MAC Night Blooming Review, Swatches, and Dupe?!

I haven't really been too interested in MAC releases lately because over the summer they had new collections every couple of weeks and I found that a little overwhelming. I saw Rachel (icallitambrosia) wearing this lipstick in a couple videos and every time that I saw it, I liked it more and more. I went on a hunt for this lipstick because it was sold out everywhere!

 One thing that I noticed when I opened up the tube is that it looks very similar to my favorite MAC lipstick Gladiola.

Upon swatching, you can see how similar these colors are outside of the tube. They are so similar that I would say Night Blooming is a 98% dupe for Gladiola. The only difference is that Night Blooming is a semi-matte and Gladiola is a matte, which gives them a slightly different look but nothing too major.

Night Blooming is a really comfortable lipstick--it doesn't feel like you are wearing anything on your lips which I love and it last for a long time 6+ hours. I really love everything about the color and texture and I feel like it could work on many different skintones. If you are able to find this in stores, I think you should snatch it up or you'll regret it.

NEW DUPE FOR THIS COLOR!

♡ Lauren

Favorite Beauty Products of 2012

2012 was the year that I discovered some of my favorite beauty products. I became more involved in makeup and really started experimenting with different brands, high end and drugstore.

I'm going to start off with eye products. This area is where I have really found what works for me and what I like. I would say that all of these eye products are "holy grail" because I use most of them every day that I wear makeup.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara: This mascara is so amazing on many different levels. It's available at CVS for under $5 (I can't remember the exact price but it's around $3-$4). Not only is it affordable--it's a great product and gives high end mascaras a run for their money. My lashes look amazing when I wear this mascara--it lengthens and volumizes! One thing I will say is that this mascara is a wetter formula, so if you don't like that then you won't like this mascara. I personally, don't like wet mascaras but I just wipe the brush in the tube to take off any excess product so that way I can build up.

Covergirl Nature Luxe Mousse Mascara: This was something that I just purchased because it was on sale and I like cheap mascara. I really love this mascara because it gives you a natural look. You can still build it up but for the most part it's really natural and not heavy at all.

Jordana FabuLiner Liquid Eyeliner: Another item that I discovered from the drugstore. I'm really picky when it comes to liquid eyeliners and for the longest time the only thing I would use was the Kat Von D Tattoo liner. I still love that so much, but it's expensive and I wanted something that I could use everyday and it wouldn't break the bank. This eyeliner is a felt tip but it's so wonderful that it doesn't matter! I don't remember how much it was but it was $2-$3. It's opaque and long-lasting and by far the best liquid eyeliner that I have tried from the drugstore.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in the color Lionfish: I discovered this eyeliner in my birchbox! I use this eyeliner when I'm doing a more natural look or when I don't really want to put on a full face of makeup but I don't want to leave the house without anything on. I'll throw this on with some mascara and be good to go. This product lasts for such a long time and it's so creamy--I don't like eyeliners that aren't creamy. 

YBF Automatic Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe: I don't know what to say about this product other than--how have I lived all of these years without you. This is the first product that I have ever used to fill in my eyebrows and it's the only product I will ever use. Despite being a pencil, it gives you a really natural look and makes your eyebrows look amazing. I was a little skeptical of the universal color because those don't normally work for me but this definitely does. I know that YBF sells this on their website but other than that you can buy this product at HSN and it comes with two for the price that one is on the YBF website.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P.: An impulse buy that turned into a staple product. This is something that I use as a base or as an eyeshadow look; Sometimes I even use it on it's own when I'm running some errands but I don't want my eyes to be completely naked. I really love this color, I feel like it's similar to the shade of my eyelids but when an extra shimmer. 

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo in the shade Bad to the Bronze: I feel as if everyone is including this in their yearly favorites, so I'll keep it brief. I love this as an eyeshadow or a base and it last for as long as I need it to.

 

 Urban Decay Naked Palette: I feel as if this choice is self-explanatory. I love this palette for everyday use and for travel. I have some great neutral eye looks that I used on a daily basis.

Rimmel London Traffic Stopping Shadow in Over the Limit: I saw Tanya Burr use this in a tutorial and I had to have it. It isn't available in the states but I found it on the ASOS US website and purchased it immediately. (ASOS carries some uk specific brands and they always offer free shipping on any purchase). I know it's another neutral palette, but I really like the colors and I think it's a good product.

Finally moving on from eye products (I didn't realize I had that many) to face products!

 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle: This is a great product and my favorite highlighter. I like that it's shimmer-y not glitter-y. I don't feel like a glitterball when I put this on, but I do feel like I have a nice highlight. I love that this is versatile and I can even use it as an eyeshadow if I want!

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02: I really like this concealer because it isn't super heavy but it has nice coverage and it is buildable. It didn't break out or dry out my sensitive skin so that's a win win. 

 

 Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush: I had seen these blushes raved about everywhere and I finally gave in and bought one. They are a little more on the expensive side but they are so worth it. I bought this berry pink color and I just feel that it works really well on my skin. It's super pigmented and it lasts for as long as I wear it. In the pan, it looks as if it has some glitter but when you apply it on your face, it appears matte.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blush in Santa Rose: Another amazing drugstore find for under $5. This blush is more of a nature flush so I'll use this when I'm wearing a bold lip or if I'm just doing a natural makeup look. I don't have anything else to say about it because it's such a nice product for a decent price and there's not much more to it!

  

Moving on from face products to lip products.

 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm: I am someone that constantly has to be wearing lip balm and I'm very picky about my balms because I don't want to experiement with something that is going to end up drying out my lips. I saw essiebutton raving about this product and of course I had to buy it. I LOVE everything about this lip balm. I'm not a citrus smell lover but this product smells gloriously citrus-y. I use this at night because it is on the heavier side; I wake up in the morning with perfectly moisturized lips and I don't have lip balm all over my face. This balm has a couple beads? that blend out when you rub this into your lips. This is definitely a "holy grail" product for me and I hope they never discontinue it (like my beloved Bourjois Baume de Nuit lip balm).

 Saving the best for last-- LIPSTICKS!

In 2012, I became more comfortable in wearing bold lipsticks. At first, I thought that I couldn't pull them off and that I looked stupid, but now I don't care because I like lipstick and I like to wear lipstick. 

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Wild and Playful: I'm not going to talk about these too much just because I already did a blog post on them. These were a new discovery and I only really used them in the later part of the year but they are so amazing that I had to include them. Creamy, moisturizing, and pigmented--not really much more you could ask for in a lipstick.

MAC Lipstick in Rebel and Gladiola: I love MAC lipsticks and I own many a MAC lipstick so I shouldn't be surprised that I'm including two in my yearly favorites.  

Rebel however, is a color that I only discovered in 2012. I had seen many people rave about it and I was wanting a darker lipstick for the fall, so I picked up this little guy.

Gladiola is definitely one of my all time favorite lipsticks. I love it because it's a pink lipstick but it's not a bubblegum or stripper pink color that many MAC lipsticks are. It's a pink that has a slight purple tint to it and it's a color that works well with my skin tone.

 I love MAC lipsticks because they have decent quality, pigmentation, lasting power, and color range. The only thing is that some of these lipsticks can be drying, so I have to make sure that my lips are nicely moisturized. 

I had a nice amount of favorites but I don't think that I went too overboard. I can't wait to see what amazing products will be released from the drugstore and high end!

Hope everyone has a great new year!

♡ Lauren

Top 5 Albums of 2012

Here's a list of my favorite albums that were released in 2012, in no particular order:

Anarchy, My Dear- Say Anything

Gone- Vacationer

Beacon- Two Door Cinema Club

A Minor Bird- Sucre

Shields- Grizzly Bear

What were your top 5 favorite albums from 2012?

Product Review: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-hour Lipsticks

I had seen a lot of hype about these lipsticks and when they rolled out a 30% coupon I had to snag a couple up. I saw someone wearing this gorgeous purple lipstick and she said it was a Tarte glamazon lipstick in the shade playful. I went ahead and snatched up their blue based red as well because I love blue based reds and there was a coupon code so why not?

On the Tarte website they claim that these lipsticks are their very first long-wear, clay-infused lipstick. A unique blend of emollient-rich butters (mango, avocado and shea) is encapsulated in this tarte12-hour power™ formula to achieve rich, vivid, and long-wearing color that applies smoothly and won’t fade away.

I've been so into avocado oils and all of that jazz so when I saw that these little guys had avocado butter I was even more excited. One of the best things about ordering online from Tarte is that their turn around time and shipping are very fast. I always choose the cheapest form of shipping and I still received my package in under a week which was freaking amazing.

 The first one that I am going to tell you about is the above mentioned playful. The Tarte website describes it as a purple rose and I think that is a great description. I also think that is the main reason why I love this color so much. I have really pigmented lips and I don't feel that most light rose shades mesh well with my skin tone but this color looks and feels so amazing.

 These lipsticks go on so creamy and smooth. I'm not even exaggerating you have to feel how creamy they are. I have never felt a lipstick this creamy (can I say creamy again...) in my entire life and I feel like I have been newly awakened.

 The next lipstick that I picked up is called wild and like I said earlier is it a blue based red. My holy grail red lipstick is MAC's ruby woo. I absolutely love that shade however, it can be a little drying so you have to apply a healthy coat of lip balm and I don't feel that ruby lasts all that long.

That being said, I don't know if these lipsticks really last 12 hours like they claim to but they do last a really long time--who wears lipstick for 12 hours anyway? I can give you a great example--I wore wild when I went out with my dad for his birthday lunch. We ate at a hibachi place, so we ate our fair share of courses and food. My lipstick was still perfectly intact after I was finished eating. I'm not lying either, I was just as surprised as you probably are right now.

In conclusion, I think that these lipsticks are so amazing and if and when they release more colors, I will definitely be stocking up. You can't go wrong with a creamy, long-lasting, beautiful lipstick. These would be a create addition to your lipstick collection.

❤ Lauren

❄ Holly Jolly Tag 2 ❄

1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute?
It all depends on who I'm shopping for really. I don't ever like to wait until the last minute because I typically buy my presents online because I get all my best ideas as I'm shopping on my computer late at night. Buying gifts online gives me the motivation not to wait until the last minute because I want it to get here in enough time with no shipping delays. I would say my Christmas shopping normally starts around Thanksgiving.

2. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?
My all time favorite Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life. As a tradition my family watches it every Christmas Eve together. So I guess I would be Mary in that movie because George Bailey is a babe.

3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
I think Christmas Eve mainly just because there is so much anticipation and all of this build up towards Christmas and that's probably the best part.

4. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
Since I'm away at college when I went back to my parents for Thanksgiving, my mom and I put up and decorated the tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

5. White lights or colored lights?
The lights I have are white just because I like how crisp and beautiful they look. I love going around and looking at everyone's light displays and I really like the colorful lights so I guess I just like both for different looks.

6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?
I don't peek at my gifts but I don't really like surprises.

7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or in Santa's Workshop?
Gingerbread house hands down. Just imagine how amazing it would smell in there. Granted you'd probably want to eat your house but you win some, you lose some.

8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions!
My family and I watch It's a Wonderful Life together before we go to midnight mass and then when we get home from mass, we open our gifts since it's after midnight and technically Christmas. We open our gifts when we get home so that we get to sleep in on Christmas day because we are just getting too darn old to wake up early for Santa.

9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?
HA! uh...Ryan Gosling or JGL or whoever.

10. What tops your tree?
My mom's tree is a silver and blue angel that was my great-grandmother's. On my little tree here, I just have a blue star that was a dollar at target, until I can find one I really like.

11. Can you name the 12 days of Christmas?
No. I could say yes and look it up since I'm typing this out but there's no fun in that.

12. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
Probably, I don't remember but part of me thinks I did once or twice as a child.

13. Do you countdown to Christmas? If so, how many days are left?
Heck yes. Advent calendar and all! 12 til Christmas Eve and 13 til Christmas day!

14. What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?
When I was younger my neighbor would make us the best peanut butter fudge and we decided to try and recreate it this year which I'm really stoked about. We also like to make homemade sugar cookies and gingerbread men. Now I want some cookies....

15. How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you've grown older?
Um heck yeah. It's different in the sense that I sleep in on Christmas and wake up when I wake up as opposed to waking up at 5 to see what Santa brought me. I'm probably a little more stoked on Christmas now that I'm older because I get to decorate my apartment and buy a bunch of little knick knacky decorations.

OOTD Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Today was my last day of classes for the semester and my last day of final exams. I hate this time of the year (school-wise), so I decided to cheer myself up and dress with Christmas spirit. 

I absolutely love the holidays--mainly just Halloween and Christmas--so I thought I would put my love on display for my classmates to see since I won't be seeing them anymore (hallelujah! just kidding...not really).

 First things first, these are the basics of what I'm wearing--no festiveness added. I think this is a cute outfit in itself and will definitely be rocking it with a red lip soon.

My top is from forever 21 and I got it mainly because I like the cut and fit of it, it's black (aka my whole wardrobe), and it kind of reminds me of Olivia Newton-John circa badass Sandy. Those are naturally all the requirements I look for when shopping for clothes (kind of kidding but whatever).

 Here is the festiveness guys, an amazing silver Santa vest. I hate to be that person and tell you that my vest was thrifted but it was thrifted. Honestly though, you can find these sweet little vests anywhere. I probably paid to much for this one at a thrift store but I couldn't say no, you know? Although, I haven't ever seen them at a goodwill near me, a lot of my friends have been able to find them there. I would check church thrift stores and garage sales. I found an awesome Halloween one at a garage sale for one dollar and it was a heavenly moment.

 Again, I'm going to be that person, but my shorts were thrifted. I'm almost positive that I got these for one dollar which is all I can dream for. They are Levi's and were jeans in a previous life but I destroyed them into the masterpiece they are today. Basically just chopped off the legs and took some sandpaper to them for a couple hours. I was originally going to make them high-waist never nudes but I really like the way that cuffed shorts look on me.

My amazing tights are from surprise surprise, forever 21. I love these little dittys to throw on under some shorts or skirts when I don't want to bare all of that skin. These were somewhere in the 3-5 dollar price range which isn't too bad, they won't last long but then again they were 3 dollars so who is the winner here. I love (again) that they are black and I'm really digging the lace details. 

My amazing Dorothy-esque shoes are from journey's but they are vans (as you can quite obviously tell). I don't have a whole lot to say about these other than the fact that I love them because they are so glittery and because my inner Dorothy comes out when I'm wearing them.  

I went with a more minimal eye look because I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear red lipstick, but I was running late and still couldn't decide so I just rushed myself out the door. I used the Maybelline Cozy Cashemre palette for my eye look (you can't really tell at all in this picture but just go with it) and I, of course, had to do winged eyeliner. 

I kept my hair natural because we've been having crappy Florida weather these past couple of days and it's been mildly hot, which it hasn't been too bad, but the humidity has been through the roof. Rain and humidity drain all hair motivation from my life. There's no point in styling my hair any differently in this type of weather because it will end up curly/wavy like this again. 

I wanted to throw in a picture of my newest project. I feel like I've finally gotten the hang of purling and I wanted to give myself some extra practice so I'm making a scarf. I'm not a professional or anything but I like doing this and I want to get better at it. I'm pretty proud of myself though because I'm mainly self taught and that's not an easy feat, granted I only know two stitches but baby steps people.

Besides the crappy weather, I'm starting to finally feel a little Christmas-y. Working on some knitting whilst I've got a Christmas vinyl playing in the background is a great time, very de-stressing and it takes your mind off of things for a while which is definitely nice and needed. Have a great holiday time!

Lauren ❤

OOTD Cozy Lumberjack

When I think finals week, I think about comfort. When I'm reviewing for my exams in class I want to be as comfortable as possible because chances are, I would rather be laying in my comfy bed watching episodes of freaks and geeks (my latest television obsession). 

Today's outfit is very simple and honestly quite thrown together. But sometimes I find that the best outfits are the ones that you either tweak or throw on at the last minute because your first option from last night seems way uglier in the morning. Not that you can really tell but I definitely had plenty of time to get ready this morning. I try to give myself as much time as possible in the mornings to get ready because I like to lolligag and take my dear sweet time when getting ready.

My top is from Pacsun, unfortunately it is no longer on the website--it was on there for one week which is such a bummer. But I was able to snag it up for 18$ when it debuted on the site at $42-ish.

My bottoms are--wait for it--leggings from target (they were on sale for 5$ and are literally the comfiest leggings that I have come across.) See the things is, I used to be very adament about not wearing leggings as pants but then I grew up. Seriously though, I can get away with it in this outfit because my shirt is long enough to cover my bum and I feel like that justifies my choices.

I've never been a huge shoe person, but unfortunately I have had change of heart and I have decided that I really like shoes right now. That's not a great revelation when you're on a college budget but what can you do?

These combat boots are my favorite shoes all around at the moment. They're Steve Madden but honestly I got them at Bealls a couple years ago for a really decent price. However, it wasn't really until late this year that I fell in love with them and decided I would wear them everyday. Okay not every day but pretty damn close.

Here's a cute little collage (because I'm obsessed with collages) of my shoes for the day! As you can see they're pretty standard tall, black combat boots. They lace up in the front but there's a gold zipper along the back so that you can slip your feet into these when you're in a rush. And of course, even though you can't see my socks, I still had to wear some cute ones under my boots. Sometimes cute socks make me feel better about myself and maybe these black and white striped hello kitty socks made me happy this morning--hey, no judging!

I took this picture of my makeup before I jetted off to class (was a little late but there's always time to take a picture of yourself right?) so it's slightly blurry and a little washed out but you get the picture (heh) right. I went for a smoky eye because why not? It's not something that I normally do so I decided to reach out of my comfort zone and try something new. Of course, it's a pretty subtle smoky eye nothing too dramatic, but I still felt adventurous. I kept my lips blank and moisturized because I've been rocking the red lip almost everyday and I figured that my lips could use a moisture break before they fall off.

My outfit is far from anything spectatular today but it's kind of fun to photograph your outfits and write about them pretending that you know anything about fashion (I'm definitely not calling this outfit fashion). Plus, I have to spend my time doing something other than studying for finals right?

Thanks for having a look and making it this far (if you read the whole thing, you're a saint!)
❤ Queen Procrastinator aka Lauren ❤