Twist Out Refresh

Hi Beautiful People!

I really wish that I could post everyday, however, my other life commitments make it pretty difficult to do so.  My job, children and husband :) Therefore, my goals is to do at least three post per week.  

With that said lets get into the topic of this post, which is the twist-out refresh.  After wash and day and twisting up your hair for a twist out, an aspect that used to confuse me was what to do in order to maintain the twist out. This method ultimately saves me time because I don't necessarily have to re-wash my hair, because I usually only like to wash my hair every two-weeks. 

What I have become accustom to doing is pineapple-ling my hair up into a high pony tail (like so):

while also applying moisturizer to the ends and scalp. This is what I call this the lazy way of maintaining a twist out because after using the pineapple method after a couple of nights you begin to see less definition in the twist out due to more frizzy-ness.  This then yields the purpose of the twist out refresh. Instead of re-washing your hair, all you have to do is moisturize your hair with anything you choose and re-twist your hair in about 9 to 12. I do a mini bantu knots at the ends of my twits since some of my ends do not naturally curl.  

Important: When I am re-twisting my hair, I take a small section spray a little water on it and then apply a small amount of the leave-in conditioner. The key is not to wet your hair to much where it will still me wet or damp in the morning. 

The moisturizer I have been using lately is the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Leave-In Conditioning Cream ($5.97). 

 

I was not disappointed after using this as a moisturizer for my twist out refresh.  

I actually really love it. It got the job done for only $5.97. Can't beat it. Here are the results.

There you have it. Let me know what you thing or if you have any questions. Leave them in the comments section below.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram @beautyshowoff

Thanks for Reading!!!

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Oscars Inspired Look

Happy Sunday Beauties!

Since the Oscars come on today, I thought that I would do an Oscars inspired look staring the MAC Gold Glitter that I did a recent review on here. Using the products pictured above here is how I accomplished this look.

(1) MAC Eyeshadow in Saddle along with Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna Palette eyeshadow in China Rose within crease.

(2) After applying tape add MAC Eyeshadow in Embark on the lid and to the lower crease area.

(3) Sprayed eyeshadow brush with NYX Dewy Setting Spray and picked up MAC Gold Glitter and applied onto the lid on top of the Dark Chocolate eyeshadow. 

(4) Added Wet and Wild Black Glitter Liner along with their black glitter eyeliner pencil to the lower lid. 

(5) Removed tape and applied mascara to the lashes and added false lashes. 

(6) Applied Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation in Sandalwood to face. Then added and blended MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC45 to under eye area, bridge of nose, and chin for highlight. 

(7) Applied Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Rich Mahogany for contour onto the hallows of cheeks and along the top of the forehead. 

(8) Added Jordana Blush in Blushing Rose to cheeks and Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Bronzer, Blush and Eyeshadow in Riviera Strip/Sand Bronzer onto the top of the cheek bone area. 

(9) Applied red lip liner along with MAC Lipstick in See Sheer. 

Here is the end product:

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. Be sure to comment below :) 

Thanks for reading!!!!

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MAC Holiday Pigments Review - Gold

To make a long story short I love these pigments. I purchased this pigment package for gold glitter in order to wear it on my lids for my wedding. Then I figured I would try out the others as well. 

As pictured above (from left to right) the shades are called English Gilt, Lithe, Pretty It Up, Gold (glitter), and Deep Brown. 

This pigment pack is called Object of Affection/Gold. ($32.00) and it is limited edition, so maybe it will come back out next holiday season (you never know).  

Please see the swatches below. In order to swatch these I sprayed the brush with NYX Dewy Setting Spray and dipped them into each pigment and just wiped them on the skin.  I do the same thing when applying these to my eyelids.  

Here are some pictures of me where I used English Gilt and Pretty It Up.  

English Gilt 

Pretty It Up

I will be sure to try the other pigments and let you know how they look. I will also eventually post of picture of my wedding makeup because that is when I wore the Gold glitter.  

Let me know what you think and if there are any other pigments (brands) that you like. You can find the comments box below :) 

Thanks for Reading!!!

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MAC Lipstick Dupe

I was excited when I found out that I own lipsticks that are very similar to one another. 

They are the MAC Mineralize Rich Lipstick in Dreaminess ($22.00) and the Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Born With It ($7.49).  That is a $14.51 difference.  

They are very similar in shade however the Born With It is a little more shimmery than Dreaminess.  

So, as you can see, they are very similar. When I swatched them both on my arm the Maybelline Born with it left a shimmer stain, which I thought was kind of cool.  Therefore, the Dreaminess is a little more matte than the Born With It. 

Do you know of any dupes where one is more expensive than the other? If so, let me know. 

Thanks for Reading!!!

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Instagram Look from mua_larisa

Happy Monday Beauties, 

Yesterday  I found a beautiful make-up artist on Instagram that created an amazing look with the Becca Cosmetics Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector.  On Instagram her name is @mua_larisa and she also has Youtube channel by the name of napRISApy1.  

Above are most of the products I used. 

(1) MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as an eye shadow base/primer

(2) MAC eyeshadow in Saddle within the crease as a transition shade

(3) MAC eyeshadow in Embark as an accent shade within crease

(4) MAC eyeshadow in Gorgeous Gold on the eyelid and brow bone highlight

(5) MAC pigment in English Gild on lid as well on top of Gorgeous Gold (limited edition)

(6) Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Rich Mahogany for my contour

(7) Milani Baked Blush in Red Vino

(8) Becca Cosmetics Topaz Shimmering Skin Perfector

(9) Mary Kay Lip Liner in Dark Chocolate

(10) MAC Lipstick in Angle 

(11) Venus Lashes from Beauty for Your Beauty Supply Store

And here is how it came out:

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. What are some of your favorite eyeshadows, highlighters, contour shades, etc that you are currently using.  

Thanks for reading!!!

#ShowOffYourBeauty - Be Featured

My Beauties!

I am excited to announce that I have placed a new tab on my blog (#Showoffyourbeauty - at the top of the page) where you can read about information on how to be featured on my blog.  I am planning to feature natural hair care stories, beauty blogs, and make-up lovers.

So check out the tab and check out how to be featured on this blog so that you can #ShowOFF!

#Showoffyourbeauty #BeautyShowOff!!!!!

Thanks for Reading!

Current Top Five

Hi Beauties!

I wanted to share my current top five since I think I have missed the opportunity for a January Favorites post. I will possibly do a February favorites (if I don't let that one slip away as well).  

My current top five beauty products are shown above and are listed below: 

(1) L'Oreal True Match Foundation, $9.99: I am in the shade C6 - Soft Sable 

Love this foundation. It provides very similar coverage to the higher end brands that I use (MAC & Stila).  I also like that it is lightweight and that you can build upon it.  At first when I saw that my shade appeared to be cool, I was a little skeptical because someone once told me that I have warm undertones, but as I compared it to a shade that I currently own in the Revlon Color Stay line, it appeared very similar to that, so I just went with this and it matches perfectly after blending in.  I am not noticing that it is transferring on anything like my clothes or papers at work, so this is a great buy in my opinion.  

(2) Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, $49.50

This has really erased my dark spots tremendously at a faster pace than a lot of other dark spot erasers that I have tried. A little pricey, but it does work. 

(3) Milani Baked Blush in Red Vino, $8.49

This blush is beautiful in my opinion and I love to pair it with a more neutral lip. I notice that when I pair it with a red lip that it is a little too much red going on. But it is really pretty and already has shimmer in it so I don't necessarily have to add a highlight on top of this.  Really pretty shade. I wear it almost everyday. 

(4) Becca Highligher in Topez, $38.00

I'm sure everyone has already seen this before and is probably tired of everyone raving about it, but I just can't get enough of this. It is so pretty (especially on darker skin tones).  

(5) Gorgio Armani Si, $70.00

I purchased this during the holiday season for $75.00 from Ulta and it came with a matching body lotion.  At the time Ulta was having a deal where if you spent more than $50.00 on a fragrance purchase then you would receive a free robe. I love deals like this. The big department stores do this as well during the holiday seasons.  This smells so good. My husband really likes it. I bought this especially for my wedding day, and now I just wear it everyday (when I remember).  It is a mix between a musk and flowery light scent.  Its just a really pretty smell. I love it. 

Let me know what some of your must-have beauty products are. If you can pick five (which was extremely hard for me), let me know what they are in the comments section below. 

Thanks for reading!

Easy Eye Look with the LORAC Pro Palette

Hey Beauties!

There are some palettes out there that can help you achieve some really easy eye looks. I tried an easy smokey eye look with the LORAC Pro Palette. 

LORAC Pro Palette, $42.99

The LORAC Pro Palette has a great combination of shimmer and matte shades that go really well with one another.  With this look, I used Gold on my lids, Pewter as a crease and an accent shade and Mauve as an upper crease shade.  Along the lower lash line I used Pewter and Mauve and smoked it out a little. As you can see above, I also used the Becca Highlighter in Topez as a highlight on my brow bone. On the lips I used the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo.  

Here is a step-by-step guide of what I did.  

And that is it. I love the shimmer shades in the palette. They are really pigmented. I plan to use some of the darker shades for a smokey eye look in the near future.  I also want to start to using more of the matte shades.  

This was really easy and I used the same eye shadow brush for all sades. Let me know what your favorite palettes are or which eye shadows brands you prefer. 

Thanks for Reading :) 

Courtney