OCC Lip Tar Haul

Hi dolls!

This quick haul is going to be about OCC Lip Tars. I picked some up while at IMATS a few weeks ago, and dammit these deserve every award out there!! If you don’t know about OCC, their products are 100% Vegan and Cruelty Free. And, if that’s not enough, their products are so pigmented that a little seriously goes a long way. Trust me.  They have a multitude of colors, but I only picked up 3 and a nail polish, which is also amazeballs! They launched a new concealer collection recently that is also pretty amazing! If you’re an aspiring  makeup artist, I highly recommend you own all of them, including the lip tars. You will not go wrong with these!

Here are the LT’s I picked up: Tone, Divine and Hush.

They are beautiful on and SO vibrant! They don’t dry out your lips (although, I always moisturize before applying anything on my lips), and the color lasts a while. The dots of color you see on my hand is way too much product if you would believe it. I’m serious guys, a small dot will cover your entire mouth!

Check them out at www.occmakeup.com or if you live in the LA area, go to Nigel’s Beauty Emporium in North Hollywood to see them in person. You’ll fall in love, I promise!

XO – Lovelylin

Heavenly Creatures – Planet-Tastic

Beauties!!!!!

OMGosh! It’s been a while! I’ve been away, but NEVER away from the makeup world and the new collections! This blog entry is going to be about MAC’s new collection called “Heavenly Creatures”! This collection is out of this world (pun intended)! I didn’t pick up ALL of their items, because let’s face it…I’m on a budget and if I would’ve, I would’ve spent well over $500!! LOL!

I walked away with 5 items (one I bought multiple of, so I won’t count those.). I was supposed to get an eyeshadow too, but my doll at the MAC counter totally forgot to put it in my bag! It’s alright though, I’ll go back this week and pick it up. I get the feeling that it won’t sell out THAT quickly, especially since there is SOOOOO much to choose from! Here is what I picked up…

 This Mineralized Skinfinish is called “Center of The Universe”. It’s one of the 4 that MAC launched. I picked this one because it goes perfectly with my skin tone, but the others are gorgeous too!! Please check them out if you haven’t! Pick one up too, you won’t regret it. If you’ve never used a skinfinish, it’s basically a highlighter. I personally like to use it by itself to give my face a little glow. This one in particular makes me look like I’ve been kissed by the sun! I just LOVE it.

For the face and body: “Volcanic Ash”! It’s seriously one of those items that you fight over! It’s limited so it’s a must have! Good luck getting a hold of it though, it’s that good! I would not recommend this for those who have sensitive skin because it’s super thick and very grainy! The coolest thing about this product is that it’s not just for your face. I dig a product that is multipurpose.

And finally, 2 Cremesheen Glass’ and Lipstick! These baby’s are beautiful! From left to right: Astral, Meteoric and Cut a Caper. Astral is a bright yellow pink, Meteoric is a mid-tone vibrant coral; and Cut a Caper (repromote) is a Lustre mid-tone peach pink. I’m so in love with these! Cut a Caper is my current favorite! I bought 3..LOL! I thought Watch Me Simmer was my baby, but I think I’ve found a new love. ❤

There are 27 items in this collection! 30 to be exact, but I didn’t include the brushes. Please go and check this collection out if you haven’t already! You are bound to want about 3 or 4 items, if not ALL and if you don’t buy anything, at least go and see them in person, the way the colors alone are mixed together are gorgeous!

That’s all for tonight regarding this collection dolls. If you go check these out and/or buy some of the products, let me know! I’d like to hear about what you’ve picked up! Who knows, you might convince me to buy a few more things! LOL!

Stay tuned for my next blog post! I have a feeling you’ll love that one too!

Stay fab my loves!

Lovelylin xoxo

DIY Green Tea Ice Facial

Good evening, beauties!

I hope that the short week has served its purpose and that you all are excited about the weekend! I know I am..woohoo!!  Now for a little business…LOL!

