July Favourites

Hi lovelies,
Here are some products that I have enjoyed using most of July:
1. Urban Decay Naked Palette. This palette is so hard to find. It sold out immediately online and in most stores. It is not limited edition so hopefully once the hype is over, it'll be more available. It has 12 different shaded some of which are permanent and some of which are not available in the Urban Decay permanent line. There is a mixture of matte and shimmers and no glitter shadows. I love Urban Decay but I do not like their glittery shadows such as the likes of Midnight Cowboy due to all the glitter fallout. I'm happy to report that there are no shadows in this palette I wouldn't wear. Below are some pictures of this palette.

The packaging of this is just gorgeous. It's a soft chocolate velvet cover with gold letters. The palette comes with an Urban Decay primer potion. The primer potion is a great product. It keeps the shadow on for hours with no smudging, smearing or creasing. The only negative about the primer potion is the packaging. It's a small potion type bottle which is cute in theory but so much of the product gets left behind.

The palette also has two urban decay pencils in whiskey which is a pretty bronze brown color and zero which is a black. I have used Zero before and love it. It goes on creamy but stays on for hours without any smudging.

The two I have used the most from this palette are virgin and darkhorse (Virgin is the first color to the left and Darkhorse is the 8th color on this palette). Below are some swatchy goodness of these two colors:

2. MAC's 217 brush. I highly recommend this brush. When I go on vacation, and don't want to bother carrying too much makeup I can get away with carrying only this brush and a blending brush. It's fantastic to put shadow on. It packs the shadow on and it's one of the few brushes I have found to work well to put color on all over the lead but also on the crease.

3. MAC Mineralized skinfinish in Medium Plus. This is all I have worn during the month of July. With temperatures as high as 105 degrees, I can't bother wearing a liquid foundation. This gives perfect coverage and it's light on the skin. You can build this up and get the perfect flawless coverage.

4. Sephora Professionnel (it's really spelled that way =)Retractable Travel Powder Brush #51. I use this brush to apply my MAC MSF in the morning or during the day for any touch ups needed. This is perfect to put in your makeup bag mainly because of it's retractable feature which keeps it clean.

4. Chanel Particuliere-This is very similar to Sephora by OPI metro chic which is one of my fave polishes and the one I get most compliments on when I have it on. This is a muddy taupe/brown type of color. Sounds very unappealing but looks great on. A close dupe is Barry M Mushroom. We don't have Barry M in the US so for all of you that have Barry M, I'm very jealous. I love this color and am always drown to these type of dirty/rich type of colors.

These are some of my fave products for the month of July.

Have you tried any of these products? What have you worn the most in the month of July?

Hope you all are having a lovely week.

Inspired by autumn

Hi everyone,
Hope you all had a great Monday. We had very autumn like weather here over the weekend. It rained heavily, and the weather cooled off a bit. As I was sitting outside reading, I noticed this tree in my backyard that really made me think of autumn.

So I pulled out my very autumn like nail polish which is Chanel Vamp. This is such a beautiful rich berry color. Chanel was one of the first to come out with these sort of dark and rich colors that are so popular now and are now advanced to the very dark black nail polish. I absolutely love this color.

What's your favourite fall/winter nail polish?

Hope you all had a lovely week.

Guiltless haul

Hello gorgeous followers,

I recently did a swap with one of my followers Natt http://www.natratanna.blogspot.com/ who I found on Makeup alley. I send her NARS Super Orgasm blush and she send me NARS Oasis. I really do love this color. I am addicted to NARS blushes and have a wish list as long as my arm. In my opinion blushes are the best product NARS do, mainly because they are so pigmented and a little goes a long way. This blush is very pretty. It is a pink with plumps undertone so it gives you that natural flushy pink but at the same time it countours your cheeks because of the darker undertones. It has a whole lot of gold glitter running thru it, so you have to buff it in a bit. Although it has a bit of a cool plump undertone this is very warming to the skin. I'm very excited about this blush.
What are some of the NARS blushes you have tried? Have you ever done an internation swap? Do you use Makeup Alley?

FOTD - Keeping make up at minimum

Hi beautiful followers,
It's very very hot here right now with temperatures as high as over 100 degrees and with this heat I don't want to put too much make up on. Here is what I have been wearing during this hot days:

1. MAC studio sculpt concealer in NC 30
2. MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep. I am in love head over hills with this product. This can be worn with a light hand for a soft light coverage, or can be build to provide full coverage and flawless skin. It's light on the skin. I red mixed reviews about this product on makeup alley with some people saying it broke them out. I have very sensitive skin and have worn this non stop and haven't had any issues with this product. This is not your typical powder that dries out your skin making all your blemishes more visible or sits on the fine lines making the skin look older and duller. This makes the skin look flawless but at the same time it's so natural, it looks like your skin but better. Love this product
3. MAC honey lust eyeshadow. This eyeshadow is perfect for summer time. I highly recommend this and have written about this before in earlier posts. It's the perfect honey/gold eyeshadow full of shimmer. It feels gritty when swatched because it's a luster but on this is the most unique and beautiful shadow ever. I love a shimmery lid on summer time and am always using products to get that glowy healthy summer look.
4. Covergirl lash blast mascara. The best drugstore mascara out there in my opinion and one of the best mascaras I have ever tried.
4. MAC Plink lipstick. This is a gorgeous light peach color. This is my favourite MAC lipstick, but MAC recently discountined this lipstick. I must have been the only person in the world that loved it so much. This is my minimal makeup look I have been wearing for the last few weeks.

What makeup do you use on summer time that doesn't melt in heat?
Hope you had a lovely weekend.

Nars Orgasm versus Nars Deep Throat blush

Hi everyone,
Long time no post....My PC broke and I just now got it back in my possession so I have had lots of catching up to do and lots of blog posts to read.
I thought to make a quick post about two of my favorite NARS blushes which are NARS orgasm and NARS deep throat (not sure about NARS's product names but love the colors).
NARS Orgasm is on the right and deep throat is on the left.

 NARS orgasm is a very popular blush. It's a mixture of gold, peach and pink all in one with gold shimmer laced thru it. It's very pigmented as are most of NARS blushes. I love this blush best when my hair is lighter. The first thing I noticed when I swatch this blush is the gold shimmer which gives the cheeks that healthy sexy youthful glow. A lot of products give that glow but I think the difference is that this blush is so pigmented that it warms up the cheeks with a soft warm pinky peachy color and it highlights them with at the same time. This is a very pretty color and works well on most skin tones. This blush constantly wins awards in the beauty industry.
 NARS deep throat is very similar to orgasm but much more pinky and less gold. Most people describe this as peach but to me this is more pink than peach. It has a ton of gold sparkles but unlike orgasm the gold particles are more visible on  the product rather than laced thru it. Once you brush this on the cheeks though, the gold particles sort of dissipate. This is my favourite NARS blush. It's more warming to the skin than any other blush I have ever tried. It's gives that sweet pinky flush to the cheeks and that sexy doll cheek look. Here are some swatches of both of these products (Nars orgasm on top and deep throat on the bottom)

Nars deep throat on the left and orgasm on the right.

I love both of these blushes but deep throat is my favorite and a true must have holy grail blush for me. Have you guys tried these products? What is your favorite blush?

Obsessing over pinks

Hello lovelies,
Here are some of the girly things I have been obsessing over in the past couple of weeks:

1. China Glaze "Something sweet". I love this color. It's that pretty bumblegum pink which is perfect for summer. It's in the same family as my all time favourite OPI "mod about you" but with no lilac undertones. This is a limited edition item, so if you can't get this and want something similar, "mod about you" would be a very close dupe.

2. Viva Glam Gaga. This is that typical baby pink with a blue undertone to it. I'm obsessed with this color. Add a bit of MAC "underage" lipglass, and you got pinklicous lips.

3. MAC's pigment in "Rose". This is a pink with tons and tons of gold.. This looks so pretty as an eyeshadow with a dark chocolate brown on the crease. It's perfect for summer because it gives the lids that pretty shimmery look and it opens up the eye. 

