Wow, It's been forever!

I know I said I was taking a small break, but that turned into a nervous breakdown and well, I'm back!
So, Reid, the boyfriend, or now sort of ex-boyfriend left for Marine boot camp, and I am so proud of him. He actually graduates October 24th, and I am looking forward to seeing him. I haven't seen him since the end of May or beginning of June - I can't remember.
Anyways, I thought I would kick things off with a FOTD and perhaps a review of the new Mac Suite Array eyeshadow duos.
I also did buy a new foundation. For those of you who either know me or have in the past kept up with my beauty blog, I was using Mac Studio Fix Fluid, and I loved it... UNTIL it broke me out so bad that I am scared to even touch it. It's so sad and very weird. I was using that stuff for a long time, so it's crazy that it all of a sudden ravaged my skin. I wish I had pictures, even though they are so not cute and embarrassing.

Anyways, on to the FOTD!

Face:
Smashbox Color Correcting Photo Finish Primer (the green one, for redness, ew)
MUFE Mat Velvet + in 55 (I think)
MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 4
Mac MSF in Medium Dark
Mac pressed blot powder in Medium (oy, I think)

Eyes:
Mac Bare Study Paint Pot
Mac Suite Array eyeshadow duo in Smoke & Ash
Mac eyeshadow in Carbon
Mac eyeshadow in Phloof!
Mac eyeshadow in Knight Devine
Mac Pearlglide eyeliner in Black Russian
Loreal HIP mascara in Black (I forgot the full name or whatever)

Lips:
Mac lipstick in Melrose Mood
Mac lipglass in Dreamy


I hope all is well with you guys, and as always, if you have any questions, comments, or WHATEVER, please e-mail me at: beautyreview@aol.com

The people who read this have really helped me through some seriously shitty times, and I am really looking forward to getting back into this!

- Samantha <3

Some news...

Hello,
I know I haven't been amazing at updating this... but there's good reason.
My boyfriend deploys for the Marines at the end of July, and I have been a mess about this since I heard about a week and a half ago.
I hope you all can understand and be supportive.

Other than that, I am on summer vacation from classes, so I will be updating more.

<3 samantha

I'm a sucker for these things!

• My Foundation: Mac Studio Fix Fluid NW30
  
• My Mascara: Hm... at the moment Maybelline Define A Lash Volume in Black
  
• My Blush: Urban Decay Fetish
  
• My Eye Shadow: Mac eyeshadow or pigments
  
• My Day Cream: Bliss Labs An Ounce of Prevention AM
  
• My Lipstick: Hm, Mac Lollipop Lovin'
  
• My Beauty Product Brand: Mac
• My Essential Beauty Product: Eyeliner... Fluidline in Blacktrack
  
• My Perfume: Miss Dior Cherie
  
• My Nails: OPI
• My Feet: Eek!
• My Hands: Sally Hansen
  
• Three Products to bring on a deserted island: Chapstick, Facial Cleanser, Perfume... haha
  
• Woman I admire for their beauty: Dita Von Tease, Kat Von D, Lauren Conrad
  
• Woman with the Best Sense of Style: Angelina Jolie, Charleze Theron
  
• My Ultimate Dream Life, Liberty, & the pursuit of Happiness
  
• How Do I Define Womanhood: Curves
  

Brazillian Straightening & FOTD

So, working at a salon, I change my hair all the time. Most recently, as of last night, to be precise. I decided to undergo the Brazillian Keratin Straightening treatment. I've heard MANY mixed reviews about this process, which in its formula has Formaldehyde as an ingredient. However, the smoke from the process was absorbed by a teflon coating over the flat iron, so there wasnt much fumes to inhale.
Overall, the process is not done yet. I still can't wash my hair or put it up for another 3 days. But since my hair is so thick, I don't expect that to be a problem.
I will keep you all posted on my hair, but as of now, it feels so healthy and gorgeous!

On the the FOTD.
I love this look, its a dramatic neutral, sort of. I used a gold and tan to make it light and neutral, but then I went into my crease with a matte black to make it dramatic, and I love it.