I heard about this DIY Green Tea Ice Facial and decided to give it a try! One thing about me, I will ALWAYS try something at least once! 🙂 I’ve been doing this for about 4 days now, and it’s pretty awesome! I don’t drink Green Tea because I really don’t dig the taste, but the antioxidants that it has are amazing. I’m more of a White Tea type of gal!  This Green Tea Ice Facial will help with redness, puffiness, large pores and it helps fight free radicals as well.  Here’s what you need:

1 bottle of water

Green Tea bags

Toothpicks

Ice cube Tray

Vitamin E gel capsules

Warm up the water, but make sure it’s not too hot! Just warm enough to help extract the good stuff from the tea bags. Pour the water into a cup (if you warmed up the water in a cup you can skip this). Put a tea bag into the water and let it sit for a little bit.  Take 5 vitamin E capsules and with a toothpick, poke a hole in each one. Squeeze out the vitamin E oil and mix it in with the tea.  Stir it well and pour the mixture into an ice cube tray.  Leave it in the freezer for 45 mins to an hour. Don’t freeze it completely because you want to be able to put a toothpick in each cube and freeze overnight.

In the morning when you wake up, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw for a little while.  Not too long though! Just enough to be able to easily pull it out from its mold.  Rub the ice cube all over your face and massage the goods into your skin with your hands if you need to. You should feel instant cooling and best of all you should feel refreshed! You can do this daily if you need to! In fact, I recommend it!

I hope that you all give this a try and let me know what you think! As I always say, I would love to hear from you! 🙂

Have a beautiful evening my loves!

xoxo – LL

Quote of the day: “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” —Bishop T.D. Jakes

Ahoy!!! MAC’s “Hey, Sailor”! Is Here

Good evening my loves!

I hope that this blog post finds you all well and happy!  If you’re a fan of my beauty page on FB, then you’ve noticed that I’ve been really excited about this limited edition collection from MAC! I learned about it early in the month and was lucky enough to put some items on hold before they went on sale to the public! I couldn’t talk to you abou them because they weren’t out yet, but I have them now and I am so excited to show you these amazing colors! Now, keep in mind that this collection is pretty big AND I did NOT buy/need all of the items, but I’ll be the first to tell you that all of the colors and bronzers are seriously deadly and the best part is that they all come in special packaging!!!

The collection will hit stores this Thursday, but www.maccosmetics.com is currently selling the items now AND you can also find them at the MAC Pro stores right now. They tend to carry limited edition items a week before the GP can get their hands on them.  Now for the fun stuff…

These two shadows were my faves from the collection.  Feeling Fresh – Bright Green (frost) and Jaunty – Champagne (frost). Keep in mind that these colors look completely different on. Jaunty is definitely a frosted champagne color and Feeling Fresh reminds me of a frosted Christmas green LOL! Please don’t let that scare you! It’s a beautiful color!

Now, this lipglass I am in love with! It’s called Orange Tempera and it’s a pale peach color. It looks lovely on and when mixed with Myth, Freckle Tone or Vegas Volt…it’s just gorgeous! There are 5 lipglasses in this collection and the only ones that I really liked are this one and Send Me Sailing. It’s a bright yellow red and it goes perfectly with Red Racer (lipstick also in this collection).

Salute! This lipstick is a neutral peach (amplified) lipstick. This one may be a little tricky because it may not go well with all skin types. It can either make you look too pale or make you look like you ate a powdered doughnut…lol! I love it though and it looks great on.  You can always mix things up though! Be playful, explore and don’t be afraid to try new things (I say this all the time). Step out of your comfort zone!  You can mix this with a pink colored lipstick and make it your own. I always play with my lipsticks and lipgloss’ and come up with the coolest colors! Oh, and if you didn’t catch the name…it’s called Salute! 🙂

And finally, the best pale nude beige lip pencil everrrrr! This one is called Saunter and it’s a Pro Longwear Lip Pencil, which means that it’s supposed to last you a while.  Most lip pencils last a while anyway if you apply it on your lips as a lipstick so to speak.  I always line my lips first, then fill them in and put lipstick ontop.  You can pretty much wear this with any nude colored lipstick. Doesn’t matter how pink or how pale.

That’s it for this post guys, but I hope that you all have enjoyed it and find this collection just as exciting as I did.  These are MY faves, but believe me, there is waaaaaaaaaay more!  They have bronzers, blushes, lip balms and body oils as well. I mean you will want to walk away with everythinggggggggggg! If you go out and buy some items or check them out, let me know what you bought or share what you think about the collection! Share your pics on my page too! I’d love to see what YOUR faves are!

Stay happy, stay motivated and stay fabulous!

xoxo – LL

M.A.C Haul – Pure Awesomeness!

Hi pretty babies!!!

This is going to be a quick HAUL on a few things I just bought from MAC!  I decided to finally try a CREAM BLUSH! Yes, I know I’m probably super late on this, but I’ve been scared! LOL! I guess I’ve been scared because I wasn’t always good at applying it onto my cheeks.

This cream blush is called “Something Special” and let me just tell you guys that it’s gorgeous! It’s a pinkish/peach color and it goes on beautifuly! It doesn’t cake up either.  Tip #1: Use a natural hair “domed” shaped brush to apply it. You can use an angled brush or dual fiber bruh as well, but I feel like the domed shaped brush gives you a better application. Tip #2: You can use cream blushes as a base for your powder blush! It’s a great way to help your blush last all day, too!

This next blush is called “Peaches” and it’s just that…Peach! It looks similar to the cream blush, but it really isn’t. They both go on very differently.

I thought about going with “Modern Mandarin” from their TRES CHEEK Collection, but it was just a bit too orange for me.  So I went with “Peaches”.  I also bought “Immortal Flower” from that collection, but I’ll talk about that one in a different post ;-)! Peaches, is more of a matte blush and it blends SO well with “Something Special”!! Too well infact! I mean, it’s just sinfully beautiful. Definitely a must have for this Spring/Summer!

And lastly, my mineralized skinfinish! This is the one I just DIE for…it’s called “Soft & Gentle”.  I honestly cannot say enough about this one. It’s seriously to die for! It’s by far the best highlighter I’ve had!! You can wear it alone or apply it to the areas you want to accentuate (cheek bones, brow bone, bridge of your nose, temples, chin, etc.).  It’s heavily pigmented so a little WILL go a long way and it should last you a long time, but if you’re like me and use it everyday…that may not be the case LOL!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this lil haul and I hope that you go out and check these bad boys out (if you don’t already have them)!

Stay beautiful and remember, when in doubt…wear lipstick!

xoxo – LL

DIY: Beauty Recipes w/Rosemary

Good morning beauties!! I hope that your week is off to a great start! Today I wanted to talk about a little shrub that we normally cook with, Rosemary. Some of us have it in our kitchen, but the small herbaceous shrub has a multitude of benefits outside the realms of gastronomy and gardening. And while some of us can be obsessed with the aroma of the spiky little plant, I’m excited about its DIY beauty potential. Primarily beneficial for those with oily, acne-prone skin, rosemary oil and extract both have powerful astringent, anti-fungal, and disinfecting properties. The plant is also rich in biologically active compounds and antioxidants such as calcium, vitamin B6, iron, cineole, and verbenon that effectively tone and tighten loose, sagging skin. Here are the awesome recipes you can try! I’ve tried the Rosemary Toner and it’s pretty amazing!

Rosemary Hair Rinse

1. 1/2 cup dried rosemary

2. 1/2 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the oil is warm. Turn off the stove and let the rosemary marinate in the oil for an additional 20 minutes. Strain the dried leaves from the mixture and pour the rosemary oil into a bottle or bowl. Proceed to coat your scalp and strands with it, then wrap your hair in a shower cap. Leave the rinse on for 20 minutes as you go about your day, or blow-dry the cap on low heat for deeper penetration. When you’re finished, shampoo your hair to remove the excess oil.

Rosemary Winter Mint Foot Scrub

1. 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

2. 1/4 cup of epsom salt

3. 1 cup carrier oil such as olive, jojoba or sunflower

4. 5 to 10 drops of rosemary essential oil

5. 5. to 10 drops of peppermint essential oil

Mix the sugar, salt, and carrier oil in a medium-sized bowl, and stir until well-blended. Alternate adding one drop of peppermint and one drop of rosemary oil to make sure the scent is evenly distributed throughout your mixture. Store the mix in an air-tight jar in the bathroom, and scrub your feet clean every time you shower!

