Friday, April 20, 2012

Mini Haul! + Thank You!



I got a few things this week for myself and I got the Dior Oil Blotting Sheets and Nivea A Kiss of Shine Natural Glossy Lip Care, as well as the Bio-Oil and Etude Sleeping Pack from a very lovely swapper. I really wanted to get the Nivea lip balm/gloss to see how it compares to my amazing Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfecter, but it really doesn’t compare at all. There are very few similarities between the two products. I might do a comparison post, but I'm not sure yet. I got the Dior Oil Blotting Sheets because I can never have enough and I’m an oil slick! I haven’t tried the Bio-Oil or Etude Sleeping Pack yet, but I’m excited to try them! I’ve heard great things about the Bio-Oil and the Etude Sleeping Pack would seem like a great mask! I tried the mask on the back of my hand and it seems pretty promising. There is no way that I'm actually going to sleep in this mask, but I will make sure to have this on for a long time. I'm hoping to use the Bio-Oil to get rid of an acne scars and hopefully it won't break me out. I did get a few other things this week as well, but I don't deem them very interesting, since the products are just products that I repurchased and have used before. I do have a few packages coming in with BB Creams that I can not wait to try! Let me know if any of you guys want me to do any specific posts or any review of the items I have mentioned. 

On another note, I have been blogging on this beauty blog for exactly a month and two days and I can not thank you guys enough for reading my posts and following me! I've gotten so much feedback from you guys and I'm so grateful! Thank you so much! <3

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Spring/Summer 2012 Wish List


Spring is here (Summer in Florida) and I have been keeping my eyes on a few items this season. Few of the things I’ve been liking is bright and colorful blazers and pants. Along with loose shirts and sweaters. I have been looking for my graduation dress and I really like floral or lace dresses. I actually love floral and lace in general! I’m not usually much of a dress person, but I want my graduation dress to look really nice. For accessories, I really like the look of crystal cord bracelets and they just make any outfit extra fun! As for some classic accessories, I have been really wanting Marc by Marc Jacobs Rose Gold Domed Earrings that would match my Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch so perfectly! As well as the Sam Edelman Studded Frankie Ballet Flats and I am a total flats girl and I think these are just a very nice pair to wear for everyday.
With Spring/Summer, I love the fact that makeup gets more colorful and brighter as well. So, I am going to be getting some new MAC blushes and lipsticks that are in the peaches/coral family. However, with new makeup coming along means new storage. I have notice that my makeup storage is not working for me, since my makeup collection has grown so much that my storage just can not contain all my makeup products anymore! It hasn’t grown completely out of control where I have to buy another storage unit, but it has grown to the extent where I just need something else to store my makeup. I’ve been really wanting a nice Tory Burch cosmetic bag and it will be nice just to keep my everyday essentials and to make some extra room in my makeup storage. To be honest, the cosmetic bag is probably not going to be enough to really make that much room in my makeup storage, but I think I’m going to purge some of my makeup products away, so it will be fine. Lastly, I am moving away and going to college in merely just a couple months, so it would be nice to have extra luggage to easily transport my belongings to where I will be staying at college. These are currently the items that I have been really interested in and it would be great to know what you guys currently have on your wish list right now, so if you want to share you can easily comment down below!
-Lily <3


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

My Liquid Foundations/Tinted Moisturizers Overview!


I am a foundation lover! Some people may love eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushes, or other makeup products, however I love foundation the most! I am a person that believes that if your base makeup looks flawless, then the rest of your makeup will look flawless as well! Whether you use high-end or drugstore eyeshadows or blushes, I feel like foundation can just make everything look perfect. Now, I think that drugstores eyeshadows, lipsticks, and blushes can sometimes be just as great as higher-end products, however I truly do believe that foundation or base makeup is something to splurge on, because I think you really do get what you pay for when it comes to foundations. Along with the fact that taking care of your skin is really important and you do not want something that may have bad ingredients going on your bare skin. I have been wanting to do an overview of my foundations for awhile and it is finally here! This is not a full in-depth review of each foundation, but just a mini review of each of the foundations. I love all of these foundations, but I will be going over them from my most favorite foundation to my least favorite foundation. By the way, this is not my foundation collection. I do have more! Yes, I know! I have way too much to actually go over all of them, so this will be an overview of my liquid foundations/tinted moisturizers. I might do a separate one on my powder foundations later on in the future. Let's finally begin!

1. Jemma Kidd Light as Air Foundation: This is currently my HG foundation! I love it! Out of all of the foundations I have ever owned this is the most emollient and really has a runny texture. It has SPF 18. It's extremely thin in consistency and it really does feel just like water. I usually put this on the back of my hand and when I honestly just let the foundation drip down from the tube, since it just comes right out! I have to be careful with the tube and when the foundation is on the back of my hand because the foundation is so runny. The foundation blends wonderfully and it really does feel light as air on the skin. I honestly can't even feel like I'm wearing foundation. The coverage is fantastic for the consistency of the foundation. The coverage is light-medium, going towards more of the medium coverage. The finish of this is really natural with a slightly dewy finish, but I don't find that this foundation makes my oily skin greasy throughout the day at all. This foundation is absolutely brilliant!

2. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation: Before the Jemma Kidd Light as Air Foundation, this was my HG foundation, but not anymore. It is now my second favorite. This foundation is water based but it is not as runny as the JK Light as Air. You do have to shake the foundation up before you use it, or else it will come out a bit separated. This has SPF 15. The texture is very light and creamy, but not as light or runny as the JK Light as Air. I really love the fresh scent that this foundation have, however some may not like it if they are sensitive to fragrance, but I personally love it! I find the best way to apply this is my using my fingers because it has very light coverage, and I find that I get the most coverage out of this foundation using my fingers. Even though the coverage is light, I find that it still has enough coverage to "perfect" the skin. The finish is incredibly natural and is a satin finish! It blends in so well that it really does look like you have naturally perfect skin! Honestly! The oil-control is also very good! I wouldn't recommend this to people who have very dry skin, since this does have alcohol in it and might accentuate dry areas on the skin. 

3. Dior Hydra Action Tinted Moisturizer: I'm going to keep this review very short and simple, since Dior does not actually make this formula tinted moisturizer anymore. Dior has reformulated their tinted moisturizer (Hydra Life) and I heard that it is not great as the old formula (Hydra Action), which I have. It is really unfortunate, since this tinted moisturizer is incredible! I love it even more than the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizers. This tinted moisturizer gives great light-medium coverage, is lightweight, and has an amazing scent! This has SPF 20. I really wish Dior hadn't reformulated this. =/

4. Skin79 VIP GOLD Super+ Plus BB Cream: Really great BB cream! I love the packaging and there is just so much product! I honestly will never be able to finish this whole can! Although the downside to the packaging is that I will never know when I will be running out of this BB cream, until it actually runs out! This BB cream claims to have gold particles, anti-aging properties, whitening, SPF, hydration, great coverage, and many more things that I can't remember right now. It does have SPF, but it doesn't say how much it comes with in the BB cream.  I don't know if it actually helps with anti-aging, since I don't have any wrinkles, but I have notice that my acne scars has diminish a little bit, if I use this BB cream continually, as well as making my blemishes go away faster. I think this BB cream really does a great job in the skincare category. As for the makeup category, I love the finish and coverage that this gives. It has medium coverage that looks really dewy and natural! Just like perfect "Korean" skin. Some things that I don't like about this BB cream is that it is very thick and it comes in only one shade, which is quite gray. However, I do find that she shade adjusts to my skin tone very well and if I dot it on my face and work in sections to blend, then it's fine. The finish of this is amazing, but it just needs a little extra work. I find that the best way to apply this is with my fingers. 

5. Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation: I actually already talked about this foundation in another post here, but basically it has great medium-full coverage with a natural satin finish. The shade range is magnificent with literally white to black. It's long lasting and photographs beautifully. This foundation also does not look cakey or feel heavy at all! The Illamasqua used to be only available in the UK, but now consumers in the United States can purchase this foundation on the Sephora website and at Sephora stores that carries Illamasqua.

6. Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup Foundation: I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried this foundation out. I think it is very similar to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, however it's half the price! As well as having more coverage than the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. The coverage of this is medium with a natural matte finish. I find the consistency of this foundation the same as the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and it blends about the same as well. There is no strong fragrance unlike the Chanel VA, so some people might prefer this foundation more. It does not have any SPF as far as I know of and this foundation does have salicylic acid. This would be higher up among my favorite foundations, however I don't really like Clinique's shade range, since it runs very pink. I have to go over with a very yellow-tone powder to counteract the very pink-tone of this foundation. Also, I am having suspicions that this foundation might be causing me to break out, however I'm not sure. Since it does have medicated ingredients in it, this is definitely not the foundation for everybody. Especially people with dry and sensitive skin.

7. Make Up For Ever HD Foundation: This is one of those foundations to me that is great, but not fantastic. I actually wore this to my prom and it really did looked great in photos. The finish is a natural dewy finish and it feels light on the skin. I do feel that I have to touch up and powder, since this foundation can be a bit too dewy. The staying power is great. I love that it comes with a pump and the shade range is really great. Overall, if you want a natural and dewy finish foundation, that looks fantastic in photos, then this foundation is for you.

8. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation: I have heard so many great things about this foundation and I can see why people like it, however I'm not one of those people that is absolutely in love with this foundation. When I first tried this foundation, I actually hated it! I thought it was really heavy and cakey on my skin, however I found out the best way to apply this foundation is using my fingers for the best finish. Using my fingers, the coverage is really great at medium-full and I think it gives a very flawless dewy finish. I find that using my fingers will blend the foundation better and it doesn't feel as heavy on my face, since I'm using less product. I really like that this is a very flawless finish foundation, however it takes a little bit of effort to really make it work. I also don't like the packaging very much. It has no pump and the top cap of the foundation can get fingerprints and will not screw back into the perfect place, once you use it a few times. So I just took it off and have the bottom cap. I really wish this foundation came with a pump.

