Makeup Forever Artist Palette Volume 1 | Nudes You Need

Recently, I had the pleasure of shopping at Sephora (in store!).  As per usual I left with my arms completely covered in swatches.  My eyes kept drifting back to the top of my hand where I had swatched the new Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 1: Nudes you Need

Something about the soft shimmers kept drawing me in.

The palette contains 9 x 0.06 oz shadows. Seven are shimmers, one is satin (S-556), one is matte (S-102).

(Top Row L-R) I-528 Pearl, I-514 Pink Ivory, ME-512 Golden Beige

(Second Row L-R) S-556  Taupe Grey, D-562 Taupe Platinum, ME-644 Iced Brown

(Third Row L-R) S-102 Onyx, I-544 Pink Granite, D-652 Celestial Earth

Considering 7/9 of these shadows are shimmer I was expecting more fallout.  Surprisingly, I did not have this issue.  These shadows blend nicely and with aide of a primer (I used elf's $3.00 primer) last all day.  I also enjoy the variety of both warm and cool tones, I really believe anyone can wear this palette. 

I do find myself reaching for a complementary matte brown shade for transitioning purposes and sometimes a matte ivory for highlighting. If you aren't a fan of shimmers this may not be your cup of tea.  If you are like me and love to add a beautiful shimmer to the lid (sometimes a couple) this is an excellent addition to any collection. I'm thoroughly impressed and excited to keep playing with this beaute!

Hope you are all having a nice week :)

-Steph xo

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation | Review and Swatches

If you know me you may know I'm a bit of a foundation junkie.

I am forever searching for the newest, greatest, product that provides coverage while appearing natural.  Enter, Too Faced Born This Way.

Hence the name "Born This Way", this foundation claims to provide coverage while maintaining a very natural finish.

Above are 12 of the 18 shades currently available.  Six new shades will be introduced in Fall 2015. The range of colors I have are light-medium, however, Too Faced did a bang-up job of creating a variety of shades ranging from fair to dark.

Currently "Nude" is the perfect shade for my skin. I've actually gotten a bit of a tan this summer! *Gasp*.

Porcelain: Fair with Neutral to Pink Undertones

Ivory: Fair with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Vanilla: Fair/Light with Neutral to Pink Undertones

Nude: Light with Neutral to Pink Undertones

Warm Nude: Light with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Light Beige: Light/Medium with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Natural Beige: Medium with Neutral Undertones

Warm Beige: Medium with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Sand: Medium/Tan with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Golden: Tan with Neutral to Pink Undertones

Honey: Tan with Neutral to Golden Undertones

Caramel: Deep Tan with Neutral to Golden Undertones

One application of this foundation provides a medium coverage, however, you can easily build up the the coverage with a second application.  What I love is that this foundation truly does appear natural while still managing to cover blemishes and imperfections.  I had no issues with it settling into fine lines or pores.  The wear-time was really what impressed me the most!  I was able to get a full 12 hours of wear out of this foundation (I did use a primer as I always do).

Above is a completely unedited full sun photo. I wanted you guys to see how flawless and natural this product really is in reality.  I gotta say I'm giving this foundation a huge two thumbs up and have not been reaching for anything else since I started using it. I'd love to know your thoughts on this foundation.

Happy Thursday Loves!

-Steph xo

Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Gloss | Review & Swatches

While perusing the drugstore cosmetic aisles I stumbled upon the new Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Glosses. I was really excited to see the range of colors (12 shades) and finishes (Creams, Jellies and Shimmers).

I picked up six from the line and put them to the test.

Lilac Lumi #20 is a "Shimmer" and surprisingly my favorite of the six I purchased.  If you scroll through all the swatches you can see Lilac Lumi is the most pigmented of the ones I picked up (that being said it still leans more sheer rather than opaque). 

Fab and Fuscia #20 is a "Jelly". When swatched (and applied to the lips) it performs as a very sheer gloss with the faintest fuchsia tint.  I'll admit I like this one, as subtle as it may be, it adds a nice healthy shine to the lips.

Pink Pizazz #50 is a Jelly. Despite its vibrant pink appeal in the tube it applies almost completely clear.  

Life's a Peach #30 is a "Cream".  A milky, light peach gloss.

Pink-A-Boo #30 is a "Cream".  The pinky version of "Lifes a Peach". For some reason this one seems to settle into the lines of my lips.

Tickled Pink #40 is a Cream.  This is the least pigmented of the creams I have.  It has a very faint pink pigment and a milky finish like the other creams.

My thoughts on these vary from shade to shade and finish to finish. 

 The one shimmer I have (Lilac Lumi) is my absolute favorite.  The glitter (which I usually don't gravitate towards) has a gorgeous iridescent finish without being chunky and harsh. 

The "Jellies" are my second favorite.  Despite the lack of pigmentation they do give a subtle tint to the lips and a very pretty glossy finish. 

The creams are my least favorite of the bunch, they aren't a total fail by any means, I just prefer the shimmers and jellies.

As for the formula; these are incredibly comfortable.  They aren't sticky or slippery and although I have still been applying my regular lip balm daily I do think these glosses provide a hint of moisture to the lips. 

My only advice would be to keep in mind that these appear much more vibrant and pigmented in the tubes as opposed to on the lips.  Most are quite sheer and are reminiscent in pigmentation to the original Baby Lips Balms. 

Have you guys tried these? What colours are you loving?

Hope your week is off to a great start all!

-Steph xo 

Back to the Blog

Well Hello!

If you've followed me for awhile you may know that I once blogged pretty frequently. As with life things can sometimes get quite hectic and the things we'd like to spend more time doing can get pushed to the side.

As much as I love being responsible I also love beauty and fashion...so....I'm making time to blog again. I post regularly on youtube and love creating videos. The problem is I have too much to talk about! I want to share as much as I can with you all. So that is where the blog comes into play. Here you will find additional posts, swatches and random musings from yours truly.

I've always had an infinity for writing and sadly over the past few years I haven't written a thing. 
I want to instill in my children the importance of doing the things you love and taking pride in the things you do. I figure the best way to do that is to lead by example. Trust me I need to work on these things myself as well, that being said, nothing quite motivates me like my kids. 

I appreciate each of you who stop by here or my youtube channel. Of course, I deal with occasional dipshits (seriously what else do you call them?) but I'm always amazed at the vast amount of love and kindness there is in the world. You guys are amazing! Hope you enjoy my new blog. -Steph xo