Lip Love: NYX Butter Lipstick in Razzle

NYX cosmetics were 40% off a couple weeks ago at Ulta. This was the perfect time for me to try a couple of their newer products I have been eyeing.

I picked up a NYX Butter Lipstick because I have heard and seen so many people talk about these lipsticks. The shade, Razzle, caught my eye.

I am IN LOVE with this color! Razzle is a bright, Barbie pink shade that definitely draws attention to the lips. I just can't even talk enough about how much I love this color. The color payoff is so amazing and the lasting power is really great for a drugstore brand and a lipstick in general.

Tuesday Tips: Check Out Products Online Before Buying

Whenever I see or hear about a palette, lip product, blush, or any makeup item really, I check online for reviews and swatches before making the decision to buy it. Okay, I don't do this with every single thing, but at least with more expensive products. This way I can see what people think of the product to decide if it's worth getting. It can also save me from being stuck with a product I don't like or having to make an extra trip to return a product that I didn't like.

There are tons of beauty bloggers online on Youtube and other sites that review tons of products even before they are released in stores. Just Google whatever product you are looking for, and you will most likely find information and swatches on the product.

I know this seems really simple, but I can't tell you how many times I think I'm going to like a product I bought and end up wishing I hadn't gotten it.

Sorry for such a short and pictureless post. I will have at least one other post later in the week for you, so check back for that! Have a happy Tuesday! :)

Tuesday Tips: Tape Trick For Powder Eyeshadows, Blushes, and Face Powders

Have you ever had an eyeshadow that has gradually developed a bumpy, hard surface? It makes is difficult to apply the eyeshadow after a while when the surface isn't soft and smooth. Brushes have a harder time grabbing the powder and the powders might go on clumpy.

This can happen to most powder makeup like shadows, blushes, and face powders for a few different reasons I'm sure. I believe the main contributing factor to this happening is that the oil from our eyelids and face get trapped on the brushes we use. When we are going back and forth, putting our brush in the powder and on our face over and over again, the oil starts to build up on the powder and create that hard layer.

There is a simple quick fix that can take the layer of hard, oily powder off - tape. Take a piece of tape and place it over the powder. Rub it into the powder (not too hard) to get that layer stuck to the tape. Remove the tape and most, if not all of the bumpy surface should be gone. 

I did this with my Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette because the highlighter shade had developed a bumpy surface.

As you can see below, the tape took off most of the rough surface.

I hope this tip helps some of you out! Have an awesome day! :)

Tuesday Tips: Wear Makeup For YOU!

Today I wanted to address something that has a more personal meaning to me. Working in cosmetics can be really fun, but sometimes it just makes me realize how insecure women can be about themselves. Not everyone has to wear foundation and powder and eyeliner and mascara and eyeshadow and every other makeup product imaginable.

I think society makes women believe that we need to wear makeup to be beautiful. Wearing makeup is not a requirement and you should only wear if you want to. I just think some women don't fully understand that or maybe need to be reminded of it sometimes.

Personally, makeup makes me feels good about myself. I struggled with feeling very insecure about myself throughout my middle school and high school years. It maybe even started before that. Makeup became something that made me feel good and for the longest time, I thought I needed foundation and everything else because I felt it made me more beautiful. It took many years and a lot of growing up to realize that I don't need to do anything to please anyone but myself. 

Hahaha I found them gem on good ol' Facebook. I thought I was super cool.

I obviously still wear makeup today, but I wear it for the right reasons. I wear makeup for my own pleasure and not to impress anyone. I don't do it for the compliments and I don't do it to get anybody's attention. I do it for MYSELF!

Basically today's tip is to love the skin you're in. Wear the makeup you want to wear and don't wear makeup for anyone else but YOU. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

I hope you all have a great New Year's! Stay safe and have fun! I can't wait to see what 2014 brings! :)

Look of the Day: Betrayal

The Vice 2 Palette is my most recent obsession. I cannot stop using it! My absolute favorite color in this palette is Betrayal. Partly just because it is purple and I love purple and also because of the uniqueness of the shade. It is a bright purple duo-chrome with a blue shift. I think this color sums up who I am.

For this look I wanted to kind of make Betrayal the center of attention. I also wanted to use my other new obsession, the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid. These products and the rest of the products I used to create this look are at the end of this post.

Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2 Eye Pencil Set, Shadow Lockdown Duo, and Revolution Lipstick in Jilted (Swatches Included)

Urban Decay had their Friends & Family a couple weeks ago on their website, so I obviously had to buy things. I'm such a sucker for their products, especially their new stuff. I ended up buying the new Ocho Loco 2 Eye Pencil Set, the Shadow Lockdown Duo, and a Revolution Lipstick.

Let's take a look shall we?

First up is the Revolution Lipstick I bought in the shade Jilted. It is a bright pink with violet undertones. I love the packaging of these lipsticks and the lipstick itself. The wear is pretty good and I wish I could have gotten more shades, but maybe another time. UD's Revolution Lipsticks are $22. It's more than I usually spend on lipsticks, but I just love the color selection and the wear of these, so I am willing to spend a little more on these lipsticks.

Real Techniques Brushes Review

I have heard so many good things about Real Techniques brushes over the past few months that I decided I needed to try them out. Ulta occasionally has this brand on sale for buy one, get one 50% off, which is what they were on sale for when I picked some up. I bought them a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to show you all until I had used all of them.

I got this Travel Essentials set thinking it was the one I had heard and read such great reviews on. Oops. It's actually the Core Collection that I was wanting to try out, but I ended up keeping this set because I really like it. The 3-piece set comes with a foundation brush, a domed shadow brush, and a multi task brush.

Clinique Haul

Now that I work for Clinique and have to wear Clinique makeup to work, I realized I need more products so that I can have more of a variety of looks. Basically this means that I decided to spend some good money on Clinique products and now you all get to see the cool stuff I bought.

I have quite a few Clinique lipsticks, but none of the Chubby Sticks for lips. These are pretty awesome. They are like a big crayon that twists up. I find them super easy to use and fairly moisturizing as well.

I got two Chubby Stick Intense lip colors - one in Roomiest Rose and one in Grandest Grape. These are two of the Intense shades, which are a little more pigmented than the original Chubby Sticks.

Roomiest Rose is a soft, warm pink. I fell in love with this color the first time I tried it on. It looks nice with a lot of different looks. Grandest Grape is berry, violet-toned shade. This is a perfect color for fall!

Roomiest Rose and Grandest Grape

I also bought two Chubby Sticks for eyes as well. I have always been pretty skeptical of cream shadows or anything close to that because my eyelids are super oily and I have a problem with pretty much everything creasing on my lids. These, however, have worked pretty well for me so far. They are really easy to apply, especially if you're in a hurry. They can be worn alone or as a base for eye shadow. The two shades I got are Massive Midnight and Lots o' Latte.

These have a much rounder, flatter tip than the Chubby Sticks for lips because that makes them easier to apply. Plus, can you imagine trying to apply them with a more pointed tip? Ow!

Lots o' Latte is a taupe shade. It's a great base for almost all colors of shadow and it looks good alone too. Massive Midnight is a deep blue shade that I seriously love. I also want to mention that you can use these as an eyeliner too. Massive Midnight is a gorgeous eyeliner.

Lots o' latte and Massive Midnight

I picked up three of Clinique's new All About Shadow in the colors Rock Violet, Graphite, and Pacific Coast. These are better pigmented than their old eye shadows and look amazing on top of the Chubby Sticks for eyes.

Pacific Coast is a teal shade that is pretty vibrant. Rock Violet is a gray-violet that photographed more pink that it looks in person. Graphite is also a gray-violet but much darker. It also didn't photograph very purple. 

Pacific Coast, Rock Violet, Graphite

The last thing I bought is Clinique's Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion. I love this stuff and if you want to learn more about it, you can read my blog post about Clinique.

I went to Ulta this week for one thing and came out with several things, so I will have some more stuff to show you as soon as I get a chance to photograph them all. Stay updated by following me on one or more of the sites I'm on, which are linked in the sidebar.

Small Lancôme Haul

Okay, so I don't know if you can really even call this a haul, but I did buy three things from Lancome last week. They have their Fall Gift With Purchase right now, which I talked about in a post Sunday.

