Great & cheap beauty buys that don't suck! ♥

So, yeah, it's tough to buy all the cool stuff that I want, what with the economy in shambles and all.  Luckily, there are a few companies that continuously pump out the quality products at a wallet-friendly price.  Cosmetic & skincare companies like e.l.f, Rimmel, and Alba consistently keep my attention with new good quality, affordable stuff.  Here, I'll name and briefly discuss a few of the very best beauty buys I've been able to find...


Cosmetics

e.l.f Luscious Liquid Lipstick
(Favorite shade: Ruby Slipper)

They smell nice, they go on glossy and smooth, and they last a surprisingly long time.  The applicator is a sponge type point that filters slow shots of liquid lip color up from the tube and through the soft sponge.  It's unique, it's good quality, and it's CHEAP.  Yeah, I mean cheap.

Price: $1.00







Rimmel Lasting Finish (16hr) Foundation
(Favorite shade: True Nude)

This is another great find, a long lasting foundation for under $10.00.  I use the 10 dollar mark on foundations, because the quality for me seems to halt at 10 dollars.  It doesn't get any better after that mark, and all the rest of the money you pay for a brand over that is just fluff name-spank that I don't care about at all.

Rimmel is a drugstore beauty brand, and it's a great one.  I own this foundation and I still buy it every time I run out.  It's thick and creamy, and it stays on for a while.  Sure, 16 hours is a pretty big push, but I have experience with it lasting over 6 hours without even fading, so that's pretty darn good.

Price:  $7.29




Application

e.l.f Kabuki Brush

I own this brush.  It's awesome.  Like most Kabuki brushes, the way the bristles are set up has a lot to do with how the handle is shaped.  Kabuki brushes boast the ability to cover huge areas of your face as flawlessly as possible, and a small stocky handle makes it easier to apply using this big fan-type brush.  It's a high quality brush for an incredible price.

Price:  $5.00





e.l.f Sugar Kiss Eyelash Curly Tool

A high quality eyelash curler that's not put together like any other cheap curler.  It doesn't squeak, the handles are soft and easy to use, and it has no harsh tug.  It's a great find, and certainly a great buy.

Price: $1.00









Skincare

Alba Deep Sea Face Mask

I have to say that this face mask is one of my favorites.  That's saying a LOT for me, because I'm a huge advocate of DIY beauty routines at home.  The face masks that work the best (and are obviously the most natural and best for your skin) can be made at home, where you know EXACTLY what's going onto (and into) your skin.  This is one of the few product exceptions, mainly because it's got so many goodies from the sea in it.

Price: $7.65

Freeman's Beautiful Face Peel-Off Masque

(Favorite: Cucumber)

This is another great face mask that goes above and beyond when it comes to end-result and price.  It's cheap, and it's got lots of natural goodies inside, which makes me not hate it.  Also, it smells GREAT, and leaves your skin completely smooth with a light fragrance.

Price: $3.99









Well that's about it for my great beauty buy post...there's lots more that I've found, so stay tuned.  Happy shopping!  ♥

Sexy bɨtches spotlight ♥

Well, as usual, I get agitated when all I hear about are thin blondies and heiress blowhards getting all of the media attention because they're so beautiful. A lot of people forget what makes a real beauty beautiful - a whole lotta tits and ass. Curvy women obviously rule, and there's some sexy ladies getting some (not always so positive) spotlight recently that have curves to match their confidence. I decided to choose one of my favorites to spotlight, since she's been looking positively scrumptious...

Nicki Minaj

Yeah, she's ghetto. Yeah, she's fly. And yeah, she's got half of the people that know her name absolutely HATING on her. But hey, every fly ass lady has a parade of haters behind her, that's kinda like a rule. Just because a girl wears some boss Barbie bling and has an ass that rivals a Sealy Tempurpedic mattress, everyone tries to make her look like a fraud. So maybe she got some puff added, and maybe she didn't.

My biggest peeve is that everyone's going nuts over what they think are "butt pads", and then in the same instance referencing her fluctuating weight. Well....if she gains and loses weight so much, how hard is it to believe she's just got a naturally phat ass?!

She's not claiming she's 100% natural. She's completely straightforward about her plasticy image and she (and her hoards of fans) don't seem to mind. She calls herself a Harajuku Barbie, and shapes her image around colorful makeup, hot hair, and outfits that accentuate all those lovely assets.

Nicki's favorite makeup item? According to this interview, it's MAC's Pink Nouveau Lipstick! Want to get some looks from her videos, or Nicki inspired makeup tutorials?

Check out this one from the "Bedrock" video. (Hate that song, love the makeup.)
Here's another awesome Nicki Minaj makeup tutorial...
And a super sweet Barbie-yumyum Nicki inspired tutorial here.

Interested in her music? Listen to her here, on Pandora Radio.

Sweet special things!! L'Oréal Vive Pro & Harajuku Lovers LOVE fragrance ♥

I hope everyone had a beautiful and happy holiday! I plan on sticking to my resolution this year. I hope everyone else does too...and honestly, I usually completely space mine and never do it anyway. But this time, it's different!

So let's take a quick look at some of the neat stuff I've received recently. I got two things in particular that were my favorites!

First, is the absolutely magnificent Harajuku Lover's perfume in LOVE.


First is the super cute doll bottle and the little mini. And get this, that little mini slider is full of solid perfume...and it's shimmery! It's a transluscent shimmer and it smells so sweet!

LOVE is Gwen Stefani's scent, and has hints of Rose, Peach, Pink Pomelo, Ylang Ylang, Watery Peony, Bamboo Leaf, Jasmine Sambac, Creamy Paperwhites, Egyptian Jasmine, Musk, Blond Wood, Vanilla, Bergamot, and Nectarine Blossom!

It all comes together to smell sweet, soft, and tOOoooOOotally sexy. There's a peeve I have with it though...that it doesn't last as long as I would like. I love it when pretty scents cling to my sweatshirts, and have people saying how good I smell *all* day when I only apply it in the morning. Other than that, it's wondersextastic. I totally recommend it if you like a soft combination of floral and woodsy.

Another neato thing that I got was L'Oréal Vive Pro Glossy Body Boosting Shampoo! It's for fine hair, which I certainly have. My hair is totally thin and gets dry and oily way too easily depending on what's in my shampoo...so it's totally hard to find something that I can use continuously. (Other than Dr. Bronner's Rose.)


See that? Glossy Volume! Automatically I thought "greasy heavy mess", but I was way wrong.

This stuff works GREAT! Usually my problem is that shampoo meant to give body to hair usually adds a lot of weight to it too. That's really counterproductive in hair like mine, it's just thin and flat. This shampoo doesn't seem to do that though, it just adds some gentle bounce and softness, and it even makes it look shiny without looking greasy!

There's never a gross film when I rinse this stuff out in the next shower, either. That's usually why I can tell shampoos aren't great for my hair, because they still leave a residue later at night or the day after.

Well, that's all for now! Hope everyone enjoys coming down from their new year's festivities ;)