Itsy Bitsy & Banana Split

Happy Halloween everyone!

We didn't dress up for Halloween this year but still went ahead with the traditional pumpkin carving as we do every year. I LOVE to carve pumpkins, it's not easy work but it's so much fun!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Muffin, unlike us, decided to dress up and be a Banana Split for Halloween. If I could find a Muffin outfit, I think he wouldn't say no to it! He he

Muffin vs. Spider



 Did you guys dress up for Halloween, what were you??

Went Shopping...In My Stash!

Just like any other make-up addict, I have an unnecessary amount of make-up and unfortunately I cannot stop it from growing. It sounds like and probably is insanity to keep purchasing make-up while I already have more than I will ever need. I 'sort of' came back to my senses and decided to shop my stash to see what I can use up, so I will at least feel a bit better. I hate when I have to throw stuff out because they got old. So here are some of my unloved products that will be getting love from me starting...now!

P.S.: I'm planning to have a little basket/box to keep out in the open which will hold these products, so I will actually use them! :)

Smashbox Lipgloss in Sweet

I remember the day I purchased this lip gloss at Ulta. It was part of the Wicked Lovely collection which came out in Fall of 2008. So that was exactly 2 years ago! Why do I never use it? I have no idea. I'd describe this color as a nude apricot. It's such a pretty and versatile lip-gloss that goes perfect over lipsticks such as MAC's Shy Girl (which is one of my faves)!

Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder

I actually did not buy this bronzer but I got it with my Ulta quarterly certificate, so basically it was free. I don't know if that has anything to do with me neglecting this lovely product. I personally prefer matte bronzers over shimmery ones. Pink Leopard has quite a bit of shimmer in it so I will most likely not use it all over my face but as a highlighter on cheek bones and down my nose etc.

Jesse's Girl Bejeweled Eye Shadow Quad - 432A-4

I bought this quad shortly after falling in love with it on one of Julieg713's videos on YouTube. Colors in this quad are just gorgeous and crazy pigmented. For the price, this quad is of superb quality! They are also very suitable for the season. Looks like fall to me!

Jesse's Girl Eye Dust in Cafe Au Lait

I purchased this eye dust along with the quad I mentioned above. I did use it quite a bit but then it somehow got pushed way back into my eye shadow drawer. I would describe the color as a shimmery peachy/champagne/tan. It is very gorgeous and looks amazing with it all over the lid and a dark crease color like dark plums and grays..

Have you guys rediscovered any unused products in your make-up collection?

Things I Heart These Days...

Happy Monday everyone! As promised on yesterday's post here's my cosmetics version of my recent loves!

Bronzer as Blush

I'm really into bronzed cheeks these days. I still love my peaches and pinks on the apples but lately I find myself reaching for the bronzer side of my Elf blush and bronzer duo. I've actually been looking for a blush which will give me this color but haven't been able to find one. So I started using this bronzer in stead and I'm pretty happy with it.

elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

No Eyeliner!

I love black eyeliner and really thought I could not live without it. Well, looks like I can! I feel like sometimes black eyeliner makes me look older than I actually am. I also feel like it looks too over the top on me during the daytime. So these days I am reaching more for my Print eye-shadow and using it to line my upper lash line, I then go ahead and smudge the heck out of it! It creates such a soft and sultry look which can easily be worn during the day.

Bronze cheeks!

Grain on lid, Sable on crease, Print smudged on upper and lower lash-line

Grain

Grain was one of my first MAC eye-shadows. (Print was the first, can never forget!) I've just recently started using it daily. I've rediscovered Grain while I was in Turkey where I mostly opted for neutral colors due to the scorching hot weather. It's in satin finish and it's a shimmery beige color with some gold to it.  I use it all over my lid in almost all of my looks these days as it pairs perfectly with any crease color.

MAC 227 Large Fluff Brush

I am absolutely in love with this brush! I do have quite a bit of lid space and on the days when I am not doing detailed looks, which I normally don't, I use this brush. Applying lid color with 227 is a breeze. Because it's has more and thicker bristles, it's so easy to pick up product and accurately place it on your lid. I also love that it helps building the eyeshadow much easier. I really feel like it was made for my eyelids. I think this is one brush I never want to be without!

 Neutral/Dark Nail Polishes

I am not really one of those people who wears only neutrals in fall/winter however this is all I feel like lately. I think fall and it's gloominess are getting to me! Here are the nail polishes I go back and forth between...

Revlon Gray Suede - Taupe-y beige

O.P.I. Lincoln Park After Midnight - Blackened deep plum with micro-glitter

O.P.I. Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow - Dark, blackened forest green

O.P.I Visions of Sugarplum - Deep purple with iridescent flecks
Sephora by O.P.I. On Stage - Smokey grayish purple

Rimmel Steel Grey - Mauve-y gray

Essie Material Girl - Deep burgundy

Essie Playa Del Platinum - Pale cement

What are your favorite make-up/beauty related things to do lately?

Things I ♥ Now

I've been such a bad blogger for the past week! I actually do have numbers of posts ready but I need to snap pictures for all of them and the decreasing daylight hours just isn't helping :) 

Here are a few finds and things I am enjoying lately...

 Slatkin & Co. Candles from Bath and Body Works

 I have bought these candles in another scent during last holiday season. Unfortunately they do not make that scent anymore :/ But the two I got are just as amazing! I am kind of indecisive about whether the $20 price tag for one candle is too much or not. I'm leaning more towards 'Yes they are'. But these candles do burn amazingly and smell yum-o! Frosted Cupcake makes my entire house smell like I am actually baking them in the kitchen. Normally I wouldn't pay $20 ($19.50 is actually how much one costs) for one candle but they had a 2/$20 deal so obviously that changed everything! Plus I love to be festive!

You can see how much I love Frosted Cupcake, it's almost gone!

Personalized Stationery

I've always been fascinated by the world of stationery! I love to give cute thank you cards to friends and family during the holiday season or even with just a gift and I love it even more when they're personalized. It adds a nice touch to gift-giving in my opinion. I got these personalized note cards from a company called 'Pear Tree Greetings' as result of a random Google search. I have shopped from other stationery companies in the past (and I still love them) regardless I wanted to give this company a try because their stuff looks very cute and definitely reflects my style!

Michael Kors Watch + David Smallcombe Cuffs

This is such an effortless, timeless, versatile and wear & go type of deal and I love that. Not to mention it matches with everything! Big watches aren't for everyone but I love them. If you do too and are on the lookout for one then definitely check out Michael Kors watches!

Mini Compass Pendant

I love Target and shop there quite frequently (who doesn't?!) but I never bought any of their jewelry. Then I met this cute necklace! It comes with an 18-inch chain, hangs beautifully from the neck and it sparkles like it was bought from some expensive jeweler!

Last but not least, I'm enjoying lots of long walks with my pooch Muffin. The nice weather won't be here for long and the brutal Chicago winter is right around the corner so we're trying to make the most of it! :)

P.S.: Cosmetics version of this post is coming up soon :)

What are you guys loving these days?

Wet n Wild Pixie Holiday Palettes

I had no idea Wet n Wild was coming out with a holiday collection until I stumbled upon these at my local supermarket last week! I, for the most part, love the palettes Wet n Wild brought out several months ago so I figured these would get a lot of love from me too! The previous palettes all had pretty colors however I had problems with some shades in terms of pigmentation. Sorry to say, these palettes are not a whole lot different. Again, colors look amazing and you just hope that they'll be pigmented and not powdery but it just wasn't the case for some.To my surprise these palettes were half off the retail price which was something along the lines of $4.00 so I got two for the price of one! Always love a good deal!

There are a total of four palettes in this collection just like last time, except these are limited edition. I'm not sure if the older palettes are still for sale. The collection is called Pixie Holiday (cute!). The two palettes I picked up are Sugarplum Fairy and Golden Goddess. These two seemed like I would get the most use out of. I am in love with color purple, I think purple and shades of it look amazing with brown or green eyes (which is what I have, brown naturally and green with contacts :)) The reason I got Golden Goddess is because it looks more festive and I don't have too many colors that are in this range. All palettes come with their own matching eyeliner in boxes as opposed to the previous palettes which didn't.

