A perfect little pink pout

Well hello again,

It has been a while since my last post, I know. I have just been a little preoccupied with finals for school and work. But now it is spring break and time to relax... even if it is only for a little while.

Anyways..... Last week I made a little trip to a MAC store and picked up two lip presents.

The first I have been wanting since it came out weeks ago. The second, the lady working there ever so easily persuaded me to try. And I am very glad I did. :)

I just got the iphone 4 (not the 4S) and so I have been experimenting with the instagram app. This is me wearing the new lip products. My mom said that its too barbie pink for her and reminded her of lip colors from a different era. That just means that it's perfect for me!

I used three products to get the look that I am wearing.

First is the MAC pro longwear lip pencil in "In Anticipation" that the MAC lady "persuaded" me to buy. It isn't exaggerating when it says longwear. The lipstick and gloss may fade away through out the day, but the pencil never needs to be re-applied. It seriously lasts 24 hours!

Next is my intended purchase. From the MAC VIVA GLAM collection, it is the Nicki Manaj color. It is a bright pink with yellow undertones and is perfect for day or night time.

Last is the NYX soft matte lip cream in Addis Ababa (how fun is that name?!) Its a hybrid mix between a lip stick and lip gloss. Its my first one, but I think I'm gonna go back for more colors. I really like the texture of it. Plus it's only like $5.

I swatched each of the products on the back of my hand.

The top is the NYX lip cream

The second is the Nicki lip stick

Last is the lip pencil.

Together, they create a beautiful pop of color to any look.

Luscious Pink Love,

Alyssa

February Favorites

Hello everyone!

Well it is March... already. Where have the first two months of 2012 gone?

Either way, it just means we are that much closer to summer :)

Here are a few of my favorite things from the month of February. Some is makeup, but some are kinda random. They are just things that I noticed I used a lot over the past 29 days (I got one extra day of use out of everything).

Enough rambling... here we go.

First is my MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.

I use this mainly to prime my eye lids before I put my shadow on. It is just a simple nude color that helps cover up any veins or redness on your eyes. It also makes the eye shadow color last longer.

This is my MAC Cremesheen lip glass in Borealis.

It is an unusual color, I know. But is is perfect for pairing with a nude lip. The way this works is, it is supposed to cancel any pinkness left on your lip.

Maybelline The Falsies Flared

I love "goopy" mascara. I personally prefer volumizing mascara to lengthening mascara. I have yet to find one that perfectly combines volume and length. So if I feel like going all out I will use two types of mascara. But for every day, I use this stuff.

MAC eyeshadow in Satin Taupe

This is a perfect daily eyeshadow for me. It is a purple-y brown that has a silky shimmer to it. I will either wash it all over my lid for a quick look or I will use it as a crease color if I am wearing lighter shades that day.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl

I fell in love with this product as soon as I opened it. It is a perfect highlight for my skin tone. I put it on the top of my cheek bones and lightly down the center of my nose. I also use it on my brow bone as a base for my highlight there. It is a very thick and creamy product, so I use my fingers to apply it. The warmth of my hands warm up the product and make it more usable and easy to work with.

EOS Lip Balm... This one is in pink grapefruit (I think)

I keep these all over the place. In my purse, night stand, makeup bag, car, etc. I'll admit I fell for the gimmicky packaging. When you open up the top half of this, it is literally a dome of chap stick. The consistency is a little weird. There is an initial layer that is waxy feeling, but once that is broken through it is very creamy and hydrating.

OPI nail polish in Dulce de Leche

It is a pinky nude color that pairs well with pretty much any outfit. I like wearing neutral colors during the cold winter months. I ended up wearing this quite a few times in February.

I got this sample in my online purchase from Sephora. I normally don't like celebrity perfume...at all. But I have to give it to T. Swift, she did a good job on her choice of scent. It is Taylor Swift's  Wonderstruck. It reminds me of Vera Wang's Princess (my all time favorite perfume). It is just very soft and feminine.

I know, I already have a post about this book series, but I seriously love it. I have been watching all of the movie previews on YouTube endlessly. I am so excited for the movie to come out on the 23rd! I really hope it lives up to my expectations :)

I received this movie for Christmas from my Grandpa this year. It is a feel-good movie for me.  I put it on for background noise when I'm doing homework because I know the movie like the back of my hand. Plus Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson have a believable chemistry even though it isn't a rom-com. And my parents have a yellow lab puppy named Sage who has become very Marley-esque.

