OOTD: POP of pink, My trip to NYC & more..(PIC HEAVY)

I just have to start off saying HI!!! I missed you all on my trip to NYC. I recently got back from CT and wanted to share a OOTD and a few personal photos I took while I was there! When we got back, we all were jet lagged to the max. Olivia didn't cry once on the plane, but I knew she wasn't feeling good, so I put her straight to bed when we got home. I really needed it. I still haven't even unpacked our bags. :)

My look for today, I just wanted to have something comfortable, stylish and a little glob of gold.

Below is a close up of the jewelery. If you want to know what I used for anything, just comment below.

My Micheal Kors gold bag, which I adore! You can get it here.

I was going to wear my new Sam Edelman Lorissa pumps, but I thought it was too much bling so I opted for my patent nude Guess heels.

What I wore:

Spense blouse / Forever 21 spike earrings / TASHA necklace / ABS Allen Schwartz ring / Forever 21 cami / EXPRESS jeans / sequin bracelet? / Guess heels /

Lately, I have wanted to change my hair. My hair routine takes forever and I wanted to shorten the length alittle bit and be able to have a lot more body. I went to Hair studio Janusz to get my hair cut and deep conditioned. Luckily, I was able to have it done by Mr. Janusz, himself! Mr. Janusz was so nice and pleasant. He was very at ease and did a quick and stunning job. He knew exactly what how I wanted the end product to be and did an excellent job at getting rid of the dead hair and adding life to my hair. My husband loved the result. Thank you Mr. Janusz!

(Disclaimer: I paid for everything mentioned in this post, and am not affiliated with Mr. Janusz)

Here are my before and after shots:

<The left photo, my hair is so dry and brittle. Everytime I brush through it, hair breaks off and get everywhere.

The photo on right is after a blow-dry, in the salon.>

Here are some pictures of the wedding we went to in CT. My husband's best friend is the groom and we were so happy to be able to attend!
It was so beautiful and they really make a great couple.

and here is NYC!....

On the way to Grand central...just 7 more stops!

On the train, passing Harlem

Grand Central ceiling.

It was raining, almost the whole time, so my hair fell flat. :(

At Connolly's Pub on 45th street.

Best Turtle cheesecake, Hands down!

not the best pic, but we really didn't take pics of ourselves. :)

I seriously LOVE NYC! Im so glad we were able to visit, even for the day. I am definitely going back when we visit CT. If you have a chance, take it. NYC is everything they say it it. So many different cultures, shops and things to see. 

Have you visted NYC before? Whats your favorite place to go?

Cortez Solo 450 degrees 1 1/2" Flat Iron review + photos

Searching for a HG hair styling tool is a must when you have any type of hair, on your head. Something that gets the job done in a decent amount of time (or when your in a rush) & keeps it looking great from the moment you turn it on, to the moment you wash it out. 

I actually already own a great flat iron already (Sedu Revolution Tourmaline Ionic Styling Iron 1")

However, because I am a blogger, I will never "rest" with a product because there are so many others out there that can do the job as the more expensive products. I was recently sent the Cortez solo 450 titanium flat iron review. 

First thing I noticed, was that this was almost identical to the packaging of my Sedu flat iron, in that it was housed in the same fake velour casing and had a hard cardboard outer shell. It even looks the same with the rotating wire head and the sleek black body.

The Cortez goes up to 450 degrees, as does my Sedu flat iron. Even though it does go up that high, I never EVER use it that high because anything above 400 degrees, and you are bound to ruin your hair. I put mine to 398 degrees (I er, on the side of caution) and let it warm up. I noticed that it has two different lights. One red and one green.When its ready and hot, the green light switches off and its just the red light.

Side by side.

The plates are alittle bigger than what I am normally used to. It is 1 1/2 inches, each plate. I wanted the bigger plates because I figured that would give me the bigger waves. I have long hair and tight little ringlets do not look cute on me.

Click the link below to read more!!...

OOTD: Low key PYTHON...

Hello Hunny bunnies!!! Ahhh! First off, let me start this post off with a great big blogger hug! I have been running around like crazy, every single day, while my lovies are sleeping, trying to get everything for our trip to CT/NYC coming up. I am so excited with each passing day!

Here's just a running around OOTD that I wore recently. I love laid back looks that look classy but are simple and comfy too.

Please excuse the orangeness..I tired to balance the colors and made the picture alot more vibrant orange.

Above I am wearing Betsey Johnson Snake inlay bracelet ( I have both silver & gold, I love them!) and I on my nails is Hard Candy Sky nail polish. I love how it looks almost white but you can tell its baby blue...<3

Here are the Steve Madden Slingbacks I did a review on HERE. I love the print and style, but I have to say, after 30 minutes, my toes are throbbing! I don't know if its because these are too small (I don't think they are). To be honest, I think it might be the foot bed. Its so cramped. I def would not be able to wear these all day. I love how they look with super dark denim. I also like the thick heel, as it makes it easier to walk in and balances out my thick legs (genetics).

What I wore:

Spense Shirt / Betsey Johnson snake inlay bracelet / Hard Candy Sky polish / GUESS Black onxy ring / Seven 7 denim / Aeropostale cami / Steve Madden Python slingbacks.

I can't find my camera!! I last took it to Seaworld a couple of days ago and I am desperately trying to post my HUGEST HAUL EVER before I leave for NYC, but I might now be able to. :( Crossing my fingers that its down in the car.

Hope you ladies are doing great and can't wait to share all my exciting and fun pictures when we get back. Take care and TTYS!!

Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Sunset blush + some BIG news!!

For the longest time, I have always walked PAST the Sonia Kashuk display, because frankly, I thought it was a line of marked up drugstore make-up. Finally though, I actually took a closer look and much to my surprise, I was surprised! The color and packaging was pretty and simple (how I like it) so let's see how the blush itself did..shall we???

Product description from site:

 This powder blush will give you a natural, luminous flush and a radiant appearance. Supreme wear and advanced comfort; this powder leaves a perfectly even and ultra-smooth finish. Infused with brown seaweed extract, known for preserving the skins elasticity and providing firmness.

  Price: $8.99

 

Ingredients:  Contains: Talc, Mica, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Dimethicone, Zinc Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Tetrasodium EDTA. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Carmine, Chromium Oxide Greens, Chromium Hydroxide Green, Red 6, Red 7 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake

 <Look how thin mom!

The blush color is what got me interested as did the white sleek packaging. When I opened this beauty, I realized that the way it opens & closes, is magnetic! I love! No longer will I have to worry about "stuck" openers & having my finger nail "dig" into the product when it finally snaps open. I love love LOVE this about this blush.

On a side note, the plastic packaging feels sturdy but I doubt it wouldn't break if it was dropped. I bet the top would pop off and the blush would shatter..:(

When I first saw this, I was like hey, it almost looks duo-chrome like my favorite blush, Hot mama! When compared, they both have gold shimmer and peachy undertones, but nothing really else.

As you can see above, Hot mama is more pinky rose peach with gold shimmer, and sunset is more peachy/cantaloupe (<<perfect) with minimal gold shimmer.


Application:

Apply full base make-up with a light coat of face powder to make sure this blends out evenly. I dab my blush brush in & apply to the apples of my cheeks. I don't like applying bronzer or highlighter when applying such colorful blushes like these. The reason being, the color gets crossed and muted. I like being able to see the color that I applied, right on my cheeks and nothing else. I think this color would look amazing on darker sunkissed skin. I think this accents my skin tone very well. It is not blue toned (blue tones look beautfiul, but not so much on MY skin). On my lightly olive complexion, it warms me up and gives me a beautiful glow. Not glow as in yellow, but like the "sunset" is hitting my cheeks. I love it.

Usually when I get a new blusher, I always try and use it but end up reach for my go-to Hot mama blush. In this case though, I make sure my Hot-mama is in my make-up pouch just in case I want more of a pinky-glow & I reach for the sunset blush more and more, first.

Overall, Would I repurchase this blush, should it ever diminish or get lost? Yes & no. I would because the color is gorgeous and I love a nice coral peach. The question is COULD I repurchase it? She discontinues her products fairly often so even if I do end up using the whole blush, I don't know if I would be able to find it other than on ebay. That was one of the main gripes on Makeupally.com. Also the the pigmentation is not perfection. It is soft but not as soft as Hot mama, and is less pigmented than some of my NYX blushes (as in Red, Desert rose, etc.) Should you decide to try this blush if you are looking for a cantaloupe color blush, you will not be disappointed. It is a great buy and available at Target.com.
 Because of this blush, I am looking forward to next time I am at Target, to try out the lip products and nail polishes from Sonia Kashuk. The Vampy Varnish   has tons of her products for review. Just click on her name to be redirected.

I have some exciting news, (for me anyway).. I am going to the BIG APPLE/ CT for a wedding in a couple of weeks! It will be my first time ever! I am so excited because I seriously had dreams about NYC when I was in High school and I wanted to be a Fashion Designer, that I went to college at the F.I.T. If any of you watch Man vs. Food, you know he does tons of great food challenges in NYC. I'd love to visit one of the places that has the food challenges and have my husband be put to the test. LOL! He always claims to be able to do it better then Adam so to be able to do one would be cool. We have some challenges here in San Diego like Phils BBQ but the line is always extra long & I hate waiting in line that are hours long, just to eat!

 

I am shopping every weekend because I can't walk NYC looking unstylish, of course. <<To the left is the dress I'm going to be wearing to the wedding. Its be AXParis and they have some super cute and affordable dresses. My sister and I were just oggling the dresses after I placed my order. They have something for every one. I was scared I was gonna spend more than $200 on a dress but I found this one, and with shipping and tax came to be a little under $70. I just got it in the mail but it fits pretty big (size 10) so I am sending it back. I ordered a size 8, so hopefully it won't be too big. I really think I should got the size 6, but I have my fingers crossed. The beadwork on this piece is so delicate and the chiffon is so gorgeous. In person it looks like a 300 dollar dress. I still need to find jewelery & heels to match even though I have tons in my closet..;) The link to Amazon.com is HERE, which is where I bought it & their actual website is HERE. I encourage you to just browse about, you might find something you like! All you heel lovers out there, If you are looking for the hottest heels, go to the website! The only thing is, the sizes are not US sizes, so I have no idea how to order, or I would've ordered some already. There's a code for I believe 20% off and free shipping which is PENNSTATE.

  

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Ax Paris & I bought the dress with my own money)

 If any of you know of any good food places to eat at that don't cost $100 dollars per plate, let me know. Also if any of you have any recommendations for the places to visit in the City, comment below! I'd love to hear them!

Do you own any Sonia Kashuk blushes or products that you love? Do you only stick to high end blushes?
 Comment below!

(Disclaimer: All items were bought with my own money. I am not affiliated with the Sonia Kashuk makeup line)