ANOTHER HUGE MAC HAUL (PIC HEAVY)

So I got a sweet package in the mail! This will be my last (okay, second to last, I'm buying from BFTE right now!)  purchase for A LONG TIME! I have been on a bit of a spending spree lately & I really need to save, so starting tomorrow I will be doing a 6 month no spend challenge.More on that later...

So I placed an order with MAC & I was so excited to receive it. 

Here's a shot of all the goods:

I purchased 2 blushes: Pink Swoon & Fleur Power 

And you can see them on my skin here. Can I just say, I LOVE Fleur Power, it is gorgeous!

I purchased 3 lip sticks: Candy Yum Yum, Diva & Snob

I knew Candy Yum Yum had to be mine & thankfully MAC launched it as a permanent item. It's so freaking pretty! I debated whether to buy Diva for DAYS! I ended up buying it because I don't have any darker wine colored lipsticks, Can't wait to try it. Last, I purchased Snob. You know, I thought I would not be impressed with this lipstick but it is such a gorgeous color!

I purchased Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, I have NW20 & NC30, both are too dark for me right now. S it's Pro Longwear Foundation in Nc30, Studio Fix in NW20 & Studio Fix in NC15 below.

I really love NYX Black Bean jumbo pencil but I can't wear it without major creasing so I picked up my first Paint Pot in Blackground. I haven't tried it yet but I have a feeling I might love it! I also grabbed 5 new shadows. They are swatched below.

These are Cranberry, Deep Truth, Expensive Pink, Lucky Green & Retrospeck. I also swatched Blackground here. 

And here is everything unpackaged. I also purchased the Mixing Medium & a 239 shadow brush. Plus, MAC sent me a free Archie's Girls pin!

Don't worry, I've got reviews coming your way! :)

*Krystle

Healthy Eating

I have really been trying to get back into shape, after the wedding in October, I fell off the wagon. I had lost almost 20 pounds & then I just got lazy! Well, I got bronchitis & then I had the flu and right after that, I had shingles. I had shingles on my lower back and thigh area & I wasn't allowed to workout for 4-6 weeks. That was just awful & now I have gained every pound back. 

So, for the last week I have really been sticking to eating clean (with 1 cheat meal per week!). And my gym membership renews March 1st so I will be able to get back to working out. I'm a bridesmaid in my sister in laws wedding in August & I would LOVE to lose 20 (30 would be even better!) pounds by then. Just for the record, I'm 5'8" and clocking the scale at 160-165 pounds right now. That's super high but I was indulging on fast food & junk like it's my job. I find that if I prep the night before (or 2 nights before) it makes my life easier, I can just grab and go in the morning.

This is a typical breakfast & lunch for me. I usually eat vanilla greek yogurt with 100 grams of strawberries & 100 grams of blueberries for breakfast. I do switch it up though, some days I will have oatmeal with fruit, others I will have eggs & toast, it just depends on the day. Yogurt & fruit are ideal for work, I can grab it & eat it at my desk. I eat my breakfast late, I am not a morning person so I usually eat it around 1 pm. 

I eat 2 lunches, one at 3:30 pm, the other at 6 pm. I usually will snack on some celery or carrots in-between. Any crunchy veggie will hold me over. Lunches vary, I mostly pack leftovers if we have any but I always have a salad with one of the two meals. Tomorrow, I am having a salad (light dressing) with homemade vegetable soup first & then fresh green beans & salmon/sweet potato patties. I weigh & measure everything while I am packing & then I log the calories into Spark People. I like to eat eggs for lunch, I'm not fond of meat so I also eat a lot of beans. Fat free re-fried beans on whole wheat tortillas with cheese, hot sauce & light sour cream is a favorite of mine. Tuna on my salad is something I eat often & I love baked potatoes with a little butter, reduced fat cheese & light sour cream.