Heres what I used:
*all mac, unless otherwise noted*


Face:
Oil Control Lotion
Smashbox Color Correcting Photo Finish Primer
SFF - NW30
Select Cover Up - NW25
MSF - Medium Dark


Eyes:
UDPP
Paint Pot - Bare Study
Goldmine e/s
Tan p/g
Vanilla p/g
Carbon e/s
Fluidline - Blacktrack
Zoomlash - Zoomblack

Brows:
Urban Decay Brow Box - Brown Sugar

Lips:
Lollipop Loving l/s
C- Thru l/g



- Samantha

Urban Decay Brow Box: Review

I've really been trying to post on here as much as possible, so I hope I am doing a good job with keeping up.
As some of you know, I have a slight obsession with my brows. They frame the face and really give a finishing touch to the rest of your make up.
I've been struggling to find a product, or products that will help to define my brows and match them to the color of my hair, since I don't want to dye my brows.
This is where the Urban Decay Brow Box comes in. I bought it in Brown Sugar, which is the color pictured here. It consists of a dark brown shade and a lighter brown shade, both of which are very rich, despite what the lighter ones looks like in the picture.
The box contains 2 shades of a powder brow definer, an angled brow brush, tiny tweezers, and brow wax. Surprisingly, the tweezers are actually really amazing. They can grasp even the smallest hairs, but they take a little time getting used to.
So all in all, I love this product, its amazing. I highly suggest it!

Skincare Reviews & What I do

So, I've been getting a couple e-mails regarding what I use on my face and my daily skincare regimen.
Let's start off with the type of skin that I have. When I lived up north, in DC, my skin was pretty dry and flaky until summer came around, then it was oily and crazy. Now, living in South Florida, my skin is constantly oily, but I also have a little bit of dry patchy skin. I also have a skin condition called Roscea, which causes my cheeks to be red, splotchy, and bumpy. There is no real "cure" for Roscea, but it is treatable.

A few months back I started using a new cleanser, and skin care line, called Bliss Labs. You may have heard of them. The company is relatively upscale and offers a ton of different skin care products.

As a cleanser, I use th Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. The cleanser itself a pretty blue color and it has some small exfoliating "beads" in it. When mixed with a
small amount of water, the cleanser foams... slightly. It isn't a sudsy, bubbly cleanser, which was a little disappointing, since I like the effect and feeling of a foamy cleanser.
After using this for a couple of days, I noticed that my skin was softer and more vibrant, but I didn't see a huge change in the oilyness of my skin, but all in all, the cleanser is very nice. My skin never feels tight or dry after using it, and I feel like I am really taking care of my skin.

As weird and maybe bad as this sounds, I don't use a toner regularly, simply because I do have some dry patchy areas on my skin. I know that not all toners dry out your skin, but this is just the best solution for me. This way, I don't have to worry about being to harsh on my facial skin since it is so important and fragile.

Instead, a couple times a week, I will use a heavy exfoliator on my skin. What I do is I mix a pinch of sand with my face wash, and I get rid of all the dead skin, and it helps to dry up my oily areas without making my dry skin any worse.

After I wash my face in the morning, I will use a moisturizer that is for combination skin, such as Bliss Labs an Ounce of Prevention AM. This moisturizer is "shine absorbing" and really helps to dry out my oily t zone. It makes my skin very soft and make putting on makeup or
a makeup primer very easy and nice.
HOWEVER... on hot, humid, gross days, it is not enough.



So, behold, the amazing, fantastic, Mac Oil Control Lotion. This product has literally saved my skin. The lotion comes in an amazing bottle that can be locked to insure that there is no spill in your bag or where ever you may be toting this lotion.

The best way that I have found to use this lotion is to put my regular moisturizer on all the areas of my skin that are not prone to oilyness. Then, I use this on areas where I know that I will be an oil slick, which for me, is my nose and cheeks. Even by the end of the day, I don't have shiny skin and it doesn't dry or irritate my skin like some other oil control lotions do and have in the past.

So, there you have it, some products that I use and love. You should really check out the oil control lotion, especially if you suffer from oil skin as bad as mine.

- Love you guys!
Samantha

Smoky FOTD

So, did anyone watch the Rock of Love Finale?
Thought!?

What was HE THINKING? Bret, in all honesty, Daisy was MADE for you, she is gorgeous, and she is so glamrock that it hurts.
I thought she was amazing, and gorgeous. So, in my frustration, here is a fotd.

Im going to post another one in about an hour, since I need to redo my makeup for work.

Heres what I used;
All Mac unless noted otherwise

Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer
Studio Fix Fluid - NW30
Select Cover Up - NW25
MSF - Medium Dark
Urban Decay Blush - Score
Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder
Bronzing Powder - Bronze

Eyes:
UDPP
Paint Pot - Bare Study
Pigment - Platinum
Pigment - Dark Soul
Eyeshadow - Carbon
Eyeshadow - Knight Devine
Fluidline - Blacktrack
Maybelline Define a Lash Volume Mascara - Black
Eyebrow Pencil - Stud

Lips:
Fleshpot
3D Lipglass - Energy

Mac Review: Fluidline... comparison?

