Friday, January 21, 2011

Treat Yourself! Go on, YOU deserve it! :)

Hey lovelies!
Ok, I have been thinking about holding a "me" night, and pampering myself for quite some time. I know that we all have this same type of thought, but a lot of times we get so caught up in what we are doing and working on that we never try and take out time for ourselves. I believe that this is a huge flaw. I mean, we have to keep ourselves going and healthy even to be able to work! And your mental health is just as important as your physical, and I definitely believe that every now and then, we could all use a good bubble bath. I also know that a reason that some of us don't pamper ourselves the way we deserve to be is because we believe that we don't have the money for it. Trust me, I am right there with ya on that one! As a college student, I don't have the type of income that I can go pay someone $30 to paint my toe nails! I am compiling this list of cheap or do it yourself, at home spa treatments! These are tips and tricks that I have learned over the years, picked up and done before, and I can assure you that they work, and you will feel so much better after spending a little time on yourself! Some of these tips might be to help you look better, some of them might be just to help you feel better :)

Steam Facial
For this here's what you are going to need:
Green Tea Bag
Water (no specific amount)
Pot to boil water in
Bowl to put water in after it has boiled
Towel

Here's what you do:
You're going to want to put some water in your pot to boil. It doesn't have to be an exact amount, you want enough to where the water will not boil away and that your tea will be diluted. I normally use about 4-5 cups I would guess.
Bring your water to a boil. Once you notice in boiling, pour your water out of the pot and into a big bowl. Place the Green Tea Bag in the bowl.
Let the tea dilute into the bowl for just a minute.
Grab your towel. Put the bowl in a position where it's going to be comfortable for you to hang your head over it. Grab the towel and place it over your head and over the bowl so that your head is hanging over the bowl and the towel is enclosing the space.
You are going to feel like your sweating, but a lot of it is the steam condensing on your face. Which is just what we want :)
The steam is going to help clean out your pores and the green tea is going to help tighten them.

Ice Facial
Starting out in the same way!
What you need:
Water
Pot to boil water in
Green Tea Bags
Ice Trays
Saran Wrap
Toothpicks

Now a few of you might have seen this from Michelle Phan, and I have to give her credit where credit is due. If you haven't ever watched any of her videos, she has some great tips and tricks.
Boil your water, and place the tea bags in the boiling water. Let them steep for a few minutes. Take the water once it's cooled (you don't want to burn yourself) and pour the mixture into your ice tray.
Place saran wrap over the ice try and then poke your toothpicks through the saran wrap and into the mixture in the tray.
Place it in your freezer and come back tomorrow! You will have green tea facials!! Just rub the ice on your face. I know it sounds weird, but you will seriously feel your pores tightening as you use it :)

Lemon Sugar Scrub
What you need:
Lemon Juice
Sugar
Cotton Balls
Cup to put it in

Take some lemon juice and squirt it into a cup. Mix enough to where you can save it, or just mix enough to make it so you can put the mixture all over you face. Mix in some sugar. Again, these do not have to be exact amounts, it's all relative to how much of an exfoliation you want.
Mix in together, then get some of the mixture on your cotton ball. You can apply this directly to your face with it!
The lemon acts somewhat like a toner, and of course the sugar acts like an exfoliant. And if you get any in your mouth, it tastes like lemonade! :D
Wash off with water, and your face should feel squeaky clean!

Lemon Toner
What you need:
Lemon Juice
Cotton Ball

If you don't feel like you want to exfoliate, you can just squirt some lemon juice on a cotton ball and use it to go over your face, just like a toner. But without that nasty alcohol smell! :)

Lip Exfoliator
What you need:
Olive Oil
Sugar

Similar to the lemon sugar facial scrub, here you need to mix some Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin to make sure it doesn't clog pores) and sugar together. If your lips are really chapped, you might want to consider putting more sugar in the mix. This is what I did last week, and it helped soooo much.
After you have mixed the two together, just apply with your fingertips to your lips. Really rub it on there. You are going to have to do most of this work with your fingers, I wouldn't count on just rubbing your lips together to get the job done.
Get some water on a wash cloth and get off the excess. Your lips should feel silky smooth!

Nail Soak:
If you have recently applied a dark nail color and have taken it off, and now have the stain/residue left behind, you might want to try this trick.

What you need:
Lemon Juice
Water
Bowl to soak your hands in

Fill up your bowl with enough water that when you place your hands in it it will cover your nails, but the water will not overflow. Then squirt lemon juice in. Again, there is no specific amount or ratio, just whatever you feel comfortable with and want to use for this.
Soak your nails in the mix for about 8 minutes. Once you pull them out, your cuticles should feel smooth and some of the color should be faded from your nails.
You can also do this for your toes, I would just suggest using a bowl you don't eat out of! :)

Cheap Hand/Cuticle Cream

Vaseline Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning Lotion

I have to tell you that I have been loving this stuff and have been using it before all my manicures that I have been giving myself lately, and I can definitely notice a difference in the appearance of my cuticles. A small tube of this will run your about $2.50, but trust me, it's worth it! I love it :)
It even claims to make your nails stronger too, which definitely can't hurt!

