I was out and about this morning shopping for a swap that I’m doing and decided to buy myself a couple items as well… you know I couldn’t resist 🙂

NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in Laguna/Orgasm — this baby has been on my wish list for over a year and I finally gave in! I think I’m the last girl on the planet to own Laguna and Orgasm!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in 10 — I have been lusting after this product for quite some time. I’m very picky about my brows, so we’ll see how it goes.

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder — I purchased this to do a comparison with the NARS duo, keep an eye out for that review!

ELF Blush in Pink Passion — I’ve heard great things about ELF blushes and thought I would try one out. 

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara — I saw this mascara on YouTube not too long ago and wanted to give it a try!

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Candied Coral — I’ve never tried the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stains because I felt like they were a bit over priced. When I saw this in Walgreens I thought I would give it a whirl; it was only $3!

Let me know if you’d like to see a review on anything that I hauled! I wish I could show you guys all the awesome stuff I got for my swap, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise 🙂

Done any hauls lately?

Much love,

Sarah

I recently saw this tag and today I’m going to give it a go! I’ve been a bit apprehensive because to be honest, I’m quite scared… I don’t have a “go-to” makeup look that I wear everyday, so I’ve decided to base this post on my most worn day look — which I wore to the grocery store yesterday 🙂

THE RULES: Add up the total cost of all cosmetics used to complete a typical day look, excluding skincare and brushes!

Don’t judge me…

Last Friday, August 8th was my little man’s birthday! We had a small party by the pool with friends, and he got more presents than he knows what to do with 🙂

Although it’s not really beauty related I couldn’t help but post these pictures. He had a great time… right until the very end — as you can see in the last picture. He was over it by that point, haha!

I hope you all are having a great week!

Talk to you again soon! 🙂

Sarah

I know that it may seem like I am on a lipstick kick lately and that’s because I am! I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I feel like I should change my blog name to Lipstick Addicts Anonymous! 🙂

This post has been requested a couple times by my readers but I haven’t written it until today for a few reasons. First, I think it is hard to suggest 10 universal colors — so I geared this post for fair/light skin. Most of these lipsticks would look great on a variety of skin tones though! Secondly, I am very particular when it comes to my Top 10’s and I was never fully satisfied by my picks until today!

If I have done an individual review or lip swatch on a particular lipstick there will be a link below. I plan on reviewing all of them with lip swatches in the future, so keep an eye out for those! Oh, and I was pretty bad at photographing lip swatches back in the day, so no judgments… you live and learn 😉




(l-r) Hue, Shy Girl, Crème Cup, Fanfare, Viva Glam V

HUE (Glaze) — a sheer pinky nude that looks beautiful with a smokey eye. I think Hue works on just about anyone!

SHY GIRL (Cremesheen) —  a mostly opaque peachy nude that has become a new favorite of my mine! I typically can’t pull off lipsticks with much orange to them, but Shy Girl is the exception! Like Hue, this lipstick looks great on a variety of different skin tones.

CREME CUP (Cremesheen) — a semi opaque light slightly cool toned pink. Crème Cup looks great with a  smokey, neutral, or natural look! Definitely a must have!

FANFARE (Cremesheen) — a semi opaque warm midtone pink. This was suggested to me by one of my readers, and I have loved it since the day we met! Fanfare looks beautiful on very fair to very tan yellow toned skin. My current #1 favorite!

VIVA GLAM V (Lustre) — a sheer dusty, pearly, pink with a slight brown undertone. This is the perfect MLBB lipstick that is a “throw it on and go” kind of color. It goes with anything and is appropriate for any situation. Cult status for a reason!



(l-r) Lovelorn, Chatterbox, Craving, Impassioned, Ruby Woo



LOVELORN (Lustre) — a semi sheer cool mid-tone pink. Lovelorn was one of my first MAC lipsticks so it will always have a place in my heart. I feel like this one is a very basic color that would suit ladies with cool complexions best.

CHATTERBOX (Amplified) — a fully opaque quintessential pink — bright but not neon. If I want to be a little daring but I’m not in the mood to go for something way out there I always pick Chatterbox. It’s perfect!

CRAVING (Amplified) — a fully opaque plummy pink. Craving is gorgeous for Fall!

IMPASSIONED (Amplified) — a fully opaque, neon watermelon pink. This looks great with winged eye liner and is definitely a statement lippy. Impassioned is one of those colors that would look beautiful on ANY skin color!

