Tried & True

As we all know, I’m no stranger to sparkle. So, to further...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:00:31 -0500

As we all know, I’m no stranger to sparkle. So, to further my addiction/obsession along, I decided to pair two of my favorite mega glittery polishes together.

Layer 1: Urban Outfitters’ “Dust”
Layer 2: Urban Outfitters’ “Spicy”

Try it. Buy it. Trust me, it’s fun.

Actively Seeking: Eyeliner

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:00:27 -0500

First off: Who doesn’t love a good deal? Urban Decay’s 24/7 Double Eyeliner comes with Zero (blackest black) and Whiskey (a universal warm aptly named brown).

Common eyeliner pet peeves:
Gives you raccoon eyes
Disappears off within an hour of application
Smudges where it’s not wanted
Skips while lining

This, my friends, does NONE of the above. It goes on smooth like butter (yeah, I said it) and more importantly, stays on. I emphasize this so much because I’ve purchased liner after liner under the false premise that it was “long-wearing” or “long-lasting” but in reality, WHAT A JOKE. More on the smooth like butter comment though: this pencil doesn’t do that whole skipping thing while you’re casually lining and it decides to do a ski jump on your water line. That’s a no-no. Urban Decay understand this. They created a product that will never let that happen. And me? I’ll just be forever grateful.

A word on color: There’s the jet black “Zero” and the very wearable brown “Whiskey”. Wear alone or mount it on your smokey eye or draw on the walls, you’ll be a happy camper no matter what you decide.

Night Cream: Not Just For Old Ladies

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:00:47 -0500

Honestly speaking, anytime I heard someone drop the word “night cream,” my mind instantly draws up two things: old ladies and Oil of Olay (don’t ask why).

After reading about RoC’s Retinol Correxion Sensitive Night Cream in Allure, I decided to shell out the $20+ in hopes of some major winter skin improvement. After all, #winteriscoming and we all need a little help in the dry department. Problem is: I’m one of those people who have super sensitive and acne-prone skin. So if any of you ladies are like me, try this & you’ll swear by it!

Basically, it does what you want it to. No gimmicks, no false promises. It corrects complexion and evens out texture as well as moisturizes. Most acne products with retinol tend to be harsh and at times, ridiculous, but RoC gets it. So they invented something to cure our woes and the woes of those with oncoming wrinkles. That you can buy at CVS. For the price of a few Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Win.

Stila Kitten: MEOW

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 10:00:18 -0500

After searching for the perfect champagne pink eyeshadow for years (literally), I found Kitten by Stila. I only had one question for it: “Where have you been all my life?!”

It stays on through your first few cups of coffee, through a long day of class and yes, all the way through a rough night at the bar. Kitten, you are a true makeup godsend.

It’s fairly pigmented but not obnoxiously glittery (a la NARS’ Hula Hula). Shimmer is the word. And shimmer it does. It layers evenly and easily and can be worn alone or in a neutral smokey eye combo deal. Hello, versatile! Hello, stocking stuffer!

How I start my mornings. Seriously, what would I do without...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:05:27 -0400

How I start my mornings. Seriously, what would I do without Urban Decay?

Necessities: Naked Palettes 1 & 2, Eyeshadow Primer Potion and All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.

Picked this up from Urban Outfitters today. It’s called...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:48:00 -0400

Picked this up from Urban Outfitters today. It’s called “Spicy.” How appropriate.

But really though, I smell a “fun color” of the season here. $5? Yes please. Now I can do rapid wrist movements like Nicki Minaj and not feel guilty about it…

Neutrals, Nakeds and Naturals for Fall

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:58:26 -0400

In the midst of a beauty world with options such as cherry red lipstick, firecracker glitter nail polish, teal eyeliner and hot pink kabuki blush, sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics. And what better time to return than fall? September marks the time to complement the tan you worked so hard for and accentuate your best features with an effortless disguise. Here’s a running list of some products for oomph while staying au naturale:

China Glaze’s Fast Track
Originally from the Hunger Games-inspired collection, this nude shade (with bits of gold shimmer) goes with any outfit while remaining neutral enough for a job interview.

Jouer SPF 15 Lip Sheer in Capri
This one always makes me feel like I’m wearing lipstick without the commitment of wearing lipstick. It’s sheerness and baby pink color makes itsuper natural and wearable everyday without having to touch up every 5 minutes.

Smashbox Eye Beam Double Ended Brightener
This pencil is my dream come true. I’m obsessed with highlighting my browbone, the inner corners of my eyes and lining the rims…and guess what? This one DOES IT ALL. #winning

Rimmel Glam’Eyes Trio Eyeshadow in Orion A more affordable option than the Naked Palette — good for quick & easy on a daily basis. Use the lightest shade for a highlight, the darkest for the crease and the medium to blend it out!

Urban Decay Naked Palette (1)
Cause the original is always the best. I use all shades on a regular basis (minus the 3 to the right) and am running out, using my Naked 2 and weeping. #semiwhitegirlproblems

Tarte EmphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener
Looking awake is going to be important and a priority, especially when classes start. Save the kohl-rimmed eyes for the bar and opt for a lighter option during the day. Thank you, Tarte, just thank you.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup
The name of the product is kind of a spoiler in its own right. Weightless? Check. Naked skin? Check. Ultra definition….maybe is Urban Decay lingo for a matte finish with luminosity.

The Lust List

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:00:00 -0400

Below are some products that I’m currently lusting after — I just felt the need to share some modern takes on classic beauty staples! Enjoy!

MAC Ruffian Naked Lipstick
Cause if anyone can properly execute a nude lip, MAC can.

Deborah Lippmann’s Let’s Go Crazy
I like Deborah Lippmann. I like going crazy. I like the looks of this polish cause it looks plain CRAZY. (I also want every polish DB makes…forever.)

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream
Specifically #13 Warm Beige because it’s a shimmery champagne color that’s completely wearable for everyday. But then again… I said this about both my Naked palettes and countless eyeshadows from Rimmel, NARS, etc.

Butter London’s Wallis
I mean, HELLO AUTUMN.

Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Eyes (19L)
Cause honestly, even jet black eyeliner can get redundant.

Sephora Silicone Free Foundation Primer
Potentially a cure for the giant SOS our skin is sending us. Cheaper than LORAC’s non-silicone primer, but is it worth a try? Hmm…

Happy Thursday!!! Don’t forget to clean your brushes (and...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:56:22 -0400

Happy Thursday!!! Don’t forget to clean your brushes (and makeup bags) today! xx

Splurge vs. Steal: Metallic Pink Polish Edition

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:57:44 -0400

VS.

Butter London’s “Fairy Lights” {VS} Color Club’s “Foil Me Once”

This shimmery metallic rose pink can be rocked with any skintone and by edgy hipsters and girly girls alike. Butter’s will run you about $17, while Color Club’s about $8. Take your pick and get ready to be staring at your nails all day long!

Back-To-School {Makeup} Shopping List

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:30:00 -0400

NARS Foreplay: The Quintessential Blush Kit
With three blushes and a highlighter, prepare to complete your windblown, flushed cheeks, doe-eyed look for the imminent fall season. It includes Orgasm, the universal blush staple, and three shades that make Orgasm (so that you can blend and blend until you have your own unique pigment). With shades of peach, pink and gold and a super cheeky innuendo name, what’s not to love?

Michael Kors Gold Rose Edition: Smell Like a Better You
Every September, along with back-to-school’s vague sense of new beginnings comes a revamp of personal style. With non-New Years’ resolutions and new products galore, everyone can vow to be a little better this year…and smell a little better too. Michael Kors’ newly launched Gold (Rose Edition) perfume can help you do that. Sophisticated without being over the top, it’s fresh, elegant and definitely feminine. Ambitious girly girls: rejoice.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil: For Yearbook Superlative-Worthy Locks
This oh-so magical oil is a godsend for anyone who’s been plagued with dry locks, especially at summer’s end. With a lightweight formula and six essential oils, consider all fly-aways tamed, frizz banished and hair ready to shine for those back-to-school photo ops.

Sephora Lush Flush Lip & Cheek Stain: The Girls Want To Be Her, The Boys Want To Date Her
One of my personal favorite duos is this type of handy contraption: the sheer lip & cheek stain. A fabulous choice for any girl-on-the-go, whether you’re making your 10am meeting or just trying to get to Calc on time, this duo is build-able, blend-able and long-lasting. Use it to create that perfect “I look like I’m not wearing makeup but actually am so aha!” look with just-bitten lips and perfectly flushed cheeks.

Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara: For Better Grades, Use Buxom
Whether it’s getting out of a speeding ticket or bumping that grade up to a C+, Buxom will be there for you when you break out the on-the-verge-of-tears-bet-your-lashes act. The “S” shaped brush is the unique kid of the class, in that foreign and mysterious way. If fanned-out lashes is your objective, opt for Buxom. Stat.

Benefit’s Boi-ing: For The Late Nights Spent “Studying”
Undereye circles go hand in hand with 101 classes, frat parties and Ramen in college. Chances are, no matter who or where you are, you’re going to need to keep a good undereye concealer on hand at all times. From touch-ups to industrial strength skincare warfare, Benefit’s got your back like a good roommate should.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow: Easy, Breezy, Beautiful 2012 Edition
Not all of us have the extra daylight hours to spare to plaster on Kim Kardashian makeup in the morning, smokey eye and all. MUFE’s Aqua Shadow allows us to embrace our inner kindergartener and color in the lines (or out) with their eyeshadow pencil. Smudge-able, build-able and blend-able, this pencil creates an effortless look that doesn’t fade or crease, allowing you to shuffle from class to social engagements while being all IDGAF about stopping at any mirrors you may pass by.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream: Pretty Little Lying Gossip Girl Skin
Get the skin as seen on TV. Emulate those 26-year-olds-playing-high-school-juniors with Garnier’s hyped BB Cream. It’s foundation with some extra pros and without the commitment of a heavy foundation, which works perfect for us millenial commitment-phobes. Sheer and long lasting, it’s lack of heavy/intense coverage will allow your young, you-won’t-get-this-back skin to shine (and by shine, I mean metaphorical shine…because we don’t like shiny skin in the beauty world).

EXTRA CREDIT: Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion (now in new packaging) — A must for any season!

Your Ultimate Guide To Concealer

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:58:29 -0400

Liquid
- Recommendations: YSL Touch Éclat (pen)
- Good for under-eye circles
- Good for dry skin
- Heavy coverage
- Apply with fingers or makeup sponge

Powder
- Recommendation: Laura Mercier Mineral Pressed Powder SPF 15
- Super light mineral powder
- Good for all-over coverage and setting makeup
- Perfect for hot/humid summer weather
- Good for oily skin (absorbs oil and prevents shine)

Cream
- Recommendation: Bobbi Brown Corrector
- Best for covering under-eye circles (good for sensitive skin spots)
- Works best when dabbed onto skin
- Apply moisturizer before cream concealer

Stick
- Recommendation: Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer
- Not quite liquid, not quite pencil
- Blends well, use fingers to dab or concealer brush
- Good for acne prone skin
- Also good for dark circle, scars and blotchy skin

Pencil
- Recommendation: Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil
- Not for sensitive skin areas
- Blends well
- Medium to heavy coverage

Spotted: Your Summer-to-Fall Transition Nail Color

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:24:08 -0400

You couldn’t wait to get your pastel fix on during the springtime and then you couldn’t wait to paint blazing oranges and classy corals on your fingertips during the summer. But what is a girl to do when August dies down, Labor day rolls around, your tan is still intact but your nail color options are played out?

You choose “Don’t Tell Mama” by Deborah Lippmann, of course. Though the product description mentions “mistletoe” and uses holiday diction, I’ve found potential for this product elsewhere. In a whole different season.

From an all-black to an all-white outfit for those Labor Day weekend parties, “Don’t Tell Mama” is wearable with any outfit. A major plus? It complements your tan! This deep shimmery green will take you from those final beach days into those Indian Summer stints right into when the leaves turn color.

DB is the equivalent to the Holy Grail of nail color (big statement, yes, especially when I hold Essie so close to heart). Quality nail polish, quirky/cheeky names and colors to die for, all of Deborah Lippman’s nail colors are worthy of your time (and money).

Dear Essie's Mirror Metallics, I'ma Make You Mine

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:53:16 -0400

By now, you must know that I am a metallic addict. Sparkle, shimmer, shine…all things I overuse in my wardrobe and beauty product choices.

And here’s Essie, coming to my rescue (yet again). Essie’s Mirror Metallics line is a dream come true for a girl like me. Have you seen those epic manicures on Pinterest or Tumblr that are so metallic they look like melted gold? Odds are, it’s Essie.

Best of all, she’s offering 5 shades (from classic trendy to eccentric trendy) so that girls, no matter what their style, can buy in on the metallic trend. At $8 a pop, it’s a worthwhile investment because you won’t find quality polish with good metallic options elsewhere. (Side note: Penny Talk is my personal fave.) So hit up your nail lady, Ulta, favored drugstore, etc. and get your shine on!

Summer Skin, Summer Well

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:48:39 -0400

[Full size: $32.95, To-Go size: $10.95]

With summer at its peak, now is not the time to have ragged-looking skin. I’ve recently tried Sukí’s Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser (for the face) thanks to Birchbox.

It eliminated dirt, dead skin and my beef with exfoliators in general. In the past, my experiences with exfoliators/face scrubs have included harshness, drying, rawness and overall inefficiency. Sukí has now proven me otherwise.

Smelling like lemongrass and sugar, this cleanser exfoliates deep down into your pores and purifies all the “yucky” that accumulates in scorching summer weather. It left my skin feeling soft, super clean and refreshed.

Note: This product is vegan (wooo rejoice!) and also is safe to use with acne-prone skin. Also, what I love about Sukí is that they have “to-go” sizes for most of their products, which is a great way to try before you buy!

Did You Know... (Eyelash Edition)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:54:23 -0400

Over the past few weeks, I’ve begun to notice that my beloved Shu Uemura eyelash curler has been delivering a lackluster performance. Now, I worship my eyelash curler like some worship holy scriptures…so this little speed bump left me speechless.

So, when I was in Sephora, I asked one of the sales associates about those squishy little pads that go in the eyelash curler, hoping to replace my old ones. However, she told me that (drumroll please) I’m better off just buying a new eyelash curler altogether. She said that (all) brands give you one or two sets of squishy pads for the curler but when that runs out, it’s time for a new curler. Reasoning? When the pads stop working, your eyelashes stop curling and can actually get pulled out by the curler. Gasp, yes.

So ladies (and fine gents), when your eyelash curler stops curling like it used to, it’s not a fluke or one-time thing. It’s time just to suck it up and get a new eyelash curler. Yes, this is how companies make money off of us beauty-obsessed individuals. Yes, we’ll do it because we don’t want our eyelashes to fall out. Because everyone knows that mascara alone with never do it.

How-To Design Your Nails with a Straight Line

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:51:39 -0400

Excuse the messy edges and take in my latest stab at a DIY manicure. After seeing all these quirky and creative looks on Pinterest, I decided to make an attempt (instead of live vicarious through Pinterest-ers) using some OPI, Kiko Milano and good ol’ Scotch tape.

The look:
- Base layer: 2 coat of Kiko Milano’s #371 (a taupe with an iridescent gold shimmer)
- Top layer: 1 coat of OPI’s Curry Up Don’t Be Late (a light gold)

You can opt to use other colors (i.e. watermelon pink and mint, black and white, etc.) and different patterns (i.e. diagonals, stripes, etc.) - the point is to use your Scotch tape creatively!

The how-to:
- Paint your nails with your base coat color (1 or 2 coats, not too thick)
- Wait until dry — Then, cover the parts of your nail that you DON’T want your top layer color on
- Paint the parts uncovered by the tape
- Wait until dry — Pull off the tape and voila!
* Side note: Be careful when pulling off the tape! Sometimes the tape doesn’t always pull completely off, leaving you with tape residue on your mani. Try making the tape less sticky before using!

Enjoy!

Recycling Manicures

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 07:53:20 -0400

(Yeah, I shamelessly Instagram’d my insta-fix.)

So, I’m the queen of chipping nails. In need of a quick fix, I love to just take some super glittery (and I mean SUPER — big chunks of sparkle and all) nail polish and go over the haggard old polish once or twice. (I highly recommend Urban Outfitters’ “Dust”)

It’s the simplest, easier way to revive your manicure (or even revamp) between visits to the salon.

For The Brown-Eyed Beauties

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:22:57 -0400

Sure, teal eye makeup may be hot and on trend, but the key to mastering eye makeup? Flattering your eye color!

Smashbox is making life a little bit easier for all the brown-eyed girls out there this summer. With their Master Class Eyeshadow Quad, you can play up your best feature with some tailored earth tones. Best part? FOR $10.

You can use these shades individually for a naturally pretty look or combine them to create a soft, smokey eye (just remember to blend). Jazz it up with a pink lip and you’re good to go!

Happy Friday the 13th! Combat bad luck today: avoid black cats,...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:18:29 -0400

Happy Friday the 13th! Combat bad luck today: avoid black cats, rock a black cat eye instead! (Try using this liner from Tarte for the most divine liquid line.)