My Type of Look Tuesday

Now that the weather has been warming up, I'm so excited to lose the layers! With the sun coming out (and so is the tan) it's time to break out the brighter/lighter colors and breathable clothes!

Up above is a simple outfit that I would wear; not necessarily this outfit, but something very similar. I love maxi skirts because they're so easy to wear and it makes it look like you've spent hours getting ready. For the top, something light and a little oversized adds a relaxed and easy-going feel to the outfit. Topped off with simple accessories and makeup, you really can't go wrong. I love wearing these types of outfits to meet up with friends, go to school, or even meet up with the boyfriend for a lunch/dinner. 

Here's a list of places & prices where you can find these items or something similar! 

Target Maxi Skirt - $17.99

Forever 21 Tee - $12.80

Forever 21 - Braided Boho Sandals - $8.80

Charming Charlie - Bling Tone Watch - $20.00

Forever 21 - Pop Art Flower Studs - $4.80

Urban Decay Naked 3 - $54.00

L'Oreal - Colour Riche Balm - Rose Elixr - $7.95

Maybelline - Master Hi-Light - Pink Rose - $9.99

**Note that the prices may be different from the actual in-store prices or even online prices. 

I know this isn't my usual makeup/review post, but I thought that it would be nice to show my sense of style. Although, I don't really have any style haha, I just like to wear whatever is comfortable for me. Anyhow, what are some of your staple must-haves during the warmer weather?

Must Have Monday - Warm Weather (Beauty)

Hey Beauties! With the warm weather rolling in it was time that I change up some of the products that I use on a daily basis. Now that the sun is out and the hot weather coming in like nobody's business I needed to switch to some lighter products and products that contained SPF. 

1. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen - about $7.99

Here in the desert, it's extremely important to have a good sunscreen to help keep your skin healthy. Without the sunscreen I would risk my face getting sunburnt, pre-mature wrinkles, and my freckles would darken. I never really used sunscreen when I was younger and lived in Hawaii and I kind of paid the price. I do have some fine lines around my eyes and I had pretty prominent freckles, but ever since I started my new skin care routine my freckles have lightened a bit. 

2. Lighter Foundation - Maybelline FIT me! Shine-free Stick Foundation -$8-$10

Because the weather gets really hot and I sweat when I walk around campus, I like having lighter foundation so that I don't have to worry about my entire face sweating off. The lighter foundation allows me to have build-able coverage when I need it, without it feeling to heavy on my face leaving my skin feeling extremely breathable. 

3. Waterproof Mascara - Maybelline Falses Flared - $4-$5

Now with all the sweating going on and allergies irritating my eyes, I definitely don't need to worry about my mascara running all over the place. I always use a waterproof formula regardless of what season we're in because the drier formula holds my curl a lot better and when I have an onset of allergies, I don't have to worry about my watery eyes making my mascara run. Having waterproof mascara will ensure that your lashes stay perky and curled and if you get pushed into a pool, you don't have to worry about looking like a raccoon when you get out!

4. Lighter Hair - Granier Nutrisse - R2 (Medium Intense Auburn) - $6-$7

I love having lighter hair in the Spring/Summer, it gives my spirit a lift and gets me ready to enjoy the weather. I've been using this hair dye ever since @saaammage told us about her hair color. My hair doesn't really pick up much color so when I dye it I end up getting a cherry-coke color, but only in the sun; I like to call it peek-a-boo color because when I'm indoors you can't really tell that my hair is colored, but I love the color when I'm outdoors and the sun sometimes lightens it which is really nice too! I used to use blonde dyes to just lighten my hair a tad, but I've been in love with red lately and I think I might want to transition to a purple/dark violet during the fall/winter. 

That's about all for this Must Have Monday, as you can tell I love going a lot lighter with a lot of my makeup products and even hair color. I need to have no hassle type of products that will stand up to 100 degree weather. What are some of your warm-weather beauty must-haves??

Thanks for reading and have a great day/night!

REVIEW: ELF - Baked Eyeshadow - Pixie

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend went well, I spent majority of my weekend spending time with my family, boyfriend, and working on group projects, pretty boring right?

Anyhow, today's review is one from a brand that everyone knows; Eyes Lips Face or better known as E.L.F. has been providing us with affordable cosmetics and accessories. Majority of their products are hit or miss, and they used to be pretty popular for their affordable eyeshadow palettes. 

