Review/First Impression: NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat Powder Foundation

A Review/First Impression on NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat Powder Foundation


Hey Everyone!


I hope you guys are doing well! I decided to do a product review/first impression on the powder foundation from NYX called "Stay Matte but Not flat" I got mine from Rickys, but they also sell this on Ulta, which you can get (here) 
My product cost about $9.50 in Rickys, and on Ulta, it's being sold for $9.99. 

**DISCLAIMER** These are the details Ulta claims about the product (NOT MINE) My opinion and thoughts will be later on in the post!

"NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation:

Powder foundation duo that provides perfect, full coverage and an on-trend matte finish

Oil-free formulation is designed for all skin types

Available in a range of gorgeous shades that flatter a variety of skin tones with a flawless finish

Get the matte finish that features effortless, natural-looking hues to help you achieve a flawless complexion

The Stay Matte Not Flat Powder Foundation comes in a variety of gorgeous shades that provide the perfect finish to flatter all skin tones!"

This product is: (0.26 oz.)

**Another Disclaimer** 
I forgot to post a before picture, but I ended up snapping one after I removed my makeup. The only thing I kept on was my eyebrows filled in and mascara, everything else is all me.






Before:

Yes, I have a huge zit/pimple -_- but, I figured this would be a great way to test this powder foundation out and see what kind of coverage this has. :) 

After Application:

*I apologize in advance if I look really sleepy, I woke up extremely early and had to run errands for the day. 

This is only with the Powder Foundation, Flash Photography and NO Edits! 

I wanted to be completely honest with you guys, as I should and always will be! My thoughts putting this powder foundation on was that I noticed how Medium/Full Coverage it was, it definitely helped somewhat conceal my pimple (as you can see in the photo above). It doesn't look cakey on my face at all (I have oily/combo skin, by the way!) It looks very natural to me. Based on the photo I feel like my skin looks "flawless" and "airbrushed" I actually like the finish of this foundation. In my opinion I wouldn't say its mainly "matte", I feel like the finish of this foundation is satin. It doesn't have a wide variety of different shades which is a con of this product. I got mine in the color "soft beige" hoping this would match my skin tone, and to be honest it's a pinch size darker than my actual skin tone, but it's not horrible at all, and I can manage it.

This is after I applied the rest of my makeup. My camera quality doesn't do it justice, but in person my blush, bronzer, and highlight showed well on top of the foundation. I applied this foundation at 12:15PM

7 hours in total after application:

This is how the NYX Stay Matte Not Flat Powder Foundation held up. It was 7:15PM in the evening, and I feel like the foundation held up pretty well. My Bronzer/Blush/Highlight stayed on which is a plus in my book. My skin still looks very good actually, the coverage still looks great and flawless. It did continue to conceal my pimple after the full 7 hours, which I can't believe, because I thought it was going to rub off, but it didn't and that was very shocking to me. I never re-applied the foundation at all! The only problem I had with it was that I did get really oily around my T-Zone, but mainly my nose area. It doesn't look that bad at all in my opinion, but if I blotted my nose, or added a bit more powder than the foundation would continue looking great.

Overall, I actually love this powder foundation. It gives me great coverage, it doesn't feel heavy on my face at all, the powder is very light and doesn't make me look "cake faced." The only thing I would tell you Dry faced ladies is to stay away from this powder foundation, only because it would cling onto the dry patches on your skin and may make you look really cakey. Although, you can get away with using this foundation as your setting powder, but with a light hand! ;) For you oily girls, this foundation will also be good on you, just make sure you add setting powder or setting spray after you apply this foundation, because you might get oily in the areas you usually get oily in, like I did on my T-Zone. I hope this post was somewhat helpful to you guys if you guys were considering getting this product. As always, leave comments and suggestions you would like to see on my next blog post. 

**These opinions and thoughts were 100% truthful, and no way shape or form trying to sell this product nor bash it neither. I'm just sharing my opinion on a product that I tried out for the first time, and honestly ended up liking it. If you had tried this powder foundation out, let me know what your thoughts are :) 

BESOS XO, Kristina

DIY: Glitter Eye Liner

DIY GLITTER EYELINER WITH JUST 2 EASY PRODUCTS!


Hey Everyone! 


So Glitter Eyeliner seems to be popular in the beauty world lately, huh? If you're contemplating on buying one and you're on a tight budget, no worries! You can do a Glitter Liner yourself with just 2 simple products! I figured I'd do a DIY (Do it yourself) mini project for all you makeup and glitter lovers that don't want to spend on an item that might be expensive to you, wasteful, or just not sure if you're going to like it. Doing this DIY will be the ultimate test for you, and yet it's so simple to do. I don't think I will ever buy Glitter Eyeliner ever again! 



So the things you will need are:

• Any Glitter you have (make sure it's glitter makeup, because if it's an arts and crafts one it can be harmful to the eyes)
• Eyelash glue
• A eye liner brush

Here's how you do it:

• First, squeeze out a little bit of eye lash glue on to your hand
• Place some eyelash glue on your brush
• Draw a line (as thin or as thick as you want. whatever you're comfortable with!) either from the middle of your lid, outer, or your whole eye; and draw as if you're doing a "cat eye"
• Grab a clean brush and dip your brush into the glitter, and dab on top of the eyelash glue where you placed onto your eyelid above your cat eye (Do this quick, because the eye lash glue dries quick)
• If the eyelash glue dries, you can always re-apply some more and go on with the step before this one.
• After you're done with dabbing the glitter onto the area where the eyelash glue is, let it set and dry for a minute.
• When it's completely dry, go back with you're black eyeliner and fix up any mess or mistakes you made with the glitter, and if you have gone over your black liner by mistake!
• Wa-lah, and you're done! ;)

Here's my example:

Products used: L'Oreal Infallible Laquer Liner, DUO eyelash adhesive, NYX Glitter (put it into a little pot I bought from Michaels Craft store), NYC Liquid Eyeliner, Eyeliner brush, and angled liner brush. 

Step one has the eyelash glue on top of my liner, and Step two is the final product from dabbing the glitter on top of the eyelash glue.

**You don't necessarily have to do a cat eye and a glitter liner above it, you can always just do a cat eye with the "DIY Glitter Liner" as your main eyeliner**

Finished Product^. **Sorry for bad quality guys :( **

I hope this was somewhat helpful to you if you're looking into glitter eyeliners or just want to be crafty one day and want to try something new! I know some glitter eyeliners have that formula that may burn your eye a little (It's happened to me unfortunately) With this little mini DIY, it was fun to do, and very simple. It's very easy to take off as well. So don't worry you guys ;) As always, leave comments and suggestions on what blogpost you would like to see next. <3

XOXO BESOS Kristina

Favorite Fall Lipsticks ♡

My Favorite Fall Lipsticks 


Hey Everyone!

Since Fall is already pretty much here, I figured I show you lovelies my favorite fall lipsticks. I always gravitate towards the dark lipsticks, whether it be any color. It only makes sense right? ;) I will forever be a "Nude Lipstick wearer" I can't get away from my nudes I have to admit. However, when I feel like I want a pop of color for the appropriate weather, I always grab my fall lippys which are more on the dark red and purple side. Most of the lipsticks I have down below are all drugstore except for one, which is a MAC lipstick. I love drugstore lipsticks because they have such a wide variety of colors to chose from. Not only that, but they're very inexpensive and they have a great formula like some high end lipsticks. The colors I chose for this blog post were very hard to choose from, only because I have a huge collection of lipsticks, but I chose about 8 lipsticks for you guys to see. :)

As you can see from all these lipsticks they're pretty much "creamy" or on the "sheen" side. I would say about 3 of them are more on the matte side maybe even a satin finish, which are the wet n wild lipsticks and the revlon colorburst. 

