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2/23/2016 0 Comments Red Carpet ManicureGrowing up, I always saw my mom do her own nails at home, painting and up keeping them every week. It was her time to pamper herself and I could see it made her happy. Well I guess the love passed on to me because I too enjoy doing my nails and changing them up often. I did however find it difficult to keep my nails from chipping when using regular nail polish and found it so frustrating that all the work I put into it, wouldn’t last more than one week. I was also disappointed that no matter how careful I was, my nails never looked as it would if I had gone to a nail salon. In comes Red Carpet Manicure. I discovered this system in the hopes that it would provide me that salon look nails that I could do at home. I’ve been using this for over one year now, and haven’t gone back to regular nail polish since!  These LED Gel polish used with the LED light, provides a quick dry, shiny, no chip manicure. Basically, you can now achieve salon like nails now on your own terms, in your own home! I can’t rave about this product enough. Each of my manicures last about 2 weeks, which is just enough time for me to get tired of the color I’m wearing and on to the next! The easy step-by-step process is easy to learn. I started out with the Pro kit, which provided me everything I needed to achieve my manicure. Over the year I have grown my collection of colors vastly, and am always looking for new colors to add to my collection. While the polish itself is a bit pricey at about $10 per tube, I tend to wait for them to go on sale at places like Ulta, where I can snatch them up for a buy one get one 50% off deal. If you’ve ever tried a gel or shellac manicure at a salon and loved the results, I would highly recommend this at home system. I was never a fan of going to the salon, and with kids now, I feel guilty for taking 2 hours away from them just to get my nails done. This system lets me schedule a time to do it when it’s convenient for me all in 30 mins. Since using this, I’ve been able to grow my nails and shape them into the shape that I want. My nails are stronger, longer, and most importantly, they don’t chip!! Xoxo Sam Shop: Red Carpet Manicure  
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2/16/2016 0 Comments Beauty Travel TipsToday we are talking about beauty travel tips. Traveling itself can be a stressful process, and that stress can start at packing. This is what my beauty bag typically consists of. Packing has become sort of second nature. Today, I’m here to share with you some of my beauty essentials that I like to travel with and some tips and tricks to make things a little bit easier.   Finding a durable, lightweight, toiletry bag is your first step. I’ve had this Louis Vuitton toiletry bag for almost 8 years now. I’ve had other makeup bags that I’ve used, but none have lasted this long, and carried as much as this has (plus it looks pretty!) I’ve found that because the base of this bag isn’t so wide, it allows me to pack my makeup products in a uniform way, where I can stand things up, and stack them so they wont move all over the place during travel. This bag is sturdy enough to protect my goods, but yet flexible enough (and lightweight) to be able to shove into and luggage or bag I have. I highly recommend this bag if you are looking to make an investment in a toiletry bag. I’ve also used it as a clutch and have used it to carry electronics, such as my iPad mini. Very versatile piece!  Lets break down the products. I love palettes for travel! It gives you options with out having to pack all those individual pots. This eye shadow palette by Marc Jacobs is one of my favorites. When I travel I like to keep things simple and neutral. By doing this, it makes it easier and faster to get ready when on vacation. Tip: Don’t pack a palette that you can’t live without. Because it will be traveling and thrown around, its prone to breaking, or cracking (I’ve experienced this first hand! It’s so heartbreaking to see your beloved eye shadows broken when you start unpacking). I’ve wrapped the pallets in tissue paper, or a thin cloth to give it some extra protection. This palette by Nars consists of a Blush, Bronzer, and highlight! It’s perfect for traveling, keeping three products all in one palette! I’ve used this pressed setting powder by Makeup Forever when I travel because of its small size. Finding travel size, sample sized products at the check out line in Sephora is a great stop for grabbing small/travel friendly makeup.  When I travel I usually bring a lightweight foundation. Like I said before, I don’t need to be spending a whole lot of time to be getting ready, so easy, fool proof, not giving myself many options is the key to achieving this. I also get a lot of my travel makeup from samples given out at Sephora, or redeeming them as a gift with purchase, or using my perk points. I’ve tried to pack my normal sized products, and I’ll tell you, having packable, small sized products is a time and space saver! Plus its also a good way to try new products and see if you like them before making the full size purchase. So remember, invest in a durable bag, keep your options simple and easy, don’t pack you most loved or expensive products, and look for travel-sized products! I hope these beauty travel tips will help you on your next travel adventure!
Xoxo Sam 2/9/2016 0 Comments Valentine's series: BeautyWhen choosing the makeup for this look, I wanted to keep things simple. The three main makeup products I focused on were, base, cheeks, and lips. I kept my base light with a Chanel ultra light foundation. Its lightweight consistency gives me just the right amount of coverage for a daytime look. I reached for my Too Faced ‘love hangover’ blush. It gives me just the right amount of pink, making my cheeks bold and compliments the overall makeup look very well. This blush is highly pigmented (a light hand is needed when applied) and easily workable. Finally, I chose to go with a deeper neutral lip color. I received this sample sized Kat Von D lipstick in the shade lovecraft. This shade shows up as a mauve deep shade, with purple/blue undertones on me. I decided to keep things simple for my hair. I wanted to keep it classic and simple to accent a standout dress, which has a fairly busy print. I simply ran a round comb, giving my self and fast and quick blowout. I locked everything into place with this lightweight hairspray from living proof. It gives me just the right amount of movement I wanted. When wearing a heavily printed dress such as this one, keeping the surrounding accessories such as jewelry is best to keep things light and dainty. I also chose pieces that hold sentimental value, and remind me the meaning of love since it is Valentines Day of course! I love how when I look down at my jewelry, I can remember exactly where each piece was purchased or given to me. I kept things girly with my drop down pearl earrings, keeping it classic. Going back to my theory that mixing medias and materials can be a good thing! Just because you are wearing pearl earrings, doesn’t mean your necklace has to be pearl, or you need to wear the matching bracelet. Mixing it up will break up the monotony of it and keep things fresh and current. I chose to layer delicate necklaces, giving my look just the right amount of sparkle accenting my straight and flowing hair. 
Remember, when choosing and outfit, you have to choose which item you want to work around. In this look, my choice is this fabulous dress. So in choosing the accents pieces to pair them with, I kept things simple, classic, but also mixing it up to break up the look from looking too much one-way. Keep the eye wandering, giving it a chance to glance around at all the gorgeous pieces that bring this look together nicely. See you all at the end of the week, where I give you my suggestions and ideas on some activities for the big love day! Xoxo Sam   2/2/2016 0 Comments To Glam and GlowToday we’re talking about the highly popular Glamglow mud masks. These masks were available for the general public in 2010, where it was used exclusively for backstage and professional use in Hollywood prior. It has quickly made its way in all the beauty counters, talked about on social media, and all over Youtube. So undoubtedly, I had to give them a try. Almost one year later to the day I tried my first sample I was hooked and have grown my collection quite a bit. I currently own the Thirstymud hydrating treatment, Youthmud Tinglexfoliate treatment, and the Supermud cleansing treatment.   I use each mask in rotation at least once a week. I’ve found through trial and error, this schedule is the best for my skin. Of course I wash my face everyday, but using a mask once a week cleans out all the buildup and treats anything I need. I can’t really say I have a favorite of the 3, because they all have different uses, and I enjoy the use all of them. They all have different textures, and scents. While the larger sized jar has a retail price of $69, they do come in a smaller size that cost $22. It is still pretty pricy for a mask, I know, but I’ve also found them at a cheaper price on Amazon, or you can wait for Sephora’s annual sale where you could get 15% off. I also went directly to the Glamglow site and they offer 15%off with email signup off your first purchase. You can also order free samples from them, if you wanted to try it out before committing to a purchase. Bottom line is, I know they are expensive, and it may be overrated to some, but to me, I’ve found a way to bring a little bit of a spa like feeling in the comfort of my own home once a week, that leaves me feeling glamorous, and leaving my skin to glow. Xoxo Sam Links: Amazon, Sephora, GlamGlow  |
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