St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse Review!

 Hey lovelies!!! I have an amazing product to share with you all today! I treated myself to this indulgence after receiving a Sephora gift card for Christmas.

I was feeling particularly drab and ghost-like during these rainy, wintery months and was shocked into action when I saw just how pasty and horrible I looked while trying on bridesmaid dresses for my best friend's wedding.

After some online research I found that St. Tropez is pretty much the Holy Grail of all self tanning products. Though pricey, most people raved that it was well worth the price. So here's my opinion for you all.

  
I LOVE IT! Haha, I guess you could tell from the picture of me kissing the bottle. On first application I knew this product was epic! I bought the mousse formulation after trying it in the store and determining it was the smoothest and easiest application.

The application of this product is extremely simple, easy enough for even the most novice self-tanners (i.e. myself). I will tell you that it is absolutely essential to apply this product with some sort of gloves on your hands. I simply used disposable latex gloves. This product dries EXTREMELY fast, so even though it only take a few minutes to apply this all over your body, by the time you finish, your palms will already be stained. I also suggest finding yourself a helper to apply the product to your back, since it can be very hard to reach in between your shoulder blades.

The product contains an instant bronzer that works as a guide color, meaning, you can see exactly where you have already applied the product. This is a very helpful added bonus to this tanning mousse.

The smell of this product is also quite pleasant. Wait. Did I really just say a self-tanner smelled PLEASANT?! Yes, I did. St. Tropez claims to have an odor-guard to their formula which helps neutralize the smell of the DHA's reaction with your skin, and it totally works! I usually cannot stand to sleep with self-tanner on my skin because the smell is so strong and distracting I can't even sleep but this product's smell didn't even phase me it was so subtle.

The color this product creates is what earns St. Tropez the gold medal in self-tanners. The color is 100% natural looking. There is not a stitch of fake tan orange! St. Tropez recommends using this product up to three days consecutively to build the desired intensity for your base tan, then apply once or twice a week to maintain that color. 
 
I am so in love with this product! Finally I no longer look like a tube of Elmer's glue! Let me know what your guys' favorite self-tanners are!

Here is a swatch of my natural skin tone against my newly bronzed skin after 3 appications!

Photoshoot

This young woman was simply one of the most fun people I have ever worked with. Her personality was AMAZING! She was so bubbly and full of life. Her pictures turned out amazing and I wish her the best of luck in her career!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Review

Before

Before

After

After

So, a few weeks ago I let you guys in on my drugstore mascara wish list and the Rimmel Lash Accelerator was at the very top of the list. This mascara promises to lengthen lashes upon application up to 80% and, with continued use, promises to increase the natural lash length up to 117%.

You can see from the pictures that this mascara does a fantastic job at separating the lashes. The lashes are left looking natural but longer and darker and therefore, more defined. This mascara definitely won't give you uber drama lashes, though. My lashes are pliable and soft with this mascara which I love. I hate the crunchy lash feeling. 

I have been using this mascara everyday for 3 weeks and I can't say that I honestly look in the mirror and see this extraordinary growth in my lashes but I will say that I have noticed less lashes falling out when I remove my makeup. I also noticed that my lashes aren't breaking in half, which they often do every few months in certain spots. I think these results are due to the conditioning ingredients found in this product.

Overall, this is a good mascara. Very long-lasting. It doesn't flake or run and give you raccoon eyes. I have been reaching for this mascara over all my other ones the last 3 weeks and have to say it has become a favorite.

Update on Life

Wow, I have missed all of my subscribers and blog followers so much! Seriously, it has been way to long that I took the time to upload a video or make a blog post. I admit to letting the stress in my life get away with keeping me from engaging in anything fun that demands my time.

Today, after uploading a couple videos and reading your guys' comments, I just felt so uplifted. Truly I feel so purposeful when I get videos out there and I get to communicate with you all. I have several ideas for upcoming videos including more hair care tips, tutorials, and hauls.

I hope all of you are enjoying this holiday season and I wish you all a Merry Christmas! This time of year is a time for happiness and celebration and thankfulness for what you have. I am trying to remember this to keep myself from worrying about the future too much. Anyways, keep a look out for some upcoming posts. I will be getting them up soon.

And for those who don't know, I now have a twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/beeyourself7 so follow me for daily updates and to ask me any questions.

Drugstore Mascaras I'm Dying to Try

My number 1 most wanted drugstore mascara at the moment is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I have seen some great reviews on this product and I am itching to buy this one as soon as I can. It claims to make lashes instantly look 80% longer and, with continued use, improve the natural lash length 117%.

My second most wanted is the Maybelline Full N' Soft which claims to make your lashes look naturally full and voluptuous while still maintaining their soft, natural feel. No crunchy lashes here. I have seen this on many peoples' top drugstore mascara lists so its a must try for me.

The L'oreal Telescopic is another one that I have heard a lot of hype about. I adore L'oreal Voluminous Original and L'oreal Voluminous Million Lash so I have high hopes for this guy.

I don't know what it is about this mascara but everytime I see it in stores it's like I am a moth drawn to the light. The packaging just catches my attention and I always want to pick it up and give it a try. A name like "Falsies" kinda appeals to me as well.

Ear Stretching

Hey loves! I hope all of you are doing fantastic. I am really eager to get writing on this topic because I feel like I have a lot to say about it. If you aren't familiar with the term "ear stretching" you may be more familiar with "ear gauging." The proper way to say it is stretching but I know where I come from it is more often referred to as "gauging."

The reason I am writing about this topic is because, for me, this body modification has a lot more meaning and symbolism behind it then I think other people realize and I feel the need to rant about it. Those of you reading this who know me personally, know that I am a pretty "girly" girl. I am very conservative, polite, modest, etc. I am also very outspoken and strong-willed. And you also know that I have had a share of piercings before, my latest retired piercing being my Monroe Piercing.

I personally am not into sporting multiple piercings at once. I think it is overwhelming and it doesn't convey the message I am trying to put out there. So when I got my Monroe, I took out my nose ring, and when I took out my Monroe, I got my tragus pierced (that's an ear piercing). I adore having at least one "unique" piercing that stands out on my otherwise conservative body. I feel like it is a symbol of that little bit of rebellion and strength that only those who know me well know I possess.

I love anything unconventional because to me it is a message of acceptance. When I have a unique piercing I feel like I am making a statement that you don't have to be a "bad kid" to have piercings and tattoos. Hard-asses aren't the only ones who can rock stretched ears and inked bodies. A lot of times those people who look the most put together and clean cut can be way more shady then that tatted up guy with the septum ring at Hot Topic. It is nobodies place to judge someone by the way they look.

And to those who think Body Modifications such as tattoos and piercings are disrespectful to our bodies, I have a rebuttal for that too. My tattoo was done out of the utmost respect and celebration for my body. I made the decision to get a beautiful hibiscus flower on my body as a symbol of all things I deem beautiful in my life. Tattoos and piercings are an enhancement to your body that you have complete control of. Nobody but you can make the decision to get your body pierced or tattooed. To me this is a sign of empowerment because it gives you a sense of control over your body.

So why do some people feel the need to look negatively at body modification art? For some reason in our culture it has become taboo because of the times when tattoos and piercings were more limited to gang members and crime. Thankfully I do feel like my generation and the generations after me are becoming much more accepting of these forms of expression. We need to remember that these body modifications have been around long before gang members were wearing them, so why do they need to be looked at negatively? Saying all people with tattoos and piercings are "troubled" or gang members is like saying all Italians are a part of the mob.

I just wanted to share with you all my reasons for loving body modification and hopefully I gave you a different perspective on the art and symbolism behind it. Right now I am expressing myself through my tragus piercing and the process of stretching out my ears. And those who haven't learned their lesson yet, don't jump to conclusions. I am not seeking a dime-sized hole in my ear. I am after a 6g which is a very small gauge size that still allows you to escape the traditional earring style. The plugs for stretched ears can be more beautiful, feminine, and ornate than those dangly earrings everyone else wears and that I find EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

These are some of the most beautiful plugs I have found and ones I will definitely be purchasing when I reach my goal size. Yes, my goal size is that super tiny one lying down that you can barely make out. See? Don't freak out! 

 I also love these ones. They are so gorgeous they look like water!

 I'm a big fan of the organic materials like these wooden plugs. Very hippy chic.

 These plugs are all from bodyartforms.com which is an AMAZING site for any body jewelry you want!

My tragus and 14g ear piercing. :)

It's Been Too Long + Update on my Assisting Job

Hey guys, I am so sorry to those who follow me and enjoy reading my blog. I know that I haven't been posting as frequently. First of all, I have been a little overwhelmed by my new job. I was just starting to get into the swing of things there and I was starting to feel confident enough in what I was doing that I wasn't getting nervous "butterflies" every time I left for work but the last couple weeks I feel like I have gone backwards.

The people at my work are all extremely nice people and the last thing I ever want to do is let them down. It truly eats me up inside when I let anybody down. Unfortunately it has been made clear to me that I am struggling to keep up at the salon. Apparently, I am not quite quick enough in applying the color nor am I thorough enough. Now, anyone who knows me and how I work knows that I am quite a perfectionist, and I never submit to doing sloppy work, so the fact that I am not being "thorough" enough came as a shock even to me. I hate to be "that" assistant that nobody wants to work with because she sets the schedule behind. Now nobody has told me that I am "that" assistant but I sure do feel like it.

It truly has been hard on my self-esteem to go from being one of the more recognized students at my cosmetology school to being the slowest assistant. I get down on myself sometimes but I do realize that I can only do what I can. I try my hardest and if I can't keep up then it wasn't meant to work out. I know that I am not a slacker when it comes to work so I just have to take comfort in the fact that I am doing all I can. I am going out later to grab a color applicator bottle like the ones used at work and I am going to practice applying conditioner to a mannequin head to get my time better.

Anyways, that is just a little update and why I have been blog M.I.A. Please lend me any encouraging stories you may have had with jobs in the past where you felt similar to what I am dealing with. It helps me to keep positive that I will overcome this little bump in the road. Thank you guys and take care! <3

Revlon Age Defying Concealer Update

HATE IT!

Umm, yeah, after using this product off and on for a few weeks now I finally confirmed today how much I dislike this product. I came to the conclusion when, after wearing the concealer for less than 5 hours, I looked in the mirror and noticed clumped up chunks of product all over my under-eye area. The product wears terribly and slides around to form little clumped lines of product.

I wasn't impressed by this product at first application either. I don't know if it is just my skin tones' reaction with the color I chose or what, but I noticed right away how yellow this concealer is. And for me, my bluish under eye circles + yellow concealer = green under-eyes which means I look like a zombie.

The product also claims to be as hydrating as an eye cream which it most definitely is not! It is very thick, sticky, and hard to blend. I will say it is a very opaque concealer though.

I definitely do not recommend this product and give it a .5/5 stars. Yeah, it's that bad. At least on my skin. Everyone is different which is why there are so many products to choose from. Let me know if any of you have tried this and what you think of it!

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lash and Revlon Age Defying Concealer Review

Before Million Lash Mascara and Revlon Concealer

 After

As you guys can undoubtedly tell from the pictures that speak much louder than words, these two products are pretty damn good! I was blown away as soon as I began applying the Million Lash Mascara! It was instant love, I am telling you!  This product did exactly what it claimed. It defined my lashes, truly making it look like I had a million of them, while volumizing them to the max. It was a smooth, easy application and one coat was all I needed to make my lashes look fabulous. One thing I loved was that my lashes felt soft and pliable to the touch, not hard and crunchy. I also feel the need to mention the scent of the product. I noticed in a lot of other reviews, girls complained about the scent like it was the most horrific thing in the world. Those girls need to calm themselves down because the scent is nothing obscene whatsoever. It smells better then straight up chemicals which normal mascaras smell like. And you can't even smell it unless you stick your nose to the bottle and who does that? Overall I love, love, love this product. It is definitely my HG (Holy Grail) drugstore mascara!

Now for the Revlon Age Defying Concealer. Again, a wonderful drugstore product that performs and feels like a high end product. As you can see from the pictures, this product worked wonders on my dark circles. With this product you need the tiniest amount and the product is super opaque. The product was also very moisturizing on my eye area which I loved. I will definitely recommend this to you guys if you are looking for a good under-eye concealer.

Hauling!

Hey loves! I have been being bad and spending my money lately! I bought a couple new makeup products last weekend and it is kind of like once I start, I can't stop. I am so addicted to trying and reviewing new products!

Okay, so product number one is the newly launched L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara. You better believe I will be reviewing this in a later blog post! I have been on a mascara frenzy lately, I bought myself the new Diorshow last weekend and I am liking it so far but not fully sold on it. I have the hardest time finding a mascara that volumizes without clumping! Am I asking for the moon here? Well, the Million Lash promises no clumping so it enticed me into trying it out. I will be letting you all know what I think of it.

Next product is the Age Defying Concealer by Revlon. Concealers are always a must for me because I have dark under eye circles that need to be covered up everyday to keep me looking fresh and alive. What drew me in about this concealer was that is promises to be moisturizing like an eye cream while providing coverage.

The final product is one that I actually can say I sort of "needed." I haven't been using bronzer for months and months now but because the weather is getting more and more grey, I was feeling like I needed something to give my skin a healthy glow throughout the cloudy fall/winter months. Nars is a company that I already hold in high regards. Their Orgasm blush is a product I wear every single day and I have had it for nearly a year and have not yet hit pan. These products may be expensive, but they last! I had the associate at Sephora try the Laguna bronzer on me because I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be too dark and it wasn't. The color was GORGEOUS on my fair skin and gave me the warmest, healthiest looking sun-kissed glow!

Tomorrow I will post reviews and pictures of these products on me so keep a look out for that. Love y'all!

Rachel Bilson Think Pink Makeup

As soon as I saw this picture of Rachel Bilson I had to copy it! The look was originally done my makeup artist and blogger Troy Jensen. I love his blog and his work by the way! I know my camera quality sucks so I'm sorry you can't see the makeup as well. I am working on getting a better camera option but for now this is all I have.

Products Used:

Coastal Scents original 88 palet

Nars Orgasm Blush

Fresh Supernova Mascara

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

MAC Mineralized Skin finish in Medium

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Review

If you haven't heard of this product already, then you are missing out on the holy grail of all tinted moisturizers and it is about time you read a review on it. After receiving a sample of this TM from my local Laura Mercier counter and using it for a couple weeks, I was hooked and head over heels in love! 

It took me some convincing to purchase this product, at 42$ it is not something to pick up on a whim, but as soon as I tried the sample I knew I would be back to buy the full size. My shade is in Nude and there is quite a selection of shades to choose from so I am sure everybody could be matched to their perfect color.

The texture of this product was a bit different then other TMs I have tried, and at first touch I was skeptical of how easily this product would be applied. The product, being water based instead of oil based, is quite a bit thicker and stickier feeling than I expected. When it is in your fingers you just can't imagine it going onto your skin so smoothly. I prefer to apply TMs with my fingers because its quicker and, especially for this particular TM, the heat from your fingertips really helps to melt the product right into your skin.

Despite the fact that the product feels thick in your fingers, it applies fairly well. The application isn't as smooth and simple as smearing a moisturizer onto your face. It does require a bit more massaging with your fingers to spread the product around but the product itself blends into your skin so seamlessly it's amazing! You get a truly, flawless natural look.

The moisturizing capability of this product was also a huge deal for me. I was concerned the oil free would not provide enough moisture for my combination/dry skin and like I have said before, I enjoy TMs specifically because they are supposed to be a 2 in 1 product. I do not want to have to apply moisturizer under a TM. The consistency of the product in my fingers, again, concerned me. I urge you to try the product on your face before judging it because this product was surprisingly very moisturizing. After applying this product on my freshly rinsed face, my skin had no tightness to it and it felt refreshed and hydrated.


