Review: Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

This Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder has always intrigued me and a few months ago I finally caved and picked the product up at Sephora. My under eye area is infamous for dark circles and I'm always on the hunt for the best products to conceal that. I have been using this constantly and I have to say that I am impressed at the difference it makes!

Product Rundown

Price: $22.00 USD

This product's purpose is to set under eye concealer and brighten that area. It can also be used in any area you wish to highlight. It is super fine transparent powder with very fine shimmer. It claims to be "lighter-than-air" and won't settle into any fine lines. In addition, it is supposed to prolong the wear of your concealer. The powder come in 2 shades. #1 is for lighter skin tones and #2 is for medium to dark skin tones.

My Thoughts

I am in love this product and after using it for a few months, I can't imagine not having this in my everyday makeup routine. It is the perfect product for setting under eye concealer and for reducing the appearance of dark circles. Using this powder in conjunction with a little concealer just erases my under eye darkness completely. The shimmer worried me at first, because the last thing I want is for my under eye area to look like a disco ball, but you honestly can't even see the shimmer since it is so fine. It simply makes your skin look brightened and flawless. I love that it does not look cakey and it does not settle or crease. I could not say enough good things about this product and I will forever repurchase!

xoxo,
Paige

Liebster Award

Zoe from zoegeorgina.blogspot.com/  nominated me for the Liebster Award, and I could not be more excited! Thank you so much Zoe! If you don't know what the Liebster Award is; it is basically an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers and it's an amazing way for bloggers to connect. get to each other, and promote each other. Here are the rules:

1. You must answer 11 questions given by the nominator.
2. You must make 11 questions of your own.
3. You must then choose 11 of your own nominees, who have under 200 followers.
4. You then tag your nominees and let them know so they can then answer your questions. 


Questions from Zoe

1. What are your essential handbag beauty items?
   
I like to keep it simple; I hate lugging around a bunch of products! So usually it's just my Rimmel Stay Matte powder, a kabuki brush, and whatever lip products I'm wearing for the day.

2. Why did you start your blog? 

I seriously love all things beauty. I love trying new products, practicing new techniques, and love learning from other girls who are obesessed beauty just like I am. Over the past couple years, I've learned a lot about makeup and beauty products and I thought a beauty blog would be a great way to share with others! 

3. What three beauty items would you take with you to a desert island?

BB Cream, Mascara, and Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart!

4.  What is your best bit of beauty advice? 

Be consistent with your skincare! Find products that work for you and stick to a routine. If you have amazing skin, any makeup you apply will look even better.

5.  What is your ultimate beauty product you would recommend?

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. It's expensive, but a little goes a long way and a full bottle seriously lasts forever! It is the best primer I have ever used. It makes your skin feel so smooth, and any foundation over top just glides on so perfectly. It prolongs the wear of your foundation and it is amazing for ALL skin types.

6. Where is your favorite place to shop? 

For beauty, my favorite place is Sephora. For fashion, it would have to probably be TOPSHOP or H&M.

7. What is your top blog you would recommend?  

Fashion: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com/ Her style is so amazing! I want to steal her closet!
Beauty: dreaminginblush.com/ This is Elle Fowler's blog. She writes amazing posts and I really trust her opinion when it comes to beauty products!

8. What is your favorite online fashion website?

Dailylook! Such a fun website... I'm kind of obsessed!

9. What do you hope to achieve through blogging? 

I hope to connect with others who love beauty, to learn new things from fellow bloggers, and to help anyone who's interested in beauty by giving great advice and reviews! 

10. What are your top summer beauty essentials?  

I don't like wearing a ton of makeup in the summer. My everyday summer essentials would be Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, waterproof mascara, Revlon Lip Butters, and lots of sunscreen!

11. What are your top summer fashion essentials?  

Flowy tank tops, crop tops, high wasted shorts, sunglasses, and cute sandals! 

 Nominees

http://www.kristieblogsbeauty.blogspot.com/
http://rosyblossom.blogspot.co.uk/
http://closbeautyspot.blogspot.co.uk/  
http://beautyangel.ie/
http://haysparkle.com/

Sorry, I only have 5 nominees! I really new to blogging and I'm not familiar with many beauty blogs!

