MAC Lipstick Collection

The main thing I love about blogging is being able to share what I love so in the process of trying to figure out what to post this week.. an idea came to me. I haven’t done something like this on my blog yet so I figured new season, new adventure. 

Today I’ll be sharing with y’all my MAC lipstick collection. Personally I don’t feel like I own that many, but to other people it may be too much and that’s okay. MAC lipsticks are some of my favorite lipsticks and I love the formula, so yes that’s why I have more than one and frankly more than five. In case you were wondering, I do plan on getting more.

Just a small disclaimer, I don’t have a wide variety of shades. I personally only get colors I know I will want to wear; therefore, no bold purple lipstick for me lol. Some of you may also look at all the colors and see the same shade but I promise they’re all different. Also note, if anyone is in the “same boat” just know as long as you feel they’re all different shades then that’s all that matters ♡

So for starters I’ll tell you all the shades I own in addition to their descriptions and then later on I’ll show you which shade is which. Sound good?

Lipsticks: Twig, Mehr, Whirl, Modesty, Patisserie, Velvet Teddy, Faux, Fastplay, Viva Glam Miley Cyrus, Honeylove, Brave 

Twig: Satin finish ⇾ Soft muted brownish-pink. 
Mehr: Matte finish ⇾ Dirty blue pink.
Whirl: Matte finish ⇾ Dirty rose.
Modesty: Cremesheen finish ⇾ Muted neutral pink.
Patisserie: Lustre finish ⇾ Sheer creamy neutral pink. 
Velvet Teddy: Matte finish ⇾ Deep-tone beige.
Faux: Satin finish ⇾ Muted mauve-pink. 
Fastplay: Amplified finish ⇾ Neutral pink. 
Viva Glam Miley Cyrus: Amplified creme finish ⇾ Hot pink.
Honeylove: Matte finish ⇾ Light beige toned with rose.
Brave: Satin finish ⇾ Pink-beige with white pearl.

As most of you can tell by now, my favorite/go-to lipstick shades are more mauve pinkish nudes. I have more from many other brands as well. The MAC lipstick I’ve been wearing the most lately is Modesty and the MAC lipstick I’ve been wearing the least is Viva Glam. I unfortunately don’t actually wear my Viva Glam lipstick at all. It’s gorgeous and was also a gift. As much as I love the color pink, I never wear bright, bold pink shades on my lips. I find it’s just not for me. But hey, never know when I may need it.

Two other favorites are Twig and Velvet Teddy. But of course, I love all the shades. 

Time for some swatches!

And that about concludes my MAC lipstick collection! I hope y’all enjoyed reading and maybe even found yourself a new lipstick to pick up! Have any questions? Thoughts? What posts would you like to see in the future? Start a discussion in the comments.. would love to hear from y’all. Don’t forget to welcome May with open arms – happy Spring! See you next week with a new post ♡

April Favorites

Looking back on the month, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t actually have a favorite for everything. As some of you may know, on my last favorites post I had decided to write my favorite product from each category to have my own little twist. This month I’ll be adding in some new products that I want to try out instead! 

My first favorite for the month is my Tarte Tartelette in Bloom eyeshadow palette! I rediscovered this in my collection and since then I’ve been reaching for it nonstop. I personally love the way this product looks and smells – the packaging is beautiful. I love the combination of the pinks and purples. The shadows themselves are also stunning. They blend seamlessly and the pigmentation is phenomenal. This palette makes it extremely easy for you to transition between day and night time looks!

Up next is my Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder and man is that name a mouthful! This literally makes my skin feel like silk. I use the Real Techniques Setting Brush to apply it underneath my eyes to set my concealer and then I use the Luxie 520 Tapered Face Brush to apply the powder to the rest of my face. As much as I love this powder, I have had my eye on trying the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder and I hope to pick it up soon!

To be completely honest with y’all, I’m not sure if these are a full favorite yet; however, they’re the only blushes I’ve been reaching for. The Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting 16-Hour Blushes are quite beautiful. I have three shades in their mini-sized packaging. Your Love is King (purple), Justify my Love (pink), and Love Hangover (peach). They give the perfect amount of color to the cheeks and a little goes a long way. After using these I have come to want a full-size in the shade “Baby Love” – so I can’t wait to try that out! 

The Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm in the shade “Anti-Oxidant Berry” and the Mac lipstick in the shade “Modesty” have become staples for me this month. The baby lips range has been something I’ve loved for years now. There was a time when I collected every shade and to this day I still have about 20 different ones. This one in particular is actually not sold in the US but instead sold in China where I got it. I was able to get three others that I found in store with similar packaging and I love them all! I personally like how moisturizing and hydrating these have always felt on the lips and that’s why I’ve continued to buy them. I recommend these to everyone!

Mac lipsticks are probably some of my favorite lipstick formulas. Plus, I think they’re my favorite lipstick scent of all time. I haven’t been reaching for mattes lately because I’ve been loving a more creamy texture. Modesty is a Cremesheen finish. No matter what makeup look I’m wearing, this has been the perfect pink nude to pair with everything.

I’ve had my eye on two Dior lip products recently as well – the Dior Addict Lacquer Stick and the Dior Addict Lip Glow Reviving Lip Balm. Have you tried either? And the last beauty product I’ve been wanting is the NARS Soft Matte Concealer. I’ve heard such great reviews and need to try it for myself!

Lastly, we have my two favorite miscellaneous products!

