Just a Life Update and Random Favorites

So today was my 18th birthday! It's funny how you look forward to certain events and expect them to feel a certain way, and then it's completely different. But in a good way. I desperately need to finish college applications! I've let them pile up, and now it's going to bite me. I want to go visit an old friend out of town, but I can't if I don't make some progress on college apps, Frankenstein for AP Lit, and The Moonstone for the literature club I lead at school. So much to do! I also have a few posts for this blog I need to write and already have pictures for, as well as needing to take photos for a separate post.

I don't see the posts as a chore though. I really enjoy it, and its a good break. I finally hit 20 followers, which I know isn't huge at all. It's really exciting to me, and I'm crossing my fingers for 50 one day...I don't really know how to make this better or how to get my blog out there (if you have any suggestions, please share!).

For my birthday (please comment if you want photos of a specific item), I received money and an Olay gift set (which comes with a year subscription to Allure!) from my grandparents. From my dad and mom, I received a new hairdryer, a bracelet/cuff with an amber stone, a gold necklace, and the famous House of Harlowe 1960 Stations necklace in Black Resin. It's so beautiful. The BF bought me flowers, some shea-infused socks because I always complain about cold feet, Lindt Dark Chocolate truffles (my favorite), and he made me a beautiful card and a batch of cupcakes. It was so cute. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it hahaha.

My Random Favorites over the holiday:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- surprisingly good and easier to read than expected
Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles
Bath and Body Works products in the Dark Kiss and Twilight Woods scents
lipstick
baking
necklaces!!!
Etsy.com
winter discounts
youtube

That's all for now lovelies!

Sincerely and with much love,

The Body Shop is having a huge sale!

This is what showed up in my email just now:

If you have somethings in mind, the $5 price tag is easily covered by the savings on the products. I usually don't buy anything from The Body Shop because the price is a little high for bath items. This however makes them highly reasonable!

Blush is the New Black's Giveaway

Another amazing  giveaway is hosted by Elise at the Blush is the New Black, and it is also open internationally!

Please enter: http://blushisthenewblack.blogspot.com/2010/12/giveaway-time.html

Pammy Blogs Beauty's Giveaway

Lovely Pammy, over at http://pammyblogsbeauty.blogspot.com, is having a fantastic giveaway for reaching 100 followers! Prizes include:

"Stila Lipglaze set: 8 beautiful Stila lipglazes!!! I soooo want to keep this for myself, but it is for my lucky winner!

• NYX The Runway Collection: Champagne and Caviar Palette: I love this palette so much that I bought another one for the giveaway!

• Maybelline The Falsies Mascara (Waterproof): Very Black I have actually not tried this yet, so I will be testing out the same time as this giveaway. But, have read very good reviews on this one! 

• 2 Essence Studio Nails: Nail Fashion Stickers: :You ladies know that I love essence cosmetics...so, I had to include an essence item in this giveaway
• • Bath and Body Works: Winter Candy Apple Antibacterial Hand Gel : Just something "festive"! :) "

And it's open internationally!

Go here to enter now!

http://pammyblogsbeauty.blogspot.com/2010/12/100-followers-giveaway.html

Christmas Haul 2010: Part 1

Hello, Lovelies! Haven't heard from me in a while? Sorry 'bout that. Not going to make excuses because we all know how life is, especially whil preparing for midterms (eek!). For Christmas, the only thing I asked for off the gift idea post was the Nars Beauty in a Box set, but it was no longer available when my mom told me to order it. I was so very disappointed. Then she told me I could buy something comparable, but from all of Sephora, I could not pick anything. I had wanted a variety of products and one lipgloss and an eyeshadow would not cut it. I looked at other gift sets, but nothing *really* caught my eye. So then I moved on to MAC's website and proceeded to shop the "Melissa" way by grabbing (or adding to my basket) every single thing I would like, which you can imagine took a good two hours. Then I went to my shopping cart and began to weed out slowly what was not absolutely, ahem, "necessary" (oh, materialism...curse you for my iniquities!). Finally after, no joke, hours spent agonizing on the perfect thing to get, I had my basket limited down to MAC Snob lipstick, MAC Contrast Eyeshadow, MAC Spirit lipstick, and MAC Dollymix powder blush. I could not limit that down to $50 for anything. It was too hard of a decision. Thus, I had the bright idea to look up NYX dupes for what I wanted most from MAC, as well as NYX versions of whatever my collection is missing. For examply, I know I want the MAC Snob lipstick, but I also generally want a bubble gum-toned blush. After completing my Cherry Culture order (a lot of NYX stuff was on sale so I was able to buy more- and I loveeeee that site), I felt pretty satisfied. So now I am waiting on that.

