Brunch Done Right

Quintessential American comfort that comes in the form of fluffy pancakes and creamy tomato soup is worth its price tag, especially coming from delicious Sarabeth's. 

As a self-proclaimed brunch aficionado, I knew it was time to try out Sarabeth's, a popular brunch destination in New York. A friend and I started our brunch journey at Lincoln Center and were happy to learn that the nearest Sarabeth's was a short walk away, nestled on Central Park South. 

As expected from one of the most popular brunch spots in the city, there was a wait for us to get a table. The thirty minutes we had to endure weren't as hard to handle once we decided to sit in the park and chat.

After the thirty minutes were up, we entered Sarabeth's. Even though it was a dreary day outside, the inside was warm and bright, flurrying with activity. It had a charming feel to it; wicker chairs and mint green walls make it seem like you're dining at your Grandmother's rather than a restaurant. The food is charming too. Standard brunch eats like omelets and French toast are interspersed with exciting combinations like lemon ricotta pancakes and toasted coconut waffles.

Once seated, our waiter was attentive and kind. He took our drink order immediately and gave us a suitable amount of time to peruse the menu before taking our order.

I opted for breakfast, ordering eggs benedict, my friend choosing the autumn vegetable salad. We love that the restuarant was loud enough that we didn't feel uncomfortable talking and laughing, but quiet enough so that we didn't have to raise our voices to understand each other.

It only took 10 minutes for our food to arrive. After waiting so long for a table, it was nice to have such quick delivery of our food.

My dish, eggs benedict, exceeded any and all expectations I had. The English muffin that acted as the base for the eggs was extra light and fluffy, toasted enough for the muffin to brown without getting too hard and difficult to eat. Atop the muffin sat a slice of Canadian bacon, surprisingly thick and substantial. The eggs were poached perfectly, the yolk spilling out beautifully when I cut into it, mixing with the hollandaise sauce in the best way. One the side was a light arugula salad, nicely balancing out the rich flavors of the eggs. The portions were generous and I found myself perfectly full after finishing the two halves of English muffin and argula salad that it came with. My friend and I finished our plates, satisfied and happy.

Overall, Sarabeth's was a lovely dining experience, better than any brunch I've had before it. Even though certain things on the menu can lean towards the pricey side, there are affordable choices as well. The cost and wait were well worth the delicious outcome of brunch at Sarabeth's.

It's always been my favorite brunch spot in the city and you'll love it too!

♡

xo Emily

New In: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Hey guys! I thought I'd share with you a product review of a new concealer I've started to use.

The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, from a brand based in the UK, isn't available in the U.S. but I went on Ebay to purchase it! I've heard so incredibly much about this product from various UK bloggers and beauty gurus, so I really wanted to see what the hype was about.

It comes in the standard concealer tube - and applies easily. It's very creamy and applies onto the skin nice and smoothly. It reminds me of NARS creamy concealer and Maybelline's FitMe concealers, which are two of my favorites.

I absolutely love this concealer. It definitely lives up to the hype. It covers any and all dark under-eye circles as well as blemishes and redness. I really love this and wish they sold it in the United States, to be honest! (It's also really affordable - only 4 pounds in the UK and about $6 here!)

As you can see above, the concealer works perfect to cancel out redness and blue-tones under your eyes. It also lasts you a very long time. I tried this out with both a setting powder on it and without, and it does stay a bit longer with the setting powder, but it's definitely long-wearing and keeps the coverage up! It's a wonderful transformation!

♡

xo Emily

Naked Basics 2: The Obsession Continues

As the title of this blog post might indicate, today I'll be sharing the Naked Basics 2 palette with you! It costs the same as the original Naked Basics, $29, and came out in late August. I picked it up a few days after it came out but haven't made a post just yet because I was transitioning into my Junior Year of college and wanted to test out all the shades!

But finally, I'm settled in and am just as head over heels for this palette as I was the original Naked Basics. 

First off, the packaging is almost identical to the original palette, except it's  got a big ole '2' and a slightly lighter color to the words on the outside of the palette. 

