Jewelmint Jewelry

I had been seeing a lot of advertisements recently for the the Jewelmint site which is Cher Coulter and Kate Bosworth's site where they design and sell jewelry pieces.  You sign up and based on your personality test, they suggest pieces of jewelry for only $29.99 each.  A lot of their pieces are big statement pieces which is what I normally don't go for, but I saw this bracelet above and I fell in love.  It's a matte bracelet which is really unique in my opinion.  The sparkle in it is of course what attracted me to it and I love wearing it with my Michael Kors watch.  I'm in love with this bracelet, it is so unique.

Eye Makeup Remover

My all time favorite eye makeup remover is Bi-Facil by Lancome, but at about $24 dollars a bottle it was starting to get expensive.  When it comes to finding the right eye makeup remover for me, it has to be something gentle on my eyes that will remove my makeup without excessive rubbing or any stinging.  I am fairly sensitive to eye makeup remover products as they tend to sting my eyes.  

The Lancome remover was perfect, but I wanted to find a cheaper dupe to it.  I tried the Loreal make up remover (the one on the right) and it did sting my eyes and didn't wipe away my make up as quickly as the Lancome one.  I just finished that bottle finally and bought this new one by No 7 from Ulta.  It was around $8 and it comes with a pump you can use to just squirt product onto your cotton pad.  I thought it was unique because the remover solution itself is blue.  I had never used an eye makeup remover that had color to it before so you could actually see how much you are putting onto the cotton swab.  I must say that I really like this product.  It is very gentle on the eyes, and it doesn't bother me at all.  It removes my eye makeup easily and I think I have found my replacement for the Lancome remover!  You do have to shake it and mix up the product, as with any eye makeup remover, the only issue is that some of the product comes out and onto the cap and around the nozzle when you do that.  So the packaging isn't as great as I originally thought it was but it's a great product and I'm glad to have found it.

Neutrogena Lip Balm

Neutrogena came out with a new line called Neutrogena naturals.  I wasn't really interested in anything from the line since I already have a skin care regimen that works for me.  However, I got their lip balm as a gift with purchase at Target.  I love the idea behind this line and that everything is all natural, but this lip balm is awful.  It has a nice minty scent to it, but that is honestly the only good part of this product.  It is not soft when you apply it to the lips and it does not feel moisturizing at all especially in comparison to my all time favorite lip balm which is Nivea, a kiss of moisture.  In fact, this lip balm made my lips peel and dry up so it did the opposite of what it should do.  I actually saved it to do this post, but now I'm throwing it away.  I don't recommend this at all!

Birchbox #3

Receiving a Birchbox in the mail gets me so excited because I never know what to expect.  I was pretty excited for some of the things I got this time!  Starting from left to right:

Juice Beauty- Green Apple Peel:  I have always been hesitant to use masks or peels on my face because I don't want to suddenly break out from them since they are such a heavy duty product.  It is a really nice sized sample though!

Lavanila lotion in Vanilla Lavender:  I was the most excited for this product because I have seen this line in Sephora, I just never purchased anything from them.  I was kind of upset I didn't get their coconut vanilla scent because that is my all time favorite and I'm not a huge fan of lavender.  However, the lavender isn't overpowering in this lotion and mixed well with the vanilla.  It also leaves my hands really soft I love the texture of this lotion.  It feels very satiny on the skin.

Zoya Polish in Jules:  This is my second most favorite thing in my box.  I have lately been hearing a lot about Zoya and I'm so glad I could test out one of their polishes from their new spring line.  You can see the swatches on the bottom of the picture that they sent along with it.  The pamphlet on the left shows all the colors they have (which is a lot!) and on the right are the spring collection swatches.  I must say I would have preferred one of their creamy colors to the metallic (which is maybe why this wasn't my first favorite thing in my box), but I'm so excited to try out this metallic-y gold/silver color on my fingers--I can't even explain it!

