Makeup Wish List! to LIVE FOR...

One good thing about now living in MN is that I am only a "hop, skip and a jump" away from the Mall of America :) This weekend my friend Samantha, from back home, is coming to visit! Of course I am taking her to the mall and I've been thinking over my wish list of makeup products that I want to check out while we are there. Here are a few:

 YSL lip gloss.. I have lusted over these glosses for as long as I can remember. However, I made up my mind that if I find an absolutely gorgeous color, I am buying it. End of story. ;)

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.. I am simply in love with my Vichy Dermablend Foundation at the moment. Really there is no reason for me to even try anything else. Buuuut somehow I can not make myself stop! I have heard great things about Double Wear and this weekend I am going to grab a sample and see for myself what all the hype is about!

Bobbi Brown lipstick.. There are so many new gorgeous shades out from Bobbi Brown. I have never tried their lip products but I am on a lipstick kick right now, so I want to check them out. No idea what shade, but I am getting one!

Estee Lauder Wild Violet Collection Lipstick/Lipgloss.. Like I said, I have been obsessed with lipsticks and trying different brands lately. I saw a video review on a blog recently and I am totally sold on the darkest shade of lipstick!

 Make Up For Ever Uplight Luminizer.. All of my favorite highlighters are powder (as you can clearly tell from my last post) and I am really interested in checking out some cream products. GossMakeupArtist made a video on youtube.com a while back before they were actually released. That video planted the idea in my head that I simply MUST pick one of these up the next time I go to Sephora, if they have them!

Last but not least..CHANEL Rouge Coco Shine Lipsticks.. Ok. So speaking of lipsticks, there is no way I can NOT get one of the new Shine lipsticks. Uhhhhg I die, seriously. lol

What is on your makeup wish list?!

Current FAVORITES: Highlighters!

There is nothing I love more than a tanned, bronzed and dewy face. Which is the total opposite of what I have right now! In my efforts to look somewhat alive and glowing during this winter, I dove into my collection of shimmery satin and glittery cosmetic highlighters. It's amazing what a highlighted cheek bone (among other areas) can do for ones face =) My favorites of this winter that will no doubt take me into spring and summer are:

MAC loose powder in Silver Dusk. This highlighter is definitely for a person who isn't aftraid of some serious sparkle. Used with a light hand Silver Dusk is the perfect accent to a cool-colored makeup look. I get compliments almost every time I wear this out!

Laura Mercier Candlelight. I've had this in my makeup collection for a while but have just recently come to appreciate it's beauty. Candlelight goes amazingly well with looks comprised of warmer shades. I find the majority of highlighters are on the cooler side (even bronze shades are usually mixed with a cooler toned champagne, etc) this however, is the perfect subtle shade to wear with any number of warm-colored looks.

Dior Amber Diamond. Really there isn't much I need to say about this product. It is a cult favorite, and deservedly so. I only regret I waited so long to get it! Amber Diamond is well worth the cost, and as you don't need much product it will last forever.

The last product is MAC MSF in Triple Fusion. This is a great pink shimmery highlight. (This picture really isn't doing it any justice. It goes from a gold color to a bronze to a pink.) This was the first MSF I ever bought! The pink is a great way to mix things up a bit and can be as loud or as subtle as you want it to be.

(Let me be the first to say that I am absolutely TERRIBLE at doing swatches & taking photos!)
In order from left to right: Silver Dusk, Candlelight, Amber Diamond, Triple Fusion


What have you been doing this winter to make yourself look fresh? What are your favorite highlighters??

New Summer Shades!

With each change of season I believe there are certain items a girl is allowed to buy herself. For summer (and spring I suppose) these items include a swimsuit, a summer handbag, and sunglasses. I mean, these are things that we don't just want, we NEED them ;)

My first order of business is a pair of sunglasses. I would love to be able to shell out for a pair of designer sunglasses but lets face it, I can't! And this year I'm going for cat eye sunglasses which I may not wear a year or 2 from now. So they need to be cheap and cute! Here are my contenders:

These first two are from an ebay site called Neo Vision Eyewear. They are both between $7 and $8 dollars with shipping, sounds good to me! I'm undecided about the pair below, different but maybe too literally retro if you know what I mean.

Another pair that I love (can't post the picture because it's copyrighted) have a cute floral design on the frames. They are $9.99, or $15.99 including shipping. You can check them out here: http://www.tillys.com/tillys/variants.aspx?prod=177148750&cid=1103&ctlg=020_Girls&source=15utm_source=CSE&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=google_product&CAWELAID=781878497

Let me know your opinions! Will you rock a new pair of sunglasses this summer?? Share below =)

'INs & OUTs' to LIVE FOR

OUT:

Studs – I’m tired of seeing clothing accessories and shoes covered in studs. Though there will always be a place for them, the over-use of studding has soured my taste for them altogether. What a shame!

White watches- Is there a girl you HAVEN’T seen rocking a white watch? ‘Nuff said.

Moving- And everything that goes along with it!

Cold weather!

Dry skin- Since moving to MN my skin has gotten so dry! I swear nothing I try has been able to get rid of it.

Photo: collegefashion.net

IN:

Alexander McQueen- further post to come =)

Cat eye sunglasses- Chanel, Tom Ford, McQueen, OH MY!

Platform wedges- I recently heard someone say that the platform is “out”…….. umm… screw you =) The higher the better!!!

The hunt for the perfect spring/summer handbag- I don't even know where to start, now that's a first.

Alexander McQueen bird skull ring $295, net-a-porter.com



What are your INs & OUTs??

'Drugstore Haul' to LIVE FOR

So, today while I was wasting some time before an appointment, I found myself walking around Walgreen’s looking for something (anything really) to buy. And I think I stumbled across some gems:

-Revlon Metallic Nail Varnish in 928 Silver Dollar: Ever since I saw the Katy Perry collection that OPI came out with I’ve been thinking I need a good silver polish in my collection. To be quite honest I don’t know how often I would wear a silver polish so I decided to pass on “Not Like The Movies” by OPI. However, when I passed the Revlon display this metallic polish nearly screamed my name!! It’s not your ordinary silver… it’s like a million tiny particles of silver diamond dust mixed up into a nail polish. Genius.

-Sally Hansen Xtreme wear Nail Color in 420 Pacific Blue: Lately I’ve found myself day-dreaming about summer, and everything that comes with it. Including bright nail polishes! Instead of the typical bright pinks that I’m typically drawn to, this polish is a gorgeous blue-periwinkle color that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a polish. Can’t wait to wear this!!

-Sinful Colors in 831 Hottie: At only $1.99 I don’t feel guilty buying a polish that I may only wear a handful of times. It’s worth it just because of how pretty it is in the bottle! This glitter reminds me of the OPI glitter polishes. The base polish isn’t clear, but also isn’t an opaque blue. And the different sized glitters reflect like an aurora borealis stone.

On to lip products!

-Nivea – A Kiss of Flavor, Cherry Tinted Lip Care: I have been wanting to try the Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm for a while now but haven’t been able to make myself shell out the $8 to actually purchase it. And everyone raves about the Nivea Kiss of Moisture.. so of course when I saw that Nivea had come out with a tinted moisturizing lip balm for only $2.99 I couldn’t wait to try it! Has anyone tried this balm or the Burt’s Bees? I’m not sure the lasting power this balm will have… time will tell.

-Rimmel London Lipstick in 070 Airy Fairy: I saw a swatch and review of this lipstick on youtube.com and was convinced to try it. I’m rather picky when it comes to lipsticks but I do really like this color. It’s a great pinky-nude with an almost gold shimmer. Although the color is nice, I think this is the cheapest packaging I’ve ever experienced from a decent drugstore brand. It’s a super light plastic and just feels cheap. I don’t know how else to put it. At $5.99 (I got buy one get one 50% off) I can’t believe what terrible packaging this lipstick has. Ok enough ranting.

Best for last!!!

-NEW Revlon Colorburst in 004 Pink Ice Glace Rose $7.99: I absolutely LOVE this gloss. And unlike the product above I am OBSESSED with the packaging. It reminds me of a Chanel Glossimer. The color is also gorgeous. If you like pinks or nudes and like some sparkle this is perfect for you. It does feel the slightest bit grainy, but being used to MAC dazzleglasses and etc I don’t even notice it. The gloss also has a scent….. probably supposed to be vanilla but I think it actually smells like tapioca pudding….. weird I know!

Have you visited the drugstore lately? Discovered any exciting finds? Tell me about it below!!