I got the Kashi Go lean crunch! Honey Almond Flax. I normally don't like "healthy" cereal. I am guilty of buying sugary bad for you cereal. So I thought maybe the honey would make it taste better. It actually is really good! It is sweet and doesn't lose the sweetness when milk is poured on it. Over all it's pretty nummy.

This is my gorilla mug. I'm using it today :). When I visited San Diego, we went to the San Diego Zoo. I collect coffee mugs. So naturally my souvenir was a coffee mug. It is engraved which I think gives it a cool element. I know it isn't cutesy or anything, but its 16oz and is just kinda cool looking. I use it at least four days a week haha. I will specifically wash it, just so I can use it again immediately.

Well that's about all I have for you guys. It ended up being a bit longer than I expected haha. Whoops.

I hope you guys enjoyed!

loves,

Alyssa

Meet my pup :)

Everyone,

I would like you to meet my little fur-baby Abu!

I adopted him a little over a year ago from a humane society shelter while I was living in Utah. We estimate that he is about  4 or 5 years old.

He's my little snuggle muffin :)

We tried taking a nice picture, but bu was just not having it haha. That is why the picture is a bit blurry.

He is a mutt. He is definitely part Pomeranian, but the rest of him is a mystery. Everyone who meets him has their own idea of what the other half is haha.

Right now he is shaved down, when he is like this I call him "nakie bu", he even has his own little plaid jacket to wear outside in the snow.

This is pretty much how he sleeps, I swear he thinks he is a person sometimes. This is also when his fur is all grown out. It is  A LOT of work to keep that coat nice. So I take him to the groomer and he is shaved down. He doesn't seem to mind it.

Abu is my little nugget that keeps me company, goes on walks with me, and generally keeps me entertained.

Do you guys have a furry little companion to love on?

Fluffy Bu bu love,

Alyssa

Happy Friday! And a little accessory that has stolen my heart

As of late, I have become slightly obsessed with ear cuffs. I haven't bought one yet, but I fell in L.O.V.E. with one I found on etsy.com (I'll put all links below). Maybe it's just because I live close to the Puget Sound, but theres just something about this octopus that sparks my interest.

This little beauty has captured my heart

GAH! I think it is just fabulous! I love how it looks like it is slowly slithering down her ear. The ends of the tentacles curling up at the ends to give it a delicate touch. I wish it could just magically appear in my jewelry box :)

A great thing about these cuffs are that you don't have to have the middle cartilage pierced! Just the lobe of your ear. By the looks of it you just pinch the cuff to fit your ear.

I looked around a bit and found a few that are more in my price range.

I really like the edgy vibe that this spiked ear cuff gave. This is $18. I also like all the chains it has draped from the cuff to the stud.

Finally, a metal feather ear cuff. There is just something I really enjoy about the idea of a weightless feather made of heavy metal. The cool thing about this one is that if you do have your cartilage pierced, there is an option for using a stud.

Here is where you can find these beauties or contact their makers :)

Octopus ear cuff : http://www.etsy.com/listing/86642795/bronze-octopus-ear-cuff?ref=cat3_gallery_19

Spike ear cuff: http://www.etsy.com/listing/89385500/silver-spike-chain-ear-cuff?ref=cat3_gallery_5

Feather ear cuff: http://www.etsy.com/listing/91663659/single-feather-chain-with-double?ref=cat3_gallery_13

What do you guys think about this earring fad?

Cuff love,

Alyssa

Lovin' me some Too Faced

I mentioned in my first post, this Natural at Night palette from Too Faced. Well it finally arrived in the mail!

I must say I was very excited when it arrived. I opened it up and admired the gorgeous browns, olive and maroon colors. Upon closer look I found that two of the larger colors were absolutely packed with glitter. Although I love glitter, in pressed eyeshadows, I feel that it has too much fallout.

I have been able to use this a few times and I really like it.

Typically, I like to use sin from the Naked palette in the inner corner of my eye, as well as a brow highlight. Then take after hours and sweep it all over my lid. Grab some Eclipse on a fluffy brush and blend it into my crease. Finally use cocoa star and put that on the outer V of my eye. Blending everything so there are no harsh lines.

