DIY Fall Floral Vase !!

The Summer has gone and a new season has approach, Fall is here or others might prefer to call it Autumn. During this time of year we enjoy the whether changing to cooler breezes. That is what the excitement starts in the changing of leaves and enjoying spice breads and a warm beverage to keep us warm in Autumn nights. The colors during this time of year are always bolder with a few hues of oranges and yellows. I wanted to start gathering ideas for home decoration I visited my local Dollar Tree and found these items.

You will be needed these items or simply you can create your own. My personal preference were more in the golden yellows and brunt oranges. You can even throw in some plum color sunflowers for a bolder outcome.   I wanted to be more creative so decided to add a touch of red to the vase with potpourri..

That's what I came up with hoping that everyone is inspired from the changing leaves of Autumn and you can make your own recreations.. 

The Sonoma Diet !!

Hello everyone let me introduce to you "The Sonoma Diet". Why I choose this new way of eating. Well.. I previously went to the doctor for a regular check up and my blood pressure was high and having very dis comfortable headaches and feeling a bit odd. He suggested to stay away from sugars, which is my weakness and always been, so I had to take action by eliminating them as much as possible!. He also suggested to eliminate carbs!! I told him that on my own by dieting I eliminated all carbs before and lost 40lbs  on the atkins diet but I got tired of it and slacked off and I almost gained some of it back, which  was a bit of a disappointment, I went through a lot this past year with a terrible relationship that was making me have emotional stress which eventually headed for depression and anxiety. The problems that I was facing in my relationship was about my weight, my ex boyfriend liked my inner beauty I suppose but disliked the way I looked from the outside, so we ended our relationship and decided that we were not meant to be with one another. So that is when I decided to do something and tried the atkins it worked but, I was so fed up with it because, I missed my rice and oatmeal and those foods were prohibited. So a friend of mine  was struggling with her weight as well, and suggested the "The Sonoma Diet". She gave me her book and said that there was no need for her to keep it since she already memorized everything and that it was a healthier way of eating rather calling it a diet, so she pass it down for me to keep and I thought that it was very generous of her!. So I stared this week on Monday July 29th and let me tell you one thing, I can feel the difference it is obvious that your body is making drastic changes in calorie intake, I had several headaches because my body needs to adjust to the meals, I have been to the bathroom quite a lot guessing am dis intoxicating all the bad junk out of my system. If you are interested in making healthier choices or considering loosing weight this is the right place to keep everyone motivating including myself. This is the way that I will be posting information about this diet, since there is a ton to explain and the book is composed in numerous chapters and also to avoid copyrighted issues I will simply do a brief summary in the important stuff sort of like the highlights of the entire plan. It is written by Dr. Connie Guttersen.R.D., P.H.D

1. When you start it simply tells you that you need to consume fewer calories the first two weeks and that in 10 days is guaranteed to have a thinner waist.( everyone would love that). You are not to consume sugar these first 10 days not even fruits!
2. You have to get rid of all refined goods in your pantry if you really want to reach your ideal weight! that is also including soft drinks. 
3. I will be taking full body pictures with a before and after for the results, and  also will be updating every wave which is consisted per weeks and per months. 

Here it goes am currently trying it I know its hard, cleaning your pantries with the good stuff is very challenging and at the same time its expensive but its for a good cause.. I will be updating this post in two weeks to go in full detail and also giving more information about the diet. Doing so will avoid a long post and to keep everything in calender dates. Good Luck if you found this interesting  and leave a comment below if your are trying it! I will love feedback from you..

UPDATE!!!!
A couple of months ago before the holiday season was around the corner I was unable to keep this diet from this book.. That didn't meant that it did not work!!!... I will be as honest as possible the fact that bread was being allowed in the diet... I  got too carried away and I need something different I need to try something else... I apologize for not updating...  I just wanted more drastic results...

Summer Scent of The Week With Bath&Body Works!!

The scent of the week, Market Peach is a sweet and subtle fragrance perfect for people that don't like overwhelming scents that can cause  headaches I have been there in certain occasions but this is so fresh and perfect for placing it in the bathroom to give it a clean smell after cleaning.. Looking forward for next week summer scent.. =D

Lush Cosmetics, Dark Angels Exfoliating Cleanser !

I have been loving this amazing exfoliating cleanser by Lush Cosmetics, not only is the best  I have encountered  its also fresh handmade. Not tested on animals, 100% Vegetarian, 83% Vegan 60% Unpreserved  38% Unpackaged . These products are organic made from natural fruits and vegetables.

Dark Angels is my skin regimen that i have added to the list of products am currently using, I have very oily skin in the summer time and am more prone to acne at this time of the year. This product I will recommended from once, twice, or three times per week depending on personal preference. This cleanser is compose of soft black sugar, and charcoal cleanser for oily skin.  These two ingredients are good for in exfoliating the skin and getting rid of the dullness. This product also helps soothing  irritating skin and clamming redness. Another key ingredient is Antimicrobial rhassoul  mud deep cleanser to prevent from any breakouts, so especially for me.. While vitamin rich- cold pressed organic avocado oil nourishes the skin to leave soft and hydrated. The product does what it says and there is no way no one could have an allergic reaction because its 100% organic and people with very sensitive skin can use this. It has a great scent, so the next time you visit your nearest mall or try browsing their site try this cleanser it will be worth the try..  I will also be reviewing another cleanser soon which is by Lush as well but am trying certain products according to my skin regimen. I really enjoyed this cleanser and will be repurchasing it again.. So what is your favorite Lush Product ?

