December Beauty Favorites 2013

Ola beauty lovers. I just can not believe it is the end of 2013 already. My has the time gone by quick. I remember just starting out this blog in May and thought we have plenty of time till the end of the year.
But that time has crept up on us fast. Today I am going to talk about my monthly favorites. Now a lot of you may ask "What about your yearly favorites?" since we are at the end of the year, and I plan on doing a yearly favorites next week some time, I just need a minute to get together my favorites of the year. So today will be my monthly favorites. I don't know about you all but I just love these types of posts or videos because they tell me what that person enjoys using daily to monthly. Let's just jump right in.

1. California Mango Nail Cuticle Oil
- Every winter my cuticles get to the point where I am afraid to leave my house looking like a crusty handed girl. No lie, so every time I give myself a manicure (every 3 days or so) I drench my nails and cuticles with this oil to ensure the moisture is put back into my nails and cuticles to prevent cracking, peeling, splits, breakage and all that jazz you ladies know about when it comes to natural nails. I have a refillable mango cuticle bottle to put in this little jar so this is my go to cuticle oil. Very affordable at Sally's. You can really use any cuticle oil you have at your finger tips, and if you don't want to go out and buy it, then just stick some olive oil in a little reusable cuticle bottle and use it that way. Very cheap and at your finger tips :) Love you girls!

2. Mango Vera Hand & Body Lotion: Professional size
- Again every winter my skin just gets so dry that I get dry rashes because my skin gets overly dry. So this huge bottle of body lotion has been my go to for months, but especially this month since this month is when it got really cold in Canada. This lotion smells like mango with a hint of Aloe Vera. Very affordable under $10 at Sally's and lasts a long time. I have had this bottle for about a year and use it every day. Doesn't leave your skin greasy and that is why I enjoy it so much!

3. L'Oreal Youth Code Eye cream
- Got this eye cream months back at Wal-Mart for under $10 and it has lasted me so long, I am trying to finish it, I enjoy it a lot as a drug store under eye cream. Doesn't leave your skin greasy, and works great when you apply it before your makeup/concealer. I have dry under eyes so this stuff helps out with moisturizing.

4. Lancome Multi Vital Face Cream (Deluxe Sample size)
- I have so many face creams to get through, and so far out of the ones I have tried, I really enjoy this Lancome one. The amount of moisture built into this cream is phenomenal. This has SPF 30 which is an added bonus, and when I apply it before my foundation, it applies smoothly and doesn't leave behind any greasiness. Love this cream this winter. I can imagine the regular tub is expensive so I will hold off buying it until I finish the rest of my creams. #Beautyloverproblems

5. Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy Perfume
- Been a fan of Britney Spears since I was 9. Don't judge lol anyways, loved her perfumes as well. Midnight Fantasy is a great perfume for those who do not like the strong scents out there. This perfume you can spray on a few times and the strength will not increase from when you apply only one spray. Very subtle and smells soft. This perfume has been my go to all month long, I have been enjoying it. You can get these perfumes at your drug store.

6. Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze"
- These are great alternatives to the MAC paint pots in you don't want to go spend a lot of money on the MAC paint pots. I have a few colors in my collection but this month I have been using the Bad to the Bronze shade. Love this color for all over the eye lid by it self with nothing else. Simple and classic especially for those days you are rushing out the door. These color tattoo's go for $7-$9 depending on where you get them. Love these baby's. Word on the street is that there are limited edition ones that are matte and are the same color as your skin tones but I haven't been able to find them. But nonetheless these are great.

7. Sigma Eyeshadow Base in "Persuade"
- Another lazy route I have been going is applying a shadow base and some liner with mascara and out the door I go. When I do that I have been going to my Sigma shadow base in Persuade. Love this pink flesh tone. It just makes your look so much more crisp and simple. Love it. I think these bases go for around $10 give or take a few bucks. The staying power of this base is long lasting and keeps the look fresh throughout the day. Love it. This is also another dupe for Macs Painterly paint pot.

8. Clinique Intense Chubby Stick Lip Balms
- Now these balms I have done a more detail review a few weeks ago. But I just love, love, love these sticks. They are so pigmented, moisturizing, and they don't chap my lips like matte lipsticks do in the dead cold of winter. Love these, I now have six shades, I got a few from Christmas :)

9. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette
- For those days when I use shadows, my go to palette this month has been the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I received it in the mail at the end of November and I did not put it down once this month. I also did a more detailed review on this palette, so go check out my previous posts! Anyway, love this palette, love the rose gold theme, and I love how its a more subtle palette that I can work with for work on an everyday basis.

10. Clarisonic Mia
- I have had this baby for two months now and I have been using religiously since it arrived. Love this thing to exfoliate and polish my skin. The amount of dirt it removes that I didn't see it before is mouth dropping. I don't know what I would do without this baby now. It is expensive, but it is so worth it in the long run. I have the Clarisonic Diaries posts to tell you my journey with this baby but I must warn you, it is a love hate relationship. Go check out my posts and you will see why!
http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2013/12/clarisonic-diaries-dec-6th-2013.html
http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2013/11/the-clarisonic-diaries-nov-23-2013.html
http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/search?q=clarisonic+diaries 

11. TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Protection
- This is one of the most well known products over YouTube. This is my heat protect-ant I use every time I flatiron my hair. Love this stuff. Doesn't leave your hair greasy. Keeps your hair soft and silky and is VERY affordable, about $5. Love this stuff so much that I have a back up of it. Yup I am not ashamed.

12. Biosilk Silk Therapy Serum (Sample Size)
- Got this as a sample at the Toronto Hair Show and I have been using it since March and its been lasting me ages. Love it! It makes my hair feel so silky and soft after I blow dry it. It makes me want to caress my hair all day. I definitely notice a difference when I don't use it and that should tell you something! I am not sure what a regular size bottle would cost, but if you can get your hands on the sample size it should last you a while. Love it, been using it all month long.

Well ladies and gents, that is all of my favorites for this month. Hope you enjoyed, and I wish all of my fellow readers a Happy and Safe New Years! Don't forget, if you are drinking, DON'T DRIVE!

P.s. Don't  forget to check out my YouTube Channel: MacGril25Antonietta

Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25

Current Nail Care Routine

Ola Beauty Lovers! I know its been a week since I last posted but what can I tell you, my daytime job is at a busy period at the moment so by the time I get home I am pooped to go back onto the computer to post. But I figured its Friday and here in Canada it is the long weekend, so I should get you readers something to read for the long weekend we have here in Canada. Right before school starts for the kids (I don't have any, I just mean in general) we have Labor Day Monday September 2nd 2013, a national holiday of which is great!

Today I am here to talk to you about my current nail care routine. I have always a lot of people telling me how healthy and amazing my nails look. Well sweet heart, it takes work. You think I was born with these nails looking so groomed? Honey let me tell you, once upon a time, I used to bite my nails to the nubs and they would bleed! Yes those were my childhood years. Then once I got into high school I discovered the acrylic nails. Boy are those horrible for your nails! By the time I graduated high school, out in the working world/college world I discovered I can get my natural nails looking as if they were fake but they are in fact all N A T U R A L.

I change my nail polish every 2 to 4 days. Depending on how much I like the color/formula and if I am not busy, but I always find the time to paint my nails :) that is just me. My ultimate favorite nail polish companies are OPI (#1), China Glaze (#2), and Essie (#3). I still use other brands like L'oreal, Sally Hansen, Sephora by OPI, but those 3 are my top 3 brands of which I own the most nail polish from. You can get OPI, China Glaze, and Essie at any Beauty Supply outlet or drug store.

Now in order for your polish to look utterly fantastic, you must take care of your natural nails. Every time I remove my polish I use this process religiously.

1. Buff my nails slightly (not a lot, do not get carried away) to to ensure that there are no lumps or bumps on the nail bed surface so that your polish applies smoothly.

2. File my nails to the length I am comfortable having them. ( I don't do this step every time because there are times I like the length of my nails so I don't touch the length. Only if I get a split nail or they are as long as claws is usually when I take out the file)

3. If required I will use the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover to take away dead skin (Try really hard never to snip at your cuticles because that will make them mad!)

4. Wash my hands with my bath and body works hand soap. Yum.

5. Apply 2 coats of the "Growth Spurt" Nail polish base. This stuff is my holy grail. Any time I use this, my nails grow like weeds.

6. Let dry then apply 2 coats of my favorite color nail polish I am feeling at the moment. (Yes my colors change all the time, that's the fun in doing your nails girls!)

7. Let that dry then apply your top coat. My top coat at the moment is the Seche Vite. Love it! It dries instantly. Just what ever you do make sure when you use it that you have the window open so that you don't ingest those fumes. This one has a bit of a strong smell.

8. Lastly I apply 2 different kinds of cuticle oil. Sometimes I only apply one or the other and sometimes I apply both. The cuticle oil in the skinny tall bottle is suppose to promote strong, long healthy nails, and the cuticle oil in the small chubby bottle is just a mix of mango/jojoba/avocado oils. I mixed that small bottle myself with my own oils I have. ( Yes I am an oil freak. Comment below if you want me to post an article on beauty benefits of using natural oils).

Now you are thinking, my gosh woman that's a lot of steps. But for those true beauty lovers out there, you will understand that these steps are like a relaxing process. Once my manicure is done, I always apply the nail cream and cuticle oils every night before bed to help maximize my nails to their fullest potential.

Below is a photo of all the products I use except the nail polish. Its up to you which creams and oils you prefer to use, as everyone is different and also has their own preference. I usually switch up my cuticle creams after I finish one because I love to try out new things. But this is what I am currently using now. Also I will post here some photos of my nails after my manicures are done so you can see how well they are coming along. If you want to follow me on instagram, I post all kinds of nail swatches there on a regular basis. You can find me @Antoniettanacc

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with me your favorite colors you like to wear.

Until next time Beauty Lovers ❤
MacGirl25