9. Becca Luminous Skin Colour Tinted Moisturizer: Becca is very well known for having products that are very sheer, luminous, and natural. Those are exactly what this tinted moisturizer is. Sheer, luminous, and natural. I find that the sheer coverage is almost non-existence, however there is enough where it just enhances your skin a little bit and this tinted moisturizer is very luminous, without looking sparkly. This would actually be great for models going on casting calls! This tinted moisturizer just enhances your skin a little bit and makes you look more healthy. This is a very good tinted moisturizer, but I don't really think it is worth the price tag. This does have SPF 25.

10. CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation: This is the only drugstore foundation that I like and would truly recommend. I think it is amazing for a CoverGirl foundation and it gives a very flawless and airbrush finish with light-medium coverage. I find that the finish can also be satin-dewy. I wouldn't really recommend this for people with very oily skin, because it can look greasy as the day goes on. However, I find the finish of this foundation really flawless and it is so lightweight! The texture of this foundation is between a liquid and a mousse. The foundation blends incredibly well! The scent is also so amazing! It's a fresh cucumber scent, however I know that some people may not like fragrance. I also find the ingredients of this foundation really nice and I always feel that my blemishes get better after wearing this foundation. I also get compliments when I wear this foundation as well. A few things that I don't like about this foundation is that it is not the best long-wearing foundation. I find that after 8 hours, the foundation starts to look cakey and separate a little bit, if I didn't powder before throughout the day. I would not recommend people sensitive to silicone to try this foundation out, since it is quite silicone based. Also this foundation is actually quite pricey for a drugstore foundation and ranges from $10-$14. This has SPF 10. This foundation would be great, if you are on a slight budget and want a flawless looking foundation that has a satin-dewy finish.

If you guys have any questions or comments, please post them down below. Thank you!
-Lily <3

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

March Favorites!



  • Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towelettes: I bought these facial wipes this month and I absolutely love them! I never use to used facial wipes before, but I love it now to easily take off my makeup quickly and whenever I just want to be makeup free. 

  • Dior Hydra Life Skin Perfect Pore Refining Perfecting Moisturizer: I got a deluxe sample of this moisturizer and I fell in love the first time I used this! It is such a luxurious moisturizer and it does everything that it says it does!

  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua: I haven't been using this foundation for awhile, however I started using this again this month and I remember why I loved this foundation in the first place. It is just so light and gives such a natural finish. 

  • Delux Beauty Lipliner in Nudey Shimmer: I never used lipliners before, however I got this in a swap and it is amazing! It is just like the natural color of my lips, but a bit darker. I love it to wear it under nude lipsticks and it just makes the lipstick wear better. 

  • Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in #14: My current favorite nude lipstick! It is not peachy or pink, but a perfect beige nude. I find that it is a slightly darker nude, however I can just put a light gloss on top or lightly apply it to my lips. The formula is very creamy and long-lasting. 

  • Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in Pomegranate Punk: I've been loving cream eyeshadows for a quick eyeshadow look and Maybelline makes great cream eyeshadows! They stay on all day, don't crease, and are very pigmented. I love Pomegranate Punk, specifically, because it is a burgundy purple that is not too overwhelming. I can easily wear this for everyday, but it still adds a pop of color to my brown eyes. 

  • Jill Stuart Moist Silk Powder Foundation in Sand: I used to love powder foundation, however I have used more liquid foundations than powder the past year, however when I got this Jill Stuart powder foundation, I fell in love again! Not only is the packaging adorable, but the actual powder foundation gives such amazing medium coverage with an airbrush and luminous finish! I love to wear this by itself or on top of liquid foundation.

  • Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer: Perfect lip gloss! Non-sticky, moisturizing, long-lasting, and makes the lips look perfect!

  • MAC Melba Blush: This blush is the perfect Spring/Summer blush! It is a light peach with a hint of pink in it! It is completely matte, but it is very pigmented. I have heard many people raved about this blush and the hype is all true! I think this would look great on many different skin tones. 

  • Hard Candy Honeymoon Blush: I don't use this product as a blush, but more of a highlighter. As a highlight, it is fantastic! It gives the most luminous and natural glow ever! The finish is slightly similar to the Benefit Sugarbomb, but without the pigmentation and a little bit more glowy. 

My Prom Makeup + Prom Photos!


FACE:
Smashbox Photofinish Light Primer
Illamasqua Skin Base in 03+ MUFE HD Foundation in #123(mixed)
SkinFood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream in #2
Jill Stuart Moist Silk Powder Foundation in Sand


EYES: 
Prestige Browliner in Taupe
Anastasia Beverly Hills Duo Brow Powder in Ash Blonde
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in Pomegranate Punk
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Not Pictured) - Virgin, Sin, Hustle, & Creep
MAC Sable
MAC Teddy Eye Kohl
Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Black


LIPS: 
Delux Beauty Lipliner in Nude Shimmer
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in #14

A few of my prom pictures!


P.S.- It might look like I have very short hair, but I actually have very long curled hair. lol