urban decay vegan palette

The packaging! There has to be a way to use this after all the makeup is gone.. it's too cute.  I have a feeling the answer is somewhere buried in the many wisdoms of Pinterest.

The bottom three are more "my" shades, but my mid-year resolution has been to try to use more colors. Maybe these are good places to start. Just a little hint of color when I'm feeling brave. 

my favorite 2011 memory

If I could relive one day in 2011, it would be this one.  On this day, all of my favorite people were in one place. One of my greatest friends got married to the love of her life. There were white christmas lights, chandeliers, cupcakes, drinks in mason jars...and lots and lots of laughs. The magic of this day still lingers, and I like to flip through the photos from time to time. It leaves me feeling truly, truly blessed. 

the bride in her carriage

the perfect snapshot of our friendship: drunk, hungry, and discombobulated 

Chevron Accent Nail

One shot, two obsessions: chevron pattern & strawberry Kit Kats

[China Glaze Sneaker Head]

Surprise Visit

Oooh, a new spiky bangle!

NO

This is not what this post is about.

It's about those veins on my hand that have risen to the surface of my skin, as some sort of horrific 3-Dimensional manifestation of age.

Seriously, what is that, dear body? How about redirecting that healthy dose of maturity to the truly underdeveloped regions, like wisdom or taste in music?

summer favorites

I love the idea of putting together a list of favorite things I've been using, for the following reasons:

one. I love lists.
two. I love trying new products. I love buying new products. I love buying.
three. I love reading other people's favorites lists.
four. I love makeup. I love how pretty cosmetics is - the package, the product, the branding, everything.  I
        love how it can make me look good when I'm feeling like absolute shit.



These are my favorites from this summer...


♥ Neutrogena Shine Control Powder - this is better than those oil blotting papers. I get a lot of shine on my nose but the effects of this is instant, and lasts for several hours. Amaze!

♥ Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (Honey) - I'm not big on lip stains but I gave into the hype. Worth it!

♥ Korres Lip Butter (Mango) - a tinted coral lip balm. Best smelling lip product of life. More here.

♥ L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Eye Shadow (Amber Rush) - a pale pink copper. I have these in 8 different colors, they're that good! 

♥ LA Splash Nail Art Glitter (Lady Luck) - I dip my entire finger in this pot of glitter to do accents (here). It's got tons of gold micro-glitter mixed with bits of iridescent hexagonal glitter. 

♥ Milani Baked Blush (Luminoso) - I loved this so much I almost bought a second one (sensible, I am not). I usually gravitate towards rose or mauve hues, but this coral one is my blush soul mate. 

♥ Essie (A Crewed Interest) - A cross between pastel pink x light coral

♥ Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - The freebie mini version I got from Sephora turned into a lifetime loyalty to this product. I hate you, Sephora. 

i am the caffeinator

By late Monday morning, I'm already half way through my cup of consolation. Woe is me, I cannot be further away from the weekend.

On Wednesdays I usually treat myself to a tall order of pick-me-up. You see, I need it because after the most depressing day of the week that is Tuesday, there really isn't anything else that would stop me from just giving up entirely. On breathing. 

When Friday finally arrives I celebrate with a mega grande pat on the back. Kudos matey to surviving Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday! Holy employee of the month!

All melodrama aside, I do have a heavy dependency on coffee. It is literally (and I do not use the term "literally" lightly) an instant mood enhancer. My productivity at work skyrockets to the point where I feel justified in sneaking it into my expense reports from time to time. 

All this is beginning to sound as if I am one enormously lazy bum who is bitterly unhappy with her job - absolutely not true. This is just how I get when I go without coffee for longer than 36 hours. 

glitter accent nails

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am a nail enthusiast - there's probably a more accurate, but less glamorous, term for what is actually a legit addiction to nail polish, but facing such realities is not one of my forte. 

I have tons of glitter polish I could have used, but my favorite way to do this is to dip my entire finger in a pot of glitter. It gives a chunky, thick pile that when finished with a top coat, looks way dynamic and dimensional. Like glitter in a snow globe. 

I start with a base coat, then apply gold nail polish - this is so that any bald spots won't be as noticeable.

[pictured: China Glaze I'm Not Lion]

The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Dip, tap & brush excess off. Top Coat. 

[pictured: LA Splash Nail Art Glitter in Lady Luck] 

The rest of my fingers are in Essie's A Crewed Interest, which is easily one of my favorite summer nail polishes :)

Korres Lip Butter (Mango)

I am a sucker for, and thus an expert of, all things mango-scented.  You could sell me an empty beer can or half a shoelace if you told me it smells of mango. 

I wouldn't classify myself as an extravagant person, but this micro-pot of product (0.21 oz....) for $12 was a luxury purchase. After I'm done with it, I imagine gifting it to my neighborhood squirrel for him to use as a teacup. 

Absurd price tag aside, I bought it because it smells so good. It's fruity but not sweet. It's the perfect mango scent. It smells tropical but clean, which is what separates this from its lesser counterparts that tend to have a heavier, overly sugary scent. 

It's also a subtle tint of peachy coral, which is a bonus because I have an irrational fear of bold lip colors. Once, I purchased a lipstick that was the exact color of my lips which prompted my mother to ask, "What is the point of that........?"

Moms - so observant. 

Emma

When I think of love at first sight, I think of Emma. She was already 2 years old when I saw her at the adoption center, and I remember being completely undone by her gentle demeanor, and the way her tail wagged each time I pet her head. She seemed calm. Intelligent. Obedient.

She fooled me good.

For the first two months, I would come home to little presents strategically deposited under my bed.  To this day, I cannot leave the dining table without having moved all of my plates to some place unreachable. One time, I returned after a brief phone call and caught her with a mouth full of nachos. She was paw-deep in cheese and beans with her tail whipping from side to side in pure canine ecstasy. That night, I woke up every three hours to clean up her vomit.  Amused, I was not. Emma is my alarm clock. It seems to be always set at 6am without a snooze option.

Still, I love her to pieces. I can tell she loves me too, even when I'm yelling at her. Even when I come home late days in a row, even when I'm tipsy at 2am and force her to into a dog-human cuddle against her will.

Thanks, Emmerton :)