Thrifty Belleza

Hey Bellas,

Today on the blog I'm excited to try something new (well new to me at least)! That's right, it's a guest post from my best friend, Natalia! It's no surprise that we are obsessed with beauty products, it's been a major way for us to bond over the years. One thing I've always been super jelly of is how she's able to keep her platinum blonde hair color looking so bright and vivid. After bleaching her hair to achieve the perfect shade, she's discovered the holy grail of drugstore hair care products, Nexxus ProMend split end treatment.
I'll let her take it away so you can learn more about it :)

I have to let you all know about the wonders of the Nexxus ProMend split end treatment- the miracle making shampoo and conditioning system that we've all been looking for. Let me introduce myself, my name is Natalia and I'm forever on the hunt for hair products that actually work.

Hundreds of shampoos, conditioners, masks, serums and sprays promise to make your strands silky smooth while kicking split ends to the curb. But how can you be sure they work? Well, you can't. Unfortunately, many products prove to be let downs. It takes quite a bit of time and money to find the select few that keep their promise. Let me save you the hassle. I'll be the first to admit that I'm completely guilty of over dying and frying my hair, which is why I'm always looking for hair saviors. 

Keeping up with my current bleached blonde, 205 on the L'Oreal Feria scale, "look" is no easy task. Every four weeks I find myself buying another box and filling in my horrendous roots and touching up the rest. Besides bleaching, my hair goes through blow drying, straightening and curling, usually on the daily. Yes, my hair really does hate me. I have fairly long, fine hair. I struggle with frizz and those dreaded split ends. I hate the idea of trimming my hair and would rather heal my ends, leaving my hair forever long and luscious. 

No product will ever completely take away your split ends, but Nexxus ProMend comes very close. I saw a difference after the first few uses, and now, a month later, I can see and feel a drastic difference in my hair. My hair is far from perfect, but it looks healthier, feels smoother, and those split ends are much less visible. Did I mention it smells great too? I highly recommend this product duo to those who love to color and style their hair, and suffer the split end consequence.The Nexxus ProMend shampoo and conditioner can be found at your local target or drug store. You can also buy it on Walgreens' website for $10.49. 

What do you guys do to keep your hair's split ends at bay? Sound off in the comments!

XO, 

Hi Bellas!

This winter, I'm all about dark lipsticks. I can't get enough of them since I'm not really a fan of using pinks and oranges during the colder seasons. The only problem is that sometimes the lipsticks that I try on are waaaay too dark for my complexion and aren't flattering at all. That's why I was so excited to get my hands on this thrifty lipstick called "Sangria" from Milani's Color Statement Collection. 

I never really tried Milani's lipsticks, but when this new line came out earlier this year I was really curious to see how they reinvented their formula. I'm so glad I took the chance because this lippy is absolutely gorgeous. Sangria is the perfect name for this shade because it leaves your lips looking like you just took a few sips of a wine, not that that's a bad thing ;) 

As far as texture goes, the lipstick is advertised as having a matte finish, but I'd say it's more of a creamy matte. My favorite thing about this lipstick is  that it doesn't dry out your lips like other matte lipsticks, making it a great drugstore find. However, I highly recommend exfoliating before application by rubbing a toothbrush over your lips to get rid of any dead skin cells. If you apply it all willy nilly, it will leave any cracked skin on the lips looking darker and way more noticeable, so smooth lips are an absolute must when rocking this.

                Also, I decided to make a tutorial for you guys on how to get the perfect application for this lipstick in 4 easy steps! 

1) I should have added exfoliate and moisturize to the pictorial, but I forgot! Gently pass a toothbrush over the surface of lips in circular motions for 30 seconds. Wipe lips off with a towel. Apply your favorite lip balm to hydrate, I used Rosebud Salve Lip Balm.

2) To ensure a matte finish, apply a translucent powder all over lips using a small concealer brush. I used e.l.f. Translucent Matifying Powder.

3) Line lips the outside of the lips with a lip liner dark purple or pink. Then apply lip liner to the inside of lips. I used NYX Lip Liner Pencil in Purple Rain. 

4) Coat a lip brush with the Sangria lipstick and apply it in strokes starting from the center of lips and work your way outward. I suggest applying at least 3 layers to get the most color, but you can build up the color to your desire. 

5) Finish by applying concealer with a concealer brush to the perimeter of lips to clean up any product that has fallen outside of the lines. 

Merry Christmas Bellas,

I hope you are all having a fabulous day! I can't believe it's almost over in two hours on the East Coast. I just wanted to share some of the holiday nail art that I was rocking at my family's Christmas Eve party last night.

