Mia Del Mar Novelera Palette – Review Time

February 20, 2019February 19, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

You all know that I love my beautiful city of Miami, and more than anything, supporting Miami based brands.

I take special pride in anything that this fabulous city produces and one brand, Mia Del Mar, is making some waves.

No pun intended.

Mia Del Mar initially debuted with a wonderfully potent night cream and has now evolved into a full fledge beauty brand with the introduction of not 1 but 5 palettes (3 eye and 2 face).

The Latina owned company infuses Spanglish into the names of their palettes and even though I was tempted to go with the peacock tones of Life is a Fiesta, I ended up selecting the warm and sultry, Novelera palette.

Novelera, which roughly translates to someone who is dramatic and intense, like a Spanish telenovela character, is, at first glance, reminiscent of the Modern Renaissance and Subculture palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills. The colors are creamy, pigmented and almost all blend beautifully.

Top Row: Peligrosa, Secretos, Amor Prohibido, Venganza, Callate, Deseos

My favorite shades are Amor Prohibido ( throwing it back to Selena 👑), Corazon Salvaje, Peligrosa and Chismosa. All together they are a fiery combination.

Bottom Row: Destino, La Otra, Traviesa, La Drama, Corazon Salvaje, Chismosa

The two darker shimmers, Venganza and Traviesa, do get a little muddy, so I would avoid mixing or building them too much with other colors.

Overall, it’s a fun and well put together palette that will be a great edition to your makeup collection.

What is your favorite telenovela? Let me know in the comments below.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Weightloss Challenge 2019

Weight Loss Challenge- January and February

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

So I have never exactly been a skinny woman. I was a thin teen and carried that into my 20’s, but after the birth of my second child, things kind of went downhill fast.

I’ve totally yo-yo’d over the past few years and you know what? That sucks and I’m totally over it.

I’m also sick of fad diets and refuse to do them anymore. Yes, I have lost weight, but eventually gain all of it back and sometimes even more. Therefore, I feel like the only way to truly stick to my healthy life goals is to make myself accountable and you guys can help me.

How you ask? Well, I’m going to put myself out there and hopefully that will motivate me to lose weight because nothing is more motivating than being publicly embarrassed.

So without further ado, this is a brief timeline of my weight loss journey, which technically started on January 1, but I’m now making public.

The Trigger Picture – the one that made you realize that you have got to change something:

For fucks sake!! I literally have cellulite on my arm!!!

Momentum Picture- the one you take to see if any improvement is visible after diet begins

Don’t I look happy?? Man I am being raw with you all to show you what I look like fat AND without makeup. Anyways, I purposely wore the same outfit and somewhat tried to strike the same pose. At first glance, it doesn’t look like anything has changed, however, I do see some improvement. For example, arm cellulite has definitely decreased and my face is slightly thinner.

By the way, the hubs is also doing a weight loss challenge with me and he looks freaking awesome. Men!! All they have to do is like stop adding cream to their coffee and lose like 10 pounds! 🤬

Not going to lie, after working out at the gym for almost a month there, I did expect to see some more improvement, but like I said, I’m not really doing any fad diets. Just working out and eating healthier. Not perfect, because I do enjoy treats regularly, like pizza and cookies, but not everyday.

But that’s ok, because at that point, I had lost 2 pounds and although I thought it would be more after a month, it is still 2 pounds. If I continue at that trend, I would be 24 pounds lighter by December 31.

Patience is key.

However, it sucks to be trying so hard and have nobody notice all your efforts. So in February, I decided to tweak my diet a bit by adding more protein to my meals (I usually only have protein for dinner) and add 2 days of just cardio to my workout routine. In January, I mostly concentrated on toning with weights.

February Momentum Pic

So once again, not very much of a visible change, BUT, you see that bright orange top I’m wearing? That’s a LARGE!! I typically wear an XL and when I went to try on the XL, it was big on me. I’m a frequent buyer of the brand Alfani (found in Macy’s) and alway wear an XL in their tops, so to see that it was hanging a little loose on me, especially in the boob area (🙄), was a pleasant surprise.

With that being said, I realize that I have a long way to go, but I’m still on trend to a 24lb loss by December 31 because my last weigh in this weekend had me at a total 4 pound loss since January 1, which is not much, but hey… I’ll take it!

Stay tuned next month for more Momentum Pics and let me know what you all are doing to lose weight. Any tips?

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Holidays

Just for Fun- Happy Valentines Day!!!

February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

I want to make sure that all of you get a Valentines Day card this year, so below is an assortment that I found in Pinterest that made me giggle.

Happy Valentines Day, my friends! I wish you all lots and lots of love!!!

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Deck of Scarlet · Subscription Boxes

Deck of Scarlet – Edition #12 – Review Time!

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019 Maritza1 Comment

I honestly don’t know why Deck of Scarlet does not get more hype. They are pretty darn awesome for the following reasons:

They are very interactive on Instagram. When you make a comment on a post, they always take the time to reply. I think that is very polite.
They don’t just send you a palette, but also an extra item.
They evolve and listen. They just introduced a monthly plan for $29.99 which gives you the option of a palette or kit which has a range of full size items.

I still subscribe to the bimonthly plan, which includes a palette and an extra for $29.99, but I have a feeling that will be phased out soon for the monthly plan. Regardless, it’s a great subscription because the products are top notch.

Edition #12 was curated by Lupe Cuevas and its a bright, kick ass palette with the following shades options:

Obsessed- muted matte pink
Cocoa- mid tone matte brown
Groove- dark purple shimmer
Crystallized- icy pink highlighter
Inst- Famous- bright fuscia blush/shadow
Dizzy- icy pink lip topper
Undone- creamy grungy brown lip color

I really enjoyed all the shades, except I found Crystallized to be a bit too pressed to get much of a color punch or glow without having to scrape the top layer.

Colors from top to bottom: Obsessed, Cocoa, Groove, Crystallized, Insta-Famous, Dizzy and Undone

Don’t be afraid of Inst- Famous. Although it’s very bright, it won’t leave you looking clownish and it makes a lovely eyeshadow as well.

Undone is the real winner for me. It’s this grungy 90’s inspired brown and it’s GORGEOUS! As a true 90’s teen/ young adult, it brought back many memories.

Now, if only Deck of Scarlet would make Undone into a lipstick, I would be set!

Do you subscribe to Deck of Scarlet? If so, let me know what you think of the latest palette or new monthly subscription offering.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Giveaways

Giveaway Time!!!

February 11, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

So this gal is doing her very first EVER giveaway. How you feel about that?

I’m pretty stoked actually!

(Does anyone else answer their own questions all the time?)

To enter, all you have to do is head on over to my Instagram page and 1. be my friend (aka: follow me 👍) and 2. like my Giveaway post below.

If selected you will win:

PYT No BS Palette
7 Colourpop x Kathleen Lights The Zodiac Loose Pigments
1 Disney Park official make up bag

For a BONUS entry, show me via EMOJI which Disney attraction you think the makeup bag represents.

The contest is only for US residents and will end on Friday, February 15 at 9pm. Winner will be DM’d.

Let me know in the comments below what item you are most interested in winning.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Palette of the Month

Throwback Palette of the Month: Tartiest Glow Palette

February 4, 2019February 3, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

I don’t know why face palettes get a bad rap. To me they are multi functional and totally portable. That’s why my Throwback Palette of February is my go to Tartiest Pro Glow.

I have to travel for work every now and then, and 9 times out of 10, this palette will end up in my makeup bag because it checks off so much off my packing list. It’s a contour, bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadow kit all in one.

Therefore, if you own this palette or want to pick it up— I don’t even know if they sell this anymore— I’m here to remind you how awesome it is!

First off, the contour in Shade is really fantastic. It’s a cream contour, which typically I avoid like the plague, but this one really blends like a dream and with just a few dabs of the beauty blender you have perfectly chiseled cheekbones.

Blend a little Sculpt on top of the cheekbones and sweep over the forehead and hairline and you got yourself a gorgeous bronzy touch.

Now you have the choice of not one, but FOUR highlighters, which admittedly is better than just one one contour and bronzer.

Tarte…you kind of dropped the ball, buddy.

Not glossing over that, but let’s move on….

