New buy! MAC Glamour Check!

I love hearing what people's favorite eyeshadows are - I admit I am obsessed with finding new shadows to add to my growing collection. So when Tiffany (Youtube: MakeupbyTiffanyD) posted a new video on her favorite MAC eyeshadows, I HAD to watch it. Of course, like most people would, I immediately googled all the ones that I didn't have to find out how to get ahold of them (instead of going straight to MAC online).

I can't recall how, but some way I found out about BeautyisRelative.com - and they had Glamour Check available for $14 with free shipping. I jumped on that right away! I ordered them Nov. 25 a little after midnight, and it shipped the next day. And to my surprise it arrived in the mail today! Such amazingly fast shipping and great customer service.

Okay, now onto the photos! I tried my best to capture the shimmer in it, but these photos don't do it justice! It is SO pigmented!







I am far beyond excited to wear this to work today :) I love neutrals! :) Thank you so much for stopping in to ready this! :)

Review: La Femme blushes

About 3 weeks ago, Wayne of Gossmakeupartist on Youtube let the world know of the amazing blushes La Femme cosmetics produces. I took the plunge that weekend and ordered all the ones he mentioned that were suited for all skin tones.

Due to Wayne's suggestion to order them online from MakeupMania.com, I got each of them for $2.50. They are amazingly well priced for such fantastic quality! I got them in the mail about a week and a half after ordering them, which was torture! However, it was worth the wait!



I also ordered a MAC blush palette, but ended up removing the insert since I wasn't 100% certain how large the La Femme blushes were.

Wayne was so right - these blushes are INCREDIBLY pigmented. I use my Sigma Duo Fibre Powder/Blush brush (F15) to apply these :)







This is Coral Spice. It looks almost red, but it's SO gorgeous!





Next is Peach Sparkle - it, of course, has subtle sparkle in it.





Terracotta is a gorgeous, sparkly bright pop of color!





Peach is so lovely - adds a subtle glow to the cheeks.





Coral Spice has a soft hint of shimmer - not in the least bit too much :)




Mandarin Red is more of a pink with lovely shimmer as well :)




I am over the moon in love with these blushes. One of the best purchases I have made in a long time! I now know that I really have absolutely no reason to get any blushes for quite a long time, due to La Femme's pigmentation and price :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

I was feeling makeup withdrawal...

Several weeks ago I decided to make a trip to CVS and Walgreens to restock on my EOS lip balms - and hopefully find a few new things that wouldn't break the bank!


I couldn't help myself when I took a browse through the Milani display. I had gotten a brown Sephora eyeliner, but it is hardly even pigmented. So I decided to get the Milani liquif'eye eyeliner - and it is amazing. SO pigmented! The below pic is one swip with the least amount of pressure :) Amazing, yeah?!


Of course I had to go get a new EOS lipbalm. Those things are addicting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that CVS now carries the Lemon Drop with SPF 15! Unfortunately, when I got home, I found that it had melted so badly that I needed to exchange it (which I did, so I have one in great condition now!).


I've only used the Milani blush in Mai-Tai a few times, but it is gorgeous. Still trying to make sure I don't overdo it since it's so pigmented.


Next I went to Walgreens because I was hoping to find the final EOS balm in Sweet Mint that I hadn't found yet. Lucky me I did and it smells amazing. I love minty lip balms - so refreshing! I also picked up Sinful Colors polish in "Hot Spot". It's a gorgeous blue with some shimmer to it. Definitely perfect on the toes!


I'm hoping to learn to keep controlling my urges to buy things at Walgreens and CVS, but ah - it's so tempting from the moment I walk through those doors! Haha. Thanks so much for stopping in :)

My first Sigma!

This past Monday I was on a mission to acquire some new makeup brushes. Miss TiffanyD was having her blog sale that night, so for some reason I thought I'd be able to get ahold of the brushes she was graciously selling at a discounted price. Long story short, since so many people just love Tiffany (as do I!), her blog sale went very well and I didn't even get one brush from the sale. Ah well, I still got 2 items I desperately wanted :) Those are in the mail so they should be here this week! Can't wait!

