Products I've Been Loving.

Sure it's too late for an "August Favorites", but there's always time for a "products i've been loving" post!  So yep, i'll just quickly run through products i've been reaching for a lot lately & have really stood out from the pack for me recently.

♥ Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Zero" ♥
Everyone must have at least heard of these eye pencils before, and with good reason.  I wouldn't normally spend $17 on an eyeliner, but i got this with the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows (post on that here), so of course i gave it a go.  This liner really impressed me - it's super pigmented & dark, glides on very easy, and stays put for quite a long time.  Definitely one of the best eyeliners in my collection.

♥ MAC 217 Blending Brush ♥
The 217 was the first MAC brush i ever purchased, and will always be a staple of mine.  It's perfect for applying color to the crease & blending out any harsh lines.  I also use it for applying & blending eyeshadow to the outer corners as well, as i don't have a brush for that purpose atm!  I've also heard of people using this for applying concealer & other cream products, but i personally use my finger or a stiffer brush for that purpose.

♥ Bare Minerals SPF 15 Matte Foundation ♥
I got a free sample of this foundation at Sephora, and i'm really glad i got to try it out!  I usually use the Original foundation, but with my oily skin, i can look a bit shiny as the finish of the Original formula is quite glowy.  With the Matte foundation, the staying power & all that is the same as the Original, but i notice that i'm not as shiny-looking by the end of the day.  When i run out of my Original foundation, i'll definitely be purchasing the Matte formula!
Review on the Bare Escentuals Starter Kit here :)

♥ Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher & Bare Escentuals Prime Time ♥

The reason i put these two together is that i use these two products together to create an amazing base for my foundation :).  After cleansing, toning, & moisturizing my face, i apply Estee Lauder's Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, wait for that to soak in for a bit, then apply my Bare Minerals Prime Time primer.  Together, these minimize my pores and control my oiliness from completely taking over my face as the day progresses.  During the summer, i can get away with just using the Estee Lauder Refinisher or BE's Prime Time, since dewy-skin is more of a summer thing for me, but during the school year & such, i feel i need a bit more control & together, these products work really well for that purpose.

♥ Triscuit Thin Crisps ♥
I just had to add this to the products i'm loving list!  They're little salty triangle cracker things, and i didn't like them so much at first, but they've really grown on me :).  For me, it's a step in the healthy direction (sure they still aren't the healthiest snack out there, but whatever haha).  Definitely give these a nom if you have sweet & salty cravings like i do!

What products have you been loving?

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♥

Nail Polish Galore! ♥

Say hello to my little friends...

Hahaha ;D

This is all the nail polish i own.  I honestly don't mean to brag and i definately don't want to seem snooty or anything, so i really hope you girls don't take it that way.  This is a pool of all of my mom, my sisters, and i's varnishes that we've been accumulating over the years.

If you're wondering how these polishes are actually stored click here.

Some girls are crazy about polish, and i'm honestly not.  I need to have a color on my nails though, but i've gotten so frustrated with my nails that i just gave up trying to make them look amazing.  When i see many girl's NOTDs, they're nails are smooth, shiny, & amazing, while mine are messy, uneven, and not-so-amazing.  Anyone know they're secret?!  Well anyway...

I'm going to go through each color group seperately & give mini reviews!

So let's get onto it!

R E D S  &  O R A N G E S

left to right:

♥ OPI in "It's a Doozi, Says Suzi", Sally Hansen in "Cardinal", BonBons by Bari Cosmetics - no name, Sally Hansen in "Salsa Creme", and Petits by Scherer - no name
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I love red nail polish - Sally Hansen in "Cardinal" is almost always on my toes.  The other polishes honestly don't get that much love, but the first OPI color is really pretty for fall & winter.

P I N K S
left to right:

♥ N.Y.C. Long-Wearing Nail Enamel - no name, random polish, Revlon Nail Enamel in 917 Plum Seduction, OPI Nail Lacquer in "You're Such a Kabuki Queen", Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in 44 Rose Amore, Orly Nail Lacquer in "Pretty Please", OPI Nail Lacquer in "Got a Date To-Knight"
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Pinks have to be my favorite color of polish to wear :)  Whenever i try to branch out and paint my nails a some other color, i always end up using one of these!  My faves are the two OPI ones.  The first two are my least used out of this group mainly because they're quite sheer.  The Revlon (which is probably considered of more of a purple lol) shade i love, but it takes forever to dry so i don't wear it too much.

Y E L L O W S  &  G R E E N S

left to right:

♥ N.Y.C. Long-Wearing Nail Enamel - no name, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 27 Mellow Yellow, Sinful Nail Enamel in 76 Green Glitter, N.Y.C. Long Wear Nail Enamel in 118A, N.Y.C. Long Wear Nail Enamel in 110A Luxury Lime Creme, BonBons by Bari Cosmetics - no name, random polish
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I don't wear yellow or green polish very often tbh, mainly because they're not too flattering with my skintone, but it looks great in the summer with a tan :)

B L U E S
left to right:
♥ Jane Nail Color in 22 Up All Night, L.A. Girls Flare Bright Delights Nail Lacquer - no name, Nicole by OPI in "It's Up to You", Pure Ice by Bari Cosmetics in #761 Frosted Ice Calypso, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 04 Blue Me Away!, random polish
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(The first one may look black in the bottle, but it comes out a dark navy color :), i really enjoy wearing bluesy colors on my nails!  Blues are great for anytime of the year, in my opinion.  My favorites from my collection are the first one (Jane in "Up All Night"), the third (Nicole by OPI in "It's Up to You"), and the fifth (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in "Blue Me Away" - they are all super pretty (duh haha).

P U R P L E S

left to right:
♥ Artmatic U.S.A. in 101 Black Plum, OPI Nail Lacquer in Boris & Natasha, BonBons by Bari Cosmetics - no name, Pure Ice by Bari Cosmetics - my friend mixed a couple polishes to make this - the original was called "Cheatin", Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff 10 Day Nail Color in "Violet Frost", Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in 57 Lavender Marquis
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Making this post, i rediscovered my love for purple polish.  I really want a lilac nail polish - Barry M makes an amazing one, ahh we need Barry M in the US!  Anyway, next time i paint my nails it will probably be with one of these :)

B R O W N S,  G R E Y,  &  B L A C K S
left to right:
♥ In the Mood by China Glaze in "Teal to Peach", The Color Workshop - no name, Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in 69 Frozen Fantasy, U Colors Nail Polish - no name, Wet'n'Wild Fantasy Makers - no name, A Perfect "10" in 395 Black Out
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I'm not one to wear browns on my nails, i think they would look gorgeous with a tan though.  The one grey i have is really old & is probably all chunky now haha, it's a really pretty color though.  The two blacks i have are really nice, the Wet'n'Wild one is pretty watery though, but they're both fairly pigmented.  I used to wear black nail polish a lot more when i was in middle school & early high school, but i've grown out of it and have been wearing more colors now.  I think black can still look great though :) - so long as it's not chipping!

N U D E S  &  S H E E R S

left to right:
♥ &IsaDora Perfect Nail Polish in 10 Satin Beige, Sally Hansen Maximum Growth plus Nourishing Nail Color in 08 Vanilla Whimsy, L'Oreal Paris Wear Extraordinaire Nail Enamel in 319 Blush Perle, Revlon Sheer Translucide Nail Enamel in 003 Sheer Snowflake Pink, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Color in 21 Brilliant Blush, Jordana Nail Polish in 308 Shining Star, OPI Nail Lacquer - label fell off, BonBons by Bari Cosmetics - no name
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I honestly don't know how i've accumulated so many nudes compared to other color groups - i rarely wear them!  My mom must have gone on some sort of spree...haha.  Most of these are very sheer and they take multiple layers to build colors, hence me not wearing them so much.  I'll have to try some of these out soon!

T O P  /  B A S E  C O A T S  &  T R E A T M E N T S

left to right:
♥ Professional Nail Color Fiber Enriched Fortifier, Professional Nail Color Vitamin E Enriched Ceramics Smooth, Professional Base Coat, Maybelline New York Express Finish 50 Second Nail Color 10 Base & Top Coat
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I've tried plenty Base & Top coats, and none of them do it for me.  I think i need to invest in a decent one.  Any recommendations?  Anyway, the only product i use out of these every time i do my nails is the second one, Ceramics Smooth - it somewhat smooths out the lines from my nails to make the polish look a bit better.  I think it's important to do treatments once in a while because nail polish can really smother your nails - not good!

♥