Hello everyone! Its the end of May, can you believe it?!
I know it has been a while since I last posted. One of the biggest lessons I am learning about blogging is that it takes a whole a lot of time! The month of April was very busy and so was the month of May. I was trying to write posts when I could but I didn't have the time to finish or publish them in a reasonable time frame. Hopefully from this post on since its now practically summertime I will have time to dedicate to blogging regularly. That is what I want very much for these upcoming months.
Now, onto the favorites!
I guess the first favorite I will talk about was my birthday!
On the first of May I celebrated my 22nd birthday. ( And yes, I had that Taylor Swift song kinda stuck in my head all afternoon...twenty twooooo-ooooo~). I had a wonderful afternoon with my friends. I got treated to a special birthday breakfast and some really nice gifts and then went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Portland called Fuji. It was such a beautiful day and definitely a favorite for this month. ( Always a favorite, birthday's are the best!)
Now for some beauty favorites..
The Beauty Blender
My first beauty favorite of the month is the famous complexion sponge, the one and only of it's kind! The original Beauty Blender.
This sponge that grows before your very eyes under some water. This sponge blends foundation and concealer into the skin more seamlessly then most foundation brushes. I love this little guy, it feels very refreshing too, if you use cool water with the sponge. I can see what all the hype is about with this sponge, there is nothing else that really compares in texture and how well it does its job. Holy grail in my book, I will always highly recommend it.
The BodyShop Honey Bronzer
Its practically summertime now which means all the bronzing products come out to give us all that warm sun-kissed glow. One of the best ones I have discovered is The BodyShop Honey Bronzer. The one I own is in the shade 02. For those pale complexions out there this product has a great choice of shades which compliment a lighter skin tone without looking muddy, or orange. This bronzer is matte and also has very build-able color which looks very natural on the skin. Plus, that honeycomb pattern is extremely precious.
Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Palette
Since sharing my initial thoughts on the relatively new Kat Von D Shade Eye Palette in my Beauty Haul post a little while back. I have been reaching for this palette a lot. I never knew having all these neutral matte shades would be so handy and essential to me. The palette features neutral, warm and cool shades. I have been mainly sticking to the warm shades and sometimes dipping into the neutral shades as well. My favorite shades in particular are Succubus which is a rich sienna color and also Ludwin which is a warm, orangey peach which is really great as a transition and crease color. Overall, I am very happy that I own this palette. It is very versatile and I admittingly use it everyday to create my eye looks.
Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows
So on the opposite side of the eyeshadow spectrum my other eyeshadow favorite has been this little quad of Makeup Geek's Foiled Eyeshadows I ordered this month. After hearing so much about them on Youtube and seeing how they swatch I knew I had to pick some up. I got the shades : Whimsical, Starry Eyed, HighWire and Magic Act. Now, these eyeshadows I can fairly say are the most beautiful shimmery eyeshadows I have ever used. Period. They provide not even just shimmer but a metallic almost wet look. I am what they call "obsessed" with these eyeshadows and I want more. Luckily, Makeup Geek's Foiled Eyeshadows only cost $10 dollars a pan. Which is relatively affordable especially for the superb quality you are getting I am almost surprised they do not cost more. My personal favorite so far is Magic Act which is a very light gold, its just mesmerizing and bright on the lids. I also have liked popping "Whimsical"- which is a light silvery pinky lavender shade on the under rim of my eyes just for something different and fun. Seriously if you like shimmery eyeshadows. You need to try these! They are incredible.
Hourglass Ambiant Lighting Palette
So I have been meaning to talk about this product for ages.....whoops! This magical palette features three of Hourglass's famous Ambient Lighting Powders. These powders are either a subtle highlight for the high-points of the face or a all over face powder to set foundation while also giving a full on "glow from within" look to the skin. I prefer using the middle shade which is the lightest under my eyes and cheeks. And then using the two other darker shades to cover the edges of the face, temples, jawline and contours of the cheeks. Or more recently, I have been mixing all three of the shades together with a brush and then lightly dust that all over the face. I can't really describe the effect this gives, its just really subtly stunning. This palette has been a favorite since the holiday season, which is when I picked it up. Better late to mention it than never.
Bobbi Brown Eye Blender Brush
My last beauty favorite I intend to talk about today is one of my favorite eye brushes; Bobbi Brown's Eye Blender Brush. ( This is another product I have been meaning to mention for ages but haven't). This brush is extremely soft and excellent for diffusing color on the eyes. I use it every single day without fail to blend out any color on my eyes. Its an essential tool to have to get any eyeshadow blended and harsh edges diffused.
Some other favorites this month include :
- Finishing the school semester ( whoo!)
- Lilacs and warmer weather + everything being green
- Mini Frappuchinos ( such a precious little size! Its soo bitty!)
- Kinfolk Issue 15 // The Entrepreneur's Issue had some amazing and inspiring articles that I really enjoyed
- Changing my hair color! After over six years of black hair I finally decided to change things up and go in a lighter direction. Currently its a auburn shade which I like but I am ultimately aiming to go lighter. So far I have had positive reaction from it so that makes me very happy.
And that about wraps up my favorites for this month! I am happy to get this up because I have not posted a favorites in a very long time! I am excited for all the fun adventures the month of June will bring!
I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Let me know in the comments some of your favorites from the month of May, I would love to hear from you!
Until then, See you soon.
