Too Faced Born This Way Foundation Review!

Hello beauties!

I was lucky enough to receive a full size bottle of this foundation when I attended Generation Beauty at the end of May. As soon as I got back to New York I started testing this out, and didn't want to make a decision based on what I saw the first day or two of wearing it.

Now that I have been testing it out for quite a few weeks now, I can finally say that I LOVE IT!

Here are some of the highlights of this product, according to Too Faced:
- Medium to full coverage
- Oil free
- Has Coconut water to replenish moisture to your skin
- Contains Alpine Rose to brighten complexion
- Has Hyaluronic Acid to balance skin

As far as application, I used both a beauty blender and a buffing brush to apply and found that either way gives me a flawless finish, but I prefer buffing this one out. A little bit of this product goes a long way.

Coverage is definitely buildable, and it does so beautifully - it does NOT make your skin look like it has layers on, and best of all no cake face. It is very lightweight, which I appreciate. This foundation isn't matte, and leaves you with a nice, radiant finish that isn't overly dewey. It really makes you look like you have naturally flawless skin. I do want to point out that I used the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer underneath.

Wearing the Born This Way foundation in Honey

Now, for the cons. After about 5 hours of wear, I notice that my t-zone is a bit more oiler than usual (even though this foundation is oil free), but it isn't something that bothers me too much. Touching up with some blot powder fixes that. The other issue that I have is that Too Faced does not make this foundation for dark skinned girls! Ummm, what?! When I got color matched (which was Honey), I noticed that there was only one other color above that, which is Caramel and thats it! However, a few days ago I saw that they will be releasing deeper shades. I just wished that they released it all at once so that women of all complexions enjoyed it at the same time.

Overall, I do recommend this foundation to anyone that wants a natural finish. Seeing how oily my -zone tends to get is the only downside, so if you have oily skin do be careful (yes, even if it says it's oil free.) Try it out for yourself, and let me know how you like it!

Born this way retails for $39 and you can purchase it on TooFaced.com, Sephora.com and in Sephoras stores.

Bronzed Summer Glow Tutorial

Hello bellas!

I uploaded this video on my channel a few days ago. This is my go to summertime look! If you have any requests, please let me know in the comments down below. 

Generation Beauty LA 2015 Experience

Hello Beauties!

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Generation Beauty LA for the second year in a row! I really enjoyed myself last year, and the city of Los Angeles is such a different ambiance compared to New York, that I had to go back and experience it again. Get ready, this is a picture heavy post!

Inside the Gen Beauty tent! 

If you don't know what Generation Beauty is, it is a two day event that brings together beauty/fashion gurus, brands, and fans under one roof (in this case tent) and interact with one another. The point of this event is to network (and grab some free goodies in the process)! There are plenty of brands there which gives you the opportunity to look at what they have to offer, and mostly all have a free goody to give out to you! A lot of them also have items to sell to you at a discount price. At a certain point during day one and two, you have the chance to pick up a gift bag filled with products.

Comparing my experience from that of last year,  I definitely saw an increase in attendees. I also found that despite the crowds, it was WAY more organized than how it was last year! Lines were being "closed" from time to time to avoid overcrowding, there were clear indicators on the carpet to help keep the lines in order, and this time around they gave us a ticket for each booth to exchange for a free item. This ensured that you were only getting one item and not taking advantage and coming back for more.

China Glaze wall of nail polishes

The Ardell booth

While I was roaming around, I had the opportunity to meet a few of my favorite gurus, which I was very excited about!

Manny Gutierrez and I 

Yes, that is the fabulous Manny aka @mannymua733! He was SO friendly, sweet and looking flawless, of course. We were complaining about how much we were sweating, but glad that our makeup was still intact LOL. 

Desi Perkins and I 

This picture almost didn't happen - I spotted Desi and I immediately gravitated towards her, only to be stopped by her husband, which explained that she had to be at a certain booth and she kept getting stopped. Although he was really nice about it I was a bit bummed out, but I understood. I waited until she finished talking to a few people and surprisingly, she stopped to talk to me! She complimented my skin and chit chatted for another moment before she had to go. Desi, thank you SO much! 

Lustrelux and I 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to Katy (lustrelux) much, she was also being told to move along, but I was able to take a quick picture with her. If only that glare didn't get in the way... 

Samantha and I 

Over at tarte, Samantha was there taking pictures, so I had to swing by and say hi to her. She liked my nails, but found that we had almost identical nails/ nail polish, hah! 

WhatWouldLizzyDo and I 

It was a pleasure meeting Lizzy at GenBeauty again! She seems like such a genuine girl. She looked great! (not that she didn't before, of course) and her boyfriend was right beside her supporting!

Irishcel and I 

I stopped by Ardell lashes, and got my lashes done by none other than Irishcel (Irisbeilin). I'm so glad  I was able to talk to her for a few minutes, she gave me some valuable advice! If you ever read this, thank you SO much <3

With Donald Robertson

Over at Smashbox, Donald Robertson was there with his tape and markers creating works of art on our Smashbox bags! If you don't know who he is, he is a fashion illustrator, one of the founders of MAC, and is currently the head of creative development at Bobbi Brown. 

What the heck was I looking at?!

The lovely Christen Dominique! Even more gorgeous in person, if thats even possible. She was nice enough to stop and talk to us, and mentioned that she has never been to NYC, and was looking forward to GenBeauty NY in October. 

