Shopping and Style – Page 9 – Blushing in Hollywood

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Last year for Father’s Day I gave my dad a themed gift that was semi-“beauty” related so I thought I’d share the idea here! I’ll start by saying that the photo in this header is from when my dad took me to Turks and Caicos. We’ve been boating and going to tropical locations since I was in the womb (literally) so this is a “fun in sun” gift idea that isn’t actually fun at all, but it is super useful and practical, so… But seriously, thank you so much daddy-o for inspiring my love of travel and exploring!

I’ve posted about how I’ve had melanoma before and my dad had basal cell carcinoma removed from his head somewhat recently. This means I try to be VERY diligent about my sun protection and try to convince my family to do the same since we live in Florida and Southern California. Here’s what I got him:

Jack Black ‘Double-Duty’ Face Moisturizer SPF 20 ($28) This is a broad spectrum sunscreen meaning it protects agains UVA and UVB rays (major key). The ‘Double-Duty’ part is that it contains powerful antioxidants that help protect skin from aging from sun exposure. No matter who you are those 2 things are what you should be looking for in a sunscreen. This also had great customer reviews. Also, what man knows how to buy himself a moisturizer… Continue reading “Father’s Day Gift Ideas”

Chic Chilly Spring Fashion Deals – Faux Fur Poncho, Leather Booties, and Liquid Leggings

I’m headed to Toronto next week and needed something cute to wear in the chilly weather so I wanted to share some of the pieces I found last minute!

Beauty Trend – Rainbow Highlighters

So we’re all looking like sparkling mermaid unicorn princesses more and more everyday and I’m loving it! The latest beauty trend is rainbow highlighters. If you’ve never used a highlighter or are unsure what I mean by highlighter, let’s break it down. A highlighter can be liquid, cream, or powder and is meant to draw attention to wherever it is applied by catching and reflecting light and sparkle. Highlighters are what give you a blinging cheek bone and a jLo glow (you may remember them from my Lilly Ghalichi makeup post). They can be subtle, or lately people really want them to be seen from space so an INTENSE highlight is hot right now on Instagram and YouTube. You apply highlighters with a brush, a sponge/beauty blender, or your fingers. You can apply it before or after your face makeup (or both!) You can also layer multiple highlighters to make them more intense. If I want to really glow I will prime my face, then use a liquid highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose which I blend in with my fingers. I then apply foundation/concealer/powder/bronzer/blush and then put a final layer of highlighter on top to make it pop as a finishing touch with my makeup. Check out this post to see how I get a nice intense glow.

Previously everyone was wearing highlighters in more neutral shades- champagne, gold, bronze, rose gold, opal, pearl, etc. but lately highlighters have been taken to the next level for those brave enough to rock the Rainbow highlight. Here’s what it looks like: Continue reading “Beauty Trend – Rainbow Highlighters”

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color Review

During the Sephora VIB sale I went to the store and watched the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colors and they were SO gorgeous I had to pick one up myself. I ended up getting Moonlight a metallic champagne beige and I have been wearing it daily! I used to use MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy and just make a thin line on top of my upper lash lane and usually skip eyeshadow, but ever since buying the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Moonlight ($29) I’ve been wearing that instead DAILY.

I take the stick and basically color my entire lid with it, then take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and blend the colour slightly, but only in the crease because I want the rest of the lid especially near the lash line to look intense. The color lasts all day and looks so beautiful! This weekend I decided to use it in a different way and used it to line my bottom lash line quickly to give it some definition and I loved that too! I can’t wait to get more of these things it’s amazing! Here’s a picture where you can see the sparkle on my bottom lash line: Continue reading “Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color Review”

Colourpop Sale!

Attention everyone, this is not a test! Colourpop, the incredibly affordable American made beauty brand is having 20% off their entire sale today only (4/30/16 and ends 5/1/16 at 7am PST) with free shipping on orders of$30 or more! That means their Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencils, and eye shadows are now only $4 each! Their bronzers, highlighters, and blushes are now only $6.40 each! They also recently launched brow pencils and brow colour, creme gel liners (in pot and stick eyeliners), and Ultra Satin Lip colors which are $4-4.80 each. I decided to just go for it and get a little of everything so I can try it out and talk about it on the blog! Here’s what I’m ordering: Continue reading “Colourpop Sale!”

Where to Buy Makeup in LA

If you’re a beauty junkie that’s planning a trip to Los Angeles you might be wondering where to buy makeup in LA. I’m not a makeup artist or really “in the biz” so all of these places are also open to the public. I’ll start off by saying that Los Angeles is a large city and even though 2 locations may seem close distance-wise, it can take forever to get between them especially if you are going during rush hour. I’ll start with a few of the big ones you may have heard of that are unique to LA. These are all located in the Valley. I’ve made a Google Map of the best makeup shopping in LA. If you’re coming in from out of town you may arrive at the LAX airport and the Valley is going to be the furthest possible place from the airport so I would not recommend making these your first stops, but here they are:

makeup-shopping-la — Tiny map to show you the LAX airport (lower left hand corner) compared to where to good makeup shopping is at.

Continue reading “Where to Buy Makeup in LA”

Best Deals at the Sephora Spring 2016 VIB Sale

Sephora has 2 big sales a year and one of them is upon us – the Sephora VIB Sale from 4/8-13/16 you get 15% off all purchases. If you’re like me you want to maximize that in order to get the best value possible so you can feel like you beat the system.

Here are some really good deals:

Sephora Favorites Deluxe Perfume Sampler ($65)

Let’s take a look at those savings:

The price of this set is $65 ($114 Value) -15% off with VIBNOTE (must be Sephora VIB) through Wednesday 4/13/16 = $55.25 and -10% off for everyone else with code BINOTE through Tuesday, 4/12/16 = $58.50

– 0.24 oz Atelier Cologne Sud Magnolia Cologne Absolue dabber (Scent certificate redeems for 1 oz bottle ) 0.25oz Rollerball is $25, 1oz is $85 Continue reading “Best Deals at the Sephora Spring 2016 VIB Sale”

Sephora VIB Sale Spring 2016 Reviews and Recommendations

I wanted to make a quick post where I re-evaluate my previous reviews to give you some ideas for what to buy and what to skip at the Sephora VIB Sale 2016 which starts in 3 days on Thursday April 7th if you’re VIB Rouge or April 8th if you’re VIB and goes until the 13th.
As a refresher in order to be Sephora VIB you must spend $500 in a calendar year. The good news is that if you spend more than that then it rolls over towards the next year. To find out your status you can log on to Sephora.com and click “(Your name)’s Account” in the top right corner. If it says “VIB Beauty Insider” you’re in! You can use “VIBNOTE” online during the sale and get 15% off your entire purchase.

2015 Sephora VIB Purchases:

Continue reading “Sephora VIB Sale Spring 2016 Reviews and Recommendations”

Sephora VIB Sale Spring 2016 What to Buy and What to Skip

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Sephora VIB sale Spring 2016 is back starting April 7th for VIB Rouge and April 8th for straight VIB through the 13th, 2016. The spring discount is the typical 15% off. The discount works both in store and online (using code VIBNOTE). Also, you can basically get another 4% off taking you to 19% by using Ebates:So let’s get into the purchases that I have made since my Fall Sephora VIB Sale post:

Sephora Purchases Fall 2015 by linz8641 featuring Clinique

Continue reading “Sephora VIB Sale Spring 2016 What to Buy and What to Skip”

Sephora VIB Sale Post Round-Up and Ebates Info

The Spring 2016 Sephora VIB sale is coming up April 8-13th, 2016 (if you’re Sephora VIB Rouge the sale starts April 7th). I wanted to make a list of all of my prior VIB posts to help you make your shopping lists. Here they are from newest to oldest:

Remember the Spring sale is 15% off for Sephora VIBs (login at Sephora.com to figure out if you’re VIB). The fall sale is the bigger one at 20%, but who doesn’t like a discount on makeup and beauty supplies!? You can redeem the discount both online and in store and this years Sephora VIB Sale coupon code is “VIBNOTE” which you will enter at checkout.

Also, don’t forget that joining Ebates will get you cash back on top of your discount. The current Ebates deal is 4% cash back which would bring your “discount” to 19% which means you can buy more fun things ;) To use Ebates just

1. Sign up with Ebates

2. Search for Sephora on Ebates and click the link: Continue reading “Sephora VIB Sale Post Round-Up and Ebates Info”