rms Beauty Cream Eye Shadow in Lunar

I've heard a lot of good things about rms beauty. The premise behind this line is basically skincare with color. All of the products nourish and hydrate your skin, and you can put them anywhere. So if you get a cream eye shadow you could use them on your lips, cheeks, or anywhere else you could think of. They are made with clean, natural, organic ingredients.

That being said, I love the idea behind it and the ingredients. I even love some of their other products, but this one was not my favorite. I love cream shadows so I REALLY wanted to like it. And please excuse the lack of pictures, I included this in the sample pack I purchased from Spirit Beauty Lounge (which I'll post about later), and there wasn't much to take a picture of.

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I did really love the color and when I applied it to my eyes it was gorgeous! It was a gorgeous champagne nude color, comparable to Stila's Smudge Pot in Kitten but a few shades lighter. However, before I even left the house it had started creasing! As the website suggested, I just tapped it away and it looked better. Not long after it was creasing again! By the end of the day I basically had no color left over.

I tried using it with no primer, a MAC paint pot, the Korres eye primer, and Urban Decay Primer Potion. I got the same results every time! I even tried to put an powder shadow over it and it still creased!

But, if you have drier eyelids this might be the product for you. Since it's like skincare and makeup in one, it moisturizes the eyes which I think was my issue. I have pretty oily eyelids and wear primer with whatever eye makeup I have on that day. Until I find an alternative I'll have to stick with my Stila Smudge Pots and Benefit's Creaseless Cream shadows.

Note: I found that if I skipped moisturizing my lids, it did stay a bit longer. The eye shadow is like a moisturizer so I just skip it and moisturize around my eyes at night.

I may purchase the full size version just because I do love the color and the concept, and just bring it with me to touch up throughout the day. But I would give them a shot if you have drier or not oily eyelids :) Don't let this turn you off from the brand though, I tried some of their other products that I have fallen in LOVE with! Be on the lookout for those reviews soon. Oh and my Lovely Links will also be up soon!

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my giveaway! I love having giveaways so there will definitely be more in the future.

The winner of the Emma Kisstina MAC Print and a MAC lipstick or their choice was...Melanie from Adorabeauty!

Congratulations Melanie, I will be emailing you for your shipping address and your lipstick of choice shortly.

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Giveaway & Update

The giveaway has officially ended! Thanks everyone for entering, I'll be posting the winner asap!

This week is going to be very busy, so I'm sorry if I'm a bit MIA. I have my senior pictures today, and I start school tomorrow. I STILL have a book and a paper to write, because I have procrastinated like no other this summer.

I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about the giveaway, I'm just busy :)

In the mean time, enjoy this adorable picture:

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End of Summer Wishlist

At the beginning of summer, I posted my Summer 2011 Wishlist. Now that summer is pretty much over for me, it's tine for and End of Summer Wishlist!

1. Honore de Pres Love Coconut Perfume- I was browsing on my new website obsession, Spirit Beauty Lounge, and I saw this adorable perfume. The cute coffee cup is what caught my attention. I can't say for sure that I'm set on the smell because I haven't smelled it in person yet (I'll be ordering a sample soon!), but I love coconut scented things and it's an organic perfume so it sounds pretty perfect!

2. Grey Wolf Spirithood- I saw a photo of someone wearing a Spirithood once but I never knew what it was. Then I saw one in Seventeen magazine this month and I fell in love. I'm definitely going to get one for the winter months this year. They even have a program where if you buy a Spirithood with the "Problue" logo on it, they will donate a portion of that sale to the charity of the animal you bought. I really like the husky and the grey wolf, but the grey wolf has the Problue logo so I'm pretty sure I'll get that one.

3. A new wallet/keychain- If I don't keep my keys and my wallet with my ID in it, I'm bound to leave the house without one of them so I have to keep them together. I've been using Vera Bradley ones since I started driving but I'm starting to look at other brands as well.

4. A pair of navy TOMS- I'm getting a navy pair of toms and a custom shark painted on them by Kelli Smith on Etsy. I'm so excited, because they will match the shark backpack I ordered for school this year! :)

5. A Balenciaga Wallet- Since a Balenciaga purse is very much out of the question right now, a wallet seems more obtainable. I love this fun, bright pink one. I'll just have to convince myself to keep track of my wallet and keys if they are ever separated.

