January Beauty Favorites

I had actually planned this to be a video but wouldn't you have it that my glasses had the absolute worst glare on them and then when I tried to film again the lighting was so bad. Enough about my videography skills and on to the things I loved in January.

Skincare:
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration- This is my go-to moisturizer right now. It's lightweight and doesn't give my skin a nasty tacky feel after I've applied it. For my really dry skin, this works great before I apply my makeup.

Origins Drink Up™ Intensive Overnight Mask- This is something I've been using lately to help cure my winter skin. I don't apply it all over my face, just the center of the forehead and my cheeks before I go to bed and I wake up with  hydrated skin that doesn't seem greasy.

Makeup:
L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion- Everybody and their mother has been raving about this foundation. This foundation gives a luminous-dewy glow that really looks natural. The way I apply this foundation is with my damp beautyblender's butt end. I tap it into the cushion two-three times and then dab the product on my face. I love the results it gives.

Wet 'N Wild Photo Focus Setting Spray- I picked this up because I ran out of my Urban Decay setting spray and I wanted to try a drugstore one. This one really does help prolong the wear of my makeup and the spray is great.

NARS Steven Klien One Shocking Moment Palette - This puppy is perfect for every look you could imagine. Each blush looks phenom on my Snow White skin and even better the highlight shade works great to set my undereye concealer.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - I know that I'm really late to this bandwagon but holy crap is this palette amazing. It's so much better than any Naked palette I've ever tried because there's a more balanced proportion of mattes and shimmers. The shimmers aren't overly glittery (and only two are gritty) and the matte shades are like butter.

Hope you enjoyed my monthly favorites! What did you love during Janurary?

BECCA Mineral Blush in Flowerchild

I'm a blush junkie, I have more than any sane person would ever need. So when I was doing my late night Youtube browsing and saw Jaclyn Hill rave about the BECCA blushes in one of her monthly (or maybe yearly) favorites videos, I knew I had to have at least one.

The shade I picked up is Flowerchild which is described as a peachy pink with golden highlights*. I really wanted this blush to be amazing, because 1. it's crazzzy expensive and 2. I've never tried anything from BECCA before and didn't want to be turned off. First of all this puppy is tiny ($6g), the whole thing can fit in the palm of my hand with ample wiggle room. Despite it's tiny size though the product swatches wonderfully on my hand/arm and wears beautifully on my cheeks. It's quite pigmented with just one swish of a brush and the flecks of gold shimmer are so small, they reflect the light beautifully.

The Verdict:
1. Is it worth the price? ($32/6g) For the pigment, it packs in a single swish of the brush, yes.
2. Would yo repurchase? Maybe not this shade but definitely other shades.
3. Are there any points of issue? None that I can tell, unless you're heavy handed with a blush brush you should be able to work it just fine.
4. Best for? A natural, glowy look.

(Swatch below: left-blended, right-one swipe)

My Monthly Makeup Drawer/Shop My Stash | Video

Hey guys, today I'm sharing a fun little video where I show what I've got in my daily makeup "drawer". Also, if you're looking to get my Get Glam Tray you can do so by clicking here. 

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New In: L'oreal Spring 2016

I'm not the biggest drugstore junkie but this year they are killing the Spring collection. My personal favorite drugstore brand is L'Oreal and their new products are seriously amazing. I didn't pick up everything from their new lines but I did pick up a few things.

The first is the True Match Lumi Cushion, this is the drugstore's version of the cushion foundation trend in Asia. I was a little skeptical at first but so far I'm loving it. It a luminous foundation with buildable coverage from sheer to medium. Next up is the star of the show, the Colour Riche Monos Eye Shadows, these aren't new to L'Oreal just the US and I am so excited they finally decided to bring them here. They are the smoothest, creamiest drugstore shadows I've tried and have awesome color payoff with easy bendability. Lastly, the Infallible Pro-Matte Glosses, these live up to their name. They have a semi-matte finish that over time wears down to a fully matte finish. They're so incredibly comfortable on the lips and last a significant amount of time for a gloss. I also appreciate that L'Oreal was true with their marketing and didn't label these as fully matte when they clearly aren't.

