Everything about Nails! !

I am one of those girls who always needs to have her nails done...no matter what! I used to work as a receptionist at a nail salon in LA so I know a thing or two about nails! Let me begin by talking about what I know best...my nails lol!
I began to wear acrylics at the age of 16 and I was obsessed with it..this obsession lasted about 3 years. When I was working at the nail salon I realized a lot of girls where really into gel because it lasted longer, it made your nails stronger, and it was on your natural nail. I began doing gel and I hated it because coming out of acrylics is HARD!!!!!!!!!!! Just plain HARD! Your nails are bumpy, ugly, and disgustingly thin! EWW! After months of growing out my nails they were still becoming to look a little normal however they were still thin (thin to the point where I could bend them backwards an forwards).   I decided to suck it up and continue to do gel while my nails grew. I would just keep my nails short, which did not bother me because I like short nails...they don't get in your way! During my days at the salon I would constantly want to change my nail color because I would fall in love with a new color everyday... and I literally had a new color every day. Thus, I began to use regular polish because it's so much easier to remove and apply... I learned how to apply polish from my own experience of examining the nail technician and just constantly watching them! This made it easier for me to apply my own polish at home!
When I quit the salon, because of school, I was still fixated on regular polishes (my polish collection pic is below) because I could change my color at home whenever I wanted. This got old quick lol! I didn't really have time to reapply polish every couple days just because my polish would chip off so I went back to gel!
I do my gel (or anything in regards to my nails) by Mary at NV Nails & Spa (the best nail technician in the North Hollywood area) and I recently decided to give my campus salon a try and I really liked Mylee (who does both my pedicure and gel manicures). Both ladies are fabulous and I wouldn't be caught going anywhere else but by them! I am very picky with my nails especially when it comes to  cutting cuticles...I need my cuticles cut a certain way and they both attend to my needs and do a magnificent job!

Here is my recent color done by Mary a couple days ago:

These are my natural nails and the color is a gel color from OPI called "Every Month is Oktoberfest". It is a burgandy color however under the sun it has a gorgeous shine!!!!

Here is my nail polish collection...there is much more scattered around the house, in purses, and in the car lol!

Even after almost 2 years of not having acrylic my nails are still thin and brittle and when I want to give my nails a break from gel or any kind of polish I use the transparent polish from OPI's Nail Envy collection in "Soft & Thin"...I cannot find mine so here is an internet picture below. This polish is a nail strengthener and it works!!!!!!!!!! You need to apply one coat every single day and after a week you need to remove the polish (NOT WITH PURE ACETONE..regular drugstore acetone) and begin the same process over again!

And here is a great example of how to apply polish on correctly! I'm sure YouTube will have some simple tutorials as well! 

I also have very dry cuticles so cuticle oil is a must and here is what I use: 

But you can use any cuticle oil brand that you like! I heard Burts Bees and Lush offer awesome cuticle oils as well!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! If you have any questions or would like me to blog about something of your choice you can comment below or send me an email at fortheloveof_makeup@yahoo.com

-Love Greta! Mwah!

My Top Eye Shadow Palettes!!!!!

I love eyeshadow palettes and I feel that I can never have enough. I have every color I need and a million that I will never use (such as bright colors- green, yellow, etc-) simply because it's not my style however I always crave more shadows! When I am buying an eyeshadow palette (I rarely purchase shadows individually... unless I really love the color) I first look for colors I will use. I then look at the shadows pigments (whether for example a purple color actually looks purple on my eye or it take a million layers for me to get the purple color of the shadow). So based on my preferences below are my favorite palettes!

Let me start off my saying I LOVE ESTEE LAUDER COSMETICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can tell from the first picture I have many eyeshadow palettes from Estee Lauder! I am specifically showing you this palette because it has the most variation of colors...and mainly because the rest are either nearly empty or much older. What I love about Estee Lauder shadows in general are the colors and the their pigments...whatever you see in this palette that same color goes on your eye! These shadows also do no loose their composure when you dip your brush...now what exactly do I mean by this you ask? Some shadows become very loose after you dip your brush in (especially when you use circular motions) and these shadows do not do that!

