My Rank of Four Famous Eyeshadow Palettes: Urban Decay and Lorac

So most of you are probably tired of hearing about the cult classics: Urban Decay and Lorac's eyeshadow palettes. However, i still haven't seen anyone have the huevos to rank them. Clearly they are all versatile, beautiful, well-priced and have good formulation. But based on skin tone and everyday use some palettes are simply better than others. If you are a beginner with makeup, or don't want to spend a fortune buying all of these, here is my rank of four of the most versatile and useful palettes EVER!

1. The Lorac Pro Palette: What I love about this palette is that all of their colors warm up and bring out my eye color, instead of washing it out. They match my skin tone and their creamy, velvety formulation blends beautifully.
The top range of colors are all matte, which are very creamy,whilst the bottom range are gorgeous shimmers.
I have heard judy from it's judy time also say that Lorac suits her skin complexion more than Urban decay, so if you are olive toned or darker then this palette is for you. You get everything from mattes to shimmers, pops of colors to nudes and dark colors for a smokey eye.

Some have complained that the colors are flakey or powdery, that is true, they are flakey in the palette but do not fall out on the face.

This is my Number one for Sure!

2. The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette: I know right? Why the Naked Basics? I'm not really into loud colors, I love a neutral daily look and a smokey eye and this palette has exactly the right colors for those two things.

 It's perfect for travel, very inexpensive and the browns are more of a taupy brown(greyish) which makes my eyes stand out sooooo much when i do a Smokey eye. See my struggle, since I have brown eyes is to do a classic brown smokey eye without washing my eyes out. This means I either need browns with reddish pigment, to warm them up, or with greyish pigment, to make them pop....never a true brown. 

This Palette is FANTASTIC for beginners and more mature women who are looking for something easy and basic for their everyday needs.

The formulation is a bit chalky, but this actually works to your advantage and makes them easier to blend on the lid, I haven't had problems with fallout so far.

3. The Naked 2 Palette: A have a special affection for this palette as its my very first one. I love all the cool toned metallics and pinks, they really give you that frosty look, without being cheesy. It comes with a two sided brush which I have used so much and some really great everyday neutrals including tease, which is the most beautiful greyish-lavender, that is one of my all time favorite crease colors. I love this Palette!

4. And finally, the Naked Palette. I know, i know, this Palette is everyone's favorite, but it ranks last in my list. It is still a great palette and has a lot of nice smokey colors as well as neautral shades, but it doesn't have a black and the browns wash out my eyes.

I do,however, LOVE the colorse gunmetal(although hard to work with) Sin and Naked.

Toodles!!

Mac's Paint Pot vs. Pixi Eye Bright Kit

For many, Mac's paint pot is considered an unbeatable miracle tool when it comes to primers. I won't deny that I love it and that I am hard to please when it comes to primers. I was never into any of the urban decay, benefit, or too faced ones. 

However, before I bought my paint pot, in painterly(of course) I used some random eye bright kit by pixi that it seems noone knows about. I have to say that this product is completely underrated and that it almost made me regret buying paint pot, feeling that it was waaaaay too hyped up.

Here are the pros and cons for each:

Pixi Eye Bright Kit in No. 2 Medium/ Tanned

1. WAAAAAAAY Cheaper(you can buy it at Target or online)

2. You get four shades, including a shimmer and different tones depending on your complexion or the eyeshadow that you are wearing that day.

3. Nice soft glide when applying,without being too oily.

4. Doesn't crease

5. Has a stickier finish, so your eyeshadow will definitely stay put.

6. Contains more white pigment, which you may or may not like, I love it as it does BRIGHTEN up my eyes way more

7. Has a natural translucent finish

8. Is light on the eye, doesn't feel like makeup

9. Lasts foreeeever(i've had my first one for 2 years!)

Cons:

1. only sold in america

2. isn't as opaque

Swatch for Pixi's Eye Bright Kit in No.2 Medium/Tanned

Swatch For Mac's Paint pot in Painterly

Mac's paint Pot in Painterly

Pros

1. Opaque Finish

2. Beautiful natural shade(less white pigment)

3. easy, oily application

4. Nice matte finish

Cons:

1. Expensive

2. Oily application is uneven and makes for uneven eyeshadow

3. Opaque finish, not natural looking for days you want to use it on its own as an eyeshadow.

4.Only one color

5. no shimmer

6. Isn't as sticky

                                                 And the Winner is: Pixi's Eye Bright Kit!!!!!

