Sephora Haul

I don't normally do hauls but I went and picked up a bunch of stuff I'd never tried before, so I figured it would only be appropriate to let you guys know what I got! (Pardon the awful picture, I am by no means a photographer)

2 of them were things I'd had already and loved, being the Stila Stay All Day liquid liner in Intense Black, and a bottle of the Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Clearing Gel that's not in the picture.
The liquid liner by Stila is by far my favorite I've ever used, it glides on really easy and the Stay All Day part is no joke. It takes an intense amount of makeup remover to get it to even budge. For some people that could be irritating, but for me, I'm super happy if I don't have to worry if my eyeliner is smudging/cracking/flaking/moving. The other thing that I love: typically eyeliner pens dry out really fast; I'd used the MAC Penultimate liner and it used to dry out in a matter off 3 or 4 months. My Stila pen usually lasts 7 or 8, and that's with daily use!
The Peter Thomas Roth clearing gel is a staple in my skincare routine; I was devastated when I ran out and I ran straight to Sephora to grab a new bottle. It's the only thing that keeps my skin clear...I've tried just about everything and this is the only one that leaves me smooth, oil-free, and feeling fresh, not dry.
NOW:
On to the products I'd never tried before...-drumroll-
I got my little birthday gift because my birthday is in October so they were giving out the "Libra" box, so it came with two Make Up For Ever products, one of their mascaras, and one of their lipsticks. I'm super excited to try these; I call myself a product junkie...I like to try everything I can get my hands on, but especially mascaras because I'm always concerned that my eyes will get irritated, so I try them like crazy trying to find my favorite. It's currently the Smashbox Full Exposure mascara, but we'll see how this one goes!
The lipstick I'm excited about because I'm always looking for something to add hydration and a pop of color...I've found that I really like Kat Von D's lipsticks, and I'm a big fan of just about anything from Bite Cosmetics. I'll let you all know how I like the Make Up For Ever one!
I picked up the Tarred/Feathered Lip Balm duo from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (which I will abbreviate OCC from now on) because I love to play with my natural lip color, but I would rather do it with something more natural (they're vegan!) and I'm so tired of nudes! I've never seen anything like this one before, so expect a review when I try it out!
I also picked up the Lip Tar in the shade Black Metal Dahlia. I got the idea for this one from Michelle Phan on youtube; I loved her grunge makeup look that she posted...especially the dark lip. I LOVE a dark, vampy lip for fall and winter. I think it makes your skin look bright and smooth, and it really gets me ready for nights out with crunchy leaves, (faux) leather jackets and boots, and cozy sweaters.
She used the shade Black Dahlia in her video, but when I got to Sephora they were sold out of that one, so I picked up their new formulation with a bit of metallic shine, which I'm okay with because I love a touch of glitter! I'm probably going to group a review of that one in with the review of the Tarred and Feathered duo.
Expect that one some time either this week or early next week! Until then, beauties, stay fabulous!

First Impression: Korres Lip Butter

Don't laugh at me, I added another lip product to my collection. I know, I have a problem.
Let me just give you some back story on this one: I had a makeup trial for a mother-of-the-bride this morning. I realized last night that I was out of disposable mascara wands. Every good makeup artist knows: DON'T DOUBLE DIP YOUR MASCARA. You can give someone conjunctivitis and that would be awful...so moral of the story is always carry disposable mascara wands.
Anyway, I had to run to Sephora late last night because the beauty supply store near me was closed. I know, great idea, Taylor, realize you need your disposables at 7:30 pm. But my mall was open until 9, so I jumped in the car and ran over there to grab the last package of disposables they had.
But me being me...you can't leave Sephora with just one thing! Especially when the Korres island is right in the middle of the store! Next to the brushes where my disposables were! So of course I went over.
I've been looking at the lip butters for quite some time now, but I told myself I would finish my collection before I bought one. I think we all knew that wouldn't happen. So I grabbed Guava, which is just the clear color. 

I bought it for the sake of figuring out if I liked the texture, so I didn't want to grab a color that I could potentially become partial to but dislike the texture. It says "ideal for chapped lips" on the packaging though, so let's see how it goes!

So my actual first impression?
I put it on my lips about 5 minutes ago for the first time. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, it's a little chunky for my taste. I feel like there's way more plastic than there is product. However, it's very buttery. Not sticky at all, which is nice. I adore my A Great Kisser from Soap and Glory, but I tend to feel super sticky. It's smooth and luxurious, definitely, and the scent is gorgeous. It's almost peachy, but a little bit more melon-y...all in all, I like it! I'll do an update soon when I determine how I feel about it overnight.

Until next time, beauties!

Updated Fall Skincare Routine

Hi beauties! 
So I know that this is one of my favorite things to see; I figured I would post mine for all of you...my fall skincare routine! As the weather gets colder my skin gets crankier, being that my dry spots get drier and my oily spots break out. Lately, the updated products I've been using have been keeping my skin feeling smooth and looking happy and healthy.
Some of these products are old favorites, but the rest are brand new and I'm absolutley loving them.

Morning:
1) Cleanse! I've been using the Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser. I take 2 pumps of this and smooth it all over my face and neck, then I use my Clarisonic to give myself a really deep clean. This stuff doesn't have any soap content to it, which is great for my sensitive skin and keeping it from drying out, but the foaminess gives you that squeaky clean feeling. It foams when you pump it out of the bottle, so you don't have to work it into a lather, potentially irritating your skin. Basically, this stuff is magic and it's fabulous and I recommend it to anyone with combination skin like myself.

2) Treat! I've been using the Peter Thomas Roth Gentle Complexion Correcting pads for about 8-9 months now...I feel like they get rid of any bacteria stuck in my pores. They have one exfolating side and one smooth side; the smooth side is meant to cleanse while the exfoliating side is made to tighten pores and loosen up debris. They smell like peaches (yum!) but have a 1/2% Salicylic Acid  and 10% Glycolic Acid to keep acne away and fight signs of aging. 

3) Tone! I've been using LUSH's toner waters for about 2 years now. I've tried all 3 in my skincare routine, but my personal favorite by far is Eau Roma water. It's basically just rose water and lavender water, so it's an astringent (super effective in keeping pores nice and tight) but it's very soothing. I suffer from lots of redness in my skin, so this stuff keeps it from being blotchy, too. I keep the big size around because I like to use it to refresh my face during the day as well!

3) Moisturize! I've been loving the Mario Badescu Aloe Moisturizer with SPF 15. It's oil-free to keep me from breaking out, and my skin loves aloe to keep it healthy. This stuff leaves me feeling hydrated but never greasy, and it has SPF which is necessary all year, so my skin is protected against the elements.

Night:
1) Remove makeup! I use LUSH's 9 to 5 cleansing lotion religiously to take off makeup forever now. It's dove orchid and almond oil, so it's super light and antioxidizing. It's great for all skin types, so while I use this as a "precleanse" so to speak, it won't clog my pores in the meantime. I just take a little bit of this on dry hands and rub it onto anywhere I want to remove my makeup. It's gentle in the eye area, too!

2) Cleanse! I switched back to an old favorite, LUSH's Herbalism. I had strayed away for a long time and went through a long, long search for an amazing cleanser that I could fall in love with, and I decided nothing worked the way this one did. It's got rice vinegar to mop up oil and rosemary to antibacterialize. It also has ground almonds for a very gentle exfoliation that you can do every day. It keeps my skin from flaring up, I've found that my skin tone is more even, smoother, softer...I don't have enough good things to say. It kind of smells like teriyaki sauce...but hey, you win some, you lose some.

3) Treat! I use the Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel. It's a lot like the complexion pads I use in the morning- it's said to have the same effects, it's just focused more on clearing up blackheads, whiteheads, and clogged pores. I use it at night because it feels much stronger than the complexion pads...it has a 2% Salicylic Acid so it's a little bit more potent than the pads I use in the morning. I swear by this stuff. My pores look so much better every time I use it.

4) Tone! I use the Eau Roma Water again. Holy grail. Love forever. Ugh <3
5) Moisturize! I had a love/hate relationship with the Ole Henriksen Nurture Me moisturizer for a while. I thought that was what was causing my awful breakouts on my forehead and sometimes cheeks, which had never happened to me before, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and continue using it for 2 weeks (that's how long it's recommended you use a skincare product to determine if it really works for you) and my skin is feeling fabulous. It's cushiony soft because it's more like a gel than a cream, so it absorbs really easily. It's awesome on my sensitive skin; it keeps it feeling hydrated but never, ever greasy because of the gel consistency. The only thing I don't like is the smell- it smells incredibly artificial...like a creamsicle. Don't get me wrong, it smells good...but I could see the scent in a body wash, not a facial moisturizer. Regardless, it feels great, so I'll probably repurchase it.

6) Eye Cream! I've been using the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment for  a year now and I love it. It doesn't make my eyes burn, it's velvety, it's smooth, and my skin around my eyes feels stronger and more hydrated. I suffer from very delicate, dry skin around my eye area, and this stuff has been beautiful. I'm sure there are other eye creams out there that are great, but I trust this one!

7) Lip Balm! I'm a lip balm junkie. It's a sick, sick obsession I have to find the perfect lip balm. So far, I have found 2. The Bite Agave Lip Mask, which I put on at night and leave it overnight OR before lipstick (then I blot with a tissue)...but my tried and true is always my Rosebud Salve. This is my go-to whenever I have a doubt in my mind about how my lips are handling the weather changes.
I also love the Soap and Glory A Great Kisser lip balms, but they're very sticky. I have to make sure I wear them when my boyfriend isn't around.

Thanks for reading, beauties! Let me know about your skincare routines, I'm a product junkie as you can all tell, so I love to try new things! Until next time!

Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser: First Impression

I'm always on the hunt for good skincare products, but the one thing I've found is that I'm a total cleanser junkie. I've always found myself switching out my cleanser if I don't like something in my skincare routine because I absolutely love cleansing my face...is that just me?

