Summer"ize" Your Makeup

Okay, I hate, HATE the summer. I don't like the sun, I don't like being hot, and I don't like my makeup sliding off my face! Here are some of my favorite summer makeup items.

First off, to keep your makeup looking great all day, use a primer. My two favorites are Cliniques Superprimer, and Lancomes La Base. Hard Candy has a great primer too if you're looking for a drugstore alternative. 

BB creams, CC creams, and tinted moistures are great if you're looking for a light-medium coverage, but if you're a little skin conscious like I am, a powder foundation is the way to go. It will still feel light on your skin and it's quick to apply, but you'll get a better coverage. My two favorites are Bare Minerals READY SPF 20 Foundation (medium to full coverage), and MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (light-moderate coverage). I use either the Bare Minerals flat top kabuki brush or Sedona Lace 928 to apply the powder. Using a dense kabuki will also help give a fuller coverage.

For cheeks I tend to stay away from shimmery blush and highlighters during the summer since my skin tends to already have a "glow" from being extra oily during the hotter months. Stains are a great way to go. They are long lasting and give you a natural flush. Benefit's Benetint is a long time classic. A cheaper alternative is the Ulta brands cheek tint in Tickled.

For eyes I like to keep it quick and simple. I love using a cream type shadow, you get color and longevity. Maybelline Color Tattoos, just as the name claims, lasts all day. Clinique Chubby Sticks for eyes are another one of my favorites. Since they come in a stick form, it's super easy to use.

I love having a bright pop of color for my eye makeup during the summer. Using a colored liner is a great way to bring in color without it being "too much". You can use these liners as usual, or you can use them on your waterline for an unexpected pop of color. I also included a creamy chocolate brown if you aren't in to color. Switching to a brown can really lighten up your makeup look. These are some of my favorite liners that don't budge all day. 

(L-R) Urban Decay 24/7 in Flipside. Lancome Kohl in Love in Final Bow Brown. L'oreal Extra-Intense in Violet. Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof liner in Emerald Sparkle.  

Waterproof mascara is a must during hot summer days! You won't get panda eyes with a good waterproof mascara. I've been using Maybellines The Rocket Volume Express lately. It's not the best mascara, but it's a great price and easy to find.

I love lip products that feel moisturizing and non-sticky. For some reason, I just love a pink lip during the summer. It's just fun!

(Left to right) NYX Mega Shine Gloss in Dolly Pink, Revlons Just Bitten stain in Passion, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte in #11.

To top everything off, and make your makeup budge proof, a setting spray is a must have. I've been a huge fan of Urban Decays setting spray for years. De-slick and Chill are my favorites.

So how do you summer"ize" your makeup? Any tips or tricks? Let me know in the comments below! 

Well my sophisticated bitches, I'm off to get some dinner and watch some stupid bridal reality show. Have a fab evening bitches!

Review: Enkore Brush Soap

In a post earlier, I showed the items I got from Enkore Makeup. I used the brush soap right after writing the post, so I wanted to make sure I followed up with a review.

First thing I noticed right off the  bat was the packaging. I'm a little worried it won't hold up to being open and closed often. The little piece of plastic that keeps the lid and container connected doesn't seem very sturdy. The other thing I noticed as soon as I opened the soap was the scent. I got the mango, and wow it smells amazing! It made my bathroom smell amazing while I was washing my brushes. Enkore does offer an unscented version as well, which is great if you're using this brushes that you use on clients (if you're a makeup artist), since some people may be sensitive to fragrances.

As you can see from the pictures, one side is the soap and the other has a loofah embedded in it. At first I was skeptical if the loofah would actually make a difference or not.....it makes a difference! When I started using it, I at first just used the soap, and then I though the brush was clean. I then used the loofah side, and was shocked to see how much makeup will still on the brush that I though was clean!

Yuck look at all those dirty brushes! 

As you can see from this picture, the loofah really "grabs" the makeup from the bristles, making a huge difference in how clean your brushes are!

Boy it always makes me feel better when my brushes are all clean!

So, to wrap up this review. I love this soap! Price wise ($10), it's an okay price. I love that it's sulfate free, and that it's antibacterial. I also like that it not only cleans my brushes, but it actually conditions them which is important life wise for the brushes. I love the loofah, I can't get over what a difference it makes. The only downside is the packaging. I would prefer a container with a screw on lid, I feel like this container won't last the life of the soap.

Overall, I'll be buying a new one when this one runs out! I can't wait to try out other fragrances!

So my sophisciated bitches, how do you wash your brushes? Would you, or have you, tried Enkore's brush soap? Let me know about it in the comments down below!

Well I'm off to, heck, I don't even know what I'm off to, but on that note, good night!

“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.”

Oscar Wilde

Pretty In Pink Giveaway!

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It's giveaway time my sophisticated bitches! I was "inspired" while walking the lovely isles of CVS to do a giveaway. Not just any giveaway, but a PINK giveaway! One oh so lucky winner will receive everything shown in the picture. And yes, I even managed to find a pink eye makeup remover, how awesome am I? 

The winner will get Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana (my favorite highlight!), Wet N' Wild lip balm, Almay eye makeup remover pads, Revlon just bitten stain, and a Revlon nail polish.

Now for the boring rules:

1. Follow my blog

2. Comment below your favorite pink makeup item or what you'd like to see me do blog posts about

3. Be 18+ or have parents/guardians permission

4. Each person can leave 3, and only 3, comments

5. USA only

6. Ends May 31, 2014

I'll pick a winner at random, and make a blog post announcing the winner. I will also get in contact with the winner. If the winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, I'll have to choose a new winner.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Review: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me blush

So after missing out on this blush due to it being sold out so quickly, then missing out on it through Nordstroms because....well, am I really going to wake up at 6 am....no, I had to get this blush no matter what!  So I finally found it through a makeup selling facebook page, paid way more then retail by the way, and got it in the mail today! What is this amazing, must have blush you ask? MAC's Sea Me, Hear Me from the Alluring Aquatic line. Since I've been trying (underline the word TRYING) to cut back on buying makeup, I only allowed to pick one item from this collection, and this blush was that one item!

First off, I am in love, in LOVE, with the packaging! Both the box and the actually compact have raised bumps that feel like rain drops. Very unique and interesting! The color of the packaging is also stunning!

So I'll be honest, when I first swatched this, as you can maybe tell from the pictures below, I wasn't to impressed. It seemed rather brown against my skin tone, I wasn't sure what to expect. I then tried it on my face, and wow, I see why this blush is so popular! It gives a very pretty mauve glow to your cheeks! I'm impressed and very happy with my choice from this collection!

So did any of you sophisticated bitches pick anything up from this collection? Any new loves or hates? Let me know in the comments down below!

Well I'm off to watch some k-pop (have you seen EXO's new MV? It's amazing!), and do more packing!

“(Arbell)The ungrateful gorgeous bitch.” 
― Paul Hoffman, The Left Hand of God

Thrifting and More Mail!

So my lovely ladies and gents, today I went to my favorite consignment shop and came home to a fun package in the mailbox!

At the consignment shop I found one of my favorite tv shows, Reba! I got 4 seasons for less then $16! The best deal I got though was a full size Betsey Johnson Tutu perfume for $4 and change! It's almost new! 

Then for my mail haul, I missed out on the MAC Aquatics blush that I wanted, it sold out so fast! I was able to find it through a makeup selling facebook page though. Watch for a review coming up for the Sea Me Hear Me blush! The girl selling it also had MAC pigment samples for sale, so I went ahead and got Naked. It's a color I've been wanting to try for awhile. 

Alright my sophisticated bitches! I'm off to watch some Reba and pack. Yuck, I HATE packing!

“In English class, someone flung a folded-up square of notebook paper onto the floor next to my right foot. I picked it up and opened it. It read, Bitch! Nobody had ever called me that before, and though I was automatically furious, deep down i was also flattered that I had elicited enough emotion to be worthy of the name.” 
― Gayle Forman, If I Stay

Mail Call!