My Questions for My Nominees

1. Who is your fashion or beauty inspiration?

2. What is your current favorite fashion or makeup trend?

3. If you had to choose, what is your favorite makeup brand (drugstore or high-end)?

4. If you could have 3 beauty products for the rest of your life, what would they be?

5. What made you start blogging?

6. What is your favorite part about blogging?

7. On average, how long does it take to get ready?

8. Where is your favorite place to shop for makeup (in-store or online)?
 
9. Where is your favorites place to shop for clothes (in-store or online)?

10. What beauty products do you splurge on?

11. What is your ultimate dream/goal for your blog?

 
 Thanks again for nominating me Zoe and I can't wait to read the posts from my nominees! 

xoxo,
Paige 

Review: LUSH Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub

When it comes to bath and shower products, I like to keep it as natural as possible. So it's no wonder that I am love with LUSH products. I love, love, love exfoliating shower scrubs, and the last time I visited Lush the sales lady raved about this Rub Rub Rub shower scrub; so of course, I had to try it! I am should a sucker for enthusiastic sales people. After using this for about a month, I have formed a pretty good opinion on this particular product and thought I'd share my thoughts with you!

Product Rundown

Price: $21.95 USD

The product is an exfoliating sea salt scrub scented with mimosa and orange bolossom. The sea salt is pretty fine compared to the ever-so-popular Lush Ocean Salt Scrub. It is marketed at a 2-n-1 which can function as both a shower gel and shampoo. It's job is to exfoliate, get rid of dead skin, and soften your skin.

My Thoughts

I love to exfoliate my whole body, so this type of product is right up my alley. First off, I am obsessed with this scent! I would describe it as fresh and vibrant citrusy-floral scent and it is just to die for. Secondly, it feels amazing. The finer sea salt exfoliates so well and makes you feel super clean, BUT the best part is that as you work it in and more water mixes in with the scrub, it turns super smooth and lathers up into this amazing shower gel consistency that feels so nice on the skin. After using this, my skin feels super soft. I don't use this everyday as I don't like to over-exfoliate but I do use it about 2-3 times per week and it keeps my skin feeling amazing. I use it solely as a body scrub and not as a shampoo, but you can use it as both if you so desire. I am a huge, huge fan of this product and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a new shower scrub/gel/cleanser. Huge A+++ in my books!

Thanks so much for reading and supporting my blog! I truly appreciate it and I hope you have an amazingly fantastic day!

xoxo,
Paige

Nail of the Day: Essie Camera

I have to admit that I am a full blown nail polish hoarder. I don't think I could ever have enough nail polish! I just did my nails today so I thought I would share what's on my nails at the moment because I obsessed with this color. This is Essie's Camera. I would describe it as a "pinky watermelon" color. The thing I love most about this polish is the formula! It is a little sheer, so you need a couple coats, but IT DOESN'T CHIP easily at all. The polish just go on so smooth and it's not "gloopy" at all, if that makes sense. I just love the lasting power and the color is so perfect for summer!

Have an amazing day!

xoxo,
Paige

Review: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream

A few days ago, I reviewed the Revlon Photoready BB Cream and was not so impressed. That said, all BB creams are not created equally and this Smashbox BB Cream does happen to impress me! I picked up this product several months ago and have been LOVING it!

Product Rundown

Price: $39.00 USD

The BB cream comes in 7 shades. It is marketed as a 5-in-1 BB cream that primes, perfects, protects, hydrates, and controls oil. It has SPF 35. You can wear this alone or under foundation.

My Thoughts

This is by far the best BB cream that I've tried. The product feels super smooth and pleasant going on, similar to a heavier moisturizer. It makes your skin feel smooth, hydrated, and soft. Once it sets, it feels so light and like you're not wearing anything at all. It gives good coverage for a BB cream, enough to even my skin tone and blur any problem areas. I would say it's light/medium coverage. The finish is dewy, and I like to set it with my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. It looks like my skin but better. The product does control oil well. I am so impressed by it's lasting power. At the end of the day, it still looks nice! This is my perfect face product for the day-to-day basis when I'm running errands or going to classes, etc. My only complaint about this product is the price! I think it is too pricey, but I still love it and will repurchase it. I just love the way it makes my skin look and LOVE that it has SPF 35 to protect my skin.

Excuse my tired eyes in the first before photo, I just woke up! But as you can see from the photo, the BB cream evened my skin tone and gave me fairly decent coverage. My favorite way to apply is using a Beautyblender or other cosmetic sponge.

Hope you enjoyed this review, and have a fabulous day!

xoxo,
Paige

Review: Revlon Photoready BB Cream

With summer heating up, BB creams are one of my go-to products. Good BB creams give me all the coverage I need for a summer's day, they feel great on the skin, and they have built-in SPF. I picked up this Revlon Photoready BB cream a few months ago and have been trying it out and thought I would quickly share my thoughts on it!

Product Rundown:
 Price: $8.99 USD

This BB cream comes in only 3 shades. Light, Light/Medium, and Medium. This product claims to be a "skin perfector" that combines skin care, makeup, and sunscreen in one product. It has SPF 30. It claims to hydrate like a moisturizer, smooth like a primer, cover like a foundation, and blur flaws like a concealer.

My Thoughts:
I might as well just get right down to the nitty gritty; I do not like this product, at all. This product actually made my skin look worse! I have normal to dry skin and just after a couple hours, I looked greasy with this on my face. Any active breakouts on my face stood out more and looked worse with this over them. The coverage is very light and the product itself has a very strong sunscreen scent. The shade range is also not very good, with only 3 options. It is hydrating and makes the skin feel soft but it just doesn't look good on the skin. There are some BB creams I really enjoy, but this one doesn't do anything for me. 

In a quick conclusion, I would not recommend this product.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
Paige

Fourth of July Nails!

I decided to get a little snazzy with my nails for 4th of July! I posted this photo earlier on instagram earlier and thought that I might just write out the details of this nail look here on my blog for anybody who's interested.

Sparkle- Essie Set in Stones: gorgeous chunky silver glitter
Blue: Essie Butler Please: a cobalt blue
Red: Essie She's Pampered: blue-toned red. amazing formula!
White: Maybelline Color Show Porcelain Party: don't really recommend this polish. hate the formula!

HAPPY FOURTH!

xoxo,
Paige

My Top 5 Drugstore Lip Products of the Moment!

You can definitely file lip products under my long list of makeup addictions. My favorite ones are changing all the time, but I thought I'd present to you some of my favorite drugstore lip products that I'm constantly reaching for right now. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good MAC or YSL lipstick, but I personally think that you can find some of the best lip products at the drugstore. So without further ado, here are my top 5 drugstore lip products of the moment:

1. Milani Color Statement Lipstick: #12 Flamingo Pose

 

 Now normally, this color would slightly terrify me, BUT lately I've been on the quest to step out of my comfort zone and be a little more bold. These new Milani lipsticks are AMAZING. Super pigmented, smooth, and inexpensive. They also smell like watermelon. I am dying over these right now. This color is a bright HOT pink, emphasis on the hot. This is my go-to bold lipstick of the moment!

2. Revlon Lip Butter: Tutti Frutti

Revlon Lip Butters and I have been good friends for a long time. These are probably my most-worn lip products over the last few years. They're inexpensive, moisturizing, nicely pigmented, and wear beautifully on the lips. What's not to love? This Tutti Frutti shade is amazing. Orange lipsticks used to be scary to me, but this product has made me fall in love with an orange lip. This lip butter is a very wearable orange, and if you are new to the orange lipstick world, I highly recommend this one.

3. Revlon Lip Butter: Sweet Tart

Hey ho', what do ya know, another Revlon Lip Butter. What can I say, I am addicted. This is probably my #1 favorite lip product of the moment. It's a perfect bright medium pink that looks good with ANY makeup look. Such a perfect shade to add color to any summer makeup look.

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick: Wink for Pink

Not only do I love the Revlon Lip Butters, but I think these Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks are some of the best in the whole drugstore, especially these creme formulas. This color is the perfect pink for my olive skin tone. I does have some gold shimmer in it, so if you're not a fan of a shimmery lip than this is probably not for you. The formula is so nice, super creamy and smooth.

5. Maybelline Color Whisper: Who Wore It Red-er

Praise the Lord, I have found a perfect daytime, wearable red for me! These Color Whispers are balmy in texture, and this one is very nicely pigmented. It looks really dark in the tube, but it comes off as a pinky-red. I have been reaching for this pretty much every time I want a red lip. It is bold, but not too bold. I can easily get away with it on an everyday basis. Plus, it doesn't bleed on the lips and as it wears off, it doesn't settle into any weird lines. It doesn't look like a mess as it starts to fade, so I don't really have to worry about it. I just love how easy it is. No fuss!

Have an AH-mazing day!

xoxo,
Paige