Zumba Convention Day Three!

Day Three was complete craziness! I had three classes that day instead of two and was so scared that I was gonna die. On the agenda was Aqua Zumba, African Mix, and Caribbean Heat. I don't know what I was thinking when I made my schedule for this day, but I obviously didn't realize that these were all high impact classes.

Apparently I survived because I am talking to you now ha ha.

It was also crazy because I met Beto guys! I know. I was freaking out. My dad kept on seeing him around the hotel while me and my mom were in our classes. We yelled at my father told my father in a very lady-like fashion how unfair it was that he was seeing Beto and we weren't. Well, that morning my father went down to get coffee because he cannot live without it (typical Hispanic), and saw Beto taking pictures in the lobby. He called us right away and we ran for it! Ha ha. Aqua Zumba was our first class of the day, and I was only in a bikini top and shorts, but I did not care at that moment. I just threw a sweater on and we got there just in time. Poor Beto can't even walk four feet without getting hounded by us crazy Zumba people, so we took the picture as he was walking backward to the elevators. He took my phone (omg) and took the picture like we were all besties.

Then it was time to rush to Aqua Zumba, since the whole Beto fiasco set us back a little :). Aqua Zumba is pretty much Zumba in the water and it was pretty amaze-beans. The resistance of the water is something I have never experienced before and makes up for the not-sweatiness of regular Zumba. African Mix and Caribbean Heat were non-stop. I was a jumping, popping, kicking, gyrating machine that day. I don't think my sweat glands could have possibly produced anymore! TMI? Sorry.

Then it was time for the best part! The Soiree. Every year the convention holds a party for all the ZIN's (Zumba people) to hang out and dress up, and just have a great drunk time. I didn't drink or anything but I loved the party. The theme of the party changes every year and this year's was, Mid Summer Night's Dream. People could be anything from faries, to goddesses, to nymphs, to Minotaurs, and anything else that is mystical. My mom and I went as pixies and made our costumes ourselves. I just didn't make the tutu. I know someone who just happens to make them and she offered me one. It was really pretty. I did our makeup and we were out the door to see everyone else's crazy outfits.

I am telling you there are no crazier bunch than us Zumbonians. A lot of people came in really creative costumes that I didn't even know were possible. Some came in regular clothes, just really dolled up and fancy. And some just thought, "Hey my costume is no shirt and no pants." The less the merrier I say!

There was actually this guy there that I bumped into, who had only a pair of shorts on and I was not complaining. He was like, "Damn", when he saw me. And I was like, "What?" And then he tried to utter more words, but didn't seem to have the ability to speak and walked away. I saw him earlier with some friends, so I'm guessing he was looking for them. I guess I am a guy repellent. I usually don't like getting hit on, because sometimes they can be creepy (remember the Halal Food Truck guy when I went to NYC). So of course, the one guy who I don't mind hitting on me, runs away. What is life? Oh well haha. I still had an awesome night! :)

Beto! Isn't he the cutest?

My mom, and the African Mix instructors. I was talking to the guy, telling him how he looks just like my friends Stanley lol

The evidence of a hard days work. I told you my sweat glands had no more after that.

Bathed and pixie-ed out.

This girl came as a statue, because her friend was Medusa. Hands down, most awesome idea ever.

Three blind mice.

I have no idea what he was, but he was a guy with a bra and I wanted a picture.

Mom, pops, and me. You can really see our makeup here :)

Me and Momma Dukes.

Up close and personal with my fairy makeup.

My dad calls this one, "The Thinking Fairy" ha ha.

Stay tuned for more!

Travel Makeup Ideas and Tips.

Heeeellllooooooo! As many of you know I will be going to Orlando for a Zumba extravaganza! I will be leaving tomorrow and am super excited about it. And since I have been so busy with work lately (sorry :/) I wanted to give you guys a much overdue post about what I will look like tomorrow :)

I know that many people do not think about makeup when they are traveling. In between packing, and last minute shopping, and remembering the tickets, makeup can seem daunting. Some don't think of it at all on an everyday basis, but if you do, keep reading. I also think that the more simple, non-makeup girls will get some tips for this. This is also a very go to makeup look that is perfect for everyday. I took a lot of the pointers from Makeup For Dummies and simplified it a lot, so if those tutorials were a bit much, I hope you find this post helpful.

Now on to the post!

Face:

I first started of with a cleansed, moisturized face and applied face primer. Mine is from Makeup Forever in #1. 