Got some fun goodies in the mail today, so I thought I'd share it with you ladies and gents! I placed an order with Enkore Makeup Online about a week ago and got my items today. 

I've been hearing about this brush soap for awhile through youtube and blogs, so I wanted to try it out. I got the mango scented soap (smells amazing!). I'll be honest, I don't wash my makeup brushes as often as I should (but then again, who the heck does!?). Hopefully this cute soap will inspire me to wash them more often! Be on the lookout for a review coming soon!

And to complete my super huge order of a whopping two items, I got the ring palette. I do free-lance makeup on the side, and have had my eye on this for awhile. It's great for mixing foundation colors for a custom match, or mixing lipsticks to get a new color. It's a little more professional and hygienic then using your hand (which I have a bad habit of doing!).

I was really impressed by the packaging. It came in a small box packed with peanuts and an invoice with a handwritten thank you and smiley face. I love how the ring palette was packaged. Very cute, it's small touches like that, that make me want to shop more from a company. If you want to check out Korens store, the site is

www.enkoremakeuponline.com

And no, this wasn't a sponsored blog post! 

Well my lovely bitches, I'm off to watch some I Love Lucy and wash some makeup brushes! 

“If I was really a bitch I’d make your life a living hell. Instead, I’ll just stand by and watch you do that yourself. You seem to do a pretty good job at it.” 
― Sophie Monroe, Second Chance Romance

Empties!

So I've been collecting empties for awhile now, I have empties of gin, vodka, brandy.....oops, wrong blog! So I have empties of mostly empties of skincare and body care with a few makeup items thrown in for good luck!

Okay, so shower gels, can you tell I like Bath and Body? I LOVED all of these. The Air and Sun are from a "newer" collection. Loved them so much I went and bought the full size! Paris Amour is a great scent, as is Hawaii Coconut (great for summer!). The stress relief from the aromatherapy line was pretty good, still a fan of the lavender one more though.

A few random fragrance items. I've always loved the Bath and Body hand soaps! The ones I've gone through recently are Fresh Picked Watermelon (LOVE), and Vanilla Berry Sorbet (it was okay, not amazing). For the two fragrances, again both from B&B, Dark Kiss "travel", great fall scent, and Warm Vanilla Sugar, loved it, but I'm over the scent now! And for the lotion, Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter. I saw a bunch of youtubers using this awhile ago, so I had to try it, and I LOVED it! It smells amazing, and it's so moisturizing!

Now for some skin care items. As you saw in my last post, I'm a big Clinique girl! Starting with the Dark Spot Corrector, this was actually the mens version (which is the exact same as the womens!). I got this for free while working for them, I love it! Finished off a smaller Clarfying Lotion #3, love this stuff. I tried a travel size of the Soap and Glory Face Soap Clarity, this is probably one of my all time favorite face washes. It seems to really help clear up my face! I also finished off two travel Clinique items. Moisture Surge face cream, amazing for dry skin, loved this during the winter. All About Eyes, my all time favorite eye cream!

Okay, my all time favorite item out of this bunch is the Lancome Bi-Facial makeup remover. This stuff is awesome! As you can see from the pic, I also tried the Clinique Take The Day Off, eh it's okay, but it doesn't hold a candle to Lancome! For face makeup though, I LOVE Clinique's Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser. It's amazing and removes every drop of face makeup. When I'm super lazy, I use makeup wipes, these three tie for amazing, and I have re-bought them all many times. First off, ELF's makeup remover cleansing wipes, just plain good! Next Simple's Radiance Skin Wipes. I've tried their other wipes too, and they are all great! Lastly CVS Nighttime Makeup Remover Wipes, also great, and a little cheaper! The OPI Expert Touch lacquer Remover is amazing! As you can see in the pic, I've gone through one full size and one travel size. Best nail polish remover I've ever used! Then for the two random products, OPI Drip Dry. Put a couple drops on your manicure, and you're nails will dry faster then you can tell your pool boy to get you a towel and martini! Lastly, Urban Decay All Nighter. Love this stuff, I use it mostly to take down any cakeness and to make my face look more "fresh".

