Winter Beauty Essentials

Now that it's getting nippier outside, I thought I would share with you all my Winter Beauty Essentials although it technically won't be winter for about another month.

Victoria's Secret Pink Warm & Cozy Supersoft Body Lotion: In the winter my body craves moisture! After I get out of the shower, I love to lather my legs & arms with a creamy moisturizer. I love this scent of Victoria's Secret Pink Body Lotion in the winter because it smells exactly how it's called: warm and cozy. And who doesn't want to smell warm and cozy when it's windy and freezing outside?

L'oreal Infallible Lipstick in Bold Bordeaux: Around this time of year is when it feels right to wear darker lips again. This lip color is the perfect shade, not too light but not too dark. The best part is that it is super buildable--you could definitely go a lighter berry shade for day, and add another layer for a more plum shade at night.

Aquaphor: Aquaphor is definitely at the top of my Winter Beauty Essentials list. While some people swear by Vaseline, I've got to say it just doesn't do it for me. I feel like my lips suck it right in and they never feel properly moisturized for more than twenty minutes. I'm also not really a fan of the way it is packaged in little tubs. Instead of dipping my fingers in a tub of Vaseline all the time, I much prefer a nice and neat tube of Aquaphor. Aquaphor seriously works wonders! A little bit goes a long way, so a tube of this will last you forever. I love to pat some on my lips right before bed, so that when I wake up in the morning my lips feel soft and smooth. In the winter everyone starts to get colds more often, and this is also great for relieving a red and irritated nose. I rub a little bit of this around it before bed and it feels so much better when I wake up.

Dark Colored Nail Polish: I love a darker manicure in the winter, and these two colors are definitely my top picks at the moment. Yes, I've jumped on board the craze that is Essie's After School Boy Blazer and I'm wearing it on my nails right now. It's the perfect dark blue/black shade and is a universally flattering color. The second color I picked out is a dark burgundy color, which I feel is definitely a winter essential. This one is from Lord & Taylor's winter collection of mini nail polishes.

What are your top beauty picks for winter? 

Gold Rush

Polish: Essie "Good As Gold", Flats: Target, Headband: Forever 21 (similar) 

     Now that fall has arrived, I feel like I can get away with wearing golds more than I could in the summer. 

    This Essie Polish called "Good As Gold" is my absolute favorite nail polish that I own; not just because of the cool color, but because of how amazing the formula is. This particular Essie creation glides on like liquid gold--seriously, I can't even explain it, it just smooths on right over my nails. I'm not the best (or even necessarily good, for that matter), at doing my nails, but the formula of this polish makes it impossible to mess up. What's even better? It dries in about 5 minutes. Yesterday, before going out to dinner for my friend's birthday, I painted my nails with this and was out the door in 10 minutes with completely dry nails.
     
    Another thing I've wanted for a long time now have been pointed-toe flats, but I always felt like maybe I couldn't pull them off. The gold on the tips of these makes them much easier to pull off because it breaks up the shoe where your toes start, so it doesn't look like you have a long & pointy set of witches' shoes on. Plus, the gold makes them more special than just a plain black flat.

     The last gold item I've added to my closet is this plaid, gold-chained headband from Forever 21. Plaid, as I'm sure many of you know, is super in right now, and I love how the print looks against the gold. It might be a bit of a wintery purchase, but you know what, who cares? I think it's super cute and it was only $5.00...how can I put that away until December?!

Who I've Followed On Instagram This Month

In my opinion, you can never follow too many Instagram accounts. Everyone has such a unique style, story, and voice, and I love finding new Instagrammers to follow! This month, I've found myself following quite a few people who have all made my Instagram feed significantly prettier. These lovely ladies are:

@viviannamakeup
While I've been an avid reader of her blog, viviannadoesmakeup, for a while now, for some reason it never occurred to me to follow her instagram. And let me just say, her instagram posts are just as pretty as the photos on her blog. Expect photos like:

@parisinfourmonths
After taking a trip to Paris about a year and a half ago, this city has stolen my heart. I'm convinced there isn't one part of Paris that isn't beautiful, and Carin, writer of parisinfourmonths, is surely supporting my case. Expect photos like:

@carolinaengman
A Swedish fashion blogger & stylist living in New York, Carolina writes fashionsquad-a classic and chic fashion, design and lifestyle blog. Expect photos like:

@emilyschuman
Another blog I have followed for a long time, cupcakesandcashmere, is written by Emily, and again for some reason, I never thought to follow her on instagram! Her posts are down-to-earth & full of fashion, food and life. Expect photos like:

@intothegloss
To finish up the theme of "blog I've followed forever but never thought to follow on instagram," intothegloss's posts are full of beauty shots, model shots & some random bits in between. Expect photos like:

@officialjdunn
Jourdan's instagram radiates "cool." Ever wonder what it's like to be one of the most popular young models in the industry? Besides her posts giving insight into her not-so-typical fashionista lifestyle, there are also BFF shots of her and Cara, and who doesn't love Cara?! Expect photos like:

@margaret_zhang
Margaret's photos are a happy dose of color on my instagram. Her posts range between fashion, travel, food, etc...but one thing remains consistant: all her photos are pretty! Writer of shinebythree. Expect photos like:

@raspberrynrouge
I found Rebecca through a tagged picture of her from another blogger I follow, and thought hmm..this girl looks like she has style. Sure enough, she did not disappoint. Amsterdam based, she writes raspberry-rouge, blogging about her travels and fashion and her photos are always gorgeous. Expect photos like:

@zanitazanita
Zanita is an Australian photographer and fashion blogger who writes zanita. While her style is a little more "vintage" than mine, her posts are always refreshing to scroll through on my news feed. The photos she takes of her travels are always beautiful, and expect front row coverage from fashion shows. Fun fact: her and Rebecca (of @raspberrynrouge) are very good friends. Expect photos like:

I know, I followed lots of new instagrammers this month, but each and every one of these girls has made my instagram experience even more enjoyable. 

I hope I helped you find some new instagrams or even new blogs to follow! 

My 5 Must-Have Makeup Products

Bobbi Brown Lipgloss

Covergirl + Olay Concealer

Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer

Hi guys! 
First off, sorry for not making a blog post in quite some time...I've been adjusting to going back to school, getting a job, taking those standardized tests like the ACT/SAT that we all love so much--basically I've just been super busy and have had no time to take photos or just sit down and write. Now that I'm finally getting all settled, I'll try to blog more often because I miss it!

Now onto the point of this post: My Five Must-Have Makeup Products. If someone told me I was only allowed to own five makeup items for the rest of my life, these are the ones I would choose. I covered the basics: eyes, eyebrows, skin, lips, and dark circles. When I'm feeling lazy or am doing something quick like running to Starbucks (it's nearly that "Pumpkin Spice Latte time of year" again!) I will just throw these five things on as it takes literally five minutes, and I'm out the door without looking like a complete zombie.

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes: As far as mascaras go, it was a toss-up between the original black tube of L'oreal and this one, but I ultimately went for this one because it's the one I currently have! I always alternate between the two because they are my favorite drug store mascaras. I especially love the brush on this one because it coats your lashes in a nice thick layer that doesn't look clumpy at all. Plus, I love the gold mirror-esque packaging.

Bobbi Brown Bright Pink 20 Lipgloss: This lipgloss is universally flattering. My sister, who has pale skin and blonde hair, has this exact product and it looks just as good on her as it does on me, and I have olive skin and brunette hair. It's the perfect consistency--it sticks onto your lips and isn't annoying and gloppy. While I'm not usually a lipgloss person because if it's one thing I hate it's my hair getting caught onto my lips, this lipgloss adds the perfect color and shine and is much quicker to apply than a lipstick.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser: While I don't necessarily have to reverse my age just yet (I'm only 17!), I love this under-eye concealer. The top is a little fluffy ball that dispenses a nice even layer of product. It covers my dark circles really well (when I stay up til 3 am watching YouTube videos & scrolling through Tumblr, it tends to show under my eyes) and it stays on all day.

Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara: I got this idea off of watching some beauty gurus on YouTube, which is to use clear mascara as an eyebrow gel. The Maybelline Great Lash Mascara is only around $5.00 and a tube of this will last much longer than the tiny tube of brow gel on those eyebrow pencil/gel duos. It also takes two seconds to comb this through my brows, and it keeps them in place for the rest of the day.

Covergirl + Olay Concealer (I'm the shade 340- Light Medium): This is my absolute favorite concealer. The fact that the concealer is combined with Olay makes it super moisterizing, and the coverage it gives is incredible. It doesn't look dry or cakey or anything like that--it just glides right on and has stayed on even when I've gone swimming in a pool! It's super inexpensive as well, especially compared to the higher-end concealers at stores like Sephora. After using this, I don't see any reason why I would spend so much on a concealer again.

Well, that wraps up my Top 5 Makeup Products...What are yours?!

The Perfect "Between-Seasons" Nail Color

When September arrives, I'm no longer in the mood for summery pastels on my nails, but I also don't want to dive straight into deep reds, black, and earth tones.

What I do need are nail colors that can serve as transition colors for between the seasons, and "Go Overboard" by Essie does just that! It's a dark greenish/blue color that is just colorful enough for summer and just dark enough for fall.

During transition months such as September, I tend to keep my nails colorful, but on the darker side. What exactly do I mean? Take the color purple, for example. While in the summer I will choose a pretty pastel purple, in September I'll choose a purple that's jewel-toned. Basically, I pick a random color in my head, and crank the brightness down a few notches.

I love finding new nail colors, so let me know some of your favorite September shades!

PS: Did you notice the reflection of trees on my nails?

Summer Beauty Favorites

Hello everyone...This blog post is a little bit different today: A) because it's a video and B) because my twin sister is in it! We decided that it would be fun to make a video to share our summer favorites with you guys-- mostly beauty favorites but a couple of random faves thrown in for good measure. It would have taken ages to talk about these products in a typical blog post, and hopefully it will be a little refreshing to relax your brain and just watch us chit chat!

LIST OF PRODUCTS: 
Covergirl Clean Liquid Foundation
Covergirl + Olay Concealer Balm
Maybelline Color Whisper in the color Cherry On Top
Nars Bronzer Blush Duo: Laguna Bronzer + Orgasm Blush
Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in the color Bright Pink
Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Waterproof
GeoDeo in the scent Island
The Wet Brush
Bath and Body Works Candle in the scent Rio Glow
Necklaces from Brandy Melville


Incase any of you were wondering, our YouTube channel is SheStoleMyBirthday. Comment on our vid with your summer faves!
Also guys, I just made a Twitter...woohoo! (I know, it only took me a few years to jump on that bandwagon). The link is in the upper right section of my blog where my other social media icons are. 

Hope you all have an amazing end of the summer!

Mascara Review- L'oreal, Maybelline, Benefit, Fresh

It's very rare that I will purchase the same mascara twice. Usually, I think, "this mascara is okay, but I'm sure there's better out there." I mean, there are dozens and dozens of different mascaras to choose from...I feel like I have to try them all! L'oreal Voluminous mascara, however, is a mascara I've actually purchased a few times. I have pretty short eyelashes, and this product works wonders. It lengthens and defines and most importantly does not clump. This is the first time I've purchased the waterproof version, because I figured that since it is summer a waterproof formula would definitely come in handy. As far as it being waterproof, I give it a 7/10. It definitely doesn't run or flake, and about 70% of it stays on my lashes. The waterproof formula and the regular formula both yield impressive results in my opinion, and it is definitely worth the buy. I've tried other L'oreal mascaras, but this one is definitely my favorite.

Purchase here

The Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express mascara is great if you want natural looking eyelashes that are still defined. This was not my favorite because my eyelashes are pretty small and sparse, so I need a heavier duty mascara to get the job done. If you have longer, thicker eyelashes and just want to enhance them, I would recommend this. For my those like me who are not blessed with this trait, I would stick to a different mascara.

Purchase here

I received this as a gift from Sephora; either as a birthday present or as a reward for having a certain number of points (I don't exactly remember) so that is why it is the mini version. My first thought when I used this was, "ouch!"; I had never used a plastic-bristled brush before so I wasn't expecting the rougher, spikier feeling. So, into my drawer it went for a couple weeks, to be pulled it out again after I heard tons of positive reviews about it. I have to say, once I got used to the plastic bristles I really loved this mascara. It makes my lashes long, defined, and definitely not clumpy. It also stays on all day and doesn't smudge at all. If it weren't so pricey, I would definitely purchase this.

Purchase here (full sized)

Purchase here (mini)

I got this mini Fresh Supernova mascara as part of a set for Christmas. I definitely would not purchase it, as it is super expensive and just not worth the price. It's not a terrible product--it made my lashes longer, separated, and glossy, but it's staying power and non-smudging capabilities were merely alright. In my opinion, if I'm going to spend $25 on a mascara, it better a pretty damn good mascara... "alright" just won't suffice.

Purchase here

What are your favorite mascaras? Let me know!

Golden Summer

What I used:

Urban Decay "Summer Of Love" Palette 

While this product came out in 2010, any gold + bronze-y eye shadows will work, for example this one from Ulta. The 3 bronzy-gold shadows in this palette can be utilized just like the 3 Summer Of Love shades (I didn't use the purple). 

It always amazes me how makeup can make you feel. Without it, I feel unmotivated, sleepy, and just not my best. As soon as I start putting on that layer of liquid foundation and coating my lashes in a fresh coat of mascara, I feel like I can take on the world. I know, that last sentence was both cheesy and makes me seem like a superficial bitch...but hey, as much as I'd love to say that I feel just as pretty without makeup as I do with it, I'd be lying. If you do--all power to you. I'm jealous. But for now, makeup will serve as a way for me to enhance (not cover!) my features...and here is an example of how I do just that. I have green eyes and olive skin (as you can see) and I really like the way gold eyeshadow compliments that. Adding a lighter, shimmery color to my inner corner and a darker color to the outer edges and crease of my eyes make them appear bigger, more awake, and more defined. It's a win-win-win! Also, I know my eyebrows look extremely terrifying at the moment...and I'm probably not helping by pointing them out. But just incase you worried about them, rest assured: they will be getting some TLC very soon.