MAC Powder Blush in 'Melba'

When I visit my sister and spend the night at her place, I always look forward to raiding her makeup stash in the morning. She has completely different tastes and products from me so I love exploring her treasure chest of makeup goodies! One of the items I always use and love the look of is this MAC blush. I finally purchased it for myself since I found myself missing it when I wasn't at my sister's place. The blush is Mac Melba, a matte soft coral peach blush that is perfectly neutral on my pale skin.

This blush is far different from the bright pinks, peaches, and glittery blushes I already have in my stash. I was on the prowl for a more professional color to wear on my clinicals and this one definitely fits the bill. It looks a bit brown and neutral in the pan but swatches with a nice warm coral tone to it.

MAC blushes are super soft and easy to work with. They build up really nicely and also blend out if you accidentally apply too much. They create a wonderful effortless look to a full face of makeup. I also found that this blush pairs really nicely with my Becca Pressed Powder in Rose Gold layered on top for when I want some extra shimmer and highlight! 

MAC blushes can be purchased from MAC cosmetics online or at counters nationwide. A blush in the pan costs $22.00 for 6g of product or $17.00 for just the refill pan.  Go check this blush out Here! if you're looking for a neutral blush for day to day! 

xxSJ

Deborah Lippmann Calypso Nail Lacquer Duet

This amazing little nail polish duo is currently at Sephora so I just had to share my thoughts on it with you all before its gone! Deborah Lippmann is a well-known celebrity manicurist known for her high quality line of unique nail colors. She is particularly renowned for her glitter polishes which can be topped by few other brands.  The quality of her polishes comes at a price, however, with her creamy polishes coming in at $18 and her glitters costing $20. 

This particularly duo, called the 'Calypso Nail Lacquer Duet,' comes with one of Deborah Lippman's most famous colors, 'Mermaid's Dream.' It is a sandy seafoam green base filled with different sized and hued blue glitters. It leaves a scaly, sandy, finish on the nails and is completely solid in just two coats. The other complimentary polish in this duo is 'Flowers in her Hair' which is a light minty cream color. It is completely opaque in two coats and very easy to apply. The two polishes come housed in a glittery teal zip up pouch perfect for packing polishes on the go. 

Mermaid's Dream lasted for days on my nails with out chipping. It looked perfect for 4 days before it started chipping around the edges. As with most glitters, this polish is not easy to take off which is a definite downer, but I don't think I've ever received as many compliments or caught myself staring at my nails as much as I did when I was wearing this polish. It is so unique and beautiful! 'Flowers in her Hair' lasted a few days with out chipping and was easy to remove with out staining my nail underneath.

These mini polishes are about half the size of a full size polish at 0.27oz each. The whole kit costs $19 which is quite the deal considering the hefty price of just one Deborah Lippmann polish. Considering this kit has one of her iconic colors along with a beautiful neutral, I wholeheartedly recommend this nail duo. You won't regret it!

Purchase this duo here: sephora.com

xxSJ

NARS Audacious Lipsticks: Claudia and Brigitte

My sister completely spoiled me by giving me 2 of the NARS Audacious lipsticks as a present for receiving my white coat a couple weekends ago! These are the newest lip installments from NARS and they are amazing. 

The lippies come housed in a perfectly rectangular metal package with NARS subtly mattified on the bottom.  The container is magnetic so the cap stays securely attached and multiple lipsticks will also stay nice and lined up. I LOVE how neat and clean this packaging looks. Ultra modern and beautifully chic. 

The bullet is housed inside with NARS delicately stamped into the lipstick. This contains 0.14oz of product, which is a bit more than the standard bullet (MAC lipsticks have 0.1oz of product). 

The Audacious line includes all matte shades packed with vibrant pigmentation. The matte formula is surprisingly silky smooth making for easy application that keeps your lips looking soft and supple rather than dry and chapped.

Claudia is a cool pink that is super vibrant. Brigitte is a nude rose that leans slightly coral and is filled with warmth.

I love this pair of lipsticks that my sister picked out for me. These colors alone completely round out my Spring needs for lip color with a cool and a warm pink option.  These lipsticks wear for hours on end with out needing to reapply through eating and drinking and they don't feather around the edges. I noticed that Claudia does not reapply very well since the color tends to build up in an unflattering way. Its best to blot it off first with a tissue to even out the product and then reapply.

I chose to sport Claudia on my lips during my white coat ceremony to add a punch of color to my otherwise neutral outfit! It was perfect and I received a ton of compliments.

I have my eye on the color 'Anna' as my next big purchase, but at $32 a pop, I think I'll wait for a special occasion. These lipsticks have a hefty price tag but you receive some hefty results. Dramatic and bold color while being comfortable and fuss free? Count me in!

Check these colors out at Sephora here: Sephora Audacious lipsticks
Check out my post on NARS Juliette here!
xxSJ

Steph Reads: 'The Girl On the Train' by Paula Hawkins

       The Girl on the Train has been the most recent talk of the town and was my next choice to read in this busy semester. This thrilling novel has several narrators, the main one being Rachel, an alcoholic divorcee who rides the train every day in the guise of still having the job she has long since been fired from. Rachel rides past her old home every day in which her ex husband along with the woman he left Rachel for still reside. Rachel takes solace in observing and embellishing the lives of a seemingly perfect couple a few houses down from her painful past with her own musings of what their occupations, names, dreams, and talents are. One day on her usual commute, Rachel witnesses a startling event at the couples' home, and after the girlfriend goes missing shortly after, Rachel becomes involved in a police investigation that keeps you guessing until the very end.  With Rachel's shoddy memory filled with black outs due to her drunken escapades, Rachel gets so far wrapped up in this mystery that she becomes a suspect in a crime she can't even remember if she committed.
      I've heard a lot of people compare this story to 'Gone Girl,' and while there are many similarities in the switching of unreliable narrators, themes of misogyny, turmoil underneath a seemingly perfect marriage, and unhelpful police investigations, the books are different enough in their tone and unwinding of the story that I think your feelings toward one of the novels won't necessarily dictate your feelings on the other.
       One of the things I loved about this book was how emotional I felt toward the different characters. Rachel was so frustratingly pathetic at times that I wanted to throw my book across the room, and her ex-husband's wife could be so utterly blind to her surroundings that I found myself shaking my head and rolling my eyes while reading. This book kept me completely engaged and guessing the mystery through the end. Anyone that likes a good thriller or mystery would certainly enjoy this novel.

xxSJ


Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler