January 2012 Favorites!!

Hey Beauties! So this January was a pretty good month for me- I started a new semester of school, it was my birthday, and the weather where I live as been unusually nice! Spring is finally on it's way! I don't have a lot of favorites this month because I have been trying to use up the products that I have. I kind of have a lot of makeup... yeah, it's a problem! Without further ado here are my faves!

• The Sunsilk Captivating Curls De-frizz Conditioner: I love this! I have very, very curly hair, and sometimes my curls are just too much for me to deal with! Ever have those days when you just want to rip all of your hair out?! Well this conditioner has really helped limit those days for me. It has Aloe-E to really hydrate my hair, and tame it. Plus it makes your hair smell wonderful!
• Covergirl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer in fair to light: In the winter, my face tends to get really dry even though I have very oily skin! While this product definitely doesn't give a lot of coverage, it does help keep my skin moisturized throughout the day. I really recommend it for people who have dry skin.
• Burt's Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter: Burt's Bees is my favorite brand of chap stick, and I especially love this one. It smells fantastic, and it really helps my poor, chapped lips feel a lot better! Everyone should have a Burt's Bees, especially in the winter.
• Lancome Absolute Eye Premium Eye Cream: Wowzers! This stuff really, really helps moisturize my eyelids! Like I said before, my skin get really dry in the winter, and that includes my eyelids. Is that weird?? I put this stuff on once, and the next day I already saw a huge difference! My eyeshadow looked so much better! :)
• Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume: This. Smells. So. GOOD. I just... oh my gosh you just have to go and smell it. I really can't describe the smell well enough. It is fabulous. I swear that I am addicted! Taylor Swift, you are a genius. It smells fruity, but not like a fruit basket... That was a horrible description ha ha. Just trust me on this one, it's amazing.

What are your favorite products this January? What did you discover or re-discover? How did this month go for you? Thanks for reading!! -Meghan

NOTW: O.P.I My Private Jet!!

2 coats

Hello Ladies! I just painted my nails this color for the first time in a long time, and I must say I missed it! I absolutely LOVE this color! It is a medium brown color and it has all different colored shimmers in it- blue, green, pink, and silver are just a few I can see right now. The shimmers are very small and fine so if you look at the polish it isn't like BAM blue or pink shimmer. It is just beautiful! It is part of the permanent O.P.I collection, and I highly recommend it!

What are you wearing on your nails right now? -Meghan

Small Target Haul!!

From top to bottom: Maybelline Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bold Gold, Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral, Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale, and Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait.

                 I. Love. Target!! Seriously what would I ever do without it! Die, probably ;). I went to Target because a lot of the drugstore brands have been releasing their Spring collections, and everyone is RAVING about them! I felt like I just had to try some of the things out.

First thing I wanted to try out were the new Maybelline Dream Bouncy blushes. And I just have to say, I LOVE them!!! First off, the consistency is the coolest thing ever. They are like a mousse-y, cream and they really are bouncy! As you can kind of see, I have just been sticking my fingers into them because they just feel sooo cool! These two colors are 30 Candy Coral and 70 Hot Tamale. Besides the awesome feeling, they are really pigmented, and are really soft. I really, really recommend these!

Another thing I have heard so much about, especially from Amarixe, or Allison, on YouTube, is the new Maybelline Color Tattoo by Eyestudio cream eye shadows. I was a little sceptical because drugstore cream shadows ALWAYS crease on me (even with a primer), but then Allison said that they were just like MAC paint pots, and I was sold. And trust me, they really are amazing. They claim to last for 24 hours, and even though I haven't done that, I had this swatched on my hand, and I took a shower and when I got out of the shower, it was STILL THERE. What?! I know! This color here is 45 Bold Gold, and it is gorgeous!

There has been SO much hype about the Revlon Lip Butters that I had to just get one on my own to see if they really were as good as people were saying. And I have to say, they are good, but they aren't Oh-My-Gosh-I-Need-To-Get-Every-Color-Or-I-Will-Die good. They are really moisturizing, and have a really pretty glossy finish, and this one in particular is pretty pigmented for being just a Lip Butter. I do really like it, but I'm not over the moon about it. I will get more colors, but I don't feel that you need to get this or you are going to die. This is in Peach Parfait and it is a really pretty shimmery, pinky, peachy color that looks good with my pale skin tone.

So what have you guys gotten recently? What new things have you tried that you think I should try? Thanks for reading! -Meghan

Nails of the Week: O.P.I. Sweet Heart and Essie A Cut Above

O.P.I Sweet Heart took 3-4 coats to make it this opaque, but Essie A Cute Above only needed 2 to get this much glitter!

   This week's nail color(s) is O.P.I Sweet Heart and Essie A Cut Above! I changed it from nail of the day to nail of the week because I normally only paint my nails once a week so it made sense to say week instead of day... Anywho back to the polish. O.P.I Sweet Heart is a pale, milky pink in a cream finish, and in the bottle it is gorgeous. However, it took 3-4 coats to make it opaque, and I am not sure I like it with my skin tone. It seems too light... even though I am pretty pale. Maybe I am just not used to this type of color because I normally wear dark shades or bright shades. I used Essie A Cut Above on my ring fingers for an accent nail. A Cut Above came out in the Essie Luxe Effects line, and it is a pretty pink glitter top coat polish. This polish is not meant to be worn on its own, but to be paired over another polish. I love this! The glitters are circular, and there are some smaller pieces of pink glitter throughout it. I want to try this polish over a black... I think it would look really interesting and beautiful! In conclusion, I am not in love with O.P.I Sweet Heart, but I don't absolutely hate it either. I love Essie A Cut Above and if you can find it in stores (or any of the polishes from this collection) buy it! What are you wearing on your nails right now? Thanks for reading! - Meghan

My Current Skincare Routine!!

As I have said before, I have oily, very acne-prone skin. Yeah, it's really annoying! I am still not sure what triggers my break outs, but I am determined to find what it is. My diet? The makeup products I use? I am not sure. Now, this skin care routine isn't a miracle "Oh-My-Gosh-This-Stuff-Is-Absolutely-Amazing", but it has helped get rid of my current acne and it does help control my oily skin. However, I am ALWAYS open to suggestions because I still break out.
       Stuff I use everyday, twice a day:

• Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam: Foams really well, and does help get rid of pimples. I have repurchased this item 4 times because it really does help, and it is the best I have used so far.
• Clinique Clarifying Lotion in #4: My mom accidentally got this for me when she meant to get the acne solutions toner, but this is really nice. It really helps get the excess makeup off of my face, and again helps with my acne.
• Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturizer: While it doesn't really moisturize my skin, I find that it does help control my oil throughout the day, but really it isn't a Holy Grail item.
• Olay Complete All Day UV moisturizer SPF 15 (morning): A great moisturizer with SPF is all I ask for in the mornings. Just enough moisture to keep my face hydrated through the day (my skin tends to get a little dry in the winter), and with a good amount of SPF. Really recommend this.
• Ponds Dry Skin Cream (night): Again, my skin does get pretty dry (but oily at the same time, is that strange?) in the winter so I got this because it days extra moisturizing. I use it at night because I find that it is way to thick to put on before my makeup, and would probably make me pretty oily.
• Mario Bedescu Drying Lotion: This is the one thing in my skin care routine that I can say absolutely, positively works! It gets rid of my big zits practically over night. Completely recommend this to EVERYONE.

       Masks I use:

• Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque: The traditional bright green slumber party mask that helps "rinse away blackheads". And it really does! When I wash this off (with some difficulty) all of my blackheads on my nose are gone. Really recommend this one.
• Mario Bedescu Whitening Mask: No this isn't used to whiten my skin, I really don't need to get any paler! :) This is supposed to help lighten acne scars and dark spots on the face. While it leaves my skin really moisturized, I haven't noticed a huge difference. The biggest problem I have with my skin is acne scars that just won't go away! Does anyone have any recommendations?? I would be eternally grateful!

       Exfoliater I use in the shower:

• St. Ives Gentle Apricot Scrub: While having a pretty bad rep, I say that it works really, really well. After using this, my skin is really soft and all my dry patches are gone!

As you can see most of the items are Clinique because after many trial-and-errors, I have found that it works the best on my skin. But again, I would be really happy with any recommendations for oily, really acne-prone skin. And for lightening acne scars. Thanks for reading! - Meghan

To Naked 2 Palette or not to Naked 2 Palette?



The Naked 2 and the Naked original palette

There have been countless reviews and comparisons of the Naked original palette and the Naked 2 palette, but I am still left with the question of should I actually invest in the new one. I have the original Naked palette, and there are beautiful colors in it, but the thing is, I barely use it! Shocking I know! It seems everyone on the planet uses that thing religiously. I just don't wear neutral shades enough to get a really good use out of it... However, I do wear gray and cooler toned eyeshadows (which I hear the Naked 2 is full of) rather than warmer, bronzier shades (which is what the Naked palette is). Even though the two palettes are different tones of eyeshadows, they still just seem a bunch of neutral shades to me. This is my question for you guys: Should I get the Naked 2 palette?? I am just worried that I might not use it enough to justify spending $50 on it. What do you guys think: "Yes, Meghan, you need to have it!" or "No, you can live without it if you have the original Naked."?

