to myself, what is the worst that could happen? I may break out? Then I will just stop using the product. Yes it could be a gamble on wasted hard earned money, but if I keep the receipt I can always return it if I do not like it.

This L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation is not my first drug store foundation, BUT it is the first one I am going to review. I kept seeing the foundation pop up on YOUTUBE videos. So of course being the Beauty junkie that I am, I got curious and wanted to try it out myself. Keep in mind I am oily to combination skin. So this time of year (dry cold winter) would be the only and best time to try this foundation out. That is what I did.

I am in the shade 06 Sun Beige. They have a few different shades to choose from. The only down fall is you can not test them in the store, so what I did was made note on the shades some of the YouTube girls with similar skin tones as me and went from there. When I applied this shade it was bang on to my skin tone. Yup I am good.

When you first apply the foundation it has this cool soothing sensation of a cold cream. Which is refreshing in the winter time for me because during this time of year I am as dry as a bone most of the day. Application is very easy with this product. Glides on smooth, leaves no streaks. A little bit goes along way so don't over do it.

The foundation gives a luminous glow (hence the name), so the more product you put on the more "glow" aspect you will get out of it. BUT let me just say this, less is more. Don't cake it on because then you will look like a oil slick.

The foundation is medium to full coverage and build able using thin layers. I would suggest using a face primer underneath it for those girls who are oily to combo, or oily skin. It will hold the foundation better. Doesn't matter what face primer just use one for goodness sakes! Dry skin girls don't need a face primer but if you wish to use one knock yourself out.

The wear-ability of this foundation is average to me. I put it on at 8am, by the time 5pm comes around there is still foundation on my face but it doesn't have a long 12 hour wearing time. I would say between 6 to 8 hours at most of wear you can get out of this foundation. Which for me is good because I only use this in the winter, and I use it daily for going to work or hanging out around the house etc. What ever you do, do not wear this if you plan to go to the gym. This will just make you look like a complete oil slick after you sweat.


Now I will be the first one to admit this, this foundation I would not be able to use during the spring and summer time due to my skin type. So cold months would be were I would use this baby. I will stay far away from this foundation in warmer months so I don't emphasize my oily issues. But for the time being in winter, this is pretty decent if you ask me.

The packaging of the product is very useful. It comes in a pump form so it is easy to apply and doesn't make a disaster all over the place. Plus it keeps your foundation in the bottle germ free, so you don't need to dip your fingers or brush in the bottle to take out the product. You don't want to contaminate your product, because then when it goes on your face, that is when break outs will begin to happen.

The price point on this foundation ranges between $16-$21 depending where you purchase it. Realistically for $10 more you could get a higher end foundation. BUT for those of you who don't want to spend that extra $10 this is your alternative drug store foundation when you are looking for a luminous glow.

OK so my final thoughts....pretty good drug store foundation. Different skin types need to be careful how and when they use this foundation as to not make them look greasy. Great hydrating compound for the winter time for me anyway. No scent, which is great. I use this on a every day winter foundation basis and works good. The trick is to get to know how your foundation works for your skin type and once you figure that out you are golden!

Make sure you check out and subscribe to my Youtube Channel: MacGirl25Antonietta

Follow me on:
Twitter: @AntoniettaNacc
Instagram: @AntoniettaNacc

Until next time beauty lovers❤️
MacGirl25

This is me with the foundation on: ☺️

Clarisonic Diaries January 19th 2014

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog. I thought I would give you all an update on my skin care and using the Clarisonic Mia. The last entry I posted on this topic was about two weeks ago and I am happy to report that my Skin is doing much better now.

The last entry I showed you just how nasty my hormonal break outs can be. Well, there is a few items I have changed in my daily routine that I think has to do with the improvement on my skin.

1. I changed my diet. Cut out more junk food, and eating more clean and drinking more water and tea.
2. Started the gym. I have been going three time a week so far and breaking a serious sweat. Which is good, and it helps me feel better over all.
3. I changed my cleanser to the Estee Laudier Oil Control cleanser. This baby removed un-wanted oils without stripping your skin of the natural moisture it has during this cold weather season.

