NOTW & Nail Art + skin update

hello beauty lovers,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was a little sick because at our company dinner at work they served us undercooked turkey. So I was feeling a little sick, along with half of my other co-workers and really couldn't enjoy my mothers cooking the next day but none the less I was thankful for many things this year. And also I had to go and get an upgrade on my phone as well because the one I had the touch screen gave up AGAIN! it had to be replaced like four times and i was getting really sick of it!

So for the past week or so these have been my nails and as you can see it was time for a new manicure.

PRODUCTS USED:

Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat as base coat

NYC Expert Last Nail Polish in Hint of Mint

Revlon Top Speed in Metallic

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

And I was just about to remove it and pick a new color when I decided to play around with it. I don't do nail art very often and when I do its usually just on one finger but I had time and I was bored so why not!

PRODUCTS USED:

Confetti in Black Tie for the large stripe

Confetti in Wedding White for dotting

Milani Nail Art in Art Of Silver for striping

Milani Nail Art in White Canvas for striping

LA Colors Art Deco in Black for striping

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

So that was that, and I'm thinking about removing them tonight and go for red...

Also, Ive been thinking about shaping my nails oval...hmm

SKIN UPDATE: its been a little over a week since I started that hormonal acne treatment and all my breakouts are gone! However, my pores are still purging and I see lots of little whiteheads and little blackheads coming to the surface, but they're not inflamed or red and definitely a lot less bothersome than the huge cystic breakouts I've had...

The Epiduo is amazing. Ive expected side effects or at least a little redness or irritation but none so far! It didn't even make my skin too oily like Tazorac for example, nor did my skin dry out. Love it! I am just trying to find a new product that will help me fade the spots it left. I used AcuDerm Rejuvenating Lotion before with excellent results but Ive been thinking to just try and apply lemon juice to the spot!

Do Lip Plumpers really work?

I was going through a box of make up I don't use very often and stumbled upon this! Lip Plumpers!

I have a love-hate relationship with these! And I did my home work on lip plumpers a long time ago when I was hooked on DuWop Lip Venom, I used this stuff like there was no tomorrow, to the point where I wouldn't even feel the sting anymore. I think my lips became immune to it. And my conclusion was that I don't think that they actually "plump" your lips, rather give an illusion of fuller lips for a short period of time, but you don't really need to buy stuff for an illusion. Illusions can be created easily, and most likely with products you already own.

Some lip plumpers temporarily irritate your lips as they contain "spicy" ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, peppers or menthol. The stinging you might feel with these is your lips being irritated and reacting to the product. Which just makes me wonder if rubbing cinnamon on my lips would give me the same effect!
Now my thing with these is, you see, I have very, very pigmented lips. I'm very pale sometimes, and my lips are so red that even when my lips are bare people often think I have something on them. When this stuff starts stinging, my lips become even more pigmented.

Then there's some lip plumpers that claim to stimulate collagen production (yeah right!) by containing retinoids. I don't really believe that prolonged use of this will give you permanent lips a la Angelina Jolie.

Others draw moisture to the top of your lips making them appear fuller. But just like with Nail Hardeners which draw out moisture giving you hard nails (which break easier) I don't know how safe it is. I don't want full, dry and cracked lips.

And as much as I would love a fuller upper lip I always tell myself I won't waste money on products that don't work or work for about 15 to 20 minutes at the most.
That's why I currently only own two.
Victoria Secrets Very Voluptuous Extreme Lip Plumper: it retails for $26.  Allure made it the best lip plumper of the year. Yeah I really don't trust Allure's recommendations. They had Proactiv as their top acne treatment and we all know that Proactiv is a joke even if Katty Perry and Diddy advertise it.
It comes in a 0.12 oz tube with a twist brush applicator. Its clear and has a high gloss and shine to it. It does sting but not for very long, 10 minutes at the most and if you are eating or drinking probably even less. It is very sticky though, and I hate a sticky gloss!
Sally Hansen Lip Blush Plumping Balm: I believe this retails around $13 at CVS but I got it for 75% off. That is probably the only reason I even decided to buy it. You know I cant pass up a 75% discount.  It comes in a 0.32 oz tube with a brush applicator, however you really have to squeeze out the product. It does not plump lips, however it goes on clear and turns into a soft, rosy color which actually looks really nice. It supposedly adapts to your natural tone and gives you youth full, subtle, fuller looking lips. Oh and it is very moisturizing. For plumping I give it a 0, for color and moisture I give it a 5.

my lips with just some EOS Lemon Drop Lip Balm



with Victoria Secrets Very Voluptuous Extreme Lip Plumper




with Sally Hansen Lip Blush Plumping Balm


In conclusion, I don't believe that they work great, however you might like it if you want to re-apply it constantly. To me that's actually a deal breaker. I want to put it on not have to worry about it for at least a few hours. There is a big difference between "oh wow" and "ehhh, its ok" for me, so I'm not really impressed with lip plumpers.
Instead of throwing away money on lip plumpers I suggest we just start making out more, works a lot better and its free! :) lol
What's your experience with Lip Plumpers?
And speaking of lips, I am still searching for the perfect matte red lipstick. I grew fond of MAC's Ruby Woo but it does not always compliment me. What is your to go red lipstick?

