New Makeup & Hair Products

Hello lovely reader! First off, I want to apologize for the lack of true posts. As you may or may not know, I am away at college (or university) and this semester has been insanely busy. The fact that it is already mid March blows my mind! Now this is not to say that I do not still love blogging or am not as into it anymore because it is actually the exact opposite. My mind is filled with different posts that I want to do, I just literally have had no time! (if you're in school or have a regular job, I know you will understand) So, once summer comes for sure expect my posting to go back to normal. 

So after that little preface, onto what this post is really meant to be about. When I was home last, I stocked up on some new beauty products to try and I wanted to share them with you. 

For makeup I tried out two new products, the Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara and the Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer. 

Prior to using this concealer, I had been using Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (typical) and really liked it. I ended up buying this one because I needed concealer and my store didn't have the Rimmel one. It was definitely an impulse buy, but a successful one at that! It is also oil free which is a definite plus seeing as I was graced with a fairly oily t-zone. The coverage is great and it blends really well. Overall I really like how it makes my skin look. 

Mascara and full lashes is one of my many makeup fetishes. I love lashes!!! This mascara does a really nice job of spreading your lashes to make them look longer and fuller. It also does not clump which is fantastic for me. You can obviously layer more if you want it to look thicker or just go over your lashes two or three times for a less dramatic look. It reminds me a lot of the Benefit They're Real Mascara, as far as how it makes my lashes look. I would definitely recommend this product.

Now onto nails. My mom actually sent me these two polishes for Valentine's Day. The first is by Nails Inc London and is in the shade "Mayfair Lane" and the second sparkly polish is a part of the Maybelline Color Show Jewels line and is in the shade "Mosaic Prism". Both polishes are great quality and they look super sweet layered together. I love pastel shades for spring, so I will definitely be wearing this pink a lot!

This is also something I had read nothing about, but simply saw it in a magazine and decided to give it a try. The concept that caught my attention was volume extend. I have thick hair so keeping volume on top can be a challenge. I have used this dry shampoo multiple times and overall I would say it is a good dry shampoo. I will spray it in my hair before I go to bed and then more if needed once I wake up and actually style it. It has a really nice smell to it and keeps my hair from looking oily on top, I do think it does help keep the volume as well. It is also nice to use if you are teasing your hair and want an extra boost. 

Finally is this lovely lip set which includes a Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Rikugien and a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella. If you are a beauty insider with Sephora you will know that each year during your birthday month you can go into the store and get a freebie, a birthday gift. This year it was these two Nars lip pencils. First off, yay because it's free NARS makeup, and second yay because they are awesome! I've used the Rikugien shade a few times and I absolutely love it. The color is really pretty and it is a satin lip pencil so the consistency makes application super easy.

Have you used any of these products? What did you think? Xx

What I Got For My Birthday

Hiya lovely reader! How are you? This month I celebrated my birthday and got to have a nice visit home! It was much needed, home cooked food, time with family, sleeping in my own bed, and no shower shoes! And of course triple chocolate cake!

Fabulous! I absolutely loved everything that I got, so I wanted to show them to you. 

First I got this sassy pillow. I laughed when I opened this and am so excited to have it in my apartment next year. My parents and I definitely share an appreciation for sarcasm so this gift was extremely fitting.

This may seem a bit random but I will explain. I was on the Herschel website the other month and saw this nifty little item. It's a rain cover for your backpack. Now, you may be thinking really? Is this really necessary? Well, I'm here to tell you, yes it really is! My backpack has experienced a few rainy days and a couple torrential downpours and the fabric that they're made of absorbs the water, therefore if you have paper in the from pocket...it will get wet! It's also pretty reasonably priced for such a fantastic invention!

This was actually a gift to myself. I got this bag from H&M for $9! I think it'll be perfect for events and nicer nights out. The top part is velour and the bottom is a "leather" with a gold zipper. 

Now onto some jewelry. I wear a lot of cowl neck and oversized sweaters, so my mom go me this necklace to wear with them. I think it is really cool and can be dressy or casual depending on what I put with it.  

Ok so I am obsessed with this watch! I had seen it on Instagram various times and so of course I took a screen shot and sent it to my mom. Well she kept that screen shot tucked away and found it on Etsy. I love itttt! 

This amazing lipstick is from my lovely friend. We both have been obsessing lately over lips. May or may not have exchanged Kylie Jenner lip screen shots....pretty impressive. Anyway, she said that she wanted to get me something nice with the idea that each year she would buy me a lipstick to build a collection. Last year she bought me a MAC lip bullet and I love it! We both know that we aren't as likely to spend that much for makeup on ourselves but we definitely would for each other. A nice little thoughtful tradition. 

My final gift was these Kate Spade Saturday for new balance tennis shoes. Comfy, sporty, cute, monochrome = win.

Anyone else have a February birthday? Aquarius? Xx

July Favorites (Beauty)

July is sadly coming to an end. Am I the only one who felt that this month flew by? Anyway, there are many beauty items that I have been loving this month, but I have narrowed down my summer essentials for this post. I would also like to say, because I know some people are quick to assume, that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies, I am just simply giving my opinion of these products. 

My first favorite is something that I know I am a little behind on seeing as they've been popular for some time now. But nevertheless, I'm glad that I finally tried it because I really like it.  It is the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. I did my research before buying a BB cream and this was the one that seemed to suit my skin. (the price was good too) The coverage is great. I got the shade Light/Medium and it blends so that it is unnoticeable and natural. The one downside to this product though is that I did not find that it kept me from getting a "shiny nose". I have an oily t-zone so if I am going out I will apply powder just to set it. It also has SPF 30 so your skin is protected. Overall I really like this product. The coverage is good and it blends well, it also protects your skin, giving it a smooth and clear appearance. 

My next favorite product is not necessarily new, but I have fallen in love with it again. It is the L'ORÉAL Paris Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner. I LOVE this liquid eyeliner. It stays in place all day no matter what conditions you are in. I have applied it in the morning, been outside all day, come in and it has not smudged or faded at all. I even wore it recently in the pouring rain, came home and it looked the exact same! AMAZING! I use the shade J400 Carbon Black. It also makes the lovely sound when you shake it:) Mine is a bit different because it is older and has sponge tip as opposed to the new version which has a brush tip. I personally like the sponge because it allows me to create a thin or thick line and stays steady. I love this liquid eyeliner!!

Now onto lips! I have three favorite lip products, so I will keep my descriptions short:)

First is the Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 by Fresh. If I'm laying out or going to the beach I apply this and it keeps my lips from getting dry or chapped. I love how smoothly it applies and the smell is quite nice too. It does not have a color which I don't mind because I find my lips get some color when I'm out in the sun. I just keep it in my beach bag and glide it on while laying out. 

Next is the Maybelline Baby Lips. I think these are great! They give color and are moisturizing. I find that some lip balms are sticky or last for two seconds and then are gone. This lasts long and is so smooth. I definitely pop my lips a few too many times after applying it:) My current favorite shade is Coral Crush it is not as orangey (not sure if thats a word) as it appears, it is a very nice shade. 

Finally for the lips is the Sephora Lovely lips lip balm duo. I got this on sale and have checked and it is no longer available on the Sephora website. I have seen some on amazon or eBay if you wanted to get it. As the title says it is a pack of two lip balms. The shades are Saumon Salmon pink and Rose clair Light pink. The colors are both very nice and light. Rose clair has a shimmer to it and Saumon is more matte but both leave your lips looking moisturized. I think they are just two really sweet shades.

The final of my July beauty favorites are three nail polishes. 

The first is by OPI in the shade Strawberry Margarita. Because it is a bit darker, it is not streaky and will cover in two coats. I just think its a pretty pink!

This next color I bought in a burst of wanting to try something different. I had seen pictures on Instagram of yellow nail polishes and liked it but was unsure if I should try it. One day I was out and thought why not, it's summer and a perfect time to try this color. I got the Maybelline Color Show in the shade 230 FIERCE N TANGY. I really liked it! Again I applied two coats and it covered well. 

The last nail polish I have been loving is the Revlon 680 Revlon Red. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a classic red nail. It's not too dark or too bright and is not streaky after two coats!

Thank you for taking a look at my July beauty favorites! Let me know if you have used these products too and what you think of them or what your July beauty favorites are. Also, if you have a July beauty favorites post, leave the link in the comments! I'd love to read it!