But the major change that I think did the trick was....are you ready?
4. I started using the Lush Mask of Magnaminty a couple times a week. Let me tell you, that this stuff does wonders!

Now I am going to do a full review on this baby as a different entry, BUT I have to give props to this product for the improvement on my skin because after the first couple sessions of this mask, my skin was looking better and better after each use.

I still use the Clarisonic Mia, but I reduced the number of times I use it per week to about twice a week. Sometimes three times if I feel like I have been wearing too much make up.

Honestly last month this time my face was looking like it had a party of pimples/breakouts all over my chin, and this month, my chin is still healing of course but it doesn't have any redness, and the minor pimples it does have are just the odd ones that stuck around a bit longer from my escapade from last month. Not fun let me tell you.

I honestly think that with all four methods combined above, that is what is helping out my skin so much. The Lush mask has been a HUGE help. So look out for my next review on this product because I am definitely going to share the goodness that comes out of this product with you all in the future.

If you did not read my last entry from the Clarisonic Diaries Series please check out this link below:

http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2014/01/clarisonic-diaries-jan-6-2014.html 

Here is a updated photo on my chin below: Notice the improvements compared with the photos from the link above of over two weeks ago!

Don't forget to follow my blog, Twitter @AntoniettaNacc  , and Instagram @AntoniettaNacc
Until next time beauty lovers!💜
MacGirl25

Mid January 2014 Beauty Empties!

Ola Beauty lovers! It's that time of the month where I show you my mid January beauty empties! I love these type of posts to see others opinions on products that they have finished to the very end. So let me stop babbling as always and jump right into the products.

1. Balea Face Masks
- I mentioned these in pretty much every beauty empties. So all I will says is great drug store face mask, cheap and affordable, and works great on the skin.

2. Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks
- Same goes for these masks as well. Another drug store alternative, affordable and works great on the skin. Will continue to use this brand as well.




3. Listerine Mouth Wash
- This is my favorite mouth wash of all time, love the taste and love the fact their is fluoride in this formula. Anything to help me keep those cavities away because I hate filling cavities. Keep a look out because I will be testing out a few other brands to give you readers an idea of what else is decent out there.




4. Single Pouch Conditioners
- I love the green packet Silk Elements Olive conditioner. That is the one I enjoy the most. As for the cream packet Silk Elements luxury conditioner, this one was an utter fail. Only because the formula smells like old hair spray. It hydrated fine, but because of that smell I was totally turned off by it. The purple packet by proclaim is good as well. This one has keratin so be careful you don't over use this product because you don't want to get breakage from too much keratin in your hair. The white packet ion deep conditioner is good as well. Smells like sweet almond oil and to me acts like a normal conditioner but it does hydrate well.
All these packets I got at Sally's beauty supply for 0.99cents.




5. The Body Shop Grapefruit Body Butter
- I just love the body shop body butters. I have been a fan of them since I was in high school. This one is the smaller size container, but I have a couple of the larger tubs so I am excited to use those up as well. They can be pricey $25-$30 for the bigger tubs but it is so worth it.



6. Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara- Sample size
- I had a previous sample size before this one and I hate it. The brush is way to large, the product gets all over my lids, and it pretty much was dried up when I opened it up the first time. Not worth the $30 for the full size. Save your money people! There are better mascaras out there for more then half the price.







7. Lancome Visionnaire - sample size
- These type of skin care creams is difficult for me to produce a full opinion on them since I can't get more then a couple uses out of sample sizes. So I only used this as a night cream, did it help diminish pores/wrinkles/dark spots? Not that I could tell but I didn't use it long enough to see an actual difference. Lancome is pricey so no I will not purchase a full size of this.



8. Grassroots Research Labs Vitamin C skin refreshing cleanser
- Got this facial cleanser at the MAC sale back in September, this was on sale for $10. I am not familiar with this brand so I am not sure what their retail costs are. If you do know please leave me a comment below. Anyways it was an OK facial cleanser. It did not wow me in any way. I will not be purchasing this one again, it was decent while it lasted. 


9. Proactiv Solutions: Refining Mask
- This has been in my monthly favorites in the past. LOVE THIS MASK! I have serious hormonal acne and when I start feeling a blemish or break out coming on, I popped this mask on and it would just pull out all the junk out of your skin so that the acne would simmer down. It can be expensive, around $36 a large bottle, but it is well worth the price, believe me.



10. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin
- I enjoyed this blush. It was more of a cream blush but it was very nice. Blends well into the skin. The lasting power is average, I would say between 5-7 hours. I would get another one but I would like to finish a few more blushes before I do so. They are very affordable as well $5-$6. Good drug store alternative.

 

11. Neostrata Intense Brightening Cream- Sample size
- Again I can't come up with a solid opinion on skin care sample sizes so I just used them for night creams. I can't tell if it brightens since I only used it twice, but it was alright while I had the sample. No I will not buy it in full size.


12. Bath and Body Works 3 wick candle: Pumpkin Cupcake scent
- LOVE LOVE LOVE candles. Bath and body works candles are my ultimate favorite. I usually wait until they go on sale 2 for $20 so I can get two for the price of one. The regular price is around $21 each so they are a bit pricey regular price.


13. Lush Sea Spray
- Love this hair sea spray. Its $12 and gives your hair these awesome beach waves. I have repurchased this one already because I enjoy this product so much. I mostly use this in the spring and summer time.This item smells awesome! Like a resort :)


14. Marcelle Eye Makeup Remove
- Like this eye makeup remover. It gets off waterproof eye make up, and its affordable. Wal-Mart carries this brand, and you can get two of these for the price of one. One bottle of this goes for around $7 so that is a good deal. My ultimate favorite is still the L'Oreal one but that one is double the price so I try to only get the L'Oreal one when its on sale.



15. Pro-namel Toothpaste by Sensodyne
- This is my favorite toothpaste brand. It is a bit pricey ($7-$8) but worth it because it really does help with my teeth sensitivity. The iso-active formula is my favorite line in the brand.


Well that is all my empties for the mid month of January. Hope you guys like these quick reviews on my thoughts on these products. Let me know what you have finished and what you liked or didn't like.

Don't forget to go check out my YouTube Channel: MacGirl25Antonietta

Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25

Limecrime Pink Velvetine Quick Review

Ola beauty lovers! I saw a swatch of this Lime crime pink velvetine a while ago online and I just fell completely in love that I picked one up before the holidays. If you haven't seen the swatches on line go check out this link below and you will see what I am talking about.

http://limecrime.com/lips/velvetines-37.html

Tell me after seeing that swatch that your beauty product heart just melted? I know mine did. :)
I have Lime crime lipsticks that I just absolutely enjoy. If you haven't seen my review on those click on this link below:
http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2013/08/limecrime-lipsticks-review.html

So I knew I was going to just have great times with this new baby in my life. First off let me say that Lime Crime shipping packaging is the cutest ever. Comes in a small box with the inside lining printed of white and pink and a Unicorn on the inside of the lid. Then the products are all wrapped in the this neon green tissue paper. Adorable.

The product packaging is even cuter! Lip gloss type of tube, with a red top and a bit of floral design on the handle of the tube. The product has a doe foot applicator (my favorite type of lip product applicator ever).

Now are you ready for it? My thoughts on the actual product itself...Loving it! Ok I only have the one shade in pink velvet BUT I just love love love it! The formula applies on like a mouse texture and then dries to a matte finish.

I must warn you, this is very drying to the lips, so make sure you moisturize those lippies before you apply this product to keep the matte affect. If you don't mind a glossy finish then add a gloss after ward to give your lips some hydration.

