Something New: It Cosmetics CC+ Color Correcting Full Coverage Cream

 Sometimes I have the hankering to try something new, and when Ulta flashed its 20% off my way I decided I wanted to try a lighter weight foundation. My job as a Physical Therapist leaves my schvitsy at the end of a long day of lifting body parts and mobilizing joints. My Clinique Foundation feels like it slips a bit sitting on top of (or under?) my glistening sweat beads.  I've heard excellent things about It Cosmetics CC+ foundation so I thought I'd give it a try.

 I AM IT!

 The product comes housed in what looks like a squeezy tube but ITS NOT! It actually has a nice little pump leaving me to believe no cosmetic surgery will be needed at the end of this foundations life to get to every last bit of the product. The pump should get the job done. Also one pump dispenses the perfect amount of foundation. I chose the color 'light,' the second from the lightest shade. I think it suits me for the Summer but I may need to bump down a shade in the Winter. I dotted this on my face then blended with a beauty blender.

L: nothing on skin but moisturizer, R: It Cosmetics CC+ cream applied

This foundation ended up being far fuller coverage than I thought it would be for a CC cream. It also lasted all day long and paired well when I added concealer and powder to complete my look.
I think the color ended up being a little bit darker than I thought it would be so I think for the Winter I will go for the lighter shade.

Overall I love this product a lot. It feels light on the skin, provides enough coverage to make me happy, and doesn't break me out. The one drawback: the price tag. This product is $38, but you can always stock up when there is a sale at Ulta or the brands website.

Purchase this product HERE!

xxSJ

What I've been loving: Becca Mineral Blush in 'Flowerchild'

I am utterly drawn to BECCA's line of powder products. From their highlighters to their blushes, I think they KILL it with their powder game. During these warm summer months I've been wearing nothing but my blushes in Snapdragon and Tigerlily, and though those are both beautiful, they are both decently bright colors. I decided to snatch up an additional blush from BECCA in a slightly more muted tone.

BECCA's mineral blush in 'Flowerchild' is a pale pink color that is described as a 'peachy pink with golden highlights.' Peaches are my kryptonite so it is no wonder this bad boy made its way into my collection.

One of my favorite thing about BECCA is their packaging. The packaging is sturdy and looks like a petite UFO. Brown rubber makes up most of the compact with a sturdy metallic top. A tiny mirror is inside for application on the go.

The blush is soft to the touch almost to a fault- a simple tap of your brush will give you the perfect amount of color to sweep on your cheeks. These blushes blend beautifully as well with a powder blush or beauty blender.

bottom L: Flowerchild, Center top: Tigerlily, Bottom Right: Snapdragon

 Here is this Mineral Blush compared to my luminous flush mineral blushes from Becca.

L to R: Flowerchild, Tigerlily, Snapdragon

This blush is actually quite similar to Snapdragon--a tad less bright with a bit more peach to it rather than coral. I don't think owning both is necessary and I think I will be reaching toward Flowerchild more than I will reach for Snapdragon. Tigerlily reigns supreme as my favorite of the bunch, though.

You can purchase this product from Sephora HERE!
$32 for 5.6g of product.

xxSJ

Check out my reviews of other Becca products:
BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush in Tigerlily and Snapdragon
BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in 'Rose Gold'

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in 'Moonlight'

What's the best way to test out strange products? By doing it for free of course. I've seen many a Youtuber and Insta-rammer-jammer rave about these Enhancer Drops by Cover FX but whenever I see/hear/witness influencers going on and on about a product, you have to wonder--is this a great product for the purpose of camera ready makeup (which I certainly don't need), or is this a great product because it makes you look great in person? Ionno.
When I saw that these drops in the most talked about shade 'Moonlight' were on Sephora's Rewards Bazaar for a whopping 100pts, I snatched em up right quick.

For a 100 point perk I am pleasantly surprised that this packaging is a mini version of the full size product complete with a cute little dropper top. The dropper pipette is glass so mind yourself when handling this little guy.

Just one drop of this is super intense. The product description of this color describes it as imparting a 'soft silver glow.'

I wouldn't necessarily call the glow from this soft, at least not when swatched as intensely as I have it on my hand! This stuff is discoball level highlight if you applied it directly to your skin.

Above is the product applied gently mixed in with my foundation as well as spot applied to my nose, cheekbones, cupids bow, and collarbone. It provides an elegant glow when applied gently that I actually really enjoy. Beware though, the following day after applying this to just my collarbone I had sparkle ALL over my chest. I was glittering like one of those damn Twilight vampires. Its fine...just being a majestic unicorn over here.

This product is a whopping $42 for 0.5 oz of product....to break it down for you that means that the tiny bottle I got as a 100pt perk from Sephora was worth $7.98 for 0.095oz of product. This is expensive!

I think I'll definitely finish this little bottle but I don't think I would shell out the cash for a full size. I can achieve the same effect with my powder highlighters I already own.

xxSJ

You can purchase this product from Sephora HERE!

Physician's Formula Butter Bronzer

 "If you like pina coladas.....and gettin' caught in the rain." This bronzer by Physician's Formula has completely made my summer. Not only is it light enough for my snow white skin and is fool proof to apply, but it smells like summer--kind of a savory coconut flavored sunscreen. I personally love it but it for sure has a decidedly smelly smell.

 The bronzer is housed in this cute colorful compact with a wave pattern sculpted into the powder. The powder is super soft to the touch and the perfect amount lands on your brush with a simple swirl.

 There is a powder brush (which I personally have not used and can not attest to!) housed underneath along with a simple mirror. I have never opened this in the months that I have used this product.

Bonus points for the orange croc in the bottom of this picture

The color is...not what I expected swatched. On my face it looks like a really nice neutral brown a la Benefit Hoola but a bit lighter. Obviously on my inner wrist the color is quite sandy but it really does look lovely on my skin.

This bronzer supposedly 'softens and moisturizes the skin' because of its ingredients. I don't know about that but it certainly gives a lovely lit from within glow. It can be found at Ulta, most drugstores, and even on Amazon for about $10 depending on the day!

This bronzer is really lovely and I will probably repurchase it. It does not double as a contour shade, however!

xxSJ

Lorac Pro 3 Palette Review

I asked for the Lorac Pro 3 this Christmas and was so excited to find it waiting for me under my Christmas tree! I feel like this palette got practically zero attention when it first came out which surprised me given the popularity of the Lorac Pro 1 and 2 and the Mega Pros.

I only have one other Lorac palette (my beloved 'Unzipped' palette, check my review out HERE!), but was seriously drawn to the Pro 3 because of its beautiful range of neutrals, particularly that gorgeous sandy color, 'Terracotta.' As a student Physical Therapist, my makeup looks at work stay nice and neutral, so I was craving another palette with pretty light neutrals while being a little less basic than my Naked palette.

The Lorac Pro palettes come in a super thin and sleek cardboard packaging lined with a matte soft touch finish. I love the feel of this thing and I like how no frills the packaging is (no wasted space of a brush holder!). The mirror on the inside is not full size, but I rarely use mirrors inside palettes anyway (except for the AMAZING Stila Eyes are the Window Palette). 

The top row of this palette is composed of all matte colors while the bottom row is all shimmers. Lorac wins for the most original shade names ever including 'Pink Nude,' 'Dk. Brown,' and 'Jet Black.' Hey, no judgement here. I appreciate simplicity.  Let me just say that I feel really inspired to do my makeup when I open this palette up. I love that there are multiple options for an all over base color with a ton of options for a crease and transition color. I could do a super warm eye look using clay and terracotta or a cooler look using cool taupe. The shimmer colors also present me with a ton of possibilities for my lid, inner corner, and options to smudge on my lash line.

I'm sorry to say that there are some misses within this palette. I don't like the consistency of the white color 'Blanc' all that much as I find it quite chalky. 'Canvas' and 'Pink Nude' also take a while to build up, but I think the payoff is worth it. The other mattes are easy to work with and leave a fantastic payoff behind. I find these colors are easy to blend and use and the color I was most excited about, 'Terracotta,' is the perfect shade of baby poop brown that I've been searching for. It might not sound that appealing to put on your face, but this color is incredibly flattering for many different eye looks.

Above are the shimmers in the bottom row of the palette and they are beautiful. The biggest miss in this palette is the color 'Medallion,' third color in the bottom row (third from the bottom in this picture). It is a chunky, glittery mess and I'm unsure if I'll be able to make it work on the lid. The deeper shades (upper 4 in the top picture) are truly standouts in texture, pigmentation, and blendability.

After using this palette for about 3 weeks, I've noticed that it can be a bit messy and powdery. You'll have to tap your brush off a bit when dipping into the colors as they are quite finely milled and powdery.  I'll also mention to be careful about layering these shadows on top of each other too much. I have an 11 hour work day and by the end, my shadows have creased a bit on the lid (even over eyeshadow primer). Otherwise, this palette has provided me with exactly what I wanted for my day to day makeup looks while working in a Physical Therapy clinic. I'm inspired in the morning to use this eyeshadow look to create as fun a look I can while still remaining in the neutral and professional zone. I would also recommend this palette for travel due to its fantastic array of colors and sleek packaging.

This palette costs $44 for 12 shadows (0.32g of product total) and includes an eyeshadow primer, and you can find it at Ulta, some Kohl's, and online at Amazon HERE!

What is your favorite Lorac palette?

xxSJ

NARS Audacious Lipstick 'Apoline'

Everybody: gird your loins for the most perfect neutral lipstick in all of creation.

 NARS recently came out with some new additions to their incredible Audacious lipstick line. The color 'Apoline' was calling to me as the most perfect neutral lip color. I couldn't justify the steep $34 price tag for myself, so I bought this pretty lippie for my sister first (does anyone else do this???). She looks incredible in it, so I did the only other thing I could think of to get my hands on this gorgeous product--I asked Santa.
Lo and behold, I was graced by this little guy on Christmas morning. The NARS Audacious line is stunning--housed in a black, soft touch finish case with a magnetic closure, this lipstick with the NARS logo engraved on the side will certainly make you feel luxurious every time you use it.

 This satin finish lipstick is ultra pigmented while being super lightweight on the lips giving you long wear coverage and a super comfortable feel. Apoline is a warm dusty pink that is super flattering on my skin and works well with almost any makeup look.

This lipstick wears for about 4 hours through eating and drinking and softens up my cracked, winterized lips leaving a touchable, bouncy finish behind. This is definitely my favorite lipstick and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to add some luxury to their makeup kit!

Check out my other Audacious lipstick reviews!
Grace and Natalie
Juliette
Claudia and Brigitte

Check out the NARS Audacious lipstick line at Sephora by clicking HERE!

xxSJ

Clinique Beyond Perfecting foundation and concealer in 'Breeze'

My skin began acting crazy after spending a very humid Summer in NYC. My foundation was oiling up by the end of the day and yet my skin was breaking out while looking quite dry in some areas. I decided to splurge on a higher end foundation that would give me the coverage I need for my breakouts but was designed for my combination oily/dry skin. I went to Sephora and picked up the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer.

This foundation is your standard 1 fluid ounce and it is housed in a glass container. One interesting part of this foundation is the gigantic doe foot applicator. Some people think that this doe foot is not 'sanitary' for application directly the face, but I don't mind. I use one dip of the brush and put the foundation on my cheeks like wiskers, a stripe down my nose, and then a few dots on my forehead and chin. I've been using a beauty blender to blend this out which works beautifully. 

L: no makeup on at all!!!**GASP**, R: one coat of Clinique foundation applied with beauty blender

I got shade matched at Sephora to the lightest shade of this foundation which is the color 'Breeze' (0.5 VF-P). I noticed that this shade range is a little limited as far as lighter shades. A lot of the shades had quite a yellow undertone to them which on me makes me look a little sick. This color 'Breeze' was more pinky which is why I selected it. I think it might be a bit light for me but with blush and some bronzer it looks just fine. I find this foundation wears really well over an entire work day and does a beautiful job at evening out my skin tone while my freckles can still peek out to say hello. I find this foundation does well with a powder on top to set it and performs fine with products layered on top without caking up or emphasizing pores or fine lines. The finish of the foundation is quite natural (as in NOT MATTE) and allows for some light dewiness without making me look like an oil slick by day's end. 

This foundation costs $27 which is pricey compared to drugstore, but a very fair or even inexpensive price compared to other brands at Sephora. I am finding this foundation lasts quite a long time as well. I think I am only about 1/3 of the way finished and I have used it daily for 2 months. That is much better value than the L'Oreal cushion foundation (Click HERE for my review on this foundation!) which costs $15 but only lasts for a month...think about it. 

I'm all about this foundation, you guys, and I highly recommend it if you have similar skin to me. It just does what its supposed to do which is so refreshing. 

Check it out from Sephora HERE!

xxSJ

Steph Reads: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl follows the story of Mia Dennett, a young school teacher who comes from a massively wealthy family making her the perfect target for an abduction demanding a hefty ransom. The story takes place through the eyes of Mia and her captor during the time she is living as a captive, as well as after her return switching perspective between the Detective on the case and Mia's mother. Upon her return from being held captive, Mia has selective amnesia which has blocked most of her memories of her time in the Minnesota woods with her captor, making her case all the more interesting and complex.

Kubica manages to pen this story switching between points of view as well as places on the timeline without confusion and is able to reveal a great deal about many characters in few words. Overall I enjoyed the set up of this story as well as the ending, but I felt the middle of the story was a bit lengthy without much development. It was most likely intentional, but just when I thought the characters were getting somewhere in a scenario or conversation, the chapter would end and the point of view would shift to a different character and part of the timeline forcing me to abandon the momentum I had going in a previous scene.

I do think that the ending of this story was worth the wait and well worth the repeated taunt at some sort of fulfillment in the mid portion of the story, but I do think other books (such as Gone Girl and Girl on the Train) do a better job at keeping a more consistent engagement with the story. When people refer to these types of stories as 'thrillers' or 'roller coaster rides,' I would say with this novel I felt a peak at the beginning, one long plateau, followed by a last peak where as with the previously mentioned novels I feel a ton of bumps along with the massive peaks throughout the story's entirety. Again, I think the ending of this book is very well done and made me want to read the story again (seriously, read the Epilogue...my jaw dropped and I gasped on the subway), but be prepared for a bit of a slow burn with this one!

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline11/22/63 by Stephen King
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Lianne Moriarty
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
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

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in 'Double Dare' and 'Lovesick'

 The liquid lipstick trend has hit the beauty world hard and I don't think its going anywhere any time soon. I decided to hop on this trend after thorough research on what I thought the best liquid lipstick formula would be for my dry, depraved lips. I settled on trying out Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks due to their reputation of having a long-lasting and very comfortable formulation.  I settled on picking two neutral colors to try this trend out.

R: Lovesick, L: Double Dare

 I picked out 'Lovesick,' a mauve pinky nude, and 'Double Dare,' a dusty rose mauve. The products come housed in a slender plastic tube with ornate black designs on it. I like the sleek packaging a lot, and the slimness may make it seem like you get less product, you actually get 0.22oz of liquid lipstick which is double what you get in an Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick. The applicator is a standard doefoot applicator which I found very easy to use to get a relatively perfect application.

Top: Double Dare, Bottom: Lovesick

I love this product a lot.  I am someone who LOVES lipstick to death but can't be bothered to reapply it through out the day when it fades. I also have a profession that doesn't allow me to look in mirrors often or take frequent restroom breaks for touch ups so I tend to avoid putting on lip products at risk of fading or smearing in an unflattering way. I think this product solves this issue for me as I get a full 8 hours of wear time out of this lipstick with no touch ups needed. This stuff lasts through eating and drinking and best of all, it doesn't make my lips feel uncomfortable. I definitely wouldn't say that this lipstick makes my lips feel moisturized while I wear it, but I'm certainly not bothered by it.

As an added bonus, I noticed in the morning following wearing this product my lips always looked and felt very refreshed. After some light investigating I discovered this product is infused with Vitamin E and sunflower seeds which my lips apparently respond really well to!

I'm in love with these lipsticks and will surely pick up more shades in the future. It's a beautiful product that works and costs the fair price of $20 per tube. Its not cheap, but its not going to break the bank if I hold off on my normal Starbucks purchases for the week!

Find these liquid lipsticks HERE!

xxSJ

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush: Tigerlily and Snapdragon

I am a woman OBSESSED with BECCA cosmetics. I have problem skin and ever since discovering BECCA's highlighting products I feel like my skin has had life breathed into it! Recently while browsing around Sephora and touching ALL THE THINGS, I was drawn to my favorite little spaceships over at BECCA cosmetics and I saw the most gorgeous blushes ever.

L: Tigerlily, R: Snapdragon

I picked up the colors Tigerlily, a bright orange tangerine color, and Snapdragon, a vivid coral. Both blushes are part of the 'luminous blush' line with shimmering flecks running through out the blushes.

The blushes are a bit smaller than BECCA's famous highlighers, but these puppies are so pigmented that I feel they are a fair size for a blush. They come housed in the familiar UFO shaped containers with brown rubberized plastic and a silver brushed metal top. They have high quality mirrors on the inside perfect for application on the go. 

