Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Posted on January 8, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

So we have slightly surpassed our 250 followers goal for last year and are more than happy to host another giveaway to bring in 2015. The lucky winner of some makeup and skin care goodies this time is the lovely Rosemary Christine! Next up, lets get to 300 so we can giveaway some more prizes to our dedicated followers! Thanks to those who entered and there will be plenty more of these to come in the future. Lets get to 300!!

Winner- Rosemary Christine
Ig- Rosemary_Christine

Feel free to follow us on our other social media outlets as well.

Ig- Itsapplesandorangesblog
Pinterest-itsapplnoranges
Twitter- Ari (@_ari_pena) , Gwen (gwendi3)

With so much love,

Ari & Gwen

Casual Beach Day Essentials- Featuring Dove Dry Spray

Posted on January 5, 2015 by itsapplesandorangesblog

New year’s resolution-take advantage of nice weather days more often! Of course the temps took a turn after my sister Gwen left (even though we did enjoy some slight warm days as well). Sunday turned into a sun filled day … Continue reading →

Its that time again…Giveaway time that is!

Posted on December 31, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

So we’ve done it again!! 250 followers on our blog and we couldn’t be happier and greatful to still be growing steadily. From nearly 100 to now 250 in such a short time! We would like to show our gratitude for keeping up with us all this time by hosting another giveaway. We’ve done many in the past and expect this one to go off without a hitch. 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. The winner will receive makeup goodies sure to impress! Once again thanks to our old friends/followers, we look forward to making many more!

!!!Rafflecopter Giveaway Link!!!

Previous Giveaways Here, Here & Here

Looking forward to 2015!

Love-

Ari & Gwen

Glittery Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Merry Christmas everyone! I am currently down in the sunshine state with my family celebrating the holidays, eating, shopping and more eating! Being in the Christmas spirit and all I wanted to create a look involving lots of glitter. I chose the color green but kept the rest of my makeup pretty neutral. Check it out…

To create this eye look I used the two bottom brown shades in the Stila “mind” palette for the crease. I then used the green eyeshadow called Jade from the Lorac Pro two palette for the eyelid. Followed by some Urban Decay bondage weightless makeup adhesive I proceeded to wet my eyeshadow brush with MAC fix plus and gently patted the glitter onto my lids, (Glitter is from the craft store Michaels).

There are you have it my friends a fun and festive Christmas look (you can use any color of your choice).

Hope you all are having a wonderful day!
-Gwen

Holiday Shine

Posted on December 16, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The Holidays are upon us and what better way to celebrate than to look the part with lots of glitz and glam. I posted the photo above on Instagram and decided to show you all what products I used. I am in love with the rusty copper shade I used all over the lid! Colors like this are a great way to add a bit of shine without it being too overpowering or for those who are not into chunks of glitter on your eyelid (for those that are I will have a post up for you soon). I hope to soon be able to incorporate mini video clips on other makeup looks I create. Well then, lets get started!

Base: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer great for creating a smooth canvas and filing in pores before applying foundation.
Color Corrector: Bobbi Brown in the shade Peach (I put this under my foundation to counter-act the darkness under my eyes and around my mouth)
Foundation: Ex1 Invisiwear foundation in the shades F300 & F400 mixed together (I am so pale during winter months)
Concealer: Maybelline Fit Me in the shade medium #25 under my eyes
Bronzer: NYX matte bronzer in the shade Deep-Tan to give my face some all over color and I also used it for slight contouring
Blush: MAC sheertone blush in the shade Peaches
Eyeshadows: Makeup Geek’s vanilla bean for brow bone highlight, Revlon Matte in the shade rich sable for the crease and outer corner and for the standout color I used NYX loose pearl pigment in the shade Rust ( I wet my brush a bit with MAC’s fix plus)
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz in the shade Dark Brown
Eyelashes: One coat of Too Faced Better than Sex mascara and on top a coat of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes.
Lips: MAC lipstick in the shade Craving ( I dabbed it with my finger) topped it off with Gerard Cosmetics lipgloss in the shade Nude.

