Hola Kinks!

Lately I have been on a skin care kick, I've been especially loving Freeman's Beauty face masks. My most recent purchase was Freeman Beauty's Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask. I had heard tons of great things about this mask before purchasing & I am glad I did. 

This is what Freeman Beauty has to say about their Charcoal Mask:
"Pollution…debris…it's a wonder skin can breathe! This unique mask and scrub works double time to detox skin. First, naturally purifying Activated Charcoal helps absorb oil and impurities without over-drying. Then, Black Sugar helps exfoliate away dulling skin cells for softness and clarity. Perfect for all skin types."

I used this mask twice & I was hooked, I saw results after just one use but the second use gave me the look of brand new skin. The black sugar is in an oil base that’s spread around the face with a little bit of effort. You leave this mask on the face for 5-7 minutes. Then gently massaged for 1-2 minutes to exfoliate & rinsed off. This kind of reminds me of the homemade lip scrubs that are oil & sugar based.

Freeman Beauty recommends using this scrub 2 times a week but if my skin is having a tough week I use it 3. This product is a miracle worker my skin looks better & feels so much smoother after using this product. I would highly recommend this to all Kinks dry, oily, normal even combination skin would benefit from this product. I think Freeman Beauty Charcoal & Black Sugar Mask is a nice addition to mt skincare arsenal.

4 Kinks for Freeman Beauty!

Have you tried any of the face masks from Freeman Beauty? Tell me your opinions & experiences with any products from the brand.

"No amount of makeup can mask an ugly heart" - Kevin Aucoin

Hola Kinks!

TGIF! Am I the only one looking forward to the weekend? 

Continuing on with my week of drugstore goodies today I am reviewing one of my favorite drugstore concealers Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. I wrote a review on the Maybelline Fit Me foundation a few weeks ago because it is one of the best foundations you can buy at a drugstore. I really enjoy the whole Maybelline Fit Me line, I have tried the foundation, concealer & powder. If you looking to do some drugstore hauling this line is a great place to start.

The Maybelline Fit Me line has been all the rage with bloggers & vloggers a like, I personally purchased it after hearing Kathleen Lights talk about it.

This is what Maybelline has to say about their Fit Me Concealer: "FLAWLESS THAT LETS THE REAL YOU COME THROUGH. BEYOND MATCHING: FRESH, BREATHABLE, NATURAL".

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer comes in a lip gloss like packaging that makes it super convenient to travel with or store in your vanity. The tube is square sleek with 0.23 fl oz of product inside & it has a doe foot applicator. This particular product is available in 6 "breathable" shades.

Now when you are shopping the 6 shades available keep in mind these concealers either have pink or yellow undertones. Since they are so limited in color selection you might have to mix two together to get your perfect shade. I do have pretty nasty dark circles, for winter/spring medium (25) has done a good job of covering them. This shade is a little light, I have to set this with a powder like my Ingot HD Illuminating Powder in 44.

This concealer is super light weight, so you do not have to worry about cake face. Maybelline Fit Me concealer is in my opinion a medium to full coverage concealer that can be built up nicely. This product is nicely pigmented and a little goes a long way. I swear Maybelline packaged some magic in this concealers tube.

I love a product that can be used for more than one purpose this concealer is great for the days you want to beat your face. When I am not using this concealer for my under eyes it works as a wonderful highlight. I bring it down my nose, on my forehead and for my cupids bow. Maybelline Fit me concealer blends like a dream so you won't go wrong using it this way.

For the wrap up I think that Maybelline Fit Me concealer is a great product to have in your beauty arsenal. You can find this concealer for about $5 to $7 depending on where you purchase it. I purchased mine during a buy one get one free sale at my local Rite Aid. I don't think this product is a must have but if your looking to try a new concealer out, I do suggest you pick this up. 

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer gets 3 Kinks, if this product came in a larger shade range It would get 4.

Hola Kinks!

It's Hump day! You know what that means right? This week is almost over...In honor of Wednesday I am reviewing another lippie product for the lipstick junkie in all of us. I have so much lipstick, & with a new collection coming out almost every other week sometimes I forget to show love to my old favorites. Some lipsticks are like a good pair of shoes, they just work for you, no matter the look your going for or the style you feel like you can ALWAYS pull them off. I have been a "makeup collector" for some time now, one of my favorite drugstore nudes ever has to be NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Abu Dhabi. 

