Spring Break Makeup Bag

As I'm writing this it is currently 16 days until I leave for spring break and I'm finding it very hard to think about anything else. This year I'll be spending my week off in Arizona (splitting my time between Scottsdale and Sedona) with my parents and it seems that every time I sit down in the library in the hopes of getting some work done thoughts of warm weather and margaritas pull all my focus. I haven't officially started packing yet, but being the type A personality I am I've been making plenty of lists, including the makeup I plan on taking - so let's talk lipstick.

My face makeup never really changes (see this post for details) so the only products that I'm going to talk about in this post are ones that a little more occasion specific. For eye make-up I find it easiest to just bring one palette when traveling. For this trip I decided to go with the Lorac Pro 2 because it's got such a nice mix of matte and shimmer shadows in every shade I could need. I decided to leave the black liquid liner at home and opt for a simple brown kohl liner from Smashbox instead, as it's more natural looking, takes less time to put on in the morning, and somehow seemed more "spring break-y" in my mind.

For bronzer I decided to go with my Tarte Park Avenue Princess bronzer, since it's a bit darker than the one Body Shop one I wear most days and it has a hint of shimmer in it, which I think will be nice to wear while I pretend to get some version of a tan. I limited myself to only one blush, which is my travel size Josie Maran Watercolor Cheek Gelee because it's tiny, long lasting, and looks really natural on my skin.

Finally, I'm just packing two options for my lips - a bright one and a more natural one. For the bright option I chose Bobbi Brown's Sheer Lip Color in "Rosy" which was a impulse purchase influenced by my favorite youtuber Esteé. It's a lovely coral-rose color which think will be really nice to pair with all of the bright colors I plan to wear while in Arizona. The other choice was a no brainer, as I wear this Clinique chubby stick in "Curviest Caramel" 3 or 4 days a week. It's just the most perfect "not quite nude" color for everyday.

And that's it! I'm hoping that I can stick to this minimalist makeup bag when I do the actual packing - I have been known to go overboard in the lipstick department before (note: I packed 13 lipstick to bring home during my winter break).

Thanks for stopping by!

The Perfect Summer Shadow

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about my current favorite summer makeup find, this L'Oreal eyeshadow. In the summer I tend to get a bit more lazy when it comes to doing my makeup so I gravitate towards just picking one eyeshadow that I can just blend all over my eyes and be done with. This summer it's been the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in the color "Amber Rush" which is just the most beautiful, shimmery, rose gold color I have ever seen. Overall, the product is incredible. The texture is super velvety soft, it lasts all day long, is highly pigmented, and is just so flattering and looks great all on it's own. Plus, since it's from the drugstore is comes in at around $7, which isn't too bad in my book. I always apply it over my Urban Decay Primer Potion and MAC Paint Pot in Painterly to make sure that no creasing happens throughout the day, but that's only because I have incredibly oily eyelids. I particularly love the color of this shadow because of how luminous it is. I feel just that much more like a glowing sun kissed goddess when I wear it. 

Below are a few up close and personal photos of how the shadow looks on me, please note that these were taken as I was getting ready one morning so don't mind my pajamas and sleepy morning eyes. 

Mascara - Benefit's "They're Real"

Do you guys have a "go-to" summer makeup/beauty product? Let me know! I'm always looking for excused to buy more makeup :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Eva

Who I'm Following: Round Two

About a year ago I wrote a post dedicated to my biggest blog crushes at the moment and I am pretty sure it has been my most popular post to date, so I thought it was high time I write up an updated version! So here we go, my favorite blogs as of April 2014:

Beauty

Vivianna Does Makeup 

Lily Pebbles

I am going to lump my two beauty favorites together because I love them equally and for very similar reasons. The two lovely girls behind them, Lily and Anna, are both UK based beauty/fashion/lifestyle bloggers and vloggers with pretty massive followings. More than any of the other beauty blogs that I follow I know I can trust these two to constantly be on top of every single new trend or release that has come out in the beauty world, and because of how incredibly down-to-earth they both are I trust their recommendations completely. It probably doesn’t help that everything they feature is lit and photographed beautifully and that they are both able to churn out at least one new blog post every.single.day (it’s insane!). I would also highly recommend checking out their beauty videos, which are often linked in posts in their blogs, for more in-depth reviews, hauls, tutorials, and everything else - but beware, one can very easily fall down the rabbit hole and end up spending an entire friday night watching every single one of their videos. I can also vouch that these two are just as lovely in person as are they are online as I happened to run into them at a restaurant in London just a few weeks ago, let’s just say I was quite starstruck. 

