Storm King Art Center Saturday

So last weekend on something of a whim some of my coworkers and I headed out of Queens and up to New Windsor NY to check out the Storm King Arts Center. 

Despite having lived within a half hour of the place for more or less my whole life I'd never been so I figured it was finally time for a little art hike.

If you are in the Hudson Valley or are looking for a cool day trip from NYC this would easily be my first recommended stop. 

It doesn't hurt that the drive up is a beaut too.

The Spring Series| Lips

Despite what seems to be another late winter "polar vortex" I am so ready to start breaking out some of my favorite spring shades. 

I don't like to complain, because I do genuinely enjoy the winter months but, I'm at my wits end at this point. It's cold and grey and it snows just enough so that you can't stay home but your journey into work is a nightmare so yes, I'm done with winter. 

So continued from last week I'm going to give you the rundown of all the lippies I'm busting out to get me through the last of the coldest days. 

Good Smells| White Sandalwood

I made a point of not asking for beauty gifts for the holidays this past year. 

I don't know if it means I'm growing up but, the way I see it, I'm a big girl who can more or less buy the makeup she wants whilst still caring for herself and her expenses. So this year my list had things like a cast iron skillet, down comforter and a plant that I can't kill on it. 

While the family came through on the list front I am so glad I had one friend who saw fit to ignore me. 

Sephora Does Your Birthday Right

This was not the post on the adgenda today. 

Whoops. I'm a day behind but, that's Ok. 

This is worth the mention.

Every year Sephora does a birthday gift for its' Beauty Insiders that they give out all year long.

Since this is my first year as a VIB Rouge I got the big daddy of Birthday treats (I'm a January baby.) and I have to say; this year they partnered with NARS and really, really knocked it out of the park. 

The gift contains two classic NARS favorites and one formulation that is new to me.

The Foundation Chronicles| Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35

 Man, sometimes those Sephora 100 point perks really work.

I can go for months and months and not want any of them and then all of a sudden something comes along, I try it and, I'm totally sold.

When I saw that the Bobbi Brown BB Cream (say that 5 times fast.) in the display case at check I was curious enough to ask the associate what shade it came in. 

When she said Fair I immediately blurted out "I'll take one" 

That was a month ago and I haven't looked back.

The Winter Bronzer

 

I rarely reach for a bronzer. It's not a product I feel adds a lot to my makeup experience and often creates more problems for me than it creates benefits for me. 

Until now.

Essiebutton of the YouTube variety has talked at length about the Body Shop Honey Bronzer in  Light Bronze and over the Pre-Holiday sales I picked one up to test drive.

On A Budget|Longwear Liner

Some of the best beauty surprises happen when you are looking for something quality but can't afford to shell out big bucks for a high end brand.

A few months ago I was looking for a nice golden toned bronze eyeliner to add to my liner lineup and after hearing so much about them I decided to try the Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear.

I was not diasapointed at all and, in fact, with a range of about 35 shades I have quite a long wish list.

Smoking the Compettition

Everyone has gone on about it and as per usual I have put off trying it but, as of last Saturday the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown (Formerly Medium Ash) is smoking my current brow products.

There are a list of pros and cons (after the jump) but really this is a damn near perfect brow pencil.

When Hard to Find Products are Worth the Wait

 Lately I have been lucky enough to score some much longed for beauty items, from hard to find brands, at really amazing prices.

While this occurrence is a rare one I think it's worth pointing out when the products you have built up in your mind end up being just as amazing as you hoped they would be. 

These two goodies really do not disappoint.

Apples of Your Cheeks Part Deux

This is not a new beauty concept for me.

The idea of Snow White-esque pinched cheeks just make me weak at the knees. In fact looking at this I think I may have doubled up on a product here...whoops. 

In fact we're just going to make this a follow up post.

Not sorry. 

Back in September I talked all about the beauty of a windswept cheek and now I'm going to do it again. 

There is nothing quite like a healthy glow gained from rushing in out of the cold. 

Faking it, however, is way less drying and way more fun!

The first up to bat is Benefit's Bella Bomba Box Powder. This puppy is a finely milled, delicately scented watermelon shade with a hit on pinky-gold sheen running throughout. This shade is nicely pigmented but not difficult to use and looks especially good on fair cool toned cheeks.I've heard wind that the brand may be letting this one go so it might not be a bad time to look into it.

For something a little bit darker I like to reach for the Sleek Makeup Blush in the shade Flushed which true to it's name gives a nice soft flush across the cheeks. This one is a satin finish like the Bella Bomba but doesn't seem to be as gleam-y which might make it more friendly to those of you who shy away from shimmery blushes.

...and finally my repeat product is the Milani Baked Blush in Bella Rose. It is a matte finish bright magenta pink. It's terrifying if you've never tried anything quite this bright before but with a light hand and a fluffy brush this can look SO pretty and effortless. For the accessibility and the price this could be a great place to try out a product like this if you are a little hesitant.

So now that I've throughly beaten this topic to death expect a more exciting dose of beauty business tomorrow.
...but I still hope you give these a try.

The Joy of Giving...To Yourself

Now this is of course the time of year to treat the ones you love to things that you know they'll love. 

Whether that means a plate of homemade cookies or an extravagant store bought item it always feels so nice to pass a little extra love around this time of year. 

...but I would be lying if I said I didn't treat myself to a few new things between gifts for others. 

With all of the sales, my inherent willingness to spend (amplified by Christmas music) and the convenience of getting things done from the comfort of my couch how is a girl supposed to resist?

On top of all that I have been eyeing up one of Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadow palettes since her brand launched in the states back over the Summer.

This past weekend I bit the bullet and hit "checkout".

A Matte Red Lip at Every Price Point

Tis the season of the red lip!

Now I love me a red lip all year round. As such I have amassed and embarrassingly large assortment of red lip options at all pice points. 

The only caveat here is that ALL and I do mean ALL of my red lip colors are matte. 

I have said this before and I stand by it now but when you wear a bold lip, matte is your friend. 

No bleeding, minimal transferring and no strands of hair stuck to your lips.
What's not to love?

It's Officially Candle Season

 Now I love me some home fragrance all year round but there is nothing quite like a good flickering candles come Autumn. 

I always especially love candles in the colder months because I tend to gravitate towards stronger, woodier, incense-y smells that just seem to suit the cold so much better. 

I've found a couple new scents that are really tickling my pickle..and some that I am dying to try.

H&M Home Sings to my Soul

Since discovering H&M Home my wallet has wept. The only saving grace is that the only store in New York that carries home goods is not terribly convenient to my routine.

If it were I would be broke. 

In addition to a beautiful soap (or in my case lotion) dispenser I picked up this lovey, quirky, catchall eyelash dish for my bedside table.

Vampy Lips-Mirror Selfie Style

 Along my makeup journey I have come to really love myself in a vampy lip.

I think it happened around the same time I "embraced the pale".

The high contrast of my paper white complexion against a deep bloody brown red or purple shade just adds to the long list of reasons why the colder months are my favorite.

So in classic Sunday bathroom selfie style I am going to walk you through four stellar choices if you're looking to add a more goth girl options to your lip color lineup.

The Surprise Handbag Staple|NARS Barbarella

We all cave and buy products on the recommendation of someone, sometimes.

 Friend, magazine, blog...we have all, at one point or another, picked something up because we heard it through the grapevine.

Now these purchases can be kind of crap shoot. Sometimes you love them and sometimes they sit on your vanity they collect dust and every time you look at it you wonder what made you think that was a good idea in the first place.

NARS Barbarella is definitely the latter

In The Bag

I have had such a hard time lately'; finding a bag that I like that I can rely on and that looks sleek and professional. 

After scouring the internet and searching high and low in store I finally decided on a piece that I thought would work. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the Zara TRF Doctor Bag.

Stick With It

 If I had to guess which product I use most in my eye product stash I would have to say it is my ever growing assortment of retractable eyeshadow pencils. 

They are Monday morning heaven.

The formulas I've tried to date make for the perfect swipe and go shades but, the best part is that on mornings when you do have more time they can be layered with other shades to create a more dynamic effect and a longer lasting look.

About Face| Barely There Beauty

I love the freedom of easy makeup days. Usually Sundays for me. Most of the time I don't bother at all. I like to give my skin the day off if I can but, whether I'm running out for coffee or to run errands there is a small arsenal of products I refer to so I can be out the door in under five minutes.

The best part?

You can apply the whole routine with just your fingers.

On A Budget: The 90's Mouth

Leave it to a Kardashian (or in this case technically a Jenner but hey, guilty by association.) to bestow upon us the next big trend in makeup. 

Well if you're me it's the next big old trend. I was alive in the 90's, albeit a bit young for makeup. 

But... you better believe my introductory lipstick was a brown toned rose mauve shade.

This time around though I'm going a little pinker an a little darker to make the 90's lip a little more user friendly.