NYX Apple Strudel Butter Gloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Apple Strudel Butter Gloss

I don't go to ULTA as often as I use to, but when I do I always make sure to stop by the NYX section (I feel like I just quoted a Dos Equis commercial.. ha!) On my recent trip, I was excited to see a few products that I didn't recognize that are new for 2013.

NYX Butter Glosses ($5) are a new line-up of lipglosses that are described as providing a sheer to medium coverage without feeling sticky. NYX makes some awesome lip glosses (especially their extreme lip creams and megashine lip glosses) and as usual, they come in a great variety of my kind of shades (pinks galore!)

NYX Butter Glosses are available in (12) shades: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brule, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheesecake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie.

Naturally, I chose a light coral shade called Apple Strudel. It provides enough coverage to be worn alone, but if you want opaque coverage you may want to layer it over a lipstick. I find that if I apply more than one layer it feels too thick and gooey on my lips, so one layer is all I need.

It feels super moisturizing on the lips and has pretty decent lasting power - similar to the Megashine Lipglosses.

They're unfortunately scented, but it's not a scent that bothers me. It smells sweet, and reminds me of strawberries and cream.

NYX Apple Strudel on my lips.

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in the shades Paint the Town, I'm Coming Out and Glitter Dreams Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe 

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe ($6) is a newer line of super shimmery, glitter lipglosses with just a hint of color. They can be worn alone or layered over your favorite lipstick to enhance your lip color and add lots of shine.

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe are available in (11) shades:  I'm Coming Out, Do the Hustle, Beat Goes On, Glitter Dreams, High Society, Disco Playground, VIP, Paint the Town, Underground Boogie, The Last Party and Velvet Ropes.

The majority of the shades are pink toned with the exception of a couple beige/gold shades. I ended up getting three shades that I thought would look good topped over some of my favorite pink lipsticks.

The consistency of these glosses is thin, yet fairly creamy and comfortable on the lips. They are non-sticky, tacky or heavy feeling on the lips. Glitter glosses can tend to feel gritty on the lips, but I didn't have a problem with these. The shade Glitter Dreams contains the most shimmer of the three glosses I purchased, and you could feel the glitter when you rub your lips together, but it's not bad by any means.

The applicator is large, narrow and flat (love!!) so it scoops up the perfect amount of product, so you won't have to double dip for additional product.

I'm Coming Out is a medium toned cool pink with golden shimmer. It looks pretty on it's own, but since it's so sheer, I prefer wearing it over a similar pink or fuschia colored lipstick.

Paint the Town is a soft coral with subtle golden shimmer. It's the least gritty of the three because it contains the least shimmer. It looks really pretty topped over coral, warm pink and peach lipsticks. (See below where I paired it with MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick)

Glitter Dreams is a reddened raspberry with tons of multi-colored glitter. It's the flashiest of three, and if you love lots of shimmer, this is your gloss. When worn alone it makes my lips look a bit more berry pink toned, shiny and a bit fuller. I think this will pair well with any medium or dark shades of pink, plum - even red!

Love this combo! MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick with NYX Paint the Town on top.

Read more for additional photos and swatches...

Winner of the LORAC Pro Palette Giveaway!

The Winner Announced!

Thank you so much for entering my recent LORAC Pro Palette Giveaway! Every giveaway is always so much fun because I love reading through all of the entries. I usually ask a bunch of random questions (for instance this time I asked you if you went out for breakfast what would you order? So many of you said eggs benedict! I have to try it.. haha!) Also, so many of you left such sweet comments telling me how much you enjoy reading my blog, and it means so much to me!

As always, I went through each entry and tallied them up and picked a winner using random.org. The winner is always picked at complete random so you all have a fair shot at winning.

And the winner is....

Konfidentialglitter!!!!!

Please email me with your shipping information so I can send out your goodies!!!

Thank you again for entering my giveaway, and stay tuned for additional giveaways in the near future!

Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale 2013!

Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale 2013

Urban Decay started their Friends and Family Sale today! Receive 20% Off your Order with code FFSPRING13. Now is a great time to stock up on some of your favorite products — all items are included; even sale items! Sale ends 2/17.

Weekly Poll Results - What is the Most Money You'd Pay for your Perfect Face Makeup?

What is the most money you would pay for your perfect face makeup? 

As a makeup fanatic, I invest a lot of my money to try as many brands and products as my wallet can withstand. But the reality is, I only have one face and as much as I'd like to get through products as fast as I can so I can go out and replace them with new and different products, sometimes products just don't get finished before they get tossed. So if you think about it, that $50 foundation ended up costing you more if you ended up tossing it with some product left. *Keep in mind, you should toss a foundation after a maximum of two years - some say less, but it sometimes depends on the foundation.

Although I always like to keep the overall value in mind (sometimes I justify an expensive blush or bronzer if it comes with a hefty amount of product), but when it comes to face makeup, no matter what brand you go to, you're most likely going to end up with that same 1 oz of product, so you kind of have to offset the value for the price.

Also, face makeup (or foundation) typically gets used up the fastest from any other item of makeup and has to be replaced often. I rarely ever use the same foundation for more than a couple of weeks at a time, but I remember back in '06-07 when MAC Studio Fix Fluid was my "ish", and I was buying a bottle every 4 weeks. If you're using an expensive foundation, that can get pretty expensive!

So my question for all of you is - What's the most money you'd spend for your perfect face makeup? Whether it be a liquid foundation, powder, tinted moisturizer, etc.

The Results are:

Whatever the price may be! - 9 votes ( 3%)
$100+ - 6 votes (2%)
$80 - $95 - 5 votes (2%)
$60 - $75 - 38 votes (15%)
$40 - $55 - 95 votes (39%)
$20 - $35 - 65 votes (26%)
$15 and under - 23 votes (9%)

This poll is based on 241 votes.

I'm actually in the majority vote, which is $40 - $55. I personally don't like going over the $60 mark. I'll buy a Chanel Foundation for $55 and Guerlain for $58, but I've never gone over that for face makeup. There are so many products I'd like to try (Chantecaille, Cle de Peau, Tom Ford, etc) but I just have it engraved in my head that anything more than that $58 I pay for Guerlain Parure Extreme is just too much, and I'll look elsewhere.

Have you already found your HG face makeup? If they raised the price by $20 would you still continue to purchase it, or would you look elsewhere? Do you find certain items of makeup more justifiable than others? Do you usually keep value in mind when purchasing expensive makeup, or do you solely look at the price tag?

NYX Gala Round Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Gala Round Lipstick 

NYX Gala Round Lipstick ($4) is described as a soft blue-toned pink with shimmer. It's a very light pink, and applies a bit lighter than it looks in the tube. It's slightly too light for me, but it'd work great for mixing, and when worn alone it'd look best on fair, light and light-medium skin tones.

Sometimes light colored lipsticks can emphasize cracks and dryness on the lips and Gala does just that. If I want to wear Gala, I have to make sure to apply a good lip balm and scrub my lips to remove any flakes. Even after I've exfoliated my lips really good, it still shows a little dryness.

I really like NYX Round Lipsticks — they are great for the price, but not every shade is created equal. Some are very pigmented and apply great, while some (like Gala) take several coats for opaque color and can apply uneven. The majority of the Round Lipsticks I've purchased have been pretty good.

It's still overall a very pretty light pink, and if you're a lover of soft baby pinks, you might really enjoy this lipstick. I'd personally skip because of the formula.

NYX Gala Lipstick on my lips.

Shoemint Abi Booties Review with Photos!

Shoemint Abi Boots 

Shoemint Abi Boots are my latest Shoemint purchase. Actually, I've been skipping every month since my first Shoemint purchase over a year ago because I just find $80 a bit high to spend every month on shoes that I don't really need regardless of the quality.

I was very impressed with the quality of my first pair of Shoemint Shoes (the Pauline booties). I've worn them countless times and they still look brand new. So, when Shoemint added a bunch of their current shoes and boots to the Sale section, I hopped on it.

Although I really love cute and trendy pieces, I like finding classic and practical items that I can toss on with anything and get loads of wear from. I thought these Abi Boots would be great and practical boots that I can wear every day and that'd match with just about anything. Even though they are just plain black, I like how they are composed of several panels of leather to give them a little extra style.

I have to say I'm not at all impressed with the quality. Although they aren't in any way bad, they are suppose to be comparable to high-end brands that are double the price ($160+). I've owned both cheap and expensive shoes, and usually when a shoe goes over the $100-$150 mark, you can definitely tell the difference in quality. These boots to me don't feel like they would cost any more than $40. The leather looks and feels plastic/synthetic-like and I wouldn't think they were real leather unless I looked on the inside label. They also smell like cheap plastic.

They ended up being $39.99 (with free shipping) regularly $79.95.

Nars Ashes to Ashes, Night Star and Etrusque Eyeshadows Review, Photos and Swatches!

 Nars Ashes to Ashes, Night Star and Etrusque Eyeshadows

I've accumulated a few Nars eyeshadows in the past couple of months and I've been trying to put off using them before reviewing them, but as you can see.. I've been using all three!

I love Nars Eyeshadow. Although like any brand, some shades can be a hit or miss, I've been pretty pleased with all of the Nars eyeshadows I've purchased (which is only a small handful).

Some shades are smoother/softer than others, but all of the shadows commonly are very pigmented, and you only need the lightest touch of the brush for good color pay-off (especially the darker shades).

At $24 a pop, these eyeshadows are quite pricey, so I don't purchase them too often, but once in a while I get swayed by the sparkles or the silky textures end end up caving in.

Ashes to Ashes is described as a violet-brown with shimmer, or basically a soft taupe. It's a really common shade (in the same family as MAC Satin Taupe or Wet n Wild Nutty), but if you have "taupe disease" like me, and feel the need to purchase every taupe on the market, then this shade is very necessary. haha!

I find it to be a great every day shade and I often wear it solo on my lid and smudged on my lower lash line for a soft wash of color, topped with lots of mascara.

From left to right: Nars Night Star, Etrusque and Ashes to Ashes.

Swatches from left to right: Nars Night Star, Etrusque and Ashes to Ashes.

The Balm Cosmetics is on Hautelook!

The Balm Cosmetics on Hautelook 2/1-2/4

If you're a member of Hautelook, make sure to check out the Beauty section for a big selection of The Balm Cosmetics on sale now through Monday at 8AM Pacific. Many items are at least 50% off, so if you've had your eye on any products, now is a great time to buy!

I'll be picking up another one of my favorite highlighters - The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, which is only $12, regularly $24. I'm also curious about The Balm's concealer and foundations. Anyone tried them?

If you're not familiar with Hautelook, it's a website with "flash sales". Each day at 8 AM Pacific, shop new sale events featuring brand names in women's and men's fashion and accessories, beauty, kids' apparel and toys, and home décor at up to 75% off. The good stuff sells out quickly, and items only stay in your cart for 15 minutes before they automatically get removed, where they will be available again for others to purchase. Membership is free. It's a highly addicting site!

Click here to shop Hautelook!

LORAC PRO Eyeshadow Palette Giveaway!!

LORAC Pro Palette Giveaway

Hi Beauties! Over the past several months I've been seeing more and more people rave about the Lorac Pro Palette, and even though I don't own it myself (God knows I don't need anymore eyeshadow), I thought it'd make a great giveaway prize! I've swatched the palette in-store and the eyeshadows are soft and pigmented, and because the shades are mostly matte, it makes for a perfect every day palette. To see the palette swatched, check out Makeup And Beauty Blog.

