Best of 2012 Tag!

Best of 2012 Tag

Now that 2012 is over, it's time for favorites of the year. I'm so excited for 2013, let's hope it's one of our best years ever!

I got this tag from hkitty1122's video. If you haven't seen it, check it out!


Now, on to the favorites!

BEAUTY

1. Face product
I would have to say my Mabelline Dream Matte powder in medium Honey. I use it with a powder puff to set my undereye concealer and on my t-zone. Amazing. Stays matte all day!

2. Cheek product
I'm not a huge fan of blush or highlighters, so I am going to go with my Two Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. I love that it smells like cocoa, and it isn't orange at all. Perfect for contouring!

3. Eye product
DEFINITELY rediscovered my love for the Urban Decay Primer Potion. Many nights I went to bed without taking my makeup off [ I know, tisk tisk ], but when I woke up in the morning my eye makeup didn't move at ALL! It's too legit to quit :]

4. Lip Product
The Revlon Kissable Just Bitten balm stains. My favorite is Honey and they are amazing. Can't say anything better than amazing.

5. Skincare Product
My Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer. I have semi-sensitive combination skin and this works great. Other moisturizers either make my face oily or clog my pores. Not this one.

6. Nail Polish
Anything Sinful Colors. I have almost all of the colors. They have great staying power, and I can go a good week plus without them chipping. A favorite is their color Easy Going. It's a perfect light pink that just make your hands look polished and put together. As for a top coat, this will never change - Seche Vite!

7. Hair product
My Dove Hair Therapy Oil Care detangler. I have a full review post on it if you want to check it out!
DOVE REVIEW

8. Body product/Perfume
Versace Bright Crystal perfume! I also got Lady Gaga's Fame for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it.

FASHION

9. Clothing piece
My Old Navy Rockstar skinny jeans! They are so comfortable and don't choke my ankles. I got them in every color. I lived in them. Also, any type of legging.

10. Accessory
Scarves! This year is the first year that I really got into them. They add pizazz to any outfit. I wear mostly black and neutrals, so having a choice of pops of color was awesome.

11. Pair of shoes
I have 2 - my Uggs and my riding/combat boots! Both look so cute with skinny jeans.

RANDOM

12. Favorite TV Show/Movie
The Dark Knight Rises! Need I say more?

13. Favorite book
I'm going with The Hunger Games series. I know there was a lot of hype about the 50 Shades series, but I LOVED and was completely engrossed in the Hunger Games. The movie did the book no justice. The book wins hands down.

14. Food
I love food. No way I can pick.

15. Beverage
Coffee. Crystal Light To-Go. Tangerine margaritas.

16. Favorite song
This I can't answer. I have SO many. I love music. Hmm, honorable mentions? Locked Out Of Heaven by Bruno Mars. I'm Different by 2Chainz. Anything Lindsey Stirling. She's amazing.

Well that was easy. I hope you enjoyed, and I tag everyone! I love seeing what everyone else liked for the year. Like I said, I'm glad 2012 is over and I'm ready to start fresh in 2013! I wish a good year to all of you :]

Lots of Love,
XOXO Mary

Little Black Bag - initial impressions

Today I signed up for my first subscription service, Little Black Bag!

Signing up was easy, you pick your first item from a 49.95 or 29.95 category and then the "stylists" pick 2 more items and add them to your bag.

The most interesting and fun part is the trading! If you don't like what the stylists picked, you "trade". For each item they picked, there is a number of people who want it and are willing to trade something from their bag for it. I had so much fun doing it! It's incredibly addicting.

You can either buy just one shipment, or sign up for a monthly shipment in the category you wish (the 49.95 or the 29.95).

I can't wait to receive my box! I am going to do a blog post 'unboxing' so be sure to look out for that.

I have a promo code for anyone who wants to sign up. You get free shipping and a free extra gift!

Little Black Bag link :]

I really think this is something that I am going to enjoy, I think the readers I have and the people I read would love it as well. Designer names for mega cheap?! Um, yes please!

Thanks for reading!

Plus, part of my new year's resolutions is to get back in the swing of things on my blog, so check your feeds often, my face will be there more!

Lots of love,

XOXO Mary

Wet 'n Wild "Comfort Zone" Palette

First of all, today was my first day back to college! I had intro to psychology today, and a dimensions class tomorrow. For as nervous as I was, it was a walk in the park, just like the old days.

So on my way back from lunch with the boyfriend, I had to stop at walgreens to get some prescriptions. I figured I deserved a little treat for actually getting up and going this morning!

I know I am really late on this bandwagon, but until today I had never been able to find this palette. Until today! I finally have the Comfort Zone palette from Wet 'n Wild. It really is a pretty palette. I think I will be using it a lot in the mornings before class because the colors have such a variety that I can make several daytime appropriate [not that I care about day/night rules] makeup looks quickly!

The colors are very pigmented. Not surprising since this line makes some pretty good shadows for the price you pay. More expensive doesn't ALWAYS mean better :]

I also got another Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain. I already have "Honey" which I LOVE. Leighannsays on YouTube made a video all about them, and thus has hooked me :] Here is a link to her video if you either haven't seen it or are interested - CLiCKiTY CLiCK! Anyway, today I picked up "Darling". I really like it, a really pretty purple.

Look forward to some posts using both the palette and the balm stain, now that I will be doing actual makeup [besides liner and mascara] on a more regular basis!

Lots of Love,
XOXO Mary

My Project 10 Pan!

Caution: This post is pic heavy.

I love watching the YouTube videos on Project 10 Pan, so I've decided that I am going to do it too. Like it says in my blog description, I have a serious makeup purchasing addiction. This stuff needs to be used up, AND it will [hopefully] keep me from buying any more.

I have to switch my addiction to something else... like jewelry, lol.

So here are the 10 products that I am going to include.

I won't be able to buy any makeup in it's "family" until I use up these!

Obviously if I finish a mascara, I'm going to buy another one, but you guys know what I mean!

Everything is brand new, just unboxed. So I'm starting from the beginning on all of these!

I am going to do updates on my progress, again with pictures.

I really wanna see how long these products last!

I would love to see anyone else's posts on this, or to join me in this quest.

We can do it together! Let's make our wallets fat!

~ THE PRODUCTS ~

Maybelline Line Stiletto in black.

 Revlon Lip Butters in 'Creamsicle' & 'Sweet Tart'

 EOS Lip Balm in 'Sweet Mint' - YUM.

 Maybelline Colossal Volume mascara in black.

 

Olay facial moisturizer.

 Revlon Age Defying concealer in medium.

 Urban Decay Primer Potion - travel size.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in 'Sunny'

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero.

 NYX Lip Liner in 'Natural'.

WOO! This is a bunch! I can't wait to tackle this :]

Lots of Love,

XOXO Mary

Makeup 101 - Concealer

Do you feel like you look like this?

First off, let me say that what you see as "really bad circles" usually isn't as bad as you think. But with a little concealer we can eliminate this :] So let's get started!


Always remember that when you apply anything to your face, you want clean hands. Not doing this can contaminate your makeup or add whatever is on your hands onto your face ultimately hurts us in the end when trying to clear up a breakout! Dirt and oils on your hands will only aggravate the blemish.

Ok, types of concealers. My favorites are liquids and creams. Liquids are generally best used under the eyes as it is light in texture and won't settle into fine lines and wrinkles, or cake up and look, well, icky. Creams are good for a more full coverage. For example, a blemish, dark spots, redness, etc.


CONCEALING UNDER EYE CIRCLES
Warm up the product in the palm of your hand to "thin out" the texture so the coverage is smooth. You can also apply it right to the area with the applicator in your concealer. Now, make a triangle with dots of concealer. It's not as hard as you think. Start by dotting it under your eyes, a few dots on the side of your nose, and connect the line to the outer under eye dot. That creates a triangle!

You can use a brush to lightly and in circular motions blend the concealer. You can also use your fingers. The ring finger exerts the least amount of pressure since it's our weakest finger. It's important because the skin around the eyes is so thin, we don't want to tug on it and pull it. Premature wrinkles! 
The triangle method brightens up the whole plane of your upper cheek and under eyes. If you want a glowy, highlighted effect, choose a shade or two lighter than your actual skin tone. Avoid going too light though – reverse raccoon eyes are not pretty. Don’t forget the upper lids! It makes the entire eye area more polished and draws attention up. Use stay-put eye makeup when applying dark colors. Flaky mascaras and powder eyeshadow can fall under your eyes and make dark circles reappear and look worse.

CONCEALING BLEMISHES, REDNESS, DARK SPOTS
Use concealer that is 1-2 shades darker than your skin.  If you use a light concealer, it’s only going to highlight the acne or blemish instead of hiding it. The trick is to blend around the edges or apply foundation over the concealer to smooth out the color difference. If you have redness from the acne, use a green concealer as it counteracts redness- you do need to apply foundation on top though so you don’t look like a big old weirdo ;]
To avoid over-application which can cause cakiness, apply a dab of these thicker formulas with your fingers and blending out will give you the best results!

ALSO 
Concealer can be used as a lipstick primer. Just apply it to your lips before you put on color to make the true color of your lipstick more intense (your natural lip color can alter your lipstick). It will also give your lipstick staying power when set with a layer of powder on top.

