My First Giveaway!

Hi lovlies! So as you may know, I recently reached 50 followers and to say thank you I wanted to do a giveaway :). Liquorgear.com offered me a flask to review and one to giveaway. I picked the pink Betty Boop one.

What I love about this stainless steel flask is that it's a pink leather wrapped one. Usually you don't see too many of these, at least I haven't. This one is also smaller and skinner than your usually flask (3.5 oz), which makes it just the right size for us ladies. I also love how the cap stays attached to this so there's no chance of losing it. Liquorgear.com carries a bunch of different flasks and other liquor related merchandise so definitely check them out.

 Im not usually one to carry a flask, but now that it's the summer time we're going to pool parties at the casinos often on the weekends and those drinks by the pool can be pretty pricy. I can just throw this in my beach bag, order a cranberry juice and problem solved :)

On to the Giveaway!

To enter, you must be a follower and comment on the post below with your GFC name, your email address and your favorite liquor of choice. (Giveaway ends 6/30 unless there are less than 20 entries in which case I will extend the giveaway until it reaches 20)

You can copy/paste this into the comments and fill it in:

GFC:
Email Add:
Favorite Liquor:
Link to giveaway: (if you did this)

For an extra 4 entry's, post the photo below on your blog's sidebar or blog about my giveaway. If you do either of the two, post the link to it in your entry comment.

At the close of this giveaway I will email the winner, you will have 48hours to email me back with your shipping address. If I don't hear from you then another winner will be selected at random.  

Good Luck!!

NOTD+ Review, MiNX NAiLS?

OK, not really but they look similar don't they?

This pic was taken in natural light with no flash.

I really love metallic nails, so when I saw this by Orly I grabbed it and also one in silver. The staying power of this is pretty average. After about 2 days it starts to chip a little when a top coat isn't used. I actually never use a top coat so I'm not sure how much longer it would last had I used one. The application of this was really good, one coat completly covers and there's no nail that can be seen through the polish.

The brush on the other hand is a little less desirable. It's tiny and skinny!

Another thing I don't like is how difficult it is to remove. It's almost like those glitter polishes that really cling to the nail. I find that using a base coat kind of helps with removal. Overall, I like these polishes and If you like the look of metalic nails I would check these out.

Do you guys know of any good metalic polishes?

New Hair! Well Sorta!

In the summer time my hair gets super frizzy and hard to manage. I usually can't even wear it straight anymore once June gets here sooo, I got a Keratin treatment done on my hair yesterday! I've heard so many good things about this treatment. Basically it gets rid of 100% of the frizz and leaves you with silky, easy to manage, wash-n-go kind of hair. Sign me up!



This is my naturally curly hair after it is left to air dry with a LOT of gel.

Before I show you the results, I want to give some information on the hair treatment:

What is it? It is a revolutionary process that softens, shines, straightens and makes the hair healthy. It penetrates the hair repairing internal damage and coats the hair preventing further damage. The results are smooth, silky and straight hair.It is not a chemical that restructures the hair.It is a replenshing treatment that reconditions and protects the hair from water and heat damage while enhancing it's natural shine.

The Brazilian hair treatment is excellent on all types of chemically treated hair (bleached, hi-lights, colored, permed, relaxed or previously straightened. It is excellent for getting rid of curly, frizzy, damaged, unhealthy, dull, mistreated hair.

The Brazilian treatment is made up of "Keratin" a liquid form of hair. There are no harsh chemicals. The Brazilian treatment can be used on children (6 years and older), teens and adults (men and women).

The Brazilian treatment DOES NOT use strong chemicals to open and close the hair cuticle in an effort to straighten it. It only coats the hair. It does not break the bonds of the hair shaft like straightners do. Keratin is a natural substance which comprises approximately 88% of your hair.

Brazilian treatment is not permanent. It naturally fades out of the hair. The wave or curl will gradually come back in about 2 - 3 months. The hair will stay soft, shiny and healthy looking. The more you do the treatment the better condition the hair becomes. The treatment also makes the hair very manageable. It will require less blow drying time and results will be very good with a flat iron

(BEFORE) This is what my hair looks like after it is shampoo'd (treatment was not added to my hair yet) with no product in it and blowdryed by just running fingers through it.  (A frizzy mess)

The entire process took 3 1/2 hours and involved my hair to be shampoo'd 3 times with a special shampoo that gets my hair to the right PH level and opens the cuticle for the keratin to penetrate the hair shaft...hmm, kinda sounds like hair porn lol. Ok anyway, after the keratin is applied it is then blowdryed with a round brush and flat ironed. At this point your hair is stiff as a board and feels super gross and sticky, like you just put a ton of gel and hairspray in it and then flat ironed it. Then it is rinsed and a deep conditioner is applied and left to sit for 5 minutes. After that it was just finger dryed with a blow dryer as before and that's it.



This is AFTER the treatment, no flat iron was used. As you can see it's a HUGE difference! There is no frizz and my hair is silky soft. My ends are a little rough looking, but that's my own fault. I only get my hair trimmed like once a year :P

Overall I would totally recommend this treatment for anyone who spends a long time doing their hair and just wants to make their lives easier. It can last up to 4 months depending on how often you wash your hair and during this time you must use a shampoo and conditioner that doesn't contain sulfates. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be using the one below, but I heard there is also a good one by Organix that I may try. Another thing to keep in mind when blow drying is that you have to keep the blow dryer pointed down towards the direction of the hair. After all, the main purpose of this treatment is to seal the hair cuticle.

Caring for your hair after treatment:

AFTER CARE:

· Do not wash hair for 1 – 2 days. (24 hours for Traditional Treatment, 48 hours for Royal Treatment)


· Avoid getting moisture in the hair after treatment and before shampooing. If hair gets wet, blow dry and go over hair with the flat iron.(moisture in the hair before shampooing effects the longevity of BKT)



 MAINTENANCE:


· Wash hair only with *Sodium Chloride-free Shampoo

· Sleeping/Using a satin pillow case at bedtime will keep hair silky and shiny longer.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

The following items will break down the bond of the Keratin if applied AFTER the treatment has been done.

Sodium Hydroxide and Thio based Relaxers
Bleach
Hydrogen Peroxide
Ammonia
Sodium Chloride 

Splurge VS Steal - Balenciaga City Bag

I absolutly love Balenciaga handbags, but I would never drop $2000 on a handbag, ever! Usually I'm totally against knock off purses, I think they look tacky and cheap and most of the time you can totally tell it's a fake. I am willing to make an exception this one time though. Pictured below is the bronze Balenciaga look-a-like. I think it's a pretty good one too. What do you think?

Splurge VS Steal by omeleko featuring a leather shoulder bag

Balenciaga leather shoulder bag
1.290 EUR - ekseption.es

z-sale JOCELYN SATCHEL - Bronze

$30 - shopsueyboutique.com

• Balenciaga Giant City Bag
• $1,830 - ekseption.es
• Leather shoulder bag »
• 
  

• 
  
• 
  
• I purchased this bronze one above. Check out my post on it here.
• 
  
• • Balenciaga Giant City Bag
  • $1,830 - ekseption.es
• 
  
• z-sale JOCELYN SATCHEL - Bronze
• $30 - shopsueyboutique.com

Other Versions: These are $58 Each

Stylish Blogger Award

Sorry I haven't been able to comment or respond to anyone's comments lately. Blogger has been having problems with comments and login's for some of it's users since 5/24 :( Anyway, I think it's all fixed now since I was just able to comment on my own blog finally. Anyway, Rebecca Kirsch  just gave me the sylish blogger award :). Thanks doll!

By receiving this award, you have to name 7 facts about yourself and tag 7 bloggers to pass it on to. Here are my 7 facts:

1. I don't like using spoons. I think it has something to do with the metal touching my teeth. 

2. I have really bad vision, without contacts I can't even make out the E on the chart lol. 

3. I looove avacado's and sushi, I could seriously eat both of those things every single day. 

4. I love makeup and fashion, but I also have a fascination with deep space,  astro physics and early western civilizations. Anything about black holes and fallen empires in Europe really interest me. 

5. I may have a slight obsession with my dog lol. If anything bad were to ever happen to him I would be completely devastated. He's like my baby. 

6. I don't hold grudges, but if someone ever does/did me really wrong I'm not able to ever forget about it. Even though I may really want to. 

7. My biggest fears in life is losing a loved one and failing at something I really gave my all at. 

Now for my 7 tags:

http://gabysbeautyblog.blogspot.com/

http://victoriasofiaaa.blogspot.com/

http://kimber-doll.blogspot.com/

http://mirfashion.blogspot.com/

http://cupcakesandcosmopolitans.blogspot.com/

http://herdollface.blogspot.com/

http://www.lipstickmademedoit.com/

Mail of the Week!

Some mail I recieved over the week from Cherry Culture, eBay, buy-pharam and Eucerin.

I'm signed up at a few freebie samples sites so I can try new products, and lets face it, who doesn't like free stuff?!

My NYX order, as you can see the eye shadow is completly smashed but since this was a final sale purchase I'm not sure I can send it back for a new one =( (I'll have swatches in an upcoming post).

Sucks! Especially since this is what I was looking forward to the most.

A bendy bracelet! Well actually it's a bendy necklace, but I bought it to use as a bracelet. I saw this thing at a boutique uptown and they wanted $30 for it. I found this one on ebay for about $5 with shipping included!

I just think it's so cool and different looking. I love stuff like that. Please excuse my hairy monkey arms lol

Blogger sucks!

So once again blogger isn't working, I can make a post but I can't post comments. Not even on my own blog >.< Anyone else having that problem? I checked the blogger status and it said they were working on the issue since 5/24. Im so bored at work today, my boss is out the office and I don't have anyone to talk to lol.

Anyway, I have a new post coming up about the Keratin treatment I just had done to my hair. Wait till you guys see the before and after pics!

Jewelry Making!

I was feeling a little creative the other day so I decided to go to Michael's to pick some stuff up to make jewelry. Well after searching around for an hour and feeling completly overwhelmed by the 90 different claps, closures and spacers they had - I left empty handed lol.  Not willing to be defeated so easily  I searched online for some inspirational stuff. I came across this YSL bracelet and though, "I can make that!" So I headed back to Michael's the next day with  my inpirational photo in hand.

While I was in there I thought I would pick up some stuff to make a necklace too. I've been really into gold and turquoise lately so I had an idea in mind of what I wanted to make.

Aaaand, here's what I made! Not bad for my first time of jewelry making huh? I bought this 36'' chain and asked the sales lady what I would need to put it together. I wanted something classy and elegant, not just a chain with a bunch of stones on it. I really like the asymmetry of this.

My YSL inspired leather wrap bracelet with toggle clasp. It took me about 30-45 min for each of these and I really enjoyed making them. I think I may have discovery a new hobby!  

Have you guys ever tried jewelry making? What are some of your hobbies to do in your free time?

MAC Studio Fix + Dupe?

I was in the cosmetic section at the $1 store the other day just to see what they had when I came upon this LA Colors foundation in the color Tan. So I kinda opened it a little to swatch it, bad I know! Well, I was blown away at how pigmented and almost creamy feeling is was. It reminded me of my MAC Studio Fix powder foundation. I bought it and compared the two.

The LA Colors is a little darker than my NC35 Studio Fix, but that's a good thing b/c I feel like my NC35 is just a smidge too light for me now that Im starting to get a little darker. LA Colors describes their foundation as long lasting and silky smooth wear. I actually wore it today for about 7 hours and it still looked good by the time I got home.

LA Colors on index finger, MAC Studio Fix on middle finger. W/ flash left picture, no flash on right picture.

                               

As you can see, MAC's studio fix does not photograph well. It tends to give off a white cast in pictures. Good thing to keep in mind for flash photography.  The coverage of LA Colors is surprisingly really good and very similar to MSF so I would recommend it to those who are on a budget or need something in a pinch. The only thing I don't like about this are it's ingredients. Talc, Mica, Kaolin, Mineral Oil, Squalane and Propylparaben. If you have sensitive or acne prone skin then I would stay away from this. This isn't something I would wear on a daily bases either, but more for those lazy mondays when Im running late and just need to slap on some powder for work ^-^.

The world is about to end so why not go shopping!

So with all this talk lately about the word going to end on 5/21/11. I figured I was going to do what I usually do on a saturday afternoon, shop! So here's what I purchased from Forever21 and Wet Seal.

I needed new sunglasses since I have a bad habit of leaving mine in the car and then having them getting messed up from the heat. These were only $5.80 ea @f21

How cute is this tank? I love tissue tops like this!

I've been seeing lime green everywhere lately, I though this cami would look cute under a shorter shirt that needs a pop of color, plus this color really makes me look tanned lol

I got this super cute off the shoulder shirt at Wet Seal, I love how it has a lace panel down the back of it and the sleeves can be pushed up a bit so it hits right at the elbows

Im going to have to wait quite a few months to wear this, but this cropped sweater is going to be so nice to wear with anything when the weather gets cooler. It was on clearance at Wet Seal, buy one and get 1 for $0.01 so I got this and the pink top for less than $15 :)

What did you do on your, "The world is going to end today" day?

Yay! 50 Followers!

Hi lovlies! I reached 50 followers today, and while that may not be a lot to most people it's a lot to me! I appreciate each and everyone of you for reading and following my blog and and for posting such nice comments. When I first started this blog, I had it set to private for a few months b/c I didn't feel like it was good enough to show to the world and from reading other peoples' blogs, I knew that there would be a chance of opening up myself to haters and just negative people in general. I finally decided to just go for it and made it viewable, if people liked it than great, and if not than that's ok too. Now a few months later, here I am with 50 followers and everyone has been so sweet! It's been a great experience and I absolutly love blogging. I want to have a giveaway to say thanks for all the support. Im not sure what it's going to be yet, but I do plan to do something very soon within the next week or two ♥

Beach Bag Essentials

Summer is almost here, and it’s time to start heading out to the beach/pool for some fun in the sun! But before you start calling friends and making plans for Saturday afternoon, it’s time to find your favorite tote bag and start filling it with some summer essentials. I put together some things that I always keep in my beach bag, but of course you can customize it to fit your needs.

1. Beach tote - I love nautical stuff for the summer so this straw bag is perfect.

2. Sunglasses - Get a pair w/ UV protection.

3. Hair ties and bobby pins - Once my hair is wet I like to put my hair in a braid a pin back the little peices.

4. Lipbalm w/ SPF - Chapped, red and wrinkly lips are not cute, make sure your lip balm has SPF in it.

5. Sunscreen for face and Body - Neutrogena makes really good sunscreen for sensitive skin. Oil-free is a must for the face too.

6. Large beach towel - This one is self explanitory.

7. Flipflops - I really like the flipslops with ridges in them like the one shown. It helps with walking in the sand.

8. floppy hat - Stylish and efficent.

9. Face Refresher Spray - You know how your face can feel kind or gritty and dry when you come out the beach? Well a refresher spray solves that problem. I believe they sell this Evian one at Sephora, but really any face spray would work fine.

10. Spray leave in conditioner - This is good to have especially when you plan on being out for most of the day and aren't able to rinse your hair.



***TIP***I've heard that it's best to rinse your dry hair with cool water BEFORE getting into the beach or pool. The reason for this is because the dry hair will soak up the fresh water first and therefore the chlorine and salt water won't be able to penetrate the hair shaft as much. Basically it's just a way to prevent chlorine and salt water damage to your hair.

What are some of your beach bag essentials?

China Glaze Crackle NOTD & Review

I know that China Glaze Crackle polishes have been all over the blog world for a while now, but if you haven't tried this stuff out you definitely should. It's really fun to apply and it crackes before your eyes. Plus, I find that it makes me want to actually wear nail polish, whereas before I could care less if I had something on my nails or not. Here's my nail of the day.

Hot pink w/ Black Crackle

My Review - Black Mesh and Lightning Bolt:

Black Mesh - Out of all the crackles I've seen, I like the black one the most. I just personally think it's the most versatile. Also, I find that no matter what nail polish I apply it over it works beautifully and crackles perfectly. With crackle polishes in general, you have to work with them quickly and when you apply it try not to go over the same area twice b/c it will kind of mess up the effect a bit. The most important thing to remember when using crackle polishes is that the base color you have on your nails must be COMPLETLY dry. It won't crackle correctly if the color underneath is even the slightest bit damp.

Lightning Bolt - I really love the white one and I thought it would be perfect for the spring and summer time when I like to use lighter and pastel-like colors. However, I find this one to be a little hit or miss. It works well over some polishes and not so much over others. It also doesn't crackle as nicely as the black one. I find the white one to be a little more splotchy looking when it starts to crackle and it can end up looking a little goopy. Maybe I just got a bad one so I wouldn't discourage getting this one.

I plan on getting Crushed Candy and Cracked Concrete next. Do any of you have these? Which ones are your favorite?

Angel's & Devil's Out To Play

Over the weekend some friends and I went to Metro's annual Heaven and Hell Party. It's basically a costume party where you dress up in an angel, or devil themed outfit. Really though, it's just a chance to dress up all scandalously and hoochified and well, I never miss an opportunity for that lol.

This guy was the coolest thing in there! He walked around all night from room to room and was constantly in character.

The 2 good angels in the middle and the dark angels on the outside ;)

The fact that we wore 3 different color outfits was total coincidence, it difinitely made for a lot of people we didn't know wanting to take pics with us though

Yeah angels carry purses, this one did at least ha. I didn't wear wings with my outfit because last year I did that they got messed up and broke within 20 min :(. So I was a fallen angel, no wings.

This pic was taken towards the end of the night w/ about half of our group. All in all, everyone had a great time. Metro's annual parties usually don't disappoint.