NOTD: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizzazz

Really pretty blue-purple jelly with pink microglitter, this is a pretty dark nail polish for me, but it is still pretty cheerful with the pink shimmer and the fact that it's a jelly. I love how blue-leaning it is too~.

Tarte Cheek Stain in True Love

I've been calling July my bad skin month...it's been really patchy and break-out-y. So I thought maybe on days when my skin is being particularly peculiar that I would use a cheek stain, however I really suck at using the normal sort of cheek stain (think Benetint and such)... I just can't get it to blend quickly or evenly and I don't like the idea that my fingers will be stained all day as well.

I used this 3 days in a row last week which is quite a feat for me since I am so flaky! I just can't stick to one thing, I always have like 5 things I want to use! But it was just so nice and worry free and gave me the best natural glow. I had to force myself to go back to my other (powder) blushes just because I have to use them haha.

The Tarte cheek stains are gel and thus more of a cheek balm...the whole thing in general reminds me of a balm since it's in a stick. You can probably use it on your lips, but I haven't and I am probably not going to...it's a really large stick so it'd be quite awkward to use. However for the cheeks I like that it's pretty fat since you shouldn't really rub this stuff in, more like pat it around and blend the edges (unless you want a super duper sheer look). It's slightly sticky to begin with but after a little while it dries down and is only the slightest bit tacky, but not enough that you can really tell, you really have to be feeling for it. I get a great, lasting wear to this stain...once it's on you it's on you really good however it does come off rather easily with water and such so it's probably best to just not wear it if you are planning on going to the beach or the pool or somewhere else wet!

True Love is a watermelon pink that looks vibrant in the tube, but due to the stain's sheer nature looks very very natural when worn. It's perfect for my skin tone and maybe somebody a bit darker than I, but if you have a really deep skin tone it probably won't show up much. I love how buildable it is because you can use it with any lip/eye combo you want! If you want bright eyes or lips, tone down the stain...if you want bright cheeks put a few layers on and don't rub it in too much!

The swatch on top is heavy on the left and then heavy but blended on the right.

What's In My Purse(s)?

Here are some awful pictures of my stuff that I took at 1am! I just wanted to post something like this, and didn't feel like taking the time to get good pictures since it's not like you guys need color accuracy or anything here! Hope it doesn't look too bad though~.

Anywho, on to my stuff!

Here is everything minus the things in my makeup bag:

Here are the things I keep in the front flap of my purse (Tokidoki brush/mirror, Tocca lipgloss, Burt's Bees tinted lip balm, Smith's Rosebud salve and Nivea smoothing lip balm):

Here is all the medicine stuff etc. I keep in the zipper pocket inside my purse (inhaler, allergy medication, DayQuil, $OPI hand sanitizer spray, eye drops, key to my mom's house and checkbook):

These are the things in the main compartment of my bag...all the small items go in the 2 open pockets (Clinique makeup bag, Coach wallet, tissues, car/house/work keys, lipstick, MAC P&P lips, 2x Clinique Chubby Sticks, chewing gum, compact mirror and compact comb):

Contents of my small makeup bag (Clinique blush/eyeshadow compact, Clinique double ended lipgloss/stick, Essence concealer stick, Tarte tinted lip balm, Palladio tinted lip balm, NailTek nail file, Sephora portable eyelash/brow groomer, pen, Burt's Bees cuticle cream and Tweezerman mini slanted tweezer):

Bonus - My weekend bag contents (Coach mini wallet, Clinique Chunky Cherry Chubby Stick, Nivea smoothing lip balm, Smith's Rosebud salve, lipstick, keys, chewing gum, inhaler, compact mirror and compact comb).

There you have it! What do you guys find essential to keep in your bag?

Only the things in my "weekend bag" are my essentials, in my normal purse I keep a lot of things for "just in case" while I am at work.

My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks - Black Pearl & Bulgarian White Rose

My current skin obsession is these My Beauty Diary sheet masks (from Taiwan). Basically they are some sort of fiber mask (not just paper, they are pretty thick and tough) soaked with serum that have eye, nose and mouth holes that you put over your face and let sit for 30 minutes. They have tons of serum in them so you can use the discarded mask to rub extra on your face/neck/decollete or wherever before you toss it.

I am totally in love with these things and the price point is very decent as well. At my local Asian (but mostly Chinese) grocery store these run $12.99 and you get 10 masks. The box instructs you to use the mask 2-3 times a week, I do it 3 times. If you follow their directions you should be able to get a month's use from one box plus some overlap to buy a new one. However I have bought 2 so I can alternate, and if you want them to do different things you may want to use different ones each time.

I am mostly looking for whitening which is why I chose these 2 as I heard they were the best for that, and from my experience it is true. The very first time I used Black Pearl it lightened some discoloration at the corners of my mouth. It's not completely gone (yet) but that's why I'm keeping up with the masks since I am hoping over time they can help completely or at least prevent further discoloration!

Black Pearl:

Bulgarian White Rose:

NOTD: Essie Super Bossa Nova

I had $3.50 off at CVS so I decided to get another Essie polish since I have recently decided I love their formula...there were some lip glosses I wanted to try too but I am really trying hard here to stick to my "no drugstore cosmetics so I can get more high-end stuff" rule! Nail polish is not included in that rule though, since many great nail polishes can be found in drug stores, and being high-end doesn't necessarily mean the quality or formula is better!

Anyway, although coral has taken over as my favorite summer color I am still in a fuchsia mood...well, Super Bossa Nova in my opinion is more of a bright raspberry but it still fits the bill for reddish shades I am into! Also I've been getting kind of sick of cremes lately...I love the colors and it's great the first day or 2 but then I get majorly antsy to remove it! One of the things that made me get Super Bossa Nova over another Essie color I really wanted (well, several...all coraly/peachy colors) was because of it's pretty pink shimmer! It's just what I needed to keep my interest and possibly have this color on for more than a couple days!

As expected the formula on Super Bossa Nova was amazing, possibly the best yet! It was very easy to control although it looks a bit messy in the picture, but that's because it's my right hand, meaning I applied with my left hand...so it couldn't be helped!

Top: Direct sunlight. Bottom: Shade under a tree.

Don't mind my cuticles, they are terrible right now...this is actually my good hand, my other hand has 2 band-aids over my cuticles :(

MAC Blushes - Springsheen & Peachykeen

I don't know why I didn't try MAC's blushes earlier. It was actually reading that Springsheen was the closest dupe for NARS Orgasm but with a better formula that prompted me to try it out. However when I swatched them at the counter I decided to get Peachykeen first since it was a bit pinker. I ended up caving and not much later going back for Springsheen though.

They look almost identical in the pan, but don't let that fool you, they are definitely different enough that you need both. As you can see from the swatches, Springsheen is much peachier with a golden cast, and Peachykeen is much pinker with a pink and golden cast. One reason I chose Springsheen over a couple other similar colors (Nars Orgasm and Too Faced Who's Your Poppy?) is that it isn't all that glittery, it has the golden sheen but it's not glittery or too "disco ball/glitter explosion" either. I like shimmer for a natural highlight since I don't use highlighter, but I don't want to go overboard. I've really been into peachy blushes lately and these certainly fit the bill!

I recommend getting either one or both, they are summer blush essentials, in my opinion! Especially if you are like me and don't want to or can't wear bronzers, I feel peachy blushes are the next best thing for a very summery look.

Top: Left-Springsheen, Right-Peachykeen

Bottom: Front-Springsheen, Back-Peachykeen

Feeling Luxe Lately

I've really been into high end lipstick lately, I feel like you get the most luxe experience out of them compared to the other items in the lines. I just can't bring myself to pay for those things...yet...but the feeling I get from applying fancy lipstick out of a fancy tube can't be beat! And formula-wise too I think they've really spoiled me since they are just amazing!

So far this one is my favorite (and my newest) Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar (166). It goes on like a balm but provides the right amount of coverage and lasting ability as well as a slight shine (although not quite as shiny as Dior Dior Addict), it also feels nearly weightless on the lips. I love that there is no cap to have to worry about, and best of all (well ok the color and formula is best) it SMELLS LIKE ROSES. Not overly perfumed like some rose-scented cosmetics tend to be, very nice and subtle!

This lipstick is just wonderful. I love the tube too, so easy to use and I loooove that it's art deco!! Retro items are my absolute favorite. This just can't be beat. I am sure once I get a Rouge G I'll love it too, but nothing can beat the ease of use of this one. Just wonderful and luxurious just like it should be.

Next up we have probably the most normal lipstick of the bunch Chanel Rouge Allure in Insolente. I still love it but it's a more traditional "dry"/opaque lipstick. The color is just beautiful (and fun, and youthful) and of course it has a luxe, fun tube. You push in the gold bit at the end, and up pops the tube with the lipstick! I love the simplicity of the "cap" just shiny black with the white chanel at the bottom. Very classy as expected from Chanel. I just love that I can have fun with this color, but still feel classy!

Up until I got my Guerlain Rouge Automatique these Dior Dior Addict lipsticks were my favorite. They come in a close second though, and there are still more colors I want. They are moist, shiny and last for a shockingly long time with or without a primer. Very buttery (although not quite as much as the Guerlain) they slide on lips smoothly almost like a balm. But of course a balmy lipstick is 1000x better than even the best tinted lip balm, unless you are going for a very sheer look. These feel luxurious and comfy when they are on.

The packaging for these are a little more juvenile and much simpler than the Guerlain and Chanel but they are still fun and I love the opalescent sheen of color on the cap. It's a little hefty, but it doesn't take up that much more space in my bag than any other lipstick. These feel a bit more "my age" in that they aren't as sophisticated looking, but they are supposed to be the "fun" lipsticks so I am not surprised.

The first one here is Show, a Sephora exclusive color. It's a fuchia/magenta sort of color, but since it's rather sheer it's not super bright and is very wearable even for every day. I really love it because I love bright lipsticks but sometimes I don't want to go too overboard.

This next one is Diorkiss which is the one that Kate Moss wears in all promos for this line (and I think maybe other Dior-related promos). Originally I thought this was a Sephora exclusive as well since it was placed with those but now I don't think so...I saw it at Nordstrom too.

I had a hard time capturing this lipstick properly in my pictures, it is actually a very wearable muted/mauvy/rosey pink that depending on the light can look a little bright. It's my favorite "every day" color for when I don't feel like wearing bright lips. I just can't do boring lips, this is literally the most muted I will go!

The best picture I can get of how Diorkiss looks on me is this silly pic I took: