Essie NOTD Swatches

No long, wordy post today girls. It is raining, and I am planning on taking a nice hot bath to relax and warm up my bones! I just wanted to post some swatches of the three Essie nail colors that I mentioned a few weeks ago in my Essie Spring Nails post:

~Luscious Lips~ Very, very sheer! A bit too sheer, as this is after two coats. Nothing special, and certainly not what it looked like in the bottle. However, these polishes were buy two, get one free so I don't really regret it. It's nice and natural, almost like my own nails but better. I guess. Not thrilled.

~Neo-Whimsical~ So pretty! Again, a bit on the sheer side but still a lovely shade of pinky-lilac. I know I'm going to wear this one a ton over the next few months.

~Van D'Go~ I KNEW this would be my favorite out of the three! Love, love, love it. I am wearing it on my nails right now and it is just so gorgeous and vibrant. And, it's super opaque which I am pleased with.

Overall, I find Essie to be a bit streaky in application as well as very sheer. Van D'Go is the exception as far as it being opaque. I still favor Sephora by OPI and the regular OPI polishes, but if I want more natural color then Essie is still a good option. And Van D'Go is now one of my favorite colors of all time.

Happy Saturday! Where's the sun when I need it?

♥ Noelle

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Feb. Favorites

February is such a short month! I can't believe it's almost March. Well, thank God, because that means we are that much closer to the official arrival of Spring. I didn't do favorites last month, mainly because they haven't been changing very much, but there are some things that I'd like to mention for the month of February:

Makeup:
~ Urban Decay Alice palette: I love the beautiful colors that this offers. All are rather neutral surprisingly; the bright green and blue in it are exceptions that will make gorgeous liners in the Summertime. My personal favorite shades are Mushroom, Queen, Muchness, Drink Me Eat Me, and White Rabbit. I'm sure those of you that were lucky enough to get your hands on this palette will also agree that it is a favorite for this month...right?!
~ MUFE Mat Velvet + Foundation: I just love this stuff. It covers inperfections flawlessly and gives me a nice matte finish, while still looking natural. My skin is still acting up a bit, but you can't tell when I have this on. I am trying to use it sparingly because I don't want to finish it. I just might have to re-purchase, despite the $34 price-tag! My problem is, when I find a product I like, I am very loyal to it.
~ Maybelline Full and Soft Mascara: I needed a good every day mascara that wouldn't be too much, but that would still give my lashes some volume and definition. I decided to give this a go when Laura of Lollipop26 mentioned this in one of her videos. I'm glad I decided to buy it. I used this in high school, and now I know why I loved it so much then.
~ MAC lipsticks in Myself, Nude Rose, and Bare slimshine. Perfect, goof-proof colors for daily wear.
~ MAC eye kohl in Teddy, which is the prettiest brown liner I have ever seen. It has tiny gold flecks in it, but the shimmer isn't noticeable once it's applied. I have honestly been wearing this every day. If anyone is in need of brown liner, I highly suggest taking a look at Teddy.

Fashion:
~ Ruffles on everything!
~ Florals, but I am kind of picky. The print has to be a little understated for me.
~ Jewel Tones: On the hunt for teal, jade green, bright yellow or mustard, and fushia. Remember my picks for the Sag awards? Yes, well anything that resembles those colors and dresses is what I want.
~ Soft t-shirts to wear casually with jeans. I just bought a light gray tee from Charlotte Russe and it fits so nicely. The fabric is unusually soft to the touch. Pair tees with cardigans, flats, and some great excess-ories and you are good to go.
~ Pearls: I think I am in an ultra-girly state of mind at the moment!
~ Cocktail Rings: The gawdier the better. If grandma wore it once upon a time in her hey-day, I like it =)
~ Lace. Ooooo, I just ordered this from Forever 21.com:

Please fit, please fit, please fit! I ordered a medium, figuring if it's a bit too big I can have it cinched in at the waist. I have a really small waist, but a big booty so I have this problem a lot ;)

What are your favorites lately? I really want to know!

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Some Fashion Girls To Look Out For

 Ok, so you guys know I love to write. I especially love to write about beauty products, makeup, shoes, nail polish, the occasional breakouts on my chin (insert sad face). But I also really like to write about clothes and how I like to put myself together. I don't claim to be the most fashion savvy girl on the planet, and I unfortunately don't have the money yet to afford Chanel, C.L.'s and Louis Vuitton. But, even more than blogging about clothing, I also love reading what other fashion forward girls have to say. I only recently have begun to discover the fabulous world of fashion bloggers, but I am so happy that I have. It's such a nice complement to my beauty blog list. Beauty AND fashion...They go hand-in-hand in my opinion ;) So here are some fashion-y girls I think you will love if you ever need some inspiration. I'm not going to go into these in detail, just click on the links if you're interested.

~http://closetfullofnothing.blogspot.com/~

~http://dancinginchiffon.blogspot.com/~

~http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com/~

~http://fashionfoodfrivolity.blogspot.com/~

~http://fashionablyinspired.blogspot.com/~

~http://www.iamstyle-ish.com/~

~http://letsplaydressup239.blogspot.com/~

~http://lifeisbetterinheels.blogspot.com/~

~http://passionforfashion1983.blogspot.com/~

~http://futurebirkinowner.blogspot.com/~

~http://stylenirvana.blogspot.com/~

~http://www.thechloeconspiracy.com/~

~http://www.thelook4less.net/~

Phew, wow that was a lot. I didn't realize I have subscribed to so many blogs! No wonder I spend hours on here, just reading. This isn't a tag or anything, I just wanted to share some good information. I hope you don't mind =) Oh, and I also want to mention Be In Style, a blog about fashion, beauty, and accessories. My three loves.

♥ Noelle

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I Finally Found My Perfect Concealer

It was no easy feat, I assure you. Concealer has always been tricky for me. I have tried low-end brands from the drugstore as well as higher end brands from department stores. Maybelline, L'oreal, Clinique, Prescriptives. And they were all ok, but not exactly the coverage or brightness that I was looking for. I used to own a brightening concealer pen from a brand called Pout that used to be available at Victoria's Secret and Sephora, but it got discontinued. I have a similar product from Prescriptives called "Site Unseen" but now Prescriptives is being discontinued as well. What is up with that anyway? Well I was about to give up on my endless quest to find a product that would sufficiently cover the bags under my eyes until I discovered this quad at Target from Sonia Kashuk:

It is called the hidden agenda concealer palette and I believe I paid around nine dollars for it (don't quote me on that). I like to use the shades on the left. The shade at the top matches my skin exactly, and the shade underneath that one has a bit of a greenish tinge to it, making it exceptional for covering red spots. The top right shade is pretty dark, so I haven't used it at all yet. The bottom right shade is actually a setting powder and it does so really well. I remember a few youtube gurus mentioning this product, but I thought it had been discontinued. I hope it never is! I plan on re-purchasing as many times as I need to. I just love the creamy consistency of these concealers. They are buildable and never cakey. Plus, you can easily customize your proper shade by combining colors. Of course, this is just my experience with this product, but I have been using it on a daily basis for over a month now. I firmly stand by my recommendation. It's a great find.

♥ Noelle

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