Jenni Rivera Pallete Review !! ..

The Jenni Rivera, eye shadow and blush pallete is one of the most popular products from BH cosmetics. At the website this particular item as been out of stock in several occasions due to the excellent reviews and high quality pigmentation!.

This pallete contains 30 eye shadows and 6 blushes and depending on your skin complexion the lightest blush can be easily use for a highlighter that will leave your skin glowing. I personally think that out of all the products that BH cosmetics have produced by far this is my favorite pallete in my opinion. These eye shadows don't have names or any numbering they are just nicely arranged through a color spectrum. This is a  must have. In several occasions this pallete have been  priced @ 11.00 in particular sales, originally retails @ 24.95. Keep checking daily at www.bhcosmetics.com for sales!.

                                                           SWATCHES !                                                                                                                   
These swatches are use with out a primer!! and look at the highly pigmentation. The shades are the first 15 from the right hand side. They are more earthtones warm shades for an everyday natural look, and for a night out using the deeper shades for those of you that love bronzy shimmering shades, and if you are on a tight budget, try this pallete I know they are tons of palletes that offer the similarity in shades for higher price.

These are the 15 shades on the left. Which are of course the cooler shades from greyish , slivery, blues, frosty taupes, and purples. These are excellent for a sultry smoky eye! I have use this pallete a lot this month and it's very impressing in how many looks you can create with 30 shades for an awesome price. I highly recommend this pallet!. It's just amazing I owe several of the higher end palletes from various brands and these are very comparable to MAC eye shadows and also great dupes for the famous NAKED pallete by urban decay. I know these are not identical but they are similar in hues, shades, and in its finishing texture. I can't express more than enough that this is my go to pallete of the year and great for traveling you have everything you need inculding blushes to save space in your makeup luggage. 

These blushes are the 3 on the right side from light pink to dark pink .

These blushes are the last 3 of the left side from coral, peachy,orange, 

If you are of a darker complexion use the shimmery

orange color as a highlight. I use it on myself because am more of an dark olive complexion. Check out BH cosmetics for more details about this pallete. I guarantee that you will be fully satisfied with the high quality pigmentation. I was not being sponsored by the company to do this review all my thoughts are from using the actual product. Hoping that this review has been helpful for those that were looking in to purchasing it or thought of skipping this I suggest to give a try its worth every penny of it..

This is a look using the bronzy shades with the pink blush 

This is a look using the grey's and blue's 

Bath and Body Works Candle of The Week ! What is your favorite summer scent ?

I will be posting my favorite candle of the week starting now until the end of summer. I took advantage of the sales, bath and body had the past month of June on their semi-annual sale. Each candle retails for 20.00 each for the 3 wick, and the discounted price @10.00 dollars each on selected scents. Passion Flower smells so good and love the color of the packaging pink and purple and lavender are my favorite colors. This particular scents was on sale for 12.00 each cause its part of the best selling scents. Until next week I will be selecting another scent. What's your summer scent this week ?

Jordana's Lip Liner Review !

This is the first time I've purchase something form the Jordana cosmetic line, I believe they are sold only at Walgreens.. These lip liners are so affordable!!. The price of each are 1.99. They are so soft and pigmented. I have heard great reviews from beauty gurus on youtube and finally decided to try them out

Berry Pink, Plush Plum

A Lipstick That Glides Like Butter !!

I recently went to Walgreens a week ago when they were having a 50% off on all Revlon Cosmetics. If I can recall the price of each are 6.99 to 7.99 depending were you purchase them, I had a really hard time trying to select certain shades.. I wanted something that will compliment my skin tone. I stood away from lighter shades, because my lips are already pigmented enough and with the lighter shades my lips are going to look like the living dead sort of thing!  Am so in love with these "Revlon Lip Butter Lipsticks".

Red Velvet, Pink Truffle, Peach Parfait, Sweet Tart.

These Lipsticks are my favorite!! Red velvet is very pigmented from the collection. Pink Truffle is so soft and natural shade good for a natural look or simply when being undecided paring up a lip shade with a very intense smoky eye!. Peach Parfait is a sheer color, Sweet Tart is very nice baby pink. By far these lipstick are the best that I have encountered. Revlon did a pretty nice job naming their new lipsticks because they do glide on like butter, its like a balm that moisturizes the lips, I highly recommend them!!  

Too Faced "The Naked Eye" Counterfeited Review!!

