What's in my make-up bag?

One of my biggest obsessions(and where most of my money goes to) is make-up. I have to drag myself away and out of Sephora, M.A.C., and Ulta (love love love their deals) although it's most of the time, an unsuccessful effort.

With this obsession, I have earned great knowledge and experience in the matter and I'd like to share it with you (LOL, yes, I'm that obsessed). So for now, here are my basic, every-day products:

- I am the biggest fan of Smashbox Photo Finish make-up primer. It makes your skin a perfect base for your make-up, erases lines and sets it to last the whole day. I fell in love with it when I noticed my forehead was not greasy, even after leaving work in a hot summer day. I'd like to try the one with SPF, and I tried the one that has a luminizer included; I liked it, but I like the classic one better.




- MAC Stufio Fix in C6. I started using this after I saw my friend Carolina putting it on at the club. Loved how her skin looked afterwards. It looks even, prevents your face from looking like a greasy mess, and it's make-up and powder in one, so it's applied in a snap and covers uneven spots really well.

- MAC lipstick in Costa Chicis super flattering on any skin tone (I believe almost all of my friends own one in this shade). It's also a little creamy but not too gooey. Good pigmentation, looks good during the day, looks great for night. You can top it with M.A.C. Lipglass in Pink Lemonade. Or L'Oreal HIP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor in Precarious 460 (coraly orange).

- L'Oreal Telescopic Precision Liquid Eyeliner Waterpoof (because I wear contacts) in Black is really easy to apply and take off. The only thing that I don't love about it is that it kind of absorbs the eyeshadow from your lids, so if you're wearing shimery plum, your liner is going to look a little shimmery too.

- I'm not into expensive mascara (since you have to throw it away in just two months of use) but this one works wonders. L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Waterproof in Black makes your eyelashes big and fat without the flaking and it's easy to take off.

- Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Day-to-Date is formed by a beigeish matte shadow that works great as a base, a light shimmering brown for and a darker shimmering chocolate brown. As the name says it, it goes great from day to night.

I just went on a shopping spree and got Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Illume, and exchanged 100 points of my Sephora Beauty Insider account for a sample of Benefit Coralista A 'rio' Pleasure Face Powder, which I use as a blush-highlighter. So far I love them, although I think I need something more pigmented for my brown skin.

I'm out and back to my real job now, but will be back for more. Kiss!

Bahamas, Bahamas, Bahamas

I've been really busy working and doing bridesmaid's stuff (three of my best friends got married in less than a month), so I've been absent for a while. BUT, here's my latest adventure.

Keegan and I just got back from an exciting trip to the Bahamas. His long-time friend Izzie and her fiancé Albert decided to get married on a cruise, and we were invited. It was our first time on a cruise and first time in the Bahamas.

Our Carnival Valore ship looked like a regular cruise ship on the outside, but on the inside, it was pretty much an eclectic-themed Las Vegas casino-hotel. I never grasped their theme, but they had lots of posters of American presidents, eagles, U.S. flats, and random historic moments (what does an Egyptian painting have to do with American flags?).

The best thing about the cruise is that everything is taken care of, so you just have to worry about making the most out of your time. It was all-inclusive, except for the booze, but it was decently prized. Food was good, and it was available for most part of the day. So, after large breakfast, lunch, three-course dinners, lots of drinks, and frozen yogurt EVERY DAY of the trip, we got pretty chunky. It's safe to say we would just need an apple in our mouths, and we'de be delicious. Flavorfull and toasty red from the sun!

Our stops (or port of calls) were:

June 5th - Miami
June 6th - Half Moon Cay
June 7th - On the ship
June 8th - Saint Thomas
June 9th - Puerto Rico
June 10th - Grand Turk
June 11th - On the ship
June 12th - Back to Miami
June 13th - Back to Phoenix

- Out view from the Lido Deck, leaving South Beach.


- That's our boat! "Parked" right in front of Half Moon Cay (pronounced "key"). Here we are on the tenders that took us from the boat to the island. That day we pretty much did nothing but lay on the beach and drink Bahama Mamma's served inside coconuts.


- Coconut man!

- This is the view from the place where Izzie and Albert got married in Saint Thomas U.S.V.I. Most of the day was spent with the wedding party, but I can say what we saw on Saint Thomas was gorgeous. It was humid, so I was lucky to have work a light-fabric dress and my hair tied up in a bun (with LOTS of hair spray).

- After the ceremony we went to this really yummy restaurant and had a three-course lunch, shots, and of course, dessert. Izzie is Polish, so they had a small traditional Polish ceremony before our meal.

We did some shopping afterwards: we bought some locally hand-crafted souvenirs, pirate-themed souvenirs, and Keegan bought incense, a candle and some four-leaf clover thingy for good luck from this hippie couple that had lived in Saint Thomas for almost two decades (or so I remember). Overall, the island was beautiful.

- I was mostly excited about visiting Puerto Rico, but sadly, we spent most of our day in a van touring the city of San Juan. We did get to see part of Bayamon, Guaynabo and the rainforest areas, but I was mostly interested in walking around Viejo San Juan. When we finally got off of the van, we went to have lunch and it started pouring. We still tried to do some sightseeing, but the rain kept going strong and we decided to go back to the ship. I have to add I had chicken Mofongo for lunch. Keegan had pork Mofongo, and fried plantains. They were good, but Mexican food is better. ;)

- Our last stop was at Grand Turk. It was sunny (finally!), with clear turquoise waters and amazing stingray experiences! Yes, we made out with the fishy animal. They're trained to pucker up once you lift them up from the water to kiss them. Adorable!

- We spent our last vacation day in South Beach, chilling in the sun. I wasn't aware that South Beach was a topless beach! There was some chick with her friends sitting behind us and she decided it was a good idea to take her top off. Problem? She had the nastiest, ugliest looking boobs ever! Ewww! I got to see some pretty funny characters, too. There was some dude walking around in a blue polka-dot thong bikini, singing and shaking his tailfeather for everyone's delight, and a creepy old dude sitting on a bench with baggy shorts and nothin' underneath! :S

Bottom line, we had an AMAZING (I use that word way too much!) and I definitely recomend the cruise option for anyone who wants a completely laid back vacation.

P.S. I do have to let you know that I ended up on stage as part of the Carnival Legends cast, portraying Madonna. This comes as no surprise for people who know me (since I always seem to end up on stages during my trips) but I'm not posting any pictures or videos about it! End of story!