A Tale of Three Primers: Cover FX Blemish Treatment, Calming, and Mattifying Primers

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Summer is here in Southern California and it's starting to rear its hot head with a vengeance. At the same time, we've been having bouts of fluctuating cooler weather and even rain (always welcome during the drought). As a result, my skin hasn't been handling the changes well and has been becoming more acne-prone, oily, and irritated.

To try to handle that, I've been incorporating a few of the Cover FX Primers into my routine. Cover FX is unique in that they try to mix both skincare and makeup in their products. Even on days that I don't wear makeup, I try to add in the primers since they're multi-tasking. I wouldn't and don't recommend solely relying on your makeup to fulfill your skincare needs, but it's always nice to get a boost from what you're already wearing.

Nails of the Day: Turquoise Stone Nail Art

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Today's nail art is inspired by turquoise stones. I saw a tutorial to create a "stone" look using black nail polish and hairspray and the effect looked too cool not to try. I like how the nail art is unique between each nail and the look feels more organic as a result! This tutorial on Nail It! Magazine shows how you can do it. It does take a few tries but it looks super fancy when you're done.

The base is China Glaze For Audrey and the black polish is a no-name beauty supply polish (feel free to use any opaque black polish). You could honestly use any base color you wanted and still get a really cool effect!

Are you wearing any nail polish today? If so, what color?

Life's Entropy Lip Theory Liquids: Swatches and Review

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Another product from Life's Entropy is their Lip Theory Liquids, their take on the OCC Lip Tars. These take the concept and dial it up to 11 by offering empty gloss tubes to custom mix colors and also a clear lip theory that lets you to mix any of their or your lip safe eyeshadows with. I appreciate how the concept really lets you customize the gloss you do want. These are a vegan product too.

I got a full size and four samples of the lip theory liquids to try out.

The Triple Threat to Tackling Dark Circles

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As Benjamin Franklin said, "Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" but it's worth adding dark undereye circles to that list.  While dark undereye circles can be exacerbated by certain factors (lack of sleep, dehydration etc), it's often hereditary in nature. However, the look of dark circles can be conquered with a three tiered system: Eye cream, Peachy corrector, and Undereye concealer. Here are my budget and splurge picks for all three items.

Forget the Emery Board and Czech Out These Mont Bleu Glass Files

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To continue with my posts on nail care, I thought I'd talk about the Mont Bleu Glass Nail files, which are my nail file of choice.  I came across glass nail files a few years ago and have since extolled the virtue of glass nail files over the usual cardboard or metal nail files. 

Crystal/glass nail files used to be a little expensive but this set of three only cost me $12 from Amazon (affiliate link). The set I got came in three sizes: a mini file for travel-use, a medium sized file for all-purpose use, and a large file for your feet. Each file came with a plastic holder and I also got two test tube style hard cases that will fit the mini and medium sized files in case I wanted to travel with them. The files also come in other colors and styles decorated with Swarovski crystals.

What makes glass files different? Glass files work well to shape and file your nails but it takes so little effort. The glass file is also so much more effective than emery and metal files for taking down length and it's so perfect for fine-tuning your edges. You won't be spending ages trying to file down your nails anymore. 

When I transitioned over to my stiletto nail shape, I only used my glass file to get clean edges. I've tried other glass files before and I swear the Mont Bleu ones are the best. The Mont Bleu ones are a little different than others since they're etched and not merely coated with grit. The Czechs really know how to make a glass nail file. I highly suggest investing in them (but just be careful how you store them so they don't break!).

Have you tried out crystal/glass nail files before?

Life's Entropy Brow Theory Pomades - Swatch and Review

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Brow pomades and creams are the biggest thing to hit the market ever since Anastasia came out with their Dipbrow product. Sadly my brows and oily skin did not agree with the formula which had me seeking alternative brow products. One of my favorite indie brands came out with their version of a brow pomade and I decided to pick up a few samples to try out.

DIY Homemade Mani Bombs/Bath Bombs and Free Printable Labels - Mason Jar Gift Idea

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Hi everyone! Today I'll be covering how to make your own mani/bath bombs. I actually started this project back in November (when I made these as Christmas gifts) but kept putting the post on the back burner until I had more time to perfect the recipe. Mani bombs are miniature bath bombs typically used to soak your hands. You can also make large bath bombs with the same recipe. For a small investment, you could make tons of mani bombs and customize them the way you like. I also made up some printable labels which you can get at the end of the post.

