16 miles and going......

Hi everyone,
So I wanted to post something that has nothing to do with make up for a change. I recently ran 1/2 marathon in April and that was so much fun I decided to run the full marathon next year. I'm training hard to prepare for it. Usually my long 13+ mile runs are on the weekend since I work during the week. Yesterday against my better judgment, I lifted weights which I hadn't done in ages, and I woke up this morning with a couple of sore muscles. I was off work today and had set my mind on running 16 miles. I never thought I was going to be able to run 16 miles with the sore painful muscles though. However, I set my mind on it, thought positive and kept going. What stays with me during challenging times is one of my favourite quotes from Henry Ford "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, either way, you're right." I love that quote. The moral of this story? Think you can and you can make anything happen....
Good luck on any endeavour you are challenging yourself with today.
Have a lovely week :)

NOTD OPI Rumples Wiggin' Shrek Collection

Hi everyone,
This is what I used on my nails today:
1. Base coat CNDC stickey
2. OPI Rumples Wiggin's from the Shrek Collection. I'm so glad I bought this. It's a lilac color and perfect for the summer. I used two coats of this.
3. INM Super Fast drying top coat.
I love OPI's Rumples Wiggin's but it's one of those nail polishes that requires a second coat and maybe even a third. I was surprised of how sheer the first coat was. I love the color though.

Have a wonderful day! :)

MAC To The Beach Collection

Hi everyone,

MAC to the beach collection came out online on Tuesday and a few items sold the same day the collection came out. The highlight "Marine Life" sold out immediately. The collection came out on the stores today and I purchased a few items. I also made a separate online order and will post that later once I receive it. I went a bit overboard on this collection but I must say, I love the beach, so I can't help but fall for these marketing tactics. The collection's package is green or orange with shells, starfish or corals on it.

Here is what I got at the store today:

1. Marine life highlight. This is gorgeous. I can not believe I was able to find this at my local MAC store today. It is half light pink, half dark pink and has a touch of gold on top. The gold on top is just a spray though and will come off once you rub your brush on it. I almost do not want to touch it. This will be used as a blush as I have a fair complexion right now and could not pull this as a highlighter. It has a seahorse on it. The child in me gets giddy every time I look at it. It's so so pretty. On the skin it comes off as this soft pink/coral type of color. Gorgeous!!! Very glad to have this in my possession.

2. MAC hipness blush. This is just a typical pink. This came out with the Faffi collection but I did not have it. It's another one of the soft pinky coral blushes that work well with my complexion.
3. Lipstick in Lazy Day. This is a soft blue pink. This is a lustre finish which means it gives shine and it is not too pigmented so you can sheer it out. This is everything I wanted MAC Viva Glam Gaga to be. It's much softer and easier to wear than Viva Glam Gaga.
4. Lipgloss in Easy Lounger. This is pink shimmer in a tube. It comes off a bit sheer but it goes really well with Lazy Day.
Below are some pictures of these items. I will do some looks, reviews and swatches later on. What did you think of this collection? Was it all hype or did you love it?

NOTD Essie Splash of Grenadine

Hi Everyone,

This is what I used on my nails today:

1. Base coat CND stickey
2. Essie Splash of grenadine
3. Top Coat Orly Glosser
I do love Essie Splash of Grenadine. It's a unique color and I don't have anything else like this. It's a darker version of OPI's lucky lucky lavender. I got perfect coverage with just two coats and it's such a pretty color for spring/summer.

I hope you all had a lovely day :)

Product Rave -Creative Nails Design Stickey Base Coat

Hi Everyone,

So I did a nail of the day post on the 20th showing off OPI lucky lucky lavender, and I mentioned CND stickey base coat and I raved about it being one of the best base coats I have ever used. Well to show you what I mean, here is a picture of my nails 5 days after my nail of the day post....no chips and no pealing. Below is the picture of the nails now and the one I posted on the 20th.

The top coat I used is Orly Glosser which I got at Sally's, but no matter the top coat, CND stickey always keeps my polish put and it prevents it from chipping. It is described by the company as a soft sticky base coat designed to anchor color to the nail and to prevent peeling and chipping and it does just that. This one is a winner. If you can get your hands on this, do so. 

What do you guys think? Have you tried this? What are some of your favorite base coats?

