Beauty

January 4, 2012 by Shanice · 4 Comments

…just so I can get the Mary Kay Skin car e products for myself! I was blessed with pretty low maintenance skin. As long as I keep it hydrated, it stays relatively clear. I just follow a few simple rules, including, keeping harsh body soap as far away from my face as possible. As picky as I am about NEVER using hand soap or bar soap on my face, I am still the girl who will gladly use the $5 facial cleanser from Wal-Mart. I am also the girl who is content with the cheap Pond’s facial moisturizer. I am the girl who skips the special makeup remover or astringent all together. So the thought of me dropping $55 on a skin care kit is painful to say the least.

But something happened to me one day in late December that lessened the trauma that would usually come along with the thought of buying expensive skin care products. I tried Mary Kay’s TimeWise line. I didn’t just try a sample at a Mary Kay consultant’s “free makeover” party. My sister gave me 3 full-sized products after she had a change of heart about starting her own Mary Kay career. She gave me the Mary Kay Timewise 3-in-1 cleanser, Mary Kay TimeWise Moisturizer, and this eye makeup remover. I didn’t know how I felt about using anti-aging products at 22, but one thing is for sure, my skin felt very different after using this system one time.

My skin is extremely dry during the winter months. I mean, my-face-will-look-gray-if-I-am-not-careful kind of dry skin. The cheaper skincare products are fine for me in the summer, but wintertime is a whole different animal. The Mary Kay products seriously made my skin feel and look smoother right after I used it. I am seriously considering a Mary Kay career just so I can get my hands on these products without having to dish out a lot of my own money for them! That’s my frugal and business mind at work again.

Don’t get me wrong though. Even though I am very budget conscious, I will buy more expensive products if the quality is worth it. For instance, I have been hooked on MAC Studio Tech foundation since I first used it for a pageant in 2010. It’s about $30 per compact, but I pay for it because it’s worth every penny! I am just an advocate for being budget conscious and not continuously spending an outrageous amount of money on clothes, beauty products, or accessories of any kind. I know to some people $30 foundation isn’t expensive. But to put things in perspective, one of my recent shopping trips at Forever21 resulted in 2 headbands, a shirt, a tank top, and a pair of earrings for $27. So yea, I can do a lot with $30. I am just a believer that you can be fabulous on any budget. Do you use an expensive skin care system? Or do you prefer cheaper products like Clearasil and Clean and Clear?

This is NOT a sponsored post. I, nor, essjaee.com are not affliated with Mary Kay.

Filed Under: Beauty · Tagged With: skincare

November 11, 2011 by Shanice · 2 Comments

The rundown: I was surprised how long this eyeshadow lasted. I mean, let’s be realistic. This palette was only $23.95, so I wasn’t exactly expecting it to be Mac quality. But, the eyeshadow easily lasted over 6 hours even with me rubbing my eyes periodically, and I didn’t even use any primer. Granted, the eyeshadow did fade a bit. But I am surprised that I still had some color on my eyelids after a whole day of class and work. I am sure this is not the best eyeshadow on the market, but the colors are vibrant, it lasts for a decent amount of time, and it doesn’t smear terribly. For the price, I would definitely recommend it.

I am no expert when it comes to the world of makeup by anyone’s standards. In fact, I’m don’t even wear makeup everyday. I’m just starting to get into beauty products. Although I have competed in pageants, and I am pretty good at doing stage makeup, my regular makeup is usually pretty plain.

A few weeks ago, I came to the painful realization that I had been virtually wearing the same eyeshadow colors for the past year. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I told myself: “I can’t go on like this!” Okay, so I was being a bit over-dramatic, but that inspired me to look for a new eyeshadow palette so that I could start learning how to change up my look. I ran across some YouTube beauty gurus talking about 120 eyeshadow palettes and doing eyeshadow tutorials. After watching a few videos, I couldn’t believe that I had been depriving myself of this world of girly fabuousness for so long! [Read more...]

November 8, 2011 by Shanice · Leave a Comment

If you have a pulse, I am quite sure that you have heard the cliche, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” meaning, depending on who you ask, “beauty” will be a million different things to a million different people. Most would probably say that’s true. But, is it?

