Smells Like Spring

Over the past year and a half or so, I've really gotten into finding perfume scents that work with my body's internal chemistry. I like to have at least 2-3 perfumes that I can switch between depending on my mood and/or the current season. Personally, I believe that perfume scents are an incredibly personal thing and can be as much a part of a person's identity as their favorite bag or article of clothing. Here are 5 of my favorite scents that I enjoy wearing in the Spring/ Summer months.

Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede

 

This is one of my all time favorite scents ever. I love all Jo Malone scents but this one and the Wood Sage and Sea Salt cologne are the ones that feel the most me. It smells quite floral without making you smell like a total bouquet of flowers, which in my opinion is a very hard thing for perfumes to accomplish. The thing that I love the most about this pick is that it lasts all day, so I'm not having to carry it around with me if I'm out and about all day. The same can be said for most of the other Jo Malone fragrances. Best all rounder in my book.

Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt

As I mentioned in the description for the Peony and Blush Suede cologne, the smell of this perfume lasts long after you first put it on with no touch ups. It literally makes you feel like you're at the beach when you spray this on. I enjoy using this when I'm feeling down or if it's a particularly gloomy day out. An instant mood lifter; plus if you layer this fragrance with the Peony any Blush Suede it's what I imagine magic would smell like if it had a scent.

Tocca Simone

Here's another perfume that makes me feel like I'm on a beach holiday! This one by Tocca is a lot more fresh smelling than the Wood Sage and Sea Salt one from Jo Malone, but one of my favorites for the warm weather season! This scent also comes in such a cute bottle as an added bonus.

Commodity: Book

A while ago Estée from the youtube channel Essiebutton did a favorites video where she included a book scented candle that she had picked up from her trip to Denmark. I was so intrigued by this that I decided to look for a perfume that had a similar scent and I found one from the brand Commodity. I had never heard of this brand until I went into Sephora one day to look at perfumes and then found this gorgeous creation! It says that it has very fresh, earthy notes that remind me of the smell of a new book when you open it up. All I can say is that this is a very addicting scent and I can see myself wearing it for many years to come. I just hope that Commodity doesn't discontinue this scent!

Chloé: Roses De Chloé

This scent is a spinoff from the original Chloé perfume that has added notes of roses. I actually like this edition of the iconic fragrance. First off I want to say that this is not just a product with pretty packaging. I love how feminine and floral it smells without making you smell like an old person's floral perfume. If a perfume could affect your outer appearance, this one would make you look like you have that lit from within glow.

MAC Warm Neutrals Palette

Recently I have rediscovered my love for eye shadows, particularly MAC shadows. Don't get me wrong I still love the Urban Decay Naked collection as much as the next girl but there's just something about the ones from MAC that put them above the rest for me. Last Friday my friend, Sara and I had a bit of a shopping day, which was well needed after the week that we both had. Great things were bought, but the thing that topped all the rest was the new MAC palette in Warm Neutral.

I think that MAC has a bit of a thing with releasing new palettes lately, first with the incredible palettes curated for the Cinderella collection and now they have done it again with this gorgeous selection of neutral eye shadow palettes that have been recently released. There are 2 sizes available, a 9 shadow and a 15 shadow size. The 9 shadow palettes are available in 4 color collections; Amber Times Nine, Burgundy Times Nine, Purple Times Nine, and Navy Times Nine. The 15 shadow palettes are available in 2 color collections; Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral.

I am in love with the colors in the Warm Neutral palette! All of the colors blend together so beautifully,as to be expected from MAC shadows. My favorite look that I've been doing with this palette is to put 'Unwind' all over my lid below my crease, then take 'Saddle' through my crease and blend them together with my MAC 217 blending brush. If I feel like adding a bit of definition to my lower lash line, I will mix 'Butterfudge' and 'Unwind' together and take my Zoeva 230 luxe pencil brush along my lower lash line. I also wanted to point out that the shade 'Lemon Tart' looks really pretty when it's placed on the brow bone, it just brightens the whole look up so much!

So there you have it! Will you be getting any of the neutral palettes from MAC? What are some of your favorite products from the brand? I hope you all enjoyed this post and I hope you are all well. Until next time!

Accidental New Favorite Cleanser

So last weekend after work, I decided to have a little wander around the nearby Sephora. While I usually have difficulties on not going too overboard in that store, I managed to control my spending this time. I went in intending to look at the "new white" collection from Nails Inc after hearing about it on a video that Alex from the YouTube channel I Covet Thee talk about how gorgeous the off white colors were. Once I found the Nails Inc section on the nail polish stand, I decided I would get the shades Whitehorse Street and Swan Street.

Next I went to have a look in the skin care section and ummed and ahhed at several different products and was about to head to the cashier to pay for the nail polishes. As I was walking, I saw the the First Aid Beauty section and remembered that I had been wanting to try on the Skin Rescue purifying mask with red clay. You know the one that makes your face look all red, scary and dries so you get to peel it off your face, yeah that one.

So as I was in such a hurry, I grabbed the cleanser instead and only noticed when I was having a bath and went to put the mask on my face and then saw it was the skin rescue cleanser and not the mask! I decided to try it out anyway and surprise suprise, I love it! It makes your skin feel super clean but not dried out at all. I was thinking about returning it to Sephora but now I think I'm gonna keep it. I've been using it in the mornings and alternating between this new cleanser and my glam glow supercleanse mud cleanser at night. This just might replace my Kiehls cleanser. Have you tried this cleanser or any other First Aid Beauty products? What are your favorites? Hope you enjoyed it! 

Lazy Girl's Guide: Everday Makeup

A few days ago I came across a video called " Lazy Girl's Guide: Updo hairstyle" on MarissaLace's YouTube channel. She talked about how to create this really pretty updo in literally 5 minutes. After watching her video, I was really inspired to write a post all about how I like to wear my makeup when I'm feeling particularly sleepy or lazy. Anyway, lets get started!

For my face, I usually use a light tinted moisturizer, BB or a CC cream and a concealer for any redness and one for my under eye area. Right now I'm really enjoying the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. Its amazing at giving decent coverage while still feeling very light on the skin. I will usually use the Nars creamy concealer under my eyes to brighten up any dark circles and the Urban Decay Naked Skin one for any redness or problem areas around my face. After setting with some translucent powder, I'lll move on to adding a light wash of color to make my eyes look more awake.

 

The Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold is a great product to use when you just want a light wash of color but it's also very buildable if you want a more intense look. For this no fuss look I just take one swipe of this shadow stick on my lid and blend it outwards. Next I use the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara as it lengthens incredibly, opening up the eyes. Lastly, I use the Benefit gimme brow in dark. This product holds my brows in place while also giving them a slight tint making them look fuller and defined.

 

The Tarte cheek stain is a great product to use when you want a natural looking flush on the cheeks. I find it's easiest to use a stippling brush and push the color onto apples of the cheek and blend towards the hairline. I love using it with my fingers to dab onto the lips for slight bit of color.

All finished and now you're ready to take on whatever lies in the day ahead of you! Hope you enjoyed it and be sure to come back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new posts on all things beauty and fashion! Have a great day!

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion Spray Review

Bumble and Bumble products pretty much make up the majority of the hair care section in my bathroom. Their Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Shampoo and Conditioner are basically the only things that keep my hair manageable and healthy. I get my hair colored every two and a half months or so to keep my beachy/ natural looking blond color looking its best. I think it's safe to say that my hair goes through alot and it's literally a miracle that it still looks this healthy. I give credit to the amazing products from Bumble and Bumble for how good my hair looks now despite all of the damage it goes through.

I can't say enough good things about this brand! After discovering the original Surf Spray from the brand a few years ago, I fell in love with the way that it gave my hair that amazing look that your hair gets when you've just come out of the water during a beach holiday. There was one thing about it that I didn't quite like about it though and that was the dry feeling that I felt whenever I would touch my hair. That one flaw didn't stop me from using an otherwise AMAZING product. I used it interchangeably with the Toni and Guy salt spray whenever I wanted to add extra wave and texture to my mildly wavy hair. 

This continued until I got an email from Sephora informing me that VIB Rouge members had the opportunity to get the new Surf Infusion Spray before it went on sale to non VIB members. I was really intriguing to me, so naturally my impulse shopping tendencies kicked in and before I knew it, there was a Sephora package waiting for me on my doorstep a couple of days later. Long story short,I frickin' love this stuff! It's like the original Surf Spray but the oil in the surf spray keeps it from making your hair feel all dry and crispy. In other words this is sexy beach hair in a bottle and receives a 12 out of 10 from me! What are some of your favorite products to get effortless hair?

Rose Gold Obsessed!

I know that according to Pantone ,you know the people who come up the color of the year; have proclaimed that Marsala is the color of the year. However, if it were me who had the power of deciding the color of the year, it would be the color rose gold. I know I'm a bit late on the bandwagon but lately I've been loving every thing rose gold! My second choice is the color copper but that is not the star of the show here, now is it?

Here are some bits in rose gold that I am IN LOVE with!

Gold Drip Mug: Forever 21 $6.50; Bow-Twist Rose Gold Earrings: Wanderlust + Co. $17.50;Rose Golden Complete Eye Set: Zoeva $78.00; Rose Golden Luxury Set $78.00

So are you Team Marsala or Team Rose Gold? Let me know below!

My Spring Must Haves

Hey guys! With spring quickly arriving, I thought that today's post would be just the thing to help us get into the mood for some spring weather. As if we needed another excuse to get out of this miserable weather. Anyway, here are some things I look for in my spring wardrobe!

My Spring Must Haves:

1.     A good neutral colored light/medium weight jacket( i.e. trench coat.) This will keep you warm if the weather turns from sunny and 65 degrees Fahrenheit to rainy and 38 degrees F. Wearing a light outer layer like this will add an extra something to your outfit and can pull together almost any look whether your wearing a casual day dress or jeans and a t- shirt.

2.     Colorful Jumper/ Romper/Playsuit: I don’t know about you but after wearing what feels like every dark neutral color under the sun, I start to crave little pops of bright colors in my wardrobe. That is where a brightly colored jumper comes in to play. These two-in-ones are literally my favorite things to wear in the spring. They come in most spring type colors and are an instant outfit that makes it look like you actually tried to look put together. My favorite ones are floral printed ones and jumpers with different colored top and bottoms, so it looks like you’re wearing a separate top and bottoms when really it’s all one piece! GENIUS IDEA!

3.     A small but roomy crossbody bag: A couple of years ago I was a big bag kind of girl. The bigger the bag the better it was, that was my way of thinking back then. Around September of last year I bought my first Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC in the taupe color with the silver chain and that was what made me a small crossbody girl. They come in so many different colors, they are available at all different price points and they offer you so much freedom. You can put all of your things (makeup, phone, keys, wallet etc.) in your bag and not have to worry about dropping anything out of your bag. Another plus is that you can be wearing a “meh” outfit but wearing this kind of bag will instantly make it look un-intentionally cool girl chic.

4.     Statement Sunglasses: Last spring I was looking for the perfect pair of sunglasses that were classic and understated. I found them in the black Ray-Ban Wayfarers, unfortunately I forgot them in the restroom at Target a few months after I bought them. Fast forward to January of this year and I decided to embrace the concept of wearing sunglasses that stand out.  That’s when I bought my Wildfox “ Club Fox Deluxe” 54 mm sunglasses. If you are a fan of wearing sunglasses that make a statement, Wildfox make great ones! Plus spring and summer is the time to really make a statement with your accessories.

5.     Lipgloss/Lipstick Hybrid: If you’ve been keeping up with all the new launches that different brands have been putting out lately, you’ll know that lip products that have the moisturizing benefits of a gloss but the pigmentation of a lipstick are one of the more popular releases from late last year through this year’s spring makeup collections. My favorite is the Chanel Rouge Allure color and shine lip gloss in the colors pirate and sensible. The first is a true red color and the second is a peachy pink color that is good for everyday use.

6.     Slip on shoes: White, black , leopard print, it does not matter. Pick whichever color you like. These are the shoes that replace my black chelsea boots which I wear nearly every day in the fall/winter seasons. Comfortable, versatile and stylish. What more could you ask for from a pair of shoes?

7.     Lightweight Foundation with SPF: I usually stick with a bit of concealer on any redness or blemishes but if I feel like putting on foundation, I usually stick with one like Chanel’s Vitalumiére aqua. Hands down my favorite one for the warmer months.

8.     Cotton tank tops: These are great for layering under all kinds of jackets, blazers, and cardigans. You can wear them with jeans and sneakers or with cute lacey shorts and heels to dress them up. Definitely a must have as the weather warms up.

What are some of your must haves for spring? Comment down below and share this link if you enjoyed it!