This Week I'm Loving.. #18

I thought I'd bring these back as I haven't donr one in months. Sharing a few things I've been using and enjoying during the past week.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Face Mask
I know winter is approaching because I can see it in my skin. Around my nose and cheeks my skin is starting to get dry causing my foundation to cling and not settle well in these areas. I love this Antipodes mask to hydrate my skin. It smells amazing and works really well at smoothing everything out.

Nars Blush in Sin
This time of year s when this blush gets a lot of use. I love the slight berry tone of this with a gold reflex to give a nice glowy flush to dull looking skin. So pretty.

Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm
This is one of the nicest lip balms. It feel so smooth on your lips, actually sinks in and helps improve sore, dry lips. I just love this stuff.

Nivea 3-in-1 Micellar Cleansing Water
I recently picked this up as an alternative to the Bioderma / La Roche-Posay Micellar waters. Its been great for lazy nights when I dont want to go through a full removal and cleanse. Its gentle and doesnt irritate my eyes like other micellars have and is on the more affordable side.

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams

I've had a slight obsession with a lip product lately and it is the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams. I bought one previously in Tokyo but it was way too light of a pink and just looked awful on my fair skin. These three however are awesome.

The lip creams are a cool formula- matte, yet creamy, with really good pigmentation and some great colours to choose from. They're comfortable on the lips and are really affordable at around $7. The three I have are a San Paulo, Antwerp, and Stockholm.

San Paula is a red pink, Antwerp is a midtoned pink, and Stockholm is a nude pink. Stolkholm is my most worn as its more everyday. Not too bright and not too brown. 

Have you tried the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams? What are your favouriote shades? 

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

Bronzing For The Unexperienced

I've been playing around with bronzer lately and attempting a more contoured face. I'll openly admit I'm not very good at it, but I'm trying. I've found a few things that work for me and thought I'd share my experience with bronzing and contouring with you.

First off, I have quite fair skin. This makes finding a shade of brown that doesnt look like smeared dirt across the cheek really difficult. I have yet to find the perfect shade that doesnt lead too far on the red side, but my current favourite is The Body Shop's Honey Bronzer in 01. I've played with different brushes and found nothing as easy to work with as the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush. Its a dense angled brush that fits perfectly in the hollow of the cheek to give a nice contour. I lightly dab into the product and tap off the access, and push the brush below my cheek bone, from my hairline down, the tops of my forehead by my temples, and a little along my jawline. I dont go too heavy handed because Im not ready to rock a really full on face, but it's just enough where my face looks for chiseled. I then go in my highlight and blush and my face is looking great!

Are you a contour newbie? Or a cant-go-without-your-contour girl? Let me know your tips, tricks and favourite products below!

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

Fall Nail Picks

Bahama Mama, Chinchilly, Bobbing For Baubles, Angora Cardi, Sew Syched, Haute Tub

Essie Bahama Mama
This plum shade is beautiful for this time of year.

Essie Chinchilly
A purpley brown taupe shade. I swear everyone has this.

Essie Bobbing For Baubles
A deep navy shade that looks really glossy and gorgeous on the nails. I love this with Summit of style overtop for some gold glitter. So pretty. (I instagramed it).

Essie Angora Cardi
Similar to bahama Mama but not as dark and more on the pink side. This is a favourite of mine.

Essie Sew Syched
I love a good khaki/ army green. I'm currently sporting this one on my toes.

Essie Haute Tub
This is new for the winter 2015 collection. Its a beautiful deep almost black purple shimmer with a little bit of gold. So pretty up close in the light, but otherwise basically just looks black.

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

Worth The Splurge

It's easy to see something in Sephora and add it to your basket, but was it actually worth higher price tag? Today I'm going to share five things I think were worth the splurge. 

Nars Sheer Glow

Everyone knows and loves this one. I was hesistant for years because fifty bucks for a foundation is a lot, and I don't like to waste my money on things that won't get used. The coverage is medium, builadble, and gives a slight glow to the skin. I like this for long days because I knowit will stay in place and covers just enough. The nice thing about Nars is they have a huge shade selection so you should hopefully be able to find a good match for you. I have the shade Gobi which is a pretty good match but I probably could have gone one darker. 

Bumble and Bumble Invisible Hairdressers Oil Primer
I bought this on a whim because I just ran out of my Its a 10 leave in, but I'm really happy I gave this one a go. It smells amazing, leaves my hair super soft and manageable and keeps the frizz down. It also had heat protecting properties to from heat styling to uva/uvb rays. An overall great product that has me wanting to try the rest of the range.

Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer
If you want a primer that works, go to Laura Mercier. I've tried a few different primers and nothing's as good as this one. They have a few different ones for different skin types but the hydrating one is good for my skin. Not only my foundation but my blush lasts until the end of the day when I've used this underneath and I've never found that with anything else.

Nars Blush in Sin
When fall and winter come around I whip out this baby. Sin is the most beautiful redish mauve shade with a gold shimmer through it. The shimmer is that noticeable on the skin, it just gives a really nice glow to your cheeks and the colour warm up your face beautifully. Possibly my favourite blush ever.

Mac Lipsticks
Everyone has tried a Mac lipstick and if not, they want to. Mac offer so many colours and formulas its hard not to want to buy them all. Whether you like mattes or something more creamy and light, red or nudes, you'll find it. I have quite the collection of these little bullets and get a lot of wear out of them and love going to google to see swatches of new shades to try. They know what they're doing when it comes to lipstick.

What products do you think are worth the splurge? I'd love to hear your recommenations below!

Current Skincare Favs

The Origins Ginzing Eyecream is one of my favourite skincare items I've discovered. Eye creams are a bit of a funny thing for me. I put them on but often don't see any change with or without, but this one definitely makes a difference. Its designed to brighten your under eye area with the slightly peach tone and I must say, it realy does make a difference. It moisturizes really well and doesnt irritate my eyes. Overall fantastic product. A must try.

To go with the eye cream, is the Origins Ginzing Moisturizer. Again, this is supposed to brightenyour skin with caffeine and Panax Ginsend. Its lightweight n the skin, smells really nice and can be used morning and night. Ive only been using this one for two to three months but have been liking it so far.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil has been my makeup remover of choice. I still cant decided if I prefer the balm version of this, but both are really great to break everything from heavy mascara and liner to foundation down. I gently rub a pump or two into my eyes and over my face and rinse off with a warm washcloth. A great affordable cleansing oil that lasts a really long time.

What skincare prosucts are you loving lately? Let me know.