For the spring time I’ve been loving this Victoria Secret Pure Daydream fragrance mist. I’m almost positive they don’t sell this packaging anymore but they may still have the scent! It’s described as “pearl orchid & pink currant” and I’ve been loving how fresh and floral it smells. I wear it every time I go out!

I also discovered a new gum and I’m in love. It’s the Stride gum in “Melopeach.” My guess is that it’s some cross between melons and peaches.. I mean that’s what it smells like! But I love peaches so I was super excited to try this. In case this is something you look for in gum – it is sugar free. I’ll still carry around my Orbit gum but now, I’ll always have a pack of this in my handbag as well!

Well alright, that sums up of my April favorites! Thanks so much for reading y’all. Start a discussion in the comments – what are your favorites this month? Thoughts? Questions? Leave em’ below! Hope y’all dive into May headstrong! 

See you soon ♡

 

Bloom Daily Planners Review + Giveaway

Anyone else ever have the problem of being stuck in a continuous loop of buying either shampoo or conditioner again before the other? And by that I mean buying them once at the same time, then running out of one of them before the other. So then you’re constantly stuck buying one at a time now when you need it instead of both.
Conditioner – 1.. Sarah – 0.

Hahahahaha, good evening everyone (morning or afternoon depending where you are hehe) and welcome back to my blog ♡

Today I am SO excited to share with you one of my very first reviews! Surprisingly it has nothing to do with makeup – believe me, I’m shocked too. As many of you have gathered by now though, I do like and try my best to stay as organized as I can. In case you’re new here, I have maybe 10 different journals with different things specified for each one -just to give you a small little insight there. That’s basically how I like things to be. I also struggle with being very forgetful sometimes and that’s just how I am. That being said, it’s completely the reason I’m attached to my planner. 

I probably looked at 50+ different sites just trying to expand my options and finally I found Bloom Daily Planners. Now just to give y’all a quick run down here are some of the products they offer: daily planners, planner stickers, notebooks, addresses books, teacher planners, wedding planners, file folders, planning pads, binders, desk calendars, etc. 

I have purchased my own 2017 daily planner and their classic sticker sheets. Then when they launched their new 2017-2018 pre-order collection, I pre-ordered their new holiday sticker sheets. All pre-orders will be sent out by June 15th in case anyone was wondering. Bloom Planners was also very kind enough to send me a package to review which included another 2017 daily planner, a notebook, and an 8.5″ x 11″ planning pad. 

So of course I already had my own planner and fell absolutely in love with it. They do also have an Ultimate Planner which retails for USD $29.95, unlike the daily planners which are USD $14.95. Comparing the two, I realized personally I much preferred the daily planner more. The fact it was smaller (easy to carry around and travel with) and much cheaper was just a bonus. I don’t like “undated” planners and planners that only have a “monthly” spread – I prefer having a weekly spread as well. The Ultimate Planner is undated and has no weekly spread so I was basically sold on the daily planner. But note, that is just something based on personal preference.  The daily planner has many different pages: goals, class schedules, notes, addresses, to-do lists, and more. The one thing I will say is that I wish it was just slightly bigger height wise. The planner has a front and back pocket and I wanted to slide my sticker sheets inside; however, the stickers are longer vertically than the planner is. That’s honestly my only negative thing to say about it!

Everyone knows I’m a huge notebook fanatic – I have many and feel no shame about it. From browsing the website multiple times I had a picture in my head about how big I thought the notebook was even though they had the dimensions written. I wasn’t the perfect visualizer but if you are then here ya go.. 7″ Wide x 10″ Tall x .2″ Thick.

In reality it’s actually a bit bigger than what I thought initially and I love it. The design you see is called “Bohemian Ikat” and it’s even more gorgeous in person. I’ve never been more obsessed with a notebook. If you want one that’s great for school, work, or just taking notes – this is one that gives a lot of room to write (perfect for those with bigger handwriting).

Now I’ve never had a planning pad until now and it’s probably one of the most convenient things a person could have. I think it would honestly be PERFECT for someone who works in an office – just keep this on your desk and plan away. Or even maybe a stay-at-home mom. Plan the week with the kids and have all your notes, things to do, and main focuses in one neat area. There are also 6″ x 9″ planning pads as well if you want something a little smaller and there are many different types. This is obviously the one I have but if this one doesn’t fit your preferences then you do have options, which is something I love about this brand. One of the pads I want to pick up in the future is the “Grocery List” planning pad. By first glance I feel it’ll be very useful to everyone ranging from college students to busy parents. If you happen to have this already, comment below how you like it!

Now for my favorite part  ♡

I will be giving away this new 2017 Bloom Daily Planner and other goodies as a thank you to all my followers and all the support I’ve been receiving from everyone! I was a little hesitant on blogging at first but now I love my blog and the entire blogging community! So the giveaway starts when the blog post is published “010:00PM 19th April 2017 ” my time zone – “05:00AM 19th April 2017” Pacific Time. 

The giveaway will end after a month and one day so there’s plenty of time for people to enter.. “11:59PM 20th May 2017″ my time zone – “6:59AM 20th May 2017″ Pacific Time. And then the winner will be announced on the following week’s blog post on Wednesday the 24th of May. Sorry if the times for the US seem a little off the wall – where I live there’s a big time difference so my apologies if that inconveniences anyone! This giveaway is international. 

The three mandatory rules:

1. You must be a follower of my blog via WordPress or your email
2. Like my Beauty by Sarah facebook page 
3. Follow Bloom Daily Planners on instagram

Then there will tons of extra entries you can do if you’d like a higher chance of winning. Click the link below to enter – you must enter through the link!

Sarah’s Thank you Giveaway

I hope everyone has had an amazing week so far and good luck to everyone who enters the giveaway – I wish you all the best of luck. Have questions? Thoughts? Comment below! See you next week  ♡

Liebster Awards + News

Anyone else ever feel like you can paint your nails all professionally and after you’re done you wonder if you’re blind in one eye? Nail Polish – 1 … Sarah – 0. Hahahaha, hello everybody and welcome back to my blog! Today’s post is a something that’s way over due and I’ve decided to finally get it up. I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by the beautiful Emma and Julia within the past month or so and a huge thank you goes out to both of these lovely bloggers!

So basically when you’re “tagged” or “nominated” the person before you has given questions for you to answer. You then tag your own favorite bloggers and give them some questions to answer as well! So since I was nominated by two people, I’m going to answer a few of each of their questions. Shall we get started?

Questions from Emma

1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
   • This is such an easy question for me because all I do is talk about it. LONDON. No questions asked, no further thinking required. I’ve never been, so I guess call me crazy but I would definitely live there!
2. If you could only use one make-up product for the rest of your life, what product would you use?
   • I’ve always been pretty set on my top three products if I ever had to choose but I think if I had to narrow it down to one.. I would say mascara. Reasoning behind this being, even if I have every other product on my face I still feel completely bare without having mascara on. I feel like it really brings a look together and I’d be okay with only leaving the house with mascara on. 
3. Your favourite food?
   • Let me just go ahead and give the most “kid-like” answer. Macaroni and cheese. Hahahaha I’m sorry but it’s honestly been my favorite food for years and years. I do also really enjoy alfredo. I’m a big pasta person!

Questions from Julia

1. If you had to create your own product, what would it be and why?
   • This is a really good question. I personally think for me, I’d create something that I, myself, would wear no matter what. And, something that’s also extremely versatile for everyone else as well. Lipstick. It’s able to come in many different shades & formulas. Plus it’s easy to pair any look with a great lipstick!
2. Which makeup products can’t you live without?
   • My Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes mascara, my MAC lipstick in the shade “Twig” (has a special meaning to it), and I think I’m going to go with my Tartelette in Bloom eyeshadow palette from Tarte. Mostly because I just started using it again and I really like when palettes have the option for both “daytime” and “nighttime” looks. Plus the shades are just gorgeous and blend beautifully. 
3. What is your favourite foundation?
   • At this point in time, I actually don’t think I have found my “favorite” foundation. Their are some I like and some I don’t. I did just pick up a new drugstore one from Rimmel today so we’ll see how it goes and how it wears on the face!

The Blogs I Nominate:

1. Beauty by Emm
2. Dawnblogtopus
3. Beauty by a Libra
4. Zoey-Valuated Blog
5. The Inspiration Lady

My Questions for you:

1. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
2. Do you prefer staying in or going out?
3. Have you ever been to an amusement park? If so, which one was your favorite and why?
4. If you could only wear one lipstick shade for the rest of your life, what would it be?
5. Which do you prefer to spend the extra money on? Makeup or skincare? Why?

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Now onto some greats news. Most of you have probably recently seen the new ending addition to my blog posts – my blog signature. I have placed it on all blog posts – replacing the old one. And I have Zera Zoya to thank for that. She runs the PrettyBlogGraphics store over on Etsy if you want to go check her out. She makes graphics, social media templates, info-graphics, blog signatures, etc. Anything you need for your blog. 

I also offer custom blog headers and logos. They start from $27 and go up in prices depending upon how graphically intense the logo or header is. 

 

Premade blog headers and logos are worth $10 and customized within 24 hours and delivered via email. 

-Zera Zoya

My favorite thing about her is her communication. She stayed in contact with me making sure I got the exact design that I envisioned as well as picking the exact fonts I preferred. I was able to give her my lipstick logo as well for her to incorporate into the signature. She also allowed to me to adjust the colors – on top of that.. even let me see the signature in a few different colors/styles so I was able to see which I liked best because at first, I wasn’t sure which color to go with! I was extremely happy with the finished product and I recommend using some of her work! If you haven’t seen my blog signature yet, you’ll be able to see what was created at the end of the post.

Now if that’s something you’d be interested in, Zera and I have come together to bring y’all 10% off a purchase of $20 or more using the coupon code “SBAILEY” – it’ll be valid for the next year and Zera will be adding tons of new things to her Etsy store between now and then! 

Thanks so much for reading – I hope everyone has had a productive week so far and that y’all have a happy Easter! See you next week with a super fun and special post ♡

March Shopping Haul

Believe me when I say I wanted this post up a week ago and I’m highly disappointed that it wasn’t. I normally tend to have a new post up every Wednesday and I was hoping all of my stuff was gonna be here by then but no. I settled for posting this on Friday (03/31/17) with the hopes my packages would come in on time but the last few items didn’t come in the mail until that same Friday later in the day. Of course at that point I just decided to wait and upload it on my normal posting day on the upcoming Wednesday (and unfortunately life keeps getting in the way so now it’s posted on Friday ugh). I did happen to post a picture on instagram though and say my posts would be pushed back a week, but regardless sorry for posting so darn late. I’m honestly so upset by it. 

