Thursday, October 24, 2013

tip of the day | coconut oil

Hello lovelies, how are you all? This is my second attempt at writing this post. I wrote out the whole post on my iPad and it did not save! I was pretty upset. Anyways, I have been neglecting my blog this past week because of midterms, tons of homework, and being sick. I had a severe allergic reaction on Tuesday, not sure to what, which triggered my asthma. Believe me, it was not fun barely being able to breath on top of having a swollen lip and eye. Thank God, I am now feeling a lot better.

For today's post, I'd thought it would be helpful to give inform you all of the benefits of using coconut oil, if you do not already know them. Coconut oil has tons of Vitamin E, which is good for skin healing, and it is VERY moisturizing! I use the organic coconut oil, which I would definitely recommend if you are using it on your body to avoid any pesticides or other harmful stuff. 

Hair treatment - This is my favorite way of using coconut oil. I have been doing this for about three months now and have noticed a huge difference in my hair. I apply it liberally throughout my hair, focusing on the roots, and leave it on for 30 minutes before washing it as normal. My hair is less frizzy because of the amount of moisture it gives. Coconut oil is also great for hair growth. I recently chopped off a lot of my hair and since then, my hair has grown about an inch, if not more! 
Eye makeup remover - Coconut oil is great for removing eye makeup. It is gentle on the eye and, of course, moisturizing. If you are concerned about under eye wrinkles, I would definitely recommend using coconut oil. I will admit, it takes a bit longer to remove my eye makeup, especially since I wear tons of mascara, however, I love how smooth my under eye area feels afterwards. 
Facial moisturizer - Do you see a little pattern here? Well, yes, coconut oil is just a great moisturizer overall. I am not sure if it is safe to use coconut oil in the sun, but it is great for those nights when you need a little extra moisture, like during the cold weather. 
Supplement - Coconut oil is great when used from the outside, not imagine all the benefits you will receive when taking it as a supplement? I will admit, I am not a big fan of using it for this method because of the taste, but if you do not mind it, then go for it! If you are like me and do not like the taste, you can even cook with it! Now, I am not a doctor, so do consult with your physician before taking this as a supplement. 

These are all the benefits that I know of, but if you know of any other, please leave it as a comment down below! I would love to know more ways in which I can use coconut oil.

Have you ever used coconut oil?

Sunday, October 20, 2013

review | MAC Rebel

Hey lovelies, how are you all doing? I have had one of the busiest week ever filled with midterms and all. Worst news? They are no where near over, hence why this post is a little late. Anyways, here is my review of my new favorite lipstick, MAC Rebel!



Before purchasing this lipstick, I read countless review of this beauty. I wanted something that looked great during day or night and perfect for autumn. This, my friends, is the one. Rebel is a midtone plum that looks absolutely lovely on any skin tone. It has a satin finish which means it is not drying. It lasted about up to 7 hours before I had to reapply, however, that was on a day where I literally drank my meals (I like to juice every once in a while). On regular days, it last roughly 5 hours, before I feel the need to reapply, which is good enough for me. What I love about this lipstick is that it is buildable so I can wear it during the day smeared out a bit and build it up for the night. This is definitely a lipstick I would repurchase in the future! 


Update: I decided to take a selfie in the bathroom before removing my makeup with this lipstick, and yes I did reapply my lipstick just for this picture! Sorry that it is not the best picture, but it is in the bathroom! :)


What is your current favorite fall lipstick? 

Monday, October 14, 2013

current wish list

Hello lovely people! How is your Columbus day going? Baby and I have stayed in all day, watching TV,  napping (baby not me), and eating. Today has seriously been the most unproductive day of the year, which is why I am bringing you this post today, my current wish list. 


Yes, I have two purses, but seriously they are my obsession! Both are Michael Kors, one is the Michael Kors Large Selma Studded Saffiano Tote and the other is the Michael Kors Jet Set Medium Saffiano Travel Tote. Both are so beautiful and classy and would look absolutely lovely with any outfit! Chances are, I will not be owning these anytime soon, but there is nothing wrong with wishing, right? I have also been eyeing the Origins Antioxidant Moisturizer with White Tea. I will be honest, the only high end moisturizer I have tried is by Clinique, which works great for me, but I have just been curious since I have been reading so much about this one. Surprisingly, there is only one nail polish on my wish list at the moment, which is the OPI Wonderous Star from their Mariah Carey 2013 Holiday collection. I first saw this on Amy's Blog and fell in love! Lastly, Benefit Rockateur Blush. I am sure you have all seen these, and are most likely tired of it, but it just seems like a beautiful everyday blush that I am dying to get my hands on!