Here’s a closer look of the shadow

How vibrant does that cooper shade look? Utterly Obsessed!
Hope you all enjoyed this quick “tutorial” so to speak. Once again I will be working on putting out Video Clips so you can actually see what I am doing.

What are some of your favorite Holiday looks? Leave comments/requests down below!
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Gwen

Mac X Nasty Gal “Gunner” Review & Swatch

Posted on December 10, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

When two amazing brands have a collaboration , it’s fair to say everyone goes a little nuts and scours the internet looking for reviews and swatches of the new products (or maybe I am speaking for my sister and I).Mac x Nasty Gal is no exception to this rule. This partnership has created a high intensity collection of three lipsticks and nail lacquers to bring out your inner #GirlBoss. These bold colors are perfect for the fall/ winter season and I’m so glad I snagged the one I really wanted the most. Featured below is the lip color in “Gunner”, on my tan skin it goes perfect with a neutral eye and loads of mascara. Or if you are really bold, pair it with intense eyes for a night out! The consistency is classic MAC, which for me means a tiny bit drying but overall has an intense color pay off that makes up for it. Links and alternatives down below!

Some tips to make your lips look luscious:

-Exfoliate lips with a scrub (I skipped this part because I was so excited to try it and it definitely makes a huge difference)
-Try using a lip brush or angled liner brush to outline your lips first with the color (instead of using another lip liner that may alter the violet color)
-Dust translucent powder on your lips for the ultimate matte effect
-Use a small amount of highlight on your cupids bow

NO FLASH

Hope you guys enjoyed this swatch on my darker lips, what are some tricks you guys use to make your lips BOLD color ready? Comment down below!

Mac Cosmetics & Nasty Gal -Lipstick in “Gunner”

You can also check out the colors Cyber and Heroine by Mac as alternative’s since this Nasty Gal collection is selling out fast!

Toodles,

Ari

The Makeup Show (Holiday Pop Up)

Posted on December 8, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The Makeup Show had their annual Holiday Pop Up shop this past weekend in the big apple and boy was it fun! I arrived around 2 pm just missing a seminar given by James Vincent on how to build your makeup kit. Such a bummer! But I did go on to do some browsing and of course shopping. I snagged some pretty awesome things at 20 -70% off! Check them out down below…

Makeup Forever had an amazing deal where if you purchased five items you would receive 70% off so I grabbed two HD powders, two HD cream blushes and one lip liner.
Stila was also there in combination with Bauble Bar selling some of their collections. I picked up the eyes are the window matte shadow palette in “Mind” which normally retails for $50 but with the discount I snagged it for $30!
I can’t seem to ever pass up Crown Brushes when I see them. They are of great quality and the best part is the very inexpensive price. Major score!
Static Nails is up next! This brand has such an awesome collection of stick on nails which are reusable for up to twenty times! You’re able to file them down to whatever shape you desire and paint over them without damaging the original color. I picked up the set called the “Empire” for only $13.
Last but not least I caught up with Angelique from “Break ups to Makeup” and purchased one of her awesome tanks with the quote “Please, I can’t even commit to a lipstick”.

And that was it my lovelies! I am looking forward attending the big Makeup Show in May of next year.

(The items I purchased are available at each respective brands website, but not at the discounted prices, unfortunately)

Toodles Dolls!
-Gwen

MAC Haul (Collective)

Posted on December 5, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Over the last two months or so I’ve found myself gravitating towards MAC products. Although I have always been a fan of their lipsticks I had not tried too many of their other makeup products, until now that is. Reading reviews online and browsing at the actual store has opened my eyes up to a few new products that I would like to share with you all. Check out what they are down below…

Couldn’t leave the store without picking up a few new shades of Lipsticks…

Peachstock: (Satin) Nude with Peachy undertone
Viva Glam II:(Satin) Nude with Taupe and Pink undertones
Twig: (Satin) Nude with Brown and Pink undertones
All fired up: (Retro Matte) Blue-toned Red

From Left to Right: Peachstock, Viva Glam II, Twig & All fired up

Top: Sweet as Cocoa sheertone blush
Left: Pro-longwear concealer in NC30
Middle: (top to bottom) Prep and Prime lip base, Prep and Prime highlighter pen in Bright forecast and Pro-longwear waterproof brow set in Bold Brunette
Right: Pro-longwear paint pot in Layin’ Low

These Products above were new purchases (except for the prep and prime highlighter which was a repurchase). Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Sweet as cocoa is a Mauve/ light Plum colored blush with slight shimmer. Once applied onto the cheeks the shimmer is not visible.
Pro-Longwear concealer in the shade NC30 has a thick and creamy consistency and is the perfect shade to conceal my under eye area
Prep and prime lip base is great for applying underneath Matte lipsticks which could be drying at times (especially MAC’s retro matte formulas)
Prep and Prime highlighter is great for highlighting (under the eyes, bridge of your nose, cupids bow and chin) the shade I picked up is called Bright Forecast and it has a yellow undertone.
Pro-longwear waterproof brow set has got to be my most favorite product out of the bunch. Your brows will not be going anywhere after setting them with this long lasting and highly pigmented product.
Pro-longwear paint pot in Layin’ low is an eyeshadow base which will help your shadows adhere much better to your eyelid. I love to sometimes just wear the base alone because this shade matches my skintone perfectly and it helps my eyelids not look as greasy.

What are some of your favorite MAC products? Share down below!
These items can all be found at your local MAC store, department store counter or online!

Till my next shopping spree,
-Gwen

The Makeup Up Show Orlando Haul

Posted on November 17, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

The event went on without a hitch! I only got to attend one day due to some prior engagements for the second day, but I definitely made the best of that time. So many booths with lovely vendors and products galore! I was lucky enough to also catch two keynote speakers, Eugenia Weston and Eryn Krueger Mekash while gaining some insight into the “behind the scenes” volunteering to help with any minor services. Lastly I caught up with Angelique from @breakupstomakeup featured here by Gwen before and snagged a cute compact perfect to gift for the holidays. Below are the items I purchased and some shots of the actual space.

I fell in love with this companies lighting equipment! Check them out!

The exact items I purchased were

Ofra Cosmetics-Blush Palette
Breakups to Makeup- Mirror Compact
Crown Brush- Fan Brush & 2 Stiff Brow Brushes
Static Nails in “Wild One”

Keep in mind since this was The Makeup Show, all items were deeply discounted for makeup professionals!

I can’t wait until next year!

Love

Ari

Halloween Collaboration- Last Minute Costumes

Posted on October 31, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Here are some fun super easy & quick Halloween ideas for those last minute planners like ourselves!

I wanted to go with something that I didnt have to do much and could use items I already owned seeing as thats the true spirit of it being last minute. I thought of my beloved flower crown that I dont get to wear that often (check out my previous Lana Del Ray post on it). Then it came to me, FRIDA KAHLO! I can dress sexy or cute any other time of the year, this day is the one day you can be completely creative and think outside of the box. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter best known for her self portraits featuring her infamous unibrow. Picture of the items I used below! If you are looking for something less obscure scroll down to check out Gwens last minute look!

For all of you last minute gals I too have the perfect look for you and the best part is you wont have to spend much money! A creepy doll/clown is super easy to create and all you need is makeup that you already have at home. You can add to this costume by putting on colorful clothing to make it more clown-ish or a ruffly top to create a more doll-like effect. Check out what I created below… (Photos were taken with my phone, please excuse the quality)

Products used: (I added a lighter foundation for that clown/doll effect)

You can make this look a bit more dramatic by adding black eyeliner to your eyes as well as underneath your bottom lash line. I did not for the sake of time, but I hope you all can still get the feel of it.

Hope you enjoyed!
Have a safe and happy Halloween!

-Love
Ari & Gwen