Despite the mattifying effect, which I don't mind, the color is so opaque that this product you only need a TINY TINY TINY bit to apply to the lips because the color is so BAM in your face. :)
They only have three shades available at the moment, a red, a coral orange, and the pink. So the color selection is not wide in range. So if you are a neutrals girl and only wear neutrals then this product might not be for you.  Hell it's a new year girl, just try a bright color, who knows you may like it. That way when you try it you can say I inspired you to try a bright color :)


Anyways, that is all for today. Until next time beauty lover!
MacGirl25

In this photo all I am wearing is the limecrime pink velvetine with a lipliner

This photo I am wearing the pink velvetine with a Mac lip glass of the same shade 

MAC Blacktrack Gel Fluidliner Quick Review

Ola beauty lovers. Everyone knows how huge of a fan I am of MAC Cosmetics. I mean my blog nickname should explain it all. BUT There are items that I am just not thrilled with from MAC. Today I am talking about the famous MAC's Black track Gel Liner that every YouTube Guru and Cosmetologist has in their collection. This item is so well known all over the beauty world, but for some reason I find that it is known for only it's brand name.

Are you ready for my opinion on this product? I think this gel liner is average. Yes I said, average for a MAC product. Why? you may ask. Well, the pigmentation on the product is average, if you want deep pigmentation you need to apply more then one coat. Most of the time I apply this gel liner on top of my graphic black eye liner from MAC to get that deeper effect. This gel liner is not water proof. It does have the ability to run and smudge if you don't set it with shadow in the warmer months or if your eye water a lot.

Would I repurchase this product again? No, because I have seen out in the blogger and YouTube beauty community so many other gel liners out there had have a better ability to not smudge, run, and are a lot more pigmented then this product.

If you don't have this liner gel, don't get it. Not worth the money it's valued at $16 US and of course it is a few dollars more in Canada. There are other drug store brand gel liners that are much better quality then this one at half the price.
If you have this product in your stash, I would say this gel liner is decent enough to use as an every day liner until you finish it or until it dries out. But for special occasions I would say this liner is not a great one to work with especially if you plan on dancing up a storm out on the dance floor.

Hope you all enjoy my quick review on this Gel liner! Thank you so much for reading. xo

Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25

Clarisonic Diaries Jan 6, 2014

Ola beauty lovers! It's a cold one today in Canada and with the cold weather comes dry stubborn skin. My face lately hasn't been acting normal over the last few months. Most of the year, well in the warmer months at least, my skin will have very minor hormonal break outs before my period that only last a few days. BUT since November my skin is not working with me.

My hormonal break outs have been lasting for a week and half or more before my period! For you women out there you know how annoying this can be, I feel your pain! It can be difficult to put on makeup when your skin is looking like you got chicken pox or dried blemishes that make you look dehydrated. I have to say, I have been under a lot of stress since November, which is most likely why my skin acted out for the last two months. I promised my self this new year I would turn that stress around, and six days in, I am doing pretty good. Staying positive, keeping my mind exercised, and keeping my body exercised. Yes I am joining the gym. I am not going to get into why and all that jazz as that is for another post, based on another topic. BUT I am really hoping that these changes I am making inside help with my skins out come on the outside. Of course I am changing my eating habits as well. More healthier choices will help my breakouts stay away.

Any ways, my Clarisonic journey is still on the go. I have still been using my Clarisonic Mia every other night, some times every third night depending how much exfoliating I need. I am finding in the winter time, I exfoliate more since my skin just tends to flake off more then the summer time. I still wash my face twice a day, however if I use the Clarisonic I make sure I only use it once in that day not twice! I tone after I wash my face and then apply moisturizer. I use face masks through out the week to help keep these bloody break outs at bay, but ladies and gents, it is so hard to keep these break outs under control. The last two weeks my break outs before my period have been outstandingly uncontrollable. You don't believe me? Oh I have pictures for ya to see. This is what my chin looks like a week and half before my period. The pigmentation on these babies are brutal. I am trying every dark spot corrector during this time to get rid of these spots and any scars that may be left behind.

