MAC HEROINE IS BACK, PERMANENTLY!

I’m sure all you makeup lovers know by now that MAC has decided to bring back our gorgeous Heroine Shade permanently!

This is a bright purple, matte shade.

I was at the MAC store on Dec 12, 2013 purchasing my RIRI Hearts Holiday Collection when I was told that it was in store that day for purchase. Later I found out that they sold it to me accidently.

The actual dates for Heroine’s relaunch are as follows:

United States:

Pre-launch on Dec. 16, 2013 on maccosmetics.com and available for purchase in MAC Stores and Counters Jan. 2, 2014

International:

Available online Jan. 16, 2014, In stores March 6, 2014

I got lucky picking up two Heroine’s that day, and boy am I glad I was able to. I’ve never owned this color before and didn’t purchase it with the previous launches. This time I knew I wasn’t going to miss out!

If you haven’t gotten your hands on this lipstick, go purchase it now! You can also get free 2 day shipping by using the code “FAST” on maccosmetics.com

MAC RIRI HOLIDAY COLLECTION HAUL & URBAN DECAY NAKED 3

MAC RIRI HOLIDAY COLLECTION

I previously wrote about my online order from maccosmetics.com that had came in..and yesterday was the day of the store launch. I was able to grab a couple more items and now I have everything that I wanted from the RiRi Holiday Collection. I bought the Pleasure Bomb Lipstick, Bad Girl RiRi Lipstick, Eyeliner-Cockiness, Eyeliner-Pisces Perfusion, & the Bronzing Powder-Love, Rihanna. 
I didn't have to wait in line for more than 15 mins, but I did have to go to several stores opening at different times in order to get the rest of my collection. I decided to pass up the Rose Gold bag. It is one pretty bag, but seriously not worth my $40. 
My skin tone is a olive color, and I wear NC/NW30 in MAC Foundation. Here is how the lipsticks/bronzer looked again'st my complexion. I felt the bronzer gave me a soft warmth on my cheeks instead of a orangey color that some people have been talking about. I honestly LOVE this bronzer!
Did you guys get anything from this collection? If so, please comment below!

URBAN DECAY- NAKED 3

This palette is just gorgeousssssss! I have the Naked 2 Palette, and this is completely different! Its as if Urban Decay stays with their neutral range whenever they bring out their Naked Palette, and they add the new colors into their neutrals. This time, the Naked 3 contains more rose gold shades and trust me, rose gold is what is IN right now!!! Its crazy beautiful. It has some matte shades, and some shimmery ones. The shades are: Strange (matte), Dust, Burnout, Limit (matte), Buzz, Trick, Nooner (matte), Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, & Blackout.
My favorite is Blackout (because of the red shimmer it has inside)- you can play it up with evening looks with this darker shade. I can combine this darker shade to create a number of different looks! Just an amazing, amazing palette. I thought it was going to be like the other Naked 3 palettes, but it totally isn't. Well worth the $. Here are the swatches:

Hope you guys got your hands on this gorgeous palette!!!

MACCOSMETICS.COM ORDER CAME IN TODAY! (Quick Overview)

My order came in!!! I gotta say, the shipping was super fast for this being ordered on Thursday. I ended up getting 3 separate orders, one with Pleasure Bomb Lipstick, the Bronzing Powder and Eyeliner in Pisces Persuasion. My second order contained one Bronzer, and my 3rd contained my 2nd Pleasure Bomb Lipstick. I wasn't able to get Bad Girl RiRi since it was sold out. But hey, 1 outta 2 isn't bad for their crazy waiting room! 

I am going to try and get my hands on Bad Girl RiRi this coming Thursday, and i'll have another post coming up with swatches. I do love the packaging though, definitely more sleeker and heavier than the RiRi Fall Collection (which seemed more plastic to me). I haven't tried the bronzer yet but i'm hoping it doesn't look too orangey for my skin tone, otherwise its going back-no matter how much I love the packaging. The lipsticks packaging seems the same to me as the fall collection, with the exception of the pearly white color. 

The white eyeliner I wish was a bit more opaque, but we'll see. It doesn't show that well. 

So thats for my quick overview. I promise there is another post to come with swatches and more personal reviews after using the product. 

If you decide to pick up any items from this collection, be at your local Macys, Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, or MAC stores bright and early. They will be launching in stores this Thursday, Dec 12th. Nordstrom doesn't have holiday hours and they open at 10 am CST like every other day. Other stores might be opening early, so be call to check before you pick a store to go to! 

Note: Don't forget to share what you were able to snag from this collection below!

NARS "ITA" Brush for Contouring

I had been on the search for the perfect contour brush for a while now and I have bought several since my search started....only to be disappointed because the blending I just couldn't get down. I knew exactly where the product went on the face but in the end of it all, i'd just end up looking muddy. The bronzing powder I was trying to use to contour was the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (not the milk chocolate one). I have heard many good things about this too faced product when it came to contouring and I honestly thought this would be a breeze! Boy was I wrong...! So after watching several you tube guru videos on contouring I came down to the fact that I was buying the wrong type of brushes. Every brush I had bought was dense. That was the problem! The denseness in the brush was what was causing my contour not to blend out smoothly...in the end making me look muddy. 
Now a couple months back I had heard about the NARS Ita Brush (which is discontinued). But I was not willing to drop $36 on just one brush. That is why I went on this mission to find and purchase alternative brushes that wouldn't break the bank. I had heard about a Sonia Kashuk brush used for contouring sold at target, which was also discontinued so I was unable to find it anywhere. 
I finally caved, and bought the NARS Ita Brush from Amazon (hey at least I didn't have to pay for taxes, and I got prime shipping!). It costed me a flat $36. I was a bit hesitant but hoped that this brush would work! I am SO SO glad I purchased this brush. It is worth every penny because on the very first try I nailed it! My contour came out perfect! I didn't expect this to happen at all! I am just so happy that it was the actual brush that I was getting wrong, and not my technique. 

If you are in the market for a contour brush, definitely go get the NARS Ita. As per my knowledge, it is sold online at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and on Amazon. 

I give it a 5 stars!! I cannot say enough good things about this brush. It is soft, blends like a dream, and has that NARS rubbery quality to it on the handles.
I am one satisfied customer! 

UPDATE: RIRI MAC HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2013 RELEASE

Well, what a morning I had!  I tried to get my hands on this collection and purchase at least one of each lipstick color (Bad Girl Riri & Pleasure Bomb), a bronzing powder (Love, Rihanna), and both of the eyeliners (Cockiness & Pisces Persuasion). I was on their website starting 10:30am CST but I had to run to the bathroom like at 10:55 AM. Who knew they would start their waiting room at 10:57 AM!!! >:( I got in their waiting room at 10:58 AM and was able to purchase some of their items. I know many people weren't even aware that they started their waiting room 3 mins early. Which is why they sell out so quick, and people who expect the release to start at 11 AM CST don't get their items. Heck, I wasn't even able to get all of the items even though I logged into their waiting room a minute late.

The items I was able to purchase are:
Pleasure Bomb Lipstick
Eyeliner in Pisces Persuasion
Bronzing Powder (Love, Rihanna)

(sorry about my phone's reflection!!)

I REALLLLLLLY wanted the rose gold eyeliner called Cockiness, but ah well..! I will be getting myself into the stores first thing in the morning on the day of their store release December 12th, 2013 which is exactly one week from today.

I would suggest calling your stores ahead of time to make sure what time they open to make sure you get the items you want.

RIHANNA RIRI HEARTS MAC HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2013- Launches online Dec 5th! 12 PM EST

Are you guys excited?! I know I am! Rihanna's new Holiday collection collaborated with Mac comes out tonight at 12 PM EST. Rihanna + MAC I believe has came out with three different collections this year and this will be her final one. The fall one had special rose gold packaging. The holiday collection will have White Pearl Packaging with RiRi's rose gold detailing. 

The details on the products launched are below: 

Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow ($44.00 U.S./$52.50 CDN)- LIMITED EDITION

• Phresh Out
• 2x Dare

Superslick Eyeliner ($20.50 U.S./$25.00 CDN)- LIMITED EDITION

• Pisces Persuasion Shimmery white (Frost)
• Cockiness Shimmery rose gold (Frost)

Lipstick ($16.50 U.S./$20.00 CDN)- LIMITED EDITION

• Pleasure Bomb Matte Fuschia (Matte)
• Riri Woo Matte cool red (Retro Matte)
• Bad Girl Riri Matte Taupey Nude (Matte)

Bronzing Powder ($30.00 U.S./$35.00 CDN)-LIMITED EDITION

• Love, Rihanna Soft Golden Brown with Gold Pearl

RiRi Hearts MAC Makeup Bag ($40.00 U.S./$48.00 CDN)-LIMITED EDITION

Nail Lacquer ($17.50 U.S./$21.00 CDN)- LIMITED EDITION

• RiRi Woo Matte Cool Red (Cream)

Brush ($35.00 U.S./$42.00 CDN)- LIMITED EDITION

• 217/239SE Double Ended Brush

If you plan on getting your hands on any of these items, you gotta be quick as their waiting room fills up quickly and items sell out left and right!! And since all the above items are Limited Edition, once it sells out it won't come back. 

Good Luck!

BLACK FRIDAY 2013 FASHION HAUL!!!

As many of you guys know, Black Friday just passed! Right after thanksgiving, stores were opening as early as 6 pm for some awesome deals. I will admit though, I did most of my black friday shopping online this year so I wasn't as eager to get to the mall. BUT, as crazy as I am for this one day in the whole year...I had to go check the stores out!!! I left my place around 5 pm to get to walmart first. (*I know, I know..I'm seriously crazy to go to walmart!! the busiest of all the stores),  but when I got there it wasn't THAT busy. I mean the parking lot was full but inside it wasn't like people had to push each other just to get to the next aisle. Last year was horrible, but this year was very doable. I bought a couple of items i.e. nightgowns for my kids and some washcloths and sheet sets. I was very happy about the 700 thread count sheet sets for $24.95!!

After Walmart, I went to Best Buy, and then Old Navy. I did find a ton of clothes at Old Navy! I bought these two gorgeous sweaters that are like cape type that you can wear with leggings and knee high boots. I found a grey and a tan colored one. Since everything was 50% off in store, I got each sweater for $20! Score!! I also found two knit scarves for $7 each (one in black, and one in grey) and some jewelry (a thick braided gold necklace and two pairs of bow earrings).

The next morning, I decided to wake up early and hit the mall at 8 am. I barely had gotten sleep the night before, but I was eager to see what the mall had! When I got there, it was not busy at all. I went to Yankee Candle and picked up 20 of their Calm Tumbler Candles. I seriously needed to stock up and I'm in love with their Aromatherapy candles. Then I went to American Eagle, and picked up a bracelet and necklace. From Sephora I picked up the $10 Dealtopia Buxom Lip/Mascara (lip color: Anastasia) set and the $10 Ole Henrikson Clean Sweep Dup (face wash with cleansing wipes). I also picked up face oil by Ole Henrikson since I didn't like the Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil I bought last month. After Sephora I headed to H&M and barely found anything good there. I ended up getting a $5 black shirt which I don't like as much.

So thats basically it! Oh and from Express.com I bought a couple of sweaters and a pair of camo leggings (which I'd been wanting for a while now!! The material on the leggings are the stretchy type but feel like cotton, LOVE!!)
I'll breakdown how much my sweaters/legging were. My camo leggings-Small: $14.83, Studded White Sweater-Small: $25.46, Black Sweater with gold studded sleeves-Small: $25.46, Red Sweater with stars-Small: $25.46, Grey Leopard Sweater-XS: $25.46, White/Black Sequined sweater-Small: $25.46
I also got free shipping so it made for a pretty good deal.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchases. I mean a girl can go on and on and shop til she drops but I had to stop at a certain point!!! I was going way over budget. I really want the Naked 3 palette that just came out this week, but i'm going to wait on this one for a bit.

I hope you enjoyed by BF Haul, and please do let me know what you guys scored on black friday!!! I would love to hear about it!

Sephora's NEW Formula X Nail Polish Review

During the VIB Event this past month I decided to pick up this set of Formula X Nail Polishes called "The Twenty Two". I knew Sephora had an amazing return policy and even though I have more than enough nail polishes, I just had to try these out! Everyone in the store and you tube had been raving about them. 

When I first tried one of these, I thought its just like any other nail polish I've tried. But then when it came to down to the drying time, let me tell you they dried SUPER FAST! And i'm talking 15-20 seconds! I would go to paint my right hand, and by the time I was done, my left was dry and ready for another coat! This is just amazing especially for impatient people who don't like to wait for their nails to dry. 

I put a base coat, then two coats of the nail polish and lastly the top coat. I went about my normal routine afterwards..washing dishes, laundry, cooking and managing two toddlers. My nail polish lasted two days. After that it had started to chip and just peel off! 
On my second attempt, I skipped the base coat and saw that it helped keep my nails pretty and polished for a good week! And this is along with doing all my chores around the house. I was surprised at how much of a difference skipping the base coat made! 

Overall, this nail polish set is a great value and I really do love the formula of these nail polishes. They truly are better than my Essie and OPI Nail polishes solely based on the drying/lasting time. Buying this set of mini nailpolishes brings each bottle out to $2.04 a piece (this is with my 20% vib discount). I think thats an amazing value! I know these are mini bottles but who uses up just one bottle of nail polish anyways?! If I end up loving a particular color, i'll go buy the full size when I run out. At least with buying this set I get to go through a range of different colors at a great price. The colors are not too bad, and seem to be mostly pastel type colors. It includes 4 mini bottles of the splatter effect top coats.
  

The colors from the Sephora website states the following colors:
Racy (metallic lavender), Rocket Fuel (metallic graphite gray green), Vroom (metallic rose gold), Wham! (white confetti), Infatuated (opaque powder blue), Unmistakable (opaque light jade), Brazen (opaque light pink), Indelible (opaque violet), Thrilling (opaque heather grey), Turbulent (light turquoise and black confetti), Radioactive (electric bright green), Zap (electric limoncello), Haphazard (electric purple), Eureka (opaque hot pink), Omni (opaque beach ball blue), Bionic (light lime green and black confetti), Dark Matter (opaque patent leather black), Extraordinary (opaque blue grey), Flashy (opaque classic red), Need For Speed (metallic silver), White Matter (opaque bright white), Meteoric (black and white confetti with rainbow micro sparkles).

I hope you get a chance to try these amazing nail polishes out. They truly are unique and allows us to create various types of design with the splatter top coats.

Let me know what you think of them below..!

SEPHORA'S NEW VIB ROUGE PERKS PROGRAM

As most of you must know Sephora has launched a new perks program. Previously they just had their Beauty Insider and VIB programs. Now they have added a third tier called "VIB Rouge" which launched back in August '13. The way it works is if you are a regular shopper at Sephora, you can join as a Beauty Insider. Once you've spent $350/year, you reach VIB Status. And after spending a whopping $1000/year, you reach VIB Rouge Status. Upon reaching VIB Rouge you will be given a small Red Bite beauty lipstick along with a shiny red VIB Rouge card. I gotta tell ya, the lipstick color is pretty nice! The sephora employees had told me it wasn't that great, but I personally like it! Its matte and not shiny/satiny.

This year during the VIB Sale, VIB & VIB Rouge members both received the same discount amount of 20%, which I personally didn't think was fair. Especially since the VIB Rouge members spend ALOT more than just the regular VIB members. I'm hoping next year they will change up things.

Throughout the year VIB Rouge members will receive invites to exclusive events and sales. I know recently they were offering the following limited time point exchanges:

• 5000 Points- A trip to Los Angeles to get a haircut from LivingProof spokesperson Chris Macmillan
• 5000 Points- A Marc Jacobs handbag (filled with $500 worth of Marc Jacobs beauty products + an autographed palette)
• 10,000 Points- 4 day trip to Paris which includes a trip to Make Up Forever headquarters

Thats alot of points, but hey i'm close to 2200 points! I know i'm going to be saving up my points!! Unless something I love comes along of course. 

Overall, I like this program but I wish they would give us something similar to Ulta where we would be given the option to redeem our points for a dollar amount towards our next purchase.

What are your thoughts on their VIB Rouge Program?

MY VERY FIRST LUSH HAUL- Is it worth the hype?

