Recent Haul: Drugstore + Sephora + ELF

In all my excitement about spring, I totally forgot about the things I recently bought. So, I thought I'd share my favorite items from a recent drugstore, Sephora and ELF haul. Let's get it to it!

I'll start off with the drugstore items. So, I made a trip to the local Walmart and got a few things. And, just so you know, Walmart trips are generally what I do for fun here. Seriously. It's the most exciting thing in town.

Anyway, the first item I'll be talking about is the Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Brow and Eye Liner.

cr: http://www.musingsofamuse.com

I picture above is actually  the eye pencil in Black Black. I bought the one in Charcoal because I like my brows to look a little softer. I also wear glasses, so if my brows are too defined or too dark, I just look really funny. Here's a swatch of it on my hand:

I had previously used Maybelline's Define-A-Brow Eye Brow Pencil, and they're fine. But, I came across this one and thought I'd just try it because Wet 'n Wild eye shadows are pretty good. Plus, this pencil is only $0.98. Yes, folks, before tax, it's not even a dollar. It's long and fairly pigmented. And, as a brow pencil, it is fantastic. Now, I have never used this as an eye liner because I honestly don't wear eye liner on a daily basis, and when I do, I use my Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Black Ebony. However, after using it daily for about two weeks, I think that this might not be such a great eye liner because it does smudge on bare skin.

Next, I bought two new lipsticks and I have been super in love with them. They are the Maybelline Color Whisper in Orange Attitude and the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Fuchsia Flash. Here are the swatches:

top: Color Whisper in Orange Attitude
bottom: Color Sensational Vivid in Fuchsia Flash

I just think that both of the colors are so pretty and so suitable for spring. I am very impressed at the lasting power of these lipsticks. I have quite a few Lancome lipsticks, and some of them don't last more than three hours. The Maybelline lipsticks lasted through six hours of classes with lunch in between. 

This next product totally saved my feet. I'm not the type of person who spends a lot on bath and body stuff. Brands like Soap & Glory, Lush, and L'Occitane are great, but they are so pricey. So, I buy bath and body stuff mostly from the drugstore. I recently purchased Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Foot Cream because my feet were just messed up from the dry weather.

I've tried a couple of foot creams in the past from Dr. Scholl's and Jergens, but they didn't really do anything for my feet. This lotion, though, is amazing. Within a week of using it every night before bed, all of the cracks in my heels were smooth. So, I'm terribly grateful to this lotion!

The last drugstore purchase I have are two face scrubs. They are St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub and St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Scrub.

These were definitely an impulse buy. I've tried St. Ives lotions, and I thought they were just marginal. But, I found these in the 'travel-sized' section, and they were $1 each. So, I thought I'd just try them. Even though they are all-natural, I didn't have high expectations at all. I thought to myself that if these didn't break me out, I'd consider it a success. My first impression: they smell amazing! I couldn't stop sniffing them. :)

I tried the apricot one last night. Like other drugstore facial washes, it was drying to my skin, but that's not something that really fazes me anymore. It cleaned my skin fairly well, but this thing is nowhere near holy grail status, not even ten miles away. I think I'll need more time with it in order to really see how it works. Plus, I haven't tried the green tea one yet. So, I'll keep you guys updated.

So, my birthday was last month, and this particular Sephora purchase was made just because I wanted the birthday present, which were two mini Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment lip balms. :)

One is just like a regular lip balm while the other has a VERY sheer rose tint to it. They are very good, long-lasting lip balms, and they have SPF 15. I don't know if I would necessarily buy them on my own because they're about $23 a piece. But, if you can afford it, feel free to give them a shot! :)

Now, for the things I actually bought at Sephora. I actually bought one thing. In two colors. :)
I bought Sephora's Smoky Kohl Eye Liner in Copper and Lilac.

left: Copper (looks brown on camera, but more shimmery copper in real life)
right: Lilac

They are not waterproof and they're honestly not very pigmented. But, I will say that the Lilac one is more pigmented than the Copper one. They are smudge-able, so I use the copper one on my lids a lot. The Lilac one is good for lining the inner corners of my eyes and the lower waterline. Sadly, they're not fantastic. But, they are on sale for $3 each right now. So, if you want them, get them before they go back to being $12 each. It's just not worth it then.

