Some internet browsing...

With the holidays coming up, I've tried to hold myself back from self-indulging and instead I've turned to incessantly browsing from afar from my laptop computer. A lot of the time, I feel like the hunt for things is more exciting than the actual purchase of these things, and recently my hunts have been especially satisfying. So, I thought I'd share some things I found and love that have not yet made it out of my shopping cart.

1. Funky leggings: when it gets cold outside, I just feel like wearing leggings all the time. To spice things up from my normal plain black ones, I want to get some funky patterned ones. I really love these charcoal patterned jeggings, and these leather-like leggings from boohoo.com.


2. Necklaces from Stella Dot: just a few of the amazing pieces that stella dot has, these necklaces are so dainty and look good layered together.

3. Chelsea boots and combat-type boots: it pains me to put these chelsea boots from Topshop up here because they are no longer in stock, but they are everything I have been searching for. Sadly, I didn't realize how badly I wanted them until after they were sold out. I am still on the lookout for the perfect casual, round toed, slightly heeled chelsea boot - is that too much to ask? I'm also really liking these combat boots from Steve Madden - edgy, but simple.

4. Earmuffs: it hasn't gotten really cold yet, but when it does I know I'll thank myself for getting a pair of these earmuffs from American Apparel. The taupe color is perfect!


5. Makeup storage: I'm looking to revamp my vanity and find a more compact, and efficient way to hold my growing collection of makeup. I like these drawers from Muji, and the acrylic organizers from the Container store, but they're a little pricey for storage.


6. Mario Badescu skincare: the cold weather has made my normally combination/oily skin really dry and my skin is not in good shape right now. I've shifted my obsession with makeup to skincare and I really want to try some Mario Badescu products. I've heard good things about them before, but never realized how relatively affordable they are. I especially want to try the enzyme revitalizing mask - it sounds like just what I need.


Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you have any suggestions of things you think I would like!

La-la-loving

Shorter days and busy schedules have not been kind to my blogging. Nonetheless, here are a few things I've been really loving. 

Revlon 3D extreme mascara. This is my second tube of this, and I absolutely love it. It's a very dry formula, which I like because it doesn't smudge or get messy during application and it makes my lashes just the way I like them. I think this has been discontinued from stores, but it is still available on amazon and for me, it is worth the trouble. 

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo. This acne treatment is one of the best skincare items I have come across in a while. Before I found this, my biggest skin concerns were the blackheads and small bumps on the bridge of my nose that I just could not get rid of. This potent duo of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid did the trick and my nose is the clearest it's ever been. Because of its strength, this is not for everyone. If you can tolerate it though, this is a miracle worker. 

Revlon colorburst lip butters. These definitely deserve the hype they are getting. They are the perfect lipstick - lip balm hybrid - moisturizing, aptly pigmented, and affordable. The two colors I have, creamsicle and creme brulee, are nice nudes. 

Nude taupe nails. Specifically, essie's sand tropez. This is a light essie shade that goes on surprisingly opaque and smooth. I love this nude shade in my clothes, shoes, and accessories, and now it's made it into my nail polish collection. 

NARS sin blush. This came in the danmari palette and I have been reaching for this shade a lot ever since I got it. It's a great fall berry shade that is easy to wear with a lot of different looks. 

The perfect denim shirt. The best purchases are those that you've been constantly searching for and coveting and this shirt was one of those. I haven't been able to stop wearing it. It looks great on its own or paired with just about anything that I can throw under it. This has quickly become an essential in my closet. 

What are some things you've been loving?

~Vida

Chloe + Isabel

Recently one of my friends, Rona, who also writes an awesome food blog, introduced me to an online jewelry brand called Chloe + Isabel, that she has been working for. I love finding new places to get cute, affordable jewelry so I was excited to check it out. And I'm glad I did, because this website is simply adorable. After going through a majority of the pieces they had to offer, I had about 20 things in my imaginary shopping cart, so I could tell that the style of their jewelry was right up my alley. 

Most of the jewelry is in the middle price range - that dangerous range where it's not too expensive to turn you away, but you also think you might be able to find something similar for less money. That being said, Rona was kind enough to send me two pieces of jewelry from the site, and I can attest that the quality of the jewelry fits its price tag. 

The first piece I got was the pave spike pendant:

I have really been liking silver jewelry lately because it looks more casual and is often easier to wear. The whole spike/geometric shape trend in jewelry also gets me, so I was immediately drawn to this necklace. I love the little stones on the spike; they add sparkle and make it more unique and interesting. Like I said before, the quality of this necklace is great, much nicer than something you can get at a place like say, Forever21. I've been wearing this almost everyday and I am in love! It's simple, goes with a lot of things, and adds a bit of edginess.

The next thing I got was the modern sculpted bangle set:

When I first saw these online I freaked out a little because I thought they would be dupes for these bracelets from thecurrentcustom. Sadly, they aren't, but they are still a really nice set of bangles. Again, these are great quality and feel expensive. I haven't worn these as much as the necklace because I'm going through a silver phase, but I love bangles and these are a great way to dress up an outfit. The waviness in them makes them unique and I think they would be great to pair with other bracelets. The only thing is that I wish they were smaller, but that's pretty much how I feel with most bangles. 

Overall, I'm really impressed with the quality and design of these pieces of jewelry and all I can say is that there are a ton more other pieces that I want - like this, and this, and these. 

Check out their website for more goodies!

Hope you are all well,

~Vida

Product Rave: NARS Danmari palette

As you all probably know the Sephora friends and family sale is going on until November 2. There aren't a whole lot of products that I've been pining for, but I knew there was one thing that I had to take advantage of the sale for - the NARS Danmari all about cheeks palette.

This limited edition palette is an exclusive to Sephora and contains 6 of their beautifully pigmented blushes for only $65, an amazing deal considering each NARS blush is $27. Surprisingly, I don't have any of these blushes in my collection, which made this palette that much more valuable to me. Each blush is .12 oz compared to a full sized .16 oz, and with the amount that I use, that .04 oz will not be missed.

So here it is, the most beautiful palette I have ever laid eyes on:

The shades from left to right, top to bottom:
Hungry Heart: A cream color highlight loaded with glitter. This transforms you into a disco ball princess, which means I probably won't wear this. This was a disappointment, but the other colors make up for it.

Orgasm: A cult favorite peachy pink that I never bought because there are so many dupes for this, I could never justify it. I'm glad I have it now though as it is really a beautiful color that is perfect for everyday.

Desire: One of the blushes that got me really excited about this palette. I have been lusting after this blush for a while now, and I've tried to find other blushes that are similar, but they just don't compare to this one. It's a unique bubblegum hot pink that isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if used with a light hand can look amazing.

Casino: the darker counterpart to the famous Laguna bronzer and the darkest bronzer I own. Like Laguna, it has tiny golden shimmers that don't really translate to the skin, but give a nice glow. Although this bronzer looks scary dark in the pan, it still works with my skin tone and would be nice for darker skin tones.

Super Orgasm: I wore this today and despite the specks of chunky glitter that you can see in the pan, it actually comes off as more of a sheen and is like a lighter, more brightening version of orgasm. Is this totally necessary if you already have orgasm? Probably not. It's pretty, but I wish they hadn't put both of them in the  palette.

Sin: Another blush that I have been wanting to try. It's a beautiful berry plum shade with gold shimmer and I love it. This blush is perfect for fall and is one of those that gives you instantly contoured cheek bones.

This palette makes me so happy and I really hope that they come out with more palettes like this in the future. Blush palettes to me are 10 times more exciting than eye shadow palettes; it's too bad there aren't many out there.

I highly recommend getting this while it's still around and while the friends and family sale is going on! It would make a great holiday present or just a really nice treat to yourself =)

Hope you're all well!

~Vida

Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes

Eyebrows have always been a tricky thing for me. I'm not really a big "brow girl" and so I never do anything to my eyebrows besides pluck them and go for an occasional eyebrow threading. The brow products I have tried make me look strange and almost boyish, painting a momentarily intense look on my face. So, I have pretty much stayed clear of any brow products, which to me, just add another step in the routine. 

When I was contacted by the Confluence group to review an Anastasia of Beverly Hills product, I thought I would give brow products another go, especially because of all the hype around Anastasia products. So here is my opinion, as someone who is somewhat of a "newbie" with brows. 

This is the Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes in brunette (it also comes in blonde). It comes with a wax, two shades of brow powder, two shades of highlight/lid eyeshadows, the signature brow stencils, an angled brush, and instructions on how to use everything. On first sight, the packaging is compact, but is not very exciting and even feels a little cheap. 

Moving past the packaging, the set comes with a detailed step-by-step outline of how to use the products, which is easy to follow and straightforward. For people who do their brows all the time, this is probably a no brainer for you, but for beginners, this is pretty helpful. 

The set of stencils that it comes with covers a whole range of brow shapes from which you are supposed to choose the one that fits your natural brow shape most closely. I was surprised to find that the petite arch fit my eyebrows almost perfectly and helped me pluck away stray hairs that didn't belong.

The brush also feels like nice quality brush - it has just the right amount of stiffness you would want when you are doing your brows. However, because it is a slightly large brush you don't get as much control as you would with a smaller brush. 

On to the product itself. Eyebrow wax is so good to have and I'm glad that it comes in this set. Not only can you use it underneath the brow powder to help it stick, but you can use it on its own just to smooth over your brows and keep them neat and in place. 

The shades of brow powder that come in this palette work really well for my almost black eyebrows, which is a hard thing to come by. Usually, shades for darker hair either come too dark, or too reddy brown. I use mostly the light taupe-y brown shade with a little bit of the dark brown to deepen it. This mixture blends in with my natural hairs and does the job of filling in the sparse parts in my brows without overpowering my face. 

Although I don't normally use eye shadows to highlight my brow bone, I tried it today with the highlight shade in this palette and really liked it. The shade looks kind of like MAC's all that glitters, but with a little more sheen. The other light brown matte shade is one of my favorite types of eye shadow colors - kind of like a lighter wedge by MAC or naked by Urban Decay - so I will most likely be using it a lot. 

To me, the whole idea of using stencils to fill in your brows seems a little complicated and not very practical if you're out and about. But in practice, it does give you an easy guideline to filling in your brows and is actually pretty quick. Also, the combination of the wax and powder stays on for the entire day so you don't have to worry about them after you've got it on. 

Having all these products in one convenient place will probably entice me to do my eyebrows more often, as it does really make a nice difference in your makeup =). 

Hope you enjoyed this and check out this video for more tips on how to use these products!

~Vida

Girls will be girls

Just when I thought I was done with buying nail polish for a while, I bought another one. But, it is so good it ought to be a necessity and it may well be one of my new favorite nail polishes. It is Sally Hansen's Bronze Ablaze, a stunning bronze with gold shimmer and olive undertones. It goes on smooth and opaque in two coats, and dries instantly just like the bottle says. 

After doing a whole post about bronze, it's no surprise that I would be obsessed with this color. I've already gone through two manicures with it, and it's the one nail polish that I want to have on my nails over and over again, especially because it is perfect for fall. 

Also, last week while walking around my neighborhood I snuck a peak into City Chemist, a local pharmacy/cosmetics boutique that sells a number of high end beauty brands. I was immediately drawn to a display of perfumes from a brand I had never seen before in other stores called Tokyo Milk. It was a rack lined with dozens of perfumes - simply packaged and simply named with a no frills, short list of the notes in the perfume.

I picked up the one called Dead Sexy, and aptly so, because this is what sexy must smell like. 

The notes are deep vanilla, exotic wood, white orchid, and ebony. It's a little bit woodsy, but still has a light floral hint in it that seems perfect for the colder months.

I've never really had a "fall scent". The perfumes that I usually pick are light, floral, and clean, so I'm excited to switch it up with this one. I love this, and I really recommend Tokyo Milk as a brand. The perfumes are small, but they are appropriately priced. And, they have so many scents, you're bound to find one that suits you. With the notes written clearly on the bottle, it's easy for the perfume connoisseurs out there to pick out their favorites. 

Now that I've got the frivolities out of my system, maybe I can get some work done =)

Have a great weekend,

~Vida

Becca and the Balm

A while ago apothica kindly sent me a gift card to their website and I finally got around to placing my order. Apothica has a lot of brands that are hard for me to find in stores so I jumped at the chance to try out some things from these brands. The two that I gravitated towards were Becca and the Balm. 

The one thing I really wanted to try from Becca was their shimmering skin perfector, a product that Lisa Eldridge always raves about. 

This is a liquid highlighter type product that comes in several shades - the one I have is opal. It comes in a matte rubberized tube with a pump and you get a lot of product. It also has an SPF of 25+ which is good if you want to mix this in with foundation, but I don't think I would apply this on its own all over my face. 

This is probably the most natural highlighter I have used. You can't see it on your skin, but when it catches the light it gives a beautiful glow. There are no obvious traces of glitter particles, just a really nice silky sheen. I apply it with a foundation brush so I can be a little more precise. It's so easy and I never have to worry about it going on too heavy. I think its a lot easier to work with than Dior amber diamond, which I mostly use if I am going out. 

All in all its a great product, but just a tad expensive. 