So I decided to go ahead and take the plunge. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, LUSH. I had been hearing about this store everywhere and frankly I thought it didn't exist in the Midwest. One day I was just walking about my business at a local mall, and I see the store LUSH. I just had to go in! I was so surprised and overwhelmed with the amazing smell that was outside the store. When I got inside, it smelled like pure heaven. There were so many people inside the store (it was harvest festival day at the mall), and many workers helping everyone out. I was approached by an employee who insisted on having me sit down and she would show me their most popular products. Next thing I know, she comes up to me with a bowl of warm water and some products, and she starts explaining things to me-giving me details on each product she was rubbing on my arm. When she was done, my arm was silky smooth (and trust me this is just godsend for someone with dry skin like me). I was sold on the products she used on me. But I was still a bit iffy on purchasing full size products because of the price. I ended up leaving with a small Solid Lust Perfume since it was only $10.95. When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about their products. I knew I had to go back and get some more stuff. Its as if I was using my sense of smell for the first time, for my own personal pampering! I ended up going back and getting all of the products you see in my list below. And let me tell you, I am keeping every single one of these products. I am a very critical with any product that I purchase, and would absolutely return it if it wasn't for me. Their products smell amazing and have this sensual aroma about them that I just can't get off my mind. It calms me so much and I cannot wait til they have their December sale so I can stock up on their soaps and gift sets. 

So is LUSH worth the hype? In my opinion, yes. When it comes to pampering yourself, especially if your'e a mom of two little girls, I think you need to take at least one day out of your week and give yourself that "time" that you need. Lush definitely meets my expectations when it comes to pampering myself and I would spend my money on their products to give myself that "me time" that I desperately need. Even though they are a bit on the expensive side, I do feel that other products don't give me that sensual aroma that I need when i'm pampering myself. Lush offers a variety of items with different perfumes/smells that would satisfy every individual out there. I've even gotten my husband into using these products!

Another important fact about this company is that they are Cruelty Free! They fight animal testing all the way, and have been doing it for the past 30 years which is just A+ in my book! Their products are fresh made, and come with a sticker on each product telling us who made the product. They even have a recyclable program where if you return 5 jars/containers, they will give you a fresh mask for free. Did you know their face masks are shipped fresh to Lush stores every week!? You can call your local Lush store to find out what day they deliver their fresh face masks so you can get the most out of it since they do have expiration dates.

Right now Lush has a deal going on where if you purchase $100 worth of products online, you will receive a free $10 e-gift card. I honestly think your'e saving on shipping here and a trip to the store. Its not that great of a deal, but hey as I've heard, Lush barely has sales or deals. This promotion is great for people who know what they want, and want to save themselves a trip to the store.

Now about the products that I personally bought, and have used for the past two weeks...i'll let you know what I loved about each product below. 

• RUB RUB RUB- 11.8 oz $21.95

This is a scrubby sea salt with mimosa shower wash. I love using this in the shower. After you are done cleansing, you rub this on your skin and rinse off. It leaves your skin amazingly smooth with a lemony blossom scent.

• Ros Argan Body Conditioner- 7.9 oz $32.95

This product is basically a shower lotion. I use this after my Rub Rub Rub, and lather it all over my body. Leave it on your skin for a minute or so, and then rinse off. This leaves your skin very smooth & conditioned. You don't even have to put lotion on afterwards! This product contains cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, almond oils, and argan oils. It has an amazing luxurious rose petal scent.

• Karma Kream- 7.9 oz $28.95

This cream is thicker compared to Sympathy for the Skin. It has an overwhelming scent of a calming lotion. (sometimes a little too overwhelming for me). According to the Lush website this product has a spicy, citrusy fragrance and contains hydrating almond oil blends & cocoa butter. This lotion also claims to contain orange oils which brightens your skin tone. I put this on right before I head to bed, to give me that calming feeling so I can have no trouble falling asleep, and trust me it works!

• Sympathy for the Skin-  8.4 oz $26.95

Now this one I just want to eat. Probably because it actually contains real organic bananas! It smells so amazing and isn't overwhelming. I want to use this all day! It has this banana custard, creamy smell  and is very soothing. This is a great product for dry/chapped skin. There is a hint of sandalwood in this body lotion which I absolutely love!