This is what NYX has to say about their Soft Matte Lip Creams: "Neither lipstick nor lip gloss, this matte lip cream is a new kind of lip color that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick formulas, also moisturizing."

NYX describes Abu Dhabi as a "deep rose-beige".

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are available in 22 different shades on their website that range from subtle beige to in your face vampy colors. You can also purchase NYX at some beauty supply & drugstores. If you are purchasing in stores finding popular colors might be a little tricky.

These Soft Matte Lip Creams have a beautiful vanilla cake icing, they are just as creamy too! They feel like icing for your lips, only less edible & more colorful. NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams start of as a cream & dry down to a beautiful matte finish. I own about 10 of these the lighter shades usually last around 6 hours on my lips without eating & drinking 4 if I am having a full meal.

The biggest con to NYX Lip Creams is the fact that they tend to be super drying. I prep my lips extra carefully when I pan to wear any of the lipsticks from this line.

Abu Dhabi in my opinion is the best of NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams when it comes to their nude/neutral color selection. In my opinion this color reads more like a late brown, shade with peach undertones. My boyfriend always complements me when I wear this lipstick. I feel like this color could be flattering on a wide variety of skin tones.  For deeper skin tones you can still wear this lipstick if you play it up with the right lip liner. 

For the wrap up Abu Dhabi is one of my favorite NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. I do like this product for those looking for a alternative to liquid lipsticks or newbies to the idea of liquid lipsticks. NYX is a great drugstore brand that does a goo job of creating products that will suit most skin tones. Abu Dhabi gets 3 Kinks, I just wish this formula was a lot less drying. 

Hola Kinks!

Today I am back with another installment of the Drug Store Hauling series talking about one of my latest addictions, Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in the Matte & Poreless version. Recently I have been finding myself walking through my local drug store aisle looking to try new foundations. Maybelline's Fit Me ended up in my sites after watching one of my favorite YouTubers video's. I was excited to see the color range of this foundation & that it comes with a powder for on the go touch ups.

I've seen Maybelline's "Dewy + Smooth" version of this product but had no interest in this due to my combination skin. "Poreless", "Matte" these words had me intrigued instantly! Could I have found myself a drug store foundation I can use?

My biggest complaint about this foundation is that it does not come with a pump! I swear I never understand why companies do that. This foundation is of a very thin consistency which makes it easy to apply & build but messy because of the lack of pump. I always end up with excess product on my had because it is hard to control. Now that I have had my little rant on to my review.

In Maybelline's Fit Me foundation I wear 230 Natural Buff in the cooler months & my summer shade is 322 Warm honey. I love that this foundation comes in 12 shades ranging from light to deep. For reference shades ending in "0" are yellow based, & the ones ending in "5" have pink undertones.

This foundation is extremely blendable, I use my bareMinerals Persision Face brush and my Real Techniques Miracle Competition sponge. I like this method to provide me a natural air brushed finish. The formula is thins, smooth and almost creamy. All though the coverage is medium to full build-able the coverage is not heavy at all. I have worn it both medium & as a full coverage foundation without looking cakey at all. This foundation sets quickly & immediately feels smooth. 

I am extremely picky with foundations because I have sensitive skin, I want something long wearing & that wont break me out. I want a matte foundation that will last hours, if possible I wont turn into a greasy mess. I was so happy to find out this foundation gave me everything I wanted & long wear. My T-Zone didn't start getting grease until around 6 at night which was amazing for my skin. 

This may not be my holy grail foundation but I do like this foundation a lot. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this product again because it has a beautiful finish & it is about $6 or less if you can buy it on sale. I also picked up the powder for the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, I haven't used it enough to give a review but be on the look out fort the review.

This product gets 3 Kinks!

Have you used the Maybelline Fit Me Line Kinks? I would love to heat your thought s and opinions.

Hola Kinks!

Happy hump day.. . I'm back with another lippie review. Have you been able to get your hands on Milani Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick?

Milani launched their Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks launched Eight colors as part of Milani Spring 2015 and they will be a permanent line. If your a matte lipstick lover like me this could be a inexpensive way to feed your addiction.

Miliani Says: " Meet your matte. Your fantasy matte. The matte that not only feels great (yes, you read that right – it’s actually comfy) but also lasts for hours and has “a-mazing Instagram selfie” written all over it. Infused with grape seed extract imported from Italy, this smear-proof lip soother delivers mega color that won’t budge, even after a close encounter with a cappuccino cup. In eight luxe, go-the-distance shades, from the oh-so-sweet, pale pink Matte Innocence to the va va voom, fiery-red Matte Passion. This matte? So major."

The formula of these moisture mattes is pretty awesome because they are surprising moisturizing. They are extremely pigmented and glide on super smooth and opaque. Milani does a good job with this matte lipstick so it is creamy & you can rub your lip together. These lipsticks are not transfer proof, but you can get at least 6 hours wear out of them. 

There are eight shades in this line, that fall into three categories: nudes, pinks, purples and red. I had never owned a Milani lipstick before I ordered these online. My local drug stores don't carry Milani so I could never see the colors in person. I only ordered the colors in 61 Matte Naked and 61 Matte Blissful. If your a person who likes scent on their lipstick you'd be happy to know these have a light vanilla smell.

Matte Naked is the shade I looked forward to receiving the most and wear almost weekly. This color is a medium-toned nude with a slight mauve tint to it. This color is quite wearable for my medium skin. I feel like this color can be worn for the office or with a beautiful bold eye. I love wearing nudes & I am so happy to have this color in my arsenal.

Matte Blissful is  a beautiful shade but just kind of mehh for me. In the tube it looks like a soft mauve like pink. On my lips it definitely reads more blue pink. I have only worn this color twice because of how bright it reads on my skin, this color reminds me of a bubblegum, barbie kind of pink.

For my wrap up these lipsticks are amazing, color, formula, wear time are all on par with a lot of my higher end lipsticks. If you haven't tried these lipsticks go get-em Kinks! If your a matte lipstick lover and you haven't tried them yet go get-em!

Milani Color Statement Moisture lipsticks get 4 Kinks!

Hola Kinks! 

Kinks I told you how my journey to natural hair started with a bad break up & the big chop but I never told you how I saved my hair. Before the big cut I had very dry brittle hair that never grew because I never cared for it. My split ends had split ends, I had a nicely coated Brillo pad upon my head. With my chop I decided to give my hair the kind of treatment it thirsted for.after hearing many good things about the brand I picked up some Shea Moisture products.

My first set of products came from their Coconut & Hibiscus line, these products were good but they did not give me the kid of heavy duty love I needed. I purchased the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Kit but only found that the Curl enhancing smoothie was all I could use from it to help my hair.

SheaMoisture's Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo

They Claim: “Our gentle, all-natural shampoo will help soften, moisturize and repair damaged, over-processed hair.”

This shampoo does everything they claim! I am a huge fan of co-washing so I need a good shampoo that won't strip my hair. This shampoo gave me a nice thick moisturizing lather that seemed to be a mix of shampoo and conditioner to me. What I love about this shampoo is that as I scrub my scalp to my strands it doesn't really tangle up my hair. You can feel it just softening up you hair as you go. After I rinse my hair its always silky smooth, ubber soft and shiny. I can't get over the way this just coats my hair in goodness & that's before I even condition. I've seen results in days rather then weeks. I would recommend this to any curly girl!

This shampoo gets 4 Kinks, believe the hype!

So Kinks have you tried SheaMoisture products yet? I love this brand & will be sharing my review of the conditioner soon. Stay Kinky, Stay Curly, Stay You.

Hola Kinks! 

I am back today with another Drug Store Hauling installment, recently I discovered something needs to be done with my eyebrows. First my nail lady over waxed me & stole the tail end of my eyebrow! I almost cried my eyes out I have always been pretty proud of my caterpillars but then she stole it. 

For years I overlooked my eyebrows but I have seen what groomed brows can really do a lot for a face. There are various ways you can groom your brows. You can use brow pencil, brow powder, tinted gel/mousse/pomade, brow tinting (dye), or if you’re extra-extreme you could go for “permanent makeup,” you know tattoos.

Before her snatch & grab I never thought of investing in eyebrow products not even clear gel. I was so mortified I ran to my local Walgreens in search of something to hide her mistake. I found myself in the Milani section with their Easy Brow Mechanical Pencil in 02 Dark Brown. I  watched a few YouTube videos and went to work.

Milani - Easy Brow Mechanical Pencil

What They Say: Want to “bold up” your brows? Pencil in this smooth-glide little number. On one end: Buildable, water-resistant color that lets you fill in and intensify. On the other end: A specially designed brush (it’s called a “spoolie” – so cute!), that neatens and blends. Bonus: The automatic tip means you can skip the sharpening.

This pencil is available in 01 Natural Taupe and 02 Dark brown, both are beautiful colors and work for me depending on the look I am going for. I purchased Taupe later on because I realized I have no idea how to be light handed with any kind of makeup. Kinks I will tell you this bad boy is hard to find but worth the hunt.

MilaniEasybrow is housed in  a golden retractable pencil that’s a brow liner on one end & spoolie brush on the other. I find that the packaging makes it extremely easy to travel with and convenient to use. I love that I will save space in my makeup bag now that I don't need a sharpener and brush! The label says it has .28 grams in it or .01OZ for $7.49 if you order it off the Milani website.

Miliani's Easybrow Michanical Pencil is my first & only brow pencil I own. I have seen the more popular brands eyebrow pencil, this product is thicker and wider in diameter, as well as softer than the ones I have tried. I love that it it easy to work with & glides onto my face like a dream. I don't have any products to compare this to but I really do think it is a great product. I find this product is super easy to blend since it is so soft & that helps with making a mistake like I usually do.

As a person who admits I need help in all aspects concerning makeup I will buy these pencils again & again they are super easy to work with. I have medium skin, so I can use both pencils depending on the look I am going for. Since purchasing these I have added a few other products to my brow arsenal including Milani clear gel. If you want me to post about my exact routine let me know. 

This product gets 4 Kinks!

Stay Kinky, Stay Curly, Stay You

Hola Kinks, 

As you know I have been working on my Drug Store Hauling series, today will be the first of a few posts on IMAN Cosmetics. I have been using IMAN's Second To None Stick foundation for about a month now & I want to share my thoughts on it. IMAN Cosmetics is one of the few drug store brands I have tried that make products that have a huge range of colors to fit most skin tones. Kinks you know I believe quality makeup can be found at the drug store if you look hard enough. 

This is what IMAN has to say about their Second To None Stick foundation: 
" Second To None Stick Foundation is oil-free makeup that easily creates a flawless complexion. Formulated with moisturizing jojoba esters nourishing antioxidant vitamins."

This particular product is available in shades Sand 2 to 5, Clay 1 to 5 and finally Earth 1 to 5. Sand is the lightest of IMAN's foundations and Earth is the darkest. The lower the number the lighter the shade in each set, so Earth 1 would be the lightest of all the Earth shades.

Descriptions of the shades:

Sand: LIGHT GOLDEN TAN TO WARM OLIVE
Sand skin tones are of the lightest of shades in the IMAN Cosmetics collection. Undertones can range cool pinks to warm yellows, or a mixture of both. 

Clay: LIGHT BROWN TO MEDIUM GOLDEN BROWN
Clay skin tones are the middle range of shades in the IMAN Cosmetics collection. Undertones can range cool pinks to warm yellows, or a mixture of both

Earth: MEDIUM BROWN TO EBONY BROWN
Earth skin tones are the last range of shades in the Iman Cosmetics collection. Undertones can range cool pinks to warm yellows, or a mixture of both.

Now for my review, let me just say I adore that IMAN Cosmetics has such a large range of color choices. Personally I use either Sand 4 or Sand 5 in this particular foundation. Sand 4 is perfect for my skin during the late fall, winter and until I get a tan. Sand 5 is the perfect foundation for after I've received a tan. 

This foundation is very hard to work with, no beauty blender for blending if you want flawless coverage use your foundation brush ladies. Personally I use bareMineral's Precision Face Brush to give me that air brushed look every time. I recommend using a angled foundation brush or a flat top foundation brush if you do not have the bareMineral's brush. IMAN's Second To None Stick foundation is a full coverage foundation, I find that most drug store foundations need to be built up to full coverage while this does not.

Kinks setting this foundation is a must! I've wore this foundation without setting powder two things have happened I became a greasy and eventually patchy. If set properly you can get about 7 hours wear time before having to blot & put some pressed power to keep your face looking flawless. Using a good face primer can help with wear time as well as preventing grease spots, I personally use either MAC Prep and Prime skin or Benefit Professional to keep myself matte as long as possible.

Overall this is a good foundation I wouldn't call this my favorite foundation but it is a good full coverage foundation. I think If I could get longer wear time out of it could be my number one. What I love about this foundation is that even though it has full coverage it did not break my skin out. 

If your like me and want to have alternatives to you high end foundation I would try this one out. You can find this product at some local drugstores & Target for about $15.79. For information on where to find IMAN Cosmetics by you check out their website. Another big plus about IMAN Cosmetics they have a tool to help you find the perfect foundation using one you already own! Just go on to the IMAN website & choose Meet Your Match.

3 Kinks out of 4 goes to IMAN's Second To None Stick Foundation:

Tell me Kinks have you tried any of IMAN Cosmetics products? I would love to hear about it. 

"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself"
- Coco Chanel

Stay Kinky, Stay Curly, Stay You

**Please note that the product in this post were provided by IMAN. With that said all thoughts & opinions are all my own, that's the only way to stay Kinky Curly Me. If you have any questions feel free to check my disclosure tab. 

Hola Kinks!

I've got a drug store gem I want to talk about today, over Christmas I found Wet N Wild Petal Pusher Color Icon eyeshadow palette in my stocking. I'm not sure if I told you this Kinks but purple is my favorite color ever! It was a nice addition to my collection

This is what Wet N Wild has to say about their palette:
"Eight dynamic, perfectly color-coordinated shades with high pigment and pearl for ultra-impact color. Shades can be used together or individually to create an endless variety of looks."

This palette comes with eight shadows in two columns, with seems to coordinate with itself and you can mix with the other side. Petal Pusher has a very cool tone vibe the first column being purple and the other being a little more earth toned.

Texture
 The Petal Pusher palette have soft & buttery. This makes them easy to blend.
Longevity
These last without a primer & don't crease for about 6-8 hours. With a primer they don't crease on me at all, these are incredibly pigmented unlike most drug store eyeshadows.
Pigmentation
All of them are nicely pigmented.

Each column has four shadows labeled as brownbone, eyelid, crease and definer.

Do you own any Wet N Wild palettes Kinks? I love the pigmentation and price of this palette $4.99 for .30 oz that on most weeks you can find on sale in your local Rite Aid or Walgreens. 

Hey Kinks! 

Time for my second installment of drug store hauling! I have become so addicted to Miliani blushers currently I have 3 in my stash two baked blushed & one rose powder blush. Today I will be focusing on the baked blushes. What I love about Miliani blushed is the quality of their product for the price point. Each of the blushes I have are very pigmented and they have a buttery texture to them.

This is what Milani says about their baked blushes " This silky blush with benefits can be used so many ways. It shapes, it contours, it highlights. Sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles, it’s buildable from sheer to vibrant. Yes, it adds a cheeky pop of colour to your complexion. Radiance and warmth, too."

Let's start with the packaging, which looks really nice I am a sucker for gold packaging! It's gold with a transparent lid that honestly feels a little cheaply made. I do find it cute that underneath the blush comes a mirror and a brush. Each blush comes with about 3.5 grams of product.

My first Milani Baked Blush was 05 Luminoso, It's a really soft glowing peachy color that make you GLOW! You can also use this as a highlighter. It just makes you look so healthy and sun kissed. I am heavy handed with blush I'll admit it but I've never looked like a clown with this blush no matter how much I apply. That being said Luminoso is my go to blush at the moment. From what I have read  this blush is  the closest "dupe" to the NARS Orgasm Blush you can buy at the drugstore. I don't have NARS Orgasm yet but its on my list, maybe I'll do a comparison post.

No you know how I said what I like about these Milani blushes is the price point? Imagine my excitement when I walk into my local Walgreens & one of the blushes is on sale from $8.99 to $4.29. With only one left I snatched it up without a second thought coveting it the entire way to the check out. I haven't told you Kinks this but I usually don't impulse by makeup I read reviews & research before my purchases. I try to avoid the craziness of buying a product and it sitting in my draw forever untouched.

My second Milani Baked Blush is 06 Bellissimo Bronze, is a peachy bronze golden blush. I would say that this works as a bronzer or a highlighter for darker skin tones. I cant say I reach for this one to often as a blush but it is my go to highlighter when I want a little umph in my makeup look for the day.

Pros:

• Pigmentation
• Gives you a healthy Glow
• Very fine glitters in product
• All the colors are really wearable and super gorgeous.
  
• Affordable!
• Gold packaging

Cons:

• I find the brush they include to be cheap. I would rather loose the mirror & brush for travel friendly packaging

Kinks over all I do think that if your local drug store has one of these bad boys its worth the money.The pigmentation is great and the shimmer doesn't over power your face. You can get about 8 hours wear out of Milani baked blushes, what more could you want?

Tell me your experiences with Milani products, do you own any Milani baked blushes? I would love to hear your opinions. If you haven't brought any of these yet what are you excited to try?

"Next time you think of beautiful things don't forget to include yourself" - Anonymous

Stay Kinky, Stay Curly, Stay You.