April 27, 2016

April Favorites 2016 (and a few random shout outs)

Just as predicted (or at least for me) April flew by so quickly. I went to IMATS, became a server and continue to ate a lot of hummus (mostly at midnight). The products I've been using this month start to work in with the idea of simplicity and require minimal work. As it gets warmer out, I like to attempt to keep my beauty regime simple so everything doesn't melt off my face. I say attempt, because I still loving using my eye liners (dedicated post coming to you soon!) Here are my favorite products for the month of April.



How cute are the little succulent plants? Not even real. They we're $3 from Target and I figured it went with the whole Spring theme. But really I just love succulents too and I'm bound to collect more and become a crazy plant lady.






I got this blush from IMATS and I'm so glad I bought it. I'm obsess with the terracotta color and warmth it gives to my cheeks so essentially it's great to work in as a bronzer as well. It stays on all day plus the floral design is adorable and fits with spring (I might have mentioned in the last post that I have an obsession with floral designs) . I think I got this between $12-$14 so in the mid-range area but I truly believe is worth it especially for the amount of product you're getting and is an excellent color for the spring and summer.













I really love products that you're able to multi-task with, I purchased this Bobbi Brown setting spray during the VIB sale. It's a little pricey, but I was out of setting spray and I figured I give this a shot. I like this setting spray because it doesn't feel too much like "hairspray" on your face. It's sets it while hydrating it which I never knew would have felt so refreshing. I have used this as a primer and it works perfectly. Plus, this smells like chamomile tea which I find very relaxing. I know that can be and acquired taste for some, but if you have a few extra bucks and looking for a hydrating setting spray, give this one a shot.










Rimmel Lasting Finish Liquid in Light Ivory (091):

I was hoping to not fall in love with a new foundation. But for a comfortable, full coverage foundation that last all day, this rimmel one will be a game changer. I have tried applying this with a foundation brush but it came off too streaky. However, with my Real Technique's beauty sponge, it's flawless but not "cakey". It covers so well, that I forget to cover up my acne with concealer (and you know I love using my Urban Decay concealer when I can). There's is a bit of a floral scent to it but nothing overpowering and the scent doesn't last all day. It says it's sweat and humidity proof. I've put this out to the test on my serving nights, which requires going back and forth from the kitchen and this foundation holds up perfectly. I'm excited to see how well it does in the actual summer sun. So far it's a major win. 






I'm all about the brighter eyes in the spring months (do the starry lights make it obvious?) So I went back to these two cult drugstore classics. The Rimmel scandal eyes eyeliner in Nude is great for the waterline and works well with opening up the eyes without being as harsh as white. Another classic is the Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles. I really love this especially when the whether gets warmer since it's essential to the lazy girl routine. . 




Besame Brightening Face Powder in Vanilla:

This Besame setting powder has been my favorite for a while actually but when I want to stay matte especially in the warmer months, I've been gravitating towards. It says translucent but it is a pale yellow powder so it helps with brightening up the skin and is great for setting the undereyes since it's finely milled. Plus it smells like delicious vanilla (you know me and my love for products that smell like food).











RANDOM FAVES:

On a side note, I'm a avid mug collector (hold me back the day when I get my own kitchen). So I saw this Betsey Johnson mug (love her style) and it was on sale at Micheal's plus another 20% off so I got it for $5! Yes I could have just save that $5 for something else, but it's so adorable and the handle looks like a heart and it's so spring and perfection. Maybe it's just me but I truly believe the mug and it's level of fun-ness depends on the day you're going to have. It's important to have small things like this to keep the positive vibes going !




LIPCOLOR OF THE MONTH:
NYX Whipped Lip and Cheek Souffle in Coco Bean:

I can't seem to get myself away from the browny/mauve colors even though we're heading into spring. I've grown for a huge love for this product for it's multitasking purposes. They do have other colors that are brighter and more "spring type" (I'm thinking the Coral color will be my next purchase) but this cocoa bean color really gravitated me. These are a mousse like texture and work perfectly as a lip tint and cheek tint. This color in particular really warms up the cheeks well. The only bad thing is that the longevity isn't the best but that's what you get for a lip tint. Aside from that, I think these are quick and easy to have in the warmer months that really cut down on my makeup routine but still giving a "little something". Add bonus: it smells like vanilla frosting.




