September Favorites

It seems that I have a spotty record with writing favorites posts, and I am only slightly shamed to say that it is because I have just been reaching for the same products over this past month.  Starting a new job really means using products that are tried and true, although that didn't totally mean I was only using some older products.  I definitely tried out a few new products that will be seeing some serious love in the upcoming months.

I bought the MAC Warm Neutrals Palette from Nordstrom a few months back and have been using it pretty regularly.  Although it was a pretty pricy palette at $85, it's still a steal for a fully formed MAC palette, which was usually retail for over $160.  I'm planning on doing a full post later on featuring some looks with this palette, but all of the shades are perfectly suited for the type of looks that I like to do.

Although I bought this last year, I haven't used the YSL Babydoll Kiss and Blush in 10 Nude Insolent until these past couple months. It is one of many MLBB lip shades that I have been slapping on when I'm rushing in the morning, but this is particularly useful because I use it as a neutral cream blush, as well.

An impulse buy gone right is the Clinique Sculptionary Contour Blush in Nude.  I will be dedicating a full post to this blush, but just a little preview - this blush is the bomb.  It's the perfect nude glow that isn't too shimmery, and it actually creates a soft contoured look that I've been really loving.

I have officially stepped on the Chanel bandwagon after completely falling in love with the fall collection.  Chanel Alezane was just too pretty for me to pass up, and I knew that it was just the right type of shade that I would use all the the time, justifying the $45 price tag.  

Continuing on the theme of blushes and exciting cheek products, I have been reaching for this Cargo Beach Blush in Miami not so much as a cheek product, but actually as a delicate golden-pink highlight over my blushes.  It has a harder pigment so it ends up being a delicate highlight rather than an all on shimmer, but beautiful, nonetheless!

For lipsticks, I've generally been going back to my standby MLBB shades like Maybelline Touch of Spice, Revlon Honey, etc, but I've also been reaching for this Rival de Loop lipstick a lot.  When I bought it, I wasn't expecting too much out of it, but I've been really enjoying it.  I'm pretty sure it's only sold at one branch of drugstores in Germany (DM), and it was probably less than 2 euros, but the formula and lasting power has been really great.  It's also the perfect subtle red that I'm comfortable wearing to work.

Well, I'm keeping it short and sweet for September, but fear not, because I think I'm officially out of my makeup rut!

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Empties: Summer Edition compiled

Every time I tried to write this post, it seems that I've gotten distracted and quickly moved on to more exciting posts.  Not that talking about empties isn't exciting, but when I'm running around to different countries and have shiny new products to play with...well, THAT's exciting.

Because I kept delaying this, the empties that I had started to slowly pile up.  And instead of slowly surrounding myself with empty products, I took pictures of them in installments.  All of this comprises empties from about April through August....and there's a lot so let's get started!

Exploring Art Deco: Eyeshadows, Blush, and FOTD

I first heard about Art Deco a few years ago before I knew anything about German makeup and have been trying to get my hands on it ever since.  For some reason, I really love the idea of being able to build my own palette, and Art Deco has plenty of options for doing so with their assortment of blushes and eyeshadows.

The first time I was in Germany, I picked up a couple of eyeshadows, which I love dearly, but I've found some real winners this time in the collection as well.

August 2014 Favorites

While I'm sitting over here slightly depressed that the end of August marks the unofficial end of summer for me, I am at least excited about the amount of new products I have been able to play with ever since coming back home.  Although I love the simplicity of having just a few products to choose from when I put on my makeup,  being back with my normal selection is exciting all the same.

But even though I switched it up almost every day, there were still a few products that I tended to reach for often, and products that I just completely fell in love with.

Catrice Metallure Luminizing Bronzer - Rosy Gold Gallore

Although I'm in no short supply of highlighters, I can't seem to resist a good highlighter when I see one.  During a little foray through the aisles in the German drugstore, I stopped in my tracks at the new Catrice display with some beautiful metallic eyeshadows, nail polishes, lipsticks....and this beauty.

Rose Gold Perfection.

This was one of those products that I knew was going to be mine, even as I tried to convince myself out of buying it.  I was able to pass on the rest of the collection, but a "luminizing bronzer" light enough as a highlighter on my skin is actually something new to my collection.

Travel Makeup for Long Trips - packing the essentials

What do I do when I have to pack for a 5 week trip with only a 55L backpack and a smaller regular sized backpack?  Pack the essentials, make sure everything is absolutely fool-proof, and use as many space saving solutions as possible. 

For my first packing post, I thought I would show you how I packed my makeup, and how I managed to pare everything down to the bare essentials (sort of) for a 5 week trip.  Except for my lip products...because when I keep my eyes simple I need to have options with my lip products. I'm quite proud of everything else that I packed, as now that I'm back from the trip I can safely say that I used everything, but wasn't lacking anything!

The trick for me was packing as many travel sized/samples of products as possible for me.  I basically amassed everything I could find in a travel size and brought them with me.  This includes travel size brushes, and *shudder*..using sponge-tip applicators as my eye brushes!

How it all fit in my two makeup bags, complete with foundation spills.

March 2014 Favorites

I think I'm getting better at this....instead of being two weeks late, my favorites post is now up just one week late.  I actually don't have that many favorites, and they are all predictably products that I have posted about recently with a couple surprises here and there.  Apart from the blushes that I posted about earlier, I have been reaching for the same things pretty consistently.

 Keep reading to see what I've been using!

A Little Haul (NYX and Real Techniques) and What Goes On A Face - FOTD

I don't know what spring break means for you - but it certainly doesn't mean sitting in my room writing a paper the entire week.  Alas, my spring break was not full of sun, beaches, warm weather, or too much of a "break," at all, but at the end of the day, I'm actually glad I had time to work on my homework without having to worry about class for a week. (Note that this is the life of an overachieving nerd, and I'm desperately hoping it will all pay off in the end)  

BUT, I did manage to get a few things done. Beauty-related things, too!  I bought makeup for the first time since January...a BIG deal for someone as beauty and makeup obsessed as me.  And I only managed to spend $20..not too bad, right?  

Here's the damage:

To see more details (and swatches), as well as how I incorporated these into a look (plus a haircut), keep reading!

FOTD Catch Up #5439503

I seem to always have a backlog of FOTD's to show.  I take pictures of what I wear fairly frequently, but as for updating them here....well that obviously hasn't been going so well.

Here is a backlog of some FOTD's that I've done in the past couple months.  I honestly can't remember some of what I used, but I did my best to list whatever I did use!  Something in common with all of these photos is that I used the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette.  It has definitely aided in giving me a more flawless glowy look.  I never thought I would fall for the hype, but the palette is a total must-have in my routine! 

For this first one, the focus is on the lips - I used a pair from my  January favorites, the Clinique Berry Freeze lipstick with the Milani Crystal Gloss in Baby Love layered over it.

 

To see more faces and the products I used, click below!

Favorite Products of 2013

So we're a month into 2014...how is everyone?  A new semester that was supposed to be more relaxed than the last has somehow ended up being even busier, but I'm remaining optimistic for the new challenges and adventures I'll be encountering!

It's taken me awhile to compile all of my 2013 favorites, but when it came down to it, I knew exactly what to reach for.

I definitely started trying new products this year and found new products that I couldn't live without.  I think the biggest change in my makeup routine has been adding bold lips into as many looks as I can.  I used to be so afraid of bold lips, and could have never imagined wearing a bright fuchsia lipstick out, let alone a dark vampy plum color!  I've learned to just rock it and wear what I want, whenever I want.  Do I get some weird looks for wearing bright red or a deep purple lip to the grocery store sometimes?  Yes.  Do I care? Not anymore!  Let them stare all they want.

I also had the chance to try out a bunch of new products this year, particularly because I was in Germany from January to April.  German beauty brands are not as well known, but they are just as fabulous as American brands.

Without getting into too much detail yet, here is the whole compilation of products:

To see more details, click to keep reading!

October Shop Your Stash

Even though this Shop Your Stash is being posted when my favorites should be posted, I figured this would still be a good time to show you some of the things I've been using, even if they don't make my favorites list for the month. A lot of these products are part of my transition to fall makeup, meaning berry tones, muted roses.

 Want to see more?  Click after the jump for swatches!

Long Time No Talk and some September Favorites

That moment when life starts up again and it seems that I have no time to sit down and relax..I've become so busy that I've even had to hold off on reading blogs, which I used to do every spare moment I had!  My cooking and experimenting has also diminished down to the easiest thing that I can cook.  I'm finally taking a break from studying and working to update you all on some of my favorite products of the month.

There were some victories this month as I found a routine that really worked for me, but that also means that my experimenting has decreased. I've already had a few mornings where I've been rushing and had to grab my "standby" products that I know work well together. That being said, I was still able to find some new favorites in my stash.  Although I did have a "Shop Your Stash" planned, I failed big time at using a lot of the products, meaning that I'm going to repeat whatever I didn't use for October. Hopefully I will have the time to post those products as well as some new products that I will be using!