About 6-8 months ago, or maybe it was longer, they started coming out with a baked line. They had eyeshadow palettes, single eyeshadows, and blushes. I was extremely interested to try their shadows because luckily I haven't really had any problems with their eyeshadows and some of the colors looked really interesting. 

You can find E.L.F. at Target and on their website. I picked up this eyeshadow from my local Target, and what drew me in to the color was the fact that it looked like it would be a pretty rose-gold color. I also liked how inexpensive it was, I only paid $3 for it; most of their products like blushes and lipsticks run for about $3-$5. 

I liked how the packaging isn't too bulky and it's extremely simple which is nice since because I know that when it comes to baked products the packages can become pretty bulky. I also liked how in the box, I could see the actual product. The nice thing about this is that you can use it both wet and dry. If I use it wet, I get a small-medium sized brush and slightly dampen it and then use it to apply the eyeshadow, but it's up to you how intense you want the color. If you want to it show up pretty intense you'll want to use a denser and smaller brush. When I use it dry, I simply take my ring finger and use that to apply that color all over my lids. 

It can also become a transition color, because of the warm undertones it has it can help blend out some of the other colors you use and just make the overall look a lot warmer. Just make sure you use it dry to make it easier to blend out. 

When I want to have just a little color on the lids, I always go for this color. The staying power is okay as long as I have a primer, but I do notice that it fades throughout the day. I don't notice any creasing without a primer, it just looks like it vanishes. 

If you want you can also use this as a highlighting blush. It's a really nice color that can be great for everyday purposes and it's extremely low maintenance.

One of the first things I noticed when I started using it was that it felt extremely dry to the touch. It felt so dry I wasn't sure if I would be able to get any color pay off. Another thing I noticed was that it looked as if the eyeshadow itself was lifting from it's packaging, which concerns me because I don't want to travel with it and have the entire thing shatter. 

For the price, I think you get what you pay for. It's not one of those baked eyeshadows that you'll get a lot of pigmentation from, but at the same time you get a decent amount of color. I'm not sure exactly how the other colors are in the line. 

The one thing that you need to remember when buying products from E.L.F. is that it'll always be hit or miss. Some of the same products won't perform the same, and I feel that's just how it is when you're running a business and selling your products for that low of a price. 

What are some of your favorite products from ELF?

REVIEW: Jordana - Twist and Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm Stain

Happy Easter Sunday everybody! 

I had posted before about one of the biggest trends that I've been noticing in the beauty world (besides the BB, CC, and other cremes), I think the biggest thing is balm stains! Like I mentioned in the other post where I talked about the trend, which you can read here, I was extremely excited to see more of the affordable brands/companies come out with their own take on the product. 

Jordana is one of the companies that I feel are a hidden treasure. At my local CVS store, they only have this little display that's easy to pass if you aren't looking for it. Although they may be smaller than other brands out there, I love the fact that they have decent quality products for an extremely reasonable price. The only thing is that they don't have as wide of a variety of products that are available in the drug store. If you look on their website they have a decent variety of products and if you want, you can order it straight from their website. 

The two colors I have here are Rock n Rogue (07) and Honey Love (05). This line is extremely affordable which I really liked, I paid about $3 for each of these. 

Rock n Rogue (07): 

I mainly purchased this color because it was for a halloween costume. I was looking for a red that would be long lasting and wasn't too intense. I'm not one to be extremely venturous with my lip color, so I didn't want anything too saturated and opaque. I already owned Revlon's Lip Balm Stain in Honey and I really liked the color pay off and staying power, but I didn't want to make the price commitment. I knew that Jordana had a line of their own lip balm stains, so I was excited when I finally was able to get my hands on them, and I saw that they had this red one so I picked it up. 

When I got home and swatched it I was pretty impressed with how pigmented it was and how smoothly it applied. When I applied it to my lips, it wasn't as pigmented as it was when I swatched it on my hand, but I was extremely happy because like I said, I'm intimidated by color. I used it when I went to a halloween party and I liked how it was nothing too extreme, in all honesty it looked almost cherry or strawberry almost like I had just eaten a strawberry lollipop or popsicle. At the end of the night I noticed that it left an extremely light hint of color, and I didn't reapply it at all that night. 

