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Around The Web

This weekend is the Super Bowl and pretty much everyone will be watching regardless if you like football or not. There will be something for everyone commercials, the game or just the half time show. I plan on bringing a few treats to the watch party we are attending (stuffed mushrooms and mini no-bake cheesecakes).

A sneak peak of my bedroom update. I can't wait to share it once it's finished.

I am dying to pick this powder up from Hourglass.

 How to schedule your work week.

It's still cold outside so here are 25 boots to pick up.

When do you actually wear your fancy lingerie?

I always love checking out the home tours on Domaine magazine.

January Empties

January Empties

 

I thought why not switch things up this month? I just posted my 2014 favorites and not much has changed since then so how bout trying out a new and hopefully regular post. My recent empties! Using up an entire product is a sure way of knowing it was a good buy. If you want to see my January empties keep reading!

Celebration Foundation Illumination

IT Cosmetics

I've made it no secret my love for full coverage foundations. I love the look of full coverage but hate that it can walk the fine line of cake face. This foundation from It cosmetics is possibly the best full coverage foundation I have ever tried. A new formula of their original celebration foundation this offers the added benefit of skin illumination. I haven't tried the original but I can say that this formula really does bring radiance to your skin.

Quercetin & Oak Anti Ageing Skin Care

KORRES 

 

I have been revamping my skincare routine lately and I plan on letting you all know how it goes but first wanted to share some of the new products I have added in. I was browsing through HSN because I had a $10 coupon and found this skin care set on sale for such a steal! Its currently on offer for $29 dollars and has a value of OVER $150. The main reason I picked this up is for the face serum. I have been feeling like my skin care routine was just missing something and I knew it was because I hadn't been using a serum. Serums are an important addition to any skincare routine as they add more concentrated doses of moisture and nutrients. 

 

 

 

This set includes a full size Quercetin & Oak face serum along with smaller travel sizes of the Quercetin & Oak eye cream, night cream, and the same face serum as the full size. The price is great because the serum alone normally retails for $62. The smaller travel sizes are perfect for any vacations or weekend stays. This is my first time trying Korres skin care since I have previously only tested out their cosmetics and body butters. I have been using the serum now for a week and can definitely tell an improvement of my skins texture. I might even pick up another set while its on still on sale!

Have you tried any of the skin care from Korres before?

Smooth Liquid Camo Concealer



DERMABLEND

 

 

I pretty much live for full coverage foundation and concealers. I never had perfect skin so finding high coverage formulations has always on my priority list. For quite some time now I have wanted to try out a few products from Dermablend. They are well known for high coverage products that are used to cover tattoos and scarring. When I finally ran out of my Maybelline fit me concealer I thought why not try out this one from Dermablend.

The smooth liquid Camo concealer is a re-launch of dermablend’s smooth indulgence concealer. I would say it is a medium more on the side of a full coverage concealer. This has a wand applicator that smooth the liquid formula out well making it easy to blend without creasing in fine lines or wrinkles. I picked mine up in the shade biscuit. It has more of a yellow undertone than what I would normally pick up to cover blemishes but since I wanted to use it under my eyes the yellow helps to brighten the area giving the appearance of being well rested.  You really only need a little bit of product to cover up any dark circles you may have. I find it lasts all for quite a while and I love not having to do touch ups mid-day.  

It is a little on the expensive side ( it retails for $25)and I think that there are a lot of options out there in the drugstore world that work just as nicely for a better price. That’s not saying this isn’t a good product though. If you are in the market for a full coverage undereye concealer and have the money to spend this might be something worth trying.  I still want to try out the full coverage foundations from dermablend, they are supposedly some of the best out there. Have you tried this brand before? I would love to hear more in the comments?!

 

Around the Web

Around The Web

The weather this weekend is supposed to amazing which is a nice break from all the dreary rain we have been having here in Houston. We are going to a local breweries one pot cook- off with a few friends. We have gone the last couple of years and it has been a total blast each time. Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy this weeks links.

Juice Vs. Smoothies which one is better for you. Tips for those New Years new you resolutions.

Gap is closing down Piperlime.

12 books to read before the films come out.

20 photography tips and tricks from a beautiful mess.

A blogging and social media guide for beginners.

How to determine your eye shape.

Josie Maran infinity oil

Nourishing Winter Skin

 

Over the past year I have become a big fan of Josie Maran products, if you are a frequent visitor to my blog than you already know my obsession with her whipped body butters (they are stinking amazing). I recently picked up a couple of products I hadn’t heard about before and was really excited to test them out.

The first of which is the Argan Infinity crème I mentioned in my December favorites. This has easily become my all-time favorite moisturizer to use at night. The formulation is that of a cream but once you start working it into your skin it melts into oil. I find it works even better than her pure Argan Oil (which is saying a lot because I love that stuff too.) It has no parabens, artificial fragrances or chemicals so you know it’s good for your skin. Since it’s in a tube and comes out as a crème it’s much easier to travel with than the regular oil.  When I wake up in the morning after using this product my skin feels a million times better; it’s moisturized, plump and completely radiant. I feel like any spots that I have heal much faster when I use this too. I mean I really can’t ask for a better product.

The second product I picked up was the cleansing butter.  After trying Loccitanes cleansing shower oil and loving it so much I decided to venture more into these ultra-moisturizing body cleansers.  My skin has been extra dry this winter and this product is such a treat for it. Supposedly you can use this all over your body, face and even hair but I have yet to try it on my hair. I just love what this does on my skin and since it’s not a huge tube I don’t want to waste it on my hair. Although maybe I’m missing out and this would make my hair look as good as those hair models?! Let me know if you have ever tried this product as a shampoo!

 

What are your favorite winter skin care essentials? I would love to hear about them in the comments!

Maybelline Baby Skin

Instant Pore Eraser Primer

 

For years you could only find foundation primers from prestige cosmetics brands. Always costing a pretty penny and most not totally worth it.  But now more than ever drug store beauty brands are branching into these once reserved for high end products. 

 

I have been using face primers for as long as I can remember, having oily skin and large pores has always lead me to desire products that promise longevity. One of the best ways of accomplishing this is using a primer. After running out of my favorite studio gear primer I decided to test out some drugstore options. The first being this one from Maybelline.

There have been a lot of reviews for this product mostly mixed; some love it and others find it leaves them greasy. For me personally I feel this product does a nice job of “blurring” out my pores. It leaves you with a smooth and even surface for applying foundation. I do find by lunch time I have a little separation of foundation in my t-zone but all is well with a quick touch up of powder. In all I would say this is a pretty good primer especially for the price (around $7). If you have really oily skin it might not be the best but if you have drier to combination skin then this product will work nicely. I really love that I can find so many more drugstore products that work just as well as high end versions. (My wallet appreciates it too.)

Have you tried Baby Skin Before? What drugstore primer do you recommend?

 

Julep Nail Of The Day

Paula | Shimmer

Today I have off from work so I just wanted to do a quick post and what better than a nail of the day? It's been a while since my last NOTD, I keep meaning to take more pictures when I do my nails but always forget.

This week I decided to use this shimmer polish from Julep that came in my December Maven Box. It's such a stunning color... vibrant blue-purple with a bronze micro shimmer running through it. I really love the formulation you can get a nice opaque application in just one coat. I used two to be on the safe side but it wasn't necessary. This is one of Julep's breathable nail colors meant to give more oxygen to the nails in order to keep them healthier.

Urban Decay Smoked Palette

Smoked Palette

 

 

 

Over the Thanksgiving break I swore to myself I wouldn’t participate in any black Friday/ cyber Monday fanfare. Their just was no need for it really. Then I saw the ad for Ulta and knew I would be breaking my promise. Along with this pallet from Urban Decay I managed to score shampoo to last me a year (I’m not even kidding) all at a killer price.

This is the Smoky Eye Pallet by Urban Decay it contains 10 shades(5 of which are exclusive to this pallet), A full size 24/7 Glide-On eyeliner in the cult classic shade perversion, oh and it comes with a mini primer potion! I think I picked this up for something like 10 or 12 dollars during the sale! I mean really a total and complete steal.

 

I really love this palette. It has a nice range of shades without overwhelming you with too many options. It really has everything you need to create multiple smoky eye looks; a base shade, transition shade, an excellent black shade (literally the darkest black I own), a matte brown, and lots of jewel tones to amp up your look. You can even use this palette for an everyday work look by sticking with the matte shades. If you’re a bit timid when it comes to using the darker shades the illustrated guide will help you create any type of look you are wanting.

 

The formulation of these shadows are marvelous, buttery smooth and highly pigmented. My swatches were with one pass on each color. I mean look at the pay off!

You can still get this bad boy and it’s still on sale (although not as cheap as when I purchased it). Sephora and UrbanDecay.com both have it for $20.  

I plan on creating a look with this palette and sharing it on the blog. Im even thinking of venturing into filming a tutorial (one of my goals this year is to do more tutorial type posts).  Let me know what you want to see in the comments!

Deborah Lippman Big Bang Collection

Deborah Lippmann Big Bang Collection

This collection of 12 mini polishes from Deborah Lippmann originally came out for the 2013 Holiday season. I saw the set around in a few stores and thought it was such a stunner but never really thought about purchasing since it was around $70.

Lush Holiday Sale Haul

Lush Sale Haul

 

Lush is a brand I started testing out more this past year. I had picked up gifts for others in the past but never much for myself. I have really enjoyed taking the extra time on weekends and pampering myself with their bath bombs. After Christmas I wanted to pick up a few new bath bombs and saw that they were having a buy one get one free sale on the holiday selection. You know me, I can never pass up a sale. Keep reading if you want to see all the goods!

2014 Beauty Favorites

2014 Favorites

 

 

This past year marked my return of creating content for this blog. I decided it was something that I missed doing and while at times it was daunting im so glad I did.In 2015 I hope to continue finding my voice and sharing new products, trends, and my general opinion on things with you all! With that said I really branched out this year in my beauty products. I managed to keep this list down to 15 products, although there were many more I enjoyed using these are the creme de la crème.

Around the Web

Around The Web

Its a rainy and cold Friday here in Houston. Perfect weather for snuggling with my pup and boy, which is what im planing on doing all weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy this weeks links!

 

check out the Lilly Pulitzer x Target collaboration on this Instagram page. Im pretty excited for this collaboration I might do a more full length post once it gets closer to the release (April 19th). Im sure ill be picking up a few pieces.

One Kings Lane best home tours of 2014.

The best masks for acne prone skin.

12 Books that will be adapted to film and released this year. Time to start reading.

Looking for a new scent? Maybe try one of these .. The most seductive scents (as proven by science).

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara

The Big Fatty

 

 

If I were stranded on an island and I could take one makeup product it would be mascara, hands down. I have tried lots of different brands and types some great and some not so great. So any time I see a deal on mascara you better believe I scoop it up, hence this one from Urban Decay. The Big Fatty.

 

When black Friday rolled around this year Ulta had this mascara on special for $10 dollars. A pretty good price since it normally goes for $20. I had heard a few things and seen it popping up around some blogs so I wanted to give it a go and what better time than when it’s on sale?!

 

My thoughts you might be asking yourself? Well I am somewhat in the middle on this one. I think that it’s a descent mascara, I like that it’s a very dark black formula but I find it to be a very wet one.  When I first opened I thought it was just so wet since it was new but after having for a few weeks the formulation is still the same.

 

The short bristles really allow you to get down to the base of your lashes and gets them all nice and evenly coated.  The only thing was I found it easily clumped once I went in for a second or third layer. I have long lashes so sometimes this just happens and I use a clean spoolie to help separate them out again.

 

My biggest issue is that it really does smudge and since it is so wet it tends to get into my contact lenses and makes them blurry. As you would imagine it makes using this product a bit of a bummer. I’ll break this out every now and then but only when I’m not going to wear contacts that day.

Reviews for this product are pretty in the middle... Some hate it others love it. If you are into mascara with a wet formula I say try it out you might like it more than me!

Let me know if you have tried this one out!



Toni & Guy Glamour

Toni & Guy Volume Plumping Whip

 



 

 

While I do have a pretty good head of hair, Its currently pretty long and thick enough to not look stringy. More volume is always something I desire a little extra of. The problem is most “volumizing” products leave a sticky or weird texture to my hair. I prefer my locks to be soft and bouncy not crunchy and hard.

Anyways off of my soap box… I picked up this product from target when I saw that they had 25% off in the Cartwheel App. (Um FYI if you are target shopper and let’s be honest most of us are, you need this app in your life.) It sounded interesting and I figured why not?

 

I ended up really loving this product! It doesn’t add the most extreme volume but it does add just enough lift and bounce in my hair that I can tell the difference. What I really love about this is how it helps reduce my little fly-a-ways and gives an overall more polished finish to my hair. It smells great and doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy at all!

To use just put about a nickel sized amount in your palm and work through your roots after you have towel-dried your hair. I usually run whatever product is left over on my hands through my ends to tame them a bit.

The result is sleek frizz free hair with a bit of bounce and volume. I do have to say though this isn’t the product for you if you want intense volume. But those of us who just want a little extra something I recommend giving it a try!

 

Lorac Starry Eyed Baked Trio

Pop Star

 



 

I picked this eyeshadow trio up a little while ago when Hautelook was having a Lorac sale. I purchased a few other items at a total steal. I think I got this home for $5. You can still get this on the Lorac website... Its on sale there for $10.

 



 

 

I like this trio because its perfect for travel, you can create several looks with this and makes everything just easy peasy.

 



 

To use start with the lightest color and place all over the lid up to your brow bone, then apply the shimmering bronze shade  over your lid and into your crease. Be sure and buff your shadows out as you go. Finally use the matte black shade at the outer corner and crease to help define your eye. Blend out the black shade into the bronze shadow that you previously placed in your crease.





 



 

 

This creates a super easy smokey look which can me more natural or dramatic. You can control your intensity with the amount of product you use and I also reccomend trying the product wet for a more dramatic look. The black shade can also easily double as an eyeliner when in a pinch!

 



 

The shadows themselves have a nice smooth texture and are highly pigmented. You can see in my swatch above what the color pay off is, I barely had to dig into them for my swatching.

 

Do you like Lorac Cosmetics? Whats your easy eyeshadow traveling tricks?! I would love to hear from you in the comments.

 

December Favorites

December Favorites

 

 

2015 is here and while I plan on doing a round up of my favorite products from 2014 I can't just skip over December now can I? I have to say though that the month of December I stuck to most of my tried and true make up products. For the most part my December favorites are a few skin care products that got me through the cold weather, Oh and an amazing smelling candle.

 

 Michael Todd Honey and Oat Cleanser - I love my Michael Todd cleansers so much that I stocked up and ordered 4 bottles during their black Friday sale. I mean how could I not, this cleanser has been the perfect addition to my winter skincare routine. It leaves my skin feeling clean but not overly tight and dried out. Its formulated to help treat blemish prone skin and it really helps control my spots.

 



 Vichy Normaderm Anti - Acne Lotion - I gave a full review of this product Here. This became my daytime moisturizer a couple months ago and I saw a definite improvement in my skin. My face stays moisturized through out the day with out any greasiness.

 

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - I seriously cant stop dousing myself in this shower oil every time I hit the bath. The scent is just intoxicating and it keeps my skin feeling hydrated all through the day.

Cranberry Peach Bellini 3  Wick Candle - OMG this candle has fast become my favorite scent. Its one of the 3 wick candles from bath and body works. I love these candles because every time I burn them the entire house smells glorious.

 

Studio Gear Prime Objectives - This is a great face primer and always one I go back to. I have had this bottle for sometime and used it for awhile but in usual product junkie form I picked up others to try out and this hit the back of my makeup drawer. I finally brought it back out and have fallen back in love! It just does everything I want in a face primer... fills in pores, gives a smooth surface for foundation, and keeps my makeup lasting all day.

 

Josie Maran Infinity Cream - This is a completely new product to me. Its described to be like petroleum jelly (ie you can use it for everything and anything) but without all the chemicals and bad things that come in it. It comes out creamy and as you work it into your skin it becomes an oil. I have been slathering this all over my face, hand and elbows when I go to bed at night to combat any dry flaky skin.

 

Tarte Colored Clay Liquid Foundation - I picked this up during the begining of 2014 and used it for a while and recently decided I should go ahead and finish it off. Its great foundation and is medium coverage but builds nicely. You can check out my original review here. I went to find a link for this one and I guess Tarte no longer carries it which is odd since they just came out with it this past year.  

 

 

 

Around The Web

Around The Web

I had a great holiday break and sadely returned to work today, although I am sure it will be the slowest day ever as no one is here. I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I will be spending the weekend taking down all the Christmas decorations. Isn't the worst part about the holidays?! I want to keep them up all year long!

Enjoy this weeks links!

Just a little New Years Resolution inspiration. 

Seriously sat on my computer for ages trying to pre-order this eyeshadow pallet.

I am dying for this painting to put up in my bedroom. Im doing a total overhaul (maybe a future post?)

Shop Saks Fifth Avenues Final Sale up to 70% off.

Madonna's Christmas wreath.

Beauty trends to try in 2015.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Today is the first day of 2015! I can't believe how fast the past year went by. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family! Don't forget to eat your cabbage and black eyed peas for luck and wealth in the new year!