MAC Haul

These are the things that I bought from my MAC haul. To see the actual Haul video, please visit Youtube.com/Soappugh

From Love That Look Collection (Limited):

<--------- ( Left Pic )

Pearlglide Eye Liner - Black Russian

Pearlglide Eye Liner - Fly by Blu

Eye shadow - One Off

From the Permanet Collection:

Eye shadow - Scene

Eye shadow - Deep Truth

Eye shadow - Stars N' Rockets

Studio Fix Fluid - NC50

Select Sheer/Press - NW43

New Stuff I Tried Out, Brina's Beauty Secret #19

But there are a few things that I have been trying that are new that I want to discuss with you guys. First thing that I have tried that is new is Softsoap's Body Butter Apricot Scrub. OMG the smell of it is to die for. I never ate an apricot or know what an apricot looks like but when I take a shower it smells soo good that I want to eat an apricot. As most of you know, I love Softsoap body washes such as the Ultra Rich Shea Butter, Nutra Oil, Pure Cashmere, and the Moisture Wrap. Since I have like dry skin in the winter, I am always applying creams on my skin, but with the Softsoap, I dont need to put cream or just a little because the soap is sooo moisturizing. Very highly recommended!Second thing that I have been using is the Biore's Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. Now with this product it has its goods and bads to it. The good thing about this product is that I do see a difference in my skin. It does fight the blemishes from coming back and it does have that ice cold feeling when washing your face (good tingle). And also, a little does go a long way. I used two pumps of the ice cleanser and that was too much for my face (now I have to use like 1 1/2 pumps). But the bad thing about this product is that on the bottle its says "Oil Free" they are not joking about this. After I come out the shower and dry my face off with the towel, my face soooo dry and tight that is hurts. It really does suck out all the grease, dirt, oil off your face but at the same time, your face hurts soo bad after washing it cause there is no oil. And the dermologist is right " do not use a harsh cleanser on your face because then more oil is created to compensate for the oil that is missing"( which basically means that your face will become a lot more greaser faster). For some reason the Biore line is not working for me, the Foaming Face wash with the little micro beads, the Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser is not working. The trick when using Biore's face products is that after washing your face, you have to use a toner and a moisturizer so that tightness on the skin does not occur. And even when you do that, there is some type of tightness on your skin. I do not recommend this product to nobody!!Third thing that I tried is the Trish McEvoy Blackberry and Vanilla Musk shower gel. There is a funny story about this product. I was in the shower trying to find my Softsoap but then I realized that my Softsoap is finish and that I have no soap to take a shower in. So I hopped like a bunny out the shower and started tearing the cabinet apart to find a bar of soap or something. So then I came across this product in the cabinet and I said screw it, I'll use it. It is like a tiny travel size soap but it was still soap. I will have to say that the smell is very good. I saw online for the 1.9 fl oz of this product is like $19. I recommend this product if you have the money to spend on it.

P.S. - I had a change of thought when it came to the Biore's Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. After using it for 3 weeks straight, I noticed that the dryness that occured after washing did not happen anymore. Its like my skin got use to the cleanser. Plus another good thing about this cleanser is that a little bit of cleanser does go a long way. That one bottle last me almost 2 months.

Brina's Beauty Secret #19 - Sometimes face products take time to grow on you.

HUGE Mac Haul, Brina's Beauty Secret #18

I went shopping today at MAC Cosmetics in 34th Street. I picked up some cool new things: Please do not think I am showing off. Since I am writing about makeup and stuff, I should let you guys know whats going on with me.
1. Eyeshadows in Antiqued, Bronze, Amber Lights, Plum Dressing, Humid, and Goldmine
2. MAC's Studio Finish Concealer in NC 50 and NC 42. The NC 50 is for my face to cover up any blemishes so that it does show through the makeup. And NC 42 is a highlighter for my eyes. I was not feeling the real white colors that people use when putting a highlighter, so my makeup artist suggested the color to me. I also found out that I have been using the wrong type of concealer to cover up my blemishes. I have been using Select Moisturecover in NC 45. Since that is a liquid, it does not go well with a liquid foundation. Basically if you put liquid with liquid it will not stay on your face and slide off. My makeup artist suggest to me to put the Select Moisturecover under my eyes only. So to cover blemishes on your face, use Studo Finish Concealer, then apply your foundation and powder. The best way to describe the Studio Finish Concealer is like a thick clay thingy in an eyeshadow case.
3. MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood
4. MAC Pigment in Gilded Green
5. MAC's Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me
6. MAC's Select SPF 15 Foundation in NC50
7. MAC's Select Sheer/ Pressed Powder in NC55
8. MAC's Eye Brows in Stud
9. MAC's Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Duck
10. MAC 15 eyeshadow palette

