MAC To the Beach Haul

I hauled a few things from MAC's To the Beach collection.  Had I known everything was going to sell out the first day I would have bought Sweet & Punchy while I was at it but oh wells. I can't wait to try everything out! Let me know what you hauled from this collection in the comments!

Click on the pics for full size.






My precious... Marine Life High-light Powder- definitely more of a shimmery coral blush. For some reason it makes me sing "my little pony."


Hipness blush: a bit pinker and brighter than Instant Chic


Left to right: Beach Bound and Lazy Day. Beach Bound is a pretty peach color that doesn't turn a horrible orange color on my lips. It's a very pretty nude type of lip. Lazy Day is almost a glossier more pigmented version of Angel lipstick.


Flurry of Fun lipglass contains teal reflects. Super pretty over lippies!

Disclosure- products featured were bought by yours truly.
Products available at MAC

Mascara Junkies: Buy 2 get 1 free at Nordstrom!

Tomorrow, May 29th, Nordstrom is having a buy two get one free of the same brand of  mascara event. Visit your favorite counter in store or online.


Check out MAC's new Opulash while you're at.

Let me know in the comments what you plan to get! Happy shopping!

MAC To the Beach Swatches

MAC's To the Beach collection launched today (technically yesterday at all Nordstrom's). Sheesh good luck getting a Marine Life high-light powder. That sold out before the collection even launched! Word of advice: if you really want anything that sold out of this collection, call around to random Macy's, Dillards, and MAC freestanding stores throughout the country (Oklahoma City anyone?). They'll ship it to you for a charge of about $12 or at least that's what I was quoted from Macy's.

As always, click on the photo for full size. Swatched on NW2o skin.


Ignore the glossy blob in the top left of this pic. I believe that's Smile dazzleglass.
Top row eyeshadows l-r: Sweet & Punchy, Firecracker, Sand & Sun
Second row blushes l-r: Hipness, Get-Away Bronze
Third row lipliners l-r: Life's a Breeze, Temperature Rising
Third row lipglass l-r: Splashing, Flurry of Fun, Easy Lounger
Bottom row lipsticks l-r: Lazy Day, Beach Bound, Thrills, Fun Bathing


Marine Life High-light Powder l-r: Dark top color, light pink bottom color, mixed

 
Me wearing the Marine Life high-light powder mixed.

What did you or are you planning to haul from this collection?

Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale

It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrrrrrr! You'll find me in the shoes and accessories section... Click here to go to the Nordstrom Sale site.

BTW check with your local Nordstrom, MAC may put out their new collection To the Beach one day early for this sale.



Half-Yearly Sale for women & kids
Wednesday, May 26 - Sunday, June 6
New markdowns on your favorite brands! Savings off original prices on selected items. Shop soon for best selection. Go to nordstrom.com for a great selection of sale items. Excludes Nordstrom Rack. 
StoreWide

Double points May 26-29

Check out the stuff I don't need.


Vince Camuto 'Ruffles' Shopper $158.90


Jessica Simpson 'Alexandra' Sandal $58.90

What will you be hauling from the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale?

Review: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15

Hi everyone! Last month Hourglass Cosmetics was kind enough to send me their Veil Mineral Primer to review. I asked my friend Jennie from Spontaneous Truth to give me her guest review on the product since i'm allergic to titanium dioxide. Thanks for the great review, Jennie!



Per the description on the Sephora website: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is a clean, satin-finish formula that effortlessly smoothes onto skin to help keep makeup looking fresh and prevent fading. Veil Mineral Primer also absorbs excess oils and minimizes the appearance of pores by evenly distributing light to help hide and soften skin's imperfections and fine lines. Veil Mineral Primer is formulated with naturally-derived titanium dioxide and zinc oxide instead of chemical sun-blocking agents. This water-resistant primer is also 100% free of fragrance, oil, and parabens.

Jennie's review:

I’m admittedly not as much of a makeup junkie as I’d like to be. I don’t always know the hot new items on the shelves in Sephora and while I know how to wear makeup, I could probably benefit from a class in artistic application of the stuff. So consider this a girl-off-the-street review and treat this as a disclaimer that I’m no expert (now, in all things related to grammar and edible desserts I do like to pretend to have expertise…but that’s another matter entirely).
 