FASHION: Shoe Addiction

Don't all women have an addiction for shoes one way or another? It just seems I can never have enough!
Today is finally cold in Houston, and I am really hoping it stays that way! I wanted to clean out my closet a little bit. Put all the summer shoes to the back and bring out the boots! I just love a nice boot. I realize how many shoes I have that I never even wore or wore maybe once. And there's a few pairs that I wore way too much this summer!
There's not a specific brand of shoes or shoe store I like. I kind of buy them randomly everywhere. I do love Guess shoes but their heels are way too high. I am already 5'7" tall and with Guess shoes I just seem like amazon woman.
I wanted to show you all some of the shoes I loved a lot this past summer!

Purple Suede Peep Toe Shoes. These are from Qupid and I wore them a lot. However, they were not the most comfortable shoes I own. Ouch!

Ruffles, ahhh I had an affair with Ruffles all summer, saw these here and just had to get them.

Whats summer without a wedge? I got this Dollhouse wedge at Ross and I wore it a lot with shorts and summer dresses!

Don't you love the detail on these?

A nude shoe, a must have in every girls closet! Bought these for my cousins wedding last June and wore them a lot after that!

I bought these in September and only got to wear them once to my friends birthday party. I wore them with a grey leopard print top and black skirt. But I love, love them and I know for sure that I will be wearing them next summer! And they are very comfortable!

My two favorite flats of last summer! I wore these all summer long! With maxi dresses, and leggings and tunics, you name it! Love, love, love both of them!

My Steve Madden golden Espadrille shoes. Bought these for less than $12 and wore them with the infamous boyfriend jeans and plain shirts. They go very well with a white tee and boyfriend cut shorts! I have them in black as well, but these I wore more.

These are not my favorites, but how do you feel about studded stilettos?

Hormonal Acne ?!?!? & Wrap, Snap & Go

Hello ladies,
I took some sick days at work and went to see my doctor. Every day when I wake up I see one or two more zits on my face and I finally had enough. He said its hormonal acne, which was not a big surprise because my eyelids are really dark which is a sign of hormones acting crazy. He prescribed three things to treat it and go back in three weeks for a follow up.



I got antibiotics to kill any bacteria, Epiduo Gel to apply to my face and birth control pills to regulate my hormones that are all over the place. He added: "a boyfriend is a plus" lol



Clindamycin: Now I'm not big on antibiotics. I took antibiotics for months at a time a few years ago when I caught a bad case of Staph Infection on my leg at the gym. I know that they do as much damage as good. Its almost like throwing an atomic bomb inside your body, it kills the good and the bad! But gotta give it a try!

Epiduo 0.1% & 2.5% Gel: I never tried this before but read excellent reviews. Its a combination of Adapalene and Benzoyl Peroxide. I've tried both separately but never combined. I'm pretty sure it will start purging my pores like nothing else. I am expecting it to get worse before it gets better, just like with any other prescription acne medication I've tried. The only downfall, my insurance did not cover it. So it was $250, it better work wonders I could have splurged on a lot of goodies for that amount of money.

Tri-Sprintec (generic version of Ortho Tricyclen) : I've only taken oral contraceptives once before, a really long time ago. I've had Yazmine prescribed to me and it broke my back out in cysts. I discontinued using it right away. I always heard women tell horrific stories about oral contraceptives so I have always opted for other methods.

So for the next few days I will just be relaxing at home, trying to stay stress free as possible. I want to catch up on some TV, Tough Love Miami is on!!!!  I also been meaning to paint my make up vanity and reorganize everything and definitely catch up on some much needed ZzZzZz's.

I have so many make up looks I want to share but there's no way on earth I am taking close up pictures, in daylight, with the macro setting on right now...just noooo way! Face full of zits + braces = I look 15 again!

I stoped by my local CVS to get some shampoo and ran into this thing. Its called Wrap, Snap & Go. You just roll your hair around it, snap it and go to sleep or hang around and you'll get great curls. There's 12 in a box, it comes with a booklet that shows you how to create different curls. It was only $12.99. And as much as I LOVE animal print this looks kind of tacky and cheap, but I think this will be a great alternative to curling or adding volume to your hair without heat. I very rarely use heat on my hair, only on special occasions like a night out or something of that sort. Regardless of what kind of heat protection you use or what kind of tool, heat is still heat and too much of it can't be good! That's just my theory!
It has that little "As seen on TV" logo on the bag but I have never seen it on TV and I am a sucker for infomercials. Maybe it was on TV in the 80's and early 90's because that's what it reminds me of.

I can't wait to try this actually. I will do a hot Coconut Oil treatment on my hair tonight and probably give this a try tomorrow.

Nails Of The Week : Sally Hansen Adoring Amethyst

hello beauties,
I hope you all have started your Monday off well. I started mine with a tall mug of coffee with Pumpkin Spice creamer. Heaven!!!
So I did my weekly manicure today. And as much as I love my pinks, corals, and pastels, I love bringing out the darker colors this time around. And what better way to start off than with a rich, deep purple.

PRODUCTS USED:

Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat as base coat

Sally Hansen Adoring Amethyst

Sache Vite Fast Drying Top Coat

 

I trimmed my nails almost in half. Holidays are around and I get moved around a lot at my job helping other people, sometimes I have to lift a lot and work with my hands, I don't want to break a precious nail lol

Expect a lot more NOTW in the future. I am the proud owner of more than 150 nail polishes. I am also planning on sharing with you guys how I care for my nails, my nail care routine I guess. I also want to share how I fix a crack or split in my nail and how to remove and prevent your nails from staining.

I did a small NYX and Wet'n'Wild haul this morning. There is a new, fancy HEB that just opened by my job and that's the only place I found NYX Cosmetics at. I was hoping to find some face products but they didn't have any :(



This is me this morning, I was playing around with the different settings on my camera.