Wednesday, August 31, 2011

D.G.S.Beauty's Summer Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated.  If you did not win, do not worry because I have many more giveaways to come!  


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!  I will send you an email shortly.  Please respond within 48 hours.


1st Winner: JAX


2nd Winner: MIRANDA



3rd Winner: NADIAPLEASE  



4th Winner: SWEET AS HONEY BLOG



5th Winner: GELLIE



Thanks for reading,

Monday, August 29, 2011

August 2011 Favorites and Review

(I am sure it is no surprise that my Sleek Palettes made it onto my monthly favorites list this month!)  

List
1) Sleek Storm Palette
2) Sleek The Original Palette
3) Sleek Oh So Special Palette
4) Creme of Nature Argan Oil Gloss & Shine Mist 
5) Eclipse Bronze Series Blender Shear 40-TH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Review: Eclipse Bronze Series Blender Shear 40-TH

Product Description: The 40-tooth blade of the Eclipse Bronze Blender Shear blends cut lines without removing volume. Terrific for blending, thinning and light textures.

My Review: I bought my thinning shears yesterday so I wanted to take this time to share with all of you my thoughts on this product.  I bought it at Sally's beauty for $15.99.  The original price is $17.99, but being a club card member, I got it at the discounted price.  This was the cheapest shears they had in stock.  I was not about to spend more than $20 on thinning shears and it was recommended by one of the workers, who also uses it on herself.  This was my first time using thinning shears on myself so I was a bit nervous, but it was really easy and quick!  Just be careful when using these.  I accidentally cut my  finger while cleaning out my hair on the shears.  But other than that, this is a great way to give yourselves a trim and save lots of money on future visits to the hair salon.  



What are your monthly favorites for August?  Do you cut your own hair too?

Thanks for reading,

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Shout out to Beautylish!

*Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway!  There's lot of prizes and will be FIVE winners.  Enter at 

If you do not already have an account at Beautylish, I suggest you make one.  It is such a great beauty community filled with great girls (and guys), product reviews, videos, photos and more.  I just joined a few months ago and has already made lots of new friends.  You will also see familiar faces from blogger on there.  If you do join, you can find me at http://www.beautylish.com/dgsbeauty.

A few weeks ago, I had emailed Beautylish regarding a few suggestions I had for their website, especially about the "Talk" section.  I rarely give feedbacks on sites, but I love Beautylish and really hope to see them grow and become more successful.  Soon after I had emailed them, I quickly got a response and was offered a Beautylish shirt and USB flash drive as a thank you gift.

Today I finally received my shirt and flash drive.  I love the magenta color and simplicity of the shirt.  My only qualm about it is how low the v-cut is.  I know I got to goods to pull it off, but sometimes I like to keep my girls hidden.  So next time I wear it, I will probably wear a camisole underneath it.

The front of the shirt.  I did not take a picture of the back because there is no print or anything.

Beautylish represent!

Aside from the beautylish logo, the other print on the shirt is the left sleeve.  The pictures reminds me of a lipliner, lipstick, mascara, and nail polish?

My cute new USB flash drive. 


Do you have a Beautylish account? If so, leave me your sn so I can follow you. <3

 Thanks for reading,

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

National Online Makeup Academy (NOMA) Completion

Back in April, I enrolled in the National Online Makeup Academy's (NOMA) program.  (Click here for my first post on NOMA).  I found NOMA while searching the internet for makeup schools/programs one night out of curiosity.  Ever since my husband reignited my love for makeup, I kept thinking about attending beauty school.  What I did not realize is that beauty tuition was so expensive!  Having to pay $19,000+ for beauty school was not in my book especially since I was just about to graduate with my Master's degree.

Once I found NOMA's website, I could not believe how affordable their program was.  But I had to make sure I did my research first to check if this school was legit.  Unfortunately, I did not find one review from a student on their program.  Even though my research was not successful, I decided to take a chance and enroll.  

If you check out NOMA's website you will see what their program entails, but I will just do a quick description from my experience.  It is a self-paced six-month online program that cost $349.  I was mailed a makeup kit, but I did not even touch it because I already had my own makeup collection.  Once I enrolled and sent in my payment, I was emailed two powerpoint presentations.  One was of the material I had to learn, which was broken down in chapters, and the other was what my assignments were.  The assignments are basically creating different types of looks.  I do not want to tell you everything in specific details because I rather you guys find out for yourselves.  After I completed an assignment, I had to email it to my instructor.  Once I received my grade, I was able to continue onto the next chapter.  (*Please note that things may have changed since I attended their school, so this is just what I did when I was a student).

