A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

11/29/12

Where Have I Been?



Check out this video to find out why I haven't been uploading as frequently to my YouTube channel =)

I started a new job, as you know, so I haven't had much time to film/edit/upload videos, thus why you have seen an influx in blog posts the past few weeks!

Liz
11/27/12

NEW Defining Eyes Palette by Tiffany D

Sigma Beauty has come out with a new makeup palette, just in time for the holidays! This palette was a collaboration between Sigma Beauty and Beauty Expert Tiffany D.
Product information

 This palette comes with :

  • 8 eye shadows, 
  • 2 gel liners, 
  • a dual ended brush 
  •  a dual ended eye liner


The cost of the palette is $55 dollars.
It is a limited-edition palette, so it is available until supplies last.

Use Code 'TIFFANY' to save $6 dollars at checkout!

 I could see this palette being used on an everyday basis because of the color selection,as well as it's multi-uses! I am obsessed with the colors in this palette and the packaging is gorgeous!

 To purchase this palette go to Sigma's website http://www.sigmabeauty.com

Liz


*This post is not sponsored. Some of the above links are affiliate links. 
11/25/12

Cyber Monday Sales!

Here is a list of sales I have complied that are occurring on Cyber Monday, that I thought would be helpful for all you online shoppers. Ulta by far has the BEST sales that I have found!


  • Best Buy - Free Shipping on everything
  • DSW - $15 off $74 dollar purchase
  • eBags.com - 30% off + Free Shipping through 11/26
  • Express - $60 Off $150 dollar purchase
  • GAP, Banana Republic and Old Navy - 30% off with code CYBER ends 11/26
  • Garage - 40% off with code CYBER40
  • Kay's - Free Overnight Shipping
  • Kohl's - 20% off + free shipping with code CYBER20
  • Laura Mercier - Free Shipping, end 11/26
  • LuLu*s - Extra 40% off sale items with code Cyber, ends 11/26
  • Madewell - 25% off and free shipping with code TREAT (restrictions)
  • Nautica - 40% off with code THANKS12, end 11/27
  • New York & Company  - Everything 50-75% off & Free Shipping
  • Origins - $10 Off + Free shipping on orders of $25 or more with code TENOFF
  • Sephora - Free shipping over $25 with code SHIPNOW through 11/28
  • Steve Madden - 20% off $100 dollar purchase  + Free Shipping with code WINTER20
  • Tommy Hilfiger - 20% off everything with code TOMMYNOV20
  • TOMS - $5 off $25 dollar purchase or more with code TOMS5THANKS
  • Ulta - Free shipping over $25 with code HOLIDAY2012; FREE Beauty Bag with $35 dollar purchase (includes samples & coupons); 30% off TIGI products; 25% off pur minerals products; Buy 2 Get 1 Free Butter London ; 20% off Fekkai; 25% off ALL The Body Shop; 25% off Ulta  Holiday Kits;  20% off CHI Liquids; $79.95 CHI Ceramic Iron; 20% off AHAVA; 25% off All Hydroxatone skincare; 20% off all StriVectin skincare; $39.99 Hot Tools 1/2" Keratin Flat Iron; $10 off any $50 dollar purchase; $20 off any $100 dollar purchase
Some websites will not release any sale information until Cyber Monday, therefore I couldn't list the information here.

Will you be doing any cyber monday shopping?

- Liz

*Sales found on http://www.cybermonday.com/ or the companies websites
I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned



11/24/12

Christmas Wishlist - Sephora

These are a few goodies I would like to pick up from Sephora this year because the makeup brands always come out with incredible sets for the holiday season.

screenshot of my Shopping List on Sephora.com
  1. Origins Skincare Must Haves
  2. Fresh Sugar Berry Merriment Set
  3. Tarte Perfect Curler and Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes
  4. Sephora by OPI Perfect Pair Nail Colour Set
  5. Sephora by OPI Tinsel Town Four Piece Set
  6. Fresh Fresh Eyes Lash-Loving Duo
  7. Urban Decay Naked Palette(not shown)
What's on your wishlist from Sephora this year?

Liz


11/23/12

Sigma Beauty FREE SHIPPING


If you are looking to buy gifts for a friend or loved one this holiday season, take advantage of Sigma's free shipping deal this Black Friday!
The code works from Thursday November 22 12AM CST through Friday November 23 11:59PM CST
(East Coast time is Thursday Nov. 22 1AM - Saturday Nov 23 12:59AM)
You can enter the code at the time of checkout
The free shipping is valid for First Class shipping only
Only one code can be applied per order
You cannot combine the code with any other discount codes
Please allow additional shipping time for orders due to the high volume of sales

You can place your order on Sigma Beauty's website http://www.sigmabeauty.com

Happy Shopping!
Liz

11/22/12

I Am Thankful For...



Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Today is Thanksgiving is America and I thought I would share with you what I am most thankful for this year.


  1. I am thankful for my family. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today.
  2. I am thankful for my friends. They support me in all my decisions and I am forever grateful for that.
  3. I am thankful that I have a warm home. Many people are homeless or without heat, so I am thankful I can stay warm on a cold night.
  4. I am thankful for food. Many people get maybe a handful of rice for a day and I am thankful to be able to have three meals a day.
  5. I am thankful for clean water. I am thankful to have clean water to bathe in and drink.
  6. I am thankful for the little things in life that make me happy, music, books, and even a cup of coffee.
  7. I am thankful for the support of the people who read my blog, watch my videos, follow my tweets or my tumblr.
What are you thankful for?

Liz
11/18/12

Quick Update

I just wanted to let everybody know that this week I am starting a new full time job, so it will be a lot more difficult to work on blog posts as well as videos for my YouTube channel. My goals for videos and blog posts are as follows: two videos a week and 1-2 blog posts a week. I managed to do this earlier this fall when I took a temporary position and it worked out pretty darn good. I usually like to pre-film videos on weekends and work on blog posts at night, if I have the time.

I also would like to continue the upload schedule I put in my place on channel before, where I would upload videos on Tuesdays and Thursday, so if that sounds like a good idea, I will continue to do that with my videos.

If you have any requests from me, for a video or a blog post, please leave them in the comments section below or feel free to contact me on any of my social media sites!

-Liz

11/16/12

Friday Favorites 11/16/12

This is going to be a new series of posts where I go over some of my favorite products of the week!

I haven't been wearing a lot of makeup for the post month and a half because I haven't been working but I start a new job on November 20th !! I will be working for a local hospital and I will working for the IT department as an Application Specialist. I will be working full-time, so I won't be able to work on videos and/or blog posts as much.

Anyways, now on to my two favorites of the week!

The first is an eye shadow from my Sleek makeup palette in The Original 594. I received this palette in a makeup swap I did with Louise over the summer.

My favorite is the one circled. It is really pretty burnt orange color and I love wearing it all over the lid (it doesn't have a name or number).

My second favorite is a color from my Kat Von D Saint Palette. The picture looks really messy because these eyeshadows are so shimmery! They are extremely pigmented too!

The color I have been using the most from this palette is the shade Downtown, can you see a trend? These two colors are both similar to MAC's All That Glitters.

What are your beauty favorites of the week?

-Liz

*not sponsored

11/15/12

Sigma Holiday Gift Guide (Under $50!)

Christmas is little over six weeks away, so it is time to start thinking and buying gifts for your loved ones! Here are some great ideas to spend for under $50.00 dollars from Sigma Beauty.

1)  Gift Card/ Gift Certificate
A gift card is perfect because it allows your friends and/or family members to buy what they want! You can load it with $50, $100 or even $200 hundred dollars! This is perfect for somebody who already has a few Sigma products and is looking to grow their collection!

These palettes are a great for any of your loved ones who is a makeup fanatic, such as myself ;)
Each palette lets your create a different look and for  $39.00 dollars, you can't beat the price!



This kit contains four of Sigma's face brushes, which are supposed to mimic the motion of your fingertips when applying makeup. This kit does cost $54.00 dollars but it costs with four amazing brushes!


This handy little bag is perfect for traveling! It has two pouches to hold your various makeup items, as well as a handle for carrying! It currently costs $25.00 dollars and come in two color options black or blue

To purchase any of the products mentioned, head over to the Sigma Beauty website http://www.sigmabeauty.com

Sigma also currently has a discount code available! Use code DEC2012 through December 31st, 2012 to receive 10% off your entire purchase!

-Liz

*Some of the above links are affiliate links. This post is not sponsored.





11/14/12

My Owl Obsession!

We all know that owls have been quite trendy this fall season and I am just one of those people who love owl decor!
Here are these few things I own that are owl related:

1) My owl candle - this was given to me recently as a gift

2) My owl cookie jar - My sister gave this to me last year as a Christmas gift! I don't store cookies in it but I usually keep some snacks or candy in it =)
 3) My owl hand cream - My mom gave this to me as a gift (I forgot if it was for my birthday or Christmas) and it has a hand cream inside it. She said she bought it at a local store.
 4) My owl ring - My sister got this for me as a Christmas present last year, I think and it so cute! It has a stretchy band which is uncomfortable so I don't wear it a lot but I still love it! I believe it is from Aeropostale.
5) My blog background! I found this background on Google and fell in love with it! It is also the background for my twitter account :)


What do you have an obsession with?
-Liz




11/13/12

Welcome to the new home of my blog!

