Beauty Favorites 2017 ~ January

Ok I know its like the middle of February already, but here are my January Favorites :) Last year I kinda skipped these type of posts. I might posted once or twice .. shame on me right. I personally like reading monthly favorites. This year one of my blogging goals is to post them every month. 

So with that said let me show you my January Favorites. 

Wet N wild Photofocus foundation ~ new addition to wet n wild family. I was not really looking for this foundation I kinda stumbled on it while looking for Kandee Polishes LOL. There was not many colors left. I picked two. Shell Ivory is better match then Beige one.  I came to really like it. It have a cool applicator. I like to blend with damp sponge. I tried with brushes but it leaves my skin looking dry and cakey. I know people complain about the smell but personally it don't bother me. It gives a nice coverage. And its really cheap too! Next I want to grab concealers and faced powders :) 

Milani Cosmetics Make It Last Makeup Spray ~ this makeup spray is amazing! It have a great spray nozzle that spays fine mist directly on the face and not anywhere else. It did eliminated the powder look on my face! big plus for that! Although it didn't last 16h as it claims it did last around 9h for me , which is not bad :) Right now this is my go to setting and priming spray :) 

Now let me tell you about my two favorites that I can not live without. 

Art Deco Eye Shadow Base  and Clarins Supra-Volume Mascara. Holy Crap! both products are just simply amazing. ArtDeco eye-shadow base keep my eye-shadow on my lid the whole day. I mean it no creasing, no fading. The way I applied them in morning stays put through out the day. It comes in small (5ml) jar and it smells like  a men cologne. Why does it smell like a cologne? I don;t know but I love it! I love the smell! This is great primer if you have an oily lids :) Definitely try it out :) It is not only my favorite, my fellow polish blogger Monika (Candymona) loves it just as much. She told me she is on her 3rd jar! :) 

Now Clarins Supra-Volume Mascara I cant get enough of it. It makes my lashes so beautiful, think and black. It makes them long and makes them look like a fake lashes! I don't wear fake lashes and now I don't need to coz I have Clarins Mascara :) I usually put on 2 to 3 coats :) Its intensely black. The wand is amazing it catches all the lashes and just adds life to them :) The formula is more on a wetter side. Over all this mascara will be purchased as soonest its gone. I think I found my holy grail you guys ! you want super sexy lashes ? Use Supra-Volume you wont regret. 

Now let me show you some eye shadows that i been loving past month :)

ArtDeco  Most Wanted palette NUDE ~  to be honest I thought I will not like this palette. And boy I was wrong. I do like it and I like it a lot. It prefect mix of mattes and shimmers in brown, grey and rose hues. The color complements each other and blends really nice. The shimmer rose shade is my favorite! 

The other shadows I been loving are by MBA Cosmetics. I love their eye shadows.  They are pigmented, soft and they blend like a dream. Silk FX Shadows are my favorite. The ones I been loving last month are :

* Peach Frost ~ shimmery frosty peach

* True Love ~ matte, light nude pink 

* Blue Carrauco ~ shimmery vivid tropical blue 

* Sangria ~ rich and sultry burgundy 

* Turquoise ~ shimmery blue green 

* Honey ~ shimmery golden tan 

The way I like to use them was: blend True love in my crease. Peach frost all over my lid. Smoked out with a bit of Sangria. Honey in my inner corner and either Blue Carrauco or Turquoise on my lower lash line :) 

now for lips I really liked :

* Fairy Girl Rose Goddess Liquid Lipstick ~ when Fairy Girl told me the brands is coming out with liquid lipsticks I was so happy! Their lipsticks are amazing but the liquid ones way better! Out of all my most used one is Rose Goddess, which is a gorgeous mauve rose shade. The formula is amazing, the time wear about 8h. 

