Review+Swatches: Hard Candy's 1,000 Lashes--Fiberized Lash Weave Primer

I like Lash Primer. I feel most of them truly do the work: condition and protect my lashes while helping my mascara make them look longer and fuller. To me lash primers are a great complement to even the cheapest mascara, aiding them to do their jobs better.  

A few weeks ago I saw the Hard Candy's 1,000 Lashes Fiberized Lash Weave Primer at my local Walmart and the first thing that grabbed my attention was the picture of the wand. It was big and wide. At $6 I didn't hesitate to buy it and try it out. I'm glad I did. It works quite well!

When applied, I get to see these little "fibers" on my lashes, they look like they have white extensions, lol (see pics). I let it dry and add my mascara. I really liked the result. As the packaging says, it made my lashes look a bit longer and fuller compared to mascara alone--not a super-huge-in-your-face difference, but it was there and I was satisfied. But what I love most about it is that, as other primers do, it helps my mascara to stay on longer without smudging even when I'm sweating. I've read some people mentioning they dislike the feeling of the fibers on their lashes, but honestly I did not feel anything.

 

A few things I do dislike:  I need to apply a few coats before actually seeing the product on my lashes; I would love for it to help more on the volume department; The wand worked for me because I have large eyelashes but I don't know how it will work on smaller ones (let me know if you have sparse or small lashes and tried it); and the mascara has this toothpaste-like packaging which I think will cause some product to remain in it when I actually think I've used it all up. Maybe will have to open it to see if it is like the UDPP?

 

Honestly, I've used lash primers from MAC, Clinique and Elizabeth Arden and this product is very comparable to them but for a fraction of the price. Really pleased and will buy again.

RATING: 4/5

*HARD CANDY 1,000 Lashes Fiberized Lash Weave Primer, $6 USD at Walmart Stores.

Some pics of my lashes with/without the primer (Click on all pics for enlarged versions).

IN ALL PICS:  MY BARE LASHES (Top) AND WITH PRIMER

LASHES WITHOUT PRIMER (Top) AND WITH PRIMER (Bottom)

LASHES WITHOUT PRIMER (left) AND WITH PRIMER (right)

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

2 Beauty Bubbles for the Post of One

LoL! Sorry, couldn't help it...

9 Office-Friendly Hairstyles

Look put-together for work by copying these stars' styles

This is a TotalBeauty.com hairstyles article The best part about these hairstyles? They can be done in minutes. See hairstyles

Which Part of Your Body Will Give Away Your Age First?

Does your anti-aging routine stop at your neck? See how your body could reveal your real age

This is a TotalBeauty.com skin care article You work hard and play hard, but it will catch up to you if you don't take care of your skin -- even from the neck down. But which part of your body will reveal your age first? Find the answer in this quiz, then find out how to fight back. Take quiz

Bronzed Ego Deflated (& MAC SFF NC & NW40 swatches)

As I've stated recently, I went to my local MAC the other day and just played around with some products. I tried the Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC40 on my jaw (I was sans-makeup as I was going shopping for foundation--I ended up with MUFE HD Foundation in 128, which is more neutral) to make sure I was that shade again.  I became immediately sad as I saw it was still dark for my face...

Ahahahaaaaaaa, I thought I had more color on me that I've had in a long time, that maybe I was a bit more "tanned". Not like golden bronzed but you know, a bit darker. Well, a bit darker indeed but not a the point of being a full SFF NC40.  Besides, it looked too yellow on me. NC37 is okay for me.

The thing with MAC SFF is that altough I identify more with the NC side since too much  NW pink can make me look ashy gray, right now I'm guessing my ideal shade would be achieved by combining an NW and an NC shade. The intensity may vary.  Besides that, why don't I buy a bottle of each and mix it? After all, I love how creamy it is and the great coverage it provides. But I tried it out a long time ago and it was horrible: it transferred badly and caused small white heads all over my cheeks, chin and forehead. That's why I just stay away from it.

Enough blah blah blah. I just wanted to show a couple of swatches I did of the NC40 and NW40 shades on my hand. I tried to sheer them out a bit. Not the best swatches, but you get the idea. (I hope). And yes, NW40 looks way darker than NC40.

**CLICK PICS**

Indoor Lighting (fluorescent)

Outdoor Natural Lighting

Oh, I don't know if you know but the SFF foundation does get a bit darker as it dries. Take that into consideration if buying it.  Better ask for a sample first.



¡Vivan, amen y rían!

PSsst---¡Viva Brasil!

I'm such a coward...

*Warning* This post is just me rambling about hair and stuff (is that the correct expression?).

A few weeks ago I blogged about wanting a new hairstyle and all that. I posted some pics of possibilities.  But I've found almost impossible to get myself to a hair salon! It's been almost a year since my last haircut (I can't believe how fast time passes by).  I admit I'm scared of hair stylists o_O.

I can't remember the name of the last lady that cut my hair, I haven't seen her since. I will have to go and discuss again with a new stylist the whole process: what I want and how I want it done.  And lately I haven't been Mrs. Patience. You know what I mean? 

Don't get me wrong, my hair is not that bad, I just want a change.  Here are some recent pics --Oh, I have no makeup on, so you get to see me in my all natural glory--:

(Left): Sorry for the bad quality, it's the best shot I could take since I was alone.

Many thanks to those of you who commented on great hairstyles and colors (thanks!) for me. I don't think I will color my hair blonde, though. Why? A few reasons. The color I have right now is my own natural hair color. It gets a bit lighter at the ends maybe because I use a treatment for a scalp condition and inevitable sun exposure. I'm careful about the products I use --just silicone drops and alcohol-free hair styling products-- or not ironing too much, stuff like that. I hardly have split ends. So you can imagine how hard it would be for me to be blonde. To much chemical damage. 

But most of all, I would need to retouch the color constantly and I'm LAZY!!!! Hahaha. Maybe if I get more gray hairs (*Hate you, get out of my head!!!*), I'll get a similar color or highlights. Yeah, highlights are cool.

Anyway, I need to stop being a chicken, stop whining and just do it. LOL!

Oh, I went to Sephora today and finally used my gift card. Can you believe I've had it since Mother's Day and hadn't used it yet? It does not have anything to do with self-control, I just didn't have the time to go to the store. Summer is crazy around my house, i.e, husband and kids with me all day... Hello insanity!


I bought the MUFE HD Foundation (finally) and the Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer in travel size. Pics soon.

I also went to MAC to see the latest collections...mmmm...not impressed, again. So I swatched and played with foundation, lippies and e/s (from the permanent line) and then left empty handed. Now that's self-control A++.

That's all. If you read this post 'til the end, I love you. <3<3<3!


¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Top-Rated Sunscreens

Put Your Best Face Forward With One of These Top-Rated Sunscreens

Keep your face protected with one of these reader-approved sublocks.

This is a TotalBeauty.com skin care article Think you can't wear sunscreen on your face without it being an oil orgy? Think again. These facial sunscreens won't make you look greasy and even allow you to wear makeup under or over 'em. See products

No. 11: Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30, $30

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.3

"SPF in a snap …"

No. 10: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Sunblock, $9.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.7

"It does not make my oily skin feel greasy at all …"

No. 9: DDF Enhancing Sun Protection SPF 30, $30

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.7

"I skip my foundation when I wear this …"

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here! ¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Giorgio Armani Family & Friends Summer Sale =)

Hey, just wanted to let you know --if you don't already!-- that Armani is having its F&F sale right now on its website until the 27th. 20% Off Cosmetics and Skincare.  FYI.  ^__^

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Look: MAC Trax and Beauty Marked

LoL, I've just noticed I have not made any specific "summer looks" so far. In all honesty, in this island summer is not so different from the rest of the seasons.  Though I have to say, it's been raining non-stop for more than a week. OMG, I'll promise I will not complain about the heat and humidity...much...for a couple of weeks XD. But this rain has to stop! 

Anyway, the other day I saw THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL by Pixiwoo in YouTube and I wanted to do my version of it. Just a few changes, like different e/s base -- which caused Trax e/s looking different on my eyelids, adding a highlighter in my tear duct area and lip color.  I already had my everyday makeup on b4 doing this eye makeup look and didn't felt like changing the color of the cheeks and lips.

Oh, another thing: the golden line you see as an eyeliner is just Trax on top of my black pencil eyeliner. That base took all the gold in Trax!

What I like about this look is that I think Trax and Beauty Marked are excellent MAC shades and they don't get enough love or recognition from the makeup loving community.

About my face makeup, today I applied my Revlon CS with my hands --not only fingers but with my palms too-- and set it with MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation with a makeup puff. I just felt I needed the extra coverage as I have a few blemishes on my face (Boo!).  The finish was very soft and my facial skin texture looked quite good.  This is def. a makeup technique I really like.

FACE (in order of application)

MAC Prep+Prime SPF 50

REVLON Colorstay Makeup in Natural Tan (Combo/Oily skin) --it's been a while since I've use this alone because it was too dark for me but now looks nice!

ESTEE LAUDER Double Wear Concealer in Medium

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC40 --applied with a makeup puff for a soft finish (and pores cover-up)

MAC Blush in Frankly Scarlet --applied very light with my MAC 131 brush

MAC Fix+ Spray to set makeup (and refresh it during the day)

EYES

TFSI

L'OREAL Hip Cream Shadow Paint in Steely (my review HERE)

MAC E/S in Trax (eyelid and lower lashline), Beauty Marked (outer V, crease & lower lashline), Idol Eyes (tear duct area)

MAC P/M in Naked on brow bone

MAYBELLINE Define-a-Line E/L in Ebony Black on top lashes (line was smudge)

UD 24/7 E/L in Zero on waterline

L'OREAL Carbon Black Voluminous Mascara

MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Stud

LIPS

Sally Hansen Healing Butter for Lips

Sally Hansen Natural Butter Lip Shine in Berry -- Love it!

I hope you are having a nice week. Anyone watching the World Cup? How about the USA-Algeria game? Very emotional and exciting! But I can't wait for tomorrow's Brazil-Portugal game. That one promises to be amazing.

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Stress-Squashing Tips

Mine are a foot massage and a long hot shower. <3<3

Stress-Squashing Tips

Don't compromise your heath and beauty by letting stress get the best of you.

This is a TotalBeauty.com health & beauty article Stressed? Check. Tense? Check? Overwhelmed? Check. Then it might be time to read about some of these tried and true methods like aromatherapy and reflexology to help you chill. Get tips

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Curious about: L'OREAL's new foundation and mascara

I just received an email from L'oreal (promo) and it mentioned new products for this summer. =D

L'oreal Visible Lift Serum Absolute Foundation promises many things, mainly beautiful younger skin in 4 weeks.  We have heard that b4, right? Well, this foundation has Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol and also SPF 17. It provides "smoother, fimer, brighter, even and flawless skin".  Phew! Wow. LOL!  I like they are providing a pump with it. From the L'oreal website I see 12 shades. I don't see shades for very dark skinned ladies, let's hope I'm mistaken. This is an issue that many cosmetic companies have. That and not providing more foundation shades with yellow undertones. 

The regular Visible Lift foundation has good reviews in MUA, but my go-to foundation from L'oreal is the True Match (my review here). As a foundation junkie, you just know I will try this as soon as I find it in my nearest drugstore.

The other product I want to try is the Telescopic Explosion Waterproof Mascara. I liked the original Telescopic Explosion (click here for my review), but I do wish for this waterproof formula to show improvement. I'm a fan of WP mascaras except for the CG LashBlast Mascara. It's waterproof version just provides rock-hard lashes.  Can't wait! 

Have any of you already tried these products? Thoughts?

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

TotalBeauty.com: Four-Minutes Makeup Looks

Four-Minute Makeup Looks

Total Beauty editors take one for the team to put these quickie looks to the test and get their mug shots, er, photos taken

This is a TotalBeauty.com celebrity makeup article Celeb makeup artist created six four-minute makeup looks -- can they realistically be done? Our editors prove it. See looks

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

I need a haircut and a new hairstyle

So the thing is now my hair is way too long. It's down past my mid-back and very fine. It's too hot here, very humid and I always end up doing a pony-tail or twisting it and using a hair clamp. It's boring and I get depressed.

I went to one of those sites that provide "virtual makeovers" and look for different hairstyles and hair colors. I used the one in BeautyRiot.com and play around a little. These are some of the styles I "tried" on:

**Click for enlarged picture**

#1 will be okay...when I'm like 50.

#2 is very mom-like; it's cool.

#3 --my husband loved this, including the hair color...I don't know about being blonde, too much work; but it looks kinda sexy.

#4 is another one that will be alright for when I'm older though with a different haircolor -- red hair is not for me; my hubby says I look like a movie star with that style and color, lol! He's so nice to me.

#5 --very rock-n-roll chic; I do think I would need to use my flat iron everyday, something I normally don't.

#6 is very sexy too, not sure about the color but I love the layered style.

#7 --I'm drawn to that one, mainly because it consists of long layers; this one is a little under the shoulders, I like that.

#8 --OH MY GOD NO! I look like I'm in the '80s, this will require lots of hairspray and the hairstyle is just terrible, LMAO!  IDK, but it makes me think of one of those Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Now, I know that with my big long face shape, medium to long hairstyles are better but it was really cool to see how I would look with super short hair.  I'll share if I get a new hairstyle. =)

This was fun.

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Review+Swatches: Maybelline Moisture Extreme L/S

Name: Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipcolor

Price: $5-7 USD

A little more than a year ago I blogged about drugstore products I love and the Maybelline Moisture Extreme L/S were one of them (click here). I still love this line!

These lippies are amazing. Maybelline describes them as "active power of a lip balm provides deep moisturization for voluptuous lips drenched in color". They do feel like very moisturizing lip balm. Most of them are very sheer though some are more creamy and pigmented. This product really makes my lips feels so soft and moisturized.

I hope Maybelline doesn't discontinue this line. I say this because since the release of the Color Sensational Lipstick I've noticed that the shade availability of the Moisture Extreme lippies has decreased considerably in various locations near where I live. Originally there were like 50-something shades now I just can find like half that amount... =(

I consider them to be very affordable, high quality and best of all, I have bought all of mine on sale! lol

 

Perfect 5/5 on my book!

Note: Check out my Rating Scale here.

**All pics are clickable**

PLEASE NOTE: I did not use any base or primer on my lips for these swatches

My bare lips...

They look pretty similar on my lips, but I prefer Rosy Glow

I love this color!

Have a wonderful day!


¡Vivan, amen y rían!