Maybelline The Smokes Palette: Swatches & Review

Hello Beautiful Ones!

This is a product I've been trying to get my hands on for a while now: The Smokes palette from Maybelline. So you can imagine my excitement when I finally found one on a recent trip to the drugstore (I basically snatched the last one off the shelf like a mad woman, but let's not talk about that!). Let's just get right to the review and swatches shall we?!

I'll be honest I've never owned Maybelline's The Nudes palette, I just felt like those were all colors that I already owned since I tend to gravitate towards nudes anyway. I was really excited when I heard about this one because it has some really gorgeous shades that I feel can be used for both day and night.

The packaging is almost identical to The Nudes palette, I love the sleek look of the black package and the silver writing. This palette is also pretty thin making it nice for traveling or throwing in your bag. The palette also includes a double ended sponge tip applicator, but I feel like I'll be sticking to my own shadow brushes for application.

Now let's get into the good part: the colors! I'm just going to let them speak for themselves.

As you can see all of the colors swatched beautifully! I am already envisioning so many combinations. The palette has a good mix of shimmers and mattes. Also, the black one on the top row even has some chunky silver glitter specks in it. What's great about this palette is that all of the colors are coordinated into either 3 quads, or 4 triplets depending on how you look at it. I haven't worn these on my lids yet, but they glided on easily and pretty evenly when I swatched them. 

Perhaps the best part about this palette is the price. You can get this lovely palette that includes 12 gorgeous shades for only $11.99! 

Have you tried The Smokes palette yet? Let me know in the comments!

XO- Brittney

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Nudestix #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit

Hello Beautiful Ones!

I've had my eye on the Nudestix brand for a while, but I just hadn't gotten around to trying anything... until now! This time of year is truly a beauty junkie's dream come true because there are so many holiday gift sets out right now that allow you to try out new products that you otherwise might not splurge for. When I saw the Nudestix #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit at Sephora I knew I needed to give it a try.

The #GILTYLOVE set includes three Magnetic Eye Color pencils, a sharpener, and an adorable limited edition holiday tin to hold it all.

The Magnetic Eye Color pencils are marketed as 24 hour wearing shadow pencils that won't smudge or crease. This set gives you three pencils in coordinating shades: Night (black), Gilt (gold), and Twilight (bronze). The color pay-off on all of these is stunning. Here is a swatch of all three:

The lasting power of these is also great, I can easily put them on in the morning and not have to worry about them rubbing off or smudging. My only slight complaint is that these set so well so quickly that it is a little difficult to blend them together. My advice is to blend quickly, also it just takes some practice. Once you get the hang of it they work really well.

The #GILTYLOVE set is $49 at Sephora (the Magnetic Eye Color pencils are regularly $24 each making this a $72 value). Overall, this holiday kit is a great bargain and makes the perfect gift for any beauty enthusiast (or yourself)!

XO- Brittney

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Monday Musings: The Power in Being an Introvert

Hello Beautiful Ones!

What do you think of when you hear the word introvert? I'm going to pretend to read your mind (that would be pretty impressive), and assume that you consider being an introvert a negative thing. I identify as an introvert, and I'm here to tell you why that is not necessarily a bad thing.

I'm going to start this post by saying that I'm 23, and I'm certainly not really an expert on anything at this point. But with that being said, I've always been an introvert. It's who I am, and I can remember so many instances in my 23 years of life when I tried to change that or wished I wasn't. The thing is that at the end of the day, you are who you are. Sure we can change and grow. That's normal and that's great. But there is also something to be said about how powerful it can be to embrace who you truly are.

I didn't really start figuring that out until I went away to college. If you asked one of my high school classmates about me I'm guessing they would say "she was nice, but really quiet." In my mind college was going to be awesome because I was going to a new place to meet new people with the opportunity to completely reinvent myself. The thing was though that I could change my scenery but at the end of the day I was still the same person.

Try as I might to be outgoing, it's just not who I am. But with that being said, it doesn't mean that I'm not friendly or don't enjoy a great conversion because I totally do. I think that when a lot of us think about introverts we think about a kid in their basement glued to their computer because they don't like human interaction. Sure, that would be a severe form of introvertism (is that even a word?), but it's not the only form that an introvert can take.

For me, being an introvert means that I might not be the one who initiates a conversation. It doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you it just means I might not feel comfortable walking up to you to start a chat. Also on that note I sometimes struggle speaking up in large group conversations (especially if I don't know the group very well), but that doesn't mean I don't have something to say I just prefer to say it in a smaller group or one-on-one. And finally being an introvert does NOT mean I don't like going out, it just means that I also value my alone time. On a Friday night I like to unwind by myself with a glass of wine and my Netflix, and by Saturday I'm ready to go out and do something fun with my friends.

Being an introvert doesn't mean you're broken, it just means you think and act differently from your outgoing counterparts. My main point here is that it doesn't really matter if you identify as an introvert or not, it just matters that you figure out what works best for you. I know that I like listening more than I like talking some days. One of my best friends just needs someone to listen to him, we're a perfect match. Yet another good friend of mine is also an introvert, and we can sit in happy silence with each other for hours. My point is that you don't need to change yourself to connect with other people, you just need to know who you are so that you can surround yourself with people who get it.

I have more to say about this, but I think I'm going to leave it at that for today. Maybe I'll come back to this topic some day. All I want for all of you is that you are happy (cheesy but true).

Just remember to be yourself and I promise you will sparkle. x

XO- Brittney

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Tarte Park Ave Princess Contour Palette- Review & Swatches

Hello Beautiful Ones!

