YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick #3

Oh, my. I think I may have fallen in love. With a lipstick.

YSL Rouge Volupté #3 - $34 (Sephora)

I've never been one to spend a significant amount of money on a piece of makeup I didn't think I couldn't get for a cheaper price and not compromise the quality. That usually includes lipsticks, stains, and glosses as I feel like the drugstore has more than great products. However, after dreaming about this beautiful gold packaging and hearing nothing but amazing things about any YSL lipsticks, one may have fallen into my lap Christmas morning.

Before Christmas, when I was looking at the different lipsticks, I knew I wanted a classic and one that I could wear daily. There were so many in this range that it was still hard deciding which I would want. However, one in particular stood out to me in the perfect, yet cliche "your lips but better" category.

A beautifully creamy and pigmented lipstick, #3, is a perfect everyday staple described as a "mauve taupe". Even though the price tag is a bit hefty, I can already tell that it is honestly worth it. While I do think that you can get great lipsticks at low prices at the drugstore, there's something special in this one. It seems extra-buttery and glides onto the lips with no effort. I don't even feel like I need to make sure I prep my lips so much beforehand because I know that it'll slide right on and look nice. Somehow, this color is a bit darker than a normal "my lips but better" shade for me, but it still works and once I've got some nice color in the summer I know it'll look even better. This lipstick leaves a satin-type finish to the lips, with a shiny, healthy look to the lips.

I personally love this lipstick and think it compliments almost any makeup look that you can go for. I can see it being a much used favorite and makeup bag essential for me in the long-future and I can't wait to think about getting my hands on another YSL product sometime soon.

Urban Decay Naked 3

Naked 3 Palette ($52) - Sephora

I'm a bit late to the bandwagon. Not in the sense of owning it, but waiting for forever until I finally posted my review of the new Urban Decay Naked 3 palette! A gorgeous 12-shadow palette, I think UD keeps getting better and better, unlike many of those Hollywood sequel movies that should not have happened (Hangover 3? Eh. Step Up 2, 3, 4? No, thanks.).

In rose-gold packaging, this palette features many shades that seem to be a part of the rose-gold "craze" that so many people love, myself included. Four of the shades are matte -- Strange, Limit, Nooner, Darkside -- while the rest boast beautiful, largely subtle shimmer.

Strange: matte, neutral pale pink

Dust: very shimmery neutral pink with some fine glitter

Burnout: satin-finish rose-gold 

Limit: matte mauve with a neutral undertone

Buzz: very shimmery rose gold with some glitter

Trick: gold/copper-based shimmer

Nooner: matte pink/brown deeper mauve

Liar: mauve/brown shimmer

Factory: brown-based satin

Mugshot: warm taupe shimmer

Darkside: dark taupe/brown satin

Blackheart: warm black with pink shimmer

I am just a huge Urban Decay fan in general so I guess I could come off a little biased when I talk about how much I love this palette. The pigmentation of every shadow is fantastic and you're easily able to create a beautiful neutral day look or amp up something darker for the evening. While I don't think that the rosy eyeshadow shades will look great on every skin tone, I think that there is enough variety that allows this to be an accessible palette for most. The price remains the same as the other two palettes and I'd consider investing in one of the others before this one if you are new to the "Naked" franchise. However, if you have the money and already own the first or second palette, I'd definitely recommend adding this to your collection when you get a chance. 

Amazonian Clay 'Natural Beauty' Blush

If you've read my blog for a while, than you know how much I love Tarte, particularly their blushes. Their blush in 'Dollface' has long been one of my all-time favorites and featured in many of my posts. For Christmas, I received another one of their blushes, this time in 'Natural Beauty'. A stunning deep pink/red color, I can't even truly describe how beautiful the color is. Definitely darker than my other blush of theirs, I was a little intimidated at first thinking of how it would look on my paler-than-pale skin tone. However, when I apply this blush, I do so to the backs of my cheeks and work my way forward. Most of the time, you simply apply your blush on the apples of your cheeks, but for a more flushed look you can work your way from the back and with some bronzer, creating a gorgeous glow. With this application technique, the blush looks natural and just like the real flush I'd get from the cold this time of year.

Packaging-wise, Tarte hits it out of the park as it's simply amazing. All of their products have such sturdy, amazing packaging that will always prompt me to bring on vacations as I never have to worry about it. The blush also has a small mirror, which is nice and I love that the outside shows something similar to what the inside is. Retailing at $26 (Sephora), I already can't wait to add yet another to my collection.

Gift Guide Part One: Beauty Buys

Happy December first! This is my absolute favorite time of year with the holidays coming around and the festive music, shopping, and food. I personally love buying gifts for all of my family and friends, so I decided to do a little gift guide for you guys to see what I have on my own list and what I'm planning to buy others. I split it into two sections, so today is the beauty guide, with the next part coming in a week. I hope this helps you guys or gives you some ideas as you shop!

Origins Gift Sets Kit / Caudalie Beauty Product / Tom Ford Lips / NARS Cosmetics / Benefit Cosmetic / Sephora Favorites Fragrance Rollerball Sampler For Her / CIATE Caviar Manicure Luxe Set / Lush

Estée Lauder 'Raisins' Duo

The 'Raisins' palette by Estée Lauder is an infamous palette in the beauty blog world. A gorgeous yet simple two-shadow palette became a staple in many everyday makeup stashes this past year when it was released as a limited edition. The first shadow is a flattering pale, shimmering pink color, balanced out with the deep burgundy second shadow. Highly pigmented and blended beautifully, I've yet to see this duo look anything but flawless on every single type of skin tone. 

July 2013 Favorites

As I say every time I put up a favorites post, I honestly cannot believe that another month has come and gone. This time, it's even more dramatic as this will be my last month before starting a huge chapter in my life: university!! It's so crazy I can't believe it, much less think about it, so let's just get right on into my favorites for the past month (which is much more lighthearted).

Would You Rather - Beauty Edition

This is not a post that needs much of an introduction! This tag has reappeared on the blog scene after Kayleigh from Couture Girl did it a week or so ago and everyone has jumped on board and done it as well. I absolutely love reading tag posts, although I rarely do them myself (I'm not sure why!). Anyway, I've enjoyed reading everyone's take on these questions and decided it was time to do it myself. Without further ado, here's the tag!

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

Ah, okay. We're starting off with a tough one. I think, right off the bat, that my gut would be to lose all of my palettes and eyeshadows. I'd be much more comfortable with bare eyes and the rest of my face covered instead of just having a nice eye look. I do love my palettes, but I'm afraid they'd have to go!

Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

If pictures aren't an indication, my hair is decently long. I've never really had it short (I think it's because I was bald when I was a baby for so long!). Ever since then, I've been determined to keep all of my hair. I don't think I could handle cutting it off!

Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

No question, a pink cheek! I'm so pale that coral does not typically work well on me, so most of my blushes are in the pink range. That being said, I do love Benefit's "Coralista" in the summer. However, it really only works for me in the summer when I have a little bit more of a tan, so I'll have to go with pink overall!

If you had £1000 to spend, Would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Clothes. Clothes, clothes, clothes, clothes, clothes. I honestly wear the same few things over and over, so if I ever came into money, a major clothing splurge would definitely be necessary. I have to buy my own clothes and makeup, and I used to wear a uniform to school, so I'd always just spend my money on makeup! Now that school is over, I've realized how little clothes I have and the amount of shopping I'll need to do before school! Eek! If only money grew on trees!

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Now, this whole question definitely does throw me for a loop. In terms of a texture thing, neither option seems doable to me and makes me feel squeamish just thinking about it. I know for a fact that I would never be able to apply lipstick as eyeliner because that has the worst connotation for horrible textures, so I guess I'll have to go with eyeliner as lipstick. It would be kind of similar to a lipliner I'm assuming, and hopefully you can have some fun colors to try out!

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

This is an absolute no brainer! I'd pick Sephora in a heartbeat without a thought. I absolutely love my Sephora (and have the VIB Card to prove it) and would rather spend my money there over MAC. I've never been a MAC girl, and although I'd like to expand my collection a little, I'm happier using different brands who are just as great. 

Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

For the first question, I think I'd much rather use only one eyeshadow color for the rest of my life. I almost always just have a natural smokey eye, so it's quite boring anyway, whereas I love to try different lip looks and go super vampy to bright orange. For the second question, I'd rather wear winter clothes in summer only because of the fact that I honestly am so cold all of the time even in winter clothes, that I'd be absolutely miserable in summer clothes during winter. I am not a fan of winter or the cold, so I'd have to always be bundled up.

Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

I'm a fan of bright nails, so I'd have to say bright nails all year round. I do wear darker colors in the winter, but I've never been a fan of black nail polish or anything of the sort, so most of my nail polish collection consists of lighter colors. 

If I had to give up one or the other, I'd probably chose to give up my favorite lip product. I'm a mascara junkie, and don't think I could ever give away one of my favorite mascaras as I love them way too much. It hurts either way, but keeping my mascara will help just a little!

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?

This question pains me. It literally pains me! If you knew me in real life, you'd know that I absolutely never wear my hair up. It makes me look much younger and it also just does not work with my face. I feel like it makes my face look bigger and highlights my tall forehead, which I've never been a fan of. So, I'd rather not wear my hair in either way! However, if I had to play along, I'd say a ponytail, just because you'd get more possibility with that.

Would your rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?

Easiest question yet! I would much rather toss out any lipgloss over any nail polish. I am a nail junkie and own far too many than need be and never ever wear lipgloss. Didn't have to think twice about tis one!

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? or sharpie them in everyday?

Not only am I a mascara/eye lash junkie, I'm also obsessed with eyebrows. I've always had a thing for thick, full eyebrows ever since I saw pictures of the model Bambi when I was younger. So, if I had to shave my eyebrows, I would have no choice but to sharpie them in. I could never leave them gone! I'm sure there's ways to make it more natural if you really took your time and perhaps used a brown sharpie? I'd find a way!

Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

The question I've been avoiding. I love nail polish, yet I love makeup as well. This is killing me! Honestly, though, I think I'd have to do I'd rather live without nail polish. Oh, how that pains me to say aloud (or via blog post)! I'm purely saying that because I am able to live for about a week without nail polish, whereas I rarely go more than a few days without some sort of makeup. Ah, I still feel bad! I think we're just going to pretend this question didn't really happen.


And that's the tag! I hoped you enjoyed reading my take on the questions and let me know if you did this tag yourself! See you next post. 

DIY Peppermint Lip Scrub

Hey, everyone! I'm super excited to share this little DIY with you all as I love a good DIY that I can recreate myself. This one is so easy that anyone can create it, and probably won't even have to go out and get anything to do it! I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I'm a huge fan of lip scrubs. I use my Lush "Sweet Lips" religiously every night and swear that lip scrubs help amazingly. As I'm such a fan, I decided that it was time to find a way to make my own, so in December I did just that. 

After doing some research and then deciding on what I wanted mine to be, I came up with this cute and simple little recipe that's easy enough for everyone. It smells absolutely heavenly and unlike any other lip scrub that I've tried before.

What you'll need:

-bowl

-spoon

-granulated white sugar

-dark brown sugar

-oil (canola, preferably)

-honey

-peppermint extract

First, you'll want to dish out about three tablespoons of white sugar and about 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar. Mix it all together, getting the clumps out of the brown sugar.

After mixing the sugars together, I add about 1 tablespoon of honey and then 1 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil. The oil is the trickiest part and the aspect that you can decide yourself. I like my scrubs to be a bit more texturized, so I don't add as much honey and oil as I could. I like the scrub gritty to really get the dead layers off of my lips. However, if you'd prefer yours to be more moisturizing, then add some more oil and honey to get a "wetter" look to the scrub. The way I make mine remind me more of a Lush scrub than most handmade scrubs.

The best part of this is to add just a drop or two of Peppermint extract. I haven't had any peppermint lip scrub before, nor have I ever found any, so that's what I think makes mine unique. It smells so stunning and easy to lick right off the lips. If you find the same extract as me, however, be warned that a little goes a long way! I only need the drop or two and it is perfect.

And that's that! I love to jar mine in plastic containers which are only a few dollars at my local Container Store and even add a label if I'm feeling adventurous. I made a ton of these in December and gave my friends one, which I hope they loved. I think that these are perfect for yourself or making a fun treat for others. 

Let me know if you decide to make a homemade lip scrub or even if you've made one before! I'd love to try some more DIYs in the future as I think they're so fun. 

NAKED Basics Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Hi everyone and a big hello to all of my new followers! I hope you all are enjoying my blog and excited about my giveaway! As promised, I wanted to share my opinion on this palette as I am giving it away to one of you! These swatches are from my own palette as I obviously did not want to touch the one I will be giving away!

