November Loves

I don't post one of these every single month because I don't always fall in love with a whole post full of new products, and I'm not going to bore you by going on about the same stuff I told you about last month. So here's what I've been loving over the past couple months:

Origins A Perfect World SPF 15 Age Defense Tinted Moisturizer with White Tea (01 Light)

This has a ridiculously long name, but my skin is loving the hydration and the sheer coverage.

Origins Silk Screen Refining Powder Makeup (Oatmeal 16)

I light-handedly sweep this all over my face, using my Eco Tools duofibre brush.

Almay* Wake Up Undereye Concealer (020 Light/Medium)

This comes with a brush on applicator, which I squeeze along the inside edge of my eyes and tap to blend with my ring finger.

Milani Baked Blush (Dolce Pink)
This applies really sheer but builds to the perfect natural  just-came-in-from-the-cold rosy flush.  I can imagine this shade being really  beautiful on a lot of skintones.

Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss (Juicy Peach)
This is the absolute perfect Autumn-Winter lip product, not only because glossy neutral lips are the perfect foil to dark smokey eyes but because the formula is also really moisturizing (unlike most glosses, which tend to dry out my lips).

Wet n Wild Where's the Party Eight Pan Eyeshadow Palettes

I'm kind of obsessed with the original Color Icon palettes, and these new editions definitely don't disappoint.  I've been pretty much living in Sparkle the Night Away (neutrals) and Shine Till Morning (purples and blues).

Wet n Wild Color Icon Lipliner (Brandy Wine)

I don't mind splurging a little on quality skin products, but lipliner is an item I definitely don't believe in spending much money on.  Wet n Wild liners are just as pigmented as higher end versions.  At 99 cents a pop, I'll probably be snagging a bunch more of these on my next Walgreens trip.

Taylor Swift - Begin Again

I haven't gotten ahold of the Red album in its entirety yet, but I love what I've heard so far.  Chad Sugg's cover of Begin Again makes me weak in the knees.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

This was my favorite book for the month of October.  I don't know why I didn't read it years ago.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

I've obviously been reading a lolately.  I got through this one really fast because I couldn't bear to put it down.

Nescafe Memento

These come in delicious flavors like caramel (obv. my favorite) and mocha, magically froth up like cappuccinos and don't require cream or sugar.  They've altogether replaced Folgers as my morning instant coffee.

What do you think of my November loves?
Do you have/want any of these items?

What products have you been loving this month?

XOXO, T

FTC: The Origins tinted moisturizer and powder were both given to me by my momma.

*Update: Almay has been removed from cruelty-free lists, and I don't know what to do with my life.

Spotted: New Wet n Wild Displays and Small Walgreens Haul

I went to Walgreens under the guise of picking up a Wet n Wild lipliner but, of course, had to check for the new Color Icon palettes.  The first new display that caught my eye was WnW's Beauty Ambassador Favorites, repromoting products from their permanent line with recommendations by a few of our favorite beauty bloggers/vloggers (Beauty Broadcast, Vampy Varnish and Clumps of Mascara), as well as a couple I'm less familiar with (Makeup by Celly and Everyday Makeup Blog).  I didn't touch this display, as I'm pretty familiar with (and stocked up on) Wet n Wild's permanent line.  I then browsed the regular Wet n Wild section for the new palettes, to no avail, but nearly screamed upon spotting the Best in Show display near the back of the store.

I had to exercise some serious self control around these palettes, as I'm supposed to be "on a budget," and allowed myself to buy only two.  I already have the original four palettes (Comfort Zone, Petal Pusher, Blue Had Me at Hello and I <3 Matte), and Shimmer the Night Away didn't seem that unique to me at the time (I have a crazy ton of purple shadows), so the only two I picked up were Sparkle 'Til Morning and Drinking a Glass of Shine, which I plan on comparing to I <3 Matte and then gifting.

But upon seeing swatches of Sparkle the Night Away, I've decided I need it, if only for that blue shade.  I also realize I didn't even notice the two new (limited edition?) Glassy Gloss shades (Frost Bitten and A Glass of Shine), which means I'll probably be driving all over town trying to get my greedy, little fingers on those three items.

Wet n Wild Where's the Party?
palettes & Color Icon lipliners

What do you think of my haul?  Of Wet n Wild makeup in general?

XOXO, T

I ♥ Drugstore Tag

I know this is a YouTube tag, but, seeing as I don't make videos, I've decided to do it as a blog post.  (Am I allowed to do that?)  Anyway, I saw this tag on Beauty Broadcast and Emily says it's okay, so here we go.

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?
I think I use a ton of Revlon because it's so readily available (and I do love me some Revlon), but if it didn't involve a thirty minute drive I'd see myself having a lot more NYX.  Its quality and color selection really are unbeatable.

2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?
Honestly I typically use mid-high end face makeup (because it's the first thing that touches your skin and it can be hard for me to find a good color match in the drugstore), but if I absolutely have to pick a face product I'll say Revlon PhotoReady Concealer.
For cheeks, you really can't beat Milani Baked Blushes, although I also really enjoy the e.l.f. Studio Blushes at $3.
Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect is the end-all, holy grail lip product.  It moisturizes like no other, has spf, and even looks like a gloss on the lips.

3. Least favorite product?
Undoubtedly, EOS Lip Balm (although this easily could've gone as number 8, not worth the hype).  Although these come in cute, colorful little spheres and smell pretty, the balm just kind of sits on top of lips and doesn't deliver any kind of hydration.

4. What is the best makeup bargain?
I would say the e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing powder, if the blush worked better on my skintone, but, since it barely shows up, I have to go with Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow palettes.

5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)
Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara is insane.  I have never seen this kind of volume from a drugstore mascara.  This product deserves way more attention than it seems to receive.

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
Has to be nail polish.  OPI and Essie are absolutely ridiculous (Do they count as "drugstore?"), but even Revlon ColorStay costs like $8.

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog that I'm going with Boots No7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion.  I didn't quite believe Liz when she first told me this is an exact dupe for Benefit High Beam, but I became a believer at first swipe.  Boots High Lights retails for $12.99 for 1 oz.of product, while High Beam costs $26 for a mere 0.45 oz.  I'm no physicist, but that makes High Lights half the price for (slightly more than) twice the product.  Side by side, High Lights is a bit less watery than High Beam, but they're pretty much identical once blended out.  (High Lights looks really reflective in my picture; I might have inadvertently swatched it a bit thicker than High Beam.)

Benefit High Beam (left) & Boots High Lights (right)

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
Revlon PhotoReady Whipped Creme Makeup.  I'll admit the texture feels kind of nice (if a bit heavy), but it's near impossible to guess a color match in those clunky glass jars.  Revlon might be able to change my mind about this product if they'd step up their game and provide testers, but until that happens I have to dub PhotoReady Whipped as vastly overrated.

What do you think of my picks?  Do you agree/disagree with any of my answers?

I tag everyone, but, specifically:

April of April, Maybe

Bre of (Skinny) Arm Wars

Krystal of Beauty By Krystal

lovenailpolish of Addicted to OPI-yum

Rose of One Unique Queen

Sophie of Born to Buy

If you do this tag, please leave your link below so I can read your post.

XOXO, T

Collective Drugstore Haul: Walgreens & CVS

I've gone to a couple of the Walgreens' in my area lately, in search of the elusive e.l.f. Villainous Villains collection.  I sadly haven't been able to find it anywhere, but I did stumble upon the Fergie for Wet n Wild collection, which happens to be kind of fantastic.  I picked up the nail color in Going Platinum and the Glamour-Eyes Eye Kit.

From a different Walgreens, I got Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana (which I plan on using as a highlight), WnW Lipstick in 522a Dark Wine, WnW eyeshadow trio in I'm Getting Sunburned, Revlon Moon Candy Nail Art in Milky Way & Orbit, and e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Collection.

From CVS, I picked up Moroccan Curling Perfection Defining Cream, Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum, Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Plum, Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel in Rich Raspberry & Bare Bones, and Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup in Sand Beige (which I hope turns out to be my right color).

What do you think of my haul?  Do you have/want any of these products?

XOXO, T

P.S. Walgreens seems to have restocked the 8 pan Wet n Wild Color Icon Palettes, so I highly suggest picking up at least one all three of these immeds.

Spotted: Fergie for Wet n Wild

It's no secret that I'm a pretty big fan of Wet n Wild Cosmetics, so imagine my excitement when I found this display near the back of the store.  I obvs wanted to grab all of it but only allowed myself to pick up one eye kit and a nail polish.  (The polishes were over with the regular WnW nail polish in my store.)

Glamour-Eyes, Ferga-vicious & Fergie Ferg Fresh Eye Kits

Pretty polishes with names like Glamorous & Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night

What do you think of Fergie's collaboration with Wet n Wild?  Do you have/want anything from this collection?

XOXO, T

August Loves

I guess I haven't done a monthly loves post in quite some time, so these are kind of like my entire summer's worth of loves (in no particular order):

Beauty Loves

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in basically every color (Honey pictured)

I'm sure we've all seen countless raves of these, so I'm not going to spend much time on them except to say that they're fantastic and I'm basically obsessed.  Let me know if you'd like me to swatch and/or review these.

e.l.f. Essential Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

This is great for taming my crazy eyebrows just a bit when I want to appear slightly more polished, which is the only use I'm interested in.  (Why would I ever wear clear mascara?)

Almay One Coat Get Up & Grow Mascara

If you're an o.g. Kathryn Rose follower, you might remember me being really into this mascara forever ago and then kind of forgetting about it.  So it's a rediscovered love for me, and you really can't beat it in terms of cruelty-free, clump-free volume for the price.

Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow in Silent Treatment
The quality of these shadows is incredible, and this particular trio can be adapted for either daytime or nighttime.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny
This cult bronzer is every bit as good as everyone says it is.

Boots No7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion

Liz was right (per usual) about this being a dupe for Benefit High Beam, and I'm certain this pearlescent liquid highlight would be beautiful on any skintone.

Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Shampoo and Intensive Moisture Mask

Since switching to this sulfate-free line, my hair is noticeably softer and shinier with less breakage.

There's no non-awkward way to arrange these eight objects.

Fashion Loves

Jorts
I'm sure any Floridian will tell you that denim cutoffs are an absolute summer staple.  (Is this true all over the south?)  I've been especially into these white ones from American Eagle.

January Jones Versace
Who doesn't love a pair of huge sunnies?  This Betty Draper inspired retro gorgeous pair has scarcely left my face since receiving them for my birthday (May).

Random Loves

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Skins: Favorite ever; I'm rewatching because I've seriously watched everything on Netflix.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: Can't believe I waited so long to read this; it's perfection.

Personal Update

I completed my "general" A.A. degree this summer but missed the deadline to transfer to UCF for this fall, so I'm currently taking a couple Journalism classes at SSC, just to keep my brain from falling out my ears during an unintentional semester off.  So I'll be working on the school newspaper which is kind of exciting, as I've never really been an extra-curricular kind of person.  I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but this journalism thing just might end up making sense for me.  (Watch out, Anna Wintour.)

What do you think of my August loves?  What were some of your favies this month/summer?

XOXO, T

Smokey Eye Saturday

I promise I'm not naked; my hair is hiding my straps.

I'm heading out to my friend Henry's house party, but I got ready freakishly fast so I thought I'd share my FOTN.  I didn't do anything too fancy as it's just going to be a lot of sitting around playing drinking games with the usual suspects, but since a couple of cute boys Facebook RSVP-ed I obvs want to look casually gorgeous but not like I'm wearing too much makeup.

I opted to not wear foundation (or even tinted moisturizer), as my skin is actually in pretty good shape lately but applied Revlon Colorstay Concealer only where absolutely necessary as well as Boots No7 Illuminating Lotion to the high points of my cheekbones.  For my eyes, I'm wearing Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow trio in Silent Treatment and Almay Get Up & Grow Mascara in Black waterproof with e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara to set my brows. I also swept NYC Sunny Bronzer along the underside of my cheekbones and blended into my temples and around the sides of my massive forehead. I finished my look with just a touch of Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink and Burt's Bees tinted lip balm.

Wet n Wild does such a great satiny taupe.

What do you think of this look? What makeup do you typically wear to parties?

XOXO, T

P.S. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I got my conch punched on Friday the 13th, but I guess I haven't blogged since then so I made sure it's visible in the first picture.

Trendy Tuesday #1: Summer Brights

A lot of bright colors have cool undertones, which is part of what makes them so beautiful with a bit of a tan.  If we tried wearing neon in the winter, it would completely wash most of us out.

The key to incorporating brights into your look, whether in the form of clothing, accessories or makeup, is pairing a single pop of color with an otherwise very basic, neutral look.  The most surefire way to pull off a bright lipstick, eyeshadow or blush is by wearing almost no other makeup.

It helps to wear a white base underneath brights to help the color pop, especially on darker skintones.  For example, I typically apply NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk under bright eyeshadow or liner and a white nail polish before a bright (or dark or weird) nail polish, to keep it from staining my nails.

These are a few of my favorite bright cosmetic items:

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Lollipop and Tutti Frutti

NYX Eyeshadow Trio in Shangri La

Wet n Wild eyeshadow singles in Fuchsia and Lagoon

Milani Liquif’eye Eyeliner in Aqua

Wet n Wild Lipstick in Fuchsia with Blue Pearl

e.l.f. Studio Blush in Pink Passion