So let's cut to the chase here. I recently ran out of my Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser (which I loved for the warming feeling and how clean and soft it left my skin), so naturally I went into my local Sephora to check out what they had that was good.
Well, that's not exactly true. It started out as a routine trip during my lunch break at work, which turned into me swatching 900 different eyeshadows, followed by a Sephora employee asking if I need help because I'm covered in colors. This time, I told her "oh no, thanks, I'm okay". She turned to walk away and I found myself yelling "WAIT! I think I do need help...how good are  you with cleansers?"
She perked right up. We discussed my skin for a little while; I told her that I'm addicted to cleansing oils and she showed me the Boscia Makeup Breakup cleansing gel. She then asked how into skincare I was and I laughed. She knew that meant I'm just a little obsessed, so she asked if I was into trying something different, and of course I said yes.
So she brought me to Caudalie. I'd heard of them before, Elle Fowler uses their Beauty Elixir so immediately I thought "oh hey, luxurious". She tried the foaming cleanser on the back of my hand dry (which I have come to find out is the wrong way to use it, it's supposed to be used on damp skin) and it still removed most of the swatches I had made with the exception of some hardcore pencil liners. So I said why not!
I tried it for the first time in the shower this morning, and so far it's made my skin so incredibly soft and smooth and radiant. I'm currently experiencing a breakout (ugh PMS) so we'll see how it goes...but if any of you have tried it please feel free to let me know! I'm excited to see how it works- I'm always in the market for the perfect skincare routine. I'll keep you all posted as I use it some more...maybe I'll do an empty bottle review when it's finished? :)

Ingredient Spotlight: Oats

I don't know how I could have forgotten this one in my Ingredient Spotlight series! For those of you with red, irritated, flaky, dry, oily......okay basically oats are incredible for all types of skin, they're beautiful for the body, they're milky in the bathtub...seriously just try them.

Here's the deal:

Fall Trend 2014

I know, I know, it's only August right now. BUT it's important to look to the future! I know we're all being told to live in the now, and while I agree with that...I believe we should be living with our brains focused on upcoming beauty trends!
Wait...maybe I'm giving bad advice...
The colder weather is coming, which means we'll be drawing inspiration from our surroundings. Reds, golds, and browns are always popular in the fall months, and that is no different for this year!
I'm always a big fan of metallics moving into the colder months; it reminds me of the beauty of the snow and the magic that is Halloween and Thanksgiving. Hence why so many runways were seen using metallics, from Rodarte to Armani to Issey Miyake.
This trend can be done many different ways- my personal favorite is a subtle pop of metal in the inner corners of the eyes to brighten them up. Try doing this with a shimmery gold or silver, like Stila's Magnificent Metals Foil Finish eyeshadows in Metallic Dusty Rose or Comex Platinum.
Metallic Dusty Rose is a pinkish (just like it sounds, a muted rose color) and Comex Platinum is a beautiful opalescent white.

Dusty Rose is on top and Comex Platinum is on bottom. These photos were from Google (don't wanna take credit for what isn't mine)
Pop these on the inner corner of your eyes or just beneath the lower lash line and they'll pop beautifully! Pink and opalescent colors are flattering on just about everybody.
Also, I constantly recommend Stila products because I absolutely adore their quality. If you have never tried their Kitten products (their signature color), I promise you, try it once and it will forever change your life.
Happy glittering, beauties!

The Beauty Blogger Tag: Get to Know Me!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight? SUPER curly.

2. What is your natural hair colour? A boring, dull brown.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon? Salon!

4. How often do you wash your hair? I try to wash it every 2 days.

5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it? It changes SO often. Some days I want to be in yoga pants, others I want to be a rock star, and sometimes I just feel like being super girly.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon? I usually go to the salon, I've been slacking though

7. How often to you change your nail polish? If I ever wore polish I would let you know...either I do a gel manicure so that it doesn't chip, or I don't wear any because I'm constantly cutting my nails to give facials so I don't scratch anyone!

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer? Both :)

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup? Depends on what I'm doing. My normal day-to-day routine: 15 minutes. My full-face-of-makeup routine: about 45.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes? Face

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it? I try not to collect but it doesn't work. Oops.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes? Not often at all, they make my eyelids feel heavy most of the time!

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day? Absolutely not...I've been going bare-faced most days lately. I'll do a quick cat-eye and red lip instead to pull everything together.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)? Usually not

15. Will you leave the house without makeup? I do it all the time!

16. How many high end products do you have? Ummm...more than I'm willing to count/admit

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes? I antibacterialize them every time they get used, as far as washing them probably once every 2 weeks unless I'm working on clients...then it's the day before and the day after.

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed? I have no recollection of ever planning an outfit in advance, actually...

19. How often do you change your handbag? Pretty much never. I'm a skincare/makeup person...fashion is by no means my forte.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep? Get up: 7:00; Go to sleep: Who knows...depends on the day.

21. How often & when do you workout? I try to go to the gym 3x a week (most weeks it's a success, lately not so much with school ending and finals and everything) and I usually go in the morning.

22. Left-handed or Right-handed? Rightyyy

23. How tall are you? 5'6"

24. Do you speak a foreign language? I speak a decent amount of Spanish!

25. How many pets do you have? 2, Licorice the dog and Theo the bunny :)

26. How often are you on Blogger? It's so random...I try to come on at least once a week.

27. Do you read the comments posted blogs? Yeah!

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts? Not really, I try to stick to what I'm interested in so that my posts reflect me rather than other people's interests.

29. How did you come up with your blog name? Well, basically it's a combination of my favorite thing and what I want to accomplish...so glitter and feeling gorgeous, hence glitteringgorgeous!

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs? iPhone 5S LOLOL I need to invest in a better camera

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other) Obsessively whenever I have time.

32. What is your favourite colour? Black (even though it's "not technically a color")...if  have to pick a real color it's probably mint green

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine? Don't laugh...I just love Cosmo.