L: Tigerlily, R: Snapdragon

These colors are rich with pigment and yet are easy to blend. You need the tiniest boop of your blush brush into the little compact to pick up enough color to complete your makeup look.
Tigerlily is a vivid orange that blends seamlessly with my complexion and gives me the perfect sunkissed look. I don't think I will be able to pull this blush off in the Winter time, but I've been using it nearly everyday this Summer. Snapdragon is the perfect coral that I think is the perfect year round blush for the my skin tone. Both of these blushes leave a perfectly radiant finish that makes me look healthy and happy!

I've seen comparisons between Snapdragon and NARS' infamous 'Orgasm,' so I swatched those below:

L: Snapdragon, R: Orgasm

Similar, but not quite the same. I think Snapdragon is richer with a radiant sheen where as Orgasm is more shimmery and light in color.

These blushes are not cheap at $34 a pop, but oh my goodness they have made me a happy camper! I think its worth checking them out the next time you're in store and perhaps treating yourself if you see a color that speaks to you!

Check them out HERE!

xxSJ

NARS Audacious Lipsticks: 'Grace' and 'Natalie'

Grace

 I love the NARS Audacious lipsticks SO MUCH so I recently decided to add two bold colors to my collection. I've recently been adoring wearing bolder colors this summer and stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit. While browsing the NARS area in Sephora, I was drawn to the color 'Grace,' a vibrant red leaning coral, and 'Natalie,' a bright flamingo coral.

Natalie

 The colors look a bit similar in the tube but swatch quite differently on the skin.

L:Grace, R: Natalie

The NARS Audacious lipsticks are some of the only lipstick formulas I've found that moisturize my lips while maintaining a matte finish and lasting for hours through eating and drinking. I love that these lipsticks have the lasting power of a liquid lipstick but look gorgeous without making my lips look like a desert wasteland.

L: Natalie, R: Grace

On me, Natalie has the perfect amount of orangish coral to be perfectly wearable on my complexion. Since I'm newer to rocking more bold colors, I love colors like this that are bold but still wearable. Though Grace is described as a bright coral, on me this color is a perfect red. I love these types of reds that are rather ambiguous....is it pink? Is it red? The world may never know...and it doesn't matter because its beautiful. 

L to R: Claudia, Brigitte, Natalie, Grace

 I think these two lipsticks are the perfect colors to add to my Audacious lipstick collection! The one con about these lipsticks is that they are $32.00 which is definitely on the pricier side. However, for someone like myself who struggles with finding lip perfection, I think adding some select colors to my collection is well worth it!

Click here for my review of Brigitte and Claudia!

Find NARS Audacious lipsticks HERE

xxSJ

Burberry 'Rosewood' Eyeshadow

 After loving my Burberry Eye Colour in 'Pale Barley' to death (I've already hit pan on it after only a few months!), I wanted to pick up another one of Burberry's Silk Shadows. Enter the color 'Rosewood,' another one of Burberry's eyeshadow collection cult favorites.

 Without a doubt, part of the ultra expensive cost of this single eyeshadow goes toward the gorgeous packaging. In the linen colored box is a plaid covered velvet couch encasing the weighty metal square tin. The tiny compact has the infamous Burberry plaid on the top with 'Burberry' stamped on the side. The sleek container closes magnetically leaving no interruptions on the outside case.

 The shadow housed inside is also stamped with the beautiful Burberry plaid and a nice quality mirror is included. A sponge tip applicator is nested in there as well....mehhhh.

Rosewood is a brown satin shade with dusty rose undertones and gold sheen running through out. It is everything I wanted it to be as far as being simple enough to throw on and go to work with but complex and beautiful enough to create a stunning eye look with just one shade. 

The shadow is buttery soft to the touch and perfectly pigmented. It blends easily and layers well with itself and other shadows. 

Here is the color compared to Pale Barley. You can see the Rosewood has more rose to it but isn't as metallic or shimmery as other well known Rose Gold colors like L'Oreal's Amber Rush or Ardency Inn's Rose Gold shadow. This shadow is simply beautiful, understated, and classy.

Check out my post on Burberry's Pale Barley Eyeshadow!

Burberry Eyeshadows are $29 each for 0.09oz of product. Check them out HERE!

xxSJ