Apologies

I cannot apologize enough for the lack of posts this week.  Work was just craziness and it was a lot of unexpected stress- after the chaos of my finals and other stress in my personal life, I wasn't in the best place to handle it.  I think what I really needed was a break when I got home from school, and going right back to work 40 hours (in retail, before Christmas- when I was only expecting to be scheduled 25 as a part-timer) wasn't a good idea.
I kind of wanted to explain what was going on with work and the drama that occurred (READ: unnecessary drama), but I think for privacy reasons I'll just keep it off the blog.  I hope you guys can understand and know that I had every intention on blogging MORE, not less, this week.  I have a wonderful guest post coming up as well as some others that I've been planning for awhile, so please stay tuned.  And, as always, thank you for all the support- you guys are honestly the best.
Oh!  Merry Christmas!  Have a safe and happy holiday to those of you that celebrate it.  Since I didn't have much time to shop for the clothing/fashion items that were on my Christmas list, I'm crossing my fingers to find some makeup items in my stocking tomorrow. ;) I was naughty and bought myself the new Bare Minerals Ready Touch-Up mineral veil today so I'll definitely have a review of that coming up, too.
xox

Urban Outfitters' nail polishes= a different winter manicure!

My roommates (and best girl friends) and I exchanged Christmas gifts a couple nights ago, and what is one thing we all have in common?  A love for nail polish!  I got Rachael a 5-piece nail polish set from ELF, and she got each me and Natalie a nail polish from Urban Outfitters (along with a Mary Kay cream eyeshadow, which I will be posting about soon!).  I broke mine out yesterday as soon as I had time to paint my nails- Crowded is a gorgeous, pale periwinkle cream.  The shade Natalie got is After Hours, an awesome glitter bomb, and I figured I'd put them together for fun.

I tend to reserve pastel cream polishes for spring/summer, but the icy blue-violet of Crowded actually convinced me to wear it now during the winter.  After wearing it for a little while, I'm actually loving the look!  It's a little change from all the typical holiday-themed manicures but I'm diggin' it.  For the following pictures I put After Hours on my accent nail to give it a twist.

Sorry I forgot to take a bottle shot with After Hours! -_-

Crowded was opaque in 2 coats, while I painted 3 thin coats of After Hours for good measure.  Crowded, the cream, applied like a dream.  I love it so much!  The formula is smooth, quick-drying, and normal in consistency (not too thick or too thin).  My first thought was "Revlon Gum Drop!" but Gum Drop is much more lavender.  Crowded has more blue, though definitely in a similar family.  I can't comment yet about the wear time as I only painted my nails yesterday (and was way too excited to post about this manicure), but so far it seems really durable.  I haven't exactly been careful with my nails since painting them and it hasn't chipped or budged.  

After Hours is just gorgeous- in the picture above, I showed one focused and one blurry shot to show you how reflective it is!  So much fun.  

What are you guys wearing on your nails?  Have you tried any of Urban's nail polishes?

xox

Scared of red lips? Revlon Colorburst in Soft Rose is a great transition

So, I have two "finals" left which aren't technically finals because they're project presentations BUT this is to say that I'm ALMOST DONE WITH FINALS WEEK FINALLY OMG!  I never thought I would be under as much stress as I was last spring semester (my classes were just copious amounts of work), but this semester's finals week definitely came close.  Like I mentioned in my last post, my teachers decided to pour assignments on us at the last minute; it makes someone with high anxiety (me) go almost crazy.  But alas, I'm on the home stretch and instead of prepping my presentation for tonight's class, I'm writing this blog post.  Priorities.  (I just miss blogging regularly so much!  I can't wait for break to start tomorrow so I can devote more time to it again.)

How are you all faring in the CVS beauty clearance sale?  You've probably seen Nouveau Cheap's master list of all the products on sale- which is a must-read if you haven't checked it out yet.  I hadn't seen anything actually marked on clearance until yesterday.  A select few Revlon Colorburst lipsticks were 75% off, bringing the price down to a little over $2.50 each!  Score!  I've been looking for a neutral lipstick that isn't too bright or deep; I snatched the shade Soft Rose to see if it would work for me.  Keep reading to see swatches/my thoughts!

The name Soft Rose is a bit misleading, as it's definitely deeper (IMHO) than what I typically think of when I hear "rose."  To me, it's more of a "transition red"- great if you like red but are afraid of commitment.  Sometimes reds are scary.  This, however, definitely has enough rose in it to make it more suitable for every day.

The pigmentation and formula is just amazing.  The only other Colorburst lipstick I've tried is Fashion's Night Pout, which gave me a few of the common problems associated with nude shades (patchy, short wear time).  Having heard amazing things about Colorbursts, though, I figured it was just that particular shade.  I was right!  In about two passes over my lips I can achieve opacity, and the color is smooth and applies evenly.  The only thing I dislike about it is the mild dryness I've experienced (I must note it's very mild!)- lip balm helps.  

As for wear time, I've been getting about three hours if I don't eat/drink.  Obviously, wearing lip gloss on top or lip liner underneath will help extend this.  I was able to make it through my 2-hour class today and then some (we got out early!) with the color remaining fresh.  

