A-Z beauty tag

Name a brand and suggest a product(s) from that line.

A- Anastasia brow wiz and brow powder- woman knows her brows
B- Benefit porefessional and they're real mascara- primer is great at filling pores and smoothing skin and mascara is my holy grail favorite
C- Caudalie cleansing water- Best makeup remover. I've been using it for 5 years, leaves your skin feeling so clean and still moisturized. So on those nights you are too tired or too drunk, you can use this and not worry
D- Dior amber diamond highlighting powder- beautiful perfect highlight and can be used as eyeshadow
E- Elemis papaya enzyme peel- one of my all time favorite masks
F- frederik fekkai ironless straight smooth serum- I can put this in and not have to use any heat to make my hair look good- the least amount of work the better
G- Guerlain terracotta four seasons bronzer- four colors, I usually stick to the lighter colors, but there is a reason why everyone says Guerlain makes the best bronzers. They do!
H- Hourglass mineral veil primer- another great primer, the best at making your makeup last. The mineral veil foundation is really nice too
I- Illamasqua powder blush in naked rose and cream blush in zygomatic. Most wearable blushes, blend beautifully, and great pigmentation.
J- Jack Black lip balm- love this stuff, want to try the different scents. I have only tried the original
K- Kerastase nectar thermique- ultimate smoother, leave in conditioner, and heat protectant. Worth the high price
L- Laura Mercier flawless face polish- usually don't like physical exfoliants(prefer chemical) but this stuff is awesome. I leave it in the shower and do it when I wash my hair. I also love Laura Mercier second skin blush in rose bloom and lush nectarine
M- Mario Badescu glycolic acid toner- great product always makes my skin look brighter and healthier
N- Nars blush in sin, deep throat, luster, gaeity - love these blushes great pigmentation and long lasting also love Nars eyeshadows in ashes to ashes, ondine, and Galapagos
O- Origins super spot remover- will put this on a pimple before bed and by morning it has helped significantly! Will always have this on hand!
P- Phyto hydrating botanical cream- leave in treatment that doesn't weigh your hair down
Q- Queen Helene mint julep mask- just as good as lush mask of magnaminty , less messy and has a longer shelf life and better price point
R- Ren glycol lactic radiance renewal mask- best mask ever. Plumps skin and makes it bright and healthy. Amazing. I also like the clear calm clay cleanser too.
S- Stila smudgestick crayon in pink violet- beautiful color and so easy to use. you can find these in stores but think they are discontinuing them. Shame! Love Stila stay all day liquid liner and smudge stick liners- waterproof and really do stay all day without flaking
T- Tarte Amazonian clay blush in exposed- good blush not blown away by texture or performance but a good blush
U- Urban Decay setting spray dew me- I have dry skin so this is the best one for me. Sets makeup and gives it a Dewy, glowy effect.
V- Vichy I have never tried any of their products but have heard good things
W- Wet n' wild eyeshadow palettes in silent treatment and walking on eggshells. So surprised at the quality of these shadows and they are only a couple dollars! Total bargain
X- Xen tan dark lotion - this is my winter self tanner. Thicker than the st tropez mousse, which is my summer self tanner. Moisturizing and doesn't have super potent tanner smell
Y- Yves saint Laurent touché éclat- amazing brightener, can just wear this and it immediately makes you look awake. Also love the shocking mascara and pur couture lipstick in rosé carnation
Z- Zoya nail polish in Snow White- amazing. Could get away with one coat and would look great. I also put this under other colors as a base to make the top color pop more.

Loved this tag!! Really made me look through my collection and find things I hadn't used in a while!

September Empties!

A month of hoarding my garbage has gone by, and I used up a LOT of crap! thank god because my house only holds so much- new motto- one out, one in. Let's all see how well that goes.  I love seeing Empties posts because you actually get a pretty decent opinion since they used up the whole product.  This is actually forcing me to look at what I have and get it out, and either repurchase or stay away. Yayy for less clutter... well theoretically.

Samples!!! glad to use these up. I will quickly go over these because, honestly, how much can I actually gauge from these tiny packets.
Sephora Body Butter- ehh ok. smell was ok. texture was ok. result was ehh... nothing great.
fresh Umbrian Clay mattifying serum- didn't notice anything different. not great for me.
Clinique bb cream- awful color match, was so light on me so who knows, maybe it's good?
Murad energizing pomegranate moisturizer- nothing special- really small sample
Ahava extreme firming eye cream- NOTHING extreme about this. no results. nothing special.
Bliss anti aging night cream- this was great- loved it, wish it was bigger/ wasn't $79.00. I am saving this sample so I remember that I liked it, and would purchase it.
Caswell-Massey almond & aloe hand and body emulsion- nothing special. smell was good though
Strivectin intensive concentrate for stretchmarks & wrinkles- I honestly believe that if I had a bottle of this it would work- I could see differences in 3 uses- another one that is around $80... saving this sample too

Deluxe Samples! yes, bigger is always better.
pure DKNY body butter- must have got this with a Nordstrom/Macy's purchase because I don't own this perfume. The scent was really strong and not really up my alley, but as a moisturizer it was pretty good.
Peter Thomas Roth Shampoo and Conditioner- brought these to NH with me on a weekend trip (I hoard shampoo/conditioner samples in case of these trips that I almost never go on) these were ok- nothing great- didn't notice any difference to my hair.
fresh Sugar Rose lip treatment- got this sample in a birchbox- loved the smell! kind of reminded me of pink lemonade- was really moisturizing and left a rosy tint to my lips.
Sephora blush in rose petal- loved it. already bought it. great color. not powdery. good color pay off and staying power.
Ahava Essential Day Moisturizer- again. not essential- not terrible. just nothing. typical of Ahava- I notice no difference and it's just... there. wah wah wahhhhh (a la debbie downer)
Maybelline BB cream- why people are going nuts about this is beyond me- it's a glorified sunscreen. no color pay off- leaves skin feeling wet- not dewy.
alessandro pedix foot balm- liked this a lot- sunk in really quickly- and didn't leave my feet greasy. don't think they sell this in US yet though.
Lancome renergie eye cream- i've had multiple samples of this. nothing special. not sold.

Show Off beauty addicts mascara- I'm not even done with this- used it a handful of times and quite possibly the worst mascara I have ever used. Super clumpy, wet, way too much product on the wand. Terrible. Tried leaving it slightly open to dry up a bit... it didn't. Throwing it out.
fresh Umbrian clay absolute concealer- too wet for my liking- I like a thicker concealer and the color pulled a little orangey on my skin- glad to be done with it.
Colgate cavity protection- had been using this for YEARS because I have extremely sensitive gums that would freak out if I ever changed toothpastes- and then I tried the Sensodyne pronamel- and nothing happened--- THANK YOU JESUS!!! loving the pronamel by the way.
Generic Target cotton rounds- yup. reeeeal interesting. these actually kind of suck and fall off when i'm using them on my face.

Loreal EverPure Shampoo- smell was good. sulfate free. was pretty good- especially for the price- I would buy it again.
H20 Sea results serum- wasn't blown away by this. I felt like it sat on my skin and didn't really penetrate. did like texture of it. wouldn't buy it again.
Body Shop seaweed deep cleansing facial wash- couldn't wait to be done with this. really didn't do much for skin, but felt like the bottle was never ending!!!!
say yes to blueberries facial wipes- the smell was good for the first 10 wipes... then got a little nauseating. I only used these on SUPER lazy days that I just wanted to go to bed. they did leave my skin feeling soft- not irritating. I might consider the cucumber ones.

Soap and Glory Clean on Me- this was one of those internet influenced purchases that people RAVE about how great it smells and how soft it makes your skin... umm neither happened. smell was ok- a little too powdery smelling for me, and definitely did nothing to my skin. Never mind the fact that it has sulfates and parabens and all kinds of great stuff.
Lush ocean salt- I have a love/hate relationship with Lush. They promote how they hand make all their products, but their products have sulfates and parabens. But everytime I walk past a Lush, the smell sucks me in and I HAVE to go in. The second you add grapefruit to something, I'm sold. This salt scrub works good, smells good. but has parabens. I already repurchased it- and will be saving these tubs to bring back to Lush for a free face mask.
Lush mask of magnaminty- here is where bigger isn't always better. I had to throw away half of this. Had a shopaholic lapse of judgement and bought the bigger size even though it expires in 3 months. works good- but wasted a lot. I bought the Queen Helene mint julep mask- it works about the same. *has parabens

Products Regret Buying

Most of the time I swatch things and really think about it before I purchase it- and then sometimes I am in the mood to make a dent in my bank account from home and make online purchases. Most of these were online and never swatched-- and some of them just suck even after a swatch.