I then applied my foundation by dotting it all over my face and blending it in with my stippling brush. 

After that, I put on some concealer using a highlighting pen from Givenchy and literally drawing stripes on my problem spots, making me look like a bizarre tiger. I then blended that mess in with my fingers.

Roar?

For everything else on my face I used the following, in order from left to right. 

I kiss you!

I contoured my face with the L'Oreal true match powder with my angled face brush. Then went over that with my Stila bronzer for some added pizazz. I then highlighted with my Laura Mercier highlighting powder. I used the same brush for all of these steps, cause ain't nobody got time to use more than one.

Highlighting

Bronzing

Eyes:

First thing's first. Eyebrows. You already know! Brush, fill, brush once more, and set it.

 

 Prime your lids first with some find of base and go in with a light shimmering eyeshadow. I used one from an Urban Decay Palette, but anyone would do. This will just make your eyes look nice and bright, no matter how zombie-like you feel inside. We all know traveling can be draining. I took that color and blended it from my lash line all the way into my brow bone. Don't forget to get the tear-duct as well. That way your brow and inner corner highlight is done already.

Then take a soft brown color and blend that into the crease and outer corner. I even took what was left on the brush and applied it under the eye too for some soft definition.

Next, take a black liner and line the upper water line. To do this I kind of look down and run the pencil back and forth. This will define and make the lashes appear fuller without having to apply liner on the top. See how much more defined the left eye looks?

Then, line the outer third of the lower waterline. 

\

Now all you gotta do it curl and mascara your lashes and you are done! See? Wasn't that easy? For the lips you can do whatever you want. I chose a pink gloss, because its fast, easy, and low maintenance. But if you wanna just do a lip balm or slap on some red lipstick, then do you girl haha.

Other Tips:

• Bring food. Sandwich, carrots, apples and peanut butter, granola bar. Anything to keep you going. 
• Bring something to occupy your time as you wait, or even for on the plane. Things like books, cards, crossword puzzles.
• Take your own blanket along so you won't have to pay for one on the plane. 
• Take a sweater with you. I like those big comfy cardigans, because the plane is sometimes cold. I'm going to Florida, so I will be dressed for warm weather. So, this sweater idea is perfect for me when I am stuck on a freezing plane.
• Throw some headphones in your carry on in case you want to watch a movie, or listen to music.

And there you have it. I hope all of you get something out of this post. Leave comments below! You can also comment me on my Instagram and Facebook, or shoot me a tweet. 

Have an awesome day, everyone!!!!

Nicole xo

If Only for a Short While

Hello lovely people!
I think you can all agree with me when I say that there is no better feeling than being clean. I remember when I was a little kid I would take a shower and would say to my mom, "Ma, I feel healthy!" To this very day I say the same thing. Well, for the past couple days my showers have been very much mechanical. Pick up soap. Wet it. Put on designated part of body. Rinse. Shampoo into hair. Scrub. Rinse. This has mainly been because I am in and out of the house, whether it is me going to the gym, work, or me coming home late from work and wanting to take the fastest shower possible because homegirl is tired. Weeeelllllllllll, today I had the day off. Usually on my days off I clean like madman and by the time I know it the whole day is gone. This leaves me very little time to have the spa shower I deserve. But today I took the best damn shower I have had in a long time. Now you are all probably thinking I'm dirty and don't bathe correctly. I do, but today I was really able to take my time and let the steam relax me. And you all still think I am strange. Okay moving on..... I was going to post this yesterday, but was feeling under the weather, so I bring it to you now!

City Time!!!

Isn't it beautiful? I prefer this over a picture of a landscape any day.  On Wednesday I attended a training at the 34th Street Sephora in NYC.

Like my photography skills?! This guys is modeling for me  ha ha.

For the training we still had to dress in "concept colors". So I went with wearing

all black errithing!

Earrings: Stand in the mall
Blouse: Joyce Lesley
Leggings: Express
Oxfords: Aldo
Cross Ring: Charlotte Russe

I had never been to one of these things before and was pretty excited!

I also didn't know what makeup to do. But my mom was like, "You better trick it out!" Okay she didn't really say that, but that's what I heard. So I went with my lightning bolts (click me!), with gold shadow, and my favorite purple on the lower lash line. Thank god for my mom's advice because the makeup artist who started the line I was being trained on complimented me on it!!!

