Mmmm, Italian Cooking!

My family came over today because my brother visited from college for Columbus Day Weekend. Let me tell you, this was the best Sunday EVER!

My grandparents decided that they were going to make the food, then bring it over for us to eat here. So when they came, they unloaded trays and trays of food from their trunk! It was seriously the best. My family is 100% Italian, so we had an Italian buffet!

I've never eaten so much in my life. So when it was time for dessert, my aunts and uncles brought pies and cakes and brownies. It was insanity. I honestly think I gained 50 pounds. But all in all, it was a great day!

I'll be posting a few more reviews tonight. I'm taking a quick run to CVS, so maybe I'll buy some more products! I've been looking for brands to expand my collection. So stay tuned!

Leave me a comment telling me how your Sunday went!!

Tumblr

Hey girls! So I just quickly wanted to let you know that I have a Tumblr. I've had it for about a year now, and I'm obsessed! I made my entire theme from scratch, and I'm super proud of it.

I post pictures about what I love, so if you all want to know a little bit more about me, check it out! So click here to go to my Tumblr.

Leave a comment telling me your Tumblr URL or any other website link that you have!

Long Day

Phew, it's been a long day. I'm really happy I found this website, I think it's a great way to connect with other girls and share my insight about beauty! So yay! I'll be updating more frequently, probably daily!

I've been doing a stupid school project all day (if you're following me on Twitter, you'll know how much I hate projects because my tweets have been depressing.) I still am not even CLOSE to finishing, and my family's coming over tomorrow for a dinner! So that means I have to spend my day off doing schoolwork.

This weekend didn't go as planned at ALL. Ugh.

Talk to you dolls tomorrow!

Face Brushes (Sonia Kashuk vs. MAC)

Hey girls! So to follow up on the Eye Brushes, I'm going to be adding a Face Brushes post! So here I'm going to be doing the same thing, just with Face Brushes. I'm going to be comparing my two favorite brands for brushes, MAC and Sonia Kashuk. So stay tuned and read on for some helpful tips!

Essential Brushes

1. Stippling Brush
2. Contour Brush
3. Angled Blush Brush
4. Highlighter Brush

A Stippling Brush is used for stippling foundation onto the skin for a more airbrushed finish. The key is that the bristles need to be stiff in order to hold up to the foundation and prevent streaking. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #130 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Large Duo Fibre Multipurpose Brush. The MAC brush sells for $38 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for #12.99.

A contour brush is used for applying darker powder under the cheekbones to create a contoured effect (it makes the cheekbones stand out and your face look slimmer.) This brush isn't necessary for beginners, but if you're skilled with makeup I would recommend it. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #109 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Large Angled Contour Brush. The MAC brush sells for $32 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for $9.99.

An Angled Blush Brush is used for applying powder blush to the cheeks. It needs to be angles so the blush is easier to blend, and it needs to be soft so it doesn't pick up too much product. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #168 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Blusher Brush, which one the 2007 Best Pick Best of Beauty in October for Allure Magazine (that's why there's a badge.. haha.) The MAC brush is $32 and the Sonia Kashuk brush is $10.99.

A Highlighter Brush can be used for many things. It can be used for light application of foundation, applying a small amount of blush to the cheeks, or for highlighting the top of the cheekbones. The bristles are soft and pick up little product, and it's small enough to not cover the whole face with shimmer. This isn't necessary, but I think it's great to have. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #188 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers, I recommend either the Small or Large Duo Fibre Multipurpose Brush. The MAC brush is $34 and the small Sonia Kashuk brush is $10.99 and the large one is $12.99.

Extra Brushes

1. Powder Puff
2. Beauty Blender Sponge

A Powder Puff can be used instead of a Kabuki Brush. For me, I like using a Powder Puff because I feel like the Kabuki Brush applies too much of the product. So I would go with a cheap Powder Puff, and the ones I use are by NYX.

This Powder Puff ranges anywhere from $3-$5 depending on the size, shape, and quality you get. I mainly use a Kabuki Brush, but it's always good to use Powder Puffs as well. So I would purchase the NYX ones because they're inexpensive.

A Beauty Blender Sponge is an excellent tool to use for applying foundation or any other type of cream product you use on your face because it's shaped like an egg, so you can roll it and the product applies evenly and give you an airbrushed finish. Also, if you apply too much blush you can use the Beauty Blender Sponge to take off the excess or any harsh lines.

The Beauty Blender Sponge is $19.95, and I think the only way to purchase it is online. If they have it in a store near you, then check it out there! I bought mine online though, and I absolutely love it.

I hope this helped you girls out with brushes! Leave me a comment telling me your favorite brand of brushes or any questions. 

Eye Brushes (Sonia Kashuk vs. MAC)

Hey girls! So in this post I'm going to be talking about eye brushes. Two brands that I love are Sonia Kashuk and MAC. I used to only buy MAC brushes, but now I've branched out and realized that there are other inexpensive brands that are almost the same quality! So here I'm going to be showing you the MAC and Sonia Kashuk alternative brushes!


In my opinion, there are four essential eye brushes that every makeup beginner should own:

Essential Brushes

1. Flat Stiff Brush (Flat Shader Brush)
2. Stiff Dome Brush
3. Soft Dome Brush
4. Pencil Brush

A Flat Stiff Brush is used to pack eyeshadow onto your lid. The key element is that it needs to be flat in order to pack the eyeshadow onto your eyelid to get the most use out of. Also it needs to be stiff so the eyeshadow can stick to the bristles. The two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #239 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Large Eyeshadow Brush. The MAC brush sells for $24.50 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for $6.99

A Stiff Dome brush is used for creating the perfect smoky eye, for feathering in darker eyeshadows, and for applying more color to the crease. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #217 brush. For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Large Crease Brush. The MAC Brush sells for $22.50 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for $5.99.

A Soft Dome Brush creates a much softer blended look. It's used for blending shadow under the brow for a nice highlight, applying a softer amount of color in the crease, and even applying powder under the eyes to prevent creasing throughout the day. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyer I recommend the MAC #224 brush. For Sonia Kashuk Buyers I recommend the Pointed Blending Brush. The MAC brush sells for $28 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for $3.99.

A Pencil Brush is used for smudging eyeshadow under the lower lashline, for smudging eyeliner, or for creating a very defined crease. The smaller tip allows for more precise lines. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #219 brush (sorry the picture is all messed up, it was the only good one I saw on Google.) For Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Synthetic Multipurpose Brush. The MAC brush sells for $23 and the Sonia Kashuk brush sells for $5.99.

Extra Brushes

Here are just some extra brushes that I don't think are essential, but they're great to have!

1. Bent Liner Brush
2. Angled Eye Brush

The Bent Liner Brush is used to apply cream or gel eyeliner to your upper lashline. The bent tip makes it easier to apply the eyeliner. MAC doesn't have one, and honestly the best Bent Liner Brush I've used so far is the Sonia Kashuk one:

This brush sells for $5.99 and is one of the best ones I've used. If you use or have used another one, leave me a comment!

An Angled Eye Brush can be used for lots of different things. I mainly use it to apply eyeliner to my upper lashline and to apply eyeshadow to my upper and lower lashline. It's just a great brush that can fit into small places, and it's just a great brush to have. Two brushes I recommend are:

For MAC buyers I recommend the MAC #266 brush and for Sonia Kashuk buyers I recommend the Angled Eyeshadow Brush. The MAC brush sells for $19.50 and the Soniak Kashuk brush sells for $4.99.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helped! Leave me a comment telling me your favorite brand of brushes and your all time favorite brush!

Review: E.L.F. Pigment Eyeshadows

Hey girls! Today I'm going to review three different E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) Pigment Eyeshadows for you!

I actually got these online because at my local Target they don't sell single eyeshadows like these, they only sell the quads which I'll review in another post. So I ordered these off of the E.L.F. website. I have to say that their shipping is extremely fast! I seriously got everything I ordered in two days! So I am definitely impressed with that. The prices I think were either $1 or $2 each, I'm not sure. I had coupons though! Which was great.

I picked up three different colors. The first one (from left to right) is the shade #10224 Naughty Noire, the second shade is #10218 Magical Maroon, and the third shade is #10224 Golden Goddess. Naughty Noire is a pigmented navy blue color, Magical Maroon is a pigmented maroon color, and Golden Goddess is a pigmented gold color. All three of these are really nice!

So I swatched the three eyeshadows. From left to right is Naughty Noire, Magical Maroon, and Golden Goddess. As you can tell, these colors are extremely pigmented! For $1, they're definitely worth it. My favorite shade is Golden Goddess, because I just think it's such a pretty color and it looks great on any skin tone! My second favorite is Naughty Noire, because it's hard to find a really pretty inexpensive blue eyeshadow that compliments your skin tone, and I feel like this one does. Then there's Magical Maroon. For me, I would only where this in the fall or to sporting events, because my school's colors are maroon and grey! Haha, but other than that, I would only where it for fall.

If I had to say one thing I don't like about these products is that they crease. Even after applying an eye primer, they still crease. Also, you can't use too much of the eyeshadow because the pigmentation will be crazy! Haha, especially with Magical Maroon and Naughty Noire, simply because they're darker colors. 

All in all, this product is a good buy. I definitely feel think I'll purchase more colors because it's totally inexpensive and a great addition to your collection to own! I recommend this to beginners who would like to try out pigmented eyeshadow colors. I also recommend this to girls who would like to broaden their collection of makeup. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment telling me your thoughts and some other pigmented eyeshadows to try out!

Review: E.L.F. Liquid Eyeliner

Hey girls! I have another review for you all. I'm going to be reviewing E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) Black Liquid Eyeliner.

I got this Liquid Eyeliner at Target for $1! I ran out of my old one and last minute I needed a new eyeliner, so I just picked this one up. Surprisingly it works out really well for $1!