Overall, my favorite thing about Soft Rose is the wearable shade- it's the kind that you can throw on with almost any neutral eye and have an instantly pulled-together look.  And, of course if you can get it on sale for $2.50 that's another pretty sweet deal.

Do you have a favorite "every day" red?  A Revlon Colorburst lipstick shade you like best?  I'd love to know!

Thanks for reading guys,
xox

One of my favorites: Bright eyes, bold lips

I don't know about you guys, but I've been feeling stuck in a "makeup rut" the past couple of months (did I really just say months?!  Yes, yes I did).  There's something about those neutrals that has me coming back again and again!  

I used to change up my products pretty frequently but this semester I've been on a serious no-buy; in other words, I've been reaching for a lot of the same items on an almost-daily basis.  It simplifies my morning routine when I don't deviate, I've found (though it tends to suck the fun out of makeup for me).  

But I digress, because there is some good to be had!  I've uncovered a few looks that I really, really love, and today's post features one of them- this look in particular is one of my favorites for winter.  

You probably already figured it out from my ever-creative title (I like to keep you guessing): bright, sparkling eyes and bold lips!  For some reason this combination screams HOLIDAY to me and makes me so happy for the winter season.  When the temperature dips below 20º, when my boots get salt/gross stains from walking through snow (I could go on- and I don't mean to sound so negative, I swear!), at least winter brings out gorgeous, gorgeous makeup looks. :)

What I used:

Eyes:

Primer: UDPP in Sin

Eyeshadows: theBalm Tempting Tara (shimmery white)- inner corners

UD Sin (shimmery champagne)- lid and lower lash line

UD Buck (matte light brown)- lightly in crease to contour

UD Creep (glittery black)- smudged on top of eyeliner and lightly on lower lash line

Eyeliner: Covergirl Liquiline Blast Black Fire

Mascara: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes (thank you Miranda, again!) and MAC Pro Long Lash (from Alicia!)

Eyebrows: ELF Clear Lash/Brow gel

False eyelashes: Natural eyelashes from Born Pretty Store, cut in half (review here!)

Face:

Foundation: Bare Minerals Original foundation in Fairly Medium

Concealer: Garnier Anti-dark circle tinted roller

Bronzer (contour): NYC Smooth Skin bronzer in Sunny

Blush: ELF Studio blush in Blushing Rose (LOVE THIS!)

Lips:

Lipstick: Wet n Wild MegaLast lipstick in Rosebud

I'm obsessed with these natural false eyelashes- I wear them on a regular basis for day time, just cut in half like I've mentioned on here countless times!  I have some more falsies from Born Pretty Store that I'm working on reviewing, so stay tuned for that. :)

What are your favorite holiday looks?  Or, feel free to share anything you've been loving lately as well!

xox

Fall 2011 runway inspiration: Lanvin

Hi everyone!  I'm still alive, I promise!  Actually, I hope I'm still alive after this upcoming week- next week comes finals and I've saved pretty much all of my projects for the last minute.  I'm seriously not sure if I've ever procrastinated this much for so many things at one time!  Ah!  But I digress.  My blog still needs to be a top priority, and I cannot apologize enough for not updating in over a week.  Thankfully, I have good news: I have a couple blog series in mind and today I'm going to begin the first!  

I was beginning one of my final projects the other night, in which we have to look at a designer's fall 2011 or spring 2012 collection and analyze factors of quality.  As I browsed various fall 2011 fashion shows, I began to remember how much I love winter beauty.  Dark lips, sparkling eyes, highlighted cheekbones- rosy blush to mimic the windblown look of cheeks (which isn't glamorous in any way whatsoever- living in the windy city has taught me this!).  Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take some of the fall/winter runway makeup trends and try to create more wearable versions.  

Today I'm going to start with Lanvin, which brings the eyes to focus: dramatic black eyeshadow in the shape of a messy cat eye.  It almost reminds me of overly smudged out winged liner, although it's much more muted and less harsh.  Oh, and lots and lots of mascara.

They paired the dark eyes with groomed brows, perfect skin, and neutral lips:

I love how runway makeup always looks like the makeup artists slapped it on- yet it's flawless!  
I took the same idea and just blended out the eyeshadow a little more, making it wearable for daytime.  I blended it using a matte peach eyeshadow to take away the harsh edges (although I would make it more colorblocked, like the picture on the above right, for an evening look).  Then I smudged a little along my lower lash line, and finished the eyes with three coats of mascara.  For brows, I used my trusty ELF clear lash/brow gel.
For cheeks, I lightly dusted a matte bronzer along my cheekbones, temples, and jawline.  On the apples of my cheeks, I applied a light pink blush with subtle shimmer.  For lips, I used my Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm in Pink Punch, which gives just a slight pink tint of color.

Some of the runway looks were more smoked out, and some were harsh, so although this isn't an exact replica I like how it doesn't feel too over the top.  And it's super easy!  Just what I like. 

Please let me know if you like this idea for a series- I have plans to also do looks from Louis Vuitton, YSL, and Valentino (and I think 3.1 Philip Lim- he uses light green eyeshadow, so pretty!).

Would you wear a look like this?  Comment below if you'd like!  <3