the summer switch up

Although it isn't officially summer, it sure has felt otherwise with all the sunny clear skies and grilling smells in the air. This time of the year calls for me to switch up my color palette (and even texture palette) to fit in with the vibrant thing that is SUMMER.

SUMMER ESSENTIALS

I was using Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation but I have switched it out in favor of Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation which has much better lasting power and has a more realistic skin-like finish. Pulling this out has reminded me how much I love this foundation. If only it weren't so damn expensive! In the beginnings of summer before it gets too sweaty out, I tend to pull out creamier products. Although I have oily skin, I find powder feels too much and cream feels freer and thinner on the skin. I have been swirling my Sephora Platinum 55 Brush into my Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base for bronzer. I think this brush and product were meant to be used together since every other brush I have tried with it doesn't give me nearly the same great results.

Cheek wise I have been obsessed with my Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges (old packaging) in Cabo Coral and Calypso Coral. I haven't stopped wearing them for the past few weeks and I don't think I'll be switching it up any time soon. If I had to pick one, Cabo would definitely win. It is peachier and seems to meld into my skin tone more naturally. An honorable mention goes out to NARS Turks and Caicos Multiple Tint which is always a favorite of mine during the summer. It has a very thin gel texture and although the tube is bright, when swatched it is very subtle. It works best on bare or tacky skin (no powder!) so it is favorite of mine for beach days. Unfortunately all of these items besides Calypso Coral were limited edition, the best things always are! D: Blogsales or careful MakeupAlley swapping are your best bet since these are pretty hard to find anywhere else.

SWATCHES

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: CALYPSO CORAL, CABO CORAL, TURKS & CAICOS

For lips, you guys know I have been obsessed with orange-reds lately. I have been slicking on L'Oreal Shine Caresse in Coral Tattoo pretty often. The texture is so light and easy to apply. I still highly recommend this line. You can see Coral Tattoo on me HERE. I also pulled out MAC Vegas Volt which is a orangey coral that has a slight pastel quality to it that keeps it from being too bright and loud.

WEARING VEGAS VOLT

And finally nails. What nail polish addict can leave out their summer favorite nail colors? Neons are definitely an obsession of mine during summer. My favorites are China Glaze Shocking Pink for my mani and China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy for my pedi. I love the shades so much that once they chip, I remove and reapply! That is very rare for me since I own so much polish and like to give all shades some love. I will say that the wear time for these particular China Glaze shades is quite abysmal. A couple days and I get substantial chipping and wear. Just shows how much I love the shades since I put up with it!

What is your summer switch up? What are your summer time essentials?

review: becca shimmering skin perfector in moonstone

I think by now every beauty blogger alive has heard of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors. It currently comes in four shades varying from white pearl to golden bronze. I was always interested in picking up a shade but I couldn't quite decide which shade to choose. Should I have gone for the angelic Pearl or the amber Opal? Luckily for me, Becca came out with a shade that was in-between the two and the better match for my yellow toned skin: Moonstone. I had the chance to swatch all of the shades in person while visiting New York last September and Moonstone had a resounding effect so in the bag it went.

The texture is quite beautiful; light and non-greasy. You don't need much product to give the desire effect which should come as a relief since it costs $41 USD. I doubt anyone would get through the entire bottle quickly. I love how the product can be used alone atop the highest points of the face or it can be used as a mixing medium. I have found it works beautifully when mixed with the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer and, perhaps best, with Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24hr Foundation. Both of these products were too matte and full coverage for my taste. Paired with Moonstone things got a bit more, if not downright, bearable.

SWATCHES

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BECCA MOONSTONE, theBALM MARY LOU-MANIZER

I have a soft spot for highlighters that impart a golden sheen. If you are the same, you will love Moonstone. It is quite subtle, my swatches are heavy for the purpose of being able to capture its beauty on film. It is probably the most natural highlighter I own besides MAC Lightscapade. If you prefer subtle but noticeable highlighters, I definitely recommend you check it out. It is available at Sephora, Dermstore, and the official Becca website, just to name a few sources.

I apologize for not showing this product in action on my actual face. I find that it is not captured with justice in photographs. It is something that gives that, to use an over-used phrased, 'lit from within' look. I urge you to check it out in person and to mix it into your base yourself to experience its wonderful properties.