Now for the really fun stuff, cocktails! Just kidding, makeup! Okay, for my all time favorite, repurchased many times, have multiple back ups, Wet N Wild Brulee single shadow. Can we take a minute to say how amazing this is! I use this as an all over shadow when I'm rushed to tone down any color in my eyelids, it's an amazing matte highlight, and it's amazing as a setting powder for your concealer (depending on your skin tone). Next up is some lip stuff, Chapstick from their Candy Cane line, loved. Sugar Scrub from Etsy seller Spectrum Cosmetics, LOVE LOVE LOVE. Maybelline Baby Lips, can't say how many of these I've gotten! For mascara, I have to two Clinique ones. Lash Doubling Mascara, one of my favorites from Clinique. And Cliniques Bottom Lash mascara. Awesome stuff! Such a tiny brush so it keeps you from getting mascara all over your lower eye area. I also threw Maybelline's Fit Me foundation stick in here which I recently finished off and re-purchased. Like this stuff, it's quick and easy for days where I want a no-makeup makeup look.

Wow, all of two hair products! I don't go through shampoo to often since I normally buy the salon size (having your cosmetology license gets you awesome deals at pro stores only!). So for shampoo I have the Biomega Moisture shampoo. This stuff is pretty great. I have amazing respect for the Aquage/Biomega brand. Also from Aquage, I had a trial size of the Silkening Power Infusion treatment. If you want your hair to feel like silk, be smooth and shiny, buy this stuff! After using the small size, I went out and bought the regular one. I'm in love!

Okay, now for a few things I didn't love. Can you tell I'm not to picky? First off Maybelline's Fit Me concealer. I don't hate it, and I finished it, but their are so many better coverage concealers out there, I can't imagine buying this one again. Next up, the Paul Mitchel Tea Tree Conditioner. The main reason I didn't like this (and the shampoo) is because it strips the color out of my hair. If you have non-color treated hair, and if you have dandruff, this will be your best friend. If you have color treated hair, stay away! And last, but not least, yes....another Clinique item.... This is the Acne Solutions Post Blemish Formula. Honestly, this is like a concentrated version of Even Better Dark Spot, which I already use and love. I just didn't have a point in using this along with the EB, and didn't see any results with it.

Wow, so that's everything! Kinda cool to see a big bag of empty items! It inspires me to use what I have instead of buy new stuff....but heck....I still buy new stuff! At least I have a nice empty bag now to fill up with new empties! Like that doesn't sound weird....

Well goodnight my sophsciated bitches! I'm off to watch some more Royal Pains. Only 4 more episodes until I'm done with all the episodes up on netflix! And is anyone else totally in love with Boris? I've honestly had a crush on Campbell Scott since I was little!

“I feel like a brand new bitch.” 
― Amelia Gray, AM/PM

My Night Skin Routine

Okay, first off, no, I'm not being sponsored by Clinique! I use to work for them, so I did get a lot of free products, and I got a great discount. I do have to say, I am not a huge Clinique makeup fan, but their skincare line I swear by. I saw women in the 60's and 70's who have used Clinique since it came out/since they were young, and their skin looked amazing. That alone made me believe in the product. Secondly, this may seem like a lot of skin care products, and it probably is for a lot of people. I look at skin care as an investment into the future. I want my skin to look great as I age, so I want to take care of it now!

On to my routine!

After I remove all my makeup (I can make a blog post about that if you ladies and gents are interested), I use the Clinique liquid facial soap for combo oily to oily. I just recently got a Clarisonic, so I've been using that along with my facial soap. I like this soap a lot, but honestly, the Simple line at the drugstore is quite comparable, and a bit cheaper.

Next I use the clarifying lotion in number 3. This is actually isn't a typical "astringent", it gently exfoliates your skin while removing extra oils and dead skin cells. This is a product that I really love, but lately I've been using a Clean and Clear astringent, which I'm really liking as well. I've been switching between the 2 products.

Okay, now this step is the one that has really changed my skin. I've used this for years, long before I ever worked for Clinique, or even understood the 3 step! I use the gel (for oily skin) during the summer, and then the lotion (for dry) during the winter. I love, LOVE this stuff! 

Okay, so those were the "basic" steps. These are the "add ons". I am in love with the Even Better dark clinical dark spot corrector (yep, long name, and yep, we were expected to say the entire name to our customers, talk about a tongue twister.....). The main reason I use this is to help with my acne scars (which is actually hyper-pigmentation), also it helps give my completion an over all brighter look. Like that's a horrible bonus!

So I have to admit, I wouldn't have tried this product if I hadn't gotten if as gratis, but I really do like it. It's the turnaround overnight radiance  moisturizer. I like it because it's a nice night cream, and it works along with the even better, helping create a brighter over all skin tone.

For an eye cream, I've been using even better eyes dark circle corrector. Honestly, this does nothing for me. And for the price, I'd rather got with Clinique's all about eyes, my all time favorite eye cream. I do want to use this up though before I go back to my all about eyes, I hate wasting products!

Yes, I have adult acne. Yes, it's annoying ,and yes I hate it. This product has helped a lot. I've noticed when the acne solutions spot healing gel (yes Clinique does have a Clinique 3 step, but I don't love it), the acne heals quicker. They do have new packaging which is super cute, this one is the old package. A great drugstore "dupe" for this is Clearasil's rapid action vanishing treatment cream. I do notice the Clearasil dries me out more though.

This is a sample I've been trying for awhile. It's the repairware uplifting firming cream. This is a face cream, but I like using it on my neck. I'm 23 so I don't really have a sagging neck, but this is one of those preventative measures I like taking. Plus, your neck needs moisture too! Most of the time you'll see older women with amazing skin on their face, but it stops at their jawline. If you don't want to invest in a separate neck cream, just bring your face cream down to your neck and chest area.

So this isn't exactly skin care, but I have recently included this into my nightly routine, and I'm loving it! It's Rimmel London's lash accelerator serum. You can use this on your lashes and/or brows. I've been using this for about a month, and I actually see results! My lashes seem fuller and a tad longer. They look so much better without mascara, and amazing with mascara! For less then $10 at the drugstore (and Rimmel is often on sale, and has coupons), this is a must have!

Wow, so that's it! Okay, it seems like a lot, but honestly it takes less then 10 minutes a night. I've noticed my skin has become brighter, my acne has lessened, and the scars aren't as bad as before I started using these products. So that being said, I'm about to go wash off my makeup, do my night time rountine, finish watching Royal Pains on Netflix (oh my gosh, is anyone else addicted to that show?!), and go to bed! 

Goodnight my Sophisticated Bitches!

“Sometimes you have to be a bitch to get things done.” 
― Madonna

Get in loser, we're going shopping.....for makeup....

Welcome to my blog ladies and gents! First off, let me introduce myself, I'm Amanda. I'm a licensed cosmetologist with a passion for makeup, fashion, nail polish, skin care, chocolate, kpop, cute cats.........
I've loved makeup ever since I was little. I remember when I would get a Barbie coloring book, first thing I would do was to color all the Barbie's lips red or pink, hence my passion for bright lipstick!
When I was 21, I went to cosmetology school, then started my 2 years of cosmo school hell. I got my license July 2 (scariest day of my life), and started working for Clinique a month later. I was able to learn a lot and got some great experience. Sadly, I had to quit my job (retail can be brutal!), so I'm now looking for a job in a salon/spa where I can continue doing what I love. Another passion of mine is teaching people about makeup. Hopefully through this blog I can give some tips and tricks, do some reviews, and give some new ideas!
So fasten your seatbelts and grab your lipstick. It's gonna be a bumpy night (or blog).

 “She didn't care that people called her a bitch. 'It's just another word for feminist,' she told me with pride.” ― Gayle Forman, If I Stay