Inside the palette has 6 eyeshadows, five of which are completely new shades. Unlike the original palette, all the shadows are matte and run more taupe/nude and really complement a cooler skin tone. The transition from shade to shade in this palette is a lot more subtle, which each shade really complementing each other and building intensity from a pale nude matte to a deep, smoky brown matte shade. 

First off is 'Skimp' a very nude, matte shade with only the slightest bit of shimmer. Next is 'Stark' which is a nude pink matte. 'Frisk' is a warm-toned gray matte. 

'Cover' is a reddish/brown toned matte. 'Primal' is a brown matte, which is much lighter than the brown matte in the original Naked Basics and finally 'Undone' is a deep, smoky brown/gray matte shade. 

Here are the two palettes side by side. 

As you can see, the new palette is a lot more muted and taupe-y and all the shades transition really naturally. I don't think I could live with the original Naked Basics palette because some of the shades are absolutely essential for everyones makeup collections. 

Overall, I really have been loving these shades. It's the perfect palette for if you have an everyday, very neutral look and you have cooler-toned skin. They are definitely are and could be staple shades in my makeup collection!

♡

I also did a makeup look to really test out the shades. It came out similar to looks I do with the original Naked Basics palette, but that's expected as they are similar. 

I used 'Stark' all over the lid as a base and then used a big, fluffy brush and 'Frisk' to define the crease. Once it was completely blended, I went back in with the same fluffy brush and used 'Cover' to define it even more. I blended that (a lot of blending) and then went in again but with 'Primal' and blended that to deepen the crease even more. Lastly, I used a bit of the darkest shade, 'Undone' to really finish defining the crease. After that was blended in smoothly, I patted 'Skimp' over the front of my lid to give it a bit more brightness. 

Above is the look before I went in with eyeliner and mascara. Below is the finished face! I love how neutral and taupe it turned out!

I really love this palette and especially how it looks with my skin tone. I recommend this completely. It's a definite everyday makeup product!

♡

xo Emily

Drugstore Concealers: The Good, The Bad, And The Crease-y

Hey guys! I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far! I'm getting really excited about the fourth of july coming up! (that means lake time, lots of bbq, fireworks, and tons of popsicles)

But besides that, today is going to be all about concealers, and in particular, drugstore concealers!!



I love concealers. That was probably apparent in my blog post about the L'Oréal Visible Lift Serum Concealer concealer a few days ago. But, especially with more inexpensive drugstore concealers, I love testing out a few to find the best. 

I am a firm believer in trying out a little bit of everything so over the past few months, I've picked up quite a few drugstore concealers and I thought today would be a perfect day to kind of summarize and review my favorites and least favorites. 

I'm going to talk about 8 different drugstore concealers that I've picked up and used regularly in the past year and give you a bit of information on the product, what I like and dislike about it, and my overall feelings about them! 

Read on for more about these concealers!

Before we begin, a little disclaimer. I'll be giving my honest opinion about these products but what works for me, may not work for everyone else! We've all got different skin and I'll try my best to let you know the good and the bad about all these products in case you have a similar skin type to mine.

For reference, I have normal to dry skin and usually go for the 'Light' shade of most products!!

Okay! Happy Reading (this very long post)!

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette



The first concealer I'll be talking about is the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette which runs for about $11. I picked mine up at Target because I think Sonia Kashuk retails out of Target specifically. It comes in two shades (light and medium) and I went with the light palette. Within the palette, there are two 'concealer' shades; one is lighter and one is a bit darker. You can either use just one or mix the two together to find the shade that fits you best. In addition to the two concealer shades, there is a neutralizer shade to get rid of redness and a translucent pressed powder that helps set the concealer. I either use my Real Techniques Detailer Brush and Pointed Foundation Brush to apply this underneath my eyes and on any blemishes on my face or my ring finger! I then use the neutralizer shade to cover the redness around my brow, nose, and anywhere else I might be looking a bit like Rudolph. Lastly, I use the translucent powder to set the concealer I used under my eyes.

What I Like: I really like the multiple concealer shades in this palette. During summer especially, it's nice to have a few options for a concealer shade in a singular palette. When you buy a singular shade of a certain concealer, and then get paler, tanner, etc. - it's frustrating to have to go and buy another concealer in a completely different shade. I also like that it comes with a very effective redness neutralizer and a really nice setting powder. I love using a separate setting powder for my under-eye concealer and this one in the palette makes my under-eyes look great. I also really like the concealer's formula. It's less creamy and more waxy which somehow goes on my skin really well. Although I often use my brush to apply this, I find using your finger gives a bit more of a flawless, airbrushed finish than what the brush does.

What I Don't Like: Even though I like that there are two shades of concealer in this palette, I also dislike the palette for the same reason. (I know, I'm insane) Some people, who stay the same shade all year-round and don't see much change in their skin-tone over the year, can really only use one of the squares in the palette. I think Sonia Kashuk should come out with more shade variations for these palettes! And I feel that for an $11 concealer, there isn't enough product. I've been using this for awhile now, and I really hope it's a trick my eyes are playing on me, because I feel like I'm using this too fast. I also found that it set into my eye wrinkles a bit. I often find this happen with most drugstore concealers on my eyes, because I do have some fine lines underneath (I need to up my skincare maybe?) but I really really hate when foundation or concealer cakes into my wrinkles and lines. Although I found it went into my lines, it also just as easy blended out and then it looked good after a little bit of finagling!

Overall: I like this palette a lot; the two concealers, if you can get over the fact that you may only be able to use one, have a great formula and blend seemly into the skin. I recommend this and probably will be repurchasing this! 

Rimmel Match Perfection Skin-Tone Adapting Concealer



Next up is the Rimmel Match Perfection Skin-Tone Adapting Concealer. This costs about $6, which I think is a pretty good price for a concealer. It comes in 5 shades (Very Fair, Very Fair Light, Light, Light/Medium, and Medium). The product itself is very creamy and comes in a little tube. It has what Rimmel describes as a 'Soft Precision Brush' at the end of the tube from where you have to squeeze the product out. (the photo on the right shows the brush) To apply this, I usually use my ring finger. I find it applies best to skin this way. 

What I Like: I like the shade of this concealer a lot. I go for the 'Very Fair Light' shade and find it works well with my skin tone. As the bottle says, it does have 'skin-tone adapting' powers. I also like the cost and the packaging. It's very easy to pack along with you and is virtually no-mess. It also has good highlighting capabilities.

What I Don't Like: I really dislike the 'soft precision brush' at the end of the tube where the product comes out. It's scratchy and if you use this product everyday, you're prone to infections from the brush. It's highly, highly unhygienic. I find that products without built-in brushes are just easier to use and cleaner overall. It's also difficult to dispense the concealer itself. I always find that not enough, or too much comes out of the tube. I also dislike that this product, which is a self-proclaimed 'concealer', actually works better as a highlighter. And that's fine, because it does wonders to brighten my under-eye area, but the reason I purchased this product was because I wanted a concealer, not a highlighter. It doesn't do anything to cover up my dark under-eye circles, which is what I look for in a concealer. This product also is not pigmented enough. I find that I often use a lot of product because of that and since the tube is so small, if you use this everyday, you will run out fast. This is not a cost-effective product.

Overall: If you're looking for an under-eye color-correcting concealer, this is not the one for you. I also would recommend cutting off the applicator that comes attached to the brush, as it's very unhygienic. If you use a lot of concealer everyday and tend to go for a more high-coverage formula, this is also not the concealer for you. There is just not enough pigment in the product and you end up having to build and build to just have any sort of coverage. For me, I stopped using this concealer after about two weeks because it was not cutting it. I do not plan on repurchasing and find it a huge disappointment.

L'Oréal Visible Lift Serum Concealer



I recently did a post on this L'Oréal Visible Lift Serum Concealer which I've found to be one of my favorite concealers of the moment. This concealer costs about $13, which is pretty pricey. It comes in four shades, (fair, light, medium, and medium/deep) and again, has a brush applicator at the end. I use the shade 'fair'.