Sugarplum Fairy

Colors on the left side of the palette are more matte and the ones on the right are more shimmery. In this palette, I am not really digging the lightest color (top left) and the middle color on right side. They are both very powdery, neither one of them is really pigmented. They just look blah to me. My favorites in this palette are the two colors on the bottom. Purple is just amazing and it has a pretty iridescence to it which I love! The darker color is very rich, very pigmented and would look beautiful as part of a smokey look. Sugarplum Fairy comes with it's own eyeliner pencil in Purple, it's just a matte purple eyeliner basically.

Golden Goddess

Golden Goddess includes golds and coppers. To my surprise in this palette all colors have some shimmer in them. I am not really crazy about the top two and the middle right colors. They really do lack pigmentation. However the remaining three are all amazing. My favorites are again the bottom two colors. I always seem to love the bottom two the most! The copper eyeliner that comes with Golden Goddess has little specks of glitter which I think is fun!

Overall I'm not totally disappointed with these palettes as there are some colors which I absolutely adore! However I am not sure why Wet n Wild continues to make some colors not as pigmented as the others. They obviously have the right formulation since some of them come out beautiful in terms of pigmentation and texture but some are a total disappointment and it's usually the lightest colors (top row).

What did you think of these palettes?

Bubblegum

 Hello there beautiful people!

Today I'm sharing with you my recent Lush purchase because I'm stoked and I think everyone should know about this cute little thing!

I've never tried a lip scrub in my life. In fact I've first heard about such a thing in a video on YouTube maybe a year ago (What kind of a beauty blogger am I?!) Recently I was pointlessly gazing through the yummy website of Lush and I came across these lip scrubs! I knew immediately I must have the bubblegum scented/flavored one so I swung by Lush and made it mine!

Why did I pick the bubblegum one? Well...because I love bubblegum. It’s pink and girly. They do however come in three other scents and they are cranberry (which is currently sold out on US site), peppermint and chocolate. They all smell delish. I'm sure I'll try them all sometime in my life. While I was testing the scents, I was told by the Lush guy that these are actually edible! Huh?! Yes, I heard it right. He said, I can scrub my lips with the scrub and just lick it off LOL! I actually tasted it and it almost tastes like a bubblegum flavored Pop Rocks (except it doesn’t pop!) I wouldn’t make eating this a daily habit but if you ‘accidentally’ get a little bit in your mouth, you may as well enjoy it! It comes in a little glass jar with all the classic Lush labeling and I like this scrub quite a bit!

Quick Facts

Scent: Almost identical to that of Snow Fairy. I think it smells way better than Snow Fairy (actually I despise how SF smells but I love the way this lip scrub smells) If you enjoy the scent of Snow Fairy (as I know many people do) you will most likely love this lip scrub!

Flavor: Bubblegum

Texture: Very finely-milled Castor sugar

Ingredients: Castor sugar, organic jojoba oil, flavor (vegan), aurora pink(which I think is the artificial coloring agent)

Price: $8.95/.8oz (25g)

More information: Lush

Testing Bubblegum

Bubblegum - Quality Approved!

 After using this lip scrub, I have noticed a major difference on the smoothness of my lips. I have the annoying habit of picking my lips especially when they are dry or peeling. Of course doing this creates a not so pretty sight when I apply lipstick. I have noticed that I have nothing to pick now that the dry skin is lifted off using a lip scrub. Even in the not so great picture above, I think they look pretty smooth and soft! Definitely looking forward to trying to other flavors!

Have you tried this lip scrub?

Evil Queen Made Me Do It!

Hey loves!

I know MAC's new collection Venomous Villians is already old, most people picked up what they wanted from it, swatched their goodies etc. but here are my two cents anyway :) I was initially going to pass this collection up as I didn't care for the packaging (at all!) and the swatches I've seen online just didn't impress me too much. By the time I got to my MAC store last Wednesday the collection was already up on MAC's website. Colors shown on MAC's website were way off from the actual colors I've seen in person at the store. Before going to the store, I - kind of- wanted the nude lipstick called Innocence, Beware!. To me it looks nothing like it does online. I think it's a very pretty color but it just wouldn't work on me. I realized this only when I went to the store. I have also realized how pretty Bite of an Apple blush and Vainglorious eyeshadow are! So I went with these two beauties which I truly love in stead of getting something just for the sake of a new collection.

