Review: NARS Sheer Glow foundation

I got this foundation a few weeks ago because I wanted to get one for everyday wear. I wanted to get something that I knew I would love so I did my research by trying to find out what the makeup gurus on YouTube wear when they are getting ready. NARS Sheer Glow came up as an option for a dewey finish for dry skin which is exactly what I wanted. When I first went in to Sephora to get it, I picked out a shade on my own based on what tones I usually stick to. But when I tried it on at home it was clearly too dark for me. So if you are trying out this foundation for the first time, I would highly recommend getting matched. The shade that worked for me was Syracuse.
If there is one thing this foundation is known for is how it is neither sheer nor glowy and both accusations are true. It has medium coverage and has more of a matte finish than a 'glow'. BUT I think the sheer actually refers to its consistency during application and not its finish. It goes on very smoothly and if you moisturize well beforehand, ends up being semi matte in finish. In fact Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse is very similar except it dries a little more matte.
One thing I noticed about it is that it transfers pretty bad if you don't set it with powder. I usually never powder because I have dry skin but if I put my face in my palm while reading something, I noticed it stains my palms and consequently everything else I touch.
The square bottle is very chic and feels luxurious.
Overall though, I am very pleased with this product because of its beautiful finish. As an added bonus, NARS does not test on animals. :-)

Pros: Even finish, matches really well with skin tone, smooth application.
Cons: Tends to transfer, bottle does not come with a pump.

Haul: Makeup + Shoes

I definitely celebrated my Good Friday in style by picking up a few things from Target.

I have heard great things about the Rimmel Wake Me Up and Match Perfection lines of foundations and concealers. Unfortunately I don't think we get the Wake Me Up line here in the States but I did notice Target had the Match Perfection foundation and concealer. I wanted to get a new concealer so I picked up one in 430 Medium. It is supposed to be a two-in-one concealer and highlighter.

I also got Mayebelline's Cover Stick in yellow. It is supposed to be a corrector and yellow is meant to counteract any dark circles or brown-ish blemishes. I have been loving using the green corrector that I had picked up earlier and wanted to give this a try as well.

As much as I love my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner, sometimes it can be a little too thick so I wanted to get a liner that I can use for a casual cat eye look. I think Maybelline has some of the best liners in the drugstore market so I got the Master Precise by Eyestudio Ink Pen Eyeliner in Black.

And it was time for me to replenish my mascara and I decided to stray from my current favorite The Falsies and get The Rocket from Maybelline.

Next I headed to the hosiery section where I picked up two essentials. One is the Assets shaping pantyhose that is great for smoothing out panty lines and love handles/muffin tops for tighter dresses or pencil skirts. My friend Divya recommended these so I am excited to try them out. I also got Sheer Support by Hanes which is a sheer skin toned pantyhose. I read a great tip about how you can wear skin toned stockings under skirts to even out the tone on your legs AND you don't have to worry about any hair stubble either.

Last but not least I picked up two pairs of shoes (Target was having a BOGO 50% off thing). The first is a pair of black faux patent leather peep toe pumps. I really wanted to get something for work with a medium heel and my peep toe pumps have definitely seen better days so I decided to replace them. I am not the biggest fan of Target shoes but I have to say they have pleasantly surprised me lately. These look really cute on and are pretty comfortable. 

For my second pair I got these brown, almost bronzy sandals with a really cute gold detail on the front and on the straps. It also has a snakeskin print on the back strap. While I usually find snakeskin to be too tacky, I actually really liked these sandals. They had a few options in this style, there were some all silver ones, some black and gold ones and a nautical one as well. Very cute!


Until next time,

XX!

The Best Face Pack Ever!

This at-home face pack has changed my life. It is the best facial ever. I've never used anything at a salon or at home that has given me results as good as this. Absolutely amazing! I have some scars and spots on my face from breakouts that have been irritating me for a while now and using this face pack has lightened these spots overnight. I could see how good this face pack was the first time I used it so I highly recommend it and have made it a point to do this once every few days no matter how tired I am.

Ingredients - 

1 tbsp gram flour (besan)

a pinch of turmeric (haldi)

half a tbsp honey

1 tbsp yogurt

The first two ingredients are easily found at any Indian grocery store. I wouldn't skip on either one because they have amazing antioxidant and antibacterial properties and act as lighteners. Don't overload on the turmeric because it can stain your skin so I usually stick to a small pinch. The honey acts as a moisturizer.

Method -

Mix all ingredients together to make a thick, yellow paste. Smooth paste all over face avoiding the eye area. Wait about 20 mins and then rinse off with warm water. You can even apply this over your neck if you're going for a shower immediately after.

I hope it is as transforming for you as it has been for me!

XO!

Haul: Sephora, NYX, Victoria's Secret

I picked up a great little assortment of items over the last week -

Sephora:

I wanted to try out the Nars Sheer Glow foundation (review to follow) so I went to Sephora and they had just come out with their March Beauty Insiders perks. I instantly fell in love with the Sephora + Pantone Universe Mini Liquid Liner in this beautiful emerald color. They had a whole range of products in this series, from nail paints to even eyeshadows I think but I really wanted to get the liner. The full size product comes with a set of four liners including a glitter one and to be honest I wish Sephora had given the whole set as the Beauty Insiders 100-point perk because its only for $18 which is a fair deal for having spent $100 for those points. But I rarely find anything worth picking up in the Beauty Insiders Perks anyway so I didn't mind spending my points on this. I'm very pleased with the product, the brush glides on smoothly and the color is gorgeous!

I also picked up this nail paint duo in Orange. I thought the packaging was really neat and I had been wanting to get a fine golden shimmer top coat. The orange is also really nice for summer. It says the nail polish is supposed to be scented but I didn't get any scent other than the normal acetone smell. In fact I think whatever scent they were trying to add only makes the acetone smell more prominent. But other than its a really cute product.

