New Years Outfit Ideas

A fashion post after all those makeup ones! The year is ending in four days and if you have yet to find an outfit, here are some ideas. Enjoy!

New Years Outfit by beautywithbrainss featuring a body conscious dress

Body conscious dress / Chinese Laundry suede shoes / Rare London layered necklace, $31 / Wallis knot earrings / Red lipstick, $8.07 / bulk new year party tiaras - happy new year tiaras asstd colors50cs

Be trend in Winter white. This simple dress become extraordinary with a body chain. The heavy metal goes perfect with the embellished "heelless" shoes.

New Years Eve by beautywithbrainss featuring black heels

Bardot peplum shirt, $94 / MICHAEL Michael Kors michael kor, $73 / Miss Selfridge black heels / Kate Spade bangle bracelet / Betsey Johnson photo jewelry / Gag & Lou black jewelry / Happy New Year Gold Text on White Confetti Canvas Prints

Peplum, leather and sequins! Oh my! The colors are pretty neutral because of the different textures in this outfit. Black doesn't always have to be boring, liven it up with an arm party!

New Years Eve by beautywithbrainss featuring a silver blazer

GUESS by Marciano bustier shirt / Swarovski top, $94 / Silver blazer, $32 / Glamorous checkered shorts, $16 / Black pantyhose / Steve Madden platform booties

This last one is menswear inspired but still sexy with the bustier top and suspender tights. The shorts and tights keep you warm and you can dance the night away without worrying about your crotch showing. The sequined blazer and the satiny texture of the shorts keep this look dressed up enough for any party.

Here are some picks from ShopStyle for sequined shorts:

sequined shorts

Merry Christmas FOTD

 

Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying it with your friends, family and loved ones. Here is another look that is Holidays-inspired. I love how beautiful green and red look together. Enjoy!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE

Black Opal Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz"

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer "Medium"

Ben Nye Banana Powder

Maybelline Fit Me Powder #350

Bare Minerals Sculpting Kit

LIPS

NYX slim lip pencil "Deep Purple"

MAC lipstick "Diva"

EYES

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Pencil "Milk"

Urban Decay "Urb" (lid)

MAC eye shadow "Humid" (crease, lower lashline, and outer lid

TooFaced eye shadow (Natural at Night Palette) "Cocoa Star" (crease)

Urban Decay eye shadow  "Half Baked" (inner corner)

Blue Heaven Kajal Eyeliner

Ruby Kisses iBling glitter eyeliner "glitz and green"

Ardell "Sexies" eye lashes

  

24K Gold Look

Of course I had to do a holiday look with glitter! This is the third holiday look I've done. If you want to see the two previous holiday looks, there are links at the bottom of the post.

I did a cut crease with gold glitter. I added green on the lower lash line for a festive pop of color. This is perfect for any glam holiday party or New Years Eve. 

Tips for applying glitter:

1. Use a tacky base for applying glitter, I used a glitter liquid liner by NYX. You can also use unscented lip balm or a eye sealer (L.A Splash has an affordable one).

2. Use scotch tape to remove any fallout from your skin.

3. Apply your face makeup after your eye look for a flawless look.

4. Use a moist shadow brush or sponge applicator to apply loose glitter to your eyelids.

I was hoping the glitter would show up more in different lighting. Today I also noticed I have uneven eyelids. Random!

PRODUCTS USED

FACE

Black Opal Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz"

MAC Prolongwear Concealer NW35

Coastal Scents Concealer Palette (yellow color corrector)

Ben Nye Banana Powder

Revlon Mineralize Powder "Suntan Matte"

Black Radiance Baked Blush "Toasted Almond"

LIPS

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick "Nude Delight"

H&M Pink lipgloss

EYES

UDPP

Wet n Wild Pencil Eyeliner "Black" (crease)

CUICU Flashind Diamond Eyeshadow "Saddle Brown" (crease)

NARS Bronzer "Laguna" (blending color)

Urban Decay eyeshadow "Half-Baked"

NYX Crystal Liner "Gold" (lid)

NYX Loose Glitter "Gold" 

Blue Heaven Kajal Eyeliner (upper lashline, tight-line upper and lower waterline)

Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil "Envy"

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara

Milani Easybrow Brow Pencil "Dark Brown"

Other Holiday Looks:

Rose Gold Look

Red Holiday Look

Disclaimer: this post contains items that have been sent to me for review consideration.

