Budget Beauty by Nadine

hey sweet, another giveaway!!

2012-02-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

This one is a $25 amazon gift card. I love these so much, because they never expire and can be used for so much. I've got some stuff I've been ogling myself.
Anyway there's a billion ways to enter and get a chance to win. Do it!!
go here and enter

Giveaway on a friend's blog

2012-01-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

What's more frugal than free? How about a free product for your hair?
Go comment on my friend's blog, and read and subscribe. Totally worth it, and you might get some free stuff!! She has giveaways pretty often

Go here

And maybe I'll get to come back soon with some more blog entries. I miss you.

Reader Request - Derby Make Up

2012-01-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'm coming up with lists of what I can do for a reader who wants to roller derby, and needs some wicked sexy eyeshadow. I'm trying to determine what's too subtle, and maybe what's too scary. I stumbled across one that I HAD to do. Hoping my reader loves it, here it is.
No. I didn't do a video tutorial. I'm SORRY already!

So, I failed at taking step by step pictures on this one, but I had an audience. It's kinda awkward taking pictures of yourself with your husband staring at you, know what I mean?

As usual, I started with a primed eye. I used a green tinted primer, because the shadow I wanted to use wasn't as green as I'd like. I could have dug out my brighter green but I am SO lazy. So, after a primer, I applied tape to the corner of my eye. You'll see why. Then I applied the green shadow up to the crease.

The tape isn't incredibly sexy, or comfortable, but it makes an infallible line to follow for the winged liner you're about to embark on.

I used black shadow for this particular attempt, but I think next time I might use a liquid liner first, and then top with black shadow and blend. Anyway, with my still wet brush, get a full load of black shadow and start at the very inner corner of your eye, and take it out as far as you can. I went to the end of my eyebrow. To get a really dramatic look you'll want to take it at least past the lashes. Remove the tape, and then take your line under your eye and into the inner corner and create a point. I tried as hard as I could to make the point asymmetrical, I love the look. Man I suck at descriptions.
Picture time.

After the liner, top off the green shadow again with a dry brush to set. Then get yourself some false lashes and put on a slim and thin coat of glue. Wait a few seconds, and then apply as close to your lash line as you can. Hold until set, and then curl. I apply a thin coat of mascara at least to the base to hold the set.

And the finished product! I hope you love this. I have a couple more on deck that I can't wait to share with you. If there are any other looks you want to me to bring, leave me a comment below!!

Baking Soda

2012-01-09T20:56:00.001-08:00

I have a box of this in my bathroom, and if you don't.. you should. I have tons of things I use this for, I put it in my bath, I polish my teeth with it (once a week though, I have crazy sensitive teeth) and I use it for a microdermabrasion like scrub on my face.
The key difference between using a soft "scouring" powder, and granules is that you're not cutting the crap out of your skin in order to get the dead cells off. I used peach face scrub for a very long time so I'm just as guilty. I now save that stuff for my body and I use this for my face.
It's deceptively strong, so I wouldn't suggest overdoing it and if you've never used it before, do it on a night where you aren't going anywhere the next day. Here's how I do it.

Put all of your hair up and away from your face. You want nothing hanging down at all to keep you away from hitting every part of your face, and I hate getting my hair wet. Cleanse your face like normal (unless you use something like proactiv, then I'd suggest skipping that and just wetting your face)
I used to do it instead of washing, but I found that it never felt as fresh as if I washed first. I use Timewise on my face before scrubbing instead of my usual cold cream "wash". Pour some baking soda in a bowl so that you don't waste the whole box with your wet hands. Make sure your face is good and wet, and dip your fingers in the baking soda. Rub your hands in a circular motion all around, making sure to do extra deep on your T-zone. Do your neck, too.. heck when you're done, hit the backs of your hands as well!! Scrub scrub scrub for at least 5 minutes, but I usually do 10. I actually do 5 with my fingers and 5 with a damp washcloth. Rinse well, and if you want to you can do a honey mask after. Honey masks are super ridiculously simple, just warm up some honey in a bowl, pat on your face and leave on for 10 minutes then rinse. Finish with your usual moisturizer (if it has retinol, skip it)

This makes me think that I need to do a session on home facials and masks!

We're on Twitter!

2012-01-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to follow

Intense Eyeshadow

2012-01-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

I put this on yesterday before heading out the door to go for a girl's night out with my friend. I'd been dying to try this but it felt like too much for daytime. This is a pretty intense eyeshadow application but I'm in love. I used black and white, but this is something I plan to play with and try other colors. I know for a fact purple and white would look amazing. Here's the finished product.

I really can't do a video tute today, but I can give you a step-by-step at least so you can give it a go. It was SO much fun to do.

I started with a primed eyelid.
This is a very thick application and if you don't use a primer, you will find yourself with creases very fast. I used Mark. Hold Please eye primer (8.00) I actually used two coats.

Then I have a spray bottle with an alcohol/water solution for this purpose, I sprayed my sponge brush with water to soak it. For both colors, I used the Mark. Super Flip compact which they regrettably don't seem to have on the site any more. I used Fluffy (white) and Black Tie (black).

Starting with the white, I put a thick layer all over the lid, in the inner corner and under the eye.

Here's where I had trouble. I am so used to following my natural lines for everything that it took a lot out of me to go outside of that. With my black (and a wet sponge brush, of course) I started on the bone of my eyelid, not the crease. Not dragging, blotting, pull the color across into the crease. Be careful not to create too thick of a line, and make that line thinner as you go.

Back to the outer corner of the eye, on the bone still, pick up more color from your palette and pull it on an angle down. You're creating somewhat of a triangle shape, but when you're pulling the color it needs to fade to the middle of the eyelid, it's not a solid color. Clear as mud? (This is why I do video tutorials!!!)
With a short bristled eyeshadow brush, clean up your lines with some fresh color.

Finish with a very thin line of liquid liner all around, curl lashes and be generous with your mascara.

So there you are. Some thoroughly cute eyeshadow that you can take to a fun night out. Dazzling, and would work with almost ANY eye shape there is. You may need to adjust your eyeliner lines if you have different shaped eyes. Any questions feel free to ask in the comment section below.

What I've Learned from Cosmetology School

2012-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

1. "Girls" will be "girls." Regardless if they're 16 or 50. And of course by that I mean spreading rumors, and smack talking behind peoples backs. In that situation it's very hard to be the woman of the group and tell them to knock it off, because it's kinda fun to watch.

2. There is nothing that a little glitter can't fix. Bad moods, bad manicures and bad hair? Put glitter on it!

3. Everybody poops, and farts.. and thinks it's hilarious.

4. There's always time to do your makeup. If you don't have time to go all out, just some eyeliner and mascara can make you look put together.

5. Homework is kinda fun.

6. You are a personal cosmetologist to everyone you know the second you sign up for school.

7. Acrylic nail enhancements should never be done by 20+ people at the same time in the same small unventilated room.

8. Acrylic fumes give you a body high, and then body exhaustion when you come down. Then for days your hair and clothes still smell.

9. Being locked in a small room 8 hours a day with the same people for months creates a family that you can't break down, and it's pretty freaking rad.

10. I love what I do.

Did you go to school for cosmetology? Feel free to add your own in the comment section below.

What's in my purse?

2012-01-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

I, am no celebrity. Despite my outward appearances and winning demeanor, I confess I have no fame. However I shamelessly LOVE those stories in US weekly that show what's in a famous person's bag.
Usually they have ridiculously expensive crap in there that serves no purpose, or that serves the same purpose a 1.00 tube of chapstick could fix. I thought, hey why don't I share what's in MY bag!
I have two bags, but I will happily share both.

The first bag I'll share is my "purse"
The bag is a HUGE VS duffel (in camo colored leopard print) from a dear lovely friend. Sorry this picture is dark, my flash wouldn't work and I'm way too impatient to wait and try again.

Inside I have a pocket bac sanitizer and a listerine spray. To follow that theme I have deoderant, and some flavor or another of body spray. I have a fear of being smelly. A scarf, a hello kitty coin purse, a mini first aid kit, various Mark. samples and magalogs, a Mark. hook up with concealer and under eye gel, another with two perfumes, Starbucks napkins (why? because they make THE BEST oil blotting papers for your face. And they're free. I grab a handful every time I'm there) my wallet, and like 40 different lip glosses. I may or may not have an addiction.

And my school bag, which weighs about 460 thousand pounds.

This one is pretty boring, minus those smencils there. Cinnamon, and berry. Almost makes doing homework kinda fun. I have a finger bowl, and a sanitizing container, and three creepy zombie fingers with finished acrylics on them. I also have my dappen dish, for some damn reason. A dust mask, and pens. I also have (not shown) a completely fantastic Tinkerbell notebook, I got for .15 at wal mart. Also not shown is some snacks that I keep on hand in case I get hungry. My resolution this year was to be better to myself, which also meant that I needed to make sure I ate more than once a day, so I keep snacks.
Water, and lotion, and those Wisp things to brush my teeth. Oh, and a huge bag full of nail polish. I'm sure this bag will get more full as I continue school.
Okay, so that was kinda fun.

Cold Cream?

2011-12-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

I was doing some random shopping a couple weeks ago, and I stumbled across some clearance yummies in the local drug store. One of them that was ridiculously cheap was cold cream. I remember that stuff because that's what my grandmother uses to wash her face each night. Intrigued, I thought eh.. why not. My face has been a mess, between stress, hormones and just sometimes forgetting to wash my face (ugh, I KNOW better!) I've been the resident of a very busy town called Breakout City. I've been using Proactiv for two years, and it's just kinda stopped working for me. Sad.

