Matte nails are a new trend!

It seems as if anything matte is becoming popular (ex: matte lipstick) and nail polish is no exception! China Glaze is one of the brands that now has a Flat Finish top coat. Their top coat is called Matte magic.

Details: This little bottle of milky clear (contradictory, I know) colored nail polish is a top coat that magically turns any nail polish that you apply into a matte color.

Where to Buy: I purchased mine at Sally's Beauty Supply. I originally purchased this for $5.99, but recently saw it on sale there for $2.99! This bottle is slightly smaller than regular China Glaze nail polishes. This top coat is .325 oz. I am sure you could also purchase this anywhere that China Glaze nail polishes are sold.

How to use it: You apply your colored nail polish as you usually would. Then, you let the nail color dry for the normal amount of time. Instead of using your regular top coat, you apply this to your nails

How it works: As the topcoat dries you will watch your nail color turn into a matte color. As you can see in the picture, the left nail has a regular top coat, and the right nail has the China Glaze Matte Magic. (Excuse the messy polish job)

My thoughts: I think this is a must for any nail polish lover. By owning this topcoat, you instantly double your nail polish collection!

Overall rating: A+
Note: I have not tried any other matte top coats, so I can't compare this to others.

If you're looking for a new face mask, try......

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque!

Details: An old school green face mask that claims to "dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads, and shrink enlarged pores."

Where to buy: I purchased mine at Walgreens for Buy one get one free at $2.99. So essentially, I got each face mask for $1.50 plus tax. The size I got was 8oz. You really can't beat that price!

How to use it: After you wash your face, when it is still wet, you apply a layer of this all over you face and neck. You wait about 15 minutes. You will notice that the mask has started to turn a light green or white color. When the mask is all light green/white, you rinse it off with warm water and a washcloth. I just use warm water and my hands.

How it works: This mask draws out all the dirt and gunk from your skin as it dries.

My thoughts: I think that this is an amazing mask, and not just for the price! I have found that it does help with pimples and blackheads. I haven't seen a whole lot of difference in the size of my pores, but then again I don't really check the size of my pores all that often! This mask really does make me feel like I am getting a spa quality facial right in my own home. My face feels nice and refreshed after I use this mask... I am chalking that up to the mint :)

Just a note: It does come out like a very thick green clay so you do have to squeeze the tube quite hard!

Overall rating: A-
I would give it an A+, but I find that when you get down to the end of the tube you really have to squeeze the tube hard to get out all of the product.

20 Questions tag

Here are my answers to the 20 questions tag!

1.Thing you cannot leave the house without
My key chain, my cellphone, purse, and Softlips (which is usually in my purse so I am covered)!

2.Favorite brand of makeup
I do not have one favorite brand of makeup. I think that any collection should have something from this brand and something from that brand. I personally have a mix of drugstore and high end and they each have a place in my collection.

3.Favorite Flowers
I love Gerber daisies as well as orchids. I also love getting roses (but only occasionally). I love the smell of fresh flowers in the house.

4.Fav clothing stores
I shop at lots of different clothing stores, but some of my favorites are American Eagle, Charlotte Russe, H&M, Forever 21, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, just to name a few ;)

5.Fav perfume
This seems to change depending on my mood. My current fave is Little Sexy Things by Victoria's Secret. Some others I love are Juicy Couture and Burberry Brit. for body splashes I love Country Apple and Twilight Woods from Bath and Body Works.

6.Heels or flats
Both at different times. When I go out at night I like wearing heels because I am only 5 feet. I am a teacher so usually I like wearing flats to work as I am on my feet all day.

7.Do you make good grades?
I am done with both high school and college, but I did make good grades. Studying was very important to me.

8.Fav colors
Depends on what this is referring to...in terms of eye makeup colors I am loving neutral colors at the moment. As for favorite all time color, I am a pink girl! But, I also love green and blue :)

9.Do you drink energy drinks?
Not on a regular basis. But, I will sometimes drink 5 hour energy.

10.Do you drink juice?
Yes! I love juice, especially apple and orange. I also love a nice cold glass of cranberry juice at times.

11.Do you like swimming?
I love swimming.....in lakes, the Gulf, oceans, the pool! I love anything and everything involving the water as well. I love sailing and used to do it a lot.

12.Do you eat fries with a fork?
No, I do not. But, if I have a fries and a packet of ketchup I will squeeze the ketchup on each fry individually.

13.Whats your fav moisturizer?
I am loving Olay total effects right now!

14.Do you want to get married later on in life?
Of course I do. But at the moment I am very happy with my relationship as is.

15.Do you get mad easily?
Not necessarily easily, but if it is over something serious then it takes a while to gain back my trust.

16.Are you into ghost hunting?
No, I am not. I think the concept is interesting, but not into ghost hunting. I am spooked very easily.

17.Any phobias?
None that I can think of.

18.Do you bite your nails?
No, sometimes I pick at them but I really try not to because it makes my fingernails look horrific!

19.Have you ever had a near death experience?
None to date.

20.Do you drink coffee?
Yes, yes, and yes. I know it is bad for my teeth, but I just love it! I usually drink 1-2 cups daily.

Favorite brushes!

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone had a great weekend! This post is going to be about a few of my favorite brushes! Here are the pictures of my favorite brushes and what I like about each one. Further down is the list of how much these brushes cost and where you can purchase them!

This first brush is the E.L.F eyeshadow brush. This is a wonderful brush and it is not just a good brush for the amazing cost ($1). I find myself reaching for this brush as an all over lid color brush every single time! That is because this brush packs on color very well and it is a very sturdy brush.

The next brush is my Coastal Scents pink kabuki brush. Yes, I will admit that part of the reason I initially purchased and now love this brush is because it is pink, but that alone does not qualify it to be in my favorites! At first, I thought this brush would be good for mineral foundation. I used it for that for a few days and I was disappointed, but then I had another idea. I tried using this brush with my setting powder and lo and behold this works amazingly for that :) Oh, and did I mention that this brush is wonderfully soft?


This next brush is my flat top deluxe buffer brush from Coastal Scents. This is my HG brush for mineral foundation. This helps your minerals to give a nice even coverage! And I like the fact that the handle is a bit shorter than some similar brushes as I feel that if gives me more control.


The next brush is my Coastal Scents chisel mini detail brush. Let me just warn you that this brush is a lot smaller than it looks on their website, but I have found a perfect use for this! This brush is amazing for applying shadow to you inner tear duct and inner corner of your eye!


The next brush is my Coastal Scents Italian Badger round crease brush. I have found that this brush is very nice for applying shadow in the crease. It keeps its shape, but is also nice for blending.

And the last brush on my favortites list is my MAC 219 pencil brush. This is a wonderful brush for defining the outer v. I like this brush because the bristles are stiff and hold their shape even while applying shadow with a heavy hand.

• E.L.F Eyeshadow brush ($1 at eyeslipsface.com)
• Coastal Scents Pink kabuki ($4.99 at coastal scents.com)
• Coastal Scents Deluxe buffer brush ($7.95 at coastalscents.com)
  
• Coastal Scents Chisel detail mini brush ($1.99 at coastalscents.com)
  
• Coastal Scents Italian Badger round crease brush ($2.89 at coastalscents.com)
  
• MAC 219 Pencil brush ($23 online or at MAC stores/counters)
  

A quick note: Your brushes will only be as good to you as you are to them. So, please make sure that you spot clean your brushes often and deep clean them! I can't tell you how often you should do either of these things as it all depends on how often you use your brushes. I spot clean mine every time I use them and I deep clean them every week.

What are some of your favorite brushes? Are any of your favorites the same as mine? Comment below and let me know :)

(Note: I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the companies mentioned in this video, nor are they paying me to write this review. All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me.)

First real YT vid!

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to let you all know that I have uploaded my first YT video. It is all about beauty related stocking stuffers. Please go check it out on my channel and let me know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/user/BornDance

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Sephora inspired brush holder!

This post is going to be about the Sephora inspired brush holder that I feel like everyone has! Well, I made my own and here is the result! This has been "coined" the Sephora inspired brush holder because this is the way that Sephora displays their brushes that they sell in the store. For a wonderful tutorial on how to make this brush holder check out EnKore Makeup on YT!

The purpose of this brush holder is to be able to not only have easy access to your brushes, but to have something that looks nice on your vanity.

First, the materials and where you can purchase them:

• The container- the container is a white ceramic container that I purchased at Michael's for about $5.
• The clear beads - these come from Michael's. They can be found in the floral section. They are little clear beads called ColorFill and they are about $5.
  
• The red and green beads- As you may be able to tell I love red and green things. I wanted to add something other than clear beads. So low and behold I found something in my bf's closet that worked perfectly. He had a whole container of the little things called Airsoft pellets. Basically they are little clear plastic beads that you can use to shoot people with, but they work even better for this in my opinion! To his dismay I could take "anything and use it for beauty stuff" But, the airsoft pellets come in lots of pretty colors such as red green, white, orange. You can purchase these at walmart!
  
• The brushes- the brushes you can find in your own makeup collection!

To see more about the brush holder you can view this video on my YT channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWO1AyTTNw0

This brush holder allows the brushes to stand straight up and they become easy to access and very easy to store.
Let me know how you organize your brushes by commenthing below!

Suggestions, comments, requests, ect...

I just wanted to take a minute and write a post to let you know that I am open to any and all suggestions, comments, advice, and requests. I write this blog because I love makeup and want to share my love with everyone else! If you have any suggestions or advice on how I can improve my blog please let me know. Comments on my blog would be appreciated as well. And last, but certainly not least if you have any requests for product reviews or requests for a fun blog post, please let me know and I will add it to my list. This blog is new to me and it will probably start out slow, but I would love to have an arsenal of ideas to pull from!

Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day :D

Yankee Candle now makes........

lipbalm! No, don't run to get your eyes checked because you read right! Yankee Candle has decided to make a product to appeal to makeup lovers out there! They now make flavored lipbalms that look like very miniature versions of their famous candles. Seems like such an odd product for a candle company to make, but if you ask me this is a very successful product.

I own this lipbalm in vanilla lime. First let's talk about packaging. Each lipbalm has .14oz of product. These have some of the cutest packaging I have ever seen in a lipbalm. They are a miniature version of their candle. The "top" of the jar is also the "top" of the lipbalm. You pull the entire top of the lipbalm off to access the product. The "base" of the jar is where you twist the lipbalm up. They are also such a great conversation starter. Imagine being at the office, at the mall, or walking down the street and pulling out something that looks like a mini candle and applying it to your lips. That will certainly start some sort of conversation!

The lipbalm comes in seven different flavors. The flavors are as follows:

• Black cherry
• Buttercream
• Christmas cookie
• Juicy watermelon
• Sweet strawberry
• Vanilla cupcake
• Vanilla lime

Next, let's talk about ease of application. These lipbalms apply very smooth. One thing to note is that these lipbalms are slightly more "chunky" in size than a regular size lipbalm (such as a Blistex or a Chapstick). I find that it only takes one swipe to cover your whole lip. The lipbalm in vanilla lime tastes exactly like I imagined that scent would taste (Weird I know...who who think of tasting a candle?)

And of course, let's talk about the one thing everyone wants to know. Are these lipbalms good for your lips? Yes, yes, and yes! These days, I will not purchase a lipbalm without SPF in it. These lipbalms have an SPF of 15! They are made with lots of ingredients that have been proven to help moisturize lips such as extra virgin olive oil, vitamin E, beeswax, and rosemary.

So run to your nearest Yankee Candle store or their online website and pick a few of these up. They would make wonderful stocking stuffers!

Have you tried this lipbalm? Comment below as I would love to know what you think!

(Note: I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Yankee Candle, nor are they paying me to write this review. The products mentioned in this post were purchased by me.)