Facial Mask:

Queen Helene's makes a fantastic facial mask that you can find at Wal-Mart and drug stores. It's cheap, I don't think I have seen one over $5, and they really do get the job done. If you are looking for a cheap alternative to going to a spa to get a mask, try this first and see if you don't love it.

Of course, we can't forget bubble bath! The ultimate treat when you just want to relax. Wal-Mart has several low cost options, even some that smell like bubble gum! If you want to spend a little bit more, of course there is Bath and Body Works as well, but I have found that Wal-Mart options do the exact same thing and give you the same amount of bubbles! :)

An often overlooked aspect of the bath is bath salts. These salts are good for several different things depending on the type that you get. Some of them smell good and are supposed to release scent and moisturizer into your bath water, and some of them just smell really good. It just depends on what you are looking for.

If you are over 21, may I suggest a glass of red wine? Some scientists suggest that consumption of red wine might fight your risk of.... breast cancer! Red wines are rich in phytochemicals, which act as antioxidants (good for your skin as well!) and there fore might cut your risk of breast cancer. The wines that are highest in these chemicals are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, and Pinot Noir.
I am in NO way suggesting that if you are under 21 that you should try this, it's illegal, and we all know it. I am also not suggesting that you should start drinking tons of wine to prevent your risk of breast cancer. As we all know, we are hearing that a lot of things these days help prevent certain types of cancer and ALL of it is still being tested to determine if it actually does or not. Drinking a ton of red wine in no way ensures you will not get cancer, all it does ensure is that you are going to help your liver right out the door! Please, if you do choose to drink, do so in a responsible manner!

I hope that you ladies can use these options as a low cost alternative to expensive beauty treatments! Enjoy and treat yourselves! :)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Olay Pro-X Facial Cleansing System Review

Hey lovelies!
I'm sure by now that a lot of you have heard about the Cleansing System from Olay Pro-x. Well, I've finally got around to posting a review about it on my youtube channel, and I hope you will take the time to watch it!
Enjoy! :)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Just started up on Facebook!

Hi there lovelies!
If you get the chance, please click on over to facebook and like my page over there. I completely intend for it to be a forum like place where we can all chat, talk, and share beauty/ life related stories!
Here is the link:
Makeup Managed on Facebook
It only takes a second, and of course, liking it is free! So why not?!
Stay gorgeous all!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Wet n Wild Swatches and Better Pictures

Hey there lovelies!
Today we've got swatches! YAY! :D
I know that I always love seeing what I'm getting myself into before I make a purchase, so hopefully this can help you make a decision on 2 of the new Wet n Wild palettes. I have, what I consider to be, probably the 2 most neutral palettes out of the bunch. But that's just what I like to wear! If you would like to see my pictures of the other palettes available you can check out my "Look What I Found at Walgreens" post here.
Anyway, on to what we all came for! The two palettes that I own (so far) are "I'm Getting Sunburned" and "Silent Treatment"
I feel like both of these could easily be used to go from a day look to a night look, and with how portable the palettes are, it would be nothing to toss one of these babies in your purse and take it with you!
For the first contestant, we have I'm Getting Sunburned.


HOLY PIGMENTATION BATMAN! I could NOT believe my eyes when I first put on this eyeshadow. I mean, this seriously has better color pay off than some of my high end shadows! Why would I ever pay more for eyeshadow again? These colors are so pigmented and they blend so well. I put the brown shade from the Sugar Plum Fairy LE palette that was a NARS dupe for comparison. I originally thought that the crease shade from "Silent Treatment" was a dupe, but as you can see, I think we have found our dupe for that color.
I seriously had to put my crease brush in this shadow one time in order to get enough shadow to have my crease look fantastic. They blend together perfectly in my opinion. Not to hard and not so easy that you are going to overblend either. I would say that in this palette, the only color that really benefits from a primer is definitely the pink highlight shade. But the texture of the gold is a little bit different on a primer. I know it's hard to see in the photo, my camera does not like the light in my apartment. I also know that it's hard to see in the brown, but there are definitely flecks of micro glitter. Do not get me wrong, this shade is NOT shimmery at all. There are just little flecks of glitter that are more bronze/copper toned and stand out a little in the light. In my opinion, all it does is add depth to the shade, and it's absolutely beautiful. I can not believe that this shade is in a $3 drugstore palette.
The final contestant for the day is the new palette in Silent Treatment.


