How to Sanitize and Depot Lipstick Without Heat

Hi everyone! This weekend I decided to do a little DIY project for my lipsticks. I've been meaning to house my lipsticks into palettes but I wasn't sure which palette to go with. I knew that whatever I chose, I wanted it to be practical, sturdy, and easy. I'm so happy I got my hands on this bead box I found at Michael's. Not only is it affordable, but it's absolutely perfect for lipsticks or even loose shadows and other cream products that you may have. No more lugging around 50 tubes of lipstick when you're at a gig, thank goodness! Instead of melting the lipsticks I decided to "press" them into the jars. Not only is this technique a lot faster but it's also less messy. Although I do believe that heat won't alter the original color of the lipstick, I choose not to take the chance in case I happen to accidentally burn the lipstick. *crosses fingers*!

Any kind of lipstick will work for this project! I used brands from MAC, Estee Lauder, NYX, Maybelline, Wet N Wild, etc. I noticed some lipsticks were easier than others to remove from its tube. It mostly varied depending on the brand and the type of finish. For example, Maybelline lipsticks were easy to remove and mostly came out in one piece, whereas NYX lipsticks were far more creamy and required more scooping.

In total, the box holds 6 stackable jars that stack up to a total of 5 (you can stack more if you choose not to store them in the box). That's a total of 30 jars that you can depot your lipstick into! I really like this technique of depotting my lipsticks because not only are they in their own little compartment which keeps them away from other colors, but it also allows me to arrange the jars however I want to. You can also pick and choose which colors you want to bring along with you depending on your makeup gig or for travel because you can unscrew each jar onto another one. This entire box along with the stackable jars go for about $9.00, but you may be able to find them cheaper like I did! They were 40% off when I purchased mine so be on the look out for upcoming deals! Nonetheless, $9.00 is already very affordable compared to other lip palettes that are out there!

Bead Landing Bead Box
Dimensions: 10.63 inches x 5 inches x 1.94 inches
Jar: 40 mm

Picture Tutorial: DIY Feather Extensions

Before anyone makes a comment about it, I want to first mention that these feather extensions are not made of real feathers. They are synthetic faux feather extensions made to look like real feathers. :)

Feather extensions are pretty trendy this season. I'm not sure how everyone else feels about them but I personally think it looks cute if it's not overdone. Getting feather extensions, or any extensions I presume, can get pretty expensive if you get it done professionally. And since I'm more budget friendly when it comes to doing pretty much everything, I thought it would be fun to try DIY feather extensions myself. Applying the feather extensions was pretty easy. I practiced a little bit without the hair extensions which helped me a lot when I actually applied the extensions. I did it in one try!

You can purchase everything in this tutorial at bornprettystore.com (not including the pliers I used). They provide different color hair extensions to choose from. The colors range from pink, red, blue, green, etc. But since I already have red hair I wasn't sure how well the feather extensions would stand out so I picked a color closes to what I wanted, which was white, and got the sky blue color instead.

Note: This is just a tutorial on how to apply feather extensions. If you don't like it please keep your comments to yourself. :)

What You Will Need:

□ Hair extension pulling needle (link)

□ Micro beads (link)

□ Pliers
□ Extensions (link)

STEP 1: Open the latch door on your pulling needle

STEP 2: Insert the hair extension micro bead

STEP 3: Pick out a few strands of hair using the hook of the pulling needle and close the latch door.

STEP 4: Slide the micro bead upwards and pull the needle downwards to pull your hair through the bead.

STEP 5: Bring the micro bead close to your roots.

STEP 6: Insert your feather extension through the hole.

STEP 7: Take your pliers and clamp the micro bead till it is secure.

Make sure the micro bead is squeezed tightly to ensure it won't fall off.

FINISHED!

Feather extensions can last you a good while (a few weeks to a few months) if you take care of them properly. They can withstand being washed but just be careful not to tug on them. I have not yet tried straightening or curling the extensions. I've heard a number of people say that you can but many others have said that you can't apply heat to them and I don't want to take the risk of ruining them so I choose to leave it how it is. Anyway, I hope you all find this tutorial helpful if you decide to do feather extensions on yourself or for others. :)

Have any of you tried feather extensions?

How do you like them?

DISCLAIMER: In no way is this blog accepting any form of payment for products received by companies. The products reviewed on this blog are based on the opinions and experiences of the author. The products in this review were provided by the company.

DIY: No Heat Beachy Waves

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with my flat iron. It became such an essential part of my everyday routine that the only hairstyle I would ever rock was straight hair! And back then, the straighter the better! I still rely on my my flat iron most of the time but these days I learned to embrace the natural waves, curls, and kinks in my hair. My hair isn't naturally curly but it is wavy, coarse, and sometimes poofy. I try not to straighten my hair too much and I hardly ever blow dry my hair, but I know that if I don't do anything to my natural hair it will look untamed and really messy.

Every once in a while I like to add twist braids to both sides of my 85% dry hair after I wash it. If you don't know what a twist braid is, it's basically grabbing two strands of hair and you're literally just twisting them together. It's so easy! If you don't know how to do a "French" twist braid, you can just divide your hair into sections and twist them and you'll get the same results. The great thing about it being so easy to do is the outcome of really pretty loose waves, or what I like to call, beachy waves.

I leave them in overnight and the results truly speak for themselves. I love it because it looks like I actually put in the extra effort to get my hair to look this way AND I didn't cause any damage by applying any heat to it. So it's a win win situation if you ask me. :)

Tips to achieve this hairstyle:
1. Twist the braids really tight because they'll come loose. As long as you start off with tight twists, you'll be fine.
2. Make sure your hair is damp, the waves will hold up better.
3. Once you let your hair down apply a light mist of flexible hairspray to keep the waves lasting all day.
4. Remember the small, tighter, and thinner the twists, the more curly your hair will be. It all depends on your personal preference.

EOTD: Smokey Eye With A Hint Of Purple + Braided Headband

Here's a very subtle smokey eye with a touch of purple that I did the other day. I haven't been doing too much with my looks lately so this is pretty much the most I've been doing. I hope you guys aren't missing my looks too much because this is the most I've done in a while. Even less on most days! I've also been having pretty bad eyebrow days as well. Yeah, I do have my bad eyebrow days and I've been having them on a regular basis. So that's one reason why I've been feeling so unmotivated to do more looks. Anyway, just thought I would squeeze this look in for you all. Hope you enjoy it!

 

EYES:
UDPP as a primer
MAC Bare Study paint pot applied as a second base
MAC Brule eyeshadow applied to the eyelids and as a highlight
MAC Nylon eyeshadow applied on top of Brule
MAC Romp eyeshadow applied to the crease
MAC Carbon eyeshadow to darken the crease
MAC Cork eyeshadow to soften the outer edge
Maybelline Gel Liner on upper lash line
UDPP eyeliner in Zero applied to waterline
Glamour Doll Eyes eyeshadow in Tattoo applied to lower lash line
False eyelashes from Born Pretty Store


A few days ago I also wanted to try something new to my hair  because I was bored with it. So I decided to copy this YouTube video tutorial of this braided headband hairstyle that I thought was cute. I still haven't mastered how to fix my hair this way because it was a little bit uncomfortable and I didn't pin them very tightly to my head so they felt loose. But I thought I would share with you guys anyway! You ladies should try it!

Updated Eyebrow Tutorial Version 3.0!

I'm back again with yet another updated eyebrow tutorial. I think this is my third time doing a tutorial except it's the same routine as the recent one I had, I just decided to redo them with different pictures. I'm also using the same products listed below. So as you can see I've been using this technique for about a year now and you can tell that nothing has changed!

For those who are wondering, I don't get my eyebrows professionally waxed, plucked, or threaded. I pluck my own eyebrows as often as necessary. I usually pluck them before I start my makeup. I also trim my eyebrows with scissors every few weeks and I shave the tops of my brows for a more clean look. I don't usually have a time when I do trim them I just trim them whenever I feel like they're getting too long. It seems like a lot of steps to filling in my eyebrows but honestly it takes me no more than 5 minutes. Especially if you've been doing them the same way for as long as I have then it's gonna be cake every single time. But anyway, I hope you all learn something from this tutorial. Enjoy!

Tools For Grooming Eyebrows:

→ Tweezers to pluck stray hairs.
→ Eyebrow razor to shave the top of your brows for a cleaner look. It can also be used to shave in between your brows if you have a uni-brow. You can use any brand you like. I bought mine at a dollar store and it works the same as any other kind.

→ Small scissors to trim your brows if the hairs are too long.

What You Will Need To Fill In Your Eyebrows:

→ Spoolie

→ 2 angled brushes

→ N.Y.C. Brow/Eye Liner Pencil in Taupe #927
→ N.Y.C. Browser in Brunette
→ MAC Studio Finish Concealer

Tutorial: 

Here are my eyebrows with no product on them.

STEP 1. By following the natural shape, I draw a straight line on the upper part of my eyebrows, beginning from the inner part and stopping at the arch.

STEP 2. I do the same to the lower part of my eyebrows, stopping at the arch.

This is how it should look like so far.

STEP 3. Fill in between the two lines you just created with soft strokes and keeping the inner part still bare.

STEP 4. Take your spoolie brush (MAC 204) and brush the hairs to create a natural look. This will also bring more color to the inner part.

This is how it should look like so far.

STEP 5. Apply a thin amount of wax and brow powder to your angled brush (MAC 266) and starting from the upper part of your arch, create the tail of your brows.

STEP 6. Repeat Step 5 on the lower part of your eyebrows.

STEP 7. Without using anymore product, lightly shade in the remaining part of your brows.

This is how it should look like so far.

STEP 8. With another angled brush (Sigma E65) take a little bit of concealer and run in under your brows for a clean look.

STEP 9. Repeat the Step 8 for the upper part of your brows.

Finished Brows!

Click here to see my previous eyebrow tutorial