Weekly favorites!

Howdy all,

Just wanted to share a few favorites that I've been using all week. I think it's beed a good makeup week for me. Probably because I got some new goodies and I've been having fun playing with them but Ii've also had a lot of fun coming up with cute summer looks.

The goods: 

1. It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Palette

2. Too faced à la mode eyes palette: jardin has been my go to lid color :) 

3. Tarte BB tinted undereye corrector in Medium to Tan

4. Tarte Amazonian Clay liquid foundation in Tan 

5. It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Tan 

6. It Cosmetics brush: I don't know the name but it;s the large face brush 

7. NYX Pore Filler primer   

- The Tarte undereye corrector has been the MVP this week. I have not been sleeping well but this guys has helped me look like I have! I've been using it with different concealers and highlighters and it has not let me down. 

- The Tarte foundation has been great since my skin has been really oily skin but I would not recommend it for dry skin. 

- The It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation is by far the best powder foundation I have ever tried! 

What products have you been loving this wee? Any MVPs? I would love to hear what other people have been wearing :) 

xoxo, 

~Cynthia 

It Cosmetics It's all about you! First Impressions

Howdy all,

QVC recently had a great QVC TSV. It includes 5 items for $65.99 + $7.22 Shipping and Handling. If you are still interested, it is still available! qvc.com

I love this QVC kits because you always get a lot for a really great price. If you bought the items in this kit QVC says it would cost $169 and that's probably about right.

In this kit: 

1. Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Waterproof Concealer

2. CC+ Radiance Palette: comes with a color correcting setting powder, blush and bronzing powder

3. Celebration Foundation: Available in Fair, Light, Medium, Tan and Rich My color is Tan

4. Brow Power Universal Pencil: My HG eyebrow pencil 

5. Dual-ended complexion brush

First Impressions: 

1. The concealer is a full coverage concealer, it is a bit thick but the good thing is that a little goes a long way. This is great for those of us with considerable under eye issues. I have lines under my eye so it will crease but as soon as I blend it out it stays in place all day. 

2. This is the brand new item and I have to say that I am really loving it. I used the bronzer to contour as well as the blush yesterday and wow, the colors are perfect for my skin. I'd been having trouble finding the perfect bronzer for me to contour with and this guys is perfection. For those of you with lighter skin: it is quite pigmented so use a light had :) The blush color is a really pretty pink and did last most of the evening on me but my cheeks love to eat blush so I need to test it out some more. I just used the color correcting powder to set the concealer and so far so good I will report back :)

3. I am new to the celebration foundation so I will be testing it out all week but so far it has given me e really nice coverage. A lot of people really rave about it so I'm exited to play with it. 

4. As I stated above, it's my Holy Grail brow pencil. It's just perfect for both natural looks as well as more defined brows. If you have not tried it, I would strongly urge you to try it! Ulta has a travel size for $12 that will last you a long time. 

5. I have one other It cosmetic brush and these are seriously the best. The are soft and easy to use and I am beyond excited to have another. 

All in all I am super happy to have this kit in my life and to get to try more of It cosmetics! What are your favorite It cosmetics products? I would love to hear what you all think and whether you got the kit or if you passed on it. Also, let me know if you have any questions I would be happy to answer them!

The look: 

This is what I did today using as many of the products as possible. I did use the Tarte Amazonian Clay liquid foundation in tan. A combination of Makeup Geek and Inglot shadows and a No.7 pencil liner in black to lime my eyes. Otherwise everything is from the kit :) 

Bite Beauty Best Bite Set: First Impression and Swatches

Howdy all,

The Bite Beauty Best Bite set is limited edition and keeps going in and out of stock online. I was able to get my hands on it and want to share some swatches with you all.

Bite is a brand that I love! I have a few of their products including a few lipsticks and the Agave lip mask. The lipsticks are the best: soft, creamy, hydrating, and the colors are fabulous!

They are a bit pricy but their sets are a great value! Also, they are an all natural, cruelty free brand :)

The set has been going in and out of stock and it's limited edition but it's currently available (at the time of posing) Here is the link: sephora.com

The product: 

The swatches:

Have you tried any Bite beauty? Let me know what you're favorites are!

Lots of love,
~Cynthia

Sally Hansen's Reformulation

Howdy all,

This week I have been hearing a lot about the reformulations of a few, much loved Sally Hansen Hard Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color.

Colors being reformulated: 

Pacific Blue
Mellow Yellow
Coral Reef

At least these are the confirmed (by instagramers) reformulations. @youngwildandpolished has the most complete information on this.

Before today these colors were not in my collection but people have been raving about them and the anger about the reformulation has made it clear that they are worth trying. Therefore, I headed over to my local Ulta and CVS to see if I could find any of the old formula.

You can still find the old formula but it is being fazed out and the new formula is definitely out there.

My findings: 

At Ulta I found both the new and old formula but purchased the last older formula of Pacific Blue, Coral Reef was completely sold out but there were only old formulas of the Mellow Yellow. My CVS only had the old formulas though Coral Reef was sold out.

How to tell the difference? The new formula has larger lettering and is visibly darker. For a side by side comparison I will direct you to @youngwildandpolished

My haul: 

I managed to snag two Pacific Blues and one Mellow Yellow (I made sure not to buy out my CVS)

At Ulta Sally Hansen were 50%off making each $2.99 and I used $3.50 off $10 coupon. (I bought a Cover Girl Lipstick as well). In the end I paid $1.56 for each polish, a great deal!

At CVS I was only going to check availability but decided to buy just one more, either as a back up or maybe gift it to someone. At CVS an individual polish is $3.49 (cheaper than the regular price at Ulta) and I used a $1 off manufacturer coupon. With taxes I paid $2.77. The Ulta deals are definitely better but Sally Hansen is buy 1 get 1 50% off and that could turn out really well if you have any extra bucks. 

I have not been able to try the polishes out yet. Stress has made my nails weak and I am currently trying to grow out chipping and yellowness. 

If you love these products I would go hunting for them and make sure to get the best deal possible! Has anyone found any other deals on these babies? I have a Walgreens and Rite-Aid I can check out but wasn't able to check them on the same trip. Plus I knew I had coupons I could use at Ulta and CVS :)

Parting Thoughts:  

- I mentioned @youngwildandpolished a lot she is my go to nail polish authority so go check out her instagram and youtube channel. She is hilarious and no nonsense.  

Favorite lipstick (at the moment)

Howdy all,

A few weeks ago I tried my first Napoleon Perdis lip product and have fallen in love. I don't hear and read a ton about the brand so I wanted to share my new love with you all.

The goods: 

Napoleon Perdis Dévine Godess lipstick in Olympia 

(Isn't the packaging gorgeous!)

Out of the tube: 

Lip swatch: 

Review: 

I love this lipstick! My lips are pigmented and this is almost a my lips but better product, except that the is a mauvy rose. It is nicely opaque, not sheer lasts a few hours before I have to re-apply. I was able to wear it for 4 hours with no eating but regular drinking from a straw. My lips tend to dry out easily and while this is not a moisturizing lipstick, it did not dry my lips at all. So I am extremely happy and would definitely recommend this lipstick. Now I want to try more colors!

Have you guys tried any Napoleon Perdis products? Let me know what you recommend and what color lipstick I should try next :)

Lots of love,
~Cynthia

Parting thoughts: 
-Anyone else catch World Cup fever?
- I'm finally starting to relax and my eczema is clearing up, yay!

My June ipsy bag!

Hi everyone,

I've been paying attention to the hints about what would be in the June bag and got really excited about the possibilities.

In my bag: 

1. RealTree eau de parfum for her: it has a nice sweet scent so I will use it

2. Ofra universal eyebrow pencil: I immediately tried to use this and I can say that on first impression the pencil is a good match for my eyebrows and it is very buttery, I'm just not sure that it is better than anything I currently have but I'll give it a shot. 

3. Nickak New York Shimmer Eyeliner in blue: from swatching it the applicator is quite stiff but the color is pretty. 

4. NYX butter gloss in Éclair: I only have one of these butter glosses but they are great products and I am glad to add this one to my collection 

5. Carol's Daughter sacred tiare anti-breaking & anti-frizz styling cream: I love hair products and I've never tried any Carol's Daughter so I am very excited! 

