nars sheer glow review and fotd :) x

testing out nars sheer glow...

^my nose isnt really that big its the angle i promise lol

face:

nars sheer glow

maybelline dream pressed powder

mac hush ccb

nyc sunny

elf blush/bronzer duo (used only the bronzer)

eyes:

udpp

lm topaz

mac carbon

mac deep devotion

lumene blue magic

sephora chubby eye pencil

milani liquifeye pencil in black

loreal collegen mascara

mac shroom

REVIEW:

I am a complete idiot and completely forgot what shade I am in this foundation as I only got a sample and I dont remember the color the SA gave me/she didnt write it on the sample. Maybe this was my first problem, but I had very high expectations for this foundation as I've heard it raved about constantly, as well as the fact that I've seen it on youtube/in fotds and it looks STUNNING. on me, it looked very very cakey and accentuated every dry spot-this never ever happens. yes i exfoliated, moisturized, and used a primer.

Another thing I didn't like is the staying power. It lasted about 4 hours or so on me, even with my favorite setting powder :( Unfortunately, although you only need a little at a time and it was a perfect match shade-wise, I will not be purchasing this. I will do a review on my HG foundation within the next week.

Have you tried NARS foundations? What were your thoughts? xxx

and PLEASE do not hesistate to give me CC :)

favorite products of the week-AFFORDABLE :)

hi girls! sorry i havent blogged in the past few days, ive been with my boyfriend and didnt have access to a computer :(

anyways here are some of the things ive been reaching for CONSTANTLY the past few days :) Sorry in advance for the dirty brushes :(!

• Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil in Black

I adore this eyeliner! I bought it about a month ago and while I used it a few times here and there, I have been using it nonstop the past week. It was about $6 at CVS :) I used to love UD zero, but it began to become a little expensive after awhile and it didnt last on my waterline. I have heard SO many raves about this whether it was on makeupalley, youtube, blogger, etc. so I decided to pick it up when I heard it was a dupe to the UD 24/7. It has lasted up to 15 hours on me and remained vivid and looks like it does when I first applied it. It is one of the richest blacks I have ever seen and while it can be smudged in the first 25 seconds, it then sets and becomes ultimately budgeproof. I completely 100% recommend it :) It also lasts FOREVER on the waterline and not many liners do on me!

• MAC quad: All That Glitters, Mythology, Woodwinked, Twinks

Top Row: ATG, Mythology; Bottom Row: Woodwinked, Twinks

L-R: ATG, Woodwinked, Mythology, Twinks

I haven't used these colors in FOREVER but I have been loving them this past week :)

-All That Glitters is a gorgeous shimmery light gold neutral color. It is incredibly pigmented and blends beautifully. I tried it awhile ago and it gave off quite an orangey sheen for some reason so I passed it on to my mom. I recently started using it again and stole it back from her! Hahah it's not orangey at all anymore, but it definitely leans warm more than neutral.

-Mythology is a color I have struggled with for a bit. When I first bought it, I would pair it all over the lid with MAC Antiqued in the crease which was just STUNNING and made my eyes look so vibrant. I then went through a phase where I would wear a brightly colored liner (UD Covet, Sephora chubby eyeliner in a slate gunmetal shade, etc.) with a taupe eyeshadow in the crease (MAC Satin Taupe) so I forgot about it. Although it is a lustre, it is still very pigmented, but I find it better to pat it on the lid and pack it on that way vs. brushing/sweeping it on. I

have been wearing this on the lid and adore it! It also looks fab wet.

-Woodwinked is the next color in this palette. It can take on a very orangey tone on some people but it doesnt really do that to me fortunately. This color is so metallic and pigmented and is just gorgeous. I love wearing it on the lid with a dark brown or black on the outer lid :) It also looks great with bronze/blacks/blues/greens/purples...it is so incredibly versatile.

-Twinks is a stunning plum colored shadow. Like the others, it is very very pigmented and blends wonderfully. I've heard its the plum version of sable; I can kind of see this but Sable made me look tired where as this looks fantastic. It makes my eyes look very green. I wear this as a liner, on the lid, in the crease, or in the outer corner. It honestly looks great ANYWHERE on the lid.

When I want to use all the colors together, I apply ATG as a wash up to my brow bone and then pack it on in the inner corner and inner half of the lid. I put woodwinked on the other half of the lid and then on the very outer part of the lid, I use mythology and sweep some into the crease as well. I then put Twinks in the outer corner of the eye. On the lower lid, I apply ATG, Woodwinked, Mythology, and Twinks in that order.

• MAC eyeshadow in Beauty Marked

Top left.

swatched dry, wet, over NYX Milk (a white base)

I love love love this eyeshadow!! I bought it when I first started getting into MAC around 5 years ago. When I first bought it, I thought it would turn out how it looks in the pan and unfortunately, it doesnt unless I put a red base underneath it and it further brings out the colors if I use it wet. When I use it dry, I love it just as much! It is a sheer soft black with red sparkles which don't show up too well, but catch the light/out in the sun. It can definitely be built up to be a dark rich black. It is also very easy to blend which is why I love and is less than I can say for MAC Carbon which I have and dislike immensely. I also love how it morphs to the colors I use with it...when I use it with a blue on the lid and layer Beauty Marked on top, it becomes a dark shimmery black blue, when I put it over purple, it turns dark purple/maroon. It literally changes to whatever color you use it with, I love it :)

• MAC 219 Pencil Brush

I bought this brush a few years ago and hated it simply because I didnt know what to do with it! I though it was a waste of $19. I've started using this again and I love it! It's great for smudging colors out, defined crease work, outer v, highlighting inner corner, smudging liner, applying color to the lower lash line, etc etc! It's fantastic :) Not sure I'd spend $19 on it if I had to do it again as there are cheaper dupes, but now that I have it its fab :)

• Sonia Kashuk Highlighting Brush

Without a doubt my favorite face brush and definitely one of my top 3 favorite brushes of all time (as well as the MAC 217 and the Chanel eye blender brush). It literally makes my face appear flawless. It was $13 at Target and definitely up to par in terms of quality with my MAC, Chanel, Laura Mercier, etc. brushes. I'm sorry it is so disgustingly dirty, the bristles are usually white I really need to wash it:( I have two-one to apply my bronzer and one to apply my foundation. It really spreads around my foundation so beautifully and buffs it into my skin leaving it looking flawless. I use it to apply my contour and it really does all the work for me. It is so fantastic, I'm completely love it :) I would recommend this brush without a doubt.

• MAC Cream Color Base in Hush

I cannot express how much I love this product. It is a gorgeous peachy color and leaves just the most beautiful sheen. It can look natural or more pronounced depending on how much you put on. I apply this either under foundation or on top of it depending on the look I'm going for. The MA at MAC told me that the Victoria Secret models use this on the runways and in photoshoots (I read this on makeupalley as well in one of the reviews as well as from my MA so I think it might be correct) and I can definitely see how it is true. It is the most perfect stunning highlighter ever! The consistency is just great, its not tacky at all, just light and flawless. I apply this on my cheekbones, done my nose, on the tip of my nose, on my cupids bow...everywhere! I use it a lot and there is still a ton of product left because you really dont need to use that much. Love love love ♥

What are some of your recent favorites? Have you tried any of these? Do you like them?

xxxxxx

how I maintain my long hair :) And question for my non-US ladies!

Hi lovelies!

My hair is something I take a lot of pride in due to the fact that it's quite long (about 1/2 an inch above my bellybutton), but not stringy, mangy, or full of split ends. It's taken me a while to find the perfect combination of products and I think I finally have found them :)

Hopefully this helps some of you xxxx

My Hair Type: My hair is fine, but I have a ton of it. It is virgin hair (in other words, its never been colored) and while it isn't oily, I generally need to wash it every day, but I can get away with other day sometimes if I'm lucky. The ends of my hair can be quite dry as well. It is also straight.

