MAC Cosmetics Mini Haul

Too Faced : Tinted Beauty Balm Review

A product review for Too Faced Cosmetics : Tinted Beauty Balm.  I recently tested it out and fell in love with it. I also wanted to mention that "Broad Spectrum SPF" protects your skin from both UVA and UVB rays and the shade does not have to match your skin tone exactly, since it blends in so transparently. 

Beauty Blog Button Code

Hey! Hey!!   :)

I had lots of questions today about how to put the buttons on your blog.

PLEASE NOTE:
**All of the front brackets [ will need to be replaced with < and all of the back brackets ] will need to be replaced with >
       ...otherwise it would execute in this blog post. 


Upload your image to an online photo album, such as photobucket. Use the photo URL for the "IMAGE WEB ADDRESS".
Of course if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Here is the code:

[center][a href="http://YOUR WEB ADDRESS/" target="_blank" title="BLOG TITLE"][img alt="BLOG TITLE" src="http://IMAGE WEB ADDRESS"/][/a]
[br /]
[br /]
[textarea id="code-source" rows="3" name="code-source"][center][a href="http://YOUR WEB ADDRESS/"][img border="0" src="http://IMAGE WEB ADDRESS"/][/a][/center][/textarea][/center]

Share your Beauty Blog Button

Hey #bbloggers....if you have a blog button I'd love to link you from my friends page.  Just want to show my support back!

Of course if you would like to link mine here is the code:



<center><a href="http://blog.alelizabeth.com""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/alElizabeth.jpg"/></a></center>

If you are unsure of how to make one and would like get a custom made button, I'd be happy to make one for you for a small fee.  This way you can network your blog, through your friend's blog.  Just contact me through twitter or email for more details.  Here are a few examples of beauty buttons I have put together:

<center><a href="http://pixiwoo.blogspot.com/""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/pixiWoo.gif"/></a></center>

<center><a href="http://www.mymaneblog.com/p/chat.html""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/bbloggers150px.gif"/></a></center>

<center><a href="http://www.nailpolishwars.com/""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/nailPolishWars.jpg"/></a></center>

<center><a href="http://beautypatootie.com/""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/beautyPatootie.jpg"/></a></center>

<center><a href="http://makeupbysiryn.com/""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/siryn.png"/></a></center>

<center><a href="http://www.ninasbargainbeauty.blogspot.com/""><img border="0" src="http://www.alelizabeth.com/blog/friends/ninas.jpg"/></a></center>

February 2012 Beauty Giveaway

http://blog.alelizabeth.com

I've been prepared for this one since the beginning of January....and finally February is here.  This month I will have 4 winners who will each win a pink lip tar from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in honor of Valentine's Day.  The colors up for grabs are: Strumpet, Pageant, Pretty Boy and Narcissus.  To sweeten the prize a $10 gift card to ULTA will be included with each lip tar.  There are multiple ways to enter and multiple chances to win.

Lisa Frank Nail Tutorial...

I came across an article on Refinery 29 presenting a Lisa Frank nail tutorial.  I thought, why do I know that name? Oh yeah, that's right...I was obsessed with Lisa Frank products when I was around ten or eleven.  So for all of you growing up in the 90s....here is a nail tutorial in honor of Lisa Frank, presented by Megan McIntyre on www.refinery29.com.

Photo © Shanita Sims

Products in January Giveaway

For more details on the giveaway:
http://blog.alelizabeth.com/2012/01/rafflecopter-application-for-january.html

Shadow Shields Review:
http://youtu.be/XwI9c8_oQkw
Embryolisse Blog:
http://blog.alelizabeth.com/2012/01/embryolisse.html

I do not currently represent any brands or sell products. I only recommend products based on their merit and/or individual client need. If you or your company has a product you would like me to consider for review, please fill free to contact me through my contact form on http://www.alelizabeth.com.

• All photos that I attach to my videos & blog belong to me, unless otherwise noted.
Please make sure to add appropriate credits if reposting.

• Follow me on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/alElizabeth

Shaving Legs...

My friend, that is letting me use her leg to demonstrate the Moom and I were talking tonight and got into a conversation about shaving legs.  She thinks I'm a complete weirdo, that I shave my legs everyday and I think she is bananas for not shaving her legs for several months.  I personally cannot stand the prickly little stubble, but I guess if it grows long enough it gets soft?! I also think shaving exfoliates my legs, cause if I go more than a day not shaving, my skin gets really dry.  Just curious of other ladies routines.

We are filming the Moom video tomorrow, so that one should be ready beginning of next week.

♥♥♥

Embryolisse

Photo © Nicovision

If you have been in the make-up industry for either a short or long amount of time, you probably have heard of Embryolisse.  The company is based out of France and has a whole line of skincare products, ranging from cleansers to moisturizers.  My favorite product from them is the  Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré.  This creme is marketed to be used as a moisturizer, primer and make-up remover.  I have used it for all three but prefer to use it as a moisturizer.  And mostly a night moisturizer, as my skin tends to be oily and the richness of it is a little too much for day use, except during the winter.  All my model's that come to the studio get the Embryolisse treatment and I have never had any negative reactions / feedback to the product...actually only the opposite.

The formula is very creamy with a non-greasy feeling.  It absorbs and blends easily in your skin and is paraben free.  This product also encourages the rebuilding of your hydrolipidic skin layer, which is a protective barrier layer on the surface of your skin.  This layer protects the skin against infection, irritation, allergic reactions and dehydration.  The skin's pH balance is approximately 5.4 and is achieved by your body's own acidic secretions and hormones, but if you wash your face with a harsh cleanser or even a common bar of soap [pH anywhere from 9 - 11] it will break down that protective skin barrier.  Depending on how sensitive your skin is, it can take anywhere from two to thirty six hours for your skin to restore to it's natural balance, but Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré helps encourage the skin layer to restore faster.

I loved this product so much, I got in touch with the company and was lucky enough to talk to Michelle Shaffer, who happens to be the Vice President of Embryolisse.  I wanted to purchase some samples so I could send client's home with Embryolisse, so they could enjoy the benefits of this product for more than just their photo shoot.  Michelle was kind enough to send a variety of samples for me to share with my clients and every single one of them has been delighted to go home with samples.  [Thank you so much, Michelle!]

A small tube, 1 fluid ounce is being included in the January 2012 giveaway, so one of my blog viewers can test out Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré for themselves.  The packaging is very plain and clean....but I think it represents the lotion well, no gimmicks or fancy promises...just a great moisturizing product that works with all skin types, and safe enough for babies.  Of course I have to mention it is not fragrance free, but the scent is not strong and dissipates shortly after you apply it.  Even though I prefer fragrance free or unscented, the scent in the Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré is a light floral scent and doesn't bother me one bit.

♥♥♥

My Favorite Make-up Remover...

I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about which make-up removers are the best and how baby oil is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to remove makeup.  Depending on your skin type, rubbing oil all over your face can sometimes have a negative effect.  I just wanted to share my favorite make-up remover and why.

One of my good friends, April Landrum-Johns is a Mary Kay Sales Director and she introduced me to the Mary Kay Make-up Remover.  This stuff is magic.  It is oil free and removes make-up gently, even waterproof mascara, which we all know is a pain in the bootie to get off.  It has never burned my eyes and it is fragance-free.  Supposedly it is safe for contact lens wearers as well...but I cannot test that...as I do not wear contacts. :)  I apply it using a cotton ball...and the product lasts a long time.  A little bit goes a long way.  I have a bottle and a full bottle as back-up in my model's make-up kit and my own bottle for my personal make-up kit.

Photo © Mary Kay

The price is $15.00 for a 3.75 fluid ounce bottle.  If you would like to buy a bottle to test it out, April will be more than happy to help you out. You can visit her website at:
http://www.marykay.com/aprillandrumjohns

I promise you will absolutely love it.

Pretty toes....pedicure

I absolutely love pedicures, but one of my good friends refuses to go to any nail salon, as she thinks her foot is going to get crusted over and fall off from a fungus she happened to catch from the nail salon's foot bath.  I always just laugh at her, since I've been going for years, have visited numerous of salons and my two feet are still in tack. [knock on wood.]

I've heard the horror stories of people getting staph infections and viruses and I usually go to a regular salon here in Atlanta, but one night last month it was raining and traffic was terrible, so I decided to go to a new salon by the studio.  It was not a good experience...I never got fungus or anything like that, but the place itself didn't seem super clean nor were the employees caring and nice.  I remember walking out of there, thinking I will never ever go back there.

Last night on was on the Barnes and Noble site browsing around beauty book and at the bottom they have the section, "customers who bought this bought..." and there was a book called "Death by Pedicure".  Not only did the cover kind of look creepy, but reading the table of contents makes me never want to visit a salon again...especially the last one I visited.

So this got me searching youtube videos, and I found this undercover news report. Umm, my conclusion, yuck. ewww.

Color.Bug

Colored hair tips have been on the rise for the past year and are only becoming more popular.  Tonight I was browsing the internet and came across a new product, called Color.Bug.  It is basically eyeshadow for your hair, that washes completely out.  The neato thing about it is, the vibrance of the color depends on how many times you apply the color bug to your hair.  So if you want a pale pink just streak it across your hair once or twice....if you want full on pink, then keep on rubbing, until you get the saturation you desire.  As of now, it is available in pink, purple & orange and became available in the states last October. Check out this article on the product.  You can also follow the creator, Kevin Murphy on twitter.

Photo © Kevin Murphy

After last night's post...I started to wonder if the Bella Terra powders would create good hair streaks...considering I have never tried it.  So here are my results. I actually mixed it in the airbrush with the Temptu Aqua converter...but then I also tried the blue with hair spray and powder. The results were better than I thought they would be....but still not great. I want to try out the Color.Bug.

                                        

     

Bella Terra Cosmetics

My video today is about Bella Terra Cosmetics eyeshadows. These awesome little powders come in a wide variety of colors, and are marketed as multi-use powders:

  01. Shadow - Used as the powder form which it is packaged.
  02. Creamy or Matte Shadow - Mix with eyeshadow primer for a thicker shadow coverage.
  03. Eye Liner - Wet your brush and mix with powder for it to become liner.
  04. Lip Color - Mix the powder with Vaseline and a color lip gloss.
  05. Body Color - Mix the powder with lotion, for a body shimmer or color.
  06. Hair Color - Mix the powder with hair gel and apply to hair for hair color.
  07. Mascara - Mix the powder with mascara for colored mascara.
  08. Nail Polish - Mix the powder with clear nail polish for a new color.

I originally bought the powders based on the fact, that I loved the colors and they were multi use.  But after using them for over 2 years...I actually only use them as airbrush colors and sometimes eyeliner.  I left a facebook post telling them that they need to add a number nine on the list: "Airbrush".

This video explains in more about Bella Terra and goes into more detail of how I mix the powders so they will feed through the airbrush, using Temptu's Aqua Converter.  Besides that it is Temptu (and Temptu products rock) the great thing about this mixer, is it is water based...meaning you can spray it near your eye, verses an alcohol based mixing medium, that would sting if it got in contact with your eye.
☆  [Please Note: I do not suggest spraying around your eyes, with any form of mixing medium, if you have sensitive eyes.]

Here are links to everything in the video:
• Bella Terra Cosmetic eyeshadows - this page links to discontinued colors...so you can test them out before you make a big purchase.
• Temptu Aqua Converter
• Walgreens - plastic mixing cups (I said CVS in the video...but it is actually Walgreens.)
• Crown Brush - plastic spatulas
• The Container Store - Nalgene® 1.7 oz. Vial w/ Snap Closure

January 2012 Giveaway...

...is looking kinda sad. This time last month for December's giveaway I was already well over 100 entries. So far for this month, I have 14...but this is feedback that I need. Initially I was going to do a review a week and then combine those 4 products as the giveaway, but with the lack of enthusiasm from you ladies, I've decided to change that up. I'm still going to do the giveaway, but I'm going to go ahead and explain what all is in this month's giveaway, so I can evaluate if the response gets better or worse. If the response doesn't get any better, I might just go back to beauty gift cards, as you can purchase what you want and the shipping costs on my end is a hell of a lot cheaper.

I just thought by doing a "favorites giveaway" it would be a fun way to incorporate beauty items with the reviews and giveaways. I also realize I need to start doing some tutorial views, which I had the idea to come up with make-up looks for tutorial videos and then have the giveaway with the items that made up that look. [new items of course...I'm selfish when it comes to make-up...I always want one of my own and I would never ever send opened or used makeup ...that is gross.]  I've also read lately on a few blogs that giveaways are cheesy and make the blog less valuable...as viewers are just interested in the giveaway verses the content.  I just view it as, wanting to give my followers an incentive for giving feedback and communicating with me.  Let me know your thoughts and feedback as I want my followers to enjoy and look forward to my blog.  :D

So this month in the giveaway....one winner will win all of the following products:
(1) Box of Shadow Shields. Includes 30 shields.
(1) Small Tube of Embryolisse Lait-crème Concentré.
(1) Starter Kit of Moom.
(1) O•P•I Mini Muppet Collection, which includes the colors, Wocka Wocka, Excuse Moi, Designer..de Better!, and Warm & Fozzie. Each bottle is 0.125 oz each.

One way to enter and multiple chances to win.

☆ Entry #1+ (worth one contest entry each day: can be done once daily during contest)

• Follow me on twitter. ( @alElizabeth )

• Then Retweet this tweet: "RT: #Beauty #Giveaway hosted by @alelizabeth. blog.alelizabeth.com @shadowshields @EmbryolisseUSA #moon @opi_products"

So far I have the review video up for the Shadow Shields and the Embryolisse in the works as I type.  I just confirmed this week I will be featured on the Nature's Knockout channel for my review video for the product, Moom.  If you do not know what Moom is...it is an all natural hair remover, that is similar to wax, but so much better.  My friend has also volunteered her leg, to demonstrate how Moom works.  [so this should be interesting...to say the least.]  The O•P•I Nail Polish is a throw in...and if I can find a salon with the same colors, I'll do a swatch panel, but if not I don't want to open the package just to get a swatch panel.

Again please let me know your thoughts on giveaways and/or feedback.

Facial Symmetry

We know that facial symmetry, is an important factor in beauty.  I've always known that my right eye was lazier than my left, my right upper lip is fuller than the left side and half the time one eyebrow is a little higher or bushier than the other, depending on the week....but I never realized how uneven my actual face structure was until I did a comparison shot.  I had read about this experiment and was going through some photo shoot proofs, when I decided to try it myself.

First you have to find a picture that you are looking straight into the camera.  Then cut the photo is half, vertically.  Make a copy of the right side and flip it. Then go back to the original left half, copy it and flip it. Then you have what you would look like if your left side was symmetrical and vice vera.

Apparently not only is my face uneven, my left side look's like an Egyptian man. ah haaa.  I just thought it was funny, how different the images are....so if you ever get bored, try it for yourself and tweet me your results.

Photo © Alan Bezanson

♥♥♥

Intro Video

I should have had this video up first...but here it is. I also wanted to say I will announce all giveaway winners on this blog and twitter...cause it really irritates me when people have giveaways and you have to go on a hunt to find out if a winner was announced.