I know, I know! It’s been TEN months since I’ve last blogged. I apologize to all of my readers for such a long break. I will try to be more consistent, but life has way of… well, getting in your way.

Speaking of life, I’m going to be flying home to NY and I’ll be there from Sunday to Thursday. It’ll be my birthday on Tuesday and my very preggers bestie and myself will be going to see a B’way musical. It’s called “Once: The Musical” in case anyone is wondering. I absolutely adored the film and I heard the musical was equally as good. SO EXCITED!!! Thursday I fly back to Houston (sad face) just in time to see Madonna. It’s my 4th time seeing her. I’m kind of over it. lol.

Anyways… I came across this piece of good news for my fellow O.C.O.S. (Obsessive Compulsive Online Shoppers) that is certain to get you out of remission. lol.

Ulta is having a pretty good ONLINE sale for 20% off of the majority of their products. But, DO read the fine print as there are a few exclusions. It expires on Saturday, 20 October, so I would talk advantage of this as soon as possible! It’s a *great* time to buy Christmas gifts, instead of braving Black Friday.

Enjoy and feel free to share this with others! xx

20% Off on Ulta.com!

I know this isn’t much of a fashion blog, but I can’t help sharing this look with you. I absolutely LOVE it! It’s sugar AND spice. Sugar, in the sense of a pink floral print blouse with rounded nun collar. And spice, as in, the black pleather quilted shorts with exposed silver zipper front and side pockets.

It’s a nice feminine vs. rock ‘n’ roller look and it’s officially on my wishlist!

Just bookmarking this for my own personal reference. Would you dare wear something like this??? Your thoughts???

I’m so excited to review this prouduct! I’ve been using it consistently for about 4 months and I have to say it is one of my absolute FAVORITE “Drugstore Finds”. To give you a bit of background about my skin type it’s, well, a desert of dryness. My skin is perpetually dry no matter what I do because of the medicines that I take. All of this I will discuss in a future blog about my skin type and daily beauty regimen. But for now, let’s jump right into this review.

Recently, my aesthetician was pushing one of her products from the spa she works at… but, I wasn’t buying it (literally!). One thing I did take away from her sales pitch was that I needed a product with ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid.

What are ceramides?

Ceramides are one of three types of lipids, or fats, that play an essential role in retaining water in the skin. Studies show that ceramides help treat eczema and psoriasis, but also can be used by anyone with dry skin.

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an essential nutrient that allows the skin to hold on to water.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (for dry skin)

PROS: The BEAUTY about this cleanser is that it was developed by dermatologists, with sensitive skin in mind. It has no scent or coloring in it and is perfectly safe (and suggested) for use on a daily basis. It’s also non-comedogenic and non-drying.

CONS: The only con I can find with CeraVe is that it doesn’t reverse signs of aging. Bummer.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This product proves that you don’t need a luxury name brand to give you healthier, more resilient skin! At $11.99 for a 12 ounce bottle, this cleanser does the trick. CeraVe can help improve skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, that are characterized by excessive dryness. I highly recommend this cleanser!

Well, hello there and HAPPY 2012, my pretties! I know! Long time no hear from, yet again. This time I have the holiday season to lay my blame on. Ha! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones.

My FOTD (Face of the Day) was to celebrate the New York Giants win against the Green Bay Packers. I apologize, in advance, if you are a Cheesehead and this blog entry, in fact, boasts our most GLORIOUS win, but… it is what it is

NOW for the DISCLAIMERS: I have to say off the bat that these photos do NOT do the colors justice. The eyeshadow looks more as if it were black, when in reality it is a deep blue. :/ Also, I was pressed for time again and couldn’t add an extra measure of drama to the smokey eye winged look with a pair of falsies. There’s always next time.

