{Crown Brushes!!!}

Ahhhh! Super huge big deal time! We have gotten so off topic it is shameful, but believe me! You're going to want to hear about this.

I have been looking for fabulous makeup brushes for quite some time now. The issue? I didn't want to pay a bundle! I already pay a ton of money on cosmetics and yes, brushes are very important, but you shouldn't have to pay $30 for a good brush, some can be upwards of $50. For.ONE.BRUSH. Nope, not doing it.

So today, I noticed Hautelook had a sale on Crown brand Cosmetic brushes. Not being familiar with them, I did a little Google search (Google it, Google it!) and found that I could get them much quicker than HL's typical 2-4 week turn around time and for MUCH cheaper. These brushes are allll over YouTube. Make-up artists loooove them. Apparently, they were only available to pro's for quite some time but they are now making them available to us. Yay!

So, here's the nitty-gritty. Log onto www.crownbrush.us, go to Brush sets, scroll to the bottom and #'s 619,620, & 621 are $29.99 with FREE continental U.S. shipping until the 31st. They all come with fab faux croc carrying cases and 15 brushes. The brushes are all natural, cruelty free fibers and from reviews, super soft. Mine should be arriving by early-mid next week and I will most definitely do a review for us. I am sure I will just be in love.

So, at checkout enter the code KANDEE and you get these 15 fabulous brushes and gorgeous faux croc carrying case WITH free shipping, for only $29.99. Hurry before they sell out though.

Thanks again ladies, for tuning in. Until next time:

Never go through life without a passion for beauty & fashion!

PMBB

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to my subscribers! So sorry I haven't had a blog in a bit here, but I am planning to continue our skincare regimen later this week. Before Friday, I promise!

Unfortunately, last Saturday I had a loss in my family. My grandfather, one of my most favorite people, and certainly one of the most influential in my life, passed from a massive heart attack. It was very sudden and unexpected. Lots to deal with! Then, this week I have been having a bit of a scare with my oldest boxer, Kane. He is 3, and had a lump on his leg that we had to have removed today. He made it through his minor surgery very well, he's just a little groggy and resting now. We get our test results back next Monday, we are hoping for the very best. If any of you ladies (& gentleman) say prayers, please say a couple for him.

Anyway, YES! More to the blog before the end of the week. If I remember correctly, we are doing oily skin. After that combination, unless something fabulous strikes me before then, think Shiseido Facial cotton, lol!

That reminds me! Don't forget to take advantage of Sephora's 20% off Sale SALE! Some awesome stuff in there, I'm telling you! I got the Stila Color Wheel, Kat Von D Adora, & the Sephora Vanilla Cupcake dry oil. If you have any questions on these items, or need a review please leave a comment below. I take requests, ladies! :)

Have a wonderful, beautiful day!

Never go through life without a passion for beauty & fashion!

PMBB

{Shiseido Facial Cotton}

I know, I know! I am suppose to be covering oily skin today, but I just CANNOT. I have something to share with you all that I just find phenomenal. So, today I come home to a Sephora package waiting patiently at my door, thanks to Sephora and their annual $15 BI/ $20 VIB Gift Card I was able to try a couple things that I had been dying to test out.

Before I get into that, for any of you NOT familiar with Sephora...they are an amazing Beauty retailer. They carry so many lines of beauty it is just positively crazy, and at some points I will admit, a little overwhelming. Either in store, or online you can set up an account as a Beauty Insider. With a Beauty Insider membership, you have the opportunity to save points for Deluxe Samples and special gifts. $100 points gets you a choice of 3 Deluxe samples, while $500 gets you a larger, limited quantity beauty gift. You also receive 3 free samples with every order, and free shipping with $50 purchases. Believe me, when I say it is not hard at all to get to that $50 mark. Once you have spent $350 annually in beauty purchases, you enter into their Very Important Beauty insider membership program. This gives you many additional bonuses and is really and truly a huge bonus.

