Haul | MAC, Lush, Ulta

I'm so excited that this week is spring break. It'll be nice to have some time to myself and cross a bunch of things off the checklist. After work today, I ran errands and picked up a few necessaries (ignore my excitement about the gummy vitamins! I hate taking daily vitamins, hoping these will be easier) - while I was out, I found a few fun things as well.

Marc Anthony Instantly Thick

My favorite shampoo from years ago was one by Marc Anthony- it came in a pink bottle. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I LOVED everything about it. It smelled great, made my hair look fantastic, and was pretty inexpensive. I think they've discontinued it though, I can't find it anywhere! Ulta was having a buy one get one half off sale, so I figured I'd try this one. (It took all my efforts not to buy cartloads of drugstore make up too, as much of those were buy one get one half off as well)

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

Just a repurchase of my favorite mask! It's minty, green, and cheap ($4!) and the bottle is 8oz- it'll last forever. It's great for oily, acne prone skin, and is not irritating. I wouldn't recommend this if you have dry skin though.

Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub

I've heard so many good things about this lip scrub. It's taken me a while to shell out the $10 for this, but hopefully it'll be worth it. I've been using the lip scrub from the Body Shop, but it wasn't doing it for me. It was so soft it would break, and didn't properly exfoliate either. High hopes for Sweet Lips! It smells amazing.

MAC Brush Cleanser

Fix +

I strolled into MAC to pick up a bottle of brush cleanser, and tossed in a travel sized Fix+. I've never tried this make up setting spray, so we'll see how it goes. I also wanted to get the Woodwinked eyeshadow, but it wasn't on display. I took it as a sign that it wasn't meant to be. siiiigh.

Ponds Luminous Clean

I've always been a huge fan of Ponds. The line was introduced to me by my mom, who always had a tub of the cold cream on her vanity. I came across the new Luminous Clean line and picked up two items. The Cream Cleanser "draws out trapped impurities and make up to brighten dull skin". I purchased the day lotion to replace the Ponds Clarant B3 I just ran out of. The Day lotion has SPF 15 and doesn't smell like sunscreen! Both products have a light rose scent. So far so good. The Luminous Clean line also includes an exfoliating cleanser and cleansing towelettes, all at super affordable prices of around $6.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Elizabeth Arden is another favorite of my mom's, so I figured I'd give it a try. Upon sampling the product when I got home, It's an orange petroleum-ish cream that reminds me a bit of Vaseline and Aquaphor, except the Eight Hour Cream gets completely absorbed! So far, I'm not a fan of the scent, reminds me of cardboad. Hopefully I'll get over the scent, I've heard it's a wonderful product. 

Have you tried any of these products?

Haul | Ray Bans, Wedge Sneakers, Smashbox

Happy Saturday! I've been doing a bit of shopping this week, as my best friend spent the week in New York on spring break. I thought I'd share a few things I picked up:

Ray Ban Boyfriend Flat Top (available here)

 I've been wanting a pair of Ray-Bans for a while, but I haven't found a pair that I've been satisfied with. They've always been too small, too colorful, too something. I came across these on the Nordstrom website a while ago, thought they were cute, but put them out of my mind...until I saw them at the mall! Tried them on, and fell in love. They're still the wayfarer style that I love, but slightly different, oversized, and look a bit different than the classic ones everyone has. It also goes with everything! Love love love them. (I bought the tortoise shell ones)

Platform Wedge Sneakers//Go Jane 

I've been seeing the platform wedge sneaker trend for a while now, and thought I'd give it a go. I wasn't sure I'd love the style, so I wasn't up for splurging on the $200 pair at Nordstrom. I was browsing around Amazon, and found these super cute alternatives from Go Jane! Annnnnd they were only $30 something. Fantastic. These aren't leather, but they're so cute, so comfortable, and look more expensive than they were- which is always a plus. I've worn them twice so far, and gotten many compliments both times!

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream//Light

I was so excited when I saw the travel size version of this at Sephora the other day. This has been on my to-try list for a while, but I couldn't justify spending the $40 on something I'm not sure I would like. I thought this size was a good alternative. At 0.5 oz (half size), it' was $19.50, which is about half the price (full size is $39/1oz). I may do a post once I've tried it out. (I don't think the half-size is available on the website, just in the store!)

Any favorite purchases lately??

Review | Anastasia Brow Duality

Anastasia Brow Duality// Shell & Lace

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I'm rather obsessed with eyebrows. I'm convinced that if my brows are taken care of, I'll look more put together with or without any extra make up. Anastasia has fabulous brow products, and I thought I'd share my favorite!

Brow Duality is a dual ended highlighting pencil. The one I have is in Shell & Lace. Shell is matte, and is the consistency of a light concealer. It's almost skin-toned, but a bit lighter, brighter, and with pink-y undertones. I use this right under my brows, to highlight my brow bone. On days where I don't have time to clean up my brows, I'll use a concealer to shape them, then use the Shell end to highlight. This also works well on the cupid's bow and edge of the lower lip for added plump-ness. 

Perception is reality! In a beauty sense, anyway.

The opposite end of Brow Duality is this beautiful gold highlighter "lace". The consistency is really light, almost powdery when it dries. This side is a lot lighter in consistency and thickness than the Shell end, and is a bit more glitzy than the Shell, which is more subtle. I also use this as a cream eye shadow, blended with some black eyeliner/shadow for a subtle-glam look.

Swatched! 

Left: Lace

Right: Shell

This is available at Sephora. The packaging has change since I purchased this, but the product is just the same! I have the Shell/Lace because I have yellow undertones. The other option is Camille/Sand for those who have more pink undertones. At $23, it's a bit pricey, but it'll last forever.

Repurchase? Yes.

Favorites| Candles!

Today I thought I'd share a few of my all time favorite candles that I've purchased over and over. I never quite understood why candles are so pricey, but after trying so many of them, I usually find that they're worth the price. It's certainly a luxury item- they're absolutely not necessary, but it's a nice little indulgence once in a while. I'm pretty awful at describing scents, but I'm giving it my best shot!

Feu de Bois//Diptyque

$28 2.4 oz

$60 6.5 oz

available at nordstrom

Diptyque was introduced to me by a friend a few years back. We were out on a shopping spree and she convinced me to pick up a few (after she purchased 3 for herself!) I must say that it's lived up to the hype. I've tried quite a few Diptyque candles, and the quality is amazing. These candles burn for a really long time, and a light scent fills the room rather quickly, and lasts until long after the candle has been blown out. This scent is reminiscent of a campfire and burning wood...but better. It's the perfect winter scent. Really warm, subtle, but unmistakable. 

French Cade Lavender//Voluspa

$18 6.2 oz

$24 16 oz

available at beauty.com

This is suchhhh a beautiful scent. It smells clean and slightly floral and woodsy at the same time. I would even say it smells a bit like clean linens as well. Lighting this candle in my bedroom makes it smell like it's just been cleaned- if that makes any sense! The scent fills the room quickly and lasts a good amount of time. I never get sick of this scent. On another note, the packaging is absolutely beautiful. The one I have is the 6.2oz one, that comes in a gorgeous scalloped-edge glass jar. I'm thinking it'll make a nice makeup brush holder when I burn through the candle.

Mahogany Teakwood//Bath & Body Works 

$20 14.5 oz

The scents of fine woods - mahogany, cedarwood and oak highlighted by delicate lavender and geranium notes conjure up an escape to a cozy library on a fall day

There's been so much hype about this candle in the beauty community, but it lives up to everyone's obsession. Agreeing with so many other beauty bloggers, it does remind me of the Abercrombie store scent, but I think it's a bit less potent. It smells woodsy and clean, but not overbearing. It smells a little less "fresh" than the French Cade Lavender, but certainly more so than the Feu de Bois. The Bath & Body Works candles burn out a lot faster than the Voluspa and Diptyque, but they are less expensive.

What are your favorite candles?

Wednesday FOTD

Maybe it's the fact that I've been SUPER busy lately, but I've been rocking the almost au-natural make up look. I've been loving the BareMinerals original foundation- I haven't had any skin issues with it! Very exciting I know. The finish is super natural and just luminous enough for a radiant glow. I will say, though, to not use the product as a concealer since it'll look too glowy in certain spots. Go for the concealer (which I picked up recently).

 Products used:

BareMinerals Original Foundation in Light

 Cruising//NARS lipstick

Anastasia Brow Wax

Striped Sweater//H&M

Oversize Cardigan//J.Crew

I hope you all are doing well!