Boxes look much better than actual packaging in my opinion.

Cheap isn't a word I would normally use for MAC packaging or products but for the packaging in question I will just have to!

Bite of an Apple is a bright and beautiful coral-pink and matte blush

 It does look super bright in the pan as you can see but so does MAC's Dollymix and neither one of them are that scary once applied. I think Bite of an Apple was a great addition to my blush collection as I do not have any blush even close this shade. It does apply opaque but I found it to be easily blendable.

Vainglorious is a golden, bronzey burgundy with a hint of purple in it, it's in frost finish.

This is such an uncommon and pretty shade and I think it's perfect for fall! I think it would look gorgeous as a crease color with Grain (my favorite neutral ever!) all over. It can even be used on lower lash line for a pop of color. I can never go wrong with MAC eye shadows in frost finish in fact 90% of my favorites are in frost finish.

What has everyone else got from Venomous Villians?

Origins A Perfect World SPF 25

Hey dolls!

I'm back!!! As some of you may know, I've been to Turkey for vacation for 3 weeks and returned a little over a week ago. I was thinking to blog while there, but it just wasn't possible as I had places to go and people to see! :) I'm now back to blogosphere. Needless to say I really missed my blog (and YOURS too) ! Right before my trip I have run out of my moisturizer and knew it would cost me an arm AND a leg to buy it in Istanbul so I bought one here. I decided to go with a favorite brand of mine when it comes to skincare...and that is Origins! I've been using A Perfect World for a month now and here are my thoughts...

I have mentioned in the past when I did my first (and last) skincare routine post that I had been using Clean & Clear's Soft Oil-Free Moisturizer with SPF 15. I bought this moisturizer on a whim and used it til the last pump mainly because I didn't want to toss something that was doing a decent job. Why didn't I repurchase? I was looking for something more hydrating and I can't lie I kind of despised the smell. When it comes to products I apply on my face, with the exception of lip gloss, I am not too fond of overly scented products. Clean and Clear moisturizer does not have a bad scent but for my personal liking it was too much. I am also quite into paraben-free products whether they are detergents, soaps or my face moisturizer. I have been very happily using Origins' Checks and Balances face wash so I thought I should check out their moisturizers and I met A Perfect World...

I tried this moisturizer on at Macy's where I ended up purchasing it. I immediately fell in love with the scent. It's nothing like that of Clean & Clear moisturizer. The scent is very refreshing and has a natural feel to it. It almost smells like some mixture of flowers/plants/fruits. I just can't really pinpoint what exactly it is! My nose picks up citrus and roses! :) A Perfect World is jam-packed with antioxidants, white tea and UVA/UVB sunscreens which "help delay the appearance of premature signs of aging" according to Origins. I look for products with SPF because even though you do not see the negative impact of sun rays happening in front of you, when you age you will. I want to protect my skin as much as I can. I would say this moisturizer has a thicker and creamy consistency, still my (combination) skin seems to absorb it very quickly. I love that it leaves my skin hydrated, smooth and very soft. It dries to a non-sticky finish and leaves a very faint scent behind which vanishes in a few minutes. If you look in the back of the container, it suggest that you use this moisturizer in the morning. I don't believe in the morning/night moisturizer idea so I use it in the morning and at night. I can definitely feel that my face got a lot smoother and softer since I started using this moisturizer. I am happy that my skin also showed no reactions to it - I hate to go through a huge break-out when I switch face products. 

Of course there has to be something I don't like about it. Yes it's the container! It's cute and all but I hate dipping my fingers in it to get product out. Really wish it came in a pump form. I will not complain about it's price even though it is sort of pricey for me, in fact the priciest face moisturizer I've ever used. It is $38.50 for a 1.7 oz tub. I was told by the saleslady that this tub is a 6 month's worth of product. I believe it's a bit more than that. You don't need so much of it to cover your whole face and neck but we'll see how long it'll last me. Will I repurchase? I believe so. There is not a single thing I don't like about the product itself and the fact that it's made without all the chemicals that do not need to be in there in the first place makes it much more likely for me to buy it again.

What are your moisturizers that you swear by?