Calvin Klein Makeup?!?!?!

If you live in the US you’ve probably heard of Calvin Klein unless... you’ve been living under a rock. He is known for his underwear and fragrance ads and denim designs. Most of us have seen a sexy CK ad! Well to my surprise, he has a makeup line! Who knew?!?

I made a stop at Ulta over the weekend with one of my best friend’s with a short list of items to buy. My bestie stopped to look at lipstick and low and behold it was the Calvin Klein brand. The CK representative happened to be in the store and she began to introduce us to their line. CK’s line is an exclusive to ULTA stores; new to Michigan stores.

The CK rep raved about their face makeup, a 3-in-1 solution (primer, sunscreen, and foundation) which is designed to be light on the skin but provide the necessary coverage. It also adjusts to your complexion and is able to darken up to two shades; perfect for the summer months. I also picked up their skin illuminator liquid in warm with the intention of using it as a highlighter. I used both products this weekend and I love the feel and finish of both! If you usually wear a tinted moisturizer in the summer I think this product is definitely a great alternative because it’s as light as or maybe even lighter on the skin than some tinted moisturizers on the market. The other great thing about this line is the pricing. It is extremely reasonable. The 3-in-1 makeup retails for $30 and the Illuminator is $20. CK offers a full line of makeup; check them out at an Ulta store near you!

Lipstick Secret!

Have you ever worn a lipstick and was completely turned off by the drying effects, smudging off on everything you drink, or it not being as smooth as you would like? Well, if you wear lipstick I’m sure you’ve experienced at least one of the above. Let me let you in on a secret, Mac’s Prep + Prime lip is the answer! It’s a color free base worn under lipstick. It adds moisture, improves the appearance of lip products, and smoothes and refines the lips.

The first time I wore it, my lipstick lasted all night and I was at a friend’s party and the beverages were flowing. At the end of the night I still had on my “lips” which is unheard of if I had not prepped and primed! I will never wear lipstick again without applying this product. Try it and tell me what you think!

Ipsy Glam Bag!

Yesterday I arrived home to a pleasant surprise package; I received my first Ipsy Glam Bag! If you aren’t familiar, Ipsy was created by Michelle Phan a stylist and beauty expert. Michelle and her team of stylist select products they love for subscribers to try. Each month subscribers receive a personalized glam bag and the stylists post videos using the products you were sent. You can follow along or create your own video. This is a cool concept and really an amazing new phenomenon. The cost of membership is only $10 per month!

I was super excited to receive my first spring themed glam bag. It contained a mint colored Zoya nail polish, Juice Beauty lip gloss, Mirabella red lip liner, Nume finishing hair serum, and a Yaby concealer! The bag itself is a super cute chevron like print which I plan to definitely use in the future! 

I love nail polish and seriously wanted to polish my nails at 11:00pm but decided against it for obvious reasons. The lip liner will come in handy because I’ve purchased three new red lip sticks, MAC RiRi Woo, Milani Red Label, and Mac Red, I can’t wait to see which shade it works with the best. The concealer may be a little too light for my complexion but I plan to try it just to get a feel for the consistency of the product. I was least excited about the hair serum but I’ll try it as well.

I am thoroughly impressed with my first Glam bag and I’m very happy to be a part of the IPSY club! Every product junkie must be an ipster!

My Life Was Changed!

Since becoming an adult I developed a mild case of acne. I escaped my teens and the majority of my twenties without any issues until sometime toward the end. I had no choice but to develop a habit of utilizing a skincare regime to manage this mild annoyance. I’ve used multiple facial wash systems over the years but for the last well let’s say 2 or 3 years I’ve been using a Boscia skin care regime.

I love love love Boscia! This line was originally developed in Japan and introduced to the United States in 2002. It is the world’s first 100% preservative free skincare line who guarantees a manufacturing process of purity. Meaning, they manufacture in a clean room environment!



*photo from boscia website

I began using these products and within weeks noticed an improvement in my skin. Using it day and night religiously help me get a handle on my skin. I still felt like something was missing because although I saw a reduction in the frequency of breakouts I still felt like I need to take my regime to a new level.

I was introduced to a product that CHANGE MY LIFE!!!!

THE CLARISONIC!!!



*photo from company website



This little brush transformed my skin! I have rare occasions of a bump here and there but nothing major! After using this for the first time, my face never felt so clean from my at home care. My skin looked like I had gotten a facial and now every day I experience this amazing feeling! 

 I highly recommend buying a Clarisonic, you won’t regret the purchase! Everyone I know who owns one shares my same sentiments!

Operation “get my linen closet back”! Get Organized!

I moved into my house over a year ago and I’m still doing my makeup in my bathroom! Now, this wouldn’t be a problem if I had a huge bathroom with plenty of space but unfortunately that is not the case. I had completely taken over the linen closet which is inside my bathroom! I had nothing but products; makeup brushes, makeup, nail polish, nail polish remover, shampoo, etc… on all three shelves leaving no room for my towels or sheets! I am storing those things in the closet in my bedroom on shelves built for my shoes! SMH!

Last Friday I woke up with the mission of taking my linen closet back for its intended purpose and began on my journey to get organized! I researched and found a vanity and mirror from Pier 1 that I absolutely fell in love with! I purchased the vanity and mirror and went straight to Michael’s and Target to get organizers and decorative filler because you know I had to make the space as girly as possible!

I spent all Friday and much of Saturday transferring my makeup products from my linen closet to my new vanity area which is located in my multipurpose room! I’m not finished with the room but I have been so pleased with the ability to get dressed in an area designated for this purpose! All of my products are organized just the way I like it! The area isn’t quite complete but it has become my favorite room in the house!

My project for this month is to finish organizing the linen closet so my towels and sheets will have a permanent home!

Tips/Hot items:

I’m ordering this lip stick container as soon as possible! It holds up to 50 tubes! Heavenly!

Lip stick case 

Lips Must Not Stay Chapped!

A major violation of pretty girl status is to walk around with chapped, splitting, peeling lips! It’s just not hot or comfortable! I live in Michigan and the winters here are BRUTAL on your skin and especially your lips!

For some reason this winter season was extremely hard on my lips. My staple products were no longer proving to be effective. I was perplexed and thought to myself, boy this being 30 plus (only a few pluses thank you! Lol) sure does change things!

I was on a mission to find the perfect ritual and combination of products that would cure my new found cure less issue of chapped lips! Again, that’s not hot! Lol

I first increased my water consumption because obviously I needed more to hydrate my body and in turn help with this issue I was facing. I also began applying a nice portion of good old fashion Vaseline, only this brand and not any other brand of petroleum jelly, every night before going to bed!  This helped tremendously but I wasn’t quite satisfied with the daily lip balm I was applying. I won’t name the product because honestly I tried a lot and none of them proved to be effective.

I was given a nice lip balm for Christmas but it costs $27 per stick and was gone within two weeks! I was happy that I had found something that worked but unhappy because I was developing an expensive habit! I challenged myself to find a cheaper alternative which yielded the same results!

Ready…. Set…. Go….

It took a few weeks but I finally found a replacement product! I was so elated I almost did a dance around the block a few times but thought that would be a little weird so just settled on a fist pump and nod! J

My absolute favorite winter time lip balm is……. Burt Bee’s Ultra Conditioning lip balm with kokum butter! When I say it works, it works! My less than attractive, uncomfortable chapped lips turned into supple heaven in no time! I know spring is here but next winter try it and thank me later! J

P.S. Nivea just came out with a new product called lip butter… check it out too, and you may like it!

My love for Philosophy!

I was sitting home a few Saturdays ago flipping through my channels in search of something to keep me entertained. For the first time, I stopped on the QVC channel because they were featuring Philosophy.

Well people, this is all it took!!! I can get a deal on beauty products that I would actually use and not some old lady perfume or less than attractive jewelry?!?  Hey, I was all in! They featured the Summer Grace limited edition (of course it was limited edition) gift box. This included a body exfoliating scrub, shower gel, body mist oil, and fragrance. People were calling into the show raving about this product. One lady said she was even chased down by a stranger on the subway in New York just to be asked what she was wearing! Yeah, that was enough to get my purchase! I had finally become one of those people who buy from QVC or the home shopping network! WHAT?!?! Lol

 

When the package arrived you would’ve thought I was a kid on Christmas morning! I immediately opened the box to smell this so called amazing scent! PEOPLE!!!!! I was not disappointed!!! I LOVEEEEEEE the fragrance.  It has a subtle clean and refreshing smell. I mean, I want to pick me up because it smells so good! I am beyond pleased with the purchase.

My work week was long and stressful but my Philosophy Summer Grace collection helped melt it all away! I came home Friday, used the shower gel as bubble bath and settled into a long escape fit for the most deserving Queen!