My Birthday Wishlist

My birthday is next Thursday, 23 January. I wasn't really excited...because who really wants to turn a year older? Then, I realized that it's my golden birthday! You know, the age you turn is same as your actual birth day? I'm turning 23, so it's my golden birthday! My boyfriend has plans to take me somewhere and I'm sure I will celebrate with my family.

As a beauty addict, I decided to compile a list of things I want. My family usually asks me what I want anyway, so I made it easier for them.

To me, BB cream is an absolutely must and I've been dying to try a new one; the Clinique Age Defense BB Cream. Geez, way to tell me I'm old, Clinique. HAHA, no. In all seriousness, I don't look as old as I am. I've been told many times that I look like I'm 18 years old. Anyway, this BB cream supposedly evens out skin tones and takes away red spots and blotchiness.

I'm been lusting over this particular shade of lipstick for quite some time now. The YSL Lipstick in 011 Rose Culte. I think it would look nice and festive for any birthday festivity I partake in.

I now have the MAC Rebel lipstick and lipglass, so why not match it with the MAC Rebel Nail Lacquer?

I am still trying to buy the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. Every time I got to stores, they are sold out! It's ridiculous! Hopefully someone can get this for me for my birthday!

You may be wondering why I have jeans on my birthday wishlist. Well, these jeans are very special and extremely expensive - the Express Stella Low Rise Jean Legging. They are the best quality jeans I have ever owned (not really legging-like, just thin jean material) and I only have one pair. I want the same exact jeans in a lighter color. I love them so much.

I have a MAC double-sided pro palette. I only have one side of eyeshadows (not even filled yet), so I was thinking the other day about how I'd like to fill the other side with MAC pro palette refill blushes. So for my birthday, I'd like the blush insert pan with the blushes "Blush Baby" and "Well Dressed."

The biggest item on my list is the Michael Kors Petite Rose Golden Stainless Steel Lexington Three-Hand Watch. I fell in love with this watch as soon as I saw it. It is gorgeous and I have never owned a Michael Kors watch before. What a perfect thing to want for my golden birthday, a Michael Kors rose golden watch? haha!

I am looking forward to my birthday now, as I think it will be a lot of fun to celebrate with family and friends!

Do any of you have a birthday in the next month?

xx

My Favorite Winter Lipsticks | LM

This is just a really short video, showing everyone my favorite winter lipsticks. These are lipsticks that I have worn from October-February and I love them a lot!

I hope you enjoy and if you do, don't forget to give the video a thumbs up and subscribe!

xx

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Melissa at itsmelblog! For the Liebster award, you must:

•  Mention the person who nominated you with a link to their blog,
• Answer their 11 questions
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with small following (fewer than 200 followers)
• Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer on their blog.

Here are the questions she asked by Melissa:

1. What is your must have beauty cosmetic that you cannot go without?

If I had to choose one, I'd say eyeliner. My look isn't complete without some sort of eyeliner right by my lash line. The reason I didn't choose mascara is because my lashes are so full without it and I don't really need it. I was traveling this past week, and the other day my liquid liner ran out and didn't have an extra liner (like I would I home). I had to go to the store and buy a new one. I just can't go on without eyeliner.

2. What is your favourite thing to do in your spare time?

As cliche as it sounds, blog. I really enjoy blogging, whether it's here or on tumblr. It's basically the only thing I do on my spare time.

3. Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have a dog, two cats and 3 tanks of fish. One tank has guppies, another tank is a smaller one that has a partition with two betta fish (they're separated) and the last tank has a bunch of tropical cichilds.

4. What do you want to be when you're older?

Seeing as how I'm nearly 23 years old, I am already older. I am a public school music teacher and I love every single day of it.

5. What is your favourite topic to blog about?

I really enjoy blogging about anything beauty. Makeup, hair, or even fashion. Whether it is here or on tumblr, I love blogging about beauty and fashion.

6. Got anything special/exciting happening this year?

I'm really just hoping to travel a whole lot. I'm just excited to see what this year brings.

7. How did 2013 treat you?

It was absolutely amazing, despite a few crazy things in the last few months of the year. I graduated college, got a job, I realized that I chose the right career, I made a bunch of friends, and I became closer with a bunch of my family members.

8. Did you have a nice Christmas and New Year?

My celebrations for Christmas and New Year were absolutely enjoyable with my amazing family and friends. My entire winter break was phenomenal.

9. Mineral or liquid foundation?

Liquid all the way. It usually has more coverage and you can blend it well with a brush. You can use powder to set it in as well and it'll look great as long as you use a foundation that works for your skin type.

10. What skincare do you use and how often a day do you use it? 

I have a skincare routine that I use everyday (day and night). I was actually planning to do a post and video on my current skincare routine. Usually I'll just wash my face, use toner, moisturizer, and eye cream. At night, I'll do the same thing but I'll use makeup remover oil and face wash before washing my face with my normal face wash and then following with the rest of the routine.

11. (Linked with question 10) Does it work for you and would you recommend it? What skin type is it for?

I have combination to normal skin and have some dry/red spots and an oily nose. It is the most complication skin type to have. For the most part, it looks okay, but at times, I really need to up the layers of concealer and foundation. I need to perfect my skincare routine. I don't really like the moisturizer I use.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I nominate:

Amber

Sarah

Ash

Leigh

and anyone else who wishes to participate!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

My eleven questions are:

1. What are your goals for the New Year?
2. What is your favorite makeup brand?
3. What aspect of blogging do you love most?
4. What are your favorite stores to shop at?
5. If you could travel to one place in the world, what would it be?
6. If you could have dinner with one person (alive or dead) who would it be?
7. What is your best feature (personality or physicality)?
8. Who do you look up to most in life?
9. What is your favorite cosmetic that you cannot live without?
10. What is your favorite shade of lipstick?
11. Would you rather look natural or all made up?

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

xxxx

Makeup Review | NARS Sheerglow Foundation and Radiant Creamy Concealer

I know that I am late on this and that everyone and their mother has been using these since they came out last year, but I have to do a review on this! I am so impressed by these and haven't stopped using them since I bought them a couple of months ago.

I usually try to wait a while before writing a review on products. I like to see how my skin reacts to different things; the time of months, different BB creams, different powders - just general, different scenarios throughout time, to figure out exactly what I want to say about the products.

I bought the NARS Creamy concealer in Light 2, Vanilla.

I bought the NARS Sheerglow Foundation in Light 1, Siberia. I will tell you why I bought two different colors in this post.

I bought the concealer at Sephora. I tried this color on in the store. What I really love about the brand NARS, is that there are a wide variety of color options. At the time, I thought I would be the fairest color out of all of them, but when I tried it on in the store, I hated the way it looked on me. I felt like it accented my blemishes and dark under eye circles, instead of covered them. The sales lady suggest I try on Light 2, Vanilla and it worked marvelously.

This is my before/during picture to show you how it looks without anything on and what areas need covering with concealer.

This picture was take after the concealer was blended well. It states that the concealer is "a creamy concealers with hydrating, multiaction skincare benefits and light diffusing technology to create a softer, smoother complexion." It is as it is named - creamy, which is why I was skeptical at first. How could this work for someone that has dry skin if it is creamy? I was scared that it wouldn't blend well and make my dry patches look even drier....but it didn't! It is an absolute miracle, as it is hydrating and not drying. Thin concealers don't work well at covering anything, which is why this concealer is a Godsend. As you can see, it covered my blemishes and red spots quite well. I am still not very happy about my dark under eye circles. I certainly think that this concealer works for red spots, but I am still on the hunt for one that works even better for under the eyes. It takes a lot to blend it well, but when it is really blended, it looks amazing. There are days where I put this under a BB cream and that's all I need for face makeup. It lasts a long time - it keeps my blemishes and red spots hidden all day. I definitely agree that it does create a soft and smooth complexion.

Bottom line

Coverage:

I found this to be light coverage for it being a concealer, but if BB cream is added, it can be made into a medium coverage.

Finish:

The finish is satin, but it can change as you add things over it.

Lastingness:

It lasts pretty much all day. There are days when it comes off if I have touched my face too much. It also depends on the primer used.

Worth it?

Definitely! It covers red spots and blemishes and does help the under eye circles somewhat. It is the best concealer I have ever used.

I also bought this at Sephora and it runs for about $44. My face is a lot more rosy than this color, but I just loved the way it looked when I tried it on in the store, but I may buy Mont Blanc, the lightest color, the next time I get it. 

This picture was taken after the foundation was blended well. It states that it is "a glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage." For the most part, I would have to agree. It is not as creamy as the concealer, but not too liquidy. You can tell by feeling it that it can give you  a nice medium coverage, but you can build it as thick as you want, by adding more layers, therefore it is buildable. It is difficult to blend - I use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to blend and it works extremely well. The final finish, I'd say is extremely satin, depending on your skin type. My combination skin can be dry in the cheeks and oily in the noise, but the foundation works really well throughout my face. My friend, who has oily skin did not like this foundation because it made her face look even more oily than it already was. Again, this foundation is not for everyone.

Personally, I really like the contrast between the Light 2 concealer and Light 1 foundation.

Bottom line

Coverage:

It starts off as medium, but you can build it to maximum coverage by adding more layers and blending well.

Finish:

The finish is satin for combination-dry skin, but it is too oily for oily skin.

Lastingness:

I found that it lasted the entire day, more so than the concealer.

Worth it?

Absolutely! No other foundation will do the same things! I absolutely recommend it. For oily skin, try the NARS Sheer Matte Foundation.

Final makeup look.

This picture was taken at the end of the day. I didn't do much that day but, as you can see, the concealer and foundation did last pretty much the entire day.

Definitely recommend these two products!

xx

December Favorites | LM

I know this is way past due, but here it is! I hope you enjoy this video. If you do, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe!