Friday Five: 11/28/14

Happy Friday, babes! Hope you all had a fantastic Turkey Day! How many of you burned off those extra calories by Black Friday Shopping?? I have to give it to you if you did. Even if I were home in the States, you wouldn't see me anywhere near any stores today! I tried going one year for about 30 minutes and I couldn't handle the intense craziness of some people! So if you can handle being around all those crazy shoppers, you are more woman than me ;)

Let's get on to my favorites of the week!:

1. In the Light palette by Stila
     You might have seen me post on Instagram that we received a care package from Tyler's mom this past week. It was so exciting! Having a box full of little goodies from home seriously makes my heart so happy! We receieved food items that we can't get over here, Christmas items and little, fun presents. When Sephora was having their friends and family sale in the States, I placed a small order and knew I would be receiving it in this package. This palette was one of the items I purchased and couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I have been wanting to get it for months and so happy to finally have it! It is such a pretty palette and I have been using it every day since receiving it! The infamous "Kitten" shadow is the most gorgeous shimmery silvery-pink. The shadows blend so easily and effortlessly. And I typically prefer gel eyeliners, but I am really liking this blackish-brown eyeliner pencil that came with it! 

In the Light palette by Stila

In the Light palette by Stila

2. Audacious Lipstick in Anita by NARS
     This is the other item I purchased from the F&F sale. I had to see what all the hype was about! Everyone has been raving about the Audacious Lipsticks from NARS so I had to get one. And with the steep price tag of $32, I felt a little bit better about purchasing it at a 20% discount. I chose "Anita" because it looked like that perfect "Kylie Jenner" lip color. I really hate to refer to it as that because I am a little sick of hearing about it! But it is that perfect dusty rose color that everyone is crazy about! And the pigmentation in this lipstick is out of this world! The swatch below is only one quick swipe! It lasts so long and looks like I just applied it even after wearing it for hours! It is super creamy and the formula in general is just incredible. I knew I was going to love this lipstick even before receiving it so I then ordered two more during the VIB sale - I'm not even ashamed to admit it ;) So I have "Raquel" (a nude) and "Olivia" (a red) waiting for me to be sent from my mom in our next care package! (The makeup addiction is real, girls!)

Audacious Lipstick in Anita by NARS

Swatch of Anita by NARS

3. Hypnose Drama mascara by Lancome
     I have some points built up on my Sephora account so I decided to trade in 100 of them for this sample of mascara. I have never tried out a Lancome mascara but have been wanting to because I have heard great things. I really have been loving this mascara because the formula is perfect! It is not thick and clumpy and messy, it just coats your lashes perfectly! I have rather short, fine lashes and this mascara makes them look so long! I am so impressed! I can't wait to keep using this!

Hypnose Drama by Lancome

4. Scandaleyes waterproof eyeliner in Nude by Rimmel
     I think nude eyeliner is great for the waterline to really open up your eyes. But I honestly rarely ever do it. I have extremely watery eyes and can never find anything that will stay put, even if it is waterproof. I purchased this eyeliner this summer and used it a few times but haven't used it in several months. I decided to use it a few days ago thinking that even if it only lasted an hour, it would be no big deal. I went about my day and didn't even really pay attention to see how it was holding up and when I went to wash my face at night, I could still see it there! It was a little worn away but definitely still noticeable! I was amazed. Clearly I wasn't paying any type of attention to it the other times I wore it this past summer! If you have watery eyes, you need to check this out! I am telling you, my eyes water like a fountain! I rarely even ever wear winged eyeliner because my watery eyes will just wash it away! It's a little sad, but I have some positive hope with this little guy - if it works for me, I think it would work for anyone!

Scandaleyes eyeliner by Rimmel

5. Pro Longwear concealer by MAC (in NC15)
     If I want to go the whole nine yards with my makeup, I am, without a doubt, using this concealer. This concealer doesn't crease, doesn't wear away and just blends and melts into your skin perfectly. I chose NC15 because it is much lighter than my skin so it really creates an amazing highlighting effect. I have had this bottle since around March and I still have a good amount left! Now I am not using it every day, but I am using it frequently! A little bit of product goes a long way so it is definitely worth the $20! If you haven't checked out this concealer, you really need to!!