INGREDIENTS:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Homosalate, Glyceryl Stearate, Octyldodecanol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone), Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Trilaureth-4 Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana Witch (Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil/Huile minerale, Glucose, Fructose, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Alcohol Denat, Dextrin, Sucrose, Urea, Propylparaben, BHT, Hexyl Nicotinate, Glutamic Acide, Aspartic Acid, Alanine, Aloe Barbadensis Extract (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract), Butylparaben, Parfum (Fragrance). May contain/peut contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499), Tin Oxide, Mica

What do you think of the Becca Skin Perfectors? Do you own any of the shades?

revlon strawberry suede matte lipstick

Lately I have been on a bold lipstick kick. More specifically, poppy reds since I still haven't been able to imagine myself pulling off bright magenta or fuchsia any time soon. I'm diving into one realm at a time here! To help myself diffuse out into other color families, I decided to pick up reds with hints of colors I'm too afraid to try full out. For instance, rich pinks are not something I am comfortable with yet. I see colors like NARS Schiap and think they are beautiful, but not something I would ever wear. So I decided a strawberry red would be just what I needed to help me get over my pink fear.

REVLON STRAWBERRY SUEDE MATTE LIPSTICK

I first heard about Revlon Strawberry Suede from Essie back in the day. I remember her saying it was one of her favorite lipsticks and it looked so striking against her porcelain skin. I next saw Viola over at Killer Colours post a picture of her wearing it and that further piqued my interest. I also heard about the shade from Lisa Eldridge (aka makeup God). She mentioned it was a favorite of hers and sadly announced Revlon had discontinued it. The raving reviews and the rarity officially made it desirable number one to me. I was not willing to pay eBay prices ($20 and up) so one day I randomly searched on Amazon for the shade with no expectations and it surprisingly came up, for only around $6.

So what do I think of the shade? Beautiful no doubt. However I must say I am still more of a fan of orange-reds. It still is a very pleasing shade and I can see why lipstick lovers would go crazy over it. I am quite a big fan of the Revlon matte lipstick line, they are very comfortable with decent longevity and very rich pigmentation. It also is nice that it is so affordable and readily available. It is a shame that this shade is discontinued. Lisa mentioned the shade Pink Pout replaced this one and I think that was a mistake on Revlon's part. Pink Pout wouldn't suit nearly as many people as this shade would since it is very cool toned.

SWATCHES

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MAC Vegas Volt, Revlon Strawberry Suede, NARS Heat Wave, Revlon Really Red

I have seen some bloggers try to find a dupe for this shade. It has proven to be very difficult. From what I have read and seen of comparisons, I don't think there is any good dupe for it. It is unsurprisingly unique in my line-up since I don't own too many bold lipstick shades. Perhaps if MAC Vegas Volt and NARS Heat Wave had a hybrid baby, it might come close.

I would share the seller I bought it from but they no longer have the shade on sale any more. If you are desperate, you could turn to eBay but I would suggest to do a quick search on Amazon first to see if anything comes up. If you are a lipstick lover, you will definitely enjoy the shade!

shopping with me: forever 21 april picks

Am I slightly creepy if I say that I enjoy when people post about their shopping process? Oh it is flat out creepy you say? Well, I guess I am a self admitting creep then because I'm not going to deny it. I love shopping posts. I felt like spending money on clothes (actual clothes! Not makeup, shocker) this past weekend. My mind was set on finding breezy summer tops and flouncy dresses. Sadly no dresses caught my eye but I found a fistful of shirts at Forever 21 that caught my eye. Wallet friendly and great finds. Ready to shop with me?

MINT

I really liked the left minty top because it had interesting beading with strategic patterns. However I didn't buy it because the material felt cheap and it cost $30 and while that isn't expensive I knew I wasn't going to get much wear out of it before it 1. shrunk 2. fell apart. I did pick up the right top, the material was silky and the cut was basic. I didn't like it nearly as much as the first mint top but I knew it would look good with white shorts in the summer time and that it was a piece my sister would want to borrow from me.

BLACK & WHITE

I always have to restrain myself from buying only all black or all white clothing. The color palette of my wardrobe is pretty boring! But I wear everything to death. Practical! The polka dot shirt I actually saw someone wear so I had my mindset on finding it. Very comfortable material and adorable pattern. As for the tank, I am a sucker for black and white stripes, adding buttons just made it a done deal. I bought both of these.

COLLARED TANK

The collared sleeveless button up seems to be the trendy piece right now since I saw so many different styles of it. I loved both of my picks. The left reminds me of a tuxedo and it has black lace paneling on the sides. The right is a nautical piece, you can't tell from my shoddy picture but it has sailboats printed all over it. I do wish they were anchors instead, but I still thought it was a nice summer piece.

PATTERNED WHITES

I bought the whimsy floral top on the left but did not buy the eyelet double material top on the right. I wish the eyelet/jean top had a better fit because I loved the idea and design of it. It was too boxy on me, it made my body look not proportional.

What do you think? Do you like shopping posts? Has any cute summer dresses caught your eye? I think I will have to shop online for those, nothing in the stores tickled my fancy.

review: revlon nearly naked foundation

Revlon claims this foundation to be "refreshingly light, it melts right in, creating a fresh even look. Blends seamlessly, buildable coverage. No heavy cakey or greasy mess." When Revlon Nearly Naked foundation first launched, I tried my best to resist buying it. I didn't need a new foundation and the description, although appealing, made me wary on how well it would perform on my oily skin type. Curiosity got the better of me so I bought it on a whim. So how does it fare?

PRICING/AVAILABILITY/PACKAGING
You can find this in pretty much any drugstore where the price will vary between $8-11. It is cased in a glass bottle with a white plastic cap, sans pump. Nothing special or bad about the packaging, I normally just dump the desired amount onto the back of my hand. I also shake up the product before dispensing just to make sure all the pigment is evenly dispersed.

WEARING REVLON NEARLY NAKED FOUNDATION ALONE

CLOSER LOOK

FINISH/COVERAGE
The finish is very nice, very skin like. It isn't unnaturally matte nor too shiny. This is my favorite part about the foundation. The coverage is also decent and buildable. Think light to medium coverage. It does a great job at evening out the skin tone. If you are looking for something to cover dark scars or blemishes, you will need some help with concealer as this foundation won't cover it completely. I don't mind this, I dislike full coverage foundations since they always look unnatural and too made up for me.

FULL FACE

CONSISTENCY/FORMULA
The viscosity is thin and fluid. It is easily spreadable though I don't think this helps with its ability to blend. I notice that if I have a little too much product applied, it has a hard time blending seamlessly into the skin. I will see streak marks from my foundation brush (Real Techniques Buffing brush). When that happens I have to take my hands to press the product in and to make the marks disappear. This contains 20 SPF. I don't notice any harsh photography effects from SPF. There is a bit of a funky makeup scent to it, but it dissipates after application.

FULL FACE CLOSER LOOK

WEAR TIME
I had my doubts about the wear time of this foundation...and I was right to have them. This just does not last on me. After around 4 hours, I turn into an oil slick. I tried using my Urban Decay De-slick spray, my Dream Matte Maybelline powder, and my NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder. The NARS powder made it last slightly longer, but not my much. Since I have oily skin, I am used to seeing small amounts of oil creep its way through halfway through my day. This foundation left me very oily, more than normal.

The above picture was taken with my iPhone about 4 hours after application. Sorry for my less than enthused face :P You can see that my nose and inner cheeks are quite shiny and slick. If I blot, it usually keeps oil away for another four hours but I noticed definite fading of the color by the 6-8 hour mark.

SWATCHES
From left to right: Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Shell, Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in OC-1, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24HR in 260 Bisque N, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx06.

SHADE
I purchased the shade Shell. There are 16 shades available. I don't think this foundation caters much to darker skin complexions unfortunately. This shade doesn't match me perfectly. I have quite a bit of yellow to my skin. This foundation swatches warm but for some reason when I blend it into my skin, it turns neutral on me. It isn't hugely noticeable but I wanted to mention it.

OVERALL
For my oily skin type, this just does not last on me. This is a shame since I love the coverage and natural finish. In all fairness, Revlon did not boast this to be long lasting, only to be light and non cakey, which it truly is. Perhaps in the winter when my skin isn't as oily I will have better luck with it. The blendability can be an issue if you don't gauge the correct amount of product to use so start small and add more as you go to figure out the right balance. I think those with dry - normal skin types with few blemishes would really enjoy this as their day time foundation as it is very light and breathable. If you have oily or combo skin I wouldn't recommend it unless you don't mind blotting and don't care about the longevity of your foundation.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS FOUNDATION IF:

+ You prefer a natural looking finish
+ You have dry to normal skin with few blemishes
+ Longevity isn't a worry for you
+ You are in the market for an affordable daytime foundation

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOUNDATION IF:

+ You prefer full coverage
+ You like a matte finish
+ You have oily skin
+ You need a long lasting foundation

If you want to see this foundation in action, check out my getting ready with me post. Have you tried this foundation? What do you think of it?

In case you wondered:

Face: Revlon Nearly Naked, Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer, Maybelline Age Brightener Concealear, Maybelline Dream Matte Powder, Stila Bronzer, Bobbi Brown Cabo Coral Pot Rouge, Estee Lauder Modern Mercury

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Palette, Giorgio Armani Waterproof Eyeliner, L'Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara

Lips: Estee Lauder Impulsive Coral Gloss

in with the new: a skincare switch up

While I'd like to say my skincare routine is relatively simple, I think I'd be clutching at straws with that claim. Actually I'm fairly certain my ritual involves more products than the average person. Regardless, skincare is something I revel in so I don't mind it one bit. I have a structure to my madness at least. Well with a few of my skincare items done and gone it seems reasonable that I had to replace them, yes?

