Monday, December 19, 2011

Latest Buys! (Haulin' Time!)


Hi everyone!

The holiday season has really got me in the mood to buy things. It's practically the only thing I love about the holidays, because of all the sales! I haven't really hit up the stores yet for clothing simply because the sales are exponentially better after Christmas (: Regardless, there's been so many makeup sales and new products emerging ever since Black Friday, and lucky me, one day I found $50 in my wallet (no, I'm serious - one day, I had no money, the next, I had $50...weird, right?) and made some extra money from babysitting and then I found $100 in the bag of reeds I bought at the music store for my alto sax... THESE DAYS HAVE BEEN GREAT! :D So I've been buying up a storm, and here are some things that I've bought: (so I'm kinda haulin' ova here... WOO!)

NARS Danmari Palette$65, available only at Sephora stores and sephora.com (Limited Edition)
Danmari All About Cheeks Palette ($107 Value)
This was the first thing I bought at Black Friday, and I was so happy to see that there was one left when I walked into Sephora (I mean, hello, you've got a recipe for destruction when you have the equation NARS blush + 6 of them + palette + limited edition + Sephora + Black Friday. That definitely equals destruction! (: Anyway, this palette is spectacular. The colors are very nicely pigmented and work well on all skin tones. It's such a great buy, especially because these are NARS's best-selling blushes and normally, they are $26. You get 3/4 of the product in here so you are saving a TON of money. ($107 value.) Tip: Sometimes, I like to use the Hungry Heart Highlighter in my inner corner or on my lids to give them a really nice sheen!

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperlinerin Sparkling Ammunition, $15, available only at Sephora stores and sephora.com
Eye Dream Hyperliner
I picked up this eyeliner because I saw Temptalia's review on it, and it seemed worth a shot. My Maybelline Master Drama liner broke (the twist-cap wouldn't go anymore, the only downfall of the product - if you want to see a review click here. This liner is a khaki-olive green color with gold and brown shimmer in it. I love the color payoff of this, and I used it recently in a video (actually, the past post!) and it really lasts long and is super pretty. They are $2 cheaper than the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, (which I absolutely love too) so can I get a WOOP for that? If you want to try something that, depending on the color, has similar or better payoff, try the NYX Slide on Pencils ($7 on Cherry Culture) which are very nice as well.

MAC Eyeshadows in Satin Taupe and Sketch$15 each, available at MAC counters and maccosmetics.com


From Left to Right: Satin Taupe; Sketch
I love these eye shadows! I bought Satin Taupe on Black Friday and Sketch yesterday. I've been trying for so long to get dupes for these eye shadows but I eventually you just gotta get the real deal. I used Sketch today and it looks so cool with my green eyes, and it really made them pop! I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but Satin Taupe has a purpley undertone which makes them really nice on my eyes. They are perfect as a crease color and even an outer lid color.

INGLOT Freedom System Eyeshadow(5 Pan Palette) $10 for palette, $5 per eye shadow, total of $35, available at INGLOT Stores and inglotusa.com (or inglot.com for international buyers, select your country there)

From Left to Right: Shine 08, Matte 390, Pearl 399, Pearl 419, and Pearl 422
When I was in New York City at the beginning of the month to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum (hope I spelled that right, haha) I found the INGLOT store in the middle of Times Square, right across from M&M World and nearby the MAC Store and Forever 21. I could not pass up the idea of actually seeing possibly one of my favorite eye shadows ever in person, since my 10 pan palette was bought online pretty much blindly. My mom and I spent literally 45 minutes swatching all the gorgeous colors - if you've never been to a MAC store or INGLOT store, it is a makeup lover's paradise - and I should've taken a picture of my hand because it was covered in eye shadow! Anyway, I managed to whittle it down to these 5, and I love these so much. The Freedom System is an amazing innovation, and if you want, I could do a whole info video about INGLOT eye shadows. A great value, tons of product, the freedom of choosing what you want to buy, and an amazing eye shadow to boot, this is one of my favorite purchases I've done.

Revlon Color Burst Lip Buttersprice varies (I think mine was around $7.50), available at most drugstores and revlon.com

From left to right: 045 Cotton Candy, 085 Sugar Plum, 035 Candy Apple, 075 Lollipop
Full review on these here.
These are such a great value for some sheer yet pigmented lip color. I heard they are very similar to the MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks. Candy Apple isn't a super sheer red color, which is great because if I really want to layer it on, it will be really red and give a great pop of color to my lips. When I did the review, I only had two, but I bought another 2 more and I definitely want to get more! They come in 20 colors so there's something for everyone! (Also, when did Emma Stone become the spokeswoman for Revlon?! I clicked on the website and there she was! Awesome, I love her!)

Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Temptprice varies (was it $8? Maybe!), available at most drugstores and covergirl.com
I wanted to get a darker lipstick for just some reason and this one seemed really nice. It's more of a berry than dark red, which was disappointing because I wanted a darker red lipstick, but I actually do like it because I don't have any berry lipsticks. The Lip Perfection line is one of my favorite drugstore lipsticks because they are so pigmented, moisturizing, and smooth to apply.

Maybelline Eye Studio Quad in Green with Envy, price varies (I think it was $7), available at most drugstores and maybelline.com
I was so drawn to the colors in this quad - a very unique color selection that have excellent color payoff. A few years ago I remember using the Maybelline quad in Purple Icon all the time when I was in 7th grade (: These are a great pick if you want really nice eye shadow that is pigmented (that last shade is amazingly pigmented for such a dark shadow, and the lighter colors are not sheer in the slightest) but not very expensive, I recommend looking at the Maybelline quads like these (the singles and duos are great, too!)

L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Makeupprice varies (I paid $15), available at drugstores and lorealparisusa.com
While this is quite expensive for a drugstore foundation, only a few dollars away from matching some high end foundations, it is an amazing foundation. I'm shade 512 classic ivory and it matches my skin tone exactly! This is my favorite foundation ever now. I can layer it on but it won't feel like I'm wearing anything on my face! I love the mousse texture because it is so lightweight and it makes my skin look airbrushed. Love!

And finally...........

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette$50, available at Sephora, ULTA, anywhere where UD is sold, and urbandecay.com
I've cracked, you guys. I actually bought the Naked 2.
OK, YouTube, thanks for convincing me to purchase this! I actually secretly entered giveaways (omg what if I won them but I already bought this a few hours ago because it was back in stock omg) but I cracked and I bought this palette, for a few reasons: 
1.) TAKE A LOOK AT MY NAKED PALETTE RIGHT NOW:
You think you love your Naked Palette? I'VE DONE IT! I'VE HIT PAN IN EVERY SINGLE EYE SHADOW IN HERE! I call this a win!
2.) I don't own too many cooler shades, which is what the Naked 2 is mostly.
3.) I own Chopper e/s, which I absolutely love and need to repurchase it and it's in the palette!
4.) I figured that, since it's in such high demand, if I ever want it in the future, it's best to purchase it now.

I will definitely be doing a review and comparison when I receive it in the mail!

Oh, and part of my Hanukkah present this year is...

The Amazon Kindle, $79 (with special offers, I suggest you get them, they aren't annoying at all), available at amazon.com and wherever Kindles are sold (office stores, mostly)
Kindle e-reader: device frontal view
I usually pledge to read the printed word because I love the feeling of turning pages and finishing a book, but I gotta say, this simple Kindle e-reader is awesome! To get books in 60 seconds (Hunger Games trilogy, what?!) and recommendations and just have all the books there is amazing. I love it! I hope to get a skin on Decal Girl! They have beautiful skins there (:

Whew, that took forever! What did you buy on Black Friday/this holiday season? What's on your wishlist?

Sara x


Sunday, December 18, 2011

Smoked Olive: Tutorial!

Hey everyone!

So FINALLY a new tutorial video! I actually pre-filmed quite a bit of videos, but I haven't had any time to edit ... or do anything other than school work. I still have to write an essay! (Which I'll work on after I post this, haha (:

I spent 7 hours with my friends yesterday editing our Spanish project (which is AMAZING, btw!) and we edited on Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0., so I kind of learned how to do it, which meant, THUS, I was going to edit a new video on there! I like how this came out, and I was able to make it shorter w/ narration. I hope I didn't do too bad with that... it's much harder than it looks!

Products Used:


Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Urban Decay Naked e/s
INGLOT Shine 08 e/s
INGLOT Pearl 419 e/s
BH Cosmetics 120 Palette 3rd Edition
e.l.f. cream liner in black
Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner in Sparkling Ammunition
L'Oreal Morning Light e/s
L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes Mascara

CHEEKS:
NARS Danmari Palette

LIPS:
Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum
Revlon Color Burst Gloss in Strawberry

Pitures!




Different lighting:

Close-ups, with eye open and eye closed:


Sorry the pictures aren't perfect, they were taken on my phone. (Which has a pretty decent payoff, gotta say!)

What are you favorite seasonal looks?

Sara x

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Winter Running Gear!

Hi everyone!

Well I should've posted this video a few days ago, but I completely forgot!

So this video is basically me ramblin' all about what essentials you'll most likely need to run in the winter time. Also, now you have an excuse to exercise in the cold (:

Also, mini disclaimer: These are items that I use to help me run in the cold weather. They're also mostly Under Armour. There are, however, many lower priced options that are extremely similar, the same, or even better in many stores (like Target, TJMaxx, Outlets, etc.) Get what works for you! Since I run competitively and I tend to work on building an aerobic base so I can run with speed, I need things that are made for this. If you're running on your own, you can buy whatever you'd like, whether competitive-style clothing or things that are comfortable to go in. When in doubt, go with comfort!



GEAR SHOWN:
Under Armour ColdGear Compression Leggings ($50) http://bit.ly/sqdpLa
Under Armour Escape 3" Shorts ($30) - I have it in a different color -http://bit.ly/rDNmdY
Under Armour Attack II 5" Shorts ($25) - I have it in a different color again -http://bit.ly/scBJN3
Under Armour ColdGear Fitted Longsleeve Crew ($50) - http://bit.ly/s6qcfW
Under Armour Fleece Hoodie ($55) - This isn't the one I purchasd because it's $5 more and it's fleece, but it is Cold Gear and this is the closest thing I could find. http://bit.ly/s74MED
Gloves! I lost mine, but make sure you have them!
An ear protective thing (mine's from Nike) - Make sure it's for running!
Under Armour HeatGear Socks (2 Pack) ($12) - These are the closest to mine that I found on the website. Mine are actually ColdGear, and I'd recommend those for winter running b/c they are thicker - http://bit.ly/u4dNKl
Mizuno Wave Rider 14 Shoes ($100) - http://bit.ly/odLC4d (For neutral/normal pronation)
WorkSmart CardioTrainer App Info: http://bit.ly/ZA0oR (there's a free version and pro version for $10 - free is fine! This tells you about that app. You need to have something to keep track of your workouts!)


I hope this is helpful for you guys! (:


-Sara x


Sunday, December 4, 2011

November Favorites!

Hi everyone!

WOO HOO! I actually have November Favorites!

Usually I don't buy that much, or enough in a month, to create a favorites video, but I guess the holiday spirit's got me lovin' stuff?

Products Mentioned:
Garnier Nutrioniste Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV Lotion
Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Soy Cleanser
Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser
e.l.f. 10 piece Holiday Brush Set
L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle Makeup (I think I'm in shade 512 Natural Ivory... I think? haha)
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Naked 1 Now? Whatevs...still calling it Naked Palette!)
Stila Color Wheel Palette (LE)
MAC Satin Taupe e/s
Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells Trio
Wet n Wild Knock on Wood Trio
INGLOT Palette! (One is a 10 pan, one is a 5 pan. I might put the #s of the shades in a separate post. I can't remember them all!)
NARS Danmari Palette (! So excited about this! I love it so much, great investment!)
L'Oreal False Lashes Mascara (might do a review, watch out!)
L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara
L'Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip
L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator for Green Eyes
NYX Slide on Pencil in Glitzy Gold & Jewel
Tarina Tarantino Hyperdream Liner in Sparkling Ammunition
Revlon Lip Butters in Sugar Plum, Candy Apple, Lollipop, and Cotton Candy

... every time I make a favorites video it's like 20 minutes long with a bajillion products... lol woops

What are your favorite products of November? What's on your holiday wishlist?

Sara x (: