Sephora PRO Dimensional Highlighting Palette

January 25, 2017 in Makeup

One of my favorite ways to pass the time (that I should probably quit) is looking at the "Just Arrived" section on Sephora's website. A couple weeks ago I saw the Sephora Collection Pro Dimensional Highlighting Palette and was instantly drawn to it. The description had me immediately sold on it - this is a palette for creating a wet-looking, glossy highlight, containing three cream shades and two glaze topcoats to add a dewy glow to the skin.

I was a little concerned about the reviews on Sephora's website - right now, it's at three stars. But it was just too pretty and intriguing to pass up, and I wanted to form an opinion of my own. I'm super glad I did, because this is right up my alley. The main complaints people have with this palette is with the consistency of the formula - they compare it to those cheap lip gloss palettes you can get at places like Claire's. I don't think they're like that at all - these highlighters are quite smooth to the touch and blend seamlessly into the skin as you pat it on. It applies best with fingers, using a patting motion rather than rubbing - if you rub the product on, you'll be left with some uneven-ness (because they're more of a glossy highlight), and it'll move certain foundations around. But I've had great results with patting.

Top to Bottom: Lunar Glaze, Cosmic Glaze, Nova, Pulsar, Chromosphere

The five shades range from a clear gloss to a shimmering silver. Lunar Glaze is a clear glossy glaze, Cosmic Glaze is a similar clear gloss but with some added dimensional shimmer, Nova is a sheer pink cream shade that adds a youthful dewy glow, Pulsar looks brown in the palette but is a really pretty champagne shade when swatched, and Chromosphere is a brilliant shimmering silver. Chromosphere is a little bold, but it's still easy to sheer out for a slightly more natural look because of the super lightweight cream formula. I love using one of the two glaze shades over the cream shades for a super high-shine look that makes it look like I haven't had dry skin a day in my life.

I was worried these would feel sticky on the skin or clog my pores, but I haven't had either of those issues. They're much more of a smooth consistency, and as long as you pat it into the skin (I'm really sounding like a broken record here), it melds with the skin rather than sitting on top.

If you've been wanting to create that more editoral, glossy glow, then you should definitely pick one of these palettes up. There's two versions - I have the Cool one, but there's a Warm version, too, that looks like it would be stunning on deeper skintones. I'm really glad I picked this up to try for myself rather than letting some negative reviews deter me. I'll be honest in that they're not my most-used highlighters right now as they're not the most convenient for everyday, but I do really like them and have been coming back to them when I want to look really dewy. They're super fun to create looks with - if I can get it to show up right in photographs I'll post a look using it soon.

Have you tried these highlighting palettes yet? What's your favorite highlighting product?

Loving Lately

January 24, 2017 in Makeup, Skincare

In lieu of Monthly Favorites posts this year, I've decided to pop up a Monthly Edit at the end of each month mentioning more than just beauty. But to still get that beauty fix in, I'll be posting these "Loving Lately" posts every so often, too (maybe not every month, but we'll see). There's a few things I've been obsessing over in the past week or two that are really worth mentioning.

SKINCARE | I said I had my routine down pat in my Skincare Routine post at the beginning of the month, but I've added a couple new things in there. The one skincare product I've used every morning without fail is the new Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich* (get it for 20% off if it's your first order here!). I absolutely love the original Priming Moisturizer, but this one is just perfect for winter mornings. It's so buttery and rich, but it sinks into the skin quickly and leaves it velvety smooth. Another product I've been using daily is the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence. I've always liked including an essence in my routine, but I never really thought it was a necessary step until I tried this one. I think it's really helping smooth out my skin, keep it clear and bright, and make my pores appear smaller. The last skincare bit I've been obsessing over has been the Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial. I ordered this as soon as I saw that it had been released - I was that excited for it. It's a thin lotion-y mask that contains 25% AHAs and 2% BHAs to give you the results of an at-home peel. My skin tends to be a little on the sensitive side, and while I have some quick stinging when I initially apply the product, I haven't had any irritation from it at all. My skin is left baby-smooth, and it's amazing. Following up with the Glossier moisturizer leaves your skin feeling like actual butter.

