L'Oreal New True Match Powders

I found these 2 displays at my trusty Scripps Ranch CVS. It looks like L'Oreal has revamped their True Match line with some new offerings.

Sally Hansen Perfectly Pink Collection OR NOT

First off, I already know the quality of these Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. They work good enough and the print is middle of the road, I should have a video review of them up soon on YouTube. Onto my review of the perfectly pink collection set pictured below. This is fresh off the press and has just occurred tonight.

Initial Thoughts
I thought this set was a good deal because they retail for $10 each pattern normally. Indeed 3 sets of strips would usually retail for $30 (Not over $30, might want to think about the verbiage on that next time Sally Hansen). My initial thought was Sweet Tart An is my favorite pattern and Booty Camp looks promising too but the last set of strips is really a throw away because it is just a solid pink color. Logically, one would look to buy nail strips for nail art so a solid  print is really confusing.  But I'm okay with 2 out of the 3 strips being useful because it's still worth the value.

Opening The Box
As soon as I got home I opened them.  My initial assessment of their value and my contentment with that to expect soon turned into confusion.  Why, you might ask? The first pattern I see is a black and white hound tooth. Hello Sally Hansen, the set is called perfectly pink, there is no PINK in that pattern. My thought was "oh, how nice they included an extra set." WRONG! Instead of getting the Sweet Tart-An pattern (which caught my eye), I got a hounds tooth pattern.  My second thought was, okay they must have messed up this box. WRONG! I open the second box and it has the same problem!

Conclusion
Be weary of any gift set from Sally Hansen in the future. I have actually read other blogs who had different problems with Sally Hansen holiday gift sets. But I honestly thought with the exact products listed and pictured that I would be safe receiving the goods promised. They have not fulfilled their end of the deal to sell me what they advertized. I feel like Sally Hansen pulled a fast one on me and cheated me. You sold me a box of lies! I took photos to document this ASAP.  I'm surprised a large company would let this type of mistake go on. I have contacted COTY and will update this blog to let you know if and/or what they response. Stay tuned on that note.

I realize this may come off as a bit of a rant but I'm really disappointed and wish I didn't pick up 2 boxes of lies.

Coastal Scents Deal Alert and Haul

I received another email alert from Coastal Scents regarding the 40% off sale going on now. This sale ends January 2nd 2014.

I took part in the Black Friday Cyber Monday sale and if you would like to see what I picked up from that purchase then check out my haul.

I am extremely impressed with this brand and I actually find their "dupe" for the 217 MAC brush to be pretty comparable performance wise. Below is a casual photo I snapped using my iphone after washing and drying my new brush. MAC 217 on the left and the Coastal Scents PRO BLENDING FLUFF BR-250 on the right. I feel confident in saying I will be buying the Coastal Scents version going forward. My love for the 217 is huge in that I even have a backup of that one. So it is saying a lot that I no longer feel the need to repurchase that item from MAC.

New Physicians Formula Foundations Super CC and Youthful Wear

I spotted this new display at my local San Diego CVS. It looks like Physcian's Formula is offering some revamped Foundation and Powder lines.

Because I already own way too much makeup I am just sharing my excitement with posts of new displays without buying on my own. It looks like these originally came with $3 off stickers but as per usual someone has already taken these off, probably for themselves to use when there is a sale on these. I know how crazy couponers work!

My Rock Concerts

I've decided to keep a tally of my concerts. Why a post that is not beauty related? Because it's my blog and I can do what I want with it. In all seriousness, concerts are events and moments in time that we can remember and enjoy and I find myself enjoying them thanks to my husband Blaine. I can split my concert going experience by pre-Blaine and the Blaine era. Before meeting him I had only gone to 3 shows and really consider myself a concert virgin.

