mac haul & updated palette

I had a Macy's gift card to spend from Christmas, so i thought i'd pop by the MAC counter to buy myself a few things!  I ended up getting three eyeshadows, to fill up my palette.  I was quite unsure as to what i should get exactly, so i referenced the "starting a MAC palette" post i did when i first got the empty palette, as well as a few Youtube gurus & i decided on these three!

L-R: Shroom, All That Glitters, Twinks

Shroom (satin finish): I figured i'd get at least one highlight shade (not the most exciting of purchases, but necessary in my opinion!), so i landed on this one.  It's not stark white, which is good - it's more of an off-white with zero sparkle, but gives a nice sheen.  I'm curious as to whether or not people use this all over the lid with something like Satin Taupe in the crease, instead of a stark white like Blanc Type.  I'll have to try it & see how it looks!

All That Glitters (veluxe pearl finish): This shadow was by far the most recommended, i'm not sure if it's because Elle (AllThatGlitters21) made it extremely well-known within the beauty community, or because it's actually a nice shade & product.  All That Glitters is a champagne color, with a kind of pink/peach reflex.  I was afraid that this would be very similar to Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Sin (which i love), but it seems a bit darker and not as frosty.  We'll see how it goes!

Twinks (veluxe pearl finish): This one isn't quite as popular as Shroom or All That Glitters, but it's still one of the more well-known shades from MAC.  I needed an outer corner/crease color, so instead of going for something like Woodwinked (i'm not a big fan of gold-browns & i think it would be too orange-y on my skintone), i chose Twinks.  Twinks is a deep brown, with plum undertones.  It's super pretty, my only concern is that it would be very dark against my super fair skin & blue eyes.  I did hear it's very easy to blend & it's kind of forgiving, so yeah.  I do have high hopes for this one, again - we'll see how it goes :)

I then spent this afternoon depotting the three eyeshadows i got so i could put them in my palette - as shown above haha.  If you're wondering how to depot your MAC shadows, here's a video tutorial - that's where i learned how to depot mine :).

Here's my MAC palette so far:

L-R: Shroom, All That Glitters, Sable, Satin Taupe, Twinks

I'm think of also getting a quad palette (holds four eyeshadows instead of this one that holds fifteen), so when i travel i can just tote that in my bag, instead of taking up some much needed space with this palette!  Both the quad and the fifteen palettes are available at MAC stores & online - not counters unfortunately - if you're wondering :)

I'm always looking for recommendations to build this palette up - what eyeshadows do you like pairing with any of the five shadows i have? ♥
PS. Thanks for the super lovely comments on my last post, you ladies are amazing :)

♥

Starting a MAC Palette!

I recently ordered an empty MAC Pro Eyeshadow Palette online & woke up to it all wrapped up in MAC's signature black packaging on my dresser this morning!  I sprang out of bed & merrily ripped it open to reveal black tissue paper & a sleek black box, containing this beautiful palette :)

The initial reason i bought this was because i was planning on swapping with a girl for a depotted eyeshadow, and since i had no place to store depotted eyeshadow, i needed to acquire something that could, of course.  Well, she never messaged me back about the swap, so here i am with an empty MAC palette!  I don't regret ordering it though, because i do intend on using it, for collecting & storing gorgeous eyeshadows of course, and i think it would be amazingly handy for travelling.

This is where you lovely ladies come in!

I need your help!

I need recommendations on some eyeshadows that i need to check out!  I'm more of a neutral girl, as some of you may know, so shadows in the neutral range would be ideal :)  What are your go-to MAC shadows?

I have 15 spaces to fill up, slowly but surely of course, so leave your recommendations in a comment, Formspring, or tweet, and i'll definitely take a look at them next time i'm at a MAC counter!

Thank you so much in advance girlies :)

xoxo,

Laura

♥

Lippies, Lippies, Lippies! ♥

Before i get into this post, i would just like to give each of you ladies a massive thank you and a huge bear hug for i reached 200 followers yesterday!!!!!  That's honestly amazing :)  Out of all the gorgeous blogs to follow, you chose mine!  I can honestly remember when i only had 5 followers...agh, you girls are amazing!

Thanks a million delicious cookies :) ♥♥♥♥

So i suppose this is a lipstick collection post - i hate saying collection because it sounds really snooty, but i guess that's what it is =/.  Oh, and sorry for these collection posts, i promise i'll think of other posts to do!  That reminds me, in the left sidebar i have a little poll for you girls to do, telling me what kind of posts you'd like to see :)  I need your input!  It would help a bundle :)

So i digress...lippie time!

I'm definately more of a lipstick girl than a lipgloss girl.  My collection is not big at all by any means, but i use pretty much all of them so they're not all going to waste in my drawers!  I'm definately still building up my collection.. so yeah :)

This is how i store my lipsticks, lipglosses, and chapsticks - haha, it makes it look like i have such a tiny collection, well i do but that's not that point....anyway!  If you'd like to see how i fully store my makeup, click here! :)

I have provided swatches for you all & will do a brief overview of each :)

1. Maybelline Color Sensational in 635 Very Cherry: 

You'll probably notice, this super bright color is the only one of it's kind in my collection.  The few times i wore it (only once in public...haha) i got two different reactions, either "OMFG what the hell is that girl wearing" or "Wow, it's very stand-out, but i think you can pull it off".  I went to Target to pick up a red lipstick one day & they were out of the shade i wanted, which was a darker, more wearable one - so i just got this one.  Well, we all make mistakes don't we?  I have a full review of this lipstick here if you're interested :)

2. Maybelline Color Sensational in 025 Pink Please: I bought this after Gemma raved about it in a video a couple months ago, and i'm so glad i did!  It's actually my most worn lipstick, it's very wearable and really adds much needed color to my neutral / somewhat boring looks :).  Full review here!

3. Rimmel Moisture Renew in 220 Pink Chic: 

I was strolling down the aisle in Walmart the other day and spotted the metallic purple packaging for these, so i just had to check them out..naturally.  I was originally going to go for a neutral shade, but i landed on this pink beaut (i'll have to go back for the neutral!).  You'll see it looks very similar to #5, which is actually MAC's Snob - Snob is much more opaque & a bit more drying than Pink Chic, so i wouldn't say it's an exact dupe, but it is indeed very similar.  I'll do a full review on this soon :)

4. Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in 070 Soft Nude: 

This is the only nude lippie i own, and the only one i've ever used - isn't that sad?  I bought it before i even heard the hype about it - haha it was so silly, i was roaming the cosmetic aisles of Walmart (there seems to be a pattern here...) & was sweating - well, you know what i mean - over a lipstick to buy, i wanted a nude but just didn't know which one to get.  Since i bought it, i've heard many good things about it on YouTube, especially from MakeupbyMel, saying it's the "perfect nude lip" - she's much tanner than me, but it still suits me quite well.  I'll have to do a more in-depth review on this :)

5. MAC lipstick in Snob (Satin finish): 

Snob is the first MAC lipstick i' ever bought, and i like it loads!  I already compared this to #3 on this list (so if you skipped over that, go read it!).  I would love to try more MAC lipsticks, but the $14 pricetag kind of puts me off...everyone says it's worth it, but i can't bring myself to invest in them!  What are you favorite MAC l/s shades?  I'd appreciate your suggestions!!  Full review on this lippie here!

6. Clinique Colour Surge Lipstick in Extreme Pink:

Thus begins the frosty lipsticks.  I'm not too fond of Clinique lipsticks because the ones i've experienced have been very frosty, which i'm personally not too fond of.  This shade looks more dramatic on the lips than it does on the swatch, so it's not very suitable for daytime.  A pretty shade though!  I don't feel too bad about owning these Clinique lipsticks because i got them in a free gift set :)

7. Clinique Different Lipstick in Think Bronze:

This is definately more of a pinky-peach shade than it is a bronze-y one, so the name always throws me off!  Again, another frosty shade.  Think Bronze is more suitable for daytime than Extreme Pink, but i still don't get too much use out of it - mainly because it's a more peachy-toned pink, whereas i like true pinks :) - another gift set piece!

8. Clinique Different Lipstick in Angelic:

Angelic is more of a peachy-brown type of shade, and it's also frosty (ugh yes, once again!) so i don't get much use of it at all tbh.  Might end up passing this on to my mom or using it more over the summer :)  We'll see!  I believe i got this in the Spring/Summer gift bag.

9. Clinique Colour Surge Lipstick in 22 Pink Beach:

I actually have two of these lipsticks and they are my most worn Clinique lippies.  On the lips it comes out as more of a darker, but more natural - yet still frosty, erg - color.  I don't know why i dislike frosty lipsticks so much... i suppose i just like the more satiny, glossy, or matte-y looks!

What are your favorite lippies?!

♥

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
-

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
-

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!

♥

Makeup Storage & Organization.

I did a makeup storage post forever ago and my setup has change a lot since then, but i finally kind of like how it is all stored so i thought i'd do an update!

It's not a large collection by any means, but i'd rather have a small collection that consists of things i actually use, than have a massive collection with products wasting away in the depths of my room :)

This is my little desk-turned-makeup station :).  I don't really do my schoolwork at my desk, i prefer lounging in my bed for that haha.  I use this desk and hutch for storing makeup as well as notebooks, dvds, and the typical desk-y stuff.

On the right, i have my makeup mirror that i got from my mom..she got it as a gift in the '80s haha.

It has four settings - day, office, evening, & home - i just use day because it is most resembles natural light.