Slated for review today? Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with SPF 15. Now junkie I may not be, but I’m no primer virgin. That cherry got popped years ago and I’ve long been alternating between Smashbox and Bare Minerals primers. But it was time for fresh blood…er, primer. Enter the Hourglass. It looks like sunscreen and kind of felt like it at first application, but it smoothes on nicely and the initial greasiness wore off immediately. The SPF is a nice added bonus (I’m a fair Irish gal and always need any added protection from harsh sunshine rays that I can get).
 
Now some background on my complexion. I’m a combination kind of chick and I tend to get my shine on by noon (sadly). I use pressed powder and blotting sheets throughout the day to combat the shine and keep my makeup looking fresh. But after wearing the Hourglass primer on a daily basis (at least, during the workweek) for about two weeks, I found I wasn’t whipping out my compact or blotters to freshen up nearly as often — if at all. Maybe once during the day but more often than not, I was leaving it untouched in my purse. Color me happy.
 
I found the Hourglass primer to be a good canvas for makeup application, and it held my foundation on nicely. It also worked wonders on my eyelids, as my eye makeup rarely lasts a full workday. I’ve got somewhat sensitive skin and I’m prone to break out easily when I try certain products, but this primer didn’t cause a single blemish or issue that I could find on my skin.

Bottom line: My makeup stayed on longer, stayed fresh and shininess was definitely minimized. I’d definitely add this stuff to my daily makeup regimen. Two thumbs up!


Dispensed


Blended out

Disclosure: I was provided a sample of the product by PR.

Wet N Wild Lust FOTD

Here's a look I did the other day using my new Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow palette in Lust. Hope you enjoy! xoxo


Face
Lancome Dual Finish Powder
YSL Touche Eclat
Dior Coral Riviera blush
MAC Shell Pearl beauty powder

Eyes
Wet n Wild Lust Palette
Urban Decay 24/7 liner Zero
Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara

Lips
YSL 'Rouge Pure Shine' Sheer Lipstick #16 Bohemia Rose
YSL Golden Gloss #10 Golden Peony




I used the top four colors in the WnW palette. To recreate this look with MAC, I would use Yogurt on the lid, Fig 1 in the crease, Knight Divine in the outer V, and Vanilla to highlight.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes, my new love

I gave into the hype and bought a couple Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow palettes the other day from Rite Aid. Yes, the same brand that makes 99 cent nail polish that you loved in your teens. The first words out of my mouth when I swatched my WnW Lust palette were "Holy S*&$!" I didn't expect them to be so smooth and buttery with a high color payoff! These definitely remind me of the same quality as Dior but with cheap packaging. The colors in the WnW Lust palette are also dupes of MAC Eyeshadows such as Shadowy Lady, Yogurt, Beauty Marked, Fig 1, and Knight Divine.


Colors in the left column are matte, and the right column is shimmer. I found it to be a light shimmer, not too chunky.


Flash, swatched with no base, matte colors on top, shimmer on the bottom


Natural light, swatched with no base, matte colors on top, shimmer on the bottom

These shadows blended out very well on the eye, as well. I'll post a FOTD using these colors this week.

If you're looking for budget eyeshadows, look no further, give these a try!

Disclosure- product featured was bought by yours truly.

Friday Favorites

TGIF baby. I feel like it's been a pretty short week but that's because of my travel. Yay home! This weekend isn't going to be too epic but I love myself a lazy weekend. BTW I'm thinking of moving my blog over to Blogger. Yay? Nay?

Let's get these Friday Favorites started!

Brows are so important. They can make or break a makeup look. Kandee Johnson posted this awesome video about keeping your brows tamed.


Fellow blogger friend Laura (Emerald Green 88) posted this excellent tutorial on depoting MAC eyeshadows and blushes. Click here for the full tutorial.


Ever wonder where cursors come from?

Source

Please show me some love and subscribe to my blog via the RSS feed, Bloglovin’, Feedburner, or through email! All ways to subscribe are on the top righthand side of the screen. Hope you have a great weekend! xoxo

Get your faux tan on!