                                            Mac's Paint Pot                              Pixi's Eye Bright Kit

A Quick tip on Shampoo and Conditioning Hair

If your trying to grow your hair out or if it's dry and coarse(like mine) then shampoo and conditioning should be avoided at all costs. Instead you should opt for co-washing, or using a conditioner to cleanse your hair. However once every few weeks you should use a shampoo and conditioner to remove build up and bring back that shine!

Here are some quick tips on Shampoo and Conditioning.

1. Pre-condition your hair with olive oil, coconut oil, leave in conditioner, argan oil or any type of Grease! This will protect it from the drying lather of a shampoo.

2. ALWAYS opt for a sulfate free shampoo. Washing your hair with sulfates is like washing your hair with dishwashing soap, it strips your hair from its natural oils and breaks down the Keratin bonds in your hair, leaving it dry and damaged.  Here is a sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner combo that is an absolute favorite in the beauty world and I personally love it too!

3.  When Shampooing, focus on your scalp and when conditioning, focus on your ends.

Enjoy your New Years!!!

Parrot Zik Wireless Headphones Review

These headphones were by far my Favorite Christmas present!

Here are the Pros and Cons.

Pros: Sound is beautiful and crisp, perfect for good techno or any high wav file music

Headphones come with an App that you can use to customize the sound and equalize it however you want to. There are some preset templates for vocal, club, pop and other types of music.

The right side of your headphone is a touch pad that you can use to pause, skip to the next song, raise and lower the volume and answer the phone if you're hooked up to your iphone.

They are WIRELESS so no more clutsy moments with your headphone wire.

Different levels of surround sound going up to 180 degrees really make you feel like you're in a club or concert.

They pause when you remove them

Headphones are made of cushiony, comfy patented leather

Although high tech, you don't have to be a tech geek to figure this gadget out


Cons:
They're made of metal so can be heavy on your head and can give you a headache

The touchpad on the right headphone goes bizurk if you happen to be laying on your right side

You can't stretch or retract them

Be careful, they're very powerful, the first day I got these I went a little crazy and my ears were ringing the next day.

They are rechargeable but the battery life was not as long as I had hoped(about a day and a half)

Overall these headphones definitely have more pros than cons. The cons that really stand out are the weight and the touch pad not being lockable. The pros that stand out are the Sound(they'll take your music to the next level as far as quality) and the fact that they're wireless, you have no idea how much better it is not to have to wrestle, trip up, untangle or leave an opening in your purse for your headphone wires, until you go wireless!

These are definitely worth it for me, but then again they were a gift.


                                               

Top 3 Non-LuxeryPerfumes

I was always skeptical when it came to lower end perfumes and celebrity scents. I pictured them smelling like those uni-shaped multi-colored bottled perfume collections that you find at the counter of your local pharmacy, the ones that always smell like a combination of deoderent and grandma perfume.

However, I was all wrong. Now I know that you don't have to pay a fortune to smell like luxery. Celebrities and  clothing brands such as playboy and Nike have worked very hard to create scents that are worth the purchase. I think it's because people already have the belief that celebrity scents are just gimicky ways to promote themselves, so many stars have worked extra hard to break through that notion.

Their hard work has paid off, and I'm grateful for it. Apart from my eternal signature scent(Insolence by Guerlain), I now ONLY buy a couple of lower-end scents to complement an even mix with my signature so as to create an unforgettable aura!

Here are my top three Lower-end Scents

1. Play it Rock by Playboy. I do not endorse the bunny ears, because of their cheap hoe-bag connotation, so naturally I assumed their scents would be just the same. WRONG! This scent is amazing, fresh, powerful and unique. It is a summer and winter scent. I'm not going to read you the undertones and overtones, because that stuff never makes sense. It smells like vanilla warmth and orange soda with a touch of lipstick(yes, lipstick has a scent!). It is 100% mixable with Guerlain's Insolence and even amps up the scent. The vanilla warmth makes it cozy and wintery, but the orange pop makes it perfect for a summer's eve. It smells even better as you sweat it out throughout the day. And the deodorant that comes with it in some box sets is to die for, it's even better than the perfume itself. It retails in supermarkets and department stores for about 14 euros and the box set which either come with pretty good headphones or the delicious deodorant is only around 24 euro. So worth it!

