The Beauty Milk

Pink Fantasy: Metallic Valentine's Day Makeup

2018-02-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pink makeup for Valentine's Day is as original as red lips for Christmas. Yet here we are. I don't think you should turn away from conventions just for the sake of being different. If Valentine's Day is the only time of year that you feel comfortable enough to wear pink eyeshadow, then go right ahead! And if you want to wear pink eyeshadow all the time... then I don't blame you. It looks great. So if you're looking for a shimmery, metallic pink makeup look that's dramatic but still dainty (damn, all that), then I got some suggestions for you. Here's how you can recreate this makeup look...

The Perfect Glitter Lip Topper a.k.a. ...Lipgloss?

2018-02-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed any of the articles on lip toppers: the new product to help give life to your same ol' lipsticks? A matte lipstick can be transformed into a glossy lacquer. Experiment with endless combinations of glitters on top of lip colors. How about gold over red? Perfect for the holiday season! But did you know, this has existed for years? It's called lipgloss. It's funny because I thought about that every time lip toppers popped up on my feed but it wasn't until Isobel verbalized the idea in her blogpost that I realized what companies are trying to do: re-market lipgloss. Now hold on... I'm not knocking on it. Looking on the bright side, it will probably give brands an incentive to improve their lipgloss formulas. I know many of us have a persisting lipgloss aversion because of how sticky and smelly they were in the 1990's and 2000's. Not to mention how quickly they wore off.

DIY: Ombre Rose Gold / Mauve Hair Color

2018-02-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

My hair looks nothing like this right now, lol. (I still have a few backed up blogposts from before the hurricane.) However, I wanted to share with you how I achieved this rose gold/ mauve dusty pink tone because it was really easy and affordable. You could do this yourself for less than $25. Of course here's the usual disclaimer: I am not a hairdresser or a professional. I learned everything I know about hair through the Internet as well as trial and error. I've been experimenting and bleaching/dyeing my own hair for years. Always do your research before messing with your hair. With that said, have fun! Hair grows back. You can cut it or dye over it if you mess up. It's not that serious. :D

10 Beauty Products to Get You Through Winter

2018-02-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I just experienced my first bitter cold winter. And it's still not over, it snowed just a few days ago. I was definitely caught off guard, but after a few weeks of trial and error, I've found some great products that are helping me manage seasonal dryness. These are all old products, actually, all I did was rummage through my collection and find things that used to be unfit for the tropical climate I was living in. You may not need to purchase many new items for winter either, I'm sure you can find dupes for most of these in your stash.

Times Square: The perfect nude liquid lipstick

2018-01-31T08:30:00.000-04:00

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Times Square - $6.50

Nude lipsticks and liquid formulas: two of my favorite things. Combine the two of them and you have an instant makeup bag staple. Here's a perfect one to try that won't break the bank. I'm talking about the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip liquid lipstick in the Times Square. I showed this a bunch of times on Instagram already so here's a formal rundown of why I think you need this in your collection.

New Year's Baking: Pecan Pie Cheesecake

2018-01-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

When I was thinking about what dessert to make for New Year's Eve, my mind kept circling back to pecans. They're a quintessential winter staple in the United States, where I now live, but not something I ever ate during holidays in Puerto Rico. It's a shame because some of my favorite desserts are American-style pies and cobblers, and those are not part of traditional latino cuisine. I know my family loves cheesecake (so do I) plus I had a ton of gingerbread cookies left over from a failed gingerbread house kit, so I settled on a Pecan Pie Cheesecake with a Spiced Gingerbread Crust. It doesn't get any Christmas-ier than that. If you love cheesecake and pecans, check out the recipe below to learn how to make this drippy, gooey monster dessert. :)

Luminous Weightless Foundation: Another win for NARS?

2018-01-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

NARS All Day Luminous Foundation in Punjab - $49

It's no secret that I love NARS base products. Their Sheer Glow Foundation and Radiant Creamy Concealer have been my favorite foundation and concealer for years. Whenever NARS releases new base products, I'm always excited to see if I'll like them better than Sheer Glow. Their All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation came out a while ago. As you may be able to tell from this post's brightly themed pictures, I meant to publish this review during the summer of last year. It's part of the content that fell through the cracks thanks to the incident. 😂 Better late than never though, right? Actually, this foundation formula is better suited for winter anyway so it's more appropriate for me to publish it now.

Holiday Recipes: Guava Cheesecake (Guayaba)

2018-01-14T08:30:00.000-04:00

Puerto Ricans are big fans of making desserts using guava fruit ('guayaba' in Spanish). We also really like cheesecakes. Naturally, we started baking guava cheesecakes. They are delicious and one of my favorite cheesecake flavors of all time. Chocolate and vanilla cheesecakes can be a bit too sweet sometimes. If you like fruity desserts, then this is definitely something you'll love. The guava keeps the cheesecake tasting light and fresh. If you've never tried a guava fruit before, a good way to describe the flavor would be a cross between a strawberry and a pear. Hope you enjoy this Guava Swirl Cheesecake Recipe!

Late to the Party: Too Faced Born This Way Concealer

2018-01-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer in Medium - $28

Woohoo! A post that's not about a liquid lipstick! :D Once again, today's review is brought to you by my best friend Ashley. I borrowed her concealer so I could feature it on here. I know the Born This Way Concealers are probably passé by now and everyone has given their two cents on it. This is another post that was delayed for months by, you guessed it, dear Hurricane María. Although I'm sure those who love this product are still using it everyday. It's just the blogging and beauty community that has moved on and is talking about some other hyped concealer now. Still, I wanted to post this review for those who have a similar skintone to mine (warm, yellow based, light medium, MAC NC30) and may need help with shade selection.

Review: Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipsticks

2018-01-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipsticks - $14

It seems like January is the unofficial Liquid Lipstick Review Month on my blog. Sorry! I promise there is more diverse content coming up. It just so happens that I went on a liquid lipstick swatching and photographing spree last year and I've got several liquid lippie reviews backed up. Hopefully there's a handful of you who who are also unable to resist checking out new formulas (a.k.a. You won't mind). Today's spotlight is on the Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipsticks. We'll be looking at the shades: Polished Purple, Blackberry Sorbet, African Violet, and Always Red.

$10 Deal Alert: Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Quad in Rust

2018-01-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Quad in Rust - ~~$22~~ $15 or $10

Kat Von D Beauty is well known for its Shade + Light range which includes matte products meant for contouring. Their matte powder formula is great: soft, pigmented, and long wearing. Never chalky or patchy. The only complain I've ever had about it is that some shades can be quite powdery. Well, they released a series of eyeshadow quads in their Shade + Light range. These mini eyeshadow palettes fall in line with the Shade + Light style: neutral colors in a matte formula. These come in 4 colours: Rust, Sage, Plum, and Smoke. Rust is warm and orange toned, Sage has green hues, Plum includes purples, and Smoke is full of cool grays. Today I'll be reviewing Rust.

$5 Liquid Lipsticks: Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lip Color

2017-12-30T08:30:00.000-04:00

Jordana Sweet Matte Lip Color in Creme Brulee and Sweet Marsala Wine - $5

I can't seem to stop reviewing liquid lipsticks! What gives? I don't know, but lipstick is usually the cheapest and easiest way to try new makeup so I always appreciate new lipstick recommendations. So far, I haven't been terribly impressed with drugstore matte liquid lipsticks. I saw the Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lip Colors at Walgreens a few months back and decided to try them. They were only $5 each and I have a good track record with Jordana products, so I thought there was not much to lose.

ColourPop Super Shock Cheek Highlighters

2017-12-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

ColourPop Super Shock Highlighter in Hippo & Smoke n Whistles - $8 each

Today's ColourPop Cosmetics review was brought to you by: my best friend Ashley (again)! Seriously, if you haven't been able to acquire new makeup and are feeling bored with constantly using the same products, then raid your friend's stash. It could help you get out of your beauty comfort zone. And you might fall in love with some products and end up purchasing them for yourself. Anyhow, today I'm going to share with you ColourPop Cosmetics Super Shock Highlighters in Hippo and Smokin' Whistles.

3 Easy Spiked Hot Chocolate Cocktail Recipes

2017-12-28T17:22:00.000-04:00

One common winter occurrence is wanting to stay inside drinking hot cocoa due to the bitter cold. Yet some nights (and afternoons too) you may want to have a drink. Well, you can do both! Here are three easy hot chocolate cocktail recipes so you can get your booze fix and stay warm at the same time. I used common ingredients for all three recipes so you could recreate these without having to run out to your local liquor store. (I saw a lot of spiked hot cocoa recipes that called for things like peppermint schnapps, which I'm sure are nice, but most of us don't have that laying around the house.)

Too Faced x Kat Von D Better Together Eye Collection: Review + Makeup Look

2017-12-26T15:21:00.000-04:00

Kat Von D x Too Faced Better Together Ultimate Eye Collection - $65

The KVD x Too Faced Better Together collection was released a while ago. Although it's currently not available online on Sephora's website, you can still find it at some Sephora stores and on Too Faced's website. It makes a great gift (for yourself or others) which is why I'm publishing this review around this time.

Gift Guide: What to get a makeup lover that has it all?

2017-12-24T01:15:00.001-04:00

Are you having trouble choosing a gift for a makeup lover who already owns a bunch of beauty products? Arguing that they have enough stuff already and don't need any more would be completely reasonable. But if you still want to get them makeup because, let's face it, they'd love it; here are some recommendations from someone who also owns a bunch of makeup already :) I meant to get this post up a bit earlier. I realize it's now Christmas Eve, but there are other holidays or occasions you may be gift shopping for. Or maybe you got a few gift cards for Christmas and want some ideas on what to spend them on.

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick in Unicorn

2017-12-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Unicorn - $21

You're going to be seeing a handful of liquid lipstick reviews coming up on my blog. Admittedly, it's my favorite type of lipstick formula yet I rarely wear it anymore. My lips are so dry due to my first ~~cold-as-heck~~ frosty winter that ultra-matte products like these emphasise my chapped lips and feel uncomfortable. However, I realize that not everyone is experiencing winter right now. Some of you may be looking for a fun, bright summer shade that can stay on all day. If that's the case, Unicorn from Too Faced is perfect for you.

Makeup Look: Glam Grunge Black Smokey Eye

2017-12-15T15:30:00.001-04:00

I think we all have a platonic favorite makeup look that we'd love to wear all the time if we could. I'm an advocate for wearing whatever you want whenever you want, but a full-face of makeup and black smokey eye application every time I leave the house is just not practical for me. For this look I took some elements from grungy smokey makeup and cleaned it up a bit to make it more "glam" and "wearable".

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone

2017-12-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone - $24

This is officially my first post back! Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. I created this post a while ago back when I still had pink hair (😭). I don't even have this product with me anymore since my best friend lent it to me to review. Yet I still wanted to share it with you because I think the formula is great. It's amongst my favourite liquid lipstick formulas. It would make a great gift for the holidays or it could be something to add to your own personal wish list.

Update: Moving to Boston + What's Next?

2017-11-29T12:54:00.002-04:00

I'm delighted to finally be able to address you again. I wanted to update you on the situation I talked about in my last post. (Recap: I was living in Puerto Rico and as a result of Hurricane María I lost my job, my personal computer, and had to move out of my apartment. Due to the structural and economical destruction caused by the storm and the fact that I was burning through my scant savings on food, the best thing for me to do was leave Puerto Rico. I started a GoFundMe campaign to raise some money that would go towards traveling and moving expenses and hopefully getting a new laptop so I could do freelance work.)

Update: Hurricane María, Unemployment, Leaving the Country

2017-10-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Hello, world! It's been a while since I've posted here. A bunch of things have happened that have prevented me from blogging as regularly as I did before. As some of you may have seen on Twitter, I was affected by the Category 4 (5) Hurricane María that struck Puerto Rico. The island has suffered incredibly. The initial impact took lives, tore roofs off, flooded towns, destroyed cars, and some people lost all of their belongings. The entire electrical grid collapsed and all 3 million + inhabitants were left without communication and power. It's been a month since the hurricane and we still don't have power.

Chartreuse and Glossy Cherries: Makeup Look

2017-01-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

I decided to play around with colors that I rarely tend to use: yellow on the eyes and glossy lips, specifically in a dark plum shade. This look has actually been my favorite in months. I particularly love how the lips turned out. Lip gloss annoys me to no end, it gets everywhere and your hair gets stuck in it. Pair that with a dark vampy lip color, which is super high maintenance already, and it's a nightmare-ish combination. Still, I loved so much how it looked that I put my hair in a bun and hoped for the best. Here are the products I used to create this makeup look...

Review: Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in Fandango Purple

2017-01-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in Fandango Purple - £5

The Sleek Matte Me lip creams were actually one of the first drugstore matte liquid lipsticks to come out. I've wanted to try them for ages! Thanks to my best friend who bought this for me I am finally able to review one on my blog. The color she got for me is Fandango Purple which is precisely the shade I wanted to try the most after seeing it on LaaLaa from Dolce Vanity.

A different 90's Brown: MAC Bowl Me Over Lipstick

2017-01-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

MAC Cosmetics Bowl Me Over Lipstick - $17

Here's another review brought to you thanks to my housemate, yay! Sharing is caring. This is a really beautiful red-brown lipstick that she picked up at a MAC Cosmetics counter. I think you will really like this. It's a nice change of pace from the mass of beige/brown 90's nudes that are constantly getting talked about. Bowl Me Over is deeper in color and has a brick red undertone. It definitely reminds me a lot of the lipsticks I would find in my mom's and my friend's mom's makeup bags.

A Daytime Pink Glitter Makeup Look

2017-01-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

I realize "daytime makeup" is a very subjective phrase. I am a person who is comfortable with wearing a lot of makeup at any given time. I'm sure a smokey eye with a hint of glitter and winged liner is not everyone's version of daytime wearable. Still, I found this look to be very subtle considering how many products I used. As always, I encourage everyone to wear whatever they want whenever they want. If you'd like to wear a full face of makeup during the day but don't know where to start, then I recommend going for light colors such as pale pinks, rose, and mauve. Particularly if you opt for a barely there lip color, you'll find that you can get away with a smokey eye and some glitter without feeling like you're going clubbing at 11 in the morning.