Drugstore Beauty Spotted at the Oscars 2014

Anne Hathaway has her nails done by Celebrity Nail Artist Tom Bachik! How stunning is her dress?! I was almost blinded by it via HD TV but I can only imagine how gorgeous it was in person!

Get her nails! Step-By-Step:

STEP 1: "I first applied a light nude color with a bit of a golden sheen from L’Oreal Paris’ Colour Riche Le Blancs in Golden (only available internationally)."

STEP 2: "I then applied L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Sweet Nothings ($5.99) 

- A sheer pinky nude, on top. Together, the two shades gave her the perfect, soft-nude color that matched her skin tone beautifully."

Jessica Biel! Remember a few articles ago I briefly discussed how sharp side hair was coming about? Her hair is the perfect sharp side. I love it :) Celebrity Hairstylist Mara Roszak gives us her details on how she achieved this look for Jessica.

Get her hair look! Step-By-Step:

STEP 1: "To start, when her hair was still damp, I applied L’Oreal Paris Oleo Therapy Perfecting Oil Essence ($12.99) from the middle to end of her hair. This helps smoothe the hair to make it silky and shiny."

STEP 2: "I then sprayed the L’Oreal Paris Boost It High Lift Creation Spray ($4.99) at the roots. Even though we were going for a smooth and sleek look, I still wanted her to have a little volume at the roots."

STEP 3: "I then I made a deep side part and blow dried her hair with a boar bristle brush."

STEP 4: "Once hair was blow dried straight and smooth, I used a 1 ½ curling iron and just curled the ends of hair to give it a bit of bend."

STEP 5: "Once I was done curling the hair, I sprayed the L’Oreal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Sleek It Strand-Smoother Serum Spray ($4.99) all over. This helped give the hair an ultra-sleek look, while adding a touch of shine."

STEP 6: "Even though the rain had stopped, I finished with the L’Oreal Paris Lock It Weather Control Hairspray ($4.99) to lock in the style and make sure Jessica would not have to worry about anything all night."

Kerry looks so cute with her baby bump! Her Raisin lip color prompted me to buy a similar color today, but let's see what Celebrity Makeup Artist Carola Gonzalez used on Kerry for this simple and elegant look!

Until next time - I'm off to bed, I've had a long day! Well, I may do a little makeup shopping online first :)

Le Blanc pic credit Do Not Refreeze.com. Pic credit L'Oreal Paris and Neutrogena.com

Hair Experiment using Feria's Wild Ombre 060 and Power Reds R57

Deciding on a hair color has never been an easy task. My dark brown locks don't really catch tint all that well so I'm faced with 2 choices - red/burgundy or bleach/highlighting...But I've been doing my own hair tint since I was 13! So experiment time! Let's see what changes I could do...

This is so new to me, but it is a change!

Alot of effort went into this sort of dipped ends/ombre look that I have going on here. I actually wanted the color blend to be a little higher, um I'd say somewhere around my chin, but ultimately I am happy with the result. (Get the makeup look here).

It took me months to decide what color to do. Should I highlight it? Should I cut it first? Should I just lighten it? Weighing in all the costs of upkeep and Salon vs. DIY .....So! I was super duper excited when these landed on my doorstep

I waited until the perfect time to dye away - at almost 5 months pregnant, hahaha yes, cleared by my doctor of course....I decided to cut and style my own hair first, which led me to look over and see these boxes just waiting to be used in some way or another, then I got the idea to Ombre then 'tint the Ombre'...

Pre-Ombre

From start to finish, the whole process took about 5 days. Look at the color of the developer I posted via Instagram, wild right? Pure pigment in there, just this beautiful red fuchsia color! Looks pretty scary in the bottle but creates the most vibrant shade of red as witnessed in the first picture

Tips:

For long hair lengths, a second box of Ombre kit might be needed. I only used 1 because I was so eager to change it up I didn't want to waste time

Follow all directions on the box :)

Bleaching hair takes a toll on hair health so after your 1st step Ombre is finished, treat your hair divinely by conditioning or even deep conditioning your bleached hair a few times before adding on the color tint, but of course this is what I did - completely my opinion

Blend the color tint to mend the part where your bleached part and your natural hair color meet, I added about 2 - 3 inches past my Ombre part

Wait about 3 days before shampooing again after you've completed your colored hair tinting, this is what I did to make sure the color took, completely my opinion :)

*Just a quick note: I am not a hair professional, so if you are going to use these products please use at your own risk :)

Since tinting, my hair routine hasn't changed at all. I oppose using the special 'color treated' shampoos and conditioners because I seldom feel that they work to its purpose.

1 - Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Moisturizing shampoo with Macadamia oil and White orchid
Great shampoo to use, affordable and comes in different formulas (Awapuhi, Seaweed, Moroccan Argan, Keratin, etc)

2 - L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Damage erasing balm

3 - TRESemme No Frizz ultra light Shine spray
It tends give this great shine to the hair and not be oily, perfect near hair ends

4 - It 12 in One Miracle Mist with Abyssinian Oil
Repairs, Strengthens and Protects...I use only for curling or flat ironing. Review coming soon!

Disclosure: All items with an exception of Suave and TRESemme were sent to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

L'Oreal Paris Launch Party at PAMM

How I would have loved to go to this product launch! Especially since it was held at the beautiful and newly opened PAMM - Perez Art Museum Miami. Just look at the gorgeous construction which is home to dozens of exhibits of modern and contemporary art. Learn more about this diverse museum here.

-L'Oreal Paris Unveils their newest 2014 product innovations at PAMM-
February 21, 2014

Hosted by pretty gal, Gaby Espino, turns this night of product launching and fun to all levels of glam inquiring about the latest in hair and makeup. Just to list a few in attendance: Real Housewives of Miami Marysol Patton and Alexia Echeverria, Lili Estefan (El Gordo y la Flaca), Pamela Silva-Conde (Primer Impacto), and Jenine Howard (wife of Juwan Howard).

Photo credit: Ideal Magazine (UK), PAMM.org, L'Oreal Paris media. This article contains safe links.

My skin is loving me right now....

I know, there is no excuse for this lateness! No use diving into detail, but I am much better! Since all is pretty much back to normal at the Lali Amora household I do have thousands of o' things to do with my blog. 

So what have I been up? Well for a few weeks now I've been trying the newest from L'Oreal skincare line...the Youth Code Texture Perfector serum concentrate, Youth Code Texture Perfector day/night cream, and the Facial Oil which I will discuss here in a few. Just wanted to say how pretty is the packaging! The pink duo is to be used together while the oil I essentially use it on it's own with other moisturizers I have lying around. The pink duo I like to call 'Pink iridescent' because the lotion and the cream contain a visible slight pink iridescent that can't be seen once applied to the skin. I have used the duo several times and can say that when used daily will obtain results, my skin felt a bit smoother but appearance wise was harder to tell since my skin always does oddly throughout the winter months.

Serum (the taller bottle). Here is what it does: 

Texture Perfector Serum Concentrate with 2% LR2412, a powerful ingredient, visibly corrects skin by tightening pores, diminishing fine lines and revealing petal-soft skin texture.

- In 1 week, over 70% of women experienced tightened, less visible pores.

- In 1 week, over 80% of women saw smoother, softer texture.
- In 1 month, women state that pores appear smaller, fine lines are reduced and texture is smoother.

- 79% of women report seeing an improvement in skin quality.*

Day/Night cream. Here is what it does:

Texture Perfector with Perline-P, an association of three perfecting actives that optimizes the quality of skin's surface by tightening pores, diminishing fine lines and revealing petal-soft skin texture.

- Instantly skin feels softer and texture is smoothed for a velvet touch.

- In 1 month, women stated that pores appear smaller and fine lines are reduced.
- 75% of women report seeing an improvement in skin quality.*

(info directly from the L'Oreal website) Yes, it is a safe link :)

The actual cream is pink of course!

Now these come boxed and can cost anywhere from $17 up to retail which is $24.99 depending where you buy and if they ever are on sale, sometimes I like to use Beauty Bucks from CVS and buy product as I need them this way. If you have tried out the Pink Duo or any other L'Oreal skincare recently please let me know! I am always on the look out for new stuff to try out. 

How I Rate it: Pink Duo - Thumbs up! But only when used together and daily :)

Let's discuss this Facial Oil shall we? I just may need a few more bottles of this stuff, I wonder if they sell it at Costco? :) My favorite thus far, and not just because it has a heavenly scent but because it actually works on my skin, like magically, even though I know it's pure science, haha. The oil I'm talking about is the glorious Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil. Complete with 8 oils that take over the face skin and surface like butter! Silky and smells divine, my face stays supple and moisturized almost all day.

Mixture of Oils:

English Lavender

Rosemary leaf

Geranium

Orange Peel

Roman Chamomile

Marjoram leaf

Lavandin

Rose flower

Can't you just smell it through your phone screen or laptop? 

This oil I use as a pre-moisturizer, or sometimes I add it along with my favorite moisturizer. You only use 2 to 5 drops, the bottle recommends 4 to 5 drops but I find a little goes a long way. The most I use would be 3 to 4 drops. I think the perfect time to use this oil would be sometime in the morning after washing face, I don't apply makeup in the morning but I do apply the drops before my moisturizer and foundation. Lasting power? Definitely an all day thing, I generally don't like my face feeling greasy or oily at all (I don't think anyone does) but this oil does not leave a greasy or oily feel at all, you can't see oil on the face after application, my skin absorbs it and the result is perfect - skin that is soft, supple, and moisturized...And of course smells amazing.

Not much change cost wise, this bottle will cost about the same as the pink duo, retails for $24.99 but of course depending on the store that carries it.

Just a few details: 

"Restore skin’s youthful glow with Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil. It deeply nourishes and replenishes dull, dry skin with a unique blend of 8 Essential oils. The non-greasy and luxuriously lightweight formula absorbs quickly for all-day hydration.

All you need is 4-5 drops each time you apply. Age Perfect Glow Renewal Facial Oil can be used 5 different ways for an all around youthful GLOW:

1. Alone, after cleansed skin
2. Right before applying cream
3. At night, before bedtime
4. Apply on the neck
5. Right before foundation to improve glide."

How I Rate it: Age perfect Glow Facial Oil - Definitely Thumbs Up! If I had a 3rd thumb I'd have it up too, now that would be weird, hahaha

Clinique Moisture Surge is still and will continue to be my all-time favorite moisturizer, I've gone through many containers of this. Although price tag might reveal Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion to be more affordable (1.7 oz $14.50) I just can't use it....I have found after a while the lotion starts to smell a little odd. So even though Moisture Surge is a little pricey (1.7 oz $37) it still does one heck of a job moisturizing and keeping the skin hydrated. Another personal favorite of mine is the Neutrogena Naturals multi-vitamin Night Cream (1.7 oz $13.99). Surprisingly, not a fan of the scent, but it does a great job. Generating 3.5 stars on Neutrogena's website, many others detest the scent as well. Maybe Neutrogena could work on this? The cream itself is pretty good, maybe tweaking the scent could be beneficial to sales? We shall see if they listen to consumers....

Do you have a favorite moisturizer that you would love to let me know about? Comment and do tell! I'm always eager to try new things, especially face creams! :)

Disclosure: All items with an exception of Clinique Moisture Surge were sent to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Favorite Sunscreen - L'Oreal Sublime Sun

Yes, my favorite! Each and every one of these bottles does it's job. Separate from all the others, unique in it's own way. Quick story, I actually had grabbed a bottle of the Liquid Silk sunshield for the face last year on an impromptu trip to the Texas coast, I did purchase the Sublime Sun specifically for the face and I knew I wanted a very high SPF (this one has 50). I was amazed by the quality, turned out to be a fabulous find. What I love about this sunscreen is that is truly does work, I was able to avoid tanning for the remainder of my beach trip.

In a nutshell the L'Oreal Paris Sublime Sun sunscreen offers a variety of suncare needs. Some for the face, some for the body, some for the family. Each is designed with its own benefits...

Sublime Sun Sheer Lotion - With Anti-Oxidants and water resistant
Sublime Sun Liquid Silk/face - Ultra water resistant, doesn't clog pores and it just for the face
Sublime Sun Sheer Protect Oil - Skin Nourishing, Water resistant

 

This pretty awesome Sheer Protect Oil is also holy-grail material. I love the scent it gives, the protection, the way my skin glistens, it's just awesome. Complete with sunscreen and 4 different nourishing oils/butter for the skin, Argan, Grape seed, Sunflower, and Shea. I just can't get over the scent! I can't describe it, it really is not a creamy scent nor is it fruity, I guess it is a floral scent but isn't overpowering or annoying, it just smells delightful and somewhat expensive :) On a regular day I wouldn't apply the Sunscreen Oil as it is a little too oily for running errands in 100 degree weather, instead I'd spend a little time spreading on the Sheer Lotion which is fast absorbing. Whenever I am swimming I tend to reach for the Sheer Oil.

 

Sheer lightweight Lotion 3.0 fl. oz.

Sheer Protect Oil 5.0 fl. oz.

Liquid Silk for the face 1.7 fl. oz.

 

The Sheer lightweight lotion and the Liquid silk sunshield for the face in comparison. Lotion is on the left and is thick and creamy.