Random Movie Review

Okay, so.....I may have had a few too many glasses of wine tonight.  BUT, I did go see a movie today. We went and watched Pacific Rim.  Honestly, yesterday was the first time I had even heard of the movie.  My man wanted to watch it so we went today.  It was an excellent movie! It was very entertaining and I mean come on..giant robots and aliens?? Who wouldn't want to see that? 

I guess I should give some of my movie background.  I literally almost like ANY movie.  I absolutely LOVE scary movies! The problem is I never have anyone to watch them with me.  Only one person but she works on the opposite shift as me so I won't get to see her until September which sucks! I love comedies, romance, historical, sci-fi, drama...I'll pretty much watch anything depending on my mood.  For example I watched Pacific Rim hours ago and now I'm watching 50/50.  Though I may have a little crush on Joey Gordon Levitt...BEFORE he was on Inception which is when all these youngsters first noticed him.  Awmagudness, I love him. 

I am soooo excited to watch The Conjuring!!! Looks creepy as hell! I love movies based on true stories and this one is based on a haunting!?! I seriously can't wait!!! The last movie I watched in the theater was 'This is the End'.  Another great movie in my opinion.  I laughed my ass off! I thought it was going to be terrible but I really enjoyed it.  Speaking of movies that I thought were going to be terrible..Pitch Perfect.  I thought that it was going to be completely ridiculous.  But I was home one day and I figured, eh what the hell.  So I watched it.  I absolutely LOVED it.  Seriously, after like 15 mi

nutes into the movie I knew.  I haven't bought a movie in like a year and I bought this one the next day.  Seriously, if you haven't watched it yet, what in the hell is wrong with you? Okay, okay i'm just kidding.  But really, I do love the movie.  

 Anyways, I know this was a random post but, I figure everyone can use a laugh sometimes right? Even at my expense.   I may have had a few, or many, glasses of wine tonight but i'm an adult so that's okay.  I'm not driving or being all crazy...I may be making weirdo blog posts and do my nails but we'll see.  HA 

Well, I hope everyone has a great night and watches a movie that they really enjoy.  I am about to watch Pretty Little Liars that I recorded last night so I will probably be doing my nails.  Plus, the chick on 50/50 is really pissing me off right now and I need a happy place.  :D 

So goodnight everyone and I will have a REAL post soon.  It may not be till friday because I will be busy until then but who knows.  Goodnight!!!

Sandy

Dupes for MAC, Urban Decay & Stila? Yes Please!

Hello all! So I recently ordered some eyeshadows from MakeupGeek at http://www.makeupgeek.com/store/  I got Cocoa Bear which is a pretty brownish color with red tones in it.  Creme Brûlée which is a super light brown. And Shimma Shimma which is a pretty silvery color with yep, you guessed it, SHIMMER! HA  They are all very pigmented colors and are beautiful.  I used Creme Brûlée and Cocoa Bear yesterday and couldn't believe how similar they were to some other more expensive eye shadows.  So, lets begin!

Left to Right
MAC's Brown Script & MUG's Cocoa Bear

How similar are these? The Cocoa Bear looks a little brighter but when you swatch them

Brown Script (on the left) actually looks a little brighter.  Not by much though. Cocoa Bear blends really well and looks amazing.  At $5.99 for the pan as opposed to $12.00 for the pan by MAC I'd say that's pretty damn good!  

MAC's Soft Brown & MUG's Creme Brûlée

Very similar again right? Creme Brûlée (right) looks a tiny bit more shimmery but still a great dupe for Soft Brown.  Check out the swatches below.

Lastly is MUG's Shimma Shimma.  It is a pretty silvery-champaign color.  This one I have found that it is a good dupe for 4 colors! That's right, 4! 

First is Shroom by MAC on the left.

Urban Deccay's Virgin on the left.

And surprisingly Urban Decay's Verve.  They don't look similar in the pans but when I swatched them they actually look very similar as well.  

Here are the swatches from them all.

Left to Right is:
UD-Verve, UD-Virgin, MAC-Shroom & MUG-Shimma

Now time for the finale.

Stila's Kitten & MUG's Shimma Shimma

Am I wrong? These colors are pretty much the same to me.  More similar than any of the others.

When swatches, Kitten (left) has a more pinkish color as opposed to Shimma Shimma which is more silvery.  But they are still so similar to me.  

Welp, those are some dupes from my most recent purchase.  I will definitely be buying more Makeup Geek shadows.  They are up to par with MAC, UD & Stila but much much cheaper.  If I find any more dupes I will give you an update.

