Illamasqua 15% off sale!

Illamasqua is having a 15% off sale until Sept. 30th, 2011. I great chance to try products from this brand.

Promotion Code is: FLASH15 at checkout.

BRB, going shopping!  LOL

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

Review: MAC Pro Longwear SPF10 Foundation

MAC PRO Longwear SPF10 Foundation (USD $29.50 for 1 fl. oz) is "a long-wear foundation that gives up to 15 hours of wear in any environmental condition. Lightweight and creamy, applies smoothly to provide sheer to medium coverage. Even in hot and humid conditions, controls oil to keep skin fresh, natural and flawless. Provides everyday SPF protection." (MAC Cosmetics).

The Good:

• Once it sets, it does not goes away or fades or transfer. Very stubborn foundation.
• Looks as if just applied hours after being actually done so.
• 16 shades too choose from.
• It does controls oil and has a 'natural' finish, which to me means not too matte, not to 'dewy'.
• Does not need to be set with powder.

The Bad:

• My shade NC40 is quite different from the SFF NC40, it's yellower. It doesn't affect me that much, but I've read many people having issues with this particular fact.
• It sets super quickly. If you thought Revlon's Colorstay Makeup dried fast, this one dries to the speed of light. That leaves me a very short time to blend it really well. For this reason, it is not possible for me to 'build it up' for more coverage.
• I always feel it on my face, it makes my skin feel very tight and firm, but not in a good way. I don't like to feel my makeup during the day.
• Because it has a physical sunscreen (titanium dioxide) it is not too good for flash photography. 

My skin right now:  NC 40 in SF Powder and Fluid and ProLongwear;

Combination skin (normal skin on cheeks with oily t-zone)

Well, I don't like it. One of the worst foundations I've ever had. I have had this product for months now, looking for ways to get a better application; no matter how little amount or what primer I used, I always feel it over my face all day and I hate that. And it does not do nothing to conceal my pores and scars--even the MAYBELLINE Super Stay 24hr Makeup dealt better with them, providing a smooth finish.

Since I don't like to waste products, I'm mixing it with other foundations (specially one with more neutral tones, so I can get a warmer shade), though I have to be careful: too much of the PRO Longwear and the other foundation looks peach and acquires all the properties of the PRO Longwear I really don't like. Most of the times, results are acceptable.

Trick here is to listen to MAC when they say it provides 'light to medium coverage'--in my case that means to not apply more than a pump. A good brush to apply it is the MAC 187 or the Sigma Sigmax F84 Angled Top Kabuki (the best of those 3 brushes Sigma has). Do not try to build up this foundation as I did, because you will end up with a mess all over your face. I apply concealer before applying this because when I do it after (as I always use to), the concealer looks all patchy and ugly. Ugh.

RATING: 2/5 (Honestly...SFF is better than this one though I hate it transfers like crazy)

LOL, I'm guessing I'm one of the few people in the makeup community that hates this product. =/

MAC PRO Longwear SPF10 Foundation in NC40

Left: An old pic of me w/o makeup; Right: Pro Longwear in NC40;

that pic makes me miss my long hair, =(

  In the picture in the right, if you click it to enlarge it you may notice the patchy area

in the plane of my cheeks, just below my eyes...

 

Non-Flash Pics

 
Have you used this foundation? Any tips?

Linda semana.

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

How to Keep Your Fall Nail Polish from Chipping

Love the new fall nail colors but hate how they chip in a matter of days? Find out how to get your mani to last.

This is a TotalBeauty.com manicure article We're big believers in the mood-boosting power of a weekly manicure, but if you don't want to shell out the big bucks for that many salon visits, follow this step-by-step guide to doing your own mani at home. We guarantee that with these tips, your polish will last a full seven days. See tips

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

My first post about nails =)

Ok. So I never write about nails. Why? Because it was something I considered a lost cause. I mean, I love all the daring colors out there nowadays but I always make such a mess when applying nail polish I just considered I wouldn't waste my time. So I just kept my nails very short and clean.

Well, I don't know what came into me these past couple of weeks, but suddenly I'm interested in doing nails right and of course, to love the results.  I guess it's the same feeling I had when I started to do my makeup back in 2007 at 35 y/o. I realized I didn't know how to do it well and that represented a challenge. Fun thing is that, with makeup, everyday is a new experience, everyday I learn something new or how to improve what I think I already know. I never get bored. Now I'm feeling the same way about nails. LOL! So many possibilities. Yep, you may think I just discover the Nile (as we say in spanish).

I turned to YouTube (of course) and love how many tutorials are there on how to take care of nails and how to apply nail polish. Now, that is pretty basic but honestly, I found them very helpful. I have very shaky hands, so learning how to work with the brush was crucial. Many people use the 3-stroke method which I try to do, but sometimes I do need more than that. Besides, my nails bed is pretty wide so 3 strokes in each one of them doesn't always do the trick. At the end, is whatever works for me.

Again, to me it was more important how to deal with the brush. I always begin in the center, then distribute the nail on the sides. Also, cleaning the cuticles from any mistakes is a very necessary last step for a gorgeous looking manicure.

These 2 videos were very helpful to me:

To remove polish, I prefer 100% pure acetone. It's faster but can also be very drying so I have to remember to apply oil to my cuticles and hand lotion overall.

One important thing is that I cannot rush painting my nails. If I want pretty nails without a dent or something like that, I have to take some time off and relax--and that is so okay with me, lol.