Pro Longwear concealer by MAC

On a side note: For December, I will only be doing one post a week. December is always a busy month with the holidays and even though I only blog twice a week, I want to have a little extra time to do some Christmas shopping, skype with family and friends, and spend more time with my husband when he has a little time off. But my weekly posts are probably going to be a little bit longer as I am going to share my 2014 Favorites! Each week I will do a different category - eyes, lips, etc - so stay tuned to find out what my absolute, holy grail items are from this year! I can't believe a new year is just around the corner! Time goes way too fast!

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo Kayla


Find the products I mentioned here:

In the Light palette

Anita Audacious Lipstick

Hypnose Drama mascara

Scandaleyes eyeliner

Pro Longwear concealer

Dupes/Alternatives: Lip Products

Hello Ladies!!

Today I wanted to do a post on some dupes/alternatives for higher end lip products! I was going through my lipsticks, lipglosses etc. and I was realizing that I have some affordable lip products that are SO SIMILAR to my higher end lip products! I thought this post would be great for anyone who is looking to save some money yet still basically getting the same look of a higher end lippie! Here are some great dupes/alternativies that I found in my own collection:




Nearly Nude by e.l.f. - $3 (matte lip color) vs Myth by MAC - $16 (satin lipstick)
     Both of these have a really peachy undertone. Nearly Nude is a matte and Myth is a Satin formula but honestly, they are both so creamy that they come off as similar finishes. Nearly Nude is slightly darker than Myth, but only slightly!

Top: Myth by MAC
Bottom: Nearly Nude by e.l.f.

Myth, Nearly Nude

Honeyed by Covergirl - $5.99 (lip perfection lipstick) vs Creme Cup by MAC - $16 (cremesheen lipstick)
     Creme Cup is more of a true pink and Honeyed is slightly lighter. But the formula of the two are so similar and they look almost identical on the lips! They are both very creamy! Creme Cup is my all time favorite pink and I think Honeyed is a great dupe for it!

Top: Creme Cup by MAC
Bottom: Honeyed by Covergirl

Honeyed, Creme Cup

#708 Pure Red by Kiko - $6.25 (luminous chrome lipstick) vs F-Bomb by Urban Decay - $22 (revolution lipstick)
     These two look exactly the same! The formula, the finish, the color... everything is so close to being identical! Even though I absolutely love F-Bomb, I love that I am able to get a much cheaper dupe from Kiko!

Top: F-Bomb by Urban Decay
Bottom: #708 Pure Red by Kiko

#708 Pure Red, F-Bomb

Honey Nectar by Pixi - $8 (shea butter lip balm) vs Peachy Nude Sinner by Lipstick Queen - $22 (opaque lipstick)
     These two are basically the same color but Peachy Nude is just more pigmented. Honey Nectar is a balm and I think it gives amazing payoff for a balm! If you like this nude color, go for the Pixi one and the color can be built up! Plus, it is going to be great for winter and hydrate your lips!

Top: Peachy Nude Sinner by Lipstick Queen
Bottom: Honey Nectar by Pixi

Honey Nectar, Peachy Nude Sinner

Apple Strudel by NYX - $4.99 (butter gloss) vs Mally Melon by Mally - $20 (high shine liquid lipstick)
     I posted on Instagram that we recieved a care package from home in the US. My family included my Birchbox from last month and it had this liquid lipstick from Mally in it. I saw it was valued at $20 and was excited to get something so great in my Birchbox! Plus, I have zero products from Mally so I was excited to try something out! But as I was testing it, I quickly realized it looked like one of my NYX Butter Glosses: Apple Strudel. Apple Strudel is more pinky but since they both give off a kind of neon pink/orange shade, they look really similar. And even though the Mally lippie is a liquid lipstick, the NYX butter gloss is equally as pigmented. If you are interested in the Mally liquid lipsticks, I would recommend trying out a different shade and if you like this shade - get Apple Strudel and save some $$$!