The Winner will Receive:

• The Lorac Pro Eyeshadow Palette which contains (16) ultra-pigmented eyeshadow shades along with a mini Lorac Eyeshadow Primer. ($42 value)
• Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara as an added bonus! ($7 value)

How to Enter:

• Leave a comment on this post about anything you'd like! Some examples are: If you went out for breakfast, what would you order? What's the weather currently like where you live? Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? Do you have any phobias? What's your current favorite makeup product? Or, simply write Enter me!

Receive an additional Entry:

• For an additional entry, you can follow me on my instagram account @missnattyngeorge. Once you have followed me, please let me know in your comment/entry so you will receive credit for both entries.

Terms and Conditions: 

• This giveaway will run for one week (and one day), and the deadline to enter will be on Thursday February 7th at 11:59 PM (CST). 
• For fairness, the winner will be chosen at random using random.org.
• Winner will be announced within 48 hours of the deadline. 
• This giveaway is open internationally. I will ship anywhere in the world.
• You must permission from a parent or guardian to enter if you are under the age of 18 in most states (with the exception of Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you all so much for your daily comments and continued support! :)

Jewelmint Ascot Race Ring Review with Photos!

Jewelmint Ascot Race Ring

Jewelmint Ascot Race Ring is a re-make of the popular gold Royal Ascot Ring that was featured on Jewelmint in early 2012. It's the same exact ring, but this time, it's in silver (silver-plated). The design of the ring is equestrian, or horse riding inspired and is a simple wrap of two buckles, or what looks to be horse saddle stirrups.

Whenever I look down at my finger I can't help but be reminded of the signature Gucci buckles that you see on their sunglasses and bags.

I think it makes for a good every day ring because of it's simplicity, but if you prefer something a little more dainty for every day, this ring does take up about an inch of my finger. It reaches my knuckle on my ring finger, but it's not at all uncomfortable.

As usual, the quality is great and I think it will last me a long time.

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring Review with Photos!

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring

At around Christmas time, there was a promotion running on Jewelmint for three rings of your choice for the price of one (or $9.99 each). I ended up getting three rings, so as always, I'm going to let you know my opinion of them.

Jewelmint Starstruck Ring is a really fun silver-plated two band ring -  one thick and one slim ring the are connected by two fine chains. It also has a little etched star with a small rhinestone in the middle to add a little something extra to an otherwise very plain ring.

I really like items of jewelry that are "different" and I've never seen anything like this ring. It goes in hand a bit with the dainty knuckle ring trend as the second band lays pretty high on the finger. The top band is also adjustable, so you can wear it as tight (or loose) as you want it.

I've worn it several times so far, and even though it might not seem like it would be comfortable, it's actually very comfortable and doesn't bother me or get in the way throughout the day.

(As someone mentioned, the thin band on my ring has the opening on the front instead of the back. I think it was an error on Jewelmint's part, but I still wear it as is and don't mind it at all!)

From what I can tell the quality is very good, and it's a ring I'd definitely recommend!

All items from Jewelmint are $29.99 with free shipping, but there are promotions very often so I wouldn't recommend paying the full price. Currently there is a promotion for 70% off your first item, which would bring the total to $9.99 with free shipping. The code is 70FIRST.

New in at Sephora - Dolce and Gabbana Makeup!

Maybe I'm slightly behind on news, but I upon looking at what's new on Sephora, I was really excited to see some items from Dolce and Gabbana. From word of mouth I heard that it will be available in select stores, but for now it's available for purchase at Sephora.com.

I've only tried a few items from Dolce and Gabbana, and I've really enjoyed them. In fact, I've been wearing my Dolce and Gabbana Passion Duo Lipstick in the shade Darling regularly. I'd be really curious to try additional shades.

Also, I've always kind of wondered about their foundations. The Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation looks like a really interesting product, and it has pretty good reviews. I'd also be curious to try their bronzer, but God knows I don't need anymore.

Have you tried any D&G makeup? Have any recommendations for me to try?