Have you tried any of these products (or bags)? What are your thoughts?

Thursday, October 10, 2013

FOTD | red lip on a rainy day

Hello lovely people! How are you all doing today? Today is such a gloomy and rainy day. Personally, these days are one of my favorites, to cuddle up with your loved ones and watch a movie or two. What is your favorite rainy day activity?

It will officially be the end of the week for me once I finish taking an online exam for one of my classes. While I waited, I figured I do a quick FOTD post. Because the weather is so gloomy, I wanted something simply, but not boring. Here is what I came up with:


Blush: Mixture of Nars Orgasm and MAC Plum Foolery
Bronzer: Nars Laguna
Brows: Benefit Brow Zing in Dark
Lashes: Mixture of L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Maybelline One by One
Lips: MAC Russian Red

And there you go, a quick and easy look for a rainy day. I did not even apply tinted moisturizer or BB cream as I wanted it to be THAT simple.

What kind of looks do you like for rainy days?

Monday, October 7, 2013

haul | mac cosmetics

Hello lovely ladies (and gents, if any)! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good, got tons of school work done and spent some time with my gorgeous girl (my daughter haha). I also received of couple of packages in the mail, one of which was from MAC RiRi Hearts Mac Collection.


I picked up two lipsticks from the collection, Talk That Talk and RiRi Woo (I will not include the lather as I picked it up for a friend as a gift). I also purchased Rebel since I have had my eyes on it for some time now. These two are seriously perfect for the fall!


Talk That Talk is a dark plum with a retro matte finish. Now, I am not exactly sure whats the difference between retro matte and matte is, but I will say that this lipstick is very difficult to apply. It is a gorgeous plum, but seeing how difficult it is to apply, I am not sure how often I will use it. Because this lipstick is a limited edition, it is encased in a gorgeous gold packaging with Rhianna's signature on the cap. The lipstick also has her signature on the actual lipstick. I will continue playing with this lipstick and see if I can find an easier way to apply it.

Rebel is a midtone plum with a satin finish. I have seen this lipstick on tons of ladies with different skin tones and it amazes me how well it suits everyone! Definitely recommend this color to anyone, no matter their skin tone.


Did you pick up anything from RiRi Hearts Mac Collection?

Friday, October 4, 2013

top 5 fall nail polish

Hey girlies! It is finally Friday, seriously! This week was super quick for me, but it was just so stressful and tiring! I had two exams, a lab report, and two quiz. On top of that, I woke up two hours earlier yesterday, so I was super exhausted! Definitely happy that I am done for the week!

Anyways, since my last post was such an unhappy post about Essie and how they rename a color, I figured I do my top five fall nail polish. Because I do own so many polish, this was a really hard decision, but I managed to pick five.


Essie Armed and Ready: I purchased this polish last year and wore it about twice. I am not sure why I did not wear more often because it is an absolutely gorgeous color, in my opinion. Currently on my nails, it is an olive green with golden shimmers. The shimmers are not very visible when not in a well lit place, but when you are able to see them, they are lovely! One thing I will say is that I am not a big fan of the small brush on Essie's nail polish, but it is something I am willing to overlook.
Essie Carry On: My first nail polish was a burgundy, not sure why as it is a pretty dark color for a 14 year old, but I loved it. I felt so mature and wore it all the time. Essie Carry On definitely reminds me of that color, but a little more on the purple side. Nonetheless, it is a gorgeous color for the Fall. 
OPI Dulce de Leche: In my opinion, this has to be one of the prettiest nude pinks ever. Honestly, I think it can be warn year round, but I included it here because I personally like to wear lots of neutral colors during the Fall. Summer and Spring are the time where I like to experiment with bright colors that are more out there. And unlike Essie, OPI has a much larger brush, making the application much smoother and faster.
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark: A deep purple, almost black. I love wearing this because it is not just a plain old black and makes my hands look so nice and polish. This is definitely one of my all time favorite dark fall color.
Julep Boris and Nicole: This is a gorgeous red-orange with sparkles that I love wearing during November because it reminds me so much of Thanksgiving! There is an Essie color that can be a dupe for this Julep, which is the one I originally purchased, but I missed place it and purchased this one. I honestly can't remember the name of the Essie polish. One thing I love about Julep is their packaging, it is so different from any other polish I own.

What are your favorite polish for the fall?

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

NOTD | same color different names?

Hello lovelies, how have you been? I'm been pretty busy these past two week, with my daughter getting into the swing of head start, school assignments, and getting a dog about a week ago! The story behind the dog is kind of funny actually, my family and I wanted a puppy and a friend of ours was giving his away because he just couldn't take care of her anymore. Well, we jumped at the opportunity, thinking she was a young dog. We were told she was 11 months, then 8, but then gave us a paper dating back to 2011. So we aren't sure how old she is, and won't know until the end of the week when we take her to the vet. We still love her very much, she grew on us pretty quickly! My 13 month old is still getting used to her, but we know she will absolutely love having her in her life.


Anyways, enough rambling and let's get to the point of this post. So I recently picked up two new color from Essie's 2013 Fall Collection,  Vested Interest and For The Twill of It. I fell in love with both when I saw swatches of them online so I had to pick them up. The same day that I received them in the mail I decided to pull out all of my fall colors, and what do I find? Essie School of Hard Rock from a collection released in 2011, the exact same color as one of my new polish, just renamed!


I know, I am being such a drama queen, but seriously?! Why would Essie release two polish from different collection that were the EXACT color just different names? I decided to test out my theory and painted my nails with both polish. On my left I applied Vested Interest and on my right School of Hard Rock. Well, the colors look the same on the bottle and on my nails as well.

School of Hard Rocks on my right

Vested Interest on my left

I was a bit disappointed that Essie would do that, but I guess its my own fault for owning so many nail polish! Either way, both colors are beautiful grey-green and perfect for fall! I would say that Vested Interest lasted a little longer without chipping, but it could just be because I use my right hand more than I use my left. 

What new colors have you picked up recently?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

current favorites | september 2013

I am someone who usually gets into a routine and rarely changes it, which is why I won't be having monthly favorites. When it comes to makeup, I tend to fall in love with certain products and sometimes fall into a rut, but I don't mind it. Hope you enjoy! 


Nars Laguna/Orgasm Duo... I recently hit pan on the bronzer. This is my most used bronzer and blush. Well, actually, I'll be honest, this is my not bronzer. I used to own a bronzer by Sephora, but I don't remember the name and I absolutely loved it. The bronzer shattered on me, so I picked this one upand have been using it since. I want to try Benefit Honolulu, but until then, I am loving my Laguna bronzer.


Benefit They're Real Mascara... I received this on my birthday as part of the Sephora birthday gift. I wanted to try this since it was released because of all the rave it received, but I just couldn't let myself spend so much on a mascara. At first, i just didnt see what all the rave was about, it was just a regular mascara. Now, well it's all I use, along with my Loreal Voluminious in Carbon Black. I pair these two mascaras for long and volumized eyelashes that look like falsies but without the hassle of actual falsies.


Benefit Brow Zing... I started using this about a year ago and I have never looked back. This makes my eyebrows look so full and natural. I have very thin brows which I absolutely hate, I don't leave my house without filling them in. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good brow shadow. 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Mauve Night... I recently picked this up at the drugstore. I wanted an everyday lipstick for fall, and this is exactly what this is. The formulation is amazing, creamy and shiny. I always wear this on its own, without any lipgloss, because it already has shine on its own. I'm not sure how long it last, haven't really notice, but will definitely keep track when I wear it next so I can do a full review! 

So that's all ladies, my current favorite. What have you been loving lately? 

Monday, September 16, 2013

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tip of the day | makeup and skincare

Hey lovelies, how was your weekend? Baby and I were both feeling a little under the weather, so we spent most of it indoors. On Sunday, we went to church then to my mothers house to spend some time with her. Other than that, our weekend was not pretty eventful.

Today, I thought I'd write a quick little post on a makeup and skincare tip I think most of us know, just don't follow. That is cleaning your makeup brushes. Yes, a tedious task but one that will make a world of difference in makeup application and on the health of your skin. It's recommended to deep clean your brushes once a month, but I will be honest, I used to do it about every three months. It's not so much because I'm lazy, but I just forgot to make time for cleaning my brushes.

For the past six months, I have been setting a reminder on my phone the first Sunday of every month to clean my brushes and I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin and makeup application. If you think about, when you use your brushes over your breakouts, you continue to spread the bacteria that caused the breakouts over your face every time you use it. This causes you to continue breaking out and never heal. So if you have problem with breakouts, I recommend you make time to clean your brushes monthly and you will notice your face will be clearer. As for makeup application, well the buildup of eyeshadow, foundation, blush, and other makeup products on our brushes doesn't allow the true color to be applied. I personally have multiple eyeshadow brushes so that I can use one for about a week and not have to worry about cleaning it until the beginning of the next month.

How often do you wash your brushes? Do you forget like I used to? 

Friday, September 13, 2013

review | nyx jumbo eye pencil in iced mocha




On my recent trip to Target, I purchased the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil. I've seen plenty of tutorials on YouTube using this as a base so I was pretty excited to try it. I expected it to be long lasting without a primer, but was not impressed. Maybe I tried it on really humid day, or I just have really oily lids, but this eye pencil only last about 4 hours before it started to crease and fade. I'm sure with some primer it would last a lot longer, but isn't it just disappointing when you are expecting a lot more from a product and it just doesn't follow through? Personally, Maybelline Color Tattoo is better because it last a lot longer without a primer.




As for the color, it is a beautiful bronzy gold that will look great on anyone. The formulation is creamy and goes on very smoothly. My one complain about this product is the longevity of it, but hey, it is pretty inexpensive so with some primer, it will do. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

NYX haul | target

Target is seriously going to make me broke! Every time I go in, I end up spending way more than I planned for. On Friday, I decided to glance over by the makeup section while I was doing my grocery, not really looking for anything, and I found a NYX section! When did Target start selling NYX?! Because I was there about a week ago and did not see it! 

Anyways, I couldn't leave with purchasing anything. I have never tried anything from NYX, but have heard so many good things about it from the beauty community, so I am pretty excited to try these beauties out.



1. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Nude Peach
2. Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp

3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha



What's your favorite NYX product?

Sunday, August 25, 2013

personal | back to school

I start my senior year of college on Wednesday, and I am so happy! For one, sometimes I just get bored and have nothing to do once the chores are done and the baby is asleep. Now I will have homework to do during those situations. I am also just excited and proud of myself for sticking with school even though many thought I wouldn't. Not a lot of young moms continue school after having a baby. Luckily I had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom, which is the main reason why I am able to continue school. If it wasn't for the support of my family, my boyfriend's family, and of course, my boyfriend, I don't think I would have been able to even start my senior year of college. Now I am a bit behind, so I might have to take classes over the winter and possibly a class or two in the summer, but I am confident that I will be a college graduate by the end of 2014!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

review | olay fresh effects shine minimizing cleanser


I recently received the Paradise VoxBox from Influenster with a couple of items to review, one of them being the Olay Fresh Effects Shine Minimizing Cleanser. I started using it the same night I received it, excited to try it since I have seen it at Target, just never picked it up. 

It claims to help control shine and act like a mask but work like a cleanser. I am somebody who absolutely love mask, just don't have the time to use them. When I think of a mask, I think of relaxation, and lets face it, there is very little relaxing going on being a stay at home mom of a 12 month old and full time student. Very rarely do I get to use a mask, so I was pretty excited to give this a try.

The cleanser is grey with a fruity scent and it reminds me a lot of a cleanser I used when I was younger.  It is sort of like a cream, but not exactly. When I tried this cleanser, I had a couple of blemishes. I tried the cleanser Monday night and it definitely felt like I had applied a mask for 30 minutes. My face felt very clean and refreshed, but not dried. When I woke up Tuesday morning, my face was clearer, but it is not a miracle cleanser, so I still had a few blemishes. On Tuesday, I decided to test it for shine control. I washed my face around noon with it and checked continuously throughout the day for shine. It definitely helped with the shine, something I suffer with on my T-zone, but I didn't wear any makeup. However, it was pretty hot, so I guess that something. 

This cleanser is something I will definitely repurchase in the future. It makes my face feel like I have pampered it, but only did a routine face wash. Something I would definitely recommend.

Have you tried this product or anything from this line? What are you thoughts?

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Not sure where this is going to head

I have tried blogging a couple of times before, but always stopped for one reason or another. I'm not sure exactly why, honestly, because I enjoyed writing and reading blogs. Let's see what happens this time around.

My name is Esty, as you can tell from the name of this blog. I am a young mom in her last year of college and currently a stay at home, but looking for a job related to my major. I live in NYC, but am hoping to move somewhere else after I have established a career, or hopefully sooner. I love makeup, beauty, and my family. My blog will consist of anything related to that, or maybe some random bits and peaces here and there.

I am hoping to make some friends I can relate to and just have some sort of outlet with this blog. Hope this can be the start of something great! :)

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