Merry Christmas to Me

Even though Christmas morning is tomorrow, I still went out and decided to treat myself to some new makeup.  For half of the things here, I actually had a reason to buy; I forgot not only my Beauty Blender back in London, but also my foundation!  The other things, however, I bought them a bit impulsively because they were on clearance.

I'm normally one to do lots of research on makeup before buying, so despite buying some of these things rather impulsively, I'm really happy with my purchases.  The Real Technique sponges I've used before, so obviously I think they work well since I'm repurchasing.  When it comes to foundation, I am by no means an expert.  This is only the third foundation I've bought in my life, but I think the color match is almost perfect.  The foundation, L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation in N2, is very layer able meaning you can have as much or as little coverage as you'd like.  It does come with its own cushion to apply the foundation, but I prefer to use my beauty blender.  Also, I'm a sucker for rose gold, so the packaging is a definite plus.  These brushes from Sonia Kashuk are soft and seem to apply makeup evenly, but I haven't used all the brushes yet so I can't say for sure (a standout already, though, is the concealer brush - definitely recommend).  Finally I purchased this makeup palette from Pixi, and let me just say that I am in love.  The eyeshadows are very pigmented and are beautiful, neutral colors.  The bronzer is almost too pigmented, so a little goes a long way.  All in all, it's a definite thumbs up.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas Eve tonight.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Elizabeth xx

Teen Vogue Fashion U *Swag Bag*

While I was at Fashion U, everyone received a 'swag bag.'  The base of the swag bag was the same for everyone: a tote from Express, a Teen Vogue issue, an art book from the Academy of Art University, some Cinderella, Boohoo, and LIM merch, and a Jessica Simpson perfume.  However, at many of the speakers, they gave out some free goodies as well.  Everything was so amazing, and I still feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to go to Fashion U.

 The tote from Express.  They had two colors to choose from: silver/black and bronze/tan.  Of course, I had to go with the silver/black option.

 An art book from Academy of Art University, a boohoo 'newspaper' and pencil/makeup bag, and the April 2015 Teen Vogue

 A lipbalm and pen from LIM college

 A sample size perfume from Jessica Simpson

A bracelet and nail file from the new Cinderella movie

 Some samples from Michelle Phan's new makeup collection

 A berry colored lipbalm from Michelle Phan

 An Instagram mug from Kristen Joy Watts

 Aliza Licht gave everyone at her seminar a lipstick and nail polish from her new collaboration that won't be released until May 2015 (and since she's the DKNY PR Girl, the products came in a DKNY bag!)

 On the last day, at Erika Bearman's seminar, she gave us all two Oscar de la Renta bangles and a sample sized Oscar de la Renta perfume

Makeup Haul - February 2015

NYC Cheek Glow Blush - 651 Riverside Rose

NYC Sun'N'Bronze Bronzing Powder - 706 Hamptons Radiance

NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation - Fair Light Neutral

Benefit They're Real! Push-up Liner

Essence Match 2 Cover! Cream Concealer - 20 Soft Beige

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow - Bad to the Bronze

Since February was the month of my birthday, I was gifted some nice giftcards and makeup from friends and family.  

Let's start with all of the NYC cosmetics; to be honest, they're all a bit disappointing (but they were all really cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for).  The primer works well, but is shimmery which I don't like for an everyday look.  However both the bronzer/highlighter and the blush just aren't very pigmented.

The Essence concealer works really well.  Used with my Real Techniques concealer brush, it covered blemishes incredibly well, especially for the price.

I love this Maybelline eyeshadow; it actually does last for many hours, and the color can work for both day and night.  It's also super easy to apply with just my fingers.

I haven't used the Tarte foundation very much yet, but so far it seems to work well.  I have higher expectations for this as this was one of the pricier items I purchased.

Finally I have this Benefit eyeliner.  A family friend of mine had two sample sizes of this eyeliner that she knew she wasn't going to use, so she gave them to me.  To be honest, I haven't used this yet, but I tested it on my hand and was incredibly difficult to scrub off. 

What did you think of this post?  In two days it's the two year anniversary of this blog, so I'm trying to expand on the types of posts I do.  Would love to hear from everyone!