Keeping Up With Kylie

As the youngest in the Kardashian-Jenner empire Kylie Jenner is just starting to make a name for herself becoming an it-girl when it comes to fashion and beauty. After only two days of her app launching it earned the number one spot on the App store beating out all of her sisters who also launched their own apps. Any user can get a free 7 day trial but after that it costs $2.99 per month. The app ranges from ‘#tbt” with vintage pics of Kylie with her friends and family to ‘Neeeeed’ where Kylie shows her latest fashion crazes. Amongst my favorite sections are ‘Cop My Style’ where she posts her favorite outfits and includes more affordable options and ‘Help! My Face Is F#cked!’ where she and co-host Gigi Gorgeous make videos about their favorite beauty secrets. Kylie also does live-streams which are very casual looks into her every day life (my favorite was her and her sisters dancing to Justin Bieber). The app is really nice aesthetically and contains a lot of great content. As one of Kylie’s first big projects I think she did a really great job and I’m excited to see what she does next. 

                                                         Truly yours, Taylor 

Creatures of the Wind Spring 2016 Makeup

When I saw the work of makeup artist Aaron de Mey for Creatures of the Wind Spring/Summer 2016 I couldn't help but write a post about it. All the attention is drawn to the eyes for these makeup looks. Chunky gold glitter and black smoked out shadow made this show's makeup a stand-out. Graphic cat eyes were paired with bold red lips for an edgy addition to this spring style. I always get excited when I see glittery eyes on the runway. Many people think that this is the reminisce of the middle school days (before we knew how to actually apply makeup) but I completely disagree. Adding glitter to the eyes can be done very tastefully and can add a touch of elegance to any makeup.

Get the look:

For a wearable take on this look use any gel or liquid liner to create a regular cat eye. Use a gold glitter eyeliner and draw a thin line above the black cat eye. Pair with a matte red lip and you have the perfect holiday party look.

                               Truly yours, Taylor

Dark Lips Are Back In Season

My absolute favorite beauty trend for the fall/winter is dark lips. Whether you're going for grunge goddess or vampy vixen- a dark lip can completely transform your look. For more of an edge, opt for a purple toned color like the Nars Audacious Lipstick in ‘Charlotte’. For a more formal look try a more red toned product like Lime Crime’s Velvetine in ‘Wicked’. If these colors are too intense for you then try MAC’s ‘Rebel’ lipstick which is a more wearable berry shade. Lip liner is essential when using dark colors- I would recommend NYX’s slim lip pencils which come in a plethora of shades. Applying the lipliner to the entirety of your lips will not only ensure a crisp edge, but will also increase the longevity of your lip product. After applying don't forget to clean up the edges with some concealer and you’ll be ready to turn some heads. 

                                           Truly yours, Taylor 

National Lipstick Day

Happy National Lipstick Day!! As you can probably guess I enjoy splurging on beauty products, but my favorite type of makeup item has to be lip products. Here is a picture with some of my favorite lipsticks; there are a variety of formulas and colors for your choosing! 

Beginning from top middle going clockwise: Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, Lime Crime Velvetine in Wicked, MAC Lipstick in Candy Yum-Yum, Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Melon, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania, MAC Lipstick in Snob, OCC Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia, YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Beige Ultimate, MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom, Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Comet, Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N9, Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Cruella, MAC Lipstick in MLLE, Bite Beauty Matte Cream Lip Crayon in Gavi

I would recommend any of these formulas, give one a try and let me know what you think! Also comment your favorite lipstick so I can give it a try.
                                                                   Truly yours, Taylor

Nars And God Created The Woman Palette Review & Tutorial

When I saw that Nars was coming out with another installment of their "And God Created The Woman" palette I got a bit excited. Although the original is not available in most Sephora stores, it is still available for purchase on the Sephora website. I considered getting this palette but the thing that stopped me was not having $60 to drop on an eyeshadow pallet (if I did have $60 however I probably would not have given it a second thought). I found myself in Sephora a couple days ago- this time with $60 in my pocket and no shame on spending it on eyeshadow. I was so new that I had to ask an employee to get it for me from the back of the store. As I came to know, new doesn't always mean good. I did not have the luxury of seeing it out and swatching the shadows before purchasing. When I got home that night I swatched all of the colors to take pictures of them and I was surprised to find three of the six (50%) of the shadows were very patchy.

This palette contains six .03oz eyeshaddows in:

     From left to right, top to bottom: Bellissima II, Kalahari, Night Clubbing, Alhambra l, Galapagos,        Coconut Grove 

This set also comes with a .09oz Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and a mini #42 Wide Contour brush.

 Bellissima II, Kalahari, Night Clubbing (no flash)

  Bellissima II, Kalahari, Night Clubbing (w/ flash)

    

Alhambra I, Galapagos, Coconut Grove (no flash)

Alhambra I, Galapagos, Coconut Grove (w/ flash)

Clearly the best shadows in this palette are Kalahari and Alhambra I, they were smooth and pigmented. As for the matte shades which obviously did not swatch well, they applied nicely when used with a brush. Some blending is required though. 

As for the primer; I do enjoy it. I have very oily eye lids and this did not crease on me after 10 hours of wear. The colors lost a bit of vibrancy but after 10 hours what eyeshadows wouldn't? 

The brush included is surprisingly nice. The bristles are soft, but don't expect the same quality as the full size brushes. But nevertheless, it gets the job done and is great for traveling. 

For this price, I could buy a Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow Palette which totals .21oz and amazing quality. This Nars Palette totals .18oz for the eyeshadow. Even with the primer and brush this just does not seem worth the money. 

Final thoughts: This set is not terrible by any means, but it left me wanting more for the price. Instead of buying this palette I would invest in something else, such as the Dior 5 Colour Palettes or just buying the Nars duos. 

Click here for a tutorial using this palette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwKHQbKhbmo

                                                                                 Truly yours, Taylor

Review: The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes

It has been a while since I have purchased The Body Shop's Shimmer Cubes so I feel it is a good time to do a review on them. I have the quad in "Chocolate Box." This quad costs $22.00, but can usually be found discounted. The shades included (from left to right, top to bottom) are "Dark Chocolate," "Chocolate Chip," "Honeycomb," and "Marshmallow." "Dark Chocolate" is a dark brown with a tint of red. "Chocolate Chip"  is a nice cool-toned taupe shade. Next, we have "Honey Comb" which is a bronze/copper color. Finally, "Marshmallow" is a pink-toned champagne. This color is the lightest shade in the quad but I personally think it is too shimmery to use as a brow bone highlight, although it is nice on the tear duct and lid.

As far as the packaging, well it is not very convenient. Each cube is packaged individually in a plastic box and then the four little boxes are in a bigger box. So each time you want to use this quad you have to open each box and then you will end up having little plastic lids everywhere. This is not a huge deal but it will make using this quad a bit more time consuming.   

The quality is not really great with this quad. The intensity of the pigment in the shadows is mediocre; but can be intensified when using them wet. This is not an all in one palette. Since all the colors are so shimmery you will need to use some matte shades to balance it out (probably for the brow bone). I do appreciate how The Body Shop uses good ingredients so if your eyes get easily irritated from makeup, maybe this will work for you. 

Final thoughts: This quad is just okay. For the price I believe you can find better at the drugstore for cheaper. 

                                                                         Truly yours, Taylor 

Little Stop at Sephora

Sephora has been feeling a bit generous lately with all their discounts. 25% off by being a VIB Rouge, 20% off by being a VIB and 15% off when being a Beauty Insider. Although I have a vast obsession with makeup, I am only a Beauty Insider. If I had a an income I would spend it all on makeup (don't show this to my parents). Because of my lack of employment my pay days are few and far between. I decided to take advantage of this discount since I am trying to become a VIB this year. I purchased two things, both of which I am extremely excited about.

I went into the store intending to come out with the NARS Smugeproof Eyeshaddow Base but, unfortunately they were all sold out. Don't worry, you won't be hearing any complaining from me. Instead I picked up the much raved about Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. I got the smallest size because this is very expensive and I wanted to make sure it lived up to the hype before I dished out $52.00 for the 1 oz size.

I am one who loves a set that comes with multiple products. So what if they are smaller? They make perfect travel items and it is a great way to try out a bunch of products to see what you like and dislike. I picked up the Benefit "How To Look The Best at Everything" in the light kit. This includes the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, two Boi-ing concealers, the Pore-fessional primer, and the Hello Flawless powder. This is the first product I have from Benefit so I am so excited to try out all of these different things! Also Benefit never fails to deliver the cutest packaging. I mean come on, it looks like a book!

I will be using these products throughout the next month or so and will be doing in depth reviews on all of them!

                                                                                      Truly yours, Taylor