4. Britney Spears "Fantasy". A bit embarrassing I know...but this smells so good. The notes are:  red lychee, golden quince, kiwi, cupcake accord, jasmine petals, white chocolate orchid, musk, orris root and sensual woods. It's very sweet and so girly. I get a ton of compliments when wearing this. If you dislike sweet smells, stay well clear of this perfume.

5. DSK jewelery. I am addicted to this jewelery. DSK ran a special on the 4th of July and it was the below necklace. I love keys and this is a key and a swarovksi crystal heart on a silver chain. The picture does not do this justice. The crystal is so pretty especially when outside in the sun.

These are some of the things I have been obsessing over. What are you obsessing over currently?

MAC In the Groove Collection Haul and a question

Hello beautiful followers,
I have a small MAC haul for you from In the Groove Collection. Apologies from the start as I'm sure you've seen these products several times by now but I was just now able to get mine and I'm so excited and want to share them with you.
1. I finally got my hands on "Stereo Rose" msf.

There was a lot hype about this product and I must say "It's gorgeous". It's a soft peachy/coral pink color with brown veining running thru it. I love it and I'm glad I got it. I'll be using this on top of the blush to give a glow and with a light hand as a highlighter.
2. Hang Loose mineralize blush.

This is half baby pink and half lilac. When swiped, you get that soft baby pink blush but the lilac gives it that highlight touch. There is something sweet and angelic about this color and at the same time it gives you that sexy glowy baby doll look. I love it.
3. Soften the mood eyeshadow.

This is a trio mineralized eyeshadow with a dark brown, a light champagne and a pretty baby blue. This is just your typical natural eyeshadow but I like it and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of this.

4. I also got MAC Jazzed.

 Jazzed is so pretty. This sold out online too so I'm so glad I got my hands on this. It's a cremesheen which is one of my favourite finishes. This is a soft coral with a pink undertone to it. It's gorgeous


Overall I was very excited about this collection and when I sow it today, it did not disappoint. It has a lot of warm and natural colors which I really do like and go well with any skintone. Now on to the question...do you guys have any item that can be a dupe to MAC stereo Rose? Do you have a coral blush that you would recommend from any brand? I would love some suggestions.
Hope you all had an amazing day =)

In and Outs Number 1

Hello lovelies,
I love reading in and outs so I decide to make a post about some of my recent ins and outs.
In:
1. Getting a hold of MAC Stereo Rose. I know I know...enough about stereo rose. There is a whole lot of talk about this MSF so of course it sold out online as soon as it came out. I ordered mine first thing tuesday morning after checking the webpage every 5 minutes like a frantic obsessed woman. Fingers crossed I'll get it within 5-7 business days.
2. Planning a vacation. I'm going on vacation next month somewhere in Florida preferable an island like the Keyes or Boca Grande (obviously I have to stay away from the gulf which makes me very sad). I'll make sure to posts pictures and expect a haul. Nothing like shopping on vacation...I have all the same stores here (well besides Illamasqua) but for some reason, I find shopping while on vacation to just be much sweeter.  Anyone else feels this way?
3. Dark hair. I have been a blonde for years now but recently decided to put some lowlights in my hair. Maybe it's because of my skintone but I find that as a brunette I can wear less make up or go without self tanner. It warms up the skin and I love it.
4. Running in the morning. I love to run or exercise in general. I have been running in the afternoons and recently switched to mornings. I love it. It starts the day at a great start. Rex (my puppy) runs with me, and he is such an amazing motivator. He loves to run and looks so happy doing it :)

Outs
1. Not being able to find that perfect foundation. I'm always on the hunt for the "perfect" foundation. I read some great reviews on NARS sheer glow and decided to try.I have oily combination skin and this did not work for me. It made my skin very shinny, and I also noticed breakouts while using this. I am so sad because I really wanted this foundation to work. I tried Sheer Matte and didnt' really like it that much either but at least it gave me no breakouts like the sheer glow. I'm sure Sheer Glow works great on a lot of people, but it just didn't work for my skin. Do you guys have any issues with your foundations? What are some of your favourite foundations?

What are your in and outs?
Hope you guys have had a lovely week xx