Lancome at Macy's is in GIFT!!

So if you're anything like me, you prefer to buy your department store beauty products when your go-to line has a free gift. If I'm already going to spend a super attainable price, like $35, why not get some free goodies too? Lancome usually offers some of the best free gift with purchase offers and this one is no different! All the different department stores have their free gift at different times and each store gets their own exclusive gift so this is strictly for Macy's. It's a perfect time to go get yourself a Valentine's Day gift and get an extra freebie, buy a gift for a loved one and give them a bonus, or shh! don't tell them and it's a "one for you, one for me" kind of deal :). Anyway, you have a choice of bag either pink with a black bow or black with a pink bow. You get your choice of moisturizer, Genifique, their new skin care item: Visionnaire, choice of your eye essential, and choose your Juicy Tube shade. Then a bonus to the bonus: if you spend $68 (so why not stock up on that lipstick or face wash you're going to use anyway!), you can choose your perfect cleanser & toner, 3 lip sticks, or a 3 piece make-up brush set with case. Heck of a reason to go buy your Lancome now!

Go visit Kristine, Carmen, & Jean at Macy's King of Prussia and tell them Tina sent you!

Beautify yourselves in Lancome!

Link :Free 7 piece gift with any $35 Lancome purchase, visit www.macys.com to see more!

Ice Loves Coco

Okay so, I have to say I was wrong. Every time I saw the show advertised or flipped through the channels and caught it on, I kind of thought it looked stupid. There was nothing on this morning and I decided to watch a full episode since it was about Coco's sister having her baby and since I just had Zoe, I figured it'd be a good one to try out. I have to say I'm kind of hooked. Coco is super sweet and kind of endearing, not to mention can put on a flawless face. She has a hell of a beauty routine that a lot of us don't have the time (or budget!) for, but it was interesting to hear how she does it being a swimsuit model and there are some pointers I could use, like her lip color! It's simply a MAC lipstick and gloss (super attainable) and it's the perfect pink. The new season airs right after Khloe & Lamar on E! at 10:30pm on Sunday, February 19th! If you haven't already given it a try, and you like the other E! reality shows, tune in & see for yourself! If nothing else, take some pointers on her make-up. Coco did an interview with Allure sharing her daily beauty routine and I'll include the link below!

Coco's Beauty Routine

Holly from smashbox on QVC tonight!

I'm a busy mama so I made sure to DVR smashbox on QVC and somehow managed to catch up only an hour late. :) I must say I'm very excited about their new products! They have a palette with all 56 shades of eye shadow they make broken down into the trios they're originally sold in! The palette also comes with 22 additional products including the FABULOUS brow tech, lip colors, cream liners, and cheek color! They offer a beautiful face color, Instant Illumination Soft Lights, to provide a natural, luminous glow which is absolutely the go-to look this season and it comes with a full size face brush, which sells for $48 on its own, and the pair are less than that together on QVC.

I am also extremely excited about their new product, the 2-in-1 concealer stick. It's a thicker pencil for direct covering of both smaller and larger areas. While it is a pencil and offers the ease of a pencil and the ability to get in any spot, it still appears to glide on effortlessly. The 2-in-1 part? When dipped in cool water or ran under your faucet, the pencil draws on as a liquid concealer! In one simple little pencil, you get a full coverage, thicker concealer and a more sheer coverage, liquid-style concealer! This is definitely on my list to check out soon! Seems like a phenomenal idea for a girl like me who uses concealer to cover under eye circles, some redness in my skin, and the occasional blemish. Stay tuned for a review once I put it to the test with my concerns, but I definitely can say smashbox has yet to let me down!

Link: smashbox 2-in-1 concealer on QVC,com

Best Beauty Buy Benefits (and no store credit card needed!)

I'm going to review some of the cosmetic stores' rewards programs for you so you can figure out which one(s) best suit your needs. It only makes sense to sign up for these free reward programs since there are many benefits provided to you. Many programs e-mail you updates with sales, new products, and coupons. They track your spending and usually give you a certain amount of points per dollar spent and when you accumulate enough points, they'll give you a rewards certificate. Many of them send birthday month coupons or even little gifts! With so many rewards programs both in store and online, there's no reason to buy cosmetics any other way!

Ulta

- sells cosmetics, fragrances, and hair care supplies

- both drug store brands and department store brands

- has a hair salon in store

- Reward Program: Ulta offers two different reward programs you can easily sign up for online at www.ulta.com. You provide your zip code and they'll let you know which program is in your area. The one in my area (Suburbs of Philadelphia) is called Ultimate Rewards. You can earn based on your spending per period 4 rewards certificates a year, which are good for free products or services in their salon. Throughout the year, you'll receive their ad, including coupons that are often more valuable (sometimes $5 off a purchase of $10 or more) than the ones you can print right off their website (usually $3.50 off a purchase of $10 or more). You'll also receive special benefits that they inform you of ahead of time through their ads and e-mails. I once received 2 free eye shadow brushes from Too Faced with any $30 or more Too Faced purchase.

Sephora

- also sells cosmetics, fragrances, and hair care supplies

- only sells department store brands

- offers free teaching services of either the current look for eyes, lips, or face

- Reward Program: Sephora offers two tiers of their rewards program. The first tier, open to any customers, is called Beauty Insider. They track your spending and give you 1 point per $1 spent. When you reach 100 points, you can choice a free deluxe sample that changes every week. If you save your points, you can reach the 500 point perk, giving you a free limited edition product. You'll also be able to receive a free birthday perk when you shop in store or online during your birthday month. The second tier is the V.I.B. (Very Important Beauty Insider). You achieve this status by spending $350 or more in one year (Jan. through Dec.) in store, online, or inside a Sephora location in JC Penney. You are then enrolled in the V.I.B. program for that year as well as the following. You receive all the benefits you had received before, as well as an offer welcoming you to the program giving you 10% off. They also give you special gifts, invites to their special events, early previews of not yet released products, and more. 

Sally Beauty Supply

- There's not much information on this program, but I do know it gives you an overall discount on all products in the store as well as a $5 enrollment reward. This reward program though is NOT FREE. It has a yearly fee of $5, so the enrollment award makes it basically free. This store offers mostly professional salon products like hair coloring, treatments, and supplies.

Lastly, and my personal favorite:

Smashbox.com

- The Reward Program is called Pretty Points Rewards. It's free and easy to sign up at www.smashbox.com. The great thing about this program is for every $1 you spend, they give you 5 points. Once your account reaches the 500 point mark, you earn a $10 reward certificate. You also get a deluxe bonus sample with every purchase, free weekly gifts, free birthday gift during your birthday month, and access to products before they're discontinued. Also, FREE SHIPPING on any order within the U.S.

I'm sure there's many other rewards programs out there, but these are ones I have experience with and have found to be the most beneficial for me!

Face Wash for All Skin (even sensitive)

I have extremely sensitive and red in my cheeks and forehead. I used a few products which caused me to become extremely dry, which led to breaking out. Fun Fact That's Not So Fun: Did you know that overly drying your skin with products, especially if you're already  prone to breakouts can cause more breakouts? Your skin suddenly finds itself too dry and is triggered to send more oil to hydrate the area, thinking it's now too dry. NEVER EVER skip moisturizer, just find one that's oil free and one for sensitive skin might be less harsh. Anyway, I've tried many MANY different face washes from all different brands, from drug stores to the high end, expensive department store brands. The one I've found that keeps my skin clean and breakout free is Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. It's oil free and in one product removes dirt, oil, and make up! My husband and I both use this product, and just like the Philosophy Oxygen Peel I reviewed earlier, it's done wonders for us both. My redness has been greatly reduced, my skin is more hydrated, and I am break out free. My husband's oil is controlled, his sensitivity is managed, and he is break out free as well. It's sold in Walmart, Target, drug stores, and grocery stores so it's certainly easy to find. Walmart sells an 8 fl oz bottle for $3.67 and a 2 pack for $7.34. Go out & give it a try, you won't regret it!



Stay beautiful ... with clean & clear skin :)

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - as eye shadow primer review

Definitely have to give the credit to Ally, a make-up artist and friend that works for MAC for this find! MAC's paint pots are "highly pigmented" eye colors in a cream form. It's not like a typical cream eye shadow that is difficult and messy to apply and ends up creating many creases and makes eyelids look more wrinkly than they were in the first place. While it does glide on easily, it's not messy and stays where you put it. It's a neutral, natural color that would work on most girls and can be worn by itself as an eye shadow. I, however, use it ALWAYS as my go-to eye shadow primer. It neutralizes my eye lid and holds on my shadows literally until I choose to take them off. It also allows my shadows to show their true shade and I don't need to use nearly the amount of shadow I'd need without the primer to make the eye shadow even show up. It lasts forever, even with daily use. It's easily applied with a concealer brush or even a flat eye shadow brush. It only costs $17.50 and can be found at any MAC counter or MAC store. I've tried many other eye shadow primers and this one absolutely outshines them all!
- This is a swatch of the color "Painterly"


Here's the link to MAC's website for the Paint Pot: http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/1573/Paint-Pot/index.tmpl

Spring 2012 - Lashes, Liner, & Lips ♥

I was walking around Nordstrom in King of Prussia mall last week and I noticed the new spring trends are out in a big way and I have to say I love them. It's a look any girl can wear and is easy enough to do. It seems to be a mostly nude look with a little pop. The face is a luminous glow with a sun-kissed look, but not overly bronzed or tan - think natural and youthful. Cheek color seems to be bronzed or a soft pink, applied very lightly to merely highlight the cheek bones. TIP- To enhance cheek bones and slim the face, after applying blush, suck in your cheeks and make a fishy-face. Sweep bronzer in the indents just under your cheek bones upward. Back to the spring style though! Eyes seem to be either completely nude with a slight shimmer or soft pastel colors. Liner is definitely in, mostly black. Lashes are BIG, BIG, BIG this season, volume, length, & lash definition. Focus on defining the eye. Lastly, the lips! Most common seems to be a nude lip, matte and glossy are both big so do what you feel comfortable with. TIP- lipgloss will enhance thinner lips to make them look fuller. TIP- Filling in the entire lip with a nude liner or even a lip liner close to your natural lip coloring will help hold on lipsticks and glosses for a longer wear, as well as allows your chosen lip color to show up how it actually looks in the tube! Last, don't forget to maintain your brows and fill them in with a color that matches your natural brow color. Smashbox makes a Brow Tech to Go that has one side with a wax color to fill in your brows as well as tame any unruly hairs. The other side has a gel that you brush through with the included brush that looks like a mini mascara wand. It's almost like 3 products in 1 and works very well and comes in a range of colors. Head out to your local mall and take a peek at the new spring collections and have fun! Many make-up counters will happily show you a look specially for you! Enjoy & have fun!

Stay beautiful girls ...