The Spring Edit | Rosy Eyes, Lips, and Cheeks

March 21, 2017 in Makeup

Although we're still sitting underneath about a foot of snow here in Connecticut, it's officially spring! I couldn't be happier to see the winter end and am looking forward to longer, warmer days. I tend to pick out more rosy shades for my makeup year-round, but springtime is when I really pull out all the stops, wearing it on the eyes, lips, and cheeks.

EYES | As I fall more and more in love with softer eyeshadow looks, I've been finding myself gravitating towards some rosey neutrals a lot more than the bronze-y shades I used to be obsessed with. I just can't get enough of the Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con No 7 Plush Eyeshadow Palette in 'The Lover' (review). The soft, subtle pink-toned neutrals make it such a pretty pick for spring, and it gives such a perfect look for every day. I've also been really into smudging a bit of the Milk Makeup Eye Pigment* in After Party (review) on my eyelids on more rushed days - they're so pigmented and absolutely do not budge all day. After Party is such a pretty rose gold shade - usually rose gold shades read too copper-y orange on me, but this one actually maintains its rosiness. A more brightening pick is the NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Rigel. It's such a stunning metallic pinky champagne, making it perfect for popping on the center of the eyelid or inner corners to make yourself look more awake.

LIPS | I'll try not to be too redundant after my Valentine's Lipsticks post last month, but these kinds of rosy shades have been my go-to for quite awhile now. I'm slowly transitioning from the brown nudes I was hoarding for some slightly more pink options. For everyday I like a more sheer, balmy lip color, so the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Petal is absolutely perfect. This may just be my favorite lip product ever - I just can't stop raving about it. Their new shade, Bloom, looks beautiful as well. When I want a slightly punchier pink, I go for the Glossier Generation G in Crush. It gives a popsicle-stain effect on the lips that looks really cool and really natural. When I want something more pigmented, I've been using the Bite Beauty Lip Pencil in 024 all over my lips - it's a really pretty salmon-y pink color, but it's not too warm on me. It pairs really nicely with the Multistick in Mascarpone, too - another favorite for both eyes and cheeks for spring. The boldest pink I've been wearing has been the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Liquid Lip Creme in Shush Blush. It's a really pretty deep pink shade that isn't too bright, so it's still extremely wearable. The formula of these is absolutely beautiful - super long-wearing but still quite comfortable.

CHEEKS | Like the other categories, I was a huge fan of nude blushes and bronzers for the longest time, but now that spring is finally here I've actually been favoring a rosy cheek. This is weird for me because I usually have quite a lot of redness in my skin, but it's been behaving itself lately. I mentioned above that I love the Bite Beauty Multistick in Mascarpone on my cheeks, and another cream blush I've been using a lot for a rosy glow is the Estee Lauder Genuine Glow Blushing Creme* in Sweet Cheeks. It's a super nice balmy formula that adds a luminous flush to the skin. My ultimate favorite blush at the moment is the Glossier Cloud Paint* in Puff - I think this is my favorite of the four shades for my skin tone. It really adds the most natural pop of color to the cheeks, and I can see myself using this tube up in no time (even though you just need a dot of product for both cheeks). When I want a powder blush, I've been reaching for my NARS Unfiltered Cheek Palette in Unfiltered II nonstop - I really love the two shades on the right of the palette, and they look super pretty on top of Puff. Because my skin is quite pink-toned, I always go for more rosy highlights rather than gold ones, but I thought I'd mention my favorites anyway. I will use Glossier Haloscope in Quartz until I die and you can quote me on that. It's my holy grail, most favorite highlighter ever. If I want to make it more intense or I'm just feeling a powder, I've been using the Jouer Powder Highlighter in Rose Quartz. These are getting so much hype, and they really deserve it. They're such a soft, creamy powder so it's easy to go either super intense or more natural. Be careful with them though - they're really fragile.

What are your favorite rosy pink products? Do you start wearing rosy pink everything in springtime, too?

New In: Skincare On Trial

March 17, 2017 in Skincare

Over the past couple months I've been trying to stick to a more concrete skincare routine, but that doesn't mean I've stopped testing things. I've been testing some new products here and there and figuring out how they fit into my routine, and instead of hoarding all this information any longer I figured it was time to start sharing my thoughts so far.

Too Cool For School | Let's get this one out of the way first, because I was actually sent the Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Cream* months and months ago, and I totally forgot about it until recently. I became obsessed with the Body Butter* (and still am, it's seriously the best body butter I've ever tried), but somehow the moisturizer got lost in my collection. It's a lightweight cream with a similar scent to the body butter, which I can't even describe other than faintly sweet and pleasant. It promises to hydrate and firm the skin, and boy does it do just that. It makes my skin feel so plump and firm and bouncy - it's a new favorite to wear underneath makeup.

Pixi Double Cleanse | I was (very, very kindly) sent the whole Pixi Pretties Collection, and the Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse* was the product from the collection I was most excited about. I forced myself to finish up the cleansing balm I was using before starting this, and it was so worth the wait. The pot is split into two sections - a solid cleansing balm to remove makeup and SPF, and a cleansing cream to use as a second cleanse. I always double cleanse when I wear makeup, so it's super convenient to have both cleansers housed in one tub. The solid cleansing oil demolishes all of my makeup, even waterproof mascara, with minimal effort, and the cleansing cream feels so soothing and nourishing on my skin. My skin always feels super clean but never tight afterward.

