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

Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette - Rosey Neutrals

Hey everyone! So this is the big one. The one everyone is waiting for and talking about and obsessing over. I'm right there in the middle of that crowd, no doubt. I've been lusting after this palette since I heard the first rumor of it's possible existence. I was lucky enough to spot that the palette was available when at the very first launch date on UrbanDecay.com and snatched it up before it sold out. It is crazy how quickly it sold through and that it sold through again when it came back in stock. Insanity! It's finally popping up at other retailers online so you can go to Urban Decay, Sephora or Ulta to try to get your hands on one of these if you so choose. In store launch is still scheduled for December 12th. So, let's go over my thoughts as well as some nice swatches and hopefully this can help you decide if this palette is right for you or not.

What's in my Makeup Bag - 3

I absolutely adore looking inside peoples makeup bags. Is that weird? Whatever. It's interesting to see all the stuff they're using at that moment. To see how they're pairing all their items together and to see what sticks around from this time to the next time you take a peek. I've done a couple others before here and here, so I wanted to do another updated one this week with what I've got going here as my makeup back is constantly changing. Is that just me or do you all do that too?

My Favorite Pink Blushes

I have a thing for pink blushes. Seriously. I just love those pale baby doll pink blushes that look soft and sweet on your cheeks. They're the kind of pinks that are universally flattering and I'm obsessed with buying them. There's something about a perfect pink blush that if I find a good one, I have to buy it. Even if I have five others at home. They do have slight variations though. I promise you, they do. So, I went though my collection the other day and pulled out my top five favorites. The ones I keep going back to and the ones that have deemed good enough to be repurchased. Here we go!

Clarins Splendours Color Quartet & Liner Eye Palette - Review

So technically this palette was released for Summer (I know I know, I'm a little late. It happens). I had seen it online and it was one of those things that I kept looking at over and over again, but it somehow kept getting pushed aside. I've never tried anything from Clarins. I've heard a lot about some of their skincare products, but not much about their makeup. This palette was just so gorgeous though, I kept going back to look at it! It has this intriguing embossed aztec looking pattern on the lid of the compact that has a reddish bronze overlay on top of it that gives it this beautiful casing and reflection. Then I looked at the shadow colors and those are just so my colors. As you can see, this purchase may have come a little late, but I went ahead and finally purchased this and I'm so excited.

Favorites - November

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Superga X the man repeller - Loving these shoes!

Obsessed with my Superga X the man repeller shoes! They look almost like a Chanel boucle on the classic Superga silhouette. How can you go wrong?! They are definitely my Fall/Winter staple for looking chic on the go. They are limited edition, but Shopbop still has some available if you want to check them out.

Talk soon. Kisses, J