What did you all get in your June bag? I was hoping that I would get the Jeesse's girl eyeliner but no luck, oh well. How are you enjoying the goodies? 

Parting thoughts: 

-The summer is about to start, anyone have fun summer plans? 

-I am desperately trying to finish my dissertation so that's what I will be working all all summer :/

Olia box first impressions

Howdy makeup lovers!

I am so excited today and I wanted to share my excitement with you all. I've been hearing a lot (on youtube) about the Olia jewelry subscription box and I've loved the pieces that I've seen people getting so I decided to take the leap and place and order. I just got my mail and say the box had arrived, so this is a bit of an unboxing and first impressions.

About Olia: 

It's a monthly subscription box. You take a quiz and a stylist picks jewelry pieces that fit your taste
For $25 you get 2-3 jewelry pieces
For $35 you get 3-4 jewelry

Check out all the details at http://oliabox.com/

This is what I got for my firs box: 

I got a gorgeous necklace in gold with teal and gold spiky accents (is that what they are called?)

3 gold bracelets 

and spike earrings 

First Impressions: 

I could not love these pieces more! Seriously, when I took the taste quiz I tried to answer things broadly and honestly and I told them to that my style is classy, I don't have a preference for gold, silver, or rose gold so I did tell them to surprise me. I feel that everything I got I would wear, the necklace is a statement piece but I will totally rock that baby as soon as can and would totally wear it on a normal day and don't need a special occasion. I also don't have anything like any of these pieces in my collection so this box was completely worth the $35 :)

Parting Thoughts :

-I am having a bit of an issue with my Olia account but it's totally my fault and the customer service has been quick to respond to my messages so I expect the issue will be solved soon.
- I am totally ordering again!
-Check out my instagram for a collage that includes a picture of me wearing the necklace and earrings :)

NYX Pore Filler

Hello all,

Today I wan tot talk about my current favorite primer, its the NYX Pore Filler. I bought this before I owned any NYX products and was just trying to explore the brand. Over the last 6 months it has become my favorite primer. It is silicone feeling and has dimethicone like most pore filling primers.

You can see from this picture that I have given it lots of love and gotten it dirty. I am actually about to finish it and will be using my scissors to get to the last of it. It is just as good as any of the mid-end $30 primers but at $13.99 ulta.com it is a great value. I find that it is a dupe for the Too Faced Primed and Poreless and I will actually not be repurchasing the Too Faced primer. Both are cruelty free and work well on me so there is no reason to pay $30. 

I don't have any Benefit primers so I can't compare them but I would really recommend this wonderful primer for anyone in the market for a new primer. NYX is often buy one get one free at Ulta and CVS so you could even get it for cheeper. Seriously, this is a wonderful primer. 

I should add that I have combination skin and huge pores. If anyone has had a bad experience with it let me know or let me know if you also love it. I don't remember having a problem with this primer when I had really dry skin this winter. I did just have a few really oily days and used this primer but I think my problem was of not having the right foundation so I could not tell if the primer made a difference. 

Parting thoughts: 

-I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

-Dont' forget to check the Sunday paper for coupons. I've been having a lot of luck with those. I just bought an Almay liquid lip balm in lilac love for less than $2 with the $4 off coupon I got in last weeks paper :) 

Mini Drugstore Haul!

I made a quick stop at Walgreens today and like a true addict had to pick up a some beauty items. I am quite proud of myself for only buying two things and one was on discount and I had a coupon :)

The goods: 

1. Jordana Easyliner for lips in silver lilac 

2. Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam mascara in Extreme Black 

• I have heard a lot of great things about the mascara and I will write a review as soon as I get a chance to use it. 
• The lipliner, I am wearing today and I have to say that my first impression is excellent. I have a hard time finding lipliners because I have dry, pigmented lips so I actually have a nude, a red, and a rose that just sit in my collection unused (two of those are high-end). The only one that has been great for me so far has been the Essence lipliner in 11 in the nude. But I think I can now add another one that I can use, thanks Jordana!

Parting thoughts: 

- It's sunday today so don't forget to get the Sunday paper and clip some coupons! Theres a $4 off Almay cosmetics expires 6/15/14 and a $1 off one cover girl product plus a bunch of skincare, hair care etc :)