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?

dior poison

Today's nail polish pick is relatively new to my collection. I say new because I haven't picked up any nail polish lately due to a promise to myself to hold back on going crazy with new collections. Dior Poison was part of a little trio collection of polishes (Orchid and Shadow were the other two shades included) Dior released called Les Violets Hypnotiques. It was released in limited locations but was made available during Nordstrom's annual sale last year. I picked up all three of the shades during this sale since they all played on nuances of deep purple and were too beautiful to pass up. Deep purples are a personal favorite of mine when it comes to polishes.

Poison is a deep indigo. When it comes to purple, I prefer when they lean more blue. It is a cream formula. It applies darker on the nail compared to how it shows in the bottle. It is quite dark but not so much that is looks black. In person you can tell it has a purple tinge to it.

This trio collection was my first experience with Dior polish. It is very thick! I am surprised but neutral about this. On one hand (hehe pun kinda?) it covers the nail with complete opacity in one coat but on the other hand the thickness makes me have to apply carefully and slowy for even coverage. I applied two coats out of habit but I could have easily gotten away with just one.

I really love this color. Dark polishes are my favorite especially when they are gray and purple. The formula isn't my favorite but I have worked with worse. The wear time is average for me (3-5 days depending if I washed dishes or not).

Unfortunately I don't think this shade is available anywhere any more. If you were curious about the collection and what the other shades looked like, check out The Beauty Look Book's post on the collection. She is one of my favorite blogs to read and she did a great post on these polishes.

greige nails revisited: essie playa del platinum

I think greige (grey + beige) nail colors will always be in style. It is neutral, makes fingers look longer and more polished, and it seems to be a shade that is at a comfort level for all ages to wear. My mother loves colors like this on her when they lean more to the beige side. Though I do like the greige nail every now and then, my heart never goes aflutter when I wear them. I will admit that it is nice to take a break from my usual dark polish of choice though.

SHADES OF GREIGE
OPI SKULL & GLOSSBONES, ESSIE PLAYA DEL PLATINUM, ESSIE SAND TROPEZ, ESSIE CHINCHILLY

My greige polishes are all different, thank goodness. Makes me feel better knowing I don't have the same shade in 1029897234 different bottles. These colors are the reason I skipped out on Chanel Frenzy, which looked pretty similar to these colors. OPI Skull & Glossbones is a pale moon grey. I think the beige in it only lightens the grey color. Essie Playa Del Platinum looks like wet clay, a bit of dirtiest to it to emphasize the beige. Essie Sand Tropez is cleaner sandy grey. The warm beige in it makes it look slightly pink when comparing. Essie Chinchilly isn't very greige at all, I would consider it straight up grey with a purple tinge to it.

ESSIE PLAYA DEL PLATINUM

On my hands, Playa Del Platinum comes off greyer than what is portrayed in the bottle. I quite like this since greys are fun for me to wear. The formula is one of Essie's nicer but not the best. I did three coats as two looked a bit patchy. It was no where near the nightmare Essie Sand Tropez was!

What do you think of greige nails? Too boring or just right?

butter london marrow

Current manicure at the moment: BUTTER LONDON Marrow. It is a unique shade that is apparently named after the appearance of dried bone marrow (it dries purple?) It has VERY fine silver shimmers that are nonexistent at a distance. I really like this color. It is dark enough where it isn't too loud of a color yet still manages to be fun. So far I own only two BUTTER polishes and have been satisfied with application and the colors. Wear time is a little less than average since at about the 3 day mark I start seeing minor chipping and wear.

neon nails

i know neon is beyond trendy this season. i cant warrant owning any big pieces of neon such as pants or shirts since i dont think the trend will be around long enough to make it worth it. however, i do enjoy the small slices of color added here and there in the form of accessories, intimates, and of course nails.

neon nail varnish is one of my favorite things to pull out during the summer. something about the bright, eye searing colors applied playfully on the fingers and toes makes me so happy during this time. i have three colors in my collection.

china glaze knows how to do their neons. i own (from right to left in the pic above) shocking pink, flip flop fantasy, and pool party. neons can be tricky to apply, they are streaky and dry matte. if you want a high shine finish you definitely will need to use topcoat. as for the problem of being streaky, a base of white polish underneath helps tremendously. with all the swatches below i applied as is, no white base. if you dont use a white base, three to four thin coats of polish will be needed for full opacity. all of the extra trouble is worth it for the bright results!

