For The Love of Purses

There are a few fashion staples every girl needs in their wardrobe and a basic black purse is one of them. Now, there definitely are purses that are lower in price that look amazing, but we think splurging a little on a purse will be worth it. Having at least one plain black purse that matches with every outfit saves you a whole lot of time. Some people (like me) don't really like changing their purse that often because it's simply just a hassle! You have to move everything out of one purse into the other...then you realize your wallet doesn't match so you have to change that too...and before you know it you're late to the event. A good quality purse may be a bit expensive but it will last you years. With all of that being said here are a few black purses that we think would go great with any outfit. They range from $300 to $1700 and can be held with a casual outfit or even dressed up!

Here are the details:

Top left: Stella McCartney Falabella Shaggy Deer Cross Body Bag

Top right: Givenchy Small Pandora Messenger

Bottom left: 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Medium Satchel

Bottom right: Marc by Marc Jacobs Third Rail Cross Body Bag

PS. This is mostly likely our last post of the year, so HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. We're very excited for the coming year and everything it holds. May 2015 be an amazing year for every one of our followers! 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit Review

Image Credit: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Contouring and highlighting has been all the craze in the makeup industry lately. It is a makeup artist's secret that has been revealed and mobilized for the convenience of any makeup lover! There have been many contour kits out there that provide colors and easy steps to contour and highlight your features. Before jumping into today's review, let's quickly discuss the functions and purposes of contouring and highlighting. Contouring is great for providing depth and warmth. It creates the illusion of hallowed cheekbones, a chiseled jawline, more narrowed nose, and a more minimized forehead. Highlighting does just the opposite of contouring. The typical areas that are highlighted include parts of the face where sun/light would hit naturally. This includes the highest points of the cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, on your cupid's bow, and your brow bone. You can highlight anywhere you would want to make your features more visible and catching.

There have been many contour and highlighting palettes released in the past few months, but our top pick is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. Anastasia is known for her high-quality brow products, contour shades, and more recently eyeshadows. Her Contour Kit has gained major hype with the help of her makeup artist friends and Instagram. We have tested out this palette on not only ourselves, but our family and friends. To test a product out to it's fullest potential, it is important for it to be versatile and convenient for all consumers. 

As shown in the image to the left, the Anastasia Contour Kit comes in six different shades. The bottom three shades include Java, Fawn, and Havana. All colors are brown and feature warm undertones. You have the perfect deep brown to chisel and bronze to blend with. The top row includes 3 highlighting color: Vanilla, Banana and Sand. Vanilla and Banana are great to set your liquid highlight. Sand is a subtle highlighter that gives a subdued yet, appealing glow to your skin. 

This prefixed, original Contour Kit is sold for $40 at many retailing stores including Sephora, Ulta, & Nordstrom. The powders are not pasty or gritty at all. They blend beautifully and have a great color payoff. Our favorite colors include Fawn to contour and Banana to set our under-eye concealer. 

Anastasia has expanded to providing up to 27 contour and highlight refills. You can get the chance to experiment and get creative with your inner makeup artist with these beautiful colors to find your favorites and perfect matches! Today is convieniently the creator of Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit birthday and we would like to wish Anastasia many more years of growing and expanding her makeup career with her talented daughter, Norvina. Thank you for providing stellar products that makes makeup look easy. 

If there is any other review you would like to see, let us know! 

Until next time...

XO,

RLS

Dose of Colors Review

We all know that there are certain products that are extremely hyped up on social media and Dose of Colors "Berry Me" happens to be one of them, but "Berry Me" is definitely worth all the hype! The creator of Dose of Colors is Anna Petrosian who is better known as @makeupbyanna on Instagram. Over the past few months Dose of Colors products have become a must have for every makeup lover.  They're known for their amazing pigmentation and "Berry Me" is yet another amazing creation on behalf of the company. "Berry Me" is a matte liquid lipstick that goes on wet and dries to a matte finish. The color is also very rich, beautiful, and is true to the color that is shown on the Dose of Colors website. The color is a deep purple and looks slightly pink on certain skin tones when photographed. The consistency is pretty amazing, glides on softly, and stays put for hours.  It also smells good and doesn't settle into lines even though I used it without exfoliating beforehand. You also don't necessarily have to wear a lip liner with it, it stays nice and clean on its own. If I had to critique the product the only thing I would say is that the applicator tip is a bit flimsy and weak, but I'm not sure if that'll be a problem in the future.

Overall, "Berry Me" is AMAZING.

The swatch on the left is without flash, and the one on the right is with flash (no filters were used). If you love matte lipsticks you should definitely try out Dose of Colors matte lipsticks because they're great quality. These retail for $18.00 and can be bought here! 

Here are all of the colors that are available:

Before the infamous Matte Liquid Lipsticks became a beauty staple, Dose of Colors was known for their creamy and ultra pigmented lipsticks and lip glosses. 

With a total of 10 lipstick colors and 9 classic glosses, Petrosian has provided velvety, flattering, and super-pigmented lip products. In the image above are swatches of some of her many gorgeous nude colors. On top is the classic nude gloss called "Undressed." In the middle is the "Angelic" lipstick and below is the "Sorbet" lipstick. All lip products compliment every skin tone and are very opaque. You are getting serious color when applying these babies. 

Dose of Colors is rapidly expanding and becoming comparable to long established makeup brands, including M.A.C. and Make Up Forever. They now carry three different illuminators and a bundle of 100% human hair fluttery lashes! You can also find Dose of Colors at Naimie's & Rickey's NYC stores.

As much as we love Petrosian's adoring products, we also appreciate the brand's dedication to providing vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, AND paraben free merchandise. Be sure to stay on the look out of this growing brand. You won't be disappointed! 

If you want us to review any products be sure to let us know in the comments below!

PS: We've also had the honor of Anna glamming us up for a few special occasions in the past few years before Dose of Colors existed! She not only does a flawless job, but is beyond sweet.

XO,

RLS

#Nailtime

You can definitely call us #nailaddicts. We all love nail polish and trying out new colors. 

Here's a list of some of our favorite polishes from OPI:

• Black Cherry Chutney
• You Don't Know Jacques!
• Malaga Wine
• Tickle My France-y
• Lincoln Park After Dark
• Taupe-less beach
• You're So Vain-illa

XO,

RLS

Get Your Skin Clean!

What's one thing we all have in common regardless of our skin color or type?

 The need to keep our skin CLEAN and fresh.
While some people need to keep 

their skin extra clean to prevent acne, others still have to give it a wash every

 once in a while. It is important to identify your skin as combination, acne-prone, normal, sensitive, or oily before choosing and trying out the right cleanser. Read the ingredients of the product to know what you are working with. So with all of that being said, we know that there are a few 

hyped up products out there in the market that everyone claims to be their 

HOLY GRAIL (insert Justin Timberlake voice here). Well here's some of ours:

Cleansers:

1. Philosophy Purity Made Simply: This cleanser is an overall good cleanser for several different types of skin. It cleans out dirt, oil, and makeup while also hydrating and toning the skin. We've been using this product for years and have enjoyed the results it provides. 

A lot of make up artists actually clean their brushes with this product!

Buy it here : ranges from $10.00-42.00

                                                   
                                                     2. Cetaphil: Cetaphil has great cleansers, but our favorite

is the gentle skin cleanser. It is great for anyone that has sensitive
skin and does an amazing job with hydrating. This non-irritating cleanser works with clear skin, acne-pro skin, and mature skin. Very versatile, gentle, and affordable!

$10.79
Buy it here

3. Good ol' soap and water:

For some people simply washing the face with soap and hands is good enough. 

...But that's not the case for everyone. Those who need a little extra help on a day to day basis to keep their skin clean can try the Clarisonic devices. We were hesitant at first to give it a try since it is a little pricy and there are other similar products out there that seem to do the same job. But, with that being said, we're quite impressed with the results.

