January Favorites!

Can't believe January is almost over!

This month, I noticed that when getting ready, these were my most reached for products, hence making them favorite!

• Sally Hansen Insta Dry Top Coat
• C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve
• Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hr Blush in Splendor
• elf blush in Pink Passion

NOTW: Revlon Stormy

Its Monday! Time for a new NOTW. Today is Revlon's Top Speed nail polish in Stormy. Its a weird color to categorize, in that it is a grey-purpley with a bit of brown hints. Application was fine with one coat, but I like to apply at least two coats, no matter how opaque the first coat is. 

(indoors)

(outdoors)

"Nude" Blush Swatches + Sephora Haul

I have been doing some research about what "nude" blush to buy. When I say nude, I mean a blush that is a cross between a blush and a bronzer. This kind of product can eliminate a step of a makeup routine from applying a blush and a bronzer separately. This is ideal on days were you may be short on time and in a hurry. That being said, I was looking at swatches that look similar to Tarte Exposed. I love Tarte blushes, but I wanted to see what else is in the market, and find a good shade for me.  

I wanted to buy one of these blushes so I decided to get myself to Sephora and swatch for myself blushes that look more similar then ones I saw online. I took these pictures when I got home. The top one is indoors, and the bottom is outdoors. 

 

L-R: Lancome Rouge Glow, Nars Lovejoy, Tarte Exposed, Laura Mercier Spiced Cider

Rouge Glow and Lovejoy look similar, but Lovejoy is more plumy. Spiced Cider is more on the yellow brown side. Exposed is more on the rosy side out of all of them. 

And the one I ended up buying was.........Nars Lovejoy!!!!!

I also bought Tarte LipSurgence Tint in Joy, Buxom Lip Cream in Cherry Flip, and a mini Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.

I usually ask for samples at the checkout, and here is what they gave me:

I thought that was great! Usually they give very tiny samples, but this is a deluxe sized sample! Unfortunately, the Bare Minerals original foundation is a very dark shade, so I might just use it as a contour color until I finish it. It also came with a mini brush and the Active Cell Renewal Night Serum. 

Nars Lovejoy looks more reddish brown here, but you can see in the swatches that it does not come out that dark.

FOTD #1

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Here is my Face of the Day numero uno! This look is typically what I wear to work. Enjoy!

Face:

• Estee Lauder "Double Wear" Stay-in-Place Liquid Foundation in 1N1 Ecru (old formulation)
• Maybelline Shine Free Loose Powder in Light - focusing on areas that tend to get oily
• Nars Laguna bronzer - underneath my cheekbones and up to frame my face by my forehead
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Splendor

Eyes:

• Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus Eye Pencil in Black Onyx - on upper lash line
• Too Faced Romantic Eye Shadow Palette
• Soulmates
• I Do 
• Un-Veil 
• Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara in Very Black
• Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in Brown Smolder - fill in eyebrows

Lips:

• Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Balm in Mighty Mimosa
• C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Pink Mint

2012 Sephora Buys!!!

I know it is a little late to write this, but I thought I would show you what I bought in 2012. As I bought things throughout 2012, I kept the boxes that the beauty products came in. All of these products were bought at Sephora.

Here is a close up of each product:

Benefit Coral My World included a mini CORALista blush and mini Sunbeam

 Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Sex Pot and This is Pretty!

 Korres Cherry Lip Gloss in Buff and Pink

Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa

Korres Lip Butter Collection Set in Pomegranate, Wild Rose, and Jasmine

Tarte 12-hr Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful and Blushing Bride

Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo: This was the Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift of 2012

Too Faced Romantic Eye Eye Shadow

Too Faced Naked Eye Eye Shadow

Origins Starting Over Eye Cream

Clinique Almost Lipstick Lipgloss/Lipstick Duo in Black Honey

Sephora Favorites: In the Glow Value Set. It included samples of blush, bronzer, and luminizer from brands like Bare Escentuals, Benefit, Laura Mercier, Lorac, Nars, Stila, Tarte, and Too Faced.

Clinique Acne Solutions

Clinique Acne Solutions Clear Skin System is a 3-step skincare system to treat and prevent acne. It claims to reduce active blemishes after two weeks of using the products.

L-R: Cleansing Foam, Clarifying Lotion, Clearing Moisturizer

Three Steps:

1. Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam, $19.50.
2. Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion, $15.00.
3. Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturizer, $19.50

The Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam and the Clarifying Lotion both have salicylic acid, whereas the Clearing Moisturizer has benzoyl peroxide. The system recommends that the 3-steps should be used twice a day. 

I started off with doing the 3-steps twice a day, but my face began to peel and was red. So I limited the Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturizer to once a day, before bed time only. The first two weeks, my skin did clear up a bit by shrinking the size of my active breakouts, but after that, my face went back to normal. I still got a few pimples a week and it was bothering me because nothing was changing. All I got was dry skin. I also learned that the Clarifying Lotion has alcohol in its top ingredients, which caused my face to look dry, leathery, and unhealthy. 

I think this system would work great for someone who gets breakouts from clogged pores, by not removing all makeup, or getting dirt in their pores which cause bacteria to have a feast. It did not work great for me because my acne is mostly hormonal, so not much can be done. However, once the pimples surface, the system did an alright job in treating my pimples. 

Will I repurchase? No, because I will try less harsh products for my skin, that will work best for me. 

***Side note: This product may work for most people, but for me, it did not really do as it claimed. Its not a bad product, but just not best on my skin. 

NOTW: Estee Lauder Porcelain

Today I bring to you Estee Lauder Porcelain. I never knew E.L. had nail polish until recently. I went through a phase that I bought at least 20 nail polishes in a span of two months (I know, its bad!) because I wanted to experiment with different brands. I visited the E.L. counter in Dillard's with my mom to do some shopping. A few colors fascinated me and I wanted to get one, but did not want to spend $20 on one bottle. The associate saw me looking at the polishes, and she directed me to a little kit that contained 4 mini nail polishes for $27.50. Although it was still expensive, I thought it would be best to try out the nail polish. I have tried 2 of the 4 and they have a WONDERFUL formulation. So glad I bought them...... Now onto the actual nail polish!


Estee Lauder Porcelain is a milky white color. It is not completely white, but it is very sheer. I am not a fan of sheer formulations, but this one is beautiful! It makes me feel so sophisticated. I applied three coats; the first one went on a bit streaky, the second coat was fine, but one of my nails had a thicker coating of the polish, so I decided to add a third coat to the other nails to even it out.

(indoors)

(outdoors)

 Would I repurchase? Yes, but only if I can not find a dupe for it. It is such a gorgeous color, but I want to find a cheaper alternative to it since it is so expensive for one.

Mini Drugstore Haul

Hey guys!

Today I went to Walmart and Walgreens just to pick up a few new products to try out.

The first thing I picked up was the Rimmel Clean Finish foundation. Normally, it is $4.99, but today it was on sale for $2.50. When I was at the cash register, I signed up for the Walgreens Balance Rewards, and I got even more savings on the foundation. Instead, I got it for $1.29!!!!! Now I think that is great!

Next, I got the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Sweetheart. This was not on sale, and was $8.99. These can be found cheaper at Walmart, but when I went, they didn't have many color choices because they needed to restock. 

Finally, I got this Revlon Kabuki Brush at Walmart for $7.47. I have been looking for a brush that I can use for my bronzer. I don't like using the same brush for different makeup products (i.e. a blush brush for blush and bronzer and powder). So, I decided to try the Revlon Kabuki because I wanted something controllable and concise. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Review

Happy Friday! Hope your week went well =) I had a busy week of classes and am exhausted! So much for college life!

Today I want to review the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. I purchased five of these lip butters from Walmart for about $6-7. According to Revlon, this product is supposed to make lips feel softer, smoother, and more hydrated.

 L-R: Peach Parfait, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Sugar Plum, Candy Apple

Bare lips:

Swatches:

 L-R: Peach Parfait, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Sugar Plum, Candy Apple

Peach Parfait:

Peach Parfait is a peachy-pink color with glitter in it. I think the shade is nice, but would love it without the glitter.

Pink Truffle:

Pink Truffle is a pink-brown color. On my lips, it appears more brown then pink.

Berry Smoothie:

Berry Smoothie is a beautiful, subtle pink color with a touch of berry. This color makes me feel very feminine and pretty. This would be one of my all time favorites if it did not have the glitter. Honestly, it is a little bit compared to what Peach Parfait has.

Sugar Plum:

Sugar Plum, in my opinion, is very similar to Berry Smoothie, but has more of a brownish hue to it. 

Candy Apple:

Candy Apple is a bright, cool toned orange-red shade. I am not much for red  lipstick, but I think this is a perfect, bright red.

 Overall, I liked the lip butters. They are very shiny and glossy looking. They start out hydrating, but then become somewhat dry on my lips. My favorite ones are Berry Smoothie and Candy Apple. Staying power is not that long for any of them; by the time I have something to drink or eat, the color is all gone. However, they are perfect to use when I want a quick and easy lip look.
Would I repurchase? Yes, because they are a quick and easy wash of color.

Have you tried any of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters? Which are your favorite?