I'm A Sucker For Accessories

Have you ever looked at an outfit, whether it be on you or someone else and think, "that needs a necklace"? For me, an accessory is the finishing touch on an outfit. I have been building my accessories wardrobe lately. I am into statement rings and long necklaces currently, and I love vintage looking jewelry. One of my favorite places to go for affordable accessories is Forever 21. They're incredibly inexpensive and always on trend. I picked up six pieces during my last visit. Here is what I got:

As you can see, I sort of have a thing for leaves right now. Side note: I am loving my mint green polish which is so unlike me. It is China Glaze's Re-Fresh Mint. Love, Love, Love it!

The Cat's Out Of The Bag With MAC's Fabulous Felines Collection

MAC released another new collection, Fabulous Felines, today at counters and stores and online this past Tuesday. I ordered some items online and also picked some up at my favorite MAC counter. It was a massive collection! It's focus was rich Fall colors that are very wearable. It also introduced MAC's new Superslick Liquid Eyeliners, which were nice but I prefer gel eyeliners. The eyeshadow quads were also nice, but each contained a color I already owned, so I skipped them. I picked up six items, two lipglosses, two pigments, a blush, and a lipstick.

left to right: Wildly Refined, Spree, Drive Me Wild, Utterly Game, Lithe, Bloodline

Wildly Refined (mid-tone coral with gold shimmer), Spree (champagned pink), Drive Me Wild (warm coral with gold shimmer)

Utterly Game Mineralize Blush (warm peach with subtle gold pearl)

Lithe Pigment (peachy nude with gold shimmer)

Bloodline Pigment ( plumed brown)

That was my haul. My favorite item is Drive Me Wild lipstick. I actually picked up two! I am on vacation from work next week and will be doing some clothes and accessories shopping. I have actually already started. Here is a sneak peek of one of the pieces I bought. Complete post on everything to come!

Are You A Vintage Vixen?

China Glaze has released a new 12 polish collection for Fall 2010 named Vintage Vixen. It takes its inspiration from the women of the 40's. I love Fall colors and I couldn't wait to snap up these colors. I picked up six of the twelve colors.

Classic Camel (khaki creme with gold micro glitter)

Ingrid (taupe with gold and copper micro glitter)

Bogie (plummy purple with multi-colored micro glitter)



Goin' My Way? (coppery brown with gold micro glitter)


Emerald Fitzgerald (teal green with blue and green micro glitter)



Midnight Mission (navy blue with silver micro glitter)

These were all of my favorites from the collection. To see the remaining colors in the collection, click this link. The formula for all was smooth and easy to apply. All colors require two coats. China Glaze is available at Sally's Beauty Supply and Ulta.

Blush Obsession-NARS Taj Mahal

NARS Taj Mahal is the newest addition to my blush collection. It is described by NARS as being burnt orange with shimmer. I like to describe it as GORGEOUS! As I was so impressed with my other NARS blush (Deep Throat), I purchased this without having actually seen it in person. I had heard that it was a "brown girl's staple", and after getting it home and seeing it in person, I can see why. I looks very scary in the pan, but as with all of NARS blushes, it is highly pigmented, meaning a little goes a long way. You barely have to tap your brush in the pan to get the color. You have to be very careful not to over do it since it is so highly pigmented. It shows up on me as a nice golden peach with a beautiful glow (I am NC42 in MAC foundation for reference).

not blended out

NARS blushes retail for $26, a little on the pricey side but worth every penny as you will have this forever. I got free shipping since the purchase was over $25 and a free mini lip gloss duo in Striptease and Dolce Vita by using the promo code TEMPTALIA.

Striptease (left), Dolce Vita (right)

I Got Naked!

After hearing all of the hype, I picked up the Urban Decay Naked Palette from Ulta. I must say that it lives up to the hype. It is gorgeous and I see myself using this palette a lot. It comes with 12 nearly full sized shadows, two 24/7 Glide-On Liners in Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown), and a mini Primer Potion, all for $44. That is roughly $3.70 per shadow. Not a bad deal if you ask me. The colors are beautiful! I love neutral colors and this palette is full of them.

You can do so many looks with this palette, it is so versatile. If you get a chance, pick this up. You won't regret it! The Urban Decay Naked Palette is available at Ulta, Sephora, and Urban Decay.

Look For Less-YSL Oversized Muse Bag

So I am officially stalking this YSL Oversized Muse bag. It is stunning! I love large bags and I love a dome style bag. This stunner retails for $1,195 which is insanely a little out of my budget. So I set out on a quest to find a more suitable affordable alternative and I found a lovely one from American Glamour Badgley Mischka for $199.

hsn.com

Now $199 is not exactly chump change, but I do feel more comfortable spending that much, then spending a mortgage payment on a hand bag.

My Current Skincare Routine

I have been asked to do a post on my current skincare routine. First, let me give you background on my skin. I have combination skin, oily in the summer and dry in the winter. I have never really suffered from acne, just an occasional bump here and there, usually around that time of the month. I have been doing my current skincare routine for about a month. Prior to that, I had been using Proactiv since I was 14. My mother put me on it as a preventative measure. I wanted to wean myself off of it.

I had heard great things about Philosophy's skincare products, so I decided to try their Purity Made Simple foaming daily cleanser. I was also given a 2 ounce sample of their Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. I must say that I love both. I use the foam cleanser at night and the exfoliating wash in the mornings. My skin has responded great to it and I will repurchase the exfoliating wash once my sample runs out. The foam cleanser is a 2 in 1 that doubles as a toner. It also is great at removing makeup, though I prefer to remove my makeup right when I get home with my Almay makeup remover wipes.

I also use Olay's Age Defying Intensive Nourishing Night Cream at night. It has beta hydroxy in it that is supposed to help with aging. My skin and I love it. I use Neutrogena's Oil Free Moisture as my morning moisturizer. I like it because it has spf 15 in it and it doesn't leave my skin greasy. I still use Proactiv's Refining Mask once a week to rid my pores of impurities. It really is a great mask.

Well that is what I use. Skincare is very personal as no two people's skin is alike. What works for me, may not work for you.