KYLIE LIP KITS: Worth the Hype?

Hi everyone! Today's post is all about the KYLIE COSMETICS Lip Kits. And let me tell you, I was pretty skeptical, as I often am when celebrities come out with makeup lines. But...I was actually so impressed with her cosmetics! The Lip Kits are beautiful, long-lasting, and are so moisturizing that they don't leave your lips dried out and chipped. 

It took me a few months to actually go about purchasing the cosmetics: thanks to good reviews and some amazing new shades that were coming out. Check out my first impressions video below. I go into each lip kit individually and give you swatches and show you how it wears on the lips! 

Below I'll outline the four lip kits and give you super cute selfies of me wearing each one (vain, much?) Hopefully this will give you a good idea of how each shade looks. Overall, I love these lip kits. They're $29 for each lip kit. In the kit, you get both a liquid matte lipstick and a lipliner. It's pretty pricey but getting both the matte liquid lipstick and the lipliner makes it a better deal. The lipliner is creamy and easy to apply. I've found that it's best to apply the lipliner with the darker lip kits because it's harder to apply the darker liquid mattes without a bit of an outline. 

I also love how long-lasting these are. I can wear them all day without much chipping or wear and tear. The only time you get a little movement of the product is in the inner part of your lips where you'll be talking, eating, and drinking. 

I'm also impressed with how moisturizing these are. As a person with pretty dry skin and dry lips (who is constantly needing chapstick) these are actually great for that dryness. It's surprising really, because most matte liquid lips completely dry out my lips and chip, making it look cracked and yuck. 

The first two shades I bought were Koko K and Leo. At the time, Leo was a birthday edition product, but thankfully she restocked it! 

KoKo K is a beautiful and perfect pink that's perfect for everyday wear. As you can see below, it's incredibly flattering! It's a great salmon shade and it works both for fun and professionally! 

Below is Leo, which is a mix between a deep red and a brown, making the perfect rich burgundy. This one is lovely for a night out, as it's pretty intense for a day look. I've also noticed that I have to use the lip liner with this product because of how dark it is (which I don't have to do with KoKo K).

Below is Kristen, which is by far my favorite. It's a great mix between a pink and red, kind of a strawberry-toned lipstick. It's so wearable and pretty and I find myself reaching for it and Koko K more than any other lipsticks.

Lastly, I bought Maliboo, which is a cool-toned nude lipstick, perfect for fall. I'm loving wear this on a day to day basis because it's intense, but insanely wearable.

What are your impressions of the Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits? Let me know below

xo Emily

AUGUST FAVORITES

I'm aware that this post and video is incredibly late but it's better late than never, right? Anyways, I have some pretty awesome favorites in this post. In addition to this post, I've created an August favorites video to go along with this on my YouTube channel! 

Here are my thirteen favorites for the month!

L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer ($10.99)

The Magic Lumi Primer from L'Oreal has always been one of my all time favorite face primers but I'm got a renewed love for it this month. It's been about a year or two since I've actually purchased and used this product and I forgot how amazing it is! It's a great product for those with dry skin as it keeps your face moisturized and glowing. I love using this under my foundation and concealer for the glowiest looks!  

Tarte Colored Clay CC Under eye Concealer (Light/Medium) ($24)

The Tarte CC Under Eye Concealer is a handy little concealer which is especially good for dark circles. It's not the best product for blemishes because the consistency is a little thicker, similar to the Tarte Creaseless Concealer, but it works really well as an under eye product. I actually got this for half off its original price at Ulta in early August. I was worried it wouldn't be the best product, considering the sale, but I was happily surprised by how well this product works! 

e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush ($6)

Oh my GOODNESS. I am LOVING this make up brush. I'm a huge fan of e.l.f. brushes because of their quality. Plus, they're incredibly inexpensive. This is a great brush for blending in concealer and foundation because the consistency of the bristles is a great mix between hard and soft. 

L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer (Brunette) ($8.99)

If you're looking for a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz, this is the product! I've been searching for a dupe for it for years, because I have always preferred the Brow Wiz over any other product and it's hard to keep spending so much on a product that I have to replenish often. The product is double-ended: One end is a spooli brush to brush out your brows and the other is a thin pencil. I find myself reaching for this instead of the Brow Wiz everyday because of how great it is.

