Gel liner... Shany you're my girl right now!

Got these lil beauts along with the Shany neon palette. To be honest I have nothing to compare them to. I've never worked with gel liner and I thought they were kind of tricky to apply, that could just be my untrained hand though. ;) But that aside, they're really smooth.. Haha if that's what you're looking for in gel liner? I do seriously love the bold saturated color they give!

I'm no Dr. Oz but look at the difference in my skin after a lil Hyaluronic Acid and Maracuja oil

I'm wearing the same makeup in both pics, there's no editing and I took them both in natural light in the same place (my bathroom).. I like my privacy when I selfie. The only difference is that I have been treating my skin with pure hyaluronic acid and maracuja oil that I ordered from Amazon about two weeks ago.

I was rummaging through my phone and happened upon that pic on the left that I took of myself a little before I received those two beloved little bottles in the mail. I knew they were making my skin much softer and my coloring was becoming less splotchy but I didn't realize how much it was helping my pores and wrinkles to relax. 

I bought the hyaluronic acid on a whim when I was ordering the maracuja oil because I had just read an article about this amazing skin rejuvenating cream who's key ingredient was hyaluronic acid (a skin plumper aka wrinkle filler). The cream was was freakin expensive, always. So being the gutter rat beauty product fanatic that I am, I figured if I could afford getting my hands on just the main ingredient (the skin plumper) then shoot at least I'd be half way fabulous.

Further research about the acid made me realize I didn't need all the additives in that cream for it to still seep into my skin and do its business. Maracuja oil is a great carrier oil, chalk the eff full of vitamin C which usually commonly used to assist hyaluronic acid in penetrating the skin:

So ya ;)

These are the brands I purchased. Cosmedica's hyaluronic acid ($14 and I only use a drop a day), because it was pure, has high ratings and doesn't contain alcohol (watch out I almost bought a brand that claimed to be pure but on the ingredients it included isopropyl alcohol). And Botanical Beauty's Maracuja Oil because it is the same thing as Tarte's but much cheaper. 

I put two squirts of the oil and one drop of the acid in my hand and rub it on on slightly damp skin right after I wash my face every night. Having a little water on your skin gives the hyaluronic more moisture to bind to.

I just wanted to copy and paste that lil tid bit below in case you're wondering more about hyaluronic acid. For more about Maracuja Oil if you're curious, I ranted about it in an earlier blog or look it up! It's freakin good stuff! 

Cheers! I hope you can get these and are as pleased with them as I am

 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum Offers Effective Hydration

and Anti-Aging Benefits For a Youthful Appearance to Skin 

-Fix uneven skin tone 
-Heal dryness on face with intense hydration
-Skin plumping properties help reduce fine lines and wrinkles
-Instantly brighter complexion
-Lighten dark under eye circles 
-Under eye puffiness treatment


safe product for sensitive skin, oily skin remedy; safe for all skin types 

100% pure and stable hyaluronic acid at the highest concentration, to ensure its fullest
potential with maximum results. 

Hyaluronic Acid effectively binds water to cells and is responsible for the
elasticity and resiliency of the skin. Such properties make Hyaluronic Acid Serum effective
in transforming skin to promote a healthy and balanced glow. 

Shany Shany Bo Bany..

  

   

I just want to put in a plug for this Shany pallete. I ordered it not too long ago because it was just SO appealling.... look at it, just look at it! 180 colors. Ha. But seriously, I wasn't expecting too much. I was just thinking I'd muck around with it and get an idea of what type of shades I'd like from a better brand. I was very pleasantly surprised by the pigmentation and the smoothness of the application! It's no mac but they adhered really well and stayed true to their original hue all day.

The gold doesn't show up very well in the pic but it was actually quite brilliant. All the colors are amazingly bright. However like any cheaper brand product they need a good lid primer ;) mac paint pot is manna from heaven.

Anywho, it's just a fun palette to have and I'd recommend getting it if you want to experiment with a bunch of colors but don't want to splurge on shades you're unsure of.

Warning though, I did use some or the rouge toned pinks on my sis's eyes in the pick above. She said her lids were tinted a good while after she washed it off. Hahaha just trust your instincts and don't assume because it's on the palette perhaps the red colors are probably safe around the eye. Oh well, she's my sis.

Who owns one of these bad boys? Elf palette fixer upper.

I've played around with E.L.F palettes before and was never too excited about the color pigmentation but I decided to try something out and test the results of these two lil tricks. 

By applying the shadow wet with a 1/3 glycerine 2/3 water mix and using white eyeliner as a shadow primer. I did use Mac paint pot as a base underneath cause the liner is quite slippery. Well shoot, with the white base helping the color to pop and the glycerine mix used as a wet brush medium, the color was super bright and it lasted all day!

Cheers! Rummage through your bag and revive some of those forgotten palettes. It's kind of fun ;)

I am an Amazon Woman. Tarte Maracuja Oil dupe, best find!

So, I was snoopin around and happened upon an awesome makeover the highly talented Cara from Maskcara did on a beautiful women with slightly sun loved skin. After the makeover, the women's skin looked like it drank a gallon of water, her skin was glowing and didn't look greasy in the least! I noticed that Cara had applied Tart's Maracuja Oil as a moisturiser before she made her up. Immediately I knew I had to get my greedy lil fingers on a bottle and typed it in... Ick! Tarte's price of nearly $50 made me sad...


I surfed over to my fave shopping hub and found pure Maracuja oil by Botanical Beauty on Amazon for almost half the price and an even larger bottle then Tarte's!  Hmm, why the price difference? After a little research here and there I concluded Tarte's bottle is much prettier and they are a well known skin care brand. However both brands of maracuja oil are 100% pure come from passion flowers in Brazil and both are processed the the same way by cold compression. 

Well shoot if the packaging is the only difference then long story short: 

I ordered Botanical Beauty's Pure cold pressed Maracuja Oil from Amazon and it has been AMAZING. 

It is quick to absorb, doesn't leave a a film or clog my pores and is deeply hydrating and all the ladies in my house are now hooked. 

Ok, for the long story:

Here's a little I learned about Maracuja oil and why this flower is so precious to your skin..

Maracuja oil comes from passion flowers and is loaded with Vit C and fatty acids. Vit C is water soluble so it seeps deep down into your skin and destroys free radicals before they reach your skin cell's membrane which is bomb because free radicals are the number one skin agers! Vitamin C can reconstruct the epidermis, it's a key component to diminish scars and stretch marks, vitamin C is also key in the biochemical reaction to produce collagen.

So cool! Not only did Maracuja oil make that lovely lady's skin look much softer and decreased fine lines in one application it's also seeped in and worked age defying wonders on the inside.. In other words by using this your skin will thank you now, and in the future.

Cheers! I hope you're as excited about this lil product as I was and am!

Ps- I am a long winded gal and I really want to give a spill on two other great finds that work in conjuncture with Maracuja oil but that'll be my next rant. Good blogs are short blogs and I've already gone far an beyond that mark ;)

x

Make your own volumizing dry shampoo.. seriously it works

Monistat on my face? For real? Yes.... and how so :)

So, all this chatter about Monistat's chaffing gel not only being good for chapped thighs, but doubling as a primer and not just any primer, but Smashboxs primer, perked my interest.. to say the least!

My internet was claiming they were the same thing!!!..... OK, thought I, how is this logical? AND if that's the case, WTF have I been blowing my dough on and what other feminine products have I been applying to the wrong area....

I was a bit hesitant to give it a go though, because I am an oily woman and my makeup loves to slide around if not properly primed and powdered but for the price difference I had to know. 

I purchased mine from Wal Mart in the feminine needs section for like $5.85 or something like that. Not bad.

The consistency did feel the exact same as smashbox and it went on smooth and clear. My makeup foundation didn't seem to notice the difference either and after a whole day of wear, I was sold! Awesome!!! But how? 

By far am no scientist but I looked up the ingredients that weren't similar in both products to see what the difference actually was...

Smashbox contains every ingredient in Monistat's chaffing gel so I only looked up the meaning of the one's that were missing which are color coordinated and listed below:

Monistat Chaffing Relief Powder-Gel

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisiloxane.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Trisiloxane, Silica, Dimethicone/ Vinyldimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Water, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Cola Acuminata Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract.

Ethylhexyl Salicylate aka Sunscreen - sunscreen component 

Retinyl Palmitate - sunscreen component, vitamin A

Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract - skin hydrater

Propylene Glycol - slip agent

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract - antioxident

Cola Acuminata Seed Extract - derived from the kola nut, caffeine

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract - green tea, caffeine

Basically what monistat is lacking is sunscreen, lotion, a slip agent and caffeine.

The slip agent didn't seem to make a noticable difference and the sun protectant and lotioning I take care of on my own.

The green tea and kola nut extracts were a nice additive but there is a much more saturating ways to feed your skin a power punch of caffeine which I'll blog about next. STAy Tuuuned... hahaha

In my humble opinion the trace amounts of these extra ingredients found in smashbox's primer don't seem to make up for the price difference between the two. 

Hope you have as good of results as I did!

<3<3<3

Visist www.metallicsnblushbeauty.com for more lil makeup tings ;)

Flakey skin fu'ing up your makeup?

 

 If you're like me when you get a zit you zap the sh*t out of it and when the thing finally dries up it leaves a quake of flaky skin that takes way to long to heal... makeup cakes around that area, even after I exfoliate and moisturize. It sucks but here's a way to keep that desert patch smooth and hydrated under your foundation and powder..

Freakin liquid glycerine!!!! (Walmart $5 bucks and it will last you forever) I know it sounds weird, like something you would concoct in a chem lab but it's actually a key ingredient in many skin care products.

Basically it's liquid sugar and don't ask me how but it is extremely moisturizing, non greasy, clear and a little sticky so it adheres to your skin really well. It won't create more zits because it's pure, anti bacterial and doesn't clog your pores. Rather it seeps into your skin and helps lock in moisture. I cover my whole face in it at night before I go to bed when my skin is feeling exceptionally dry. Just put a little drop of it on your flakey problem area before you apply your foundation and rub it in good so it adheres to the dry skin and locks it down. 

Ps- If you can help it don't pick at this little bugger... Picking erupts the skin and prolongs the healing process also it's easier to cover a mound than a wound ;) easier said than done, I know! So pick gently if you must and apply a bit of your zit cream after to make sure it doesn't fill again with its lovely goo. I like to put a little neosporin on as well to help it heal.

Cheers!

I hope this helps. Give it a go and let me know what you think ;)