Last week I painted them but did it all wrong; this time I think they look 98% right to me. Sorry, they look a bit wet around the cuticles; it is the vitamin E oil. I forgot to massage it into the cuticles b4 taking pics (I use oil every other day, my cuticles get very dry). Also, I forgot to show the nail polish I used. Rookie mistakes? Hehehe.  Here's a link to it: BETTINA NAIL ENAMEL IN 186. I don't know if Bettina is sold in the US: it is puerto rican brand of makeup and nail polish. I get it on Walmart, Walgreens and many others DS. Very affordable brand, though I have to say, to obtain a very opaque color I had to apply 3 layers.

I'll take better pics next time.

 Hasta luego!

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

My MAC Bloggers' Obsession, Part 2

The lipglasses from MAC Bloggers' Obsession collection are so gorgeous, I decided to buy 4 of them. To me, the colors are quite different from those in the permanent line or to what I have in my stash, which is the main reason I got them--and I love them!

 

The one I bought from this collection:

Caqui--A beautiful orange l/g. I think this is my first really orange gloss that fits me so well. Creamy with no shimmer.

Sonoran Rain--A coral red with gold and silver shimmer...LOVE IT, my fave from this collection. It may be described as a coral red, but I all I thought when I saw it was...tomatoes! LOL

Nitro:Licious 2046--A very pigmente cool red, though I consider it to look more neutral on my lips. My first very pigmented red lipglass. This one also has no shimmer.

All of my Purple Life--The names says it, real purple. I don't have a lipglass like this one. The closest purple I have is MAC Hello Kitty's Fast Friends l/g and it is very shimmery with just a hint of color. I wouldn't wear All of my Purple Life alone: it makes me look pale. But for a dark or even a gothic look, it is perfect.

One of the reasons I like the MAC l/g is because they do last on my lips for hours *4hrs* before starting to fade. They are tacky, but that's one of the things that make them last. Love love love them. Also, the lipglasses for this collection are so pigmented!

RATING: 5/5  

MAC CAQUI L/G

 MAC SONORAN RAIN L/G

MAC NITRO:LICIOUS 2046

MAC All of my Purple Life L/G

 Hope your are having a lovely weekend! / ¡Espero estén disfrutando del fin de semana!


¡Vivan, amen y rían!

TotalBeauty.com: 10 Best Drugstore Products for Fall

Great choices with the exception of the CG cream shadow (creases terribly--no matter what eye base I use) and the Almay makeup (that one makes me orange...).

10 Best Drugstore Products for Fall

See the 10 budget buys chosen by a celebrity makeup artist that will help you get the hottest looks for fall.

This is a TotalBeauty.com budget makeup article We always thought A-list people shopped at A-list stores for their A-list beauty products. But, as it turns out, even celebrities -- and their makeup artists -- get thrifty with it. We took celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman to our local CVS to pick his brain about the best budget buys for the season. And he walked us around the store, pointing out his current top 10 makeup favorites. See his list

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

My MAC Bloggers' Obsession

It's been a long time since I've bought 2 or more products of a MAC collection. It's just that many of them look so much alike. I got these products online weeks ago, when many of the shades became available again (most were sold out in minutes the first time around). I watched so many swatches of the e/s and l/g of this collection, I knew just the ones I wanted.

E/S:  "Jealousy Wakes" and "Hocus Pocus"

L/G: "Caqui", "All of my Purple Life", "Nitro:Licious 2046" and "Sonora Rain"

 

Jealousy Wakes (VP) -- It's creator (Christine from Temptalia.com) describes it as a "emerald green with teal and gold pearl". I first debated if I really needed it (not just wanted it) because I thought it looked like Shimmermoss or Aquadisiac...but oh no. This e/s is absolutely beautiful and I don't have a shade (or for that matter nor I recall MAC having) a shade similar to it, which I understand was one of Christine's goals.

Hocus Pocus (S) -- The Makeup Girl (Lianne) says it is a "dark sooty grey with silver pearl". I realized a while ago that I love grey e/s. I just wanted this one. I thought it would looked maybe like "Knight Divine" or "Smoke&Diamonds". But not so. The silver pearl makes it looks amazing and call me crazy but do I detect gold flecks? IDK.

Hocus Pocus (L) and Jealousy Wakes

 

Here are the swatches:

Jealousy has a Veluxe Pearl finish and Hocus P. is Satin, two of my fave MAC Finishes. Quality is superb.

Rating: 5/5

Hope the above swatches are useful. I'll show some of the glosses in my next post.

Linda semana.

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

TotalBeauty.com: Your Favorite Looks That He HATES

What?!? Sienna Miller is shown as an example of theses "bad looks"? No way, she looks nice, well, except the "bed head", LOL.

I don't agree with many of the "looks" mentioned here; I don't think is the bangs, edgy shag or the red lips per se, is how they are wearing them (too much makeup, bad hairstyle or accessories...; I mean, the edgy shag...come on girl, wash your hair!). 

Your Favorite Looks That He HATES

How much does your opinion differ from your man's about your looks? Find out.

This is a TotalBeauty.com beauty tips article Sure you love that beehive hairstyle hot off the fall runways -- but does he? Of course, the days of dressing for our S.O.s are over, but that doesn't mean we don't want them to think we look good. Find out which of your favorite hair and makeup looks he hates. Find out

¡Vivan, amen y rían!

500+ blogs posts!

I'm celebrating a bit of a milestone here people: 500+ blog posts. Yay!!! 3 years of blogging and countin'...

 ¡Vivan, amen y rían!