What I Packed: Toiletries & Beauty

One thing I think everyone hates doing is packing. I mean, unpacking is the absolute worst, but packing is just terrible. At first it's fun and you think about cute outfits you're gonna wear, and items you bought specifically for a trip or pieces you don't get to wear enough, and then the doom sets in. Can I bring just two pairs of shoes and make them work for everything or do I really need to pack all four? How can I pack such and such without ruining/wrinkling/breaking it?

A few weekends ago, I started this blog post for my beauty items and just didn't get it finished in time to post before we left.  I thought about scrapping it altogether, but I always like to see beauty and travel posts and went ahead with it. Full disclosure, my beauty/bathroom bag tends to be larger than my clothing! Since we were gone for just less than two weeks, had a full agenda including a wedding, I thought out what I’ll be packing that will get me the most use and be versatile. When I first seriously started thinking about what I wanted to pack I promised myself that I wouldn’t overpack and paid attention to which products I used most often and which I could leave at home.

Our Weekend Recap

This past weekend was so much fun! We were on the go, go, go and it was one thing after another, but such a great time. I really relish in the weekends where we don't have any plans (like this one coming up, unless I'm forgetting something) because they're so few and far between, but this past weekend was awesome.

Bow: Sweet Baby Paige // Dress

FINALLY, after months of teething, Emma's first tooth has broken skin! It's the teeniest, tiniest thing and you have to really look to see it, but it's there! Poor thing woke up several times during the night and had a runny nose all weekend. I've been waiting for a tooth to show since she's been teething for so long, but I'm so sad that it's here now. I'm going to miss that gummy, toothless smile. It's so cute!

It started out with me taking Friday off to meet my sorority big sis and grand big sis at Disneyland to celebrate our little ones' third birthdays. We've been talking about doing this forever and have been planning it for months! My big sis lives up north so it was wonderful seeing her and meeting her little girl! Going to Disneyland with kids is the best! They're so excited and love seeing all the characters. Ellie's favorite ride was the train Casey Jr. and It's a Small World. She even liked Pirates of the Caribbean, but only once the singing started. Before that she had me cover her eyes! It was so cute!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and made ourselves some blueberry pancakes (which Emma also loved!) and then headed to swim lessons. Ellie is doing so well and loves being in the water. We still use a puddle jumper for her in the pool, but I'm hoping she'll be done with it completely this summer. I love this bright swimsuit we got her for this year, the colors are adorable on her and the cross back is super cute.

After class, we did some shopping and picked up these Nikes for Ellie. Nordstrom Rack had so many cute color combos, and these are the ones she picked. She's shoe obsessed and wanted to try on all the sandals or anything sparkly. Her favorite color lately is pink so she was excited to get these and wanted to wear them as soon as we got home.

I tried on a few tops while shopping, but nothing was a keeper. The shirts were either too short, too low, or too sheer, Matt and I are going on a little getaway for our anniversary and I was hoping to find something to take with me to wear, but it was a crapshoot. I hate when you're looking for something, there's nothing! I did find my favorite shadow primer (for $10!) so that's a win!

After shopping, lunch, and a nap, we headed out for a baby shower and then back home for dinner with Daddy. Sunday morning, I met up with some of my sorority sisters for brunch. I love getting together with everyone and at every event there's always a recipe to be shared. This time, it was a tater tot casserole that was so good! I even brought some home for Matt to try. Joining a sorority was one of the best decisions I ever made, I'm so thankful for the friendships I've made.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great weekend!!

Product Review: Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette // Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

Another palette win with Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette! This is my first blush palette and I am seeing stars! It’s nothing short of beautiful and has something for every day. If you missed my UD Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette review, I mentioned that I was in the market for a new eyeshadow palette and a makeup artist suggested I check out the Gwen Stefani collaboration. She also mentioned, that the blush palette was amazing and I needed to have it too. So as I wandered over to check it out, she couldn’t have been more right! I wasn’t in the market for a blush palette, but thought the colors in the Gwen Stefani palette were gorgeous! I immediately fell in love with Easy (a deep rose with gold shimmer, middle top row), it’s a beautiful shade and I loved the flush look it would give. I didn’t think I needed the palette, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it at the same time.

That night, Matt and I had dinner reservations by the mall and had some time before so I ran into Macy’s to check it out again. I loved the palette, but again, Easy was so pretty and really stood out to me so I asked if it was exclusive to the palette or if it was a permanent shade that was renamed for the collaboration and it was an exclusive color. Their makeup girl was so sweet and she was just raving about how great it was and that she had to apply some on me so I could see for myself. She did and I was sold!

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette

All of the colors are new to Urban Decay and are exclusive to the Gwen Stefani palette. In total there are six 0.09 oz shades- four blushes: Cherry (light pink satin), Easy (deep rose with gold shimmer), Angel (champagne-nude shimmer), and Hush (medium pink with gold shimmer), a bronzer Lo-Fi (soft bronze matte), and a highlighter in OC (soft pink with peach shift). The colors are very pigmented and you need to dust off the brush before application. They blend really beautifully and layer very well together.

Typically, I use Easy as my blush with a bit of Hush layered on top and Angel as a highlighter. Angel is a perfect highlighter and looks lovely down the bridge of your nose. For me, OC is much better as a blush than as I highlighter and looks beautiful with Angel layered as a highlighter on top. Cherry looks much more pale pink in the pot than in real life and gives a very subtle, natural pink hue to the cheek. All of the colors have shimmer, except the bronzer, so if you’re not into shimmery blush, this is not the palette for you. I personally love shimmer for blush, but it’s not a must-have for me. I’ll usually layer a shimmery highlighter over my blush anyways so it’s not a deciding factor for my blush choices. The only color I don’t really care for is the bronzer- it has too much of an undertone for me to use it as a bronzer and is better as a blush for my skintone.

My final thoughts on the blush palette is that the value is definitely there for the set, I use five of the six shades regularly and if you’re into blush or are looking for a nice range of blushes and highlighters, I would definitely recommend the palette. It doesn’t offer a wide variety of shades or finishes, so if you’re looking for something more versatile I would skip this. I’m very happy with my purchase and I think it complements the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette beautifully, but you don’t need to purchase both to be satisfied. I love the entire collaboration so far, they sent me some samples of the lipsticks so don't be surprised if you see a review for that coming up too!

Product Review: Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

A few weeks ago, I posted about wanting a new eyeshadow palette and at the time I was checking out this and this one, but a makeup artist at Ulta suggested skipping them both in favor of the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette instead. I had heard about this palette and I didn’t consider it because I thought it would be a lot of bright colors, lots of glitter, and shades that I wouldn’t be able to get a lot of use from. I’ve been in love with Urban Decay Naked palettes (I have One, Two, Three, and the first Basics and they all get a lot of use), so I wandered over to check out the Gwen Stefani collaboration and I was floored, it was not what I expected at all! All of her collection was stunning, the palettes, lipsticks, all of it. The eyeshadow palette had beautiful, neutral colors with three jewel toned ones. The colors were gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

A big difference with this palette is that there are fifteen shadows 0.04 oz (the Nakeds have twelve 0.05 oz shadows), twelve of which are new and exclusive to the palette and three that are from their permanent line and renamed for the collaboration. In the set, there’s a nice range of matte, shimmer, and pearl finishes. The shape is also different, it’s a large rectangle instead being slim. I do prefer the slim Naked cases since their shape makes them easier to travel with, but the Gwen Stefani set comes with a giant mirror which I really love.

Since my Gwen Stefani palette arrived, I’ve been using it non-stop and I didn’t expect to be using it every single day. I haven’t even picked up another shadow since it came and I’m so in love with it! The colors are gorgeous and blend beautifully, I’ve created different eye looks that are very natural and perfect for work using the top two rows and the first pot in the last row. Punk (a reddish brown matte, last shade in the first row) and Baby (a metallic rose, first shade in the second row) are two of my favorite colors. Punk blends beautifully with the other colors into the crease and Baby is a gorgeous transition color. For some extra shine, I’ll use Pop (a pale coral with iridescent sparkle, first shade in the third row) in my inner lid and blend out to the middle, although I do get a bit of fallout from this shade. Admittedly, I have not used the bottom right four shadows, I just haven’t had a use for them yet. I think Danger (a deep metallic blue, middle of the bottom row) and Blackout (a black matte, last shade in the third row) would be gorgeous blended into the outer lid or as a bottom liner.

Overall, I’m very happy with this collaboration, it really is gorgeous and I love the mix of shades and finishes. I think if you’re on the fence about the shadows, I would suggest going in and testing them out. I thought a lot about this palette and checked it out in person twice before purchasing. I wanted to be sure it offered something different than what I already owned and would be a versatile product to add to my collection. The quality is exactly what you expect from Urban Decay- long lasting, pigmented, and buttery. The colors really outshine my initial expectations of a Gwen Stefani collaboration. I think it offers colors and combinations you don’t get from the Naked collections and provides more than a generic nude, smoky, or bronzed palette. The colors really are so beautiful and make your eyes pop, and I know I sound like a broken record saying that, but the more I play with the palette, the more I love it!

Spring Haul for the Girls and a Little Something for Me!

Spring is my jam people. It's my favorite season and all the bright colors, pastels, sandals, rompers, and swim suits just call my name. Since I live in California, where El Nino is no where to be seen, spring pretty much starts like the second week of January. It's been in the high 80s for the last few weeks (it did rain yesterday though) and I've had to dig for some short sleeves and shorts for the girls. I've picked up a few things for them, so we're ready now for those high temps!

Mint Dress // Yellow and Striped Top (not online) // Floral Romper 

Gladiators // Jellies // Chambray and Floral Set 

Target has the cutest spring items right now, I wanted to buy one of everything! I got these during the week and I can't wait for the girls to wear them! I love all the bright colors and I'm already picturing cute outfits and matching bows. I love all the bright colors and patterns they have this season. They had so much to choose from! The gladiator shoes are my favorite!

Navy Striped Dress // Mint Dress

Old Navy also had some steals for their President's Day sale and I somehow only snagged these two dresses. They have a ton of cute everything right now, but with Easter and birthdays coming up for the girls, I've learned not to buy too many clothes. They get so much stuff as gifts and it's best to buy just what they need (yay for summer babies!). How cute will these dresses be with the bows below??

Sweet Baby Paige Bows

How sweet are these bows? I love their shape and colors! The nylon band is extra soft and I have a giveaway coming up later this month so be sure to keep an eye on my Instagram!!

Blush Palette // Eyeshadow Palette

My palettes came in and I have been loving them!! I've worn all of the blush colors and the shadows are super neutral and beautiful. I'll be doing a full review of both soon (I've been working on it this week), but if you're on the fence about getting them or are in the market for a new palette, I would definitely say to snag these!

Hope your Friday work shifts are short and your weekend long! Thanks for reading!

Romantic Valentine's Makeup Look

With Valentines day just around the corner, I've been thinking about my favorite pink hued makeup products and have been practicing different looks for Valentines day. I've been doing romantic eyes with soft pink cheeks and lips. I went through my makeup and I have so much pink so it was nice to put some items I've forgotten about back into the mix. Nearly all of my lipstick and blush were shades of pink. Does anyone else do that? Buy a lot of really similar items that only you and other beauty junkies could tell a difference of?

I've been mixing up my usual shadows with deep browns and dusted off my Naked 3 Palette too. I have all three palettes, and 3 gets used the least, but I've really been loving it lately and have been wearing it so much! The colors are really pretty and I've been using more of the darker shades on the right side of the palette. Factory (the fourth color from the right) is my favorite right now and I've been using it on a larger part of my outer lid. It's just such a rich beautiful color. It's really easy to wear for day and creating a smokier look for night with the shade.

MAC Lipstick: Snob, Pink Nouveau, Creme Cup, Lickable // MAC Lipglass in Angel

MAC Blush: I’m a Lover Blush // Essie: Ballet Slippers, Fiji, Mod Square

Urban Decay: Naked 3 Palette // NARS: Orgasm Illuminator // Milani Blush: Romantic Rose
Revlon Colorburst in Honey // NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul and Butter Gloss in Strawberry Parfait // Maybelline: Fuchsia Flash

For this look, I used the Urban Decay Naked Palette on my eyes, MAC I'm a Lover blush, and MAC Creme Cup lipstick. On my eyes, I used Strange on the brow bone and inner corners, Dust on my inner lid, Factory on my outer lid and crease, with Buzz and Liar blended between Factory and Dust. Then I just lined my eyes and put on several coats of mascara. I left my cheeks and lips subtle so my eyes would be the standout.

Are you doing anything special for Valentines? I bought the girls cute outfits and small toys and Matt and I will just exchange cards and candy. In years past we've done dinner at home, or dinner with his parents, and this year we'll be camping with his family. It will be nice to get away and spend time outside with everyone. Hope you have a great weekend and holiday!

Holy Grail Beauty Products

One question I get asked often about is my Holy Grail products- what are my favorite eyeshadows, lipsticks, etc. It’s a fair question and I love knowing what other women swear by and trying it out for myself.  When I posted my Drugstore Mascara Review, it got me thinking about what products I couldn’t live without and while most of them have been the same for the past several years, I think it’s time for there to be a dedicated post to my tried and true beauty products. I try to keep my Fave Products tab at the top updated and every couple of months or so I go in and edit, but I’m sharing today my absolute must haves. These are the products I have used countless tubes of and if they’re ever discontinued I would cry myself a river and buy every last one I could find online.

Since there's 15 products on here, it pretty much covers my entire face. I love to try new items, but I continually use these products over and over again. No matter what I've bought, I haven't found anything that better to replace these and there's a little bit of something for every thing except face primer and eyeliner. If you have an HG item for those, please share!

Here's my faves:

MAC Studio Fix Powder in C4 -I've worn this for so many years, I wear it along, over concealer, or for full coverage over foundation.
MAC Blush in Warm Soul - the most perfect and flattering blush ever! It's such a beautiful shade and is truly the perfect every day color.
MAC Eyeshadow: All That Glitters, Naked Lunch, Blanc Type, and Satin Taupe - these colors blend so perfectly together and give me my favorite eye look. They're easy to wear each alone and blend beautifully!
MAC Eyeshadow in Brun for brows - I felt like my brow game totally changed once I started using this shadow. It wear all day and looks natural and soft.
MAC Lipsticks in Hue, Creme Cup - love, love, love these two colors. I've gone through so many tubes, I've started buying them two at a time.

L'oreal True Match in W3 Nude Beige - Of all the liquid foundations I've tried, this one is the best. It has buildable coverage, wears all day, and the formula is so smooth.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Brightener 60 - when you're up all night with the kids, this baby gets me looking bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning.
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original - I've tried several high and low brand primers, but this little number works best for me. It makes your shadow last all day without creasing and make the colors more vivid without changing the shade of your shadow.
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara - I've used so many tubes of this mascara, it's been in my makeup bag for years.
Maybelline Colossal Chaotic Masacara - this item is the newest to my Holy Grail collection, but I love the drama it gives lashes and the brush is amazing!
NYX Matte Bronzer in Light and Medium - This bronzer is a total dupe for higher ends bronzers and I really like that it's matte (so hard to find!) and that it comes in varying shades. It's one of the few bronzers I've found to leave a warm glow and not and orange glow on your face.

These are my favorite products and I absolutely swear by them and always seem to be recommending them over and over again. I really hope they never get discontinued, I would be so devastated! What are your Holy Grail items? What couldn't you live without?

Recently Rediscovered Beauty Favorites + 2 New

After my Fall Makeup Inspiration post and through just cleaning up the house, I found some old favorites that I've been using lately. I have so much dang makeup, it's nearly impossible to go through all of it and use it up. I threw a lot of it out, bagged a bunch to bring into MAC to trade for a shadow or gloss, and then there were some items I just put back and will deal with at another time.

Some old favorites that have become new favorites again are...