What I Like: I really love how long-lasting this concealer is. I put it on in the morning and it's still there, hours and hours later. Pair it with a pressed powder, and the product won't budge. I also really like the formula. It's creamy and soft, without being too runny and it covers under-eye circles nicely. You also can get a bit of a highlight under your eyes with this product, but it still cancels out the dark circles which is my main priority. I also really love the look of the product. It's small and sleek and easy to pop in your purse or pocket!

What I Dislike: I dislike the cost most, but because this is such a great product, I can somewhat look past that. I find that this product does crease a bit, but that's an easy fix as long as I check my face after it's settled into my skin. Applying it with my finger helps to cutdown on it settling into wrinkles and fine lines. I also really dislike that it's a 'clicky, twisty' tube. This means you have to twist the tube until more product comes out: you either get too much or too little of the concealer once it comes out. Couple that with the annoying brush applicator (which I recommend cutting off because of hygiene), it makes for a few annoying gripes.

Overall: I highly recommend this product. If you can get over the $13 price tag (I got mine with a $2 off coupon, so check your local ads), then you'll love this. If you've got dark circles, this will do wonders for them, in addition to brightening up your under-eye. There are only a few little complaints with this product, but nothing major that can't be fixed with a little bit of thinking!

Maybelline FitMe Concealer



Next up is the Maybelline FitMe Concealer. This costs about $7 which is a pretty great price, especially since there's a lot I like about it. It comes in a sleek bottle and slides onto the skin smoothly. It comes in 6 shades, (fair, light, medium, sand, deep, and cafe) which is a pretty good array of shades and colors. I use the shade 'fair'. 

What I Like: I love love love how creamy and blend-able this product is. It slides on so easy and can be blended in seamlessly with a finger or a brush. It works really well in the under-eye area, covering dark circles and discoloration. I also like the coverage. It's not full-coverage and it's not light-coverage, but probably somewhere in between. That's the perfect amount of coverage for me. It's also highly pigmented which is nice.

What I Dislike: This concealer works best under the eyes - I find that on my other blemishes, especially ones near my brows, it cakes and discolors a bit. Another pretty significant complaint is that this concealer creases around the eye a fair amount. It also is quite flaky if you aren't moisturized. 

Overall: I like this concealer if only because the formula is so creamy and blend-able. I love the applicator (see the right side of the photo above) and find that it slides on so nicely on my skin. It also works awesome under my eyes, but I wish it didn't crease so much. I think this is worth its price, and I find myself using it often.  

  Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Concealer Roller



This Garnier Concealer comes in a sleek little bottle and has a rollerball at the end from which the product comes. It only has two shades, light/medium and medium/deep. It's about $11 and has a very thin formula. It's meant to de-puff eyes and conceal the under eye area as well as repair your under eye area.  

What I Like: There's really not a lot I like about this product. I actually had to think about it for a moment. After thinking, I found that I like the feeling of the cold rollerball under my eyes. This concealer is meant to de-puff eyes and I liked that the rollerball was cold when applied to skin: it really helped de-puff my eyes. The packaging is really nice, easy to travel with, and easy to use.

What I Dislike: I dislike a lot about this. First off, I tried the light/medium shade and found it too light for my under-eye area; it didn't do a lot to conceal there. I then tried the medium/deep which was way too deep and orange for me. The color selection is sparse and really does not give you many options. I also hate the formula. It's very runny and too liquidy. I feel like when I apply it under my eyes, it doesn't even blend in, just sets, rolls around, and becomes a gloopy mess. It gets rid of dark circles to an extent, but you can still see them under the product! That's exactly what I don't want a product to do. 

Overall: I will definitely never be repurchasing this again. Other than the cold rollerball (which I found that just buying the Anti-Puff Eye Roller from Garnier actually gave me the depuffing capabilities without the dumb concealer - so there was no point to buying this), it didn't do anything for me. It was too runny, didn't match my skin tone, and didn't do much to conceal. For the price of $11, I find it so incredibly disappointing.


 Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Eraser



The next concealer is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Eraser, which unlike the dark circle concealer, is meant more for dark spots on your face. It costs you about $9. This comes in nice, sleek packaging and 5 different shades. (Fair, fair/light, light, light/medium, and medium/deep) I use the shade fair/light.