34. Do you swear? Ummmm more than I should

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day? Spending the 1 day I have off this week with my friends!

Microdermabrasion: What's the Deal?

I have to say, going to school for esthetics is pretty awesome. This week, we had a guest teacher come in and teach us all about microdermabrasion; I had a chance to have it done to myself, and I got to practice on my classmates. I now have my certification in microderm, and it was so fun getting there!
So what is microdermabrasion?
It's a deep exfoliation that essentially buffs away the dead, dull layer of your skin sitting at the top. It doesn't exfoliate down to the dermis like a chemical peel or anything like that, it's non-invasive, and doesn't require any downtime (unless you're really bothered by some redness). The great thing about microderm is that it will help product penetrate better, so that means any treatment serums and moisturizers that you're using to treat skin "issues" will penetrate the top layer of your skin more effectively, and will help your skin hydrate better!
There are two methods, but the method that I learned was crystal, where there are thousands on thousands of crystals being released onto your face through a vacuum-like machine, and that's what exfoliates!
Things microdermabrasion treats:
Acne scars, blackheads (it loosens up all the gross stuff stuck in your pores), fine lines and small wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sun damage. It also is a great way to exfoliate if you prefer not to at home regularly.
Contraindications (things that would make it so that you cannot receive microderm):
Broken capillaries (they can be buffed but not treated as intensely as the rest of the skin), psoraisis, excema, excessive redness, sunburn, cold sores, open wounds on the area being treated, rosacea, etc.

My experience:
I have 4 tattoos, one of them being on the top of my foot, which I was in excruciating pain from for about a week. I have a high pain tolerance, so looking at a pen that has almost like sandpaper flying out onto your face seemed like no big deal to me. Well, to be honest, I hardly felt anything at all. I know that it worked because when I put my hand up to my face there were crystals there, but it was so light, it felt like someone really gently rubbing sand paper on my skin. I would recommend this treatment to anyone; it truly does not hurt or make you uncomfortable unless your technician uses a very heavy hand, which they shouldn't.
I had a lot of redness (but my skin is naturally very red to begin with) and they told me that was to be expected. The only "abnormal" thing that happened was tracking, which basically means that the skin was not held taut enough during treatment and there was a little too much suction, leaving a small red line after the rest of the skin has healed. It just looks like tan lines. Mine went away in about 24 hours, and they were incredibly subtle to begin with.
I have noticed that my skin is visibly brighter, smoother, more even, and my blackheads have come to the surface and are now SO easy to extract. (Sorry, TMI...) and that was only after one treatment! They normally suggest doing microderm in sets of about 6, but you could talk to your esthetician about what they believe is the correct number of treatments for your skin.

So I say try it! It's fun, it's quick, it feels pretty good...there's no downtime, I just suggest lots of SPF on the treated area (but that's always a given!)
Leave a comment if you've ever had microderm and tell me all about your experience!

Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment Review

I have a review for you today, beauties- it's a product I've been using religiously for about 3 months now. To be honest, I was certain I'd done a review on it, but looking back I don't have one!
This post is all about the Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment...AKA the best thing to ever grace my eye area.

They have since changed the packaging (now the little "wooden" top is a little larger than the bottom) but the picture shown above is the original packaging I got the treatment in.
This stuff, I'm not going to lie, is beautiful. I'm really skeptical about eye products because my eyes are incredibly sensitive. They turn red if I use anything except the Smashbox Eye Brightening Mascara, they get irritated if I use the wrong eyeliner too close to my waterline...it's a struggle.

So I tried this because I had been using LUSH's Full of Grace serum bar. I went into a LUSH store about 2 years ago and said "someone HELP, my eyes are burning and I'm scared to use eye cream because I'm worried they'll be irritated." Now, when I say my eyes were burning, I mean there was dry skin flaking off my eye area. Right around my eyebrows/bridge of my nose especially, and they would burn and using eye makeup remover made the dryness worse. They recommended Full of Grace and I liked it, it relieved the dryness, however it didn't do much else for me.
Fast forward to Christmastime, I'd heard about this product a little bit just from browsing the internet, and I'd been on a Tarte kick and saw that they had a hydrating eye "treatment" and said "hey, maybe that's the stuff for me. No idea what Maracuja oil is, but whatever!"
I started this stuff January 1st to really give it a good go. Clearly it went well, because I just bought myself a second pot of the stuff last week.
It has tons of antioxidants in it, fighting free radicals in the skin, such as the magical Maracuja oil which replenishes moisture and plumps up the skin (yay!), vitamin C which is awesome for the eye area because it brightens and antioxidizes, and then it has a bit of coconut which is rich in fatty acids and hydrating ingredients.
I gave it a shot and saw instant results. In a matter of minutes my (less) dry skin in my eye area was feeling cooled, soothed, and hydrated. It's definitely a thick cream, which I like because that means it'll stay in place rather than being runny and too oily. Obviously I didn't see too much crazy brightening right off the bat- I knew those results were going to come with extended use.
I haven't necessarily noticed any firming in the skin around my eyes, but I have noticed that they seem less puffy. My dark circles have also cleared up a bit, I don't have them too bad so this stuff just brightens up anything I have. But most importantly: I accidentally got it in my eye and there was no burning/itching/stinging/watering! It doesn't flare up my sensitive eyes!!! YAY!
You can also use this cream under makeup- I would obviously let it dry thoroughly or blot the excess, but it's nice and silky.
I totally give this a 5/5. Try it for yourselves, ladies and gents, it's fab stuff. 

