Welcome to Not a Beauty Guru!

Hey people of the wonderful world wide web! You’re probably wondering why the name of my blog is called Not a Beauty Guru. Well, let me make this simple. I am in no way a professional makeup artist; I am hardly a person who is well-educated about makeup or makeup application, and I am the last person on the earth that could ever possibly be known as a so-called “beauty guru.” Wait, I take that last part back. I hope I can at least be acknowledged over someone on this beautiful sphere we live in. What I am is a girl who happens to be just a little, tiny bit obsessed with makeup. Okay, you caught me. So, I’m extremely obsessed with makeup and cannot keep a paycheck untouched even if I tried (which I really should start doing, but the whole makeup obsession thing doesn’t help). Anyways, on the topic of this obsession I have, there is no such thing for me as coming home with all of my purchases being amazing products. There are winners, duds, must-haves, potential holy-grail items, and products that are just a complete waste of money. And because of this, I want to make it easier for those of you who have been wanting to try a product and just don’t know if it’ll be worth your hard-earned dime. I hope you’ll find me as someone you can turn to when you want to know if you should splurge and go for that really expensive foundation that you’ve been wanting to try for months, or when you need a consoling word or two after said foundation breaks you out the next day. Trust me, I’ve been through it all and back again, but I’ve finally found products that work for me. That definitely doesn’t mean I’m perfect or that I’ll stop trying to find better products. Heck no, I’m still working on that. I’m so excited to start posting about some of my own experiences with different types of makeup and skincare, and I hope you find it useful. Have a beautiful day and I’ll talk to you soon!

-NBG

Advertisements

Update!

Hey guys!

First off, how are you all doing? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Please forgive me for that! My life has just been so extremely busy these past two weeks! Work, work, and more work! Now I’m not angry that I had to work all day everyday for the last two weeks, no, not really. Hey, I’m making money. What I’m a bit upset about is that I had no opportunity to get on here and post for you guys! I really love hearing from all of you all the time!

I’m finally able to catch my breath from work. Yes, I still work everyday, but just not as many hours (hopefully). And boy oh boy do I have a lot of things to write about. Before my endless working began, I did some online shopping (yes, I’ve only had the chance to shop online, but shopping is shopping (and not to mention one of my favorite hobbies)). There will be many mini reviews coming your way, so stay tuned!

Finally, thanks for being so patient with me! You guys are amazing and reading your kind comments and interacting with you makes blogging worthwhile. ❤

That’s it for now! Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are!

-NBG

Sunrise! 30 Seconds of Me :)

Hey guys! I hope you’re all having a great day! I just wanted to share a short post with you to give you a tiny peek into my life. This segment, 30 Seconds of Me, is going to be filled with short posts about, well, me. Wow, that sounds terrible. But I feel like you guys should get to know me a little better.

This morning I went on a little jog and I decided to run down to the beach because it was just about time for sunrise. Here’s what I saw:

As the sun rose…

Sky gets brighter…

And finally:

I’m so grateful to live in such a beautiful place. Thanks for reading! Enjoy the rest of your day or night wherever you are!

-NBG

January Beauty Favorites!

Hello friends! I hope you are all having a great day! I’m gonna share with you the products that have kept me alive this month (oh boy, I just started and I’m already getting dramatic), my January Beauty Favorites!

These products I’ve been using non-stop this month, and I hope it’ll give you a little insight into some products that you might have been wanting to purchase. Let’s get started!

∗ Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel for combination oily to oily skin $26

This moisturizing gel is super light weight and it absorbs into the skin very quickly. It makes my skin so soft and helps my makeup to go on smooth.

∗ NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base $25 

I’ve tried some E.L.F. eye primers, Maybelline Color Tattoos, the Urban Decay Primer Potion, and none of those have ever worked at keeping eye shadow on my lids. I am so happy I splurged on this because I am finally able to wear eye shadows again! It keeps my super oily eyelids from creasing and it amplifies all the shadows. I’m in love. Warning: If you are looking for a primer that cancels out color, this one is colorless, so keep that in mind.

∗ Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 35 Deep Fonce $7 

I’ve had this for a while, but I’ve only recently gotten really into it. It is creamy and has good coverage. I use this under my eyes and to spot conceal and it works great.

∗ Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder $24

This powder has really grown on me this past month. It sets my under eyes really well so there is no creasing and it really brightens up that area as well. WARNING: It does contain shimmers and soft glitters, so if you don’t like that, this is not for you. I really don’t mind it at all. I think it actually helps to brighten your face up nicely.

∗ Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette $36

I had so much fun playing around with this palette this month because it is just so pretty! The colors are amazingly pigmented, super smooth, and they blend like butter. My favorite shades are the shimmers (in order of the bottom left picture): Chocolate Martini, Honey Pot, Push-Up, Silk Teddy.

That’s it for my beauty favorites this month! I’m thinking of posting a random favorites as well, so stay tuned for that! Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are! If you’ve tried these products before, tell me how you felt about them! Also, feel free to let me know what your favorites were this month so I can try some new things out too (not like I should be spending any more money on makeup, but you guys know I will anyway).

Thanks for reading!

-NBG

Stila Flash Sale!

Hey guys! I’ve just got a quick post for you telling you about a website that I just recently discovered. I know you all probably know about this website already and I’ve actually been subscribed to their emails for a while, but it just really didn’t interest me. That is, until the other day when I saw that they were hosting The Balm Cosmetics, and let me tell you, huh, I went cray cray.

So, if you don’t know already, I’m talking about Hautelook. Hautelook is a website that is a part of Nordstrom Rack that does a bunch of flash sales. These include really high end, expensive brands that go on sale for a maximum of three days, hence the term flash sales.

I was so shocked when I first checked out how much they discounted the price; it was crazy! Usually these kinds of these are like 10-20% off, but Hautelook literally cuts it in half or more. It’s so awesome! Currently, Stila Cosmetics is having an event on Hautelook that made me kiss my pay check goodbye (didn’t I tell you guys I have a serious problem when it comes to makeup? I think it’s a disease).

You guys seriously have to check this out! If anything you can just browse, it doesn’t hurt. You can click here for my link to Hautelook, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to! Just go to their website and you won’t regret it! Your wallet might, but your makeup-loving self won’t!

You’ll probably be seeing a haul within the next month or so after I receive my packages. Yes, that was plural. Didn’t I already mention my disease?

Thanks so much for reading guys! Now go makeup lovers! Indulge! If you are a college student on a budget (like myself) and you want to try high-end makeup, now is your chance! Alright, I’m getting a little too excited. And it’s not because I’m scrolling through Hautelook as we speak. Okay, I really need to get some serious treatment.

Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are!

-NBG

Mini Haul/New Skincare

Hey guys! I hope you are all doing well! I was down on the city side of Oahu where the mall is and I decided to stop by to get my hands on this product that I have been wanting to try ever since I found out about it. It is the Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum.

Before I get into what the product is, I need to let you know a few things that I’m not really comfortable with sharing. But I’m gonna tell you anyway: I’ve always had skin problems. Ever since the 6th grade, I’ve had acne and everything that comes with it: the hyper-pigmentation, discoloration, bumps, craters, everything! And it sucks. It has been 8-9 years since then and things have only gotten worse.

I’ve tried countless products including Proactive, Acne-Free, the Clinique 3-step, and nothing worked. I do have products that are doing a pretty good job at keeping my acne at bay, but nothing seems to work at getting rid of all my redness and hyper-pigmentation.

So when I heard about this serum, I was hooked. Here is what the website claims:

This smart serum understands the needs of your skin. It provides custom repair for damages you see and damages you don’t. For all ages and all ethnicities, it specifically:

• Diminishes lines and wrinkles
• Firms and lifts skin
• Reduces dark spots and evens skin tone
• Improves radiance and texture

This sure is promising a lot and I hope that it works for my spots and the texture of my skin. I know I’m not the only one who gets super bummed when I spend a ton of money on something and it ends up not even working. I wanted to try this out first so I got the 1 oz. for about $60, which is pricey, but again, I am willing to try almost anything to help my skin out.

Well, thanks so much for reading guys! I will keep you guys updated on this and let you know if I’ve made any progress with it. I’m so excited to try it out! Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are!

-NBG

DTT #2: Wet n Wild Color Icon Blushers!

Welcome to another Drugstore Treasures Thursday! I know I missed last Thursday, but I am back and ready to show you guys more amazing, wallet-loving drugstore steals! The drugstore treasure I’ve got for you today has been out on the market for years and years now, but I just couldn’t do this segment without a post about these, which are the Wet n Wild Color Icon Blushers.

These blushes come in four colors and they retail for $1.99. Isn’t that crazy? You can buy all of them without feeling a tad bit guilty, which is awesome! I own three of the four, and the one thing I will say is that they all have some shimmer in them, so if you don’t like shimmer in your blushes, these may not be for you.

Mellow Wine is a really pretty deep mauve color that is great for the fall and winter time. Actually, it has a slight peachy hue to it so it would look good all year round. The shimmer in this one is really minimal and leaves your skin with a slight glow. Swatch of Mellow Wine is the color on the left in the bottom right picture.

Heather Silk is a gorgeous deep pink that looks really great on any skin tone. Again, there are slight shimmers in it that are barely noticeable, but really make your face look radiant. Swatch of Heather Silk is on the far left in the bottom right picture.

Berry Shimmer is definitely my favorite of the three that I own. When my face looks really flat, I know I can put this on and it will make everything look ten times better. This one looks like a berry almost copper color, but it has more shimmer than the other two. It has a really stunning rose gold sheen through it that just brings your skin to life and makes you look so healthy and radiant.

Please excuse this last picture, I was trying to get it so you could see the gold shimmers through it. All these pictures do no justice to the actual product! You have to go see them for yourselves, they are incredible!

The formula of these blushes is so extremely smooth and soft that you won’t even believe you spent only $2 on it. The color is so pigmented that you have to be careful when applying! One dab is all it takes! These last so long; I’ve had them for years and I still haven’t even gotten near to the pan.

You definitely need to try these blushes out! I mean, really? $2? Why wouldn’t you? 😛

Thanks so much for reading guys! If you try out these blushes, let me know how it goes! Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are!

-NBG

Brush Off or Buy? Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser

Hello lovelies! Welcome to my first Brush Off or Buy installment! I’m so looking forward to all your advice on these products that I’ve been dying to get my hands on. As you’ve probably already distinguished from the title, I’m gonna be talking about the Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser.

Let me just get this out of the way: Samples are my life! Yes, I am the type at Sephora who goes around sampling everything because WHY NOT?! I mean, Sephora is very clear about allowing you to sample pretty much anything you want to, so why not take advantage of that? I mean, wouldn’t you want to test out a product before you blow $50 on it and find out it sucks? Okay, so “sucks” is a strong word. Wouldn’t you want to test out an expensive product before you find out that it just doesn’t go well with your skin at all? Better, better.

With that said, we should appreciate the fact that Sephora is so good about that. Even if the workers judge you, just do your thing. No way am I spending a butt load of money on something if I don’t know how it works for me. I’m a cheapskate, I will acknowledge that.

Anyways, sorry for all the rambling. On to the product. I recently sampled this melting cleanser because the Sephora girl who was color matching me used this on me to take the foundation off, and I was so shocked at how well it cleansed and how nice it made my skin feel. She gave me a sample, so I used it about three more times at home, and I really really like it.

So what it is is a 3 in 1 melting cleanser that promises to remove all your makeup (including waterproof makeup), brighten, repair, and nourish your skin all in one. That’s a lot of promises.

This is a jelly type cleanser and what you do is you grab just a little bit (one tiny scoop is enough for your entire face including eye makeup) with dry hands and you gently begin rubbing it onto your dry face. The consistency then changes to an oil and it feels really nice on the skin.

This immediately just melts all your makeup off, and just so you know, I am a waterproof junkie! I usually have to work hard at getting my mascara off, but with this I just gently work it into the base of my lashes and BOOM, clean.

The only thing that makes me a little bit iffy about buying this is that when you wash it off, it leaves kind of a greasy feeling, so I usually go in with a deep cleanser afterwards, which really doesn’t bother me at all because I really prefer this to taking my makeup off with wipes. I know you can also take this cleanser off with a wet towel so you can get everything off, but I feel like that’s a little more work than it needs to be.

This is where you guys come in! Have you tried this cleanser yet? If you have, please help me out! Let me know how you use it! And if you have anything that you like that does the same thing as this, let me know that as well! I think I will probably purchase the small size of this (1 oz. for $12 or 4 oz. for $34) so I can try it out some more. But you guys tell me first: should I brush it off, or should I buy it?

I’m sorry if this one was all over the place, but thanks so much for reading! Have a beautiful night or day wherever you are!

-NBG

Introducing … Brush Off or Buy?

Hello friends! I’m so excited to introduce to you a segment that I have been looking forward to writing for a while! This section will be called “Brush Off or Buy?” and it will sort of be an interactive segment where I’ll tell you about a product that I’ve sampled, but I’m not too sure about buying the actual product. Hopefully you all will have some wise words for me!

I am always so indecisive at Sephora because there is just so much out there that it’s hard to choose! I am very picky about what I’m spending my money on so I think this will help me out a ton, and I hope it helps some of you out as well.

That’s it for now! Stay tuned for my first Brush Off or Buy post! Thanks for reading 🙂

-NBG

Review: New Rimmel London 16 HR Provocalips

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m trying to make up for the week and a half of not posting anything! I hope you don’t mind!

*Note: All thoughts are completely 100% my own. I purchased this with my own money.

I’ll be doing another review for you of yet another new Rimmel lip product: the new Rimmel London Provocalips 16 HR Kiss Proof Lip Color. The display at the drugstore for all the new products just captured me, so I had to indulge in buying this one too. Just like my other review, I’ll first let you know what the website says about this product:

• Kiss proof, transfer proof, food proof high impact endless color
• No tight feeling or dry lips. Lips feel smooth and moisturized all day long.
• Easy removal with oil based makeup remover.

This is a 2-step lip product. The side with the actual color is the first step. The second step is the white side, which is a clear glossy gel that is supposed to go over the color.

Let me start by saying that the packaging of this product is super cute with the color and the lips and ugh! It’s just really cute. There are 8 colors in this line and it retails for about $7. When it comes to application, both sides have a doe-foot applicator, which I actually really like. When I swatched this on my hand, I was so happy to see that it was extremely pigmented. It is quite true to color, but there are some pretty gold shimmers in it that make it more frosty than the packaging appears to be. I have it in the color Heart Breaker, which is a really gorgeous burnt red with a deep brown undertone, and it is awesome for medium skin tones.

When you first apply the color, you want to make sure to let it sit for a minute and do not press your lips together. It goes on smooth, but it is quite sticky, but don’t be turned off yet! It’s time for step 2!

The second step is a clear gloss which, unlike the color, has a subtle sweet coconut-y scent to it that I really like. Once you apply this over the color, your lips will feel really smooth.

When you test out the transfer on your hand, the only thing that transfers is the gloss. Absolutely no color transfers which is absolutely amazing. This is the only product that doesn’t do that for me! The color lasts all day, but you may need to reapply the gloss part once or twice to keep your lips feeling smooth. I found that it began to crack and crumble on my lips after about 6 hours, but I hadn’t reapplied the gloss, so that may be the reason.

All in all, I do recommend this product if you are a mommy or if you just like your lip color to last long. I especially recommend if you hate transfer (like me!). Two thumbs up for Rimmel!

Thanks so much for reading! If you’ve also tried this product, feel free to let me know how you liked it! If you have any products you’d like me to review, just let me know in the comments! Have an amazing beautiful or night wherever you are!

-NBG

Review: New Rimmel London Matte Show Off Lip Velvet!

Hey guys! I’m so glad to be back and I’m even more excited to do this post for you! You’ve probably noticed by now that I’m going to be reviewing the new Rimmel London Matte Show Off Lip Velvet.

*Note: All thoughts are completely 100% my own. I purchased this item with my own money. We all have our own opinions and I ask that we respect that here.

Let me tell you guys, I was so excited to find this item! I am a matte lip girl 100% and when I found out about this I was dying to get my hands on it. I live on the countryside of Oahu and it literally takes ages for my local drugstore to stock up on the new season’s products, so I drove down to the city area and I was able to pick this up. Before I write any of my thoughts, I will first let you know what the company says about these lip products. Straight from the website, this product provides:

• Weightless liquid color with a velvety smooth finish
• Earth-shattering intense color stays true for up to 8 hours
• Moisturizing formula instantly increases lip moisture by 31%

When I heard about these promises, I wanted to jump up and buy this right off the spot. Matte lippies are my life! I am not a glossy girl at all. I love my lips to be a pigmented (not necessarily bold) color with no shine that lasts for a long time. Needless to say, this was right up my alley.

These lip velvets retail for $5.99 and there are 4 available shades including this one. The color I purchased was Burning Lava, and this is by far one of my favorite reds! It is slightly deep with the slightest of berry touches, but it is so beautiful. The applicator is sort of a doe-foot applicator, but there is a slight dip in it so you can really get all the product out and onto your lips:

As you can see, the color is super pigmented (only 1-2 swipes are shown in the picture above) and bold. It goes on very smooth and the formula is super silky and velvety, just as promised.

Swiping the product onto my lips was like putting on liquid heaven. The formula is just like velvet and it feels like there is nothing on your lips all day. I absolutely love that! It may feel like air, but the color is so crazy pigmented!

You might be surprised when it goes on because it is not immediately matte. It has sort of a demi-matte finish and there is still a light sheen through it.

It remains this way for about 1/2 an hour to an hour, which I thought I would hate, but it is actually really nice. It mattes out for me after this short time, so I still love it! It remains very moisturizing on your lips and doesn’t dry out at all (at least in my experience).

The only slight tiny con is that this, for me, doesn’t last quite up to 8 hours. Don’t get me wrong, the color stays on and actually has a nice slight staining effect, but it does begin to come off after eating and talking all day, but it still looks really good at the end of the night. It also transfers onto drinking glasses or when you kiss your hand, so if you don’t like that, this might not be for you.

Still this is a really beautiful velvety product and I do give it two thumbs up! Thanks so much for reading and if you try out this product, feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments! If you have anything you’d like me to review, let me know that as well!

Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are!

-NBG