* Colourpop Calypso Satin Liquid Lipstick ~ that's it I love satin liquid lipsticks by Colourpop. Pretty  rosy nude shade.. I really like the formula on this one as well.  Mousse type consistency  that  applies opaque in one swipe. It dries to satin finish on the lips and lasted about 8h on me. 

* Jordana Sweet Creme Matte Liquid Lipstick Tiramisu ~ I was not expect them to be so good. Dang Jordana! Tiramisu is one of two Jordana's Sweet Creme Matte lip[sticks I picked up early this year. Unfortunately my display had all reds left and I am nude type of girl :) any who I love this formula and this shade! Tiramisu is beautiful rosy brown with a 90's vibe to it. I love how it look on me. Surprisingly wore so good! It have a mousse texture and opaque in one swipe :) Defiantly need more! even the reds! 

(top Jordana, middle colourpop, bottom Fairy Girl)

And last let me show you my favorite duo that I was wearing on my nails since Christmas. 

London Town nail color in Brill-and and China Glaze in Define Good..

Both look stunning on  the nails and both wear nicely over base and top coat by London Town. 

London Town Brill-ant bold metallic rose shade! OMG this is one of my all time favorite colors! Its simply stunning and well it look amazing paired with China Glaze Define Good which is rich cranberry shimmer shade :) 

So that would be it . My January Favorites :) Do you know any of the products? What did you love in January ? 

xoxo Monica 

Valentine's Inspired ~ all about pink, red and rose gold

Valentine's is right around the corner. yeah like 3 days away and yes sorry for posting this so late. 

Valentine's is all about pink and red, hearts and cupids. :)  We celebrate Valentines at home since we have Sophia. We do exchange small gifts. My hubby will get us a flower and something extra :) Sophia is always getting chocolates and toy from me :) And now our doggie will get a cute bone with a bow :) Guys I love my dog :)
 I also pulled out few decorations and set them on my vanity, Few hearts hanging on my bed frame. Too bad I can't stay home :( But since I will be working I have to glam up right? 

I checked my stash and found few gems that can be used to make a VDAY prefect :) Definitely I will be using some of it to make myself look Valentine's ready  :) 

Naked 3 by Urban Decay, I really don't have to introduce this palette don't I? This is perfection when it comes to rosy shades. And I think this is a prefect choice for a VDAY eye look, don' you think?

My second and third options are palette by Too Faced ~ White Chocolate Chip and Bon Bons Palette.   White Chocolate Chip is a new palette that launched last year. I know it got many mixed reviews but I over all like it. Cute packaging and pretty shades. The only minus is the size. 

Chocolate Bon Bons well this palette scream VDAY! pink, cute, girly and heart shaped eye shadows are just so pretty! I be honest I haven't use this one in a while ... I think I need to pull her out and show her some love :)

Pretty pink blushes come up next. My choices are Too faced Funfetti blush which is just stunning :) Too Faced makes the best packaging and the best products :) I don't think there is a products I don't like. Although I have not try it all yet. Funfetti blush was available in a Funfetti Set that was sold on HSN last year. If you got it yay, if not well I hope they bring it back coz it is a must have for makeup collectors :)
 Stila Cosmetics Pretty In Pink Blush. Hello gorgeous! I love this blush even though I never touched it. The design is simply beautiful :) It was a limited edition from few years ago :) I bought mine off Nordstrom Rack for only $10. And than we have Essence Cosmetics Brit Tea Blush. Another my favorite :) My mom send it to me from Poland coz we don't get LE essence products. The rose design make it a VDAY worthy.
Becca Cosmetics Rose Quartz perfect for a VDAY glow :) Rose gold and well stunning! Add beautiful soft pink glow to the cheeks :)

Another a great option is NARS Unfiltered II blush palette :) Ah pretty pinky and mauvey shades :) Nars blushes are amazing!

My favorite part, LIPS! So many great pink and red lipsticks around! Here few of my choices :)
Lipsticks : YSL 55 (red) , YSL 19 (pink) and Clarins Rouge
Liquid Lipstick new by Allegory Story released for VDAY, lilac- pink called Cupido :)
Lip glosses : Apple's Eve (red) and Lady Una (hot pink) both by Allegory Story.

As for nails I have nail polishes and nail stickers.
Nail polishes new from Dip Into Pretty :) Love the formula and the colors. Dry fast and opaque in two coats. There will be a full post dedicated to them soon.
* Roses are Red (red)
* Dip Into Pink (pink)
Rose Gold gorgeous Formula X nail polish is Alchemy III came out during holidays :)
Nail stickers by Incoco :) Cute VDAY designs :) Cant really tell which is my favorite ! I really like them all :) They are from Sweet On You Valentine's Collection :)
* Love You Lots
* Full of Love
* Madly In Love
* Thinking Of You

How will you celebrate Valentine's and what are your go to makeup products?

xoxo Monica

Michael Todd Beauty SonicBlend ~ Makeup Brush Review

*pr sample*

Hello Beauties!

Today I want to "talk" about Michael Todd's SonicBlend Makeup Brush. I wont hide I was excited about this brush. I love Soniclear brush! I did a review of it here if you want to check it out. 

So yes I was excited for SonicBlend and I did have a high hopes for it . 

From Michael Todd's Website:

" The SonicBLEND is the first of its kind makeup brush to use sonic technology to apply makeup. Better than rotating makeup brushes, the SonicBLEND applies makeup flawlessly at up to 400 micro-movements per second. Easily sweeps on foundation, blush, contour, highlight, setting powder and bronzer without lines or streaks for natural looking airbrushed-like results every time. PLUS, SonicBLEND comes with built in protection against microbial contamination so the brushes stay cleaner, fresher longer.
SonicBLEND provides better coverage so you use less makeup. Can help improve the overall healthy look of your complexion by minimizing the possibility of clogging pores as well as irritation from rubbing and stretching the skin which can occur with traditional makeup application. "

I have to say I like this brush! It does blends my foundation so good and gives me the air brush look. It does not "eat up" the product like some brushes do. I been using it for a week and half and yes I am hooked. When I received it I had to charge it first. There is no batteries need. Device comes with USB cable that you can plug into your computer or phone charger adapter. I used my phone charger. 

Let it charge for about 3 hours.  When it was ready I simply attached the "brush" head and picked one of my foundations. I smear foundation all over my face and let the SonicBlend do the work. 

And you guys it did an amazing job! Just fyi, when you use it don't press too hard to your skin like with regular brush. 

It applies makeup at sonic speed , up to 200 times per second. It pushes makeup into pores, wrinkles and fine lines. It really evens out the skin tone :) My face never looked so smooth and even :) It was WOW! The bristles on the brush are soft and when at work it feels like a massage. Totally like it!

SonicBlend comes with  a build in protection against microbial contamination so the brush stay cleaner and freshers longer. 

This brush works great with all kind of products liquid, cream and powder. I did try it with foundations and with my liquid highlight and dang it I love it! It applied my highlight sooooo good! I was always struggling with getting it right. It never look good. So I always been using regular powder highlight. I have one illuminator form Soap and Glory and well i didnt like how it looked applied with m,y finger or beauty sponge or brush. I read somewhere that SonicBlend works great with all kind of bronzers and blushes and highlights. So well let see if it can help me out with my little highlight situations. and it did! I love it!I didn't try with bronzers or blushes yet. i will get to that. I like to apply bronzer with regular brush, but I will try it next week and definitely will update you on my IG acct. . as for blushes I don't wear them too often. 

What more i like about this device is that it offers three speeds. You can choose the speed at which you want to apply foundation or any other makeup/face product. It is not cheaply made. It does have a nice weight to it but its not extremely heavy.  Brush head is removable and you can replace it anytime.Too be honest I don't know how often you have to change it. With Soniclear every 6 months but no idea about this one. I guess once you keep it clean, meaning wash it like a regular brush you can change it I dunno every 6 months to a year? I gotta ask Micheal Todd :)

Overall I am pleased with it! I love the way my face look after applying with SonicBlend. I like that there is no batteries required, no cords etc. It comes in 4 color option (pink, black, pearl white and leopard design .. why i didn't get pink :( ) hahah. 

The two cons I have is the price ($99) and the fact that it don't have  a plug for USB. 

Now the question if the device was not send to me for review would I buy it? The answer is yes, but I would wait for a sale or something :) 

SonicBlend available at Michael Todd Website.

Price $99

L.A. Colors Iced Pigment Powder ~ Swatches

A little over a month ago I saw that my local Beauty Supply store got new L.A. Colors Iced Pigment Powders.  Yes! I was so happy. Ever since I saw a IG post and swatches I died.. I really wanted them! I remember going back and forward and looking for them.

Finally I saw them a week ago and I went back yesterday and I picked 5 colors. 

But trust me I will be going back for the reaming shades, coz the pigments are gorgeous! 

I am surprised that no one talks about them ... was looking for reviews and swatches on google and nothing. I found few swatches on IG  and that;s it. 

I think they are amazing. If you like pigments give them a try :)

They are bold and metallic. Highly pigmented. 

Each comes in a plastic clear cube with metallic cover that reflex color of pigment inside. 

They look amazing over the primer :) 

There is 12 beautiful shades in the collection. 

I picked 5 for now :) The ones that i wanted the most. 

I swatched them with my finger and brush to show you on how intense they can be! brush application and the color pay off is amazing. I did not use any primer,

* Toasted ~ metallic rose gold

* Glowing ~ metallic copper

* Glisten ~ metallic chocolate brown

* Glean ~ metallic navy blue

* Twinkle ~ metallic teal 

| top swatch is with a finger bottom with brush |

My Beauty Supply store sells them for $2.99 each, but I found them on Ikatehouse for $1.99. I think the reaming shades I just going to order from there. 

KBShimmer Bling In the New Year and Chai-hauhau ~ swatches + review.

*pr sample*

Hello Loves!

I have another nail polish post for you :) The post that was supposed to go up back in December... and why it didn't ? I don't know. December was really busy month for me. All the cleaning, crazy holiday shopping etc took all my time.

I did promise to myself to write a post featuring Bling In the New Year nail polish by KBShimmer. 

This is my favorite nail polish ever created :) It is prefect :) I wore it through out the December and yes I did paint my nails with it on new years eve or rather a day before. 

If you are a fan of metallic glitter polish you will love this one. 

It has silver metallic flakes base and silver halo glitter with accents of colorful shifting flakes of greens , pinks, golds and blues. This gives me life! The nail polish shines! really shines! 

even nighttime outside while walking my dog I was looking at my nails and simply admiring the polish:) couldn't take my eyes off! I show it to my hubby's cousin and she painted her nails right away :) Even at work I got so many compliments and questions where did I get it form? I like it the most at night, especially outside , under the starts or a street light LOL it shines :) I really love it.

It went on easy and all I need was 2 coats :) It last for about 4 days (which is normal for me ) and then it stared to chip. When I took if off it went with out any problems. Not like the glitter polishes, that you have to rub it off until your nails hurts. This one is prefect. Even on the nails and you don't feel glitter.

It was my very first time trying kind of polish. When i saw it yes I fell in love right away but I was scared that it will be like a regular glitter  nail polish... but it wasn't :) 

 Next step is to wait  for some sales over at KBShimmer and pick more polishes like this one :) I love the colors on the website  and I will be definitely picking few up :)

Second nail polish by KBShimmer is Chai-huahua its a muted red orange. This polish was inspired by Chi Tea Spices~ cinnamon, cloves and anise. This is  a pretty red. I do have a lots of red polishes in my collection but so far this one wore better then others. Applies in two easy coats, lasted for about 4 days :) No streaks while applying. 

Over all KBShimmer polishes are amazing. I only tried two but I will be getting more. Right now, while I am trying to link their page I added 3 to my cart ahahha! 

Each polish cost $9.25 available on KBShimmer website. 

*disclaimer

Polishes were sent to me for review. All thought are my own*

Sinful Colors ~ Luck of The Stylish ~ Swatches

I was looking for new Sinful Colors x Kandee Johnsons nail polish collaboration and no luck yesterday. 

On the other hand I found Luck Of The Stylish collection. Because of the green polishes I bet its made for St. Patrick's Day. I might be wrong tho.

I haven't buy new SC in forever. I was scrolling down the Instagram feed and I found few polishes from Holiday Collection that I want. SO I will check two more stores today and hope I can get lucky. 

Now I don't know how Sinful Colors work. If all the nail polishes in displays are new or re-promotes or limited edition. If any one knows I appreciate it. 

As I mention the whole line in this collection is green :) According to SC info I found on their web the collection includes:

* Works Like A Charm

* Queen Of Greens

* I'm Clover It

* Gilded Goddess

* San Francisco

* Rise and Shine

* Mint Apple

* Green Ocean

So out of polishes from above,  display I found  had the first 4.  on top of that some other ones that I though were not part of the collection. But I picked them up anyways :)I bought total; of 5 polishes . 3 I will swatch here are the part of the collection and other I will do a separate post :)

Works Like A Charm 

very muted mint green with gold sparkles. Sparkles are really tiny but you can definitely see them. I actually didn't know if I should buy it or not. This is not a polish I would reach out the most for. But, oh well its pretty and why not :)  (2 - 3 coats)

Queen Of Greens

This was the polish I knew I need in my collection. Gorgeous shimmering emerald green. I have a weakness for shimmery polishes and this one is wow beautiful! This one is the highlight of the collection. Show is only one coat! My favorite shade so far.

Gilded Goddess

Gold metallic glimmery shade. This one too I was about to skip coz i have similar ones in my collection. But my brain told me I need it so I took it :) I don't really like the gold polish on my nails, It kinda looks dull coz of my skin tone... (2 coats)

Over all SC polishes are great. Price is super affordable ($1.99), colors are gorgeous and they last decent amount of time :) 

NARS Unfiltered | and Unfiltered || Blush palettes ~ swatches

NARS is one of the brands that I want to look more into this up coming year. I own few products but I want more. I see on IG some girls have a beautiful and huge collections of NARS products. I want it too. You can be a makeup junkie without NARS in you collection. 

So I decide to start my NARS  collection with a big bang! I bought two new blush palettes form Spring 2017 collection. Well, I was supposed to get only one but I couldn't decide which I like more so $120 later I am a proud owner of two gorgeous palettes :) 

Each blush palette includes 6 powder blushes. 5 limited edition shades and one re promote.  both come in sturdy packaging with mirrored surface. I actually like the packaging a lot. One is red and second one is pink. 

| from top to bottom : Watch Me, Me First, Takeover, Out There, Chic, Exhibit A)

Unfiltered I is more warmer and suitable for darker skin tones. But come on I had to have it coz of Exhibit A blush :) I know I can get it anytime but it just look fabulous in the palette and well other blushes are just as stunning. "Watch Me" is a gorgeous highlight! Ah cant wait to use it.

Unfiltered II is cooler and  suitable for lighter skin tones (hence Me :) ) this one have lovely pinky and mauve shades. I am not a pink blush kinda gal but damn this palette is gorgeous. 

| From top to Bottom: Conquest, Undefeated, Power Play, Hot Sand, Fame, Candid

I actually cant tell you which I like more. Both have pretty and unique shades. Both are simply stunning. So if you have a founds get both if not choose the one that will suit you better :) 

palettes are available at Sephora and NARS website ( $59 each)