Click here to check out the line

Weekly Poll Results - How Many Days of the Week do you Wear a Full Face of Makeup?

How Many Days of the Week do you Wear a Full Face of Makeup?

Hope you're all having a great Thursday! Just hang in there - the weekend is close by. I have another weekly poll for you!

This week I asked all of you how many days a week do you wear a full face of makeup. This for me would include foundation, concealer, brow filler, blush, bronzer, eye and lip makeup. But maybe for some of you a full face could include more or less products.

I typically wear a full face of makeup every day, unless I'm not planning on going out. When I have more time to get ready, I tend to pull out more products (face and eye primer, contour and highlight, etc), but when I'm short on time, I skip certain things (setting powder, highlighter, eyeshadow, lip liner, etc). I suppose it does vary for me by week, because there are weeks where I might only wear makeup a few days. On average, I probably wear a full face 5 to 7 days of the week.

The Results Are:

7 days - 51 votes (14%)
6 days - 46 votes (13%)
5 days - 88 votes (25%)
4 days - 26 votes (7%)
3 days - 27 votes (7%)
2 days - 29 votes (8%)
1 day - 23 votes (6%)
0 days; I don't typically wear makeup - 25 votes (7%)
It varies week to week - 31 votes (8%)

This poll is based on 346 votes.

The answers were pretty evenly distributed across the board, but 5, 6, and 7 days of the week have the most votes, with the number one answer being 5 days.

Are you the type of person that applies a full face of makeup in the morning regardless if you're going out or not? Or do you only do your makeup when you have to be somewhere? Do you mostly wear a full face of makeup on the weekend only or do you take a break from the week and leave your face bare on the weekend? Is it essential for you to wear makeup to work?

Ideally, I'd love to wake up and get ready first thing, but the truth is, if I'm not going anywhere, my face is pretty bare. Although when I'm not going anywhere I still like to fill in my brows and wear mascara for the sake of not looking too crazy when I walk past a mirror. LOL!

I'd love to hear your answers!

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara Review, Photos and Before & After!

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara ($7) is a new mascara by Covergirl that promises volumized lashes (apparently 200% more volume to be exact) with zero clumps. The result? Big lashes that are separated.

In general, I like Covergirl mascaras, and with this mascara having a striking resemblance to one of my all-time favorites Covergirl Last Blast Mascara, I was really excited to give this mascara a try. I love the formula of Last Blast, but I'm not a huge fan of the mega-big, stubby bristled brush.

The Covergirl Clump Crusher on the other hand has a really good, effective brush. It's not as large, the bristles are a bit longer to help separate the lashes better, and the actual brush is curved so it hugs the base of all of your lashes for more even coats. It also works really well at catching those little corner lashes.

I tend to favor wetter formulas, and this one isn't very wet (but it's not very dry either) and it doesn't over deposit product on the lashes, which I think is one of the big factors as to why it doesn't get clumpy. 

I find that this mascara holds pretty true to it's claims and volumizes the lashes without clumping them together. It separates my lashes really well like Maybelline One by One or Make Up Forever Smokey Lash, and builds volume really well without looking clumpy, crispy or spidery. I wouldn't really consider it to be a lengthening mascara, as I don't notice much length, but I think it'd layer good with a lengthening mascara if you like combining mascaras.

Although I rarely ever wear mascara without a mascara base anymore, I tried this mascara both ways. As with any mascara, I prefer using a base prior. With a base, my lashes look a bit longer, and I'm able to achieve the look I want with two coats. Without a base, it takes me 3-4 coats to build my lashes up to my desired look.

This mascara holds up really well throughout the day without becoming sticky (some mascaras cause my top and bottom lashes to stick together.. so annoying!) and there is no smudging or flaking.

Also, it keeps the lashes fairly soft, so it isn't such a pain to remove. There is nothing I dread more than removing a crispy mascara.

Before and After

What's in my bag?

What's in my Bag?

I haven't done one of these posts in a long time, so I thought I'd dump out my bag and let you know what I keep inside! Haha.. This post has actually been requested quite a bit. I think they're fun, and I like to see them too!

The handbag I'm currently carrying is a winter green faux leather hobo with lots of gold studs on the sides. I purchased it from Marshalls last month for around $35. It's a no-name brand, so unfortunately there's no label inside the bag where I can tell you the exact information on it. I've been carrying it all month though, and I love it!

Eyeglasses - I need to wear glasses when I'm reading or when I'm on the computer, so I usually have them them with me in my bag. They aren't too fancy or anything, but if you're curious, the  model # is Chanel 3198-H.
Sunglasses - I love sunglasses, and I always have a pair or two in my bag. Currently I've been wearing my super oversized Gucci 3157/s Sunglasses.
iPhone 5 - I got an iPhone 5 for Christmas, and I've been completely obsessed. If it's not in my hand, it's usually in my bag. I usually always get comments on my brass knuckles case, and I got it from eBay. Just search 'brass knuckles iPhone case' and you'll find tons of results.
iPhone Charger - Because I'm on my phone so much and forget to charge it most of the time, I always keep my charger on me.
Michael Kors Saffiano Leather Continental Wallet - I have a couple wallets that I rotate every now and then, but I love zip-around wallets because I can cram so many receipt and junk in them. haha! I got this wallet back in June for my birthday, and although they had this wallet in every color, I can't seem to track it down on any website. I guess it's because MK comes out with so many different styles often. They currently have very similar ones at the stores, but with a larger metal plate on the front.
Hobo Metro Slide Credit Card Holder - I usually keep my gift card in a metal card case, but because I didn't like having to pull all of my cards out each time I had to look for a card. When I saw this little card case at TJ Maxx, I thought it was the perfect little convenient case so I wouldn't have to dig around at the register.
Business Card Holder - I was looking for a glitzy business card holder and found this adorable one from an online store called Mont Bleu. I keep all of my important business and appointment cards that I may need inside.
Eccolo Little Pink Book - If I ever have anything to remember or write down, I always jot it down in this little journal. It's a mess of recipes, grocery lists, to-do lists, thoughts, etc. I purchased it a while back from Marshalls. They always have a good selection of journals.

Weekly Poll Results - Did you Make any New Year Resolutions?

Did you make any New Year Resolutions for 2013? 

I'm so sorry that the results of the last weekly poll has been so delayed! Time has literally flown by!! At the start of 2013 it only seemed appropriate to ask you all if there is anything you'd like to change/do differently this year.

No one starts a diet on a Friday right? The famous words are "I'll start again on Monday." It seems like a really silly habit, but many of us feel like to really feel good about the change we want to make, we have to start out with a clean slate - whether it be the first day of the week, month or first day of the year. While many of us can lose a bit of motivation by the end of the year, I think a good majority of us try our best to start off the new year on a good note.

I picked some really common New Year resolutions below!

The Results are: 

To eat healthier/change or modify diet - 104 votes (55%)
To work out/exercise more - 110 votes (59%)
To be more organized - 69 votes (37%)
To spend more quality time with friends and family - 35 votes (18%)
To be more outgoing - 42 votes (22%)
To volunteer/get more involved with your community - 18 votes (9%)
To be more sociable - 37 votes (19%)
To stress less - 56 votes (30%)
To manage finances better - 55 votes (29%)
To travel more - 41 votes (22%)
To kick a bad habit - 31 votes (16%)
All of the Above - 10 votes (5%)
I didn't set any resolutions - 25 votes (13%)
Other - 9 votes (4%)

This poll is based on 186 votes.

The number one answer was to work out/exercise more and eating healthier/changing or modifying diet came in at a close second!

Eating healthier and exercising regularly is the change that I wanted to make this year and instead of making short term goals (for example: I want to weigh a certain amount by my birthday in 6 months) and then quit after birthday, I want to make lifestyle changes that will carry on for the rest of my life. I want to dedicate 2013 to be the year of my health and happiness. So far, I'm doing pretty well.

How about you? Did you make any resolutions for 2013? Have you kept up with them? I've read a few articles that the success rate is typically pretty low. Keep motivated!! :)

My Winter 2012 Zara Haul!

Every year after Christmas Zara has an incredible sale on a big majority of their stock, and it's pretty much my shopping highlight of the year. I've been waiting for months for this sale to get a hold of some of the items I've been eyeballing throughout 2012, and I'm pretty happy with what I got.

Some items sell out quickly in the Zara sale, so I usually don't hesitate purchasing items that seem to be a good deal, as I figure that If I don't like the way they look in person, I can always bring them to my local Zara store within 30 days for a refund. In fact, I actually purchased another bag that I didn't like at all in person, and I'll be returning it soon.

This haul is purely accessories, as I didn't find any items of clothing I really liked. I did get a couple of t-shirts, but I've been wearing them so I didn't include them in this haul.

Well, without further ado, here's my haul!

Don't Step on My Blue Suede Shoes.

Real original title, right? I haven't posted any shopping hauls in a long time, so I thought I'd share one of my recent Hautelook purchases that I've been loving. I've been all over the Hautelook boot events for the past couple of months because the prices are so much better than what you'd find at the dept store. During the Rachel Rachel Roy event, I purchased these cute navy suede booties. They aren't available any longer, but they are available on the Rachel Roy website - unfortunately a little more expensive than what I paid.

I love colored shoes, and I think it's a great way to spice up a simple outfit. I wear black a lot, so to keep my look from being too boring, I like to toss on a colorful accessory, whether it be a funky pair of shoes, accessory or handbag. This winter I've been sporting burgundy and forest green boots really often, and when I saw these navy blue booties, I knew right away they'd match with so many different things, and I had to have them.

Blue specifically pairs really well with black, but it's also a great color to wear with white, gray - or pretty much any solid color. Yellow, orange, red, brown - you really can't go wrong.

Rachel Roy Miramar Boots

I have a thing for tassels. :) For reference, they run true to size. I'm a 8.5, and they fit really comfortably.

I love these outfits sporting blue boots! 

(Photo credits: upscalehype, bauergriffinonline)

I have a pretty large Zara Collective haul coming up. I usually go nuts during the Zara Winter sale.. and this year is no exception. haha!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm going to go see A Haunted House at the movie theater tonight. I'm sure it's going to be ridiculous. lol What are your plans?

Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer Review, Photos, Swatches!

Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer

Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer ($25) is an oil and paraben free pigmented concealer that is transfer-proof and water resistant. It's described as being heavy-duty and multitasking as it not only hides dark undereye circles and blemishes, but even tattoos.

Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer is available in (8) shades: 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 34 ad 36.

I received a sample of the shade 22, which is a soft beige, suitable for medium-light skin tones.

Because this concealer claims to be heavy enough to cover tattoos, I expected it to be a thick, somewhat dry consistency concealer (maybe something like the Make Up Forever Full Coverage Concealer). I was rather surprised to see that the consistency is actually pretty light (almost whipped) and very creamy. It also smooths out really well on the skin.

I'd consider it a medium coverage concealer, but it can be built to a fuller coverage when layered. One layer is never adequate coverage for me, but I like the fact that when I apply a few layers, it doesn't look heavy or unnatural. It also covers blemishes pretty well. After my foundation, I usually pat it on and then set with a powder puff.

You really don't need much, and I'd recommend starting out with less product than you think you'll need and go back to add more if necessary.

My favorite brush to apply this particular concealer is the MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush, although any standard concealer brush works fine. I sometimes like using my fingers as well, but a brush seems to provide more coverage.

The only downside I've experienced is that it makes my undereyes feel a little heavy and dry. I always moisturize my undereye area with Argan oil, so I don't have any issues with it actually making my undereyes appear dry, but it's a concealer that I can feel on my skin.

It lasts really well throughout the day with minimal to no fading.