If you're into makeup and follow today's YouTube beauty vloggers, beauty bloggers, Instagram MUAs, or basically any MUA with a social media, you have probably seen them talk about Gerard Cosmetics (what used to be Whitening Lightening but then branched off in Gerard Cosmetics to be seperate from their teeth whitening company). Gerard Cosmetics is well known for working with and supporting a lot of beauty bloggers/vloggers and MUA's that post their work on Instagram. Probably the most notable collaboration was Jaclyn Hill's glosses and lipsticks that she done for the company. Along with Shannon Harris lipgloss Candy Kiss they just released and Sophia Chang lipstick in Kimchi Doll. They also send their products out to a lot of beauty gurus as well. They're most noted for their Lipglosses I think, but they also have a Brow Bar (brow powder), BB Cream/illuminator, lipsticks, and their sister company sells teeth whitening kits, and pens. The cool thing about their glosses is that there is a super bright light inside the wand handle when you open the gloss. It's crazy bright. It shines directly on your lips as you apply your gloss and on the side of the gloss tube is a mirror. So should you be somewhere and need to apply your gloss again, if it's dark you can see. Which always makes me ask "why would you need to reapply lipgloss in the dark? If you need a light to do that then you probably can't see your gloss to begin with." Not that it's not cool cause it totally is but it still makes me think. It's still neat though for the packaging and the mirror on the side is handy dandy. Here's the deal, they have promotion codes non stop. Pretty much all your favorite gurus with an impressive following have a commission code and Gerard Cosmetics gives out standard promotion codes all the live long day. They aren't a small code either it's really good ones. Almost always there is a 30% off code and sometimes more. The best deals are on bundles. Usually it's like 50% off. My favorite is the Just 4 You bundle. You choose whatever lip products you want whether it's two glosses and two lipsticks or three glosses and one lipstick, all glosses etc etc. Whatever you want to do. I like that. I think it's the best option to try what you want. It's reg price $76 but you always have a code to get it for $35-$39. Usually $39. That's $9.75 a piece for the 4 products. There's also a duo bundle where you make your own combo of one gloss and one lipstick, a lipstick 3 pack, a six piece bundle, a five gloss bundle, etc. So regular price for a lipstick is $19 and gloss is $24 a piece. Even then if you didn't want more than one product they have a lot of offers sometimes where you can get them for more than 30% off. I got the Just 4 You bundle. I chose two glosses and two lipsticks. Previously I done the lipstick trio bundle around Christmas. When they released their new spring shades I finally caved and got some glosses. I'm not a huge lipgloss fan in general, I prefer matte formulas because glosses are messy and wear off fast. Summer pretty much calls for gloss though. So the shades I got were Spring Fling gloss, Candy Kiss gloss, Underground Lipstick, and Rodeo Drive lipstick. I will say that their lipstick formula isn't my favorite that I have especially not in the first set I got around Christmas. They done a new formula for Rodeo Drive and Berry Smoothie. I chose Rodeo Drive and I actually really really liked it. It's very moisturizing and creamy. The formula for Underground is the same formula for 1995 I think. It's more matte if not completely matte. Therefore those lipsticks are more dry. Rodeo Drive is like the perfect Kylie Jenner lip especially paired with Soar lip liner from MAC. Except for it not being matte formula. It's a great neutral color that is a little darker than a "nude" lip which people often confuse a flesh/skin toned color with (the Kim K nude) as opposed to what it actually is which is your bare lip color. So it's like a raspberry color or deeper mauve color. Underground looks more "greige" on the site but in person it actually has a lot of brown in it. A very cool toned brown. It supposed to be a good dupe for Lime Crime Cashmere but I can't verify that. I wish it was a little more pale a color but it's a very different shade and I like that a lot. Spring Fling and Candy Kiss are almost identical. The formula seems different though and one is more pink in undertone and one is peach. They both are super pale. I don't recommend getting both shades because they are so similar. Spring Fling is thicker and more opaque. You could wear this by itself easily. It's more a pink tone. Candy Kiss is more sheer. It's a peachy nude. It's also a thinner formula. I like Spring Fling more I believe but they're so similar that both are great. So all in all I really like these products. I'm glad I tried some different lipsticks. Above is all the lipsticks I have. Cherry Cordial is kinda patchy but 1995 and Buttercup are good formulas even though they aren't my favorite colors. Which is odd because I'm not super picky when it comes to lipstick colors I'll wear anything pretty much. Also a little side note, they smell like oranges, even the gloss and I like that a lot too. I can't stand menthol type scents it literally chokes me but this smells like oranges a little and I dig that. It's not super fragrant though. If you want to look into the products then the link is here. The code I used was "GC4you".
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This week my stand out product is the Colour Pop highlighters. I have an entire post about them but I haven't stopped using them and actually got two more. They're outstanding and they're a crazy good price. I even like them, as far as how shimmery they are, better than the coveted Becca highlighters (shimmery skin perfector). The only thing that Becca has up on them is that you can apply them with a brush and the Colour Pop pretty much has to be applied wth your fingers. If you press too hard you can rub off your blush and powders that you applied. That's the only down side. Check them out if you've not, and they also just released bronzers too in their summer collection that just dropped. Have a great week! This post is going to be about some old products that I love and have used for years, and also some new products that I'm trying out. I've been on a real "hair kick" lately and not for products specifically, just actually getting my hair very healthy and taking better care of it. Everything you put into your body comes out through your hair, literally. So since I've been very sick the past few months and had so much medicine, my hair was looking dull and brittle. So I started doing some research on the best products for healthier hair. I honestly didn't really have any type of "therapy" for my hair at home because I've never really been extremely into hair products. Not that I don't like them it's just that I get build up incredibly easy, (like one day of dry shampoo is a weeks worth of clarifying shampoo) and also my hair is pretty manageable as far as keeping in curl and what not. So I'll let you in on my routine right now. Shampoo (2-3 times a week) Hair Mask (once a week) Dry Shampoo (only if necessary) Styling Products usually once or twice a week (I'll explain) For shampoo I switch back and forth usually between two-three shampoos. Depending on what I'm needing. I use Pantene Classic Clean when I have buildup and only then. I use a color care shampoo if I have fresh color on my hair (which I don't right now). I use LUSH Big Shampoo for very voluminous hair with a lot of body, I use it maybe once or twice a month because it makes my scalp itch if I use it constantly. The other times I use a restoring shampoo to take care of my hair on the reg. Which I will talk about on down. I don't have a conditioner that I really like which is why I didn't include one. I'm not one that buys the shampoo and conditioner in a line. I usually am never happy with a conditioner, like ever. My hair gets super weighted down and it gets oily in no time flat. So that's why I use a hair mask regularly because I know conditioning is incredibly important to the hair's health and texture. This first product is a nourishing mask from Amika. I ordered this off of Amazon that's where I found the best deal because alot of places wanted around $20+ for it. You can use this once a week or for everyday conditioner. This is relatively new to me so I'm only using it once a week. Only because products build up so quickly on my hair. I will say though that it feels great on the hair. You leave it on for about 2-3 minutes and then rinse. This made my hair incredibly soft and it didn't weight it down in the least. When my hair was dry my hair was still soft and no build up. So major plus for that. This has a very strong fragrance though. So if you don't like that then don't buy it. Also I have a post on a DIY Hair Mask from a few days ago. It also was very good and made my hair quite soft. Not as good as this one but still good if you are in a pinch or are feeling like a DIY project. These are some new products I got. I got the small size of the Clean Freak refreshing dry shampoo because I've yet to find one that works on my dark hair and doesn't turn it ashy or feel like my scalp is suffocating under product. This is an aerosol