Dinner consists of a lean protein (chicken, pork, lean beef or turkey), a starch (brown rice, whole wheat pasta or sweet potato) and LOTS of veggies. I like asparagus & frozen green beans most. Tomorrow I'm making split pea & ham soup. All homemade, so no added crap! A few of our favorites are chicken tacos (homemade taco seasoning= less sodium), any kind of bean soup, potato soup, shredded beef tacos, pulled pork, roasted turkey breast and roast beef. We use our crock pot 2-3 days a week, it makes my life SO much easier! Since my husband is laid off right now, he does most of the cooking & he's super good at it!

Snacks are usually apples with almond butter (I hate peanut butter but sometimes I choke it down, only natural!), celery with light blue cheese dressing, baby carrots, snap peas. I also like to eat lean Lebanon bologna with some cheese wrapped inside, turkey pepperoni with cheddar cheese or greek yogurt. I try to keep processed foods to a minimum, so it's usually vegetables. I also don't eat fruit later in the day because it is high in sugar.

Right now, I'm not working out, so I am trying to stay at 1200-1400 calories. I'll keep you updated on my progress, let me know if you have any questions!

*Krystle

NYX Sunrise in Bali & Pinched (Swatches)

Happy Friday!

I cannot tell you how happy I am that it's Friday. This week feels like it has gone on forever & I'm so over it! (Probably because I have been eating clean & Sunday is my cheat day! I'm literally counting down the hours til I can enjoy some Panera Bread!)

Today, I will be reviewing NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Sunrise in Bali, as well as NYX blush in Pinched. I will start with Sunrise in Bali.

What NYX says:

Get the perfect sun-kissed glow with complementing color combinations from our Bronzer/Blusher Combo. Each blush and bronzer pairing features flattering and natural-looking hues. When combined with versatile bronzing powders and blush, you achieve the impeccable Springtime and Summertime glimmer that will radiate a goddess shine.

Sunrise in Bali:

Deep bronze with gold shimmer/Deep pink with gold shimmer

I purchased both of these last June when NYX was offering a huge sale & I am finally getting around to doing a review. So I read about this on a blogger's page & they were comparing it to NARS Orgasm & Laguna combo which is like a cult favorite. I have been sucked into buying products because they were all the craze & then not using them or liking them so anytime I can find a cheaper alternative, I am down! I like NYX's products, I own so many of their things & they have great products. Plus, I love that this is bronzer & blush combo, the colors go well together & you can travel easy with them. They come in a few different colors & they are $9 on NYX website (or $6.30 with the professional discount).

What NYX says:

Our pressed powder blush delivers sheer, silky color that glides on, blends beautifully and creates a natural glow. The formula is richly-pigmented and lasts for hours. Available in 24 shades.

Pinched:

Coral pink with gold glitter and Iridescence

I love this color, it's absolutely gorgeous. This is one of my go to colors when I feel like I need a good color on my cheek. It blends so nice. The only downfall is if you have oily skin, you might have to reapply during the day. These blushes are $6 are on the website ($4.20 with the professional discount).

Both are packaged really plain (which I really like) and they have a decent amount of product for the price. Both are very blendable & they are pigmented.

And here is a look I did with Sunrise in Bali. I use the bronzer as a contour color & the blush on the apple of my cheeks. 

Let me know if you've tried these & what you think!

*Krystle

NEW SHOES

 My birthday has come & gone but I felt the need to buy myself  some new shoes. I have ordered from UrbanOg a few times now & since I own shoes by each of these companies, I knew what size I wear (a size 9!).

These are my favorite of the 3 pairs that I purchased. These are Qupid Onyx-74 Mary Jane Bow Stiletto Pump in Magenta. The color online matches the color exactly which I was so excited about! They have a cute lace bow & a thick platform. They are made of faux suede. One thing I love about UrbanOg is that they let you know whether the shoe fits true to size & all the details so you know what to expect when they arrive. The heel is 5" with a 1.25" platform. They also come in Lemon & Coral colored. They were $23.90.