MAKEUP | I've been having a real eyeshadow moment lately. I went months not really wearing much, but a switch inside me has been flipped and it's made me appreciate a good eyeshadow again. If I haven't been using one of my "Everyday Eye" shades, I've been dipping into either the Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con No 7 Plush Eyeshadow Palette in The Lover or the Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Nude Dip. They're both full of stunning subtle shades that work well on an everyday basis. They both have lovely formulas that last well throughout the day on me, too. If you want to see reviews and swatches of these, please let me know! While we're on eye makeup, I needed to make it known that I have fallen head over heels for a new mascara and it's making me want to just get rid of all my other mascaras because it's that perfect. It's the Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume & Curl Mascara. It gives me the perfect fluttery lash look I'm always looking for - it fans the lashes out, lengthens them, and adds a bit of volume without being clumpy. It builds up really well without clumping or flaking, so you can wear it with more minimal looks as well as dramatic ones. My favorite thing is that it doesn't smudge on me throughout the day despite not being waterproof. If you've been looking for a new mascara from Sephora, definitely check this one out.

What have you been loving lately?

Overcoming Loneliness When Living Alone

January 20, 2017 in Lifestyle, Tips

I've never lived alone in my life. I went from living with my parents for 23 years straight to living with my fiance last year. So when Brett started the Police Academy in October, leaving me alone throughout the week, it was a big adjustment. Now that I've had three months to get used to it, I'd say I'm a bit of a pro at keeping myself occupied and not melting into a puddle of despair from Monday morning to Friday evening. As a disclaimer, I'm quite the introvert and homebody, so spending some time alone at home is really relaxing and comforting to me. It's all about keeping myself busy at home and mindfully passing the time.

GET A PET (MAYBE??)

Obviously this isn't possible for everyone, but one of the reasons we adopted Lilo (other than the fact that she needed a good home) was so I'd have someone to keep me company during the week. I'd say she's made me feel so much better than I would be if she wasn't here. She gives me something to look forward to each day, and having the responsibility of taking care of her really helps keep my mind busy. And I just love her so much. I really believe that animals can really boost your mood - maybe look around for some petsitting jobs or volunteer at a local animal shelter if you can't get a furbaby of your own.

FIND A HOBBY

Picking up a new hobby to pass the time has been great for me. I've started my Bullet Journal this year, and now I love spending the evenings looking up inspiration and drawing up my weekly spreads and other collections. I also adjusted my blogging schedule now that Brett's away during the week. I usually like to write my posts the night before they go live (although I plan them out for weeks in advance usually), so I changed my posting schedule to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays because the nights before those days are all the nights that Brett isn't home. It gives me something concrete I'll have to do every night and helps me stay focused. I'm also really trying to get back into doing yoga everyday (although at the moment I'm failing), and to cook for myself more instead of just eating macaroni and cheese from a box every night. I think those will help me mindfully pass the time, too.

SEEK OUT NEW ENTERTAINMENT

I've been using my free time alone to start watching shows and movies I'm really interested in. I usually have this issue of putting something on in the background and then melting into my couch as I endlessly and mindlessly scroll through social media. By picking things I'm actually really interested in, it keeps my attention and the time goes by much more quickly. Lately I've really been into A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gilmore Girls, and Bright Lights (the documentary with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds). I'm also thinking of starting Westworld and Game of Thrones over from the beginning, and I'm also using the time to get back into the classic movies I used to be obsessed with but haven't watched much since moving in with Brett.

HAVE THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

I mentioned above that I look forward to coming home to Lilo every night after work, but having other things throughout the week is a big help, too. Of course I look forward to Brett coming home on Fridays, but my mom has started coming down for dinner every Wednesday, and it's such a nice way to break up the week. I love spending time with her, and we get to catch up on our weeks, eat some Wendy's, and watch Gilmore Girls for a few hours. Wednesdays are now my favorite weekday, and it makes the wait till Friday so much easier. I also started planning a time my friends could visit this month back in November, so I had all of December and half of this month to look forward to that, too.

In general, just really take some time for self-care and listen to what your body and your mind need. I try to keep myself alert and my mind active most days, but every once in awhile after a tough day at work I do allow myself an evening of laying on the couch scrolling through Instagram. Do you have any tips for not getting lonely when you're alone?