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

Fall/Winter lipsticks

Posted on November 19, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Well everyone winter is definitely upon us up in the big apple. Why is it that we always seem to jump to the next season so quickly? Anyways I wanted to share with you all the lipsticks I’ve been wearing for the last two months. I can’t get enough of the mauves, berries and burgundy shades! They truly give such a nice pop of color to any makeup look! Here they are:

From left to right:
MAC: Craving (amplified)
Pink mauvy shade perfect for everyday

NYX soft matte lip cream: Prague
Muted violet with slight mauve undertones

Revlon creme lipstick: Raspberry Bite
True raspberry color

Milani lipstick: Sangria
Dark berry/plum

MAC: Fashion Revival (matte)
Dark muted raspberry

Lorac matte color crayon: Merlot
Wine shade (just like the name)

MAC: Dark Side (amplified)
Oxblood with dark brown hue

These can be purchased at your local Drugstore, Ulta or MAC store/counter

What are some of your Fall/Winter favorites? (Comment down below)

Stay warm my friends,
Gwen

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

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

Gwen packs for Puerto Rico

Posted on June 13, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hey Everyone! So as you previously read my sister and I are going on a very much needed trip. We are so excited to see each other and will hopefully be able to snap a few photos of us together.
Although my packing technique is not as organized as Ari’s I’d like to believe that it is also a good method when trying to figure out what to bring along with you on a trip. So what I generally do is look at all of my products (hair, skin, makeup) and say to myself “will I really use this?” if my answer is no I obviously keep looking, if my answer is yes I place that item aside. Now another thing to consider when traveling is the climate of your destination as well as the duration of your stay. I snapped a few photos of what I will be taking for this trip (Sorry they are not tucked in neatly in my suitcase, I still haven’t officially packed Yikes!)

Suncare

First order of business is of course suncare! Sunscreen/Sunblock is very much needed when out and about in the sun all day.

Personal Hygiene

I know that most hotels and resorts provide lotion, shampoo conditioner and all that good stuff, but I personally like to bring my own things. I normally just buy small clear bottles and pour the product in.

Hair Care

Because we are going to be in the pool or beach most of the time, curly hair will be the way to go.

Skincare

My skin hasn’t been behaving lately so I am taking a small bottle of acne cleanser and of course can’t forget my dirt, oil and makeup removing wipes.

Makeup

This may seem like a lot of products but I did add a few items for the nights when we get all dolled up for a night on the town. My daytime essentials will most likely be my cc cream (which has spf), mascara, my brow wiz, a peachy blush and a lip butter or stain. Also check out a great travel piece for storing small items (like makeup) that Ive mentioned in a previous post from Sonia Kashuk. It is affordable and available at any target near you in varying prints and styles.

Hopefully this helped all of you traveling this summer to get an idea of what you should or shouldn’t bring with you.

Puerto Rico here we come!
Hasta Luego
-Gwen

*If you are curious about any product I posted or would like a review please comment down below. Thanks a bunch!
Xo

Revlon by Marchesa Review

Posted on April 28, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I love me an at home manicure and what else is better than a cute set to keep my nails looking proper at all times! My lovely sister sent an awesome care package that included these products (will feature the rest in a different post). The packaging and design make all the difference with these everyday items. In collaboration with Revlon designer Marchesa added a touch of pink and florals that really make the average tools that much more awesome!

-The dual ended cuticle trimmer can be used to push back your cuticles as well as trim them up if needed.
-Nail clipper has a curved blade and small file
-The emery board has a floral design to file and also buff and shine on the opposite end
-The handy case protects and keep everything in place!

She also included a mini “to go” tweezer set that includes a slant and point tip for all of my tweezing needs! How freaking adorable are these babies?!

This and other designs can still be found at your local drugstores like CVS, Walgreens as well as Target.

Off to pamper myself!

-Ari

Spring has sprung!

Posted on April 3, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hey Everyone! Not sure if where you live you are able to experience the joys of all four seasons, but here in the big apple we have finally managed to break away from a grueling winter and are slowly but surely welcoming Spring!
My favorite part about the weather changing is of course wearing less layers of clothing, adding more pops of color into my wardrobe and wearing fun and fresh makeup. I created a bright look to go along with Ari’s Spring Duo outfit.

Main products I used.

First I mixed the Loreal lumi foundation with the Revlon illuminizer in order for my face to be nice and dewy. Second I applied the Loreal magic lumi concealer/highlight pen (using the beauty blender for both). Third I used the entire Physicians Formula eyeshadow palette (on the right) so the colors would appear multi dimensional. Fourth I lined my bottom lash line with the Jordana mint eyeliner and smudged it out with a teal color in the BH cosmetics 60’s palette (not pictured, find link below). Lastly to give my self a sun-kissed glow I dabbed Sonia Kashuk’s bare illuminating bronzer to the area where I would normally place my highlight (above cheek bone). I finished off this look with Loreal’s voluminous mascara and a nude lip.

I also changed my lip color to a fun pink shade adding vibrancy to my already bright eyes

And there you have it everyone!
* Below are links to the products I’ve used.

‘Till next time,
-Gwen

Lumi Foundation
Skinlights Illuminator
Lumi Highlighter
Peachy glow Eyeshadow
Natural nudes
Bare Illuminating Bronzer
Mint eyeliner
Eyes on the 60’s palette

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…