Blaq Vixen Beauty

Before this moment can get any more awkward than it already has, I'm well aware that I was supposed to review this many moons ago - like back in March or April (at the very latest) of 2010. So yeah - I can be a little absent-minded at times. It just so happened that I was cleaning/updating my makeup bag when I suddenly remembered.

The Smashbox Untamed High Lights Cheek Luminizer in Aglow ($24 but $14.99 on BeautyTicket) was a part of Smashbox's Untamed Summer 2009 collection. Jill from BeautyTicket sent it over editorial consideration since I wanted to incorporate some "glow" into my makeup routine.

Had I researched this product beforehand, I would've requested another product instead. As a creamy luminizer, you can use it to highlight the high part underneath your eyebrows, on your cheekbones, inner corners of the eyes and on the tip (not bridge) of your nose.

With the skin issues that I have (large pores, uneven skintone, acne scarring, texture), I had no business with this product because it illuminates all my flaws! First of all, I have combination skin so I should've opted for a powder, not cream, luminizer. When I apply it, it comes off more like "shimmery but oily" than "effortless glow," especially in pictures. It lasts around 2 to 3 hours on me.

In the compact, it's a iridescent lilac with icy pink and silver undertones. Since I have warm undertones,  a gold luminizer would look best on me. This particular luminizer would work for people with cool undertones though, granted if you have dry skin.

I'm not too sure if I could still use this but I'm thinking maybe I could use it as a cream eyeshadow or maybe even as an eyeshadow base. Other than that, I can't use this at all.

Have you ever tried a cream luminizer before? Which ones are your favorite?

Inspired by Tempt'd and A Girl's Gotta Spa, Blaq Vixen Beauty vowed not to showcase pink or pink-ribboned beauty products sold specifically for breast cancer awareness and research.

Earlier, we posted about Hard Rock's PINKTOBER initiative. That post has been deleted. We were also going to write about Palmer's partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure campaign but have decided to pull the plug, as that promotion was still in draft.

We know that October is almost over but we figured that we would resume posting in November. Think about it - breast cancer doesn't just strike in October, right? And besides, breast cancer awareness should be a year-long initiative for all of us!

You may have noticed that we haven't deleted the post about BeautyTicket's Pink Boutique.

However, it has been edited to include that if you do decide to donate 10% of your purchase to BreastCancer.org, please make sure to ask for a confirmation letter or email to make sure that this organization has really received your donation and for tax purposes.

The money that you spend on products from BeautyTicket's Pink Boutique (or any other pink product for that matter) could easily be donated to any of the following foundations and organizations to include Think Before You Pink, The American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This October (and for the rest of this year), Blaq Vixen Beauty challenges you to do more than just shop. Of course, if you need a BeautyBlender or a new lip set, then feel free to buy these items.

Furthermore, Blaq Vixen Beauty will not be hosting a fundraiser. If it in your heart to donate to the cause, you don't necessarily have to donate through a blog fundraiser or charity. We will also refrain from utilizing affiliate marketing as we feel that it would be in bad taste to receive any sort of monetary compensation from the sale of items associated with breast cancer awareness.

What have you done to contribute to the cure lately?

Cover FX MintGlaze FX

Editor's Note: The product mentioned in this Beauty Closet review have been provided by Cover FX.

Enough with the advertisements and promotions...let's get down to the good stuff!

Today, I received an email from Kush Magazine, which is a publication for women of color in the United Kingdom. I'm the new resident writer for their Beauty Buzz section! It seems so surreal to say that but it's true. This is the first offer that I've received that's actually gone through. I was supposed to write for the beauty section for a local newspaper but that is still in progress.

Next, on August 24th, I'll be attending St. Philip's College in San Antonio. I recently changed my major from pre-nursing to journalism. This will be the first I've stepped into a classroom since high school. For my first and second semesters, I took classes online at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Now, for my third semester, I have four subjects that are in a classroom setting and one online. One of the Airmen from my unit is in my class. I'm excited but at the same time I am nervous as hell. I have Speech this semester and when I'm nervous, talking isn't one of my strengths. We'll see how that goes.

Recently, Tia Lanell and I have teamed up for Brush Talk here on Blaq Vixen Beauty. I don't talk too much about my brush collection but since I'm planning to buy some more soon, I'd figured now would be a good time. The latest brushes I bought were back in April, when I was in Mississippi for TDY. I bought the Face Powder Brush with Folding Mini Brush from Elizabeth Arden as well as their 5-Piece Brush Essentials Set. I didn't bring my ecoTOOLS brush set because I didn't think that I was going to buy any makeup. Since I'm not a morning person, I didn't think that I would be waking up early to apply makeup. I should've known better because I ended up buying makeup! I bought a two lip glosses, six brushes and a foundation. That's not too bad, right? :) Anyway, the first installment is in draft. Stay tuned for that! We'll be talking about brushes that we own, have tried and our favorites. We will also spill what we use to clean our brushes. Just today, Tia told me that she was on a beauty forum when she read that one member uses extra virgin olive oil (yes, the type that you get from the grocery store) to clean her brushes! I knew extra virgin olive oil was good for the hair but didn't know that it was great for cleaning brushes. I hope to have it up either today or next week. But I'm shooting for today though.

Yesterday, I was contacted by BeautyTicket to do a giveaway here on Blaq Vixen Beauty. Now, before, I was swearing off of giveaways for a while, since my last handful of giveaways proved to be a hassle. However, I've changed my mind! For my latest giveaway, I'm giving away a 8-Piece Living Water Spa Set from Borghese. Worth $189, you can snag this luxurious at-home spa set for $49.99 for a savings of $139.01! You can save even more by using my special coupon code for all my lovely blaq vixens! This giveaway starts on Monday so don't forget to stop by and enter your name for a chance to win! For those of you who won my Suave giveaway, trust, I haven't forgotten about you!

Lastly, I volunteered to do a guest beauty review on A Girl's Gotta Spa! I'll be reviewing Freeman's Bare Foot Peppermint and Plum Creamy Pumice Foot Scrub. This isn't the only scent available, as I recently learned. If Peppermint & Plum doesn't sound appealing, you can choose from Iced Teaberry and Mint or Lemon and Sage.  Although it's not as popular as Olay Thermal Pedicure, it is formulated for us who stay up on our foot game. If you have minimal dry skin on your heels and between your toes, you'll benefit from this. If you need something heavy duty, please get the Thermal Pedicure! However, Freeman also has a self-warming version of this product if you're interested. You know, I am instantly reminded of what happened when I went shopping with my best friend. We were at Wal-Mart in the bath aisle. I told her how much I loved Olay Thermal Pedicure and how much I loved the warming sensation. When she saw that it cost about $8, she instantly grabbed the Freeman version. She told me, "$8?! I don't have money like that!" How ironic, when she can easily drop $100+ on sexy lingerie at Victoria's Secret! Let me stop!