Behold, Some “Eye” Candy for You!

Hola Senoritas~! How goes your day? Its been a very busy one for me – but thankfully I got everything accomplished on my “to-do” list! I love it when I have those days, where everything I set out to do, gets done! Its a rarity – so when it actually happens, its a victory in my books!

Eeeek, I’m SO excited! Tomorrow I’m going shopping for some new, fun eyeshadow palettes at Sephora. I have a couple of gift cards to use – and I’m WAY overdue for some new palettes~! I know, going to the mall DOES excite me. What can I say? I don’t live near a mall, and with all the distractions of family life, getting to the mall happens maybe once a month (on a good month haha) Although with blogging now, think I’m going to have make regular treks to the mall, just for you, my beautiful blog readers~! Right??? … Oh yes, I will make that sacrifice for you ladies~!

Although I am definitely partial to a couple of palettes from Too Faced, I intend to take full advantage of the “shopping” experience and try out a BUNCH~! That’s the fun part when shopping at the beauty section in the department stores – being able to “play” with all the newest beauty products! And its really nice when you’re able to see how certain colors look on you and also feel the different textures and finishes that they all have~!

When I’m at Mac, Bobbi Brown, Sephora etc, I always engage the makeup artists to see what their recommendations for me are. They each have their own style, and I love to see what colors they’d use on me and what techniques as well. This is a great way to pick up “free” tips and “tricks of the trade” from the Pro’s! Don’t be bashful – always ask questions, they are more than willing to help. And from my experience, they quite enjoy it too~! Doing this each time you have a moment to spare at the mall, will increase your skill and have people asking YOU for tips!!!

So these are the two palettes that have grabbed my attention right now….Too Faced Matte Palette on the left, and Too Faced Natural at Night Palette on the right.

AND here are some more palettes that have grabbed my attention….

1. 2. 3.

1. Stila in the Light Natural Eyeshadow Palette
2. Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette
3. Pop Beauty Lid Lesson in Lid Amethyst

4. 5. 6.

4. Nars Spring Color Collection Trio
5. Mac Call Me Bubbles
6. Lorac UnZipped Palette

7. 8. 9.

7. Lorac Ooh La Lace Baked Shimmer and Matte Palette
8. Laura Mercier Book of Nudes
9. Kat Von D True Romance Palette in Saint

10. 11. 12.

10. Bobbi Brown Party Eye Palette
11. Anastasia All Eye Want Palette
12. Dior 5 Color Palette

The ones I’m definitely leaning towards (aside from the Too Faced ones of course) are definitely the Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette, Mac Call Me Bubbles, and Lorac Ooh La Lace Baked Palette. Although all of the above palettes look amazing, I want to be more discriminating since I have quite an extensive (read very LARGE) collection of shadows/palettes already. So I am going to try to steer clear of colors I already have, say from other brands and go for new and more “Springy” colors~! I’m definitely feeling like going for more soft, romantic pretty colors; as opposed to the darker, richer winter colors.

I always seem to gravitate towards the neutral/natural eyeshadow palettes, so as you can imagine my inventory is very large in that department! I’m kind of feeling like I want some softer pinks or amethysts this time! Oh and if you Chicas have any of the above palettes, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on them! Do you like them? Do you use them often, etc?

Naturally I’ll test out these amazing little beauties at the store, ask the makeup artists for their help, advice and wisdom – and hopefully come home with a fresh, new and fun palette~! I always feel successful if I’ve stepped outside of my proverbial “box” and chosen NEW colors. So that’s the goal. And if you, my beauties, have any advice – its MORE than welcome~! So tune in next time – when I reveal the palettes I did buy, and I’ll show ya some swatches! Till next time Ladies – keep it fresh and always keep it NEW~! xoxo

The Grammy’s Top 10 Hits and Misses

So how many watched the Grammy’s last night? There sure were some great performances, beautiful dresses, and makeup ~ but by the same token there were also some major fashion and beauty catastophes! Such is the nature of the awards shows, it seems celebrities are often willing to sacrifice good judgment in order to set themselves apart! Maybe that saying “No press is ever bad press” is the mantra they subscribe too? Well, I would definitely disagree! I understand their need to stand out and also to entertain; but I still do believe in keeping your sense of decorum. Well, that’s just me – and at the very least, these “wild and crazy” fashion statements definitely give us something to talk about! Right? So NOW onto a little recap of the highlights – in both “Hits” and “Misses”.

TOP 5 HITS

Adele

She was my number 1 pick for both fashion and beauty! Her dresses were so elegant, classy and really highlighted her figure perfectly~! (Adele wore a black sequined Giorgio Armani gown and a 12.4 carat diamond ring by Harry Winston.) And as you can see her understated “Retro Glam” makeup was absolutely gorgeous!!! Simple bold black eyeliner, complimented by cherry red lips – perfection!!! And if to seal the deal – her performance was beautiful, captivating and she won 6 Grammys – it was definitely a great night for her~! Adele, we <3 you!!!

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood was definitely a top choice for both beauty and style~! Her Red Carpet look was a backless Gomez-Gracia long-sleeve gown that she accessorized with diamond dangly earrings. She rocked some gorgeous, long lashes to compliment her smokey and very SPARKLY eyes and nude lips! She did a duet with Tony Bennett singing “It had to be you” and was a beautiful song! Carrie you are definitely a classy lady and we loved that you looked very “Rocker Chic”!

Kate Beckinsale

Kate looked like a Greek Goddess! I loved her updo, her natural, glowing makeup and her luminousity~! What a beautiful dress, an ivory draped Zuhair Murad dress cinched at the shoulder with a black bow and Salvatore Ferragamo pumps paired with her understated accessories – was an absolute “Win Win” But let’s face it – she could rock just about anything, and look goregous, right? Still though, as you’ll see in the “Misses” category below, being beautiful doesn’t make up for bad hair/makeup/wardrobe choices!!! (Ahem Fergie) Kate you looked absolutely GLOWING!!!

Miranda Lambert

Miranda was absolutely glowing in a cap sleeve sparkly Atelier Pavoni gown and Stuart Weitzman shoes. Her makeup was simple, understated, yet just highlighted her beautiful and radiant skin! And her hair was flowy and effortless! Miranda you definitely get an A+ !!!

Kelly Rowland

Kelly stunned in this creamy Alberta Ferretti design with silver applique on the bodice, accessorizing with jewels by Lorraine Schwartz. What a beautiful dress that showcased her figure perfectly! And she rocked some beautiful smokey eyes and more nude lips – SO stunning~! Kelly you’re looking as beautiful and GLAM as ever~!

Top 5 Misses

Lady Gaga

Ay ya yay! Well there are a couple good things to say here. First off, underneath that wierd netting over her face, she reveals what looks to be a beautifully done “retro glam” makeup look! And the second good thing I have to say is that I adore her courage, that she will wear whatever she desires. However, unfortunately what she usually wants to wear is usually a fashion catastrophe~! Here she’s wearing a revealing custom Versace sheer gown and tough metallic bustier, in addition to some crazy accessories! One fan on twitter likened her to “Jafar from Aladdin” and I wouldn’t disagree. Lady Gaga, will we ever see you in a “normal” outfit?

Fergie

Well well well, you know when you are spending thousands of dollars on dresses – you’d think one would expect more fabric? Or maybe that’s just me??? Well this to me looked like a glorified bathing suit cover-up!!! Fergie was quoted as saying “I had two choices and this was the safe one,”about her Jean Paul Gautier tangerine couture lace dress (um SCARY). Her makeup was okay – neither a hit, nor a miss. But I have a hard time focusing on anything else but this (lack of a) dress. Which I’m sure was her intention with the outfit choice – nothing says “Look at Me” better than a neon orange lace dress with black underwear! So, then I guess mission accomplished, right Fergie?