You've all heard it, tanning is bad for you. Nowadays I enjoy a subtle glow with the help of self tanners, but I kind of have to since I'm locked up in an office all day long. Stupid career getting in the way of me going to the beach.



Choosing the right self tanner can be quite a hassle. Too much DHA in the product can make you Orange County orange.  The ones I feature below are some of the highest rated tanners on the web. They contain lower amounts of DHA and/or contain color correcting agents to counteract the orange. Rest assured you wont be looking like an oompa loompa anytime soon.

 
Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel- Good for face and body, you can expect full results in 2 hours.

 
Dior Bronze Self-Tanner Shimmering Glow Body- This is Lauren Conrad's goto self tanner. Described by her to give her the most real tan around. It also smells really good! Full results in an hour.


St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Lotion- Contains color correctors, aloe, and fragrance technology to eliminate the tell-tale self-tan aroma by 70%.

 
L'Oreal Sunless Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer- A budget alternative to most tanners. L'Oreal offers a gradual tan while moisturizing.

What's your favorite self tanner?

Loving Yellow

I'd been obsessing lately about yellow shoes. I'd seen many a cute pair but nothing said "buy me" until I came across these babies. Mmm yellow goodness. I'm really loving the bows and the kitten heel.


Me Too "Payton" $89 is available at Zappos

In other news, I'm back from my vacation to Ohio. I went out there for a few days to visit family since I hadn't been there in years (I'm a bad relative). There was nothing really planned but we ended up at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one day. One thing I hate about vacations is eating out every single meal. I'm so happy to be home to my hubby who made me a great home cooked dinner the first night back :) Oh and I didn't get the tan I wanted, darn...

Disney and MAC collaborate! Venomous Villains Sept 2010

Attention Disney fans, according to WWD , MAC is collaborating with Disney to feature a villain themed launch this September! MAC will feature four villains in their lineup, no word on which ones.  Lipstick, powder, lip gloss and blush shades will be sold, ranging in price from $12 to $29.50.

Check out this link to see a special video! http://www.maccosmetics.com/vv


Source

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday my lovelies! I'm out of town in the tropics of Ohio. I'll be back soon! Until then I hope you enjoy my Friday Favorites!

Pixiwoo is another favorite youtuber of mine. She just published a summer makeup tutorial on her site. I find it very useful!


Nom... these totally remind me of my honeymoon in Paris. If you haven't tried a French macaroon, you're missing out. You can order them from Sucre online.


Just some pictures from lolcats that make me laugh every time.





Please show me some love and subscribe to my blog via the RSS feed, Bloglovin’, Feedburner, or through email! All ways to subscribe are on the top righthand side of the screen. Hope you have a great weekend! xoxo

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Congrats to Teresa for winning my first blog giveaway!!!

Her favorite beauty tip: "My favorite beauty tip would be to moisturize! Whether it’s your face or your body. It feels so rewarding and these days it’s a need rather than a luxury." True dat!

I wish I could say the whole thing was a scientific process but I just wrote down all the entries on little scrap papers, threw them in a cup, and drew a name.



Be on the lookout for future giveaways. Thanks to all who entered!

Me in 20 years...

So if this is what I look like in 20 years, I guess, yay?



Click here to play along. They also have a version where you can tell it to make you age 20 years but as a drug addict, heck yeah!

Last chance dance to enter my giveaway!

Today's the last chance to enter my giveaway! Click here to enter.

The winner will be picked at random amongst the people who entered by 11 May 2010, 11:59 PM PST

Another Pret-a-Papier FOTD yay

Hey peeps! Here's another Pret-a-Papier look I wore over the weekend. Hope you enjoy! xoxo
Click on the pics to make them bigger aka scarier.



