May Favorites 2016

Hi guys! Sorry this post is a day late, I had a busy day yesterday. Today I want to share with you my favorite things from this month. Let’s get right into the post!

Music

• Marina and the Diamonds (anything, but I’ve been really into the song Just Desserts featuring Charli XCX)
• Nirvana (I’ve been going through a bit of a classic rock phase 😂) 

Books

The Hush, hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick

I discovered this series a couple years ago and I decided to reread it since I loved it so much. And I still love it, it’s one of the best series I’ve ever read. 

Summary for the first book; hush, hush: 

Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against his better judgement. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life. 
Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

Summary:

Order, Elegance, Prosperity. The words might as well be branded on Madeline Landry herself. Here in the future United States, ruled by the lavish gentry, very little is left to choice- and even less is left to Madeline. Gentry decorum and Madeline’s domineering father insist that she must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But as she steps outside the decadent walls of her world, Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned. In her desperation, she turns to the only person who seems to understand: handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between her duty- the family and estate she loves dearly- and her desire. 

Beauty:

This is a gel effect nail polish by Aurora in the shade Safety Orange. I received this in my May Ipsy bag, you can check out the post here if you’d like. At first I was a little wary of this because of its bright, neon orange color but that’s actually why I love it so much. This lasted about as long as a normal nail polish, so I wouldn’t say it’s gel effect, but I’m not mad at it. 

That’s all for my May favorites! Sorry I didn’t have that many, but I shared all of them. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and see you next time! 

bh Cosmetics 28 Color Lipstick Palette Swatches + Review

Hello everyone! So if you know me by now, you know that lip products are my favorite beauty product and I especially love lipstick, so when I saw this lipstick palette in TJ Maxx I was very excited. I had never heard of this brand, but the 28 color lipstick palette was only $8 so I had to get it because that’s a great deal. I think this is a cool way to try out many different lip colors and see what works on your skin tone and what you do and don’t like so you can buy a similar colored lipstick in the future. Now, let’s get right into the swatches and review! 

My swatches are the columns of 4 (up and down) from left to right so you can identify the color in case you’d like to try something similar. 🙂 







(The last lip color is swatched here but it’s clear with silver glitter so it’s very subtle) 

I think this is a really unique inventive product. These lip colors are nice and creamy. They aren’t completely opaque at first application, but they are easily layered for the desired pigmentation. I like how I could try all sorts of lip colors for such a low price. I was surprised that there were only about 3-4 unflattering lip colors for my skin tone in this. Of course, it would differ for other people and their skin tones. I love this because I also saw some colors that looked amazing on me that I would have never even tried and/or bought so I’m excited to see if I can go buy them at a drug store or something. I think this is a wonderful product, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves lip products. That’s all for today’s post. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you next time! 

May Ipsy Bag Unboxing

Hi everybody! Today I’m going to share with you my Ipsy unboxing for the month of May. If you don’t know what Ipsy is, it’s a website where you take a little quiz (to get information like eye color, hair color, what skin problems you have, etc.) then by just paying $10 a month, you get a little bag with personalized sample products in it. Ipsy also tends to have more full sized products in it. It comes once a month, about mid-month, and you get 5 samples in it to try out. I think this is a super cool idea if you want to try more beauty products, hair products, skin products, and more, especially higher-end ones, but don’t want to shell out a lot of money for it if you don’t know how it works. If you’d like to check Ipsy out, you can do so here. Now let’s get into this month’s unboxing! 

The bag this month is really cool and unique. The theme is destination chic, so it has little white silhouettes of places from all over the world, and it’s shaped like an envelope. Mine is blue, and I saw that someone else had a red one so its nice to see that they’re giving variety out to their subscribers. 

The first item I recieved in my Ipsy bag is this Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish in Safety Orange. This is a really nice neon orange colored nail polish, and I love how it’s gel effect so it will last longer. I haven’t had the chance to try this out yet, but I’m optimistic it’ll be great. 

