august favorites: take a breath, this is a big one!

No lengthy intro needed for this post - I'm just gonna dive right in! These are the things I've loved this past month.  Enjoy! :)

CREAM BLUSHES!

elf Heartbreaker

YSL Creme de Blush #1 Velvety Peach 

YSL #2 Powdery Rose

MAC Something Special

In case you're curious, I use a MAC 130 brush to apply cream blush. Sometimes I set them with NARS Sex Appeal blush (a pale pinky peach) to make them last even longer.

Favorite foundations are still Bourjois Healthy Mix (51) and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (B10).

Dior Aurora - I've already hit pan! ;(

NARS Lola Lola e/s

Laura Mercier Chocolate e/s

MAC Lord It Up pearlglide eyeliner

Maybelline Forest gel liner

MAC Sand & Sun e/s

Maybelline Eye Studio Strut it Suede quad

Benefit They're Real mascara

YSL Rouge Pur Couture #6

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Ginger tinted lip balm

Shu Uemura Supreme Matte lipstick in Darling Beige

MAC Mischievous Mint

Essie Topless & Barefoot

Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular top coat

Redken Guts 10

This spray foam adds crazy volume without making my hair stiff. It has a non-offensive, clean cucumber scent.  This is a mini bottle, but I plan to buy the full-size when the baby runs out!

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh

Demeter My Melody

Philosophy Aloha Girl (Vanilla Coconut) body lotion

Escada Taj Sunset

Daisy Eau So Fresh and Taj Sunset are both fruity florals -- very summery! My Melody is a sweet almond pastry scent.  As with most Demeter scents, it doesn't last, but I don't mind because it's so delicious before it fades!

CANDLES!

Autumn Leaves (Yankee)

Pumpkin Caramel Latte (Slatkin)

Hot Chocolate (Slatkin)

Cinnamon Sugared Donut (Slatkin)

Caramel Apple (Slatkin)

I've gone candle crazy over the past two months.  With the arrival of fall scents at Yankee and Bath & Body Works, I've been in yummy scent heaven.  The Slatkin fall scents have really won me over.  My favorite is Hot Chocolate, which smells just the real thing. 

I love me some Special K! Chocolatey Delight is my all-time favorite.  I love it for breakfast but it's also great as a snack!  Mouse loves cereal, too -- well, the milk at the bottom of the bowl anyways! :)

I've done a lot of reading this past month! I finished one book per week the past three weeks.  My mom can read a book a day - if only I were so lucky!  I have loads of books on my to-read list. Next up is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Okay, I think that's all of my favorites from the past month.  What were your favorites?  I'd love to hear about them! :)

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

<3 Jess

having a purple moment (& kitty pics)

Hello lovely people! Today's post is not what I had planned, but when I got home from running around today, of cooourse it started raining, and was too dark to take pics for my August Favorites post.  No worries, it will be up soon! I did manage to get a few makeup pics before I went out this morning, though. I actually went to bed last night thinking, "I want to wear purple eyeshadow tomorrow." Do you guys ever do that?  Anyways, I pulled out my purple go-to -- the NARS Jolie Poupee eyeshadow duo.  I bought it about two years ago, and I just think it makes for the prettiest purple eye.  I tend to choose neutral eyeshadow shades, but when I want something a little different, purple or green really make my baby browns "pop" (sorry for the cliche!). 

The only problem I have with colored eyeshadow is that I struggle to find a lipstick that isn't either too much or not enough.  I thought Shu Uemura's Darling Beige matte lipstick worked perfectly, though! Just enough color without competing with the eyes - I love how it works with the peach YSL cream blush, too. :) Speaking of the YSL cream blushes, they are soooo amazing. I was lusting after the new Blush Radiance powder blushes, but I think I'd prefer another cream blush! I have #1 (peach) and #2 (rose) already - maybe the orange or fuchsia?? *sigh*

Oh, and I used the last drops of my Moroccanoil (which I thought I'd already binned!) today after several weeks without. Um, I could not stop touching my hair all day long, aaaand I couldn't resist buying a new mini bottle while I was out shopping today. >_< I got the Light version this time, since it's designed for fine & light-colored hair. 

