Colour Pop Eyeshadows 'Sequin' and 'Tea Party'

Colour Pop is an LA based indie brand that touts bringing the latest trends to the beauty industry at affordable prices.  They currently sell eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks at $5-$8 a pop.  Their eyeshadows are known to be revolutionary in texture and feel so I decided to give those a shot and placed my order with Colour Pop!

My package arrived in good time in an envelope mailer with a personalized note to me along with my eyeshadows. Some people really like this personal touch but for me, I could take it or leave it. The shadows were in small cardboard boxes with a window to see the colors inside.  Shipping is free on orders above $30 and otherwise costs $5.  When you join Colour Pop's mailing list, you get $5 off your first order.

The containers themselves are pretty cute with 'ColourPop' printed on top of the clear window in a holographic print, and the white plastic definitely makes the colors inside 'pop.' The downside is since this eyeshadow is meant to be applied with your fingers, these containers get dirty rather quickly! There are instructions telling you to make sure to screw the caps onto these shadows tightly between uses as the shadow is prone to drying up. 

 The colors I chose are Tea Party, which is described as 'a versatile soft peachy pink with gazillion silver glitters and subtle hints of pale pink glitter,' and Sequin, which is described as 'a copper penny like shade with silver and gold glitter.' The texture of these shadows really is unique as they feel a little foamy and squishy to the touch. It is truly something you have to feel for yourself to understand! 

Sequin blew me away with how gorgeously it swatched. It is a pigmented shadow with beautiful metallic finish. It is a true copper color leaning more peach than red. This color is great for all my blue and green eyed gals out there!  I have to admit that I was hugely disappointed in Tea Party at first swatch. There is almost no pigmentation in this color that looks like it should show up as a bright peach. The glitter in this shadow is the true star and I think would work well as a finishing touch on an eye look to add some sparkle and shine rather than as the main focus all over the lid. 

Here is the card that comes with the shadows describing how to use these shadows. Colour Pop really stresses that these are meant to be used with your fingers in order to get the most bang for your buck. I do recommend these shadows for beginners since you don't need any tools other than the ones you were born with (fingas, baby!!) and they can really work as slap on and go colors.

I think I will enjoy these colors a lot more in the Summer time when I am looking to do more fun and simple looks. While testing these out, people definitely noticed the glitter and sparkles and I got a few compliments!

I do think that if these shadows intrigue you you should try them out! At $5 each, you don't have much to lose and people generally like these. In fact, Temptalia awarded these as the best budget eyeshadows of 2014!

Check out Colour Pop HERE! if you're interested in seeing what this brand has to offer!

xxSJ

Get down with your bad self: MAC Lipstick in 'Rebel'

MAC Rebel is an infamous MAC lipstick listed in its top 10 bestsellers.  As its name implies, this lipstick is a little bit out of the ordinary and certainly demands attention. 

Though 'Rebel' looks like a deep vampy purple in the tube, it swatches as a midtone fuschia color on the skin. It has a satin finish leaving it appearing glossy and a bit more toned down than if it was a matte or vivid. 

I find that this lipstick takes some working with to get a clean finish. In one swipe, it can appear a bit patchy and unkempt. I think to get ultra clean edges and full impact color, a lip liner may be necessary!

As with all MAC lipsticks, this has a pleasant vanilla scent and it wears well for 4 hours. It begins to fade starting from the middle so if you don't check the mirror often be warned! You may end up looking like you're wearing dark lip liner and no lipstick. 

I really love the way this color looks with my light features! I have to believe that the coloring works well across a wide spectrum of skin tones since this is a MAC Top 10 bestseller.  I think this is a lipstick that works great for the Winter and even as we transition into the Spring season.

This lipstick is $16.00 for 3g of product. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to this pretty plummy fuscia, Wet n Wild sells a lipstick that is very similar to this called 'Sugar Plum Fairy.' That lipstick applies rather patchy and dry, however.

xxSJ

Tutorial Try-It: MakeupbyTiffanyD's 'Sexy Shimmer Date Night' look!

Tiffany D is one of my favorite youtubers because she does makeup looks that seem a little more achievable than your average beauty guru. She keeps it real with the highlighting and contouring and does tutorials creating looks that are actually wearable for an everyday woman! She posted this tutorial for a 'Sexy Shimmer Date Night' look yesterday that already has 33,000+ views. I chose to recreate this look because she uses shadows exclusively from the Naked2 palette which I actually own!

The products Tiffany used for this look were:

Naked2 palette (Foxy, Bootycall, Tease, Verve, Chopper, Busted, and Blackout)

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner in Dark Brown (I used the color Black)

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (I used CoverGirl Clump Crusher

Ardell Whispies False Eyelashes (I didn't use fake lashes!)