Anyway, every year around Christmas they give out a $15 gift card to Beauty Insiders and a $20 card to VIB's. Usually there is a minimum purchase required, but I am telling ya, I will take a free $15/$20 any day and not hear an ounce of complaining from me. I was an avid shopper of department store beauty counters and I never received anything free, not even samples. Granted, I didn't ask for them...but at Sephora: YOU DON'T HAVE TO. So, if you don't have a membership yet, get one!! It is so very worth it in the long run.

So, what I received today. :) Shiseido Facial Cotton. I know, sounds simple. Sounds like I am way too easily amused. Well, you try it and see. I thought that at $9.50, this was going to be a colossal waste of money. Far from the truth. Unfortunately, neither Sephora or the Shiseido package actually say how many wipes are in a package, however I would be willing to bet it is somewhere around 100. It is an 80 gram, or 2.8 oz. package you receive and the squares are approximately 2"x2" squares. These babies are sooooooft like you would not believe. They are plush and silky and almost like touching nothing. There is none of the gritty, abrasive feel that you can get from cotton balls, just pure baby softness. To test the absorption, I put a very small amount of my Murad Toner on it and the cotton felt soaked. The amount I put on this cotton was literally less than 1/3 of what I normally use. When I touched it to my face, I was on cloud 9. Amazing. Ahhhhmazing. I see myself being a forever customer for this particular product.

The little details: Made in Japan. The packaging is super expensive looking, it doesn't look cheap and isn't bulky nor will it take up a ton of room in your medicine cabinet. It contains no harmful substances and is 100% natural. There is absolutely no sticking of tiny cotton pieces to your face, nothing irritating about these gorgeous guys at all. Try them out! I promise you, you will spend more than $9.50 on something much less useful and amazing than these. http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P173726&om_mmc=esv103264-GG&om_kwpur=105434911&ppc_crid=4989636137&sbanner=us_search&esvcid=S1292476658_ADOGOE_AGI1118048_CRE4989636137_TID105434911_RFDd3d3Lmdvb2dsZS5jb20%3d

Thanks for tuning in again today! I promise an oily skin blog later on, but you simply HAD to know about these Beauty Wonders. Have a great night, beauties!

"Never go through life without a passion for beauty & Fashion."

Love & Blessings,

PMBB

{Sensitive Skin Skincare Routine}

Hey my beautiful chicks! Hope this blog post finds you gorgeous and glowing on this super cold winter day. :) And since it's winter...as I mentioned yesterday, we will be continuing our skincare segment with sensitive skin today. I think everyone's skin has SOME sensitivities. I know mine is dry, chapped, tight, and uncomfy feeling if I miss even a day of moisturizer. It's terrible and uncomfortable. So to begin...what you should know about sensitive skin: It can be very easily upset by many different things, including medications, beauty products, weather, stress or dehydration.

So, you want to start with the perfect canvas? Start chugging that H2O, ladies! Don't like water all that much? Join the club! In order to tolerate my daily intake of water, I use lemon, orange, & lime slices. Not all at once, I vary it...but if you get really sick of it I like the Crystal Light packets. Always one in my purse! Perks my water right up, and makes it more enjoyable to drink. A little trick I started playing on myself a while ago, was for every carbonated beverage I had, every glass of juice, I would drink an 8 oz. glass of water. Make your own deals with yourself, find ways to make drinking water more bearable.

The next thing you should (try) to do, is eliminate stress, or find a healthy way to cope with it. I find yoga & pilates to be very stress relieving and rewarding. The feeling I get after exercise is just incomparable. Again, make an agreement with yourself to make exercise something to look forward to. Give yourself a reward at the end of the week, treat yourself to something you've been wanting. Those new shoes? Go get 'em, Lioness! And wear them with pride, it will only make next week that much easier. When people ask you where you got those gorgeous new shoes, tell them WHY you got them. Take pride in yourself, and again it will be easier to come back home at the end of the day or in the morning and do those downward dogs. ;)

Next, your skincare routine. You will want to focus on extra-moisturizing ingredients in areas you need them and oil-free in others. Depending on your skin, you can be sensitive and oily or sensitive and dry. Figure out what you are and get your products to fit accordingly. I will give you a few products in each of the 4 categories today: Cleanse, Tone, Exfoliate, & Moisturize. Try a few, see what works for you.

