Liebster Award

Thank you Charlotte from Makeup by Candlelight for nominating me for the Liebster Award.  I am honored and grateful for this opportunity.

If you dont know what the Liebster Award is it is for bloggers with less than 200 followers.

So here are the rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!

So here are the questions I was asked.

1.  Favorite nail polish?  I am in love with the wet n' wild megalast in 218A I need a Refresh-Mint.  I cant wear it enough.

2.  Product you would really like to try?  I am going to say the Caudalie Cleansing Water.  I hate washing my face.  It is a chore I could live without.  (lazy me).

3.  Beauty Product you really know you should use, but cant be bothered?  An eye cream definitely I have so much I do already I just cant get myself to use it I have a lot cause I keep buying it just never use it.

4.  Favorite skin care brand?  Michael Todd  everything I have used I love.  However it is to expensive and cant buy it often.

5.  What inspires you?  My guilty pleasure youtube videos.  I will watch them all day everyday.  After every video I am so inspired to get creative.

6.  BB Creams - Bleeding Brilliant or Boring Blah?  Boring Blah I have Rosacea so I need more coverage so I tend to stay away from them.

7.  Where would you go on your dream Holiday?  I would go on a 14 day cruise to the Bahamas. 

8.  Favorite Drugstore/ High street mascara?  My holy grail wet n' wild megavolume.

9.  Beauty Product you will never buy again?  Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish.  I wear it for 10 min and it is already chipped.  Makes me so mad.

10.  First Perfume you ever got?  Tommy Girl.  I hate the smell now.  I wore it everyday in highschool.

11.  Most hyped product that you don't agree with?  Maybelline The Rocket.  I bought the waterproof for summer and I went swimming it was not waterproof.  It does not hold a curl and clumps way to bad for me.  You really have to work it.  To me it is not worth the effort.

Here are the 11 questions I would like the blogger I nominate to answer:
1.  What is your favorite face moisturizer?
2.  What is your holy grail mascara?
3.  Drugstore or highend makeup line?
4.  What is your favorite perfume?
5.  Do you like Maybelline Baby lips?
6.  Your Favorite Lush Product?
7.  What is your pet peeve?
8.  What is your favorite season?
9.  What is your favorite color lipstick?
10.  What is your favorite palette from wet n' wild?
11.  Name 2 beauty products you cant live without?

I want to nominate:
Sekar from Just a Blog
Valderia from The Mind Catchers
Chloe from Skinny Jeans
Amie from Chase Amie
Sharris from The Posh Bird
Rachael from Mano Blog 123
Ahalya from Confessions of a Beauty-Holic
Laura from Laura_Cuddles
Subha from Candy Crow
Sarah from Sequin Doll
Devon from Twitch's World

Limited Edition Wet n' wild eyeshadow swatches

I have seen so many blog post and youtube video's lately about these limited edition wet n' wild palettes.  I was so excited that I had to run out and find them.  I went everywhere and no one had them.  I have been waiting impatiently for these to come here.  I went to rite aid and walgreens for a couple of good sales yesterday and guess what I found?  You guessed it they were finally here.  I grabbed 5 of the 6 they have it the collection.

34165 A Regular at the Factory

First I will show you my favorite.  My favorite color is Orange.  As always these are very pigmented and very soft.  The orange and blue appear to be matte and the yellow appears to have a little bit of shimmer.

  34165 I'm Seeing Triples!

I am a little scared of this palette.  The Purple is more of a pink/mauve than a real purple.  This color has a satin finish and the other to colors are matte.

34167 Three's A Party

The white and black are matte and the red has a little bit of shimmer.  

34169 To Muse and Carouse

I love this palette because of the neutrals.  I think this is the most wearable of all the palettes in this collection. These are a little more sheer than all the other palettes but if you used a base these could really pop.  These do appear to have a satin finish.

34164 Your 15 Minutes Aren't Up!

The pink and purple appear to have a satin finish and the yellow is a matte.  

I love wet n' wild eyeshadow they are so pigmented.  I am so excited to use these.

                                                                                                           xoCrystal

Where have I been?

Hey guys!  As you may already know (if you follow me on twitter you would) my sister had her baby on July 28th.  She had a baby boy and they named him Rylie.  It is her first baby so I went to there house to help out.  They live in the country and they dont get internet and I don't get reception on my phone.  I am back home now so I will be posting a new post later on today.
                                                                                                                 xoCrystal

Top 5 under $5

This is the 2nd part of the posts I promised in the Top 10 under $10 post.

To start I am going to start with the e.l.f. Small Stipple Brush.  I love this brush I use it for my foundation and any cream blushes or bronzers.  I got mine at Target for $3.

Next is the e.l.f. eye shadow brush.  This brush is amazing for applying/packing on eyeshadow.  I got mine at Walmart for $1.

I have the e.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzer.  I love the Bronzer in this but as you can see I hit pan on the blush I use the blush constantly because you can build it up or put it on light.  I use it light because of my rosacea.  I have struggled to get rid of my rosacea for years so I dont want to make it look like I am having a flair up.  And this is the perfect blush to just add a little color without going over board.  I got mine at walmart for $3.

This is my favorite setting powder.  It makes me matte all day without making me look cakey.  I got mine at walmart for $4.97.

Last but not least is the Blue Cross Summer Brights nail polish.  I dont know if this should count cause I dont know how much they are normally.  I got mine at Rite Aid on clearance for $1.47.

10 makeup products under $10

I have a seen a couple of these on youtube recently and thought it would be fun.  I had a hard time getting only 10 products that I love so I have a few more.  I thought that I would extend this and do 5 under $5 and my top products under $3.  Watch for those in the coming week.

So the first thing is the NYC Bronzer in 720A Sunny.  I love this because it is so light it just gives a natural healthy glow to your skin.  I got this at Rite Aid for $2.99.

The next one is the wet n' wild Fergie line highlighter in A045 Rose champagne glow.  This is a rose gold color and it gives off a beautiful glow to your skin.  I got this for $4.99 at Walgreens.

This is the wet n' wild Blush in 831E Pearlescent Pink. This is the Dupe for Nars Orgasm.  I do however love all of the blushes from wet n' wild.  I got mine at Rite Aid for $2.99.

I love the Elf eyelid primer.  It is a really nice creamy texture.  I got mine at Walmart for $1.  Target has these as well.

I just got this last week but I have been using it everyday since.  It is the Almay wake up eyeliner + highlighter in 010 black jolt and iced gold.  I put the eyeliner on the lower waterline and for me it does not seem to budge all day.  However it is not a soft liner so you really have to keep working the color into the waterline.    I love the highlighter part I use it on the brow bone and the inner tear duct.  It does have shimmer to it but I love it.  It is a creamy texture and applies perfectly.  I got mine at Walgreens and it was on sale for $4.99 not sure how much they are normally.

Next I have the wet n' wild megavolume Mascara.  This is not the waterproof but I love it.  It gives such beautiful volume.  This is not clumpy at all that I have found anyway.  All out I love this formula.  My holy grail mascara.  I got mine at Walgreens for $2.99.

I have the NYX Ultra Pearl Pigments.  I love these they have really nice colors to choose from.   This one is in 18 Orange Pearl. The best part is they are only $2.99 at Ulta.

The next is the Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo.  I love these they are so creamy and are great as bases for other eyeshadows.  I got mine at Walmart for $5.49.

Next I have the Rimmel Show Off in 501 Stellar.  I think this is the most beautiful color. This stuff is so hardcore pigmented the color on the tube is the color you get on your lips.  LOVE IT!  They are also very moisturizing and you don't even have to reapply through out the day.  I think you can only get these at Walgreens right now.  They are really cheap for how pigmented and great they are.  They are only $5.99.

The Next is the Maybelline Baby lips.  This one is in the Electro line 85 Oh! Orange.  However I love all the Baby lips.  They are so moisturizing and can be build able.  I got this at Rite Aid for $4.00

Next I have the NYX lipstick in Pure Nude.  I love this color.  I don't find them very moisturizing.  I found this at Ulta for I think $3.99.

Now I have the nail polish.  I love the Wet n' wild megalast in 218A I need a refresh mint.  I do love all the colors that I have tried.  They are very opaque and are very easy to apply.  And this color is perfect for summer.  I found these at Walgreens for $2.99.  But you can usually find a really good sale almost every week.
                                                                                                                   xoCrystal

A guide to Sunscreen

I know so many people who believe they don't have to wear sunscreen.  When I ask them why they don't use any they say 'It has never done anything for me.  I always get sunburn anyway.  So what's the point?'.  So what is the point?

There are 2 types of Sun Rays UVA and UVB.
            UVA- Ultra Violet A Ray
            UVB- Ultra Violet B Ray

UVA is the most damage causing.  This is the leading cause to aging.  UVA causes 90% of all wrinkles.  OUCH!  It also causes cancer.

UVB is what causes a sunburn or tanning.  However this also can cause cancer.

To protect your skin you need SPF.  SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.  SPF protects against UVB rays.

Here is a guide to how much SPF you need and how often you need to apply it:

PA is UVA Protection.

         PA+ is the least amount.

         PA++ is the medium amount.

         PA+++ is the largest amount.

When you are shopping for a Sunscreen make sure you are getting both in one sunscreen.

Also there are 2 types of sunscreen Chemical and Physical.

    

Chemical acts like a sponge that absorbs the sun rays here are some of the ingredients often found in these sunscreens:

          Octylcrylene, Avobenzone, Octinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone,   Momosalate, Melioplex, 4-MBC, Mexoryl sx and xl, Tinosorb 5 and M, Uvinul T 150, and Uvinul A Plus.

Chemical sunscreens do not have a white cast and have a natural finish but can irritate sensitive skin.

Physical shields the sun rays here are some of the ingredients often found in these sunscreens:

          Titanium Dioxide, Zink Oxide.

Physical sunscreens have a white cast and are recommended for sensitive skin.

                                                                                                          xoCrystal 

What exactly is Keratin?

I came across a lot of people that use It's A 10 +Keratin.  So I thought I would share what Keratin is exactly.

So Keratin is a Protein that is the main structure in our hair and nails.

What are the benefits of using a keratin shampoo and conditioner or running out and getting a keratin treatment at a salon that can cost over $200.

Keratin helps by filling in the gapes in our hair.  This helps with damaged hair, it moisturizes your hair,  it straitens your hair, and provides a beautiful shine.

So if you have damaged, frizzy hair then I would recommend getting the Tresemme Keratin Smooth shampoo and conditioner.  This is a great line of products.
                                                                                                      xoCrystal