The highlighters are lovely! They are not chunky or glittery, but more like lit from within type. They also double perfectly as shimmer for your eyes.

In fact, a little Sculpt on the crease and on the the lower lash line and then any of the highlighters on your lid and you are set.

Just add a little blush, mascara and lipstick and out the door you go!

Also, did I mention that this palette smells like hot cocoa? YUM!!

Let me know if you have this palette and what your thoughts are.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Just for Fun

Just For Fun: 23andMe Results

February 2, 2019February 1, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

So after dropping hints for months about wanting an Ancestry kit, the Hubs finally figured it out and got me one for Christmas.

The easiest way though is always to just tell Sofia what I want, because the Hubs always asks her anyways.

MEN!!

Now it’s not that my families origins are a mystery or anything. I’m first generation American. Both my parents and grandparents are from Cuba and my great grandparents migrated from Spain.

Pretty cut and dry, right?

Well, yeah if you happen to look in the mirror everyday and see a typical representation of a Latina woman. EXCEPT, that I don’t look like your typical Latina and that’s ok. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

But….I really, really, REALLY don’t look Cuban and it sucks to always have to hear that and even get asked if one of my parents was American (the blond, blue eyed type) because that person just can’t believe that I’m Cuban.

Grrr….. that is so annoying.

For the record, don’t ever quiz someone on their ethnicity. You have no idea how many times I’ve been asked to “say something in Spanish” just so that I prove my Latina-ness.

Ok, with that being said, I figured the best way to find out where I get my blonde/reddish hair and green eyes, not to mention all the freckles, would be to submit my spit to the DNA banks of 23andMe.

I’m not sure what I was expecting. For sure, I thought that that Celtic or Nordic DNA strain would come through front and center and FINALLY validate all that is me.

Umm……

REALLY????

All this money and time spent to basically tell me I’m 66% percent Spanish and Portuguese? I mean I could have picked up a history book and found that out. Almost the entire island of Cuba came from the Iberian Peninsula.

Ok. So no surprises there. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I am 14.7% Italian. That’s pretty neat.

I’m also 5.2% French and German and 1.6% British and Irish. So now we are on to something, friends. While the majority of my family picked up the typical dark hair and olive skin typical of the Mediterranean population, I got that the red haired/green eyed gene of that relative, that according to the Ancestry timeline provided, was about 5-8 generations ago.

For those of you who needed help, like me, that somewhere between 1700-1810.

Yep, I got the genes of my Georgian Era relatives.

Now I know why I like Outlander so much.

I’m also Broadly Southern European and Broadly Northern European. Which I guess just means that I’m European?

I’m also .08 North African and Arabian and .03 Native American. Now that’s actually the most interesting fact because according to the Ancestry Timeline my Native American ancestors are 6-8+ generations ago, which means they traveled from the Americas to Europe and settled there.

Have you also done a 23andMe Ancestry test. Do you think we may be related?

You never know. It’s a small world.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Physicians Formula

Physicians Formula Butter Collection x Casey Holmes – Review Time!

January 30, 2019January 31, 2019 Maritza3 Comments

I’m going to admit right out of the gate that this was a total impulse buy. I got suckered in by the hype and the price and bought something that I neither wanted nor needed.

With that being said, I actually ended up liking it more than I thought I would. I actually owned the Butter Bronzer a few years back and ended up decluttering it because I thought it was too light for me. I also thought the scent was a little too strong for me, which is weird because it kind of smells like flowery coconuts, which separately I like, but together not so much.

Yet, I still bought this collab.

Sigh.

Ok, but let’s not get off track. Despite the smell, I actually kind of dig this palette/box. The price is unbeatable. For $19.99, you get a bronzer, blush, highlighter, 4 eyeshadows, lip stick and perfume and that is precisely what made me hit Buy when it came out, because just the bronzer alone can run you $15 at CVS.

The bronzer, which is in the Deeper shade, is actually quite nice. It blends out beautifully and is not patchy in the least. Same goes for the blush, which does have a slight shimmer to it, but I don’t mind a shimmer blush at all. It has a rosy tint to it that really goes well with so many skin tones.

The highlighter, which is Limited Edition, is not my favorite. It’s a nice golden shade, but is just too chunky. As an eyeshadow it’s quite nice, but as a highlighter, I don’t like. I prefer highlighters that melt into your skin as this leaves flecks if glitter. Not for me.

I liked all the eyeshadows, except for the green shimmer one called Palms. It lacks pigmentation and even in the swatch above, I had to go in twice to make it show up on camera. The other shadows are really creamy and pigmented, but I do find a bit too much similarity between No Filter and Tropic Like It’s Hot. I would have preferred maybe a pink in place of one of the reds.

I also want to mention that I have used the bronzer, blush and highlighter as eyeshadows and they look BEAUTIFUL!

The Lip Cream is a lovely moisturizing formula, but the pink shade is just a little too frosty for me and gave me weird 80’s vibes. It didn’t suit me at all.

The perfume is ok if you like that distinct flowery coconut Butter Bronzer scent. I do not, but I am, apparently, in the minority. It has not moved from it’s little slot since I got this in the mail.

Which leaves me with the packaging of this collection. I know that by reading the comments on Instagram that a lot of people thought it was bulky and that it would have been better if they would have released the collection in pieces, but I honestly don’t mind.

I mean, it’s certainly not compact, but most Morphe palettes are bigger. If you are an avid traveler, I would agree that this may be too bulky to take on a backpacking trip to the Andes, but if you are home 90% of the time, like I am, this is actually a really nice set to just pick up and quickly apply some makeup with.

Honestly, it’s not a deal breaker for me and it shouldn’t be for you either.

Did you pick up the collab? What are your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below.

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Rocksbox

Rocksbox Reveal Vol. 7

January 28, 2019 MaritzaLeave a comment

I feel like the month of January lasted FOREVER, but at the same time, when I got my reminder to send my Rocksbox back this week, I was like “Already?”

Time flies for certain things, I guess.

This months box was, once again, packed with items straight from my wishlist and I must say, I’ve got good taste.

But I have to give props to my stylist for picking three pieces that can be worn altogether or separately and with various outfits. Also, I like it when I get three different types of pieces, like a necklace, earrings and a ring vs. 3 pairs of earrings in one box. It’s nice to have set if, if you know what I mean.

Now, if you have read my past reveals, you probably gathered that I don’t often buy my pieces, because I just like variety, but this time, I had to give in. The Helios Necklace from Slate is just so chic and structured and goes with so many of my tops, that I had to keep it. I also got it for a really nice price too. When I subtracted my monthly $21 credit and $20 in Forever Credit that I had, I ended up only paying $14. I think that is a pretty decent price for this piece.

I was also tempted to also keep the Paisley Hoops from Dusk, but at $59, I had to pass. I did receive a lot of compliments on them, but I have very similar earrings in my wishlist like it, so I figure I will see them in another reincarnation at some point.

The Rudiment Alcatraz ring, was also a favorite of mine this month. It was actually really simple, but it somehow stood out and whenever I managed to paint my nails, it just made my hands look so nice. I will also be sad to send this one back. Almost kept it, but, just like the earrings, I have a few other rings with a similar style in my wishlist, so I know I won’t be disappointed for long.

As always, if you want to check out Rocksbox for yourself, feel free to use my referral code MaritzaBFF39 and you get your first months $21 credit waved. I also get a little something something in my Forever Credit account, but we both win, right?

Let me know what your jewelry style is? Do you subscribe to Rocksbox? What did you get?

Till next time, my friends!

Maritza

Milan Rowe Cosmetics

Just For Fun: Milan Rowe Cosmetics Launch Party

January 26, 2019January 27, 2019 Maritza1 Comment

So your girl here recently got the opportunity to attend a launch party for Milan Rowe Cosmetics and I thought I would give you a little peek into the event.

Simona Milan, the founder of Milan Rowe, debuted a super sexy line of liquid lipsticks and a palette specifically designed to compliment all skin colors and above all else, make you feel like the best version of yourself. Her vision of inclusivity and empowerment was the central theme of last nights event and, honestly, by looking at the diverse group of people there, you know she must be proud that her vision came full circle.

I will be doing a separate review of the products in an upcoming blog, but for now, I thought it would be fun to take you along and give you a peek into the party.