This is James Vincent. He has had 18 years of experience. He has worked with everyone from TLC, to Blondie, Lady Gaga to Diddy, to Jillian Michaels. So that fact that he noticed my makeup made me super excited :) (Thanks, Mommy!).

Me, James Vincent, and Nicole (my manager. Yeah we have the same name haha)

His new makeup line is called, Ardency Inn. It is a brand inspired by music, especially punk and rock music. The reason for this is because James has predominantly worked with musicians. I'm not sure if I am able to go into too much detail since it hasn't been released in stores yet, but when it does you bet you ass that I will be doing a more in depth post about the products. So, mark your calendars for August 8th. I think you guys are really gonna love it. It has everything that a makeup artist dreams of and really caters to every woman out there. Whether you are a makeup freak like me, or are a minimalist, this brand will work for you. During the training everyone was able to touch and play with everything. I had my eye on this hot pink lip product.

This picture really does not do the color justice. 

Think of hot pink that got bit by a radioactive spider, okay? You feel me. I know you do. 

I cannot wait until we get this in store so I can buy everything :D

After the training was over Nicole and I went to a diner to grab some din-din. We were raving about the training the whole time, but eventually she had to catch a train. I did not want to leave the city. Hanging out with your boss can be kind of fun, too. Who knew? (Hey, Nicole!) haha.

Anyways, after I walked her to the train station I passed by Madison Square Garden (pictured above) and several other interesting people trying to sell me their cd's. And oh my God, I have to tell you guys about the weirdest pickup line I have ever heard. Usually, I don't get hit on so I was not expecting this guy to come out and say what he said. This is how it went down:

I was extremely thirsty after leaving the station, so I went to a nearby Halal Food truck to get some water.
Me: How much for water?
Halal Guy: *mumbles incoherently*
Me: Huh?
Halal Guy: One of you eyes ;)
Me: -___- No really, how much is the water.
Halal Guy: Two dollars. Where are you from?
Me: New York.
Halal Guy: Are all the women in New York as beautiful as you?
Me: *confused* You should know. This is where you work. *takes water and walks away briskly*

So that was my experience before heading home. Oh and I went shopping at H&M, but I will save that for another post. I did get some goodies from the training to sample as well that I wore to work yesterday to show everyone. I posted this on Instagram:

Again the picture does not do it justice! The pigment of these products are unreal. I really did feel like a rockstar. Never in my life had I ever worn an all black smoky eye, but I loved it. I definitely noticed that I was walking around a little more confident. Something about a bold eye makes me feel like a badass. Plus my all black outfit for work. Like, whattttt?! It just proves what I am always telling you guys. Try something new and you will be surprised with how much you like it. And above all, always be true to yourself :)

How do you unleash your inner rockstar?

What is your favorite part of the city? For me its every damn thing! :)

What is the weirdest pickup line you have received (or given ha ha)?

Cheers! (Oh yeah, I'm British now)

Nicole xoxo

Prime Time

It is ya girl, Nicole again :) Good evening everyone! Earlier today I took this picture:

This was on Instagram. Today I was minding my own business, doing my makeup before work, when I came across these two products in my makeup collection:

Anastasia Brow Pen in Universal Deep

Benefit 15-Hour Primer 

This primer made my foundation look absolutely crazy! I was so excited about it that I wanted to blog right away, but I was off to work and wanted to see how it lasted throughout the day. You know how sometimes everything looks good in the beginning of the day, but ends up at your chin by the end it. Yeah well, there was no melting with this primer. My oily skin stayed shine free all day and looked airbrushed! I could not believe it. I had heard not so great reviews about this. One of the biggest complaints was that it controlled oil too much. And that you had to work fast before the primer dried out. Well when I saw it today, I thought what the hell? and did one side at a time. Boy, am I glad I tried this today.  It just goes to show that not everything works the same for everybody. 

As for the eyebrow pen, this was pretty awesome. When I did my eyebrow tutorial I showed myself using a powder to fill in the parts of the brow that a pencil would be too harsh. Well, that it where I used this pen. And I really loved it. I feel like it goes into my skin more naturally. The pen has a wet texture so it just molds into the brow seamlessly. I think it is also waterproof, so it is summer approved. 

Now I know that everything looks good when you put an Instagram filter on it, so I'm showing you an untouched photo.

Yes, girl. That is me. And yes those are my real lashes! Crazy right? I told you in yesterday's post how much magic Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara works. I'd never lie to you guys :)

What primers do you guys use?

