Update: MIA

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been so MIA.. a lot has been going on. I mentioned that I have sorority/fraternity formals coming up and they're this weekend so I've been trying to get a lot of stuff done, and I've been spending a lot of time with my date! So after this weekend I'll keep you all updated on the status of that ;)

So after this weekend I will definitely have some makeup posts. I'm hoping to do a look of the day, etc for my formal looks. I'm really excited for what I've got planned, so I hope you all enjoy them as well!

I hope you all are doing fantastic!

xo

Rachel

Favorites: April

Hey lovelies!

So I know its a bit early, but I am very excited about my favorites for this month! Plus, I actually had a nightmare last night that it was May 1st.. Which sounds a bit odd, but I was really scared that April had ended and I felt like I had lost a lot of time, which waking up was nice to realize I still have 8 days left! Anyway on to the post!

NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Deuxville

I'm sure you've all already heard everyone's rave reviews about this product, but it really does give me porcelain skin with a healthy glow. This is wonderful for me because I am obviously quite pale, however, I do have patches of red around my cheeks and nose. After using this product I only need the slightest bit of concealer which is a godsend..

So a while back I purchased MAC Strobe Cream

At first I wasn't sure how to use this product. I had a hard time using it as a highlight above my cheekbones because it made my makeup spotty. But, I recently found that this works AMAZING when mixed with the NARS Sheer Glow. I get so many compliments on my skin, and although the NARS is amazing on its own the Strobe Cream just makes it that much easier to blend and it gives me just the slightest bit more coverage. I'm officially obsessed. I used the NARS on its own again last week and I just couldn't do it, I love the two together too much.

Benefit's Confessions of a Concealaholic

I originally bought this for my mom, but when I tried it I knew I had to keep it for myself. Before this product I swore by MAC's concealers. Now, I will never turn back! I wasn't sure about "That Gall" Face Primer in the beginning, but again, after using another product/going a day without using it I am hooked. The Erase Paste is also wonderful. A lot of people aren't aware of this, but it is meant for under your eyes (not on blemishes!). It does come in a narrow color range, but because of the loud pink undertone it does wonders in concealing any dark circle! I use it every morning and you would never know that I absolutely abhor mornings. Now, I must say that the bo-ing is my favorite. The lighter shade matches my skin perfectly, and it just melts into my face! When using this after NARS sheer glow my skin looks absolutely flawless, which for me is a miracle. This has different undertones than the erase paste, so it IS meant for blemishes and red spots. I am also torn with Eye Bright. It does further brighten up my under eye circles, but I hate how hard it is to blend. I'm not quite sure if it's worth it. Finally, the lemon-aid is a product I recently fell in love with. I don't need it to correct my eye lid color, which is what its meant for, but I have found its the perfect eyelid primer. It really makes your pink eyeshadows pop! In this kit I would repurchase in full size That Gall, Erase Paste, and Bo-ing. The others I would have to think about.

MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder (as a blush)

Now, I don't own Well Dressed but I do think the two are quite similar. And if that is the case I think I will live out the rest of my life with Well Dressed in my collection, because I ADORE Summer Rose! It is the perfect color for my skin tone. I own NARS Orgasm, thanks to youtube, and I agree that it is too harsh. This color, however, is wonderful for me. Some people suggest NARS Deep Throat for a more subtle reaction, but my skin tone needs more a blue-pink than a peach-pink. I have been using this almost everyday, and I am hooked.

MAC Shell Pearl Beauty Powder (as a highlight)

If you follow MAC's limited edition collections (in the US, Im not sure how the UK was affected) you know that this sucker sold fast! I was extremely lucky that I pre-ordered this goody. My mother did as well, but for reason she was still unable to get it. This product does live up to the hype. For some I'm sure it's a nice blush (the picture isn't quite true to color, you should check out my post on this haul here), but for myself I love it as a sheer highlight. I like to lightly dust it over Summer Rose, and voila! Love it.

What are your favorites right now?

What are your experiences with these products?

xo

Rachel

Haul: The Week of Plenty pt2

Hello everyone!

So as I mentioned in my last post I recently bought my first Lush goodies! I of course went around and smelled all of the classic lush products, but for some reason I didn't like them as much as I wanted to. So here is what I ended up with!

$8.95 Lib Scrub - Sweet Lips

"Smells like a milk chocolate bar"

This product definitely lives up to its description! I have had a horrible problem with chapped lips since the winter, and after using the product once a day for only two days I no longer have a problem with dry, chapped lips! And it tastes delicious mmmmmmmm :)

$13.25 - Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

"Flutter on some softening butter for tough, cracked skin and cuticles"

All my life I have had horribly dry cuticles. I have otherwise very nice skin so it's always been a bit discouraging. I have been using this product twice a day since I got and have noticed a little bit of a difference, and I really hope it keeps up!

Free Sample - Razorantium Shaving Cream

"Heavyweight cream to subdue the toughest stubble"

So far I am very disappointed in this product. It feels more like a regular body wash and washed off my skin before I could finish shaving a small patch. Even worse, my skin was more irritated when I used this product than before, I even received more cuts than usual.. I will not purchase this in full size.

Just a view of the products

$4.95 - Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub (crushed)

"Our sweet, soft-centered Sugar Babe for silky skin"

I've used this once and I love it. I love the way it smells, and the way it makes my skin feel. I've never been partial to exfoliating (for no particular reason) but now Im addicted!

$4.95 - Sugar Scrub Sugar Scrub (solid)

"Stimulating ginger and fennel Sugar Scrub"

I haven't used this one yet, but in it's solid form I like the smell of this one the best! It's much tougher than Sugar Babe, so I'm still working on crushing it. After crushing some of it, I learned that some people just slice it up... but I think I'll continue crushing it anyway. I'll let you know what I think once I use it, but I already think I'll love it!

Well, that's all for my haul! I won't be doing more for quite a while, so look out for some reviews!

Have any of you tried these products? What do you think of them?

xo

Rachel

Haul: The Week of Plenty pt1

Ah, I'm finally back!

I definitely missed my computer.. Anyway, this week I did quite a bit of shopping. Although now I can't spend much for a while..

One of the purchases I am most excited about is another formal dress! I asked my friend Arman to my sorority's formal, and since then he has asked me to his so I am very excited about that.

This is a semi-formal dress from Wet Seal. It's very form fitting, has quarter length sleeves, and is basically backless except for three bows that go across.

My next stop was Forever 21

I got these adorable bow clips for less than $3 :)

The roses on the bottom left are my new favorite!

I am planning on wearing this bracelet with my original formal dress :)

After that I picked up one thing from H&M

I got I love all of the earring in this set and I plan on wearing the black balls with to the second formal.

I also got some Lush products, but I'll put those up tomorrow

xo

Rachel

p.s. you should also enter Timeless Fashionista's giveaway!

http://www.timelessfashionista.net/

Update: Computer Issues

Hey lovelies!
Sorry it's been so long.. the hard drive on my laptop crashed! Since it's still under warranty it'll be fixed free of charge, but I haven't backed it up since the beginning of the semester so I lost all of my school work :(

However, once I'm back I'll have some cool posts to put up! I'll have a haul and hopefully some reviews.

Hope you all are enjoying your April!

xo
Rachel

Review: Mascara

Hey everyone!

So as a background, I was blessed to be born with my father's eyelashes so I never really cared about mascara. The past few years I stuck with Maybelline's Great Lash just because it was a classic and all my friends used it growing up. Now, there's nothing wrong with this mascara - don't get me wrong - but there's also nothing really special about it. For me, it's just a black mascara to color the ends of my eyelashes. Now cue my recent obsession with makeup gurus on youtube...

Over my winter break from college I literally stumbled across Juicystar07's vlog channel (otherjuicystar07) and the obsession began. I had been wanting

to try Maybelline's Lash Stiletto for a while, so I decided to go for it.

The first time I used Lash Stiletto I didn't like it. It was clumpier than Great Lash and it had an obvious smell to it. This is definitely not a mascara for people who are sensitive to smell, but.. I am not. Eventually I kept using it and I did notice a difference. I'm probably not the best person to s

ay it gave me extra volume or length.. because as I said before, I am very blessed to already have pretty long eyelashes. But it was that something extra that Great Lash didnt give me.

So remember at first I said I hated Lash Stiletto. So after that I knew I just couldn't stick with Great Lash or Lash Stiletto, so I stopped by my local Sephora. I couldn't imagine paying the $20+ for mascara, so I found a small-travel duo pack of Fresh Supernova and Firebird for $10. Now, Supernova was love at first application. It's still my favorite! It applies so nicely- no clumps and it separates and lengthens. The Firebird on the other hand still confuses me. I just don't like the brush. I received a tip that you can use Supernova first and Firebird on top, but I just really don't like the big brush. Plus, I love the packaging. Both tubes are positively adorable! I'm going to have to repurchase Supernova once I run out, even though it is a tad expense for a mascara.

Thanks again to youtube, I knew I had to try the Loreal Telescopic Explosion. Allthatglitters21 (sister to juicystar07) raved about the normal

Telescopic in many videos, and she recently did a review on mascaras with the little ball at the end. Basically, the little ball makes it easier to reach every individual lash, which happened to be perfect for me. I hate curved brushes for mascara, and the straight ones are just impossible for reaching all of my lashes. I also dislike using the wands on my lower lashes because I find it just turns in to a mess (for me, I tend to be a little rushed and clumsy). Now, I'm not sure about the formula for this mascara. I found it pretty clumy, and it also had a slight smell. However, I do love the brush for touch ups. I love using the mascara after I've used the Maybelline Lash Stiletto (I find the formulas a bit similar, the Fresh is much lighter than both). I use it on the outer lashes and the lower lashes, but I do have to be very careful about clumping.

An overview: Maybelline Great Lash is 'great' for a simple mascara. If you're looking for a wash of color this is perfect. Maybelline Lash Stiletto is pretty good, but I'm not sure I'll repurchase in the near future, I think I'm going to try some other mascara's first. But I definitely wouldn't mind repurchasing again sometime. Fresh Supernova is my favorite. I wouldn't call it a holy grail, but it is wonderful. And, Loreal Telescopic Explosion I would repurchase, just for the wand. I would try the Givenchy mascara with the ball.. but again, I'm not sure I want to spend the money just for the wand.

Here is a link to Allthatglitters21's review on Loreal Telescopic Explosion versus the Givency Phenomen'Eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-v45YTx6j4

I hope this helps! Sorry also for the stock photos, but mascaras just aren't a pretty thing to photograph once used :)

xo

Rachel

p.s. Has anyone tried the NARS foundation primer? I'm still on the fence about spending $33 on a primer..

Haul: Birthday Loot!

Hello lovelies!

So I promised a birthday haul, so here it is :)

from my mom: Urban Decay Wallpaper & the Stereophonic Eyeliner Set

My best friend got me this adorable Liberty of London bag from Target

From myself, NARS Sheerglow Foundation in Deauxville (it looks A LOT darker than it is!)

& from my twinsie Amelia & our friend Arman, a fake autograph from Shia Lebeouf (haha, an inside joke =D )

So there are some discounts coming up at Sephora and Urban Decay. I'm thinking about getting the NARS foundation primer with SPF and possibly Deep Throat blush, and the Urban Decay Tinted Moisturizer. What are your guys' thoughts? Have you tried any of these before?

xo

Rachel

Award: Sunshine Award

Hello girls!

So today I've received awards from two people (EmmaKarolina and Hannah)

Both of these women deserved the awards themselves, and I am so honored to have received it myself! Both awarded me with the Sunshine Award:

So here are the rules:

1) Post the logo within your blog or post
2) Pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers
3) Link the nominees within your post
4) Let the nominees know they have received an award by commenting on their blog
5) Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from

Now, I only have 11 followers but you all truly are so sweet!

Trishie

Hannah

happy1234

Frances

emmakarolina

All Things Marie

sarbeauty

Timeless Fashionista

Sara

LovelyViolet5

Fee

Thank you all again! Hopefully I'll have a Birthday Loot post up soon :)

xo

Rachel

twenty one

Hey everyone!

So today my post is going to be a bit more personal.. It's my 21st birthday!

Yesterday I went up to Napa and Sonoma with some close friends and I had a really good time. Today I'm spending some time with my family, and tonight I'm going to hit up some bars :)

First sip of wine at midnight! With the hotel's lovely cup :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow!

xo

Rachel