Getting the glow - Favorite Illuminizing products

Hi beauties,


As someone who suffers from dry and dull skin, I rely on illuminizing products to keep me glowing. I thought it would be fun to share my favorite illuminizing products with you all.

[L-R] MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder, WetnWild Mega Glow Illuminating Powder, Benefit High Beam, Diorskin Shimmer Powder, Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips, Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer.

First of all I should start off by saying to please ignore my MAC Pigment in "Naked", I was going to include it, but then realized that I use it to highlight my eyes not my face. OOPS!

Let's start off with the MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light. Mine is in limited edition packaging from the Disney Venomous Villains collection, but it is now a permanent product so it is still available to purchase. This is supposedly 70% water, and is "light reflecting and translucent". It is a gorgeous highlighter in a very subtle way. I would say if you want to highlight in an "office appropriate" kind of way, then go for this product. I would like to point out that after a year of having this product, mine doesn't have that "cool liquid" feel that it did when I first purchased it. (Although it is still a beautiful highlighter, even without the gimmick.) This retails for $30 and is available on MAC's website.

 

One of my favorite highlighters is the WetnWild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in 345 Catwalk Pink. It would definitely be better suited for girls with paler skin tones, because the shades are very light. I have used these individually for a more concentrated highlight, and have even used them as eyeshadows, but I have also just swirled my brush over all the colors, and highlighted that way. It is a gorgeous product, and you can't really go wrong for $3.99! The Mega Glo range also has other shades, which I can't wait to check out. 

Benefit's high beam would probably be classified as a cult classic. It is a beautiful pink toned highlighter that comes in unique nail polish like packaging which is easy to use and travel friendly. The good thing about high beam, is that it can be applied lightly for a subtle highlight, or layered up for a more intense highlight. It is very pricey at $26, but it can sometimes be found in gift sets or trial kits so that you can try it out before committing to the entire bottle (and the hefty price tag!)

This product is highly recommended in both the blogging and Youtube beauty communities. The Dior Shimmer Powder in 002 Amber Diamond retails for $45 which is very pricey, but it is so worth it! I have used this product as a highlight, as eyeshadows, and as a shimmery bronzer. The possibilities really are endless with this. I recommend trying it out, because I guarantee you will fall in LOVE, just like I did! 

The Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Blush & Highlighter in Healthy Glow has been said to be a dupe for Bobbi Brown Shimmer bricks, which is great because it is significantly cheaper than the Shimmer Bricks. This retails for $12.95 and is beautiful to layer over a blush or just use the top two strips to highlight the cheekbones. I found this 75% off at CVS so I'm not sure if this line is being discontinued or not, but I would definitely recommend you to try this out if you can find it at your local drugstore. 

 Last, but not least is my FAVORITE of all illuminizing products that I have tried, which is the Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer. I adore Josie Maran products (but more on that later), and this product is no exception. I got this in a gift set, so it is smaller than the one you can buy in stores. Mine is 0.5 fl oz, and the full size is 1 fl oz and retails for $28. This product comes in a glass bottle which includes a pump which is so nice and makes using the product so much easier. This product is infused with Argan oil which has so many great benefits for your skin, so you're not only highlighting you skin, but you're doing some good for your skin as well. Besides the obvious use of highlighting my face, I love to mix a pump of the Argan Illuminizer with a moisturizer to put on my legs, because it gives the most beautiful effect to your legs and really hides any flaws while making your skin glow. I highly recommend that you get a sample at Sephora and try this out, because it is such a lovely product and is cruelty free. 

Well there you have it: My favorite Illuminizing products! I'd love any recommendations that you have about illuminizing products that I should try out! 


Hope everyone is having a great week

xoxo,
Erin
 

OOTD- Cell phone photo edition

Hi beauties,

First of all let me apologize for the photo quality of this post. They were taken with my phone so they aren't the typical quality of photos that are normally on my blog. I was at work and decided to snap a few photos of my outfit!

I wanted to show you my outfit because I got such a great deal on my sweater! I found it at JCPenney for only $5! It is 3/4 length sweater and is so comfortable!

Outfit:
Sweater: JCPenney
Skirt: Marshall's
Leggings: Walmart - (my FAVORITE leggings ever!)
Leg Warmers: Betseyville (also found at JCPenney for only $3!!)
Boots: Rack Room Shoes
Lanyard : Local Boutique

Influenster Sweetheart VoxBox Unboxing!!!!

Hi beauties,

I am BEYOND excited to share this post with you!!

A few months ago I heard about a website called Influenster [link] which is a free online community where you share your opinions on different products. Their website describes itself as "Basically, Influenster is a place for culture junkies to come together and share their unique opinions of products and experiences. Active members of Influenster get exclusive access to deals, promotions, and swag from brands that thrive off the input (the good, the bad, and the ugly -- they just want to know what's up)." 

I was lucky enough to qualify for their monthly VoxBox for February, which was called the Sweetheart VoxBox. I uploaded a unboxing video on my YouTube channel, but wanted to share it on my blog as well! 

This is how the VoxBox came packaged. How adorable is this little pink heart? 

Birds eye view of the goodies inside. Isn't it adorable? I CAN'T wait to review the products for you guys!

Products [L-R] Olay Fresh Effects {Va-Va-VIVID!} Powered Contour Cleansing System, Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray, SkinnyGirl On-the-Go Bars COCO-NUT, Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant. 

The Olay Fresh Effects {VA-VA-VIVID!} Powered Contour Cleansing System is said to give you a 400% Better Clean than just cleaning manually. I can't wait to try this out and see how well it cleans. It could possibly be the cheaper alternative to the Clarisonic! I'll keep you posted.

The next product was the Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea-Salt Spray. I have heard a lot about Not Your Mother's Products on YouTube, but had never tried any for myself. My first impression on this product is that it is AMAZING! Not only does it smell delicious, but it defined my curls while keeping them smooth and soft, which is rare for a sea-salt spray.

The Skinnygirl Daily On-the-Go Bars were something that immediately sparked my interest. I'm sure everyone has heard of the creater of Skinnygirl, Bethenny Frankel from Real Housewives of New York. I had heard of the Skinnygirl Cocktails, so when I saw that there were nutrition bars, I was very interested. As a vegetarian, I don't always get all the protein that I need in my diet, so when I saw that the COCO-NUT bar had 8 grams of protein in a 180 calorie bar, I was more than excited to try it out. Typically nutrition type bars have a funny aftertaste, and that was simply NOT the case with these. It was delicious, and it was a perfect afternoon pick me up which gave me that extra energy I needed to push through my afternoon to do list. I would HIGHLY recommend these, and plan on purchasing more!

Last but not least, the final product included in my Sweetheart VoxBox was the Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant. Recently, I saw a commercial that explained that our normal sweat is different from the sweat that happens when we are stressed, which is a really interesting concept, and something that I never noticed before, but it totally makes sense. I love Secret Clinical Strength deodorants, and am excited to test this one out. My first impression is that it smells wonderful! The scent is "serene citrus" and it smells incredible, (if it was a perfume, I would probably wear it. It reminds me of Pacifica Body butters, which I am a HUGE fan of!) I have noticed that I stay fresh longer than I typically would with my normal deodorant. I'll keep you updated!


I can't wait to write a followup review after I finish testing out these products and let you all know how everything turned out!

I hope you all are doing well!


xoxo,
Erin 

Yardley London Sea Minerals Skin Smoothing Bath & Shower Gel

Hi beauties,

I'm coming at you today with a product RAVE! I have absolutely been loving the Yardley London Sea Minerals Skin Smoothing Bath & Shower Gel. "This Skin Smoothing Bath & Shower Gel is made with the perfect balance of Sea Minerals and nourishing plant extracts that moisturize, rejuvenate, and gently exfoliate. Your skin will feel smooth, toned and firmed to perfection. Refreshing & exhilarating bergamot + lime scent."  

I'll start off by telling you how amazing this scent is. I smell more of the lime rather than the beramot, but it is a light, and never overpowering scent that smells fresh and clean. It has Sea salt, and Sea Kelp which is supposed to help your skin feel firm. I have extremely dry skin, which becomes very itchy during the winter months, and I have to exfoliate regularly in order to keep my skin from feeling dull. This shower gel has become my most reached for product in my shower, because the sea salt grains are so small that it really exfoliates without feeling as though you are damaging your skin. (cough- apricot scrub- cough) It is paraben free, but I recently noticed that it is NOT sulfate free, with two of the top ingredients including the word "sulfate", which I will assume is what makes the shower gel foam up and create such a nice lather. Though it does include sulfates, I haven't noticed that it's dried out my skin further, which is great because normal shower gels cause my skin to become even more dry. 

I would definitely recommend the Yardley London Sea Minerals Skin Smoothing Bath & Shower gel to those looking for a gentle yet effective every day exfoliating shower gel, which smells nice and really helps wake you up in the mornings!

Has anyone tried any Yardley London products?


xoxo,
Erin

Top 10 Favorite Nail Polish Brands (5 Drugstore + 5 Higher end)

Hi Beauties,

I did a video over on my Youtube channel (which should be uploaded soon- I'll link when it's uploaded) on my top 10 favorite nail polish brands (5 drugstore + 5 higher end). I thought it would be fun to put up an accompanying blog post for those who aren't subscribed to my videos. Again these are my top brands not necessarily my favorite shades.

Let's start with my top 5 drugstore nail polish brands:

 

The first brand that I really like is by NYC, specifically their Long-Wearing Nail Enamel range. Not only do they last forever like the name suggests, but they are only 99 cents, which is incredible. One downside is that these polishes have more of a strong distinct smell when compared to other polishes. I'm also not sure if these are a 3-Free formula, so if that is something that bothers you I would steer clear from these. I really like them though. Pink Promenade is one of my favorite shades from the range as well, and looks gorgeous in the summer with a tan.

 

The Sally Hansen complete Salone Manicure nail polishes are so nice! The brush is wider which allows for you to almost coat your entire nail with one swipe. This shade isn't necessarily my favorite, although it is a pretty color. It is in the shade "Plum luck". With the complete salon manicure range I don't feel as if I need to use a top coat, because they are super glossy. You can find this range in most drugstores and grocery stores and they run around $6.99.

If you are a fan of the Sally Hansen complete salon manicure polishes, then you will love the Wet n Wild Megalast salon nail colors. They have the same brush that can coat a nail in one swipe, and are very long lasting. The upside of the Megalast range? They are only $1.99, which is an absolute bargain. 

Sinful Colors nail polishes have quickly become one of my favorite nail polish brands. They are high quality and only $1.99 each. The pictured shade- "Sugar Sugar" is also one of my favorite shades out of all the Sinful Colors polishes that I own. I've heard it's a dupe for China Glazes' Ruby Pumps. 

Revlon nail polishes are a really great drugstore polish. They sometimes need several coats because they can apply streaky (which I think is because of the thin brush), but you don't need a top coat because they are very glossy. This is my favorite black nail polish that I've ever tried. It is called "Black Lingerie" and is gorgeous! 

Now on to the higher end nail polishes:

Butter London polishes run about $15.00 which is definitely a splurge, but I really like these polishes. This shade is in Wallis, which is my sisters middle name, so I just HAD to pick up this shade. They are long lasting, and have some very unique shades. You can sometimes find these on BOGO at Ulta.

OPI Nail polishes are my absolute favorite! They are long lasting, the brushes make application a dream, and they have some very unique shades. These run about $8.00. The pictured shade is my favorite OPI shade of all time, which is "Rumple's Wiggin'" the perfect pastel purple. I love to wear it during spring and summer.

Essie is another staple brand in many collections of the beauty obsessed, and I think they definitely suck you in with their many collections. These polishes retail for $8.00 and have become more widely available and easier to find. One thing I will say about Essie polishes is that I have a hard time applying them without streaking. The brush is very thin which I think contributes to the streaky application. I'm not sure if it is just me and my application technique, or if other people have had the same issue, but I'd love to hear any suggestions on how to get a smoother application. I really have also been enjoying their Billionails and Trillionails nail treatments, and there will be a separate blog post coming up soon on those. 

MAC Cosmetics Nail Polishes are definitely a splurge item, retailing for $16.00 each, but I really like them, especially the cream finishes. This polish was from the MAC Hello Kitty collection in a shade called On the Prowl, and is a gorgeous true light grey color without having any purple-taupe-y undertones. MAC has included a similar color in several collections, so it shouldn't be too difficult to locate something similar. MAC polishes are long lasting, and don't apply streaky. Typically two coats will give you a flawless full coverage color on your nail. I'm a sucker for MACS limited edition packaging, especially the Hello Kitty Collection! (I'm a little Hello Kitty obsessed!)

I only have 2 China Glaze polishes, and 1 China Glaze top coat, and I really like them. The reason I haven't gotten more is because their selection is so HUGE that I get overwhelmed looking at swatches. They retail for $6.99 which is not much more than the some of the polishes at the drugstore, and I believe that you can buy them at Sally's beauty (which is out of the way for me) or Ulta. The brush is very similar to that of Essie polishes, so you have to do a couple of coats in order for it to be a true full coverage color without any streaky-ness. This is also one of my favorite shades out of all my polishes, because it is a true Tiffany's blue and is called "For Audrey". My favorite movie of all time is Breakfast at Tiffany's, so when I heard about this polish I HAD TO HAVE IT!!!!

So there you have it! My top 10 favorite nail polish brands! I have heard wonderful things about Zoya, so that will probably be the next brand that I try out! I'd love to hear what your favorite nail polish brands are! Also let me know if you'd like to see a nail polish collection video or blog post as I'd be happy to do that.

Hope you all are having a happy Tuesday!


xoxo,
Erin

Flower Beauty Goodies

Hi beauties,


Recently I heard about Flower Beauty's launch in Walmart stores, and I was definitely intrigued. If you haven't heard about Flower Beauty, it is a cosmetics line designed by Drew Barrymore who wanted to make a high quality makeup line that has really great ingredients while still being affordable. The entire line is made in the USA and is NOT tested on animals. If you don't live near a Walmart store, you can still find the range online at Walmart's website. I had to go to several Walmart stores to find the line, and my store didn't have the entire range. I picked up three items from the collection, and couldn't wait to share them with you. 

 

The first item I was drawn to was the nail polish in the color NP4 Gorgeous Gerbera. I had seen swatches of it online, and thought it would be my staple color for spring and summer. The swatches I saw pulled more of a pinky tone than it does on me, which tends to pull more peach. I still really love this color, and think it will look stunning during the summer with a tan.

I hadn't seen any reviews for the "Shadow Play" eyeshadow quads, and I was interested in trying them out, especially after seeing the colors in the Smoke and Mirrors quad. Something that is really nice about these is that three out of the four eyeshadows are matte, making this quad really wearable for everyday. I will say that when you put your brush into the eyeshadows you will have to tap off quite a bit of excess product, because the eyeshadows are a bit chalky or powdery. That being said, they are still very pigmented, and smooth when applied to the eye. If you feel the consistency of the eyeshadows between your fingers, you will definitely be surprised at how silky they feel. (Similar to the smoothness of Urban Decay shadows) I wore this quad to work on Saturday, and it was so nice because I could do a simple matte neutral eye for work, and then add the shimmery shade and darken my crease for a night out. It is a quad that I could see myself reaching for regularly. 

 The last item that I found was the Shine On Lip Gloss in the color LG2 Baby's Breath. It is a gorgeous baby pink color. With having extremely dry lips, I am always a little skeptical when trying lip gloss, but I thought I would give it a try anyways. This lip gloss is a cream finish and has no glitter whatsoever which means it is very smooth. Although it doesn't claim to be long wearing, I found that this lip gloss lasted around three hours for me, which I think is great. It feels substantial on the lips without being sticky, and it feels like a very grown up version of your typical baby pink lip glosses.

Those were the three items that I picked up from Flower Beauty. I'm very interested in trying both their BB Cream, and their Face Primer which I have heard wonderful things about. A little heads up if you decide to order online, their cream blushes are TINY, I was shocked by how small they were. I decided it wasn't worth the price for the small amount of product that you get. I've heard mixed reviews about their lip sticks and lip butters, but I will probably end up trying those as well.

Have you guys tried anything from Flower Beauty? I'd love to know your thoughts.

xoxo,
Erin

FOTD featuring Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation

Hi beauties,

I wanted to do another Face of the day post, because I have been absolutely LOVING Revlon's new Nearly Naked foundation, and I wanted to include a FOTD wearing it.

Products Used:

FACE:
Garnier Nutritioniste Anti-Sun-Damage Daily Moisture Lotion
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation - 120 Vanilla
Revlon Age Defying Concealer - Light
Rimmel London Natural Bronzer- Sun light
Hard Candy Fox in a Box blush - Spicy & Sweet

EYES:
Maybelline Color Tattoo - Too Cool
Urban Decay Naked Palette - Virgin, Sin, Sidecar, Naked, Buck, Darkhorse 
MAC Fluidline - Dip down
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner - Flipside
Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Lips:
L'oreal the Balm - Caring Coral
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain- Honey


xoxo,
Erin

Cheeky little drugstore purchases

Hi beauties,

Yesterday I ran into Walgreens to buy some Valentine's day candy. Why? I'm not sure exactly, because I ended up in the beauty aisles instead of the candy aisle. (of course!)

I picked up Rimmel London's BB Cream in light, Rimmel London Scandaleyes Flex Mascara, Sinful Colors Nail Polishes in Unicorn and Sugar Rush, and a Jordana Fabuliner in brown.

Rimmel London's BB Cream in light is something that I've been wanting to try. It is cheaper than most drugstore BB creams, and claims to do 9 different things for your skin. It has an SPF 25 which is nice, but the product itself smells completely of sun screen, so if that smell isn't something you are too fond of, I might consider a different BB cream. At first try, I really like the BB cream although it pulls a little on the orange side, but I'll include a photo of me wearing it. 

I also picked up two Sinful Colors nail polishes. One is called Unicorn and it is a gorgeous pastel yellow. The second polish is Sugar Rush which is a beautiful pastel blue. I LOVE Sinful Colors nail polishes, and they are a bargain at $1.99 each.

Jordana Fabuliner is something that I recently heard about from GlamLifeGuru on youtube. It is a great deal at $1.99, and I really like it so far.

Last but not least is Rimmel London's Scandaleyes Flex, it is supposedly meant to be a mascara that can be taken from day to night, and is supposed to start by looking natural while becoming a false lash look after a few more coats. I chose this mascara in Extreme black, and it was not nearly as dark as my holy grail Revlon Grow Luscious mascara. I'm not sure how I feel about this mascara yet to be honest.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, thanks for reading! I'd love to hear about any drugstore products you're loving, so I can give them a try.


xoxo,
Erin