Review: 99cents Essence Nail Polish

hey guys..
so today i'm going to review these nail polishes i found at Ulta the other day

They are by a brand called "Essence" not "Essence of Beauty" like the brushes lol..kind of confusing isnt it?
So these are ONLY 99cents at Ulta!! I believe this is a newer brand. They have a small section of makeup & everything is soo cheap... i was kinda of hesitant to try some of the stuff but i just got 2 nail polishes and a liquid eyeliner all for under $5!

Here's what the nail polishes look like...


I got a white-ish color & a light pink-ish color because i had an interview & needed a neutral/professional looking color! But there was some gorgeous colors there... a coral color, lavender, bright greens, blues, pinks, etc.
I wasn't expecting much out of them but they're actually not bad at all! What i love about them is that the brush is quite thick so it is very easy to apply and comes out not streaky at all!! For a 99cent nail polish that is an amazing quality.

The white-ish color & light pink color i got are quite sheer but after about 2 coats the color comes out quite true.

Sorry guys i didn't take a picture of when i applied it..:( but trust me .. for 99cents they're pretty good... better than spending 8-9dollars on an OPI one!

xoxo,
L

Review: Essence of Beauty Travel Brush Kit

hey ladies.. just a quick post today
i bought the essence of beauty mini travel brush kit at CVS yesterday.


Sorry the picture looks sort of weird but u get the idea.
Anyways, i wanted the smaller brushes so I could carry it around in my purse & i've heard soo many good reviews on this brand! I'm not sure if it's because I got the travel kit but I was a little disappointed =T...

The brushes are very soft & some are quite dense as well but it wasn't really working very well for me..mayb because they are quite small?? idk but i should have just got the regular one with 3 double sided brushes that everyone has been talking about! oops...but these were just TOO cute to pass up :P
I mainly got this kit for the blush brush & it's actually pretty dense but the size is a little too small for application..

Anyways, i would rate this kit a 7/10.. & i would not repurchase it.
They are pretty good brushes for the price tho.. (only $10 for the whole thing!)

do you guys think i should go buy the other kit with 3 double sided brushes instead?!
do any of you have this?!

xoxo,
L

How To: Keep Your Teeth Lookin' Supafly!

hey dolls..
what is one major turn-off that EVERYONE can agree on!? bad breath & yellow teeth.. DUH! So i've come up with some tips (that have been working for ME) to keep your pearly whites lookin' supadupafly ;)

1. always make sure you FLOSS at least once a day...

These are the disposable floss picks that i use.. you can get them at any drugstore for only a couple of dollars! Instead of waiting for your dentist to clean out all the plaque stuck between your teeth, do it everyday yourself! First, take the "pick" side and get all the plaque/food/junk that's stuck in between every tooth. Then, take the floss side and floss in between every tooth to get whatever junk you may have missed. They're also disposable so there's no hassle with these :)

2. brush your teeth DAILY (at least twice a day)

Here's the toothpaste that I use. I brush my teeth once in the morning, once during the day, and once at night. I love this toothpaste... it's very refreshing & whitening as well.

3. brush your TONGUE!

Get a toothbrush with a tongue scraper on the back of the brush. I believe this one is the one I use & it's by Colgate. It's important to brush your tongue because there's so much yuckiness left there & that's what creates the bad breath.. EW.


so there are the 3 easy steps... i'm sure many of you do this already but i'm also sure that alot of you get too tired or lazy to do it as often as you should... keeping your teeth clean is soo worth it in the long run :)

try out these tips & let me know what you think..
also try using the new Crest 3D line.. it's working pretty well for me & has made my teeth alot whiter..it seems to work better than the Crest Vivid White toothpaste line.
I did use the Advanced Crest Whitestrips before & they work wonders for only around $30! BUT my teeth are quite sensitive & couldn't really handle the product... =T
anywho.. please leave your opinions below.. i'd love to hear what works for you!

xoxo,
L

Splurge vs. Sweet Find!

hey girlies.. sorry i didn't post anything for awhile.. I've been really caught up with things..SORRY! :(
But now we're back on track...k so i just recently started filling in my eyebrows to create a more defined shape. My eyebrows don't really need alot of filling in because they aren't sparse at all but i just like to create a little bit more definition and shape...:)

SPLURGE...I tried the benefit brow zings kit



The packaging is decent.. it comes with a mirror, 2 mini brushes, and tweezers. It's awesome though because its not really a powder.. the product is kind of a powder+wax mixed together to create a thicker formula. So when you apply it... you really only need a couple dabs on your brush and you'll still have to blend it out alot! Overall, its very pigmented & lasts all day. The mini brushes that it comes with is also pretty awesome but you can use any angled brush with it :)
I think it's around $30 at Sephora or Ulta or anywhere that carries Benefit products.