What I Like: I find that this concealer really does what it says it's going to do; it gets rid of dark spots. I have a few on my face and after placing the product on them, they look 99% better! It also can work as an under-eye concealer. 

What I Dislike: The packaging for this is so incredibly annoying. Not only do you have to click and click and click for product to come out the very first time you use it, but the product comes out onto this little tiny foamy/spongy ball at the top of the tube. It's incredibly unhygienic and gets so so gross as you keep on using it. I also think that the concealer actually comes out a bit orange, especially in lighter shades. 

Overall: I could really skip this. I probably won't repurchase this because there are drugstore concealers that do the same thing better than this product does. I cannot really get over the orange face and horrible packaging. 

 Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer



Next up is another Maybelline Instant Age Rewind product. This time it's the Dark Circle Concealer. This product is about $9 and comes in 6 shades (fair, light, medium, honey, neutralizer, and brightener). I own the concealer in both fair and brightener. This product is meant for your under-eye circles to help conceal and brighten that area.

What I Like: I really really like this concealer. I find that on my skin, the shades match perfectly and the formula feels really nice. It blends into my skin nicely, especially if I use my ring finger. When I put it on under my eyes, it gets rid of my big, gross under-eye circles immediately and also gives a bit of a brightening kick to my under-eyes. It also works as a regular concealer on blemishes around my face as well. I've repurchased this multiple times now, it's one of my favorites.

What I Dislike: It sometimes creases around my eyes, but I find that almost every concealer does this to me. Like I mentioned in the Age Rewind Dark Spot Concealer, it has horrible packaging. The foam/sponge applicator is unhygienic and doesn't allow you to control the amount of product you use. 

Overall: I recommend this product, flaws in all. I feel the product speaks for itself and really smashes down the imperfections in the formula. I'm a huge fan of this, only because I find it really does wonders to cover those under-eye circles and blends nicely into the skin, especially when paired with a light foundation or BB cream on top

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer



The last concealer I'm going to talk about it the NYX HD Photogenic Concealer. This concealer is only $5 and comes in a whopping 11 shades. (porcelain, fair, light, beige, medium, glow, tan, nutmeg, yellow, lavender, and green) This is smooth, lightweight, and has speciality shades for sallowness (lavender), green (redness), and yellow (under-eye darkness). I use 'Light'.

What I Like: I love this concealer. For starters, the price is unbeatable. It's the cheapest one on this list and easily one of the best here. I love the formula it comes in; silky and soft, but not runny. It also matches skin tones really nicely, especially because it has lots of different shades for any skin tone. I find it covers blemishes as well as cancels out dark-circles and brightens up my under-eye area.

What I Dislike: There's not too much product in each tube, it's a bit smaller than your average concealer wand. There was also a little bit of creasing as well.

Overall: I absolutely adore this concealer. It's dirt cheap, which makes up for the lesser amount of product, and really effectively covers up my blemishes! Go get some of this!

A RECAP of this post:

Winners: Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Palette, L'Oréal Visible Lift Serum Concealer, Maybelline FitMe Concealer,  Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer, and the NYX HD Photogenic Concealer

Losers:  Rimmel Match Perfection Skin-Tone Adapting Concealer, Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Concealer Roller,  and the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Eraser

I find that drugstore concealers are a really great place to explore what kind of formula, shade, and covering capabilities you want in your concealer. They have the advantage of price on the higher quality products (Mac Pro Longwear, Nars Creamy Concealer, etc.) and let you really experiment with your makeup.

One overall problem with drugstore concealers is that they often have a few things wrong with them that I think would have been solved by a more substantial and higher-end makeup company; things like packaging, product pigmentation, and shade variety. I also think that drugstore concealers lack the ability to really tackle the 'settling into fine lines and wrinkles' thing. Almost every product I use creases in all the wrong places.

Obviously, these are not all the drugstore concealers out there, but I think this is a good mix of products that a lot of people might be wanting to try out or already have purchased. I really want to try out not only more drugstore concealers, but some more high-end concealers as well!

Let me know your faves and any reccomendations on concealers you might have!

Thanks for reading!!

xo Emily