NOTD: Essie 'Fiji'

'Fiji' is a favorite Essie color of many that I decided to add my own personal flair to by using gold and coral accents. On its own, Fiji is a gorgeous baby pink creme that creates the most flawless looking manicure. It takes 3 thin coats to reach full opacity and I find the wear time of this color to be a couple days longer than other Essie colors.
This polish is definitely a staple in my collection as its a perfect neutral hue to turn to when I want a basic manicure as well as being a great base coat for more fun designs.

I'm trying to involve Jake more with my blogging ;)

xxSJ

How I spent my long weekend!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend! Here are some photos of what I did this weekend:

My boyfriend and I went to downtown San Jose and went to some of our favorite places for date night. We also ended up trying a new place called Cream where you can create your own ice cream sandwich combo. It was so good and only $2.50 for a sandwich!

Yummmmmm!
We also headed to Muir Woods to check out the famous California redwoods and giant sequoias. We ended up getting a bit of an accidental workout after we chose to hike on a rather ambitious uphill trail:

Seriously, some of the scenery looked like something out of a fairytale! It was so beautiful.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and took some time on Memorial Day to remember those who have fought for our great country.

Cheers to a short work week! We're one day closer to the weekend!

xxSJ

NARS Lipgloss: 'Orgasm'

NARS just relaunched their lipglosses with whole new formulations and brand spankin' new packaging. To help promote this relaunch, Sephora had a mini version of the new gloss as a 100 point perk in one of the most popular shades, 'Orgasm.'

It's so cute!! I knew I had to get my hands on this to try out the new ish. First off, let's start with the packaging. The classic NARS matte black rubberized texture is used on the cap with the bright white logo printed on to it. I think it looks super classic and sheek. The container is now a perfectly clear acrylic as opposed to the almost completely opaque old packaging which allowed you to see a hint of the color inside. This new packaging gets an A+!

The new spongy doe-foot applicator is really nice and my favorite type of applicator for glosses. The most important detail of this gloss for me was the smell. The old NARS lip glosses smelled like plastic and chemicals. It wasn't necessarily the most pleasant thing to have on your lips all day, and for that reason, I never reached for the NARS glosses I owned. This new formulation has NO SCENT whatsoever. Yay! They must have taken a hint from what seems to be the number 1 complaint of NARS lovers out there and taken out whatever smelly bandit was stinkin' up the place!

Orgasm is a peachy pink gloss with gold glitter streaks running through out. It is the color that I always tend to drift toward and also is my favorite blush color (jumpin' on the band wagon... I know).

The gloss on its own adds quite a bit of pigment to the lips and the wear time is about 3 hours with no touch-ups or reapplication. The glosses are noticeably less sticky than the original formula, but still have a stickier feel to them which is good because it means the gloss isn't sliding anywhere off your lips!
I noticed that this gloss looks extremely similar to another lipgloss I own, which is Revlon's Super Lustrous gloss in 'Peony:'

Peony is a little bit more dark pink, but otherwise, its pretty damn close. This dupe alert brings me to another point about NARS' new glosses: The price. These glosses will set you back $26 a pop and the reformulation included less product per container compared to the old ones. That's pretty steep for a gloss considering a MAC gloss will only set you back about $16.
The glosses are gorgeous and are of much higher quality than their predecessors, but I think if you can find as close a dupe as this Revlon gloss, go for the cheaper alternative. For the more unique colors in the new collection (they've kept the 23 old colors and tacked on 7 brand new ones!) there's nothing wrong with a splurge here and there if you're a gloss or NARS junkie. Guilty!

xxSJ

What a Steal! The Sephora Lash Stash To Go

Mascara lovers out there, this is the deal for you! Sephora came out with their yearly lash stash and it is quite the steal. For $25 you get 5 deluxe sample sizes of some of the best selling mascaras Sephora has to offer in addition to a coupon to get a full-size of your favorite one! That's pretty cool considering the Lancome Hypnose Drama (a deluxe sample included in this stash!) retails for $27.

Inside the little pink package you will find a short description of each mascara you get to try. The mint colored square on the left is the coupon, redeemable for a full-size mascara. There doesn't seem to be an expiration date on it so you can take your time trying out the mascaras.  I wouldn't wait tooooo long though, as you run the risk of the mascara you want to get full-sized being no longer being available.

Slide open the drawer and here are the little mascaras tucked away inside!
You get a deluxe sample of Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Too-Faced Better than Sex, Lancome Hypnose-Drama, Blinc Mascara, and BareMinerals Lash Domination.

These minis may seem pretty small but you can definitely get at least a month's worth of wear out of each of these samples. Since I'm hoarding makeup knowing I'm about to be heading off to grad school and, thus, poorer than dirt, I thought the lash stash would be a great way for me to stock up on mascaras and to keep me excited trying all the different ones! And of course I'll be able to get my favorite one in the full-size in the future :)

This little lash stash is a great deal and a great way to try out some new stuff! This can be purchased online at Sephora.com or in stores. The coupon has to be redeemed in a free-standing Sephora store.

xxSJ

Worth the Hype? Too-Faced Better than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System

The Too-Faced Better than False Lashes system carries some pretty hefty claims. A 92% increase in volume and 42% increase in length? The appearance of false lashes with out the trouble and cost? I'll believe it when I see it...

This mascara system retails for a whopping $35 and I would have NEVER purchased this if it had not come in the Sephora Superstars kit. The point of this product is that it is a 3-step system. You first apply the regular black mascara (called the Activating base and top coat...cuz you fancy, huh?), then while that is still wet you apply the white nylon fibers. Finally, you wiggle on the final coat of black mascara which should leave you with beautiful, fake-looking lashes.  

Let me just chronologically take you through the process of applying this stuff. First off, here are my bare eyelashes:

First things first, I curled my lashes and then applied the 'Activating' mascara:

I actually like the way this stuff looks on its own! It's nothing wow-worthy, but I think it looks clean and simple. Next I applied the little nylon fibers. Dust bunny time!

There they are! Finally time for the final top coat:

And this is the end result...I think this looks like something straight out of a Tim Burton film. Sure, my lashes look insanely long, but its not really in a pretty way. It looks like I have spider legs coming off my lids.

Here's a comparison so you can see that this stuff definitely adds some oomph to your lashes but perhaps not in the best way possible. My boyfriend told me 'your lashes look thick and spidery,' when I asked him what he thought.  By the way, asking your boyfriend what he thinks of the mascara you're wearing is tricky...firstly because he probably doesn't know what mascara is.

As far as wearability and wear time I would say that is the worst thing about this product. Your lashes WILL stick together every time you blink and that gets really old, really fast. I didn't notice any of the fiber things falling off and getting all over my undereye area though, so you will get some good wear time out of this stuff.
This mascara was also VERY difficult to get off at the end of the day.  I felt like I had to tug at my lashes to get the fibers and coats of product off.  Between the 3-step system to put this stuff on and the time it took me to get it off, I don't think this is really saving time versus putting on false lashes.

Final Thoughts: This product does what is claims to. It thickens and extends your lashes in a big way. However, if you have thin lashes like me, clumping so much product onto them might not give you the prettiest or most elegant effect. If you love pouring on the mascara and your lashes just keep looking better with every layer, then this stuff is for you!  If not, then spending $35 on a product that is uncomfortable to wear and doesn't even look that great is not your best option.

Do you want to have fake looking eyelashes? Go to CVS and buy some Ardell false lashes. They give you a beautiful effect, are not that difficult to figure out, and are only about $5.

xxSJ

Steph Reads: 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn

This book was quite the roller coaster ride. It tells the story of Amy Dunne, an America's sweetheart type of girl who disappears on the day of her 5-year wedding anniversary with her hubby, Nick Dunne. The story is told alternating between the perspectives of Nick Dunne, who is immediately looked upon with suspicious eyes, and Amy Dunne, who we find more information about through reading diary entries dating back to her first meeting her then-future husband, Nick.

I don't want to say too much about the story as I don't want to reveal anything, but this story is wrought with tension, suspicion, and you WILL NOT KNOW who to side with and who to believe.  I found the ending of this novel to be a bit unfulfilling as I got so wrapped up in these characters and what I wanted for their futures, but I was left wanting.  The ending suited the story, however, as things aren't always resolved neatly, and some people are simply not deserving a happy ending.

I would recommend this novel to friends as I thought this was a thrilling and quick read. There were certainly times where I did not want to put this down. Perhaps it was simply because I've never read a book quite like this, but overall I found its uniqueness to be simply captivating.

I also can't wait for the film to be released which is certain to be as thrilling as the book. Catch the trailer here:

Did you read 'Gone Girl?'

xxSJ

Worth the Hype? Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream

The Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream is a favorite product of many, and thus it was included in the Sephora Superstars box this past year. This is how I got my paws on this product, otherwise I probably wouldn't have tried it out on my own strictly due to the $39 price tag on this 1oz of product. I've worn this product a couple times and so I'm writing today to say if I think this product is worth the hype surrounding it and worth the steep price tag.

This product claims to be a 5-in-1 product. Smashbox always makes their products with professional grade photography in mind and the purpose of this BB cream is to have a product that does everything for your face (primes, hydrates, controls oils, perfects flaws, wrinkles or pores) with out having to layer a bunch of product on the skin. The concept is really awesome and BB creams are notorious for not just being makeup but also a skin treatment. I also love that this product has SPF 35 in it. That's exactly what I need for my pale skin!

The shade 'light' is what came in the Sephora Superstars box which is lucky because that's the exact shade I am. There are 8 total shades to choose from in this line and I find the light shades strike just the right balance of pink and yellow undertones.

The product blends very beautifully and effortlessly into the skin. It will cling onto your hairs as you can kiiiiiind of see in the picture above, so just be careful around your brows and if you have any peach fuzz above your lip.

Left: No makeup, Right: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream applied

As for coverage, this is definitely BB cream grade. This is VERY lightweight and provides very light coverage.  On my skin, the product does well to get rid of some of my redness (as seen on my nose), but doesn't hide any freckles at all. This product claims it is buildable or even can act as a primer for additional foundation on top.

This product wears really nicely on my skin with a powder to set it on top (I recommend setting this with a powder if you don't like a dewey finish).  It easily lasts all day with out needing touch-ups, however there is something interesting about how this makeup wears. I find when I wear this foundation I can feel it on my skin from time to time when I get the slightest bit flushed or if I'm sweating even just the tiniest bit. It kind of feels like my skin is sweating underneath the makeup and it feels cold and a bit odd. It is a hard phenomenon to explain, but it has happened to me every time I've worn this product.

At the end of the day, I think this is a good BB Cream and I will definitely use the rest of this product up on days where I don't care to wear much makeup with the expectation that it might not go totally unnoticed if I blush or sweat a bit. I do not plan on repurchasing this product when I run out because I think I have far better foundations that are more comfortable to wear and have better visible benefits than this Smashbox BB Cream.

xxSJ

Spotlight: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

My eyelashes are TERRIBLE. There, I said it! My eyelashes are the type that refuse to curl and grow straight down over my eyes. They also have little tips that curl even further downward and they are light blonde.  I don't have much to work with, so I figure I might as well try and get the best of the best to give my lashes even a shot at looking pretty! I've used the same Revlon eyelash curler since high school and so I decided it was time for an upgrade. Enter the Shu Uemura Eyelash curler:

This eyelash curler has won awards for being the best in the biz. It has a ton of rave reviews online which led me to purchase this bad boy from the USA online store. This curler will set you back $20, but make sure to check online for coupon codes for shipping and discounts!

The curler looks pretty standard but apparently it was designed with a lot in mind. The pad (replacement included! Thumbs up!) is silicone which is supposed to make it so your eyelashes get a nice gradual curl instead of the dreaded crimped look. The shape of the curler is designed to get close to your lash roots but not pinch your sensitive eye area.  It certainly is a beautiful tool, though I do have just one complaint. There are no pads or guards in the finger hole area which kind of hurts my fingers and it makes the curler feel a bit unstable in my hand. 

When I excitedly curled my lashes with this baby for the first time, I actually saw a huge difference in how my eyelashes looked. They were very beautifully curled with no crimps or awkward bends and the curl held through me putting on mascara. I don't think my eyelashes have ever looked so pretty!

Unfortunately the curl didn't last through the entire day, but I think that may just have to do with the mascara not holding up rather than the initial curl done by the eyelash curler.

Overall I have to say that I'm impressed and think this was $20 well spent! I feel that now I can look for my awesome mascara instead of just saying to myself 'they all make my lashes look the same...straight, black, and clumpy.'

Have you ever tried the Shu Uemura Eyelash curler??

xxSJ

NOTD: China Glaze 'Rich & Famous'

I need to give China Glaze some more love. The polish colors are so gorgeous and the formulas are fantastic! Today I decided to go with one of my favorite pinks that I definitely don't give enough attention to. It is the color 'Rich & Famous:'

This color is a creamy bright pink. What I love about this color is that it is a blue-toned fuschia pink which I think looks really pretty on my skin tone. This color is definitely bright but manages to look very fresh and clean rather than teenie-bopper-esque.

The formula of this polish is great. Only two thin coats are needed for full opacity and the skinny brush allows those of us with wittle bitty nails to have control of the polish! China Glaze is great for long-wearing polishes as the brand includes nail hardeners in their polishes.

As always, the pups are gettin' in on the picture taking action!

China Glaze polishes are about $8 a bottle and can be found at Ulta and online.

xxSJ

How to: Your Perfect Brows

In a previous post I already mentioned how important I think eyebrows are to achieving your perfect look.  I myself used to struggle all through high school and even through some of my college days with maintaining and perfecting my eyebrows so I thought I would share my tips and tricks with you on how to tame your brows and achieve the perfect look for you!  The reason I say 'for you' is because everyone's face shape is different which means the same eyebrow shape will NOT work for everyone. I really don't believe in eyebrow stencil kits as there truly is no universal shape that works for everyone. I'll share with you some of my tips and tricks for getting the perfect brows for YOU!

You'll need some tools for the trimming and grooming.  If you've never groomed your eyebrows before or they've gotten a bit unruly between waxes/tweezes, it can be a bit intimidating to tackle the brow situation, I know! Hairs are stemming from who knows where and poking out in every which way. Using my technique, you'll be able to tame the beasts. You'll need:

-liquid eyeliner 

-a white eye pencil 

-a spooly brush

-tweezers (my favorite are the Tweezerman brand!)

-manicure scissors

First things first: 

Use a straight object like an eyeliner or a pencil and line up that object vertically with your nostril and tear duct. Make a straight vertical line on the side of the object closer to the middle of your face. This line will show you where your eyebrow should begin!

Next, tilt your straight edge diagonally so it is lining up with your nostril and the bottom of your pupil. Draw a line or dot extending out from your straight edge. This is where your eyebrow's arch should be! 

Lastly, tilt your straight edge even further until its lining up with you nostril and the outside corner of your eye. Draw a line or dot through your eyebrow. This is where your eyebrow should end. 

For all of these steps, make sure you are looking straight forward!

This leaves you with a rough guide on the shape of your brow! From here, you can tweeze and scissor away stray hairs. If you are having trouble visualizing the full shape of your brows, a helpful trick is to use a white eyeliner and basically play connect the dots with the marking points you just made. You'll create negative space of where you want your eyebrow hairs to be. It'll look really sexy:

Just kidding. I know this is super bizarre but bear with me! I promise this method works! It is two minutes of looking a bit strange in exchange for PERFECT eyebrows. The trick with the white eyeliner is now you know what hairs you can pluck! Any hair that has a ROOT growing in the white section or beyond the white section you can pluck right out. If hairs are growing into the white section, don't pluck those because that will lead to super sparse brows! Instead, trim the hair with your nail scissors. 

A final great trick while you have this glamorous white eyeliner on your face is to use a spooly and brush the hair of your brows in an upward motion. Trim hairs that are creeping into the white section...that's the trick with using white is you'll be able to see even blonde hairs against the white background. Use the curved part of your manicure scissors and trim the hairs in a curved motion. Don't use flat scissors for this because it 'll look like your brows got a little army buzzcut!  Repeat brushing upward and trimming all the way until you get to the arch of your brow. You can leave the hairs on the tail of your brow longer because there are less hairs there!

Alright time to wipe that white stuff off and see what we're left with! 

Taa-daa!! So I have the shape that works for me, but I have some sparse brows that need some filling in to make them really look great.

