What to Buy: Bargain Beat

Hey loves! This blog post was requested by my beautiful friend Kisha, and I was more than happy to oblige. For you dolls that would like to experiment with makeup without completely breaking the bank, here are a few inexpensive items that can line your cosmetic bag and still give you a quality beat! 

For the most part, e.l.f cosmetics offers everything you can think of, and almost all their products are priced below $10. I stand by their brushes 100%. They also offer a range of foundation, blush ,and contour palettes. Personally, their darkest shade is not dark enough for me to wear, but it would work for some of you brown ladies.

There are often stigmas around "drugstore brands" when it comes to makeup, but most of the items are just as good (if not better) than high-end brands. K-Mart, Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens and even your local hair stores can offer some great products. For my deep brown ladies, I recommend Covergirl Queen, IMAN, and Black Opal. They offer deep brown shades with undertones that actually compliment our skin, instead of leaving us pasty.

For my super oily skin, I use milk of magnesia as a primer. I apply it all over my face, under my foundation, to help soak up my oil throughout the day. As crazy as it sounds, IT WORKS! For luxurious lips, I love Colourpop's line of Ultra-Matte liquid lipsticks (they are only $6 a piece!). My favorites are LAX, Guess and Limbo. For concealer, L.A. Girl Pro Concealer can be found in hair stores, as well as drugstores and online. Their orange concealer is perfect for brown girls to color correct and their other shades are great for highlighting and contouring.

I've tried to provide links to all these products, but if you still have questions please feel free to contact me! I  know how overwhelming make-up can be in the beginning, but a little trial and error and lots of practice will have you fab in no time!

xo,

Glenesse

Peplum Pretty

When you keep positive and uplifting people in your circle, they say things to you like "When are you going to blog again?!" and "Did you know its been a week since your last post?!" Ha! Leave it to my friends to drive me to crawl out of my bed on a long weekend. You know that thing we do when we picture stuff in our heads?! Well, I must admit, this one didn't come out exactly the way I planned, but seeing as all my full length mirrors are on their way half across the world I let this one ride.. Let me know what you guys think!

Zara top and sandals | F21 shorts

My Diamond Hair Company virgin hair on the other hand is a completely different story! I used to swear by this virgin Malaysian hair until I got a hold of some virgin Peruvian from Genesis Virgin Hair. This hair does not curl! Lord. Ive tried heat and no heat and although using flexi rods gives some what of a curl, it doesn't last! Ugh! For virgin hair prices I need a little more, so did I enjoy this hair?! Yes. Would I recommend it?! Probably not. Would I ever purchase it again?! No. Soooooo, there you have it..

Camera+ app for iPhone

Although this app isnt free, 99¢ is a small price to pay for the glorious photos this app produces. As long as your iPhone/iPad/iPod device(s) run iOS 4 or higher, you can enjoy these awesome features. I solely use the HDR setting and from the pictures I've posted below I hope you can see why! Visit your app store ASAP to purchase!

Already awesome photos went from this:





To this:




MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

All of the above photos were taken by me via iPhone4 & filtered via Camera+

Shiseido Pureness

From the site:

An introductory kit of Shiseido’s Pureness oil-control cleansing foam, softener, and moisturizer. Shiseido’s Pureness is designed to combat excess oil secretion and low moisture levels to stop the reoccurring cycle of blemishes, enlarged pores, shiny T-zone and rough dry surface. This three-step daily oil-control regimen includes travel sizes of Deep Cleansing Foam  (2.8 OZ.), Balancing Softener (3.3 FL. OZ.), and Matifying Moisturizer Oil-Free (1 FL. OZ.).

I purchased this item a few months ago and waited to do my review because I wanted to give a honest review. I LOVE THIS STUFF! After purchasing the introductory kit from my local Px I used this product 2x a day until I ran out. The true test would be if I would repurchase. I sure as hell did! This time I purchased the normal sizes w/ the exception of the softener. My face is very oily, so Pureness was just what I needed. The cleansing foam left my face feeling refreshed while the moisturizer did exactly what I needed it to do: moisturize my face with minimal shine. I definitely recommend these products. Click the pictures to purchase.

MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

Sally Hansen: INSTA-DRI

I absolutely love this line from Sally Hansen! The colors are vibrant and the texture is nice and rich. They have an OPI quality with just half the price. And they dry beautifully with great coverage after just 2 coats.  The colors I have displayed above are: 10 Lightning, 420 Lucky Lilac, and 470 Speedy Sunburst. I almost can't tell the difference between Lucky Lilac and my OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender!  I definitely recommend these.

MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

Rimmel: Lasting Finish Pro

Quite frankly: I HATE THIS NAIL POLISH. The color that shines so beautifully threw the bottle DOES NOT transfer to your nails. And it has a watery texture. I don't know if its just this color or if they all are like this, but I'm so disappointed with this polish that I'm not willing to buy another bottle to try it out. So 310 Sunset Orange will be taking a field trip to Kaiserslautern Waste Management.

MY RATING: ★☆☆☆☆ - 1 out of 5 stars

OPI Black Shatter

Naomi's (my nail tech) shatter collectionwhite. blue. navy. black. red. silver

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MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

Instagram app for iPhone

From the site:

It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented.

For me, I'd say this app is a cross between Photobucket, FaceBook and Twitter w/o all the annoying distractions. AND IT'S FREE! I honestly couldn't have designed a better app. The filters they provide turn ordinary pictures into works of art! Don't believe me, see for yourself:

MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

All of the above photos were taken by me via iPhone4 & filtered via Instagram

Clean & Clear Morning Burst

 

I've been using this product for years now, purely out of habit. It completely dries my face out after use, so a moisturizer is a MUST with this product. Honestly, no bells or whistles go off when I use this. And since my pregnancy, it hasn't really been helping with my break-outs. As I said, I use it purely out of habit. I'd love for someone to recommend another daily cleanser I can try because I really don't want to keep using this one. /-:

MY RATING: ★★☆☆☆ - 2 out of 5 stars

Ahava, Dead Sea Laboratories.

From the AHAVA website: The Dead Sea is a natural geological wonder formed throughout the millennia and located at the bottom of the world, some 410 meters below sea level. It's a region filled with mystique and is a study in contrasts. Far from reflecting its name, the Dead Sea thrives with life-enhancing ingredients with proven regenerative properties. It provides one of the world's highest concentrations of minerals suitable for skin-related healthcare. The climate is dry and the sands of the desert engulfing it are parched, and yet it produces the greatest abundance of skin-hydrating minerals on Earth. Saturated in healthy salts, the waters of the Dead Sea cause bathers to float rather than sink. And because it is located on the lowest point on the planet there are supplementary filters in the region's dense atmosphere that act like natural sunscreens and a higher concentration of pure, unpolluted oxygen. All of these unique factors add up to make the Dead Sea the largest and richest natural spa on Earth, featuring exceptional, health-enhancing properties. Once the legendary, personal spa of Cleopatra it has become a modern-day oasis for people everywhere seeking its clinically-proven skin therapies and treatments.









I personally picked up these products when I deployed to Israel over 2 years ago and I still love them now just as much as I did when I purchased them! Ahava products are mined from the Dead Sea, with waters so rich in minerals that you float.These same minerals cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize your skin leaving you feeling super refreshed. I'd recommend this product for EVERYONE: from young to old and people with all skin types. They truly have something for everyone, even the guys!

MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars

IMAN Time Control Gel Cleanser

From the IMAN site:

This new cleanser is a botanically based, vitamin enriched gel cleanser formulated with a refreshing blend of natural fruit and flower extract, honey, sugarcane, citrus, soy and aloe. Thoroughly cleanses the skin and removes excess dirt, oil and makeup without stripping.

Now, while I will say that this product DOES what it's supposed to do in terms of removing make-up, they did go out on a limb by saying it doesnt strip. My face was completely DRY after I washed it off. I've had this product for about a year now, but due to laziness I'd never used it. I decided to go ahead and test it out this weekend. All I did was wet my face, squeezed a small amount onto my fingertips and applied using circular motions, just as the tube instructed. You can literally see the foundation swirl off your face! This product retails for around $13.99 and is well worth the cost.

MY RATING: ★★★★☆ - 4 out of 5 stars

Love vs Respect

So, i've been reading this book by Dr Emerson Eggerichs. its called "Love & Respect" and it shares alot of insight into what it takes to make a marriage work. basically it talks about a females basic need for love and a males basic need for respect. It talks about the "Crazy Cycle":

without love SHE REACTS without respect HE REACTS without love

And so it goes, over and over. It identifies ways that a husband and wife should react to each other. It talks about how husbands should show their wives "unconditional love" while their wives simultaneously show "unconditional respect". It also brings the logical point that husbands do not have to "earn respect". It should be given to them. How would wives feel if their husbands told them they had to "earn love"?! It also goes into the "Energizing Cycle":

HIS LOVE motivates HER RESPECT motivates HIS LOVE

I could type for ages about this book, but if your really intent on trying to enlighten yourself, hit up AMAZON, purchase the book and read it. not only that, APPLY IT. its worth a shot. I mean, there is nothing to lose but sooo much you could gain..

MY RATING: ★★★★★ - 5 out of 5 stars