iii

 I've literally been wearing nothing but this sweater with different variations of bottoms and boots. Sorry.

C&C

MAC Cosmetics Conceal and Correct Palette in Light and Medium

I recently grabbed these palettes for a client who came to me for wedding makeup. I was planning on returning the palette that didn't match my client but it really exceeded my expectations so I decided to keep them both... because I'm a makeup hoarder.
The colors inside the pan look much darker than they do out of the pan. The light shade (at the top of the photo) matched my NC15-20 client flawlessly and instantly brought a fresh and natural looking glow to her face. As for me, being between NC25-30 the medium palette works perfectly. There's a very deep tone on the middle right side that is most definitely way too dark for me but I can see it maybe coming in handy for people that like to go tanning.
So, last night I put the 8 hour wear claim through the ultimate test. From 12am-6am I went to an oddly juvenile and poorly ventilated house party with what sounded like a Weezer cover band, a club that was formerly the great Mink for a strange hip hop cover band (what's with these cover bands?), an empty art gallery with a handful of giggling dorks with a frog and 5 different after hours Korean karaoke bars (one of them was filled with really amazingly dressed Korean babes that looked like they belonged in kpop bands). At the end of the insanity, I went home with a pretty damn perfect looking mug. I looked almost like I did when I left the house 6 hours ago with some inevitable oiliness. Damn you, oily dehydrated skin!!
All in all I'd recommend this to everyone who's looking for a concealer, even if you're not looking for a palette. It's just that good.

SO VAIN

Tom Ford Fall '15 Lipstick in So Vain 

Say hi to my new favorite lipstick, Tom Ford's So Vain. The color is a really naturally unnatural looking rose-y mauve with a light golden sheen. There is something that has to be said about this lipstick, and it's the fact that there are giant flecks of glitter in it. Like, huge, to the point that I can actually feel the particles when I swipe it on from the bullet. I usually hate big particles of glitter but in this case it looks really subtle on the lips, which is Tom's favorite look judging from the Black Sugar nail lacquer that seems to have really pretty red glitter in the bottle but looks exactly like OPI You Don't Know Jacques - which is one solid color (I swatched them side by side and instantly got pissed off). However, the glitter reveals itself in a major way when the lipstick is wiped off, it leaves a gold flecked pout that actually looks quite chic rather than tacky in a 90s glitter gloss way. Matte lips have been in all summer so it only makes sense that glossy and shimmery lips will be making their way back soon.

PAAKO

Tom Ford Sable Smoke Lipstick // Helmut Lang Muscle Tee

Let's talk about clip in hair extensions! It's so fun to play around with long hair, especially without the damage microbead and glue extensions can cause.
I received some really nice quality human hair 18" platinum blonde ones (c/o Irresistible Me) that I toned to match my hair perfectly (not recommended for non professionals). They came wrapped in a sleek black package with replacement clips and a test extension so that you wouldn't have to unravel the whole set in case you were feeling unsure. It's a really clever idea actually, especially for people who have to tone or lift their extensions to match. In my case, having being lightened for 4ish years, my hair is very porous and tends to take toner unevenly without a filler. Knowing this and diving into toning the extensions, I found the hair to be quite healthy and took the toner smoothly. The weight of the clip ins are pretty spot on as well, they blend with my slightly grown out shoulder length (as you can see in my previous ootd posts and on instagram) lob seamlessly.
Plenty of people straighten their clip ins so they blend well but it's not my style so I opted for a messy look, which is more in tune with my DNA as well as the clip ins since they've got a really beautiful natural wave. Now I can reach my final form, which is something between Paako and Tokiko... not like there's really a difference between the two...

DIOR SUMMER

clockwise from top: the New DiorShow Mascara, DiorSkin Nude Air Serum Foundation, DiorAddict Lip Glow

Some summer upgrades!

The new DiorShow formula pretty good so far. The old formula made my eyes obnoxiously dry but I kept coming back because it's the only mascara that helps my pin straight (ugh) lashes hold a curl. Apparently the tube has been altered to push less air into the bottle when you return the wand, which leads to less drying of the product (a major complaint of mine and many others) as well as dispense less product. I'm not so excited about dispensing less product, I'm sure it was the result of lessening air entry that affected the wiper but it's dispensing less than I'd like. Now the look is more defined rather than bulked up which is not what most users are used to with the old DiorShow. It's comparable to MAC's Haute & Naughty mascara in the way that it's the same brush that has two different wipers for completely different results. Perhaps it could have been thought out a little better.

DiorSkin Nude Air is my first foray into serum foundations. I'm loving it so far, it actually does feel like air, looks insanely natural and has a slightly buildable coverage. Shade 21 with MAC Pro Long Wear concealer in NC25 is a perfect match. I haven't been this satisfied with a foundation since I found Boots Beautifully Matte a few years ago. 

I'm on my third tube of DiorAddict Lip Glow. Nuff said.

SPRING PALETTE

clockwise from top left: Club, Beautiful Iris, Motif, All That Glitters

Purples and Pinks for my spring palette. Club is a plum and green holographic shadow that looks fantastic as a sharp graphic cat eye. Beautiful Iris is a gorgeous sheer violet that looks amazing on its own, used as a highlighter, with a deep lip or paired with Motif, which is a peach and lavender holographic shadow that also looks great on its own or paired with a red lip. Last but not least, All That Glitters is the perfect versatile pinky silvery rose that literally can work its way into any look. I think it's great to have a little compact palette of all the colors that can work with any look. It's definitely easier than trying to shove my palette of 18 shadows in my bag for sure.

GLOSS NOIR

I've been on the market for an eye gloss ever since my discontinued Calvin Klein Clear Eye Gloss exploded for no apparent reason. I know I'll never be able to find a clear eye gloss that good again, seeing as my search throughout the internet merely brought me to MAC's Studio Eye Gloss, which comes in white, black, burgundy and champagne. They're fairly sheer, very glittery (the photo is a pretty clear indicator of that) and incredibly sticky, like my eyelid literally stuck to my brush and fingers as I was putting it on. Not to stress, that feeling eventually fades as it settles. It looks nice layered over a smoky eye to add depth and dimension or on its own for a sheer slick. Plus the glitter is actually not so noticeable once it's on, so it's not a full on drag type of situation. It definitely took a few tries to get the right look, but I've settled on layering it over eyeliner for a greasy lived in cat eye with a light wash of it over a bare lid.

STYX

NYX Wonder Stick in Light/Medium

Okay, so maybe something good came out of the Kardashian fame... that one good thing being the ever so growing popularity of conturing. I remember years ago making a big fuss about the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate. It still is an incredible product, but competition is budding up on the scene, everyone from Lancôme to NYX is catching up. The latter, weighing in at a whopping $12 (!!!), has been my answer to every day contouring without diving into an $80 compact just for a little definition to go to work. The application may seem harsh and jarring at first, but it blends seamlessly into the skin. The bronzer side is the perfect ashy tawny color to imitate shadows and the grind of the glitter in the highlighter is so tender and natural. At such a low price point and diverse color range there's really no reason not to try it just once.

SMOOTH OPERATOR

With April in full effect, comes April showers. April showers bring humidity, and with humidity comes hell bound frizzy hair. With the onset trend of "rich girl hair" (as The Cut calls it) shiny, smooth and soft are all vital to this look. MoroccanOil's Smoothing line has been transformative for people struggling with frizzy kinks. This stuff is no bullshit. Even just the Smoothing Lotion alone helps tremendously. Personally, I have to use purple shampoo so often times the smoothing shampoo and conditioner does not easily wedge its way into my routine, but when it does, I always opt to air dry. Frizz. Free.

*crazed happiness ensues*
✿♥‿♥✿

TILBURY TUESDAY

In honor of me driving down the street and slightly freaking out seeing Charlotte Tilbury's imported taxi next to me, here's some of my favorite looks from before she became a walking advertisement for her brand. Now, I'm not trying to knock her hustle, I was just a bit more appreciative when she's using products she actually believes in rather than whatever has her name on it. I'm sure her products are great but it's even better knowing what amazing concealers got her through the majority of her career.

-A

Benefit Fake Up, Retin-A smuggled from Mexico, Nature's Plus Pure Vitamin E Oil

We all know Retin-A is good for your skin, and all around the internet the cry is heard about how it's turning people's skin red and flaky (just look at Wayne Goss's instagram post). Yes, that is a side effect and it really is a horror to be dealt with until your skin becomes used to it. Honestly it still happens to me, albeit not quite as bad, and I just downgraded with the 0.05% formula from a 0.1% formula. It's aggravating for sure but it can be strategically avoided, simply with a light scrub from a konjac sponge, pure vitamin e oil and an emollient concealer. I swear Benefit's Fake Up was made for Retin-A users, although the color range is pitiful.
Are any of my readers Retin-A users? Let me know how you deal with side effects in the comments!

GREY

Apologies for the grainy ass iphone selfie but I'm GREY! I'm getting a lot of weird looks from basic bitch pedestrians but hey, I saw five blonde asians in one day I got over it real quick.

Who knew my 3 years of being blonde would lead to this

DRY SHINE

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray and Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream

My new favorite styling duo.
It also helps that I got an intense hair cut so my ends look fresh as hell...
(but it looks like I'm back to the lob -_-)

SUPERSHINE

Oribe's Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream

My new Holy Grail for smoothing creams. Use it wet or dry, either way there's tiny particles of glitter that is fail-proof for shiny locks.
This paired with my Kerastase Chroma Thermique, Oleo-Relax Serum and Aquage Detailing Creme give me a clean yet textured/messy look without the use of hot tools, which is a huge bonus for those with fucked up bleached out hair like mine.

HIGH FIRE

Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Firecracker and Proenza Schouler X MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in High Energy 

A Perfect Match.

I drank coffee and ate lunch and my mouth is still intact (of course before I wiped my mouth with a napkin but still pretty damn good)

LUXUAL

I'm still trying to figure out my spring uniform and I'm severely late. This is the time of year Dallas feels like the beaches along southern California for a split second before the roaring heat settles in. Well, actually I don't know, maybe it'll last forever like the winter did (fingers crossed).

For this spring I'm feeling easy and polished. This might be the most adult spring I've had yet, there's not a single cut off short in sight (the summer will be a whole different story).

I feel like the pink lip, lustrous chain and metallic flecked top are really balanced out by the boyfriend jeans, rolled sleeves and disheveled bun. Had this been paired with a skirt it would have changed the whole game.

I'm more of a casual girl anyway.

PITA PENN

Orlando Pita & Irving Penn

COSSIE

cosmetology school is dope. i get my nails done whenever i want fo free.

WATAMELO

my friend said my nails look like watermelons

they kinda do but the rind is teal and the flesh is magenta.. and the part between the rind and the flesh is silver

i've been into short stiletto nails lately. and also acrylics, as you can tell by the growth in the photo. my old room mate was like "acrylics are better" and for some part she was right (functionality-wise) but for your natural nails they're horrible :(

mine are worse than paper thin.. i'll probably have to give it a rest after this and hit the biotin... which i always forget to take!!!!!

ROUTINE

i've become a beauty enthusiast lately, so instead of buying heaps of clothing (reduced to a handful), i invest in ridiculous amounts of cosmetics...