You can also trace around your eyebrows to make them look sharper and neater. Always remember though, blend, blend, blend! It would be like having a foundation line on your face!

If you still feel that concealer alone is just not enough, you can use a corrector before applying concealer.

The yellow/peachy pigments give you an extra boost of brightness and help cancel out purple tones. The green is used to counter act redness. Experiment :]


The low down? In the battle for complexion perfection, concealer is your secret weapon.

Stay tuned for more makeup 101 posts! If you have any requests, let me know! I hope this helped some of you who are struggling with the massive amount of concealers out there :]

Lots of Love,
Mary XOXO

Makeup 101 - Foundation

Although not everyone is blessed with good genes, a flawless complexion is a desired effect for most women. Since we can't alter our body's genetics, we can still achieve this by doing it the way celebrities and makeup artists do - fake it! This simply means using makeup like foundation, concealer, and powder to hide or correct uneven skin tone, blemishes and unwanted spots.

We all have skin imperfections that we don’t like. Applying too much foundation or concealer can end up cursing you with “cake face”. It's a common problem when it comes to makeup. Maybe you don’t necessarily need a full face of foundation, maybe just a little concealer where you feel you need it and a very thin layer of powder on top if you have more oily skin and like to "set" your concealer.

Anyway, the main purpose of foundation is to even out your natural skin tone. Foundation is not meant to make your skin lighter or darker. That is what contouring and shading with bronzers and highlighters are for.The "perfect" foundation color will "disappear" into your skin.

It's important to know what you want from foundation. Do you want it sheer? Matte? Shimmery? Do you want to tone down specific areas of your skin or just even out your overall skin tone?

When you're shopping for foundation, make sure you're in natural day light or white light. Also, don't wear any makeup on your face! I suggest getting color matched in a store like Sephora or bringing a friend with you to the drugstore. If you go to a drugstore and can’t test the color, just hold up the bottle to your jaw line and have a second set of eyes there to help you find the closest match. When choosing a shade, try different ones and compare them. If you can try it on, always test foundation on your jaw line. If you see a spot or the color once it's dry, it's not right for you. It should be invisible, blending into your skin so your skin looks like skin, not makeup. Testing the foundation on your jaw line will help make sure you get the best shade that blends with your face and neck.  

I found information on the makeup geek site breaking down the types of foundation, I will copy and paste it to the end of this post! [much easier than me sitting here and typing it all out since I've been so long winded already...]

Once you have your perfect foundation, make sure you apply it to moisturized and primed [if you wish] skin. Apply your face products in THIN layers. Don’t put too much on at first or it may cake up on you. It's easier to add more than it is to take it away ;]

I hope this helped some of you, and to those that requested it, good luck! And remember, it's just makeup. Everything is trial and error. Unfortunately that's the way it goes. What works on some people may not work on you and vice versa. That's why you should always get a tester before you drop the dollars on a high end foundation. Or, make sure the store has a killer return policy. Nothing sucks more than spending $50 on a foundation and never using it.

Lots of Love,
Mary xoxo

TIPS FROM MAKEUP GEEK

Use only enough powder to set the foundation- using a powder puff will help.  Too much powder will get cakey looking.

Let your moisturizer set for at least 10 minutes before applying foundation- your skin needs time to soak in the moisture.
 
If you are rushed for time, skip the full foundation and just use concealer on problem areas.  No powder is needed unless you have oily skin.

The best method to make your foundation last all day is to use a primer – this stops oil from breaking through and taking off your foundation.

TYPES OF FOUNDATION [FROM MAKEUP GEEK]

Liquid Foundation: Offers light to medium coverage. Available in moisturizing formulas with a satin finish for dry skin or oil-free versions with a matte finish for oily skins.

Cream Foundation: Offers light to medium coverage, slightly heavier than a liquid. Great for dry skin. Avoid using if you have oily or combination skin.

Stick: Foundation sticks also double as concealers. The new gel or powder finish formulas are not as heavy or greasy as the older "pancake" formulas.

Dual-finish compact formulas (liquid to powder or cream to powder): Medium  coverage Great for combination skin, but should be avoided by those with excessively dry skin or who need heavier coverage. Can tend to dry out your face.

Tinted moisturizer: Can be used under foundation or alone for minimal to no coverage. Almost like a liquid bronzer.

Mineral Powder Foundation: Offers light to full coverage. Comes in every shade and tone imaginable. VERY easy and fast to apply. Longer lasting than most foundations. Controls oil and most are waterproof with a natural SPF!

This or That - A Tag!

Heyyy! I've been a little under the weather this week and I've still had to manage my house! But I wanted to at least get a post up. Here is a tag from youtube! I'm makeup-less today but still wanted to post :]
If you would like to answer them, post it on your blog and let me know! I'd love to see what other people say. This is just for fun!

