little walgreens haul: essie and carmex lip tints

yesterday i decided to pop into my local walgreens to waste some time before heading off to my next class. what a mistake because while i was browsing i noticed that my walgreens FINALLY has a full essie display up. i have seen some essie polishes scattered around before (just little collections with no colors worth getting excited over) but this was the first time i have seen more variety.

needless to say i had to REALLY restrain myself from getting nail polish crazy...i carried around 5 bottles of polish with me for a good 15 min...pathetic. i ended up walking out with two colors (because they are $8 each and i convinced myself walgreens always has sales...right..RIGHT?!) as well as a lip product i have been searching for for months now...the carmex moisture plus lip balm tint. enough with my blab, here are the pics:


i picked two neutral shades, sew psyched and sand tropez. ive been wanting sew psyched since its first launch, and sand tropez is part of the new french affair line (that i keep convincing myself i dont need). i picked sand tropez because it seemed like the most unique color that i could add to my collection.

i would say sew psyched (left) is a light olive cream and sand tropez (right) is a greyed beige. i really have nothing like sew psyched in my collection. as for sand tropez; i found some shades from my collection to compare it to...

color comparison of sand tropez (second from right)
as you can see, sand tropez is NOTHING like orly prince charming (PC has too much brown to it & is too dark). it is also not as grey as chinchilly (second from left) and not as white as marshmallow (far right). the closest match is sally hansen's complete manicure in wet clay (which i havent worn yet). but they are not exact matches, wet clay is a smidgen darker and more grey (just by comparing from the bottle)

the other nail polishes i ALMOST got were nice is nice (a light lavender), french affair (pink cream), and turquoise and caicos (light cream turquoise). i have a feeling i will eventually cave and go back for them...

as for the carmex moisture tint products...i got both colored tints they come in (peach and pink). these retail for about 3 bucks but they were on sale for 2 each.

carmex moisture plus tints
they come in a slim dull silver packaging with a band showing the color of the product inside.

my bare lips


carmex moisture plus peach tint


carmex moisture plus pink tint


swatches for comparison (pink on left, peach on right)


these tints seem like they are meant to be buildable. you can sheer them out, or apply more product to get the color to show. i was happy with the pigmentation, i hate when tint products give no color at all, but thankfully these color actually show up! the texture is very smooth and not sticky at all. the scent/taste IS like the original carmex line, so if you are familiar with that scent and know you dont like it, you wont like this either.

i have only been using them for a day so i cant give a complete review on their performance. but so far i have been satisfied with these. they have kept my lips soft and moisturized for the past day...no weird reactions yet.

have you guys tried out these tints yet? i had the hardest time finding them!

NOTD: malibu green

as i mentioned in my last post, i wasnt feeling the peachy shade from american apparel. the color is beautiful but i am just not in the mood for peach. so i repainted my nails with another american apparel polish, malibu green.


i love this color. the application for this was much easier than the summer peach. my guess is because summer peach is such a light shade so it is prone to streaking. malibu green applied effortlessy. i could have got away with only one coat, but out of habit i did two.


these pictures are from a couple days after i first painted them. as you can see, they havent chipped yet. they arent as shiny any more though. you can tell by the photos that my topcoat seems a little dull (i used out the door topcoat)


i am definitely feeling this shade. it reminds me a bit of opi's jade is the new black, but brighter and with more blue tones to it. you can check out my NOTD with jade is the new black HERE.

what do you guys think of this shade? definitely not for the conservative work place!

NOTD: summer peach

for my current nail color, i wanted to pick a pastel color to reflect the spring trends going on. so i picked american apparel's summer peach.

natural lighting


this is my first time using an american apparel polish. though i love the cream finish, this formula was a bit thick to work with. i prefer my polish formulas to be medium in viscosity as for a smooth and even finish. this polish was really difficult for me to smooth out, i had to work harder than i normally do.

with flash



i've been rocking out this polish for a little over a day and it has already chipped on me. but in its defense, i DID wash some dishes today so that is most likely the reason why. as for the color, i like it. i dont love it though. maybe its just because i am not in the mood for peachy colors!

dont mind the little chip i did to my pointer finger :(

have you tried out american apparel polishes? are all the shades from this brand thick in application? i have two other colors from american apparel to test out as well..maybe that will be my next NOTD...

style inspiration: vanessa hudgens

one of my favorite style icons is vanessa hudgens. i absolutely love her style. her style is very comfortable, free and chic. it is a mixture of edge and bohemian. she incorporates a lot of layering in her outfits, which i love. another thing vanessa does that i love the look of is piling on the accessories (tons of bracelets, various rings at once, layering many necklaces). although i dont like every single outfit shes ever worn, i do like a vast majority of them. ive noticed that we share a lot of the same items in our closet (some on accident, and others because i purposely sought after the items). for example:

chinese laundry sudoku sandals(img courtesy of intheircloset.com)
i love chinese laundry. i think their prices arent too outrageous and they have a wide selection of shoes. i love these sandals, i get compliments every time i wear them. they are very unique, comfortable, and they go with so many different outfits! i bought mine online.

chinese laundry turbo boots(img courtesy of justjared.com)
another chinese laundry shoe that is amazing. it is very versatile, i can dress these up for a night out or dress them down to wear during the day. they just slip on with ease and can be worn slouchy or above the knee. my sister got me these as a gift from macys a while back.

dolce vita aegean sandal (img courtesy of intheircloset.com)
these sandals are super cute. i love the crossing detailing. again, they go with so many outfits and they look super flattering on the feet. they are a bit flimsy though, its not the most supportive sandal. got these on amazon.

sam edelman gigi sandal & urban outfitters tank
i bought these online a couple months ago after lusting after them for over a year when i first saw them on vanessa. they are so simple but make outfits look so put together. i also have the same tank as her in this pic, but in black. its one of my favorite tanks as it has lace detailing on the front.

and the latest addition that i recently purchased...

