2014 Favorites

The end of 2014 already, how did that happen? No really how did it happen? It all seems like it went by so fast. I have realized how busy 2014 was once I sit back and collect the months together. I moved houses, saw friends who live far away, and attended several concerts. I’m thankful for the wonderful 2014 I’ve had and will be looking forward to what 2015 brings. Thank you all for reading this blog and I hope you all stick around in the new year. For now, let’s reflect on my beauty and body care favorites from this year. 2014 was definitely the year I embraced my love of make up and everything else that goes with it.

NARS Laced with Edge

The holiday season seems to bring in loads of beautifully made limited edition packages from everyone’s favorite brands. They fill the stores’ shelves and twinkle at shoppers, waiting to be taken home and placed under the tree.

Holiday Gift Picks $30 & Up

The holiday season doesn’t only consist of tree decorating, sugar cookie decorating, and get-togethers with loved ones. It also brings out the pretty shiny and festive gift sets onto the shelves everywhere. Shops like Sephora and Nordstrom become winter wonderlands full of gifts and twinkly with decorations from wall to wall. I clearly am a big fan of Christmas and the holiday season in general. The Christmas List makes an appearance on my mother’s desk while I shop for her and my other loved ones for their special gifts. These gift set picks of mine are a bit on the expensive side, but not too shabby at all…

Very Merry $25 Gifts

Christmas shopping is always an event for anyone with a list of who to buy gifts for. Luckily there’s online shopping and popular retail places like Sephora only take 3 days to reach your door. If you’re like me, you’ll buy all through the year and set it aside in your closet until it’s wrapping time. Along with Christmas shopping comes managing your budget, so I compiled this list of my gifts and gift set picks that are under $25.00…hopefully one will catch your eye…

TODAY with One Direction | Shopping Haul

TODAY with One Direction | The Outfit and Make Up

TODAY with One Direction | The Show

The System

Everyone has that one thing they love to do in their downtime. Mine happens to be painting my nails, which I end up doing pretty much all the time. Taking care of my nails is important, too; no one likes yellow residue from their favorite buttercup yellow polish, do they? I sure don’t. Sephora came out with its own nail range last year called Formula X. Along with a ton of polish color options, they have a nail care system. This three-step system is a routine of mine before putting the actual color on my nails.

The Primer that Makes You "That Gal"

Primers are like the glue that holds everything together – in terms of my face, that is. I swear by Urban Decay’s for my eyes and I’ve recently switched to Benefit’s “That Gal” brightening face primer for my foundation.

Victoria's Secret Hair

Victoria’s Secret is a store that doesn’t typically have a wide range of perfumes, body care, or even hair care. But with a new look and formula, the Victoria’s Secret Hair line features [insert number of shampoo/conditioners] and [other types of hair care]. I tried out the Major Volume shampoo and ended up using about an Oreo-cookie size of the shampoo. I’m accustomed to more concentrated shampoo, so this was a bit of a let down for me. But the shampoo did get quite sudsy and lathered really well once in my hair. It also smells like the Body by Victoria scent, which is a very nice, clean, shampoo-appropriate scent. This hair care line is definitely worth a try if you’re into trying new things on your hair – and it’s almost always on a promo deal!

Benefit Majorette Blush

Lately I have been into a lot of Benefit’s products. From the They’re Real! Push-up Liner to “That Gal” Primer, I am all wrapped up in Benefit goodness. Another addition to my collection is the Majorette blush. With the product housed in an adorable round compact, this blush adds a pop of color to anyone’s cheeks. Made with pomegranate oil, it smells faintly sweet and is good for layering under other blush colors.

Majorette is also a cream to powder blush, which works as the perfect color booster on skin. I love the peachy-pink shade of this blush and I think it could work on anyone. Benefit’s website recommends applying it with the fingertips but I prefer to use a blush brush from Sonia Khusk at Target. I’ve applied it to the apples of my cheeks alone, but I may try out layering it with my Orgasm blush from NARS or my illuminating powder from Milani.

Makeup at Bobbi Brown

I find myself to be a floater between makeup counters at my local, newly renovated Belk. I love my bits from MAC, Chanel, Benefit, and – more recently – Bobbi Brown. After an invitation to come get my makeup done during the first re-grand opening days of Belk, I was thrilled to try out Bobbi Brown products for the first time.  My good friend, Kristen, and I were both treated to makeovers and a free gift afterwards.