MAC Blush in Nuance 

Ellie misplaced my favorite Warm Soul and I thought for sure it would have turned up by now.

MAC Blush in Sunbasque 

MAC Shadows in (left-right) Texture, Romp , Soba, Blanc Type, and Trax

Romp is apparently discontinued, whomp whomp, but  Woodwinked is really similar

Two new favorites:

Corduroy and Brun

I usually would wear Brown Down, but it was discontinued as well and the MUA said that Corduroy was really close. I think it has more of a red undertone though instead of a true brown, but I like it.

Eleanor broke my usual brow powder I wore and nearly every makeup artist's blog I read all use Brun for their client's brows. So I picked it up and haven't looked back. I really love this color and it's really versatile. I also use it to line my bottom lid as well. I think it would work well with darker hair too.

MAC Gloss in Florabundance

This is a great nude color that's more pink than other favorites like C-Thru and Underage.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

My sister gave me a new potion as one of my Christmas gifts and I'm so happy! I really have missed it, it's hands down the best primer I've used (although I did find one that held down the fort in the meantime, check out my review). 

ELF Setting Spray

This is an old favorite that I used up my last bottle of and since I started using it all the time I picked up a new bottle to replace it. Totally worth the $3.

Here's an IG (follow me at Kristen_Lawler) pic I posted where I'm wearing the Sunbasque blush and Florabundance gloss. 

What are some of your makeup favorites? Have you discovered or re-discovered anything great lately?

Product Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadow

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded

 

Since buying our house, I haven’t had the chance to replenish some of my Holy Grail beauty products in a while. Our area is still developing and our closest mall is a solid 20 minute drive and I don’t make it over there that often. One thing I’ve been out of for a while is my Urban Decay Primer Potion (see my original review here) and I’ve had to check out some other primers in the meantime (like this so-so elf one). I wear eye shadow daily and like to use a primer base underneath to ensure it lasts my work day without fading or creasing. I know I can order it online, but I like going into beauty stores to check out other products and I’ve been wanting to go in to see some products from my Fall Beauty Inspiration post.

One item that’s been on my radar for a while is MAC’s Paint Pots (specifically Bare Study and Ochre). I’ve tried a paint pot in the past and didn’t care too much for it, but I have been wanting to try it again. A few of my girlfriends swear by them so I thought I should give them another go and added it to my Christmas list. While browsing my usual beauty blogs and Pinterest, I kept seeing the Color Tattoo Shadows repeatedly as dupes for MAC’s Paint Pots. During a late night pinning sesh, I found this particular pin and decided to test the Color Tattoo Shadow in Barely Branded since it’s considered a dupe for Bare Study.

Barely Branded is a pretty shimmery champagne color that makes for a good neutral base for shadows. I’ve used this only as a shadow base, but have used it almost every day since purchasing it. I use a small concealer brush (similar to this one) to apply a thin layer all over my lid to my brow bone before applying my shadows. The shadow is creamy and soft, creamier than I remember the paint pots to be. I was afraid that it would be hard and not blend well, but it applies easily and “sets” quickly. It’s a pretty wash and is buildable in color if you’re going to wear it alone. This color is very shimmery and adds some extra shimmer to the shadows I top it with. I don’t mind that since a lot of my shadows are shimmery anyways, but I do skip it when wearing matte shadows or I don’t want to add the extra shimmer to my look. One day when I think I applied too much I did have some creasing, but typically I haven’t had any creasing and my shadows last a solid 8-10 hours before fading. Win!

After trying this out now for a few weeks, I’m very pleased with it. I’m not interested at this time in trying other colors or using it alone, but I really like it for a shadow base. After finding this base, I don’t care about trying the paint pots again since this is working for me, especially with its great price point ($6.99). I do plan on re-purchasing my Urban Decay Primer Potion as that is a clear base, but will probably use them both equally depending on what shadows I’m using (matte vs shimmer).

What primers do you like to use? Do you use a primer at all? We have a shopping center opening up near our home in the next year or so and I’m crossing my fingers that it will include an Ulta!