MIA t-strap beaded sandals (img courtesy of onsugar.com)
currently my only pair of brown sandals are falling apart. i have been searching for a nice pair of brown leather sandals, and then i saw a picture of vanessa wearing these and i fell in love. i love how they are t-strapped and the detailing of the gold beading.

who are your style icons? i know not everyone cares for vanessa's style (she gets criticized for being sloppy) but it doesnt matter to me! i still love the little chica.

005 items im lusting after

time for another episode of things i wish to possess. sadly i must refrain from buying anything fun because ive been spending so much money on traveling!

jemma kidd dewy glow radiance creme in rose gold (img courtesy of dermstore.com)
ive heard this is a really beautiful highlighter. plus its in the shade rose gold! just divine.

giorgio armani eyes to kill intense eyeshadow in khaki pulse (img courtesy of nordstrom.com)
actually i would love to try any of the colors in this collection. these remind me a lot of mac's "black" collection, but much more metallic and wearable. khaki pulse really captured my heart.

nars yachiyo brush (courtesy of narscosmetics.com)
ive been lusting for this tool for a while now, ever since i saw blushingpixie use the same one in her video HERE. the price of this brush ($50) doesnt bother me, since i know great brushes are an investment.

theBalm shady lady vol 1 palette
sadly this palette seems to be discontinued! if i saw it i would buy it in an instant. ive heard nothing but good things about theBalm eyeshadows. and although there are vol 2 and 3 palettes available, i really like the shades offered in vol 1. if vol 1 never comes back, i might just settle with vol 2 eventually :)

illamasqua pure pigment in ore (img courtesy of illamasqua's blogspot)
i have been DYING to try a zillion products from illamasqua (their powder blushes, cream blushes, nail varnish...just to name a few!) but i really want to get my hands on this pigment. metallic bronze gorgeousness. ive seen so many swatches and different looks and i love it all. this product is so pricey for the amount you get! $24 for .04 ounces! (mac is 19.50 for .15 ounces just to compare...) a bit ridiculous, but i guess i am crazy because i would still pay the price for it.

and that is about it for this edition. what are you lusting after at the moment?

costa rica!

hello everyone! i am sorry for my long absence, but i am back. i took a trip to costa rica for a week and i'd thought i'd share some photos from my travels :)

the sunsets were beautiful

breakfast every morning included fresh fruit, gallo pinto (beans and rice), and eggs

me after playing soccer. for most of the trip i went all natural! only some powder, bronzer, blush and lip gloss.

our bed and breakfast tried to make "american" dishes, but the dishes always had a costa rican spin to it

lunch!

we frequently visited this little place because it was near our bed n breakfast. its an ok place, their drinks and ice cream are good, their food is mediocre

guanabana juego fresca! basically pureed guanabana (or soursop in english) with sugar and water. it was so fresh and amazing. it tastes a little like a strawberry.

seafood rice. i did not care for this. it has pieces of shrimp, clam, squid, and fish. i hated the squid in this, it tasted like chemicals :(

fried fish, veggies, and mashed potatoes with a blackberry juego fresca. same deal, just pureed blackberries, water and sugar! it's amazing i'm telling you.

a good shot of the slums of heredia. really opened my eyes to how much i take for granted.

a filthy river running through this slum community. it smelled awful, like 1000 toilets, and kids played in it like nothing. they played hide and seek within it and if their soccer ball fell in it they would run to retrieve it.

another lunch, beef this time with pinto gallo, more veggies, and pineapple juego fresca

at an icecream shop called "pops". i got the flavors mango and gum. yes, gum. it did actually taste like bubblegum.

here i am on a bus at a resort while everyone else i came with went horseback riding :( i am allergic to horses unfortunately! again, im not wearing much makeup and i am sweaty! :)

getting harnessed to zip-line through the rain forest!

my friend zipping away

at the waterfalls within the forest. we got to swim in these, it was the best!

lunch in the rain forest. the dried plantains and homemade salsa were amazing!

a natural pool. they made the pool and added a slide but the water is from the waterfalls. so peaceful and serene.

me at a made waterfall :)

chicken with veggies. and a cas (a type of guava) drink this time.

at a bar called "mas tkila". drinking an imperial, a costa rican beer. not a stitch of makeup!

hanging out with kids at a community center. costa rican kids are so adorable! the girls are beautiful, but sadly they start having children around age 14!

me and some bamboo at a souvenir shop

last dinner of the trip

strawberry juego fresca. i love the cute little pitcher!

i forgot the name of my dish, but its basically a steak with jumbo shrimp on top and fries. i didnt care for the seasoning on the steak, but the shrimp and fries were bomb!

me and my team leader. i love this man, he was the type of person who just loved his job. i love that!

i hope you enjoyed the little glimpse of my trip i shared. have you guys taken any trips lately?