I did not buy these colors out of the top on my hat. I saw tutorials of people using these colors in videos on Youtube. I will post pics of when I try these colors out. I also found out that people with dark eyes like purple, green, blue, and gold look good with their eyes.

Brina's Beauty Secret #18 - The more your into MAC, the more hard it is to save money.

Neutrogena Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes, Brina's Beauty Secret #17

For me when I take off my make-up, I don't just wash my face off with soap and water. First, I use the Neutrogena make-up remover towelettes and remove all traces of makeup until they are gone ( usually I use 3 towelettes when taking off my makeup). Then I use the Laura Mercier eye remover to take off all remaining eye makeup that the towelettes did not pick up. Then I wash my face thoroughly. To tell you the truth, I really don't have any complains about this product. The towelettes are very moist, of great size, and gets the job done. What I did was for the towelettes to last me a long time, I put them in a little zip lock bag. They last longer, are nice a moist, and does not dry up. Neutrogena towelettes even take off waterproof mascara! One thing I should tell you about this is that do not think for a second that by using the make-up remover cleansing towelettes is an excuse not to wash your face. You have to wash your face after wearing make-up because then your pores are full of make-up then they get clogged and that is how pimples are formed. I usually do is after I take off my make-up, get into a hot shower and wash my face good, then out a face mask afterwards. At least the steam is opening up your pores so that the makeup can come out. With these moist towelettes you have to wash your face afterwards because it leaves like this shiny, slick surface on your skin. It kinda reminds me of Armor Oil that you put on your car tires, lol. That is the best way I can explain how it leaves your skin. Oh yea I almost forgot, in the package comes 25 moistened towelettes and I paid $7.49 for them.

Brina's Beauty Secret #17 - A clean face is a healthy face

Biore/ Lush Review #16

A couple of new things that I am trying out are the Biore Foaming Face Wash which has little micro beads inside the face wash. I don't know what to think of this product because when you look at it, it looks like a exfoliator even though it says foaming wash, and on the instructions on the back, it says to use it daily. But I find it that when I use it everyday it feels rough on my skin and then it begins to burn (keyword burn, not tingle). So I recommend when using this product to use it every other day and the days you are not using it then use a gentle cleanser. Personally, I will not be buying this product again.A second product that I have been using is the Lush's Enzymion Moisturizer which I LOVE!!!!! ******People with oily skin, this product is made exactly for you!!!! The moisturizer is soooo light that you barely even feel it on your skin and you do not need to use a lot of product. A little does go a long way. The price is a little expensive but it is sooo worth it. This moisturizer does not leave that greasy look on your face after 5 hours like they just finish frying fish on your face. I paid I think $36 for it and it is 1.5oz. And the Sales Woman told me that she bought one and it lasted her like 10 months and she used it everyday.(I don't know if it will last 10 months but I am keeping tally of it)

Lush Haul... Again + Skincare Product Review: Lily Savon, Herbalism, Tea Tree Toner and Enyzimon, Brina's Beauty Secret #15

I know, I know I am not going to hear the end of this but I bought other things from Lush today. I was soooo obsessed about that Lily Savon that I bought on saturday that I had to check out the other soap products that they had. Orginally on satuday I bought a 1/4 of Lily Savon, and a 1/4 of Honey I Washed the Kids but I am running low on Lily Savon. I can guarantee you that by this weekend or until early next week that I am going to run out of Honey I Washed the Kids. The REASON why I am running low on Lily Savon is because I bought that smallest size/weight that it comes in to test it out to see if I like it.
So from Lush I bought:
1. 1/4 of Demon In The Dark
2. 1/4 of Ice Blue Soap
3. 1/4 of Sultana Soap
4. 1/4 of Sexy Peel
I smelled all of the soap products in the store (which was like 12-15 soaps) and these are the ones that I really, really liked. Johnny also went along with me and also helped me on picking which ones that I liked. THANKS JOHNNY, LOL.So now I am going to jump into my product review for Lily Savon. Lily Savon is one of those soap that smells like your grandma's old perfume that she had from the 1960's. Its very soft smelling, does not contain that strong fruit floral smell to it. Personally I like how it smells but it is a different story when you take a bath with it. I feel like the strong smell that was in the bar when you smell it goes away when you take a bath with it. The smell is not very strong which disappoints me because it smells soooo good and sooooo clean. But, one positive thing I do have to say is that the soap does make you skin nice and soft like a baby's ass (there was no other way to describe it). So I hope that the rest of the soaps won't disappoint me like Lily Savon, if it does then I will not buy anymore soaps from that company. I haven't tried yet the bath bombs which I am looking forward to using. One thing that I do have to say is that for the face (cleanser: Herbalism, toner: tea tree toner, the moisturizer: enyzimon, and Sweet Japanese Girl DOES WORK!!!! OMG I feel a difference when I use those poducts. It does not leave a greasy residue on my skin and it does not leave my face shiny. It leaves my skin nice and soft and I recommend these products to people who have really bad oily skin or acne prone skin. I did not forget about those people who have dry, normal skin because Lush also carries products especially made for you guys. So if the products work for me, then it must work for you(but if things go terribly wrong, you will be the first to know about it).

Update (03/09/09) - Well I have some bad news about Lush Cosmetics. It looks like I am allergic to some ingredient in the soap because after the fourth day of using Lily Savon, I broke out to what looks like a rash on my collar bone. I did not pay it any mind since I finished Lily Savon. So I tried Honey I Wash the Kids hoping that maybe it was just the Lily Savon ... But then I started forming another rash-looking thing on the other side of my chest. So I returned all of the soaps that I mentioned in this haul (which sucks monkey's asshole). But I am still going to try their face products (I hope that I don't get a rash because of that too). If I have any more problems, YOU will be the first to know about it.

Brina's Beauty Secret #15 - Some things that you may want or obtained (such as skincare products) is not meant for you.

Lush Haul, Brina's Beauty Secret #14

Yesterday for the first time ever I went to a store called Lush. I have heard about this store from friends but never experience it for myself. If many of you don't know what Lush is its a organic friendly place that sells soaps, cleansers, bubble baths, toners, face masks, body creams and etc. For example the bar soaps are like 40 -60% made from natural ingredients. So if you are one of those people that do not like buying harsh chemical products on your skin that burns, itches, or peels, this place is for you. The beauty about this place is that everything is naturally organic. So I went inside of Lush and a wonderful, nice lady helped me out because I wanted to buy something that can control the oil in my skin (mostly in the T- zone area).
These are the things that I bought for my face:
1. Herbalism - Facial cleanser for oily and problem skin
2. Angels on Bare Skin - cleanser and soft exfoilator suitable for all skin types (they gave this to me for free, 1/4 of a piece)
3. Tea Tree Water - toner
4. Sweet Japanes Girl - exfoliator to take out blackheads
5. Enzymion - I think this is a moisturizer ( gave me a sample to take home)

Things I bought for shower/bath:
1. Lily Savon - bar soap with Lily, toning neroli, and jasmine
2. Honey I Washed The Kids - bar soap with soothing sweet honey
3. Sex Bomb Bath Bomb - its a big ball that you put in a pre- running bath. Once the ball hits the water, the water turns pink and releases oils and a sweet jasmine smell. And once the ball is dissolved, the water is pink, and actual rose petals are in the water (each ball has something different). I haven't used the sex bomb yet but in the package it came in it smells soo good that it makes you want to have sex. I am not making this up, it really does. There are different types of bath bombs that you can choose (I really, really, really like the sex bomb). And the thing that I love most about the store is that everything to buy, they weigh. So if you want to want to buy herbalism, they cut a piece and weigh to how much your willing to buy or how much product you want (herbalism I bought 1/4 of a piece just to try out.) The website is Lush.com. There are many locations where Lush is located. There is one on 34th street, one on 14th street union square, and 2 more somewhere on Broadway. If you guys ever bought something from Lush or are interested in buying something, put a comment up and tell me what you think about it.

Brina's Beauty Secret #14 - Everything that smells good is not what it is choked up to be, especially bath soaps

Eye Removers, Brina's Beauty Secret #13

There are many type of eye removers that people can use. I know that I have been recommending a lot of products from Sephora that cost a lot of money, but a simple eye remover you can find at a reasonable price at your local pharmacy or drug store. Personally I know 3 different methods of taking off makeup. One method is buying the eye makeup remover from the store. As of right now, I have a Laura Mercier Waterproof eye makeup remover (it was a gift). I googled to see what the regualr price is for this eye makeup remover and it was $20!!!! That is a lot of money for a 4oz eye makeup remover. Don't get me wrong, the eye makeup remover does its job but personally out of my own pocket, I would not spend money on it once the bottle finishes.Another eye makeup remover that is very good is vasline. Some of you know about this and some people are like "vasline???" Vasline is a very old school, cheap method of taking off makeup. My grandma still uses this method even though I bought her the up-to-date, this century type of eye makeup remover (she did not like the up-to-date remover, so she gave it back to me). With the vasline, you put a glob on your eye and then you start to work it in. After you finish rubbing the vasline in your eye, you take a napkin and wipe the vasline away. When you look on the napkin, you will see your makeup.A thrid and final method on how to take off makeup is olive oil. Yes even I was in shock that you can use olive oil to take off makeup. You can't just buy any olive oil, it needs to be the extra virgin olive oil from your local supermarket. I don't know how effective it may be because I never tried it out but if somebody has done this method, just leave a comment at the bottom. How to apply the eye makeup remover is that you get a cotton ball and squeeze a little of the olive oil onto the cotton ball and just wipe away the makeup. Also, you can use olive oil to condition your hair to make it shiny but thats another blog altogether.If I discover anymore ways to take off eye makeup removers, I'll post it up

Brina's Beauty Secret #13 - Makeup is expensive enough, why spend the same amount of money to take the makeup off???

Skincare Product Review: Lorac AquaPrime, Oil-Free, Sensitive Skin Makeup Primer, Brina's Beauty Secret #12

I bought this product because it was recommended to me. I paid a lot of money for it ($36 for Sephora) but it is money well spent. How to apply the primer is that you start off with a clean face and apply the primer like your applying a moisturizer. The thing I like about this primer is that it's water-based so it absorbs very quickly into your pores and your skin unlike the cream-based primers that give a little moisture to your skin. This product is good for people who have oily skin cause when applied after washing their face. The only thing about this product is that when apply you need to be very fast cause it absorbs very quickly, so have a fast hand, lol.

Brina's Beauty Secret #12 - Haven't come up with one yet, check back later

Skincare Product Review: Clearasil, Brina's Beauty Blog #11

I need people's comments for this product because I am getting mixed reactions for it. I bought a couple of weeks ago the Clearasil Oil- Free Daily Face Wash. I wanted to shop around and try a new cleanser for my face because the Neutrogena kept on drying out my face. So I begin using it and it was working fine then I am beginning to notice as of the last 7- 10 days that I am breaking out like crazy. I don't know why this is happening to me. On the commericals you see within three days some kids pimple is gone before taking their yearbook pictures but when I buy the product I brake out. I don't know if this has happened to anybody else PLEASE!!!! let me know, or maybe my face has its own mind on what it likes on it. Also I forgot to add this too that on the bottle it says that it is "Oil- Free". Now I am prone to acne but this thing is NOT oil free. I see my skin after an hour become greasy and oily again. In my opinion I believe that what happens it that whatever oil free chemical is inside the cleanser strips away all the oils from your face (which is bad because then your skin make more oil for your skin to compensate for the missing oil ). I do not recommend this product if you have oily skin cause it will just be a waste of money and it doesn't work. Anybody having the same problem or know somebody who is??? Leave a comment at the bottom. One thing that I would give Clearasil props for is that a little bit of skin cleanser goes a long way. Clearasil is one of those products that takes a while to finish the product. That is a good and bad thing. Good thing: you are getting your money's worth, bad thing: if you don't like the product, its going to take you a WHILE to finish it.

Brina's Beauty Secret #11 - ANYTHING that says "Oil Free" on the prodcut, its NOT!!

School Makeup, Brina's Beauty Secret #10

When I go to school, I do not apply makeup like I am going to a party. I do not want to put a lot of makeup in the morning because I don't want to surprise people with a face-load of makeup. These are the things I use for when I go to school:
1. Concealer - not too much of it unless you got a lot of puffiness under your eyes.( Sometimes if I am not breaking out, I can put concealer then put powder on top)
2. Foundation - not too much unless my face is really breaking out
3. Powder - Sometimes I can just get away with just using powder and no foundation.
4. Blush - to make your face more soft and rosy. And it also brings color to you face
5. Eyeliner - to make your eyes more noticeable. You can put neutral eyeshadow colors when you go to school.
Plus I do not put my "face" on everyday. Just once in a while if I want to look pretty.

Brina's Beauty Secret#10 - Please when going to school, do not leave the house looking like a hooker or an orange alien specimen from another planet.

Skincare Product Review: Palmer's Skin Success, Brina's Beauty Secret #9

I have a product that I would like to share with you guys that actually WORKS!!!! It is called Palmer's Skin Success Even Tone Fade Cream. My Grandma introduce this to me several years ago because she used it and told me "Nena you should try this" and I did and it worked. What Palmer's Skin Success does is if you have acne scarring on your face, arms, chest or back, apply twice a day for however long you see the results and slowly but surely, your scarring spots begin to disappear. I have scarring on my shoulders, so every morning and every night, I apply a thin layer to my arms. Now if you are one of those impatient people that want results right away, it ain't gonna happen right away. For me it took about a month and a half before I begin seeing results. And I was soo amazed that this little product can actually work for my case. I have used doctors medications that dried my skin, made it flaky, peel, and very sensitive to light, but none of those symptons has occured when I used Palmer's Skin Success. Also, the cream leaves your skin feeling smooth all day and the smell is quite tolerable. On the jar it says that if you do not see results after 3 months, discontinue. You can buy this product at any beauty supply store or local pharmacy. For my jar, I think I paid $6.29 for it. If it works for you, send me a message!

Brina's Beauty Secret # 9 - If you have acne scarring, you have to "whiten" or "lighten" the skin first (not Michael Jackson type of whitening, just to lighten the spots).

My Worst Nightmare, Brina's Beauty Secret #8

OMG if you only believe the shit that went on in Sephora 2 days ago. I went in Sephora on Wednesday ONLY looking for a lip gloss when a saleswoman tried to sell me some makeup. I did not want to be rude and say what was on my mind but I said "okay I'll try it". This is where the story takes a bad turn, she put on my face the Bare Escentuals makeup which is suppose to be makeup to treat your face if your skin is likely to break out after applying makeup. So she puts the makeup on me and I realize that she is putting like three different shades on me. Now ladies and gentlemen, if you know my skin color, I am not that hard to shop for makeup. Usually people with really fair skin or really dark skin have problems matching their makeup to their skincolor. But anyways, after she is done, she tells me to look in the mirror to see if I like it. Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph wasn't this bimbarella blind like a bat. She was nowhere near my skin color. She made me look like Edward Cullens, very pale with no flush look to my face. So I tell her gently " ma'am I don't think this makeup matches my skin color". Then she tried to convince me that my mositurizer that I used in the morning was the cause of the makeup being so pale-like. Give me a freakin' break lady!!!! I KNOW when your face and neck are different colors that you have on the wrong shade on. So she tries to lighten my face up, which did not work. The only way to describe the makeup was that I look like somebody on there deathbed, pale with no color at all. The makeup would have been fine if I was Frankenstein's wife for Halloween but not to go outside after the 31st in. I don't want to scare people with my makeup!!! So afterwards when she walked away, I grabbed a cottonball full of alcohol and rubbed that shit off. Then to make matters worse when I get home, my Grandmother tells me "you don't look so good Nena is everything okay with you?" OMG the makeup was still on my skin!!!!Just by that bad experience with the makeup and the saleswoman, I will never use Bare Escentuals in my lifetime!!! She gave a bad name to it. And the sick part of it is that after the saleswoman puts the makeup on my face, she did not even wash the brush!!! Eeeeewwww that is nasty. Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever let somebody do your makeup anywhere you ask them is all the brushes your using clean???, if not walk away. Cause imagine if the person before you has herpes on their lip and the saleswoman uses the brush, and did not wash it and use the same exact brush on you, then you have herpes. I know it is disguesting but you have to think about stuff like that. Its the real world people.

Brina's Beauty Secret #8 - Before the sales woman/man puts any makeup on you, ask them, are the brushes AND makeup are clean to use?

Concealer, Brina's Beauty Secret #7

Concealer is one of the most three important things when applying makeup. The other two important things are foundation and powder. Some of you are probably saying "what the hell is concealer, and why do I need to buy that?" Well concealer does what it says, it conceals and hides redness of pimples on your face,tries to cover pimples, and dark spots. Concealer comes in many forms; in a lip gloss type, or comes in an eyeshadow form. When it comes to pimples, you might want to dab a little concealer on them so it does not show through your makeup. Some people make the mistake of washing their face, put a face primer on, and then start applying foundation. Then when they are finish applying powder they notice that they could see their imperfections through the makeup, and then they ask why is it showing?? You forgot to apply concealer. For those people who are light skin, fair skin, or medium, I have a little secret for you (after telling you it's not going to be a secret anymore, but who cares). When applying concealer, you first dab LIGHT green lipstick, or green concealer on your red pimples then apply concealer, then finish it off with your foundation. Why should you do this? Well on the makeup color wheel (which I hope to write more about in later blogs) green cancels anything red, so if you have a red pimple then LIGHT green lipstick, or green concealer will cover it. I do not know if this hint will work on individuals with darker skin, but it does not hurt to try. Please leave a comment if it works. You can buy any LIGHT green concealer from any drug store, you don't have to spend a lot of money on it.When buying concealer, please try to match up your concealer closest to your skin color. I have seen many girls buy concealer that did not match their skin color and their face was two different colors. You can buy concealer from a drug store like CVS, Rite Aid, or Duane Reade but there is a chance that the color in the bottle is the same color that is going to show up on your skin. When I went to buy my first concealer, I went to MAC in Macys. The concealer that I bought was MAC's Select Moisturecover and it works great!!! My color is NC45. The Sales Woman says that when you buy a concealer, make sure that it is a shade lighter than your skin color because you want to brighten the dark circles so it does not show. If you buy a concealer that is your same skin color, then 1st you are wasting money, 2nd it will not cover your circles.Concealer comes in many forms, some come in a push up lip stick, some come in a concealer wand (like when you are applying lip gloss with that stick thingy, sorry I don't know the name), others come in a jar, others come in a eye shadow type container. It just depends what you feel comfortable in. Me, I preferably like the stick because it is easy to apply without too much of a hassle. Some people apply concealer under their eyes and on their eyelids, which doesn't matter as long as it works for you. For some other people, that does not work for them and they need to buy a eye primer. Oh another thing I should mention when buying concealer is always ask a sales lady/man for HELP!!! Do not be Columbo and try to see if you can find your own concealer color. When you switch from one makeup company to another (for example from MAC to Lancome) you always have to ask the salespeople what is your color is for that company. Example, in MAC I am NC50, but in Lancome I am Suede2. Do not go by the bottle to match up your skin color.
**** Soon, I am going to post pictures on how to apply concealer.

Brina's Beauty Secret #7 - If you suffer from baggs, puffiness, dark circles under your eyes or blemish acne scarring, then I recommend you getting a concealer.

Skincare Product Review: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash vs. Neutrogena Liquid Facial Cleanser, Brina's Beauty Secret #6

To tell the truth, I do not see what is the difference between these two products (which they both work equally). The Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash cost $6.29 for a 6 flow ounce. The Neutrogena Liquid Facial Cleanser cost $8.99 for 8 flow ounce. One disadvantage that I did notice is that the Neutrogena Liquid Facial Cleanser did really dry my skin out after washing. It felt like a had a mask on my face and I could not talk, lol. Another disadvantage that I notice with the Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash was that when you open it for the first time, the wash feels like a gel, but by the time it is almost finish, its like water. I don't know if this happened to anybody else but this tends to happen to me all the time. In my opinion, I prefer using the Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash better than the Liquid Facial Cleanser. I almost forgot to add this last thing, for the Oil Free Acne Wash, they have the CVS Brand called CVS Oil Free Acne Cleanser 6 flow ounces for $4.29. I gotta try it!

Brina's Beauty Secret #6 - If you are using the same skincare brand company, it is always good to try out the different products and compare them from the same company.

Skincare Product Review: Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer, Brina's Beauty Secret #5

The full name of the product is called Neutrogena Oil- Free, Anti Acne Moisturizer. And the only thing I can say about this product is that it is HORRIBLE!!! OMG it is not oil free whatsoever. I am surpised at Neutrogena because I basically used most of their products and they never gave me problems before. I praise their stuff! My old routine in the morning is wash my face, apply the moisturizer, then go to school. By the time I got to school, my face looked so oily that you thought I did not wash my face that morning. It looked like you can fry fish on my face. I went through so many tissues to wipe my face that it is unreal. I have prone oily skin so maybe that is the reason why it did not work, so I don't recommend this product for people who have prone oily skin. Maybe it will work for people who have dry to normal skin. On the back of the bottle is says " Neutrogena Oil- Free Anti-Acne Moisturizer is an ultra-light moisturizer that also clears and helps prevents blemishes. This oil-free formula provides water-based moisturization all day without a greasy after-feel. Quickly absorbs, and leaves skin soft and smooth." Lies, lies, lies, selling damn lies.

Brina's Beauty Secret #5 - When trying new products out, you will find products you love and hate.

Skincare Product Review: CVS Brand Clarifying Body Wash vs. Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash, Brina's Beauty Secret #4

In CVS, they align these two products next to each other so I decided to try both of these products out to see what is the big difference. They have many similar things in common; first thing they have the same flow ounce (8.5), second they are the same color liquid (which is like a gold see-through liquid), and third is that they have the same pop top opening which is more easier than the cylinder screwy top (sorry have no other way to describe it). The only BIG difference that I see is the price. The CVS Brand is $5.29, and the Neutrogena Brand is $6.99. I am a college student, on a budget, during the recession so I prefer the CVS Brand because it does the same exact thing as the name brand. It even says at the bottom of the generic brand "Compare to Neutrogena Body Clear, Body Wash."

Brina's Beauty Secret #4 - If you are short on cash and cannot affoard to get the expensive brand name, settle for the generic brand (it is basically the same thing).

Face Primers: Brina's Beauty Secret # 3

The most biggest mistake that people do when applying makeup is not appyling a primer first. Some of you are asking what is a primer, and why do I need to put it on before applying my foundation? Well a primer is a cream or gel that you apply on your face to smooth out any fine lines, or reduce a pimple size so it does not look 3D when you have the makeup on. A primer also allows you to have that makeup to stay on your face for a long time. Appyling a face primer is exactly like painting a room. How? Before painting, you have to put a primer on the walls so that when you put the paint on, it does not chip off or dry up after. As some of you might experience when putting makep, you wash your face, then jump right into putting your foundation, then powder, and etc, and after a couple of hours, your makeup looks like its sliding off your face. A primer sets your makeup so that that it does not wear off or slide off.

*Update - I just discovered that certain primers are meant for certain skin problems. Some people have acne, dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, and normal skin. So I am going to list a few different primers for each skin type.

Acne Primers:
1. Philosophy The Present Clear Makeup - $25
2. Benefit Cosmetics Dr. Feelgood - $28
3. Lorac AquaPrime Oil Free Makeup Primer - $30 (I have this one)
4. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer-Oil Free- $30
5. Tarte Clean Slate - $27

Dry Skin Primers:1. Perfekt Skin Perfection Gel - $57.50
2. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 With Dermaxyl Complex -$42
3. Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer-$38
4. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Hydrating -$30
5. Sephora Brand Professionnel Perfection Makeup Base - $12

Oily Skin Primers:
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer -$36 - $49
2. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer To Go- $16 - $17
3. Sephora Brand Smoothing Primer -$18
4. CARGO Liquid Powder™ -$22
5. NARS Makeup Primer- $33

Combination Skin Primers:
1. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- $30
2. ModelCo Face Base - $34and you can use any one from the acne skin primers interchangably

Normal Skin:Is the same as the Dry Skin Primers

**I could keep going and going but I do not want to overwhelm you guys. Hope this helps

Brina's Beauty Secret #3 - Primer is very important before applying any foundation on your makeup.

Skincare Product Review: Biore Strips, Brina's Beauty Secret #2

I know you guys have been waiting for a makeup blog but this whole blogging thing also consist of skincare products too!! And one skin product I am going to talk about, that I just discovered yesterday was Biore pore strips. The Biore pore strips concentrates on your nose if you have huge pores that keep on clogging up, blackheads, or whiteheads (I am prone to these). I heard friends in school telling me about this product so yesterday I went to CVS by my school and purchase one. In the box comes 8 pore strips for $8.39 ( so roughly a dollar and change each strip). I was a little skeptical about trying this but it actually WORKS!!!! What you do is after washing your face, you leave you nose area wet and apply the pore strip. You put the sticky side on your nose and the furry side on the other side. You leave it on 10-15 mins and then take it off( I left it on for 15 mins). Prepare when taking off the pore strip for you eyes to get watery like your cutting up onions (it happened to me). The box also says that you should use the pore strips once a week. So you have 8 weeks worth of a product in this box. I am going to keep using this product for 8 weeks and see if there is a change on my nose. If it doesn't work, you will be the first to know about it, lol. A trick that I have learned is that if you really want to get all those blackheads, whiteheads, and other stuff off of your nose, you take a really really hot shower before hand. When you come out of the shower, then you apply the pore strips. Why do this? The reason is because when taking a hot shower, your pores are fully open, so its easy when putting the pore strip on that all of that gook and stuff comes out. Hope this blog is informative to people with clogged pores on there nose. Also when you buy the pore strips, there is a $2.00 off any Biore porduct coupon inside the box.

Brina's Beauty Secret # 2 - Pain hurts........ a lot.

Update (03/29/09)- I bought the Biore Pore Strips that came with the one for the forehead and the nose and it works okay. With me, when I use the one for the forehead it does not really take out blackheads, it takes out hair, lol. Maybe because there is no pores on that part of my forehead, I don't know. But there is a trick that I learned, instead on using the big forehead strip, just cut it in half and use it for another part of your face like maybe your chin.

P.S. - I know this might sound disguesting but I have taken pictures of the pore strip after leaving it on for 15 mins so you can get a general sense of how the product might work for you. The little brown/black spots on the pore strip is the actual blackhead. *Note, what you might see maybe upsetting, just letting you know in advance.

Intro to Makeup/ Brina's Beauty Secret #1

As of lately, Youtube has been one of my crazy fads that I have been watching. I wanted to change something about my makeup, something to give myself a little spruce. So I hit the only place were I thought that this might help me and that was Youtube. As I discovered, Youtube can me very informative in helping people with anything you can think of: hair, nails, face, etc. As I began watching Youtube videos on certain things, I began thinking maybe by my experiences and learning new makeup ideas I can help people. I can help people feel better, confident, and more sexy about themselves. So I am going to tell you from the beginning how I got into makeup. Up to my senior year in high school, I never used makeup. The only thing that I would use is lip gloss. That all changed when it came to picture day in senior year. I have acne and I did not want people to remember me by the girl with the messed up face. So me and my bf went to Macys and I bought my first foundation, powder, and eyeliner. After that I became hooked!!! After that, you would never see me walk around school without at least an eyeliner. The reason why I am sharing my experiences with people because some people were probably in the same situation as me, or can relate in some way. Second thing is that I am open person like that. Ask me anything and I will tell you the answer. Third thing is that I want to help people, especially girls in choosing the right makeup for them. Cause most of us know that we were taught by our mother's, grandmother's, aunt's, female cousin's about makeup. In some ways ancient methods you hear about applying makeup, your like "what the hell were you thinking in doing that?" So what I am going to try to achieve is help anybody who wants to know about makeup in a new, hip, way. There are going to be different things I am going to talk about in different blogs. Examples are one blog is going to be dedicated to foundation, blush, eyeshadow,and skincare products. I hope this can be informative to anybody and if you have questions, leave me a message.I would like to dedicate this idea of me starting this series of blogs to my best friend Lauren Marfo. You are one of the reasons why I decided to inform people.

P.S. - the picture that is attach to this blog is of me on senior picture day. Tell me what ya think!!Loves and Kisses, Sabrina

Brina's Beauty Secret #1 - I have a lot of makeup secrets