Pink paradise + Win the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Vanity Brush Set (CLOSED)

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If you have blue eyes like me, you’ll know that pinks and purples make them stand out.  I don’t usually wear a lot of pinks but I have been in this mood lately where I have been gravitating towards this particular hue.  For the daytime, I have been pairing a light pink with a purple mauve in my crease, but for this look, which is more nighttime, I put a shimmery black in the crease to make it bold.

For this tutorial, most of the brushes I used were from the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Vanity Brush Set, which is a limited edition six-brush set that comes with a silver carrying case where the top part snaps off and you can use it as two pots to put your brushes, very Sigma beauty. I have raved about IT Cosmetics’ brushes on here before, but for those that don’t know, they are ultra luxe and ultra plush, made from 100 per cent cruelty-free hair.  This particular set, which is available from QVC and The Shopping Channel (currently sold out) is $39.50, which is a steal for what you get.

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The set includes:

        • Dual Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush
        • Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Flat Foundation Brush
        • Airbrush Flat Concealer Brush
        • “No-Tug” Airbrush Crease Brush
        • “No-Tug” Airbrush Allover Eyeshadow Brush
        • “No-Tug” Airbrush Eyeliner & Brow Brush with Spooly
        • Vanity Case

These brushes are super soft and apply makeup like a dream. For only $40 or so dollars, this set is a steal, considering that the big powder brush alone (which I can’t stop stroking), is worth way more than the cost of this set.  Keep reading for a special surprise at the end :).

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Now onto the tutorial!

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1. Dot your foundation or BB Cream all over your face and with a foundation brush, like the Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Flat Foundation brush, blend this in.  I used DiorSkin Nude BB Cream.

2. With your favourite concealer, apply this under your eyes and anywhere else that needs some coverage, and with the Airbrush Flat Concealer Brush, blend this in.  I used IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye in Light.

3. To set your face, apply a powder foundation lightly with a large powder brush, like the Heavenly Luxe Dual-Airbrush Multi-Powder Brush (seriously obsessed with this brush).  The powder I used was Make Up For Ever Pro Finish.

4. For brows, first comb through them with a spooly, then with the angled side of the No Tug Eyeliner and Brow brush grab some brown eyeshadow, like Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette, and apply this to your brows to fill them in.

5. Grabbing a cream pink eyeshadow, like Benefit’s Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in RSVP and the Airbrush Flat Concealer Brush, apply this all over your lid area.

6. With a pink eyeshadow, like Benefit’s Pinky Swear, and the No Tug Airbrush Allover Eyeshadow Brush, apply this on your lids.

7. Next, using a fluffy crease brush, such as the No Tug Airbrush Crease Brush, apply a black shimmery eyeshadow in the crease.  The colour I used is from Inglot, however, MAC’s Black Tied is very similar.  With this particular crease brush, you want to just tap the top of the brush in the product and work from there, don’t go too crazy.

8. With a frosty pink rose eyeshadow, like Lancome’s Everlasting Rose, apply this to the centre of your lids just adding some shine.  I applied the colour using the Airbrush Flat Concealer Brush.

9. With a eyeliner brush, pick up the dark colour again and line your lower lash line with it, creating a drop shadow.

10. Using that same brush, apply a nude or white shadow (like Virgin from the Urban Decay Naked palette) to the inner corners of your eyes and along your brow bone, opening up the eye area.

11. With a gel liner, apply this to your upper lashline, winging it out.  Then, with a pencil black eyeliner, apply this to your waterline.

12. Curl your lashes and use a couple coats of mascara.  I used my Shu Uemura eyelash curler with IT Cosmetics Tightline, Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant, and Rimmel London Curve Alert ScandalEyes mascaras for added oomph.

13.  Apply a bronzer to contour your face (I used Benefit Hoola), a blush (like NARS Sin), and some highlight and you are good to go!

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enter

Now the fun part! Want to win your own IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Vanity Brush Set?  I am giving away one set to one lucky reader!  The contest is open to Canadian and U.S. readers. Enter below in the Rafflecopter, contest ends on August 26, 2103!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!  

Please note, I was sent some of these products for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.

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Princess perfect hair

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I am all about big hair.  If I have the time, I have no problems taking my time and doing my hair.  In fact, there have been a few nights where I have been invited to do things but my excuse was actually “I’m actually just going to stay in and blowout my hair”, I’m such a loser, I know.

After Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out to the world with Prince George, with fabulous hair no less, she became the envy of all new moms.  Of course she had her hairstylist come in and do a blowout before the big reveal, but if you want princess-approved hair at home, here’s how to do it.

towel dried hair

1. Beautiful hair starts in the shower.  Use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner (my fave? Pureology Pure Volume Shampoo and Conditioner).

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2. With towel-dried hair, apply a volumizing mousse to your roots.  I love Dove Body + Lift Volumizing Mousse.

3. More hair products!  Add a shine serum to your locks.  I actually used Kevin Murphy Shimmer Shine Spray which is perfect for blonde hair because it adds some shimmer to your hair.  After, spray a blowdrying mist for a faster blow dry.  I used Schwarzkopf OSiS Blow & Go.  To finish, apply a split end tamer to the ends of your hair.  I love Tresemme Leave-In Split End Conditioning Treatment.

section hair drying

4. Grab your blow dryer and either a round brush or a quick blowdry brush, like the Goody QuikStyle Brush, which removes 30 per cent of water while you style, and section off your hair working with small pieces of hair at a time.  Make sure that you are lifting the root of your hair while you are drying it, therefore your brush should be going at an upward motion.

rollers with roundbrush roller 5. After your hair is all dried, take some hair rollers, like Goody Style Self-Holding Multi-Pack Rollers, which come in a variety of sizes, and starting at the top of your hair, grab a section of hair the width of your roller and with a round brush, blast the root with heat and then put the roller in your hair.  The hair should always go away from your face.  These rollers in particular are billed as being self holding but I had to use a bobby pin to secure them.  The top part should use the biggest rollers you have and then work to the back of your head, essentially like you have a mohalk.  For the sides, make sure that the rollers are being curled away from your face and the the whole roller should be seen (the middle hollow part isn’t facing front.  You want the hair to go away from your face, not perpendicular to it).

rollers in hair

6. After your whole head is done, spray it with hairspray and then relax!  Makes sure that the hair was pretty much dry before putting in the rollers.  By blasting them with heat and your roundbrush prior to the roller, you are setting the volume.

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7. After 15 to 20 minutes minimum, take out each roller and place your hair how you want.

8. Grab a teasing comb and grab random sections of hair to add extra volume.  Spray your hair with hairspray and you are done.

This is the best way for me to get voluminous hair and best of all, your locks will look so fabulous and healthy.  You can usually sport this style for at least a few days, just make sure you have some dry shampoo on hand.  It does take a while for the whole process (like an hour), but it’s sooo worth it!

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And there you have it, princess-approved hair.

Please note, some of the products mentioned in this post were sent by PR.  All opinions are my own.

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Smooth summer skin: Hair care essentials by NAIR

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Alright guys, with one month remaining of summer (technically almost two, but really, does anyone actually count September as being summer?), you might as well make every second count.  I myself am off to Vegas in a week for four days of relaxing (AKA a lot of drinking, partying, shopping, and an excessive amount of sun), so that means I need to look my best.

In maintaining a somewhat “hairy” problem, I am constantly shaving my legs and plucking my brows.  Luckily, NAIR makes all this easy and less time consuming.  I got to try out three products from NAIR that are perfect for these precious last few weeks of summer where you better believe I will be taking advantage of shorts, skirts, and dresses before we end up heading into those dreaded “W” months.

face and body stipes instructions

Alright, so ladies, we all have this problem (if you don’t, consider yourself lucky), that annoying upper lip fuzz that just won’t go away long enough.  Between that and maintaining my brows, the hair is like an annoying leech that I am constantly plucking.  You can choose to go to the salon to get it removed, but honestly I would rather do it myself because in my opinion, it’s so easy to remove without forking over the cash for someone else to do it.  What I don’t mind investing in?  Wax strips.  I used the NAIR Brazilian Spa Clay PerfectTemp Easy to Use Wax Strips for Face & Bikini (MSRP $9.99), which comes with 40 wax strips (two sizes, 20 double sided) and four after-use moisturizing towelettes.  All you have to do is grab one strip and hold it between your hands.  Once the NAIR logo disappears, you are good to go.  Peel the strips apart and wax away!  I actually used one double-sided strip for both my upper lip and eyebrows (I just cut the strip to make it easier to wax my brows).  I used to use a different brand of wax strips in the past and found that you could only use them once, for these I used the strip multiple times before it was no longer sticky.  The waxing actually left me with smooth skin for about a month before some hair started to reappear, which is actually the amount of time the product is billed to last.  The only qualm about this product I have is the fact that there are only four moisturizing towelettes.  Sometimes the wax leaves excess, which is what the towels are great for; however, the ratio of four to 40 is a little off.  I wish NAIR would have included at least 10 of these, considering that I only used one double-sided strip out of the 20 in the box, plus one towelette.

For the legs, which are actually cacti in the summer months because leg hair tends to grow much faster when it’s warm out, I tried out two products.  The first one, NAIR Shower Power Moisturizing Hair Removal Cream Dry Skin Formula is actually a miracle in a bottle.  I was a bit skeptical about this product at first because I thought it would be too good to be true.  I mean, a cream that removes body hair? Nah, won’t work.  Boy, was I wrong.

shower power close up shower power

The product is billed to work “in as little as three minutes” but the process takes way longer than that.  Before you enter the shower, slather the stuff on your legs but make sure you aren’t rubbing it in.  The product does have a bit of a foul smell, but it’s to be expected.  Wait five minutes then enter the shower and do your usual business for another two (it’s okay if the water touches your skin and the lotion, just don’t rub it off).  After two minutes, take a cloth and remove a little bit to see if there is still hair.  If not, wipe it all away and voila! Smooth, soft skin, just like that.  I was actually so happy with this product and soon began to rave to everyone I know on just how amazing it was.  Sure, it takes much longer than shaving your legs, but it got rid of all the hair, left my skin feeling so smooth and moisturized, and, the best part, the hair remained gone for an entire week, much longer than it would have if I just shaved.  This product also comes in a sensitive formula and retails for $14.99.

big strips big strips open

Finally, and another product for my legs, I tried out the NAIR Brazilian Spa Clay PerfectTemp Easy to Use Wax Strips for Legs & Body, which are the bigger version of the face and bikini ones.  These work the same way and come with the same amount of strips and moisturizing towelettes.

Alright, so these did work, however, they didn’t blow me away like the Shower Power or the Face & Body strips.  I found that I had to use a lot of strips to get all my leg hair, and even then, there was still some hair remaining.  These are definitely more of a longer process than the other products.  At $14.99, these are still cheaper than getting it done professionally, however, be prepared to invest some time in doing a good and thorough job.

Overall, if you are looking for some great wax products that you can do yourself (I prefer to do everything myself, aside from a Brazilian, those I go and get professionally.  TMI?), NAIR has you covered. With so little time left, get those gams in tip top shape and rock those shorts as long as you can!

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Have you tried waxing or hair removal products from NAIR?  What were your thoughts?

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