The Makeup Show- Orlando 2014

Posted on November 14, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

It’s that time again! The Makeup Show is back with its team to bring education and inspiration to all the beauty fanatics and artist of city beautiful and beyond! I am so excited to be attending again this year (first time was 2013) and am happy to say I will now get the chance to volunteer and see some behind the scenes action go down at this awesome show. Home to many sponsors and exhibitors such as Nars Cosmetics, Crown brush, Inglot and much more this is going to be the place to be this weekend. You have the opportunity to not only purchase from well-known vendors, but also can attend seminars and workshop focus series that highlight the keynote makeup artist affiliated with the show. James Vincent and Orlando Santiago will be amongst them just to name a few. I cannot wait to see what goodies I score for myself and what “guru” sightings might occur. Last year I met the lovely Nicole Guerriero! Make sure to grab your ticket today and check out this awesome show!

Sneak peak of my outfit of the night for the pre-show mixer I am attending tonight. This red scalloped playsuit was purchased at Marshalls and its from the brand Monteau Los Angeles paired with my Sam & Libby Spiked Dahlia Heels and black sparkle clutch. Similar items below!

Similar Playsuits- Here, Here, Here & Here

Love,

Ari

Makeup Looks

Posted on October 26, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Happy Sunday Everyone! It’s been a while since I have done a makeup post so I decided to photograph the looks I did on mis mejor amigas before a casual night out. I am also working on my application skills and what a better way to do it right? Lets take a look at these beauties…

L-R Cinthia, Lucy & Emily

First one up is Cinthia: She has really great skin and normally doesn’t wear any foundation. She asked for the “jlo glow”. Here’s a closer look at what I came up with:

Face: Hourglass veil primer, Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 foundation shade #857 (golden tan) mixed with Gerard Cosmetics BB plus illumination. MAC prep and prime in bright forecast (undereye brightening), Anastasia Contour kit Shade Fawn and Havanna. BH cosmetics blush palette (peach shade) Mary-Lou- Manizer for highlight.
Brows: Anastasia brow wiz in Dark Brown
Eyes: MAC paint pot in layin low, shadows: Amber lights (Entire lid), Texture (crease) and naked lunch (brow highlight). Revlon matte shadow in Rich Sable (outer corner).NYX jumbo eye pencil in white (base), E.L.F false lashes and Sephora Rio nights gel liner
Lips: Limecrime lipstick in Cosmopop and Gerard Cosmetics gloss in the shade nude.

Next up is Lucy: She and I can talk makeup for hours upon hours! She too has great skin and loves defined brows. Here’s what I created on her:

Products used:

Face: Becca Ever matte primer, Tarte Amazonian clay in the shade tan-deep sand mixed with Bare Minerals Bareskin Foundation in the shade Bare Caramel. Mac pro long-wear concealer in the shade W35 & W30 Anastasia contour kit in the shade Havana, MAC prep and prime in the shade Bright Forecast. BH Cosmetics blush palette (berry shades to the top right) Mary- Lou- Manizer for highlight.
Eyes: MAC paint pot in layin low. NYX jumbo pencil in white. Buff (brow highlight) Rose (lid)from Lorac Pro Palette 2, Revlon Matte shadow in Rich sable (crease) and Makeup geek’s Bitten (outer corner). Loreal voluminous mascara, E.L.F Lashes and Sephora Rio nights gel eyeliner.
Brows: Anastasia brow wiz (dark Brown) and dipbrow pomade (medium brown)
Lips: Rimmel Lip Liner in Cherry kiss, Too Faced Melted lipsticks in the shade Berry.

Last but certainly not least Emily: Doesn’t she have great lashes? (no falsies used). Emily loves bold lips which is why I wanted to give her a softer eye look, Here’s what I came up with:

Products used:

Face: Hourglass veil primer, Neutrogena nourishing long wear foundation in the shade warm beige, MAC prep and prime in Bright forecast, Anastasia contour kit in the shade Fawn, MAC blush in peaches, The Balm Mary-Lou-Manizer for highlight.
Brows: Anastasia brow wiz in the shade chocolate
Eyes: MAC paint pot in “layin low” Naked 3 palette in the shades Dust (lid), Nooner (crease), Mugshot (outer corner) and Strange (brow highlight), Sephora Rio nights gel liner, Mascara Loreal Voluminous
Lips: Rimmel in Cherry kiss and MAC Fashion Revival lipstick

There you have it guys. Hopefully these looks can be of inspiration to you.
If anyone has any makeup looks you would want to me try please let me know down below.

Thanks to these silly girls for letting me experiment with them

Hasta Pronto!
-Gwen

First Look: New Maybelline Products

Posted on October 17, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Many makeup brands launch new items at the start of a new season and boy am I glad they do! I was of course doing my weekly browsing at my local CVS and came across a few new items from Maybelline, they are the Color Sensational Creamy Matte lipsticks, the Instant Age Rewind skin transformer and lastly the Brow Drama brow sculpting mascara.

Lets take a minute and talk about the fact that there is finally an affordable matte lipstick! (very few brands carry a matte line in the drugstore). That news alone is super exciting, but here are some other reasons why these lipsticks are great: texture is creamy and smooth, they set to a demi-matte (not drying like some of MAC’s lipsticks), they are pigmented and can last on the lips for about 4-5 hours (there will be some transfer if you’re eating, but you can easily apply another layer on top without it looking cakey). Here’s a closer look at the four shades I picked up.

Left-Right:
#660 Touch of Spice, #680 Mesmerizing Magenta, #690 Siren in Scarlet, #695 Divine Wine

Lip Swatches:

Touch of Spice: Brown nude

Mesmerizing Magenta: True magenta shade with a hint of a violet undertone

Siren in Scarlet: Cooler tone red

Divine wine: Dark Burgundy

On to the Primer and Brow mascara:

I’ve used this primer a few times and I can say that it has reduced the look of my pores. (Maybelline also claims that it will reduce the look of wrinkles, lines and imperfections but I did not notice much of that). The primer has a velvety consistency as well as a subtle pink tint in order to give skin a little radiance.

The Brow Mascara is meant for sculpting and adding a tint to your brows. In all honestly I only saw a slight difference in color on my brows and I am not a fan of the rounded tip for sculpting (My eyebrows are a bit thin and the “ball tip” wasn’t as precise as I would have liked.

Overall I am pretty happy with my new finds.
I am not sure if all of these items can be found in most drugstores but I do know Ulta carries each of them.

Maybelline at Ulta

Hasta Luego,
-Gwen

Breakups to Makeup/Smashbox

Posted on October 13, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

This past weekend I attended an event hosted by Sephora at the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City. Smashbox cosmetics was there doing makeovers and demonstrating new products. I of course jumped on the opportunity to get my makeup done by one of their artists. I learned some new tricks on how to create a cat eyeliner (God knows I needed the help).
The creator of “Breakups to Makeup“, Angelique Velez was also there. Angelique launched Breakups to Makeup in June of 2013 with the intent to spread this message: “makeup serves as a creative outlet to those applying and livens the spirit of those wearing it” I couldn’t agree more!. Angelique has quickly made a name for herself with a bunch of fun merchandise. She is well-known for her catchy slogans such as “loved raised me lipstick saved me”, “I would cry but my mascara is designer” and so many more! Angelique was gracious enough to let me ask her a few questions about her brand:

Gwen: What inspired you to come up with “Breakups to makeup”?
Angelique: A few years back I went through a terrible breakup, but the only thing that enabled me to get out of bed was makeup. I have been a makeup artist for many years and I found comfort in knowing that I was getting out of bed to not only make myself happy by putting on my favorite lipstick but also because what I did made others happy as well.
Gwen:How do you come up with your slogans?
Angelique: My slogans come to me through day to day life experiences, for example one day I was getting my nails done at the salon and I thought wow I am totally useless right now (my nails were of course wet) which was when I came up with the “I’m only helpless when my nails are drying” slogan. I also like to carry a journal with me to jot down whatever pops into my head.
Gwen: What advice would you give to someone who is an up and coming artist/entrepreneur?
Angelique: I would say to listen to your heart and keep going. Not everyone is going to understand your path but its ok don’t listen to them, you’ll find your way.

The lovely Angelique and I

Here are the goodies I picked up from her collection as well as some Smashbox goodies.

Angelique will be at the Orlando Makeup show next. Go check her out if you’re in the area, you know Ari will definitely be there!

Quick Links: Breakups to Makeup
About
Merchandise
Products on Etsy

-Gwen

Ulta Haul

Posted on September 8, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Over the last month and a half or so I’ve made my way to Ulta a few times to pick up some goodies. Ulta is one of those places where I walk around for hours due to the amazing selection of products they have. Here’s a quick look at some of the ones I picked up.

I tried a mini sample of the Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara and I loved it! It gives your lashes such a full volumized look!

Lorac Pro Matte lip pencil in the shade Merlot

Butter London Cheeky Cream Blush in the shade Ruby Murray

On top is the Lorac Pro Matte lip pencil in the shade Merlot which is such a perfect wine color for the fall. The formula is Matte but it is not a drying one.
On the bottom Butter London cream blush in the shade Ruby Murray is a beautiful rich cranberry shade. It can be a sheer wash of color on your cheeks or you could intensify it by adding more product.

Lorac Pro 2 palette has such stunning shades. The pigmentation is great and the shadows are very easy to blend. The versatility of this palette is also something I really enjoy, you are able to create warm looks as well as cooler ones, and we can forget the pops of color it has!

Swatches of a few shades from the Lorac Pro 2 palette Top color is the shade Plum, followed by Navy, then Rosé and Jade. Shade on the left side is called Beige

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray is my best friend of all time! Keeps my makeup totally intact!
Blow Pro texture spray is a new product for me and so far I am loving it! Perfect for the wavy hair days when you want to give your hair some umph!
John Freida fine to full blow out spray has been working wonders for me! It creates body on the crown of my head, which is where I need the most volume.
Big Sexy Hair sulfate free Volumizing shampoo and conditioner have a lightweight formula which have been helping my hair feel and appear fuller.

And that is all! Leave comments or suggestions if you would like to see a more in depth review of anything or a makeup tutorial.
Again all of these products were purchased at Ulta. Links down below.

Till next time,
-Gwen

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray

Blow Pro Texture Spray

John Freida

Big Sexy Hair –Shampoo & Conditioner

Lorac Pro Palette 2

Lorac Pro Matte Lip Pencil- Merlot

Butter London Cream Blush- Ruby Murray

Better Than Sex Mascara

!!!!!GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Its about that time again!!!! We are almost at 200 followers and cannot be more excited at the progress and growth that our blog has made. As a small token of appreciation we want to offer a giveaway prize to one of our followers for being a part of the beginning of this lovely journey. The rules are simple, the winner will be chosen through a generator and you can enter multiple times (the more entries the better your chances) by using the raffle link provided below.

Check out our previous two giveaway post’s that were a success! Here & Here

Feel free to comment and like this post if you have any suggestions or ideas for our blog or future giveaways and don’t forget to check out our newly conjoined instagram itsapplesandorangesblog. Once again we would like to thank everyone for making this happen for us and once we reach 200 one lucky person will be getting a makeup treat! Click the link below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ari & Gwen
Itsapplesandorangesblog.com

Zoeva Brushes

Posted on August 25, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I am always on the hunt for the perfect brushes, I mean aren’t we all? Brushes that have rough bristle hairs and shed are the absolute worst and I am one who truly believes that having the right tools to apply your makeup can make all of the difference. In comes Zoeva! I originally heard about these brushes through one of my favorite Youtube vloggers DulceCandy and I will admit I am one of those people that will go out and buy something if my favorite beauty guru recommends it, so I of course quickly went on Zoeva’s website. At first I was a little hesitant in buying them because I hadn’t heard much about the brand and they were being shipped from Europe but I put my fears aside and bought a few that caught my eye. Boy am I glad I did!

Here’s a quick close up of the brushes I chose:
*I apologize but I took photos of the brushes without cleaning them, hey at least you know I am being truthful because I use them ALL of the time*

Top to Bottom:
#103 Defined Buffer: Perfect for detailed application and buffing ie; foundation
#110 Face Shape: Perfect for precise and detailed contouring
#142 Concealer Buffer: perfect for gentley blending out concealer
#322 Brow Line: sharp brush perfect for cream and powder brow products

The Price point of these brushes are between $15-$27 which is equivalent of some of the Sigma and Makeup Geek brushes. What makes these brushes stand out is their quality, the bristles are made of vegan taklon which makes these brushes soft and smooth perfect when using liquid, cream or powder. They also come in these cute tight seal bags!

All in all I am so happy with my new found brushes and hope to purchase a few more in the near future.

What are some of you favorite brushes? Leave comments and suggestions down below!

You can find Zoeva brushes here:
Zoeva

Till next time,
-Gwen

JLo Glow

Posted on August 18, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I am so sad that Mother nature did not give the big apple a scorching hot summer this year. We are now in the middle of August already experiencing September like temperatures, don’t get me wrong Autumn is my other favorite season but I still needed some more sun in my life! Ok, enough with the rant, if you’re like me and did not get the chance to visit the beach here is how I created a faux tan or that JLo glow as some would call it before summer officially ends.

To achieve this glowy bronzy look I used all of these products below:

From the MAC palette I used Brown Script (lower left) on my crease and lower lash line. I used Amber Lights (top right) on the entire lid
From the Lorac palette I used Buff (top row left) for my brow highlight and Mocha (4th from the left on the bottom) to touch up the outer v and lower lash line

– One of the main products in making the skin appear more dewy is to add a liquid illuminizer to your foundation. I opted for the Gerard Cosmetics BB plus illumination crème, a pea sized pump is all you need to mix into your foundation and it will cover your entire face.
– Another key component in creating a bronzy effect is of course bronzer. I used my L’Oreal true match powder in the shade Cocoa to warm up my entire face. I also took a contour brush and very lightly carved under my cheek bones.
– Lastly what will give you the ultimate glowy effect is a highlighter. For this particular look I chose the Sonia Kashuk illuminating bronzer in the shade goddess. This color is really golden and gives you the perfect sunkissed glow.
* This is an extra step, but since I wanted to mimic Jennifer Lopez’s all over bronzed look I also placed a mixture of brown and bronzy shades on my eyes and finished the look with her signature peachy nude lip.

I leave you all with a photo of the woman who not only inspired this look but also inspires me to work hard.

Here’s a detailed list of the products I used:

Benefit Porefessional face primer

Bare Minerals Bare Skin Foundation in the shade Bare Caramel

Gerard Cosmetics BB Illuminating crème

Tarte Maracuja creaseless concealer in the shade Medium Tan

NYX blotting powder in the shade Medium/Dark

Anastasia Brow Whiz in the shade Brunette

Lorac Behind the Scenes eyelid primer & Pro Palette 2 colors: Buff and Mocha

MAC Eyeshadows Brown Script and Amber lights

Too Faced “Better than Sex” mascara

L’Oreal Privee lipsticks in the Jennifer Lopez and Eva Mendes Shades

NYX Butter Gloss in the shade Cherry Cheesecake

*Products can be found in your local drugstore , Sephora or Ulta.

Hope you all enjoy what’s left of summer!

-Gwen

What’s in my makeup bag

Posted on August 11, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

While I am totally obsessed with makeup and would love to have a “beat” face during the week my super busy schedule does not allow me the time to get all dolled up, but I of course cannot leave the house looking sleep deprived so I wanted to show you all my weekday makeup bag.(I transform into a totally different person during the weekend, but we’ll save that for another post).

Morning Routine:
After washing my face and applying moisturizer I follow up with Revlon’s lightweight CC cream which helps even out my skin tone. Next I fill in my brows a bit with the brow wiz from Anastasia, to set them I add Benefit’s gimmie brow in the dark shade. During the summer months I don’t like to go too heavy with concealer so I apply NYX’s dark circle concealer which is creamy but more on the sheer side. My next step is Loreal’s voluminous full definition mascara, I then move on to dab a bit of Stila’s cheek and lip stain on the apples of my cheeks. Lastly I make sure my lips are hydrated by using Burt’s Bee’s chapstick.

Evening: If I happen to be going somewhere after work I will re-apply some of the blush, add a bit of Revlon’s illuminator as a cheek highlight and re-curl my eyelashes. A pop of lip color also transforms my minimal day time look for a evening out in the city. Mac’s Twig, Whitening lightening’s gloss in raspberry sherbet and Loreal’s Le Matte in the color “She’s so Matte” have been my favorites these days.

I also carry a roller ball perfume (Versace Bright Crystal), Evian facial mist for when I need to refresh my face, hand sanitizer and of course sunscreen.

Most of these products can be found in Sephora, Ulta or your local drugstore.

What are some of your weekday beauty must haves?
I would love to hear what they are, leave your comments down below!

Till next time
-Gwen

Orange Lips

Posted on July 15, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hello lovelies today I will be talking about a fun lip color trend, and I’m sure you’ve already guessed what it is due to the title of this post. I am a girl who loves a bright lip, especially during the summer months. Whether you have a fair complexion or a deeper one there is an orange that will work for you. Below you will find product names and swatches. I have a mix of drugstore and higher end options giving everyone an idea of what would work for their budget. Lets begin!

Left to right:
NYX butter gloss in Peach Cobbler
NYX lip butter in Hot Tamale
Maybelline Vivids in Vibrant Mandarin
Milani in Sweet Nectar
Revlon Just Bitten balm in Rendezvous
MAC amplified lipstick in Morange
Limecrime lipstick in Cosmopop

Top four hand swatches from left to right:
NYX butter gloss in Peach Cobbler
NYX lip butter in Hot Tamale
Maybelline Vivids in Vibrant Mandarin
Milani in Sweet Nectar
Bottom hand swatches from left to right:
Revlon Just Bitten balm in Rendezvous
MAC amplified lipstick in Morange
Limecrime lipstick in Cosmopop

NYX Butter Lip Gloss in Peach Cobbler

NYX Lip Butter in Hot Tamale

Maybelline Vivids in Vibrant Mandarin

Milani lipstick in Sweet Nectar

Revlon Just Bitten lip balm in Rendezvous

MAC amplified lipstick in Morange

Limecrime lipstick in Cosmopop

NYX, Maybelline, Revlon and Milani products are sold in your local drugstore as well as Ulta. MAC products are sold in MAC stores or online. Limecrime products are sold online only. Links can also be found above under the first picture!

What are some of your favorite summer lip colors? Leave your suggestions in the comments section.

-Gwen