A new favorite: Sonia Kashuk dual ended foundation brush

Happy Tuesday, y'all! Me again. Can you even believe it? Two posts two days in a row ... say it isn't so. You just wait. You're in for a treat this week.

Obviously I've been MIA since I moved to Vegas five months ago. I'd be lying if I told you I haven't thought about shutting the ole blog down more times than I can count. Ultimately, I just couldn't bring myself to do it and I didn't want to. I really do miss you guys and I miss this blogging community. I have definitely felt like something was missing from my life without it. So what I'm saying is I just can't quit you guys, OK? And since we basically have five months of catching up to do and I don't really know where to begin, I'll just start with a beauty review because who doesn't love a beauty review?

And I'll kick off the first of a few upcoming beauty reviews with the Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfector dual sided foundation brush since it seemed to spark the most interest when I Instagrammed a picture of my bathroom counter after getting read a few weeks ago.

The brush looks like this upclose and I bought mine at Target, my home away from home.

$18.99 online

 

Before this brush, I used to apply foundation with the elf stipple brush which I've reviewed and then I blended with just a plain make up sponge wedge. I still love the elf stipple, but dare I say I love this Sonia Kashuk more? I dare.


If you're looking to switch things up in the foundation application department, I highly recommend giving this brush a whirl. What I do is put about a dime size amount of foundation on the back of my hand. Then, I take the brush end and dab a bit of the foundation and apply to one section of my face at a time until it's applied all over. Then, use the sponge end to blend to a flawless look.

Since I bought this brush, I have not switched back to any of my old foundaton brushes and i literally use it every day. I look creepy here - I manage to do that any time i try to take a "selfie" as I see they're calling it these days - but here is my skin after using the dual ended brush for applcation. Keep in mind I'm in natural light, "#nofilter" and absolutely zero self tanner. I think the brush does a fairly good job of covering imperfections. Because trust, my skin has plenty.

SIde note: That lip gloss sitch is just awful. Please disregard.

 

Has anyone tried this brush? What's your favorite application method for foundation?

 

Teen Mom 2 star Chelsea Houska chats beauty with the Bargain Blonde

When I recently received an e-mail from Chelsea Houska's PR Team asking me if I'd like to interview her, I couldn't type "Um, duh" fast enough. Were my eyes deceiving me? Was this really an e-mail asking if I'd like to interview Chelsea Houska from MTV's Teen Mom 2?  No friends, my eyes were not playing tricks.  This was real life and last night i had the opportunity to speak with this pretty mamma all about her favorite beauty and hair products.

via Chelsea's Instagram (@ChelseaHouska)

As a huge Teen Mom fan (I've never missed an episode), excited was an understatement. Chelsea has always been a favorite of mine because of what an amazing Mom she seems like and on a personal level, I can relate to her relationship woes with Aubree's father. 

Plus, I've always thought she was beautiful with great style, and since she is currently enrolled at Black Hills Beauty College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she studies the art of make-up application and hair design, I couldn't wait to chat all things hair and beauty with her.  

In case you are wondering, I'm happy to report that Chelsea was just as sweet and down to earth as I expected.  In fact, I totally felt like her and I were long lost besties just chatting away. You could even hear little Aubree running around in the background.  Speaking of Aubree, is she not the cutest ever?

via

Enough of my rambling. Check out our interview below and let me know what you think in the comments! 

Did you always know you wanted to be involved in beauty/hair?  What made you decide to go to beauty school?

My mom went to beauty school and she did it for a little while when I was younger. And when I was growing up, our house had a room that was like a salon. I was always in there playing with my friends' hair so I've always known this is what I wanted to do.

You are running late and only have time to put on three make-up items before leaving the house, what are they and why?

Mascara because you always need mascara, a little powder or bronzer and lipstick or chapstick. I feel like that covers a little of everything.

I have long hair as do you, so how do you keep yours healthy?  Any tricks of the trade learned in beauty school?

Before beauty school I never used thermal sprays, but ever since I started school, I learned how important thermal sprays are. I use Kenra Thermal Styling Spray, which you can get at salons.   

I always curl my hair, and the products I use are mousse, a spray leave-in conditioner, thermal spray and I finish with a silkening gloss. 