There's also two sides, no zoom (lol i suck at explaining things eh?) and a bit zoomed in - i use the "no zoom" everyday and "zoom" for plucking my eyebrows & such.

This is where the majority of my makeup is kept.  I got these drawers - originally letter drawers - from Walmart for about $12 and they are surprisingly really nice quality.  They had yellow and brown as well, but white goes with the whole theme of my room the most :).  They are still available at Walmart in case you're interested!

On top i have my Alice in Wonderland BOS, fancy q-tips, diy blotting sheets, and my brushes (note the crappy diy brush holder, eek!  I desperately need a new one).

In the first drawer i keep the rest my eyeshadows (non-Alice in Wonderland), tools that i use more frequently - eyelash curlers & tweezers, as well as mascaras, brow gel, nail pencils, eyebrow pencils, and eyeliners.

The box that hold everything that aren't eyeshadows in this drawer is a lid from my Bare Escentuals starter kit.

This is the more fun drawer :).  The plastic container things i found around the house, but i'm positive places like Walmart and Target carry them.

In the container on the upper left i have my lip products - chapsticks, lip glosses, and lipsticks.

The second container on the top holds my blushes, bronzers, and highlighters.

The long skinny container on the bottom holds my Bare Minerals as well as my concealers.

On the right, i keep any primers - Urban Decay, MAC, Clinique, etc. - as well as liquid foundations that i don't really use anymore since i got my Bare Escentuals :)

In the cabinet of the desk, i keep my brush cleanser, nail polish remover, stuff to clean my earrings with, a nail spray (my rave on that HERE :), hair dye, a backup of my lotion, and floss.

In the way back i keep my lip palettes that i basically never use.

In the middle i have a towel to spot clean my brushes and hidden under that giant pink towel is a box of sponge applicators.

In the drawer of my desk i keep a backup of Clinique City Block, any tools - nail clippers & file, compact mirrors, hand sanitizer, pencil sharpners, hydrocortizone cream, & acne spot treatment cream, and tissues.

In my closet right beside my desk i have this (super cheap looking :) 3-bin plastic cabinet thing which holds my pluthera of makeup bags in the top drawer and nail polish in the second.

I really enjoy seeing how other girlies organize their makeup so if you've done a post like this, please link it in the comments!

♥

Perfume Collection & Storage ♥

Welcome to my perfumery!  ♥

In this post i'll be showing you lovelies my fragrance collection, with a brief description of each perfume, & how i store it all.

It's by no means a huge collection, but i like it, & i think that's all that matters :)

I simply keep of my perfumes all on top of my (super crowded) bookshelf.

I like to have them on display because it's easy to see them all when i'm in a rush, & of course it looks pretty :)

PS - on the right there's a gold frame (from Goodwill) with a collage i made, & on the right, a photo of Elvis my sister got in London - i added these to make the space look even prettier ♥

Back row, left to right:

Bath & Body Works "Fresh Cucumber" Body Splash

I got this stuff a couple years ago for free when i was shopping with my mom.  It smells fresh & clean, but i don't wear it that much as it doesn't last that long.  I'm also more into feminine & sweet scents than fresh & clean (which you'll notice as you read this post :).  I'll probably end up putting this in my gym locker.

Victoria's Secret "Amber Romance" Silkening Body Mist

This scent is very sweet & very feminine.  I like it, but too much of it can give me a headache.  I got this a while ago (brings back memories whenever i smell it!), but i believe Victoria's Secret still sells it, just in different packaging.

Victoria's Secret "Blossoming Romance" Refreshing Body Mist

I got this as a gift a couple years ago (i see a pattern here lol).  It's not my favorite, but if i'm at home & feel like i smell bad, i'll just spray it.  Mainly just to use it up...haha.

Middle row, left to right:

Romance by Ralph Lauren

This stuff is sooo old.  I got it from my sister, Samantha, & although it's a decent scent, i don't wear it all that much, because i prefer to wear my favorites.

Princess by Vera Wang

I'm sure you've all heard of it because it's very popular - & with good reason!  This scent is probably my favorite that i own.  I got it for my birthday last March & i was trying to preserve it for the longest time, now i use it almost everyday!  It's so feminine & sweet, it really does make me feel like a princess :)

Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent

This is the newest fragrance that i own, & also one of my favorites - although if i had to choose between Parisienne and Princess, i would probably choose Princess.  This is still soo delicious!  When you first spray it, it kind of smells like "cheap" perfume, but it turns into this really sophisticated & feminine smell and it's amazing!

Bottom row:

This are all samples that i got from Boston Store or Sephora - i have 3 Ralph by Ralph Lauren, 1 Hypnôse by Lancôme, 1 Diamonds by Emporio Armani, & 1 Kim Kardashian by Kim Kardashian.

What are your favorite perfumes?

♥