Chanel, Cardigans, and Coloring Books!

I have one test in between me and the sweet, sweet (long!) weekend. I have another big test coming up with only 2 classes between now and that test, so I might be a little MIA while I'm studying for that.

I'm a sucker for advertising, and in this months Glamour there was a sample of Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. Good timing because I'm out of foundation so I took advantage. Damn you Chanel and Glamour! I forgot how much I liked that foundation! I really can't spend that much on foundation right now so I'm hoping I can find something similar, suggestions are encouraged.

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Ugh. School is draining all of my funds that are already limited to begin with. Yay textbooks. Yes, you can buy them used or rent them, but for some classes you have to at least buy this "connect plus access card" because you have to register it to do the homework for the class, and you can't share them because it's registered exclusively to you. The one for my psychology class was $100 for the textbook and access code, $80 for just the access code. And the one for my math class (which I haven't bought yet) is around $150 for just the code. Yuck.

Anyway, since I have no extra funds to spend on clothes, I've really been looking at deals lately. And inspired by my cold classrooms, I figured I'd share some cardigans that are under $50. 

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I'm sure you all have heard the hype about "adult coloring books". I think it probably is a good, fun thing to do when you want to give your brain a break from writing notecard after notecard after notecard. It keeps you kind of focused on something but gives you a break from cranking out numbers or whatever you're doing, and helps bring out your creative side a little bit. It's not as distracting as say, drinking a glass of wine or 5. I wouldn't call it "therapy" and I don't think you need to spend $30 on a coloring book. There are sheets you can probably print out from your home to color, or you can design your own coloring book, or do spend the $30 on a coloring book, shit, whatever you want to do! More like $8 on average actually, but still.

Hmmm, sorry this post was just me rambling. I tried to be a little helpful. Wish me luck on my psychology test! I may not be around for a week or so. Hope you all have a great labor day weekend!

Also, please recommend a foundation if you have used one that's similar to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. What are your weekend plans?

Products I Will Be Repurchasing

I know I've done some of these before, and I will continue to do them! I think some of these products were even on my past posts on things I would repurchase, because I did and will continue to repurchase them!

1. Mario Badescu Rose Hips Nourishing Oil- I used to mainly use this in the winter time because my face would dry out so badly, but I use it in the summer as well because it just adds a little extra moisture in spots that are needed. For some reason my skin gets very dry and flakey around my eyebrow area, so I use it before I put on my moisturizer and the flakes are gone! I also have a Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow that hadn't been used in a while and had dried out. I put a drop of this in the shadow, mixed it up with a toothpick, and it was good as new! It didn't look as smooth and pretty in the container as it did when I first got it, but still looked the same when applied to eyes. I'm not use exactly how safe it is to use around the eye area, but I have been and haven't had any problems so far! A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way too!

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- I freaking love this stuff! I've gotten some samples of other eye primers (e.l.f., Lorac, and some others I can't recall right now) and this one takes the cake. Not that the others were bad, the Primer Potion just makes my shadow stay on alllll damn day. Sometimes I'm bad and fall asleep in my makeup, and when I wake up it's still there! Not as perfect as the day before, but it definitely works. Lorac is a close second, and the e.l.f. one isn't bad for the price, I just prefer the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

3. Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater- I really, really like Mario Badescu products in case you haven't noticed. It's absolutely perfect to keep in your purse and spray it on your face throughout the day. Since I tend to have dehydrated skin, this acts as a little pick me up so that I don't get too dry. I also use it as a makeup setting spray so that my setting powder doesn't dry out my face too much. I am way too in love with this stuff, I'm on my third bottle!

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil- Eyeliner that doesn't have good staying power drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't want coon eyes halfway through the day. These puppies have insane staying power. I use it on my upper and lower lash lines and I get no coon eyes. They also apply very smoothly, so there is no tugging on my eyes when I put it on. I've gone through 2 full sized black pencils, and I also have a purple pencil that I sometimes put over my black liner. I love love love love these things. Get them. Now.

5. MAC Face and Body Foundation- I'd heard recommendations for this back when I first started wearing foundation, but I also had problem skin that needed heavier coverage. Now that my skin is acne free, I don't need such a heavy foundation. It's VERY watery, but it sets into your skin very quickly. This is especially good for summer because it feels so light, but I usually add another layer once the first one dries just to cover up a few trouble spots. I could use concealer for this, but I feel like concealer is too heavy to cover the extra redness around my nose and cheeks. I use e.l.f. studio concealer if anyone is wondering. I've had no breakouts so far, and it stays all day! I do set it with powder, though, just to make sure.

6. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Combination Skin- It doesn't make my face too oily, it doesn't break me out, and it doesn't dehydrate my skin. It's also affordable and I can get it pretty much anywhere. That's pretty much all I'm looking for in a moisturizer at the moment.



Apologies again for the repeats, I couldn't help myself. What are some products you loved that you will be repurchasing?

The Verdict

I've had time to try out my 2 new products this week, and I think it's time to share my thoughts on them!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I ran out of my MAC Prep + Prime Skin (favorite face primer ever!) and decided to try out the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer since I had store credit at Bluemercury. I did notice a difference in the way my makeup looked and the staying power throughout the day. I didn't get as oily as I did when I used no primer, and my makeup did stay on longer. However, I still think the MAC Prep + Prime Skin made my makeup stay on a bit longer and kept me even less oily throughout the day. I applied powder twice during the day with MAC Prep + Prime (once in the morning, and another time in the middle of the day), and I applied powder 2 or 3 times during the day with the Laura Mercier one (Morning, and 2 or 3 random times throughout the day). I do like that it's a squeeze tube though, so I can get the most out of my product and control how much I get out.

Packaging Winner: Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer

All Around Winner: MAC Prep + Prime Skin

Now onto the foundations. Before I was using the MAC Pro Longwear, and when I ran out of that I decided to give the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation a try. This is going to be a very hard decision for me because I love both so much but all for different reasons! Pro Longwear has amazing staying power, as in alllll day. I don't do a lot of sweating or running around, so I can't speak for you active people. It has medium coverage which is good to cover my redness and acne scars, and it has a natural looking finish to it. The bad thing is, I HAVE to set it with a powder otherwise it will feel kind of sticky. The blending is so-so, it dries pretty quickly. Now onto the Vitalumiere Aqua. It does not stay on ALL day but it does make it through most of it. It's light to medium coverage so this would be good for girls who don't need a lot of coverage. It feels amazing on the skin and blends so effortlessly. I've always heard people say it's like putting on a second layer of skin, and I have to agree! Since there were a lot of things to consider, I'll have to do multiple winners on this one.

Staying Power Winner: MAC Pro Longwear

Low Maintenance Winner: Vitalumiere Aqua

Winter Winner (feels a bit heavier and more coverage): MAC Pro Longwear

Summer Winner (doesn't feel like you're wearing anything but not a lot of coverage): Vitalumiere Aqua.

All Around Winner: ...Tie! I like them both a lot, it just depends on what I'm looking for that day!

And once again sorry for not posting! I haven't been around internet too much but I will when we get moved into our new house! Thanks for being patient, you guys are awesome :) And 2 more followers until 100! Yay!!!

In your opinion...

What is the best foundation/foundation you are using now?

I'm currently using MAC's Pro Longwear foundation, and I'm almost out. I like this foundation but I don't feel like its that perfect foundation, you know? I do love that it has SPF in it though, I try to use products that have SPF. I'm thinking about trying the Laura Mercier silk creme foundation, because I've heard great things about that. Anyway, lemme know :)

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