Beauty favorites of 2015
I tried REALLY hard to make it only 15 products, I failed. So here are some of my faves for the year 2015.
1. Bobbi brown bronzing powder (shade golden light)- I despise bronzers that you have to be careful with, I obviously look for good payoff but something that goes on smoothly and doesn't leave blotches. THIS ONE does just that & it does so beautifully. I also want to give an honorable mention to the makeup forever pro bronzer ( I didn't include it because I got it recently but it's amazing)
2. Laura Mercier matte radiance powder (shade 01)- If you want to look like you've been kissed by an angel you should get this stuff. It is perfect for day to day but you can also really pack it on to make it more dramatic. I use the heck out of it and it barely has a dent so you do get your money's worth.
3. Origins VitaZing moisturizer- I don't wear foundation everyday and I really enjoy products that cut your get-ready time. I've been using this since I was about 17 and it remains a favorite. It is a moisturizer with spf and a slight tint, it gives you a little glow and makes you slightly bronzed. Great for everyday.
4. Laura Mercier secret brightening powder- Concealer and under-eye powder are kind of my thing. My favorite makeup to buy is anything that has to do with the under-eye because I seriously think that if you do not look like you're well rested nothing else will look good on your face... plus I've got some pretty gnarly hereditary dark circles -.- this powder is one of the, if not THE BEST, under-eye setting powder that I have ever tried and trust me when I tell you I have tried a lot.
5. MAC mineralized skin finish natural- I'm pretty sure I mention this every time I post a makeup favorites blog post or instagram picture but it's because this stuff is amazing, end of story.
6. Rimmel scandaleyes waterproof khol kajal- I've been more into nude eyeliners as opposed to black lately and I've really been enjoying this one by Rimmel I also have the one by Tarte and they are both awesome.
7. Eve by Eve's liquid liner- For some reason, my eyelids get oily... nothing else on my face is oily besides my freaking eyelids and it drives me crazy. The fact that my eyelids are slightly hooded doesn't help either. Everything transfers to my lid. When I rave about a mascara or an eyeliner it is because they will not budge and if they do not budge on me I guarantee they will not budge on you because my eyelids are most likely oilier that yours. With that said, I recently discovered this eyeliner and the description mentioned that it was waterproof, smudge-proof, EVERYTHING-proof, a little more and they would've said bullet proof, so of course I had to try it. They weren't kidding. This eyeliner along with the Kat von D tattoo liner, nyx matte liner and Loreal lineur intense ARE THE ONLY liquid eyeliners that work for me and don't transfer to my upper lid, the reason I chose to include this one was because it is a matte finish and this tip is much easier to work with than the nyx liner.
8. Elf studio tapered brush- This brush is like 8 bucks and it is the only thing I use to set my under-eye & I don't think I can ever live without it. Another brush that I discovered this year is this morphe brush which I didn't include in the picture because it was extremely dirty since I use it every day. But it is the best concealer brush ever, it blends everything out like a beauty blender except you don't have to wet it so if you're lazy when it comes to damping that little glorious sponge I recommend you try the morphe brush.
9. Stila soul pallete- Really used the heck out of this palette, every single color is beautiful and super pigmented.
10. Nyx lip pencil in nude truffle- I love and own almost all of the nyx lip pencils, they are the best for the price in my opinion but I'm not sure what it is about this particular color that is so flattering. I can put this underneath any lip color and it makes it look amazing. I REALLY love how it looks under nudes.
11. Nars audacious lipstick (shade raquel)- Best formula I have ever tried in a lipstick. I use this color ontop of Nyx nude truffle.
12. Nars blush (shade madly)- My first blush ever and it will probably remain a favorite till my skin is too wrinkled for blush.
13.Lancome Hypnose star mascara- Really love this mascara, doesn't flake or transfer to my lid and gives a ton of volume. I also want to mention my Clinque lash power and Giogio Armani eyes to kill mascaras because those will forever be faves as well.
14. Tarte maracuja creaseless concealer (shade light sand)- Love. this. concealer. It works the best when blended out with your finger and then set with a matte finish powder like the Laura mercer one. AMAZING and super moisturizing.
15.Nars Radiant creamy concealer (shade vanilla)- I only use this concealer for outings because it is super high coverage so it looks best with a full face of makeup in my opinion but it is beautiful and it replaced my old time favorite mac pro longwear concealer.
16. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (shade 20 beige)- Long time favorite for a good reason. Best natural looking foundation, it seriously gives the most beautiful dewy finish.
17. Buxom lipgloss (shade White Russian)- Whenever I don't wear lipstick I wear this and it gives such a pretty color to the lips and plumps them as well.
That's a wrap
As I was wrapping gifts a couple of days ago I realized I did not have any tags to put on them so I did a quick pinterest search and was not disappointed. All you need is a printer, a whole puncher and some scissors and you can attach the cutest little printable tags to your gifts.
I found a couple of bloggers that made some adorable downloadable free tags so I thought I'd share some of my faves with you.
Wrapping materials used:
- Kraft paper from the paint section of home depot
- White twine from any craft store
- Left over pieces of pine tree
5 minute getaway | St. Augustine Fl
This past weekend we decided to take a mini road trip 5 hours up to St. Augustine Fl. On our way there we also stopped at Daytona Beach and fell in love with it.
If you live in Florida I recommend going to St. Augustine at least once, a weekend trip gives you more than enough time to explore the town. There is so much history and charm in every corner.
I won't say it
I'm going to try really hard to refrain from saying the same thing I always say every time I write a post after months of not posting... so lets just move on shall we...
Last Wednesday, December 9th, was the last day of my little life as an undergrad! *crowd cheers wildly so I have to stand up and settle the crowd down as I am not finished speaking*... It feels so good to say that. I am free, for a little while at least. I will have more time to adventure and work on new little things, and make new goals or accomplish existing ones and finally turn the page in this very long chapter in my life and move on to the next.
I am excited, scared, happy and sad all at the same time and the mixture of those feelings is surprisingly not bad. I worked my ass off to graduate at the top of my class and I did (well I will, tomorrow), that isn't the easiest thing to do with a major in biological sciences but it was done & I'm freaking proud of it.
Sure, this is just a milestone but it is an accomplishment non-the-less and I have met many people, established new relationships, and made tons of memories. I have learned to work hard, stay focused, struggle, win some, lose some and I have definitely grown in the passed 4 and a half years.
I have a lot of issues/complains about the school system in this country compared to other places in which you can achieve a graduate degree in the same amount of time it takes us to get a damn bachelors but it is what it is and I do think it is something you should do if you have the opportunity to do so.
With that said, no I do not believe you NEED to go to college to be successful, the ability to achieve success starts and ends with YOU, you can have 15 degrees and be unsuccessful, a degree is not what defines you, the ability to work hard at something and not give up does.
Work hard at something, whatever it is, kill it, move on & repeat but most importantly make sure you're happy doing whatever it is you decide to do.
This isn't the finish line nor do I intend to stop till I get there but it feels good to hit this significant mark.
*drops mic & walks away*
Photo credit: tumblr