POOL PARTY
pool party is a punchy hot pink. currently on my toes :)

SHOCKING PINK
shocking pink is so amazing. it is a very cool pink so it surprised me that i enjoyed this shade so much. the color really flatters my hands. i highly recommend this shade, it is rare when i apply the same color on my nails twice in a row but i have done it with this color!

FLIP FLOP FANTASY
this shade was a staple pedicure color for me last summer. i get countless compliments whenever i wear this, most likely because a coral shade.

i dont think i will be giving up my neon nails until the temperature drops and i see the leaves falling. if you own no neons i highly recommend you pick up flip flop fantasy or shocking pink. they wear wonderfully and even though they need at least three coats for an even finish, that isnt so bad for the standard neon from what i hear. what do you think of the neon trend?

target run & etc...

is it just me or does everyone go into target, checkout, and get shocked by total? i swear i go into that store just to pick up one thing (in this case, makeup remover) and i end up coming out with random things that catch my eye.

the loot

DR BRONNER TEA TREE SOAP
ive mentioned this brand before in my products used up post, but i really enjoyed using the bar soap version for dry patches of skin. i thought id try the liquid version. so far so good, the smell is a bit medical smelling so next time i will opt out of this scent. very fluid, like water but lathers really well. this bottle will last me for a while!

SONIA KASHUK MAKEUP REMOVER
ive been a fan of neutrogena's makeup remover but i thought i would try something different. ill give my thoughts once i finish it up.

CETAPHIL DAILY CLEANSER
can you believe i have never tried this popular cleanser before? i debated between this and the gentle version (do any of you have a preference?) but i decided i wanted the normal formula first.

stacking rings

my ring obsession continues. i passed by the jewelry section and they had so many fun little sets of stacking rings. i picked these up because i like the cursive writing and the turquoise stones.

by the way i am wearing essie fiji in the above photo. im not sure how i feel about it to be honest. i like how it makes my hands look polished and tan yet it bothers me how stark white it can look, almost like white out. plus the formula isnt the best....

i keep all my favorite daily rings in this fun helping hands dish i picked up from UO a while ago. i love it!

another piece i picked up from UO is this scalloped round dish. normally i keep my daily makeup in this as it is very handy for that but for this sake of this photo i placed certain products in it as a sneak peek of what i need to share with you guys in upcoming posts.

how have you all been? i have been so out of the blogging world it is insane. i hope you have been well!

presents to myself, dont mind if i do...

i recently got accept to graduate school *cheshire grin. as a way to congratulate myself i indulged in buying (what else) some beauty products ive had my eye on.



KOH GEN DO AQUA FOUNDATION
i bought this because it has quiet murmurings of being an amazing foundation. from what ive gathered, it is supposed to look like your skin but with coverage. models love it. reviews for this foundation are EXTREMELY scarce due to it being not a well known brand and because of the price. i thought i would try it out and give my thoughts. review to come...

BUTTER LONDON POLISH
ive been longing to try this brand out. something about the bottle design and the shades offered appeals to me just so. i picked up 'marrow' and 'slapper'. marrow is an older shade ive been lusting after; i have nothing like this aubergine color. slapper caught my eye the moment i saw it in promos for butter's latest collection. slightly obsessed with slapper at the moment...

about day 3 of wear time.

slapper has got to be the most frustrating polish to capture in pictures to date for me. i thought laura mericer twilightwas hard, i stand corrected as this was harder. the color is much brighter and leans more green in real life. so in love with the bright, fun teal color.

the formula is very nice to work with. not too thin or too thick. application was a breeze. wear time is not the best ive seen but also not the worst. im not thrilled by the tip wear with this brand and if you pick at things it WILL chip (see my pointer?). regardless i dont regret my purchase. there are worse formulas out there.

LAURA MERCIER LUSH NECTARINE
totally bought this because of Vivianna, nbd. it looks much better on her than me. regardless i have been reaching for this almost every day since ive bought it. i will go more in depth with it in another post...

well my sweets, im surprised you have still stuck around with me this long as i have not blogged at all this whole month of march (i'm just the best) but i have some posts i have in mind to do, just need a nice sunny day + more free time as to give you the best pictures i can. it is either all or nothing when it comes to quality with me.

posts coming up:

+ LM lush nectarine review/comparison
+ koh gen do foundation review
+ mac feline vs urban decay liners
+ any vain things would you like to read/see. i am all ears...

in love with a polish?: laura mercier twilight nail polish

is it possible to love a nail polish? this is one of those nail polishes that i swiped on and knew right away it was going to be one of my top nail polishes i have ever owned. if dark polishes are your thing, you might want to sit down before reading on.



laura mercier twilight has a smokey dark base with a flecks of purple suspended all throughout it. it is more interesting than just your average dark polish. when applied it actually retains the purple hue so it doesnt just look black on the nails, my number one frustration with dark polishes with a tint.

close up of the flecks.



with flash to show you a better look at the flecks.



i feel like i didnt capture the true beauty of this polish to show you all, but trust me when i say it is beautiful. the formula is really great, i did two thin coats. it isnt streaky or too thick, it applies very fluidly and nice. it has been three days of wear time (washing dishes, cooking, daily activities) and i have yet to see any wear on my mani. i highly recommend this if you love unique dark colors. at least check it out if you happen to cross paths with it! i have nothing like this shade in my collection so i am happy to be able to add it.

what do you think of laura mercier's twilight polish? if you are interested you should pick it up soon, it is a limited edition item!

greige nails: essie st. tropez

lately i have been on a dark polish kick. i decided for my most recent mani to change it up a bit & do a nude nail. looking through my collection i picked essie st tropez, a color i had picked up last year but never had the chance to wear yet since i dont get into nude polish moods often.



first off, let's talk about the color. st tropez is one of those trendy "greige" colors, a blended mix of grey and beige. to me it leans more on the grey scale. it is a cream finish. i had high hopes for this polish since essie's creams usually deliver well.



now for the formula, ah the formula. the formula was a NIGHTMARE. probably the worst formula i have ever come across for essie. it was so thick and goopy making application VERY difficult. i tried painting multiple thin layers and the color looked streaky no matter what. i had to remove it all and start over again. the second time around i did thicker layers and it worked better but it still has extremely uneven/lumpy coverage which you all probably noticed in my pictures (if not seche vite did a good job at covering up the texture, at least from far away.)

**EDIT: i am hearing from a few people i must have gotten a bad egg since their formulas were just fine! so hopefully if you are interested in the color you can risk it and get a good bottle :)

shame because the color is nice. not my favorite, but nice. i am definitely a fan of the greige shades. i have been wanting opi skull and glossbones but i own essie playa de platinum which i heard is similar...

needless to say i doubt i will be attempting to use this polish again. i do wonder if i have a faulty bottle or if everyone has experienced the same with this shade. do you own st tropez? if so do you have a problem with the formula or have any tips to make application bearable? do tell!

2011 favorites & my 1st set of beauty goals

i dont know about all of you but i am loving all the "favorites of the year" posts that happen around this time since you get to see the cream of the crop in everyone's stash. time to contribute my favorites...

FACE:


FOUNDATION/CONCEALER
i didnt include a foundation because all year i was in the process of finishing up few foundations that i have had and dont particularly recommend wholeheartedly. i didnt mention a concealer because i havent found one i love yet :/

POWDER
mac msfn, even though it isnt great at keeping oil at bay. this one pictured is way too dark for me at the moment. i love the finish of the product so i will use it up when i am tanner.

BRONZER
i definitely used my cargo med matte bronzer the most this year. finely milled, pigmented, not orange, MATTE. nars laguna is definitely a runner up. i used laguna more for nights out since it has a fine shimmer to it, adding a subtle glow.

HIGHLIGHTER
nars albatross. this was hard for me to pick since theBalm mary lou-manizer was VERY close to beating albatross. both are beautiful. if you prefer very subtle highlighters, these might not be a good choice though.



CHEEKS
im surprised i was able to narrow this category down to two shades: nars deep throat and nars sin. all year i wore so many shades of blush but when i reflect back on the year, i definitely went crazy with these two shades. funny how deep throat made such an impression on me, im usually not a huge baby pink fan.

EYES:


EYE SHADOW
mac cork, brun, brule. basic browns, all matte. mac tan pigment, a favorite during the summer months when the sun can catch the shimmers but also great anytime for a pretty smokey eye.

BASE
most of the time this year i ignored my UDPP and TFSI and used mac paint pots instead. especially the shade groundwork, my favorite shade of them all.

MASCARA
hands down prestige my blackest lashes. it is cheap, very black, and gives such great volume. i still love makeup forever smokey lash overall but since it dries out so quickly and costs $20 ill stick with prestige for my everyday mascara.

LINER
mac feline. people either love this or hate it, i absolutely love it. easily glides on the eyelid AND waterline while being pitch black. i use it in practically every FOTD i post on my blog. i will continue to repurchase.

LIPS


LIPSTICK
mac hue. this will always be a favorite. i am not a huge lipstick wearer but when i do wear it i almost always reach for this.

GLOSS
estee lauder impulsive coral. i was gifted this. great texture and color.

NAILS


POLISH
too many to choose from. whenever i needed a good dose of a classic red i always reached for opi quarter of a cent-cherry. when i wanted a bright red mani i wore essie lollipop. for dark nails i loved opi my private jet. my favorite glitter was sephora by opi only gold for me. and lastly for my toes i almost always wore opi koala berry.



NAIL CARE
for softening and pushing back my cuticles i always used sally hansen's cuticle remover gel. and for a base coat i loved CND stickey base. i also used seche vite for my top coat but i forgot to picture it...

FRAGRANCE


definitely victor&rolf flowerbomb. i received so many compliments every time i wore this! do you see the amount i have left? i am already almost done with this bottle that i bought last year during the sephora F&F sale.

SKINCARE


MAKEUP REMOVER
neutrogena eye makeup remover. i like this better than estee lauder's and lancome's removers. i havent explored other brands though so after i finish my current bottle i am trying out something new just to make sure this is the best i have tried.

CLEANSER
i only had it for a couple months but my favorite by far was la roche posay efflaclar cleanser. it balanced my skin, kept breakouts from happening while not drying out my skin (oily skinned ladies this didnt make my skin feel tight after washing!) i need to pick up the full size.

MOISTURIZER
my HG, CeraVe moisturizing lotion. sinks in quickly, non-greasy, non-scented and easily available at the drugstore. i have been using this since high school when my dermatologist recommended it to me while i was on accutane. will always repurchase.

TREATMENT
la roche posay efflaclar duo. this has been such a great find. heard about this from some of my favorite bloggers so i picked it up in new york. it unclogged and reduced the amount of blackheads around my nose and completely eliminated stubborn bumps i always get around my chin and temples. highly recommend if you have small acne (white heads, blackheads, raised bumps) areas.

as for resolutions, i dont usually make them. but i decided this year will be the first time i will make some beauty goals so next year i can reflect back and see how well i did. bit of a time capsule effect.

1. my number one goal: stick with quality over quantity. i am resisting drugstore versions of high end products so i can apply that money toward the real deal. i have so many unloved products. i need to resist running to the drugstore every time i hear about a new product release. i have already started this goal since i have resisted in buying the revlon lip butters and the l'oreal infalliable cream shadows.

2. stop buying so much nail polish. seriously. i plan to get rid of shades by either swapping or selling them. i am going to try not to go crazy over collections.

3. explore brands that i never have tried before. i tend to be so loyal towards nars, mac, and cargo. i want to try out others to see if i am missing anything special. top of my list are becca, illamasqua, chanel, burberry, giorgio armani...

4. attempt a blog sale. this is sort of part of my first goal. i really want to downsize my collection.

& that's all folks. what are your beauty goals? i have been reading some really great goals posted lately. happy new year everyone! here is to 2012.

holiday cookies + mani

here is my holiday mani of choice this year: blood red nails with silver glitter accent. nothing massively creative, just something festive. plus i was itching to try out my new set in stones glitter polish i blogged about last time.



i used essie limited addiction for the blood red. as for my accent nail i used revlon silver ring as a base with two coats of essie set in stones. i thought about doing all my nails this combo but i really wanted to try out limited addiction which, by the way, is insanely smooth and pigmented. one coat of this polish and i couldnt see any nail line. i did three coats out of habit but it definitely didnt need that many. wear time seems to be great, this is three days of wear and tear!





hope you are all enjoying your holidays, i have already dived into the festivities! yesterday i spent 5 hours rolling and baking my grandma's thin sugar cookies. talk about exhausting. i am actually not a huge fan of the typical thick and frosted sugar cookies always seen around this time, i only like my grandma's thin and sprinkled version! they are small, melt in your mouth and they especially pair well when dipped in a cup of hot tea. yum.

happy holidays! cant wait to see what everyone gets for christmas this year....