RED Holiday Look

A festive look for the holidays featuring an unconventional color: red! I think red is the color that I would least likely use on my eyes but I really like how this came out. I was inspired by a photo I saw on Beautylish and I thought this would be great for a holiday party.

Sincde I wanted the red to be the focal point, I kept the rest of the look fairly simple. Red is strong enough by itself. I used a pretty pink on my lips. I am in love with this shade, it is like my natural lip color but better! It is "Retsina" by Bite. It was part of my Black Friday Haul.

Hope you enjoy!

PRODUCTS USED

FACE

Black Opal True Color Creme Stick Foundation "Truly Topaz" (review coming soon)

Coastal Scents Concealer Palette

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW35

Ben Nye Banana Powder

La Femme blush "Mulberry"

Black Opal Creme Stick Foundation "Hazelnut" (contouring)

LIPS

Bite Luminous Creme Lipstick "Retsina"

EYES

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil "Milk"

Coastal Scents 88 Palette (for red on lid)

Taupe eyeshadow in NYX "Bohemian Rhapsody" Palette (blend in crease)

Dark brown eyeshadow in ELF "Natural Eyes" Beauty Book (crease)

Latina Bella eyeshadow "Flan" (review coming soon), (brow bone and inner eye)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil "Perversion"

Red Cherry Lashes #505

Maybelline Falsies Mascara 

Style Spotlight: Celia Cruz

I enjoy doing the Style Spotlight series on my blog because quite often Latinos are overlooked in fashion. I like to honor those that have a great personal style and by showing some pictures of my favorite looks.

I chose Celia Cruz because she was truly iconic. She was way ahead of the wig game before Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj came along. Her bold, colorful style reflected her huge personality. Celia Cruz was a vibrant woman that just enjoyed living life. "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" is still one of my favorite songs. RIP Celia Cruz and thank you for showering us all with your colorful persona.


Me gusta hacer la serie "Style Spotlight" en mi blog porque siento que los Latinos no son bien conocido por su estlio personal. Entonces, me gusta a honrar a aquellos que tienen un gran estilo personal y mostrando algunas fotos de mis looks favoritos.

Elegí Celia Cruz porque era verdaderamente un icono. Ella estaba muy por delante del juego peluca antes de Katy Perry y Nicki Minaj llegó. Su estilo audaz, colorido refleja su personalidad enorme. Celia Cruz fue una mujer vibrante que sólo disfrutaba de la vida viva. "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" sigue siendo una de mis canciones favoritas. RIP Celia Cruz y gracias por la ducha a todos con su personalidad colorida.

how awesome is this sparkly turban?!

At the 2002 Grammys with colored contacts and a blue and white wig

Accenting gold with red lips

she sure loved her outrageous updos!

What I admired most about Celia Cruz was that she didn't let age be a factor in her personal style. She wore whatever she felt like without a care. She epitomizes the saying "you are as old as you feel" and continues to inspire future generations of entertainers.

Lo que más admiraba de Celia Cruz era que ella no dejó que la edad sea un factor en su estilo personal. Llevaba lo que ella sentía como sin cuidado. Ella personifica el dicho "eres tan viejo como te sientes" y sigue inspirando a las futuras generaciones de artistas.

Other Style Spotlight Features:

J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez)

Anthony "Romeo" Santos

Selena Quintanilla Perez

Holiday Party Makeup: Rose Gold!

The holidays seem to be the time when we love going all out with our makeup and outfits. I love all the glitter and metallics that always make an appearance this time of year. This look is a slight variation, instead of using traditional gold, I used rose gold. It is just as festive and goes perfect with a deep berry red lip.

I am also using more products sent to me from KKCenterHK, which are pictured below. You can view my previous review on KKCenterHK products HERE. Also with the code "beautywithbrains", you get a 10% discount!