Face
Make Up For Ever MUFE HD Invisible Cover Foundation #117
MAC MSF Natural Light Medium
YSL Touche Eclat #2
MAC Instant Chic Blush
MAC Shell Pearl Beauty Powder

Eyes (All MAC unless noted)
Chromagraphic Pencil NC15/NW20 (waterline)
Vanilla (highlight)
Crystal (inner 3rd)
Beautiful Iris (inner highlight)
Memorabilia (outer 2/3rd)
Gazette Grey (crease and outer V)
Charcoal Brown (brows)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (on lid)
Diorshow Iconic Mascara
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero

Lips
MAC Color Me Coral l/s
MAC Cha Cha l/g





In case you're interested, I'm wearing a shirt from Forever 21. It looks better on me than the website ;-)

Friday Favorites

TGIF! It's been a long week for me. Too much work at worky work indeed. I went to Disneyland last weekend. Funniest thing, it was unofficial Goth day. No joke! There was a huge turnout too, mostly of under dressed goth chicas. There are some people I just don't care to ever see in their black corset and skivies at DL. Some of the costumes were pretty amazing though. I wish I'd brought a camera but maybe other people's pics will turn up on People of the Park.

I'm going on vacation this next week to the tropical likes of Ohio. It's been forever since i've visited my family there. I won't be gone for too long, but I hope to have a couple of blog posts done in advance to entertain y'all while I'm getting my tan on (forecast is storms while I'm there). Of course we're traveling by plane, but I think this picture says it all about airport security...


Source

Don’t forget to enter my blog giveaway! Click here to enter. It ends May 11th.

On to my Friday Favorites!

I love music video look recreation tutorials. Here's a fun one by SarahVictor featuring a look from Christina Aguilera's new video "Not Myself Tonight."


My friend Danielle introduced me to a cupcake site titled Ming Makes Cupcakes... OMG... I'm never going to lose weight.


Check out my new Chanel bag. People keep telling me it's a fake but whateva haters.

Source

Please show me some love and subscribe to my blog via the RSS feed, Bloglovin’, Feedburner, or through email! All ways to subscribe are on the top righthand side of the screen. Hope you have a great weekend! xoxo

MAC Superglass Swatches

MAC's Superglass launched today! As always, click on the photo for full size. Swatched on NW2o skin.


Left to right: Tunnel of Love, Sugar Overload, Gift Wrap, Sweet Tart, Superflash!, Cherry Electric, Disco Blend, Totally Bang!, Fab Frenzy


Wearing Superflash!

These are the glitteriest (is that a word?) lipglosses that i've ever encountered! That said, you of course would expect a grit factor. Not so much with these! I could only feel grittiness when I'd rub my lips together very hard. I was surprised to find the formula thicker than MAC's other lipglosses. Because of the thickness, the glitter and gloss itself stayed on my lips and didn't stray.

The glitter seemed to be the same iridescent peachy color in all of the glosses except Fab Frenzy, which contained blue and fuchsia glitter. A few of these glosses are pretty sheer but the rest are pretty pigmented. I think the sheer and the opaque gloss lovers will find a match with these. I haven't hauled this collection (yet) but I'm really wanting to save my money for To The Beach coming out at the end of this month.

Love: Gift Wrap, Disco Blend, and Superflash!

April Favorites

I'm finally getting around to posting my April Favorites. I'm not that late this time though. Yay me! These are products I couldn't get enough of in the month of April.



TiGi Bedhead Superstar Shampoo and Conditioner, Sulfate free for thick massive hair- The shampoo smells like strawberry candy and the conditioner smells like Philsophy's Falling in Love perfume. So yummy! For reference, I have medium but fine hair. It's a volumizing shampoo but it gives me a boost without weighing down my hair. It leaves my long hair shiny, clean and frizz free.  I've been having a slew of perfect hair days this month. Keep this up and it might become a new holy grail. You can find this at your local Ulta, Trade Secret, Target, etc.



Band-Aid Friction Block Stick- A-to-the-mazing!  You can wear your most evil, blister inducing shoes and still be able to walk like a normal person hours later.

MAC 182 Buffer Brush- I don't have to worry about my foundation looking streaky with this baby. After slapping on some paint with my 189 brush, I buff my foundation in with powder in circular motions using the 182 brush. Flawless every time.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Star Black 1L- This is my absolute favorite eyeliner, and I've bought it several times. It looks like MAC's Phone Number but it's waterproof. It's a very soft black grey, perfect for everyday, and I pretty much wore it everyday in April. See a swatch below.



That's it for my April Favorites! What are your favorite products from this past month? Let me know in the comments! Hope you guys are having a great Tuesday!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends in a week.