Acne Fighting Rosemary Toner

1. 3/4 cup of water

2. 1 fresh rosemary sprig

3. 1 Tbsp of black peppercorns

4. 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Apply this toner to oily or combination skin to reduce blemishes and calm inflammations. Boil 3/4 cup of water in a saucer, then drop in the rosemary and black pepper. When half of the water has evaporated from the pot, turn off the heat and let it cool. After the liquid has cooled down, pour it into an empty bottle and add the apple cider vinegar. Dab the mixture onto your skin with a cotton pad every evening after cleansing. This quantity should last you one or two weeks. Remember that you must test everything out first before applying it directly to your hair, skin and face. You can test these out by applying them to a very small area on your arm, or even behind your head (small strand of hair), to ensure you don’t have an allergic reaction.

I hope that you all find these DIY tips and recipes useful and helpful, and I hope that you are excited to hear about them as I am excited to write about them!

I wish you all an amazing rest of the week and remember, you’re all beautiful…inside and out!

xoxoxo – LL

Body Acne: Why Must You Be So Cruel?

Afternoon beauties! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been very busy with day-to-day life, but I’m always thinking about topics to discuss.  I decided today that I would discuss body acne.  I personally have had major issues with this, but found the most amazing cure!

Most of us have had acne at some point in our lives and some of us still do! Some on our face, some on our bodies or even both!!! Yikes! It’s tough and pretty embarrassing to say the least, but trust me, you’re not the only one out there dealing with this.  I myself have had body acne for yeeeeeeeears and it wasn’t until my adult life (age 29) that I came across Dr. Murad’s Acne Body Wash.  Thank the HEAVENS for this product! I spent hundreds at the Dermo, but it didn’t help me. I got this product through a good friend of mine, whom I just love and I kid you not – after the first week of trying this I noticed a BIG difference! I mean it was seriously a WOW moment for me.

Here are some facts: Your back is the most common break out zone, so rid off dead skin and body debris in the shower with a soft plastic mesh puff or soft body brush, and use a sulphur-based treatment to attack your acne zones. The puff doesn’t hold onto cellular debris in the shower, and the brush can be cleaned with extra hot water and gentle soap.  The sulphur is an anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic ingredient that inhibits bacteria growth and helps with acne on the body.

Certain foods, genetics or physical factors such as sweat and heat can trigger breakouts on parts of the body easier than on the face.  Buttocks breakouts are probably the most annoying. Acne on the butt comes from blockage of the hair follicles when you sit for long periods of time.  Sweat, heat, and prolonged contact from your clothes can clog hair follicles, hence the blemishes! I highly recommend the Dr. Murad Acne Body Wash and for the face I recommend Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub. I use this with a mixture of other things, but it works!  Dermologica also has an amazing skin care line, but it’s a bit expensive. So if you’re looking to stay within budget I think these two things can help. If you have any questions, please ask! I always welcome that!

Stay FAB, 

xoxo – LL

Coconut Oil – It’s Magic

Hey guys!  Happy Hump Day!

It’s been a while, I know…LOL!  I’ve been doing some research and trying out some new things (as always) and I came across an article that discussed coconut oil.  I’ve always been a curvy girl who LOVES eating! It’s been that way since I can remember.  I have a personal love affair with food…LOL!  I’ve never been that girl who sits at a restaurant shy about what she’s about to order, but over time I’ve realized that I do have to start watching what I eat and how I cook my meals. 

I came across that article as I was saying, and decided that I would give coconut oil a try when I cooked certain foods. I started with my morning eggs and then started using it as a substitute for shortening or butter when it came to baking, etc.  The article mentioned that it was good for you and that it helped with weight loss, so I figured…eh, what do I have to lose.  Weight, that’s what!! I’ve lost a few pounds since I’ve started using it, but nothing to have a party over. I’ve also been doing other things to help me along the way, but I will honestly say that this has helped. My first thought was, “is it going to make my food taste funny”? Answer: slightly. It won’t be over powering, but you will notice a small difference if you’re “looking” for it.  Here’s what the doctor being interviewed in that article said:

“Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids. MCFAs, unlike other fats, are digested and used differently. They do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats, but are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy, just like a carbohydrate. So when you eat coconut oil, your body uses it immediately to make energy rather than store it as body fat. And as if that’s not enough, Dr. Brownstein said the MCFAs found in this miracle oil have three A’s we all want to get on board with: “It has antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant effects. It also has healthy saturated fats that help our cell walls remain strong and it helps improve insulin sensitivity and can help lower blood sugar.”