So without further ado…

Products used:

The Face:
Philosophy The Present (face primer)
Tarte Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer in “Agent 16″
Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Foundation in #170 (applied with a MAC brush in 109)

The Eyes:
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean (apply on the crease and blend with finger to enhance eyeshadow colors)
MAC Eye Shadow in “All That Glitters” (as the highlight)
MAC Eye Shadow in “Soft Brown” (a neutral color to connect the highlight to the dark blue)
MAC Eye Shadow in “Deep Truth” (gorgeous deep blue with a little bit of shimmer)
MAC Eye Shadow in “Carbon” (a matte black applied to the outer V of the crease to create depth)
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in “Carbon Black”
Stila Kajal Eye Liner in “Onyx” (to line the bottom waterline and smudge)
L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara in “Black”
MAC Eye Shadow in “Brun” (applied to eyebrows with a MAC brush in 266)

The Cheeks:
NARS Blush in “Taos” (to contour cheeks)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in “Gold Deposit” (blush/bronzer)

The Lips:
MAC Lip Glass in “Sunny Boy” (it’s a Limited Edition from YEARS ago :/)
NYX Lipliner Pencil in “Ever”

I LOVE hearing from my readers! Feel free to leave comments or questions below xx

… AND GO GIANTS!!! Kick some San Francisco 49ers tail!

Hey, my pretties! I know, I know. Long time no blog. I fell off BIG TIME and I apologize. I just never got back into my routine of blogging after the New York trip. And now, I’m looking forward to my L.A. trip on Friday to visit my bestie, Karina. Hopefully, I won’t wait 2 months to blog next. lol. Thanks for your patience

This blog entry *should* be about my trip to an Inglot store in Times Square but I’m strapped for time.

Instead I’m going to focus on the new FABULOUS NARS Holiday 2011 Collection. Let’s get to it!

The collection titled “Modern Kabuki Holiday” is inspired by creator Francois Nars’ fascination of Kabuki theatre. And, although EXCEPTIONALLY pricey, it doesn’t hurt to look and maybe drool a little

Nagauta Kabuki Brush Set ($225.00 U.S.)

Hanamichi Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00 U.S.)

Kuroko Mini Nail Polish Set ($35.00 U.S.)

Kudoki Kabuki Lip Set ($125.00 U.S.)

Mie Mini Soft Touch Shadow Pencil Set ($55.00 U.S.)

Personally, I would LOVE to get my hands on the Mie Mini Soft Touch Shadow Pencil Set! The nail polish set I can do without (too generic!) and the brush set, although GORGEOUS, is ridiculously priced :/

What do you think? Would you want any of these as a stocking stuffer?

Hello, my pretties!

I apologize for taking such a long hiatus from the blog. It was completely unintentional but life has picked up speed on me and I have no choice but to catch up. lol.

At the moment, I’m packing to go home to New York City on Wednesday for some overdue recharging of my batteries. Yes, it’s crazy that I go to the busiest city on earth to recharge my batteries but it’s the only place that can really calm me down and lift me up all at the same time.

I’ll be gone to NY from the 21st-25th and then on the 25th I take a train down to Baltimore to visit my lovely friend, Rachel. So excited! Every year I like to catch a Yankees game and this trip is no different. Saturday I’m catching the Yankees vs. (ahem) Red Sux game. And then as fortune has it, Rachel is taking me to an Orioles vs. (ahem) Dead Sox game. Ugh. Two BoSox games in 3 days time… I’m going to need to be nice and liquored up to tolerate that. lol.

I didn’t want to leave you guys high and dry for another week so I wanted to make a quick post that was SUPPOSED to have been up on Brazilian Independence Day. :/ And that was on, September 7th *hangs head in shame*

QUICK DISCLAIMER: Please excuse my hasty attempt at applying falsies. I was on a time crunch. Also, I dislike how my eyebrows look. They needed to be threaded and the eye pencil I used for them was too light. I’m a work in progress. So, my apologies.

So without further a do, I bring you the FOTD (Face of the Day).