Lorac Pro Palette 3 ($44)

I won't go into much detail about this since I wrote an entire blog post on this palette, but suffice to say, this is the best palette. You should definitely try this out if you're in the market for a new eyeshadow palette!

Kylie Lip Kit (Koko K) ($29)

I caved. I bought some Kylie Lip Kits. And I LOVE them. They're actually incredible. The formula is very nice and leaves your lips feeling soft and moisturized all day long. The lip stain itself is long-lasting and looks great even after you've been doing random shiz all day. Stay tuned for a full video on Kylie Cosmetics!

Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Nail Polish (Undercover) ($1.99)

This nail polish, which you can see on my fingers in both the video and the photo below, is a really lovely color. It's most closely resembling a 'salmon' shade and I think it looks really nice on the nails. 


Plus, it was only $1.99 and actually has the ability to last a long time (especially when paired with a topcoat) so you should check out Wet 'n' Wild polishes if you want to try out something inexpensive. They're a lot better quality than the Sinful Colors line you find at Walgreens/Duane Reade and the brush is a bit thicker, which makes it easier to apply the product!

Quay Sunglasses (KOSHA - Clear/Silver) ($50)

For one of my fashion favorites this month are the Quay KOSHA sunglasses in Clear/Silver. I've heard so many good things about these sunglasses so I decided to try them out. I love the size and shape of these on my face because they're big without being oversized. Loving these, though I'm still annoyed they're not pronounced 'Qway' instead of 'Key'. 

Zara Basic Star Print Button Down (32.95)

My second fashion favorite is this Zara Basic Star Print Button Down shirt. It's from their Basics collection and unfortunately, I can't find the link online. This shirt is so comfortable and is really flattering (hopefully). I adore the star print and think it's really fun and funky. 

Caryn Cast ‘Groove is in the Hutt’ Print ($10)

Ugh. How cool is this print? I found it at a little shop near my apartment which stocks really cool and unique items. This print involves two of my favorite things, 90's music and Star Wars. Plus it matches the color scheme of my room so I can't wait to put it up! The artist, Caryn Cast, makes some really awesome prints so you should go check her out.

The Daily Face by Annamarie Tendler ($16.95)

I've got two book favorites this month and the first is Annamarie Tendler's makeup book. It has incredible beauty tips and tricks that are helpful for anyone who likes makeup. Also, I think she's so cool. Check out her Instagram for makeup and lampshade inspiration. (you'll understand if you check out her Insta)

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten ($35)

My last book favorite is Ina Garten's Back to Basics. This cookbook is for anyone who likes to cook and wants to make delicious food. It's definitely the basics, but gourmet and easy to make! Her recipes are DELISH and I recommend them to any and everyone. (Check out her Instagram for inspo)

Parks and Recreation

My TV favorite this month is actually Parks and Rec, one of my favorite shows of all time. My love for the Pawnee gang has been reignited. You should definitely watch it if you haven't already. It's streaming on Netflix now!

Ghostbusters (2016)

UGH. I loved this movie. What a kickass bunch of ladies. Please check this out if you haven't already. It's out on DVD October 11th, you're welcome!

What were your favorites this month?

xo Emily

LORAC OBSESSED

I think I'm in love...again. 

And I'm not talking men...partly because I'm very single and partly because I love other things way too much to even have THE TIME, goddamnit! I'm talking LORAC Cosmetics. In particular, the Pro Palettes.

I truly can't get enough of the LORAC Pro Palettes because they're damn perfect. If you follow my blog or my Instagram - you know I'm a huge fan of the LORAC Pro Palette 2 (I've yet to try #1) and kind of use it everyday, everywhere. (true story, I used it for all-over robot halloween face makeup once) 

So when I went into ULTA a few weeks ago and saw the LORAC Pro Palette 3 , I knew I wanted it. I had originally gone in to look for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette because I tried it out thanks to my bb Taylor and it's freaking gorgeous, but of course, they were sold out. So when I saw that the sleek little Pro 3 had some similar shades, I thought I'd spend money I didn't have on it! Yay being a college graduate!!!

It's just like the previous two palettes - same size and shape, which I love. The thinness is really nice because there's nothing worse than a clunky palette (I'm talking to you Naked 3). The inside is even better than the outside. 

You get a huge mirror - which is never really a selling point for me due to the fact that I literally can't do my makeup unless I have a big mirror - but it's actually really handy in this one. In addition, it comes with a mini LORAC eye primer.

It has 16 shadows - 8 shimmer and 8 matte - all in the warm-toned fam. 

I've swatched all the shimmer shades and they're pretty phenomenal. The softest and lightest of the eight are Light Gold and Almond Pearl - but they show up better on an eyelid than my gross, pale arm anyway. (even better with a primer)

  

My favorite of this set is 'Light Pewter' for a shimmer shade and the matte 'Cool Taupe'. It's great for a crease color bc we all know you need to check the crease before you do anything else. 

I'm loving the shimmer shadows of 'Amethyst' and 'Rose Bronze' in this set and CANNOT GET ENOUGH of 'Terracotta'. SHIZ that is a nice freaking shadow. 

And as you can see below, the darker shimmer shades swatch a lot better on my arm. (Also check the toenails in this pic, real professional)

I've had it for a few weeks now and the colors wear incredibly. They're long-lasting, pigmented, and gorgeous (as expected) and I really love it. Coincidentally, it has replaced my Pro Palette 2 as my everyday palette. That's okay, Pro 2, I'll always come back to you <3

Do you have a Lorac product you love?

xo Emily

SUMMER MAKEUP TUTORIAL - Shimmery Golden Skin (With Video)

Hello everyone! 

Today's post is all about this beautiful, shimmery summer makeup look! Today's post is even more special because I decided to film and edit this tutorial into a fun YouTube video for you all! 

I really love how this turned out and I hope you all enjoy. I've got the products used listed below and in the video's description box.

~ PRODUCTS MENTIONED ~

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser:

http://amzn.to/29FF2Qc

L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation (202 - Creamy Natural):

http://bit.ly/29ZaKxc

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (Fair):

http://seph.me/2a1hg3b

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer (Fair):

http://bit.ly/24yPZdq

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (001 - Transparent):

http://bit.ly/1FUhLWb

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer:

http://seph.me/2a558kW

Too Faced Papa Don’t Peach Blush (dupe):

http://seph.me/29M1xpm

Anastasia Brow Wiz (Dark Brown):

http://seph.me/29PebFw

Glossier Boy Brow (Brown):

http://bit.ly/29X3lNk

Lorac Pro Palette 2 (Buff, Light Brown, Mocha, Cocoa, Rose) :

http://bit.ly/29QPBTI

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow (Bella Gold):

http://bit.ly/1KjcL0K

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner (Black):

http://seph.me/29Ee785

L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara (Blackest Black):

http://bit.ly/1vAZiL6

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner (Eastend Snob):

http://bit.ly/29EehMM

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer (Nude Eclipse):

http://bit.ly/29X3lNn

xo Emily

Back to Dramatics

This post is inspired by the very fabulous and outrageous Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which I've been binging thanks to my friend Bridget, whose Instagram bio (for the longest time) was "I'm passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches" one of the best taglines from Lisa Vanderpump. 

In every episode, these women are completely glammed up and it's outrageous. I'm not sure I've ever seen them without makeup and it's honestly impressive. And because lately, I've been really not doing much with my makeup - thanks to a big move and the sweaty, sweaty heat of New York - I thought I'd be inspired by the ladies of RHOBH and go all out. If you're interested in this makeup look, keep reading and if you're interested in hearing more of my rambles about my true love, TV, go check out my other blog... (lol shameless plug I'm sorry). 

Here are (some) of the products I used for this look. These are the ones that truly made it #glam. 

I wanted it to be not only pretty dramatic, but really glowing and bright - which is why I went #hamsandwich on the highlighter. 

I started with the same base I usually go with - Maybelline's BabySkin Primer, Tarte's Creaseless Concealer, and the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer and let that set with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. For my brows, I used the best - Anastasia's Brow Wiz. 

For this eye look, I used a Tarte holiday palette. For the crease, I blended 'Yule Be Surprised' and 'Mulberry & Bright' together to create a deep brown and burgundy look. For an added shimmer, I used 'LA LA' from ColourPop. To really add definition, I blended that together continually to really make it seamless. For the lid, I used 'Shining Star' - a shimmery chestnut shadow. 

To create that delicious cat-eye, I used Stila's Liquid Liner. To get really intense and thick lashes, I used Maybelline's Miss Manga Rock Mascara, which is so volumizing and dark on the lashes.

With the eyes done, I decided to really shimmer up my face. I used one of my favorite highlighters from ColourPop Cosmetics - Lunch Money which is light gold with a reflective duo chrome finish. Plus it's so affordable at $8! Adding more glam is Tarte's 'Social Butterfly' bronzer. I don't usually use a lot of bronzer but for this look, I wanted to make it dramatic. 

Finally, because I went all out with the eye look and highlight, I wanted a subtle and natural lip look. This #YourLipsButBetter shade is Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Innocent'. 

Voila! Here's the look. Am I on my way to becoming a housewife? Probably not, because they're batshit crazy...

xo Emily

Getting Glossy With It / Simple Spring Makeup Using GLOSSIER

Hey guys! If you follow my instagram (which you should), you know I've been loving the brand Glossier. The brand began on IntoTheGloss.com, one of the most successful and beloved beauty blogs (which includes me) and from that, Glossier was born. It's a line of incredible skincare and makeup products and it's incredible. Today's post features Glossier to create a really sweet and simple makeup look!

From the packaging to the product, Glossier is a marvel. I haven't been this impressed in a brand in awhile. 

I purchased the Stretch Concealer and the Boy Brow, the latter of which took me months to even purchase due to its popularity (and I can see why). I decided to craft a simple, spring makeup look using these two products in action. 

 The Stretch Concealer ($18)is so lightweight and buildable, and looks incredible on the skin. I love how elastic and easily movable the concealer is, it makes it easy to leave a great finish on your skin. Plus, you're really never going to run out of it.

The other product I brought was the Boy Brow in brown. ($16) This is one of my favorite brow products, ever, because of how easy and quick it is. There's nothing better than just throwing on brow gel and getting out of the house and this is the perfect gel to do that. It's perfectly pigmented, natural, and affordable!

So for the makeup look below, I'm using those two products, along with three others to create a simple spring makeup look. It's easy and quick and so pretty and fresh for the season!

To create this look, I started by applying the Stretch Concealer to my blemishes and under my eyes, slowly building the product up until everything was covered. To set that, I used Rimmel's Stay Matte. Next up, I filled in my brows using the Boy Brow, brushing through them and fully defining them. 

To make my lashes stand out with my defined brows, I used generous coats of the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara to really lengthen them. 

Finally, to create that simple and sweet spring look, I used the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 'Coral Ingenious'.   

I really love how this look turned out and I loved using my new Glossier products to create something so cute and sweet!

What new brands have you been loving?

xo Emily

One Brand Makeup Look / L'ORÉAL

Hi everyone! Today's post is another One Brand makeup look just like the one I did for Maybelline. This one is about one of my favorite brands, L'Oreal. 

To get this look, I used five L'Oreal products. To start out I made sure my face was moisturized before going in with the Infallible Pro-Matte 24 Hour Foundation. This foundation only costs $12.99 and the bottle lasts forever! This is one of my favorite foundations because it stays on all day and has a range of 12 shades perfect for any skin tone. I wear 101 'Classic Ivory'. To blend this into my skin I used a beauty blender, which leaves a really smooth finish. 

Because the finish of the foundation is matte, I usually skip a setting powder. Instead, I moved onto my eyes. (my eyebrows were Glossier's Boy Brow) 

To get this look, I used both the Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner in True Teal and the Infallible Lacquer Gel Liner in Espresso. I used the gel liner to line both my top and bottom lid lightly and then went in with the Silkissime liner on my upper lid to create a fun and striking eyeliner look. The gel liner, which stays on all day, creates a great primer for the teal liner for added longevity.

To finish off the eyes I applied one of my favorite mascaras, the L'Oreal Telescopic. Even with a few simple coats of this product, your lashes will instantly lengthen and look incredible. I really love this mascara and often, on a simple makeup day, I'll wear this alone with some concealer and brow product.

To finish off this one product makeup look, I used the Colour Riche La Lacque Lip Pen in Choco-Lacque. I love this lip pen because it's so pigmented and you only need one swipe to fully coat your lips. 

  

 So that's the finished makeup look for L'Oreal. I love this brand for its quality, affordability, and the fact that everything I wear from them is long-lasting and beautiful!

Hope you all enjoyed. What should my next #OneBrandLook be?

xo Emily