Collective Beauty Haul. ♡

Hey all, it's been a while, hasn't it? My fault entirely. I plan to do a quick life update very soon, as in maybe later tonight, but I wanted to get out a proper post soon!

So I've been shopping lately, and decided to share with you all a few beauty items I've picked up: almost all new products to me! And even a few high-end ones :)

Anyway, let's get right into it, shall we?

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Let's kick things off by talking about the first thing I bought: Benefit's GimmeBrow in medium/deep.

This product retails for around $24.00

I bought this tinted brow gel because I was tired of constantly sharpening my Maybelline brow pencil and not getting the results I wanted for my brows. So I did some reading on the internet as one does, and found out that this product had great ratings. So I decided to splurge on my first high-end makeup product :'). This was a big moment for me! 

While it was a pricy little guy, it's been worth every penny. Not only does this product keep your brow hairs in place all day (seriously-ALL DAY), but it's tinted AND has tiny little fibers in it to make your brows a bit thicker! This product, in my opinion, is a must-have, especially for lazy girls like me (laziest person alive right here, I swear!).

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Next, now I'm really trying to stay calm, I bought a MAC lipstick. I BOUGHT A MAC LIPSTICK! You guys have no idea how excited I am. One, I'm really bad at buying anything, especially if it's expensive, because I worry I won't like it. Two, I was really scared to even step into the MAC store. But I did it!

Retails for $16.00

Here it is: MAC lipstick in Twig. I originally went into the MAC store with the intentions of buying Brave (I was set on the Kylie Jenner lip, and I heard that everyone was using Brave). However, when I tried on Brave, it was beautiful, but almost my exact natural lip color. It wasn't as much of a change for me, I wanted something slightly more mauve-y. When I tried on Twig, it was perfect. It's not too dark or too light, but it definitely adds a little something, which I adore.

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Now onto LUSH! You all know how much I love LUSH ;)

Retails for $6.95 in LUSH stores only

Firstly, I bought the fresh face mask Love Lettuce. And I LOVE this face mask (get it? I promise I'm not usually this cheesy). It's a nice green-ish color, and it goes on smoothly. My favorite part of this face mask is how it feels when you take it off. I like to wet my face with warm water, and then scrub off the face mask, using it to exfoliate my face. OH MY GOD IT FEELS LOVELY. This mask is filled with ground almonds, which means it's nice and scrubby but not harsh. My face feels so fresh and delightful when I'm done!

Retails for $6.25

Next, I decided to pick up Dragon's Egg bath bomb. I was deciding between Twilight, Honey Bee, and this one, but decided to get Dragon's Egg because I was craving a nice, citrus-y bath. This bath bomb is perfect for that! It's packed with citrus oils, and smell just like lemon to me. Now, this is the only product that I actually HAVE used before, but I couldn't remember if I loved it, or just liked it, so I decided to try it again! I know some people absolutely love this bomb, and others hate it, so we'll see how I feel about it! I'll keep you guys updated :)

That's all for now! I plan on doing a full review on the lipstick and eyebrow gel, as well as a life update, and a post about my adventure I had the other day with my friend Maddie! Keep an eye out for those posts coming up soon. As always, let me know in the comments what you'd like to see next, or if there are any beauty products you'd like me to test out and review. Talk to you all soon!

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Emily

Some Good Books.

Hi everybody, hope you're all doing well! I'm currently writing this blog post while in bed listening to Ed Sheeran, so I'm doing well!

Today I wanted to share with you a guys a couple of my book recommendations, because while I love to read, I don't get a lot of time to read, especially in the spring and fall. Winter is the perfect time! 

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Ned Vizzini

I'm currently rereading this book. It's all about a guy named Craig, who suffers from depression, and in the beginning of the book, tries to kill himself; however, he actually ends up checking himself into a hospital instead. I remember liking this book a lot. It talks about mental health and it's disorders in a funny, yet sensitive way. I don't think the issue of mental health disorders is stressed enough, so it's interesting to see how other people view things like depression and anxiety, especially because I suffer from them myself. This book isn't in the least bit boring, and it's a nice, fairly easy read. I think this book would appeal especially to teenagers, but adults would probably enjoy it as well. 

