Saturday at Sephora

So as a sweet surprise yesterday my husband let me wander around aimlessly at Sephora for as long as I wanted. So while I was there I took full advantage of the fact that I had no makeup on and I played. I started with one of the mini makeovers that they offer and did the eyebrow tutorial to help me really master the trend of statement brows. I have to say the girl was great. She really talked me through how to get a great technique and she did one brow then had me do the other so I could practice with her watching. I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in medium brown as the brow filler.
This was also the first time I had ever used any products from the Anastasia line and I have to say that I was impressed. The color was great, a little went a long way, and it lasted all day which was great.
After having my brows done I decided I was only going to try products I wasn't familiar with but had been wanting to try. So next up was a trip to the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics to try out their lip tar. I chose the Black Dahlia color which is a dark berry with a matte finish. I liked the color and it lasted a long time, however I do not think I will be purchasing this product for myself because it had that waxy lipstick taste which I do not like and it dried my lips out so much that ay the end of the night I needed two applications of Chapstick to get them hydrated again.
I headed over to Urban Decay next to try out their Big Fatty mascara which I liked but was not exceptionally impressed with. I would use it if given to me but don't see a purchase in the future. I finished my makeup journey with a trip to Benefit where I tried an eyeshadow out of their World Famous Neutrals palette in the color It's Complicated which was a glittery golden shade it was soft but I had really played up the lips so I wasn't looking for a heavy eye look.
To round out my Sephora experience I headed to perfume and spritzed on Lady Million by Paco Rabanne. My husband loves the men's fragrance One Million so I had to try out the women's version. I was not disappointed and my husband loved it too so I definitely see a bottle finding it's way into my perfume collection in the future. Overall it was a great day and I got to play with my favorite toy of all time: makeup.

Primed Up

Prime me up darling!
To prime or not to prime? Why do we do it and should we?
I love most primer. When I say  most I mean I am an avid user of both face and eye shadow primer but I don't use lip primer at all really. For face primer I like to do a three part priming that I actually use to replace foundation. I first use an amazing sunscreen fluid LA Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 that is light weight, easy to apply and has a matte finish that I love. Secondly I use Benefit's The Porefessional which is a thickish balm that is supposed to minimize the look of pores and again has a matte finish which makes my skin feel so smooth and wonderful. Lastly I finish it up with Too Faced primed and pore less. I think the mixture of all three gives me a great all day coverage that let's me skip foundation which I always have problems with.
Eyeshadow primer does pretty much the same for your eye lids but tends to be thicker and you can buy it in tons of formulas from almost every brand. I'm a big fan of Benefit's stay don't stray and urban decay's eyeshadow primer potion. I think they help your lids from getting oily and making your eyeshadow wear off or fade away. Whenever I use primer my eyeshadow looks just as good when I take it off as it did when I put it on. I also run primer along my bottom lash line to help my liner stay on and in place. 
Lastly I have tried lip primer but I'm not a fan I actually just prefer some Chapstick about 30 minutes before I put on gloss or lipstick to make my lips soft and moisturized. I feel that this works just as well and cost a whole lot less.
How do u feel about primer? Does anyone else swear by it like I do?

I got What WHERE?

So last night I'm roaming around the dollar tree and go down the makeup aisle just out of curiosity and what do I find? An amazing red-orange shade of lipstick. To be exact it is " L.A. Colors" in the shade Nectarine. I heard that a great way to take summer orange lipstick into fall was to add a little more red into it to give it a deeper tone. So out of curiosity I decided to give it a go. Man was I surprised. It smells great it has a light sweet smell which is a nice surprise since I hate when lipstick smells weird. It goes on smooth and rich and the color saturation was great. One to two swipes is all you need. I'm excited I found this and I always love a steal. Now if only they would have had many more colors for me to snatch up.

Dry shampoo why?

Dry shampoo why why? http://myriahonfiah.blogspot.com/2014/09/dry-shampoo-why-why.html

Birchbox is here!!!!

So I just recently became a birchbox subscriber and today I got my second box. I'm not gonna lie I've been babysitting the mailbox everyday since I got the email that said it had shipped waiting anxiously, so now that it's here I can't wait to share all about it. I got some great stuff this month and am so absolutely excited about all of it.

Acure Organics Day Cream
Last month I got a product from this same brand that was an exfoliator that was a little harsh for my skin but I am so excited to try out this cream. I haven't used it on my face yet but squirted a little out on my hand and so far I'm pretty happy with it. It is a nice thin cream and not heavy which is always good for a day cream. It went on silky smooth and has a great light citrus scent and I can feel a nice softness on the area of my hand I applied it.

Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah
I got a Harvey Prince perfume last month that was amazing and the smell of this body wash is equally amazing it makes me want to hop in the shower immediately just to get the full experience.

Macadamia Professional Healing Oil Spray
This was the special option sample that was offered this month and I chose this specifically with my daughter who has super curly hair in mind to help tame and control. The smell is absolutely heavenly and the oil is nice and light perfect for helping to tame unruly hair.

Real Chemistry 3 minute peel
I was just talking to my husband about wanting to do a face mask earlier today and I got this peel in my box so I'm feeling a bit of a skin indulgence night coming on.

Temptu highlighter in Champagne Shimmer
I love highlighter and use it daily in my makeup routine so for tomorrow's makeup I will be substituting my usual highlighter for this one to give it a real try.

Overall this box is just a box of happy made perfectly for me!!! Thank you #birchbox

Dry shampoo why why?

Dry shampoo why do you trick me so? You are made by almost every major brand and sold in the $5-50 range depending on which brand you might choose. I've tried several and even some dry powders,  same premise you just shake it instead of spray it, but same difference really. I've tried many of them because I love to get an extra day out of my wash two if I push it. Unfortunately usually I'm only disappointed. Why oh why do u do this to me?  I want to love this product so much. I want to dry shampoo and go most mornings but I just can't get it to work for me.  Maybe theres a trick i need to learn but for now im gonna have to keep on psssing on the dry shampoo. I have however found that on wet hair it makes a great textuizer and that for that last day when you have to rely on an up do to keep it tamed a spritz here and there during styling helps the hair hold the shape you want. But be aware of too much even in these alternative circumstance!

Bailed out by the bathroom cabinet

Ok it's happened to all of us we r getting ready and reach for a have to have product and uh oh all gone. Or even worse we have a major mishap and have no idea how to fix it right before a big date. So here's a few quick fixes to help in a pinch.
1) ok so most of us have tried makeup setting sprays and know some can actually work pretty well especially for nights when we know we might dance all our makeup off. If you reach for your setting spray and it's all gone the next best thing is some good old fashion hairspray. If your skin isn't prone to breakouts than a light mist of regular hairspray even aerosol if you can be gentle on the trigger will work. If you don't over do it it won't get sticky and it'll keep your hard work in place all night.
2) a in a pinch eye makeup remover found right in your cabinet is a little baby oil. A little goes a long way so just get a cotton ball and put a tiny bit on it and wipe off any stubborn eye makeup.
3) this is one of the best kept secrets that I've ever discovered and it's not just for in a pinch you can do this daily. To prevent ingrown hairs especially in the bikini region use a white stick deodorant over the entire area after shaving.  You can do this every time and it will help prevent rasor bumps immediately and if used over time it will also help prevent future ones from  occurring.
4) if you have no brush cleaner around reach for a little olive oil and dawn dish soap. The oil helps condition the brushes and keep them from drying out the dish soap cleans. Simply mix a small amount of both in the palm of your hand or a container, a paper plate works great here, then swirl brushes in the mixture and rinse until water runs clean using fingers to work everything out. Dry upside down if possible.

I can only afford Keystone but I'm always eyeing that Dom

I have a seemingly insatiable appetite for all things makeup and beauty and an equally seemingly empty wallet. I crave, lust after and shop for the products I can't afford while having to work my budget to fit in the things I absolutely have to have. There are a few tricks I've learned along the way though.
Firstly, never be too good to ask for a sample or just try a product out in the store. Often times if you see a product you like at a makeup store or counter u can ask them to give u a makeover with the product so you can see how it looks and works for you.
Secondly, if you can, buy a new product in a mini form. This is good for two reasons. Generally a mini is significantly cheaper than a full size and it's a great way to try something and if you don't like it you don't feel as much guilt for spending a lot on a product you hate. Another perk to this is with some products full sizes are just too big for me I can never use the whole thing and wind up throwing away a half full product.
Thirdly, this kind of piggy backs on minis but often a palette or collection of minis gives you a chance to try multiple things for a price close to one full size product. Another great thing that's out there nowadays is subscription boxes like birchbox and ipsy just to name a couple that send out a selection of deluxe samples and regular samples to you monthly the two I mentioned are $10 a month but there are many more that offer different things for varrying prices so they are well worth looking into.
And one last simple trick to making a makeup addiction work for you is to join the rewards programs of stores or websites you shop the most at if they have one. These are great ways to get discounts, free products, extra samples and perks from places you already love. So they are 100% win win. And it's always an extra win when I've made my addiction work for me.

Labor of Love

Sometimes I feel like putting on my makeup is nothing short of laborious. So many steps, so many products, so much work. For what? sometimes I ask myself. Why do I do this? Then I see how just some liner makes my big eyes really pop. Or how a bright lipstick makes my lips look fuller and instantly brightens my mood. So while those 30 minutes in front of the mirror might seem laborious at 6 in the morning when I really think about how makeup makes me feel I realize I do it for myself. Sure it's nice when someone compliments a perfect cat eye or how everyone always asks how I can pull off a day time smoky eye which is pretty much all I wear lol the truth is its a labor of love because I love my makeup. And of course makeup is always one of my favorite things to play with on a lazy afternoon its the least commitment I have to make for a completely new look and who doesn't love that?!

My First blog!!!!

I own what could only be described as an arsenal of beauty products. Lotions and Potions. Sprays and Creams.  Pretty much anything you can think of to do anything you want and a few tricks you probably didnt even know about. The truth is I have quite the obsession with anything that can make you more shiny, less shiny, shrink this or hide that, enhance one thing or disguise another. So here on my very own blog about everything to make you beautiful I will review, rant, rave and pretty much spread my opinion to anyone willing to read it. I can not promise to not be biased because like all people there are brands i love, brands i want to love but just cant, and brands i cant love no matter how much my best friend swears to me that its worth another try, so instead i promise to give my opinion as only i see it and allow any reader to form their own opinion and of course if you read and dont agree feel free to let me know. From time to time i may even put my husbands opinion on here. Although he tends to be very manly and describes most things as "yeah that smells good", or "do you really need that many products just for the movies? Its gonna be dark in there" but on occasion he does have a gem or two worth letting the world in on. Just joking baby i love hearing your opinion :)