Monday FOTD

FOTD . . . well, sorta. This is more like, reapplying lipstick at the office and felt the need to share. :)

 EOS lip balm in Strawberry Sorbet & Revlon matte lipstick in Pink Pout

My lips are super, super dry. I must have chapstick or lip blam of some kind on me always. I saw a few reviews of the EOS lip balm online and thought the packaging was pretty unique–so I picked one up at Target! So far I like it. It has a nice scent, is moisturizing and the little sphere has proven to be a funny conversation piece. Seriously!

Sorry, this is a crappy picture. But I thought I'd show a bit of what the colors I'm working with are. As you can see, the EOS balm goes clear. Pink Pout, one of my favorite lipsticks, is a mauve-y pink. Some people compare it to MAC's Snob (another fave), but I think it's a bit darker and more matte. It can be a little drying, so I have to pair it with a balm to keep my lips looking smooth.

Haha, exuse my awkwardness! I'm not so great with snapping selfies. I'm trying! If you can tell, the lip balm and Pink Pout blend together to give a natural pink color. It's perfect for work. I try to keep my office makeup fairly simple. Today I used Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream, my NYX Stick Blush, Benefit's They're Real! mascara, and some neutral eyeshadow from my UD Naked 2 palette. Once I get a better camera, I can start doing some more substantial FOTD posts!

xoxo.

Music City

I've been so terrible about posting these last couple of weeks! Last week was really hard for me to get back into the groove of working and catching up with CP & friends after Nashville. Speaking of, I have yet to share pictures from my trip!

Beautiful, sunny, green Nashville!

Nashville ladies!

Real BBQ. So. Good.

Nothing like line dancing with a real cowboy! (Actually, I'd take dancing with CP :) )

Not our first rodeo . . . just kidding, it was!

PBR gals.

Honky tonkin'.


Nashville is such an awesome city. Great music, food and people. I'd go back in a heartbeat!

xoxo.

Beauty Wish List

I'm back from Music City! I had such a fabulous time. It was such a fun weekend with my girlfriends. I'll save a post about my trip to Nashville once I have some more pictures I can include. :)

Today, I was doing a little online shopping and beauty blog-perusing. Why is it that I always find things that I "need" when I shouldn't be spending money? Hmm. While I'm dreaming away, here's what's on my beauty wish list right now . . .

NYX Super Fat Eye Marker, $10
I don't have the steadiest hand when it comes to liquid liner. In my dance recital days, I used to make quite a mess with it. When I realized how ridiculous I looked, I avoided liquid liners until very recently. (Thank God for cream/gel eyeliner!) I took the plunge a few weeks ago and bought Maybelline's Line Stiletto liquid liner, and it wasn't too horrible of an experience. Now that I'm over my fear . . . I heard good things about this NYX marker from a friend, so it is definitely next on my list!

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle, $30
I'm not a huge fan of powder usually. I love my ELF translucent setting powder and a good bronzer (Benefit's Hoola), but I've never been too into the foundation-type powder. Too matte and cakey for me. But when I heard all the hype surrounding MAC's Mineralize line, I knew I had to try it. It's supposed to be a powder/highlighter/froster kinda thing all in one. Sounds like a great multitasker to me!

Benefit They're Real Mascara, $23
I've been obsessed with Maybelline's Falsies mascara for over a year now. It is my HG of drugstore mascaras. Now, I'm feeling like I'm ready to try a higher-end mascara and this one by Benefit has a lot of hype around it. Yes, another Emily Maynard fave! I love Benefit anyways, so I think it's worth the $23. (I've heard good things about Dior's Diorshow Blackout mascara too, so I might need to go to Sephora and make a game time decision).

Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes, $18
I have a newfound obsession with makeup brushes. I love, love, love my ELF studio brushes, but am willing to check out my other options as well. :) I've seen a lot of good feedback about the Real Techniques brushes–and I love that they are synethic and cruelty free. Plus, $18 isn't too bad! I'd like to start out with this collection of face brushes.

I always have an on-going list of beauty and fashion items that I'm lusting for. When it comes to makeup, I like to do my research. I rely on customer reviews and make-up blogging experts to let me know if something is really worth the $$. I've heard great things about all of these products, and will hopefully make them my next purchases!


xoxo.

Hump Day Happiness

No, I didn't forget about this week's hump day happiness! And it's a really happy one . . .

Hello, beautiful Nashville weekend! I am very much looking forward to enjoying a (long) weekend away with my best girlfriends, soaking up some much needed rays! It might be the last 80-90 degree days we see for a loong time.

xoxo!!!

Revlon Lip Butter Review

There is a ton of hype around the Revlon Lip Butters. I am the first person to jump on any kind of chapstick bandwagon (look for an eos review coming soon!). I especially loved the idea of these having a great color pay off. Before I saw any reviews (I'm way too impulsive), I went out and bought my first Lip Butter, Cupcake. Cool/baby/barbie pinks are always the first colors that jump out at me. As you can see my collection has grown in the past few months! I thought, since I've collected most of the pink shades, I'd do a quick review–before taking off for NASHVILLE, that is! Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!

From left to right: Cupcake, Cotton Candy, Strawberry Shortcake, Sweet Tart
Picking up on a sweet theme? Yup. These have a yummy vanilla scent and slight taste to them. I love scented/flavored lip products so these are right up my alley.

The "quilted" packaging is really cute, and I love that I know which shade I'm grabbing just by the color of the case (although Strawberry Shortcake can be confused with Cotton Candy when I'm in a rush! i.e., this morning).

Cupcake has definitely got the most use! The left three look a lot more similar in the tube than they are on the lips. (You'll see!) I love the consistency of this product. It glides on really smooth and is moisturizing, but delivers a nice color at the same time. My lips have a tendency to be really chapped, so I won't use these on really dry lips, because some of the colors can get clumped in the cracks of my lips. But they are perfect for a touch up during the day, without a mirror!

These swatches are very true to the real-life colors. Cupcake is a blue-based baby pink, with a bit of shimmer to it. It's definitely the most unique color in the collection (in my opinion), and my favorite. Cotton Candy is a light pinkish-nude, but is very gold-toned. This shade is probably my least favorite, since I'm not a huge fan of the metallic-y gold look. It's almost kind of 90's. To me, this tube color was a little deceiving. Strawberry Shortcake is a light, warm pink. It's a my lips but better kinda shade. Love this one, it's very pretty and also natural-looking. Sweet Tart definitely has the biggest color pay-off of the four shades, this baby is bright! It's a glossy hot pink. I'm not the biggest fan of bright glosses, so Sweet Tart throws me off a little bit. But it's fun for when I want a bright lip but don't have time to exfoliate and moisturize my lips before.

All in all, I love the Revlon Lip Butters. It's been a few months since I've purchased one (I was a bit disappointed by Cotton Candy), and I've been holding off on getting another. I have heard good things about the peach shade! Might need to try it out :)

xoxo.

Instagram Lovin'

A few snapshots for today:

Labor Day in Beverly with my favorite cuddle bud.

Sunday night beers at The Draft with my other fave cuddle bud. (sporting a turquoise necklace I've had for about ten years!)

Kip Moore at Toby Keith's Bar & Grille. <3

A glass of sauv blanc and a plate of garden-fresh caprese salad. Yum.


This week is super crazy because of yesterday's holiday, and our trip to NASHVILLE on Thursday! So excited. Hopefully I can squeeze in a couple more posts before I go.

xoxo!

Birthday Gifting

Saturday is my beautiful friend JP's birthday. The big 2-5! To help her celebrate her quarter century, we will be going out on the town (hopefully a patio or deck) for some birthday drinks! I am a terrible procrastinator, and I haven't gotten her a gift yet. For my 23rd birthday, JP got me a beautiful gold and turquoise bracelet. So here I am, brainstorming some good gifts (at work nonetheless). I usually go the jewelry route, and I have some great options in that department. I also have some fun, new ideas! I usually try to stick to a $30ish budget for birthday gifts. However, this one is special! 25, people! I'm willing to splurge on a $50 gift for JP. :) Here we go...

Alex & Ani "Plume" bracelet, $38
All my girlfriends and I collect Alex & Ani charm bracelets. They are a fun twist on the classic charm bracelet, since you stack them on your arm rather than adding individual charms to one bracelet. They are very cute, and I love this one because the feather style different from the usual A&A charms. I am a little hesistant, though, because this gift might be overdone with our group of friends! Get it here.

Lululemon "vinyasa" scarf, $48
I have this yoga scarf from Lululemon and LOVE it. It's stretch jersey and soo comfy. It looks so effortlessly chic on, and you can wear it in a bunch of different ways. I think it would look so cute on JP! Plus, I don't think it's something she'd think to buy for herself or something anyone else would buy for her. Find it here.

J. Crew bubble earrings, $48
JP & I both have J. Crew's bubble necklace. I love the idea of getting her the matching stud earrings, especially because she wears her bubble all the time. Plus, they can be worn alone and look adorable. My only hesitation with this gift is that I bought JP cute stud earrings for her graduation in May. Still adorable! Get them here.

I'm headed to Derby Street (a shopping center on the South Shore) after work to peruse J. Crew, Lululemon and the Paper store–where they sell Alex & Ani. It's nice to have some ideas to go off of, but something might surprise me!

Happy, happy 25th birthday to JP, one of my best friends!

xoxo.