Beauties in Bloom

Okay I am officially not allowed to buy anymore makeup unless I absolutely need it! I haven't really bought much makeup the last few months so all this theBalm stuff at such a good price isn't the worst thing ever, right? "TheBalm and the Beautiful" palette is apparently the 2011 holiday palette and is basically the same palette (identical in colors!) as theBalm "Cast your Shadow" Muppets themed palette currently available now. Not sure why this palette was at TjMaxx so early, but lucky me! I actually think the packaging of this one is pretty hilarious. My mom loves her soap operas. I'm not really a huge fan of them, but sometimes I will watch them with her and they are just so hilariously dramatic. I think theBalm did a great job poking fun at daytime soaps with eyeshadow names such as "the guy who died but didn't really die," "the coma patient," and "the basket case." Pretty funny and accurate. Okay enough yapping, h...

Here's another blush I snagged for $9.99 at Marshalls! Yet another winner from theBalm. Seriously, I am so obsessed with their products!! theBalm calls it a "dusty rose sheen" This color is just gorgeous. It's a rose pink blush with a hint of raspberry and plum. It's definitely not your typical pink blush. As with the other blush I got, Frat Boy (which you can see HERE ) it's incredibly pigmented. It has a very subtle, pearl sheen to it (no sparkles). Because it's so strongly pigmented, i'd definitely recommend applying with a light hand or a skunk/stippling blush. Blended out it gives a beautiful pink glow to the cheeks, but be careful not to overapply (or you'll get clown cheeks!). Just like frat boy, the texture is very smooth and blends very easily so you can apply it exactly where you want. Packaging is cute and functional. Here's some blushes from my stash I compared it to... you can see a little more plum in cabana boy h...

Been lovingggggg olivey green eyeshadow looks lately! And to think i used to be afraid of green eyeshadow! Here's the look! Rock & Republic Ambition inner corner, Nars Nouveau Monde all over lid, Rock & Republic Envy outer-v, Mac Femme-fi highlight Products: Eyes: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer Sephora 12hr jumbo eyeliner pencil in Kaki Nouveau Monde (green side) Rock & Republic Envy, Ambition Urban Decay Half Baked (tiny bit on center of lid), Naked (to blend crease) Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in black ink Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Do you have any favorite olive green eyeshadows?  Hope you like the look! :)

I bought this eyeshadow duo (will do a post with swatches soon!) at the beginning of the summer since I'v been kind of obsessed with golds and corals and oranges. Of course, who isn't in the summer, right? This is actually the first time I've used it... I've been a bit intimidated to use such bright eyeshadow! It's actually a pretty wearable duo when you combine it with a dark brown outer-v and smudged liner! Products: Face: Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in Nude & Sand (mixed) Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Laura Mercier Translucent powder Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer TheBalm Betty-Lou Manizer Anastasia Brow Powder in Brunette Illamasqua Lover Blush Eyes: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer Nars Mediterranee Nars Galapagos Urban Decay Buck (from naked palette) Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in chocolate shimmer ink (a little bit on the lash link and waterline) Covergirl Lashblast Lips: Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft...

I was at Marshalls last week with my mom and i completely hit the jackpot! My store (and some other TJMaxx and Marshalls locations too!) was filled with tons of skincare and makeup items from theBalm! Even better was that they weren't tampered with! I picked up a bunch of things but thought I'd devote the first post to Frat Boy Blush! theBalm describes it as a "peachy-apricot." on my skin i'd say it's a bit more on the peachy-pinky-coral side than apricot (i'd say colors like illamasqua lover or Nars Luster are in the apricot color vicinity!) It's a matte blush so there's no shimmer or sparkle, but it is VERY pigmented and smooth! It leaves a nice punch of color to the cheeks but not in an overwhelming way. The color is very flattering. I don't think it's too warm or cool so I can see it working on a lot of different skin tones. Even more impressive was how long it lasted--all day!  I like the simplicity of theBalm blush packaging an...

I've been rediscovering my stash of bare escentuals loose glimmer eyeshadows. They are a bit messy but sooooooo pretty and shimmery! I absolutely love them! They also blend really well and the color pay off is fantastic, especially foiled (used wet). BE nude beach on lid, BE drama on crease, Mac sketch crease and outer v, Mac Carbon outer v Products: Face: Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in Nude & Sand (mixed) Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Laura Mercier Translucent powder Mac Refined Golden Bronzer Mac Petticoat Mineralized Skinfinish Anastasia Brow Powder in Brunette Eyes: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer Bare Escentuals Nude Beach, Drama Mac Sketch, Carbon Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in black ink Covergirl Lashblast Lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Berry Rich Lipstick Revlon Colorburst Bourdeaux Lipgloss Do you like using loose eyeshadows? Hope you like the look! :)

Any nail polish lovers reading? I used to be a nail biter but in the last year or so kicked the habit (woo!). I've been using Nailtiques 2 to build up the strength in my nails so they're a lot stronger and they actually grow now that I don't bite them (duh. haha). Now that I have nails, I've been developing a new habit in buying nail polishes! Here's a swatch of American Apparel Summer Peach, one that I've been liking a lot this summer :) Warning though, my nails are not anything to brag about, but at least you can see the color! Summer peach is a really, really pale peach. I bought this color a few months ago before the summer and it looked really awful when my skin was more pale. It was just too light of a color for my lighter skin so i saved it for summer. I think this color is more easily pulled off on tanned skin. Now that I have a tan, I think the peach looks quite nice and it sticks out a bit more. I used 3 coats (although it was pretty much opaque ...

Here's a smokey going out look I did using the supposed mac club dupe in the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette (you can see my swatches and info on that here !) It's the right hand definer color. I love that this color looks so much more complex because of the duochrome! WnW all over lid, Nars Mekong close to lashline in outerlid, mac wedge to blend, mac femme-fi to highlight Products Eyes: Nars Smudge-proof Eyeshadow Primer Mac Blackground Paint Pot Wet n Wild Comfort Zone (right hand definer) Mac Wedge, Femme-Fi Nars Mekong Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in black ink Covergirl lashblast

Hi! In case any of you browse my earlier posts...I wanted to let you know that my pictures have disappeared from most of the February 2011 posts. They were all from my first month of posting, so I'm a bit crushed that the blog posts are kind of non-existant now. I tried to re-upload as many of the pictures as I could, but it seems as though many of the eotd's and swatch pictures from that month are gone for good (and I can't seem to find them on my computer anymore)/ I'm feeling too lazy to re-do all the posts, so please, please let me know if you ever want to see specific swatches or something from a picture that's disappeared and I'll retake the pictures if I can. Thanks so much for understanding! Enjoy the first week of August, I'll update with more interesting things soon! ;)