Too Faced Natural at Night Palette
Full Moon: Soft golden tan with small glitter
Night Light: Sheer light pink with chunky glitter
Spotlight: Matte vanilla
Nightcap: Silky fawn
After Hours: Shimmer dark pink champagne
Moon Stone: Shimmer olive green
Cocoa Star: Matte dark brown (almost has hints of red)
Eclipse: Shimmer maroon
Night Fever: Dark steel grey/brown with gold glitter

I have never owned any sort of olive green color before, when i swatched moon stone I think I fell in love. However I feel like this palette would be more compatible with brown eyes rather than my blue ones. Either way, I did a look to share with you guys using night light, after hours, eclipse and cocoa star.

After taking these pictures I figured I need to read my camera manual a little closer haha. I need to learn how to program my camera to take clear close up pictures.

In all, I really do like this palette. The color pay off is phenomenol, which is typical for Too Faced. But I think it would be absolutely gorgeous for those with brown eyes.

Shimmery, glittery love,

Alyssa

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines day!!! Yes everyone, it is February 14th. Or as some of us know it as.... the day before the best candy sales day of the year. I think tomorrow I'll go buy myself a bouquet of flowers for half off haha. Well today has been rather uneventful, I never have very high expectations for Valentines day. Brooks (my boyfriend) was very thoughtful this morning and brought me breakfast in bed :) It was a breakfast burrito, some orange juice and coffee. He knows me all too well. I gobbled it up before I even thought to take a picture to share.

Even though I am not going out for V-day since I work this evening, I decided to share the look I would have done if we were going out.

I decided to go with a soft neutral eye with glowy cheeks and a pretty pink lip.

For my face I used:
Too Faced Primed and Poreless primer
Neutrogena Healthy skin liquid foundation in 40/nude
Laura Mercier secret concealer in #3 (for blemishes)
MAC mineralize skinfinish natural in light plus
Maybelline instant age rewind eraser dark circles in 20/ light pale (under eye circles)
bareminerals mineral veil (to set under eyes)

For my cheeks I used:
NARS Orgasm blush
NARS Laguna bronzer

For my eyes I used:
MAC Painterly paint pot (as a base)
Sin and Virgin in the Naked palette
Stila kitten
MAC satin taupe
MAC brule
MAC cream color base in Pearl (brow bone & cheek highlight)
MAC eyeliner in smoulder
MAC typographic (pat on top of eyeliner)
Maybelline The Falsies Flared Volum' Express in very black
and I forgot to picture what I fill my eye brow with... (its a glominerals by bareminerals eyeshadow trio in sand stone, I use the darkest brown in the trio) I also added some false lashes, but you don't have to do that.

For my lips I used:
Rimmel London long lasting finish lip pencil in 049/natural
Maybelline lip stick in 20/ pink and proper
Mentha lip tint (from bath and body works) lip gloss in pink shimmer (only in the middle of my lips)

I wanted to go with something simple and classic for my outfit.

I chose a white button up shirt from forever 21

a simple black tank underneath

Skinny jeans from American Eagle

Brown boots with a 2 1/2 inch heel from DSW

My gold Marc by Marc Jacobs watch and a small charm necklace from forever 21

Since it has been snowing lightly on and off today I would probably add a simple black pea coat over top.

I am writing this as I run out the door for work! So I apologize for any errors.

XOXO

Alyssa

Hungry for more

This weekend I went back to my parents house to spend a little time with them and my siblings, as well as run some errands. While I was out and about, I decided to stop buy Target as a little treat to myself since there isn't one where I live. I picked up a few of my normal treats, a couple lipsticks, a scarf, nailpolish etc. On an impulse I decided to by the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I have heard many people rave about this book. I was a little weary, but I am so glad I bought it!

I have been waiting for a good book series to come along that I can imerse myself in. It keeps my heart racing with every turn of the page. The only down side is that I am reading it too fast!! I need to go buy the last two books in the series quickly.

It's nice to know that after a long day, you can snuggle up in a warm blankie with a hot cup of tea, to familiar characters who have been waiting all day for you to return to them.

Lots of love and cups of orange spice tea,

Alyssa