MUSIC OF THE MONTH:

Alabama Shakes. Obsessed with their laid back sound even though some of their songs have a kick to it. I feel like every time I hear a new song from them, I instantly fall in love with it. Such a unique style and band. My personal favorites so far have been "Always Alright" and "I Found You". Great tunes and definitely give them a listen.

How was your April? Any favorite lip colors this month? Or food? Or anything that just really made you happy? Share your thoughts down below

April 19, 2016

Haul: IMATS 2016

Good Morning! How was everyone's weekend? It finally started feeling like spring in New York so of course I want to break out every floral item I own. ANYWAY, it's been a while since I've been on here, so let's get into this haul.

This was my second time going to IMATS and it didn't fail. The positive vibe were everywhere and worth all the long waits in line (which might explain why my body still hurts). It was great this year because the places that my best friend Emma and I did have planned we actually didn't go to. We went to a lot of different brands this year and even though we might have spent a little more over budget, I really believe we got high quality products for the discounted price. 

This is just a sampling of what I got. I did get Morphe brushes that aren't included and lipsticks from Lime Crime and Besame (photos are inserted below!) 





Dose of Colors/ Lime Crime/ Jouer

Sometimes you go to IMATS and you have a main focus. This year it was lipsticks and for some reason Emma and I felt like needed 10. Dose of Colors and Jouer had their liquid lipsticks for $15 when they're normally around $18. To my surprise, Lime Crime's Veletines were discounted to $16 (normally $20) and the unicorn lipsticks were also discounted to $8 since some are being discontinued. Plus with Lime Crime, you got a free lipstick with any purchase $18 or more so of course I had to make that quota because, free lipstick. Besame was one of the cutest booths at IMATS. The 2 girls that worked the counter were dressed in vintage 1940's style and called everyone darlin' (so adorable). They didn't have the best discount on their lipsticks (normally $22 on sale for $20) but I've been dying to get a red lipstick from them so I figured now would be the best time to finally get one. Finally Miss Adoro was a hit last year and they still had great prices this year. They're lipsticks I believe were $5. Of course I got another red and a purple berry color but in my defense, the colors were named "skinny dippin" and "i dare you".  I really do have ridiculous reasons as to why I buy these products.This is a brand I highly recommend with great quality products but on the affordable end and their customer service is fantastic.

Left to Right: Jouer in Papaye, Besame in Merlot, Miss Adoro in Skinny Dippin', Lime Crime in Chinchilla, Dose of Colors in Stone, Lime Crime in Pumpkin (I have a love relationship with this one), Lime Crime in Coquette, Dose of Colors in Brick, Miss Adoro in I Dare You, Jouer in Petale de Rose

All of the lipsticks no matter what brand it was, had beautiful packaging. It was another factor to my purchases. 


MBA Cosmetics/ Swirl and Sparkle: 

Out of all of the booths there, I feel like the majority of my money went to MBA Cosmetics. Although I was disappointed to not find their flavored chapsticks there, they still had a lot to offer. I was amazed by the wide variety of shadows they had including glitters which made me reconsider going to violet voss since that line was insane. the shadow pans I believe range from $4-$5. I also got one of their glitters which looks like unicorn amazingness. I also picked up a blush (hint hint will probably be in my favorites) and one of their highlighters that has huge impact. It looks like a highlight that angels made. I'm in love.

Finally, Emma and I met Marii Lang, owner of Sparkle and Shine  and she introduced us to a brush cleaner that she created. It's so convenient to use since the soap is already in the jar (awesome for travel). You just wet your brushes, swirl it in the soap and rinse it off. You can get a deeper clean by swirling the brushes in the diamond provided on the inside of the lid. I found this works really well with beauty blenders as well. I was slightly intrigue because Emma pulled me over to tell me this smells like "Toasted Marshmallow" even though originally I had no idea what the product was. I was just ready to buy the product anyway just for the smell. She has so many cute designs and different scents as well as different size options. She was such a sweetheart to meet and I really recommend checking her out. The small one I got was $15 and the bigger ones I believe were $30. It's people like her and great products that I never knew about, that make me love IMATS. That you're constantly learning but also making new connections with other people who genuinely care about their products. Definitely one of my favorite people I met this year.

But seriously get the Toasted Marshmallow one. It's heavenly.



Wolfe Face Art and FX:

Yes I did purchase a palette from an FX booth and I have no experience but it's a field that I really want to start getting into. I talked with the talented Matt Limbach towards the end of the day and he was incredibly awesome. He was explaining how this palette was a great beginner basic palette. You get 12 colors that are perfect to mix together but when apply them to the face, the color stays true to their tone without getting muddy with the other colors. He was very understanding when I told him that I just teach myself off of YouTube videos and that I wasn't a professional in any way. He was down to earth and you could tell he had a great passion for this. So I'm really excited to start using this palette especially during the Halloween season ( I just have a huge love for that season).




IMATS this year was somehow better than the first time I went. I think I constantly want to go there because you keep continue to learn something new every time you go. You get to meet these people that have the same passion as you do and understand that all makeup is unique and different. It was nice branching out to other brands this year that I wasn't think I was going to like. It's worth the long waits in line, the traveling and waking up at 4am. So it's safe to say I'll probably be purchasing my ticket for next year's trip. 

April 5, 2016

Birchbox: March 2016 Review

This is my first ever subscription box service and I'm really pleased with this box. This month it's based off of being "Ready For Anything".  Of course, you get 5 deluxe size products ranging from hair, skincare and makeup that nice for travel and portable.









Parlor by Jeff Chastain: This is a smoothing blowout spray that I've really enjoyed this month. It has a light citrus scent but not like a household cleaner. Not only did this smooth out my hair and tamed fly aways, but It also didn't feel heavy on the hair which I really liked. I'm not an avid hair product user just because I always feel like it settles and feels heavy, but this product just really great for a light weight blowout especially with the summer coming up. 








MILK Studios Lip color in C.R.E.A.M: Despite that I wish the sample size was a little bigger, I did enjoy this product. I know MILK is a recently new cosmetics brand so I'm really happy that it was included in this box. The color is a peach nude that has a mostly matte finish. Pigmentation was excellent it was very comfortable on the lips. I would compare this to my Burt's Bees lip crayon in how they are comfortable to wear, easy to maintain but still have enough color to make it seem you put yourself together a bit.





Smashbox Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Filter: By far my favorite product in this box. The photo op shadows from smashbox are outstanding and this sample size it perfect. Pigmentation is very much there and you don't have to pick up too much from your brush. But these shadows blend so well into each other without getting muddy. I love how portable and simple this trio is. Sometimes I'm always so eager to get the next big palette that I forget how simple and easy it is to use trios since occasionally I'll find myself overwhelmed with bigger palettes. You can't really mess up with 3 neutral, matte colors. Simple and easy. 









Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream: And for second favorite product in this box would be this. This is a great winter moisturizer. It's very hydrating for the skin but settles into the skin without it feeling tacky on the face. I could see this being a really nice night moisturizer as well since it's a thick consistency. I'm really intrigued to try their other products and possibly reconsidering to purchase this for the winter months.



Wilma Schumann Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads: Probably my least favorite product in the box. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't amazing. It did feel very relaxing and cooling. I kinda wish I refrigerated mine to get a little but more of that cooling sensation. It did give a little bit more moisture to my under eyes but other than that, not too much of a difference and not a necessity in my routine. 




As I said overall I really do like my first box. I will be doing a review on the April box so keep your eyes peeled for that (kinda excited because the box is Rifle Paper Co. and I'm obsessed with their floral designs.) It's really fun doing these subscription boxes and getting these little goodies once a month. Sort of a "treat yo self" but for $10 a month and 5 different mini products. Not too bad huh? 

Have you tried any other subscriptions boxes? I'm really curious to know which ones you like or what some of your favorite products were from other subscription services 

B♥