Top: Mally Melon by Mally
Bottom: Apple Strudel by NYX

Mally Melon, Apple Strudel

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!! Have a blessed time with family and friends!

xoxo Kayla

Friday Five: 11/21/14

Happy Friday, loves! 

Here are the faves from this week:


1. Bioderma Cleansing Water
     You might have seen me post on my Instagram that I grabbed this a few weeks ago. I was so excited to get it because I had heard so many positive things about it. And now that I have given it a fair enough amount of time to test it out, I can say that I absolutely love it! It is definitely worth the hype! This stuff removes any and all makeup! It is perfect for stubborn eye makeup as it removes EVERYTHING. It is even helpful to remove swatches easily, quickly and cleanly when I am taking pictures for my blog. I love how lightweight it feels and doesn't have an oily feel to it. It really does just feel like water on your face! It is paraben-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and perfect for sensitive skin. This stuff is amazing!

Bioderma

2. F-Bomb Lipstick by Urban Decay
      First of all, I need to get more of these Revolution Lipsticks from Urban Decay. After using F-Bomb this week, I was reminded how amazing the formula is! It is so creamy, hydrating and pigmented and I just love it every time I wear it! And F-Bomb is that perfect, classic red. I always tell myself I am going to purchase a couple more but I end up putting it off and I don't know why! I think for how amazing the formula is and what other higher end lines sell their lipsticks at, $22 is an awesome price for these lipsticks. I am going to add a new Revolution Lipstick to my Christmas list tonight ;)

F-Bomb by Urban Decay

Swatch of F-Bomb (natural light)

3. Bellisima blush by Kat Von D
     My Insta friend, Rachel (@rachmcph), posted that she got this blush and it reminded me that I hadn't used mine in a while! And I don't know why because I LOVE this blush! So thank you, Rachel, for reminding me to use it because it is all I have been wearing this week :) It is an absolutely GORGEOUS peachy-coral blush and it is SO pigmented! You hardly need any product on your brush! It is also probably one of the most long-lasting blushes that I own. I am going to add another Kat Von D blush to my Christmas list as well :D (Rachel also has a blog... Click here to check it out!)

Bellisima by Kat Von D

Swatch of Bellisima (natural light)

4. and. 5. Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay and Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced
     I am combining the two of these because I have been loving using both of them at the same time to create different eye looks. There are so many shadows that compliment one another from the two palettes. Too Faced and Urban Decay are my favorite when it comes to eye shadows so I am having fun combining the two palettes! "Salted Caramel" from the Chocolate Bar palette is my go-to transition shade and I think "Limit" from the Naked 3 is such a beautiful color! I am also loving "Creme Brulee" from the Chocolate Bar palette - the PRETTIEST bronzy-gold!

Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay

Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced

Have a great Thanksgiving week! Can't wait to eat more than I probably should ;)

xoxo Kayla

Find the products I mentioned here:

Bioderma Cleansing Water

F-Bomb by Urban Decay

Bellisima by Kat Von D

Naked 3 by Urban Decay

Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced

Travel Makeup Recommendations

Ciao Bellas!

Since the holidays are coming up, there is usually traveling that accompanies it to see family and friends! I thought that I would give you recommendations on some good travel makeup. Since I live out of a suitcase more in a year than I do my own home, I have had plenty of practice on trying to nail down the essentials when it comes to traveling with makeup! I will share what I think are key items to bring with you and hopefully it will help you to not overpack but still have exactly everything you need! 

1. You need a good palette

     Lorac Pro To Go - This palette is my absolute favorite travel palette. You have six eyeshadows, two blushes and a bronzer. It has so many things you need in a conveniently small-packaged palette! The shadows are all neutral so you can wear any outfit, any lip, any accessories and it is going to go with these shadows! You can create a simple day look or a smoky eye for night. This is definitely a must for traveling in my opinion!

Lorac Pro To Go

Lorac Pro To Go

     The Nudes by Maybelline - If you prefer to have more shadow choices, this would be a great palette to have. It has twelve shadows but it is still super slim and small and makes it great for traveling. Like the Pro To Go, you are also going to be able to wear these shadows with anything. They are all neutral and going to look fabulous with whatever you pair with it!