Products Used:

FACE

Revlon Colorstay Foundation "Rich Ginger"

Coastal Scents Concealer Palette

MAC Prolongwear Concealer NW35

Bare Minerals All Over Face Color "Faux Tan"

Ben Nye Contour No 2

Black Radiance Artisan Color Baked Blush "Toasted Almond"

EYES

UDPP

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow "Amber Rush" (applied with Mac Fix+ on lid)

CUICU Diamond Eyeshadow "Eggplant Purple" (crease and lower lashline)

NYX "Black" (outer v)

NARS bronzer "Laguna" (blend in colors at crease and lower lashline)

NYX Sahara (highlight and inner corners)

Urban Decay eyeliner "Perversion"

Ruby Kisses gel eyeliner "Black"

Yanquina Dense Ultra Resistance Mascara

Milana Easy Brow Pencil

LIPS

NYX lip pencil "Deep Purple"

MAC lipstick "Rebel"

 Hope you enjoy this look! here are the KK Center HK products I used for this look:

CUICU Flashing Diamond Eyeshadow "Eggplant Purple" and Yanqina Dense Ultra Resistance Mascara

CUICU Flashing Diamond Eyeshadow "Eggplant Purple"

Disclaimer: Some items in this post have been sent to me for review purposes.

Review: Essie Repstyle Collection "Snake, Rattle and Roll"

Yeah, yeah Essie is super late on the whole magnetic nail polish trend but they made up for it by stepping it up. Their new nail polish collection, "Repstyle", features a magnetic that produces a reptile-skin pattern. And as a lover of animal print, I was stoked when I saw this at Rite-Aid.

Essie Repstyle Collection nail polish "Snake, Rattle and Roll"

I got the shade "Snake, Rattle and Roll", which is a pewter color. The nail polish features a square cap that comes off and that is the magnet part. Underneath it looks like the regular Essie bottles. I held the magnet over the wet nail polish for about 30 "Mississippis" (my way of measuring seconds) and when I lifted the cap, I got a super fabulous snakeskin print on my nail! I love it! The design is really prominent. The longer you hold the magnet over the nail, the more pronounced the magnetic design is.

Essie Repstyle Collection nail polish "Snake, Rattle and Roll"

 I drew a stripe on my thumbnail to have two accent nails and to play around with variations on design.

Essie Repstyle Collection nail polish "Snake, Rattle and Roll"

Essie Repstyle Collection nail polish "Snake, Rattle and Roll"

For $11.25 a bottle,  it is quite pricey. I might pick up just one more shade, I really like the blue and gold shades. Overall the product performed up to my expectations, and I loved that Essie stepped out of the box with a different magnet pattern.

Pros: Easy to use, good quality, variety of shades, unique magnetic pattern

Cons: Pricey
Overall: 4/5

Holiday Shopping Bazaar

Fellow New Yorkerers, check it out! A bazaar featuring clothing, accessories and pottery. you will even be able to decorate your own pottery ornaments and learn how to make a bowtie!

Alcone NYC and Sephora Black Friday Haul

clockwise: naked cosmetics eye shadow base, Ben Nye Banana Powder, Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe Powder "Bronze", Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe Powder "Iced Gold", La Femme blush "Mulberry", Ben Nye Contour Powder No 2

The best thing about NYC is you have access to almost anything you want. If it is not within walking distance, it is a train ride away. I fell into the whole Ben Nye Banana Powder hype, but this a product that I'm glad I fell into the hype for. So while searching for places where I can purchase it, I came across Alcone. Alcone is a store that specializes in theater and professional makeup for MUAs. They have all the well-known professional brands (Ben Nye, Kryolan, Eve Pearl) as well as special effects makeup. The shop itself is tiny but the staff is pretty friendly and knowledgeable. I ended up getting a few goodies during two trips I made (I work blocks away from it, hurray!).

 Ben Nye Lumiere Luxe Powders in "Bronze" and "Iced Gold"

naked cosmetics eye shadow base (review coming soon)

Ben Nye Contour Powder and La Femme blush in "Mulberry"

 swatches (the La Femme blush is crazy pigmented!)

All the items were of decent price. The best deal was the La Femme blush. It is a really good quality blush with excellent color payoff. For only four dollars! I also purchased a z palette which I will feature in a depotting post.

I also work around the corner from a Sephora and I got these two items on black Friday for ten dollars each. The three colors in the bite palette are lovely and I'm especially loving "Tannin" for the upcoming holidays.

Bite lip luminous palette

Bare Minerals bronzer and face shaping brush