September Favorites

Happy almost October! In case I haven't mentioned it enough already, I love fall and so excited that this wonderful season is already here! (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere :)) I kept things pretty simple during September and got a great use out of few products that had been sitting untouched for months, glad to have reconnected with them!

Top swatches - MAC Genuine Treasure Pain Pot
Bottom swatches - L-R: Trax, Quarry, Brule

MAC Eye-shadows / Brule, Quarry, Trax

I sadly don't even remember the last time I touched Trax. Few weeks ago I visited Quarry. And Trax, being Quarry's next door neighbor, caught my eye and that's how I rediscovered this beauty! It's a mauve-y purple with gold flecks which is stunning and perfect for fall! Brule is a pretty boring neutral, but I love that it's buildable and instantly brightens up my eyes. I've used it quite a bit as an all over color, it also makes a neutral, matte highlight shade.

MAC Paint Pot in Genuine Treasure

Genuine Treasure is currently my go-to eye product I use when I am in a hurry or straight up lazy. Like most paint pots, it's easy to work with. I love the whole apply and go idea! ;)

L - theBalm Cabana Boy R - NARS Douceur

NARS Douceur

Favorite neutral/nude blush of the month! Compliments pretty much any look!

theBalm Cabana Boy 

Favorite none-neutral blush of the month! It's the perfect plummy pink fall blush. Shows up pinker on me than it looks in the compact.

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

The main reason I'm including this product in my favorites post is actually because it was almost the only foundation I've used all month. Why? Because I'm really trying to use it up. It's not a bad foundation by any means, I especially love the finish it gives me when applied with Sigma F80 brush. The downside with this foundation is its longevity, lack of rather. However that is easily fixable with a setting powder.

 Inglot Sleeks Cream Lip Paint #95

I've thoroughly enjoyed  this bubblegum pink Inglot lipgloss which in reality is a combination of lipstick and a lip gloss. It doesn't really have a glossy finish a regular lip gloss would prove but it's not solid as a lipstick either. Best of both worlds!

Sephora Lipgloss in Bronzed Beauty

I'm surprised Bronzed Beauty even made it to my favorites! This mini lipgloss was part of the 3 pack of mini lip glosses I got as a birthday gift from Sephora on my last birthday. It took me almost an entire year to realize that I actually do enjoy it! It doesn't look like much in the tube, but once applied it's a gorgeous reddish burgundy with bronze shimmer, This is my first time using a Sephora brand lip gloss and I am pretty impressed. I love the non-sticky texture and its lasting power. Lasts me about a couple of hours.

 Butter London All Hail The Queen

It's only been 10 days since I have picked up this beauty but thanks to its swatches all over blogosphere, I had already fallen in love with it before getting it! All Hail The Queen is a taupe with tiny specks of glitter, and will be getting quite a bit of love from me! I always love a good taupe or neutral nail polish in general but I love it even more when there's a little somethin' extra in it.

Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat

I always thought "a base coat is a base coat, what's the big deal?" Well looks like I was wrong all these years. Seche ridge filling base coat makes a world of a difference in my nail polish application routine! First of all all the ridges on my nails temporarily disappear thanks to this amazing product. Secondly it applies and dries (very quickly!) to amazing smoothness. It doesn't move or create patches on nails once I start applying nail polish. The list goes on! Definitely recommend it if you need a base coat with the qualities mentioned above.

Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache Hand Creme

Delicious combination of pistachios and vanilla. This hand cream screams luxury and I'm so happy to have it as part of my nighttime beauty ritual. It keeps my hands very well hydrated and soft. I am hoping and praying that this will be the hand cream that will come to my rescue once the freezing weather takes its toll on my poor hands!

Have you tried any of these products? What are your September favorites?

Posh Paradise Paint Pots = Love

In the past couple of months I have developed an unhealthy obsession for MAC paint pots. I think the main reason I am this amazed by them is due to the fact that they last all day without a single sign of creasing! They are soo easy to use, ideal for effortless yet pretty looks on days anything including makeup application is a drag, we all have those lazy days! Did I mention I love the color selection??

The second I found out MAC was releasing yet another collection, Posh Paradise, I immediately hopped onto my computer and googled away for swatches. I knew right then and there that Imaginary and Genuine Treasure were made with me in MAC's mind.

Check out how gorgeous these little treasures are...

Genuine Treasure is the more wearable of the two, though that depends on how brave you're with your make up. Some people just prefer a more neutral look for the daytime, nothing wrong with that. I would totally wear Imaginary during the day as well. According to MAC's description Genuine Treasure is an antiqued gold, with light brown reflects. Genuine Treasure is glitter but nothing of chunky or gritty nature. Imaginary is a blackened dark blue/navy. Just like any other paint pot, these two set right away and last all day! Texture is very creamy for both. They are easily wearable alone. In fact, I've been resorting to Genuine Treasure quite a bit lately with only black gel liner and mascara.

I have used Imaginary as a base for a smokey eye using Hocus Pocus and some Print. I think it makes an amazing base for smokey looks. I know, now you're wondering 'where is the proof??'. Well, I don't have any photos because as usual I was in a hurry and taking photos didn't even cross my mind! Hopefully I will create a look using at least one and photographing it, some day!

Have you picked up anything from Posh Paradise?

Birchbox / September

This month Birchbox celebrates its first birthday, therefore September's box was created with us subscribers in the Birchbox team's mind. They have included samples of some of their favorite products as well as a little treat to say 'thank you' to us!

My first impression of this month's box was pretty good! I immediately saw the mascara and that made my day a whole lot better as we don't get much makeup in Birchboxes.

I have never heard of Lash Card before. It's basically a tool, made out of thicker paper, you use when applying mascara to avoid smudging, clumping and other mascara-related accidents. I like the idea of if and think it'd be great for when you have that extra minute to perfect your eye makeup. This will be my first time trying a Blinc product, I haven't heard much about them either so I'm not sure what to expect. It's a pretty decent sized sample though. The packaging states that this mascara actually doesn't "paint" lashes but it rather 'tubes' them. It also says that we will see the tiny 'tubes' in our hands upon removal. This mascara is supposedly not removable with water/makeup remover alone but with a little pressure from fingertips/washcloth or shower. I am really curious about these tubes now!

I was taken by surprised after seeing these Incoco nail polish appliques! I haven't even ever tried the Sally Hansen ones (though I bought the neon yellow ones because they were $2, just to try them out). I like these appliques and am looking forward to trying them. I think the zebra pattern with light coral/copper is a great combo. I will more than likely use just one on one finger as an accent unless I feel wild enough to cover all my nails!

I have also never heard of LIV GRN until now. Apparently they make natural fragrances/products from sustainable ingredients. It has a nice and clean scent, not sure about lasting power yet though. I have heard of Jouer, thanks to Birchbox. This Jouer sample is a lip enhancer - conditioning lip treatment. It has a very light, pleasant scent and it's very balm-like. I have worn it since opening the box - it's quite moisturizing!

This month extra and 'thank you' treat is this pink friendship bracelet with the Birchbox logo. I think it was a cute touch and thoughtful of Birchbox. I also found the pink string pretty cute, because who doesn't like pink! ;)

I'm happy with this month's Birchbox, what do you think? Did you have any different samples?

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

Next up in my theBalm series is the Bahama Mama bronzer. I didn't need another bronzer but again the $9.99 price tag was too good of a deal to walk away from. I would literally have nightmares about it had I left TjMaxx without this product that day.

I usually end up loving my impulse purchases so much afterwards. Bahama Mama is yet another one of those products. I didn't need a bronzer because I thought I was satisfied with the other 3 I already own. Right when you think you found the bronzer, you find another one. It's a vicious cycle. I used to be in love with Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (which I still do like) until Bahama Mama came along.

The matte and rich brown color of Bahama Mama makes it the perfect contour shade for my skin tone. It's not one of those deceiving bronzers that look brown in the pan and orange when applied. I find Bahama Mama to be quite pigmented and easily buildable to desired intensity. The texture is soft, kind of comparable to Benefit Hoola. Color transfers beautifully on the skin and it's a breeze to blend. It gives my face a nice warmth and does a wonderful job defining cheekbones. I find it to last all day without the need of touch  ups.

I just couldn't conclude my post without comparison swatches of Bahama Mama and 3 other popular bronzers.

L-R: Bahama Mama, Benefit Hoola, elf Bronzer, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Bahama Mama is the darkest of the 4 and closest to elf's bronzer and blush duo's bronzer side. It's much darker than Benefit Hoola and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, which I was head over heels in love with previously. And Hoola even more previously. (Read my Chocolate Soleil review here if interested) Since discovering Bahama Mama, Chocolate Soleil got placed on the back burner. In other words, Bahama Mama > Chocolate Soleil > Hoola. I feel like Bahama Mama makes a great contour color for me which is the main reason I use bronzers anyway. Don't get me wrong, these are all great bronzers and I was insanely attached to each at one point. I just happen to love my newest bronzer a little more at the moment.

