MAC Harmony

MAC Harmony · $20

Now I'm not sure what possessed me to want to buy this — but I think it has a lot to do with my recent MAC haul/obsession. I'll be the first to say it: I know the absolute basics when it comes to contouring and I'm really not all that good at it (yet). That said, I was bored and found myself browsing the MAC counter, swatching Harmony and was basically talked into it. I mean, when you're told you have nice bone structure and that it looks amazing on you, how can you say no? I was sooooo skeptical and still am, but I'm dealing with it.

Harmony is a really nice "muted rose-beige brown" as the MAC website says. Lots of people love to contour with this color but I was afraid it'd be too pink or too brown for me. It still might be, I'm still unsure, but am doing my best to work with it. I think it would be amazing for summer when I'm a bit more tanned but for now I'm just buffing and buffing to make it look as subtle as possible (is it working?). Either way I'm glad to have added this to my collection and hopefully with a bit of practice I'll get better at contouring because to be honest, I'm loving the way it looks!

What do you guys think of Harmony? What are your favorite contouring colors? 

Wishlist: England Edition

1. Trip to SpaceNK 2. Lip Crayon (and any other makeup) from Topshop 3. Velvet Skater Skirt from Topshop 4. NEOM Candle 5. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 6. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Nude liner 7. Bourgeois Healthy Mix Concealer 8. Tangle Teezer 9. WAGAMAMA 10. Topshop Smudger Brush

Since getting married, Richard and I haven't been back to England in ~2 years, which seems so insane (where does the time go?), so we're heading out for Christmas and New Years to spend time with his family. While we're there, we have quite a few things on our list to-do (and to-buy list).

Space NK is something we don't have here, well, not really. We have a tiny one in SF but they don't carry much that I can't get elsewhere. I'd love to get my hands on some Kevyn Aucoin, Eve Lom, etc.
Heading to Topshop is a must — while we have little pop-up ones in Nordstrom here, but they don't carry makeup/accessories/all clothes, which is a bummer. I'll also definitely be heading to Primark and Monki. Oh and Muji!!

Next on my list is Boots. Oh Boots, how I miss thee. We don't really have anything like Boots in the States (except maybe Ulta?) but I've got to get my hands on some cult favs, like the Rimmel liner and Collection concealer. Also, Tangle Teezer, you will be mine.

Last but not least, is food. When I was living with Richard and England back in 2010, I got my fair share of Nando's and Pizza Express and I can't possibly explain how much I whine about not having them here.
Our must-have-foods while visiting are: Nando's, Wagamama, Wokon, GBK, Pizza Express, and a damn good curry. There are also some places in London I'd like to check out like Bodeans and Queen of Hoxton, but they're not on the top of my list.

Please please please, if you have any recommendations for shops in London or makeup you can't get in the states, let me know! Also, I'd love to meet up with some people while I'm out there, so if you're down also let me know!

MAC Haul & FOTD

Face: YSL Touché Éclat, Tarte Exposed · Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz, MAC Mystery · Eyes: MAC Painterly, Malt, Sable, Teddy eyeliner, Maybelline Illegal Lenghts Mascara · Lips: MAC Rebel

This past Saturday, with a list in hand, I took a trip up to San Francisco to the MAC Pro Store and ended up with a bit more than I had planned, but oh well!  I really wanted a Z-Palette but they're so hard to get here (and I'm impatient) so I settled for the new MAC palette. I know some people didn't like the old one, but I've got to admit the new one is beautiful and sturdy.

For shadows, I opted for: Shroom, Patina, Charcoal Brown, Sable, Copperplate, Quarry, Malt, and Satin Taupe.  They seem to complement each other beautifully and also go well with some others I need to de-pot (Naked Lunch, Silver Ring, and Honesty). I think what started this whole thing was me dropping my beloved Satin Taupe and being way-too-sad about it. I originally purchased it to wear when Richard and I got married (and I did) so when it broke, I was feeling a bit nostalgic (lol?).

I really wanted a paint pot but couldn't decide between Bare Study and Painterly — the lovely lady MAC talked me into Painterly and I'm glad she did. It's such a nice nude base for shadows and it makes the colors pop a bit. My only fear is waking up one morning to find a dry paint pot, but hopefully that won't be for quite a while.

I repurchased Teddy, my favorite brown eyeliner of all time. I only wear it on the outer-half of my waterline, but I think it's perfect for that use. I also got the MAC 217 as I was in the market for a new blending/shadow brush. I'm in love! I need more brushes! Help!

Last but definitely not least are Plumful and Rebel. I originally went in for Capricious, but they didn't have it in stock, sigh. I figured I should get Plumful since I wanted it eventually anyway and was then talked into Rebel as well — but hey, I ain't regretting it.

Soooo that's that. Sorry this was ridiculously long! It's stuff like this that makes me seriosuly consider buying a new camera with video capability so I can do videos (so if you have any recommendations please let me know). I think I'm set for a while when it comes to MAC products — what are your favorite things from MAC?

NUXE Rêve de Miel

NUXE Rêve de Miel Lip Balm · $19

The winter cold and dry indoor air has seemed to wreak a bit of havoc on my lips as of late. I've been using basically every lipbalm I own — EOS and Carmex, Blistex and Tokyo Milk, but I needed something a little more hardcore. As if lip balms are hardcore?? 

Rêve de Miel is a really interesting and overall badass lip balm; the texture, the smell, just everything about it. It's made with honey, plant oils, shea butter, grapefruit essence, etc, so this stuff is packed full of nourishing ingredients to help keep your lips moisturized. The texture is butter-like (but not?) and pretty thick meaning you don't need to use a ton to get the results you want. It also stays on for ages!  I love using this as an overnight treatment — waking up with way-less-chapped lips than usual. The packaging is really nice and I don't mind at all that this is going to add a bit more weight than I'd like to my bag (it's totally worth it).  I honestly don't even know what else to say about this other than go out and get it if you have dry lips, seriously. It's like the god of all lip balms and at this point I'm not sure if I could go without it now.

Anyway, I'm going to stop here before I go too far with professing my love for this stuff. Ugh it's soooooo good.

Have you guys tried this before? If so, what do you think?

YSL Le Teint Touché Éclat Foundation

YSL Le Teint Touché Éclat in BD10 · $55

Oh yes, I've finally hopped on that bandwagon. After many weeks of contemplation, I gave in and bought the foundation everyone has been talking and blogging about (and yes, this was another Sephora VIB sale purchase!). Because it's normally quite hard for me to find foundations (due to my fair but olive with a dash of pink complexion), I figured this YSL range would have something for me, and oh ho ho, it did does. 

BD10 is literally the most. perfect. match. for me. ever. I love applying and wearing this; it gives you a really natural looking base while illuminating all the right places. I also love that I can wear this lighter or build it up for more coverage. I've worn this all day long — putting it on at 8am and getting home 12 hours later and it still looks soooooo good. Not to mention it feels really luxurious to use, I mean look at that glass bottle! 

But what happened to Laura Mercier Silk Creme, you say? I still love it and use it sometimes but for me personally, it just doesn't compare to Touché Éclat. I've got to admit, this is holy grail for me. There, I said it. 

So what do you guys think of this foundation? Love it as much as I do?

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette · $65

Let me start out by saying I'm not really one to branch out, try new perfumes, or have a little collection of a few. I've been religiously wearing Burberry Brit Eau de Toilette for 7 years (what?!?!) and Vera Wang Princess for 2. I normally go through a bottle then switch to a different perfume, but as of late I'm liking wearing something that suits my mood and the weather.

I recently came across Daisy and couldn't look away from the adorable flowers that topped this beautiful bottle. I instantly fell for it. It's really hard for me to justify spending money on perfume so I waited until the VIB sale and snatched it up quicker than you can snap your fingers. 20% off, yay!

Daisy is a lovely year round scent — floral with a hint of fruit and musk. With an array of top notes such as strawberry, violet leaves, ruby red grapefruit, gardenia, violet petals, jasmine petals and base notes of musk, vanilla and white woods you're left with a warm, floral and feminine scent. My only qualm about this perfume is it's lasting power — it seems to fade on skin quite quickly (but stays on clothes for quite some time). Either way, I'm still in love and really enjoy wearing it! 

What do you guys think of Daisy and Marc Jacobs perfume in general? 

PIXI Shade Quartette in Shades of Taupe

Pixi Shade Quartette in Shades of Taupe* · $22

I was lucky enough to recieve a few bits from PIXI, and thought I'd start out by showing you all the beautiful eyeshadow quartette that I had been eyeing (no pun intended) for quite some time. P.S. Sorry if the lighting is off — it's so gloomy today!

Shades of Taupe is exactly what it says it is — shades of taupe, duh. There's four different colors — one matte, one satin, and two shimmers and let me tell you, they're just the perfect colors for autumn and winter. I really love taupes, purples, and browns in the colder months so I'm super excited to have this in my collection.  Whether you just want a light pinky-brown on your lids or maybe a subtle smokey eye like I did, you can do a lot with these four shades. They're super pigmented, seriously a little goes a long way. They're also extremely soft and really easy to apply and blend. Overall they're an amazing quality and for $22? That's basically a steal. 

What do you think of the PIXI shade quartettes? What are your favorite winter shadow colors? 

Biolage Exquisite Oil

Biolage Exquisite Oil · $14.50

I received a sample of this back in August's Glossybox and I literally clung to the last few drops in hopes it would never run out (but of course it did).  I accidentally came upon it while in a beauty supply store and knew right away I'd be walking out with a bottle. I regret nothing.

Biolage Exquisite Oil is a shine serum and a defrizzer/replenishing treatment all in one. I apply after straightening my hair and can immediately see a difference. The flyaways disappear and my hair becomes super shiny — not to mention it smells amazing. It basically smells like every other Matrix/Biolage product which overall just smells sweet, slightly citrusy(?), and just relaxing as if you've just walked out of the salon. 

It's made with a moringa oil blend which is good for relaxation and replenishing, as well as macadamia and argan oil (also blends) which we all know are great. You can apparently also use this as an overnight treatment, before shampooing or during conditioning. I have yet to do any of those, but I shall report back. I'm really loving using this stuff and can't really picture not having it as part of my hair styling routine. What do you think of the Exquisite Oil line? Is it something you're interested in?