004 vain rambling

time for another installment of vain rambling, where i dedicate my rambling of a few beauty products all in one post so i dont have to do many little posts individually for each product.

i went to a beauty supply store with the full intention of picking up the cult favorite opi lincoln park after dark as well as its sister lincoln park after midnight. if you follow my blog you know i tend to never pay full price for polish, i always hit up beauty supply stores for the heavy discount (usually 50% off).

i am still surprised with myself that i dont own lincoln park after dark, being the nail polish addict that i am. i have been in the mood for a deep, dark purple shade and i dont really have anything like that in my vast collection. sadly when i got to the store, they were fresh out of these two shades. i did, however, end up with a few shades i have had my eye on...

essie limited addiction, set in stones, and opi warm and fozzie.


this beauty supply store had a full display of the essie luxe effects collection. out of the collection, 'set in stones' was the only shade i was interested in. i already have sally hansen's hidden treasure so i saw no need to pick up 'shine of the times'. i am glad i picked this shade up, it satiates my need for silver glitter. i originally wanted sephora by opi's flurry up, but i like essie's version better.

limited addiction has been on my list to grab. nothing special, just a dark blood red. i have so many polishes in this shade but i keep wanting to try different versions. i will have to do a comparison post to what i already have.

as for opi's warm and fozzie, this was the only shade i really wanted from the muppets collection. for some reason rainbow connection really doesnt tug at my heartstrings. this bronze shade, however, does. i wonder if this is similar to mac mercenary?

speaking of polish, i am currently wearing opi russian navy. great choice if you love dark navy/almost black shades.

!!!!!

estee lauder peach nuance blush. i have been wanting this for the longest time but i havent had the chance to purchase it myself. this was gifted to me by my wonderful friend, Hieu, who i have mentioned a few times here on my blog.

this is supposed to be a softer more fool proof version of mac's 'ripe peach' blush ombre. since i dont own ripe peach (yet!) i am ecstatic i get to try out this blush, especially since this shade has been discontinued as well :/

i believe some counters still have it in stock, but once they run out i believe that is it! if you are interested, ask your nearest counter.

something non-beauty related, but i stopped by my local thrift store and picked up a few books i have been wanting to read for only a dollar each. talk about a bargain. the books i purchased were middlesex, the shack, and 13 reasons why. i am probably giving the latter to my younger sister for christmas since i know she has been wanting to read it. the other two books are ones i currently have checked out from my library :)

what books are you reading at the moment? i love hearing book suggestions :)

think pink

as most of you know or have heard, october is the official month dedicated for breast cancer awareness. i am EXTREMELY fortunate to have not (yet) been personally affected by the disease. none of my close family or friends have been diagnosed, but knowing how common the disease is and how young i am now, i assume there is a high probability that i will eventually run into it in my lifetime. as for now, i feel extremely blessed and grateful i havent had to go through any of the pain or heartache that this sickness can cause.

i try to stay as medically aware as possible (i am a science/health nerd) so i am all for spreading the knowledge. to help spread awareness i have done a simple pink infused FOTD and NOTD to share with you all.

one of my favorite ways to make myself look healthy and fresh is by wearing a bright pink cheek and lip with minimal product on the eyes...



face:
mixture of revlon photoready/neutrogena healthy skin foundation, mac msfn, cargo med matte bronzer, mac posey cream blush, rock&republic blush in x-rated, mac vanilla pigment for highlight.

eyes:
nyx iced mocha jumbo pencil, mac e/s (brule, cork, brun) mac feline smudged in waterline, prestige my blackest lashes mascara (LOVE this mascara so much)

lips:
revlon pink pop gloss, mac like venus dazzleglass

closer look on the lips. usually i would just wear a few swipes of revlon pink pop and be good to go, but i added mac like venus (pink glitter bomb!) for a little something extra.

i love pairing mac posey with rock&republic x-rated. you could use one w/o the other but i really like layering the two for maximum lasting power.

for my nails, i chose a permanent shade from china glaze that was featured in an old trio pack (check out all lacquered up's old post HERE on it) that was meant to help spread awareness. part of the proceeds for this trio went towards susan g komen for the cure. i DO NOT have this trio, i bought this at sallys a couple years ago and apparently this little guy made its way into the single polish rack.

china glaze rich&famous
rich& famous is a pretty hot pink. i did three coats since this polish acted a bit like a jelly. the application was a breeze though and i had no problems with streaking.

hmm i wonder if this shade is similar to opi elephantastic pink?



if you havent noticed, a bunch of us blogging ladies have teamed up to help spread breast cancer awareness through beauty posts. if you missed out on any of the posts, here are the ones that have been already posted:

Danielle
Ebru
Alex
Kayla
Jessica

there are still a few ladies left that need to post so look out for them!