While I was still looking at the MAC website, I was looking up swatches on Google Images and saw a photo of a pigment called Vintage gold that was simultaneouly a bronze gold and green gold. It was a beauty. After research, I discovered it came out with the Cult of Cherry-Overrich Pigment Collection and was now only available at PRO stores. UGH. Never fear, I hunted it down across various reliable websites and managed to get my hands on it for $27 (it retialed at approx. $20). For some, I know I must seem crazy, but this jar will last forever. This will last me YEARS (5+ at the least). It's crazy how far the TINIEST dab will go. Crazy. It was my first pigment, and it is an Overrich meaning it's even smoother and more pigmented than standard pigments. I am so in love and so content with this purchase. It was worth every penny. It you are looking for some from this collection, I recommend Vintage Gold and Antique Greeen. Temptalia.com also has swatches of this collection which show the greenish hue better than my photos.

It reminds me of my favorite UD Eye liner shade- Stash

I bought this from makeuplover.ecrater.com. The shipping was superfast, and the packaging was really good. The seller also included this sample of MAC Cocomotion Pigment, which I don't know anything about. I think this color is very dupeable.

I also purchased two Victoria Secret Beauty Rush Glitter Eye Gels in Purple Pop and Strike Gold. I will have a review on these later. These are $7 each or 2 for $12.

On my wishlist I gave to my parents, I also asked for L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black, which is my favorite mascara. I finally finished mine. I will have a review on that in two weeks, because that's how long it takes to really work. The effect is pretty now, but much better in two weeks. The first time I bought it I thought, "This is crap!" But I pulled it out two weeks later and wow! I will put pictures of it now and two weeks from now. The second mascara I asked for was L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. I like it a lot, but I want to wait to review it because it might thicken also.

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes is really neat in a few ways. I really love the glam gold packaging. Also, it has this design where it wipes extra product off the brush to reduce clumps (as seen in the picture above). Third, it clicks when fully shut, which is really satisfying for some reason haha.

I hope you enjoyed this! Please don't take it as bragging. I love to read these posts because they sometimes introduce you to products you haven't seen before or haven't given a second glance.

Much love,

Christmas Wishlist: Beauty Edition

Is anyone else as excited as I am that it's finally winter? I love everything about winter- brisk air, gloves, scarves, boots, coats, hats, hot chocolate, getting presents (great), giving presents that people really appreciate (better x10000), and just the overall cheer. Of course, in the beauty blogging world, wishlists are extremely popular, so I thought I would share mine. Please enjoy!

1) Bumpits

(source: www.bumpits.com)

While I first found these very strange, I now realize how life-saving they would be, especially the mini Bumpit. The mini ones can be used under bangs pulled back to make that cute little "poof". I also think the larger Bumpits would be fun to play around with. These are affordable and would make a good gift because I previously would not have bought these. However, if the recipient hates to go out of her comfort zone, you should probably skip this.

2) Essie nails polishes

You can never have enough nail polishes. My two favorite brands are Essie and Essence (irronic- "Ess-" begins both). Here are my top picks from the line ( I'm not including the shades I have and love- Shelter Island, Greenport, Island Hopping, and Sexy Divide). These polishes retail at $8.

-"Steel-ing the Scene"

(source: Essie.com)

-"Going Incognito"

(source: Essie.com)

3)Stila Adventurous in Aspen Travel Palette
Stila recently released a series of travel palettes themed around places like Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, etc. Each comes with four eyeshadows and one of their famed covertible color blushes. Adventurous in Aspen's e/s shades are "0.15 oz in Snow Angel (shimmering heather gray), Icicles (blue), Glisten (shimmering gold), and Ajax (black with gold sparkle), and the blush is in "Rosy (rose pink)." (source: Sephora.com)

4) Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight

This is the famed gloss that Kim Kardashian usually wears in photos and is very complimentary on most skintones (or so they say). I'd like to give it a whirl. This would need to got to a friend who like makeup, or she might feel jipped. One lipgloss is $24.

(source: Google Images)

5) Nars Beauty in a Box

"This set contains:

- Essential Eye Palette - 5 x 0.05 oz Eyeshadow in Night Star (sheer peach with gold pearls), Galapagos (rich bronze with gold flecks), Nepal (rose with shimmer), Ondine (plum with gold shimmer), Thunderball (midnight gray) plus 0.03 oz Cream Shadow in Unconditional Love (peach beige shimmer)

- 0.28 oz Lip Gloss in Ophelia (strawberry nectar)

- 0.14 oz mini Multiple in Orgasm (peachy pink shimmer)

- 0.08 oz mini Bronzer in Laguna (brown with golden shimmer)" (source: sephora.com)

Ooh la la! I don't even know what to say about it. It's perfect! (except for the price- $69)