December 2017 Top 5

Happy New Year! I was trying to get this up the last week of December but as you can see that did not happen. I'll try to keep this short and sweet.

Here's in my last top 5 to round out 2017!

Laura Geller Iconic Baked Sculpting Lipstick in Broadway Plum

In December, I went through my lip products like a bandit. I should have taken before and after pictures. This lipstick a friend sent to me. I couldn't remember if I liked it our not. So I put in the current rotation of lip products. This is a really good lipstick. It's nicely pigmented and does not go on streaky. Dark lipsticks like this can sometimes go on patchy which drives me nuts! The staying power on this lipstick is fantastic. With a normal day of eating, drinking, talking, etc it wore nicely. I didn't have to reapply but I did just because I wanted to lol. It also felt nice on the lip going on and throughout the day. My lips didn't feel dry or tight. And of course I love the color. It's deep aubergine. So this is a definite keeper for me. I may try another shade from the line. They are at Ulta woohoo!

MAC Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish

This was my highlighter of choice for the month of the December. It paired nicely with the deeper toned pink and berry blushes I wore. It's limited edition but MAC stays bringing stuff back. So keep a look out if it strikes your fancy.

BH Cosmetics ItsMyRayeRaye Palette

I follow ItsMyRayeRaye on Instagram and I saw that she collaborated with BH Cosmetics and created a palette and brush set. When I saw the palette I instantly fell in love with the shade section. It's a 21 color eyeshadow, highlight and contour palette. I thought it was cool that it has face products in addition to eyeshadows. I try to support women of color influencers when they collaborate with brands. I ordered the palette from BH Cosmetics.The was the main palette I used for the month. The shadows and highlighters are very nice. I have not used the face powders yet. I went ahead and ordered the brush set from Ulta the other day. The palette is also at Ulta. I have a work trip coming up and have no idea what palette to take. I may take this one since it's a nice all in one palette and I'm not trying to take a bunch of stuff with me.

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation

This foundation was the main foundation I reached for in December. I hadn't used in a while and forgot how much I liked it. I think this foundation is better suited for me in the cooler months but I can get away with wearing it if it's not too hot outside. The coverage of the foundation is fantastic. You do not need a lot to get the job done and the wear time of it is excellent. I wear the shade Deep Honey I'm tempted to try the next shade up in Rich Honey to see if it'll be a better shade for me when the weather is more and I get a tad bit darker. We shall see.

Love by Chaz Dean Eau de Parfum

When I ordered the Wen December Today's Special Value from QVC, a sample of this fragrance was included. Wen fragrances are hit or miss with me but I was curious to try it out. Once I saw the notes of this of the fragrance, I knew I was going to like it. The top note are Acai, White Currant and White Grapefruit and they are blended with Plumeria ad Rose Blossoms. It also has Ceadarwood and Amber extracts which I love. It's a warm and inviting scent that is not overpowering.  It'll be available for purchase in February and I am definitely grabbing a bottle!

One product I didn't like this month is the Korres Sea Lavender Body Butter. I ordered the Korres Special Edition 10-piece Body Butter Gift Collection from HSN that had minis of the body butters. I said I could use as hand creams. Now I kinda wished I returned it but I gifted one of the body butters. Oh well. The Sea Lavender scent is very strong. It lingers and it kinda tickles my nose. So I don't know if maybe I'm allergic to something in the body butter. Also when I touched stuff the scent got on whatever I touched. So I'm not a fan.

And there you have it! Thanks for following my ramblings of stuff I like and didn't like in 2017!

Next up we're gonna talk about my last set of empties for 2017!

November 2017 Top 5

Now matter what you celebrate, I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!

Let's get straight to it!

Persona Identity Palette

I follow the brand on Instagram and I kept eyeing this palette. The brand became available at Ulta and I jumped on getting it. This palette is so good! It's a complete palette. I don't have to reach for anything else to complete a look. The shadows a very pigmented, smooth, easy to blend and hello it has a dark brown shadow that is SO GOOD!. I also love the size It's not hard to store and it would be great for travel. If you looking for a new palette to try or you're looking for a good everyday palette that'll take your from day to night, definitely check this one out.

Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Blackberry

The Crushed Lip Colors are new to Bobbi Brown's line. A friend sent me 3 shades (Cranberry, Ruby and Blackberry). The one that I wore a lot in November was Blackberry. It is described as a deep chocolate berry. These kinds of shades are my happy place. The Crushed Lip Colors are a cross between a lip balm and a lip color. They feel really nice on the lips and don't dry out my lips. I like that I could throw it out and not have to fuss with it throughout the day.

Serious Skincare Serious-C3 Plasma™  Line

Serious Skincare revamped the Vitamin C line. I think it was last year or earlier this year and I was like why? To me the line was fine as is. I wasn't in a rush to try any of the revamped products. Then I ended up ordering their November Today's Special (Serious Skincare Year's Best Beauty Bag) that had the Vitamin C cleanser and the Serious Skincare Serious-C3 Plasma™ Trio Double Up set that had the serum, eye cream and SPF. The new products with the plasma technology are awesome! Everything absorbs into the skin so much better and I feel like I'm getting better results. The vitamin C SPF is my new favorite! When I tried the original one, I feel  it didn't completely absorb into my skin  and made me greasy. I do not have that problem with the Vitamin C SPF with the plasma technology. Now I'm curious as what the benefits of plasma are in skin care. During the presentations on HSN they said that plasma is the new "thing" in skincare.

COSRX  Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

I had been eyeing the cleanser for a while and a friend of mine was nice enough to send it to me. This is a really nice and gentle face wash. She warned me about the smell. The instant I used it I LOVED the smell. It has tea tree in it and she's not a fan of the smell of tea tree. We already know that I am. I've used this at morning and at night. I prefer using it in the morning. It's not drying and leave your skin feeling nice and supple. It's available Ulta but you can find it cheaper on Amazon.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Butter

This is another product I saw first on Instagram. I've tried the body lotion in the past and more recently and I was never really wowed by it. I saw this in Walgreens while I was waiting on prescription and said why not since I cannot say no to body butters. This a good body butter! It's nice and creamy. It absorbs into the skin nicely and leave a nice glow on the skin. I use it from my chest down to my toes and I love it! I've also been loving it on my hands. This is a definite repurchase for me.

And there you have it.

Short and sweet. Now on to December!

#ManicureMonday Butter London Rich Gold

Hola!

The last Monday in the office for 2017! Woohoo! What happened to the end of the year workload being light? I've had so much work to do and really no motivation to it. *sigh*

Let's talk about the last polish from the 2017 Butter London + Pantone of Color Year collection I picked up. Rich Gold is described as a warm golden shimmering beige. It is my favorite of the 3 polishes I picked up. It's a nice subtle gold shade. Some gold shades can be "loud". This wears like a neutral. I am SO tempted to pick up another bottle and I rarely get back ups of nail polishes. It's no longer on Butter London's site but I did find it on Kohl's website. So we shall see.

Ok after this nothing but FAVORITES for November, December and 2017! *nods head in approval*

Holiday Festive Mani with Butter London, OPI & Zoya

My office Christmas lunch was Friday and I typically do a festive mani for the occasion. I didn't really know what I wanted to do but I still wanted to show you guys Butter London's Greenery (vibrant, yellow green crème) from this year's Pantone collection. It's not a typical green for Christmastime but I liked the way it turned out with the red dots and darker green accent nail. The red dots are OPI's Big Apple Red (bold red crème) and the dark green shade on my index fingers is Zoya's Merida (evergreen scattered holo).

Pantone posted what the color for 2018 is going to be earlier this week. The color is PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet. Purple lovers rejoice! I can't wait to see the collection that Butter London comes up with.

Next up will be my November Top 5!

October 2017 Top 5

Oh boy this is hella late. But I still wanted to talk about my favorites from October. So let just get to it!

OPI This Color's Making Waves

I was looking for a dark green color and grabbed this. However this is not a dark green. It is described as a shimmery, lagoon blue on OPI's website. This color really grew on me and I wore it multiple times during the month. I think it's the perfect year round nail polish. It's not too bright or too dark. I also layered it over top of a black nail polish and it was really pretty. I'll try to get a post up of it on my nails.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub

A friend passed this on to me. Years ago I used to use the Tea Tree skin care line at The Body Shop and I did like it. The Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub was new to me and I LOVE IT! When I first used it, I used it after washing my face in the evening. I wasn't sure if it was a scrub that would also cleanse the skin but it is since it does foam but it does not dry out my skin. After that I have been using it in the morning. It is very refreshing and my face feels smooth and soft after using it. It is not an abrasive scrub. And of course I love the scent. If you have oilier skin and are prone to breakouts then check this scrub out! I definitely will repurchase this when I run out. I may travel with it for my next work trip.

Serious Skincare A Primer

This primer came in a set of Vitamin A products I purchased a while ago. I tried it when I first got it but wasn't wowed by it. I said let me try it again to see if I like or not. This time around I do like it. From HSN's website this primer is described as a "oil-free primer glides over the skin to temporarily fill in lines, wrinkles and pores. Its helps your skin feel and look polished and luminous." It does just that. Out of the tube it has pearl like finish which worried me at first. I said ok instant oil slick! This was not the case. It does give the skin the nice healthy looking glow. My foundation goes on nicely and holds up during the day.

Serious Skincare Creamerum Body Treatment

This is another Serious Skincare item I got in a set of items a while ago. I was curious to try it since I enjoy the serum and eye cream. From HSN's website:

"Pamper the exposed skin of your body with this sumptuous beauty treatment. It combines the ingredients of a serum with the luxurious hydration of a cream to help improve the suppleness and softness of your skin."

This is not your typical body lotion. As the name states, it is a treatment. It glides and absorbs into the skin nicely. It is not greasy and has a light scent but you can still put on a perfume or fragrance and it will not interfere with the scent. I use this from the chest down and I really enjoy it. I said I may grab another tube when it's on sale or I have a coupon. This is another product that would be great for travel.

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Sarina

I took this lip polish with me on my last work trip to Florida. When I travel on a plane, I always use a Buxom lippie on my lips for a hint of color and to hydrate and protect my lips. I wore this lip polish a lot while I was in Florida and I've continued using it since I've been back too. It is describes as a chocolate sparkle. The Buxom line of glosses are hands down my favorite lip glosses. They have been for years. I'm getting the urge to do another clear of my makeup stash. I could potentially get rid of all the lip glosses I have except the one I have from Buxom and be content. We shall see if that happens.

There you have it short and sweet! I'm not going to even say what post will be next lol. So I'll see you in the next post!

#ManicureMonday Butter London Caramel Cafe

Hey there!

Happy Monday to ya! I am SO EXCITED that this is a short work week for me. Should have taken the week off but oh well. I am taking some extra days around the days I have off. So it's all good!

I owe y'all some nail posts. In my Top 5 - Travel Edition (Denver) post, I mentioned the three Butter London + Pantone Color Of The Year Nail Lacquers that I picked up. I also said I'd get some posts up on these polishes *insert strong side eye*. Well better late than never :D

So today I am wearing Caramel Cafe. It is described as a warm caramel brown and it is still available on Butter London's website and you may be able find them elsewhere. This is a shade I know I have more of in my nail polish stash but I do really like it. I am wearing two coats but could have gotten away with one. During my last work trip I tried to decide on a few nail polishes to keep with my travel stuff so that I have one less thing to remember to pack. I ended up picking way too many nail polishes and scratched the idea. I've been thinking about it again and I think Caramel Cafe may be a candidate. It's a very flattering and wearable shade. Once I make my final selections, I may do a post.

I'm not sure if I'll get another post up before Thursday, so I'll go ahead and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! If you don't celebrate it then I hope that you have a fantabulous day nonetheless!

TTFN - ta ta for now!

November/December 2017 Shop My Stash

Hey. Hey there. How ya doin?

I'm coming off a recent work trip, had a ton of laundry to do, just basically getting back to real life. Plus Daylight Savings Time has been a real downer. It's dark at like 5 o'clock and I don't want to jack! So I'm trying to shake the funk off.

Since we're heading into mid-November (yikes!) and into the holiday season, I am going to combine my play post for November and December.

So here we go!

Shadow Play

I picked up two new palettes from Ulta. I got the Persona Cosmetics Identity Palette and the tarte Tartlette Toast palette. I've done a few looks with the Identity palette already and I'm really enjoying it. I think it will be fantastic for travel. I also wanted to play around with some Bare Minerals eyeshadows. I was moved to grab the Women of B.E. Collection. If you'v been with me a while then you know this is an oldie but goody from QVC!

Polish Play

For nail polish, I grabbed a bunch of Zoya nail polishes along with two reds from OPI. I also need to find my Sephora by OPI polish in Good Tidings We Bling. That's a staple every holiday season! It's the perfect red and green glitter nail polish that I pretty much talk about every year. Every now and then Sephora has brought it back for the holidays. If you see it, grab it!

Zoya Emilia, Kelly, Nimue. Ibiza, Neve

Zoya Storm, Marjorie, Finley, Merida, Aurora, Dream

OPI Big Apple Red, Amore at the Grand Canal

Fragrance Play

For fragrance, Lancome is on deck! I have three Lancome fragrances. La Vie Est Belle, Tresor and La Nuit Tresor.

And a bonus item...

I picked up the tarte Blush Bliss palette from Ulta when it was on sale. I think this will be a good travel blush palette. I purged all of my Tarte blushes from my stash and now I kinda regret it. I saw this and said why not. Sephora has a larger blush palette that's part of tarte holiday collection. I'm tempted to get it during the VIB sale or when they do the $20 off $50 offer.

I think this a good mix of item to take me through the end of the year. As always, thanks for following me along. Especially since I haven't been a consistent as I would have liked this year. We'll see what holds for 2018.

Next up will be my October Top 5 post. Stay tuned!