the favorites | february + march 2015

What an interesting couple of months! There was so much snow and ice that I thought I'd somehow wound up in Arendelle, and now today is as sunny as Corona.

On to the good stuff!

makeup

These past two months haven't seen that much change in my makeup routine. Having a lot of snow days makes me less desirous of doing a lot of makeup, but game days require at least a little bit of concealer along my jaw, or people will figure out that I'm a spy during the Resistance! For a lighter base, I've been enjoying blending out concealer like the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles—someone needs to talk with the branding team—with either fingers, my Real Techniques Expert face brush or the Beauty Blender I received in my February Birchbox. Oftentimes, I will also use the Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer in conjunction with the Maybelline. Together, they work quite well.

For color, I have become quite interested in warmer pinks. As a neutral-cool–undertoned woman with a hefty dose of pink in her skin, I've always gone for brighter, lighter pinks with blue undertones, but I thought I'd branch out since spring is now upon us. To that end, I've broken out my NARS One Night Stand palette, which I purchased back in November 2013, for the shade Deep Throat. I used to own a single of this blush, but I've since cleared out my stash, so my palette form is all that remains. It's quite sheer, but that keeps me from applying too much at a time. I also very much appreciate that the shimmer that runs through the blush is so subtle. No glitter-bombs for me, thank you very much!

For lips, I've been enjoying my Mom's Christmas present to me: the NARS Audacious lipstick in Dominique. It's such a unique shade, a medium-toned lavender with almost gray undertones. Its formula is lovely—very pigmented and not too slippy whilst not being drying. And while packaging is not the be-all end-all of good lipstick, sleek magnetic packaging never hurts. I've particularly enjoyed wearing this with the shades Cream, Light Bronze (look at that pan!), Pewter, and Mauve from my beloved LORAC Pro palette. I try not to feature the same products in my favorites posts because these would quickly become repetitive, but this color combination suits my gray eyes and fair, neutral-cool coloring. As you can see from the state of my palette, the shades can kick up quite a bit of dust, but for a relatively comprehensive palette, I don't think you can go wrong with this little guy.

games

I haven't yet featured video games on my blog because I don't play them all that often, but I've recently rediscovered some old favorites and one new one. Let me know if you'd like a more in-depth review of these at some future point.

First, a night of Battlefront II reminded me that Knights of the Old Republic is available for Mac. Naturally, I immediately went to the App Store and purchased it. I'm currently stuck defending the Ebon Hawk because I don't have a mouse, but I still love it. I've loved this game for going on seven years, but I've never finished it. Here's to hoping that I'll break that streak!

Second, I finished Professor Layton and the Curious Village over the course of three days. As you can tell from the above, I don't typically finish video games, but I was utterly drawn in with all the puzzles of St. Mystere. Fortunately, I've just found that there are five more games in the series, so I'll be purchasing the next one probably relatively soon if my birthday doesn't come up before then.

I hope that you all have had a lovely winter and early spring! Please feel free to let me know what other sorts of comments you'd like to see here.

the face | great scott

Today, I thought I'd try something a little different. Let me know how you like the change in image formatting!

This morning, my dear friend Scott did my makeup. I did my own base—my standard cocktail of Hourglass Veil mineral primer, NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturizer in Terre Neuve, NARS Radiant Creamy concealer in Chantilly, and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light—with a light dusting of NARS blush in Mistinguette, and Scott contoured my cheekbones with Illamasqua Hollow. Scott has a fondness for bold hues and smokey eyes, so he dipped into the Urban Decay Naked and Naked3 palettes, using the shades Toasted, Creep, Mugshot, Blackheart, and Dust. Even over my favorite NARS Smudge Proof eyeshadow base, you can see that they have creased after roughly seven or eight hours of wear.

The lips, though, are where it gets even more fun: Scott used Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics's famous lip tar in Technopagan—what a name!—with some Butch dabbed in the middle. I haven't yet reapplied the now-discontinued Butch since eating as I wanted to show off Technopagan for the purposes of this post. I understand the appeal of the lip tar formula: it's not too drying, and it stays decently put throughout the day. I did need to reapply after failing to eat nachos neatly, but I actually enjoy the process of reapplying.

Metallic navy is a departure from the norm for me, and I'm loving it! I've received several compliments throughout the day, but, more importantly, I got to spend time with a friend and try something different.

What beauty experiments have you tried with your friends?

the favorites | july 2014

Hello, all!

I apologize for my lack of consistent posting this week. I've had family- and school-related obligations. Fortunately, I'm now back on track!

So, without any further ado, let's talk July favorites.

makeup

July in the South is fairly sweltering, so whenever I wear a full face, I can't go wrong with NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturizer. I currently own the shade Terre Neuve, which isn't quite pink enough for me, but it blends well enough that you can't really tell. The Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelée in Poppy Paradise has acted in much the same way, giving me a sheer, bright blush. To set everything in place, I've been reaching for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light, as always. This also works well with the Wayne Goss method.

On my lips, I've been sporting this deluxe sample of the Laura Mercier lip glacé in Rose, which I received in a points perk from Sephora. Although I'm not the biggest fan of shimmer, the formula isn't sticky, and the color enhances the natural color of my lips just enough to look effortlessly pretty.

After a brief stint of believing I'd lost it, my friend Kyle found my Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Pumped Up! mascara hiding in my couch—I kid you not. I'm very glad he did: it's very volumizing very quickly. Don't buy into the "double shot" marketing nonsense, but do try this if you want long, full lashes. Finally, on my eyelids themselves, I've been sporting Mother of Dragons from Shiro's Seven Kingdoms collection. Although it's intimidating in the baggie, when applied, it transforms into a sultry, shimmery burgundy that brings out the green in my eyes. Its only real failing is its lack of lasting power, but I hope to remedy that with Darling Girl Glitter Glue in the near future.

skincare

My skin doesn't like summer very much. Between the heat, humidity, and constant switches in between, I don't blame it. Fortunately, the Stridex Maximum Strength pads have helped keep my skin in check. Soaked in beta hydroxy acids, these pads balance the pH of my skin in the morning and act as a chemical exfoliant, which makes them useful for the keratosis pilaris on my arms as well. Another product that my face has been enjoying this month is the elusive Antipodes Aura manuka honey mask. At once soothing, hydrating, and cleansing, this has pampered my skin.

nails

Although I didn't document it, Essie's Watermelon graced my nails at the beginning of the month. Since I bought it while studying abroad, every time I use this polish, I wonder why the US doesn't have the wide brushes of Essie's UK diffusion line. With the wider brush, it applies smoothly and quickly for a nearly gel-like coat of hot pink-red. I'll have to paint my nails with it again this August: it's summer in a bottle!

What have been your favorite products this month?