Urban Decay Book of Eyeshadows Palette Dupe?

I took yet another trip to Target the other day, I had other things I was looking for,

but I took a quick peek in the Beauty section and look what I ran into!

e.l.f. BEAUTY BOOK $5 USD

I picked up the "Smokey" edition too but

this post will be focused on the "Eye Brights" edition.

I was super excited when I saw these babies and I knew I couldn't pass them up.

They also had a neutral palette but I knew I already had a handful palettes just like it at home, it would have been a waste of five bucks, so I bought an iced coffee instead :)

The first thought that popped in my head was "Dupe??" for the

Urban Decay Book of Shadows.

A lot of these shades are easily compared to each other.

There are some differences:

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Packaging, Weight, Quality, PRICE ($45 USD) , and eye shadows have names.

(click on any of these images to view larger)
From these swatches you can see for yourself that I am not on something,

they do look very alike!

The e.l.f. shadows in this palette are ultra soft and super pigmentated.

A cool feature that I think beginners would appreciate:

A step by step guide to applying eye shadows and creating a look.

But if you don't like to read, watch one of my videos girl!

WHY IS IT SO CHEAP??

from experience with e.l.f. first hand, I can tell you that you do pay for what you get.

Not that this palette is broken down, but it does have obvious flaws and looks poorly made.

From this angle (picture below) you will see the way the pans sit awkwardly in the palette mold.

Other than that this palette is a great item to have in a travel kit. Its cheap and you wont scream bloody murder if it breaks!

Not that I screamed when I dropped a new blush that I JUST bought. Lol.

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Well I love these kinds of posts, I hope you all do too.

Short and sweet and also CHEAP!

Happy Shopping!

**Latina Kisses**

-Sonia

The Dunkas...Jude's first day at the beach!

The Dunkas

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I always get asked "What does Dunka mean?"

Good question. Kris made it up one day when we were laying around enjoying our new (at the time) son. He started talking like a caveman and 'Dunka' came out.

I know it sounds strange, but to us, its just us.

I got a call from my twin sister, Christina, and she invited us to the beach with her little family.

I couldn't pass it up. I love my family, and now that I have Jude, I was super excited!

I had really horrible experiences as a child that involved the water so I don't go in anymore.

Amen Kris was all for it because Jude had a blast.

Putting this post together, it was really hard to pick a handful of photos.



Kris and I never planed to have children, even before we got together we had our minds set on a childless future. When I found out I was pregnant, my heart told me differently.
My son is everything to me.

My Heart My Love My Light


This picture (above) was taken a couple of months before Jude was born.

I can't believe the size of my belly.

I was told I was going to miss it.

I miss feeling Jude wiggling around.



Before we became parents....
...after god gave us our biggest blessing.

Its been a fun ride so far and I'm sure its just going to get better.

We all got home safe without sunburns, so it is safe to say Jude's first day at the beach was filled with good times and will be remembered...always

*Latina Kisses*

-Sonia

I am on GLAMOUR's website! Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday...I'm 26 years old and I still look good thanks to my mom and her cool genes, Happy Birthday to me!

I woke up to my BlackBerry almost exploding thanks to all of the love on

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and YOUTUBE.

It was insane. I have never felt so special ever.

I usually have to share my love and birthday wishes with my twin sister Christina, but not this year! Thank you everyone for all of the messages :)

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So my last post was about the video I posted on an inspired look from the cover of Glamour Magazine...guess what??
I was mentioned on Glamour's website!
The section is called:

"The Girls in the Beauty Dept" - Daily Beauty Blog
(click the link to see the post)

I was so excited. Then they even tweeted to their 20,000+ followers on Twitter.

I was like can this day get any better?? I am so happy today, nothing can bring me down!

I'm not too sure what we have planned on this special day, I'm not a big drinker or a dancer so I know a club is not I'm my near future...maybe dinner?

Thanks again for all of the love and

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

CHRISTINA MY TWIN,

I LOVE YOU!

I would like you to meet Michael Todd, well his cosmetics.

Okay, so if you haven't already picked up the newest issue of GLAMOUR,

what the heck are you waiting for?
So obviously from the title of this post I am not going to rave about the magazine because frankly I don't have to, we all know its a great.

I just uploaded a video on YouTube, and I'm sure most of you are here because of it so welcome!

(Click here to watch the video)

The video is an inspired look of the bubbly Vanessa Hudgens.

Lets get the FTC mumbo jumbo out of the way...
Yes they sent me the products for free, and No I was not paid for this post or my video.

On to the review...

Michael Todd

This is all of what they sent me. I am going to be very honest with you, as I know a lot if not most of my subscribers trust my word and my opinion.

Some of these items I didn't care for the colors not because they were ugly, just because they werent me. so I will probably store them away until I think of a look I might need a orange-red lip. I don't love and don't hate mineral makeup, but its not the first item(s) on my list.

With that being sad, I didn't take pictures of the two that I got nor will I discuss them.

Now to the coolest product: Cream Glace Click Pen in "Nude"

You have to click them about 10 times before the product comes into the brush head.

Ive owned a few of these click types, so it was not a big deal.

The color is beautiful and I think its the perfect highlight for the lips.

The applicator is pretty bulky but also very light weight.

When I was loading the lip gloss I thought I broke it because its not clear how one would go about removing and refilling. Aside from minor flaws, I love it!

I think I had one "wtf?!" moments and it was with the brush that came in the palette.

The third time that I used it, the brush head from one end broke off.

I really do prefer my MAC / Sigma Makeup brushes over any other

brushes so I was not too surprised by the quality. Honestly how many times does anyone use the tiny little brushes palettes come with?

I always fell like KING KONG because my hands are so big and the brush is awkwardly tiny.

Here is the cake liner in "Black" that I used as an eyeshadow, and "Hummingbird" blush.

I have yet to use the cake liner for its original purpose, but the pigmentation dry its way better than my matte black from MAC I can tell you that much. The blush is very pigmented (= more money for your buck) so it would also work great for an eyeshadow and light contouring.

On to the liners. I obviously haven't touched "grape" the purple liner, but "black ebony" is definitely a re buy. I have gone through 3 hip cream liners by Loreal only to find myself let with a crusty dry jar of yuck. This gel liner is tiny, but seriously, you only need to dip it once to get the job done.

The eyeshadow base is also a good product. I don't like the initial texture because it feels too watery. After it hits the air, it almost changes form and looks more like a base should. I was happily surprised with this product.

The color is a perfect middle of white and nude.

Now if you have been following me, it will come to no surprise that I love the cream sticks.

These can be used all over the face according to the companies website, but I think they are perfect for cheek color.

The Everything Sticks

The top golden color is "Trixi" and the other is "Dixie"

The pink is lighter than I was hoping but I think it would be amazing for a quick touch up at the beach. I can definitely see myself throwing this in my overnight bag.

All in all, I was thankful to the company for introducing me and those of you who follow me to their company and its products. I looked up prices on their website as well as on a very popular website All Cosmetics Wholesale. and the prices are very reasonable considering there mentions in popular magazines.

Like I said already, I love the lipgloss pens, the cake liner, and of course my new favorites: the "Everything" sticks.

Keep it fabulous!

*Latina Kisses*

-Sonia

Blushing over Affordable Cream Blush Sticks

So you might know, if you follow me on twitter, that I was searching high and low

for these three beauties.

Blushable CREME STICK by N.Y.C. Color

Someone told me to check Rite Aid. I never go there because its in a shopping center that doesn't really have stores that I visit. Good thing I have twitter because like a silly goose I went to 5 different CVS's in about 2 days with no luck.

I was hearing mixed reviews on these sticks but being a loca for makeup, I wanted them anyways.

When I got home I was super excited to try them out. To my surprise, they were not greasy like I was informed by a lot of chicas who have them. They are not too hard too soft...

just right for what they are, sticks.

They run about $5 each so I felt like there was enough product in each tube for the price.

From left to right - South Street Seashell, Berry New Yorker, and Plaza Pink

Pink Plaza is a perfect highlight color, South Street Seashell is an amazing color, and I will use Berry New Yorker for contouring.

Here are the other colors that are available if you are interested:

The reason these are different from my MAC and NYX :

1. These guys are in a stick, and I can throw them in my bag without freaking out.

2. They were $5 and sold a the drugstore down the street, where they sell other affordable makeup and Nutter Butters.

3. They are not sticky and lay on the skin thick and heavy. You can build

up the color but when I reach for a blush stick I wanna slap it on really quick.

4. No brush = cute faster

5. see #4 for the best reason

Like in all my posts, tell me what you think. Hate them? Love them? Have them? What colors are your favorite.

Alright girl friends, Take cake and stay Fabulous!

*Latin Kisses*

-Sonia

I was "Just Bitten" by Edward...I mean Revlon

Today I went to my sisters house to watch "New Moon" I don't know why we are watching the Twilight saga in reverse but I guess we are getting it done.

I went to CVS for some popcorn and I ran into this blood sucker...I mean lip stain.

Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in the color "Frenzy"

The felt tip reminds me of a marker when I was in school.
I really like this kind of applicator because its easy to stay "in the lines".
When I researched the product before I started this post, Revlon came out with a roller ball stain which sounded like it would get everywhere and make you look like you drank a pitcher of kool-aide.
The part of this product I did and didn't like was the lip balm. I loved the smooth texture, the fact that there was no scent, and the mega shine without and stickiness...BUT what you see is what you get.
I would have made the balm retractable so that it lasts longer.

If you are intimidated by the packaging thinking your lips are going to be TOO dark, take a look at this swatch. This is one swipe. Above the stain is the balm...its so moisturizing my alligator skin sucked it up lol.

Now do not be alarmed by my mouth all up in your face.

This picture was taken in natural light and photoshop free so you can get an idea of how intense it could be. So overall I loved this lipstain and would recommend this product to first time users. It is a little pricey, $10 in drugstores, but worth every penny. Other colors that I want to try are "Twilight" and "Forbidden". I want "Forbidden" just because its...uh...forbidden.

If you have one for these and love the color, let me know which one I should pick up.

Until next time, take care and stay FABULOUS!

*Latina Kisses*

-Sonia