February Favorites 2012

Well, another month has flown by which means it's time for me to share my favorites with you all! Enjoy! 

Bekah's February Favorites for 2012!

ELF Little Black Beauty Book Volume 1

ELF Little Black Beauty Book Volume 1: I've had this product for 4-5 months but recently I have been grabbing for it constantly. I love all the neutral colors it has so it's always easy to create a quick yet pretty eye look for the daytime. Some shadows are better pigmented than others but I find that most of them work quite well. A few of the colors are more powdery than others so I tend to avoid those but all in all this little book is super convenient! 

OPI Matte Nail Envy & OPI It's My Year

OPI Matte Nail Envy Nail Strengthener: I originally purchased this with the intentions of of using it as a matte topcoat over other nail polishes, but quickly realized that it's not as matte as I was hoping for or expecting (it has more of a satin finish that resembles the natural sheen of your bare nails). I will continue my hunt for a matte topcoat but I found that this works as a great base coat. It really seems to help my nail polishes stay on a bit longer. I can't say whether it has strengthened my nails because I honestly haven't noticed a difference. (Warning! After purchasing this I found out it has formaldehyde in the ingredients. This doesn't frighten me enough to toss it out, but I will not be repurchasing this product.)

OPI It's My Year (Miss Universe Collection): This gorgeous color instantly caught my eye. At first glance it looks purple but it contains tons of the tiniest copper/bronze shimmer specks (the photo above really doesn't do it justice!). When worn on the nails it usually appears purple but when you tilt your hands (especially in the sun) it sometimes appears as if it magically changes into a copper polish. The purple base is somewhat sheer but 2 coats will make the polish opaque on your nails. The only thing I didn't like about this polish was that it stained my nails, even with one coat of base coat, and that hadn't happened to me in years. So make sure you double up on your base coat!

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF 15

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF 15 Light/Medium

Clinique City Block Sheer Tint SPF15 in Light/Medium: I found this tube in my mom's bathroom and she said I could take it since she was trying out a new makeup. After only wearing it a few times I found that it felt really good on my skin. It's not super moisturizing which I don't need since my skin is oily and I live in a super hot/humid climate. I like how it sinks into my skin and doesn't look shiny. It provides sheer coverage which I don't mind because anything too heavy in this climate just melts and rubs off anyway. (Unfortunately this product has been discontinued although I believe Clinique sells new formulas.)

Covergirl 415 Siren, Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Pop, Wet n Wild 514A Cherry Frost

Covergirl 415 Siren (top), Revlon Super Lustrous Pink Pop (middle), Wet n Wild 514A Cherry Frost (bottom)

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 415 Siren: This poor lipstick hadn't seen any love from me since last summer so I decided to pull it out and start using it again. It's such a fun, bright, beautiful pink that is perfect as we begin to transition into wearing Spring colors.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Pop: This lipgloss makes a perfect partner for my Covergirl Siren lipstick! It also looks great alone because the color shows up really opaque. It's definitely buildable so you can wear it very sheer or build it up to be opaque like the swatch above.

Wet n Wild in 514A Cherry Frost: This is my absolute favorite red lipstick. It is a true cherry red (I wish it didn't show up as magenta-ish in the swatch above! The photo of the lipstick in the tube is much more true to color.). It has tiny gold micro-glitter specks but it's not noticeable on your lips whatsoever (so don't be afraid if you don't like glitter). I love the cool tone of this red because it makes your teeth appear super white!

Nail Polish Remover Pads in Jasmin

Nail Polish Remover Pads in Jasmin: I found this at a gift shop at the Micronesia Mall here in Guam and wow wow wow these little things work amazingly! What I thought was cool is that they don't contain alcohol or acetone which we all know are damaging ingredients for our nails. They have an oily consistency and take off nail polish sooo easily! And smell amazing! They are made by Natural Products and can be found here. I believe they can also be found on Amazon.com.

Top 5 Oscar 2012 Makeup Looks

The red carpet was filled with barely there, "naked" makeup looks this year and bright red lips were popular as well. I honestly didn't see one look that I didn't like but I wanted to narrow it down to five so here are my favorite makeup looks! 

#1 Emma Stone

Not everyone is daring enough to match their lips to their dress and their cheeks to their eyeshadow but Emma broke both "rules" flawlessly! Her face is glowing!  

#2 Shailene Woodley 

I am absolutely loving bronze/brown eyeshadow lately and I adore how Shailene's smokey eye makeup lights up her light brown eyes. 

#3 Rose Byrne 

Rose had sultry, dark smokey eyes and beautiful peachy nude lips and pulled it off perfectly.

#4 Jennifer Lopez

It wasn't until I looked at photos after I watched the Oscars that I really noticed Jennifer's 60's-esque eye makeup. This classy retro look seems to be showing up more and more.

#5 Rooney Mara 

I am in love with Rooney's porcelain-like complexion and I think she pulled off the neutral eye with bright red lip combo exquisitely. 

Beauty News: Sephora creates limited edition collection with Pantone

"Tangerine Tango" Swatch

Every season Pantone, a company that has created a standardized collection of colors, releases a new list of colors as a forecast of which colors will be popular in industries such as fashion, cosmetics, home design, textiles and paint.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Pantone will be teaming up with Sephora this year to create a limited edition cosmetics collection primarily featuring the Spring 2012 color “tangerine tango” (aka Pantone 17-1463 TCX) which is said to be the “it” color of Spring/Summer 2012.

The Sephora website refers to “tangerine tango” as, “…juicy, vibrant orange marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

Women’s Wear Daily says that if all goes well, Pantone will continue with future collections for Sephora. The collection is scheduled to launch in March. Products will sell for $18 to $80.

I am looking forward to bright colors this Spring, especially to wear on my lips. This collection seems to be right up my alley and I can’t wait to see what they come out with. "Tangerine tango" lipstick or nail polish would be perfect! 

Spring 2012 Nail Polish Trends

It may not quite be Spring yet, but all the Spring clothing and beauty collections are popping up which means fun new colors and trends to immerse ourselves in! I particularly love following nail polish trends because it is such an affordable way to be "in" every season. But even if you don't like following trends, new nail polish colors are always fun regardless! Here are some of the main colors you will be seeing on nails this Spring. 

Nudes & neutrals: Think light beige shades that are similar to the color of your skin tone, creamy whites, super light grays, and pale pinks.

(OPI Samoan Sand, Deborah Lippmann Amazing Grace, Essie Chinchilly, Sephora by OPI The Way Tutu His Heart)

 

Creamy neons: The new neons have white added to them which makes them appear much more creamy than the typical neons you might be used to.

 (Essie Orange, It's Obvious, OPI Did It On 'Em, China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic, American Apparel Neon Blue) 

Glitter: While glitter isn't exactly a new trend, it's now showing up in tons of fun new colors and shapes and sizes.

 (Essie A Cut Above, American Apparel Supernova, OPI Save Me, China Glaze Techno) 

Pastels: Pastels are always a Spring staple and the "it" pastel this year is definitely pistachio green. You'll also be seeing light, buttery yellows and pretty lavenders.

 (Essie Navigate Her, RGB Vellum, Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy) 

Reds: Reds ranging from burgundy to true red to fire engine red are hot and are even hotter when you match them with your red lipstick!

 (Chanel April, Butter London Come To Bed Red, Essie Ole Caliente) 

January Favorites 2012

I can't believe January is over already! I hope you all had a great month & are sticking to your new years resolutions! Here are some of my favorite makeup products from this past month. Enjoy & let me know what your favorites were!

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium: I wasn’t sure what all the hype was about a face powder. Powder is powder, right? That’s what I thought too until I gave in and tried out MAC’s infamous “MSFN.” And let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. When I first applied this powder I thought, “Hmm I can’t even see it...” But then I noticed the light coverage and the way my skin just looked naturally pretty. Then it dawned on me, maybe you’re not supposed to see the powder on your face! Hmm, what a concept! I mean, isn’t that a girl’s number one complaint about powder? No one wants to have a powdery film on their face. That is what is so amazing about this product; it offers light coverage and mattifies while allowing the subtle sheen of your natural skin to shine through. 
•  Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose: I admit it, the claim that this blush could “boost your mood” was intriguing to me. I’m not really sure how it could do that, but it definitely doesn’t work. I figured it wouldn’t but honestly the cute packaging, floral scent and beautiful glowy rosy pink color boosts my mood regardless! I love that it’s a darker shade of pink than I would usually wear which looks really pretty in Fall/Winter for that rosy glow as if you’ve just been outside on a crisp, cold day.

• Rimmel London Lasting Finish blush in Summer Fever: This blush quickly caught my eye because of its three stripes of color. I usually swirl all three colors together on a brush (each stripe is a little too small to apply individually) and I love the plum color is gives my cheeks. However, unlike what the name implies, I think it’s much more of a Fall/Winter shade. 
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30: This is a little pot of magic! No lie, it’s the best concealer I’ve ever tried because of its amazing full coverage. It’s also long lasting so you don’t have to worry about it rubbing off during the day. Some people don’t like to use it under their eyes since it’s a thick concealer, but I find that as long as you warm it up with your fingers that it is possible to use under your eyes. I don’t know how I ever survived without this!
  

• MAC Eye Shadow in Satin Taupe: I had been admiring this color for such a long time so I finally gave in and purchased it. It applies so softly that it’s almost creamy rather than powdery, it’s highly pigmented, has a lovely metallic sheen and is simply the most beautiful shade of taupe I’ve ever seen. 
• L’Oreal Paris Double Extend Eye Illuminator Eyeliner in Black Emerald: I typically don’t branch out from my trusty black eyeliner, but this dark forest green is the perfect baby step to trying out a colored eyeliner. It applies smoothly and is darkly pigmented. And I love me a 2-in-1 product! The other end is a creamy off-white that can be used on the inner corner of your eyes or on your waterline to make your eyes really pop and look wide awake. 

• Covergirl Lashblast Fusion Water Resistant in Very Black: This is my favorite mascara ever! It volumizes, separates, and lengthens my lashes and is super dark black. What more could a girl want in a mascara? I didn’t mean to buy the waterproof formula but I actually don’t mind it because it’s not hard to remove at all. I didn’t think I’d like the fat, short bristled brush but surprisingly it applies the product really well. I haven’t had any clumping or flaking issues either.

• Mary Kay Vanilla Mint Hand Cream: I’m not much of a hand cream kind of girl but I gave this one a try since I got it for Christmas. It’s such a velvety soft cream and is super moisturizing. I love applying it onto my hands at night. It feels expensive and luxurious and the yummy, minty vanilla scent relaxes me and makes me fall straight to sleep.

• Nicole by OPI in The Next CEO: This nail polish is a combination of ultra fine gold and silver glitter but shows up as a beautiful metallic gold. It’s not your typical yellow gold which is what I like about it since it comes off almost as a champagne color because of the silver mixed in. I love the short, thick brush which makes application so much easier than with a typical flimsy nail polish brush. I usually apply 2 coats but 3 coats would make it 100% opaque.

• Petites Color Fever in Peach Blush: I purchased this color because it instantly reminded me of my beloved Nars Orgasm blush! It’s a peachy pink with a pearly sheen of champagne-gold. It applies a bit streaky at first but after a second or third coat it looks fine.

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