It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette FOTD

 I told myself I didn't need the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette ($42), but alas, I found myself picking this up in ULTA...and not putting it back down again.  The warm neutrals in both warm and cool shades paired with the silky smooth texture had me in love at first swatch.

First, the packaging is absolutely gorgeous. 

And it gets better when you open it.

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.

For the Hummus Addicted: Sabra Hummus House in Washington, DC

Bringing you all a quick post about a must-go-to restaurant only available for a couple more weeks!  Having a packed schedule from day-night leaves me with little time to sit down and blog, but I had to get this up so you can all enjoy it while there's time.

I love hummus.  It's dangerous to put me near a tub of hummus because I will try to eat it with every meal.  With eggs, vegetables, bread, chips...you name it.  Imagine my excitement when I heard that Sabra was opening up a pop-up restaurant in DC!  It basically meant that I had to go and check it out.

I quickly arranged to meet at the Sabra Hummus House with a friend to indulge in a hummus centered meal.

My first impressions - the people are really friendly.  If I hadn't read beforehand that you absolutely do not need to tip, I would have thought they were competing for some serious tips. All the waitresses were incredibly accommodating and helped make the environment relaxing.  As I was waiting for my friend, one of the hostesses asked me for her name and actually stood outside until she came in. Even though it's a really small space, making it easy for the staff to be attentive, this extra step really impressed me.

The decor is also really nice. Although unfortunately my phone died before I was even in the restaurant,so I couldn't get any pictures.  But there's a nice earthy, homey feel to the restaurant with incense and candles burning throughout.

Although there aren't too many options for food, all of it sounded amazing.  The only concern I had is that they didn't have many gluten-free options.  However, I wasn't really in a position to complain because hummus is usually eaten with pita anyway...I'm sure I could have asked for vegetables instead of pita in all of the dishes, but I decided to opt for the one hummus dish that was already served with vegetables. I figured since I was in a hummus-themed restaurant, it was only fair that pita would be the standard accompaniment.  However, I was still extremely satisfied in eating my vegetables with the spreads and dips.  The vegetables were so fresh, and complemented the hummus perfectly. I know that the chef tried to source as many things locally as possible, and my vegetables were part of that. In fact, I knew they were serious about freshness when I saw actual fresh vegetables are part of the decor.

I think I would definitely go back just to try out everything else on the menu. There isn't a huge selection, and I wonder if that would change if Sabra House became an actual restuarant.  However, what's available now offers a fresh and healthy meal!

If you are interested, get down to Georgetown ASAP!
They are only open until October 26!

For more information, check out their website!

Catrice: Mini Reviews and Swatches

 Aaah,Catrice.  One of my favorite drugstore brands.  Every time I travel to Europe, I am always eager to check out their collections.  They are always changing up their core collection - good if you want to try different things, but bad if you really like a product because you have no idea how long they'll be around for.

I already have a good selection of eyeshadows and nail polishes from Catrice, and I've been a fan of their products since the beginning.  For only 2,75, their eyeshadows have consistent quality.  The mattes are pigmented and buttery smooth, and they always manage to come up with unique colors.  I can safely say that some of my favorite eyeshadows are from Catrice!

Their nail polishes are also always on pointe. They have a fantastic selection of colors, both shimmery and matte, and I love their formulas. The nail polishes are conistently pigmented, opaque, and last for a long time - around a week - with my standard Seche Vite base and top coat.

I also really like the lipsticks from Catrice, although a lot of the shades aren't quite my style.  I have one MMLB-ish shade, but that's about as extensive as my lip collection from them goes.  This time, I found a couple more shades that I wanted to try, but I didn't actually go crazy for once.

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.

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.

Hot Off the Shelves: Kiko Daring Game Collection and Queen of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette (review and tutorial)

Stumbling into another Kiko store, I picked up some of the remaining items that I wanted to buy before going back to the states (which I'll be compiling a huge post for soon!), I was about to check out before I realized that I missed an entirely new display in the store. 

