Two Little Lipsticks

My two most recent lipstick purchases were beyond deserving of their own little blog post. I haven't been able to buy much new makeup during my move, and I'm still adjusting. I bought these just before moving, and I've worn them a couple of times since and I'm already in love with both of them.

All you MAC lovers can probably recognize the little orange one there. I had been eyeing Saigon Summer for a while, as I was intrigued by its color and wondered if it would even work on me. I bit the bullet and bought it the other day, and I must say I'm not disappointed. It actually flatters me quite nicely, and as a cremesheen it's a little sheer but buildable and very easy on my dry lips. I adore it!

The second lipstick I didn't actually buy, per say. I had enough Sephora points saved up to pick out a little something from the counter for free, and as nothing else looked particularly appealing I got the Bite Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate (that's a lot of p's). It's absolutely gorgeous, and a dream to apply. It's very creamy and opaque, and I love lip pencils for their ease of use. The red is a gorgeous deep red, and doesn't dry your lips out or even rub off all that easily. It's one of my new absolute favorites. I'm so pleased with it. I feel like if it weren't for those Sephora points, I would have overlooked the Bite pencils completely! I usually do. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?

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Apologies for the double posts today, but I finally decided to sign up to Bloglovin' and see what it was all about! I also registered my blog there. I'm still figuring out how to work it, but hopefully this will open some new windows for me. 

NARS Sheer Glow | Review

Hello everybody! Today I decided to review a very popular item in the beauty world. The Nars Sheer Glow foundation has been passed through many beauty-hardened hands, and has a rather half-and-half reputation from what I've seen. Some people seem to swear by this foundation, some people say it absolutely didn't work for them and they don't get the hype.

So, why not offer my contribution to the multitude of opinions? For reference, I have the color Mont Blanc or Light 2, which is one of their palest colors and has somewhat warm tones to it. I'm not entirely sure if they have formulas based on warm or cool skin tones. In any case, the color suits me quite well and I have no problems with mismatching of color. 

I got the Sheer Glow instead of Matte because I have fairly dry skin, and I love a glowy look to my skin. This foundation is supposed to help those with dry skin as well as give a dewy finish. I have to say that the promised dewy finish is a little lacking, at least for my tastes. It goes on quite sheer, as the name implies, but is also buildable, and doesn't look streaky or cake-y on my face. I'm always a bit disappointed with the lack of a glowy finish, but I don't mind terribly. 

I will say this foundation doesn't offer anything outstanding, but it is a pretty decent foundation and I enjoy using it. I may not purchase it again, as it runs for a pretty penny, but it was a fun product to try out and use. I definitely wish it came with a pump, as I find pumps to be much more useful and less wasteful. For this one, you have to shake the bottle then open it up and apply. You have to be careful with pouring it out, as you can end up pouring too much (it's slightly runny, so watch for that). I love the packaging, it's gorgeous and feels like the high-end product that it is. 

I will also note that when my skin is particularly dry, it tends to cling to those dry patches and draw attention to them. That is also a bit of a skincare problem, and I'm still working out a flawless routine for those stubborn dry patches.

So, all in all, this foundation is pretty cool, but not THAT cool. You know what I mean? It does nothing beyond amazing for me, but it is a decent foundation that I like. I likely won't buy it again, and will move on to different foundations to try out and hope for the best.

Hope this review was helpful or insightful in some way! Thank you for reading. xx

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost | Review

I purchased this last year with a few other items from TBS. I've nearly used it all by this point, and I would have used it all a lot sooner if I had been able to figure out how it worked best with me sooner! This product is a gel-like product with a somewhat oily feeling, and is meant to give radiance to dull skin (which is why I bought it).

First, I'd like to say this product smells awesome! It smells like oranges, which is quite lovely. The somewhat oily consistency throws me off every time, as it's not an oil at all. It glides on the skin pretty smoothly, but can leave your skin feeling oily and strange. 

I've tried using it just on its own, which leaves the aforementioned oily texture. I wasn't impressed with that, and it also didn't seem to do anything for me. I also tried using it as a primer, but that didn't do so great either.

Finally, I tried using it right before my moisturizer, hoping the moisturizer could cancel out some of the oily feeling. It does feel a lot better when used this way (as opposed to after, which feels oily and just stays on the outer layer of my skin). I like it much better like this, and use it every time, though I have to admit I don't notice much of a difference in my skin's radiance.

Out of all the products I bought, this was the most disappointing but not terrible. I feel like it would work better with someone who didn't have dry skin? Possibly. I absolutely adore their hydrating skin care, which makes my skin feel like heaven, but this just didn't seem to do it for me.

At least it smells great! xx

OCC Lip Tar

I own two of the OCC lip tars. I recently bought Lydia, the color pictured below, right before my move. I also own a metallic red color. You've likely heard many great things about the lip tars, and let me just say they're probably all true. From my experience with this product, they're gorgeous and long-lasting, as the name implies. As a plus, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is also vegan and cruelty-free. Though they are pricey, I would definitely say they are worth the price. They also sell nail varnishes and a few other products, though they are most well known for the lip tars.

Lydia is a gorgeous dusky purple color. I really just wanted to share this little beauty, as I'm going to be wearing it today and I can't wait to step out in it. I personally find applying these to be a little soothing, as it takes a certain amount of concentration.

Let me know if you've ever tried these! They're wonderful, and I felt they deserved a little rave today.

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette | Review

I've got another Too Faced review today - like I said, I really like this brand! I bought this palette quite a few months ago (I'd say about October?) and I felt I had finally used it sufficiently enough to post a review about it.

I was attracted to the colors in this palette, which is why I bought it. There is a mix of mattes and shimmers, and you can mix and match the shades or go across the rows for an easy-made look. I'm a sucker for neutral and rosy or honey shades, I think they're so flattering and pretty. Beyond that, I love how small and travel-friendly the palette is, and I also love the design!

The shadows themselves are quite lovely. I definitely love them, and this palette is very workable and would suit any skin tone. I especially love the shimmer shades, but the mattes are great and blendable as well. For a smaller everyday palette, this one is absolutely great. I know they also have other styles in this type of palette (I think one is Cat Eyes, or something?) but I haven't tried those personally. It's a very user-friendly palette, and I'd even say a great beginner palette. I really enjoy it. The shadows are rather smooth, though I find the shades in my Naked 3 palette to be more pigmented. You can also find many of these colors in the Naked palettes, so it may not be worth investing in. It's entirely up to the you!

I quite like this palette, and enjoy using it and mixing up the colors. It's also useful for getting better at blending matte colors, which is something I'm not too great at yet. I hope you enjoyed!

p.s. I am also in the process of moving, so much of my stuff is moved to my new apartment or packed away. I'll get back on track soon, hopefully!

Disappointing Product: Nyx Matte Nude Lipstick

I absolutely love Nyx, it's one of my favorite (if not favorite) drugstore brands. I especially love their lip products. However, every brand has to have it's failed items, for some if not others. I imagine this lipstick may work on some people - especially those with medium to dark skin tones. This may look beautiful on you, but it sure doesn't on me!

This is from their Matte line, in the shade simply titled 'Nude.' It's kind of a peachy nude, but on me it looks chalky and dry. It makes my lips dry out like crazy, and shows every crack in them. It washes my skin out as well (I'm very pale) and just generally doesn't flatter me at all. I've worn it once, and regretted that decision immediately. I have to be careful with mattes because my lips can get dry pretty quickly, but some work pretty well for me, especially with a little extra help from a balm. This one is beyond helping, unfortunately.

This lipstick didn't work for me, but it may work very well for others. I'd say if you're a very pale person, don't try it. The shade isn't too flattering for pale skin tones, but if you like the way it looks on you, then by all means rock it! I was personally quite disappointed with this lip product, though I'd like to try another Matte from Nyx and see if the formula itself is too drying for me or if it's just this particular color.