Anastasia Lavish Palette

Anastasia Lavish Palette.. The perfect fall palette. 

Here are some swatches, on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion, taken in natural light with no flash:

Top Row (L to R): Cream, Antique, Rum Cake, Moss, Truffle

Bottom Row (L to R): Ballet, Orange Soda, Sienna, Pink Sapphire, Black Diamond

Cream is a matte light beige. Great to use as a highlight under the brow bone.

Antique is a shimmery grayish-plum. This shade is soft and not as intense as it looks. 

Rum Cake is a shimmery copper. The texture is very smooth and has great color payoff.

Moss is a shimmery olive green. One of my favorites in the palette. Great pigmentation!

Truffle is a shimmery red-toned brown. It has fairly good color payoff.

Ballet a glitter nude pink. My least favorite in the palette, because it is a bit too powdery and doesn't have the best pigmentation.

Orange Soda is a matte light orange. This is the best transition color for the crease! Love it.

Sienna is a matte reddish brown. This color is gorgeous! I love it for blending in the crease. (I've also used it to fill in my brows too, which I loved!)

Pink Sapphire is a shimmery dark pink shade. Another favorite! The texture is so smooth, and it has excellent color payoff.

Black Diamond is a black shade with gold and silver glitter. It's very blendable, but I like it best packed on the lid with a flat brush.

This palette also comes with a full size Anastasia tweezer, a mini Dark Brown brow pencil, and a mini waterproof retractable eyeliner in black. For $38, it's a steal!

Here are a couple looks I created using the Lavish Palette:

Moss on the lid and underneath the lashline, Sienna and Orange Soda in the crease, Black Diamond in the outer corner. Mini Covet black eyeliner on the waterline. 

Top liner is Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink. Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer, Nars Orgasm Blush, Sephora Collection Microsmooth Luminizer in Stardust, Guerlain Kiss Kiss Gloss #865.

Pink Sapphire on the lid and underneath the lashline, Orange Soda and Rum Cake in the crease. Mini Black Covet liner on the waterline.

Top Liner is Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink. Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer. Kat Von D Blush in the shade Truth. Sephora Collection Microsmooth Luminizer in Stardust. Lipstick is Wet n Wild Mauve Outta Here (908C).

Overall, I would definitely recommend this palette to anyone looking for some new colors for fall/winter! I know I'll be using it for the next couple months, for sure! :) <3

July Favorites!

Sorry this is so late! But August totally just snuck up on me!! Here are my...

1. Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation

2. Alterna Bamboo Kendi Oil for Hair

3. NuMe Magic Wand 25 mm

4. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

5. Dr. Dennis Gross Clarifying Colloidal Sulfur Mask

6. Bath & Body Works Summertime S'mores Candle :)

1.) Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation: This foundation is beautiful! Gives great (buildable) coverage. I apply it directly to my face holding the can about 10 inches from my face, and then buff it in with my Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 brush. It gives a flawless, airbrushed, natural finish. My only con would be that your foundation must be your first step in your makeup application when using this. Usually, I do my eyes first so I can clean up any fallout with my complexion products, but spraying directly onto the face after eyes will turn your lashes white. Not cute.

2.) Alterna Bamboo Kendi Oil for Hair: My hair has never looked so shiny before! After bleaching my ends, my hair has been crazy dry lately. I received this sample size of Bamboo Kendi Oil and I apply it after I blow dry and straighten my hair. It is so weightless, keeps all the frizzies down, and leaves a beautiful, non-greasy, shine. The packaging says it can also be used as a treatment before shampooing, but I haven't tried it that way yet. Definitely will though, if I ever remember!

3.) NuMe Magic Wand 25 mm: Okay, so ever since I did the whole ombre look to my hair, I've been obsessed with curling it. This NuMe Magic Wand is perfection; it gives beautiful wavy curls that last at least 2 or 3 days in my hair. Best part is it only takes me about 15-20 min to do my whole head! The wand heats up to 450 degrees (use heat protection!!) which makes curling so quick! I also have the 32mm which is great for quick beachy waves. There are ton of coupons out there for these wands, and they also go on hautelook.com (which is where I bought mine) quite often, so keep your eye out if you want a great deal!

4.) Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: Oh. My. God. Can I just tell you.. I am a mascara junkie! I have never ever seen such volume with just one coat before. The brush is hourglass shaped which gives amazing fullness to the lashes. I've heard people say that it's too clumpy, but honestly I have not had that problem. This is definitely a new favorite. My only con would be that I can't wear this on my bottom lashes, because for some reason it gives me raccoon eyes. Oh well, still love it.

5.) Dr. Dennis Gross Colloidal Sulfur Mask: Okay, let me start by saying that my face is super dry. Like desert dry. Like gross peely flaky dry. However, I do still have enlarged pores, and get the occasional hormonal breakout on my chin area. This mask is made primarily for acne-prone, oily skin. With that being said, I put this mask on my breakouts overnight, and I swear to you the breakout is at least 85% diminished, if not completely gone. It is a miracle worker! I can only imagine how wonderful it would be for oily/combo skin. The one downside, however, is that since it is sulfur-based, it's kind of stinky. But oh so worth it!

6.) Bath & Body Works Summertime S'mores Candle: Not beauty related, but it smells so yummy and marshmallowy and summertime-y and reminds me of my country house and I just love it :)

Hope you enjoyed this post! What were some of your July Favorites?

XOXO

How To: Highlight & Contour

Hi beauties! Today we will be talking all about HIGHLIGHT & CONTOUR! Highlighting and contouring is a technique used by pretty much every model, actress, and celebrity that brings light toward particular features of the face, while casting shadows on others. Highlighting and contouring makes a huge difference in the appearance of one's face, and trust me once you master this technique you will be absolutely addicted! You can make your nose appear smaller, your cheekbones more defined, your eyes brighter.. Simply amazing!

 Kim K is infamous for her beautiful highlighted and contoured look!

Let's Begin!
First, we need to make sure we have the right tools. Below are some recommendations:

Highlighters:
NARS Albatross, $29
Sephora Collection Microsmooth Luminzier, $12
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (I love the shade "Soft and Gentle), $30
NYX Mosaic Powder Highlighter, $7

Bronzers/Contours:
Smashbox Halo Perfecting Bronzer, $39
Benefit Hoola, $28
MAC Matte Bronzer, $24
NYC "Sunny" Bronzer, $3

Brushes:
An angled blush brush - Sephora Pro Angled Blush Brush #49, $32
A blending brush - Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush #57, $24
A shader brush (if contouring your nose) - Sephora Pro Shadow Brush #14, $20
A fan brush - Sephora I.T. Highlighting Fan Brush, $9 (Only on Sephora.com, soon to be discontinued)

Here is a picture of me with just foundation, no highlight or contour:

Just wait until you see the difference highlight & contour will make at the end!

First, you'll have to find the hollows of your cheekbones. As a rule of thumb, your contour should start right by your ear and follow along a diagonal toward the tip of your mouth. (If in doubt, you can just make a fishy face to find your hollows.) Using an angled blush brush, apply your contour shade starting by your ear and working your way downward.

It should look something like this:

Then taking the brush, blend that out so we don't have any harsh lines:

I used Smashbox Halo Bronzer for this step with my Sephora Pro #49 brush.

Next, you can contour your nose by taking some of your bronzer on a small-medium shader brush, and draw lines on either side of your nose, starting at the uppermost outer edge of your nose and working your way down toward the tip.

Can you see the difference from one of my nose to the other?!

Next, you're going to want to add some highlight just below my eyes to really brighten them up. Take a highlighting pen, such as Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat (which is what I used, in #1), and draw upside down triangles underneath your eyes. You may also draw a straight line down the center of your nose, a line down your cupid's bow, and a bit underneath your chin to highlight. Blend these out with a blending brush, such as Sephora Pro #57.

I'm so fair, you can barely see the highlight.. But this is before blending!

Then, you may want to add some blush as well. For my particular face, I like a really contour look, so I'm going to go back with my angled brush and add blush just above where I put my bronzer, following along the same shape of my contour, but working from the apples of my cheek back. I used NARS Orgasm blush.

This is where I start the application of my blush, and I work back toward my ear.

Finally, add some extra highlight just above your cheekbones to create a beautiful glowy look! Taking a fan brush to ensure a light application, apply your highlighter right above your blush and contour.

And now you are a highlight and contour pro!! Here is the finished results..

Enjoy loves! XOXO

Summer Must Haves!

1: Jose Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 40: This is the perfect summer moisturizer! SPF 40 to protect you from those harmful rays, chemical free, and infused with my favorite- argan oil! In case you didn't know, argan oil is an excellent moisturizer for both hair and skin! Any skin type can use this, as it is never sticky or greasy, and absorbs super fast. My favorite part is that it doesn't smell horrid, like most sunscreens or SPF products. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone, all year round, but especially for summertime!

2: AmorePacific CC Cream: Seriously, love this stuff! This CC cream comes in a cute little compact, and you press the provided puff down on the liquid filled sponge. So cool! The formula is very hydrating, cooling, loaded with antioxidants, and SPF 50+! Love! It provides a light/medium coverage, and gives a beautiful dewy finish. It comes in 4 shades, and also comes with one replacement pack as well!

3: NARS Bronzer in "Laguna": Great summer bronze! This color gives a light, not too shimmery, but definitely golden glowy look to the skin. I would say any light-medium skin tone gal could wear this one, but if you are deeper toned, or prefer a deep bronze, I'd go with the color Casino.

4: NARS Satin Lip Pencil "Yu": Another winner from NARS! I was always a fan of their Velvet Matte lip pencils, and when these Satin ones launched a couple months ago, I knew I had to try (at least) one. Yu is the perfect hot pink color. Beautifully bright, but not too overbearing, this color adds a gorgeous pop of color to the lips. These lip pencils are perfectly pigmented, long lasting, and non-drying. Side note: another great color to try would be Lodhi, a beautiful coral!

5: Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray: I am a huge fan of hot tools, but let's be honest, in the hot summer months, ain't nobody got time for that (hehe)! And this is where my friend, B&B Surf Spray comes in. This saltwater-based spray adds beautiful texture and volume for a soft beachy look. The way I use this is by spraying it to damp hair, twisting a little with my fingers, and letting it air dry. I've also used this after showering at night, spraying and then braiding my hair, and when I let out the braids the next morning I had a beautiful wave. I'd recommend this to straight-wavy hair types, but if your hair is on the more course, curly side, this may not work best for you.

6: St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse: Best self tanner ever! I am super fair skinned, and always have had bad experiences with self tanners turning me orange.. not this one! This bronzing mousse is easy to apply (please use a mitt!), non-streaking (if you use a mitt!), and never, ever orange. First, I exfoliate my body, moisturize elbows, knees, ankles, any dry areas, and then pump the mousse (I use about 2 pumps per body part) directly to the tanning mitt and apply from my toes up. I apply at night (the mousse only takes a minute or two to dry), and shower off in the morning to reveal a beautifully bronzed tan. I'd recommend reapplying a couple times a week to maintain the tan, or two nights in a row to deepen.

And that's a wrap for my first post! :-) What are some of your summer favorites?!