September Favorites! 2014

I can't believe September is over already! Here are my favorite beauty products and more from this last month! 

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Have a sparkly day!

For The Chocolate Lovers: Tcho!

This is a little different post. It's not about anything beauty, but rather chocolate (my other passion).

I recently discovered this local chocolate brand; made and produced here in the bay area. The name is Tcho, pronounced cho, and they make smooth chocolate that can be appreciated by true chocolate enthusiasts. There are different categories of flavors. In their dark chocolate they have bright, fruity, floral, earthy, nutty, and chocolatey. None of these flavors have actual fruit or nuts, but rather notes of nuts and fruit. In a way it's kind of like wine. 

They also have a new milk chocolate line with a variety of cacao, classic, and creamy. Depending on the person and the type of mild chocolate you opt for, they might taste a little like dark chocolate. They aren't the usual milk chocolates that we're use to, but still have a lower cacao percentage. 

It's been very interesting trying out all the different types they have and I'm excited to see what else they come out with. 

Their packaging is also really nice and gives a lot of information about the actual chocolate. 

Here is a picture of some of the dark chocolates. From left to right: chocolatey, bright, nutty, and fruity. 

And they came in this pretty packaging.

This is the milk chocolate classic.

Sorry this is such an odd blog post, but I just wanted to share my new favorite chocolate brand. You can find them at Whole Foods supermarkets or order directly from their website, which I'll link here and you can also find out a lot more about their chocolate there.

I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave a comment on what else you would like me to do because that would help me out so much!

Have a sparkly day!

Top 5 High-end Makeup Products Under $25

Here are my top 5 high-end makeup products that are all under $25! I'm thinking about doing the same with hair-care and skincare products as well; let me know if you would like that! :)

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed this and come back! Please comment saying what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!

Join The Hunt!

Recently I have become a Campus Style Scout for this app called The Hunt! 

The Hunt is a really cool app that allows people to post a picture of something they want or like and people will help you find it! You can also ask for people to style you if you're looking for a new outfit. It has kind of a Pinteresty feel to it and is kind of similar to Luvocracy; however, unlike Luvocracy (where people post things they like and other people can buy them if they like them) people post items they want or are looking for. My favorite hunts to do are the ones where you style someone because it's like being a personal styler! It's a lot of fun and can get really addicting really fast. 

While using the app you can start hunts for people to help you and find items to help other people out. Personally I like doing the finding part! Then you can "Gem" items, which is essentially the same as liking an item. When you Gem an item it will be easier for you to go back to that item; kind of like bookmarking it. Then if the person who started the hunt really really likes the item you found, then they can give it a "Perfect!" This means that you found exactly what they were looking for!

The app is a lot of fun and if you're interested in downloading it you can go to the link here to download it for OS X devices! Then you can follow @HuntSFState, which will help myself and my fellow SFSU Style Scouts out! You can also follow me @EmmyG93! 

I hope you go and download it and we can all help each other find what we really want!

I hope you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful! Thank you for reading and please come back! Also comment letting me know what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!

Products I've Used Up!

My first empties video! Here are some products I've used up!

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Recruitment Ready Pt 2: Makeup 101!

So I know that not all girls like wearing makeup, but for recruitment we need to look like we're going on a first date. If you are a girl who doesn't wear makeup and don't like to wear makeup I would suggest at least these three things: concealer that matches your skin tone, mascara, and some kind of tinted lip balm. Typically for recruitment we expect a lot more; meaning foundation, full eye-makeup, and blush. Here's a list of all the things that you should need with high end and drugstore options that I personally like.

1. Foundation

I wouldn't recommend wearing foundation without a primer just because a primer will give you a nice smooth surface. I really like The PoreFessional by Benefit ($31, you can get a mini for $10) and a good dupe for this is Maybelline's Baby Skin ($7). 

Now for foundation it really depends on the person. There are many different finishes that foundation comes in, ex: matte, satin, luminous, and natural. There's also a variety of coverage, varying between sheer, medium, and full. Then there's the options of formula; liquid, powder (loose or pressed), and cream. So it really needs to be a decision you make. My favorite foundation right now is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation ($36).

