Beauty | MAC Lipstick Collection

I feel like every blogger needs to document their MAC collection, so I think it's about time that I throw my two cents into the bunch. Here are the shades that I've accumulated within the past few years.

 # 1: MAC Plumful. A gorgeous color in the spring, it goes with pretty much everything. It's easily build-able, so you can wear any way you like, whether that's a lighter, pinky color or a darker plum.

 # 2: MAC Creme d'Nude. I look like death. I've had this shade for ages, and I think it's time that it gets retired after I finish this post. Look at it. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past.

 #3: MAC Mystical. This lipstick was part of the mermaid/water/raindrops collection (whatever it was called), and after trying it, I had no need to look further for my everyday shade. It's awesome, and it's definitely a year-round shade.

# 4: MAC Crosswires. This is a lipstick that I should wear more but never seem to remember that I have. Whenever it does catch my eye, it's always a little too pink or too bright for the look that I'm going for that day. The color is just never right at the right time.

#5 MAC See Sheer. My all-time favorite lipstick, though the next

one may have replaced it. This is the perfect red; it's not too loud, too bright, too fire engine-y (why yes, that's a new word). I love this color. I'll probably wear it today.

 

#6: MAC Bric-O-La. To me, this color is the perfect winter counterpart 
to See Sheer. It's a bit darker, warmer, creamier, and overall a shade that makes me want to cuddle up by the fire (yes, a lipstick makes me want to cuddle). I love this, but it does tend to get a bit dusty during the toasty months. See you in October, my friend.


















There they are! Too much? Too little? After typing this up, I'm reevaluating a few (goodbye, Creme d'Nude).  However, MAC lipsticks are my favorite lipstick formula; they have great durability, an amazing smell, and they're not too tacky or uncomfortable on the lips. So I'm sure even if I weed out a few, there will be more that fill their place.

October In a Nutshell

I'm about 9 days late, but October was good to me. 

Beauty | Battle of the Cleansing Oils

I have found that the best way to remove a large chunk of my makeup is via a cleansing oil, and since then I have not been able to go extended periods of time without them. However, I'm still struggling to find "the right one." To date, I have tried four different cleansing oils, and while some of work just fine on me, others have less-than desirable results. Let's look at the lineup:

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

Beauty | Elixir Convert

Oh yes. Ohhhhh. Yes.

For some reason, I've been resistant to purchase one of these beautiful, beautiful lip glosses, because deep down I knew that I would become addicted. My hunch was correct. I finally broke down and purchased a Maybelline Color Elixir the other day in Celestial Coral and let me just say I LOVE IT. I wasn't sure about the color at first but I absolutely love it and want to get more. Plus, the smell is divine and it glides on so smoothly. It's only $8.00 and to me it's worth every cent. I was definitely planning on going out today and getting some more but considering there's about two feet of snow outside, sadly I'm forced to wait a bit longer....

Musings/Beauty/Wanderlust | October Favorites

Wow. October was good to me.

While I know I'm more than a week late, I've been a slow worker in compiling this list. One of the blogging/vlogging-world trends is to post about your favorite things in the past month, which can range from beauty to books to fashion, etc. I thought I'd join in on the fun and discuss some of my favorite October things/events that I've been blessed enough to have been exposed to. I kind of arranged it so I get deeper as the post goes on, so my more shallow, tangible "things" are first...but as a girl who loves makeup they're still fun and exciting!


Makeup

• Face

 Bourjous Blush Pot Shade 54- Frosted Rose

I bought this in a 3-for-2 deal with the bronzer at Boots, and I'm loving this. What a beautiful little blush pot. The fragrance is absolutely fantastic, and even if I didn't like the color I would have bought it for that reason alone. However, the shade is such a shimmery, light pink, and is such a refreshing contrast to my darker MAC blush. I absolutely love it. The only problem is the blush is difficult to transfer onto the brush, so it takes some effort to apply.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Sample

I had actually walked into Boots to grab the full version of this, but the woman who assisted me suggested that I buy the Smashbox Trial Kit, which cost me 20 quid for samples of their bestsellers, which include mascara, lipgloss, black pencil eyeliner, and lid primer. So far, I am really pleased with every product, and I'm glad I picked it up so I know which product I want to buy in the future. And, can I just say, this primer is fantastic.