Is there anything better than holiday palettes and gift sets? Is it bad that I love to buy said gift sets for myself? Oh well, it's important to treat yourself! One of the limited edition holiday palettes that really caught my eye was this Park Ave Princess contour palette from Tarte featuring a bronzer, blush, and highlighter.

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate this packaging? It really is gorgeous, and perfect for a gift (or to keep!). Here are some close ups of the packaging.

The palette is really slim and sleek. I love that you get a decent amount of each product. Also, there is a very large mirror in this compact which comes in handy if you are going to be doing any traveling. It's really convenient to have a bronzer, blush, and highlighter all in one palette. 

This palette includes a bronzer: Park Ave Princess, a blush: Posh, and a highlighter: Champagne Gold. I want to start out by saying that none of these colors are super bold, but since I have a very fair complexion they all work really well for me. You can build up the color as well. Here are some color swatches:

I've been applying these with a kabuki brush. Application is pretty easy, however you only need to tap your brush lightly in the bronzer to get a really good color payoff. The staying power is good, it can easily withstand a full day of work. Also, these colors are totally school/work appropriate.

The price tag is a little hefty at $34, but I would say that the product is totally worth it. Overall, this is a great value and a really nice piece for any makeup collection. Let me know what holiday beauty items are catching your eye this season.

XO- Brittney

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Monday Musings: The Art of Embracing Change

Hello Beautiful Ones!

Happy Monday! The weekend always ends WAY too fast, where does it even go? So here we are at the start of a new week. It's been a while since I have done a Monday musings and there have been a lot of changes happening in my life lately, so that is the theme of the day: change. As always, prepare to experience the inside of my mind (buckle up kids!).

Ok, now on to the serious stuff: change. Change is literally inevitable. Without change we would all just be doing the same exact things day in and day out. That sounds terrible. So why then is change so scary? I think it's super easy to get caught in your comfort zone. Lord knows that happens to me more often than I would like to admit. But as I said, change is bound to happen. So I've decided that when change does happen (regardless of good or bad) the best thing you can do is just embrace it!

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I've been going through a lot of personal changes lately. You may have read on this blog previously that I recently graduated from college and then moved back in with my parents to job hunt. Well, I can officially announce that I am now an adult with a big girl job and rent to pay (bills make me wish I wasn't quite so grown-up).

Although theses changes were ones that I had been looking forward to, I still found them a little daunting when it actually came time to make the changes. First of all, the idea of my first full-time job was intimidating. I found myself thinking things like: "what if I can't handle it, or what if I hate it?" Luckily for me it turned out that those worries were completely unwarranted. After a week on the job I'm already in love with it and my co-workers.

Another change that had me nervous, was that my new job was also in a new city. Not only was I leasing an apartment for the first time, but I was also trying to adjust to a new place without my friends and family close by. I'm still getting used to this one. I'm learning to enjoy my alone time. That's another thing about change though: sometimes adjusting to change will take a little time.

I'm not going to pretend to have the art of embracing change down to a science, but I'm trying. That's all you can really ask of yourself.

To leave you with a little extra inspiration, here are some quotes on change that I love:

“The present changes the past. Looking back you do not find what you left behind.” 

-Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.” 

-Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 

-Albert Einstein

I hope you all have some very sparkly changes waiting for you in the near future. Whatever it is, just remember to do your best to embrace it.

XO- Brittney

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October Beauty Favorites

Hello Beautiful Ones!

We can officially mark down another month in the books! I'm guessing many of you are probably recovering from halloween festivities (mine was blissfully uneventful), so why don't we go through a calming little monthly favorites post shall we? Here are the beauty bits I've been loving this month:

Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer- $32
Along with the falling leaves and cool weather fall always brings me dry skin, so anytime I can find a product that will add a little moisture I'm a happy girl. This is the perfect face primer for the fall and winter months. Not only will your skin be perfectly prepped for your makeup, but the hydration lasts throughout the day. The texture is similar to a moisturizer, and there is a bit of a smell when it comes out of the tube but I don't notice it after it's on my face.

Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama in Soft Brown- $8
This is a new drugstore brow mascara from Maybelline, and I'm in love! I've been using this over my usual brow pencil. It does a great job of helping you shape your brows and then holding them in place. The hold is good and not crunchy. The brush is rounded at the end and makes shaping and application easy.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Jet Black- $20
This is not a new product, but I've just recently developed a love for it. The applicator allows you to make an extremely thin line. The lasting power is awesome, I can put this on in the morning and it's not going anywhere until I remove it at night. If you're looking for a quality liquid liner, this is a great option.

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio de Rose Gold- $18
If you're looking for a gorgeous liquid eyeshadow, you might want to consider this one from Josie Maran. I was already a fan of the other Josie Maran coconut watercolor makeup products, so I was excited to try this one. The lasting power is good, and the color is stunning. Rio de Rose Gold is a beautiful bronze. Here is the swatch:

Covergirl Colorlicious Lipgloss in Candylicious- $8
I just picked this up recently at the drugstore, but I'm already loving it so I decided to throw it in with my monthly favorites. This is just a really simple and pretty pink gloss. Covergirl is advertising Colorlicious as a  non-sticky gloss, and I would say it fits that description. The gloss glides on easily and feels super hydrating on the lips. I grabbed the shade Candylicious (it was about the only one left on the display), which is a very pretty light pink. Here is the color swatch:

And there you have it: all the beauty things I've been loving this month! Let me know what you were loving during October in the comments.

XO- Brittney

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