2. S by Shakira. This is a beautiful scent, that just like Play it Rock, I have re-purchased several times. It smells like warm vanilla and feminine luxury. It's a summer scent which reminds me of warm tanned skin, baked bronzers and golden lip gloss. It is mixable with Dior Addict and amplifies it's vanilla undertone. The scent retails for 14 euros and comes with a cute golden bracelet.

3. Taylor by Taylor Swift. This scent is very hard to describe, however what I can say about it is that it definitely took me by surprise! I expected Taylor, being an all-american beauty, to make a scent reminiscent of Tommy Girl or something florally like Estée Lauder Pleasures. However she created a scent that is mysterious, memorable and also quite powerful. The scent opens with a summery, tangy fruitiness and is said to have notes such as lychee, tangerine and apricot, which it definitely does. However after you spray it, it pulls you back in with musk, vanilla and sandalwood, with a little bit of florally orchid. So the feel of the scent is tangy fruit and woody memorabilia. It is definitely unique and worth a try. The scent retails for 20$/15 euro.

      

Benefits Porefessional vs. Cliniques Pore Refining Solution Correcting Serum

So, everyone and their mother raves and raves and raves about the benefit pore-fessional as a pore minimizing serum that you apply under your makeup. Just to clarify, if you have combination or oily skin, like myself, and don't use a pore-minimizing serum under your foundation you will find yourself with blotchy, oily, pore-spotted skin halfway through the day.

Back to my point, people love professional and act like it is the end all be all to pore minimizers, which is why, I of course am here to squash the hype.

I recently got a sample size of both Benefits Porefessional and Cliniques Pore Refining Solution and only went back to buy the full size of one. Can you guess which one?

Let's compare both products:

1. Benefit's Porefessional is described as a pro balm which minimizes the appearance of pores. It retails for 30$/30euros ( no that is not a conversion error, we are obviously getting ripped off out here in europe). The formulation glides on silky smooth and appears to leave your skin fairly matte.

2. Cliniques Pore Refining Solution Correcting Serum is the real deal. It promises to help skin bring healthier cells to the surface for a tighter, smoother, younger look and minimize 58% of the appearance of pores within two weeks of use(twice a day). So rather than a balm this is an actual correcting serum, but hey, they're all just goop in a jar with different promises. For a steeper price of 50$/46 euros, this serum glides on beautifully, gives skin a silky balmy touch, keeps makeup put and highly reduces pores and oil from showing through your foundation.

Now I decided to test both out, I applied Clinique's serum to the Left side of my face and Benefit's Porefessional to the Right

And the Results......Drum Roll Please!

                                                 Clinique                          Benefit

                                

So as you can see, although I am wearing a highlighter on both sides and the lighting is slightly different on each side, the benefit side is mega shiny and feels a lot greasier whereas the Clinique side feels matte without looking dry.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions(correcting serum) WINS!!!!

                          

Glitter:Fun Holiday Kit from Sephora

The Holiday Seasons are all about friends, family and of course Glitter!!!
From obnoxiously sequined sweaters to confetti, to straight up sticking the stuff on your face, wearing glitter during the Christmas and New Years is as Politically correct as is dressing like a hoe-bag on Halloween.
You have to do it, because as inappropriate as it may be all year round, the fact of the matter is, it looks damn good!
Ofcourse living across the pond means that we are limited to most makeup launches, and this year that meant that the incredible urban decay launch of glitter liners did not happen yet out here in Spain. So like every good survivor abroad I had to improvise.
Luckily, sephora launched an awesome and inexpensive three piece kit, which includes a silver glitter liner, a volumizing mascara and kohl pencil.

Here's how I worked with it

I like to put the glitter under my eyes for a smokey eye, it makes me look more awake and tones down the heaviness of the dark eyeshadow.

I found the mascara to have an incredibly good brush. It's a rubber brush with both short and longer bristles, however the formulation is wet, which when used alone made my lashes clump however when used with other mascaras or a lash primer, gave me incredibly voluminous lashes.

The kohl pencil however was not my favorite. Although extremely black and beautiful it did irritate my sensitive eyes. if you do not have sensitive eyes, you are in luck, the pencil has a beautiful dark black shade and does not smudge.

The three piece kit can be found at all Sephora stores and department stores which carry Sephora or amazon.com for as low as only 22$/ 16 euros.

Happy Holidays!!!