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The Gift of Beautiful Brows – Billion Dollar Brows Best Sellers Kit Review

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Holiday shopping being over with, it is time to take advantage of items on sale that didn’t quite make it under your tree this year. One of my favorite things to buy once sales are over are makeup kits exclusively for the holidays. They are typically a great stocking stuffer, but they are also a great for you to try out a new brand of makeup for a great value.

Case-in-point, I had a chance to try the Best Sellers Kit by Billion Dollar Brows. Billion Dollar Brows is a company I have heard of before but never ventured into trying out their products. I knew of their Brow Boost, which helps grow out thin eyebrows, but I have always had thick/full eyebrows, so I never needed to use that. Now that I have bangs I never really pay attention to how they look except for the occasional reshaping. I was pleasantly surprised by the Best Sellers Kit because it came with items I could actually use for my thick brows.

The Best Sellers Kit promises to “work with all hair colors and skin tones,” but I would also add it works regardless of how thick (or thin) your eyebrows are. This kit comes with 5 pieces at a $73 value for only $34.99 and include: The Universal Brow Pencil, Brow Duo Pencil, Smudge Brush, Brow Gel and a Sharpener.

Here is a breakdown of the pieces and what their functions are as described by the Billion Dollar Brows’ website:

Billion Dollar Brows Universal Brow Pencil – a unique product that will set you free from the headache of finding cosmetics that match your hair color. Universal Brow Pencil is a mechanical, self-sharpening pencil which goes on smooth and natural for all hair colors and skin tones.

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Gel Clear – an effective formula that will lock in your look, giving your eyebrows a long-lasting, radiant glow while keeping them perfectly in place all day. It’s the perfect finishing touch for giving your brows a polished, perfectly manicured look. Plus, it is a guarantee the Brow Gel never flakes. 

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Duo Highlighter – an amazing and unique two in one highlighter and concealer. With this innovative pencil you can get picture perfect brows. Brow Duo Highlighter allows you to highlight your brow bone to add gorgeous definition and warmth. Works with any skin tone. Plus, for those on-the-go touch ups, a handy universal concealer to the opposite end of the pencil. 

Billion Dollar Brows Smudge Brush – an essential item for applying Brow Highlighter. This flat, synthetic brush is the ideal mate for applying creamy cosmetics like our Brow Duo Pencil. Get your smudge on!

Billion Dollar Brows Pencil Sharpener – perfect for your Duo Highlighter.

Overall, the kit was a great value with some very useful products. My favorite was the Brow Gel because I know one of my bigger issues is having slightly messy eyebrows, but the gel keeps everything in its place. It was also light and did not feel super sticky. The Universal Brow Pencil was also very easy to use. The Brow Duo Pencil (concealer/highlighter) I have not had a chance to use yet since my eyebrows are in need of some tweezing before I decide to highlight their shape. The holidays can get busy, so I am hoping to find some time to shape them before New Years Eve. 
You can find the kit at Billion Dollar Brows website http://billiondollarbrows.com and you can enjoy Free Shipping since your order will be more than $30. Take a look at their other great products as well.

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Billion Dollar Brows and Brandbacker. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

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Beautiful Curls with the KISS InstaWave

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

I have naturally curly hair. Actually its more frizzy then anything else, but sometimes I wake up with some great bedhead. Unfortunately it is not always consistent and I never learned how to curl my own hair (with either a curling iron or flat iron.) Recently the KISS InstaWave entered my life and I discovered just how easy it is to achieve gorgeous curls with this device without hoping to just wake up to some great bed head.
If you have never heard of it, the KISS InstaWave is a fully automatic tangle-free curler that instantly creates beautiful curls. It was easy for me to learn to use from any angle, with any hand. It features a Curl Dial with left/right curl directions and has 2 heat settings with a low/high switch with maximum temperature of 420. (Yikes that’s hot!) Luckily, if you ever forget to turn off your Kiss InstaWave, it automatically shuts off after 90 minutes.

This device is simple to use and so are the instructions. All you you need to do to work some in some curls is follow these 6 steps:
1) Hold InstaWave vertically
2) Place a section of hair on the InstaWave curling rod
3) Touch the Curl Dial either left or right so the InstaWave instantly and automatically catches and curls the hair
4 ) Hold for 5-10 seconds (Hold longer for tighter curls and less for beachy waves)
5) Pull the InstaWave down vertically and let the hair out
6) Repeat (Switch between curling right and curling left to create the most natural looking curls)
Check out their video for a better idea of how to use it:

Before:

After:

It took some practice, but I am so happy with the results. I had washed my hair and let it air dry, but did blow dry my roots before using the InstaWave, so I would recommend having dry hair before using. After about a couple of tries, I got the hang of it. It took me about 50 minutes to achieve this look, but there was a lot of trial and error so I could only imagine it taking less time with my next attempt.
 I will be making an effort to incorporate this beauty tool into my routine for tight and loose curls. I might be sharing an outfit post with this look hopefully before the end of the year, so stay tuned for that. I would definitely recommend this product because it works and is super easy to use. The KISS InstaWave is available at Target for $59.99, so pick it up as a great last-minute gift. You can find more information and other tutorial videos on how to use the Kiss InstaWave here: http://www.KISSInstaWave.com

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Brandbacker and Kiss InstaWave. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

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Paula Dorf Aztec City Eye Color Palette and Teal Mascara Review

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

My daily makeup routine includes moisturizer, mascara, a sweep of neutral eye shadow, lipstick and powder foundation. I have been thinking of trying different types of eye shadows and learning how colors should be layered, it felt like it was perfect timing when the opportunity to try out Paula Dorf’s Aztec City Eye Color Palette and Teal Color Mascara came up.

Since I don’t know a lot about makeup, I was not sure exactly what to expect from Paula Dorf makeup. It turns out it is a pretty famous brand known for its unique “trick” products such as “Transformers.” This shadow palette works as eye shadow, but can also transition and be used as liquid eye liners. All it requires is the moistening of  the angle side of the double-ended brush that comes with the palette, dabbing the brush into a color of your choice, and applying it as you would an eyeliner.

My first impression of the palette and mascara packaging was sleek and professional. The palette has a mirror and fits in my Truffle bag, so it is something I can easily travel with me. The colors of the palette are  mix of professional and flirty shades that can easily transition from a day at work to a night out. The colors are inspired by a mix of the dessert and city. The colors, once applied, are not as highly pigmented, as you can see from my swatches. The beige almost blends too well with my skin, which makes it a great base. The dark brown is highly pigmented, so you would not need to apply too much of it. It makes for the best eyeliner that I would use out of all these colors.

I am pretty happy with the palette, and I am looking forward to playing around with the colors more to try to come up with my own eye look. Knowing that the eye shadows can be used eye liners is also a major plus. For a beginner with makeup, or someone looking for a more professional palette, this is one I would recommend.

Along with the palette, I had the chance to try the Teal Color Mascara. I have never tried any colored mascara, and the only other color I knew it came in other than black is blue. I was a little skeptical about the product because I wasn’t sure I wanted that color to be standing out from my eyes. Apllying it, I felt I layered two-three coats, but didn’t notice too much color. Removing the mascara afterwards, I noticed the color a lot more. I felt it was a really subtle color, so it could be great for someone experimenting with different looks, but not for someone expecting highly-pigmented mascara.
You can find view and purchase the Aztec City Eye Color Palette here. As an added bonus, you can also try out the Paula Dorf Teal Color Mascara free with purchase.  Enter the code TEAL at checkout for your own Teal Mascara so you can try it out for yourself!

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Paula Dorf and Brandbacker. All views and opinions are my own.

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Monat Global Rejuveniqe Oil Intensive Review

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by MONAT and IFabbo. All opinions and views expressed are my own.
My hair routine is not very exciting, so when iFabbo offered the opportunity to try a new hair oil from their shop, I signed up immediately eager to try something new for my hair. My typical routine is shampoo and conditioning every other day and applying mousse to add structure to my curls. The alcohol in mousse and hairspray can dry out air, so my needs are being able to rehydrate my hair. 
Monet promises to nourish and energize the scalp with an invigorating blend of 11+ unique molecular ingredients –including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids – that mimic the body’s natural oils. The formula reduces hair thinning, prevents oxidative stress and adds volume, repairing the hair with instantly visible, long-lasting shine without the damaging effects of silicone. My hair is very thick and I tend to have it thinned out when I get a haircut, so preventing hair thinning was not on my list, but it is nice to know that this product takes care of that.
Ingredients in the Monat Global Oil Intensive include sustainable and natural ingredients. You can find the full list of ingredients here, but based on the list of ingredients, it shouldn’t be surprising to know that this product has a citrus smell (like lemon.) The texture is also not too greasy. I like that this product has a dropped that lets you control how much you will be using while not making a mess.
I read that the product was pretty versatile and could be used as a scalp treatment pre-shower or to damp hair and scalp and having a moist towel wrapped around for thirty minutes. I have just been applying it to my tips (so they don’t dry out as easily) and as a frizz serum. I feel it is too early to say whether I feel much of a difference, but I have never really been the type of person who gets complimented for their hair. I think if my co-workers notice my hair is shinier or shows more volume, then I will know it is doing its thing. 
You can check out Monet Global Rejuvenique Oil Intensive on Monet’s site along with their other hair product line here: www.monatglobal.com.
The cost of a 1.0 fluid ounce bottle is $99,  but VIP customers can get it for $84. It is a pretty steep price to me, but since this is my first foray in reviewing hair products, I am not sure what the price of natural hair oils typically retail for. I have felt my hair is a lot more moisturize so I would recommend it for that and to work as part of an anti-frizz regimen. Hopefully, I’ll get compliments soon on how shiny my hair is too.
Hope you enjoyed my review and look out for a few more beauty product reviews this month.

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

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LUNAFEST- Flms About, By and For Women

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Luna Bar. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

Last Thursday, I was invited to attend the world premiere of LUNAFEST at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. LUNAFEST is a national traveling film festival featuring short stories of women, by women, for women. The event is presented by LUNA Bar, whole nutrition for women, and all tickets sales from that night benefited the Breast Cancer Fund. 
The film festival—by, for, and about women—has  raised 2.5 million dollars to date for the Breast Cancer Fund and other nonprofits around the country. It is also rare in that it is one of the few recognized and heralded avenues reserved for women filmmakers, and enables them to get their films out into the world and to impact and inspire other women filmmakers and their audiences.

I was able to attend the LUNAFEST VIP Reception before the screening of the films and had the chance to hear the songs of the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache. I had seen the LUNAFEST trailer before the event and realized when I saw them that they were the band featured in one of the films. They were amazing to hear in person and it was very inspiring to not only hear their music live but also to hear their story and how they are changing the gender norms of mariachi.

I attended the event solo, but luckily I ran into a few of my blogger friends such as Jessica from Fab in Lombardia, Elise from WTFAB! and Aimee from The Ohio Transplant. Jessica and I arrived at about the same time and that made the whole experience for me a lot more fun. We took photos at the photo booth and enjoyed the food, wine and s’mores desserts before we headed in to the theater to find our seats. 

After filing into the auditorium and hearing the opening remarks, I was really excited to watch these short stories featuring women in film. All of the filmmakers were in attendance and they took a bow before the screening. This part was pretty inspirational to me because it felt good attending this event and supporting women who are changing the game in film. Out of the 8 films, it is hard to say which one was my favorite since they all featured a great narrative. If I had to pick a favorite film, I would say it is a tie between Chica’s Day and A Good Match because they both featured similar themes of friendship. 
Chica’s Day revolved around what appears to be a mother and daughter living a life of luxury having a day of fun with no rules. The plot twist when the father returns home from work at the end is unexpected but really makes you wonder about the deep relationship the woman and child have. 
A Good Match featured a girl named Ann who spots her Ex with his new Fiance and his mother at dinner and reveals she does not miss her ex, but instead misses her ex’s mother. She then sets out to give her relationship with her ex’s mom another try. The film seems to ask if splitting up with an ex means the end the relationship with your ex’s mother.
After viewing the films, attendants had the chance to meet with the filmmakers and ask questions I met with the woman behind the lens of A Good Match, Lyn Elliot.  I was able to express how easy it was relating to the main character Ann and how people do have some type of expectations of what a persons mother will be like. If you get along and become friends, shouldn’t the friendship continue even if the relationship with the boyfriend runs south. 

