Beauty Round Up

Morning friends, hope you all had a great weekend! I am sharing a few of my favorite beauty products below. I know I can't live without mascara or lip gloss, I never leave the house without them but I have to say I generally need a lot more then those two products to get me through the day without looking like an old lady. Check out my must haves and do tell me your favorites, I love trying new products!

Lips - I am a full fledged lip gloss addict. I can't get enough of the stuff. I must put it on at lease one thousand times a day and new shades of gloss & lipsticks are my all time favorite to shop for. While my everyday color is a velvety nude shade {aka the color "sex machine"} from Nars topped with a MAC creamy gloss in "Right Image". I love the Trish McEvoy Sweet Berry pencil for going out at night, as seen on my fb cover photo, my nighttime lip care is always with L'Occitane's moisturizing lip balm.

Eyes - I am not huge on wearing a lot of eye make up everyday. I however cannot walk out of the house without my favorite black mascara. I usually save the eyeliner in a dark purple shade and a neutral eyeshadow palette for evenings out or special occasions. 

Skin - Aging is a bitch, these "unwrinkle" pads help me feel better about those pesky lines. I use them every night before bed and moisturize with this afterwards {not shown}. Neutrogena's make up remover pads are seriously the tops. I can't live without them, they remove my make up and give my skin a dewy glow. Before I start any of my make up a good concealer and tinted moisturizer act as my base. For my everyday bronzer, I fell in love with Victoria's Secret baked bronzer, I go with the lightest shade and love the little bit of shimmery gold it has in it. My blush hasn't changed in years, "dame" from MAC is mine forever. 

Tools - The beauty blender is seriously my favorite tool. I use it to blend the tinted moisturizer and avoid any creases or lines along the jaw line. Everyone needs one of these little nuggets. While the blender takes care of the wet make up applications, bronzers and blushes are applied with this little set. I store all my favorite products in a cute pouch for easy packing and throwing in my everyday handbag.

Day to Date

I love Sephora as much as the next girl but I have already confessed that I am not a complete product junkie when I did my five favorites for him & her. However, when I recently emptied out my make up bag on my desk at work to touch up for an impromptu date night with my husband, I noticed I have quite the mini makeup bag filled with my favorite products lip gloss and lots of other touching up goodies. So while I do love when I get these spontaneous surprises, I also usually like to plan ahead. On nights you are going out apres work, you usually can plan an outfit that you actually thought out that morning instead of the mangled mess you  usually throw together. If you are like me you are growling through the crack of dawn and do a   half ass make up job you did with one eye open. I was so thankful that I had created a mini beauty bag after a Sephora Christmas gift card so I could touch up and enjoy the evening without looking like a hot mess. Below is what I keep on me to get ready in a flash {most items are a travel size portion} - what are your beauty essentials that you have to have on you at all times???

perfume // mascara // tinted moisturizer // concealer // bronzer // blush // lip stick // lip gloss // eye shadow

I have to admit these are not the same products I use every morning getting ready for the daily 9-5 routine. I mostly purchased these items because I am sucker for anything miniature and if it came in a stylish small package that fit in the purse sized make up bag and most importantly didn't make me look like a tranny it was meant to be mine. I have however fallen hard for a lot of these products, here are some notes on each that might be helpful.

Erase Paste - BEST INVENTION EVER!!! This product seriously conceals luggage under the eyes like no ones biz, blemishes too.
 Lipstick - I am obsessed with lip products {especially the Sephora brand}, it's my one beauty product obsession. The price is right, and a great selection of colors. I love mixing the shades to get the right color for my skin tone.
Mascara - DO NOT BUY expensive mascara, it's so not worth it! I have been using Voluminous since I was a wee one and it's seriously the best. I will never ever cheat on it. The curved brush helps create a soft bed in my lashes without having to use the treacherous eyelash curler.
Tinted Moisturizer - perfect in a pinch for a touch up going out the door, you need a tiny bit to get a big result, giving your skin a clean healthy glow.
Perfume - I always tend to go to vanilla, coconut, gardenia flavored scents, this new spritz I bought on Shelter Island is my favorite, it's super light and every time I wear someone asks about it.  Comes in a ton of different scents - try it!

Stay tune for part two featuring a day to date look for your wardrobe!!!

room to outfit

I have written many times about my complete admiration for anything animal print. I love being inspired by home decor and incorporating the overall look into your wardrobe, especially when it features a feisty tigress pattern. When I saw this photo on Coco & Kelley post on the "color of the moment fuchsia" I immediately saved it to hopefully use one day in a home of my own, then I saw the price tag of that chair and was on the hunt for a more affordable version that was still equally fabulous style which I found here {sans the leopard}. I adore that bright magenta dresser with the brass hardware giving it a a very glamorous polished look. I think it is perfectly paired with the gold trim leopard chair and warm colored floral artwork. I would use this in an office for storage and admire it's colorful existence every day. However since city living doesn't provide much square footage to allow a full on office space I will continue blogging on my lap top from my couch and put this beautiful image to good use in an outfit! 

The Ensemble

perfume // blush // dress // necklace // clutch // watch // shoes // bracelet