September Favorites

September favorites are more about what kept me cool in the summer than specific items from that month. + a couple beauty items of course. :)

David & Young Floppy Hat $20, on sale $9.90
My hat is actually straw colored but I'm tempted to pick up another color at this price! Black (which looks blue?) or Olive? This hat has the perfect amount of floppy vs sturdiness without making you look old. The weave is tight so you can shape it and the hat won't fall in your face.

Rayban Purple Aviator Sunglasses RB3025, $60ish on sale
At first I wasn't sure about the purple but now I love how it looks on. My favorite shades EVER! The gradient is nice because it makes the glasses blend into my face. Knock-offs can't come close!

Mac Ever Hip Lipstick $14.50
Revisting last summer's must have lipstick.

Dior Blush Vintage Pink (Rose) $42
This originally came out in a lace pattern last spring, so when it was re-release I had to get it. I used my $20 voucher to bring the price down on this. It's a gorgeous peachy-pink!

Got 2b Rockin' It Dry Shampoo $5.99
This is my second favorite dry shampoo after Batiste. The smell is better and the price is good at a BOGO but sometimes the spout gets jammed and only powder comes out. Then all you have left is liquid. Which is not good because it then it won't work right.

So with this post I have officially done more than a year of Favorites! I don't know if I will continue on with regularity or not. If I do I'll be changing how I do this.

August Favorites

This month there was less makeup and more time spent baking. macarons and creme brulee specifically. This is my 12th favorites post! I can't believe I've done it for a year already.

Chanel Le Vernis in Morning Rose (557)
Surprisingly this rose with golden flecks polish sold out! The weird thing is there is no buzz about how it sold out like Chanel Jade. Morning Rose was not even the IT color, it was Mimosa (yellow). I managed to snag this during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July, and I noticed that it had to be shipped from the downtown Seattle location. As if it was the last one. It also didn't seem completely full... compared to a brand new polish. I'll never know, will I? Out of curiosity I checked Chanel.com and it was sold out there too! I had just checked the week before, and it was still there! Apparently it was a sleeper hit or they just didn't make very many of them. I hope you got one while you could!

Chanel Rouge Allure in Desinvolte (86)
At a glance it seemed similar to Rouge Coco Peregrina, but I'd say it's more pink than peach which is why I like it better. Plus I've always wanted a Rouge Allure but the colors in the permanent line are either too brown or too bright. This was the right pink I was looking for. This is also a million times better than the Rouge Cocos because it doesn't have a gross fragrance smell and taste to it. It's also limited, so get it from Nordstrom while you can.

Dior Crush Glow Quint (659) LE
When it first came out last year I didn't think it looked all that great compared to the Ready to Glow quint, but for $20 via blogsale I decided to take a chance and get it. I'm so glad I did! It's gorgeous! I'm a sucker for the soft purples and golds.

Half Sheet Size Aluminum Baking Pan (about 12"x17")
It's extremely thick at 18 gauge, and it will probably never warp. It's heavy enough so the heat from the bottom of my oven won't cook my macarons too fast. It also doesn't burn the bottoms of cookies. Aluminum doesn't burn quickly like non-stick (dark coating) does. Remember to use parchment paper. I got these professional pans from a restaurant supply store for only $7.38 each!

KitchenAid Hand Mixer Whisk attachment
Adding this whisk attachment to my hand mixer gave me more control over beating my egg whites in a smaller bowl. I prefer this over a big stand mixer!

July Favorites

My July Favorites are here! (yes I know it's September..)

1. Dior DiorSkin Shimmer Star Powder in Amber Diamond
A perfect finishing touch for the cheeks. I think it illuminates my cheeks without being too shimmery. It gives that light from within glow. Thanks Steph for the birthday gift!

2. Sigma Duo Fibre Powder/Blush Brush - F15
I bought this to use with the above powder. It's also workable with cream blushes. It's soft and deposits the right amount of powder with the duo fibre tip. Sigma actually makes good quality brushes!

3. Lmdb Rock and Romance Polishes
Perfect transition colors to fall. See my review here.

4. Dior Instant eye makeup remover
I received a sample of this, and I think it works slightly better than Lancome Bi-Facil!

5. Le Creuset mini cocotte in lavender
I found these cute mini cocottes on clearance at Dillards! My first Le Creuset, and I love the quality of it. It's perfect for single serving souffles or gratin! They were about $3-$4 from $20! I was also drawn to the Taro color likeness.

June Favorites

First, I've updated my blog sale with Chanel and R&R!

Here are my June Favorites!