I am very happy I had the chance to attend the LUNAFEST festival and would definitely recommend checking out their website for tour dates to see if they’ll be in your city next.  You can always request to host LUNAFEST in your city if you don’t see a tour date near you anytime soon and this festival  can benefit local charities along with the Breast Cancer Fund. You’ll definitely feel inspired when you leave the screening.
I left the event thinking about the women in my life and which of them inspires me the most. Is there a woman that is game-changer/inspiration to you? I’d love to hear about it and if you plan on attending LUNAFEST. I’ll be sharing who I think is a game-changer in my life in my next post.

Until next time,

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

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“Up All Night” Make Up by One Direction Review

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Disclosure: I received makeup to sample from BrandBacker and Markwins International, but all opinions are my own.
I recently began experimenting with beauty products, so when I was given the opportunity to try out a new makeup collection by One Direction, I had mixed feelings about using it. I was psyched to try out new makeup, but what would a boy band know about makeup? Well, that question made me ask Google and I found out they already had makeup out as well as perfume, so this isn’t the boy band’s first time venturing into the world of beauty. (I will come out and admit right off the bat that I have listened to a few of One Direction’s songs, but I don’t even know all of their names except Harry Styles, because come on, who doesn’t know Harry Styles?)
The makeup came in a collectible tin, and there are 3 available named after their albums. I was sent the “Up All Night” Looks Tin and it has a removable plastic sleeve with the boy band and their signatures.  The “Up All Night” tin came with: the Little Black Dress mascara, Na Na Na teal nail polish, Taken pink liquilights glow gloss, I Should Have Kissed You lipstick, Stand Up Navy eye & body crayon, 5 eye shadow palette with colors More Than This, Save You Tonight, Up All Night, Gotta Be You and Another World. The set also included One Direction doodle stencils.  
My first impression of the kit was that it featured really bright, make up colors that are fun, but not what I am used to wearing everyday. I like to have fun with my clothes at work, but makeup is an accessory that I never want to have too much of. Some of the colors on the eye shadow palette as well as the lip colors seem like they are more appropriate to wear to go out at night, but I was able to incorporate a few of the eye shadow colors for everyday wear. They lasted all day, especially a few of the ones I tried with sparkle.  liked that I could wear the Little Black Dress mascara everyday. My eyelashes are pretty long and the mascara adds just the right amount of definition and gave the right amount of volume. It earned extra points for being fairly easy to remove at the end of the day too.
Out of all the items in the set, my favorite was the mermaid teal-green nail polish named Na Na Na. I shared a photo yesterday on instagram showing off the pretty color that this nail polish. I needed to apply 3 coats because it was slightly thinner than other polishes, but it dried really fast. I loved the color and experienced no chipping on the first day I had it on. 
The eyeliner was new for me, having only used liquid before. I had never seen a big crayon like the one in this kit before either, but I like that it is versatile and can be used on your body as well or as a dark shadow. The color is very rich and bold, and I wore it a few times for attention on my eyes. I am not sure if I would ever use the doodle stencils on myself with this body crayon, but it might be fun to try them out with my 9 year old niece. 
I was a little overwhelmed by the lipstick and liquilights glow gloss in the set. At first I was in love with how girly the colors were. Now in retrospect, I would have preferred the “Midnight Memories” tin only because of the more classic red lip colors. The Should Have Kissed You lipstick was a little too pale for my skin tone, and was not as smooth too apply nor long-lasting. The Taken liquilights glow gloss is very intense. It is easy to apply and is sickeningly sweet. It is practically liquid sugar on your lips. The sweet smell was a little too overwhelming at one point to me, but the color was great and it took awhile for it to fade. I might want to try out the two lip products together to decide whether I like them or not, but out off all the items I did not like the lipstick too much.
Overall, I would rate this makeup set as 3 out of 5. It is in a reusable collector’s tin, has products with clever names based on song titles ( or so I am told), and features some pretty trendy colors. It would make a great gift for any One Direction fan, but would not be ideal for someone who prefers subtler makeup. If you’d like to get your hands on a set, here are the scheduled released dates for participating department stores:
Macy’s – August 11thStage Stores – August 25thDillards – August 25thBeauty Brands – August 25thLord and Taylor – August 25th
You can also like this Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection for more news and other makeup tutorials as well as announcements for when they are available at other stores. If you happen to snatch up one of these limited edition tins, don’t forget to share your beauty looks with the hashtags: #thelookscollection #makeup1D and #markwins so other 1D fans can discover this makeup set.
Hope you enjoyed my review and until next time,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

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