Black Friday Haul

Yesterday was my first participation in the Black Friday craze! Honestly, at 7am in the morning, it was not that hectic. We didn't have to stand in crazy long lines or fight over any product (as is usually the exaggeration in commercials, movies, etc.). I got pretty good deals and sales and will love to participate again next year! Watch my video below to see what I got!

Diamond Candles | Fresh Snow

Diamond Candles is a candle company that places rings worth anywhere from $10-$5000 inside their candles. They are natural soy candles with high quality fragrance. Each candle is $24.95,  but there are usually different deals online that they provide.

I choose the candle Fresh Snow, which has notes of peppermint, patchouli, and eucalyptus. It is definitely a nice scent. The wax burns evenly and the scent does have a nice throw to it. The transaction process went smoothly, and delivery took about one week.

After burning the candle for a few hours, I was able to use tweezers to pull out the gold foil which has the ring inside. (Make sure to blow out the candle before pulling it out so that nothing gets burned).

Ta-da! Here is the ring I received. It is a beautiful ring with a purple stone, although, unfortunately it was only a $10 ring. The rings that are worth checking out are the ones that have engraved numbers or letters on the inside. Since I have smaller finger width, I could not find a suitable finger to place it on, and ended up giving the ring to my mom, which she highly enjoyed. (That is the only negative; most rings are on the bigger size since it is more of a  "generic/average" size for most people. 

The experience of it all was exciting! I definitely enjoy the ring and the fun surprise that they include. I would definitely purchase again. There are so many different fragrances to choose from!

Mani Mondays | Thanksgiving

Hello lovelies! It is a start to a brand new week so lets try to have positive attitudes! This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving in the USA so I did a nail design that puts me in the thanksgiving mood spirit. What more screams fall then having fall leaves and warm, cozy colors on nails!

For my thumb, index finger and pinky, I used Sally Hansen Bittersweet and for the gold accent, I used Orly Liquid Gold. The base for my middle finger was L'Oreal Tea and Crumpets, and I painted on leaves with Sally Hansen Bittersweet, and Zoya Tamsen and added more of the Orly Liquid Gold as the "veins/stems" of the leaf. Finally, I used Essie Beyond Cozy on my ring finger.

New Layout

Hey everyone! 

I put together a new layout for my blog because I wanted something new and fresh. I like the grey and pink lace theme and think it shows my likes in color schemes right now. Hope you enjoy your day!

Mani Mondays | Nails, Inc. Porchester Square

Porchester Square has to be the most popular shade from Nails, Inc. Even with all the gorgeous colors Nails, Inc has to offer, Porchester Square always comes to mind when I think of their polish. 

Nails, Inc. Porchester Square ($9.50) is a greyish nail polish with slight purple undertones. The color seems to change depending on the light, leaning more to the grey or more to the purple side. This shade screams "cozy fall sweater!" to me for some reason. I only like to wear it in the fall as I find it a perfect shade for this time.

Although pretty on its own, I wanted to jazz the mani up a bit and bring in some color. I used Petite Pink Diamond as my accent nail. 

Formula wise, the coverage of Porchester Square is great, and lasts a long time on the nails. It is not too runny or too sticky, it is the perfect consistency and is easy to work with. 

Fall Traditions

Blog Sale! | End Of Year

Hey everyone! Since the holidays are close, I wanted to do a blog sale. Whether I have something you want, have been looking for, or something for friend, it is the gift of giving! 

These are products that I have found no need for as I am trying to clear out my makeup area to keep only the things I use. Therefore, I'd rather it go to a better home, and to someone who will use it.

* U.S. addresses only. I will not be responding to messages asking me to ship internationally.
* Paypal only- I must receive payment within 24 hours or item will be relisted. Make sure your shipping address is correct on Paypal- I will not be able to keep track of requests to ship to a different address.
* Shipping starts at $3.00 for 1 item. Add $.50 for each additional item. 
* Packages are usually shipped within 2-3 days of payment.
* No returns or refunds- I have done my best to take accurate photos and list an estimate of percentages left. Do not use these photos for accurate color representations.
* Contact me - simplecharmbeauty@gmail.com with "blog sale for (your name)" in the subject and your paypal address in the email and what you want to purchase.
* I will invoice you from a different email address- DO NOT PAYPAL ME until you receive my invoice!
* Please do NOT hesitate to ask me any questions about any of the products.