RUBY WOO (Retro Matte) — a bright neutral red. Even though Ruby Woo is incredibly dry to apply, it is the most universally flattering, true red that I have found.

Well ladies… that’s it for my Top 10 MAC lipsticks! I hope you found this helpful 🙂

Would any of my picks make your list?

Much love,

Sarah

(l-r) MAC Crème Cup, MAC Angel

Overall I would have to say that I prefer Crème Cup, mainly because I enjoy the Cremesheen finish much more than Frosts!

Do you own Angel or Crème Cup? Which is your favorite?

I was tagged by the beautiful Kelly at The Patch Diaries! Thank you for tagging me 🙂

What do you order at Starbucks?
If it is warm outside I order a Café Vanilla Frappuccino Light with whip. If it’s cold I get a Skinny Vanilla Latte with three Splenda!

What’s one thing in your closet you couldn’t live without?
I’m not really too attached to my clothes and there isn’t anything in there that I can’t live without. I gained weight during my pregnancy and still can’t fit into a lot of my favorite clothes… I would have to say my black Reef flip flops. No one makes a better pair than Reef!

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
I’m kind of an open book, so I don’t know that I have any interesting secrets. I spent 3 months in Southeast Asia and it changed my life. I was in Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Click HERE if you’d like to learn 50 random facts about me!

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?
My dream is to travel all over Europe and visit New York City.

What is one food you can’t live without?
Peanut butter M&M’s

What’s one quote that you live by?
“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, then it’s not the end.”

What do you like and dislike about the blogging community?
I love interacting with people that have the same unhealthy obsession with all things beauty. It sounds cheesy, but I feel like I have friends all over the world because of blogging. I love reading comments and commenting on other blogs… which leads me into what I can’t freaking stand. I despise the “Great blog! Please check out mine! I will follow you on GFC or Bloglovin’ if you follow me!”  How about you piss off! 🙂  

What is your number one song on iTunes?
Probably “Stinkfist” by Tool… I listen to metal when I workout and Tool is my favorite 🙂

What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?
Simple and classic… I like clean lines and clothing/accessories that are timeless.

What is your favorite number?
87… hand down. I don’t know why but for as long as I can remember this is the number I use when I’m exaggerating.

Two hobbies?
Online shopping and makeup… as sad as it sounds I have no other hobbies, lol. I spend a lot of my free time playing with or taking care of my son, so when I have “me” time it usually revolves around cosmetics 🙂

Two pet peeves?
Lip smacking… there is nothing that annoys me more than someone smacking their lips!

When you are standing in line at the grocery store and someone is REALLY close to you with their cart. Like seriously, can I have some room please?

Your guilty pleasure?
Mine are pretty similar to Kelly’s! The Real Housewives and food…. lots of food. 🙂

I TAG:

Pauline from Addicted to Makeup
YOU!

Let me know if you do this tag so that I can read your answers!

Much love,
Sarah

Hello gorgeous!

Hitting pan, pan porn, whatever you call it — there is no greater feeling! In reality it’s quite a conflicting feeling… happy that you’ve actually used a product enough to hit pan, and sad because you have to buy a new one. However you feel about the subject, hope you enjoy my trash talk!

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC25 and NC30 ($27) — I’m pretty surprised that I haven’t written a full review on Studio Fix Powder. This is a staple in my collection. MAC SFP is a full coverage powder foundation that I’ve been using for over ten years. On days when I don’t want to wear liquid foundation I just throw this on with either a brush or the sponge that comes with it and I’m good to go. I use the NC colors because they have a lot of yellow in them which helps to counteract my facial redness. Keep in mind that their liquid foundation names don’t match up with SFP… I wear NC15 in Studio Fix Fluid and NC30 in Studio Fix Powder. Repurchase? YES!

Cargo Blu-Ray Powder in 01 ($36) — I purchased this powder to go with the Cargo foundation. Avoid this product at all costs ladies! It’s horrendous. When you dip your brush powder goes flying everywhere and it applies super cakey. I probably used this powder no more than 10-15 times and I hit pan… are you kidding me?! Repurchase? HELL NO!

MAC Blanc Type Eyeshadow ($12) — Another staple in my collection. Blanc Type is a creamy, super pigmented off white that I use for my brow highlight. I will say that I hit pan faster than usual with this eyeshadow because it is somewhat powdery, but I put up with it because I love the it. I think this works best on fair/light skin, because it can appear a bit chalky when I have a tan. Repurchase? YES!

MAC Politely Pink Lipstick ($15) — Politely Pink is a Lustre finish lipstick. On the lips it looks like a pearly (borderline frosty) nude. I have had this lipstick for years and decided I wanted to use it up. I don’t think that it looks nice worn alone, so I paired it up with Ample Pink Lipglass. I think this lipstick is decent, but MAC makes so many better ones. Repurchase? Probably not.

MAC Cultured Lipglass ($15) — If you are familiar with my blog, you’ve heard rave about this lipglass. Cultured is the perfect MLBB pink with a slight purple undertone. Click HERE for a full review and lip swatches. Repurchase? YES!

Covergirl Lashblast Volume in Brown ($8) — Because I am blonde, I like to have a brown mascara in my arsenal for days when I want to be a bit more natural. I absolutely love this mascara and recommend it to anyone looking for thicker lashes. Click HERE for photos. Repurchase? YES!

The main reason I love hitting pan is because of Back to MAC… if you return 6 empty containers to your local MAC counter your get a free lipstick! If you return them to a store you get a free lipstick, eyeshadow or lipglass!

In the next couple of days I will do a second post with skincare and hair products!

Hope your day is going great and I will talk to you again soon!

Have you hit pan on anything recently?

Sarah

Let me begin by saying that I am not a dermatologist and what works for me may not for you. I just want to share some things I’ve learned along the way that may help others!

About my skin: I have combination oily skin that is acne prone and sensitive — total pain in the ass. Typically I don’t suffer from nodular acne, but I get what I call “baby bumps” all over my forehead, chin, and sometimes my cheeks. They are painless bumps that remain under the skin and rarely form a head. On occasion I will get a painful blemish but that is usually because of my lady time. I have to frequently exfoliate because I have fast cell turnover and oily skin. I have seen a drastic improvement in the condition of my skin from the skincare routine described below.

TIPS FOR CLEARER SKIN:

1. Do NOT under any circumstances touch your face during the day. This is pretty well known, but I think it is one of the most important points that I will make.

2. Wash your bed sheets frequently. I wash mine at least once a week. Dead skin, oil from your hair and face, and other yucky stuff resides on your pillow case. Wash in warm water!

3. Exfoliate gently and regularly. I use a wash cloth to exfoliate every night but you can use a scrub brush like a Clarisonic, homemade sugar scrubs, or ones that you purchase in stores. There are a million different scrubs on the market but they aren’t created equal. I prefer the ones that have “micro beads” because they are round and won’t scratch the face — which only irritates it further.

4. Drink plenty of water!

5. Don’t wear makeup at least two days a week. This may not be feasible for everyone, but do what you can. Your skin needs time to breathe and repair itself!

6. Wash your makeup brushes frequently. I wash my foundation brush every other use.

7. Keep your skincare routine simple and be consistent. I think sometimes we overload our skin with way too many products with crazy harsh ingredients. Try to simplify! Use one product that has an acne ingredient and keep the other products basic and gentle. Remember, it takes about a month for your skin to get accustomed to any changes in your routine so try to stick it out.

8. Use a toner and moisturizer suited for your skin type. Everyone needs to use both, but I think one of the most difficult aspects of skincare is finding a moisturizer that works well with your skin type.

9. Keep your cell phone clean.  This goes along the same lines as not touching your face during the day. You touch your phone with your hands which then touches your face — recipe for disaster.

10. Use a CLEAN washcloth every night when washing your face. This may seem a bit old school but I’m telling you it works!! Apply soap or cleanser to face with wash cloth using circular motions. Be very gentle!

MY SKINCARE ROUTINE

 Dove Bar Soap ($2)

I’ve used Dove soap twice daily for years. It is the most gentle cleanser I have found. It doesn’t dry out my skin and it gets the job done. Like I said earlier, I use a clean wash cloth every time.

AM Routine

Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion ($15)

This toner is for acne prone skin and sometimes I find it a little too harsh. If my skin feels like it’s getting a bit dry I will skip this step.

Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer ($15)

Because it has Salicylic Acid in it, this moisturizer helps to prevent acne and keep my skin hydrated.

PM Routine

Makeup Removing Wipes (not pictured)

Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion

Murad Age-Balancing Night Cream ($75)

This is the best night cream I have ever found. It is marketed towards post menopausal woman, but I think it works great on any age group. It hydrates, plumps, and makes my skin feel amazing. I always look forward to this step!

So that’s it for my tips and skincare routine! I hope you found it helpful! 🙂

Have you tried any of these products?    Do you have any tips for clearer skin?

Sarah