The second thing in my Ipsy bag was this Vasanti Brighten Up Exfoliating Face Wash. I have heard many good things about this brand in particular, but I haven’t tried this yet either because I recieved an exfoliating face wash from a different brand in my February Ipsy that I haven’t run out of yet. But I think it’s cool to get a “replacement product” in a way, but by a different brand so you can still try a range of product to see what you’ll like. 

The third item I recieved was this Gloss Snob Lip Gloss by Glamour Dolls. (I don’t have it with me and I don’t remember the color, but I will update this with the color as soon as I can.) At first when I recieved this I was a little wary, because I’m not the biggest fan of lip glosses and I had never heard of the brand. When I tried it on, I liked it at first. It has a smooth, creamy formula, which is why I think it would have been incorrect to label it as a lip gloss. It just doesn’t have that signature lip gloss formula that every lip gloss has. I was surprised at how pigmented this was too, which is why I’m a little more upset because it applied very streaky. No matter how many coats, it was patchy and uneven on the lips. And this color looked even better on than it does in the tube. This product is not something I would ever purchase, and definitely not labeled as a lip gloss. 

The fourth item in my Ipsy bag was this Smashbox X-Rated Mascara. I was super excited to recieve such a higher-end brand, and to be able to try their mascara. However, this just did not live up to my expectations. I didn’t know what this mascara was initially supposed to do, so when I applied it I was disappointed. This mascara is great for lengthening, it has no clumps. However, I tend to look for volumizing rather than lengthening with my mascaras. This did nothing for volume. My lashes were long, but they were thin and virtually invisible. I used this as a base before using my usual mascara and it worked wonderfully and made my eyelashes much longer, but I would not use this product alone. Of course, this is just my personal preference, so if you’re looking to try this product don’t just take my word for it. 

The last item in my Ipsy bag was this Mmissglam Contour Brush. This is a very good quality brush, with soft bristles and picks up a lot of product, perfect for contouring precisely where you’d like. I didn’t necessarily need a contour brush since I already have two, but it’s always nice to have another if I don’t feel like washing the other ones. 😜 
That’s all for today’s post. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you next time! 

My Favorite Beauty Youtubers

Hi guys! Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite beauty Youtubers at the moment. I would love it if you would check them out, and maybe gain some of your own beauty inspiration from them. Let’s get right into the post! 

1- Beauty by Tay

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCFf5TzpboIYPk4lKhDUPplw

This is a smaller channel, but she does great product reviews if you’re looking to try something new. 
2- Coffee Break With Dani

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCEjBWzcw_3h8rnGsMyFfcEQ

I love this channel because she’s so energetic and has a nice, funny personality. I love watching her unboxing videos, but every type of video by her is great. 

3- Eleventhgorgeous 

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC4GtJWgv_PLBiWFihNGbF0g

This channel is run by two bubbly, funny twin sisters who give great reviews. This is another channel I like to watch unboxings on. 
4- Kathleen Lights

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8v4vz_n2rys6Yxpj8LuOBA

This is an overall fantastic channel. All of her videos are great and I would highly recommend them. 

5- Madison Miller

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7EZkeOTyjQhLC5pZMyQweQ

This channel is awesome because she has a fun personality and posts a wide variety of types of videos. 

6- mesijesibeauty

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCAU_EjJwgb9qxGgDMidRMZg

This is a wonderful channel with interesting videos, and the person who runs it is very nice and funny. 

That’s all for the beauty Youtubers I’ve been currently loving. I would love it if you guys would check them out. See you next time! 

OOTD: Wizard of Oz School Play

Hello everyone! I’m really sorry about not posting last week. I know it’s out of the ordinary for me to not post on schedule, but I had a busy weekend and couldn’t get my blog post up. Today I bring to you an OOTD post. I haven’t done one of these in a while, so I thought it would be fun. Recently I went to go see the production of the Wizard of Oz at my friend’s school that she was a part of, so I thought I would share with you guys what my outfit looked like. Let’s get started! 

I like this outfit because it’s more simple, yet girly and a bit dressy while still maintaining casual vibes. It was great for the 70° range weather. 