MAC Crew highlighting powder- this came out for the Summer 2012 Mac Hey Sailor collection. The packaging of this collection really won me over and made me purchase more than I would have usually. I'm a sucker for nautical. The way this looks in the pan is AMAZING, but I don't understand this product. The white shimmer is an overlay and will be dusted off, leaving the pink, orange, and purple. The colors are so muted that even when I attempt to use it as a blush, it barely shows up; and the lasting power sucks. So, I pretty much have no use for this, except to look at it and think its pretty- definitely not worth $30.

MAC Bronzing powder in Soft Sand- looks pretty- even swatches pretty. Except when I pick up a brush and put it on-- it's nonexistent!!! I could pile this on my face and you still can't see it. The color is great-- if only you could see it.

MAC mineralized eyeshadow in Love connection- ok swatched color is a BEAUTIFUL gold and champagne-- again with the brush-- the pigmentation sucks-- AND the fallout is terrible!! more of this ends up on my cheek than on my eye. I know you can use this wet or dry, and I have tried wetting my brush first, which now just makes it impossible to blend-- so either way-- I hate this.

Nars eyeshadow in Emmanuelle  - OK, don't get me wrong I LOVE Nars shadows, and I do LOVE the texture of this, and I do love the color in the pan and when I swatch it. But, unfortunately, I can't figure out a way of using this without it looking like I am extremely sick! The color is a burgundy red with some iridescent shimmer. It is beautiful! So if anyone can find a tutorial or something using this color, definitely let me know!!!

Stila one step bronzing- this is supposed to be a primer, brightener, bronzing, and evens out skin tone. I would say it bronzes and leaves your skin looking greasy, not dewy, greasy. I think it sucks as a primer and haven't noticed any brightening. Not impressed at all by this.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tenacious Teal- I bought this thinking I would be adventurous and wear it on my lower lash line as an accent color. I have yet to even open the container. I don't know why I thought I would wear it.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Precious- I have 5 of these and this one is by far my least favorite- these are great to keep in your purse. The stains do last a while (even though they do darken throughout the day and dry out your lips a little bit) The balm is not great and doesn't really do much for my lips. But the worst part of this one is the COLOR, or lack there of. This "nude" does NOTHING! There is no color pay off- and without that it makes this product useless.

Nyx round lipsticks- I have 2 different colors (chic and gala) these are so dry- the texture is terrible. They give me the dead look and accentuate every little dry spot on my lip. I know nyx has decent lip products, these are not them!!!

Most Worn Things- Summer 2012

1. Most worn Nail polish- Essie cute as a button - perfect pinky coral color

2. Most worn hair product- dry shampoo- helps to keep the grease at a minimum- I use Batiste and this Suave-- the Suave smells better

3. Most worn foundation- Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, perfect for summer- lightweight and just evens out my skin tone perfectly

4. Most worn Bronzer- Nars Laguna, I have been using this but it is not my favorite favorite bronzer- it can sometimes look a little orange and muddy on my skin

5. Most worn Blush- Nars gaeity- amazing summer blush bright baby pink and gives you the perfect flush

6. Most worn mascara- Benefit they're real- it curls, lengthens, volumes-- everything-- love this.

7. Most worn lip product- Buxom lip cream in Cremecicle- such a pretty pink lip gloss with a pretty opaque color- beware it is plumping -- so it does tingle.

8. Most worn eyeshadow- Chanel emerveille- cream shadow in this champagne pink color- the texture is like a mousse and goes on so smooth. Perfect eyeshadow to throw on in the morning to brighten up your face.

9. Most worn fragrance- Prada Candy--- pretty sure this is going to be perfect year round. no doubt.

10. Most worn shoe- Jessica Simpson turquoise sandals- wore these ALL the time- dressed up or dressed down. Unfortunately this past weekend I had to walk more than I thought I would and they gave me some pretty big blisters on the bottom of my feet. So that sucked, but other than that they have been great all summer.

11. Most worn accessory- Michael Kors runway rose gold watch -- this was summer number 3 with this watch and I still absolutely LOVE it.

12. Rebbecca Minkoff mini mac bag- great bag for summer- forces me to take out all the crap that I hoard around with me all year. I have had to change bags now that I started classes again, but this was awesome for summer

13. Most worn clothing item- Maxi dresses... this has been a long time obsession... I have a LOT! they are the easiest thing to throw on in the summer time to dress yourself up without putting in too much effort, or having to shave your legs. let's be real- that's the main reason.
from left to right: Rebbecca Taylor, BCBG, Rachel Roy

August Glossybox

I will begin with saying that this month's glossybox is the best beauty box I have ever received. HANDS DOWN! amazeballs!

1. Biolage ExquisiteOil Replenishing Treatment- This is a hair oil that should bring back shine and get rid of dry and dull hair. I have been using this (not so regularly-oops) on the ends of my hair. It doesn't weigh my hair down, which I like, I haven't noticed a HUGE difference yet. But I will keep trying it and see if it is something that I might buy- but I have had my eyes on the Caudalie Divine Oil-- which comes in a spray and can be used for skin, hair, nails

2. Ellis Faas Ellis Lips- we got the full size product which is 35.00!! the texture and packaging are amazing!!! however the color is TERRIBLE ... it's a dark brown that looks absolutely ridiculous on me... so that sucks... a lot.

3. Illamasqua nail varnish- well this makes up for it... a full size nail polish ($14.00)... I  got the color purity, which is like a cremecicle orange color. I love it. amazing application, I needed 2 coats and it was completely opaque. The lasting power is amazing... I have had it on for about a week... NO CHIPS!!! I will definitely be getting more Illamasqua polishes FOR SURE!

4. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum- obsessed! i LOVE the ole Henriksen line, it's one of my faves. I have used this stuff- its amazing- sinks in so quick! the full size is 1 oz. and we got .5oz ... sooooo good definitely large enough sample that I will be able to tell if it works or not.

5. Touch in Sol Feel like Honey Moon Skin Base- So this is a face primer before you put on makeup. I have used this a few times and I like this- not LOVE- but it works good.

this box's theme was pure luxury-- and they definitely came through- this box was worth over $80.00... and even if you take out the ugly lipstick... it is still pretty amazing.

Cinco de drinko

A Summer Night with no air conditioning?? let's draaaank! and what better way then a margarita... i'm in!It didn't take much to sell me on this, and I may or may not(may!) have added more tequila and less water... but who is to say... boozey drink deliciousness!

Pink Lemonade Margarita 

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 (12 oz) can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

-3 (12 oz) cans of cold water 

-1 (12 oz) can of tequila

- 1/2 (6 oz) can of Grand Marnier 

optional: salt rim, lime wedge

Chill in the fridge and serve over ice. ENJOY!

**I was thinking of adding Prosecco or Champagne next time for some carbonation/booze**

July 2012 Favorites

I don't really like much makeup for the summer, so these are the products that I have been grabbing the most throughout July.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

My holy grail foundation. I'm not pretending like I wear makeup everyday, most days it's just a little concealer, but when I do- it's always this. I always get compliments on my skin when I wear it. Perfect lightweight coverage and makes your skin look dewy and flawless. 

Benefit creaseless cream shadow in Birthday Suit

This is a perfect base for shadows, but most of the time for daytime I just use this by itself. Really pretty color, and definitely doesn't crease. 

Tarte emphaseyes brightener

Brightening eyeliner for your waterline- skin toned color that takes away the redness and makes your eyes look bigger. I do like this- but I think I like the Paula Dorf doll eyes better.

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This does it all... volume. separation. length. Makes my lashes look amazing.

YSL Rouge Volupte in #30 Faumburg Peach

Nothing beats the creaminess of these lipsticks, so luxurious. Lasting power sucks- but it looks so pretty when you reapply so who cares. This color is the perfect peachy color for summer. 

Dior Addict Ultragloss in Sari Pink

Perfect bright pink color- not sticky- great paired with lipsticks or worn alone-- I paired this with MAC cut a caper and it looked really pretty.

Nars Joie de Vivre Palette

A Nordstrom exclusive that came out with their anniversary sale this month!! AMAZEBALLS! i like it much better than the Danmari palette. It has Laguna Bronzer, Albatross Highlight, Orgasm blush, Gaeity blush, Luster blush, and Angelika blush. So nice to have all of these in one place-- again for that vacation I'm never taking this on (Debbi Downer).

MAC mineralized Skinfinish in Light Year

This just came out with the Heavenly Creatures Collection- such a pretty pink and gold highlight and can also be worn alone as a blush.

Sephora cream blush in Coral Flush

I have been wearing this as a base for other blushes and on it's own. LOVE THE COLOR! perfect coral with gold shimmer- so pretty- very blendable. First purchase by the Sephora brand, and I really love this product.

and 2 non-beauty favorites...

My two new kittens!!! Introducing the extremely dapper Hookah and Falafel.