Products used:

The Eyes:
NYX Eyeshadow Base (as the eye primer)
Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in “Buttercupcake” (yellow)
Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in “Midori” (green)
Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in “Afterparty” (blue)
Sugarpill Loose Eye Shadow in “Goldilux”
Sugarpill Loose Eye Shadow in “Royal Sugar”
Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in “Tako” (white)
MAC Eye Shadow in “Ricepaper” (as the highlight)
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in “Carbon Black”
Ardell Lashes, #101

The Face:
Philosophy The Present (face primer)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in “Gold Deposit” (blush/bronzer)
MAC Studio Fix in NC42 (foundation powder)

The Lips:
Stila Lip Glaze in “Kitten”

Would love to hear your comments! Thnx so much for stopping by! xx

Makeup brushes. If you are a makeup, um, for lack of a better word, whore, as I am, these tools are one of the most important in your arsenal of beauty. It’s vital to keep them clean, disinfected and conditioned.

And just as I was prepared to blog about my favorite way to clean my brushes (the old and trusted baby shampoo), I got the good sense to google if this was, in fact, the best way to thoroughly clean your brushes.

Guess what??? It isn’t! Please don’t be a silly dope as I have been.

Here are a couple of reasons why you SHOULDN’T be using Baby Shampoo:

1) It doesn’t come close to disinfecting your brushes of the bacteria. That means you are brushing back on your skin the very bacteria and oil you intended on cleaning off. Ewww!!!

2) It is lacking the conditioning components, therefore making your brush hairs break off and/or scratchy to the touch.

Sure MAC’s Brush Cleanser is the biz (slang for “the best”) but not everyone has the money to splurge on a brush cleanser that is $13.00. Especially when you are using it on a daily basis.

So what is a girl to do??? Well, make your own, of course!

Here’s what you need:

A bowl.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
A dishwashing detergent.
A clean bath towel.
Some dirty makeup brushes.

_______

1) First pour a bit of dishwashing soap into the bowl. I’d say 2 parts dishwashing soap and 1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The dishwashing soap will disinfect and clean the makeup off your brushes. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil will condition the brush hairs.

2) Swirl your brushes around the mixture in your bowl.

3) Now swirl your brush on the palm of your clean hand, back and forth until you’ve seen the product come off.

4) Set your brush on a towel.

5) Repeat steps 1-4 until you have finished all of your brushes.

6) Take all of your brushes to the sink and rinse in lukewarm water.

7) Dry them by laying them on a clean surface.

And to think, all this time I was REALLY confident about using baby shampoo because I was trying to be cost effective. *sigh*

SIDE NOTE: DIY Project = Do It Yourself Project. I will attempt to leave a Beauty Tip for my Pretties every Sunday. If you have a Beauty Tip please email me and I will give you full credit Email addy is prettypoised [at] gmail.com

Lately I’ve been OBSESSED with falsies a.k.a. false lashes. It probably has to do with the fact that for the majority of my life I’ve been mystified by them and secretly jealous at those that could put them on with ease.

So it’s no wonder that when I came across the cutest PAPER lashes, I wanted to pass them onto my readers! Yes, I know. It’s daunting enough to have to put falsies, let alone flimsy paper ones. But they are at least worth a look…

What do you think? Is this a trend you’d like to try out???

Hey, my pretties! Last night I found myself bored to tears. Seriously, there’s only so many times I can watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. (In case you are wondering, I’m currently at 87 times. :/ )

So I took to my makeup bin and created a look with my brand new MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow in “Dark Indulgence” paired with a super hot pink lip. What does FOTD stand for, you ask??? It stands for “Face of the Day”. And every so often I will take time out to show you a new “face”, if you will.