I have been very much excited for this blog post though and I wanted to do a little extra with it. I wasn’t able to do everything I wanted for it but maybe I will with a blog post in the future. Moving on to the fun part!

Purchases for the month:

• Olay Hydrating Gel Moisturizer
• Elcie Pearl Radiance Primer
• Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
• Too Faced Sweet Peach Blush
• Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in “Pillowtalk”
• Kylie Cosmetics Velvet Liquid Lipsticks in “Charm” & “Harmony”
• Blooms Daily 2017 Planner & Classic Sticker Sheets
• JetPens Gel Pens
• Zoella Beauty Mirror Compact
• Zoella Beauty Wonderhand Moisturising Hand Cream
• Zoella Beauty Lace Collar Purse
• Luxie Rose Gold 520 Face Brush
• Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm

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Olay Moisturizer. This is a repurchase for me and I really like it. I find that a gel consistency is more beneficial for my oily skin – plus it feels amazing and hydrating on the skin. I also love the smell. Comment some good recommendations – could use more gel moisturizers! 

Elcie Primer. Basically I needed a new primer. This one is oil-free (which is highly needed), hydrating, water-based, and lightweight. Steadily becoming my favorite primer.

Cover FX Foundation. Not gonna lie, I saw this in Jaclyn Hill’s first impression video a little while back and I bought it as soon as the video ended. It looked flawless on her. For me, I really enjoy the coverage – I’d recommend it.

Collection Concealer. I actually didn’t buy this but I wanted to mention it. I’m obsessed with London and the UK – even though I’ve never been. And where can you find this concealer in stores? In the United Kingdom. The most lovely lady, Denise, was SO kind enough to buy and send it to me after I had already proposed to buy it myself. I will forever be grateful for it.

Too Faced Blush. The most beautiful blush I’ve ever had and it smells like peaches – I love peaches. If you don’t have this, please try it out for yourself. Gives a perfect color to the cheeks and it’s perfect for spring/summer.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick. Limited edition lipstick to match the iconic “pillowtalk” lip liner and it’s another gorgeous nude that I added to my collection. 

Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits. Her new velvet formula is actually really comfortable on the lips and also pretty longer-wearing as well. Charm is my favorite – I’ve worn it maybe 2-4 times now on different outings. I’ve tried on Harmony once and it didn’t appeal to me right away so I took it off. However, I will test it out again to give it a fair shot!

Bloom Planner and Stickers. I love being organized and long story short, I’m in love with these planners. I know a lot of people are familiar with the “Happy Planners” but I swear I love these more. The designs are amazing and the stickers are the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Stay tuned for a review and special surprise coming soon!

Gel Pens. My handwriting tends to be very different when I write with a pen compared to a pencil. Needless to say, the pencil always looks 20x better. I wanted gel pens hoping the consistency might be better – as of right now, it’s okay. Gel pen ink is hard to deal with because in the middle of writing the ink stops showing up. Super aggravating – I already bought a different set of writing utensils to make up for it LOL!

Zoella Compact. I really wanted a new mirror compact and this was like killing two birds with one stone. It has a little pocket on the other side to hold your ID, license, etc. The mirror itself is a really nice size as well! BIG essential.

Zoella Hand Cream. Another essential that has quickly become a favorite. Your hands will thank you in the long run – perfect for those more drying days outside.

Zoella Beauty Bag. It’s adorable for one and I just really wanted something else to pop into my handbag. I use this to carry my lanolips and hand cream! Perfect size!

Luxie Brush. I use this for setting my face with powder and it’s amazing. It picks up the right amount of powder and it’s not too big nor too small. You could even throw it in your makeup bag if you wanted for touch-ups on the go!

Lanolips. Last but certainly not least, especially because it’s another favorite! You can use it for extremely dry lips, skin patches, cuticles, and more. I personally like it because I get these weird little patches, I guess you could say, around each side of my nose from sinuses and this is SO helpful! Try it out!

What are some of your buys for the month of March? Start a discussion in the comments – I’d love to hear from everyone! Thoughts? Questions? Leave em’ below! Hope y’all have had a wonderful spring-filled March and that April is treating you well! See you next week with a new post ♡

Don’t forget to join this Blogger’s Facebook Group – great way to get more exposure ♡

Wish List ➀

I’d like to think that at least once in everyone’s lifetime they’ve come across at least one thing (in my case over 100 things lol) that they’d really like to have. It’s a normal thing to look at a piece of clothing and think “wow, I’d look great in that” or a makeup item and think “I’d love to try that out.” And me being completely honest with y’all, I probably do that every other day. This week I wanted to share my first wish list! My idea is to turn this into a new segment on my blog (given the 1 in the title) and I look forward to it! Shall we get started?  

Dagne Dover Midi Tote

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Face Sculpt and Highlight

I go through these phases sometimes when I feel like I need to change out my handbag. Don’t ask me why because I haven’t the slightest idea. With that being said, I wanted my next bag to have a cross-body strap so if I wanted to carry the bag on my shoulder instead of using my hands, I could. I absolutely love having pockets in my handbag as well. Now as I’m sure you’ve gathered, those two things are the main components my new bag needed to have – and I found it! I am crying on the inside that it retails for USD $225 but I hope to get my hands on it eventually. It has pockets for everything you may want to put in your handbag – ipad, sunglasses, planner, earphones, pens/lip glosses, phone, important cards, and more. There are 4 different sizes of this bag as well. Depending on the size, you could use them for school, work, travel, or just everyday wear. 