Paper Towns

John Green

I'm really excited to talk about this book, because it's one of my favorites! Quentin, or Q, is hopelessly in love with his neighbor, Margo, who is fascinating. One night, Margo takes Q out on an adventure to reek a bit of havoc in Orlando, their hometown. Q finally thinks he'll get a chance with Margo after that night, but the next day, he discovers that she has disappeared, and no one seems to know where she might be. Q and his friends spend the rest of the book searching for Margo, discovering not only where she has been hiding, but what she has been hiding. This book was honestly hilarious, and made me laugh out loud both times I read it. It also made me cry. John Green has a really good way with words, and I prefer this book over The Fault in Our Stars, so definitely give it a read!     

Everything is Going to be OK

Various Authors

This is the cutest, most uplifting little book I've ever read. It's filled with positive pictures and artwork that will surely provide as a nice pick-me-up when you're feeling a little down. I keep this on my bedside table and find myself picking it up quite often, just to pep myself up. I purchased this book at a coffee shop in Oregon, but you can get it at most places. Anyone would enjoy this book, and it would serve as an awesome gift!

Pleeeeeeeaaaasse leave me your book recommendations, because I'm always looking for something new to get lost in! :)   

-Emily 

 

My Favorite Fall Lipsticks.

Hi everybody, how are you all? Hopefully you’ve had a great day, or are about to have a great day, because you deserve it.

Today’s post is going to be a little lengthier, as I am going to attempt to do my first comparison between two makeup items: lipstick. For summer, I like to either go all-natural, just a bit of my EOS lip balm, or I like to go for a sheer peach-y color, as I feel like it goes well with my skin tone and looks nice and fresh; however, in the colder months, I much prefer to wear darker lipsticks. I feel like they look more festive, and they’re so fun! Today I will be reviewing and comparing/contrasting two different, fall/winter lipsticks. Enjoy!

The lipsticks I will be reviewing are the Rimmel Kate Moss in # 107, and the Clinique Different Lipstick in “A Different Grape.” The Rimmel lipstick goes for about $4.99, and the Clinique goes for $16.00. So you can see we’ve got a cheaper option, and a higher-end option.

Rimmel Kate Moss in 107

Clinique in "A Different Grape"

All right, let’s talk about the packaging a tiny bit. I personally think both exteriors of the products look very sleek. The Rimmel lipstick has a bit more of a matte-like finish on the lipstick container, while the Clinique is more slippery. I like that both are nice and light colored, so it’s easier to find them in a dark purse.

In these next paragraphs, I’m going to cover color, formula, and wear length.

                                                                                       

Rimmel lipstick

The Rimmel color I would describe as a deep, festive red color. You might recognize this as the lipstick Zoe from Zoella uses! This lipstick is a bit more cool-toned, so that’s going to make your teeth look super white! Also, I really like this, because it seems to look good on most skin tones. I’ve got fairly neutral skin, so I think this would work well on anyone. The formula is awesome. It glides on soooooo easily, and it isn’t sheer, so you don’t need to apply several coats to get good color payoff. It feels soft, and looks matte on the lips. Some might not like that, but I really do. Now onto the wear length. I’ve worn this lipstick several times throughout the day, and even out to dinner. I find throughout the day, not eating, my lipstick lasts forever. I don’t need to stop to keep applying it. As and example, if I was out walking for maybe 3 hours, I probably wouldn’t need to reapply my lipstick, but that’s also a personal preference, some people like it to look more fresh. As far as eating, I do notice it can get on my water glass and a little on my food, but it isn’t a big deal for me, I just reapply it after the meal.

Clinique lipstick

I would describe the Clinique color as a deep, wine, berry color. I think it has slightly less red in in it compared to the Rimmel color, but it’s definitely got more blue and purple in it. I think this color is also a cooler-toned lipstick, but again, I think it could look good on anyone. The formula of this lipstick, is very similar to the Rimmel one; however, it is quite a bit more sheer. Some people might like that, how you can layer it depending on what look you want to go for, but I find it to be not as convenient. When I go for a darker lip, I like it to be bold, not somewhat bold. So the color payoff is not as good as I usually like, but it’s still fairly nice. Also, this formula is not matte, it has more gloss to it, which can look very pretty. It also feels more glossy and silky when applying it to the lips. As far as wear length, it is about the same as the Rimmel lipstick, but there are a few differences. The main one is because of the shinier formula, I believe that the lipstick slides off more easily, and will need to be reapplied more often than a matte formula would be. This also means it’ll probably leave more lipstick on your glass or food, but if you like the look of glossier lips, it won’t be too big of a deal.

 

From left: Clinique, Rimmel

All in all, I am more likely to repurchase the Rimmel lipstick. I like the matte formula, and the price is really great. If I were to be gifted a Clinique lipstick, though, I would be more than happy!

I think bold, dark lips look awesome with a simple eye look. Maybe winged eyeliner and a bit of mascara (okay, I’m thinking specifically of Zoella haha…she’s so gorgeous). You want to make sure your makeup is balanced, so if you go heavy on the lips, I think it looks best to go fairly simple on the eyes, but make sure you have a nice brow look!

Anyway guys, I really hope you liked this post. I’m sorry it was so wordy! Pretty please leave me a comment telling me what your must-have lipstick is for the colder months, because I can always use more! Suggestions for next weeks post are also always welcome. :)

Love you all so much,

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Em

**Quick tip! I think I mentioned this in my skin care post, but coconut oil works wonders for removing lipstick.

Birthday Gifts from Clinique

  Hello everyone! So, it recently was my birthday, and I received a couple different Clinique products. I thought I would just do a little review on each one for you guys.

Clinique Blush in New Clover

  First off, we have a blush from Clinique in the color New Clover. A few weeks back before my birthday, I tried this blush on at the Clinique counter, and really liked it. I've been using it for a couple days now, and it is seriously gorgeous! The color is a nice neutral pinky-plum color. I find that it goes on nice and smoothly, and stays on my face. I can see buying this product after I run out of the one I was gifted! I believe this retails for $21.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Next, I got the bottom lash mascara. Let me start off by saying that this is the cutest mascara EVER. 

Bottom Lash Mascara wand compared to a regular mascara wand

 As you can see, the brush is absolutely tiny and just adorable! It does a wonderful job of getting every little bottom lash. Sometimes when I put regular mascara on my bottom lashes, it seems to sort of slip off, and get underneath my eye, which I do not like. So far, this one has been staying put on my bottom lashes! This costs $10.

Take The Day Off Makeup Remover by Clinique

 Lastly, I got the Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover for lashes, lids and lips. THIS IS THE BEST. I have tried several makeup removers, and this is the only one that effectively removes my eye makeup, and doesn't sting my very sensitive eyelids! My mom is also a huge fan of this stuff, so I know that I will be getting more of this. I also notice that I don't need a TON of it to take of my mascara and/or eyeliner, but that might just depend on how much makeup you are wearing. Anyway, 4.2 fl. oz. of this makeup remover costs $18. I think it is definitely worth it!

  Well, that's all I have for today! I'll hopefully be able to blog this weekend when I have a nice little break from school. Is school starting where you live?

xoxo

-Emily

Marc Anthony Argon Oil Review

  So, like I said in my previous (and only) post, I would have a 'proper post' soon. I guess I meant soon as in a couple hours later...:). Anyway, I wanted to do a review of a product. So I was looking around my bathroom thinking, "what could I do a review of that I've been using for a while now?" and then I remembered this product. 

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argon Oil Treatment

  This is the Oil of Morocco Argon Oil Treatment by Marc Anthony. I picked up this product back in February from Walgreen's, I believe, because I had seen beauty gurus of YouTube using it, and I thought, "why not give it a try?" Gosh, was that a good decision! I have been absolutely LOVING this product since the first time I tried it. 

  This product is very lightweight, so it won't weigh your hair down. Besides Argon Oil, Keratin, Shea Butter, and Vitamin E, it has olive oil in it, which I have tried multiple times by itself on my hair. It's fantastic for conditioning your hair, and making it shiny. Olive oil makes your hair stronger and healthier in general. 

  I use about 3 pumps of this product (you only need 1-3 pumps, depending on the length of your hair, so this lasts a reeeeally long time!) and just run it through my damp hair, focusing especially on the ends. I wouldn't recommend putting this product directly into the roots of your hair, because it may make your hair look greasy, but if you have a bit of leftover product after putting it on the ends of your hair, it's fine to put it a little closer to your roots, but I don't think it's necessary. I then either blow dry my hair, or just let it dry naturally, and go to bed. This oil treatment makes my hair feel sooooo soft, more silky, and healthier. Another thing I love about this product is that if you don't wash your hair every night, or just want to give your hair a little 'treat', you can apply 2-4 pumps of this to dry hair and leave it overnight! I do this every once in a while, and then just braid my hair and sleep. You don't have to wash it out in the morning, because it just soaks into your hair. And it doesn't leave any residue on your pillow!

  So overall, I would recommend this product to everyone. It has lots of benefits, is fairly cheap (I think I got it for around $7.99), lasts a long time, and smells amazing. I will be re-purchasing this for sure, maybe even in the salon size...:)