Drivers License Makeup Tutorial

It was about time that I finally changed my drivers license photo! I kid you not but I have looked Donald Trump orange in my drivers license for the past 10 years. I know some of you are not going to believe me but I did used to rock the orange glow once upon a time thanks to my obsession with the NYC Sunny Bronzer (shout out to anyone who remembers that bronzer). So thanks to the orange glow, whenever I used to show my license to people they would always have to do a double take because I look about five shades paler now. In this post I'm going to show you an all-matte look that will photograph well even with the shitty DMV cameras.

Kat Von D Saint & Sinner- Random Color Challenge

I'M WEARING RED EYESHADOW! And you know what... I really love it. When I first saw images of the Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette, I knew it would be something that I would eventually would want to pick up. Flash forward to a few months later when the palette finally launched and that's little ol' me started feeling very doubtful about the palette. What is someone like me supposed to do with bright colors like chartreuse, yellow gold, and a metallic red? I mean, we're talking about the girl who usually skips eyeshadows and goes for a bold lip instead. I play around with color once in awhile, but never with bright shades like the ones on this palette. After a little pep talk with my co-worker Phoebe, I decided that I should step out of the comfort zone and buy the damn palette. And in order to prove to myself that I can use those crazy shades, I've challenged myself to create a look on the spot using five colors that I chose at random.

Top 10 Small Business Saturday Picks

I hope that you guys didn't blow all your money on Black Friday because now it's time to go support the small guys online, as well as in your communities. Having previously worked for a local consignment shop that housed goods from various small businesses in San Diego, I quickly developed a real passion for Small Business Saturday and supporting people with big dreams. In this post I'm going to be sharing a few of my favorite online shops that you can support on Small Business Saturdays. I've included a few shops where you can find really cool pins, some stuff for my fellow Latinx homies, and places where you can get unique Christmas gifts.

Top 10 Black Friday Beauty Deals

This is my 3rd year sharing my Black Friday beauty deals, but this year I've done things a little different. Instead of posting random deals and coupon codes, I've rounded up 10 of my favorite beauty websites and shared what I like to think are the best deals. There are some steep discounts on high-end skincare and makeup in this post (I'm talking 25% off Sunday Riley if you play your cards right). And just like always I've added the Ebates cash back rate if the website is offering cash back. If you're not already a member of Ebates, like seriously where have you been? The website is completely free and it's very easy to use online, through the phone app, and also in select physical stores. With just a few clicks of your mouse you'll be able to earn cash back on most of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases. I honestly advise you to get your credit cards and PayPal accounts ready because the savings are coming your way!

Review | Fenty Beauty Match Stix

If you've followed my blog for quite a while, then you already know how much I love stick products. In fact I event have a full blog post about my favorite stick products titled "5 Stick Products to Try Out," all of them which I would still highly recommend (with the exception of the Estée Edit Pore Vanishing Stick because the brand no longer exists. RIP Estée Edit). Thankfully there's a new stick product on the market that I've become completely obsessed with and they are the Fenty Beauty Match Stix. The Match Stix have become a staple in my makeup routine ever since I picked up the Match Stix Trio during the Fenty Beauty launch weekend. In this post I'm going to share what I like and don't like about these sticks, as well as a quick tutorial using the sticks.

Get Ready With Me: Arcade Fire Concert

As you may or may not know, I've been to a lot of concerts of concerts this year. My goal was to attend 30 concerts in 2017 and I'm actually very close to making that goal a reality. Just in case you wanted to know, I'm only 4 concerts shy of meeting my goal which is very exciting. Since I do get requested to film concert looks often, I decided to film the look I did for Arcade Fire using all Milk Makeup products. Usually I tone down my makeup for concerts but that wasn't the case for Arcade Fire. I needed a lot of Electric Blue and Reflektor vibes for this particular concert look.

