Blog | Page 27 of 225 | Makeup By Kim Porter

2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Beauty Edition

December 11, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Miscellaneous / 22 Comments

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Two more weeks, just two more weeks! Are you ready? I’ll admit, I haven’t even finished my Christmas shopping even though I told myself I’d start early this year. Thankfully, most of the people I shop for have one thing in common – we all love beauty products. You can’t ever have enough beauty items. Plus, there’s always a new trend, new formula, or a new shade that every beauty enthusiast must have. I’ve put together this 2014 Holiday Gift Guide featuring Beauty items that should make shopping for the beauty and makeup lover in your life a bit easier. Plus, you may even find something for yourself that you like.

1. Box Subscription Services

Beauty Box Subscription services are a good way to go since they tend to cover a lot of ground area, and for a much lower price tag versus purchasing the items separately. Beauty Box Subscription services allow both new and veteran beauty enthusiasts to discover different brands, and new products. Do you remember my review of one of the June 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have Box over the summer? They’re great boxes for anyone, especially since they feature an assortment of items from beauty, to lifestyle to…

POP SUGAR Must-have boxes are available for a $39.95 monthly subscription at musthave.popsugar.com. There are boxes for both men and women. If you’re into luxury items, there’s even a Neiman Marcus Must-have box; however, that one is going fast so jump on it while you can.

2. New Fragrance

It’s the end of the year, and the start of a new season, which is a great time to incorporate new fragrances. Whether the person is into sultry scents, or warm floral fragrance, I’m sure there’s something you can find for anyone on your list.

3. Something for the lips

Pantone has just released their newest color of the year: Marsala. Guess what? Your beauty lover is probably searching for a marsala shade lipstick or gloss right now! Don’t worry, there are several brands, both affordable and high-end that carry this new shade. Your beauty lover will be happy, and you’ll look cool because you’re up on the latest trend. However, if they’re more into neutral tones, there’s something out there for them, too! Remember to get a good liner; we do not want their new lippies feathering.

4. Make sure they have awesome brows

A makeup look, in my opinion is not complete without awesome brows. Brows do not have to be overly sculpted with concealer, however, they can be well tamed with a gel, or filled in where needed for a polished look. There are so many options out there to achieve perfect brows, from powders, to pencils, to gels, and sets with stencils. There’s literally something for everyone, even for those who are just beginning.

5. Palettes! One can’t ever have enough makeup palettes

One thing about beauty fanatics is that we accumulate a lot of items, especially [eyeshadow] palettes. The thing is, we can’t ever seem to get enough, even though it may seem like the colors are of similar shades. You’re wrong because one shade may be slightly warmer or deeper, or even more pigmented. It doesn’t matter. We just need it! There are a couple of new palettes out that feature neutral shades, fun and colorful shades, and some with a mixture of both. Either way, whichever one you choose as a gift, I’m sure your beauty lover will thank you for it.

6. Beauty tools

As a makeup artist and beauty fanatic. I’m a firm believer that one can’t ever have enough makeup brushes or application tools. I like having options. Plus, with all of the craze with highlighting and contouring, we need good blending tools and brushes for a flawless makeup application.

If you enjoyed reading this 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Beauty Edition, please head over to Beauty and the Bump to check out my other gift guides.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. Affiliate links.

Get Radiant & Glowing Skin with Valentia Even Glow Serum Vitamin C 20%

December 8, 2014 by Kim S. / Reviews, Skincare / 16 Comments

At my age, it’s important for me to take my skincare more seriously, which is why I use serums daily. For over a month I’ve incorporated the Valentia Even Glow Serum into my skincare regimen, and like the results.

Valentia Even Glow Serum is a 20% Vitamin C serum that promises the following:

– Increases Glow and Radiance

– Evens skintone

– Absorbs rapidly

– Boosts collagen production

– Reduces Wrinkles and fine lines

Before using a product I always do a sniff test. To my delight, the Valentia Even Glow Serum has a light scent of oranges, which is rather refreshing. Actually, it’s unlike any other vitamin c serum that I’ve used in the past, too. Don’t worry, the scent dissipates quickly just like how easily it absorbs into the skin after application.

Using the serum was easy. After cleansing my face, I’d use my favorite toner, apply a pea-sized amount of the serum, and then let it dry, and finish it off with a moisturizer. During the day, I’d top it off with a moisturizer containing SPF. Although I used the serum both night and day, I found that my skin appeared more radiant and had a glow after night usage; however, the overall texture of my skin has changed since using the Valentia Even Glow Serum. It’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom. I’d attribute this to some of the awesome ingredients incorporated in the Valentia Even Glow Serum like Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil from where the serum gets its color, Organic Rose Hip Oil, and hyaluronic acid.

The Valentia Even Glow Serum is packaged in a 1.18 Fl oz glass bottle with a dropper. The glass bottle is brown, and although I may be reaching, I think it’s in a brown bottle to reduce the amount of UV rays entering the bottle, which could cause the product to spoil. As a beer connoisseur this is my only guess. Don’t judge me! Anyway, the dropper makes it easy to dispense the bottle; however, I did notice that since the consistency of the Valentia Even Glow Serum is a bit more dense than some other serums I’ve used, there’s usually a lot of serum around the body of the dropper from where I can retrieve and apply the product.

Overall, I’m happy with the Valentia Even Glow Serum Vitamin C 20%. I love the glow it provides after night usage, and the smooth texture of my skin. It’s paraben-free and contains organic ingredients. Also, the price is amazing! It’s only $35 on Amazon.com, which is half of the suggested retail. Plus, I’ve paid a whole lot more for other Vitamin C serums. If you’re looking for an affordable Vitamin C serum with all of the above benefits, check out the Valentia Even Glow Serum.

Disclosure: Product provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own and are honest. Affiliate links.

Isotoner Women’s Active smarTouch Matrix Nylon THERMAflex gloves Review

December 2, 2014 by Kim S. / Reviews / 27 Comments

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Isotoner is a long-time trusted brand in my family. We love their products from their umbrella’s to their gloves. With winter on the way (December 21), and how cold it’s been lately, I’ve definitely needed to wear gloves, especially during my early morning commutes, standing on an above ground platform waiting for the rail. By the time the train arrives, and if it’s windy, I am freezing! You’re probably thinking, “Why not keep your hands in your pockets?” Umm because I’m a blogger with two blogs, with a ton of social media accounts for both to keep up with; therefore, my fingers have no downtime. However, I know I must keep my hands warm and protected.

Lately, I’ve been using these cool Isotoner Women’s Active smarTouch Matrix Nylon THERMAflex gloves whenever I venture out into the cold. They keep my hands nice and toasty. Plus, gloves help protect your hands, nails and cuticles from becoming dry and cracked from the cold air.

The Isotoner Women’s Active smarTouch Matrix Nylon THERMAflex gloves are not as restrictive as other gloves I’ve used thanks to its stretchy and flexible materials, which make gripping and handling my phone or steering wheel easy and comfortable. What I like best about them is the fact that I’m able to use my touchscreen gadgets like my iPhone while having on the gloves. This invisible smarTouch® technology allows for pinpoint accuracy when using your touchscreen device(s).

The Isotoner Women’s Active smarTouch Matrix Nylon THERMAflex gloves are a combination of soft, stretchy fleece material with colored nylon. They’re not as bulky as bulky as similar functioning gloves, but, I wouldn’t wear these with a dressy clothing or work wear. Therefore, I’ve deemed them my stylish pair of weekend gloves, and stick to my trusty pair of nylon Isotoners for weekdays until I’m able to pick up a pair of the dressier smarTouch gloves.

The Isotoner Women’s Active smarTouch Matrix Nylon THERMAflex gloves make a perfect gift, especially since the holidays are here, and Christmas is just three weeks away! These gloves retail for $48, and are available in three sizes (XSmall/Small, Medium/Large, and XLarge), and five shades: Black, Charcoal, Platinum, Ultra Violet, and Very Berry. They can be picked up on the Isotoner website where other styles of smarTouch gloves are available for both men and women.

Disclosure: Product provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own and are honest.

Blogazons $250 Sephora Holiday Giveaway

December 1, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Giveaways / 0 comments

Singing, “Wake up, wake up, wake up. It’s the first of the month…” by Bone Thugs n Harmony. Why? Because it’s the 1st of December, which means “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go.” Just because it’s the holidays, which is the time or giving and giving back, the members of the Blogazons, myself included, have banded together to bring you a $250 Sephora Holiday Giveaway!!!

Imagine, $250 to go on a Sephora shopping spree! What would you pick up for yourself? Or, will you pay it forward by picking up something for a family member or friend? Either way, the winner will walk away with a $250 Sephora gift card to ball out on the latest beauty, skincare, and/or fragrance items of their choice.

Entering the Blogazons $250 Sephora Holiday Giveaway is easy as pie. Just fill out the widget below.

For extra entries, regram and tag a friend on instagram.

This giveaway is open to the following countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, and United States