Beauty Survey- Lots of Stuff Going On

1) Mood: Hungry and happy. Yes, at the same time.

2) Did you do anything fun over the weekend? My parents were in town, so this basically means I got to eat/live/drink for free99. What could be more fun than that? Now, I'm waiting for my boyfriend to cook me dinner then take me to see "No Strings Attached" at the Paramount Studios theater. Yes, my life is awesome.

3) The new season of Jersey Shore: Love it or leave it? It's sickening how addicted I am to this show. I am willing to lose sleep just to watch a Tivo'd episode of this deliciously awful show. Oh, the smeared eyeliner and overly frosty eyeshadow with the orange foundation and greasy T-zones...ugh I can't peel my eyes away from this train wreck!


4) Last beauty related thing you did for yourself? I took a Lush bath using their Honey Lumps bath bomb and their Gingerbread House bubble bar last night....sooo relaxing!


5) Do you do any arts and crafts, like knitting/drawing etc? Aside from doing makeup, I have been sketching, drawing and painting for years. I'm also into nail art. P.S. to my fellow artists: Aaron Brothers is having a Buy 1 Canvas, Get the 2nd One for a Penny sale!


6) Eyes/Lips/Nails/Outfit? My grandma passed away last week, and she was my everything. Since then I've kinda let myself go. My nails are chipped and my cuticles dry, I'm wearing Fresh Lip Balm in Plum, with mascara only, in a pathetic jeggings outfit with dirty flip flops. Sorry dudes...this is how I mourn.


7) Have you been sticking to your New Year's resolutions? For the first time, I didn't make any. I have a really obsessive personality where I have to organize everything and do things just right or I go nuts. I just thought, this year, why not go with the flow?


8) What makeup do you reach for when you only have 5 minutes to get ready? If I'm running late (more than usual at least) then I will dab on my Makeup Forever HD foundation, MAC Select Coverup, MUF Eyebrow Corrector, a quick squeeze from the eyelash curler and a dab of mascara. Fresh lip balm SPF15 in Plum. I know, that's still a lot...but the point is I can put it on in five minutes lol.


9) When you aren't working, how do you like to unwind? Unwinding always includes the dogs. They have such a calming effect over me, and I absolutely adore spending time with them. Nothing beats a night in cuddling on the couch with a puppy in each arm watching a rom-com with a glass (or two) of Pinot Noir.


10) Weekly Goals: Sell my boyfriend's old furniture (I'm moving in shortly), go engagement ring shopping, start packing to make the move, hit up a Nissan dealership to buy out my leased Murano, work out like a mad woman, do my nails, be there when the new furniture gets shipped. This is a BIG week for me and I'm pretty stoked! Wish me luck :)


***Boyfriend's furniture is on Craigs List and Facebook's Marketplace, if you guys are interested, let me know***

How to Apply Fake Eyelashes

I had a few requests to do a tutorial on how to apply fake eyelashes. So...here ya go!

PS- this one includes a funny blooper-moment :)

Are You Addicted to Makeup?

I came across this Yahoo Shine article and it had some interesting stats regarding women and their dependancy on cosmetics. While I am a makeup artist and beauty fiend, I know what's logical and what isn't. I don't put on makeup to go to the gym. I don't need it to run errands. But I do have a rule: I will NOT go to work without makeup on. It's so important to look your best in a professional setting. No matter what your job is: a beauty rep, a doctor, a drive-thru worker, an office personnel, a retail employee. People LOOK at you all day. You are being paid to represent whatever company has hired you and it's your responsibility to look the part. This isn't about vanity, it's about the bottom line. Sallow dark circles and chapped lips aren't going to get you a promotion, ladies. Below are some stats from the article and my thoughts on them:

The average woman waits about 2.5 months before going makeup-less in front of her partner: Every relationship is different, and I think it's all about comfort level with this one. I personally waited about a month before unleashed my "bald face" (my word for a makeup-less face) to my boyfriend, but really, there is no right answer with this one.

Six out of 10 women will not go to work without makeup:
Uh, this needs to be 10 out of 10 women. Even if you have good skin, you need some blush and some lip gloss. Something to show you gave a damn!

37% of women think their managers would assume they didn’t take care of themselves:
This goes back to what I was talking about above. My dad told me something when I was in high school that I still refer to; "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." If you want to get that promotion, look like you care!


Nearly 25% believe they would be ignored for a promotion if they didn't wear makeup:
Now, this I don't agree with. I have seen bald faced girls get promoted time and time again, and good for them. I think if you are honestly a hard worker and doing a great job, then you will get that promotion regardless of if you wear makeup or not.

I'd love to know your thoughts!