The second product I got was the Balm's Balm Voyage palette. 

Besides having the cutest packaging ever, it has three shades, luscious lani, caught in the act courney, and hot mama. Hot mama is one of their famous blushes that can also be used as an eyeshadow. I have been wanting to get it so I am glad it came in this palette even though it is the miniest version of it. All three of these have great pigmentation and are nice wearable colors that complement each other really well. 

Today I wore luscious lani all over the lid with the tinest bit of the dark glittery brown shade in the crease and then I used a pencil brush with that same dark brown to line my upper lash line, which gives a nice smokey smudge liner effect. 

The blush is really pretty - kind of similar to NARS orgasm or deep throat - and gives an amazing sheen. 

It also comes with a brush that isn't half bad, a little mirror, and a bonus little luggage tag. 

This is a compact, all-in-one palette that is perfect for traveling and very affordable. I really want to try out more the Balm products!

I've been trying to be good and haven't bought makeup in a while, so thank you Apothica for relieving my ridiculous addiction. 

Have a good weekend everybody =)

Storage Solutions: nail polish

I had been looking for a way to store my nail polishes for a while, but could never settle on anything. I wanted to have something that would keep them on display, but still be functional at the same time which is kind of hard especially for a growing collection. 

Today while browsing the Brooklyn flea market I saw this vintage suitcase and fell in love. I had to have it, and thought it would be perfect to keep my nail polish collection which has been cluttering my dresser, in check. It's the perfect height to keep the nail polishes standing upright and is a good size too, as it is currently only a quarter full and I am aiming to keep my nail polish collection within its boundaries. It also has a little pocket that will be great for putting manicure tools. 

My favorite thing about this setup is that I can keep my nail polishes covered and out of sight easily if I want to. 

I will most likely be keeping it on the floor tucked away under my vanity area. I am so happy to have scored this. Not only is it the perfect storage solution, but it makes a great piece to decorate an apartment with. Love!

In other news, meet my new kitten, Minka!

She's impossible to photograph but so adorable. 

Hope you are all doing well =)

~Vida

Hot & Cold

Summer's gone and I can't say that I'm not excited to break out my fall boots and cozy sweaters. I bought this jumpsuit during the beginning of summer from H&M and I never wore it out because it was just too hot. Now that it's getting cooler out, I love it because I can wear it on its own on warm days, and I can also throw a sweater on top of it and wear it as harem-type pants.
A belt with this outfit is a must. The one I am wearing is a thin, nude leather belt from H&M. In fact, I just realized that everything I am wearing in this outfit is from H&M.
The hard part is finding the right shoes to wear, which I am still figuring out (suggestions?).

I am keeping it simple with the makeup these days - don't really have time for anything else.

Face: Missha perfect cover B.B. cream & MAC mineralize skin finish
Cheeks: Maybelline pure mineral blush in N00 & Dior Amber Diamond
Eyes: Clinique gel eyeliner & Revlon 3D extreme mascara
Lips: MAC blankety lipstick

I am loving the Missha BB cream even more than when I first reviewed it. The finish is amazing, I may be addicted to it. Also loving winged eyeliner without any eye shadow, I don't know why I didn't try it out sooner.

In other news, I finally got new tripod so I can take more pictures...of myself.

Hope you are all doing well =)

~Vida

Most Worn...

Lipstick

MAC's Hue - I could live in this lipstick. It is the perfect pinky nude that goes with anything and requires no effort. I look forward to repurchasing this again and again. 

Shoes

These are blush patent flats from Steve Madden. When I originally bought these I was hoping for a more beige-y nude color, but they turned out to be more of a darker taupe color. After I got over my initial disappointment I realized that they still gave the effect I was going for, and have since worn them to death

I had been looking for a pair of shoes like this for a while and I finally found them...at Marshalls...for 30 dollars! They are unbelievably comfortable and just look amazing on. I absolutely love them. 

Handbag

I found this Fossil bag in the sale section of Nordstroms over a year ago. It is a great quality bag, very sturdy, and the perfect size. I use this everyday to carry notebooks and occasionally my laptop to school. I've had this for a while, but it seems to be getting better with time. 

Nail polish

It was hard to pick one nail polish, but I at the moment it would be Tickle my France-y by OPI. I didn't really like this when I first got it, but after while I fell in love with it. It is a greyish purple taupe, a very neutral color that is going to be perfect for fall. It also applies effortlessly and is easy to build up. 