It seemed to be completely new, as the testers looked barely touched, and I can't even find it online on the website yet, but everything was gorgeous.   I had to exercise restraint not to buy everything in the collection.  Although I didn't take pictures of the display (oops), it seemed to be designed after a deck of cards.  Everything was card (aka rectangular) shaped in a white pearly packaging with an image of a suit on the front. The image is metallic and reflects light beautifully.  I believe that all the palettes have a different color, as well!  Kiko always impresses me with its packaging - I love standard black packaging, and I'm sure that that's the reason I'm so drawn to Kiko in the first place, but their limited edition packaging is always so unique and well thought out that they deserve extra points for that, too.

Although I've been saving all my recently acquired items for a master post later on, I wanted to try this out and let you all know to be on the lookout for this in your Kiko stores.  It wasn't too hard for me to walk away from the blush palettes since I could think of a dupe I already had for most of the shades but oh lord the eyeshadow palettes.  There were three that looked equally gorgeous, but I made myself choose just one.  It wasn't hard.  It was the neutral one. 

To be fair, it reminds me of the MAC  x Pedro Lourenco nude quad that I lusted after, but decided not to buy.  This quad had the same rosy neutral shades, but for much less money.  I could see myself using this one to death, especially as fall rolls around.

Even the outer packaging of this is gorgeous!  I think I'll definitely be saving the box of this one.

Most of the items in the collection (bronzer, blush, and eyeshadow palettes) were 14,90.

Read after the jump for my thoughts, swatches, and a full face look!

Review: L'oreal Color Riche Extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks

Ever since the YSL Glossy Stains made their appearance a couple year ago, it seems like every brand on the market is trying out their version of a hybrid gloss-stain-liquid lipstick.  L'oreal came out with a closer dupe to the YSL Glossy Stains with their Caresse Lip Stains earlier, but it seems that they now have a glossier, lip gloss version of them.

Spoiler alert: if you want an intensely pigmented, moisturizing, and long lasting gloss that feels cushiony for hours, the L'oreal Color Riche Extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks are for you.

Keep reading for some swatches and thoughts!

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!

Fyrinnae: the company that makes me giddy about makeup. Review, Haul, and Swatches!

I don't know what it is, but I've never really been into Indie makeup companies.  I have nothing against them, but I tend to forget about them, despite how FABULOUS they can be.  I think I can safely say that has changed.

Sometime around January, I had a sudden desire to start buying from Indie brands - I have no idea what prompted me to do so, but all of a sudden, I was spending hours browsing through various website and deciding what pigments and eyeshadows to get.  I think what drew me in was how complex different pigments could be - how one taupe shade could somehow have reflective shimmer in every color of the rainbow.  Most mainstream eyeshadow are not that complex, and let's face it - the prices of Indie companies is often more attractive, since a decent sized 1/4 tsp. sample is only around $1.75-$3.  These small samples are the perfect size to try a lot of different shades without having giant sizes of pigments that I'll never finish (MAC, I'm looking at you!)

Enter Fyrinnae into my life.  Within the beauty community, they are probably one of the best and unique Indie makeup companies.  Every time I see a look with Fyrinnae products, I'm kind of starstruck by how gorgeous everything looks.  The only thing that's tricky about Fyrinnae is that it can be difficult to order from them because their website is down a lot.  It's understandable - Fyrinnae is a very small company with a small staff, and since all their batches are handmade, it's easy to get overloaded with orders.  A lot of the times that I wanted to order something from their website, they were not taking orders, so when I saw that they were finally open again in January, I jumped at the chance to try some things out.

After furiously looking up swatches online, here's what I ended up with:

Keep reading for tons of pictures and swatches!

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!

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!

Review: Vincent Longo Water Canvas Foundation

I used to never wear foundation, but it seems that this year I have been on quite a foundation kick. Introducing, the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Foundation ($57).

Cost: $57
Availability: vincentlongo.com and nordstrom.com

Keep reading to see my thoughts and how it applies on my face!

Review - Vincent Longo Lip and Cheek Gel Stain: Keeping It Fresh and Light for Summer!

Once it starts getting really warm around here (aka real summer), I have to start being a little more tactical about my makeup.  I can't just throw on any old product and expect it to last throughout the day, so my most long-wearing and fuss-free makeup comes out to play during this time. 

Although a post is coming up featuring some summer/hot weather essentials, I wanted to dedicate this post to the Vincent Longo Lip and Cheek Gel Stain in My Sunshine.

Keep reading to see my thoughts on it and how I like to wear it!

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: