{Review} Stila Convertible Colors in Camellia and Petunia

Stila Convertible Color in Camellia and Petunia.

Hi everyone! Hope your week is going well! And if it's not it's almost Friday anyway lol! Just thought I'd do another review before heading to class. I picked these babies up at J. Crew for only $4.99 each and I've gotta say, they're making me love blush!


Stila Convertible Color in Camellia and Petunia.

I've been wanting to try Stila's Convertible Colors for a while now, but have never wanted to shell out the 25 bucks, especially since I've never really been a blush person, and certainly not a cream blush person. To explain, I use foundation to above all cover the redness on my cheek and nose, so when I wear blush, it tends to accentuate the redness I try really hard to cover up. And cream blush has never really been that good of an option for me because I've got very oily skin, so in the past they have either made me really greasy or have just slid off.

That being said, I've always been wanting to try these because the shades are sooo pretty and the dual use makes them really good for quick morning makeups.


Stila Convertible Color in Camellia and Petunia.

Another thing I love is how the packaging is the same shade as the blush. It makes getting ready a bit faster as I don't have to open and look at the shade to decide. And I absolutely love how they come with a good sized mirror. I know I'll probably rarely use it, but not having it there just in case makes all the difference.


Stila Convertible Color in Camellia.


Stila Convertible Color in Camellia.


Stila Convertible Color in Camellia.

Camellia is a gorgeous neutral blush. I like blushes like this for when I want to add some depth, but not necessarily color. I sometimes just run this just under my cheekbone for a very natural looking contour. On my lips, although it does nude them out, it is a bit too brown for my liking. It doesn't show up as a dark brown, but rather as a browner version of my own lips, if that makes sense.


Stila Convertible Color in Petunia.


Stila Convertible Color in Petunia.


Stila Convertible Color in Petunia.

I don't normally go for blushes this bright, but as it's summer, I couldn't help myself. I was watching an interview with Bobbi Brown a few years ago and she said that it's good to have a really bright blush that you can just dab a little bit of on to get that fresh faced look. Well, this blush does that for me. I put the teeniest bit on, with just black liner and mascara, and my face looks instantly awake and alive. I like using this one on my lips over lip balm because I don't normally play up my lips very much, so when I wear this product I can go simple on the eyes and then make more of an impact with my lips, cheeks, and brows.

Some swatches:

(Top to Bottom) Camellia Heavy Application, Camellia Blended, Petunia Heavy Application, Petunia Blended.

The way that I've been wearing these lately has been together, though. I dab a bit of Camellia as a contour, and then use Petunia higher on the cheek and on my lips as well. the effect is really natural, barely detectable (texture/finish wise), and just absolutely stunning!

One thing that I really like about these blushes is that they set somehow. They're not really cream to powder. They make my skin feel like I've used a primer underneath or something, just really really smooth. And they last a lot longer than other cream blushes I've tried. I like the look of the ones from Revlon, but they just slide right off of my face. These lasted a good six hours. These also blend really easily. I was actually surprised by how nicely they blend. Sometimes cream blushes can apply patchy, but not these. Actually, these are very buildable too, mainly because they set well, so when you add a second layer you don't displace the first. The only downside I can think of with these is that the packaging isn't hygienic, but that's an issue with most cream blushes. If you zoom in on the pans you can kinda see some specs in the cream. But it's fairly easy to sanitize cream products using a bit of alcohol. Other than that, I highly recommend these if you're looking for a nice cream blush! I've been wearing petunia nearly every day since I got it!



Info:

Price: $25 (retail)

Ingredients:Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Lanolin Oil, Beeswax\Cera Alba\Cire D'abeille, Microcrystalline Wax \Cera Microcristallina\Cire Microcrystalline, Octyldodecanol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ozokerite, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isononyl Isononanoate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, BHT. +/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 22 Lake (CI 45380), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Red 34 Lake (CI 15880), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985).

{Summer Must Haves} Lip Stain!

Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stain in 420 Sassy Mauve and Laura Mercier Lip Stain in English Rose (LE).

So instead of doing one massive summer must haves post, I thought I would break it apart by category, starting with lip stains. I'm not a huge lip person, I usually play up my eyes, but in the summer when it's soooo hot, it's a lot simpler to do a stronger lip than to do a stronger eye.

I don't own many lip stains, only three actually including my Urban Decay lip stain that's not pictured because I couldn't find it lol, but I do have to say that there's a lot to choose from. If you're on a budget, the Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stains are great. There's a wide variety of colors from light pinks to deep plums and reds. If you have a bit more money to spend and are looking for something that is not liquid, Laura Mercier's lip stains are a good option as well.


Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stain in 420 Sassy Mauve and Laura Mercier Lip Stain in English Rose (LE).

As far as applicators go, the felt tip marker on the Cover Girl certainly makes application fun and more importantly precise. I like how easy it is to get into all the little nooks and crannies to get a really full lip going. On the other hand, the tip does have a tendency to dry out. I store this marker with the felt tip pointing down and every so often I spritz the tip with some water to keep it moist.

The Laura Mercier stain isn't really a stain. It's more of a heavily pigmented longer lasting lipstick in a pot. I think by stain they meant that it's to be applied using the staining technique (use a finger to dot the product on for a stained look). I did a full review here (and posted a better swatch here), but as you can tell just by looking at the creamy product, it's not going to last all day. I still like it for the summer because the formula is waxier and does last longer.

Swatches:

CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain in 420 Sassy Mauve and Laura Mercier Lip Stain in English Rose (LE).

I only have a couple of minor complains about the Cover Girl stain. One is that it tends to apply patchy if you have any dead/dry skin on your lips. Also, although it is long lasting, it doesn't last all day, especially if you wear the stain at it's full intensity. After eating it does sometimes leave the outer edge of my lips looking a bit darker than the inner. Other than that, it's a great stain!

The stain that I didn't picture is the Urban Decay Lip Envy Lip Stain in Envious (see it here on the Urban Decay site). I really like this stain because it's not a marker applicator which can dry out. It comes in a little container that holds the liquid stain and you apply it with a little felt tip that you dip into the product. I like this a lot better because there is no drying out. I'll post a picture when I find it.

And I know that the Laura Mercier Lip Stain was limited edition, but there are tons of stains to choose from at any budget, so you really shouldn't have much trouble finding something in a similar shade. Thanks for reading! More coming soon!

{Haul} J.Crew, Dollar Tree & Walgreens

So I was out and about this past weekend and a few things caught my eye! Not a big haul by any means but enjoy anyway!

1. J.Crew:

(L to R) Stila for J.Crew Convertible Colors in Camellia and Petunia.

I was shopping at J.Crew and to my surprise, right up at the register as I was paying, I saw these gems! I've been wanting to try Stila's convertible colors for a while now, but since I have oily skin I am hesitant to try out any cream blushes. When I saw these on sale at J.Crew and got a look at just how cheap they were selling them for, I couldn't not get them!


Originally, they were $18 each, but when I bought these I got them for $4.99 each!!! And my sister was at the store a couple of days ago and said they were discounted further to $3.99!!! At firt I thought that maybe they are smaller or something, but that is not the case at all! They are they same size as the ones sold at Sephora (0.15 oz) and are in permanent shades (both Camellia and Petunia can be purchased at Sephora. The only difference between these and the regular ones is the price and the packaging, which I think is actually nicer. I like that these containers don't have the flowers that Stila's compacts usually do. I think these look a bit more sophisticated. If you're interested in trying these out I suggest you check out any J. Crews in your area! And I'll have a full review soon!

2. Walgreens:

(L to R) Wet n'Wild Megalength Mascara, Sinful Colors Base Coat and Top Coat.

I've been on the hunt for a new mascara and decided to see if any of the really really cheap ones at the drugstore are any good. I can definitely be a bit of a mascara snob. I love my MUFE Smoky Lash, Chanel Inimitable Intense (review coming soon!), Lancome Definicils, and the list goes on. And when I'm not using those, I stick to L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black or maybe one from Revlon. That's it. Nothing else. But, I was recently persuaded to try a few different drugstore mascaras, so I went out and picked up a few really really cheap ones. I'll be posting reviews soon!

I also picked up the base coat and top coat from Sinful Colors. I didn't realize that these were more expensive than their actual polishes ($4 compared to $2) until I got to the reigster and realized that for the price of these two I could have gotten an OPI or an Essie, but whatever. I do have to say that so far I;m loving the base coat more than the top coat, but I will review them both this week. I really like the frosted packaging. It makes them feel so chic!

3. The Dollar Tree:

(L to R) L.A. Colors Lash Building and Perfect Curl Mascaras.

A few more cheep mascaras to try out! Only a buck each, so I guess it can't really hurt lol!



And finally, I also picked up some cotton rounds. I use these for toner, not makeup removal and they work perfectly. The brand is Assured and I have to say I love these. They're a buck for 80 pads and they come in several different types. The ones I usually buy are with either the stamped outer edge (you know, they ones that look like they're stitched all around) and the ones shown above that are really really thick and plush. Highly recommend if you're trying to save some money!

That's it for now! More coming really soon!

{Review} The Body Shop Cucumber Cleansing Milk & Freshening Water

I was at the Body Shop several weeks ago and they had a great promotion going on: get any two items from the Originals line for $10. That's not a huge savings, only a few dollars, but I'd been eyeing the two items above, the Cucumber Cleansing Milk and Freshening Water for a while now and figured it couldn't really hurt to give them a try.


First off, they both smell absolutely delicious!!! Like the most fake but delicious cucumbers you could ever smell. TBS says that the cleansing milk will cleanse skin and lightly moisturize. It does that, and a bit more.


It is a light cream cleanser, more runny than a typical cream cleanser.


I know people with oily skin are probably cringing right now, but honestly if you want to do without a moisturizer during the day, using this in the morning might just work for you.

What this cleanser is good at is helping remove base makeup when washing your face. IT IS NOT AN EYE MAKEUP REMOVER!!! I was reading reviews on TBS website and people were saying that they use this to remove waterproof mascara and stuff, but trust me on this one, you do not want this near your eyes. With a cheapie face brush (TBS sells one for $3, Sephora has one for $5) this cleaning milk will get rid of most of your foundation and concealer without drying out your face. It rinses off, but it does tend to leave a film like most cream cleansers (and cleansing milks) do.

I've been using this mostly in place of my Noxema, which I finished a couple of weeks back (stay tuned for many empties at the end of the month!). I just massage a generous amount of this cleanser onto my face and neck for about one minute, tissue off, and the cleanse with my normal cleanser. I'm not rally a big fan of the film this cleanser leaves, but to remove base makeup it is perfect. And I've even used it to shave my legs a few times, too! Very handy.

A word of warning: both of these products are HEAVILY scented. I don't have very sensitive skin, but every now and then it does make even my skin itch. If you have sensitive or dry itchy skin these are not the products for you.


The Cucumber Freshening Water is a cooling and soothing toner. To be perfectly honest, other than feel nice, it didn't do much for my skin at all. I used it following the cleansing milk to make sure all of my makeup was off, but it didn't really moisturize, exfoliate, clean pores, or anything like that that other toners claim to do.

Unfortunately, this toner doesn't really sooth my skin at all. TBS claims that this toner will not dry out, but it did dry my skin a bit, especially around the nose. And it does,surprisingly, for a product advertised for sensitive skin, contain alcohol. As I mentioned above, it is very heavily scented so the first few times I used it it irritated my skin quite a bit and made me itch. What I later did was add about a teaspoon of glycerine to it. It no longer irritates or dries my skin out, but if you have sensitive or dry skin I would still really stay away from products that are as heavily scented as these.


This toner comes with a flip top but I usually just unscrew the top, otherwise I end up wasting a lot of product.


In conclusion, for the price these were average products, but definitely not meant for sensitive skins like TBS claims. If you do have sensitive skin TBS has a great aloe line that will probably work a lot better for you.

Have you tried these? If yes, how did they work for you?

Info:

Price: $5.99 ea (retail)

Ingredients:

Cleansing Milk: Water (Solvent/Diluent), Glycerin (Humectant), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Cetyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Stearic Acid (Emulsifier), Triethanolamine (pH Adjuster), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Lanolin (Emollient), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) Juice (Natural Additive), Fragrance (Fragrance), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Hydroxycitronellal (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Salicylate (Fragrance Ingredient), Green 5 (Colour), Yellow 5 (Colour).

Freshening Water: Water (Solvent/Diluent), Rosa Centifolia Flower Water (Natural Additive), Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier), Sodium PCA (Humectant), Alcohol Denat. (Solvent/Diluent), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) Juice (Natural Additive), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Fragrance (Fragrance), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Glycerin (Humectant), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract (Natural Additive), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Methylparaben (Preservative), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Butylparaben (Preservative), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Isobutylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative).

{Review} Nars Laguna Body Illuminator

A few weeks ago when I hauled a few things from Sephora I made a point to get a sample of the new Nars Illuminator in Laguna. What it is is a buildable bronzing gel that Now, they make two formulas of this, one for the face that is a sheer an another for the body that is larger and is more pigmented. I swatched both at the store and found that the face version was a bit too sheer, even for my very very pale skin. The body one comes in a massive squeeze tube and for your money is the better value (price per oz wise), so I figured I'd try the body one.

Swatches:

(Top to Bottom) Shear Blended Application, Heavy Application

How. Stunning. Is. That!? ^ The color is just a very warm slightly shimmery bronze. Honestly, it doesn't look as shimmery as it does in the tube. Yes, the golden shimmer is noticeable, but not as noticeable as the shimmer in several bronzing powders that I've tried. And after a few hours of wear the shimmer tends to tone down, leaving behind the bronze. When I wear this it gives my skin this really pretty sheen that I absolutely love. In addition, what I love is that you can build this. When I use this on my face, I apply a very sheer layer where I would normally apply my bronzer and then layer a little more on the apples and hollows of my cheeks as well as my temples. Even with the shimmer it looks a lot more natural than a powder bronzer, which I love!

That being said, there are a few things you need to consider before purchasing this product. One, you need a lot of product to cover your body if you want to use this on your arms and legs. A lot. As massive as the squeeze tube is, with weekly use all over the body it will be gone fairly quickly. I only had a sample so I couldn't see exactly how much I would need for my entire body, but I needed about a third of the sample jar to do one arm. One thing you could probably do is mix it with your body lotion to make it last longer, but then it will go on shearer.

In addition, application is tricky. You have to work very very fast because once it sets it sets. If you want to apply multiple layers you need to make sure you use broad sweeping strokes because otherwise it will look patchy. I would recommend exfoliating and moisturizing very well before applying this because it looks a lot more even on smooth skin. And if you have acne on your face be careful because like any bronzer it does tend to stick to problem areas.

Finally, this stuff isn't waterproof. Nars says that it is "transfer proof," but that isn't exactly the same as waterproof, is it? It doesn't really rub off on clothing, but I wouldn't wear white with it just in case. And if you get really sweaty or wet it will start to come off faster.

Like with any fake glow, there are drawbacks. If you have tanned skin to begin with this will probably work better for you to just emphasize your tan and give you a glow. I wouldn't count on this as a full body tanner, though. On the face however, it looks stunning! And the scent, a cross between something coconutty, Brazilian and Hawaiian, is oddly pleasing to me as well, given that I'm not a big fan of coconut.

Info:

Price: $45 (for 5.5 oz)

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ppg-17/Ipdi/Dmpa Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Stearate, Cocos Nucifera [Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil], Steareth-8, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Parfum (Fragrance), Euterpe Oleracea (Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil), Calophyllum Inophyllum (Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil), Ribes Nigrum [Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil], Rubus Idaeus [Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil], Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisodium Edta, Rubus Chamaemorus (Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil), Bisabolol, Boswellia Serrata (Boswellia Serrata Gum), Panthenol, Gardenia Tahitensis (Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract), Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxycitronellal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool [+/- (May Contain): Mica, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77492 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride)].

{Review} H20+ Body Oasis Intensive Hydrating Gel

If you've been reading my blog for a while now you know that I love finding interesting H20+ products at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Usually they are products that I absolutely love. While I've nearly finished this moisturizer and I like it, I can't say that I love it, and for a few reasons.


So what this is is a hydrating body gel. I love gel moisturizers. As someone with oily skin, I always look for light feeling hydrating gels, especially in the summer. And I love how the gel is blue. It really reminded me of a few Bliss products that I've tried in the past. I think that's what drew me to this gel.


The idea behind H20+ products is that they're supposedly filled with really really good things for skin. According to H20+ this gel contains mineralized sea water, unspecified marine extracts, vitamins A, C, E, Provitamin B, antioxidants, and amino acids. And it supposedly can also be used as a hydrating body mask. I remember reviewing Cliniques Moisture Surge gel (review here) and on that gl it also says that you can use it as amaks, but honestly I fail to see how that could possibly be better than just letting the gel be absorbed.


One place where this moisturizer fails is the dispenser. It would be a nice pump, but only with a facial product. It dispenses entirely too little product for body use and I constantly have to pump and pump and pump more out. I do like how I can twist and lock it though. It makes traveling with it a lot easier.


It looks very very blue when firs squeezed out, but worry not, it goes on clear. It looks like tooth paste lol!


My skin looks really nice after I've applied it right? Very smooth and hydrated. Or so you would think. Honestly, this gel is no where near as hydrating as the words "oasis" and "quenching" on the package lead me to believe. It is very very lightly moisturizing. Lighter I would even say than my Clinique Moisture Surge for face. I apply this and within hours my skin feels dry again. In addition, contrary to what the package says, it does leave a STICKY residue on my skin and hands after application. I've never had a gel do this. My skin felt sticky, like there was a film on it and I had to actually wash my hands after I applied it. It didn't feel like it had gotten absorbed, more like it dried. As much as I wanted to like this product, I just can't recommend it. For the retail price of $32 I was expecting a lot more. The only saving grace here is that I got it on clearance at TJMaxx for $3.

Info:

Price: $32 (retail)

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Glycereth-7, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid, Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzophenone-4, Linalool, Butylene Glycol, Ulva Lactuca Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Green 5 (CI 61570), Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Yellow 5 (CI 19140)

{Color Comparison} A Possible Dupe For MAC's Date Night Dazzleglass!?

So I bought MAC's Date Night Dazzleglass as a replacement for my Chanel Glossimer in Imaginaire a few weeks back and little did I know that I already had something that was very similar in my collection!

MAC's Date Night Dazzleglass in Date Night is a sheer plum with blue and golden glitter in it. It cost me $19.50 for 1.92 g of product.

The dupe that I found in my collection is a Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem gloss in the shade Embellished. I bought this at my local Dollar Tree for well, a dollar, and I got 3.1 g of product.

Although the shades are slightly different, the glitter is almost exactly the same and on the lips they look nearly identical.

Can you see how similar the glitter is? Date Night has more, but honestly, they are very very close.

They also have similar applicators. I'm not a big fan of lip glosses that come with brushes because they tend to apply too much gloss and leave me feeling goopy and sticky. Not the case with these two because the bristles are slightly shorter, so they don't dispense quite as much gloss.

And the swatches:

(L to R) MAC Dazzleglass in Date Night and Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem Gloss in Embellished.

Date Night looks a swatches a bit darker than Embellished and definitely has more glitter. While they swatch differently on the hand, they look almost identical on the lips. The only difference on the lips is that the glitter in Embellished is a bit more wearable.


(L to R) MAC Dazzleglass in Date Night and Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem Gloss in Embellished.


(L to R) MAC Dazzleglass in Date Night and Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem Gloss in Embellished.

And lip swatches:

MAC Dazzleglass in Date Night

Sally Hansen Liptonic Gem Gloss in Embellished

Can you see how similar they look on the lips? Nearly identical. And they both have about the same amount of shine. Sally Hansen's gloss is just a teeny bit less thick, but then again, MAC's not exactly known for non sticky gloss. And they last about the same amount of time as well ! Given that I found Embellished at the Dollar Tree for a buck, it is definitely the better value here! I highly recommend, if you like Date Night, that you check your local Dollar Tree to see if you can still get this one!

{Update} No Power For 4 Days = Pure HELL

So we've been getting a lot of storms on the east coast lately. A few weeks ago when that tornado hit Springfield, we had a power outage. I don't live in MA, but 30 mins away in CT, but we went 2 days with no power, no running water, etc. Just this past week, on Thursday we had another storm that left us without power for FOUR DAYS. Oh my God it was horrible. What makes it worse is that we have a well that supplies our water and the pump that pumps the water up and to the house needs electricity to work, so whenever we have no power we also have no water. It doesn't sound so bad until you realize that without water you can't flush a toilet. For four days whenever we wanted to flush the toilet we would need to refill the tank with two gallons of water. It sucked. But powers back so I'll be putting more posts up later today. It's been a crazy couple of weeks here and hopefully we've seen the worst of storms. Hopefully lol!

{Favorites} May 2011!

Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying your Friday as much as I am enjoying mine! Here are my May favorites! This was definitely a cheek and lip month!

1. Skin Care

(L to R) Natures Gate C For Yourself Vitamin C Serum and The Body Shops Tea Tree Oil.

I've been using these two nonstop this month. The vitamin C serum, which smells a bit of oranges, is very light and absorbs very quickly. It is meant to retexture skin, but honestly I think it gives my skin the perfect amount of moisture during the day. It absorbs so quickly that it doesn't effect anything that I apply over top which I love. I do have a full review coming. TBS's Tea Tree Oil (15% tea tree oil) is great as a gentle acne treatment, for me at least. On my oily skin the treatment is a lot less harsh than salicylic acid or benzol peroxide treatments and although it isn't a miracle worker, it gets rid of acne overtime (as well as the scar) without irritating my skin too much.

2. Perfume

Calvin Klein Obsession Night

I've had this bottle forever, and oddly enough, although it is a more masculine, cologne, night perfume type of scent, I really love it for spring and summer. It's a bit sharper than other scents that I own so it smells very crisp, something I love on a humid day.

I'm almost done! And I just throw this one in my purse all the time which is why the bottle is so beat up and scratched up. I usually sprits it once in the morning and then again around four or 5 o'clock. The scent just lingers, which is nice. One sprits is not overwhelming at all.

3. Makeup

(Top to bottom) Calvin Klein Summer Affair Bronzer, MAC Petticoat MSF, Nars Deep Throat Blush, and Nars Laguna Body Illuminator.

SO I am very very pale and in the summer, because I don't like to tan, I definitely use bronzer and blush a bit more liberally. I've been loving the above four. I don't usually just wear them on their own but layer at least two of them for the nicest glow!

(L to R) Calvin Klein Summer Affair Bronzer and MAC Petticoat MSF

This has been my favorite combo for the past couple of months actually. I just apply the bronzer in the 3 E on my face and a little down my neck and then apply Petticoat lightly on the cheeks and temples. I find that sometimes bronzers can look a bit flat on my face, so layering Petticoat makes it look a bit more natural and believable. Also, I find that a lot of bronzers can look too orange, while a natural sun bronze would have a bit more red in it. Petticoat gives my skin a teeny bit of that red tone, so it looks a lot more believable.

Here's how it looks:

(Top to bottom) Layered, Petticoat, Summer Affair.

I know, not the best pic (I'll post a better one later) but I hope this gives you an idea of how I apply it. And I've been layering Petticoat over other blushes too. Some of then I haven't touched in months. I layer Petticoat over it and voila, a new finish/shade that I'm in love with again!

Nars Deep Throat Blush

I've never been a big fan of Nar's Orgasm simply because I don't really like blushes with gold shimmer in them, but Deep Throat, for some reason works for me. It looks very natural on me. When I blush naturally, this is the color my cheeks become. I've also been wearing this with my Calvin Klein bronzer a lot lately and it just looks very pretty.

Nars Deep Throat Blush

(L to R) Rimmel Lipstick in Undressed and NYC Lipstick in Caramel

This month I've really been liking bronzy or slightly peachy mostly nude lips. I've never been much of a lipstick lip gloss girl, but these two I've really really been wearing a lot. The Rimmel one is really old too, as you can tell by the packaging. I actually like this packaging better than the newer packaging which I find really bulky. The shade is one of the nicest neutrals I own because it's not too brown and has quite a coral undertone.

(L to R) Rimmel Lipstick in Undressed and NYC Lipstick in Caramel

Rimmel Lipstick in Undressed and NYC Lipstick in Caramel

I reviewed NYC's Caramel here if you're interested!

That's it for now! I hope all of you have an awesome weekend!