Beauty Haul from Sephora, Tarte & Camera Ready Cosmetics

You guys, my wallet is crying - but I am one happy camper ;-) . I went kind of crazy buying beauty products last week - but in my defense! - most of the products I purchased were to replenish products that had already hit pan and were for my kit for my clients. 

Any of my clients will know that I use top quality, professional brands as well as mid to high-end street brands.  I put in a lot of time, money, and effort into researching products and obtaining them because I always want to use the best-quality products on my clients.  Lately, I've been hearing about some artists in the area who will offer services for a fourth of the price, but use low-quality, sometimes even counterfeit cosmetics.  It  really irks me that any true makeup artist would do that, and that consumers will actually hire these so-called "makeup-artists" and in a way, condone this type of behavior.

Anyway, away from the negativity and back onto my positivity float : I restocked on some new Clarisonic brushes, my beloved Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder, and my favorite Tarte blush in "Exposed."  I purchased Ben Nye Banana Powder to add to my kit, as well as the Senna Contour Kit (LOVE!) and the Senna Brow Book, which has been a serious lifesaver for my past several gigs.  I also wanted to try out the Tweezerman tweezers to see what the hype's about - but really, I was not impressed at all .... For an almost $30 pair of tweezers, I expected much better. I also got Caudelie and First Aid Beauty moisturizers to use for skin prep on my clients.

Hope you have a great week!

What A Month!

My Loves!

It has been, as usual, an insane month for me.  Between working my corporate 9-5 job, weekends with Chanel, wedding gigs & short trips with the boyfriend, I have not gotten the chance to update this.  Here's a quick update of what I was up to during my month-long hiatus:

My sister & I took our dog, Toby, to the Rock & Roll LA Doggy Marathon.  How can you resist that face? ;-) 

My boyfriend and I flew up to San Jose for a quick getaway - We watched a couple get engaged at Santana Row and tried what I believe to be the BEST boba I've ever had - If you're ever in the San Jose/Milpitas area, I HIGHLY suggest trying Fantasia!  We had a cup every day... 

Last weekend, we stayed @ The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas - 3 days of soaking in the hot tub, lots of delicious food (Bachi Burger, my love!) and of course, we visited my girlfriend & her adorable newborn right before we left. 

Now that we're all caught up with what I've been up to - Did any of you order from Sephora's Friends & Family and VIB sales?  I was DYING for another Lorac Pro Palette & Shiseido Nourishing Eyelash Base ... but of course, good ol' Sephora was sold out of everything I wanted. 

Did you guys get your Sephora wishlist checked off? 

Beauty on the Cheap - Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap

As a makeup artist, I am constantly looking for a safe, cheap & effective way to deep clean my brushes.  For my daily cleanings or for quick in-between washes, I use Japonesque's AMAZING Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner.

Japonesque Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner

I personally love this brush cleaner because it smells citrus-y and fresh, and just 1-2 sprays gets my brushes clean.  At roughly $12.50 for a 4.25oz bottle (or $30 for a jumbo size 16oz), many may argue that this is a bit on the pricey side, but if you compare the sprays needed to get a brush clean using another brush cleaner (ahem, Bobbi Brown, Sephora.. I've tried them all) - this product beats the rest.  I am the queen of waterproof, long-lasting makeup, so my stippling and foundation brushes are impossible to clean, but not with this baby!  My absolute, go-to daily brush cleanser that requires no effort at all.



Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap in Assorted Scents

For my deep cleanings, I love to use Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap in Peppermint.  One drop of this mixed with some water to foam up the soap, and my brushes are as clean as new.  It keeps your brushes smelling fresh and its bristles soft.  I know that many of my colleagues prefer using Johnson & Johnson body wash, but I personally find this ineffective because (as mentioned above) my makeup literally sticks to my brushes like no tomorow.  Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap is the one product that I've found to effectively clean my brushes with minimal time and product.  The best part about this product?  It is a multi-functional, vegan product that people use as body wash, shampoo, face cleanser (I do!), multi-purpose cleaner, detergent, etc.  For a bargain price of $10.50-$16 for such a large bottle, you'll find yourself reaching for this more often & for more uses than you would imagine!