Product Rave Kiehl's creamy eye treatment with avocado

Hi guys,
I wanted to do a product rave for a product I absolutely love. I have combination/oily skin but always get dry around my eyes. I have tried several different eye creams, but nothing as rich and moisturizing as this. It's Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. The texture of this is very thick and not to everyone's taste. I read mixed reviews online, but I absolutely love it. I picked this up in Florida in March and have used it day and night since. It literally transforms my eye area the moment I put it on. It just gives that plump affect to the eyes and rich hydration. I'm going to attach a picture of the cream and as you can see it's very thick. The green tinge is the avocado.

Have you tried this? Do you have any other Kiehl's recommendations for me?

What's in my make up bag?

Hi everyone,
As many of you know, I run/work out all the time. I'm always training for a race whether it's a 5k or a marathon. I mostly work out in the morning or during my lunch hour so I have to reply my make up at the gym. Hence the need to carry all this make up in my make up bag. The make up in this bag changes weekly(***guilty face***), but what can I say? I love make up. This is what I had on my make up bag this week.
1. MAC studio finish concealer in SPF 35
2. NARS sheer matte foundation (I think I prefer this to the sheer glow one but I have combination skin and it tends to get oily on summer time). This foundation is amazing. It matches my skin perfectly (no face/neck syndrome) and I really do believe it has helped my skin complexion. I'll do a separate post on this once I have had it for a while.
3. MAC Omega and a random brush from Sephora. I use this for my eyebrows. I don't really like painted on eyebrows. If done wrong, eyebrows can really age people. If you are blond, try Omega for your eyebrows. It gives a very pretty ashy/soft look.
4. MAC Saint Germain. This is a Barbie pink lipstick. I love this color but it's hard to wear so I pair this with Clinique Luau which is a very soft pinky/peach with gold running thru it. It evens out the blue in Saint Germain. I always prime my lips with some sort of chapstick or lip butter and at the time is The Body Shop shea lip butter.
5. MAC Bare Study paint pot. This is a shimmery champagne kind of color.
6. NARS Cairo and NARS Fez. I got Cairo in a recent haul. Cairo is a color you can wear all over the lid with nothing else on. It makes my life simple. It's hard to explain this color but Sephora describes it as a champagne color. It goes well with Bare Study. Fez is a shimmery chocolate. Very rich and very pigmented.
7. Blush of the moment is Bare Minerals cheerful. This is a baby pink. It has no shimmer on it, and I prefer to keep a matte face when wearing shimmery eyeshadows. It prevents my face from being all disco ball looking (although at times, I don't mind that either)
8. Brushes. Foundation/blush brush is from Sonja Kashuk and so is the flat brush that I use to apply eyeshadows all over my lid. The blending brush is from MAC (it's MAC 224)
Below are some swatches of these colors (from L-R, Bare Minerals Cheerful blush, Saint Germain on it's own, Saint Germain and Clinique Luau, MAC bare study, MAC bare study and Ciaro, Fez)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

EOTD

Hi Everyone,

This is what I used  on my eyes today (all MAC) :
Coral Crepe paint pot all over the lid.
Shimmer time pigment
Twinks eyeshadow in the outer v only
Hush cream color base on my brow bone
Studio Fix lash mascara
I love MAC as you can tell. I think I'll do a MAC give away soon as I reach more followers.
Hope you all are having a lovely weekend.

NOTD OPI Lucky lucky Lavender

This is what I used on my nails today:

Base coat: CNDC Essentials Stickey. This is an amazing base coat. It'll keep the nail polish on much longer than any other base coat I have ever used

Nail Polish:OPI Lucky lucky Lavender from the Hong Kong collection

Top Coat:Glosser by Orly. It gives a very mirror like shine affect.

Hope you all had a wonderful day :)

NARS Haul

Hi everyone,
I stopped at Sephora the other day and decided to use the card that was given to me a few months ago to purchase a few things. I purchased mainly NARS items and thought to share with you what I got and my early opinions on them.
I purchased NARS Sheer Matte foundation in Santa Fe. This was picked by mistake. I thought I picked NARS sheer glow (everyone talks about this foundation) but had picked up sheer matte instead. Verdict?! I'm keeping it and do like it but I have combination skin and can wear a matte foundation. In my opinion this wouldn't be a good foundation for anyone with dry skin as it is very drying on the skin.
I got two eyeshadows. Nars Nepal and the duo Alhambra. Nepal is a pink eyeshadow but it sort of has brown mixed in it which makes it a very wearable color. I have just worn this on it's on for the last few days and love it. Alahambra is a duo eyeshadow that has a shimmery gold and pink. Both the pink and the gold have finely milled shimmer running thru it. These eyeshadows are gorgeous. The duos are meant to be worn together but I would need something darker on the crease when using either of these eyeshadows. The last thing I got was Nars Penny Lane blush. I love cream blushes. I prefer them to powder because they blend well look more natural. I have only tried this once but was not totally impressed. I may have to test this out a few more times and give it a fair shot. Below are some swatches:

From left to right we have :Nepal, Alahambra and Penny Lane blush.
I have a list as long as my arm for NARS items. I would really like to try Ashes to Ashes eyeshadow and Cairo.
Do you have NARS products that you absolutely love? Any recommendations for me?

Hope you all had a lovely day. :)

Nail Polish Haul

Hi everyone...
I have been nail polish hauling lately and thought to share with you what I bought:
From left to right we have:
1. OPI "Russian Navy" This is a very deep blue with red and purple fine shimmer running thru it. This is not exactly the proper color to wear right now when the weather is nice and warm but I like change and after wearing tons of pink, I like to wear something a bit on the autumn side for a bit.
2. OPI "Do you lilac it?" I'm a bit obsessed with lilac nail polish and this is gorgeous on.
3. OPI "MOD about you" This is my second bottle of this polish. Probably my favorite polish ever. It's a gorgeous milky pink with a slight lavender undertone. There is nothing like it. I have tried to find a less expensive dupe but have been unsuccessful.
4. China Glaze "Love letters" This is a sheer peachy pink. I'm not sure yet how I feel about it as it looks very sheer in the bottle.
5. China Glaze "VII". This is a very deep maroon color. This is another one of those colors better suited for fall but looks very elegant on.
6. Revlon Gum drop. I love this polish. It's a lighter version of OPI "Do you lilac it?" and it smells like candy/gum when it's dried. It gives perfect coverage.
7. Essie "Splash of Grenadine". This is a very pretty pinky/mauve/purple color. Very hard to describe but it's beautiful on.

What are some of your favorite nail polishes?

EOTD Neutral eyeshadows

This is the look I wore today on my eyes. It's raining outside and I'm going to the bookstore to pick up a new book and a cup of tea so I went for a very simple neutral look.

The products I used:
1. MAC bare study paint pot. This paint pot is one of MAC's very shimmery offers, but it does bring any eyeshadow to life.
2. MAC nylon. This is one of the first MAC eyeshadows I purchased and fell in love. Nice shimmery yellow color can be worn all by itself all over the lid.
3. MAC Twinks on the crease.
4. I used MAC 239 to pack on the color on my lid and MAC 217 for the crease.
5. MAC pro lash mascara which is still my fave :)

Hope you are all having a lovely Saturday. :)

Look of the day

This is what I used today on my eyes...
1. Too faced Shadow insurance
2. Retrospect all over the lid
3. Tempting in the crease
4. Shade fluidline with Mac 109 brush
5. Loads and Loads of Mac Pro Lash Mascara. I know MAC is not known for it's mascaras but I really do love MAC Pro Lash. It gives me ton of volumes and it lengthens my lashes without clumping. I have gone thru maybe 10 tubes of this and will continue purchasing as long as MAC make it. Although I love Make Up Forever Smokey Lash and Dior Diorshow, this is a much cheaper mascara that really delivers.
What was your look of the day today? Hope you all had a lovely week. Glad tomorrow is Friday and ready for the weekend.

Products I'm loving right now...

Things I'm loving right now...

These are some of the things I'm loving right now:

1. My Swarovski chic ring. I have been wanting this since seeing "Confessions of a shopholic". Unfortantly the one shown in the movie is now long gone as Swarovksi only keeps these limited times. However, I was given the Multi Blue Ring as a present after completing 1/2 Country Music Marathoon. It was a very generous gift from a loved one.

2. MAC uncommon cream blush. I love love love cream blushes. I was at my MAC pro store yesterday and my eyes landed on this blush. I'm so much into tan/coral blushes at the moment and I was surprised I had never seen this one. I purchased it immediatly. I have only had this for a couple of days, but I can see this will be a true must have product. It is that perfect tan/light sea shell pink to the cheeks. I absolutely love it.

3. Sophia Kinsela books. I love all of her books. They are so light and easy to read. Right now I'm reading "Remember me?" It has been raining non stop for the last two days here, and a lot of the roads are closed, so I have been curled up in the couch with this book and a cup of tea and loving reading it.

4. And talking about tea....I'm really loving drinking tea instead of soft drinks or coffee...it just feels like i'm doing something good for my body. Recently I have really enjoyed the Get Well teas.....Get Gorgeous being one of them....Not sure if this is improving my skin but I enjoy drinking it anyway.

These are some of the things I'm loving right now. What are some of the things you are love using at the moment?

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend.