A Mother's Day Giveaway $250 Gift Card!!!

Hello there! As you all know, Mother's Day is soon to come so in celebrating all the awesome mothers out there (including myself), SkinCareRx.com is having a Beautiful Mom Mother's Day giveaway. To enter all you have to do is click Beautiful Mom and follow the instructions. The best stories will receive a gift card worth $250 and the runner ups will also receive some amazing prices. The giveaway will be ending on May 5th so be sure to enter by this date.

On another note, I was watching William and Kate's wedding this morning and it was such a beautiful, elegant ceremony.

I apologize for not being able to write anything lately but I'm having final exams at the moment. One later on this afternoon and one on Monday, so I will try my best to blog as soon as I can. Here is a teaser picture of my next blog post. . . .

Well take care and I hope you have a great day! Happy FRIDAY!

Mask-querade Haul + Others

Hey there! I was ecstatic when I heard a thud at my door today but I sincerely didn't expect it to be my package from Imomoko.com. I love their lightining speed package delivery! Yay Imomoko! You made this tired mom's day.
I put in my order just last Friday because there is currently a 10% OFF sale for certain facial masks in their website. The code is "THANKMOTHER2011"

Here's the loot!

Click the name of the masks for more details.

My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask

$15.99 (4 Sheets)

FaceQ Masks: Red Pomegranate and CoQ10, Grape Seed and Green Tea, Ocean and Aloe

Each box contains 10 Sheets and are $15.99 each.

You can go to Eki's blog to find reviews on these masks however, I will be reviewing them as well.

Red Pomegranate and CoQ10 Mask

Grape Seed and Green Tea Mask

Ocean and Aloe Moisturizing Mask

These are the masks I currently own aside from the tubed kind. I purchased the Charcoal Mask pack from H-Mart and the Mandom Barrier Moisture Mask is from Mitsuwa.

Ah..the start of my mask collection. ^_^

 I purchased these at Sears last Saturday.

Nicole by OPI Love Your Life ($8) and Essie Sand Tropez ($8)

I went to Mitsuwa this past weekend to visit my sister, Grace. We had a great mini-vacation despite the 5 hour drive and the little sleep. We treated ourselves to some awesome foods and treats at Mitsuwa. I finally got a chance to repurchase a bottle of Mandom Cleansing Express Moist makeup remover. I love this makeup remover to pieces!
I hope you all had a great Easter weekend and are having an awesome start to your week. 

I will soon be posting another collection entry. Can you guess what it is? Here's a word hint...apples

Feeling Pinky & A Lil' Bit Yellow

Hellooooo there! My lil' munchkin Mia is still awake so I'm up blogging. She turned 4 months today! Wowwww I'm so proud! I love my daughter so much and I can't believe how time is just flying.
So anyways, I went to the Outlets on Sunday with hubby, his dad, and of course my darling daughter, Mia. We actually met up with my hubby's family because he wanted to help them buy some soccer shoes. I took advantage of our little trip there by stopping by the CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet). If you've never heard of the CCO, it's basically a store that sells Este Lauder products and products from the companies affiliated with them such as, MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, etc!

I bought three things since I'm trying to stay on course with this whole budget thing. I'm really trying my best to refrain from  buying things that either A) Doesn't suit my skin tone but just looks cute and B) I have no actual use for but I bought just for the sake of collecting.
So here's the loot! Shift to Pink Lip Gelee, Band of Roses blush, and Golden Lemon pigment.

Lip Gelee in Shift to Pink

This is a gorgeous, shimmering pink color! It kinda' reminds me of the dazzleglass lip glosses from MAC except this is a bit stickier. I'm not too crazy about sticky glosses but I can make an exception (at least just this once) for this cute pinkness of a gloss! LOVE IT!

Golden Lemon Pigment

This is another lovely, super pigmented...errr Pigment? haha Anyways, I don't really own anything yellow or gold so I had to get this. Plus it'll be perfect for the summer! Yeeaaaahhhh bring on the sunshine baby!

Band of Roses blush

I'm trying to open my eyes to more dramatic colors and like I mentioned earlier, I am a repeat offender when it comes to picking blushes that are either too light for my complexion or just doesn't compliment my skin tone. This is a beautiful rosey duo of colors.

Here are the swatches

This duo blush is great because if you blend it well, it can give that perfect flush. I think I will use to darker pink for the winter and use the lighter one for the summer. ^_^ Good plan!

Now for my next blog posts---You can look forward to these upcoming collections....(in no particular order)

Blushes

Pencil Liners

Conceales

Lip Glosses & Other Lip Products

Perfumes

Face Powders

Nail Polish

Eye Bases

Primers

Well I hope you all have a great rest of the week! Take care

Makeup Collection 1: Foundations

Hello there! So here it is...the beginning of my makeup collection. I know you're probably thinking, "Why so many foundations Jules?" Although it may seem like I just  made a mistake too many with picking my foundation shade, I really didn't! These are different types of foundations and yes maybe different shades as well.
Like many women out there, I too was lost in the vastness of makeup foundations. I honestly had a hard time picking the right one. Rest assure that I did not purchase all of these foundations at one sitting (just like my other makeup products).
Well, let's get started shall we? I hope you guys will find this post useful in warding off any future mistakes and please don't hesitate to ask me anything about the foundations.

Drugstore Foundations

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty, Revlon ColorStay, and Revlon PhotoReady

You can purchase these at your local drugstores and stores like Walmart or Target. The prices for each range from $13 - $14. Sometimes CVS holds a sale for the Revlon products where you can buy one get one free or at 50% off.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty: Medium to full coverage. Didn't break me out but felt a little heavy on my face. Has a thicker than usual consistency compared to other liquid foundations. Comes in a frosted bottle complete with a convenient pump.

Revlon ColorStay: This gives medium to full coverage. Does not have a pump. Has different formulations; Normal, Dry, Oily. Even though it comes in a number of colors, I was unable to find the right match for my skin. I also noticed that this foundation was difficult to wash off completely whenever I used my synthetic foundation brush.

Revlon PhotoReady: Often compared to Makeupforever HD foundation. This is a great foundation. It didn't break me out. I have combination skin and this made my t-zone a little oily after some time. This is also gives a medium to full coverage.

 Clinique Acne Solutions

Available at Macy's department stores and online at Clinique.com

$24.50 

12 shades available

Good for Oily, Dry Combination, and Very Oily

This foundation is lightweight and gives light to medium coverage. Stays matte all day. 

 MAC Hyper Real SPF 15 (?), MAC Mineralized Satinfinish SPF 15 ($29.50), MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 ($26.50), and MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 ($29.50)

MAC Hyper Real: It's a good foundation but has too much shimmer. Medium to full coverage. No pump.

MAC Mineralized Satinfinish: I love the dewey look that this foundation gives me. My skin looks healthy. This didn't make me break out at all. Has a pump.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid: Full coverage makeup. Makes me have break outs but I come back to it every now and then because I like the coverage and the finish. This is actually my second bottle. Does not come with a pump but you can purchase the pump separately like I did.

MAC Studio Sculpt: Water resistant and gel based. Gives a medium to full coverage. One of my favorite foundations from MAC. Does not break me out. Comes in a tube.

NARS Sheer Matte Foundation (15 shades) $42

Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation $54

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation $40

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation $42

NARS Sheer Matte: Great foundation but too sheer for me. This gives a truly matte finish and controls oil through out the day. It's good for people with normal to oily and very oily skin types. Does not have a pump.

Chanel Vitalumiere: I LOVE THIS foundation! I'm halfway through. If I'm having a really good skin day, I reach for this foundation because it gives me a really natural, healthy glowing skin. It has a light to medium coverage. This does not break me out at all. It goes on really smooth whenever I apply it. Has a pump and a cap.

Make Up For Ever HD: Oil free! Medium to full coverage. Does not break me out. It has a semi-matte finish but is NOT great for flash photos. Has a pump and a cap. I like this foundation a lot because of the great coverage. I get a lot of compliments about my skin whenever I wear this. A lot of people think I have naturally flawless skin whenever I have this on my face.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme: Another great foundation in my book. Gives medium to full coverage. This is a long-wearing, waterproof foundation. I like this foundation a lot because it makes my skin look luminous and dewey. It comes in a tube but it's liquid. The only thing that irks me about this foundation is the fact that you get very little product for so much money. I mean $42 for about 1 oz!? That's bananas!

Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme Super Palette $63.99
3 Palette in Warm, Cool, and Neutral
18 shades in each palette
I purchased this at Paint and Powder Store because it's cheaper there and I've never looked back since! This gives full coverage but does not look cakey. It can also be used as a spot concealer. This is a creme foundation but you can use a mixing medium or a MAC fix plus spray to thin it out to a liquid foundation or for under eye concealer. I recommend this foundation for people starting out as a makeup artist. I have the Warm and Neutral palettes.

Well I hope you guys like my mini reviews of these foundations. If you have any questions, ask away. I'm always happy to help and answer any of your questions.

I went to CCO today and I bought a few things from there. I will share my newly hauled goodies with you guys tomorrow. I gotta go take care of my little munchkin for now so I'll talk to you guys later.

Waterproof Foundation & Peach Blush

Hey there! So I took a break from posting but here I am again with another haul. I'm very excited to share these products that I purchased from Sephora. I wanted to get at least two things so I can take advantage of the FREE shipping if you spend $50 or more. I also wanted to get the birthday gift since I am a beauty insider member! Plus, I've been doing much research on a GOOD waterproof foundation.

It's hard to believe that this Limited Edition Korres Poyz blush is on sale for only $10 when it is normally sold for $24. This along with 3 other colors are available for that price but they do have a wider selection of colors being sold at regular price.

Peachy Orange blush described as a golden peach.

The texture is really smooth and soft. Not powdery at all. I'm so sorry but I forgot to swatch this. No worries though, I have an FOTD at the end of the post where I am wearing the blush.
However, if you still want me to swatch it, just let me know.

I'm in love with this foundation! I think it's definitely a must have for the summer. If you are looking for a GREAT, TOP NOTCH WATERPROOF foundation..trust me when I say that this is THE ONE!

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation 1.18 fl oz

It's a bit on the pricey side for $42 but in my opinion, it is definitely worth the splurge because it has a natural finish to it and it doesn't look cakey once applied.
It has medium coverage but you can build it up too for a fuller coverage.

It is a small tube containing 1.18 fl oz of product but a little goes a long way. The directions say to apply with a sponge but you can use whatever method you're more comfortable with.

There's only 8 colors to choose from which is a downside for such a great product. 

I'm an NC 40 to 42 in MAC so I picked Cashew Beige.

When I first saw this sticker that says "Shake Well" I was in disbelief because I was thinking, "how on earth can I shake something that's in a tube?!" Usually, when a product is in a tube container, the automatic way of dispensing the product is by squeezing it. However, this tube is made of hard plastic so it's not something you can squeeze. You will need to remove the thin aluminum covering the opening of the tube because it acts like a vacuum seal. Once removed, then you will be able to hear the liquid moving around as you shake the container.

I decided to test it out. It looks a little bit darker on me but I think it's okay because my skin will darken anyways during the summer. It has a creamy liquid consistency and is easy to apply. It does not have any shimmer but does give a healthy looking finish.

I decided to test it out and see if it will smudge with water.

As you can see the water just glides off! AMAZING

This is how I look with just the foundation on my face (no powder or concealer)

I am wearing the foundation and the blush in this picture. If you are wondering what I have on my eyes, it's basically three eye shadows & the black eye liner from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

On another note, I know I've been telling you guys how I will post a video or a picture heavy blog post regarding my current makeup collection and organization but I've decided to break it down because there's simply too many pictures and I don't want to over load you guys with pictures!

Tomorrow, I will post my Foundation collection and do a quick compare and contrast and mini review for each!

I hope you guys have a great weekend! Take care!

MAC Quite Cute Haul

 

Hello again! So I am currently watching "Maid of Honor" on T.V. and finally having some "me" time. I've been feeling anxious lately due to a certain acceptance letter that I'm waiting for. Anyways, I've resulted to doing some retail therapy. I have to admit, back then, whenever a new MAC collection would come out, I would buy all if not most of the products in the collection. 

Since the new year, I have been practicing much restraint and have been making wiser purchases. 

Now on to my mini MAC haul! 

The newest MAC collection that came out recently is called Quite Cute. The name pretty much describes what the collection is all about. I bought two things from this collection; Miss Behave blush and Bubble Tea Plushglass. 

The colors are neutral but can be worn for a day or evening look.

Miss Behave blush is GORGEOUS! The texture of this blush is unbelievably smoother compared to any of the MAC blushes I've ever owned, swatched, or touched!

The colors are subtle yet pigmented.

Bubble Tea Plushglass. This is a lip plumping gloss. Once applied on your lips, you will feel a cooling sensation. Plus, it tastes and smells minty. It has a doe-foot applicator and the actual cap is made out of a rubber type of material, similar to the NARS blush containers.

The gloss is creamy and has a milky sheen to it.

MAC kindly sent me a pack of four super cute pins (despite only ordering a couple of things). I use to have a fixation with pins and would attach them on my bags, but I think I will keep these babies as keepsakes.

Next month will be my 3 year anniversary here on blogger.com so I will be having a giveaway! Please subscribe if you haven't done so and if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions just email me at b3bkoolit@gmail.com


Jules

Some Fresh Air

Hey everyone! So this post is going to be somewhat unorthodox but it will be TOTALLY worth reading on about! Promise! ^_^

Do you remember back when you were just a kid and you and your family would take summer vacations? I know summer is fast approaching and everyone is making their own special vacation plans but what about those kids whose families do not have the means or resources to have a vacation let alone plan for one?

Sara from the Fresh Air Fund organization has personally contacted me in hopes of getting the word out regarding their organization and what it's all about. They are in need of volunteer host families that can give wonderful city kids a 2 week summer vacation.

To find out more please visit The Fresh Air Fund by simply clicking on the banner below. Please extend your support and spread the word.