According to this article and many others that explore beauty and biology, mammals are attracted to symmetry, health, and balance. So what does that mean? It means that people are attracted to symmetrical facial features and things that indicate you’re in good health such as straight and clean teeth, and for women, a waist-to-hip ratio of 7 to 10, etc. Considering this, there are arguably people in the world that will be considered attractive by almost everyone on the planet because they have symmetrical features. Most people will find a person with symmetrical features attractive, but they won’t necessarily know and understand why. What we find attractive is in our DNA, literally. You’re probably trying to figure out what all of this means, but let me save you some trouble.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Beauty · Tagged With: self-esteem

May 30, 2010 by Shanice · Leave a Comment

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not big on makeup. I am very much an advocate for looking as natural as possible. My take on the makeup is if you don’t need to wear makeup, wear as little as possible! However, there are a few beauty items that I use that I refer to as my tried and true. I decided to compile a list of my top 4 favorite beauty products.

4. Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow I have been through a lot of eye shadows, but the only one I seem to ever re-buy is RICS. I first tried this eyeshadow a few years ago when my sister had some. I loved the way the neutral colors looked on my brown skin. It looked really natural, but at the same time it added a little sparkle to my eyes which I think compliments my eye shape. Eventually, I bought some RICS for myself and I have been using it ever since. The only thing I don’t like about it is I wish it would last longer and the shimmer seems to get everywhere. Other than that, it rawks! Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow goes for about $5 in drugstores & superstores (ie. Walmart, Target etc.).

3. Cover Girl Lashblast The number 3 slot goes to my favorite mascara – Cover Girl Lashblast. As soon as I bought my CoverGirl Lashblast (which sells at any local drug store & superstores for like 8 bucks), I was hooked! When I put on my Lashblast my lashes immediately looked longer and thicker after applying just one or two coats. I have used other mascara’s and the only one I have used that beats Lashblast is Dior Show Mascara, but with a $24 price tag, its definitely not something that I plan on purchasing every time I need new mascara. Lashblast works great, and its better for your budget.

2. Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation I got a free sample of Bare Escentuals foundation after I saw an ad in Glamour magazine for a free sample. I have been using it for about a year and a 1/2 and I really like it. Only complaint I have is that it tends to make you look ashy in pictures. One of my friends mentioned this on LJ when she talked about her experiences with BE, and I have to say that I have found this to be true. I would not recommend BE if you plan to take pictures, but for everday – you can’t beat how light it feels on your face. BE runs about $25 at Sephora & Bare Escentuals stores.

1. Olay Quench I have been using Olay Quench since I was in the 10th grade. I absolutely love this lotion! From the way it hydrates your skin to the light fragrance and sparkles, Olay Quench is by far my favorite lotion. I have really dry skin so I used to use the Olay Quench for Extra Dry Skin, but I believe it was discontinued. *sad face* Regardless, this is great lotion no matter which kind you buy, and it is my top beauty product. I usually get the largest bottle which is the best value and costs around $9 from drug stores & superstores.

Have you tried any of these products? What were your experiences with them? What are your favorite beauty items?

Filed Under: Beauty, my fab life, reccesionista ·

October 10, 2009 by Shanice · 6 Comments

After a jam-packed week of midterms and due dates, I am looking forward to being able to somewhat relax this weekend. I have some down time, so in order to reward myself for surviving yet another hectic week – I plan to do a few things I enjoy as well as pamper myself and indulge in a few DIY beauty treatments. Here’s my tentative list:

Thoroughly Clean my Apartment.

This isn’t exactly “lazy”, and I am sure this sounds strange to many of you. I actually don’t mind cleaning most of the time. I have found that Saturday mornings are thee best times for cleaning. My apartment can get really messy after I have had a long week of studying and rushing to meet due dates, so what better time to help recover my living space? Besides, there is just something about looking at a clean house after all your hard work!

Give myself a DIY pedicure & facial.

I am probably going to try this pedicure and this facial. I love DIY tips because I love saving money. Plus, for me there is something relaxing about giving myself a facial and pedicure. Not to mention I have a new O.P.I nail polish color I really want to try out.

Take a bubble bath.

I love bubble baths! Of course, showers are the practical alternative for those who don’t have time for bubble baths. Hopefully, at some point this weekend I will be able to enjoy at least one relaxing bubble bath.

How do you relax when you have free time?

Filed Under: Beauty, my fab life · Tagged With: college life