July Favorites!

July just flew by at rapid speeds, so I guess it's time to list my favorites for the month! It was definitely a month of heat waves and unbearably humid air, so most of the products I kept reaching for were ones that keeps my entire face from melting off and my body from being burned to a crisp.

1) Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish powder ($30)
-Perfect for adding that last layer  of loose powder to seal in all my makeup and make it last so so long without showing any shine. My foundation and powder definitely does not slide around with this on, even on the hottest and most humid of days.
2) Sephora "Tricks of the Trade" Anti-Shine primer ($18)
- Always a must for a hot day outside. I put this on under my makeup and it instantly gives my skin a matte and almost rubbery feeling that makes makeup stick to it perfectly.
3) L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting base ($10)
- This stuff is so soft and smoothe... it really is magical! I usually put it on over my Sephora Anti-Shine primer on the grossest of summer days. Those two together make my skin grab onto makeup so much that, along with the Make Up For Ever powder, my makeup stays absolutely flawless.
4) Evian To Go mineral water facial spray ($12 for 2)
- This is a savior for either air conditioned spaces or anywhere that you'd like to cool off with a refreshing mist. I usually stick one of these in the fridge the morning that I'm heading out on a sweltering day and spray this all over me when I get to the train. So refreshing!
5) Banana Boat UltraMist Protective Tanning spray SPF 15/20 ($9)
- This is the perfect balance of protection and tanning! I have very fair skin and hate putting on any oils or creams before going out into the sun. Most of the time I put this all over me before going out to the pool and work on my tan safely and steadily. On particularly sunny days when I know I will be outside for a while, I just spray this all over my arms/legs/chest, etc! It is not greasy like oils and does not need any rubbing in like creams. Its really the easiest step in sun protection that helps give me a golden glow.
6) Blinc Eye Brow Mousse ($24)
- (I got this at IMATS in NYC for a much more affordable price than I see now online) This stuff always keeps my brows perfectly groomed and makes them stay put in the heat of the summer. Simple as that! A go to for my brows when I want them to stay in shape and filled in the whole day.
7) NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra ($33)
- This month its been so hot that I get almost overwhelmed after putting on all these primers and powders to keep my face together. Therefore, adding the decision of what color to put on my eyes has become too much of a hassle so I usually end up reaching for my NARS eye duo. These two shades are a pearly champagne and a pearly pink. They match just about anything because they make my eyes look put together but not overdone in the least bit. Since there are so many layers on my face I really go for this product to make my eyes look simply pretty and presentable without looking awkward even if there is creasing or melting in the heat.

Review: Revlon Just Tinted Nail Polish

I was in Duane Reade recently and saw a Revlon display with the "Just Tinted" nail polish collection. I had only heard of the "Just Bitten" lip tint markers so I thought I would try it out. It took me a while to actually paint my nails with it because I had a bunch of other new polishes to try out so I was really excited when I finally got to it. The shade I got was "Victorian."

First Impression:

I hated this polish with the first application.
I don't even remember how much I spent on this item and I already thought it was too much.
In one coat it made my nails look like I had some really cheap nail polish on before and it stained my nails horribly (definitely not in the good sense of a "color stain").
I got so frustrated with the one coat looking so crappy that I did not even think to continue painting my nails.
I thought that the name suggested it should only be applied sparingly so that your nails could have "just" a "tint" of color.
It was supposed to be a jelly-like color and it did come out something like that...but more like a matte jelly that resembled the finish of a Gap purse I had when I was about 10 years old (I had a pink one exactly like the one below).

SO... I will have to say that after I figured out that I should put on 2 or 3 coats of this stuff and then a shiny topcoat, my opinion completely changed and now I am really enjoying this polish! This really goes to show how different nail polish can get with a few coats' variation!

Pros:

1. The color is so cute and (with 2-3 coats, topcoat) looks exactly like what you expect from the bottle.

2. Gives a really unique translucent look to the nails, unlike traditional polish.

3. Makes a french manicure a bit more fresh, summery and young!

Cons:

1. One coat will probably make you want to take the polish off immediately as I did.

2. The finish is matte, which I don't think goes with a translucent polish. Needs topcoat.

<-- This is a progression of (1 coat) (2 coats) (3 coats) (3 coats+topcoat) from pinky to index finger. 

The quality of the picture came out a little odd since I cannot find my regular camera. 

But you can still see how the index finger looks a lot better than the pinky. 

Overall, I'm glad my initial opinions of this polish changed completely. I was all ready to hate this polish completely and I'm glad I don't. I even want to pick up a few of the other colors!
I think the topcoat is the essential part of this. Depending on your preference, the perfect way to get this polish to look great is either adding a few coats, adding topcoat or both!

July Birchbox

The July birchbox is here! As many of you YouTubers and bloggers out there know, Birchbox is a monthly subscription service for deluxe samples and travel sized items including makeup, skincare, etc. I think I may be doing a full review on the Birchbox service sometime soon so I won't go into much further detail in case you have already been bombarded with explanations about it in other blogs/videos.

The July box is special in that it is curated by Cynthia Rowley, a fashion designer. I was quite excited to get this box and am happy to say that it was as wonderful as the other 4 boxes I had received in previous months.







































This is what I got in my July Birchbox:
1) Ahava mineral hand cream
- As my friend Yuliya (Cutiegingerbread) described it so perfectly, it smells like floral baby powder but in a good way! Moisturizing and soft without leaving the hands feeling greasy.
2) Philosophy purity made simple one-step facial cleanser
- I have heard so much about this cleanser before the july box, as it is aptly named a "cult favorite" on the birchbox description card. I've seen Pinkiecharm rave about using this cleanser with the clarisonic so I followed suit. I did enjoy the results after one time, but will definitely make further conclusions after using it a few days in a room. Mild and balancing!
3) Redken shine flash glistening mist
- My hair is naturally pretty shiny so this did not make a dramatic difference but I did notice a bright, natural sheen which will help on the days when my hair isn't as healthy as it usually is in the summer. 
4) Zoya Touch collection nail polish in Shay
- Creamy nude with a touch of pink to it, definitely a professional and natural looking color. It has a sheen to it that is perfectly understated and not glittery or gaudy. 
5) KIND Almond & Apricot fruit and nut bar
- I have loved these bars for years now. They used to be at Starbucks but they were definitely around $3 for a single bar... crazy! My mom and I have been ordering these from Amazon.com (But Them Here!) for a 12 pack which ends up being $1.80 a bar. I featured these bars in my What's In My Purse? video because they are the perfect thing to throw in your bag for a delicious and nutritious treat. I'm glad Cynthia Rowley agrees :]


So all in all pretty pleased with this month's Birchbox: Zoya nail polish is always a great addition to my addiction, I have been meaning to try the Philosophy cleanser, the Kind bar was a yummy treat and I can never use enough small moisturizing hand creams to throw in my bag! I hope some readers out there got this Birtchbox or were convinced to try out the service next month!

[Sorry there is no video to go along with this post but I have tried recording it on two separate occasions and my computer keeps chopping them into pieces or blocking out sound so I have given up on recording the video for it. Just makes this more exclusive to my blog I guess! :)]

Trend: Ombré Nails

So I decided to do something with my nails besides just painting them one color. I have tried this trend a few times but only now have I actually come up with results I've liked. Ombré nails! I have no idea when this became popular but I have definitely seen it in some advertisements and on some celebrities.  Here is what they looks like:

Basically its as simple as picking a few different shades of the same basic color and arranging them in order from light to dark on the different fingernails. I chose to do a blue shade color story because I had the most different shades of blue polish in my collection. I thought at first that I would need 5 different shades which could prove rather difficult if you are not particularly as obsessed with nail polish as I am and have only one or two shades of each basic color of the rainbow. What makes it easier is that you really only need 4 different shades. Any ombré design can be done starting with a simple white color (usually on the pinky) and building up darker and darker as you go towards the thumb. So using white as a starting point it is so easy to create really lovely looks with any shade family!!!

I actually went a step further and added Essie's Matte About You topcoat to make all the shades matte so they look a little more like they belong together in a very creamy shade collection even though the polishes were from several different brands. I think this added the perfect finishing touch! So here is what the polish looked like before mattifying and after:

This effect just made all the colors very frosty and creamy, I definitely enjoyed the finished product.
Here are all the polishes that I used...

1. (Base) Orly Bonder
2. Sinful Colors: Snow Me White
3. Essie: Borrowed and Blue
4. OPI: What's With the Cattitude
5. OPI: Suzi Says Feng Shui
6. Sephora by OPI: Opening Night
7. (Topcoat) Essie: Matte About You

June Favorites!

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NYX Haul: 12th Anniversary Sale

So if you have not heard about the NYX 12th Anniversary sale, please consider yourself lucky.

The ordeal started in mid-May when NYX was supposed to have a sale on their website and had most of their products for $1.20! What an amazing deal, you may think. Sadly, this sale did not go as smoothly as planned due to major server capacity malfunctions on their website and an inefficient system of attempting to fix these errors. Twelve hours passed since the beginning of the sale and thousands of people could not even get the website to load. It was havoc. People were getting really angry, blaming NYX for poor customer service, threatening to report them and boycott them, and accusing them of running a scam. It was absolute craziness and I did not choose to participate too much in the virtual mob of makeup-loving women which was forming on their Facebook fanpage.

Instead I patiently waited and decided to use the coupon they offered everyone for their difficulties: 50% off most items and Free Shipping. Hey, half-off is better than no deal at all! So I ordered a bunch of stuff, the necessary swatches for which can be found below and the rest of the items are mentioned in my video. Besides the fact that it took NYX almost a whole month to get the products to me from the time I ordered them, I've been loving all my new shadows and am optimistic that NYX will have better-functioning sales in the future. Enjoy!

What's To Come

So to make use of my blog as an extension of my YouTube channel, I'll be posting my plans for upcoming videos now that I actually have some more time to film them. The following are a list of what I have planned in the upcoming weeks!

• [Haul] NYX 
• Nail Polish Collection 
• Manicure Tools/Accessories 
• Products I Regret Buying 
• [Review] Birchbox 
• [Review] Zoya Nail Polish 
• [Favorites] Holy Grail Products 
• Bath & Body Works Candle Collection

Now I don't know exactly which order these are being filmed in yet, and I'm probably filming them a few at a time so can't wait for the filming marathon to begin!