What do you think gives you a perfect foundation application?

Well, now that I am done venting my feelings, I am going to spend the rest of the night watching So You Think You Can Dance :)

Goodnight lovlies!

Nicole xo

July 2013 Favorites | Makeup, Skincare, and More

Hello beautiful people! It is ya girl, Nicole, all up in yo face! How is everyone doing today?

This weekend was jam packed for me. On Saturday I went with my family to the tattoo convention in New Jersey.

Me and momma bear!

My family loves tattoos. My dad is almost covered in them. My mom has her fair share of them, and my sister, Sam, had like 5 by the time she was 20. My other sister, Erica can't seem to stop getting them. She is crazy. Love you, E! As for me I only have two, but I want more. I'm just thinking up my next one ;)

The convention was also right on a boardwalk so we got to enjoy some of the beauty. 

Then on Sunday I went with my mom and Sam to a Zumba party in Chelsea Pier. 

It was a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS. It was really fun because we took some Zumba friends along. Plus 90 minutes of Zumba is pretty much the best thing ever. I was exhausted by the end of the weekend though because I also took a Zumba class in the morning. I'm a little crazy too I guess ha ha. 

Onto the favorites! July is coming to an end so I thought it would be cool to show you guys what I have been loving. I will talk about the products in the picture from left to right. Lets get started! 

Face: 

Givenchy Mister Light Concealer and YSL Touché Éclat Highlighting Pen- I have one word for these works of God. Yes! I have been using them like crazy because they highlight and conceal all the redness and darkness on my skin. They never look cakey and feel nice and light. 

Givenchy Gold Primer- Like my sample jar? Ha ha. I took a sample of this because I wanted to see if it really does take away oil while still adding radiance. And girl, yes it does. This primer has flecks of gold in it, which is what gives it that ability. 

Josie Maran Matchmaker Foundation- Yes, another sample jar. I don't know about you, but I break out sometimes when I try new foundations, so I took a sample. I love it so far. It gives awesome coverage while feeling light. One of my coworkers actually came into work when I was wearing it and was like, "Oh my god! Your skin looks amazing." So yeah I will most likely be buying this. 

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- Go to my CVS Haul post to read my proclamation of love for this amazing-ness. 

Eyes:

Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara- In a previous post I said that I did not like the wand of the mascara and still preferred my Urban Decay one. Well I retract that statement. I still love my urban, but this mascara is the shit amazing (gotta keep it P-G) ha ha. My lashes look fake and perfectly fanned out. They actually show through my eyeliner. BOOM!

Kay Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper- This little guy has popped up on the blog before, but if you follow me on Instagram then you know I have feeling the cat eye a lot this month. 

Stila purple liner- Thanks to my previous post  we all know that purple liner is a way to make brown eyes pop. I also find that when I am in a rush adding some color makes it look like a tried super hard ha ha. 

Maybeline Great Lash Clear- This was featured in my eyebrow post and has been a real life saver for my brows and keeping the pencil from fading away.

Skincare:

Fresh Lotus Eye Gel- My eyes have been brighter over the last couple of days :) I'm excited. 

Fresh Umbrian Clay Oil Free Lotion- It leaves my skin feeling moisturized without being weighed down. 

Korres Wild Rose Cleanser- It has lite exfoliating beads that do wonders on the oil that builds up during the day. Wild rose is also packed with vitamin C and my face looks so much more glowing and bright lately. 

Lips: 

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm in Rendezvous- My go to coral with staying power! 

Revlon Lip gloss in Bellini, Revlon Lipstick Pink in the Afternoon, and L'Oreal Lipstick Unending Nude- The best nudes and pinks ever! Again, go to the CVS post to read my reviews on them :) 

Random: 

Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus- It is delicious with baby carrots and sliced peppers. 

Goji Berries- Super food. Super nutritional. Taste like candy. Pretty much a win all the round :) I love putting them on my oatmeal or on some yogurt. Yummers!

Nails:

Essie Nail Polish in Mint Candy Apple

Tart Deco

and Go Ginza.

Pastel nails are very 'in' for the summer time since they look so stunning on tan skin. So long, bright neon nails! I have been wearing them all month long :) These are my favorite colors.

Tattoos. Love them or hate them?

Zumba. Love it or hate it? Oh wait. That's a silly question ;)

Well that is pretty much it for this post. Let me know in the comments if you try or have tried any of these things! Love y'all.

 'Till next time...

Nicole xo.