So I digress. I picked some up and started using it right away. It takes some getting used to, I'm so used to the need for soap and water. Also what do you remove the cream with? Paper towels seemed wasteful. So, I started using washcloths. The cold cream washes out just fine, and there's less waste. So a couple weeks later, my verdict is that I'm in love. I haven't had hardly any breakouts at all and my skin feels fantastic. I still use proactiv once a week for a deep scrub, but this is perfect. It also gets my eye makeup off better than anything else and my skin is SO soft. It also seems to hold my makeup better, I don't have that weird issue that I was having where it clumps and runs. I think I'm going to be hooked on cold cream.
If you're wondering where to find, and what it looks like here you go. You'll find this anywhere, and the price is great. This tub is going to last me easily a month.
http://www.drugstore.com/ponds-cold-cream-the-cool-classic/qxp17105?catid=182285&fromsrch=cold+cream

I've been missing

2011-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Life gets in the way of the best intentions.
I registered for cosmetology school!!! So soon, you'll be getting tips, advice and tutorials from a licensed cosmetologist.
I miss all of you, I hope to be back really soon with some more information. Until then, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-By-Nadine/314331835247299 and get in on what's up with my business in real time.

Until then

A moment on eyebrows

2011-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Sit down, I think we need to talk. It's about... eyebrows.

I'm not sure people realize the importance of eyebrows to your face. They frame your face and can make or break your looks. Personally, I'm a huge fan of natural eyebrows but not everyone is. I'm not really a fan of penciled on eyebrows. I think it can make someone look severe, and detract from their natural beauty.
If you're unhappy with your brows, be prepared for a few weeks of awkwardness because here's the only way to fix them.. grow them back.

I know. It's okay, I promise. Once you have some growth back (you don't have to wait for them to come all the way in) then go to your local salon for a professional shaping (usually only 15 - 20 dollars) or come see me. Failing that, here's some tips:

If you are new to this, do. not. WAX. Please. Pull out the tweezers and opt for the slow torture instead.
Stay within your natural shape. Your eyebrows are shaped a certain way for a reason, don't fight nature.
Outline your edges with a pencil and do not under any circumstances go beyond your edges.
Don't go willy-nilly. Tweeze a few, stop, step back and look, then continue. Repeat.

Chances are you've seen the "pencil trick" in your time on this planet, and it is a really fantastic guideline. You can buy expensive stencils at the beauty supply stores, or you can just go by this rule.

Take a pencil and place it vertical beside your nostril. Where the pencil ends is where your eyebrows will start so place a dot of eyebrow pencil there. Place the pencil diagonal to the outer corner of your eye from your nostril. Where the pencil ends is where your brow should end. Dot some eyebrow pencil there. Now from here I suggest looking at your brow's natural arch, and follow that guide, but if you're confused then you can use the pencil. Start at your nostril and angle it across your iris, the highest point of your arch should be there, so mark it. Try to keep your natural eyebrow fullness, and just clean up straggling hairs. Single hairs that don't belong with the group, try not to get into the brow itself. You can trim too, don't be afraid of trimming the eyebrows. To do this, take a toothbrush or clean mascara wand (when a tube is empty, keep a wand for your eyebrows) and brush the hairs up. Trim the ones that come above the brows, then brush down and trim the ones that fall below. Finish up with a little brow gel and you're set to go. (Brow gel is just clear mascara, basically.. so you can get that for less)

Anyway, I'll clarify that this week when I get to do another tutorial video, but hopefully this will give you a clear place to start if you want to do your eyebrows.

Budget Hair Beauty

2011-11-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

Today's beauty steal is one of those steals that doesn't seem like it would be. Up front, the cost seems like a lot, but I've been using this product for years and I can promise it's worth it.

http://www.drugstore.com/paul-mitchell-super-skinny-serum/qxp143679?catid=183486&fromsrch=paul+mitchell

I buy this at the salon, because I'm always leery of buying salon products from anywhere else but as you can see it's available online. This product produces THE best results I've ever had for my frizzy hair. I use less than a dime sized amount, about once a week (depending on how often I wash my hair) and it smells so good. I use it before straightening as a barrier between my hair and my iron. It's great for the days I want to go curly or wavy, it doesn't add weight.

The one bottle I buy lasts me the whole year before I have to buy another one. It doesn't get much more inexpensive than that, particularly for the quality of the product.
Sometimes budget beauty doesn't mean getting the least expensive product out there.

luscious lashes?

2011-11-06T23:53:00.000-08:00

Maybe someday.

I've given myself a quest of sexy lashes. I have been reading all sorts of home remedies, but I've had these tubes of L'Oreal Lash Serum in my bathroom for a few months. Came free with my mascara, but I never used it. I've always had skimpy lashes but it feels like as I get older, they're getting worse. Sigh. Like everything else, right? So here I go, I'll be posting some updates on the lashes if I see any changes (or none) as I use it. I put the tube in my bathroom with my other skin care stuff and I'll do it at night when I wash my face. If this stuff works, I'm in business and I will totally buy their brand. It's WAY cheaper than the prescription stuff. If it doesn't work, I'll look at the home remedies.

the neutral smoky eye

2011-11-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

I had to break it up into two videos, but here's 20 minutes of your life you'll never get back. enjoy!!

Foundation 101

2011-11-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here's my first ever tutorial.
I'M SO AWKWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome

2011-11-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of choices out there right now for beauty blogs. Thanks for choosing mine.
What I will be planning is tutorials for make up application, tips on skin care for various skin types, and tips and tricks that I use that I can pass along to you.

On occasion I will be having some giveaways of fabulous products, so check in frequently. I