The Filmstar Bronze and Glow (USD $68) is something I’ve been eyeing for a few months now. I’ve been obsessed with the Charlotte Tilbury brand for awhile. The packaging is beautiful and I’d really love to add this product to my collection. The sculpting color honestly appears to be the perfect shade for my fair skin. Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury?

HP Sprocket Photo Printer

Wireless Pink Earphones

I came across the printer while watching a video one day and felt right away that it was the perfect handbag essential. You connect it to your phone via bluetooth, give access to your camera roll, and you’re able to print any picture you want to have a hard copy. I think it would be the perfect item to take with you on an outing with your friends. No ink needed and you can also turn the hard copies into a sticker. Retails for USD 129.99 and it comes in either black or white.

Another handbag essential I came across are these adorable baby pink and gold wireless earphones. They retail for USD $110 – little on the pricey side, I know! I have to say though my favorite thing about these earphones is that they come with a little carrier. So whenever you’re done using them you can put them back into their little holder and pop em’ back into your handbag. I’m a big fan of easy access things. They also come in black, white, and blue – all with the little gold detail.

theBalm Photobalm Powder Foundation

Colourpop Pressed Powder Face Duo in “Done Deal”

I think if I could only pick three makeup items to wear for the rest of my life it’d be concealer, mascara, and lipstick. However, don’t let that fool you because I love powder. The main thing I love about theBalm is the attention to detail with their packaging – I love the comic vibe that comes from it. I find it very pleasing to look at.. I hope I’m not the only one of course. I’ve heard wonderful things about this photobalm powder foundation (USD $26)  including that it even gives some extra coverage to the face. I know that’s all some people need to hear about makeup products for them to run and pick it up for themselves. It comes in plenty of shades for all skin tones, has a decent size pan, and a decent size mirror. I think it’d be a perfect travel essential to pop into your makeup bag. Needless to say, I really want to try it! Have you?

Colourpop has been releasing these new “phases” of makeup products recently. The first being “Nectar” and the second being “Pink” – another phase called “Sand” may or may not have been released by the time this posts. The face duo above comes from the “Pink” phase (USD $16) and since y’all know I’ve been transitioning myself into Spring, this blush color looked beautiful for the occasion – as well as the highlight. They are described as a “matte blush – warm pink” and “pearlized highlighter – champagne pink.” I have the Alexis Ren x Colourpop Pressed Powder Face Duo (bronzer and highlight) and I love it, so I really want to give this one a go.

Hope everyone has been having a productive week so far. Start a discussion in the comments – I’d love to hear from y’all. Thoughts? Questions? Leave them below. What’s been on your wishlist recently? Thanks for reading, stay tuned next week for a new post that I’m really excited about ♡ 

Don’t forget to join this Blogger’s Facebook Group – great way to get more viewers ♡

Everyday Makeup Look

So it’s almost spring time for most people and I’ve been in the habit of celebrating the seasons. Where I live it’s honestly always summer time. Two seasons exist here – wet and dry. That’s it, hahaha. It may come off as a little odd but I like being in the spirit of certain things! So of course I’ll be welcoming the beginning of Spring 2017. (Sorry if it’s still freezing cold where you are!) 

I would just like to take a quick second before we go any further to offer any bloggers a chance to get a little extra exposure for their blogs and/or social media. I know it can be difficult to get decent traffic and I’ve found it to be very helpful when you join facebook groups. There’s no shame in being apart of 1 or 50! The more exposure your posts get, the better – it’s always good to take an opportunity to reach more people. So if you’d like to join this Facebook Group, myself and the other admins would love to have you! 

As everyone knows I’m a new blogger and with that I’m also completely unskilled with photography of myself. I’m not used to taking pictures that show off my makeup or pictures that highlight different points of my face. I also don’t own, at the moment, a high-dollar camera. Just myself and my phone, so the quality probably isn’t up to standard either. The pictures I was able to take don’t really emphasize some of the products. For example, you don’t really see that “blinding” highlight or the nice warmth of the bronzer. None of that really stands out unfortunately but I promise it’s there. Any tips or suggestions for taking better photos in the future would be very appreciated!

I know the black and white image probably doesn’t showcase anything but I kinda liked the way it looked so I wanted to share it. I also took two “close-up” pictures but of course those may look even worse than the last two!

Just going to take a moment to truly apologize for the terrible quality but we all have to start somewhere. I don’t take the best photos nor do I do these jaw-dropping makeup looks but some of us aren’t makeup artists and we work with what we have & what we know. I don’t want anyone to be ashamed of something like that. This is my first time doing something like this so remember you’re never alone and I understand having the complete LACK of knowing how to do something! 

I mentioned I was in the process of welcoming in the season of spring so when I got ready the day I did this look, I used that for a little inspiration. This was the look I wore just this past Sunday. When I do my makeup I tend to try to keep it simple for day wear. The only thing that tends to continuously change when I do my makeup is my lip color. I love to change it up and wear something new all the time. However, sometimes if I happen to find a combo that I really like, I’ll probably wear that with a couple looks before I change it again. I have a good range of liquid lipsticks, lip glosses, regular lipsticks, lippie stixs, and more. The shades change but what I’ve been doing recently is wearing a regular lipstick and a lip gloss on top. I’ve been enjoying that extra shine and glossy look.