September Birchbox

The blog is back! After a crazy week of packing, moving, and everything in-between the blog has returned and there's much planned for it. September was the anniversary month of Birchbox and the boxes that went out were a little more special than usual. Every Birchbox subscriber received one of three uniquely designed boxes, I received a light blue, white, dark blue, and magnet geometric patterned box which I loved. Inside were the normal five samples but also a bonus sample…which is still my current favorite thing…

Palette Party

One can never go wrong with the perfect Eyeshadow palette. With so many out there, it’s good to do some research before that purchase. Here are my favorites from my collection…

Victoria's Secret Lasting Touch Fragrance Cream

There is a new product on the market that makes my hands feel amazing and is so worth purchasing. This cream is a new arrival in the wide selection of Victoria’s Secret lotions, hand & body creams, and body butters. The Lasting Touch Fragrance Cream feels like satin on the hands. A pea-sized amount is all that you need to cover and rub into your skin, then Ah! This cream has a patented formula that acts like a primer for the skin before the wearer puts on her perfume. It will help the perfume last longer and keep the scent nice and fresh. I loved how it made my hands feel afterwards I knew I had to have one (two).

24 hours with One Direction | The Shopping

I finally had the opportunity to escape rainy Charleston for equally cloudy Charlotte. Luckily the weather stayed nice and dry for the One Direction concert that night. Once we got into town, my mother and I headed to South Park mall to do some shopping.

24 hours with One Direction | The Outfit and Make Up

Along with attending a concert comes the most important question: what am I going to wear?! I had since March to figure this out and I finally did in at the beginning of September. With my past experience at these types of concerts, I knew I wanted to be cool, comfortable, and able to move around a lot.

24 hours with One Direction | The Show

August Birchbox

Around the end of August I finally decided to get a subscription to Birchbox: a popular beauty, hair care, body care, and healthy eating company that sends out a monthly box made up of five samples handpicked just for you. If this is your first time ever hearing about Birchbox, please allow me to educate you. After you sign up for your ten-dollar a month (just ten dollars!) subscription, you make your profile tailored to your skin/hair types, add preferences of samples to come in the mail, and other things you are interested in seeing in your Birchbox. I am a big fan of things being custom made or picked just for me and this company is perfect just for that.

Fall Nail Color Picks

In the middle of Fashion Month, fall looks from February are starting to make an appearance in stores and new ones for the upcoming spring/summer season next year are being put on display for the first time. With the fall season arriving, colors are changing, and I don't just mean on the leaves. Fall clothing has started to appear and also fall nail colors. Here are my picks for the perfect fall nail colors...

The Samples | 9.11.14

Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation- I was quite excited to try out this foundation when I saw it was a bonus choice on Sephora’s website. I got the shade “I’m All The Rage” Beige, which actually turned out to be one or two shades too dark for my skin. The formula is really nice, however; it reminds me of the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. I felt like this was a bit heavier upon application it but after wearing it all day, I really liked the coverage and look it gave me. I would probably purchase this foundation after getting matched properly by a specialist.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara- This mascara came in a duo with a lipstick, which I’ll mention below. I have posted mascara reviews recently and I can still say I really like this mascara. It goes on very nicely, coating each lash, and makes them look really good. I felt like I could see every lash but it also volumized and make my lashes look really nice and full. I would definitely pick up a full sized version when I’m in need of mascara.

Make Up For Ever Lipstick in No 9 Copper Pink- I’m not really a lipstick kind of girl, but this is a lovely shade that’s versatile to wear during the day or on a night out. Copper Pink is more of a fall shade but it could be a good evening spring color. The formula is really light, making your lips look smooth and feel moisturized. If I wanted to try a new lipstick, I would go back to Make Up For Ever.

Kate Somerville Daily Moisturizer- I am a firm believer in a good moisturizer, and this Kate Somerville product was a good choice. It reminds me of milk… if milk came in a gel-like formula (weird, I know). It’s very light and smells good, too. The moisturizer took good care of my skin and lasted me all week.

Make Up For Ever Setting Spray- My make up always stays in place throughout my entire day, so I have never needed a setting spray. I decided to give this one a chance since it came in my package. I felt quite stupid spraying something in the direction of my face. Once I did spray this on, however, it just felt like water misting my skin. I didn’t see a big difference my make up staying, but if someone needs a setting spray I’m sure this would be a good choice.

Kate Somerville Mega-C Dual Radiance Serum- This little duo is for those who want some added radiance and extra care for their skin. I gave this one to my mother so she could try it out since it promotes youthful-looking skin (but it obviously does more than that). I have always been a fan of dual products, and my mother ended up enjoying this one as well. The only issue she had was that the “Mega-C” part irritated her skin, causing to her experience a burning sensation after application. But once she put the other part on top, it helped to relieve the burning. So if you get this product, use it with care!

The Mascara Post | Drugstore Picks

Following my mascara post that went up the other day (read here) here is the other one featuring my drugstore picks! I know this post seems quite long but it is worth the time to read! Join me and my mascaras as I tell you about my experiences with them all.  

Listen, Watch, Wash

Listen

An album I’ve been listening to a lot recently is Language & Perspective, by the California native band Bad Suns. I first heard Bad Suns when they opened for The 1975 in June and after hearing a few songs, my friends and I agreed that this group was really good. They seemed really excited to be performing in Charleston and their sound was really unique to me. I had heard one song before but when the album came out, I decided to add it to my library. My favorite tracks are “Dancing on Quicksand” and “We Move Like the Ocean.” They are definitely a group to check out if you are a fan of Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Foster the People, and HAIM.

Watch

If you’re like me, then when you start a new TV show or season, it’s all you ever want to do. At the moment, I am enjoying (read: binge-watching) season three of Once Upon a Time, which returns to ABC on September 28^th. Starting with season one, this multi-layered story begins in Storybrooke, Maine where fairy tale characters like Snow White, Prince Charming, Jiminy Cricket, and the Evil Queen have all been placed and have no memory of who they really are. Each episode usually introduces a different fairy tale character and viewers learn their backstory and also who their personas are in Storybrooke. Once Upon a Time has been crafted and written so wonderfully and the storylines are incredibly intricate. This is definitely one show I could watch over and over again and still be on the edge of my seat.

Wash

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask is an amazing skin care product to use two to three times a week to help clear pores. Two of my friends have used it and have been pleased with the results so about a month ago I purchased it myself. You don't need much, maybe a quarter size and once you rub it on it goes to work. Once it's hardened, you wash it off and I usually moisturize after. It instantly makes skin feel smoother and cleaner. 

The Mascara Post | Prestige Picks

This post may seem quite long but definitely worth the time to read. So take a seat and check out my experiences with these little beauties (and not so beautiful)...

My First Lush Visit

This past Thursday, Lush finally here in Charleston. I bold and italicize it because it has taken about a year for it to finally open its doors to the public. After finding out in my class, I couldn’t stop thinking about going. So once I left class about 8:30, I decided to drive by and see if they were still open and I was happy to see the lights still on and people shopping around inside. The store is quite small, as most Lushes are, but houses plenty of choices of products. Cassandra, one of the employees, quickly greeted me and I told her what I was looking for. I had such a happy visit, it made my night. So here is what I got…

MAC Birthday Haul

I received some gift cards for my birthday since all my friends know how much of a ‘makeup enthusiast’ I am. I knew it was time to make a stop by MAC since I hadn’t made a proper visit in a couple months. I had so much fun during this trip by just trying out everything on my list and eventually picking out what I wanted. My picks are great additions to my eye makeup collection because of their uniqueness to my pre-existing load. My lip-gloss and eyeliner are exciting newcomers to my collection as well since I didn’t own either of these from MAC before.

Texture eye shadow: This is such a unique color and I would have never thought to pick it up until I saw it on one of my favorite blogs, Lily Pebbles. It is described as a peachy brown with some shimmer. It goes on quite warmly and looks wonderful when blended with a chocolate shade in the outer corners of the eyes.

All That Glitters eye shadow: I have seen countless recommendations for this shadow and the woman at MAC said it was a best seller among customers. I have Jest, a white shimmer, and I love it for highlighting. All That Glitters is a warmer neutral with shimmer. It looks great if you want to blend it with other colors or wear it alone for a more neutral eye. I can definitely see myself using a lot of this color.

Handwritten eye shadow: This is an extremely rich chocolate brown matte color that is great for the crease or outer corner. It adds depth with the dark brown to any eye look. It reminds me of a Hershey bar compacted into an eye shadow.

Gilded Thrill Electric Thrill eye shadow: From MAC’s newest collection, A Novel Romance, this creamy textured eye shadow pot may just be my new favorite thing. Mixed between the infamous Paint Pots and Chanel’s D’ombre eye shadows, this little shadow pot is like gold (even the color is gold!). The product is very high in shimmer, rich when applied on with your fingertip, or more sheer when applied with an eye shadow brush. I did blend Gilded Thrill over All That Glitters and loved the outcome of the eye makeup look.

Teddy eyeliner: My first MAC eyeliner and also my first brown eyeliner! This eyeliner is chocolate brown with a bit of shimmer to it, but you can’t tell once it’s on your lid. This eyeliner is very rich and blend-able if you want to build it up or smudge it out.

Nymphette lip glass: This was an actual birthday present from a close family friend. It is also my first lip gloss from MAC since I rarely ever wear anything on my lips. This color is a wonderful neutral and it seems to have a lot of different shades of pinks and oranges in it. It’s not too sticky either; it goes on very smooth and tastes amazing, just as all MAC lip products do.