Here are the swatches with their name next to their swatch:

Down below I will list the lipsticks and where to get them:

Black Opal True Color in "black current" you can get at your local duane reade

Wet N Wild in "Cherry Bomb 918D" you can get at your local duane reade

MAC Lipstick in "Rebel" you can get (here)

Milani Lipstick in "Sangria" you can get (here)

Milani Lipstick in "Black Cherry" you can get (here)

Maybelline Lipstick in "Midnight Plum" you can get in your local duane reade/rite aid

Wet N Wild in "919B" you can get at your local duane reade

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Shameless" you can get (here)

And there you have it. These were my favorite fall lipsticks, and I hope this blog post was somewhat helpful as in where to get them and what kind of formula they have. As always, leave comments on suggestions of a blog post you would like to see next. 

BESOS XO Kristina

How To: Fix your broken Makeup/Powders with only ONE Ingredient

Hey Everyone!!




Have you ever felt so devastated when you broke one of your favorite makeup powders like an eyeshadow, highlighter, bronzer, etc? Well with just one simple ingredient you can fix that and it'll be just as brand new! 





Here's my example: (Using The Balms Mary-Loumanizer)

Alcohol is your main ingredient and the ONLY ingredient you will need to fix your powders. Amazing right? :)

*yes I spelled alcohol wrong, forgive me? lol :)

So what I do is:

• Pour some alcohol on the broken areas
• Let the alcohol sit and absorb the powder for 5 seconds
• Smooth with your fingers or a makeup brush 
• Let the powder air dry overnight

It's that easy. I love this idea because it's so quick and easy to do. You would have never thought this will be one way to fix your powders! And I'm glad I shared it with you guys. If you didn't know about this, now you know :) 

Here's another product (NARS Albatross Highlighter) I used to fix with Alcohol:

This is with the alcohol sitting in the powder for 5 seconds

Final Result:

Thanks for viewing my blog post lovelies, I hope I taught you something new and can fix your problems. If you tried this, let me know how you feel about this trick. As always, leave suggestions and comments on what you would like to see me post next. 

BESOS XO Kristina

September Faves ♡

Check Out my September Favorites♡!


Hey Everyone, 
So I wanted to show you guys my favorite items such as makeup, hair stuff, skin stuff, books, etc. for the month of September. I will be doing my favorites every month, it could either be the same things or new things I discover. I love seeing other peoples favorites for the month, and this is why I decided to share my favorites with ya'll! :) 

These have been my favorite skin care products for the month of September

• The Clean & Clear acne spot treatment has been my life saver this month. I have been breaking out tremendously and this has been my favorite product to help with my breakouts. I squeeze a teeny bit on my finger, and place it on the spot that I know will grow into a pimple and on the pimples that already have been there. I kid you not, I wake up the next day and see the spots go down and are prevented from growing into a nasty pimple. It's the best, you need this in your life!
• The Origins Ginzing refreshing eye cream has been sent from the heavens up above, lol! This is another great product I've come across. At first, I was skeptical on it because I thought it wasn't going to do anything and for the price too....Um it's a little on the expensive side. I believe it was $32. Yeah I know, I'm crazy that I bought this little jar for under my eyes. BUT, I actually underestimated this eye cream, and it has been helping with my designer bags girl! (lol) and depuffing under my eyes too! It really has brightened under my eyes and I'm so obsessed. I use this everynight. It says to use either AM or PM, but I figured using this at night will help work the product even more. Only because, you're resting at night and not doing anything. So doing this before bed, allows this product to really work! *Just a tip for you lovelies! :)
• The Smith's Rosebud Salve has been so good for my lips. I have used other lip balms, and they aren't as moisturizing as this one. I use this every night and wake up with this still on my lips. This stuff leaves my lips so smooth and I just adore this. FYI: a little goes a long way. I had this lip balm for about a year and I still have more than enough inside! 