It’s suggested to use 1-2 tablespoons of the oil daily. Avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils at all costs because they are toxic to the cells. Use coconut or palm oil for high heat cooking and olive oil for low heat cooking. Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Not everyone is like me, so I don’t expect this to be a hit, but if it does work for you, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re interested in finding out what kind of recipes you can use the oil with, google “coconut oil recipes”.  I did, and that’s how I was able to figure out what I could use it with without having to buy an entire food aisle at the supermarket!

As always, stay FAB, healthy and beautiful!

xoxo -LL

Getting Into The “Spring” of Things

Happy Tuesday Beauties!

Now that we’re getting closer to Spring, it’s time to start changing our wardrobe and makeup routine.  The Spring calls for more colorful clothing, softer makeup and cuter hair styles.  I personally LOVE the Spring and Summer time! I get to wear dresses and play with colorful makeup!  When you start buying that Spring wardrobe, think pink, coral, yellow, blue and even some orange!  Colors are so much fun and you can mix and match different pieces which makes for a really awesome look!

When it comes to makeup, I go for the the dewey look.  To accomplish that I do away w/heavy moisturizers that my skin needed in the winter.  Because there is more humidity in the air and more sunshine, you’ll need a lighter cream with SPF.  To even out skin tone, go with a tinted moisturizer (which I LOVE) for a more natural and glowing look.  As far as pigments in eye shadows and blushes go, stick with pale pinks, peaches, browns and gold.  This gives you that pretty flush and sun kissed look.  Same thing goes for lipsticks and lip gloss.

So go ahead, try something new! Wear that color that you’ve always wanted to wear and try that peach lipstick you saw on your favorite diva.  If it doesn’t look good on you, try a different shade in the same color family.  Remember, all colors have different shades so if that peach doesn’t look good on you, maybe that coral will!

Stay Fabulous!

xoxo – LL

 

That Dreadful Thing Called Cellulite

Hi pretty babies!

I was up late last night researching ways to get rid of Cellulite.  It’s a major problem for many of us, me included.  The biggest misconception is that if you have Cellulite, you’re fat.  This is NOT the case! Even thin people have Cellulite.  The #1 factor in the development of Cellulite is being a woman. Genes also play an important role. If other women in your family have Cellulite, there’s a good chance you will too. Other factors that influence the amount of Cellulite you have and how visible it is include: poor diet, fad dieting, slow metabolism, lack of physical activity, hormone changes, dehydration, total body fat and thickness and color of your skin.

Cellulite is nothing more than normal fat beneath the skin. The fat appears bumpy because it pushes against the connective tissue beneath the skin, causing the skin above it to pucker.  There is always someone out there saying certain creams work or certain spa treatments work, but the reality of it all is that there is little evidence that many of them do. Diet and exercise are key components in getting rid of it. Plain and simple. 

I came across so many things last night, and quite honestly some were just out of control crazy…LOL!  The one thing I found most interesting, was that coffee can be a powerful beauty elixir? This is what I found:

“Coffee, when applied topically, has the ability to not only leave you with a glowing complexion, but also help reduce Cellulite!  Take your leftover coffee grounds [after the coffee’s already been brewed] and combine them with honey. This mixture can be used as a scrub on both the face and body. Just apply as you would a normal scrub, exfoliate and rinse when complete”.

“Honey is a natural anti-inflammatory and purifying agent. It both moisturizes and softens the skin, and in this case, it can also functions as a good “glue” for the mixture. Coffee, too, does a number of things for the skin. When applied topically, the caffeine and antioxidants work to tighten and energize skin while also promoting circulation. This gives it the ability to smooth out the skin. It has also been known to reduce varicose veins as the result of its ability to shrink blood vessels.”

I’ve tried everything except this! I noticed great results once I worked out and ate better meals, but it doesn’t mean I won’t give this a shot too. I mean, what do I have to lose, right?  If you decided to also give this a try, let me know how it works out for you? I mean it doesn’t ONLY have to be Cellulite treatment. You can do this and use it as a DIY facial scrub!

Sigh…the things we do for beauty…lol. 

Have a great Thursday and stay beautiful!

xoxo-LL