KL Polish - KathleenLights

Apologies for the hiatus. I recently got back from Florida and had basically no time to even post a going away message!! I've had this quick look post in my drafts since the first preorders and announcement of Kathleen Lights nail polish launch.

I had ended up ordering (from left to right) Zoey, Brick Sidewalk, and Carmello. Picking up 3 of the 6 shades, with new launches coming out in January of 2017 and Spring 2017. The other three colors being Snickerdoodle, Gumption!, Broccoli & Chocolate,

The moment I heard about this launch I knew I had to support it, Kathleen is one of my favorite youtubers out there and after seeing the color sneak peeks I instantly fell in love with each and every shade + the price.

Each polish is $8.50 and the color payoff is phenomenal. I'm also a huge fan of the brush, it is a shorter and stouter brush than traditional polish wands. I found to have more control when painting my nails and not waste as much product. I used a base coat and top coat and had no chipping till around the end of the 2nd week, and that was with two coats of KL polish applied.

At this time of posting, Zoey and Carmello, are currently sold out. Here's a short description of each polish color from the site!

Zoey - Mauve

Brick Sidewalk - Red, with deep rust tones (favorite of the 6!)

Carmello - Mustard - Pumpkin

Snickerdoodle - Nude shade, neutral undertone

Gumption! - Navy blue

Broccoli & Chocolate - Chocolate brown

For me the overall best parts of this product is that they are cruelty free. That is always a selling point to any product I'm thinking about picking up.

Overall congrats to Kathleen for this product launch and knocking it out of the ball park. Will definitely be picking up the last 3 and whatever else she comes out with!

Till next time!

x. 

Naked Smoky

A quick look-see of Urban Decay's Naked Smoky, or also known at times as Naked 4. For me personally I don't hear much about this specific palette, usually we hear more about Naked 1 and 2 with 3 sprinkled throughout. I noticed that on their Instagram page that there are numerous posts made on this palette. I'm a fan just because it is different from the other Naked palettes.

Naked 1 and 2 are warm browns and neutral browns respectively. A lot of people suspected that Naked 3 would be Smoky. But instead we did get a gorgeous rose gold themed third palette. To be honest there are about 4 shades in here that you can match to other Naked palettes and 3 other shades are from past palettes. I wouldn't out down the full price tag for it and just wait for it to be part of a sale if you can, it periodically goes on special sales. It does have some similarities to Naked 1 and 2.

If you're really into smoky eye looks I would go for it, you can make brown based smoky looks and classic silver black looks. The quality of the shadows is of course true to UD, if anything the formula is a tad better than the past palettes. You get a wide range of matte and satin (some with a little micro glitter) to create many different looks. Like the past palettes you do get a durable double ended brush.

I really enjoy the packaging as well. This is the second palette from the collection that comes with a magnetic closure. Naked 1 also has this closure style, but packaging is slightly different and the magnetic closure in a way to say is weaker.

It has a gorgeous and durable case with a smoke grey design throughout and the packaging is also transparent on the bottom and the sides. Definitely unique to previous palettes. And of course the  large mirror on the inside is always a plus!

Swatches - Bottom to top

+ High -Champagne shimmer w/ micro glitter

+ Dirtysweet - Bronze shimmer

+ Radar - Metallic taupe w/ iridescent micro glitter

+ Armor - Metallic silver w/ sparkle (gorgeous shadow)

+ Slanted - Light metallic gray

+ Dagger - Medium charcoal gray w/ micro shimmer

+ Black Market - Black satin

+Smolder - Deep plum-taupe

+ Password - Cool taupe-grey matte

+ Whisky - Brown matte

+ Combust - Soft pink-taupe matte

+ Thirteen - Light beige satin

What's your fav Naked palette? What's your least fav? Let me know!

Till next time!

x.

A Quick Outfit of the Day

Okay lets have a quick outfit post in between the makeup and swimsuits! This is brought to you by a post Black Friday coma and finally getting around to actually putting outfits together again.

Details:

+ Turtleneck - PacSun

+ High-Rise Denim - PacSun

+ Cardigan - Forever 21

+ Boots - Steve Madden

I'll be totally frank with you guys, I was totally feeling myself on this day. There is just something so perfect about a fresh new outfit. I also like to thank Steve Madden for the thigh high boots, perfect and comfy for everyday wear. I've never been so obsessed with a boot before, they pretty much go with everything.

The only thing I'll agree with when it comes to colder weather is the fact that we can layer and layer and it feels soooo good!

Till next time!

x.

Black Friday Part 2 - Make-Up Edition!