- Jessica Simpson Fancy Love perfume (1.7 fl oz) 90% left $12

- Philosophy Unconditional Love (0.5 fl oz) 90% left $10

- Paris Hilton perfume rollerball (0.34 fl oz) 90% left $5

- Sally Hansen Yellow Mellow used 1x $1

- L'Oreal Safari Chic used 1x $2

- Revlon Plum Night never used $2

- OPI Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It swatched 1x $3

- OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y used 1x $3

- Ulta mini polishes (2 for $1)

- Hard Candy Fox in a Box "Sweet & Spicy" 85% left $3

- Benefit Coralista 0.1oz 95% left $4

- Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic shimmer bloc never used $7

- J.Cats Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette Volta never used $4

- Maybelline Eyestudio Blackest Black eyeliner pot usage shown $2

- Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner Iron swatched once $7

- Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil Obsidian swatched once $3

- Stila Smudge stick Stingray 65% left $5

- Tarte Amazonian clay Airbrush Foundation mini in Fair-Light Neutral used 1x $5

- BareMinerals Warmth 50% left $5

- Victoria's Secret Goddess bronzer 85% left $5

- Benefit High Beam mini 75% left $2

- Benefit Sun Beam mini used 1x $2

- Benefit Watt's Up! Luminizer mini used 1x $2

- Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm Big Apple swatched 1x $5

- Too Faced Centerfold lipstick used 2x $5

- Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tickle Me Pink used 1x $3

- Maybelline Color Tattoo Tough As Taupe used 5x $3

- Maybelline Color Tattoo Barely Branded 90% left $3

- Victoria's Secret Silky Eyeshadow Duo in Frenzy 90% left $3

- BareMinerals The Hidden Agenda eyeshadow duo swatched only $15

- Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mini mascara $3

- Pixi Lash Booster mini mascara $3

- Elizabeth Mott It's So Big mini mascara $3

- BareMinerals Max Coverage Concealer brush new $8

- BareMinerals Buff & Go brush new $8

Estee Lauder Double Wear | Revisited

I loved my old formula Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation (click here to see prior review) in 1N1 Ecru and considered it my holy grail. It had the perfect coverage for me, kept my face on the natural/matte side, and lasted a long time. Unfortunately, earlier this year EL reformulated their infamous product. After reading plenty of bad reviews for the new formulation, I decided not to buy it again. However, after experimenting with other foundations, trying to find the perfect match and coverage for my face, and never succeeding, I started thinking about going back to EL.

The one thing that stopped me was that the foundation did not come with a pump. The packaging is gorgeous, with the frosted container and gold bottle top and lettering, but something was missing. It had never bothered me before, but after using the CoverGirl 3-1 Foundation with a pump, I loved the idea. I did some research and found that I could purchase a MAC pump and put it into the EL foundation. (EL and MAC are owned by the same company).

I bought the Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation ($37) in 1N1 Ivory Nude (they changed the names, 1N1 Ecru is now 1N2 Ecru). Next, I headed over to the MAC counter and bought the pump ($9), and went home to test it out. Before putting the pump in, I measured how much I needed to trim off the end of the pump, then cut it at an angle. It fits perfectly!

In regards to the new formulation, it is a bit runnier then what it use to be. However, it still has the same coverage (medium to full), gives that natural/matte texture which I enjoy, and stays on my face for a long time. The SPF has been taken away, which has its pros and cons; I personally don't mind since my moisturizer contains SPF. 

Lately, due to the stronger acne topical medication I have been using, I need to wear a primer before applying the foundation. I have been using the BareMinerals Prime Time or the Tarte Clean Slate Poreless primer (I prefer the Tarte primer for this foundation). Also I noticed that the best way to apply the foundation is with a Beauty Blender sponge. A brush works fine too, but since my skin is flaky and dry right now, the sponge helps to blend it easier. Once on the skin, it feels light weight, and I don't look like I am wearing a mask.

(Left: Before; Right: After)

You can definitely see that my redness has been covered and majority of my imperfections (acne scars) have been covered. However, you will notice that on my chin, I do have some active breakouts still peeking through, so I just use concealer on top of that. 

In conclusion, I am glad I repurchased this foundation. It covers up most of my imperfections, and stays on my face pretty much all day long. Although I do miss the old formulation, the new one is not that bad either. It does everything I want it too, and the pump makes it even better!

Mani Mondays | Spa Ritual Solitude

For the base, I used SpaRitual Solitude. For the glitter, I used NYC Big City Dazzle, and Julep Julia.

After applying two coats of the base, I used a sponge to dab on Big City Dazzle, and then sponged on a bit of Julia. 

The end of my gel manicure...

After two weeks and three days, my thumb nail broke and it greatly chipped the gelicure. You can also see on my index finger that the gel is starting to raise up at the tip of my nail.

On the picture below, my left hand suffered no chips, but you can see all the growth from the past two weeks! 

The gel manicure is great to have if you don't want chipping to occur early, or even at all. This gelicure can probably last up to three weeks, which I find incredible! I won't be doing it often as 1) it is expensive to keep up constantly with it, 2) I don't go to the salon often, just on very special occasions, and 3) I like to change my nail polish often, so it was very difficult for me to see the same color on every day, although it was a beautiful color.

My Monthly Makeup Bag | November

1. Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 1N1 Ivory Nude

2. Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque

3. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eye Concealer in Fair

4. Tarte Smooth Operator Concealer in Fair

5. Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Translucent

6. Benefit Hoola bronzer

7. Nars Lovejoy blush

8. NYX Mauve blush

9. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid eyeliner pen

10. Victoria Jackson Eyebrow pencil in Taupe

11. Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara

12. YSL Babydoll mascara

13. Benefit They're Real mascara

14. Urban Decay Primer Potion eye lip primer

15. Urban Decay Naked Palette

16. MAC Plumful lipstick

17. Tarte Lipsurgence in Destined