Semi-Sheer Blue Sunflower Tank Top- Kohls, $10

Button-up Jean Skirt- Papaya, $15

Long Silver Sunburst Necklace- Loft, $25

Nude Lace-Up Pointed Toe Flats- Charlotte Russe, $25
That’s all for today’s post! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you next time. 

April Ipsy Unboxing 2016 🌼

Hello everyone! Today I will be sharing with you my Ipsy unboxing for the month of April.  If you don’t know what Ipsy is, it’s a website where you take a little quiz (to get information like eye color, hair color, what skin problems you have, etc.) then by just paying $10 a month, you get a little bag with personalized sample products in it. Ipsy also tends to have more full sized products in it. It comes once a month, about mid-month, and you get 5 samples in it to try out. I think this is a super cool idea if you want to try more beauty products, hair products, skin products, and more, especially higher-end ones, but don’t want to shell out a lot of money for it if you don’t know how it works. If you’d like to check Ipsy out, you can do so here. Now let’s get into the unboxing! 
The bag:

  
The bag this month is so adorable. It’s a blue, orange and yellow tie-dye bag, and I would definitely use this all the time. 
Item #1:

  
First I got this Probelle Nail Polish in the shade In or Out. This is a brand I am unfamiliar with, so I tried it out. It’s a gorgeous lilac/orchid shade that’s perfect for the springtime and it leaves a beautiful glossy finish on the nails. Without a top and base coat, it can peel right off but it stays on with them. 

Item #2:

   
 
  

Next I received this City Color Highlight Trio. I think this is a wonderful product because they used different shades so that they could match a wider range of skin tones. I didn’t own any highlighter at the moment since it wasn’t an everyday makeup product for me but I am so happy to have received this. The pigment and colors are all beautiful, and it’s not glittery to the point that it’s noticeable, it’s more of a subtle shimmer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a new highlighter, although I don’t know if this is sold online/in stores, or if it’s exclusive to Ipsy. The swatches I did go in order from left to right in the palette, with the gold shade on top. 

Item #3:

  
The next product in my Ipsy bag is this Jor’el Parker Fango Mud Therapy Mask for Face and Body. Unfortunately, I have yet to try this since I recieved my bag midweek and I’ve been busy with schoolwork. However, it seems like a nice product and smells good so I think I’ll try it out tomorrow and probably update this post to let you know how it works out. 

Item #4:

  
The fourth item I received is this Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Gel-to-Oil Hair Treatment. I was already looking for a light oil since I have well water at my house which dries out my hair, so I was looking forward to trying this. I wouldn’t say my hair is oily, it’s about average, but it can get oily very quickly. I tried this out last night and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I know it’s a gel-to-oil hair product, but I didn’t think it would have he texture like hair gel, which is one that I don’t particularly like. On the back of this sample it says to put 1-2 nickel sized amounts all throughout your hair from root to tip, and I would only recommend using that amount if your hair is extremely dry. If your hair gets easily oily like mine, I would use less and not put it on the roots, only on the ends. This is probably a great product for people with dry/frizzy hair, but it doesn’t really work for me. 

Item #5:

   
 
  
I saved the best for last! I was so excited when I saw this product in my bag. It’s a tarte LipSurgence lip creme, in Wonder. It’s in a crayon form (not sure if the full size is or not). I’ve heard so many wonderful things about tarte, especially their lip products and I know that they’re a higher-end brand which is why I’m reluctant to buy their products without trying then first, and I’m glad I got the chance to do that. This is an extremely moisturizing product, which is amazing since I’ve been having problems with dry lips lately. It’s a beautiful muted, berry-red color, which is more like a subtle red. It’s very pigmented, and relatively long-lasting. It does wear off around the inner lip area but that’s easily solved with reapplication. 

Overall, I had a fantastic Ipsy bag this month with great products. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and see you next time! 

My Lip Product Collection| Swatches + Reviews

Hello everybody! Today I am coming at you with a post a little different from my normal posts. I’m going to show you my lip products, swatch them, and review them. I hope this can help others if they’re looking to buy something new for their lips but they’re not quite sure what to get. Now let’s get started! 
 
 
  
Rimmel London Kate Lipstick in 08 (about $7-8 in drugstores)

This is my favorite drugstore lipstick I have ever used. It’s very pigmented, has a nice almost nude darker pink tone to it, is moisturizing, and has about average wear. The thing I probably like the most is the color itself because it’s understated and it can be worn every day with almost anything. 
   
 
Meet Matt(e) Hughes Matte Liquid Lipsticks in Devoted (red) and Committed (pink) by theBalm Cosmetics- about $21 for the pair at Kohls

If you saw my last blog post, you’ll have seen that I talked about these then but I’m going to talk about them again because that’s how much I love them. I know that theBalm cosmetics is bit more pricey than drugstore products, but these had been on my wish list for a while so when I saw them I knew I had to get them. Firstly, the pigmentation is absolutely incredible. When applying I didn’t have to stick the wand back in the tube to get more product. The formula is creamy and smooth, and easy to apply. It dries very quickly, with a gorgeous matte finish and doesn’t dry out the lips. It’s also very long-wearing, even with eating, it only will need reapplication around the inner lip area. (The swatch picture was taken before the product has dried to a matte finish, so it looks a little glossy in the photo) Another great thing is that it smells very good, almost similar to the Girl Scout cookies, thin mints. 

   
 
  
Covergirl Star Wars Lipstick shade 50 (purple)- about $8 at a drugstore

I’ve always like purple lipstick shades and I was looking for something a little darker so this looked perfect for me. It’s a gorgeous, plum shade with blue undertones. It has about average wear, but it’s pretty pigmented. This is a nice lipstick if you want to try new colors but you don’t want something expensive. 

   
   
L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Tropical Coral- about $7-8 in drug stores

This is a nice creamy lipstick with great pigmentation. It’s a pinky coral color which is great for the spring and summer. 

   
 
elf Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose- about $4 or $5 at Target

This is a relatively cheap product, with nice pigmentation. I like how it’s in a stick form, but the stick is thinner for better precision. It’s a beautiful mauve, lilac color which I love wearing in the spring time. 

   
   

Nyx Matte Lipstick in Hippie Chic- about $4-6 in drugstores 

At first, I was excited to try this because I loved the color and matte lipsticks, and the cheap price only helped the matter. But when applied i realized that this is a very bold color for me, and it didn’t apply with much pigmentation. It was very patchy and a bit see through. Layering only made the patchiness worse. I still keep this product even though I don’t particularly like it because it was fairly cheap so I could probably later it with another lipstick to achieve a nice color. 
    

  

Maybelline Colorsensational Matte Lipstick in Rich Ruby- about $8 in drugstores

This is hands down the best matte lipstick I have ever used from a drugstore.  It’s also one of the best red matte lipsticks I’ve ever used. It has more blue undertones, and is very smooth and pigmented. It stays on very well and it’s not drying, but does require reapplication. 

   
 
Too Faced Liquid Lipstick in Melted Ruby- about $23 at Sephora

This was the first high-end makeup product I ever bought, and my expectations were exceeded. I heard so many great things about these lipsticks, so when I had a little extra money left over from Christmas I went ahead and bought one. I was looking for another red lipstick as well, and this is one of my favorites. It’s very easy to apply, but as you can tell from the swatch, this one has pink undertones so to reach the desired tube color it requires a bit of layering, but it’s not patchy or anything bad like that. This is very long lasting and barely requires reapplication after eating. 

   

  
 
Nyx Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Pink Lust/ Passion Rose, about $6 in drugstores 

This is a product that I received in my Ipsy bag last month (which by the way, my April one should be arriving any day now so stay tuned for that) and I was so excited. It’s full sized, and since I love Nyx’s matte cream lipsticks I thought I would love this. It’s a very bright fuschia-pink color, perfect for summer. It goes on very smoothly, and is extremely pigmented. It’s also quite easy to apply. It’s not behe long wearing, but if you’re just going somewhere and you want a nice pop of color, it’s great or you could just reapply. I noticed that after about 5 hours of wear it started to flake towards my inner lips but that can be solved with reapplication. Overall, this is a wonderful cheaper product. 
That’s all for today’s post. (I didn’t show all of my lip products because I have too many and I was going to throw some away, but I hope I helped with the reviews of the ones you did see) See you next time! 