Some Products Used in the Look:

• Foundation: Too Faced Born This Way (USD $39)
• Concealer: Covergirl Outlast All Day (USD $11.99)
• Powder: Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder (USD $45)
• Bronzer: Alexis Ren x Colourpop Pressed Powder Face Duo (USD $15 – sold out)
• Highlight: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in “Sweets” (currently unavailable) and The Carli Bybel Palette (USD $14.50)
• Eyeshadow Palette: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance (USD $42)
• Setting Spray: Mario Badescu Facial Spray (USD $7)

Some of these products I’ve been loving lately and continue to reuse them. You may recognize some of them from my February Favorites post. I’m going to be receiving some new makeup in the mail within the next two weeks or so and I can’t wait! A little insider, I’m thinking about doing a little shopping haul including all the things I’ve purchased so far in March – don’t worry they aren’t all beauty related! Let me know if you’re interested in seeing that. I’m actually really excited for this because y’all know how much I love online shopping and how much I can’t help placing orders. So be on the look out for that! I may even consider including a video to show all the products… another thing I’m completely clueless on (LOL).  Just bare with me!

Well, I hope you’ve all had an amazing week so far and continue to have a great one. Start a discussion in the comments – share pictures of your everyday looks! I’d love to see them. Feel free to leave tips and suggestions on how to become more well-versed in some of the things I’ve mentioned throughout the post (could help some other readers as well when they read the comments). Any other questions? Thoughts? Leave em’ below! Thanks for reading y’all, stay tuned next week for a new post ♡

Daily Inspiration

As the week starts to come to close in a few days, I hope everyone has spent their days being productive and positive. Sorry I didn’t post yesterday, the week has been a little busy for me and I just couldn’t get around to writing. Plus, honestly, I couldn’t find any inspiration. I always have a list of ideas to choose from that I wrote a few weeks ago in advance but nothing really stuck out to follow through with for this week. However, something did end up coming to me. I have a really good friend who’s been encountering a lot of changes within the past few months. This has caused her to look at some things more negatively than positively, whether or not she wants to admit that. I’m sure it seems like there’s one thing happening after another and that can be hard to adjust with. But the main thing I want her to know, as well as anyone else going through the same type of thing, is that you’re not alone. 

I think it’s safe to say life has it’s guaranteed ups and downs. I’ve had days where it seems like everything is exactly how I want it to be and then other days where nothing seems to go right. School, parents, work, siblings, moving, boyfriends/girlfriends, money, kids, pets, writing/blogging — these are all examples of things that people may have had a problem with in the past, right now in the present, or in the future. And you know what? That’s okay. No one is expecting you to have everything figured out right this second. Give yourself time and space to assess every situation and find the best possible outcome for yourself. It’s not selfish to want to help yourself. And that’s something I want my friend to understand. Yes, it’s hard right now. New surroundings, new people, new things to get in the habit of.. but it won’t be bad forever. These things won’t challenge you for the rest of your life. 

Something I shared with my friend to help make her feel more positive, that I want to share with y’all, are some of my favorite quotes. They’re just words but some words can hold a very powerful meaning. 

Sometimes all you need to do is read something to help make you feel that, even if not today.. that eventually everything will turn out okay. And sometimes, all you need to do is hear that someone else understands what you’re going through. Whoever may be reading this, I want you to understand that your feelings will never be insignificant. No matter how big or small your problems may be, they’ll always be important. I can promise you that. I actually think that’ll be your first step – realizing that you have every right to feel the way you do. Second step – to just breathe. Like it says in the one picture above.. “inhale. exhale.”  Take it one day at a time. Things have a funny way of working themselves out. But what can do.. what you should do actually, is if something isn’t going to way you want it to be, change it. Only you have the power to make those kinds of changes in your life. Because it’s YOUR life babe. No one else can tell you how to live it. I’m going to make the next set of quotes bigger so you can take the time to digest each one for what it’s saying and what it has to offer you from this moment on. 

That one quote above has to be my number 1 favorite – “every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.“ And that’s what I ask of you today, find that one good thing in each day, or multiple! Then just hold onto that hope. Sometimes it takes a lot to read something and retain the information in the way you intend too. So I have a few tips/suggestions to also offer you. None of this is necessary; however, you could find it to be beneficial for you in the long run.

1. Read quotes like the ones above everyday. That kinda reinforcement might help stimulate your brain to have a more positive outlook on things throughout the day, thus causing you to have more positive energy to give. The key is to help release the negativity you have overcrowding in your mind. I have a Daily Inspiration board on pinterest if any of you are interested in that. You can even create your own.
2. Start a blog. Many of you may already have one but if not, you could start a blog to help channel all your negative energy into your writing. Focus your posts on expressing yourself and reaching out to others who may experience the same things as you. Surrounding yourself with people will help you realize even more that you really aren’t alone. 
3. Now if you aren’t quite comfortable with sharing all that kind of information to where other people can see it – keep a diary or journal. You will still be able to express yourself through your writing but instead in a more intimate manor. 
4. Start planning. Keep a planner. Some people tend to feel better when it feels like they have that complete, full control of their life. Keeping a planner allows you to keep track of anything you’d like, day by day.. month by month. Most planners come with a “to-do” list and sometimes having that sense of being busy and using your time productively will result in self-accomplishment. Like it says above, “the best way to get things done, is to simply begin.” There are also fitness planners, which brings me to my next suggestion.
5. Exercise. Physical activity is proven to help relieve stress. Even if you’re just sitting in your room and doing a few sets of crunches, you’re giving your body and mind a chance to work in a different way. Take a walk outside – just enjoy the nature and the breeze through your hair.

