Happy Easter! What I Did to Celebrate...

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a Happy Easter if you celebrated!
Here's what I did to celebrate:

Instead of painting eggs I painted my nails:

After I drew the first line, I thought to myself 'I immediately regret this decision,' because I knew this would take me so long!

My housemates and I also did an Easter version of Secret Santa called 'Easter Bunny Buddies,' where we made baskets for each other!
This is the basket I made for my bunny buddy:

Yummy!

Hope everyone had a great weekend :)
xxSJ

NOTD: OPI's 'Bubble Bath'

I'm continuing with my neutral marathon today with a cult favorite of OPI, the color 'Bubble Bath.'

'Bubble Bath' is a very light, slightly blue-toned, pink color.  It is very sheer which I rather like because it makes the color so light and feminine.  This color is a more natural color than Orly's 'Prelude to a Kiss,' mostly because it isn't quite so opaque.

I definitely understand why this light pink is a favorite with OPI fans. It's very pretty and certainly a natural hue.
My only qualm with this nail color is it chips rather quickly. The corners of my manicure lifts up after about a day.  If you don't mind a few touch ups here and there though, then I really like this color!

Think pink!
xxSJ

Review: MAC lipstick in 'Peach Blossom'

I love love love my MAC lipsticks.  They have perfect pigmentation, beautiful application, and awesome packaging.  The issue I've been having recently with wearing lipstick is super dry lips. I am on acne medication that makes my skin really dry and so sometimes wearing lipstick just accentuates my cracked and flaky lips... eww, I know.

I've found that cremesheen lipsticks from MAC are glossy enough for me to wear with out showing off my dry lips! I recently came across the perfect color for my lips that is a 'my lips but better' color.

'Peach Blossom' is a light warm pink color.  It is warmer than 'Angel' by MAC and a couple shades lighter than my other favorite lipstick, 'Fanfare.' 

I prefer warmer colors to wear on a day to day basis because I think they look a bit more natural on my freckled skin.

As you can see, this lipstick doesn't add a whole lot of color to my lips, but it adds a pinkish hue with a moisturizing and shiny finish. I really like it and have been grabbing it the last couple weeks.

What's your favorite day to day lipstick color?
xxSJ

Review: NARS 'And God Created the Woman' palette

NARS released a 6 shadow palette recently that I was lucky to get my hands on! NARS products are amazingly high quality makeup products but they do run at a high price. I thought I'd review this if any of you out there are thinking of purchasing this palette!
First of all let's talk about the packaging:

 

This palette is like all other iconic NARS packaging: a sleek velvety black case with bold white letters. The packaging is beautiful, but be warned! This type of material for some reason attracts every bit of dust, dirt, and makeup. The packaging won't stay sleek and pretty for long! 

Now on to the beautiful colors:

Top Row: Alhambra, Bellisima, Kalahari
Bottom Row: Galapagos, Coconut Grove, Night Clubbing
As you can see, these shadows are all neutral shades. The top row consists of shades that are great for the lid and that middle matte color is amazing for blending out crease colors. The bottom row are shades that are great for the crease to darken up any look and the middle and right colors are great to smudge into your lash line for a smoldering effect.
Swatch time!

 The top row colors are the first three on the left, and the bottom row colors are the three on the right.  As you can see, the pigmentation is standard NARS quality.  In other words, its amazing.  The only color that could be a bit lacking is that gray-mauve color called Bellisima.  However, when blended into the crease on the eye, it looks beautiful.  The color to be careful with is Night Clubbing, the sparkly deep green color on the right.  You have to be careful with this stuff! It is the most pigmented eyeshadow I have ever touched, swatched, or tried to work with.  It would be great pressed into the lash line to add smokiness to any night time look!

Something to note about this palette is the size of the eyeshadows. They have 0.03 oz of product per shadow.  For comparison, a normal NARS eyeshadow has 0.07oz of product so you're getting a bit less than half of a normal sized eyeshadow. Though these shadows are small, a great thing about the size of this palette is that its portable! It's about the size of an iPhone so you can easily store it in a purse for on the go and change your look from day to night.
This palette also comes with a small travel size brush and a medium sized ProPrime smudgeproof eyeshadow base.  NARS claims this is a $105 value set if you care to do the math and check!

Overall I recommend this product.  The eyeshadow quality is NARS level quality and because of the great color selection and portability of the product, I think this is well worth the money. Speaking of which:

This product can be purchased for $59 at Sephora. Its limited edition so snatch it up while you can!

xxSJ

NOTD: Orly's 'Prelude to a Kiss'

I've been in the mood for neutrals on my nails lately! I find light nudes and pinks to be the most professional color you can sport on your nails so I've been trying out different ones to see which I like the best!
Today I'm wearing Orly's 'Prelude to a Kiss':

This color is a light creamy peach color.  I think of it as a much lighter version of 'A Crewed Interest' by Essie.  This color is very natural looking and is very pretty in most lighting.  A warning though is that it looks a little blah and muted under fluorescent lights. 
Overall I really like it as a professional neutral! Also this color was super opaque after two coats (soooo impressive for such a light shade) and it lasted for days with out chipping!

Orly nail polish can be purchased at some drug stores and at Ulta for $8 a bottle.  Orly nail polish has slightly more product in it than other higher end nail polishes (OPI, China Glaze, Essie) so you do get more for your dollar!

Let me know what your favorite neutral polishes are!
xxSJ

Review: NARS blush in 'Deep Throat'

Hi everyone! Today I thought I'd share my thoughts on this well-know blush by NARS. I personally appreciate reviews on pricier products to ensure I'm not wasting my hard earned moolah!
This blush is called 'DeepThroat' (har har) and if you can get past the sexual name you will find a truly beautiful color:

Deep Throat is a rosy pink color that has a slight light gold shimmer in it. It is far less sparkly than the cult favorite blush, 'Orgasm,' but I like that for a more muted natural look. This blush is very soft to the touch and feels velvety in the pan allowing it to be easily blended on your cheeks. 

This is the color on my light skinned wrist. The color can be very easily built up or sheered out to create more natural/muted or more dramatic looks. 

NARS products come in the iconic sleek black packaging that looks so chic. The one downsides that it attracts every bit of makeup and dust! Don't expect these products to stay clean for long!

NARS blushes cost $28 and can be purchased at Sephora or department stores at a NARS counter. It certainly isn't a cheap price for a blush however the quality is fantastic and the color payoff is beautiful. This has been my go to blush for the last couple months!

What do you think of NARS blushes?

xxSJ

Happy St Patricks Day!

Here are some pictures of how I celebrated yesterday!

I glued a little critter onto my cheek...

I gave my nails some green sparkle and shine....

And we found a leprechaun playing  in the sink!

Hope you all had a happy St Patricks Day!

xxSJ