Benefit Birthday Gift from Sephora + MAC Wishlist

Around this same time last year I published a similar post to this. Sephora offers BI (VIB and VIB Rouge) members a free birthday present every year. You can pick it up 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after your birthday (no purchase necessary). Since my birthday is on December 18th, I picked up my present a few days ago. Last year around this time they had the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Duo and now the Benefit Real Birthday Turn-Ons kit is up for grabs. It comes with deluxe samples of Benefit's They're Real Mascara and Watt's Up Highlighter. 

Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in Bordeaux

Revlon recently released a new line of scented nail polishes called Parfumerie. You've probably seen these in a few blogs now. Revlon limited releases are usually very popular and highly coveted amongst beauty lovers (specially their lip products!) The color I have is Bordeaux, a deep crimson red. I didn't have high expectations for these because gimmicky products (in this case scented polish) are usually of questionable quality. These retail for approximately $5 (depending on where you purchase). 

Makeup Look: Catching Fire

I was playing around with my Balm Voyage Palette from The Balm (kindly gifted to me by Lau) and came up with this makeup look. It's an exceptional palette and I will be reviewing it in the future. When I was doing my makeup I was not thinking of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie but when I was looking at the pictures in my camera it's what came to mind. The eye makeup reminds me of a subdued ("wearable") fire. So I decided to name it catching fire because I had no idea what else to name it anyway.

A Post Closer To Home: Coca-Cola & HSF Scholarship

Although I write a beauty blog, I like to throw in the occasional lifestyle post here and there. Especially if I can use this platform to spread a positive message or help raise awareness on an issue. This is not a sponsored post (just putting that out there from the beginning). I felt compelled to write this post about the Coca-Cola and Hispanic Scholarship Fund college scholarships because I, too, was a high school student once (not too long ago really). While I was considering universities, the thought of applying for a scholarship other than the federal Pell Grant never crossed my mind. Although researching financial aid was my responsibility, my high school counselors (whose responsibility is to help students) never informed me that there were other aids available. It was not until my third semester at college that I learned I was eligible for Hispanic Scholarship Funds. For that reason I ask that you please share this post with anyone you know who is in high school and eligible for the Coca-Cola Hispanic scholarship. Or share this on social media (#CokeForEducation) so that it may reach someone who can take advantage of this opportunity. Coca-Cola Share Possibilities will be awarding $200,000 in scholarships for college-bound hispanic students. Nationally, the grand prize winner will receive $20,000; four students will be awarded $10,000 and sixteen will receive $2,500. The remaining $100,000 will be awarded by the company’s retail partners, within their respective communities, across the nation. The application deadline is December 15th. For more information visit their website here.

Thank you for helping me spread awareness! Sharing this only take a second and it may greatly impact someone's education and opportunities. Have a nice week!

Pink + Orange Makeup Look

Hello, beauties! I'm happy that I finally have a colorful makeup look to share on my blog. Things had been too tame around here lately. I love to have fun with makeup and could never stick to just neutrals. As some of you might notice, this makeup look is pretty old seeing as I still had ombre hair. I got rid of my ombre months ago but hadn't gotten around to posting this because I wasn't finished editing the video tutorial for it. The feel of the look is a pink/orange/yellow sunset vibe. Hope you like it!

Product Spotlight: Eye Rollers

I recall there was a lot of hype when the Garnier Skin-Renew Anti Dark Circle Eye Roller ($12) first came out (along with its tinted counterpart). Then a lot of other brands started to come out with their own eye rollers. But what do they really do? Right off the bat I'll tell you this: I don't notice any brightening effects. Be it because I don't have serious under eye darkness or because these just aren't effective at reducing it, the biggest benefit (for me) that products like these have is that they soothe and reduce puffiness. Most, if not all, are formulated with caffeine. If you don't suffer from puffiness you might not notice a difference but you still might like these because of how nice they feel under the eyes. The metal roller balls feel cold against the skin and serve as a nice morning under eye massage and pick-me-up. Out of these three, my favorite is the Hard Candy Eye'M Tired ($5). Not only does it have a "punny" name, but it also absorbs the quickest and leaves no residue. Plus it's the most affordable one. The Garnier Skin-Renew Roller works similarly, but I prefer the Hard Candy applicator because it has three roller balls instead of one. My least favorite, and the one I recommend you stay away from, is the Yes To Blueberries Brightening Eye Roller ($20). It's the most expensive of the bunch and has the worst roller applicator. The roller ball gets stuck and tugs on the delicate under eye skin.

Let me know if eye rollers are part of your skincare/makeup routine. Which one is your favorite?

Four in One: Foundation Reviews

Prior to the Sephora VIB 20% off sale, I went to my local Sephora and got a bunch of foundation samples. Foundation is probably the most expensive makeup item ever. I also think it's the one item where you shouldn't be afraid to splurge. Since it goes all over your face when it's bad, it's really bad. A mediocre eyeshadow can be remedied with eye primer. A bleeding lipstick really isn't that noticeable. But cakey or patchy foundation... that's a whole other story. There are several drugstore face products I enjoy, but I find that drugstore foundations never deliver the whole package for me. They usually fall short on wear time or texture (they just don't look that good up close). So I was set on taking advantage of the 20% off discount and get myself a foundation. The question was, which one? I took home samples of four: the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, Bobbi Brown Long Wear Foundation, BECCA Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation, and Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Supercharged Foundation. 

Cranberry Chocolate Makeup Look

MAC's Cranberry eyeshadow is a gorgeous metallic shade that is great year round but is especially lovely around Thanksgiving and Christmas. This makeup look has a very warm feel, the focus was kept on the eyes and on the rest of the face I used nudes. My skin looks dewier than usual here because of two reasons: it has really hot and I used a luminous finish BB cream. I named this Cranberry Chocolate because the two main eyeshadows used were Swiss Chocolate and Cranberry from MAC.