Recognition~

Happy Friday!

I would like to take today to shine some light on a few Unsung Heroes of my make-up world.

Hero #1

Clean and Clear's Finishes Pore Perfecting Cleanser~ $6.99 at Walgreen's

















What it claims:
- Cleans deep down to the pores. Keeps pores clear of dirt and oil.
- Oil-free
- Won't clog pores

Why I like it:
I just noticed when I was using this in the shower that it was about 2/3 gone! Poor cleanser-- hasn't had a review for it yet. =( It's not anything life-changing, but my skin really does feel so clean after I use it. And it's kind of shimmery in the bottle so it's a pretty part of my regimen =) I'm also really digging having a face wash with a pump. Whoo!

Hero #2

Neutrogena's Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes-- $7.99 at Walgreen's













What they claim:
- Gentle, ultra soft cloths offer you superior cleansing and make-up removal.

• Gently and effectively dissolve all traces of dirt, oil and make-up.
• Patent pending technology is so effective it easily removes waterproof mascara.
• Leaves skin thoroughly clean with no heavy residue, so there's no need to rinse.
• Use daily for clean, fresh, make-up free skin in 1 easy step.
• Gentle enough to use around sensitive eye areas, even for contact lens wearers.
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Dermatologist tested
• Allergy tested
• Alcohol free

Why I like them:
OMG these are a lifesaver!! I leave these next to my bed for when I just want to go to sleep without getting up and washing my face. They are super effective-- they even wipe off my "tube" mascara! They are sliiiightly irritating to the eyes, but not even to keep you up at night. They also leave a slight residue, but I actually like it! It's moisturizing, so I don't have to get up and put on any moisturizer to make my skin comfortable. These towelettes are truly remarkable~ I wholeheartedly approve!!


Hero #3

Pantene Pro-V's new Hair Solutions Flat to Volume for Fine Hair~ all at Walgreen's
- Hair Style Spray Gel $4.49
- Triple Action Volume Mousse $4.49
- Shampoo $4.49
- Conditioner $4.49



















What it claims:

• Your hair's starting point: Fine
  Fine hair has less structural volume than thick hair. So your hair may need special reinforcement to keep it from falling flat.
• Pantene Pro-V innovation:
  Unique volumizing system* with micro-boosters prep fine hair's structure so you can create your volume style. Now your flat hair looks full again with weightless body and shine.
• Lightweight system boosts hair for all day volume*

Why I like it:
I LOVE THIS LINE!! The shampoo is fantastic-- cleans without drying-- and the conditioner is divine! It hydrates without weighing down my hair or making it oily. It is simply amazing! I will forever use this conditioner. Pinkie promise =) And the gel and mousse hold curl in my straight hair when I used a curling iron and it was very touchable and soft. I don't know how well it would work on longer hair~ mine stays pretty well volumized because it's short~ but I really do feel like this line helps, and the shampoo and conditioner would be highly beneficial to any gal with fine hair!


So hopefully now my beloved products are feeling appreciated!! =)

Do you have any products that you absolutely adore? I'd love to hear!!

Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven

Rockstar Nails! My turn--

Helllooo!!!!

The other day I had some time to kill so I went and perused in ULTA.

Guess what happened? I found something. =)

There was a stand with these new LA Splash Nail Glitters~ which reminded me greatly of my Rockstar Nails from a couple of weeks ago!


























































And at $1.99 a piece, I figured that wasn't too much to of a loss if it didn't work, and I was super intrigued.

So I took the clear coat (nothing special, I just needed a new clear coat, haha) and immediately after sprinkled on a generous amount of glitter. *Warning!!* This can get messy, so do it somewhere that you don't want glitter to be FOREVER, lol.

After giving the polish plenty of time to dry, I took a nail brush and cleared off the access glitter~ and then added a coat of clear.
















Only one coat of clear left the glitter pretty rough~ I think I ended up applying 4 coats total? And then gently buffed my toes to make them smooth, and then applied one last coat to make them shiny again

*Note* Since this was just with normal clear polish, it's not the same as "Rockstar Toes" because they use a UV cured polish that is extreeeemely chip resistant! (And supposedly has to be taken off at the salon.) But I like how this has the same look as the Rockstar~


















(My feet are horribly dry, I'm so sorry lol)

I'm curious how hard it will be to take off, lol, but I do like the sparkle!!

A fun summer look and project! ;)

Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven

Red Hair "Experience"...

Ok!

So this has been a while... but I think it's time I told you my "red hair story."

At the beginning of March, I was feeling a little bit rebellious and wanted to dye my hair either a darker brown or a "Shopaholic" red:

































So I called up my buddy and we decided RED!


























I've NEVER had problems with drugstore hair color before, but I apparently chose VERY unwisely with this one and wasn't prepared for the results =\

This is the morning after. I had wanted it reddish, but this vibrant of a shade (and uneven!) kind of freaked me out. So I called around to find a salon with an opening to help me fix my mistake. Ugh.























After salon trip 1-- She helped to get some of the red out and dyed it darker to help mask it.























After salon trip 2-- I had to do this in increments because I worked 12-8pm and had to do it in the mornings. STRESSFUL. Anyhow-- she had used bleach to life some highlights, but didn't have enough time to use a toner. So I ended up with ORANGE streaks.

Oh. And my CEO came in that day -- Luckily, he really liked it, haha!
(I probably should have left it like this awhile.. it was kind of pretty!!)























After salon trip 3-- Yes, I was very upset. I didn't want it this dark, and when she "toned" the highlights, they weren't blond at all. Yay. Such a waste of money.























Eventually the color calmed down and was quite pretty! (And I even began to kind of smile again, hahaha!)






















But I'm not EVEN going to tell you how much this $7 box ended up costing me. Ugggh.


Later on I went to my normal stylist and had blonde highlights put in to brighten my color for the summer. Yay-- back to happy! =)
























Moral of the story:
-- Do not change your hair color on a whim. Think about it!
-- Play with fun sites like InStyle's Hollywood Makeover to see the hair cut/color on you.

The first salon I visited let me know that:
-- To get rid of the color, use rubbing alcohol to open the strands to help release the color, or you can also soak your hair with olive oil to help get rid of it. You just apply, scrunch, rinse: repeat.
-- As far as the molecules in hair color, the different tones are as follows: Cool is green, neutral is purple, and red is orangey gold. Red is the largest molecule so it's the easiest to get rid of (if you act quickly).
-- PS! At home colors do do damage, otherwise the color wouldn't stay! The cuticle has to open to absorb the new color, and oh wait! To open the cuticle? Damage.


I sure hope none of you all have had such a pricey experience as this, haha!

And you know what's funny? I STILL think about how it would be fun to be a redhead-- you think I would have learned my lesson!!

Needless to say, I won't be using box-dyes for a long, long time. ;)

Stories? Thoughts? Post 'em!

Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven

Guilty Pleasures..

Okaaaay..... I have a confession to make.

I don't have a story for today-- it's been pushed to tomorrow =) -- because today is Tuesday and that means....


























I am shamelessly addicted to ABCFamily's Pretty Little Liars.

Look how beautiful these girls are! Aside from the fact that 1. They're supposed to be high schoolers.. nuh-uh.. and they're made-up everrrrry day... I abso-freakin'-lutely LOVE the hair and make-up on this show!!!!!!










And just about every time I watch it I cry a little inside for cutting my hair. *Weep*
(I did a post about long hair inspired by Blake Lively here.)

But their hair and make-up and nails always look SO GOOD. Let's take a look, shall we?























Aria Montgomery



















Hannah Marin



























Spencer Hastings


























Emily Fields


The thing I like best is that though they are wearing a fair amount of make-up, it looks so natural. It just enhances their natural beauty--

They always have lush lashes and just bitten lip colors (not so much in these promo pics from ABCFamily.com, but on the show they do haha). So lovely! And their nails are always fabulous, haha!! I was partly inspired to paint my nails blue from Aria. Yay!























See? Perfectly manicured! I am so inspired, lol.

I think I spend most of the show admiring their make-up and wondering if they're wearing falsies than listening to the dialogue, hahaha!

Anyone else a fan?

Until Next Time~
Beauty Maven

Busy Bee!

Oh.. it's Monday again, isn't it?

Let me share with you what I've been up to!

First off- I have a big ol' list of posts to write-up, yaay!!

Secondly- I went through all THREE of my train cases recently and discarded, (and by that I mean, put in a bag to give away lol), some old and/or never used make-up and condensed EVERYTHING into ONE Caboodle. Actually, the same Caboodle that's in my banner up there ^ hehe!

Oh gosh though... I mean.. that was HARD. There were some many products I held on to because I "might" use them someday or because they weren't exactly cheap. But it was time to do some cleaning~ I recently moved and basically cleaned through everything else in my life so this was the last step, haha!

So-- from my recent cleaning-- and the guilt that I probably spend entirely too much money on beauty products that I don't really need (do we ever really need them, though? haha) and most that I didn't even really USE... I've decided to reduce my beauty arsenal to mostly 1. Things I use at LEAST once a month (I kept way too many products for "special events".. which are so rare that I can just go get whatever I need when opportunity arises) and 2. To try to use mostly, if only, drugstore products.

Did you know that most drugstore brands have a corresponding department store brand that they are LITERALLY made side-by-side with? Obviously the higher dollar products do have a little something extra to make them more expensive, but man! Insane. Don't quote me on it-- but I believe Maybelline and Lancome are said counterparts. Whaaa?

I think this will be fun though! Because if you read this blog then you probably like make-up, I'm guessing ;), and I'd also warrant a guess that, like me, you don't have insane amounts of money to be spending on fun new products. So my reviews will (mostly) be just drugstore products from now on~ with the occasional department store finds because there truly are products you shouldn't feel guilty splurging on a little.

Whew! Ok I'll stop, haha!

Fun story for tomorrow... get excited ;)

Until next time~
Beauty Maven