Summer Essentials

1. Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Cream - Basking in the summer sun is amazing; having dry skin is not. This moisturizer is super-hydrating yet feels lightweight under makeup. It's a blue gel-cream formula that's really soothing and cooling on the skin.

2. Tarte Tarteguard Sunscreen SPF 30 - Good sunscreen is obviously a summer essential. This one from tarte is really light, sinks into the skin quickly and doesn't leave that thick, white, sunscreen feeling. Plus it has a fresh scent and looks good under makeup!

3. La Neige BB Cushion SPF 50 - My favorite BB cushion can be found at Target. It's super easy to apply - just pat the sponge into the foundation cushion then directly onto your face. This also has a cooling sensation and is packed with SPF 50. Perfect for the hotter months, or year round!

4. Bobbi Brown Bronze Glow Highlight - Summer is all about glowing skin. This highlighter will give you just what the name suggests- a beautiful bronze glow. Looks best with a tan.

5. Bourjois Tropical Festival Bronzer (LE) - This is a lovely matte bronzer that's a limited release for Summer 2016. I picked it up on my trip to the UK, but you can buy it online through asos. It smells of tropical goodness!

6. Too Faced Better than Sex Waterproof Mascara - A good waterproof mascara can be hard to find, but Too Faced nailed it with their Better than Sex. I love the packaging that is an aqua color with what looks like raindrops sprinkled on the tube.

7. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - Tis the season for tanning and (sometimes, accidentally) burning! Whether you're getting rid of flaky skin to prep for a self tan, or getting rid of dead skin after being out in the sun too long, a nice exfoliating product is key. This one from S&G has a sweet citrus scent adds moisture as it scrubs.

8. Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer - Moisturizer is an essential for the body to keep it hydrated when it's hot outside! Why not use a moisturizer that will give your skin a little extra color and amp up your natural (or fake) tan! This one from Jergens has a nice scent and won't stain your clothes.

9. YSL Tint-in-Oil - Sticking with the hydration theme, hydrated lips are a must in the summer! The YSL Tint-In-Oils are so nice because they hydrate the lips, add a sheer tint & have an amazing fruity scent. My favorite is in the color "Peach Me Love".

10. Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Mask - Being out in the sun & chlorinated pools can take a toll on your hair. Keep it healthy, shiny and frizz-free with a conditioning mask like this one from Macadamia Oil. This has been my go-to favorite for years now - I can't be without it!

Summer Beauty Essentials

Here are a few of my must have beauty items for summer!

Check out my youtube video on my channel linked above and let me know what your summer essentials are! 

Sun care / Sally Hansen sun care / Lavanila deodorant / Boscia beauty product / Not Your Mother s black hair care / Opi nail lacquer, $20 / Nars cosmetic / Tarte lengthening mascara / Benefit makeup primer, $42 / Tarte lips makeup

Top 10 Makeup Must Haves & Drugstore Dupes

No matter how many new products I buy, there are some that seem make their way into my routine on an almost daily basis. I'm going to share my top ten makeup products that I consider must haves. These babies never let me down and I would definitely recommend them all. I've also included some drugstore dupes for those of you on a budget:

Dior Creme de Rose / Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray / NYX beauty product / Rosebud Perfume Co Rosebud Salve/ Curling mascara / Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush / Benefit balm makeup / Urban Decay Naked Basics / Anastasia Brow Wiz / Tarte Inner Rim Liner / MAC Painterly Paint Pot / NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer / Maybelline "Master Shape" / NYX Wonder Pencil / Eyeshadow / Maybelline Baby Skin/ NYX Natural Palette / Maybelline Color Tattoo

1. Benefit POREfessional Primer

This is a go-to primer for me on a daily basis. It's a soft, flesh-toned balm that creates a smooth canvas and helps your makeup last throughout the day. I live in a hot and humid climate in Texas, with oily/combination skin, and this stuff works well for me.
I've seen some claims that the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser is a drugstore alternative to this, but I haven't tried it out myself. Let me know what you think if you've used it!

2. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

This concealer is so great and versatile. Normally I tend to use a different concealer for my undereye area and any blemishes, but this concealer works wonderfully for both. I have it in two colors, Custard which is brighter and more highlighting, and Ginger which is a little darker to give an almost exact match to my skin tone. I put this stuff all over my face and blend it out with a beauty blender (or my fingers, which work just fine as well). I'm a concealer junkie.. and I'm telling you, this stuff is good. The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is definitely what I would call a "drugstore dupe" for this NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Check it out if NARS isn't in your budget.

3. MAC Painterly paint pot

This is my go-to everyday all over the eyelid primer/cream shadow. It cancels out any discoloration or veins that may show through on and around your eyelids. It is a light pink color which creates a nice base for any other colored shadows you want to put on top.
The only drugstore products I have that are similar to this paint pot are my Maybelline Color Tattoos (not sure which color would be closest to Painterly, just a light pink, but the consistency of the color tattoos is similar to the MAC paint pots), and the other product that's similar is the NYX Eyeshadow Base which is a creamy shadow that cancels out redness/discoloration/veins on your lids and prolongs the wear of your shadows. 

4. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
This is such a great, simple palette which works for everyday and can also be used to create an evening look. Most of the colors are matte, although there is one light shimmery color (Venus) which works wonderfully as a highlight. There's a great highlight color, crease color, deeper definier for the outer V, and an almost black that can be used as eyeliner. "Faint", the darker brown, can also double as a brow palette. This is so versatile and a must have when I'm travelling because it's the perfect size to throw in any makeup bag!
As for the dupe, I don't personally own the NYX "Natural" Palette, but I do own some NYX shadows and the quality of them is nice and not at all chalky. The colors in this palette look pretty similar to those in the UD Naked Basics. If any of you do own this, let me know how it is and if it's worth buying!

5. Anastasia Brow Wiz

I do my brows on a daily basis. No matter what. Even if I'm going to the gym. Seriously. This is a double-ended product with a spooly brush on one end and a very fine mechanical brow pencil on the other. I usually use Soft Brown or Brunette. Simply put, this is the best brow pencil I've ever used. And the fact that it has a brush on the end makes it great for travel and on-the-go touch ups. If you're looking for a drugstore alternative, Maybelline "Master Shape" brow pencil has a spooly brush on the end as well! 

6. Tarte Inner Rim Liner
This light peach pencil is like a creamy mechanical liner that I put on the inner rim of my lower lashes (waterline) to brighten the look of my eyes. I tend to stay up too late and have to wake up early, so this brightens me up and fakes a more awake look!
I also have the NYX Wonder Pencil, which is pretty similar. The color is more nude, less pink, compared to the Tarte liner. This is a pencil that you can sharpen, while the Tarte liner is a mechanical pencil. The NYX pencil also says that it can be used as a reverse lip liner, or concealer for quick touch ups. To be honest, I haven't used it yet... but it does look very similar when swatched!

7. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
This setting spray locks in my makeup and makes it last throughout the day. It also removes the cake look that comes from applying too much powder on your face!
A good drugstore alternative for a setting spray is the NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray.

8. Benefit They're Real! Mascara
This mascara is so great at getting every lash and is a good choice if you don't like the clumpy look. It can be built up for added volume, but I just find that the unique brush with the rounded tip is great for getting the inner and outer corners of your lash line.
Drugstore alternative for this is the Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, just because it goes on in a similar way without any clumsiness, lots of good separation. I like to buy this mascara in the waterproof formula and use it as a first coat right after I curl my lashes, before I apply a regular mascara.

9. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush (in Dim Infusion)
I have four of these Hourglass blushes now, and I just find myself going through phases where I like to use different shades. This month I'm loving dim infusion, which is a light peach color that has just the right amount of sheen to create a glow, without looking too glittery or shimmery. The Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso is a similar color to the dim infusion blush, but the quality is nowhere near the same. A lot of people love this blush, it's a "cult favorite" for sure, and I have to agree I do love it, but it has more obvious glitter/shimmer than the Hourglass blush and it just doesn't apply quite as smooth. BUT, it is a fraction of the price, so for that it is great quality and I shouldn't be complaining!

10. Dior Creme de Rose & Rosebud Salve
I talked about both of these products in my Top 5 Favorite Lip Balms post in January, and they are still on my must have list for a reason. Both are rose scented balms that appear light pink the pan but really just go on like a clear balm (almost like Vaseline? but much nicer).

Watch my YouTube video about this post here:

Easter Weekend Outfit Inspiration

For those of you who celebrate Easter, you probably have some family time coming up this weekend. My family and I are going to a brunch at our tennis club, which is kind of a tradition for us. It's not very formal, but it is a dressy-casual event and most people show up after being at their church services. So I thought I'd throw together some Easter outfit inspiration.

Whenever I think about Easter, I immediately think of pastel colors. The light and bright pastels transition us nicely out of our dark winter clothing and into warmer weather.