LIV GRN parfum:  I love receiving perfume samples because I like to always keep one in my purse.  I'm so bad at explaining smells but it says it smells like jasmine and sandalwood.  To me I smell a bit of melon in there as well, but then again I'm not the best with explaining scents!  I wish the bottle was a spray though, that makes it so much easier to use!

Juice Beauty moisturizer:  This was one of their extras.  I don't know why they keep sending moisturizers to try out.  I think if I tried everything they sent my skin would go crazy and not know what to do with so many different products.

Seed Paper:  This was another extra.  You are supposed to plant this and with a little water wildflowers will grow!  I have yet to plant it but it's kind of a cool concept.

Nail of the day #4

 One of the blogs I enjoy to read is by a girl named Jen.  In one of her recent posts, she had her nails painted with black nail polish with blue sparkles on top.  I tried to recreate the look, but I only had the sparkle polish she used.

For my base, I used OPI's polish in Lincoln Park after Dark which is a dark and creamy purple color.  Over that I used a nail polish from the Katy Perry line from OPI in Last Friday Night.  I really like this look because it looks like the night sky.  Also, the polish in Last Friday Night was a disappointing color on its own because looks like a few coats of it would create a nice shade of blue on the nails.  However, that pretty blue color you see in the bottle does not translate onto your nails.  But over Lincoln Park after Dark, the sparkles capture a pretty blue sheen in the light and add a fun touch to the nails.

miracle leave-in product

This product was on a main display at Ulta and it was also highly recommended by a sales woman, so I decided to try it out.  I'm always looking for a product that will manage frizz (which I get a lot of, especially in the cold months from excessive blow drying) and soften my hair.  It comes in two sizes, and I got the smaller size which is 120ml for $18.  I have been a loyal user of Moroccan Oil products.  I love their entire line, and some of my favorites include their shampoo, conditioner and oil treatment.  This product beat the oil from the Moroccan Oil line for me though.  This softens my hair even more than Moroccan Oil and on the box it claims to do 10 things for your hair once you have sprayed in the product.  On the box it says:

1. Repairs dry damaged hair

2. Adds shine

3.  Smoothes & controls frizz

4.  Seals and Protects hair color

5.  Detangles

6.  Prevents split ends

7.  Stops hair breakage

8.  Creates silkiness

9.  Enhances natural body

10.  Flat iron & thermal protector

I can honestly say this product makes my always tangled hair manageable and frizz free.  It was so much easier to handle my hair with this product, and all you need is to spray this around your hair and comb it through to make sure it isn't concentrated in only one area of your head.  This product truly is the miracle it claims to be.  It also has a great spray so when you spray it into your hair it doesn't concentrate on only one area but disperses evenly to the entire head.

Michael Kors Watches

I am currently obsessed with Michael Kors watches.  They have such a classic look but with feminine details to them.  I had never owned a metal watch before because they have always felt too heavy on my wrist or even when sized, never fit properly.  My aunt and uncle got me a Michael Kors watch as a present a few months ago, and I have not taken it off since.  It is my favorite watch!

I am in love with rose gold jewelry and Michael Kors was one of the first brands that came out with watches in a nice shade of rose gold.  Of course, my watch had to have sparkle to it.  I get so many compliments on this watch, and it is so comfortable to wear.  Now that I have had this watch for a few months, whenever I am in Nordstrom I glance over his other watches.  I recently fell in love with their gold watches as well, especially this one.  I'm saving up to buy this watch, I am absolutely in LOVE. I like to pair my watches with plenty of bracelets!

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

I don't buy foundation all that often, but I was on the hunt for something with spf and that was lightweight.  For a while now I have been using Makeup Forever HD foundation which looks amazing in pictures and makes my face look flawless.  However, it was too much for an everyday foundation.  Also, it oxidized very quickly on my face and made me appear orange.  For me, the product didn't last very long and over time, it made my blush look splotchy.  It is definitely not a foundation meant to be worn all day, but it looks great for the first few hours.

I was curious about Chanel's new Vitalumiere Aqua foundation.  I have always heard great things about their foundations, and this is one of their newest additions to their collection.  This foundation looks very small in the packaging but it actually holds 30 ml of product which is the same amount found in the Makeup Forever HD foundation.  I bought this for $45 plus tax.  The packaging of this product makes it very easy to store and travel with so I am happy with the design of this product.

It says on the box that this is an "ultra-light skin perfecting makeup, instant natural radiance" and that it also has an spf of 15.  If you need coverage, this foundation would not be the proper choice since it does only give a light to medium coverage.  The color I got was BR50-Beige Rose-Sienne, which is one of their darkest shades.  Unfortunately, this line has a very limited amount of color selection.  I'm normally in the medium shades, so once I get a tan in the summer this line probably won't have an option for me anymore.  This is probably the only con I could find for this product.

This foundation has a very liquidy consistency as well as a slight flowery smell to it (which I do not mind, but may irritate highly sensitive skin).  You can apply it with your hands or a brush, both ways apply this foundation nicely.  It settles into the skin very quickly and disappears making it look and feel like it is a layer of "second skin."  It creates a very natural finish to the skin and feels like nothing is on the face while leaving a dewy appearance.  I am normally not a fan of a dewy foundation, I like my face to look matte only because as the day goes on I don't like my "dewy" foundation to make my face appear oily and have to constantly powder it.  However, I found that with this foundation I did not have to touch up my face at all (I have combination skin) and after wearing it all day it looked the same as when I had applied it in the morning.

Can you tell I am absolutely in love with this foundation?

Nail of the Day #3

This is Essie's nail polish in Fiji.  It's a very opaque creamy white pink shade.  It does apply a little streaky so you would definitely need two coats of this polish and a steady hand to make sure your second coat evenly covers the nails.  However, the end result is a very wearable shade of pink perfect for every occasion.

Liquid Black Eyeliner

I have had the most difficult time finding the perfect liquid black eye liner.  I have always wanted one that is thin and easy to use since I am awful when it comes to applying liquid liner.  Also, finding one that is super black and that lasts all day is another factor when it comes to finding the perfect eyeliner.  In Europe, I came across this Bourjois felt tip liner in Ultra Black.

This liner is thin, very black, and lasts all day.  It is so easy to apply onto the eyes and I wish I knew if they sold it in the states because it's amazing.  When I was purchasing this, the saleswoman said that Bourjois is made in the same factory as Chanel products and mentioned that I could just use my imagination to know why Bourjois has such good products.  I know Ulta used to sell Bourjois and I hope they still do because this is an eyeliner I will continue to purchase!

Orange Lipstick Trend

An ongoing trend for the Spring and Summer months is orange lips.  I have been on the hunt for the perfect orange color that is bright and bold without appearing to hint too much on the red side when applied to the lips.  I had difficulty finding a color that was a true orange because many that I found became more coral when I applied them to my lips--until I came across this!

This lipstick is by Artdeco and is 435 34j.  I bought this while on a recent trip to Europe so unfortunately I don't know if you can get a hold of it it the states.  However, the trend is orange lips so you have to find a shade that suits you.  After my long hunt for the perfect orange, I found this lipstick.  It is a vibrant true orange color that goes on very smooth, but with lots of pigmentation.  I like to wear such a bold lip with very simple makeup since all the attention with such a look would be on the lips.  Wearing a bold lip can be out of some peoples comfort zone, but it's a lot of fun and is great for a night out when you want a drastic change in your makeup but don't feel like spending any time with fancy eyeshadow/liner.

UPDATE:  I went into the MAC store and tried their lipstick called "Vegas Volt" which looks almost exactly like this lipstick.  Morange lipstick by MAC was another great orange lipstick if you are looking for a true vibrant orange.