As far as Body products:

This Body lotion is from LUSH and it smells divine! It leaves my skin feeling so soft and smells extra yummy too. Your body smells like custard, and if you're the type to like vanilla and sweet scents, then you'll love this lotion! I promise you! I have been using this everyday for the month of september and I'm almost running out :( I definitely have to purchase another one, it's just that good!

I rarely put on much makeup everyday, but when I do, these products are the ones I've been gravitating towards and nothing else. This whole month my lips were nude and glossy and that's just been my everyday look. 

• Jordanas Lip liner in Tawny is just UGH, my favorite nude/pink lipliner I use everyday with almost any lip color. Ever since I've been introduced to this by Carli Bybel, I have been obsessed with this lipliner! Thanks Carlli! :) To me, it's the perfect nude/pink lipliner you can own, and for the price too? #Winning! I believe it costs $2 at your local drugstore. 
• TooFaced Better than sex mascara helps with volumizing and lengthening my lashes beautifully. I'm always reaching for this mascara other than my other ones that I own! The finish of this mascara is also great. I just luvs it OK :)
• The Color Your Smile Gerard Cosmetics Lipglosses are everything to me! They are so creamy and pigmented. These two colors are: "Nude" & "Buttercream" Like I said before, this month has been all about a nude lip, and these two I have been using all the time. These two lippys over the jordana lipliner is the perfect combo! ;)
• BITE beauty lip pencil in Honey Berry has been my go-to nude lipstick. It's so creamy, has a matte finish, but it's not drying on the lips, and very pigmented. I just love the way this looks and feels on my lips. 

As far as Face products, I have been using these guys. 

• Mac Blush in Melba has always been one of my faves. I had stopped using this blush for a while, but I saw this in my collection and had to use it again. It has such a pretty peachy glow on your cheeks. It's such a nice color for medium-dark skin tones. It just makes you look healthy :)
• My Benefit Hoola Bronzer is one of my favorite bronzers of all time. This bronzer gives my skin LIFE! It doesn't make you look muddy/dirty. It has a nice bronzy look to it. It's also great for contouring as well! I've already hit pan, and I'm going to make another purchase. I just love this bronzer. And again, I had stopped using this for a while, but came across it again and haven't stopped using it ever since. 
• The Balms Mary-Loumanizer. Do I need to say more? This highlighter gives me LIFE. Tha'ts.Just.It. If you would like to see a review on this check it out (here)

So I came across these Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nail polishes. I actually like this stuff. These colors are all I've been using this month. They have the same finish as a Gel manicure would, but without using the UV-light which is more safe. The colors from left to right are: Birthday suit, Dig Fig, & Creme de la Creme. The last nail polish is the top coat, after 2 coats of the color you use, you use this top coat to add a shiny finish to it. So far, I like this product and it has been very good to me this month :)

Something different for ya'll. This book is so good that I had to include it in my september faves. "This is how you lose her" by Junot Diaz is such a great read. It's an urban book about different stories of people relationship and how they realized they messed up etc. If you're a book worm and don't know what to read, I recommend this book. It's fun to read too, and you can relate to some of the stories. 

My favorite songs of the month are:

New Flame- Chris Brown ft. Usher, Rick Ross
*I've been obsessed with this song, such a good song to vibe to.

Travesuras Remix- Nicky Jam ft. De La Ghetto, J Balvin, Zion & Arcangel 

*If you like reggaeton, UM Check this out. You're Welcome ;)

Eres Mia- Romeo Santos

*I swear I'm a Batchatero, Lol. Love this song. If you like batchata, check this out too ;)

Drunk Texting- Chris Brown ft. Jhene Aiko 

*UGH UGH UGH. Love this song! 

My Favorite Shows:

• Scandal (This show is just.........#obsessed. Fitz and Olivia are my OTP, just saying!)
• How To Get Away With Murder (It just started and I'm already obsessed, Shonda Rhimes is the real MVP!) 
• Total Divas
• Resurrection
• & F.R.I.E.N.D.S (Can't go wrong with an old series. Friends will always make me laugh and I'm so happy they play it on nick at night. I literally watch this show every night!)

:)

Thanks for your time reading this post, I hope this was somewhat entertaining. And let me know what your favorites are! I would love to know! As always, leave any suggestions on a post you would like to see next and comment below! 

BESOS XO Kristina

How: I Wash & Deep Clean my Makeup brushes

Makeup Brush Washing/Deep Clean Routine:

Hey Everyone!

I know we all don't like to gather all our brushes and wash them all together. Especially if you're a Makeup junkie, and have loads of brushes! BUT, sometimes we have to wash our brushes every now and then. This is because the more you use your brushes with the makeup you're using, it can carry a lot of bacteria onto your brushes. If you reuse them everyday, all of the bacteria can gather up and break you out like crazy. (It's happened to me before) I can admit I don't wash my brushes every now and then, but when I do, I make sure to wash them and leave them sparkly clean to use again. :)
*Now for a little disclaimer, In this blog post I give you an example of how I wash my brushes, but I didn't use ALL my brushes, I only washed the ones I use on a daily basis*

When I wash my brushes and want to get through them quickly I just use:

This solid bar is amazing for brushes and beauty blenders. All you pretty much do is swirl your brushes/beauty blender on the soap and instantly it'll remove the makeup on your brushes, and then you rinse the soap off thoroughly. You can get it (here)

When I want to deep clean/condition my brushes I use:

• Solid Bar
• Baby Shampoo or gentle clarifying shampoo 
• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

*Why I use coconut oil?
Well, coconut oil is great for so many reasons. Placing your brushes in coconut oil can hydrate the brushes and make them softer again. Most brushes do need a deep conditioning "treatment." This is because, the many times you do wash your brushes it can dry out the bristles of the brushes and can make them fall out or not useful at all. Especially if some of your brushes are on the "higher end" side and you paid lots of money for it. You do want to keep them in good condition right? Therefore, coconut oil is perfect for when you are washing your brushes. 

The steps I use:

1. Place a bowl filled with some coconut oil, enough for your brushes to sit and soak up the coconut oil, like the photo on the side. (You can also use olive oil, for it has the same reasons as coconut oil). 
2. Let the brushes sit with the coconut oil for about 2 minutes.
3. Grab your Baby shampoo or gently clarifying shampoo.
4. Place the soap/shampoo on the palm of your hand.
5. Swirl your brush in the palm of your hands and gently take some of the makeup off.
6. Rinse the brush tip under running water.
7. Use a cloth to dry and reshape the bristles.
8. Place your brush on a towel or cloth, and lay them flat so they can air dry.

Now if you're using your solid bar, all you have to do is swirl your brush on the soap bar and it'll instantly take the makeup right off your brush/beauty blender. 

And there you have it! You're brushes are all sparkly clean! There are special brush shampoos/soap to use (like the solid bar from blender cleanser), but if you want a cheaper alternative, gently clarifying shampoo or baby shampoo will do the same job! :)

As always, leave comments and any suggestions on what you will like to see next on a blog post! 

BESOS XOXO Kristina

Deep conditioning hair care routine

Current Hair Care Routine:

Hey everyone! 
It is very important for myself that I always maintain and keep my hair very healthy. Therefore, I will share with you guys what I use on my hair to keep it nice and healthy. I will show you guys what I use when I, shower, the Deep conditioners that I made myself, a shine spray after I style my hair using heat, and a leave in conditioner for when I air dry my hair and use no heat at all. My hair is naturally wavy/curly. I prefer the term "Soft curls", but I'm always using a blow dryer and a flat iron to straighten my hair. Yes, I know that's not the greatest thing, but I always make sure to use a heat protectant spray. I use TRESemme Heat Protectant Spray before I use any powerful heat on my hair. Down below I will show you the products I use on my hair.