Annarita N yellow dress, $150 / L K Bennett cardigan, $115 / BKE yellow shirt / J Crew pencil skirt / Club Monaco high heel shoes / Jimmy Choo pumps / ALDO satchel handbag / Kate Spade bib necklace / Kate spade jewelry / GONZALO CUTRINA Sim Sala Bim earings / Essie nail polish / Essie nail polish / Lladró lladro figurine / GreenGate striped candle, $12 / Resin statue

I own both the ALDO satchel handbag and the J Crew pencil skirt  pictured above, and will probably be incorporating them into my outfit this Sunday. Stay tuned for a special Easter OOTD!

Have a Good Friday (see what I did there?) and a wonderful weekend, no matter what your plans.

Top 5 Essie Nail Colors for Spring

The other day I posted a picture on instagram of my rather large nail polish collection, primarily made up of Essie polishes. Everytime I'm in a drugstore or the beauty section of a Target I really just can't resist the adorable white-topped bottles.

I try to paint my own nails most of the time and rarely get them done professionally. A lot of the time I will take my own polish to the salon, because I obviously love the selection of colors and Essie polishes I have at home, and you never know what brands or colors will be avaliable at a salon.

Here are some of my favorite Essie nail polishes for the spring:

 Left to right: Blanc, Mademoiselle, Fiji, Lilacism, Mint Candy Apple

Why bother trying to describe the colors to you when you can just see them for yourself? The only color that isn't picking up true to the way it looks here is mademoiselle, which for some reason looks like a pale peachy orange in the picture, but in reality it's just a classic sheer pale pink. Fiji is a more opqaue pale pink. Lilacism is a lovely light lilac color, and mint candy apple is the perfect pale turquoise/mint color that seems to get trendy around springtime. And obviously, blanc is just white.

I plan on doing a top nail colors for each season as they come, so stay tuned for that. I know this post was short and sweet, but I've been extremely busy at work lately so I'm sorry for the lack of updates! I'll be back to posting 1-2 times a week starting next month.

What are your favorite spring nail colors?

Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

If you checked out my Spring Wishlist post last week, then you may have noticed one of my wishes was the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I owned the Naked palette in college (which I have since lost), and I currently own the Naked 2, Naked Basics, and now the 3!

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To be honest, I've never been crazy about pink eyeshadows. I find that if used incorrectly, the red and pink tones can make you look sick... This is why I didn't immediately jump to buy the Naked 3 when it was released. I waited around instead to see what other people thought about it. Every review I read was positive and when you compare the three palettes, the Naked & Naked 2 look relatively similar, but the Naked 3 looks completely different in terms of the shadow colors. 

The palette has 12 brand new shades from Urban Decay, from an almost white color 'Strange', to the darkest almost-black color with pink/red glitter in it 'Blackheart'. 

The packaging is the same as the Naked 2, in a "pencil tin" type box, which some people don't like but I really don't mind. It holds up well... I've had my Naked 2 for two years now and it's still holding up strong in this packaging, so I can't complain. It may not be as stylish as the Naked palette's original velvety case, but in terms of functionality I've had no issues with it. 

I'm also a fan of the double-ended eyeshadow brush that comes with this palette.

Left to right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

I just got this palette last week, and aside from swatching them all above, my most used shadows or the ones that I'm loving right off the bat are:

Strange: an off white shimmery shadow that is great for highlighting the inner corners of the eye and the arch of the brow

Burnout: a nice everyday copperish shade with a light shimmer that works all over the lid 

Limit: light rosy neutral; a very pretty shade to contour the crease

Nooner: a rosy taupe color that's good to deepen the crease contour

Darkside: a gunmetal gray color with very subtle pinky purple undertones

Those descriptions are my own, not the official urban decay ones... obviously. I have definitely been loving the Naked 3 palette and recommend it. The rosy neutral shades give a gorgeous, soft, romantic look that is wearable for everyday, but also able to create a lot of fun different looks for any occasion. 

If you don't own ANY of the Naked palettes, I would suggest getting either the original or the 2. If you like those colors and want to play around with some more then get the 3 as well. You can find them here:

Naked*

Naked2

Naked3

Naked Basics

The Naked palette is described as bronze neutrals, Naked 2 more taupe neutrals, and Naked 3 is rosy neutrals. The Naked Basics is a compact palette with about half the shades of the regular sized Naked palettes. Most of the shades are matte, everyday, super wearable and blendable. It's definitely a go-to eyeshadow palette for me. 

The Naked, Naked2, and Naked3 palettes are all $52, and the Naked Basics palette goes for $28. You get 12 shadows in the 3 bigger palettes (works out to $4.33/shade) and 6 shadows in the Basics palette ($4.67/shade). I love these palettes and I definitely think they are worth trying out! 

Are you a Naked palette lover too? What are your favorite Urban Decay products? Let me know!