NYX Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

Hello Lovelies!

So, it's finally spring! Every spring/summer I feel inspired to use more color in my makeup on a daily basis and I ultimately end up purchasing some new items to add to my collection, this time around I purchased some items from Nyx Cosmetics and I also had a little online Ulta shopping spree. (That will be my next post.) So, here we go with the new items........

So I absolutely am in love with my selection of lip products I chose, +NYX Cosmetics offers a wonderful selection of shades and since I already have tons of reds I wanted to add some pinks to my collection. I also was in need of a lovely red lip liner, and a reddish gloss. So far my favorites are the Jumbo Lip Pencil, and the two lipsticks I chose, they are the perfect spring/summer shade. 

 The Nyx Butter Glosses are a wonderful non-sticky, pleasantly scented gloss that moisturizes. Nyx only offers a small selection of shades, but the shades they do offer are spectacular. I love Cherry Pie for summer time, and it works great for on-the-go makeup.

I absolutely love Nyx Jumbo Pencils and so far this color is my ultimate favorite, probably my favorite pink of all time, and it provides a wonderful bold lip. These pencils are highly pigmented, long-lasting, moisturizing and I want one in every shade. 

Shiva is a blue-toned fuchsia that has a hint of shimmer. Just like all of the other lip products it works wonders, and is a beautiful shade. 

I was definitely in need of a good red lip liner considering red lips are part of my signature look, and this one is my new favorite.

 This was kind of an impulse buy mostly because I was simply curious, this is the shade called Romantic Love and it provides an extremely subtle shade of reddish pink. I like to grab this gloss when I am in a hurry and I want to have a little color on my lips but don't have much time for application. (It's non-sticky, and surprisingly long lasting.)

 Lately I have been more interested in trying different fake lashes even though I honestly have a hell of a time applying them, but they definitely can completely change/boost your look. So far I have wore these once and  was complimented numerous times, and the lash glue worked quite well.

 I have purchased NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade of milk numerous times. I love to use it as a highlighter underneath my brow, on my waterline, and it also works well as a base for shadows. The eye pencils are long-lasting, highly pigmented, and it has multiple uses.

 I am addicted to these kind of eye liners, I have tested numerous ones and this one is pretty kick ass if you are looking for very fine lines.

 I love these pearl shadows, this shade is called White Pearl. These are highly pigmented, cheap, and a little goes a long way.

 I have been looking for a good cheaper foundation in the right shade and I think I have found it, this offers wonderful coverage, but doesn't appear cakey at all. I love to top this with a little powder for the perfect matte appearance.

I have also been searching for a good cheap primer that works well for taking photographs and so far I am not sure this makes much of a difference compared to other primers, but it does work well to even skin tone.

 I love Nyx Cosmetics! 

RoseMarie Shadows Review, and Swatches.

Hello Lovelies!

I recently stumbled upon a lovely Etsy shop called RoseMarie Shadows  and instantly fell in love with the selection of mineral eye shadows offered and I just had to order me some.

Now, normally I am a little iffy about ordering anything from Etsy, I have heard a couple horror stories, but the woman behind this specific shop was wonderful and offered GREAT customer service to me and I hoping to get her a little more of a following with this post because it's definitely deserved.

The shadows came in this adorable little bag with information card attached.

One of the amazing things about this little shop is that they offer a selection of sample packages, each package contains a different amount of samples, but either way you get to choose which shades you would like to sample. I decided to go with the smallest sample package, simply because this was my first time ordering from RoseMarie Shadows and I already have quite the collection of makeup, but after testing the shadows I must say that I will definitely be ordering more in the future.

When I ordered the owner of the shop happened to be a little ill so she kindly sent me a message  thanking me for my order and informing me that she was sick and she didn't want to be near the makeup to prevent contamination, so she delayed the order a little bit and included a couple extra samples. I definitely appreciate her honesty, I would much rather her work on getting better then rushing an order with the chance of contamination. So, instead of receiving just five samples I ended up with eight, and I LOVE them. Every shade looks AMAZING, especially with an eye primer/base, and they blend wonderfully. 

The shades I personally chose were Oink, Snowflake, Vampire, Roo, and Onyx. 