This is my "Deep Conditioner" routine that I made myself using Organic Virgin Coconut Oil and Castor Oil to hydrate my hair and help grow it out thicker and faster. I do this deep conditioning every week. (Fridays) 

Coconut oil is said to help with:

• Hair loss
• Hair damage
• Cooling properties
• Moisture Retention
• Hair Conditioning
• Hair care for dry hair
• and Split ends 

Castor oil is said to help with:

• Hair growth
• Improves with circulation
• Controls split ends
• Prevents hair loss
• and Moistures scalp

How did I create the deep conditioner?: 

So the first thing I do is get an empty jar. (Take any jar that you have, preferably a mason jar, it worked best for me.) You can get those in a craft store. I got mine at Michael's Craft store for $1.50 each. Take about a half a cup of coconut oil and a half a cup of castor oil. Mix together and Waa-laaa you have your deep conditioner! It's Very simple and easy to make. 

Now to apply to hair: You take a teaspoon of the mixture, apply to your finger tips, and rub on your scalp. I would rub on your scalp for about 3 minutes (massage your head with the conditioner) and apply to the tips of your hair, to contain moisture and prevent split ends. 

After I applied everything to where they're supposed to be, I leave the deep conditioner in my hair for about an hour. I usually put on a shower cap to let the mixture really hydrate my hair and preventing any air from going in on my scalp. When the hour is up, I go and take a shower and use these two items to wash my hair: 

I got this shampoo bar on iherb.com (just search J.R Liggets Shampoo bar)

J.R Liggets Shampoo bar with coconut and Aragon oil is amazing for my hair. It really works wonders! When I'm washing my hair off, especially if I have the oils in my hair, I wash my hair about 3x. I'm only washing my scalp and the ends of my hair with the shampoo bar. I'll have a more in depth review on the shampoo bar in another blog post. (So stay tuned for that!) Then I go in with my favorite "deep conditioner" which is L'Oreal Total repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm. The texture of the erasing-balm feels like butter and smells AMAZING. I grab some with my finger tips and I put this on the ends of my hair and leave it in for 3 minutes. Then I rinse off and I'm done with the my routine of washing my hair. If I'm going to blow dry my hair and straighten it with a flat iron, I use: 

Moroccan Argan oil weightless healing dry oil only on the ends of my hair to keep them hydrated for the rest of the day. I use only about one spray, because honestly a little goes a long way, and run my fingers through the ends of my hair. This is one of my favorite dry oils to use on my hair, because it's light weight and really keeps the ends of my hair shiny, and looking healthy.

When I usually don't straighten my hair, and let my hair air dry I use: 

Cantu's Shea Butter leave in conditioning repair cream. This stuff is great! Not only it smells yummy, it leaves my hair so soft and makes my curls look beautiful. So ladies, if you want to hydrate your curls, this is what you need in your life! I only grab a few product on my finger tips, run it through my hair focusing more on the ends of my hair, and scrunch it to make it curl better and easier. I usually don't like to put this on the top of my hair only because I have oily hair, and using this will make the top of my hair very oily, and that's not cute! So I avoid using it at the top of my hair and focus on the middle-bottom of my hair. Again, a little goes a long way with this because it's very thick so what I also do is take some and add a bit of water to thin out the thickness of the product and then apply to the areas I need it most. 

So this is pretty much my deep conditioning hair care routine that I do every week. All of the products I got were from the drugstore besides the J.R Liggets Shampoo bar. I listed below the photo where I got it! I hope this post was helpful for some of you, comment below if you have tried any of these products and tell me what you think of them! :) & If you want a post on how I keep my hair long, just comment below and let me know! Thanks so much for viewing my blog! And always leave me any suggestions you would like to see me post next! :)

Besos, XO Kristina