Nail Butter | Nail Treatment Review

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So if you've seen my nails lately, you'll know that they've grown out super long and most everyone asks how I manage to do it. The thing with growing out your nails is that long healthy nails are due in part from good upkeep and moisturization. Happy nails are hydrated nails and I've got a good rotation of products I use. Along with my DIY Cuticle Oil and cuticle balm (from Sunny's Body Products), I have added Nail Butter to my routine.

For LA Locals: 6th Annual Beauty Drive Event by Beauty Bus Foundation

If you're going to be in the LA area on June 14 and are able to be in a charitable mood, you may want to consider attending the 6th Annual Beauty Drive held by the Beauty Bus Foundation.

If you haven't heard about the Beauty Bus Foundation, they're a charity group providing in-home beauty and grooming services, free of charge, to patients whose illness or condition prevents them from accessing a salon or spa and their caregivers. The Foundation also has Pop-Up Salons where patients and caregivers receive a variety of complimentary beauty and grooming services. Lastly, they have their Bag of Beauty Program: Beauty Bus gives complimentary Bags of Beauty filled with pampering products. Feel free to read up on them here.

The Beauty Drive is a fundraiser offering a family friendly afternoon of complimentary beauty stations for men and women, a kids corner, opportunity drawing and a silent auction. You can enjoy a day of beauty while providing support to the chronically or terminally ill Beauty Bus Foundation clients and caregivers!

The event will be happening on June 14th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center. 

You can purchase tickets here. Even if you're not able to attend, you can always donate to the Foundation!

Also happening at the event is the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Shawn Tavakoli, CEO of Beauty Collection. Beauty Collection is a prestige beauty retailer with stores in Southern California and their online store at beautycollection.com. Beauty Collection is one of the sponsors of the Beauty Bus Foundation Beauty Drive so feel free to check them out!

May 2015 Indie Makeup | New Releases Recap

In an effort to show my support to the indie cosmetics community, I thought I'd try to do monthly (or as close to monthly) compilations of new or interesting indie releases from the month prior. This can include new product launches or collections from some of my favorite indie brands. Not every brand I like will release something every month so the series may be sporadic but I'll try to get one up each month as possible. I'm recapping three products from last month that you should check out for this month.

1. Darling Girl Cosmetics Honey Cake Wonder Wand Cream Eyeshadow. ($7.50) A cream eyeshadow in a beautiful peachy shade. Currently sold out but it should be in stock soon. 
2. Life's Entropy Cosmetics Constellation Galaxy Glow Illuminator. ($12.00) A liquid illuminator that's a mix of gold and pink, it suits my desire to be as glow as possible. 
3. Kiss My Sass Cosmetics Lip Addicts Anonymous. ($8.00 per month) A lip product subscription service, this fills the niche of indie consumers everywhere who have been wanting a sub box that's not eyeshadow based. Currently sold out but I wanted to have you guys be on the radar for when subscriptions open next month.

Did you guys try out anything next last month (doesn't have to be indie)? Feel free to share below!

Classic Color: China Glaze For Audrey Swatch and Review

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Today's post is a swatch and review of a quintessential nail polish color that I think everyone should own. This is China Glaze's For Audrey, their version of a Tiffany Blue (as close as they can get to it since the actual Tiffany Blue is trademarked). It's a truly classic color (thus the title) and I want to share my swatch so if you don't have it yet, you should add it to your collection. 

Two coats is all that's needed for opaqueness. It is a gorgeous color if you don't already have it!

Do you like China Glaze polishes? How about For Audrey in particular?

Pür Minerals Double Ego Eyeliner: Swatch, Review, and Photos

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Hi everyone! Today's post is a swatch and review of the Pür Minerals Double Ego Eyeliner, another one of the dual-ended products in their makeup line. This is accompanying their dual-ended Wake Up Brow (eyebrow pencil) and Pout Pen (lip stain and balm). The Double Ego Eyeliner comes with a twist-up pencil on one side and a felt tip liquid liner on the other side. You can easily tag team both sides into one look or use one or the other depending on how bold you want to look.

I received two shades in Queensland and Tasmania to try out. Queensland is a bright teal shade while Tasmania is a deep chocolate brown.

Learn How to Make Your Own Cuticle Oil

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When I last posted about My 5 Essential Nail Care Products, I mentioned about how I've been making my own cuticle oil to use on my nails. Using cuticle oil is one of the tips I highly recommend if you want to grow your nails out. Moisturized nails and cuticles lead to happy nails. Given how often I use cuticle oil, I decided to mix my own homemade cuticle oil. I got my recipe from Epic Nail Time, which is supposedly a recipe for Bliss Kiss Nail Oil. What's nice about mixing up your own homemade cuticle oil is that you can control the quality of the oils used. Want cold pressed or organic oils in your mix? Use them!