Next, we have the shoes that I have been looking for the last 6 months. I ordered wedges a few months back that I was hoping would be a light mint color & they ended up being teal. No worries, I still adore them. There are Delicious Meroz-H Round Toe Platform Wedge in the color Turquoise. They are a very light mint greenish blue. They are also faux suede & the heel is 3.75" with a 1.75" platform. They definitely feel much higher but are pretty comfortable. I always go for wedges because they are easier for me to walk in! They also come in Magenta, Oatmeal (beige, which I may need to add to my closet) & Salmon. These were $26.80.

Lastly. I purchased these strappy wedges for summer. These are Bamboo Smooch-21 T-Strap Open Toe Wedge in the color Teal Multi. They are baby blue, medium teal & dark teal with a cork heel. The are made of leatherette (aka fare leather). They have a 5.25" heel with a 1.5" platform. These are super comfortable & I can't wait for the weather to warm up & I can wear them! They also come in Fuchsia Multi & Black Multi. These were $12.70. Is that not a steal!? 

I have purchased from UrbanOg 4 separate times & I am satisfied with them & will order again. They offer free shipping over $50. They ship from CA by UPS & I had my package in 5 business days which is typical. All in all, I am very happy with all three pairs of shoes I received!

Stay tuned for another GIANT MAC haul I just purchased!

*Krystle

My MAC Giveaway Winner Is...

Drum Roll Please...

Tiffany Nicole @ Happily Everandom, make sure you check out her blog here! And I will be emailing you shortly! :)

Thank you SO much to everyone who entered & also, thank you so much to my new followers! I hit 500 followers last night & I feel another giveaway in the near future! 

What would you like to win, indie brands like Fyrinnae or Glamour Doll Eyes, more MAC.. I'd love to hear your feedback!

Love,

Krystle

MAC Gorgeous Gold, Sumptuous Olive & Humid

Tomorrow is the last day to enter my MAC giveaway! Enter here!

For the past two days, I have worn the same look. Green & blue are my favorite colors & I love to wear them, although I find that certain shades tend to wash my skin out. I was very hesitant to buy Sumptuous Olive because I wasn't sure if it would work on my skin tone or not but I am SO happy I purchased it! 

I always start with a primer (lately it has been UDPP) applied to my entire lid & brow area. I start with mascara & while that dries I fill in my brows. Next, I applied Gorgeous Gold over my entire eyelid with my Smashbox brush (the number has worn off & I can't find it online, but I got it when I worked for QVC years ago!). I then used MAC 217 blending brush to buff Sumptuous Olive into the crease of my eye. I was so skeptical about buying a $23 brush, but this brush is sent directly from heaven! It blends unlike any brush I have ever used & I would recommend it to anyone! I applied eyeliner winging it out on the end & I used white eyeliner on my bottom lash line. I have a terrible time with black liners running so I stick with white (for now!). I then used Humid to define the outer corner of my eye, only til about the middle of my eyelid & buffed more Sumptuous Olive on top. Last, I applied MAC Shroom on my brow bone.

I used a 1" curling iron to spiral all of my hair away from my face. I take 3/4" to 1" sections and wrap them. I have my bangs pinned back because I am trying to grow them out.

FACE:

Urban Decay Face Primer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30

MAC  Studio Fix Fluid in NW20

MAC Studio Fix Foundation Plus in NC25

MAC Blush in Gingerly

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle

NYX Blush & Bronzer in Sunrise in Bali ( I used the bronzer only)

 EYEBROWS:

elf Eyebrow Kit in Medium

Milani Eyebrow Kit in Light

EYES:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Gorgeous Gold (entire eyelid)

MAC Sumptuous Olive (crease)

MAC Humid (outer corner)

MAC Shroom (highlight)

MAC Liquidlast Eyeliner in Black

NYX White Pearl liner 

Maybelline Turbo Lash in Black (waterproof)

LIPS:

MAC Angel

The looks are both the same, but this day I winged the liner further & I used a little bit more Humid so it looks darker in the crease.

 Have a great day! :)

*Krystle

MAC "Gingerly" Blush

4 more days til my MAC Giveaway ends! Enter here!