spray and I must say it really worked and worked very good. It was light and wasn't heavily scented either. I got the cult favorite Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray. I didn't think I would like it because again, build up, and also because I had a fear of nineties crunchy curls from hair spray and gel. You use it on damp hair and then you can blow dry your hair, or let it air dry into "beachy waves". I let mine air dry. I didn't notice beachy waves but it didn't make my hair sticky or like I sprayed a whole can of hair spray on it. So I like it I feel like it's very low on how much texture it gives but I like that as well. My hair hold curl very good so I don't need a lot of product. Only when I've used a hair mask do I actually need things that help keep the style in my hair because when it's super soft it's also silky and doesn't hold curl. These products have been with me a while. I love them. On the left is the Paul Mitchell Extra Body Daily Boost. It's sprayed onto the roots when your hair is wet and it adds extra volume. It smells nice as well. The other product is Paul Mitchell Hot Off The Press thermal spray. This is a heat protectant and light hold hairspray. Also smells very nice. I don't use this as much as I should. I don't like hairspray much at all but as this works as a protection from heat damage I should use it more. It's the only hair spray I use though and it's the one I prefer if I have a choice. These are the two shampoos that I'm rotating right now mainly. I didn't show my Pantene Classic Clean which is what I use for build up. The Loreal Total Repair 5 I got on sale at Walgreens for $5 I think. I heard it was very good though. I really like it too. It makes my hair feel clean but it also is very nourishing without weighting it down like a moisturizing shampoo can do. It's supposed to be good if healthy hair is your goal. LUSH Big Sea Salt Shampoo. This is what I use when I want my hair to be super voluminous and have lots of body. It's strange. I won't lie. You literally are scooping out odd smelling sea salt and putting on your hair. I wouldn't use it if your have fresh color though because it's a little harsh. I order mine online from LUSH. The "Wet Brush" I got because I didn't realize that using a paddle brush on damp hair that wasn't a wet brush was terrible for your hair. My hairstylist, who is a very good friend of mine, almost killed me for not using one. I got mine from Sally's, you can also use a Tangle Teezer brush. For updo's or any type of style that you have to pin back I use Diane Bobby Pins. Mine are jumbo so they're much longer. The Diane bobby pins are professional grade and are very good. They don't slip on the hair and they hold the hair very tightly. You can order them on Amazon or probably find them at a salon warehouse. I also use clear elastics for easy updos and braids. They look better plain and simple and they don't add bulk to the hair. Forgive my lack of a smile in this picture. I'm smiling on the inside. I just wanted to give you an idea how long my hair is and what color. It needs new color actually but it's a cool toned brown base with black balayage. Balayage is where the don't do uniform highlights or weaved in highlights or slices of colors. They literally just paint pieces randomly. I really like that, even though mine is painted pieces of black which probably doesn't look natural at all, it's a more natural way of dimensional color. I usually only use styling products once a week maybe. If I blow dry my hair I definitely use them but if not, which is most of the time, I don't use them. When I use them though I don't have to use them again, until I wash my hair again. My hair is very manageable though so even after sleeping on it I usually just brush through it and go the next day because it's not as curly but it's still got body. Or I put my hair in a simple updo or bun.