Everyday Look feat. L.A.B.2

Despite the fact that I work at a makeup boutique, I do get quite lazy with my makeup at times. When life gets busy, my makeup routine becomes more minimal and quick. As you may remember from previous posts, I am in love with stick products because of their versatility and ease of use but recently I've been using some new stick products on the market. My new stick obsessions are none other than the Fenty Beauty Match Stix which have an incredible cream to powder formula that holds up beautifully on my oily skin. In this post I'm going to be sharing with you how I use the Fenty Beauty Match Stix to achieve an easy everyday look and I'm also going to be using some affordable brushes from L.A.B.2.

August 2017 Favorites

My regular monthly favorites are back! The format will remain the same for the most part, so I'm going to be sharing the five products that stood out to me the most. The only minor change that I made this time around is that I'll be applying said products on my face. So it's basically a monthly favorites meets Get Ready With Me video. This past month I discovered my favorite foundation and ~surprise, surprise~ it's from bareMinerals. Despite the fact that I work for the company, it truly is a bomb foundation for my oily skin. And if it can survive 90ºF weather, then that makes it pretty much holy grail material.

Yet ANOTHER ABH Subculture Review

I honestly can't think of a palette in recent years that has been more controversial than the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Eye Shadow Palette. Apart from their brow products, I've never really had Anastasia Beverly Hills in my radar until the release of this palette. I was immediately attracted to the autumnal color scheme, particularly the orange tones and greens. It's actually quite rare when I buy a product the day it launches because I always like to watch or read reviews before spending my money on it, but I made an exception for the Subculture Palette. Upon watching the first round of video reviews on YouTube I began to worry that perhaps I made a mistake placing my order, but was it a mistake? Is this palette really as bad as the YouTube elite claim?

Playing With New Makeup | Milk Makeup, ColourPop, Anastasia Beverly Hills

It's not often when I treat myself to a lot of new makeup but let's just say that I was feeling extra spendy in July. There were a slew of exciting makeup releases last month that I just needed to get my hands on, the most exciting being the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette. Yes, the controversial palette that people either love or really hate. When I first saw pictures of the palette I started freaking out (I'm not even joking). The color palette really spoke to me, plus I was just happy to not see another warm tone eyeshadow palette since that was pretty much all that was being released this summer. Apart from the palette I also got my hands on some of Milk Makeup's latest releases.

My Hair Routine for Short Wavy/Curly Hair

I think by now most of you understand how truly lazy I am when it comes to hair, that's one of the many reasons why I choose to have my hair short. Personally I can't be bothered by a complicated hair routine or styling my hair every single day. I only wash my hair two to three times a week and I use dry shampoo on the other days. When I do get around to wash it I like to use four products to style and keep my hair healthy. I don't like spending more than ten minutes on my hair because let's be honest, I'd rather do my makeup rather than my hair any day.

Review | bareMinerals barePRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation

It's here! The foundation I've been waiting for is finally here! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a matte liquid foundation from bareMinerals and let me tell you the brand new barePRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation was well worth the wait. This is the company's first matte full-coverage foundation and the first natural foundation that provides 24-hour wear. In this review I'm going to go over practically everything, such as: application tips, ingredient information, foundation comparisons, and opinions/personal experience. It's a long review but it's packed with information and pictures.

Gradient Smokey Eye

On rare occasions I'll get tutorial requests based on looks I wear out, this was one of those rare cases. I originally did this gradient smokey eye when I headed out to Fashion Valley for a fashion show celebrating the Latino Film Festival back in April. Since I went with quite a casual outfit, I decided to do a darker eye to pull the whole look together. This smokey eye is a bit different to the other ones I've done a tutorial on because it's a monochromatic gradient. I played around with a few of the brown shades in my favorite eyeshadow palette of all time, the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette. If you're not super comfortable with smokey eyes, then I suggest you give this easy technique a go.

Summer Favorites

Since I haven't filmed a favorites video since March, I've decided to gather all my frequently used products and share them with you in one summer themed video. I've been very loyal to the products that I will be sharing and many of them are starting to show signs of wear. Since it's summer I will be sharing not one but two sunscreens that are fantastic options for oily skin. I also will be talking about other long wearing products that are perfect for any skin type.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!?

This might be the catchiest title and best thumbnails that I've come up with. 

March 2017 Favorites

I told you that I would upload my March favorites soon! It's still early March so I think I'm posting this in a reasonable timeframe, right? Well this time around I have a lot of bareMinerals products to share with you, two of them which are brand new. I had been waiting for the new bareMinerals bronzers and highlighters since I first heard about them in the fall of 2016 and they're finally here! Apart from my makeup favorites, I also discovered a new toothbrush that will change your life if you have a small mouth like I do. Yes, I will be raving about a toothbrush. Are you surprised though? This is the same girl that raved about a toothpaste not too long ago.

Opening Subscription Boxes | Birchbox + Vinyl Me, Please

It's that time again to open some subscription boxes! This time around I'm going to be opening the February Valentine's Day box and March Women's History Month box from Birchbox. This time around I received a lot of cult skincare products that I've been curious to try out. I also recently signed up to my first music related subscription service- I know, I can't believe it took me this long. The subscription service that I went with is the popular Vinyl Me, Please. What makes Vinyl Me, Please different is that each month they send you an exclusive pressing of a record that "everyone should own." With each record you get a custom cocktail recipe and artwork that pairs perfectly with the record of the month. Sounds cool, right?

New Haircut | Come Along With Me

Ever since I started getting my haircut by LC at Ashen Salon in La Jolla, I've been making videos describing each and every haircut. In the past I've been describing her haircutting technique in my videos because it does stand out from what past hairdressers have done for me. LC is a big fan of cutting curly/wavy hair dry in order to not cut too much length and give the hair more movement. No one has ever taken as much time or effort into cutting my hair, and that's why LC is literally my favorite hairdresser. In this post you'll be able to come along with me to get my haircut, that means that you'll see LC's technique on video and you'll also get some tips along the way.

February 2017 Favorites

I know what you're probably wondering... "Girl, shouldn't you be uploading your March favorites?" Don't worry, you'll get my March favorites next week but I still wanted to upload my February favorites because of the products that I talked about. Last month was truly the month of new beauty and skincare discoveries, but these are the five products that stood out to me. I was particularly impressed by an amazing mineral sunscreen which can be found in an aisle that I normally would never get near to- the baby aisle. Let's get this out there, I'm not a baby person at all but those little derps have some of the best skincare products which work just as well for adults with sensitive skin.

Very Chatty Makeup Tutorial

I've never been someone to shy away from being honest, although I do tend to be quite a private person. I know I haven't gone into much detail about how I've felt and how I've been doing after my break-up, so I have decided to talk about it a bit more in this video. I also wanted to discuss what I've been doing lately in order to work on bettering myself both physically and mentally. I still have a long way to go before I start feeling more like myself, but I'm quite happy with the progress so far.

Review | Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam

If you're addicted to social media, then you've most likely have seen and heard about the Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam. Ouai (pronounced "way") is the new "it" hair care company that was founded by celebrity hairstylist, Jen Atkin. She's most known for styling the Kardashian girls and like we all know by now, the Kardashians (love them or hate them) are pretty much the biggest trendsetters in the beauty world. Much like the Kardashians, Ouai has built an incredible social media following and gained a lot of beauty blogger fans along the way. Literally everything they've released so far has been raved and raved about, but no product beats the hype that surrounded the launch of the Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam. Yes, this is a dry shampoo in mousse form. Since this product was incredibly overhyped, I decided to give it a try on my dark wavy/curly hair.

Outfit of the Day | Mix and Match

Today's outfit post is going to be part OOTD and personal update. So it's no secret that I haven't been able to keep up with my blog so far in 2017, and there's a perfect reason why. Since last summer I've been so preoccupied with my jobs and my blog/YouTube work, and it literally got to the point that I didn't have much of a life. I don't know about you but working all the time is very draining (even when part of your job requires you to be creative), so this year I've shifted my focus to bettering myself both mentally as well as physically. I've actually been giving myself proper days off and I just started to work out again. Mix and matching is not only a fashion term, you can most definitely apply that concept to your life as well. It's all about finding the right balance for yourself.

Outfit of the Day | Earth Tones

You all know that I tend shy away from color a lot of the time, but this year I really do want to challenge myself to wear just a little more color. While I'm not planning on going all out with a yellow cardigan and hot pink pants like Kimmy Schmidt, I do plan to start off by wearing playful makeup and experimenting toned down colors in my wardrobe. And yes, I'm currently binge watching the show as I type up this post and I'm loving how silly it is. Back to this post though, in this outfit you're going to see how easy it is to incorporate color by pairing Earth tones.

Playing With New Makeup | Kat Von D, Becca Cosmetics, Wander Beauty, Wet n Wild

The spring makeup launches are finally here! I swear that time of the year almost feel like Christmas for beauty lovers like myself. Everywhere you go from the drugstore, to Sephora there's displays showcasing the latest trends and beauty innovations. I know I told myself that I didn't "need" any makeup, but screw it- I just want to try out new products! What's the point of makeup if you can't have a little fun with it, right? In this latest "Playing With New Makeup" I'll be trying pore blurring powder, a silicone sponge, and a primer that oddly enough smells like a sugary cereal that I love.

January 2017 Favorites

This year I'll be changing the format of a few of my videos in order to make them much more helpful for my blog readers and YouTube subscribers. The first video series that I'm going to be tweaking are my monthly favorites videos, which in the past have been extremely rambly and oversaturated with products. I also realised that I would mention just a few things about each product for times' sake, but not really explain how I use it and what the product is supposed to do. The monthly favorites videos that you'll be seeing this year will only feature five products, so you'll only be hearing about the things that really made a big impression on me. Limiting myself to talk about five products will allow me to give better feedback on each product, instead of trying to rush through a long list of products. This change will hopefully make these videos a lot more helpful and enjoyable to watch.

Birchbox and Walmart Beauty Unboxing

New year, same old subscription boxes. The two boxes that I'm still going to continue subscribing to are the Walmart Beauty Box and Birchbox. I've been very happy with both of those subscriptions, so you're going to continue to see me unbox them and share the products that I'm going to be trying out. I think when it comes down to value, both subscription services just get it right. You can't beat spending $5 for the Walmart Beauty Box, especially when the samples are extremely generous and you often receive coupons. And if you want to branch out and try other luxe brands, then Birchbox is definitely the subscription box for you.

Winter Makeup

When people think about winter makeup they can go one of two routes: minimal makeup with a bright red lip or heavy makeup for nighttime. In my case, I do enjoy keeping things very minimal and focusing a statement lip color. If you've been following me for a while. then you already know how much I love a good red lipstick. I actually don't care how bright, dark, warm-toned, or cool-toned a red lip is- I just want a good red lipstick. So when I first saw the Milk Makeup Lip Color in Dip Out, I knew I needed it in my collection. This shade is a wearable vampy red and I personally think it would compliment nearly every skin tone. I honestly love this shade that much that the whole look was made so it would complement the lip color. That's true love right there.

Purple and Orange Smokey Eye

This year will be the year that I'll start being a little more daring with my makeup. I don't longer want to be intimidated by colorful eyeshadows, metallic finishes, and things that are considered a bit "out there." I want to play with bright shades, dark colors, and try different makeup techniques. One of those techniques that I wanted to try out is the halo eye. This isn't anything new or particularly groundbreaking, but it is much different to what I usually do with eyeshadow. The beauty about the halo eye is that you can use any eyeshadow combination that you want! I've tried a more subdued version with browns and a metallic gold eyeshadow and the look still came out beautiful. Hopefully this colorful look will inspire some of you to give the halo eye a try.

December 2016 Favorites

Guess who's back from a month-long hiatus? This girl. To be completely honest I didn't intend to take that long of a break. In fact, I didn't even intend to take a break at all but the holiday craziness just really got in the way of creating new video and blog posts. Long working hours, preparing for Christmas, my 27th birthday, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve... I think you get the jist of it. The month of December was honestly such a blur, but despite of how busy I got I still managed to enjoy it a lot. Although there was a lot going on in my life, makeup-wise I kept things very simple. I just didn't have the time nor energy for a complicated makeup routine, hence why I focused on practical products and skincare.