Nicki Minaj

At first sight, I thought “Oh look – it’s Little Red Riding Hood.”. Oh Em Gee!!!! What was she thinking??? Here you see Nicki Minaj arriving with a bishop in tow (almost like an accessory), coordinating his white priest’s costume with her red Versace cape with intricate black beading. Her makeup was ok – nothing amazing. And her performance was beyond wierd, didn’t like the song or the performance as a whole. All in all, I was vastly disappointed. Which is really too bad, because I was SO looking forward to her performace, seeing as how I do love several of her songs! But alas, although you are beautiful Nicki, I can’t get behind this performance, OR outfit~!

Katy Perry

So I’ll just start off here on a good note. I thought her makeup was cute – the bold eyeliner and pink lips were adorable! But I have to say, I’m not feeling the blue hair, nor the updo and also not feeling the dress. The dress, by the way, was a powder blue Elie Saab Couture gown which she wore with Norman Silverman diamonds. And to be honest – I’m kind of on the fence with the dress – I think I’m thrown off by ALL the blue! If she’d had her beautiful black hair, I think the dress could have worked. But with the hair – we’ve got TOO much going on here, you’re eyes just don’t know WHERE to go!!! Having said that, I did enjoy her fun and spirited performance! Sorry Katy, but its just TOO much blue for me~!

Taraji P Hensen

I don’t have too much negative to say about Taraji. She’s a beauty for sure – and her makeup was soft and glowy! So that’s a definite win in my books. But where she went wrong was with this dress – which didn’t make sense to me. The flow of the dress almost felt too matronly for the plunging neckline and wild print. Kind of like wearing an oxymoron. So sad – since she’s a gorgeous gal, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say either she didn’t have enough help in the stylist department or maybe had TOO much help in that department. Can’t say I know who’s at fault for this dress, but in any case – I still think your a gorgeous lady Taraji~! Better luck next time!

OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS

~Although I enjoyed Rihanna‘s performance, I thought her dress could have used a bit more fabric. Even though she fit into it perfectly, I just don’t subscribe to the “Less is More” mantra when it comes to this dress and the amount of fabric.
~Giulana Rancic looked amazing – her makeup very “J-Lo” esque and beautiful!!!
~Taylor Swift also looked super cute and elegant in her gown.
~Jennifer Hudson stunned in her black, form fitting dress while performing a touching tribute to the late Whitney.
~I ADORED Bruno Mars’ performance – very retro and very cool!
~And I wasn’t feeling the hairdo that Miss Alicia Keys was sporting, but either way she’s gorgeous!

So there you have it my beauties – a little summary of the Grammys! It was definitely entertaining and fun to see all the performances, winners and seeing the celebs getting all decked out in their “finest”. (Well *most* of them) Till next time peeps, remember just because you CAN wear something doesn’t mean you should! Keep it glam and always keep it CLASSY~!

Battle of the Lip Butters – Which Product Will Emerge Victorious?

Posted
February 12, 2012
Categories
Beauty
Lips
Reviews
Comments
1 Comment

With the new wave of moisturizing, highly pigmented “Lip Butters” that each brand is releasing, which one reigns supreme? Well that’s what we’re going to explore! In comparing products from the different drugstore brands, I hope to help you choose the best “Lip Butter” that is suited for your needs~!

Up for your consideration are Revlon Lip Butters, Wet n Wild Megashield Lip Colors, Wet n Wild Wild Shine Lip Lacquers, Loreal Color Riche Balm, Covergirl Lip Perfection and Maybelline Baby Lips. When doing this comparison I had to add the Wet n Wild Lip Lacquers – they totally fall into this category, as well as the Covergirl Lip Perfection~! (By the way – a little sidenote – to make the color swatches stand out on my hand more – I added more light in photoshop. As a result, my hands showed up looking ghostly white… they are normally an olive skin tone. My hubby came into the room while I was adding pictures to my post and asked “What’s with the ghostly white hands?” haha)

THE CONTENDERS

Revlon “Lip Butter”

http://www.revlon.com/Revlon-Home/Products/Lips/Lipcolor/Revlon-ColorBurst-Lip-Butter.aspx

Revlon says: Buttery balm with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips 94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated.

On the left we have #045 Cotton Candy, a beautiful soft and light pink. Cotton Candy was definitely on the lighter side when it comes to pigment – a more sheer pink. On the right is #010 Raspberry Pie, a gorgeous hot pink! I have to say, I was shocked with how highly pigmented this one is – definitely don’t need to apply much to get a nice raspberry shade! Both went on smoothly, with a subtle hint of shimmer, and were very moisturizing. These are little tubes of heaven!

Wet n Wild “Megashield Lip Color”

http://wnwbeauty.com/product.php?cid=16&pid=913&subid=28

Wet n Wild says: Color, comfort, and care! Luxurious color delivers hours of sheer-to-moderate coverage that glides on buttery-soft for a smooth, moist-looking pout. Lips are pampered with Vitamin E, Amino Acids, Avocado Oil, and Rice Bran Oil that moisturize and condition for silky, soft comfort. And with SPF 15, lips are cared for and protected from harmful UVB rays.

On the left we have #361S Peachy Keen, a peachy nude color. Peachy Keen was very high in pigment, and leaning more towards the matte side with little, to no shimmer. On the right we have #373S Pink Champagne, a peachy light pink. Pink Champagne was also very highly pigmented, and although this one had more shimmer than Peachy Keen – it was still a very subtle shimmer. These were smooth, moisturizing colors but felt more like a moisturizing matte lipstick.

Wet n Wild “Wild Shine Lip Lacquer”

http://wnwbeauty.com/product.php?cid=16&pid=63&subid=28

Wet n Wild says: Two-in-one lipstick provides full-coverage color and a brilliant glossy shine. Creamy color moisturizes lips while light-reflecting particles give a luminous sheen.

On the left we have #922 Enamoured, a pretty cotton candy pink. On the right we have #920 Fling, the quintessential peachy color. With the Lip Lacquers, I found both to be highly pigmented, moderately shimmery, beautifully smooth and very moisturizing! One thing that set these apart, was that both colors were equally pigmented and equally shimmery. With other brands I find sometimes the pinks and peaches can be so lightly pigmented, while the reds/browns hold more pigment. I guess you could say I’m “passionate about pigment” – I feel every color should be equally pigmented! So if you want a beautiful cotton candy pink – you shouldn’t have to apply 2 or 3 times more to get the color you see in the tube. Although if a lip product is created to be more sheer, that’s great – just keep the pigments equal across the board.

Loreal Color Riche “Balm”

http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:beautyfilter//category+F1_Cosmetics_Lips_LipCare//|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank}

Loreal says: This tinted SPF 15 Lip Balm provides a hint of luscious, kissable color, smoothing lips instantly and for a full 8 hours of continuous hydration. Lips are soft and supple all day long – and keeps conditioning after its been removed.

Here we have #219 in Plush Plum, a very soft mauvey plum. Loreal “Color Riche Balm” kind of surprised me – with the name “Color Riche” I was expecting a great deal more pigment than what was delivered. Having said that, it is still a beautiful, soft, and moisturizing mauve lip color.

Covergirl “Lip Perfection”

http://www.covergirl.com/lipperfectionlipcolor

CoverGirl says: Bright, gorgeous color that can transform your day and your lips. Enriched with a silk moisturizing complex, our formula helps sustain moisture levels and helps create soft, smooth, beautiful lips in just 7 days. Also a 2011 Cosmopolitan Beauty Award Winner!

Here we have #390 in Sweetheart, a bright, frosty, light pink. I was really happy with how highly pigmented it is, while still going on smoothly and staying moisturizing! With Covergirl’s “Lip Perfection” you really DO get the color in the tube, on your lips without having to apply much at all!

Maybelline “Baby Lips”

http://www.maybelline.com/products/154

Maybelline says: SPF 20 Moisturizing Balm. No more basic lip balm Lip renew formula and 8-hr hydration for visibly renewed lips in 4 weeks. Clinical care for baby-soft lips.

Here we have#25 in Pink Punch, a bright, vibrant bubblegum pink. I was shocked how much I loved this line! These little tubes come deliciously scented, with a moderate amount of pigment, some shimmer and lots of shine! I can definitely see myself getting more of these~!

POINTS TO CONSIDER

Most Moisturizing (Ranked in order)

1. Maybelline Baby Lips (Felt very glossy)
2. Revlon Lip Butter (Glossy and rich – no stickiness)
3. Loreal Color Riche Balm (Glossy without being sticky)
4. Wet n Wild Lip Lacquer
5. Wet n Wild Megashield Lip Color
6. Covergirl Lip Perfection

Having said this – each one of these was highly moisturizing and not one of them was even close to dry! So even at the bottom – Cover Girl still felt amazingly good!

Highest Pigment (Ranked in Order)

1. Wet n Wild Lip Lacquer
2. Wet n Wild Megashield Lip Color
3. Cover Girl Lip Perfection
4. Revlon Lip Butter
5. Loreal Color Riche Balm
6. Maybelline Baby Lips

I just want to point out that I was impressed with all of the pigments in every one of these! The drugstore cosmetic brands have really stepped up their game and could EASILY compete with, if not beat out, any department store brand!

Best “Luxe” Packaging (Ranked in Order)

1. Revlon Lip Butter (No brainer – gorgeous case!)
2. Loreal Color Riche Balm (Beautiful!)
3. Covergirl Lip Perfection
4. Wet n Wild Lip Lacquer
5. Maybelline Baby Lips
6. Wet n Wild Megashield Lip Color (Although I DO adore Wet n Wild, these tubes felt and look kinda cheap)

While coming in very close in the pigment and moisturizing categories, the best packaging category was another verdict entirely. They were all so different – from Fun, Youthful, Sporty packaging (Baby Lips), to Luxe (Revlon, Loreal and Covergirl), to kind of non-descript (Wet n Wild). Having said that, I don’t purchase products based on this category – this is just an “icing” on the cake kind of thing. At the end of the day – the best “performing” product will ALWAYS win out for me~!

A WINNER EMERGES….

I honestly love ALL of these products for different reasons, so they are all winners in my book~! So this will definitely be a personal preference, that’s why I broke it down above into different categories. But for me, the winner is definitely the REVLON LIP BUTTERS! Super duper moisturizing, moderately pigmented and gorgeous “luxe” packaging~! As moisturizing as Maybelline was, I couldn’t choose the Baby Lips because I was looking for much more pigment. And as much as I LOVED both of Wet n Wild’s products and Covergirl’s, theirs came in higher in pigment and lower in moisturizing – which for me likened them more to a lipstick. Way to go Revlon, this product could definitely hold its own against its more expensive department store counterparts!!!

I hope you feel more “informed” the next time you hit your local beauty counter – so you are able to buy the right lip product that will suit your needs~! Till next time my beauties- keep those lips glam while ALSO keeping them moisturized~!

Its A Nail Epiphany – A Long-Lasting Glittery Manicure

Posted
February 10, 2012
Categories
Beauty
Nails
Tutorials

Hello My Beauties~! I know its been a while since my last post – we’re finally getting over the “hump” of being sick. And we’re feeling better – and back to blogging for me~! I’ve got a lot of fun beauty posts coming up; but I wanted to start out with this fun Nail Review. This is really exciting! (I know – what can I say – all things girly excites me~!) Below is a few of the glittery nail polishes I have in my stash that will now be getting a LOT more use~!

As many of you know, I have natural nails. And in the recent months I’ve been frustrated (to say the least) with my stash of glittery, blingy nail polishes. I’ve tried ALL different brands, and no matter what brand I use – after only a day or two of wear, my nail polish will literally start peeling off! I’m always meticulous to prep my nails properly, file them, take care of the cuticles etc etc…I’ve had enough manicures to know just how to duplicate it at home. And yet after all that effort the nail polish won’t chip, like regular nail polish, but peel off! That is until now~!

You see this??? This is my beautiful, glittery pink manicure after SEVEN days of wear!!! Yes, count’em ladies – 7 days~! And I’m not easy on my nails – doing dishes, helping my boys with their projects etc! So I definitely wanted to share with you all the secret to a “Long-Lasting Blingy Manicure”~! The trick here is doing it in two parts over two days, as well as having a good quality colored polish underneath. Over the course of two nights makes it less time each night and also allows the nail polish to fully cure and harden between layers. The good quality colored polish underneath the glitter polish, allows the glitter coat less chance of peeling because of our natural nail oils.