1. Lancome Color Fever gloss in Paradise Peach - moisturizing and goes on smooth. It gives my lips a pretty pink-peach glow. I thought the Lancome glosses would be sticky like the juicy tubes but these are very nice and not sticky at it. It's thick but it settles nicely. It's also pigmented enough to use without lipstick! It's limited edition, so I bought a backup! :)

2. fresh Citron de Vigne edp - it's a "fresh" citrus scent that's light and crisp but still complex.

3. OPI Nail Polish in Steady As She Rose - This creamy pale pink-purple polish is from the Pirates of the Caribbean OPI collection. At first glance I thought I wasn't going to like how light it is, but on my nails it looks very pretty! It's a tad streaky at first but workable.

4. Revlon Nail Treatment - This is a ridge filler, and I like how it provided a nice and smooth base to my nails. It dries quickly, and I can apply two to three coats to prime my nails for polishes that usually require more coats.

5. MAC 219 Pencil Brush - An essential makeup brush, no other pencil brush compares! Thanks Megan! <3

May Favorites

It's now or never for my May Favorites! These are absolutely wonderful products I couldn't miss sharing with you!

1. Bvlgari BLV II edp - my new love! I love finding new fragrances, and I wouldn't have sniffed this out if not for birchbox putting this brand on my radar! It's light and fresh and instant love. The only downside is it doesn't last long enough on me. The SA at Nordstrom was kind enough to give me this sample for free! wow!

2. Lancome L'Absolu' Rouge lipstick in Lily Rose - it's creamy and the most beautiful pink that I can wear everyday! Sadly when taking the photo I dinged the lipstick ack! This is a limited edition color from the Spring collection. There are still some left, and I def need a backup! I've used quite a bit already!

3. Jouer lip gloss in Blush - Initially I was drawn to this brand because of the name, jouer. It means 'to play' in French. The texture is of a divine high end lipgloss and the color (creamy baby pink) gives my lips a glowy look!

4. Deborah Lippman polish in Naked - The perfect nude color and the DL formula is top notch, wow! Officially addicted to DL. Now I just need the perfect nude pumps.

5. Bio-Oil Scar Treatment - Effectively lightened the new sunspot on my hand by 80% in only a month. With more regular usage I think I can make the spot disappear completely.

swatch of the lip products for you. Love them! :)

Lipstick by Lancôme
Fragrances by Bulgari

April Favorites

I can't believe it's May already! Time for April favorites!

1. B-List lipstick by Lancome, $7 -$15

Swatch of B List
This was a free lipstick (and now discontinued) that I received this month from a gift with purchase. It's a pretty peachy-beige with the right hint of pink that is seriously underrated! It's not orange and won't make you look dead. I think that it is gaining popularity though because the ebay price for this is almost double for what a common gifted lipstick would go for. About $15? But wait, I found a new listing for them at $7 + $2.50 shipping here. Read the glowing makeupAlley review here.


2. Essie Neo Whimsical Polish, $3.20

Thin and runny, but I love this pinky-lilac color for spring. It's a pain to apply so I try to make thick coats and then the seche vite on top smooths it out.

3. Diorskin Nude Foundation, $46

I love this foundation right there with the MUFE foundation. The match is perfect (shade 021), and it blends so well onto the skin. It leaves a nice matte but still luminous finish. The coverage is light-medium. You can build it up without looking cakey. The luxury glass packaging is a plus as well. It also claims to make your skin better? Dunno about that yet.. The only thing people may not like is that it dries really fast so you must work quickly. I prefer this over foundations that never dry at all. Oh and it oxidizes a little on some so I went for a slightly lighter shade that still matches after oxidizing.

4. HydraFresh toner L'oreal, $6

I stole this out of my mom's cabinet because she had not used it for a year or more. Creepy? Maybe, but the stuff still works great! Points for longevity! This stuff is freakin awesome because it lives up to it's claims. No need to buy any $20 toner by golly. It does "gently sweep away dull, tired skin to reveal a smoother, brighter complexion." It also "leaves skin soft and supple." The toner I used before didn't leave my skin feeling any softer, and it was 8x more expensive.

5. O'slee SPECIAL CARE Anti-Acne Essence, $8.40

This stuff is a miracle to me. It lives up to it's claims and minimizes the pimple overnight. I couldn't believe it! It's great on those red ones and the cystic acne! I think the key is rubbing it in until full absorbed. The drawback is the small glass bottle is so fragile that it broke on the counter when it slipped through my fingers. I was literally scrapping it off the counter to save it!

Have you tried any of these products?
I'd love to hear about your favorites last month!

March Favorites

These are my March Favorites!

1. Lancome Bi-Facil $26
A great makeup remover. I think it works better than random drugstore brands. You can find samples like these on eBay if you want to test it out.

2. Lancome Genifique $58
This is a sample size and it still has the dropper which I find cute. I like how this makes your skin soft upon application. I can't say exactly what difference it has made but I do find I have less redness and can skip foundation some days.

3. Karess Krafters Simply Herbal lip balm $3.25
There is a tingle like burt's bees but it's creamier and I like that! Lisa sent me this a looong ago, and I never tried it til now. I was actually researching making my own lip balm, and I noticed this had similar ingredients to what I wanted to try. It's rather good stuff! It's long lasting and my lips are moisturized.

4. Revlon Colorburst Gloss in Crystal Lilac $7.49
I've been ever so curious about this gloss since it debuted. It was finally on sale (free after ecb + coupons)! I'm not a huge fan of the older superlustrous ones (cheap&sticky) so the fact that I liked this was a nice surprise. It's a gorgeous mauve pink with pink and amethyst micro shimmers. The way the sponge tip applicator is designed- it picks up a lot of gloss so laying it on more opaque is simple. The sponge reminds me of a tongue!

5. Physicians Formula Eye Booster & liner $10.99
This is a great liquid liner because it lasts all day and the tip is so fine and easy to control. It's a Japanese formula and it is also supposed to help grow your lashes. I have not done comparison photos for the lash growth aspect yet. I will soon though! You must try this! It's hands down the best drugstore liquid liner. One thing I must note is there is ULTRA black and Black as well as brown and a clear color. Black is somewhere between grey and black and ultra black is well dang dark black! I noticed a consistency difference between which will be examined in a later post.

6. Sigma F80 Brush $16
This brush makes applying liquid foundation as quick and easy as mineral foundation. Which is all I could ask for! It's soft and compact but expect a full review coming soon!

Lip Gloss by Revlon

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February Favorites

My favorites for February!

1. Mac Marquised' Lipstick $15.50

Pretty and natural. It's on the sheer side but it has enough pigment to coat the lips with a nice natural pink color. It's sold out at most counters. I did see some last weekend in Dallas.

2. Mac Mighty Aphrodite Blush $25.50

	Pretty and pigmented. It's now sold out in most places.

3. Zoya remove+ polish remover 8oz for $9.99

Well worth the price! It's the best ever. I can't believe how awesome a nail polish remover could be. It smells nice, removes everything without need to scrub, and it leaves my nails feeling nice afterwards.

4. Chanel Black Pearl Polish $25

This is so pretty! I couldn't stop staring at my nails with this on. It would be a great first high-end polish to try.

5. Buxom Mascara

This is some awesome mascara! It glides on silky and does everything a mascara should. Volumize, Curl, and Define! Thank you JBreezy for this!



Have you tried any of these?

2010 Beauty Favorites - A Tag

Steph of http://meibelle.blogspot.com tagged me for a beauty survey! It's not too late right? I mean the Academy Awards don't even go on until February...

Questions:
1-Which lipstick/ lipgloss did you use most often in 2010?

Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Spotlight Beige - soon to be discontinued?

2-What was your favorite eyeshadow this year?

Crazy but I didn't really have a favorite. I would say my Milani Liquif Eye liner in Black is my favorite eyeliner though!

3-What product for the complexion (foundation, blush, etc.,) did you use the most?

Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD- It lasts about 6 hours on me. The skin looks smooth when it's first applied. I've purchased this twice already!

November Favorites

It's December 1 so that means it's time for November Favorites! I totally forgot to do these so it's a little rushed trying to make my deadline. It's been a busy month, and I didn't really wear all that much makeup. These are my most grabbed items of ALL the months since I've been using them. I could be out the door with just these products!

1. Everyday Minerals Flat Top Brush - I use this purely to apply the Cargo blu_ray pressed powder. It works well with the product giving me nice coverage, and it's so soft on my face!

2. Cargo blu_ray pressed powder - With this and the brush I'm able to buff away all the yucky redness on my face. It's a great way to quickly even out your face. If you'll notice I hit pan and then some on this pup. It actually used to have 1/8" around the whole thing but as you can tell I've dug at the entire left side of it. No bit goes to waste!

3. Mac Blush in Hipness - This blush is a frost, and it's really great b/c it goes on sheer enough that I don't end up over applying it. It's the perfect flushed color on me. It was a gift from Steph! :)

4. Ecotools Small Blush Brush - This brush came in the Alicia Silverstone brush set, and it's the perfect small size for my cheeks. I use it with the Hipness blush when I can. It's so soft and great for patting color on to the apples of your cheeks. You can find this at your Wal-mart now.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Maybe later I can update with some food and haul pics. What did everyone get? Any cool new gadget, clothes, or makeup?

Also, I noticed I'm now at 200+ followers! Yay! I think it's time now for a makeup giveaway! I actually have not ever done a giveaway on this blog where "following" is a requirement. I'm planning one of that nature, and I hope I can get that up soon!

October Favorites

October Favorites! These were well received last time so I'm at it again!

1. Dior Quint in Ready to Glow - I've been wanting to splurge on some top notch eyeshadows for some time now, and why not continue my addiction to Dior? I LOVE every single one of these colors! If I was going to spend a lot on this quint I wanted to make sure I loved every single dang color, no exceptions. The texture is smooth and heavenly but not sparkle crazy like other quints I've seen. This retails at $58, but if you divide it by 5 it's $11.60 per color which ain't so bad.. okay it's bad BUT I bought this on ebay for $40. So that's about $8 per shadow which is more reasonable.

2. Batiste Dry Shampoo - I've tried many low end and high end dry shampoos but I'm always itching to get back to this one. I stopped using it for a couple months while testing any other one I could find just to experiment. When I finally used this again this month it was like night and day regarding the difference in effectiveness. Zaps grease, no residue left once massage in, smell manageable, low price. That's all I really need. $7.99 at Ulta.

3. Givenchy Play for Her - I got this deluxe mini size from Sephora with code "herplay" and I'm so glad I did because this fragrance is LOVE! The only downside is that it's not very long lasting. If you like the pretty and sweet florals then give this a whiff! It has Bergamot, Sweet Pea, Amyris Wood, Tiare Flower, Sandalwood, Musk. I dry down was a pleasant musk which surprised me b/c I usually do not like Musk but it really works in this case.

4. Milani Polish in Bare To Wear - The perfect muted purple light gray color. Good quality creme polish! Limited Edition but you can buy it directly Milani.

5. Mac lipstick in Innocence Beware - The perfect pretty light pinky nude color. I grabbed for this the most in October. Since it's a cremesheen there's a slight shine which is nice. It's limited edition, but Hue may be a good color dupe from what I've heard.

6. Neutrogena lipstick in Just Whisper - see my review here.

7. Isqueen Crystal White Series Pore Refiner - I like how it's pink.. haha, AND that nothing bad has happened from using it so far! It gets the grime that my cleanser may have missed. Not so sure about the "pore refining" bit but it leaves my skin refreshed. Def worth checking out.

8. Milani Liquif'eye pencil liner - no smuding on my eye so far! It's deep black and inexpensive, and goes on smooth. Possibly replacing my mufe liner. It's only $5.99!

9. OMI Ume Softcream lipbalm - waaay better than any EOS lipbalm. It smells like peach and ume (plum) but more so peach. It's not better than Espie but I really enjoyed using this all month! It's now sold out on sasa.com but there are similar ones on ebay if you search OMI lip.

September Favorites

My favorites for September. First time doing this!

Chanel Jade Rose Polish - My first polish spurlge! It's a beautiful light peach-pink nude cream color. It's the first polish that I wanted to keep wearing and stare at in a long time. There's gotta be a reason why this was released a second time! It originally came out with that Jade green polish that overshadowed this one. This year it came out with Paradoxal which also stole the spotlight. I even love this polish so much I need to get a backup. You can probably still find this at your local Macy's or Dillard's. And if you want to try a dupe...

Milani Bare in Mind Polish - This is close but not a dupe for Jade Rose. It's more pink toned and has slightly more shimmer. It's not exactly a favorite but it's still pretty!

Long handled mirror - I originally got a small mirror like this from Maggie's giveaway, and since I liked it so much I searched for a bigger one! It probably sounds stupid but the "design" of long-handled mirrors seems much more practical and easier to use than clam shell ones. Having a grip is nice and the mirror's not in the way.

Mac Notoriety Quad -Seeing that I liked Skintone 2 and Notoriety from the Felines collection I did some research and found that they are repromotes from this quad! I tracked it down on ebay for about $25ish including shipping which is similar to a CCO price I think. Yay for me! I really like the neutral colors in this.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Negligee Pink 256 - It gives a beautiful pink glow to my lips. It's instant LOVE with this pricey gloss. It's opaque enough to wear alone even on my pigmented lips! <3<3

Dior diorshow Extase - I've been having fun playing with the sample. It works pretty well on my lashes. I'm not too picky. Thanks Cat! <3

Nars Orgasm Blush - I got this in a blogsale from Amy and I love it! Really lives up to the hype!

Rock and Republic shader brush - The cut on this brush is nice so that it picks up shadows really well. I like how thin it is too. I was not looking for a fluffy one. This brush is perfect! It's not worth the retail price though.

That's it for September. Thinking of doing a September Returns/Misses.