There is hope for oily/blackhead victims!!!!

Hey! So I have found a great product.  I bought it at Sephora today, and I couldn't wait to try it since I am always searching for a bigger, better product for oily, acne prone skin.  This mask starts working the second you apply it.  It brightens and softens skin, while it also helps with breakouts and oily skin.  This mud mask draws out dirt and reduces pore size with something called Activated-X charcoal.  Crazy right?  It's called Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment, and its a little pricey, but you get 11-17 treatments out of it.  So go easy on it, you only need a very thin layer on your face.  Before you apply this mask, use a good cleanser to start fresh.  Leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes and rinse with warm water.  Towel dry well, and apply a toner.  Once the toner dries use your moisturizer and feel how amazing your face looks!

And there it is!!! Yay! Super duper awesome face mask.  And now I don't want to scare you, so here's a heads up, I put the mask on and let it process.  This is after 20 minutes of leaving it on. All the dark spots you see is the gunk and oil in my pores coming out.  Gross right??  I couldn't smile at that point because the mask makes your face feel tight while its on, so I'm not trying to look angry or sad.  My face is just frozen!!!

I would have never believed it unless I tried it.  Amazing just in one use what this stuff does!  So if you are going to put money into a great face mask, this should definitely considered.  I guarantee you won't regret it!

Natural Makeup How To......Steps and Products

    So I had a few requests to do a natural makeup tutorial so here's what I could come up with in a pinch.  I also included a before and after pic of my homie, and a picture of the makeup in the order I used.  This makeup is more for someone that needs a good basic makeup regimen for daily work wear or someone that just wants to enhance their natural beauty, which all of us ladies are, beautiful.  Now don't get me wrong, I love the amazingly awesome smoky eye and nude lip, but that look is more for going out and date night, with of course a few exceptions.  So with out further a dew, everyone say a warm hello to my friend LN.

     Aww isn't she cute!  Ok, with the first picture, the only makeup she has on is a little mascara and that's it.  The second picture is her finished look, amazing what a difference it makes to enhance what she's working with already, huh!  The next picture is the makeup used and order.  Now remember anytime I use makeup I always use makeup brushes.  Why, you might ask?  Because, you gotta keep the extra oil off of your face!!!  Using your fingers is horrible on your skin!  Bad, bad, bad.  I think I stressed that enough.  In the near future I will make a tutorial about my favorite brushes, because they are super important.

    So here's the makeup used......

In order top to bottom

1. Benefit Stay Don't Stray (concealer and eye shadow primer)

2. Smashbox BB cream

3. Smashbox High Definition Liquid Concealer (light)

4. Makeup Forever Pro Finish Powder (#117)

5. Stila Sun Bronzer

6. Benefit Watt's Up Illuminizer

7. MAC eye shadow (lid-naked lunch, crease-soft brown, brow highlighter-vellum)

8. MAC Fluidline Blacktrack gel eye liner

9. Benefit They're Real mascara (only comes in jet black)

10. MAC Prep and Prime lip primer

11. MAC lip stick Honeylust

12. MAC Cremesheen Glass Boy Bait

   Now you can create this simple but pretty look, and I know the steps might seem a little intimidating but if you take it in this order, one step at a time, you can achieve this look.  If you have any questions, message me!!!  

JUST REMEMBER, MAKEUP IS CREATIVE, SO HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!!

Oily skin??? These have helped my crazy face!!

     So just in the three days of us Midwesterners finally catching a break from the weather, I have already noticed my face getting super oily again.  I have battled with this awesome skin shine issue for over half of my life and have tried over 50 products out there that claim to solve the issue.  Trust me, I know, most products are over-priced and under achievers, but these few have helped my face tremendously.
   
     The first product that has helped is inexpensive and available pretty much everywhere.  It is Clean and Clear's Oil Blotting Sheets!

     I love these so much because they are thin, fit anywhere, and they really do their job.  You can use them if you have 4 lbs. of makeup up on, light powder, or a naked face, and they take of all of the annoying shine from your beautiful face, and leave your makeup untouched.  

     The next product is cool because with a lot of the face washes my face becomes immune after a few months.  I never feel like my face is as good as it is after a month of using a new product.  I have tried everything from over the counter, department stores, and prescriptions and this face was I have been using is by far the best.  Tired of me not telling you what it is?? Ready?  

    It's Philosophy Purity facial cleanser!!!  Yes, this is more of a department store brand, but it's not a million dollars.  Promise!  Everywhere I have found it from Ulta to Sephora to Macy's, it has been $22 for an 8 ounce bottle.  Purity is such a simple cleanser because once you wash your face you don't get that tight, dried out feeling and you also don't get that greasy after effect either.  You just feel refreshed and clean.  And who isn't happy when they are clean???  Best thing about this product is it removes all that tricky make-up that builds up in those sneaky little pores, sweet!!

    The last one I will talk about for skincare, for now, cuz everyone knows there's tons of little gems out there waiting to be created or found.  It's another Philosophy product and it's called Take a Deep Breath.

    This is an oil-free moisturizer that has a light feeling on your face, clean fragrance, and helps control oil.  If you have oily skin you still have to moisturize, but you don't need to feel gross right after you put something on your skin that is supposed to make your skin happy.  This is a gel helps protect against envornmental funk, and diffuses oxygen into the skin making your skin healthier and more radiant, and its a gel so it's super lightweight on your skin.  This sassy pot of awesomeness is 2 ounces and $34, which I know sounds crazy but you only use about a pea-sized amount so it lasts for months.  I use this product morning and night (after my Philosophy Purity cleanser, of course) and it takes me about 3 months to go through a pot of this.  Sometimes Sephora and Ulta will give you samples or have trial sizes so if you are uneasy about the cost, try the little guys first.  It's an easier pill to swallow!!!

    Happy oil-free summer!!!

Newer Products I Found.....

My lashes are short, thin and I always struggle with making them stand out.  I like fake lashes but since my eyes are really sensitive and I wear contacts, they just don't work for me for most occasions.  So the first product I just got was Benefit's They're Real mascara.  It has more of a plastic wand, which I normally don't like, because I don't feel like it covers my lashes as much as a bristle wand.  But this stuff really works.  I love all of my MAC mascara's, but this has really impressed me a lot.  This product lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts, and separates.  The color is jet black, and it runs around $23.  

The other product I found is a concealer/eye shadow primer that Benefit makes as well.  This one is called Stay Don't Stray.  With just three dots under your eye (and we all have it, the dark, bags that like to irritate you in the mirror), and three dots on your eye lid and then just smooth over those two areas.  This product doesn't conceal its primes your eyes to hold the product your going to put on.  I always struggle with my concealer creasing the second I put it on, and I honestly didn't realize they make something this cool.  It also helps make your eye shadow hold on like crazy, so even after a long day at work, you can still go out with the girls for a cocktail and not have to touch up your whole face!!     This product runs around $26.

I also want to hear what you guys have to say!!!  If there is a certain product you want info on, technique, or want to know what products to use to get an amazing look, message me or comment.  I'll get on those ASAP to help my homies out.

My favorite things in March 2013!!!

Everyone has their favorite beauty, bath, hair, and skincare products.  I have done a lot of research on products for all of those things before buying and after I bought a few of them I rated them 1-5.  


Hair Products:::

  This little gem of a product is the best hair treatment oil I have ever used.  I use it while my hair is still damp after the shower, before I let it air dry or blow dry. If you use other styling products as well this won't mess with those, just use it beforehand.  Ah-mazing!! Promise.  I would rate this at 5 stars because of versatility and it comes in a light version for super fine hair.  If your last chemical treatment damaged your ends, coarse, frizzy hair, or just want a great leave-in treatment, then this is your new bff!

Beauty Product:::

  Love! Love! Love! Smashbox BB cream is the best BB cream/primer I have ever tried.  It's about $38 a tube, you only use a little at a time so it really does go a long way.  I have super oily skin, so a lot of products don't work on my skin the way I want them too.  This works really well and doesn't leave a sticky, tacky residue on my skin.  A cheaper BB cream for oily skin that works decently is the Garnier Oily/Combination skin, it's a little tacky but once you put your powder or foundation over it, it helps.

Smashbox BB cream: 4 stars because of price

Garnier BB cream: 3 stars for the consistency

Skincare:::

  K, Lush is a new beauty brand I found out about and I love it so much like loveeee it!  They have anything from haircare, skincare, bath salts/bombs, and a ton of other stuff!  This company doesn't add fillers and chemicals into their products so what you get is clean, refreshed skin!!  The ocean salt is a great face and body scrub, it smells good and gets all the dead skin(eww) and impurities off of the surface.  Which makes your skin super happy!  The honey trap lip balm is the best I have used EVER! I can put it on before bed and wake up with it still on my lips, throughout the day you don't have to put it on 1,000 times, so it lasts! These two products are fantastic and I highly recommend them.  5 stars for both!!

Nice to meet ya!!

Hey guys!! Since this is my first post I thought I would tell you all a little about myself. I am 27 yrs old and married, with two fur bebe's.  I have been doing hair for 8 yrs and makeup for 5 yrs.  Color and cutting, especially corrective, are by far my favorite things to do and making my clients look and feel beautiful. I am also in college a year away from having my dual bachelor's in Psychology and Criminal Justice. Apparently, one thing at a time isn't enough!! Thanks for checking me out and come back soon. I'll always be posting new stuff from hair, makeup, and anything else you want to hear about.
You all are awesome,
  Nikki Martin

P.S. If there is anything you would like to hear more about, message me and I'll get to it!!