Bahama Mama retails for $19 at Sephora and theBalm's website. As I've been suggesting, make sure to check your TjMaxx if you're interested in trying theBalm products. You may find them there for much cheaper prices.

Wishing you all a wonderful week! ♥

MAC Favorites / Neutral Eyeshadows

I've been wanting to write about my favorite neutral MAC eye shadows for the past week but either it was super cloudy out and would just be pointless to even try to take decent photos or when it was nice and sunny I was out enjoying the weather. Today I was finally able to get some good photos and here they are!  I would repurchase all of these gorgeous shades.

Top: Phloof!, Orb, Naked Lunch, Grain, Wedge

Middle: Era, All That Glitters, Sable, Patina, Omega

Bottom: Femme-Fi, Retro-Speck, Woodwinked, Texture, Brown Down

L-R: 

Phloof! - My go-to inner corner color of choice, it helps define and brighten eyes with a little sparkle!

Orb - Great all over or brow bone color for neutral looks.

Naked Lunch - Perfect as all over or on inner corners, this is definitely one of my go-to 'lazy day' shades

Grain - My daily lid color, goes with anything and everything

Wedge - Love it on my crease for blending soft, daytime smokey eye

L-R

Era - Go-to taupe.

All That Glitters - It's in my daily MAC quad, need I say more?

Sable - Beautiful mix of plum, gold and bronze. One of my favorite fall shades and looks great by itself!

Patina - See All That Glitters' description.

Omega - I use it for blending out crease colors in the same family.

L-R:

Femme-Fi - only one of my many favorite all over colors, great for daytime.

Retrospeck - very wearable shimmery light gold also looks great on inner corners with a darker look.

Woodwinked - Favorite coppery-gold that looks beautiful on lower lash line

Texture - an absolute must on crease when I'm doing a smokey look with Print (which is also a neutral favorite of mine but I talk about it all the time that I didn't even feel the need to include it in this post :))

Brown Down - Perfect brown for smokey brown look, love it on the crease and lower lash line.

What are your favorite neutral MAC eye shadows?

theBalm Frat Boy

I'm sure many of you have seen that I've gone a little theBalm crazy at TjMaxx couple weeks ago. If you've missed my haulage post click here. There were a few ladies that wanted me to review Frat Boy first so here it is! ;)

Color

According to theBalm it's peachy/apricot - according to me it's pinky/peach.

Packaging 

Cute, and reminds me of high school! The blush is embedded in cardboard packaging and is a compact with a mirror. I always love to find a mirror in there! I normally do not take blushes with me but it's nice to know that I can if I want to. The compact is pretty thin and light in weight.

Texture/Finish

Velvety smooth and applies like a breeze. It's very easy to blend and I find it to be buildable if you like more color. It is a matte blush thus making it great for those who don't like shimmer or glitter overload products.

 Lasting Power

Lasts between 6 to 7 hours, then starts to slowly fade.

Who is it good for?

People who don't like shimmer and just want a flush of color that's easy to wear during the day. It's a great everyday blush!
People who prefer paraben/sulfate/synthetic-free products. Yes, theBalm makes many of their products without many chemicals. Check each product ingredient list, some of them have chemicals that others don't.

As you can see from my photos above, it looks more pink than anything on me and on my swatches. Okay maybe I see a little hint of peach if I focus well!

Frat Boy retails for $21 (.03oz) at Sephora but I scored it for $9.99 at TjMaxx, yeah that was a good day! I do like this blush and have been reaching for it quite a bit these days, I haven't really been wearing a variety of colors for makeup lately. Frat Boy is perfect when I want a little bit of color on my face without the effort. It gives me that healthy look :)

What do you think of theBalm? Any favorites?

Sleek Treats

Just a few weeks ago, Sleek had free shipping to U.S. with $75 purchase. I had a few products on my wishlist that I was craving so badly but knew the total wouldn't add up to $75 so I put it off...literally for few minutes. Because that's when the lovely Kayla came to my rescue. She was a sweetheart to add my order to her own then ship my stuff to me that way we'd have free shipping.

I died when I saw Sleek's Caribbean collection ages ago. I know for some of you lucky girls Sleek is only a few feet away and this is old news. For us on this side of the pond, it's a big deal :) I knew I had to get the Bonaire Pout Polish and Aruba blush from the Caribbean. I was also looking for a red blush for fall/winter and I found Scandalous which I adore. I always wanted Exhibit A by NARS but could never bring myself to shell out money for a blush this color which I wouldn't use a lot. Well the two are almost identical, Exhibit A is just a tad more orange according to my swatch search. Because my life would be incomplete without a pink product, I also threw Powder Pink pout polish in my order as well.

Scandalous

It's a matte, very pigmented bright tomato red. It's everything I wanted it to be. The more I use Scandalous the more I fall in love with it. At first I thought I would throw it in my blush rotation every now and then to mix things up a bit. I'm already reaching for it quite a bit, I can see it becoming quite popular for me in fall/winter.

 

Aruba

I could have sworn it's close to the popular Taj Mahal by NARS but you can see below they are oceans apart. I thought Taj Mahal was a super bright and scary orange. Well let me reassure you, Aruba is what I thought Taj Mahal was. It's a matte, bright orange. Nothing to be scared about as long as you use a stippling brush. It's so beautiful in the pan and on cheeks. 

Both of these blushes should be used sparingly unless you're going for a look in which you want cheeks to be the emphasis.Because they are so pigmented, I use a stippling brush to pick up just a little bit of color, which is more than enough. They both last all day on my normal skin, no need for touch ups! Sleek blushes retail for $6.50 on their website.

Taj Mahal on left, Aruba in the middle and Aruba blended on the right. As you can see Taj Mahal and Aruba are nothing alike.

Bonaire & Powder Pink

Bonaire is a light orange and Powder Pink is a bubblegum pink. Both shades are non-shimmery and apply like a dream. After they wear off, they leave lips smooth and conditioned. I don't find them to be sticky, which I loathe when it comes to lip products. They are tinted therefore are not opaque. They do enhance the color of other semi-opaque lip products in similar colors. Lasting power isn't the best, then again I haven't found that many lip glosses that last much longer than these pout polishes do. It's just against human nature. I'd say these last a couple of hours, considering you don't eat or drink. I love the added bonus, they are formulated with SPF 15! Sleek pout polishes have a vanilla/caramel smell and they can be overwhelming for some but I actually like it. The scent kind of reminds me of the Slatkin and Co candle in Frosted Cupcake. Pout polishes retail for $6.50

L - Bonaire R - Powder Pink

These products seem kind of loud and bright at first glance, almost as I am preparing for summer makeup. But I think they will all (ok maybe with the exception of Powder Pink) make great fall products. I love my reds and oranges (and browns, and taupes!) in fall :)

What do you think? What colors do you like for fall makeup/nail polishes?

August Favorites

Happy September!!!

I don't know about you but I'm definitely looking forward to a brand new season and new fall makeup trends. I love summer and will definitely miss many things about it, but I'm ready for a change. In August I have kept things pretty simple for the most parts. Here are the products I've enjoyed the most!

I loved my YSL Gloss Pur #2 for daytime looks, it's a versatile milky baby pink. My other lip product obsession has been Sleek's pout polish in Bonaire. Don't be fooled by its brightness in the pot, once applied it leaves lips with a wearable light orange tint.

I have gone to my daily quad for most of my eye makeup looks this month. This is my go-to palette (besides my Too Faced Natural Eye) for daytime looks. And thanks to MAC's Print I can go from day to night in a snap. If you're wondering, I have Grain on top left, All That Glitters on top right, Patina on bottom left and Print on bottom right.

Elf's blush and bronzer duo's bronzer is one of my favorite bronzers that I use for contouring. I just love that it defines my cheekbones perfectly. For me it's also a two in one kind of product as I love using it as a blush too! While I love the color of this bronzer, I could never find the perfect brush to use it with. That's when I met Sigma's small contour brush. They are perfect together and I used them like crazy in August. As you can see I used the bronzer so much I even hit pan on it! :)

I've been absolutely loving glittery nail polish. At first my favorite was Milani's Jewel FX in Gold (which I still love) but when I saw Sephora by OPI's Spark-tacular my heart skipped a beat! On days where I wanted more polished hands I opted for OPI's Mod About You. And finally Essie's Trophy Wife has been going strong on my toes. I keep removing and reapplying like there is no tomorrow.

Essie Trophy Wife, OPI Mod About You, Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular, Milani Jewel FX Gold

What are some of your August favorites?