FOTD: Rediscovered Products

I was totally inspired to use some old pink finds when I saw Emily Noel's Gloss Daily post on great summer eyeshadows. None of the shadows I've used are ones she mentioned, but it was nice to shop my stack for some great spring shades. Some of the things I've used are discontinued, but hopefully this will inspire you to shop your stash and rediscover some amazing products. 

Face

Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream (in Light/Medium), Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation (in 805 Ivory), Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer (in Light), Wet-n-Wild Blush (in 833E Mellow Wine), and Revlon Mineral Finishing Powder (in Brighten).

L to R: Revlon Mineral Finishing Powder and Wet-n-Wild Blush in Mellow Mauve.

 
Eyes

Loreal Single Eyeshadow (in 805 Morning Light), Clinique Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo (in 104 Strawberry Fudge), Revlon Colorstay Quad (in 06 In the Buff), Wet-n-Wild Mega Liner (in 868 Dark Brown), Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, and Maybelline Brow Pencil (in Blonde)

Lips

Loreal Color Juice Sheer Juicy Lipgloss (in 500 Watermelon Crush)

 About the Look

 Because I used pinks on the eyes, lips and as a highlight, I wanted to keep the skin flawless and natural. I typically don't use Wet-n-Wild blush in Mellow Wine in the Spring/Summer because I love my bright pinks during those months, but because this was already a pretty pink look, I decided to warm up the skin using a deeper mauve color. I know the blush color isn't showing up well in the picture, but it sure packs a punch in real life. For eyes, I used Morning Light on the inner part of my lid and then sweeped the pink shade in the Strawberry Fudge duo over the rest of my lid and blended a little of the pink into the golden champagne shade I laid down first. I used the top shade in the In the Buff quad as a highlight and then used the third shade in the quad to blend the colors and add a little contour to my crease. I didn't smudge any shade under my eye because I liked the easiness of leaving it bare. I then used a dark brown eye liner to add definition, but still keep the look soft. Lastly, I added two coats of mascara.  

NOTD: ColorMates Nail Polish in Little Blue Box

A few days ago, I hauled some nail polish and a lip gloss I picked up at Fred's Dollar Store. This is my favorite of the bunch! In my original post, I described it as a mint green, but the more I look at it, it's definitely a seafoam green!

Artificial Lighting. 

Two Coats.

Natural Lighting.

Two Coats.

Fred's Haul and Bargain Alert!

Whenever I got out of class earlier today, I decided to go to one of the three tiny strip mall type areas in Troy. As I was leaving, I decided to walk around in Fred's just to kill a bit more time. Of course, I pranced my happy self over to the beauty section and found some amazing finds! There was a nail polish rack with ColorMates nail polish for a dollar with some great shades! I also spotted a makeup brand that I didn't recognized either called Ion Cosmetics. I must admit, I know nothing about these brands, but for everything I purchased being a buck, I couldn't pass up such a sweet deal! My total (including tax) was $4.36! 

ColorMates Nail Polish

L to R: Colormates Nail polish in Butter Me Up, Bahamian Blue, and Little Blue Book.

All have three coats and no top coat. 

Butter Me Up: This was the only one that came out patchy. The color is pretty, but I think next time I'll try using white as a base coat. Oh, and it isn't a creme finish and I don't see any microglitter in the polish, but there is a nice sheen with this one. 

Bahamian Blue: What a fun color for spring! This is a creme finish and it came out a bit darker than how it looks in the bottle, but it's still very pretty! This is is opaque in two coats, but I dd three so they would all be the same.

Little Blue Box: Okay, I have no idea why ColorMates decided to name this one Little Blue Box...it's clearly a minty-green... with a creme finish! With that being said, it's still just as gorgeous! This one was opaque in two coats, but as I mentioned before, I wanted them to all be the same. 

Ion Cosmetics Lipgloss

 The shade I picked up is called Dolly.

I just got back from class and shopping and my makeup is a bit worn off...#NoJudging!

Dolly: What a great everyday pinky-neutral. This is very creamy and feels nice on the lips. I love that it isn't goopy and sticky so I don't get the god-awful mummy lips...you know the ones!

Overall Thoughts: I will be buying a back up of the Bahamian Blue and Little Blue Box nail polishes! Talk about pretty colors with great color pay off! I also will be buying a back up of the lipgloss in Dolly and I am thinking about trying more shades! 

What are some of your great bargain finds?! (:

Review: Bogue Systems Ultra Sonic Jewelry Cleaner with Blitz Jewelry and Gem Cleaner

I'm. In. Love!

Last weekend I order an ultra sonic cleaner to keep my e-ring nice and sparkly and I wanted something to really give my mom's old ring a good cleaning. I bought the UltraSonic Cleaner by Bogue Systems (with Blitz Gem and Jewelry cleaner) from Amazon for $35.97 (shipping and handling was $4.98) after reading some great reviews about it!

Back story of the ring I cleaned...
Before my parents got married, my dad gave her an emerald ring (her birthstone). After she passed away my sister said I could have the ring if she could get mom's Bible. Deal! Even though the ring is a bit old-fashioned with it's totally-80s vibe, it's hands down one of my most favorite pieces of jewelry and is so special to me! After they divorced when I was in 1st grade (I'm 24 now) she quit wearing the ring. Over the years (many, many years) it's collected dust and icky things! I never took it to get professionally cleaned before I'm a freak and am convinced that someone would pull a switch-a-roo and swap out the stone for some knock-off. I know, it's a ridiculous thought, but whatever.

About the ultra sonic cleaner...

• The instructions say it cleans in 3 minutes...it's actually 2 min. and 50 sec.!
• The machine does make a noise while it's cleaning. It isn't very loud and it wasn't annoying to me. Ross (who uses Ultra Sonic cleaners for work all the time) said that the sound is normal because it's the motor running.
•  This particular machine only has an on/off switch. You'll hit "on" to start the machine and it will automatically run for the allotted time. 

About the Blitz Gem and Jewelry Cleaner (Concentrate)

• The directions say to only use this cleaner for gold, platinum, diamond, ruby, topaz, sapphire  amethyst, aquamarine, garnet, peridot, and other non-porous gem jewelry. 
• According to the instructions, shake well. Use 1 oz. of concentrate to 5 oz. of water to dilute. Do not use unless it's diluted! 
• Note: Blitz makes a Delicate Gem and Pearl Cleaner. 

 The Cleaning Process. (Sorry for the crappy lighting)

Before. 

I had no idea that the ring is two-toned: white and yellow gold. 

I thought all that was dirt and grossness. 

1st cleaning.

The yellow gold is brighter and I could tell that the ring is two toned.

The diamonds on the sides aren't shiny, though.

2nd and Final Cleaning.

The yellow and white gold are brighter, the diamonds that are with the 

white gold are shining and I could finally tell the karat of the gold. 
I am satisfied with this cleaning, but will give it another once-over 
whenever I buy cleaner for porous stones.

♥♥♥

Extra, Extra! We did an experiment. 

Ross put his Schick razor in the ultra sonic cleaner (with just water, no solution) and the blade came out sharp again. Ross (a physicist ) was telling me that some razors have a diamond coating on the blades and that when they get dull it's because the diamond coating blades are covered in gunk...like shaving cream and stuff! He's pretty excited that he now won't have to buy new blades as often!