• UltraBland- 1.5 oz $16.95

I purchased this product for my extremely dry skin. This seemed like a decent price and Lush advertises this as a makeup remover cream infused with beeswax, essential oils, and honey. It contains rose water and iris flower extract, making it suitable for all skin types. When I was in the Lush store returning "Angels on Bare Skin"- a face cleanser because it caused me to get redness on my face, the employee suggested UltraBland as a facial cleanser. I saw how thick it was and how hydrated it had left my arm. I picked up a sample of this first, and ended up going back to get this container which I still purchased in the smaller size. It is very easy to use. You basically apply this on your face and leave it on for 5 minutes. Then take a wet hot face towel, and wipe it all off. I then just place a thick night cream on my face. This stuff works! I have used this at least 10 times by now, and my dry patches that existed on my face 2 weeks ago are gone!! I am going to buy the full size product when I go back. :)

• Eau Roma Water- 3.3 fl oz $9.95

This product is a soothing herbal toner which contains rose water, essential oils, and lavendar. It is mainly for mature, sensitive, or dry skin. I liked this product at first, but for some reason I feel like this is drying my skin out. I wanted to like this product but every time I use it, my face feels like its drying out. I have stopped using this for the past week and have already noticed a positive difference. I might return this product if it doesn't work on the second time around.

• Buffy- (Product price is based on how much you have them cut for you)

This is a body butter exfoliator in a block which smooths and softens rough skin. It eliminates lumps, and bumps and sloughs away dry skin to reveal fresher and brighter skin. Lush says you don't need body lotion afterwards because of all the moisturizing properties (cocoa & shea butter) buffy contains, but I still moisturize. I give this product a thumbs up since it does what it is advertised to do.

• Putty for the Hands- (Product price based on how much you have them cut for you)

This product has done wonders for my hands! My hands used to have a white area between my thumb and second finger. After using this everyday (a little goes a long way), my white area from the dryness is gone! When I use this on my hands, it places a layer with something SO moisturizing as if it is protecting it from everything it comes in contact with. This product is advertised as a creamy oatmeal hand wash which has no soap in it! It contains creamy oats, soothing marshmallow mucilage and calming oils like lavender, tea tree and chamomile.

• Massage Bar (Therapy)- 1.8 oz $10.95

I bought this because of the smell. It smelled amazing and provided me great moisture when I rubbed it on my arms. This product contains organic neroli, lavender, cocoa butter and shea butter. My husband loves this stuff when rubbed on his shoulders and back. The bar itself has a circle that is popping out of the bar which provides a great way to relieve stress while massaging.

• Turkish Smoothie (sample)

I haven't purchased the full size product for this yet. While using the sample, it seemed as if it was crushed soap with an amazing strong rose smell. This is a cleanser, which i'm still debating whether or not to purchase. The best thing about this product is its smell. I just can't get over how good it smells!!

• Full of Grace face serum (sample)

This product was $14.95 in my store, and the size was very small. I just didn't feel like I was ready to purchase this so I asked for a sample. I have been using this on my face after I cleanse & moisturize. It adds moisture to my dry face. This is a preservative free moisturizing bar and has a very "clean" soapy scent to it. This bar is packed with hydrating tropical butters, calming chamomile, and antioxidant mushroom extract.

• Lust Soap (sample)

After purchasing the Lust Solid Perfume, I had to try the soap this scent offered. I personally don't like soaps, and prefer a body wash. I have used this 4 times, and although I don't like using a soap bar, I absolutely love the smell. It is just an amazing jasmine smell which no other product has ever offered me! I am definitely stocking up on this if it goes on sale in December.

Overall, I loved mostly all the products I purchased and will go back to try out some new ones. I also want to get some bubble bath stuff and when I do, i'll do another blog post on it. I'm sure it'll end up being another haul. :) Another thing I wanted to mention was that with Rub Rub Rub and Ros Argan, it smells much better when someone else comes out of the shower vs. when you use it on yourself. I have used these products on myself and although it smells amazing, it over comes the whole house when my husband comes out of the shower using these products. It gives you an idea how good you must smell to other people!

Hope you enjoyed my Lush Haul! 

Makeup Pro Artist Discount Programs

I have recently come to know about all these makeup companies/brands offering pro discounts. I knew about MAC, but had no clue that my favorite brands offered a nice discount to makeup artists. You don't have to be a makeup artist to be able to apply for these discounts. Many companies offer their discounts to cosmetologists, aestheticians, nail technicians, hair stylists, models, performers, and photographers. You would have to check with each individual company to see who they will offer their discounts to and what their requirements are. Makeup artists mostly get 40%. I know that the requirements change all the time, so its best to get in touch with them before applying to make sure you get all the proper paperwork in.

I have personally applied for Urban Decay, Stila, Bobbi Brown, Makeupforever, Nars, & MAC around Halloween, meaning I went to the post office and mailed out my applications that day. I heard back from Urban Decay literally within 3 days. Bobbi Brown was next (took one week), and then Stila (1.5 weeks). I still have not heard from the last three. I hope they get back to me soon.
*11/18/13-Update on MAC: I see a charge in my bank account for their membership fee! That means I've been approved! I'm sure an email is on the way along with my pro card in the US Mail*

As far as what companies offer Pro Discounts, I can list the ones I know of and their requirements (to my knowledge). I would suggest verifying the requirements with each company before applying.

• Bobbi Brown- Discount 40% (MUA)

Requirements: Valid Photo ID and 2 of the following:
Composite card
Business card with name and specific profession
Editorial page with name credit
Union Card
Professional Valid License
Crew call list on production company letterhead
Reference letter from employer

• Cover FX- Discount 40% for MUA, all other above professions receive 30%.

Requirements: Upload two of the following onto their website: http://www.coverfx.com/proartist
Agency Information
Composite card
Program Press material with name
Business card with name and specific profession
Diploma/Certificate
Crew call list on production company letterhead
*Drivers Licenses are not acceptable forms of identification*

• Inglot- Discount 10-20% (Varies)

Requirements: Three from the following:
Pro Membership card from another approved program
Union Card
Reel with name credit
Business card
Agency Rep.
Student ID
Program call sheet
Magazine tear sheet with name credit
Professional headshot
License of accredited school of cosmetics
Enrollment documentation

• LORAC- Discount 20-40% (Varies)

They ask to contact Naimes Beauty Center directly. 818-655-9933

• MAC Cosmetics- Discount 40% (MUA)

Cost: $35 yearly, $65 for two years
Requirements: Valid Photo ID and two of the following:
Composite card
Business card with name and specific profession
Editorial page with name credit
Union Card
Professional Valid License
Crew call list on production company letterhead
Reference letter from employer
Diploma/Certificate from accredited school

• MakeupForever- Discount 20-40% (Varies)

Requirements: Valid Photo ID and two of the following:
Magazine tear sheet with name credit
Reel with name credit
Program call sheet
Union Card
Agency Representation
 (*I've heard that they might even be accepting proof of approved other pro discount programs with a valid photo ID)

• NARS Cosmetics- Discount 25-40%

For more info on this program contact artistprogram@narscosmetics.com
They email you back an application link.

• Stila- Discount 40% (MUA)

Requirements: Two of the following:
Composite card
Headshot
Business card with name and specific profession
Editorial page with name credit
Union Card
Professional Valid License
Contract on Production Letterhead
Crew call list on production company letterhead
Reference letter from employer

• Urban Decay- Discount 40% (MUA-Restricted to spending not more than $250 per quarter)

Requirements: Valid Photo ID and two of the following:
Composite card
Business card with name and specific profession
Editorial page with name credit
Union Card
Link to website
Professional Valid License
Crew call list on production company letterhead
Reference letter from employer

To some of the programs that I applied to, I sent in more than what they had asked for. I sent in a copy of my DL, my makeup contract, program call list, reference letter, business card, composite card, and the application itself. 

Sephora Beauty Haul- VIB SALE 2013

The Sephora VIB Sale was from Nov 7-11, and provided their customers 20% off any item in the store. I purchased quite a few items and i’m in love with mostly everything!! There were a couple of items that didn’t meet my expectations which you’ll read about in my review below. The list of items that I purchased from the VIB Sale this year are:

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette- $58.00
• Hourglass Ambient Powder-Luminous Light-$45.00
• Hourglass Ambient Powder-Mood Light-$45.00
• Marc Jacobs Gel Crayon HighLiner (blaquer)- $25.00
• Marc Jacobs Gel Crayon HighLiner (ro cocoa)-$25.00
• Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Vinyl Full (truth or dare)- $28.00
• Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Vinyl Full (Gypsy)- $28.00
• Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick (1 Nude Beige)- $34.00
• Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick (12 Forbidden Burgundy)- $34.00
• Yves Saint Laurent Touche ECLAT Radiant Touch (3.5 Luminous Almond)- $40.00
• Sephora Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation (Medium)- $26.00
• Sephora Favorites “Give Me Some Lip” Set- $25.00
• Sephora Collection Intensive Instant Moisturizer-$22.00
• Sephora Collection Age Defy Kit Trio-$19.00
• Sephora Express NailPolish Remover- $8.00
• Too Faced Pink Leopard Blushing Bronzer- $30.00
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Med. Deep Matte Bronzer- $30.00
• Too Faced (A Few of my Favorite Things) Palette- $56.00
• Urban Decay Black Market Pencil Set- $36.00
• Urban Decay VICE 2 Palette- $59.00
• Nars Bronzing Powder (Casino)- $36.00
• Nars Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection-One Night Stand Cheek Palette- $65.00
• Anastasia Brow Wiz (Ebony)- $21.00
• Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Facial Cleanser- $35.00
• Dr. Dennis Gross Age Erase Moisture with Mega 10 Plus-$48.00
• Formula X for Sephora (Obsessed)- $10.50
• Formula X for Sephora (The Twenty Two)- $55.00
• Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick (316 Incognito)- $31.00

So there you go! My huge haul list! I know its alot, but I thought i’d buy everything i’ve wanted to have in my makeup collection since the VIB Sale was offering 20% off. Total for the above products would be $974.50. With the 20% off, I paid $779.60. I am waiting to purchase my Makeupforever, Mac, Nars, Stila, Urban Decay and Bobbi Brown Products because i’ve applied for pro discounts as a freelance makeup artist. The discounts vary for each company (i’ll do another blog post about that later)..but its definitely worth it and is better than the VIB Sale at Sephora.

Since there are so many items that I purchased, I’ll try and do separate blog posts on swatches for each item, and review them individually. In this post, i’ll go over the products that didn’t meet my expectations or have had issues brought up by many people.

Now when it comes to the products that didn’t win me over, those would include:

• Sephora Express Nail Polish Remover- $8.00

This nail polish remover didn’t really do what I was hoping it would do… It did not remove my nail polish effortlessly. I literally had to rub it down like any other nail polish remover for my glitter nail polish. Other reviewers for this product have claimed on the Sephora website that the glitter just comes right off, for me it didn’t. It did work great on removing regular nail polish. However, this product was a definite return for me since a regular nail polish can do the job just as good.

• Sephora Collection Intensive Instant Moisturizer-$22.00

My skin is very dry and I hoped that this moisturizer would do the trick on keeping my skin hydrated. It went on my skin very smoothly, but after 5 mins it would start drying up. Two days later I had 3 spots of dry patches on my face. At that point I knew this was another return for me.

• Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Vinyl Full (truth or dare) & (gypsy)- $28.00

This product has amazing texture, color, and pigmentation. I loved how it wasn’t as sheer and could be worn alone. It also gives you a bit of tingle on the lips with a little mint flavor. I personally love lip glosses like this since they claim to plump your lip slightly. This product does just that! Many people have talked about this product being non-travel friendly. It has leaked into many women’s purses when carried with them. I personally have not had this issue yet. When opening the product though, it is a bit hard to get the stick/top out. If you did it too quickly you would probably get product on the walls. Overall, even though many people have had issues traveling with this product, its a win for me because of the opaque pigmentation and the texture it provides.

• Sephora Favorites “Give Me Some Lip” Set- $25.00

These products are just amazing. I love the variety it provided for my olive colored skin tone. But as other reviewers of this product have claimed, all the products in this kit does not go well on every skin tone. And I agree 100%. So for some, this kit might be a win and for some it just might not work. The value this kit offers us is a thumbs up in my book!

I hope you liked my first blog post here! There will be many more to come.