This might be my new go to palette people. I have used this palette almost everyday since I've gotten it. The taupe shade is beautiful! It's so pigmented when used with a primer.
And on that note, I would definitely say that EVERY shade in this palette benefits from the use of a primer. When you use a primer, the colors seriously gain so much pigmentation it's not even funny. I know that it is hard to see the peach highlight on my hand, but it's a really light shade even in the palette. You can tell the effect of it on your eye, but on the hand, it loses what it was meant for. So don't just think you are getting 2 usable shades in this palette. The highlight definitely serves its purpose on the eye.
I also put the Sugar Plum Fairy shade next to this crease shade for comparison. The Sugar Plum Fairy shade is a lot warmer. I would say that the crease shade in the Silent Treatment trio leans more towards black, but the flecks of red-ish micro glitter really make it look like any other black I have found in the drugstore. The words red and micro glitter combined might scare you. Don't let it! This shade is extremely wearable! The glitter only shows up in light, and again, only adds to the shade, and is definitely safe for work.
The primer I used was NYX Eyeshadow Base in ESB 03. Pretty much just a beige skin tone.
I would definitely suggest that if you are thinking about purchasing only one of the new palettes, go with Silent Treatment. All the colors are just so gorgeous, and I will most definitely be repurchasing this again and again and again. You honestly have the ability to go straight from day to night with this palette, and really, can you ask for anything more from a drugstore palette!
I hope you enjoyed the swatches and that you will follow my blog! Of course, I'm just starting out, so if you have any suggestions, I would love comments or suggestions!
Thanks everyone and stay gorgeous! :)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Walgreens Sale!

Ladies, just a short blurb to update about something AMAZING happening at Walgreens starting on January 9th.
All Wet n Wild products are 50% off! Yes, this includes the new releases! Hurry and scoop them up before they are gone! I'm heading to my local Walgreens early in the morning! :D
Stay gorgeous!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Look what I found at Walgreens!!

Swatches of "I'm Getting Sunburned" and "Silent Treatment" can be found here.
Hey there lovelies!
Just wanted to give you a quick update on what I found at my local Walgreens when I ventured out today. I was actually completely intent on not buying anything unless I found the new 8 shade palettes. Well, I didn't get lucky there, but boy I love what I did find!
First off, I want to show you the display that I found. I seriously walked past it about 3 times and was actually on my way out of the store when I finally saw it! Be on the lookout for something similar.

As you can see, I was basically the first person there to scoop up these goodies! I almost felt bad taking them from their place.... almost!
Next, a picture of the nail polishes!

Don't these just look fantastic?! I truly believe that there is not a single shade in this entire line that I would not love to have! They all just look so amazing for drugstore shades that I wanted to take them all up to the cash register and buy them all! Unfortunately, I only walked away with 2 shades today, but the rest of these polishes time will come :)
I took really fast pictures of each of the new trios. Sorry for the quality, there was a Walgreens employee giving me the evil eye as I was taking pictures, so I didn't have time to make sure they were all amazing! At least this can give you an idea if you have not seen the trios elsewhere. They all look awesome! Some of them are more colorful than I would ever personally wear, but that's just me, you are entitled to wear whatever you so please!
First up we have "I dream of Genie" and "I'm Feeling Retro"

My camera truly does not do "I Dream of Genie" justice. The colors were much prettier in real life. Because that top shade is definitely not white like it looks here.
Next up "I Got Good Jeans" and "I'm Getting Sunburned"

These colors for the most part look accurate, I just wish there wasn't that darn glare!
And finally we have "Silent Treatment" and "Spoiled Brat"

The crease shade in "Silent Treatment" reminds me a lot of the brown shade in the Sugar Plum Fairy LE palette. Let's hope so, because this was also a Nars dupe, and an absolutely gorgeous shade!
I will update when I get a chance to play with my new goodies and let you know what I thought about them! But until then, you can find out everything I purchased in my short haul video! Enjoy, and until next time, stay gorgeous! :)

Free Iphone Case and CVS Beauty Club info

For those of you that have iphones, or ipod touches, you might be interested in downloading the Sephora app sometime soon! If you download the app, all you have to do is go into any Sephora store and show them the app on your phone/ipod and they will give you a free case! It's actually pretty stylish, it's black and white with of course the little Sephora "S" on the top. Since I do not have an iphone/ipod touch, I don't see myself getting one of these, but if I did have one, I would be all over it! Those cases aren't cheap! And heck, one from Sephora for us beauty lovin' gals? Can't beat it!
You can check out what the app can do and also see the case for yourself if you go here.

