Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Kat Von D True Romance Beethoven and Ludwig palettes review and swatches.

Thin sleek packaging, fits perfectly in mu bag for travel.


Hi everyone! I have to share 2 of my most loved palettes. The quality is fabulous, buttery soft, pigmented, and a great value at just $34 for a good size palette with eight e/s. Both contain everything you need to create a look, lid, crease, and highlighter colors. Each comes with two double ended flat brush applicators that I don't find work for the shadows but do work as e/l brushes for gel liner.  I love the rubber packaging, reminds me of NARS. I kept the boxes to keep the palettes in them to keep them clean, plus the box is pretty and I love the detail. :D I took Beethoven when I went on vacation to NE since I didn't want to take too much with me (I always over pack lol). It was easy to travel with and It had everything I needed from plenty of e/s to choose from to a matte black I could use as brow powder (also has a matte brown if you have brown brows). I was able to really get use of of this since It was the only e/s I took. I did everything from neutral looks, to smokey and dramatic eyes. All with one palette. Add this palette to my 'For Browns list'. I extra recommend It for my brown eyed sistahs. The colors in Beethoven are:

(Description taken from Sephora.com)

 Lucifer (Matte charcoal black)
Speed Blue (Dark metallic blue)
Razor Gray (Warm gun steel shimmer)
Tequila (Metallic cornsilk shimmer)
Galeano (Metallic medium plum shimmer)
Sinner (Metallic purple black shimmer)
Rad Purple (Matte purple black with purple glitter, this one is my fav)
Leather (Matte dark brown)

Ludwig is absolutely beautiful. Very well put together palette, there's not one shadow I don't like. This one also contains both a matte black and a brown, so this is also great for travel.  Every shadow is pigmented and blends easily. Contains shades for both dramatic and classic neutral looks. Also add this to my 'For Browns' list, It's a must.
When I go on a trip or vacation I take one of these palettes, I just pick up a random one without looking. I have a hard time picking between the two so I just randomly pick lol. The colors in Ludwig are:

(Taken from Sephora.com)


Lucifer (Matte charcoal black)
Orbi (Golden green shimmer)
Dimebag (Metallic lime green)
Clay (Beige with gold glitter, my fav shadow from this palette)
Tequila (Metallic cornsilk shimmer)
Downtown (Metallic light copper shimmer)
Baroque (Golden bronze shimmer)
Leather (Matte chocolate brown)

Note: I clean all my mu, I don't like dirty mu! So that's why they look a little new. I use microfiber towels.

Swatched both palettes over Avalon Organics Lavender lotion. I couldn't get the mattes to stick to the wet lotion.

*Drools at all the prettyness*

Thanks for looking! :)


Love,

Sonia

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Dior 1 Colour Ultra Smoothing High Impact Eyeshadow in Chrome.



In other words...This is an e/s single. LOL long name! Hi everyone! I wanted to share my latest purchase. I've been wanting a good silver e/s (that wasn't in a palette) for awhile now, so when I saw this one I thought It would be perfect. It's such a stunning shimmering frosty silver with lots of silver glitter. This reminds me of MAC Electra (Lustre). By itself It's sheer but shimmery with lots of glitter. But like a lot of shadows It comes alive over primer. I swatched It over Painterly and It really popped and the glitter was more blendable and nicely pigmented. Check out the sexy packaging! It's so luxurious and feminine! I even like the sponge applicator, even that looks elegant. I especially like the velvet case, and for the price ($28.50 for 0.7 oz), It better come with something that will protect it! AMIRITE!? Heh, heh.









Swatched dry. *Swoon*

Over Painterly.
I am happy with my purchase, I love this! This is a keeper.


Thanks for reading!


Love,

Sonia

Aztec Secret mask.

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share my favorite mask. Aztec Secret ($6 at Henry's or Whole Foods) is a Bentonite clay mask that comes in powder form. That's It, just Bentonite clay, It's that simple. Yet It works phenomenal.
This is THE best mask I have ever used. Queen Helene Mint Julep WHO? That's is like the difference between a Snickers and a bar of delicious Godiva chocolate. It doesn't get better than Aztec Secret. It seriously sucks out every single thing wrong with your skin. Is your skin dull, clogged, flakey, unbalaced, covered in acne, or just want a great mask, this is for you. You can feel It working as It hardens. I use It at night before bed and the next day my skin looks smooth, glowing, balance, and It feels like It can breathe. When I used Color Stay foundation I had to use this more often cause CS was hard to remove. I couldn't get It off with olive oil, soap, or facial brush. But this stuff got out all the CS buildup. Gross, I know. You should see how CS stained my sponge! I'll post a pic of that in next post. OK, back to the mask! So during the CS time I was using It more often and I never had any issues with irritationThis is the only mask I use, I've been using It for many years. I won't use anything else because nothing will compare, I'll only be disappointed. This exfoliates (in combination with vinegar), deeeeeep cleans, and increases circulation. Btw, the increase in circulation turns my face red for about 20 minutes, but I don't mind because I use the mask before bed. You can actually feel It increasing as well. The container says that you'll feel your face pulsate, and It's so true. I'm pretty sure that's circulation rushing to my face. It does It every time. I mix It with Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar ($4.99 at Henry's or Whole Foods) then mix with my fingers and apply. It has to be raw vinegar or It wont work the same.  If you think your skin cant handle the vinegar you can just use water. But I have combo/dry skin and I have no problems using with vinegar. First time I used this I thought It was too much and too strong. But It was because I wasn't used to It. The next day though my skin looked amazing so I stuck with It. Took a few uses to get used to It but I'm glad I stuck with it. So if you use this and you think It's too much and your skin can't handle It, just stick to It. Trust me, you'll get used to it. Comes in a huge 1lb tub for just $6! DUDE. That's a year (or more depending on how much you use it) supply! I only use about 1tsp-1tbsp at a time, so It lasts sooo long! I've had mine for like 10 months. :O I love that this is all natural, super simple, easy to use, and yet works so great! I highly highly recommend this. Pics!


