Year: 2013

Makeup No-Buy

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Yeesh. So. This was bound to happen. The previous makeup bans I’ve had were kinda laughable, just because I gave myself wiggle room to get some items, but no more! I have to be tough on myself if I want my savings to stay intact. I’ve been thinking of a makeup no-buy for a while now, but the dilly-dallying was caused by me, trying to squeeze in as much makeup purchases before I announced my decision to be more conscious of my spending habits. Well, that’s not very smart. I realized, as I was filling up my Nordstrom shopping cart with quite a few items, that this was not healthy and I didn’t want to be that kind of person. So I walked away from my cart, and sat down to write this post after I surveyed my current makeup stash. I didn’t even feel bad, exiting the screen. So, the rules are pretty simple: no buying of makeup until the end of November. I was thinking of lifting it in time for my birthday, …

Sayonara, Lipstick Week: My Lipstick Collection

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I saved the “best” for last. Here’s my embarrassing lipstick collection. Do I need all of it? Probably not. I think I have a nice, round collection, however, and I don’t own too many dupes. I know this because I tried to make a dupe post for Lipstick Week and failed. Ahem. I keep most of my lipsticks inside a small MUJI bag that I’ve fitted with the plastic containers. I put this bag inside a drawer because I like to keep the top of my desk relatively clean. Honestly, this isn’t the most ideal situation, but it works. Other lip products like glosses and stuff are in a clear jar. Others like balms, lip butters, lip tars, etc. are in a small drawer on my desk. OK, so let’s talk about the lipstick. Here’s pretty much everything I have: I know it looks like a lot, but I really try and clean out this collection and see if I haven’t used a lipstick in x number of months. I also try to keep the …

Lipstick Week, Day 7: Crushing on Corals

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And with this, Lipstick Week will come to a close. Stay tuned for my lipstick collection (gulp) later today, but this is the end for themed lipstick posts for now. For Day 7, I will be talking about some of my favorite corals. Now, it’s a bit hard to define corals, just because a lot of colors can be considered corals. Personally, though, I consider coral to be a balance of either a pink or a red and a muted orange. So, I find that I can find “pinky corals” and “reddish corals,” both of which are just pink and red with a hint of a not-so-bright orange. Does that make sense? Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Favorite. Let’s start with my favorite coral, one that has a fitting name, La Favorite. This definitely leans towards the more pinky coral persuasion, and is one of the brightest lipsticks I feel comfortable wearing. I tend to shy away from corals, because they are usually warm and I don’t like warm colors on my lips because …

Lipstick Week, Day 6: Marvelous Mauves and Perfect Plums

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Hi everyone, I’m back today with Day 6 of Lipstick Week, even though I technically skipped Sunday. I’ll be taking a look at mauves and plums today, which is thuper duper exciting. Since as you all probably know, that’s probably my favorite color group. I like a lot of other colors, but this is my favorite collective. I’ll start with my favorite mauves. Mauve is a kind of dusty red violet. Kind of a warmer lavender, with a rosy undertone. That’s how I view mauves, anyway. It’s kind of hard to describe “complex” colors, just because colors seem to depend on people’s own personal views on them, if that makes sense. Le Métier de Beauté Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Bondi Beach. This is probably one of the best mauve shades I know. It doesn’t pull too violet/lavender on me, which I think makes it very wearable. The formula is amazing, too, though I guess I can’t really expect much else from Le Métier de Beauté, which is an amazing brand in general anyway. …

Link Love Vol. 6

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Wow, I am horrible at this! But, here’s to getting better at taking note of my favorite weekly beauty posts. Just trying to spread the love! Too Faced Natural Eye Palette Tutorial by Kate of Ghost Parties MAC Dupes Debunked #1 by Jane of Life’s Entropy — a lip-swatch comparison of MAC lipsticks and some popular dupes 31 Days of MAC Dupe Calendar by Jane of Life’s Entropy — in which she swatches 31 MAC lipsticks (1 a day in May) and offers dupes for each Stories With MAC and Me by Teri of Bella Chique — Teri shares her history with MAC and some of her favorite items by the brand so far. It’s a great read, especially if you are looking to build your MAC stash. All About Anatomicals by Krysty of Vain Jane Writes — another brand story brought about by wurds and names. MAC RiRi Woo Review by Nicole of Nicole’s Beauty Blog — I like how it is compared to Ruby Woo, which is what inspired the Rihanna shade Another …

Lipstick Week, Day 5: MLBB Magic

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For Day 5 of Lipstick Week, I aim to tackle the ubiquitous (at least in the beauty community) acronym: MLBB. If you don’t know what MLBB means, are you new? JK, MLBB basically means “My Lips But Better.” It pertains to a color that is very close to the wearer’s natural lip color, though with a slight improvement to it. It pretty much means what it literally means. I think MLBB colors are deeply personal and can obviously vary from person to person. Some people have to make numerous attempts at finding their MLBB shade, while others have theirs fall onto their laps! I can’t really tell you which MLBB would be right for you, but here are some that I feel like are mine. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy. Chanel’s Boy delivers a sheer pinky wash of color that lets your natural color peek through. It’s very beautiful and I guess ups the pink tones of your lip color and adds a bit of shine. This is an old, funnily-lit picture, but I …

Lipstick Week, Day 4: Go Nude or Go Home

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My title sounds like a nicer way of saying “TITS OR GTFO,” but I promise that it’s not! Day 4 is about the perfect nude lip! Sorry for the slight lateness. I usually try to post my posts before noon but I had to do other things today. Still, I made it on time. 🙂 It’s no secret that I very much prefer quiet, unassuming shades to the loud ones. I’ve learned that my Bold Lip BFF is any kind of deep plum, but I don’t think I’ve found my BEST NUDE EVER~ shade quite yet. A nude lip is the perfect companion to a lot of makeup looks, especially if you want to do smokey eyes or anything super colorful. However, finding the right nude lip for you can be quite challenging. Remember my Creamsicle Horror Story? Well, click the link and see for yourself. In my opinion, the perfect nude is not too pink, not too brown, and not too pale. It shouldn’t wash you out and it shouldn’t be so distracting that …