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!

Outfit of the Day

Happy Saturday! I love Saturdays like almost everyone else, but I really love waking up early for some reason. Early and bright Saturday mornings are the best, just like how I started my day today.

Anyway, I had an event at my school this week and wanted to share my outfit with you! I found this cute navy dress at Macys and also purchased a small white cardigan to put over it. My favorite part, though, was probably the shoes. I once again lucked out at Payless and found a really cute pair of peep-toe nude heels. Love!

Navy Dress from Macy's
White Cardigan from Macys

Alex and Ani Initial 'C' Bangle in Silver and French Royalty in Russian Gold
Eden Hand Arts Cape Cod Bracelet

Tiffany & Co Infinity Necklace
Macy's Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings

Fioni Nude Peep-Toe Heels from Payless

Hope you all are having a great weekend! What are your plans?

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!

New Years Resolutions///Favorites of 2011

Happy New Years Eve! I wasn't planning on getting another blog post in, but I thought a quick blurb on my resolutions this year and looking back at 2011 might be fun.

Resolutions

• My number one resolution of 2012 is definitely to stick to my schedule I made the other night. I want to get my homework done, blog, and actually try to get some sleep! Hopefully this schedule works for me, and it incorporates everything I need to get done in a day, so here's hoping!
• Of course I also need to include the basic "eat healthier and exercise" bit! I incorporated exercise into my daily schedule, and while it's not a whole lot of time, it still gets me going. And since I'm going to be a vegetarian for one full year this February, I'd like to really spruce up my eating habits (and, of course, I've already made a schedule to start!). Something about Excel spreadsheets just make me focus and stick to my plans!
• My third resolution is to simply blog more! At least 3 times a week... (possibly even start making videos?!)
• Save my money! My goal is to not spend any money from January to March, where on my birthday I can spoil myself a bit and splurge on a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre!
• This resolution is probably the most important to me, and it's to get it all together and volunteer with a program over the summer in Africa. I'd need to fundraise and spend a lot of time with this, but it's incredible important to me and something I've been organizing since September of this year! 
• More school related, I'd like to start applying for scholarships for college because it's expensive and I'll need all I can get!
• A beauty related resolution, I'd really like to get in the habit of only washing my hair every other day. Everyday I will shampoo, condition, apply moroccan oil, blow dry, and flat iron. And I wonder why my hair is so dull! I might invest in a dry shampoo, but for the most part, just a little baby powder and curling my hair seems to work on the second day!
• My last (official) resolution is to appreciate more. I've seen quite a few tragedies surrounding Christmas both locally and worldwide, and I realized I need to appreciate the house and roof I have over my head. I can't take my family for granted, and I need to quit complaining over the silly little things in life!

Beauty Favorites of 2011

• My most recent beauty favorite would have to be the Revlon Butters, I think they're great! My favorite is probably Sugar Frosting, but I also have Berry Smoothie.
• Another favorite would have to be my Too Faced Natural Eye Palette and the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Can't wait to get my hands on the second one!
• From NYX this year, I really liked the Soft Matte Lip Cream and the Glitter Cream Palette.
• My most used mascara this year has to be Maybelline Volum' Express the Falsies Flared Mascara and the Clinique Bottom Lash  Mascara!

Favorites of 2011

• Favorites... I really love that I'm in my junior year of high school, so close to being done!!
• I had a really nice trip to New Hampshire over the summer for the first time in a few years, and even though we went to StoryLand, it was fun in the end.
• I always love seeing my Nana and Papa over the summer, and they came up over the summer so we got to see them a lot, which is always nice. 
• My large makeup and nail polish collection significantly grew this year, and I love it! Even though it's mostly been my own money (so I'm pretty much broke now!), I love all of my purchases made.
• I started this blog this year! In August of this year, this blog was created and I started to blog almost everyday over the summer. I really tried to blog once school started, but with no time, it was extremely difficult to post, but now I'm back!
• I'm sure some other things happened, but I can't really remember to be honest!

I hope you all had a great year, and I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

Trendy Tuesdays

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week! I don't know about you, but personally I think Tuesdays are much worse than Mondays. Every Monday I can wake up with not too much of an issue, as it's a brand new week, but Tuesdays are always my downfall. I come to realize it's not even halfway through the week, and just how much stuff is to be done.

Today's trend is largely inspired by feminine dresses. This trend can be seen everywhere, as dresses are growing less short and more modest. I like to think of this trend à la Kate Middleton. Kate's great outfits are conservative, yet gorgeous and still show her off in the right places. A cinched waist, reserved neckline, and just-above-the-knee hemline are key factors in her outfits she wears to formal events.

Kate Middleton - Photo courtesy People.com

More and more designers are taking a cue from Kate and creating gorgeous pieces for us everyday folks, making us look as elegant as the Duchess herself.

Alexander McQueen Zip Bell Shape Dress - $2875 - Saks.com

Erdem Firecracker Print Ashley Dress - $910 - Saks.com

Jason Wu Printed Dress - $1995 - Saks.com

Moschino Cheap and Chic Polka Dot Jersey Dress - $695 - Saks.com

Peter Som Floral Stretch Silk Dress - $1150 - Saks.com

Valentino Pindot and Lace Dress - $2690 - Saks.com

Personally, I love this trend and hope that it will stay for a long time. No offense to those who love to wear dresses that barely cover anything, I think a look like this is much more classier and memorable. Out of all of these dresses, I think my favorite would have to be either the Valentino or Peter Som. Both are so gorgeous! Which is your favorite? Let me know!

Photos courtesy People.com and Saks.com

Mulberry Fall 2011

I hope everyone is having a great long weekend, Happy Labor Day! I thought today I'd post my favorite campaign for this fall, Mulberry. Mulberry was my favorite runway show back in February, I loved everything about it - the colors, the models, the designs, just every aspect! So I was more than pleased when I saw the first ad for this collection, and then the video ad. I hope you all love it as much as I do!



Video courtesy Youtube.com/user/fashionistadotcomny