MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle · $29

I love a little bit of highlight every now and again — though now and again is more like every other day. As the summer fades, so does my tan and sometimes Benefit's Sunbeam is just a bit too bronze for what I'm looking for. That's when I reach for this gorgeous little highlighter.

MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle is the most perfect, perfect, and did I mention... perfect highlighter. Why? Because it looks good on basically all skin types all year round. Not to mention that it lasts forever. I've had this one for a few months now and it looks like I've barely touched it. It's pretty subtle when applied to the cheeks and cheekbones (hence the swatch I did), but still gives you the most gorgeous natural glow. Every time I use it I'm reminded why it's a product that most bloggers/beauty junkies adore and use on the daily. 

What do you guys think of Soft and Gentle? What are some of your favorite highlighters?

Bumble and bumble Straight Blow Dry

Bumble and bumble Straight Blow Dry · $28

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have extremely curly hair. Actually, as I write this, my mane is in an extremely huge topknot cuz god knows I just can't be bothered to mess with it. I'm already planning to do a post dedicated to my frizz-filled locks and how I clean, nourish, and style — but until then I'll let you in on a few kew products I use to get the straight look. 

Bumble and bumble's Straight Blow Dry is a heat activated balm that helps tame fly-aways and frizz. At first I was a bit skeptical on how well this would work and how it would make my hair feel. Thicker balms and lotions tend to give my hair a greasy, weighed down feeling; this definitely doesn't do that. Instead it leaves my hair feeling extremely soft and smooth, while adding a bit of shine. It's definitely one of my all time favorite products for helping achieve my everyday straight hair style. With this stuff, a little goes a long way.

After sectioning my hair off to blowdry I apply this mid-shaft to ends and brush through. Using a round (boar bristle) brush I then blowdry depending on how I want my hair to look — higher heat + more concentrated = sleek and straight, or lower heat + lots of brush twirling for a more tousled look. I then follow up by straightening where needed. The end result is totally polished look. I use this most when I know I'll be more prone to frizz: when it's humidy/muggy/raining/etc. It really does an amazing job of helping to keep my hair under control!

What do you guys think of the Bb Straight line? Do you recommend any products for us ladies with curly hair?

The Longest Week

I used to not like the whole instagram post thing, but I think I'm starting to like it. We'll see if this sticks, ha. This week feels like it's been never ending! That said, I've been loving the weather lately — super gloomy and overcast with a bit of rain. I'll take it.

• Amazing bookstore which happens to be next to my favorite bookstore. Rereading one of my favorite classics, The Great Gatsby. Had my first proper ramen and now I think I'm addicted! Yum!
• Richard taking a photo of me with his snazzy new phone. White wine for me, coffee for him and a desert to share while I blog and he works. I've fallen in love with wearing his shirts with my disco pants; the most effortless but cute outfit ever!
• Gorgeous skies and turning leaves. Peppermint tea love affair. My Gryffindor outfit (though I'm 100% Slytherin).
• Reading a bit of What Shall I Wear Today? by Fifi Lapin. Had sandwiches at Stanford (Ike's I ♥ you). Discovered the super crazy counters at the Nordstrom close to my house aka bad news for the wallet.

Super excited for this week. Awaiting a loooot of packages, working on a super secret project with Richard, and lots of other fun things happening! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

PS. You can find me on instagram here: @chels

Nu Disco

Sweater · American Apparel

Disco Pants · American Apparel

Shoes · Jeffrey Campbell

So excited for this post — mostly because I'm so excited to finally own a pair of disco pants. I've wanted them for ev er but finally buckled down and bought them! I was a little scared since they were  kinda tight when I first bought them but now they've seemed to chill out and they fit wonderfully and are so comfortable! My only issue is that they bunch around my ankles and a bit around the knees, but otherwise they're perf!

I saw this sweater when I walked in the store and was thinking about it the entire time I was in the dressing room sooooo I made Richard grab it so I could try it on as well. It's soooo soft and looks super cute paired with the pants, so I'm a happy bunny!

I've had these Jeffrey Campbell wedges since last Christmas but never really got the chance to wear them in SF since, um, well have you seen the hills? I've gotten a bit more wear out of them since we moved but of course now it's rolling around to autumn and my toes get a little too cold. That said, I'm totally going to pair them with some wooly tights soon enough!

So glad it's Thursday because I can't wait for the weekend. Feels like this week has been dragging on and on... and on. Here's a little nu-disco to brighten your day (which also happens to be one of my favorite songs as of late). Anyway, what do you guys think of the disco pant trend?

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'  — once I hit 100 followers I'm doing a huge giveaway (worth $100)!

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge: Tender Berry, Rambling Rose, & Bold Bordeaux

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge in 519, 212, & 741 · $10.49/ea

I've heard a lot of good things about L'Oreal's lipsticks lately and thought I'd try a few out for myself. As my obsession with lip products grows, so does my collection. I wanted to pick up a few autumn and winter colors as most of what I have at the moment is more for spring and summer.

Tender Berry (519) is a light pinky rose color that is perfect for daily wear — subtle enough to not be in-your-face but still a nice splash of color that is absolutely perfect for pulling a look together.

Rambling Rose (212) is a reaaaally gorgeous in-between type color. I feel like this would be an amazing shade to just throw on and not have to think about. That said, I'm not a fan of the shimmers! The other two colors don't really have shimmer at all and I think the shimmer makes the color a little less classy. That said, I'm still a fan of this one.

Bold Bordeaux (741) is way brighter than it looks in the tube, I can assure you that. At first it kind of scared me as I'm not used to bright red/maroon lipsticks but the more I wore it, the more I love it (and I've got to admit it's my favorite of the three! For someone who used to never wear lipstick, I feel like I've made such a huge transition, ha. This color is perfect for gloomy days when you just want a little somethin' somethin', or for nights out and fancy occasions. I would totally wear this out during the day too! It's just such a beautiful color!!

Overall I love these lipsticks. They're semi-long lasting and don't feel as drying as some lipsticks can. They do seem to leave lip marks on cups but even with that I don't notice much of a difference on my lips. There are a lot of shades out there so I'm sure I'll be looking around for more that catch my eye!

What do you guys think of these? Have you tried them yet?