The Naked Basics palette is advertised as the matte baby of the other Naked palettes. This one lives up to its name and is very basic: no fancy packaging, very simple, and tiny as a button! There are a mere 6 shadows in this palette, but it is still 6 full eye shadows and it's a perfect essentials palette for anyone and everyone, from someone just starting to wear makeup to a makeup-crazed beauty blogger.

W.O.S - Foxy - Venus

Crave - Faint - Naked 2

The first three colors of the palette are all white-beige, perfect for the base. The very first color, Venus, definitely has some shimmer in it so it's perfect for a highlight under the brow bone and in the corner of the eye. The next two colors, Foxy and W.O.S. are perfect for on the lids and mattifying (is that even a word?) your whole eye. The next three are where the fun comes in and you are able to blend in the crease and dramatize the look.

One important thing to note in this palette is that 4 of the 6 shades are BRAND NEW! Ah, it definitely made me happy to know that I wasn't wasting my money here. The 2 old shades are Foxy and W.O.S. (Walk of Shame), which are such great shades I really don't mind to see them in this palette. Anyone who does not own the Build-Your-Own Palette is definitely in for a treat as W.O.S. was previously the exclusive shade for that palette.

Overall, I'm extremely happy for Urban Decay to have finally released this palette and I personally have been reaching for it everyday since I bought it. For only $27, you are getting 6 full-sized eye shadows that are perfect for the neutral eye lovers like me.

Be sure that you enter my GIVEAWAY to win your own Naked Basics palette! It's something you do not want to miss out on. 

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide

Happy Sunday, everyone! I honestly cannot believe that it is already December. This year has truly flown by and I've been ready for the holidays since... the beginning of November, actually! Now, though, it's socially acceptable to be excited, so my Christmas excitement is now just bursting beyond belief! As I'm sure everyone is now shopping for presents, I wanted to create a little bit of a gift guide for everyone to share! These are some personal beauty favorites of mine that are on my Christmas list and maybe they could be on yours as well!

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Enchanted Perfume: The follow up to Taylor Swift's incredible Wonderstruck perfume, Wonderstruck Enchanted was just recently released and smells absolutely amazing. The bottle comes in the same great shape with charms draped around the top and is red, perhaps in honor of her new album. 

NAKED Basics Palette: As a follow up to the infamous NAKED and NAKED2 palettes, Urban Decay has just released the new Naked Basics palette! This palette features 6 completely matte eyeshadows, whether you want a light day eye or nighttime smokey look. This palette is also very small! In pictures, I've seen it compared to the size of an iPhone, yet it has 6 full eyeshadows! I'm dying to get my hands on this for the winter!

Ciate Sequin Manicure Set: Ciate has truly been the "it" brand for nail polish trends this year, in my opinion. Beginning with the caviar manicure back in the spring, they have come out with some great manicure kits. (I actually did a post on the caviar nails here) The latest in their trends is the sequined manicure kit, which looks amazing. Your nails literally sparkle and shine!

Chanel Lipstick in La Caline: This lipstick is part of the Chanel Winter collection and I went out to swatch it today. Ah, it was amazing! I don't like a lot of color on my lips, so I tend to always go for more nudes and pinks, but I've been obsessed with the oxblood trend this year. Chanel came out with a very dark, deep oxblood lipstick, but I'd never be able to brave that and this color is just as gorgeous and following the berry trend, just a lot more muted. 

NARS Kiss Mini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss Coffret: Available at Sephora as a part of the NARS/Andy Warhol collection, this mini lip gloss kit comes with 5 different glosses. Not only do the lip glosses look amazing, but the tin it comes in is absolutely amazing and definitely reusable. 

What is on your wishlist this year?! I'd love to know!

Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara

Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara
in "Very Black"

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Ah, the week is half over, so only a few more days until the weekend! I'm actually going away today, so I'll probably be lagging on commenting on my favorite blogs, but I'll be sure to catch up on Monday when I'm back home! But I do have this post and a post scheduled for Friday!

In the very beginning of June, I did a review on the Maybelline Great Plush Mascara. That mascara is the newest, and has gotten some quite good reviews by a lot of beauty gurus on the web and youtube. However, as you'll see in my review, I wasn't a huge fan of the mascara. My quest to find another great mascara was not over, though, and I finally got around to purchasing the Maybelline Illegal Lengths mascara ($8-9). I have heard nothing but great reviews on this mascara since it first came out and I remember seeing Carly Cristman talk about it in one of her videos. I just pushed it off until recently, and boy am I glad I finally got around to it!

This mascara is truly a lengthening mascara through and through. The brush gives incredible length to your eyelashes that I have honestly not had in any of my other mascaras. Also, I was given the idea to combine this lengthening mascara with the Great Plush mascara to see how the results would be:

Wow. The combination of these two mascaras is definitely the combination that I have been using. The Great Plush gives volume, while the Illegal Lengths provides length, leaving my eyelashes exactly where I want them to be. I'm fortunate to have full, long lashes, but these two mascaras definitely emphasize that fact to a new extreme!

Have any of you tried this mascara? What about the Great Plush mascara?

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

Stila "Fill-Your-Palette" Palette

Dune - Starlight - Kitten
Oasis - Wheat - Golightly

Kitten - Starlight - Dune

Golightly - Wheat - Oasis

Happy Monday, everyone! I honestly can't believe that we're already into the second week of July. Where is the summer going? Over on Pinterest (HotMessInADress), I feel like everyone is pinning autumn outfits of big sweaters, leggings, and boots. In my head, every time I see one of those photos I internally panic and wonder why everyone seems so determined to hurry up and get through summer!

Besides that depressing topic, I was so excited the other day when a package came in the mail for me from Stila! At the end of June, I won one of their contests over on the Stila blog. The prize I won was a 6-pan refillable palette with 6 eye shadows of my choice! I was beyond thrilled to win this, and it finally arrived in the mail last week.

The palette itself is great and sturdy as it's a hard cover that snaps shut, which is great for travelling. I feel like the close is very secure and I wouldn't be worried about it opening and damaging the shadows. The palette is very sleek and small, too, so it's definitely more convenient than the Naked palettes. Unlike the Urban Decay palette, which is very bulky, this palette is very slim and doesn't even seem like it's a refillable. It reminds me of MAC palettes in that sense.

Of course, the eye shadows from Stila are the stars of this show, though. I chose six very neutral shades, which are what I get the most use out of. I just had to include the cult-favorite "Kitten", which I own in the smudge pot form, and is one of my absolute favorites. I was so excited to try the actual eye shadow form, and I can say I was not disappointed. Each of the eye shadows I chose are really great quality and perfect, shimmery nudes. The only matte color I chose was "Dune", while the rest are gorgeous shimmers.

I know that I will get plenty of use out of this palette, and I am just so excited that I got the chance to win this prize. Thanks, Stila!!

PS - Leave your Pinterests in the comments as I've just started really getting into it. I need some new people to follow!

Be sure to enter my GIVEAWAY!

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

Happy Friday, everyone! Ah, how much do I love the weekend? A lot! These past few days have been absolutely amazing weather - I absolutely love it! However, I just don't even tan at this point -or burn! - I feel like I just remain pale as pale can be.

I've recently become obsessed with lip products - something I didn't even pay much attention to before. It was always just an after thought, if even that, and chapstick was always my go-to. However, I've recently been discovering some new favorites! While browsing Sephora the other day, I ended up at NARS (surprise, surprise) and I was looking at their lip pencils after hearing great reviews. I ended up choosing one of the velvet gloss lip pencils in "Frivolous".

This color is absolutely amazing! I really love the finish it gives: a natural and glossy look. The pencil is quite sheer, but easy to apply and slides on so smoothly. The best part is probably that it sharpens! I was so excited because I had just hit the end of the product, but I read online that the pencil easily sharpens. I'm going to have to do it this weekend! The packaging for this product is great as it is with all NARS products; the pencil is the perfect size and can easily slip into my clutch or bag. Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this lip pencil! It's been my everyday pick for the past few weeks since I got it and I'm so glad I decided to purchase it. I'm definitely going to stop in Sephora and check out some other shades!

Have you tried any NARS lip products? Any exciting plans for the weekend?

PS - I'm so close to 100 followers! This weekend I'm going to pick something up for a giveaway once I do so keep your eyes peeled!

MAC "Hey, Sailor" Collection

Happy Sunday, everyone! If you're in the US like me, I hope you're having a great long Memorial Day Weekend! The weather has been so nice here, too, so it's been a great past few days.

On Thursday, the new MAC collection was released in the US! I was very excited to pick my order up, so after school that's exactly what I did!

Highlight in "Crew" - Eye Shadow in "Jaunty" - Suntint in "Au Rose"

Highlight - Eyeshadow - Liptint

From this collection, I chose three items. I went into the store knowing that I definitely wanted the highlight, which just looked absolutely stunning. In my swatch, the highlight definitely has more of a pink pigment, so I know this will be great as a blush this summer.

Besides the highlight, I had no idea what else I really wanted. When I was swatching the products, the next product to stand out was the eyeshadow in "Januty". A great neutral with some shimmer, I know I am going to love using this as a base for my natural eye look everyday.

The last product to stand out was the liptint. I was very torn with the colors, but I ended up choosing "Au Rose" with the guidance of the counter lady at MAC. I'm glad I ended up choosing this color! It is very sheer once you apply on the lips, but to me, that's perfect. I don't love a lot of color on lips, so this will be perfect for the summer (as I've said with the other two products!) especially as there is SPF!

Are any of you interested in this collection?

My Everyday Spring Makeup

Happy Sunday, everyone! Loving the sunshine today and I went and did a bit of shopping today, which just lifted my mood even more! Yesterday I posted a new YouTube video, showing my everyday look for this spring/summer. The key is light and easy here, as during the summer I'd rather spend my time outdoors rather than in and getting ready.

For foundation, I've been loving Maybelline's Dream Nude Airfoam foundation in 200 Creamy Natural. I actually reviewed this product! The review can be found here: Maybelline Airfoam Review. Overall, the product is a really nice light coverage foundation, perfect for spring.

To powder, I use my trusty Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder in Universal. This powder is perfect for everyone and I absolutely love it. The package comes with a lot of product and definitely worth the money!

For blush, I use Tarte Amazonian Clay in Dollface, a really pretty pink blush with absolutely great pigmentation.

To contour, I use my NARS Laguna Bronzer, which is so pretty. Personally, to contour I use my Real Techniques Blush Brush, and the contour turns out great! I run the bronzer through the hollows of my cheeks, up my temples, and along the jaw line.

A nice highlight, I use MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle along the tops of my cheekbones and just above the upper lip.

Finally, I like to throw on my NARS lipgloss in Baby Doll, a really pretty, shiny, and shimmery pink.

Moving onto my eyes, I love using my Urban Decay Primer Potion to ensure that the eyeshadow will stay on all day. I then use my favorite Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten and apply it all over the lid. Over that, I put on MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Summer Haze, which is so pretty!! To finish up the eyes, I'll apply my favorite eyeliner, which is YSL's Cream Eyeliner (a review can be found here: YSL Review). Then, to my waterline I apply the Tarte EmphasEYES inner rim brightener, which is so pretty and perfect. It's much better than a stark white eyeliner, and still widens your eyes. For mascara, I use Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara and Maybelline's Falsies.

And that is it! My everyday look. I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see you tomorrow!

DIY Ciaté Caviar Nails

Happy Friday! I am so excited to share this post with you all, I've been planning it for a week! I'm not sure, but you may have seen some photos of a new trend that's coming to the nails. Ciaté is a UK brand polish that released a new product they called the "Caviar Manicure". Coming in three shades (black, white, and rainbow), the product came with a base color and the matching beads. This kit is now available at Sephora in the US for $25/set, and I was so excited when I saw it online. However, that price tag of $25?! Crazy! I knew I had to find another way to keep up with the new trend.

Over the weekend I scoured my local Michael's Arts&Crafts to find the perfect looking beads to create my own DIY Caviar Nails. And I'm happy to say I think I succeeded! 

The beads I found are from the brand "Recollections", which I'm sure you can find at any local arts and crafts store. The microbeads came in a case with six different colors for only $10! Amazing!

Now, to create this look, I applied a base coat (I used OPI's San Tan-tonio) and then applied the beads directly onto the accent nail. I waited a few minutes before patting the beads down to settle on the nail. Finally, after waiting about 10 minutes after that, I sealed it all up with a top coat! Simple as that, and I had a really cool nail look that received tons of compliments.

Let me know if you are loving this trend as I am, and if you are, whether you'll splurge on the Ciaté brand or try your own DIY. 

No beads were ingested in the top photograph taken. Except for maybe one. But I tried to wipe them all off as soon as I got a picture I was happy with!

Maybelline Spring 2012

Happy Wednesday! Ah, the week is half over, yet it feels like the past three days have been at least a week and a half. I guess when the weeks get crazy they just tend to drag on and on.

This past weekend I did some damage and went shopping all over. A few things that I picked up was from the new Maybelline Spring 2012 Fashion Week collection. I'd read a few things about this collection already, and I was excited to finally get my hands on it.

Highlight - Blush - Bronzer

I was most excited to try out the bronzer, and I was happy to snag the last one that my Ulta had! I picked it up in the Shade 300, Sunset Rendezvous. It's a really nicely pigmented bronzer that looks great. My only complaint would be that the sparkle overlay doesn't last after a few swipes. I really wish it had gone all the way down into pan!

The next product I picked up was a highlighter, in the Shade 400, Ray of Gold. This product has pretty gold flecks that make for a nice highlight. The product doesn't have great pigmentation, but as it is a drugstore product making it more affordable, I'd recommend this to anyone looking to expand their highlight collection!

The final product I picked up was a blush in Coral Blossom. This seemed to be the darkest shade I could find, yet it is still fairly light! But the great flower design in the middle sold me, as I thought it was just too cute! I think that this blush would work well on paler skin tones, so if that's you, I'd check it out!

Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Compact Review

Good morning! Back to the real world after a nice Spring Break for me. Sad, but I was getting a bit itchy and needed my schedule back in my life. I hope you all are having a great start to the week!

Today I'm really excited to review the new Chanel foundation compact! I purchased this compact a few weeks ago for my prom as I wanted a heavier foundation for photography that would last the whole night. I had the intentions of going to the Chanel counter to get the Vitalumière Aqua liquid foundation, but the lady convinced me to go for the new compact. 

Beautifully packaged, the foundation is actually a cream formula, something I had never tried but was excited to give a go. The foundation comes with a sponge applicator, but I have not used the sponge, instead applying the product with a foundation brush. The finish is flawless, but definitely a heavy coverage; not a medium as I believe it is packaged as. 

I am in the shade B20, and as sad as it is, that was my shade after tanning with St Tropez. I am so pale it's crazy. Despite that, it is the perfect shade for me. 

I am very much in love with this product, and it is something I would definitely repurchase. However, it does have a hefty price tag. I purchased this foundation for $58, plus tax. Woah. Once I got over the sticker shock, I knew I still wanted to use this product and I'm glad that I did. I do believe a good portion of the price is due to the huge packaging that the foundation comes in. As beautiful as it is, I would definitely downsize the packaging to bring the price down a bit. 

All in all, though, even though the price is high, this product is great and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a heavier foundation. Would you spend this much on a foundation? What's the most expensive beauty item you have ever purchased, and did you regret it?

St. Tropez Review

Recently I've finally gotten around to picking up some St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse... and can I say I am so glad that I did. I've tried a few different lotions before, usually a built-up lotion like Jergens, but nothing even compares to my experience with St. Tropez.

I purchased this kit at my local Sephora for $35. It includes a 4 fl oz (120 mL) bronzing mousse, skin illuminator, and mitt to apply the mousse with. I think this kit is the best purchase you can make if you are just starting out and want to get an instant glow that is quick and easy. Now, I've had this kit for around 2-3 months, and I'm still using it. I think I may just be starting to get to the end of the bottle of mousse, but each apply was a whole-body apply, and I'm very pleased with how long this has lasted! The only downside is that if you are very pale (like me!), it does go on very strong. I usually put it on at night after a shower, as you are not to have water around you after you apply it for around 5 hours. So, the tan does remain pretty strong until you finally shower when it seems to even out the tan. Another thing to mention is that I also use this on my face. I've had no issues, and my skin has remained the same throughout the time I've used this product, which is awesome. The best thing is that it is very real-looking, and DOES NOT appear orange at all. The first time I used this, I received so many great compliments around school, at one point I'm pretty sure my whole math class applauded. (Okay, maybe not, but it was the first class I had that day and everyone was in shock that I wasn't a pale ghost!)

Anyway, I really do not have anything bad to say about this product, and I've recommended it to several people. I will definitely be repurchasing this in the future, and I think it is well-worth the price. Have any of you tried St. Tropez? Tell me your experience with self-tanners!