Alexa for Eyeko - Eye DO!

So, you all know who Alexa Chung is, right?! I hope you do because she's the epitome of cool. But if you're under a rock or you've been locked in a high security vault for the past few years, Alexa is a DJ, model, style icon, illustrator (which totally inspired the main image I drew for todays post) and all around person extraordinaire known for her effortlessly cool style - very laid back tomboy, but feminine and chic. I don't know how she does it, but she does it well. And she's of course known for her classic kitten flick eyeliner. Her makeup is always minimal, but she's never without that 1960's flick inspired by the classics. How can you go wrong?! So, recently, she teamed up with Eyeko to create a kit with her perfect liquid eyeliner and mascara. This is the first time I ever tried anything from Eyeko and I'm impressed!

Dior Spring Nails - Blossom 132

Hey Everyone. First and foremost - HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Gotta love a Friday. I thought I'd leave you all with a pretty Spring color this week - the Dior Blossom nail polish. They have six colors total in their spring line, but when I saw Blossom, I knew I wanted it. I love a good peachy color for the Spring time. I do enjoy Dior polishes as they have that same wide brush that's flat and cut rounded at the top like the YSL polishes. It makes it really easy to paint your nails as it fits perfectly into your nail beds and fans out nicely to coat your entire nail in one to two strokes. I think the color is really pretty and quite universally flattering. It's very fresh. A peach color with golden shimmer running through it. It is more of a sheer nail color. With two coats you can still slightly see through it which I don't mind at all because it does look like the color in the bottle meaning it's intended to be that way. If you're looking for something opaque, you'd have to do three coats to get that with this one so I wouldn't recommend this if that's what you're expecting. I, however, was very happy with it as it feels like a very light and happy color. Quite pleased! 

Click through for promo pics of all the new colors and a nail swatch of Blossom.

Hope you all are doing wonderful!

Talk soon. Kisses, J

Beauty - A Love/Hate Relationship

I'm short, my eyes don't match (did I ever mention I have a lazy eye?) and don't even get me started on my brows! Uneven as can be. Not twins or sisters. They're more like second cousins twice removed. My front teeth are huge (they look like chiclets) and my nose is crooked. My forehead is big and my skin isn't perfect. But this is who I am. It all comes together in some generally decent way - I think. I'm good with how I look. Not in a conceited way, but in the sense that I feel good about myself. Confident in who I am and how I've been put together. Our features shape who we are. My moms lips, my dads hair - it all tells a story. So, when I put on my makeup in the morning, I'm not looking to mask who I am. I like who I see and I'm not looking to change it. I have come to love makeup because I look at it as two things. (1) To enhance and shape the features I have and (2) as a form of art - a way of transforming one thing into something else that's not more beautiful, but different in a fun and interesting way. I used to love going all out with makeup on one side of my face and seeing how it can alter features so dramatically just with color and shading. It honestly just blows my mind sometimes and I love playing with shapes and color. It's a form of expression. Unfortunately, this all gets lost sometimes. Why is she wearing so much blush? Her eyelashes are tiny. I can't believe she went out looking like that. Therefore pushing us to feel as though we can't leave the house without checking the mirror a hundred times or like we're not acceptable to the world without a false pair of lashes. But, even worse than that is that we do it to ourselves. Obsessing over every detail and comparing ourselves to others. Ugh, her skin is flawless. I wish I had her hair. Pushing us to want and do things to ourselves to morph into things we are not. So today, I wanted to talk about my love/hate relationship with beauty. The things that nag me and the things that make me fall in love.

Chanel La Diva Lipstick - Spring 2014

I cannot tell you how madly in love I am with this lipstick! I first saw it online and thought - it's probably not that vibrant in person, but let's give it a go. It looked gorgeous and honestly it is! I just love love love this color. It's a very bright pink color with a velvet matte finish. I mean, seriously! I cannot fault this whatsoever. For a girl who hates wearing even regular lipsticks, this is a pretty comfortable matte. It has a slight creamy feeling which is really comfy on the lips. The texture is thin, but highly pigmented. And let's be honest - a color like this in the classically chic packaging of Chanel, who wouldn't like this?! This is definitely stealing the show for Spring and becoming a fast favorite of mine. LOVE!

Click through for a swatch. 

What are you loving for Spring?

Talk soon. Kisses, J

Spring Makeup - YSL Spring 2014 Beauty

I cannot believe we're already thinking Spring, but it's pretty much the end of January so it's time! I have to admit though that I've been eyeing the YSL Spring 2014 makeup collection since December. I saw promo images of it and practically fainted. OK, slight exaggeration there, but you catch my drift. It's beautiful!! The limited edition compacts are these pretty pinks with gold cutting through it like marble. It almost reminds me of branches. So gorgeous. And the colors are perfect for spring. Vibrant pinks and coral reds with soft lavender pink and peachy oranges. It's mere perfection. The Pivoine eyeshadow palette is great for a soft or punchy eye look. The pink may throw a few of you off, but theres a soft dusty pink in there that's beautiful on the lids as well as that soft peachy orange color with the perfect champagne color in the center to highlight and a deep brown for definition. It's definitely a feminine palette with all shimmery shades. I love it so much I almost didn't want to touch it! Below are the promo images and some swatches from the palette. 

Top M.A.C Shadows

I must be some kind of crazy. I just love eyeshadows. I want every one of them in every single color I can get it in. The obsession started with M.A.C eyeshadows. I remember in high school, distinctly buying Trax, Phloof! and Beauty Marked. Those were my firsts and I've been collecting ever since. I was lucky enough to be start my makeup collection with M.A.C which is a great brand with a huge range of products. I have since grown to love so many other makeup brands for a lot of things, but I continuously go back to my M.A.C eyeshadows even after all these years. The quality is excellent. Highly pigmented, smooth and easily blendable. Everything you want in an eyeshadow, really. They also last well on my eyelids. I never have issues with the color fading or anything. If you're unfamiliar with M.A.C, here's a little summary. They have a large range of eyeshadow colors from neutrals to primary colors and electric greens. The brand was created for to specifically meet the needs of makeup artists. So, the color range is extensive, the packaging is basic and practical. And you get great quality for a reasonable price. Not cheap, but not too expensive either. You also have the option to buy the shadows in a single package (as shown above) or you can get them without the casing where it is just the eyeshadow in the pan with a magnet on the back. You can then take those eyeshadows and pop them into palettes (which M.A.C sells). They come in different sizes - four, twelve, etc. I used to buy the shadows in the individual cases, but now I just buy them in the pans and I pop them into palettes. It's just easier and takes up less space in my collection. I have somewhere between 60-75 shades. I know. It's ridiculously excessive. I definitely have my favorites though and I wanted to share those with you today. I gathered my top 20 here with swatches and all. I do have a few that are "I would cry if you ever got discontinued" shades within that 20 that I'll note as we go along. Let's jump in…

What's in my Makeup Bag - Holiday Edition

One of the best parts of the holiday season is being able to get all dolled up for parties and gatherings. I swear the best thing about a party is the getting ready part. At least for me. That being said, I wanted to share my favorite holiday look for this season. These are the things making their way into my makeup bag for festive outings. It comes together as a holiday classic. Shimmering golds and taupes with beautiful red lips. Eye catching in the most perfect way.

My Favorite Red Lipsticks

I've never been much of a lipstick wearer. Like ever. But, when I do decide to get all fancied up, I love a red lip. It's classic, it's chic and it's bold with sophistication. No one can deny the power of a red lip. So, of course, I've collected a few over the years and these are by far, my absolute favorites!

Hourglass Lip Oil - Review

Hi! Have any of you seen the new Hourglass Lip Treatment Oil? I noticed it right away when it was released as it has a very unique package/dispenser for a lip treatment. The casing is a bit large for a lip treatment/balm sort of thing. It also caught my eye from the description. "14 essential oils", "opulent 24 karat, antibacterial, gold - plated tip". Say what?! No, I'm being serious. And it has a price tag to match at $42. I was really going to avoid this one, but then I thought - screw it. I've got really dry chapped lips all the time, I should give it a go. Maybe it will be the end all miracle product. Just maybe. So, I snatched it up and closed my eyes as I handed my card at the register. Ouch!

Quick tip - shimmer or not

Hey! So, did you know that shimmer isn't always a good thing? I know I know! I love it too, but only in the right places. Shimmer will accentuate a lot so if you have large pores or breakouts, steer clear of anything shimmery on your face. It will accentuate all the wrong things. Avoid the glitter packed blush and the shiny highlighter. Go for a matte look and keep the shimmer for your eyes and nailpolishes! And if you want to highlight, use a highlighter pen instead (like the YSL touché éclat) to accentuate your features instead of shimmer. Hope that helps!

Talk soon all! Kisses, J