A few weeks back I did a review on Loreal's HIP Cream Eyeliner in black, and if you read that, you know how addicted I was to it.... now I have a new obsession.
Mac's Fluidline - in Blacktrack, ofcourse.This picture is a little deceiving, since the product in reality is no where near the size of Loreal's liner. For $15.00, you get about half the product of Loreal's liner, but it's worth it.

So, let's get onto the review.
What attracted me to Fluidline is the intensity of the colors, which by the way are abundant. There are the basics, black, variations of brown, and navy, ofcourse. They also offer a selection of other colors for the more bold, such as a frosted white, bright aqua, platinum, and violet.
A girl can never have enough eyeliner, especially black eyeliner. For the most part, I only wear black eyeliner, I think other colors really don't suit me, but thats just me.
At first glance, the liner looks pretty solid in the container, but once I dipped my brush into it, I was shocked. It is more gel like than cream, a way different consistency then that of Loreal's.
I dipped a flat liner brush into the "gel", and wiped some on the back of my hand to apply it. Not surprisingly, it applied like butter and I was thrilled with my results.

So, let's compare:

Loreal's HIP Cream Eyeliner:
Price: $11.99
Amount: 4.5 Grams
Intensity: Nice, Matte Black
Texture: Cream

Mac Fluidline:
Price: $15.00
Amount: 3 Grams
Intensity: Deep, Dark Black
Texture: Gel

So, all in all... I would go with Fluidline, just because I am a Mac addict and I really liked the application, considering that liner can be hard to apply, especially in forms other than a pencil. Mac is only $3 more and you really can tell in the quality.
Obviously, if bang for your buck is more important, go with Loreal, or if you can't get to a Mac counter.

I really enjoyed using Fluidline, and it is a new staple in my makeup routine and collection.

love you guys,
Samantha

Mac Paint Pots: Review

Hello Ladies & Gents.
So, I know I've been slacking in the updating department, but I'm starting to fix that now.
Today, I have decided to do a review of my all time favorite product... MAC PAINT POTS!
These little guys are fantastic. They are amazing to wear as eye shadow, eye liner, and as a base for eyeshadow. BEHOLD THE PAINT POT!
They are creamy, shimmery, and give the perfect amount of coverage, atleast for me.
I have
Bare Study, which is a champagne with gold and white pearl.
Blackground, which is frosted smoky black grey with multi colored pearl.
& Rollickin', which is an aqua blue green with white pearl.

I love my precious paint pots because they give my shadow an intensity that I can't get with my UDPP.
I use Bare Study everyday, as a highlight or as a base for my entire lid. I use Blackground when I want to do a smokey look, and I use Rollickin' when I have a little bit of blue on my inner corner or wherever.
I highly suggest picking up atleast Bare Study, so you can see how amazing they are.
They are similar to Macs Paints, but easier to work with.
Typically, I use a concealer brush or a brush with nylon or synthetic harder bristles in order to really place the color where I want it.

- I'm sure I will update more later, but for now, I have to go to work.
Love you guys!
- Samantha

I'm Back! New hair / FOTD

Hey guys!
I'm finally back up and running. The problem was that comcast is the only internet provider in my neighborhood, since it's new, and Comcast is a semi new company down in South Florida, and they took over like... I don't know, some other company and they really can't seem to get their shit together.
Not only did I miss posting to you guys, but I also missed a test which I have to take online, so you can only imagine how livid I was with Comcast customer service. For those of you who don't know, I am trying to become and doctor, so my internet needs to be working at ALL times, because several of my classes have tests that we do at home and online, so it was a HUGE deal.
Well, anyways, like I said earlier I have lots of posting to do and I'm getting that situated asap.
Until then, I changed my hair, so have a look at that and the fotd.

Everything is Mac unless I stated otherwise....
Face:
Studio Fix Fluid - NW30
Select Cover Up - NW25
MSF - Medium Dark
Urban Decay Blush - Score

Brows:
Stud

Eyes:
Paint Pot - Bare Study
Paint Pot - Blackground
Carbon
Passionate
Beauty Marked
Rimmel Exaggerate - Black
Maybelline define a lash volume - Black

Lips:
Some random lipstick... I think Colorstay by Revlon, but I'm not sure.

So, let me know what you think.
I'll be posting more later, and as always, send me an e mail if you have any questions.

Oh, and for those who are curious as to what is in my hair...
It's all Wella colors, since thats what my salon uses.
I have a dark, deep brown base with red undertones.
The red peek a boos that you see are used with Shades EQ, and they also have a red kicker added, if that makes any sense to you. I'll post more pictures of it later, but it isn't totally done.
The red needs to be deeper, but since my hair was so damaged, the red didnt take fully.

I work in a salon, so my hair changes constantly, but enough of that.
- Samantha

MISSED YOU GUYS!