I was in the middle of making a gingerbread house when I took these photos so my hands have little crumbs on them, I apologize! This mani might look super complicated, but it was actually easy. I did this with the help of a YouTube tutorial video from Cute Polish nails which you should definitely check out. My favorite is Santa on my middle finger and his suit on my pointer, isn't he adorable?!

Hey Bellas,

A few weeks ago I reviewed my favorite skincare essentials, Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask and Biore Acne Clearing Scrub. As promised, I said that I would follow up with another post featuring my must-have moisturizer to use after applying these cleansing products. Don't worry, I didn't forget! 

===Spanish / Español===

Hola Bellas,

Hace unas semanas, escribe sobre productos esenciales para la piel que yo uso, Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask y Biore Acne Clearing Scrub. Como les prometí, decidí a escribir de nuevo sobre una crema hidratante de noche que yo uso diariamente después de usar los otros productos de piel.

===Spanish / Español===

Mi piel se pone muy seca y escamosa debido a la clima frío en el la costa este y Nueva Jersey durante este tiempo del año. Por eso, me encanta la crema hidratante de noche hecho por Neutrogena, la mejor crema que uno puede comprar este invierno por menos de $15 dólares.

Tengo piel mixta, y como otras personas, tengo una zona T muy seca que se pone fuera de control hice no me lo cuido. Esta crema arregla este problema enseguida. Me lo aplico a la piel después de lavarme la cara durante la noche. No recomiendo que se use esto durante el día ni abajo del maquillaje porque aunque el paquete dice que es ligero, lo siento un poco pesado. 

As far as the packaging goes, it's relatively simple and basic. Nothing too fancy, it comes in a white jar with a blue top which makes it easier to spot among my other products. There is no smell to it, if anything it smells like a fragrance free hand lotion.

 Unlike some moisturizers it does not leave your face greasy and it keeps your face and neck feeling super smooth. Also, I'd like to add that one time when I was home from school for the weekend, I forgot to pack this in my bag and I was freaking out because my skin became really oily afterward. Since I wasn't able to apply the cream on my face for like 3 days, it was overproducing sebum to compensate for the lack of moisture. I've become pretty dependent on this stuff and without it my skin is thrown off balance a little which can be a good or a bad thing I suppose. 

===Spanish / Español===

El producto se ve muy sencillo y viene en una jara con una tapa azul que es fácil a encontrar en medio de todos mis productos. No tiene olor, e hice tengo que compararlo con algo, huele a una crema de mano sin perfume.

Algunas cremas dejan a la piel grasosa, pero está no, deja la cara y cuello suave. También quiero contarles que una vez se me olvido de empaquetar la crema en mi maleta cuando fui de mi escuela a mi casa un fin de semana. Después, mi piel se puso muy grasosa porque no pude aplicarme la crema por tres días. Mi piel estaba produciendo tanta grasa porque no tenía suficiente hidratación. Entonces cuando no uso este producto, mi piel se pone muy mal.

If you're ever at the drugstore and see this, don't hesitate to buy it! I don't think that you'll regret it and after a long day out in the cold, your skin will thank you for it.

Also, I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas! I hope that you all have an absolutely wonderful day with your friends and family and that Santa brings you lots of presents, hehe :)

===Spanish / Español===

¡Hice estás en la farmacia un día y vez este producto, no dudes en comprarlo! No creo que se van a arrepentir y después de un día de exposición al sol o el frío, su piel le va a agradecer.

Hey Bellas,

Here's a quick post on some looks that I did this week featuring the e.l.f. Geometric Holiday Palette. It's my new favorite palette and includes 150 eyeshadows!! To see all of the colors in the palette, click here. Now that I'm finally done with college finals, I can start playing around with this some more. There are two looks that I created with this so far that I wanted to share with you guys.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the steps that I uploaded for this look:

1) Prime eyes with @officialelfcosmetics Eyelid Primer. 

2) Apply @nyxcosmetics Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk over the entire eyelid as a base. 

3) Sweep a dark purple eyeshadow from the e.l.f. 150 piece Geometric Palette onto the lid. 

4) Blend a black shadow from the palette into the outer V. 

5)Add a shimmery brown shadow into the crease. 

6)Apply a white shadow on the brow bone as a highlight. 

7)Line the upper lashes with NYX Glam (liquid) Liner in black and line the waterline with a pencil eyeliner. 

8) Add a silver shadow and smudge onto the lower lashline. 

9) Finish with @lorealparisusa Lash Out Butterfly mascara.

I think that this is a really great look if you want to go more natural and just add a hint of shimmer and a subtle pop of color on the eyelids. 

The possibilities are really endless with this palette. Check out part 2 of my review, which includes swatches and tips on how to get the most pigment and minimize fallout with these shadows. Have a great rest of the week :)