I've been on a bit of a spending spree lately and after my first purchase, I've become quite addicted to MAC lipsticks. I've always read about them being beauty bloggers 'holy grail' lipsticks and they're quickly becoming mine. Also, their vanilla scent is to die for! I've picked them up in five shades along with a few other MAC lip products.



The first shade I got was Snob. It's a baby pink color that manages to be light and bold at the same time. It has a satin finish so it's not quite shiny but not completely matte either. It's a really good balance between the two. What I think I like the most about MAC lipsticks is that they feel very moisturizing; they don't dry up after sitting on your lips for a while. They are also the most long lasting lipsticks I've ever worn. I like Snob; I think it's a good spring and summer shade. It even works well in winter. It's probably the definition of Barbie pink and that is alright with me.

I bought this next product with the intention of pairing it with Snob when I want a glossier finish: the MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Infinitely Likeable. This lipgloss is pretty much the exact same color as Snob and looks beautiful layered thinly over top of it. The sales lady who convinced me to buy it really did me a favor. It's just such a beautiful combination. The only complaint I have about this lipgloss is that it's a little bit sticky. Just enough that it's a tad annoying. But it looks so pretty I'm willing to look past its flaws.

The next shade I got is one absolutely perfect for spring: Ravishing. It is the perfect shade of peach for my skin tone. A lot of the time peach shades that are too orange wash me out but Ravishing is orange with just the right amount of pink to make it an absolutely beautiful spring and summery peach. This lipstick has a gorgeous creme sheen finish that makes it really shiny and moisturizing. It's such a happy color and I am completely in love with it.


And again, I left with a matching lipgloss. The Pro Longwear Lipglass in Persistent Peach. This looks just as beautiful combined as Infinitely Likeable does with Snob. However, as beautiful as these lipglosses look paired with the lipsticks, they look great on their own for a subtler effect.


The next shade I bought is Craving. I have a weakness for pink lipsticks and, as much as I love Snob, it's too bold for me to wear with an everyday look. This one is a very pinky nude while still being very vibrant. It's such a pretty shade and is great for everyday looks. It's an amplified creme sheen finish that goes on so smoothly it's just about to die for.


I've been mildly obsessed (ok, crazily obsessed) with spring colors this year and peach, mint, and berry have been like my holy trinity. I already bought a gorgeous peach shade (Ravishing) and next on my list was the perfect berry (I think mint colored lipstick would look a little strange, don't you?). I found that in Rebel. This is one of MAC's more popular shades and I immediately understood why. I think this color could actually work all year round. It's definitely great for fall but I'm going to make it work in spring. It's such a happy color: definitely a berry shade but more purple than red or pink. It's a satin finish just like Snob. I think it's going to look so pretty with the peach shades of spring!


I have been searching for a really deep, vampy red color for a really long time. Every one I've found in the past has had a lot of purple undertones and I wanted one that was pure red. I found the exact shade I wanted in MAC's Diva. This color is so dramatic and sexy and I am completely in love with it. It's a matte finish and I think that adds so much to the drama of it. I was really worried when I bought it that it would be too dry on my lips and be annoying to wear but it still feels very moisturizing when it's on, especially for a matte finish. It will look so great on a night out. I'm sure I could even figure out how to work it into an everyday look. I've been looking for a shade like this for so long and I am ecstatic that I finally found it. Because Diva is such a dark shade I knew it would definitely require a lip liner to prevent any feathering. After some research I decided the MAC Lip Pencil in Burgundy would be the best fit. The lip pencil is a just a little bit darker than Diva but they look so beautiful together. Burgundy goes on very matte and once Diva is applied over it they just look so incredibly sexy.



I think what I love most about MAC lipsticks is their staying power. They are so long lasting and that is a great quality to have in a lipstick. They're also crazily pigmented which makes them really bold and who doesn't love a bold lip? I'm so excited for the spring and summer season so I can rock these gorgeous colors! What's your favorite shade of MAC lipstick?

So I was recently on the hunt for new makeup brushes and I'd been reading about Sigma Beauty's all over the internet. I had previously been using ELF Brushes and they're great for the price but they kind of started to fall apart on me. Not to mention how much product got soaked into the bristles instead of on my face. I just felt like I was wasting so much on them. Anyway, after doing some research, I purchased Sigma Beauty's Basic Face Kit.

I was pretty much sold on these brushes the second I saw the packaging. The five brushes in the kit came in this cute little box and they were all individually wrapped in plastic. I think I actually love the packaging as much as the brushes themselves.


The first brush in this set is the F30 Large Powder Brush. It is a little bit big for my face but that is the only flaw I've found. The bristles literally feel like velvet. I use this brush to apply my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil powder and it gives it such a nice finish. This brush does a great job of really working the powder into the foundation. Also, did I mention it feels like velvet?


The next brush is the F50 Duo Fibre brush. I had previously been using ELF's small stipple brush to apply my BB Creme and they bristles were too spaced out and thin to really get the job done efficiently. This brush has a pretty large head and the bristles are packed in much tighter than ELF's brush. It makes it so easy to really blend in my BB Creme and gives me a very even coverage.

Next up is the F40 Large Angled Contour which is an absolute dream when it comes to applying bronzer. This is actually the first bronzer brush I have purchased. I had previously been using the little mini brush that comes with Maybelline's Fit Me Bronzers (I know, I know) and it didn't work well at all for me. I use this brush to apply NARS Laguna to contour my cheekbones and it goes on so smoothly. The angle of the brush makes shaping the contour so simple. I honestly don't know how I survived before this brush.


The F60 Foundation Brush has been an absolute lifesaver for me. I know it's meant for use all over the face but I find it works best for blending in my under eye concealer. The small brush is just too small to cover the whole area efficiently and evenly. I had previously been using ELF's Foundation Brush to blend my under eye concealer and it was nothing short of a nightmare. It would work great directly after I washed it but the bristles felt very plastic-like and the product build up on the brush was insane. It would get to the point where I wouldn't even have to take any product out of the concealer tube; so much would be built up on the brush I could just apply it directly from there. I've been using the F60 Foundation Brush for about a week now and I haven't noticed and product build up at all. The bristles are very soft and gentle on the skin which is great for that extremely sensitive skin that's under the eye. This brush has cured so much frustration for me.

The last brush that came in this set was the F70 Concealer Brush. It's pretty tiny and great for covering up small blemishes. I've also found that it is good for applying eyeshadow. It's very similar to the brush that comes with Urban Decay's Naked Palette and I've been trying so many different eyeshadow combinations lately so this brush is great for when I want to switch up my look.


To my surprise, my package came with a free gift! An E25 Eyeshadow Blending Brush. I already have one of these (not sigma) but it's great to have a back up for when I deviate from my normal eyeshadow routine; as I have been frequently!

So that's the Basic Face Kit! Sigma Beauty's brushes are incredible and the set came a what I think is a very reasonable price for such high quality tools. I'll definitely be buying more brushes from Sigma Beauty!

So I'm home on spring break and what's the first thing I do? I don't head to a party, sprawl out on the beach, or get ridiculously drunk: I go shopping. I also tried macarons for the first time today and I have to say, they're delicious. The first place I stopped at was Sephora (I know, big surprise) and I wandered around for a while but only left with one item. Living Proof's Restore Targeted Repair Cream. I've heard so much about how great this brand is and I've been wanting to try it for a long time. My hair is insanely damaged right now because I bleached it over the summer (NEVER bleach you hair! Just don't do it) and this stuff sounded like just the thing to give it a little bit of life back. I'm really excited to try it!

I've heard so much about Maybelline's new Color Elixir lip glosses from beauty bloggers all around the internet. They've recently released these for their spring line and they're supposed to be pigmented like a lipstick, shiny like a gloss, and moisturize like a lip balm. All three in one? Yes please! However, when I picked these up at the store I was thinking it was too good to be true. After I picked them up in three different shades and applied it I found myself thinking… ehh. I mean, they're good as a lip gloss but they aren't crazily pigmented and I'm not really crazy about the shades I bought.

So my birthday was last week (Feb 28) and I went on a shopping spree, primarily for makeup. So between Ulta, Sephora, and the Dior counter at Lord & Taylor I replaced almost every one of my staple makeup items. I've used all of them since I bought them and I've got to say, high end is so much better. I've linked all of the products in the descriptions so you can check them out for yourselves!


So my first stop was Ulta and I picked up two things. The first thing was the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil translucent powder. I have previously been using Physician's Formula translucent powder and I definitely see a big difference between these two products. The Bare Minerals powder is a lot lighter than the Physician's Formula. It's also a lot more sheer and has more of a velvety finish. I mainly use powder to set my under eye concealer, and sometimes to blend my blush and bronzer if I put on too much, and you can't even tell that I have any on as opposed to Physician's Formula which can get a little bit cakey. A very little bit goes a long way. I absolutely love this powder.


The next thing I bought from Ulta was Urban Decay's Naked palette. I've had my eye on this for months and it did not disappoint me. The colors are so pigmented and velvety and very easy to blend. I've finally been able to achieve the perfect nude smokey eye. I am obsessed with this palette. I'll probably post some tutorials soon! I'm definitely going to be repurchasing and I think I'm going to get the Naked 3 palette because I'm a sucker for all of those pink shades!

The Urban Decay palette also came with their Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I was really excited to try this because I'm just about out of my ELF Eyelid Primer and the bottle was really cute. The Urban Decay primer goes on a lot thinner and wetter than the ELF primer. I was worried at first that it wouldn't dry enough to hold the eyeshadow in place all day but everything was still intact when I went to remove my makeup at the end of the day. It's a pretty good primer but I'll probably stick with ELF just because it's so much cheaper.











Once I was finished at Ulta I was off to Sephora. I entered the store with two things in mind: NARS blush and bronzer. I'd heard so much about how amazing these products are and I was not disappointed. I'm relatively fair skinned and I like blushes that are primarily pink with some peach hues. Every review I'd read about the NARS blushes said that Orgasm was the best shade so that was the first one I went for. It is an absolutely gorgeous color. I had looked at the pictures on the Sephora website and thought the color looked a little too orange but it is much more pink in person. I also checked out Super Orgasm (which was WAY too glittery) and Deep Throat (which was too matte) because they're the shades most similar to Orgasm. In the end I decided Orgasm was the best one for me. It's also extremely pigmented so a little bit goes a long way. Ultimately, NARS Orgasm is the perfect shade for me and I will definitely be repurchasing.

So after I picked out my blush, I moved onto the bronzers. NARS makes three shades of bronzers: Laguna, Irresitiblement, and Casino. I went into the store hesitantly leaning toward Laguna because that shade got the best reviews but the pictures online were a little bit dark. When I found it, the sample tray for Laguna was completely empty. There was nothing left. They actually didn't have either of the other two shades in the store so I didn't get to see them. However, I purchased Laguna and it is absolutely the perfect shade for me. I use it for contouring my cheekbones and blend it up into my blush so I don't get any harsh lines. It is extremely pigmented and looks beautiful paired with Orgasm. I will definitely be repurchasing this one as well!


My last stop was the Dior counter at Lord & Taylor. After some browsing I ended up buying the DiorSkin Nude BB Creme in shade 001. This is quickly going to become my holy grail BB Creme. The first thing I noticed was that it smells really nice. I don't know how to describe it but it has a very pleasant scent. I use two pumps on the back of my hand and blend it onto my face with a flat topped brush. It feels so smooth and velvety and it doesn't even look like I'm wearing anything. It actually has pretty good coverage and builds up nicely in the spots where I need a little more coverage. It makes my skin look radiant and paired with the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil I feel like a goddess.



I also ordered the Basic Face Kit brush set from Sigma Beauty so I'll post a review on those once I get them in the mail!

Hope you enjoyed!