Empties #9

I will have to take a short little break this week from the blog. We moved apartments this past weekend and everything is still being unpacked and organized. I am also leaving on Thursday to go to a wedding in Pennsylvania. Before I completely leave for the rest of the week I thought I would show you a few things I finished up before our move!

Nailtiques Non-Acetone Remover with Aloe Vera
This was the first non-acetone nail polish remover I have tried. It is more gentle on the nails and since it contains aloe vera it also helps condition the nails to prevent it from becoming too dry. I really did like this nail polish remover and might repurchase it after my current one runs out!

Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom
This is the old packaging for the Bath & Body Works lotions. I am a huge fan of these little small size lotions because they're super handy to keep at my desk at work or in my bag whenever I need it. I hate the feeling of dry hands so as soon I wash my hands I reach for this. I already have a new one on my desk!

Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 50+
I picked this up because I like Cetaphil and I liked that it said SPF 50. Sadly I did not really like this moisturizer. It was too oily on the skin for me. It says that the moisturizer is non-greasy and fragrance free but I still felt it smelled too much like sunscreen. I won't be repurchasing this again...

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin
I really liked this leave-in conditioner. I love the ease of hair conditioning sprays and this one had a lot of benefits. It helps keep my hair hydrated, tangle free, shiny and healthy just to name a few. It also helps against heat protection which is awesome! All in all a great product.

ybf Beauty Automatic Universal Taupe Eyebrow Pencil
This was a great alternative to my favorite eyebrow pencil, the Anastasia Brow Wiz. I wanted to mix things up and try other brow products and I found this one to be quite similiar only the tip was slightly fatter. It has the same twist up pencil and brow groomer on the other end of the pencil. The taupe color was also a fantastic color and for half the price of the Anastasia pencil it was pretty darn good!

Nars Laguna Bronzering Powder
This is a cult favorite! And with good reason. I have been using this bronzing powder for years. Its a nice true brown shade with shimmer running through it. I finally finished this and although I really enjoying using this, I have a new love for the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder because for me, my face is already quite tan so I need a powder with no shimmer to really contour the face.

Ole Henrikson African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser
I got this over the holidays when Sephora was having a few door stopper deals. I hear you should normally stay way from foaming cleansers because they can be to harsh and stripping of essential oils but since I have quite oily skin I think this one worked quite well with me. It felt very gentle and light on my face. It helped remove any leftover makeup I had on my face and I quite liked the fruity scent. This was quite a small travel size but I would be interested in picking up a full size in the future.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday and I will try to do another post asap!

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MAC x Proenza Schouler Nail Lacquer in Dayflower

If you didn't see yesterday's post, I received my MAC x Proenza Schouler order! I picked up 3 nail polishes, 2 lipsticks, 1 blush and 1 eyeliner from the collection. Today I'm featuring the beautiful deep plum color called Dayflower. The shape of the lid actually made applying nail polish extremely easy. It gives you a nice steady hand. The brush is also nice and you only need 1 coat but I always paint 2 coats out of habit. I'm so obsessed with this collection. I can't wait to wear the other 2 polishes I got! This one is going to be great for fall and the winter months (although it is still cold in NYC) and I will be wearing the other two colors I got all summer long!

Did you pick up anything from the MAC x Proenza Schouler collection?

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MAC x Proenza Schouler

The MAC x Proenza Schouler collection has arrived! MAC was offering overnight shipping (promo code NEXT) as well so I received these beauties in 1 day! Unfortunately MAC is having a hiccup and accidentally sent everyone the wrong blush. I ordered the ombre blush in Ocean City and they sent me Sunset Beach... I am still waiting to hear back from a supervisor about this. In total I ordered 2 lipsticks, 3 nail polishes, 1 blush and 1 eyeliner. I absolutely love Proenza Schouler. They are New York based Designers that has some of the best bags out there in my opinion. I was seriously so excited when I heard this collection was coming out and now it's in my hands!

First let's take a moment to appreciate the packaging. It is beautiful. I love the feel, the cool gunmetal ombre look. It makes all the products feel even more luxurious. I didn't want to feature every single product I purchased but over the next few days I will highlight a different product. Today I will talk about the beautiful matte lipstick, Mangrove. It's a incredibly pigmented and vibrant orange-red lipstick. I will be getting a lot of use out of this lipstick this summer for sure. I don't own a matte orange-red lipstick and there is just something very stunning about this on your lips. I think this look beautiful with a simple eye look so the focus is the bright lip. See below how I wore it!

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Real Techniques Stippling Brush

So I talked about the e.l.f. studio stipple brush back in Decemember but now four months later it began to fall apart and now I have a new stipple brush to replace it. The Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I love the Real Technique brushes (I use the Real Techniques Expert Face brush every day to apply my foundation) and while I tried to test some other affordable brands, I'm going back to Real Techniques now because the e.l.f brush handle started to break. It was feeling flimpsy and I did not want to deal with it. I will be using this Real Techniques Stippling brush mostly to apply cream blush. I feel it looks way more glowy and natural than if I were to use just my fingers.

As you can see the Real Techniques brush is a lot bigger than the e.l.f. brush. It has a sturdier handle and the bottle of all the bigger Real Technique brushes are flat so they can rest standing up too which is super convenient. I am very happy about my new brush!

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Outdoor Running and Skincare Tips

Lately I have been trying to get back into running outside. The weather is slowly becoming nicer and it's been motivating me to be more active. I am definitely not a morning person so that means I try to get my work out in right after work. I have been loving using the Nike+ Running app on my phone to track my run. It maps out your run, tells you your distance, pace and calories burned. You can add friends to the app and cheer your friends on their runs.

Before I go out for a run I have been reaching for the Simple Radiance Cleansing Wipes to remove all my makeup. I normally don't like to use cleansing wipes but they're so convenient and easy for the gym or any workout. I always do another cleanse after and before I go to bed. I really like these wipes. They do not contain any alcohol or oil and feel super gentle on the face. They are packed with mango extract, glycerin and bisabolol. Mango is known to be high in Vitamin A, C and Beta Carotine. They retain moisture in the skin and help prevent wrinkles. The Vitamin C in mangos can help with pimples! The Vitamin A and Beta Carotine help give your skin that beautiful glow.

Another essential skincare item if you're going to be working out outside is SPF! I have been using this sample size of the Supergoop! SPF 30+ Sunscreen Serum. I have actually been using this normally in the morning under my foundation as well but I make sure to reapply in the evenings if I'm going out again for a run. This product is great because it protects your skin and repairs it from existing sun damage at the same time! And finally I like to give my eyes a little extra protection and wear sunglasses while I run. These are fun Peter Pilotto for Target sunglasses in the graphic black and white print!

Happy running!

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Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder

I have a new favorite contour powder. Meet the Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder. I find it hard to find nice contour powders because I'm already quite tan and the usual contour powders can often be too light or too orange for my skin. This powder looks way more ashy than my Bourjois Bronzing Powder that I have been using pretty much the past year. It definitely has no shimmer to it at all and is more pigmented than most powders I have tried. It only comes in this one shade that is a universal contour color that works for all skin types. It just depends on how much you use and how well you blend it in. For me it is a easy to blend soft contour shade. I use this with the Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Contour brush. The duo-fiber brushes are good because they pick up less pigment and then I just sweep and blend away.

As you can see it looks so nice against my skin tone! I'm loving this sculpting powder!
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April Birchbox

This month's Birchbox was pretty good. The item I'm most excited about is the Anastasia Clear Brow gel. I already use the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel every single day. It's just a great way to keep your brows neat and in place. I usually apply the gel over an eyebrow pencil or eyeshadow. This cute little travel size is perfect! I also got the BijaBody Daily Body Serum which I have been using for the past few nights. I'm almost out of it actually... It's an organic honey and botanical oil that protects against free radicals. I have only been using this on my legs and for an oil it absorbs quickly and doesn't feel sticky or overly moist. I like it so far!

I got 2 hair products this month. The Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo sounds a lot like the Bumble & Bumble Sunday shampoo that I just mentioned in a post. It gently helps relieve product build-up in the hair without stripping the hair of moisture or color. The second hair product a sample of the Number 4 Reconstructing Masque. This is a super hydrating hair mask. It includes soy protein which helps strengthen hair and it includes shea butter, jojoba seed oil and sunflower oil to help nourish an moisturize hair. This is one of those hair products you apply in the shower and rinse out after 3-5 mintues.

The Color Club Art Duo Pen also looks fun to test out. I don't really do much nail art but this pen will be a nice addition to my nail polish collection. There are two tips in this applicator. One tip has a really long paint brush like applicator and the other side is more like a pen style tool. I will experiment!

Finally the box included a KIND Healthy Grain Bar. I still think it's weird that Birchbox includes food in their monthly box but I did eat it already and it was pretty good.

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Julep Nail Polish

I received 2 Julep nail polishes as a gift from a good friend and I wanted to share with you what I thought about them. I have the shades Char (above) and Flore (below). I have never tried Julep polishes before. They come in this long tube which is very different than most nail polishes. I think the packaging is super cute but I wonder if it will become harder to dip your brush in them later. The brush is just a little bit longer and thinner than I like. It was a little hard to control the polish but it wasn't a big deal. I love the finish on the polishes. They are extremely glossy and didn't even look like they needed a top coat. Because this was such a dark shade I didn't really need a second coat even but I did it anyway out of habit. Julep nail polishes claim to be super fast drying and to have breathable oxygen technology. It also contains a UV filter which prevents your nails from getting stained. So far everything sounds really good!

I chose to paint my nails with the shade Char. Char is a beautiful deep navy color. It was released last year as part of the Garden Party collection. It looks brighter here since it's in the light but I love how dark and rich it looks in person. So far I am really impressed with this Nail Polish line and will be excited to paint my nails with the shade Flore next!

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Empties #8

This month I finished quite a few products. First I finished using the Loreal EverPure Moisture Shampoo. I liked this shampoo a lot. It smelled nice, made my hair feel super soft and I felt it helped keep the color in my hair really well. I also finished the Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer. I only used this in the morning since it has SPF 15. I think for a drugstore moisturizer it was really nice. It did leave a nice glow to my face after applying and didn't feel too sticky. I finally finished using the Mario Badescu Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream. It lasted me a very long time so it was great value for money! I felt it was a good standard eye cream that was very easy to blend into the skin and made my under eye area feel moisturized. It sat well under makeup and felt light-weight.

I was sad to finish the Missha Super Aqua Ultra Waterfull Cream. This product smells so incredible and feels so nice on the skin. I did a whole post here if you're interested in reading more about it. I loved applying this at night because it makes your skin feel amazing. Another product I have talked about over and over again is the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo. This is the second bottle I have finished and I'm already using the third. This is seriously the best acne treatment! I have read that if you use it regularly your skin may get used to the product and it won't work as well so I might have to give it a break (that's how much I use it!) but I swear by this!

I finished my Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transcluent. I have already opened up another one of these as well. I just think this is such a great product for the price. I use this after I have applied my foundation to set my concealer and foundation for the day. I pay this in to only my t-zone area to I don't look too powdery. And last but not least I finished my favorite drugstore mascara, the Loreal Telescopic Original mascara. For $10 this is seriously the best volumizing and lengthening mascara! I do think the Maybelline the Falsies is also good but I don't like the big clumpy wand. This wand is long and skinny and easy to get to all the corners of your eye. I love the waterproof and non-waterproof formulas. I finished the waterproof version awhile ago so I have repurchased another one. I will keep trying other mascaras but so far none has impressed me as much as this one!

Happy Monday everyone!

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Current Favorite Base

My two favorite combination products for a perfect base lately has to be the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer with Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. These two are so beautiful and seriously make your skin look like its super flawless. The Hourglass primer is very velvety and feels more liquidy than most primers I've tried. It has SPF 15 which is great because the Armani Luminous Silk doens't have any SPF. The primer is amazing. It's mineral-based, reduces shine, creates a smooth canvas and water-resistant! I got the small travel size (still a little pricey) because most days I don't use primers but some days your face is just lacking that glow or needs a little something extra and especially if you know you're going to be photographed, I think it is amazing for daytime (no flash photography for SPF!) It's a white consistency that you smooth over your face (don't rub it in) and just let it set before putting on foundation or whatever base you want to put on top.

The Luminous Silk foundation is really as beautiful as people say. I think it makes your skin look so smooth and really radiant. It's a lighter coverage than I originally thought but you can build up the coverage. It feels extremely lightweight and like skin on the face. It comes in a ton of shades so you can easily get matched at a counter for yours. I got the shade 6.5 because now that it's Spring I will be a few shades darker so this will be my perfect summer shade. This has been my go-to night out foundation or if I know I'm going to photographed foundation. I've been loving it so much I have been wearing it during the day (with SPF of course!)

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Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo

The Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo is the perfect shampoo to reset your hair for the week. Every day we can put a bunch of products in our hair: leave in conditioners, hair spray, styling products, etc., and this shampoo acts like a detox to remove that residue left on your hair that prevents it from being as shiny and healthy as it can be. Despite it's name, you can use it any day of the week and it's great to use the day before you do a deep hair mask or right before you color your hair! I really like using this because your hair can start to feel weighed down by all the product and pollution from the city. This leave my hair feeling squeaky clean and healthy. It's also nice just to mix up your hair routine once in awhile so it doesn't get used to a product. I feel my hair feels like it has more body after I use this shampoo and just feels very clean. I love it!

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New from Missha

Two cool products new from Missha last month are the Geumsul Vitalizing Finisher and the Geumsul Vitalizing Stick Eye Cream.

The Finisher is used as the last step in your skincare routine right before you apply makeup. Apply a generous amount to your face right after your apply moisturizer to lock in all the moisture on your face and to create an ideal base for long-lasting makeup. Like all Missha products this feels incredible on the skin. It helps your skin look radiant and smooth. You can apply this morning and night but I like to apply this in the morning before I start my makeup.

The Stick Eye Cream is genius. I love the easiness and portability of this product. It's also great for travel and daytime because it has SPF 14! The formula combines traditional oriental medicine and breakthrough scientific advancements from today. It contains Panax Ginseng Seed Oil to protect the delicate eye area skin, Safflower Oil to help moisturize and Primrose Oil to brighten. It's also feels nice on the skin. Overall I love using it!

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March Favorites

March Favorites time! I've been using kind of the same makeup from last month but just a few more things in rotation than before.

I have been really getting a lot of use out of my MAC palette, mainly the two brown shades at the bottom. I use the one on the right, Cork, to contour the crease of my eyelid and I use the left shade, Brun, to fill in my brows. I haven't even using much eyeshadow on the eyes this month. Just some contour and eyeliner and I'm out the door.

In my handbag I have been carrying around these next three featured items. First, this lipgloss, the Revlon Super Lustrous lipgloss in 215 Super Natural is so pretty! The packaging of these look a lot more high end that they are and this color matches my lips perfectly so I don't even need a mirror to apply. I reach for it quite often. Next I have been loving the Diptyque Eau Rose rollerball perfume. I often forget to put on perfume before I head out the door so it's nice I can carry this small one around and apply it throughout the day. This one is quite girly but I really love it. And I have been wearing the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Streak a lot this month but it's just a really pretty girly coral pink that makes me feel like Spring might be around the corner still (c'mon Weather!).

I have been wearing Chanel nail polish in Inattendu a lot this month. We had our engagement photos taken this past weekend and that's exactly what I decided to wear on my nails. Inattendu is a pale peachy beige color. I usually paint on 3 coats because it can be quite sheer. The past few months I have been using the Zoya Remove + Nail Polish Remover and besides the fact that the bottle has become a little deformed, I love the easiness of the pump and it's really easy to remove nail polish. It doesn't feel that striping either!

Finally two skincare products that stuck out to me this month were the Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright serum which I have been using mornings and nights and the Michael Todd Pumpkin mask. Pepta-bright feels really nice on my skin under makeup and I'm hoping it's helping even skintone and brighten my face. I LOVE the Michael Todd mask. It stings on the face for the first few minutes but I seriously think my skin looks so much better the next morning. I only use it once every 2 weeks because I think it is quite strong. It also has an intense pumpkin scent so beware!

Hope everyone had a great March!

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