Neostrata Self Tanning.

I purchased this online from Canada a couple of weeks ago, because the reviews I read were all very positive & it has a high rating on makeupalley. I was really hard to hunt down.. and I haven't done much research, but is this stuff discontinued?? Anyway, I finally received it in the mail today & I'm so excited to try it out tonight!

I purchased the Sunsation Insta-Tan for the Face Mousse (Dark) because I am always on the lookout for a good facial self tanner. Sun Labs spray is the only self tanner I've used on my face that gives me a deep, even color and doesn't break me out. I'm crossing my fingers it won't break me out.



Has anyone tried this or other Neostrata self tanning products? What do you think of them?

I'll have a full review and additional info about the brand later in the week.

June/July Favorite Beauty Purchases!

Since July is coming to a close end, I thought I'd go ahead and do a favorite beauty purchases post for the month. I also tossed in some products I discovered in June that I'm still favoring now.

1) MAC 131 Duo Fibre Blush Brush - I purchased this at a CCO for around $25. Reg. $40 at MAC. I completely stopped using my 187 and I've only been using this brush for my liquid foundation. I highly prefer it over my 187. The shape and size is perfect to get around smaller areas that the 187 couldn't. If I end up going back to the CCO and they still have it, i'd probably get a back up.

2) Walmart Powder Brush (High Definition) - This costs around $7 and you can only get it at Walmart. The synthetic bristles are soo soft & it's just an overall great quality brush. I use it for my setting powder and my bronzer.

3) Walmart Angled Blush Brush (High Definition) - I love this brush for applying my blush. It's denser than the powder brush and it's made of the same, soft synthetic fibers.

4) MAC Pleasureful Blushcreme - This isn't something new of mine.. I got it at the CCO months ago & never really wore it. Lately, I started to really love it for a dewy pop of pink on my cheeks. I also love using it on my lips. It reminds me a lot of NARS Honolulu Honey lipstick.. one of my old HG's I haven't purchased in a while.

5) The Body Shop Body Butter - I haven't tried anything from The Body Shop.. but when I spotted this at TJMaxx for $6 after hearing juicystar07 on youtube say their body butters are awesome, I thought i'd give it a try. Run on sentence, much? The scent I got mine in is "Black Velvet Apricot". I'm not sure if it's a discontinued scent, but I love the smell. Its a very feminine, sweet apricot. Oh, and it feels amazing on the skin.. ;)

6) MAC Cork Eye Shadow - I've been into browns a lot lately. I own lots of dark browns, but I don't really have any light browns that are similar to cork. I've been using it on my brows almost every day.. and I love smudging it into my lash line for a natural look.

7) MAC Sorcery Eye Shadow - I love shades like this. It does wonders for my hazel eyes. It's a raisin color (a mixture of burgundy/brown/purple piled into one color) similar to MAC Folie. I love smudging this under my lower lash line. It looks great paired with browns and other neutrals.

8) NARS Galapagos Eye Shadow - A chocolate color with gold shimmer. I love NARS eye shadows. I only have one other.. and they are so amazing. Amazing pigmentation and blends like a dream.

9) Alima Pure Mineral Foundation - Absolutely love this. Great coverage.. will be purchasing a full size to use as a setting powder for under my eyes & face. I'll be getting a lighter shade (Warm 3, equivalent to MAC NC30.)

10) Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly™ Shimmering Hair & Body Spray - I have become addicted to being shimmery this summer. I purchased this on my b-day (June 2nd) and have used it just about every day on my body. It gives a perfect subtle golden shimmer. I JUST ran out, so I'll be getting another one next time I visit Victoria's Secret. It's $10 at the checkout.

11) Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Foundation (Inspired by Carmindy) - Amazing medium + coverage drugstore foundation. I'll be posting a review soon!

12) Orly Mirror Mirror Nail Polish - It's rare for me to find a nail polish I like so much that when it's time to take the polish off my nails, I use the same color.. over and over. I've been doing that with this color. I wear lots of grays.. so it pretty much matches what I'm wearing all of the time. It's a bluish, dove gray.. different from many other gray nail polishes. Lasting power is also good, it gets me through a week.

13) Covergirl Bronze Fire ShadowBlast - Perfect for every day. Check out my full review here.

14) LA Splash Sparkling Coral Lip Gloss - I purchased this at ULTA on a whim, and I'm so happy I ended up loving it. It's my every day lip gloss. It's a light, warm pink with golden shimmer that makes it appear slightly coral. I love the sponge applicator too. It's longer & flatter than a traditional sponge applicator and slightly slanted.

Here's a swatch on my hand.

And on my bare lips.

15) NYX "Pumpkin Pie" Round Lip Stick - I mentioned this lipstick in June. I've been wearing it almost every day since I purchased it. If I'm not wearing Pumpkin Pie, I'm wearing MAC Shygirl.. :) You can view swatches from my past post here.

What are some of your favorites this month??

NOTD & Review of Eyeko Nail Polishes!

From Left to Right: Vampira Polish (Black with fine red glitter), Tea Rose Polish (A true mauve) & Coral Polish (A bright coral red).


The swatches in this picture are very true to color. Especially "Tea Rose" which looks a little brighter and pink in the 1st picture.

My favorite of all three is the Coral Polish and it's what I have on my nails today!

This is 2 coats, no top or base coat.

My Overall thoughts:
From what I see so far, these polishes are great. Coral and Tea Rose both have a similar formula. They are slightly thick, very opaque & apply very well with no streaks. Two coats is more than enough. Vampira is a little bit of a different formula. It is a lot thinner, and you need around 3 coats to achieve the actual color. I would highly recommend top coats with these polishes so you don't get any nicks on your nails. With thick polishes, they sometimes tend to dry like a soft plastic and you definitely need to protect them.

Eyeko Nail Polishes are $5.50 each and can be found here!


I really like the looks of Posh (taupe), Lilac & Nude.. all pictured above. :)

Do you own any Eyeko polishes? Which are your favs?

Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for review. I was not paid for this review, nor am I affiliated with Eyeko. The opinions expressed in this post are from my personal experience in using these products.

What's YOUR favorite beauty book?

I was at Barnes & Noble last week and browsed through the health & beauty/fashion section. Some of them looked very interesting. I unfortunately didn't have much time to look through all of them, but a few titles rang a bell. I've heard a lot about different beauty books, but I've never picked any up.

I'd like to get some opinions & recommendations. Are there any MUST HAVES?

I ended up purchasing one book. It is Scott Barnes "About Face".


When flipping through the pages, I noticed he does lots of contouring with foundations. That's something I've always wanted to do and always wondered.

Contouring arose my curiosity after seeing this picture of Kim Kardashian a while back, with her makeup artist Mario D. I was never able to find information on what exactly he uses or how its done.


I found the book to be very informative, and an overall great read. For me, it was worth it and I can't wait to try some of the tricks!

Do you have any beauty/makeup books? Did you learn new things? Was it worth it?