SWEET FIND... I found Wet & Wild's Brow kit!!



This is only about $4 at drugstores & its very comparable to Benefit's brow kit. The one i got is in "Ash Brown". There's another kit that's for lighter hair. So in the kit it comes with one lighter brown powder & one darker brown powder & one clear wax...BUTBUTBUT.. the packaging is S@#T!! lol.. it's pretty hard to open & its just cheap plastic.. but whatever it's FOUR BUX! haha can't complain.. but the powders are SUPER pigmented (don't judge a book by its cover).. you really only need like ONE dab for your entire eyebrow so be careful when applying~ blend it all out before you dip your brush in again ;) it's also pretty long-lasting & the mini angled brush it comes with is decent too! I'm lovin' this kit at the moment..especially since its only a fraction of the price of Benefit's or even Anastasia's Brow Kits!! :P

any questions about these two products? please leave it in the comments below...
if you've tried these already.. let me know how you like them!? Would you rather spend $30 on the "high-end" one??

xoxo,
L

Top 5 Lip Products

hey dolls.. so i was going to post a mini haul but i couldn't find pictures & everything for it yet so mayb i'll post that tomorrow. But for now i'll share my favorite lip products wit u all..

1. Mac's Lipstick in "Blooming Lovely" (amplified lipstick)

Lo-lo-loveee this gorgeous purple lipstick!! Tone it down with "myth" or "creme d'nude" for a more nude look. The formula is also not drying at all. I'm loving bright-ass lipsticks at the moment!!<3

2. Mac's Lipstick in "Cream Cup" (cremesheen lipstick)

You can't really tell in this picture but its actually a very pink color! Its a cremesheen formula so it's not drying either. Again, use myth or any nude color to tone it down to a light pink color if you want!

3. C.O. Bigelow Ultra Mentha lipshine

I lovee how this gives you that menthol, cooling feeling on your lips and it lasts quite awhile too... it's infused with peppermint oil and makes your lips feel refreshed! Put it over any lipstick and it'll instantly make it look super glossy and shiny.

4. Soft lips Vanilla flavor

This is an awesome chapstick! I've tried their other flavors before too but they seem way more drying than the vanilla one.. which is weird...shouldn't it be the same formula!? idk it cud just be me but i didn't like the other flavors. This has a slight cooling effect & smells delicious!

5. Mac's Cremesheen Lipgloss in "Ever So Rich"

This lipgloss is quite sheer but is still good to layer with a lipstick.. it doesn't last very long on the lips but the color is just too pretty.. its a light lavender shade.

that's all for now.. i lovee lip products & i usually carry about 5-10 in my purse but i narrowed it down to these because i've noticed i use these ones everyday!!

anyways, what are your favorite lip products?! let me know your suggestions so i can try them out too!! :)


xoxo,
L

Review: Wet & Wild Cream Eyeliner & Mega Liner Liquid Liner

hey dolls... sorrie i didn't post anything yesterday.. this week was my midterm week so i was quite busy but now i'm on spring break finally!! haha.. well heres a quick review

Wet & Wild Cream Eyeliner

Price: $3.99
Where to buy: Rite Aid or any drugstore that carries wet&wild products
Staying Power: 10/10
Color pay-off: 9/10
Packaging: 8/10
Would I re-purchase: YES

So this is a good dupe for mac's black track as long as you use a good brush. It comes with a brush but it didn't work too well for me so I use sonia kashuk's bent eyeliner brush (perfect combo). It's pretty creamy & is good to use as a base. I would say it's also quite similar to L'oreal's HIP cream liner but its more than half the cost!
I got the black color & it comes out pretty dark but I usually line it with a liquid after anyways. I gave the packaging an 8 because it's kinda annoying to screw on & off because its cheap plastic...but it's $3.99... give it a break :)

On to the next,

Wet & Wild Mega Liner Liquid Liner

Price: $2.99
Where to buy: Rite Aid or any drugstore that carries wet&wild products
Staying Power: 10/10
Color pay-off: 10/10
Packaging: 8/10
Would I re-purchase: YES

This is a very good liquid liner... especially for the price! It is a brush tip applicator and you can easily make a thick or thin line with it. The color pay-off is great but it takes a second to dry so don't sneeze or do anything crazy as soon as you apply it.. lol.. yes i've sneezed after applying and had to take off all my makeup because of that >.<
The packaging is again an 8 because its cheap plastic & the rubber stopper which is suppose to grab all the excess product before the brush comes out, doesn't do it's job 100% but it still works!
Good dupe for sephora's long-lasting liquid liner (mentioned in my review below) especially if you don't want to spend more than $5.

Have you guys tried any of these yet? Wet & wild has some very good INEXPENSIVE products... love them~

xoxo,
L

How to Get Soft, Luscious Hair...