6. More time!- Summer went by way too quickly! I start school in 2 days and I haven't finished all of my summer work. I still have to read 2 books, write 3 papers, and finish some math sheets. Procrastinating before school even starts, I see how this year is gonna be.

Just a reminder, my giveaway ends TODAY at midnight! So enter while you can!

What do you think? What's on your wishlist now that summer is over?

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara in Blackberry Review

During my search for more green beauty products, I ran across a brand called 100% Pure. The first thing I saw that caught my eye was that they have fruit pigmented cosmetics! I was so intrigued just buy the concept. I contacted the company about them and they agreed to send over some products to try! The first item I tried and loved, the fruit pigmented mascara!

I got the color Blackberry, which is described as a "shimmery black plum". I didn't really notice any shimmer, but it was a very deep plum color. The color isn't made with synthetic dyes either, it's pigmented with fruit! The first thing I noticed when I opened the tube was the smell. It smelled like blackberries! Not synthetically either, it literally smelled like I had a bowl of blackberries in front of me.

It's a very lengthening mascara and it separated my lashes like any other of my favorite mascaras. I didn't notice any smudging or flaking throughout the day so that was a definite plus! And keep in mind I live in very humid weather. There was some very minor clumping when I first applied it, but I just brushed my lashes with a clean mascara wand and they looked great! I really couldn't find anything bad about this mascara, except maybe the price. It's $18 for the big tube and $12 for the mini tube. Not a typical drugstore mascara, but that's a small price to pay for a good quality, natural, cruelty free mascara!

The packaging is also really pretty, and I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

The wand has a little groove in it, which helps to curl your lashes. I can't speak for people that have hard to curl lashes (my eyelash curler rarely gets used), but my lashes were curled and lengthy all day. (My camera makes the mascara look a little grey, but it's definitely a deep plum color!)

It didn't irritate my eyes at all, and I wear contacts so that's another plus.

This mascara is definitely a win for me, and I will be repurchasing!

The only bad things I can think of is the price and accessibility. I don't particularly like buying things online, and the only 100% Pure stores right now are in California. There may be other stores that sell it, but none around where I live that I know of.

People have requested a picture of the mascara on, so here it is! If anybody has tips on taking pictures of your own eyes, please let me know. It was so difficult to get a good picture!

What do you think? Have you ever used any fruit pigmented cosmetics from 100% Pure? Have you ever used a natural mascara?

Lovely Links

Hello! Sorry I've been kind of busy with some last minute summer work before school starts and I've been slacking on my posting! I'm going to try my hardest to post every other day during the school year but sometimes I do get behind. So sorry in advance for that! It's Friday again, which means link time!

I'm a bit too scared of needles to do it, but have you ever gotten acupuncture?

Are you shy? Here are some tips to overcome your shyness so you can face the new school year a new person!

Ever been a bridesmaid? Here's what your bridesmaid dress color may have said about you!

The Gloss shows us how to wear all one color without looking crazy.

If you have trouble sleeping, try these tricks to help you fall asleep.

If you managed to get your hands on the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette, Keiko Lynn shows us how to wear the brighter colors in the palette!

Elle Sees shows us how to recover from a vacation!

That's it for this week! I have some reviews coming up from Korres and 100% Pure that I'm excited to post!

Also don't forget to enter the giveaway! It ends in 3 days!

Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Natural Pink Review

My Korres package came in the mail yesterday! I was so excited to try out my new goodies. I bought this lipstick, a lip butter, a lip butter glaze, a shower gel, and a sample of their eye primer. More reviews coming when I have more time to fully test everything out.

Let me start by saying this: I HATE wearing lipstick. As I mentioned in my July favorites post, I was loving Revlon's Primrose. It's a really pretty color and I still wear it, but this kind of blows that out of the water.

One of the main reasons I hate wearing lipstick is the formula just feels so heavy, waxy, thick, sticky, etc. on my lips, and also tends to put a spotlight on dry patches on my lips. I've always been one to play up my eyes and add some drama up there, and keep the lips natural. My lips naturally have a nice little tint to them, so I never found lipstick really a necessity for me.

-dramatic music- UNTIL now. The Korres Mango Butter Lipsticks (well at least this one, I can't say if they're consistent or not but I hope so!) don't have that nasty heavy feeling that most lipsticks do. The best part? It feels so moisturizing and doesn't show off my dry spots! Thank you mango butter!