I am so excited about this first product I bought. Lancome has some of my favorite eye shadows ever. They are always nicely pigmented, wear well, and they have a great color selection. Well they have these new Color Design eye shadows that are super glittery and awesome in general.

I, of course, fell in love with the purple shade, which is appropriately named Statement Piece. It is freaking amazing! The shadow is very glittery but doesn't skimp on pigment. I wouldn't expect anything less from Lancome. I cannot wait to do an awesome look with this shadow!

Lancome also has brand new Artliner 24H liquid liners. I already loved their original Artliners, but now with a 24 hour wear and more vibrant new colors, there is even more to love. There are a total of 10 shades in these new liners. I wanted them all, but my wallet said no, so I ended up with the two lovely shades below.

The first one I picked out is called Chrome. It is one of four metallic shades in the collection. This color has so much dimension than any other chrome or silver liners I've seen. It spoke to me when I tested it on my hand at the counter, so I had to get it. The swatch below doesn't show all of the dimension to it, but I promise it is worth a look the next time you hit up a Lancome counter.

The other shade I bought is a purple liner (shocking, right?) called Amethyst. It is a blue-violet and is gorgeous. These liners stay vibrant and in place all day. They have a flexible felt tip on them that makes them easy to apply also.

Chrome and Amethyst

I will also have a Clinique haul posted within the next couple of days, so stay updated with the blog so you don't miss out! To do that you can follow me on a few different sites that are linked in the sidebar. You can also subscribe to my blog or enter your e-mail address in the sidebar to receive an e-mail when I update the blog.

Lancôme Fall 2013 Gift With Purchase

It's that time yet again! Lancome has their fall gift with purchase at Younkers, Carson's, Bergners, Herbergers, Boston Store, Bon Ton, and Elder-Beerman and you should definitely consider getting some things to get this one! To get the gift, you need to spend $35 or more.

Here's the scoop on this awesome gift:

Cosmetic Bag - Like most gifts that cosmetic lines have, this gift come with a makeup bag. However, Lancome is all about choices, so you can choose between a black or a berry-toned pink bag. The signature Lancome rose is on the bag in a soft, velvet print.

Skincare Trio - The next choice you get to make is which skincare trio you would like. There are three options and each comes with a serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. Each "set" is based on what your main skincare concern is. I choose the trio that has Visionnaire, High Resolution Eye Refill-3X Cream, and High Resolution Night Refill-3X Moisturizer.

Color Design Lipstick - You also get a choice between three of the Color Design Lipsticks. The options are Red Stiletto, Vintage Rose, and Pretty Burgundy. Vintage Rose (a dusty pink) was in one of Lancome's previous gifts that I received. I already own Red Stiletto, which is a bright, true red, so I picked Pretty Burgundy. It is a beautiful plummy red violet shade.

Hypnose Drama Mascara - The gift comes with a sample size tube of Hypnose Drama Mascara. I really like this mascara because it adds a lot of volume to my lashes and makes them stand out, hence the name "drama".

Cils Booster XL Primer - This lash primer also comes in the gift and it's amazing. It really helps mascara go on better, stay on better, and stand out better and saves your lashes a bit from the harshness of applying and removing mascara everyday.

Another added bonus to this gift is if you spend at least $70, you get some other extra goodies. Here is what those extras are:

Bifacil Eye Makeup Remover - This makeup remover is super awesome. You just put some on a cotton ball, hold it on you eyelid for 10 seconds and wipe. It works amazingly.

Definicils Mascara - This mascara is also part of the extra items. Another great mascara from Lancome. It is actually the number one selling mascara in the world.

Juicy Tube Lip Gloss - Last but not least you can choose to either receive La Base foundation primer or one of three different shades of Juicy Tubes. I have La Base primer already and it is a great primer that I would recommend trying. I also have two of the three shades offered in the Juicy Tubes. Moulin Rose (a bubblegum pink shade) and Magic Spell (a pretty rose shade). Both. I ended up with Tickled Pink, which is a nude, rosy pink. 

This gift goes through October 6th, but I would recommend getting yours ASAP because there are limited quantities, especially with the extra "step-up" gift.

The Goodwill Sale

I promise I will have some fun posts coming later this week, but for today I just wanted to mention that Younkers, Herbergers, Bergners, Bon-ton, Carson Pirie Scott, Boston Store, and Elder-Beerman will be having their Goodwill sale this month.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the Goodwill Sale, it works like this: for every item of clothing, bedding, etc. that you bring in to the store to donate to Goodwill, you will receive a coupon.

So why am I talking about this on a beauty blog? These coupons work on cosmetics! I don't know about you, but I use every opportunity I can to save on makeup. The sale starts on September 19th and goes through October 5th. For the first five days of the sale (the 19th-23rd), you can receive 20% off of cosmetics and fragrances. This is an awesome deal, and you should definitely take advantage of it if you live in an area with one of these stores. After the first five days, you can still receive 15% off of cosmetics and fragrances, which is still a great deal.

If you are worried about the store not having the items you want to buy or can't make it in on the first four days, call or stop in and have a beauty advisor do a pre-sell for you. We can hold the items for you with a credit/debit card number and it will be rung up when the sale starts. That way you get everything you want and get 20% off. You can then pick it up on any day during the sale at your convenience.

One more thing to mention about this sale: Lancome's gift with purchase starts September 18th (the day before the Goodwill sale). You can use your Goodwill coupons on Lancome products starting September 18th, plus you can get a free gift. That is twice as awesome as just getting a discount! I will have a post on the gift with purchase when the gift actually starts for anyone interested. Call your Lancome counter for inquiries about the gift for now.

August Favorites

Sorry for not posting anything for over a week. I've been pretty busy getting back into the groove of going to school.

August was a great month! I saw Taylor Swift in concert, I got a new job at Younkers as a Beauty Consultant for Clinique, I started my senior year of college, and I turned 21.

In the midst of all that excitement, I managed to rediscover a couple products and use some other ones that all became my favorites for the month.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I was so excited when I got this palette a couple years. However, I was disappointed with the selection in it and only found myself using not even half of the shades. I have kind of re-discovered this palette in the past few months and used it a lot in August. I have expanded my use of the colors. My favorites are Sin, Naked, Half-Baked, and Toasted. There are a lot of possibilities for subtle and bold eye looks with this palette. You just have to play around a little.

Left to Rgiht: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar

Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse

Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Maybelline Color Whisper Lipsticks - I really like these lipsticks because the coverage is pretty sheer, but it is also build-able. You can layer it depending on how much color you want on your lips. The wear on these is decent. I have to reapply them every few hours. They are great to keep in your purse or backpack. I have the Color Whisper Lipsticks in Petal Rebel, Pin Up Peach, Coral Ambition, and Rose of Attraction.

L to Right: Petal Rebel, Pin Up Peach, Coral Ambition, Rose of Attraction

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Yellow - I use this under my eyes to help hides dark circles. Since I almost always have dark circles under my eyes, this baby has been my best friend this month and will continue to be my buddy throughout the school year.

Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Shower Gel - This shower gel has Shea butter in it and is really moisturizing. The scent is floral and sweet. I use this shower gel to wash my body and to shave my legs because it doesn't leave my legs feeling dry or irritated later on.

Hair Claw Clips - I had been meaning to buy some of these for quite some time. I had a few when I was younger, but I'm not sure what happened to them. These are awesome. Sometimes I just need to pull my hair out of my face, put it up quickly, or add a little style instead of just wearing my hair down. I like to wear my hair half back a lot, but I have to use a lot of bobby pins and I hate when they stick out or don't work they way I want them to. These clips make it easy to just pull back some of my hair and clip it. They hold really well and don't hurt.

Men's Ralph Lauren Polo Red - Okay, so I don't actually wear this on myself, but my boyfriend does. This was still one of my favorite products this month though. It has become my new favorite cologne.. The scent is fresh but manly. I can't get enough. Check this out if you are in the market for a new cologne.

I want to try and start doing some video tutorials this month (or at least ONE). What do you all want to see? I like the idea of doing tutorials based on a theme or a series of looks, but maybe I'll start out small and work my way up. PLEASE let me know in the comments what you want to see!

Keep yourself updated with my blog by following me on one or all of the various sites I'm on. Links are in the sidebar!