Whimsical Nails

I am loving my whimsical nail look inspired from a picture I found on Pinterest.

I created it with one coat each of OPI's Italian Love Affair (opaque light pink) and topped it with OPI's Princesses Rule! (pink shimmer). For my glitter nail, I used several coats of OPI's Servin' Up Sparkle.

Just the right amount of glitter to get through this hump day!

xx,
Jaime

Favorite Beauty Secret

One of my favorite "beauty secrets" of all time the is multi-uses of lip balm. I love these cute ones by EOS that you can pick up at Walgreens or Ulta for a few bucks. They come in different flavors... I have the dark pink one of course!

Not only does it moisturize and protect your lips, but you can also use it to:


Remove Eye Make-up - Even mascara and eye liner! Just rub on your finger, close your eye, smooth on the area and wipe off with a tissue!

I really love this trick if I fall asleep with my eye make-up on and don't feel like redoing it for the pool or yard work the next day. I just touch up the smudged liner with lip balm and am ready to go!


Fix Fly-Aways - Like most women, I have little hairs at the base of my forehead that stick up no matter what I do to them. Lip balm is the perfect solution! It's not as heavy as a pomade or cream and doesn't get crusty & hard like hairspray. It holds your little hairs in place with the rest...without weighing it down! It's probably my favorite every day trick! Just smooth some on your fingers and gently apply to your baby hairs!

I do this so often that, one time I didn't, my sister said to me, oh my gosh you have them too! I thought it was funny that my sister didn't even know I had them, that's how well this trick works! You can also use a very little amount of lip gloss and get the same effect. Even if it's pigmented, just make sure you rub it out on your fingers first.

Hope these tips help you with your effortless summer look!

xx,
Jaime

Be The Change

I wanted to share this video with you that my awesome sister-in-law created for Malaria No More. 

She is also in the running for Chegg and One's trip to Africa this summer. You can vote her Here! and watch her video submission. I can promise you she is a very deserving candidate. She was chosen out of thousands to be in the top 50. Your vote could get her to DC where they will take 8 to Africa this July. She made her own degree at Furman for Global Health Journalism and her mission in life is to give a voice to those who don't have one. Please help make a difference and vote! There are only a few days left and you can vote once every 24 hours.

Enjoy the video :)

"Be The Change You Wish To See In The World" - Mahatma Gandhi

xx,
Jaime

Makeup Review: ELF/NARS Duo Duplicate

With the steadily warming temperatures, I have been on the lookout for some good bronzers and blushes that will transition into Spring and Summer. Since I wear SPF on my face every day, my face tends to be lighter than the rest of my body. So, I like to have a good bronzer to even it out or even fake it a little bit :) I also like to have a blush that adds a nice pop of pretty color. Here is one of my first trials this year!


         ELF Blushed & Bronzed                                          NARS Orgasm & Laguna

ELF (Eyes, Lips Face) is a very inexpensive brand carried by Target and you can also buy it online on the ELF website. Their Blushed & Bronzed duo is said to be a duplicate or "dup" for NARS Orgasm Blush and Laguna Bronzer (shown on the right) which you can purchase at Sephora. There are a few differences, the biggest being that the ELF duo is three bucks and the NARS will run you 41. Although they don't look very similar in these pictures, they seem to be similar shades with a few differences:

Blushed vs. Orgasm:

ELF Blushed seems to not be as pigmented as Orgasm. It also seems to be a bit lighter, a little too light if my olive skin gets any darker. It's a pretty peachy-pink color with some shimmer. I think it would work on most skin tones and would be a pretty shade for spring/summer, especially if you have lighter skin. The NARS Orgasm may be worth the money for those of us with darker complexions in the summer, but I am still going to keep looking.

Bronzed vs. Laguna: 

Contrary to the ELF blush, the bronzer seems to be very pigmented, moreso than NARS Laguna. I do like the color of Bronzed and it seems to be very close to Laguna if you put it on lightly. I gently tap my brush in, dust a little off and then brush lightly on my face until I get desired color. Bronzed does tend to get a little spotty on the face, so be careful not to apply too much.

Overall, the ELF product is good and is definitely worth the $3 to try it out. If you have a little extra money or just want to treat yourself, NARS is a great brand with good products and Orgasm and Laguna are two of their top selling colors.

I hope this helps start transitioning you into your Spring/Summer makeup routine!

xx,

Jaime

Bits of Inspiration

I love to collect quotes. I have tons from over the years, but today I thought I'd share with you the ones I've saved this week. I love them because they are little nuggets of a-ha moments and people's great knowledge compacted into a few short words. You can learn so much.

I hope you enjoy these!

xx,
Jaime

Makeup Review: MUFE HD Kit

I apologize for my hiatus! I've been super busy with work travel. Picture highlights from LA & San Diego to come soon! :)

I've always been a huge makeup fan. I love to try different eye shadow, bronzer, blush, lip stick, everything. But, for some reason, I had been wearing the same powder (with one slight variation) since I was like 15! I still love my Perfectly Real Clinique Compact, but decided to branch out to something a little different.

In comes Make Up Forever's HD Complexion Kit at Sephora. *Side note: they are now putting mini-Sephora's in JCPenny's so you may find one closer to you!

I will start with saying that I've been an anti-liquid foundation girl. The last time I tried one, apparently 12+ years ago now, they were cakey and thick. I hated the way my face felt. As a result, I went to a powder only routine....until this recent discovery. You don't have to buy the kit, but I think it's a good deal if you want to try it out because it saves you quite a bit of money. Their kabuki brush alone is $39 and is included in this kit. I love it, but more on that later...

HD Primer goes on light and keeps the foundation in place all day. The scent reminds me of a "Water Baby" (for all you 90's kids) which I oddly enjoy. It's nice to have something that reminds you of your childhood in everyday life. Anyways, you only need about a dime size for your whole face.

HD Foundation goes on nicely and is easy to build up if you have something you want to cover. I wouldn't consider it full coverage, but like I said, you can build it up. Two pumps will cover your whole face and you can apply it with a foundation brush, flat top kabuki, blender sponge or your fingers. I normally use a foundation brush or my fingers if I am in a rush.

HD Powder is an award winning finishing powder made of 100% mineral silica. Just tap a little into the cap, dab in the kabuki brush, tap the powder down into the brush and swirl gently on your face. Be careful not to put too much on, I have heard it can give a white cast in pictures. I also use a little bronzer afterward so I don't have to worry as much.

Kabuki Brush is one of the softest brushes I have ever used. It feels so nice on my face every morning, I love it. It distributes the HD Powder nicely.

Overall, I am loving this product. I've even gotten compliments from other women on how nice and natural my skin looks and they ask what I use. It takes a little longer to apply than my old powder routine, but I am getting faster. It stays on all day and rarely needs touched up, even in humid Florida!  It's also a little more expensive than Clinique, but I've had my kit for two months and the only thing running low is the mini primer. So, the cost might actually equal out. I also love the fact that instead of having to buy a new color every time my tan gets darker during the summer (like with powder), you can just buy your darkest shade (I don't know mine yet) and your lightest (I am 127 now) and mix them as your skin tone changes. I think that will probably save some money as well.

Anyways, I hope this helps you if you were thinking of trying something new! I've got lots of other things to review too. Also, if there is something you are wondering about, ask me, I may have tried it already!

xx,

Jaime