Love yourself! In this case you only need one to tango!

Following the lead of my fellow beauty bloggers Tammy at Lazy Beautiful and Renee at Beauty Fool, I've decided to write on what I love about myself.

If you're lucky, you either grew up with healthy self esteem or you discovered it as you grew up. If you're unlucky, you struggle with your self-image and self-worth almost daily. Personally, I am a little bit of both. I truly love myself and would never in a million years want to be anyone else but sometimes society's and my own expectations are hard to get out from under.

So, in honor of building my self esteem and making those bad days a little better, here is what I love about myself:

• I love to smile and laugh! I bring joy and happiness to those around me whether it be at work, or to my friends and family.
• I am funny.
• I love my dark, naturally curly hair whether it is clean and bouncy, or sexy and unkempt, I think it looks fabulous all the time!
• I love that I am a "nice" person, but I don't let people walk all over me.
• I love that I am like a fierce mother bear with my boyfriend and younger brothers, if anyone messes with them, they have to deal with me (and it ain't pretty).
• I love that I am hardworking and trustworthy, I truly value my reputation.
• I love that I'm not afraid to express myself or to try new things!
• I love my small ankles and wrists.
• I love that I am a vegan and love animals (I am seriously obsessed), but I don't alienate the people in my life who do consume meat.
• I love that I love so much about myself that I could literally list hundreds of things!

I'm going to leave it at that for now! I think sometimes it's hard to see the beauty and light in yourself when you don't know how to look for it, but no matter how much you struggle with your self-image, your list of things you don't like about yourself should always be much shorter than the list of things you love about yourself! And if it isn't, I'm sure there are tons of people you know that would prove you wrong! Don't be afraid to reach out and let others help you if you need it.

Happy Friday (almost)!

love, iCandy

iCandy invites you to join www.TheFairest.com

Hey ladies!

I found this great site called The Fairest where members can save up to 75% off retail prices on the latest fashions. It's free to join. They really have amazing prices on some of my favorite brands and I know how much you like a good deal!

Check it out if you haven't already!

Before I post my updated review of The Fairest's processing and shipping procedures (still unhappy, but there is a silver lining) I have to post about all of the amazing sales that are going on right now!

Sonya Dakar (ends in the next 12 hours!)- Not only are skincare products offered, but also Sonya Dakar Beauty Bootcamp products like vitamins and skin/body nourishing shakes (I scooped one up in the strawberry flavor)!

BURN- fancy candles, hand wash, and lotions and body creams with fantastic scents, need I say more?

POP Beauty- Score an entire beauty cabinet (1 bronzer, 3 blushes, black eyeliner, a gold highlighter, 10 eyeshadows, and 6 "lip dews") for $11.40! Everything in this sale is deliciously marked down! There isn't a single item priced above $17.00!

Primal Elements- More kitschy and cute than "ooh-able", this is the least exciting of all 4 sales, but I still couldn't resist the Cupcake Sugar Whip Moisturizing Body Scrub with it's butter cake scent and bedazzled container.

Use this code to get $10 off a purchase of $75 or more: CLOSETHF10, and find more codes at RetailMeNot!

My college fund has just been sufficiently depleted (just kidding, Mom)!

:)

Happy October 1st!

love, iCandy

From Lazybeautiful- Barbie Loves Stila Smudge Pot Swatches

A huge face-a-holic thank you to Tammy for posting these swatches! This is the one product I've been dying to see before I bought it. Just click HERE (http://lazybeautiful.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/barbie-loves-stila-smudge-pots-shimmery-goodness/) to see her fabulous swatches and see which color is right for you!

TheFairest.com

I've already invited you to join ideeli.com (if you haven't already, sign up using this link www.ideeli.com/invite/iCandy- it's free!) for amazing deals (up to and sometimes over 75% off) on designer clothes and accessories. But, this morning my mom sent me an invite to TheFairest.com,which is basically the same thing but for beauty products! I know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I definitely get most of my beauty and fashion sense from her!

From what I've seen so far, products are usually 50% off. Right now Stila cosmetics and CoolaSkincare products are on sale for the next 2 days. We all know Stila, but Coola Skincare is an organic, natural, and paraben-free suncare line. See more info and products HERE.

To be honest, the Stila products offered were just ok. Mostly lip products, but still a good deal if you are in need!

I heard about the Coola line last year but it unfortunately didn't stay on my radar. I might just have to break my beauty-spending freeze and get some of their face and body sunscreens.

If neither of these sales tickle your fancy, Jurlique, Butter London, and Tarte sales are coming soon! Go to TheFairest.com to join and take advantage of all the great deals!

love, iCandy

Tarte-tastic savings thanks to lazybeautiful!

Head on over to lazybeautiful to find a promo code that will get you 40% off tarte products until August 24th! Most of the products are already reasonably priced, so at such a steep discount why shouldn't you try a tinted lip balm or a cheek tint?

Treat yourself to some amazing, natural and eco-friendly beauty products from tarte. At 40% off, there's really no reaosn not to.

Go to lazybeautiful for the code and head on over to tartecosmetics.com to start shopping!

Why didn't I think of this?