Here's a little look I created using Oink and a bit of Snowflake.

A look I created using Vino on upper lid, snowflake as a highlight, and purple pirate under my lower lashes.

 

Actually WORKS: an easy way to repair dry, damaged hair with a hijab

 

I have very long, thick hair that can quickly turn dry if it is not well maintained. When I put on the hijab I discovered that it also doubles as the most effective hair conditioning mask I have ever used.  

 

A nifty trick that works a treat for dry, damaged hair:

 

In the morning brush a good amount of olive oil into dry hair, making sure you get rid of all the tangles. Plait it and then twist the plait into a bun. Wear your hijab as normal during the day and discover beautifully soft hair when you get home and take it off. It really does work, and works exceptionally well in hotter climates.

 

I also plait my hair with a small amount of olive oil before bed so it's nice and soft in the morning. This works well if you don't wear a hijab but I've found that there's something about covering the hair for a few hours that actually makes the technique work much better.

 

Hope this works for you if you're having trouble with dry hair!

Netflix or Hulu Plus, which one is better?

Hello Lovelies!

 

I know this isn't my typical post, but I found myself wondering this just a couple nights ago, and I felt the need to share my thoughts.

 

Now I have been a Netflix subscriber for a couple months now, and we watch at least one thing, be it a movie or show, on there everyday. I also just recently subscribed to Hulu Plus because I found out I could catch up on missed episodes of Glee, and Bones.(guilty pleasures) At first I found myself wondering which streaming service I should keep, because I really don't want to use two different services, but after doing a little more checking into Hulu I feel I can make a good decision on which one to keep, and possibly steer you in the direction of which one of the two is best for you.

 

 

Netflix

• $7.99 a month for streaming service
• Great selection of shows and movies for children
• Great selection of classic movies
• Decent "newer" movie selection.
• Decent show collection, but not up to date. (If the episodes you are looking for are not on dvd yet then you will not find them on there.)
• Neat layout, selections are easy to find.
• Good rating system that helps to find things you would like.
• You can search by genre, title, actor/actress.

Hulu Plus  

• $7.99 a month for streaming service.
• Great selection of up to date shows.
• Terrible movie selection, unless you enjoy TONS of old movies and foreign flicks.
• Messy layout.

 

 

 

 

 Overall, I started with the 7-day free trial to catch up on missed episodes and I plan on cancelling on HuluPlus before the trial ends so I don't have to pay for a full month. If you live to watch tv shows nonstop Hulu is the choice for you, but if you crave a good selection definitely go with Netflix. Also, if you decide to go with Netflix and would like a little more access to stuff that's newer you could pay an extra $7.99 a month and get movies mailed to you.

 

“The best charity is that given to a relative who does not like you.”

- Prophet Muhammed [s]

Chanel

I have wanted a Chanel flap bag for the longest time. I probably need to come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to have one and just stop including them in my outfits :'(

Chanel by stylishmuslimah

March Beauty Army Review

 Hello Lovelies!

I normally do my Ipsy and Beauty Army reviews at the same time, but this month Ipsy shipped extra early, which is always a nice surprise, so this time around they are separate. Overall this month I was pretty excited about my choices, I had a good selection of brands and products.

Amlactin Moisturizing Body Lotion 

According to Amlactin's website the body lotion is a special formula that contains 12% lactic acid. Lactic Acid is a naturally occurring substance that promotes retention of moisture that even Cleopatra was rumored to use in her skin regimen when she bathed in sour milk. Although it is a natural product during my research I found it can still irritate skin, especially on allergy-prone skin. I have never heard of this brand personally, but after my research I found it has wonderful reviews and they happen to carry it at Walmart for $14 for a 7 ounce bottle. (Also at Target, Walgreens, and CVS) Now, that is a little expensive in my opinion, but it is a well working lotion. Amlactin is non-greasy, fragrance free, and works really well at moisturizing skin.

Grand Central Beauty Skin Perfecting Polish

Now if you have been sticking with my reviews you would know I had a decently bad experience with the last product from Grand Central Beauty even though many people's reviews were spectacular so I was quite hesitant to test this out, but I knew I just had to. After doing a little research on the website I found that this is a brand new product and doesn't have much of a following yet, which makes me a little excited yet scared to try it, my skin is so sensitive. The polish is suppose to smooth, moisturize, reduce-redness, unclog pores,  and invigorate tired skin, and it has a built in neutralizer so you have the option to rinse or not. 

Directions (copied from the package)

•  Apply 1 pump (dime-size) onto clean, dry face.
• Massage face lightly and thoroughly for 30 seconds until clear sponge beads emerge, rolling away trapped dirt and dead skin cells.
• Buff off gently with fingertips. Rinse optional.
• Use at least 3x week on clean face.

I tested this polish on freshly cleansed skin and applied the dime-size like directed, but it didn't seem to be enough, and the sponge bubbles didn't emerge, so I added a little more and continued to massage. Eventually little bubbles were created, they kind of felt just like the beads in an exfoliating wash, and were slightly difficult to buff off. After I went through the process my skin begin to feel a little itchy so I decided it was best for me to go ahead and rinse. At first I noticed my skin seemed smoother, but the morning after I noticed my skin was greasier than it has ever been. I am not sure if it's just my skin type, but I do know that I will not be testing anymore products from Grand Central Beauty.

Yes to Tomates Daily Pore Scrub

As you know I love this brand and put my full faith in the products they make and the acne daily scrub didn't change my mind one bit. I have been having a lot of little break outs lately due to stress overload so this sample came at about the perfect time. I was concerned at first if it would be tomato-ish scented, because I do not like the smell of tomatoes, but it was a quite pleasant scent. Even though it's a facial scrub it was gentle enough to be non-irritating and worked well at leaving my skin feeling smooth, clean, and refreshed. I actually picked up a tube at my local Walgreens the same day that I tested this little packet and have been using it since and adore it. Some of the YesTo products are a little pricey, but I found this one for $7 for a decent sized tube, but all of the products I have tested are well worth price.

New York Streets Dry Shampoo

This is my absolute first dry shampoo and I was quite unimpressed. New York Streets is a brand I have never heard of before, but they specialize in hair products. For this size bottle of dry shampoo on the website is $17 which is a little pricey in my opinion compared to other dry shampoos I have heard a lot about, such as Freeman Beauty's Psssssst Dry Shampoo. One thing I did not like about this company is the website, they do not have customer reviews, and ingredients listings, and I find that it's important to have those open to the public. I tested this product in two day hair and the only thing it did for me was leave my hair smelling like my grandma. (I am not saying my grandma smells bad, just old, ya know?) Now, my hair doesn't really get greasy, even if I do skip a couple washes, so it's hard for me to tell if it adequately disguises greasy/shiny hair. I can say that it was easy and quick to comb through my hair, and it did seem to make a little difference when restyling. In conclusion I think that if you have styling products in your hair this will be no help to you, and it's not really worth the money if your hair doesn't get greasy.

Karuna Eye Renewal Mask

I am always excited to try items like this because I don't often get a chance to relax and these "spa-like" items are as much of a chance I can get. I applied the masks like instructed, on a freshly washed face, and let them sit for twenty minutes. At first they irritated my eyes a little bit and made them feel slightly itchy, but after a couple of minutes a cooling sensation set in and they began to feel good. After twenty minutes I removed the masks and rubbed in the leftover product around my eye area. I didn't notice an immediate dramatic difference, but I noticed that my skin felt softer. They are suppose to help fight signs of aging, decrease puffiness and discoloration, and improve firmness and tone around the eyes. Honestly this product may be amazing if used regularly, but for $36 for a small pack of four I can't see myself ever purchasing and giving them a good test.

Skinn Cosmetics Color Touch Eye, Cheek, and Lip Glow

I have never been a fan of cream blushes, but this one by far is the best I have tested quality wise. This shade is called "teen tone" and is perfect to create a slight flush, or a nearly nude lip. Typically I have issues blending cream blushes, but this one blends better than the others I have tested and seems to last quite long. My favorite use for it so far is to create a nearly nude lip combined with my favorite lip primer by Too Faced Cosmetics and a touch of gloss. With all that said after developing my thoughts about this product I pulled up Skinn Cosmetics website and realized that it is $17, which is quite pricey in my opinion.