Alrighty! We have officially received everything that I picked up via Cyber Monday deals, so let's dive in!

First one we'll pick up on is from Mac Cosmetics. I actually only purchased one item and got 6 samples. 5 of which were also part of their Cyber Monday deal. I picked up what I heard was a cult favorite, Mac Fix + Prep and Prime. This is pretty much was a Youtube made me buy it product. 

I have read so many rave reviews on this product and with an additional 25% off I decided to take the plunge.

This stuff is suppose to smooth and hydrate skin and can be applied before and after makeup application. And after a couple uses, I am in love. I love the packaging for one and travel friendly cap. The smell is amazing, a very light refreshing scent. I also sprayed it on some makeup products like highlighter and eyeshadows and wow, it made a very noticeable difference. I did use it with ABH Glow Kit and it did bring down that over glittered look and made it easier to apply and work with.

As for the samples I received 3 trial size mascaras in 3 different styles: Extreme dimension 3D black lash, Zoom Lash, and False lashes extreme black.

I also got 2 creams: strobe cream hydratant lumineux and skin base visage. I did pick up another skin base cream just because, my brain told me to! I really like the creams they give my skin a smooth slate to work with. I haven't worked with the mascaras too much.

(maccosmetics.com)

The next web shop I stopped by was Colourpop! They had an additional 20% off all products with their usual spend $30 get free shipping for domestic orders. I went a little crazy at this one, we all know CP already has really low prices for amazing products. So ya know, gotta take advantage of these little treats. I ended up picking up one matte liquid lipstick, one highlighter, and quite a few eyeshadows.

First up is eyeshadow set Studio 1400. You get 4 pearlized eyeshadows.

From top to bottom in the above picture we have:

+ Static

+ White Rabbit

+ Donna

+ 8 Track

True to CP standards these are some super shock pigmented shadows. I was really drawn to the colors Donna and White Rabbit. I'm a super neutral gal and this whole pack was so not neutral. They are fun colors to experiment with and get to step out of the box with.

Next up are 3 separate eyeshadows that we got.

From top to bottom:

+ Stereo

+ Cat Nap

+ Puppy Love

Stereo is an amazing almost duo chrome color. It is a dark burgundy with pink and copper chrome glitter with a metallic finish. It definitely comes out darker on the skin than in the picture on their site, just a head's up. 

Next up is Cat Nap and Puppy Love. These two are a collab with NKLA and Best Friends Animal Society. These two are great causes and any products proceeds going to our furry animals may have my money. Cat Nap is a gorgeous rose gold color with a bit of pink and silver glitter in a metallic finish. Reminds me of a mix of La La and Nillionaire every time I see it. Puppy Love is a very soft peach with pink and gold duo chrome sprinkled in there, and this is in a pearlized finish!

For more info on these two awesome organizations go to bestfriends.org and nkla.org!

Next up on the list is my first CP highlighter. I've heard good things. I picked up shade Might Be. It is a metallic rose gold in a metallized finish. The description say it is bright, but I found it to be darker than the picture and on the skin, so I found that a little misleading. It is easy to work with to get a desired look and would look great on the lids if it is too dark for you!

And last but not least for CP is the liquid ultra matte lipstick. I picked up bestseller and also a slight cult favorite Beeper. This is a warm taupe color, I'd say a mid toned color. And I love it!! It is a very complimentary color and goes with pretty much everything and anything. Highly recommend.

All these products are true to the CP pigmentation and quality.

(colourpop.com)  

Last, but totally not least! Something that has been on my wishlist for too long. And it is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moon Child glow kit. AH! These highlights are just too good, they are intensely pigmented and very buttery feeling. Honestly compared to her Glow Kit that she just released, I prefer Moon Childs formula a lot better. The newest palette does have a bit of an overload on glitter and a little bit harder to work with, formula wise it is a little bit rougher to the touch.

Swatches from top to bottom:

+ Blue Moon

+ Lucky Clover

+ Pink Heart

+ Purple Horseshoe

+ Star

+ Blue Ice

Long time lover of these glow kits without ever really getting to hardcore play with one. The love is still there. Highly recommend 10/10 would buy again.

(anastasiabeverlyhills.com)

Overall that was my make-up picks for this Black Friday / Cyber Monday. Did you guys get some good deals this year? Let me know!

Till next time!

x.

Black Friday Part 1 - Clothes Edition

Here is part one of the Black Friday haul! This part is going to be all about the clothes that I ended up picking up from 3 stores. Part 2 is going to be a mini focus on some of the makeup products that I also picked up, shocking, I didn't order anything from Sephora! Oh wow! But any who, lets have a mini dive in on what I decided was a must for me.

The first place I decided to hit up is Victoria's Secret, like every other girl on Black Friday, and waited till 3am to get in there. They had okay deals, nothing I was overly excited about. I did pick up 3 sports bra and 2 bralettes for $10 each. I was excited about that, was definitely in the market for new gym wear. And for $10 a bra I could not pass that up. As a last minute add on I picked up a Bombshell spray for only $5! You can't pass that up!!

Moving on, I did hit up PacSun a week prior. One of the stores by my home is closing and they're having a buy one get two free sale. It's basically a Black Friday sale so I decided to throw it in as well! I did pick up 2 new denim pieces because it is winter where I am and they are a must. One of the only stores that I have found to fit me perfectly, I'm only 5'1 so I make sure I stock up. I also picked up a crop top and 2 new soft shorts from MeToWe (pink) and Kendall and Kylie (blue) for my upcoming trip to Florida. I didn't realize it at first but I picked up a lot of Kendall and Kylie pieces. Definitely not mad about it.

Also went with some high-waisted Brandy Melville shorts and a pair of lace boho pants from K&K. Perfect for Florida! And finally I went with the most perfect turtle neck shirts ever!!! Again by K&K, they fit me perfectly and will go great with the things I picked up from F21. All in all, a great trip as usual at PacSun. Very sad though that there is a store closing so near me ):

Last, but not least, is Forever 21. I waited till 6am for this store to open and I hold no regrets!! They had some special holiday pricing on some pieces with an additional 21% off your entire purchase. I went a little hard in this area. I mean look at that moto jacket... it was only $25!!! Obsessed, it has a great velvet touch to it, not leather. I also picked up a plum and tan shawl cardigans to layer with those turtlenecks from Pac. They'll pair perfectly with a pair of thigh high boots and statement belt. We also went with something a little different, a light pink cowl necked sweater. Lemme tell you, OBSESSED with it. Very warm and not even itchy.

The last two pieces were last minute pick ups. I am queen of the last minute add-ons. We got a deep V long sleeve olive shirt, can't wait to also pair this with the tan shawl we saw earlier. And I got a burnt orange fade tee just for casual days and it is easy to layer. Works for vacay and the city trips.

So that was my mini Black Friday haul for clothes. I will be doing a mini makeup haul post once I get everything I ordered in. I'm thinking Wednesday will be the day, I should be getting the last of it by Tuesday!

Let me know what you picked up during the Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend. What were your favorite pickups this year?

Till next time!

x.

Triangl Swimwear

I know I am a day late! Better late than never (:

Okay lets have a little change of pace! Not make-up related but may help you make a choice on some swimsuits if going to warmer climates this winter season! Triangl Swimwear started a bit of a cult following, at least the way I discovered it, and now seems to be just a staple in many closets and has it its stride. The only place to purchase these swim pieces is on triangle.com, but you are able to find people reselling their own on Depot or Poshmark apps, and of course the usual eBay/amazon picks.

I've purchased three within the past two years, so I'm slowly turning into a Triangl junkie, oops! All swimwear is made with neoprene and will last you a bit longer, as long as you care for it correctly, than normal swimsuit material.

Depending on how many you order you may receive a box of your swim or a beach drawstring bag in the same detail of your swimsuit, super cute and super handy!

They do come with a care card if you aren't sure how to take care of neoprene suits and their site has the care instructions when picking out your sizes! Recently, within the past year, have finally introduced cheeky bottoms! I own one pair of those and they fit me a lot better than the normal cut. I feel with the normal cut they bunch up right in the middle of the butt and just looks a little awkward, if ya know what I mean! Even pulling them up a little more and adjusting is just a short term fix. After some wears though it tends to decrease in how it bunches and fits more to your body. The cheeky bottoms are most definitely tighter and cut closer to your bum as you would hope. I'll forever go with cheeky now that they are carrying these, they also have began releasing one piece suits as well!

From one pieces, strapless, triangle cut, and balconnet cuts; coming in a multitude of colors and patterns there is defiantly something for everyone. Prices range from $79 - $129. The most expensive being some styles of the one pieces.

They do carry bottoms sizes from XXS - XL. And cup sizes from XXS - XL, with Small + for C-D sizes and Small ++ for D-DD sizes, these two sizes only available in 8 of the styles. They are listed under the sizing tab with the conversion chart. I love how they also break down how each top is cut and shaped, also the bottoms, and give you a better idea which cut would work for you! They also have a live 24/7 chat if you need a little more help picking sizes or need a tailored size advice, very helpful!

Overall I am a huge fan of this brand and think it's money very well spent. They'll last you a long time and look great, it's worth the money. There is so much variety as well, of course you can also find dupes for these swims if you don't want to spend that much money. Pink sells some great dupes when summer rolls around here in Chicago! Don't be surprised if you see another Triangl post in the future of a new buy, I'm low key addicted!

My swimsuits and prices:
* Ollie - Penny Wanderlust (blue/white top) $79
* Milly - Arizona Sunset (orange) $89
* Bibi - Luna (purple white tie-die) $79

where to buy: www.triangl.com

Till next time!

x.

Mini Break

Taking a little time away from the blog to celebrate Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend. Hope everyone else is having a great week! Will be back to posting on Monday, a little something different from make-up.

Jouer Liquid Lipsticks - First Glance

Hey guys! Decided to pick up two new liquid lippies from a new brand and one not sold at Sephora. These are $18 each and I would give a 4 out of 5 for these guys. But I would purchase more of these again, they have some great metallic colors to choose from and I would love to try their lip topper color.

I heard about this brand for the first time on Pinterest from an article about the above color I purchased, Papaye. With the pictures given in the article I was so drawn into it, it was a metallic color I've never really seen before.

This is the picture that I saw from Look Magazine! Obsessed with it, lemme tell ya. I decided to go with this color (obviously) and also Bronze Rose. On the site it's described as a metallic cool deep rose and Papaye as a warm metallic peach.

For me, I found the Bronze Rose to be more red based than rose color based. But still a gorgeous color, especially for fall. Papaye I will be completely honest with you does not look good on me alone at all! If you're very fair skinned like me, I have slight olive tones, isn't the most flattering color. But it's very interesting how it changes shades just slightly in light. I'm still obsessed with it though, it works great as a lip topper.

I love applying Bronze Rose on top and then using Papaye has a highlight in the center of my lips. It dries down perfectly and gives the lips an even fuller look. I always reach for Papaye for a little pop to darker colors, especially for the fall and winter. I'm also a big fan of the applicator, it has a really nice point to first line the lips. That is very handy indeed, especially with darker colors.

My only complaint was that it gets a bit flaky after some wear time and needs some chapstick applications for the extra dry down from it being matte. With a little reapplication and some careful moisture reapplication and it'll wear perfectly throughout the day.

Other than that, gorgeous colors and easy application if you don't mind a little flaking. But hey no liquid lipstick is perfect and dryness is to be expected.

where to buy: www.jouercosmetics.com

Till next time!

x.

Juvia's Place - Nubian Palette

I need another moment of silence for make-up... Okay so this is a Juvia's Place post. This indie brand has taken the scene by storm and there is a mix of different opinions. One thing no one can contest though is the quality of these shadows. More about the opinions later, lets talk the palette before the company.

Alright this palette is a warm neutral gal's dream come true. Gorgeous golds, oranges, and browns. These shadows are super easy to blend, can make a lot of looks, and EXTREMELY PIGMENTED. I did a wear test with one eye with primer (UD) and no primer and they both held up flawlessly. There is practically no fall out, just the darker matte colors have just a wee bit. They are still very buttery though, not chalky (amen).

This palette is inspired by Queen Nefertiti and boy did they nail it. I am a huge fan of Ancient Egypt so not only falling for the hype of this brand, but the idea behind it immediately sold me. The highlight shades are stunning and I love the two dimensional shimmer highlight, they're all good to even use for face highlight. I find myself reaching for this palette for a good shock color to add to a look, their metallic shadows are just amazing. I also really like the 2 dark browns at the bottom of the palette, perfect for liners and to add a little dimension to the outside of the eye. Overall the only con if I really had to pick one is there is no mirror... but that isn't a big deal to me.

Now the drama of this company are customer reports of damaged merchandise on arrival, merchandise not showing up, no money back when claims put forth, long shipment times, and horrible customer service. I know that is a lot... A lot of people won't shop this indie brand just because of all this. With my personal experience ordering through them was very well. When this palette was back in stock there was a notice that processing time could take 5-7 days, which I thought was great to address the long shipment times. My palette was processed within 2 days and then shipped the very next day.

I received the palette in about 5 days and it was bubble wrapped not only around the packaging but the palette itself was also bubble wrapped within. Then there was added bubble wrap that actually took me a second to get out of the box. So they defiantly have addressed the broken merchandise claims and have tried to protect make-up through the shipment process. I'm not sure how customer service is, I never had to contact them. I received its tracking number the moment it shipped, so the 3rd day into my ordering.

I highly recommend this palette. It seems they've defiantly stepped up their company to process all these orders. I feel like being an indie brand and suddenly getting an influx of buyers after being hyped by big youtubers played a part in some of the issues that were brought up.

where to buy: www.juviasplace.com

Till next time!

x.

VIB Rouge Sale!

So November is upon us and you know what that means. VIB sales are a go and all products are an additional 20% off. Of course all of us beauty addicts create our ultimate wish lists are created and it's also a great time to get some holiday shopping completed for your the fellow beauty addicts in your life.

So these are the products I picked up during the Rouge weekend and am definitely looking forward to experimenting with these!

Maybe you'll notice but there is a good three separate Belief products in my little haul. I fell in love with the aqua bomb lotion from a few posts ago that came in a sample bag. So I ended up ordering one full size bottle and then just going hog wild in sample sizes and using my points to get a pack. Highly recommend this moisturizer! Smells great and feels amazing on the skin! I also used my BI points to pick up a split mender from Perfect Hair Day and 100% Argan Oil from Josie Maran. I rarely use my points and was totally down to spend a couple to pick up these travel sizes for when I go to Florida.

I also picked up a travel size Hoola bronzer, I've really been wanting to try it so when I saw a mini size I added it into my basket at the last second, oops! So far really enjoying it, it came with a mini brush that reminded me of the Nars Ita brush, really nice to contour with. We also went with Origins Frothy Face Wash which I tried in a 500 point pack and also fell in love with it, amazing smells from this bad boy. Also picked up Tarte's marine boosting spray, was running low on mine, great primer spray and refresh spray. Has a nice citrusy scent to it and very light on the skin. For the final two little ones I got a lighter concealer from Nars in Chantilly and I picked up my dad a new cologne by Burberry. A very fresh masculine scent, perfect for a Christmas gift this year.

So the three palettes that I was most excited to get were the first things I put into my basket. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on the new ABH Glow Kit, but decided to just pick it up and give it a go. I have heard that spraying a little Mac Fix + makes it glow better and lay on the skin better so I'm going to give that a go. After using it for a couple of days I personally really like it, I don't mind a little heavier glitter bomb in highlights. Also I like to use the tanner shades as eyeshadows and inner corner highlights. Also really cute, the font in Glow Kit actually glows in the dark!

Up above are the swatches bottom to top on my arm:

- Snow

- White Sand

- Golden Dawn

- Sunray

- Amber Gold

- Hot Sand

*Retails for $45

Alright next palette in the line up is Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. Verdict: LOVE IT. I think it is a must have in any collection, the berry colors are gorgeous and great to infuse a little color in neutral eye looks. These shadows are pigmented and buttery, very easy to blend. I do wish there was just one more highlight color, the one included is a little weak for me. Something like Vermeer but matte and brighter. I also love the velvet packaging, reminds me of the Naked 1 palette, and it does come with a basic double sided brush.

Swatches on arm bottom to top:

- Tempera

- Golden Ochre

- Vermeer

- Buon Fresco

- Antique Bronze

- Love Letter

- Cyprus Umber

- Raw Sienna

- Burnt Orange

- Primavera

- Red Ochre

(On hand bottom to top)

- Venetian Red

- Warm Taupe

- Realgar

* Retails for $42

And last but not least, the Naked 2 palette! Also I feel like a must in any collection, it is a cult classic. I do swing more for Naked 1, but I haven't played too much with this guy yet so we will see! I'm probably one of the few who prefer Naked 1 packaging to the plastic packaging of Naked 2 and 3, but ya know. In true Urban Decay fashion, these shadows are fab. Pigmented, easy to work with, nice day to night look, and countless of styles to make.  This one also comes with a brush just like the other Naked palettes. I'm not a huge fan of Foxy, the first shade. It's the only one that feels chalky and not as pigmented. It took a couple of swatches to show up in a swatch test. That is my only problem with the whole palette.

Swatches from bottom to top:

- Foxy

- Half - Baked (You can find this shade in Naked 1 as well)

- Bootycall

- Chopper

- Tease

- Snakebite

- Suspect

- Pistol

- Verve

- YDK

- Busted

- Blackout

*Retails at $54

Well those were my picks for the VIB sale this year. Apologies for the super long post but I just really wanted to get a little more in depth with those 3 palettes!

What are products are on your wish list? Or what did you end up purchasing at the sale?

 Let me know!

Till next time!

x.