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!

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 >>

SOTD and no-bake energy bites (aka peanut butter heaven)

I'm now happily in Maine, where I've gone for vacation countless times.  It's the first vacation I ever remember going on, and I used to come here every year until I became too busy in high school.  We started coming here again last year, and I am glad to be back at my favorite vacation spot. 

But, before we came, I had to prep lots of food for healthy snacks for the road trip up an hiking.  I started out with this to get my day started:

Continue reading to see what I used and other food noms..

Quick FOTD and update!

 Road trip prepping is hard work. I despise eating fast food and will do anything to avoid it when I'm on the road. This led me to prepare snacks and easy car meals (i.e. zucchini pasta) for the better part of the night last night. Chopped peppers, celery, no-bake energy bites (pictures of that coming soon), zucchini pasta, and fruit galore! As a result, I didn't start packing until midnight, after which I was already half asleep and could not bear the thought of typing up my intended post of my favorite travel items. On another note, if you follow my instagram, you'll see that I got my haircut...finally. Instead of my normal you-can-barely-tell-i-got-a-haircut trim, I chopped off about 5 inches and had it thinned out a bit, something I haven't done in awhile. I think this length suits me better, but its not as effortless and requires a bit more thought and styling sometimes. Gone are the days where I can just let it be free and completely natural, but I really only need a styling cream in addition to my leave-in conditioner now, so I shouldn't be complaining. I don't have to style it, but it does look better straightened or curled. I'm kind of excited to curl it again, as I didn't like my longer, thicker hair curled before, but I generally hate styling my hair.. I have NO idea how I used to do it everyday in high school, and I haven't actually used heat on my hair for almost two years now unless its a special occasion. As a result, my hair has been visibly healthier, shinier, stronger, and split-end free, so hopefully I can still keep the heat styling to a minimum.

Now that I've blabbered on, here is my FOTD with a picture of my new length. Its quite similar to my old cut, but there are more layers, angles, and its been thinned out a little.

Since my makeup was already packed, I used completely different products today, and also tried out the Physician's Formula Eye Booster Liquid Eyeliner, since my favorite Maybelline Eye Stiletto is running out.

First Impressions: Is this supposed to be Ultra Black? I had to go over the lines multiple times to make it as black as my Maybelline liner. Maybe I just got a dud, but the color payoff is not impressing me. What is impressing is the fine tipped brush that makes it really easy to draw a thin line.

Products Used-
Face:
Revlon Colorstay Mousse Foundation (discontinued) mixed with a little bit of MAC Face and Body for color
Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Coral Reef
Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer
Sonia Kashuk Barely There Loose Powder
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Light Bronzer
Sugar Gingerbread Blush (discontinued)
Benefit SunBeam highlighter
ELF Golden Bronzer


Eyes:
NYX HD Eye Primer
L'oreal HIP Eyeshadow Stick (discontinued, color name rubbed off)
Sonia Kashuk Perfectly Neutral palette: champagne shade and brown on lower lid
Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner
Max Factor False Lash Effect WP


Lips:
Neutrogena Moisture Shine in Nectar (discontinued)
Vincent Longo Lipgloss in Dolce


Posts on my energy bites (or the new crack, this stuff is amazing), travel makeup, and pictures of my favorite place in the world (or at least the US) coming soon!

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!