So since I missed out on those, I told myself that instead of waiting and saving up to buy the MAC brushes I wanted one by one, I would go ahead and jump on the Sigma train. I got the Premium Travel Kit in black, as well as the Angled Top Synthetic Kabuki (which is simply gorgeous!). It came with a free gift - the E25 (pretty much exactly like the MAC 217 brush).





Right after I played with them and inspected them, I immediately went to wash them so I can use them tomorrow morning! I've heard such great things about Sigma producs, especially their brushes, so I'm happy to finally own some :)

Do you own anything from Sigma makeup? If not, what's something you're dying to have? :) Thank you so much for stopping by to read my post!

My flats for winter

I am no fastionista, but I did want to share with you my favorite pair of flats. It's finally getting cold where I live. I feel like it's skipping Autumn and going straight into winter - but either way I do not care cause I loath hot weather. Give me fall leaves and snow anytime :)



These I got at Charlotte Russe on my honeymoon. I'll be perfectly honest, my husband picked these out. But I fell in love with them right away! They are the perfect creamy color - and they go with anything! I've worn them so much I think my husband has gotten sick of them. Haha. Ah well!

What are your favorite flats for winter? :)

Review: Orly Sec N' Dry Quick Deep-Dry Topcoat

As far back as I can remember, I have had one main issue with painting my nails - bubbles. Yes, that's right. Bubbles. No matter how long I wait to let each coat of polish dry, I will have at least 3-5 bubbles on each nail. And I will \wait for hours between coats. No luck! A picture to show you the infamous bubbles below (I am wearing "Awakening" from China Glaze)



So, if you were to take that into account and then I were to tell you I found a top coat that.. wait for it... actually will erase any bubbles in my nail polish AND dry my nails in 20-25 minutes, you must figure that was a good day for me! ;)

Obviously, by the title you know the product I'm talking about is Orly's Sec 'N Dry Quick Deep-dry Topcoat. I got it from my local Sally's Beauty for about $6.99.





This weekend I was at a friend's house and we bought some new polishes. I wanted to test the topcoat's drying abilities. I did 1 coat of my Nail Tek Maintenance Plus I basecoat. Waited 5 minutes. Next I applied 1 coat of Sinful Colors in Fried Rice. Waited 5-7 minutes. No bubbles showed up, so I then applied another coat, waited 5 minutes. Again, no bubbles yet. Then I applied the Orly topcoat.

We all go through the odd claw time when we are waiting for our nails to dry, haha. I do the same and even when my nails were dry even down to the base coat after 20 minutes, I am so used to being careful with my nails I kept my claws going. Ah, oh well. They were so dry that I even opened a can of soda - NO DENTS. I then intentionally clicked my nails on top of each other, pressing very hard - NO DENTS. And the best part? I woke up the next morning with no pillow impressions. Here it is after it dried:



So clearly I am in love with this topcoat. But there is one thing that I hate about it. I painted my nails Saturday night, and I had my first chip on Monday. So the topcoat doesn't seem to protect against chipping. But I think next time I'll try putting down my Nail Tek before the Orly topcoat to see if that helps to make it last. Why go through so much trouble? Because I seriously love not having to worry about painting my nails and dealing with the bubbles.



I'll be honest though, this is the first fast dry top coat I've tried. I MIGHT try another one if and when I run out of Orly, so I'll try to keep my options open. I know tons of people adore the Seche Vite fast dry topcoat, but I think I've found what I've been searching for in a topcoat! :)

Thanks so much for stopping in to read this - tell me what you think! :)

I am one year older!

So tomorrow (Saturday) I turn 26. I feel very excited, even though 26 isn't exactly a specially celebrated year. I'll try to get a new post up this weekend, but as of right now my husband and I are visiting with friends that live a little ways from us. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! xx


(a chocolate gift basket from my coworkers - they know me too well!)