Beauties in Bloom

Hey everyone! Happy new year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Years! I apologize for the nearly three month hiatus but I'm glad to be back :) I thought I'd start of 2013 with a fun little tag focusing on some daily staples I use all the time! I've seen this tag go around the blogging community for a while (first time I saw it was from the lovely ladies behind  A Brunette Duet !) and thought it would be fun to do even though i knew the number i would see after calculating all the items would terrify me!! To be honest, I think it's really easy to get products on some sort of discount if you're patient enough--whether it's a Sephora 20% sale, a CVS sale, or getting a deal at a Cosmetic Company Outlet. What can I say, I love a good deal! Anyway, I calculated based on the full retail price, not  the price I paid for. I chose makeup I would use for a nice, typical day out! Face: Laura Mercier Primer: $32 Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua: $45 La...

Hello!!! I've got a smokey eye look for you today! I received some Anastasia goodies from their upcoming Holiday collection to review for my blog and figured I would play around and do a look with the colors in the palette! I'll be posting a review soon but I must say it does include some great colors for a smokey eye! Products: Face: Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat (got a huge sample of this from Sephora! Still deciding if I like the finish--it's very, vvery dewy but does provide nice coverage!) Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Laura Mercier Translucent powder Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller Concealer Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed Anastasia Brow Powder in Brunette Anastasia Clear Brow Gel Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot Anastasia Eyeshadows from Want You To Want Me Holiday Kit: Graphicts all over lid, Iron On in Outer-V & lower lashline, Members Only in crease, & a touch ...

It's been a long time since I posted about the first Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush I got ( Amused ) so I figured it's time to show you one of my all time favorite blushes from the same line: Tarte Exposed. As you can see it's very well loved. I'm not at all surprised to see that the design is quickly fading away from all the use it's getting. Exposed is a soft netural brown/pink/rose. It gives the nicest, most natural glow on the cheeks. It is the blush I reach for when I either don't know what to wear or want my skin to look very natural and flushed. It is definitely my favorite everyday blush and I use it multiple times every week. Tarte Exposed on left, Nars Deep Throat on right As you can see from the above swatches, Exposed definitely has more rose and brown undertones in comparison to Nars Deep Throat which is a slightly shimmery peachy pink. It is also a matte blush---it's very smooth and blends easily onto the cheeks. The pigmentation is als...

I received the beautiful (unfortunately limited edition) Mac eyeshadow, Smokes and Diamonds a few months ago from a blogsale and last night I finally got around to doing a look with it! Smoke and Diamonds is a dirty grey taupe with bits of gold too. It's a beautiful color. I decided to smoke it out and pair the taupe with the dark teal in the Nars Dogon eyeshadow duo (which you can see swatches of  here !) and bring out the gold flecks with Mac Grand Entrance. Mac Grand Entrance all over lid, Mac Smoke & Diamonds in crease/outer-v, Nars Dogon in outer-v Products: Face: Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in Nude & Sand (mixed) Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Bobbi Brown Corrector Laura Mercier Translucent powder TooFaced Chocolate Soleil Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Anastasia Brow Powder in Brunette Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot as my primer Mac Brule (highlight), Grand Entrance, Smoke and Diamonds Nars Dogon Bobbi Brown ...