The applicator on this liquid eyeliner is felt-tipped, which makes the application so much easier on your eyelid. E.L.F. has two types of liquid eyeliners that I'm aware of: the felt-tipped applicator and the pen applicator. I prefer the felt-tipped applicator because it gives you more control. 

In the picture above, you can see what one swatch of this looks like. The felt-tipped brush is a thick, which is the perfect size for me so I only have to use one swipe on my eyelid and I'm good to go! The only bad thing I would have to say is that the brush is short. It's not as long as the other brands of liquid eyeliner, so it makes applying more difficult. Other than that, I would say this is definitely a great product for only $1! Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts and some other liquid eyeliners I should try out!

Review: E.L.F. Beauty Encyclopedia (Smokey Edition)

Hey girls! So here is my first review. I'm going to be reviewing the E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) Beauty Encyclopedia Smokey Edition!

 

Included in the set is 12 eyeshadows, 1 black eyeliner pencil, 1 double-sided eyeshadow applicator, and instructions on achieving the perfect smokey eye!

I purchased this at Target for only $5! But you can find this anywhere that sells E.L.F. products. If you can't find it there, you can go to their website and purchase it there.

I'll first start reviewing the eyeliner pencil and the eyeshadow applicator which aren't inside the pallet! Sorry, they were just terrible for me. The eyeshadow applicator was terrible! It felt rough when it was applied to the eye, it wasn't soft at all. It hardly held any eyeshadow! I didn't expect anything great coming from it, considering the whole pallet was $1. The eyeliner was terrible as well. It showed when I applied it to my eye. I definitely wouldn't recommend using it! If you have another eyeliner pencil, use that one.

Now I'll move on to the eyeshadows. On this pallet, there is both matte and shimmer eyeshadows. There are 9 matte eyeshadows and 3 shimmer eyeshadows. For shimmer eyeshadows there is the silver one at the end of the first row, the black with gold undertones at the beginning of the second row, and the brown with gold undertones at the beginning of the third row. The matte eyeshadows are the rest of the colors.

This is a picture of the first row and some swatches on my hand. (Sorry for the bad picture, lighting was very limited in my room!) If you start from left to right on the pallete, there is a matte white eyeshadow, matte nude eyeshadow, matte baby pink eyeshadow, and shimmery silver eyeshadow. On my hand, the swatches start at the bottom. (So the white eyeshadow is the bottom swatch, the nude eyeshadow is the one above it, etc.) 

All of these eyeshadows work great! Two I would have to comment on are the white one and the nude one. For me, the white one doesn't show up as much as I would like it too. It takes A LOT of the eyeshadow for it to stand out, which takes too long. And for the nude, it doesn't show up on my skin. Hardly. I would only use that for a highlight on my browbone and maybe the tip of my cheeks. Other than that, the baby pink and silver work great! (I recommend the silver with the black, it looks great.)

This is a picture of the second row. If we start from left to right on the pallete, there is a shimmery black with gold undertones eyeshadow, a matte turquoise/light blue eyeshadow, a matte purple eyeshadow, and a matte grey eyeshadow. If we look at the swatches on my hand, they also go from left to right. All in all this row is alright, but I wouldn't use it that much. The two colors I dislike the most are the turquoise and purple eyeshadows. For me, the turquoise is too bright. It's great to wear with a costume, but not great for everyday use. I tried blending it out to make it more appropriate for everyday wear, but it wouldn't work. Also the purple is too light! It doesn't even show on my skin! But other than that, the black with gold undertones and the grey are pretty good.

And lastly, here is the last row! Starting from left to right on the pallete, there is the shimmery brown with gold undertones eyeshadow, the matte navy blue eyeshadow, the matte maroon eyeshadow, and the matte black eyeshadow. The swatches on my hand are the same as the top row, the brown and gold undertones eyeshadow is at the bottom, and the navy blue eyeshadow is on top. The only color I don't like out of this entire row is the brown with gold undertones. For me, the colors just don't look good together. It comes off as a really dark green, and it just looks terrible with my skin tone. So I probably won't ever use that eyeshadow. But for the other ones, they're great! Surprisingly, the black eyeshadow is really nice! It looks amazing with the right colors for a perfect smokey eye.

All in all, the pallette is definitely worth its money. For $5, I didn't expect MAC quality eyeshadows! I would recommend this for beginners wanting to learn how to do a smokey eye, and I would also recommend this for girls that want to branch out their eyeshadow collection. Some of these eyeshadows are great for everyday use. Hope I helped you girls! Leave a comment telling me your thoughts.

WallWisher

I'm not sure if anybody's heard of this... but last year I came across this website called WallWisher! It's so cute! Haha, basically it's just a wall where people leave you little sticky notes. How cute is that? So click here to check out my WallWisher, and don't be shy to leave me a note ;-)

Twitter

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I seriously have a problem with Twitter. It's addicting! Haha, I literally tweet everyday. So make sure to leave a comment with your username so I can follow you!