FOTD with some new items! Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee

 In the middle of all my essay writing and studying, it is only natural that I would do a little.....okay, a lot of hauling to tide me over.  Unfortunately, as busy as I was, I didn't actually get to wear any of what I bought until this week, making this a very fun week of trying and wearing new products.  It 
has resulted in me wearing possibly every new product I have at once, but at least now my mornings are a little more exciting!

Today, I will be featuring the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Berry Bliss, a deep wine shade that lightly stains the cheeks for an all day wear.  I've had my eye on this product for months now, and I'm so glad I was finally able to pick it up during the sales this year.

I was looking something to make me look flushed, and Berry Bliss looked like the best shade, although some of the other shades looked gorgeous as well.

It looks pretty scary in the pan, but swatched and on the cheeks it is a sheer and natural looking berry shade.  I think even very fair skintones would be able to pull this off because it is so sheer upon first pass, but it is definitely buildable.

Voluntarily Putting Oil On My Face? Josie Maran's Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Oil: A Review

A few months ago, a new lip and cheek product popped onto the Sephora website that I was immediately drawn to.  It is the Josie Maran Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil ($18).

The fact that it said oil in the title was enough to have me running to my nearest Sephora to check it out.  When I swatched it, it had this amazing creamy texture that feels almost cushiony once applied.  If you've ever tried gel cheek statins, such as the Josie Maran Cheek Gelees, it almost reminds me of those products except a little more creamy.  I like that you can also use it on the lips, making it a great product to travel with.

I wanted to get a bright pink cream blush since all my current cream products are neutral pinky browns or corals, so Endless Guava was the shade that stood out to me.  It's a beautiful mid-tone pink that fills a nice gap in my current collection.

For an in depth review, keep reading!

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!

A Desperate Peachy-Pink Call for Spring

By now it should be known that my monthly favorites will be at least a week late, but it will be more like two weeks late.  Time just has this funny way of escaping me when it comes to things like this....

BUT this month (or should I say last month?) was different.  I had planned to do everything on time, until I looked around and realized I didn't really have too many favorites.  Then I looked at the few things I had together, and realized they were all kind of the same thing.

Case in point.

 I think the fact that all of these are basically the same color but with slightly varying tones indicates that I'm emerging out of my winter and cold weather-induced berry and plum toned blush selections to lighter pink and gold tones.  I am officially ready for spring even though I was able to enjoy the bitter cold better than most...but I'm ready for warmer weather and sunny days where I don't have to layer 48932 shirts underneath a puffy coat.

Review and Swatches: A Few of My Favorite Things - this Too Faced Palette for Holiday 2013 is one of them

The holiday offerings from Too Faced always draw me in with their gorgeous packaging, shade selection, and the simple fact that they are always palettes, and I love palettes.  They are a total weakness of mine, and I should know by now that I will always be suckered in, despite how many palettes I already have.

This time I absolutely could not resist.  With the perfect balance of neutrals (because a girl can never have too many neutrals) and some color to spice up my look.  What I like most about the shade selection is that the colors aren’t too bright.  While they will most certainly add something to my look, all of these shades are still in my comfort zone.  That, none of these are BAM out there shades, but are subtle attempts to be “fun” for people like me.

This has already been pretty extensively reviewed, so I’ll try to keep it short.

Look after the jump to see a detailed review and lots of swatches!

The 'Shop Your Stash' Project

So, last week I started something new. Although I've been going through my stash and rediscovering new things the past month, I wanted to find a way to use them all on a consistent basis.  This isn't a new concept - taking out a few products that haven't been used very much or in a long time, but it isn't something I've tried in awhile.

Here's what I'm trying to do: I took out 21 products for the month of June and my goal is to use each product at least twice, just so I can get some use out of it and be creative about the way I use it.  I've had this going for about two weeks now and I'm really pleased with how its going.  I certainly am enjoying products that I either haven't used in a long time or haven't used much at all.
I have a total of 5 face products, 7 eye products, and 9 lip products to use before June is over.  Some of these will undoubtedly end up in my June favorites, while others may just be average products - we'll see which ones make the cut!

To see what products I'm using, as well as tons of swatches, keep reading!

Rediscovered Beauties and a Beautiful Pairing

If the silence in posts the past few days means anything, it means that I've been playing hermit again and not stepping out of my house besides going for a run or wearing any makeup.  Recently I've just felt an unexplainable need to lounge around in my house and relax, and at least try to work on my homework for my online classes.  Usually that means a lot of reading and a little bit of homework.  You see, one of my goals this summer was to actually read for pleasure, which I don't think I've done since...last summer.  

Part of being a hermit this weekend was because of my first book of the summer: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Is it ages old? Yes.  Has everyone on Earth already read it? Yes.  But I haven't gotten around to it and I absolutely adored the movie (the original Swedish version...I haven't gotten around to the American one yet!)  This book has been on my list for ages, and I've finally gotten around to reading it, and it was absolutely fantastic.  Despite having seen the movie already, I still could not put down the book because of the suspense.

The next books on my list?  I have Cold Mountain and The Great Gatsby waiting for me, but I'm looking for new suggestions!  If any of you have any good recommendations, please tell me! I'm open to just about anything.

Now, onto the actual subject of this post...

 I seem to be the expert of not using half the products I actually own....but the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef and Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Park Ave. Peach are making a reappearance!

Read on for more swatches and information:

Feeling Coral

I have a full blown obsession with the Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in Naughty.  It is the perfect bright red coral that with the right stippling brush (Sonia Kashuk Highlighting brush anyone?), gives me the perfect flush.  I'm actually not sure I've loved a blush more, except for MAC's Fleur Power when I first got it a few years ago.  It still remains as one of my favorites, with its shiny new sister from Estee Lauder.

Paired with MAC's Refined Mineralized Skin Finish, it is a coral-bronze glowy heaven.

Read on to see swatches and how I wore this!

New obsessions...

...new obsessions for beauty, that is.  In a whirlwind of shopping this weekend, I've managed to get all the shoes I needed for the summer, as well as some new clothing (what's new?).  This only happens a couple times a year, and every other time I go shopping, I usually just get one or two pieces.  More details on those tomorrow, but my newest makeup acquisitions are just begging to be talked about.

When heading to the beach, I always accidentally wander into the Cosmetics Company Outlet to hunt for limited edition/discontinued/hard to find products.

First up - I have wanted to get Clinique's Black Honey gel liner for forever, and although it isn't hard to find by any means, I still picked this up while I could.  I haven't even tried it yet, but I've almost bought it so many times that I just took the leap this time!

The Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in Naughty is my newest obsession.  It is a BRIGHT coral blush that actually stained my hand when I swatched it.  I clearly did not use the right brush with it today as I resembled something like a clown before I furiously blended it to an acceptable level.  Tomorrow, I will try again with a stippling blush in hopes of achieving that perfectly flushed look...  I had heard so much about how amazing these blushes were and they definitely didn't disappoint! In fact, when my wallet recovers (read: when I get a new job) I will definitely be getting more of these since I wanted practically every one I saw...

Lastly, this is so old I was shocked I even found it.  I have always wanted the MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipglass for ages, but it was always sold out.  I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to get it!

This blog seems to be turning into a  documentation of everything I buy, but I promise, reviews will be coming soon!  After my upcoming posts on my new fashion items, that is...