October Beauty Favorites 2013

Ola Beauty Lovers! Yes I am back with in twelve hours again to give you more love :)

Today is October Beauty Favorites! I have a tone of stuff so bare with me and if you can go get your self a hot cup of something to enjoy while reading this novel :)

1. It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Conditioner with Keratin
- I LOVE THIS STUFF! My hair has been so healthy since I use this in my damp hair after I shower and towel dry before I blow dry! My ends have never felt so healthy for such a long period of time until I began using this. Remember a little goes a long way so a couple of sprits through out your hair will help the following: Maintenance if Keratin straightening treatment, increases styling and manageability, perfect for all hair types, replaced lost protien, protects the natural keratin in hair, protects against heat, restores hydration balance, detangles, defrizzes and adds shine, strengthens hair structure, seals cuticles for extra silky hair. That is a mouth full and does wonders! It is a bit pricey, around $16 - $20 but well worth it! You can find this at Target, Trade Secrets, Or your local Wal Marts hair salons have them as well.

2. Two Mini spray bottles filled with my own concauction
- Why two you may ask? Well one bottle is just plain old water. I use this to spritz on my brushes before applying foundation or even pigments. The secont bottle is water with tea trea oil to act as a brush disinfectant. I may not have the time always to clean my brushes so this is an in expensive way to do a quick disinfect before using brushes that you have used over the last couple days. And if its wet when you apply to your face you shouldn't worry because tea trea oil is great for your skin! Go check out my article on benefits of Tea Trea oil!



3. Britney Spears Perfume in Midnight Fantasy
- This has been my go to perfume all month. I loved the original fantasy fragerence but the midnight one is more subtle and lighter to use. It is a sweet scent but its tolerable. Enjoyable for me any way.

4. IBD Reconstrux Nail oil : rebuild and Renew Nail Growth
- This nail oil is my #1 favorite nail oil to activate my nail growth. I had a rough month with my nails breaking and splitting from stress and weather so I had to take this puppy back out and start using it again. I got this at Sally's beauty supply for about $10. It takes a few weeks but there is a difference in my nails when I use it religiously. So worth it!



5. Sephora By OPI: Non Fat Soy Half Caff (Nude Nails)
- Since my nails are shorter at the moment I love wearing nude nails at this time. I hate it when my nails are all messed up, broken, short, un-even so nude nails are my go to for those times of the year. This nail polish color is one of my favorite nudes to wear since it blends well into my skin tone, I am brown biscuit right now so it looks great.

 

6. Proactiv Solution: Refining Mask
- I have massive break outs around that time of the month. My hormones just do not want to simmer down. So this refining mask has been helping me out tones! I use it all over my face every night when I am getting those break outs for about 3 days and poof those suckers go away! It is a bit expensive, full size bottle is around $30 but it is well worth it because it works!



7. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC45
- I have been tanning so I am using a darker shade in powder foundation to warm up my face. My skin is still oily from the warmer month so I can not yet use liquid foundation. I need the weather to geta bit more colder for me to switch over. I usually have combination skin, but in the warmer months I am oily, and colder month I am drier. Anyway love this powder foundation. Been my favorite power foundation since high school! Great coverage, and it is buildable if you want more coverage.

 

8. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
- I won't go too much into this one, since I have a review on it. Go check out my review on this one in a previous article! Love this palette. It is great for everyday use. Multipurpose for different areas of the face which is great! Such a great little compact to travel with and the shadows are so buttery and blendable. Love it! Sephora has this for around $27.  Check out my review in the link below:

http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2013/10/urban-decay-naked-basics-palette-review.html




9. NeoStrata Moisture Infusion Cream (sample size)
- I got this delux sample size face cream and was hesitant to try it. Lately when I try sample sizes of face creams I had bad luck with them. They were either too greasy or they smelled awful. But this Neo Strata Moisture infusion face cream is a delight to use. Very moisturizing without being greasy (thank the Lord) and it smells good. Those are my main two items I look for in a moisturizer, also that it does not break me out and that has not happened. Yay!

10. Nivea Mint & Minerals lip balm
- This is my favorite lip balm. Very affordable, and leave your lips smooth. It does not cause any cracking which is great. The light minty sensation is awesome because it is not over powering. You can get this at your local drug store.



11. Revlon Color Stay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in #1 Copper Spice
- This little quad is amazing for every day use. I love this color quad for work mostly, but even for the night time as well. The colors are pigmented well. They do blend great, the only issue is they can be a tiny bit chalky. But what can you do for a $11 quad you can not complain. I have another quad from the same line called #5 Blushed Wines. Both quads are neutral colors. Copper Spice is more of a brown earthy tone neutral, and blushed wines is more of a pink tone neutral. Both are great but I use Copper Spice the most.