My 2011 Favorites!!!

These products are what I used almost every single day that I did my makeup. These are my absolute favorite products and I plan on repurchasing all of them-that's when you know something is a favorite, when you plan on spending money on it again!

Eco Tools Bronzer Brush: Even though it is called a bronzer brush, I use it to blend in my foundation, and let me just say it is MARVELOUS! It blends my foundation so well, and it's from the drugstore! The bristles are incredibly soft, and dense so it leaves foundation looking blended and natural instead of cakey and streaky.
Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 150 Buff SPF 6: This an amazing foundation-simple as that. It is full coverage and lasts all day. It never looks cakey on me, and I can't feel it on my skin throughout the day. I love how there are 2 formulations: on for oily skin and one for dry skin. I have the one for oily skin (Cause guess what? I have oily, acne-prone skin), and it controls my shine wonderfully. I recommend it to everyone!
Chanel VitaLumiere Aqua SPF 15 in BR20: Sadly this is not my shade in the Winter (sad I know- one of the lightest shades is too dark, that's how pale I am). However, when I get a little darker, I wear this foundation everyday! There have been tons of positive reviews and they are all correct. It is simply amazing! It provides great coverage even though it is water based, and it doesn't make me oily! The only downside is the price, but at $45 it's still totally worth it.
Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller in Tinted: Wow that's a mouth full, but it is a great product. It matches my skin perfectly, and it covers my very dark under eye circles. It is very easy too; takes me like 2 seconds!
Dermablend Quickfix Concealer in Light: My. favorite. concealer. ever. This concealer covers my blemishes perfectly, and it blends really easily. However, if I could change one thing would be the staying power- claims to last 16 hours but it doesn't. Other then that, it's perfect!
L'Oreal Truematch Powder in C2 Natural Ivory: This powder is wonderful. It sets my makeup while adding that extra little coverage that I like. It also helps control my oily through the day. With such a large shade range, I recommend it every single person looking for a powder that doesn't make them cakey.
Revlon Colorstay Bronzer in 020 Suntan Matte: This bronzer is light enough to not look orange on my pale skin while giving me that coveted sun-kissed glow. A matte bronzer from the drugstore- gotta have it!
NYX Rouge Cream blush in Natural: The range of the NYX cream blushes are all absolutely wonderful, but this is my favorite shade. It is a light, matte pink and it goes really well with light and medium skin tones.
Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface: This is my only blush from the line, but after trying this one, I plan on getting a lot more. They claim to last 12 hours, but even though I say it doesn't last that long, it still last significantly longer than all my other blushes. It's a light matte, pink shade that goes really well over my NYX blush in Natural. I recommend this blush and all the others to everyone who wants a good, long-lasting blush.
Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde: Even though I have red hair, my eyebrows are not red and this color matches perfectly to them. I love how it comes with a pencil and a colored gel- makes my life a lot easier :). The pencil is really smooth and fills my brows in nicely, and the gel helps my brows stay in place all day.
Too Faced Shadow Insurance: WAY WAY better than the Urban Decay Primer Potion for me. I have oily lids, and this helps my shadows stay on ALL day without creasing at all. Love it, gotta have it.
MAC Paint Pot in Barestudy: A beautiful shimmery champagne color, I wear it under my eyeshadows every day. Works really well with my Shadow Insurance to keep my shadows bright and creasless all day.
Maybelline Expertwear Matte Eyeshadow in Champagne Fizz: Even though it isn't really matte, I still use it every day as my blending color and brow bone highlight. It is pigmented and isn't chalky. I have also heard people use it as a highlight for their cheekbones- an all around great eyeshadow!
Maybelline One-by-One Mascara: This is the BEST MASCARA EVER! I naturally have long eyelashes, but it separates them, while thickening them. How it does it, I have no clue, but I love it.
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner: I freaking love this thing. It is very pigmented and stays on forever! I took a shower with this one, and when I stepped out, I was shocked to still see two perfectly rimmed eyes!
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk: I use this every day to brighten my inner corners and I love love love it. It is very creamy and lasts all day!
Sonia Kashuk Eyelash Curler: Love this thing! Does it even need an explanation? Every girl should have an eyelash curler, and I really recommend this one.

               Wow! That was quite the list! But I truly love these products and I plan on using them and repurchasing them in 2012 and for the rest of my life. Have a great New Year!