I like to have three types of cleansers on hand. An oil cleanser to melt off face makeup, a clarifying cleanser for at night and to use with my Clarasonic, and a gentle usually non-foaming cleanser in the morning to rinse off the nighttime grime. Replacing my previous gentle cleanser is Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk. I have been using this for a couple weeks and so far I like it. It is gentle but I actually feel like it has kept my skin clearer and less congested. It has quite a funky scent though!

At night after applying toner, I like to use a treatment of some type to work its magic while I sleep. Since I finished up the Ole Henriksen serum, the Murad T-zone Pore Refining Gel has taken its place. Quite the curious product. It smells like tart berries and has a thin gel texture. Too early to say if it is doing anything but I'll be sure to keep you updated. I have been rotating between Origins Charcoal and REN Glycol Lactic Radiance masks but to add to the party I threw in Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask too. I have only used this once but it was pretty intense. It looks and smells like a creamy mint toothpaste and the tingle is pretty strong, which I actually don't mind. If you have sensitive skin I would steer clear though.

What is in your skincare lineup right now?

006 items I've used up

Time for another installment of items I've used up. These type of posts are one of my favorites to read through on other blogs. Who knew us hoarding beauty bloggers would ever feel so accomplished USING UP things? I have quite a mixture of products this time with (happily!) a nice handful being makeup items. What did I use up this time?

HAIR
First up is hair care, something I never stick to. I am always trying out different brands. I tried out Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner and I didn't care for it. It left my hair weighed down. I ended up using the rest of it for shaving purposes since I prefer to use conditioner in place of shaving cream anyway (no razor burn ever!) I also used up Ojon Damage Reversal Shampoo. Nothing much to say about it besides that it has quite a medicinal herbal scent and I didn't notice any damage reversal to my hair. I don't recommend it since it is quite expensive for a product that didn't deliver.

MAKEUP
As for makeup, I powered through mascara this time around. Kind of shows that what I used didn't last very long? To give you a brief rundown of what I look for in a mascara: volumizing, inky black, doesn't flake, doesn't transfer. I tried out L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion which I didn't care for. It lengthened more than volumized which was a problem with me since lengthening isn't a huge priority to me. I also finished up Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Excess, which was ok. Nothing I would repurchase for the price point it is at. I finally got around to trying out Maybelline Falsies Flared. I didn't think that was great either, it transferred and didn't volumize enough. Last makeup item is L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liner which is a forever favorite of mine and I have already repurchased a new one to replace it.

NAILS/LIPS
A couple of favorites in this category. Used up a bottle of Seche Vite which is the best top coat I've tried so far even though it has the incredibly annoying trait of thickening up towards the end. What top coat do you recommend I try next? I also finished up the magic blue pot that is Blistex Lip Medex.

BODY CARE
I have such an extensive amount of Bath & Body Works lotion in my bathroom closet that I don't think I will get through it for a solid year. I am plowing through them though and have been good at not buying anything else until I'm done with it all. I used up the scents Pomegranate Citrus, Berry Vanilla, and Mandarin Mango with my favorite of the three being the latter.

SKINCARE
I've been having a lot of fun trying out new skincare items. I liked two items and didn't care for the other two. Being positive first, LUSH Magnaminty Mask was definitely an item I enjoyed. I was so sad to see this be gone. I really recommend it if you feel like your skin is congested or have been having breakouts. I also really enjoyed Ole Henriksen Enlighten Me Serum though I don't think I would repurchase it since I want to try out new things. I did a full review of it HERE.

As for the two items that didn't wow me, Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser and La Roche Posay Toleriane Lotion. The Avene cleanser was a little TOO gentle for me. It didn't break me out or make my skin feel bad but I felt like it didn't do anything positive either. As for the Toleriane lotion, I used this up when my skin was in its crazy dry stage and it didn't relieve my dryness. I also went through it very quickly which was a shame since the product was around 30 dollars.

And that's it! I feel like I have been dragging through using up items. So I leave you now with two things, a notice and a request. First, the notice: I updated my tags which you can view on the sidebar. I reduced it down to specific labels to help with navigation to what subjects you want to read. As for my request, what is your favorite topcoat? As much as I love Seche Vite the formula getting thick at the end drives me crazy!