Here are a few pictures, please ignore how frizzy it was! I had the humidifier on in my room and tried to smooth it out with my hands making it worse lol just focus on the length ! x

• Shampoo-V05 Moisture Milks in Strawberries & Cream

I absolutely adore this shampoo! I used to use quite high end shampoos in the past (TiGi, Nexxus, etc) and found that they were getting a bit pricey as I go through shampoo rather quick. As I was browsing my local CVS, I found this and decided I'd try it because of how cheap it was (It was on sale for 69 cents! Although when it's not on sale, its still only 99 cents :)) It smells of strawberries and vanilla cake, it's absolutely delicious and it lathers so well and leaves my hair very moisturized. I love it and find that it does as well as a job as my previous higher end shampoos.

(its not this gross of a green in person, promise lol)

Once a week, I like to use a bit of a clarifying shampoo just so I can get a real deep clean and thoroughly remove all the products from my hair. I have found that I need to keep my hair quite moisturized to have it look nice this long (and not stringy!) so I try to avoid shampoos that are very clarifying. The shampoo I like to use is another V05 one and is called the Tea Therapy Smoothing Shampoo in Healthful Green Tea. I love this shampoo as it doesn't strip the moisture out of my hair at all (something I find most clarifying/deep cleaning shampoos do). This was also 69/99 cents :) Something to note is that this doesn't smell like green tea! It actually smells like fresh granny smith apples :)

• Conditioner-Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner

I recently started using this conditioner about a month and a half ago and I love it. I am VERY picky with conditioners as I expect it to moisturize, detangle and smooth, yet not weigh my hair down (quite a tall order lol). This shampoo is about $6 and worth every single penny. I would honestly spend loads of money on this conditioner, it is that good. There is a very faint scent that I can't quite put my finger on, but it just smells nice and clean. I was scared that this would be too heavy to use every day, but it's not at all. My hair can be weighed down very easily and this leaves it very bouncy, yet moisturized. My mom's hair is thick, curly and colored, and she loves this too!

TIP: My hair used to be quite damaged from a number of things. My hair dresser told me that conditioner needs to be on hair for about 10 minutes before it can really soak in/your hair can get the proper benefits. I thought that seemed a bit excessive at first, but it's truly changed my hair for the better. I suggest you try it :)

• Protein Treatment-GVP Reconstructing Conditioner/Joico K-Pak.

I adore this protein treatment!! It is the GVP (Generic Value Products) GVP Reconstructing Conditioner which is the generic version of the Joico K-Pak. They are the exact same products (same ingredients, same everything)...as you can tell, I'm a huge fan of buying generic things. I feel it is quite a waste to spend money on packaging, etc if you don't need to. I got this for about $6 while the Joico version costs around $20. My hair is very long and can get quite brittle on the ends. After shampooing and conditioning my hair, I apply this to the bottom half of my hair and leave it in for about five minutes or less. (sorry the letters all rubbed off! They do rub off quite easily when it gets wet, but that's not something I care about too much).

It is VITAL to follow with a conditioner after this...if you don't your hair will be left very crunchy and dry. I use another Sally's GVP Product called GVP Conditioning Balm which is the generic Sally's version of the Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm. I adore this because it instantly makes my hair feel so silky. After I rinse out the reconstructing conditioner, I apply this to the area where I put on the area where I put on the reoncstructing conditioner. I leave it on for about 5-7 minutes and then rinse it out. It smells SO good like bananas or something lol so so so delicious!

• Deep Conditioner-Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

I like this mask, but I'm not sure I love it. It does a good job of keeping my hair nice, but I'm not sure I love it. It's about $8 and I need quite a bit to cover all my hair and it ends up running out quickly. If you hunnies know any great deep conditioners, please comment below as I'd love to try out a new one! :) For what it is, it's good and combined with my amazing conditioner, it's not terrible :) I use this about once or twice a week and use the protein/balm about once every other week or once every three weeks.

• Detangler-Suave Kids Detangling Spray in double dutch Apple

Ah I LOVE this detangler! While my conditioner does a fab job of detangling my hair, because of how fine my hair is and how much it is, my hair tangles SO easily. And even after I comb out all the tangles, it gets knotty after literally five minutes. Most frustrating thing ever LOL. This detangler was about $1.99 at Target and smells so yummy! It smells like apple jolly ranchers I love love love it! And it works amazingly :) It doesn't clash with my perfume, yet the smell lingers if someone gets very close to my hair (theyre giving me a hug, etc). So cheap and works amazingly. I apply this on either wet or dry hair, and it's effective either way.

• Heat Protector-Chi Silk Infusion

I love this heat protector! I got mine for only $10 or so at Costco, but it usually retails for much more (I think $20 or so?). I use it every day: when my hair is damp before I blow dry, again when it's dry before I curl my hair (if I bother to that day). If I'm just running out the door and can't be bothered to do my hair, I'll still apply this on either my damp or dry hair and it makes it SO soft and silky and smooth!! Be warned it smells like men's cologne, but it goes away after like 15 minutes if you don't use too much. I use about a nickel or a quarters size of product for my long hair which is more than enough. Remember less really is more with this product as too much can leave hair looking greasy.

I hope this helped some of you!!

What are your guys favorite hair products? And recs for a good volumizer? I have none and would love to get one :)

Also...

QUESTION FOR MY NON-US followers:

I'm going to have a giveaway soon and was wondering do you guys have access to Queen Helene where you are? Or to v05 or Plus White? I'm not sure what I want to give away yet, but I think some of my essentials (v05 Shampoos, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque ♥ , Plus White 5 minute whitening my HG! details soon...)

xxxxx

Tag: 15 Random Facts about Me :)

I was tagged by the lovely Laura at Liparazzi for this tag :) If you haven't checked her out yet, please do. She's one of my favorite bloggers, and gorgeous to boot.

With the acceptance of the award, you must follow these rules:

1 - Thank and link back to the person that awarded you this award
2 - Share 7 things about yourself
3 - Award/Tag other great bloggers
4 - Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award


15 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME...

1) I have incredibly low pain tolerance. I have both my ears pierced, as well as my tragus and my bellybutton, and each piercing was incredibly painful to me. I also find shots to hurt really bad :( I wish I had a higher tolerance as I feel a bit like a baby haha x

2) The beach is my favorite place in the entire world. I think it's just so stunning and relaxing. I spend my whole summer there, tanning and going in the water :) My dream is to live on the beach

3) I would love to help kids with cancer relearn their social skills as my career. I fear I'm a bit too sensitive for that though :( I do cry very easily when I see someone else upset or anything like that, so if I wouldn't be able to do that, I'd love to write for a major beauty magazine.

4) I am unbelievably superstitious. My parents, friends, and boyfriend tease me for it CONSTANTLY. I can't help it though lol

5) I love trashy TV. I could spend ages watching Jersey Shore, the Real Housewives, Jerseyliscious, etc.

6) I want to go to Australia within the next year or so.

7) I'm a quarter Persian :)

8) I get attached to people very easily.

9) I don't celebrate Christmas as I'm Jewish, but it's still my favorite time of the year :)

10) I have a bright cherry red Toyota Corolla that I absolutely adore :)

11) I've never dyed my hair, but I've been considering dying it chocolate brown! But we shall see...

12) I wore braces for five years.

13) I could watch Mean Girls a billion times, it is my absolute favorite movie ever

14) I'm not a great swimmer whatsoever :( I wouldn't drown or anything like that, but my form is completely off

15) I have literally the WORST sense of direction ever

And on to the questions...

1. Favorite Color?

Mint green or lavender :)

2. Favorite place to shop?

Forever 21

3. Favorite ever holiday?

Israel :) But I love London as well

4. Favorite Food?

Persian or Thai!

5. Why blog?

Although I'm not great at it, I absolutely love writing and I love beauty, cosmetics, makeup, et al so why not

combine the two :)

6. Favorite Animal?

Butterflies! So gorgeous

7. Favorite Film?

Mean Girls!

8. What colour is your room?

We just moved so theyre white right now

9. Whats a great memory?

Probably my past birthday! My family and I went to La Jolla (which is near San Diego) for the day.

It was stunning, I love it there

10. Whats your favorite MAC item?

Satin Taupe eyeshadow :)

I now tag:

Cheryl

Natty

Emma

:)

SOME OF MY FAVORITE LIP COLORS

EYE COLORS

CHEEK COLORS

REVIEWS

Clear skin fast and cheap!/One skin care product I can't live without

Now i'm not claiming that my skin is perfect or even completely clear. i have never had incredibly bad skin, but the combination of being in college (not enough sleep, drinking every so often, etc) as well as using Maybelline 24hr foundation (which unfortunately did not work for me) made me break out terribly all over my cheeks. these products helped me get my face clearer than it's been in years and at an incredibly low cost :)

Here is a picture I just took of my skin right now..it looks a bit oily because I went on a walk for a bit before and just got back and hadn't washed my face before that picture. So please ignore that, as well as my brows and messy hair.

My Skin Type: My skin is quite normal, but can be on the dry side especially in the Winter. It's not particularly sensitive, but it can break out easily when I'm stressed.

• Cleanser-Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash

I have used this cleanser for about two years now and I adore it. It really helps prevent breakouts and clears up any current breakouts I might have. It is about $6 or so at CVS. It lasts me about four or five months and does wonders to my skin. I know that Clearasil also has another daily face wash but I'm not sure how that differs to mine. The other one is in a similar shaped tube/bottle, but is not metallic and has light blue and red.

Another cleanser I use occasionally is Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser. I love this cleanser and used it for awhile when I was about fourteen or so (so four years ago). It smells minty but the smell isn't strong which I love. Before I ever used this, I assumed it would tingle when I was washing my face with it, but once I wash it off, thats when it starts to tingle! The sensation is not strong at all and by no means painful or uncomfortable. I find this cleanser to be a bit more drying than the Clearasil so that's why I don't use it as often.

• Skin Care Tool- Sephora Collection Precision Pore Cleansing Pad

I absolutely adore this product and contribute a lot of my current state of my face to this. I picked this up from Sephora for about $5 and I am in love with it. This pad seems similar to the one L'Oreal has in their 360 Face WAsh, but I have never tried that one so I can't compare. I use this every night before I go to bed, but have heard some people use it twice a day. I get my face wet, get this wet and pour a pea sized amount of my face wash onto this. I then rub it around my face for about 45 seconds or so and then wash my face and wash the pad. It honestly feels a bit like a mini massage when I use it on my face lol I love it!! It really helps deep clean my skin, yet is gentle enough to use every day. While I reccomend all of the products in this post, this is the one I urge you to get. I use a face scrub a few times a week, but after using this one time, my skin was softer than it's been ever. It has helped greatly reduce a lot of redness in my face as well in as little as a few days! After a week of using this religiously, my skin tone is barely even ruddy anymore and a lot more even. Love this.

• Face Scrub- Up & Up Scrub for Blemishes and Blackheads

I love love love this scrub! Although I do think the pad I mentioned from Sephora is sufficient enough alone to use to exfoliate the face, I love using this one as well. I used to exfoliate my face maybe 4 times a week or so, but have cut down to only once a week since using the pad. This is supposed to be the Target brand/generic version of St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, but I find them to be incredibly different. This one smells a bit like medicine, while I find the St. Ives to smell a lot more like apricots. I also find this scrub to be more grainy and it feels a bit cooling on my face as well. I love this scrub a lot more than the St. Ives regardless of its smell because I feel like it does a great job exfoliating the skin. I wash my face and then use this. I leave it on for about a minute and then wash it off with warm water. It was only $2 at my Target. I'm not sure whatsoever, but I think this face wash has more medicine in it than the St Ive's blemish/blackhead scrub.

• Mask- Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque

I adore this face mask. It is very cheap (~$2) and smells great. It is very minty and invigorating and truly clears up any issues on my skin I might have.

WARNING: This product will most likely break people out the first time they use it. It is not causing acne, but instead is bringing up all of the exisiting pimples under the skin and bringing them to the surface so they can be treated. With a few nights of consisted use, it will clear everything up and the skin will look incredibly radiant and clear. I use this face mask twice a week and leave it on for about twenty minutes. I love it :)

• Treatment- Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Vanishing Cream

I use this product whenever I feel a pimple about to come on, but is under the skin. I will usually do the mask and then rinse it off, and apply this. The trick to applying this is to remember that less is more. I used to put quite a bit of this on a particular spot, but after reading reviews on makeupalley, I learned that your supposed to apply a light layer over the spot or affected area. I found this to be a lot more effective. It was about $6 or so and lasts me about four months. I put it on overnight and wake up with substantially smaller and less red spots, if they aren't cleared up completely by this product.

Another product I've been loving is Trader Joe's Spa Tea Tree Oil. I bought this a few weeks ago to use on an infected piercing (my poor tragus :( haha) but had a pimple that just wouldn't go away no matter what. I absolutely despise the smell of this and find it really strong, but I've heard that some people (like my mom for example) love it and find it to be invigorating. I take a q-tip and soak it in water and then dip it into this jar and apply to my pimple. I use both sides of the q-tip (you do not want to double dip with this) and repeat the process on each side of the q-tip. I then let it dry and the next morning, anything that was there the night before will have completely vanished! I adore this product and truly think that I can put up with all the negatives because of how fantastic the outcome is, but be warned that this smells and is VERY drying. I apply moisturizer constantly when I use this product. When my skin was particularly bad a few weeks back, I took a cotton ball soaked it in water and then poured a bit of this on there. I rubbed it all over my face and used it as a toner. This STUNG a ridiculous amount regardless of how much more water I used (water:tea tree oil ratio). After about a minute, the stinging subdued immensely and I patted my face with a tissue and slathered on loads of lotion. I went to bed and woke up that morning with the softest smoothest skin! I don't recommend doing this often because of how drying it is, but whenever I have, my skin looks great.

• Makeup Remover- Ponds Cold Cream

I adore this makeup remover! I slather it all over my face and wipe it off with a tissue. I know a lot of people rinse their face after that because they don't like the film. I will sometimes rinse afterwards, but when my skin is extra dry, I won't rinse and just go to bed. My skin will be very supple, soft and moisturized when I wake up :)

• Moisturizer- Up & Up Dual Treatment Moisturizer Oil Free

I love this because of how moisturizing it is and how cheap it is! I also love the fact that it's oil free and has treatment in it as well. I really slather this in and it does a great job of keeping me moisturized without making me oily or shiny.

• Sunscreen- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock Spf 30

I've been trying to use sunscreen daily as I know how important it is. This one is quite good and was around $8-10 I believe. It does what a sunscreen should and makes my face soft and smooth, but my favorite is a Philosophy one which moisturizes amazingly. I have it in my bathroom somewhere, but it is just too expensive for me to justify using so often. I do use it on holiday or when it's very sunny. Otherwise, I just use this one.

I hoped this helped you! What face products do you love? Which do you hate?

Take care lovelys xxxx