What the Clarisonic aims to do: deeply cleanse skin leaving smooth, gentle skin

We really like the Clarisonic device because it cleans the face very well, leaves it smoother, and exfoliates at the same time. It's worth a try but if you don't want to spend as much on a device you can definitely find other similar products out there.

Ranges form $99-$265

Buy it here

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that we're simply 3 girls with no specific expertise within skin care. We all have varying skin needs and are expressing our own opinions of our favorite products that seem to work best for us. Therefore, we always suggest that you do some additional research to see if certain products might not be compatible with your skin type.

Thanks for reading, 

XO, 

RLS

Bring Your Brushes Back to Life: Best Brush & Sponge Cleansers + Easy DIYs

           

           Your makeup tools are one of the most important aspects of your art in makeup. We mentioned in our previous post the purposes of different types of brushes, today we’ll be discussing why it is necessary to give your brushes the special treatment, our suggested products, and finally some easy at home products that can work just as nicely as cleansers. 

            Let’s start off with why it’s important to clean your brushes. Cleaning any makeup brush will prolong the life of the brush, prevent future breakouts of the skin, and allow your makeup to look "cleaner." Because you are getting rid of all the germs and dirt, none of that will be transferred onto your face. If not properly cleansed, your makeup will look dirty and oily, which will then cause acne and discoloration to the skin.

Image Credit: Sephora

Image Credit: Sephora

            We recommend cleaning your brushes with a regular cleanser at least after three times of use and a deep clean at least every two weeks of use. Choosing the right cleanser depends on what brush or tool you are cleaning. For your sponges, we suggest going for a solid cleanser. Solid cleansers are great for a deep clean which will guarantee all germs and makeup is removed. We love the Beautyblender’s Solid Cleanser for our sponges. It makes our sponges look new! It also works great with brushes. Another great solid cleanser is Sephora Collection’s Dry Clean. Unlike the Beautyblender’s Solid Cleanser, Sephora’s cleanser contains argon oil, which is great for conditioning your brushes. Solid cleansers are great for travel and don’t take up much room in your makeup drawers since they are so compact in size!

Image Credit: Sephora

            Cinema Secrets takes the award for best liquid brush cleanser. It has a quick dry time and deep cleans at the same time. It is great for makeup artists to use between clients or for any makeup junkie. It is currently sold out on Sephora’s site, but you can find the 32 oz size on their own website. 

           

If you are a fan of DIY or want to save a couple bucks on super expensive cleansers, here are some easy at home products that work just as good as the higher end products.

Image Credit: Walmart

1)   Coconut Oil: Using any type of oil is great for conditioning your brushes and removes all harsh makeup caught in your brushes. Swirl your brush in coconut oil, swipe on paper towel, and run through warm water (not too hot, not too cold. Running your brushes through warm water will remove leftover oils and can kill germs).

Image Credit: Walmart

           2)   Baby Shampoo: Baby Shampoo has a super gentle formula and kills all bacteria on brushes. Wet brush before swirling it into baby shampoo, rinse in lukewarm water, and let dry.

           3)   Warm Water + Vinegar: Although vinegar can be a stinker, it sure does its job in deep cleaning brushes. Put a cup of lukewarm water into a bowl or mason jar, add two teaspoons of distilled white vinegar (what we found works best), and stir. After stirring your brushes into this mixture, follow by running your brush under cold water, and let dry.

            Before letting your brush dry, reshape your brush to prevent bristles being distorted if necessary. Make sure you dry all brushes facing downward so no water reaches the root of the bristles. Your bristles can eventually loosen if brushes are not properly placed. Grab a paper towel and lay your brushes facing down while the end is against any wall.

We hope you learned something new! If you have tried any of these products or have any suggestions, please let us know and comment below! 

Stay tuned for more DIYs and product reviews!

XO,

RLS

            

Makeup Tools 101: Sponges and Brushes

            Whether you are a beginner to makeup or a die-hard makeup addict, brushes and other makeup applicators are key to a flawless makeup application. These are our top picks of best sponges and brushes. We will cover what each tool is useful for, their purpose, and outcome. Let’s begin!

Sponges

Image Credit: Sephora

            The Beauty Blender has been in the makeup industry for years and has earned 5 Allure’s Best of Beauty Award. This makeup application tool is great to apply almost anything including primers, concealers, liquid foundations, cream blushes, tinted moisturizers, etc. It’s a very versatile tool that provides a streak-free application. The great part about it is that it is also very easy to use for any makeup beginner. The Beauty Blender blends any makeup seamlessly and flawlessly. Available at Sephora.

            

Image Credit: Ulta

Another sponge that is available for the fraction of the price is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. The Beauty Blender and the Real Technique's Miracle Complexion Sponge share similar textures and purposes for flawless application. The Real Technique’s sponge has a tip edge like the Beauty Blender, but also a flat edge that is great for large parts of the face. Available at Ulta. 

            

Beauty sponges are great for a quick and precise makeup application. They can transform your regular makeup routine with one dab. The tips of the sponges are ideal for the hard to reach areas such as the corners of your nose and under the eyes. You can build your way up to a full coverage look or leave a pretty sheer coverage for a daytime look. Whether you are going out to the farmer’s market or to an evening event, these sponges won’t let you down to leaving your skin looking smooth and even. 

Overview:

Beauty Blender and Real Techniques-

Coverage: Buildable medium to full

Motion: Dab

Brushes

            A flat foundation brush, stippling brush, and a buffing brush all serve a different purpose and provide a different coverage to your look. Depending on what finish you want, you can choose the right tool before hurting your wallet.

Image Credit: Target

            Flat Foundation Brush: This kind of brush will probably give you the most coverage you desire. Unlike a buffing brush, a flat foundation brush glides onto your skin rather than the foundation being buffed into your skin. Sonia Kashuk is a lost gem in the beauty industry. The quality you are getting for such a reasonable price is ideal for any shopper. The Sonia Kashuk’s Pointed Foundation Brush No 121 has great quality bristles that pick up products without it being lost or soaked into the brush. The pointed edge is great to targeting certain or hard to reach spots.  Bonus: It is now on sale at Target for only $6.49! 

Image Credit: Sigma Beauty

            Buffing Brush: The purpose of a buffing brush is for your makeup to be really buffed into your skin. To get the most coverage either buff in circular motions or dab in any targeted spots such as blemishes or discoloration of the skin. A buffing brush works ideally with liquid products as well as pressed minerals. It leaves your skin looking more polished compared to using a flat foundation brush. The Sigma Beauty’s F80 Flat Kabuki is packed full of strong and dense bristles that works perfectly on large areas of the face such as cheeks and the forehead. Your product blends beautifully with this brush. With the price tag at $24, it’s definitely worth all the hype and results. Available at Sigma Beauty. If you are a beginner and new to using buffing brushes, check out the Real Technique’s Expert Face Brush. It has a round head and is smaller in size, which is great for small to large areas of the face. It is only $8.99 at Ulta and a great buffing brush to experiment with. 

Image Credit: MAC

            Stippling Brush: A stippling or duo fiber brush leaves your skin looking airbrushed and smooth. To achieve best results, work with this brush in circular motions with a light hand. It does leave a light to buildable medium coverage. We recommend using a stippling brush when applying either a sheer foundation or with a tinted moisturizer. The stippling brush of our choice is MAC’s 187 Duo Fibre Brush. The fibers are beautifully crafted and super lightweight for a sheen and flawless look. The 187 brush is available on MAC's website. Because this brush can be on the pricey side, there are many other stippling brushes out in the markets to try out. Two other great stippling brushes are from Real Techniques and BH Cosmetics.

           

Overview:

Flat Foundation Brush-

Coverage: All over full

Motion: Swipe

Buffing Brush-

Coverage: Buildable medium to full

Motion: Dab or circular 

Stippling Brush-

Coverage: Airbrushed and light to medium

Motion: Circular with light hand

Maintaining your sponges and brushes are very important to prolonging your tool's life. Stay tuned to see our picks for brush and sponge cleansers as well as an easy DIY cleanser.

XO,

RLS