I've Got A Lipstick Fever!

Things are getting very serious, guys. I am in the process of saving up money (well, trying to! Anyone have any good tips to staying motivated at saving money?? I could really use them!) and try not spending as much on cosmetics at the moment because I'm buying a new computer soon and apparently need new tires in the near future. Do you ever feel like, really? New tires? Didn't I just get those?

Anyways, since it has been a while since I've posted here on Beauty and Blogging I thought I would share with you a few lipsticks I have my eyeballs set on that are on my wish list. I hope you all are doing well and feeling beautiful; I hope you had an awesome holiday season and are really enjoying 2014! 

Elizabeth Arden "Red Door Red"

Inspired by my life idol, Tanya Burr, she rocked this color several times during Vlogmas and mentioned how much she loved it. Now, I know many will argue that I probably don't need another Red Lipstick (in which case, I would agree), but come on, it's gorgeous! The packaging, and color, the shade. So beautiful!

Chanel "L'Adoree" Lipstick

My reason for really needing this lipstick is that it is only seasonal and part of a collection AKA get yours while you can. I would have never known about this gorgeous shade but while hanging out with some girl friends the other day, my friend showed me this gorgeous shade and it was love at first sight. Chanel Lipsticks are super ultra pricey and I've never owned one, but, if I were to own one, this would be the one at the top of my list! Also, being as I'm the biggest promoter of purple-hued lipsticks it's only fitting I pick this up, right? 

Elizabeth Arden "Neoclassical Coral" 

The fact that I would even consider this shade is insane. I've bought so many peach and coral lipshades and never seem to like them BUT the red tones and bright pink hue in this is what is really convincing me I need it. Again, Tanya Burr wore this while in Dubai in a Vlogmas video and I was dying to know which shade it was. Once she mentioned it I knew I had to pick it up. Though I haven't bought it (yet?), it seems really unique and very beautiful. It's really like nothing else I own. 

Deep Burgundy Lips--Four Fun Picks!

Hey guys! I finally have a new beauty post to get up. This was hard because I had a couple I wanted to pick up and buy but I couldn't because I was participating in "No-Buy November". But, now that it is December, I have FOUR really fun deep lip colors for you guys to try out!

Deep, red/plum lips are really in this season and I think they are really wearable and anyone could pull them off. Just be brave and commit, I think you'll be happy with the results! 

In general, I'm a huge fan of red lipstick but something about burgundy, wine, and plum colored lipsticks is just so perfect...save those candy apple red lipsticks for Christmas to make a statement! 

This is the shade "Rebel" by Mac. This is like a cult favorite--everyone loves it and I am no exception. It leans towards the purple side of burgundy but is really versitile. If you use a lipliner, it can really transform the color. Worn lightly, it appears as a lipstain, but the coverage can be built up. This has been a favorite for 2 fall seasons now!

A nearly exact drugstore dupe for "Rebel" (dupe alert, dupe alert) is Milani's lipstick in the color "Sangria". I think the pictures speak for themselves; these two shades are definitely twins! Milani makes my favorite drugstore lipstick, I think that they are great, smell good, and are really comfortable. 

Above is "Diva" by Mac. I love this deep, vixen-y red color. Here I wore it alone, but over a lipliner (a personal favorite being "Nightmoth" by Mac), it takes on a whole new level of vampyness. I absolutely adore this shade. Don't be taken back by the "matte" label on it either, this particular shade is very comfortable on the lips. I highly recommend this to those who want a red but are a little nervous to go bright red. This is a good medium blue-toned shade. 

Last but certainly not least is my new FAVORITE lipstick. I adore this shade so much. This is Milani's "Chilled Brandy" lipstick. Oh my goodness. I wasn't expecting to like this at all because it is shimmery and I haven't had much good luck with Mac's shimmery line (the "Frost" finish lipsticks). This shade has absolutely blown my mind. I have reached for this everyday since I've bought it. It is a deep red color with a gold sheen in it and it literally looks like a Christmas ornimant. It's drop dead gorgeous and extremely wearable. I think this may be the most wearable red I have ever found (and trust me, I have bought a LOT of red lipsticks).

I hope you guys found this helpful and will go out and try a new shade of lipstick! It can be really fun stepping outside of your box and trying out something you haven't before, especially around the holiday's when you have fun events to go to and lots of people to impress. 

Favorite Fall Lip Products

Hey There! Today I want to get a post up about all of my favorite lip colors for fall. With August ending and Autumn quickly approaching, I figured now is the perfect time to to post this so if you see anything you like you can run out and get it and feel well prepared for fall. Also, I find that Fall (as well as Winter) are the best months to take advantage of lip colors because it isn't so dreadfully hot that you have to keep it light and minimal in fear of it literally melting off your face.
Personally, I prefer deep and dark colors much more than nude or subtle colors. I tend to wear very minimal eye make up so I like to play up my lips a lot. Also, with a lipstick collection as extensive as mine, I might as well get as much use out of all of it as possible. So lets dive right in and talk about some of my favorites!

The first color I want to talk about is not featured in my swatches because I've actually been wearing it these past few days. I picked this up last winter and was devastated when the hotter months got here because I wasn't ready to put it away for fall. It's still summer and I cannot wait any longer; I've decided to just start wearing it during the lead up to Fall because I cannot contain myself any longer. I think this color is great for this awkward transition period because it is a deep plum color, but it isn't too dark or too pigmented to wear you look scary

Revlon Sugar Plum

I ADORE this color. It would look great on anyone. This is my number 1 fall recommendation for lipstick.

Now for the rest of them...

Mac Lipstick "Rebel"

Mac Lipstick "Viva Glam III"

Mac Lipstick "Up The Amp"

Mac Lipstick "Twig"

Revlon Lip Butter "Red Velvet"

Revlon Lip Butter "Fig Jam"

Clinique Almost Lipstick "Black Honey"

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain "Crush"

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain "Honey"

Mac Lipglass "Russian Red"

Revlon Colorstay Lipgloss "Sun Baked"

It's pretty clear I like to gravitate towards the darker neutrals and plum colors for fall (I prefer to save reds for winter, with the exception of the Mac Russian Red Lipglass). Out of all these, I wear Revlon Lip Butter in "Sugar Plum" and Revlon Balm Stain in "Crush" the most, the literally live in my purse in the fall. I think glosses are a fun for days when you wear your hair in a high pony to give a really polished look. Also, the great thing about fall is that deep lip colors work really well on a variety of skin tones and they can be much more wearable than bright reds and pinks. The drug store has many wonderful options so go check some of these out!

Kit n' Caboodle-My Train Case Organization

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am on vacation right now with my best friend. We took our annual road trip to Los Angeles to spend a few days by the lake and to explore the city. Anytime you get the two of us together we go a little cosmetic crazy. We've been known to stop at every single Ulta that we see off the freeway...it's bad.
When we travel together by car, we both bring our Caboodle train cases to carry all the make-up we want to bring. Trust me, we pack those things to the brim. So today I thought I'd post about how I "organize" my extremely unorganized, overpacked Caboodle.
Warning: there is no method to my madness. 

This thing is literally stuffed full. I couldn't fit another lipstick in here if I tried. It's something about L.A. that makes you need to bring absolutely everything...

On the left stacked tier of my Caboodle:

Hair Ties

Clips

Highlighter

Setting Powder

Contour Powder

Pigments 

Blush

Face Powder

Lipsticks (some)

Nail Polishes 

In the right stacked tier:

BB Cream

Foundation

Primer

Concealer Assortment

Brow Kit

Eye Primer

Hand Sanitizer (this is key to alway have when traveling when you may not be near a sink)

Mascara

Eyeliner

Lipstick

In the center: 

This is where things get really crazy

Fake Eyelashes

Lash Glue

Setting Spray

All my Brushes

Eyelash Curlers

Palettes of Eyeshadow

That's pretty much the extent of my Caboodle. I love being able to see all my make up spread out in front of me so whenever I can travel with my train case, I love to. I will be the first to admit that I do not use all this stuff while on vacation and that I most definitely over pack, but I'd feel bad leaving any of these little beauties behind!

How do you organize your make up when you travel? Does anyone overpack as much as I do? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Small and Simple NYX haul

Hi there! Today I got a craving to hit up my local Ulta and stock up on some NYX products that I have not yet tried yet.
I personally love NYX products; here in the beauty world, many bloggers rave about NYX products. They are known for having many dupes for MAC products which is wonderful for those of us who don't jump at the sound of a $30 face powder (sometimes more!)
I usually get very overwhelmed by the NYX display because it is usually a complete disaster and half of the products are opened and smashed and swatched. I usually will hold 10 things in my hands and then put it all down and leave without purchasing any of it. I like to have a game plan when I go in; "i'm going to pick up a lipstick and butter gloss, BREAK!"

The first item I knew I wanted to grab was their Matte Lipstick in the color "Hippie Chic", which is a described as a Yellow-toned pink. It is gorgeous and very unique. I would actually say it is quite like an apricot color. It isn't quite peach because it is much more orange than that, but it is most definitely not an orange shade. I enjoy the color of this lipstick a lot but I do not like that it settles into the cracks of my lips, but I suppose that could be expected with a shade that is light and not bold.

The next item I grabbed because it was too gorgeous not to was the Matte Lipstick in the color "Shocking Pink". NYX describes this color as a cool-toned hot pink. It reminds me a lot of Mac's "Candy Yum Yum" but not quite as neon. It is very wearable and does not settle into the cracks of my lips as much as "Hippie Chic" does. This is truly my type of color in that it is so bright and beautiful, but also very wearable.

I also decided to try out the NYX Butter Glosses. I grabbed the color "Peaches and Cream" as I thought it would look gorgeous layered over "Hippie Chic", or really any peach color to make it look more pink and wearable. It is described as a "Pink Coral" on the NYX website and I would definitely agree with that. It is very comfortable on the lips and really does feel like butter! Except, not in a greasy, Paula Dean-lovin' kind of way. They are not totally opaque, so don't expect them to be similar to a Revlon Lip Butter, but it does look gorgeous on it's own or layered over other lipsticks.

The last item that I grabbed was another Butter Gloss in the shade "Merengue". Merengue is a Pink Lilac color; these types of shades always drag me in, ALWAYS. I think they are very unique but very wearable because often times purply lilac colors come across as very light, but yet bright pink. If you have not tired a purple lip balm, stick, or gloss yet, I really recommend you do because it will totally refresh your smile by giving it a new and unique twist.

If you have yet to try out NYX products, I would recommend all of the ones I picked up today, I especially love the Butter Gloss in "Merengue" and believe anyone could get away with wearing it. The other awesome thing about NYX is they are a very affordable brand and often times have buy one get one 50% off at Ulta.

These are the products swatched out from left to right:
Matte Lipstick Hippie Chic ($5.99)
Matte Lipstick Shocking Pink ($5.99)
Butter Gloss Peaches and Cream ($4.99)
Butter Gloss Merengue ($4.99)








QUICK TIP: I always recommend exfoliating your lips before applying any lip products but especially really light, really bright, or matte lip sticks. One that I've been loving lately (that has replaced my Lush "Mint Julips") is the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator. I love that it is in a stick form and that it scrubs away all the dead skin but moisturizes at the same time.