Coastal Scents 88 matte palette

Hi all,
This post is going to be about the 88 matte palette from Coastal Scents.
Note: I added the "bling" to mine. I just had some self sticking gems that I put on the front.
I thought with the holidays quickly approaching I should do a post about this palette as it would make a great gift for anyone on your list whether it be a teenager who is beginning to get into makeup, your best friend who loves makeup and has everything makeup related (except for this), or your cousin who is a professional makeup artist. If there is someone on your list who prefers shimmery colors or prefers more neutral colors you are in luck because Coastal Scents has 3 different 88 color palettes. They have a shimmer, a matte, and a warm. The 88 color palettes range from $18-$25 depending on which one you get.

This palette has a great variety of colors, 88 to be exact (duh!). The pigmentation on these shadows is fantastic. These colors can stand up to any high end brand in my opinion. (As with all eyeshadows make sure you use an eyeshadow base!)

The colors in this palette are about the size of a dime. One thing I love about this palette is even though it looks like there isn't much color or that it won't last very long, they last for a very long time. I have been on a neutral eye kick for the past month and a half and I have barely made a dent in the color that I use all over the lid. The other thing I love about this palette is that not all of the colors are actually matte. Some have just the slightest sheen (definitely NOT a shimmer) to them.

Go to the Coastal Scents website and pick up one or all of these palettes either for yourself or as a gift. These are an amazing deal and they are very affordable!

For more about the 88 Original (Matte) palette check out the video on my YT channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M66XxG-e_U


(Note: I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Coastal Scents, nor are they paying me to write this review. The products mentioned in this post were purchased by me.)

Makeup remover...why I use two!

This post is going to be an explanation of the two makeup removers that I use. I own and love two makeup removers for different reasons. The two makeup removers I use are:

Rimmel Gentle eye makeup remover

AND

Neutrogena oil free eye makeup remover

The big question everyone is asking: well why use two makeup removers?

First, I'll tell you what these both claim. Both removers claim to be oil free, safe for contact lens wearers and people with sensitive eyes, will remove even waterproof mascara and eyeliner, and will not leave an oily residue.

Both removers are oil free. As to the second claim about being safe for contact lens wearers and people with sensitive eyes I neither wear contacts nor have sensitive eyes so I can not attest to that. I find that the next claim about removing waterproof mascara is only applicable to the Neutrogena. I find that it take many swipes and a lot of tugging for the Rimmel to remove waterproof mascara and eyeliner. And as for the last claim saying that they will not leave an oily residue, I feel that only applies to the Rimmel as I feel that the Neutrogena leaves an oily film.

Now, on to the reason why I use two. A lot of times if I am in a rush in the morning, I will skip mascara and eyeliner alltogether and just use a dark shadow as my liner. Now, many beauty experts out there will have my head for saying this next part, but sometimes I come home after a long day/night and I don't want to wash my face *gasp*. So, on those nights I will use Rimmel's eye makeup remover becuase it removes all of my eye primer and eyeshadow and does not leave an oily residue. Then I will follow that with a Pond's makeup remover towelette and then I am ready for bed. If I use the neutrogena remover I have to wash my face after because, at least for me, it leaves an oily residue.

Now, I always wash my face in the morning and I want to stress how important it is to remove all of your makeup before going to bed. (Note: if you don't....hello clogged pores!) Washing your face thoroughly is the best way, but in a pinch eye makeup remover and a makeup towelette will work just fine.

Both of these can be found at your local drugstore and depending on where you get them they are about the same price. Keep in mind that most drugstores run promotions on both of these makeup brands quite often!

I hope this was helpful for those of you looking to try a new makeup remover.

(Note: I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any companies mentioned in this post, nor are they paying me to write this review. The products mentioned in this post were purchased by me.)

Introduction for new blog!

Hi all,

I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and my brand new blog. I am in my mid 20's and I love makeup. I am by no means an expert or makeup guru of any kind, although I love watching them on YT! I am just a girl who loves makeup and beauty products. YT is where I have learned a lot about makeup. I decided to start this blog to talk about beauty related things and to share information with you. This blog will probably start out slow as I am a full time teacher and that really does take up most of my time. I will try to keep this blog updated and please leave a comment and let me know if you have any ideas for fun blog posts! Thanks for taking time to stop by and keep checking for new posts :)