Mun Skincare | I've been seeing Mun Skincare a lot on Instagram lately, and I was super intrigued and wanted to try some for myself. I ended up winning their Anarose Hydrating Rose Toner and Aknari Brightening Youth Serum in a giveaway, and I was so excited to receive them that I started testing them right away. I absolutely love the packaging first of all - super chic, heavy glass bottles that look so nice on my bathroom counter. The toner is my new favorite for my morning skincare routine - it's super soothing, refreshing, and hydrating, and it really helps to wake me up. I've only used the serum a handful of times, but I like that it's full of nourishing oils. It feels so beneficial to the skin, and it keeps it plump and hydrated throughout the day.

The Body Shop | I already talked about how much I've been loving The Body Shop Oils of Life Eye Cream* in my Bright Eyes post from last week, but I was also sent the new Drops of Youth Liquid Peel* to try. I've used a product like this before, but it's still such a cool concept to me. It's a clear gel you massage into your skin, and as you're massaging it begins to ball up, taking dead skin and impurities with it. Once it's rinsed off you're left with a super smooth and glowy complexion. Something like this is the perfect thing to try if you've been wanting to try an exfoliator but are afraid of manual scrubs or chemical exfoliants.

BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz | BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz is a skincare brand established in 2011 by Manhattan dermatologist Dr. Neal Schultz built on feedback from over 100,000 patients. The products focus on achieving glowing skin from home, which I am all about. I was sent three products from the line - the Gentle Cream Cleanser,* the Triple Vitamin C Serum,* and the Ultra Hydrating Eye Repair Cream.* The cleanser is now one of my favorites for the morning. It contains chamomile to soothe as it cleans, and it really helps bring down the redness in my face in the mornings. I've only tried the serum a couple times so far, but I've already been noticing a difference in the brightness of my skin. It uses three potent types of Vitamin C, and I love that it's in an opaque pump bottle to preserve its efficacy. The eye cream might just be my favorite so far though - I was suffering from extremely dry undereyes before I tried it, and it immediately sorted everything out. It's a typical cream texture, not too heavy, but still heavy enough to be hydrating, and it still works well underneath my concealer.

New Face Masks on Trial | I came home to a lovely surprise package from Perricone MD a couple weeks ago containing their new Cocoa Moisture Mask* and a mini of their Chloro Plasma Purifying Mask.* So far I've only gotten the chance to try the cocoa mask, but oh man is it something special. It smells amazing, first of all, and it feels so luxurious and nourishing on the skin. It leaves my skin feeling super hydrated and ready for the next steps of my skincare. Another hydrating mask I've been super into has been the CosRX Ultra Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask. I got this after seeing Mili talk about it on Sharmtoaster - she made it seem like a must-have. So far I'm absolutely loving it. It keeps my skin super hydrated throughout the night without feeling sticky or heavy whatsoever. I've also been taking her recommendation on using it over the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream, and it certainly is a winning combination.

Thanks for sticking around if you're still here, I could blab about skincare all day long! Let me know if you'd like to see more in-depth reviews on anything as I test them out more in the coming weeks.

What new skincare have you been trying lately?

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions and results are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

The New Glowy Duo | Make Up For Ever Water Blend + Marc Jacobs Dew Drops

March 16, 2017 in Makeup

I'm constantly on the lookout for products that will give me super dewy skin. I feel like I always just look so dull, so even a small amount of faux radiance makes a world of difference. I had been wanting to try the Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation since it came out, and I finally took the plunge when I found my shade in stock at Sephora. And as I'm such a fan of the Marc Jacobs Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer, I just had to jump at the chance to order their new Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter when it was released.

The Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation is a water-thin foundation (as the name suggests) that gives a beautiful skin-like finish. It's incredibly sheer coverage, but it helps to even out the skin. It really feels like you have nothing on your skin. It just smooths everything out and is truly a "my skin but better" product. I like applying it with fingers best, and once blended it leaves such a healthy look to the skin. It reminds me a lot of the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint - so if you can't get your hands on Glossier right now, I'd give this a try.

I've been super into cream and liquid highlighters lately, so the Marc Jacobs Dewdrops Highlighter was a welcome addition. It's a super lovely cooling gel formula. It's beautifully pigmented but sheers out so easily. It's a lovely warm golden peach shade - usually I can't do golden shades, but this one still works. A small dot blended over the cheekbones with fingers or a Beautyblender adds a golden highlight that adds so much life to the face. It also mixes into foundations seamlessly, giving you a radiant warm sheen that makes it look like you just came back from vacation. A small amount mixed with the Water Blend Foundation is absolutely beautiful. It really amps up the dewiness without being too "discoball." I can't wait to start mixing it with more products to see how I like it best, but for now, it's a beautiful addition to the Water Blend.

Have you tried either of these?