The First Evening

1. Apply a good base coat, after filing, buffing, and fully prepping your nail beds . I use this one from Sally Beauty Supply – its a HUGE bottle~! http://www.sallybeauty.com/Gripper-Basecoat/SBS-113140,default,pd.html

2. Apply two coats of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure for the next step. Here I’m using #530 “Back to the Fucshia” (a gorgeous, bright, vibrant pink); I’ll often choose a color close too/similar too the glittery polish I’m using. What I love about this polish, aside from the awesome brush, it has great staying power on natural nails! Much better than OPI! But that’s a personal choice – I’ve tried SO many brands, and I’ve experimented with different base coats, manicure techniques etc. And these little polishes I find are by far the best of the bunch! Sally Hansen Website: http://sallyhansen.com/ and here’s the Sinful Website (Currently under construction) http://www.sinfulcolors.com/

3. Lastly, apply a good quality top coat and let dry. Don’t mess with your nails too much for a good while. I always try to do my manicures after putting my kids to bed, in the evening right before I go to bed. That way all the household chores, or playing with kids etc won’t interfere with your manicure. This is the last step for this evening. http://seche.com/products/product-83005.html

The Next Night

1. Apply the base coat on top of your existing manicure.

2. Now apply the Glittery polish to your nails – two coats total. I used the Sally Hansen Gem Crush in #06 “Razzle Dazzler” for all of my nails except the ring fingers on both hands. On my ring finger on both hands, I used SinFul Colors #923 in Queen of Beauty (a silver glitter). I usually like to do a different color on my ring fingers when doing my manicure – makes for a fun, yet interesting, looking manicure~!

3. Now its time for the final step, which is applying your top coat! Again, try to do this right before bed so your nails will have a good amount of time to dry and cure without any interference.

And VOILA – that’s IT~! Not terribly difficult, or time consuming – but doing the manicure in these two steps over two night really does extend the life of your manicure! In the past, I’ve tried just doing the whole manicure in one night, or changing up how many coats you use, etc to no avail; It still would end up chipping or peeling. It really seems to make a difference dividing this up into two nights, doing so lets the polish cure and harden in between coats which results in the extended life of a manicure! And make sure to do this manicure in two consecutive nights. If you wait a couple of days in between steps, you’re more likely to have chipping on your base color, which will definitely affect the next coat; Resulting in a shortened life of your manicure. Oh and just a sidenote to this, I always do my manicures over two nights even when I’m not using a glittery polish. This has always seemed to extend the life of my manicures!

I’m definitely extremely happy with this manicure – the durability, length of wear and how BLINGY it is~! Who knew – a blingy manicure that ACTUALLY has staying power on natural nails~! Yes ladies, this definitely qualifies as a NAIL EPIPHANY in my books!

Stay tuned, I have a lot of fun beauty posts coming up, as well as some DELICIOUS and easy recipes~! Till next time Chicas – take care, stay glam and KEEP IT BLINGY~! xoxo

Authentic Refried Beans and Tortillas (Vegetarian & Healthy !!!)

Posted
February 5, 2012
Categories
Cooking

Be honest – when you read the title, you thought “Healthy, Authentic Refried Beans? Ya RIGHT!” It IS a common misconception – although Mexican cooking can be unhealthy; I grew up with authentic and healthy Mexican cooking. My parents were (and still are) very health conscious and I’m very glad that we were able to enjoy amazing food that wasn’t bad for our insides (or our waistline). This recipe is one of our all-time FAVORITES~! And no restaurant has ever come close to the flavor, that we got used too, with this recipe while we were growing up!

This recipe tastes like it has chorizo in it – but its totally vegetarian, the spice mixture really adds the necessary and unique flavors. And I can safely say, that in my “Meat-Loving” household full of boys – this recipe not only satisfies their appetites but is also one they request over and OVER~! So I’m excited to share it with all with you~!

Archive for February, 2012