Sisley-Paris Product Review

I was given some Sisley Paris products to sample by my lovely mother. I have to credit a lot of what I know about makeup and skincare to my mom. She has always been very good with her makeup. I won't say how old she is (because she will kill me) but her skin looks radiant! Growing up, Mom always did my makeup for school dances and dance/piano recitals. She gave me the "winged eyeliner" gene, which basically means we can both do liquid winged eyeliner with our hands tied behind our backs, haha. Mom is from Lebanon, so she was exposed to lots of expensive overseas creams and beautiful pricey makeup from Europe that I could never afford. She lets me borrow her stuff and gives me the products she won't use anymore, which I totally appreciate. I sampled the four (expensive, I'm talkin' $100 for 3 ounces) Sisley products below and here are my thoughts...

Looks like: Thick ivory cream

Smells like: Soft-spicy

Survey says? This is a great product for someone who wants to lighten their skin (very popular in the Asian culture, not so much in USA). It's also ideal for someone who has discoloration due to sun spots and wants to fade them out.

Looks Like:A smooth, white cream
Smells like: Very green, woodsy
Survey says? With Juniper and Salvia oil, this is a very strong-smelling cream that moisturized really well. It may not be the best for someone with oily skin or a sensitive nose...like I said, it's very strong!

Looks like: clear watery gel

Smells like: fresh flowers

Survey says? LOVE this stuff, it was super hydrating. I applied a heavy amount of the gel all over my face and around my eyes. I waited 5 minutes, removed the excess with a tissue, and left the rest on. I woke up with the softest skin ever. And it smells AMAZING

 Looks like: Sheer white serum

Smells like: Intoxicating rose-milk

Survey says? Milk and Sage make this a pleasant serum ideal for any skin. It was so soothing. I would describe it as Chamomile Tea for the skin.

Black (Armenian) Swan

Hello Beauty Lovers. 

My boyfriend and I watched Black Swan on Friday night and let me just say the movie lived up to all my expectations. The psychological change Natalie Portman's character goes through is so interesting -and difficult to watch- at the same time. Everyone has been asking me to do a Black Swan, and even though it's not the prettiest look, seeing the movie convinced me to do it. Chantal and I crack up at how every look I do is the "Armenian version" I guess there is just no way to hide my big ojos and ethnic nose LOL! It's cool...I wear them proudly. Here's the movie poster and a pic of me. Below is my tutorial. Don't forget to subscribe! *wink

Here are some of the MAC products I used to create this look:

White Chromacake (Pro)
Strobe Cream
Velvetella Lip liner
Viva Glam 3 Lipstick
Platinum Pigment (Pro)
Black Paintstick (Pro)
Invisible Set Powder (Pro)

How to Contour

Happy Tuesday! Here's a quick video on how to contour your face using makeup. Below are the products I used:

Contour: Taupe Blush (MAC)
Blush: Goddess Blush- Limited (MAC)
Brushes: all used were from Crown Brush

Make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel so I know that people care! LOL

Gold Icon Look Video

Hi Bloggers! This is the companion video to my Gold Icon Look. I'm working on getting an HD video camera, so my apologies if it's not top notch quality. Enjoy... and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

Makeup For Ever: Gold Icon

Hello Blog Buddies! For Christmas, I got a ton of makeup (of course) and one of my favorite gifts was my sister's. Chantal got me a Sephora: Beauty in a Box in Makeup For Ever's Gold Icon. She knows I love gold anything! Thank goodness for little sisters :) 

The kit includes: 

Metal Powder in Sunflower Gold 1 (yellow gold shimmer)

 Diamond Powder in Gold 16 (gold shimmer)

Kohl Pencil Black with Metal Highlights 6K (black with gold flecks)

 Lab Shine Diamond Collection D16 (glimmering beige)

 Smoky Lash

Enjoy...

Crown Brush Set

My sister (and everyone else who has seen my kit) is annoyed that I bought more makeup brushes, because according to them I already have "a thousand." But everyone knows I can't resist a good deal! Crown Brush is known for having the highest quality makeup brushes among the pros in the movie industry. I have heard about them for a while now, and after noticing a limited-time sale through a fantastic Youtube makeup artist, Kandee Johnson, I just had to try them. My  "thousand" brushes that I already own are all from MAC. I have to say that these brushes are AS good as MAC's, if not better. The quality of hair and the handle are about the same. These brushes are a little pricey regularly, but I got my 15 precious babies in this cute clutch with Kandee's deal for....$29.99!! That's less than $2.00 a brush!

What I really truly liked about these brushes is the shapes and textures...I had never seen a pencil brush that wasn't stiff, but super soft and bend-y. Or an angle brush that was so flexible. Or a contour brush so angled. Or... well I could go on for days. Crown Brush does sell the brushes individually for about the same price as MAC's. I can't express enough how important it is to have GOOD BRUSHES. If you are willing to invest in any part of your cosmetic routine, it needs to be A) Good Brushes and B) Flawless Foundation.

I wish this deal was still going on, I would have loved to share it with you, but it ended Dec. 31. I'll try to be more timely next time I see a deal like this with my blogs!