For those of you who are seeing this for the first time, welcome to my blog! I am a beauty and lifestyle blogger who goes by the username lizlovesmakeupx3!

For those of you who want to know why I made the switch to blogger, well here is your answer:
I originally used blogger for hosting but saw that wordpress was really cool and more flexible. So I switched to wordpress about a year ago and stayed for quite some time. I decided that I didn't want to use wordpress any more because I wasn't looking to host my blog on a server, I didn't want to pay for it and, wordpress doesn't work with Google AdSense.
I was also frustrated with wordpress because in order to customize your blog ie the background, you would either have to have it hosted or pay quite a bit to use a customizable theme. Blogger lets you do all those things and it's completely free!
I also find Blogger a lot easier to use now that it has been completely revamped!

Let me know what you think!


If you are looking to start a blog and can't decide what host to use, check out this article.

-Liz


11/8/12

Glitter and Ice: Holiday Makeup Look

Today's post is a holiday makeup look featuring the NYC Individual Eyes Palette in Dark Shadows.

This palette is great for creating holiday looks because it features shimmery silvers and grays.

NYC Individual Eyes



It features a shimmery white color, a light gray, a dark gray and  a dark shimmery gray, which is almost black.

It also comes with a primer and illuminizer, which I was not found of either.



side view

Here is the look I created using this palette!

I started with the light gray color and did a light wash all over the lid. Then I took the darker gray and put that in the outer corner of the lid. Third, I took the darkest gray and used this as my crease color. I used my Sigma E40 brush to blend all the colors together. I used the white color as my highlight and applied this with my Sigma E60 brush. I also used the darkest color to line my upper lash line. I used my Sigma E65 to apply the shadow for my liner.

I suggest when using this palette to put a piece of tape below the eye and next to the eye because these shadows have a lot of fallout from their dry texture and glitter.

close up view

This is a closer view of the eye look.
P.S. Ignore my eyebrows, I messed them up a while ago and need to let them grow back in

I really like how this look turned out and I can see myself wearing this look for New Years Eve.

Check out more products by NYC by going to their website, http://newyorkcolor.com/

-Liz

*Influenster provided the NYC Palette for review purposes. Some of the above links are affiliate links.
11/6/12

Sign and Save Lives - Guest Post

Guest post by Lynn


My name is Lynn, I’m 60 years old and I’d like to share my son’s illness with you all to try and help you understand the predicament thousands of others like my son are faced with next year, regarding DWP Benefit Reform for the sick and disabled.

My youngest son aged 40 has suffered from Paranoid Schizophrenia and emotional instability Personality Disorder since the age of 18. I have lived the illness with my son, the highs, the lows, and numerous hospital admissions over the years. My son had another very bad psychotic breakdown in August 2010, which resulted in a section 3 of the Mental Health Act and he has been in hospital care for 2 years this time.

Although my son is nearly 40 years old, mentally he is only 15, he is immature and extremely vulnerable and easily exploited. Therefore needs much support and care when living in the community.

My son, like thousands like him, who suffer from a Severe and Enduring mental health problem, has no voice when it comes to the DWP or ATOS, he like others wouldn’t be able cope with being interviewed next year 2013 when the Disability Living Allowance changes to Personal Independence Payment and he has to be assessed by DWP.  He, again like many others, who suffer severe mental illness, doesn’t believe he is ill, and just wants to be left alone.

The severely mentally ill will be hugely disadvantaged by the GOV/DWP/ATOS putting them through this ridiculous assessment in 2013, particularly people who don’t believe they are mentally ill, who to anyone who doesn’t know them, or, their background, can come across as fine, strong, healthy people, and may not appear ill at all, or, that they need help and support in their day to day lives, keeping them and others safe in the community, they won’t see the risks for the mentally ill, and many won’t have family or support to go with them to the assessments!

My son would tell an assessor he wasn’t ill, and say he just wanted to be left alone to get on with his life, which would see him losing his DLA/PIP for sure. Yet in reality, my son cannot get on a bus or use any public transport due to his paranoia that people are staring at him. He would get upset and get angry, probably end up getting in to trouble, because his self-esteem is low as is his confidence, and he thinks the world and his mate are against him.

To avoid this kind of stress and a way of coping, he needs taxis to anywhere he has to go, shopping, to any appointments he has. It is the only way he can cope with going out, and without his DLA/PIP he would be housebound and have no quality of life at what so ever.

If mental health sufferers lose their DLA/PIP benefit, (same as all disabled), it will place a huge extra burden on family, carers and friends emotionally and financially to provide the care and support and finance they need, which most of us couldn’t afford! All to often family/friends who are carers, as in our own case, are ill, worn down.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago with Moderate to Severe ME/CFS and told by my consultant it was due to being a carer for 22 years. My husband is 76 years old, in bad health, tired, it catches up with us and having to provide even more care to our loved ones should they lose their benefit, will put carers at more risk mentally and physically.

Because I understand the plight of the severely mentally ill, and have insight to the wider implications of what the GOV/DWP actions will cause for the sufferer and family, and carers, I have started this e-petition asking the Government to Exclude all severely mental ill from the 2013 DLA/PIP assessments, because what the GOV/DWP are doing is the biggest travesty and betrayal to our sick and disabled who in most cases have already proved their illness/disability with medical evidence and assessments they have already had to go through to get their DLA in the first place, and many like my son, were awarded DLA for an Indefinite period because they have provided proof their illness/disability is a life long one!

There are a number of e-petitions about Benefit Reform, I have signed them all which everyone should do to try and help protect all disabled, however, this petition is specifically to try and get the severely mentally ill EXCLUDED from the assessments because they do not have a strong enough voice and they will be hugely disadvantaged as I said before.

As a mum of a severely mentally ill son, and on behalf of all other sufferers like him, I know these assessments will cause SUICIDES in our most vulnerable, and cause huge hardship all round, please may I respectfully appeal to your good hearts and souls to support this e-petition and sign it, to share it with family & friends, on twitter/face book accounts, groups you may belong to, as I need 100,000 signatures to stand any chance of getting the House Of Commons to debate this, and at the moment I only have 2,456 signatures,  we only have until March to get the 100K!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this my plea, and I very much hope you will feel able to sign this petition.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35092

Kind Regards

Lynn
---------------------------------------

You can follow Lynn on Twitter  > @SignSaveLive

*In order to sign the petition, you must be a British citizen or UK resident
11/5/12

How to: Install Fonts on a Mac

In today's post, I am going to demonstrate how to download fonts onto a Mac.

Download your Font

There are many great sites to download fonts from but here are a few:

  • http://www.dafont.com/

  • http://www.1001freefonts.com/

  • You can also find fonts via Pinterest

Close All Programs

Before you install the fonts, make sure all applications and/or programs are closed to ensure the installation goes smoothly.

Find your font

Most of the time, fonts get downloaded to the Downloads folder on a Mac.



Now, find the font you downloaded



Double-Click on the folder to see the font files. Typically you will see a file with the .ttf extension.



Install the font

Double-click on the font file. This will open a small window. In the bottom right-hand corner, click on the install button. This will add the font to your font library.

*This may be different depending on what operating system your Mac has, ie OS X, Mountain Lion, etc.



Other Ways to Install

After you download the font, you can simply copy the .ttf files and add them to the Font folder located within the Library.

Path: /Users/yourusernamehere/Library/Fonts (for all my geeks out there :))





If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me =)

Would you like to see more posts like this?

-Liz

*not sponsored
11/4/12

October Favorites 2012

[youtube=http://youtu.be/ZBPbAkOwwbk]

These are my October Favorites!

  1. Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

  2. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

  3. Not You Mother's Smooth Moves Frizz Control Hair Cream

  4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in JuJu

  5. NYX Slide On Eye Liner in Pure White

  6. MAC PowerPoint Eye Pencil in Engraved

  7. Covergirl Lash Perfection Mascara


My one fail product of the month is the Rimmel Waterproof Sexy Curves Mascara

What were your October Favorites?

-Liz

*Not Your Mother's sent by Influenster for review.

 
11/2/12

My Bath & Body Works Fall Candles

Hello lovelies! I wanted share with you all of my fall Bath and Body works candle collection!

I have three different scents: Leaves, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Pumpkin Cupcake.



I love these candles because they smell AMAZING!! They also have a decent price point.

The large candles cost $19.50

The medium candles cost $9.50

The small candles cost around $3.50.

You can always find a great deal in stores as well!

I like to burn these in room when I am working on a blog post, recording a video, reading a book or anytime really!

What are your favorite fall scents?

-Liz

*Pumpkin Cupcake candle sent by Influenster for review purposes.
11/1/12

Halloween Nails

Halloween was yesterday so I painted my nails to make them look a little bit more festive for the day since I wasn't dressing up. I paired my Sephora by OPI polish in Hi Def with the Wet n Wild Fergie polish in Rock n Roll.


I applied two coats of Hi Def then one coat of Rock n Roll. I was very impressed with the amount of glitter in this polish! I also applied my Beauty Secrets Top Coat.

Sephora by OPI polishes can be bought at Sephora.

Wet n Wild can be bought an drugstores.

Beauty Secrets Top Coat can be found at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Did you paint your nais anything special for Halloween?

-Liz

*not sponsored