Cyber Monday is Upon Us!

Well, we've all survived the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday. That means today is CYBER MONDAY! Yes, instead of doing our work, we're spending company time, using your speedy corporate internet connection to place online orders and shop the easy way: via computer.

There are tons of Cyber Monday deals out there (and deals being offered throughout much of December), so go to your favorite sites to see what's what. Just be sure to take your time, read all the fine print, enter promotional codes properly, and double check your purchases, what you're being charged for, and look over your shipping/billing addresses to be certain they're right before you hit "place order." With great deals, it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy and make a costly mistake.

A BIT ABOUT ME...
I've been insanely busy lately. I've written thousands of words over the weekend to get to the finish line for National Novel Writing Month and I'm proud to say that for the second year in a row, I am a NaNoWriMo winner and have hit the 50K word count mark. I'm exhausted. I'm sick of looking at my laptop, and I'm not relishing the thought of typing anything at the moment.

I'm also starting my week back by dealing with our auditors at work. Yippee. Today is going to bite on so many levels. I swear, I need to find away to quit my day job so I can focus on doing what I really want: writing and blogging.

Posts may be spotty this week because I'm feeling more than spent.

COMING ATTRACTIONS...

I still have tons to tell you about, especially now that the holidays and prime shopping season are upon us. Here are some things to look forward to in the coming days:
  • Raw Minerals mineral foundation overview and review
  • New products from Lumene
  • Awesome new bags and brushes from my fave, ecoTOOLs
  • Burt's Bees, watch out! There's a new bee-inspired lip balm on the market
  • Ecofriendly soaps will keep you and the earth clean and beautiful
  • PurMinerals is ready for the holidays
  • Head to Oz with nail polish Dorothy would love
  • ...and much, much more!

Problems with Comments...




For some reason, I'm not able to publish your comments. I reported it to Blogger and it seems it is an issue many bloggers are experiencing.  Just wanted you guys to know I have read your comments but we'll have to wait a bit for them to be published.


Gracias! 


ETA 11/30: Everything seems to be working fine now. But for some reason, although I hit the "publish" button for some comments they are not showing up.  I don't understand.

Look: MAC Sketch+Hepcat+Beauty Marked

I sported this look during daytime and liked it. You know I really like purple on my eyes and Sketch (burgundy with red shimmer) is one of the best and most versatiles MAC eyeshadows there is.

On my eyes, I used Hepcat all over the lid up to the crease but added Sketch on top of it, just in the eyelids.  Hepcat and Sketch were also applied on the lower lash line. I then applied Beauty Marked on the top lash line and outer part of lower lash line (applied more heavily in the corners with a the Sephora Brand Professionnel Smudge Brush #14 --great brush!). Shroom was applied as a highlighter under the brows.  I also used L'oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black and MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Stud.

I used MAC's Brit Wit Blushcreme on the cheeks with True Beauty BP on top.  Laura Mercier's Stardust Loose Powder was applied on the top part of the cheeks, temple and above my eyebrows to highlight.  Can't remember what I used on my lips...I've been so forgetful lately.  If I don't write what I use right away for my looks, it will be forgotten in less than 1 min.  Oh well...  I think it looks like L'oreal's Cashmere lipstick.


=D




 

**NO FLASH PICS**
(I added UD 24/7 E/L in Zero)



Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday!


Hasta luego chicas y chicos!



¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Most Official Lifestyle.

"Young girls envy the life we lead. ."














Tagged! 15 blogs I frequently read

I was tagged by Sadeeh at the BeautySpot Blog as one of the blogs she reads frequently.  Thanks for your comments and support girl! I like this tag, it is an opportunity for me to discover other beauty/entertainment blogs as well.

First, the rules of this tag:
- To accept this award: Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award with his or her blog link.
- Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
- Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award 





I'm not sure if this tag is only about beauty blogs, but anyway, these next blogs are the ones I hit frequently. I just love blogs that provide entertainment news as well as beauty tips/tutorials/looks/reviews.


The blogs I frequently visit are:
Oh no they didn't!  -- This blog is like a summary of all celebrities/movie/tv/soap blogs out there. The good, the bad and the ugly.

PhotoshopDisasters -- Love it! You get to see really bad but funny photoshopped pics.

KarlaSugar -- THE place to go to get your swatches fix.  This girl is amazing. I even asked her once for a foundation swatch and she did it in no time. Awesome.

TiffanyD -- She does her eye makeup in such a beautiful and exquisite way.  She also does lots of tutorials and explain every step quite well.

The Girly Show -- I love Jude so much. She is an amazing artist! Very daring, colorful looks.  And she is so nice!  I specially like that we have similar complexions and brown eyes. Yes, she is an inspiration for me.

My Makeup Reviews (Jojoba) -- Excellent reviews and high quality pics! She is a beautiful lady that also does wonderful and very tasteful looks.
Happy Face, Happy Wallet --  T is a beautiful lady (and a busy mom) who makes me laugh many times with her experiments and pictures.  She likes to stay on budget, so she provides great reviews in many kind of products.  Check her out.


BeautySpot -- Ah, the wonderful lady who tagged me.  Saadeh provides these color combinations in her eye makeup, combos that I wouldn't have thought of and go perfectly with her exotic complexion.  Good source of inspiration.  A fellow mechanical engineer that loves makeup, what more can I say!

Reve-Noir --  I first knew Shayla, alongside Saadeh and Jude, through the Temptalia Forum.  Gorgeous lady with beautiful brown eyes.  Beautiful makeup looks.  From what I've read in her blog, she's a professional with so many talents.  Oh, stop by her blog and search for rainbow cheesecake or cupcakes...sweet!

GossMakeupArtist -- Wow. A beautiful man with beautiful hands for makeup.  So much talent. This guy is so cool and has this soft voice...yeah, come on, don't tell me you haven't think how handsome he is...lol.  Seriously, watch his reviews and tutorials. Excellent MA.

Maquillame Lily! -- A beautiful latina that also does reviews and great makeup, looking sexy while staying on budget.  Very simpática (nice).


Nouveau Cheap (Reccesionista) -- Need the 411 about drugstore products or other great sales? Look no more. The Reccesionista will guide you, she always have the latest info.  Excellent lady.

A Brilliant Brunette (Jackeline) -- Another inspiration for me. I mean, Jackeline simply does her makeup beautifully and her blending ability is amazing. She simply makes every color combo work.

MissChievous -- Who doesn't know about Julia? I first was a fan of her videos in YouTube and now her blog is simply amazing. Just go there to read or watch everything about makeup.

MakeupGeek -- Marlena is an amazing MA and I love her energy and how happy she is on her tutorials. You can truly see she loves what she does.  Great tutorials about foundation, eye makeup looks, contouring, etc...You can find many info on her blog.

Temptalia -- This blog is like a basic tool for makeup bloggers. I mean, Christine provides the 411 on all the latest collections, reviews, swatches, tutorials.  The forum is just an amazing comunity, I just love it.  I really like that no matter how huge her website has become and how much she has to study, Christine not only writes her articles but she also keeps comunicating with her readers constantly. A real nice lady.



A little more than 15 blogs.   I always keep updating my blog roll, I change it so you can get to see and visit different bloggers I love.  

Well, that's all for now!  C'mon, share your frequent reads with all of us.




¡Vivan, amen y rían!

REVIEW+Swatches: L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara


Ok, this has to be said. I really hate mascara ads in which cosmetics companies show models that are obviously wearing false eye lashes or in which the pictures have been photoshopped to show abundant and extra long lashes.  Isn't that false adverstising? The ad for this mascara is no different. Come on people!

 Anyway, I wanted to try this mascara very badly since I'm a fan of L'oreal Mascaras and fan of big mascara wands. LOL. This one looked promising.



NAME:  L'OREAL Extra Volume Collagen Mascara
SHADE: Blackest Black
PRICE:  $7-$8 USD
CATEGORY:  Drugstore
DESCRIPTION:  L'OREAL claims this mascara "is made with hydro-collagen that enhances the thickness of your lashes up to 12x without any clumping. Its patented brush is 50% bigger so it builds incredible volume fast in just one sweep".  Okay.

SO?:  I have mixed feeling about this mascara. I bought this months ago and used it at least once or twice a week (I have not been using much makeup lately. Shocking, I know.) I got it on sale.

The brush is indeed huge and applies the product quite well. I like to feel how a mascara wand grabs my lashes.  I don't know about 12x lash enhancement (I'm not able to measure my lashes, lol) but they do look larger. But bear in mind I do have naturally curled and fairly long lashes.

On one hand, yes, it will give you bigger lashes, maybe not in just one sweep, but two.  More than that and it will clump.  At first I thought "...Ugh..." but after trying it for a second time, adding a little product at a time...wow. I really liked it. The formula is very thick and it will dry pretty quickly.  For some reason the mascara wand leaves more product at the end on each individual lash ¿? I loved how it gave my lashes that "false eyelashes look".  I did had to comb my lashes with my Tweezerman I LASH Comb to separate them.  After doing that, the results are in my opinion amazing.

What don't I like about it? It does smudges pretty fast (less than 4 hrs maybe?), but I do live in a high heat/high humidity environment.  You have to work with it pretty quickly or it will start to dry.  Also, my tube is around three months old and I feel the formula is already dry inside the tube (mind you, I do keep my makeup in a very fresh environment).  =/  

My biggest concern it that for some reason, my eyes get a bit irritated if I sweat much when using this.  I don't know. I tried it alone (no other eye makeup) to see if it was the mascara and it was indeed.  Sorry, I don't know  what ingredient may be causing this. I do have read reviews about this mascara and that issue has been mentioned. I hope the waterproof version doesn't cause this same problem.

Oh, I don't get the "collagen" part, I mean, it is listed almost at the ends of the mascara ingredients (maybe the qty that is needed for it to work is not much? IDK).

So I hope you see why I have mixed feelings. I like it but I don't love it. Not a total disappointment, I would like to try the waterproof version but let's say I won't be running to get asap.  That's no biggie for me, there are so many mascaras out there, lol.  I'm guessing I will be using this when I know I'll be out for a few hours preferably in an air-conditioned environment and want people looking at my lashes, hahaha.

RATING:  3.5/5 (I love how it make my lashes look, so great; but the dry tube in less than 3 months and that bit of irritation just doesn't do it for me).

ETA (Sept. 2010): I got the WP version of this mascara and I love it. It doesn't irritate my eyes (maybe because I don't use it everyday) but I love love the 'false eyelashes look'. Yes, it can clump a bit but I use my Tweezerman I-Lash Comb to remove excess product. It's more like it provides so much volume. Wow. Up one point! -- 4.5/5

Here are a few pics of it.  I'm also adding pics of natural look I did around 2 months ago using this mascara.

OH, OH, almost forgot--->  Nouveau Cheap did an excellent review on this mascara  Read it HERE.

You be the judge. 



 


 






 


FACE
Borghese Prima Viso Face Primer
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation -- 3W1 Tawny
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer -- Medium
MAC Mineralize Blush -- Merrily
MAC Blot Powder, Loose -- Medium Dark

EYES
TFSI
MAC Paint Pot -- Soft Ochre
L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara -- Blackest Black with L'oreal Lash Out Waterproof Mascara (in Black) on top of it
MAC Eyebrow Pencil -- Stud

LIPS
Honest to God, I can't remember...Sorry!  But it was something reddish.

NOTE: I took these pics after a super hot day where I was on a field trip with my kids and Oh-My-God did I felt dehydrated.  My face looks dry but the makeup was pretty much intact...I love ELDW.  =D


Well, talk to you later guys. Leave your comments.


¡Vivan, amen y rían!
These expert tricks will help get you gorgeous arches at home

Few things can transform our faces more than eyebrows. It's critical not to overpluck, or pluck them into a bad shape. Doing your own brows can be a little intimidating at first, but with these tips from brow expert Kristie Streicher, from the Warren Tricomi Salons in Los Angeles and New York, you'll be a master plucker in no time.

Happy ThanksGiving Day

As everyone celebrates Thanks Giving from Google to the streets of New York at the 83rd annual Macy*s Thanks Giving Day parade. One should be thankful every day but this is the day to be extra thankful and show appreciation to the world =)

KeKe Palmer

SpongeBobSquarePants

Mickey Mouse the goon himself.
Happy Thanks Giving from MOB !

Happy Day Before Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all my U.S. readers have a pleasant Turkey Day today and enjoy spending time with their friends and family. There is much to be thankful for so be sure to take a moment to reflect on all the good things life has to offer. A positive attitude sure can make you more beautiful!

As soon as the Thanksgiving meal is woofed down, stores across the country will be opening at the crack of dawn, offering the big deals of the season. We keep hearing that the economy is in the toilet, so I wonder if Black Friday will be a big damn deal this year or not. How many of you are planning to brave the crowds to get some shopping done tomorrow? I've done it in the past, but I have no interest in losing a minute of my much needed beauty sleep to stand in line with thousands of people to buy stuff I probably don't need. Besides, I am about 75% done with my holiday shopping, and getting up early to buy half price socks doesn't excite me much.

Now, for all of you who are planning a Black Friday shopping extravaganza, here are some tips to make your shopping experience more successful:
  • Get plenty of rest. All that tryptophan and alcohol you consume on Thanksgiving may make you sleepy. If you're planning on getting up super early to shop, adjust your bedtime so you get as many hours of good, solid rest as possible. You might also want to lighten up on how much you're eating today. No one wants to shop with a food hangover!
  • Dress comfortably. I always find malls and shops a bit over heated, so I often leave my coat in my car and dress in layers. Comfortable shoes are a must! If you need to try anything on (not that you'd be buying a gift for yourself tomorrow!) try to limit the amount of makeup you have on--no one wants to buy clothes marked up with other people's lipstick or foundation!
  • Leave your purse at home. Yikes! I know how hard this one is, but when you're buying tons of stuff and you have to carry a lot of bags, the last thing you need is to lug around a purse full of junk as well. Try to limit yourself to the essentials: your credit card(s), ID, cash, keys, and maybe a lip gloss. If you're smart, you can fit all this in your pockets, making the purse unnecessary. Remember: Black Friday is about deal hunting, not looking beautiful.
  • Plan your attack. Make a list before you leave with all the gifts you need to buy, how much you want to spend, and what stores you want to go to. Doing so will keep you focused, keep you from overspending, and will make sure you don't forget someone. Plus, you can skip stores you don't need to go to to avoid mindless buying.
  • Be careful. Make sure you know where all your stuff is and be sure to keep receipts. Also, stash your purchases in the trunk of your car so they are not visible to any annoying car prowlers. Don't leave stuff scattered all over your car--you'll just be inviting someone to rip you off, and there's nothing fun about that. One more thing: keep your receipts with you at all times. If someone breaks into your car and steals your stuff, you might need those receipts to deal with insurance, the police, and your creditors.
  • Be nice and have a little patience. Before you start screaming about a line or start to vent on a salesperson, stop and breath. A little kindness goes a long way--think of it as good karma. Besides, Santa is watching after all and you don't want to be on the Naughty List.
Now, have fun and shop well. Go stimulate our economy! Or wait and shop at work on Cyber Monday...whatever!

LOOK: Taupe Smoky Eye look w/ LORAC Reverie e/s

Yes, I love Taupe shades. Love them. What can I do.

For this look I used "Reverie" on the lids and lower lash line, a bit of "Joy" on the crease and "Persuasion" as a highlighter.

**AS ALWAYS, CLICK ON EACH PIC FOR ENLARGED VERSIONS**


 

 











 

**NO FLASH**
 


FACE
CLINIQUE Pore Minimizer Refining Lotion + Pore Minimizing T-Zone Shine Control Gel (I have to apply these products to prime my skin everytime I use Maybelline's Superstay Foundation)
MAYBELLINE Superstay 24HR Makeup (Natural Tan mixed with Classic Beige)
MAC Dollymix Blush with Shy Beauty BP on top
LAURA MERCIER Star Dust Loose Powder as highlighter
MAC Blot Powder in Medium Dark
A spray of fresh water just so the makeup doesn't look too powdery

EYES
ESTEE LAUDER Eye-Fix primer (again, not a favorite but good for everyday use)
MAC Painterly PP
LORAC E/S in Reverie, Joy and Persuasion
URBAN DECAY 24/7 E/L in Zero
MAYBELLINE Colossal Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in Glam Black

LIPS
Lipbalm
L'OREAL Cashmere L/S
MAC Hello Kitty L/G in Nice Kitty


Hope you like it. If you have any question, leave a comment or send me an email.  =)



¡Vivan, amen y rían!



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