Review: NARS Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Palette

When I think of NARS I always think of their blushes - especially their holiday palettes, so when my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas the first thing that came to mind was the NARS Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Palette. When I opened this on Christmas I was so excited to try out all the powders.

Inside the palette, there's four blushes, a highlighting shade, a contour shade and a bronzer. The four blushes are Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster and Dolce Vita, my favorite of the four is Dolce Vita, a warm pink shade with gold flecks of glitter that gives me a rosy glow with just something extra. My least favorite is Luster, it's a warm coral-y orange shade with small flecks of glitter.

The bronzer in the palette is the Laguna bronzer and despite the hype before now I've never owned it or used it. Bronzers, in general, are a bit tricky for me as a pale girl because they usually look too orange but this one looks fine on me. If I use it lightly it gives me a sun-kissed glow, which is great especially during the winter nights. The Shades next to it are the contouring duo-Paloma and it's highlighter. These are great! I use the highlight shade to set my under eye area and it looks wonderfully!

Overall I really like this palette minus the one blush shade that just won't work with me(I think it would look fantastic on someone with darker complexion). For the size of the palette and the blushes within it, I think it was beyond worth it!

Addicted to Blush Tag

If you asked me to pick my favourite makeup product I'd have to say blush, I don't know what it is but I just love it. To me, there's something so beautiful about the way a good blush can transform a look. While I was browsing the other night I came across the Addicted to Blush tag (started by Kitsch Snitch) and knew that it was something I wanted to do. So without further jibber-jabber, here we go!

What colour blush suits you the most? I like to think that pink blush, specifically, nude-y pinks look awesome against my fair skin. I'm not quite Snow White so true reds don't look the greatest (sad face) but the nude pinks do.

Pressed/cream/loose blush? Without a doubt pressed but cream blush is something I still love using. Loose powder is not my friend. At all.

Favourite shimmery blush? NARS Deep Throat-It's the best peachy-pink with a gorgeous shimmer! (Last picture: second Row, second in)

Favourite matte blush? So many. Matte blushes have been my favourite lately there's just something about them but if I'd have to pick I'd probably say MAC Pinch Me because it really does look like someone pinched my cheeks.

Favourite cream blush? ColourPop Between the Sheets is the best natural flush shade. Some say these are hard to apply but I like to use my fingers or a small stippling brush, just as an FYI.

Favourite drugstore blush? NYX HD blush, ColourPop or Milani Baked Blushes. I'm not really a snob when it comes to blushes but these are tried and true!

Favourite high-end blush? NARS Blasphemy from the NARS Steven Klein Palette. This shade is so amazing! It's a soft dusky rose pink and it looks so great on my cheeks. I love it!!

Favourite bright blush? Probably Kat Von D Everlasting Face Shaper Blush in Por Vida, but, unfortunately, that is a discontinued line (which is so sad because the formula is awesome). A close second would have to go to my Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Epic (which is a bright poppy shade), the formula is a little stiff but they are wonderful once applied!

Biggest blush disappointment/regret? I can only think of one off the top of my head, Benefit's box blushes not because the product is bad (it's awesome) but because the packaging is so gaudy I never ever reach for it (or bothered to photograph it...)

Best blush packaging? Oi! Gosh this is so hard! I'm going to pick the Tarte 12-Hour Amazionan Clay Blushes, because I love that without ever opening it up I can see what colour it is.

What's on your blush wish list? Oh, this is even harder but, I think it comes down to Becca Mineral blush in Wild Honey or Flowerchild. Jaclyn Hill raves about them and I've swatched them a few times and they're beautiful.

Number 1 holy grail blush? If I was asked by someone who never touched blush before in their life I'd say, without a doubt NARS Deep Throat because it's the most beautiful peach shade with a shimmer. But for the seasoned blush veteran, I'd say go for Urban Decay Afterglow in any of the shades or any shade of the Tarte blushes.

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Zahra Beauty x TrendMood Get Glam Tray Review

Lately, I've been a sucker for organization since I recently changed my makeup storage from a Sterilite container to a six drawer lingerie chest. Let me tell you, it's been so fun organizing everything and getting it just the way I want it, but I was feeling a little lost because I knew I needed a place to put my most used products and those I don't want to get lost, so I'd remember to use them. Then sometime last month Zahra Beauty announced their colab with Trendmood, The Get Glam Tray and right away I knew it was going to be a match made in heaven.

The Get Glam Tray has 3 separate pieces, the bottom part that has an opening on one end, the top part that has three divided sections with a smaller divided sections in the middle and the holder. I love that there are three separate pieces, it makes it perfect for multiple types of situations and if you don't want the holder on the tray (like I have it) you don't have to! Now for the stars of the show, the top and bottom tray, the top tray, like I mentioned has three sections and one has divided sections that can be used to hold compacts. The bottom tray was the one I thought I'd hate when I got it, because you have two ways of accessing it, either through the side or by taking off the top tray and I thought it'd be so time consuming. Well, I don't really have a preferred method of taking everything out right now but they don't cause quite as much of an issue as I imagined.

Overall, I love this and initially I was going to stay silent about it because it was limited edition but Trendmood announced that Zhara Beauty will be doing a restock so for those of you who missed out or were waiting to see if it was worth it! Yes, yes it is!

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Revlon Ultra HD Lipcolor

Hey there dolls! Today I'm going to be talking about these new Revlon lipsticks I picked up last week! I went into a Rite Aid for the first time in years (cue the gasps) and was amazed to see that the one closet to me was remodeled with the makeup section in the front! So good, yet so bad. I was immediately drawn to all the new products. The first things I spotted were the Revlon Autumn line (I picked up a matte balm in the shade Passionate) and then off to the side I saw these beauties.

There's a total of 6 shades (correct me if I miss counted) and all the colors are pretty beautiful even if I found the pinks to be too blue-based for me. The colors I picked out were 625 HD Love and 610 Addiction, a bright red and berry/wine color. Now as for what I thought about them, I loved them. I have to say though the name is a bit deceiving because these are by no means matte upon first application, but for me that's perfect because I hate fully matte lipsticks-they're so drying. These went on with a sheen and after drinking tea, filming a video and taking a few selfies they melted into a semi-matte finish that stained my lips. These lasted remarkably well (around 6-8 hours) and even then I was still left with a stain! Also, I love the doe foot applicator they have, it's a soft and velvety applicator with a divot that lets it glide perfectly across you lips. The only "bad" thing per se is that there's a smell to these. While I liked it, I expect that this will turn many off.

Now we're onto my favorite part about reviewing things, the packaging. I was reading some comments on a thread the other day and one girl said they reminded her on highlighters and another said they were similar to the Marc Jacobs. Personally the packaging wasn't something to write home about-I wasn't thrilled but overall I think its nice for the price point.

Have you spotted these lipsticks? Do you think you'll buy them?

ColourPop Brand Review (Shadow/Blush/Liners/Lippie Sticks/Liquid Lipstick)

I first discovered the brand ColourPop while I was browsing on Youtube. I was amazed at how the products looked in the tin-they all looked so creamy and so pigmented. I was mesmerized but I tend to take everything on YouTube with a grain of salt because some Youtubers are paid to review products, and that obviously skews their reviews. So I waited to buy anything and did some more research.

ColourPop is a brand that's located in Los Angeles and makes all their products their too. They are cruelty free and have many vegan options (only 24 products aren't vegan). They have a large selection of colors and products in general. The icing on the cake is that the highest priced item is $8 (not counting the kits which are $30), so I knew that even if I hated the products I wasn't going to be out a lot of money.

Now onto the review:

I bought one of each type of item (eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, highlighter, lippie stix, ultra matte lipstick and eyeliner) so I could get a true feel for all the products. Overall I'm generally happy with everything.

(Swatches L-R: Mooning, Boy Band, On the Rocks, To-A-T, La La, Amaze and Supermodel)

Super Shock Shadows ($5/2.1 g): I got a bunch of the shadows because these are supposed to be what makes ColourPop special. The shadows are a mousse - cream texture that is so strange when you first try it out. The pigmentation on these is out of this world especially for the price. The colors I got are: La La, Desert, Boy Band, Amaze, Lovely, To-A-T, On the Rocks, Mooning and Supermodel. My favorites of the bunch are La La, On the Rocks and Supermodel. Like I said, they're all incredibly pigmented and they blend wonderfully with finger (flat brushes like this one also work for packing the shadows on the lids).

Crème Gel Liners (Pots $6/3.0 g, Pencil $5/0.2 g): These are the newest of the ColourPop family. There's so many colors that range from neutral to bright. Each color has a mate in collection which is really nice. The colors I have are Get Paid in the Crème Gel Liner (pencil) and Overboard in the Crème Gel Colour (pot). The pencil liner is great for the water line and it's got a decent staying power. The gel liner in the pot is a bit drying but it worked well and stayed nicely.

Super Shock Cheek ($8/4.2 g): I got one of each type: a blush, a highlighter and a bronzer. I have to say the mousse - cream formula is a bit strange in a cheek product but it still works. My least favorite of the bunch is the bronzer, but only because I love the other two so much.These are seriously underrated!! The highlighter in Wisp is such a pretty champagne color that reminds me a lot of the Mary-Lou Manizer. It gives the skin is the best glow from a product so cheap!  The blush in Between The Sheets is a nice, natural flush that I could wear every day! The bronzer in Bon Voyage is the perfect bronze for my pale skin. These are most pigmented if applied with your fingers and the staying power is pretty good too!

Lippie Stix ($5/1.0 g): These are the other items ColourPop are known for. These lipsticks are amazing, all of them are so creamy! I have two sheer (Tiger and Juice Bar), and one matte shade (Frenchie), I love them all. It's so nice to find affordable lip products that are pigmented and have such great staying power! As a note though - they do have a slight vanilla smell, that does dissappear on the lips.

Ultra Matte Lip ($6/3.2 g): I don't really love liquid lipsticks or more accurately I think they aren't for me. There's just something there that I really can't get behind. But despite that they're quite nice - especially on the lips. I can't say is buy more but I do like them.

Overall these products, in my opinion, are worth more than what I paid. The pigmentation, staying power and color selection is amazing. The packaging, is crisp and clean- it doesn't feel cheap. Go buy a few products here!

Beauty Wishlist

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate Soleil- I'm normally not a fan of bronzer because I've never found the perfect shade for my pale skin, but when I got a sample of this in the shade milk chocolate soleil I just knew that it would be the one. It's not orange, it's matte and it smells like chocolate!! But at thirty dollars a pop, I'm going to be waiting a little bit before I buy it.

Zoeva Brushes Set (similar)- I've been staring at these beauties for months, and I mean months. I love how chic yet sophisticated they look. I bought my first "fancy brush" while I was in NYC at MAC and it's made me want to branch out and get some fancier, sturdier brushes. Plus this specific set ended up on a few of my favorite beauty vlogger's favorites a little while ago!

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers- I used to think that all eyelash curlers were equal, but after a mishap I've learned that's not true. These seem to be cult beauty product so I decided they should get a try but in all honesty, they'll probably be the last item on this list I buy.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick- These fella have had some serious hype with the blogs I follow lately. I have to be honest thought, I do want to try these but I'm not sure if I should considering I have a full drawer of lippies. Even I don't buy one I continue to drool over them from afar.

Naked Palette- If I could go back in time I'd stop myself from buying the Naked 2 palette and instead buy this one. The Naked Palette has more warm-toned colors, which is what I like. This is the one thing I know I'm going to buy, I'm just not sure when!


xx Jess

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What's In My Travel Makeup Bag

One of my favorite things about traveling is, naturally, getting dolled up to go somewhere new during the trip. While I was packing for Florida, I knew it was going to be hard to get dressed up and made up everyday but I packed with the mindset that I might want to, even though I'll melt. So today, I thought I'd take you inside my makeup bag!

I wanted the look I brought to be a tried and true look. I didn't want to fussing about while trying to get ready or worse worrying about looking bad while I was out! So that's why I brought neutral eye palettes (the tarte palette is completely matte while Naked 2 has more shimmer shades). Also, I brought a neutral lip and my favorite mascara!! What do you normally put in your travel makeup bag?

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