Overall I like it because it's not extremely intense/opaque. I think it's great for those who want to experiment with color, but aren't ready to dive straight into colors. I don't notice it being as drying as some of the other lip balm stains that I've tried which is nice, in fact, it also feels like an actual lip balm. I really like this color and since it's not so opaque on the lips, it can be a great everyday lip color. 

Honey Love (05)

You have absolutely no idea how excited I was to pick this one up. The immediate thing that came to my mind was that it looked like a dupe of my everyday lip color from Revlon called Honey, I mean the name kind of seems to imply that it should be a dupe right? When I swatched it, it looked fairly similar to Honey, but it was a tad bit deeper, in the sense that it had a more mauve-tone to it than Honey. 

It applied pretty opaque and it was comfortable on my lips. The second time I wore it, I did notice a tingly sensation on my lips, but other than that it feels pretty comfortable on my lips. Like most of the lip balm stains, this one does dry out my lips quite a bit, but it's nothing a good lip balm can't fix. 

I tend to gravitate towards this specific color a lot because it's a great MLBB (My Lips But Better) and it's great for everyday wear. The tint that it leaves my lips is a bit lighter than the actual color it applies as, but I really like it. I like this color a lot more than my Revlon Honey because it's not as pink and as light as Honey. This color works great with my medium skin-tone and my natural lip colors. 

Here's a swatch of both: 

As you can see, Rock n Rogue is a pretty bright color, but don't be too intimidated because if you have somewhat berry colored lips or even buff colored lips, it won't be too in your face. You can even sheer it out by tapping the color on your lips. 

Overall I really do enjoy these two, and because they're so inexpensive I wouldn't mind picking up the other colors. They're a lot more affordable than the Revlon versions or even the department store versions, like the Chubby Sticks or the LipSurgence. 

Left: Rock n Rogue; Mid: Honey Love; Right: Honey

(As you can see, Honey Love and Honey are pretty similar, even in it's finish.)

REVIEW: Flower Cosmetics - Kiss Slicks Lip Color (LS14) - Coral Floret

Happy Friday guys! Today's review is finally on a drug store brand, I know I've been posting a lot of higher-end/department store reviews, but I'm back to what I know. 

Flower Beauty is a somewhat new line from Drew Barrymore that is only available at Wal-Mart, you can't even buy it from their website. Which is unfortunate because you can't easily get your hands on some of the products. 

Of course we're gonna focus on this lipstick here. There are two main lines as far as lipsticks go. There's one in white packaging, which is the velvet lip colors, and there's one in black packaging (as seen above), which their Kiss Slicks/High-shine line. Both retail for $6.98 each and there's a decent amount of colors in each line. 

When I first got the product, I liked the fact that with the sticker that's on it, you can tell if someone has tampered with the product. The second thing I noticed was the smell. It's one of the major gripes that I had with this particular lipstick. I didn't like the fact that the packaging only allows it to be closed in a particular way, the flat side must match the flat side. The last problem I have with this particular lipstick is the fact that it dries out my lips pretty badly on it's own. When I do use it, I need to make sure I have some type of lip balm with me that'll provide my lips with some type of hydration. 

The smell is the main reason why I don't use it. It's hard to describe, but it smells almost chemically, like I can smell the chemicals and other ingredients that was placed in the product. I can deal with how drying it is because I don't mind having to carry a lip balm with me, since I usually have one on hand. 

I do, however, really like the color. It's bright, but it's nothing that's too obnoxious. It's a great wearable coral color with pretty warm undertones. It's easy to sheer out as well, you just need to dab it on your lips and you can get a decent wash of color. Although it's drying I also like to use it under some of my pinker lip balm stains to just add a little dimension and added color. 

This particular color is great for Spring and Summer, and you can wear it with almost anything! It adds a brightness to your look as well. There's also a really nice sheen to the color when you put it on, and when it's freshly applied, it has a sheen you would see if you put on a light lipgloss.

I haven't tried any other of the lip products from Flower Beauty, but I definitely want to try more of this line and the other line to see if they're as drying as this product was and if they had the same smell. 

Overall, I don't think it's really worth the $7 for this product. In my opinion, brands like Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, etc have such a wide variety of colors that I'm sure I could find something within their lines that are similar to this product, and may not cost as much.