Without further ado...

I don't have too many favorites, but they definitely were well-loved this month!  Some of these are recurring favorites, or some favorite standby, emergency products, but I needed (and wanted) to use these items more than usual!

The first is MAC Fleur Power.  This has to be my all-time HG blush.  It was one of the first blushes I ever purchased from MAC, and despite using it fairly often, I still have not hit pan on it.  It's a beautiful, intensely pigmented pink-coral blush that automatically brightens up my face.  I've used it almost everyday this month, mainly because it seems to go with everything I wear.  If you don't have this yet, I highly recommend checking it out!

The Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 05 Rosy Brown is a repeat favorite of mine since I featured it over the summer, but I got a lot of use out of it this month for those days that I needed to throw on some quick eyeshadow.  It glides on so easily and gives me the perfect neutral smokey eye.  I also love that it's in a stick form so I don't even need any brushes to apply it!  

I have officially fallen in love with the Stila Smudgestick Eye Liners, especially the shade Lionfish, a great chocolate-bronze shade with some subtle shimmer.  It lasts exceptionally well on my oily skin that seems to eat most eyeliners.  The shade is also that perfect bronze shade that is dark enough to subtly define, while light enough to look natural.

The Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm has been a standout for me.  I bought this awhile ago and lost it before I was able to use it a lot.  I found it in the bottomless pit tin one of my purses recently and have used it daily ever since.  It's moisturizing enough to use at night and has the perfect creamy, but not too greasy consistency.

Now that the weather is starting to get a little cooler, it's time to bring out my hand cremes again!  I recently purchased the L'occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Creme, and I finally see what all the buzz over these hand cremes is all about.  It's light and it absorbs quickly, but it still gives me hydration.  The smell of this is also absolutely divine.   It's not too cloying but it lingers enough so that I will get slight whiffs of this.  It's perfect for fall, but I sense that it may be a little too light once winter comes around, but I certainly will be enjoying this.

Lipsticks were a big product this month, mostly because it's so much easier to grab a lipstick in the morning to look put together rather than creating an elaborate eye look.  I recently rediscovered the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blushing Mauve, and it is the perfect fall transition color.  It has slight hints of both pink and berry, and it makes me look put together without having to use a bright lip color.

The Revlon Colorburst Lip Stick in Rosy Nude was definitely my most used lip color this month.  It's a great MLBB lipstick to just thrown on in the morning, but it does a great job of brightening my face.  The formula is also great as I can build it up or just leave it sheer.  

I have been getting into matte lip colors again, leading me to pull out the Wet n' Wild Mega Stay Lipstick in 912C.  This too is a MLBB, but I think the matte finish of this makes it a little different.  I love pairing this with some heavy winged liner since for some reason it reminds me of a 60's Brigitte Bardot look.  The formula on these lipsticks also can't be beat - they're opaque and long-lasting without being drying.

The next product is the Milani HD Lip Color in Ignition - Although I think this is discontinued now (sorry!), this was the perfect lip color to brighten up my face.  I loved using especially when I couldn't find a lip balm in my bag, but still wanted something moisturizing.  This is a great glossy, sheer lipstick that did not dry out my lips!

Even though fall has descended upon us, my residual tan means that my skin is not light enough for my fall/winter highlighters yet so I am still wearing many of my bronzy peachy highlighters, including yes, my beloved MAC Refined MSF. However, this month, I've been reaching for Benefit Sunbeam much more because its liquid consistency gives me a more natural and dewy glow, while just adding that slight bit of moisture that I need now that is a little cooler.  I love that it isn't the typical pearly highlighter - it has a bronze/peach tint to it that gives me a beautiful golden glow.

Here are some swatches of the products:

Milani HD Lipstick in Ignition, WNW 912C, Revlon Colorburst Rosy Glow, Revlon Blushing Mauve, Stila Lionfish, Kiko 05, Benefit Sun Beam, MAC Fleur Power

I didn't realize how similar all the lipsticks were....oops!

With the change in season changes in my schedule, I can't wait to change up my look and start using berry and red lipsticks again!  I think my phase with colorful eye makeup is over, but I'm ready for vampy lips.

What are some changes that you are making for the fall?  Let me know!  Otherwise, let's hope that this time I'll take out some time to breathe and relax...

Some new things....

Just a quick little post to update you on a couple new things I picked up...

I've been so busy with school and moving into a new apartment that my makeup experimenting and blogging has been put on hold!  

Don't worry though, I have quite a few posts planned which I will post...as soon as I get the mountain of work that I have under control.

I noticed that MAC was having a sale on their empty palettes and pro pans, so I just had to pick up a couple things that have been on my wishlist for forever.

I believe the single pro palette is usually $18, and they have it online right now for $8, so I definitely had to snag that as I'm running out of space in my old palette.

Their pro pans, which are usually $12, are also now $10.

I bought two eyeshadows that have been on my wishlist for FOREVER-

Ricepaper and Greensmoke.

They are definitely shades that almost every MAC lover probably has, but I have just gotten around to them. 

I may actually make another order soon, but my current obsessions with stocking my pantry with weird and unusual foods has taken over my life...

Until later, lovelies!

Shop Your Stash: August Edition and some FOTD

With a new month comes a whole new round of the Shop Your Stash project with new rediscovered products to try!  As I've mentioned before, I like doing this to really go through items in my collection I might have not used in awhile and to find new ways to use them.  After two months of doing this, I can say that it's going well and I'm definitely finding new products in my collection that I've forgotten about.

For those new to my blog, the Shop Your Stash project has a couple guidelines:

• I pick 20 - 25 face, eye, and lip products that I want to use more often in the month

• I have to use each product at least two times in the month

Without further ado, here are this month's selections!

Keep reading to see more details and swatches of all of the products!

Another collection of FOTD's

I seem to be failing at putting up my faces of the day, but here they are from the past week!

Click for the products used and tons more looks!

The Shop Your Stash Project: July

I have to say, I'm really liking my Shop Your Stash Project idea.  It's encouraging me to not only use products that I either haven't used in awhile or products that haven't been used much at all, but it's also pushing me to be more experimental and creative with my makeup rather than just blindly reaching or the Naked palette or my other neutral shadows.

As a refresher, here's what the whole "Shop Your Stash Project" is all about:

• I pick 20 - 25 face, eye, and lip products that I want to use more often in the month
• I have to use each product at least two times in the month

That's it.  Pretty simple.  If you want to see  the products I chose for June, check it out here!  There were some products that made it into my everyday rotation and that I absolutely LOVE (holler at the ELF Giddy Gold Highlighter and the Vincent Longo Lip and Cheek Gel Stain), and there were products that I really had make an effort to integrate into my routine, such as the Alverde Liquid Eyeliner, and MAC Orange Tempura lipgloss.  But all in all, I was happy about the "new" things I had to use from day to day.

This month, I have a whole new bunch of products to use, 22 items, to be exact.

Here they are in all their glory:

Keep reading to see exactly what these products are and swatches!

Faces of the Day: A Compilation of Looks

Once again, I have fallen behind on my postings.  I like keeping a collection of the looks I do just to see how my tastes change, the products I use, and for inspiration.

Without any babbling this time, here are the most recent faces I've done recently:

Keep reading to see breakdowns and more looks!

Catching up FOTD (again) and One Last Smoothie

This past week was a whirlwind of trying to finish my final for my online class and packing to move back to DC.  Just these two have left me with barely enough time to do anything else, but things should be calming down soon.

Now that I'm leaving home, I won't have my VitaMix, so my smoothie making will have to become more simple and basic, but I managed to make one last smoothie:

Keep reading to see my most recent FOTD and what I used for this cleansing smoothie!

SOTD and some unusual combinations

I know you all want to know what's in this:

I didn't have any bananas around so I modified it a little bit, and the result was a great protein packed post-workout smoothie.

You're probably also wondering what silver looks like over brown, and what teal glitter looks like over pink lipstick.

Read on to see what I managed to do! 

Travel Makeup All-Stars

I hate being in one place in too long.  More specifically, I want to be everywhere.  I love traveling, whether it's a two hour drive to another state or across the world.  But this means that I'm always unpacking and repacking, and I don't think I'm actually ever fully unpacked.  I still haven't unpacked from when I moved out from my college room in December, and I'm beginning to pack to move into an apartment next week!  

However, for my vacations and weekend trips,  I always have a pretty good idea of what makeup I bring with me.  Every trip needs slightly different makeup depending on if I'll be in a city, on a beach, or in the mountains, but I always have some necessities.

Since I was going to Maine this time, I knew I would be spending a lot of time outdoors doing something active (biking all day, everyday!), while strolling through town after going to dinner.  This meant I could pair down all the products I brought to the essentials.  I usually end up bringing a huge makeup bag, so it was refreshing to just bring a little actual travel-size bag this time!

A lot of these products are products you see me using in my everyday FOTD's, and they are my favorites, so of course they would make it into my travel bag!  It's also why you see a massive amount of pan in these..

Keep reading to see why these made the cut >>