• Lips

 Nars Pure Matte Lipstick Terre De Feu

I bought this in a moment of weakness at Selfridge's (though now I can say that I bought something from there so that makes it okay, right?!) and I absolutely LOVE it. It is such a gorgeous cranberry color and is exactly what I didn't realize I was missing.

 LUSH Santa's Lip Scrub

Okay fun fact: since Britain doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, once Halloween is over, they go all-out Christmas. Just yesterday they had the official ceremony to turn on the Christmas lights on Regent's Street, and the display cases at Harrod's and Selfridge's already have Christmas themes. In addition to that, a few weeks ago LUSH introduced their holiday products for the season. In an effort to restrain myself from buying everything, I settled with a Christmas-themed lip scrub, which tastes oh-so good.

Nuxe Paris Reve de Miel

I went to Paris! And I bought  lip balm! It smells deliciously like lemon! If you're in Paris you need to get this! ! !

• Remover

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

So I didn't know that such a thing existed until I visited Kate and watched her with open-mouthed wonder as she completely removed all of her makeup (yes including eyes) with one wipe. So of course the next day when she press-ganged me into going to Boots I had to pick up a pack of these, and let me tell you: They. Are. Perfect. I still use separate eye makeup remover but in regards to removing foundation and bronzer, this works like a charm....and are PERFECT for traveling because if need be this can be a 2-in-1 deal.

Bioderma Crealine Eye and Face Cleansing Water

This little bottle of what looks like fancy water is the holy grail of face makeup removers, and I looked long and hard to find it. I dragged Andy and Pam through many pharmacies and makeup stores throughout London only to realize that this is pretty much exclusive to Paris. I, however, beat the system for I found this beauty in El Cortes Ingles in Spain. Ho, ho--I got you, Paris! Anyways, as is to be expected, this works wonders and successfully removes any traces of makeup on my face and eyes and I just love it ugh moving on

Drinks

• Tea

Teapigs Sweet Treat Liquorice and Peppermint

PEOPLE I HAVE FOUND MY FAVORITE TEA. EVER. Yet another recommendation from Estée, I decided to go ahead and try the tea that she has been raving about, because it is from the UK and would be wayyy less expensive to have it shipped to my dorm here than my house in the States. Holy. Crap. I was so wary because I'm not the biggest liquorice fan but I can't even taste it. The initial taste is peppermint, but then it somehow becomes sweet as you swallow it. I don't know the science of it,  but holy cow this is good tea. Plus, the company itself is absolutely adorable and they email you telling you which employee is packaging your tea and they send you little samples of their other tea and I just love them. Teapigs can you open a store in the States? Okay good thanks.

• Coffee

Sadly I do not have photo evidence of this but I have been absolutely LOVING the brasserie's iced caramel macchiato. I have been on the lookout for my favorite place to get coffee in London since August and while Starbucks and Costa have come pretty darn close, this takes the cake. And--gasp--they're not using Starbucks coffee. I know, this is groundbreaking people. I have this drink pretty much every morning and after watching them make it day after day I know exactly how to mimic it when I go home--winning.

Food

• Spain

I wrote a whole post on my favorite foods in Spain here, so I don't think we need to delve into that.

• France

 Apparently this is who I am in Paris. Sigh.

Delicious-looking seafood shop and if I had a means to cook up some seafood I would have been all over that.

The greatest you'll ever learn is just to love banana and nutella crepes and be loved in return.

• England

While I have many gripes with how my school handles food and the cafeteria, the quality has never been short of wonderful (though really...who likes lamb enough that you need to serve it four times a week? NO ONE. I repeat: NO ONE). The brasserie especially always has the cutest treats to sell--of course they're ridiculously overpriced but that's not the point-- and I loved their Halloween-themed desserts. I mean LOOK at them.

Can you get more adorable? No.

Fashion

In Spain I bought Christmas-themed pajamas. It's ironic because then it was 70 degrees outside, but I have not worn anything since except when I wash them, obviously. Basically they're perfect. They are snuggly and have snowflakes and deer and Christmasy colors on them and they match so everyone gives me a weird look in the bathroom but WHO CARES. I would have a picture for you but I'm wearing them now so....

Places

In some capacity I have talked about many of these places before, but I've done a lot of traveling this past month and have specific favorites. Also Paris is a bit of a stretch because that was the beginning of November but I'm already late enough so let's look past that shall we?

 Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England

 Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales

 Toledo, Spain

 Host mother's house, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain

 Versailles, France

 The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

It's safe to say I've been blessed with wonderful travel opportunities.


People

Credit to the lovely Courtney

 Do I need to explain why they are all incredibly important and special to me? I don't think so. They consist of family, long-lasting friendships, and sisterhood, and I am grateful for them in every single way. I am so blessed. So, so blessed.


I think anyone who knows me really well is wondering why, at the end of this post, I didn't discuss books, TV shows, or movies, and all I can say is patience, my children. I've read two books during my travel periods, and I really don't think they're worth talking about. Sadly I just didn't like them. I'm currently reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman and already I'm loving them way more than any book I've read this semester. And the only TV show I really have to talk about is Doctor Who/Torchwood and if you're a Whovian you probably already know why I would want to wait until the end of November before I talk about it, amirite?! (psst go watch the trailer if you haven't you'll scream I promise).


Wowww  but we were really heavy on the makeup and travel, weren't we? I can assure you that the favorites categories will shift this month, but I had the best of times strolling through Paris, eating tapas in Madrid, and buying lipsticks with Kate. And that's what it's all about, right? Not the color of the lips or what city you're in, though I think they're fun and they enhance the experience, but the people that you're surrounded with. And October was really a fantastic month filled with all of those things.


Okay, let's cut the violins and move on with our lives, shall we? I know I have some homework to get started on so I shall see you next post!

xo

Any fun things happen to you in October? Let me know!!

Beauty | Fear of Bronzers: Review of Bourjois Bronzing Powder

So, considering that I am basically a toddler to the beauty world, there are certain things that have taken time for me to ease into. First were the eyebrows, then the primers, and now I have trickled into the land of bronzers. I didn't think that I needed it, until I looked into the mirror the other day and realized that I was practically glowing from lack of sun. In a moment of weakness, I picked up some Bourjois bronzer because it says right on the packaging that it is filled with glints of sunshine!!! Perfect!  I can tell you with happiness that I am absolutely LOVING it. It is a very subtle shade and not incredibly pigmented so I am able to work it in to my skin to create the color that I want. Plus...it looks like chocolate!! Who doesn't want to put on makeup in the morning that looks like chocolate???

 Bourjois Bronzing Powder-available at any Boots or Superdrug

Forgive me for the poor lighting and setting but I haven't been around during the day to catch some natural light and I couldn't wait any longer. As you can see, the bronzer already shows some signs of good loving, and even if I eventually try more I know this will be a favorite for a long time. So huzzah for overcoming fears...even if they are putting more makeup on my face!!

A bigger beauty post shall be released within the next few days, but until then, expect a Paris post soon!


What is YOUR favorite bronzer???
xo

Beauty | British Beauty #1

...oops

So, I like makeup. I mean, I really like makeup. It started last summer, and since then, my love has only grown (blame Kat and Youtube videos). Considering I am in one of the makeup capitals of the world, I knew that I would eventually be breaking down and purchasing some of the most well-known British products out on the beauty market. I've tried to keep it reigned in, so I'm really grateful that the Boots down the road from me is only a small one because then I haven't been truly tempted by the plethora of makeup products that I'm sure are lurking around. However, as you can see, I have bought some essential things, and, ironically enough, I've kept to only a few brands, so I'll be reviewing each product within the brand.

If you don't care in the least about this stuff, then I will be writing about Brighton later tonight. :P Xx