The Naked2 palette! Filled with cool toned taupes and grays!

Here is the look I came up with after following Tiffany's tutorial:

 Overall I love the way this look turned out! The shimmer on the lids was definitely noticeable but it wasn't as bold as a metallic shadow pressed all over the lid. I also love her idea to mute the silver shade Verve by packing the pinky beige shade Chopper all over it. As Tiffany says in her video, it keeps you from looking like a robot!

Even with out the false eyelashes I think this look has some impact and drama. I love it for a date night and I could easily add false eyelashes to glam it up in no time. I also like that she didn't add any eyeliner to the lower lash line but instead smudged the plummy color Busted along the lower lash line for a smoked out effect.

As far as creating wearable looks that still hit the mark on drama and intensity, Tiffany nails it! Check out her video tutorial where she shows how to create this shimmery look and where my screengrabs are from! It's only 6 minutes long!!

Hope you liked this Tutorial Try-It!
Check out my other ones!
Allison Anderson's Sweater Weather look
Jaclyn Hill's Bombshell Look

xxSJ

My Blush Picks for Valentine's Day!

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I thought I'd share my blush picks for this romantic holiday! Whether you're spending the day with your significant other, some girlfriends, or with Netflix, I know I always have a good time getting dressed up for the occasion! Here are my recommendations for romantic, feminine colors to rock on Valentine's Day:

MAC Star Wonder is the prettiest blush I own. It is a mineralized skin finish and has the trademark marbling in the powder. It is a mix of light pink, plum, and gold which shows up on the skin as a dewy, gorgeous plummy pink. GAHHHHH so beautiful

NYX Peach is for my drugstore gals. This blush is super easy to work with as it is packed with color and ultra bright! All it takes is some blending out at the edges to give you a just pinched look.

MAC Dame is a muted pink that reminds me a lot of Star Wonder except with out the sparkle and shimmer. It is an effortless color that compliments a lot of different eye looks.

Tarte Dollface is the perfect pink color. With warmer undertones and a super sheer formula, this blush will be perfect to add just a touch of color to your cheeks. Wear this blush if you're going to go for a dark eye or dramatic lip!

Hope you enjoyed my Valentine's Day blush picks!  I love this holiday because whether or not you have a romantic interest in your life, surely you have some loved ones to celebrate because that's what this day is really about--LOVE!

xxSJ

The Beauty Blender: Why you need one now!

The Beauty Blender Sponge has taken the makeup world by storm! This little pink egg shaped sponge has caused quite a ruckus and it really begs the question: why? What is so magnificent about a plain ol' makeup sponge? Let me tell you a little somethin' about our friend bb:

Look at this cute lil guy! This bright pink sponge is a dense domed and pointed sponge that feels very firm straight out of its container. The magic of this sponge is when  you wet it! Running it under some water and squeezing out the excess makes the sponge blow up to twice the size and makes it feel like a little cloud in your hand!

Here's the size difference when you wet it. It's pretty neat! This soft little sponge makes applying foundation a breeze and blending your concealer in even breezier.

I like to either put product on the back of my hand and use the beauty blender to dab it all over my face and blend using dabbing and patting motions (don't sweep or rub the blender on your skin because then it will just pull product around instead of pushing it into your skin!). I've noticed a huge change in how my concealer looks by using this sponge to blend! It melts the product into my skin and the pointed tip makes getting into small areas around my nose and under my eyes so easy. It also absorbs any extra product (since its wet) so you aren't left looking cakey.  You can also use the blender and dip it right into setting powder to set your under eye area. So multi-purpose!

Since this product is a sponge, it will absorb some of your foundation and get dirty in a hurry. You can clean it right up with some regular old dish soap and it will look good as new. You can also purchase the Beauty Blender Cleanser Solid which Sephora sells for $16:

This is basically a little bar of soap inside of a plastic dish so you can take it with you while traveling and keep it sanitary. It also is great for makeup brushes and has become my favorite new method of cleaning! If you're still worried about germs or bacteria getting inside your Beauty Blender, plenty of people have cut open their little sponges to see if there is foundation or product built up inside and, surprise, surprise, there's none!  Only seek out pictures of cut up beauty blenders if you're okay with disturbing images... seeing someone take scissors to this expensive little guy can be a little shocking...

Sephora sells the Beauty Blender for $19.95 and it comes in different colors now if the pink doesn't tickle your fancy. I know $20 seems rather spendy for just a sponge, but I think this sponge has improved the appearance of my makeup by a lot and has replaced my need for other brushes! It is completely worth it in my opinion!

So if you're like me and feel this way about the Beauty Blender:

Go get yourself one HERE!

Happy Blending!
xxSJ

New Year's Resolutions: How to keep them!

New Year's Resolutions can be a thing of beauty as well as a thing of  contempt. It can be so exciting to daydream about a better you months down the road as long as you can keep your resolutions... why, then, is it so dang hard to keep them? Here are my tips on how to keep your resolutions this year! Because THIS TIME, its gonna be different!

1. Be practical - it is so important to be practical and realistic when setting goals. Make sure to set a reasonable goal for yourself rather than set a goal that seems so unachievable that you're tempted to give up right from the get go.
2. Set mini-goals- Achieving a huge goal is so much easier when its broken down into smaller parts. Check points are amazing ways to make sure you're keeping up with your resolutions as well as giving you a feeling of success from time to time. Celebrate your mini successes along the way instead of just once at the end of hitting your mark! It'll give you the confidence you need to keep going!
3. Set yourself up for success- make sure to have what you need in order to succeed. Whether that be equipment, knowledge, or motivation, you have to have the necessary tools in order to achieve your goals.
4. Hold yourself accountable- make sure that you somehow set up reminders to get it done. This might include telling other people what you're trying to achieve so the thought of them knowing you bailed on your resolutions is motivation enough to complete them. If the idea of letting people in on personal goals makes you feel vulnerable, maybe instead try writing down weekly what you want to achieve regarding your resolutions and make sure to reward yourself upon completion.

Here's how I'm trying to use my tips with my goals this year!

-My first goal is to lose 15 more pounds. I lost 25 pounds during the second half of last year and I want to keep up my weight loss! I'm setting smaller goals for myself (1 pound a week!) and have told some of my friends and sister about my goals. My sister actually joined My Fitness Pal (the awesome calorie counter app I use) so we can keep each other accountable!
-Keeping up with my blog. Blogging is something I really do love and I need to make time for it. I'm trying to post blogs a certain amount per month and I use my planner to write down what posts I want to have published on what days.
-Drink more water. This goal seems kind of easy or silly but I always forget to drink water! To set myself up for success, I bought myself this super cute Camelbak Eddy waterbottle in the coral color so I can bring water everywhere I go.
-Exercise more often. This goal is so cliche, isn't it? To help me achieve this goal, I bought a yoga mat and some hand weights so I have things available in my room to work out with. I also met up with a trainer in my class who helped me create an exercise plan to help me tone it up!
-Stop. Think. Reflect- I tend to get invested in things that when I really stop to think about it, don't effect me at all. I made it a goal this year to stop, think, and reflect when I find myself getting too wrapped up in something that in the long run, really doesn't matter. I told some of my friends about this one so they can stop me if they hear me going off the deep end about something!
-3 As in all 3 semesters- this one is an academic goal that my planner is going to help me the most with! I love the Erin Condren Life Planners because they make it so easy to stay organized. I can write what to study when in them and keep up with my studies in order to get the grades I want. With this goal I tried to be practical. I definitely want at least 3 As all 3 semesters and that's totally achievable... now its just time to surprise myself and see how many As I can get! Get your own life planner to start keeping track of yourself HERE!

What are some of your New Year's Resolutions and how do you plan on keeping them???
xxSJ

NARS Audacious Lipstick in 'Juliette'

audacious: adjective; showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. 

NARS recently came out with their 'Audacious' line of lipsticks-- a line promising to be a 'modern lipstick that dresses up lips with bold coverage and ultrasoft texture.' With such high claims, I had to try this lippie out for myself! The color I tried is 'Juliette,' a  pinky coral color:

The bright lippie is housed in a super modern and sleek rectangular package. The NARS logo is both printed on the outside of the container in a matte black as well as lasered into the lipstick. The cap closes with a magnetic closure. The seal is strong so you won't have to worry about the cap slipping off in your purse.  This lipstick feels super weighty in your hands which I personally love. This lipstick is $32, so at such a high price point there better be some luxurious packaging!

The lipstick is a matte formula that is quite creamy on the skin. The color doesn't skip at all or apply patchily. On my hand, Juliette swatched as a warm coral with a lot of pink in it. On my lips, however, the color is very vibrant orange: 

natural lighting

This is why we try colors on in the store, people! This color was not what I was expecting it to look like (particularly because my sister wears this shade and it looks stunning on her!). The color certainly packs a punch and I found the wear time to be solid.  The matte formula was surprisingly comfortable (not moisturizing!) and the color was as NARS promised: bold! 

I do enjoy this lipstick and would like to pick out another color. I found it to be comfortable to wear and easy to work with, not to mention the packaging is so sleek and elegant!
The NARS Audacious lipsticks are $32 for 0.14oz of product and are an Allure best of beauty winner.

Check these lippies out at Sephora here!

xxSJ

Cult Favorite: NARS 'Orgasm' Blush

There's a reason some products get a cult following and NARS Orgasm Blush has many of them. This cheeky product is well known for its golden shimmer, peachy pink color, and universally flattering consistency. 

Here's the peach color everyone's crazy about! This color is the perfect warm tone that is just pink enough to be noticeable, just peach enough to remain understated, and just shimmery enough to add some highlighting power for a sun-kissed glowing look. NARS blushes also have brilliant formulations that are easy to build and blend. They pack some pigment while remaining totally wearable. 

I think all NARS blushes deserve praise and attention for their quality, but I think NARS Orgasm specifically got its cult following because of its tongue in cheek name. NARS product names are pretty daring and its undoubtedly naughty feeling when someone asks what you're wearing on your cheeks and you get to go 'Oh, Orgasm.' This cult product is well-deserving of its following as I have doubts that many if any people would find they flat out dislike this blush. However, I would recommend trying on different shades if you're interested in a NARS blush! There are other gorgeous muted blushes that are just as beautiful as Orgasm like Deep Throat and Douceur.

xxSJ

Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 'East End Snob' and 'Red Diva'

Whoa.... I found a new favorite lip liner and its from the drugstore.  Now I don't consider myself a makeup snob by any means... I love drugstore makeup and have found plenty of high quality products there. I don't discriminate! However, in the lip liner department, over the years I thought the drugstore options were a little lacking. I found pencils were either way too hard and tugged at my lips, or they were soft and creamy but had the staying power of a one night stand (see ya).  My drugstore lip liner woes have been solved now that I have discovered the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liners.

These twist up liners are so wonderfully creamy that they glide on the lips with ease and they come with this angled tip that makes it so easy to apply--I would definitely recommend these to a beginner!  They also have fantastic staying power and lasted me through drinking, meals, and kept my lipstick from feathering. 

I picked up the colors 'East End Snob,' a pinky nude, and 'Red Diva,' a blue toned red.

These lip liners make my lips look full, luscious, and healthy and their creaminess means they're so easy to blend with whatever lip product you're wearing on top. I don't recommend wearing these on their own because they can be a bit patchy when you try and fill your whole lip in. Everything evens out when you put lipstick on top of them though.

I got these lipliners for about $7 each and they were buy one get one half off. I think these are outstanding particularly East End Snob (which is a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's lip liner in 'Pillow Talk'). I've been wearing that one non-stop since I purchased it.

xxSJ

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Hourglass has taken the beauty world by storm with their beautiful finishing powders that are supposed to mimic the look of skin in different lighting. At $45 a pop, these powders come at a steep price, so when Hourglass released this palette including three of their Ambient lighting powders (one of which is a palette exclusive), it was a quick hit! 

The packaging of this palette is outstanding. The three powders come in this brown reflective plastic packaging. It is incredibly sleek and soft to the touch. I also appreciate the whole palette is dipped in some sort of coating so the Hourglass brand written in gold on the top won't rub off the packaging after use.

Preeeeeeeetty. 

The powders inside are 3.3g each and seem to be very securely adhered to the packaging. There is a large mirror on the inside cover of the palette. The powders are Talc free and have no fragrance to them.

The colors included are 'Dim light,' which is the all over face powder I was most excited for, 'Incandescent light' which is the palette exclusive, and 'Radiant light' which is a deeper bronze shade.  Hourglass describes these as all over face powders to create a soft focus effect mimicking the light of whatever powder name you're using (ie use Dim light, your skin will appear as it does in Dim lighting).

The powders are so finely milled that they feel silky smooth to the touch yet they don't kick up a ton of excess powder when you dip your powder brush into them.  Dim light is my favorite shade in the palette because it goes well with my skin tone and I can use it as an all over face powder. Incandescent light is a very light color that I've been using to highlight my nose, chin, and cheekbones. It creates a beautiful yet understated finish. Radiant Light shows up quite dark on my skin and I think it will have its turn in the Summer when having that exaggerated of a glow will make a little more sense than it does now in Winter.  I can see the difference in the appearance of my skin immediately when I put these powders on. The glowy, soft-focus effect this product touts is the real deal. 

I am so happy to have gotten my hands on this palette. I've been using it daily since Christmas and I have yet to make any sort of dent in any of the colors so I'm hoping it will last a good while! I appreciate the range of colors Hourglass included (all over face powder, a highlighter, and a bronzer) and think this product is a definite hit. This palette is $58 for 3, 3.3g powders. As far as price per gram, this is NOT a better deal than buying a $45 powder on its own, so don't purchase this palette thinking you've hit the jackpot as far as value. However, having 3 different powders to play with is a huge selling point as it gives you more freedom for only $13 more.

I love this palette and I think I will be interested in buying 'Dim light' on its own when I run out of that shade. Check out the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette HERE! if you're interested! No need to rush... this palette was so popular when they first released it that Hourglass has made this product permanent.

xxSJ