Oh, Sonjdra! 

If you didn't know, Sonjdra is my woman crush. She is just so BOMB to me (insert a million heart eyed emojis)!! I met her at IMATS NY, which I have previously mentioned. I was surprised to see her at GenBeauty! Please check her out if you haven't already. Talented, beautiful, and just SO chill. 
Moving onto what was given out throughout the two days! 

What I received overall

The above picture shows what I received overall. Inside the zebra print bag, I stuffed other items in there just so that I can make more room in the bag I used to travel with. 

Day one gift bag

The above items are the things I received in the gift bag for day one. It is significantly less than that of last year, for the sake of comparison. Regardless, I was happy with what I got! 

The picture above shows what I received in the gift bag for day two! 

These were the items that I accumulated during the two days of walking around and picking up what the participating brands had to offer. 

I took a photo at bareMinerals! 

Overall I enjoyed my time at GenBeauty! Everyone is nice, welcoming, and it's always great to be surrounded by people that have the same interests as you do! I already brought my ticket for the NY event in October - let's see if it will be any different! In the meantime, I will be patiently waiting for it. Will any of you be attending? Let me know! 

May 2015 Ipsy Glam Bag

I know it's June already, but better late than never! Here is what I received in my glam bag for the month of May.

I was SO excited to see that the actual bag was one from Breakups to Makeup! 

These were the contents I found inside:

Here's a breakdown of the items!:

Urban Decay Revolution High Color Lipgloss - This was the biggest item in the bag, and was excited to see that an UD item was in there! It is a little booklet, and once opened you see that there are 2 color samples! One is a pink color and the other purple (which is what the model is wearing.)

Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray - This spray is loaded with natural ingredients to nourish and protect your hair!

Eyelure Naturals Lashes in No. 020 - These lashes are not for drama whatsoever! They are meant to give your lashes added fullness and light length.

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Summertime - Since we are easing into summertime, a bronzer is appropriate! This one has a hint of glitter - nothing chunky or obnoxious.

Pretty Eyes Automatic Eyeliner in Navy by Skone Cosmetics - Colored liners are a bit out of the norm for me, but the color is pretty. It has a very creamy consistency and glided smoothly when I swatched it on the back of my hand.

That concludes this month's glam bag! I really liked all of the items, with the exception of the liner - but it's not a total loss, I will come up with a way to use it!

If you haven't signed up for it, and you are interested, you can click HERE to get yours!

IMATS NY 2015 Haul Video!

Hello beauties! I have uploaded a video in which I show what I purchased at IMATS this year. I didn't go crazy this time around, but I was able to get great deals on the little things that I got. If you would like to see what I purchased, just click play!

I want to know what YOU want to watch! Please leave any requests down below or anything you would like me to discuss down in the comment section. I want to hear from you! 

Get Ready With Me- Gold and Brown Eye Full Face Video

Hello beauties!

I made a Get Ready With Me video! I created a simple, gold and brown eye look. I decided to show you how I apply my full face as well.

Remember if you have any requests please let me know!

Preparing for IMATS!

Hola!

So, being that IMATS is right around the corner (IMATS NY is being held April 10-12) I decided to dedicate a blog post with some tips. Last year was my first time attending IMATS, and it was such an overwhelming experience. Unfortunately I had to attend the event all by myself, I was nervous, and I didn't know what to expect!

1. Get familiar with the floor plan and exhibitor list- Go to the IMATS website and look at the floor plan and the vendors that will be there. This will help you plan out your day, and you'll know where everything is. This helped me out so much!

2. Make a list of the things you want to purchase- By looking at the exhibitor list, you'll know who's there, and making a list of the things you want from different booths is essential! Trust me, once you get there it will be pretty much chaotic, and you don't want to go home and realize you forgot to purchase something!

3. Wear comfortable shoes! I can't stress this enough. Of course you want to look as cute as possible, but make sure to wear comfy shoes! You WILL be on your feet all day. Unless you have no problem walking in heels all day and not feel the pain after a few hours of wear, then by all means - go ahead.

4. Make sure to get enough rest the night before- I didn't realize how draining IMATS can be, so make sure you get enough rest the night before.

5. Budget! Unless you've got an unlimited amour of money to spend, you may want to keep track of how much you want to spend. Bringing a certain amount of cash may help you with not overspending.

6. Eat breakfast before you go- You will be there for hours. Yes, there are food vendors there but from what I saw last year, the line to just get some food was ridiculous! Have a snack and a bottle of water with you, you will need it at some point during the day.

7. Have ALOT of patience- You might get pushed, shoved, stepped on, and on top of that you may be on a ridiculously long line, and may take you forever to get to purchase that item you wanted. Patience is key.

8. Pack light- You will most likely end up carrying quite a few bags by the end of the day, and carrying tons of extra things you don't need won't help. Carry only your essentials!

9. Bring your digital camera, cell phone and charger! You are going to want to take pictures throughout the day, especially if you are a blogger/ YouTuber. If you have extra batteries, even better.

You are there to shop, network, make new memories, meet your favorite makeup artist and YouTube beauty gurus. Remember to have fun in the middle of it all!

If any of you are attending IMATS on April 12th and would like to meet up, please let me know in the comments below or you can always contact me through through one of the social media links on the sidebar!