I wanted to add if you need something extra for volume and lift then I really like Loreal High Lift Spray. It's a teasing spray basically. It will give you instant lift when you spray it underneath a section of hair. It causes lots of residue and build up which makes your scalp itch and can hinder it from getting clean when you shampoo forcing you to use a clarifying shampoo. As you probably know clarifying shampoo can strip your hair of color and oils. It's not a great idea to use it all the time. Only when necessary. So that's it. That's my latest and greatest hair care and styling products. Hopefully you found something useful in it or just enjoyed it. Either one. :) I'm late to the party on this I know. I've been trying the NARS Sheer Glow foundation this week. I really like NARS color range especially because they have such good options with yellow undertones and also because their shades vary very little between each other so if your shade is just slightly off you can go above or below and it's usually dead on which means they have a large line of colors. I never tried this when it was all the rage because I thought the name "Sheer Glow" meant that it was a sheer coverage when in actuality it mean that the foundation gives a "sheer glow". I actually didn't realize it until Wayne Goss said something about it. So I gave it a shot because I love their All Day Luminous etc etc foundation. I have shade Gobi in that one and it's perfect for when I'm pale so it's a winter foundation for me. I went to the next yellow shade that was darker which is Fiji and that's what I got in Sheer Glow. I must say I love this foundation. It's full coverage I would say and it is luminous but very subtle I think. As the day goes on it gets more luminous as most foundations do but it's very very nice and looks so flawless even at the end of the day. I use it with a mattifying primer so that it doesn't get too luminous on me since it's already hot here in TN. Like it's going to be 90 this weekend already. I, myself, think it's full coverage. It's thicker than the All Day one that I love. The shade is perfect for my skin tone right now which is a little more tan. I also feel like it's a very smoothing foundation which you wouldn't really think. Like it's smoothing enough to the point that people should've talked more about that than the sheer glow. It masks my stray bumps here and there and it helps that texture as well as not focusing on my large pores. It's supposed to be weightless but I don't think it is. It's not heavy by any means but I can feel it slightly but that doesn't bother me. My only complaint is that it's in a bottle that you have to pour out the product. I prefer a pump. It doesn't fee like I use a lot of product to get good coverage but with having to pour it out you easily waste more product like that. It's messy when it's a screw on cap and you have to pour it out. Also my cap will not line up with the bottle when I tighten it. Not that it doesn't screw on it just doesn't line up when it's fully tightened. Really pisses me off. That's just my OCD of makeup products kicking in. Its $45 for 1 oz and they offer 16 colors. This works for normal to very dry skin types but oily should probably stay away from it. The pictures below are all different days of me wearing it. **on a side note I tried the Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation today. Since it was a luminous foundation I thought it would be similar to this and it actually was not impressive at all. It made my texture from any bump I may have so much more noticeable and the coverage wasn't great either. So I much prefer this. As you know I'm a huge fan of Colour Pop Cosmetics. They have really unique formulas and products as well as being super affordable. They just released their new highlighters last week and I didn't waste any time getting some. Another thing I love about them is that they offer a wide shade range for every skin tone. Their swatches are usually shown on about three different skin tones. From fair/light to medium to dark. I love that. They also do colors you don't typically see that much like purple blushes or green lipstick or reddish blush. The highlighters where no different they offered some really cool colors. Like white, silver, pinks, beiges, gold, corals, peach, bronze, even purples, and then the classic more neutral shades that are more champagne in color. Some duo chrome options as well. There are 15 colors as well. I want to also talk about the formula I believe these are all "Pearlized" but this formula in particular is really really soft. If you have any products from them for cheeks or eyes they are a little "wet" feeling and they kinda remind you as a mousse because your finger sinks into the product and makes a small dent. The wet feeling makes it more thin when you swatch it or apply it with your finger it's incredibly pigmented but it's just not a powder