I admit that the assignments may seem easy and are looks that you may already know how to create, but you receive a certificate!  That would be very helpful especially if you want to get your foot in the door of the makeup industry.  My reason for taking their classes was basically to get my certificate first so I could start my business as a freelance makeup artist then once my family and I settle down somewhere and have enough money I will enroll at a beauty school.  I am not saying that you need a certificate/license to be a makeup artist, but that is just what I wanted to do for myself.  This was a good experience overall.  I do not regret enrolling at NOMA.  It was very helpful to receive feedback from a professional makeup artist.  She definitely pinpointed areas I had to improve and areas I excelled in.  

Even though this is a six month program, I was able to complete it in three.  My wonderful husband and friends supported me through this.  Without their help, I would not have been able to complete this program.  If any of you have specific question you would like to ask me about NOMA, you may EMAIL ME and I will be glad to help.  To those of you who will enroll, GOOD LUCK! 


Do you have a makeup certificate/license? What school did you go to?

Thanks for reading,

Monday, August 22, 2011

ETODs: Sleek Palettes

You all must be getting tired of me talking about my Sleek Palettes, but I just wanted to show you all some EOTDs I created with each palette.  Also, I got some requests to do more FOTDs/EOTDs since I have been slacking a bit lately.  I tried to do different looks that you would wear every day/night from each of my new palettes.

Something fun and colorful. 



Gotta love pinks. <3


 
Oh smokey eye..you will always be a top fave of mine.

Which look did you like? What colors would you want me to try next?

 Thanks for reading,

Sunday, August 21, 2011

NOTW: Barry M. Berry Ice Cream

Here's just a quick NOTW of one of my new nail polishes (Barry M. "Berry Ice Cream").  I also added in Sephora's OPI "Absinthe Makes the Heart."



Review: Barry M.'s Berry Ice Cream nail polish is a lovely pale pastel purple color.  I love the texture of this nail polish.  It applies very smoothly.  After two coats, you receive a cute opaque finish.  It is definitely a "must-try" nail polish.

 What's your NOTW polishes?

Thanks for reading,

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Sleek Makeup Swatches

Hey everyone! I wanted to share with all of you swatches from my new collection of Sleek Makeup that I had received from my beauty swap with Maria Sparkle.  I am absolutely in love with everything!  The colors are beautiful and I could not believe how pigmented the eyeshadows were.  Enjoy, ladies!


For reference, my skin is a NC30.  Everything was applied using my right pointer finger, no primer, and taken in natural light.  If you want to see more swatches of a certain item(s) please let me know.

Oh So Special Palette



Storm Palette

 
The Original Palette
This has got to be my favorite. I love the different colors especially the purple on the top row.

 
Face Contour Kit (Light), Life's a Peach Blush, and Powder Pink Pout Polish

 
Baby Doll Sheen and Bare All Matte

Which item(s) did you like?

 Thanks for reading,

Friday, August 19, 2011

C&F Cosmetics Coenzyme Q10 Face Mask Review

I finally had some time to try on my new face masks the other day that the lovely Sonia had sent me (Click here for post). So here is my review.  Out of the two, I tried the Coenzyme Q10 Face Mask.  It was my first time trying these types of mask.  The only other time was when one of my best friends had me try those green masks back in our college dorming days.  I thought it would be something like that...a liquid that I would have to spread around on my face.  Nope, this is an actual mask.


Doesn't the model look pretty with the mask on?  For me, it was a different story!  (You are being warned.)

The directions says to first wash your face then evenly spread the mask on your skin.  Once it is on, your face will begin absorbing the highly concentrated nutrition.  Leave this mask on for about 20-30 minutes.



GAH!  Don't be afraid, it is just me.  No matter how many pictures I took trying to look "cute", it was not working out.  So this is what you get.  (The things I do for all of you! <3)

As you can see, it did not fit my face as well as the model's.  I guess I just have a long/big forehead and nose.  But that is okay as long as the mask got majority of my face.  Hopefully I put the mask on correctly..  It had a nice scent to it, but I think if I had to keep it on longer than 30 minutes I would have gotten a headache.  (FYI, It is just something personal.  If any scent linger around my nose for a certain period of time, I begin to get headaches.)

Being the first time trying out this type of mask, I was not sure what to expect.  I kept thinking it would be like those Biore nose strips where the sheet would harden so I would know when to take it off.  Nope, it stayed moist and cool for the entire time.  


After the 30 minutes was up, my face was slightly wet with all of the nutritions it left behind.  It was a bit sticky, but my face felt cool.  I loved the results.  My skin appeared brighter with a nice glow, soft and smooth!  I cannot wait to try my other mask.  

What is your favorite face mask to use?

Thanks for reading,

Thursday, August 18, 2011

FreeBeautyEvent's August Giveaway Prizes

If you have not already, make sure to enter FreeBeautyEvent's August Giveaway(Open to U.S. residents)!  (Click here for post).  Good luck to those of you who enter. Courtesy of Kristen from FreeBeautyEvents, she sent me the prizes as a thank you for sharing about their great giveaways.

(L-R: , Creme of Nature Argan Oil Gloss & Shine Mist, Got2b Guardian Angel Finish Flat Iron Balm, and Creme of Nature Argan Oil Replenishing Sheen Spray.)

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Gloss & Shine Mist

Product Description: Instantly shines, smoothes, strengthens & controls frizz.

My Review: For this, you apply a small amount to damp hair that has just been shampooed and conditioned.  I am not sure why this is called a "mist" because it is more of a thick liquid that you basically massage into your hair.  Aside from the faint scent, I really like this product.  It definitely controls the frizz my hair creates after being washed and gives it a nice shine.  It keeps my hair smooth and actually looks like I took the time to style my hair.

Got2b Guardian Angel Finish Flat Iron Balm

Product Description: Moisturizes and insulates your hair from flat iron frying to provide long-lasting sleek, frizz-free locks with luminous shine effects.

My Review: Unfortunately, I cannot review this because I left my flat iron back in HI.

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Replenishing Sheen Spray -

Product Description: Healthy, long-lasting sheen moisturizes & nourishes dry hair

My Review: I am not too sure how I feel about this product.  It says that it will give your a healthy sheen and also moisturize and nourish dry hair.  For the sheen, I did not really notice any but it definitely kept my hair moisturized, which I love.  Maybe after some time, I will start to notice the sheen it supposedly gives me.  This product also has a faint scent, which for some reason reminds me of coconuts and cocoa..

Have you tried any of these?  What products do you use to control frizz and keep your hair moisturized?

Thanks for reading,

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Project Bag & Wallet Ban!

The other day at the NEX I saw two bags that I really wanted but managed to talk myself out of buying them because I knew I did not really need more bags.  From that I decided to come up with a P10P version for my bags and purses!  But then the very next day my mom bought me a brand new bag and wallet..  So starting today I will start my ban!  

I wanted to show you all my current collection so this post is picture heavy.  After digging up ALL of my bags and purses, I counted 17 total that I currently have in my home at SD.  When I go back to HI, I will make a separate bag and wallet ban.

My rules:
1) I cannot buy any new bags/purses whatsoever until my current bags are worn out, ripped, etc.
2) The only exception is if they are gifts from family and friends
3) I could only buy a new bag if I am down to just one purse and one bag (same goes with my wallets).
4) My gucci purse and wallet will not be included in this ban because I know that they will last me for a very long time. (But I still included pictures of them).


PURSES:

I think I bought this at Ross.

$60 purse from Prototype.

A gift from one of my friends. Can you see some of the leopard print fading?

LOL. A Coach knock-off my guy cousin bought for me in the PI..

A gift from my mother-in-law after my husband and I got married.

Birthday gift from my mama. (The matching wallet is on the bottom of this post).

Coach diaper bag that the hubby bought me when I was pregnant. Its twin (but in black) is in HI.

My most prized purse.  <3


SMALL PURSES/WRISTLETS:

A gift from my aunty for Christmas.

A Roxy wristlet I got myself so I could use it whenever I use to go clubbing.

A gift from my brother when he was interning in New York.


BAGS:

I mainly used this as a laptop bag.


A bag my brother bought me from Japan.  (One of my favorites).

Free bag I got from my college during my last year.

A cute tote I bought at the bookstore for my school books and laptop.

Backpack I use to carry all of my daughters things when we go out to long outings.  I do not know what I would do without this bag.  It is a must when we travel back and forth from SD to HI.

Newest addition to my collection. My daughter's current diaper bag.


WALLETS:

Two of my wallets (Gucci and larger Coach) to match the purses.  I also got the small Juicy wallet for quick outings and it also matches my Juicy tracksuit.

Wish me luck!  Hopefully I last longer than a month..




Do you know how many purses/bags you currently own? 

 Thanks for reading,

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