Earrings

I got these swarovski studded skull earrings from asos.com and they are probably my favorite earrings so far. I have a thing for skull jewelry and these are the perfect combination of edgy and glamourous. They look so good on, and I love pairing them with a simple outfit. 

Scent

Tocca Giulietta is a light, slightly sweet girly scent - whatever it smells like, it smells good. And the bottle is pretty =)

Accessory

I think this scarf is from Zara, but I really have no idea. I love wearing scarfs, even in the summer on cooler days. This one is lightweight, neutral and pairs easily with much of my wardrobe. I love pairing it with just a black tank - an easy way to amp up an outfit. 

What are some of your most worn items? 

~Vida

Products I'm loving

As I am patiently waiting for Hurricane Irene to pass, I figured it would be a good time to catch up on some blogging and show you some products that I have been loving recently. 

My blush obsession never seems to go away - no matter how many shades of pink, peach, or plum I may have, I've always got room for more. 

This is one I got while I was in China, Maybelline's pure mineral blush in what I think is shade N00. I've been looking for these everywhere, but could not find them in any of the drugstores around me. It's a mineral blush, the first one in my collection and it is everything that I was expecting.  It goes on smooth and it is easy to control how much you put on. The dusty rose color looks amazingly natural and also has a slight contouring effect.

The next blush is Milani's baked blush in rose d'oro. 

A little more shimmery than I expected, but still beautiful, this blush translates into a peachy golden coral. It feels very finely milled and has great pigmentation. 

I finally got my hands on the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette!

After hearing about this from Fleur De Force and Tiffany from Will work for Makeup, I really wanted to give this a try - even more so after I couldn't find it at my Target. I've only used it a couple of times, but I have to say, it lives up to the hype.

When it comes to blending the shades together, I have no idea what I'm doing, but it always seems to work out for my skin tone. I really like the idea of a neutralizer shade with green undertones (bottom left corner) compared to those very obvious bright green concealers out there. 

The consistency is a little harder than what I am used to. This is not one of those slippery, creamy concealers, but it is still very workable and I think this is what makes it stay on for so long. This is a great palette, it's got everything you need in one place. 

Another goody I picked up from China, the Missha perfect cover B.B. cream.

BB creams have been getting a lot of attention so naturally, I had to get myself one. There are tons of them out there, and it can be really confusing to choose one. Almost all of the ones I tried out were only available in one shade - a grayish one that made my skin look ghastly. 

This Missha one was the only one I found that carried them in different shades and blended in with my skin nicely. I got the shade No. 27 (Honey Beige) and it is a perfect match, as it should be because it is supposed to adjust to your skin tone. 

There are a lot of things that I love about this product. It seems to really sink in to whatever lines/cracks you may not even know you have and makes your skin look perfect and smooth without looking like you have any makeup on your face. It has a light-medium coverage and gives a really nice finish that is natural, but on the slightly matte side. It is also packaged in an amazing squeeze tube w/ pump. 

It sounds amazing, but it's not a perfect product. There are two things I don't like about this. One, it is scented with a "your mom's perfume" kind of smell. And two, although it doesn't really give a dewey look, it does feel very tacky on your skin. These two things combined give me a constant reminder that I have this product on my face. Other than that, it works wonderfully. 

Another hyped up product that I found at one of the hundreds of beauty shops in Hong Kong, the Bioderma Crealine H2O cleansing solution. 

This stuff is incredible. It takes every stitch of makeup off (except maybe waterproof mascara) and thoroughly cleans your skin, all while feeling like water and and keeping the skin smooth and moisturized. I love using this in the morning for a quick cleanse. 

I picked this new body cream up from Target, admittedly because of the pretty packaging. It is the Boots Original Beauty Formula body cream - patchouli & lavender. 

This looks like a thick cream, but it absorbs into your skin quickly and feels really light. I love the smell and the fancy glass tub =)

Lastly, I dug this up recently and I remembered why I loved it so much before. It is one of the Sephora lipsticks, lip attitude glamour in the shade G19. 

The packaging's a little weird, but the lipstick itself is really nice. It's a dusky pink that gives a nude look but with a more color and depth. This lipstick is VERY glossy and has a lot of slip. The smell of this also makes me crazy (in a good way).

 This is super old, so I don't know if it's still available, but I would be interested in checking out some of the other Sephora lipsticks. 

Here's some swatches of the products I mentioned:

This post has reminded me how much I missed blogging. My posts will definitely be a little less regular, but I'm still going to try to fit them in when I have time. 

Thanks for reading and sticking with me,

~Vida