When I first opened it, I was actually pretty disappointed because the color looked kind of on the red side, which isn't a bad thing but keep in mind the color is Natural Pink. It must have been the lighting though because I opened it to use the next day it didn't look that way at all.

It's not very opaque but you can build up the color. I usually don't build up my color because like I said, my lips don't need that much drama or attention. It also leaves a nice glossy sheen on your lips. I now understand what people mean when they say "my lips but better".

It's formulated without mineral oil, silicones, propylene glycol, and ethanolamines. (Not sure what the last 2 are? But that's what the Korres website said).

I wore it to work and I'd say it lasted about 2 or 3 hours maybe? I'm not really sure. So not the best staying power but I can work with that.

My camera fails at getting swatch pictures, the coloring is always a little off so this was as close to real as I could get.

I still don't consider lipstick something I would wear every single day, but when I do this is my new favorite lipstick. I will definitely be repurchasing!

Have you ever tried any Korres Products? Do you have a favorite lipstick?

Also, don't forget! You can enter my giveaway to win a MAC lipstick of you're choice and an Emma Kisstina MAC lipstick print! Giveaway ends August 22nd!

Inspired by: The Roaring Twenties

I've always loved the 1920's. I think the only time I'm truly interested in history class is when we talk about the 1920's. It was such a new era for women, where they branched out from what society wanted to see from them.

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I read the Great Gatsby in middle school and hated it, then read it again in high school and I loved it! Gooood book.

Are you inspired by the 1920's? What's your favorite time period in history?

Sites to Help You Go Green

Going green has been a bit difficult for me. I'm on day 2 of being a successful vegetarian (well pescetarian technically since I still eat fish). It's harder than I thought not to eat meat. Not because I crave it when I can't have it, I'm just so used to not having to filter what I eat that I'll slip up and not even realize until later that night when I go over in my head if I did good or not.

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I've found some great sites that are helping, though.

Joining Eco Emi is going to help alot, so that I can get introduced to more brands and learn more about going green. They have a lot of info on their site about why you should go green, and brands and sites that they love.

I discovered No More Dirty Looks last night, and it's a very cool site! It's written by Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt. The blog actually came from their book, No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics, which I will definitely be picking up!

Sephora has a "Natural" tab you can click while shopping. Also they have created their own natural seal, so that you know when you are buying something that is high in vitamins, antioxidants, and other good things and also low in GMO's, parabens, and other bad things.

Etsy has a bath and beauty section where you can find TONS of beauty products that are eco friendly. I can't speak for all of them, but most of the products are free of harsh chemicals and don't test on animals.

If you have a blog or a website, make it carbon neutral! It's so easy!

Upurea has all of your green beauty needs all in one site! If you are just starting out like me, this is a great way to find new brands that will fit your green needs.

Of course, TOMS has to be on this list! Everything about these shoes is great, they are eco friendly (and have vegan versions too!), they are comfy, and when you buy a pair of TOMS they give a pair to a child in need! I'm buying my first pair for back to school :)

I will be making a list of my favorite natural and green brands (once I test them and find out at least). So that may take a while. Some brands that claim to be natural aren't actually very natural at all *cough* Neutrogena Naturlas *cough*. It's important to read the ingredients.

That's about it for now! Do you have any favorite green brands? Do you make an effort to go green? Have you ever tried being a vegetarian?

Lovely Links

That time of the week again. Time for some linkage!

A bit of a history lesson, 7 things women invented first from All Women Stalk.

Snooki seems to be doing it all these days. Partying, writing a book, designing slippers, and launching a perfume!

I don't need more reminders that I'm going back to school soon, but this DIY notebook paper tee is super cute!

College fashion has a rundown on the fall 2011 fashion trends for back to school!

It's no shock that Kate Middleton made it on the list, but here are 5 people that made it on Vanity Fair's best dressed list.

The Beauty Department does a breakdown of the different kind of eye brushes.

That's all for this week. One last thing, I hit 200 followers :D I'm so excited, you all are awesome!

NOTD- Essie Borrowed & Blue + INM Base Coat Review

Ok this is actually like NOAFWA (Nail of a Few Weeks Ago) because I painted my nails this color when I did this haul. I was able to paint my nails that day (boo for not being able to wear polish at work!), but had to take it off the next day. But I still wanted to share :)

Blue is one of my favorite colors. This was a really pretty light robins egg blue that I got at Bed Bath & Beyond. It was such a pretty summer color, so I'm pretty sad I didn't get to wear it much. I also painted my toes with it and it looked fab :) I'm a fan of Essie nail polishes in general, I don't know why I always seem to gravitate towards them in the store, along with China Glaze. Oh and please excuse my not so good self manicure skills.

Also, I used my INM Clear Bond Base Coat I also mentioned in the haul. I tested one hand with the base coat and one without. Unfortunately, the hand with the base coat had a streakier application, but after applying a second coat it was fine. But, when I went to take the polish off, it was sooo easy to remove, while the hand without the base coat I had to scrub a little harder to get it off. Not a bad purchase, but I'd like to find one that doesn't give me streaks when I paint my nails.

What was your favorite nail polish this summer? Do you have a favorite base coat? Do you feel a base coat is necessary?

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway if you want a chance to win an Emma Kisstina MAC Print and a MAC lipstick or lipglass of your choice!

Going Greener: Fortune Cookie Soaps

I'm trying to make an effort to be more green, both in food and lifestyle choices, including my beauty products. I'm trying my best to find brands that don't test on animals, and are free of harsh and harmful chemicals. I signed up for Eco Emi, which will help a lot. If you don't know what Eco Emi is, it's basically an earth friendly version of Birchbox. Except it's a lifestyle box so you generally get a few beauty products along with things like food, tea, things to clean your house with, etc., that are all cruelty free, green, free trade, eco friendly, and all that good stuff.

I've been eyeing Fortune Cookie Soap for quite some time, but never got around to buying anything. All of the products are "gunk free" and they don't test on animals. Plus they are super cute! They recently had a summer sale and I bought an "In the Loop" bar soap.

It's probably one of the cutest soaps I've ever seen. It looks so much like Froot Loops in milk, and smells EXACTLY like Froot Loops. And it's a pretty decent size, too, I'm sure I'll be using this for a while. I usually prefer body wash over bar soaps, but this was on sale, cute, and is helping me go greener in my life so, why not! I haven't used it yet but I'm really excited to.

I'm going to be making a list of all natrual, green, chemical free, cruelty free, etc., brands and websites that I find. I'll probably put it in the sidebar or make a new page and link it or something. I'm not sure. But anyway, Fortune Cookie Soap is definitely going on that list. This is my first "green find" in my journey, haha.

I also received a free sample of their "Love Doctor" bath melt. It melted a little bit in the mail box, but it still smells really good!

Update: I was a bit too excited about my soap and described it to my coworkers tonight (which happened to be all guys) and they thought that sounded super amazing and badass. So your male friends may love Fortune Cookie Soaps as well :P

Have you bought anything from Fortune Cookie Soap? What are your favorite "green" beauty brands?

My Beauty Must Have

No matter how much time I have in the morning or how much makeup I decide to wear that day, mascara always makes it into my beauty routine somehow. It's one of those magical products that opens and brightens your eyes, and makes you look more awake.

I know it's not just me thinking that too, because I went to work and forgot to put mascara on and you wouldn't believe how many people asked if I was ok, asked if I was sick, tired, etc. I don't know about you, but the sickly/tired look is not what I generally go for!

I find that drugstore mascaras work just as well as the high end mascaras (with the exception of MAC's Haute & Naughty, my only full size, high-end mascara purchase!). Not saying high end mascaras are bad, I just wouldn't shell out the money for them unless they come with a product I'm already buying.

What are your favorite mascaras? Do you have a beauty must have that you wear everyday?

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

My Thoughts on Vita Coco Coconut Water

At the beginning of summer, I posted about my summer resolutions for this summer, and drinking coconut water was on the top of my list. After extensive (well, what I consider extensive) research and reading several reviews, Vita Coco seemed like the way to go for coconut water drinkers. Most said that it tasted sweet, kept them hydrated, and talked about other health benefits of drinking coconut water in general.

I went to GNC and picked up the Peach and Mango flavor. I stuck it in the fridge before work to chill it, and took it to work with me.

I happened to be running very late for work that day, and had to park far away because of some event that was going on. I literally had to RUN to work in the awful Charleston summer humidty/heat, wearing long pants. Being the out of shape bum that I am, under normal circumstances I would have passed out by the time I got to work and/or felt absolutely awful. Lucky for me, I had my coconut water and drank it on my run to work. I felt wonderfully hydrated when I got there. Just a little hot (thank god I work in an ice cream shop...) and a bit worn out.

However, it wasn't the taste I was expecting. Considering it was coconut water, with peach and mango mixed in, I was expecting it to taste fruity and sweet. But it tasted like...tomato juice, like V8. It didn't taste bad necessarily, but not what I was expecting. So the taste wasn't good but tolerable because of all of the benefits of coconut water.

By the end of my shift, I had gotten a HORRIBLE headache, which I assumed was just from the running. I had gotten tired of drinking my coconut water and decided to switch over to regular water. (I gave the rest of my coconut water to my coworker who LOVED the taste. So I guess it's an acquired taste?)

I went back to GNC and got 2 other flavors, the regular coconut water and one with acai berry.

Same thing with both flavors: I felt hydrated and healthy, if that makes sense. But the taste wasn't quite right and I got awful headaches both times.

Needless to say, I got tired of the headaches and after the third coconut water I realized I got them after drinking coconut water, so I stopped drinking them. As I thought, the headaches stopped after I gave up coconut water. I have an allergy to most fruit (nothing fatal, just itchy mouth, throat, lips, tongue, etc.), so maybe coconut water was no different for me. Someone suggested I may not be allergic to it but I have an intolerance to it, like some are lactose intolerant.

Final thoughts:

-If you go to the gym or play a sport and drink sports drinks like Gatorade, this could be a healthier alternative to keep you hydrated.

-The taste wasn't as fruity as I expected, but it wasn't too bad. Others love the taste.

-Had horrible headaches after drinking it.

-Other than keeping you hydrated, coconut water has many other health benefits.

Do you or have you had coconut water before? Did you like the taste? What did you like/dislike about it?

Boyfriend Series: Picking out a Present

Hellooo everybody! On the 18th of this month, my boyfriend and I will have been together for a whole happy year. Yay! I'm kind of having a difficult time picking out a present for him (and I still owe him a graduation present).

I've offered to take him out to dinner instead of the other way around, because he's taken me out several times throughout this lovely year. It only seems fair that I take him out for a nice dinner for a change.

At first I was considering getting him gift cards. To thinkgeek.com, because he loves all that nerdy stuff. Or from americanmuscle.com because he has a Mustang and is constantly wanting things to buy for it.

My second thought was to get him DJ2GO because he likes to dabble in the DJ world. But it's kind of a cheaper and smaller version of this DJ setup, which I would buy him if I had $280 to spend. Buuuut I don't.

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And my third idea was an engraved butterfly knife. He had a butterfly knife (you know those cool ones that you flip around and stuff?) that his friend got him for his birthday but I kind of took and haven't given it back yet. So I thought it would be cool if I got him a new one and get it engraved. The problem with that is, I don't know where to get that done.

It's not really that big of a deal, but he deserves the best I can get, so I want to get it right haha.

SO basically I need suggestions, what would you get your boyfriend for a 1 year anniversary? I need help haha.

Shark Cupcakes!

My boyfriend came over last night to watch Shark Week with me, and we made shark cupcakes! Or sharkcakes as he likes to call them. We didn't wait for them to cool before we put the icing on, the icing melted on some of them. But they turned out very yummy :)

What you'll need:

Cake mix (and ingredients needed for making a cake, like eggs, oil, etc. We used red velvet)

Blue icing

Construction paper and scissors

Peach rings (or small powdered doughnuts and red fruit rollups)

Cupcake cups and a cupcake pan

When I took the picture the batter looked more like spaghetti than red velvet cake mix so I had to edit it a bit. Anyway red velvet seemed appropriate because of the bloody tint to it, plus it's delicious!

The shark fins! Boyfriend had to draw me a model shark fin because the one cut out looked like Jimmy Neutron's hair (anyone?).

We used gummy peach rings to resemble one of those life preserver floats. You could also use mini powdered doughnuts for the float and cut strips or red Fruit Rollups for the red stripes, but we figured this was easier and less messy.

Well that's it for today :) I hope you all are thoroughly enjoying Shark Week if you watch it. You can find the inspiration for the cupcakes here.

Also don't forget to enter my MAC lipstick and print giveaway! Ends August 22nd!