If you’d like me to do a tutorial via YouTube, please leave me a comment and let me know! I LOVE to hear from my readers! Thank you for stopping by <3

Products used:

The Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as the eye primer)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in “Black Bean” (2nd eye primer to deepen color)
MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow in “Dark Indulgence” (it’s SOLD OUT. )
MAC Pigment in “Golden Olive”
Sugarpill Loose Eye Shadow in “Goldilux”
MAC Eye Shadow in “Ricepaper” (as the highlight)
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Eyeliner in “0L” (Mat Black)
Stila Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in “Carbon Black”
Ardell Lashes, #101

The Face:
Philosophy The Present (face primer)
Nars Blush in “Lovejoy”
MAC Studio Fix in NC42 (foundation powder)

The Lips:

NYX Lip Liner in “Plum”
Illamasqua Lip Stick in “Atomic” (Hot Pink!)
MAC Lipglass in Limited Edition “Emancipation” (on the center of lips for a bit of gloss)

The Earrings:
Neon Lights Earrings (ShoeDazzle)

I stopped at my local LUSH Cosmetics counter with every intention of trying out and possibly purchasing the Mint Julips Lip Scrub… only to walk out of there with a Buffy Body Butter, too. I really am such a sucker for any products that can cut my shower time and props to the saleslady for really pushing the effective 5 Minute Hand Spa Treatment on me. She gave me a soothing hand scrubbing with the Ocean Sea Salt and followed it with the Buffy Body Butter. My hands not only looked amazing, but felt very soft and practically glistened in moisture. I didn’t even have to follow up with lotion, thus cutting down time to moisturize. BRILLZ! I had to have it!

LUSH Buffy Body Butter, ($22.95)

I suddenly remembered why I hadn’t visited that store in a while… I could never stop at purchasing only one item. Who can say no to gorgeously packaged all-natural and handmade products? Certainly not I, so why start now???

Intrigued by what I had just purchased, I came home to research this magical Buffy Body Butter on LUSH’s official website. I wasn’t quite clear if it was a soap or just an exfoliant. (Newsflash: IT IS NOT A SOAP, people!) I chuckled at the original name of this bath bar and wondered how Buffy the Backside Slayer Body Butter wasn’t kept around. Apparently this product does one hell of a job slaying unsightly cellulite (and I’ll admit that I haven’t seen this part for myself, just yet. But it’s still early. lol). And I was pleasantly surprised to read that this Body Butter was inspired on the beaches of Brazil, where the product inventor was vacationing. She had noticed that women would rub a mixture of sand and suntan oil on their backsides to improve circulation and reduce cellulite. She came home, mixed together cocoa and shea butters (to soften and moisturize), ground rice, almonds and aduki beans (to exfoliate you to velvety perfection) and the rest is history!

A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BUFFY BODY BUTTER:

1) This is NOT A SOAP. It’s a moisturizer/exfoliant. Heaven forbid you go in your shower and scrub butter on yourself, thinking it’s soap. lol.
2) Be careful when stepping out of your tub or shower. This is made of shea and cocoa butter.
3) When showering with this try to step away from the water, to keep the body butter preserved. It tends to melt in hot, flowing water. Better yet, cut it into smaller pieces and make sure to set it on a nice, dry shelf.

LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub ($8.95)

Onto the product that I originally stopped at the LUSH counter for…the Mint Julips Lip Scrub. It’s the perfect lip scrub to slough away yucky dead skin cells from your lips leaving behind kissably soft and rosier colored lips. This scrub also comes in Bubble Gum and Sweet Lips (milk chocolate-y goodness) flavors, too, but since my favorite ice cream flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip, this was a no-brainer. Simply scoop up a little with your (clean) finger and massage the sugar granules all over your lips in a circular motion. It’s absolutely DELISH and no worries if you find yourself licking it off. It’s all natural, vegan-friendly and all good.

I have to admit that I have a couple of cons with the Mint Julips Lip Scrub. One, being that the pot it comes in is clearly unsanitary. Annnnd… as much as it pains me to say this, you can easily find a recipe to make this, if you really looked. But I’m as lazy as I am a Chappy McChappington. The pros far outweigh the cons.

Both of these products are definitely on my MUST HAVE list.

You can purchase these items here:

Mint Julip Lip Scrub ($8.95)

Buffy Body Butter ($11.95 for 3.3 oz)

Buffy Body Butter ($22.95 for 7.0 oz)