Now just so you know the Clarisonic DID NOT do this acne party on my face. I have been using the Clarisonic Mia since early November and my skin already did the break out badly portion of that process. However these break outs are all hormonal a week and half before my period as you see below. I am praying that it is just because this winter is bad, but once spring hits and if these break outs don't ease up at that time of my cycle then I am kicking my ass over to a dermatologist to see what else I can do.Once my period comes my break outs actually diminish and disappear, but for that time frame before hand, its just horrifying.

In the mean time I am doing trial and error to see what else can work with my face. Let's hope I find an answer this year. I am still doing my skin care routine daily, let me know in the comments below if you would like to see a skin care routine and what products I enjoy using that I find that works for me?

Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25

Garnier BB Cream Review: Oily Combination skin

Ola beauty lovers! Hope you all had a great holiday. I am back with a review, and it is with one of the most impressive product I have yet to experience. The Garnier BB cream is by far the best drug store BB cream brand that I have tried to date. I got the great recommendation from Lizzy at Whatwouldlizzydo on YouTube. I honestly did not think this product was going to WOW me, but Lizzy tells no lies.

For a drug store BB cream it can be a bit pricey depending where you purchase this product it ranges $14-$22.

There are two types that you can select from, normal or oily combination skin. I have combination skin so that is the one I chose. I am loving this product. With it being -20 here in Canada at the moment, my skin is drier the most times, but I still do get oily in my T zone. The bottle is pretty large considering other high end brands of BB creams. You get about 60mL of product and that is more then enough to last you a long time.

They have two different shades to choose from, Medium/light or Dark/Medium. I use the Dark/Medium shade and even though I am more tanned now that I every been, this shade is workable. If I feel that it makes me a tiny bit lighter then I will bronze up my face a bit to bring the color back. So the only down fall I find is the shade selection is minimal.

The texture of the cream is on the runny/cream side. Yes it can be runny and creamy at the same time. But I love how it meshes with my skin. It feels just like how a BB cream should feel. When you apply the cream on your face it has this cold cream feel where it is cooling to the skin. I use my Real Techniques buffing brush to apply this baby and it just works so well with it. You do not even need to apply a lot, I would say that you apply less than what you apply a foundation.

After applying it to the face, your skin looks and feels so hydrated. You can add a powder to the T zone if you wish but sometimes I just use the BB cream on it's own and I love the look it gives. It provides quiet a bit of coverage and does hide the redness on my cheeks. When I wear it, through out the day I check myself out in the mirror ( I am not Vain I swear) and my skin just looks glowing and healthy!

So I decided to do a bit of research on this product to see what ingredients are included, and this is what I found: don't judge that I researched after I purchased the product. It's the beauty lover inside of me.

Caffeine: we all know that caffeine is well known for as a stimulant and also as a decongestant property.
Mineral Pigments: these are light and blend instantly into the skin, this allows for a light comfortable product that can be blended flawlessly into the skin, also absorbs quickly.
Mineral Perlite: I did not know this but, this is a volcanic rock extract that is well known apparently for it's ultra absorbing properties. It is suppose to assist in keeping your skin matte through out the day.
Vitamin C: We all know Vitamin C is amazing for skin. It acts as an anti oxidant and helps brighten and even out the skin tone.

Where I found this info is on the Garnier web site:
http://www.garnier.ca/_en/_ca/skincare/sc-nutritioniste-skin-renew/bb-cream-combination-to-oily-skin.htm

After reading those ingredients I was impressed with this item. To say the least it was nice to see that companies actually do put beneficial ingredients in products that we use. I swear I have faith in the beauty retail industry, just sometimes I have to wonder.

All in all this product is a thumbs up in my book. Love the texture, love how it applies, love how it leaves my face feeling hydrated but not oily. My suggestion even if you do not have oily skin, I would still suggest the oil-combination formula any ways. I found this item at any local drug store, or Wal-Mart, Target etc.  Definitely worth the hype!





Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25