An amazing, recession friendly hair tip from Holic.boX courtesy of face-a-holic friend Polaris Supernova:

Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on fancy products to make your hair look like you spent a day at the beach lounging in the sun and splashing in the ocean, just bring some of the ocean home with you to re-create the look!

Check out the post HERE to rule the shore with your sexy waves.

If you can't get to the beach or feel more comfortable making your own salt-water spray at home, mix about 1/4 cup of salt into a spray bottle of water, mist onto freshly showered hair, and let your hair dry naturally.

love,

iCandy

P.S.- Want more hair tips? Check out this about.com article, Hair Styling: 13 Secrets to Sexy Hair to steal tricks from the pros.

Coconut Love, Polaris!

It looks like Coconut fever is spreading! Check out Polaris Supernova's blog response to my post at her face-a-holic inspired blog holicblox.blogspot.com about Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo.

Find out if it's worth the splurge, and if coconut is as good in your hair as it is on your skin.

;O

love,

iCandy

As if I needed another reason to shop...

My girl Tammy at Lazy Beautiful just posted oodles of discount codes for some of my favorite online beauty retailers (Clinique,Benefit,MAC and many more!). If you were thinking of trying a new cleanser or eye shadow, or anything at all, check the post out HERE first to make sure you get the most bang for your buck!
love,
iCandy

Reader Review: Tammy on Rimmel's Stay Matte Foundation

Name: Tammy
Website: http://lazybeautiful.wordpress.com/
City: Los Angeles, CA

Skin Type: Oily/Acne-prone
Skin Tone: Medium/Tan

Never leave the house without: Lip balm! I make my own. Also, Ben Nye Neutral Set face powder and Ecotools Recycled Aluminum Retractable Kabuki brush.

Summer Slim-Down Secret: 1. Drink lots of water. I highly recommend using a Sigg aluminum bottle. They save you money by not having to buy plastic water bottles all the time! 2. Take your vitamins. I love Centrum Chewables; they're so convenient and don't make me queasy! 3. Exercise (duh!)

Review: Rimmel's Stay Matte Foundation
I usually purchase my foundations from Sephora because I've never come across a drugstore brand that has not given me a bad reaction (and the color is never exactly right). I had been looking for a drugstore foundation to save some money, so when I saw the ad for Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation, I decided to give it a try. Target had it on sale for five bucks! Score! I got it in Sand, the darkest shade available. Let's start with packaging. Love it! It's compact, great for travel, and easy to see how much is left in the tube. Also, the tube makes it very sanitary because you don't have to pour it out or stick applicators inside to get the product out. The application? Smooth and blended easily, but sadly the shade ended up being a bit too light for my medium to tan, Asian skin. Also, it does not stay matte like it claims. I have very oily skin and I thought this would help keep shine at bay, but it didn't. It has very little staying power; I wore this with primer and it still faded within hours and made my face feel slick. Not a good look. The only good thing is that I didn't get any bad reactions. In fact, it helped clear up my little cluster of acne on my forehead! I returned it after a week and went straight back to Sephora. If Rimmel made this foundation with better staying power and more colors, I would give it another go. Until then, I'm sticking to Sephora for my foundation needs. I guess you really do get you pay for when it comes to foundation.

A thousand thank you's to Tammy for submitting her review, I was dying to know if this foundation was worth trying! Make sure to check out Tammy's blog at http://lazybeautiful.wordpress.com/.

iCandy at Beauty and The Blog

I was lucky enough to be a guest blogger for Sephora's Beauty and The Blog! Check out my top five can't live without beauty products (and find out my real name!) HERE!

Think I missed something? Let me know! I'd love to hear what you treasure most and could absolutely not live without in your beauty arsenal. I always welcome reader reviews and tips (comment or e-mail icandy.faceaholic@gmail.com), because for every girl that has curly hair, medium skin and an oily T-zone (like yours truly) there are dozens more who are opposite in every way who could benefit from a truly great product that maybe just isn't quite right for me. Don't be shy! Who doesn't love a little inbox love?
love,
iCandy

makeupandbeautyblog.com

Although you probably can't tell, I actually love to read and listen as much as I love to write and talk (I know, right, crazy!). So yesterday I came across something at makeupandbeautyblog.com, that I just have to share! The post is called 21 skin care tips (you can link to it from the title or from the picture at the top). If you're like me, or most women, your skin isn't perfect (sadly!), but what most of us don't know is how our lives and our habits are affecting our skin, not just what we wash our face with. I love this post because the tips are great, and it's not just about preventing blemishes and aging, but also about erasing the scars and damages that have already been done!
What I like most are the videos and links that provide even more information! So don't stress about those mini-wrinkles or those acne scars, or even that tell-tale pms pimple, because there is always something you can do, and let's face it, stress is the most damaging thing to our skin and our lives!

Polyvore

Spring Fever by face-a-holic.blogspot.com featuring Current/Elliott jackets

Already thinking about all those sassy summer clothes you are dying to have but could NEVER afford? So am I! At polyvore.com you can still play with all the fun trends for summer even if you can't afford to buy them. I'm already addicted and the pic above is my first set. Don't make me play alone! Join and make your own!