There are a lot of great options at the drugstore if you're on a budget; however, most of them are going to be liquid. Another option for girls on a budget is to go to Sephora and ask to get color matched to a liquid foundation and then ask for some samples to test out the foundation before you decide to actually purchase it. The sales associate can make you some samples of it and that could last you the three nights you would need it for recruitment.

When testing if a foundation matches your skin tone yourself, never test it out on your hand because your hand is not the same color as your face. Alway's test out a foundation on the side of your face because you don't want your face lighter/darker than the rest of your body.

2. Concealer 

Concealer's important because it helps hide the places that need a little extra help. NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer is my favorite high end, while the Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser is my favorite drugstore. The Maybelline one doesn't have to be used just under the eye like the name suggests.

3. Blush

Blush make's your face look less dead by adding color to your cheeks! It's important to not go too heavy because you don't want to look clownish. My favorite blushes by drugstore brands are Milani and NYX. For high end, I like to look at Clinique, NARS, and Tarte. 

Fun Fact: In the UK blush is called blusher.

4. Eyeshadow

When it comes to eyeshadow I would suggest using a shadow primer of some kind just to help make your shadow last longer. Right now I'm using NARS Pro-Prime.

Now for shadows, I typically go for high end just because the quality is so much better. My go to is the Naked 2 pallet by Urban Decay ($52). While these pallets seem expensive, you get so many eyeshadows it worth it even in a drugstore sense. Ex: In the Naked 2 pallet there are 12 shadows so each shadow is less then $5, which is about what you would pay for a good single shadow at the drugstore. Some other great high end brands for shadows are Too Faced and Lorac.

There are some good shadows at the drug store though. I like some of the Maybelline Color Tattoo's as well as the Milani Belle Gel Powder shadows and the Loreal Infallible shadows. Something that I've been loving is the Essence All About Nudes pallet which comes with 6 shadows and is only $5 and you can do an entire eye look.

5. Eyeliner

So with eyeliner there's many options to choose from. There's gel, liquid, and a pencil. To be honest, you don't even have to use eyeliner, you could just use a dark eyeshadow to carefully line your eyes and it would give a nice soft look to your eyes. 

All of my favorite liners are going to be high end because when I look for an eyeliner it needs to be super water proof if I want it to last more than an hour. My top brands for eyeliner are Stila, Urban Decay, and Makeup Forever. 

For recruitment just keep it simple and stick with either blown or black.

6. Mascara  

Mascara can be a little over whelming because there's volumizing, lengthening and curling. Honestly, there hasn't been a mascara that has completely wowed me. You can get some mascaras at the drug store for less then $10 that are just as good as high end mascaras that are over $20. I really like Maybelline The Rocket and all of the Lash Blast line by Covergirl. If you're looking for a high end mascara, Urban Decay Perversion is a good one if you get the primer to go with it. As well as the Benefit They're Real!

7. Lipstick/gloss

There is not much to say about lipstick and gloss besides make sure the color looks good on you and that it's moisturizing. At the drugstore Covergirl, Maybelline and Revlon all make great lipsticks and glosses. Also, NYX makes my favorite lip glosses at a drugstore price. For high end, I would go for YSL, NARS, Bite or M.A.C. 

8. False Lashes (Optional)

You don't have to do false lashes, but they can really make your eyes pop and they're really in style right now. For recruitment natural is good because they won't be too crazy but enough to make your lashes look fierce. I would recomend that beginners use accent lashes because these are really easy to put on. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on lashes because the cheap ones work just as well and can still be reusable. Ardel and Eyelur make some great lashes.

I hope this was helpful! Let's make recruitment awesome and welcome so many new girl into our chapter. I'll be posting another post this week about makeup. If you want to see any of the video's I was posting last semester I'll link the playlist here.

Have a sparkly day!

Recruitment Ready Pt 1: Taking Care of Yourself

Recruitment is a crazy time and it's easy to neglect yourself during the week leading up to recruitment. These are my top five must do's before recruitment that will make you feel better internally and externally. 

1. Face Masks

When you're stressed or exhausted it shows on your face through your skin. Your skin maybe dull or breaking out and a face mask can help with that. It doesn't have to be expensive, there are some great DIY ones that you can do. Here's some great ideas by Michelle Phan:

Or Skinfood has some great sheet masks that are cheap (my fave is the Thermal Water one and it's only $1.50). If you're a high end girl, my fave for your pores is the Orginins Active Charcoal Mask, $25, and for dullness I would suggest the Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask (sounds kind of gross, but it's not), $45.  A great deal in my mind is the Peter Thomas Roth mask trio set where you get 3 masks for $45, I did a blog post on that a while ago and I'll link it here if you're interested, but that way you can still get the high end without feeling like a complete waste.

2. Teeth

Teeth are super important and it's one of the first features I notice about a person. From a psychological stand point, the smile is the most important facial feature that we have so it's important that we keep it looking good. My favorite way to whiten my teeth is with the Crest Whitening Strips. You could use whitening tooth paste or try your hand with baking soda. Remember to also floss because your don't want food between your teeth when you go to talk to a PNM. The most important thing to remember though is to stay hydrated because if you are dehydrated this will give you bad breath and no PNM wants to smell your nasty breath.

3. Eyebrows

Eyebrows are also important. My suggestion is to just make them look decent. You don't want to be the girl with two bushy caturpillars on her face. Not saying big eyebrows are bad because they can be done well, just keep them controlled. It can be as easy as standing in the mirror with a pair of tweezers (don't get carried away) or going to a salon and getting them threaded. You could get them waxed, but personally I wouldn't recommend it because you're trying to do something precise with something messy. Here's a great video to help you out:

4. Airborne

Now recruitment is a time when a lot of girls will get sick because we're shaking hands with a ton of PNM's and we are stuck in a room together for hours and hours. It's important to give your immune system a boost and you should start now! I use Airborne a lot as well as Zinc supplements. You could also be taking Emercen C. Drinking orange juice can be good as long as it isn't full of sugar, but it's actually better to eat broccoli because it actually contains more Vitamin C then oranges.

5. Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things you need to get enough of this week. If you aren't getting your sleep you're going to look tired and have a hard time getting through those long recruitment days. Being sleep deprived can also weaken your immune system and as I just said, you don't want to get sick. It can be hard to get in a full nights worth of sleep, but at least try. You'll feel better if you do

These are all my tips! I hope you liked them and they're helpful for you! Let's make recruitment awesome and welcome so many new girl into our chapter. I'll be posting another post this week about makeup. If you want to see any of the video's I was posting last semester I'll link the playlist here.

Have a sparkly day!

Essence All About Paradise Swatches & Review!

So this is my last Essence "All About..." review. If you want to see the "All About Candies" and "All About Nudes" then keep scrolling down my blog. I also wanted to apologize for the late posting, I've had a really crazy day.

This pallet is really fun and bright with smooth, velvety eyeshadows that give off great pigmentation. Like the other pallets in this line by Essence, it is only $4.99 and I picked mine up at Ulta. This is perfect if you are looking for a pop of color but don't want to shell out the money for a high-end shadow that you know you won't be reaching for that much.

I really like the top left color, it's a really nice champagne color.

Here are the swatches in artificial light (I wasn't able to get a shot of them during the day so no natural light photo).

*I also want to note that it looks like there are some chunks of glitter in the swatches. This is just from the top layer of the shadows and goes away after it's rubber off.*

It's a really fun pallet and if you want something exciting and cheap, this is for you! :)

I hope you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful! Thank you for reading and please come back! Also comment letting me know what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!

My Everyday Makeup With Cobalt Blue Liner!

I thought this would be fun and I hadn't done a tutorial before so I thought it would be a good learning experience! I hope you like it and please give me any constructive feedback! 

Thank you!

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed this and come back! Please comment saying what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!

Essence All About Candies Swatches & Review!

This is a really fun little shadow pallet! First thing I noticed about these shadows is that they are super velvety and soft. They are pastels so they don't seem super pigmented, but that's how they are suppose to be. Instead they give an iridescent hint of color thats shimmery. The best thing about it is that it's only $4.99! I picked mine up at Ulta!

Here's what the packaging looks like.

Here are some swatches in natural light.

Here are the same swatches in artificial light.

I hope you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful! Thank you for reading and please come back! Also comment letting me know what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!

August Beauty Favorites 2014!!!

Here are my August favorites!!! I hope you like it and please tell me what your favorites were this month!!!

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed this and come back! Please comment saying what else you would like to see!

Have a sparkly day!