A Few of My Favorite Things: December Edition

I'm sorry I haven't been here in awhile. I actually was on vacation. Nothing better than a Caribbean vacation to give some color to my face and get me rejuvenated.

Although I ended up with a cold a couple of days after returning. (>_<)

Well, the pictures of the vacation cheered me up while I was feeling crumby.

Yup, that's me in St Lucia after I climbed Gros Piton, which took over two hours to climb. I was super excited until I realized I had to take the same journey back down, which was a bit scary at times.


I'm in such a great mood that I want to write about 3 of my favorite things this past couple of months. They are in no specific order .

For hair care, my new favorite line of products is Ouidad. I have wavy, curly hair and sometimes it becomes a very frizzy and unruly mess.

I have been using Ouidad's Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel for awhile now and it gets my hair more under control. However, I only noticed greater dramatic changes recently after I purchased the Climate Control Shampoo and Conditioner during Cyber Monday. It was 25 percent off with free shipping, so how could I say no.

After only a couple of washes, my hair already looks so much shinier and the Frizz....What Frizz? I asked my boyfriend what he thought about my hair (I didn't tell him I had changed shampoos) and he said that he had noticed that my hair looked nicer. My mother and other relatives have also complemented me on my hair recently.

Another big improvement was the fall out of my hair. Before using the Ouidad shampoo, I would finish taking a shower and when I combed my hair, a bunch of my hair would come off on the comb and my fingers. Now only very few strands fall out.

I'm super pleased with these products and when I get the chance, I'll be wanting to try out more products by them.


You can find Ouidad products at Ulta, Sephora website and select Sephora stores, and at Ouidad's website. 

Another line of products that made it to my favorites list recently is AHAVA. This is another product I purchased during Black Friday/ Cyber Monday Sales. They were having an amazing 40 percent off sale with free shipping.

I purchased their Bath Salts (Euclaptus),gentle eye cream and mud mask.

I've used FAB and Benefits eye cream, but I think this one tops both of them. Although the cream feels very light, it does a great job in hydrating the skin under your eyes.

The mud mask is amazing. You only need to have it on for 2 minutes. It makes me skin feel very clean without any irritation.

The bath salts I used once and it did relax me. I told my mom to use it one day when her muscles were hurting. I asked her for her opinion and she told me that she did feel much better afterwards.

After using these products, now I definitely want to try their cleanser, moisturizers, etc. I'm hoping that they have another great deal coming up so that I can snatch more products.

You can find Ahava on their website and at Ulta

My third favorite thing this week is  bags. More specifically, it's two bags I recently purchased.

The first bag is from Justfab.com and it is called the Law Bag. Here is a picture from their website:

 

This tote is big, beautiful, sturdy and just plain fabulous! You can put in your books, tablet, last night's leftovers, a change of clothes...you get the point. It's also really good quality for the price. I use it for work, but it is also great for school and for traveling.

 

You can find this tote at Just Fab's website. New members now get 2 items for $39.95.

Shameless plug Invite to Site : You can register for the site here:

 http://www.justfab.com/invite/9393584/

Warning- Justfab is a monthly subscription Service, such as Julep, Little Black Box, or any shoe of the month type of monthly service. You can purchase an item every month for $39.95. However, if you do not want them to charge you $39.95 for a certain month or you just don't want to purchase anything for that month, you MUST SKIP before the 5th of that month. If you do not skip, you will be charged, but you can use that credit whenever you find something you would like to purchase. 

The other bag I'm currently in love with is by Mark. and it's called the Cross Over Bag.

 You can find this cross body bag at my E-boutique: http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/ and here is the picture from the website:

 However, this bag is so much more beautiful and detailed in real life. 

 

It's a gorgeous navy color. I love to use it on casual days with jeans and a t-shirt or sweater. However, it's detailed enough that I can wear it with a cute red dress as well, like Alicia from Help Licia Blog did here :

This bag is $34 and if you purchase it through my Eboutique : http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/
you can use the Promo Code WELCOME at checkout for free shipping for first time customers.



What do you guys think about my top favorites this month? Have you used any of these products or have been wanting to use any of them?

Must Haves: Mark., Lace & Freebies

Hey Everyone!

Today was my day off, which means no uniform, so this was my outfit of the day:

I'm wearing Mark. by Avon from top to bottom.

Let me first just say that lace is my new favorite thing this year. For some reason, I can't seem to get enough of it. That is why I was super excited when I saw this new lace top.

This is how Mark. has advertised its I'm Going Lacy Top ($28):

It's a bit of a box cut, so I found that wearing black underneath makes it more flattering. I really love the lace and the color leans more towards cream than white, which I really like as well.

I paired this top with Mark. Great Details Pants ($36) and Mark. Gimme the Boot ($50).

My earrings are Smoke and Mirrors Earrings ($20), which I have been wearing daily & getting compliments on. (^_^)


If you like any of these items, you can purchase them at my E-boutique http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/


By the way, would you like to get some Mark. Freebies? Of course you would!

Mark. has awesome presents for the holidays and it also has great fashion pieces and makeup that you will need to look amazing at all of your holiday parties. Why not score some freebies along the way?

The way to do is to host a party. You might be thinking about those old school tuberware or candle parties. Don't worry, you don't have to go clean the house and purchase snacks and wines for your friends, although if you like that, we can always accomodate for those parties as well. (^_-)
You can earn freebies from the comfort of your home in your pajames by hosting an online party.

You can invite anyone you want and you can advertise your party through multiple social media channels, including facebook, twitter, tumblr, your blog, etc. You can earn up to $200 of Mark products for free. The more your friends and followers purchase, the more you earn. You also get a gorgeous hostess necklace for yourself.

 

If you want to host a party, email me at markitgirlsteph@yahoo.com or leave your email address in the comments and I will get you more information.

In the meantime, check out my Eboutique at http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/ so you can pick out all your favorite items that can become your freebies.

Remember, if you like any of these Mark. products and want to check them out, go to my E-boutique-  http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/
Use Promo Code WELCOME at checkout for free shipping on your first order. 
If you have any questions, concerns, want your own awesome magalog and/ or samples, etc , e-mail me at markitgirlsteph@yahoo.com

Be the first to know about great offers by registering with my Mark. Eboutique and liking my facebook page

Shimmer Makes Everything Better

Today I was playing with some of my nail polishes, so I have a couple of Julep swatches for you.

The first is Julep's Mischa. It's a red orange color with shimmer.

I love this color. It's super gorgeous and easy to work with.

I also painted my nails with Julep's Maggie and Julep's Mila.

Julep's Maggie is a dark purple with shimmer. Since it's so dark, I think that the shimmer enhances the look of the polish and makes it prettier.
Julep's Mila is a full coverage glitter polish. Although it's more silvery than anything else, it also has red, green and gold glitter in it.

I used these two colors to do a sort of reverse manicure.

This is how it turned out:

What do you guys think?

I love silvery glittery with purple polishes. I think they go so well together.


By the way, if you like this nail polish and want to know more about the Maven subscription box program, you can do an introductory box for a penny. If you want to do this, just go to the website (Click Here)  take the quiz and put in the code COLORS4ONE during checkout. This is good for only the first month though. However, you can always cancel after that if you aren't satisfied with the polishes.

Out of This World- Nails & Makeup

Last night Refinery29 posted a picture up of a super cute manicure, so of course I wanted to try it out.

This was the original photo that they posted:

Here is my manicure that I did this morning. (Sorry it's a bit fuzzy)

Even my doggie, Mia, can't believe how bad my picture is. hehehehe

Anyway, back to the nails. For the blue, I used Essie's Aruba Blue. For the silver, I used Illamasqua's Glory .

When my mother saw the mani, she told me that it looked like I had on a NASA manicure. 
I think she is completely right. This is now my new NASA Manicure and it is out of this world. 
Yes, that is my actual NASA shirt by the way. I was just like any other kid when I was little. I wanted to work as an astronomer for NASA. Isn't that what every little kid wants to do?

 



For my Out Of This World makeup, I took inspiration from Mark. 's new magalog.

After playing with makeup, this is what I came up with:

For My Face I used:
Mark. Got The Goods Foundation lotion with spf 15 in LIGHT 3
Mark. Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes All Over Face Palette for a nice bronze glow
On the cheeks, I used Mark. Light Show Illuminating Face Powder

For my Eyes:
I used Mark.  Star Status Eyeshadow Palette in Meteor Showers

From the Palette, I used the white, silverish color in my inner eyes and lids.
I used the green on outer lids and corners
The black , charcoal color I used as a liner for my lower and upper lash line.

The green color on this palette actually shows up on my skin as more of a Moss Color then a green, so I layered the color with I-mark Wet/Dry Eye Shadow in Empress 

For the Lips, I used Mark. Make It Rich Lip Color Crayon in Naturally.  

I love this new Star Status Palette, especially the white color. It's gorgeous! What do you guys think?

If you like any of these Mark. products and want to check them out, go to my E-boutique-  http://sbernardes.mymarkstore.com/
Use Promo Code WELCOME at checkout for free shipping on your first order. 
If you have any questions, concerns, want your own awesome magalog and/ or samples, etc , e-mail me at markitgirlsteph@yahoo.com

Be the first to know about great offers by registering with my Mark. Eboutique and liking my facebook page
 

Pick & Choose: Outfit of the Day

I'm really excited because my awesome boyfriend gave me the Clarisonic Mia Skin Care System. I've only used it for a couple of days, so I can't give you a proper review yet. I will do a better, more detailed, review with before and after pictures in about a month. The one thing I have realized in this short time is that my skin does feel smoother. If you want to know how it goes, come back in to visit my blog next month.


In other news, today at work we were able to wear jeans and have a more casual dress down day. This is exciting for me because I have to wear a uniform every day. This is what I chose to wear:

Black Blouse from NY& Company

Jeans are from Express and they are Eva Curvy Fit (Mid Rise) Skinny Jeans - I've tried to find this type of jeans on Express's website, but it doesn't seem like they make the Eva jeans anymore. Does anyone know for sure?

3/4 Sleeve Sweater Cardigan in Orange from Forever 21

Boots are mark. Gimme the boot

mark. Sparks Fly necklace



I was also wearing cute earrings, which you can't see from the picture, so here is a close up:

mark. Smoke and Mirrors Earrings


To keep myself warm when I leave work at night, I have a cute new hat.

mark. Cap It Off Hat


If you like my Mark Products and want to get 20% off of everything in my Mark E boutique, you can use the promo code COSMO20 at check out. It is a promotion by Cosmopolitan Magazine for their "September Steals". The Promo Code is only valid for this month.

In addition to 20 % Off,  if you purchase over $60 of merchandise by 9/28,  mark. will also give you a FREE Cosmetics Bag!




 


By the way, the Hat and Earrings come out next month (October 4th). Be in the look out for those items and more great offers by registering with my Mark. Eboutique   and liking my facebook page

Julep Sandra : Hot Pink Summer!

I found my hot pink color for the summer. It is Julep's Sandra, which is a magenta with a frosty finish.

Although I am a Julep Maven, I actually bought this on Hautelook because they had a brights polish set, including Robin and Daisy, on sale in July.

Julep's Sandra is the perfect pink for the summer. It's bright, beautiful and it goes on easily. 

What do you think?

If you like this nail polish and want to know more about the Maven subscription box program, you can do an introductory box for a penny. If you want to do this, just go to the website ( http://julep.com/?r=20529609), take the quiz and put in the code COLORS4ONE during checkout. This is good for only the first month though. However, you can always cancel after that.

America the Beautiful -July 4th Nails

I got the America nail polish for free with this month's subscription of Maven.

(If you don't know what Julep Maven is, please look at my first post here )

The America nail polish looks like this:

Yes, it's red, sparkly, vibrant and absolutely perfect for both July 4th celebrations and for the Olympics this year. It's a bottle full of glittery fireworks.

The best thing is that it went on easily and beautifully. I'm in love with this color.


I was thinking about how to incorporate this color for today's holiday.

I saw this great manicure at Finger Painting Fingers website- http://fingerpaintingfingers.blogspot.com/2012/06/julep-america.html , so  I decided to do something similar but use different colors to compliment it.

I used Sally Hanson's Red Zin and Essie's Aruba Blue.

Both are deep, rich colors that go perfectly with Julep's America.

I'm now ready for an awesome bar-b-que and an amazing fireworks show.


I hope you all have a great Fourth of July!



Remember if you want to begin the Julep Maven subscription box, you can do an introductory box for a penny. If you want to do this, just go to the website ( http://julep.com/?r=20529609), take the quiz and put in the code COLORS4ONE during checkout. This is good for only the first month though. However, you can always cancel after that.

Color & Sparkles: What Girl Can Say No?- Julep Maven Novice

What can be colorful, shiny, long, short, down right nasty or eye catching gorgeous? Your nails!

Today I wanted to share with you some information about a subscription box service for nail polishes and other mani/ pedi related products. It's called Julep Maven and you can take a look at the website here: http://julep.com/?r=20529609

Basically, this is a monthly subscription of about $20 and every month you will get a box with nail polishes.

To start out, you have to take their style quiz, which will label you as a certain style and this will correspond to specific colors. You can, of course, check out their other styles and change your colors. For example, I was considered an "American Beauty" style, but I liked the "Bombshell" colors best, so that's the one I chose.

The following months, you can always change the "style label" depending on the colors that you like for that month, or you can skip the month all together if nothing interests you. You can also cancel at any time.




I just received my box for my first month.





Instead of paying 20 bucks, I paid a penny for my first box. Yup, a total of $0.01 is what I paid. If you want to do this, just go to the website ( http://julep.com/?r=20529609), take the quiz and put in the code COLORS4ONE during checkout. This is good for only the first month though. However, you can always cancel after that.

As I wrote earlier, my box was the "bombshell box". It included a nail file, a hand scrub (Julep facial for hands), and 2 gorgeous colors.

One was an orange called NATASHA and the other is a sparkly gold called OSCAR.




Natasha is a great summer color. It's very bright and gives you a pop of color even if you are wearing boring, dark work clothes, like I usually am. It's definitely a fun color that I plan to use a lot during the sunny, summer months. The polish also went on smoothly and without dripping every which way, which is usually a problem with me because of my small nail beds.

Oscar is great for accent nails, as I have done in the picture below, or you can put a coat on top of a bright nail color and it will add a bit of shimmer to your manicure.






Please try to look past my small, chubby, old lady hands and see the cute colors. (^_^)


Other then the nail polishes, I also tried their hand scrub and loved it. My hands are usually super dry, so it was nice to get a hand scrub in the package that was able to soften my hands. It was a nice extra with the box.

I think I did pretty well for 1 cent.


I might continue this for a couple more months.

I'll see how it progresses.