Fashion

Kendi Everyday

One of my most recent follows is Kendi Everyday, which features the ever chic. modern, and just really cool Kendi. She is the queen of pattern mixing, loves a nude heal, and has seriously drool worthy hair - making her posts the ones I am most excited to read when scrolling through my bloglovin’ feed every morning. Ever since is starting following her I notice myself being drawn towards clean cut silhouettes, fresh ways of wearing bright colors, and an overall more effortless esthetic whenever I wander through the shops. Maybe someday I’ll be able to rock a pair of floral pants as well as she can….

Food

Hummingbird High

A baking blog….written by a Portlander…..inspired by a bakery in London that is just down my street? This blog is truly the best of every single world put together. The recipes are creative, beautifully photographed, and easy to follow - so pretty much perfect. On the top of my list of “Things I Am Going To Bake When I Don’t Share A Kitchen With 15 People” are the Dark Chocolate and Earl Grey Cookies, the Lemon Blackberry Tart, and the Wild Berry Cheesecake Bar - they all look so mouthwatering!! One of the things I love most about this blog is that the author, Michelle, writes in her own personal tips for each individual recipe which I think is just such a nice little personal touch and definitely makes tackling some of these seem a lot more doable. 

A Beautiful Mess

This is the blog than needs no introducing, the blog of all blogs that inspires everyone to blog. Seeing as I’m not the most crafty person (although I’m trying more and more to be) my favorite part is the food and drink section of A Beautiful Mess. This semester has been my first time cooking for myself 100% of the time so I do a lot of looking up easy, healthy, quick, and cheap recipes that I can make in the hopes of not eating frozen pizza every night. That is exactly where A Beautiful Mess comes in. Their posts include really great variety of food recipes and amazing looking drink ideas (I am getting excited to be 21 this fall so I can try out some of these cocktails!) that are all relatively easy to recreate and edit/make your own - all that I’ve tried have turned out wonderfully as well! 

And that wraps it up for this installment of my blog crushes, hopefully you got some inspiration and can come join the fan clubs with me! Who are your favorite bloggers at the moment?

Thank’s for stopping by!

- Eva

What I loved in 2013: Fashion, Beauty, etc.

Happy New Year! and Happy Birthday to this blog, I’ve now been doing this for a whole year! I’ve really enjoyed being able to share my love for style, make-up, and hair with everyone who has been following, I can only hope to become more frequent in my posting in the upcoming year and improve the quality of my blog overall. Anyway, on with this post, it’ll be a long one, because I’ve got a lot of things that I loved this year that I want to share, so let’s get started

Fashion:

My first favorite trend, and something that I wore the most often during 2013, was button-up shirts, particularly ones with a cute pattern. The ones above are some of my most favorites, they are all so versatile and were on heavy rotation in my wardrobe the entire year. (L —> R: Target, H&M, J. Crew, Nordstrom)

Draped/Open Cardigans have become one of my favorite clothing items since I’ve been in college because they are essentially blankets with arms. As I’m not someone to really “dress down” for class being able wear one of these sweaters, some pixie pants, and a pair of flats makes me feel put together yet just as comfortable as if I were in lounge clothes. (L—>R T.J. Maxx, Banana Republic)

My last most worn trend was ankle booties, namely this Sam Edleman pair. I love the browny-redish-purple color of them, the little heal, the exposed zippers on the back, and just the way they look with virtually any outfit. When I first bought these I was a bit worried that the unique color would make them hard to pair with a lot of different things, but I was quickly proved wrong as they became one of my favorite pairs of shoes to throw on as I was running out the door.

Makeup: 

My most worn and favorite blush for this year has to be my Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in the color “Exposed”. It’s a really beautiful warm brownish-rose neutral color and I find it can act as both bronzer and blush when I wear it. This color just perfectly warms up my face and goes with absolutely anything else I wear, it was definitely worth what I paid for it!

This year I was introduced to the wonderful Maybeline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows. The color shown above is my personal favorite, “Bad to the Bronze”. It’s a taupe-y bronze color that is so beautiful worn either under other shadows as a base or on its own as simply as wash of color. For being an affordable drugstore product it has a pretty fantastic wear time as well, combined with an eye primer I can wear this for probably 12 hours without any creasing (this is a big deal because my eyelids are SO OILY)

In the spring of 2013 I bit the bullet and switched from liquid foundation to and lighter weight/medium coverage powder foundation, the one I chose was the Korres Mineral Foundation in the lightest color they offer. I was getting really sick of how liquid foundation simply didn’t hold up during the day on my oily skin and my skin had been improving so I figured it was the right time to go with something less heavy duty. This foundation is great, it’s so light weight I often forget I’m wearing it, it controls shine but doesn’t make me look like a pancake, and it has really great coverage. When I pair this product with some concealer underneath I feel just as good about my skin as I did when I was wearing a full coverage liquid foundation.

I’ve always been someone who has loved eyeliner and commonly wear black winger liner to make my big eyes look even bigger but this year I started to learn more towards something more simplistic. I have been a fan of Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes for a number of years but my love for it was rekindled when I picked up this particular liner over the summer and started playing with it. Something about smudgy, smokey, dark brown eyeliner just does it for me so this product became a staple in my everyday eye-makeup this year. The liner itself is just the right amount of creamy with an incredible staying power, and it’s highly pigmented. Overall a fantastic product.

It seems as though just about every beauty brand out there has some type of “chubby stick” on the market right now, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the trend. This type of lip color is one of my favorites because of how easy it is to put on and wear for a long time. My most favorite one of these in 2013 was the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel. It’s a beautiful warm peachy nude color and I LOVE IT! I am generally someone who runs away at the mention of nude lips but I found myself constantly reaching for this product throughout the entire year, definitely one of my favorite purchases.

Other things I loved this year…….

Getting my hair (somewhat) majorly cut! This year was the first time since 5th grade that I’ve had hair above my shoulders, so far I’m still loving it!

All of these albums were on heavy rotation the whole year (L—>R: The Paper Kites: States, Marina and The Diamonds: Electra Heart, John Mayer: Paradise Valley, Ben Howard: Every Kingdom, Lorde: Pure Heroine, Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City, Mree: Winterwell, Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience, Everett Thomas: Visions of the Sea, Blind Pilot: We Are The Tide) I was also lucky enough to see both Blind Pilot and Vampire Weekend live during 2013, definitely two of the best days of the whole year!!

These 2013 releases were well worth paying to go see them in the theatre

Nicole Krauss books, I read all three of them during the second half of the year and just felt in love with her way of story telling. The History of Love is the one I recommend the most, it’s now probably one of my top 3 favorite books of all time. And, fun fact, Nicole Krauss is married to author Jonathan Safran Foer, who is my all time favorite author. So, if you’re a fan of any of Foer’s books I would highly highly highly recommend reading Krauss’ works.

And that’s it! Those are my top top top picks of things and stuff from the entire year, I hope you enjoyed reading about them and are maybe now interesting in checking a few of them out!

The next post I do will be coming at you from London, as I leave for my semester abroad in just 2 days!! (I am freaking out a little bit)

Until then, happy 2014!

-Eva

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Here is a post dedicated to my favorite beauty/other things as of recently, enjoy!

Nail Polish:Essie: First Timer and Orly: Basket Case make it onto this list because they are 1. season appropriate 2. opaque in 1-2 coats (!!) 3. the kind of colors that just make me stare at my hands lovingly whilst wearing them, so they are win win win in my book. 

Eyeshadow:The combination of the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze and Stila “Kitten” Eyeshadow  has been one that I have been loving wearing on the summer days in which I actually wear make-up (aka days I have to go to work), the pairing of a darker bronzy brown under the light champagne color creates a really beautiful rose gold eye-catching color. 

Mascara:I have been a huge fan of the original L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara for years but I recently went out on a limb a bought a different variation of my all time favorite. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, I love how separating and lengthening this mascara is. Generally, I wear it with another, more volumizing, mascara over top to make my lashes a bit more bold, but overall I love this product! 

Foundation:About a month ago I made the switch from liquid foundation to mineral powder foundation, and after a good deal of research I decided on the Korres Wild Rose Mineral Foundation (I have the color porcelain). This powder gives medium yet build-able coverage that is so light and breathable that I commonly forget I am wearing face makeup. As for staying power it’s good, not fantastic, but then again nothing really holds up all day long on my oily skin. I generally have to blot 1-2 times a day depending on how long I’m wearing it and how hot it is outside. But seriously, this powder is awesome for people who want coverage, want it to look natural, and want it to feel natural.

Lips:

So the next 3 products have taken the roles of my go-to lip colors. The first two are sheer and light and perfect to slap on for a daytime occasion that is not exactly neon lipstick appropriate. First is the Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in the color Rhubarb and next is the L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquer (world’s longest name) in the color Rose On And On, love them both and highly recommend them! My favorite statement lip has been the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Big Bang. These came to the U.K. many months ago and I have been DYING for them to be released in the US, and finally they have been and I could not be any happier. Plus, with them only being $5 each I might just have to buy every color. 

Scents:For me, summer and spring are times meant for smelling like a bouquet of flowers all the time, to achieve that I have been loving the, sadly almost empty, bath&bodyworks body splash in sheer freesia and a tiny sample of the Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume (I am definitely buying this in the full size when I’m done with the sample). I can only explain these both as being really really floral and just beautiful and would recommend giving them a smell if you’re into that! 

Accessory: This polka dot wristlet from Target has been the most perfect item for me to use instead of a huge handbag this summer. I can fit my phone, cards, cash, and some gum inside and then clip my keys to the outside and I am out the door. Plus, who doesn’t love polka dots? They are the happiest of prints :)

Music:Vampire Weekend has been my favorite band since probably 2008 so the arrival of their third album Modern Vampires Of The City was highly anticipated for me. This album does not disappoint in any which way and I can honestly say it is pretty much all I have been listening to since it was released. This will definitely be the soundtrack to my summer, and probably fall and winter as well. If you like good music, just listen to it or buy it or something because this album is GREAT! 

What have you all been loving recently? I’d love to hear! 

Until next time,

-Eva

Color Me Coral: Beauty Items for Spring

Coral is one of my absolute favorite colors year round but I feel as though spring is the season when I can really go crazy and just wear it on every part of my body. Here are 5 of my favorite coral beauty products that I know I’ll be reaching for daily for the next few months: 

Benefit’s Box Blush in Coralista is a warm, shimmery coral color that instantly brightens my face and gives me a bit of a glow. This blush smells amazing and it’s one of those products that you can’t really over-do.

Essie’s “a crewed interest” and “trout pout” are two different shades of coral yet both give a flattering and put-together looks to nails. Both are opaque in about 2-3 coats.

This lipglass by M.A.C in “riviera life” was from the Hey, Sailor collection that launched last year. This a true orange in the tube but comes out as a nice, wearable, coral color when put on the lips. Plus, all M.A.C lip products have a light vanilla scent which makes them even more enjoyable. 

M.A.C’s “vegas volt” lipstick is a true coral that is very opaque and creamy when applied to the lips. It’s long lasting and is still pink enough that it’s easy to wear on an everyday basis and not feel ridiculous. 

What are your favorite colors to wear in the spring?

-Eva

Top Ten of 2012

1. Too Faced blush in “Cocoa Rose”, this is a matte warm browny-rose color that I used throughout all of 2012. I’m not one to wear bronzer very much because of how pale I am but this browny blush works as kind of a bronzer impostor for me.

2. I bought these Ruff Hewn combat boots on sale at the end of 2011 for around $50 and have never looked back, they go with basically anything I wear and I really like their somewhat “dressier” look.

3. I received this NARS Danmari blush palette as a gift at the end of 2011 and used it non-stop through 2012. The blushes are all highly pigmented and pretty much make you look like a glowing goddess, my personal favorites are “sin” and “orgasm”.

4. I feel like everybody and their mother already knows about/has at least one of the NAKED palettes (which makes sense because they’re awesome), but I thought I would put it on this list anyways because I really like it too! Just go buy it because you’ll love it!

5. As a person with crazy oily, acne prone, and pale skin, finding a foundation that matched my skin tone, kept me from looking like a butter ball, and covered up all the bad things, was unbelievably cool. So, thanks, Clinique! 

6. These korres lip butters are pretty much the best thing to happen to me ever, they give beautiful sheer color while moisturizing your lips and smelling like a dream. I simply can’t ask for more!

7. The NYX lipstick in “Tea Rose” is my ultimate go to lip color. I feel like I always have to have some kind of color on my lips so that I don’t look dead and this is a nice alternative to brighter colors. It’s also an extremely versatile color, I wore it to prom, my first day of college, and just about every day in between. 

8. I got ahold of the j.crew pixi pants a few months ago and they are already my favorite thing to wear. I have never been one to wear leggings as pants but these are so thick and opaque that they are more like really really tight/comfortable pants. Plus, they are the best for the many plane rides I’ve been taking going back and forth between Portland and MN.

9. The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is another essential in my daily face makeup because it’s pale enough for me, cheap, and keeps me matte! 

10. My ultimate favorite of the year, this Denim Gap Button Up is now an essential in my wardrobe. I wear it all the time and it never gets old because it can be worn so many different ways! Buttoned up or open, tucked in or hanging out, sleeves rolled up or down, the possibilities and combinations are endless. It’s like a great pair of jeans but for your top half! 

And those are my top 10 favorite makeup and fashion items of 2012, I hope you enjoyed reading about/seeing them and I’ll talk to you all in my next post :)

-Eva