So today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on MAC’s Gingerly Sheertone Blush. I purchased this a few months ago after seeing it was a best seller. I always try to find beauty bloggers with a similar skin tone to mine & then see what products they use (stalker much? Haha) This is the first blush I purchased from MAC and it will not be my last. 

I have oily skin & I was so afraid to start using MAC because a lot of people get bad acne from their products, however, I have had the opposite. My skin is almost clear (it’s more from washing my makeup off daily!). I did notice after switching that I had terrible cystic acne for a few days but it was also right before my wedding, so I think it was caused more by stress than anything else.

Anyways, onto Gingerly. This is a more neutral/brown based blush with a hint of a warmer pink. It’s sheer but you can really build the color up. It’s a little bit pricey, $21 (or $14.70 for MAC Pro Members) for 6 grams. 

It is fairly light, so I use it more in the fall/winter when I'm not tan. However, I think once I get a tan this would work great as a contour color. This color reminds me of a terracotta pot, which I happen to think is a gorgeous color. This is a Sheertone blush, so it goes on light but you can build the color. I have had no trouble with the color fading, I can get a good 6-8 hours of wear time & I have fairly oily skin.

Gingerly works well with my skin tone (only when I am not tan) , you can see it below, I just used it on the apple of my cheeks with MAC's Refined Golden Bronzer as a contour.

Would I repurchase this product?

I'm going to say no, not because I don't like it but because I would like a darker blush that is better suited for my skin. MAC offers so many different blushes that I would like to try  another color. 

Have you tried Gingerly?

*Krystle

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams & NYX Xtreme Lip Gloss Swatches (PIC HEAVY)

Do you live in the USA? If so, please enter my MAC giveaway here. 

Today, I swatched the NYX Matte Lip Creams ( & the 2 NYX Xtreme Lip Glosses that I reviewed here). I own 6 of them & I LOVE them.

Here's what NYX's website says:

Description:

Neither lipstick nor lip gloss—this is matte lip cream. A new kind of pout paint that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick formulas, also moisturizing. Available in 13 lip colors.

Performance:

• What it is: Highly pigmented, matte lip cream

• What it does: Creates various matte lip looks

• Why we love it: Delightfully creamy and lightweight, our award winning line just expanded with two captivating new shades.

Artist Tips/Suggested Use:

• How to use: Apply directly to lips, or over lipstick. Apply with lip liner to define outline of lips.

They are $6.00 on NYX's website ($4.20 if you have the Professional Discount), they come in a tube like most lip glosses & have a doe tip applicator. 

Here are swatches of the 6 shades that I own:

(From Left to Right)

Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Istanbul, San Paulo & Tokyo

Abu Dhabi:

Deep Rose Beige

This is not a good color on me at all. It's very brown & washes my skin out.

Addis Ababa:

Bright Fuchsia

I love this color, it's a bright, gorgeous pink! (favorite!)

Amsterdam:

Pure Red

Can't go wrong with blue based matte red!

Here is Amsterdam swatched beside MAC's Russian Red, they are super close, Russian Red is on the left & is a little deeper than Amsterdam. 

Istanbul:

Clean Pink

This color is so pretty, it's very close to my natural lip color with more of a pink tone.

San Paulo:

Plummy Pink

This color is much more pink and much lighter than I expected but still very pretty. 

Tokyo:

Bubblegum Pink
I love this color in the tube, but it looks terrible on me!

Here's all of them in the tube.

I got a lot of comments asking me to swatch the Xtreme Lip Glosses that I reviewed last week, so here they are! I love both of these colors, again, you can click the link above to read my review.
Here is Candyland:
This color is so gorgeous & the perfect pink!

Nude Peach Fuzz:

Another gorgeous color! I love the glossiness of these colors!

I turned 26 on Monday, my husband & I celebrated with lots of shopping & then we went to a HUGE smogasboard (buffet) called Shady Maple. It serves PA dutch food (my favorite) things like chicken pot pie (in other places besides Amish country it's called chicken & dumplings), apple butter, red beet eggs, shoofly pie & much, much more! If it's your birthday, you get to eat free & everything tastes so amazing! I ate so much I thought I was going to explode. All in all, it was a fabulous birthday!
(Me & my hubs on my birthday!)

Thanks for stopping by!
*Krystle

NYX Xtreme Lip Gloss in Candy Land & Nude Peach Fuzz

Are you in the USA? Make sure you enter my MAC giveaway here!

Today, I am swatching  2 NYX Xtreme Lip Creams. I purchased a bunch of products from NYX Cosmetics in June 2012 & never got around to swatching them til earlier this week. Better late than never, huh? These lip creams are made by NYX and I purchased them because I am a huge fan of NYX products, especially the soft matte lip creams. I've read awesome reviews about these so I decided to give them a try.

Here's what NYX has to say about Xtreme Lip Creams:

Beautify your lips with this velvety rich lip cream that provides extreme pigmentation with a silky and glossy finish. This lip cream is a hybrid of lipstick, lip gloss, and lip stain with intense pigmentation all in one. Complete your head-turning look with the Xtreme Lip Cream in any of the 11 luscious colors.

The 2 colors I purchased are Candy Land & Nude Peach Fuzz. 

Candy Lane is the first color below and it is a clean blue pink. It's such a pretty color, I can't believe I haven't reached for this color yet. 

Nude Peach Fuzz is a light peachy pink. I think if MAC's Myth was a lip cream, it would be this color (maybe a little less pink!). 

I like the packaging, they are small enough that I can throw them into my purse but it's nothing fancy. They also have a HUGE array of colors so no matter what skin tone you have, there will  be a color for you! These have a faint vanilla smell, which isn't overwhelming at all & they feel like butter on your lips.

I haven't been wearing anything except chap stick on my lips because it's winter & they are so dry! I apply Vaseline every night before bed & they are still dry. I feel like any lip product (other than chap stick  only accentuates dryness. Out of the 2 of these, I have to say that I LOVE Nude Peach Fuzz. I love more pinky nudes & they always look awesome with any eye shadow (especially a smoky eye.) 

Have you tried these? Would you like to see them swatched on my lips?

Thanks for stopping by!

*Krystle

My Eyebrow Routine

Are you in the USA? If so, you should enter my MAC giveaway here!

First off, I hate my eyebrows. They are very sparse & they grow straight out. I never knew how to work with them when I was younger. I debated on getting them tattooed, but I have never seen natural looking eyebrow tattoos.

I get them waxed every 6-8 weeks & I keep up with tweezing them in between wax appointments. My eyebrows are very light, ashy in color & grow randomly so I don't do much with them. I do trim them & try to keep somewhat of an arch in the shape.

So here is my current eyebrow routine:

This is my face with no makeup & as you can see, my eyebrows are very sparse & patchy. I feel like your eyes are the window to you soul & your eyebrows are the frame. Unfortunately, the natural frame just doesn't work!

I change products every now & then. I also switch between using elf Eyebrow Kit & Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel (I forgot it in my gym bag when I took this picture!). It really depends on how I feel that day & what is in front of me. I find that the pencil is faster & easier to work with, however, it tends to look much more fake. The wax in the Eyebrow Kit gives a softer look. 

I start by applying a primer, I use either Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Urban Decay Primer Potion. I put a small amount on my entire eyelid & make sure to apply it to my brow & under eye. 
Next, I will start with either the wax from elf Eyebrow Kit or the Rimmel pencil. If I use the pencil, I do small soft strokes to replicate growing hair. With the wax, I use my Smashbox eyebrow brush (sorry I don't have the name or number right now) and use small brush strokes to help fill in my brow. The Smashbox brush is really stiff & deposits the color evenly. 
I use the middle powder (highlighter is first, lighter brow color is second & darkest brow color is last)in the Milani  Brow Fix Kit and apply it all over the brow. 
Last, I apply the highlighter from the Milani Brow Fix Kit on my brow bone.

A pet peeve of mine is when I see gorgeous makeup & brows that look unfinished. I rarely go anywhere without my brows filled in, it's fast & changes the way my whole face looks!

*Krystle