#1 Copper Spice

#5 Blushed Wines

12. Urban Decay Naked BB Cream
- I love Urban Decay products. My second favorite make up line by far (With MAC taking first place of course) This Naked BB Cream is amazing. It is a great formula that really does what it says on the bottle. Optical blurring is really the best feature in this formula. Of course it has a primer to prime the skin, and thats great but the optical blurring portion of it is my favorite. When you apply this beauty balm on your skin it truly blurs out any redness and tones down the discoloration areas on your skin. Amazing. The price point is on the bit expensive side but realistically it is worth the price. Sephora is selling them for about $34. I know it is steep, but well worth it in the end. Trust me on this one, I would not tell you otherwise if it didn't work out for me. Keep in mind my skin tone is Olive toned, and I have oily combination skin. The only down side about this product is the scent. Not the best scent but its managible. Go check out my link below to my full review on this product I did back in August.
http://macgirl25.blogspot.ca/2013/08/urban-decay-naked-skin-beauty-balm.html






















13. Benefit They're Real Mascara (Sample size)
- So I got this sample size as my birthday gift from Sephora and I wasn't fond of knowing the brush head was a spikey plastic material. But I shouldn't have judged until I tried it. Boy is this mascara great. It makes my lashes look twice as long then they are naturaly. Volume wise, it gives volume but not enough volume as I would like. A normal bottle size is $30 and I don't know if I would spend that much on mascara when it only does one out of the two features I look for. But It still made my lashes look great, so I am enjoying it while it lasts. Ps. I have a second sample of this baby so I should be ok for a while LOL.




















14. Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer
- I love this eye lid primer before applying shadows. This primter is a one shade fits all type and really cancels out the discoloration on the eyelids big time. Sometimes I don't even apply shadow because I love the natural color the primer gives my skin. Amazing. Sephora sells this product for $22. I have had it for a while so it does last, but the packaging could be better. The doe foot applicator is great, but as you get to the bottom of the tube, it is hard to scrape out the rest of the product since the applicator doesn't go that far down the bottle. A squeezy tube would help. I love the product just the packaging could improve in order to not waste product.



















15.L'oreal Smoldering Eyeliner in Black
- Love this smoldering eyeliner for the water line. I use this to smudge on the top lash line as well if I am doing a smokey effect, however the waterline this baby lasts and that is what I want. Very inexpensive $8 or so and even though it's a smaller stick the product does last long because you only need a little bit to go a long way! You can find this at your local drug stores.

16. Marcel Eyebrow Pencil in Black
- This is my favorite drug store brow pencil by far. I have tried a few brow pencils from the drug store in the past and this one is the best one. The formula is very creamy and therefore makes the application to the brows more enojoyable. Less work to blend in which is a bonus AND because the formula is creamy and pigmented you can also use this baby as an eyeliner too! Yup two in one. Love those type of products. I purchased this a while back and it has lasted me about 1 year and I am still going with it. Granted its coming to the end but still lasts long.
 

17. Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in Sandstorm
- This one is new discovery for me but since I purchased it I can not stop using it. Cheap product and keeps your skin matte. I bought it a bit lighter for setting under the eye (since I don't want to finish my ben nye banana powder) and I find myself using it in my T zone as well. Got it for $6. Pretty impressed with Rimmel lately. Keep in mind I have combiniation oily skin. So those girls out there who are dry skin, you may not enjoy this as much as I do. :) Just saying.


18. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin
- I was scared to try this but once I did, I fell in love! These blushes are so affordable and they blend so well into the skin that I just can't believe how great they work with my skin. Yes they are cheaper, they do not last 14 hours onthe skin, which is a bummer but really all you need them to last is for an 7 to 8 hour work shift. Anything more then that is a bonus. I usually use my real techniques contour brush to blend this product out and it works so amazing. You will be able to find them in any drug store.
 

19. The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter
- I love using this baby on my hands at night before I go to sleep. It is a body butter so it does have a tiny bit of greasyness to it which I personally do not mind since I am going to bed, my hands will not be wondering around doing things for them to slip. In the morning my hands feel so soft and hydrated, wow I can not say enough. I love those body butters. I think the Body Shop is a Canadian store, but if you are interested in checking them out they are having a 40% off sale right now (November 2-3 2013) so go check it out!
http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/shop-by-line.aspx#/shop-by-line.aspx

20. Real Techniques Brushes
- I have the more expensive Sigma brushes and those are great, however Real Techniques brushes founded by a fellow YouTuber from Pixiwoo Channel are by far the best most affordable brushes anyone can have. The sets of 5 to 3 brushes per set go for about $18-$20 a set! Which is amazing! The bristles are so soft, easy to use, easy to blend make up with. They are great and to wash them is so easy as well. I have been loving these three brushes below the most this month from the Real Techniques Brush line. If you are a beginner or even a make up proffessional these are a must have in your collection. I swear to you that you will not regret the purchase.

Multi Task Brush
Contour Brush
Domed Shadow Brush






 Well that is it for my October Favorites! Thank you all so much for reading, I truly appreciate all your support!

Until Next Time Beauty Lovers ❤️

MacGirl25

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