For my ELF purchase, I bought a couple of the brushes from their Studio line. Specifically, I bought their small angled brush, small precision brush, small smudge brush, concealer brush, and blush brush.

from right to left: smudge brush, angled brush, concealer brush, precision brush, blush brush

Honestly, I'm not too happy with any of the small detail brushes because I don't think they pick up enough product. And, they could be a little softer. So, I don't really recommend the detail brushes from them. However, I do love the blush brush. It is very soft, and unlike the small brushes, it does pick up a good amount of product. I've washed it and I haven't experienced any shedding. For $3, I feel like the blush brush is a pretty decent buy.

Overall, this haul is pretty good. As always, if you have any questions for me, or if you have any products you'd like for me to try, please leave them in the comments section below. I'll talk to you soon!

-N

Spring!

Hey, guys! I hope everyone is having a great March so far. Since winter is about to be long gone (except that it's still freezing here and there's still snow on the ground...), I thought it'd be nice to post some of the things we can all do to get ourselves ready for spring!

1. Spring cleaning... for your makeup bag.

I KNOW for a fact that I am not the only person who is guilty of just hoarding makeup. Most of the time, I just find it kind of wasteful to throw away makeup, especially if it's something that I love and I still have some left in the container. I'm one of those people who get every last bit of toothpaste out of the tube before I throw it away... However, we have to realize that products aren't made to last forever! According to WebMD, here's how long you should keep your beauty products:

Sunscreen (or anything with SPF) - until it expires, or three years, whichever one comes first
Eye Cream - three months, or sooner if it has changed color/consistency/smell
Body Lotion - a year, or sooner if it has changed color/consistency/smell
Mascara - three months (obviously, please throw away IMMEDIATELY if you've had some kind of eye infection...)
Lipstick - up to two years
Moisturizer and Liquid Foundation - up to six months

Now, personally, especially if I haven't opened the product, I won't necessarily go with the guidelines above. But, if I have opened a product, I would go with them just so that I'm not putting anything on my face that shouldn't really be on my face anymore... Plus, cleaning out your makeup collection will totally make room for pretty new spring makeup! :)

2. Drink enough water!

I know for sure that I am guilty of not drinking enough water on a daily basis. I keep trying to convince myself that coffee, tea and juice contain water, so I'm good. Technically. That's not the case people. Even though drinking plenty of water won't give you hydrated skin, it will prevent your skin from getting dehydrated. Plus, with hotter weather coming, you want to keep yourself well hydrated so that you replace the water you lose during perspiration, and help your body do its normal bodily functions. Keep your body happy and drink enough water!

3. Eat with the season.

cr: http://thegreenden.blogspot.com/2010/05/springing-food.html

To me, spring is kind of the season for open markets. I mean, the colors you see with the fresh fruits and vegetables are breathtakingly beautiful. Plus, they're all just really yummy. Face it; that's why we buy them. I will say that the peak of spring eating is not until late spring and into early summer, though. That's when you get the GOOD stuff, such as strawberries, apricots, radishes, sugar snap peas, rhubarb, etc.

If you have an iPhone, there is an awesome app called Seasons that will show you which fruits and vegetables are in season. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you can use this app in the US, Australia, Europe and the UK. If you're like me and just has a good ol' computer or laptop, you can check out Epicurious's Seasonal Ingredient Map. It's very nice because it tells you which ingredients are available in different states so that you get the freshest ingredients possible. I do apologize that I don't have a map for places outside of the US, but if you know of a website, please leave it in the comment section below. Sharing is caring! :)

4. Get that SPF ready.

With more sun coming, sunscreen is going to be very important. Whether you're out on the beach during spring break, or just taking a stroll and airing out those legs that have been covered up all winter, put on sunscreen. Not only do you want to avoid getting sun damaged skin, but you also want to put on sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.



The moisturizer that I use every morning--which is Lancome's Beinfait Multivital Daily Moisturizing Lotion--has SPF 30 in it, so I don't use a separate sunscreen. I have heard from multiple online reviewers that the Diorsnow UV Shield and Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protection Cream are both very good. If you want a drugstore option, I've read that the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock is also good.
For the body, I am honestly less concerned with the brand. I actually currently use Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion with SPF 55.


I suffer from eczema and I constantly have to use products that are really gentle. So, most of the time, I go for baby products. I've read reviews where babies with eczema or just really sensitive skin have had terrible reactions to this stuff, but I personally haven't. But then again, I'm not a baby...

5. Get your spring break on.



Okay, so this is mostly for me and people who are still in school. However, I do encourage everyone to just go outside and enjoy spring before the sweltering heat of summer comes, and we all have to crawl back into our air-conditioned happy places.

I AM VERY EXCITED FOR SPRING BREAK. For one, this will be my first spring break as a college kid. Secondly, I am going to New York!



Yes, that New York.

I'll be visiting a very good friend of mine who currently attends NYU, and I am super excited because I haven't seen her since last May. I am also excited about all the places I want to visit and all the stores I want to check out. I'll be sure to do a post on my NYC vacation and possible NYC haul.


So, I guess that's it. I hope every one is looking forward to the new season as much as I am. If you have any questions for me, or would like to recommend any product for me to try, please feel free to post in the comments section below. I'll talk to you soon!

-N

Spring 2013 Makeup and Fashion

With the month of February coming to an end, I'm just feeling very excited about spring! Mostly, I am just really excited for spring break and having some time off from school. But, I am also very excited about all the beautiful things that come with spring. Let's get to it!


Spring Makeup 2013

I was delighted to see a lot of stronger eye makeup looks at the 2013 S/S Fashion Week. I was especially loving the metallic silver eyes at Chanel, the jeweled eyes at Dior, and the grunge-esque looks at Versace and Diane von Furstenberg. I was also falling head over heels for the neon lips at Giles S..

Giles S. S/S 2013
cr: glamourmagazine.co.uk

Chanel S/S 2013
cr: glamourmagazine.co.uk

Dior S/S 2013
cr: glamourmagazine.co.uk

Versace S/S 2013
cr: glamourmagazine.co.uk

Diane von Furstenberg S/S 2013
cr: glamourmagazine.co.uk

Spring Fashion 2013

From high-end to low-end, the word 'pretty' comes to mind when I look at the new spring collections for 2013. Starting from high-end, I am really loving Dolce&Gabbana's S/S collection and Carolina Herrera's spring collection. I've always been a fan of D&G, but I've really only known Carolina Herrera for her wedding dresses. Her spring collection for this year is simply gorgeous!

Here are some of my D&G S/S 2013 favorites:

Now, for the low-end. I'm really loving Forever21's Spring Essentials Collection. I'm a very simple dresser usually, and all of the clothes in this collection look absolutely perfect for me. Not only are they pretty, but they are also within my price range. Well, most of them are.

-N

Beauty To-Do List: the Shortlist

For my first post, I have decided to do a beauty to-do list that I have for myself at the moment. I am constantly searching for new and better beauty products, whether it is skin care or makeup. So, I thought it'd be fun to share some of that with you guys. The products below will be a good mixture, I think, of high-end and low-end products. I also even have a couple of dupes for a very fantastic product. So, read on! :)


1. SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion

I came across this product about a year ago, but I was kind of turned off because of the price ($60). Plus, I have never really used a toner before, and I've a heard a lot of people say that toners don't really work. So, all in all, I was just not really attracted. However, a couple of months ago, I stumbled upon RAEview's channel on Youtube. For those of you don't know who she is, RAEview, in my opinion, is one of the best makeup and skin care reviewers on Youtube. Her videos are extremely informative and she gives you a lot of options. After watching RAEview's review of it here, I really started having second thoughts. It seems like her skin is very similar to mine (normal/combination and sensitive) and she says that this normalized her skin. NORMALIZED. I want to be normal so badly! Not only did it normalize her skin, it also keeps her breakouts away. I haven't really found good high end products that keep acne away. So, if this is true, this is a BIG turn on for me. You can find this at the SK-II website or at Sephora.

2. Clarins' Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed

I've heard a lot of good things about Clarins in general, so I've always wanted to try something from them. I don't know why I haven't had the chance. Like the SK-II toner, I also found out about this product through RAEview (here). I was actually kind of going back and forth between this cleanser and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser, but after reading the really positive reviews online for the Clarins cleanser, I was kind of won over. I have weird skin; it's combination around my T-zone, but I have dry patches on my cheeks, my forehead, and the tip of my nose. In addition to that, I also have mild acne. I have been using Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub for a good four years now. All throughout high school, the scrub did it's job fairly well. I had some issues with the dryness, but it wasn't bad. Lately, though, I feel like the scrub is just drying out my face, especially now that it's winter time. So, I've been on a hunt for a cleanser that would clean out the gunk inside my pores without leaving my skin stripped and dry. You can find this at the Clarins website or at Sephora.

3. Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Gel Shadow

Folks, there is a great big Color Tattoo bandwagon out there and I'm jumping on it. Tons and tons of people have raved about these shadows for quite a while now, and I don't know why it has taken me this long to finally take notice. They're supposedly very pigmented and goes on your lids very smoothly. Many have compared them to MAC's Paint Pot and said that they work just as well. I'm really interested in these now.

4. e.l.f Studio Endless Eyes Pro Mini Eyeshadow Palette in Natural

DUPE ALERT. This is one of the best dupes I've found online for Urban Decay's Naked Palette. And, it's only 10 bucks. The Naked Palette is probably the grand-daddy of all other palettes in terms of popularity, even though there are the Vice Palette and Naked 2 Palette. The real dupe is actually e.l.f's Beauty Book Neutral Edition, but much to my dismay, the beauty book is not on the website anymore. I'm not sure if it's completely discontinued, but I just haven't been able to find it anywhere. However, all of the colors in beauty book can be found in the big Studio Endless Eyes Palette. As of now, the e.l.f website shows that they are currently out of stock. There is a chance that you might be able to find it at Target or Walgreens. Crossing my fingers!

5. Sleek i Divine Storm Palette

As you can probably guess from looking at the picture, yes, it is another dupe for UD's Naked Palette! I've actually never heard of this brand before stumbling upon this review of it. It's a very close tie between this palette and e.l.f's palette for being the best dupe of the Naked Palette. Both the e.l.f palette and this palette seem to be very pigmented. I think the e.l.f eye shadow palette is sort of winning because it is only 10 bucks, but both seem to be very good options. You can find this palette here.


So, I think that's about it for now. I'll make sure to update if I add anything else to the list. If you want to recommend some products for me to try or if there's anything you want me to post, please leave a message on the comments section below. Thanks for reading! :)

-N

WARNING: This blog was started on a whim.

So, one evening, while I was supposed to be studying for a Linear Algebra exam, I decided that I want to start a blog. I wanted to start an informative blog that would help girls like me--girls who are just starting to figure things out about looking well, eating well, and feeling well.

From food, to makeup, to lifestyle, I find that I've had to change a lot since I started college. All of the changes seemed a little... overwhelming at first, but with the helping hands of friends, bloggers and Youtubers, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Now, I'm not going to lie; searching for good and reliable information has not been easy. And, that is exactly why I want to help other people. I hope this blog would be a one stop shop for all  your needs!

-N