Beauty | Best of 2014

Welcome to the world, 2015! How exciting...I can smell the change that this year will bring. However, I'm currently looking back on 2014 and the lovely (and, admittedly, not so lovely) things that occurred during the past twelve months, and there are a lot of really great beauty products that I've found! I figured the best time to review everything would be now, so let's see....

Beauty | July Favorites

Herro everyone! I know it's almost a little too late to talk about July favorites, but I feel like I haven't talked about makeup in awhile and I've gotten WAY too many things recently to not talk about them! I've been traveling recently (hey hey...expect a post on that soon!) and I've gotten the chance to try out some new, lovely products.

MAC 217 Brush
Where. Has. This. Brush. Been. My. Whole. LIFE?! I have been drooling over this product for ages, and I finally broke down and bought it. Personally, I think my eyeshadow application is 10x better with this brush and I totally understand now why so many people fawn all over it. My friend called it a "makeup staple" and I totally understand why.

Stila "In the Light" Eyeshadow Palette
Okay, I may or may not have been searching for another product when I bought this, but since it's one of the more inexpensive palettes on the market, I figured this purchase wouldn't be too bad. I absolutely LOVE it! This product features Stila Kitten, which I'm pretty sure is one of their most famous eyeshadows, and I understand why. Every shade is very usable, and I'm obsessed with all of them.

Benefit Blush in "Hervana"
Once again, this is a product that I've been eyeing up for awhile, but haven't found a justification for buying it. Well, when I stumbled across the Benefit store on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, I absolutely HAD to! I can say with confidence that I made a good choice. I had originally expected it to be a bit more pigmented, but once it kind of settles in the cheeks, it is perfection. I love it. I'm wearing it today.

Tanya Burr Lip Glosses in "Afternoon Tea" and "Picnic in the Park"
I was SO excited when I realized that I could purchase Tanya's glosses via feelunique.com. While they're a bit pricey, I love the smell and look of these glosses. I use "Picnic in the Park" more because it's a beautiful, pinky, everyday shade and I love wearing it to work. I also love wearing a gloss made by a YouTuber that I watch? How cool!!


Andddd since I'm a bookie person, I have to include my book fave!

This book is the CUTEST book I've read in a while. A lot of people in the comment said it's like Sheldon falling in love from "The Big Bang Theory," but I personally found it more like Sherlock Holmes falling in love. Don Tillman is extremely intellectual, but unfortunately very inadequate when it comes to being social. He has given up on dating, since he thinks the negatives outweigh the positives, he creates a 16-page questionnaire called The Wife Project, which will mathematically find him a wife. It's a bit predictable in a light-hearted way, but sometimes you need that! I totally recommend it as a beach read. If you want to follow what I'm currently reading, feel free to follow me on Goodreads! Links are on the right :)

Those are my favorites! Now onto a long, detailed post on our San Francisco trip! Hope you guys are ready! 

xo

Beauty | Mini Clinique Haul

Sorry it's been so long! Doing the same stuff day after day can put a damper on interesting  posts. I've been home for about two and a half weeks now, and I'm loving every second of it! As you may have inferred, this semester was NOT easy for me. I really struggled with adjusting back WAY more than I thought I would, so I am beyond relieved to be home. I swear I could sleep for 48 hours easy. However, I am already back at work, which means not only regular money (finally!!) but a close proximity to a Clinique stand! Once pay day rolled around I couldn't resist.

As you can see in the picture, I picked up two Chubby Sticks for eyes: Lots o' Latte and Lavish Lilac. Love 'em both. They blend really well together on the eye and lemme tell you there is something soothing about feeling like you're drawing on your eyelids. That sounds weird, but trust me. I wish the Lots o' Latte was a bit darker, since I think it gets a bit lost in the purple, but it was still worth the purchase.

The other product that I purchased was the Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop. I absolutely LOVE this color! I didn't really have a orange blush before this one, so I was eager to try it out. It looks so natural with my skin tone and I look like I just spent some time in the sun. Love it love it love it. Don't be surprised if I eventually get the shade Berry Pop, too.

I also got a few samples of the 3-Step Skin Care system, and I'm loving it! What do you think? Worth the purchase?

xx

Beauty | Stand-Out Products

Aren't they so pretty?????!?!

My shopping trips consist of small little 'bursts' so it's particularly difficult for me to have a purchase big enough for a haul post, and considering I haven't been up to date enough for end-of-the-month favorites, I figured I would just mention some of the products that I have been really, really loving in the past few weeks (so dare I say that in the end this slightly resembles a February favorites post???).

NYX Butter Gloss "Eclair" and "Angel Food Cake" -$5 each

I had decided that when I got home from England the second I find NYX I would buy a butter gloss and I have NOT been disappointed---these lip glosses are simply delightful! I originally bought Eclair, and while the texture and feel were lovely, I didn't really think it was my color, so I went back and got Angel Food Cake and man, that color looks like it was MADE for my lips. I've since warmed up to Eclair, especially on days when I'm looking for a soft nude-ish color. I'm not normally a gloss type girl, but I find that I am constantly reaching for these two. And considering the price, these guys are a bargain!!

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter -$15

I just started getting into cleansing balms and butters, so I figured that I would begin with a brand that I trust and isn't too expensive. So far, I'm absolutely loving it. The product is so calming on my skin and is much softer than I was expecting. Added plus, The Body Shop is just a great company and I love discovering products from them.

Tarte 12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush Glisten -$26

OH MY WORD. This blush is absolutely FANTASTIC. It is the only blush that I have where I can leave for class in the morning and come back at 4pm and still see it on my face. Would I say it lasts all twelve hours? Ehhhhhhh......but it's certainly the longest lasting blush I've seen. Absolutely beautiful. Since I'm a bit of a sparkly girl, I immediately reached for the shiniest one, and I just love it. I'm pining for another one already, so don't be surprised if another pops up eventually...


Any stand-out products you've been interested in?


xx