Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palettes

I used to be a big MAC eyeshadow girl until I bought the original Urban Decay Naked palette. I love shimmery colors and the quality of the brush. I've never seen a brush that's so easy to clean (by wiping with a tissue) which makes it easy to apply multiple colors with the same brush.

I recently bought the Naked 3 palette so here's a comparison of the colors side by side.

Urban Decay's Naked Eyeshadow Palette

As I mentioned the brush is awesome and I love pretty much all of the 12 colors, except the 11th color is a bit too dark for me. I chose this palette over Naked 2 as I think the colors were a good blend to create a neutral daytime look to a more bold nighttime look. I especially love the 12th color, Gunmetal, the more I experiment with it to get a slightly dark blue smokey yet sparkly look for evening or nighttime.

Favorite colors:

1. Sin

2. Sidecar

3. Half baked

4. Toasted

5. Gunmetal

Urban Decay's Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

I love the double-sided brush and the neutral yet shimmery colors that come with the Naked 3 palette. The right side of the palette also has a few colors to create a smokey eye look so you can get the best of both worlds.

Favorite colors:

1. Dust

2. Buzz

3. Trick

4. Mugshot

Do you own any of the Naked eyeshadow palettes or something better/comparable?

What colors or color-combinations are your favorite?

Rocksbox Love

This is definitely my most favorite box I've received. I was so excited to see the Kendra Scott earrings which is a new line of jewelry Rocksbox has added to their program. I've been wearing the earrings every chance I get and plan to purchase them to keep.


 Kendra Scott Dee Earrings in Cobalt Cat's Eye

Margaret Elizabeth Diamond Bangle in Chrysoprase

Gorjana Chaplin Wrap Necklace in Gold

For those not familiar with Rocksbox, it's a designer jewelry program that sends you a box that includes $200 worth of jewelry based on your style preferences specified in a survey done while signing up. If you love the pieces, you can decide to purchase any or all of the pieces. If you don't love the pieces, you can wear them out as much as you want and then return the box to get a new set of jewelry. 

If you're interested in checking out Rocksbox, here's a link to get 1 month of jewelry for free.

You can also check out what I got in a previous box here. 

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Hair Products

I've tried almost all major hair product brands out there but I had never heard of or ran across the Frederic Fekkai hair care brand before Influenster sent me the above sample products to try out. 

The Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Starter Kit runs for about $15 at ULTA just so you know the retail value. 

My Thoughts

My hair was noticeably shiny and healthier-looking after I washed with Fekkai's brilliant glossing sample shampoo and conditioner. I have thick hair and was only able to get one wash out the sample size, however the glossing creme will last me a while, which I'm excited about!

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Shampoo:

 I really liked how well this shampoo lathered up and went a long way, which I need for my thick hair. It deep cleans very well and my hair looked great for several days after. I will purchase this shampoo once I'm done with the 5 or so bottles of various types of shampoo I already own.

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Conditioner: 

The conditioner was slightly opposite as there wasn't quite enough in the sample packet for me to do a complete detangle and moisturize but I made it work. (My thick hair is a conditioner gulper.) The results were exaclty as advertised: it did improve shine and make my hair feel super silky smooth. I don't think there's anything particularly special about the smell but, other than that, I thought these were quality products.

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Styling Creme: 

I liked the glossing creme the best out of the bundle and glad I have a big enough tube for several more washes/styles. I applied a small amount throughout my damp hair after washing and before blow drying to provide a layer of protection from the heat. It's infused with olive oil to help with texture and shine. Once again, it did live up to it's standards by decreasing frizz (which I have a lot of) and making my hair look healthy and shiny.

The Fekkai line of hair products gets a thumbs up in my opinion!

I received these haircare products complimentary from Influenster to test. The above review is my honest opinion and experience with these products.

Younique 3D Fiber Lashes Mascara

This mascara works wonders on your eyes. A friend of mine was selling the Younique line of products and I decided to purchase the mascara after I saw her before and after photos on Facebook. After testing it out and seeing it for myself, I decided to share my experience because it seriously works miracles on your eyelashes. You can check out the website for yourself here.

It's applied exactly the same way mascara is done so takes only about a minute or so to apply.

I wasn't blessed with thick eyelashes. In fact, they are slightly blonde and almost invisible. This is the results of my first try. I only applied a small amount because I generally only wear a light amount of mascara unless I'm going out somewhere fancy. I could have applied a lot more for a more dramatic look.

Here's a video that shows how it works.

My eyes again this morning leaving for work with light amount of fiber mascara:

I seriously haven't found any other products that can thicken your eyelashes like this one. Other than actually applying false eyelashes. I'm just a beginner and no expert so you can check out Younique's website to find out exactly how the fiber mascara works to thicken your lashes. 

I can't wait to use my 3D mascara to the full potential for some upcoming weddings and charity events when I actually get to dress up and wear bolder eye makeup. 

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

 

The two cleaning tools I use for makeup brushes are a professional liquid cleaner and a scrubbing glove specifically made for makeup brushes.

I've been using this ULTA professional brush and sponge cleaner. It's not the most high-tech cleaner on the market but I like it and it leaves my brushes feeling clean and soft. You can literally see the "dirty" water washing away all the makeup.

 

Sigma Brush Cleaning Glove

I use this to deep clean my brushes to make sure all makeup and bacteria are removed.

How do you clean your makeup brushes?

Affordable Shopping Finds

It's finally starting to cool off here in Florida so I'm excited to whip out the cute sweaters and scarves!

Some fashion finds that I'm loving from Old Navy:

I already wrote about these Pixie pants last week (perfect for work) that I scored for $25 each and this comfy black peplum top.

And shopping finds that I'm loving from Kohl's:

My recent haul from Kohl's last weekend (my mother made me do it!) plus cute bow sweater from Lauren Conrad.

Where do you shop for affordable fall clothing?

What's in my Rocksbox?

Thanks to Biana for introducing me to the Rocksbox designer jewelry program where you can try out new pieces of jewelry and either buy them or return them for a new box of jewelry as many times as you want. I'm a sucker for pretty accessories so I decided to try it out and see what my Rocksbox stylist surprises me with.

They sent me the gold Sunburst bib necklace, Gumdrop earrings in Blush and Mixed metals Zara rings (set of 5). I love the pairing of this set.

I typically wear silver more often than gold pieces but I do like how these pieces look together and individually so I wore them out and about to work, happy hour and a few other occasions over the past two weeks as well as in Chicago last weekend.

Peplum Top: Forever 21 (similar) --- Lace Legging Pants: Express (similar, similar)

Dinner in Chicago with a dirty martini blocking the full view of my necklace. (typical)

Looking forward to getting my second box of goodies and hoping for some silver and colorful pieces to try out this time.

Let me know if you're interested in trying out Rocksbox and I can send you one free month of jewelry. You can read more how it works here.

eShakti Summer & Print Dresses

Hi everyone! 

Today I wanted to share a new online clothing store that contacted me recently to review their products. The cool thing is that they offer a wide range of sizes from 0 to 36W and their clothes are customizable. Their clothing comes in a variety of styles including feminine, boho chic, contempo, formal, casual, and so on.

I chose the tie-dye print cotton tank dress because it's colorful and the material is very thin and breathable for hot summer days in Florida. You can also customize the measurements and the length.

I'm no fashion blogger nor have a professional camera so forgive me if I look totally awkward and for the blurry photos.

 

 

This is a sponsored post by eShakti but all opinions and style choices below for summer are my own.  I was provided the above dress for free to share with my readers.

Some cute summer and print dresses from eShakti that I have my eye on: 

Check out eShakti for more dresses and cute offerings for sizes 0-36W. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

They've also been nice enough to give my readers a 10% off coupon code valid now until 09/09/2014. Coupon code = martinisbikinis

FYI:
Code has to be entered in the 'promotion code' box
Code can be used any number of times until Sept 9th, 2014.
It can be used with other other promotional offers, gift coupons or gift card in the same order unless explicitly specified otherwise in the offer conditions.
The discount code is not applicable on clearance/sale items, gift cards and overstock categories.
Not applicable on previous purchases.
 

Dry Shampoo: Favorite Picks

Batiste remains my favorite dry shampoo after trying a variety of other brands to see if there was anything better out there. Nothing has compared to Batiste in terms of effectiveness, texture and smell. Why do I currently have 3 bottles of dry shampoo? For $8.50 a bottle you really can't go wrong, however you can get it even cheaper at Marshall's for about $5.99 so I stocked up on a couple bottles while I was there over the weekend.

I liked all of the scents I've tried so far so I don't have a favorite in mind but you can find a ton of different ones including fresh, fruity and floral scents to match your preference. They also have dry shampoos specifically for blondes, brunettes or red heads.

Some other dry shampoo brands that I've used (and not liked) are Herbal Essences Naked, Not Your Mother's Clean Freak and Suave's dry shampoo. They are either too sticky, do not provide enough body or just smell bad.  The Herbal Essences dry shampoo is my most recent purchase. I tried it only once and liked the smell but didn't like the texture it made my hair feel and look so will never use it again. It's a shame to waste a full bottle so I'll probably give it away to a friend or anyone that wants to try it and see if it works better for them.

Any any other dry shampoos out there known for working really well?

Alex & Ani Charmed Arms

I recently started my Alex and Ani collection and I can't get enough of all the different ways to style these bangles. There's definitely a bracelet (or 10) for every girl out there.

via instragram

via instagram

via Pinterest

via Instagram

via instagram

via instagram

I tend to like the beach-themed bangles and the seahorse bangle happens to be the bangle of the month so that might be my next purchase. You get $5 off with code SEAHORSE on the Alex and Ani website.

Where should I go from here? Decision decisions...