Here are the questions:

Makeup:
blush or bronzer? bronzer, change up the color and it can double as a blush too ;]
lip gloss or lipstick? neither, but if my life depended on it, lipstick.
eye liner or mascara? mascara!
foundation or concealer? concealer. i don't use foundation.
neutral or color eye shadow? both! it really depends on my mood. but for everyday i'd say more neutral.
pressed or loose eye shadows? pressed. i can't be bothered with the messiness of a loose one.
brushes or sponges? brushes :]

Nails:
OPI or china glaze? OPI
Long or short? long-ish. more medium "active" length
Acrylic or natural? neither, GEL!
Brights or dark? neither, i always have a french manicure.
Flower or no flower? no flower. i don't like any embellishments other than some glitter now and then.

Body:
perfume or body splash? if i remember, perfume. but i prefer body sprays.
lotion or body butter? i don't moisturize! i hate the feeling of lotion.
body wash or soap? body wash, exfoliating to be exact.
lush or other bath company? neither. never been to a lush. don't care too much about that stuff.

Fashion:
jeans or sweat pants? sweat pants!
long sleeve of short? uh, depends on the weather.
dresses or skirts? dresses
stripes or plaid? ugh, stripes i guess.
flip flops or sandals? flip flops!
scarves or hats? hats :]
studs or dangly earrings? studs
necklaces or bracelets? bracelets
heels or flats? i would love to wear heels, bad ankle though, so flats.
cowboy boots or riding boots? riding boots
jacket or hoodie? hoodie all the way!
forever 21 or charlotte russe? neither. old navy :]
abercombie or Hollister? neither again.
saks 5th or nordstrom? nordstrom

Hair:
curly or straight? straight
bun or ponytail? ponytail
bobby pins or butterfly clips? bobby pins
hair spray or gel? spray gel :]
long or short? long!
light or dark? dark, i rarely stray too far from my natural color [1B]
side sweep bangs or full bangs? side swept, i like the option of getting hair out of my face.
up or down? up! i'm very low maintenance when it comes to my hair.

Random:
Rain or shine? shine, of course!
Summer or winter? Fall, but i'll say summer
Fall or spring? woo, fall!
Chocolate or vanilla? ew, neither.
East coast or west coast? east coast!!

Well that took forever, now I tag EVERYONE!

Lots of Love,
Mary XOXO

Curly Girl Tag :]

I found this tag while I was searching for fun tags to do on a blog. Youtubers always have tag videos, but there aren't many for us bloggers. But I found one, and it's right up my alley :]

Curly Girl Tag questions:

1. What inspired you to go natural or wear your hair curly?
- well, it's so much easier to work with your curls rather than against them. plus, i'm not a huge fan of having to do my hair [all the products, the flat irons, the blow dryer, etc.]


2. Who are your favorite curly hair idols?
- i don't really have any curly hair idols. to be honest, i haven't really noticed. i'll be keeping an eye out now though :]


3. Which You Tube curly would you trade curls with for a day?
- i really love Jackie from BeautyChaoticLive's hair, it's just like mine! i also love Grace from UglyFaceOfBeauty's hair. it's so big and wild and crazy!


4. If you could have only one product for a year, which product would you chose?
- if you read my latest blog post, it is now the Dove Oil Hair Therapy Detangler. just to get rid of the frizz. but a styling product? garnier fructis' curl spray gel.


5. If you could change one thing about your curls what would it be?
- my curl pattern. it's wavy at the roots, ringlet like in the middle, and then wavy again. it's a strange pattern, i'd like a uniform one.


6. What's the craziest thing you've tried on your "natural hair journey"?
- an oil and egg mask. SO GROSS!


7. What's your secret ingredient that your curls LOVE the most?
- again, the Dove leave-in detangler. nothing is worse than tangled curls!


8. If you could merge two brands of products to make your perfect product, which two would it be?
- ummm... i would merge my garnier spray get and a volumizing mousse :]


9. What is your go-to hair style when you're in a rush?
- i throw it all up on the top of my head and go!


10. If your curly hair had a name, what would it be and why?
- two face. it will either work with me, or it won't. it depends on what mood my hair is in :D


So yeah, there are my answers. I TAG EVERYONE WITH CURLY HAIR! This is a cute, fun little tag for a blog. Does anyone have any tags? If so, tag me!

Follow me if you wish, I'll follow back. The more the merrier :]

Lots of Love

Mary XOXO

Snippet #1... something DEFINITLY new ;]

So, I live life.

There are random moments in my life that are sometimes filmed.

Other than that, I don't know what to say. 

Everyday people.

Kevin rockin' out to X- FACTOR

Lol, awesome sauce.

XOXO M