- A
Hey guys, I know its been ages since I updated last. Got caught way behind on things and then simply ran out of steam for a little bit. Now its time to play catch up. How are you guys? I missed you! I hope all is going well. I think I can say spring has officially sprung here in New England ( I hope I can say that now, this winter has gone on for much too long). The flowers have started blooming, the snow has all but disappeared and the weather is just starting to really warm up. All and all its a rather large mood uplifter.
Along with the arrival of spring, this means the arrival new beauty launches and new makeup to play with, ( which is also a large mood uplifter ;) at least in my book). I have been collecting a "few" things, some during the recent Sephora VIB Rouge sale and other bits here and there which I have picked up and have been loving. So I wanted to share with you a collective beauty haul of all the exciting makeup bits I have picked up recently
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
I have been hearing a lot of buzz surrounding this "fancy water"aka The Smashbox Primer Water. So I decided to give it a go, It feels very nice and refreshing on the skin and has a very light rose scent, I have not noticed anything life changing when it comes to this product so far, but I will keep you updated.
NYX Prismatic Eyeshadow "Girl Talk"
As I was perusing around Ulta one day I came across these new prismatic shadows from NYX, when I gave them a swatch I knew one had to come home with me. They were all so soft and very pigmented. The shade I picked up is "Girl Talk" which is a very bright shimmery champagne pink shade. It looks gorgeous when popped into inner corner.
Benefit Roller Lash
Another hyped up product I was eager to try was Benefits new "Roller Lash" mascara. I have heard very polarized opinions on this mascara. Some people hated it while others considered it holy grail. I do like the packaging with the rubberized cap and the formula itself does add quite a bit of length and curl. Like Benefits "They're Real" however, this product is quite difficult to get off the eyes. Make sure you have a makeup remover strong enough to get this guy off.
The Body Shop Honey Bronzer
Its starting to warm up which means time to warm up that complexion! Fellow fair skinned girls should take a look at this excellent bronzer from The Body Shop. The color range I find is great for those who find themselves in the "very light" skin category. This bronzer is matte and very build-able If you have never tried out a bronzer before and are a little intimidated ( Like me around this time last year). I would give this one a try. It's wonderful ( plus that cute honeycomb packaging?! come onnn!)
NYX High Voltage Lipstick "Stone"
Right after I had done my damage at the VIB sale I thought I was satiated for a while in the makeup department ( oh no...I was quite wrong). I passed into Ulta a couple days later and picked this up along with a concealer I had run clear out of. NYX has been kind of killing it with its newer releases including these High Voltage Lipsticks which come in a large range of colors and offer amazing pigmentation. Its also shocking to me how NYX has such great products for really affordable prices. These lipsticks run up to around 5 dollars and yet provide such a high quality offering. I picked up the color "Stone", this sort of color has been quite popular at the moment in the beauty world- this pale taupe nude kind of color which is unique and pairs well when mixed with other nudes.
MAC Lipstick "Creme In Your Coffee"
Someone has to make an intervention with me and nude lipsticks, its getting a little out of hand. Especially when it comes to MAC lipsticks. I saw a swatch of this color on Instagram and had to go check it out in person. First of all I will admit that the name suckered me in a little, "Creme In Your Coffee" it sounded so appealing. The color I find is very similar to MAC's "Twig" but a little more nude and the finish is a lot more creamy and not as drying. Out of the three MAC nudes that I own I find that this one is the most "moisturizing". I also like pairing this color with the High Voltage lipstick I just mentioned. It looks awesome.
Too Faced Melted Lipstick "Melted Chihuahua"
No comment, I know, its another "mauve, pinky nude"... I have always wanted to try out these Melted Lipsticks from Too Faced. I would swatch them in store all the time and I really liked the pigmentation, the colors and the little sponge applicator. During the sale I committed to taking one home with me and I chose "Melted Chihuahua" which, I have to mention, out of all the other shade names..( which are all cute and accurate sounding like "melted sugar" or "melted coral") they decided that this really pretty color would be called Melted Chihuahua.... I find that pretty disturbing and hilarious but in any event. The formula of these liquid lipsticks is awesome, long wearing and not drying. ( *two thumbs up*)
The Bodyshop All In One Cheek Colour "Cherryade"
I new little cheek addition has entered into my collection. The Bodyshop's All In One Blush in the shade "Cherryade", not only a cute name but also a very cute color popped onto the cheeks.
Bite Buttercream Lipstick "Moka"
The newest release from Bite are these marvelously creamy, hand-cut lipsticks. These lipsticks also have quite chic packaging with magnetic closure and everything. All the shades in this range run quite neutral and feel wonderful on the lips. This one I picked up last month but I thought I would throw it in here. I got the shade "Moka" which is a very deep neutral color.
Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Palette
Lastly, the cherry on top is the newest palette from Kat Von D. Following up her bestselling Shade & Light Contour Face palette. Kat Von D released this all matte eye "contour" palette. Now, I am not one to get excited about mattes ( I am like a magpie..I like shiny things!) I did not expect myself to want this palette at all....until I got to swatch it. I stared at the swatches on my hand all the way home from work. They were so soft and pigmented, the shade range was full of great transition colors. I justified owning it and now I am a very proud owner of this palette. I think its bloody amazing! I have been able to create so many looks with it, plus set the ground work for any shimmery shadows I want to put on top. Matte eyeshadows may not be that exciting, but I think the formula of these sure are something to talk about! ( Plus, I mean warm neutrals can't get enough of em..)
I am super excited to play around with these new products. Let me know if you want any of these products talked about more in depth. What new products have you been loving? Let me know in the comments below!
Again I hope you all are having a great week and I will be seeing you soon!
- A