There are a ton of great brow products out there that you can use to fill in your brows from pencils to gels to powders! It's all up to you depending on what you prefer as far as what you think looks best on you and what you find easy to use.  My favorite products are the MAC brow pencil in 'Lingering,' the Rimmel eyebrow pencil in 'Hazel,' and a MAC eyeshadow in the color 'Mystery.' Currently I've been enjoying using the Rimmel eyebrow pencil so that's what I'm using today:

One eyebrow done and one to go so you can see the difference using a pencil makes! When using any brow product you want to move along your brow using small, light strokes in the same direction that your hair is growing. This will create the most natural effect. Try and imagine the guide you created earlier with the black eyeliner and the white pencil and fill in your brows to your desire!

This next step is totally optional, but to obtain absolutely perfect eyebrows, you should set your brows with some type of brow product. This will keep any hairs from going wonky and jutting out in a random direction and it sets the product you put in them. I like the cult favorite Anastasia brow gel as well as the Maybelline Great Lash Clear mascara. Simply lightly brush the product through your brows in the same direction as hair growth. You can also spray some hairspray on a spooly brush and run that through your brows to keep the hairs in check!

And finally...voila!

You now should have some brows that you're pretty content with! Eyebrows are tricky business and they take some fussing with to get the result that you really like. There is no simple formula that a stencil can solve, and even old rules like 'if you have an angular face, make your brows round!' aren't necessarily true for everyone.
At the end of the day, its your face and your makeup creation and you can present yourself however you like best! Hopefully my tips and tricks help get you to where you want to be :)

xxSJ

Steph Reads: 'Splintered,' by A.G. Howard

I love all things Alice in Wonderland so I was completely drawn to this book, the story of a descendent of Alice who discovers that maybe the young girls tales were real after all. 'Splintered' tells the story of Allison who, after years of thinking her institutionalized mother is crazy for believing in anything Wonderland related, discovers that her family has been cursed ever since little Alice went wandering down the rabbit hole. The story follows Allison down the same rabbit hole and her attempts to fix everything that Alice disturbed during her visit so many years ago.
    I liked the beginning of this book as everything in Wonderland was revealed to be a much darker and twisted version of the famous Carroll tale. There are so many familiar characters but each with a slight variation on their well-known tales such as a rabid pygmy rabbit cursed with a flesh eating disease and a hatter with a hat measuring device growing out of his head. It was great fun reading this book and learning some more intricacies of Wonderland.
   This book kind of lost me in the second half when things take a turn and there is deception amongst the main characters in the book. I lost track of what Allison's motives were as they changed a bit and the romance toward the end of the book got a little bit teenage angst for me.
   For the most part, I really liked this book and would recommend it to all Alice in Wonderland lovers for a different take on the classic tale. By the end of the story, I got the vibe that this is the type of book perhaps written for goth or punk-loving teens looking for a romance story where the weird girl finishes first in the end.  I would pass on this if you're not that interested in Alice. I don't think I have much interest in reading the sequel.

On a different note, because I'm me I got completely inspired by the cover of this book. The art work is super captivating to me so I decided to do my best to emulate it!

On my eyes: various shadows from the 88 color BH cosmetics palette, Urban Decay eyeliner in 'Perversion.'
Cheeks: NYX Blush in 'Bourgeois Pig,' Hula Bronzer by Benefit
Lips: NYX red lipliner, Covergirl lipstick in 'Spellbound'

Pretty fun, huh?

Anyhow, the book was good but kind of lost me toward the end and made me feel like I wasn't the perfect audience for it. I could definitely see some people LOVING it, however!

xxSJ

NOTD: Essie 'Watermelon'

This poor, poor nail polish. This nail polish is one of my oldest and most abused bottles! It is Essie's 'Watermelon,' a reddish raspberry color:

Look at all that paint on the bottle! This polish didn't travel well with me last time I moved as I must not have closed the cap all the way...whoops! Another reason why I feel bad for this polish? I NEVER grab for it because when I wear it I'm ALWAYS disappointed. I want this color to be a pinky bright raspberry color and it looks like it would be like that from the color in the bottle. Unfortunately, this color always shows up as a basic red to me unless I'm in very specific lighting and am looking very carefully.

I've had this polish for so long that its gotten quite thick and is hard to work with. There is a redeeming quality to this poor color though! It doesn't chip. Period. I wore this polish for 4 days and it didn't budge so there's that!  Overall, there isn't anything really wrong with this color and in fact its really nice due to its chip resistant quality. It's just that its not quite what I'm expecting when I put it on.

xxSJ