NYX: 

I saw some NYX products at my local grocery store and I couldn't resist picking up their cream blush in Hot Pink. The color payoff is really really good and the staying power is great as well. I've been wanting to try out a cream blush for a while and am really glad I found this.
I also got a roll on shimmer stick in Taupe that I think will be beautiful on a neutral eyeshadow or to accentuate a smoky eye.

Victoria's Secret:

Last but not least I picked up some nail paints from Victoria's Secret. I have really grown to love VS makeup products over the last few years because you can get to try out the products that they use on their models and the quality is really good. I was looking for an orange lipstick but my local VS store did not have a good make up section so I didn't find one. But I did run across their nail paints that were 2 for $15 (or $10 each). The packaging is really chic with these rectangular bottles and I am very happy with how quickly it dried and how long it lasts. I have had no chipped nails and I didn't even use a top coat. The two colors I got are Backstage which is a glittery pink and Steal the Show which is a rose gold/pink copperish shimmer color.


XX!

February Favorites

I can't believe February is already over! I am so excited for Spring/Summer and can't wait to bust out my new maxi dresses that I impulsively purchased over the last few weeks.

Here are some products that I loved using in February -

I have to start with Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream. I've actually had this product for over a year but recently got into using it again this month. It has a lovely, creamy texture that leaves a slightly dewey finish and has really good coverage. This is the first product that made me feel like it matches my skin tone to a T. It is the perfect mix between foundation and moisturizer in its texture and in fact I prefer using this over foundation at the moment. It will be great for the summer time when I don't want anything heavy on my skin but still want some coverage. Love this product!

I know I'm really late on the Naked palette bandwagon but better late than never right?! I actually first heard about this palette from my friend last summer and loved the textures of the colors. Since it was a luxury item for me because I already have several other eyeshadow palettes, I waited a few months to get it but I'm so glad I did. The colors are absolutely beautiful and perfect for day-to-day or night out make up. I've seen the Naked 2 and the Naked Basics palettes as well but I prefer the colors in this one. I haven't had any problem with fallouts and they stay on crease-free all day with the Urban Decay Primer Potion. :-)

I've always wanted to make a cute little bun but could never get the volume or shape that I wanted. So when I saw this hair doughnut kit at Target, I was excited to try it out. The doughnut has a stiff sponge like composition and acts as a great base for you to wrap your hair around. It even comes with 4 pins to help you secure your hair in place (although I had to get some more because 4 wasn't enough for me). Great product that stays all day!

My next favorite is an item that I just recently bought and have loved all month. Maybelline's Baby Lips has a beautiful creamy but non greasy consistency that is great for dry lips. I can't wait to try out the other flavors.

I am a huge Pixiwoo fan and and I kept hearing about these Real Techniques makeup brushes that make up gurus on You Tube were using. So I was thrilled to find out that Real Techniques were actually developed by Sam from Pixiwoo. I found some at Ulta and bought two sets - the Travel Essentials and the Starter Kit. Both came with an assortment of brushes for the face, eyes and lips and I have loved using them. The bristles are so incredibly soft that I find some of my other brushes really difficult to use because of how coarse they feel in comparison. They are also beautifully made and would make a great gift I think. I will definitely be purchasing some more from the collection. They are not that expensive either. I think both sets were about $17.99 each but Ulta had a buy one get one half off deal so I got both for $27.

I've been wanting to get into candles more and use them while relaxing or doing some work. Bath and Body Works had a 3 for $10 deal on their mini-candles so I picked some up to try out. I love the Beach Cabana scent, it smells really fresh and like cotton.















My last favorite product this month is actually a little odd considering the place I got it from. Its the Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle shampoo. I had tried out a sulfate-free shampoo a few months ago but wasn't too happy with it. And I have been wanting to get more tea tree products in my life so when I saw this shampoo at TJ's I couldn't resist it (it was only $4!). Love this shampoo! Its semi-clear and smells lovely and feels great. My hair stays oil free and fresh for 3 days with this shampoo. I also colored my hair recently and this has been great with moisturizing it. Love love love and can't wait to try out the conditioner.

XO!!

Haul: Target

I made a trip to Target to pick up some more mascara and ended up getting some things that were on sale! I've noticed that Target's inventory has been lackluster lately and their shelves (at least in make up) are usually bare so I never get to try out products that I have been looking for. However  this time they were having a sale on some items that was spread intermittently through their regular priced items so I decided to take a look.

I had been wanting to get a blue nail polish for late spring/early summer and I saw this Sally Hansen one called Brisk Blue. This particular item was not on sale but I really liked that it was not a bright blue so that I could still wear it before summer if I wanted. I like Sally Hansen nail paints because they usually last longer on my nails and are more opaque so I only need 1-2 coats.

I saw some Revlon lip glosses were on sale and couldn't resist these two beautiful colors - Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Timeless Nude and Forever Raisin. I'm not a fan of shimmery lipglosses or ones that are too sheer and sticky and these Revlon ones are perfect. The color payoff is really good, they are not sticky at all and they have a lovely sheen. There is this matte Revlon gloss that I've had forever and I really loved its color payoff and I'm happy I found these. These are regularly $6 each but were on sale for $3.

Maybelline's The Falsies mascara is my go-to mascara at the moment, I love its bendy wand that gives you more control over the application and I like how it gives instant volume to my lashes without needing any primer. If you like the effect that Benefit's They're Real mascara has then this is a great alternative to that minus the hard to remove, clumpy formulation that Benefit has. I don't like waterproof mascaras because I hate trying to get them off and this one just washes right off with some warm water.

Until next time,

XX.