texture. With this formula its much softer and creamier. It doesn't feel wet and when you swatch it its not thin it's a thicker consistency, that's more like an actual powder. It actually reminds me of the Becca highlighters alot but maybe a little creamier if that's even possible. So I'm so impressed with this and I was expecting a wet feel and thin consistency but great pigmentation (as always) but when it came it was an entirely different formula than what I thought it would be. I just can't get over it. I really can't. These are $8 just like the blushes. The shades I got was Monster and Smoke N Whistles. Monster on the left and Smoke N Whistles on the right. Smoke N Whistles is similar to Becca Opal I think just with more silver flecks in it. So when swatched it takes on a more silver look if you layer it on. Monster is a pink duo chrome in my opinion. It doesn't look like it would be in the container, it's very light but when applied it's got a pale pink sheen to it. It's my favorite. Monster on top
Smoke N Whistles on the bottom I seen this hair mask on Pinterest. So it's not my creation or anything. I was looking for something that would make my hair soft and shiny. This done the trick. Especially the softness. I will warn you though anytime you're trying to achieve softness your hair is going to be a little flat. That's what I find at least. The mask is: 1 tsp Honey 1-2 tsp Coconut Oil (I melted mine) 2 tsp Olive Oil (mine was extra virgin but I don't think it matters) 1 large egg I applied this with a hair color brush because I think it's mainly supposed to be applied to the scalp. When I had went all around the perimeter of the scalp, where my scalp parts and the crown area, I took the rest and used it on the rest of the hair going down the shaft to the ends. This suggested leaving it on 15 minutes and then washing it out with a mild shampoo and conditoner. I left mine on for like an hour because I was really having an at home spa day. So I was painting my toes, doing a face mask, making myself a cappuccino and then making a DIY Coffee Body Scrub so I just left it clipped up for around an hour. When I washed it out I used a more clarifying shampoo because coconut oil and my hair just won't hardly ever rinse out or wash out. So I used Pantene Classic Clean. Which I use this about two or three times a month to get rid of build up. It works and I know all you hairstylists out there are shaking your head because no one likes Pantene and it may "strip" color but it hasn't bothered my color and it works better than a baking soda concoction or Neutrogena Anti Residue shampoo for getting your hair super clean. So I have no problems using it. When I got out of the shower I didn't use a conditioner, because I knew my hair would be flat and I didn't want it weighted down even more. So my hair felt squeaky clean so I was afraid the mask didn't work. I used some Argan Oil about mid shaft down and then dried the scalp area with a hair drier on warm not hot. I could tell it had worked really nicely so I let the rest just air dry. As it dried I was kicking myself for adding in the Argan oil because the scalp and about half way down was so soft and shiny and felt great and then the pieces around the face, the ends of my hair and some places mid shaft down looked greasy. Like really greasy but I think that was strictly the Argan Oil I added in and then just let it air dry. None the less my hair feels great and so soft, weightless and looks super healthy. So I'm very happy with this DIY mask and I will be using it again. Maybe next month. This week my stand out product has been a happy accident. Well kinda. As you know I've been really sick lately and so I've not been on my game as far as skin care goes. I stayed with my parents while my husband was working and the only cleanser I had was the Origins Checks and Balance cleanser that had never been used. It was in the bottom of my bag. I usually only use Murad Cleanser from the acne line or Peter Thomas Roth Anti Aging Cleanser. So this was all I had but I actually really really like it. This is marketed for combination skin types which is interesting because I'm not sure I've ever seen a cleanser that was specifically for skin that was both dry and oily. I would say normal and sensitive skin could also use this too. It's really gentle and makes the skin feel really good afterwards like it feels very calming and soft. I used a Peter Thomas Roth acid peel this week too and this is the cleanser I've used since that as well, and it's not been harsh where as I'm afraid my other cleansers would've been. This also doesn't leave any type of residue on the skin either like some soaps can, and your skin doesn't feel stripped either. So if you're sensitive or you don't need those strong cleansers or if you just don't like them this is a really nice cleanser. You can get it at Sephora there are two sizes: 1.7 oz for $12 and 5 oz for $21.50.
If you've been with this from the beginning or even when my blog was just a Tumblr blog, you'll know that I love indie cosmetic companies. Especially for pigments and glitters. I've had several Etsy sellers/companies that I've bought from that I really really loved. The reason I love these small brands is because they will allow you to do "sample" size products for like $3 most of the time or less maybe. The reason I like that is not because it's inexpensive but because, especially with pigments, a little goes a long way. So a sample is usually 1/4 a tsp and that will last you a very long time with pigments. With glitter it goes a little faster I guess but then again you're not going to use glitter everyday and hopefully not the same color everyday. So I ran across this brand Beauty Bar Baby on Instagram. They commented on some of my looks and was always incredibly nice, I looked at their profile to follow them and then realized they were a company actually and had a pretty good following too. So I clicked their link and seen they were on Etsy. Which I love! They had great prices for full sized products but they offered stackable glitters that you could just customize your stack and its sample sized. Right up my alley. I then seen the Fairy Dust in this magnificent white sparkly color. I have had this image in my head for months of a really intense sparkly inner white highlight. I have not been able to find ANYTHING that was as pigmented as I needed it to be though, it was too sheer or not a true white. So when I seen this I had to have it. I ordered this and they shipped the next day, and then for whatever reason after a few USPS scans they just stopped moving for a few days (thanks alot USPS) and it took longer to get it than expected but that wasn't the companies fault that was USPS for taking their sweet time. I have no complaints from the company. They sent me some little samples of glitters. I think my order total was like $12 shipping and all. I got samples with everything. So it was really inexpensive. Their glitters are beautiful. I love glitters that are mixed to make these super pretty hybrid colors. I did get one that was just one color total. I try to always get colors I don't have. Where glitter is concerned anyway. In this look I used the White Diamond Fairy Dust (amazing and exactly what I'd been looking for as far as a inner highlight) in the inner corner and Rain Drops glitter over top of Pool Side eye shadow from Makeup Geek. This is a predominantly navy glitter with flecks of every other color under the sun in it. I see a lot of pink and green and different shades of blue in it. It's gorgeous I love it. This glitter is like a loose glitter that is identical to the Revlon Eye Art Peach Prism glitter that is liquid. This is a coral peachy glitter it has lots of coral, peach, orange, in it as the base color and then it has some gold and I think red glitter through out it. This is a Christmas green glitter. The pictures are somewhat blurry to kinda get the flecks of it shining. I didn't have any green glitter and I really wanted one. I do wish I had chose one with some other colors thrown in but I still love this and it's perfect for holiday looks. This can be used as a highlighter or eyeshadow. It's stark white, like crisp white. It reminds me of MAC Reflects Pearl glitter as far as the glitter thats in it. So if Reflects Pearl met at stark white eye shadow it would be this baby right here. I love this and they have other colors in the Fairy Dust they're all white base I think but different glitters that reflect like green, gold, copper, purple etc. These are the two baby samples of glitter that was sent with my order. I've not messed with them yet cause they're so cute but I'm really excited about them especially the pink.
I put a picture of my "Go To" palette on Instagram and it got a ton of likes on it. So I thought it might be interesting to show what colors are in it. I rarely use pre-made palettes anymore. I have a rule about palettes anyway that I will share with you, if I'm not going to use 80% of the palette I won't buy it. I refuse to buy a palette that costs around $50 usually just for 2 or 3 colors. Palettes always take up a lot of space too. Also, especially lately they're repetitive in their colors. I don't need 4 palettes that have the color "Toasted" or "Carbon" in it. I finally broke down and bought a z palette. I was using a double sided MAC Pro Palette but it wasn't strong enough to hold the shadows. I had to lay down extra magnetic sheets in it to help and even that didn't work as good. A Z Palette is kinda pricey I think. They're $20 for the large one I got, it comes in other colors. Especially Makeup Geek has some really pretty colors, very pastel and bright. A large one holds 27 shadows that are standard size. There's a small palette which is $14 and it holds 9 colors. There is a domed one that holds baked powders and blushes it's a bit deeper. It's $25. So yea it's a little pricey but it's definitely worth it because making your own palette is so much more convenient. |
ErinI'm from Tennessee. I'm a makeup and skincare lover. I have always enjoyed creating looks but I love to help people with product knowledge and application even more. I've been able to start blogging and do these things I love because God has seen fit to bless me with the opportunity. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me! Categories
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