 This palette is from Guerlain and I got this as a gift from a cousin in Moscow and I mainly use it when I am doing an evening look! I use it to do either a gold smokey eye or a silver smokey eye with the lightest color on my brow bone and on my tear ducts. I also love that 2 different shades of red lipstick come with it because you then have everything you would need for a complete look. The shadows have great pigments and composure, just like the Estee Lauder shadows.

This is my Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay which goes everywhere I go! I can take only this palette on vacation and survive because I have everything I would ever need (neutrals, shimmers, and darks). I have had this palette for a year now and use this the most out of all my other shadows and I am no where near emptying it out...why? Because a little goes a long way! The colors again are very pigmented and they come out exactly they way they look!

 This is one of my many Stila palettes...I love Stila Cosmetics!!! The only complaint I have about Stila shadows is that they are not very composed...when you dip your brush in the shadows they immediately become very loose (you can tell from the first row what I mean). Besides that the colors are beautiful!

These are my cherished Victorias Secret palettes, my neutrals on the right and my gorgeous spring colors on my left. I love VS makeup and these palettes are so useful (perfect for traveling) they have a gel liner at the bottom of both palettes and they even explain which colors go where at the top of the palette (not in the picture). Very useful for someone who doesn't really know how to apply eyeshadows, or for someone who is just beginning to wear makeup the instructions can be very helpful. These colors are pretty pigmented and gorgeous!!!!

Here is another Stila favorite that I purchased recently and have been obsessed ever since...I love all the colors and they have the same characteristics as all other Stila shadows!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post!

-Love Greta! Mwah!

The Best Foundations!

I am very picky when it comes to foundation because I have dry skin and the wrong kind of foundation can look flakey! If you have dry skin you know what I'm talking about. I constantly need to moisturize my face (morning and night)...at night I apply Argon Oil (or 100% Organic Coconut Oil) (pic below) and in the morning I moisturize with my Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Repair Day Creme SPF 15 (pic below). I apply my argon oil throughout the day as well if I feel dry! 

OK now even when I moisturize some foundations do not hold up to the moisture thus the right foundation is hard to find! It is also hard to find because I have very light skin and if it is not exactly my color I look discolored!
Here are my top foundations:

From the left:

Laura Mercier- Silk Cremem Foundation in Ivory
I LOVE this foundation because its so silky, has full coverage, and does not flake! I debated whether to get this or the Giorgio Armani Silk Foundation (I heard its the new "best" foundation)...but I chose Laura because I am familiar with her products but Giorgio is next on my list.

Dior- Nude in 010
This is another great full coverage foundation that looks flawless (perfect for an evening look) and it does not dry me up at all! It is the perfect color for my face and the formula is amazing and thick. I usually apply this with my fingers by dabbing it all around my face and blend it in with my beauty blender (another product I could not live without!).

Neutrogena- Healthy Skin Enhancer in "Ivory to light"
Ok so I read about this foundation in an article on dry skin...so I thought I would give it a try. Btw I have never purchased drugstore foundations because I felt like they would never stand a chance next to my prized possessions. Boy was I wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I use this every single day and sometimes even when I go out at nights!!!! I don't even want to call it a foundation because it's so light (which I love) and its so natural looking yet if you build it it can give a flawless finish! I really do love this foundation and totally recommend it for anyone and everyone who wants almost like a tint to their skin (which I need because when its too hot or too cold my cheeks get pink and I do not like that look lol so a touch of color is exactly what I need sometimes!

Benefit- Hello Flawless
I recently just emptied my first bottle and the formula is similar to the Neutrogena one because it is light yet buildable! I loved this foundation because it was hydrating and did not dry me out. And I do not remember what my color was...sorry guys.

Hope you ladies enjoyed this post!

-Love Greta! Mwah!

Lip Plumper's, Lip Creams, Lip Sticks, & Lip Liners!

Starting with lip plumpers...let me start off by saying I'm obsessed with pouty Angelina Jolie lips and I support lip injections because if done correctly it can really enhance someones appearance HOWEVER  no one likes a duck face! Ladies less is sometimes more! Many of my girlfriends have lip injections and I absolutely love the way it looks and even though they already have enhanced lips that doesn't keep them away from lip plumpers lol! Lip plumpers are amazing and a great alternative to get a little pout without injections! I love lip plumpers that tingle but I know that most people do not prefer this and I do not really care if they are sticky or not (it does not bother me). SO lets get started:

 The one on the left is the Dior- Lip Maximizer and it is empty as you can see lol. I really like this one however I do not use it often my mother is obsessed with this and goes through bottles of it!!!! 

The next two are from a company called "City Lips"...now I heard about this company through a friend who has had various lip injections and says that nothing compares to this! If you go on their website (http://www.citycosmetics.com) it explains all the qualities to this somewhat permanent lip plumper. I bought these almost 2 years ago and have not fully followed through on the directions. You need to apply every night and every morning for a month I believe, and day by day it enhances your lips and makes them fuller...I always forgot to apply at nights so I just stopped using it... but I have heard wonderful things so if your serious about getting fuller lips give it a try but if your like me and only want it sometimes then I suggest Dior OR my all time favorite lip plumper EVER like in this whole wide world Victorias Secret Extreme Lip Plumper (I lost mine :(((( and need to replace it but honestly it's amazing) I would use it every single day!!!! 

I have also heard nothing but great things about Two Faced- Lip Injection (pic below) & Soap & Glory- Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump (pic below)...this plumper is supposed to be AMAZING and I plan to buy it and try it out sometime this week so stay tuned for a review on that!

 I found this picture on the internet about the City Lips plumper and what it does! I forgot to mention that I have these in the "Original" formula and the "Instant" formula! They barely tingle and it is not super sticky but the formula is thick & the shine on these is really flattering!

 This is the VS lip plumper I was raving about that I adore!!!! It doestingle and I remember it being a bit sticky (which I liked).

 Two Faced- Lip Injection

Soap & Glory- Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump

On to NYX Lip Creams:

I bought these from Urban Outfitters in a pack...I believe they only come in a pack of 3 (I have not seen it being sold individually) however I am not positive. I actually really like these lip creams and I plan to purchase more because they are very soft and easy to apply. But they are not matte and I've come to realize that anything NYX has that says "matte" is not true lol but it does not bother me because I like creamy more than matte.

Now on to my FAVORITE Lip sticks...literally lol:

I love Buxom and these lip sticks/lip liners are the bomb dot com!!!!! I don't even know how I have ONLY 3 because their colors and textures are sensational! They are a lip balm (for mositure), lip plumer (for a pout) , and  lipstick (for color). I do not usually use these as a lip liner, however you can, I use them as an everyday lip stick.  

 Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Sticks

 The colors (starting form the left) are: Nantucket, Sydney, Marrakech

They are in the same order as above with Nantucket being first!

Nantucket is a subtle peachy color

Sydney is a pinkish taupe 

Marrakech is a gorgeous nude

Finally, we arrive at lip liners! I always outline my lips and below are all my favorite liners!!!

From the top...they are in the same order as the first picture:

Italia: Natural Beige 743 

As you can see from the picture I LOVEEEEEEEEEE this lip liner...my girlfriend swears by this and uses it all over her lips sometimes and adds a touch of gloss afterwords. The only problem is that I have yet to find this product on any shelves in the US because this is from Armenia. My girlfriend has her aunt purchase a bunch of these from Armenia then send it here so I just stole this one from her lol. But I'm sure you can find it on Amazon or Ebay (I just haven't tried). I think someone once told me they do sell this brand in some Fashion Q stores but I haven't really payed attention. 

Victorias Secret: Spice it up

This liner has a cinnamon color to it and is perfect for nudes such as Myth from Mac and Honeylove from Mac (which I forgot to mention in my lipsticks post because it was in my moms makeup bag...it is another one of my all time favorite nudes).

NYX: Natural 810

This is the closest color I could find to mimic my Italia pencil however there is a slight difference between the two that is not so visible in the picture but I definitely notice the color difference lol. This is another great pencil with nudes (I also sometimes put  it all over my lips if I do not have lipstick with me or if I want a really matte neutral color on my lips)

Mac: Cherry

This is a regular red lip liner that goes perfect with my Ruby Woo from Mac

Make Up For Ever: Aqua Lip

This is a lip liner/lip stick and it goes perfect with purple lips sticks or on its own. I use it to do the "red ombre" lips sometimes. I also love that it is easy to apply and that it's waterproof...perfect for fall & winter! Sorry about the picture the tip of the pencil broke off so I just rubbed it all over my wrist lol.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

-Love Greta! Mwah!

Lipgloss Galore!

We all need that perfect shade of gloss that can transform our lip from BLAH to WOW!
I usually prefer my lipsticks without glosses so I tend to buy creamy shades however some of my favorites lipsticks are in dire need of some shimmer and shine!
Below is my collection of my favorite glosses that I use interchangeably! Enjoy beauties!

 This gloss is from Victorias Secret (I love their makeup!) It has a thick consistency and looks amazing over nudes! It is not sticky and it gives the perfect amount of shine!

 This is a Bare Minerals gloss which I ADORE it is an opaque medium nude shade which is perfect for more medium-dark nudes (I wear this with my Benefit-Lana lipstick or just lipliner and the gloss alone- GORGEOUS!) It has a thick consistency as well and its not sticky. It's a beautiful color!

 My all time favorite gloss that I cannot live without!!!!!!!! It is in my makeup bag AT ALL TIMES! I love this color for everyday on my nudes and even my peaches and pinks! It gives the perfect amount of shine and is more transparent but it gives some color to your lips! This gloss is a must have!

 Another favorite has to be this gloss (which is all finished and I'm scraping it off the edges because I keep forgetting to restock every time I visit Mac). It is a more pink gloss which goes with my usual nudes, pinks, and peaches!

 I am a Laura Mercier addict! I have her entire line of facial moisturizers, foundations, loose powders and primers her makeup is amazing! This gloss is an opaque shade of a deep pink (but very subtle) it is such a unique color it's hard to explain in words. This is the sample version of the actual gloss, I need to go buy the bigger one because I am almost out. It is perfect on its own as well (gives my lips a hint of color that is about 2-3 shades darker than my natural lips).

 I got this sample product when I purchased some Dior shadows and I never tried it because it looked so shimmery and "frosty" which is not my style but when I decided to give it a try, before I trashed it, during my "makeup cleaning" (where I clear out all my old and unwanted makeup) it was the complete opposite of what I though it would be. It is not this shimmery!!!! The glitter in the gloss is so small and there is so much of it that it looks supper shimmery however when u put over your natural lip it is the perfect shine!

 This Urban Decay gloss also looks gorgeous over a natural lip...it is not opaque however it does give a hint of red to your lips. Unfortunately, I could not find the name on the back because this is a sample as well (idk why I have so many sample glosses lol). It is also nice over a matte red if u want to add some shimmer!

 This color is another beautiful nude that is transparent and  perfect on its own or with any light lipstick color! It is Estee Lauder!

Hope you guys enjoyed the post if you have any questions you can post them below or email me: fortheloveof_makeup@yahoo.com

I also wanted to add that I am available through Instagram: @fortheloveofmakeupbaby

-Love Greta! Mwah!