FACE

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (B10)

Clinique Airbrush concealer (under eyes)

Dior Aurora

YSL Creme de Blush #1 Velvety Peach

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

EYES

UDPP in Sin

NARS Jolie Poupee e/s duo

MAC Mythical e/s, Sand & Sun e/s

Smashbox Limitless liquid liner pen

UD 24/7 liner in 1999

MAC I Get No Kick eye kohl (inner corners)

MAC Lingering brow pencil

FairyDrops Scandal Queen + MUFE Smoky Lash

LIPS

Shu Uemura Supreme Matte lipstick in Darling Beige

Shu Uemura Supreme Matte lipstick in Darling Beige

NAILS

Revlon Starry Pink

I wore a new dress today that I picked up from Target earlier this week.  I love it! I will say, though, that I found the slip to be a little short, so I wore black leggings with it. I like the print, too - not too overpowering. I actually wore a leopard print handbag today, and believe it or not, I thought the two prints worked well together!

See you all again soon! Can't wait to share my monthly favorites with you - and my recent shopping finds! :)

Oh, and because I left them out of my last post, here are a few pics of my little chunks - they're getting so big!!

Ring around the rosy?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

<3 Jess

face of the day - feeling good again!

Hello, lovelies! Thanks so much for the well wishes on my last post.  I'm feeling looooads better.  The only symptom left is a dry throat, which is nothing too traumatic! I'm just grateful it wasn't the flu - the flu is the worst! Anyways, I did my usual Sunday running around, and this is the makeup I wore.

FACE:

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (B10)

Garnier Dark Circle roller

Dior Aurora

elf Heartbreaker cream blush

NARS Sex Appeal blush

The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

EYES:

NARS Luster blush (yes, NARS blush can be used on eyes - I just learned this!)

NARS Lola Lola e/s, mixed with Laura Mercier Chocolate e/s

MAC Sand & Sun e/s (under brows)

Sephora Jumbo Liner in Beige (inner corners)

Maybelline Forest gel liner

MUFE Aqua Eyes 24L

MAC Lingering brow pencil

Benefit They're Real mascara

LIPS

MAC In Synch pencil

Elf conditioning balm in Peaceful Pink

NAILS:

Essie Topless & Barefoot w/Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular top coat

(please ignore my atrocious cuticles!!)

I wore Spark-tacular last week on my days off, too.  It's so pretty!

Essie Lovie Dovie w/Spark-tacular top coat <3

I purchased a few elf items recently.  I don't have much experience with them, aside from their lipsticks in Natural Nymph and Runway Pink, which I've had for about two years (I used to love them, but they don't get used much now).  The matte lip crayons piqued my interest, though, and when I saw the cream blushes, that was it! I had to have Heartbreaker. It looks CRAZY bright in the pan, but as with the YSL cream blushes (which this reminds me of!), it blends beautifully and doesn't look at all clown-ish.

I'm a lip balm junkie - especially when they're tinted! Peaceful Pink is a beautiful pale pink shade.  The only thing I dislike about it is that it smells/tastes of straight-up sunscreen! It has an SPF of 15, but that's not that crazy.  I just feel like I'm dabbing sunscreen on my lips, and while I like the smell actually, it's just a little odd for a lip balm. It also tingles a little.

Oh, one more thing which goes for both products, is that the packaging, while sleek-looking, is way too big and bulky.  For someone who already has too much makeup fighting for space, oversized packaging is not attractive!

Here's a closer look at the Maybelline liner (not from the same day). I love it!

Okay, that's all for tonight! I've got loads more to post about - tomorrow perhaps? ;)

Love you guys, and thanks for reading!

xoxo,

<3 Jess

blargh!

I just wanted to do a quick little update, because it's driving me crazy that I haven't posted in a week! I've been sick the past few days (I don't want to say flu, but I'm afraid it might be), and I just haven't had the energy to take photos or write or, well, do pretty much anything really! Hopefully I'll be feeling better by my weekend, but either way, I just wanted to say hello to you all, and hope you're having a great week - and that none of you are this hopelessly snifflysneezysleepyachyfeverish! (And if you are, get well soon!!) Sorry for the lack of pics - like I said, I just don't have the energy for anything right now!

One more thing -- I also want to wish my dad a happy birthday - he's the best! :)

And now I'm off to bed. Love you guys! Thanks for reading.

Be back soon, I hope!

xoxo,
<3 Jess

tax-free weekend haul (sephora, mac, b&bw, philosophy, etc.)

Hey, lovely people! I hope you're all having a fabulous Friday! Finally some sun shined through my window, and I was able to take swatch pics - hallelujah. :)  So, here is the damage from my little shopping outing last Saturday during Florida's tax-free weekend. I wasn't even planning on shopping, since I went shopping the weekend before, but my friend talked me into going to the mall with her - bad (yet so good!) idea!! I had also bought a couple of things at Old Navy, but returned them so I could get the big Slatkin & Co. candles you'll see below - what can I say, I'm just not much a clothes shopper! 

On with the goodies...

Tokidoki mini hairbrush & mirror (for my handbag - SO CUTE!), Smashbox Girls on Film blush rush in Pose (had to get this after my love affair w/Silhouette!), Sephora by OPI Spark-Tacular! top coat, Philosophy I Love Candy Corn (caramel candy corn) 3-in-1

Spark-Tacular! top coat over OPI Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window

Smashbox Pose (right) compared to Silhouette (left)

Silhouette (left), Pose (right)

  

Slatkin & Co. mini candles (3 for $5): Hot Chocolate, Cinnamon Sugared Donut, Autumn, Pumpkin Patch, Lavender Macaroons (smells like Stovetop stuffing, no joke!), Marshmallow Fireside

Bath & Body Works Lunch Box PB&J hand sanitizer gel (free w/coupon), C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Strawberry tinted lip balm (love the Lemon & Ginger so much, I had to have another!)

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Strawberry tinted lip balm

Bath & Body Works Caramel Apple hand soap

Of the Slatkin & Co. mini candles, I had two massive favorites, which of course weren't available in store yet.  I went to the website and ordered these two (20% off - wish they were BOGO 50% off, though!). I was really impressed w/the shipping - they were at my door in two days!

Slatkin & Co. Hot Chocolate candle

Slatkin & Co. Cinnamon Sugared Donut candle

Philosophy Harvest Spice (pumpkin orange) body lotion - this smells amazing! I love anything pumpkin-scented. :)

Victoria's Secret Seductive Amber fragrance mist (bought 2 other things for gifts, which I'm not gonna show here!)

MAC Sheen Supreme lipsticks: Blossom Culture & Royal Azalea

Blossom Culture

Royal Azalea 

random goodies from Target - $5 Degrassi DVD (addicted to that show!), Que Bella chocolate face mask

Mouse was being very silly yesterday morning, so I thought I'd share these two pics of him, too - since I can't have a post with no kitty pics - that would be tragic!

he's the softest kitty in the world!

caught mid-yawn! (you can also see Sammy on the floor in the doorway if you look closely)

Mouse reminds me of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon when he yawns...

<3 <3 <3

That's all for now.  See you soon!

Thanks for reading. :)

xoxo,

<3 Jess

a brown smoky eye, a thunderstorm, and kitties (as always)

So... this was totally an unplanned post.  I'd waaaanted my next post to be a haul or what's in my bag post, but I swear the weather is not on my side! It's been so cloudy and dark, and earlier today in particular there was a horrible storm (several tourists and employees at Sea World's Discovery Cove were struck by lightning!). This is Florida in the summer, my friends - if it's not 100 degrees and unbearable hot, it's pouring rain. I can't wait for fall (I'm a Chicago girl at heart!). :)

Anyways, I've done this same look the past two days, and despite the yuck weather, I was able to snap a few pics. And yes, I'm wearing the same top as in my last post - I just wanted to throw something on to run a few errands (like run to the post office, which ALSO was struck by lightning - crazy!!) before work.  Yada yada yada, enjoy!

FACE

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation

Dior Aurora

Laura Mercier Canyon Sunset Cheek Melange

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

EYES

UDPP in Sin

Laura Mercier Chocolate e/s

Nars Lola Lola e/s

MAC Sand & Sun e/s

MAC Dark Diversion fluidline

Milani Liquif'Eye pencil in Brown

MAC Lingering brow pencil

Maybelline The Falsies Flared mascara

LIPS

Tom Ford Blush Nude

And as always, a few more pictures of Sammy & Mouse. I was just informed that August 17th was Black Cat Appreciation Day - I definitely appreciate my little "smudgy pudgy" Mouse! :)

Sammy smiles when he's sleeping :)

Ever so curious about what I'm up to!

Mouse stalking my Fruity Pebbles (I let him lick the bowl when it's empty before I wash it - it's his favorite!)

Weather-permitting, I'll see you lovelies soon!

Thanks for reading. :)

xoxo,

<3 Jess