February 2018 Favorites

I survived my first solo trip! Well barely, I came back from following The Killers around with a gnarly flu and I went straight back to work. This month I've been working like crazy and very sleep deprived but the experience of traveling around and meeting people who are just as crazy about music like me was absolutely incredible. I'm going to have to talk about my experience in a video soon, I also have a ton of vlogs to edit as well. But today I want to share some of the products that I took along with me on my trip, and some other ones that have become staples in my makeup routine.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette- Random Color Challenge

In my last Random Color Challenge, I asked you whether you wanted to see me attempt this challenge with the Anastasia Beverly Hill Subculture Palette or my ColourPop custom palette. I have to say that I was quite surprised to see how many of you wanted to see me use the Subculture Palette. I thought people were still hating on the palette but boooy was I wrong. I took a quick peek at the reviews online and the palette now has four stars on Sephora.com! It's crazy what a few months can do, huh? Well I still adore this palette and I was so happy to try something different with it.

Birchbox January 2018

Soooo last year I sucked when it came to YouTube and I completely neglected my Birchbox series, despite the fact that they're the easiest videos to film. All I do is open the box and react to the five samples I get. I don't really know why I wasn't filming these videos when I received a whole year's worth of samples, but we're now in 2018! This year I'm bringing back the unboxings because I find them very fun to film.

Kat Von D Saint & Sinner- Random Color Challenge Round 3

You guys asked for round three of the Random Color Challenge video and here it is! This is the last challenge video featuring Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette (at least for now because I really want to move on to another palette). I don't think I've had this much fun filming a video series before, but there's just something so exciting about not knowing what colors you're going to be working with. This time around I chose the colors by closing my eyes and sticking little stickers on them. This proved to be much challenging than I thought because my nails kept stabbing the eyeshadows and they're not even that long. I also decided to throw myself a curveball and pick six colors as opposed to five like I've done in the past.

January 2018 Favorites

This is the very first favorites video of 2018! It's been a few months since my last favorites video but I'm committed to share my five standout products every month this year. Yes, the format will not change whatsoever because I really enjoy being able to give you insightful reviews of all five items that I want to feature. This time around I also included clips of me using all the products which I thought would be helpful for all of you. In January I really gravitated towards products that do their job well without any of the extra frills or excessive packaging.

Quick Makeup Routine for Glowy Skin

In the month of December I ditched foundation for this quick and minimal routine that gave me very healthy, glowy skin. I didn't skip foundation because I made the realization that I didn't like wearing it, I actually had to do it because the very dry air would make every single formula I had lay on the skin weird and separate around my nose and mouth. It was strange and honestly not very look for someone that has to work at a makeup boutique, so I knew I had to switch things up. The routine I adapted turned out to be perfect for my skin and also my busy holiday schedule. The whole look takes 5-10 minutes to do and involves very few product and brushes.

Kat Von D Saint & Sinner- Random Color Challenge Round 2

Since I filmed the first round of the Random Color Challenge, I've received so many requests to do a second round using the Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette. I honestly never expected for the video to gain 7,000+ views, let alone get requests to do a second video with the same palette. I honestly I don't blame any of you though, this was definitely one of the palette launches that left a lot of people scratching their heads when they first saw the colors and the layout. This time around I let a computerized generator that I found through Google pick the five colors I would use in this video.

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.