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!

Drugstore Holiday Makeup

Holiday Makeup Week continues with this very dramatic smokey that's perfect for any holiday party or New Year's Eve. If you follow me on Instagram, then this look will probably look pretty familiar to you. A few months ago I drove up to Los Angeles to take a class with L'Oréal and we learned how to recreate this smokey eye that Jennifer Lopez wore to a red carpet event. I know, I know... I'm the last person you would think to recreate J.Lo's makeup look, that's why I had to change a few things this time around. I decided to make this look much more grungy by smudging more eyeshadow in the lower lash line and by changing the lip color completely. The result is a hazy smokey eye with glitters that will look equal parts festive and edgy.

Dollar Store Holiday Makeup

Can you believe that we only have 14 more days till Christmas? It's honestly time to buckle down and try to finish all your holiday shopping. I know, I still have a few people to buy gifts for (*cough* my dad and uncle *cough*). This week you'll be seeing three festive holiday looks for three different budgets, so there's bound to be something for everyone. I'm going to kick off Holiday Makeup Week with a very simple look using $1 makeup and brushes! Believe it or not, it is more than possible to achieve a full face of makeup with just products from your local dollar store. The makeup alone was under $20 which is a complete steal!

Fall Makeup Using the Juvia's Place Nubian 2 Palette

After uploading my Top 5 Eyeshadow Palettes post, the requests to recreate my makeup started pouring in on Snapchat and Instagram. I honestly didn't think anyone would comment on my eyeshadow look, but little did I know that you guys were going to love it. This is a much different makeup than what's been circulating on YouTube, so I can definitely see the appeal. For this look I decided to play with plum and pumpkin tones, aka two fall basics. I don't think many people would think of pairing plum tones with a "pumpkin spice" type of color, but I personally think the both colors look amazing together. All the eyeshadows used for this look come from the incredibly affordable Juvia's Place The Nubian 2 palette which I've been obsessed with as of late. 

August 2016 Favorites

August was definitely a much better month for me than July. It seems like things are finally falling into place and there's some exciting ventures ahead. There was even some very exciting beauty discoveries this past month! I found my new go-to acne treatments that don't dry out my oily skin, some products that combine my love for nerdy things and makeup, and I even found the most comfortable nude lip combo. August was a pretty easy breezy month for me, which I honestly needed that after experiencing one of the most frustrating summers. And now that August is over, I can start counting down for fall! I just want cooler weather, dark lip colors, and fall clothing.

Smoked Out Purple Lower Lash Line

After posting my Top 5 Lip Balms video I got so many requests to make a tutorial on this particular makeup look. The requests even came pouring in on Snapchat and Instagram, so I sat down and recorded this simple look incorporating a bright pop of color. I know, it's the most cliché way to describe a makeup look but it's literally what it is in this case. If you're normally a bit scared to wear a bright color, then this is the perfect way to ease your way into more colorful looks. And if you're not a fan of purple, then you can apply this technique to literally any other color. You can switch up the color to blue, green, olive, maroon... I think you get the point. The best thing is that this makeup is super quick to do but it looks like it took a lot more effort.

Playing With New Makeup | Pür Cosmetics, Bésame Cosmetics, Milk Makeup

If you follow me on Snapchat, then you've probably seen me do "Mail Time" snaps showing the PR packages that are sent my way. It's such a fun way to show new products and I love getting feedback from my followers on what they want to see me use and review. In today's post I've decided to play around with a few of the new makeup products in my makeup collection. It's kind of a tutorial and first impression rolled up into one silly video- that's pretty much how I would describe this. Hopefully this will be the first of many "Playing With New Makeup" videos, although I really shouldn't be buying any more new makeup but it's just so much fun!

MAC Star Trek Tutorial | Deanna Troi Inspired

A lot of you really loved the makeup that I wore when I reviewed the MAC Star Trek collection, so I decided to recreate this look for you guys. This particular look was inspired by the glamorous Deanna Troi of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Deanna Troi is one of four female characters that inspired the upcoming MAC Star Trek collection and I personally happen to love her makeup the best. She honestly looked like a Greek goddess in space, she was such a stunning character. Deanna Troi was known for her big curls (which I'm very jealous of), her sultry smokey eyes, and a subtle rosy pout. My makeup look is more of a modern take on what Deanna Troi wore and I added more drama to the eyes by using those bold lashes from the MAC Star Trek collection.

Top 10 Affordable Makeup Brushes

I don't know why it's taken me so long to make a video about my favorite affordable brushes. I'd say that around 80% of my brush collection is composed of very affordable brushes, many of which are over 4 years old. In this video I only decided to include brushes that are readily available at any Target, Walmart, and Ulta store. Maybe I'll do another affordable brushes videos with brands that you can buy online in the near future if you guys want me to, but for now I'm going to share my favorite drugstore brushes and how I use them on my face.

Empty Products #7

It has been forever since my last Empty Products post! And if I'm honest it has been 9 months to be exact, so you can only imagine how many products I managed to accumulate. Someone should have called TLC on me because I was just hoarding empty products underneath my bed for the purpose of recording a video. I swear saving your trash is only logical in the YouTube/blogging world, otherwise you'd be a complete weirdo. But if you're a fan of quick reviews, then I'm sure you're going to enjoy this latest empty products post. There's a lot of skincare, body care, sheet masks, and mascaras in this post.

April 2016 Favorites

April was the month that I embraced some of my most minimal makeup looks. There were a few days that I would just add concealer, mascara, and a tinted lip balm. I've been switching my thicker foundations for light weight options and my matte liquid lipsticks for hydrating tinted balms. I also discovered two skincare items that have been helping out a lot on the problematic areas on my skin. I honestly didn't realize how many products were on heavy rotation this month until I gathered them all, but it should make for a good favorites video.

Natural Strobing

I don't what has gotten into me lately but this oily skin gal has been embracing dewy skin. It all started when I got the stunning Sleek Makeup Highlighting Palette in Precious Metals in my life. The palette includes three cream highlight shades and one powder highlight, all the shades give your skin a natural and luminous glow. If you've been wanting to try out the strobing technique but found a lot of the tutorials too dramatic for everyday life, then maybe you'll enjoy this subtle take on the trend.

100% Drugstore Holiday Makeup

Here's my second holiday look of the season. For today's look I created a green smokey eye for the holidays using nothing but drugstore makeup. Everything from the brow product to the actual brushes used are incredible affordable, and many can be found at your local drugstore. In my regular tutorials I tend to use a combination of drugstore and high-end makeup, so it felt so nice creating something entirely out of drugstore makeup. This more dramatic makeup is perfect for more glam Christmas dinners, or you can wear it with to your family's dinner if you happen to like smokey eyes. I really loved how this look turned out and I really hope that you do as well.

Simple Everyday Makeup

Last week when I uploaded the Ipsy bag video, I got so many comments about how nice my makeup looked. Some of you even requested to see a tutorial on this look and also the look I wore in my recent Instagram selfie, so I decided to combine the two look for this tutorial. I've been wearing a variation of this makeup look this whole month and I think it would be a great look for school, work, or a casual day out. This video will be another chatty makeup tutorial, meaning that you'll get to hear more about the products and brushes used to created this look. It's a beauty tutorial and mini reviews rolled up into one chatty video!

September 2015 Favorites

I can't believe that September is gone! This month went by so fast thanks to Kaaboo and getting sick, not once but twice. There's nothing worse than catching a cold when it's over 80ºF because the last thing you want to do is get some soup. In this monthly favorites video I'm going to be sharing a few high-end staples, as well as an incredible eyeshadow that costs only $3. No one is going to believe the brand because if you were to see just the swatch I swear that half of you would think it's something by Charlotte Tilbury or Jouer.

Get Ready with Me: Outside Lands Music Festival

Although I'm mentally getting ready for the Kaaboo music festival in San Diego, I wanted to share with you this look I wore to Outside Lands last month. I recorded this little Get Ready with Me on the third and last day of Outside Lands. While the look itself isn't anything crazy, I did decide to add some metallic tattoos to jazz things up. Plus, I think a touch of gold was more than appropriate considering Elton John was the headliner that night. I totally missed my opportunity to rock a 90's Elton John concert shirt though! Ugh, I'll have to remember to dig through my collection of concert t-shirts next time.

What's In My Music Festival Bag?

One of the most popular videos to record for beauty/style YouTubers is the classic "What's in my bag?" video. I've even done a few myself but I decided to add a little twist this time around. Why not show you what I'm took to a music festival AT the music festival? Yes, I asked my boyfriend to record me take out all the items out my backpack while I was waiting for the next act to go up. I got a lot of weird stares, but it's ok because frankly I'm used to them by now. The video was recorded on the third and final day of Outside Lands, a.k.a. the day I camped out in the front of the stage to see Elton John. That should explain why I had so much food in my bag, but I have absolutely no excuse for all the lip products.

Music Festival Makeup Bag

This is my 500th post and I happen to be celebrating in Outside Lands. What can I say? The timing was perfect. Last year I showed you what I was bringing along with me to Outside Lands and we're to go through everything once again! This is my third year attending the Outside Lands music festival and my seventh music festival that I've attended so far, so by now I consider myself somewhat of a pro when it comes to packing for a music festival. My makeup and toiletries bag is a little full, but take into consideration that there's no camping at Outside Lands and that the weather is much cooler in San Francisco. When I'm packing for a music festival the products that I take along with me have to meet the following criterias: 1.) Is it versatile? 2.) It is compact and does it meet the TSA guidelines? 3.) Does it travel well? (There's nothing worse than a cracked powder product). This video might be helpful for anyone considering attending a music festival in the future, or go on a short trip.

April 2015 Favorites

Ahhhhhhh... It's gonna be May! Well it already technically is May, but I just felt like starting off a blog post with that because I'm a 90's kid for life. Before we begin a brand new month of beauty discoveries and rediscoveries, it is time to look back the my most-used products in the month of April. There's a good mix of new and familiar products, as well as drugstore and high-end makeup. And how pretty is the flower arrangement? An event planner dropped it off after an event finished up outside of work and now I get to use it to make my pictures much more springy. 

October 2014 Favorites

I'm going to start off with this cliché but I really mean this. Where has this year gone? 2014 is almost over and we only have two more favorites videos until we start the cycle all over again in 2015. I honestly cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. This past month I got to try out several new products that I have not talked about much in videos. Once again I was in love with some makeup brushes that made my life a whole lot easier, and I'm continuing all this cream blush love on this blog. This favorites video includes a lot more high-end brands than usual, but like always there's some affordable drugstore items that I would like to recommend to all of you.