IMATS New York Haul!

This year I had the privilege to go to IMATS New York. Since I'm in school as an esthetician and I'm now a certified makeup artist, I knew it would be imperative in continuing my education to go to a huge trade show like IMATS to get the experience...okay who am I kidding? I was just so excited to go and grab some new makeup!

Here's the overview of what I got- I haven't used all of it yet but I can give you the general overview.
The first thing I picked up was my new Dinar airbrush machine- I'm addicted to airbrush after learning how to do it in school. It's so fun, easy and natural looking that I knew I had to add one to my kit. Here's a closeup of my beauty...

I wanted it in black or the opalescent white that they had, but being that I went on Sunday rather than Friday or Saturday, they were sold out of most of the colors, so I went with the hot pink! My other options were lime green and highlighter yellow and those were so not me.
So I tried this baby out for the first time yesterday- I was trained on a machine that my teacher manufactures so it felt a little bit different. The only difference, to be honest, was the compressor. There wasn't a dial to control air flow, it was all one strength so I didn't have to turn a knob like I do on the Dinair, but I'm totally fine with it. I got used to it really fast. I airbrushed my mom before she left for work and she loved it, and when she came home it was still on looking even and fabulous. Needless to say, I love it!

The next thing I bought was the concealer palette from Make Up For Ever. I didn't have a concealer palette in my makeup artist kit yet, so I grabbed the one that I'd heard the most about, and that had the most universally flattering colors. It has a purple concealer that is especially great at concealing yellowness in the skin, but it also has 4 very neutral shades that could work on almost any skin tone. It might be a little light for darker skin tones, but my next investment is a bigger concealer palette with more colors. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find one...the only one I've found is by BH Cosmetics.
The palette I got is for "Asian skintones" according to the Make Up For Ever website, but I have very pale skin with a reddish undertone, while my neck is a little yellowish, so if I want to correct I would need a more yellow concealer. I think it could work on just about anyone, I really, really dislike that that's how they describe the colors.

 

My next purchase was of course an IMATS hoodie because I know I'm going to wear it everywhere. If there's one thing I can't live without, it's a good hoodie.

And then my favorite and final purchase of the day: the Naked Cosmetics pigments. Goodness gracious, I did not expect to absolutely fall in love with a brand or a product the way I did with Naked. They explained to me that they're some of the most pure pigments imaginable, the color has no additives to dull the color or shine or the payoff of the shade. I bought two sets (the pigments come in stacks, as you can see in the top picture) and you can only buy them that way- no single color purchases. At least not at IMATS.
What I found coolest about all of these pigments was they offered multiple mixing mediums and bases. They offered a clear nail polish so you could turn your pigment into a polish, a base to turn it into a shadow, and then they showed me using them wet with just some water to make a beautiful cream shadow or liner.
The pictures I'm posting of the colors I bought are off the Naked Cosmetics website, I'm not very good at giving the colors the justice they deserve like the website did.
I picked up the Desert Sunset collection:

And the Twilight collection:

Clearly I bought a warm and a cool. Both are so highly pigmented and stunning- I had the girl at the counter test all of the colors on my hand and I so wish  that I had kept swatches to show all of you. Maybe I'll do a separate review some time in the near future!
If I had to pick a favorite color it's in the Twilight collection- see that third color in the top row? Looks unsuspecting, right? It's PINK when you put it on. It's a muted grey with a PINK GLITTER. Stunning. Just so stunning.
I would love to buy some more of these, but they run $60 a collection. They were running an amazing deal at the show, though, 2 collections and the base were $60. We'll see, I'm probably going to end up ordering more because I love them so much.


I hope you enjoyed my haul, guys! If you went to IMATS, let me know what you picked up! Until next time, beauties.

Update: Where have I been?!

Hey there beauties!
So as always here I am to apologize for going MIA for a while again. I'm in school for esthetics and actually just got my certification as a makeup artist, so I'm really working towards the dream I've always had.
I go to school full time, so it's 5 days a week, and on top of that I'm still working at LUSH 4 days a week. I've been freelancing with makeup on occasion; I just worked on set for my friend's student film and then had a mother-daughter makeup gig for the daughter's bat mitzvah.
Needless to say it's been a very busy time for me.

So here's the deal:
I want to get back into blogging. Badly. I can't really make a schedule, however I can promise one post a week rather than two like I was doing before. Also, I'm going to be doing a lot more reviewing. I wasn't getting much feedback on my series posts that I was doing (such as ingredient spotlight), so I'm going to stick with what I really love to do, being trying new product! I just went to IMATS NY on Sunday so I'm going to be doing a little haul on that later in the week.

For those of you that have stuck with me this whole time, I appreciate your patience and I'm so, so glad to be back!

Best Eyeshadows for Your Eye Color

We all want to accentuate one of the most captivating features of the face: the eyes! There are plenty of ways to do it, like playing up the shape of the eyes with your liner, the placement of your eyeliner...the list goes on. But one thing that will absolutely make your eyes pop is wearing colors that brighten them up! In turn, this will brighten up the whole face and make you look more awake.

If you have blue eyes:
Try colors that have an orangey base, like terracotta colored shadows and neutral browns. The warmer the color, the brighter your eyes will look because blue is naturally a cool color. You can use anything in the champagne, gold, bronze and copper range!