Yes, I have seen Bryan Adams 4 times, he was my first concert and probably why he's my favorite show. His voice is incredible live and even though I went to see the Bare Bones tour twice it was really special and memorable in San Diego at the Spreckles Theatre. The venue was intimate and we were 3rd or 4th row and I swear he was looking in our direction (okay fine, specifically my direction) and singing to me all night (You can ask Blaine). *sigh*

Duran Duran, yes I have seen them live a few times. I was most impressed the first time I saw them on their Astronaut tour. Since then I've been less impressed and a few times have made Blaine go alone to a few shows. It has been hard for me to get into their albums since Astronaut. Still, I have an appreciation and enjoy some of their songs; Rio, Planet Earth, Girls on Film, Notorious, Wild Boys, Ordinary World, Come Undone, Hungry Like the Wolf, Sunrise, Chains to name a few. Okay fine, I might be a closet fan.

Rollng Stones, I've seen them twice and Mick Jagger has incredible stage presence and I admire the energy. I aspire to be that agile my entire life. Though their music is very melodic and catchy it is not something I find myself listening to outside the shows. Another band I've been guilty of having my hubby see a few shows alone or with other friends.

Coldplay, a band who's music I never tire of listening. Blaine best describes great music as something you don't skip on your playlist. Even though they're a fun show and I've seen them 4 times, they're slightly pricey for the length they play. By the last show we saw in 2009 they already had a pretty decent catalog to play from but the show was only an hour and a half... so slightly disappointing to drive a few hours for such a short experience. Which brings me to Pearl Jam. I never grew up a fan of Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder. I found his singing expression to come off very angry and frightening. Fast forward to my wonderful husband dragging me to their shows (I'm not being sarcastic). Because I got to experience them live I am now a fan! They have great energy, play for 3 plus hours, sound amazing, look healthy.. I could go on but my husband would ask me to stop or pretend he didn't hear me. I now have a school girl crush and we like to tease each other that in high school I never understood their appeal and as an adult I'm swooning.Their new album Lightning Bolt is a great Rock N Roll record and I highly recommend it.

People I've never seen but would love to experience would be JT (Justin Timberlake) and Beyonce.

If you're wondering, I went to see Katy Perry and Britney with girlfriends as I wouldn't dream of dragging Blaine to see them although one of these days I should for all the shows he's taken me to see.

Blaine concert going era:

November 21st 2013 - Pearl Jam Lightning Bolt tour 2013 @ Viejas (SDSU)
May 11th 2013 - Rolling Stones @ MGM Las Vegas
August 9th 2011 - Katy Perry California Dreams Tour @ San Diego Sports Arena
April 14th 2011 - Duran Duran @ Pomona Theatre

April 9th 2011 - Bryan Adams Bare Bones Tour @ LA Royce Hall
September 27th 2010 - Bryan Adams Bare Bones Tour @ San Diego Spreckles
August 21st 2010 - Summer Pops w/Jodi Benson @ San Diego Embarcadero
November 11th 2009 - Lady Gaga & Kayne @ San Diego Sports Arena <CANCELLED DUE TO KAYNE LOSING HIS MIND>
September 24th 2009 - Britney @ San Diego Sports Arena
July 18th 2009 - Coldplay @ LA Home Depot Center
November 25th 2008 - Coldplay @ Anaheim Honda Center
August 27th 2008 - Radiohead @ San Diego Cricket Wireless Amp
May 8th 2008 - Duran Duran @ Valley View Casino San Diego
June 23rd 2007 - Foo Fighters and The Police @ LA Dodgers Stadium
August 15th 2006 - Death Cab for Cutie @ San Diego Bayside Embarcadero
July 7th 2006 - Pearl Jam @ San Diego Cox Arena (SDSU)
June 27th 2006 - Radiohead @ San Diego Embarcadero
June 15th 2006 - Hall & Oates @ Del Mar Fair
Feb 4th 2006 - Coldplay @ LA Forum
Nov 11th 2005 - The Rolling Stones @ San Diego Petco Park
Nov 4th 2005 - Def Leppard/Bryan Adams @ San Diego IPAY1 Center
Oct 22nd 2005 - Queen + Paul Rodgers @ LA Hollywood Bowl
Sept 27th 2005 - Foo Fighters & Weezer @ San Diego Cox Arena
Aug 26th 2005 - Coldplay @ San Diego Coors Amp
March 30 2005 - U2 @ San Diego Sports Arena
Feb 25 2005 - Duran Duran Astronaut tour @ San Diego Sports Arena
June 6 2004 - Dashboard Confessional @ San Diego Cox Arena (SDSU)

Pre-Blaine: -

Sept 21 2003 - Dashboard Confessional @ SDSU's open-air
Jan 5 1994 - Bryan Adams @ Hong Kong Coliseum
Feb 10th 1993 - Bryan Adams @ Hong Kong Convention Centre
Feb 3rd 1993 - Chicago @ Hong Kong Convention Centre

New Physician's Formula Nude Wear Glowing Makeup

Last night when I was shopping for my Secret Santa at work I spotted this display at CVS in San Diego, CA. I have closer up photos of each product. It looks like there are Glowing Nude Bronzers in Light Bronzer and Bronzer, Glowing Nude Blushes in Natural and Rose, Glowing Nude Powder in Light and Medium and a Touch of Glow hi-lighting pen. Everything retailed for $13.99 at this particular CVS.

Daily Sightings: Sephora DISNEY COLLECTION Ariel

I have always been intruiged by the Sephora Disney Collaboration but their price points always seem so high. And after a few of the not so glowing reviews I have pretty much avoided picking anything up. However, these 2 items surfaced on the sale section of Sephora's online website and caught my eye:-

DISNEY COLLECTION Ariel Whatcha-Nail-Callit 6 Piece Nail Set

DISNEY COLLECTION - Ariel Storylook Eyeshadow Palette Volume 3

Does anyone know what Volume 3 means? As an avid Sephora online website stalker I know that items go in and out of stock regularly so an item that is showing as not in stock can easier tonight turn up again.

*Daily Sighting posts are time sensitive and usually refer to items that I find interesting when browsing my favorite sites will not be around very long.

Mani of the day: L’Oreal Gold Dust and Sally Hansen Diamond Strength

Lately I have come to realize that I am a pinks and reds kind of gal when it comes to nail polish. I thought the Sally Hansen red pictured below was the perfect pin up red. What do you think? I was feeling festive for the holidays coming up and I have a hard time leaving it to a traditional 1 color nail look so I layered them.

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in Diamonds And Rubies (1 coat)
L'Oreal Gold Dust Collection in I Like It Chucky (2 coats)

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW First Impression

During Sephora's November VIB sale I received a sample of the Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer stick and Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW foundation. Check out my first impression and review below.

Coastal Scents Revealed Palette 50%

Last month from Black Friday to Cyber Monday I made my first Coastal Scents purchase. They had a whopping 50% off the entire site and free shipping on orders over $50! My Black Friday purchase just came in and I had a chance to fall in love with this brand! I will be sharing my buys in a future haul either on YouTube or here as well. The product quality is phenomenal! One of the items I thought about picking up, Coastal Scents Revealed Palette during that sale was out of stock. But I just received an email saying it is back in stock. 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

I won these nail strips form influenster last summer and finally broke them out. The print that they sent to me was the Queen of the Jungle pictured below in a casual photo I shot as I walked from my car to the office.

Each box comes with 16 strips that are split into 2 packets of 8. I was able to use 1 packet of 8 to do all 10 fingernails because my nails are currently short enough that some nail strips could cover 2 fingers.

I would rate these better than Jamberry Nails but not as good as Sephora OPI strips. Unfortunately, Sephora seems to be discontinuing their strips but you can still find them on Sephora's website in their sale section and discount stores like Marshall's and TJ Maxx. 

Jamberry Nail first impression video

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Sephora OPI Nail strip trial video

Freeman Beauty Best of Beauty Seasonal Set

If you missed out on the Freeman Beauty Mystery Spooky Bag or their Black Friday sale. Don't fear, there is always a sale in the future. I just received an email about this deal below.

According to the email this set comes with the following:-

Feeling Beautiful™ Cucumber Facial
Peel-Off Mask 6 oz.
Bare Foot® Peppermint & Plum Foot Lotion 5.3 oz.
Bare Foot® Repair for Cracked Heels 3.4 oz.
Vita-K® Professional for Spider Veins 3.0 oz.
Psssst!® Original Dry Shampoo 5.3 oz.
Eclos™ Instant Radiance Facial Scrub 5.0 oz.
c. Booth™ Walnut Shell Body Scrub & Cleanser 16.0 oz.

1 sachet each of
• Feeling Beautiful™ Avocado & Oatmeal
Facial Clay Mask 0.5 oz.
• Feeling Beautiful™ Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial
Polishing Mask 0.5 oz.
• Feeling Beautiful™ Dead Sea Minerals Facial
Anti-Stress Mask o.5 oz.
• Bare Foot® Peppermint & Plum Foot Scrub 0.5 oz.
• Freeman® Beauty Socks

If you want to see the awesome finds in my Freeman Beauty mystery bag from this past October check out my video below.

Tarte Decemeber Friends & Family Sale

I just received the Tarte Cosmetics Early Access email to the friends and family sale. Use code DECFF for 30% off and free shipping on orders over $40. 

The items that catch my eye are the 'bright eyed and beautified eye enhancing tool.' Meant to help in the absorption of your eye products. My mother owns the Clarisonic Opal that runs at $185 so at $18 then 30% off of that, this cheap "dupe" might be worth a shot. 

This year's QVC offering on the tarte website is the "what has your makeup done for you lately" 6 peice collectors set. 

This limited-edition set includes:

(From company website)

• LipSurgence lip shine in vivacious, a pink shade
• maracuja oil rollerball
• maracuja miracle foundation broad spectrum SPF 15
• Amazonian clay finishing powder in white
• gifted Amazonian clay smart mascara
• modernEYES waterproof cream shadow and liner duo in moss and black

Last year during this sale I picked up a great QVC kit (glow your way to gorgeous best of the amazon essentials set) and worth every penny. If want to see what I picked up during this same sale last year check out my video

It's really hard to go for something when previously the value you received was just so amazing. Still, I might pick something up! 

If you want to check them out you, head over to their website here.

CVS Beauty Clearance Sale

It is the wonderful time again when drugstores clearance out their old makeup and make room for new. My favorite is always the CVS sale and this season's offerings seem to be fabulous! Watch my 2 haul and deal alert videos below!

Haul & Deal Alert Video #1

Usually when these sales happen things fly off the shelf so I would hurry up and go there if you want to find something. I saw Physician's Formula, Covergirl, Revlon, NYC Color, Wet N Wild, Nicole By OPI, Kardashian Beauty, Lumene, Rimmel, Neutrogena, Milani, Sally Hansen just to name a few.

The items I picked up were 75% off but there are several 50% off items at CVS as well. Note that many CVS's do not mark these things as clearance but if you use the scanner you can verify they are before purchasing.

Haul Video #2

Product Spotlight: Sibu Beauty Sibu Sea Buckthorn Miracle Stick

What is it with my fascination with trying new products? I was drawn to Sibu Beauty in my quest to find natural skincare. Who can pass up a cruelty free brand that claims to "restore, revitalize and protect youthful beauty?"  

Earlier this year I made a large Sibu Beauty purchase on hautelook. I bought 8 products and intend to try more in the future. My opinion varies on each product I have tried and I will be working on reviews for each of them when I feel I've used them enough to form an opinion.

The Sea Buckthorn Miracle Stick is a moisturizing stick that is housed in a giant chap stick like plastic container (much larger than a chapstick!). It is 2 fl oz in size and retails for $19.95 on Sibu Beauty's website. The twist up container is kept by my bed, as I like to use this on my hands before sleep especially this time of year (winter) when my hands are chapped. I like that I can control exactly where I want to distribute this product and it absorbs quickly. It's not messy, greasy or residue forming. I usually wake up with my hands feeling fine as opposed to severely dried out. Because it is not liquid it would be easy to carry around in a larger handbag (though slightly too bulky for a small handbag). If you know what sea buckthorn smells like, it has that scent of being less fruity and slightly herbal.

This year on Black Friday to Cyber Monday (11/26-12/2) they had an incredible 60% off. However, I want to mention they charged shipping Sibu Beauty's website. Therefore, the discount worked out to be about the same as buying them on discount at hautelook (when buying over $100 to qualify for hautelook's free shipping). So if you missed out on their holiday special, don't worry I think you will be able to catch them on sale again in the future.

Product claims from Company website: Paraben-FREE and Cruelty-FREE. No dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives. Our sea buckthorn is sourced through fair trade agreements with local harvesters in Tibet.

•            Soothes inflammatory skin conditions
•            Promotes skin recovery and healing
•            Supports skins’ natural lipid barrier      
•       Noticeably reduces visible sun damage
•            100% All Natural Ingredients
•            For All Skin Types
•            2 fl. Oz.

disclaimer: I am aware that everyone's skin is different and my tips are what worked for me and my experience. I'm not a healthcare professional and I am only sharing what helped me out. This post is not sponsored and all these opinions are my own.

Anticipating Black Friday: Sephora

Every year I look forward to seeing family and a few friends on Thanksgiving. Over 30 of us usually gather around for the feast. Afterwards we play games, catch up and look through ads. Not many of us actually brave the black Friday crowd and for myself I actually have to work in the office on Black Fridays. But I do like to check out the online sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

If you take a look at what has been revealed for Sephora's 2013 it does not seem that exciting. The only thing that slightly peaks my interest is the Josie Maran set. The picture clearly show the nail wipes which were in last year's set and the tube looks like it could be the Argan Infinity Intensive Creamy Oil, Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand or their Aqua tinted moisturizer. My guess is on the hand cream. The Josie Moran set I bought last year came with the nail wipes (haven't used but seem great for travel) and facial cleansing wipes. I was extremely disappointed in the wipes and felt cheated, but an oil might be worth my while. More Black Friday Specials will be revealed on Sephora's Facebook fan page tomorrow 11/23. What are you interested in?

If you're interested in what I got last year then keep on reading. Last year (2012) was my first time participating during Sephora's $10 Black Friday deals. I actually got my hands on a lot of things.

Tarte MultiplEYE™ & Gifted™ Lash Enhancing Primer & Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara: A full sized primer and mascara.

Too Faced Coco Glow Duo: Deluxe size Too Faced Chocolate Soileil and mini brush

LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer/Eye Shadow Duo: Full sized primer and single pot shadow

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes Duo: Full sized Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes both Facial and Nail

A year later looking back, I didn't find any of the things I picked up to be amazing. I was caught up in the hype and bought overpriced makeup remover wipes and deluxe sample sizes of the Too Faced Chocolate Soilel for which I already have the full size and deluxe size in my Bronzed and the Beautiful Palette. (I ended up returning one and giving one to my mom). I would probably not have made most of the purchases after trying the products or considering their value. The Tarte mascaras would be an excellent deal if you like their mascara but I was not a fan. Of the bunch I grabbed, the best to me was The LORAC set.

Note: I also picked up a few other things that were not part of the Black Friday $10 deals to get my free Cinderella gift bag and free shipping.

Haul: Sephora VIB Sale

Every year in the fourth quarter Sephora fans have grown accustomed to being overwhelmed with sales hitting us at a rapid pace. The order of their sales in the fourth quarter usually go:-

Friends & Family (typically 15-20% off entire purchase)

Beauty Insider (typically 15-20% off entire purchase)/VIB (typically 15-20% off entire purchase) , Black Friday ($10 deals), another Insider (typically $10-$15 off a $50 purchase) 

Ending with an end of the year clearance.

I love watching everyone's Sephora Hauls especially this time of year. Check out what I grabbed for the first sale of the season I participated in!

Dupe List: Radiant Primers

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance VS. PIXI Flawless Beauty Primer available at Target.

I received a sample of the PIXI primer in my target beauty bag and I had a deluxe size of the Laura Mercier from a Sephora purchase I made where I redeemed 100 Beauty Insider Points. Here is what I have to share with you all.

Similarities: Finishes are luminous with a golden undertone.

Price Break Down: When I originally spoke about the PIXI primer it cost $30 for a 1.01 oz at Target. I was shocked by the price tag because it made the Laura Mercier much more appealing at $32 for a 1.7 oz. I have since checked and the PIXI primer has been reduced to $22. My initial thought was, great I should pick up that PIXI primer. But even with the price reduction that makes the PIXI primer $21.78/oz and Laura Mercier $18.82/oz. With the price reduction the higher end Laura Mercier still wins out! I never thought I would be posting a dupe where the high end is more worth it.

Screen shot from August 18th 2013:-

Screen shot from today, November 17th 2013:-

Laura Mercier website today, November 17th 2013:-

Verdict: The primers perform very similarly but with the price per oz being less with Laura Mercier, I would obviously opt for that one.

Lastly, I must emphasize that these primers look best on film. They help your skin catch light, giving a person's face more depth. However in person or flash photography they may be less flattering (very shiny) so consider this before making your purchase. I discovered this when I was less than thrilled trying the Laura Mercier but when I went to film a YouTube video I was blown away with how glowing and healthy my face appeared.

My Current Skincare Update

I have been getting requests on my skincare update on YouTube. So I decided to put together a few tips on how I rehabilitated my skin.

This time last year I was constantly breaking out on my forehead for a few months. I was getting really large cystic acne which I would refer to as unicorn horns (that's how large they felt to me). They were very painful and took a long time to go away. I would cover them with my bangs and a lot of makeup. This lead to a desire to figure out the root of the problem and make some changes. Over time I have discovered that the combination of these have vastly improved my skin.

Before I get started I will describe my skin's natural inclination. I have combination skin where my t-zone has a tendency to get oily by the evening and the skin around my eyes and cheeks are drier. I can honestly say that I love my skin this year and hope I can keep feeling this way!

1.) Don't let stress bog you down. When you are stressed out your body releases hormones that affect your skin. We all get stressed out for various reasons, it's part of life. The key is to recognize it and try to mitigate it as much as you can. Sometimes things are out of our control. Sometimes it's that moody time of the month. I try to realize it and minimize the impacts when I can.

2.) Get enough sleep. This tip is linked directly to the one above. When I was incredibly stressed out last year (with my dog having surgery and other personal issues) I was severely lacking in the sleep department and my skin was most definitely paying the price. For lack of sleep the skin around my eyes suffered the most. I started noticing a correlation to lack of sleep and bags/dark circles under my eyes.

3.) Consider your diet. Each person's body reacts differently so this is really a personal experiment for you to take on. You must be in tune with your body and how it reacts to what you consume. It took a while for me to figure this one out (and still learning). What have I discovered about myself?

The first (and most impactful) was to avoid fried food (as much as I can). I love my fries but I found a direct correlation to fry consumption and getting a new pimple. I still have my cravings but try to satisfy them a lot less (my forehead thanks me for it).

The second was to avoid caffeine in my diet. I am so sensitive to caffeine that if I drink/consume just a little bit in the morning, it will cause me to have a terrible night of sleep. Not only does this go back to tip number 2 but caffeine is a diuretic which connects to tip 4.

The next was to reduce the amount of artificial sugar. Again I want to be realistic, I don't completely avoid avoid sugar.

I wondered if my diet was lacking the building blocks I needed for healthy skin. I've always heard that prenatal supplements were helpful. Though not a prenatal supplement, I decided to take a hair, skin & nails supplement. I feel like this helped give my face a glowy complexion, make my hair thicker and shinier and my nails stronger. If you're interested, I take one that can be found at Costco and is called Nature's Bounty. The suggested serving is 3 pills a day but I only take 1.

4.) Drink enough water. One thing I notice is that when my skin is tight and dry it is more sensitive.

5.) Figure out what products irritate your skin and avoid them. Personally, I try to avoid using products that dry out my skin. For me that means products that contain alcohol and benzyl peroxide. When I get a pimple I prefer to use a salicylic acid product but of those some products still irritate my skin. At first I thought it was the concentration of the active ingredient but after trying a few with 2% salicycle acid and having different skin reactions I believe it must be the other ingredients that I could possibly be causing and allergic reaction. The Alba Bontanica AcneDote Oil Control Lotion works on me for those breakout days to calm my skin.

disclaimer: I am aware that everyone's skin is different and my tips are what worked for me and my experience. I'm not a healthcare professional and I am only sharing what helped me out. This post is not sponsored and all these opinions are my own.

Mani of the day: Zoya and Kleancolor

I have been obsessed with pink on my nails for the past year and have been searching for the perfect barbie pink. I think I may have found it in Kleancolor. Now this polish as you might be able to tell from the photos is textured. I only have 1 coat on so I am extremely impressed with this polish. The polish performs a lot like Julie G gumdrop swatches look like to me. I have yet to try a Julie G gum drop so I can only go off pictures I've seen.

Zoya in Daul (2 coats)
Kleancolor textured 3D in Beauty Fix (1 coat)

Photo I took with my camera using day lights:-

iphone photo (instagram gymba24)

I also contacted Kleancolors to see if they are cruelty free and this was the response I received. To me I believe their response and chose to believe they are cruelty free. Feel free to interpret the response in your own way.

"Thank you for your email. We can assure you that KleanColor does absolutely NO TESTING on ANIMALS during any phase of product development, nor do we ask anyone else to test for us! Due to limited budget and the desire to provide good quality products at the best prices, we are currently not at ability to join/sponsor PETA or related cruelty-free program without increasing product price. We prefer to keep low cost for our customers as return of support of KleanColor brand. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Thank you for your email, in which we greatly appreciate your support and interest with KleanColor. Below is a wholesaler and a retailer closest to you, who carry our products and may be able to assist you:

Franciscan Merchandise, Inc 1110 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 (213)749-7192 trendyfm@gmail.com G-Stage 2475 Park Ave. Irvine, CA 92606 (714) 258-8485

Please kindly note that we have limited control over items the distributor/retailer deiced to carry. I apologize for the inconvenience. I hope above information is helpful. Thank you for your understanding."

Natural No Makeup Look

The weather is changing, the air is dryer in San Diego in the fall and the day light hours are shorter. Therefore, I find myself trying to get ready for work as quick as I can. Check out my no makeup look using minimal makeup.

Products mentioned:

LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder
ELF Tone Correcting Powder in Cool
Sarah McNarama Miracle Skin in Medium
Too Faced Primed and Poreless SPF 20 Bronze Tint
Physican's Formula Happy Booster Bronzer
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite
Napoleon Perdis lip gloss
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in Exposed

Halloween 2013

I decided to put on a simple skeleton baseball jersey found at the clothing store "Q" in San Diego's Mission Valley Mall. On my lips I wore MAC's Russian Red.

If you didn't know, I love to take OOTD photos from this point of view. I wore my red leather flats from Me Too.

When I got home Ralph sported a little hat and I called him Pupseinburg ;) He is the one who barks!























We had a fun time checking out the house decorations around. Check out what this house did! I found it very creepy!

Deal Alert: Real Techniques Brushes 50% off

This is the best price I have ever seen Real Techniques Brushes. If you have been wanting to these this line. Right now is the time to do it.

As per usual my deal alerts are super time sensitive so I post them ASAP. Today is October 24, 2013. This deal is probably time sensitive. It is 50% off Real Techniques. Go to their website and type in the promo code 'girlsnightin13' and in addition to that, you can get free shipping with orders over $50! Watch me do it in this video!

http://realtechniques.com/

I am in no way affiliated with Real Techniques. I just own a bunch of their brushes that I bought myself and was excited about the deal I saw on Nouveau Cheap's Instagam

Wet N Wild Spring Forward 2013 Limited Edition 8 Pan Eyeshadow Palettes

The title is certainly a mouthful! I had been searching high and low for the Wet N Wild Spring Forward Eyeshadow palettes since February. Alas, I finally found them at my local CVS last week. I think they are starting to pop up more abundantly as my friend who has also been searching found them this past weekend.

The collection contains to 2 palettes called Nude Awakening and Going Into the Wild.

If you want to take a closer look at them check out my swatch video where I also compared the them to my Urban Decay Naked and Nake 2 Palettes and a few of my other MAC and Kat Von D shadows.

Also if you want to check out my haul, check out the video below where I got some amazing drugstore deals from CVS and Rite Aid!

St. Patty's Day Inspired Ombre Nails

Manila Philippines Haul

Thought I would share the goodies I picked up from my trip to Manila, Philippines with you all. It was my first time visiting the area. We stayed at the Peninsula hotel.

Zoya Nail Polish Haul

Mid January 2013 Zoya was having a sale where you could get 3 nail polishes for free. the catch was that you had to pay $10 shipping per 3. If you want an up close look at the polishes I bought stay tuned for the video.
I love these polishes, they are free from formaldehyde, tuluene, dibutyl phthalate and camphor. Cruelty Free. Paraben Free.

Polishes shown: Megan, Wednesday, Snow White, Jolene, Rica, Daul and Trixie

Makeup Don'ts Tag Video

How about some fun with this "Makeup Don'ts Tag" video? Whether you see it on other people or can laugh at your own old makeup application. Let's have a little fun with a tag video.

Nail Design Contest

Hi Beauties, 
 
Bundle Monster is hosting an open contest for our 2013 nail plate collection! Ever thought that you could create a design so fab that it belongs on a nail plate? Here's your shot! They are accepting designs beginning on February 1 until February 28. Visit http://www.bundlemonster.com/createyourown for contest rules and directions on how to enter.

Winning designs will be featured on Bundle Monster's 2013 Nail Plate Set! Must be 18 years or older to enter.

Also, they are having a Valentine's special!

Valentine's Say + Gift Guide

Get your sweetheart (or yourself) the sweetest bundle with a 14% off discount during Bundle Monster's Labor of Love site wide sale. Everything on the entire site will be 14% off from now until Valentine's Day, February 14. Need some gifting inspiration? Check out our "Gift Guide for Lovers" at http://www.bundlemonster.com/valentinesgiftguide.

Facebook Launch of gymba24

I finally started my facebook page, please like my page to connect with me and other makeup enthusiasts!

https://www.facebook.com/Gymba24

Bundle Monster Puff VS BeautyBlender

Bundle Monster 4 Pc Pro Beauty Flawless Makeup Blender Foundation Puff  Sponges

I have been a big fan of the BeautyBlender sponge. I was so excited after I used this to apply my foundation. My excitement was soon dampened by the realization that to replace this would be really pricey! So I started my mission to try and find a dupe for this. I came across the 4 pc puff sponges from Bundle Monster on Amazon found here http://www.bundlemonster.com/beauty-accessories/4pc-pro-beauty-flawless-makeup-blender-foundation-puff-sponges.html

I bought the sponges with my own money and these are all my own opinions.

I didn't find them to be dupes at all but still an interesting tool. Check out my video here: