Hey Guys and Dolls!

As the title suggests I’m looking to start having guest bloggers here on VoT as a way to get exposure for some up-and-comers and also to get a little variety going on. YouTube/ the Blogosphere is a beauty community; we should all have a voice and I know there is so much under-appreciated talent out there! I’m subscribed to/read so many underrated Vloggers/Gurus/Goobers/Bloggers on YouTube and because the community is so saturated now I know it can be hard to get noticed these days. Also I want to mention that you don’t HAVE  to have a blog or a YouTube channel to be featured on my blog- in fact I’d LOVE to feature posts from just every day readers/viewers. There is some criteria that I will require in order to have your post used:

*In order to be considered you must submit the following:

*Since I’m looking for guest-bloggers you need to submit and actual blog-post- don’t  just send me links.

* Please introduce yourself! The whole point is to get your face out there and entice my readers to come check you out also! Just a brief ” Hi, I’m Kelly and I like eyeshadow ” is fine- I know it can feel weird to up-talk yourself. Also I want some type explanation of the post: your inspiration, what it is you intend to review, why you love this/are passionate about it. Passionate blogs are successful blogs, so let yours shine.

*If you’re doing a Tutorial or a Face of the Day I’d like to have at least 2 photos of your look, one eye close-up and one full face. I know some of you may be camera-shy so I won’t be strict on this, but that is my preference. Also please don’t photo-shop yourself to death.  Editing out a blemish or stray brow hair is one thing but “over-shopping” shows a lack of self-confidence. Obviously for fashion posts, nail posts etc you don’t have to show a full-face

* For Tutorials, Nail art, Face of the day, or some other type I haven’t thought of, you must include a list of the products you used. We’ll want to recreate it so let us know what you used to make that magic!

*I’d prefer to only feature posts where you only use cruelty-free products because that is in keeping with the philosophy of my blog, HOWEVER I won’t disqualify you for using products from say, L’oreal. I know not everyone can find cruelty free products they can afford – teens especially may be inheriting mom’s cast-offs and in anycase I’m not here to pass judgment or tell you what to buy. Wait, what’s the point of my blog again? We’re getting off-topic….Anyway, I want to encourage “Use what you have/what you can get” but I want to know what YOU used- we can all GOOGLE for dupes if needed.

* For reviews I would like swatches of color-products like lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, eyeliner, etc… obviously you don’t need to swatch foundation, lotion etc…

* Quality is important. You will be a guest-writer for my blog so I’d like to maintain a certain level of quality- that said, it doesn’t have to be perfection! The main thing is that we want to be able to see what you did/what you’re doing. If your picture is blurry/terrible lighting we won’t be able to really see much. I think both Misschevious and temptalia have posts on photography if you need some pointers.

*If anything you use in your post was send for review consideration you must disclose- it’s the law and you will be held accountable if you don’t comply.

* The Complete Blog Post with an introduction,  pictures, list of Products, links to a video/youtube channel/blog-EVERYTHING needs to be sent in one tidy email to requests4cora@yahoo.com . I want to be able to read it, and then file it with my folder of future-features, and then when the time comes I can more or less just copy and paste it onto my blog. The easier you make this for me the more likely you’ll be selected

*If you forget something in your first email don’t stress, just re-send it.

* You can submit more than one post, but don’t Spam me with the same post over and over, or 3 posts a week. No one likes being bombarded.

*There’s not deadline:) You don’t have to use your most recent post. Submit what you are passionate about and whatever it is that makes you different.

* Send Posts to requests4cora@yahoo.com

* Wait- One more thing- HAVE FUN! I’m looking for people who love makeup/hair/nails/fashion and just want to share their point of view/skills. That doesn’t mean that you have to act bubbly if you’re not bubbly or calm if you’re not calm, I just mean don’t fuss over being perfect- just be yourself!

I’m excited about this, are you? I look forward to seeing your posts!

<3Cora

**
On my nails I’m wearing China Glaze LOL- best Purple Holo polish ever!

As the title suggests I’m looking to start having guest bloggers here on VoT as a way to get exposure for some up-and-comers and also to get a little variety going on. YouTube/ the Blogosphere is a beauty community; we should all have a voice and I know there is so much under-appreciated talent out there! I’m subscribed to/read so many underrated Vloggers/Gurus/Goobers/Bloggers on YouTube and because the community is so saturated now I know it can be hard to get noticed these days. Also I want to mention that you don’t HAVE  to have a blog or a YouTube channel to be featured on my blog- in fact I’d LOVE to feature posts from just every day readers/viewers. There is some criteria that I will require in order to have your post used:

*In order to be considered you must submit the following:

*Since I’m looking for guest-bloggers you need to submit and actual blog-post- don’t  just send me links.

* Please introduce yourself! The whole point is to get your face out there and entice my readers to come check you out also! Just a brief ” Hi, I’m Kelly and I like eyeshadow ” is fine- I know it can feel weird to up-talk yourself. Also I want some type explanation of the post: your inspiration, what it is you intend to review, why you love this/are passionate about it. Passionate blogs are successful blogs, so let yours shine.

*If you’re doing a Tutorial or a Face of the Day I’d like to have at least 2 photos of your look, one eye close-up and one full face. I know some of you may be camera-shy so I won’t be strict on this, but that is my preference. Also please don’t photo-shop yourself to death.  Editing out a blemish or stray brow hair is one thing but “over-shopping” shows a lack of self-confidence. Obviously for fashion posts, nail posts etc you don’t have to show a full-face

* For Tutorials, Nail art, Face of the day, or some other type I haven’t thought of, you must include a list of the products you used. We’ll want to recreate it so let us know what you used to make that magic!

*I’d prefer to only feature posts where you only use cruelty-free products because that is in keeping with the philosophy of my blog, HOWEVER I won’t disqualify you for using products from say, L’oreal. I know not everyone can find cruelty free products they can afford – teens especially may be inheriting mom’s cast-offs and in anycase I’m not here to pass judgment or tell you what to buy. Wait, what’s the point of my blog again? We’re getting off-topic….Anyway, I want to encourage “Use what you have/what you can get” but I want to know what YOU used- we can all GOOGLE for dupes if needed.

* For reviews I would like swatches of color-products like lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, eyeliner, etc… obviously you don’t need to swatch foundation, lotion etc…

* Quality is important. You will be a guest-writer for my blog so I’d like to maintain a certain level of quality- that said, it doesn’t have to be perfection! The main thing is that we want to be able to see what you did/what you’re doing. If your picture is blurry/terrible lighting we won’t be able to really see much. I think both Misschevious and temptalia have posts on photography if you need some pointers.

*If anything you use in your post was send for review consideration you must disclose- it’s the law and you will be held accountable if you don’t comply.

* The Complete Blog Post with an introduction,  pictures, list of Products, links to a video/youtube channel/blog-EVERYTHING needs to be sent in one tidy email to requests4cora@yahoo.com . I want to be able to read it, and then file it with my folder of future-features, and then when the time comes I can more or less just copy and paste it onto my blog. The easier you make this for me the more likely you’ll be selected

*If you forget something in your first email don’t stress, just re-send it.

* You can submit more than one post, but don’t Spam me with the same post over and over, or 3 posts a week. No one likes being bombarded.

*There’s not deadline:) You don’t have to use your most recent post. Submit what you are passionate about and whatever it is that makes you different.

* Send Posts to requests4cora@yahoo.com

* Wait- One more thing- HAVE FUN! I’m looking for people who love makeup/hair/nails/fashion and just want to share their point of view/skills. That doesn’t mean that you have to act bubbly if you’re not bubbly or calm if you’re not calm, I just mean don’t fuss over being perfect- just be yourself!

I’m excited about this, are you? I look forward to seeing your posts!

<3Cora

Hi Guys and Dolls!

Once again M.A.C has brought out a great new launch that I just had to get my paws all over- this time around it’s skincare minis! I love beauty minis (especially fragrance because I can never use a 3.4 oz bottle of juice) and I’ve been wanting to try a few of M.A.C’s obnoxiously popular Strobe Cream so when I was picking a few other things up, I had to get a few skincare minis too!

more after the jump

Here is a list of all the skincare minis coming out:

Fix + $10*

Pro Eye Makeup Remover $10*

Demi-Wipes $15*

Strobe Cream $15*

Cleanse Off Oil Tranquil $10*

Studio Moisture Cream $15

Green Gel Cleanser $15

Oil Control Lotion $15

Cleanse Off Oil $10

I love that these are about half-price their full-size counterparts; it makes it easier to test drive some new skin care products without dropping $30 on a moisturizer you don’t know if you’ll love. Also these are all 1oz- so they are airplane approved! Granted I’ve never set foot on a plane (slight fear of flying) but for those who do this is perfection! Also I like using empty Fix + pump/bottles for my brush cleanser/water combo for spot-cleaning brushes, so the mini one is going to be awesome for travel!

Another thing is I’m pretty sure these will be eligible for “Back to M.A.C” – B2M is a recycling program where you bring 6 empty M.A.C containers to a M.A.C counter or store and they will give you a free lipstick of your choice! At stores it get’s even better because you have the option of getting a Lipglass or Eyeshadow! I know, I love it too! There are some restrictions so it’s best to call your local store/counter to get the scoop on the details.

Here’s a few pictures of the products I picked up:

M.A.C Sized To Go

Launch Date- June 9 North America (available at MACPRO.com now)

Price- $10-$15

Where to buy: Maccosmetics.com; M.A.C Stores;

All products shown were purchased by me; I am not influenced by nor do I represent any company.

The video that will me embedded in this post will talk about a few serum moisturizers I’ve tried. There are lots of companies that make serum moisturizers, there are too many to list here, so I only listed the 3 I’ve tried/have on hand. The Moroccan  Argan Oil was sent to me by Eden Allure (click here for their website) the When Hope is Not Enough I’ve had for about a year, and the Christian Dior HydrAction Deep Hydration Radical Serum was sent to me by myshimmer.com (click here for their website). Here on the blog, I’m just going to talk about what is in each serum, and talk about what those ingredients do.

100% Pure Deodorized Moroccan Argan Oil: ($30 for 2.2 oz on the Eden Allure Website) Argan Oil is derived from the kernels of  Argan Fruit. Argan Tress only grow in a few places, most notably Morocco, making this oil rare and sought-after. Goats in actually will climb up the thorny branches just to get to the Argan fruit, so you know it’s good stuff Also, this oil is fair traded, and that story is pretty interesting: The Co-ops that produce the Argan Oil are owned and operated by Women, and share profits among the women of the Berber Tribe. So it’s a cosmetic, and a cause! You can use this oil all over your body, hair, & nails. Ok, down to the nitty-gritty of what’s in this wonderful oil:

Vitamin E is so multi-useful, I’ll only list a few things this one does: Protects this skin from ultra violet damage, Reduces moisture loss in skin, it is an antioxidant, so it retards the formation of free radicals from UVA rays, stress, aging, and most importantly, when you apply Vitamin E, the skin absorbs and maintains the Vitamin E, making this a excellent skincare ingredient (this is why this one is so buzz-worthy)

Squalene is an organic compound (meaning it comes from living things, i.e. plants, animals). Because it occurs naturally in our bodies, it absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave an oily residue,  and it blend well with other oils and vitamins making it a great additive to cosmetics.

Phenol: naturally kills micro bacteria, and can aid in chemical exfoliation.

Argan Oil has other components, most of this information I found on wikipedia and other online sources (google is AWESOME)

When Hope Is Not Enough: ($38 for 1oz  available many places including Sephora stores, and Sephora.com)

Soy this one gets a lot of buzz, and it’s well deserved. Soy is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory.

Vitamin E (see above)

Glutathione Another powerful antioxidant

Vitamin C Yet, another antioxidant

Christian Dior HydrAction Deep Hydration Radical Serum The third ingredient is Alcohol Denatured, which not only drys out and irritates the skin, but it can PROMOTE free radical damage, making any anti-oxidant useless, since the alcohol undoes their positive effects. This serum is harmful to your skin. The only positive is the scent, which is useless since the serum is such a stinker. The only thing radical about this serum is the price. This costs $70 dollars for 1.7 oz, which if this was a good serum, I could over look.

I hope this post and the video were helpful for you. I have a bunch of stuff coming up including a “how I style my hair video” and 2 makeup tutorials for my Mom’s 50th (Hints: you will LOVE these,  & one will take you WAY back to 1959)

<3 you guys, see you later!

Hi Guys and Dolls! I hope you’re all doing well! This video is an overview  of my day and night skin routines. As I said in the video, I will be doing another video explain the “why’s and how’s ” and such of skin care.

“Can You recommend a good drugstore Sunscreen?”

hm…

A drugstore one that Is great that I used a lot last summer is the Neutrogena Ultra sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock With “Helioplex”(whatever that hype word is) (it comes in multiple SPF’s)

It feels nice and Light dries pretty matte, and I love using this all over my body, but it DOES smell like sunscreen, which is a turn off for some, but it’s pretty cheap. It’s Water Resistant ^_^

” I was wondering if you have to use a moisturizer with SPF if you already use foundation with SPF?”

Doubling up your sun protection is a really good idea. There are so many formulas out there, I’m certain you will find one that will work for you! The problem is, even if you foundation says it has SPF, many of them do not have adequate amounts of the SPF ingredient. And even if it does, you need to apply a lot of your SPF product to get accurate coverage, and most people don’t apply that much foundation to their face.