Steph Reads: Book Haul!

I recently purchased some more books that I thought I'd share with you all! I'm reading as much as possible before I go to school because I know my time will be spent pouring myself into textbooks and notes rather than chick-lits, thrillers, and young adult fiction. For now, I'm spoiling myself with some fun reads :)

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: I fell in love with Flynn's writing style while reading Gone Girl. I find it simply mesmerizing! Sharp Objects is Flynn's debut novel, a thriller about a girl returning to the small town she grew up in to investigate two murders.  As she unlocks clues to the homicides, secrets from the girl's troubling past are revealed. I know this story might not be so happy-go-lucky, but I'm looking forward to the different type of book this might play out to be!

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty: This book should end up being a TOTAL chick-lit and I'm SO looking forward to it! What Alice Forgot is about a twenty-nine year old woman, married to the love of her life, and about to give birth to her first child...except one day after taking a fall, Alice wakes up and is thirty-nine, in the midst of a divorce, and has 3 children. What happened in the last 10 years to get Alice to where she is now?

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty: This novel is about a husband who writes a letter to his wife revealing a secret to her should he pass away before her. The problem is, the wife finds this letter and reads it while the husband is still alive.  What is this secret and how will it effect their relationship?

I'm thinking I might need to start reading books electronically since all these books are taking up a lot of space I don't have and are quite costly!
Either way, I'm gonna keep reading...cuz reading is sexy.

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

Spotlight on: MAC 'Ravishing' lipstick

Coral lips can seem tricky or daunting, but not with the right product! My favorite coral lipstick is MAC's 'Ravishing' cremesheen lipstick:

This pretty coral is the perfect orangey-pink hybrid that creates a soft look on the lips. Rather than being super vibrant and a 'look-at-me!' coral, this color is quite wearable and understated.

The cremesheen formulas from MAC are one of my favorite formulas since they are, as the name implies, super creamy and hydrating.  Brighter colors like reds, corals, and hot pinks can tend to accentuate fine lines or dryness. The creamy formula of this lipstick makes it really comfortable to wear and doesn't highlight any imperfections.

I recommend this color to anyone who is daring enough to try out a coral lip! If even this subdued coral is still too bright for you, you can always pair the lip color with a gloss to tone it down a bit.

I find the Cremesheen Glass in 'Richer Lusher' tones down this color a bit and makes it look even softer than it already looks, and NARS 'Tasmania' adds a more pink tone to the lip to downplay the orange hue.

Be daring! Rock some coral this Spring :) You'll be happy you did!

xxSJ

My Top Picks: Springtime Nail Polish!

The second installment of my Springtime beauty picks has arrived and it should be no surprise that I had to do a post about my favorite nail polishes for the season! Nail polish is like a mood ring for me... I change it often and it usually reflects how I'm feelin. I pull out the pastels and bright colors in the Spring since the mild weather makes me so happy! The following are my top picks for Spring with links to more detailed blog posts I've done on them:

-OPI's 'Kiss on the Chic' is a really soft pink that is opaque and easy to work with. Picture!
-Essie 'Fiji' is a cult favorite soft pink with purply undertones. Picture!
-OPI's 'Strawberry Margarita' is a bright pink that demands attention! It reminds me of springtime flowers :) Picture!
-Essie 'Off the Shoulder' is a perfect bright Barbie pink that is just so creamy and gorgeous. Picture!
-Butter London 'Trout Pout' is a more-orange-than-pink coral color that gets me so many compliments every time I wear it. Picture!
-Essie 'Fashion Playground' is a pistachio color that is more unique than your standard mint. This will be my most worn Spring nail color for sure. Picture!
-Essie 'Lilacism' is a long time favorite pure lilac. It is and will always be one of my favorite nail colors as it is easy to apply and always makes me smile when it catches my eye. Picture!
-OPI's 'You're Such a Budapest' is a periwinkle, purple-blue hybrid. It is bright and eye-catching!Picture!
-Essie 'Splash of Grenadine' is a magenta color that has the coolest gelly like finish. It is super soft appearing on the nails and an easy way to wear color. Picture!
-Essie 'Mint Candy Apple' is a perfect sky blue. This color is so gorgeous with a bit of a tan and is my favorite blue that I own. Picture!

So there you have it! My picks for a Spring mani are surely going to make you smile and feel Spring-y if you put any one of them on your nails!

xxSJ

Steph Reads: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

**sigh**
      I think I'm officially done with the young adult, dystopian genre. The novel, 'Uninvited,' had such an exciting premise, however I was left wanting more when the book was finished, and not just because this book unexpectedly turned out to be the first novel of a series (what's with everything having to be a series nowadays???).
      'Uninvited' is about a society in the future that has identified a 'kill gene.' Carriers of this gene are murderers and it isn't so much if they kill, its more a matter of when. This book takes place in a time when genetic testing is mandatory to test for this gene and carriers are ostracized to keep society safe.
The book follows the main character, Davy, who has everything going for her until she finds out she is a carrier of the kill gene. No spoilers in this book review, though I will say the book took many unexpected (sometimes chilling) turns and I certainly identified with and felt for Davy. The novel explores the complexities of labels and assumptions as well as the nature versus nurture argument. Are carriers of the kill gene going to kill because its in their DNA, or are they going to kill because of how they are treated after being labeled a killer?
      This book gave me plenty of questions to think about and definitely had some more mature subject material in it than some other young adult books I've read, however it still just doesn't quite go there for me.  This is why I think I'm done reading young adult books. The subject matter of these stories is great, but since they're written for a younger audience, rather than my mind racing after I put the book down, I just kind of go 'huh,' and then have no problem moving on. I could see myself in high school LOVING this story, and thus I recommend it to anyone under 18. Otherwise I think my time is better served with some more mature reads.

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 'Mint Sorbet'

Today's nail of the day is of another polish from the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line. Being as obsessed with all things mint as I am, I had to pick up the color 'Mint Sorbet' from this line after I found the last Sally Hansen polish I picked to be so great!

I really love the color of this polish. It is the perfect mint color with a bit more green in it than blue tones. This polish is pretty thick on application and settled into the ridges of my nails.

Though I enjoyed the color of this polish a lot, it chipped within a day of wearing it so I don't think this color in the Sally Hansen collection is as nice as the color 'Lacy Lilac.'

This polish only costs $2.99 so it gets an A+ for affordability, but unfortunately only gets a C for performance.

xxSJ

My Top Picks: Springtime Blushes!

Spring is here! Spring is here! Spring is here! Spring is one of my favorite seasons and I thought I'd share my favorite blushes for the Springtime:

I picked blushes from a few different brands. No need to discriminate!

NARS Orgasm is a cult favorite, world-famous blush and is known for its coral color with golden shimmer running through it. There's a reason this is famous! It's phenomenal!
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in 'Dollface' is a 12-hour long-wearing pretty pink. This blush is the perfect pink shade. Read my full review here: Dollface Blush Review!
The Balm 'Frat Boy' is a pure peach. This blush is the easiest way to wear peach on your cheeks as it is so muted and completely matte. Read my full review here: Frat Boy Review here!

Bobbi Brown 'Apricot' is the prettiest, nearly fuschia, bright coral. It looks terrifying in the pan but trust me that it looks amazing when applied with a light hand. Read my full review here: Apricot blush review!
MAC 'Fleur Power' is a tinge lighter than the Bobbi Brown blush but still packs a punch on the cheeks. It is a coral with quite a bit of red in it! This pigmented blush gives you the perfect flushed look.
MAC 'Launch Away!' from the Hey Sailor collection is a muted pastel peachy pink. It kind of looks like nothing in the pan but shows up as a beautiful light pink on the skin. Perfect for those muted kind of days :)

L to R: Orgasm, Dollface, Frat Boy, Launch Away!, Fleur Power, Apricot

So there you have it! 6 blushes that are super different in color but all have one thing in common... they scream SPRING!!!

Stay tuned for some of my other Spring beauty picks :)

xxSJ

NARS Lipgloss: Tasmania

I just recently posted about my first experience with NARS' reformulated lip glosses. I got the mini gloss in 'Orgasm' to try out and see if these new glosses are something I'd like (read that review HERE). To sum up my feelings about the new NARS glosses:

Yea. I like em. I decided to splurge and buy another color from the line. I settled on the color 'Tasmania,' one of the newly formulated colors:

This color is described as a 'cantaloupe pink' and that hits the nail on the head! This gloss is a bright pink that is muted a bit by a peachy orange tint to it. Its gorgeous in the shiny acrylic container. 

The applicator is a really nice spongy doe-foot applicator that at first I was displeased with. This applicator does NOT allow you to get much product out of the tube as the opening is a tight fit for the wand. At first I thought 'what the hell, NARS? How am I supposed to get glossed up with out any product coming out?' but then after playing with this product for a bit I realized that the small amount you get on the wand is just enough to cover your entire bottom lip. Then you can press your lips together to transfer the right amount to your top lip, then dip the wand in again for touch ups. 

The color is not ultra-pigmented but I like that it comes across as a soft pink creme. Its perfect for days when you want to get the job done quickly and not fuss over a mirrored application. 

This gloss is pretty sheer on its own, though I like the juicy, plumping effect it gives my lips as well as the slight color tint. I find this gloss works great over light pink lipsticks to make the color pop a bit more and it actually works fantastic if you line your lips and fill them in a bit and then put the color over that. It makes this pretty cantaloupe color really stand out and allows the gloss to be the hero of your makeup look!

This lip gloss is a $26 gloss which is really steep. I get about 3 hours of wear time out of the gloss which I find is pretty good and it doesn't leave my lips feeling dry. This gloss has no scent (a perk of the reformulation) and is quite comfortable to wear. I find it to be far less sticky than MAC lipglasses and it doesn't settle into any fine lines or build up around the edges of your lips like the NYX butter glosses can. This is a luxury gloss that will feel luxurious on your lips. I don't know if I'll be splurging for another one of these babies anytime soon, but I am certainly happy with this color for now.

xxSJ