Hey dolls.. i think i can safely say that every girl wants soft, luscious hair.
I've tried an endless amount of hair products from drugstore pantene and herbel essences to high end products such as paul mitchell, biolage, iden, and tons more that i can't think of at the moment.
Anyways I wanted to share this conditioner I've been using for quite some time now.
The Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask. (Many people have raved and talked about this product before but I still wanted to share my opinion)
This is a treatment so you only have to use it once a week or once every few days. But leave it in your hair for at least a couple minutes before rinsing out... it'll make your hair feel soo soft afterwards.


So I've been using that for awhile but I wanted a DAILY conditioner because my hair is very dry and damaged mostly from dying and coloring. So I got the Neutrogena Triple Moisture DAILY deep conditioner & have been using it for a couple days & it works just as good as the treatment!! I love the packaging because its in a tube and i just have to squeeze it out instead of scooping it out of the tub. I'm so happy that they had a daily conditioner yay!
It is only about $4-5 at target.. you can probably find it on sale too.



The first day I used this I couldn't stop touching my hair.. it was soo soft & luscious even with all the damage its been through... and then later that day i spilled starbucks all over it & it got all sticky and gross.. oops.. lol >.< i'm so clumsy.

Anyways, try this out girls & let me know what you think or let me know if you already use this... it's soo worth $5 instead of buying a high-end conditioner for $20!!

Ps... thanks soo much to all the lovely comments & all my new followers!! It means so so so so much to me & motivates me to keep posting up new blogs!! :) yay !!

xoxo,
L

Urban Decay Friends & Family Discount!!

Hey dolls... one more for tonite..

I found a special friends & family coupon code for you all. Stock up on your faves :) Use coupon code 1SFNF on www.urbandecay.com



I recommend the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden & the 24/7 glide on eye liner pencil in ZERO!

xoxo,
L

Tips&Tricks: Long-Lasting Eyeliner?

Hi beauties.. so today I wanted to do a quick and easy tips&tricks picture tutorial on how to make your eyeliner last all day! No smudging, re-applying, or any hassle necessary. To me, eyeliner is such a key part of my look so it should be the one product that stays put all day.

I've been doing this for quite some time & its made quite a significant difference so try it out!


First, start off by priming your eyelids (I used UDPP Eden) & applying any eyeshadow (I just did a simple neutral look)


Then, line the outer half of your upper lash line with a bent eyeliner brush and a cream or gel eyeliner (i used Sonia Kashuk's bent eyeliner brush $5 & wet&wild's cream eyeliner $3.99)


Here's what it should look like so far...


Then, take your favorite liquid liner and line your entire upper lash line over the cream liner. (I'm using the sephora liquid liner $10)


And your finished!


Finished look


Apply some mascara & you'll be good to go! Not only does this trick really makes your eyeliner last long, it really makes the eyeliner color vibrant & as dark as possible. You could even do this with colored eyeliner by matching the same cream/gel liner color with it to make it more vibrant!

Let me know what you guys think or if you guys do this already!!

xoxo,
L

Tips&Tricks: Do you have cute shoes that hurt your feet?

Hey girls...
i'm at school & i had some time to kill before class so i'm going to share an awesome trick with you all!

No matter what type of feet you have.. shoes will always hurt you. Whether its heels or flats or sandals, we've ALL had those incidents where you get blisters or pain on your heels, toes, or pretty much anywhere the shoe rubs back and forth with your skin.
So I found this awesome product! The Blister Blocker by Bandaid!!


Its pretty much a small lil stick that looks like wax. You can find it at target or probably any drugstore & it is around $5 !!

Whenever you feel like your about to get a blister or that part of the shoe is gonna hurt your feet, just rub this lil stick on the spot & you'll feel like a million bux after! haha..ok mayb not a million but seriously.. its pretty good :)
The smell is actually nice as well. And its perfect because its small enough to just through in your purse or car or whatever!

I've tried using vaseline on areas where my feet hurt as well but it kind of leaves a greasy & slippery feeling which is kinda gross to me. But this blister blocker dries quick & leaves you no blisters!
Now you can wear those gorgeous heels that you couldn't wear for more than 20 mins before.

Have any of you guys tried this yet? Let me know what you think!

Ps...I'll be posting a picture tutorial soon on how to make your eyeliner look vibrant & last all freekin' day~

xoxo,
L

Special deals of April!

hey girls.. quick post here..

if your a beauty insider at sephora make sure to check your registered e-mail so you can get the 15% off coupon off of your entire purchase from April 12th-19th!
Sephora rarely does this so take advantage of it if you were planning on buying something but it was a little over your budget ;)



If your a NARS lover, you can get 18% off of orders $50 or more & free shipping with this code: 04101822. (expires 4/30/2010) (wth is up with tha 18%? why not just 20%? lol...weird number)

LAST ONE, if you need something at ULTA here's a 20% off coupon.
GO TO THIS LINK TO PRINT IT--> http://view.email.ulta.com/?j=fe5e15787d6504757016&m=fef81579726402&ls=fdfc137073660d7c70107074&jb=ffcf14&CID=ET_InStore20offone

yayy for deals !!

xoxo,
L

Blog Noobie...

hi ! so.. i just started this blog and i wanted to write a quick intro while i was on this blog-kick. I am a major shopaholic so you will definitely be seeing a lot of beauty tips, product reviews, makeup and hair tutorials, major hauls, random discounts & sales that i find, and random tidbits of my life.
I named this blog "dose of sugar-xoxo" because i have a major sweet tooth and love anything and everything with sugar in it! BUT i also want my readers to be able to have a short break and little bit of sweetness in their busy lives by reading my blog posts.
Whether you get a sense of satisfaction through makeup, fashion, seeing other people buy stuff because you don't want to spend your own money, or finding bargains stay tuned for my upcoming blog entries so you can satisfy your sweet tooth ;).



xoxo,
L

ps... aren't those cupcakes just adorable?!

Products I Can't Live Without.. EVER. part 1

hey guys.. so i hope everyone had a good weekend :]
i sure did, my friend came down from Santa Maria & we shopped and ate and did fun things... lol...and now i'm reali reali tired but heres a blog entry anyways... its just a quick review of my FAVE PRODUCTS that i've been using constantly for tha last few months.. maybe even longer! you guys have GOT to try them out kay!? i wudnt suggest items to you guys that i don't think are worth the money.. even if its only a few dollars.
*drum roll pls...* in no particular order because they are all the best products!!....

1. sephora long lasting eyeliner in black...

*this eyeliner is infact true to its name & is very long lasting. you may have to re-apply near the end of the day if you have some creasing issues but other than that, for a non-waterproof eyeliner.. this is AMAZING.
*the brush tip is PERFECT to get the line as thin or as thick as you want, and the brush tip also makes it reali easy to create a nice winged eyeliner look...
*i have tried an endless amount of liquid eyeliners (i was on a mission to find the perfect one) but i think this is pretty much as good as it gets!
*it is only $10 .. now compared to a drugstore eyeliner that is kinda expensive but it'll last you a good several months.
*good drugstore dupe that i found?? the wet and wild mega liner... its only $2.99 and almost as good.
**sorry i can't say enuf about this eyeliner.. its a good product.. lol >.<

2. laura mercier oil-free tinted moisturizer

*okay this is a can't-live-without type of product. it is the best tinted moisturizer out there... i've tried everything from drugstore neutrogena to expensive-ass sisley... and this is truly the BOMB.
*price is $42.. a little pricey you may think.. but it comes with a lot of product and will last you a good amount of time..
*comes in a variety of shades & blends perfectly.. also the coverage is definitely buildable.. but with one or two applications it looks lyk you are wearing foundation!

3. purity facial cleanser

*best facial cleanser... claims to be a one-step cleanser.. and it truly is!
*it'll take off anything and everything... whether its eyelash glue or just plain stubborn waterproof mascara.. get this if you want the best cleanser ever! hahaha
*price varies in size but try the cheapest/smallest size at $10 then buy the huge thing when u run out... but trust me.. your gonna wanna buy the biggest size once you try this!!

4. buxom lash mascara

*so this is probably the best mascara i've tried so far.. & i've tried alot.. from maybelline lash stiletto to dior show, dior iconic to mac's mascaras, etc.. you get tha point. anyways this mascara VOLUMIZES, CURLS, & LENGTHENS all in one! i never even use a lash curler because of this awesome thing.. plus i hear that curling ur lashes everyday can be bad for them.
*tha price is $18... which is quite reasonable for a high-end mascara. trust me, its worth tha price.
*the brush is actually quite big but it's pretty easy to work with, and the fibers are very thin and comb your lashes..omg.. its awesome!

5. st. ives intensive healing body moisturizer & hand cream


*can't quite remember the price but they are both under $5 for sure.. find it at ulta..
*this claims to be a 24hour moisturizer and it ain't lying.. it'll keep your body moisturized all day.. no re-application necessary :)
*it's cheap & it works wonders & it says its 100% natural ingredients so what tha hell r u waiting for?! go get it ! haha :P


anyways... i have a alot more but this is getting kinda long so i'll make a part 2 when i get a chance to.. so stay tuned for that please :)
if you have any questions on any of these products please feel free to ask me! i have been using these products for a looong time & have re-purchased them several times so i think i cud answer most of your questions if i haven't mentioned it already!
thanks for reading<3

xoxo,
L