1) Anything in the Eucerin line is going to be a huge asset to sensitive skin. Dermatologist recommended, fragrance free, and free of any irritating ingredients it truly is one of my favorites for when my skin gets dry & irritated. I suggest Eucerin Sensitive Skin Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, and at $6 it is an absolute steal! http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=40001&catid=79350&aid=337953&aparam=eucerin_sensitive_skin_g&CAWELAID=61293606

As with the recommendation for dry skin yesterday, you can also use Cetaphil. Between the 2 different cleansers they offer, you should be able to find one that works for you. I also really love Caudalie Cleansing Water...another steal for only $14 for 3.4 oz. All natural ingredients and no irritating chemicals, simply wonderful stuff! http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P139102&categoryId=B70

2) The Caudalie cleanser above has a toner in it, so for those of you who try that one out, no need to invest in a toner! Yippe! More to spend on a new eyeshadow or lipgloss. :) For those of you who like the feel of a toner (ME! ME!) I especially love Paula's Choice Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner. As the website states, it is very refreshing and light and for a whopping $.50 you can get a pretty generous sample to try it out for yourself. If you decide to go with the large version, it's still only going to set you back $15.95 for 6 oz. http://www.paulaschoice.com/product/healthy-skin-refreshing-toner/skin-care-solutions-oily If you're really dry, you may be able to skip a toner all together.

3) The Body Shop has a really great sensitive skin exfoliator that also includes the healing & antiseptic ingredient, aloe. At $14.50 for 2.5 oz. this one can get a little spendy : http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/facial-exfoliators/prod4790021 but a less expensive alternative would be Aveeno Daily Skin Brightening Scrub, I found this one for a whopping $1.79 on Amazon.com, but you can also get it in drugstores for around $7.49 http://www.amazon.com/Aveeno-Skin-Brightening-Daily-Scrub/dp/B002MZ8D3C

4) For moisturization, again Cetaphil has a great moisturizer, as does Eucerin. Either of those brands have great moisturizers for sensitive skin. Also, Clinique has a cult following for their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel or Lotion. I personally use the lotion during the summer and have for years. I don't think I will ever stop using it. It's $35 for a 6.7 oz. pump bottle, but it literally last for about 6 months. The lotion will be a little heavier and is not oil-free, while the gel is. This lotion is a miracle product, the gel can even be applied over makeup, if used sparingly and gently patted on instead of rubbed, it gives a nice dewy and glowing look.

Last, but not least...moisturize from head to toe!! I love Eucerin for this. It really is calming and very emollient, but so is Korres brand and they are very natural. Amazingly, their scented products don't even irritate my highly sensitive skin, so they may work for you as well. You can find them on Sephora: http://sephora.com/search/search_results.jhtml?command=text&attr1=korres&attr2=&/com/sephora/search/endeca/ui/EndecaSearchFormHandler.search=search&_D:/com/sephora/search/endeca/ui/EndecaSearchFormHandler.search=+&maxRecords=18&recordOffset=0&seeAllCategory=false&searchString=korres&x=0&y=0&_DARGS=/includes/searchFinder.jhtml

Yes, they have a large beauty line, and someday soon we will chat about them. You'll love them if you try them.

Well, my darlings...this is all the time I have for today. I can smell my country ribs roasting in the oven and my stomach is waking up so I will have to say good night for now. I will see you again soon, with our next installation: oily skin. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and another.

"Never go through life without a passion for beauty & fashion!"

With Love,

PMBB

{Dry Skin Skincare Routine}

Good Morning Beauties! While thinking and considering my next blog topic last night, I decided the best way to really start us off would be with canvas. Van Gogh did not just create his beautiful pieces of art on just any old thing he could find. Most artists do not just go blindly into their creations either, there is a game plan.

This is how we should approach our hair, skin, nails, & wardrobe. Hands and feet are 2 of the most common areas that job interviewers notice when you come in, did you know that? These are also 2 of the areas most other people will notice on you as well, so it is always important to have these 2 areas cleaned and polished. Make sure you schedule a manicure at least once every 1-2 weeks, whether it is clearing some time for you to do it, or your manicurist. Always practice sanitation so you never have to deal with infections. After each manicure, soak your tools in a disinfectant solution, rinse, & dry. For your shoes, check them over on a regular basis. Are there nicks, tears, etc. I know personally, whenever I wear my patent pumps, at the end of the day I always notice that they are splotchy from any moisture that dried on them throughout the day. Make sure you take a soft cloth and clean up your shoes after wearing. If there is damage and they are shoes you would like to keep, contact your local shoe repair shop. Never heard of one? They are out there, check the yellow pages or google it. ;)

SKIN!!! This seems to be an issue for nearly all of us. Not very many people are born with perfect, flawless skin. The majority of us have some sort of skin related concern or another. We may be dry, sensitive, acne-prone, oily, combination, or have any number of skin related diseases, including eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, etc. Prior to applying makeup, we should all begin with a clean, clear, & moisturized canvas. Below are some skin concerns and regimens that I have found worked well for me, or friends & family. Every skin care routine should: CLEANSE, TONE, EXFOLIATE, & MOISTURIZE. Every subsection below will include all 4 steps. You can of course, tweak your routine to suit your lifestyle and skincare needs.

Dry skin: It is important with dry skin to not strip it of it's essential natural oils and lipids. Since it is already dry, a product that is too harsh, will only compound the issues. To begin your skincare routine, I love:

1) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, formulated for all skin types. At $8.99, and available at most department stores, it is a skincare steal!

Toning is less important with dry skin and VERY important that you not choose a product that contains alcohol or other stripping ingredients such as witch hazel. Everyone's skin is different, so you may have to try out a couple different toners that will suit your dry skin needs, but 2 that I find to be very moisturizing are:

2) Clarins Toning Lotion, rather than being more of a liquid, this is a lotion that will cleanse & tone the skin gently while moisturizing. http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P94801&categoryId=B70 At $20, this is also a great deal. The other option, would be Kiehl's Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free toner. This is for you natural gals, containing several moisturizing and bacteria inhibiting natural ingredients, it is cushiony and moisturizing, and only $11 for a 4.2 oz. bottle

Exfoliation is also one of those things that is still important to include in your skin care routine, but also very important that you're careful about which product you choose. Again, you do not want the product to have stripping ingredients and you do not want it to be too harsh. Even though it is inexpensive, St. Ives should be on the bottom of your exfoliation list. Whenever using an exfoliant on your face, it is best to NOT have beads that are natural, rather man-made ingredients will be more gentle. Apricot, and many other natural exfoliants in these items, can cause tiny, microscopic tears in your skin which promote the growth of bacteria and are damaging to the longevity and aging of your skin. Try to stay away from these products. Do your own research, and you will find information to back up my claim. I will give you 2 different exfoliants to choose from, one at a budget price and one a little more spendy. Please remember, a more expensive product will *usually* contain less harsh ingredients, but choose whatever is best for your budget.

3) Boscia Smoothing Facial Polish, $25 for 2.8 oz. and one of the best natural skincare lines out there, in my humble opinion. This is a very, very gentle polish, formulated without many skin irritants including Sodium Laureth Sulfate or SLS. Collective Wellbeing Honey Buff would be the budget recommendation. It is currently on sale for a whopping $5!! and contains moisturizing and gentle ingredients such as honey, rose hip seeds, and aloe, along with the natural bacteria inhibitor, orange peel powder. http://www.collectivewellbeing.com/shop/honey-buff-217

Last but most certainly not least is moisturization. Please do not skip this step ladies!! Even if you are oily as oily can get. Your face still needs moisture. It is just all about getting the correct moisturizer for your skin. With dry skin, you need to ensure you are getting a thick & creamy moisturizer. Use it liberally and focus on your dry areas. When you moisturize your elbows, you spend extra time and use extra product, correct? Same goes on your face. If you're drier on your cheeks, you want to apply more cream to those areas.

4) The Holy Grail of moisturizers, Oil of Olay Original Active Hydrating Cream is only $5 for 2 oz. and available at most retail stores. Growing up, my mom and grandma swore by this stuff. It is mildly scented though, so if you are very sensitive on top of being dry, I would suggest Fresh Soy Face Cream, $38 for 1.7 oz, you barely need any of this ultra moisturizing cream to fully saturate your face and wish those dry spells a safe trip to la-la land. http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P245247&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=4348

This covers the 4 main steps to skincare, but you may still want to TREAT. By treat, I mean treat your skin's specific issues. Dry skin can still have acne, or if you're older you may want to be focusing on wrinkles, extra hydration, and ruddiness. If you have a specific skincare concern to dry skin, please post below and I will be happy to make some suggestions. Please remember, I am not a dermatologist, I can only recommend things that have worked for me, or thing I have suggested that have worked for friends & family. Skincare is a very specific to the person type of thing, so as mentioned earlier, you may want to try a couple different things before deciding which is right for you.

If you DO use something I have suggested here, and love it PLEASE let me know! I would love to hear success stories.

So, this covers dry skin for today. Tomorrow we will cover sensitive skin, especially going into the winter months, we will all be battling dry/sensitive skin so I wanted to start us off with these 2 before exploring other types.

Thanks for checking me out again today! See you tomorrow beautiful!

Until then,

"Never go through life without a passion for beauty & fashion!"

PMBB

Welcome to Pink Meringue!

Hello, hello! Welcome to Pink Meringue and my very first post for the blog! Today, I am going to start off with telling you a bit about myself, what you can expect here, and then a quick couple of manicure tips & tricks.

I am currently a Cosmetology student, with a long time interest and passion for the beauty and fashion industry's. I love shopping, playing with makeup, & creating new hairstyles. This is everything that you can expect to find in this blog and more. I love reviewing new product and am a huge product junkie. I have used anything from Clinique, Lancome, Urban Decay, Paula's Choice, & Murad, to Stila, Smashbox, Bedhead, Kenra, Terax, & Mac. If there is ever a particular product that you would like me to cover, whether it be review, suggested use, hints & tips, please leave a comment below and I will be happy to cover it.

You can expect to see just that here: product reviews, makeup and hair tutorials, the latest manufacturer coupons, or sites that I use to find my insane deals! How to refresh your wardrobe to make last year's fashion staples work this year, manicure tips, etc. I'm hoping to become one of your daily rituals. If you stop by, please leave a comment! It makes my day to know you've been here, even if it is just out of curiosity and to sneak a peek. Let me know you've been here. Occasionally I will do a product give-away, so if you've stopped by it might be good to let me know. Hint, hint. ;)

So for today, I am going to start with a simple, basic tip & trick. So let's say you've decided to skip the salon and give yourself a manicure. Hooray! No reason to feel ashamed! We would rather see you give yourself a mani, than come into the salon with green hair because you've tried to color your hair yourself. I personally feel that the biggest building block to a beautiful mani is exfoliation and beautiful cuticles. To start off right and to save some time, begin with pushing your cuticles back after a shower. The heat & moisture from the shower will loosen those cuticles right up and make them more pliable and easy to push back. Ever wonder why you soak your nails in a salon? This is why! To make those cuticles even more soft and pretty, use some olive oil on them. Yes, I said olive oil! This super moisturizing oil can be used for many more uses other than just your next salad dressing. But we'll get more in depth with that later. My plan is to give you an entire blog dedicated to olive oil and it's uber moisturizing properties.

Massage the oil into your cuticles for about 30 seconds to a minute and then leave on for about 2-3 minutes before rinsing off with a MILD soap and luke warm water. For a mild soap, I highly recommend Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day handsoap. Any of the scent variations they make are absolutely blissful.

Continue with your manicure, but right before polishing be sure to use a non acetone polish remover to remove any residual oils from your nail beds. This will ensure that your polish stays as long as it possibly can. Always remember: Use a base AND a top coat to fully protect the longevity of your manicure.

Hope you enjoyed the first blog here, and that you learned something! There will be much more to come in the future. Thanks in advance for any comments, and subscribers.

Never go through life, without a passion for beauty & fashion!

Much Love,

PMBB