I am truly amazed that one of the most prestigious cosmetic brands are being counterfeited and sold on ebay for half the cost or sold in ridiculously higher prices than its original retail pricing. I recently did a review on another brand that is counterfeited as well.  I strongly believe that these "fake" duplicates come from Asia. These "fake" manufactures are ruining the reputation of one of the most popular brands in the cosmetic industry."How did I found out about this" because I already had an original and the "fake" one was purchase through ebay at a bargain price. On the following images you will see the difference in packaging, quality and the pigmentation's of each pallete side by side. What did i learn from this experience, well that ebay sellers claim to be an original item while it is not and people can be fooled until their item arrives in their own hands and then have a bad impression on the actual company which they did not even manufactured the product!!.  I know for sure that any other company in the marketing business will be upset about "the fake manufactures" that are duplicating their products.

The left the original, On the right the"fake" when I open the package it did not have a box and only had a plastic cover to protect the eye shadows. Looking at the image you can spot immediately the off-quality errors done by the fake manufacture. The original fabric tabs are placed in a different area from the fake. Original is place at the bottom of the pallete, while the duplicate is place at the middle above the ribbons. The colors are similar and one pallete box is higher than the other.

The pallete boxes are in different sizes, one longer than the other at the top where the name of the brand is printed.

Notice the tab where it says Too Faced, the paper is off quality and it looks glued and the paper looks wrinkled  and the eye  which is the main feature of the particular collection is a lot more larger than its original at the bottom.

Notice the difference in the slots where the "How To's" cards are placed for instructions in how to create an eye shadow look.

    Here is another way in how to know when the product is not an original because if it was they will look like twins!!!

       The color of the robes and tassels at the bottom are a different shade of black.

 The original will have a sticker that is made in bulk and assembled in Dominican Republic, and the duplicate does not have one. Also the image of the founder of the cosmetic brand are different colors of sepia one is more blueish tint than the other.

While the "fake one" its a new pallete and the shade pillow talk is not even filled properly.

The pans on the larger eye shadows are not aligned and the shade birthday suit have a pink undertone and its shimmery. When the original shade is a soft taupe that is a matte with a soft sheen.

The pans of the real one looks even smooth of color.

The shade at the bottom the third row which is stiletto are similar but not the same color. The real is black with little sparks. Stiletto on the "fake" one is more of a grayish black.

These cards which are the "How TO's" to show in three steps in how to create an eye shadow look from each row. The color of the cards are very different one is darker with a different texture of paper and it has a shiny finish. While the original is a pretty pale pink color with no shiny paper finish.

These are the swatches from the first row, the original being on the bottom and the fake being on the top.The textures are very different.  The fake is more chalky and original are more blendable and smooth.  The images on the swatches are not used with primer.

These are the swatches from the original

Shades in the "fake"  which is the same row 

I did random swatches for the purpose to spot the differences in shades, pigmentation and quality. My online shopping has been horrible on ebay am not trying to down grade the web site by any means, but perhaps they should take action on dishonest sellers and their trickery in the description of the item being original and authentic. I did further investigation in how they can get a hold of these duplicates and they could contact a manufacture in China which produces fake MAC cosmetics as well, and they have a warehouse probably that is all i know for now.  I will contact Too Faced to let them know about this and  I will be more than happy to send them my fake pallete to track down the jerks that are duplicating their products. I hope that you found interest in my blog ...   Hoping that no one else gets scam as  I did.......... 

The Balm's Nudetude Pallete being counterfeited on non-authorized sites

I was very amazed on a previous purchase I made online recently. I purchase the Balm's nudtude pallete from ebay for a much lesser price. I was so excited to find this product half the cost of a retail price. Little did I know that it is was a fake pallete.

 As you can see on the image above the duplicate is identical as the original below

There is a difference in both palletes. Anyone perhaps will not notice these details that can be red flags in spotting a counterfeited pallete. The colors are similar in the front of the pallete the fake one is the first image is a lot yellow tint, and the original it has a different undertone. 

The image above is a shot of what the fake pallete looks inside but this particular image, will spot the errors that were made when duplicating, if you notice on the shade name Schitzo,

Now take a look at this one on the right same shot of the original pallete the shade is called Seductive. That is one way in how to notice the detailing.

These are the swatches from the fake pallete (the frist image). The quality is so poor that they are not even vibrant, the texture is sort of soft but chalky and the blending is so horrible that you can't get a good color payoff.

These are swatches from the original pallete. The difference absolutely stands out, the colors are more pigmented, vibrant,smooth, and of course blendable.

Notice the area for the brush applicator is a lot wider around the top. As well as the colors vibrancy from a far snap.

These colors on the second image are a lot more bolder and smoother. and also the ribbon from the first image is longer and is made out of a cheaper fabric material. As compared from the bottom one is shorter without being shedding from the bottom. 

The purpose for this article is to warn the beauty community to be careful when purchasing cosmetics online from website that offer the product for half the cost. As the economy is in horrible position now, everyone is searching for a good bargain,and that is understandable! but is safer to purchase this product from The Balm's official website that any others out there like ebay!!  I will not be using the fake one because i don't know what kind of ingredients they might have used.. especially could have been tested on animals.I hope that is information was helpful to everyone.. 

Updated Review:

I have found and did some research about the counterfeiting products and where the seller's from ebay get their wholesale  www.aliexpress.com.