November Favorites 2017

As I type this, I'm currently recovering from my post wisdom teeth surgery. Not really the most funnest of times but hey, I get to eat a lot of mashed potatoes and I'm super okay with that.

A very delayed post but here are the products I have been gravitating towards during this month of November (also a pair of shoes that I can't stop talking about and everyone probably wants me to stop talking about- well too bad) There's also some awesome skin care products as well and I'm thinking of doing another skincare update post in the near future.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Moonstone:

I've had this highlighter for a while now and I just started realizing how lovely this highlighter is. I think the reason I didn't why I didn't  gravitate to it so much was because Becca highlighters never stay on me which was always upsetting because the finish on their highlighters are beautiful. They give a natural glow and nothing super dramatic or shimmering. You can definitely build this up to be bold glow on the cheeks but I personally love the subtle glow. I find that when I use the Becca Backlight Priming Filter before the highlighter, that it helps tremendously with the longevity. I've also been enjoying this as a light glowy eyeshadow because why not multitask a product?

I would suggest  if you're interested in trying this combination, to get the Glow on the Go Highlighter Set for $20 to get the powder and liquid highlight. It still works the same way they just unfortunately don't have the Moonstone shade but I've heard wonderful and beautiful things about the Champagne Pop shade (which I don't fully understand how I haven't tried that shade yet). 

Perricone MD Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment:

This has been one of those items this month that you don't realize that you use it everyday until you start thinking what products you were using a lot of. I've been using this as my day time toner right before makeup application. Even after cleansing my face in the morning (and this is after fully taking my makeup off and cleansing the night before) I put some of this on a pad and it removes even more debris that I didn't even know was on my face. It does this without stripping the skin and my face looks more radiant and it feels great to have a face that's fully cleaned off and well hydrated. I'm going to be quite sad once this little bottle goes.

Boscia Sake Hydrating and Brightening Essence:

If you need hydration or brightness to your skin, you need this essence. This has been so incredible for my skin especially having the post cystic acne scarring. I'll use this before my moisturizer to add extra hydration (especially during these cold months) and over time I found that this had helped brighten my face. It helped reduce the redness from my scarring and I truly think it's the reason why I've been getting great compliments on my skin lately. I didn't think I would love something so simple as an essence, but it has helped me tremendously and it's very close to being a holy grail skincare product.

Update: I have went a couple of days without using this and I've notice that my face seems a little dull so I truly think this does show incredible results.

sephora.com

Stila Written in the Stars Glitter and Glow Liquid Eye Set:

I'm beyond happy that I finally bought this and it upsets me to even talk about it because it may not be available anymore. HOWEVER, search through your sephora store and you might be able to find these because these are fantastic. They do have another option as well with six minis for $45 (which is still a great deal considering how much a full size is) On a bright note, they have all of these shades available full size but for the deal and for the amount of times I will actually use these, I find the mini sizes perfect for me. I love that with these that you have the option to do a full opaque glitter eye, glitter eyeliner, or a subtle and iridescent wash of glitter. I would avoid over layering these as they do tend to crease if there's too much product. Other than that, these glitters are very comfortable and there's a little bit of fall out with these, but nothing to drastic. These little glitters just make me so happy for the holiday season and I'm really glad I picked them up.

Top: Smoky Storm
Middle: Kitten Karma
Bottom: Diamond Dust 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed:

This has become a classic product in my makeup drawer and an all time favorite. There's just something about this time of year that I love more about this blush from Tarte. In fact all of their blushes are beyond stunning. I know the inside looks super crummy (It had an accident earlier in the month *sobs*) but this is a very much loved product. I've had this about 2 years now and the pigmentation and longevity of this blush is still going strong. Something about this shade though provides a a natural warmth and color that I think would work so well on so many skin types. I just have no bad things to say about this blush at all. It's 100% worth the $28 and I may repurchase this for the rest of my life (too dramatic? probably).

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette: 

We're back to a classic rediscovered favorite and it was actually one of the first palettes I did a review on (oh the memories). It's very easy to be distracted with new palettes coming out especially during the holiday season, but I forgot how great this one was. It's suppose to be the dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. Although this palette has similar lighter shades from the Naked 3 palette, I love that the Revealed 2 palette has more variety of the deep mauve and plum shades that pair beautifully with the lighter ones. There some shades in here that pull in similar shades from the Modern Renaissance palette as well.

I like the thin packaging and magnetic closure however, it's not the most durable palette. At the same time, you are paying for what you're getting and $20 (a lot of times this will go on sale for $10) for 20 shades is not bad at all. Pigmentation on this palette is great I think for beginners and for anyone really. Although some of the shimmer shades can be a bit chalky, the majority of the shades are very buildable and blendable. Overall, great palette that has been forgotten about and I'm glad I re-introduced it back in my makeup life.

Rockport Cobb Hill Aria:
Someone really needs to stop me from talking about this boots but I need to share them because they are worth the price if you're looking for comfortable and cute durable boots this season. I wear these to work everyday and I can stand in these for a whole entire day without pain. These pair so well with so many outfits whether you're wearing it during the day or wearing them out for the night. Right now, the brand is doing an extra 30% off so definitely take that opportunity to invest in a good pair of solid boots this winter. 

rockport.com 

So that's it for my November Favorites. It's been an exhausting month but we're heading into the homestretch of 2017. I have so so many posts for all of you and so much more holiday shopping to do. There's also an overall 2017 beauty products favorite post coming up too so stay tune for that ♥

First post (yay!) and my current, favorite eye shadow palettes at the moment

Hello internet beauties! I was trying to decide what I wanted my first post to be about and I figured everyone loves palettes (who doesn't...I mean really) so why don't I show my two current favorites?

I recently got the Revealed 2 palette from my best friend Emma and just been so so so in love with the rosy gold colors. The palette works perfectly with the LORAC Vixen matte palette which was an exclusive palette from Ulta during Black Friday 2014 (Just found out that these are back in stock on ulta!) The LORAC palette was a Christmas gift for myself and it's my first one I owned from them. Just, blown away with the pigmentation and blendability of their shadows.

both palettes together (so many heart eyes emjois)

Here's the LORAC Vixen palette. Packaging wise it reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Basics so I love the idea that it's portable and has a magnetic closure especially that I'm always traveling. I did get this because of the neutrals but the stand out color for me is the deep burgundy shadow. I also really love that all the shadows are matte. It's a good basic palette to have with the one burgundy color if you did want to add a pop of color to the look. This is my first LORAC palette and the hype that their shadows get didn't disappoint.  I use my Coastal Scents eye shadow blending brushes and it works perfectly with the shadows. As I mentioned earlier, the pigmentation is incredible so one touch with your brush and you're good to go

swatches on bare skin no primer and with NYX Milk jumbo eye pencil 

I really really love this palette if you couldn't tell earlier. I really love that it captures the pretty soft rose gold colors in the top row that are similar to the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. It's the second row of deeper colors that work amazingly well with the top row and gives more definition to the eye look. I love the cranberry, mauve-y, and gray-ish purple shadows going on here. And of course a matte black which isn't too harsh and works with the softness of the other colors yet still gives off enough pigmentation to give the eye look definition. Another plus to this palette is the mix of mattes shimmers and satins. The feel and application of these shadows are fantastic minus the fourth shadow on the top row since it contains actual glitter. But other than that I really have no complaints for an affordable. Also, packaging is portable and magnetic closure is just awesome and so convenient (can you tell that I'm a sucker for packages that close magnetically?)

Closer look at the first 10 shades top and bottom. I really love the first satin color as a highlight. I thought the color would be too yellowy at first but it comes off cream with a hint of yellow and it's not overpowering yellow. I also really love the second shadow on the top row for all over the lid. It's a soft matte light pink. Again, the pink isn't too overpowering it's just enough to give it a little extra something to the lid instead of just a basic matte cream color. The other two matte shades is the first one and the third one on the bottom. The rest are shimmers that glide on like buttah and everyone likes buttah (just not actual stick of butter on the face). Finally, the fourth color in the top row contains actual glitter in it so it's a little difficult to work with since the pigmentation is okay. 

Closer look at the other 10 shades. Again, really happy that Coastal Scents put a black matte 
in there for added definition but not a black that's too harsh either. You have three more mattes here; the first one top row is a mauvey color and the 2 mattes at the bottom you have a cranberry color and a medium brown which I think is perfect for the crease. Of course the rest are shimmers and the application of them, like I said earlier, buttah...wonderful buttah. Finally I love the second to last shadow on the bottom which kinda looks like a galaxy of purples, blues and magentas. 

             So that's about it! Like I said a million times, these palettes are fantastic. The Coastal Scents one always goes on sale here and there and the LORAC one I'm sure you can still find on ebay, however I don't think it's a mandatory buy since I feel like the colors could be duped for a cheaper alternative. I do feel like you're getting a lot more colors and variety in the Revealed 2 palette rather than the Naked 3 but that's just my personal opinion and I can't say much since I never tried the Naked 3. 

        Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first post and I hope that your day (or night) is filled with awesomeness <3