Easy weekend look

Posted on February 7, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The weekend is almost here guys! I cannot wait to wake up without any alarms on Saturday morning, ahhhhh bliss!
Most of my weekends consist of running errands which leaves me little time to put on a whole face of makeup. However, I don’t want to leave my house looking like a sleep deprived ghost, so a simple yet polished look is what I typically go for. Six easy products later and I am out the door!

Step 1. Revlon Photoready BB Cream in “Medium”
Step 2. Tarte Maracuja Concealer in “Medium tan”
Step 3. Stila convertible color in “Camellia”
Step 4. Benefit Gimmie brows in “Medium/Deep”
Step 5. Benefit “They’re real Mascara”
Step 6. Mac lipstick “Riri Woo”

This look is pretty much long lashes and a bold lip! My absolute favorite simple look!

And there you have it my friends. Below are links to these items (some of which you can purchase at your local drugstore or sephora).

Revlon BB Cream
Tarte Maracuja Concealer
Stila Convertible Color
Benefit Gimmie Brows
Benefit They’re real Mascara
Mac Riri Woo

Have a great weekend everyone!
-Gwen

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm

Posted on January 30, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I was so excited when I saw Revlon’s new matte balm line! ( I mean what new lip product doesn’t make me super excited?) The original colorburst’s were my absolute favorite when they were first launched, I love the simple twist up tube because lets face it not many people have a sharpener on hand.

There are many matte lipsticks & balms that are a bit too drying for me, causing lots of cracking which I HATE! These bad boys are velvety smooth! They are made with shea, coconut and mango butters, so yes you guessed it not only do they glide on your lips smoothly (with intense color payoff might I add) they are also very nourishing. Shameless (#215) and Unapologetic (#210) were the two colors I chose and I couldn’t be happier. Check out some swatches below…

Hope these swatches were helpful to you all

Hasta Luego,

-Gwen

January Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Posted on January 29, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I just received my first Ipsy Glam bag ever and I have to say I have very mixed reviews of the items and products that were included. For those who don’t know, Ipsy is just one of the ever popular monthly subscription bags out there meant to save makeup/beauty collectors money and allow you the customer to try products out before committing and buying them fully. Every month you get a selection of items based on a questionnaire that you fill out in the beginning, it does initially put you on a waiting list for a bag but my personal wait was not long at all. For $10 a month you can then read reviews and watch tutorials on the ipsy online community from other makeup lovers and learn and share tips and tricks based on that months bag.

First Impression-Love the fact that it comes in an extremely cute makeup case! I have so many of these but they get dirty often and sometimes even need replacing. These can make great items to re-gift later on and fill them with your own personalized items for friends and family. I love this first blue bag featuring a print of different cosmetic products and bottles.

Cons- The items I received were not full-sized except the tinted lip balm (pictured below)

Pros-
-It featured new products that I had never tried before and some that I had heard of already (proactiv and Mica).
-Good mixture of “high and low” products

Ipsy January Glam Bag

Proactiv + Mark Fading Pads

Mica Beauty Cosmetics- Tinted Lip Balm # 6 Fiesta
The color pay off of this product is great and shows up on my darker lips perfectly. The only con I could say is that it could be a little more moisturizing for being a “balm”. It feels more like a soft stain versus an actual regular lip balm.

Swatch of #6 Fiesta

Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion-Argan +Rosewater
This feels super lightweight and has an amazing refreshing scent. The only con I would say is that my skin absorbs it super quick and I still feel a little dry. This is best for those with less dry skin (perhaps oily or combination) and also for areas with high heat as it is super light and refreshing on the face.

Elizabeth Mott- Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil
This pencil had a great consistency and cute little travel packaging, the only downside was that it was too light for either me or my sister’s skin tone. This was included in our giveaway a week ago.

Dont Despair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask This hair mask has an amazing scent and is meant for those with dry, damaged or chemically treated hair.

Briogeo-Dont Despair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask
This hair mask has an amazing scent and is meant for those with dry, damaged or chemically treated hair.

I will most likely continue and see what else Ipsy has to offer for the next couple of months and will be coming out with further reviews if I receive any items that I am in love with.

Until then….Enjoy!

-Ari

Giveaway Winner Is……. Sarahlovesmakeup!!!!

Posted on January 23, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Sarah from Sarahlovesmakeupblog.com is the official winner of our giveaway! We surpassed our goal of 100 followers and only hope to gain much more in this coming year. We will be doing many more giveaways and contest in the future so keep an eye out for those and continue to support us as we take on 2014! Make sure to follow our lovely winner and her blog as well as us on all social media. We love feedback and comments and the goal is to be more interactive with our fellow bloggers and followers.

Winners Info- Go check her out shes great!
Sarahlovesmakeupblog.com, @sarahlovsmakeup

Our Info: Itsapplesandorangesblog.com
Ari– Ig & Twitter Ari_Mo821
Gwen– Ig- Gwenzilla Twitter-Gwendi3
facebook.com/gwendi3
Pinterest- Gwendolyn Pena, Ariadna Pena

Sarah Won the following items and other sample products!

Stay tuned for more of these in the future!-

Love Ari & Gwen

Sparkle & Nude

Posted on January 18, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Feeling sexy is subjective and it cannot be made more clear by the plethora of different looks and styles that are “trending”. Both me and my sister have very different views on what looks or makes us feel sexy and I have to say a good nude shoe has got to be top five for me. This outfit is based off this old season pair of sandals/heels from forever 21. I love the way they elongate my leg (as a proper tone nude shoe is supposed to) and the sparkle detail gives it a pop that I love! This is such a special shoe in that it can be paired so many different ways and everytime I wear them I feel chic and pretty while at the same time being a little enticing. This time I played off the neutrals vibe and wore a sheer creme top with rolled up sleeves, for a nice element of surprise I chose neon yellow/green shorts from the Jennifer Lopez collection at Kohls. The body chain added another sexy touch as it defined my waist a little bit from the oversized shirt.

Check out similar tops from Forever 21 Here, Here & Here

Get the sparkly feel with these beauties from Jeffrey Campbell, Aldos and Forever 21

High Waisted Shorts- Boo Hoo

Body Chain- Ebay, Ebay, Ebay, Asos

* Giveaway Announcement *

Posted on January 16, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Its about that time for a giveaway! As of today we are only 1 follower away from 100! Its been slow and steady progress for us as we got into the groove of posting more regularly and figuring out what our niche was. For those who consistently check our page out and like or comment we love and appreciate you. With that being said we will be choosing one random follower next week on January 23,2014 to win some special goodies from us. No need to do anything to enter besides just being a follower. Check us out continuously throughout this week for more regular post and stay tuned for the winner announcement next week. Next short term goal is 150 followers! Let’s get it!

Love Ari & Gwen

Itsapplesandorangesblog.com

Muji Acrylic Cases

Posted on January 7, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Happy 2014 everyone! Cannot believe it is already a new year, where does the time fly? Once a new year rolls around the saying “out with the old in with the new” resurfaces across the lips of many people. I took that catch phrase and ran with it when I did my winter cleaning/organizing last week. My makeup and brushes were a priority for me because everything was all over the place leaving me no choice than to act like a mad woman while getting ready in the morning.

With that said, I’ve had these Muji Acrylic Cases for a long time but as I mentioned before my makeup wasn’t very organized. So I tackled this task by removing all of my makeup and categorizing everything for easier access.
These cases are clear and come with a pull out slot, you can also remove them completely if need be. I know that many people are obsessed with the CosmoCube (including me) but I quite frankly did not want to spend that amount of money on an organization tool and I also do not have enough space for them on my dresser. The Muji cases are a perfect size and they don’t break the bank (The 5 drawer one is the most expensive at $27.95).I also bought two of them for Ari as a Christmas present and she loved them! Here’s how I use them:

5 Drawer case standing alone on the right
3 Drawer case stacked on top of a Large 2 Drawer case

Lip tints, stains and balms in top row, Lipsticks in second, Glosses in the third, lip, eye liners and highlighters in the fourth and shadows in the fifth.

Lip Products

Blushes & Bronzers

Eyeshadows

As for my brushes I cleaned out an old candle jar to place the bigger ones in and small mason jar to place my eyeshadow brushes in.

Below are the links to the cases that I utilize.

2 Drawer Case
3 Drawer Case
5 Drawer Case

Happy Organizing everyone!
-Gwen

Real Techniques “Sam’s Picks” Review

Posted on December 22, 2013 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Real Technique brushes are designed by youtube sensation and makeup artist Samantha Chapman. These affordable brushes are top of the line! The quality is impeccable and you get so much bang for your buck. I was introduced to them by my sister (and co blogger) and I am in love. I chose to go with “Sam’s Picks” because the brushes suited my needs and also served as a basic starting point (although they do have other “starter kits”. For me personally this one was the best.

Priced at $30.00 these are essential to any makeup lovers collection. The bristles are super soft but don’t shed and the aluminum self standing handle make it easier to grip and hold. I have no cons for these thus far! Links Below.

Multi Task Brush- Perfect for Powders (blush, bronzers etc)

Setting Brush-Dusting of Powder or Highlighter (I use mine to set my concealer under my eyes amongst other things)

Buffing Brush- Perfect for application of foundations both powder and mineral

Pointed Foundation Brush- Perfect for liquid foundation

Essential Crease Brush- These tapered bristles are perfect for contouring the face or blending on the eyes.

Fine Liner Brush- Great for any gel liner.

Sam’s Picks Brushes

Real Techniques at Ulta

Love Ari

Drugstore Fall Lips

Posted on December 10, 2013 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I’ve found my favorite (so far) Lip combo for this fall season! I know some of you may already be experiencing harsh winter like weather but here in sunny Fl its pretty much still starting to cool off.Ive been searching high and low on the hunt for the perfect lip color that would still be wearable for everyday use. In comes Milani easy liner for lips in “sugar plum”. I love the red/purple undertones it gives off and the application is as smooth as can be. After lining my entire lips with it I topped it off with Revlon’s Super Lustrous lipstick in “Black Cherry 477”. This is slightly sheer but blends beautifully on top of the liner to create a satin finish without all the cakeyness of a matte nor too shiny on the eyes.

Pros
-The liner is retractable and goes on super smooth!
-The lip liner is incredibly pigmented
-Price point of both items (drugstore brand)

Cons
-The lipstick is a bit too sheer on my lips to wear on its own (or may work if you arent looking for a dramatic look)

Enjoy!

-Ari

Tarte Maracuja Concealer

Posted on November 19, 2013 by itsapplesandorangesblog

True life: I am addicted to concealer! Haha no but seriously guys I am obsessed with concealer, I am constantly experimenting with different brands, looking for the best one that will brighten and conceal the darkness under my eyes without looking too cakey. I currently have about 7 different brands that I use on rotation, well make that 8 because I just bought the Tarte cosmetics maracuja concealer. Drum roll please….. It was love at first sight!

Last week while attending a skincare class at Sephora (which was great by the way) I found my way over to the Tarte section. My initial thoughts were to just try on the concealer but I fell in love with it and had to bring it home with me. Upon applying it in the store my first reaction was wow this has a very thick consistency,(It’s full coverage) it also sets pretty quickly which means it should be blended into the area before it dries too much (I suggest using a beauty blender or any type of sponge to blend it evenly).

The weekend rolled around and I was so excited to put on an entire face of makeup to get the full effect of the concealer. I wore it for about 6 hours on Saturday while I ran some errands and this product DID NOT crease what so ever! My under eye circles were covered up and it really brightened my under eye area. It totally lives up to its name and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to simply brighten their face, has dark circles, or imperfections that they want to conceal.

I chose Medium Tan for my skin tone.

It appears a bit too light on my hands but it is perfect on my face.

This picture was taken on hour 4 of wearing the concealer.

Isn’t Sephora’s new tote super cute? I received a bunch of samples from the skincare class and I also bought some face cleansing sponges.

During the Skincare class we were asked what was our must have beauty product, I of course answered concealer (well for the time being, it changes every so often)
So I would love to know what are some of your favorite beauty products. Feel free to share in the comment section below!

Well that is all folks!
And always remember
“What you do, the way you think, is what makes you beautiful”- Scott Westerfeld

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

Much Love,
-Gwen