The other factor to this TM that amazed me was the level of coverage it gave. The coverage is what I would call light/medium. It is super light by nature but this TM is very buildable. Wherever I have some problem areas i.e. redness or dark circles, I apply a bit more product and the coverage definitely amps up. This TM has the most coverage of any other tinted moisturizer I have found without it feeling heavy like a foundation.


The staying power of this TM is also outstanding. I have no need to apply a primer or a setting powder with this tinted moisturizer and I swear it lasts all day on my skin. I love this because it definitely saves me time in the mornings not having to take those extra steps.


This product is definitely a holy grail item and I give it a 10 out of 10!

M.A.C.'s Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

So yesterday I posted that I bought MAC's Haute and Naughty Lash mascara and I tried it out this morning. If you don't already know the mascara claims to be two mascaras in one: a daytime, natural mascara, and a dramatic, voluminous mascara. If you unscrew the pink wand, that is the "natural looking" mascara and if you unscrew the purple wand, that is the "dramatic" mascara. I thought I would post some pictures of my lases with the pink wand and then pictures of my lashes with the purple wand so you can see how valid this claim is.

Pink Wand

Pink Wand

Purple Wand

Purple Wand

The verdict? An awesome mascara that definitely does what it claims! I definitely recommend this product! Both applications were beautiful!

EEP! I Spent all my Tip Money at M.A.C

So I was totally bad today and spent the money I made in tips yesterday on some new M.A.C products. I don't know what it is about M.A.C but I feel like it is so fun to purchase products from their line. I feel like their makeup line is really geared toward collecting which I think is so fun since I am such a fan of makeup. Anyways, I don't own a lot of M.A.C products but I have been needing a new concealer for quite some time and after reading many reviews I decided to go with the Studio Finish SPF 35 concealer (pictured left).

Thankfully I seem to have mostly outgrown my acne so I rarely need concealer for blemishes but I do need it for the unfortunate dark circles I was born with under my eyes. I chose my concealer in NW20 because A) I'm super pale and B) the pinkish tinge to the concealer will help cancel out the blueish circles. The SPF 35 is an added bonus (gotta prevent those wrinkles).

I went into M.A.C not expecting to purchase anything other than concealer but then on a whim I went ahead and got the Haute & Naughty Lash mascara. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this mascara and I just felt this urge to buy it and try it out. Mascara is probably my favorite makeup product. I am IN LOVE with my Fresh Supernova mascara so I am hoping that I will not regret buying this M.A.C mascara.

I will definitely be letting you all know how the products work for me so keep reading. <3<3<3

Fall 2010 Oxford Shoe Trend

So the new two "it" shoes of the season consist of the uber clunky, Frankestein-esque boot, which you can tell I am not so fond of, and the vintage chic with a little edge, Oxford shoe, that I have pictured above. Of the two I am sure you can tell which trend I will be following.

I totally fell in love with the Oxford style shoe. I love anything vintage looking and while the oxford is a typically masculine shoe I found that there is still a sort of delicateness that is flattering to my feet, which the Frankenstein boot didn't give me. :P

So this is the pair of Oxfords that I chose to order from Bass Shoes. I cannot wait to receive them in the mail and I will be sure to post pics when I get them!

New Fall Scent Obsession (Dark Kiss)

Hello, honeys! I just wanted to share with you all a product that I bought today and have instantly fallen in love with. It is the new signature set collection that Bath and Body Works released and oh-my-god it is DELICIOUS smelling! I cannot tell you guys, I walked into the store and they had the candle burning and I seriously thought I died and went to olfactory heaven!


The scent is much more mature and sexy then the scents I usually wear which are often fruity, youthful, and girly. I think this scent is the epitome of fall because it is so rich! I'm really terrible at describing scents which is why I included the banner from the Bath and Body Works site which explains the notes found in the scent (click on banner for larger picture).


So I ended up purchasing the body mist and the triple moisture cream lotion. The body mist has already been sprayed on myself like 3 different times since I bought it, including as soon as I got out of the shower. I am definitely making this my new signature scent!