Hot or Not: CoverGirl Bombshell Mascara

HOT OR NOT?!?!

COVERGIRL BOMBSHELL MASCARA

PACKAGING: Comes in a very thick hot pink tube. This is CoverGirl's first dual wand mascara. The 1 tube is the same brush as the CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara and the 2 tube is a thinner brush with hair bristles. Personally I think the size of the mascara is pretty ridiculous and not necessary. 

FORMULATION: The side that is labeled #1 is basically CoverGirl's Lash Blast mascara. So if you are a fan of that you will like this. The formula for this side is to add volume. I never had any luck with the Lash Blast formula so this one made no difference considering it is the same exact product. The #2 side is a lengthening mascara and one that I actually liked. It gave me more volume rather than length and it separated my lashes very nicely. Both formulas have a typical mascara scent nothing too overwhelming. 

HOT OR NOT: NOT As much as I like the second side for me personally its not worth the money. Like I said before I am not a fan of the Lash Blast formula and this is exactly that with an addition mascara. If you are a fan of the Lash Blast by all means you will love this mascara. 

AVAILABLE AT DRUGSTORES NATIONWIDE.  

Review: Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer

Color: Light to Natural

Packaging: The product comes in a plastic orange bottle and a pink pump. The bottle itself is very sturdy and great for traveling. Unlike other drugstore tinted moisturizers, this is one of the few that comes with a working pump. The pump pumps just enough product compared to some other pumps that just pumps out way to much product. 

Formulation: When I first pumped the product out it felt and looked really watery. However as I applied it on my face it gradually begun to thicken up a bit. It was very easy to apply (I just used my fingers) and it blended into the skin really nicely. It is also very moisturizing so on those days when your running out of time and need to apply something quickly you can just skip your regular moisturizer and apply this instead. It feels light on the skin and doesn't feel like you have product on your face (NO SCENT). This product works great on dry skin and can work on oily skin. Just be sure to set it with a powder. In terms of wear time I wore it without a primer and it lasted a good 4-41/2 hours without any touch up. With a primer it extended wear time up to 6 hours. Another bonus is has a SPF of 50 which is considerably high for any tinted moisturizer out on the market today. Comes in 2 colors: Light to Natural and Natural to Tan.

Coverage: Since it is a tinted moisturizer I didn't expect too much out of the coverage. It has a very light to light medium coverage. While it doesn't provide much coverage it does even out the skin tone and gives a bit of luminosity. 

Overall 4.5/5 

You can purchase this product at pretty much anywhere that sells Physician's Formula. It is fairly expensive for a drugstore tinted moisturizer about $12-14, however keep in mind that Physician's Formula is an organic beauty brand and all their ingredients are very natural and good for you. There are always coupons online and drugstores like CVS have flash sales which marks products like these down to 75% off. I recently got my at one of these flash sales for $3! Talk about a deal. 

Where you can purchase:

Walgreens- Online and In Store

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/physicians-formula-healthy-wear-tinted-moisturizer-spf-50/ID=prod6143031-product?ext=gooBeauty_PLA_Tinted_Moisturizer_prod6143031_pla&adtype={adtype}&kpid=prod6143031&sst=2a27f99f-053c-fc88-cba9-00003f1f9325 

Ulta- Online and In Store

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod1930125&skuId=2212946&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&CAWELAID=772018085&catargetid=330000200000064436&cadevice=c&cagpspn=pla

CVS- Online and In Store 

http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/Physicians-Formula-Tinted-Moisturizer-Natural-to-Tan-SPF-50?skuId=723897

Weekly Playlist 12/9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0gtzHJphVg&feature=share&list=PLEusLI9-6r2FCOI60P_ZzyUNysByUTYri

1.) Thank You- MKTO

2.) Brokenhearted- Karmin

3.) Everyday Coolin- Swizz Beatz ft. Eve

4.) Try- Simple Plan (Can't believe they are back!)

5.) Don't Forget Where You Belong- One Direction

6.) I Wanna Be Yours- Arctic Monkeys

7.) Savages- Breathe Carolina

8.) Alone Together- Fall Out Boy

Current Reading List: December 2013

Here are some books I been enjoying the month of December :D 
I never just read one book at a time. Ever since I could read I always read many books at one time otherwise I get bored too easily. Also I read fast so for me it makes sense to just have more than one book lying around. 

1.) Mortal Instruments (First 3 books in the series): City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass By Cassandra Clare- Angels vs. Demons, Good vs. Evil pretty much sums it up. If you are a fan of the Hunger Games Series and Harry Potter you will enjoy this. 

2.) Cross My Heart (Alex Cross Series) By James Patterson- Basically Law and Order in a book/story form. The series follows cop turned FBI agent Alex Cross and the unique criminals he deals with. Action, crime, violence, romance, friendship, family pretty much has it all.

3.) You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation By Deborah Tannen- Insight on gender differences and why women and men think the way they do. Super entertaining and great advice. 

4.) Freakonomics By Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner- This book came out awhile back and had great reviews. I don't know why it took me this long to start reading this. Written by an economist and journalist this book explains riddles of everyday life from crime to cheating to even sports. Really entertaining and mind boggling. 

Top 5 Favorite Beauty/Fashion YouTube Gurus

1.) Michelle Phan- One of my biggest inspirations of all time. She started out with nothing and has become one of the biggest beauty icons of this century. She begun her career making beauty tutorials on YouTube and from that grew an empire. She now owns beauty related businesses like IPSY which is a monthly subscription service that offers people the chance to try out popular beauty products for just $10. She also recently launched her own makeup line Em Cosmetics currently being sold online for the time being (She will be opening up a store soon!) The majority of her videos are beauty related but she does throw in some life vlogs and hauls now and then.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan 

IPSY: http://www.ipsy.com/

Em Cosmetics: http://www.emcosmetics.com/

2.) Emily Noel- A lot of successful beauty gurus today on YouTube tend to focus a lot more on sponsorships and money now and days. And don't get me wrong that's great I mean who doesn't love getting paid for doing something they love to do. However with money and fame people tend to change a lot with personalities and quality of their videos. Emily however is definitely not one of them. She is probably one of the most down-to-earth people I have come across in the beauty community. She has this bubbly personality that is just contagious. You cannot not be happy when you watch her. She is also very honest with her opinions when it comes to products. She never fluffs them or companies up. If a product is bad she will tell you. Her channel is mostly beauty related with a bit of fashion. She also has a vlog channel which she gives us peeks into her life with her husband Tyler.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/emilynoel83 

Vlog Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/beautyvlogcast

3.) Meghan Rosette- She is one of the youngest beauty gurus that I have come to love. She is really fun to watch and just lights up the room. Meghan does a mixture of videos from beauty to fashion and she also has a vlog channel as well. She has also been seen on TV most recently on Nick.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/meghanrosette

Vlog Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/moremeghann

4.) Bethany Mota- Another young beauty/fashion guru. She is a joy to watch. She never fails to deliver no matter what type of video she makes. Her fashion sense is never too over the top and is very relatable for the everyday girl/woman. She is also launching her own clothing line with Aeropostale this month. 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Macbarbie07

Vlog Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BethanysLife

5.) Evelina Barry- One of my favorite fashion gurus here on YouTube. Her fashion sense combines the best of trends but always adding a bit of her into it. Her outfits are flawless and beautifully put together. Her videos are great quality and you can tell she puts a lot of effort into them. Evelina also does beauty and vlog videos. 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Evelinicutza

Vlog Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EvelinaBarry

Review: NARS Ita Brush

When it comes to makeup having the proper tools make a huge difference. You can have the most expensive makeup but it doesn't mean it will look good if it isn't applied properly. Over the last couple of months I been updating my brushes and other various makeup tools. My favorite brush I have acquired so far is the NARS Ita Brush. 

It is a flat kabuki style brush that is designed specifically for contouring your face. The handle of the brush is a thin black rectangular shape. The brush hairs are made from black goat hair. It is super soft and applies product beautifully. The hairs are tapered into a rectangular shape as well making it easy for contouring. (TIP: When contouring suck in your cheeks and make a fish face, apply your bronzer in the hollows, this gives more depth and shape to your face and great for a slimming effect. You can also contour the sides of your nose to make it seem longer) 

At first I didn't think too much of this brush. First it is very pricey for one brush retailing at about $39 not including tax. And secondly while the shape of the brush makes sense I found it pointless. However after reading many reviews I gave in and got it and I fell in love with it. It makes contouring so much easier. This isn't a brush I would recommend for beginners not only because of the price but also the shape itself. As a beginner to makeup one of the most important techniques that must be master to achieve flawless looks is blending. Starting out with a round dome shaped brush is a great way to practice blending. The Ita brush is not so easy to handle if you don't have prior experience to contouring. Like any skill practice makes perfect. 

This brush can be purchased at https://www.google.com/shopping/product/9778497692514543624?q=nars+ita+brush&oq=nars+ita&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j69i60l3.1277j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=119&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ei=aUihUtmbLcPVkQeM24HICw&ved=0CMkBEL4k

NEW!!! Maybelline Master Hi-Light By FACESTUDIO: Highlighting Blush

020 Pink Rose

PACKAGING- Comes in a round black plastic powder compact. It is a dual case with the product on the first layer and when lifted up there is a mirror and a small brush (doesn't work well).

FORMULATION- Very easy to blend and nicely pigmented in terms of highlighting. As a blush it is quite sheer and needs several layers for the color to come out. But it is super pretty and gives a nice flush glowy look to the skin. The product is mosaic shaped with the white parts being the highlighter and the pink squares as the color so you can choose to use either the highlight or the color. I prefer to take a fluffy powder brush and just mix it. It also comes in a darker pink and 2 bronze colors. 

Available at CVS and other drugstores nationwide. Retails depending on retailer for about $7-11