Also, another beauty goody that is going on right now. For those of you who shop at CVS at all and have an extra care card (heck, even if you don't have an extra care card) I would suggest signing up for CVS' new program called the ExtraCare Beauty Club. If you sign up online, you can even get them to send you your ExtraCare card, so no extra leg work for you to do! You can find out more about the CVS ExtraCare Beauty club here. It's all pretty basic, once you submit your information, you should receive a coupon in your email for 10% off. I signed up 2 days ago and have yet to receive my email, just know that they are probably pretty bogged down since this is sort of new, so I'm sure they are having server overload and what not. The moral of the story, just be prepared to wait for your coupon, but hey, at least it's 10% off!
You also get $5 extra bucks when you spend $50 on qualifying beauty purchases and $3 extra bucks on your birthday! It's like getting free money, so why not sign up?!
I hope you ladies are having fantastic days and there will be more to come soon!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Clearance Sale Extravaganza!!! (In other words HAUL)

Unless you have been under a rock for the past couple of weeks, I'm sure you have heard about the CVS Clearance Sale going on at CVS right now! And what a sale it is! We are talking about 50%-75% off TONS of beauty products from lines like Physicians Formula to Covergirl. Unfortunately the beauty goddesses have chosen not to grace us with all products being marked down, but the lovely G of nouveaucheap has compiled a list of all the products that her readers have tried and been successful on receiving the discount on. You can find the link to that list (and I will warn you, it's MASSIVE) here.
I personally have visited 2 different CVS locations and had a lot of luck. They had most of the products I wanted, so I was definitely pretty lucky. I will say this though, if you go and you do NOT see the products on this list marked down with a sticker, go to the coupon/price scanner and scan them. Unless for some reason your CVS is not participating in this sale, then you should be good to go and they should ring up at the discounted price!
I have some pictures of my haul. They were taken at 2 different locations, and neither one of them has everything that I purchased in one photo, but both of them together give you a good idea. I am actually packed up to go back to school, which is why neither one of them has all the items. However, I will give you a run down of what I purchased under the photo. Overall I would say I spent about $70 and saved over $200! You read that right, I saved over $200. This sale is no joke people, so get there as quick as you can, because you won't regret it!
You will also see a few products from Victoria's Secret (which I lovingly refer to as Vicky's), Bath and Body Works (thank you semi-annual sale!) and one product from Wal-Mart, which I still can't believe I found there.
Haul Picture #1

In this photo:
*Physicians Formula Organic Wear Loose Powder (I am currently testing this against my Clinique loose powder, and I will update when I have a solid opinion of it)
*HiP Duos (both of these sets have fantastic pigmentation, I am loving them both!)
*Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Raspberry Bite
*Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Mauve
*Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips for Hazel Eyes (I am loving these! I might go back and get another set before the sale ends!)
*Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Afterglow and Firecracker
*Rimmel Lasting Finish in Airy Fairy (Finally got on the bandwagon for this color, and now I can see why everyone likes it)
*Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Blazing Blue, Jumpin' Jade, and Rose a go-go (I got this one in a two pack with the clear coat)
Haul Picture #2

In this picture (only what has been added):
*The socks are from bath and body works, they are infused with Shea Butter and Aloe, and boy are they amazing!
*Exotic Coconut body spray also from bath and body works
*Caribbean Salsa Wallflower
*Revlon Fantasy Length lashes in Defining
*Ardell "Sweetie" Lashes
*Revlon Age Defying Eye Concealer (hey, prevention is key!)
*Physicians Formula Felt Tip Eyeliner
*Victoria's Secret Silky Eyeshadow
*Sally Hansen Carmindy Cream Blush in Rosy
*Victoria's Secret Midnight Glamour in Starlit, this is a highlighting powder, I'm still making my decision on this one, and I will update when I get a more firm opinion
*Victoria's Secret Matte Lipstick in Breathe (really pretty matte lipstick, will review more later)
*Britney Spears Fantasy Perfume (wow, I'm surprised by the fact that I love this!)
*Britney Spears Fantasy Circus Perfume (again, amazed, but it smells awesome!)
*The far right is a massage "tool" that I got from Bath and Body works, I will say though, this thing is pretty low in quality. My boyfriend dropped in on the floor and it broke in half! I tried returning it and bath and body works in my area wouldn't take it, so I would suggest don't even pay the $2 for it and save your money!
The Last Haul Picture

This just to show you the gift set I got the Fantasy Circus in. It was originally $20, but it was 50% off after Christmas! Hit this sale up ladies! :)
And finally, what I couldn't believe I found, Ed Hardy, Love Kills Slowly, in Wal-Mart! Yes! Wal-mart! I still can't believe it. It's not much of a mark down off the 1 oz price, but hey every little bit counts! Normally, I wouldn't even pay this much for perfume, but I love this perfume, and I had a $25 gift card, so you can guess what it went for!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and that you have success in all your makeup hunting adventures!
I will definitely be bringing more reviews and hopefully some tutorials after I get a chance to try out all my lovely new makeup!
Happy shopping! :D