None of that is required, but I want you to start taking the initiative to better understand yourself. And to my dear friend, truly understand that life is going to tear you down. More than once. But you will stand back up eventually. Each time, taller than the last. You just need to give yourself time to get there. And that goes for everyone. I’m always here if anyone needs to talk. Message me anytime – here or here ♡

Share your story below. Connect with myself and other people in the comments. Most importantly, tell us something you did to keep your head held high. I’d love to read it.
Thanks for reading, see y’all next week with a new post and remember to stay strong. 

February Favorites

Hello March, goodbye February. I’m sure I’m not the only one who blinked and February was just over. That’s been happening for awhile now… except January though – that month felt like it lasted forever to me honestly, hahaha. Regardless of that, we all know what the end of the months means.. FAVORITES – I personally love these posts/videos. I always find it really interesting to watch people talk about the things they’ve been loving. Whether it’s something they’ve had for awhile and just recently rediscovered it again or they’ve only had for two weeks and are already in love. This is my first monthly favorites post and I’ve added my own twist on it. Instead of doing the standard “picking out some products (for example just only five beauty related products) and talking about them”… I’m going to be sharing with y’all my favorite product in each category (concealer, lipstick) and two miscellaneous ones. So let’s get started!

• Foundation: Too Faced Born This Way (USD $39)
• Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape (USD $24)
• Powder: Covergirl Outlast All Day Matte Finish (USD $12.99)
• Bronzer: Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil (USD $30)
• Blush: Nars Orgasm (USD $30)
• Highlight: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in “Sweets”(USD $40 – currently unavailable)
• Eyeshadow palette: Too Faced Sweet Peach (USD $49)
• Mascara: Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes (USD $32)
• Lipstick: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in “Bond girl” (USD $34)
• Lipgloss: Too Faced Sweet Peach in “Papa Don’t Peach” (USD $19)
• Setting spray: NYX Long Lasting Matte Finish (USD $7.99)
• Miscellaneous: Bath and Body Works Diamond Shimmer Mist in “Pink Jasmine and Blackberry” & Lay’s Stax Chips in “Cheddar” (Chips – USD $2.99)

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Foundation. For awhile I was actually using stick foundations and I really enjoyed how they applied and blended out but over the course of the day I just kept realizing the same breakage in the same areas. It was always set with powder as well. The breakage was just always under my eyes, around my nose, and moving outwards from my nose towards my cheeks – that was where it most occurred. I finally decided to go back to a liquid foundation to see if that worked better for my skin when I got the Too Faced born this way foundation in the mail. The first time I wore it along with a new concealer I got in the mail as well, my makeup towards the end of the day was just 10x better. I still had a little breakage but only a small portion around my nose, keeping in mind I tend to have sinuses throughout the day too. So for right now, this is routine is working best for me and I love it.

Concealer. As stated previously, I got a new concealer in the mail around the same time as my foundation and wore them both together for the first time. This was the Tarte shape tape concealer. I pretty much already explained how it turned out but I will say this – being the first time I finally got my hands on it… completely worth the hype!
Powder. This is a new edition to my collection and to be honest with y’all, I’ve only worn makeup once since I’ve gotten it and that was when I tested it out last weekend. The Covergirl Outlast All Day matte finishing powder. As you can tell, it’s already a favorite. I completely loved the way it sat on my face. For me, it seemed to add just a little bit of extra coverage which was nice. And even nicer than that, it kept my makeup in place throughout the day. Great steal for a drugstore powder. 

Bronzer. Pretty simple actually. I don’t really do contouring at all really but I like adding a nice warm appearance to my skin considering I am quite fair. I’ve tested out some bronzers and still in the process of doing so, but always come back to the Too Faced milk chocolate soleil bronzer. It’s not too dark or too orange/red toned on my skin. Perfect for every day wear. 
Blush. The Nars blush in “Orgasm” is something I had a sample of for a little while and just this past weekend decided to give it a go. A lot of people have raved about this numerous times in the past so I’m a little late to the game but I loved it. I’ve been into a more “peach” vibe lately and it gave the most gorgeous flush of color to my cheeks. Going to definitely be using this again and buying a bigger size!
Highlight. The Anastasia Beverly Hills glow kit in “Sweets” was gotten for me for my birthday and I’ve used it almost 98% of the time that I’ve worn makeup since then. The colors are gorgeous and it’s insanely pigmented. Plus the packaging is more on the pink, glittery side and I love pink. It was literally the perfect thing for me. 

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

Eyeshadow. Instead of picking a single eyeshadow, I’ve decided to just pick a favorite palette each month. So like I said I’ve been into the more “peach” vibes and tones lately so of course my favorite palette right now is the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette. I do wish it had just a nice, matte peach shade though. The shimmers are pretty but I prefer matte shadows a little more. Especially for the crease. So that’s probably my only complaint. But overall, it smells like peaches and blends out beautifully. 
Mascara. Eyelashes blacker than black and longer than life. I really don’t know what more you could want. The Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes was like finding a hundred dollars on the ground, plus I’m a huge sucker for cute packaging. Although the mascara can get a little clumpy, I’ve honestly just looked the other way because of how nice it makes my lashes look. A little on the expensive side but I’d repurchase in a second.

Lipstick and lipgloss. I’ve been trying out a ton of new lip products recently and mostly all of the same color range. I’m really into nudes/pink mauves/pinky nudes – that sort of thing. I feel those colors look best with my skintone. The Charlotte Tilbury matte lipstick in “bond girl” is the perfect shade for me. Super comfortable to wear and not drying on the lips at all. I also ended up pairing it with the Too Faced sweet peach creamy lipgloss in “papa don’t peach” on a couple outings, which is my other favorite. It smells like peaches and is the perfect lipgloss. And I really enjoyed how they looked together on the lips. 
Setting spray. I’ve used a few different sprays lately but this is rather simple why it’s a favorite. I prefer a more matte look because I tend to be rather more on the oily side and the NYX matte finish setting spray really locked in my makeup and gave me the finish I wanted. Super affordable as well!

Miscellaneous. This is a category I decided to add in for my enjoyment so there was more to get out of this than new makeup products to try out. First one is a repurchase because I’m seriously in love with the scent. The Bath & Body works diamond shimmer mist in “pink jasmine and blackberry.” I personally love the packaging and the way the mist itself looks inside the bottle (purple and sparkly). It smells amazing and I wear it every time I go out right now. My second favorite is actually a snack food item, hahahaha. I can literally eat four canisters in one week – the Lay’s Stax chips in “cheddar.” I love the crunch and I’ve always been a fan of cheddar. Completely addicting. 

Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Mascara

So those are all my favorites this month and why! Start a discussion – comment some of your favorites this month and tell me why, there’s no limit. Thoughts? Questions? Leave them below. Thanks for reading babes, stay tuned next week for a new post. Hope you’ve all had a wonderful month of February ♡

 

Online Shopping

So right now I’m kinda lounging around watching Chrisley Knows Best (which I find hilarious actually hahaha) and I’ve decided to go ahead and get some writing done. I’m sure I can speak for every girl when I say shopping is literally a way of life. At this point, it’s just apart of my personality. I personally like to break it down into about three categories:

• Going out to actual stores and shopping (ex: the mall)
• Window shopping
• Online shopping

Just to clarify one of them real quick, just in case – window shopping is basically something I’m sure everyone has done at least once whether you realize it or not. It’s another form of going out to an actual store and you sadly happen to be broke as hell. So you end up just walking past stores, looking inside them, and seeing something you wish you could buy. I can say right now I’m 200% guilty of that. Hahahahahaha. I probably do that almost every time I go out. But today I wanted to focus more on online shopping.

Online shopping is something I sorta have to rely on because of where I live. At least almost 75% of the items or places I’m into, they aren’t on island. And unfortunately more than half of these same places don’t ship to where I live either. I hate that more than anything. What I normally do when I run into that problem is I find another site that has the same brand and ships here. For example, I can’t order from the actual Too Faced website because they don’t have the option of shipping internationally to my area; however, I will order from Macy’s all the time and they happen to carry the Too Faced brand. There are a decent amount of actual name brand makeup websites that ship here and when they do I’ll order from them. When they don’t, I actually do a lot of shopping from Macy’s and Nordstrom. I thoroughly enjoy both of those websites and they carry brands I love. And the main thing I love is I get cash back. If you’re unaware of how to do this, it’s a website called Ebates and basically you sign up and once you shop, they’ll give you cash back. Here’s a quick link if you’d like to check it out. There are plenty of times when stores give double cash back as well. For example, Macy’s is normally 3% cash back but a good amount of the time it’ll become 6% cash back. I highly recommend using this website when shopping online. You’ll save some money in the process. Cause let me tell you, I spend way too much money to not get some back, hahahaha.

I’m sure everyone’s gathered by now how much I love makeup. So it really does break my heart knowing Sephora and Ulta BOTH don’t ship here. I’ve had to deal with that for almost 3 years now, but of course I’ve adapted to working around that. Some places I’ve been able to order from that I like: Colourpop, Nordstrom, Kylie Cosmetics, Walgreen’s, Bath & Body Works (however shipping here is $20), theBalm, Forever 21 (there is actually one of these on island surprisingly), it Cosmetics, Amazon, Cult Beauty, Sigma, Ted Baker, JC Penny’s, eBay, and many others. One thing that I think is just as important as buying makeup is making sure you have a nice place to put it (not including makeup organizers – you can check that out here in another post if you’d like to see). What I’m more referring to right now is a makeup bag. Whether you’re keeping it in your purse for touch-ups during a night out or if you’re traveling. I think everyone should have a perfect makeup bag. I personally have my two favorite bags right now which are my Ted Baker makeup bag and my Zoella Beauty makeup bag. And yes, I love the color pink.

Zoella Makeup Bag

In my purse right now for touch-ups when I go out (have a powder & concealer if needed and my lipstick/lip gloss that I decided to wear that day), I’m using an ipsy makeup bag. I figured I didn’t need to buy a whole other separate makeup bag when I had a bunch of these bags I’ve been receiving. So I picked out one I liked the best and decided to use it. Some of the designs are really pleasing to look at and I’ve collected a few that I have no purpose for other than keeping them stored away so I’m selling them. If you’d like to take a look, I’ll leave a link below.

Makeup Bags for Sale

So as much as I enjoy the old-fashioned way of shopping, online shopping has definitely taken a toll on me and good luck to anyone who tries to stop me. Saving money is SO not my strong suit, but hey, I do try! Any questions or content you’d like to see in the future, just comment below