Gel Nail Polish At Home!

I LOVE gel nail polish!!  It looks amazing for so long but it can get very pricey and I'm pretty sure all those chemicals and UV light is probably not a good for you so often.

I recently came across this base coat which helps you achieve a gel polish like look at home without the UV light.  Its called Gelous Nail Gel, I got it at my local Sally's for $5.99!!  And the best part is you can use this with any regular nail polish!!

I know this all sounds way to good to be true and in a way it minorly is ... I've been using this for the last couple of months and I'd say my manicure lasts about 7ish days before I start getting some chippage.  Which I've found is perfect for me because by then I'm ready to change my color and I like short nails so they usually need a trim.  All in all I would definitely recommend this for a those of you who do your nails at home a lot.  Before using this product I would find my polish chipping after about 3-5 days so I like how I can get away with a few more days with this basecoat.

How to use Gelous: 

Step 1: Obviously start with clean dry polish free nails, apply 2 coats of Gelous allowing a couple of minutes in between for drying

Step 2: Apply any nail polish of your choice, allow it to dry for a couple of minutes

Step 3: Apply another coat of Gelous, allow this layer to dry a bit longer 5ish minutes 

Step 4: Apply another coat of your nail color 

Step 5: Finish with a top coat, I use Out the Door (also $5.99 at Sally's), I like this top coat a bit better than the ever popular Seche Vite because it doesn't get super thick after just a couple of uses.  

Try this out and let me know what you think!  

Quick variation to your everyday hair!

So many brown girls with super long hair end up wearing their hair in a bun/joora basically everyday.  That can get boring!  Here is a very quick and easy way to change things up a bit by adding a twist or two to the front...

I hope you enjoy this video ... if you have any requests for other hairstyles for long hair please leave it in the comments below :) 

Easy Smokey Eyes

Smokey eyes on brown skin beauties can be a beautiful addition to great sari/suit at an evening reception.  I didn't realize this until recently but dark eye makeup can be very easy with the right products.  Here are a couple of pictures of me with smokey eyes, I wore this look to a reception.  I've also made a video going through the steps to get this look... Enjoy, I hope you like it!

Products Used: 
Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
L'Oreal HIP Cream Eyeliner - Black
MAC Sushi Flower - pink shadow
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Jemma Kidd i-conic eyes pencil liner - 08 screen siren
Urban Decay Liquid Liner - Perversion
Benefit Bad gal lash mascara
Ardell False Eyelashes - 109 Black

Face 
Concealer: Bobbi Brown Corrector - Peach
Tarte Tinted Moisturizer - Agent 14
MAC StudioFix Powder - C6 & C4


Cheeks
Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge - Pink Truffle
MAC Blush - Breezy
MAC Cream Color Base - Improper Copper
MAC Mineralized Blush - Light Over Dark


Lips 
MAC LustreGlass - Pinkarat

red lipstick

Finding the right red lipstick for brown skinned beauties can be difficult ... I've done some research and a bit of trying and have come up with a few tips that I hope help take the 'scary factor' out of wearing bright lipsticks...

The right shade:

This will depend on your skin tone, but generally go for a true bright color ... avoid anything with a brownish undertone especially if your skin coloring is darker to avoid that browny dirty lip look.

Gradually ease into bright lips:

Apply the lipstick with your finger or use a light hand and apply with a brush ... this will make it seem like a lipstain rather than a full on lipstick.  I especially like this method for myself as I have bigger lips and like that natural look better.

Put the lipstick on first then do your eyes and cheeks:

Reversing the order you apply your makeup is key for bright lips ... you'll notice you don't need as much eye makeup but maybe a little more blush.  Bright lips have a tendency to wash you out especially if it has a blueish-purple undertone so you may feel like you have to go heavier on the blush.  And a tip for blush: if you don't have the same blush color as you lipstick use a bit of your lipstick as blush ... keeping these two the same will make the overall look more natural.

Ask someone you trust:

When trying on these lipsticks a common thought is, "OMG I look like my mom!" ... ask someone who's opinion you trust and chances are you probably look great and not like your mom!

So go to the drugstore/sephora/department store and try try try!!! For me I've noticed brown skin beauties can wear any shade its just a matter of getting over the fear of wearing BRIGHT RED!!!!

BH Cosmetics

BH cosmetics is always a brand I've wanted to try ... Its one of the companies who makes those eyeshadow palettes with over 100 eyeshadows for the cost of like two mac eyeshadows ... to me its sounds too good to be true ... But I've seen several YouTube reviews and they all seem to be positive ...

I've checked their website ... they also sell eyeshadows individually and you can put them together in a palette ... so if you're like me and just want to try a few to see how this product is, its perfect.

Just found out they are having a special:
25% off custom palettes ... this is the perfect time to try a few shades out ... the sale ends on March 25th 11:59pm(PST)... Enjoy and please post a comment with your review!

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

I'm in the market for a foundation ... I've tried a few samples from different companies and I think I'm going to go with Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab (I'm Punjabi so this is pretty awesome!)

Nars seems to have a good array of colors for those of us with yellow/olive based skin tones.  My skin is on the dryer side so I'm thinking the sheer glow will be better for me compared to the matte formula they carry.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's tried it ... and especially from anyone who hasn't had good results.

Let's talk about foundation!  What are some other brands that are good for us??

Clarisonic

There's been a lot of hype about the Clarisonic ... there are so many detailed reviews online ... so I thought I'd keep this short and just share my experience in case there are any of you out there who are still on the fence because of the price.

1. Buy the Mia - its cheaper, there's only one speed but it's the one you'll use for your face anyways and if you want more exfoliation just press harder plus the brush size is the same as the regular one

2. The dark spots on my face are visibly lighter

3. My pores actually look smaller

4. This one really surprised me: I was expecting this to really exfoliate my skin a lot and leave it dry and tight but its done the exact opposite ... I've noticed that my skin feels more hydrated and softer

5. The CON I've noticed: when I use it over my upper lip I get these tiny bumps there so I don't press as hard over that area and it's better

I've been using the Clarisonic with my regular cleansers with the brush for sensitive skin and obviously LOVE it ... although the price was steep if you're like me and have problem skin you've probably tried many products in the past ... all that adds up too so I guess in the end its worth it.

Have you tried the Clarisonic?  I'd love to hear about your experience and also which cleaners do you use with it?  What works best for you?