Thursday, November 13, 2014

Tarte: Petite Treats

*Nothing to Disclose







Today I have an Advent calendar, of sorts. I've been lusting over British Advent calendars for years and they're just starting to catch on over here. I know Benefit has one, but I haven't found any other full advent calendars here in the States. I did find this little set that's an Ulta exclusive from Tarte. It's a 12 days of Christmas calendar. I've long been obsessed with opening presents as many days as possible in December and this helps feed my present addiction.

You get 12 sample or deluxe sample size items in a very cute calendar package. The actual name is The Petite Treats 12 Days of Tarte, and I think you get a really good variety of goodies. You get a mascara primer, 2 different formulas of mascara, a lip tint, a blush, a self-tanning towelette, eye cream, primer, glow booster, travel-sized maracuja oil, face scrub, and a setting powder. 

This sells for 37 dollars and is worth far more than that. I tore into this baby the night I got it. There was no waiting for Christmas to open it. 

Let me know what you think. Are you on the Advent calendar band wagon? I wish I could have them all!

Monday, November 10, 2014

The Body Shop: Holiday Scents

*Nothing to Disclose



The Holiday scents are here! Nothing makes me more excited that discovering when Holiday collections are released. That being said there are several posts I'm planning for the month of November all about Holiday goodies.

Today I have a couple of The Body Shop's offerings. It was actually the Holiday scents that got me hooked on The Body Shop to begin with, and I haven't looked back since.  I have two sets today and both are priced at 15 dollars. One contains three one ounce hand creams and the other three mini sized body butters. 

First off the formula of both products is out of this world. I've been a fan of both their body butters and hand creams for ages. I like that they recently came out with smaller hand creams. It's much easier to carry one around if its smaller.

As for the scents they're festive, but not spicy. I like the spicier scents like the spiced vanilla they had a few years ago. It was amazing. This year we have Glazed Apple, Vanilla Brulee, and Frosted Cranberry. The apple and cranberry are very fruity and nice, but the vanilla is the real winner in my opinion. It smells so similar to their other vanilla scents. I love it. 

Both sets come in cute packaging, but before I could get photos of it my dog ran away with the box to the body butters. He loves to steal paper. 

I think these are both great stocking stuffers or even stand alone gifts for someone on a budget. As someone on a budget myself I'll be buying more to give to people on my Christmas lists.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Makeup Bag Essentials: November

*Nothing to Disclose





It's that time again, Time to switch up the makeup routine. Honestly, my routine rarely changes. I may switch up colors but overall things stay the same. That being said I'll tell you about a few of my new additions. 

For fall I'm loving the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. It's the perfect balmy berry color that's not too dark for me to pull off. I own a few other colors and of the few I have this is the least pigmented. I think that works in it's favor in this instance. I'm not big on the bright lips.

One thing I have changed recently is my foundation. I've been struggling with liquid foundations for years and I'm never happy with the result. They always find their way to break down on my nose and give me trouble. So I switched to a powder foundation. I got a sample of the Bare Minerals loose foundation and I've been loving it. There is still some break down, but since you need so little to get good coverage it's not bad. I know I'll be buying the full size when I run out of my sample.

My last new product that I'm in LOVE with is the ELF Lip Exfoliator. It's by far the most convenient lip scrub I've come across and I love it. I can't say enough good things about it. 

So those are the new things in my makeup bag. As the months go on you'll find that the other things very rarely change. 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow

*Purchased by Me



My love for all things neutral struck again. This time in the form of these gorgeous super pigmented pressed shadows. I've seen these floating around the community for ages, but didn't really buy into the hype. I came across some of them in a super clearance sale a few months ago and snatched up the middle shade called Cafe Latte. It's the perfect inner corner and all over lid color. After falling for the consistency and staying power I knew I needed more.

I had seen swatches of Amber Rush (on the right) and thought it was the perfect rose gold color. I began searching and after looking in about 5 different stores I found it while I was on vacation in the Keweenaw this past June. I was more excited about this shadow than I was pretty much anything else on my trip.

My most recent acquisition is the color on the left. Liquid Diamond. The perfect purple toned grey. I wear it all over my lid and often wear it alone. The photo shows it more as a blue tone, but I've noticed that lots of purples show up blue. If you ever find yourself in the makeup section of your local store give this color a gander. I'm so in love with it.

The claims are that this color will last for 24 hours. I've tried it with primer and without. With primer I went all day without a crease in sight. Without primer I started noticing a crease after about three hours. I normally never go sans primer if I'm wearing eye shadow.

The best way to apply these are with your finger, but I've recently found that a small flat synthetic concealer brush works pretty well too.

What are some of you're favorite long wearing eye shadows?

Monday, October 27, 2014

Jo Malone: New Favorite Fragrance?

*Purchased by Me



I blame YouTube for my love of Jo Malone. After seeing several YouTubers mention this brand and more specifically this perfume I knew I had to try it out. Sadly, I live in the middle of nowhere with no access to a Jo Malone counter or store. Enter Ebay! I know it can be tricky buying cosmetics and/or perfumes from Ebay, but there are a few really good sellers out there. I searched and found a sample to buy, and at first I wasn't in love.

On first sniff I thought it smelled a an old lady, but after trying it a few more times it grew on me. It grew on me so much that I took the dive a bought a bottle. Here's a list of the notes so you can get an idea of the scent. Top note is red apple; middle notes are peony, jasmine, carnation and rose; base note is suede. It's not my usual scent, but I like that I'm branching out as a perfume wearer.

I'm planning a trip to Chicago and found out there's a Jo Malone counter in several stores I'm going to visit. I can't wait to go there and smell all the pretties. On the other hand. I'm nervous about how much I'm going to spend. 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Polish

*Purchased by Me

I Lilac You:





Mintalicious:




I'm a big advocate for pastels colors in fall. I think they can add a pop to your outfit like no other. That being said it's tricky to get a pastel creme polish to behave. I've had several experiences with streaky messes, which are never fun. I found these beauties at Walmart a few months ago and knew right then and there that I needed them. 

They're both from the Rimmel London's 60 second line. One is a yummy mint and the other a light lilac color. Both have great coverage in two coats, but being the stickler that I am I used three. Since buying these I've picked up about five more colors from the range including a gorgeous teal. 

There are two things about these polishes that really get me excited. First of all the price. They're 1.50 each. One one hand you can buy a few, but on the other hand you can buy ALL of them. The other thing I love about them is the color range. For the most part they're all creme finishes, but there are a few that are shimmery. I can't wait to go and pick out a few more. 

Monday, October 20, 2014

Allure Sample Society: October

*Purchased for the purpose of review





Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE monthly sample boxes. So when I heard about one from Allure, one of the best beauty magazines around I had to have it. It's 15 dollars a month with free shipping. I can say for sure that this month was worth WAY more that 15 dollars. Nothing better than getting a full size high end product for practically free, right?

Unlike some sample services you can't really customize it like you can with services like Ispy. That's a bit of a downside, but overall I'm happy with my box this month and can't wait to get my hands on next month's box. I got four product, three are samples or deluxe samples, but the last one is a full size product. 

I'm not really into self tanning so the Tarte Brazilliance pads are going to go to waste. I think they're a great product, but just not for me.

The sample of Givenchy's new perfume was great because I really wanted to give it a sniff. I was sadly disappointed in the smell. It's far too heavy for my liking. I'm horrible at describing scents so here's a list of the notes. Golden Fruit (Mirabelle Plum), White Flower Bouquet (Mainly Jasmine), Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli.

The Lorac primer is something I might have to get in full size. I'm loving the feel of it. I'm also loving that it's a matte primer. As a girl with super oily skin a matte finish is key. 

Lastly we have a product that I'm the most excited about. I've been on the search for a good eye cream for months and had just about given up. Enter the Restorsea eye cream. A product derived from the sea with all sorts of good for you natural ingredients, and none of the icky ones. When I saw this in the box I squeed a bit. I squeed even more when I found out that the full size is 85 dollars. The final squee came when I went to the site and found out the "sample" I got in my box WAS the full size!!!!!!!!!! There are no words for how excited I was to have an 85 dollar product in my 15 dollar box. If that's the quality I can expect from this every month, sign me up.

What are some of your favorite sample boxes? I'm always looking to try more. 

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Glasses by Firmoo

*Partially Purchased and Partially Provided for Review



I was contacted by Firmoo a few weeks ago, and asked if I would like to try out a pair of glasses for free. Being a glasses wearer I jumped all over the offer. My first thoughts were to get a new pair of sunglasses, but I was quickly informed that the offer was for regular glasses only. 

I browsed their site and found a few pairs I loved. I have a really wide head and there wasn't really a pair that sounded like it would fit the right way. After searching for a while I landed of this pair of subtle cat eye glasses. I love a vintage style frame and this was just perfect. The fit is a little tight, but nothing I haven't dealt with before. 

Checking out was easy. Just enter your prescription and such and away you go. You may have noticed in my disclaimer at the top that there were only partially free. That's because I have pretty bad eyes. I had to upgrade to a different lens and that was a ten dollar cost. My pretty bad eyes also stop me from wearing contacts.

My overall experience was a good one and I won't hesitate to look at their site in the future. My next pair will without a doubt be a new pair of sunglasses. 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Glam Glow: Super Mud

*Purchased by me



Can we just take a moment and freak out because it's OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!! Quite possibly my favorite month ever. The leaves, the sweaters, the boots, and the covers. I'm a sucker for snuggling up in bed with blankets and a good book/laptop and wasting a day. I'm really good at it and October is the perfect month to waste a day.

On to the product! Glam Glow is something I've been lusting over for months. I'm a girl with greasy skin and clogged pores. I don't want to be, but that's what I'm stuck with. I had heard so many things about this mask, but with the whopping price tag I was stunned. I finally found it on sale online and bought it. I didn't know what I was missing. I don't think I can ever live without this in my life. It's that good. 

Now, I'm not going to post any action shots because no one needs to see my blackheads. It's just not proper. So if you really need to see this in action look it up on Google. The mask is super dark and thick. It covers really well and dries to a lighter grey color when it's ready to be washed.

I put a thin layer on my trouble spots: my nose, my chin, and any other spots that have issues. I like to let it set for 30 minutes, and then wash it off with a warm wash cloth. Afterwards my face feels soft and clear and ready for serum and moisturizing. I try to do this at least twice a month, but if my skin is being really crappy I do it once a week. 

Have you tried any of the Glam Glow masks? I've only tried this one, but I'm intrigued and want to try more. What are your favorites?

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Wet n Wild Fall Mattes

*Purchased by me



I love nail polish. There's no denying it, but I'm not the biggest fan of matte finishes. So when I saw this collection I was skeptical, but at less than 2 dollars a bottle it's worth a shot. This collection has six gorgeous colors and I love them all for fall. 

I do have to say these don't really dry to a matte finish. They have more of a satin finish which I like a bit more than flat matte. Every time I've wear these colors I still put on a top coat. It just makes the polish last longer.

The colors from left to right on the swatch wheel are: Rouge 66, Echo Dark, Berry on Trend, Distressed to Impress, Careful, It's Vine-tage, and LAC-My Mani? All of the swatches are three coats no top coat. 

My favorites are the winter white, the purple, and the brown. I've really been into neutrals recently, and that winter white/creamy color is the perfect undies for so many toppers. 

I've seen these at several Walgreen's stores, and all of them are still in great supply. These are limited edition so if you're interested, go grab them up. 

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Body Shop: A Haul

*Purchased by me.



I love The Body Shop. I was invited to an at home party (do they still do these?) several years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I recently took advantage of a buy three get three free sale on their site and wanted to share my goodies. If you missed this promo, don't worry. There's always at least one promo that's current.

I stocked up on my all time favorite moisturizer. The body butter. There's nothing better. I bought two, one in almond and the other in coconut. Both have been go to scents for me for years. They're the perfect thing to keep my skin hydrated all winter long.

I also thought I would try a new hand and foot cream that smells of honey and beeswax. it does smell a little of old lady, but the scent doesn't linger. The texture on this is thicker than a body butter, but it absorbs so quickly it doesn't leave a greasy feeling. 

My one and only makeup product is a bronzer. I'm so pale that I've yet to find a bronzer that doesn't make me look orange. I've heard good things about this, and I'm hopeful it will work. I got it in shade two as when I placed my order as shade one was out of stock. Last I checked it was back in stock.

I went a little skin care crazy with this order. It started with an old favorite, the chamomile cleansing butter (review to come), and went off the rails from there. Since I love the cleansing butter to much I wanted to try something else from the chamomile range. I grabbed the chamomile cleansing oil and I can only hope that it works as well as the butter.

After I'm done with the makeup removing cleansers, like the chamomile ones, I like to use something that actually cleans my skin. I decided to try the tea tree oil cool and creamy cleanser. Since I have oily acne prone skin I thought it would be perfect. I can already tell we're going to get along, nothing can smell that good and be bad.

I also thought I would try out a serum. I have oily skin for sure, but it can also be really sensitive. So, I decided to give the aloe serum a go. It's super mild, but really helps keep your skin from drying. I've used it a few times and can already tell a difference.

I've been hearing tons of good things about The Body Shop's Vitamin C range and wanted to try couple things. I opted for the Vitamin C Skin Boost which can be used before or after moisturizer. It can also act as a makeup primer. I also bought the Vitamin C day lotion. It has an SPF of 30 and a nice orange scent. I'm very sensitive to the smell of chemical sunscreen, so I can tell this one isn't going to work for me. 

I'm really pleased with what I bought and can't wait to start using some of the new products. Let me know what you'd like to me review from my haul.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Orly Rage

*Purchased by me, for me




It's no secret that I love nail polish. As much as I love it, I've been in a funk. There have been weeks, that's right, weeks where I've gone naked. Just a base coat longing for the perfect color to paint my tips. Well, not anymore. I've found the color that changes everything.

Orly Rage isn't a new color and it's not even new to me. I've had this bottle for the better part of a year. It was just sitting there in my rack looking neglected. It had even started to separate. Then one day I looked at it and knew. It was time to bust out the metallic goodness that is Rage.

It's a great coppery almost rose gold foil polish, and unlike many other foil polishes it applies like a dream. No streaking and no need for the obligatory third coat to even it all out. I just did two coats and coat of my favorite top coat and I was out the door.

I have so much love for this color that I've worn it twice in the last month. I keep reaching for it, and think it will take my nails into fall with ease and style.

What's you're go to transition color for fall?

Monday, September 29, 2014

Forever 21: A Haul

*Purchased by me


I've been wanting to try Forever 21 makeup for ages. I just needed to find the right catalyst to give me the push I needed. I came across an adorable cat palette on Facebook and I knew it had to be mine. Once I got to the magical bargain filled site I went a bit nuts. I can't get over the packaging. First the cat palette, so cute. I can't. Then the floral packaging on the six pan palette is drool-worthy. So much so that I left it in tact.  I have it in a little shrine that I've made for beautiful packaging. Yeah, I'm that kind of weird.

I got three eye shadow palettes, a face palette, a blush, a vanilla lip scrub (yum!), a moisturizing lipstick, a super gorgeous velvet lip gloss, and to top it all off a Barbie makeup bag. I can't tell you how much I love that makeup bag. As soon as I was done with these photos I dumped out my other makeup bag and put my essentials in the Barbie bag. I let out a little squee when I opened it.

I have plans to review a couple items from this collection and will post more info in there. I just wanted to share all the goodies that I got.  I can honestly say that this will not be my last Forever 21 purchase. 

Friday, September 12, 2014

The Perfect Fall Polish

*Made by me. Paired with a dress by Mod Cloth

Wow, it's been a long time reader. I thought had retired from the wonderful world of nail polish blogging, but alas. She's a fickle mistress. I just can't give it up. So, I'm here today to present the perfect fall polish.

I was contacted by Mod Cloth to pair one of their party dresses with nail art inspired by said dress. Now, if you know me I'm horrible at nail art. So, I created a polish to go with the dress I chose. That's one thing I'm good at doing. I can make polish like no other.

Feeling like making the most of what's left of summer? Go check out their dresses and the post I was inspired by.

Here's a picture of the dress in question. Isn't she gorgeous?
Check it out
You can see my love of vintage and lace with this dress.  I like to think I captured this dress really well in my polish. I wanted something simple that would let the dress shine. With that in mind I created a brown-red base with shimmer in gold and pink. I really love how it turned out. Simple, yet gorgeous.




I'm in love with it. I never want to take it off. I think it works well with the dress and as a great color for fall. The weather her has been super humid and my original swatch wound up being matte, and while I'm not a fan of matte polishes, this color matted could make me a believer. It just that stunning. 

While the intent was to make a polish just for this dress, I think this would be a great addition to my store. If you're interested in a bottle let me know and I can make up a batch to list.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Cameo Colours Moulin Rouge

*Sent to Me for the purpose of review.

Today dear reader, I have collection based on Moulin Rouge. There are no words for how exciting this is for me.  I LOVE Moulin Rouge and basically anything French. I got sent minis of all six of these colors and all of them are holographic.  My all time favorite finish for nail polish. So, onto the polish!



Spectacular, Spectacular! I dare you to not sing this while saying the name. It can't be helped. This is a gorgeous super holographic topcoat that looks like magic on your nails.  I've paired it with a deep grey color and can literally see this being stunning over any number of colors.



The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn is a deep blurple holo polish.  It took two coats to get great coverage, but I did a third coat because I'm insecure like that. I just love this color and had a hard time swatching the other colors in the collection after this.



One Day I'll Fly Away is a while holo that isn't too sheer.  Can I get an Amen? This is something I've struggles with for ages, the inability to find a light colored polish that covers my stubborn nails.  This one fits the bill, and I can see a full size bottle in my future.



Unteal the End of Time brings a bit of tear to my eye. Okay fine, the whole movie tends to bring a tear to my eye. But I'm a sucker for a good love story. This is a GORGEOUS teal holo that doesn't stain and it's opaque in two coats. You can't get better than that.



Smoldering Temptress is a pinky red holo that just screams. What it's screaming I'm not sure, but it's screaming and I love it. This color did take three coats for full opacity, but it's so worth it.



I'm the Green Fairy is a brighter green holo polish that is just so Absinthe.  I love it.  I did two coats and got great coverage, but did a third just to even everything out.

Overall, this collection is great, and I highly recommend it. Application was perfect for all six colors and I'm honestly in love with them all.  

You can buy these beauties for nine dollars each with the exception of Spectacular, Spectacular! which is twelve dollars, but it's totally worth it.

You can find Cameo Colours on their website, and on Facebook