 

March Favorites 2016 🍀

Hi guys! Since March just ended, I thought I would bring my March favorites post to you. Let’s get right into it! 
Music

Alternative/Pop

• Transviolet- Bloodstream
• The Pierces- Sticks and Stones 
• The Pierces- Secret
• The Pierces- Kill! Kill! Kill!
• The Pierces- Three Wishes

Books

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I’m only halfway through this book, but I already love it. It’s the first book in a series, so it’s great for me to read right now since I just started spring break. 

Summary:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself- and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

Apps

• Instagram- With the release of new features on Instagram, I’ve started to use it more and more. If you’d like to follow me, you can do so here. 

Others

  

I absolutely love the Meet Matt(e) Hughes Liquid Lipstick by theBalm cosmetics! I got these two in a duo in Kohls, for about $21. The red shade is called Devoted and the Pink one is called Commited. These colors are stunning. They are extremely pigmented and easy to apply. They are very long-lasting and quickly dry to a matte finish. Another great thing is that they smell almost like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. 

That’s all for today’s post. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you next time!

Lush Bath Bomb Mini Haul and Reviews

Hello everybody! Since I have been trying to do more of a variety of blog posts, I thought that it would be fun to buy some bath bombs from Lush and review them for you guys. There is no Lush store near where I live, but luckily I had some gift cards from Christmas I could use. I have been planning this post for a while now (I bought all of these before Valentine’s Day) so I’m not sure if Lush is currently selling all of these bath bombs I purchased, but most of them probably aren’t limited to holidays/seasons. Let’s get into this post!

 

 

The first bath bomb I purchased is the Dragon’s Egg Bath Bomb. I wanted to try it out because the name of it suggested that it would have something inside. It appeared to be white with bits of color sticking out. It has a really, sugary sweet smell like candy. At first I was wary because I tend to not like super sugary scents, but once in the bath this was incredible.

 

 

 

 

 

Inside this bath bomb was a beautiful orange color, which is what color my bath turned. The sweet sugary scent kind of reminded me of a childhood candy, like Pez or pixie stix. The bath bomb also made the water have subtle gold shimmers in it. The sweet candy-like scent was actually incredibly relaxing, and the bath color was gorgeous.

 

 

 

The second bath bomb I got is Tisty Tosty. This is a white heart-shaped bath bomb with flowers in it. I believe this came out around Valentine’s Day, but I’m not sure if it is still being sold or not. This has a very perfumey, floral scent. I would almost describe it as reminding me of the stereotypical grandmother, but not in a bad way, almost comforting and relaxing. This is a pretty subtle bath bomb, it doesn’t turn the bath any colors, it just has a very soothing relaxing smell to it so if you’re not a fan of the glittery, colored baths then this might be better for you.

 

 

 

 

The third bath bomb I got was Intergalactic. I had seen so many great reviews about this bath bomb, so I really wanted to try it. It’s a shimmery blue color with yellow and pink streaks running around it. This bath bomb is unscented, which is only a tad disappointing because the stunning color makes up for it. This turned my bath into a beautiful, shimmery, sapphire blue color. It’s extremely pretty.

 

  

 
  
   

The 4th bath bomb I got was Sakura. This is a white bath bomb with a floral scent, but it is not quite as perfumey as Tisty Tosty, it’s more natural and fresh. It has these little blue, green, and pink things in it that look kind of like poprock candy,  I was a bit disappointed in this bath bomb, because it didn’t have any color, and unlike the Tisty Tosty bath bomb, the scent was so subtle you could barely smell it.

 

 

  

  

The last bath bomb I got was Guardian of the Forest. It’s just light and dark green. It’s incredible, because this smells exactly like the forest. It has a rainforest-esque, refreshing, plant-like smell. It’s also not very subtle, but I like that because it’s a very relaxing scent to me. This tunred my bath a gorgeous shimmery, emerald green color.

 

 

 

 

That’s all for today’s post. I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!