REVAMP OF MY BLOG! :)

My hiatus has been entirely too long but I'm back! I realized that one of the reasons I have not updated my blog or kept up with it was because there's so much more to me than just beauty and make up. I love fashion, food, my cat, boyfriend, friends, and of course make up.. so why not make my blog about all of these things? I feel like a blog is your own personal spot in the world of the internet and as much as make up is a huge part of my life there are also so many other things that make me happy as well. My blog will still be about beauty but it's also going to be about other aspects of my life and I am very excited to share this with you all! :)

REVIEW: RIMMEL STAY MATTE FOUNDATION

I've never tried Rimmel foundations prior to trying this one, so I wasn't sure what to really expect. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever be buying a Rimmel foundation ever again thanks to the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation!

Let's talk about the packaging first. I actually enjoy it as it's small and compact and great for traveling. The product doesn't come out too fast and it's easy to control. It's also so cute, right?

I with the product was as great as the packaging. The consistency of this foundation is pretty thick and creamy. For me, this indicates that it's going to be medium to full coverage. I would compare the consistency to Revlon's Whipped foundation (which is my HG foundation). I immediately thought "Awesome! It's going to be just like my favorite foundation but have a matte finish." Once I started putting the foundation on, my hopes were sadly wrong. :(

I have dry-combination skin and boy did this foundation enhance the dryness to the extreme. The foundation stuck to my dry areas and also made my pores look HUGE. I've never had a huge problem with my pores, other foundations have been pretty good about minimizing them. Unfortunately, this foundation enhanced them like I've never seen before.

Definitely not a foundation for anyone that has remotely dry skin in the slightest. Don't even try layering this foundation if you want the full coverage because it becomes really cakey looking. I understand when you wear foundation it's not going to look 100% natural, but this foundation made it clearly apparent that you are wearing something on your face.

I tried using different primers underneath to see if this would help smooth my skin out enough for the foundation to lay on top of it and not cling to my dry spots. That was a major fail and I've come to the conclusion that this foundation just DOES NOT work for me at all. 

So to all you girls out there with dry-combination skin, I suggest you stay far away from this foundation as it will do nothing but enhance your dryness!

REVIEW: NAKED 3 PALETTE VS. NAKED 1 PALETTE

Okay, so life has gotten the best of me. It really makes me sad that I haven't found the time to update a blog that means so much to me! I am back once again with a review for you. :) 

A big thank you to my lovely boyfriend for buying this for me for Christmas (even though he thinks I have way too many eyeshadow palettes and did not need another one). After having the Naked 1 palette for almost two years, I was kind of skeptical about a new Naked palette. I wasn't really a super fan of Naked 2 as I felt like it was way too similar to the original to really invest $50. When I saw Naked 3, I almost died. Naked 3 contains 12 gorgeous rose toned shades that are completely different than Naked 1&2. I've posted a photo below of Naked 3 next to Naked 1 in order for you to compare the shades yourselves!

Naked 3 on the left Naked 1 on the right

While typing this right now, I realized I should have put them side by side where the shades both went darkest to lightest but you get the point! The main difference between the two palettes are clearly the warm colored tones vs. cooler, rose tones. I'm not going to lie, I was kind of intimidated by the pinkish hues as I didn't think for this reason the Naked 3 palette could be as versatile as the Naked 1. I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the Naked 3 shadows are (and they don't make you look like you have pink eye, one of the accusations I had).

Surprisingly, I actually now use my Naked 3 palette more frequently than 1. The lightest shade (Strange) in Naked 3 has a slight pink sheen to it in comparison to Naked 1's Virgin, which I actually prefer. It's the perfect highlighter shade for your brow bone as well as the inner corners of your eye. There are really no two shadows in both palettes that are a like, which I believe really makes you get your money's worth for a brand new palette.

My favorite shades in Naked 3 are Nooner (a matte dark mauve) and Limit (almost the same shade as Nooner, but a tad lighter. Also a matte shade!). I like mixing the two together and using it in my crease as it creates a really pretty deep mauve color that brings out my brown eyes.

I don't know if I'd be able to choose between Naked 1 and Naked 3 as I believe they're both great in their own ways, but I can definitely advise you to pick up the 3rd installment in the Naked franchise as you can create so many different looks with 12 gorgeous rose toned shades. :)

MY FAVORITE NAIL POLISHES

I'm one of those girls who paints their nails twice a week. (I know, crazy). I just love changing it up with my nails all the time. My collection of nail polish has gotten pretty out of control which is fine with me. The following are some of my favorite nail polish colors!

SEPHORA BY OPI: MERMAID TO ORDER

I have loved this color for YEARS. It's a gorgeous metalic blue/green that looks holographic on the nail. Absolutely gorgeous. No matter how many nail polishes I try, I always come back to this one. It's so unique and different - I've never found a nail polish quite like it.

ESSIE: PLAYDATE

This color is so fun. It's a gorgeous lilac color that's so pretty for Spring/Summer. This is a newer color in my collection but it didn't take long for it to become a favorite. 

MAYBELLINE COLOR SHOW: CHIFFON CHIC

LOVE this color. (It's the pink, not the accent nail). TIP: Make sure you use a top coat: this nail polish chips really easily.

CHINA GLAZE: FOR AUDREY

This is a true Tiffany's blue color which is one of my favorites. I love love love this polish and China Glaze makes awesome quality polishes. TIP: Wet n Wild's "I Need a Refresh-Mint" is a complete dupe for this color.

REVIEW: AUSSIE 3 MINUTE MIRACLE

I have long, damaged, dry hair. I am constantly looking for miracle products that are going to help fix my unfortunate mane. I purchased Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle for around $3 about 2 months ago. It's a decent product that doesn't break the bank.

PROS

• Price. There are so many high end expensive brands out there which I really cannot afford. My hair is important to me, but I'm not going to spend $100 on a product that I don't even know will do anything. This product is so cheap that it's a steal for what you are getting.
• Smell. I loooove the scent of coconuts. This product definitely has a strong coconut smell and I absolutely love it. I wish the smell would last longer in my hair, but unfortunately by the time my hair dries it is gone.
• Results. I don't use this product often, probably once every two weeks or so. I don't like using deep conditioners every time I shower just because I feel like it weighs down my hair. I have definitely noticed that my hair is a lot softer/shinier after using this product. I can't stop touching my hair after I use this and even my boyfriend noticed how soft it was as well. I think if a guy notices something like that, then this stuff does pretty good! 

CONS

• Packaging. Unfortunately, the packaging is a let down. There is no cap on the product, you just squeeze it and the product comes out of a hole. This is kind of annoying as water can easily get into it and water it down if you aren't careful. Also, it's probably going to be hard to get the product out when there isn't much left of it.
• Miracle? No. Yes, I love the way this makes my hair feel after I finish using it in the shower but it's definitely not a miracle. My split ends are still visible and it hasn't really made my hair feel stronger by any means. 

CONSENSUS

This product has made my hair softer and look healthier but it hasn't done much besides that. I think it's a good deep conditioner to use once in awhile but I think there are definitely better options out there. I didn't expect this to really be a miracle product but I do like the smell and think for the price you can't really complain too much!

REVIEW: L'OREAL TRUE MATCH LUMI FOUNDATION

Once again, I've been MIA! I just moved into a new place and it has consumed my life. I want to try to update this blog at least twice a week so let's see how this goes!

I love trying out new foundations so I picked up L'oreal's True Match Lumi Foundation. After seeing a youtube beauty guru use it in one of her tutorials, I was sold. It made her skin look absolutely flawless and gave her skin an airbrush affect. I've been experimenting with it for a month now and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

PROS:

1. It has a great pump. I love when foundations actually have pumps on them because it controls how much of the product comes out and it doesn't waste any. 
2. Blendability. This foundation blends so easily that you can use your fingers or a brush and you still can get great results. I prefer using a flat top brush as it makes it super easy and fast to blend this foundation on the skin.
3. Air brush finish. I've never used an airbrush system for foundation but I feel like this can give the equivalent results. I love the finish it gives my skin: it's not completely matte but not overly dewey. It makes your skin glow and look healthy.
4. Buildable coverage. I like a full coverage foundation and this is definitely buildable. You can use a little and have a light-medium coverage but you can also build it up enough where concealer is not really needed.
5. Lasts all day. You can't go wrong with a foundation that remains put for the whole day. An occasional touch up with powder and this foundation is good to go for full wear.

CONS:

1. Watery. When you pump this foundation it comes out quickly and quite watery. I prefer a foundation that's a bit thicker as this one is quite runny. 
2. Oxidizes: After sitting for awhile on the skin, this foundation actually gets a shade or two darker from when you first put it on. I'm not a fan of this as my skin is fair and I purchased one of the lightest colors. This is a pretty large con for me as I hate when my foundation doesn't match my skin tone. It also looked a bit orange to me as well when this happened.

CONSENSUS:

Definitely not my holy grail foundation but it's pretty good! I think the fact that it oxidizes pretty intensely may be a reason why I would not re-purchase it. I do love the flawless finish it gives my skin though.

MAY FAVORITES!

I just realized I haven't posted on my blog in almost two months. I guess life just gets the best of you sometimes! Life has calmed down a little bit so I will for sure be posting more frequently again. :)

Since I haven't updated in awhile, I'm going to do a May favorites post about my current favorite products! I feel like whenever I go grocery shopping I tend to pick up a few beauty products along the way. The following are my current favorites for this month!

FOUNDATION: Foundation is a must for me always as I have hyper-pigmentation as well as a very rosy complexion. I am currently trying to use up the rest of my Cover Girl 3-in-1 foundation that I mentioned preciously as I don't like wasting make up. As I've said before, this isn't my favorite foundation (check my previous review). My favorite foundation currently is Revlon's Color Stay Whipped foundation. Absolutely love the consistency of this foundation and it gives great coverage.

CONCEALER: Still loving my Hard Candy heavy duty Glamoflauge concealer. I use it every day - even when I don't wear foundation. I will admit it's quite heavy and a little bit goes a long way. It's perfect for those days when I don't want a full face of foundation.

LIPSTICK: I really loving Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten lipstains. I have the colors Cherish and Sweeatheart. Absolutely obsessed with these. The colors are beautiful for Summer and they really do stain your lips. TIP: These are a little drying so I usually apply and EOS lip balm over them.

LEFT: CHERISH      RIGHT: SWEETHEART

MASCARA: Maybelline's the Rocket Mascara is a great drugstore brand mascara that boosts eyelashes and make them look full. This is definitely going to be a repurchase for me!

HAIR PRODUCTS: I've been using Dove's Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner for a few months now and I love it. This system makes my hair feel so soft and healthy. It's supposed to significantly help visible split ends as well as prevent them. I can definitely tell a huge difference in my hair since using it.