I keep this plastic spoon on top of the tub in my medicine cabinet. This is what I use to scoop out the powder. This is the magical vinegar I use.


This is how much i normally use, about a table spoon. I like to pack it on thick. If you want a thin mix use 1 tsp.

Here It is with the vinegar. I eyeball how much I add. Just enough to make a moist paste without being too dry, if that makes sense.

This is how It should look. As you can see there are bubble, It fizzes as you mix it with the vinegar.

Here It is on my face! I leave It on between 30-45 minutes. When I first started using It I started with 10 minutes, then more and more till I got used to it. I find that the longer I leave it on the better it works. To wash off I pat my face with warm water to get It to loosen up. Then when I feel It loosens It's grip (lol) I start to wash off with warm water. Then I use gentle a cleanser to remove thoroughly.

Hope this review was helpful! I really hope you try and enjoy this as much as I do. :) Happy Sunday!



Love,


Sonia!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Wet N Wild Mega Last lipcolor review.

Uh....Wait...These are drugstore? That's exactly what you're gonna say when you try these! Seriously. The quality is crazy good. Pigmented, semi matte, long lasting, unscented, and they come in a great variety of colors. Sold on them yet? So pigmented that you might have to apply with a lip brush if you don't like so much pigment. I do though, so I just use straight from the tube. I don't usually get excited for colors that aren't red, but when I saw these I had to have more than just the reds. Plus at around $3 (got them at Walgreens) each ,why not? So budget friendly you could get them all, on the same day even! You get so much product at 0.11 oz or 3.3g (MAC l/s are 3.0g at 14.50 each). A thickly pigmented l/s with tons of product for just $3?? Yes, please!
Every color I have is beautiful. But their reds are incredible! Absolutely love 910 Red Velvet and 911 Stoplight red. 911 is bright, and 910 is BRIGHT. Blinding bright! I LOVE It! If you think Revlon matte Really Red is red, nu uh, this one is. It out reds Really Red. Really Red gets blinded by this one. Trust the Sonia.
Another thing I like is the packaging.  It's nice and sturdy, not at all what I expected at 3 bucks. Now, they aren't Hourglass packaging of course, but they're nice sturdy black plastic tube with a clear lid. Only thing I don't like about these is that the names aren't written on the bottom, just the number is, name comes off when you take off the wrapper. Here are the pictures!

L-R 918 Cherry Bomb (dark wine), 905 Smokin' Hot Pink (dark smokey pink), 902 Bare It All (cool nude, best when sheered out IMO, I don't like full on nude), 919 Vamp It Up (dark eggplant), 916 Ravin' Raisin (grape), 907 Mauve Outta Here (bright pink mauve), 911 Stoplight Red (red), 910 Red Velvet (RED), and 903 Just Peachy (Warm nude peach. THE perfect nude for us darker ladies).

Add caption

Be careful when putting on the lid, the l/s doesn't go down all the way. Avoid doing what I did to 910 with the lid.





(With flash) Same order as the l/s army. So long lasting that I had to scrub my arm down with tons of oil to get them off.
I really love how far Wet N Wild has come they've really stepped up their game. In my opinion It's comparable to HE. From the e/s, to the blushes, to these l/s. Even the Color Icon eyeliners! Those are amazing as well! Everything I've tried from  WnW Color Icon has been pigmented and high quality, and these definitely don't fall short.
I really recommend you give their l/s a try! If you don't know which to start with (if you're scared of reds) I recommend either Mauve Outta here or Just Peachy, those are my non red favs. Hope this review was helpful! Alright, I gotta go get the mail! :)


Love,

Sonia

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Did my sister's makeup today!

Hi everyone! Here are my sisters pics, breakdown at the end.





She was in a hurry after I got done with her mu so she didn't give me a chance to get more pics. :/



FACE:

Primed with Alba Botanica spf 45 lotion
Kirkland Borghese concealer in areas that needed concealer
MAC Studio Fix powder (she doesn't like foundation)
NYX Peach blush
MAC Porcelain Pink MSF

EYES:

MAC Painterly
MAC shadows in Yogurt, Gleam, Soft brown, Copperplate, and Vanilla.
TheBalm Tempting Tara from Shadow Lady Vol 2 palette in inner corners
Blacktrack
Lashblast Fusion
Random Ardell lashes
Dark brown e/s from Avon Sandy Corals quad on brows

LIPS:

Sephora Nano l/l in Native Nude
Revlon matte Mauve it over
Smashbox gloss in Sweet (from Wicked Lovely collection)

And that's it! Thanks for looking! <333