July 2011 Favorites

July is coming to an end and you know what that means!  Time to share my favorites for the month. 

Items: 

1) Johnson's Baby Shampoo: I just started using this as my brush cleaner and I absolutely love it!  It is way cheaper than purchasing MAC's brush cleaner and smells good.  It is very versatile.  Since I have a baby at home, I can use it for her as well as for my brushes.  How convenient, right?

2) Sigma Miss Taylor Kabuki Brush: This is my very first kabuki brush and I cannot believe I have lived without one for so long.  My only gripe about this is how long it takes the brush to dry after I clean it.  But other than that, it is perfect.

3) Wet N Wild Trio Palettes (Silent Treatment and Walking on Eggshells): I love these palettes and how pigmented the colors are.  The colors are similar to my MAC eyeshadows, but I really like how compact they are so it is easier to travel with in case I need to touch-up my makeup when I am out.  And you cannot beat the price!

4) MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick: I totally forgot I even had this lipstick.  I gave all my attention to my MAC Viva Glam V lipstick, but once I emptied that out I found this little beauty.  This has become my HG Pink Lippie.

5) L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation: Lately I have been switching back and forth between this and my MAC Studio Sculpt.  This is my very first drugstore foundation and I am impressed!  I use my fingers to apply it.  I love how smooth and light it feels.  

What are your July Favorites?  Any items on here that you also like?

 Thanks for reading,

D.G.S.Beauty's Summer Giveaway! (CLOSED)

With summer coming to an end, I decided to host a huge giveaway.  This giveaway will consist of five different prizes so my readers will have a better chance of winning.  With that I am honored to announce my SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

The lucky winners will win..

Ulta Lip Gloss Set, ELF Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 1, bag, Kiss 3D Nail & Toe Art, Hello Kitty Mirror, Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush, Ulta Lipstick Mulberry Shimmer, Sally Girl Eyeshadow, Sally Girl Liquid Eyeliner, Rosewood Lip Color, Maybelline Eye Makeup Remover, Wet N Wild Sparkled Nail Polish, Sally Girl Nail Polish

ELF Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 2, Hello Kitty Nail Files, Cina Nail Art Decals, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, Sally Girl Shimer Stripes, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Essence Lipgloss, Sally Girl Lip Color, Essence 2 in 1 Kajal Pencil, Wet N Wild Bijou Blue Nail Polish

Bag, Almay Liquid Eyeliner, Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadow, Sally Girl Eyeshadow, Rosewood Lip Color, Essence Lipgloss, Sally Girl Lip Color, Essence Break Through Nail Polish

The Republic of Pink Bluss Perfect Pomegranate Set, Sally Girl Brow Powder, Sally Girl Baked Eyeshadow, Ulta HydroShine Lip Gel

Sigma Miss Taylor Kabuki Brush.  This item is sponsored by Sigma Beauty.

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Giveaway is open internationally!

In order to enter this giveaway please fill out the form below.

You MUST be a follower of this blog via GFC (+1)

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For extra entries:

1) Post this giveaway on your blog (+1)

2) Put this giveaway on your blog's sidebar with a picture and direct link (+1)

3) Subscribe to my YouTube (+2)

4) Follow me on Twitter (+2)

5) Tweet about this giveaway (tagging me) (+1)

6) "Like" my Facebook Page (+2)

This giveaway will close on August 31, 2011

This winner will be chosen via www.random.org and will be contacted via blog and/or email.

Good luck everyone!

Thanks for reading,

*If the form doesn't full load, try pressing "tab" to let you fill out the other questions.*

Makeup Books!

A few days ago, I was about to purchase Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual, but my wonderful sister-in-law, JC (also known as MakeupDiary) offered to send me her copy instead.  Today I finally received my package and to my surprise she also gave me Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces.  I have heard great things about these books so I am very eager and excited to start reading them.  Once I complete reading the books, I will do a review and let you all know what I think about them.  

I have a feeling I will purchase more makeup books!  ;)  Thanks again, sis!!  <333

Do you own any of these books?  How do you like them?

Thanks for reading,

Another P10P Update! (July 2011 Pt. 2)

I know I just did an update a few days ago, but today I emptied out another item!  I was so excited and happy that I could not wait to share the good news with all of you.  The item that I have emptied out is my MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage.  I absolutely love this product, but I will not buy a replacement for it right now.  I want to wait until I get my MACPro Card so I will not have to pay the full retail price of $26.50.

Now my P10P just has 9 items total.  I will only insert a new item into my P10P if I want it gone asap.  But there is no other item I want to include at the moment.  I am predicting that the next item I will be emptying out soon is my MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, but we shall see.  Keep cheering for me, girls!

Have you tried the MAC Prep + Prime?  How do you like it?  Is there another primer you like better?

Thanks for reading,

P.S. I also have a blogsale blog at http://dgsbeautyblogsale.blogspot.com.

Mail from Hawaii and FreeBeautyEvent

Today I got a package from my brother back in Hawaii.  He mailed me the rest of my makeup that I left back home.  He forgot my BH Cosmetics and UD Naked Palette, but that is okay.  I am just happy to have majority of my makeup with me now.  So be prepared for more FOTDs.  I am also planning to sell some makeup I rarely/never use, such as my ELF and Estee Lauder makeup.  

I love that he put everything in ziplock bags. Lol.  Do you see my Paula Choice skincare products???  I am so happy to be reunited with them.  

Along with my brother's package, he included mail I received from FreeBeautyEvents.  They had sent me the July giveaway prizes to my address back there instead.  There is still time to enter their giveaway.  Check out my previous post here ( FreeBeautyEvent's July Giveaway).

These prizes will come in very handy especially since I plan to take my daughter to the swimming pool more once my husband gets back from this coming underway.  I cannot wait for this month to be over!  

Thanks for reading,

FOTD: WnW Silent Treatment

Today I wanted to try my Wet N' Wild Silent Treatment palette.  I love the colors!  I tried to create smokey eyes.  Also, don't be mad at me but I photoshopped the horrible bags under my eyes and a pimple..  LOL.  I couldn't stand looking at them.  But I promise everything else is all ME.  

Trying to look sultry for all of you.  ;)

I finally remembered to put on mascara.  *doing a happy dance*

FACE

MAC Skin Base Visage

MAC Studio Sculpt NC 30

MSF Natural Medium Dark

MAC Fleur Power

EYES

UDPP Eden

WnW Silent Treatment

Anastasia Brunette Brow Powder Duo-II

MAC Blacktrack

Loreal Voluminous Mascara

LIPS

MAC Hot Gossip

I hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading,

P10P Update! (July 2011)

Last month I decided to participate in the Project 10-Pan (P10P).  (See post here)  Today I am proud to announce that I have emptied one of my items.  My beloved MAC Viva Glam V lipstick is now gone.  As much as I loved this lippie, I will not purchase a replacement because I have too many other lipsticks that needs some loving.

With one item gone, I will be replacing my Viva Glam V with my ELF Warm Bronzer.  Coincidentally, I actually "hit pan" on it today.  I am very eager be done with this.  I bought it because I could not pass up its great price of just $3.  But honestly, I see no difference whatsoever when I use it..  Instead of throwing it away or having it collect dust, I am sucking it up.  I use it every time I put makeup on my face.  I hope to empty this item by the end of next month.

Are any of you also doing P10P?  If so, how is your progress going?

Thanks for reading, 

FOTD: WnW Walking on Eggshells

Today hubby and I had to run a few errands before he leaves tomorrow to go underway again for the Navy.  He will only be gone for about a month, but it is still sad to see him go.  Being the emotional person that I am, I decided to wear neutral makeup in case I happened to cry so it would not be very noticeable if I ruined my makeup.  For my FOTD, I decided to use my Wet N' Wild Walking on Eggshell palette.  I went very light with the eyeshadows so it is not very obvious.

Sorry for the bags under my eyes.  It gets exhausting watching my 9 month old.  

I forgot to put mascara again.  *fail*

My eyebrows has been neglected lately..

FACE

MAC Skin Base Visage

MAC Studio Sculpt NC 30

MSF Natural Medium Dark

MAC Fleur Power

EYES

UDPP Eden

WnW Walking on Eggshells

Anastasia Brunette Brow Power Duo-II

MAC Blacktrack

LIPS

MAC Viva Glam V

I hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading,

TAG: Summer Besties

Thanks to the lovely Arianne Cruz for tagging me.  <3  Since I travel between Hawaii and San Diego frequently, a lot of my beauty products are scattered.  So I am basing my favorite summer items by what I currently have with me in SD.

What is your favorite? -

1) Lip product?

MAC Hot Gossip and Chapstick

2) Blush?

        MAC Fleur Power and Blushbaby

3) Nail polish/product?

I had a phase of buying all the Sephora OPI polishes..  But atm these are my favorites.  <3 OPI and  Kiss

4) Liquid face makeup?

        MAC Studio Sculpt NC 30

5) Powder face makeup?

 MAC MSF Natural

6) Hair product?

       Tresemme.  I do love my Matrix Sleek shampoo but I won't buy it until I finish these babies up

7) Eye product?

       MAC Quad (My natural makeup) and Blacktrack

8) Tanning product?

I do not tan.  I hate tanning.


9) Accessory?


      Aside from my rings (engagement, wedding and promise ring), the only accessories I wear are earrings and a necklace my husband bought me on our first valentine's day.

10) Clothing?


      I'm sure you all know by now I love basic tops especially camis and jeans

*Once again I tag EVERYONE to do this post.  I can't wait to see your answers, ladies.*

Thanks for reading,

Apothica $25 Gift Card Giveaway Winner!

Big thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway, which was generously sponsored by Apothica.  Without further ado,  the winner is...

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.

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Charmaine

(I will be emailing you soon.  Please respond within 48 hours.)

*If you didn't win, do not be discouraged.  I will be hosting a big giveaway shortly!*

Thanks for reading,

Tag your it!!

So I stumbled onto Introtobeauty's blog post "Tag your it!!".  I thought it would be fun to do this post.  Something different from my usual posts.  

1) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip-glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows?

This is tough.  I love all choices!  But if I had to choose I would probably lose all of my mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip-glosses.  Eyeshadows are usually a must for me.  Believe it or not, I almost ALWAYS forget to put on mascara and lipstick so being without them wouldn't really affect me.

2) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

OMG!  I would NEVER chop off all of my hair.  =\  I'll just grow it out if I have to.

3) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

I would want pink cheeks.

4) If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Oh gosh, MAKEUP!  I have enough clothes but you could never have enough makeup.  ;)

5) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner or eyeliner as lipstick?

I would try lipstick as eyeliner, but just on my lower lash line.  

6) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

MAC is one of my loves.  I shop more at MAC than I do at Sephora.  I know Sephora has more selection, but I think I would just stick to MAC.

7) Would you rather only use one eye shadow color or one lip color the rest of your life?

I'll say one lip color for the rest of my life.

8) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

I'm from Hawaii...so I'll just say summer clothes in winter b/c it's summer practically the whole year round.  Haha.

9) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Dark nails.  I have a thing for black nail polish...  Haha.

10) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Probably my favorite lip product.

11) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Ponytail.  My hair is almost always in one anyways.

12) Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip-gloss?

Never use lip-gloss.  I'm not much of a lip-gloss girl.

13) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? Or sharpie them in everyday?

Say what?!  If I really had to choose...I'll sharpie them in everyday..  Hopefully they'll look somewhat natural.

14) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

Live without nail polish.  I can't give up my makeup!

Hope you enjoyed this post!  I tag everyone who reads this!  Please let me know if you also decided to do this tag so I can see it.  

Thanks for reading,

Haul: St. Ives Apricot Scrub

Shopping at the commissary today I found a travel size of this apricot scrub.  From the description on the back of this tub it says:

"From America's #1 Scrub brand, this award-winning Apricot Scrub deep cleans instantly leaving skin smooth and glowing."

It got me very curious and wondered how well it would work on my skin.  Silly me forgot my Paula Choice skincare products back in Hawaii and instead of buying new bottles, I decided that I should see what other products are out there that could assist with my skin.  I was just wondering if any of you have tried this scrub.  Does it work well?  How long did it take for you to notice any difference?  If you did not like it, why not?  I will also post a review on this after a few weeks of testing it out on me.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading,

Ulta Beauty Store in La Jolla, CA

I have lived in SoCal for over a year now and it was not until I began blogging and became more engrossed into the beauty world that I learned about Ulta Beauty Store.  For those of you not familiar with the store, it is like a Sephora here in the States.  The only difference is that Ulta does not carry as much high end brands.  Although, they do sell drugstore brands and has a mini hair salon.  I took a few pictures inside of the store.  

Today my husband offered to take me to check out the store today.  I was really excited since it was my first time ever.  He was such a sweetheart and watched our daughter outside while mommy went in to play with makeup!  I had to use my iPhone camera because I left my camera charger and cables back in HI.  Also, I wish I could have taken better pictures but I was not sure if pictures were allowed so I had to be a ninja so I would not get caught.

One out of their two entrances

I love the affordable prices of their makeup brand.

The many drugstore brands they carry.  However, I admit that it is cheaper to buy at Walmart/Target/etc.

Aveno 

L'Oreal

Neutrogena

Physician's Formula

Maybelline

Essence

A few of their higher end brands they carry..

Lorac

Napoleon

Two Faced

Urban Decay

Purminerals

Fusion Beauty

Studio Gear

Elizabeth Arden

 Fragrances

Other random pictures

Just like Sephora they also have a rewards card.  However, Ulta actually lists what you could get depending on how many points you offer.

If I ever get to 7500, I'll definitely try out their hair cut and highlights!  

You are probably wondering if I bought anything and the answer is "yes, I did!"   But none of the items I bought were for me.  They were strictly for my upcoming giveaway.  I spent over $50.  You will soon see what goodies I bought.  

Have you visited an Ulta Beauty store?  If so, how did you like it?  Do you prefer Sephora or Ulta?

Thanks for reading,