 

If you have brown eyes:

Tons of colors are universally flattering on brown eyes. Just like brown shadows look lovely on blue eyes, try a blue shadow on brown eyes! The contrast will make your natural color shine through. Eggplant will also bring out any natural greens you may have, and golds and coppers will warm up the eyes and the face. Brown-eyed girls and guys have plenty of options when it comes to flattering colors!

If you have grey eyes:
Blue-greys and dark browns are your friend, grey-eyed beauties! The coolness of your eye will be accentuated with more cool tones. Although grey eyes aren't typically as celebrated as other eye colors, I know I would love to have some grey eyes! They're beautifully mysterious, so play it up with dark colors and smokey eyes!

 

If you have green eyes:

This is my area of expertise. I personally have green eyes, and I've worked really hard to find what works for me. Purples make the eyes look insanely bright, and the brighter the purple the better. My favorite shadow for green eyes is Stars and Rockets by MAC. Other colors that make the eyes pop are pinks, olive greens, and neutral browns. The cooler colors tend to work a bit better with green eyes, so try some of those!

If you have hazel eyes:

Colors that remind you of fall will do the best at accentuating your hazel eyes. Browns, coppers and neturals (think Naked Palette from Urban Decay!) will make the eyes look bright and stunning. Warm browns and eggplant colors will also make your eyes look warmer. Olive greens can work too, however it is typically pretty similar to the color of the eye which can look a little awkward. Try out those browns, though, you'll look fabulous!

 

Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is one of the most commonly used moisturizers in tons of skincare products. We've probably all used it at one point or another, and we reap its benefits in everything from soaps to lotions to lip care products. So what makes cocoa butter so great?

It has gorgeous moisturizing properties. Cocoa butter actually melts at the temperature of your skin, so it sinks in and fills your skin with all of the benefits. It is thick and emollient, so it keeps the skin protected from the elements. It can also be used on the face (take many moisturizers as an example) because it is high in fatty acids which keep the skin looking more youthful.
It is rich in antioxidants (which is why they say dark chocolate is healthy for you!) which is going to leave the skin looking younger and softer. Free radicals can set on signs of premature aging, so cocoa butter helps prevent that by forming a barrier on the skin full of these antioxidants.
Cocoa butter is most popularly known for its properties as a stretch mark healer! The deep moisturization helps to reduce the looks of stretch marks and can help the skin from stretching to the point where stretch marks may occur.

You can find cocoa butter in so many skincare and beauty products, it's hard not to come across it and use it at one point or another. Try it out and let the sweet chocolatey scent seduce you while it takes care of your skin!

Sweater Weather Tag

Hi beauties! I was in the mood to do a tag today, I got this one from Missglamorazzi on YouTube (aka Ingrid, if you don't watch her you should start! She's super genuine which is a big deal for me when looking for the right beauty gurus to watch!)
So I tag all of you to do this tag as well when you finish reading, I'd love to see all of your answers!

-Favourite candle scent?

I'm currently saving my Pumpkin Carving candle from Bath and Body Works...I'm gonna cry when it runs out

QUESTION 2

-Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

All 3! Depends on what mood I'm in that day, I love coffee on a cold morning, tea on a cold night, and hot chocolate if I've been outside.

QUESTION 3

-Whats the best fall memory you have?

This Halloween was probably my best Halloween/fall memory actually, I spent it with my boyfriend and our friends and watched The Shining and sat around eating pizza and talking. Sounds less exciting than it was, oh well.

QUESTION 4

-Which makeup trend do you prefer: winged eye liner or dark lips?

I say winged liner just because it's my go-to every day, but dark lips are always a must for fall!

QUESTION 5

 -What do you want to be for halloween?

Well Halloween is over already -sigh-, but I was Harley Quinn for ComicCon here in New York, and then I wore a t-shirt with Pinhead from Hellraiser on Halloween with a pair of yoga pants to stay comfy.

QUESTION 6

-Hats or scarves?

I'm a serious infinity scarf addict ugh

QUESTION 7

-Most worn article of clothing?

Anything black and/or white for work, I've been working quite a bit the last few weeks!

QUESTION 8

-Favourite fall nail polish?

Essie's Berry Naughty with Shine of the Times on top! It reminds me of the way the trees look around this time of year :)

QUESTION 9

-Skinny jeans or leggings?

I'm going to have to say skinny jeans.

QUESTION 10

-Boots or uggs?

I'm a vegetarian so I don't wear any fur/wool/suede or anything like that, so man-made material boots all the way!

Ingredient Spotlight: Rose

Who doesn't love getting roses!?
...Did you know that roses have plenty more uses than just looking beautiful and smelling heavenly? They're actually an incredible ingredient for all skin types! I suggest using rose water if anything, it's incredibly gentle and it smells wonderful.

So what are the benefits of rose water on the skin?

It is incredibly anti-inflammatory, therefore, it helps with redness and irritation on the skin. If you're looking for a quick fix for tightness and redness, I suggest LUSH's Eau Roma Water, which is a toner water with rose and lavender to balance out cranky skin. It works wonders!

It also works as an astringent when used to tighten pores, pulling out impurities. Over time, using rose water might even help the look of enlarged pores! Who knew?

Related to rose water being an astringent: it is amazing at unclogging pores and removing gross stuff that's built up in your pores over time. I like to spray my Eau Roma Water on my pillow before I go to sleep at night to keep the cleaning process going on each of my cheeks when I flip over!

I've heard some mixed things about the next process I'm going to tell you beauties about, so if you prefer not to do it, you don't have to by any means. I have not tried it because the use of lemon on the skin on the face has had more bad reviews than good when I've done my research, but one of my co-workers told me about a remedy that has done wonders for her skin, and when I tell you her skin is perfection, her skin is baby-smooth without an uneven patch or blemish anywhere. So what does she do?
Well, she told me she went to a market and picked up pure rose water in a spray, then she takes half a lemon and rubs the peel on her face and applies the rose water afterwards. She says it has completely stopped her breakouts in a natural way that smells amazing and it hasn't irritated her skin. I'm going to have to give it a try and let you all know how it goes, but if any of you have tried it/try it, please leave me a comment and let me know how it works!

Thanks for reading beauties, until next time!

Ultrabland Review

Hi beauties! I have another review for you today for a product that after this week I might just be a little bit obsessed with.
LUSH Cosmetics' Ultrabland!

This stuff has become my beauty holy grail. It is a cream cleanser, which means that it most definitely doesn't lather. How I like to use it: I wash my hands thoroughly and make sure they're really clean. I scoop a quarter-sized amount of Ultrabland into my hands and rub them together, then rub in circular motions from my jawline to my forehead...making sure to wipe over my eyes and remove my makeup.
(Yes guys, this stuff removes makeup better than a makeup remover wipe...in my own opinion of course)
All you have to do from there is take a damp cotton pad and wipe off the excess. I personally love the exfoliating cotton pads that I get from Target, I just feel cleaner afterwards.
It has lots of almond oil, honey, and beeswax to nourish the skin and rose water to soothe. Somehow, this cleanser works for everyone. It was originally created for one of LUSH's founders when she went to Liz Wier (another founder of LUSH) and begged for something that would help with her excema on her face. They came up with Ultrabland on the spot and it has become a LUSH best-seller ever since.
With good reason. I'm giving this product a 1000/10, it has evened my skin tone and cleared up blemishes in a week. I've used this every night for the last 5 nights, and the ridiculous turnaround in my skin is hardly even explainable. I can't thank LUSH enough for making such an insanely beautiful product.
Don't let the texture and thickness turn you off, beauties, at least take a sample of this baby home and take your makeup off with it. Let me know how it goes!

Ingredient Spotlight: Tea Tree

How many of us love natural alternatives for treatments that can dry the skin out (like benzoyl peroxide)? I know I do! So this week's ingredient spotlight is the amazing tea tree!

Tea tree does of course come from a tree, however it is a different plant than the plants that produce tea leaves like the kind you put in your boiling water. While those leaves are meant to be used internally (and sometimes externally) in order to reap the benefits, the tea tree plant's oil is meant to be used topically for more uses than you ever imagined!

Tea tree is super antiseptic, making it great to use on cuts, burns, and even allergic reactions to reduce inflammation. Some people even put it in their hot bath to reduce things like coughs and bronchial infections/irritations. 

But for beauty purposes, tea tree is like the holy grail that no one knew how to find! It is becoming a much more popular ingredient now, and we have finally decided to give a natural alternative a chance and make our skin stunning.
Tea tree can be used for athlete's foot to reduce itching and inflammation, so this can be thrown in your shoes in a powder or apply the oil topically to soothe the skin.
It has also been known to be used on the scalp to treat dandruff, so to keep your scalp from flaking, try a shampoo or conditioner with tea tree! It'll keep your hair strong and save you from flakes!
But I think what we all want to know about tea tree: what can it do for the skin?
Tea tree has been found to be an amazing anti-inflammatory that can reduce acne! It has been found that while it will not work as quickly, tea tree is a much more natural way to treat acne in the same way as 5% benzoyl peroxide gel. How crazy is that? It's much more gentle on the skin than benzoyl peroxide, keeping the skin healthy and bright while fighting redness and post-acne scarring. 

All in all, tea tree is a do-it-all ingredient that you can find in oil form at your local Whole Foods store, or you can just order it online! Careful though, you might get addicted to using it for just about everything!

Ingredient Spotlight: Honey

Time for another ingredient spotlight! This time we'll be focusing on honey, one of the most underrated ingredients in the beauty world.

Sure, you sweeten your tea with it, you might even eat some right off the spoon when you're trying to help your allergies along (local honey helps!) but do you know what it can do for your skin?
Honey is a natural preservative. In lots of face products, you don't need any parabens or other preservatives because honey will keep your products fresh!
Honey is also naturally antibacterial, making it safe to put on acne. It's antibacterial properties can help speed up the healing process of cuts, open wounds (such as popped pimples) and facial inflammation! Cool, right? It also promotes moisturizaton of the skin, so while it antibacterializes pores and helps clear your skin up, it also helps with elasticity and hydration! Sometimes I like to apply pure, raw, organic local honey to my face (about 2 tablespoons), and let it sit on my face for around 15 minutes. When I rinse it off (and lick it off my lips because I can't help it...) my face feels tighter but not dry, and I see a significant difference in the brightness of my skin when I wake up the next morning. No complaints here!
Honey is also an anti-irritant, so it can be used in just about anything to keep skin calm, balanced, and in perfect condition. It's also safe to be used on very young and sensitive skin because it helps protect against free radicals!
Plenty of products contain honey; to name a few from LUSH: Brazened Honey, Honey I Washed the Kids, Fair Trade Honey shampoo, It's Raining Men shower gel...the list goes on!