Chelsea's Curls via

Favorite hair product you swear by? 
There is this stuff that I use that makes my hair really big. It’s called Dust It by Osis. You put a little bit in at the roots and then you tease it. I love it!

*Editors Note: We started talking about how we both have fine hair and I told her it is impossible for me to tease my hair because of this. She swears Dust It is a miracle, so I am ordering it online here and I will report back.  It has great reviews online!

How many times a week you wash your hair?

My hair is really fine and if I don’t wash it often, it looks greasy so I wash it every day or every other day.  I have used the Kenra Dry Shampoo between washes. 

Whenever I'm babysitting my 4-year-old nephew, my beauty routine goes out the window.  How do you find the time to put yourself together as a single mom enrolled in school raising a young daughter?   

It’s so hard!  But, I always wake up early before her to get ready and then once I'm ready, I'll get her ready.  We have a great routine down.  If I try to get ready while she's awake, it's so hard because she loves to play in my make-up. 

Chelsea and Aubree via

What is your favorite drug store foundation and mascara? 

I've used Revlon Colorstay Foundation for forever and my favorite mascaras are by L'oreal. I just try to find the mascara with the thick brushes on the end because I like my eyelashes really big!  

  

Do you use pencil, automatic or liquid liner?  What is your favorite brand? 

I use pencil and automatic.  I am obsessed with all MAC make-up, so their eyeliner is probably my fave. 

Name a makeup crime that you hate.

I hate this but I know I’m guilty of it sometimes. I hate when people have foundation lines all down their chin. I hate it, but I know I’ve been guilty of it! 

via

What celebrity beauty style do you admire the most?

For hair I admire Lauren Conrad because she does a lot of how-tos on her blog that I like to follow.  I love the Kardashian girls for make-up.

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Do you feel like you have to get "done up" before filming? Do you have stylists that help you or is what we see hair and make-up wise done all by you? 

I wish we had people who did our hair and make-up but they definitely don’t!  At first, when I first started filming, I would always try to get ready, but now I don’t always and I always regret it if I don't. 

via

There you have it bargainistas. My Guiliana Rancic "red carpet moment".  Except I was sitting on my couch in sweats on a cell phone.  Story of my life.

So, what do you think? Do you love Chelsea as much as me?  I cannot wait to try out the Dust It hair product she recommended.  Huge thank you to Chelsea for taking the time to chat beauty with me! 

Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Color Review + $100 Target Gift Card giveaway

If there is one thing you know about me, you know I love affordable, great-quality make-up, and more importantly, I love sharing my latest and greatest bargain beauty products with all of you bargainistas. When I recently received the new Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Color from Target to test out in Classic Red and Pink Punch for free, I couldn't wait to share with you ladies.

However, if I'm being completely honest, I was slightly terrified thinking about how I was going pull this look off when I saw how vibrant the hues were. I typically stick to light pink glosses because of my fair skin, but I have to tell you, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to test these bold colors because wow, did they make me feel glamorous! If I can pull these colors off, I know they will flatter anyone with any skin shade. Hello red lips...

How playful is this hot pink lip with wavy hair for a fun summer look?

Now, let me dish on the deets.

Maybe you are feeling spicy and want to wear a hot pink or a classic red like me, but maybe you want something more low-key for the office. You're in luck, because the Satin Luxe Lip Color comes in 14 shades and is only $9.99! Ladies, that is a steal and you better believe I'm planning on adding more to my already out-of-control make-up collection. Yes, I am a make-up hoarder, and no, I don't care.

So not only does this lipstick soften and hydrate your lips, it will protect them from the sun with built-in SPF 16. Sun safety helps with anti-aging, and the nourishing ingredients plump up lips for added firmness.

Speaking of ingredients, any of you care to know what you are putting on your lips? This Satin Luxe Lip Color is paraben- and fragrance-free and contains Brown Seaweed Extract to preserve skin elasticity as well as Ceramide 2 and Palmitoyl Peptide to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Other than the incredibly pigmented color, which you can see in the pictures of me above, the best thing about Sonia’s line of lipsticks is the way they wear. When first applied, they are smooth with a silky glide, but within about an hour they change and behave more like a stain, but with a satin finish. After about 3 hours, I reapplied and my lips looked fantastic.

Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot. I know this may seem silly, but packaging on products is important to me. I LOVED the new black packaging with its color button to make finding the right tube easier when digging through my stash.

How exciting is this? BlogHer is offering all of my readers an opportunity to enter a sweepstakes to win a $100 Target GiftCard to buy some of Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Color for yourself! All you have to do is leave me a comment answering the following question:

Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/4 to 6/30.
Be sure to visit the sponsor's brand page on BlogHer.com, where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Five Friday Faves!

Oh, you fancy, huh?  Y'all like the new little logo I made for Friday Faves?  Would any one be interested in me making this series a link-up on Fridays?  Let this bargain blonde know and I'll make it happen.  We can spread our faves to all.

Bello Bangle /  Devi Bangles

Duh, I'm including Stella & Dot because guess what bargainistas?  I'm accepting outside orders on my trunk show until June 5 (just enter Lindsey Riggs as your hostess), which means there is still time to get your hands on some of our celeb-coveted jewels and be entered to win the serenity small stone drops for free.

I literally just ordered these bangles this morning and I cannot wait to get them on my wrists.  Is that Bello Bangle not to die?  Genuine leather, gold plated metal, Czech crystal and pyramid studs. I can't take it.  And I can't wait to pair those devi bangles with the renegade like so:

Gorge, right? 

e.l.f. studio blush brush and e.l.f. studio complexion brush

Last week I did a Lauren Conrad Look for Less for e.l.f.'s beauty blog (click here if you missed it).  To create the look, they sent me oodles of e.l.f. goodies and I have been using these two brushes every day since.  They are so freaking soft. If anyone uses anything but e.l.f. studio brushes, you're cray.  Since they are so cheap too, I cannot recommend them enough.

Right now e.l.f. has an amazing e.l.f. studio brush special online. On orders of $20 or more, you can get the 11-piece Studio Brush Set for only $3. Regularly $30, so you're saving 90%. NINETY PERCENT. Ridic.

Ariana Maxi Black (pictured) / Ariana Maxi Hot Pink

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've seen apparel from the boutique Kiki La' Rue all over our favorite blogs.  Rebecca, my friend and owner of the online boutique (based right here in Dallas) sent me this amazing Ariana Maxi to wear on the boat for Memorial Day.  I may have to wear it this weekend to a pool party, though, because I'm not sure I can wait.  I love it's sweetheart neckline and cinching detail under the boobs to slim your waist.  Yep, I'm pretty sure it's getting a trial run this weekend.

Old Navy Women's Sandals

Before I went to Hawaii, I picked up a few pair of sandals from Old Navy for the trip.  I had to list them in Friday Faves because they are so stylish and cheap and I've been wearing them every day.  I love pairing them with maxi's like the Ariana mentioned above and I am definitely getting some more to wear this summer because they are so CHEAP!  Most are around $15.  Style steal, y'all.

Pour one out for our Good Christian Bitches. Why ABC, WHY?  I almost shed a tear when I heard the devastating news that my new favorite comedy, GCB, was cancelled.  Say whhhhaaaaa???  I literally just blogged about GCB a few weeks ago in a Friday Fave post.   So many of you said you loved the show too, so I encourage you to go to www.savegcb.com to sign the petition to bring our favorite bitches back.  This is serious biz-nas.

What are you loving this week?  

Don't forget to let me know in the comments if you want me to make Friday Faves a link-up! TGIF.  

Lauren Conrad Look for Less + e.l.f. GIVEAWAY!

When I started this blog less than two years ago, I never imagined in a million years that I would be featured on e.l.f. cosmetic's Web site as their "Girl Crush".  The word flattered doesn't even begin to do justice.

For the feature, I used all e.l.f. products to recreate a Lauren Conrad "Look for Less"!  Be sure to check out e.l.f's Beauty Blog to see what products I used to recreate her look because I love every single one of them! (FYI: The first 25 people who comment on the e.l.f. blog post will receive a $5 coupon code, so you better hurry!)

e.l.f. cosmetics was also nice enough to send me some extra goodies to share with my amazing readers, so here is how you can win some free e.l.f.!!!!  

Five of you can win  this "Lips and Lashes" combo simply by liking The Bargain Blonde and e.l.f. cosmetics on Facebook!  Once you've liked us both, leave ONE comment telling me you have done so and you'll be entered! It's that easy!

allure best of beauty winner e.l.f. hypershine gloss and e.l.f. dramatic lash kit

One GRAND PRIZE winner will get this complete set of 12 e.l.f. professional brushes!
  

To be eligible for the Grand Prize, you must do the following 4 things:

1. Like The Bargain Blonde on Facebook

2. Like e.l.f. cosmetics on Facebook

3. Follow The Bargain Blonde via Google Friend Connect (GFC)

4. Tweet a link to the giveaway including my twitter handle (@thebargainblond)!

Once you have done all 4 things, leave ONE comment telling me you have done so.

You can enter to win the "Lips and Lashes" giveaway and the "Grand Prize", but leave a separate comment for each. This giveaway will be open until noon CST tomorrow, May 9, 2012.  Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.  The winners will be announced tomorrow.  Good luck ladies!   

Five minute, $5 make-up drawer organization

I may not work-out as much as I should, there may be entirely too much reality TV saved on my DVR(s) (BTW - the new season of Real Housewives New Jersey looks so good) and I may neglect my laundry for weeks a month at a time, but I do consider myself a fairly organized person.  In fact, when I opened my suitcase in front of my friends the last time we were in Vegas, they were appalled at how organized my packing was.  (Refer here for my travel organization tips.)

However, even the most organized girl will sometimes accumulate clutter.  Clutter I cannot deal with, which is why I could no longer function with the sad state of my "every day" make-up drawer any longer.  This particular drawer is full of products I rotate on the daily.

Thanks to all the traveling I've done in the past 6 months, which led to switching products back and forth between make-up bag and drawer several times over, I accumulated the hot mess you see on the left below.  I didn't even realize how much stress this drawer was causing me every day until I spent $5 and 5 minutes to fix it.

I bought the compartments from The Dollar Tree, which helped organize my make-up into 7 different sections: lips, eye shadow compacts, eye shadow pots, foundation/primer, powder, blush/bronzer and eyeliner/mascara.

The red circular tin and the red baskets were each $1 .  The clear and blue tubs were 2 for $1.  

I bought a glass votive for $1 and used wax beads (similar to these) that I already had on hand to organize my brushes:

It literally took me 5 minutes to dump out my drawer and put this together and it's already made a world of difference by cutting down on the time it takes me to get ready.  You wouldn't believe how long it took me to riffle through that hot mess of a drawer trying to find the particular foundation I wanted to wear for the day or the right eye shadow brush.   My only regret is I waited six months to spend the $5 and 5 minutes to do this.  Sigh.  Live and learn, right?

I'm not here, I'm over there and there!

Hi friends! I had a very busy Sunday yesterday shopping, organizing and painting.

I am going to dish all about the above later this week, but for now I need to send you over to two blogs I'm guest posting at today.  These are two girls I love and you if you don't read their blogs already, you need to!  Trust.  May I direct your mouses to ....

 Belle in the City 

where I'm revealing my 8 "most-worn" items

and 

 Raines and Shines

for my must-have make-up items.  

Go check-check-check them out!

Review: e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation and All Over Color Stick

It's been a while, but I'm happy to report that as a result of my latest Target trip, I have two new e.l.f. products to dish on: The e.l.f. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation ($6) and Essential All Over Color Stick ($1).    

I wasn't sure what to expect because foundation is something you definitely don't want to skimp on in my opinion.  I mean, no one likes the girl with the orange jaw line, right? Plus, I already have a favorite foundation living happily in my make-up bag, (L'oreal Infallible) so why fix what isn't broken?  Well, for only $6, I just couldn't resist the urge to at least try it out.

Here are my thoughts ...

The packaging was pretty & I love a pump dispenser. Check and check.

Since I'm so pasty that I could easily be mistaken for Powder, I purchased the lightest shade: Porcelain. 

The coverage is medium to full, which is my preference when it comes to foundation coverage:

Product shown on my hand. 

And here is how my face looks with the foundation (no PhotoShop or editing of any kind).  Everything about this foundation reminds me of my fave foundation, but is half the price.  I'm sold.

Oh, what is that rosy hue on my cheeks you ask?  Why, it's the "All Over Color Stick" in the shade Pink Lemonade.

Product:

Here is a swatch of the product not blended and blended (using my fingers):

A little goes a LONG way with this color stick, which can be used to highlight your cheeks, brow bones and lips.  Personally I wouldn't put this particular color on my eyes, but that's me.  I've used it on my cheeks and lips and love the color.  Another tip - do not apply the stick directly to your skin. Use a light touch and a finger to apply and blend.

There you have it friends.  Two more slam dunks from e.l.f.  If you've tried these particular products, what did you think?  If not, will you try them?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

p.s. Right now e.l.f. has a promo for $10 of a $30 online purchase using the code "TAXREFUND" by 4/16.   

e.l.f. mineral eye shadow review

If you're new around here, there are a few important things you should know about me:

1. My nephew Reese is the love of my life.  This is the handsome 4-year-old I'm referring to:

2. I am a lush and  love my wine.

white wine + frozen strawberries.  Try it and thank me later.

3. I have a reality TV addiction worse than any you've probably seen. You name it, I watch it.

4. e.l.f. make-up is the cheese to my wine

My love for e.l.f. cosmetics runs deep and if you need to catch up on my past e.l.f. reviews, then take yourself here, here, here, here and here.

Most recently I discovered e.l.f.'s mineral eye shadow after I took advantage of an online promotion. Ten mineral eye shadows for only $10?  I could not say no.  It would have been unconstitutional.

All e.l.f. mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes. 

Above you can see the colors I chose and the swatch of each on my arm.  I absolutely love the pigment and how long lasting these shadows are.  This past Friday I wore innocent (all over) and  blended confident and caffeinated on my lids.

Here is how I looked.  Please excuse my depressed expression.  No, my dog did not just die.

Peace.

The bottom line here is that e.l.f. and I are still going strong and they put a spark back in our relationship with these mineral eye shadows.  I have not seen them in Target, so you may want to check out their online specials if you want to scoop some up.

p.s. I'm no expert, but IMHO, a lot of the e.l.f. mineral colors look like dupes for Urban Decay's Naked palette.  And obviously WAY cheaper. Just sayin.

Let's talk wedding hair and make-up

I can't believe it, but tomorrow we kick-off Courtney's wedding weekend extravaganza with the bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  It's going to be a busy day! Considering I've practically had the exact same look in every wedding I've been a part of, I took to Pinterest last night for some wedding beauty inspiration.

But first, won't you come with me for a trip down wedding memory lane?

Curled and half-up for my friend Liz's nuptials:

Curled and half-up for my friend Kathryn's:

And would you look at this?  Curled and half up for my friend Christina's I do's:

I really went out on a limb here and left all my hair down for my friend Megan's:

There is definitely a pattern so I was hoping to find some looks that would mix it up bit.  However, you'll see that I'm proof a leopard can't change its spots.  Below are my top four contenders, and I need your help picking a finalist.  

Can you take a wild guess as to who turned this next haute hair option out??  Number four is from the hands of our girl Miss Pink Lou Lou herself!

There is no way I could do this next one myself (unless of course I could persuade PLL to hop on a plane to Dallas for the weekend to do it for me), but it gets honorable mention because it is just a fab up-do. Am I right or am I right?

That concludes my hair options, so now let's talk ...

Our bridesmaid dresses are a dark grey, so I'll be creating a smokey eye like so. Approve?

Would you believe Courtney is trusting me to do her make-up for her big day? We did a trial-run a few months ago, and this is the finished product. It's a deep brown smokey eye with a neutral lip:

I've seen her in the dress with full hair and make-up, and she's going to be a gorgeous bride.   I just need to make sure I look half as good standing up next to her.  So help a girl out!  Which hair style should I go with?


*All hair pics can be found on my Pinterest haute hair board and make-up looks can be found here.