The Nudes by Maybelline

     Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced - If you prefer having both neutral shadows AND color, you can not go wrong with this palette! I adore this palette and it has been my favorite for a good six months now! You can create SO many looks with this palette. With a wide variety of color range, you can create the perfect holiday eye!

Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced

2. You need a blush that will compliment any look

     

     In my opinion, a peachy-coral blush looks good with everything! It is by far my most favorite shade of blush to wear and whenever I see other girls wearing it as well, I think it looks so beautiful! It looks so pretty on any skin tone! Here are some great options for a peachy-coral blush:

- Melba by MAC (a classic!)

- Luminoso by Milani (a GORGEOUS drugstore blush! You will look like you are glowing!)

- Bellisima by Kat Von D (go to Sephora and check out this hidden gem. STUNNING!)

From left to right: Melba, Luminoso, Bellisima

Bottom: Melba
Middle: Luminoso
Top: Bellisima
(In Natural Light)

3. You need a nude lip, pink lip and red lip

     It is easy to throw multiple lipsticks in your bag causing you to bring way more options than you need! I think by bringing these three lipsticks you are going to have exactly what you need no matter what look you are going for. A good pink lip for the day, a good red lip for going out, and a nude lip for anything in between! Here are some good options:

PINK

- Romance by Covergirl (I mentioned this in my last Friday Five!)

- J. Lo's Nude by L'Oreal (despite the terrible smell of L'Oreal lipsticks, I still love this color!)

- Creme Cup by MAC (my absolute favorite pink lipstick of all time!)

From left to right: Romance, J.Lo's Nude, Creme Cup

Bottom: Romance
Middle: J.Lo's Nude
Top: Creme Cup
(In Natural Light)

NUDE

- Nude Embrace by Maybelline (you can see me wearing this in a recent Insta pic!)

- Nearly Nude by e.l.f. (so affordable and so pretty!)

- Creme D'Nude by MAC (the perfect Nude in my eyes!)

From left to right: Nude Embrace, Nearly Nude, Creme D'Nude

Bottom: Nude Embrace
Middle: Nearly Nude
Top: Creme D'Nude
(In Natural Light)

RED

- F-Bomb by Urban Decay (This is the lipstick that got me hooked on red lips!)

- Ruby Woo by MAC (the best matte red of life!)

- Just Garnet by Wet N Wild (a shimmery, fuschia-red that screams HOLIDAY LIP!)

From left to right: F-Bomb, Ruby Woo, Just Garnet

Bottom: F-Bomb
Middle: Ruby Woo
Top: Just Garnet
(In Natural Light)

4. You need a NYX Butter Gloss

     These glosses are perfection! You need a good gloss to have in your purse when you need to apply something quick and easy on your lips... but they can also be paired on top of your lipstick and it looks gorgeous! I would recommend any of the shades NYX offers! Just go to Target and take your pick :)

NYX Butter Glosses

5. Samples are your best friend

     Now is the perfect time to use those samples you get from Ipsy, Birchbox and other makeup orders! Usually, I always have some sort of sample to cover my mascara, primers, perfumes, shampoo/conditioner and even use up those dreaded foil packets - they really do come in handy when traveling! It is much easier to travel with samples of products than full-size - so don't forget about your samples!

6. Everything else

     Then pack everything else you need!

- Foundation

- Concealer

- Highlighter 

- Bronzer

- Powders

- Brow Products
- Lash Products
- Setting Spray

- Brushes

I hope these are useful tips if you are needing to travel soon! So excited the holiday season is almost here!

xoxo Kayla

     

Friday Five: 11/14/14

Happy Friday, girlies! It is a rainy day here in France so it is a perfect day to snuggle up and drink some coffee :)

Here are the products that I have been loving this week:

1. Pro Palette by Lorac
     The palette I keep reaching for this week is the Pro Palette by Lorac. I just love it more and more every time I use it. It is such a great palette to have in your collection so if you don't already own it, I highly recommend going out and getting it! You get 8 matte shadows and 8 shimmer. I love that there is so much variety of both matte and shimmer. For instance, in the Naked palettes, there aren't as many matte shadows to choose from. I like in the Pro palette, I have more options. The pigmentation of these shadows are amazing and they blend wonderfully. Just a great, classic palette that I will always want to have in my collection!

Pro Palette by Lorac

   
2. Melba by MAC
     Another oldie, but goodie. This is another product you need as a staple in your collection! Melba is a very popular blush from MAC and I absolutely love it. I find that I like corally-peachy blushes the most and this is the perfect blush for my taste! It is so gorgeous! I have a lighter skin tone but I think this would look amazing on any skin tone - light or dark! I love MAC blushes and don't think you can go wrong with any of them!

Melba by MAC

Swatch of Melba

3. Nail Laquer #318 Light Mauve by Kiko
     This is one of the nail polishes I picked up in my Kiko haul (Read about the products I purchased here). I have been wearing this on my nails all week long and I am loving it. I am really digging the mauve colors recently! It does start to chip off after a few days but for the cheap price that I am paying for it, I don't really mind it. 

Light Mauve by Kiko

4. Super Gloss #126 Baby Pink by Kiko
     This is another product from Kiko that I have been loving this week. I got this gloss because it was really sheer and slightly shimmery and thought that I would like wearing it over different lipsticks. And I do like doing that, but I have been really liking wearing it alone this week! I have been wearing really minimal makeup this week and this sheer gloss is perfect for a minimal makeup look!

Baby Pink by Kiko

5. Lipperfection Lip Color in Romance by Covergirl
     I have only worn this once this week (since I have been doing the minimal makeup) but I have a newfound love for it all over again! This is probably one of the older lipsticks I have in my collection and I rarely use it. But I pulled it out to wear the other night and I am loving it again! Romance is such a pretty pinky-mauve. Since I have been loving mauve recently, that is probably why I love it so much! I will definitely be wearing this again soon!

Romance by Covergirl

Swatch of Romance

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend :)

xoxo Kayla


Find the products I mentioned here:

Pro Palette by Lorac

Melba by MAC

Light Mauve by Kiko

Baby Pink by Kiko

Romance by Covergirl

Kiko Cosmetics: Haul and Review

Hi Pretties!

I have been anxiously awaiting to share Kiko Cosmetics with you for quite some time now! I have refrained from keeping some Kiko products out of my Friday Five a few times because I knew I wanted to wait until I did a post on Kiko for you girls in the USA!

Like I said on my Instagram post, Kiko is an Italian makeup line that has stores located all throughout Europe. While I was living in Italy last year, I discovered it while shopping at the mall with my husband. He actually asked me one of the first times we went shopping if I wanted to stop in and look at the makeup ... and I turned it down! I was just so set on what I liked from Sephora, Ulta, MAC, the drugstore etc that this "Kiko brand" probably wouldn't compare. I was so wrong!

One day, while doing some Christmas shopping, I was like "Alright, I'll go in and see what it is all about". Kiko is super cute and their store has this purple uplighting which just creates a really fun vibe. Every single one of their products is sitting out for you to test and swatch. And even though you can probably see and understand what everything is, it is also so helpful that everything is labeled in English at Kiko. I started swatching and playing with the products and I was so impressed! Kiko has amazing products that are super cheap! Several of their products are under 5 Euros and the majority of it is under 10 Euros! I was ashamed for turning it down and purchased several products that day!

Since being back in Europe, going to Kiko has been one of the things I have been looking forward to after being away from it for 5 months! I ended up picking up some new products and some products I have already tried out previously and wanted to share them with you!

The one downside about Kiko is that everything is labeled as a number. So that makes it kind of boring! I wish they would take the extra step to name the products because they have super cute packaging and pairing them with unique names would be so much more memorable and easy to share with others! You can go on the website and look up the products and their numbers and it gives a name for the product. So I wish they would label them in the store as that! Just because I like you all, I will look up the names for the products that I got :)

Here is what I got from Kiko recently:

Lip Pencils:
#309 Precision Lip Pencil - Crimson Red €2.90
#310 Precision Lip Pencil - Coral Pink €2.90
#503 Automatic Precision Lip Pencil - Hot Pink €3.90

     The first thing on my list was to get a few new lip pencils. I have never really been into lining my lips and only own a few lip pencils. But recently, I have been really into them and trying to define my lips more! I got two regular pencils (that you have to sharpen) and one automatic. For the automatic one, I got #503. It definitely is not hot pink as it is named, but more of a dusty rose. I like that it is creamier than the normal pencils but it is also very fragile and has already broken off a couple of times on me. I will probably stick with the regular pencils from now on. #309 Crimson Red is actually more on the berry side so I thought that would be perfect for fall/winter. And #310 Coral Pink is a pink shade that I thought would be universal for any nude lip. 

Kiko Lip Pencils

Bottom: #503
Middle: #310
Top: #309

Nail Polish:
#239 Nail Laquer - Vermilion Red €3.90
#318 Nail Laquer- Light Mauve €3.90
3-in-1 Shine €4.90

     The next thing I needed was nail polish. When it came down to it while packing, I just didn't have any type of room to be worrying about bringing nail polish out to France with me. I know nail polish isn't going to make a huge difference when it comes to adding weight to luggage, but it is already an art trying to get everything you need to live the next six or seven months of your life to fit into a couple of suticases! Plus, I had already tried nail polish from Kiko and planned on getting some from there when I got here. What's great about Kiko is they let you swatch the nail polish! They provide clear masking tape and you just put a piece on your hand and you swatch the polish. GENIUS!! Of course every girl needs a classic red polish so I grabbed #239 Vermilion Red. I also grabbed #318 Light Mauve because it looked perfect for fall. It is a cool-toned, purple-mauve and I am loving it! Then I grabbed the 3-in-1 Shine because it is a fast drying, base coat and top coat all in one.

Kiko Nail Polishes
Left to Right: #239, #318, 3-in-1 Shine

Purifying Mask: 
     I tried this mask last year and I liked it so much that I decided to grab it again. It is a remineralizing purifying mask that claims to "mattify the skin and minimize skin flaws". I do agree completely that it mattifies the skin and that is why I like it so much. I use it on days where I feel like my skin may be getting a little oily and this helps tremendously. I am not sure that I agree that it helps with skin flaws (I assume they mean acne) as I have never actually used it to treat acne. But regardless if it does not treat acne, at €5.90 I am happy with just using it as a mask to mattify my skin.

Kiko Purifying Mask

Lip gloss:
#126 Super Gloss - Baby Pink €4.90

     I had never purchased a lip gloss from Kiko so I wanted to try one out. I have been wanting to get more of a sheer gloss with a little bit of sparkle to add on top of different lipsticks. This gloss is exactly what I have been wanting! Super sheer and just a TINY bit of shimmer. It looks great with a lot of nude lipsticks and I even like wearing it alone! I think that the formula is great - a tad bit sticky but just only a little bit! I am going to have to purchase more! (I did not include a swatch since it is so sheer and does not show up well on camera)

Kiko Super Gloss #126

Lipstick:
#512 Luscious Cream Lipstick  - Plum €5.00

     I already own several lipsticks from Kiko so I really didn't even need to grab anymore. But hey, it has been a while since I had shopped at Kiko so I decided one was ok to grab one :) They have several different formulas: Creamy, Matte, Sheer, Metallic, Glossy. I decided to grab a Cream lipstick since it is the formula that I like most. I grabbed #512 Plum because it is that perfect plumy-vampy color. Plus, I thought it would go perfect with the #309 lip liner that I got!

Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick

Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick #512

Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick #512

Unfortunately, I do not think Kiko products are available to order online through the US yet. But I do know they have had locations in the New York and Miami areas open this past year. If you are ever near one, I highly recommend checking Kiko out! I don't know if the products will be a little more expensive in the US, but if they are, it will still be decently priced! I am hoping more will start opening throughout the US because I would love for it to be available to me when we are back in the US permanently! And if you are ever in Europe, keep your eyes out for one and definitely stop in!

I hope you enjoyed learning about new products if you have never heard of Kiko before! 

Have a great day!

xoxo Kayla