What do you think of these dupes? Let me know! If you have tried Makeup Geek's products let me know what you think of them as well.  Have a great day!

SANDY

Target & Sephora Haul

Hello again! Two days in a row.  Woo! I'm on a role! So, there were a few things I needed to pick up at Target and Sephora.  I did not end up with just a few things.

First up, Target:

I needed some more basic cotton rounds.  I ended up getting the exfoliating ones since I have never tried them.  Don't know if they are actually gonna be any different but we'll see.  

Next up is a wrinkle reducing sheet mask from Masque Bar by Look Beauty.  These I can say I have never tried.  I saw satnightsalrite on youtube say she uses them so I figured...why not? There were four different kinds to choose from.  I chose the wrinkle reducing mask.  Since I am turning 30 this year...yep...the big 3-0...I figured I should start utilizing some anti-aging products.  This one is supposed to be moisturizing, which is always good for me, age-defying, softening & revitalizing.  It contains green tea extract which is an antioxidant that helps with skin elasticity and helps decrease wrinkles and is also a good anti-inflammatory.   Collagen which helps plump up and firm skin. And vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects and repairs your skin.  

Then I got Arm & Hammer Advanced Whitening tooth paste.  I'm getting married in June so I need to get those teeth of mine nice and white!

Rimmel soft kohl kajal eyeliner pencil in 040 purple passion.  Yet another product I have not tried but has gotten great reviews.

Loreal's Voluminous Million Lashes mascara.  I LOVE this stuff! It really is super volumizing.  It goes on really easy and my favorite thing is that it separates my lashes so nicely.  So many mascaras cause my lashes to clump up but not this one.  

Maybelline Eye Studio gel liner in Blackest Black.  Best eyeliner formula I've tried to date.

Revlon lipstick in Primrose.

Essie nail polish in turquoise and caicos.

It's a 10 miracle leave-in plus keratin.  Another product that i always re-purchase.  It replaces lost protein, protects the natural keratin in hair, protects against heat, restores hydration balance, detangles, defrizzes & adds shine and lots of other stuff as well.  I use it every time after I was my hair. It feels so soft and smooth immediately.

Now for Sephora!

My 500 point perk was A Josie Maran Argan Essentials set.  I am soooo excited to try this.  I haven't used any of her products yet but I've heard so many great things about them.  Inside are Bear Naked Wipes, Argan cleansing oil, 100% pure argan oil and an argan lip treatment.  I really can't wait to try this stuff.  I'll keep you posted on how i'm liking them.

Murad Hydro-Dyanamic Ultimate Moisture.  Another new product.  I just recently used up my Chanel moisturizer and wanted to try something new.  It says it locks in optimal moisture levels for 8 hours, restores resilience and tone yet is gentle enough for sensitive skin.  The ingredients are Avocado, sunflower and olive fruit oils the enhance skins ability to retain maximum levels of hydration. Retinyl Palmitate and shea butter improve texture and tone while restoring natural smoothness and softness.  And Collagen.  This is also anti-age formula.

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Intensive eye contour cream.  Are you starting to see a pattern here? I love Shiseido products.  It smells really nice and just goes on really well.  It is more of a thick cream than say...clinique.  It has a very clean smell to it also which is nice because I don't really like super scented face products.  

Lastly I got a sample of Shiseido Bio Performance Serum super-corrective.  I also used up my Chanel Serum so I decided to just get a sample of this.  I tried it out on my hand and it feels very refreshing.  I'm going to try it for a week or so and see how it works.

So, that is my haul for today.  I really can't wait to take off all my makeup and use my new face products  So so excited! Too bad it's only 1:20 PM.  HAHA   Anyways, hope you all are having a great day and I will talk to you soon!

SANDY

CHEVRON NAILS!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posts this week. I was at work doing 16 hour days.  NOT fun.  Anyhow, just got back home today and the fiance is busy with appointments so naturally, I decided to do my nails.  The design was actually inspired by a photo I saw on instagram.  I thought it was fun.  Here is the first picture and I will describe how I did it as well below.

First I applied my Nail Tech Foundation II base coat. I love this stuff! I have very brittle nails so this stuff fills in the small cracks and make my nails super even and smooth.

Then I applied China Glaze's White on White on my middle finger so it would dry quick.  Then I used Butter London's Primrose Hill Picnic which I absolutely love!! Great formula and you really only need one coat of this stuff but I always do two out of habit.  The last color I used was Essie's Good as Gold.  This one is a little more difficult to work with.  It streaks so you definitely have to do two coats.  I love the outcome of this metallic color.  After my nails dried I applied the small black Chevron stickers that I found on http://www.etsy.com/shop/MakeitStickDesigns

These are suuuuper easy to apply and look amazing.  Not expensive either.  I got them in black and white.

Lastly I applied my Seche Vite top coat.

What was your nail look today?

The 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty!

Greed:

What is your most expensive beauty item?

Definitely my YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation

Gluttony:

What product makes up the biggest chunk of your makeup collection?

Eye shadow.  No doubt in my mind!

Wrath:

Which beauty item do you have a love/hate relationship with?

All brow products.  Not because they are bad I am just not the best brow crafter! HA

Sloth:

What product do you neglect to use due to laziness?

Lip liner for sure.  It just takes soooo much time when I can just throw on the lipstick quickly.

Pride:

What product gives you the most confidence?

Mascara.  Makes everyone's eyes stand out no matter who you are!

Lust:

Which item is at the top of your beauty wish list?

Hmm, the would really like to try the PMD but I am skeptical about whether it's really worth it or not.  

Envy:

Which product do you love on others but not yourself?

Super dramatic dark makeup.  I have small eyes so wearing dark colors just emphasizes how small they are. 

I tag everyone that reads this! 

Have a great day!!

Sandy

What's in my work bag?

Hello! So, I am still at work for another 8 days.  Not the smartest time to start a beauty blog huh? Anyhow, instead of a regular what's in my bag post I've decided to share with you what's in my bag that I keep with me at work.  Nothing too exciting but I figured it would be something some what different.  So, let's begin!

Here is my bag.  When I started working here in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska I was in housekeeping.  One of my co-workers was from the Philippines and when she went to visit family she got me this bag.  I absolutely love it! It's not flashy and it's very comfortable.  

So, here's what is in my bag.  I took one picture of everything since there was so much in there.

1.  Burberry wallet-  Yes, I love it and I take it EVERYWHERE with me. 

2.  Harry Potter book-  Right now I'm almost done with The Chamber of Secrets.  I've seen all of the movies and really enjoyed them so I figured why not read the books? Especially since everyone speaks so highly of them.  I work in a field of men and you wouldn't believe how many of them like this series.  It's hilarious but awesome all at the same time.  

3.  Work badge-  Pretty much explains itself.  I have to have it to get through all of the security check points.

4.  Aleve-  Gotta have some drugs!

5.  Hand lotion-  Secret Wonderland by Bath & Body Works that I got from a co-worker for Christmas.  It is very dry up here so gotta keep my hands moisturized.  The formula to this lotion is good I'm just not a huge fan of the smell.  A little too strong for working in a small office with another person.    

6.  Paws hand wipe

7.  Truvia-  Calorie free sweetener

8.  Pen

9. Delon+ Lip Moisturizer in mango-  Another gift for Christmas

10.  Carmex chap stick

11.  Neosporin-  For all of those paper cuts! HA! I also use this because it works wonders on new piercings.  

12.  Band aid-  Again, for those paper cuts

13.  Ear plugs-  We do a lot of engraving so these are a huge plus

14.  Eye drops-  For dry eyes in the dry weather

Not pictured:

Water Bottle-  Gotta have that water up here.  It's basically a desert so you get dehydrated really easy.  A couple months ago I was feeling really sick.  Shivers, head ache's, couldn't sleep.  I went down to the medic and they took all my stats and told me I was dehydrated.  So dehydrated in fact that they had to give me two IV's.  I felt better almost immediately.  

So, that's basically everything in my work bag.  Usually I have a hair tie in there as well but I must have used it and didn't put it back.  

Okay, so as I was writing this blog, one of our technicians came in and shared this picture with me:

He was driving and this bear was in a fight with another bear then started running away.  The driver was going 35 mph when the pic was taken.  Scary!! This is why I work inside! 

So, there is my post for today.  I promise when I get home I will do more beauty related posts such as OOTD's and FOTD's, tutorials etc.  Trust me, you don't want to see pics of me in jeans and a sweat shirt everyday.  :)  

Have a great day!!

Sandy

June Favorites!!

Hi everyone! So, I am at work right now and don't have access to my June favorites but I will add some product images for you.  

Favorite numero uno:  YSL Touche Éclat' Foundation SPF19 

I absolutely adore this foundation! I live in Alaska so I tend to have extremely dry skin! Especially in the winter.  This foundation goes on smoothly and doesn't leave any flakey residue like other foundations.  It has really good coverage as well.  Not heavy coverage but I'd say a good medium.  It has a nice glow to which some people might not like especially if you have oily skin but I love the outcome it gives me. 

Favorite number 2:  Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel cream bronzer

I know, I know.  Another high end product.  But, I love this bronzer! Again, it works great with my dry skin.  It goes on easily and a little product goes a long way.  I apply it with an angled kabuki brush and it just looks beautiful on the skin.  As far as buying it in the future we'll see.  But for now it is definitely one of my faves!

Favorite nombre trois:  Essie's Bikini So Teeny 

This is such a beautiful color! I had had it for about a month before I finally used.  Yes, I have waaaay too much nail polish.  Anyways, I had just gotten home from a trip to Washington and grabbed to do a quick mani.  As soon as that first stroke went on my nail I fell in love with it.  It's one of those colors where you can't tell if it's more purple or blue.  I'm thinking blue.  I mean purple.  No blue. Definitely blue.  ☺ Anyways, the formula is very nice.  No streaks.  Could have left it at one coat but i'm a 2 coat kinda girl!  I did all my nails with this color and then painted some clouds on my ring finger with Essie's Tart Deco (another all time fave) and a white by China Glaze.  Beautiful combo.

Favorite Nummer Vier:  H&M Tank Top with Rib Cage burn out pattern

OMG!! I LOOOOVE this tank top.  Never been much for the skulls, bones, that kinda thing but for some reason this tank just grabbed my attention right away.  It has a very light sheer material and deep armholes.  I definitely have to wear a tighter tank underneath since I have to get a large or my big ol' boobies would be hanging out.  It also has a zipper at the back of the neck that just gives it that extra bang.  I get so many compliments when I wear this.  Will probably be a fave for a long time!

So, there are my favorites for June! I hope you liked this post and it gives you some info if you were thinking about purchasing any of these and weren't sure.  Have a great day and talk to you all soon!

Sandy

Welcome!

Hello everyone! So, welcome to my new blog! I really love makeup, nail polish, beauty, fashion ect.  I love learning new techniques, about new products, what's currently in style, to buy or not to buy and what works for different people.  

I have been a not so confident person for the majority of my life.  I was never the skinny or hot girl.  Not that I was fat but when all of your best friends weigh 110-120 pounds it sure makes you feel fat.  Oh, to have that body again! Please God, if you return that to me I will never complain about it again! :D 
As I've gotten older I've realized, you know what? Who cares what everyone else thinks? I am just going to be the person that I know I am love and whoever doesn't like me, well, that's fine.  

I grew up in a small "town" (if you can really call it that) in Alaska called Talkeetna.  It's an hour away from the nearest city and it's not exactly a place for someone that enjoys the stuff I do.  At least as far as makeup, shopping, fashion.  In Talkeetna, Jeans,  Carhartts and sweat pants are the fashion.  Oh, and don't forget the local business sweatshirts and Alaska Grown sweatshirts.  Now don't get me wrong! I do have all of the aforementioned.  Except the carhartts.  Never have been much of a fan of those.  At least for myself.  My mom was never the fashionable type either.  She'll wear her eyeliner and mascara and that's about it.  And tie dye.  Oh the tie dye.  WHY? 

So anyways, whenever I would go to school with makeup and my nails all done up, wearing something a little more dressy, I felt completely out of place.  I did not get made fun of in any way I just didn't feel right.  I just stuck with jeans and sweatshirts like everyone else.  

When I turned 22 I got a job on the North Slope in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  This is way up north where the oil field is.  I fly to work for 2 weeks and then I'm home for 2 weeks.  I met my fiance at work.  We have been together for 6 years this month actually and are getting married in October! He is such a great guy! We both live in Anchorage now which is the biggest city in Alaska.  We have a house and two awesome dogs! Since being with him I have learned to be myself and love what I love. So because of that, my passion for beauty has grown greatly and I am just a happier person in general.  I've learned a lot from other blogs and I'm hoping to find even people that are like me that want to share tips and tricks as well.   

I know this first blog entry is a little blah.  I just thought I'd give a little background info on myself so we can get to know each other.  I promise my next entry will be more interesting! 

Again, thanks for visiting my blog and I will talk to you soon!

Sandy