Let me know if there are any ingredients you'd like to see next time. Can't wait to do another one of these!

Birthday Haul!

Hi beauties! It was my birthday on Monday the 21st, and what was on most of my list was makeup and skincare (of course), so I thought I would share some of the stuff I got with you. I'm going to be reviewing these products as I use them, so stay tuned for that too!

1) Urban Decay Vice 2

I'm so excited to try this one out, I have the first Vice palette and I really like it. Some of the colors are a little chalky in the first and I didn't swatch the second yet, so we'll see how it goes. I love Urban Decay, 99.9% of the time the quality of their products is amazing.

2) Anastasia Catwalk Palette

I've never tried Anastasia's products before, but I fell in love with that deep maroon/purple second from the left in the top row and that's what ultimately made me ask for this...little did I know I'd love all the colors! I just tried this palette today and loved the quality of the shadows and how they wear throughout the day. I should have taken a picture to show you guys, but I was in a rush out the door on the way to work and then totally forgot :/

3) Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer highlighter

I've been in dire need of a good highlighter- I was considering buying Feeling Younger from LUSH but for some reason decided against it, however I'm kind of glad I did. (Sorry, LUSH, I still love you!) I fell in love with the pink shimmer of the luminizer, and I'm really excited to try it out under my brows, on my cheekbones, and on my cupid's bow!

4) Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Bridgitte

I'm always looking for new lip balms, and I was dying for something in a nice wine color for fall. This one looks perfect, and I'm hoping to really get the full effect of a lipstick with the moisturizing effects of a balm! Fingers crossed

5) Urban Decay Glide On Lip Pencil in Ozone

This thing is awesome. I haven't tried it with lipstick or any color yet for that matter, but it claims to work in the same way as a lip pencil/liner. But it's clear. That's right, when you apply it you can't see it. Crazy, right? I'm hoping it doesn't mess with the color of my lipsticks, that's the ultimate goal. Usually you can see the outline of my lip liner because I try to be really precise with my lipsticks, so I don't always go to the edge of my lip liner with my lipstick in the hopes that nothing will feather. Again, fingers crossed!

6) Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre

I'd swatched this about a year ago at Sephora and fell in love but never found a practical use for it...so I figured I would ask for it for my birthday! I can't wait to put this over my eyeshadows around the holidays, glitter always makes me feel festive! 

As far as beauty products go, that's what I got for my birthday this year! I'm hoping to put up some reviews of these products soon, let me know if you've tried any of them and how you feel about them! Until next time, beauties!

How to Deal with Combination Skin

We all know how frustrating it is when our skin doesn't behave. Sometimes we break out. Sometimes we get so dry that we get flaky and sore. Sometimes we get a little bit of both. 
Wait, what? How can I possibly have such horribly dry spots but an oil slick in my T-zone?
Well, beauties, this problem is way more common than you think. Actually, believe it or not, tons and tons of people in the world have just that same problem: uncomfortably dry skin in some spots and oily spots that break out easily in others.

So how do we deal with something as complicated as skin with a split personality?
As it turns out, drying out the oily spots is not the answer. Moisturizing with the right kind of cream may be the answer to your cranky skin's problems! It's going to take quite a few tries, but eventually, the right product will fall right into your lap.

Why would I moisturize oily spots, you ask? Sometimes, what happens is your skin becomes so dry that it begins overcompensating in the oil-production area. That means that maybe your skin has gotten so dry that your skin is producing 5x the oil it normally would if it were at a balance.
Adding moisturizer to these areas on the skin will eventually tell the pore to calm down with the oil, because the moisturizer has it under control. Then the dry spots will start to get back to that lovely smoothness we all strive for, and the oily spots will follow suit!

So how do you find such a magical moisturizer? Well, there are plenty of steps. Find out what you're sensitive to. If you have allergies to certain ingredients, stay clear of products with those ingredients in them. They can cause your skin to flare up, resulting in redness, irritation, more dryness or more oiliness. Skin is so temperamental isn't it?

If you tend to be mostly on the oily side, try an oil-free moisturizer. This will keep from adding to the oils your skin is already producing, but it will moisturize those dry spots. This will keep your skin at a nice balance without irritating it. 
If you tend to be mostly on the dry side, try a moisturizer geared towards sensitive skin. I tend to try the more natural route, you know, working at LUSH and all, so I use either their Celestial or Gorgeous moisturizers.
(I just recently started using Gorgeous, I'm going to do a review some time in the very near future!)
Both are packed full of skin-loving ingredients like almond milk and vanilla in Celestial to soothe, and wheatgrass in Gorgeous which nourishes. Both moisturizers really feed your skin without causing irritation. Actually, Gorgeous is the same formula Princess Diana used in her moisturizer!

Another option is LUSH's Imperialis. This stuff is magic. Want to know why? It has cocoa butter to moisturize, but it has lavender. Lavender is a crazy awesome ingredient to have in your skincare routine (if you read my previous post, you know why!), it evens out the way skin produces oil; basically it keeps sebum production under control.

Let me know all about your skincare routines for combination skin, beauties! I'd love to hear what you use!