Product Review: Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs Lipstick

Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs Lip Color in Blushing Beige

It’s not a secret that I have an arsenal of makeup, most of which fall into similar color categories. For instance my lipsticks are mostly soft pinks and nudes and nearly all of my blushes are varying shades of pink. It's almost embarrassing...almost. However, on a whim and a Target run while on my lunch break I picked up the prettiest nude lipstick I’ve ever used.

While in the makeup aisles, I rarely check out Maybelline. They used to be my go-to for foundation, but I haven’t used them for items outside of mascara in what feels like a lifetime. Target had a couple of displays for Maybelline up and it caught my attention so I checked out their section. One thing that caught my eye was their new lip color line of nudes (I guess it’s not actually new- it came out in spring). I’m all for bright lips, but everyday nudes are so much easier for me to wear. I checked out the two lightest shades, Bare All and Blushing Beige and the first one was too light for me. I think I’d look like a walking corpse, but Blushing Beige was beautiful and really complimented my skin tone. Which is why I immediately added it to my cart without looking back.

Blushing Beige is a gorgeous nude with a pink undertone. It’s definitely different from some of my other nude lipsticks with its color- it leans more towards nude rather than pink and is warmer in tone. The majority of my other lip colors are pink-nude and I love that this one is more nude. Yes, I understand how crazy that sounds to anyone who doesn’t have a makeup addiction.

What I wanted to really share about this product review is the option of colors. If you’ve had a hard time finding a good nude lipstick, go check out this collection! There’s ten shades to choose from and depending on your skin tone, more than one shade could work for you. I’ve worn my lipstick almost everyday since I bought it, I think it really compliments my tone and looks very pretty. I wear it both alone and layered under gloss (my favorite pairing with it is Urban Decay’s Walk of Shame) and always get asked about it. My only complaint with the lipstick is the same complaint I have with all Maybelline lipsticks- there’s a slight smell I don’t care for and it can be drying.

Here's it on my lips, love this combo!

When wearing nude lip colors, you have to definitely exfoliate your lips to create the best look. I find that wearing either a chapstick under or a gloss on top help with application. I seriously love this lipstick so much and I'm thinking about buying a second one in case they ever discontinue it. I'm also thinking about checking out the next shade darker as well. I love that these lipsticks are more nude in color, they help create that gorgeous glamorous natural look I love so much.

What color lipstick do you prefer to wear? What's your everyday shade?

My Every Day Face

In writing some of my recent beauty posts, and cleaning out my makeup bag, I thought it would be fun to share my everyday makeup items with you. You know, my arsenal of beauty products that make me feel put together and pretty. As I've mentioned several times in the last few years, my makeup drawer is overflowing with all kinds of pink/nude lipsticks, pink/peach blushes, and the shimmer is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. With trying to focus my beauty buys more on repurchases/refills, my everyday look consists mainly of my Holy Grail items, many of which I've blogged about before.

I typically wear the same makeup every day, I may skip an item here or there, but I keep it pretty consistent. My everyday makeup probably takes me about 10-15 minutes and another 5 minutes or so if I’m getting ready for something special (i.e. pack on more shadow and mascara). I've been doing the same routine and application for so many years, I could probably do it with my eyes closed, except for the liner- could you imagine?? The biggest variance to my routine is swapping out shadow colors for more browns or pinks. MAC All That Glitters and Naked Lunch are my staples! I love them and use them as a base for most pairings. They’re often sold out, so I’ll sometimes even buy them two at a time- same with the Hue lipstick!

MAC Blush Warm Soul // NYX Matte Bronzer in Light // MAC Studio Fix in C4

L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in W3 Nude Beige // Maybelline Age Rewind in Brightener

 

Younique 3D Fiber Mascara // Urban Decay Primer Potion // BDB Brow Powder in Taupe // 

MAC Phloof // MAC Naked Lunch // MAC All That Glitters

L’Oreal Liquid Eyeliner // L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara

MAC Lipglass in Angel // MAC Lipstick in Hue

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Boybait // MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup 

What’s your every day makeup? What’s your Holy Grail items?